San Diego Padres hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
The 2025 San Diego Padres finished with a 90-72 record, driven by a pitching staff widely regarded as one of the best in the majors. The offense was another story.
Collectively, the team batting average was .252, as they scored 4.33 runs per game. A sharp decline from the season before, with 4.69 runs per game.
Changes occurred at the managerial position, out went Mike Shildt, and in came Craig Stammen. Shortly after his announcement, Stammen reached out to an old teammate, Steven Souza Jr., to become the Padres’ new hitting coach. He accepted the challenge of resurrecting the offense.
Souza Jr. offers a simple hitting philosophy
Souza Jr. has a simple hitting philosophy of controlling the strike zone. It is an approach that allows hitters to become more aggressive and capitalize on pitchers’ mistakes. Souza Jr. encourages his hitters to visualize their at-bat before stepping into the batter’s box. It helps them identify the holes in the opponent’s defensive alignment.
It removes the threat of the batter overthinking and swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. Now, they can relax at the plate, as their approach only changes with two strikes. All that needs to take place is putting the ball in play.
Often, the result is that the pitch travels to the gap for an extra-base hit or possibly a home run. The Friars had trouble putting the ball over the fence. They hit 152 home runs, which ranked 28th in the majors last season.
Souza Jr. believes his hitting philosophy will limit batting slumps throughout the season. To reach this goal, his focus is raising the lineup’s confidence in the batter’s box.
2025 Padres offense: A big disappointment
The Padres’ offense was too inconsistent last season, especially with runners in scoring position. They left an average of 3.55 runners in scoring position per game, which ranked near the bottom of the majors.
The highs and lows were too far apart between an optimal offense and a dreaded run-scoring drought. Yes, lineup stability was a challenge due to injuries sustained by key offensive contributors last season. Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth and Xander Bogaerts all missed significant time, and the run production suffered. Still, the Friars ranked 18th in team scoring with 702 runs, despite being seventh in team batting average.
They essentially have the same lineup that concluded the 2025 season. To boost production, Souza Jr. must improve their mindset when batting with runners in scoring position. He must take down their stress level that should generate more productive swings.
Improved offensive production must occur in 2026. While the process may have a slow start, this lineup is too talented not to turn things around.
Hopefully, the bats will come into their own this season.
The Kings are playing their first game since firing their old head coach, Jim Hiller. Tonight will be the first game for D.J Smith as the head coach, and while it is not his first time being a head coach, it is his first time being the head coach for the Kings, and they do not get the easiest first matchup as they host the Colorado Avalanche, who are 1st in the NHL.
Kings Projected Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight:
Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Alex Turcotte - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere
Warren Foegele - Kenny Connors - Corey Perry
Jeff Malott - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Mikey Anderson - Cody Ceci
Jacob Moverare - Brian Dumoulin
Anton Forsberg
Erik Portillo
Avalanche Projected Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Avalanche tonight:
Gabriel Landeskog - Nathan MacKinnon - Martin Necas
Artturi Lehkonen - Brock Nelson - Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton - Jack Drury - Victor Olofsson
Zakhar Bardakov - Parker Kelly - Gavin Brindley
Devon Toews - Cale Makar
Josh Manson - Brent Burns
Brett Kulak - Sam Malinski
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Line Changes and Injuries
The Colorado Avalanche are expected to use the same lineup as they did in the Chicago Blackhawks game. The Kings will be without Trevor Moore and Darcy Kuemper, who are both out due to illness. With those 2 players out, the Kings have called up Kenny Connors, who will make his NHL debut tonight, and Erik Portillo to back up Anton Forsberg.
Key Factors
The Kings are coming off a 2-0 win over the Calgary Flames, which was the first win for Artemi Panarin as a member of the Kings. The Kings currently sit 3 points back of the final wildcard spot, and a win tonight would be huge in their playoff race.
Tonight's matchup is one of the toughest for the Kings, as the Avalanche have firepower on offence and defence, led by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe have been playing very well together; in their last 3 games, they have both scored 3 points, and this duo can be a big enough factor for the Kings to pull off the upset.
The goaltending matchup tonight looks like Forsberg vs. Blackwood. Forsberg is coming off his 2nd shutout of the season, where he made 29 saves. Blackwood is coming off a 14-save win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Overall, this game is going to be a tough one for the Kings, but with their new dynamic duo and strong defence, there is a good chance they can pull off the upset.
Former Australian opener Usman Khawaja has criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board after the national team’s T20 World Cup players were reportedly fined for an underwhelming performance during the ongoing tournament.
Now, he has suffered a “disappointing” setback that raises renewed questions about the Dodgers’ opening day rotation.
As manager Dave Roberts announced Monday morning, Stone’s surgically repaired shoulder “flared up” on him last week, after the 27-year-old made his long-awaited return from an injury that sidelined him for all of last year.
Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone delivers in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians, Feb. 24 in Phoenix. AP
In his Feb. 24 outing, Stone looked promising during a scoreless inning of work, striking out two batters in what was his first game action since his breakout rookie season in 2024. He came away encouraged by the quality of his stuff, too, hopeful he was finally past the extensive shoulder surgery that repaired his labrum, rotator cuff and shoulder capsule two years ago.
In the days after that outing, however, Stone threw a bullpen session that left his shoulder feeling sore. Thus, the Dodgers have “put him on ice” and shut him down from throwing for now, Roberts said. The team has not set an immediate timeline for when Stone could resume pitching activities. But Roberts indicated the development will likely rule the right-hander out for the opening day roster.
“Given everything he’s gone through with the shoulder, we wanted to make sure we push pause,” Roberts said. “I don’t know when he’s gonna start throwing again. But it is a setback, unfortunately. With the shoulder soreness, we’re just trying to be thoughtful and mindful for Gavin. And right now, he’s trying to get everything to calm down.”
Before Monday’s development, Stone seemed to be in strong position for an opening day roster spot.
With Blake Snell still working back from his own shoulder problem, and Shohei Ohtani unlikely to be fully built up as a pitcher by the time the season begins, the Dodgers appeared to have at least one spot up for grabs that Stone was competing for.
Now, the process of filing it could be trickier.
Stone throws to the New York Mets in the third inning at Citi Field in Queens, May 28, 2024. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is ahead of schedule, and off to represent Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic. Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki are also ramping up in camp, and set to make their second starts of the spring the next two days.
How they round out the rest of it will now be a central question for the rest of this spring.
Emmet Sheehan figures to be a leading candidate, but is a bit behind schedule after dealing with a sickness at the start of camp, having yet to appear in a Cactus League game. River Ryan and Justin Wrobleski are in the mix as well –– though Ryan is still dialing in his command as he returns from Tommy John surgery.
“River is still trying to make his way back, find his way back,” Roberts said. “I was talking to him on the bench a couple days ago, where he said there’s a timing mechanism that he and the guys … in our (pitching development) department kind of figured out. So I want to see how that looks. But he’s still gotta pitch well. He hasn’t pitched a whole lot for us.”
Dodgers’ Justin Wrobleski pitches during Game 7 of the 2025 World Series on Nov. 1, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. MLB Photos via Getty Images
One pitcher who isn’t a rotation candidate: Kyle Hurt.
Like Stone and Ryan, he is coming back from a lost season in 2025 that was spent recovering from Tommy John. And while he is “one of the guys that has stood out for me early in camp,” Roberts said, the Dodgers are viewing him as more of a multi-inning relief option than traditional starting pitcher.
Another name to watch could be 32-year-old left-hander Cole Irvin. He is a six-year MLB veteran (with a 4.54 ERA in 134 career outings) who signed a minor-league deal with the team this spring after pitching in South Korea’s KBO last season.
“We’re gonna look at the guys we have,” Roberts said. “We’ve got some good candidates for starters.”
Just, with Stone now hurt again, one less than they were hoping to.
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SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 27: Sung-Mun Song #24 of the San Diego Padres gets ready in the batter's box during the third inning of a spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 27, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As the third week of Spring Training gets underway, the San Diego Padres have continued to show promise in their Cactus League play. They have remained competitive in games they had no business being competitive in. As hard as it is to gauge the weight of spring performance, it has been exciting to watch.
Now that players’ roles have become slightly more concrete, it might be time to take a look at lineup projections for left-handed starters versus right-handers. How will the lineup math work when facing lefty Tarik Skubal on Opening Day in comparison to righty Jack Flaherty a few days later?
Against lefties
Xander Bogaerts SS
Jackson Merrill CF
Manny Machado 3B
Fernando Tatis Jr. RF
Miguel Andujar DH
Jake Cronenworth 2B
Ramón Laureano LF
Nick Castellanos 1B
Freddy Fermin C
Week one of Spring Training found San Diego with an interesting order for the Padres’ starting four. Manager Craig Stammen stated that it’s uncertain whether or not this will be a part of the Opening Day lineup but also argued for the logic behind the change.
This lineup utilizes newcomers Andujar and Castellanos for their strengths against left-handers, putting the latter at his new position of first base. Andujar would likely be taking the starting reps at DH most of the time, except to give one of the starting outfielders a day off.
The rest of the lineup is pretty straightforward, with it being balanced between lefty and righty bats, it could make for a markedly better year against left-handed pitchers.
Against righties
Xander Bogaerts SS
Jackson Merrill CF
Manny Machado 3B
Fernando Tatis Jr. RF
Gavin Sheets 1B
Ramón Laureano LF
Miguel Andujar DH
Jake Cronenworth 2B
Freddy Fermin C
Sticking with the top four from the last lineup (since that’s much less likely to change due to pitching), this supplants Castellanos at first base for Gavin Sheets. The 2025 breakout player for San Diego mashes against righties, and can play passable defense at the cold corner.
The rest of the lineup is likely about the same. The problem is the lack of left-handed bats in the lineup. There’s only three lefty bats (Merrill, Sheets, and Cronenworth) with the rest being right-handed batters.
It’s possible that it won’t affect too much as long as they’re spread throughout the lineup. But the lineup math could get difficult if you move one of them and then the Friars are struggling to solve for a streak of right-handed bats.
Who’s warming up the bench?
Luis Campusano C
Samad Taylor/Jose Miranda INF
Sung-Mun Song INF
Bryce Johnson/Alex Verdugo OF
These players are the ones likely on the bench no matter who’s on the mound. Apart from them, San Diego would probably have Sheets benched against lefties and Castellanos and Andujar versus righties.
Campusano is currently the favorite for the backup catcher role behind Fermin. It’s incredibly unlikely that he gets beat out for that role since he is out of options and needs to make the major-league roster or else clear waivers to be sent down to Triple-A.
Song has been battling back from a minor oblique injury that has slowed his emergence into MLB, but has still managed to log two hits across his first five games. He’s likely to fill a versatile utility role for the club, playing wherever is needed.
The fight for the last spots is now between Taylor and Miranda for the infield, and Johnson and newcomer Verdugo for the outfield. The former have been destroying baseballs so far in Cactus League play, hitting .462 and .412, respectively.
Johnson is the likely candidate for outfield depth, given his tenure and consistency with San Diego. That said, if Verdugo manages to turn it up in the next few weeks, he could make his way onto the big-league roster.
How the lineup math works out will be a matter of scrutiny on Stammen’s part, and it’s likely it won’t be figured out for the next few weeks. Whatever happens, the Friars have a great problem on their hands: too many good options.
The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.
The Instagram post includes a reel of Young going through drills in Wizards gear and includes B-roll footage of Washington D.C. The caption of the post simply reads: “March 5th."
This comes as the Wizards remain well outside of the play-in picture, at 16-43 and 13th in the Eastern Conference. Washington has lost eight consecutive games while dealing with several key injuries.
Young, 27, is a four-time All-Star who is averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game this season. Though he remains one of the top distributors in the NBA — Young led the NBA in assists last season with 11.6 per game — his defense has been a significant issue.
Washington is navigating a delicate balance for its first-round draft pick. The selection is Top-8 protected, which means that it will convey to the New York Knicks, if it falls to No. 9 or below. This means that any victories over the final quarter of the season could compromise Washington's draft positioning; the Wizards currently have the NBA’s fourth-lowest winning percentage (.271).
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 1: The Los Angeles Lakers celebrate before the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 1, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Lakers’ pregame routine has gone viral across social media this season. Led by LeBron James, the Lakers wrap up their warm-up with a bit of synchronisation before walking off the floor.
Is it a bit silly? Sure. But basketball is a game and not everything has to be serious. It’s a fun tradition the team does every game, home or away.
However, for reasons unclear, LeBron wasn’t around pregame on Sunday and, unfortunately, disaster struck. Rui Hachimura attempted to step in and lead things, but failed miserably at just throwing the ball up in the air in the right direction.
Rui Hachimura tried to replace LeBron in the Lakers pre-game ritual but botched it lmao
Fortunately, this did not set a tone for the night as the Lakers comfortably took care of business, blowing out the Kings for their second win in as many days. Those good vibes from the win meant the elephant in the room could be addressed pregame.
“I literally said no to everybody, but they all pointed at me,” Rui said. “I don’t know…You know what it is, I think because I was doing it before [when] [LeBron] was coming back from the injury. So, they all pointed at me, but I wasn’t really feeling doing it. I was like ‘No, no, no.’ The time was going on, so I was like, ‘Alright, come on.’ I did it. I got booed.”
Luka, the de facto leader of the team, could only react in one way to Rui’s performance: disgust.
“I don’t know why,” Luka said postgame. “Never again. Never again. It was terrible.”
In a contract year, you’d expect a better showing from Rui. Will this hurt him in contract negotiations? Do the Lakers want to bring back someone who struggles to throw the ball up in the air?
If the Lakers want to move into the post-LeBron era seamlessly, then someone is going to need to go through a crash course over the final weeks of the season to learn how to properly toss the ball into the air. Otherwise, that could be another skillset they will look to acquire this offseason.
The Detroit Red Wings picked up two huge points in the standings on Monday afternoon, defeating the Nashville Predators by a 4-2 final score at Bridgestone Arena.
Albert Johansson scored the go-ahead game-winning goal while shorthanded in the second period, helping the Red Wings leapfrog the Montreal Canadiens for third place in the Atlantic Division.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 2, 2026
They have the same number of points as the Buffalo Sabres, who are in second place with a game in hand.
However, the question on the minds of fans everywhere will be the status of starting goaltender John Gibson, who left after the opening 20 minutes of play with an upper-body injury and did not return.
It was the Red Wings who opened the scoring in the first period thanks to rookie forward Emmitt Finnie, who banged home a rebound for his first goal since Detroit's 4-3 overtime win over the Dallas Stars on Dec. 23.
A would-be goal from Simon Edvinsson, which would have increased Detroit's lead to 2-0, was overturned after Marco Kasper was ruled to have interfered with Predators goaltender Juuse Saros.
Nashville, who had a goal of their own waived off due to goaltender interference earlier in the frame, then knotted the score at 1-1 thanks to a power-play goal from Filip Forsberg, who now has 24 points in his last 24 games against Detroit.
A turnover from defenseman Simon Edvinsson in his own zone burned Detroit in the second period, as his pass was intercepted by Ryan O'Reilly, who fed a wide-open Jonathan Marchessault at the side of the net for a tap-in goal.
However, Lucas Raymond responded by beating Saros from a sharp angle after taking a beautiful cross-ice feed from Alex DeBrincat.
While shorthanded, the Detroit Red Wings grabbed a lead they would not relinquish when Albert Johansson beat Juuse Saros with a one-timer on a two-on-one rush alongside Marco Kasper.
With Saros pulled and the Nashville Predators pressing for the equalizer, Detroit sealed the win when Alex DeBrincat netted his 31st goal of the season.
Talbot, who replaced Gibson after the first period, finished with 18 saves; Gibson stopped 10 of the 11 shots he faced. Meanwhile, Saros made 27 saves.
The Red Wings will return home to face the Vegas Golden Knights at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday evening.
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DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 27: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks the ball during the game against the Detroit Pistons on February 27, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Fortunately for the Cavs, they don’t have to wait long to get even. They take on the Pistons again on Tuesday and should be healthier. James Harden returned to the lineup Sunday and looked like he didn’t miss a beat as he nearly put up a triple-double in his return against the Brooklyn Nets.
This is the Cavs’ and Pistons’ last meeting of the regular season. And it should give us our best chance to see how these two teams match up if they were to meet in the playoffs this spring.
TV: FanDuel Sports Network – Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass
Point spread: Pistons -1
Cavs injury report: Donovan Mitchell – OUT (groin), Dean Wade – QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Riley Minix – OUT (G League), Darius Brown – OUT (G League)
Pistons injury report: Isaac Jones – OUT (G League), Bobi Klintman – QUESTIONABLE (G League), Chaz Lanier – QUESTIONABLE (G League), Wendell Moore Jr. – OUT (G League), Tolu Smith – QUESTIONABLE (G League)
Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves signed 12-year veteran forward Kyle Anderson on Monday, bringing back a popular role player after he was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Anderson played two seasons for the Timberwolves, contributing to their run to the Western Conference finals in 2024. He then signed with the Golden State Warriors in free agency and has been traded three times since, most recently to the Grizzlies by the Utah Jazz.
The 32-year-old Anderson has averaged 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 20.4 minutes in 24 games this season between the Jazz and the Grizzlies.
Anderson started 56 games over two years with the Timberwolves, averaging 25.3 minutes for the highest mark of his tenure with any of the six teams he's been with in his NBA career. The 2014 first-round draft pick by the San Antonio Spurs had three triple-doubles with the Timberwolves and became a fan favorite for his toughness, leadership and deliberate style on offense that has drawn him the nickname, “Slo Mo.”
PISA, Italy (AP) — Fiorentina went down to Udinese 3-0 and Pisa lost to Bologna 1-0 on an unhappy night for the relegation-threatened sides in Serie A on Monday.
In Udine, the home side went ahead after 10 minutes when Christian Kabasele nodded in a Nicolo Zaniolo corner.
Udinese's leading goal-scorer Kelman Davis made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in the second half.
And Adam Buksa added a third in stoppage time to decisively halt Fiorentina’s recent revival and torpedo its hopes of winning three games in a row for the first time this season.
It remained fifth from bottom of the league, but equal on points with Cremonese and Lecce, the club occupying the third relegation spot.
One of the two teams below it, Pisa, lost at home to Bologna and remained joint last with Verona.
Pisa had three shots on target while Bologna had only one, but it was that 90th-minute strike from Jens Odgaard that decided the match.
The Danish forward hit the net from around 25 meters out to break the home fans' hearts and ensure Pisa was still looking for a second win in the league.
The result leaves it on the same points as bottom club Verona. Both are nine points from safety with 11 league matches remaining.
The win was Bologna’s third in a row and lifted it above Sassuolo into ninth place. It has not lost a league game at home to Pisa since February 1985.
Mar 2, 2026; Dunedin, Florida, USA;Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Addison Barger (47) is congratulated in the dugout after he hit a grand slam during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Red Sox 7 Blue Jays 6
I know it is spring, but it would be nice to win occasionally.
Cody Ponce threw 2 innings, allowed 4 hits, 1 earned with 2 strikeouts. Not bad for his first time out there.
A missed tripping call leading to a short-handed goal by the Detroit Red Wings stood as the game-winning goal in a 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Monday at Bridgestone Arena.
On a Predators power play in the second period, Roman Josi was tripped along the boards by Marco Kasper, leading to a 2-on-1 the other way. Kasper made a cross-ice pass to Albert Johansson, who scored the game-winning goal.
The trip was not reviewed by the referees and the goal stood.
"I thought it was a trip. I felt pretty hard, but that stuff happens out there," Josi said. "I certainly make a lot of mistakes out there. That's not why we lost the game. We had a lot of other things that we could do better, and we had our looks in the third."
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 2, 2026
Both Nashville and Detroit also had goals disallowed in the game due to goaltender interference.
Emmitt Finnie opened the scoring 4:51 into the game, putting away a Kasper rebound as Juuse Saros lost his net for an early 1-0 Red Wing lead.
Filip Forsberg responded on the power play, one-timing a pass from Luke Evangelista into the net. It was Forsberg's 26th goal of the season and Evagelista's team-leading 37th assist.
In the second period, Jonathan Marchessault scored on a tap-in off a pass from O'Reilly to give Nashville its first and only lead of the game.
Nearly three minutes later, Lucas Raymond tapped in a cross-ice pass from Alex DeBrincat into the net to tie things up.
While the Johansson goal ended up being the game-winner, head coach Andrew Brunette said the one play wasn't the reason the Predators lost, as they "got away from their game" in the second period, getting outscored, 2-1.
"The game was lost in the second period, losing those puck battles that ended up leading to goals," Brunette said. "We turned too many pucks over in that area, and it got us. They're a really good rush team. It was disappointing because the effort was there."
Statistically, Detroit gave away the puck more on the night, 16 to 11.
DeBrincat iced the game on an empty net goal with 26 seconds left in the game.
The Predators fall to 27-25-8 on the year and still sit three points outside of the final Wild Card spot with 62 points. Tonight, Seattle (65 points) hosts Carolina and Utah (66 points) takes on Colorado in Salt Lake City.
The bubble between the playoffs and missing out continues to grow with the trade deadline now four days away.
"All we can control right now is winning games," Evangelista said. "We keep winning games, keep climbing the standings and getting points. That's what we can control, and if we do that, I think there's a good chance the team's gonna stick together."
Nashville has a quick turnaround, facing the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CST.
Familiar scenes played out early in the second quarter of the Lakers’ blowout win over the Kings on Sunday night even though the actual plays were rare.
The first: after cutting off Malik Monk’s drive out of a pick and roll to force a pass to Drew Eubanks, who fumbled the ball after Marcus Smart’s deflection, Maxi Kleber getting back into the play and blocking Eubanks’s layup attempt at the 9:17 mark of the second, which started the Lakers’ transition attack.
The second: after the Lakers ran their Stack action, Luka Doncic whipped a one-handed pass to a rolling Kleber inside of the paint, with Kleber taking two quick steps before dunking over Precious Achiuwa a couple of minutes later after the blocked shot.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Maxi Kleber dunks as Sacramento Kings guard Daeqwon Plowden watches during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong) AP
Sunday was the second straight game that Kleber, who finished with six points, six rebounds and a blocked shot against the Kings, was in the rotation after playing 13 minutes against the Warriors on Saturday night.
But for most of the season, Kleber’s playing time has been sporadic, mainly being in the rotation if the Lakers are dealing with injuries or foul trouble.
Which is why everyone on the Lakers’ bench stood on their feet and celebrated Kleber’s plays — customary when a teammate makes highlight plays, but the moments had extra juice to them because it was Kleber who made the plays.
“We have a lot of good guys on our team,” coach JJ Redick said. “Love these guys. [Kleber’s] teammates love him. He’s a terrific teammate. It’s easy to root for his success.”
What makes Kleber so easy to root for?
“He does everything right, man,” Smart told the Califorinia Post. “And he’s such a good person. He wants to see everybody win, even though he’s not winning in certain circumstances of not getting playing time as much as he would like, probably. Not getting the ball as much as he would like. But he doesn’t let that deter him from cheering on his teammates and being there for his teammates. And then when he does get in and his opportunity comes, taking full advantage of it.”
The 11 minutes per game Kleber’s averaging through 60 games is easily the fewest of his career, almost six minutes fewer than the 16.8 he averaged during his rookie season.
And it isn’t just his playing time that’s taken a decline. He’s averaging career-lows across the board in a variety of statistical categories.
But the 34-year-old Kleber remains a valuable teammate and veteran presence inside of the Lakers’ locker room.
“There’s not a negative bone in his body towards anybody,” Smart told the Post. “When you got a guy like that, sometimes it’s easy to take him for granted. But it’s also easy to root for him like hell when he does get his opportunity because he does so much for us that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet at all.
“Just his ability to be able to talk to guys. Uses his experience and his understanding of the situation he’s in to help guys. Not allowing that to bring him down and also help bring other guys up even when he could sit over there and pout. And nobody would blame him. But he chooses not to. And when you got a guy like that, that’s contagious.”
Which makes big plays Kleber makes when he is able to get on the floor, and the energy they spark, contagious.
Maxi Kleber of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 1, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images
“He always brings good energy,” Rui Hachimura said. “We always talk about how we wanna be like him. We always talk about that. Whether playing or not, he’s always on the bench, cheering for the team, trying to help the team win. [That] kind of stuff is really big. He knows exactly what his role [is].”
The energy Kleber provides for the Lakers comes back around to him.
“Every time I do something, you look to the bench, everybody’s celebrating,” Kleber said. “Obviously, it’s [a] good push for me, good push for the team.”
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BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 1: Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics during the 2026 NBA Pioneers Classic on February 1, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Boston Celtics (40-20) at Milwaukee Bucks (26-33) Monday, March 2, 2026 7:30 PM ET TV: NBA-TV, NBCSB, FDSWI Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WTMJ (103..3), Sirius XM Regular Season Game #61, Road Game #32 Fiserv Forum
The Celtics visit the Milwaukee Bucks for the third of 4 games between these two teams this season. The Bucks won 116-101 in Milwaukee on December11 and the Celtics won 107-79 in Boston on February 1. They will play their final game in Milwaukee on April 13. Due to the in-season tournament, they face the anomaly of playing 3 times in Milwaukee and just once in Boston.
The Celtics won the series 3-0 last season. They are 122-113 overall all time against the Bucks and they are 44-73 against the Bucks all time in games played in Milwaukee. Both teams are playing in the second of back to back games. The Bucks played in Chicago on Sunday while the Celtics played at home against the 76ers on Sunday.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 5.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York , 3 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 5 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 7 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 8.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 26-13 against Eastern Conference opponents and 8-5 against the Atlantic Division. They are 20-11 home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.
The Bucks are 11th in the East, 19 games behind 1st place Detroit, 5 games behind 7th place Orlando and 8th place Miami, 3.5 games behind 9th place Atlanta 3 games behind 10th place Charlotte. They are 2 games ahead of 12th place Chicago. They are 19-21 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 14-14 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last 2 games.
After this game at Milwaukee, the Celtics are back home for games against Charlotte and Dallas before a tough 3 game road trip through Cleveland, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. Then they host Washington, Phoenix and Golden State. Next, it is one game at Memphis before a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Atlanta.
For Milwaukee, this is the first game of a 5 game home stand. After the Celtics, they will host Atlanta, Utah, Orlando and Phoenix. Then they are on the road for games at Miami and Atlanta before hosting Indiana and Cleveland. Next they have a 4 game western road trip through Utah, Phoenix, the LA Clippers, and Portland before returning home to host San Antonio, the Clippers and Dallas.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum has been ruled out for this game but may be close to a return. Jaylen Brown (illness) and Neemias Queta (rest) were late scratches for this game and will be out. I’m taking a wild guess that Hugo Gonzalez and Luka Garza start in their places. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed the last 16 games but has been cleared to play in this game. Taurean Prince is out after having neck surgery. Thanasis Antetokounmpo is questionable due to an illness.
Probable Starting Matchups PG: Derrick White vs Ryan Rollins
Derrick White | NBAE via Getty ImagesRyan Rollins | Getty Images
SG: Baylor Scheierman vs Kevin Porter, Jr
Baylor Scheierman | NBAE via Getty ImagesKevin Porter Jr | Getty Images
SF: Hugo Gonzalez vs Kyle Kuzma
Hugo Gonzalez | Getty ImagesKyle Kuzma | NBAE via Getty Images
PF: Sam Hauser vs Giannis Antetokounmpo
Sam Hauser | Getty ImagesGiannis Antetokounmpo | Getty Images
C: Luka Garza vs Myles Turner
Luka Garza | Getty ImagesMyles Turner | Getty Images
Celtics Reserves Payton Pritchard Hugo Gonzalez Luka Garza Amare Williams Nikola Vucevic Jordan Walsh 2-Way Players Ron Harper, Jr Max Shulga John Tonje Injuries/Out Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out Jaylen Brown (illness) out Neemias Queta (rest) out Head Coach Joe Mazzulla Bucks Reserves Thanasis Antetokounmpo Ousmane Dieng Gary Harris Andre Jackson, Jr Bobby Portis, Jr Cormac Ryan Jericho Sims Cam Thomas Gary Trent, Jr
Two-Way Players Alex Antetokounmpo Pete Nance Injuries/Out Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) available Taurean Prince (neck) out Thanasis Antetokounmpo (illness) questionable Head Coach Doc Rivers
Key Matchups Baylor Scheierman vs Kevin Porter, Jr. Porter is averaging 18.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He is shooting 46.9% from the field and 32.8% from beyond the arc. He didn’t play in the February 1 game against Boston and finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists and 1 steal while shooting 60% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc on December 11. They need to be aware of him in the passing lanes as he is a threat to steal the ball.
Sam Hauser vs Giannis Antetokounmpo Giannis is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while shooting 64.5% from the field and 39.5% from beyond the arc. He missed both of the games between these teams so far this season. He has been out for 5 weeks so he may be a bit rusty but regardless, he makes them tougher to beat. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Joe start double bigs this game to counter the Bucks’ double bigs. Honorable Mention Derrick White vs Ryan Rollins Rollins is averaging 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 47.1% from the field and 41.8% from beyond the arc. In the 2 games against the Celtics this season he averaged 17.5 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 51.3% from the field and 62.5% from beyond the arc. Rollins is a good 3 point shooter and so the Celtics need to defend him on the perimeter.
Keys to the Game Defense – Defense is always the biggest key to winning. Defense really does win championships. The Celtics are 7th with a defensive rating of 112.1 The Bucks are 24th with a defensive rating of 116.7. In the first game between these two games the Celtics allowed the Bucks to shoot 58.2% from the field and 44.8% from beyond the arc. The Celtics must work harder on defense in this one and keep their focus on the defensive end so as not to allow any easy baskets for the Bucks. They especially need to defend the perimeter as the Bucks are 2nd in the league shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc as a team.
Rebound – Next to defense, rebounding is always a big key to winning. As Pat Riley once said, “No rebounds, no rings.” The key to rebounding is effort and focus. The Celtics are 30-8 in games that they tie or out-rebound opponents. They are just 9-12 in games tin which they are out-rebounded. The Bucks are 27th with 41.1 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 7th with 45.8 rebounds per game. The Celtics have to fight to beat the Bucks to rebounds.
Don’t Underestimate the Bucks – The Bucks do not have their best player and often the Celtics relax and understimate short handed teams. However, the Bucks are still a rival in the Eastern Conference that can play hard. The Celtics have to give max effort on the boards and on defense and they have to give that effort for the entire game and not just 1 or 2 quarters.
3 Point Shooting – The Celtics are 3rd in the league, averaging 42.2 three pointers per game. They are shooting 36.5% as a team from beyond the arc. The Bucks are 13th, averaging 37.7 threes a game and they are 2nd in the league shooting 39.1% on threes as a team. The Celtics make 15.4 threes a game while the Bucks make 14.7 thees a game. The Celtics need to work to get open and move the ball to find the best shots. If the 3’s aren’t falling, they need to take the ball inside. And they need to defend the perimeter or the Bucks will bury them in 3s.
X-Factors Back to Back On the Road – The Celtics are on the road and so will have the distractions of travel, staying in hotels, and playing in front of a hostile crowd. They need to stay focused and not allow any of those distractions to take away from playing their game. Both teams are playing on the second night of back to back games and so fatigue may factor in for both teams. Historically, the Celtics are just 44-73 in Milwaukee. They need to stay focused and play hard and not let up.
Coaching – Doc Rivers coached the Celtics from 2004 until 2013 and quit when the Celtics traded Pierce and Garnett to start a rebuild. The Celtics had a relatively short rebuild and have been largely successful since he left. Doc has struggled in each of his stops with the Clippers, 76ers and now the Bucks. Doc would love nothing more than to beat his former team while Joe just wants to beat everybody, no matter who they are.
Officiating – The officiating can always be an x-factor. Some referees call the game tight and others let them play. Some favor the home team and others call it evenly. Some refs just seem to have an agenda that doesn’t fit the play on the court. And sometimes the refs are simply bad. The Celtics have to play through however the refs call the game, whether it is tight or they let them play or they make terrible calls. The Celtics can’t allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus on the game.
