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Dallas down to eight healthy players with few two-way games left, could it have to forfeit a game?

Could Dallas have to forfeit a game because it doesn't have enough healthy players?

It's possible. It's not likely, but it's not out of the question. It's something Bobby Marks first got into at ESPN.

NBA rules require a team to dress at least eight healthy players for a game, or it must forfeit. Dallas has been so ravaged by injuries that it is down to eight healthy players: Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Max Christie, Spencer Dinwiddie, Brandon Williams, Dwight Powell, and Kessler Edwards.

That's because all these players are injured:

• Kyrie Irving (torn ACL)
• Anthony Davis (adductor strain)
• Dereck Lively II (ankle stress fracture)
• Daniel Gafford (knee sprain)
• P.J. Washington (ankle sprain)
• Dante Exum (fractured hand, announced Saturday)
• Olivier Maxence-Prosper (right wrist injury)
• Jaden Hardy (ankle sprain)
• Kai Jones (quad strain)

The concern in Dallas is that two of their healthy players are two-way players nearing their limit of 50 games up with the main club. Kessler Edwards has been with Dallas for 47 games, while Bradon Williams is at 44. Once they reach 50, they can no longer play with the Mavericks and must return to the G-League.

Why don't the Mavericks convert one or both of Edwards or Williams to regular contracts or sign another player on a 10-day contract? Because they can't afford to. Dallas is hard-capped at the first apron of the luxury tax and currently sits just $51,000 below that number, and a standard 10-day contract is double that. The Mavericks have no financial flexibility.

On the bright side, big men Jones and Washington didn't play on Friday but were listed as questionable for the game, suggesting they are close to returning. A week ago, coach Jason Kidd said that the three centers — Davis, Lively, and Gafford — were improving, although no timeline was given.

It's likely by the time Edwards and Williams max out the games they can play in Dallas Jones, Edwards and maybe one or two of the centers can return to the rotation. Dallas will almost certainly field eight players for all the rest of their games.

But the fact this is a conversation shows just how decimated the Mavericks have been by injuries.

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Payton Pritchard makes NBA history in Celtics' win over Nets

Payton Pritchard makes NBA history in Celtics' win over Nets originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

On Saturday, Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard set an NBA record that will make it difficult to vote against him for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Pritchard notched 22 points on five 3-pointers in the C’s 115-113 win over the Brooklyn Nets. With his fourth make from deep, he surpassed Wayne Ellington for the most 3s off the bench in a single NBA season (219).

With 14 regular-season games still left to play, Pritchard has a chance to own the single-season record by a significant margin. It’s a remarkable feat for the 27-year-old, but it was business as usual for him after the historic performance.

“It just means I did my job off the bench at a high level, and hopefully I can continue to do that,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard isn’t focused on his 3-point record or the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, which he currently is favored to win. He simply wants to continue his development into one of the game’s best.

“There’s no records, there’s no awards that I ever look at,” he said. “It’s all about self-improvement, looking at every game, what I can do to keep growing and keep bettering myself. Ultimately, that’s all that matters to me is trying to take another step. So hopefully I can keep that going.”

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is proud of how far Pritchard has come since being drafted out of Oregon in 2020.

“If you count the the amount of timely shots that he’s hitting and the timely offensive rebounds that he’s gotten — he had one tonight coming out of the timeout when they went zone, in the corner, which just has an ability to impact the game in so many ways,” Mazzulla said.

“Just continues to get better and better. His competitive nature and work ethic’s unreal. So that’s an awesome thing and it takes a special person to fulfill that role, and he takes pride and does it every day.”

Pritchard is now averaging 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game this season with a 41.8 shooting percentage from 3-point range. He’ll look to repeat Saturday’s performance when the Celtics host the Nets for a rematch on Tuesday.

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Rangers’ Jon Gray fractures right wrist after being hit by line drive, manager Bruce Bochy says

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers pitcher Jon Gray fractured his right wrist when he was hit by a line drive in a spring training game against Colorado, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters.

Gray left in the fourth inning on Friday after being struck by a 106.4 mph comebacker off the bat of Rockies slugger Michael Toglia.

“It’s not good news,” Bochy said in a story posted by the Dallas Morning News. “It’s just a terrible break for him. I feel awful to be this close to the season and have this. It’s just not good news.

“We’ll get in there and talk about our situation, but we’re going to have to make an adjustment here.”

Gray is coming off an injury-marred 2024 season in which he was 5-6 with a 4.47 ERA. He spent time on the injured list last year because of a strained groin before his season was cut short by a bothersome right foot issue.

The 33-year-old Gray is in the final season of a four-year, $56 million deal he signed in 2021. He is 21-21 with the Rangers over three seasons. Gray spent his first seven seasons with Colorado after the Rockies selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 amateur draft.

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3 Takeaways From Flames Loss To Avalanche

Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

The Calgary Flames (30-24-11) are in must-win territory on a nightly basis, but dropped their second consecutive contest on Friday, losing to the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 at the Saddledome.

Despite the loss, the Flames remain in the second wildcard spot but no longer have a game-in-hand over the Vancouver Canucks. Since Calgary doesn't play until Monday, they will spend the weekend scoreboard watching.

Too Little Too Late

In a crucial game, the Flames came out flat. Even though it was a quiet opening period for both teams, as they combined for nine shots, 7-2, the Avalanche struck first at 13:21.

Meanwhile, Calgary didn't do much in the second, giving up the game's second goal at 5:55. Only in the dying minutes did the Flames get any momentum. They ended the period with many shots, which comprised the bulk of their eight. Still, ten shots through 40 minutes isn't part of the recipe for success.

Once Blake Coleman made it 2-1 at 3:08, a costly miscommunication behind the net allowed the Avalanche to restore their two-goal lead. Jonathan Huberdeau's power-play goal made things interesting in the final four minutes, but a turnover led to an empty net goal and Colorado walked away with two points. 

Flames Are Not Ready For Top Seeded Playoff Series

It's no secret that the Flames are the lowest scoring team in the NHL and their goals-per-game average also ranks at the bottom. Against the Avalanche on Friday, the Flames scored less than their 2.55 average, which would make easy pickings in a playoff series.

If the postseason started today, the Flames, as the second-seeded wildcard, would play the Vegas Golden Knights, the fourth-best team in the NHL.

NHL Highlights | Avalanche vs. Flames - March 14, 2025NHL Highlights | Avalanche vs. Flames - March 14, 2025Ryan Lindgren opened the scoring for the Colorado Avalanche, while Parker Kelly found the back of the net twice as the Avalanche roll against the Calgary Fla...

They score 3.35 goals a game and give up 2.70. Both numbers intimidate the Flames and their fan base because the team struggles to score.

Ultimately, on Friday, the Flames showed they are not in the same position as the Western Conference top teams like the Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, or Golden Knights. Although they had moments where they controlled the pace of play, the outcome of this game was never in question.

Once Again, Wolf Can Only Do So Much

Dustin Wolf finished his night with 24 saves on 27 shots, good enough for a .889 SV%, the lowest total in a game...since a loss to the Avalanche on Feb. 6, when he registered a .882 SV%. 

Any contending team wants to ride their top goalie every night to climb the standings and clinch a playoff spot in the Flames' case. 

However, Calgary hasn't done enough to support their young netminder, who just played his 40th game of the season for a career high. He may have played over 50 games in the AHL, but the NHL is a more competitive league and boasts some of the best players on the planet.

At this point, Wolf has worked his way into the Calder Trophy conversation, and many feel he should be a Hart Trophy candidate, but he's a one-person show with little to no help. 

With everything on the line on Friday, Wolf did everything he could to keep his team in the game, but with not much going on at the other end of the ice, it's been a difficult stretch for the youngster who remains one of the league's top netminders. 

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Boogie Fland expected to return for NCAA Tournament

Arkansas freshman guard Boogie Fland, who had thumb surgery in January and missed the last 15 games of the regular season, is expected to return to the court for the Razorbacks in the NCAA Tournament, per a release from the program. According to the release, Fland has been medically cleared to resume basketball activities and will begin practicing with the team immediately. Barring any setbacks, he is anticipated to be available to play in the NCAA Tournament.

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Young Penguins Defenseman Impressing Offensively In Elevated Role

Mar 11, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) makes a save against the Vegas Golden Knights left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) as Penguins defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok (23) defends during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

Back on Feb. 9, the Pittsburgh Penguins took a chance on a young defenseman via a waiver claim.

And, so far, it seems to be paying off.

23-year-old Vladislav Kolyachonok took a while to get acclimated to the Penguins after he was claimed by Pittsburgh from the Utah Hockey Club. In fact - due to the 4 Nations Face-off break and the lack of practice time following the break - he didn't even make it into the lineup until Mar. 4 in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

He made exactly three starts on the bottom pairing before impressing enough to earn top-pairing minutes with Kris Letang. And he hasn't disappointed in his two-plus games, as the Penguins are 2-0 so far in those contests.

"I feel good playing with him," Kolyachonok said. "He's a great teammate. He helps me learn, and he's a great leader and a great person. I think we're getting on the same page. And it's good to get the results."

It's not as if Kolychonok - drafted in the second round (52nd overall) by the Florida Panthers in 2019 - has been productive up to this point, as he just registered his first point as a Penguin during Saturday's matchup against the New Jersey Devils. He is known as an offensive, puck-moving defenseman, and production will be expected at some point.

But the early returns are pretty good on the blueliner from Minsk, Belarus. 

Even if it's a small sample size, Kolyachonok has the highest expected goals share of any Penguins' player in the last five games at 54.09. He also has the second-highest high-danger chances for share of 50, which trails only forward Emil Bemstrom at 58.33.

In other words, Kolyachonok is doing a fair amount to drive offense right now on the top pairing, and this is alongside a veteran who is known for his offensive instincts. And the crazy thing is that Letang has actually been playing more of a shutdown role on that pairing because of Kolyachonok's ability to aid the transition game, skate with the puck on his stick, and generate chances.

"I think he's competing hard," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "We're trying to get him to simplify his game and defend well. The one thing we really like about him is that he's a real good skater. He's strong on pucks, his gaps are really good, he can close on people laterally really well, and he's physical. He's not shy. He's willing to get into bodies."

He does need to work on his risk assessment and some of the defensive details in his game, especially when the puck is on his stick in the defensive zone. But all in all, it's been an impressive first few games from the young left-side defenseman. 

"There's areas of his game, obviously, where we think he can improve and get better," Sullivan said. "Just his decisions on when he joins the rush, his decisions on when he activates off the offensive blue line... he's trying to simplify the game. We're encouraging him to simplify the game with respect to his puck possession game.

"He's a young player, and we're excited about, potentially, where his game might go."

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