NBA

• Raptors 128, Hornets 108
  • The Raptors did exactly what they needed to do yesterday — dispatch an extremely depleted Hornets team. Toronto is now locked into the play-in tournament, and might be the East’s top team among squads seeded seven through 10.
  • Charlotte was missing a gluttony of players for this affair, creating opportunities for some of its younger players to thrive. Enter James Bouknight. Bouknight has been bad thus far in his career, but poured in 21 points off the bench yesterday.
• Nets 111, Jazz 110
  • It seems Jacque Vaughn is still trying to figure out what to do with his rotation, particularly the bench, but the Nets have been doing what they need to do to avoid the play-in tournament. In addition to the talented Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson has been a big reason why. Johnson is averaging 21.7 points per game over his last three contests.
  • Utah is fading fast. The Jazz raced off to an unsustainable start, but the wheels have fallen off, as the team has lost seven of its past 10 games. Talen Horton-Tucker’s recent play has been a positive sign for Utah, though. The 22-year-old is averaging 33.7 points per game over his last three tilts. Horton-Tucker, Collin Sexton, and Ochai Agbaji constitute an interesting group of young guards for the Jazz.
• Bulls 128, Grizzlies 107
  • The Bulls aren’t going to give the Bucks, Celtics, or 76ers many sleepless nights, but Chicago is a tough out when Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan combine for 67 points. LaVine was particularly good yesterday, as the wing attempted just 19 shots in his 36 point and nine assist effort.
• Trail Blazers 107, Timberwolves 105
  • Shaedon Sharpe is so talented. Portland’s rookie scored 27 points in this game, and needs to be starting for the Trail Blazers next season, regardless of whether or not Damian Lillard is rostered.
  • What a disgraceful loss by Minnesota. A 19.5-point favorite, the Timberwolves blew any chance they had of avoiding the play-in tournament. Karl-Anthony Towns was especially horrendous in this contest, as the big man scored just eight points and tallied three turnovers.
• Hawks 132, Mavericks 130
  • Atlanta may be just 39-39, but it’s a fairly interesting team. The Hawks have seven solid rotation guys, but it would help matters if Trae Young was able to elevate his game and impact a bit more. Young scored 24 points yesterday, but he required 24 field goal attempts to do so.
  • The Mavericks are just 1.0 games back of the Thunder for the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed, but they may be cooked. The team just simply can’t seem to find a victory. Kyrie Irving recorded 41 points in this game, but I’d be a bit surprised if he returned to Dallas for next season. Dallas needs to recalibrate its roster. Jason Kidd isn’t exactly the problem.
• Knicks 118, Wizards 109
  • Even without Julius Randle, the Knicks are rolling. New York had four players drop 20 or more points in this game, and should be an absolute handful for the Cavaliers in the first round, even if Cleveland earns home-court advantage.
  • It’s taken a bit of time to come to fruition, but Washington has something in Corey Kispert. The sharpshooting forward lit up the Knicks for 29 points in this contest, and should help give the Wizards a decent foundation for 2024 if Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Kyle Kuzma all return. Decent is the key word, though. Even with that core, the Wizards won’t top 43 wins.
• Magic 128, Pistons 102
  • Young and inexperienced guys are almost always bad NBA players, and we’re seeing that first-hand with this Pistons team. Detroit has dropped nine consecutive games, and Jaden Ivey has been leading the charge. The rookie shot just 4-14 yesterday. Dwane Casey even had the audacity in this game to play Eugene Omoruyi 28 minutes. Omoruyi responded the way one would expect, chucking his way to a 6-17 performance. Great tanking.
• Spurs 142, Kings 134
  • San Antonio looked like an actual NBA team yesterday. Tre Jones and Malaki Branham had a strong performance as the team’s starting backcourt, combining for 32 points on some efficient shooting. Jones even had a triple-double. The Spurs would be an excellent landing spot for Victor Wembanyama.
  • The Kings have to figure it out on defense. Sacramento can accomplish some special things as an organization this year with the offense it possesses, but the Kings will probably be ousted in the first round because they can’t guard.
• Lakers 134, Rockets 109
  • The Lakers have gone through a fair amount of turmoil this season, and it DOES NOT feel like the team is 40-38. As it stands now though, Los Angeles has a decent shot at landing in the West’s top-six. Having LeBron James back from injury is an obvious boon, but Anthony Davis’ play was key to this victory. The big man tallied 40 points and nine rebounds in just 30 minutes.
  • The Rockets, 19-60, feel like a glorified AAU team. Houston has zero identity other than tossing up bad shots and making poor decisions. Will yet another high draft pick turn the Rockets around? I have my doubts.
• Suns 128, Thunder 118
  • Phoenix has suddenly won five in a row, and it seems plausible that the Suns are the West’s top team, despite being 9.0 games back of the first-place Nuggets. I’m sure Monty Williams is thrilled to finally have Kevin Durant aboard. The forward scored 35 points in this tilt.
  • Oklahoma City has put together a valiant effort all season in remaining a part of the playoff picture, but the wheels are falling off. Not even a grand performance of 39 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could save the Thunder yesterday. Oklahoma City is wasting its time giving Lindy Waters minutes.
• Cavaliers 115, Pacers 105
  • Cleveland is a different ball club with Jarrett Allen in the lineup. Allen posted 15 points and seven rebounds last night, and is needed badly by the Cavaliers in order for the team to win on the boards.
  • Without Tyrese Haliburton playing, it’s becoming quite obvious that Indiana doesn’t have much in terms of young talent outside it’s All-Star guard. In particular, Jordan Nwora embarrassed himself in this game, shooting 4-15 with bad defense.
• Bucks 117, 76ers 104
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in just 62 games, so he shouldn’t merit consideration for MVP, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still the league’s best player. Milwaukee’s two-way force scored 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds last night, powering the Bucks closer to the East’s No. 1 seed. Bobby Portis is such a valuable weapon for the Bucks off the bench, as he scored 18 points of his own in this affair.
  • Yucky game for James Harden: 11 points and five turnovers.
• Nuggets 112, Warriors 110
  • Good win for the Nuggets, especially without Nikola Jokic. The play of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter dictates the Nuggets’ ceiling, and this game was a good one for the erratic duo. Murray and Porter combined for 55 points in this contest.
  • Klay Thompson has no conscious. The shooting guard does some valuable things for Golden State, so he deserves to be on the floor, but he put up 28 shots in this game — far too many for a player of his dwindling caliber.

MLB

• Rays 5, Tigers 1
  • Tampa Bay should have some borderline elite pitching this season. Yesterday’s starter, Jeffrey Springs, tossed 6.0 innings of no-hit, 12 strikeout ball. The talented Wander Franco has come out of the gates sizzling, slashing .636/.692/1.182.
  • Detroit’s offensive woes are carrying into 2023. The Tigers have scored just three runs in three games.
• Nationals 4, Braves 1
  • Only time will tell regarding the results of the Juan Soto trade for Washington, but MacKenzie Gore, a prized piece of said trade, was dominant for the Nationals yesterday. Gore pitched 5.1 innings and surrendered just one run.
  • Michael Harris went 1-2 in this contest, and probably won’t be batting seventh for long, or at least he shouldn’t be.
• Red Sox 9, Orioles 5
  • The Red Sox have started the season on fire, scoring 27 runs over their first three games. Adam Duvall, a key cog in this outburst, already has eight RBIs for Boston.
  • Cole Irvin came over to Baltimore from the Athletics this past winter, but this probably wasn’t the Orioles debut he had in mind. The 29-year-old gave up six runs in just 4.0 innings.
• Yankees 6, Giants 0
  • Not a bad first series for the Yankees’ sluggers. Lineup length will likely be a question for New York all season, but Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, and Giancarlo Stanton, three non-question marks, have all started strong.
• Mets 5, Marlins 1
  • Kodai Senga was a big offseason investment for Steve Cohen’s Mets, and he had a good first start, striking out eight Fish in 5.1 innings.
  • Luis Arraez won the AL batting title in 2022 with a .316 average, and he’s carried that right over into this season. It was probably a mistake for the Twins to deal the second baseman, but Miami is lucky to have him.
• Reds 3, Pirates 1
  • Jonathan India had a bit of an odd and down sophomore season, but he’s looked great in 2023, posting a 1.357 OPS thus far. India is one of Cincinnati’s only everyday players of the future on the current big league roster, so he should garner plenty of attention. Alexis Diaz recorded his first save of the season in this game. He’s an excellent end of game weapon for Cincinnati.
  • Bryan Reynolds is a good player, and he homered in this game for Pittsburgh. Reynolds’ future with the club is uncertain, but the Pirates have enough talented prospects close enough to the majors that it would be wise to open to checkbook for the young outfielder.
• White Sox 6, Astros 3
  • Yoan Moncada was pretty bad at the plate for Chicago in 2022, but he’s off to a roaring start this campaign. The third baseman had a home run and two doubles in this contest.
  • Alex Bregman is really good, so he’ll probably figure it out, but this can’t be the start he was hoping for. Bregman is 1-16 to kickoff 2023.
• Twins 7, Royals 4
  • Great start for the Twins at 3-0. Putting Byron Buxton at DH takes away a decent amount of his astronomical value, but it may be the correct move for the Twins at this juncture to preserve his health. Buxton’s OPS through three games is 1.192.