Sports
Cade Cunningham, Pistons hold off Nuggets for series sweep
Feb 3, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) tugs on the shorts of Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) before trying to drive past him in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Cade Cunningham had 29 points and 10 assists as the host Detroit Pistons held off the Denver Nuggets 124-121 on Tuesday night.
Duncan Robinson scored 20 points and Jalen Duren supplied 19 points and 13 rebounds in a game the Pistons never trailed. Detroit was coming off a 53-point victory over Brooklyn on Sunday, the largest margin in franchise history.
Tobias Harris contributed 11 points and six rebounds, including a key 3-pointer late. Isaiah Stewart chipped in 11 points with six rebounds, while Ausar Thompson had 10 points and six rebounds.
Jamal Murray led Denver with 32 points and eight assists. Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Peyton Watson had 17 points and Julian Strawther added 15.
Jonas Valanciunas had 11 points with 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, but the Pistons clinched the two-game season series. They won in Denver 109-107 a week earlier.
During a chippy first half, the Pistons pulled away to a 69-50 halftime lead. There were five technicals and a flagrant foul assessed during the first two quarters.
Cunningham led the way with 17 points and seven assists and backcourt partner Robinson tossed in 14 points. Murray led the Nuggets with 14 points and five assists.
The Pistons finished the half on a 10-0 run. Cunningham assisted on a Thompson basket, then drilled a 3-pointer. A steal and fast break dunk by Thompson, followed by another Cunningham 3-pointer, closed out the half.
The lead increased to 20 when Thompson made a layup two minutes into the third quarter. Late in the quarter, Denver had a 7-0 spurt — capped by a Murray layup — to pull within 11. Detroit’s lead was 93-80 heading into the fourth.
Jokic hit a 3-pointer to cut the Pistons’ lead to 98-89. After the Nuggets pulled within eight, Robinson hit a 3-pointer with 4:10 left.
The Nuggets refused to fold, as a 9-0 surge capped by a Murray 3-pointer cut Detroit’s advantage to 112-110. Harris answered with a 3-pointer to give the Pistons some breathing room. The Nuggets never got closer than three points the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Diamondbacks signing veteran 1B Carlos Santana
Aug 19, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Carlos Santana against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Arizona Diamondbacks are signing free agent first baseman Carlos Santana to a one-year, $2 million contract, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.
Santana, who turns 40 on April 8, is a switch-hitter giving the Diamondbacks an option at first base with left-handed-hitting Pavin Smith, who turns 30 on Friday.
Santana batted a combined .219 with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs in 2025 after splitting time between Cleveland (116 games) and the Chicago Cubs (eight), who signed him on Sept. 1 after the Guardians released him four days earlier. He started 92 games at first base and 18 at designated hitter with one appearance at third base.
An All-Star first baseman with Cleveland in 2019, Santana won a Silver Slugger Award that season and the Gold Glove for American League first basemen with the Minnesota Twins in 2024.
Santana is batting .241 for his career with 335 homers, 1,136 RBIs, a .352 on-base percentage and a .425 slugging percentage in 2,204 regular-season games for Cleveland (2010-17, 2019-20, 2025), the Philadelphia Phillies (2018), Kansas City Royals (2021-22), Seattle Mariners (2022), Pittsburgh Pirates (2023), Milwaukee Brewers (2023), Twins (2024) and Cubs (2025).
He also batted .205 with five homers and 13 RBIs in 30 playoff games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Grading the NFL’s Worst Head Coaching Hires of 2026
Jul 23, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Nearly a third of the teams in the NFL faced head-coaching vacancies this offseason, a rat race that concluded Sunday when the Arizona Cardinals tapped Mike LaFleur for the job.
The last hire of this coaching cycle wasn’t necessarily the best, though.
As with every class, someone’s got to bring down the curve. Read on to see which organizations rated an “F” for their coaching hires at first blush.
MIKE LAFLEUR, ARIZONA CARDINALS
Spurned by another burgeoning offensive mind from within their division, the Cardinals pivoted to LaFleur, the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator, after Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak elected to lead the Las Vegas Raiders instead.
But plucking from the staff of an NFC Championship Game entrant barely makes a dent in Arizona’s bid to return to respectability. Significant questions remain on a roster that managed just 19 wins over the past four seasons and has finished above third in the NFC West once in the last nine years.
One of those uncertainties happens to play the game’s most important position. Quarterback Kyler Murray, limited to only five starts in 2025, still has two years and a team option remaining on a monster contract.
LaFleur, the younger brother of Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur, helped guide the Rams to the most yards (394.6) and points (30.5) per game in 2025. Apart from his family-tree pedigree, he also looms as the latest successful offshoot of the Sean McVay line.
Still, superior schemes won’t be enough at the start for an organization that needs rehauling beyond its Xs and Os.
JEFF HAFLEY, MIAMI DOLPHINS
Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley does a selfie with fans before their game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, November 17, 2024 at Solider Field in Chicago, Illinois. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images Hafley only had been a head coach at Boston College before becoming Miami’s fourth HC hire since 2016.
Perhaps channeling that collegiate experience was a prescient move for an organization that’s been beset by infighting and still employs a mercurial quarterback whose best days came on campus.
Hafley has since proven to be a leader of NFL men, doing solid work in shaping the Green Bay defense as its coordinator the past two seasons. However, the unit’s slide after star pass rusher Micah Parsons’ late-season injury in 2025 isn’t an endorsement for his ability to overcome on-the-spot adversity.
Pairing with fellow Packers alum Jon-Eric Sullivan, Miami’s new general manager, could be a formula for Hafley to improve this grade. Until then, the unknown — and its ability to engulf first-time NFL head coaches — abounds.
TODD MONKEN, CLEVELAND BROWNS
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken on the field before the game against the Washington Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images Monken returns to his former stomping grounds with redemption on the brain. He served as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator during the one-year Freddie Kitchens Era in 2019, overseeing an attack that finished 22nd in the NFL in yards and points.
Kitchens’ dismissal opened the door for the since-dismissed Kevin Stefanski, while Monken got his groove back as OC at Georgia and with the Baltimore Ravens.
Monken, 59, brings established credibility and creativity to an offense lacking both. But he also knows from opposing the Browns twice a year about Cleveland’s question marks at QB and thinness at wide receiver and up front.
Plus, the ongoing Jim Schwartz saga reinforces Cleveland’s longtime organizational instability. Will Schwartz be back as Cleveland’s DC, or won’t he? If it’s the former, will fans think he’s only out to undermine a franchise that overlooked him for the top job after he built the defense into one of the league’s best?
Also, shouldn’t Monken have learned something when fellow candidates Mike McDaniel, Jesse Minter and Grant Udinski removed themselves from consideration for this post? Is he merely destined for second-guessing?
Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers Take a Massive Gamble Trading Darius Garland for James Harden
In a trade that had been brewing all day, the Cleveland Cavaliers had traded Darius Garland and a second-round pick for Clippers former MVP James Harden. Late last night, rumors of the deal were bubbling to the surface, but the two sides have officially come to an agreement to swap All-Star point guards.
Honestly, I’m not entirely sure if I like this move for Cleveland. It’s rumored that Garland’s foot/toe injury is worse than reported, and with how long this has continued to linger, that very well could be the case. He’s dealt with postseason injuries throughout his career, but moving on from your 26-year-old All-Star for James Harden feels like a massive risk.
Let’s look at the positives. At his best, Harden does everything Garland does, but better. He’s an elite playmaker who, paired with Jarrett Allen, could be one of the best pick-and-roll pairings in the league.
Harden has had a few injuries over the course of his career, but overall, he’s a more durable option than Garland. He has more ability to create his own shot than Garland and could help create more space for Donovan Mitchell.
They’re both limited in what they can provide on the defensive end, but at least Harden has some size and can pretend to add more value when he’s switched onto a bigger player. Of course, Harden is 37, so he might not have many good years left in him, but if he can give you another couple of good seasons, it might be worth the risk.
The deal was on hold all day as many believed the Cavs were looking for extra draft compensation to acquire a superstar — specifically Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks have not been impressed with the offers they’ve received so far for Giannis, but could a package centered around Evan Mobley and draft picks be the best deal they get?
Mobley is coming off a season in which he finished second-team All-NBA and won Defensive Player of the Year. If you plan to move Giannis to a contender, the picks you’ll receive from them may not be valuable until a couple of years down the road. Mobley would easily be the most impactful player for the Bucks to build around in these rumored trades.
On the other hand, Mobley was supposed to be Cleveland’s version of Giannis. He’s still only 24, and he’s only getting stronger in the paint. However, I think it’s fair to say he doesn’t have the Tim Duncan or Antetokounmpo upside that Cleveland was hoping for.
If you want to hang on to Mobley, how good does he have to be in order to not add him to a package for a top-three player in the world? Personally, if Cleveland can get away with their rumored deal of Mobley, Max Strus, Lonzo Ball, and draft compensation, you almost have to do it.
A core of Mitchell, Harden, and Giannis would put the league on notice. On the other hand, you could easily see these moves being short-sighted and blowing up in Cleveland’s face.
Reports: Diamondbacks signing veteran 1B Carlos Santana
Grading the NFL’s Worst Head Coaching Hires of 2026
