Sports
Galaxy carry momentum into road match with Timbers
Jul 20, 2024; Carson, California, USA; LA Galaxy forward Gabriel Pec (11) moves the ball past Portland Timbers defender Claudio Bravo (5) in the second half of their MLS soccer match at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Coming off a signature victory, the Los Angeles Galaxy will aim to keep rolling when they visit the Portland Timbers on Wednesday.
Trailing 2-0 through 52 minutes against Los Angeles FC last Saturday, the Galaxy emerged with a 4-2 win after scoring four unanswered goals against their El Trafico rivals. The Galaxy (16-6-7, 55 points) remain seven points behind Inter Miami for the Supporters’ Shield, and they extended their Western Conference lead to seven points over second-place LAFC.
“The win (over LAFC) shows exactly why it’s so important to win the West and be able to play … this type of game in the playoffs in this building,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “Because when we started going and the energy started to get going and the momentum started to go, the fans got behind us because we finally brought them into the game.”
Clinching home-field advantage is critical for a Galaxy club that is 11-1-3 at home and a more modest 5-5-4 on the road this season.
The Timbers (11-10-7, 40 points) are in a similar state, with an unbeaten 7-0-2 record in their last nine home matches. Portland is 8-2-4 overall at home and only 3-8-3 on the road, including a 2-1 away loss to the Colorado Rapids last Saturday.
“I thought we had incredible chances to win (in Colorado) … and then we lacked two moments of concentration and it cost us,” Portland coach Phil Neville said.
Despite being “bitterly disappointed” by the defeat, Neville noted that “at this stage of the season you can’t dwell on it,” given the congested postseason race. The Timbers are in a playoff position with six regular-season matches remaining, but only in the Western Conference play-in match for now.
Galaxy midfielder Edwin Cerrillo will miss Wednesday’s match due to a suspension for caution accumulation.
The Galaxy (57 goals) and Timbers (56) rank second and third in MLS in scoring. Dejan Joveljic leads LA with 14 goals, while Jonathan Rodriguez and Felipe Mora each have 13 for Portland.
Los Angeles is unbeaten (4-0-3) in its last seven matches against Portland, dating back to the 2021 season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kirill Kaprizov stepping up as Wild take aim at Flyers
Mar 10, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) and left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) celebrate their teams win against the Utah Mammoth during the third period at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Many teams in the NHL might need to choose between goal scoring from their top stars or from their depth players.
The Minnesota Wild have enjoyed both heading into their game on Thursdayt against the Philadelphia Flyers in Saint Paul, Minn.
“It’s nice that some of the guys that we’re expecting to score are continuing to do that and play well,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “But it also takes a little bit of the load off them when you have guys that can score and produce. It makes you a harder team to defend.”
The Flyers are vying for two wins in as many nights after knocking off the Washington Capitals 4-1 on Wednesday in Philadelphia. Owen Tippett notched a goal and an assist for the Flyers, and Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras and defenseman Jamie Drysdale each scored one goal.
Philadelphia is 5-2-0 in its past seven games as it aims for a postseason run. The Flyers are seven points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
The Wild also have their hopes pinned on the playoffs and are in third place in the Central Division. Minnesota is 3-0-1 in its past four contests and has a 12-3-2 record in its past 17.
Kirill Kaprizov has led the way for Minnesota. He has 78 points (37 goals, 41 assists) in 65 games this season, and he leads the team with 16 goals on the power play.
Hynes said Kaprizov is playing as well as he has all season. He praised his star after the Wild’s 5-0 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday night, during which Kaprizov finished with a goal and an assist.
“Kirill, he was physical, playing with power,” Hynes said. “He’s such a skilled player, but when he plays a power game, when he’s tenacious like a dog with a bone, that’s when you really stand out. I think that goal (he scored against Utah) was indicative of that.”
On the opposite bench, Konecny leads Philadelphia in goals (24), assists (34) and points (58). Zegras is second on the team in all three categories (22, 31, 53).
The Flyers likely will start Dan Vladar in net one night after Samuel Ersson made the start against the Capitals. Vladar is 20-11-6 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage this season, and he is 3-1-1 with a 2.63 GAA and an .896 save percentage in five career games against the Wild.
Vladar will try to bounce back from a rough performance Monday against the New York Rangers, who scored six goals against him on 24 shots.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said he gave Vladar an extra day of rest Wednesday after his difficult performance earlier in the week.
“He might have been a little bit tired,” Tocchet said. “You know he’ll never admit it. We have to be cautious of that.”
Minnesota could counter with Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt in net.
Gustavsson is 24-10-6 with a 2.46 GAA and a .913 save percentage this season, and he is 0-2-0 with a 6.09 GAA and a .709 save percentage against Philadelphia.
Wallstedt is 14-6-5 with a 2.81 GAA and a .911 save percentage this season, and he is 0-0-1 with a 1.92 GAA and a .905 save percentage in his lone start versus the Flyers.
-Field Level Media
Sports
A Simple Plan to Fix the NBA Schedule Without Cutting Revenue
There’s no way the NBA is going to cut back on its number of games.
Going from 82 to 72 games, as Steve Kerr suggested this week, would create a 12% decrease in game-day revenue.
The billionaire owners – or shall we say, their ticket-buying fans – might be willing to absorb that, but no way the millionaire players go for it.
If only there were a way …
C’mon, you had to know I have a solution.
The key to solving this equation is understanding where the NBA’s money comes from. It’s the various television contracts.
The TV people have to be kept happy in any new arrangement.
They’re proud as peacocks now, so why change the presentation? The goal here is not to shorten the season, but rather to shrink the number of games.
As it stands now, the NBA campaign runs 173 days. Squeezing 82 games in there leaves just 91 days off. That’s 10 weeks with four games per team and 14 weeks with three.
And you thought the LA freeway was congested.
By cutting back to 72 games but keeping the 173-day schedule, you get exactly three games a week, with 10 additional days off, going from 91 to 101.
That sounds more reasonable from a players’ perspective … as long as they still get their money. Understood.
Here’s how that would work:
By keeping the schedule at 24 weeks, the big-money networks would still have the same number of telecast dates. No money lost. No reason to renegotiate any deals.
So, the TV people are happy and the players are happy. That just leaves the owners and those five home dates lost per team.
Alas, that’s not a problem, either.
First off, while nothing can be done about existing deals, owners would have the ability to cut back on future player contracts, right? The question is: How much?
That would depend upon a key transition the league is undergoing as early as next season.
The NBA has been snatching up local TV rights. This will soon become another major revenue source … one with no collective bargaining agreement that will guarantee the players anything.
So, while the owners might take a small hit short-term, they’ll be just fine, too.
But that’s not all. Greater breathing room in the schedule also creates the opportunity for a greater viewing product.
You’ve heard the complaints: We’re not watching because stars aren’t playing. And we don’t even know where to find the games in the first place.
Well, with no four-game weeks, there will be no need for back-to-backs. Take away back-to-backs and you greatly increase the possibility that your old men won’t need a night off.
Equally important is the difficulty in finding games. Spreading out the schedule could help fix that problem as well, as long as the league becomes a little more creative.
The NBA needs a “Basketball Night in America” – one game, marquee matchups, NBC, Shaq and the guys. It appears NBC wants that night to be Tuesday, so let’s keep it on Tuesday.
But let’s give everyone else the night off.
And with maximum potential exposure, let’s make it an attraction to more than just serious basketball fans.
Let’s create a 24-person Celebrity Shootout, to be contested at halftime of the game. Big names. REAL big names. Single-elimination, March Madness-style. One head-to-head per week.
I can already see Charles choreographing a “Gone Fishing” segment at the end of the night, complete with a live interview with the loser.
This could be your viewer-magnet Super Bowl halftime show. Only weekly.
Then let’s take our second-most important network, Peacock, and give them Sunday night. Again, just one game on the schedule. Others can play earlier in the day, but at 8 p.m. Eastern, all eyes are on two teams.
And I’d even give this game a side attraction – a Survivor Pool in which all Peacock subscribers are invited to pick the winner of the game. Afterward, we find out how many got it right, and thus earn the right to advance to pick again next week, and how many were eliminated.
Did I mention $1 million – it might have to be “paid” in Peacock gear to satisfy the various state gambling laws – to the eventual winner?
Just two big-splash showdowns each week would leave more glamorous matchups for the NBA to sell on its new local-television deal, which keeps the revenue streams flowing even while the players are getting more time off.
Everybody wins. Even the fans.
Imagine that.
Sports
Ole Miss a surprising foe for Georgia in SEC tournament
Mar 11, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward James Scott (4) dunks the ball against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Georgia will bring a historic regular season into its Southeastern Conference tournament opener Thursday night against upset winner Ole Miss in a second-round game in Nashville.
Georgia (22-9) set school regular-season records for wins and points scored, and ranked third in Division I with a 90.4 scoring average entering the SEC tournament.
Coach Mike White understands that was then for the Bulldogs, who are seeded seventh in the SEC tournament.
“We’ve got to turn the page quickly,” White said, “because here comes the postseason, and we have a chance to play for a championship. We will certainly play in ‘The Dance’ (NCAA Tournament), and we certainly want to dance as long as possible.”
Most projections have Georgia on the seven-eight seed line for the NCAA Tournament.
The only shock on the SEC tournament’s first day was 15th-seeded Ole Miss’s 76-66 wire-to-wire win over 10th-seeded Texas on Wednesday. The Rebels (13-19) had lost 12 of their past 13 games.
The Rebels opened a 12-point lead midway through the first half. Texas got within three points on Jordan Pope’s 3-pointer with four minutes left but never was closer.
“You’ve got to throw the first punch,” said Rebels forward James Scott, who had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Malik Dia scored 23 points and AJ Storr had 18 for the Rebels, who limited Texas to 35.2% shooting from the field and committed only three turnovers.
Ole Miss beat host Georgia 97-95 in overtime on Patton Pinkins’ put-back with one second remaining in their lone regular-season meeting on Jan. 14, when Storr had 27 points.
“We didn’t come here to Nashville to win one game,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. “We came here to win one game at a time.”
The Bulldogs’ NCAA Tournament standing went from precarious to a lock after a strong finish that included a 98-88 victory over then-No. 16 Alabama on March 3 that broke the Crimson Tide’s eight-game winning streak.
Georgia has won five of its past six games, coinciding with White’s decision to bring leading scorer Jeremiah Wilkinson (17.3 points per game) off the bench and place 5-foot-11 point guard Marcus “Smurf” Millender and 6-8 forward Kareem Stagg in the starting lineup.
Wilkinson had 32 points and six 3-pointers against Ole Miss.
Georgia’s Kanon Catchings, a 6-9 sophomore forward, enters as the SEC co-player of the week after getting a combined 55 points and 12 rebounds in victories over Alabama and Mississippi State. He scored a career-high 32 points against Alabama.
The Bulldogs are averaging 6.2 blocked shots per game, tied with Virginia for the best in Division I. Georgia’s Somto Cyril, a 6-11 center, is tied for 10th in the nation at 2.4 per game.
–Field Level Media
Kirill Kaprizov stepping up as Wild take aim at Flyers
A Simple Plan to Fix the NBA Schedule Without Cutting Revenue
