Sports
Jared McCain helping on both ends as rolling Thunder visit Wizards
Mar 18, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets forward Chaney Johnson (31) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images After his season-high 26-point performance, it’s easy to focus on the offensive side of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain.
Heading into Saturday’s road matchup with the Washington Wizards, however, Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault is focusing more on the defensive side of McCain’s game since he was acquired in a Feb. 4 trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I don’t know how much he’s developed but he’s definitely integrated well. He’s learning his teammates, he’s learning our system, the fundamentals that we emphasize,” Daigneault said. “… He’s done a really good job of committing to our fundamentals and the things that we need to do on the defensive end of the floor.
“Obviously he’s a very potent offensive player, but he gives up some size and needs to be really fundamental and feisty (defensively) and he’s done that, especially lately.”
The Thunder are 15-3 since acquiring McCain after going 11-7 in their 18 games prior to the trade.
McCain has been particularly important to Oklahoma City during the absence of Jalen Williams, who along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the Thunder’s primary ballhandlers.
Williams hasn’t played since Feb. 11 as he recovers from a hamstring strain.
Oklahoma City (55-15) comes into the Saturday game on a 10-game winning streak and is working to hold off San Antonio for the top seed in the Western Conference.
The Thunder come into the contest with the Wizards three games ahead of the Spurs.
The Saturday game is the last of two between the Wizards and Thunder this season.
Oklahoma City won the first meeting by 19 on Oct. 30 in the third of what became a 14-game losing streak for the Wizards.
Washington is once again on a 14-game losing streak, with their last win coming Feb. 20. The Wizards have lost by an average of nearly 15 points per game during the streak.
The Thunder lead the NBA in net rating, outscoring opponents by 10.9 points per 100 possessions, while the Wizards are last at minus-11.1.
Oklahoma City is holding opponents to a league-low 43.4% from the field.
In the earlier meeting, the Thunder scored 26 points on Washington’s 23 turnovers while Oklahoma City turned the ball over just six times for five Wizards’ points.
In Thursday’s 117-95 loss to Detroit, the Pistons scored 23 points on Washington’s 19 turnovers for a plus-10 advantage off turnovers.
Much like Daigneault when talking about McCain, Wizards coach Brian Keefe has been pleased with the recent defensive growth from third-year reserve center Tristan Vukcevic, who has had the two best offensive games of his career over the past four games.
“He’s one of the better bigs in the league in terms of disruptions — disrupting the ball, getting his hands on things,” Keefe said.
The Wizards remain short-handed, with Anthony Davis still yet to make his D.C. debut after not playing since early January. Additionally, Trae Young has missed the last two games with a quadriceps contusion and has played in just five since being acquired from Atlanta in February.
In an update Friday, the Wizards announced Davis continues to progress, but that he would remain out at least until being evaluated later in the month. On Saturday, the team said Young has a right quadriceps contusion and lower back irritation and the “injuries are being treated conservatively.”
The Wizards said Young will not require surgery but gave no timeline for his return to the court.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NWSL roundup: Kiki Van Zanten's brace leads Houston to rout of Boston
Mar 21, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA;
Houston Dash midfielder Kat Rader (22) celebrates after scoring a goal in the second half against the Boston Legacy FC at Shell Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images Kiki Van Zanten scored a brace for the Houston Dash in an impressive 3-0 victory against the visiting Boston Legacy on Saturday.
Van Zanten scored in the 43rd and 59th minutes to give the Dash a commanding lead and match her scoring total in 17 NWSL matches last season for Houston.
Katherine Ann Rader added the final goal in the 65th minute for Houston (2-0-0, 6 points), which is in pursuit of its first playoff berth since 2022 and just the second in 13 seasons.
Boston (0-0-2, 0 points), which got four saves from Casey Murphy, is still looking for the franchise’s first win. The Legacy’s inaugural season kicked off with a 1-0 home loss to Gotham FC on March 14.
Gotham FC 0, North Carolina Courage 0
Gotham FC and North Carolina Courage combined for 23 shots (four on goal) but played to a draw in Harrison, N.J.
The Courage (1-0-1, 4 points) completed nearly 170 more passes (459-290) and had three of the four shots on goal, two from Ashley Sanchez. Kailen Sheridan was tasked with just one save.
Gotham FC (1-0-1, 4 points) got three saves from and held 59% of the possession despite being outshot 13-10. Rose Lavalle had the side’s lone shot on goal. Ann-Katrin Berger made three saves to maintain the scoreless draw.
Angel City 3, Bay FC 1
Sveindís Jonsdottir had a brace as Angel City FC defeated Bay City FC in San Jose, Calif.
Gisele Thompson also found the back of the net in the 32nd minute on an assist from Jonsdottir for Angel City (2-0-0, 6 points), which is atop the standings two weeks in with a plus-six goal differential.
Taylor Huff had the lone goal in the 56th minute for Bay FC (1-1-0, 3 points) on an assist from Cristiana Girelli.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hot start helps Hyo Joo Kim take 5-shot lead at Fortinet Founders Cup
Apr 27, 2025; The Woodlands, Texas, USA; Hyo Joo Kim of Korea hits a tee shot on the first hole during the final round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim improved her grip on the lead to five strokes with a 6-under-par 66 on Saturday at the Fortinet Founders Cup in Menlo Park, Calif.
Kim, a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour and the 2015 Founders Cup champion, led by two shots after the opening round and four through Friday’s play. The 30-year-old shot 6 under for the first six holes on Saturday and is 17-under 199 after three rounds at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club, which is hosting the event for the first time.
World No. 2 Nelly Korda, competing for the first time since winning the weather-shortened Tournament of Champions to open the 2026 season, is five strokes back at 12 under after she matched Kim’s 66.
Kim, ranked No. 8 in the world, had an adventurous round with only seven pars. She started on fire with birdies at Nos. 1, 3 and 4 before an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole to get to 16 under for the tournament. Another birdie followed at No. 6, then the first of her three bogeys on the day to make the turn in 31 shots.
“The start up to hole 6, I believe, was unbelievable golf and I can’t even believe it,” Kim said. “I had a lot of birdies and (an) eagle, too. But I did also have some bogeys I shouldn’t have done. The start felt like almost a game.”
The back nine included birdies at Nos. 10 and 13 sandwiched around two bogeys and her seventh birdie of the round at the par-4 No. 16.
Kim hit eight of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation on Saturday.
Korda carded 33 on both the front and back nines in her bogey-free round. Birdies came at Nos. 2, 7, 8, 10, 16 and 18.
“It’s nice to have a clean scorecard wherever you play,” Korda said. “Doesn’t matter. With kind of how tough it is off the tee and into the greens, just really happy with my round today.”
She needed only 27 putts in hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation.
China’s Ruixin Liu (66 on Saturday) and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez (65) are tied for third at 11 under.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who leads the Race to CME Globe standings, is tied for fifth at 9 under with three others: Australia’s Karis Davison (69), Japan’s Erika Hara (67) and South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi (69).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Fresh off historic blowout, No. 1 Florida takes aim at No. 9 Iowa
Mar 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux (32) dunks the ball in the second half against the Prairie View A&M Panthers during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images Florida began pursuit of a second straight national championship by trouncing Prairie View A&M by a whopping 59 points, the second-largest winning margin in NCAA Tournament history.
That margin of victory couldn’t have been comforting for Iowa.
The ninth-seeded Hawkeyes take aim at a major upset when they face the top-seeded Gators on Sunday night in a second-round South Region game at Tampa, Fla.
“They’re talented at all five positions for Florida,” Iowa star guard Bennett Stirtz said on Saturday. “Yeah, our hands are going to be full, but we’re going to take full advantage of the opportunity, and to be the best you’ve got to beat the best.”
Iowa (22-12) registered a 67-61 first-round victory over eighth-seeded Clemson on Friday for its first NCAA tourney win since 2021. The Gators (27-7) romped 114-55 over Prairie View A&M with only Loyola Chicago’s 111-42 win over Tennessee Tech in 1963 representing a worse beatdown.
In other words, Florida plays a much-faster pace than the Hawkeyes, who are more comfortable in halfcourt sets.
Iowa coach Ben McCollum isn’t paying much attention to whether the game is slowed down or resembles a track meet.
“If it’s slow or fast is irrelevant, it’s just a matter if we can put the ball in the basket more than they do,” McCollum said of the pace. “I don’t think we probably focus on it as much as most people think. I think it just naturally happens.”
Meanwhile, the Gators will have a pro-Florida crowd in Tampa for the second straight game and coach Todd Golden is certainly relishing that aspect.
“It’s a great advantage of finishing where we did and being able to stay close to home and playing in Tampa and something that we definitely don’t take lightly,” Golden said.
Last season, the Gators squeaked out a 77-75 win over two-time defending national champion UConn in the second round. It was one of four victories by six or fewer points in the title run, including a 65-63 victory over Houston to win the national title.
Golden said this season’s Gators are more ready to battle their way through the tournament than last season’s edition.
“I believe we’re more prepared this year, obviously going through last year’s tournament,” Golden said. “Just the ups and downs that we had earlier on in the season. We’ve been able to get through some adversity and get back to playing together, playing the right way, having really good success.
“So, coming into the Tournament, I feel like we’re more comfortable, better prepared. I believe our guys had a great mentality after this week’s practice going into the game (Friday) night and played with great purpose and intent. I expect to try to do that again against a really good Iowa team.”
The Gators were ready for their first game, shooting 64.3% from the field and outrebounding the Panthers 54-20. Seven Florida players scored in double digits.
Florida knows the task will be tougher Sunday. The players are focusing on Stirtz, the honorable mention All-American who was just 4-of-17 shooting while scoring 16 points in Iowa’s win over Clemson.
“Bennett is a great player,” Florida guard Boogie Fland said. “Just got to contain him, no threes, and all team defense.”
McCollum, who is coaching Stirtz for the fourth straight season at a third different school, is expecting a bounce-back from Stirtz.
“They’re paying attention to him pretty heavy and it’s pretty contested,” McCollum said. “I’m not overly concerned with it. Obviously, he’s going to have to be able to score for us to win to a certain level, but he doesn’t need to go have 30 points for us to do that.”
–Field Level Media
Netflix's Hit Fantasy Series Turned A Fan-Favorite Storyline Into Pure Nightmare Fuel
NWSL roundup: Kiki Van Zanten's brace leads Houston to rout of Boston
