Sports
Kings hope to find answers in meeting with Mavs
Dec 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) reacts after being called out of the game on fouls during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images The Sacramento Kings look to halt a season-worst six-game losing streak when they host the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.
The first five losses of the skid were under Mike Brown, who was fired on Friday in an unconventional manner. Assistant Doug Christie was named interim coach and oversaw a 132-122 road loss against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
Sacramento had high hopes entering the season but sits six games below .500 with the campaign about 40 percent complete.
The killer setback for Brown came Thursday against the visiting Detroit Pistons. The Kings led by 10 with less than three minutes to go but eventually lost 114-113. Detroit’s Jaden Ivey converted a game-winning four-point play stemming from a foul on De’Aaron Fox with three seconds left in the game.
Brown sharply criticized Fox following the game. Brown then conducted practice and handled media responsibilities on Friday. A short time later, he was fired before the team boarded its flight to Los Angeles.
Now the club is trying to regroup, with star Domantas Sabonis saying it is time for a turnaround.
“We obviously know we haven’t been performing at our best,” Sabonis said. “And we have to do a better job. Me, as one of the leaders of the team, I got to make sure that that happens. We got to win all the games that we can.”
Sabonis had 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in the loss to the Lakers. Fox recorded 29 points, 12 assists and four steals. DeMar DeRozan added 25 points and Malik Monk scored 20.
With the Kings mired in 12th place in the Western Conference, Fox is feeling a sense of urgency.
“Obviously, the conference continues to get better,” Fox said. “But us, you know, we kind of got a little stagnant, and that is what it is. We have to find a way to get better.”
Dallas will be playing its third game since losing star Luka Doncic to a strained left calf on Christmas Day.
The Mavericks are 7-3 without Doncic this season, a mark that includes a 126-122 loss to the host Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
Dallas never led in the contest, and four Portland players reached the 20-point mark. The Trail Blazers led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter.
Kyrie Irving carried the Mavericks with a season-best 46 points, including 20 in the final quarter.
“Kai, our leader, he got us back in that game,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “It’s just unfortunate we couldn’t make the right plays on both ends when we got it down.
“That’s just who he is. Kai’s a leader and wants to help the team win. Being able to score 46 wasn’t easy.”
The loss was just the fifth in the past 20 games for the Mavericks.
But it felt painful to Irving, who wasn’t pleased about the club digging such a huge hole against one of the worst teams in the Western Conference.
“We definitely could have done a better job keeping the game a lot closer,” Irving said. “Getting down like that, I don’t want to say it’s characteristic for us, but we’re used to it to a certain degree to get out of holes like that and give ourselves a chance. Most teams would give up, especially on a back-to-back. But our identity is we don’t want to give up.”
Dallas will be without Naji Marshall, who will miss his second contest as part of a four-game suspension for his part in an altercation with Jusuf Nurkic of the Phoenix Suns on Friday. P.J. Washington, suspended one game for his role in the scuffle, will return on Monday.
Mavericks big man Dereck Lively II (hip) is listed as questionable. He has missed the past two games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Which NBA Playoffs Game 1 Loser Is Most Likely To Win Their Series?
Mar 27, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) reacts during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images On Saturday, we watched all the higher seeds take care of business and start their series up 1-0. It’s way too early to overreact to these games, but I think a lot of these winners will end up moving on to the second round. Here are the teams I think have the best chance of coming back from their slow starts.
Houston Rockets
Before the series, I picked the Lakers to pull off the big upset over Houston, and I still believe that’s the case; however, they’re the team I think has the best chance of turning their luck around.
If the Rockets are without Kevin Durant, I have no idea where they’re generating any offense. Houston shot 38% from the field, and Reed Sheppard and Alperen Sengun struggled to generate any offense as primary ball handlers. On the other end, LeBron James and company did a great job of slowing the game down by running a consistently efficient offense. If Houston can get more stops and generate offense in the fastbreak, they could easily swing this series around.
Atlanta Hawks
Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) is guarded by Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) during the first quarter of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images For most of 2026, the Hawks have looked like one of the best teams in the NBA. Offensively, they had a solid outing in game one against the Knicks, but New York had one of their better shooting performances, knocking down 48% of their triples.
Atlanta will need to turn New York over more, but that’s something the Knicks have done a good job of preventing all season long. If Atlanta can find a way to steal game two on the road, I think they’ll be in a great spot to steal this series. I would still take the Knicks in this series, but the Hawks didn’t seem rattled on offense, and that’s an important factor in pulling off the upset.
Minnesota Timberwolves
I am fully out on this iteration of the Timberwolves.
It might be dumb to fade the team that’s been to two straight Western Conference Finals, especially one with Anthony Edwards, but I hate the construction of Minnesota in 2026.
The Nuggets are going to get out and run all day on Minnesota, and have more shooting than they have in most years during the Nikola Jokic era. Denver shot poorly in game one and still won by double digits. Donte DiVincenzo is the only player outside of Edwards who can provide any gravity on offense for the T-Wolves, and I don’t think that’s enough to stop the Nuggets. If Jamal Murray starts hitting jumpers, this series could be ugly.
Toronto Raptors
Apr 18, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images All season long, we wondered when the Cavs would turn it on, and I think we watched them take it to another level in game one. The Cavs are finally all healthy, and we got to see a 10-deep roster that looked very comfortable playing together.
RJ Barrett, Jamal Shead, and Scottie Barnes combined for 11/16 from three, and they still weren’t in this game for most of the second half. Cleveland’s rotations were at their best in this one as well, with one of Donovan Mitchell or James Harden, and Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen on the floor at all times, and they provide way too much firepower for Toronto to handle. The Raptors might steal one game in Toronto, but I’d bet on this one being a sweep.
Sports
Angels activate OF/DH Jorge Soler from four-game suspension
Apr 7, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; A fight breaks out between Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López (40) and Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jorge Soler (12) during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels activated outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler from the suspended list on Sunday and put him in the cleanup spot of the lineup for the series finale against the San Diego Padres.
Soler was given an original seven-game suspension for an on-field fight with former Atlanta Braves teammate Reynaldo Lopez on April 7. Soler appealed the suspension, and it was reduced to four games, while the Angels were in New York last week.
Soler, 34, is batting .231 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 18 games for the Angels this season.
In 13 major league seasons, Soler is a career .240 hitter with 208 home runs and 568 RBIs over 1,112 games for the Chicago Cubs (2014-16), Kansas City Royals (2017-21), Atlanta Braves (2021, 2024), Miami Marlins (2022-23), San Francisco Giants (2024) and Angels.
Lopez had his own seven-game suspension reduced to five games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Flyers aim to take 2-0 lead over rival Penguins
Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) makes a save against Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha (39) during the third period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Flyers got the best of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1, but both teams understand that the Keystone State rivals are likely headed for a long series.
The Flyers aim to take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Penguins when the teams match up Monday in Pittsburgh.
In Saturday’s series opener, Philadelphia posted a 3-2 victory behind third-period goals from Travis Sanheim and Porter Martone. Sanheim, one of the team’s veteran players, scored the go-ahead goal midway through the final session before Martone added an insurance tally with 2:37 remaining.
Martone’s goal proved to be critical as Bryan Rust scored with 1:01 to play. However, Philadelphia goaltender Dan Vladar stayed firm down the stretch as the Flyers held on.
“I think I understand the level that’s needed to play in the playoffs,” said Sanheim, who helped keep Sidney Crosby off the scoreboard. “I understand the challenge ahead and my job, playing against top guys.”
Crosby and Sanheim received penalties late in the third period – Crosby for slashing and Sanheim for cross-checking – that forced both key players off the ice for the final stretch.
“That’s going to be part of a series,” Crosby said. “I think we’ve got to stay out of it a little bit more and trust that when they do it and try to start it up, that they’re going to get penalized for it. But that’s more something I think they’re looking to do. We’ve got to stay out of it and trust they’ll be undisciplined.”
Jamie Drysdale also scored for Philadelphia, while Rasmus Ristolainen notched a pair of assists. The headline, though, was Martone with the game-winning goal in his postseason debut.
“Everyone’s been great,” said the 19-year-old Martone, the sixth pick in the 2025 draft. “I think we were all pretty excited going into this game, being able to play in the playoffs. For me, it’s my 10th NHL game. It’s pretty special, and it’s an opportunity you can’t pass up.”
Philadelphia is in the postseason for the first time since 2020, while Pittsburgh is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022. The Penguins certainly don’t want to go down 2-0 in the series before heading across the state for Games 3 and 4.
“(The Flyers) make it hard,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “I think that’s part of their game. They’ve been doing that for a while. … They can make it difficult. I think we got away from things that worked. Part of that is the intensity. Everything is ramped up here in the playoffs.”
Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin was a force in Game 1 with a goal and an assist. He has 68 goals and 114 assists in 178 career playoff games.
“We played good all year long,” Malkin said. “We know how we play and we just, like, maybe nervous too much or we want (it) too much. We just (weren’t) thinking a little bit, I think.”
The Flyers are expecting a crisper overall effort by the Penguins in Sunday’s affair.
“We did a good job, but we know they’re going to respond,” Philadelphia captain Sean Couturier said. “We know they’re going to come hard next game. We’ve got to keep respecting their skill and just be prepared.”
–Field Level Media
Which NBA Playoffs Game 1 Loser Is Most Likely To Win Their Series?
Angels activate OF/DH Jorge Soler from four-game suspension
