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Knicks endeavor to remain focused against NBA-worst Pacers

NBA: New York Knicks at Indiana PacersMar 13, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks know they shouldn’t have any reason to lose focus Tuesday night.

But the last three games serve as a reminder that staying on task has been easier said than done for the Knicks, who aim to extend their winning streak to four games when they host the Indiana Pacers in the final matchup this season between the longtime Eastern Conference rivals.

Both teams were off Monday after playing Sunday, when the host Knicks overcame their biggest deficit of the season to edge the Golden State Warriors 110-107. The visiting Pacers tied a franchise record by suffering their 13th straight defeat after squandering an early double-digit lead in a 134-123 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Despite facing the skidding Warriors — who were missing stars Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green as well as starters Moses Moody and Al Horford, all of whom are injured — the Knicks fell behind 46-25 in the second quarter before taking the lead for good at 81-80 on Mitchell Robinson’s putback with 1:07 left in the third quarter.

The Knicks, who are in third place in the Eastern Conference, never pulled away in the fourth as the Warriors moved within one point three times in the final 2:04.

Golden State, treading in ninth place in the Western Conference, squandered a chance to tie the score in the waning seconds when Gui Santos’ pass intended for Quinten Post glanced off his hands. New York guard Landry Shamet collected the ball before running out the clock.

It was the third consecutive close game for the Knicks against a team either aiming for a play-in spot or long since focused on the lottery. New York recovered from an 18-point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz, 134-117, on Wednesday, then outlasted the Pacers 101-92 on Friday night.

The Jazz are 14th in the West while the Pacers are last in the East. But Indiana, which beat the Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference finals last spring, is 1-2 this season against New York with a 114-113 loss on Dec. 18 and a 137-134 overtime win on Feb. 10.

“We can play better,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said. “I know for myself and every man in that locker room, every person in that locker room, expects more. And somehow, someway, we’ve got to figure it out.”

The Pacers have been unofficially in evaluation mode since June 22, when star guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles during Indiana’s 103-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

The 13-game losing streak is the second this season for the Pacers, who also dropped 13 straight from Dec. 12 through Jan. 6. Prior to this season, Indiana hadn’t lost 12 straight since the 1988-89 campaign.

The injuries and challenges have continued to pile up for the Pacers, who played without their top two remaining scorers — Pascal Siakam (right knee) and Andrew Nembhard (right ankle) — Sunday night.

In the absence of the 6-foot-8 Siakam, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle gave Jalen Slawson — a 6-foot-7 forward on a two-way contract — his first NBA start on Sunday and tasked him with defending two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Swanson scored three points in 27 minutes for the Pacers, who led by 10 points early in the second quarter and held a 65-62 halftime lead even though Antetokounmpo recorded a double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds) in the first half.

“It’s tough — it’s like, hey, congratulations, you get an NBA start,” Carlisle said with a grin. “And by the way, you’re guarding Giannis.”

–Field Level Media

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Maple Leafs’ effort to regroup continues against Islanders

NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo SabresMar 14, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Logan Stanley (64) misses his check as Toronto Maple Leafs center Bo Groulx (29) looks to control the puck during the first period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs will carry the momentum of two wins in three games into their clash Tuesday night against the visiting New York Islanders.

Sparked by two goals from AHL call-up Benoit-Olivier Groulx, the Maple Leafs built a 3-0 lead and held on for a 4-2 road victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

It followed a 3-2 shootout loss to Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Toronto snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 6-4 win on Thursday over the Anaheim Ducks, when team captain Auston Matthews went down with a season-ending knee injury.

“No one’s folding the tent,” said Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly, who also scored against the Wild. “We’re trying to compete. We’re trying to push and play good hockey and win games. And, I mean, you’re not going to win every night, but you want the compete to be there, you want the effort to be there, and I think it has been lately. We’ve got a ways to go, but we’re going to look to build off tonight.”

Despite gaining five points over the past three games, the Maple Leafs sit 10 points out of the playoffs as the seventh-place team in the Atlantic Division.

Groulx has three goals in four games since his promotion from the Toronto Marlies. He has four goals and eight points in 69 career games with the Maple Leafs and Ducks.

“It felt really good,” Groulx said. “I thought I had a really tough first period. I was behind the play. I was surprised by their speed, honestly, and their execution, and came back in the second, and I knew I had to regroup.”

Said Toronto head coach Craig Berube: “I know what I’m getting out there, shift after shift with (Groulx). It’s great to see him get a couple of goals tonight. He had another good game all around.”

The Islanders are coming off a 3-2 home win on Saturday over the Calgary Flames.

Simon Holmstrom scored twice in a three-minute span, once while killing a penalty, to help the Islanders go up 3-0.

“We had a really good first period,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “We had a good jump. I mean, we scored three goals. I was pretty pleased with the way we came out, and that was part of what we talked about before the game. We want to get off to a good start. And we had that good start we were looking for.”

Holmstrom was moved to the second line Saturday to play with newly acquired veteran center Brayden Schenn and Anthony Duclair.

“It gives us four very good lines,” Roy said. “Having (Holmstrom) play with Schenn, I thought that was giving us scoring from that line, A, and B, (we feel) comfortable that they can defend very well.”

The Islanders, 11-5-0 in their past 16 games, were third in the Metropolitan Division after their win on Saturday.

“We’ve been doing a good job of managing the puck when we know that our legs aren’t really there, getting the puck deep and trying to outwork them in their own zone,” Holmstrom said. “Everyone is fighting.”

–Field Level Media

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Robert MacIntyre WDs from Valspar after strong week at The Players

Syndication: Florida Times-UnionRobert MacIntyre tees off on the fourth hole during the final round ofThe Players Championship at The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Sunday March 15, 2026. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

After what he called a “stressful” final round at The Players Championship on Sunday, Robert MacIntyre withdrew from this week’s Valspar Championship at Palm Harbor, Fla.

The Scotland native, and ninth-ranked player in the world, shot a 3-under-par 69 in the final round at TPC Sawgrass to finish alone in fourth place at 10 under in The Players. He finished three shots behind winner Cameron Young.

MacIntyre’s chip from the rough at No. 16 bounced in front of the green then rolled entirely off the massive putting surface and into the water to essentially end his bid for a victory. It was one his two bogeys over the final five holes.

“No, it was stressful,” said McIntyre, who was the runner-up at the U.S Open last year. “I was actually struggling to eat early on the back nine. … Obviously, last year was a big kind of wake-up call for me in order to know that I can really compete at the top end of world golf.”

No official reason was given for MacIntyre backing out of the tournament. He was replaced by Andrew Putnam.

PGA Tour rookie Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Canada and Keith Mitchell also withdrew from this week’s tournament. They will be replaced by Kris Ventura and Doug Ghim, respectively.

Yellamaraju finished in a tie for fifth at The Players, shooting 9 under for the tournament, including a final-round 4-under 68.

Seven of the top-20 players in the world are entered at the Valspar Championship, which is being held just outside of the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Included in the field is defending champion Viktor Hovland of Norway, as well as Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas.

Schauffele finished third at The Players, while Thomas tied for eighth in his second tournament since returning from back surgery.

–Field Level Media

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Spring training roundup: Chris Sale completes six innings as Braves rout Rays

MLB: Spring Training-Toronto Blue Jays at Atlanta BravesMar 5, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Chris Sale pounded the strike zone and completed six innings as the host Atlanta Braves routed the Tampa Bay Rays, 11-2, on Monday in North Port, Fla.

The rangy southpaw, who just signed a contract extension through 2027, allowed five hits, did not walk a batter and fanned three. Sale threw 53 of his 75 pitches for strikes and only permitted one run, a solo homer by Nick Fortes with one out in the sixth.

The Braves scored four runs in the second and led 8-0 after five innings. Eli White, who hit a career-best 10 home runs in 2025, connected for a two-run blast in the fourth after singling in the second. He is hitting .414 this spring. Mike Yastrzemski went 3-for-4 with two runs and raised his batting average to .448, while Drake Baldwin slugged a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.

Rays starting pitcher Nick Martinez, who was signed to a one-year, $13 million deal last month, was hit hard, allowing seven runs and 10 hits in four innings. The versatile 35-year old now has a 9.90 ERA this spring.

Blue Jays 5, Marlins 4 (6)

George Springer led off the game with a home run and Toronto tacked on four runs in the third inning to edge host Miami in a rain-shortened game called in the bottom of the sixth in Jupiter, Fla.

Daulton Varsho keyed the four-run outburst with a two-run double down the right-field line. It was the fifth double of the spring for the veteran outfielder, who is hitting .432 in Florida.

Two Marlins went deep — Otto Lopez hit a solo homer in the first and Daniel Johnson connected for a solo shot in the fifth. Janson Junk, who emerged as a reliable starter for Miami in 2025, allowed four runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in two innings.

Twins 5, Pirates 1

In only his second start of the spring, likely Opening Day starter Joe Ryan completed four innings as Minnesota defeated visiting in Fort Myers, Fla.

Ryan gave up one run on five hits and one walk, but fanned six Pirates in a 68-pitch effort. Luke Keaschall broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run home run in the third inning and, two batters later, Victor Caratini blasted a solo shot.

Pirates starter Noah Davis, who pitched four games with Boston in 2025, allowed all five Twins’ runs in four innings. Henry Davis contributed a run-scoring single in the top of the third for Pittsburgh.

Tigers 13, Phillies 6

Top prospect Kevin McGonigle blasted a three-run home run to highlight a seven-run Detroit first inning and the hosts cruised to victory over Philadelphia in Lakeland, Fla.

Spencer Torkelson hit a solo shot in the second inning and Jahmai Jones (2-for-4, 5 RBIs) added a bases-clearing double in the third. Starter Jack Flaherty allowed five runs and five hits in five innings.

Phillies’ minor leaguer Charles King was touched up for 10 earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. Felix Reyes and Otto Kemp hit three-run homers for all of the Philadelphia offense.

Red Sox, Orioles, cancelled

The scheduled evening game between Boston and Baltimore was cancelled due to impending weather in Sarasota, Fla. There will be no make-up date.

–Field Level Media

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