Sports
Mavericks aim to end losing streak, as they take on Raptors
Mar 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) brings the ball up the court against the Boston Celtics during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images The Dallas Mavericks will be out to end a six-game losing streak Sunday when they visit the Toronto Raptors.
The Mavericks’ struggles go beyond the losing streak. They have dropped 16 of their past 18 games after their 120-100 road loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday.
The Raptors also hope to use the game to turn around their recent fortunes. They dropped four of five after a 115-107 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.
The Mavericks won the only meeting of the season between the teams 139-129 on Oct. 26 when Cooper Flagg scored 22 points. That team looked very different. Anthony Davis had 25 points and 10 rebounds in that game, while D’Angelo Russell added 24 points and six assists off the bench.
Dallas has won four in a row over Toronto.
After the loss to Minnesota, the Raptors are 4-17 against the top 10 teams in the league.
“When we play these good teams, something has to change,” said RJ Barrett, who led Toronto in scoring with 25 points Thursday. “Something has to change. I think we’re working hard. I think we have good intentions. …This is the part that we’ve got to figure out. This is the challenge that we have to overcome. I’m confident that we will, but something’s got to change, and we have to figure something out.”
The Raptors have been plagued by bad stretches, usually later in the game. The Timberwolves dominated the third quarter 35-22 on Thursday. In Toronto’s 111-95 home loss Tuesday, the New York Knicks outscored them 24-13 in the fourth quarter. The Knicks finished the game on a 16-2 run.
“I think they kind of upped their physical play,” said Barrett, explaining how Minnesota took over the game.
The Raptors also would like to turn home court into an advantage, which they have not done. They are 16-16 at home and 19-11 on the road. Toronto has lost four in a row at home.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks will be playing their fourth of six straight road games Sunday.
The game in Boston, however, was more like a home game for Mavericks rookie Flag, who scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Flagg is from Newport, Maine, about a three-hour drive from Boston, and he received a big ovation.
“It was incredible,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “I’ve never heard a road player get a cheer like that, especially here in Boston. They tend to go the other way. But that shows the appreciation they have for Cooper.”
“I love being a Maverick,” Flagg said. “That’s home, and I don’t want anything else. It’s incredible to be able to play here. Obviously, it’s the place I came when I was a kid and got to watch. I think it’s going to be incredibly fun for the rest of my career to come here and play in front of this crowd.”
Of course, the loudest cheers Friday were for Boston’s Jayson Tatum, who played his first game of the season after tearing his right Achilles tendon in the playoffs.
“I had a lot of people come from back home,” Flagg said. ‘It was cool. The energy was incredible with Jayson coming back. It meant a lot. I tried to take a moment to try to take a deep breath and take it all in. It’s a dream come true being out there on that court. It’s really special.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Oilers, Predators out to improve positioning in playoff race
Mar 13, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The Edmonton Oilers return home to host the Nashville Predators on Sunday, looking to move on from a 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.
“I think the first two periods, we were playing extremely well, and even in the third, we had some chances and a good push,” said Kasperi Kapanen, who opened the scoring.
“It sucks right now, but we just got to forget this one and move on.”
Connor McDavid also scored for the Oilers as they jumped to a 2-0 lead. However, the Blues responded with three unanswered to steal the extra point.
Connor Ingram made 22 saves for Edmonton, which has dropped back-to-back games while clinging to the third seed in the Pacific Division.
“I don’t think it could have went much better for us in the first 40 minutes and in the third with a nice lead,” said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch. “(St. Louis) had a strong push, and it’s unfortunate that it could have been an outstanding road trip getting three out of the four, but losing and only getting one point in the last two games is disappointing for us.”
The Oilers, who are 16-11-4 on home ice, open a four-game homestand looking to improve on a 4-5-1 stretch.
McDavid entered Saturday with a league-leading 74 assists and 111 points and paces the Oilers with 37 goals through 67 games.
Ingram is 9-6-2 in 20 games, posting an .891 save percentage and a 2.79 goals-against average. Stuart Skinner, Edmonton’s other goalie, is 11-8-4 with an .891 save percentage and a 2.83 GAA in 23 games.
Edmonton was without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on Friday night. The Oilers forward returned home for personal reasons and was replaced in the lineup by Max Jones.
Sunday is the teams’ third and final meeting. The Oilers picked up a 6-2 home win on Jan. 6. Seven days later, the Predators responded with a 4-3 home victory in overtime.
Nashville travels to Edmonton as part of a five-game road trip, looking to keep its Western Conference wild-card chase alive. The Predators, 3-4-3 over their last 10, trailed the Los Angeles Kings by two points for the final spot entering Saturday’s action.
The Predators have been off since Thursday night, when they surrendered a 3-1 lead and lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Vancouver Canucks.
Tyson Jost scored a pair and Matthew Wood had the other for the Predators, who are 12-14-6 on the road. Juuse Saros made 24 saves.
Wood’s goal extended his career-high point streak to four games (four goals, one assist).
“Grateful to get a point. Probably didn’t deserve one,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “(Vancouver was) the better team from the puck drop, and it’s one of those nights for a group that we’re kind of hard to figure out. Obviously, it hurts blowing a two-goal lead late in the game, but we didn’t really deserve to be in the game.”
Steven Stamkos has a team-high 31 goals in 65 games, while Ryan O’Reilly paces the Predators with 39 assists and 61 points through 64 contests.
Saros is 23-19-7 with an .893 save percentage and a 3.15 GAA in 50 starts. He handled both previous games with the Oilers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Italy stays hot, dispenses Puerto Rico to advance to WBC semifinal
Mar 14, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Italy catcher JJ D’Orazio (28) and pitcher Greg Weissert (57) celebrate on the mound after the game against Puerto Rico during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Italy chased Puerto Rico starter Seth Lugo with four runs in the first inning en route to an 8-6 World Baseball Classic quarterfinal victory on Saturday afternoon in Houston.
The Italian team remained undefeated and advanced to Tuesday’s semifinal against the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal between Venezuela and Japan.
JJ D’Orazio drove in three runs and Andrew Fischer knocked in two for Italy, which erased an 1-0 deficit with four runs in the first and then pushed its lead to 8-2 with a four-run fourth. Dylan Delucia threw four scoreless innings in middle relief while Greg Weissert got the final five outs to earn his third save of the tournament.
Puerto Rico’s Willi Castro led off the game with a home run off Italy starter Sam Aldegheri (1-0), but Lugo (1-1) retired just one batter in the bottom of the first. He was pulled after allowing four runs, three hits and two walks.
Christian Vazquez poked a two-run single with one out in the eighth to cap a four-run inning and pull Puerto Rico within 8-6, but Weissert retired five of six batters with the tying run at the plate.
–Field Level Media
Sports
F1 officially cancels Bahrain, Saudi Arabia GPs due to Iran war
May 1, 2025; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Fans pose for a picture in front of the F1 logo in the team village ahead of the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images Formula 1 officially canceled races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia scheduled for April because of safety concerns from the ongoing war in the Middle East.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was scheduled for April 12, while the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix was set for April 19.
“While several alternatives were considered, it was ultimately decided that no substitutions will be made in April,” F1 said in a statement released Saturday.
Iran is accused of launching drone and missile attacks on both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in response to the Israel- and U.S.-led war on Iran.
Just a month ago, teams were conducting testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
The races are not likely to be rescheduled at a later date, given the full F1 calendar, ESPN reported.
The decision to cancel the two races leaves F1 with a 22-race schedule and a five-week gap between the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 and the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.
The Chinese Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday.
–Field Level Media
Oilers, Predators out to improve positioning in playoff race
Italy stays hot, dispenses Puerto Rico to advance to WBC semifinal
