Sports
NBA roundup: Magic edge Lakers as LeBron James misses at buzzer
Feb 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) and forward Jonathan Isaac (1) celebrate the victory against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Paolo Banchero scored 36 points with 10 rebounds and Desmond Bane added 22 points as the Orlando Magic finished off a successful road trip against Western Conference foes with a 110-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 20 points and Tristan da Silva added 13 as the Magic went 3-1 on their trip with a victory at Sacramento and two more against a pair of Los Angeles teams in the Clippers and Lakers. They lost at Phoenix in the second game of the trip.
Luka Doncic scored 22 points with 15 assists and nine rebounds while LeBron James and Deandre Ayton each added 21 points for the Lakers, who went 4-4 on an extended homestand that wrapped around both sides of the All-Star break. James had a chance to win it at the buzzer but his fallaway 3-pointer was off target.
Orlando shot 45.7% in the game but finished off the victory by shooting 59.1% in the fourth quarter while scoring 31 points. It was the Magic’s fourth consecutive victory against the Lakers going back to November of 2023.
Cavaliers 109, Knicks 94
Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points and James Harden added 20 as Cleveland ran away from visiting New York to win for the eighth time in its last nine games.
Jarrett Allen collected 19 points on 7-of-8 field-goal attempts and grabbed 10 rebounds for Cleveland, which tied New York for third place in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers are 6-1 with Harden in the lineup and a league-best 13-2 since Jan. 21.
Jalen Brunson scored 20 points and Mikal Bridges had 18, but the starting guards shot a combined 12 of 36 from the field for the Knicks. New York, which only led for 19 seconds and trailed by 20 in the fourth quarter, is 12-4 since Jan. 19.
76ers 135, Pacers 114
Tyrese Maxey collected 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and Joel Embiid added 27 points to fuel Philadelphia to a victory over Indiana in Indianapolis.
Maxey made 10 of 22 shots from the floor and all 10 attempts from the free-throw line for the 76ers, who erupted for 45 points in the second quarter and shot a sizzling 57.6% for the game. Embiid sank 11 of 17 shots from the floor in his return from a five-game absence due to knee and shin issues. Rookie VJ Edgecombe recorded 23 points and seven rebounds and Quentin Grimes added 15 points off the bench.
Micah Potter scored a season-high 23 points and Andrew Nembhard matched that total to lead the Pacers.
Hawks 119, Wizards 98
Jonathan Kuminga scored a season-high 27 points in his Atlanta debut and the Hawks led wire-to-wire, beating visiting Washington for their second straight win.
Kuminga, acquired from Golden State at the trade deadline, was 9 of 12 from the floor and scored 18 points in the third quarter. The good vibrations were tempered by the loss of All-Star Jalen Johnson, who left the game at 6:22 in the first quarter with a left hip flexor injury. The Hawks also got 16 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 12 points from Corey Kispert and 10 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists from Onyeka Okongwu.
The Wizards were led by reserves Will Riley, who scored 18, and Justin Campagnie and Jamir Watkins, who both scored 14. Trae Young, who played the first seven-plus seasons of his career with Atlanta, was on the bench but did not play, still nursing the right knee MCL strain that has kept him out since Dec. 27. The Hawks honored Young by showing a highlight video.
Mavericks 123, Nets 114
Marvin Bagley III scored 22 points off the bench as Dallas went ahead for good in the first quarter and earned held off host Brooklyn to get head coach Jason Kidd his 200th victory as the Mavericks’ head coach.
Bagley made 10 of 13 shots and finished one shy of his season high as the Mavericks won their second straight following a 10-game skid. Bagley’s big night was part of a 61-point showing from Dallas reserves. The Mavericks shot 58.5% and scored 66 points in the paint.
The blizzard in the New York area caused the Mavericks to arrive from Indianapolis earlier Tuesday and the Nets to fly in from Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon. Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 26 points.
Thunder 116, Raptors 107
Isaiah Joe scored 19 of his 22 points in the third quarter and visiting Oklahoma City held on to defeat Toronto.
Cason Wallace added a game-high 27 points with eight rebounds and seven assists for the Thunder, who have won three games in a row and five of six. Alex Caruso added 16 points, Luguentz Dort contributed 15 points and Isaiah Hartenstein scored 11 with nine rebounds.
RJ Barrett scored 21 points for the Raptors, who had won their two previous games. Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram each scored 15 points. Ja’Kobe Walter and Immanuel Quickley scored 17 points apiece and Jamal Shead added 13 points.
Hornets 131, Bulls 99
Brandon Miller scored 23 points and Kon Knueppel added 21 to pace seven players in double figures as visiting Charlotte routed skidding Chicago.
Matas Buzelis had a career-best 32 points for Chicago, which has lost 10 straight games for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Charlotte, which has won 12 of 15, set a franchise record with its eighth consecutive road victory. The team swished 25 3-pointers, falling one short of matching another franchise mark.
Charlotte shot 60.7% in the third while limiting the Bulls to 27.8%. Chicago, which committed nine of its 21 turnovers in the third, trailed by as many as 38 in the second half. Patrick Williams and Guerschon Yabusele scored 11 points each for Chicago, while Collin Sexton chipped in 10.
Bucks 128, Heat 117
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 32 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists to lead Milwaukee to a victory over visiting Miami.
Ryan Rollins added 21 for Milwaukee, which won its seventh game in its last nine tries without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf). Bobby Portis matched Rollins’ 21 off the bench, while Kyle Kuzma added 19.
Norman Powell scored a team-high 26 points for Miami, which saw its three-game winning streak end. Bam Adebayo added 18 points and nine rebounds.
Pelicans 113, Warriors 109
Zion Williamson scored 26 points and host New Orleans led by as many as 14 in the first quarter then held off short-handed Golden State.
Saddiq Bey scored 18 points for the Pelicans, who have won back-to-back games and four of their last six. Former Warrior Jordan Poole scored 12 points to lead a New Orleans bench that outscored its Golden State counterpart 45-26.
De’Anthony Melton posted a game-high 28 points for the Warriors, who were without Stephen Curry (knee), Jimmy Butler (knee), Al Horford (toe) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness), and have lost three of their last four.
Celtics 97, Suns 81
Derrick White scored 22 points, Neemias Queta had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and visiting Boston rolled over short-handed Phoenix to extend its winning streak to four.
Sam Hauser scored 16 points and Bailey Scheierman had 11 points and 11 rebounds in his third career double-double for the Celtics, who have won nine of 10 and are a season-high 19 games over .500.
The Celtics trailed 41-30 at 6:41 of the second quarter before going on an extended 50-11 run to take control with an 80-52 lead on Nikola Vukevic’s basket with 1:39 left in the third. Collin Gillespie scored 15 points, Grayson Allen scored 14 and Jalen Green added 13 for the Suns, who played without leading scorers Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks for the second straight game.
Timberwolves 124, Trail Blazers 121
Anthony Edwards scored 34 points and Jaden McDaniels added 29 points, matched his career best of five blocked shots and had three steals to lead Minnesota past host Portland.
Donte DiVincenzo added 19 points as the Timberwolves won for the fourth time in the past five games and improved to 3-0 against the Blazers this season. Edwards, McDaniels and DiVincenzo each knocked down five 3-pointers as Minnesota made 17 of 35 (48.6%) from long range.
With Portland All-Star Deni Avdija (back) out for the 11th time in the past 19 games, Jrue Holiday scored 22 points, Jerami Grant added 21 points and reserve Scoot Henderson had 19 for the Blazers, who lost for the third time in five games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bengals Have No More Excuses Entering the 2026 NFL Season
For the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s time for results to meet expectations.
They had a more productive offseason of re-tooling its defense and tweaking a roster that underperformed in 2025, which was a disappointment with a 6-11 record and third straight season out of the playoffs in the Joe Burrow era.
The Bengals entered the offseason at a critical crossroads.
Their star quarterback missed more than half of last season — nine games following turf toe surgery — and the Bengals’ defense ranked in the bottom five of several significant categories, The organization faced intense media scrutiny and fan pessimism … Are the Bengals ever going to build a winner around Joe Burrow?
Bengals ownership, led by Mike Brown and his daughter, Katie, have traditionally chosen conservative, baseline adjustments to tweak the roster. That was definitely not the case starting with free agency in March and continuing through the draft.
Veteran impact free agents like Cincinnati native and Super Bowl champion safety Bryan Cook, defensive edge Boye Mafe, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and safety Kyle Dugger were added. They then stunned the NFL by trading away their first-round draft pick (No. 10 overall) for defensive tackle and front four anchor Dexter Lawrence II, and extending him another year at $28 million for 2028. Then they did something they almost never do – they restructured Burrow’s contract to free up approximately $10 million in critical cap space.
All of the moves are a signal that those inside the organization understand that the championship window is wide open. An influx of high-tier talent has fundamentally altered the external narrative and internal expectations in Cincinnati as training camp approaches.
“A lot of urgency this year,” Burrow said. “We have everything we need. We’re deep at just about every position on the team.”
Following the departure of longtime star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson to division rival Baltimore for four years and $112 million in free agency, the Bengals adjusted from relying on a singular dominant edge rusher to utilizing a committee of quick-pressure and flexible edge defenders.
Mafe brings immediate speed off the edge from the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahwaks. Defensive coordinator Al Golden is counting on him being and every down edge. The Bengals added to their pass rush options by taking Texas A&M edge and SEC Defensive Player of the Year Cashius Howell in the second round (No. 41 overall). Howell adds a highly athletic edge threat to the rotational mix. Mafe and Howell join a group that also features 2023 first-round edge Myles Murphy and 2025 first-rounder Shemar Stewart.
For Burrow, the overhauled roster brings back familiar pressure and expectations to win, and win big.
“Put pressure on guys. I love it. I thrive in it,” Burrow said. “We’ll find out who else does. I know we have the kind of people who want to be in that spot. I want everybody talking about the Bengals. You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 (national championship) season at LSU. I feel very similarly about this team. I’m so excited to get started and get moving.”
Burrow’s confidence is fueled by a completely revitalized supporting cast on both sides of the ball. Burrow acknowledges that the increased financial commitment from ownership eliminates excuses, placing the responsibility on leadership to execute.
With a bolstered roster, expectations have risen to a championship standard, the standard by both Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor repeated often following their Super Bowl run in 2021 and their run to a second straight AFC title game appearance in 2022. Taylor has echoed this optimism, successfully accomplished its objectives regarding scheme implementation and personnel preparation during the offseason workout and practice program.
“We accomplished everything we set out to accomplish,” Taylor said at the end of mandatory minicamp in June.
The 2026 season is viewed as a critical juncture for the Bengals to capitalize on its heavy roster investments and win the first Super Bowl title in the franchise’s 59th season.
Sports
'Frustrated' Blue Jays eager to reverse course vs. Rays
Jul 12, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider (14) argues with home plate umpire Jen Pawol (95) during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images The Toronto Blue Jays will be out to salvage what they can from a guaranteed losing homestand Wednesday night when they continue their series with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Blue Jays dropped to 1-4 on their seven-game homestand with a 12-2 setback to the Rays on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay is 7-1 against Toronto this season to clinch the season series.
While the Rays sit atop the American League East, the Blue Jays are last in the division, with their hopes of a wild-card spot fading.
“I think everyone is frustrated,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “There’s no secret, this is not going to be easy. It’s going to be hard. You just want to find some small wins for one, and two, you just make sure everyone understands that this is going to be hard and you’ve got to dig your way out of this.”
The Blue Jays have only eight runs over their first five games since returning from the All-Star break.
After the Rays scored three runs in the first inning Tuesday against Kevin Gausman, the Blue Jays failed to score against Drew Rasmussen in the bottom of the inning despite loading the bases with one out. That is a microcosm of Toronto’s season.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 0-for-4 on Tuesday and is in an 0-for-13 funk in a disappointing season. The Rays’ pitchers have been tough on Guerrero this season, holding him at 2-for-27.
The Blue Jays’ defense also has been a problem against the Rays. Toronto has committed five errors over the two games of the four-game series.
That number could have been higher. One error call on Tuesday — third baseman Kazuma Okamoto on Nick Fortes’ grounder in the seventh — was changed to a hit.
Schneider said the fielding mistakes are more a result of the Rays’ style than his team pressing.
“This team really plays the game fast,” Schneider said of Tampa Bay. “I don’t think that it’s us playing tight. I think it’s them forcing the issue.”
The Rays also have been hitting for power in the series. They had three homers on Monday. Fortes, who went deep in his second consecutive contest, joined Yandy Diaz — who was playing in his 1,000th MLB game — by belting a three-run homer on Tuesday.
“That’s pretty special to play 1,000 games at this level, and he’s done it at an incredibly high level,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Diaz. “I appreciate Yandy, certainly the hitter he is, the way he’s evolved as a teammate, as a leader on this team, the energy that he provides on a daily basis, and the way he carries himself is really special.”
Chandler Simpson and Ben Williamson each had four hits for Tampa Bay, and Junior Caminero had two hits and three walks. The Rays had a season-best 21 hits.
“It just attests to everything that we can do in the lineup,” Simpson said. “We can win it with speed, put the bat on the ball. We can also use the power game as well to win games.”
The Blue Jays will go with an opener on Wednesday, with right-handed reliever Braydon Fisher (3-3, 3.65 ERA) getting the call. In 10 career relief appearances against the Rays, he is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA.
Right-hander Griffin Jax (5-7, 4.08) is Tampa Bay’s scheduled starter on Wednesday. He is 1-2 with a 3.80 ERA in 17 career games (two starts) against Toronto.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Martin Perez returns for Braves, to pitch against Padres
Jun 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Martin Perez (33) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Veteran Martin Perez will come off the injured list to take his spot in the starting rotation when the Atlanta Braves host the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
The Padres beat the Braves 8-3 on Tuesday to even the four-game series at a game apiece. San Diego has won four of five games against the Braves on the season.
Perez went on the injured list after being hit in the arm by a line drive by Juan Soto of the New York Mets on July 5. He threw a bullpen session on Sunday and was deemed ready to return.
“He rebounded well,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “To be honest, it’s not a terrible thing that he got a little break. Threw 50 innings last year, so I think probably good timing there if there is such a thing for something like that. Chances are he was going to need a break at some point this year anyway.”
Left-hander Perez (6-6, 3.54) will face off against San Diego right-hander Michael King (6-7, 3.34). Perez has thrown 81 1/3 innings this season.
Perez made his last start against the Mets on July 5 and allowed five runs (four earned) in 4 1/3 innings. He had to leave the game after absorbing the line drive off his left forearm. X-rays showed no broken bones, but it was severe enough to require a trip to the injured list.
Perez has never beaten San Diego. In four career appearances (three starts), he is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA. He lost to the Padres on June 24 when he pitched four innings and allowed three runs on four hits and four walks.
King received no decision in his most recent start on Friday against the Kansas City Royals, a 7-6 loss in 10 innings. He pitched five innings and allowed one run on four hits and two walks, striking out four. He has allowed two or fewer runs in 12 of his 20 starts.
King has made three career appearances against the Braves, going 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA. He beat Atlanta 1-0 on June 22 in San Diego when he threw seven scoreless innings.
The Padres continue to tinker with the lineup. On Tuesday they batted struggling veteran Xander Bogaerts No. 8 in the lineup, something he has done just 48 times in 1,761 career games. He went 1-for-4 and was robbed of a home run by Atlanta center fielder Michael Harris II.
“We’re taking a little bit of the pressure off Bogey,” manager Craig Stammen said. “That’s probably the biggest thing. We’ve got to get him going somehow. Thought moving him up in the lineup might get him going. He’s still taking good at-bats.”
Bogaerts said, “What can I say? Play better.”
Manny Machado doesn’t have that problem. He has homered three times in the series and has hit safely in 12 straight games. During the streak he has five homers, 11 RBIs and eight runs scored, and he has raised his average from .187 to .204.
The Atlanta offense, which entered the series having scored five-plus runs in nine consecutive home games, was limited to four hits for the second straight game. Two of those came from rookie shortstop Jim Jarvis.
The Braves released veteran designated hitter Kyle Farmer, an Atlanta native, on Tuesday when they activated outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. Farmer appeared in only 12 games and went on the injured list in May with a right forearm strain. He made two brief appearances after his return earlier this month.
Yastrzemski was on the 10-day injured list due to an elbow ailment.
–Field Level Media
Bengals Have No More Excuses Entering the 2026 NFL Season
'Frustrated' Blue Jays eager to reverse course vs. Rays
