Sports
Rockets need to end wonky stretch vs. suddenly-hot Pelicans
Mar 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (30) and forward Jeff Green (32) reach for a rebound in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Following their second blowout loss in four days, the Houston Rockets hardly resemble Western Conference contenders despite being tied for the third seed behind a pair of league juggernauts.
After surrendering a season-high 145 points on the road to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, the Rockets were blitzed by the Denver Nuggets in a 36-point loss on Wednesday. Houston will open a five-game homestand against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, squarely in the mix for third in the West with the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Nuggets.
The Rockets haven’t passed the eye test of late. Denver hung 129 points on the Rockets, the third-highest point total Houston has surrendered this season. Defensively, the Rockets are tied for seventh in the NBA in defensive efficiency, but have sustained regression on that end of the court.
Offensively, Houston ranks 11th, but the wild swings in performance have become noteworthy. The Rockets are among the worst teams in the league in turnover percentage (28th) and their offensive rebounding has collapsed since the mid-January loss of reserve center Steven Adams to season-ending ankle surgery.
Combine poor ball security and pedestrian rebounding with the poor shooting the Rockets endured in Denver, and the results are often cataclysmic.
The Rockets missed 29 of 33 3-pointers and made just 5 of 14 free throws. A six-point halftime deficit ballooned in the third quarter when the Rockets were outscored 40-22, with their spirit sapped by a succession of missed shots that compromised their defensive intensity.
Opponents have clamped down on Kevin Durant, the Rockets’ leading scorer, and dared his teammates to convert open looks. That strategy has proven to be effective more often than not.
“At this point of the season, we do need to be able to exploit double teams and hit some blitzes on Kevin,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “And I think we did that for the most part. If you don’t turn it over and you get quality shots, whether it’s at the rim or 3-pointers, you kind of have to live with those. When the shots didn’t go…I think we started to hang our heads a little bit.”
Said Durant, who had a season-low-tying 11 points in 26 minutes: “Our offense was clicking outside of making wide-open shots. We generated good looks. It’s a make-or-miss league.”
The Pelicans improved to 7-4 since the All-Star break with their 122-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Dejounte Murray delivered a stellar performance with 27 points, five rebounds, six assists, and two steals in what was his seventh game of an injury-plagued year.
Murray has not only infused the Pelicans’ rotation with an accomplished veteran since his return from an Achilles injury, but also provided a measure of leadership that his younger teammates can rally around.
“We’re trying to build winning habits,” Murray said. “We’re not the No. 1 team in the West. We’re not a contender in the West, but what we can do is build winning habits and momentum going into the offseason.
” … You’ve got to start somewhere. … There’s nothing like building momentum going into the offseason.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Falcons reach deal for DE Samson Ebukam
Indianapolis Colts defensive end Samson Ebukam (52) celebrates after recovering a fumble Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Atlanta Falcons signed former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Samson Ebukam on Thursday, his agent told ESPN.
Terms of the contract (both length and salary) were not reported. He was previously on a three-year, $27 million deal with Indianapolis.
Ebukam, 30, missed the entirety of the 2024 season with a torn Achilles and wasn’t as productive last season in his second season in Indianapolis. His two sacks were tied for a career low set during his rookie season in 2017.
However, his first season with the Colts was the best of his career as he amassed a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2023. He had 4.5-plus sacks in each of the last five seasons he played before 2025.
Over eight seasons, Ebukam has played in 127 regular-season games (79 starts) with 314 tackles, 35 sacks, 77 quarterback hits, 43 tackles for loss, 11 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, nine pass breakups and one interception.
He was a fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 2017 out of Eastern Washington.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Five NFL Free Agency Predictions That Can Still Happen
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws a pass in the first quarter of the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Oct. 16, 2025. NFL free agency has been wild ever since the league’s legal tampering window opened on Monday.
Big-named free agents including Malik Willis and Trey Hendrickson switched teams, while others, like Indianapolis Colts superstar wide receiver Alec Pierce, decided to return.
Even after a flurry of moves, there are plenty of remaining free agents out there.
Let’s make some bold predictions about where the top remaining unsigned players will sign.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
This just makes all the sense in the world for both sides at this point. It felt like part of the reason why the Steelers even hired Mike McCarthy was to bring back the 42-year-old quarterback for yet another season.
Rodgers wasn’t the reason why the Steelers flamed out in the postseason. One more go around is probably Pittsburgh admitting that they’re stuck in neutral, but that might be their only move.
Kyler Murray, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Nov 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) leaves the field after defeating the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images This is our last “no duh” prediction before we get serious.
Are the Vikings really prepared to give up on J.J. McCarthy? That’s what signing Kyler Murray could potentially signal. Following his release from the Arizona Cardinals, Murray is reportedly also factoring in what his future will look like in 2027.
The Vikings would be silly to waste the stud receiving duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. This feels like it’ll get done.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens feel like the big villains of the 2026 offseason after pulling out of the Maxx Crosby trade. So why not lean into it?
The Kansas City Chiefs also make sense for Hill, but they haven’t been overly motivated to make that happen. The Ravens chose Lamar Jackson over John Harbaugh despite the quarterback showing signs of regression last year. Baltimore might as well try to push all your chips into the center of the table – or else that could be a costly decision.
Rasheed Walker, OL, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry has done significant work to repair the team’s offensive line.
After restructuring Deshaun Watson’s deal, the Browns still have enough cap space to add Walker to their equation. This would give the Browns the ability to draft a No. 1 wide receiver with the No. 6 overall selection in the NFL Draft – which is their other big need offensively.
Stefon Diggs, WR, New England Patriots
Oct 5, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) protects the ball from Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7) after making a catch in the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images How bizarre would this be?
The Patriots released Diggs before free agency but New England top executive Eliot Wolf “hasn’t shut the door” on reuniting with the veteran wideout.
New England added Romeo Doubs in free agency. But outside of that? They struck out on a few other of the top wide receivers in free agency and would still like to surround Drake Maye with talented pass catchers on his rookie deal.
Sports
No. 23 Wisconsin slips past Washington to reach Big Ten quarters
Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) reacts after scoring against the Washington Huskies during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images John Blackwell made six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 34 points as No. 23 Wisconsin eliminated Washington from the Big Ten Conference tournament with an 85-82 victory Thursday at Chicago.
Nick Boyd added 23 points and nine assists for the fifth-seeded Badgers (23-9), who advanced to a quarterfinal matchup on Friday with fourth-seeded Illinois. Wisconsin was 15 of 39 (38.5%) from 3-point range.
Freshman Hannes Steinbach scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in his 22nd double-double for No. 12-seed Washington (16-17). Zoom Diallo added 21 points and seven assists, while Quimari Peterson chipped in 14 points and made 4 of 10 3-pointers for the Huskies.
The Badgers never trailed and led by as much as 18 points at 66-48 with 13:23 remaining after Blackwell made a 3-pointer. The Huskies used a late 18-6 run to close within 83-82 with 17 seconds left when Diallo drove for a layup.
Andrew Rohde sank both ends of a one-and-one with eight seconds left for Wisconsin, requiring Washington to hunt a game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime. Diallo’s pullup 3-pointer as time expired misfired, enabling the Badgers to avoid the upset.
Playing its third straight game without its top inside player in forward Nolan Winter (ankle), the Badgers got off to a fast start. They established a 20-7 lead with 11:47 remaining in the first half when Hayden Jones converted a three-point play.
The Huskies found some traction in the next seven minutes, whittling the deficit down to 27-23 with 4:55 left in the half when Wesley Yates III made two free throws. Wisconsin expanded the advantage behind Blackwell and Boyd, who combined for 13 straight points.
Aleksas Bieliauskas sent the Badgers to the locker room at halftime with a 43-33 lead after completing a three-point play with a second left before halftime.
–Field Level Media
Report: Falcons reach deal for DE Samson Ebukam
Five NFL Free Agency Predictions That Can Still Happen
