Sports
Suns hope Bradley Beal's return to lineup provides boost versus Grizzlies
Feb 22, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) defends Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) during the first quarter at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images The Phoenix Suns enter Tuesday’s game against the host Memphis Grizzlies hoping to reverse a recent slump and keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Suns have lost eight of their last 10 games, including Sunday’s 127-109 setback to the Toronto Raptors.
“We’ve got to find ways to get wins,” Phoenix coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Budenholzer hopes Bradley Beal’s recent return to the starting lineup will be a catalyst. Beal was benched Jan. 6 against Philadelphia but was re-inserted into the starting five Saturday at Chicago. Beal had 25 points, including a key 3-pointer late in the contest, to help the Suns to a 121-117 victory.
Beal playing with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker appears to be the Suns’ strongest option, according to Budenholzer.
“If we can get the right rhythm and find the right opportunities offensively and have all three of those guys be aggressive and attacking, I think that’s potentially when we can be at our best,” Budenholzer said.
Beal returned to the starting lineup in favor over Tyus Jones. In Sunday’s loss to Toronto, Beal scored 30 points in a team-high 41 minutes.
Durant said in order to reverse the team’s recent struggles, there will have to be some improvements defensively. He said the Suns have made matters difficult because they have not been successful at preventing scoring runs.
“That’s usually how the game goes,” Durant said. “(Opponents) go off and just go on a flurry against us. Sometimes it’s hard to bounce back when teams score a lot of points in a row. I’ve got to bring it if I want us to win.”
Durant managed only 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field against Toronto. He missed each of his five 3-point tries.
Memphis also has encountered a rough stretch. The Grizzlies have dropped three of their past four, including Sunday’s 129-123 road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The only win during the past four games came Friday at Orlando, but it required an 11-1 run to finish the game.
While Memphis never let Sunday’s game against one of the NBA’s top teams get out of hand, the Grizzlies were undone by allowing 22 offensive rebounds. Those offensive rebounds led to 31 points by the Cavaliers.
“It doomed us,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.
The tendency to allow an inordinate number of offensive rebounds has been an issue this season, and Jenkins said it must be addressed before it becomes a bigger problem. Cleveland entered the game ranked 22nd in offensive rebounds with 10.6 per game, yet the Cavs grabbed 46.8 percent of their missed shots against Memphis. The Grizzlies after Sunday ranked 25th in offense boards allowed (12.1 per game).
“We scored 123 against an elite defense,” Jenkins said. “You just can’t give a team 31 freebies. You can’t have it. This has to be something we address and own even more because it can be an Achilles’ heel for us if we want to get where we can get to as a team.”
The Grizzlies have been getting more consistent efforts from guard Ja Morant, who has endured an injury-plagued season.
He scored 21 points against the Cavaliers and added 10 assists with only one turnover. Morant has scored 20 or more points in three of the team’s past four games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Marlins' Class A pitcher fails drug test, suspended 80 games
Sep 11, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; A general view of a illuminated Miami Marlins logo in center field after the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies split a double header at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images Miami Marlins minor league pitcher Eiver Mosquera has received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance.
This season with Class-A Jupiter and the rookie-level Florida Complex League Marlins in 12 games (nine starts), the 19-year-old was 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA, 30 strikeouts and 16 walks in 38 innings.
Mosquera joined the organization in 2024 as a $150,000 international signing out of Venezuela.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NYCFC focusing on Fire, not player's demand, fan reaction
Sep 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder a(7) brings the ball up the pitch against Charlotte FC during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Their leading goal scorer wants out of town and their goalkeeper is public enemy No. 1 after a costly gaffe during the World Cup played a key role in the United States losing to Belgium in the round of 16.
But New York City FC is still relying on Nicolas Fernandez Mercau and Matt Freese for big contributions Saturday night when the Chicago Fire invade Yankee Stadium.
Fernandez Mercau scored his 11th goal on a penalty kick Wednesday night during a 2-1 win at Columbus that got NYCFC (6-6-4, 22 points) to .500. It came one day after reports that the club rejected an $18 million offer for his services, leading to his demand that the team transfer him.
“You see a player that is performing for and with his team with a lot of energy,” head coach Pascal Jansen said of Fernandez Mercau. “That’s what he’s supposed to do.”
Freese, whose whiffed clearing attempt led to a third goal for Belgium in a 4-1 win on July 6, was booed on every touch Wednesday. Despite the jeers, he made three saves in the team’s first fixture after the World Cup break.
Meanwhile, Chicago (8-5-2, 26 points) sits third in the East table despite a 3-2 loss Wednesday night at Inter Miami. The result snapped the Fire’s three-match winning streak.
Chicago opted not to stand pat during the summer transfer window, adding Robert Lewandowski from Barcelona on a two-year deal. The 37-year-old Lewandowski, the captain of Poland’s national team, started at Miami and played 63 minutes.
“After just two days with my new team, I didn’t expect everything to work perfectly in my first game,” Lewandowski said.
Lewandowski’s signing led to the departure of star striker Hugo Cuypers. The Fire sold him to LIGA MX’s Monterrey for a reported $7.5 million after he scored 40 goals in 75 league matches over the past 2 1/2 seasons. Cuypers scored 13 goals in 11 matches this season, tying Dallas’ Petar Musa for the league lead.
NYCFC is 3-0-2 in its last five matches against Chicago.
–Field Level Media
Sports
CF Montreal acquire Brayan Ceballos from Revs for up to $850K GAM
Mar 15, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution forward Luca Langoni (41) congratulates defender Brayan Ceballos (3) after he scored his second goal during the first half against the FC Cincinnati at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images The New England Revolution traded defender Brayan Ceballos to CF Montreal on Friday in exchange for up to $850,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM).
The payments were divided into $500,000 in 2026 GAM, $250,000 in 2027 GAM and up to $100,000 in conditional GAM. The Revs also retained a percentage of Ceballos’ sell-on rights should he be transferred again.
“Brayan is a reliable and versatile defender who can play effectively in a variety of systems, making him an important addition to our roster,” Luca Saputo, Montreal’s managing director for recruitment and sporting methodology, said in a statement. “His strengths will complement those already present in our defensive unit. We are confident that he will contribute to our collective objectives as well as the team’s development.”
Ceballos, 25, came to the Revolution from Brazil’s Fortaleza EC in January 2025. He had three goals in 38 career games (37 starts) for the Revs, with two of those goals coming in one game this season, March 15 against Cincinnati.
“We are grateful to Brayan for all his contributions during his time in New England. We wish him all the best in Montreal,” Revolution general manager Chris Tierney said in a statement. “As we look to continue improving the first team, generating this significant amount of allocation money will allow us to continue investing in the roster in the future.”
–Field Level Media
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