Sports
Surging Spurs look to keep focus as they host Suns
Mar 17, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) attempts to dunk against Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns have different goals for the season’s final stretch as they square off on Thursday in a late-season Western Conference game.
San Antonio (51-18) is second in the conference entering Wednesday’s play, three games behind front-running Oklahoma City and 7 1/2 games clear of the third place Los Angeles Lakers with 13 games to play. The Suns (39-30), meanwhile, head into Thursday’s clash in seventh place, holding onto the top spot in the play-in tournament while three games in back of sixth-place Minnesota for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.
The Spurs return home after a winning two games in two nights against the Clippers in Los Angeles and the Kings in Sacramento, the latter a 132-104 walloping of the Kings on Tuesday. Victor Wembanyama racked up 18 points in just 22 minutes of court time, Keldon Johnson came off the bench to also score 18 points and Julian Champagnie added 17 points while going 5 of 7 from beyond the arc.
Harrison Barnes hit for 16 points, Dylan Harper and De’Aaron Fox had 15 each while Lindy Waters III added 11 points for San Antonio, which also got 12 assists from Stephon Castle and 10 rebounds from Luke Kornet as the Spurs showcased their balance and depth.
San Antonio canned 25 3-pointers in Tuesday’s win, setting a franchise record, while it also had 41 assists, a season high.
“We enjoy playing together,” Fox explained. “We enjoy seeing each other succeed. So that makes sharing the ball much easier.”
San Antonio has won 19 of its past 21 games and continues chasing Oklahoma City, the league’s defending champion which has the best record in the NBA this year, for the top spot in the West.
Wembanyama said the Spurs need to stay focused and not get ahead of themselves with the playoffs on the horizon. It will be San Antonio’s first trip to the postseason since 2018-19.
“It’s a lot of anticipating, but we still got to stay in the moment, attack 82 games of the regular season,” Wembanyama said after Tuesday’s win. “We can’t skip steps, but it’s definitely super exciting. We’ve still got 13 games. It’s very possible those last 13 games are satisfying or not; this is why we’ve gotta take each step at a time.”
The Suns have dropped three straight games, most recently a 116-104 decision in Minneapolis against the Timberwolves on Tuesday. Devin Booker scored 34 points in 35 minutes to lead Phoenix in Tuesday’s loss, with Oso Ighodaro tallying 16 points and taking 10 rebounds, and Collin Gillespie hitting for 12 points despite missing nine of his 13 shots from the field. The Suns shot just 38.1% from the floor against Minnesota.
“Second game of a back-to-back after we fly halfway across the country — I thought our effort was fantastic,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “We were just not able to quite get over the hump.
“We are at a point of the season when the intensity goes up. It feels like a playoff game, the best we can. But yeah, you could feel the pressure overall. It feels like playoff games, feels like playoff atmosphere, and feels like playoff physicality.”
Thursday’s dustup in the Alamo City is the finale of a six-game road trip that began with wins in Milwaukee and Indianapolis and included setbacks in Toronto and Boston.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bucks waive Cam Thomas to convert Pete Nance's contract
Suns guard Jalen Green (4) drives against Bucks forward Pete Nance (35) during a game at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on March 21, 2026. The Milwaukee Bucks converted forward Pete Nance’s two-way contract to a fully guaranteed deal.
The Bucks waived guard Cam Thomas in a corresponding move prior to their game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. Thomas, 24, signed with the team as a free agent on Feb. 8 and averaged 10.7 points in 18 games off the bench with Milwaukee.
As for Nance, he was elated with the notion of receiving a new deal. The contract made him available to play in the team’s final 11 games this season and runs through the 2026-27 campaign.
“To be able to be in this spot is just awesome,” Nance said after the Bucks’ shootaround, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “Obviously I’m super thankful for the Bucks for giving me the opportunity. I think it’s just a testament to growth and the work that I’ve done and the experience that I’ve had over the years.”
Nance, 26, is averaging 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 12.1 minutes in 37 games off the bench this season.
Thomas was benched after playing just three minutes against the Atlanta Hawks on March 14. He was held out of consecutive games on March 15 and 17 due to what was listed as a coach’s decision before returning to the court against the Utah Jazz last Thursday.
“There are things we don’t need to talk about,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said, per the newspaper. “That’s not anybody’s business. Like I said before, that’s where as a coach you have to make decisions on what’s best for the team at that time. People don’t understand that. They start talking about other stuff. And, that’s not for anyone to know.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Buccaneers, LB Lavonte David schedule news conference
Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) warms up before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David is scheduled to hold a news conference on Tuesday afternoon at the team facility.
The Buccaneers did not divulge an official reason for the conference, however speculation is strong that David will announce his retirement from the NFL.
David, 36, is a free agent after spending his entire 14-year career with Tampa Bay.
He recorded 114 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries while starting all 17 games last season. It was his 12th season with triple-digit tackles.
An All-Pro selection in 2013 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2015, David has 1,716 tackles, 42.5 sacks, 14 interceptions, 33 forced fumbles and 21 fumble recoveries in 215 games (all starts).
David was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Nebraska.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin on cusp of season World Cup title
Feb 18, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy; Gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States celebrates during the medal ceremony for the women’s slalom during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images Mikaela Shiffrin will ski Wednesday for the season World Cup overall title.
Heading into the giant slalom, the final race of the season, Shiffrin has an 85-point lead over Emma Aicher of Germany.
Shiffrin won her ninth slalom in 10 World Cup starts this season on Tuesday, earning 100 points. She increased her overall lead on Aicher, who finished third to grab 60 points.
To take the title, Aicher must win the race — a discipline in which she never has finished higher than fourth — and hope that Shiffrin finishes worse than 15th.
Shiffrin, 31, is striving to win her sixth overall World Cup title, which would tie her with Annemarie Moser-Proll. The Austrian won five season titles from 1971-75 and the final one in 1979.
The 2026 Olympic champion in the slalom, Shiffrin won the World Cup title in consecutive years from 2017-19 and again in 2022 and 2023.
With her slalom win on Tuesday, Shiffrin earned her 110th career victory on the World Cup circuit, extending her lead over Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden, who won 86 before his retirement in 1989.
–Field Level Media
Hurdle hints and answers for March 25, 2026
Bucks waive Cam Thomas to convert Pete Nance's contract
