The San Antonio Spurs look to keep their momentum growing in preparation for the upcoming playoffs when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in the penultimate game of the regular season for the Lone Star State rivals.

The Spurs (61-19) have won 13 of their past 14 games and have gone 29-3 since Feb.1, but they still couldn’t run down Oklahoma City for the best record in either the Western Conference or the league. San Antonio has been forced to settle for second in both races and will host the seventh seed (either the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers or Portland Trail Blazers) in the first round of the playoffs next week.

“It’s an exciting time, and you can feel it,” Spurs forward Devin Vassell said of San Antonio’s first trip to playoffs since the 2018-19 campaign. “The fans are ready. The organization’s ready. We’re ready. I’m just excited for us to get it going.”

San Antonio heads into Friday’s game after a 112-101 home win over Portland on Wednesday that was produced with both Victor Wembanyama (left rib contusion) and Stephon Castle (right knee soreness) on the bench. Both players are listed as questionable to play against Dallas.

The Spurs got 25 points from De’Aaron Fox in the Portland victory, while Keldon Johnson added 20 points and Carter Bryant posted career highs with 17 points and four assists. Vassell had 14 points, Dylan Harper scored 13 and Luke Kornet hit for 10.

San Antonio’s bench players outscored Portland’s reserves 48-10. With little on the line in either Friday’s game or Sunday’s regular-season finale at home with Denver, expect the Spurs to continue to showcase their depth.

After Bryant’s career night, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson says the rookie will be a key part of his playoff rotation.

“Carter played within himself in terms of things that we’ve been talking about, and practicing and training on and the ball found him, and he shot (in) rhythm with confidence when he was open,” Johnson said. “He will play in the playoffs. Carter’s definitely grown just by the natural evolution of he had zero games under his belt before this year started.”

The Mavericks (25-55) travel south to the Alamo City after a 112-107 loss at Phoenix on Wednesday. John Poulakidas hit for a career-high 23 points and made five 3-pointers in the setback, while Marvin Bagley III had 20 points, Max Christie scored 18 and Cooper Flagg had 11 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for Dallas, strengthening his case for Rookie of the Year.

Dallas, which has dropped 10 of its past 12 contests, hung tough in the loss to the Suns in the second game of a road back-to-back despite playing without Naji Marshall (left hip contusion), P.J. Washington (left elbow sprain) and Klay Thompson (rest). Marshall and Washington are listed as doubtful for Friday’s game.

That situation gave Poulakidas, a rookie, a chance to show how he’s grown this season, and he made the most of that chance.

“I wanted to come into this game playing freely, playing aggressively, and I thought I did that,” said Poulakidas, a former March Madness hero for Yale. “When I was going through my pregame routines, I was filling a little bit of extra juice because I knew that I was going to get the opportunity. I just wanted to be ready when the ball came to me.”

The Spurs have captured all three games against Dallas this season.

–Field Level Media

AUGUSTA, Ga. — With no rain in the forecast and sunny, warm conditions forecast through the weekend, the players in the 2026 Masters said they are at the mercy of the tournament officials setting up Augusta National for the final 54 holes.

“I think this could be the toughest Masters we’ve played in a while,” Ireland’s Shane Lowry said after posting a 2-under-par 70 in Thursday’s first round. “You look at the forecast. They can do whatever they want with the golf course this weekend.

“I think over the last few years we’ve had a day every year where it’s been raining or it’s been heavy rains. It’s kind of helped us a little bit, but I think before the week is out, it’s going to get very, very crusty around here.”

Patrick Reed was at 4 under when he struck what he thought was an excellent 7-wood into the par-5 15th hole. The ball landed on the green but bounded over it and down into the water 40 yards away.

Regardless of the bad break, Reed said bring it on when asked about the likelihood of an increasingly difficult Augusta National.

“They could make this place really, really hard if they wanted to,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised. We have the best players in the world here. Why not? Challenge us and make it difficult, because it’s one of these golf courses, though, if you hit quality golf shots, you’re going to get rewarded for it.

“If it’s going to firm up and it’s going to get faster and faster,” Reed continued, “you’re just going to have to hit quality golf shots and know where you are going to hit the ball.”

The par-5s — outside of the aforementioned 15th — were the only holes to play under par on Thursday. The par-4 seventh hole played the hardest at an average of 4.42 shots. The back nine had four of the six hardest holes in the first round, including the closing two holes tying for the fourth-hardest at 4.33.

The first-round scoring average steadily increased throughout the day and finished at 74.65.

Lowry, Reed and defending champion Rory McIlroy, who each took advantage of earlier tee times on Thursday, will go out in the afternoon on Friday, when conditions are expected to be at their firmest and fastest. Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, the co-leader at 5-under 67 with Sam Burns, tees off in the second-to-last group at 1:44 p.m.

He said conditions like these are why he switched to a softer golf ball that allows him to generate more spin and stop it quicker on the green.

“I’ve said for the last few years that I’ve started to really relish that type of golf. I really want to excel at that type of golf,” McIlroy said. “When these greens get fast — last year they got really fast and firm on Sunday — but I think you’re going to see that for the next three days.

“There’s still opportunities to shoot really, really good scores,” McIlroy added. “Look at Justin Rose last year on the final day. But it takes a very, very good, solid round of golf to do that.”

–Derek Harper, Field Level Media

Finally, the Boston Red Sox have a turn in the right direction.

Back-to-back victories over the Milwaukee Brewers have the Red Sox feeling good as they turn their attention to another National League Central opponent, with the opener of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.

Strong pitching performances set the stage for Boston’s two latest victories, as left-hander Garrett Crochet and right-hander Sonny Gray each pitched 6 1/3 innings en route to their respective 3-2 and 5-0 decisions. Now, manager Alex Cora looks to southpaw Connelly Early (0-0, 2.89 ERA) to continue the trend.

“We will pitch. We’re going to be better,” Cora said. “And for this team to make it to October, we have to pitch. And we will.”

Though the Red Sox lost his first two starts of 2026 by 3-2 scores, Early has picked up where he left off as a rookie last September. The 24-year-old has allowed just three runs and struck out 10 through 9 1/3 innings, including four innings of two-run ball in his start Saturday against the San Diego Padres.

Across four starts late last season, Early was 1-2 with a 2.33 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 19 1/3 frames.

“Stuff-wise, he’s really good,” Cora said earlier this season. “He slows down the moments, and he’s getting better.”

Like Gray did after Crochet, Early will look to help the Red Sox continue building momentum from their first series win. There were more positive signs, too, as Wilyer Abreu continued his hot start (.383 average) with a 2-for-4 effort on Wednesday, and Trevor Story erased an 0-for-16 funk with a four-game hit streak and three straight multi-RBI performances.

“(The slow start is) already in the past. We’ve got to move forward,” catcher Carlos Narvaez said. “We won the series. That’s all that matters now. We’ve got six on the road.”

The Cardinals return home with momentum themselves, having followed up a 7-6, 10-inning triumph on Tuesday with a convincing 6-1 effort on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.

It has been a stretch to remember for 23-year-old outfielder Jordan Walker, who homered in all three games against Washington and four of the last five, giving him 12 RBI and a 1.049 OPS for the season.

“Man, I always feel like I can do it,” Walker said. “But just working with the guys all day … (my confidence) is just going through the roof right now and I’ve got to get it to stay there.”

On top of Walker continuing his recent exploits, Alec Burleson went 3-for-4 with three RBI and starter Michael McGreevy (1-1) pitched six solid innings to lead to Wednesday’s win. It was just the second of seven St. Louis victories that did not require a comeback effort.

“It’s a very complete team. That’s how it feels,” McGreevy said. “Everything you want out of a baseball team. You’ve got great defenders behind you. You’ve got great offense. I never felt like we were out of any game on this road trip.”

Manager Oliver Marmol agrees.

“The style of play, how we’re winning these ballgames, has been consistent,” he said. “More proud of that than anything.”

However, the struggles of Dustin May (0-2, 15.95) have been a sore spot for St. Louis thus far, as the veteran righty has been touched up for 13 runs on 17 hits in just 7 1/3 innings. He lasted just 3 1/3 and allowed seven runs last Saturday in an 11-6 setback to the host Detroit Tigers.

May made six appearances (five starts) for the Red Sox late last season. His only career appearance against them was a five-inning losing effort on July 27, just four days before the Los Angeles Dodgers traded him to Boston.

–Field Level Media