Sports
Thunder eager to clinch top spot in West in visit to Clippers
April 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder can clinch the top playoff seed in the Western Conference for the third consecutive season when they face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday at Inglewood, Calif.
The Thunder (63-16) are red-hot heading toward the playoffs with an 18-1 record in their last 19 games. Oklahoma City won its sixth consecutive game with a 123-87 victory on the road victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 25 points and eight assists, while Chet Holmgren scored 15 points with 10 rebounds. The bench proved effective as well, with Isaiah Joe scoring 18 points and Jared McCain adding 15.
Joe made six 3-pointers as the Thunder shot 50.6% from the floor and were even better from distance at 51.2%.
“The playoffs aren’t here yet, but we’ve clinched an opportunity to be there,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “We take it a day at a time and try to stay incredibly present, and I do think that is what allows the team to enjoy the process as much as they do. We try to keep two feet on the ground and not look too far ahead.”
With the second-place San Antonio Spurs also playing well down the stretch, the Thunder have remained at their best in order to close in on the top playoff seed in the West. The Spurs have gone 17-2 in their last 19 games.
“We just have to focus on what is in front of us, how we can improve,” Holmgren said. “Seeding doesn’t matter until all 82 (regular-season) games are up. We can’t focus on (the No. 1 seed) and lose sight of improvement.”
The Clippers (41-38) moved a full game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers for eighth place in the West. The Nos. 7 and 8 teams meet in the play-in-tournament, with the winner advancing into the playoff field and the loser still alive. The teams in the No. 9/10 game must win twice in order to make it to the playoff field.
A matchup on Friday between the Clippers and the host Trail Blazers will go a long way toward determining play-in seedings. While the Clippers are playing the Thunder on Wednesday, while the Trail Blazers will face the Spurs.
Los Angeles earned a 116-103 home victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday as Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points and Darius Garland added 22.
Leonard, who has been playing with a sore wrist the past six games, was 11-for-19 from the floor and 6-for-10 from 3-point range.
“He’s doing it by example, playing every night, playing through injuries and things he’s going through right now,” Los Angeles head coach Tyronn Lue said. “He’s been able to produce and carry this team to wins.”
When the Clippers were an abysmal 6-21 on Dec. 18 after a loss to the Thunder, Lue challenged the team to go 35-20 the rest of the way. Tuesday was Los Angeles’ 35th victory since the challenge.
“I give all the credit to our players and the coaching staff,” Lue said. “The coaches have done an unbelievable job of staying positive and showing the guys ways to get better. And our players are sticking with it.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Bucs adding CBs Chase Lucas, Kemon Hall
Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chase Lucas (26) after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are adding to their depth at cornerback with one-year contracts for free agents Chase Lucas and Kemon Hall, according to reports on Thursday.
Lucas, 29, has agreed to join the Bucs, per NFL Network, after recording nine tackles in 15 games last season for San Francisco. He played on 53% of the 49ers’ special teams snaps (204) and 10% of the defensive snaps (98).
He has played in 33 regular-season games for the Detroit Lions (2022-23) and 49ers (2025) as well as a total of four playoff games and has 15 career tackles.
Detroit selected Lucas in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Arizona State.
Hall, 28, is signing with Tampa Bay, per an ESPN report, after playing in four games last season for the Tennessee Titans and making nine tackles. He was in on 64% of the special teams snaps (70) and 30% of the defensive snaps (66).
He has played in 28 career games for the Los Angeles Chargers (2021-22), Dallas Cowboys (2024) and Titans (2025) and has 24 career tackles and one forced fumble.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tigers CF Parker Meadows hospitalized after collision
Apr 9, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows (22) collides with left fielder Riley Greene (31) on a fly ball hit by Minnesota Twins designated hitter Josh Bell (not pictured) in the eighth inning at Target Field. Meadows left the game. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows will be hospitalized overnight in Minneapolis after being carted off the field due to a scary collision in the bottom of the eighth inning of a game against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon.
Meadows was playing center field and Riley Greene was playing left field when Twins hitter Josh Bell hit a slicing fly ball toward the left-center field gap. Both outfielders converged on the ball, and Greene made the catch but his head clipped the side of Meadows’ face as the players collided.
Meadows fell to the outfield grass and remained still for a few moments as teammates and trainers came to check on him. He rolled onto his back as trainers attended to him.
“That was an ugly, scary one, and there’s a lot of concern for him,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said after Detroit’s 3-1 loss. “When we got out there, it looked like he had bit his lip or inside his mouth, so there was some blood, and he was pretty out of it. …
“Those are scary collisions. You don’t know what you’re going to get when you get there. Obviously we’re going to get him checked out for everything, but this one worries me.”
Eventually, Meadows was able to sit up and gingerly get to his feet. He walked slowly a few steps to a cart that trainers had requested to take him off the field.
Greene was deeply concerned after the contest.
“It was a terrible feeling,” Greene said. “I still feel terrible.”
Javier Baez moved from shortstop to center field to replace Meadows. Kevin McGonigle entered the game to play shortstop.
Meadows went 0-for-3 and is hitting .250 with two RBIs and three stolen bases in 12 games. The 26-year-old is in his fourth season with the Tigers.
The Tigers open a three-game series against the visiting Miami Marlins on Friday and it’s still to be determined if Meadows will be able to play during the series.
But Detroit right-hander Jack Flaherty knows it’s not too soon for everyone to pull for Meadows.
“You just hope everybody has thoughts and prayers with him, and he’s going to be all right,” Flaherty said. “He’s a tough guy. We continue to pray over him. Tough way to end the series. Just pray to God for Parker. He’s as good of a guy as they come. Scary situation.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rory McIlroy taps into Masters champion confidence to spark rally
April 9, 2026; Augusta, Ga.; Rory McIlroy hits his tee shot on the fifth hole at Augusta National. Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy admitted he hasn’t felt the same at “certain” golf tournaments since completing the career grand slam 12 months ago, but all the same old feelings came rushing back on the first tee at Augusta National on Thursday.
And that’s a good thing, in his estimation.
“It’s the Masters. If I felt absolutely nothing on that first tee, that’s not a good sign,” he said after carding a 5-under-par 67 on Thursday to take a share of the lead. “So, it was nice to feel my hand shaking a little bit when the tee went into the ground and struggle to put the ball on top of the tee.
“So, I knew I was feeling it. That’s a good thing. That’s why we want to be here. We want to be able to try to play our best golf when we’re feeling like that.”
McIlroy entered Thursday with an average opening-round score of 71.7 in 17 previous Masters appearances. He appeared to be well on his way in that direction while missing his first six fairways with his driver and relying heavily on his short game to save several pars.
Sitting at even par just off the fairway on the eighth hole, that’s when McIlroy said the pre-Masters champion version of him might have started to lose confidence in his swing.
“It started pretty scrappy. I was hitting out of the trees a little bit the first seven holes,” he said. “Sometimes here that would lead me to get tentative and a little ‘guidey,’ and I kept swinging, just trusting that I’m going to find it eventually.
“So, maybe that was a little bit different.”
Rather than trying to get all of a 5-wood from the first cut off the eighth fairway, McIlroy choked down on a 3-wood and rolled it up to the center of the green. He two-putted for birdie, and the momentum shift was on. McIlroy would go 5 under for his final 11 holes of the day.
He said earlier in the week that winning a Masters makes it easier to win a second one. McIlroy is now just the seventh Masters champion to hold at least a share of the first-round lead the following year. The list also includes Jack Burke Jr. (1957), Arnold Palmer (1961), Gary Player (1962), Jack Nicklaus (1966), Jose Maria Olazabal (1995) and Jordan Spieth (2016).
“It’s hard to say because there’s still shots out there that you feel a little bit tight with, and you just have to stand up and commit to making a good swing and not worry about really where it goes,” he said.
“But I think it’s easier for me to make those swings and not worry about where it goes when I know that I can go to the Champions Locker Room and put my green jacket on and have a Coke Zero at the end of the day.”
McIlroy has also said repeatedly that he has things he still wants to accomplish in golf. He has declined to provide specifics other than to say the goal posts “keep nudging a little bit further and further out of reach.”
Asked if repeating as Masters champion was one of those goals, McIlroy said that “certainly wasn’t at the forefront of my mind when I started 2026.” But he did admit that it was a good sign that those nerves returned on the first tee at Augusta National.
“I was nervous, I was anxious just like I always am on that first tee,” he said. “It’s the first round of the 16 most important rounds of the season. It would be worrisome if I didn’t feel that way, because it still means something to me.”
–Derek Harper, Field Level Media
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Reports: Bucs adding CBs Chase Lucas, Kemon Hall
