Sports
Thunder set to take on injury-depleted Mavericks
Feb 25, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) dribbles in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has only played one game with Jared McCain but the recently acquired guard has made a big impression for the Oklahoma City Thunder, both during Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence with an abdominal strain and during Friday’s overtime win over Denver.
Gilgeous-Alexander, McCain, and the Thunder take on the Dallas Mavericks on the road Sunday.
“He has great shooting touch, as we all see,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He’s going to continue to get better as he plays in our system and learns our system more. Yeah, kid’s good. Really talented at basketball. He can grow as much as he wants to. Sky’s the limit.”
McCain was acquired in a Feb. 4 trade with Philadelphia, the day after Gilgeous-Alexander suffered the injury that kept him out nine games before his return Friday.
The sample size remains relatively small, but McCain’s production has turned upward significantly during his nine games with Oklahoma City.
After averaging 6.6 points and shooting 38.5% overall and 37.8% on 3-pointers in 37 games with the 76ers, McCain is averaging 11.9 points while shooting 48.1% from the field and 45.9% from deep since the trade.
Where McCain said he’s experienced the most growth, though, is on the defensive end as he acclimates to the Thunder’s system.
“Being able to have such elite defenders and just watch it every day, it helps me,” McCain said. “… I think when you focus on the defensive side, offense comes.”
McCain hit some big shots, including a fourth-quarter 3-pointer, in Friday’s come-from-behind win that gave Oklahoma City its sixth win in eight games.
McCain figures to continue to have a significant role, especially with Jalen Williams remaining out with a hamstring strain and Ajay Mitchell out with an abdominal strain.
Dallas comes into Sunday’s game having dropped back-to-back games and 12 of its last 14.
Sunday’s matchup is the last of three between the teams this season.
Oklahoma City has won the previous two, including 21-point win over the Mavericks on Dec. 5 in their most recent meeting.
While the Thunder got a big boost Friday with the return of Gilgeous-Alexander, Dallas is still without Cooper Flagg.
Flagg hasn’t played since Feb. 10 with a left foot sprain and figures to miss at least two more games.
The Mavericks were more short-handed than just missing Flagg in Friday’s 19-point home loss to Memphis, playing without Marvin Bagley III, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and Caleb Martin among others.
“The continuity is definitely not there right now with the injuries,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “I think as we go forward, hopefully we’ll get some bodies back.”
While Oklahoma City has integrated McCain in quickly, the Mavericks are still working through things with their new-look lineup after the deadline deal that was centered around trading Anthony Davis to Washington.
“We’re learning on the fly,” Brandon Williams said. “… It’s pretty tough just trying to gel with each other in a short amount of time, and it’s on us point guards to try to take on that responsibility.”
Dallas made a roster move Saturday, waiving Tyus Jones. The Mavericks will sign Ryan Nembhard, who had been on a two-way contract, to a two-year deal, according to reports.
For the Mavericks, Sunday’s game is the last at home before a six-game road trip.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Matt Fitzpatrick catches break en route to 63, takes RBC Heritage lead
Apr 17, 2026; Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA; Matt Fitzpatrick putts on 16 green during the second round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Matt Fitzpatrick of England shot a spotless, 8-under 63 to vault into the lead halfway through the RBC Heritage on Friday in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Fitzpatrick climbed to 14-under 128 at Harbour Town Golf Links, while Norway’s Viktor Hovland came close to tying him at the end of the day but settled for a 65 and second place at 13 under.
Harris English sits third at 10 under following a 68, and first-round leader Ludvig Aberg of Sweden made three back-nine bogeys on his way to 70, slipping into a tie at 9 under with Patrick Cantlay (64) and Austrian Sepp Straka (67).
There is no 36-hole cut at the post-Masters signature event with a $20 million purse. Justin Thomas, last year’s champion, will be grateful to see the weekend as he’s fallen to dead last in the 82-man field following rounds of 76 and 75 (9 over).
Fitzpatrick, 31, won the Heritage in 2023 in its first year as a signature event. With the course comfortability came a lucky break at the par-3 14th on Friday.
His tee shot flew far left of the green, but his ball appeared to bounce off a tree and a cart path to come back to the green with some speed. It nearly rolled all the way off into the water, but a sprinkler head helped bring it to a stop. The head allowed Fitzpatrick a free drop for relief, and from just off the green he drilled a 33-foot putt for birdie.
Akshay Bhatia matched Fitzpatrick for the round of the day, shooting 63 and tying a tournament single-round record with 11 birdies. After a poor first round, he moved up to 6 under on the leaderboard.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kyle Larson looks to defend title at Kansas' AdventHealth 400
Apr 12, 2026; Bristol, Tennessee, USA; Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson (5) at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images Through eight Cup Series races, five different drivers have been the first to the checkers and positioned their teams nicely at the top of the standings.
Reigning series champion Kyle Larson is hoping it’s his turn to join that list Sunday at the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.
In its effort to crown a championship by creating more competition in every race instead of a Game 7 scenario for just four drivers, NASCAR scrapped its system and revisited the “Chase” format reminiscent of 2004’s Chase for the Nextel Cup, which had 10 drivers competing in a 10-race playoff.
Some variations made their way into the new 16-race postseason, but the most significant is the 55-point reward to each race winner, a 15-point bump from 2025.
Though five drivers have won a race so far, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick has been victorious in half, owning four total victories to give him a 62-point advantage over second-place Ryan Blaney.
Winning mattered a lot in 2025. First, it was a “win and you’re in” the playoffs, then it was tacking on postseason points with another. Finally, winning in the final three stages advanced a driver to the next one.
However, winning matters even more now and can create a gap from the pack from Race 1 to Race 36, even after a lone 26-race reset that favors the points leader.
Win a lot and a hot shoe can be in Reddick’s perch, sitting pretty in the catbird seat.
Denny Hamlin, Bristol first-time victor Ty Gibbs and Chase Elliott occupy third through fifth, which leads to the first non-winner in sixth place, Larson.
Hamlin arrives at Kansas as one of the betting favorites, but Larson appears on a quest because the Hendrick Motorsports pilot has yet to end a race as the top dog on a Cup Series Sunday.
It’s been a minute since grabbing the checkers.
Larson finds himself in a unique position Sunday: It marks the final time this regular season where he is a defending race winner. The Elk Grove, Calif., product also won at Homestead-Miami (this season’s finale) in March of 2025 and Bristol last spring.
“I feel like we’re really close, like we could have won four to five races in this time span of not winning, maybe even more,” said Larson, who has 260 points and is second to Blaney with 72 stage points. “It’s kind of wild to think it’s been almost a year since I’ve won because I don’t feel like we’re that bad. … It just hasn’t happened.”
Larson, 33, said last November’s championship in the Arizona desert made his current 32-race winless streak seem like no big deal, saying, “Ultimately, celebrating the championship in Phoenix felt like a win in a lot of ways.”
The two-time series champ does not lead single-digit laps at Kansas. Larson runs the point in chunks and is usually the guy being chased at the leaderboard’s perch.
Larson led 221 laps a year ago in his last victory and is a three-time winner at the 1.5-mile track in the past nine races.
Since 2021, his No. 5 Chevy has paced 761 circuits there, more than double that of Hamlin (337), the next highest leader.
But just leading the final one Sunday will be fulfilling.
–Field Level Media
Sports
WTA roundup: Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek both upset at Stuttgart
Elena Rybakina hits a shot against Aryna Sabalenka during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., March 15, 2026. Top-seeded Elena Rybakina escaped in a third-set tiebreaker while No. 2 Coco Gauff and No. 3 Iga Swiatek were upset victims to Karolina Muchova and Mirra Andreeva, respectively, in Friday’s quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.
No. 7 Muchova saved 12 of 15 break points during a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory that marked her first win over Gauff in seven career meetings. The Czech will next face No. 4 Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian delivered a 7-6 (2), 7-5 win over Czech Linda Noskova.
No. 6 Andreeva of Russia rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win to defeat Swiatek of Poland for the third consecutive time. Andreeva saved 9 of 14 break points while winning in two hours, 36 minutes.
Andreeva next faces Rybakina, who staved off a second match point against Canada’s Leylah Fernandez as part of winning the final three points to score a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory. Rybakina had a 7-6 edge in aces and hit 51 winners while winning in three hours, two minutes.
Rouen Metropolitan Open
Teenage qualifier Veronika Podrez of Ukraine reached the semifinals in her first main-draw tournament by rolling to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Brit Katie Boulter in Rouen, France.
Podrez, 19, had 28 winners against 11 unforced errors while finishing off Boulter in 78 minutes. Podrez’s semifinal opponent will be second-seeded Sorana Cirstea after the Romanian registered a 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory over Anna Bondar of Hungary.
Top-seeded Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine and Tatjana Maria of Germany will meet in the other quarterfinals. Kostyuk ousted Ann Li 6-0, 6-7 (4), 6-3, while Maria beat Belarus’ Iryna Shymanovich 7-6 (5), 6-2.
–Field Level Media
Matt Fitzpatrick catches break en route to 63, takes RBC Heritage lead
Kyle Larson looks to defend title at Kansas' AdventHealth 400
