Sports
Timberwolves look to reverse course against Warriors
Mar 11, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) moves the ball against Los Angeles Clippers guard Kris Dunn (8) during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Two teams battling to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race meet when the Golden State Warriors face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in San Francisco.
Minnesota has slipped to sixth place in the crowded West standings after dropping three consecutive games, while fading Golden State has fallen under .500 for the first time in nearly three months.
March began on a high note for Minnesota, which briefly moved into third place in the West following a five-game winning streak. Since then, the Timberwolves have lost three in a row by an average of 22 points.
Minnesota struggled on the defensive end in a 153-128 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points to lead the Clippers, who shot 63.4% from the field and 51.4% (19 of 37) from 3-point range.
“Obviously, it’s not acceptable,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “They didn’t have a single quarter under 35 points. Not an acceptable defensive performance at all.”
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota against the Clippers with 36 points, while Naz Reid added 18. Julius Randle was held to 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting. The loss came one night after the Timberwolves’ 120-106 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“We’ve got to regroup. We’ve got to play both sides of the floor,” Finch said. “(On Tuesday) it was our offense, and (Wednesday) it was our defense. So we’ve got to put a complete game together, come back together. We know we’re a good team. Feels like we’re a million miles away from where we were a week ago, but we’re not.”
Golden State is likewise looking for answers after losing three straight. The short-handed Warriors followed up Monday’s road loss to the Utah Jazz with a 130-124 overtime defeat to the visiting Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.
“Both very winnable games,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Had the lead late (Tuesday), obviously one we should’ve had. This is how the NBA is, especially when you’re beaten up. You’re not going to blow anybody out. Games are going to be tight. You’ve got to finish. We didn’t finish either of the last two nights.”
LJ Cryer, Gui Santos, Kristaps Porzingis and Pat Spencer each scored 17 points against the Bulls to lead Golden State, which played without Stephen Curry (knee), De’Anthony Melton (adductor), Moses Moody (wrist) and Quinten Post (foot).
Curry has missed the last 15 games and will be evaluated again on March 21. The Warriors are play-in tournament eligible while in ninth place in the West and have gone 5-10 during Curry’s absence.
“We’re at the point in the season where we’re fighting just to stay alive right now,” Spencer said. “The goal is to get into that seven/eight (play-in) game. I don’t think we’re going to put too much stress on each individual game. But we know how important every game is now down the stretch.”
With 17 games left in the regular season, Golden State will be leaning on young players such as guard Brandin Podziemski, who was limited to nine points on 3-of-8 shooting against Chicago.
The Warriors have lost two of three meetings against Minnesota this season, including a 108-83 road defeat on Jan. 26.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Falcons reach deal for DE Samson Ebukam
Indianapolis Colts defensive end Samson Ebukam (52) celebrates after recovering a fumble Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Atlanta Falcons signed former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Samson Ebukam on Thursday, his agent told ESPN.
Terms of the contract (both length and salary) were not reported. He was previously on a three-year, $27 million deal with Indianapolis.
Ebukam, 30, missed the entirety of the 2024 season with a torn Achilles and wasn’t as productive last season in his second season in Indianapolis. His two sacks were tied for a career low set during his rookie season in 2017.
However, his first season with the Colts was the best of his career as he amassed a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2023. He had 4.5-plus sacks in each of the last five seasons he played before 2025.
Over eight seasons, Ebukam has played in 127 regular-season games (79 starts) with 314 tackles, 35 sacks, 77 quarterback hits, 43 tackles for loss, 11 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, nine pass breakups and one interception.
He was a fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 2017 out of Eastern Washington.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Five NFL Free Agency Predictions That Can Still Happen
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws a pass in the first quarter of the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Oct. 16, 2025. NFL free agency has been wild ever since the league’s legal tampering window opened on Monday.
Big-named free agents including Malik Willis and Trey Hendrickson switched teams, while others, like Indianapolis Colts superstar wide receiver Alec Pierce, decided to return.
Even after a flurry of moves, there are plenty of remaining free agents out there.
Let’s make some bold predictions about where the top remaining unsigned players will sign.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
This just makes all the sense in the world for both sides at this point. It felt like part of the reason why the Steelers even hired Mike McCarthy was to bring back the 42-year-old quarterback for yet another season.
Rodgers wasn’t the reason why the Steelers flamed out in the postseason. One more go around is probably Pittsburgh admitting that they’re stuck in neutral, but that might be their only move.
Kyler Murray, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Nov 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) leaves the field after defeating the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images This is our last “no duh” prediction before we get serious.
Are the Vikings really prepared to give up on J.J. McCarthy? That’s what signing Kyler Murray could potentially signal. Following his release from the Arizona Cardinals, Murray is reportedly also factoring in what his future will look like in 2027.
The Vikings would be silly to waste the stud receiving duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. This feels like it’ll get done.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens feel like the big villains of the 2026 offseason after pulling out of the Maxx Crosby trade. So why not lean into it?
The Kansas City Chiefs also make sense for Hill, but they haven’t been overly motivated to make that happen. The Ravens chose Lamar Jackson over John Harbaugh despite the quarterback showing signs of regression last year. Baltimore might as well try to push all your chips into the center of the table – or else that could be a costly decision.
Rasheed Walker, OL, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry has done significant work to repair the team’s offensive line.
After restructuring Deshaun Watson’s deal, the Browns still have enough cap space to add Walker to their equation. This would give the Browns the ability to draft a No. 1 wide receiver with the No. 6 overall selection in the NFL Draft – which is their other big need offensively.
Stefon Diggs, WR, New England Patriots
Oct 5, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) protects the ball from Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7) after making a catch in the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images How bizarre would this be?
The Patriots released Diggs before free agency but New England top executive Eliot Wolf “hasn’t shut the door” on reuniting with the veteran wideout.
New England added Romeo Doubs in free agency. But outside of that? They struck out on a few other of the top wide receivers in free agency and would still like to surround Drake Maye with talented pass catchers on his rookie deal.
Sports
No. 23 Wisconsin slips past Washington to reach Big Ten quarters
Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) reacts after scoring against the Washington Huskies during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images John Blackwell made six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 34 points as No. 23 Wisconsin eliminated Washington from the Big Ten Conference tournament with an 85-82 victory Thursday at Chicago.
Nick Boyd added 23 points and nine assists for the fifth-seeded Badgers (23-9), who advanced to a quarterfinal matchup on Friday with fourth-seeded Illinois. Wisconsin was 15 of 39 (38.5%) from 3-point range.
Freshman Hannes Steinbach scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in his 22nd double-double for No. 12-seed Washington (16-17). Zoom Diallo added 21 points and seven assists, while Quimari Peterson chipped in 14 points and made 4 of 10 3-pointers for the Huskies.
The Badgers never trailed and led by as much as 18 points at 66-48 with 13:23 remaining after Blackwell made a 3-pointer. The Huskies used a late 18-6 run to close within 83-82 with 17 seconds left when Diallo drove for a layup.
Andrew Rohde sank both ends of a one-and-one with eight seconds left for Wisconsin, requiring Washington to hunt a game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime. Diallo’s pullup 3-pointer as time expired misfired, enabling the Badgers to avoid the upset.
Playing its third straight game without its top inside player in forward Nolan Winter (ankle), the Badgers got off to a fast start. They established a 20-7 lead with 11:47 remaining in the first half when Hayden Jones converted a three-point play.
The Huskies found some traction in the next seven minutes, whittling the deficit down to 27-23 with 4:55 left in the half when Wesley Yates III made two free throws. Wisconsin expanded the advantage behind Blackwell and Boyd, who combined for 13 straight points.
Aleksas Bieliauskas sent the Badgers to the locker room at halftime with a 43-33 lead after completing a three-point play with a second left before halftime.
–Field Level Media
Report: Falcons reach deal for DE Samson Ebukam
Five NFL Free Agency Predictions That Can Still Happen
