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Top teams in West square off as Thunder, Grizzlies battle

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Charlotte HornetsDec 28, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) handles the ball and looks to pass chased by Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green (10) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

There’ll be a bit of star power missing from the matchup on Sunday between the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Still, the game will feature plenty of juice when the top two teams in the Western Conference square off in Oklahoma City. This is the first of four meetings this season between the clubs.

The Thunder have won 10 consecutive games, while the Grizzlies have won back-to-back games and 14 of their past 17 to tuck into second place in the conference.

Memphis will be without Ja Morant, who suffered an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder on Friday in a win over New Orleans when he collided with Pelicans’ center Daniel Theis on a screen.

Morant is averaging 21.2 points and 7.9 assists in 20 games after missing all but nine games last season due to a suspension and then a labral tear in his right shoulder.

The injury comes at a critical time for the Grizzlies, who are 8-4 without Morant this season.

Sunday kicks off a stretch during which Memphis will play nine of its next 11 games against teams that sit in the top 10 of the Western Conference standings heading into action on Sunday.

The clash between the Grizzlies and Thunder features the top teams in the league in drives per game.

Memphis’ league-leading 59.7 per game is fueled by Morant, while Oklahoma City’s 58.7 is led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 21.4 per game — tops in the NBA.

On Sunday, the Grizzlies will be looking to improve their interior protection, an area in which they struggled at time on Friday in their 132-124 victory against the Pelicans.

“We got a little exposed at the rim with some fouls,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.

If the Grizzlies are plagued with the same issue against the Thunder, it figures to be much more difficult to escape with a win.

Oklahoma City has been without second-year center Chet Holmgren since early November and also were without Alex Caruso, Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace in Saturday’s 106-94 win in Charlotte.

Caruso suffered a hip strain Monday in a 123-105 win over the Washington Wizards while Dort (right ankle sprain) and Wallace (quad contusion) were hurt Thursday as the Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 120-114.

“Every team goes through tough stretches, but that doesn’t make it easy,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “The guys have had no excuses. We’ve endured some injuries and obviously a lot of travel and tough games, and guys just keep showing up and keep punching.”

Sunday’s game is the first of a five-game homestand for Oklahoma City. The Thunder haven’t played back-to-back home games since mid-November.

Oklahoma City’s winning streak is its longest since January 2014 and within two games of the longest streak since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season. Their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup title game does not count in the standings or for the purposes of the win streak.

The Thunder-Grizzlies matchup initially looked to be a clash between two of the top point guards in the NBA, but at least Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to be on the floor.

He is averaging 32.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists during the win streak. Averaging 30.8 points per game on the season, Gilgeous-Alexander trails only Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.7) in the quest for the league scoring title.

–Field Level Media

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Braves put closer Raisel Iglesias on IL, Robert Suarez to close

MLB: Miami Marlins at Atlanta BravesApr 15, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Raisel Iglesias (26) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at Truist Park. All players are wearing number 42 today in honor of Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves placed closer Raisel Iglesias on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with discomfort in his right (throwing) shoulder.

Iglesias has said he’s felt the discomfort since sleeping on his shoulder wrong Friday night. But the Braves conducted an MRI that found no structural damage.

“There’s some inflammation there,” Braves manager Walt Weiss told reporters. “We feel like we’re getting out in front of this thing a little bit.”

Iglesias, 36, has amassed a 42-55 record, 258 saves and a 2.86 ERA in his 12 major league seasons, including four-plus years in Atlanta. He was off to a perfect start to the season, with five saves and no runs allowed over eight games (8 2/3 innings). He’s tossed 11 strikeouts to only one walk.

While Iglesias is sidelined, Robert Suarez will take over closing duties. Suarez led the National League with 40 saves while serving as the San Diego Padres’ closer last season; then he signed a three-year, $45 million deal to join the Braves and their bullpen.

The right-handed Suarez has gone 2-0 with one save and an 0.93 ERA for Atlanta in 10 appearances, used mostly as a setup man. He was an All-Star in 2024 and 2025 for the Padres.

–Field Level Media

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Orlando City want attack to catch up to defense vs. Charlotte

MLS: CF Montreal at Orlando CityMar 14, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando City midfielder Martin Ojeda (10) shoots on goal during the second half against the CF Montreal at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Orlando City will be hoping for a much-needed attacking breakthrough on Wednesday night when they host a Charlotte FC side in search of a second consecutive away victory.

Orlando (1-6-1, 4 points) has been one of Major League Soccer’s most disappointing teams this season, costing former manager Oscar Pareja his job last month.

But there is some evidence that maybe the Lions have at least righted the ship defensively. After conceding 23 times in their first six games, interim manager Martin Perelman’s group has allowed only two goals in the last three fixtures across all competitions.

“I think we organize the team. It never is enough, always (important) to improve things,” Perelman said. “We are in that part. Last details. But yes, the structure is there. In the offensive side as well, we are working. Hopefully we can get the shape we want, that we are used to. Because in this club we have been scoring a lot for the last two years.”

So far, though, the attacking end remains pretty dire. After Martin Ojeda and Marco Pasalic combined for 28 MLS goals a season ago, they only have two apiece for a team with six goals total.

Pasalic also missed last week’s 1-0 home loss to Houston on Saturday night with a leg injury.

Charlotte (4-2-2, 14 points) makes the journey south following a 2-1 victory at New York City FC on Saturday, one that came despite holding a season-low 36% possession.

Defender Tim Ream exited that match at halftime and will miss roughly a week with an adductor strain, Charlotte manager Dean Smith said.

Idan Toklomati scored early in the second half and Kerwin Vargas added a goal late before NYCFC pulled one back in second-half stoppage time. And Charlotte created a similar number of chances to NYCFC despite having less of the ball.

Smith hopes the performance sets the tone for upcoming travels, with Charlotte to play its next three league games away after five of its first eight came at home.

“There’s not plenty of away games we’ve played so far, such is the fixture list,” Smith said. “We didn’t start on the road well, but we showed loads of characteristics that I liked on Saturday. And we need to continue to do that in the next three away games as well.”

–Field Level Media

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Union bring challenged offense north to face streaking Toronto FC

MLS: Austin FC at Toronto FCApr 18, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto FC midfielder Malik Henry (78) attempts to control the ball against Austin FC during the second half at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Toronto FC will aim to extend their unbeaten streak to seven matches when the Philadelphia Union visit on Wednesday.

Toronto (3-2-3, 12 points) is 3-0-3 in its last six outings. Wednesday marks the sixth date of Toronto FC’s nine-match homestand, and the club is unbeaten (4-0-8) in its last 12 home matches dating back to last season.

Despite the good results, midfielder Malik Henry felt his team left victories on the table.

“Some of the draws we’ve had, we feel like we definitely could have won those games, which makes it a bit more disappointing,” Henry told TFC Republic. “We just have to take the points and then continue to move forward with it.”

Walker Zimmerman is expected to be available Wednesday, in a boost to an injury-depleted back line. Zimmerman missed Toronto’s last two matches with a calf injury.

Toronto FC’s offense has been both varied and efficient. Eight Toronto players have at least one goal this season, and the team’s 51.5% accurate shooting percentage is the best in MLS.

The Union are at the other end of the attacking spectrum, with a 27.1% AS percentage that ranks second-last in the league.

Philadelphia (1-6-1, 4 points) has recorded only six goals in eight regular-season matches, ahead of only four-goal D.C. United in MLS.

The lack of offense contributed to the Union’s season-opening six-game losing streak, and goals remain at a premium even as Philadelphia has gone 1-0-1 in its last two matches. The Union outshot D.C. United 17-6 on Saturday and held D.C. without a shot on target, yet still had to settle for a 0-0 draw.

Philadelphia coach Bradley Carnell felt that returning to the striker pairing of Bruno Damiani and Ezekiel Alladoh can help unlock the Union’s offense.

“We have tried a lot of different combinations (at forward) and now we go back-to-back with the same,” Carnell said. “Every day we get together with Eze and Bruno working together, it’s … one day more advanced and developed.”

–Field Level Media

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