There’s an unusual pattern forming in the NHL. Coaches are losing their jobs on Sundays and general managers on Mondays.

One week after the Toronto Maple Leafs cut ties with GM Brad Treliving, the New Jersey Devils followed suit on Easter Monday. In a statement, managing partner David Blitzer announced that the team had decided to move forward without GM and hockey operations president Tom Fitzgerald.

After a 1,097-game playing career as a forward, Fitzgerald, now 57, got his start in management with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization in 2007. After eight seasons, he moved to New Jersey in 2015 in tandem with the former Penguins GM, the late Ray Shero in 2015.

Fitzgerald served as an assistant general manager in New Jersey and GM of the AHL Albany/Binghamton Devils for four and a half seasons. When Shero was fired in January of 2020, he was elevated to interim GM, with franchise legend Martin Brodeur serving as a hockey operations advisor. Six months later, Fitzgerald was promoted to full-time GM, then added the president of hockey operations title in 2024.

Under Fitzgerald’s watch, the Devils made the playoffs twice, in 2023 and 2025. After setting a franchise record with 112 points in the 2022-23 season and then following up with a thrilling seven-game first-round win against their arch-rivals, the New York Rangers, the team looked like it was charting a course toward perennial contender status. But that has turned out not to be the case.

Despite boasting some star talent including 2026 Olympic golden goal-scorer Jack Hughes and his younger brother Luke, 2017 first-overall pick Nico Hischier and three-time 30-goal scorer Timo Meier, the Devils have consistently failed to live up to their promise. After winning just one playoff game before bowing out to the Carolina Hurricanes last season, they’re all-but-eliminated with five games remaining this year, sitting seven points out of a wild-card spot heading into action on Monday night and with an 0.1 percent chance of reaching the playoffs according to MoneyPuck.

No interim GM was named by the Devils, who are starting their search for Fitzgerald’s replacement immediately. The other senior members of New Jersey’s front office are Brodeur, as executive vice president of hockey operations, along with senior vice president and assistant general manager Dan MacKinnon and vice president/assistant general manager Kate Madigan.

As with Brad Treliving’s dismissal from the Toronto Maple Leafs last Monday, the timing of the Devils’ announcement may be about getting a jump on the off-season hiring process and trying to get a new general manager in place and up to speed ahead of the scouting combine in early June and the 2026 NHL draft at the end of that month. The Devils currently hold their own first-round pick and if they season ended on Monday, they’d finish with the 13th-worst record in the league. That would give them an outside chance of moving up by 10 spots in the draft lottery, which is expected to take place in early May.

In this case, an opportunity for Fitzgerald may also be at play. The Nashville Predators are believed to be nearing the end to their GM search, which was initiated after the announcement in early February that Barry Trotz is retiring.

The Predators have shown a strong sense of loyalty within their organization since opening for business back in 1998. Current coach Andrew Brunette played for the team in its inaugural season and so did Fitzgerald, who served as the team’s captain for its first four years.

League insiders including Emily Kaplan of ESPN have linked Fitzgerald’s name to the opening in Music City.

Per Pierre LeBrun of TSN/The Athletic, Fitzgerald had one year remaining on his contract with the Devils.

Just like questions linger around the future of coach Craig Berube in Toronto after Treliving’s departure, the same will likely be true for former Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe in New Jersey. Since taking the reins in Newark at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, Keefe’s record is 82-67-10, for a points percentage of .547

With five games remaining, New Jersey will play next on home ice against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. The Devils will close out the 2025-26 campaign against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday, Apr. 14.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

A new ranking of the highest-paid athletes in history puts Michael Jordan firmly at the top.

According to data compiled by Sportico, Jordan leads all athletes with an estimated $4.5 billion in inflation-adjusted career earnings. Much of that total is tied to his long-standing partnership with Nike, which continues to generate revenue decades after his retirement.

Tiger Woods ranks second on the list at $2.88 billion, followed by global soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo at $2.52 billion. Active NBA superstar LeBron James and Argentine icon Lionel Messi round out the top five.

In total, the top 50 athletes have generated a combined $56.2 billion in inflation-adjusted earnings, or roughly $40 billion in nominal earnings, through the end of 2025.

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The list spans 10 different sports and 17 countries, though certain leagues dominate. Basketball leads all sports with 13 players, followed by golf with eight players and boxing with seven players.

Serena Williams is the only woman to make the list with an estimated $680 million in career earnings.

The rankings account for far more than just salaries. Earnings include prize money, endorsements, licensing deals, media ventures, appearance fees, and even equity stakes in major companies. High-profile business moves, such as ownership stakes or long-term brand partnerships, also played a significant role in boosting many athletes’ totals.

Modern stars like LeBron and Messi have benefited from equity deals tied to brands and teams, while earlier legends like Arnold Palmer helped pioneer athlete-driven business empires.

The cutoff to make the top 50 sits at approximately $595 million.

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Is it time to panic in Boston? Well, it is always time to panic in Boston, but a little more than a week into the 2026 MLB, it may be that panic is the correct emotion. After losing yet another series on Sunday, the team is 2-7, which is the worst record in the game.

The Red Sox lost out on big bats over the winter – they refused to offer Alex Bregman a no-trade clause, so he signed with the Cubs, and Pete Alonso elected to take Baltimore’s $155 million to play first base a little farther south. When that happened (or didn’t), Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow shifted his focus to pitching and defense. After Bregman went off the board, he immediately signed Ranger Suárez to a $130 million contract. That was in addition to trades for Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, and Danny Coulombe to bolster the club’s pitching staff.

Pitching

Prior to the season, FanGraphs had Boston as baseball’s best pitching staff. After nine games, their starting pitchers have given up more hits and more runs than any other American League rotation. Measured by fWAR, the Red Sox currently rank 26^th in baseball in total pitching. Measured by ERA, they rank 23^rd. And if you think bad luck could be at play, by FIP they rank 26^th. Ace Garrett Crochet has had one good outing (six innings, three hits, no runs) and one bad one (five innings, six hits, four earned runs); Suárez has had two stinkers (4-1/3, seven hits, four runs; four innings, six hits, four earned runs). And closer Aroldis Chapman came into a tie game on Saturday and promptly gave up two hits and the losing run.

Hitting

On the offensive side of the equation, one of Boston’s first moves of the off-season was to acquire Willson Contreras to play first base in lieu of the injured Triston Casas. Then they made a deal with the Brewers to bring over infielder Caleb Durbin, who spent the spring vying with Marcelo Mayer to determine who would play second base and who would play third. That allowed Ceddanne Rafaela to permanently move back to center field, where he won a Gold Glove last season. Rafaela would be flanked in the outfield by Wilyer Abreu in right (back-to-back Gold Glove Awards) and Jarren Duran in left. Everything seemed to be going according to plan.

However, the prognosticators looked at the Red Sox lineup and feared that it lacked for slug, which could be problematic in the ultra-competitive American League East. Well, after nine games, the prognosticators are being proven correct. Boston has half as many home runs (8) as the league-leading Dodgers (16) and have scored just 30 runs over nine games (the same number as the Rockies, and only above the Giants and Reds). As a team they are hitting .226, which could be okay if they weren’t slugging just .372, and if their on-base percentage wasn’t under .300 (.297). The team’s high-water mark for runs scored in a game was yesterday, when they plated six, and still lost by two, after taking a 4-0 lead into the fourth inning.

Defense

Defensively, Boston has been just middle-of-the-road, ranking 15^th in MLB by FanGraphs defensive war. They have already made nine errors, which is tied with the Angels, and just behind the Nationals (10) and the Rays (13) for worst in the league. Planned stalwarts Durbin and Mayer have committed errors, and shortstop Trevor Story already has three on his ledger (to go along with a .119/.119/.214 slash line).

There Is Still Time

Nine games is most certainly a small sample size. There are still 153 games to go. But the AL East is not a division you can fall too far back in and hope to compete come late summer, and the Red Sox already find themselves five games back of the division-leading and hated Yankees. And things don’t get any easier, as they are about to host Milwaukee, who is tied for the best record in the majors and has the third-best OPS in MLB, for a three-game series.

If Boston can right the ship and take the series against the Brewers, then they will head to St. Louis and Minnesota where they can build on that momentum. But lose their fourth series in a row at home this week, then it will be a long flight to the Midwest, with grips getting tight and seats getting hot.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Last week the Seattle Mariners signed yet-to-be-a-rookie Colt Emerson to an eight-year, $95 million contract. For a few days, it was the largest deal ever given to a player who has yet to accrue a day of MLB service time (Jackson Chourio signed an eight-year, $82 million deal with the Brewers in 2023; and then Konnor Griffin signed a nine-year, $140 million deal moments before he made his MLB debut). Emerson’s deal also includes a $25 million club option for 2034. And, as these types of contracts often do, there are escalators built in for MVPs and Silver Slugger awards, as well as All-Star appearances. Shockingly, the deal has a full no trade clause.

Emerson was ranked fourth on MLB’s list of Top-50 prospects, and could be Seattle’s shortstop of the future. FanGraphs has him as a 55 future value prospect (on the 20-80 scale), with a 60 hit tool, 50/55 raw power, and 45/50 for fielding. That is the one question for the youngster: can he play shortstop every day at the big league level? Well, the Mariners are going to wait to find out, as they are keeping him in Triple-A Tacoma even after the ink on the new contract is dry.

Last season, playing at three minor league levels, Emerson slashed .285/.383/.458 with 16 home runs. The projection systems show roughly the same for 2026, as he refines his skills waiting for his chance to play in Seattle.

The Mariners currently rank 23^rd in FanGraphs positional depth chart at shortstop, with J.P. Crawford getting the majority of the reps, with a -6.4 fielding score by their metrics. Leo Rivas is better defensively, but he cannot hit (career slash line of .235/.355/.306). So, with just a little seasoning, the door is wide open for Emerson to make the jump and prove to the fans in the Pacific Northwest that he is worth the money.

Seattle is taking a nearly nine-figure risk on the 20-year-old, a considerably bigger risk than the Astros did in 2014 when they gave Jon Singleton $10 million over five years, which went up in flames.

The Phillies gave Scott Kingery a six-year, $24 million contract before his rookie season, and he gave them -0.7 fWAR in his first year, and then just 2.1 fWAR the following, which was as good as it would get. The Covid-shortened 2020 season wasn’t productive, and he played in only 16 more games for Philadelphia after that.

Seattle signed Emerson despite being plagued by memories of the Evan White contract. In 2019, they signed the first baseman to the same deal as Kingery, with escalators up to $55 million. He won a Gold Glove as a rookie, but didn’t hit a lick (67 WRC+, with 100 as average). In 2021, that number was 24. Hip surgery ended that season early, and he hasn’t played in the big leagues since.

Now it is up to Emerson to perform on the farm and then perform on the biggest stage. If he does, he will exorcise the demons of previous deals gone bad, and provide the Mariners with a solid bat in the middle of what is already a solid lineup.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

The New York Yankees have opened the season as the best team in the competitive American League East division, winning all three of their first series despite dropping Sunday’s game to the Miami Marlins.

Though the team’s offense looks just as potent as it did last year behind superstar sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, in a good sign for the Yankees, perhaps their biggest strength so far has been the starting pitching.

“Many in baseball knew the Yankees pitching staff was good, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who would have predicted the historic start to the 2026 season they are putting up,” Phillip Martinez wrote for SNY. “Across the first five games of the season, Yankees pitching has allowed just three earned runs. According to Katie Sharp, that's tied with the 1943 Cardinals for the fewest in MLB history since 1900.”

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New York Yankees Pitcher Ryan Weathers Likely Headed To Bullpen

The Yankees starters have all exceeded expectations in their initial turns on the mound except for newcomer Ryan Weathers.

After joining the Yankees through an offseason trade for the Miami Marlins, Weathers gave up just one earned run in a 4.1-inning debut against the Seattle Mariners. But then, facing his old team in the Bronx, he gave up three earned runs in just 3.2 innings on Saturday.

And now it seems his days in the rotation are numbered.

“With a 4.50 ERA, the question isn’t whether the lefthander is headed to the bullpen at some point. He is,” Yankees insider Bob Klapisch wrote for NJ.com. “It’s can Weathers be trusted in high-leverage situations?”

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New York Yankees Could Be Forced To Move Starters Following Gerrit Cole Return

The Yankees announced that they would be bringing Luis Gil back up to the big-league rotation this week and that he will pitch after Weathers gets his next start. But Klapisch expects the Yankees to demote both Weathers and Gil to the bullpen when veterans Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole make their returns from injury.

“It’s likely Luis Gil and Ryan Weathers will become long-term relievers and that (Will) Warren will be the official winner of the No. 5-slot sweepstakes,” Klapisch wrote of the looming rotation changes.

Of course, changes in health can force the Yankees into all kinds of pitching pivots. But after Weathers struggled in his home debut with the Yankees, it seems his profile makes him a better fit for the bullpen when the team is able to welcome back some more accomplished arms.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne announced Sunday that the school has extended head men’s basketball coach Nate Oats and made him one of the five highest-paid coaches in the sport.

“Nate Oats has signed a new contract that will make him one of the top five compensated men’s basketball coaches in the country,” Byrne announced.

The new deals extends Oats through the 2031-32 season.

Oats’s current contract was set to expire March 14, 2030, per AL.com.

Byrne did not give exact numbers, but a top-five salary would exceed $6 million annually, according to USA Today. Oats, 51, was set to. make $6.02 million in base salary and other compensation for this upcoming season, per AL.com.

Oats, who was in attendance Saturday night at the Final Four, has guided Alabama to six consecutive NCAA tournaments since becoming head coach in 2019. Alabama lost in the Sweet 16 to Michigan, which will meet UConn on Monday night for the national championship.

Prior to Alabama, Oats coached at Buffalo for four seasons. He is also a former high school coach.

Oats had been linked to the North Carolina opening, but along with Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd, who was also mentioned for the job, he is now locked up on an extension.

Oats recently said he had “absolutely no reason to leave” his current job for anywhere else.

"They’re doing everything they can to make sure that we’ve got a competitive program," he said last month of Alabama. "And as long as we're able to compete to win championships here, SEC -- national championships, we haven't done that here yet -- I'd love to be the coach to bring us our first national championship. We got to a Final Four. To me, there's absolutely no reason to leave here."

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

HIGHLIGHTS

• The match stipulation for a world championship clash could change Monday night.
• A surprise reveal from Friday's SmackDown could carry over to Raw.
• Several big names are running out of time to land a WrestleMania spot.

We're 12 days away from WrestleMania 42 and WWE is in Houston at the Toyota Center for another potentially important episode of Monday Night Raw. There's a lot on the table for this one including potentially seeing new layers added to some of what we saw on SmackDown on Friday night with Pat McAfee and Randy Orton.

There'll obviously be more CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns and perhaps a few more layers to Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar.

What Time Does Raw Start?

Raw airs live at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Netflix. Doors open at 6:30 PM local time. This is the second-to-last Raw before WrestleMania 42 on April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Any remaining card additions or stipulation changes need to happen in the next two weeks. Time is running out.

What Should We Expect From Punk and Reigns?

A stipulation change feels incoming. Punk powerbombed Reigns through the announce table at MSG last week after hitting a GTS. The week before, Reigns attacked Punk with help from the Usos. They've been trading escalating shots for weeks.

A standard singles match doesn't feel like enough for this feud anymore. Street fight, Bloodline Rules or some kind of No DQ stipulation would match the intensity of the build. Monday could be the night it's made official.

What's Next for McAfee and Orton?

Cody Rhodes was on Raw last week and there is reason to believe he'll be back this week. Will McAfee be there too? That's the biggest question. McAfee was revealed as Orton's mystery phone contact on SmackDown and immediately hit Cody with a low blow.

His WrestleMania role still needs to be defined. Is he a manager? A corner man? A participant in the match itself? Monday should bring more clarity to a story that caught a lot of people off guard.

Who Else Needs a WrestleMania Spotlight?

LA Knight needs a spot on some level. The same can be said for Giulia and Tiffany Stratton. Anything that happens with Bianca Belair and the Street Profits will be a surprise at WrestleMania 42.

Five major names without WrestleMania spots with 12 days to go is unusual. The Femi-Lesnar match is confirmed but the build has been thin. Monday needs to start filling those gaps before the go-home shows next week.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Saturday, April 4 was a big day on the Kentucky racing calendar at Keeneland. After all was said and done, it was a big day of racing for one of Kentucky’s best racing conditioners.

Brad Cox has worked his way into the upper echelon of Thoroughbred trainers not only in Kentucky, but in the world. A keen eye for talent and an unquestionable dedication to the game has allowed this Louisville native to enjoy success on the world’s biggest racing stages. Rolling into the opening of the 2026 Keeneland Spring Meet with his fair share of four-legged phenoms, the Brad Cox barn flexed its muscle by winning three of the five Stakes races on the card. Let’s take a quick look at his April 4 racing triple.

Saudi Crown rolls home in grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes

Saudi Crown is a veteran of the Brad Cox barn that seems to have found his niche. The one turn races seem to suit this six-year-old son of Always Dreaming the best. With that in mind, the seven-furlong Commonwealth Stakes looked to be right in his wheel house. After the gates opened and a minute and twenty-two seconds passed, the sell-out crowd at Keeneland realized what his team already knew. Stalking the pace, this striking grandson of Tapit took command at the top of the stretch and rolled past the wire an eased up 2 ¾ lengths to the good. The Commonwealth win marked the ninth career victory for Saudi Crown from eighteen starts and raised his on-track earnings to an impressive $3,668,506.

Eclatant Makes Her Move In The Grade 1 Madison Stakes

The grade 1 Madison Stakes featured a lineup befitting such an event. As the highly competitive field of eight strolled into the gates, five of the runners were at odds between 3 to 1 and 5 to 1. Eclatant had attracted some of the late money as she walked into the seven-furlong affair in fantastic shape. Stalking a sizzling early pace (21.95 opening quarter 44.68 half mile), this Stonestreet Stables homebred surged down the lane in hot pursuit of the frontrunners. Timing her move impeccably under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., this four-year-old daughter of Into Mischief lengthened her stride at just the right time and got up by a nose at the finish. This thrilling finish was her fifth triumph in eight career outings and provided her first grade 1 win. Eclatant now has career earnings of $705,073.

Further Ado Ices The Cake In The Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes

Heading into the day’s final race, many wondered if the Brad Cox machine could score the Stakes trifecta. Yes, he was saddling the odds-on favorite in Further Ado, but this was the grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes and these were three-year-old colts that can produce predictable unpredictability. Having won his previous start at Keeneland by 20 lengths as a two-year-old last October, his desire to perform in horse racing’s heartland was clear. Breaking alertly, this son of Gun Runner loomed large just off the pace up the back stretch. Turning for home, Further Ado ran right past the leaders and took the lead at the quarter pole. Using an incredible turn of foot, this Spendthrift Farms owned prize gobbled ground and turned this race into a rout. Running like school was out, the Further Ado connections were celebrated at the sixteenth pole as the only question remaining was how much would he win by. The final margin was a geared down 11 lengths, but more importantly, Further Ado stamped himself as not only a Kentucky Derby entrant, but a real player in the world’s most famous race. The Blue Grass win was his third in six career outings and raised his bankroll to $1,146,328.

“Three big wins here for us was important because we always like to perform well here and are happy to be back home at Keeneland”, says Brad Cox. “We certainly are happy to see Further Ado perform like we thought he could in the Blue Grass. You never know how they are going to perform until they leave the gate but he ran to expectations.”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

The Toronto Blue Jays seemed poised for another successful regular season after they reloaded their roster in the offseason, following a World Series slugfest with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But after falling to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, the team will bring a losing record into its rematch series against the Dodgers on Monday. And one of the main culprits for the early season struggles seems to be a relentless string of injuries.

“Starters José Berríos, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and Cody Ponce are among those on the IL while the position players include Anthony Santander and (Alejandro) Kirk,” Gregor Chisholm wrote for the Toronto Star. “Reliever Yimi Garcia also has yet to pitch this season as he recovers from elbow surgery.”

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Toronto Blue Jays Lose Addison Barger To Rare Ankle Injury

And Sunday might have marked another loss as outfielder Addison Barger was removed from the game with a rare bilateral ankle problem.

He appeared to land awkwardly after running through a base in the third inning and, though he stayed in initially, he felt too much pain to finish out the game. After the game ended, manager John Schneider indicated that the Blue Jays won’t be able to determine his upcoming availability until Monday.

“He stepped a bit weird with both of them, one on the bag and one before,” Schneider said after the game, according to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson. “We taped him up and he tried to go. We’ll see how he is tomorrow. He’s about as tough as they come. Hopefully, he’s all right and it’s just a day or two, or maybe not even a day.”

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Toronto Blue Jays Manager John Schneider Sends Team Warning

But after Barger’s exit and with the injuries piling up for the Blue Jays, the manager also sent a warning about the team’s early season issues.

“We’ve got to get back to playing our baseball,” Schneider said after Sunday’s loss, per Matheson. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, where you’re playing or what time you’re playing them, if you don’t play your baseball, good things don’t happen.”

After getting swept by the White Sox, the Blue Jays will have to rediscover their identity if they hope for better results against the Dodgers. The reigning World Series champions have enjoyed a strong start to their own season.

But the Blue Jays brought them to the brink of elimination in extra innings of World Series Game 7 by relying on an effective brand of high-contact, defensive-minded baseball. That style of play is likely what Schneider means when he points to “our baseball.”

And even though the injuries won’t make it any easier for the team to return to its identity, perhaps the manager’s public warning will serve as a wakeup call.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

When the Rockets used their midlevel exception last offseason to sign forward Dorian Finney-Smith away from the Los Angeles Lakers, the move drew strong reviews leaguewide. Earlier in the summer, Houston had traded forward Dillon Brooks as part of the blockbuster trade to acquire Kevin Durant. Brooks was Houston's primary defensive stopper over the past two seasons and it was believed that Finney-Smith could step in and fill the void left by Brooks' absence. Finney-Smith's contract is for four years at $53 million.

The move has not gone according to plan and instead has been one of the most disappointing free agent signings of last offseason. Finney-Smith did not appear in Houston’s four games between March 27 and April 1. Only on April 3, against Utah in what was a thirty point blowout victory, did he finally appear, checking in for nine minutes of garbage time. Before that, Finney-Smith’s minutes had drastically been slashed. On the season, he is averaging just 3.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

The signing did not come without risk. Finney-Smith did not make his first appearance until Christmas Day against the Lakers. Finney-Smith had surgery on his left ankle in the offseason to address a lingering injury and clean up damage that had been bothering him for multiple seasons. He was expected to be ready for training camp following the surgery but later missed the start of the 2025-2026 season while recovering.

With Finney-Smith presumably having fallen completely out of head coach Ime Udoka’s rotation, one of the big questions now for Houston’s offseason will be whether general manager Rafael Stone will opt to give it another shot with Finney-Smith and hope that more time off following his surgery will result in a bounce-back 2026-2027 campaign, or instead, will look to flip Finney-Smith in a trade. Some of that may depend on how Houston performs in the offseason and also whether the team is able to retain restricted forward Tari Eason. Finney-Smith has three seasons remaining on his contract after this one. In 2028-2029, he has a player option that, if exercised, will pay him $13.33 million.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Winners of five straight games, the Rockets are rolling, having gone 4-0 on the week last week. On Sunday, they demolished the New Orleans Pelicans, 134-102, behind 36 points from Alperen Sengun. Then on Tuesday, they were led by Kevin Durant’s 27 points in defeating the New York Knicks, 111-94, in front of their home crowd. On Wednesday, Reed Sheppard’s 27 points led them to a 119-113 victory at home over the Milwaukee Bucks. And lastly, on Friday, they blew out a tanking Utah Jazz team, 140-106, behind 25 points from Kevin Durant.

The Rockets are clicking at just the right time, with just five games remaining on the schedule before the postseason. On Sunday night, Houston visits a Golden State Warriors team that bounced it from the first round just last season. All-Star guard Steph Curry is expected to return to face Houston after missing over two months due to right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome. On Tuesday, Houston will visit a Phoenix team that should have former Rockets Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks available and in uniform. On Thursday, they will host the Philadelphia 76ers. And lastly, on Friday, they will host a Minnesota Timberwolves team that is just beneath them in the standings.

Entering Sunday night’s game, the Rockets are 48-29, occupying the fifth seed in the Western Conference. They are 1.5 games back of the fourth seeded Denver Nuggets. If the playoffs started today, Denver would host Houston in the opening round. The Nuggets are currently on an eight game winning streak.

Los Angeles is currently the third seed, at 50-27, but has suffered devastating season-ending injuries to both Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves. Doncic was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and ruled out for at least the remainder of the regular season. Reeves was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury and ruled out for the rest of the regular season. It’s more likely than not that the Nuggets will surpass the Lakers in the standings by the end of the season. That could mean a first round matchup against the depleted Lakers for Houston, an outcome the Rockets’ front office would more than welcome.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

No. 1 UCLA wins and defeats No. 1 South Carolina, 79-51 on Sunday, Aprl 5. UCLA never trailed in their Final Four games against Texas or South Carolina.

They became only the second Big 10 team to win a NCAA championship (Purdue in 1999). This was the first national championship as a head coach for Close, and the first in modern history for UCLA (UCLA won the AIAW in 1978).

UCLA Impresses with First Half Scoring

In the first half, UCLA jumped out to a commanding lead as they finished the first twenty minutes up 36-23 on South Carolina.

The scoring for the Bruins was evenly distributed across their starting lineup with senior center Lauren Betts (six points, seven rebounds), and senior guards Kiki Rice and transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker both contributing five points, along with seven points a piece from Gianna Kneepken and Gabriela Jacquez.

Additionally, off the bench, when Betts had a throat issue that required her to exit majority of the first quarter, senior forward Angela Dugalic had six points.

The Bruins shot 43% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc to pull away by 13 points at the half from the Gamecocks.

In comparison, South Carolina struggled to see the ball go in the basket, shooting 26% from the floor and were only able to convert a single three in the half (13%) from freshman Agot Makeer. The Gamecocks also had a rather quiet first half from graduate guard Raven Johnson, who had just two points and two rebounds.

The bright spot for the Gamecocks was junior guard Tessa Johnson who had 10 points, proving why there are shirts that state “who can guard Tessa Johnson”, a quote said in frustration from LSU head coach Kim Mulkey during their loss to South Carolina back in February.

Second Half Continued Dominance for UCLA

At the start of the third quarter, the Bruins went on a 12-2 run, in large part due to the play of Jacquez, before Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley called a timeout. South Carolina was down by 22 points, their largest deficit of the season.

Out of the timeout, South Carolina’s full court pressure was able to get some crucial stops, but they could not convert on offense. Instead, UCLA went on a 13-0 run to finish the third, outscoring the Gamecocks 25-9, closing the third quarter up 29 points, the largest margin in any quarter in the national championship game.

Further, the UCLA defense held sophomore All-American forward Joyce Edwards to four points, and 1-for-8 from the floor in the first three quarters of the matchup.

National Championship Secured for UCLA in Fourth Quarter

Edwards direct counter in the game, Betts had already achieved a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) by the end of the third, when UCLA head coach Cori Close took Betts out of the game at the 3:42 mark, she had added three additional points.

Moments later, Close called a timeout at the 2:52 mark, right after Jacquez hit a dagger three to a charged arena. Jacquez exited the game to a standing ovation and a stat line of 21 points and 10 rebounds, a final double-double for her career in a UCLA uniform.

The game finished with young players for both squads finishing the final minutes of the game, but UCLA won by an overwhelming margin of 28 points.

This is two years in a row that South Carolina has made it to the national championship title game, but suffered an overwhelming defeat (23 points in 2025 to UConn).

In the win, UCLA’s entire senior class, in addition to Betts and Jacquez, were in double digits or close to double digit scoring, with Leger-Walker (10), Rice (10), Kneepken (15), and Dugalic (9 points).

In the loss, South Carolina’s T. Johnson ended with 14 points (four in the second half), Makeer with 11 points, and Edwards two points shy of a double-double with eight points, and 11 rebounds.

Betts Named 2026 Final Four Most Outstanding Player

After the trophy was presented to UCLA and coach Close, it was announced that Betts was named the 2026 Final Four Most Outstanding Player. She stated after the award announcement to reporter Holly Rowe about her personal growth at UCLA, “Basketball has given me the platform to change peoples lives…I am always going to speak my truth because it helped people.”

Talking with Rowe after the win, Close said, “It is truly indescribable….I am just so humbled that they [senior class] chose to commit to our mission…This is meaningful because of the village that we get to share it with.”

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This article was originally published on Forbes.com