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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

You want a statement? The Thunder will give you one. Oklahoma City went into Boston and beat the Celtics, 118-112, in a potential NBA Finals matchup. (OKC also beat Boston, 105-92, back on Jan. 5.) Of course, lots will change between now and then — the Thunder didn’t have Jalen Williams or Alex Caruso, the Celtics didn’t have Kristaps Porzingis, and there are several other teams who could make the Finals (hello, East-leading Cavaliers!) — but this was a big one.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 34 points, and I was also super impressed by Chet Holmgren (23 points, 15 rebounds). The Thunder’s depth was on display, too, with Oklahoma City’s bench outscoring Boston’s 34-20.

Another big number? The Celtics attempted 63 3-pointers, tied for third-most in a game in NBA history. The Thunder have used the regular season for a lot of experimentation (and, to be fair, a lot of wins), and Sam Quinn assessed how this one worked out.

Quinn: “The Thunder could survive hotter Celtics shooting if the tradeoff at the rim proves worthwhile. In some ways it did. The Thunder outscored the Celtics by eight at the rim, and more importantly, they drew 23 more free-throw attempts. The Thunder foul a lot by design, it’s the nature of their ultra-physical defensive style, so winning the free-throw battle by that margin is notable.”
👍 Honorable mentions
The Players Championship is underway! Here are the nine players who can win.
Collin Morikawa’s caddie, JJ Stankovic, made a hole-in-one at the iconic 17th hole at Sawgrass.
The national anthem before Knicks-Trail Blazers was 22 years in the making …
… and the end of the game was just as epic (for Knicks fans).
The Bengals plan to make Ja’Marr Chase the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback.
McNeese (Southland) and Montana (Big Sky) are heading to the Men’s NCAA Tournament.
Two more automatic bids for the Women’s NCAA Tournament: San Diego State (Mountain West) needed triple overtime and Montana State (Big Sky) won on a buzzer-beater.
Kansas hit five straight home runs, tying a Division I record.
Spring Breakout, the MLB’s showcase of top prospects, begins today. Here’s who to watch.
These NFL players collected some cash via performance-based pay.
Happy retirement, Michael Pierce. We’ll always have this amazing big man interception.
🏈 And not such a good morning for …
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THE TEAMS WAITING ON AARON RODGERS’ DECISION

The new NFL year officially opened Wednesday, and with it, the Jets are moving on from Aaron Rodgers, planning to release him after two disappointing seasons. Everyone (including Brett Favre) seems to have an opinion on where he should play next.

Everyone, that is, except the one person who matters: Rodgers himself.

Reports have been all over the place — we’re keeping track of them here — but there’s one constant: The Steelers and the Giants seem to be the frontrunners. Beyond that, it’s murky. Are other teams interested? Is a decision nearing? Will he retire? Who knows!

Here’s what we do know: This can’t be fun for any team involved. Former NFL GM Doug Whaley thinks Rodgers is “holding the entire Steelers organization hostage,” and while I don’t know if it’s that dramatic, I do get where he’s coming from.

In this still-young offseason, Pittsburgh has been tied to …

Justin Fields (signed with the Jets)
Sam Darnold (signed with the Seahawks)
Russell Wilson (meeting with the Browns and Giants this week)
Rodgers
What if Rodgers doesn’t choose Pittsburgh? The Steelers have had conversations with Mason Rudolph. No, I’m not kidding. The quarterback market is thinning out rapidly. Frankly, Rudolph and similar-caliber quarterbacks are the guys available after Rodgers and Wilson.

I don’t think DK Metcalf, who just joined the Steelers and got a huge deal, would like that. I don’t think Darius Slay, who just arrived from the Super Bowl-champion Eagles and surely wants to contend, would like that. I don’t think defensive stars T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick would like that.

This isn’t a shot at Rudolph, who is a perfectly capable backup. But the Steelers have been hamstrung by quarterback play for years — that includes Wilson last year — and somehow might be in even more dire straits now. They were a definitive “loser” in Jared Dubin’s Day 3 winners and losers.

To be honest, the Steelers signed up for this sort of frustration and uncertainty when they got into the Rodgers business. It’s getting late early.

👎 Not so honorable mentions
The Rams released Cooper Kupp after they couldn’t find a trade partner. Here are landing spots. Elsewhere, the Jets released C.J. Mosley.
Mikal Bridges asked Tom Thibodeau to play his starters fewer minutes.
Rutgers will become the first team with two top-five recruits to miss the NCAA Tournament.
Bruce Bochy probably shouldn’t have admitted this potential strategy to keep Jacob deGrom fresh.
Trinity Rodman said it’s “just a matter of when” she’ll leave the NWSL for Europe.
Tobi Lawal admitted Virginia Tech was “ass” this season in a truly all-time quote.
Virginia parted ways with interim coach Ron Sanchez.
🏈 NFL free agency Day 3 winners, losers, grades
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Even though Wednesday marked the start of the new NFL year, free agency has been going on since Monday, so things are starting to slow down. In fact, 22 of the top 25 players in Pete Prisco’s Top 100 free agents have signed.

But that doesn’t mean the action has come to a stop. Not even close. Here are some headlines from Wednesday:

The Broncos signed Evan Engram to a two-year, $23 million deal.
The Cowboys continued making moves on the edges, trading for Kaiir Elam and Kenneth Murray in separate deals and reuniting Jack Sanborn with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
As for former Cowboys, DeMarcus Lawrence signed with the Seahawks (3/$42M), and Rico Dowdle joined the Panthers (1/$6.25M).
Remember, we’re tracking every move here, updating team-by-team hauls here and giving out team grades here.
In his Day 3 winners and losers, Jared loves Denver’s addition.

Dubin: “Winner: Engram and the Broncos — The production from the tight end position for Denver last season was nonexistent, and now it injects a player who has 100-catch upside into the offense. This is also great for Engram as he is poised to take over a central role within Sean Payton’s offense, which he called the ‘joker.’ In the past, that’s been manned by the likes of Jimmy Graham and Jeremy Shockey. That sets up what could be a career year for the 30-year-old.”
These are the top 10 players still available.

⚽ UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid wins in dramatic, controversial fashion
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At this point, I think I’ll just write when Real Madrid loses in the UEFA Champions League. Otherwise, just assume it won. Los Blancos added yet another thrilling victory to their ledger, defeating Atlético Madrid 2-2 (4-2 on pens) to advance to the quarterfinals.

Real Madrid won the first leg 2-1, but Connor Gallagher scored just 29 seconds in Wednesday. Neither team found the net again, and we went to a shootout.
Things appeared tied 2-2 through two rounds after Julián Alvarez converted. However, video review determined Alvarez accidentally touched the ball with his plant (left) foot as he slipped before scoring with his right. That’s not allowed, and the goal was dramatically waved off. Here’s our full explainer, with help from rules expert Christina Unkel.
After makes from both sides, Jan Oblak’s save gave Atlético life. But Marcos Llorente hit the crossbar, and Antonio Rüdiger won it for Real Madrid, sneaking his attempt past Oblak.
Rüdiger earned a spot on Francesco Porzio’s Champions League Team of the Week.

There wasn’t nearly as much drama elsewhere:

Lille 1, Borussia Dortmund 2 (Dortmund win 3-1 on aggregate)
Aston Villa 3, Club Brugge 0 (Aston Villa win 6-1 on aggregate)
Arsenal 2, PSV 2 (Arsenal win 9-3 on aggregate)
That sets up these quarterfinal matchups:

Arsenal vs. Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Aston Villa
Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund
Bayern Munich vs. Inter
James Benge has five observations from the round of 16, including …

Benge: “We’ve been sleeping on Bayern — Michael Olise is a star and it perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise that at the other end Vincent Kompany has got consistently impressive performances out of Dayot Upamecano, a defense that gives up the fewest shots per game in the competition further aided by restoring Joshua Kimmich to a midfield that absolutely dominates the possession game.”
Bayern is No. 4 in Chuck Booth’s Champions League Power Rankings.

📺 What we’re watching Thursday
⛳ We’re watching The Players Championship. Here’s how.
🏀 We’re watching the men’s basketball conference tournaments: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | SEC
🏀 Mountain West quarterfinal: San José State vs. New Mexico (M), 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Mountain West quarterfinal: Boise State vs. San Diego State (M), 5:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Lakers at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Mountain West quarterfinal: Nevada vs. Colorado State (M), 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Kings at Warriors, 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 Mountain West quarterfinal: UNLV vs. Utah State (M), 11:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network

Is it just me or does the NBA’s “silly season” seem to arrive earlier and earlier each year? It would make sense that tanking teams would start to truly throw in the towel even sooner this season due to the plethora of potentially franchise-changing talent at the top of the 2025 draft, but we used to at least get through March before seeing the likes of A.J. Lawson, Johnny Juzang and Daquan Jeffries lighting up the scoreboard.

This is just the way things are going to be until losing is no longer rewarded with a better chance at a top pick, but it’s unfortunate that it can affect the outcomes for teams that are embroiled in actual, competitive playoff races. You just have to hope that the teams in the remaining part of your schedule are less incentivized to win than those of your competition.

One team that’s plowing through any competition whatsoever is the Golden State Warriors, who are now 12-1 with Jimmy Butler in the lineup. It’s hard to recall one single player having this much effect on winning and losing this quickly, especially without going out and scoring 30 points every night. Golden State now has the league’s third-best defense and fifth-best offense since Butler’s first game and has finally cracked the top 10 in this week’s Power Rankings after consistent upward movement.

Heading in the opposite direction are the Los Angeles Lakers, who saw LeBron James go down with a groin injury and have struggled because of it. James and Luka Dončić were starting to develop some real chemistry, and that will now be delayed for as long as James will have to sit out. It affects the standings as well, because the Lakers are jam-packed toward the top of the West with the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets. Any extended period of losing could take them from No. 2 to No. 5 real quick.

The top of the rankings remains steady, with the juggernaut Cleveland Cavaliers at the top once again, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics. Those aforementioned Grizzlies were the week’s biggest risers, moving up three spots to No. 4.

Here are this week’s NBA Power Rankings.

Biggest Movers
3 Grizzlies 3 Bucks
Rk
Teams

Chg
Rcrd
1
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Cavaliers The Cavs are apparently never going to lose again so let’s take a minute to check in on the De’Andre Hunter addition — yeah, he’s been great. Cleveland has improved both offensively and defensively when he’s been on the floor, and the team is a ridiculous plus-115 in his nearly 300 minutes as a Cav (they’ve won all 12 games). His blend of shot-making and defensive versatility is exactly what Cleveland will need against marquee wings in the postseason. — 56-11
2
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Thunder OKC bounced back from a loss to the Nuggets to go into Boston and beat the champs without the services of Jalen Williams, arguably their second-best player. The Thunder sweep the season series with the Celtics (important for a potential Finals meeting), and held them to just 106 points per 100 possessions in the two games, compared to Boston’s season average of 119. Sure it could be shooting variance, but the Thunder defense has been so dominant all season that it’s earned the benefit of the doubt. — 56-12
3
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Celtics The Celtics picked up a big win against the scorching-hot Lakers last weekend, but then lost on Wednesday after putting up another clankfest against OKC. In two losses to the Thunder this season, Boston shot 29 for 109 from 3-point range, a crisp 27% clip. Celtics fans will point to the numbers game they assume will eventually move in their favor, but chances are the stout Thunder defense is doing SOMETHING to make them miss. Perhaps we’ll get a closer look in June … — 49-19
4
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Grizzlies The Grizzlies have taken advantage of a soft spot in the schedule without Jaren Jackson Jr., winning four straight to pull back into the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference. Desmond Bane has been picking up the slack on the boards, going for 8.5 per game — in addition to 23 points and six assists — over his last eight games. 3 43-25
5
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Knicks Scoring has been a bit of an issue without Jalen Brunson (except against the Kings), but the Knicks have won two straight after Wednesday night’s thriller against the Blazers was capped by Mikal Bridges’ game-winning 3-pointer. It saved Josh Hart some embarrassment, as his inbound violation on the previous possession led to a go-ahead three-point play by Deni Avdija. Those Nova guys really stick together. 1 42-24
6
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Nuggets A split in consecutive road games against OKC is probably the best you can hope for, but Wednesday’s 20-point home loss to the Wolves was a bit of a disappointment for Denver, which fell to the No. 3 seed. Nikola Jokić says he’s playing the best basketball of his career, which is remarkable, and he’s not wrong — putting up the league’s first-ever 30-20-20 game is pretty strong evidence. 1 43-25
7
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Rockets Losing Amen Thompson for extended time hurts, but the Rockets have kept winning behind suffocating defense. Fred VanVleet returned to the lineup (again) on Wednesday, putting up 10 points and four assists in 28 minutes as Houston beat Phoenix for its fourth straight victory. 1 43-25
8
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Lakers Man, just when things were absolutely rolling for the Lakers, LeBron goes down with a groin injury. Hopefully it isn’t too serious, since they’ve lost both games without him (if you count the Boston game, in which he went out before the Lakers mounted their comeback). Not too much should be read into the Brooklyn loss, as the Lakers were also without Dorian Finney-Smith and Jaxson Hayes, but it sounds like James won’t be around for road games against Milwaukee and Denver either, obviously much more difficult matchups. 2 41-25
9
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Timberwolves Winners of six straight including a 20-point thumping of the Nuggets in Denver on Wednesday night, the Wolves are officially hot. Julius Randle and Naz Reid have been shredding defenses in their time on the floor together, averaging 132 points per 100 possessions in 108 minutes during the winning streak. 1 40-29
10
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Warriors The Jimmy train just keeps on rolling with three more wins to bring Golden State’s record to 12-1 with Butler in the lineup. Recently he’s even had to do something he seems to occasionally hate — score. He put up 51 total points in consecutive victories over the Nets and Pistons, the first time he’s eclipsed the 20-point mark in two straight games since his second and third games in a Warriors uniform. 2 39-28
11
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Pistons There’s a realistic world in which the Pistons, just one game back of the No. 4 seed in the loss column, host a first-round playoff series the year after finishing with the worst record in the NBA. Simply unreal. Quick check-in on Cade Cunningham: 26 points, nine assists and six rebounds per game on 46/36/86 splits, while the team’s net rating has improved by over six points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. 2 37-31
12
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Bucks The Bucks have lost three straight after winning eight of nine, and they’re now essentially tied with the Pacers and Pistons for the No. 4 through No. 6 seeds out East. Milwaukee lineups featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Kyle Kuzma have an impressive plus-9.4 net rating in almost 180 minute so far. 3 38-29
13
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Clippers Kawhi’s hitting game-winners. James Harden’s putting up 50-burgers. The Clippers have won four of five. Things are moving back in a positive direction for L.A. as it attempts to climb out of the Play-In over the next few weeks. 1 38-30
14
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Pacers Tyrese Haliburton is basically having the exact inverse season of the one he had last year. Instead of starting off in All-NBA form and petering out, he began the season miserably and has slowly once again become one of the league’s most impactful players, as he showed the Bucks with his game-winning four-point play on Tuesday night. 3 37-29
15
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Kings The Kings are going back and forth between the No. 8 and No. 9 positions in the West, which is actually a huge difference. The eighth spot would allow them to lose the first Play-In game and still get another shot. Sacramento has dropped three of its last four as Domantas Sabonis recovers from a hamstring injury. — 33-33
16
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Mavericks The steady decline continues for the Mavs, but hey, at least Naji Marshall is playing well! The offseason addition has been the engine of the depleted offense, averaging 23.5 points, eight rebounds and four assists on 51% shooting over his last six games. — 33-36
17
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Hawks Not exactly the stiffest competition, but four straight wins are four straight wins — especially when they keep you in the No. 7 spot, the cream of the Play-In crop. Dyson Daniels is averaging 15.5 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals during the win streak on 54/57/80 splits. 3 32-36
18
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Magic The Magic are 6-11 since Jan. 31 and are still in the exact same No. 8 playoff spot — gotta love the Eastern Conference. Orlando has generated just 107 points per 100 possessions this season with its two best scorers — Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner — on the floor. — 32-37
19
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Suns Trade rumors are swirling about both Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Ironically, the only one left in Phoenix after all this might be Bradley Beal because of his no-trade clause. The Suns are 5-14 since Feb. 1, with the league’s worst defensive rating over that stretch. — 31-37
20
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Heat The Heat have only scored over 110 points once since the end of February, and that game went to overtime. They’ve dropped five in a row while averaging just 108 points per 100 possessions. 3 29-38
21
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Trail Blazers Portland’s five-game losing streak has made any thoughts the Play-In seem a bit far-fetched, but they did almost pull out one of the most exciting games of the year against the Knicks on Wednesday. No matter how the season turns out, acquiring Deni Avdija last offseason is looking like a wise move, as the forward has averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists over his last 12 games. — 29-39
22
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Bulls Not only have the Bulls won three games in row, but two of the three were also against their direct competition for Play-In positions. Chicago is now just two games back of the reeling Heat for the No. 9 spot and the right to host the 9-10 Play-In game. If you’re going to talk about the Bulls over the past couple of months, you have to talk about Josh Giddey, who is putting up monster numbers with averages of 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists on 49% 3-point shooting since Feb. 1. 1 28-39
23
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Spurs The Spurs have managed to put points on the board without the services of Victor Wembanyama — a respectable 12th in the league in offense since the All-Star break. Defense, on the other hand, has been a different story. They’re dead last in 12 games since the break, allowing over 122 points per 100 possessions. 1 28-38
24
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Raptors We’ve officially entered A.J. Lawson-Jared Rhoden season, and yes those are real NBA players who have scored 32 and 25 points, respectively, in the Raptors’ last two games — both wins. In fact, Toronto has now won five of its last six games as the front office gets a look at multiple pieces that may or may not be part of the future. 1 24-44
25
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76ers The Sixers are pulling out all the stops to try to keep their top-six protected pick, and it’s fair to wonder how much, if at all, we’ll see Tyrese Maxey and Paul George for the rest of the season. Oh well, who needs them when you’ve got Quentin Grimes? The fourth-year wing has been nothing short of outstanding as the team’s offensive engine, averaging 26 points, five rebounds and four assists on 54/39/75 shooting splits over the past seven games — and that’s including a six-point dud against the Celtics. 1 23-44
26
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Nets The Nets pulled off a big-time tank move by losing to the Hornets, then messed it all up by beating the Lakers without LeBron. Just kidding … sort of. Noah Clowney had a team-high 19 points off the bench in the win over L.A. — 23-45
27
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Pelicans Tank Tracker 2025: The Pelicans are two wins ahead of Charlotte for the third-worst record in the league — which guarantees you a share of the highest odds at landing the No. 1 pick. Will Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Co. get an early summer vacation as New Orleans attempts to rack up the losses? I think I speak for all of us when I say we can’t wait to find out. — 18-50
28
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Hornets The NBA’s leading scorers since March 3: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum and … Miles Bridges. The athletic, powerful forward is averaging 33 points, nine rebounds and four assists in his last six games on 52/40/89 splits. 1 17-50

The show that Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu put on at All-Star weekend in 2024 was unforgettable, so it seemed like a missed opportunity when there was no encore performance this year. There were rumors that Caitlin Clark and Klay Thompson could have been involved in another special 3-point contest in San Francisco, but Clark declined and, according to NBA spokesperson Mike Bass, plans for a rematch were scrapped because the league was not “able to land on a plan we thought would raise the bar.”

This does not, however, mean that 2024 was a one-time thing. Curry said in an interview on 95.7 The Game on Wednesday that he thinks it will be revisited.

“We were trying to get the ‘Me and Sabrina Part 2’ back, and it just didn’t work out,” Curry said. “I think we’ll come back to that at some point.”