After reaching the second round of the World Baseball Classic for the first time in 2026, Canada won’t be able to build on its momentum at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
With spots up for grabs at the 2028 Games for the highest two finishers from the Americas at the WBC — excluding the host United States — Canada remained in the mix despite losing in the quarterfinals on Friday
Canada joined the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela as the four Americas teams to advance to the knockout round at the WBC, meaning the two teams that advanced the furthest in the tournament would claim the Olympic berths
After the Dominicans beat Korea on Saturday and Canada lost to the U.S., the Canadians still had a path to the six-team Olympics qualify via tiebreaker, but only if both Puerto Rico and Venezuela lost.
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And while Puerto Rico fell to the upstart Italians, Venezuela delivered an upset over Japan, earning the second spot in the WBC semifinals and the 2028 Olympics.
Two more participants in the Olympics will be determined at the WBSC Premier12 in 2027, where the highest-placed Asian team and the top team from Europe or Oceania will each take a spot.
The final spot will go to the winner of a six-team Olympic qualifier, which will be staged no later than March 2028. The participants in that tournament will include two teams from the 2027 European Championship, two from the 2027 Asian Championship, the African champion and the highest-placed eligible team from the Oceania Championship.
Canada last competed at the Summer Olympics in 2008, when it finished sixth in Beijing. It finished fourth at the 2004 Games in Athens, following an inspired run to the bronze-medal game.
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Team Canada also participated in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, when baseball was just a demonstration sport.
Edidiong Ezekiel during his home bow for Enyimba FC
Enyimba International FC have announced that fans will enjoy free entry when the team hosts Plateau United in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match on Sunday in Aba.
The match will take place at the Enyimba International Stadium and kick off at 4:00 pm on March 15, 2026.
The club decided to open the gates to supporters after playing their last three home matches behind closed doors due to disciplinary sanctions.
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The nine-time Nigerian champions are eager to reconnect with their fans as they continue their campaign in the NPFL this season.
Club officials have urged supporters to come out in large numbers to cheer the team and create a lively atmosphere at the stadium.
Enyimba, also known as the Aba Elephants, will hope that the return of their supporters will inspire them to secure a positive result against Plateau United.
Manchester City’s Premier League title ambitions were dealt a significant blow as Pep Guardiola’s side were held to a 1-1 draw at West Ham as Arsenal moved nine points clear
For the second game in succession Manchester City dropped points against a side fighting relegation.
The Blues have surrendered leads three times across those matches with Nottingham Forest and West Ham United. It has surely extinguished the title hopes. Arsenal are nine clear and although City have a game in hand and the Gunners have to come to the Etihad, the gap looks ominous and the Blues don’t quite look capable of reeling off victory after victory to capitalise if Mikel Arteta’s side do slip up.
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City still have plenty to play for, even if glory in the Premier League and Champions League now looks set to elude them. The Blues are a week out from a Carabao Cup final that could yield silverware as well as offering a glimmer in the title race given the psychological questions a Wembley win would ask of Arsenal. Liverpool then visit in the FA Cup early next month. So plenty to still play for.
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But for Guardiola, he must now accept that this City side is not quite yet capable of scaling the heights of versions past. The incredibly high standards set during four title wins in a row are a barometer few can be judged by and to measure this new-look City against such incredible feats is understandable but perhaps unfair.
The progress from last season is clear; twelve months ago City would have snapped your hand off for the position they are now in. The Blues boss said on Friday that if his side dropped points against the Hammers then the title race would be over. He rowed back on that after the game, reiterating his belief and the desire within the squad to fight to the end.
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But Guardiola’s side are not consistent enough to go the distance on four fronts, they are not slick enough to put teams to bed, and they are not quite all on the same page on the pitch to play with a freedom and a confidence that the door will be battered down if the knocking continues.
Make no mistake this City side is a very good outfit – but it’s not the outfit of old. As Rodri said after the game at the London Stadium: “The mistake we can make is to think we are the unbelievable team that we used to be. We are in a moment that we are in a process to come back.”
City might yet come back against Madrid, they might yet come back in the title race, but both feel a step too far just now.
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France edge out England with the last kick of the game in a sensational 13-try decider, to secure back-to-back Six Nations titles at the Stade de France.
A combination of blinkers and rapid reappearance has gifted Salty Pearl’s connections a major purse at Caulfield.
The Ciaron Maher operation was unconcerned about committing the filly to Saturday’s $500,000 VOBIS Platinum Guineas (1600m), mere days after she pursued Sass Appeal home in Flemington’s Stakes race.
Having aced a similar eight-day turnaround before, the Maher team delivered another standout performance.
John Allen guided the $2.05 elect, Salty Pearl, to a commanding 2-¾ length success ahead of $41 chance Silvasista, as Wetumpka ($61) trailed by an additional 1-½ lengths for third.
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Jack Turnbull, the Maher stable’s National Assistant Trainer, credited the second-time blinkers for Salty Pearl’s smooth passage in the 1600m feature.
“She was always in control,” Turnbull said.
“The blinkers made her travel and she took John everywhere and when he asked her to poke into a hole at about the 450 (metres), she was there straight away.
That’s when you knew she was going to be there for a long way and in the straight they spanned wide and they were coming from everywhere, but her class shone through.
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It’s the second time we’ve backed her up for a second victory.
We had to go back from the draw last start, and we thought her run was huge, but we were beaten by a classy filly.
She’s very consistent and building a fantastic record.”
Turnbull acknowledged the volume of starts Salty Pearl has notched in her three-year-old term to date.
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Saturday’s race was start number 12, bringing win number three, with potential interstate targets on the table after she recuperates.
Nevertheless, extending beyond 1600m seems improbable, per Turnbull.
“You could have the Queen Of The Turf Stakes which would be the top of the tree otherwise if she was in the right frame of mind and physically OK, you could possibly look at a Carbine Club Stakes as well,” Turnbull said.
“We’re conscious of where we want to get to and what she has done, but it’s good options to have.
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I think that’s her trip. Again, you could float the idea and try (a longer trip), but she’s very effective at this distance and I don’t think we need to change.”
Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman came off the bench as Atlético Madrid secured a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Getafe CF in their La Liga match on Saturday.
Lookman started the game among the substitutes after playing an important role in Atlético’s impressive 5–2 win over Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the week in the UEFA Champions League. Head coach Diego Simeone decided to manage the Nigerian’s minutes with another big European match coming up.
Atlético took the lead early in the match when defender Nahuel Molina scored in the eighth minute with a powerful long-range strike that flew into the top corner.
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Lookman was introduced in the second half and quickly became involved in the attack. One of his first actions was a smart pass inside the box to Julián Álvarez, but a Getafe defender cleared the ball off the goal line to prevent a second goal.
The Nigerian also had a chance of his own when he fired a shot from outside the box, but the effort went wide.
During his time on the pitch, Lookman completed 11 passes, with nine of them accurate. He also registered one shot and created a clear chance for his teammates.
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Getafe were reduced to ten men in the 55th minute after defender Abdel Abqar was sent off following a VAR review for a foul on Alexander Sørloth.
Despite the numerical advantage, Atlético could not add another goal, but they held on to claim an important victory which marked their 17th league win of the season.
The result moves Atlético two points ahead of Villarreal CF in the table.
Lookman and his teammates will now turn their attention back to the Champions League, where they face Tottenham again in the second leg of their round-of-16 tie next week.
Fixture: (2) Jannik Sinner vs (11) Daniil Medvedev
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Date: March 15, 2026
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open 2026
Round: Final
Category: Masters 1000
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Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Indian Wells, California, USA
Surface: Hard (outdoor)
PrizeMoney: $9,415,725
LiveTelecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN, TVA Sports, DAZN
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Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev preview
Jannik Sinner- Indian Wells – Source: Getty
Second seed Jannik Sinner will face 11th seed Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final. Whoever wins will be the first male singles champion from their respective countries at the Masters 1000 event.
Sinner has won 12 out of 14 matches so far this season, currently enjoying his first final run at a tournament in 2026. The Italian previously competed at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, reaching the semifinals and quarterfinals, respectively. Sinner is yet to drop a set in Indian Wells, beating the likes of Dalibor Svrcina, Denis Shapovalov, Joao Fonseca, and Alexander Zverev en route to the final.
Apart from his fourth-round match against Fonseca that ended 7-6(6), 7-6(4), Sinner wasn’t really pushed in any of his other fixtures. The Italian has dropped 28 games so far in Indian Wells.
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Medvedev’s win-loss record a day before last year’s Indian Wells final was 12-6. Fast forward a year, and the Russian has won 18 out of 21 matches so far in 2026 and is competing in the final of the Masters 1000 event. He has had an incredible start to the season and has already won two titles in Brisbane and Dubai.
Like Sinner, Medvedev is also yet to drop a single set in Indian Wells and has dropped just 25 games so far. The Russian reached the semifinals after defeating Alejandro Tabilo, Sebastian Baez, Alex Michelsen, and defending champion Jack Draper. Here, he beat Carlos Alcaraz for the first time since the 2023 US Open to reach his third Indian Wells final.
Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev head-to-head
Sinner had a narrow 8-7 head-to-head lead between the two, winning eight of their last nine fixtures. Their most recent encounter came in the round robin of the 2024 ATP Finals, with the Italian winning 6-3, 6-4.
Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev odds
Player
Moneyline
Handicap Bets
Total Games (Over and Under)
Jannik Sinner
-425
-1.5 (-165)
Over 21.5 (-115)
Daniil Medvedev
+333
+1.5 (+115)
Under 21.5 (-125)
All odds sourced from BETMGM.
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Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev prediction
Sinner will enter the match as the favorite to win but Medvedev will be high on confidence after defeating Alcaraz, and there is a very good chance of him giving the Italian a run for his money.
Sinner has won 136 out of 162 points (~83.9%) on his first serve so far in Indian Wells, serving 41 aces. The Italian has amassed 110 winners compared to just 32 unforced errors, and has won 33 out of 39 points (~84.6%) at the net. Sinner’s enormous amount of success over the past couple of years has been attributed to his tennis as well as his mentality, so Medvedev will have to be at his best.
The Russian’s first-serve numbers in Indian Wells have been decent but not as good as Sinner’s, winning 132 out of 174 points (~75.9%) and amassing 28 aces. He has produced 90 winners and 88 unforced errors while winning 22 out of 28 (~78.6%) points at the net.
Medvedev’s style has always centered around efficiency, and that is probably what his plans will be in the final. That said, he has to be careful not to serve too many unforced errors.
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While Medvedev is in impressive form. Sinner’s composure seems tough to break, and the Italian should manage to come out on top and become only the second Indian Wells singles champion from his country, the first being Flavia Pennetta.
Victor Osimhen was on target as Galatasaray defeated İstanbul Başakşehir 3–0 in their Turkish Süper Lig match on Saturday.
The Nigerian striker continued his impressive scoring run, helping Galatasaray secure a comfortable home victory and strengthen their position in the league title race.
After a quiet first half, the home side took control of the match after the break. Wilfried Singo opened the scoring in the 57th minute after sustained pressure on the Başakşehir defence.
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Nine minutes later, Osimhen doubled Galatasaray’s lead with a well-taken finish, putting the game firmly in favour of the hosts.
Galatasaray remained in control and added a third goal in the 84th minute through Renato Nhaga to seal the convincing victory.
The result keeps Galatasaray in a strong position in the race for the Süper Lig title as the season moves closer to its final stage.
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Osimhen and his teammates will now turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League, where they face Liverpool in the second leg of their tie on Wednesday. ⚽
We heard that “March is going to be major.” We listened to Brian Rolapp. We watched hundreds of shots into an island — and more than a few into the water around it. But now we’re down to the Players Championship’s final day, so let’s talk about what we’ve seen and what we’re about to see at TPC Sawgrass, where Ludvig Aberg leads by three. Reviewing and previewing the action are writers Josh Schrock, Dylan Dethier and Nick Piastowski.
Nick Piastowski: Hey, Josh. Hey, Dylan. I think combined we watched or read somewhere around 30 hours of Players Championship golf on Saturday, so what’s a few more minutes here? Question one: Pretend someone didn’t watch a single second. What do you tell them?
Josh Schrock: Despite some scratchy moments, Ludvig Aberg took command of this tournament while the other contenders tried desperately to keep their hands on the wheel. As it seems to happen every year, TPC Sawgrass hit back at the end to trim Ludvig’s lead to three, but the day was about his ability to navigate a volatile track while Xander, JT and others not named Michael Thorbjornsen made critical mistakes. The bigger picture is that the Players continues to deliver year in and year out. The course is the perfect test as long as the weather cooperates in March and it always delivers the drama. Sunday will be a lot of fun.
Dylan Dethier: I think I’d start here: The Players rocks and you should watch it tomorrow! It’s funny, I think the “fifth major” talk once again sidetracked us from how great a golf tournament this is. Complete test. Birdies, bogeys, others, drama. Today was great action — big moves and stall-outs too. Ludvig’s out in front. A bunch of flushers are lurking, ready to chase him down. Sunday should be fun.
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Piastowski: In a word? Ball striking. In another word? Cool. You need both to win at Sawgrass, and the very top of the leaderboard has a pair of exquisite ball strikers and cool customers in Aberg and Thornbjornsen. Sunday should be extremely entertaining. OK, what’s your takeaway, defining moment from Aberg on Saturday?
Schrock: The defining moment to me was Ludvig’s six-foot putt for par on No. 7. He was skidding all over the place early and was in danger of falling out of the outright lead. He poured it in the center and his lead was four a few holes later. A few takeaways: The first is that when he’s in full flight, as he has been most of the week, Ludvig is mesmerizing to watch. The tee shot he hit on 18 was as pure of a shot as you could draw up in that moment. He scuffled last year after his T7 at the Masters, but the slight tweak he made at Pebble has paid off, and when he’s playing like this, he’s really, really hard to beat. The second takeaway is just that the Players is set up to deliver a career-altering win for someone for the first time since Cam Smith in 2022. Scottie and Rory have dominated this event of late, but on Sunday, we’ll either get a “hello, world” win for Ludvig, a career-elevator for Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele or JT, or a breakthrough win for Cameron Young or Michael Thorbjornsen. That’s the good stuff.
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Dethier: His eagle at No. 11 just looked so … easy. This is the joy of watching Aberg: At his best he makes it all look smooth, effortless, elegant. That’s how 235-yard long irons end up like that.
Piastowski: Yes, that eagle at 11 was sensational, as was the putt on 7, as was the drive on 18, and I think that’s what captivates folks about Aberg — he may well be capable of doing that consistently over a period of five or six years and wins who knows how many big titles. Shoot, maybe the run starts Sunday. How is Aberg doing it all? What’s the part of his game that impresses you most?
Schrock: He’s third in strokes gained: off the tee and fourth in approach. He hits it a mile and straight as an arrow. You can attack a lot of the flags at TPC Sawgrass from the short grass, but being out of position is when the big numbers come into play. He’s avoided the big miss with effortless power and precision, which is what always grabs me about Ludvig.
Dethier: This is a cop-out, but … all of it. The fact that he can hit it as far and fast as he does while still gaining strokes in every facet of the game makes him a real unicorn.
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Piastowski: As he walked up 18 after his tee shot on Saturday, the NBC cameras captured Aberg alongside caddie Joe Skovron and on-course analyst Jim “Bones” Mackay — and Aberg was laughing. Laughing in the face of all that danger around him? Impressive. Dylan, you had a nice line in our Slack channel this afternoon — that Michael Thorbjornsen is ‘Aberg-lite.’ Can you expand on that? Josh, agree or disagree?
Schrock: I think it’s a great comparison. Both blast it with ease and have similar personalities. Also, both TGL stars we can’t forget.
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Dethier: Both tall, strong, upright, athletic, still low-key. They’ve played in similar circles since college, where they had a friendly occasional rivalry. Now they both live in the great Ponte Vedra area, play part-time out of TPC Sawgrass and will share tomorrow’s final tee time. Not a bad time to be either of ‘em, to be honest.
Piastowski: Both have “process-ism,” if I’m allowed to invent a word. I’m not sure they’re completely devoid of nerves — you’ll undoubtedly see a few on Sunday. But man, it really does seem that they lock back into what got them to where they are. They’re kinda nice dudes, too. I think we’d also like to see a Thor-Aberg next September in Ireland. OK, who below those two makes a move on Sunday?
Schrock: I have to think JT will make a run, given his history on this course and how he was able to salvage today’s round after the 7 on No. 6. This course fits his eye and we know he’ll try to play gas-pedal golf tomorrow. Honorable mention to Viktor Hovland, who is quietly in that pack at eight-under.
Dethier: Xander Schauffele. He hit it so well on Friday but fought his swing Saturday — I think he frees up and fires on Sunday. But wow, there are some fun potential contenders. Hovland, Thomas, Young … this could get really fun.
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Piastowski: Let’s have fun. Scottie, out earlier, shoots a 62 and sits back and watches everyone chase him as he eats Chipotle. Some squirrely shots here and there on Saturday, as you’d expect at Sawgrass. What surprised you most?\
Schrock: I was pretty surprised Cameron Young hit his tee shot on 18 into the water after stuffing it to a foot on 17. He was primed to be in the final pairing with Ludvig before giving two shots back on 18. Thought he’d close in style, but that 18th hole, especially with the wind off the right, gives these guys fits.
Dethier: Guys seem to have a really tough time committing to the tee shot at No. 12, which is definitely an awkward hole, but 10 bogeys out of 38 players in the late wave on a nearly drivable par-4 is more than I’d expect.
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Piastowski: Justin Thomas could very well be in the final group, if not for a pair of water ball tee shots. But that’s Sawgrass. All right, fine I’ll ask: Is this thing a major? Major worthy? What do you want to call it?
Schrock: It’s not a major and that’s perfectly fine. It’s the PGA Tour’s flagship event on an awesome course that almost always delivers. It rings in the start of the major season, but it’s not itself a major. And that’s OK!
Dethier: No. It’s the Players. And that’s actually great!
Piastowski: Yeah, I like all that. The trial balloon of the whole thing was very interesting to watch, though. All right, who wins this thing? (Bonus, if you like, since Sunday’s Selection Sunday — who wins that thing?)
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Schrock: I think Ludvig walks to it. This is a fitting championship for him to win and I think he puts this away by the turn tomorrow. As for March Madness, let me just eat more chalk and take Duke. Really going out on a limb to close us out.
Dethier: Ludvig. And Michigan.
Piastowski: Cam Young. In a playoff. And Iowa State.
Paul Onuachu continued his excellent form on Saturday as Trabzonspor defeated Çaykur Rizespor 1–0 in the Turkish Süper Lig.
The Super Eagles striker scored the only goal of the match six minutes into the second half. He finished from close range after a well-timed cut-back from teammate Oleksandr Zubkov.
The goal took Onuachu’s total to 23 goals and two assists in 26 games in all competitions this season. His performances have played a major role in Trabzonspor’s strong attacking display.
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The 31-year-old has now scored in eight consecutive league matches. He has found the net against several teams during this run, showing consistent form in front of goal.
This achievement makes him the first Trabzonspor player to score in eight or more straight league games since 2011.
Onuachu is also close to setting another record. He is nearing the mark for the most goals scored by a foreign player in a single league season for Trabzonspor. The current record stands at 25 goals.
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The Nigerian striker will hope to continue his scoring streak as the season progresses.
Luka Doncic sank a baseline jumper with half a second remaining in overtime on Saturday to give the Los Angeles Lakers a dramatic 127-125 NBA victory over Denver for their fifth consecutive triumph.
NBA scoring leader Doncic had a triple double with 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds to foil a triple-double effort by Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who had 24 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists.
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“This game was very big,” Doncic said. “We’ve still got a long way to the playoffs. We’ve got to approach every game the same way.”
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The contest only reached overtime because LA’s Austin Reaves, who scored a game-high 32 points, rebounded his own missed free throw and sank a tying basket from the left side with 1.9 seconds to play in regulation.
“Saw they only had one person on that side so tried to miss on that side and go make a play,” Reaves said. “I’ve made it once before but not to this magnitude.”
The score was deadlocked again late in overtime before Doncic’s closing heroics.
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“I just wanted to get my shot off,” the Slovenian superstar said. “I saw there was an opening so I went to the other side. Went to my step back, I’ve worked on this, and trust my shot.”
The Lakers squandered a 17-point lead then erased an eight-point Denver fourth-quarter advantage and won to stand 42-25, third in the Western Conference, while the Nuggets fell to 41-27, sixth in the West.
“That’s the best I’ve ever seen the crowd here,” Doncic said.
The Lakers won the season series over Denver, a key tie-breaker edge in the standings if needed.
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At San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama delivered an electric all-around performance to lead the Spurs over Charlotte 115-102.
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Wembanyama scored a game-high 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for San Antonio’s 17th victory in 19 games.
The 22-year-old, 7-foot-4 (2.24m) French center added eight assists, three blocked shots and two steals to avenge a January loss at Charlotte.
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“That might have been my worst defensive game all year,” Wembanyama said. “So yeah, we had to make a statement today.”
The Spurs improved to 49-18, the second-best record in the NBA and only three games behind West leader Oklahoma City.
“What’s next is pretty straightforward. We want to win everything,” Wembanyama said.
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“We’ve got one disadvantage is that we don’t got experience. But that can be an advantage, too, because if we don’t know it’s impossible we might still do it.”
Wembanyama is mindful of keeping his body healthy for the upcoming post-season and in his quest for personal awards — the NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophies.
“In my mind it’s taking great care of my body because I also want to win the MVP and defensive player of the year,” Wembanyama said.
Wembanyama scored four points and added an assist in a 12-0 Spurs run to grab a 104-88 lead with 6:05 remaining.
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– Hawks’ streak at nine –
The Atlanta Hawks stretched their win streak to nine games, a run they had not produced since the 2014-15 campaign, by defeating visiting Milwaukee 122-99.
Jalen Johnson had a triple double for the Hawks with 23 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds while C.J. McCollum scored a game-high 30 points for Atlanta.
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Orlando’s win streak reached seven games with a 121-117 victory at Miami, ending the Heat’s win streak at seven behind 27 points by Paolo Banchero and 21 by Desmond Bane.
Boston’s Jayson Tatum had 20 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists while Neemias Queta scored a game-high 24 points to spark the Celtics’ 111-100 victory at Washington, the Wizards losing skid reaching 11 games.
Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes scored a season-high 28 points to lead the host 76ers over Brooklyn 104-97.
;)
