North Carolina football is less than two weeks from opening summer camp ahead of its second season under seven-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick.
Belichick led the Tar Heels to a 4-8 record in his first season in Chapel Hill, but a string of off-field headlines largely overshadowed the team.
The controversy has carried into the offseason, apparently prompting at least one prominent UNC football alumnus to forgo attending games in person when the 2026 season begins this fall.
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Marquise Williams, who earned All-ACC honors during his four-year run with UNC, announced his plan to skip games this year.
Marquise Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels warms up before a game against the Clemson Tigers at Bank of America Stadium Dec. 5, 2015, in Charlotte, N.C.(Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
“I will not be attending any UNC football games this year!” Williams wrote Thursday on X. “The things I’m hearing man I would have never thought.” He added a broken heart emoji but did not elaborate on exactly what put him off.
Williams still lives in North Carolina and serves as quarterbacks coach at Louisburg College. He ranks sixth on UNC’s all-time passing yards list.
While Williams’ exact reasoning remains unclear, much of the chatter surrounding the program has centered on Belichick, 73, and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.
Marquise Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks to pass against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during a game at Carter-Finley Stadium Nov. 28, 2015, in Raleigh, N.C.(Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
During last year’s widely discussed “CBS News Sunday Morning” interview, Hudson faced accusations that she attempted to exert control during the former NFL coach’s sit-down. The interview was part of a promotional tour for Belichick’s new book, “The Art of Winning — Lessons from My Life in Football.”
The viral moment sparked questions about Hudson’s involvement in both his personal and professional life and whether it could affect football operations.
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Head coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Jordon Hudson before a game against the Richmond Spiders at Kenan Memorial Stadium Sept. 13, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C.(Lance King/Getty Images)
North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi recently addressed the scrutiny and outside criticism that surrounded the program last season, defending the team’s response amid what he characterized as inaccurate accounts.
“All during those stormy times, all during when the boat was getting capsized, when people were attacking us with fake rumors and fake stories all over — nobody’s corrected them yet, but that’s OK, we understand — our players hung together,” Lombardi told the “Pat McAfee Show” last week.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record for consecutive games with 20 points or more, extending his streak to 127 on Thursday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder guard hit two free throws in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics to reach 19 points. With the crowd on its feet, Gilgeous-Alexander pump-faked several times and drilled a jumper over Baylor Scheierman from beyond the free-throw line with 7:04 left in the period to push his total to 21.
Chamberlain’s record had stood until 1963, and early on, it looked like Gilgeous-Alexander might struggle to break it. The Hamilton native didn’t score until halfway through the first quarter, but he had 10 points by the end of the period and 17 at halftime.
Gilgeous-Alexander won his first MVP award last season, and his consistency for the defending champion Thunder could lead to a repeat. He won the scoring title last season and ranks second in scoring this year. Oklahoma City has the league’s best record.
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Coach Mark Daigneault credited Gilgeous-Alexander for his steady focus.
“That’s the impressive thing about him,” Daigneault said before the game. “Human nature is that you have success, you ease a little bit, and he’s the opposite. He tastes it, he wants more, he wants to come back for seconds.”
Chamberlain scored at least 20 in 126 straight games from 1961 to 1963. He had 20 or more in every game of the 1961-62 season for the Philadelphia Warriors, which included his record 100-point game in 1962. Chamberlain’s streak ended on Jan. 20, 1963, when he was ejected after just four minutes for the San Francisco Warriors against the St. Louis Hawks.
Gilgeous-Alexander tied the record on Monday, when he scored 35 points against the Denver Nuggets. He also had a career-high 15 assists and nine rebounds and hit the decisive 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
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“He puts the work behind it, does it consistently,” Daigneault said. “He’s a perfectionist when it comes to his craft. He’s got an unbelievably high bar for himself, and yet, he’s incredibly empathic with his teammates.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has five games with at least 50 points during the run, including a career-high 55-point effort against the Indiana Pacers in the second game of this season. He was last held under 20 when he scored 18 on Oct. 30, 2024, against San Antonio.
Gilgeous-Alexander passed Chamberlain’s second-best streak of 92 games earlier this season. The Thunder entered the night with a 102-24 record during Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak.
It’s been a week of scoring feats in the NBA. Miami’s Bam Adebayo scored 83 points on Tuesday, the second most behind Chamberlain’s 100-point game.
As Team India embarks on a new cycle that will culminate in the ODI World Cup next year, will Sanju and Ishan’s T20 WC heroics be good enough for them to be candidates in the set up?The bubbly of euphoria of the T20 World Cup triumph was still spilling over when Gautam Gambhir was asked whether the current Indian white-ball generation is the best in business. The coach was at his pragmatic best when he said: “I am not so sure when you’ve lost two bilateral ODI series recently.”Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The indications were quite clear. The T20 World Cup win is all fine but it’s time to look forward because India will be judged in the next one-and-a-half years on its ODI performances. Reason: The ODI World Cup in South Africa in October-November 2027.While the Indian T20 team has been a force of nature in the last couple of years, the ODI team has stuttered a bit. While the Mr Matchwinner for India, Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t played a single ODI since the 2023 World Cup final, the results haven’t always been that convincing.
Gautam Gambhir reflects on India’s World Cup win and backing Sanju Samson in the tournament
In 2024, India lost an ODI series in Sri Lanka, one in Australia in 2025 and one at home to New Zealand earlier this year. In between, there was a Champions Trophy triumph in Dubai, but those matches were played in designer spinfriendly conditions which won’t be replicated in South Africa.That brings us to a pertinent question — is India lacking something in the ODI format?Given the way new-age whiteball cricket is being played, one may be tempted to say it is the explosivity in the batting department that can be an area of discussion. Of course, ODIs are not T20s — which is mostly sixth gear cricket — and you need a little bit of balance in the 50-over format. Still, it won’t be a bad time to ask whether some of the T20 superstars who have the wherewithal to play the longer format should be looked at in ODIs in the lead-up to the World Cup.
The two obvious names that can come up for immediate discussion are that of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. Sanju made the difference at the most crucial stages of the T20 World Cup while Ishan is a proven player in 50 overs — boasting of a highest score of 210 in ODIs. Sanju, on the other hand, has an impressive ODI average of 56.66 and a strike-rate of 99.60.Former India batter WV Raman feels Sanju has all the elements in his game that can make him a success in ODIs. “He is a terrific player and whatever problems he was having with his temperament, he has addressed that. I am convinced that Sanju has the game to succeed in ODIs,” Raman told TOI.But then, the question begs: Where is the vacancy? Sanju is essentially an opener and India’s two current ODI openers are Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Rohit has been a little up and down in the only format that he plays, while Shubman is team captain. Former national selector Devang Gandhi added the name of Yashasvi Jaiswal to the list. “Next in line is Jaiswal and if a slot opens up, how can you give somebody a go ahead of him? I have nothing against Samson, but let him go back to domestic one-day cricket get runs, and then try for an ODI comeback. That’s how the selectors should think,” Gandhi said.Raman, though, is a believer of backing a player when he is in form. “It’s for the team management to find a place for Sanju. For me, Sanju is good enough for ODIs,” Raman said.Ishan, meanwhile, may have a little more flexibility in finding a place. The Jharkhand left-hander can play in top-three as well as lower down the order. Additionally, like Sanju, he is a keeper as well and can be a deputy to KL Rahul. “But then, there’s Rishabh Pant. What has Pant done wrong to be dropped from the ODI set-up? These are very talented young players we are talking about and they should be handled with care,” Gandhi said.Indian cricket will dive deep into IPL in a couple of weeks’ time and as per the recent trend, performances in the two-month tournament will become a serious benchmark for selection across formats.Ishan, playing at No. 3 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Sanju, opening the batting for his new side Chennai Super Kings, will have the opportunity to break every selection door down.Gandhi, though, argues that shouldn’t be the case.“Don’t forget, there are hardly any close-in fielders in T20s. The aim of every bowler is containment. It’s not always the case in ODIs,” the former India opener said.
For the complete match list, venues, and timings, check the full IPL 2026 schedule, fixtures, and team-wise match dates here.
Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has called on the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to step down after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The former midfielder described the situation as a serious disappointment for Nigerian football, noting that the Nigeria national football team will miss the global tournament for the second time in a row.
Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the tournament ended last November after a penalty shootout defeat to the DR Congo national football team in the second round of African qualifying. The loss confirmed that the three-time African champions would not take part in the competition in North America unless an unlikely late ruling from FIFA changes the outcome.
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For a country often regarded as one of Africa’s leading football nations, the failure has drawn strong reactions from former players and supporters across the country.
Mikel, who played 89 times for Nigeria and featured at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, admitted that the result was painful considering Nigeria’s rich football history.
“When you have a country as big as Nigeria with such a huge population and football culture, not qualifying for the World Cup twice in a row is very painful,” he said.
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The former Chelsea FC midfielder was also part of the Nigerian side that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, the nation’s third continental title.
According to him, the repeated failure should lead to serious reflection within the federation.
Mikel insisted that those in charge of running the sport must take responsibility for the poor results and allow new leadership to bring fresh ideas to rebuild the national team.
“I’ve said it many times — the people running the FA should all resign,” he said.
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“It’s the second time we’ve failed to qualify for the World Cup, and there has to be accountability.”
The former midfielder also warned that Nigeria could lose its position among Africa’s top football nations if urgent reforms are not introduced.
He pointed to the progress made by the Morocco national football team as an example of how proper planning, investment, and long-term development can improve a country’s performance on the international stage. ⚽
Former NFL star and professional boxer Le’Veon Bell has been making quite the headlines lately, grabbing the attention of the WWE Universe. The star recently made some comments about The Vision’s Logan Paul, which ended up sparking a lot of speculation about his potential debut at WrestleMania.
The footballer turned boxer revealed that Paul had promised him a contract for a boxing match multiple times in the past, but didn’t end up fulfilling his end of the bargain because of his ongoing deal with the Stamford-based company. This led to speculations of Bell making his way to WWE for a match against The Maverick in the squared circle on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
Thanks for the submission!
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While the speculations were not expected to come true, during a recent episode of the Busted Open podcast, Bell revealed that he was set to be in attendance on The Grandest Stage of Them All this year. This has made a potential confrontation between Paul and Bell even more possible.
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“They [WWE] haven’t. They haven’t. It’s just literally all me. Regardless if they contact me or not, I’m still gonna be there. I’mma either be front row and I’m gonna be there. I might pull up as a masked man. You might not even know I’m there. If I’m there, you might not even know I’m there….I’ll be there. I will be there,” Bell stated [H/T Fightful]
Le’Veon Bell recently apologised to WWE Superstars
Following his recent appearance on the Busted Open, Le’Veon Bell also made a public apology for his comments on the athleticism of the WWE Superstars in the past.
The star, in a post on X/Twitter, accepted that professional wrestling was a craft and that the stars performing are some of the greatest athletes on the globe. Bell has managed to earn the respect of the professional wrestling fans, and a potential confrontation with Logan Paul at WrestleMania 42 seems to be the future.
Time will now tell what the company has in store for the stars.
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Mason Greenwood left Manchester United in 2024 and is currently playing for Marseille in Ligue 1
22:25, 12 Mar 2026Updated 22:40, 12 Mar 2026
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Marseille sporting director Medhi Benatia was reportedly keen on offloading former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood after concerns about his commitment and work rate. That’s according to reports in France who claim the 38-year-old wanted to sell the striker prior to finishing as joint Ligue 1 top-goalscorer with 21 goals last season.
Greenwood finished level with PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, scoring six goals in eight matches towards the end of the campaign to help Marseille qualify for the Champions League.
La Provence claim Benatia wanted to sell the 24-year-old due to his lack of defensive contribution, with Greenwood reported to have avoided the sporting director around the club.
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It was a view shared by former boss Roberto De Zerbi, who dropped Greenwood from the Marseille starting line-up against Lens and PSG in March last year.
At the time, De Zerbi said: “I expect more from him. He has to do more, because what he is currently showing is not enough.
“If he wants to achieve his ambition of becoming a champion, he has to be more consistent, sacrifice more and be more determined.”
The former Brighton boss later said: “Greenwood is a very good person whom I love, as I love his father. He’s had a bit of a tough time lately because he had a daughter who was born, and I don’t think he’s used to playing such an intense season and being a main player. I think he paid for it physically.
“That is to say that he didn’t push himself and wasn’t 100% as I wanted in training, in terms of what I expect from a player like him.
“His physical condition has declined a little, but my project in Marseille is not only to qualify for the Champions League, it is also to create something like what Luis Enrique has created (at PSG). He has created a team, a group of strong players, but with a soul.”
Greenwood would go on to become a key player for the Ligue 1 side and has scored 25 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for Marseille this season.
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Several high profile European clubs including Barcelona, Napoli and Atletico Madrid have been credited with an interest.
Chelsea’s Pedro Neto apologized for shoving a ball boy late in his team’s 5-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match.
The ball had just gone out of play down the right in stoppage time when the Portugal winger tried to get it quickly and shoved the ball boy in the chest as he appeared to be trying to hold onto the ball.
The ball boy tumbled backward into an advertising board.
“I want to come out and apologize for what happened on the pitch,” Neto told TNT Sports after the game. “I’ve spoken with the ball boy. With the emotions of the game, we were losing, I wanted to pick up the ball. I gave him a little push. I saw that I hurt him and I am sorry, as I’m not like this.”
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The boy got back up and appeared unharmed. He was comforted by some PSG players as others indulged in some pushing and shoving, while other PSG players scolded Neto.
Neto said he gave the boy his No. 7 jersey.
“I gave him my shirt as well,” Neto said. “He was happy that I gave him the shirt and said sorry like, 35 times.”
Neto was not punished by the referee over the incident.
“I saw there was an altercation,” Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said. “I haven’t seen (the incident). If there is wrongdoing on our part, I apologize on behalf of the club (and) Pedro has done so in interviews.”
Rosenior said he should have helped his players focus better after the incident, which was followed moments later by PSG’s fifth goal.
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“It’s on me,” he said. “We have to manage the moments better.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The science confirms it: We are more distracted today than at any point in our history.
According to studies from the renowned researcher Gloria Mark of the University of California-Irvine, the average attention span on a digital device has dropped more than 60 percent in just two decades — from 120 seconds in 2004 to less than 45 seconds in 2024. It’s a phenomenon called “popcorn brain,” and it is shared in separate studies by researchers from across the world of academia.
But the latest challenge of digital decline arrived on television screens on Thursday at the Players Championship in a far different way: through Justin Thomas’s return to the lead after a six-month absence from tournament golf.
“I felt like it really was just all mental,” Thomas said Thursday after an opening-round 68 at the Players Championship. “I had a little bit of fatigue out there. I had a hard time keeping my focus the whole — just like I did going back out after the rain delay. I said to [caddie Matt “Rev” Minister], I was like, I’m very spacey.”
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Thomas’ “mental” remark was in reference to his return last week at Bay Hill — more on that in a moment — but his attentional struggles continued on Thursday, and understandably so: The two-time major champ returned to the Players for just his second event since spinal surgery in the offseason that robbed him of the early portion of his season. It’s not hard to imagine how, after spending at least some of his time away from golf enjoying the fruits of the endless scroll, Thomas’ return to the relentless focus of a five-plus-hour tournament round would be a challenge.
At last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, Thomas showed signs of that struggle, struggling just to break 80 in both rounds of a missed cut en route to last place at the limited field event.
“Look, I wasn’t expecting to go be in contention and have a chance to win the golf tournament. I fully believed that I could. Like, I was hitting all these shots and doing things well enough to, but I knew it was going to be tough mentally being out there and playing,” he said Thurday. “But when you kind of post two pretty humiliating scores, it’s hard to give yourself too much grace.”
It’s not often a round of golf qualifies as a sigh of relief, but considering the state of affairs at Bay Hill, Thomas left TPC Sawgrass on Thursday just one shot off the lead set by Maverick McNealy … and feeling decidedly relieved.
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“My main goal is getting through these weeks,” he admitted. “Really feeling like I’m not having to try so hard to be in a good place at Augusta.”
“A lot of confidence comes from doing it in competition,” Thomas said. “It helps when you’re able to do things a lot in practice. But at the same time, all the clutch putters feel as good as they do because they made that many when it matters. A basketball player like MJ made so many of those shots, and he was comfortable because he made so many of those shots in games.”
As Thomas explained, returning to tournament golf is a strange emotional experience. Technically, your golf swing can be in great shape, and mentally, you can feel ready to go — but until you’ve been through the heat of battle, you just don’t know how you’re going to perform.
On Thursday at the Players, Thomas felt what it was like to be back in the driver’s seat again. Keeping focus may have required some extra effort, but he held strong, getting in the house with three birdies on his last five holes.
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And as he walked off the course after the round, not even he could deny the joy he felt at just staying in the fight. The score was nice, but the feeling? That had his attention.
“I kind of had a deep breath to myself walking off 9 and even said internally, I needed that,” Thomas said. “I feel confident with things. But again, until it happens in competition, it’s kind of hard to fully buy into you’re ready.”
Emma Raducanu reacts during the Transylvania Open 2026 Singles Final at BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on February 7, 2026. (Photo by Flaviu Buboi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Emma Raducanu will not feature for the Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup team in their upcoming qualifier against the Australia Billie Jean King Cup team next month.
The tie is scheduled to take place at Melbourne Park on April 10–11, but Raducanu has opted out of the fixture as the European clay-court season approaches.
This will be the third consecutive time the 2021 US Open champion has not played for Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup.
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Great Britain will instead be led by Sonay Kartal, while Harriet Dart, Jodie Burrage, and 17-year-old debutant Mika Stojsavljevic have been named in the squad.
Several other key British players will also be absent. Katie Boulter and Fran Jones are both unavailable for the trip to Australia.
Team captain Anne Keothavong said the team still has strong experience despite the changes.
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“We’ve got players with great experience in this competition in our team and it’s an exciting opportunity for Mika to join the senior team for the first time,” she said.
Great Britain have reached the semi-finals of the competition in the last two editions, and Keothavong could still add another player to the squad before the tie in Melbourne.
Sanju Samson‘s three consecutive half-centuries at the T20 World Cup 2026 was the most inspirational story to emerge from the tournament. For long, Samson has been considered as having the talent to make it big on the biggest stage. Somehow, the consistency never arrived, and ahead of the T20 World Cup, he suffered a torrid run. He did not play in all matches in the tournament either. But once he started to fire, beginning with the Super 8 match against West Indies, there was no stopping him.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak revealed the quiet confidence that preceded Samson’s resurgent run to becoming the Player of the Tournament in India’s triumphant 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup campaign, recalling how the wicketkeeper-batter promised that he would contribute whenever the team needed him.
“I always used to tell Sanju, ‘Sanju, you don’t know – sometimes in two or three days, an injury or form issue could come up, or even a combination issue may appear. So you have to be ready.’ He has so much experience, but he would laugh and say, ‘Arey Kotsi bhai, don’t worry. Whenever the team needs me, I will contribute,’” Kotak told IANS.
The India batting coach even asked him for a hundred, and Samson gave an interesting reply.
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“I told Sanju, ‘Ek toh hundred karna hai’ (you have to score one hundred). He replied with a smile: ‘On one hand you say it’s not about personal milestones, and on the other you say I should score a hundred. How are both things possible?’” Kotak said in an interview to Sportstar.
After being an unused member in India’s 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup win, Samson ended up amassing 321 runs across just five innings in 2026 to finish as India’s leading scorer, surpassing Virat Kohli‘s 319-run mark from 2014 – making him the most prolific Indian batter in a single edition of the tournament.
Indiana Pacers face Phoenix Suns in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) gets past Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Slawson (18) and guard Ethan Thompson (55) during a game Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Phoenix Suns in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) gets past Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Slawson (18) and guard Ethan Thompson (55) during a game Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Phoenix Suns in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac (40) shoots the ball over Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) during a game Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Phoenix Suns in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac (40) tips the ball during a game against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Phoenix Suns in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac (40) pushes past Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) during a game Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Phoenix Suns in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac (40) and guard Ethan Thompson (55) defend Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) as he shoots the ball during a game Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Indiana Pacers face Phoenix Suns in NBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Slawson (18) defends Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) as he shoots the ball during a game Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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INDIANAPOLIS — Devin Booker scored 43 points and Jalen Green scored 36 points to lead the Suns to a 123-108 win over the Pacers in Ivica Zubac‘s first game in the Indiana lineup on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers lost their 11th straight game and fell to 15-51 and are in last place in the NBA. The Suns have won four straight and improved to 39-27.
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Forward Royce O’Neale added 15 points with five 3-pointers for the Suns. Guard Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 23 points. Forward Jarace Walker had 12 points and Ethan Thompson had 11. Zubac had eight points, six rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes, playing only in the first half on a minutes restriction.
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Here are three observations.
Ivica Zubac strong in Pacers debut
More than a month after he was acquired in a trade for the Clippers with Kobe Brown for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and three draft picks, Zubac finally donned a Pacers jersey and played in a game after spending the last month healing a sprained left ankle. He was on a minutes restriction and didn’t appear in the second half, but his limited time on the floor provided a summary the reasons the Pacers were so devoted to getting him at the trade deadline and why they believe in him as their long-term answer at center.
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Zubac scored eight points on 4 of 6 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists in 16 minutes, and almost everything he did was highlight worthy. His first assist was a slick bounce pass out of a double team to guard Thompson for a pull-up jumper. His second came when he grabbed an offensive rebound over two Suns defenders, pivoted through them and hit forward Jarace Walker diving to the rim for a dunk. His first field goal was a dunk on an alley-oop from Thompson. His other field goals were all hooks and floaters but showed good touch out to 10 feet.
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Beyond that, his effect on the game as a screener was immense. Andrew Nembhard’s 23-point effort had a lot to do with the space and gravity the 7-foot, 240-pound Zubac created every time he set a ball screen. He brings more physical force to the game than any center the Pacers have had in years but he also has exceptional vision and feel for the game. There won’t be too much payoff for that this season, but his potential value to a fully healthy Pacers squad was clear.
Andrew Nembhard goes off in first half, doesn’t return in second
Zubac’s gravity helped Nembhard more than anybody as the fourth-year guard used the space to have one of his best and most efficient scoring nights of the season. And he only played the first half.
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Nembhard scored 23 points on 6 of 7 shooting, hit both of his 3-point attempts and sunk 9 of 10 free throws in 17 first-half minutes. He also dished out two assists and recorded a steal. He had a ton of space to shoot on the 3s, he fought his way to two mid-range shots and also got all the way to the rim for two more including one a steal for a fast-break layup.
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Neither Nembhard nor Zubac played any second-half minutes. There was no injury designation for Nembhard’s removal but he was listed as questionable with low back and neck soreness coming into the game and has been dealing with that issue for some time. (And also the Pacers are in last place in the East and contending for draft lottery position.)
Devin Booker, Jalen Green too much for remaining Pacers
The Pacers were already playing without All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, forward Aaron Nesmith and guards T.J. McConnell and Quenton Jackson due to injuries on Thursday night — and are of course still missing Tyrese Haliburton and Johnny Furphy due to their season-ending injuries. So when Nembhard and Zubac didn’t return for the second half, the Pacers had very much a skeleton crew remaining. Rookie guard Kam Jones, two-way contract guard Thompson, Walker, Brown and Jay Huff took the floor as the starting five for the second half. The remaining bench included guard Ben Sheppard, two-way contract guard Taelon Peter, two-way forward Jalen Slawson and center Micah Potter. For most of the second half, the Pacers effectively played a G League caliber lineup.
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That group actually did better than expected, especially in the third quarter when they were only outscored 29-27 and at one point were within two points of the lead. Even in the fourth quarter it never got totally out of hand. In just his second game with the Pacers since his Exhibit 10 contract with the Boom was upgraded to a two-way deal, Slawson scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists and grabbed two steals. Thompson scored 11 points. Walker had 12 points. Jay Huff had 10 and Ben Sheppard had 10.
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The Suns, however did not pull any of their stars and they performed like superstars. Five-time All-Star Devin Booker went off for 43 points on 14 of 31 shooting including 4 of 7 from 3-point range and 11 of 11 free throws. Jalen Green, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, scored 36 points on 14 of 23 shooting. Those two combined for 43 in the second half with Green scoring 22 and Booker 21 and that was enough to put the game away.
