The San Francisco Giantshave had a challenging 2026 season thus far, and Wednesday’s game against the San Diego Padres suggested that frustration may already be creeping in. To start the season, the Giants endured a home sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees and were out-scored 13-1 across those three games. Wednesday presented an opportunity to erase those recent memories, as they had taken the first two games of the set against their National League West rivals. That turned out not to happen, as the Padres prevailed 7-1 behind a strong start from Nick Pivetta.
As for those aforementioned frustrations, they most visibly belonged to veteran third baseman Matt Chapman. With two out and two on in the bottom of the fifth, Xander Bogaerts chopped one to Chapman, who had to make a hurried and somewhat off-balance throw to Casey Schmitt at first base. It didn’t go as planned:
That’s a high throw and an error on Chapman, but it appeared to be catchable on the part of Schmitt. Chapman apparently agreed, as during the ensuing mound visit, he appeared to tell Schmitt to “catch the f—ing ball.”
No doubt, Chapman was also thinking of a similar play in the first inning when Schmitt was charged with an error:
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Those plays accounted for both Padre runs, at least until they pulled away in the later innings. After the game, Chapman addressed the mound visit incident with reporters. Via NBC Sports Bay Area:
“We’re all brothers here. It’s the heat of the moment. I already talked to Casey. It’s all good.”
“We’re trying to win games. I mean, obviously I’m not mad about it or anything. That’s baseball. I mean, those are things I should have done and didn’t.”
In Schmitt’s defense, he’s far more familiar with the other infield positions, and Wednesday marked just his 18th career start at first base. However, the utility infielder was pressed into regular duty at first base because of Rafael Devers‘ balky hamstring, which has limited him to DH thus far. As well, the organization determined that young first baseman Bryce Eldridge, the Giants’ top prospect, needed further seasoning at Triple-A to start the year. If it’s any consolation to Chapman, Schmitt shouldn’t be at first base much longer.
All of this, of course, isn’t a big deal or even anything all that unusual. It just happened to be caught by the lens and lip readers, which is why we’re talking about it.
Tiger Woods, following a two-car crash last Friday that led to his DUI arrest, said Tuesday night that he is “stepping away” to seek treatment and “focus on my health.”
The 15-time major winner’s announcement came over X, in a two-paragraph release. It read as follows:
“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today. I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.
“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”
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Nine minutes later, the PGA Tour released statements both from the league and its CEO, Brian Rolapp. Along with being a member of the tour, Woods had been working as the head of the organization’s newly formed Future Competition Committee.
Below is the statement from Rolapp:
“Tiger Woods is one of the most influential figures the sports world has ever known.
“Over the last year, I have come to deeply appreciate Tiger not only for his impact on the game, but for his friendship and the perspective he has shared with me as I joined the golf industry.
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“My thoughts are with him and his family as he takes this step, for which he has my full respect and support.”
Below is the statement from the PGA Tour:
“Tiger Woods is a legend of our sport whose impact extends far beyond his achievements on the course. But above all else, Tiger is a person, and our focus is on his health and well‑being. Tiger continues to have our full support as he takes this important step.”
The three statements come four days after Woods was involved in the crash, which happened near his home on Jupiter Island, Fla. According to the Martin County sheriff on Friday, Woods had tried to pass a truck, clipped it, and his SUV flipped onto its driver side. After officers arrived, DUI investigators conducted tests, Woods showed “signs of impairment,” and he was arrested. At the Martin County Jail, Woods took a breathalyzer test and showed no trace of alcohol, but he refused a urinalysis test, leading to misdemeanor DUI charges. Neither Woods nor the other driver involved was injured.
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Late Friday night, Woods posted bond and was released from the prison. On Tuesday afternoon, Woods pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to court documents obtained by GOLF.com, and a court hearing is scheduled for April 23. Woods has also retained the services of Douglas Duncan, an attorney who served on his 2017 DUI case after Woods was found asleep at the wheel of his car and tested positive for five substances in a toxicology report. Ultimately, two of the three misdemeanor charges against Woods were dropped in that case, and he pleaded guilty only to reckless driving.
Earlier Tuesday, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office released additional details on the arrest and crash. According to the report obtained by GOLF.com, two white pills were found in Woods’ left pant pocket, which were marked as Hydrocodone, an opioid commonly used for pain treatment. Woods said that he takes “a few” types of medication and had taken prescribed medicine that morning. Multiple medicines were redacted from the report.
The report also said that Woods said he was looking down at his phone and changing the radio station at the time of the accident. After investigating the crash, Martin County Sheriff Deputy Tatiana Levenar noted that Woods was “sweating profusely,” and though he was “lethargic and slow,” he was alert throughout the investigation. Levenar also said that Woods walked with a limp but also stumbled.
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Friday’s crash and the 2017 incident are two of four incidents involving Woods inside a car. In 2021, Woods was involved in a one-car crash outside of Los Angeles, sustained multiple injuries, and was hospitalized for three weeks following surgery. In a statement at the time, a doctor said Woods “suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery.” The injuries included “comminuted open fractures” in the tibia and fibula, requiring a rod to be inserted into the leg. In November of 2009, Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and tree outside of his home and was cited for careless driving.
According to Woods’ statement, it was unclear what treatment he would seek, and how long he would be away from golf. Next week, an event Woods has won five times, the Masters, is set to start, and Woods has said he would be on the grounds at Augusta National, though it was unknown whether he would have played after he had undergone a back procedure last October. Woods was also supposed to be in attendance at Augusta Municipal Golf Course after helping with the course’s recent redesign.
Woods has not played tournament golf since the 2024 Open Championship. Three days before Friday’s crash, he played with his team in TGL, the simulator-based league he co-founded.
We now know who, where and when England and Scotland will play this summer in the men’s football World Cup. The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 and is being hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, but both home teams will play their initial three group games at American venues.
For Scotland’s first men’s World Cup appearance in 28 years, the first two matches are both in Boston: against Haiti on 14 June and Morocco on 19 June. Boston is the closest venue to Scotland. Their final match of the group, against Brazil, is in Miami on 24 June.
With days to fill between games, it’s a big geographical puzzle. The answers to the key questions are here.
Scotland players celebrate on the pitch after the World Cup 2026 qualification match against Denmark on 18 November (AFP via Getty Images)
What do fans need to know before travelling to the World Cup?
It’s going to be hot – particularly for England’s first match against Croatia in Dallas, where the average daily high is 33C. For Scotland’s final group game against Brazil in Miami, expect 31C and high humidity.
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It could be expensive: although there is evidence that international air fares are actually falling compared with summer 2025, domestic flight prices are soaring. Accommodation is also looking pricey: the cheapest hotel in downtown Dallas on the night of England’s first match is nearly £400.
And before you do any planning, sort out the red tape. Apply for an Esta permit, which costs $40 (£31) ahead of any financial commitment to travel arrangements.
While most are granted within a couple of days, Estas can be refused for all kinds of reasons – such as having a similar name to someone on a watchlist. If your application is turned down and you have to apply for a visa, the process will be slow and expensive. You will need to attend the US Embassy in London or Consulate in Belfast, and there is no guarantee of success. The wait time for an interview at either of the UK locations is six weeks.
How do transatlantic airfares look?
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I am tracking the price of flights from the point of view of an England fan who takes the first non-stop departure from London Heathrow to Dallas-Fort Worth on 16 June, the eve of the opening game, and returns from New York JFK during the day after the last group match on 27 June. Before the locations were confirmed, the fare on American Airlines was £837. Within three hours, it had gone up by one-sixth to £993. While normally such fares would be expected to increase steadily, the price has remained unchanged in three months – indicating sales are sluggish.
London has by far the highest concentration of transatlantic flights, with Manchester and Edinburgh a long way behind.
Travelling via Continental Europe allows connections from many English and Scottish airports. From Newcastle to Dallas on 16 June, returning from New York on 27 June, costs £1,005 on KLM via Amsterdam (with an added transfer outbound at JFK to a Delta flight).
You can keep the cost down by connecting in Dublin; Ireland sadly failed to qualify for the World Cup. On those same dates, United has a flight from Dublin via Newark or Washington DC to Dallas-Fort Worth, returning nonstop from Newark, for £787. Ryanair has return flights from Birmingham to Dublin for £43, though these are not guaranteed connections.
The fare on American Airlines from London to Dallas before the first England group match, returning from New York on the day after the last group game has remained stable since the draw was made (AFP via Getty Images)
What about travel within the US?
Loads of US domestic flights serve Boston, Dallas, New York and Miami – England’s and Scotland’s match venues. But there will also be huge demand from fans, the media and the organisers – and it seems clear that fares are already rising.
OAG, a global provider of digital flight information, has analysed fares currently being charged for June and July 2026 and compared them with the same months last summer. Miami, which Scotland fans will need to reach from Boston, is at present 65 per cent more expensive for domestic flights than in 2025.
Boston and New York, where England and Scotland will play their other matches, are seeing rises of 36 per cent and 28 per cent respectively.
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The cheapest flight from Boston to Miami the day after Scotland’s second game, against Morocco, is £164 – and involves a 6am departure. Some flights latter than day are priced at over £1,000.
Delaying the trip a few days and flying south the day before the last match against Brazil, you can pay just £85.
Can I take the train instead?
Yes, and there are some reasonable fares on Amtrak intercity trains. Between Boston and New York, venues for England’s second and third matches respectively, Amtrak “Northeast Regional” trains take about four hours 15 minutes. Fares are as low as $25 (£19). “Acela” branded trains are about 40 minutes faster but are business and first class only – with the cheapest ticket, for a journey of barely 200 miles, costing $226 (£171).
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From Boston to Miami on the day after Scotland’s second game, the fare on Amtrak via Washington DC is $258 (£195).
Greyhound and FlixBus fares are surprisingly high – typically $75 (£57) for the four- to five-hour trip from Boston to New York.
How do I get match tickets?
At this stage, by throwing money at the problem. For the Scotland-Haiti match in Boston on 13 June, for example, Fifa is selling a match hospitality package including a good ticket plus access to the Pitchside Lounge for $3,900 (£2,954).
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For more normal prices, the “Last Minute Sales Phase” began on 1 April through Fifa.com/tickets. This is the fourth and final official tranche of tickets, and will remain open until the end of the tournament. It is strictly first-come, first-served.
Fifa says: “Fans will be able to immediately see the matches and categories for which tickets are available, select specific seats, proceed with the purchase and receive confirmation once payment is completed.”
After you have waded through the security system, you can select “Display only available matches”. As of early April, these are entirely group matches, range from the Canada-Bosnia game in Toronto on 12 June (minimum US$1,645/£1,243) to the Democratic Congo-Uzbekistan fixture in Atlanta on 27 June ($380/£290).
Other routes to the stadium?
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The secondary market is extremely active. Fifa has a resale portal, which could offer some decent value for less in-demand matches, involving teams with few travelling supporters and without large local communities with links to the nations. These include:
Curacao v Ivory Coast in Philadelphia
Qatar v Switzerland in San Francisco
Iran v New Zealand in Los Angeles
Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia in Houston.
But most of the action is focused on the commercial resellers. Intermediaries are selling the cheapest tickets for England’s first match against Croatia for £840 – over four times face value.
“To enter the stadium, you will need an official ticket on the FIFA World Cup app. Printed copies or screenshots may not be accepted at stadium gates. Each ticket is linked to the purchaser’s details, and ID checks may be required upon entry.
“Tickets sold on unofficial resale websites, social media, or through third-party vendors may not be genuine. Fraudulent tickets can look legitimate but may be rejected at the stadium gate, leaving you without entry on match day.
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“Some scammers sell the same ticket to multiple buyers or resell tickets that have already been voided by Fifa Ticketing.”
What about accommodation?
Unless you are lucky to have friends or family with spare beds near the venues, be prepared for some credit card shock – especially for the England match in New York.
On the night of 27 June, when England play Panama, hotel rates are already absurd. A typical budget hotel, the Holiday Inn Express in midtown Manhattan, is $591 (£448) for that night. And while it’s fun to stay at the YMCA in Manhattan, the price for a very basic single room with a shared bathroom is $337 (£255) on 27 June.
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I would not book at those prices. You could head for one of the other New York City boroughs – my standby is the Best Western out at Coney Island, with good Subway connections. Last summer I paid £120. On the “England night” it’s £212.
Are there any alternatives for a cheaper bed?
Yes: be patient. I have seen the standard pattern for big sporting events and it goes like this: hotels and other accommodation providers think this is the best get-rich-quick scheme in history. They set their rates high, especially for games involving teams with many travelling fans, such as Brazil, Germany and England.
Yet because many “normal” business and leisure guests will be avoiding in World Cup host cities, there is likely to be plenty to go around – with prices falling in the weeks before the tournament.
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Also, with rates high, increasingly more people will be tempted to put their place on platforms like Airbnb and escape on vacation for the duration. That should put downward pressure on prices.
Fans should treat the trip as a holiday with some football attached, says travel correspondent Simon Calder (AFP via Getty Images)
There’s a lot of time to fill between the games…
Fans should treat the trip as a holiday with some football attached. Boston is a fine city that is well worth 48 hours of exploration, with much to see elsewhere in Massachusetts – from billionaires’ row on Cape Cod to the city of Lowell, a mill town regarded as the cradle of America’s industrial revolution. It’s also where Jack Kerouac, author of On The Road, grew up.
Talking of road trips, England fans travelling from Dallas to Boston, as well as Scotland fans going from Boston to Miami, have excellent opportunities for adventurous journeys between the matches. Check out these two custom-built itineraries.
From Dallas, you can meander through the music state of Tennessee, stopping in Memphis and Nashville, then following the line of the Appalachian mountains. Hertz has a five-day rental for a Chevrolet Malibu (or similar), picking up at Dallas-Fort Worth airport on 18 June and dropping off in downtown Boston, for £758.
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For Scotland fans: south from Boston, the I-95 runs all the way to Miami via New York and Washington DC, with Savannah and the Kennedy Space Center top tourist spots right next to the freeway – but you can take your pick of diversions, including a day at the theme parks of Orlando.
Former India batter Abhinav Mukund questioned Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) decision to leave out spinner Digvesh Rathi from the playing XI for their opening IPL 2026 match against Delhi Capitals (DC). Admitting that the leg-spinner has not been in good form lately, Mukund opined that LSG ought to have shown better faith in the bowler who made a big impact last season.
Rathi (26) was LSG’s leading wicket-taker in their debut season last year. In 13 matches, he claimed 14 wickets at an average of 30.64 and an economy rate of 8.25. He also grabbed eyeballs with his ‘signature’ celebration after claiming a wicket. LSG, however, took a big call and left out Rathi for Wednesday’s match. They went in with four pacers and brought in Shahbaz Ahmed as the Impact Sub.
During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Mukund was extremely critical of LSG‘s selection choices. Sharing his thoughts on the same, he added:
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“I felt the balance of the team was pretty off – seven batters and four bowlers. And then you had to sacrifice your find of last season. I know he may not have followed that up with an excellent domestic season. He’s not been amongst the wickets. He’s not had a great domestic season but that doesn’t mean – you’ve released Bishnoi which means you’ve had your faith in Digvesh Rathi and said ‘okay, you are my number one spinner and you don’t play him the first match.”
Defending a total of 141, LSG’s pacers impressed as Prince Yadav claimed two wickets, while Mohammad Shami and Mohsin Khan chipped in with one each. Sameer Rizvi’s unbeaten 70 off 47 balls, however, guided DC to victory after a shaky start, which saw them slip to 26-4.
“There is no identity within the team” – Abhinav Mukund on LSG’s woes
During the same discussion, Mukund claimed that LSG are yet to establish their identity as a team. Comparing the franchise with Gujarat Titans (GT), who made their IPL debut along with the Lucknow franchise in 2022, the 36-year-old stated that while GT have developed a style of their own, the same cannot be said of LSG. He elaborated:
“I’m very unsure about LSG. They are a very young side in the IPL. So are Gujarat Titans, who are slowly building an identity towards who they are. They might have lost their first game [in 2026] but you know what Gujarat Titans will come up with on a certain day. They are top heavy and rely on their bowlers. They rely on their experience in the middle in terms of their spinners. With Lucknow, you always feel like there is no identity within the team.”
LSG’s second match in IPL 2026 will be against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, April 5. This will be a day game and will start at 3:30pm IST.
Los Angeles Rams all-pro wide receiver Puka Nacua has entered a rehab center after some recent off-field issues.
Nacua was recently accused of assault and battery by a woman who alleges he bit her on the shoulder on New Year’s Eve and made an antisemitic remark.
Neither Nacua’s attorney, Levi McCathern, nor the Rams, immediately responded to an email for confirmation.
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However, the New York Post quoted McCathern as saying, “He was in there a substantial period of time before any of these allegations broke with Madison, and he’s scheduled to be there for a while longer.”
Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after a catch during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
“The combination of stories ya’ll have run is certainly a contributing factor,” the attorney said, adding that Nacua wants to “improve his overall behavior in every aspect of his life that he can do it.”
Plaintiff Madison Atiabi says Nacua bit her and left teeth marks on her shoulder when they were in a van together later in the night, and she claims Nacua also bit her friend’s thumb.
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McCathern strongly denied Nacua made any antisemitic statements but described the bites as “horseplay.”
Atiabi and her attorney, Joseph Kar, claim Nacua made an antisemitic exclamation that emotionally distressed her when they were together in Century City.
Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams reacts during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 28, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
McCathern said “the whole claim is nothing more than a shakedown attempt” and that the bite “left nothing more than a temporary mark,” according to TMZ.
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Nacua apologized for performing an “antisemitic” act on a YouTube stream last last year. Nakua discussed touchdown celebrations on YouTuber Adin Ross’ stream, and, in the video, Ross instructed Nakua to spike the ball, flex and then rub his hands together. Ross, who is Jewish, has referred to the movement as his own “dance” or “emote.”
Many, however, believed the celebration perpetuated a harmful anti-Jewish stereotype. Nacua received overwhelming pushback and issued an apology.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) runs the ball against Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
Tiger Woods was granted permission to travel outside the United States to begin treatment he said he would seek after his DUI arrest Friday in Jupiter Island, Fla.
Woods’ attorney, Douglas N. Duncan, filed a motion requesting permission to leave the country, which was granted by Judge Darren Steele.
“Based upon the Defendant’s treating physician, the out of country treatment facility recommendation is based upon the Defendant’s complex clinical presentation and the urgent need for a level of care that cannot safely or effectively be done within the United States as his privacy has been repeatedly compromised,” court documents obtained by Fox News Digital said.
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“Ongoing medical scrutiny and public exposure create significant barriers to his care and would result in setbacks and an inability to fully engage in treatment.”
Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Jason Oteri/AP)
It’s unknown where exactly Woods would travel for treatment, though the court documents included the “treatment facility will provide continuous monitoring and the ability to rapidly adjust treatment interventions in a highly controlled environment.”
Woods announced he would be stepping away from golf to seek treatment “and focus on my health” after his DUI arrest after a rollover crash.
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“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” Woods said in a statement posted on social media.
“I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.
“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”
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Woods released the statement Tuesday after entering a plea of not guilty, waiving his right to an arraignment and demanding a trial with a jury. He was arrested on charges of driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a blood alcohol level (BAL) test after law enforcement said his vehicle collided with another while he drove impaired.
Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links Golf Club waves to fans as he is introduced at the start of a match of the TMRW Golf League against Boston Common Golf Jan. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
After Woods was placed under arrest at the crash site, where law enforcement noted he was “sweating profusely” in an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital, he was found to have “two white pills” inside a pants pocket. They were later identified as hydrocodone, a prescription pain relief opioid.
Woods submitted to a Breathalyzer test after being booked in Martin County Jail, clearing a 0.00 result on both samples. However, he declined to submit a urine test, which resulted in another charge.
It’s the second DUI arrest for Woods in the last decade. He was also taken into custody on Jupiter Island in 2017 after being asleep behind the wheel of a running vehicle at 3 a.m. after taking prescription drugs.
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Woods had just returned to The Golf League earlier this month for his first round of competition since undergoing more surgeries on his back while also needing to repair a torn Achilles.
Tiger Woods was arrested on a DUI charge after a crash in Florida March 27, 2006.(AP/Martin County Sheriff’s Office)
There was a chance Woods would make an appearance at the Masters Tournament next week, but Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley confirmed that Woods would not be in the field for the first major of 2026.
Woods’ TGL teammate, Kevin Kisner, also noted recently that Woods signed up for the U.S. Senior Open, which tees off in early July.
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Fox News’ Andre Tinoco contributed to this report.
TORONTO — The downside of playing meaningful basketball in the late stage of the NBA season is that you can fail.
They hosted the Sacramento Kings, a team that is last place in the Western Conference, were losers of six of their past seven games and came into the game ranked 26th on offence and 28th on defence.
They are only a couple of years removed from winning 48 and 46 wins in the West, but have crumbled like stale chips since. Their new plan hinges on drafting a star this summer and starting over.
That might work. Their plan for this season — accumulating a collection of past-their-best-years veterans and hoping to extract some asset value at the trade deadline — decidedly didn’t work because no one else in the league wanted the players or the contracts.
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Which is how former Raptors DeMar DeRozan and Precious Achiuwa were on hand for the Kings to torture their former team in a game that Sacramento would have been fine with losing and the Raptors very much needed to win.
Achiuwa is a useful player, and DeRozan will have a chance to be in the Hall of Fame when his career winds up. But in each case — at this stage of their careers — the ways they can hurt you are fairly straightforward. Achiuwa is strong, agile and quick and hard to handle when he wants to use all of those gifts. But if he’s kept off the glass, his ability to hurt you is limited.
Well, the sixth-year pro bounced around for 11 offensive rebounds — 19 overall — and pummelled the Raptors with 28 points, a big night for him considering he was averaging 9.6 points and 6.5 rebounds on the season.
And DeRozan? He’s not the athlete he was when he was posterizing people as a Raptor, but at 36 years old, he’s still a dangerous scorer if you’re not mindful defensively, and in particular about reacting to his feints and fakes designed to draw fouls. The Raptors put him on the free throw line 12 times – he made all 12 – as he scored 26 of his 28 points in the second half.
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The result was a 123-115 Kings win that improved them to 20-57 while the Raptors fell to 42-34. The Raptors’ loss, coupled with wins from Atlanta and Philadelphia, dropped Toronto to seventh place as the 76ers — in the sixth and final playoff spot — hold the tiebreaker over Toronto.
Before the tip, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic was saying the team’s first run for a playoff spot together will depend on a daily focus on the small things they can hope to control, rather than spending too much energy thinking about the desired outcome.
“Really, every game comes down to are we going to play to our standard or not,” said Rajakovic. “… That’s a daily fight, that’s a daily commitment to those things, so we’re really focussing on that and enjoying the process. We’re not looking forward to the post-season and like, hey, that’s the end goal.”
All fair and reasonable. But if you’re dropping games to the Sacramento Kings at home, maybe the process needs work?
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“This is a game we’re supposed to win no matter what,” said Raptors wing RJ Barrett, who had 20 points, five rebounds and six assists – but also five turnovers. “Process or no process, we can’t lose this game.”
But they did. They did it by coming out tentatively in the first quarter and falling behind early. They did by giving up an 18-3 run late in the second quarter, immediately after the Raptors themselves had put a 21-3 run on the Kings to take control of the game in the first place. Instead, it was the Kings that led at halftime.
It was like the Raptors didn’t really believe that the Kings were in it to win the game. But they miscalculated. The Kings were rested, having been in Toronto since Sunday night. And the Raptors could reasonably cite fatigue, given then had lost in Detroit the night before.
But that’s the point: the teams that reach their goals — whatever their process — are the ones that fight through the fatigue or the injuries or the inconvenience. The Pistons had beaten the Raptors the night before, having lost in overtime in Oklahoma City on Monday night. They found a way.
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The Raptors found a way to lose. They missed 10 free throws, for example, this after missing 11 the night before in Detroit. The Kings were 27-of-29 at the stripe. The Raptors played from behind most of the game, and when the end of the game came, they had no margin for error and got burned.
“There were times when you felt like there was no sense of urgency, until, like, we made it close,” said Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili, who had 17 points and six rebounds off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting. “And then we’d be like, ah, OK, we’re in the game. But we can’t have those slip-ups.”
There were other good performers. Jamal Shead had 16 points and seven assists in 37 minutes, and Collin Murray-Boyles had the first 20-point game of his career in 18 minutes off the bench. But Scottie Barnes took too long to assert himself offensively while playing point guard in place of the injured Immanuel Quickley. His 10 assists extended his streak of games with double-digit assists to six, but Toronto needed more than his 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting. He was also 4-of-8 from the line. Jakob Poeltl couldn’t match Achiuwa’s physicality.
The Raptors let the Kings hang around, maybe hoping they’d just hand the game to them in the end. But instead, Sacramento figured, hey, why not win one for a change?
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Toronto gave up 34 points to the Kings in the fourth quarter. They hit four threes and were 11-of-11 from the free throw line.
Fittingly, it was DeRozan’s triple from the corner in front of the Raptors bench that pushed the Kings’ lead to six with 1:05 to play after Toronto had pulled the game within a single possession, and then it was Achiuwa who sealed it with a driving lay-up.
If playing meaningful basketball in March and April, the Raptors’ season to this point has been a success. But how they cope with something on the line will determine their final grade.
A home game against the Kings was supposed to be an open-book test. The Raptors flunked it.
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“This one’s frustrating,” said Barrett. “We’ve been fighting hard all year, so you want the reward of making it to the playoffs and fighting for the championship, so nights like tonight, they hurt, especially when we know how much work we put in.
“Especially now after tonight, if we don’t come out and fight with everything we have got for these next couple of games… we have to play like our lives depend on it.”
He’s still a Raptor: Wednesday night’s visit with the Sacramento Kings was DeRozan’s 587th as a non-Raptor. An entire career for a lot of players. But he played nine seasons and 675 games for Toronto. He’s played 63 playoff games in his career — a total that won’t change after a lost season with the lottery-bound Kings. But 51 of them were as a Raptor, helping the team scale its highest heights until they won the 2019 championship thanks in large part to the return — Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green — the Raptors got in the trade that sent DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs.
But playoff success has eluded him since. Failure too. He hasn’t been in the post-season at all since the Chicago Bulls lost in five games in 2021-22. He lost in the first game when he was with the Spurs in 2018-19. When I spoke with him briefly before the game, he said that his old pal Kyle Lowry is trying to get him to play 20 years, and while DeRozan is durable enough — he’s averaged 76 games his last four seasons and has only missed two so far this season — he’s not sure he’s got three more years in him. Diar — a longtime fixture on the sidelines at Raptors games (and famously cheering against the Raptors) and the oldest of four daughters with his wife, Kiara — is 13 and starting high school next year.
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But at the same time, DeRozan is interested in finishing his career off with one more crack on a competitive team. He said he’d be open to a different role – DeRozan has started every game he’s played since the 2009-10 season – if necessary. “If it makes sense,” he said.
In the meantime? He’s made the most of his time with the Kings. He’s averaging 18.5 points a game on 49.5 per cent shooting and still gets to the free-throw line. Kings head coach (and former Raptor) Doug Christie gushed about his reliability and the example he provides to a young team. He passed Dominique Wilkins for 17th place on the NBA all-time scoring list Wednesday. “I mean, it’s always an honour passing the greats that came before me,” DeRozan said. “Especially people I know, you know, I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Dominique, so passing him is definitely cool.” With 26,688 points, DeRozan now trails only LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden and fellow King Russel Westbrook among active scorers.
15th man watch: Wednesday night marked the end of Markelle Fultz’s 10-day contract. It’s expected that the Raptors will sign someone else on a 10-day deal on Thursday. Fultz got into five games for Toronto but didn’t really play any meaningful minutes, which was not encouraging given Quickley was out with plantar fasciitis for all of the six games the Raptors played when Fultz was with them. One name that was circulating as a possibility for a new 10-day was Tyreke Key, who played with Raptors 905 the past two seasons, was on their Summer League team last year and signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Raptors before training camp. The six-foot-two guard out of Tennessee has shot 40.1 per cent from three over 90 G-League starts the past two seasons. If the Raptors do add someone on a 10-day Thursday, they would still be able to sign one of their two-way players to a standard NBA deal on the last day of the regular season (April 12th) and have them eligible for the post-season. For the second game in a row, AJ Lawson was the first Raptors wing off the bench for Darko Rajakovic against the Kings. “He just needs to continue putting the work in. He already does a lot of great stuff that can help the team. I definitely see him as a player that belongs in the league with a full contract.”
So Precious: The former Raptors is often the forgotten man in the ‘OG Anunoby trade’ that brought Quickley and RJ Barrett to Toronto midway through the 2023-24 season. Not as forgotten as Malachi Flynn, who is now playing in Turkey, but it can be hard to stay in the spotlight playing on a Kings team that is in tank mode. But Achiuwa has put together a decent season, and he’s finishing strong. Even before his big night at Scotiabank Arena, he averaged 15.4 points and 9.5 assists on 57 per cent shooting over 14 games in March. He’s an unrestricted free agent this summer and could be an intriguing depth big for a lot of teams. His market might be comparable to that of Raptors big Sandro Mamukelashvili, another depth big, albeit with a different skill set. Per league sources, Achiuwa could slot in for something in the six-to-eight-million-dollar range on a short-term deal.
Former Pakistan cricketers Kamran Akmal and Basit Ali have backed young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for a fast-tracked India debut following his blistering start to IPL 2026. The 15-year-old left-hander grabbed headlines on Monday by smashing 52 off 17 balls-including a record-equaling 15-ball fifty during Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) dominant eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Sooryavanshi’s explosive opening stand effectively killed the contest after RR’s bowlers had earlier restricted the five-time champions to a meager 127.
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Akmal suggested that Sooryavanshi will soon make his debut for India in T20I cricket.
“In just 8 IPL games, he has been piling records – he already has a hundred. I think in the coming international games for India, he will get a chance after IPL. He will become a young player of the T20 international team. He has proved himself in every place. If he continues to perform, he will definitely get the chance,” Akmal said on ‘The Game Plan‘ YouTube channel.
Akmal also praised Sooryavanshi’s remarkable game awareness, suggesting that bowlers may be “clueless” in a decade’s time if the 15-year-old continues his current trajectory.
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“His presence of mind, game awareness, the way he plays – he has a counter to everything at such a young age. This is remarkable … We are discussing his performance more because it was a match of 128. But his performance is visible because he scored 50 runs on 15 balls. His family and his father should be proud – the way he has worked with him, the way the others, too, like coaches who have taught him in school cricket, in club cricket…I am afraid – when he is 25, the bowlers will not know what to do with him,” he added.
In a lighthearted take, Basit labelled Sooryavanshi as “ek bablu sabpe bhari” (one kid domination everyone), highlighting how easily he dismantled the CSK bowlers.
“They (Rajasthan Royals) chased down 128 comfortably. Suryavanshi smashed 50 off just 15 balls-what an innings, he clearly showed his form. Jaiswal remained not out on 37, as Bablu (Suryavanshi) was doing all the damage from the other end. One Bablu dominated everyone – that’s exactly how it felt in yesterday’s (RR vs CSK) match,” said Basit.
Manchester United face two fresh hurdles as Michael Carrick attempts to keep the club’s current run of form going after three weeks without a game
Michael Carrick faces the challenge of preserving Manchester United’s momentum once the club resumes competitive action. After the international break, United have an additional week’s hiatus while the FA Cup quarter-finals take place.
The squad is shortly due to embark on an intensive training camp in Ireland to maintain match sharpness. The players will head to Dublin on April 6 for a four-night stint ahead of the final seven fixtures of the campaign.
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That said, there are already considerable obstacles in need of address. Fortunately for Carrick, though, two evolving situations lie beyond his remit as he attempts to concentrate efforts on matters on the pitch.
One such piece of business he’ll have limited influence over is Marcus Rashford‘s transfer future. MEN Sport examines that and more in the latest United headlines.
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Maguire, 33, received a straight red for tugging Evanilson’s shirt in the box before Bournemouth scored the resulting penalty to draw 2-2. However, it was his furious response to referee Stuart Attwell and fourth official Matt Donohue that resulted in him being charged.
“Harry Maguire has been charged after being sent off in the 78th minute of Man Utd’s Premier League match against Bournemouth on March 20,” read an FA statement. “It’s alleged that the defender acted in an improper manner and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards the fourth official following his dismissal. Harry Maguire has until April 2 to provide a response.”
Maguire’s suspension meant he was already set to miss United’s fixture against Leeds on April 13. Nevertheless, his ban could be increased depending on the outcome of his charge and whether United opt to appeal.
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Carrick also expressed his frustration over the incident, insisting his side should have been awarded a second penalty. Amad Diallo went down following a challenge from Adrien Truffert, but the VAR determined the contact wasn’t sufficient to warrant a spot-kick after Bruno Fernandes had already scored once from 12 yards.
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“We should have had another penalty,” Carrick told Sky Sports at the time. “Obviously, if you get one, you must get the other. It’s pretty much identical for me, two-hand grab.
“Either way, [the ref] got one wrong, but to give one and not give the other, I can’t get my head around it. I think it’s crazy. It’s a bit baffling, really. Because of that, they score, and then it’s chaos after that, really. We should have had another penalty, and the game would have been totally different.”
Barcelona’s cut-price Rashford clause expires
For months, many have been puzzled over what has prevented Barcelona from tying Rashford down to a permanent deal. The exclusive £26million fee written into his loan agreement at the Camp Nou was widely regarded as a steal, but that option is no longer available.
Cadena SER reported that the conditions of that arrangement lapsed at the end of March. This now means Barca will need to negotiate a fee for the player in the same manner as any other club.
This could indicate the Catalans aren’t fully committed to securing the England forward on a permanent basis. Alternatively, it might simply suggest Barcelona are still undecided at a time when the club’s financial situation is unstable.
Club legend and now sporting director Deco was recently questioned about Barca’s chances of signing Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez. He referred to the three months until summer as “like an eternity,” so it’s plausible he and other board members may hold a similar perspective regarding Rashford’s prospects.
It’s uncertain how much United might demand for their player or whether Barca might still receive a slightly more favourable deal as a gesture to Rashford, who wants the permanent switch. However, one certainty is that the Spaniards will be expected to pay a higher fee than the bargain sum available had they acted more promptly.
Reece Goodwin, the Pakenham handler, is confident this prep could restore Lovelycut’s success on the track.
The mare, aged four, resumes action in Saturday’s Geoff Murphy Handicap (1200m), lacking concrete future engagements, but a sharp performance first-up may lead her to the Adelaide carnival.
Having raced sparingly, Lovelycut has often demonstrated considerable promise. Her breakthrough came with a Sandown win near the end of her two-year-old stint, and in spring she resumed to claim second at Listed level, fourth in the Vanity Stakes (1400m) at Flemington, before settling midfield in the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield, missing the winner by under three lengths.
She was rested to mature, skipping autumn as a three-year-old, and returned last spring for three starts ending in a 1400m victory at Seymour.
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Goodwin voiced his approval of the mare’s current condition.
“Off the back of last prep where she won over 1400 metres, she’s going to be suited at 1400 and 1600 this time around and Saturday is a good kick-off for her,” Goodwin said.
“She could have run in one of the 1100-metre races at Flemington last week, but I just thought 1200 would be a better kick off for her.
“She’s probably not as sharp as she was when she was a two-year-old, three-year-old and it looks a competitive race on Saturday as well, but she’s pretty good fitness wise.
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“She’s there to run really well.”
Goodwin highlighted how Lovelycut has matured into a tougher mare suited to racing rigours.
Winter’s arrival means precise programming is vital.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do through the winter,” he said.
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“(The) Adelaide carnival could be on the radar depending on how she goes Saturday.
“If she was to win, or run really strongly, we would have to give strong consideration to that because she would go into the mid-80’s ratings wise, but there’s no set plans.
“She’s a highly-strung mare, so travelling her would take a bit out of her, so we want to make sure if we were to go there, it was worthwhile.”
We’re all rooting for Tiger Woods here, rooting for him to get his life, physical and psychic, in a better place. If this were Tiger v. Phil or Sergio or Chris DiMarco you might have a different rooting interest. This, of course, is not that. Tiger became Tiger by often defeating, though not always, Phil & Co. That was fun, that was sport, that was drive and execution as most of had never seen before. This is different. This is Tiger versus himself. Tiger versus the pain of life.
Woods is a 50-year-old athletic icon — a true icon in an age of hyped everything. He has two children with his ex-wife, who has three other children with her current partner. Tiger has a girlfriend with five children of her own. The girlfriend has a former father-in-law who is both the most powerful person in the world and the man who gave Woods his highest honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, after winning the 2019 Masters. Woods won 14 Grand Slam events in a 12-year span. Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas and a host of others came of age in the decade-long wait between No. 14 and No. 15, the 2019 Masters.
Twenty-two months after that victory Woods drove off the side of a deserted Los Angeles County road early on a weekday morning, into a tree and nearly to his death. Don’t call it an accident — that would be an insult to the scores of people who did everything in their power to save his life. Don’t say that winning takes care of everything. The marketing people at Nike who trotted out that phrase in the wake of a long-ago Woods scandal were ultimately just trying to move product.
The great tragedy of modern life is that everything has turned into a product. Golf is a product, per PGA Tour brass. Journalism is a product. Clicks are monetized. It’s deadening. Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus and Watson were dominating golfers and unique personalities who captured our imaginations. But they weren’t products. Tiger Woods has been packaged and sold since he was 3. Woods knows his state of mind that morning in February 2021, when he was pulled out of another wrecked car. Cry for help is a hoary cliché but that crash had to be a cry for help. In the end, not a very loud one. His crash last week, a mile or so from his South Florida home may prove to be a louder one.
This time, his hand was forced, just as it was after his 2017 DUI arrest by police in Jupiter, Fla. In golf’s various and cloistered circles — on Golf Channel, on websites and in newsletters, in a release from the CEO of the PGA Tour — Woods’s statement on Monday was met with relief and admiration. He said he was “stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health.” You hope, of course, he can get the treatment he, by his own admission, needs. But there’s more going on here.
As this second DUI charge in Florida goes down its jurisprudence road, prosecutors were going to require that Woods seek treatment. Woods is trying to avoid a jail sentence here, of any length. He’s trying to avoid the spectacle of a public trial. There’s nothing for him to fight here. There are lawyers and advisors deep in his life. Signing up for treatment, on a voluntary basis, was a smart and necessary first step in an effort to keep a bad situation from getting worse.
Woods has been down the treatment road before. In early 2010, some weeks after running over a fire hydrant in the middle of the night outside his home in the Isleworth development near Orlando, Woods reportedly went to a residential treatment facility in Mississippi to deal with addiction issues. His 2017 plea required counseling as well. A statement is a statement. Last year, when Woods turned to X to announce his relationship with Vanessa Trump, he wrote, “Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side!” Please insert air quotes around wrote. Does that sound like Tiger Woods to you? Monday’s sober announcement has a completely different tone, of course. We don’t know anything about Tiger’s state of mind, and he doesn’t owe us that — or really anything.
What he owes us is what every driver in the world owes every other driver and pedestrian and bicyclist and stray pet in the world, and that is alert, uncompromised driving. After his crash on Monday, you can see Woods in photographs on the side of the road, golf shirt neatly tucked in his shorts, glasses on, cellphone to his ear. In those grainy photos, he looks like what he’s looked like for, well, over many years now, iconic golfer on yet another comeback trail. Photos can fool you like statements can fool you.
Tiger has pain and sleep issues. He’s acknowledged that many times. As an athlete, his glory days are long behind him. He knows that, of course. He likes to say, “Father Time is undefeated.” People take pain meds because they are in pain. People drive while impaired because of some level of arrogance, along with self-absorption. People go to recovery to figure out some kind of path forward. Sometimes it works. Because we love golf, because we admire what Woods did as a golfer, Tiger’s issues are getting attention here. In every other regard, he’s another guy trying to figure it out. Except he has to do it with the whole world watching.
We don’t know who Tiger Woods was talking to on his cellphone, when he was on the side of the road Friday afternoon. The single most impressive thing he could have done that day is apologize to the person driving the truck that was pulling the pressure washer. Luckily, the driver wasn’t injured. But his day was turned upside-down, too.
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