Pablo López’s season is over before it even began.
The Minnesota Twins’ starting pitcher has “significant tearing” in his ulnar collateral ligament, general manager Jeremy Zoll said Tuesday via MLB.com’s Matthew Leach. At the time, Zoll said Tommy John surgery was “very much on the table.”
The 29-year-old right-hander cut short a Monday bullpen session after he felt soreness in his elbow. The two-inning workout was part of the pitcher’s preparation ahead of representing Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic. He will no longer participate in the tournament.
The Twins’ Opening Day starter each of the past three seasons, López made only 14 starts during an injury-hampered 2025. He landed on the injured list in early June due to a Grade 2 teres major strain in his right shoulder.
Advertisement
Three months later, López returned to action but made only three more starts before his season came to an end due to a right forearm strain.
In three seasons since coming over in a trade with the Miami Marlins for Luis Arráez, López has made 78 starts for the Twins, throwing 455 innings, striking out 505 batters and recording a 1.16 WHIP. He was an All-Star in 2023.
The Twins went 70-92 last season and finished last in the AL Central. They have made the playoffs just four times since 2017 and have won only one playoff series — the 2023 AL wild card — since 2002.
The band might not be getting back together for the Kansas City Chiefs. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Friday that he has been talking to tight end Travis Kelce about returning but is unsure about wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s health status.
“There is communication,” Reid said about Kelce’s status. “That’s the main thing. I’ve said this before: As long as there’s communication, I’m good. That means people want to move forward. I think that’s where Travis is.”
Advertisement
While Reid has talked to Kelce about returning for his 14th season, he said he has not talked to Hill about reuniting with the team.
“I don’t even know if Tyreek is healthy right now to do anything,” Reid said. “So I’m sure he’s working hard on that part of it and trying to get that all straightened out. Listen, we talk about everything. There’s nothing happening there, but we know that he’s out there and working hard, trying to get himself back to where he can play, period.”
Hill last played for the Chiefs in 2021 before being traded to the Miami Dolphins the following season. The 31-year-old wide receiver was released by the Dolphins on Monday after four seasons with the team. Hill is recovering from a dislocated knee and a torn ACL that ended his season in Week 4.
Advertisement
In January, Hill reacted on Twitter after the Chiefs hired offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Hill had career years under Bieniemy, who previously coached in Kansas City. From 2018-21, Hill averaged 85.8 catches per year, with 1,213.5 receiving yards and 10.8 touchdowns.
Reid also told reporters that quarterback Patrick Mahomes is doing a great job in the rehab process. Mahomes is recovering from a season-ending torn ACL and LCL in his left knee that he suffered in Week 15.
The Winter Games are wrapping up in Italy. From the rink to the slopes, a new generation of stars has emerged to chase gold. We’ll keep you connected to all of the thrilling moments and top stories as we track the medal race each day of the Games.
The Milan Cortina Olympics have been flying by faster than Jordan Stolz. The American speedskating icon will be on display once more Saturday.
Advertisement
He’s one of a handful of Americans who have a shot at earning some hardware to kick off the weekend.
Here are the top five things to watch on Saturday at the Winter Games:
1. Jordan Stolz has another chance for a third Olympic gold, this time in speedskating mass start
After gold-medal performances in the 500 meters and 1,000 meters, the 21-year-old Stolz had an opportunity to become the first athlete in 46 years to complete speedskating’s sprint treble at an Olympics. But the Wisconsinite took silver Thursday in the 1,500, an event he’s mostly dominated. China’s Ning Zhongyan set the Olympic record with a time of 1:41.98, and, despite beating Norway’s Peder Kongshaug, Stolz finished a sizable 0.77 seconds behind Zhongyan’s blistering mark.
Advertisement
Stolz’s final event in this year’s Games is the mass start. Earlier in the Olympics, he said that winning that chaotic race would be just “a bonus.” The mass start made its Olympics debut in 2018. It’s the only long-track race where every skater starts together. The first three racers to cross the finish line of the 16-lap final win gold, silver and bronze. The full track is at the disposal of the skaters, who jockey for positioning strategically. The race typically goes down to the wire, often with unpredictable finishes. Belgium’s Bart Swings is once again a gold-medal contender. He won the event in Beijing four years ago, and he took silver in PyeongChang.
Jordan Stolz has won two gold medals and one silver at this year’s Games. (Photo by Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
2. U.S. women’s curling will go for bronze against Canada after falling short in semifinals against Switzerland
After making the Olympic playoffs for the first time since 2002, the U.S. women’s curling team fell short in semifinal action against Switzerland on Friday. Switzerland avenged its loss to the Americans in the round-robin finale, in large part thanks to Alina Pätz, who was practically perfect and fueled a 7-4 victory that was closer than the score suggests. Switzerland will face Sweden in the gold-medal game on Sunday. But, first, on Saturday, the U.S. will square off against Canada with the bronze medal on the line.
Advertisement
The Americans have never medaled in women’s curling, which was added to the Olympics in 1998. In Salt Lake City 24 years ago, they lost to Canada in a bronze-medal game. The U.S. is hoping to flip the script this time around. In round-robin play, the American women notched their first-ever Olympic win over a Canadian team that previously had their number.
Eileen Gu has won five Olympic medals for China, including two silvers at this year’s Games. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
3. Eileen Gu, Team USA’s Svea Irving and Kate Gray to compete for spot on podium during women’s freeski halfpipe final
Eileen Gu’s latest controversial Olympic run will continue on Saturday when she takes part in the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe final. It’s her third and final event of this year’s Games. The American-born Gu notably represents China, where her mother was born. At 22 years old, she’s already a five-time Olympic medalist. While she’s yet to win gold in these Games, she’s immensely proud of the silvers she earned in the big air and slopestyle events. She’s got one more shot to stand atop a podium in Italy, and that’s in the halfpipe, one of two events she won in Beijing four years ago.
Advertisement
Gu will be up against 11 other freestyle skiers, including Team USA’s Svea Irving and Kate Gray, who placed eighth and 12th, respectively, in qualifying on Thursday. Irving, the granddaughter of illustrious American author John Irving, was fifth at the 2025 World Championships. Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin led all skiers in qualifying with a 91.50. She’s a reigning world and X Games champion.
4. After letting semifinal lead slip, Finland men’s hockey will look to bounce back in bronze-medal game against Slovakia
Now the Finnish will play Slovakia in Saturday’s bronze-medal game. Slovakia’s coming off a setback to the U.S., which is gearing up for Sunday’s gold-medal showdown with Canada.
5. Ilia Malinin will perform in figure skating’s exhibition gala after heartbreaking free skate cost him a medal in men’s singles
He’ll be back on the ice Saturday, not to compete but to perform during figure skating’s exhibition gala. Malinin, who did earn a gold medal in the team event, will have a chance to close out his first Games on a positive note. He’s part of a star-studded gala lineup that also features women’s singles champion Alysa Liu — the first American woman figure skater to medal in the Olympics individual event in 24 years — and Amber Glenn, who finished four spots behind Liu after a triumphant free skate on Thursday.
Advertisement
Olympics schedule for Saturday, Feb. 21 (Day 15)
Biathlon
12.5 kilometer mass start
8:15 a.m.: Women’s final (USA Network)🏅
Bobsled
Four-man
4 a.m.: Heats 1, 2 (airs on USA Network at 11 a.m.)
Two-woman
1 p.m.: Heats 3, 4 (NBC) 🏅
Cross-Country Skiing
50 kilometer mass start
5 a.m.: Men’s final (USA Network coverage begins at 6:10 a.m.; airs on NBC at 11 a.m.)🏅
Curling
Women’s bronze-medal game
8:05 a.m.: Bronze-medal game (airs on USA Network at 10:20 a.m.)🏅
Men’s
1:05 p.m.: Gold-medal game (CNBC)🏅
Figure Skating
2 p.m.: Exhibition gala (NBC coverage begins at 2:55 p.m.)
Freestyle Skiing
Aerials
4:45 a.m.: Mixed team final (USA Network)🏅
Ski cross
5:55 a.m.: Men’s final (airs on USA Network at 11:45 a.m.) 🏅
Halfpipe
1:30 p.m.: Women’s final (NBC)🏅
Hockey
Men’s
2:40 p.m.: Bronze-medal game (USA Network)🏅
Ski Mountaineering
Relay
7:30 a.m.: Mixed final (USA Network)🏅
Speed Skating
Mass start
9 a.m.: Men’s and women’s finals (USA Network; airs at 10 a.m. on NBC)🏅
Maybe it’s the quarterback chaos or the landslide of head coaching changes. Or because it’s late February and many of the NFL’s personnel departments already seem satisfied that the No. 1 overall pick in the draft is in the barn. Or maybe it’s because the 2025 season produced a wildly unexpected Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, and an even more unexpected Super Bowl quarterback winner in Sam Darnold.
Whatever the driving force, it’s thrusting the usual sideshow of the NFL scouting combine — trade rumors, free-agency buzz and clandestine general manager meetings — into the middle of the main stage. And with that, the college players who are taking their next big step toward draft positioning have become a subplot.
Advertisement
“It’s going to be a wild offseason and it’s going to start next week [at the combine],” one prominent NFL agent said this week. “There’s so much more than usual with different veteran stuff compared to how guys are going to work out — and we have a good class of guys [in the draft]. All the quarterback things to figure out, some of the [veteran] defensive players — some of the young players that could be traded with the staff changes — there’s going to be a lot going on. …
“I see you guys talking about storylines — when was the last time anyone checked in on what’s going on with Lamar Jackson [and the Baltimore Ravens]? It’s like that situation has gotten lost in all this noise. That’s how crazy next week is going to be, though.”
In fairness, Jackson’s potential extension deadline — spoken into existence by Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti in January — has been a prominent story over the past month. Indeed, it will crank up next week, with the quarterback and franchise having been in a contract talks window for several weeks by the time Ravens new head coach Jesse Minter and general manager Eric DeCosta meet with the media in Indianapolis. It’s expected there will be some kind of temperature gauge coming out of the combine, with the front office and ownership wanting to sign an extension with Jackson and lower his $74.5 million salary cap hit in 2026.
Of course, Jackson is only one of multiple pressing maneuvers — or non-maneuvers — heading into the combine that will certainly drain some of the daily news thunder from draft prospects’ workouts. Among the prominent:
Advertisement
Who will be getting the franchise tag applied to them before free agency, with the biggest potential name being Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. As it stands, Dallas is expected to tag Pickens prior to the March 3 deadline and then either attempt to retain him or try to engage in a sign-and-trade scenario. With Pickens wanting to get to free agency and a likely $35 million average salary per season, there will likely be sparks in a tag scenario.
Potential veteran trades, including Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and others. Throw in some young players who might get a call or two just to see if they are available on the trade market, including Buffalo Bills wideout Keon Coleman, Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas Jr., Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson and Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
The future of Aaron Rodgers will be a pressing question for the Pittsburgh Steelers — at least as it pertains to the organization’s other options and what kind of timeline there would be for a Rodgers decision. It’s possible we exit the combine under the presumption that the Steelers are going to move forward and try to find their future QB, which would shift the Rodgers conversation back to the Vikings, whom he was interested in before landing in Pittsburgh last offseason.
And finally, one very big nugget that has yet to be developed: How much interest there will be in Malik Willis in free agency and what the money could ultimately look like. The ballpark speculation in the agent community is some kind of two-year deal averaging $30 to $35 million a season with $40 to $45 million guaranteed. That would put Willis in position to go back to the table next offseason and negotiate a longer term deal that tacks on to the end of 2027 and extends his guaranteed money out into a three-year window through the 2028 season. There are varying opinions on the numbers and structure, not to mention the potential interest. Willis feels like the first big quarterback domino that has to fall in March to trigger a larger migration. If he were to land in Pittsburgh, that then puts Rodgers — if he still wants to play — onto the market for the Vikings or any other suitors. And once Willis is off the board, the teams that ultimately don’t have him as an option will then have to reassess.
There’s a sliding scale of a trade likelihood for all these players. Crosby’s situation with the Raiders, from what Yahoo Sports has been told by league sources familiar with their talks, is still at a standstill — but also not unrepairable. Part of the Raiders’ motivation is to see what Crosby’s trade market looks like and also where he is at with the franchise in a new phase of a rebuild. The market will likely be the driving force here. If there is a solid offer of draft picks on the table, a trade seems more likely than not.
The same goes for Brown and the Eagles, although it remains to be seen what general manager Howie Roseman could engineer to fill his No. 1 wide receiver spot if there is ultimately an attractive offer available for Brown. It’s highly unlikely the Eagles would move Brown and not have another player in the mix, so the combine’s wide receiver workouts and other available players at the position could factor.
The Murray and Tagovailoa process is going to depend on suitors and money. Right now there are zero indications of an appetite to take on either Tagovailoa or Murray’s remaining contract in a trade, let alone surrender any meaningful draft assets to make him a starter. That could change if the QB shuffling doesn’t break right for some teams and desperation enters the scenario. Lest anyone forget, there was a market (albeit diminishing) for Russell Wilson the past two offseasons. So there can certainly be a market for Tagovailoa or Murray if a situation gets bad enough.
As for the young players, Coleman seems likeliest to be traded, given the comments of Bills owner Terry Pegula that essentially branded him as not being the front office’s draft choice. Unfortunately for Buffalo, Coleman’s trade value will be nothing more than a late pick at this stage. Even with his youth.
Thomas, Richardson and McCarthy are not expected to be officially on the trade block, but all three could garner some interest and calls. Thomas seems less likely to be dealt with the Jaguars moving Travis Hunter primarily to cornerback. McCarthy won’t be dealt unless the Vikings are presented with a quarterback option that effectively renders any chance of him having a future as moot. And Richardson doesn’t have much of a market, and will have only one year left on his rookie deal once his fifth-year option is ultimately declined. That doesn’t leave much room to develop him for any interested franchise. But again, we don’t know how desperate the quarterback field gets.
Advertisement
That’s a lot of veteran questions and potential developments that will hang over the primary reason teams are in Indianapolis next week: To begin laying down the foundations of their draft boards for April’s selection process in Pittsburgh. While the veteran news and ramp up to free agency will cast a long shadow in Indianapolis, it won’t eliminate a litany of prospect-related storylines that will get rolling once workouts begin.
Here’s a look at some of those that will be worthy of watching.
Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, pictured celebrating a touchdown against rival Michigan in November, is in the running to be WR1 in this NFL Draft. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
(Luke Hales via Getty Images)
The top of the wide receiver group
While it’s not expected to be as top-heavy as the 2024 wide receiver class — which saw seven first-round picks at the position — the wideouts are considered a spot that is going to have depth and offer needy teams quality options potentially into the third round. The general consensus at this point is that four to five receivers could go in the first round. Most of the intrigue will be how the top of the class sorts itself between the trio of Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and USC’s Makai Lemon.
Advertisement
“I think you could see some [changes in that trio] between interviews, measurements and whatever work gets done,” one NFC talent evaluator said. “The medicals, too — definitely the medical for Tyson. … And it depends how you want to use them in your scheme. Lemon, some teams might not like the size but others might love the versatility and how he catches it. How fast will Tyson run and some of the speed and agility things with Tate will be important. They’re all good players, but there’s definitely some of the [Travis] Hunter, [Tetairoa] McMillan, [Emeka] Egbuka [conversations from 2025] because they’re not all similar players.”
As it stands, Tate appears to stand out among talent evaluators as the most “clean” player from the threesome, in terms of the total package of consistency, health, size and production. But there’s definitely curiosity about what his pure speed and agility will look like, especially alongside Lemon and Tyson. Some of those questions will be answered — if all three actually do full workouts at the combine, which isn’t guaranteed. Beyond that trio, there will definitely be some gravity toward the next tier of WRs in Washington’s Denzel Boston, Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II and Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields, who all bring prototypical “X” receiver size to the table. The Bills will be an interesting team to watch with that group.
Quarterbacks not named Fernando Mendoza
For only the second time in 13 years, we could end up seeing only one quarterback selected in the first round. With the Las Vegas Raiders expected to take Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, Mendoza will reportedly skip the throwing portion of the combine, opening the floor for the rest of the class. That will be a solid opportunity for multiple players, including Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Penn State’s Drew Allar, Miami’s Carson Beck, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and others.
Advertisement
It’s simply not a great class when it comes to star power (that will come in 2027), but there could be a bit of developmental depth with some strong showings.
Even with the thin class, there is still plenty of quarterback need across the league — and that will point plenty of eyes in the direction of Simpson. He was a prospect with some solid draft heat near the midpoint of the college season, but red flags began to get raised as he got knocked around and turned the ball over later in the schedule and then suffered a rib injury that knocked him out of the College Football Playoff. Right now he’s likely to land in the late first to mid-second round range, somewhat similar to how teams were looking at Bo Nix in 2024, and Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough last year. If Simpson can wow teams in interviews and put up a good workout, he can build momentum to move up the board and get a QB-needy team to expend a first-round pick on him. Already, you hear his name connected a lot to the Los Angeles Rams, who have the 13th and 29th overall picks.
As for the rest of the pack, it’s unclear what Allar will be able to do at the combine due to an ankle injury that ended his 2025 season. He’s the player with the size and easy arm strength, so he’ll draw in someone believing they can home his considerable talent into consistent results. Same goes for Beck, who also has size and arm, but also some leadership and love-for-the-game questions that teams want to pick at in interviews. Not to mention some bad turnovers in important spots, going all the way back to his time at Georgia. Then there’s Nussmeier, who some evaluators once believed could develop into a first-round pick, maybe even a solidly high one, before injuries derailed much of his 2025 college season. He’ll be another player who draws plenty of eyeballs.
Defensive picks almost everywhere
It’s a loaded class with edge players, with an onslaught at that position expected to end up packing the first round. While there’s still a lot of work ahead, it wouldn’t be surprising to see as many as eight edge rushers come off the board in the first 32 picks. A lot of the attention will go to potential top-10 picks in Texas Tech’s David Bailey, Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. But there will be a battle to figure out the stack after that trio, with players like Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, Missouri’s Zion Young and Miami’s Akheem Mesidor battling it out. Young is a player to keep an eye on. He had a great week of practice at the Senior Bowl and ended up as the game’s defensive MVP, giving him a lot of buzz coming into the combine. But top to bottom it’s going to be great draft for teams that need edge players and defensive line talent in general.
Advertisement
“It might be one of the deepest [edge] classes ever, especially through the top 50, 60 guys [in the entire draft],” an AFC general manager concluded. “There’s all types of skill sets and body types that fit different needs, but the talent in general just very, very good. There’s really not a Myles Garrett or Nick Bosa, but there’s a half dozen guys who could become just good, core second-contract players for teams.”
Beyond the defensive line, there’s strength in the class of safeties and cornerbacks as well, with as many as a half dozen or more picks in the secondary likely to land in Round 1. And while safety isn’t traditionally a position that sees multiple first-round selections, this will almost certainly be one of those years, with Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman all having the profile to possibly land in the first half of the first round. That just doesn’t happen. Downs in particular will be very intriguing. His résumé is the kind that he’d be an easy top-five pick if he played at a more premium defensive position — and there were times that some evaluators believed he could even be worth that kind of juice in this draft. The overall strength of the defensive class at premium positions is likely to push him down the board, but it’s certainly not lost on front offices that so many of the NFL’s best defenses now feature a dynamic safety like Downs. That could cement Downs higher on teams boards by April.
Alvin Kamara comparison builds for Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price
The next running back after Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love is going to be an interesting development to watch. Overall, the class isn’t amazing and it’s going to be dinged a bit by the free-agent class being so strong. There’s no doubt that some teams want to see what Love’s backup for the Fighting Irish, Jadarian Price, does in the workouts. As much as game tape matters, Price could have transferred elsewhere for the 2025 college football season and doubled his touches while positioning himself to challenge Love as this year’s top running back. Now he comes into the draft with less wear and tear but also some curiosity about whether he can be a centerpiece starter and also catch the ball consistently out of the backfield. His workouts will matter, especially as it pertains to his receiving ability. If he can showcase that and put up the type of athletic numbers that some think he can, there will likely be more Alvin Kamara comparisons to follow. As of now, I’m not sure how that framing works without the receiving end of his game being more proven.
Advertisement
TE Kenyon Sadiq a talent evaluating mystery
Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq is going to be interesting. Some evaluators like him as almost a hybrid running back/wide receiver if he fits into the right scheme. Others see him as a plus-level athlete whose “expected” 6-foot-2, 240-pound size is going to make him a bit of a tweener — and not in a good way — in the NFL. There’s curiosity about Sadiq’s true height and weight and what his workouts look like. There’s little doubt he has mismatch potential and maybe some considerable ceiling with the right coach and scheme, but some evaluators don’t see him as the kind of tight end who can fit in a lot of different places and be on the field at the rate of a multitude of TEs from last year’s draft. He can’t be compared realistically to the bigger bodied guys like Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren. And his overall consistency of college production wasn’t in the realm of Brock Bowers going into the 2024 draft. Who is the realistic comparable at the NFL level to Sadiq and what coach can draw that unique talent out of him?
No. 18 Saint Louis ended its 88-75 win over VCU on a power play Friday, thanks to a wild brawl shortly before time expired.
The fun began with Billikens guard Quentin Jones trying to dribble out the clock with his team up by 19 points. VCU’s Nyk Lewis apparently wasn’t happy about that, as he stole the ball, took a few steps and jacked up a half-court shot, which resulted in SLU star Robbie Avila — you might remember him from his time at Indiana State — bumping him out of bounds.
Advertisement
Avila was called for a foul and also received a hard shove in the back from VCU forward Barry Evans, who then got shoved by Jones. Cue the benches the clearing, with 1.1 seconds left on the clock.
The courtside angle of the chaos:
After a lengthy delay, the officials ejected Evans and Jones with flagrant 2 fouls and also ejected all the players who left the bench once the dust-up started.
That left VCU with only four players. Lewis hit his three free throws, and the game ended.
“I think there’s certainly a healthy intensity, as there should be at the top of the league, right? We’ve got a lot of respect for them. I think they have some respect for us, I assume,” Martelli Jr. said. “It’s two tough teams, two very competitive teams, two physical teams. Stuff like that, you wish it didn’t happen but, yeah, it’s an intense game. It’s an emotional game.”
“Guy stole the ball, Rob didn’t take too kindly to it, fouled him, then that guy didn’t take too kindly to Rob fouling him, two-hand shove in the back. And then our guy shoved that guy back and everybody just milled around and did what the general basketball fighting does, which is everybody’s trying to get held back so they don’t have to do anything.”
The win keeps Saint Louis in the driver’s seat in the Atlantic 10. Friday’s game was between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the standings, and improved the Billikens’ conference record to 13-1 while VCU sits at 12-3.
The Los Angeles Lakers won Friday, and the Los Angeles Clippers are hoping that’s the only bad news.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard left the game with five minutes left in the fourth quarter due to left ankle soreness, the team announced. The exit came at a critical juncture, with the Clippers down by three with five minutes left.
Advertisement
That wound up being significant. The Clippers did an admirable job of hanging around, but took another blow when Bennedict Mathurin’s 26-point night ended with him fouling out. The Lakers pulled out a 125-122 win, behind 38 points and 11 assists from Luka Dončić.
It nearly ended in disaster for the Lakers, though. With a three-point deficit and 9.7 seconds left, the Clippers stole the inbounds pass and got the ball to an open Nicholas Batum for a would-be game-tying 3-pointer. The shot missed, and LeBron James brought down the game-sealing rebound.
It wasn’t the prettiest game for the Lakers, who opened the game by making 16-of-19 shots in the first quarter only to blow a 16-point lead, but it’s a victorious first step with James, Dončić and Austin Reaves all together. That trio has played only 11 games together all season.
Advertisement
James finished with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 11 assists, while Reaves had 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting in his first game without a minutes restriction since returning from a calf injury.
“When you’re foul baiting the whole game … it’s tough. These guys are already great players. … We did everything we could.”
The Clippers entered the game as quietly one of the hottest teams in the NBA, having won 21-of-28 games since hitting rock bottom on Dec. 19. Friday was a chance to reach .500 on the season, but they now sit at 27-29 and still in a battle for play-in tournament positioning.
MILAN — The showdown that the hockey world has waited a dozen years to see again on an Olympic stage is finally here.
It’s the U.S. vs. Canada in Sunday’s gold-medal match. The stakes could not possibly be any higher.
Advertisement
“This is the pinnacle of the sport, this is as good as it gets,” American forward Matthew Tkachuk said.
Then, perhaps forgetting that the puck will drop at 8:10 a.m. ET, Tkachuk added optimistically, “There will not be one TV without this game on in the United States and Canada. That should get you pretty fired up.”
The Americans have not won Olympic gold in men’s hockey since the iconic “Miracle on Ice” 46 years ago. They last reached the gold-medal match in Vancouver in 2010 when Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal lifted host Canada to victory in what remains the most-watched TV broadcast in that hockey-obsessed country’s history.
While nine-time champion Canada won the last two times the Olympics featured NHL players in 2010 and 2014, a best-on-best U.S. victory on Sunday would not be a miracle. The Americans came to Milan with a roster overflowing with NHL talent and the unwavering belief that it is at last their time again.
Advertisement
Many of Sunday’s key players were also on the ice last February when the U.S. and Canada split a pair of tense, hard-fought games at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Americans won the round-robin matchup in a game that began with three fights in the opening nine seconds. Connor McDavid’s overtime goal secured revenge for the Canadians in the final just a few days later.
Will Canada celebrate Olympic gold for the 10th time? Or will the U.S. end its decades-long drought? Let’s address five key questions about Sunday’s blockbuster gold-medal match.
Connor McDavid is the best player whenever he steps on to the ice. (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
1. Where does Canada have the biggest advantage?
Canada’s forward group boasts high-end attacking talent that no opponent can match, not even the U.S. The Canadians feature a trio of superstars who are three of the NHL’s leading point-scorers this season in former league MVPs Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon and teenage phenom Macklin Celebrini.
Advertisement
McDavid has been the most unstoppable player at these Olympics, leading the tournament with 13 points in five games thanks to his lethal combination of speed and skill. MacKinnon put his stamp on these Olympics with his late goal to complete Canada’s semifinal rally to beat Finland, while Celebrini has 10 points and a tournament-best five goals — not bad considering he won’t turn 20 until mid-June.
While the U.S. can’t counter Canada’s top-tier playmakers, the Americans do have plenty of attacking depth. Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Brady Tkachuk and Jack Eichel each have scored two or more goals at these Olympics.
The U.S. so far has also gotten more attacking contributions from its blue line than Canada has. Quinn Hughes, in particular, leads the U.S. in points at the Olympics with seven. He produced the Americans’ biggest goal of the tournament so far, an overtime game-winner to beat Sweden in the quarterfinals.
Connor Hellebuyck is the best goalie whenever he steps onto the ice. (Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
2. Where does the U.S. have the biggest advantage?
The presence of Connor Hellebuyck gives the U.S. a clear edge at goaltender. The ferociously competitive three-time Vezina Trophy winner is always calm, never flustered. He often makes the difficult look routine with his long 6-foot-4 frame, savvy anticipation and knack for positioning himself perfectly.
Advertisement
This has been a rough, injury-plagued season for Hellebuyck at the NHL level, but the Winnipeg Jets netminder has performed up to his reputation in Milan. His goals against average and save percentage both lead the Olympics — and they would be even higher if he didn’t, in his words, get “a little bored” during the third period against Slovakia on Friday and surrender a goal that he doesn’t believe he should have.
Asked where his confidence level is after Friday’s game, Hellebuyck said that it’s at an “all-time high.”
“I’m really enjoying this,” the typically stoic, serious Hellebuyck continued. “This is fun.”
Goaltending was Canada’s primary question mark entering these Olympics, but so far Jordan Binnington has proven up to the challenge. He has raised his level of play while playing for his country, just as he did last year at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Advertisement
While Binnington has shown a knack for big saves in big moments, he can be susceptible to giving up rebound goals. Canada’s array of formidable defenders will have to be cleaning up those big rebounds. Otherwise that could be a weakness to exploit for a U.S. team with plenty of physical forwards who excel at crashing the net.
Just 19, Macklin Celebrini has already established himself as a premier goal scorer. (Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
3. How often will Canada play the ‘Three Macs’ together?
That’s one of Jon Cooper’s key decisions prior to Sunday’s gold-medal match. Does he put McDavid, McKinnon and Celebrini on the same line from the get-go? Or does he save that superline as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option should the Canadians fall behind like they did against Czechia and Finland?
Advertisement
Cooper’s most likely choice would be to start enforcer Tom Wilson alongside McDavid and Celebrini so that Canada has someone on its top line capable of matching the physicality of the Tkachuk brothers. MacKinnon’s presence on Canada’s second line also makes that unit more threatening.
Of course, it doesn’t take a hockey mastermind to understand the appeal of the “Three Macs” line, especially when Canada has an extra man on the power play. There’s a certain intimidation factor in sending three of the sport’s most skilled players onto the ice at the same time.
When asked if he’s ever seen a line quite like McDavid-MacKinnon-Celebrini, Canada’s Sam Bennett said, “No, I never have and I don’t know if there ever will be.”
“Those are three generational players, and they’re doing ridiculous things out there,” Bennett added.
Sidney Crosby left Canada’s quarterfinal game with an injury, and did not play in the semifinal win over Finland. His status for the gold-medal game remains up in the air. (EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)
(EyesWideOpen via Getty Images)
4. Will Sidney Crosby play?
Believe it or not, the U.S. could have to deal with another Canadian attacking superstar. When speaking with reporters after Canada’s semifinal victory over Finland, Cooper did not rule out the possibility that Crosby could return to the ice for Sunday’s gold-medal match.
Advertisement
“We have 48 hours to decide that,” Cooper said, “but I will tell you he’s got a better chance of playing in the gold-medal game than he had playing in tonight’s game.”
Crosby suffered an unspecified injury in the quarterfinals against Czechia when he took a hit from defenseman Radko Gudas and his leg bent in an unnatural direction. He sat out the rest of that game and did not dress for Friday’s semifinal.
If Crosby were to play through the injury, his return would provide Canada an emotional lift as well as a boost on the ice. Crosby had two goals and six points during the Olympics prior to his injury. Even at 38 and having long since outgrown his “Sid the Kid” nickname, Crosby remains a force.
5. Who is helped more by the 3-versus-3 overtime rules?
If the U.S. is going to win, it may have to be in regulation.
The American roster is built for the tight spaces and physical battles of 5-on-5 hockey. The faster, more skilled Canadians would have a clear advantage in a wide-open 3-versus-3 overtime.
MILAN — Certain locations evoke the Winter Olympics in all its snowy glory, places with romantic names like Milano-Cortina, Chamonix, Lake Placid and Lillehammer.
Hanover, New Hampshire, might not be the first — or the 50th — locale to come to mind in connection with the Winter Olympics, but it should. Hanover is the home of Dartmouth College, which has the unique distinction of sending Olympians to every single Winter Games, from Chamonix in 1924 right on through to Milan Cortina in 2026.
Advertisement
Skiers have come from Dartmouth, of course; the school boasts one of the finest skiing programs in the country. (Jeff Shiffrin, Mikaela’s father, was an alumnus.) But so have biathletes and bobsledders, hockey players and speed skaters. Several Dartmouth athletes at this year’s Games have already won medals, including skier Tanguy Nef (gold medalist for Switzerland in the alpine skiing team combined event) and hockey forward Laura Stacey (silver medalist for Canada). Several more have marched and competed under a wide range of both flags and disciplines.
How has this tiny Ivy League school, with an enrollment of around 7,000, produced so many elite athletes? There are three answers: one cultural, one logistical, and one geographic.
“Any Ivy League school is going to attract the best and the brightest,” Maura Crowell, Dartmouth’s hockey coach, said recently. “And I’m looking out the window in this snowy, beautiful setting up here in New Hampshire. Your skiers and hockey players just gravitate to this area. It’s an unbelievable place to go to school.”
The school also boasts easy access to the Appalachian Trail and a range of running, hiking and mountain biking trails, all of which encourage students to get outdoors. “It’s so easy to get outdoors here. I mean, you can more or less ski from campus if you’re a Nordic skier,” says Cami Thompson, Dartmouth’s women’s nordic head coach. “Our trails are very close to campus. There’s snow on the green here today. And that gets people excited to get out and ski.”
Advertisement
Two-time Team USA Olympian cross-country skier Julia Kern agrees. “What drove me there is that I really wanted a strong education, but I also wanted to ski race at a high level,” she said recently, “and I felt like going to Dartmouth gave me the best of both worlds.”
Dartmouth College more than 165 Winter Olympians. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
(Scott Eisen via Getty Images)
“It’s the smallest Ivy, so I think a quarter of our student body is a Division I athlete,” Crowell says. “When you walk around campus, you inevitably see Dartmouth lacrosse, Dartmouth track and field, Dartmouth hockey … and because of our size and our location, it is a pretty close-knit athletic community.”
One logistical key to Dartmouth’s Olympic success: its academic calendar, which allows for potential winter Olympians to structure their schedules to fit their athletic needs. The calendar is made up of four 10-week terms, three classes per term, one term off per year. That offers much more flexibility not just on the annual calendar, but on the weekly and daily ones too.
Advertisement
“As a hockey coach, I’m thrilled, because we can do individual meetings, we can do video, they can get in the shooting room, they can work with our mental performance people,” Crowell says. “There’s just more time in their days to focus on athletics, which is kind of rare at an Ivy League school.”
“There’s no athletic scholarships,” Kern noted. “You’re going there because you want a good education, but you also care about skiing. A lot of people who are driven and disciplined in skiing are also very driven in school.”
“It’s really up to the students to establish relationships with their professors and think strategically about what classes they’re taking, and when they’re taking them, and how to manage the training and the competition around their classes,” Thompson says. “There’s no special favors for these athletes. They have to make it work on their own.”
One of those students: Sophomore Michaela Hesova, a goalie on the Dartmouth hockey team and a 2026 Olympian for Czechia. She found out she would be an Olympian while walking home from a workout, and while in Italy, she worked with her professors remotely, taking tests online.
Advertisement
“It’s going to be challenging,” Hesova said before the Games, “but I think it’s going to be more than worth it.”
“The thing that most [Dartmouth Olympians] possess is a willingness to put themselves out there and to try, but also to find balance and figure out where sport fits in their life,” Thompson says. “For most of them, the academics are also important when they’re here. They’re able to find the balance to be successful in a number of areas.”
“Outside of hockey and classes, there’s still not a bunch of time, but there’s still time to get everything done,” Hesova says. “Especially Sundays, you’ll find our entire team in the library for six hours. I’m not even kidding. As long as you’re willing to put your head down and grind it out, anybody can do it.”
Advertisement
Well, maybe not anybody.
“I like to think that we sort of attract the sort of super-motivated individuals who like to succeed, so that not only is in the classroom, but also on the trails and the ski hill,” Thompson says. “The culture of our program is encouraging our athletes to shoot big. So we’re always happy when they succeed.”
DirecTV’s Entertainment tier gets you access to loads of channels where you can tune in to college and pro sports, the Winter Olympics, and more. Channels include ESPN, TNT, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, and, depending on where you live, local affiliates for ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
Whichever package you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+’s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited.
DirecTV’s Entertainment tier package is $89.99/month. But you can currently try all this out for free for 5 days. If you’re interested in trying out a live-TV streaming service for football season but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV.
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo is officially 6 for 6: He’s won gold in all six of his cross-country events at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Norway’s 29-year-old Olympic legend entered rare air with one more signature kick on Saturday.
Advertisement
Klaebo overtook teammate Martin Loewstroem Nyenget on the final lap of the men’s 50-kilometer mass start, climbing with a frenetic burst almost unfathomable after more than two hours of skiing.
He finished in 2:06:44, clinching his sixth gold medal of this year’s Olympics, the most ever recorded by an athlete at a single Winter Games.
Norway swept the event, with Nyenget taking silver and Emil Iversen earning bronze.
Klaebo now has 11 career gold medals, the second most all time in Olympic history. In that regard, Klaebo trails only U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all-time.
Advertisement
For some more context, here’s where that haul ranks Klaebo among the most golden Olympic athletes, according to NBC:
1. Michael Phelps (swimming, U.S.): 23 gold medals 2. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (cross-country skiing, Norway): 11 T-3. Larisa Latynina (gymnastics, Soviet Union): 9 T-3. Katie Ledecky (swimming, U.S.): 9 T-3. Paavo Nurmi (athletics, Finland): 9 T-3. Mark Spitz (swimming, U.S.): 9 T-3. Caeleb Dressel (swimming, U.S.): 9 T-3. Carl Lewis (athletics, U.S.): 9
In other words, Phelps and Klaebo are the only two athletes to ever win at least 10 Olympic gold medals. With Saturday’s triumph, Klaebo joined Phelps, Spitz and another swimmer, German Kristin Otto (represented East Germany), plus Belarusian gymnast Vitaly Scherbo (represented the Commonwealth of Independent States), as Olympians with at least six gold medals at a single Games, per ESPN.
Phelps, of course, won eight golds during the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.
Advertisement
Klaebo’s six golds in one Winter Games broke a 46-year-old record that American speed skater Eric Heiden set during the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.
Heiden won five golds that year. All of them were in individual events, whereas Klaebo won two of his golds in this year’s Olympics in team events.
In his third Olympics, Klaebo’s efforts are a big reason why Norway has 18 gold medals in this these Games, the most a country has ever recorded in a single Winter Olympics.
