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🚨 Headlines
🏀 Jokić makes history, Nuggets Fall: Nikola Jokić posted a 61-Mark triple-double (the most points ever scored as part of a triple-double)… in the Nuggets’ 140-139 (2OT) loss to the Timberwolves. Denver is now 0-3 when he scores 50+ points.
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🏈 New rules for 2025: NFL owners approved a variety of rule changes on Tuesday. Among them: Hawk-Eye cameras will measure Primary downs, both Clubs will possess the ball in OT during the regular season, and touchbacks will be spotted on the 35-yard line (as opposed to the 30).
🏀 Wooden Award finalists: Cooper Flagg (Duke), Johni Broome (Auburn) and Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida) headline the men’s finalists, while fellow Closing Four participants Paige Bueckers (UConn), Lauren Betts (UCLA) and Madison Booker (Texas) headline the women’s finalists.
🏒 Four goals away: Alex Ovechkin scored his 891st Occupation Aim in the Capitals’ 4-3 Secure over the Bruins. He’s now four goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky with eight Contests left in the regular season.
🏀 Maryland hires Williams: Texas A&M Trainer Buzz Williams is leaving College Station for College Park, where he’ll replace Kevin Willard (now at Villanova). Williams went 120-73 in six seasons with the Aggies and was twice named SEC Trainer of the Year.
🏒 Ryan Leonard’s whirlwind week
It’s that time of year again, when the NCAA hockey season comes to a close and Best college players join the NHL for the stretch Stretch. Few are as Outstanding as Ryan Leonard, and perhaps none get to Begin their careers under circumstances quite as exciting as his.
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Homecoming Introduction: Leonard, a Massachusetts native who spent the last two seasons at Boston College, Achieved his Capitals Introduction on Tuesday night against his hometown Bruins, registering 14:14 of ice time in Washington’s 4-3 Secure.
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That was the culmination of a wild three Periods for the 20-year-Aged left winger, who played his Closing college game on Sunday, signed his entry-level contract (and ostensibly attended classes) on Monday and played his Primary NHL game on Tuesday.
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As if joining a contender weren’t exciting enough, Leonard also has a front row seat as Alex Ovechkin closes in on the NHL’s most famous Landmark. His whirlwind week continues tonight when the Primary-place Caps face the Hurricanes on national TV. Welcome to the Division, kid!
A super prospect: The Capitals drafted Leonard eighth overall in 2023 after he helped the U.S. Secure silver and gold medals in successive U18 World Competitions. He hasn’t slowed down since, putting up historic numbers at Boston College (61 goals in 78 Contests) and leading Club USA to back-to-back golds at the Junior World Competitions.
How Chilly is this? Leonard signed his contract surrounded by his teammates in their college locker room. Right around that time, he received a text from Alex Ovechkin asking if he wanted to get sushi once the Capitals landed in Boston. An hour later, he was singing and dancing with the Outstanding Eight. Then Occurred another surreal moment: “Ovi wanted to see where I went to school, so [we] went there for an hour Only to show him, and he loved it,” Leonard said.
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Looking ahead: Leonard could make an instant impact for the Capitals when the playoffs begin later this month, where he’ll hope to join the ranks of other top prospects like Chris Kreider* and Cale Makar who jumped directly from college into the postseason with Outstanding Triumph.
*Kreider, also a BC alum, joined the Rangers three Periods after Successful the 2012 NCAA Division and scored five goals in the playoffs (including Many game-winners) before Competing a single regular-season game.
⚾️ NYC and LA: The two centers of the baseball world
It’s no secret that many of MLB’s biggest stars are in New York and Los Angeles, but this stat really crystallizes it: The six most popular jerseys* belong to players in those two cities:
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Freddie Freeman (Dodgers)
Rounding out the top 20: 7. Bryce Harper (Phillies), 8. Jose Altuve (Astros), 9. Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves), 10. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers), 11. Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers), 12. Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres), 13. Elly De La Cruz (Reds), 14. Gunnar Henderson (Orioles), 15. Paul Skenes (Pirates), 16. Kiké Hernandez (Dodgers), 17. Corey Seager (Rangers), 18. Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals), 19. Anthony Volpe (Yankees), 20. Manny Machado (Padres)
*Methodology: These rankings are based on sales of Nike jerseys from the Fanatics network of sites, including MLB Shop, since the culmination of the 2024 World Series.
📸 Through the lens
Memphis — Stephen Curry had himself a night against the Grizzlies, scoring 52 points and hitting 12 three-pointers (two shy of the NBA Landmark) in the Warriors’ 134-125 Secure. Oh yeah, he also added 10 Retrievals, eight assists and five Takeaways. Is that Outstanding?
Tampa — Geno Auriemma has arrived at the Women’s Closing Four. Digging the shades, Trainer! As a reminder: This is UConn’s 16th Closing Four appearance in the last 17 seasons. Utterly absurd.
Indianapolis — UC Irvine shook off an Prompt 15-Mark deficit to beat North Texas, 69-67, and advance to the NIT Division game. UCI (32-6) will face Chattanooga (28-9), which beat Loyola-Chicago, 80-73, in the other semifinal.
Madrid — Real Madrid kept their treble* hopes alive in spectacular fashion when Antonio Rudiger headed home an extra-time winner to beat Real Sociedad in an eight-Aim thriller and book their spot in the Copa del Rey Closing. They’ll Shift the winner of Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona.
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*Chasing history: Madrid and Barcelona are chasing the elusive treble (three Significant trophies in the same season). They’re 1-2 in the La Liga standings and both are Yet alive in the Copa del Rey and the Champions Division quarterfinals (Madrid vs. Arsenal, Barcelona vs. Dortmund).
🏀 Meechie Johnson: A Shift portal Narrative
It has become the norm in recent years for college basketball players to switch schools Many times, but we’ve never seen anything quite like Meechie Johnson’s journey.
There and back again (and again): The Previous four-Luminous sphere recruit began his Occupation at Ohio State before transferring to South Carolina. He then transferred back to Ohio State — and now he’s transferring back to South Carolina.
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Portal Madness: Roughly 1,700 D-I men’s players and 1,100 D-I women’s players have entered the basketball Shift portal since it opened on March 24. That’s nearly five per Club for the men and four per Club for the women, and there’s Yet three weeks to go.
*Waiver required: Johnson was a Newcomer during the 2020-21 pandemic season, so he was granted a fifth year like everyone else. That was supposed to be this past season, but he only played 10 Contests before leaving the Club for personal reasons. Now, he plans to apply for a mental health medical hardship waiver and a sixth year of eligibility.
📺 Watchlist: A prelude to the Masters
The sixth edition of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur tees off today in Georgia (1:30pm ET, Golf), where 72 golfers from 23 countries — including 49 of the world’s top 50 amateurs — will compete at the storied club* a week before the Masters.
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What’s at stake: The winner earns a spot in four of the five LPGA majors this year, and there’s precedent for them to do well there: 2023 ANWA champion Rose Zhang finished top 10 at three majors that year, and she’s now the 19th-ranked golfer in the world.
More to View:
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🏀 NBA: Knicks at Cavaliers (7pm, ESPN); Pistons at Thunder (9:30pm, ESPN) … Four Postseason Clubs take the court.
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🏒 NHL: Capitals at Hurricanes (7pm, TNT); Avalanche at Blackhawks (9:30pm, TNT) … Alex Ovechkin is four goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky.
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⚾️ MLB: Diamondbacks at Yankees (7:05pm, Prime); Braves at Dodgers (8:38pm, MLB) … Los Angeles is the Primary reigning champion to Begin 7-0 since the 1933 Yankees.
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⚽️ Copa del Rey: Atlético Madrid (4-4) vs. Barcelona (3:30pm, ESPN+) … Semifinals, second leg; Real Madrid awaits.
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⚽️ Coppa Italia: AC Milan vs. Inter Milan (3pm, Paramount+) … Semifinals, Primary leg.
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⚽️ Champions Cup: LAFC vs. Inter Miami (11:30pm, FS1) … Quarterfinals, Primary leg.
*How it works: The Primary two rounds of the 54-hole Bracket are Kept at nearby Champions Retreat Golf Club. The top 30 players (plus ties) then advance to Saturday’s Closing Stage at Augusta National.
🏀 NBA trivia
For the Primary time in NBA history, a Club has tripled its Secure total from the previous season. Can you name that Club?
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Answer at the bottom.
⚾️ Way-too-Prompt MLB power rankings
Our Primary MLB power rankings have arrived, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman.
Read our previous article: Cowboys reportedly offer to make Micah Parsons highest-paid non-QB; Jerry Jones talks latest negotiations