Aston Villa Goalkeeper Dibou Martínez has a minor fracture in his hand but is not in danger of missing the World Cup.

Journalist Gaston Edul reports The Aston Villa goalkeeper has had his injury checked and the news is positive.

no surgery required

According to the Argentinian journalist, the Aston Villa and Argentina number one does not require surgery on his injury.

The 33-year-old confirmed this week that he injured his hand in pre-match warmups before the win over Freiburg in the Europa League final.

However, he refused to miss that game. Instead he walked away from the warm-up while Aston Villa’s medical staff taped the finger.

“I broke my finger during the warm-up today. But I didn’t see it as a bad thing,” he told reporters after the Aston Villa win.

“I’d never broken a finger before and every time I tried to catch the ball, the finger would slide off in the other direction. But these are just things you have to go through.”

World Cup hopes alive

Edul now said that there is no need for any surgery on the injury. Instead, he will be out for around 20 days to recover from the injury.

According to information from journalists, the Aston Villa goalkeeper aims to be ready for Argentina’s first match at the World Cup. They will begin defending the trophy on June 17^th Against Algeria. They will then face Austria five days later and Jordan on June 28.^th.

Confident he will make it to both those games. But he is ready to put their friendship aside before that. Argentina will face Honduras on June 7^th Then on June 9, Iceland^th.

It seems the plan is to keep the Aston Villa goalkeeper out of those games to ensure he will be fully fit for the World Cup and defend their crown.

Aston Villa Goalkeeper Dibou Martínez has a minor fracture in his hand but is not in danger of missing the World Cup.

Journalist Gaston Edul reports The Aston Villa goalkeeper has had his injury checked and the news is positive.

no surgery required

According to the Argentinian journalist, the Aston Villa and Argentina number one does not require surgery on his injury.

The 33-year-old confirmed this week that he injured his hand in pre-match warmups before the win over Freiburg in the Europa League final.

However, he refused to miss that game. Instead he walked away from the warm-up while Aston Villa’s medical staff taped the finger.

“I broke my finger during the warm-up today. But I didn’t see it as a bad thing,” he told reporters after the Aston Villa win.

“I’d never broken a finger before and every time I tried to catch the ball, the finger would slide off in the other direction. But these are just things you have to go through.”

World Cup hopes alive

Edul now said that there is no need for any surgery on the injury. Instead, he will be out for around 20 days to recover from the injury.

According to information from journalists, the Aston Villa goalkeeper aims to be ready for Argentina’s first match at the World Cup. They will begin defending the trophy on June 17^th Against Algeria. They will then face Austria five days later and Jordan on June 28.^th.

Confident he will make it to both those games. But he is ready to put their friendship aside before that. Argentina will face Honduras on June 7^th Then on June 9, Iceland^th.

It seems the plan is to keep the Aston Villa goalkeeper out of those games to ensure he will be fully fit for the World Cup and defend their crown.

The Indiana Pacers will be without Ivica Zubac for the remainder of the 2025-26 season after the veteran center suffered a rib fracture.

According to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star, Zubac suffered a concussion during Wednesday’s game and will not return this season.

“Recently acquired Pacers center Ivica Zubac suffered a fractured rib in Wednesday’s game and will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season,” Dopirak reports.

“Zubac left the game with a head injury after being hit by an elbow from Portland center Donovan Clingan, but he also had an ice pack with him while speaking to media members after the game.”

Zubac played through the injury in Indiana’s 127–119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one block. He shot 7 of 18 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line in 23 minutes.

Pacers’ frontcourt is vacant due to Ivica Zubac’s injury amid consecutive losses

The 29-year-old was in the early stages of his Pacers tenure after being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers at the trade deadline. In five games with Indiana, Zubac averaged 11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 47.2 percent from the field in 23.6 minutes per contest under a minutes restriction.

Prior to the trade, Zubac was enjoying a productive season with Los Angeles, averaging 14.4 points, 11 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 43 games, including 42 starts, while shooting 61.3 percent from the field.

His absence leaves a significant void in Indiana’s frontcourt as the team is going through a difficult season. The Pacers enter the game at 15-55 and are in the midst of a franchise-record 15-game losing streak.

Indiana will try to regroup as it begins a two-game road trip against the San Antonio Spurs (52-18) on Saturday night at 8 pm ET.

With Zubac sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Pacers will likely turn to their remaining frontcourt options as they evaluate roster pieces heading into the offseason.

The conversation about Cleetus McFarland Racing in NASCAR’s national series is still far from over, and now Brad Keselowski has stepped in with an idea he believes can fix what he calls a “broken” system.

McFarland, a YouTuber who built a large following through online car content, recently received clearance to compete in NASCAR’s upper divisions despite limited racing experience. After a few starts in the ARCA Menards Series and a debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he was cleared to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing.

Understandably, this decision didn’t go down well with everyone in the garage.

Keselowski said the situation shows how unclear NASCAR’s development ladder has become over the years. Speaking on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, the RFK Racing driver said the structure that once guided drivers through the sport has slowly disappeared.

“The problem we have is the industry of NASCAR as a whole, for whatever reason we have completely abandoned the identity of those four series,” Keselowski said.

“Not necessarily the Cup Series, but those four series, like the pecking order, has been thrown around. And it started with the removal of Cup drivers from the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.”

Previously, most drivers climbed ladder by ladder. Many started in ARCA, moved to the Truck Series, then moved to the Xfinity Series before moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series. Keselowski believes the path is no longer as clear.

Because of this, he suggested a stricter approval system that would require drivers to gain more experience before moving to the next level.

“Personally, I think the 3 series should have three different approval criteria with the Truck Series being sanctioned. So, here’s my opinion. If you want to run ARCA and you know you have less than 100 starts in any major or minor league form of racing. Yes. OK, great. ARCA is your place. In my opinion, you should not be allowed to run the Truck Series unless you say so, “I have around the country. There are over 100 starters.”

The conversation intensified after McFarland’s truck’s start ended early following a crash during the race weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

Also read: “What are we doing?” Veterans approve NASCAR standards after Daytona

Kyle Busch also questioned NASCAR’s decision

Keselowski isn’t the only driver to raise concerns. Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch also questioned how quickly McFarland was able to break into NASCAR’s national series. Busch explained that most drivers spend years gaining experience before reaching those levels.

In an interview with Fox8, Busch said, “I don’t know how many races he’s run. Denny Hamlin ran 10,000 races before he got here, right? So, I don’t know if Cletus has run 10 races or not, but definitely needs enough experience. My son has probably run more races than him, and he’s 10 years old. You know what I mean? So, I don’t think it sits well. There are a lot of us.”

The Cletus McFarland debate highlights a broader debate that is growing in modern motorsports. On one side are traditionalists who believe drivers should climb the established development ladder – karting, Late Model, then ARCA – gaining years of experience before reaching NASCAR’s national series. On the other hand, teams like NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) understand that driver reach and marketability can be important in today’s media landscape. It also seems like NASCAR is in desperate need of getting younger fans.

The real point of contention among insiders is not whether McFarland can actually drive. His top-10 finish in ARCA at Talladega shows he has some driving skills. Instead, some are questioning whether NASCAR’s licensing standards have become too flexible. By allowing only a small number of ARCA drivers to compete in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, he believes the sanctioning body risks putting online popularity ahead of the competitive standards expected at the experience and professional level. And along with this, security is also at risk.

Either way, McFarland will drive the №33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing at Rockingham Speedway later this season. It remains to be seen whether he proves the critics wrong, but the discussion about NASCAR’s sanctioning system is unlikely to subside any time soon.

My love for motorsports began as a child watching races with my family in Tunisia. Fast forward to today… more about Farah Ben Gamra

So, it’s really all or nothing for the New Jersey Devils this season.

They look very impressive when they win. When they are defeated, they lay an egg. And that’s what happened Sunday night as the Motor City goaltenders hosted the Detroit Red Wings in a combined shutout.

The Devils played particularly well for 40 minutes. In fact, he put two on the sticks of Connor Brown and Lenny Haminaho.

However, their luck didn’t change and Jacob Markstrom’s second start of the weekend snapped the Devils’ four-game winning streak.

It was a good start for the Devils, who controlled the tempo of the game for the first three and a half minutes of play, and put good pressure on Red Wings goaltender John Gibson early.

However, the Red Wings took an early 1–0 lead when Markstrom was checked by traffic and found twine on the wrist of Moritz Seider from the point.

Regardless of the score, the Devils controlled the pace of the game for the remainder of the first period, but could not solve Gibson before the first intermission.

The same thing happened in the second period as New Jersey maintained control of the game despite falling behind on the scoreboard.

Detroit doubled its lead at the 6:37 mark of the second period after James van Riemsdyk gave the Red Wings a 2–0 lead after Markstrom redirected Seider’s shot from the blueline.

A fast-paced game came to a head when Brendan Dillon combined with Andrew Copp to push the Red Wings forward. Dillon was called for a two-minute intervention after several scuffles broke out between whistles.

However, the Devils coughed up the minor penalty.

When the Devils and Red Wings emerged from their respective locker rooms after the second intermission, Detroit made a goal-tending change. Gibson remained in the Detroit locker room, while Cam Talbot took the net in relief.

And then the Red Wings took over.

The Devils could not keep up with Detroit, who took control of the game not only on the scoreboard, but on the ice as well.

Dominic Shine scored his first NHL goal by tapping Van Riemsdyk’s cross ice pass past Markstrom to increase the Red Wings’ lead to 3–0 and seal the victory for Detroit.

Markstrom made 27 saves on 30 shots and suffered his 15th loss of the season.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

Nikola Vucevic has an early injury timeout on his ability to return to the court after suffering a hand injury in the Boston Celtics’ clash with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Vucevic suffered an injury during the first half of the competition, forcing him to the locker room. Boston later ruled him out for the remainder of the game, saying he suffered a fractured ring finger.

ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania provided an update on Vucevic’s injury. He explained that there would be a procedure to treat the fracture at the veteran’s center and a month’s time would be lost as a result.

“Boston’s Nikola Vucevic will undergo a procedure on Saturday for his broken ring finger and will miss approximately a month,” Charania wrote.

How the Celtics played against the Mavericks despite Nikola Vucevic’s injury

Despite Nikola Vucevic playing only two minutes, the Celtics stepped up in a big way to defeat the Mavericks 120–100.

It took a while for things to settle down as shooting began in Boston. Despite this, they gained momentum as Jayson Tatum scored his first point since returning from his Achilles injury. As they played well in their season debut, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White assisted them with strong performances to lead Boston to victory.

Six players, including Tatum, scored in double figures for Boston in the win. He finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and one steal. He made 6 of 16 shots from the field, including 3 of 8 from beyond the arc. Jaylen Brown led the way with 24 points and seven rebounds, Derrick White had 20 points and four assists, while Payton Pritchard provided 18 points and seven rebounds.

Boston improved to a 42–21 record on the season and finished second in the Eastern Conference standings. They are above the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers while trailing the Detroit Pistons.

The Celtics will look forward to their next matchup while on the road. They will take on the Cavaliers as tip-off takes place on March 8 at 1pm ET.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and James Harden were nearly dealt a season-deciding injury blow on Wednesday. An X-ray of the star point guard’s right thumb revealed he suffered a non-displaced fracture against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. While the injury usually requires surgery, Harden never considered it an option.

“It’s too much time,” the Cavaliers star said after Sunday’s 106-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets. “Thought about playing the last game, thought about playing in Milwaukee. There’s going to be some discomfort, so just figuring out ways to fight. There’s no other option.”

James Harden asked if he’s considering surgery on his broken thumb:

“No. It’s too much time… there’s going to be some discomfort, so just figuring out ways to fight it… I have no other choice.” pic.twitter.com/PG2qe37o07

– Eric Slater (@erikslater_) 2 March 2026

Harden’s injury could have been a devastating blow to Cleveland’s title hopes. After a disappointing start to the season, the Cavaliers traded an injured Darius Garland for the 36-year-old Harden at the trade deadline. The availability of the latter was a driving force in its acquisition.

However, after injuring his thumb, it was unclear whether Harden would be able to play during the stretch run to end the regular season. With Donovan Mitchell also out with a groin injury, Harden missed the first two games of Cleveland’s road trip, suffering tough losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons.

The Cavaliers arrived in New York on Saturday and Harden went to the NBA Players Association gym to get his thumb tested.

“See if I can dribble,” he said of the goal of the workout. “If I can dribble, I can play. I still couldn’t dribble the way I wanted to, but it was good enough.”

Initially listed as questionable, Harden took the field against the Nets on Sunday.

James Harden playing for Cavaliers despite broken thumb

To the relief of Cavs fans, he broke through in the game and played well enough to earn the win. Harden logged 36 minutes, posting 29 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the field, 4 of 7 from three and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line, along with nine rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers.

“Too many turnovers,” he said of his performance. “Not being able to handle the ball properly. After this game, hopefully I’ll take a few days to rest and let it heal and then go from there.”

While Harden finished with a near triple-double, Kenny Atkinson noticed that he was not his usual self.

“You could see in the first half that he wasn’t 100%, obviously,” Atkinson said. “Just tipping the ball. Some of those turnovers weren’t his. Then I noticed he was tipping the ball a few times while bringing it up. Which he never does. Just probably needed to give it a break. It’s tough, especially for a guy who handles it as much as he does.

“I thought in the second half, we had that stretch where we were struggling and he kind of took over. Got to the free-throw line and then hit a couple threes. He’s a gamer. Kind of made it tough… We needed him. He played handicapped. But he still played well.”

The Cavaliers are currently the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference standings, two games ahead of the Toronto Raptors and 1.5 games behind the New York Knicks. Their next two games include two of their toughest tests since acquiring Harden.

Cleveland returns home for a rematch with the Pistons on Tuesday. They will then have four days off to rest Harden before back-to-back home contests against the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

Harden’s thumb will continue to be one of the top stories surrounding the Cavaliers in the coming weeks. However, the 11-time All-Star is adamant that he will do whatever it takes to remain on the court during his 36-year-old season.

“I love playing basketball even with no money,” Harden said. “Basketball is a thing that we do, and it’s a safe place. As you get better and start studying the game and start learning more and get comfortable, it’s the same with anything, you just get used to it. I’ve been fortunate to play in this league for as long as I have, and I’m still doing it at a high level. Even now, as I’ve gotten older. When I was younger, I’ve always been It felt like that, but I still realize I have a few more years left to play basketball, so I definitely cherish them and have no regrets about playing.

The Phoenix Suns received bad news last week when it was revealed that Dillon Brooks suffered a hand injury and there was no timeline yet for his potential return to the court. On Monday, following a meeting of the medical staff, it was announced that Brooks would need approximately four to six weeks to recover as he recovers from a hand injury, according to Shams Charania.

Dillon Brooks suffered a hand injury during the Suns’ win against the Orlando Magic on Saturday. He played only seven minutes before exiting the game. He finished with five points and three rebounds.

The Suns recently welcomed Jalen Green back into the lineup after missing most of the first half of the season with a hamstring injury. But losing Brooks for a long time is a big blow to a team that is trying to maintain momentum in a crowded Western Conference playoff picture.

The Suns are currently 33-25 and are in seventh place in the West standings. They are two games behind the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves and avoid the play-ins altogether.

Brooks is in his first season with the Suns after being acquired as part of the multi-team blockbuster trade involving Kevin Durant in the offseason. So far he has made an invaluable impact on the court.

Brooks has appeared in 50 of the Suns’ 58 games so far, all starts, playing just over 30 minutes per game. He averaged career-highs of 20.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals while splitting 44 percent shooting from the field, 34.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 85.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.