標籤: disappointed

west ham united Star Crescencio Somerville has admitted he has let Suriname down a bit by focusing on playing for the Netherlands.

NU.nl covers West Ham forward’s comments After a press conference with the Netherlands today. The 24-year-old is set to make his debut for the Dutch team in the coming weeks ahead of the World Cup.

netherland choice

In fact, Crescencio Somerville has never played for the Netherlands at senior level. He was set to do so in the last international break, before injury ended those plans.

The forward has remained focused on playing for the Netherlands, despite Suriname’s efforts to get the forward to switch allegiance.

They are now managed by Dutch manager Henk ten Cate, who has had several successes in convincing Dutch players to switch allegiance. He talked to Somerville about doing the same. However, the West Ham star resisted all attempts.

It paid off for him as he is now heading towards the World Cup with Ronald Koeman and company. And he admits it meant disappointing Ten Cate and his Suriname team.

“I was in contact with Henk ten Cate earlier this year,” he said.

“They were a little disappointed. But I strive for the highest possible goal. For me, that is the Dutch national team.”

opinions are changing

Now the focus is on changing opinion about him in the Netherlands. There are still some doubts about the forward’s attitude, which was questioned at Feyenoord.

He was and still is seen as a difficult character. However, Somerville never understood that label.

He said, “People used to say I was a difficult boy. These are opinions. You can’t change that, although I have certainly become more mature in England.”

exit west ham

The World Cup may not be the only big moment for him this summer. With West Ham relegated and in need of a sale, Crescencio Somerville is the first name on the list.

There are already clubs lining up to potentially lure him away from the London Stadium. Roma has been monitoring the situation for some time. Tottenham are also reportedly keen.

However, the first is the World Cup, where he may be able to generate even more interest with his performances.

For Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet, there was one special thing he missed this season that led to his disappointing results: Fred VanVleet.

After trading for Kevin Durant over the summer, the Rockets were viewed as a serious threat to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. And why not? They were a young, talented, defensive-driven team that missed a late-game finisher in 2024-25.

But just before the season began, nine-year veteran VanVleet suffered an ACL injury during a September practice. Although it was a notable loss, most NBA experts believed that the Rockets still had enough talent to remain a force in the West under head coach Ime Udoka. However, despite looking strong early on, they slipped as the season progressed.

They finished the campaign as the fifth seed in the West, and were surprisingly eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs by a Los Angeles Lakers team without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for most of the series.

Fred VanVleet says the Rockets’ biggest problem in 2025-26 was not having Fred VanVleet

After their disappointing defeat in the playoffs, there has been much speculation as to what went wrong. However, it seems VanVleet believes his absences were the biggest reason for his disappointment in 2025-26 and that next season will be much better.

“I know what I bring to the table and I know having me on the team will make us a better team,” he said in a new video on his YouTube page. “It’s been the same for me on every team I’ve ever been on. Before you get to the game, I’m going to make the team better by being available, being around and bringing my energy.

“My leadership and competitiveness, that’s what it’s all about. I try to make everything I touch better,” he said. “That’s my mentality. I’m not saying I do that, or I don’t, but that’s how I look at it when I go in.”

The one-time All-Star has a $25.5 million player option for next season. From his comments it appears he is likely to exercise or fully expect to sign a new long-term deal for less money annually.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

chelsea’s The situation regarding Estevao’s injury has not softened, but the player’s camp has not softened either. Both sides are also favoring different recovery paths after the youngster’s World Cup hopes were dashed.

At one level, the disagreement can be explained by urgency. Estevao wanted to keep the possibility of playing for Brazil alive this summer. Chelsea were thinking ahead, wary of rushing the 19-year-old through his recovery from a serious muscle injury after an already rocky start to his first season in England.

now though, The World Cup is gone from the equationBut the divide remains where it was.

Chelsea still in favor of surgery

according to globo esporteChelsea believe surgery would be the best course of action following the forward’s hamstring injury.

The issue was discussed early in the recovery process when Estevao suffered what was described as a serious hamstring injury in Brazil.

Reports vary slightly as to the exact severity, but there has never been any doubt that the injury was significant.

chelsea’s thinking The entire saga has been relatively straightforward.

The club sees Estevao as one of the key parts of their future project and have no interest in taking unnecessary risks with recurring muscle problems at an early stage of his career.

There have already been several absences linked to muscle problems this season alone. This concern partly explains why the club initially leaned toward surgery.

Estevao camp refuses to change course

What’s shocking now is that Estevao and the professionals around him still don’t agree – even with the World Cup no longer on the table.

The report states that the player’s entourage is confident that conservative treatment is the right option and there is no need for surgery.

Previously, it was possible to formulate the Orthodox path as a aggressive effort to beat the clock For the tournament. But that pressure has vanished with Carlo Ancelotti leaving Estevao out of Brazil’s preliminary World Cup list.

And yet the treatment plan remains the same. So it’s no longer about trying to create a miracle recovery for June. There are real differences in medical philosophy and risk assessment between club and player.

Return to London may be important

As we covered earlierEstevao is expected to return to England soon after spending his recent days in Brazil working in Palmeiras’ facilities, where he continues his rehabilitation under a shared structure involving the Chelsea staff and his personal performance team.

The Blues are expected to re-evaluate the player, and this could restart internal discussions about the next step in his treatment. Meanwhile, Estevao seems comfortable continuing with a slower and more conservative approach.

It remains to be seen whether the club will push for surgery again, but their priority clearly has not disappeared. At the same time, the player’s side appears equally determined not to change direction.

Ultimately, one side’s approach is likely to gain strength based on muscle response. But either way, without the pressure of a World Cup timeline, the coming weeks could be quieter publicly but more important clinically.

If the recovery progresses well, the player camp will feel reassured. If setbacks emerge, Chelsea’s caution may seem increasingly justified. At present, neither side seems ready to move forward.

The New York Jets selected a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, the player was unlikely to compete with Geno Smith for the starting job this summer.

The first day of this year’s draft was a great one for the Jets. With the second overall pick, they went with a safe option, taking talented Texas Tech edge David Bailey. Then at No. 16, he landed a potential game-breaker at the tight spot in Oregon’s Kenyon Sedig. They then surprised many by moving back in Round 1 to select Indiana star receiver Omar Cooper Jr.

On the second day of the event, he received much praise when he used his only pick on Friday to get another star from the national champions, this time, cornerback D’Angelo Ponds. Heading into Day 3, there was one thing many Jets fans were hoping for, and that was for the team to select a young QB.

Well, he got one in Round 4, but he’s not going to get Gang Green fans excited after his performance in 2025. With their second pick on Saturday, the franchise selected Illinois signal caller Cade Klubnik.

Cade Klubnik’s regression from Heisman contender in 2025

In 2024, he had a breakout season in his sophomore year for the Fighting Illini. He threw for a career-high 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns to six interceptions. He also connected on 63.4 percent of his passes. That’s why he was an early Heisman Trophy contender, and why Illinois was viewed as a team that could make serious noise in the Big Ten.

This past season was much different as he regressed and had only 2,943 yards and 16 TDs in two fewer games. While his completion percentage (65.6) had increased, his passer rating dropped by nearly 10 points compared to the previous year. Illinois improved from 10-3 in 2024 to 9-4 this past season.

Klubnik can make a lot of throws which he will need in the pros. However, he is a bit undersized (6-foot-2, 207 pounds), and his field vision was average. He could also use some work on his mechanics. Still, he has very good rushing ability and two years ago he ran for 463 yards and seven touchdowns.

Klubnik is a project and will not give Smith any serious competition for the QB1 job in training camp.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

On March 31, Rangers Confirmed Rabbi Matondo’s Ibrox exit to join SK Brann on a permanent transfer. The Norwegian club snatched him from Danny Rohl’s team as the window there remained open until last month.

The winger joined Rangers from Schalke in July 2022 and has failed to cement a place at Ibrox.

To give context, he played 2,706 minutes in 70 matches and scored eight goals and 11 assists for Rangers.

In January 2025, the Scottish club sent him on loan to Hannover 96 and before that, we broadcast news Of interest to Ajax. Since returning from his loan spell in Germany, he lost prominence at Rangers.

Russell Martin did not give him any minutes and his successor Rohl used him twice in cup competitions this season. He played only one minute in the Scottish Premiership, which came against Aberdeen FC in November.

The restricted rule under Rohl this season may have convinced him to leave Rangers permanently in search of regular minutes.

Still to fly after the Rangers get out

Rabbi Matondo has yet to showcase his talents since leaving Ibrox for SK Brann a few weeks ago.

Since moving to Norway, Brann manager Friar Alexandersson had left him as an unused substitute in the first two matches.

At the weekend, the former Rangers man came off the bench late on to play a minute in his team’s 3-2 defeat to Viking FK.

Spoke to the Wales international after the latest defeat bergens tidende And his comments were published in Monday’s edition of the newspaper.

The attacker was barely on the pitch after coming off the bench in the 96th minute.

Matondo is unhappy with both his position and the latest defeat.

“Of course we wanted better results,” He said.

“It wasn’t many minutes. In my mind, I’m more prepared than ever and I was expecting more minutes, but this is football. I feel ready for more than three-four minutes on the pitch. If I had more time I could help more.”

Our opinion: Welshman’s slow start not surprising

The former Rangers player only playing a few minutes for SK Brann should come as no surprise.

This is because before moving to Norway, Rabbi Matondo had only played 65 minutes for Rangers this season. This suggests he lacks match practice and may need time to adjust to a new club in a new country.

Barring any surprises, players should take their time trying to solidify their place in Brains.

armory Take a 1-0 lead in London, but Sporting CP’s response tells a very different story to the scoreline. Inside the home dressing room and in the press room, there was no point in losing.

Instead, there was a consistent message. The tie remains open for them.

Rui Borges describes the game as balanced

Sports manager Rui Borges returned again and again to one idea – that it was an equal competition.

He started by praising his team and putting the loss in contextExplaining why he felt the result was harsh:

“In terms of the game, it was a balanced match. Raya being named man of the match says a lot about it.”

Borges used specific moments to reinforce that view:

“Arsenal, apart from a first-half chance that hit the bar, then had a shot before goal, straight at Rui. We had three clear chances where Arsenal made three good saves.”

From his perspective, the numbers and the flow of the game point in the same direction:

“It shows the balance, because the game was balanced, about 54 or 56 percent possession.”

Disappointment at late goal – but no lack of confidence

The main disappointment came from how the game was decided. Borges made it clear that the defeat was limited to a moment:

“It’s disappointing because we didn’t deserve to go away with the loss despite everything we were able to do during the game. We lost from a little moment of lack of concentration, as it happens, against a great team.”

“But that’s how football is. We won the game in the 91st minute, today we lost.”

This naturally led to his message before the second leg:

“We have to keep our heads up and believe that if there are big challenges, they are for this team.”

Clear message before London trip

When Borges was asked directly about going into the return leg with confidence, he didn’t hesitate.

“Hope is still there? Yes, obviously. We know the difficulty, we know it’s a great team, they’ll play at home.”

Still, their expectation remains firm:

“I am confident that we will respond well in London and we fully expect to keep the contest open until the end.”

He also stressed that Sporting achieved what it set out to achieve in terms of performance:

“We competed with the best in Europe. This is what we say and this is what we want. This clearly shows how balanced the competition is.”

Players also repeat the same story

The players followed the same line as their manager, focusing on missed chances and good margins.

Left-back Maxi Araújo, who was a constant threat for the Gunners throughout the match, described his early opportunity as a potential turning point:

“We knew it was going to be very difficult. We had big chances and if he had gone early it would have been different.”

He insisted that Sporting had prepared to upset Arsenal:

“The important thing is that we created on both sides. In a moment of lack of concentration we lost, but we did many things well.”

And he looked ahead with cautious optimism:

“It will be tough, but this is football and we have to play great games without mistakes to turn it around.”

Striker Luis Suarez offered a slightly different angle, focusing on execution.

“The game went as we expected, it was tough. In the end the more dominant team won. But we were a good team with the ball but we lacked finishing.”

And he warned Arsenal that mentality will not change:

“This team never misses a game or a minute. There are 90 minutes left and it will be just as or even more difficult as we play away, but we can go to the next round.”

Arsenal gain, but tension remains

From Arsenal’s point of view, the job is half done. They got the goal late. They head to London. But Sporting’s reaction makes one thing clear.

This is not a team that believes parity is going away. And in a matchup already defined by a good margin, mentality could matter as much as the scoreline.

Birmingham City’s Christoph Klerer says not receiving a call from Austria is not a big shock for him.

The 25-year-old player has represented Austria at various youth levels from U15 to U21 at the start of his career.

However, the Birmingham City captain has yet to receive a call-up to the senior team and Austria manager Ralf Rangnick has not considered him again for this international break.

The centre-back joined the championship team from Darmstadt 98 in July 2024. The move allowed him to return to England, where he spent four years at Southampton between 2016 and 2020.

He made 39 appearances for Chris Davis’ side this season and this included 36 starts in the Championship. The Austrian’s statistics per game in the league are as follows.

• Interception: 1.3
• Tackle: 1.0
• Clearance: 7.2
• Duel won: 7.2
• Ball recovered: 3.9
• Dribbled past: 0.3
• Blocked Shots: 0.5

Despite his overall impressive form for the Blues, he has yet to fully convince Rangnick.

No contact from Birmingham City Star

Sky Interviewed Christoph Klerer to hear his thoughts on not getting a call up to the national team in Austria.

“I’m not disappointed. I’m trying to make the best of it. I give my all for Birmingham City. It’s quite a challenging job.” He said.

When asked if he would be happy if Rangnick added him to his team, Klerer explained: “If it ever happens, of course I’ll be very happy.”

“If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t matter. For me, it’s not a big shock. I do what I can control. The coach decides what happens in the end.”

On the possibility of making it to the World Cup this summer, he said: “I haven’t ruled out anything. But of course, I’m realistic as well. There are other players in that position who perform well and play in good leagues. I’m just trying to impress as best I can.”

The Blues defender clarified that no contact has been made with the Austrian Football Association regarding the lack of recognition.

“I enjoyed playing for Austria very much, I am very proud to be an Austrian. But there has been no contact with the Austrian Football Association (OFB) regarding the national team.” The player said.

Austria fixtures and squads for the March international break

The national team has already qualified for the World Cup and has two friendly matches this month.

• vs Ghana on 27 March
• vs South Korea on 31 March

Ralf Rangnick’s full squad for these matches:

Goalkeepers: Patrick Pentz, Alexander Schlager, Tobias Laul, Florian Wigele

Defenders: David Alaba, Kevin Denzo, Philipp Lienhart, Stefan Posch, Maximilian Wobber, Marco Friedel, Michael Svoboda, David Effengruber

Midfielders: Konrad Leimer, Marcel Sabitzer, Nikolaus Seewald, Romano Schmidt, Florian Grilitz, Alexander Prais, Alessandro Schöpf, Xaver Schlager, Christoph Baumgartner, Paul Wanner

Forwards: Marko Arnautovic, Michael Gregoritsch, Sasa Kalajdzic, Patrick Wimmer, Philippe Mwene, Carney Chukwuemeka

🇩🇪Marvin Daksh | The Birmingham City player is attracting interest from Real Sociedad, AEK Athens and MLShttps://t.co/y4J8qJ8fJY #bcfc

– Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) 16 March 2026

PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi is ‘severely disappointed’ by Fulham’s decision to withdraw from a deal for him.

espn netherland Report the striker could change his stance on a move to Fulham after last week’s drama.

Fulham’s move for Pepi was ‘almost finalized’ after the Premier League team agreed a €40m deal with PSV for him. The striker also traveled to London for a medical, which he is believed to have passed.

This was the conclusion of several weeks of negotiations after a move failed in the January transfer window.

Why did the deal fail?

Yet the deal fell through at the last minute as the club could not agree on transfer responsibility. This was a major element of the conversation. The two clubs had different views on when the ‘transfer of responsibility’ would take place.

Fulham wanted this to happen as soon as the Premier League transfer window opened. That’s during the World Cup, which is too late from PSV’s point of view.

Both clubs made concessions, but they proved insufficient to reach an agreement. Thus, the transfer collapsed at the last minute. Fulham simply considered the risk too great.

No deal is possible in future. In fact, PSV technical director Ernests has insisted that he would not rule out this happening.

Pepi’s attitude may have changed

Whether Fulham will return or not is a big question at the Dutch club. The same applies to Ricardo Pepi’s attitude towards any move.

He had wanted to move to the Premier League for a long time and had made his stance clear. This move was seen as A good deal for all parties.

But how will he feel about Fulham now? According to ESPN Netherlands, sources close to the striker say he ‘disappointed him greatly.’ In other words, given everything that has happened, he may not be so keen on the London club anymore.

If Fulham decide to return for Pepi in the coming months, this is probably something they will need to work on. As of right now, the deal is off and the striker is seriously disappointed.

Liverpool midfielder Alexis McAllister has reacted to the collapse of Argentina’s plans to face Spain in the Finalsima, after weeks of uncertainty.

The match was originally scheduled for March in Qatar, but that plan soon fell through. Rising political tensions in the Middle East made the location impractical. As a result, UEFA and CONMEBOL were forced to return to the negotiating table.

From there the situation became more complicated. Several options were discussed, including holding the game in Spain, moving it to another European venue or even splitting it into two legs. However, no consensus was reached on any of those options.

Why did Finalissima collapse?

The main issue was not just logistics. It was also about checks and balances.

UEFA’s priority was to keep the match in Europe and play it before the World Cup cycle intensified. Spain was open to that idea, with Madrid being mentioned as a possible host.

Argentina and CONMEBOL, on the other hand, insisted on a more neutral solution. They were reluctant to accept a one-off match in Europe and instead suggested either a truly neutral venue or postponing the match.

That difference in approach created a standoff. With no agreement on place or time and no real need to force an agreement, the match was ultimately cancelled.

In practice, Finalissima did not collapse because of any one decision. It disappeared as a result of competing priorities between UEFA and CONMEBOL, when Qatar was no longer an option.

Mac Allister’s response

For McAllister, this situation removes a rare opportunity to play in a high-profile international final against elite European opposition. He has talked before about the much-desired stability, As we covered at the time.

The 27-year-old has been a key figure for Liverpool this season. Under Arne Slot his role has become more defined, often operating as a deeper playmaker while supporting the attacking phases.

That form has added up to his international status. He remains a regular starter for Argentina and was expected to feature prominently against Spain.

Instead, Argentina will now face Mauritania and Zambia in friendly matches at La Bombonera.

talking to TYC SportsMcAllister did not hide his disappointment.

“It’s a shame (not playing the Finalsima) because it was a good match. It didn’t happen and now we have to concentrate on friendly matches.” He said.

He then reinforced the players’ perspective on the situation: “Matches are won on the pitch. We are players and we want to play, that’s the most important thing.”

McAllister also clarified that the team still hopes that the competition can be revived in the future. “I’d like to play it later,” He added.

what happens next

For now, Finalissima remains in limbo rather than being officially rescheduled.

This allows players like Mac Allister to focus on regular international fixtures rather than a major intercontinental clash. Still, his comments underlined the widespread sentiment among the Argentina team.

They wanted to play. They were ready for this. And, at least from a player’s perspective, it’s hard to accept the decision to let it go.

🇸🇪 Demba N’Diaye | “Liverpool or Real Madrid”

➡️The defender expressed his desire to join the Reds or Los Blancos
📈There’s nothing wrong with dreaming https://t.co/Ilupk2QBhX #lfc

– Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) 23 March 2026

Norway boss Stel Solbakken is unhappy with Arsenal star Martin Odegaard’s injury problems.

The midfielder last made an appearance in Arsenal’s derby win over Tottenham Hotspur on February 22 and has been sidelined with a knee injury.

He is struggling with injuries and fitness. To put this into context, the 27-year-old is now out of action with his fifth injury of the season.

This caused him to miss 121 days and 22 matches for Mikel Arteta’s side since the start of the campaign, limiting his minutes and appearances.

• Matches in all competitions: 27
• Minutes in all competitions: 1,405
• Premier League matches: 20
• PL start: 13
• PL minutes per game: 54

Earlier this month, Sport Witness Covered claims from Norway That the condition of his injury is causing concern.

He suffered his second injury of the season in October, just before the international break that month. This ruled him out for 53 days, causing him to miss the national team’s three World Cup qualifiers in October and November.

The Arsenal star last made an appearance for his country in September 2025.

daily newspaper Now let’s cover Odegaard’s knee problem. He has also spoken to Solbakken to discuss his injury situation.

Concern about Arsenal player’s knee

The national team manager says it is sad not to trust the former Real Madrid player in the last three international breaks. The player is also disappointed with his situation.

“He is very disappointed and irritable. He has not been involved since the 11-1 defeat to Moldova. This is his last international match. He was not on the field against Israel, Estonia or Italy. It is clear that it hurts.” He said.

Odegaard, who has been struggling with a knee problem, missed the last two international breaks due to the problem.

Asked if there was any ‘link’ between the two injuries, Solbakken said: “I don’t really know.”

Over the weekend, Arteta said it could take several weeks for the Gunners captain to regain full fitness.

Solbakken has shared his opinion about when the Norway international could return. He also ruled out the possibility of Odegaard joining the national team camp in Oslo.

“It’s now three weeks until Arsenal play again. Or 2.5 weeks. I think staying in the team could be a goal for Martin. It’s within reach,” He added.

“There’s no reason for him to travel now. He has to train. If he wants to use a day off to come here, he’s welcome to do so. But it’s not something that was planned.”

Norway fixtures for March international break

• friendly vs netherlands [away] on 27th March
• friendly vs switzerland [home] on 31st march

With Edgard missing out on these fixtures, Solbakken is expected to play some matches with Arsenal this season.

This will definitely help Norway for the World Cup. They need the midfielder to be firing on all engines ahead of tournaments this summer, and the Gunners star will be hoping he can take a Premier League title medal with him.

There has to be a balance between what is best for the London club at the moment and putting Odegaard in the best position for the tournament.

🇩🇰Dario Osorio | Bournemouth take the lead as they pursue young players ➡️ Try to beat Liverpool, Arsenal and othershttps://t.co/8JsTRDaWcI #afcb #lfc #afc

– Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) 21 March 2026

The Sacramento Kings put up a bit of a fight against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night and came out on top 126-122 thanks to an explosive 32-point scoring night from Malik Monk, who had to play a big role for the team after Nick Clifford left early.

While Monk’s huge play will draw most of the headlines on the night for the Kings, the consistently solid play of their starting center, Maxime Renaud, should not go unnoticed among fans. Renaud, who is in the midst of an incredible rookie campaign, had another stellar performance himself, recording 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while missing only three of his 13 shot attempts.

Renaud has gone under the radar for most of the season, and his disappearance from rookie festivities during All-Star weekend is puzzling for Kings veteran DeMar DeRozan. In fact, according to Frankie Cartocelli of Sacktown Sports, DeRozan is “pissed off” that he did not receive an invitation to the Rising Stars Game.

Now, DeRozan is urging Renaud to continue working hard so he can make the All-Rookie team.

“Don’t tell him, but from my perspective, I want him to make the All-Rookie team,” DeRozan said, per Brandon Nunes of Sacktown Sports.

Maxime Renaud making the most of his opportunity with the Shorthanded Kings

Renaud is showing himself as a keeper for this poor Kings team as he has made the most of his opportunity amid Domanotas Sabonis’ injury-plagued season. On the season, the rookie from France is averaging 13.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a starter, which is quite a steal to get the 42nd overall selection of the 2025 NBA Draft.

Should the Kings decide to completely rebuild and sell off their veterans, especially Sabonis, Renaud should get even more consistent opportunities to achieve double-doubles like he has been doing.

Anthony Edwards was critical of himself after the Minnesota Timberwolves struggled in their 116-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon.

In 37 minutes of action, Edwards finished with a stat line of 19 points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. However, he committed six turnovers while shooting 6 of 17 from the field, including 2 of 5 from beyond the arc and 5 of 10 from the free-throw line.

Edwards reflected on the loss with reporters in the locker room after the game. He blamed himself for the mistakes he made against the Oklahoma City defense, including turnovers and a lack of shooting efficiency.

Edwards said, “I had a lot of turnovers myself. I didn’t make enough shots. I don’t think it had anything to do with my team. Especially myself. I had a lot of turnovers and didn’t make enough shots. It’s just that simple. Like I said it’s an AAU defense… it’s on me. I know what they’re going to do defensively, so it’s on me to turn the ball over.”

Anthony Edwards takes accountability after Thunder loss and says OKC plays ‘AAU’ defense:

“I had too many turnovers myself. I didn’t make enough shots. I don’t think it had anything to do with my team. More to do with me. I had too many turnovers and didn’t make enough shots. It’s… pic.twitter.com/yyDN6I0HuA

– NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) 15 March 2026

Anthony Edwards, how the Timberwolves played against the Thunder

Anthony Edwards is generally prominent as one of the top stars in the NBA. However, his troubles against an elite Thunder team will be a lesson for him and the Timberwolves moving forward.

Four players scored in double figures for Minnesota during the loss, including Edwards. Julius Randle led the team with a stat line of 32 points, seven rebounds, six assists and one block. He made 11 of 18 shots overall, including 3 of 5 from downtown and 7 of 8 from the charity stripe. Ayo Dosunmu was next with 18 points and four rebounds, while Donte DiVincenzo provided 16 points and nine rebounds.

Minnesota fell to a 41–27 record on the season, finishing sixth in the Western Conference standings. They are above the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers while trailing the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets.

The Timberwolves will look to bounce back in their next game at home. They will host the Suns as tip-off takes place on March 17 at 8pm ET.

The 2025-26 season is long lost for the Milwaukee Bucks, but Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t going down without a fight. Despite all the trade rumors surrounding him, he has proven to be as committed a star as can be to the Bucks franchise, but on Thursday, after a 112-105 loss to the Miami Heat, they fell to 27-38 on the season – six games back of 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

There was a key moment in the fourth that put the game out of reach for the Bucks. With less than a minute remaining, Antetokounmpo decided to go for the home run play and go for a three-point attempt, which he missed. On the other end, the Heat got a hot hand in Pelle Larsson, who swished a triple to extend the Heat’s lead to six with less than 30 seconds left in the ballgame.

After the game, the Bucks star admitted to being disappointed with himself, saying he wished he had taken more threes to get himself into a better rhythm when it came time for him to make the game-tying triple.

“I’m a little upset with myself because I didn’t shoot — like if I had maybe made one or two shots at the beginning of the first half when I was open and I kept passing it to my teammates to get better shots and I wasn’t confident in myself,” Antetokounmpo said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

“Maybe, if I had shot them both, maybe I would have felt a little better and maybe that bullet would have gone in.”

Still, Antetokounmpo felt he made the right play, and he will never regret being aggressive in hunting his shot.

“Most of the time I do the right things, take good shots, so … I haven’t been able to do that,” Antetokounmpo said. “But still, I’m being aggressive. I don’t regret being aggressive. I regret when I’m being passive…the ball didn’t go in.”

The Golden State Warriors have been falling rapidly in the Western Conference standings in recent weeks due to the long-term injury absence of Stephen Curry, who has not played since before the All-Star break due to a long-term knee injury. The losing streak continued on Tuesday with a home loss to the Chicago Bulls in overtime.

Recently, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed Curry’s mental state as his absence continues.

“He’s disappointed,” Kerr told 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” on Wednesday, according to Nick Avila of NBC Sports Bay Area. “He wants to be there for his guys. It’s obviously an injury that’s lasted much longer than anyone anticipated. He’s dying to be there, but there’s not a lot of it involved.

“We’re just following the leadership of the training staff and the advice of Rick Celebrini. We’re just trying to give him the best chance to come back and stay healthy and finish the season strong.”

The Warriors are currently 32-33 on the season, and if the season ended today they would be in the play-in tournament for the third consecutive year. While the Western Conference landscape makes it seem like falling below the play-in line would be nearly impossible at this point, it’s still not a possibility the Warriors would want to flirt with.

Curry was playing some elite basketball for Golden State before the injury, but the team has declined dramatically in his absence, which hasn’t been helped by the fact that Jimmy Butler is out for the year with a torn ACL, and trade acquisition Kristaps Porzingis has appeared in only three games so far for the Dubs as he deals with a lingering illness.

The Warriors next face off against the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday evening.

I want to say something that I think a lot of people in Raider Nation already feel but may not have heard it clearly: A lot of the activity against Fernando Mendoza ramped up right when it became clear he was going to Las Vegas. Make of that what you will.

Now look, I’m not here to pretend there aren’t legitimate questions about Mendoza’s game. there are. He played almost entirely out of the shotgun at Indiana. Only 3% of his college photos came under the center. He will need to adjust to reading defenses that play with different guises than anything he has faced in the Big Ten. Those are real things, and any honest assessment has to include them.

But here’s what I also know: No quarterback prospect is a sure shot. Not always. Not one. Trevor Lawrence was “generational”. Bryce Young was “much more sophisticated than his age”. JaMarcus Russell was compared to John Elway, and I’m not making this up. The NFL has humbled every consensus person at one point or another. So when an anonymous NFL offensive coach tells The Athletic he likes Ty Simpson, it’s an opinion. This does not make Mendoza damaged goods. This makes him a prospect – like every other player who has ever been drafted.

One part of Mendoza’s resume that critics continue to overlook is that he doesn’t fit neatly into scouting reports.

Raiders smart in looking at Fernando Mendoza’s intangibles

This guy transferred from Cal to Indiana and won a national championship. Led the Hoosiers to a 16–0 record. Won the Heisman. Throwed 41 touchdowns against six interceptions. Led a game-winning drive at Penn State. Lost the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State and came back to win it. Those are not system statistics. He is a child who plays bigger than the moment, every time the moment becomes bigger.

Dan Orlowski watched eight games and said he saw “a lot of clean pockets.” You know what else you saw in those games? An undefeated season. A quarterback who understood exactly where to go with the football and did so with speed time and again against the best defense in the country. Complaining about having clean pockets is strange. Elite quarterbacks are expected to create clean pockets with their pre-snap reads and decision making. This is called being good.

The ongoing Jared Goff comparison on FS1 seems like an insult. But Jared Goff just won a Super Bowl. He has been one of the most efficient passers in the NFL over the past three seasons. If Mendoza’s destination is Jared Goff, the Raiders should feel pretty good about that bet.

Attackers are making calculated and educated bets on Mendoza

And that’s really the point. This is a condition. This is always a condition. Every first overall pick is a bet. The Raiders haven’t had a franchise quarterback to speak of since Rich Gannon arrived in 2002. It’s almost a quarter century of carousing quarterbacks, seasons ruined, and fans watching other teams thrive while Las Vegas was spinning its wheels. Mendoza gives this franchise a legitimate chance to kill it.

Tom Brady, who knows a thing or two about evaluating quarterbacks, has said a lot about him. Four NFL executives told The Athletic that they view Mendoza as the unanimous top selection. PFF graded him at 91.6 for the season. His adjusted completion percentage ranked second in the nation.

Some criticisms are valid assessments. Most of this is just noise from the joint week. We live in the era of hot takes for content generated at a time when the likes of Raiders were already a foregone conclusion and the only way to get clicks was to go against the grain. Raider Nation has seen that movie before.

Mendoza is the winner. His numbers support it and his character supports it even more. For a franchise that has been waiting so long, this is not something you can talk yourself into.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

As anyone who’s been skiing before will tell you, the difference between a good and a bad day on the slopes all boils down to the gear you’re wearing.

With the right gear, the elements become an afterthought, leaving you free to chase the slopes until last light of the day, but without it, your time might be less about carving and more about survival.

Get a free day’s skiing with Helly Hansen’s Ski Free deal

To understand the DNA behind one of the leaders in the skiwear market, I headed to Les Menuires in the French Alps to test out some of Helly Hansen’s most technically advanced pieces in their natural habitat.

The timing of my visit was no coincidence, leading up to International Ski Patrol Day on 10 February, a global celebration of the mountain’s first responders.

As it turns out, Helly Hansen doesn’t just provide clothing for the average vacationer, but instead a small army of 55,000 Ski Patrollers worldwide.

To see whether or not these retail versions could live up to the professional standard and justify their price tags, I took to the slopes during the height of the January freeze.

Keep reading to find out how I got on…

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How I tested

To test Helly Hansen’s ski gear, I took to the expansive slopes of Les Menuires in the French Alps.