標籤: fourth

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

The Vegas Golden Knights extended their lead with a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, their fourth straight win. They also remained undefeated under new head coach John Tortorella.

Even this late in the season, the so-called “coaching bump” is proving to be very real in Las Vegas. Since Tortorella took over behind the bench, the Golden Knights have looked much better and it’s clearly paying off.

However, tonight didn’t start off well. The Golden Knights took control of the game early and outshot Vancouver in the first period, but the Canucks struck first.

Midway through the second period, Max Sasson fired a pass past goaltender Carter Hart to give Vancouver a 1–0 lead. It’s a goal Hart will likely want to get back to, especially with the playoffs approaching and his role looking like the No. 1 goalie for the team moving forward.

Shortly after Sasson’s goal, Braden McNabb scored his fifth goal of the season to tie the game. While Tomas Hertl did not record a point in the game, his net-front presence was large, providing an ideal screen that made Vancouver goaltender Nikita Tolopillo difficult to see.

The second period ended quietly, and the third followed a similar script. But midway through the final frame, Cole Smith made the breakthrough. His go-ahead goal gave Vegas a 2–1 lead, and was ultimately the game-winner.

The Golden Knights pressed defensively, allowing a total of 10 shots on goal, the fewest ever allowed in franchise history, surpassing the previous mark of 14.

Vegas now continues its four-game road trip with a stop in Seattle against the Kraken before finishing up in Colorado. Now the question is, can they make it five straight?

It’s also worth noting that with this win, the Golden Knights are now tied for first place in the Pacific Division with the Edmonton Oilers, further solidifying their late-season push. We’ll see if a fifth division title is on the way with only four games left in the regular season.

Cooper Krigbaum is a beat reporter covering the Vegas Golden Knights for Vegas Hockey Now on SportsNut. He also told about Cooper Krigbaum

The Houston Rockets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in back-to-back meetings, going 4-6 in their last 10 games. Kevin Durant and company will need to regroup quickly if they want to avoid missing the playoffs.

The Rockets had no answer for the duo of Luka Doncic and LeBron James on Wednesday as they held off the Lakers for a 124-116 win at Toyota Center.

Los Angeles outscored Houston 35–24 in the fourth quarter, earning its seventh consecutive win and making the score 44–25.

Kevin Durant was held to just 18 points on 11 shots. He had six rebounds, four assists and two steals. The Athletic’s Law Murray pointed to a rare example involving Durant.

“Four Rockets attempted more field goals than Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter tonight vs. the Lakers,” Murray wrote on X.

“They’re a tribute to the 2024 (Phoenix) Suns.”

Durant had only two shots in the final period, with Alpern Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason all having more attempts.

During his tenure with the Suns, Durant often shared contact with Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, and Eric Gordon. The two-time Finals MVP averaged 18.5 attempts in Phoenix.

However, as The Athletic’s Will Guillory reports, Durant didn’t make a big issue of his lack of shots in the final quarter against the Lakers.

“It’s a team game. I’m getting two shots, it doesn’t matter. We’ve had six guys with double-digit shot attempts, and guys were pretty efficient tonight as well. I don’t think it’s a talking point,” the veteran forward said.

He averages 17.7 attempts with the Rockets.

They’ll look to bounce back on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks.

SAN FRANCISCO – If things couldn’t get any worse for the Golden State Warriors, already a team without stars Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, it did in a 127-117 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

Al Horford, Quinton Post and Seth Curry all sat out Golden State’s fourth consecutive loss. And before that, Draymond Green was scratched 20 minutes before the game started. That left the Warriors struggling for healthy bodies as T-Wolves star Anthony Edwards finished with 42 points on 13-22 shooting.

After the game, Dubs coach Steve Kerr acknowledged how depleted and injured the Warriors were at the moment as they fell to 32–34 on the season.

“We’re definitely going through it,” Kerr said. “But you saw how hard the guys played and stuck in it and got the fans into it. And we can’t ask for anything more from our players right now. What they’re giving as far as effort and playing together. But yeah, we lost just as well as any team I can ever remember.”

Beating is an understatement.

With seven players out due to injury, the Warriors were missing more than $160 million in salary. That’s about 70% of their $233,853,209 payroll. And to add literal insult to injury, this latest skid has allowed the Los Angeles Clippers to overtake them for the eighth seed, leaving them just a half-game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers in 10th.

status of wounded warriors

However, it remains to be seen whether these latest injuries will persist.

Kerr had no update after the game on Green, Post or Curry. As far as Horford is concerned, Kerr had few details regarding the veteran big man’s situation. While the team announced during the game that Horford was out due to right calf soreness, Kerr described Horford’s injury as a “strain” after the game.

“With a calf strain, I don’t know how long Al will be out,” Kerr said. “But I hope that with the calf, we won’t have to move him back too quickly.”

With Horford potentially out for a while, Kerr hopes to turn to Kristaps Porzingis for starts in the meantime. Porzingis, who has battled injuries this season and throughout his career, has had some encouraging games after missing six consecutive games due to illness. Porzingis finished with 20 points in 19 minutes of action, the most points he has scored in his four games for the Warriors.

“Feeling fine,” Porzingis said after the game. “Step by step, just trying to get back into really good shape. Still got a way to go, but happy with the progress so far.”

Captured the fort for the Golden State

In the meantime, the onus will be on Porzingis and the rest of the healthy Warriors to deal with this latest storm of injuries.

But with injuries also come opportunities. Brandin Podziemski, who has excelled in basketball since Curry’s passing, understands that common NBA adage.

“I look at it as a blessing in disguise,” Podziemski said optimistically after collecting 25 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

“Just because it’s an opportunity and you’re able to build confidence when you’re out there, especially when there’s no expectations, and people are probably expecting us to lose. So it’s a blessing to me that when other guys come back, that confidence you build, you can be ready to show when you come back as well.”

There is an obvious concern that due to not having enough healthy bodies, the remaining players may get tired from the extra workload. But Kerr isn’t too worried about that potential issue. He pointed to the medical staff’s diligence in monitoring that potential problem and the youth of the remaining players.

Despite this, Kerr is keeping an optimistic outlook, presenting this latest round of injuries as something he has to get past.

“I feel like there are really brighter days ahead,” Kerr said. “So you just have to go through a tough situation.”

ATLANTA – At the end of a close game, sometimes you just need your star player to take the lead. Jalen Johnson, who has been a star for the Atlanta Hawks all year, came on late in the fourth quarter to lead his team to a 125-116 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

It started with a three-pointer midway through the fourth that gave the Hawks their largest lead of the game, eight points. Down the stretch, he drove past Kelly Oubre Jr. and dunked over him and Dominic Barlow.

Jalen taking over in the fourth 💥 pic.twitter.com/Yq3bMvDKC1

– Atlanta HaWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) 8 March 2026

With less than two minutes left, Adem Bona became his next victim, as he went behind him and got to the rim to complete a one-handed dunk.

Jalen Johnson y’all pic.twitter.com/UbOitpTQPm

– Atlanta HaWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) 8 March 2026

After every one of those shots, he made sure to let the crowd – and the 76ers – know that he kicked it up a notch. The younger generation can call it aura farming. Some people would even say that he was locked in that part. As for Johnson, he says this is nothing new for him, and it led to him finishing with 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

“I feel like I’m always off,” Johnson told reporters after the game. “Obviously, when the pace is up, you come in and you’re running. There are a lot more emotions going on than at the beginning of the game. So maybe the emotional part of it feels more like a trap.”

Johnson has shown what he can do in these moments at the end of games. Whether it’s hitting a clutch jump shot, making the perfect pass, or outrunning the opposition, he knows how to break down defenses using his skills.

“He’s making the right play, and sometimes the right play is hitting Dyson a little bit [Daniels]. Sometimes it’s just coming to the rim. And sometimes when people are messing with you it takes your jumper. I think he did all those things, and he did them really skillfully. I think it’s one of his best games,” Quin Snyder said.

Even his colleagues were impressed by his work.

“It was amazing,” Nichelle Alexander-Walker said. “Just aggression, he played with determination. Going downhill, didn’t calm down. It was very timely and at a time when we needed it. He just kept rolling, and we were all behind him.”

The Hawks didn’t get off to a good start and had to prepare to get to that point. They surrendered 73 points and committed 19 turnovers in the first half. The second half was completely different, as they held the 76ers to 43 points and turned the ball over 10 times.

“It was about taking people out of their rhythm,” Alexander-Walker said. “We’ve worked up to this point to become a better team competitively and just defensively. I thought we took a step back in the first half, but then we made up for it quickly, and we were able to adjust right away.”

“It was a good halftime,” Johnson said. “Guys talked, and we knew we’d eventually get on our run. We came out of the gate, and we came out aggressive and swinging. We laid the tone in those first few minutes of the third quarter for how the rest of the game was going to be.”

Once the Hawks found their rhythm in the fourth, the ball was passed to Johnson and out of the way. Unfortunately, the 76ers didn’t get the memo.

“I just knew what to expect from them, being an aggressive defensive team, and I tried to match that as best I could and let things fall in there,” Johnson said.

With this win, the Hawks have won six games in a row, and have an opportunity to extend that streak next week with the Dallas Mavericks.

There is no such thing as a rivalry between the Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks, as the New York Knicks always beats the former. On Tuesday night, the Knicks used an excellent two-way effort late in the game to complete a season series sweep of the Raptors and win 111-95 on the road.

This is the Raptors’ fourth loss of the season to the Knicks, and none of those losses have been particularly close. New York has outscored Toronto by a total of 81 points in those games this season, and it’s become clear that the Raptors are not in the same league as the Knicks.

The Raptors’ latest loss is yet another loss against a team with a top-10 record, and it’s such a troubling sign and a foreboding sign that they won’t be able to do much in the postseason. Nonetheless, head coach Darko Rajakovic believes his team can get it right, although he admitted they could not do so on Tuesday.

“When the time is right, it wasn’t tonight,” Rajakovic said in response to a question from Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. When will they be able to get another win against a top-10 team?

Raptors are showing signs of being exhibitionists

The Raptors looked good early in the season, and it helped that they were dominant against the current number one team in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers. But their troubles against good teams remain and to become the best they have to beat the best. And Toronto has failed on this front.

The good news is that the Raptors are still fifth in the Eastern Conference and if the season ended today, they would face the Cavs in the first round of the playoffs – a team they have dispatched of three times already this season.