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MLS Preview: Chicago Fire (0-0-1) at Philadelphia Union (1-1-0)

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MLS Preview: Chicago Fire (0-0-1) at Philadelphia Union (1-1-0)

The Philadelphia Union have won all 11 of their home games against the Chicago Fire in all competitions (W8 D3), with Chicago’s most recent victory coming in Chester in August 2013. Since 2016, Philadelphia has won seven of its eight home games against the Fire, with Chicago’s only point coming in a 1-1 draw in 2021.

The Philadelphia Union have won 12 consecutive home games, including the playoffs, since June, the second-longest streak in MLS history. The San Jose Earthquakes were the only other team in MLS history to win 14 consecutive games at home, including playoffs, from August 2001 to July 2002.

The Chicago Fire’s season began with a 1-1 draw against New York City FC, marking the record-breaking 14th time in MLS history that the Fire have not won their season opener (D6 L8). Since 2013, Chicago has only won one of its first two games, a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake in its second match in 2017.

In Philadelphia Union’s first home game of the season against the Crew, Daniel Gazdag was responsible for all four goals (two goals and two assists). Gazdag has scored 21 goals (14 goals, 7 assists) in his last 11 games at Subaru Park, including playoffs, contributing to at least one goal in 10 of those 11 games.

In 2022, the Chicago Fire had a strong road season, winning five of its last seven away games (D2). The Fire had only won three of their 38 regular-season games away from home (D9 L26) and had lost seven of their previous eight games on the road (D1).

MLS Preview: Inter Miami FC (2-0-0) at New York City FC (0-1-1)

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MLS Preview: Inter Miami FC (2-0-0) at New York City FC (0-1-1)

New York City FC has won six of its seven meetings with Inter Miami FC (L1), including the first-round 3-0 victory that knocked the Herons out of the playoffs last season. NYCFC has outscored Miami 7-0 in each of its three home matches against them.

The first two games of the season, both played on the road, netted New York City FC one point. NYCFC won 10 home games during the regular season, more than Los Angeles Football Club (13) and the Philadelphia Union (12). In all competitions, NYCFC has won 13 of its last 19 home games, including the last four (D4 L2).

For the first time in club history, Inter Miami FC has started the season with consecutive victories, keeping clean sheets in both games. In the history of the MLS, only two teams have begun a season with three consecutive shutout victories: Seattle Sounders in 2009 and the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2010 respectively.

In Saturday’s 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire, Brazilian Gabriel Pereira scored New York City FC’s first goal of 2023, continuing the trend of the team’s attack being influenced by South America. South Americans have scored 44 of the team’s 45 MLS goals (not including own goals) since mid-May of last year, including the last 19.

Even though Miami’s star acquisition Josef Martinez only attempted two shots in his first two games, neither of which was successful, the team is off to a strong start. In Martinez’s MLS career, this is only the third time he has failed to score in two consecutive starts—he did it in September 2018 and mid-May 2021.

NHL Morning Skate – March 11, 2023

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NHL Morning Skate – March 11, 2023

* Brandon Montour completed Florida’s multi-goal, third-period comeback victory with an overtime goal to help the Panthers continue their playoff push as they moved within two points of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

* John Gibson made 36 stops to surpass Guy Hebert on the Ducks’ all-time saves list.

* A busy 15-game Saturday will feature the Bruins aiming to clinch a berth in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and become the fastest team in NHL history to reach the 50-win mark all broadcast nationally on ABC, ESPN+ and SN1. Click here for a breakdown of Boston’s clinch scenarios.
 

BRINGING COMEBACK CATS BACK AS FLORIDA CONTINUES PLAYOFF PUSH
Trailing 2-0 midway through the third period, the Panthers scored twice in 29 seconds to tie the game before Eetu Luostarinen gave Florida its first lead of the night a few minutes later. A tying goal from the Blackhawks in the final minute of regulation set the stage for Brandon Montour to record his second career overtime winner as the Panthers (33-27-6, 72 points) moved within two points of the idle Penguins (32-22-10, 74 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

* Montour recorded his fourth game winner of 2022-23 and tied the Panthers record for the most game-winning goals by a defenseman in a season, a mark that Aaron Ekblad hit three times (4 in 2017-18, 2015-16 & 2014-15). With an assist on the play, Aleksander Barkov recorded his 22nd career overtime point and matched Jonathan Huberdeau for the most in franchise history.

* The Panthers led the NHL in both third-period comeback wins (15) and multi-goal third-period comeback wins (4) in 2021-22.

GIBSON SETS FRANCHISE RECORD ON #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Friday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured John Gibson establish a franchise record via the all-time career saves list as the Ducks (22-35-9, 53 points) stymied the Flames (29-24-13, 71 points), who are in pursuit of the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.


CRICKET GREEN CALLS NHL COMMISSIONER AHEAD OF “NHL BIG CITY GREENS CLASSIC”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was recently featured in “Random Rings” with Cricket Green of Disney Channel’s “Big City Greens” ahead of the “NHL Big City Greens Classic,” the first-ever live, animated NHL game telecast, featuring the Capitals and Rangers, on March 14 at 7 p.m. ET. ESPN+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney+ will present the live, animated broadcast, while the main telecast will be available on ESPN and ESPN+.
 



QUICK CLICKS

* Maple Leafs marvel at Connor McDavid scoring pace ahead of visit from Oilers
* Unmasked: Goalies can learn valuable lessons from NHL debuts
* NHL supports WISE Deepening the Bench campaign
* Food, Fashion and Fun! | NHL Mash-Up with Kathryn Tappen and Dominic Moore | Ep. 2
* #NHLStats Ahead of the First-Ever “Hockey Day in Finland” (all numbers through games on March 9)


BRUINS LOOK TO CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT ON NATIONAL BROADCAST
A 15-game Saturday features a matinee doubleheader on ABC, ESPN+ and SN1, headlined by the NHL-leading Bruins (49-9-5, 103 points) who will look to become the fastest team in NHL history to reach 50 wins in a season and clinch a playoff spot when they clash with the Red Wings (29-26-9, 67 points) at TD Garden.



* Boston, which can clinch a playoff berth with a win against Detroit and pending results from other games, would secure its seventh consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and 76th playoff appearance – the second most in NHL history behind longtime rival Montreal (85).

* The Bruins can become just the third team to clinch a playoff spot in 64 or fewer contests in an 82-game schedule (since 1995-96) – a feat only the 1995-96 Red Wings (59 GP on Feb. 25, 1996) and 1998-99 Stars (63 GP on March 10, 1999) have achieved to date.

MAPLE LEAFS, OILERS CLASH ON HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA
Mitchell Marner and the Maple Leafs (39-17-8, 86 points) host Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers (36-22-8, 80 points) at Scotiabank Arena during the first game of a doubleheader nationally broadcast on CBC and Sportsnet.

* Draisaitl (41-56— 97 in 64 GP) can become just the fifth player born outside of North America to record four-plus 100-point seasons – he would join Peter Stastny (7x), Jari Kurri (6x), Jaromir Jagr (5x) and Alex Ovechkin (4x).

* With a point Saturday, Marner (23-56—79 in 64 GP) can become the fourth player in Maple Leafs history to post three or more 80-point seasons – Darryl Sittler (8x), Mats Sundin (4x) and Lanny McDonald (4x) are the only skaters that have accomplish the feat with the franchise.
 

NBA Preview: Sacramento Kings (39-26) at Phoenix Suns (37-29)

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NBA Preview: Sacramento Kings (39-26) at Phoenix Suns (37-29)

Due to an ankle injury, Kevin Durant’s much-anticipated home debut on Wednesday was postponed, and the Phoenix Suns’ midseason acquisition will be out for the remainder of the month.

That leaves Durant watching from the sideline when the Suns have the Sacramento Lords on Saturday in a Western Gathering confrontation.

Durant will be re-evaluated in three weeks, according to the Suns’ announcement on Thursday, and there is speculation that he may miss the remainder of the regular season. The Phoenix Suns face the Los Angeles Clippers on April 9.

Durant shot 69 percent (29 of 42) from the field in his first three games with the Suns, all of which were played on the road, and averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.

Durant’s departure comes at a time when Phoenix is playing well, winning 16 of their last 21 games and four in a row. However, as they prepare for a run to the postseason, the Suns were still hoping to become completely at ease with Durant on the court.

Without Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-101 on Wednesday. However, coach Monty Williams observed that Durant’s face lacked joy.

Devin Booker, a star guard, has scored at least 35 points in four games in a row, shooting 17-for-23 from the field to score 44 points. During this stretch, he is scoring 38 points on average.

The Suns (37-29) have moved up to fourth in the West, but they still want to be the No. 2 seed. Sacramento (39-26) and Memphis Grizzlies share that position going into Friday.

Following their 122-117 victory over the visiting New York Knicks on Thursday, the Kings have now won seven of their last eight games.

Domantas Sabonis matched his league-leading 53 double-doubles with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season. In the final period, fellow All-Star De’Aaron Fox scored 15 of his 23 points.

Against the Suns, Sacramento coach Mike Brown will closely monitor one aspect. He was unhappy with the Knicks’ 58-42 rebounding advantage and 23-6 offensive boards advantage.

The longest current playoff drought among the four major professional sports is 16 seasons, and Sacramento is well on its way to ending it. The Kings are just three wins away from securing their first winning season since 2005-06, which was also the season in which they made their last appearance in the postseason.

Booker scored 38 points per game earlier this season as Phoenix defeated Sacramento twice.

NBA Preview: Milwaukee Bucks (48-18) at Golden State Warriors (34-33)

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NBA Preview: Milwaukee Bucks (48-18) at Golden State Warriors (34-33)

When the two heavyweights meet on Saturday night in San Francisco, the Milwaukee Bucks would love to see Giannis Antetokounmpo return after missing two games, and the Golden State Warriors hope their home court will heal their recent injuries.

As they leave on a three-game Western swing, the Bucks have won three straight, including two straight over the Orlando Enchantment and Brooklyn Nets with Antetokounmpo sidelined by a sensitive right hand.

Brook Lopez, who was born in California and went to Stanford, has done a great job filling in for Antetokounmpo in the last two games. He scored 26 points against the Magic and scored 24 points, 10 rebounds, and a NBA-high nine blocks against the Nets.

After the Brooklyn game, the 34-year-old said that he sometimes doesn’t know why teams would want to attack the candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

In Milwaukee’s 128-111 home victory over the Warriors in December, their only previous meeting this season, Lopez had seven points, seven rebounds, and two blocks.

Antetokounmpo, who is still out for Saturday’s rematch, scored 30 points to lead the Bucks, but he shot just 9-for-26 overall and 1-for-6 from three-point range in his 11th matchup with fellow defensive force Draymond Green.

The two-time MVP has had problems with Green in the past. In those games, Antetokounmpo has only scored 19.5 points and grabbed 7.5 rebounds, shooting 47% overall and 21% from three-point range.

Green has defeated Antetokounmpo in assists (5.9-4.5) and steals (1.5-1.3) to lead Golden State to seven victories in the 11 games. In those games, Green has battled Antetokounmpo almost to a standstill on the boards (7.5-7.1).

Green scored 16 points against Jaren Jackson Jr. in Golden State’s 131-110 loss to Memphis on Thursday, which was the team’s eighth consecutive road loss.

Golden State, on the other hand, has won six straight games at home, five of those victories coming on their most recent homestand, when they overcame five consecutive deficits to defeat the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Orleans Pelicans.

The Warriors are likely to play again without Andrew Wiggins, who has missed 10 games in a row due to personal matters, and Gary Payton II, who has missed 12 games in a row due to abdominal issues. However, they should be reassured by returning to the site of 27 wins in 34 games.

After spraining his right ankle during warmups, Jonathan Kuminga joined them on the sidelines in Memphis and is also unlikely to play on Saturday.

Steve Kerr, the Warriors’ coach, felt that Kuminga lacked defensive energy against the Grizzlies.

NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (31-35) at New Orleans Pelicans (32-34)

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NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (31-35) at New Orleans Pelicans (32-34)

The New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder are fighting to get into the Western Gathering play-in competition as they meet Saturday night in New Orleans.

The Pelicans and Lakers were tied for ninth place going into Friday’s game, but the Thunder and Blazers were just a half-game behind the Jazz, who were in 11th place.

After missing OKC’s most lopsided loss of the season, 132-101 at Phoenix on Wednesday, All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to return for abdominal strain injury maintenance.

After leaving Wednesday’s home game against Dallas with a sprained ankle, forward Brandon Ingram, the team’s second-leading scorer, was listed as questionable by coach Willie Green on Friday.

CJ McCollum scored 16 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter as the Pelicans prevailed over the Mavericks 113-106 in spite of the absence of Ingram.

After eight games, this was only the Pelicans’ second victory. Green stated that the team’s priority is to “control the controllable” as leading scorer Zion Williamson remains out for the foreseeable future due to a hamstring injury.

The Thunder couldn’t contain Devin Booker of the Suns on Wednesday as he scored 30 of his 44 places in the main half and completed 17 of 23 from the field, remembering 6 of 10 for 3-pointers.

In any case, that exhibition came one night after the Champions’ Stephen Curry scored 40 focuses against the Thunder, who won.

OKC was helped by Lindy Waters, who came off the bench and scored a season-high 23 points. However, the Thunder starters only scored 31 points and shot 9 of 39 from the floor.

The disparity in overall floor shooting was a major contributor to the lopsided defeat. The Thunder made 34.9 percent of their 3-point attempts and 37.5% of their field goals. The Suns made 46.5 percent of their 3-point attempts and shot 52.1% from the floor.

Oklahoma City and New Orleans are attempting to win the entire season series. In New Orleans on Nov. 28, the Pelicans defeated the Thunder 105-101, and in Oklahoma City, they defeated the Thunder twice: 128-125 in overtime on Dec. 23, and 103-100 on Feb. 13.

NBA Preview: Dallas Mavericks (34-33) at Memphis Grizzlies (39-26)

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NBA Preview: Dallas Mavericks (34-33) at Memphis Grizzlies (39-26)

The Memphis Grizzlies have played without Ja Morant, the franchise’s face, for their last three games and at least three more without him. They are slowly getting used to it.

When the Dallas Mavericks visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday in the opening game of a home-and-home series, they probably will start that process for themselves. Due to an injury to his left thigh, Mavericks star Luka Doncic will not participate.

Dallas has lost seven of its last ten games heading into their series with Memphis. Memphis, which beat the Golden State Warriors 131-110 on Thursday to end a three-game losing streak, has won the last three games. In the final quarter, the Grizzlies outscored the Warriors 32-17, taking the lead.

As the Grizzlies adjust to Morant’s absence, that trust persisted. After posting a video on social media over the weekend that appeared to show him displaying a gun at a Denver-area nightclub, he has since left the venue.

Since last Saturday, Morant has been in constant communication with the team, according to Dillon Brooks. On Thursday, Brooks also had a lot of contact with Golden State’s Draymond Green, and the two of them got into a heated fight both on and off the court.

Desmond Bane, who scored 21 points against Golden State, scored 14 points in Memphis’ first game against Dallas, which the Mavericks won 137-96 on Oct. 22. For their respective teams, Morant (20 points) and Doncic (32 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds) led the way.

However, the Mavericks, who have just 15 games remaining in the regular season, are concerned about Doncic’s health. In the third quarter of Dallas’ 113-106 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, he scored 15 points before leaving the game.

With the acquisition of eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets last month, Dallas hopes to introduce a new element to the Grizzlies. Since joining the team, he has played in 11 games and averaged 27.5 points and 5.1 rebounds, including 32.5 and 5.0 in four games this month. However, for personal reasons, he missed practice on Friday; Kidd is hopeful that he will be on the court on Saturday.

In two games against Memphis this season, Irving, who scored 27 points on Wednesday, has averaged 25.5 points and 6.5 rebounds.

NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (30-36) at Houston Rockets (15-51)

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NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (30-36) at Houston Rockets (15-51)

Given their irregularity all through this season, it could appear to be impulsive to take confidence in the Chicago Bulls’ possibilities meeting all requirements for the play-in competition in the Eastern Gathering.

On the other hand, the Bulls entered Friday’s game one game out of 10th place in the East and a coveted spot that would keep their season alive after their unexpected road victory over the Denver Nuggets, who led the West, by a score of 117-96.

After Chicago dropped six consecutive games and fell a season-high-tying seven games under.500 before the All-Star Game break, an opportunity that didn’t appear likely would be further enhanced if they won on Saturday on the road against the Houston Rockets.

Trust springs everlasting, to some degree because of the raised play of Bulls monitor Zach LaVine, who poured in 29 focuses on 12-of-18 shooting against the Pieces. Since the All-Star break, Chicago needs LaVine to carry the offensive load, scoring 30.7 points per game. LaVine has been the Bulls’ best player for a long time, even with DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic present. His ascension has been a kind of revelation.

The Bulls’ ability to overcome a difficult season in time to make the most of this stretch run is also crucial to their playoff hopes. Only four of their remaining 16 games are against teams that are not in the running for the playoffs. In order for the Bulls to truly compete in the play-in tournament, what they did in Denver will have to become the norm rather than an exception.

The Rockets may not be an easy opponent based on how they played against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. In spite of staying in the West basement, the Rockets thundered back from a 18-point deficiency and took a lead late in the final quarter prior to capitulating 134-125 in extra time at Indiana.

Even though guard Kevin Porter Jr. (thigh) has been ruled probable against the Bulls, Houston lost yet another game without a key contributor.

The Rockets utilized numerous offensive options, including rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr., who had the best game of his young career with 30 points and 12 rebounds, including a game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds left that forced overtime.

The Rockets also got strong performances from Jalen Green (24 points, 4 assists), Kenyon Martin Jr. (23 points, 9-of-13 shooting), and Jae’Sean Tate (13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block) off the bench. Martin, who was 22 years old and 62 days old when he started against the Pacers, was the oldest player in the lineup. Despite its lack of experience, Houston displayed ample moxie.

NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers (30-37) at Detroit Pistons (15-52)

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NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers (30-37) at Detroit Pistons (15-52)

All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton and the rest of his Indiana Pacers teammates will make it difficult for the Detroit Pistons to end their misery as the losses continue to mount.

Haliburton, who has played his last six games and is averaging 27.8 points and 13.3 assists, is likely to be Detroit’s primary focus, as the team has lost 10 games in a row. On Saturday and Monday, the Pistons will play Haliburton in consecutive home games.

On Thursday, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Houston Rockets in overtime by a score of 134-125. Haliburton scored 29 points and had a career-high 19 assists.

Indiana lost an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter after Haliburton shot just 5-for-16 from the field during regulation, including two misses in the final 39 seconds. On 4-of-4 shooting, he lit up the extra session, scoring 12 of the Pacers’ 19 points.

Haliburton is averaging 20.8 focuses and 10.4 helps for the season and made the Elite player group interestingly. He enjoys his new role as the franchise’s closer.

Indiana has won five of its last eight games with Haliburton passing on one of those misfortunes. Haliburton contributed 24 points, 10 assists, and five steals in a 124-115 home victory for the Pacers on Oct. 22 against the Pistons, their Central Division rival.

Bennedict Mathurin, a rookie for Indiana, will not be there. On Thursday, during the first quarter, he injured his right ankle.

The Pistons just lost to Charlotte, 113-103, on Thursday. They still have a long way to go before they match the franchise record for longest losing streak. In the early 1980s, they lost 21 games in a row, and they lost 14 games in a row last season.

The only victory for Detroit in its last 14 games came in double overtime against the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 10.

After committing eight turnovers in the first quarter, the Pistons were nearly behind the Hornets the entire game. They ended up making 19 mistakes, which led to 18 points for Indiana. For the game, Detroit only scored two fast-break points.

Cory Joseph, a veteran guard, scored a team-high 17 points, and James Wiseman, a center, added 16 points and 13 rebounds. Casey lamented that none of his teammates appeared to be concerned enough.

NBA Preview: Utah Jazz (32-25) at Charlotte Hornets (22-46)

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NBA Preview: Utah Jazz (32-25) at Charlotte Hornets (22-46)

While the Utah Jazz have just been hurting recently, the Charlotte Hornets are hurt, out of contention, and still making the most of a disappointing situation.

After losing four consecutive games, the Jazz prevailed 131-124 against Orlando on Thursday night. When Utah takes on the Hornets on Saturday night in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Jazz will attempt to win consecutive games for only the second time since the beginning of February. The Jazz have been around.500 for the majority of the season, but there are still glimmers of hope.

The Hornets are still difficult to comprehend. They had a season-best five-game series of wins snapped and that transformed into a three-game pallet. A seven-game losing streak preceded the winning streak.

They defeated the mediocre Detroit Pistons on Thursday night after winning this week’s game in New York, snapping the Knicks’ nine-game winning streak. Despite making 59.4% of their 32 free throw attempts, the Hornets won.

Mark Williams, a rookie center for Charlotte who had five double-doubles in seven games between February and March, suffered the team’s most recent injury (thumb). Nick Richards, a backup center who has proven to be a valuable asset, has made significant contributions to the Hornets.

At Detroit, Richards played 29 minutes and scored 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Hornets’ Dennis Smith Jr. has demonstrated that he is more than capable of playing point guard. Due to LaMelo Ball’s injuries, which have forced him to miss the rest of the season after ankle surgery, his role has grown multiple times.

In the backcourt, Smith and Terry Rozier have occasionally performed well together. Rozier has played at least 35 minutes in each of his last two games without committing a turnover.

Talen Horton-Tucker has assumed the primary role of ball handler for the Jazz due to injuries. At Orlando, he scored 23 points.

Additionally, it indicates that Horton-Tucker is settling in.

Lauri Markkanen scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Jazz defeated the Hornets 120-102 at home on January 23.

Markkanen has scored 33 and 31 points in his last two games, despite averaging 25.4 points per game. That is the All-Star’s first set of consecutive games with 30 or more points this season.

Charlotte is beginning a five-game homestand for the entire season.

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