Portland Thorns steal 1st place away from San Diego Wave
Padres (finally) lose a series and get an off day, Wave lose the top spot to their Portland rivals, Lakers can't close out Rockets, LIV Golf plays attempt return to PGA Tour, and more.
It’s early on in the NWSL season, but it is starting to feel like the San Diego Wave are finding their footing in the post-Alex Morgan era.
In her final season with the club in 2024, the Wave won just 6 of their 26 matches. Alex Morgan played in half of those games and started even fewer. The team finished 10th in the NWSL standings (there are 16 teams), but the end of the season was more focused on Morgan’s retirement announcement.
Last year, Morgan’s jersey retirement was maybe the highlight of the season for the Wave. It certainly was the best attended Wave home game and the one that got the most attention.
While the team scored 37 points in 2025, which was enough for them to finish in 1st place in 2023, the rest of the league has shifted around to the point where the Wave finished 6th (good enough for them to make the playoffs, at least!). The Wave spent the offseason making it clear that was not an acceptable outcome, as far as they are concerned, investing even more in the roster and bringing in some great players.
Seven matches into this season, the Wave are in 2nd place. They were at the top of the table until they lost to the Portland Thorns last night, with the Thorns taking over the 1st place spot. Still, San Diego’s NWSL team looks like it’s back to being one of the league’s powerhouse franchises and they’re doing it without Alex Morgan.
For that, they deserve praise. And, hopefully, the winning ways gets a few more people down to Snapdragon to support the team.
Now, onto the links…
San Diego Padres
Padres can’t come back twice, drop game, series to Cubs - San Diego Union-Tribune
The result was a 5-4 loss to the Cubs that was the Padres’ second defeat in a row and meant they lost a series, neither of which had happened in nearly a month.
The Padres were playing the team that vanquished them in the National League Wild Card Series in October. The Cubs (19-12) were coming off a series loss at Dodger Stadium but have a sure-handed team with a deep lineup and capable bench, similar to the Padres.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting baseballs harder than anyone. None are leaving the yard - The Athletic
One of the most maddening months of his standout career had come to an unsatisfying end. Through 30 games, the Padres right fielder leads the majors with a 66.7 percent hard-hit rate, pacing ahead of Munetaka Murakami, Ben Rice and James Woods, all of whom have produced double-digit home runs.
Yet, Tatis, batting .250 with four doubles and no other extra-base hits, has practically nothing to show for it.
A reliever hasn’t won the Cy Young since 2003. Here’s how Miller can end the drought - MLB.com
True, Miller’s scoreless streak ending (thanks in part to a disputed fair-foul call) does put a bit of a dent in his Cy Young case. The flamethrowing righty threw 34 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to August 2025, the eighth-longest streak by a reliever in the Expansion Era (since 1961).
He has a 1.17 ERA after Wednesday’s appearance, which obviously looks less impressive than 0.00. But don’t count him out just yet.
It’s going to be tough, but Miller still has a chance to become the 10th reliever to win a Cy Young. Here’s how voters could be swayed.
San Diego Padres Top 25 Prospects - FanGraphs
Can you believe that he’s still only 19? Three years after bursting out of the blocks as a prospect, hitting .267/.350/.487 as a 17-year-old in the Cal League, Salas has since endured the equivalent of two lost seasons. He didn’t hit a lick in 2024, sparking concerns about the viability of his hit tool, and then he missed almost all of 2025 with a back injury. He entered 2026 as the youngest patient to ever come down with a case of prospect fatigue.
NBA Playoffs
Rockets hold off Lakers to force Game 6 after falling behind 3-0 in series - Yahoo Sports
The Houston Rockets are still on their back foot, but they’re two wins from making NBA history.
After trailing by double-digits at one point in the first quarter, Houston roared back to take Game 5 99-93 against the Los Angeles and force a Game 6 in a series they once trailed 3-0. No NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit, but the Rockets will try to take another step toward that feat on Friday.
Schroder’s halftime speech, 11 points in 4th quarter spark Cavaliers to victory over Raptors - Associated Press
James Harden garnered the most attention in the series of moves the Cleveland Cavaliers made near the NBA trade deadline.
However, the Cavaliers would have been in dire straits Wednesday night without Dennis Schroder.
Schroder scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers came back to beat the Toronto Raptors 125-120 in Game 5 of their first-round series.
Cade Cunningham drops record 45 points to power Pistons past Magic in Game 5, avoid elimination - Yahoo Sports
Cunningham went off in a historic battle with Paolo Banchero on Wednesday night to keep the Pistons alive this spring. Cunningham dropped 45 points to lead them to a 116-109 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series.
That cut the Magic’s lead in the series to 3-2 and forced a Game 6 later this week back in Florida.
Cunningham shot 13 of 23 from the floor and 5 of 8 from behind the arc while picking up his 45 points, which set a new Pistons single-game playoff record. That passed a mark set by Dave Bing back in 1968.
Odds & Ends
Thorns beat Wave, snapping San Diego’s franchise-record winning streak - San Diego Union-Tribune
Proximity and parochialism dictate that the San Diego Wave’s biggest rival is Angel City, Los Angeles’ National Women’s Soccer League club.
In reality, it’s the Portland Thorns.
The teams met three times last year, drawing twice before Portland ended San Diego’s season with an overtime win in the playoffs.
The Wave handed the Thorns their first loss of the season last month at Snapdragon Stadium.
Wednesday night, Portland struck back.
The Ringer’s 2026 NBA Draft Guide
Welcome to The Ringer’s NBA Big Board, J. Kyle Mann’s in-depth analysis and ranking of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA draft. Each profile has been compiled over a prospect’s college or international career, and sometimes even earlier, at the prep and grassroots levels. Players highlighted in gold are the marquee, need-to-know guys in this year’s class, and have full, super-deep-dive scouting reports. Every other profile includes detailed scouting notes.
Source: Some LIV players exploring potential of PGA Tour return - ESPN
Multiple representatives for LIV Golf players have started to reach out to the PGA Tour to explore what a path back would look like, a source told ESPN on Wednesday.
A potential return for such players comes amid reports in recent weeks that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will stop its funding of LIV after the 2026 season, clouding that tour’s future.
Earlier Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that LIV is expected to tell its players by Thursday that PIF’s funding will stop at season’s end. The Telegraph reported that captains of LIV’s team already have been informed.
Iran soccer officials turned away by Canadian authorities, poised to miss FIFA Congress - The Athletic
Iranian soccer officials were turned back by Canadian authorities en route to this week’s FIFA Congress and will miss the annual meeting, according to Canada’s foreign minister and multiple reports.
It is at least the second time Iranian representatives have been denied entry into North America ahead of the 2026 World Cup, and raises further questions about the extent of their participation in the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Prosecutors Got A Guilty Plea In The NBA Gambling Case - Defector
Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones this week became the first person to plead guilty in the far-reaching federal gambling case that has engulfed several former pro basketball players. The plea came a day after prosecutors announced their intention to file additional charges against former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, connected to the belief that Rozier, per the attorney quoted by The Athletic, “solicited and accepted a bribe.”