ON TODAY'S SCORECARD
Wham Bam ... Outta Here

Tuesday night’s NBA play-in tournament game was an eventful one for Hornets star LaMelo Ball. The young guard scored a game-high 30 points, including the game-winning layup in overtime.

He was also involved in what may have been the second most consequential play of the night in the second quarter. And now, it may impact him going forward with Charlotte in need of one more win to make the playoffs.

With just over 11 minutes remaining in the half, Ball took the ball into the paint and put up a floater that was blocked by Heat forward Simone Fontecchio.

Bam Adebayo caught the loose ball and saved it from going out of bounds, passing it back to Fontecchio to start a fast break. As Adebayo came down, Ball grabbed his ankle, which appeared to cause his violent fall.

When asked if the grab was intentional, Ball said, “I haven’t even seen it. Like I said, I got hit in the head, didn’t even know where I was. Just playing basketball.”

The Hornets guard said that the trip of Adebayo was an accident after he was hit on the head and was disoriented, and that he planned to check in on the Heat center.

“I apologize on that one. I got hit in the head, didn't really know where I was, but I'ma check on him and see if he's O.K. and everything,” Ball said Tuesday night. Yes, he actually said “I’ma.

The league is looking into the blatant non-call.

That is little solace for Miami, which now heads home for the offseason. Coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game that he believed the play was egregious enough that Ball should have been ejected.

With the Playbook Hoops newsletters having concluded for the season, we will utilize this ‘Grinding Out The Profits’ section in the Coffee Club to share exclusive insight into the 2026 College Football season directly from the 2026 Playbook Football Preview Guide magazine. With that here is a noteworthy...

‘STAT YOU WILL LIKE’:

Alabama has lost four games outright in
two seasons as a double-digit favorite
behind Kalen DeBoer.

In seven days, Roger Goodell will step to the podium at the stage on Pittsburgh’s North Shore and open the 2026 NFL draft. 

Within minutes, the Raiders will select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and then the real fun will begin when the Jets go on the clock. Because the Jets, alongside the Browns, Chiefs, Dolphins and Cowboys, control the first round.

Each has two selections, and the reasons these picks are paramount range from jumpstarting a program to putting the finishing touches on a contender.

In a year where none of those teams are expected to take a quarterback—due to the lack of top-end talent, along with a bevy of options in the 2027 class—the decisions are even more intriguing.

Suddenly, the Dolphins are swimming in both draft picks (they have 11 picks, including seven in the first three rounds) and future cap space once Tagovailoa’s dead money comes off the books.

For New York, Cleveland and Miami, the mission is simple: start finding cornerstones. But for five teams, Thursday night isn’t just the next step. While they find themselves in different circumstances, they control the most important portion of a night which will set up the next half decade in the NFL.

Here's what to know about the NHL standings, including the latest playoff bracket, yesterday's clinching scenario and the tiebreaker procedures for the 2025-26 season before the postseason begins on April 18.

NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket

Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 14:

• Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2) This series is set

• Pittsburgh (M2) vs. Philadelphia (M3) This series is set

• Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC1) This series is set

• Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Montreal (A3) This series is set

The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: M - Metropolitan Division. A - Atlantic Division. WC - wild card

NHL Western Conference playoff bracket

Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 14.

• Colorado (C1) vs. Los Angeles (WC2)

• Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3). This series is set

• Vegas (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)

• Edmonton (P2) vs. Anaheim (P3)