Top News:
Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
Heat's Spoelstra hints of lineup, rotation changes vs. Bulls in play-in — MIAMI — Caleb Martin was the final player off the Miami Heat's practice court Thursday. The question now is whether he could be one of the first on the court when the Heat host the Chicago Bulls in a winner-take-all play-in game at 7 p.m. Friday night.
Discussion:
Boston Herald, Denver Post and The Athletic
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Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
Heat-Bulls with plenty of subplots, but desperation ultimately at Friday's forefront — MIAMI — As they waited to see if their season would continue, the Chicago Bulls received reaffirmation Tuesday night as they watched from Toronto: The Miami Heat are vulnerable.
Discussion:
Boston Herald, Daily Herald and Bleacher Nation
Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
Heat to host Bulls at 7 p.m. Friday in winner-take-all game for final East playoff berth
Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
ASK IRA: Are Bulls or Raptors the Heat's preferred opponent in Friday's winner-take-all game?
ASK IRA: Are Bulls or Raptors the Heat's preferred opponent in Friday's winner-take-all game?
Discussion:
Boston Herald
Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
Winderman's view: Roster flaws hit home at worst possible time for Heat
Winderman's view: Roster flaws hit home at worst possible time for Heat
Discussion:
Boston Herald
Julia Poe / Chicago Tribune:
Were 9-year-old Diar DeRozan's screams the Chicago Bulls' secret weapon as the Toronto Raptors missed 18 free throws? — TORONTO — As the tide turned in the favor of the Chicago Bulls during Wednesday's 109-105 play-in tournament win over the Toronto Raptors, one constant sound was like a metronome …
Discussion:
New York Post, Associated Press, Chicago Sun Times, The Athletic and FanSided
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Bruce Finley / Denver Post:
Denver weather: High fire danger as wind buffets dry ground amid heat — Red flag warning issued for metro Denver — A third day in a row of summer-like heat with temperatures reaching 79 degrees and wind gusting at speeds up to 45 miles per hour, buffeting dry ground, is expected to create critical fire weather Thursday.
Discussion:
Morning Call
Jacob Calvin Meyer / Baltimore Sun:
Adley Rutschman blasts first career walk-off homer to give Orioles series-clinching 8-7 win over Athletics — The win wasn't pretty, but the last swing sure was. — Adley Rutschman came up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning with the chance to give the Orioles their ugliest win of the season …
Discussion:
PressBox, The Athletic, Boston Herald, Yahoo Sports, BaltimoreBaseball.com, Camden Chat and Associated Press
Lisa Dillman / Orange County Register:
Adrian Kempe, Kings dismiss Ducks in regular-season finale, will face Edmonton in playoffs — ANAHEIM — On the final night of the regular season for the Kings and Ducks - teams occupying wildly different ends of the spectrum - they found a form of common ground on Thursday night at Honda Center.
Discussion:
Daily News, Associated Press and Press Enterprise
Jeff Passan / ESPN:
Salt Lake City group joins MLB expansion chase — A Salt Lake City consortium led by the former owner of the Utah Jazz plans to pursue a Major League Baseball franchise in the coming years, touting the area's population growth, strong economy and baseball history as draws for a coveted expansion slot …
Discussion:
AZ Snake Pit, True Blue LA, Deseret News, MLB Trade Rumors, Front Office Sports, Yahoo Sports, KUER and FanSided
David Lyons / Sun-Sentinel:
Fort Lauderdale airport closed until Friday, stranding hundreds of passengers — From a flooded Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to inundated streets of Broward County, a transportation nightmare was all but guaranteed Thursday after unprecedented rains pounded the area the day before.
ESPN:
Rays' Jeffrey Springs likely headed to IL with ulnar inflammation — Rays left-hander Jeffrey Springs is likely headed to the injured list after leaving in the fourth inning of Tampa Bay's record-tying victory Thursday against the Red Sox because of inflammation in his pitching arm.
Discussion:
Associated Press, FanGraphs Baseball, Pinstripe Alley, DRaysBay, Yahoo Sports, USA Today and MLB Trade Rumors
Tommy Birch / Des Moines Register:
Seiya Suzuki homers in Iowa Cubs game Wednesday. Is this his last before jumping back to majors? — The first pitch Seiya Suzuki saw Wednesday afternoon was a 91.4 mile per hour four-seam fastball from Omaha Storm Chasers pitcher Austin Cox that drifted over the outer part of the plate.
Discussion:
Marquee Sports Network, Bleacher Nation and Cubs Insider
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Edgar Thompson / Orlando Sentinel:
UF's QB competition emerges among top questions entering Gators' spring game — GAINESVILLE — Florida will stage coach Billy Napier's second spring game on Thursday night under the lights at the Swamp. — The Gators have remade their roster following a 6-7 season ending on a three-game losing streak.
Discussion:
Denver Post
Laura Albanese / Newsday:
Mets' trip to West Coast may go long way to character building — Pete Alonso called it a test and Brandon Nimmo called it “huge”. Buck Showalter went as far as to say it was going to be a “big challenge.” — What this West Coast trip really is for these Mets, especially this early in the season, is a slog.
Discussion:
New York Post and Yahoo Sports
ESPN:
Phillies' Matt Strahm disagrees with MLB teams extending alcohol sales — Several baseball teams have amended their alcohol sale policies in response to shorter game times this season, and at least one major leaguer isn't wild about the change. — Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm said during …
Discussion:
Sports Illustrated, Associated Press, Newsday, New Jersey Online, The Good Phight, Yahoo Sports and NBCSports.com