Holdout Sports

Dillon Brooks assessed flagrant 1 for striking Chet Holmgren in face (Video)

2026-04-19T17:34:00.001-04:00

Phoenix Suns starting forward Dillon Brooks was assessed a flagrant 1 for striking Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren during Sunday's Game 1 of their NBA Western Conference first round playoff series.

It happened at the 7:04 mark of the first quarter with the Suns on offense as the Thunder held a 14-12 lead. After getting the pass from guard Collin Gillespie, Brooks bumped Thunder guard Jalen Williams while dribbling to give himself some space. Brooks was not called for a foul, but he lost the ball after dribbling into Williams a second time. Brooks tried to reach for it with his left arm, but Holmgren easily grabbed it. However, Brooks quickly threw his arm up to distract Holmgren as he tried to pass it and ended up hitting him right in the face.

Dillon Brooks turns the ball over, tries to reach for the ball and slaps Chet Holmgren all over the face (with replays).

A flagrant-1 upon official review. pic.twitter.com/lIioPDgk9T
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 19, 2026

Officials blew the whistle immediately to call the foul on Brooks, his first of the game. However, after an official review, they upgraded the foul to a flagrant 1 as they deemed the contact above the shoulder to be unnecessary. Brooks has a reputation for being extremely physical, with frequent flagrant fouls and ejections coming with that as part of the package. Sometimes the over-the-top nonsense is a bit too much.

Brooks remained in the game, but his rough play did not seem to impact the Thunder. At halftime, the Thunder led the Suns 65-44, with Holmgren leading the OKC Thunder with 16 points. Brooks also had 16 points but 3 fouls as well.

[@MrBuckBuckNBA]

NESN's technical fiasco: Red Sox broadcast cut down to single camera angle (Video)

2026-04-12T17:49:00.001-04:00

The NESN 360 broadcast of Sunday's Boston Red Sox game in St. Louis suffered a major meltdown which reduced the broadcast down to a single camera view.

NESN 360, the digital direct-to-consumer version of NESN, is a subscription service that costs $29.99 a month. With that revenue coming in, fans would think that there would be enough money to ensure that Red Sox broadcasts could be watched without having to worry about any technical difficulties. Apparently, that is not the case.

The issues began during the top of the first inning as the broadcast was stuck with the only working camera coming from the corner of the Cardinals dugout. This forced play-by-play announcer Dave O'Brien into a "radio call" as he acknowledged the technical issues as the camera zoomed out for a wide-angle shot to capture Cardinals starter Andre Pallante pitching to Red Sox batter Caleb Durbin. Durbin was hit by the second pitch of his at-bat, but you could barely tell with the camera angle coming from what seemed like a mile away.

NESN is down to one camera due to technical difficulties... not sure I've ever seen this before. pic.twitter.com/fYFVdiDxB8
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) April 12, 2026

Although they did get their standard pitch-view camera angle working during the second inning, most of the other angles were still out of order. This caused an awkward moment as Cardinals batter Jordan Walker hit a home run off Red Sox starter Brayan Bello, but all viewers at home could see was a close-up of Bello's reaction.

NESN completely butchered Jordan Walker's home run lol pic.twitter.com/veHWIWIc5Q
— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken2) April 12, 2026

We have seen plenty of awkward technical snafus during live pro sports broadcasts over the years for various reasons. In this case, the Red Sox broadcast team and camera operators did the best they could to hold things down under the circumstances. However, we would hope that the people in charge at NESN will look into this incident to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Otherwise, we would anticipate a drove of fans cancelling their NESN 360 subscriptions.

According to reports, things were back to normal in the third inning, and the Red Sox went on to beat the Cards 9-3. The Sox have now won 4 of their last 5 games.

[@tylermilliken_, SI, @BarnHasSpoken2]

Rudy Gobert pathetically airballs two free throws vs. Blazers (Video)

2026-03-21T15:45:00.001-04:00

Minnnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert embarrassed himself by shooting two airballs from the free throw line during Friday night's NBA game against Portland.

The first one happened less than three minutes into the first quarter with the Trail Blazers taking an early 9-4 lead. Gobert grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled by Donovan Clingan, sending him to the line. Gobert's first of two foul shots was on target but fell short of the rim (he did make the second).

The second one occurred with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter with the Blazers leading 81-80 after Gobert was fouled by Deni Avdija while shooting. Again, Gobert's first foul shot fell short (and again, he made the second).

Rudy Gobert airballed TWO free throws 😭 pic.twitter.com/85GwYJARE0
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) March 21, 2026

Gobert is making $35 million this season. To shoot one airball from the free throw line is bad enough, but two of them in a single game is just humiliating. Fortunately, the T-wolves were playing at home so Gobert did not hear much taunting from the crowd.

Believe it or not, however, we have seen worse than this. We once saw Andre Drummond shoot two consecutive airballs from the line. That's as pathetic as it gets.

Gobert did score 18 points and grab 15 rebounds, but the Blazers won the game 108-104.

[@BrickCenter_]

Jalen Green gets away with traveling in final minute vs. Spurs (Video)

2026-03-21T13:52:00.003-04:00

Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green got away with traveling after taking four steps without a dribble during the final minute of Thursday night's NBA game in San Antonio.

It happened coming out of a timeout with 26.6 seconds remaining after the Spurs scored a basket to cut the Suns lead to 100-99. Suns guard Collin Gillespie made the inbounds pass from the sideline to Green as he ran into the backcourt. Green caught the ball and took two steps with it towards his own basket, then took two more steps as he turned around to face back down the court before starting his dribble. It was so obvious to Sean Elliot, the color analyst for FanDuel Sports Network Southwest, as he pointed it out immediately. Inexplicably, however, none of the officials made the call.

There's no such thing as traveling in the NBA anymore.

Jalen Green took SIX steps in a 1-point game with 25 seconds left... no call 😭 pic.twitter.com/9O4AjVKVi7
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) March 20, 2026

We know that NBA officials miss calls all the time, and many stars get away with an extra step or two here and there. However, this missed call was ridiculous, especially during crunch time. If Green can get away with this, just how many steps can a player take before being called for traveling?

As for the final moments of the game, the Suns missed two free throws with 11.1 seconds left, then Victor Wembenyama hit a jump shot with 1.1 second remaining to give the Spurs a 101-100 victory.

[@BrickCenter_]

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley ejected for criticizing refs vs. Hornets (Video)

2026-03-19T20:51:00.003-04:00

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley was ejected from Thursday night's NBA game in Charlotte for criticizing the referees for a no-call on an apparent foul.

It happened at the 5:14 mark of the second quarter with the Magic holding a 56-41 lead. Mosley became frustrated after a no-call on guard Desmond Bane, who missed a shot in the paint after apparent contact with Hornets forward Brandon Miller and center Ryan Kalkbrenner. As the Hornets grabbed the rebound, Mosley stepped onto the court to express his anger, leading one of the officials to blow the whistle and call a technical foul on him.

Mosley continued to press the issue, repeatedly shouting something along the lines of "How is that not a foul?" towards multiple officials. Despite being held back by his assistant coaches, he refused to drop the issue and was extremely heated. The officials tried to give Mosley time to blow off steam, but eventually they had enough and gave him the second technical, leading to an automatic ejection.

Jamahl Mosley receives a double technical and being ejected from the game, repeating "How that's not a foul?"

Provokes the refs to give him a second technical (and ejection), and he got it.

Hornets and Magic commentaries pic.twitter.com/DOmOjIafqI
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 20, 2026

We have seen plenty of coaches ejected for criticizing officials over the years. In this case, it was unclear based on the play on the court whether there was enough contact to draw a foul call, so it wasn't an obvious miss by the officials. However, it became painfully clear that Mosley had no intention of letting it go, so the officials had no choice but to toss him.

To his credit, Mosley never charged the officials or tried to get in their face. As soon as the second technical was called, he headed straight to the locker room.

Unfortunately, the ejection did not seem to light a fire under the Magic as the Hornets extended their lead to 72-53 to head into halftime.

[@MrBuckBuckNBA]

Brady Tkachuk, Anders Lee drop gloves on opening face-off (Video)

2026-03-19T20:00:00.001-04:00

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk and New York Islanders captain Anders Lee dropped the gloves on the opening face-off of Thursday night's NHL game at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Officials blew the whistle just one second after the puck was dropped as Tkachuk and Lee were apparently looking to get their respective teams pumped up for a tough game. The crowd certainly appreciated the game kicking off with such a jolt of intensity.

Brady Tkachuk and Anders Lee dropped the gloves right off the opening face-off 🥊 pic.twitter.com/Tm3AuxfM98
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 19, 2026

Naturally, both captains were sent to the penalty box with 5-minute major penalties for fighting. It is pretty rare to see the team captains fighting on the opening puck drop, although we have seen occassions where both front lines fought each other after the face-off.

As of this writing, neither team seemed to gain a particular advantage after the fight. At the end of the first period, the game is still scoreless. The Senators seem to be in greater need of a victory as they are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to playoff position, while the Islanders are in third place in the Metropolitan Division.

[@Sportsnet]

Alex Caruso gets technical foul for blocking shot with his shoe (Video)

2026-03-17T22:12:00.001-04:00

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso committed a hilarious infraction that resulted in a technical foul during Tuesday's NBA game in Orlando when he used his shoe to block a shot.

It happened with 4:06 remaining in the second quarter with the Thunder holding a 46-35 lead. Caruso lost his left sneaker during the live play on defense. Instead of kicking it aside or letting it sit on the court, Caruso picked it up and held onto it. As Magic forward Tristan da Silva drove to the basket for a layup, Caruso swiped at the ball with it and successfully knocked it loose.

Alex Caruso got a technical foul blocking a shot WITH HIS SHOE 😭😭

pic.twitter.com/Bgqwd66ov5
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) March 18, 2026

This is not the first time we have seen an NBA player attempt to block a shot with his shoe, although it is the first time we have seen a "successful" shot block attempt by doing so. However, the play by Caruso was completely illegal, and the referee gave Caruso a technical foul and da Silva was awarded the basket. It's a good thing there are rules against this, or else everyone would be doing it.

Caruso finished with 2 points and 8 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench. The Thunder beat the Magic 113-108 for their ninth straight win as the defending NBA champions have the best record in the NBA.

[@HaterReport]

Scottie Barnes smacked in head by youngster at Raptors Fan Day (Video)

2026-03-16T20:58:00.001-04:00

Toronto Raptors All-Star forward Scottie Barnes was smacked in the back of the head by an excited young fan during Monday's Raptors Fan Day event at Scotiabank Arena.

The annual family-friendly event featured on-court action as Raptors players participated in a three-point shootout and skills competitions. A local youth basketball team (all boys who looked to be around 10 or 11 years old) formed a "high-five tunnel" to greet the players as they were introduced to the crowd and headed onto the court. However, one of the young players in the line went for a little more than a high-five. As Barnes walked past, the kid jumped up and gave him a playful, but surprisingly solid, smack on the back of the head.

A little kid smacked Scottie Barnes on the back of the head at Raptors Fan Day and he did a double take 😭😭

pic.twitter.com/g3N4XtJdJI
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) March 16, 2026

Barnes was a bit surprised (understandably so) and did a double-take as he continued his walk towards midcourt to join his teammates. He certainly wasn't expecting to be smacked in the head by anybody, let alone a young fan. We have seen some interesting interactions between athletes and young fans over the years, but it usually doesn't get physical. As the highest-paid player in Raptors franchise history, this young fan needs to show Barnes more respect.

[@HaterReport]

Macklin Celebrini smashes stick after Ottawa scores empty-net dagger (Video)

2026-03-16T07:59:00.004-04:00

San Jose Sharks rookie center Macklin Celebrini smashed his stick in anger as the Ottawa Senators scored an empty-net goal to seal their win during Sunday night's NHL game at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The Sharks tied the game at 4-4 early in the third period, but Senators right winger Drake Batherson scored the go-ahead goal with a little under seven minutes remaining in regulation. Center Dylan Cozens scored less than two minutes later to give the Senators a 6-4 lead, which led the Sharks to pull their goalie in a desperate attempt to cut the deficit.

Unfortunately, the strategy did not work as Senators captain Brady Tkachuk secured the puck and fired it into the empty net at the 17:43 mark to make it 7–4, effectively ending any hope of a San Jose comeback. Celebrini was chasing Tkachuk on the play, and as the puck crossed the goal line, he destroyed his stick by smashing it against the goalpost in a burst of frustration.

Macklin Celebrini was NOT happy after Brady Tkachuk sealed the Sens win with an empty-netter 😳 pic.twitter.com/xdApZt46AH
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 15, 2026

We have seen hockey players smash their stick in anger before. In this case, Celebrini's display was a clear sign of his competitive drive that shows his passion and desire to win.

Celebrini finished the game with an assist, setting a Sharks franchise record for the fastest rookie to reach 60 assists. However, it wasn't enough as the Senators won the game 7-4.

[@Sportsnet]

Sepp Straka's shot strikes bird, lands in water at The Players Championship (Video)

2026-03-15T17:59:00.001-04:00

Austrian pro golfer Sepp Straka hit a bird with a shot that ultimately landed in the water during Sunday's final round of The Players Championship tournament.

It happened with his second shot on the 18th hole after his tee shot landed a bit off the edge of the fairway. A tree was blocking his direct line to the green and the water was off to the left, so Straka had a tough shot to make with his wedge.

Unfortunately, his shot did not cut as he liked and headed towards the water. A few cormorants were perched on the edge of the water and Straka's shot hit one of them on a bounce. As the bird flew into the water the ball nearly bounced back onto the grass, but hit the backstop above the wall separating the grass from the water and rolled in.

A BIRD ALMOST SAVED HIS BALL FROM THE WATER. 🐤😳

📺 THE PLAYERS on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/q108AqVcMG
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) March 15, 2026

Fortunately the bird appeared to be OK. This is something that can happen on the course from time to time. Even Tiger Woods hit a goose once.

Straka ended up with a double bogey to finish his final round at 1-under. However, he finished the tournament at 8-under, which looks to be good enough to finish in the top 10 overall and bring home a nice paycheck for his performance.

[@NBCSports]

Utah Valley loses WAC Championship on missed dunk in final seconds (Video)

2026-03-15T10:34:00.004-04:00

The Utah Valley Wolverines men's basketball team lost the WAC Championship game in heartbreaking fashion with a missed slam dunk on an alley oop in the final seconds, handing a 63-61 victory and an automatic NCAA Tournament birth to the California Baptist Lancers.

With 17 seconds left in regulation, Cal Baptist senior guard Dominique Daniels Jr. hit a three-pointer to give the Lancers a 63-61 lead. Out of a timeout with 10 seconds left, Utah Valley junior guard Trevan Leonhardt set up the offense. He dribbled down the side of the key to draw multiple defenders, then threw up an alley oop for sophomore forward Isaac Davis, who was wide open.

However, after catching the pass on the way up, Davis was "rejected" by the rim on his slam dunk attempt. Cal Baptist grabbed the rebound and ran out the clock to escape with the win and their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.

Utah Valley misses a wide-open dunk to lose the WAC championship and a chance at their first-ever tourney berth 🤯😳pic.twitter.com/id9erM3RfX
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 15, 2026

We have seen some painfully embarrassing rim rejections before, but never at such a deciding moment of the game.

This was technically the final men's basketball tournament for the Western Athletic Conference. As of July, the coference is rebranding as the United Athletic Conference (UAC), although the league's history will live on under the new name. As both Utah Valley and Cal Baptist are moving on to the Big Sky Conference, this game served as the "end of an era" for both schools.

[@TheFieldOf68]

Zion Williamson throws game away with errant inbounds pass (Video)

2026-03-14T10:32:00.002-04:00

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson made a terrible mistake that ultimately cost his team the game during the final moments of Friday night's NBA game in Houston.

It happened with 7.6 seconds remaining in regulation with the Rockets holding a 105-104 lead. The Pelicans had the ball with Williamson on the sideline ready to make the inbounds pass for the chance to win the game. Williamson guessed that forward Herbert Jones was going to break free from his defender and make a move towards halfcourt, so Zion threw a bounce pass straight across the court towards the opposite sideline.

However, Jones was tied up with Rockets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who had his hands all over him and knocked him off balance. As a result, the inbounds pass from Zion went out of bounds on the opposite sideline as Jones was unable to recover his balance in time to save it.

Zion Williamson and Pelicans CHUCKED the ball out of bounds with the game on the line FOR NO REASON 😭😭pic.twitter.com/Zcyx8ybohy
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) March 14, 2026

When executed well, game-winning plays off inbounds passes can be quite exciting. Unfortunately, this one went south in unexpected fashion.

Williamson had a solid game with 21 points, but that critical turnover was the difference in the game as the Rockets came away with the 107-105 victory.

[@HaterReport]

Nets defense breaks down in embarrassing fashion vs. Hawks (Video)

2026-03-12T22:21:00.002-04:00

The Brooklyn Nets defense had an embarrassing breakdown that gave the Atlanta Hawks one of the easiest buckets of all time during Thursday night's NBA game in State Farm Arena.

It happened with just over four minutes left in the first quarter after the Nets scored a basket to cut the Hawks lead to 21-14. Hawks forward Jalen Johnson took the inbounds pass and dribbled across halfcourt with the Nets playing man defense. As Hawks guard Gabe Vincent crossed behind Nets forward Danny Wolf towards the sideline, Wolf went with him even though Vincent was already being covered by Tyson Ettiene.

That left the key wide open, and Johnson took advantage of the opportunity to drive towards the basket and throw down the one-handed slam.

The Brooklyn Nets playing some of the worst defense in the history of basketball.

Jalen Johnson was like Moses in the Red Sea there pic.twitter.com/gLPGoMj0ZZ
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 13, 2026

The Nets immediately called a time out, which was clearly needed as they were not on the same page.

Last year, Hawks forward Zaccharrie Risacher hit three consecutive 3-pointers from the same spot on the floor last year against Charlotte. Must be something about the way they play that throws off their opponents...or maybe they just know how to beat bad teams.

Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists as they beat the Nets 108-97.

[@MrBuckBuckNBA]

Jeremy Fears Jr. T'd up for kicking Elliot Cadeau in groin (Video)

2026-03-08T17:45:00.001-04:00

Michigan State Spartans sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. was called for a technical foul during Sunday's Big Ten Conference regular season finale against Michigan for kicking Wolverines junior guard Elliot Cadeau in the groin.

It happened with 14:24 remaining in the first half with Michigan holding a 10-7 lead. Fears was dribbling with the ball as Cadeau was pressing him outside the three-point arc. As Fears turned his back while maintaining his dribble, Cadeau tried to reach around him for the steal and was called for the person foul. However, as the whistle was blown, Fears threw his right leg up behind him and got Cadeau right in the crotch. Cadeau immediately signaled to the bench for a replay challenge.

Jeremy Fears Jr. is assessed a dead ball technical for kicking Elliot Cadeau in the groin#GoBlue #GoGreen pic.twitter.com/30wobSqbQN
— C.J. Lowe (@cjlowehoops) March 8, 2026

After the play was reviewed by the officials, Fears was assessed a technical foul for the contact. Fears is lucky that he was not ejected on the play, as we have seen other players ejected for kicking opponents in a sensitive area. He tried to play it off as an accident, but he has a recent history of similar incidents that made his reaction hard to believe.

Spartans coach Tom Izzo has said publicly after a prior incident that he does not coach this dirty style of play and suggested he would be willing to bench fears if needed. However, in this game so far, Fears scored 10 points in 18 minutes of first-half action. At halftime, the Wolverines lead the Spartans 42-41.

[@cjlowehoops]

Iowa guard Taylor Stremlow accidentally kicks cameraman in groin vs Michigan (Video)

2026-03-08T11:32:00.001-04:00

Iowa Hawkeyes womens basketball sophomore guard Taylor Stremlow accidentally kicked a cameraman in the groin during Saturday's Big Ten tournament semifinal against Michigan.

It happened with 3:56 remaining in the fourth quarter with the Hawkeyes leading 50-40. Stremlow was being pressed at the three-point line and tried to drive towards the basket but was cut off by Wolverines junior guard Macy Brown. Stremlow lost her balance and stumbled as she approached the baseline, tossing the ball to a teammate as she fell out of bounds. As she rolled over on her back and tried to regain her balance, her left leg swung right into the crotch of a cameraman positioned beneath the basket.

The camera guy in the @IowaWBB game received an accidental kick to a rather sensitive area by @StremlowTaylor …she checked on him and he played it off but homie was in some pain after! That courtside camera spot should come with some hazard pay! 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/bLds0J118S
— Katie Perez (@KTthePEREZident) March 8, 2026

Stremlow checked on the cameraman, who was in some obvious pain, before getting back to her position on offense. The Hawkeyes turned the ball over a few seconds later.

Work as a cameraman may seem easy, but you have to deal with the occasional risk of injury. Fortunately, this man was able to tough it out and didn't miss any game time. Next time, however, he may want to consider wearing a cup.

Stremlow had a solid game with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists as Iowa beat Michigan 59-42. The second-seeded Hawkeyes will take on the top-seeded UCLA Bruins on Sunday.

[@KTthePEREZident]

Nic Batum commits mortifying, costly late-game gaffe vs. Spurs (Video)

2026-03-07T09:02:00.001-05:00

Los Angeles Clippers forward Nic Batum committed an embarrassing mistake that proved costly in the final moments of Friday night's NBA game in San Antonio.

Batum subbed in with 16 seconds left in regulation with the Clips down 113-112 after having blown a 25-point lead. He was given the responsibility of making the inbounds pass from the sideline. He passed it to Brook Lopez near half-court as he was left uncovered. Lopez immediately passed the ball back to Batum, who was standing on the sideline and apparently not expecting the ball.

Batum was called out of bounds, giving the ball back to the Spurs with 14.9 seconds left, and immediately subbed out of the game by head coach Tyronn Lue, who clearly was not happy with the turn of events.

FOURTH QUARTER YELLING WHY THE F*** BATUM IN 😭😭

pic.twitter.com/TSci3KHpGp
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) March 7, 2026

We have seen some NBA players have embarrassing moments on the court this year, but not something at a critical juncture of the game that had such an adverse impact in the game.

Batum finished with 6 points in 17 minutes of action, but this disastrous moment will probably stick with him for a while. The Spurs won the game 116-112 for their largest comeback victory of the season.

[@HaterReport]

Holy Cross Heartbreak: Lehigh hits buzzer-beater for the win (Video)

2026-03-06T08:02:00.002-05:00

In an ending appropriate for March Madness, Lehigh beat Holy Cross 69-66 with a buzzer-beater from beyond halfcourt in Thursday's Patriot League men's basketball quarterfinal.

It happened with 2.1 seconds left in regulation with the game tied at 66 after Lehigh forced a turnover by Holy Cross. After a timeout, Lehigh guard Joshua Ingram inbounded the ball to fellow guard Nasir Whitlock. After taking one dribble to get near halfcourt, Whitlock launched his shot from approximately 45–49 feet away and hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded.

LEHIGH FROM HALF-COURT FOR THE WIN IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL 😱 pic.twitter.com/TTazeWJoHa
— ESPN (@espn) March 6, 2026

There's nothing like a buzzer-beater in college basketball, especially in March. It's fun for the viewers, but especially exciting for students at the school.

Whitlock was the star of the game for Lehigh, leading the second-seeded Mountain Hawks with 29 points, including 9 of their final 11 points to climb out of a 6 point deficit with under 3 minutes left. Lehigh advances to face third-seeded Colgate in the semifinal round.

[@espn]

Evgeni Malkin ejected for slashing Rasmus Dahlin in face (Video)

2026-03-05T21:40:00.002-05:00

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was ejected from Thursday night's NHL game against Buffalo for slashing Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin across the face.

It happened just 38 seconds into the second period with the game tied at 1-1. Dahlin was working to prevent Malkin from getting position in front of the Sabres net, pushing to the side of the net and then cross-checking him in the back. Malkin retaliated as he turned around and whacked Dahlin in the side of the face and neck with his stick.

Evgeni Malkin received a 5 minute major for this slash and a 10 minute misconduct.

Do you think he should receive any supplemental discipline?

(🎥: NHL on ESPN) pic.twitter.com/NzT88dNTm2
— BarDown (@BarDown) March 6, 2026

Dahlin and Malkin were both given minor penalties for cross-checking. However, Malkin was also given a 5-minute major penalty for slashing and a 10-minute game misconduct, leading to his ejection from the game. This is not the first time Malkin has been ejected for swinging his stick at an opponent. He has been suspended twice in his career, which leads to speculation as to whether additional discipline may be forthcoming from the NHL Department of Player Safety.

The Penguins were already without Sidney Crosby, who was injured playing for Canada during the Olympics. The Sabres took control of the game in the second period with three goals, including one during the power play resulting from Malkin's ejections, on the way to a 5-1 victory.

This was the fifth consecutive win for the Sabres, who are on track to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Meanwhile, the Penguins have lost 3 of their last 4.

[@BarDown]

Aerial camera drone flies into tree during live shot of LIV Golf Hong Kong (Video)

2026-03-05T20:30:00.004-05:00

An aerial camera drone flew into a tree during a live overhead shot of the green at Hole 2 of LIV Golf Hong Kong, creating a hilarious moment for viewers.

It happened as Spanish pro Sergio Garcia was lining up on the green to take his second shot on the par-3 second hole. Viewers at home were treated to a live overhead shot of the green, creating a spectacular view...for a few seconds.

It was beautiful while it lasted - until the view was swallowed up by leaves and branches that completely swallowed up the view of the green below. Behind the scenes, the director had to bail out of that shot and switch to a camera on the edge of the green with Garcia lining up his shot. As luck would have it, Garcia turned his head as he was disturbed by the noise from the tree that the drone became caught in.

One of the drones at LIV Golf Hong Kong flew into a tree during the first round 😅

Via @TeeTimesPub

pic.twitter.com/EltfVoy2ha
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) March 5, 2026

We hope that the broadcast crew is able to recover that drone. Hopefully it doesn't fall out of the tree and break into pieces. The course microphones are already targets for golfers to release their frustrations.

As for Garcia, he finished the first round at 7-under, tied with three others for third overall and three strokes behind leader Carlos Ortiz. We don't foresee him have

[@TeeTimesPub via @flushingitgolf]

Sebastian Munoz whiffs on 1-inch putt at LIV Golf Hong Kong (Video)

2026-03-05T07:33:00.001-05:00

Colombian pro golfer Sebastian Munoz cost himself a share of the lead when he whiffed on a 1-inch putt in Thursday's first round of LIV Golf Hong Kong.

Sebastian was 5-under after 5 holes, sharing the lead with Sergio Garcia and two others. On the par-4 16th, Munoz had a birdie opportunity from about 12 feet away and left it on the edge of the cup. He walked over to tap it in, but he apparently wasn't focused and rushed it, and the ball remained on the edge of the cup as a result. He was able to tap it in on his second attempt, but he knew he had just made a huge mistake.

🚨⛳️🫨 #WATCH — At LIV Golf Hong Kong, Sebastian Munoz left his birdie try just short on the par-4 16th hole and proceeded to whiff on his 1 inch par putt, resulting in bogey 💀

pic.twitter.com/SXMrMOzhJ2
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) March 5, 2026

According to LIV commentator Jerry Foltz: "That is the forward push of the club with the attempt of advancing the ball, the definition of a stroke...Before anybody asked him, he told the scorer, so that’s a bogey."

To his credit, Munoz did not have a total meltdown after blowing the short putt. Despite shooting another bogey on the next hole, he managed to fight through it and finish the round at 5-under, tied for 10th overall in the tournament.

[@BennyBoomsArmy via @NUCLRGOLF, Bunkered]

Donovan Clingan ejected for elbowing opponent in head (Video)

2026-03-04T21:54:00.001-05:00

Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan was ejected from Wednesday night's NBA game in Memphis for elbowing an opposing player in the head.

It happened with 3:14 remaining in the second quarter with the Grizzlies leading 52-47. Clingan had the ball on offense at the top of the key with Olivier-Maxence Prosper defending closely. Clingan stopped and agressively swung his arms with the ball in an attempt to create space, or out of possible frustration from the defensive pressure, and elbowed Prosper on the side of the head, knocking him to the floor.

Donovan Clingan assessed a Flagrant 2 and EJECTED. Holy sh*t 😳

pic.twitter.com/kmiXvQb3IR
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) March 5, 2026

Officials reviewed the play and deemed it dangerous enough to assess a flagrant 2 foul, leading to an automatic ejection from the game for Clingan. That ruling seems consistent a similar play by Jalen Duren earlier this season.

Clingan finished with 7 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks in 12 minutes. His ejection opened the door for Robert Williams III to play more minutes for the remainder of the game.

[@HaterReport]

March Madness: Ref knocked out in Sun Belt women's basket-brawl (Video)

2026-03-04T21:14:00.001-05:00

A referee was knocked to the floor by a punch while trying to separate two players fighting as a brawl broke out during Wednesday's Sun Belt Conference second round women's basketball tournament game between the South Alabama Jaguars and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in Pensacola, Florida.

It happened with 5:39 remaining in the fourth quarter with South Alabama leading 64-55. It started with South Alabama on offense as forward Cordasia Harris bumped Chanticleers forward Tracey Hueston from behind. Hueston turned around and started swinging as two officials ran in and attempted to separate them. One official held back Harris while the other, Marla Gearhart, held back Hueston. In the meantime, players from both teams left the benches to join the fray, with bodies flying everywhere.

In the midst of it, despite being separated from Harris, Hueston kept on swinging, with one of her stray punches apparently hit Gearhart in the head or neck area, knocking her to the floor. Gearhart was down for several minutes receiving medical attention. After further evaluation by medical personnel at the arena, she was released.

Coastal Carolina and South Alabama just got into it in the Sun Belt women's tournament and knocked the referee out cold 😳pic.twitter.com/HM1VDFrORD
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 4, 2026

After footage of the brawl was reviewed by the officials, a total of eight players were ejected from the game. Harris and Hueston were ejected for fighting, while six additional South Alabama players were ejected for leaving the bench area, including Amyah Sutton and Daniela Gonzalez, who along with Harris make up the top three scorers for the Jaguars. It was later announced by the Sun Belt Conference that Hueston would be suspended for the rest of the season.

South Alabama managed to hold on for the 80-70 victory despite being shorthanded for the final minutes of the game. However, they will likely now face an uphill battle in tomorrow's conference quarterfinal against Texas State with their top three scorers - Harris, Sutton and Gonzales - serving suspensions after being deemed involved in the fight.

You hate to see brawls in sports, and things get really ugly when officials get caught in the middle and get hurt. In this case, it seems the players involved got the penalties they deserved.

[@TheFieldOf68, Seattle PI]

Luka Doncic T'd up for complaining during free throws vs. Pelicans (Video)

2026-03-04T07:33:00.001-05:00

Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Luka Doncic received a technical foul for complaining during and after a set of free throw attempts in Tuesday night's game against New Orleans.

It happened with Doncic at the line shooting two free throws with 1:17 remaining in the second quarter as the Lakers led 51-48. After missing his first free throw, Doncic complained that Pelicans center DeAndre Jordan should have been called for a lane violation. To be fair, based on the video, Doncic had a point as it was pretty clear that Jordan stepped into the lane before the ball left his hand. However, the officials did not make the call and basically ignored Luka's complaint.

After making his second free throw, Doncic turned to the official closest to midcourt and made a sarcastic clap towards them, at which point that official immediately blew his whistle and called Doncic for a technical foul. Doncic began walking towards the referee, at which point Austin Reaves stepped in to hold him back to prevent him from getting a second technical, which would have led to an automatic ejection.

Luka Doncic misses the 1st free throw, complains to the referees about a lane violation by a Pelican player, makes the second free throw, keeps on complaining, gets a technical foul, and Austin Reaves hold him back (with a replay) pic.twitter.com/dQQ39pNoTm
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 4, 2026

After being separated, Doncic was able to keep his cool while continuing to make his case to the official, but to no avail. In the meantime, Pelicans guard Saddiq Bay made the technical free throw to cut the lead to 52-49.

Doncic had a legitimate complaint in this case, and it is unfair that the officials missed it, but at a certain point, you have to let it go before you hurt your team. The precedent has been set that berating officials will not be tolerated. Fortunately, Doncic was able to hold himself back before being tossed from the game.

In the end, Doncic went on to lead the Lakers with 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers beat the Pelicans 110-101 for their third straight win.

[@MrBuckBuckNBA]

LMU-UCSB baseball game interrupted by pelican (Video)

2026-03-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

Tuesday's NCAA baseball game between the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos and the visiting Loyola Marymount Lions was interrupted by a pelican on the field.

It happened in the top of the fourth inning with two outs and nobody on with the game tied at 1-1. The pelican initially got its beak stuck in the netting on the third base side behind home plate. A fan helped the pelican get untangled with the netting, but then the giant bird made itself comfortable behind home plate. LMU head coach Donegal Fergus tried to encourage the pelican to fly away, but it refused to leave. The players in the dugout got a big laugh out of it.

Pelican on the field delay feels very on brand for Santa Barbara pic.twitter.com/qf1ZkI84YH
— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) March 4, 2026

We have seen plenty of animals on the field over the years causing chaos as they cause delays in sporting events. In this case, UCSB's Caesar Uyesaka Stadium is located less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean, so it is not that surprising to see a pelican in the vicinity. Although this one seemed very relaxed despite all the people around, UCSB reported that the pelican eventually flew away safely.

As far as the game, although we don't have full details with the game still in progress, UCSB has a commanding 6-1 lead in the top of the eighth, so it looks like UCSB may be calling this a "rally pelican".

[@bigdonkey47]

Stars LW Adam Erne scores with lucky bounce off the boards (Video)

2026-03-03T07:21:00.001-05:00

Dallas Stars left winger Adam Erne scored a strange goal during Monday night's game in Vancouver with the help of a lucky bounce off the boards.

It happened at the 17:40 mark of the first period with the Canucks holding a 1-0 lead. After taking the pass from teammate Colin Blackwell in the neutral zone, Erne crossed the blue line and shot the puck into the boards behind the Canucks net. The puck ricocheted into the back of Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo's leg and bounced into the net, tying the game at 1-1.

The puck takes a weird hop off the boards and the game is tied.

🎥: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/U6JYAmjaBa
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) March 3, 2026

It almost seems unfair when someone scores a goal with a lucky bounce, but that's part of the game.

The Stars would keep that momentum going as they scored five more goals while keeping the Canucks off the board the rest of the way. Dallas won the game 6-1 and extended their winning streak to nine games.

[@CanucksArmy]