Nikola Jokić does the unbelievable (and loses), plus Ovechkin’s perfect storm

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Good morning! The Dodgers may be unbeatable.

While You Were Sleeping: Lordy, look at these stat lines

Sometimes there is nothing better than simply gawking at a box score. The NBA had two such instances last night, from two GOAT-level guys. Just look at this:

• Nikola Jokić tallied 61 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists all … for a 140-139 overtime loss to Minnesota. Oof. Unfortunately for Jokić and the Nuggets, it was no April Fool’s joke. (Sorry.) The final sequence was absurd.

With the Nuggets up one, Russell Westbrook missed a layup and committed a foul in the final seconds of 2OT.

Minnesota wins it at the free throw line, 140-139.

🎥 @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/5CgOU4A7mo

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 2, 2025

• Steph Curry put up 52 points — 32 of those coming in the first half — during Golden State’s 134-125 win over the Grizzlies. At least he won.

These performances further drive home David Aldridge’s point from Tuesday: Why, with more talent and skill than ever in the league, is there so much negativity around the NBA?

Ovi Watch: The Great Eight inches closer

As Alexander Ovechkin makes the march toward the inevitable NHL all-time goals record, I can’t help but be thankful this is all coming with meaningful hockey. Checking his goal numbers and Washington’s remaining schedule daily can feel like whiplash: Five goals to go, nine games left. Four goals to go, eight games left.  

But so many of these slow progressions toward hallowed records seem to come when the games’ outcomes may not matter as much. Maybe it’s early in a baseball season, or coming with said player on a bad team. Not here. 

Ovechkin netted career goal No. 891 last night, an easy tap-in against the Bruins:

FOUR GOALS AWAY FROM HISTORY

Alex Ovechkin scores goal No. 891 ‼️

🎥 @Capitals pic.twitter.com/OYZ7Npq1IF

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 1, 2025

With the 4-3 win, Ovechkin’s Capitals are one point shy of the overall NHL lead. They are the best team in the Eastern Conference. Our metrics have them finishing with the most points in the entire league, though the data favors Florida to emerge out of the East. 

We can talk about Ovechkin’s complicated legacy when he passes Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894. It’s just cool, for now, that he’s doing this on one of the NHL’s best teams and at 39 years old. 

Make sure to keep our Ovi Tracker bookmarked as we roll along here. Right now, he has a 56 percent chance of breaking the record this year. Four goals to go, eight games left. 

Let’s keep going:

Player Relations: A calm Aaron Rodgers offseason?

The NFL can never stay out of the spotlight for long, even as both the NBA and NHL careen toward their respective postseasons and college basketball puts a bow on the best tournament in sports. Such is life with the NFL as king. 

Yesterday, three comments from NFL team leadership about awkward situations struck me:

• As the Cowboys and defensive end Micah Parsons discuss a contract extension, Dallas owner Jerry Jones offhandedly said he didn’t even know the name of Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, adding that the “agent is not a factor here.” Mulugheta has plenty of high-profile clients. Parsons tweeted a swift response. Maybe not the best approach by Jones, but he never does much of anything by the book. See the full exchange here.
• In Pittsburgh, there seems to be positive feelings about Aaron Rodgers, which is strange for any offseason involving the 41-year-old quarterback. Steelers owner Art Rooney II said “all signs are positive so far” about landing Rodgers, and it remains funny to me that one of the most buttoned-up franchises in league history has entered the Rodgers offseason wheel of chaos.
• Relations between the Falcons and $100 million backup quarterback Kirk Cousins are amicable, according to Atlanta leadership, who have had consistent contact with Cousins’ camp this offseason about his future. Cousins wants to start, and the Falcons are open to moving him, but no viable trade partner has emerged yet. More here. 

We also had a slew of news about NFL rule changes (and notably, a punt). Quickly: 

Whew. Onward:

News to Know

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

Stanton denies torpedo bat injury
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton missed all of spring training and has yet to play this season because of an elbow injury, which he previously mused could be because of “bat adjustments.” The comments gained traction over the weekend as the baseball world turned its focus to the Yankees’ new torpedo bats, leaving many to wonder if Stanton’s injury was caused by the new tech. The 35-year-old fiercely denied it yesterday, and said he plans to continue using the new bat when he returns to the lineup. Also unfazed by the bats: sportsbooks.

Five suspended for NBA melee
We have the fallout from that wild brawl between the Timberwolves and Pistons on Sunday night: one-game suspensions for Detroit’s Ron Holland Jr. and Marcus Sasser and Minnesota’s Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo, and Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart received a two-game suspension. It’s tough timing for both teams.

More news

• Former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman shared photos and videos of armed suspects breaking into his home. Scary stuff. See more.
  
• Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell is returning next year for his 18th NFL season. Lord.
  
• Maryland hired Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams to replace Kevin Willard as men’s basketball coach. Solid.
  
• The Padres and Diamondbacks will play a series in Mexico City next year. Details here.
  
• Joe DePugh, the pitcher who inspired Bruce Springsteen’s song “Glory Days,” died at 75.
  
• Legacy Motor Club filed a lawsuit against Rick Ware Racing over a NASCAR charter purchase that fell through due to “cold feet.”

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What to Watch

📺 NHL: Capitals at Hurricanes
7 p.m. ET on Monument/TNT/Max
We are once again watching Alexander Ovechkin approach history. He’s four goals away. Turn it on. 

📺 NBA: Knicks at Cavaliers
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
If hockey’s not your thing, catch this one between two of the Eastern Conference’s top three teams with just seven games left in the regular season. Cleveland has a chance to claim the franchise record for wins in a season if it wins out, and LeBron James is nowhere near this roster. Wild. 

Get tickets to games like these here.

Pulse Picks

The people of Scandinavia are revolting against something many across the globe consider a tyranny: VAR. Some wild scenes in here. 

Brian Hamilton and CJ Moore pen a heartbreakingly great read on former South Florida coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, whose sudden death still leaves those around him reeling. Grab some tissues. 

Andrew Marchand has a really good analysis of the Pat McAfee situation from yesterday — and how history tells us the consequences that come with it. Read it here. 

Can the NBA actually fix its tanking problem? Mike Vorkunov examined the possibilities. 

Hear that “oof” sound? It’s coming from the entire Braves fan base, whose team, at 0-6, is already playing from behind. 

We have a brewing beef in soccer: Yassine Cheuko, Lionel Messi’s bodyguard, against MLS. Catch up here. 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Katie Strang’s feature story on Mary Kate Cornett, the Ole Miss student whose life was “destroyed” when ESPN’s Pat McAfee and others amplified a false rumor. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: ☝️

Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Top photo: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)

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