We are two weeks into the 2025 MLB season, and teams have played about a dozen of their 162 games. While that isn't enough for bold declarations, we're going to skip right past that fact and have some fun.

As we do every year at this time, we asked our MLB experts to go all-in on one thing they've noticed so far, with their boldest prediction based on the small sample. They were allowed to pick anything they wanted with two ground rules: It had to be bold, and it had to be something they actually believe can happen.

Some of our predictions came in hot, while others have a milder vibe, so we have taken the liberty of ranking the predictions by their MLB stadium weather equivalent and breaking down why they landed in their tier.

April at Comerica Park in Detroit

There's a reason the Yankees and Tigers are playing day games this week.

A breakout player smorgasbord

I'll go with a collection of predictions and expect three of the four to hit: Cristopher Sanchez finishes top three in National League Cy Young voting, Spencer Schwellenbach posts at least 4.0 WAR and gets NL Cy Young votes, Jack Leiter finishes top five in American League ROY voting, and Tyler Soderstrom posts at least 2.5 WAR after entering this year with minus-0.7 career WAR.

Sanchez is the elder statesman of the group at 28 years old, but I'm mostly betting on young players turning the corner (Leiter and Soderstrom), building on what they've already done (Schwellenbach) or making the leap with a couple extra ticks of velo (Sanchez). -- Kiley McDaniel

Why it's out in the cold: This strategy worked out for you last year, but as the old bold prediction saying goes: Someone who has multiple hot takes, has no hot takes. If you hit on any of these, we think you will consider it a win and tell us you got it right -- just like the fan who lets everyone know they called the big March Madness upset but doesn't mention they filled out four different brackets.

Pete Alonso is going to set a career high with 135 RBIs

Pete Alonso's offensive production has declined over the past three seasons, but he already looks like a better hitter in 2025. The four-time All-Star is making smarter swing decisions. He's clubbing balls the other way. He's playing like someone with millions of dollars on the line next winter after a disappointing initial free agent experience (because he is that someone).

That motivation, combined with having Francisco Lindor and the on-base machine known as Juan Soto hit in front of him, should generate improved numbers, including 135 RBIs, which would surpass his career high of 131, after he accumulated just 88 last season. -- Jorge Castillo

Why it's out in the cold: On the surface, 135 is a lot of runs batted in. It's a total that would have led the NL in all but one full season over the past 15 years. The thing bringing down the heat on this take is in your last sentence: Alonso has already driven in 131 runs once in his career -- and now he has Soto batting in front of him.

May at T-Mobile Park in Seattle

What feels warm to you, might not to others.

The Mariners will finish the season right where they are now: in last place

I had to talk myself into this hot take, but the more I thought about it the more I believed it really could happen. First off, predicting the Mariners for as low as third place isn't all that hard. Houston and Texas have good teams. The hotter take comes in having the Athletics and Angels beat them out as well.

It all comes down to those teams being able to pitch just enough while out-hitting the perennially challenged-at-the-plate Mariners. And here's the thing about Seattle's pitching staff: It's dominant at home but just OK on the road. Last year, the Mariners ranked 19^th in road ERA. There are some in the industry who already like the Athletics as much as the Mariners, so the real leap comes with the Angels. If healthy, the A's will narrowly beat out Seattle for fourth place. -- Jesse Rogers

Why it's more mild than hot: The Mariners won 16 games more than the A's last season and 25 more than the Angels, so we're not denying that this is where our takes really start warming up. And we love that you worked in some industry sources for some good old-fashioned hot takes reporting.

The true trouble with your take is that while you were willing to provide us with something that feels like that first warm spring day in the Pacific Northwest, we have another AL West standings prediction coming that blows yours away.

Mike Trout will win his first Gold Glove ... as a right fielder

A Gold Glove is the only individual accolade Mike Trout has not attained (team success is another story, of course). He desperately wanted one in center field, but the competition in the American League -- with Adam Jones, Byron Buxton, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Kevin Kiermaier -- was too stiff. And Trout, frankly, wasn't consistently elite enough.

Now, at age 33, he plays right field.

The transition was motivated by a desire to keep Trout healthy after he missed 41% of the Angels' games over the past four years. But Angels people have raved about how easily he has made the switch and how good he looks in an outfield corner. They believe he can be a difference-maker defensively there, just like Torii Hunter was when he made the same move late in his career. And if you're thinking this isn't a spicy take, take a look at what happened to Trout on Tuesday night, losing a fly ball while ranging down the right-field line in Tampa.

There will be growing pains as Trout adjusts to the flight of the ball from a different spot, but he will be dynamic nonetheless - and by the end of the year, his glove will be gold. -- Alden Gonzalez

Why it's more mild than hot: If we knew Trout was going to play at least 130 games this season, saying the former center fielder would win a Gold Glove in right field wouldn't seem like going out on a limb. So what you are really doing here is predicting Trout will stay healthy enough to win a Gold Glove in 2025. Which, given his recent history, is certainly bold. But Trout is still only 33 years old and has to stay healthy one of these years -- right? Let's hope.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is going to finish in the top 3 in the NL MVP race

That might not seem like a hot take based on his history -- he has already finished fourth and third in the MVP voting in his career. But after missing all of 2022 because of injury and PED suspension, this will be the year he returns to preeminence as an evolved player at age 26 -- he's more patient, putting himself in counts to do more damage. His small sample of early-season numbers are eye-opening: He has more walks than strikeouts and has reached base in about 45% of his plate appearances. -- Buster Olney

Why it's more mild than hot: The NL is stacked with individual talent this year, so predicting anyone not named Ohtani, Betts, Soto or Lindor will break through near the top of MVP voting has some heat to it. But we have indeed seen MVP-level play from Tatis during his young career, and at age 26, calling his place near the top of this year's voting seems a little more realistic than bold.

June at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas

These would be really hot, but there's something holding back the heat.

Aaron Judge will post a .500 OBP for the season

This is unattainable, right? Probably. It hasn't been done in MLB since 2004 (Barry Bonds), in the AL since 1957 (Mickey Mantle) and by a right-handed hitter since 1943 (Josh Gibson). Judge logged a career-high .458 OBP last season, including an astronomical .496 in 62 games after the All-Star break. He's likely to walk more frequently this season (133 walks in 2024) without Juan Soto clogging first base, and the metrics indicate he's being umpired more favorably, especially at the bottom of the zone. -- Paul Hembekides

Why it's hot-ish: Bonds! Mantle! Gibson! Those names were supposed to impress us, right? Well, they did. There's only one thing keeping your take from joining our hottest tiers: the man it is about. Judge has made a career out of joining the most revered names in baseball history at the top of so many hitting leaderboards that almost nothing he could do in a season would surprise us at this point.

Luis Arraez will be the first player in more than three decades with at least 600 plate appearances and fewer than 20 strikeouts

Oh, wow, you're really going out a limb here, Passan. Luis Arráez doesn't strike out a lot. Profound. A fair criticism, sure, but I'm not sure you understand the rarity of a player striking out fewer than 20 times with that sort of bulk. Tony Gwynn never did it. Wade Boggs never did it. The last player to log at least 600 plate appearances with punchouts in the teens was Ozzie Smith in 1993 (603 and 18, respectively). Before that, it was Bill Buckner and Rich Dauer in 1980.

Arraez struck out 29 times in 672 plate appearances last year, but he's off to a far better start this season -- zero in 48 trips to the plate -- and at 28 years old his contact skills are nearing their peak. Arráez's bat-to-ball ability has been great; this year, it will ascend to historically so. -- Jeff Passan

Why it's hot-ish: This is hotter than it might seem. Twenty strikeouts is a long weekend for some of today's hitters. So why isn't it in one of the next tiers? It suffers from the same thing as the Judge prediction above -- the player it's about. Arraez struck out 11 times in the first month of the 2024 season, then never K'd more than six times in a calendar month again, including just five times after the All-Star break. Those numbers are just silly in today's strikeout-fueled game, and they show Arraez is more than capable of making your prediction a reality.

July at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento

At least it's a dry heat, right?

Athletics prospect Nick Kurtz debuts in April, finishes with a top-10 OPS, wins AL Rookie of the Year

Kurtz, the left-handed-hitting slugger chosen with the No. 4 pick just last summer out of Wake Forest, is ready for the major leagues, like now. Now! Kurtz, 22, produced ridiculous college numbers, showing off his power and plate discipline; starred in brief action in the minors last season; and is already tearing up Triple-A. You want to attract fans in Sacramento? Move 50-homer possibility Brent Rooker to left field and install the next Jim Thome at DH, eradicating the Miguel Andujar-Seth Brown platoon. Score more runs. Score many more runs. Kurtz helps do that. Now. - Eric Karabell

Why it's hot: It's currently April 9, 2025. A year ago today, Nick Kurtz put together a two-home run, five-RBI game -- against Coastal Carolina while batting cleanup for Wake Forest. Since then, Kurtz has gone No. 4 in the draft, landed at No. 52 in Kiley McDaniel's preseason top 100 and torn up Triple-A pitching this spring.

But you know what really got us here? The way you just casually slipped in a comp to a Hall of Fame slugger with 612 career home runs midway through your reasoning. Whether he's in the majors in time to make your Rookie of the Year prediction possible remains to be seen. But let's all hope Kurtz is up dropping bombs like Jim Thome in the Sacramento heat by the time July rolls around.

Kris Bubic will be a top-five Cy Young finisher

My annual disclaimer: Hot-taking is just not a comfortable space to me, either offering them or consuming them. But I am contractually obligated to participate, so I chose something that feels like a long shot but is based on a real observation.

Bubic is a new guy. He learned last season how his stuff could play at the big league level, working in increasingly high-leverage bullpen spots down the stretch and into the playoffs. He has taken that approach, added a new slider and slotted into the Royals' overall rotation design that emphasizes aggression in the zone and the pitch efficiency that goes along with it. Bubic has sparkled, ranking among the top 10 starters in average exit velocity allowed on pitches in the zone. Last year, the Royals had two top-five Cy Young finishers, and they're going to do it again. Only this time, it'll be Bubic joining Cole Ragans on that leaderboard. -- Bradford Doolittle

Why it's hot-ish: If we were simply ranking pitchers in the Royals rotation by likelihood of finishing in the top five of AL Cy Young voting, Bubic might not land in the top three. And even with his hot start to 2025, he has a career mark of 11-27 with a 4.81 ERA as a starter. So, yeah, this is a hot take by our standards.

There's only one thing keeping this from landing in our hottest tier: We've seen this story of unproven pitcher to top-flight starter play out for the Royals before -- first with Cole Ragans, then Seth Lugo last season. And we read an excellent article going into the season that has us believing Kansas City might have a formula for this success. You should check it out, it's by someone named Bradfor -- hey, wait. We see what's going on here.

The New York Yankees will end 2025 outside the top 10 in home runs

Torpedo, schmorpedo! Yes, the Yankees' first series of the season saw the sparks fly and birthed the "new era of baseball" with 15 total home runs, thanks in large part to innovative lumber construction. Never mind the fact that two of the three starters they victimized are already on the injured list. Never mind the fact that, aside from Aaron Judge, who could well hit 60, there's not a single other player on this team who is likely to hit more than 25. Yes, this team will win a ton of games, but they're simply not going to be anything special in the power department. -- AJ Mass

Why it's hot: Let's see here. At press time, the Yankees lead the sport in home runs. They led the sport in home runs last season as well. The torpedo bats you decry have been a bit of a talking point so far this season. And the Yankees also employ a guy named Judge who is capable of hitting 60-plus home runs in any given season.

Yet you predict not just that they won't lead the majors, or the AL, in home runs, but finish outside the top third of the majors. Yeah, that is as hot as one of those scorching summer days in the Bronx when the ball is flying out of Yankee Stadium. You know, the kind of day when the Yankees hit a ton of long balls on the way to leading the majors again.

August at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa

Are you sure you can handle this heat?

The Angels will win the AL West

The longest playoff drought in the majors is going to end. In fact, not only are the Los Angeles Angels -- a franchise that last played in the postseason in 2014 -- going to make the playoffs, they're going to win the AL West.

Yes, this says more about the division than it does about the Angels. But supporting evidence exists. The Athletics have no pitching. The Mariners have no hitting. The Astros have no Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman. And while the Rangers are off to a hot start, it's a mirage: They're 8-4 and have been outscored by 12 runs.

That leaves the Angels. A potential stellar bullpen. A decent rotation. A stud catcher in Logan O'Hoppe. A healthy -- so far -- Mike Trout. And Zach Neto hasn't even played yet. Yep, 82-80 just might get it done. -- David Schoenfield

Why it's scorching: Let's start with some numbers: 99, 89, 89. Those are the numbers of losses the Angels have finished with the past three seasons. Now let's add some names: Jorge Soler, Kenley Jansen, Yusei Kikuchi, Kyle Hendricks. Those are free agents the Angels added in the offseason. Soler is the youngest of the group at 33.

You've made a strong case that the rest of the AL West is going to be down (as did another hot taker earlier on) -- but predicting that a team coming off a 99-loss season is going to ride a few aging offseason acquisitions to a division crown is a take so hot another participant debated changing their own prediction after getting wind of yours. The only thing keeping this pick from being the hottest of the hot is that you finished off your case by predicting they will simply finish a couple games over .500.

The top three pitchers in NL Cy Young balloting will all come from the Phillies

There have been several cases of teammates finishing one-two in the Cy Young balloting, and the 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers placed three among the top four, but three pitchers claiming the top spots? That has never happened. I'm predicting it does this season, as the Phillies' top four of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo is competitive with -- and, most importantly, more likely to remain healthy -- than that of the Dodgers. I'm going with a Wheeler, Sanchez, Nola final order. -- Tristan Cockcroft

Why it's scorching: You had us at "that has never happened." This prediction is what hot takes are all about: It's historic, it's bold and yet it somehow feels attainable. Just calling that the Phillies would finish 1-2-3 in the voting would have been enough, yet you went out and gave us a predicted order and a bonus name to watch, too.

There's only one thing wrong with this prediction. His name is Paul Skenes, he pitches on the other side of the Keystone State -- and he just might have something to say about a Phillies sweep.

Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee will win the NL batting title and finish in the top 5 in MVP voting

Lee's rookie season was cut short by injury after just 37 games, and if he had 15 fewer at bats in 2024, we would add NL Rookie of the Year to this prediction.

Lee is Luis Arraez with far more speed and extra-base potential. He sprays the ball, which makes him difficult to defend, and he bats behind Willy Adames and in front of Matt Chapman, which makes him more likely to: (A) get pitches to hit and (B) hit with runners on base. -- Tim Keown

Why it's scorching: We here at Hot Take Headquarters love a good two-pronged prediction, and this one is a doozy. Believe it or not, calling a batting title is not as bold as one might think. Lesser-known hitters leading the league in batting average happens. Just look at this list of recent league champions: Yandy Diaz, Yuli Gurriel, Tim Anderson, Jeff McNeil and Dee Gordon. But the second half of your prediction is where you truly level up the heat.

Last we checked, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, Elly De La Cruz, Corbin Carroll, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Kyle Tucker all call the NL home. So, in essence, you are saying Hoo Lee -- someone many of our readers are scrambling to learn about as they digest this take -- will be better than all but four players on that list? That's as hot as a summer afternoon in the Florida sun. Now let's check back in August to see how it is holding up.

Kartal is set to make her BJK Cup debut following Raducanu's withdrawal, a year after a health issue meant she had to watch GB's qualifier against France from afar.

After three months out, the 23-year-old staged an impressive comeback, breaking into the top 100 and winning a WTA title on her way to a current career-high ranking of 60.

"It'll be a really proud moment for me - having the opportunity to play for your country is the greatest honour," Kartal said.

"There a few goals in my career that stand out more than others and this is one of them."

Britain reached the semi-finals of the BJK Cup last year, losing to eventual runners-up Slovakia.

Defending champions Italy have already secured a spot in November's finals, as have hosts China.

Legendary tennis player and social equality advocate Billie Jean King has received a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.

King, 81, is the first woman to be given the honour in the new sports entertainment category.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame was previously reserved for stars of cinema, television, radio, theatre and music.

"The important thing is, I don't want to be the last one," said King.

"My family loved music and movies. My mother would have loved this."

Her star is the 2,807th to be installed on the Walk of Fame, which began in 1960 and runs along along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles.

DENVER -- Vegas forward Jack Eichel remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury after being a scratch from the Golden Knights' 3-2 shootout loss to Colorado on Tuesday night.

Coach Bruce Cassidy had no further updates on Eichel, the team's leading scorer with 93 points.

"We'll see where he's at when we get back home," Cassidy said after a game in which the Golden Knights were outshot 36-21.

The Golden Knights also scratched defensemen Nicolas Hague and Alex Pietrangelo due to an illness.

"A couple other guys were sick, but they played -- almost because we had to. (It's) going through the room, a little bit," Cassidy explained. "Hopefully we get back home, get away from the rink, guys could take care of that, get some rest and be good to go Thursday."

The team remains in firm control of the Pacific Division with the regular season coming to a close next week. Vegas has a six-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings after earning a point in the shootout loss. By picking up a point against Colorado, the Golden Knights secured home ice for a first-round playoff series.

Vegas is starting to round back into health. Forward Tomas Hertl has returned to practice after missing several games with an upper-body injury. Backup goalie Ilya Samsonov has been practicing with the Henderson Silver Knights, the team's AHL affiliate and may be back soon. He hasn't played for Vegas since March 23.

Eichel has struggled over his last four games, with no goals or assists. His next score will be his 100th with Vegas. He's trying to join Jonathan Marchessault (192), William Karlsson (160), Reilly Smith (127) and Mark Stone (108) as players who've notched 100 or more goals in a Vegas sweater.

DALLAS -- Kiefer Sherwood scored with 1:16 left in overtime after Pius Suter scored two of Vancouver's three 6-on-5 goals in the final minute of regulation, and the Canucks made NHL history by stunning the Dallas Stars 6-5 on Tuesday night.

Suter's second goal tied the score 5-5 with 5.2 seconds remaining and sent Vancouver into the record books. According to ESPN Research, the Canucks are the first team in NHL history to overcome a three-goal deficit in the final minute of regulation.

"It was not easy, but we stuck with it," Suter said in his postgame interview for Vancouver's official website. "We had a couple of nice power-play goals, and then at the end, we were just battling and believing until the end."

Aatu Raty began the late rally by scoring with exactly a minute left in the third period, while Jake DeBrusk and Victor Mancini scored power-play goals early in the third for the Canucks, who preserved their slim playoff hopes. Thatcher Demko made 23 saves for Vancouver.

"Obviously, it was a fun game for us," Suter said. "There's a lot of excitement, and we're just glad to get one of those, especially because that was a really good team over there."

Sherwood concurred.

"Says a lot about the group," Sherwood said in the Canucks locker room. "When adversity hits, we just dig in. Guys were able to execute and make stuff happen."

With the win, Vancouver is six points behind the Minnesota Wild for the Western Conference's No. 2 wild-card slot.

Mikko Rantanen, Mason Marchment and Matt Duchene scored power-play goals for the Stars during the first two periods, while Mavrik Bourque and Mikael Granlund scored in the final three minutes. Casey DeSmith stopped 26 shots for Dallas, which is four points behind first-place Winnipeg in the Central Division and will host the Jets on Thursday.

Granlund, whose goal was an empty-netter, also had two assists for the Stars. Duchene became Dallas' fourth 30-goal scorer; the Stars and the Tampa Bay Lightning are the only NHL clubs in that category this season.

But the home team wasn't in the mood to talk about statistics after this one.

"I've won and lost a lot of games in this league," Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. "I don't think I've ever lost one in that fashion before."

Stars captain Jamie Benn, who grew up about 70 miles west of Vancouver, in Victoria, British Columbia, called the loss "unacceptable."

"That game should have been wrapped up," Benn said. "We should have found a way to get it done there."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Sabres were officially eliminated from Stanley Cup playoff contention for the 14th straight season Tuesday night.

The Sabres extended their playoff drought, which is the longest in NHL history and ties them with the NFL's New York Jets for the longest current run of seasons since qualifying for the postseason.

Buffalo initially set the record after the 2021-22 season when they missed the postseason for the 11th straight time.

"We know where we're at," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "I'm disappointed where we're at and we can't do anything with that, but we can work on our game and we're going to continue to work on our game until it's over."

Ruff is in his second stint as coach of the Sabres. He was hired in May to replace Don Granato. Ruff was the last person to coach Buffalo to the playoffs in 2011 before he was fired in 2013.

The Sabres beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Tuesday night to keep a shred of hope alive, but the Montreal Canadiens' 4-1 win at home against the Detroit Red Wings left Buffalo 11 points behind with five games remaining.

"It's mixed emotions, for sure," Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said. "I mean, (ticked) that we started to play good now. It's too late. But also, it's good we can see that we can play good hockey, and we can beat any team in this league."

The Sabres were able to stave off elimination until their 77th game thanks to winning 10 of their last 13 games, including five straight. However, a staggering 13-game losing streak in November and December in which they went 0-10-3 doomed the season.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Amanda Gutierres came off the bench to score in stoppage time and Brazil defeated the United States 2-1 on Tuesday night.

It was the second of two exhibition matches against the Brazilians, who the U.S. defeated to win the gold medal at last summer's Paris Olympics. Brazil had not defeated the Americans since December 14, 2014.

Catarina Macario put the U.S. in front just 34 seconds into the match. After Alyssa Thompson raced the ball down the left side, Macario picked it up and got around Brazil goalkeeper Natascha, who was making just her fourth start. It was Macario's 10th goal.

Brazil drew even with Kerolin's goal from distance in the 24th minute that U.S. goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn couldn't reach. It was just the ninth goal that the United States allowed since Emma Hayes took over as coach last May.

Gutierres scored off a cross from Luany deep into stoppage time. It was the first victory for a CONMEBOL team over the Americans on U.S. soil.

McGlynn was making her third start for the national team. Hayes started Phallon Tullis-Joyce in the first match against Brazil, as she evaluates goalkeepers following the retirement of Alyssa Naeher.

Trinity Rodman, who scored in Saturday's 2-0 win at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, did not dress for the match at San Jose's PayPal Park as a precaution after returning from a back injury.

Rodman was part of the team's formidable front trio nicknamed "Triple Espresso" at the Olympics. Sophia Smith, who now goes by her married name Wilson, is on maternity leave and Mallory Swanson is not with the team for personal reasons.

Alyssa and Gisele Thompson started together for the second time. They are the first sisters to start for the United States since Sam and Kristie Mewis in July 2021.

Hayes made seven changes to her lineup from Saturday's match. The U.S. starters averaged 17.9 appearances with the national team, fewest for any starting group in 24 years.

The national team's next two games are against China on May 31 in St. Paul, Minnesota and June 3 in St. Louis.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Memphis Grizzlies starting guard Jaylen Wells broke his right wrist on a hard fall on his arm and head from a midair collision at the end of a fast-break dunk during a 124-100 victory over Charlotte on Tuesday, probably ending the rookie's season right before the Grizzlies begin the playoffs.

Wells was down for eight minutes before being lifted by medical personnel onto a stretcher with his head immobilized. He was taken to a hospital, where he had movement in all of his extremities, interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said.

"It puts everything into perspective seeing that situation and to see Jaylen there," Iisalo said. "He's an incredibly tough kid and had a great season."

The rookie's father, Fred Wells, told the Memphis Commercial Appeal that his son was alert enough to ask what the score of the game was. Jaylen Wells had pain in his face, jaw and back, his father said.

Wells caught an outlet pass from Ja Morant and went up to dunk the ball, when the Hornets' KJ Simpson inadvertently undercut him after trying to catch up to the play. The contact caused Wells to lose his balance while in the air and land awkwardly on his side as his head slammed against the court near the baseline.

"It's tough. I threw the pass and turned around and was doing our little touchdown celebration. When I got there, the first thing I saw was blood, and I've got a weak stomach," Morant said. "We've just got to stay with him and keep praying for him. It's next man up. Obviously that hurts. Guys will just have to be ready."

The game was delayed 23 minutes, including warmup time for both teams. After a replay review, officials called a flagrant foul 2 on Simpson for unnecessary contact, which comes with an automatic ejection. After the play, Simpson immediately bent down to check on Wells and was visibly distraught while Wells was being tended to in the silent arena.

A 2024 second-round draft pick out of Washington State, Wells has yet to miss a game for Memphis while starting 74 of 79 games. The 6-foot-7 Wells entered Tuesday's game with averages of 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. With the win, the Grizzlies moved into a tie for fourth place in the crowded Western Conference race, but they could still drop as low as eighth.

NEW YORK -- The Knicks were seemingly seconds away Tuesday night from finally knocking off the defending champion Boston Celtics, who had thoroughly dominated them in three prior meetings this regular season.

Instead, those final 12 seconds of the fourth quarter turned out to be the beginning of a painful 119-117 overtime loss for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, allowing the Celtics to complete a four-game regular-season sweep of a club they could meet in the postseason's second round.

After wing Josh Hart scored on a layup to push New York ahead by three points, 107-104, with 11.9 seconds left in regulation, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla wisely elected not to call a timeout, creating a more chaotic atmosphere -- one where the defense couldn't get set -- on the ensuing sequence. Celtics star Jayson Tatum dribbled down the floor and shook OG Anunoby for a nasty step-back 3-pointer to knot the score and stun the Garden crowd with 2.9 ticks left.

On the Boston side, Kristaps Porzingis, who had a huge game with 34 points -- including a 30-foot, go-ahead trey in the final minute of overtime -- suggested that he expected the Knicks to foul before Tatum could get up a potential tying shot.

"They could have [fouled]. They took a gamble. They took a gamble, and Jayson hit a big shot," Porzingis said of Tatum, who finished with 32 points, seven boards and five assists.

Anunoby, one of the league's best defenders, said as much. "I should've fouled. I should've known to foul," Anunoby said, acknowledging that it was an obvious mistake in hindsight.

Hart misfired on a 3 during the final play of regulation, and after Porzingis hit the 3 with 40 seconds left in overtime to give the Celtics a 115-112 advantage, Knicks wing Mikal Bridges bobbled a pass out of bounds that practically secured the victory for Boston (59-20).

It was a much better showing from New York (50-29), which had lost all three of its previous games to Boston by double digits. The Knicks changed a handful of things strategically, including shaking up a handful of defensive matchups. Coach Tom Thibodeau elected to start Anunoby on Tatum, Hart on Jaylen Brown and Bridges on Derrick White. And having backup center Mitchell Robinson seemed to make a difference, too, as his ability to play higher up defensively against screen and rolls was a boost, particularly with Porzingis spacing the floor.

While the atmosphere in the arena was lively, with countless celebrities in the New York crowd and a nationally televised audience, the outcome seemed to matter far more to the Knicks, who were led by Karl-Anthony Towns' 34 points and 14 boards.

Brown logged just 22 minutes and didn't reenter the game after subbing out with 2:46 left in the third period. Similarly, Porzingis didn't initially start the overtime period and only subbed in midway through it despite the game hanging in the balance.

Nonetheless, the Knicks -- who will almost certainly face the Celtics in the conference semifinals if both teams win their first-round playoff series -- liked that they were closer to winning this time after losing by 23, 27 and 13 points in the first three outings. But they made clear that Tuesday wasn't enough to feel good about -- not for a 50-win club that doesn't believe in moral victories and that's now 0-9 against the teams with the three best records in the NBA.

"I think it's something we can build off of. There's a lot of positives we can take from this game, and there's some negatives we can take," said New York captain Jalen Brunson, who finished with 27 points and 10 assists in his second game back after missing nearly a month with an ankle injury. "But yeah: It's a little disappointing, knowing that we fought back and had a chance [to win]."

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.

CLEVELAND -- Kenny Atkinson thought during training camp that realistic goals for the Cleveland Cavaliers would be 50 wins and a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavaliers surpassed those goals a while ago, with Atkinson now planning for a possible championship run.

Cleveland wrapped up the top seed in the East with its 135-113 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. It is the fourth time in franchise history the Cavaliers will go into the playoffs with the conference's best record. The last time was 2016, when the Cavaliers won their first NBA title and delivered Cleveland its first professional sports championship in 52 years.

"Yeah, I mean I think you celebrate these moments," Atkinson said. "You know, we'll talk about going forward, what that looks like, but today, tonight we celebrate. And, you know, I think the guys are super happy in that locker room."

Cleveland went 48-34 last season and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing to eventual NBA champion Boston in five games. The Cavaliers fired J.B. Bickerstaff at the end of the season and replaced him with Atkinson.

With a new coach in charge, Cleveland got off to a fast start, becoming the fourth team in NBA history to win at least its first 15 games. It is the third team in league history to have at least three streaks of 12 wins in a season, including a 16-game run from Feb. 3 to March 14.

The Cavs lost four straight, though, after their franchise-record win streak, but have rebounded to win seven of 10. At 63-16, they need to win their final three games to equal the franchise record for most victories in a season.

"You know, we got out of the gate so quick," Atkinson said. "We got ahead of it early. And then, we had some ups and downs this last month, but really proud of the guys, proud of the organization. It's hard to win 63 games in this league. It's hard to be the first seed. We all know that. So great accomplishment, obviously. We are hungry for more."

Atkinson had some preliminary discussions with his coaching staff about the approach to take during the rest of the regular season once the top seed was secured, but those plans can ramp up with three games remaining until the playoffs.

Cleveland has road games against Indiana and New York on Thursday and Friday, respectively, before hosting the Pacers on Sunday.

With the Cavaliers not likely to have their first playoff game until April 20, there is the fine balance between making sure players are peaking going into the postseason while also trying to get some rest with their seed locked in.

"I think there are various options on the table. It's going to be a collaborative thing and the players are part of it," Atkinson said. "What is their feel on rhythm? We can do intrasquad scrimmages to prepare. We can do a lot of things to get ready."

Guard Ty Jerome noted that the Cavaliers are in the same boat as a lot of teams going into the playoffs, with the extended rest before the first round starts.

"You use that week to get your body right, get an extra lift, and get some good practices in that we haven't been able to have," he said. "Since the All-Star break you don't really have time to practice much."

One player Atkinson would like to rest the remainder of the regular season is Donovan Mitchell. The star guard missed Tuesday's game due to a sprained left ankle he suffered during last Sunday's loss to Sacramento.

Mitchell, who is averaging a team-leading 24 points, will have some input into the decision about the final three games, but Atkinson said he would prefer Mitchell rest up.

With Mitchell out of the lineup, Darius Garland broke out of his shooting slump with 28 points against the Bulls. The sixth-year guard was 34 of 90 from the field and 15 of 43 on 3-pointers in his past six games leading up to Tuesday, but was 10 of 17 and 6 of 10 from beyond the arc vs. Chicago.

"It was good to see something go through the net," he said. "My teammates were on me to be myself. It was good to have one of these games for sure."

Garland also knows that expectations for the Cavaliers will be extremely high after earning the top seed.

"It's different because we're the hunted now," he said. "So we always have to play our best, it doesn't matter who it is or who it's against. So I think that turns us up a notch."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.