Huffman Sports Wire News Break · ALL · Reporting · Published · Huffman Sports Wire News Desk
NBA: Preseason ends tonight and the roster clock takes over
The preseason closes on Friday night with Boston at Philadelphia at 7 ET on NBA TV and Denver at Los Angeles at 10:30 ET on ESPN, and both games are scheduled finales rather than finished results. Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic were both expected to suit up from the opening tip for the Lakers and Nuggets game in Los Angeles, giving the last exhibition on the schedule a genuine star-power dress rehearsal before the regular season opens next week. Philadelphia and Boston meet for the second time in this preseason after Boston won the first meeting 144-106, and the rematch gives both teams one final look at rotations that have changed a great deal since last season.
The sharper Friday story happened on the transaction wire, where Charlotte waived 11-year veteran Pat Connaughton and moved to 15 players on standard contracts ahead of the 2026-27 season. Connaughton was the only player on the Charlotte roster without a guaranteed deal, which made his contract the easiest one for the Hornets to move during a roster crunch that lasted all offseason. Oklahoma City also trimmed its camp roster on Friday by waiving Zhaire Smith, Anthony Pritchard and Andrew Holifield, with all three expected to report to the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League this fall. The opening-day roster deadline is Monday, October 19 at 5 ET, so Friday night basketball shares the stage with front offices counting spots like they are musical chairs with guaranteed money.
Sources:
MLB: Cleveland and Tampa Bay wait on the rain for ALCS Game 4
Cleveland and Tampa Bay are scheduled to play Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Friday at 8 ET on TBS, truTV and HBO Max at Progressive Field, and Cleveland leads the best-of-seven series 2-1. Rain fell at the ballpark during the afternoon, temperatures were expected to drop into the low 50s by first pitch, and showers with strong wind gusts remained in the forecast for the evening. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said just before 5 ET that the game was still on, and the league was scheduled to talk with both teams at 6 ET to provide a weather update, so the evening began with a first pitch still planned and a forecast still arguing about it.
Cleveland announced reliever Shawn Armstrong as the opener for a planned bullpen game, and Tampa Bay scheduled Nick Martinez as its starter. Armstrong has allowed only one hit in 5.1 innings this postseason with 5 strikeouts, and Game 4 will be his fifth appearance of the playoffs. Cleveland also planned to use the same lineup it used in Game 3, when Petey Halpin hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning and Cleveland held on for a 3-2 win. Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday at 8 ET in Cleveland, and the winner of this series meets Milwaukee in the World Series starting Friday, October 23, which means one rainy night in Cleveland now carries a pennant race, a travel day and a whole lot of wet socks.
Sources:
NFL: Barkley joins the Sunday absences and Lamar Jackson sits again
Philadelphia added a major absence on Friday, ruling running back Saquon Barkley out for Sunday against Carolina with a hamstring injury after he did not practice all week. The Eagles did get receiver DeVonta Smith back, as Smith was a full participant in practice on Friday and was cleared to play after missing the last two games, and he has 19 catches for 235 yards and 1 touchdown this season. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was also ruled out for Philadelphia, so Sunday now asks the Eagles to win without their starting quarterback and their star running back in the same afternoon.
Baltimore made its own quarterback answer official on Friday, with Lamar Jackson ruled out for a second straight game on Sunday against Cleveland because of an ankle injury, and Tyler Huntley is set to start again for the Ravens. Arizona ruled out rookie running back Jeremiyah Love for Sunday at the Los Angeles Rams because of an ankle injury, and Love has rushed for 245 yards and 1 touchdown this season while averaging 3.7 yards per attempt. Indianapolis tight end Tyler Warren was added as questionable for Sunday against Tennessee after a groin injury in practice on Friday, and Tennessee ruled out defensive lineman Jordan Elliot and safety Kevin Winston Jr. while listing running back Tyjae Spears as questionable. Friday injury reports are supposed to clarify Sunday, and this one mostly clarified which training rooms deserve overtime pay.
Sources:
NCAAF: Friday night opens a Saturday built for chaos
Friday night offers three scheduled FBS games, with Memphis at Tulane at 7:30 ET on ESPN, Washington at Purdue at 8 ET on FOX and Appalachian State at Coastal Carolina at 8 ET on ESPN2. Memphis is 5-1 and is averaging nearly 39 points per game, while Purdue has won two straight conference games and Washington has lost three straight games in Big Ten play. None of those Friday results were final at edition time, so the night belongs to the schedule first and the scoreboard later.
Saturday then takes over with ranked matchups in every major window, starting with fourth-ranked Ohio State at fifth-ranked Indiana at 12 ET on FOX and Florida at seventh-ranked Texas at 12 ET on ABC. Indiana is 6-0 and carries a 22-game winning streak as a team into a rematch of the Big Ten Championship Game from last season, which Indiana won 13-10, and Ohio State is 5-1 after dominating its opponents since an early loss to Texas. Sixth-ranked Alabama visits 14th-ranked Tennessee at 3:30 ET on ABC for the Third Saturday in October, Auburn visits first-ranked Georgia at 3:30 ET on ESPN, and second-ranked Notre Dame visits eighth-ranked BYU at 7:30 ET on ABC to close the night. Clear the Saturday calendar now, because Friday night is only the opening act and the main show has playoff consequences in every time slot.
Sources:
CBB: Kansas keeps key players eligible and a recruit picks a school tonight
Kansas received a courtroom win on Friday when the Court of Appeals of Indiana denied an emergency motion from the NCAA to stay an injunction that is currently allowing several Kansas athletes to play. The ruling keeps the injunction in place for Kansas basketball forward Tre White and for Kansas football players Chase Belcher and Clifton Thompson, among others, so their eligibility remains intact while the legal case continues. Kansas also had its Late Night in the Phog exhibition event scheduled for Friday night, giving the Jayhawks a basketball headline and a legal headline on the same evening.
Recruiting added a scheduled decision of its own on Friday night, with Chicago guard Devin Cleveland set to announce his college choice at 7 ET with Michigan, Missouri and TCU as his finalists. Cleveland is listed at 6-foot-3 and is described as a combo guard who can play on the ball or on the wing, and his announcement was scheduled for Friday evening rather than completed at edition time. The regular season does not open until Monday, November 2, yet October already has injunctions, exhibitions and a prime-time commitment competing for attention like it is March with better weather.
That is the Evening Edition. Five sports, zero filler. See you after the rain check in Cleveland.
Sources: - [Rookie Wire](https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/rookie/2026/10/16/charlotte-hornets-waive-former-nba-champion/92288288007/) - [Hoops Rumors](https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2026/10/minor-moves-thunder-raptors-spurs-kings-mavs.html) - [Bolavip](https://bolavip.com/en/nba/are-luka-doncic-nikola-jokic-playing-today-oct-16-in-lakers-vs-nuggets-for-2026-nba-preseason) - [Essentially Sports](https://www.essentiallysports.com/nba-active-basketball-news-nuggets-vs-lakers-where-to-watch-injury-report-and-everything-you-need-to-know/) - [USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2026/10/16/weather-forecast-alcs-game-4/92280927007/) - [USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/playoffs/2026/10/16/guardians-rays-score-highlights-alcs-game-4--live/92271174007/) - [Akron Beacon Journal](https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/mlb/cleveland-guardians/2026/10/16/guardians-game-live-score-rays-rain-delay-stats-lineups/92282209007/) - [NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/guardians-to-open-with-shawn-armstrong-rays-start-nick-martinez-in-alcs-game-4) - [NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/saquon-barkley-out-devonta-smith-off-injury-report-and-will-play-vs-panthers) - [Touchdown Wire](https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/touchdown/2026/10/16/lamar-jacksons-status-for-week-6-clash-with-browns-revealed/92287154007/) - [Cards Wire](https://cardswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/cardinals/2026/10/16/jeremiyah-love-injury-arizona-cardinals-rookie-rb-ruled-out-in-week-6/92284577007/) - [Titans Wire](https://titanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/titans/2026/10/16/tennessee-titans-jordan-elliot-kevin-winston-jr-out-tyjae-spears-questionable/92288634007/) - [Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/onsi/fantasy/nfl/fantasy-football-injury-alert-tyler-warren-managers-need-to-have-a-te-streamer-ready-for-week-6) - [NCAA](https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/college-football-tv-schedule-game-times-preview) - [Men's Journal](https://www.mensjournal.com/sports/college-football-week-7-game-times-and-networks-ohio-state-indiana-alabama-tennessee-notre-dame-byu) - [247Sports](https://247sports.com/college/georgia/longformarticle/week-7-college-football-picks-against-spread-georgia-auburn-ohio-state-indiana-alabama-tennessee-upsets-291326859/) - [KU Sports](https://www2.kusports.com/sports/college/basketball-men/) - [Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/michigan/recruiting/when-does-devin-cleveland-commit-time-stream-michigan-basketball-waits-decision)
Sources: