Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Monday, March 17.

NBA

A couple of notable results last in the Association:

• No Jokic, no problem– even without their superstar, the Denver Nuggets got a victory last night over the Warriors. Russell Westbrook led the way with a triple-double and Aaron Gordon dropped 38 points. Golden State head coach Steve Kerr spoke about resting Steph Curry tonight against Milwaukee, explaining that Curry is tiring after carrying the team the last few weeks.

• Overtime between the Pacers and Timberwolves was the Obi Toppin show– the Indiana forward hit two huge threes down the stretch to win the game.

NHL

Auston Matthews scored two goals in these brightly-colored St. Patrick’s day jerseys, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames.

NHL postseason preview coming soon! The battle for the Stanley Cup is just around the corner…

GOLF

Rory McIlroy won The Player’s Championship in a pretty anticlimactic playoff round. McIlroy was one over par on the three playoff holes, while his opponent JJ Spaun hit his ball everywhere except the fairways and the green.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Congratulations to Texans cornerback Derek Stingley on his three-year, $90 million extension. Stingley is now the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL.

Major League Baseball Opening Day is here, as the Dodgers and Cubs face off for two games in Japan. The game already started this morning– Shohei Ohtani may have even hit a home run! Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the mound for LA against Chicago’s Shota Imanaga, a perfect matchup of great pitchers representing baseball in their home country. The only bad news right now in the sport concerns Mookie Betts, who won’t play in Japan due to an illness. Otherwise, this is without a doubt the most beautiful time of the year. Plus we have this fantastic documentary dropping next week, courtesy of Apple TV and Derek Jeter’s new production company– what a wonderful time to be a sports fan! The official Remix baseball preview will be published ahead of traditional Opening Day on March 27

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

MLB: Dodgers vs Cubs, Opening Day in Tokyo, 6:10 AM on Fox… the season has already started, go turn on your TV!

NBA: Bucks @ Warriors, 10 PM on NBA TV

NHL: Utah Hockey Club @ Oilers, 9 PM on ESPN

MARCH MADNESS FIRST FOUR:

• (16) St. Francis vs (16) Alabama State, 6:40 PM on truTV/Max

• (11) North Carolina vs (11) San Diego State, 9:10 PM on truTV/Max

“I never thought I’d be a one-seed and feel disrespected,” –USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb