NFL
Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta considers the mounting allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior against kicker Justin Tucker “serious” and “concerning.” He said Tuesday the team will let the NFL's investigation play out before determining how to proceed. The Baltimore Banner reported that 16 massage therapists in the Baltimore area have accused Tucker of inappropriate behavior. DeCosta says he has met with Tucker but declined to provide specifics of the conversation. The Ravens have instituted a zero-tolerance policy but DeCosta says the team will apply that policy on a case-by-case basis.
Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni pushed back against the Green Bay Packers’ proposal to ban the tush push play his team has used so successfully in short-yardage situations, including during its victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst confirmed Tuesday that the Packers were the team that had made that proposal. The tush push is a modified quarterback sneak where teammates behind Jalen Hurts push him forward to help him try to gain the yardage necessary for a first down or touchdown.
Howie Roseman’s forehead has healed from the beer can that left him bloodied at the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory parade, and the general manager is working on getting the team in position to repeat. Less than two weeks after the Eagles and their fans celebrated the franchise’s second Super Bowl title, Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni joined their peers at the NFL’s scouting combine as teams get set to evaluate college prospects ahead of the draft in April. Roseman says his roster “may look different” next season and he asked the fickle Philly fans for patience.
The Cincinnati Bengals plan to make All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Coach Zac Taylor added the team also wants to extend Tee Higgins’ contract and continue giving Joe Burrow the playmakers that help make one of the league’s most dynamic passing attacks. Chase led the league in receptions (127), yards receiving (1,708) and touchdown catches (17) this past season, becoming just the sixth wide receiver in the Super Bowl era to achieve the receiving triple crown. The Bengals picked up his fifth-year option of $21.816 million, but will give him a long-term deal in the range of $40 million per year. Higgins played last season on the $21.8 million franchise tag.
WNBA
Diana Taurasi is retiring after 20 seasons, ending one of the greatest careers in women’s basketball history. The WNBA’s career scoring leader and a three-time league champion, Taurasi announced her retirement on Tuesday in an interview with Time magazine. The Phoenix Mercury — the only WNBA team she played for — also confirmed her decision. The 42-year-old won her sixth Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games and finishes her WNBA career with 10,646 points, nearly 3,000 more than second-place Tina Charles. She led UConn to three consecutive national titles and kept winning after the Mercury selected her No. 1 overall in the 2004 WNBA draft.
NBA
Jaylen Brown scored 24 points, Derrick White had 22 and the Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to six games by beating the Toronto Raptors 111-101. Payton Pritchard scored 20 points and Jayson Tatum had 19 points and 11 assists as the Celtics improved to 24-6 on the road. RJ Barrett scored 22 points and Scottie Barnes had 21 but the Raptors lost for the seventh time in their past nine. Gradey Dick scored 12 points and Immanuel Quickley added 10.
Ty Jerome scored 20 points in 21 minutes, and the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Orlando Magic 122-82 for their eighth consecutive win. Max Strus, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter each scored 17 points. Strus made five 3-pointers, helping the Cavaliers go 19 for 32 from beyond the arc. Cleveland shot 56.3% overall while improving to an NBA-best 48-10. Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 26 points. Franz Wagner added 19 points for the Magic, who shot 5 for 28 on 3-pointers.
Jalen Green had 25 points and Alperen Sengun added 23 to lead the Houston Rockets to a 100-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in a game where Amen Thompson was ejected for a hard foul on Giannis Antetokounmpo. The game was tied at 95-all when Sengun made 1 of 2 free throws to put Houston on top. There were 30 seconds to go when he made two more free throws to make it 98-95. Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bucks.
Trey Murphy III scored 24 points, Zion Williamson added 18 and the New Orleans Pelicans completed a two-game home game sweep of the San Antonio Spurs, 109-103. The Pelicans overcame a 19-point hole in the first half despite shooting 7 of 31 from 3-point range for the game. Yves Missi had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and newly acquired Kelly Olynyk had 12 rebounds, after pulling down 15 rebounds in a 114-96 victory over the Spurs on Sunday night. Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 20 points, and De’Aaron Fox had 15 points and nine assists.
Ja Morant had 29 points and eight assists and the Memphis Grizzlies closed overtime with a 7-0 run to beat the Phoenix Suns 151-148 on Tuesday night. Morant's final assist was a feed to Jaylen Wells for a dunk with 9.1 seconds left in overtime. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 28 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Desmond Bane had 25 points and nine assists as Memphis moved into a tie for second place in the Western Conference with idle Denver. The Suns had five players score at least 20 points for the first time since 1990. Devin Booker had 28, Kevin Durant 26, Bradley Beal 24, Bol Bol 23 and Grayson Allen 21.
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green scored 15 points each and the Golden State Warriors joined an elite group with their 3,000th franchise victory, 128-92 over the Charlotte Hornets. Buddy Hield scored 16 points off the bench to lead the Warriors, who have won four in a row and six of their last seven games to into the eighth spot in the Western Conference. KJ Simpson had 16 points and six rebounds and Seth Curry added 14 points for Charlotte, which played without guard LaMelo Ball. Only four other NBA teams — the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers — have 3,000 wins.
Luka Doncic had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in his first game against the Dallas Mavericks since they traded him to the Lakers three weeks ago. He led Los Angeles to a 107-99 victory. Doncic secured his first triple-double with the Lakers on an emotional night for the Slovenian superstar, who was blindsided by the seismic trade sending him to Los Angeles for Anthony Davis. LeBron James helped his new teammate by scoring 16 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter while Los Angeles held on for its third straight win and its 13th in 16 games.
Luka Doncic hit deep 3-pointers and fearlessly drove for layups. He flung a ridiculous behind-the-head assist to Austin Reaves. Doncic stared at the Dallas Mavericks’ bench a few times, yet also played with a smile on his face. In his first meeting with the Mavs since they traded him away, Doncic knew he was the center of attention, and the Slovenian superstar appeared ready to rise to the occasion. The 25-year-old Doncic was the face of the Mavericks franchise until general manager Nico Harrison suddenly decided he wasn’t. Lakers fans chanted “Thank you, Nico!” to celebrate the deal.
NHL
N.Y. Rangers 5 N.Y. Islanders 1
Jonny Brodzinski scored twice, Urho Vaakanainen had a goal and two assists and the New York Rangers beat the crosstown-rival Islanders 5-1. J.T. Miller and Matt Rempe also scored for the Rangers, who won their second straight. Igor Shesterkin finished with 36 saves. Alexander Romanov scored for the Islanders, who have lost four straight after winning eight of nine. Ilya Sorokin gave up five goals on 11 shots through two periods. Jakub Skarek came on to start the third period and stopped all seven shots he faced.
Buffalo 3 Anaheim 2
Henri Jokiharju scored 9:31 into the third period to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks. JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch also scored and Dylan Cozens had three assists for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 16 saves for the Sabres, who have six of their last seven games. Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson scored power-play goals while Lukas Dostal made 32 saves for the Ducks, whose five-game point streak was snapped. The Ducks led 2-0 after two periods, but Peterka scored 1:56 into the third on a one-timer to cut the lead to 2-1, and Tuch followed at 5:34 to tie it.
OT Toronto 5 Boston 4
Mitch Marner scored his second goal of the game in the final minute of overtime, and the Toronto Maple Leafs overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Boston Bruins 5-4. With goalie Anthony Stolarz pulled for an extra skater, Pontus Holberg scored the tying goal for the Maple Leafs with 46 seconds left in regulation. David Pastrnak’s second goal had given Boston a 4-3 edge. Pastrnak scored on a breakaway on the game’s opening shift to extend his career-best point streak to 15 games. Morgan Reilly and Nicholas Robertson also scored for Toronto, which won for the sixth time in seven games. Brad Marchand added a goal and an assist for the Bruins, who lost their fourth straight.
Philadelphia 6 Pittsburgh 1
Bobby Brink had one goal and three assists for a career-high four points, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1. Noah Cates had two goals and an assist in Philadelphia’s third consecutive win. Tyson Foerster had a goal and two assists, and Owen Tippett and Rasmus Ristolainen also scored. Brink and Cates scored 10 seconds apart late in the second period, lifting Philadelphia to a 5-1 lead. Samuel Ersson made 23 saves for the Flyers. Philip Tomasino scored for the Penguins in their fourth consecutive loss.
Montreal 4 Carolina 0
Nick Suzuki and Patrik Laine each had a goal and two assists, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0. Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson also scored for Montreal, and Sam Montembeault made 20 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and fifth of his career. Frederik Andersen finished with 14 saves for the Hurricanes.
Columbus 6 Dallas 4
Kirill Marchenko scored twice and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Dallas Stars 6-4 for their second straight win to keep them in the hunt for an Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Ivan Provorov added a goal and an assist, while Mathieu Olivier and James van Riemsdyk also scored for Columbus. Adam Fantilli added an empty-netter with 32 seconds remaining and Elvis Merzlikins made 19 saves. Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist for Dallas, which had won theree in a row. Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz and Mavrik Bourque each scored, and Mikael Granlund had two assists. Jake Oettinger stopped 23 shots.
Calgary 3 Washington 1
Matt Coronato scored to help the Calgary Flames beat the Washington Capitals 3-1, winning to move into a playoff spot despite Alex Ovechkin getting one step closer to breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record. Ovechkin beat Dan Vladar five minutes into the third period to score his 883rd goal and move 12 back of passing Gretzky’s mark of 894. The Capitals lost in regulation in Washington for the first time since Nov. 23, ending a 16-game home point streak. The Flames have won two in a row out of the league's 4 Nations Face-Off break.
Tampa Bay 4 Edmonton 1
Nikita Kucherov had two assists and the streaking Tampa Bay Lightning beat Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers 4-1. The Lightning posted their sixth consecutive win and improved to 7-0-1 in the past eight games overall. Brandon Hagel, Nick Paul, Mikey Eyssimont and Victor Hedman scored for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves. Draisaitl scored his NHL-best 43rd goal for the Oilers, who have lost four consecutive games. Stuart Skinner stopped 33 shots.
Detroit 3 Minnesota 2
Simon Edvinsson pinged a slap shot off the far post for his second goal of the game with 8:25 remaining to finish a rally by the Detroit Red Wings for a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot made 22 saves for the Red Wings. Detroit is 9-1-2 in its last 12 games and has won a season-best five straight road games. Vladimir Tarasenko scored midway through the second period after Minnesota led 2-0 at the first intermission following goals by Marco Rossi and Jakob Lauko. Rossi matched his career high with 21 goals.
St. Louis 7 Seattle 2
Zack Bolduc scored twice and the St. Louis Blues beat the Seattle Kraken 7-2. Cam Fowler and Oskar Sundqvist each had a goal and two assists for the Blues, who won their fifth straight against the Kraken. Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbours each had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Kyrou also scored. Thomas has four goals and seven assists during a seven-game point streak. Neighbours snapped a 10-game scoring drought. Jordan Binnington made 26 saves to improve to 4-0-1 in his last five games. Vince Dunn and Jaden Schwartz scored for the Kraken.
Florida 4 Nashville 1
Justin Sourdif scored his first NHL goal and the Florida Panthers beat the Nashville Predators 4-1. Sam Bennett had a goal, assist and fight for a Gordie Howe hat trick, and Gustav Forsling and Mackie Samoskevich also scored to help the Panthers win for the third time in four games. Spencer Knight made 18 saves and Aleksander Barkov had two assists. Micheal McCarron scored and Juuse Saros made 21 saves for the Predators, losers of two straight.
Utah 2 Chicago 1
Lawson Crouse scored the tiebreaking goal on a backhander with 7:48 left and the Utah Hockey Club rallied to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1. Clayton Keller scored in the second period and Karel Vejmelka finished with 21 saves to help Utah get its fifth win in seven games, including its third straight at home for the first time. Keller has a team-high 33 points in 29 home games. Seth Jones scored for Chicago, and Arvid Soderblom stopped 34 shots. The Blackhawks have lost four straight (0-3-1) and seven of eight (1-5-2).
NHL
Alex Ovechkin has reached 30 goals in a season for the 19th time in his 20-year NHL career. That extends the record he broke last year with his 18th. The Washington Capitals captain got his latest milestone goal Tuesday night at home against the Calgary Flames. Scoring his 883rd career goal also puts Ovechkin 12 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky's mark of 894 that had long seemed unapproachable. Becoming just the fourth player in hockey history to score 30-plus goals at age 39 or older, Ovechkin is now on pace to pass Gretzky in early April; long before the regular season is over.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Georgia fans showed it’s possible to storm the court for a postgame celebration — and to be polite at the same time. The Stegeman Coliseum public address announcer made repeated requests in the final minute of Georgia’s 88-83 upset of No. 3 Florida to wait 90 seconds after the game and give the Gators and officials time to leave the court. The message, delivered during late timeouts, included the addendum that fans then would be welcome to celebrate on the court. Perhaps the biggest surprise was fans followed the instructions.
SOCCER
Lionel Messi opened the scoring with a masterful strike in the 19th minute, and Inter Miami beat Sporting Kansas City 3-1 on Tuesday night in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup’s first round. Luis Suárez and Tadeo Allende also scored as Inter Miami advanced with a 4-1 aggregate to face Jamaica Premier League champion Cavalier FC in the round of 16 on March 6. Messi also scored in Miami’s 1-0 win at Kansas City in the first leg last Wednesday. Memo Rodríguez scored for Kansas City, the team’s first goal of 2025.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both rallied from two goals down in a frantic 4-4 draw in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. Atletico scored twice in the first six minutes before conceding four unanswered goals and coming back to even the match with goals in the final 10 minutes, including the equalizer by substitute Alexander Sorloth three minutes into stoppage time. The second leg will be at Atletico’s Metropolitano Stadium will be in April. The winner will play either Real Madrid or Real Sociedad, which will play their first-leg match on Wednesday in Basque Country.
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