Jimmy Butler scored 35 points, Tyler Herro scored 14 of his 22 in the fourth quarter and the Miami Heat moved closer to escaping play-in tournament range by beating the New York Knicks 127-120. Herro made four 3-pointers in the fourth for the Heat, who led by 11 in the third, lost the lead briefly, then took the lead back for good with a 16-2 run midway through the final quarter. Miami (40-34) is now just percentage points behind Brooklyn (39-33) in the race for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. New York’s Julius Randle, coming off a 57-point effort Monday against Minnesota, was held to 15. It was the 700th win for Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
Tyrese Maxey scored 16 of his 21 points during Philadelphia’s dominant first half, and the 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 116-91. De’Anthony Melton had 25 points as Philadelphia earned a split of its four-game season series against Chicago. Joel Embiid added 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in just over 16 minutes of playing time. Philadelphia had won eight in a row before Monday night’s double-overtime loss to Chicago. But the 76ers jumped all over the Bulls in the rematch. Coby White scored 19 points for Chicago, and Zach LaVine had 16.
Two-time All-Star guard Ja Morant was welcomed back Wednesday night with a standing ovation and cheers throughout the arena in his first action after missing nine games — eight because of an NBA suspension. Morant, who was not in the starting lineup against the Houston Rockets, entered the game after a timeout with 3:05 left in the first quarter, replacing starter Tyus Jones. The cheers began building as Morant rose from the bench and made his way to the scorer’s table, adjusting the specially fit mask from a previous nasal fracture. The standing ovation and the cheers reached their peak even before Morant was announced as entering the game.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he plans to protest a two-point loss to Golden State after a confusing sequence led to an uncontested basket for the Warriors. Kevon Looney had an easy dunk on an inbounds play with the Mavericks lined up on their offensive end after a timeout late in the third quarter of Golden State’s 127-125 victory. The Mavericks thought they had the ball after official Andy Nagy pointed in Golden State’s direction for possession but then quickly pointed to the Dallas bench to indicate a timeout. Cuban says it was the “Worst officiating non call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA.”
The Los Angeles Clippers say Paul George has a sprained right knee and will be reevaluated in two to three weeks. The All-Star guard was hurt in a 101-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers are currently fifth in the Western Conference with a 38-35 record. They end the regular season on April 9 at Phoenix, a team they could meet in the postseason. Last season, the Clippers played without Kawhi Leonard while he recovered from a partial tear of his right ACL. They lost in the play-in tournament.
NHL
Jeff Carter had a pair of goals, Sidney Crosby scored on a nifty backhand shot in the second period to reach the 30-goal mark for an 11th season and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2. Crosby moved into a tie with Hall-of-Fame center Mario Lemieux for the most 30-goal seasons in Penguins history. Even more, Crosby’s the first player in league history to post a 30-goal campaign at 18 years old and again when he was 35-plus, according to NHL Stats. Jake Guentzel also scored and Bryan Rust added an empty-netter for the Penguins, who snapped a four-game slide. J.T. Compher and Devon Toews had goals for the Avalanche.
In the only other NHL game last night, Edmonton beat Arizona in overtime 4-3.
NCAA MARCH MADNESS
March Madness is back tonight in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.
In men’s college basketball action, the No. 10 UConn Huskies face the Arkansas Razorbacks tonight in Las Vegas at 7:15. This is the teams’ first meeting this season. UConn is 13-7 against the Big East, and Arkansas is 8-10 against the SEC.
Meanwhile, at Madison Square Garden, Michigan St. takes on Kansas St. at 6:30 p.m., and FAU faces Tennessee at9 p.m.
NIT
Quarterfinals at UCCU Center
Utah Valley St. 74 Cincinnati 68
Justin Harmon and Trey Woodbury each scored 17 points and Utah Valley advanced to the NIT semifinals in Las Vegas with a 74-68 victory over Cincinnati. Utah Valley will play in the NIT semifinals for the first time in program history on Tuesday night against UAB. The Wolverines have won seven of eight games to improve their program record for wins. Aziz Bandaogo, the WAC defensive player of the year, added 15 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks for Utah Valley, which is the top shot-blocking team in the nation with 237. Tim Fuller had 12 points and nine rebounds and Le’Tre Darthard scored all nine of his points in the second half. Landers Nolley II scored 23 points for Cincinnati.
At Memorial Gymnasium
UAB 67 Vanderbilt 59
Jordan Walker had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Trey Jemison added 17 points and 12 rebounds and UAB beat Vanderbilt 67-59 to advance to the NIT semifinals in Las Vegas. UAB set a school record for most wins in a season, topping last year’s squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Blazers will play in the NIT semifinals for the third time in program history — with two third-place finishes. Vanderbilt pulled within 59-57 on a 3-pointer by Jordan Wright with 51.7 seconds left. But Walker raced the other way and lobbed it to Jemison for a dunk at 45.7 to regain a two-possession lead. Wright and Ezra Manjon each scored 15 points for Vanderbilt.
CBI Championship at Ocean Center
Charlotte 71 E. Kentucky 68
Aly Khalifa scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half, Montre’ Gipson made three 3-pointer in the second half, and (In other college basketball action,) No. 3 seed Charlotte held off No. 8 seed Eastern Kentucky 71-68 in the championship game of the College Basketball Invitational. Charlotte finished the season with its most wins since the 2000-01 campaign, when it took down Tennessee in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The 49ers were appearing in the postseason for the first time since earning an at-large bid to the 2013 NIT. Cooper Robb made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points for Eastern Kentucky, which had the third-most wins in program history.
Princeton forward Tosan Evbuomwan spent three college seasons fighting through one disappointment after another. Reaching the Sweet 16 made it all worthwhile. Three years after the NCAA Tournament was canceled and two years after it was played in the Indianapolis “bubble,” the lessons and ramifications of those two years still resonate around the college basketball world. Whether it was Princeton's cancelled season, San Diego State's missed opportunity in 2020 or Creighton's lonely Sweet 16 run in 2021, all three schools are back now to rewrite the script.
The NIL age has opened a vast new world of earning potential for student-athletes the NCAA long insisted were amateurs. Social media platforms, once solely windows into smaller worlds, became gateways to wider audiences and revenue streams. Social media has in turn turbocharged March Madness, that one-of-a-kind American sporting event with communal elements already built in long before the internet even existed. Taking advantage of this Madness-fueled social media explosion requires a bit of savvy, discernment and lots of engagement.
NFL
A person with knowledge of the contract says the New York Jets and former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman agreed to terms on a one-year deal. The speedy and versatile Hardman gives the Jets and new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett another playmaker on what could be a much-improved offense. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Jets hadn’t announced the agreement. ESPN first reported Hardman and the Jets agreed to terms on a contract. The 25-year-old Hardman spent his first four seasons with the Chiefs. He has 151 catches for 2,088 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career and has rushed 20 times for 125 yards and two scores.
NFL free-agent tight end Foster Moreau posted on Twitter that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma during a physical with the New Orleans Saints. The 25-year-old Moreau said he was stepping away from football for now and vowed to beat the cancer. Moreau played the previous four seasons for the Raiders. They took him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of LSU when the Las Vegas team was based in Oakland. He set career highs last season with 33 catches for 420 yards. Moreau also caught two touchdown passes.
MLB
Roger Clemens will be an analyst for ESPN when the defending World Series champion Houston Astros host the Chicago White Sox on opening day. Clemens will be stepping in on March 30 for David Cone, who will be doing the New York Yankees opener against the San Francisco Giants on YES Network. Clemens was a seven-time Cy Young winner but his career after baseball has been tainted by allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. He is a Houston native and pitched for the Astros for three seasons.
Apple TV+ will begin its second season of “Friday Night Baseball” on April 7. The Chicago Cubs will host the Texas Rangers in a day game, followed by the San Diego Padres facing the Atlanta Braves. Apple will carry twin bills over 25 weeks with no local blackout restrictions. In a change from last year, when there were doubleheaders on the East and West coasts, both games will be going on simultaneously most weeks. Fans in 60 countries will be able to access the games, which were available in only 12 last season. An Apple TV+ subscription is required, unlike last season.
MEN’S GOLF
Keegan Bradley still hasn't won a match in 16 tries over 11 years in the Dell Technologies Match Play. His halve on the opening day sure felt like a win. Bradley rallied from 4 down with five holes to play to earn a draw against Denny McCarthy. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler escaped with a 1-up win over Davis Riley by making a birdie on the last hole. Jon Rahm is the No. 2 seed. He wasn't so fortunate, losing to Rickie Fowler. Matt Kuchar won his 35 match in tournament history. That's one short of the record held by Tiger Woods.
WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
This year’s World Baseball Classic left lasting memories, 47 games over two weeks that restored Japan’s supremacy and reinforced Shohei Ohtani’s unmatched ability while expanding the sport’s global footprint. While not a global fixation like soccer’s World Cup, the event has grown though its five editions since launching in 2006. Memories include Ohtani’s strikeout of Mike Trout in Japan's championship victory, Trea Turner’s go-ahead, eighth-inning grand slam against Venezuela, Japan’s walk-off semifinal win and Mexico’s comeback from a four-run deficit against Puerto Rico. Those ended up overshadowing injuries to star players Edwin Díaz and Jose Altuve. Attendance of 1,306,414 was the tournament’s highest, 20% over the 1,086,720 for 40 games in 2017.
Japanese television stuck to its live coverage from Miami for almost two hours after Japan beat the United States 3-2 to win the World Baseball Classic. This was must-see viewing. Shohei Ohtani striking out Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout on a pitch away to end the game was replayed repeatedly between player interviews, beer-sprayed clubhouse interludes, and the tradition of team members tossing the winning manager and players into the air. The country’s top circulating newspaper Yomiuri rolled out a special Wednesday afternoon edition for commuters, usually reserved for serious matters of state, or late-breaking election news. The headline read in Japanese: “Japan, the World's No. 1."
© 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
