NBA
When the buzzer at Madison Square Garden sounded, signaling the end of the New York Knicks’ 123-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, there was not the usual cheers from the sellout crowd. The Knicks faithful’s thoughts shifted to the status of All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, the team’s leader in minutes, points and assists per game this season. Brunson had 27 points and eight assists before he exited New York’s 16th victory in their past 19 games with an apparent right-ankle injury when he landed wrong while being fouled by G.G. Jackson with 5:31 left and did not return. New York did not provide a postgame update.
Kyrie Irving scored 36 points in a dazzling return to Brooklyn exactly one year after he was traded to Dallas, leading the Mavericks to a 119-107 victory over the Nets. Luka Doncic had 35 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists as the Mavericks’ guard tandem took turns hitting some deep 3-pointers in the second half when the Nets were trying to make a run. Doncic just missed his 10th triple-double of the season. Irving was booed when he touched the ball in the early going but ultimately got some cheers for his fancy drives to the basket and his deep 3-pointers.
Pascal Siakam scored 29 points and teamed up with T.J. McConnell to spur a third-quarter comeback, helping the Indiana Pacers rally for a 132-129 victory over the Houston Rockets. It was Indiana's ninth straight win in the series. Jalen Green led the Rockets with 30 points while Dillon Brooks added 23. Rookie Amen Thompson had 13 points and 13 rebounds. But Houston failed to protect an 85-75 lead, getting outscored 31-14 over the final 9:53 of the third. The Rockets never fully recovered. They got as close as 130-127 in the waning seconds but never had a chance to tie the score or take the lead.
Jimmy Butler scored 23 points to lead seven Miami players in double figures, and the Heat beat the Orlando Magic 121-95 on Tuesday night. Butler also had eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals for the Heat, who won for just the second time in their last seven home games. Terry Rozier scored 18 while Tyler Herro and All-Star Bam Adebayo each scored 14 for Miami. All-Star forward Paolo Banchero scored 23 for Orlando, the 18th consecutive road game in which he’s scored at least 20 points and tying Tracy McGrady for the second-longest such streak in Magic history.
Coby White and DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points apiece, and the Chicago Bulls erased a 23-point deficit in a 129-123 overtime victory over Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nikola Vucevic had 24 points for Chicago, and Andre Drummond finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots. The Bulls were coming off a 123-115 loss to Sacramento in which they nearly rallied all the way back from a 30-point deficit. Edwards had 38 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which had won three of four. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 33 points in the opener of a four-game trip.
Utah 124 Oklahoma City 117
Lauri Markkanen had 33 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to a 124-117 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. John Collins chipped in 22 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz while Keyonte George added 16 points and six assists. Utah outscored the Thunder 19-9 in second-chance points and had a 60-36 edge in the paint. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 28 points and seven assists. Jalen Williams had 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists and Chet Holmgren added 22 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder.
Devin Booker scored 32 points, Kevin Durant added 28 and the Phoenix Suns beat the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 114-106. The Suns took a 79-73 lead into the fourth quarter and didn’t trail again. Durant threw down a thunderous dunk — while being fouled — and hit the free throw to push Phoenix ahead 93-80 with 8:51 left. It was part of a big final quarter for the 14-time All-Star, who hit five straight shots and had 14 points. The Bucks played without star guard Damian Lillard, who was out with a sprained ankle. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 34 points.
NHL
Jake Oettinger stopped 47 shots and Sam Steel scored midway through the second period, helping the Dallas Stars beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 for their fourth straight victory. Matt Duchene also scored as Dallas celebrated Joe Pavelski’s 1,300th NHL game by continuing the team’s strong play of late. The 39-year-old Pavelski, a Wisconsin native, became the seventh U.S.-born player to reach that career milestone. The Stars improved to 5-0-1 in its past six games. Tage Thompson scored for Buffalo, which blew its fourth chance of the season to win three straight.
Andrei Kuzmenko scored in his Calgary debut, Nazem Kadri had three assists and the Flames beat the Boston Bruins 4-1. Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and two assists and Connor Zary also scored for the Flames, who held Boston to five shots in the second period in a listless return from the All-Star break for the Bruins. Jacob Markstrom stopped 21 shots for Calgary, and Boston native Noah Hanifin added a late goal for the Flames. Pavel Zacha scored on a power play early in the third period for the Bruins. David Pastrnak assisted on Zacha’s goal, and Jeremy Swayman finished with 25 saves for Boston.
John Marino scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period and Vitek Vanecek made 35 saves as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-3. After the Avalanche tied the contest with two quick goals earlier in the third, Marino put New Jersey ahead at 17:43. Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, Chris Tierney and Erik Haula also scored for New Jersey, which had lost two in a row. Trailing 3-1 just over eight minutes into the third, Colorado defensemen Cale Makar and Samuel Girard scored 29 seconds apart to tie the game. Mikko Rantanen also scored for Colorado.
Noah Cates scored the go-ahead goal 2:36 into the third period, and the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Florida Panthers 2-1. Cates’ goal was his first since Oct. 24, snapping a 22-game goal drought for the 25-year-old forward. The Flyers snapped their five-game losing streak in their first game since Jan. 27 following the NHL’s All-Star break.
Tristan Jarry stopped 24 shots in his NHL-leading sixth shutout this season and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the slumping Winnipeg Jets 3-0. Bryan Rust, Jeff Carter and Kris Letang scored. Jarry improved to 5-0 against Winnipeg, with two of his 19 career shutouts. Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves for the Jets, who lost their fourth straight game after winning 10 of 11. Rust scored his 12th goal and Carter his sixth, both on the power play, as the Penguins scored multiple goals with the man advantage for the first time since Dec. 18. Letang scored his fourth goal and became the 21st defenseman in NHL history to reach 30 points 14 times.
Elias Lindholm scored two power-play goals in similar fashion in his first game with Vancouver and J.T. Miller provided the winning goal in the Canucks’ 3-2 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser each had two assists. Thatcher Demko made 22 saves, including 12 in the third period. Jordan Martinook and Sebastian Aho scored for Carolina, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Pyotr Kochetkov, playing for the Hurricanes for the first time since Jan. 11, stopped 16 shots.
The Washington Capitals' losing streak has reached five with a 5-2 defeat against the Montreal Canadiens. Alex Ovechkin scored his 10th goal of the season and 832nd of his NHL career to move 62 back of Wayne Gretzky's record. Charlie Lindgren allowed three goals on nine shots in just over 13 minutes before being pulled for Darcy Kuemper. Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky each scored twice and Samuel Montembeault had 36 saves in net for Montreal. The Capitals' next four opponents are the top four teams in the league.
Chandler Stephenson scored the go-ahead goal, Adin Hill stopped 30 shots and the Vegas Golden Knights ended the Edmonton Oilers’ 16-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory. Edmonton was looking to tie the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins for the longest NHL win streak. Instead, with the game tied 1-1 after two periods, Stephenson took a pass from Jonathan Marchessault and ripped a shot past Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner to put the Golden Knights in front by a goal less than two minutes into the third period. William Karlsson added an empty netter. Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers.
NFL
The Chiefs are underdogs heading into the Super Bowl against San Francisco, a situation they have rarely experienced in the six years that Patrick Mahomes has been their starting quarterback. But it turns out they kind of like it. They no longer have to manufacture a chip on their shoulder, instead relishing the opportunity to prove naysayers wrong. That was the case when they beat Buffalo in the divisional round, and again when they beat Baltimore in the AFC title game. On Sunday in Las Vegas, they will try to become the sixth team since 2000 to win the Super Bowl as underdogs in their last three games.
Minutes after the San Francisco 49ers finished off a stunning comeback to win the NFC championship, star defender Nick Bosa pulled aside quarterback Brock Purdy and marveled at his journey. Purdy has undergone a meteoric rise from “Mr. Irrelevant” as the final pick of the 2022 draft to MVP finalist and starting quarterback in the Super Bowl in a span of less than 22 months. It’s been one of the most improbable draft success stories in recent memories and seems to shock just about everyone other than Purdy, who had the steadfast confidence that he could make it as long as someone gave him a chance.
MLB
José Altuve and the Houston Astros have agreed to a $125 million, five-year contract that covers 2025-29. Houston announced a new multiyear deal for Altuve on Tuesday without disclosing financial details. Altuve has a $26 million salary for 2024 in the final season of a $163.5 million, seven-year deal. The eight-time All-Star second baseman would have been eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series. His new agreement includes a $15 million signing bonus, payable upon the contract’s approval by Major League Baseball, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because those details were not announced.
GOLF
The obnoxious money ruining golf was sure to create trust issues with the leadership. That hasn't gone away even after the PGA Tour got a $3 billion deal with a minority investor. But now it might be a question of who needs to regain trust. One is PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. The other is Rory McIlroy. McIlroy was once the loudest critic of LIV Golf. Now he has come full circle and players aren't sure what to make of him. McIlroy raised eyebrows at Pebble Beach by saying LIV players should be able to return to the PGA Tour without any punishment.
STREAMING
ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans on Tuesday to launch a sports streaming platform in the fall that will include offerings from at least 15 networks and all four major professional sports leagues. A one-stop app to view most sports should be a welcome sight for fans, who continue to navigate rising costs by subscribing to multiple services. The three companies will each share one-third ownership in the joint venture. A name for the service and pricing will be announced at a later date.
SOCCER
The soccer landscape is changing quickly with a surge of investment firms injecting billions into clubs and leagues around the world. There is the American holding company buying clubs in Belgium, Italy and Germany. And the Luxembourg-based private equity group putting billions of euros into leagues in Spain and France. The trend has reached all the major soccer markets and there’s no sign it will ease up any time soon. Investors seized the opportunity when clubs became cash-strapped during the coronavirus pandemic and now are thriving in a niche few of them had fully explored before. Some leagues and clubs are still reluctant to get involved.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UConn 71 Butler 62
A judge has kept in place NCAA rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation being used as a recruiting inducement, denying a request for a temporary restraining order by the states of Tennessee and Virginia. The attorneys general of those states filed a federal antitrust lawsuit in the Eastern District of Tennessee last week that challenged the NCAA’s NIL rules, after it was revealed the University of Tennessee was under investigation by the association for potential infractions. The states argued that immediate action was needed to keep the NCAA from standing in the way of recruits monetizing their fame.
A ruling that gives the Dartmouth basketball team the right to unionize has far-reaching implications for all of college sports — from the quaint, academically oriented Ivy League to the big-money football factories like Michigan and Alabama. But it’s not time to cut down the nets just yet. Although Monday’s ruling by a National Labor Relations Board official put the players on the path toward a union, they have a long way to go. It could be years before they are able to sit down with the school and negotiate a collective bargaining agreement. Only then would the two sides sit down and decide what the players are worth. And others around collegiate sports will be watching.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Caitlin Clark was in sixth grade when Iowa associate head coach and chief recruiter Jan Jensen first saw her play basketball. Jensen said Clark was shooting her signature deep 3-pointers even then and in a matter of minutes she knew she wanted Clark to play her college ball for the Hawkeyes. Clark is now on the cusp of becoming Division I women's basketball's all-time leading scorer. An early sign of how her career would evolve happened when she was a high school junior. In a game against Mason City she scored 60 points and made 13 3-pointers on 17 attempts.
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