NBA
Kristaps Porzingis scored 31 points, Derrick White scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 125-117. Jayson Tatum finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Celtics improved to 24-3 at home and won their seventh straight over the Hawks. Al Horford added 14 points with eight rebounds and eight assists and Jaylen Brown finished with 15 points. Saddiq Bey led Atlanta with 25 points. Trae Young had 20 points and 10 assists.
Meanwhile, the East-leading Celtics added some depth at center, acquiring big man Xavier Tillman from the Grizzlies in exchange for forward Lamar Stevens and two future second-round draft picks. With the deal Boston adds some depth in the front court behind 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis, who has struggled with durability, and 37-year-old veteran Al Horford. Tillman has appeared in 34 games for Memphis this season, averaging six points, 4.6 rebounds and a career-best 1.7 assists while shooting 40.8% from the field. Stevens logged games for Boston this season and averaged 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 6.4 minutes per game.
Andrew Wiggins had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Jonathan Kuminga scored 18 points to lead the Golden State Warriors past a Philadelphia 76ers team sagging without Joel Embiid, 127-104 on Wednesday night. Stephen Curry scored two points in the first half and finished with nine just two games after he dropped 60 points on Atlanta. Klay Thompson scored 18 points in 28 minutes after he was benched the final 7 minutes in Monday’s win against Brooklyn. Without Embiid, the 76ers are an ugly 4-12.
RJ Barrett scored 23 points, Jakob Poeltl had two big plays in the 90 seconds and the Toronto Raptors overcame a career-high 45 points from Miles Bridges to beat Charlotte 123-117 and hand the Hornets their ninth straight loss. Scottie Barnes, who learned before the game he’ll play in his first All-Star game as an alternate, finished with 18 points for the Raptors on Wednesday night. Immanuel Quickley also scored 18 and Poeltl finished had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Bridges had an efficient night, topping his previous career high of 41 points set Monday night against the Lakers by shooting 17 of 27 from the field.
RJ Barrett scored 23 points, Jakob Poeltl had two big plays in the 90 seconds and the Toronto Raptors overcame a career-high 45 points from Miles Bridges to beat Charlotte 123-117 and hand the Hornets their ninth straight loss. Scottie Barnes, who learned before the game he’ll play in his first All-Star game as an alternate, finished with 18 points for the Raptors on Wednesday night. Immanuel Quickley also scored 18 and Poeltl finished had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Bridges had an efficient night, topping his previous career high of 41 points set Monday night against the Lakers by shooting 17 of 27 from the field.
Jimmy Butler recorded his first triple-double in more than two years, Tyler Herro led the way with 24 points and the Miami Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 on Wednesday night. Butler — whose most recent triple-double was Jan. 29, 2022 — finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Heat, who led by as many as 19 in the fourth. Bam Adebayo added 20 for Miami. Tre Jones and Devin Vassell each scored 19 points and Victor Wembanyana finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Spurs.
Jaden Ivey scored 19 of his career-high 37 points in the fourth quarter and the Detroit Pistons, playing without their two top scorers, stunned the Sacramento Kings 133-120. Ivey added seven assists and six rebounds as Detroit improved to 3-20 on the road this season, 7-43 overall. Alec Burks had 25 points and seven rebounds off the bench, and Jalen Duren had 20 points and 15 rebounds. The Pistons were without Cade Cunningham, managing a left knee injury, and Bojan Bogdanovic, who had left calf soreness, who both average more than 20 points per game. Domantas Sabonis led Sacramento with 30 points and 12 rebounds.
CJ McCollum scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Zion Williamson added 21 points and 10 assists, and the New Orleans Pelicans slowed the Los Angeles Clippers’ recent roll with a 117-106 victory. Brandon Ingram had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Pelicans, who opened a four-game road trip with their fourth consecutive victory to match their longest winning streak of the season. James Harden scored 19 points and Norman Powell had 18 for the Clippers, whose four-game winning streak ended in their first game back from an impressive 6-1 road trip during which they moved to the top of the Western Conference standings.
Joel Embiid’s timeline to return to the Philadelphia 76ers is still unclear following knee surgery. His availability this summer for the U.S. Olympic team is just as murky. Embiid told USA Basketball in October that, after more than a year of deliberating, he has picked the Americans over France as his team for the Paris Olympics. USA Basketball does not plan to name its team until the spring of 2024, but if healthy, Embiid seemed to have a lock on one of the 12 spots on the squad that will be coached by Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Embiid became a U.S. citizen last year and could have also chosen to play for France.
At 6-foot-11, Scot Pollard’s size helped him play more than a decade in the NBA and earn him a championship ring with the 2008 Boston Celtics. Now it may be killing him. Pollard needs a heart transplant and the already dire predicament is made more difficult by the fact so few donors can provide him with a pump big and strong enough to supply blood to his body. He was admitted to intensive care at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and will wait there until a donor surfaces who was big enough to be a match. Pollard said in text messages to The Associated Press doctors hope it will be a matter of weeks, not months.
NHL
Jimmy Vesey scored twice and Jonathan Quick made 18 saves as the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 for their third straight win. Jonny Brodzinski also scored for the Rangers, who won for the second time in three days after the All-Star break. Quick started both games. Brandon Hagel scored for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 21 saves. The Lightning had won three straight and eight of their previous nine.
Mitch Marner and William Nylander scored 20 seconds apart midway through the third period, Auston Matthews had his NHL-leading 41st goal and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Dallas Stars 5-4 on Wednesday night. Nylander had two goals and assist, Matthews added an assist and John Tavares had a goal and two assists. Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves. Toronto scored three times on the power play after falling 3-2 to the New York Islanders on Monday night coming out of the All-Star break. Evgeni Dadonov scored twice for Dallas, the second on a third-period penalty shot. Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston also scored and Scott Wedgewood made 26 saves.
Marcus Foligno snapped a third-period tie and Filip Gustavsson made 20 saves, helping the Minnesota Wild beat Nick Foligno and the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1. Each of the Foligno brothers scored in the first game for the Central Division foes after the All-Star break, but Marcus Foligno’s ninth of the season lifted Minnesota to its 11th consecutive victory over Chicago. Marcus Foligno also fought with Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi in the second period. Jacob Lucchini scored in the first for Minnesota, which had dropped two in a row.
NFL
Patrick Mahomes is a different quarterback than he was four years ago, when the Kansas City Chiefs played the San Francisco 49ers in his first Super Bowl. He’s a different man, for that matter, a dad of two with different priorities in his life. One thing Mahomes has learned that has helped with both jobs is patience. That was especially true on the football field this season, when his wide receivers dropped more passes than any other team, and the rest of the Kansas City offense committed more penalties than any team but one. Yet here is Mahomes, back in the Super Bowl, and playing San Francisco again on Sunday.
Las Vegas is about to throw its biggest party yet. Doors open Sunday at Allegiant Stadium for the city's first Super Bowl. Las Vegas is primed for an estimated 330,000 visitors this week leading up to the San Francisco 49ers taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. Even the Las Vegas Strip looks different, with Roman numeral installations springing up and a towering Vince Lombardi Trophy outside the Bellagio. One county official says the city's transformation for the big game proves Las Vegas has arrived as a sports entertainment hub.
The underdog Kansas City Chiefs are playing for history against the San Francisco 49ers. No team has been the underdog in consecutive Super Bowls and won both games. The two previous defending champions to return as an underdog both lost. But the Chiefs have been defying the odds throughout the postseason. They were underdogs in victories at Buffalo and Baltimore. Now, they’ve got to do it again to become the first repeat champions in 19 years. The 49ers are 2 1/2-point favorites on Sunday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. They’re quite familiar with that role having been favored to win each game this season.
MLB
The Boston Red Sox will be the focus of a pair of new Netflix shows. The streaming service will follow the team through the 2024 season and present a documentary series in 2025 that will be produced and directed by Greg Whiteley of One Potato Productions. Netflix intends to air a documentary this year focusing on the 2004 Red Sox, who broke the so-called Curse of the Bambino and won the team’s first World Series title since 1918.
SOCCER
Testifying in court Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves has denied accusations that he sexually assaulted a young woman at a Barcelona nightclub. After two days of listening to testimony from the alleged victim, witnesses, police and experts, Alves testified that their encounter was consensual. His accuser had testified that Alves raped her in a bathroom of an upscale Barcelona nightclub early in the morning of Dec. 31, 2022. State prosecutors are seeking a nine-year prison sentence for Alves if convicted while the lawyers representing his accuser want 12 years. The trial concluded Wednesday. A verdict normally takes weeks to be delivered.
GOLF
Tiger Woods has been pointing to Riviera for his 2024 debut. He made it official with a statement on X saying he looks forward to being a playing host next week at the Genesis Invitational. The tournament he hosts is another $20 million signature event. Woods will be playing on a sponsor exemption. Riviera is among the best courses on tour, but it has confounded Woods. He has played it 12 times as a pro without winning, the most of any course on the PGA Tour. Woods hasn't played a PGA Tour event since the Masters because of ankle surgery.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Syracuse 94 Louisville 92
St. Bonaventure 79 UMass 73
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Duquesne 79 UMass 62
UConn 67 Seton Hall 34
UConn’s Geno Auriemma is the third Division I coach to win 1,200 games. Auriemma joined former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, who received widespread acclaim last month when she became the winningest coach in college basketball history. But Auriemma will reach the win plateau in his 39th season. Krzyzewski coached for 47 years and VanDerveer is in her 45th season as a head coach.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
College football’s busy recruiting calendar created a particularly hectic first few weeks on the job for all the head coaches who switched schools over the last month. Nick Saban's retirement last month set off a chain reaction that resulted in head coaching changes at Arizona, Washington and San Jose State as well as Alabama. That doesn’t even factor in Jim Harbaugh leaving Michigan for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers. New coaches had to re-recruit prospects who had signed to play for a different staff and now were free to look elsewhere.
Nick Saban is joining ESPN’s “College GameDay," the long-running Saturday pregame road show he appeared on as a guest so frequently during his 17 seasons as Alabama coach. The network announced Saban will be an on-set analyst for “GameDay,” joining host Rece Davis and regulars Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee. The 72-year-old Saban retired last month after 28 years as a college head coach. He won seven national championships, including six with Alabama and one with LSU.
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