NFL
The Kansas City Chiefs say their players, coaches and staffers and their families “are safe and accounted for” after a deadly shooting occurred Wednesday at the end of the Super Bowl championship parade. Police say one person was killed and more than 20 were injured in a shooting at the end of the parade to celebrate the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory. Authorities say eight children were among those shot. Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said he was with coach Andy Reid and other coaches and staff members at the time of the shooting. Burkholder said the team was on buses returning to Arrowhead Stadium.
The Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration has become the latest backdrop for a mass shooting as gunfire sent fans scrambling for cover and left 21 people wounded and one woman dead. At least eight children are among those who were shot. Wednesday’s shooting outside the city's historic Union Station happened despite the presence of more than 800 police officers on hand for the parade. Police say three people were taken into custody and firearms were recovered. But no details have been given about those who were detained or possible motive.
The San Francisco 49ers have fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks three days after losing the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs. Coach Kyle Shanahan announced the decision to move on after one season with Wilks in charge of the defense. Shanahan called it a “really tough decision” but says he wants to find a coordinator who was a better scheme fit for the talent on San Francisco’s defense. The Niners struggled on defense in the playoffs and allowed four straight scoring drives to end their Super Bowl loss against Kansas City.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce says he went too far when he bumped into coach Andy Reid and screamed at him during the Super Bowl. Kelce addressed the situation on New Heights, his podcast with his brother, longtime Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. During the second quarter of the game on Sunday, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed a long pass to Mecole Hardman and Reid took Kelce out of the game for the next play. The play resulted in a fumble by Isiah Pacheco that San Francisco recovered, setting Travis Kelce off. Jason Kelce says his brother “crossed a line.”
NBA
Paolo Banchero scored 36 points, Franz Wagner added 21 and the Orlando Magic beat the injury-riddled New York Knicks 118-100 in the final game before the All-Star break for both teams. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 33 points and six assists. Precious Achiuwa added 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Alec Burks had 13 points in his first start since coming back to the Knicks in a deadline trade last week. Brunson scored 20 points in the first quarter, and the Knicks led 39-27 when Burks opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer. But with Brunson on the bench, the Magic ran off 17 straight points and moved ahead for the rest of the game.
Jayson Tatum had 41 points and 14 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics won their fifth straight game by beating the Brooklyn Nets 118-110 in the opener of a home-and-home series. Jaylen Brown added 19 points for the Celtics, who improved to 42-12 and will host the Nets on Wednesday in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break. Tatum tied his career high for points in a first half with 31 and the Celtics led comfortably much of the way while playing without Kristaps Porzingis because of a lower back contusion. Coach Joe Mazzulla said Boston’s starting center could play Wednesday.
Nikola Jovic scored a career-high 24 points, Bam Adebayo had his second triple-double of the season and the Miami Heat rolled to a 123-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Adebayo finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Duncan Robinson added 23 points and shot 6 of 8 from 3-point range for the Heat, who have won five of seven since a seven-game skid. Jimmy Butler missed a second straight game for the Heat following the death of a relative. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks but didn’t attempt a free throw all night.
Miles Bridges had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Indiana Pacers 111-102 to improve to 2-0 since the arrival of five new players via trade. Newcomers Grant Williams, Seth Curry, Tre Mann and Vasilije Micic added an offensive spark for the Hornets, who finished with 27 assists on Monday night. Williams led the team with 21 points and Curry scored 18 off the bench. Mann got the start and finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Myles Turner had 22 points and Aaron Nesmith scored 21 for the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton had 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and 12 assists, Pascal Siakam scored 23 against his former team and the Indiana Pacers beat the Toronto Raptors 127-125. Isaiah Jackson added 15 points and 11 rebounds, Obi Toppin scored 15 and Andrew Nembhard had 14 as the Pacers bounced back from Monday’s loss at Charlotte. Doug McDermott scored 13 points and Ben Sheppard had 10 for the Pacers, who are 14-14 on the road. Scottie Barnes had 29 points and 12 rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl added 19 points and 11 boards for the Raptors, who lost their third straight.
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, including the go-ahead free throw with 44 seconds left, and the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls 108-105 on Wednesday night. Coby White had a chance to force overtime as time expired, but his 3-pointer from the top of the key rimmed out. Isaac Okoro scored 16 points and Jarrett Allen had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, which has won 18 of its last 20 and is an NBA-best 23-5 since Dec. 16. The Cavaliers are in second place in the East. White scored 23 of his 32 points in the second half. DeMar DeRozan added 24 points for Chicago.
GG Jackson scored 20 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. had 18, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and the Memphis Grizzlies ended their nine-game losing streak with a 121-113 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Luke Kennard finished with 17 points, including a pair of free throws in the closing minute as the Rockets tried to overtake Memphis down the stretch. Lamar Stevens finished with 14 points. Dillon Brooks, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Aaron Holiday all scored 19 points in Houston’s fifth loss in the last six games.
Jake Oettinger made 32 saves, Jason Robertson scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Dallas Stars defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. Roope Hintz and Mason Marchment also scored for the Stars, who are 6-1-0 in their last seven games. Matt Duchene had an empty-net goal and an assist. Oettinger, a first-time All-Star this season, earned his sixth straight win. Jordan Staal had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, who had a five-game road winning streak snapped. Jesper Fast also scored and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 19 shots.
Zion Williamson scored 36 points, CJ McCollum added 26 and the New Orleans Pelicans beat Washington 133-126, overcoming Deni Avdija’s career-best 43 points for the Wizards. Avdija, a fourth-year player from Israel, blew past his previous high of 25 points before the midpoint of the third quarter, finishing with 20 points in that period. He also matched a season high with 14 rebounds, and and he helped keep it close until the final minute. New Orleans is 33-22, the franchise's best record at the All-Star break since 2007-08. Washington has lost eight straight.
Anthony Davis had 37 points and 15 rebounds and Rui Hachimura scored a career-high 36 points for the Los Angeles Lakers, who beat the Utah Jazz 138-122 while resting LeBron James in their final game before the All-Star break. The team cited an ankle injury for James, who sat out the second game of a back-to-back. He is set to play in his 20th All-Star Game on Sunday in Indianapolis. Hachimura made a career-best six 3-pointers and topped his previous high of 30 points, which he had reached four times. The Lakers have won six of seven, including four straight road wins. Collin Sexton scored 18 points for the Jazz.
De’Aaron Fox had 30 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, Domantas Sabonis had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and the Sacramento Kings rallied from a 16-point, second-half deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 102-98 Wednesday night in the final game for both teams before the NBA All-Star break. The win was the Kings’ second in a five-day stretch against the Nuggets, who they had defeated 135-106 last Friday in Sacramento. Fox scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, including one stretch in the final 2:02 in which he had a personal 8-0 run that turned a one-point deficit into a seven-point lead.
Kevin Durant scored 25 points and the Phoenix Suns overcame fellow All-Star Devin Booker’s early ejection to rout Detroit 116-100 on Wednesday night in Pistons coach Monty Williams first game in Phoenix since being fired by the Suns. Williams coached the Suns from 2019 through last season, leading them to the NBA Finals in 2021. He received a video tribute and a loud ovation from the sellout crowd. Booker was ejected 5:24 into the game after his second technical foul. He received the first technical for arguing with officials about a foul call against him. During a subsequent timeout and, after the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham shot free throws, Booker received the second one and an automatic ejection. Booker finished with seven points on 2-of-5 shooting.
Norman Powell made four 3-pointers over the final 7:03 to score 21 points and outduel Stephen Curry down the stretch, and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from 12 down in the fourth quarter to beat the Golden State Warriors 130-125. James Harden had 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Paul George scored 24 with leading scorer Kawhi Leonard sidelined by a left leg injury. His status for this weekend’s All-Star Game in Indianapolis was uncertain. Curry scored 41 points and became the first player in NBA history to make seven or more 3-pointers in four straight games.
Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was arrested for assault Wednesday for punching Phoenix Suns center Drew Eubanks at the arena hours before the teams played. Phoenix police said Stewart was issued a citation and released. Stewart was already listed as out for the game because of a sprained left ankle. Eubanks had six points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes in the Suns’ 116-100 victory. Eubanks said before the game that the altercation happened as he was coming into the arena. He said an argument started and they were chest-to-chest before Stewart threw the punch. Security intervened and Eubanks said he was fine for the game, though police say he sustained a minor injury.
NHL
Anton Lundell scored twice, Matthew Tkachuk added a goal and two assists and the surging Florida Florida Panthers cruised past the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. Aaron Ekblad and Johan Gadjovich also scored for Florida. Evan Rodrigues added two assists to reach 200 career points as the Panthers extended their franchise-record road winning streak to nine. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots to win his fifth straight start. Jake Guentzel scored his 23rd goal of the season for Pittsburgh. The Penguins have dropped three straight games.
Connor Hellebuyck stops 17 shots for his third shutout of the season as the Winnipeg Jets beat the San Jose Sharks 1-0. Morgan Barron scored as the Jets won their second straight after a season-high five-game skid. Hellebuyck got his 35th career shutout and became the 10th goalie in NHL history to allow three goals or fewer for the 30 consecutive games in the regular season. Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 39 shots for the Sharks, who were playing for the first time since Jan. 31 and fell to 4-2-2 in their last eight games.
Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy each had a goal and an assist, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots and the Minnesota Wild beat the Arizona Coyotes 3-1. Jonas Brodin also scored for the Wild, who have won four in a row and seven of nine. Fleury got his 554th career win. Coyotes forward Logan Cooley broke up Fleury’s bid for his 75th career shutout when he cut the deficit to 2-1 at 5:21 of the third period with a shot from the left circle through the five hole. Arizona has lost seven straight. Connor Ingram started in goal and had 28 saves through two periods before he was replaced by Karel Vejmelka, who had 12 saves in the third.
MLB
Don Gullett, a standout major league pitcher who played for four consecutive World Series champions in the 1970s, has died. He was 73. The Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and Baseball Hall of Fame all paid tribute to Gullett in social media posts. There was no information provided on his death, but the Cincinnati Enquirer reported he had recent health issues. Gullett went 109-50 with a 3.11 ERA in nine seasons with the Reds and Yankees. The left-hander had 44 complete games, 14 shutouts and 11 saves in 266 career games. He was inducted into the Reds’ Hall of Fame in 2002.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
MLB
Don Gullett, a standout major league pitcher who played for four consecutive World Series champions in the 1970s, has died. He was 73. The Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and Baseball Hall of Fame all paid tribute to Gullett in social media posts. There was no information provided on his death, but the Cincinnati Enquirer reported he had recent health issues. Gullett went 109-50 with a 3.11 ERA in nine seasons with the Reds and Yankees. The left-hander had 44 complete games, 14 shutouts and 11 saves in 266 career games. He was inducted into the Reds’ Hall of Fame in 2002.
Ohio State has fired seventh-year basketball coach Chris Holtmann with the Buckeyes in the middle of another subpar season. Associate head coach Jake Diebler will run the program for the rest of the season and a search for a new head coach will commence then, the school said in a statement. Ohio State is 14-11, 4-10 in the Big Ten, and has lost nine of the last 11. In 2022-23, the Buckeyes suffered their first losing season in nearly two decades, finishing 16-19 and 5-15 in the Big Ten.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Rhode Island 86 UMass 64
UConn 86 Xavier 40
Long before Iowa star Caitlin Clark hit her first long-range three, Pearl Moore set a scoring standard for women’s basketball that has stood for 45 years. At tiny Francis Marion college, Moore piled up 4,061 points from 1975 to 1979. It remains the overall record in women's college basketball. It is unlikely to fall this season even if Clark and the Hawkeyes make a deep postseason run. Moore says she enjoys watching Clark and is happy she is about to become the all-time scorer in records kept by the NCAA. Moore's record came before the NCAA took over women's basketball.
Fans who want to be able to say they were in the arena when Caitlin Clark set the NCAA women’s career scoring record will be paying an unprecedented premium at this point. No. 4 Iowa’s game against Michigan at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday night is trending toward being the most expensive women’s basketball ticket of all time, pro or college. That's according to secondary market seller TickPick. The average ticket price was $394 on Wednesday. Clark needs eight more points to pass Kelsey Plum as the NCAA women’s career scoring leader.
DAYTONA 500
Ford has swept the front row in qualifying for the Daytona 500 with former race winners Joey Logano and Michael McDowell shocking powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick drivers had won the Daytona 500 pole in eight last nine year years, but the team's highest qualifier Wednesday night was Kyle Larson in third. Logano turned a lap of 181.947 mph as the 2015 Daytona 500 winner earned his first pole since Atlanta last year. It's the first Daytona 500 pole for Team Penske and Logano's first pole on a superspeedway.
HORSE RACING
The New York Racing Association has formed a committee to study artificial track surfaces and their impacts on injury rates. The announcement comes after fatalities at the Association’s Saratoga Race Course last year, as well as Churchill Downs and Laurel Park. NYRA says the committee, chaired by chief executive David O’Rourke, will send all recommendations to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Committee’s Racetrack Safety Committee. NYRA says data show artificial surfaces lead to lower overall fatalities, while riders and veterinarians have argued that soft tissue injuries are higher on artificial surfaces than on dirt.
In other horse racing news, tickets to the 2024 Belmont Stakes go on sale today. The first Belmont to be held at Saratoga Race Course, the four day festival is capped off by the running of the third leg of the Triple Crown on June 8th.
BASEBALL
The Pittsfield Suns baseball team is used to delays, but now it will miss an entire season. The Suns’ owner announced Wednesday the team will not play at historic but decrepit Wahconah Park this summer, but hopes to return in 2025 if renovations are complete. The Suns play in the Futures League and Wahconah’s famous “sun delay” is a local tradition. The stadium dates to 1919 and needs millions of dollars in repairs. Working with the city, the team says the stadium will be opened up to the public this summer with a series of events. The grandstand was condemned in 2022.
