NHL
Artemi Panarin had two goals and an assist, Igor Shesterkin stopped 30 shots and the New York Rangers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1. Chris Kreider had a goal and an assist and Adam Fox also scored as the Rangers won their sixth-straight at home game and 11th in the last 12 games. New York, first in the Eastern Conference, improved to 12-2-1 in the last 15 games — three nights after having a 10-game winning streak snapped at Columbus on Sunday. Kreider and Panarin scored empty-netters 41 seconds apart in the final minute. Kreider got his 30th and Panarin increased his career-best total to 35. Cole Sillinger scored for Columbus and Elvis Merzlikins finished with 26 saves. Columbus, last in the East, has lost five of its last eight.
Connor McDavid scored 4:34 into overtime and also had two assists to rally the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. Zach Hyman scored twice to give him 40 for the season as Edmonton won its second straight. Stuart Skinner finished with 30 saves. Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Blues, who have lost three straight and five of six. Jordan Binnington had 31 saves. Late in the extra period, McDavid danced past a couple of defenders before chipping a shot past Binnington for his 22nd of the season to snap a 10-game goal-scoring drought. He had 25 between goals.
NBA
Max Strus drilled a 59-footer as time expired, his fifth made 3-pointer in the final four minutes, to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a wild 121-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. After the Mavericks took the lead on P.J. Washington’s dunk with 2.9 seconds left, the Cavs quickly inbounded the ball Evan Mobley, who passed back to Strus — who made four 3s in a span of 67 seconds down the stretch to keep Cleveland close. Strus then took a dribble before launching his shot from well beyond mid-court. As it swished through the net, Strus was tackled to the floor by teammates as the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd erupted.
Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and 13 assists — four on late consecutive possessions — and the Indiana Pacers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-114 on Wednesday night. The teams will complete the home-and-home set Friday night in New Orleans. Turner finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who shot 49% from the field and made 14 3-pointers. Obi Toppin added 16 points and six rebounds, and Bennedict Mathurin also scored 16 points. Brandon Ingram had 30 points and six rebounds for the Pelicans, who lost for the third time in their past four games. CJ McCollum added 23 points and six rebounds and Zion Williamson also scored 23 points.
Anthony Edwards scored 17 of his 34 points in the third quarter, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves move into sole possession of first place in the Western Conference with a 110-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Naz Reid provided a spark off the bench with 19 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 points and 11 rebounds in his return after missing Tuesday’s win over San Antonio for personal reasons. The Wolves have won three straight and lead Oklahoma City by one-half game in the West. Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 33 points and 13 rebounds. The Grizzlies have lost three straight.
DeMar DeRozan scored 35 points, Andre Drummond had 26 rebounds and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-123 in double overtime Wednesday night. DeRozan scored 16 points in the 10 extra minutes. Nikola Vucevic added 24 points and 13 rebounds and Drummond had 17 points to help the Bulls rebound from a loss to lowly Detroit to beat one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. The Cavaliers were coming off a wild 121-119 victory over Dallas, with Max Strus hitting a 59-footer as time expired. Evan Mobley led Cleveland with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Darius Garland scored 23 while making 7 of 14 3s. Donovan Mitchell finished with 19 points, but the Cavaliers came up short after winning 12 of 15.
Jamal Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic had 14 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in just three quarters for his fourth straight triple-double and the Denver Nuggets had a big run to beat the short-handed Sacramento Kings 117-96 on Wednesday night. Jokic had his 19th triple-double of the season as Denver avoided losing all four games to Sacramento this season. Murray made 13 of 16 shots, including five of his six 3-point attempts, to help the Nuggets win their fourth straight since the All-Star break. Kings guard De’Aaron Fox was scratched about an hour before tip-off because of a left knee contusion. Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis, the NBA triple-double leader with 21, was held to 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
LeBron James scored 34 points while the Los Angeles Lakers rallied back from a 21-point deficit for a dramatic 116-112 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. James scored 19 points and hit five of his season-high seven 3-pointers during a brilliant fourth quarter. Kawhi Leonard missed a 12-footer with five seconds to play, and James threw a long pass to Cam Reddish for a dunk that punctuated a stunning victory for the Lakers in these Los Angeles rivals’ final regular-season game as co-tenants of their downtown arena.
MLB
N.Y. Mets 3 St. Louis 0
Washington 4 Boston 3
Atlanta 7 Philadelphia 7
Detroit 5 Pittsburgh 3
Toronto 3 Tampa Bay 2
Baltimore 12 Minnesota 3
Kansas City 9 Seattle 7
Chicago Cubs 6 Milwaukee 1
Houston 6 Miami 1
San Diego 3 Chicago White Sox 1
Oakland 7 San Francisco 4
Texas 6 L.A. Dodgers 4
Colorado 3 L.A. Angels 1
Arizona 8 Cleveland 6
Baseball star Shohei Ohtani has announced on social media he is married. He's written on Instagram in Japanese, “The season is approaching but I would like to announce to everyone that I have gotten married.” He says his new wife is a “Japanese woman” without identifying her. He says he will reveal more in an interview on Friday. He's asked media to refrain from “conducting unauthorized interviews.” The two-way star joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in December on a $700 million, 10-year contract. The 29-year-old Ohtani is Japan’s biggest celebrity, and there has always been curiosity around his personal life, which he has always kept very private. His focus, and his image, has always been 100%-baseball focused — free of scandals or tabloid news.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out three batters over two scoreless innings in his exhibition debut on Wednesday, giving a glimpse into why the Los Angeles Dodgers believe the Japanese right-hander can become an ace in the big leagues. Yamamoto struck out the first batter he faced, Texas Rangers All-Star second baseman Marcus Semien, on six pitches. He then gave up a single to Evan Carter before Wyatt Langford grounded into an inning-ending double play. He was even better in the second inning, striking out Nathaniel Lowe on three pitches before Jonah Heim flied out to left. Yamamoto ended his outing by striking out Leody Taveras on four pitches.
NFL
A social media influencer is suing Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill over an alleged incident that happened at the star’s South Florida home last summer. In a lawsuit that Sophie Hall’s attorneys filed in Broward County circuit court on Feb. 23, the influencer claims that Hill “forcefully and purposefully” shoved her while the two were participating in a football drill at his mansion. Hall is seeking up to $75,000 in damages. It is unclear whether she reported the incident to authorities. Her attorneys are suing Hill for battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
NFL teams could find a Pro Bowl quarterback, an All-Pro defensive lineman or a future Hall of Fame wide receiver and plenty more star-quality players when the free agency period begins on March 13. Kirk Cousins, Chris Jones and Mike Evans are among the best players who will be available on the open market unless their teams use a franchise tag by March 5. They’ll be joined by running backs Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs, edge rushers Josh Allen, Brian Burns and Danielle Hunter and several other talented players. Defensive line is the deepest position while offensive tackle has the fewest starting-caliber players on the list.
T'Vondre Sweat realizes he must carry his weight — all 362 pounds — in a more measured way when he's playing in the NFL next season. It didn't prevent the massive defensive tackle from Texas from winning last year's Outland Trophy. But if he wants to be the top interior lineman selected in April's NFL draft, he'll have to beat out some heavy competition from college teammate Byron Murphy II and Illinois' equally dynamic tandem of Johnny Newton and Keith Randolph Jr.
MLB
Stacy Wakefield, the widow of former Boston Red Sox pitcher and two-time World Series champion Tim Wakefield, has died. Her family said in a statement released through the Red Sox that she died Wednesday at her Massachusetts home, less than five months after her husband died at the age of 57. Online records say Stacy was 53. The family mentioned a diagnosis but did not provide a cause of death. Tim’s former Red Sox teammate Curt Schilling said on a podcast both of the Wakefields had been diagnosed with cancer. The news came with an outpouring of support for the Wakefields and criticism for Schilling.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UMass 58 St. Bonaventure 45
UConn 67 Villanova 46
Caitlin Clark has another career record on her astounding resume: the most points by any major college women’s player to ever take the court. Iowa’s superstar guard scored 33 points to lead the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes in a romp at Minnesota and move one point past Lynette Woodard on the all-time list with 3,650 points. Clark buried her eighth 3-pointer of the game with 4:17 left to pass Woodard. She also set the NCAA single-season record for 3-pointers in the process to reach 156 in 2023-24.
Recent incidents in college basketball have underscored the potential dangers that come from jubilant fans storming the court after the game comes to an end. Finding a solution is proving to be a challenge. Duke center Kyle Filipowski and Iowa star Caitlin Clark both got caught in scary incidents recently. The incidents have prompted a renewed scrutiny on protecting visiting teams. Duke coach Jon Scheyer has called on immediate measures by the Atlantic Coast Conference to prevent court storming. Stopping such often-impromptu celebrations is easier said than done, especially with most student sections so close to the court.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
College Football Playoff officials are considering a 14-team model that would guarantee multiple automatic bids for each of the four power conferences, starting in 2026. Two people with direct knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press the format being discussed would guarantee three playoff spots each for the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, two for the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 and one for the highest-ranked team from the Group of Five leagues. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity the CFP management committee's talks were not being made public.
© 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved.