NBA
Cam Johnson scored a season high 29 points, hitting a season-high seven 3-pointers in 11 attempts, to help the Brooklyn Nets beat the Atlanta Hawks 124-97 on Thursday night to open a two-game series. Fighting for the last play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, the teams will meet again at Barclays Center on Saturday. Brooklyn improved to 23-36, winning in interim coach Kevin Ollie’s first home game since replacing the fired Jacques Vaughn on Feb. 20. Dennis Schroder had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for balanced Brooklyn. Dejounte Murray led Atlanta with 28 points. The Hawks — with star guard Trae Young sidelined by a torn finger ligament — had won two in a row. They dropped to 26-33.
Stephen Curry had 31 points and 11 rebounds, bouncing back from a scoreless first half in his last game with a double-double by the midpoint of this one, and the Golden State Warriors beat the New York Knicks 110-99 on Thursday night. Jonathan Kuminga added 25 points for the Warriors, who extended their road winning streak to seven games, their longest since winning 11 in a row in the 2018-19 season. The Warriors raced to a 14-0 lead and never trailed.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 10 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks swept the four-game season series with Charlotte, beating the Hornets 111-99 on Thursday night to finish a home-and-home set. Malik Beasley added 19 points — hitting five 3-pointers — and Bobby Portis had 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Bucks shot 16 of 39 from beyond the arc to give coach Doc Rivers his first four-game winning streak with the team. Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 21 points. The Bucks thrashed the Hornets by an average of 29.2 points this season — the largest margin in team history. On Tuesday night in Milwaukee, they beat Charlotte 123-85.
Jalen Suggs hit three 3-pointers in the final three minutes and finished with 15 points as the Orlando Magic beat the Utah Jazz 115-107. Paolo Banchero, back in the lineup after missing two games due to the flu, had 29 points and nine rebounds for the Magic, who won for the 10th time in 13 games. The Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz, each added 14 points. John Collins, Keyonte George and Collin Sexton each scored 19 points and Lari Markkanen added 18 for the slumping Jazz, who lost their second straight and for the seventh time in eight games.
Victor Wembanyama had 28 points and 12 rebounds, Devin Vassell also scored 28 points and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-118 on Thursday night to snap a five-game skid. Wembanyama punctuated back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 3 1/2 minutes with a blocked shot he captured in his hand on Chet Holmgren’s 3-point attempt. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points for Oklahoma City. Jalen Williams added 23, and Holmgren had 23. Oklahoma City (41-18) dropped a game behind Minnesota (42-17) atop the Western Conference. The Spurs (12-48) are last in the West, but have victories over the Timberwolves and Thunder.
Devin Booker scored 35 points, Kevin Durant added 24 and the Phoenix Suns held off the Houston Rockets 110-105 on Thursday night to open a two-game series. The teams will meet again in Phoenix on Saturday night. Booker scored 20 points in the first quarter to help give the Suns an 18-point lead they would never relinquish. He has scored at least 20 points in an NBA-high six quarters this season. Jalen Green led Houston with 34 points. Phoenix has won seven of its past 10 — and nine in a row at home — as it tries to stay in the top six of the Western Conference playoff race and avoid the play-in tournament. The sliding Rockets have lost eight of 10.
Michael Porter Jr. had 30 points to help pick up the scoring load after Jamal Murray left because of a sprained left ankle, and the Denver Nuggets staved off Miami’s fourth-quarter rally to beat the Heat 103-97 on Thursday night. Porter was 12 of 23 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, and had 11 rebounds to help the Nuggets improve to 5-0 since the All-Star break. Up 16 in the fourth quarter, Denver saw Miami trim it 99-97. Nikola Jokic made two free throws to seal it in a game where the Nuggets never trailed. Jokic finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, ending a streak of four triple-doubles. Bam Adebayo had 22 points for Miami. The Heat had won five straight
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.
NHL
Mathew Barzal had a tiebreaking goal with 6:02 left in the third period and Brock Nelson scored twice, lifting the New York Islanders to a 5-3 win that ended the Detroit Red Wings’ six-game winning streak. Barzal sent a shot behind goaltender Alex Lyon and banked it into the net. Patrick Kane had a chance to pull the Red Wings into a third tie later in the third, but sent a shot wide of an open net. New York's Pierre Engvall sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Rasmus Dahlin scored a power-play goal in overtime and the Buffalo Sabres rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2. With Nikita Kucherov off for hooking, Dahlin scored from in-close 1:42 into overtime on Thursday night. Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson also scored for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 21 shots. Brayden Point and Mitchell Chaffee scored for the Lightning, who are currently in the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves, and NHL points leader Kucherov had an assist to give him 104 this season.
Mason Lohrei scored the winning goal on the power play with less than five minutes to go, Morgan Geekie had his first NHL hat trick, and the Boston Bruins snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Lohrei fired a one-timer from inside the right circle and the Bruins held on after surrendering leads of 3-0 and 4-2. Jesper Boqvist also scored for Boston, which won for just the second time in regulation in February. Jeremy Swayman had 32 saves. Paul Cotter, Alex Pietrangelo, Michael Amadio and Chandler Stephenson scored for the Golden Knights and Adin Hill finished with 27 saves.
Philipp Grubauer made 33 saves and posted his first shutout of the season, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Alex Wennberg scored goals and the Seattle Kraken beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-0. Grubauer was terrific for the second straight game and recorded the 21st regular-season shutout of his career. Seattle picked up a crucial two points in its attempt to stay relevant in the Western Conference wild-card race and with next week’s trade deadline drawing ever closer. The Kraken have won three of their last four and have points in six of their past seven games. Pittsburgh had its three-game win streak snapped.
Teuvo Teravainen scored the game’s first goal less than a minute into the second period, Spencer Martin stopped 20 shots against his former team and the Carolina Hurricanes rolled to 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sebastian Aho, Brady Skjei and Seth Jarvis also tallied for the Hurricanes, who won for the second time in three days and sixth time in their last eight games. Martin, who was claimed off waivers from Columbus on Jan. 19, improved to 4-0-1 for Carolina. Alexander Nylander had a goal and assist, his first points with Columbus. Cole Sillinger also scored, and Daniil Tarasov made 28 saves.
Auston Matthews scored his NHL-leading 53rd goal and the Toronto Maple Leafs topped Arizona 4-2 to send the Coyotes to their 14th straight loss. Matthew Knies had a goal and an assist, Tyler Bertuzzi also scored and William Nylander added an empty-netter to go with two assists for Toronto. Joseph Woll made 30 saves in his return from a long injury absence. Alex Kerfoot and Logan Cooley scored for Arizona, which dropped to 0-12-2 since its last victory on Jan. 22. Connor Ingram stopped 22 shots.
Sam Reinhart scored twice and became the fourth player in Florida franchise history to reach 40 goals as the Panthers beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in a shootout. In the shootout, Reinhart failed to score for Florida, and Montreal’s Jesse Ylonen and Nick Suzuki failed to convert before the Panthers closed out the win with scores by Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell. Barkov also scored in regulation for the Panthers, who became the second team in the NHL — after the New York Rangers — to hit the 40-win mark. Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Alex Newhook scored in regulation for the Canadiens, and Cole Caufield connected in the shootout.
Chris Tanev was right at the top of the list of players the Dallas Stars hoped to add before the trade deadline. The Stanley Cup contender just has to wait a few more days to get the veteran defenseman in uniform. Tanev’s debut with the Stars will come after they get on the road next week. The 34-year-old Canadian was acquired from Calgary in a three-team deal and has to work through the process of obtaining a U.S. visa. Stars general manager Jim Nill says Saturday's home game is hopeful, but it's more probable Tanev will join when Dallas plays three games in California next week.
Roman Josi had a goal and two assists to lead the Nashville Predators to a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild that extended their winning streak to seven games. Yakov Trenin, Cole Smith , Filip Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly and Ryan McDonagh also scored, and Juuse Saros made 33 saves for the Predators. Gustav Nyquist and Colton Sissons each had two assists. Connor Dewar scored and Filip Gustavsson made 25 saves for Minnesota, losers of two straight. With the victory, the Predators moved eight points ahead of the Wild in the standings.
Zach Parise had two goals and an assist, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the lowly Chicago Blackhawks 5-0. Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, giving him 100 points in 61 games this season. Ross Colton and Devon Toews also scored, and Justus Annunen made 24 saves in his first career shutout in nine NHL appearances. The Avalanche improved to 2-1 against the Blackhawks this season. The teams play again on Monday night at Colorado. Chicago dropped its fifth consecutive game.
Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala each had a goal and two assists and the Los Angeles Kings snapped a two-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Anze Kopitar and Trevor Moore both had a goal and an assist for the Kings. Rookie Brandt Clarke scored his second career goal while Quinton Byfield had two assists. Brock Boeser scored on the power play for the Canucks, who have lost two in a row and six of their last seven but continue to lead the Western Conference. Kings’ goaltender Cam Talbot stopped 22 shots while Vancouver's Thatcher Demko made 15 saves.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks in a three-team trade involving Carolina. Anaheim received Toronto’s third-round pick in 2025 in the deal announced Thursday night while Carolina gets Toronto’s sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft. Lyubushkin has no goals and four assists with a minus-13 rating in 55 games this season for the Ducks, who acquired him from Buffalo last August for a fourth-round draft pick. Lyubushkin will provide depth on the blue line for the Maple Leafs, who first acquired him in a trade with Arizona in February 2022.
MLB
Shohei Ohtani stunned the Los Angeles Dodgers — and many around the world — with his marriage announcement, so manager Dave Roberts said any gift the team gives the two-time MVP would be like most of the money in his contract: deferred. Roberts says: "I’m sure it’s en route.” Ohtani, the two-way Japanese star, revealed on Instagram early Thursday that he was married. Much of the relationship remains shrouded in mystery.
Stacy Wakefield is being remembered for her passion for service, which included visits with cancer-stricken kids up until the final months of her life. Wakefield, the widow of former Boston Red Sox pitcher and two-time World Series champion Tim Wakefield, died Wednesday. Both she and her husband had cancer. Lisa Scherber, the director of patient and family programs at Dana Farber's Jimmy Fund Clinic, said Stacy Wakefield was a “powerhouse” who “put herself last.”
The Philadelphia Phillies have scrapped their popular $1 hot dog nights for the 2024 season. The Phillies replaced dollar dogs on select dates with a two-for-one deal at two April games at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies BOGO nights this season are April 2 and April 16. The Phillies said the change was made based on the organization’s ongoing commitment to provide a positive experience for all fans in attendance. Some Phillies fans last season threw hot dogs throughout the ballpark.
Houston 2 N.Y. Mets 1
Miami 0 N.Y. Yankees 0
Boston 5 Detroit 2
Philadelphia 5 Toronto 0
Baltimore 9 Pittsburgh 8
Atlanta 5 Minnesota 0
Atlanta 12 Tampa Bay 9
San Diego 5 Oakland 3
Texas 7 Milwaukee 5
L.A. Angels 4 Cleveland 1
Chicago White Sox 6 Seattle 5
Chicago White Sox 6 Kansas City 1
Washington 3 St. Louis 1
Arizona 2 San Francisco 1
Colorado 10 Chicago Cubs 9
Cincinnati 5 L.A. Dodgers 4
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UAlbany 91 New Hampshire 67
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UAlbany 45 New Hampshire 40
Siena 73 Marist 62
NC State 75 Syracuse 71
Iona 71 Canisius 58
Iowa star Caitlin Clark says she will leave the Hawkeyes after this season and enter the WNBA draft. Clark made the announcement Thursday on social media. She is 18 points away from passing LSU’s Pete Maravich for the all-time NCAA Division I record for men or women with 3,650 career points. She broke Lynette Woodard’s major college scoring record on Wednesday. Clark is expected to be the top pick in the draft on April 15. The Indiana Fever, who have the first pick, indicated on social media shortly after Clark's announcement that they intend to select her.
Maravich's son Jaeson calls Clark a fantastic player who's been great for basketball. He says he will always consider her scoring mark separate” from his father's. Clark needs 18 points to eclipse Maravich's mark of 3,667 in what would be her 130th game over four seasons. Freshman couldn't play varsity basketball when Maravich arrived at LSU in 1966. He averaged 44.2 points over 83 games during three seasons in an era when there was no 3-point line or shot clock.
South Carolina, Ohio State, Stanford and UCLA would be the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament if it began now. The NCAA women’s basketball selection committee on Thursday did its final reveal of the teams in line for the top 16 seeds. The top 16 seeds will host first- and second-round games with the regional rounds being played at two neutral sites for the second straight year. South Carolina and Ohio State were projected as the top seeds in the Albany Regional, with Stanford and UCLA in Portland, Oregon. The unbeaten Gamecocks were the overall No. 1 seed. Caitlin Clark and Iowa were projected as a No. 2 seed.
F1
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is dismissing “anonymous speculation” after alleged evidence in his misconduct investigation was widely distributed from a generic email account. The material has not been verified by The Associated Press. It was sent one day after the team’s parent company dismissed a complaint that alleged misconduct by Horner toward a team employee. He again denied the allegations and says the team is focused on winning a fourth consecutive F1 championship.
SOCCER
Spain’s women’s soccer team is finally getting attention for its play on the field, rather than the behavior of its officials. Spain followed up its Women’s World Cup win in August with victory in the inaugural Women’s Nations League on Wednesday and this time the talk in Spain was about the great performances of the team and not about an unwanted kiss that ruined the team’s World Cup title celebrations. The kiss by former soccer federation president Luis Rubiales on the lips of player Jenni Hermoso during the World Cup awards ceremony sparked widespread outrage in Spain.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The 12-team College Football Playoff that was unveiled in 2021 looked like an exciting evolution of the postseason. After three years of destructive conference realignment, the playoff that was promised is not what is being delivered. The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference are throwing their weight around and demanding more access than their competitors. A 14-team playoff is being considered that would reserve spots for six teams that don't even win their leagues.
PGA TOUR
Chad Ramey’s first two trips to PGA National as a professional were largely forgettable. He might have a chance to change that this week. Ramey shot a bogey-free round of 7-under 64 on Thursday in the opening round of the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches. He was tied with S.H. Kim for the 18-hole lead. Kim had an eagle and five birdies. They were both one stroke up on Cameron Young, Ryan Moore, Chesson Hadley, Austin Eckroat, David Skinns and Andrew Novak. No. 2-ranked Rory McIlroy opened with a 67.
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