NFL
On a day the New York Giants lost star running back Saquon Barkley in free agency, general manager Joe Schoen pulled off one of the biggest trades in franchise history. The Giants on Monday agreed to acquire edge rusher Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers. Burns is getting a five-year contract worth up to $150 million with $87.5 million in guarantees. The deal came after Barkley agreed to sign a three-year, $37.5 million deal with the rival Philadelphia Eagles and safety Xavier McKinney, who played every down last season, left for a four-year, $68 million deal with the Packers.
A person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press the New York Jets have agreed to terms on a deal with quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The move Monday night gives Aaron Rodgers an experienced backup. Two people with knowledge of the contract told the AP the Jets are also re-signing kicker Greg Zuerlein to a two-year deal. One of the people also said the Jets agreed to terms with former San Francisco defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (and). New York also is adding former Baltimore guard John Simpson, according to his agent.
Dion Dawkins isn’t going anywhere after the starting left tackle agreed to a three-year extension with the Buffalo Bills. And neither is Dawkins’ feud with New York Jets second-year defensive lineman Micheal Clemons. Dawkins says he doesn't regret criticizing Clemons during a recent interview. The bad blood stems from on- and off-field altercations the two had during Buffalo's 32-6 win over the AFC East rival Jets on Nov. 19. Also Monday, the Bills agreed to re-sign edge rusher A.J. Epenesa and defensive back Cam Lewis each to two-year contracts.
Receiver Kendrick Bourne, running back Antonio Gibson and quarterback Jacoby Brissett have agreed to contracts with the New England Patriots. The deals were confirmed by three people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Brissett spent last season with the Washington Commanders. He is viewed as a transition quarterback for the Patriots, who are expected to draft a QB to replace last year's starter, Mac Jones. Brissett was drafted by the Patriots in 2016. The person who confirmed his deal said he'll Brissett is expected to get $8 million for one year, with incentives that could push it as high as $12 million.
The Kansas City Chiefs finalized a five-year, $158.75 million contract with Chris Jones on Monday, keeping the All-Pro tackle in the middle of their defensive line as they chase a record-setting third consecutive Super Bowl title. Jones will make $95 million guaranteed over the first three years of the deal, a person familiar with the details told The Associated Press on Saturday night, when the framework for the agreement was put in place. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the financial terms for one of the biggest deals for a defensive player in NFL history were not disclosed. Jones turns 30 in July.
NBA
Jaylen Brown had 27 points and Jayson Tatum added 26 for the Boston Celtics in a 121-99 victory Monday night over the Portland Trail Blazers, despite the absence of two key starters. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were sidelined with injuries for the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics, who have already clinched a playoff spot with 18 games remaining in the season. Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Blazers, who are second-to-last in the West.
Cade Cunningham scored 12 of his 22 points in the first quarter to help the Detroit Pistons build a double-digit lead and he finished with eight assists in a 114-97 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. Cunningham reached 1,200 points and 400 assists in his 54th game to reach those totals in a season quicker than any player in franchise history, one game faster than Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas did during the 1984-85 season. The Pistons have won just 11 games, but they swept the three-game season series against Charlotte.
Kevin Durant scored 37 points and Devin Booker had 27 in his return from a right ankle sprain, rallying the Phoenix Suns to a 117-111 win over the injury-depleted Cleveland Cavaliers. Durant also had eight rebounds and six assists for the Suns, who are one game ahead of Sacramento for sixth place in the Western Conference. Booker had missed four games with the injury, but played 38 strong minutes and had six boards and seven assists. Phoenix trailed 63-44 midway through the second quarter, but answered with a 43-15 run. Darius Garland scored 30 points and Caris LeVert had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who remain without All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell.
Luka Doncic had 27 points, recording another triple-double but doing so without scoring 30 for the first time in seven games, and the Dallas Mavericks rolled over the Chicago Bulls 127-92 on Monday night. Doncic finished with 14 assists and 12 rebounds, but exited the blowout midway through the fourth quarter to end his NBA-record streak of 30-point triple-doubles at six. Daniel Gafford made all nine field goals, extending his run of consecutive made shots to 28 — seven shy of the NBA record. Wilt Chamberlain made 35 in a row for the Philadelphia 76ers from Feb. 17 to Feb. 28, 1967. He finished with 20 points.
Jonathan Kuminga had 21 points, Klay Thompson added 20 points, and the Golden State Warriors overcame a sluggish start to the beat the San Antonio Spurs 112-102 on Monday night. San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama had 27 points and 14 rebounds in his return from a one-game absence after spraining his right ankle in the first half of Tuesday’s loss in Houston. Devin Vassell added 17 points and Keldon Johnson had 16 points for the Spurs. Warriors rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis added 13 points and 10 rebounds, including a one-handed dunk over Wembanyama in the final minute that dropped San Antonio’s 7-foot-4 rookie to the court.
Jamal Murray scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and the Denver Nuggets rallied from down 21 in the third quater to beat the depleted Toronto Raptors 125-119 .Murray added 12 assists to go along with Nikola Jokic’s 21st triple-double of the season. Jokic finished with 35 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists to help Denver improve to 9-1 since the All-Star break.Jokic has 126 career triple-doubles.The Raptors played without Scottie Barnes (left hand fracture ), Chris Boucher (knee), Gary Trent Jr. (groin strain) and Immanuel Quickley (hip flexor) in addition to Jakob Poeltl being sidelined after having surgery on his left pinkie.
The Los Angeles Lakers say they’re planning to fix a handful of errors on the base of their recently unveiled statue of Kobe Bryant outside their arena. The names of former NBA players Jose Calderon and Von Wafer are misspelled in the box score from Bryant’s 81-point game, along with a misspelling of the phrase “Coach’s Decision.” The box score is carved into the marble base of the 19-foot bronze statue, which depicts Bryant in his postgame celebration of the second highest-scoring game in NBA history.
NHL
Mika Zibanejad and Erik Gustafsson scored in the second period as the New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1. Vincent Trocheck also scored and Jonathan Quick made 20 saves as the first-place Rangers won their second straight after losing three of four. New York is 14-3-2 in its last 19 games. Devils defenseman Simon Nemec spoiled Quick’s shutout bid with 2:34 remaining. Kaapo Kahkonen finished with 23 saves in his New Jersey debut after he was acquired from San Jose last Friday. The Devils lost for the eighth time in 11 games and for the third time in four games under interim coach Travis Green, who replaced Lindy Ruff on March 4.
David Rittich stopped 26 shots for his sixth career shutout, Adrian Kempe reached the 20-goal mark for the third straight season and the Los Angeles Kings snapped the New York Islanders six-game winning streak, 3-0 on Monday night. It was the Kings’ fifth shutout this season and the second for Rittich. Trevor Moore had a goal and an assist and Phillip Danault also scored for the Kings, who went 3-1-1 during their five-game homestand. Los Angeles is third in the Pacific Division with 77 points. The Islanders didn’t convert on any of their five power play opportunities and were blanked for the fifth time. They are tied with Detroit for the Eastern Conference’s second wild card with 72 points. Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves.
Kasperi Kapanen and Robert Thomas each scored in the first period, Joel Hofer stopped 36 shots and the St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins 5-1. Entering the night eight points out of a wild-card spot and tied for 10th in the Western Conference with two other teams, the Blues snapped a three-game losing streak and completed a five-game road trip (2-3) with a solid win. Kevin Hayes, Brandon Saad and Alexey Toropchenko each scored for St. Louis, which had just three goals during its losing streak. It was the Blues’ highest goal total since a 6-3 victory over Edmonton at home on Feb. 15. David Pastrnak scored his 41st of the season for Boston, which had a two-game winning streak stopped.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 23 shots for his fourth shutout of the season as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Washington Capitals 3-0. Hellebuyck improved to 30-14-3, becoming the fourth goalie this season to reach the 30-win mark. He accomplished the feat for the fifth time in his career. It was Hellebuyck’s 36th career shutout. Neal Pionk, Alex Iafallo and Kyle Connor scored for the Jets, who were coming off a 5-0 shutout loss to Vancouver on Saturday that Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness described as the worst game “by far” the team had played in his two-year tenure. The Jets have won eight of their last 11. Charlie Lindgren had 26 saves for Washington, which began a five-game road trip with its third loss in six games.
TENNIS
Luca Nardi used a combination of poise and power to stun his boyhood idol and top-seed Novak Djokovic with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win on Monday night in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. Setting the tone early with his hard-hitting shots, the 20-year-old from Italy frustrated Djokovic all evening. Nardi, who’s ranked No. 123, closed out his huge upset over the No. 1 player in the world with an ace. He dropped his racket and brought his hands to his face almost in disbelief before greeting Djokovic at the net. Coco Gauff gave herself an early birthday present by beating Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the third round at Indian Wells. Gauff turns 20 on Wednesday.
MLB
Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito will undergo right elbow surgery, potentially ending his first season with the team before it even begins. The decision comes after Giolito traveled to Alabama recently to get a second opinion from Dr. Jeffrey R. Dugas. Giolito, who signed a $38.5 million, two-year deal with the Red Sox this offseason, made two starts in spring training. He tossed a pair of scoreless innings in his first outing before getting tagged for four runs and three walks in 2 1/3 innings against Minnesota on March 1.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UVM 50 UAlbany 46
UConn 78 Georgetown 42
The coaching job Will Brown has done in his first year at The College of Saint Rose is impressive. The Golden Knights are in the NCAA Division II women’s tournament for the first time in 13 years, plus lead the country in points allowed per game and field-goal percentage defense. He won’t be at Saint Rose next season. Nobody will be. There is no next season, since the school is closing. (the last season before the college closes its doors at the end of this semester.)
Just when you think Kim Mulkey can’t go any lower, the LSU coach managed to defy expectations. After a brawl broke out in the closing minutes of the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game, Mulkey’s lack of class and character revealed itself as soon as she spoke up. She could've taken the high road, but that route rarely has been on Mulkey’s map throughout a storied career that includes four national titles. Instead, she essentially called out rival South Carolina for not picking on someone its own size. It showed that while she might be one of the greatest coaches ever, Mulkey leaves a lot to be desired as a leader of young people.
COLLEGE SPORTS
The NAACP says Black student-athletes should reconsider attending public colleges and universities in Florida. The NAACP sent a letter to NCAA President Charlie Baker as well as current and prospective student-athletes. It was in response to the University of Florida and other state schools that have eliminated their diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The letter read: "This is not about politics. It’s about the protection of our community, the progression of our culture, and most of all, it’s about your education and your future.” Last year, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill prohibiting the use of state funds for any DEI programs.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The brother of LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson was arrested and charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct after getting involved in his sister's scuffle with South Carolina forward Kamilla Cardoso. The incident took place late in the Gamecocks' 79-72 victory Sunday after Cardoso shoved Johnson. Cardoso was ejected. Trayron Milton jumped over the scorer's table to reach the court and made contact with Cardoso. He was led away by security. Greenville police say Milton reached the court by pushing down an SEC employee and stepping on her shoulders to get past.
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