NHL
Alex Ovechkin got his 885th career goal to tie it midway through the third period, Tom Wilson scored 4:07 into overtime and the Washington Capitals rallied to beat the New York Rangers 3-2. Ovechkin pulled nine goals from tying Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record, and Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored for Washington. Charlie Lindgren had 15 saves as the Capitals got their second straight win. Artemi Panarin and Sam Carrick scored for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin had 23 saves.
The Capitals’ captain scored as he knocked in a loose puck from the left side with 9:32 left in the third period to tie the score at 2 all. Ovechkin now has 46 goals in 76 career games against the Rangers. Ovechkin has 32 goals in 46 games this season. He had 15 goals in his first 18 games, then missed 16 games with a fractured left fibula. He returned Dec. 28 and has scored 17 in 28 games since.
New York, which began the day in a playoff position for the first time since Dec. 11, lost for just the second time in six games.
Tim Stutzle scored on a deflection off his skate at 46 seconds of overtime to give the Ottawa Senators a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Off a turnover, Stutzle raced deep into the zone and cut across the crease, with the puck striking his skate and going past goalie Arvid Soderblom. Senators captain Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring with his team-leading 24th goal. David Perron and Josh Norris also scored for Ottawa. Blackhawks center Ryan Donato scored his 100th career goal midway through the first period. Donato has four goals in his last three games and a six-game point streak. Teuvo Teravainen and Craig Smith also scored for Chicago.
Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl each had a goal and an assist and the Vegas Golden Knights won their third straight, 5-2 over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Golden Knights, who won for the sixth time in their last seven games, increased their lead in the Pacific Division to six points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. Brett Howden and Tanner Pearson also scored for the Golden Knights while Adin Hill made 29 saves. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner scored Toronto’s goals. Joseph Woll allowed three goals and made four saves for the Maple Leafs before being pulled for Anthony Stolarz.
Robert Thomas scored the decisive goal in the shootout and scored a goal in regulation to extend his point streak to 11 games as the St. Louis Blues beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. Jake Neighbours also scored for St. Louis late in the first period while Jordan Binnington made 21 saves as the Blues played their second game of six-game trip and the first of three in Southern California. Quinton Byfield and Trevor Moore scored for the Kings, who have now lost five straight. Darcey Kuemper made 28 saves.
Carson Soucy scored the winner as the Vancouver Canucks downed the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. Jake DeBrusk put away his team-leading 22nd goal of the season for the Canucks on a second-period power play. Teddy Blueger followed with a goal and Filip Hronek contributed a pair of assists. Kevin Lankinen stopped 14 shots for Vancouver. The Ducks lost starting netminder John Gibson midway through the second period after he suffered an apparent injury in a collision with Canucks winger Drew O’Connor. Gibson stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced before leaving and Lukas Dostal made 14 saves in relief.
NBA
Payton Pritchard scored a career-high 43 points and knocked down a career-best 10 3-pointers to lead the short-handed Boston Celtics past the Portland Trail Blazers 128-118. Derrick White added career highs with 41 points and nine 3s to lead Boston to its eighth victory in 10 games, making Pritchard and White the first Celtic duo to score 40 or more points in the same game and the first duo in NBA history with nine or more 3-pointers each in a game. Anfernee Simons led Portland with 30 points and Shaedon Sharpe added 25. Jayson Tatum (shoulder), Jrue Holiday (finger) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) all sat out for the Celtics.
Payton Pritchard and Derrick White have made NBA history. They have been mostly glue guys during their time with the Boston Celtics, filling in gaps and providing sparks when necessary. But with starters Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis all sitting out against the Portland Trail Blazers, the duo raised their games. Pritchard scored a career-high 43 points and had a career-best 10 3-pointers to lead the short-handed Celtics past the Blazers. White added career highs with 41 points and nine 3s, making Pritchard and White (as) the first Celtics duo to score 40 or more points in the same game and the first duo in league history with nine or more 3-pointers each in a game as the Celtics beat Portland 128-118
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Darius Garland had 10 assists and the Cleveland Cavaliers survived some sloppiness in the final two minutes to win their 12th straight game, 112-107 over the banged-up Miami Heat. With the win, the Cavs became the first team to clinch a playoff berth. It wasn’t easy as the Heat, who were missing several rotational players, led 107-106 with 2:55 left. But Miami didn’t score again and Duncan Robinson’s apparent tying 3-pointer with 17.4 seconds left was waved off because he stepped out of bounds. Bam Adebayo scored a season-high 34 for Miami, which was without leading scorer Tyler Herro due to a cold.
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Darius Garland had 10 assists and the Cleveland Cavaliers survived some sloppiness in the final two minutes to win their 12th straight game, 112-107 over the banged-up Miami Heat. With the win, the Cavs became the first team to clinch a playoff berth. It wasn’t easy as the Heat, who were missing several rotational players, led 107-106 with 2:55 left. But Miami didn’t score again and Duncan Robinson’s apparent tying 3-pointer with 17.4 seconds left was waved off because he stepped out of bounds. Bam Adebayo scored a season-high 34 for Miami, which was without leading scorer Tyler Herro due to a cold.
Kyshawn George scored 23 points, Alex Sarr added 21 and the Washington Wizards edged the Utah Jazz 125-122 on Wednesday night. Seven of the nine players used by Washington were in double figures, with Justin Champagnie coming off the bench for 17 points. Johnny Juzang scored 27 points and Kyle Filipowski had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz, who have lost 10 straight road games. Isaiah Collier finished with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. Brice Sensabaugh scored 15 points but missed a 3-pointer to tie with a second to play.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points to bring his career total over 20,000, Damian Lillard added 34 points and Kevin Porter Jr. had a triple-double as the surging Milwaukee Bucks trounced the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 137-107 The 30-year-old Antetokounmpo has scored 20,010 career points. He's the 52nd player to reach 20,000. Porter had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists. The Mavericks had only eight available players in their first game since Kyrie Irving tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Monday.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo believes his latest milestone should serve as a testament to his consistent work ethic. Antetokounmpo scored 32 points in a 137-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday to increase his career total to 20,010 and become the 52nd player to reach that mark. The only players to score 20,000 career points at a younger age than the 30-year-old Antetokounmpo were LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
Nikola Jokic had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Russell Westbrook scored 25 points, and the Denver Nuggets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Sacramento Kings 116-110.Jamal Murray scored 24 points for Denver, which has won the first three games between the teams this season.DeMar DeRozan scored 18 of his game-high 35 points in the third quarter to give Sacramento a 93-84 lead heading into the fourth, but Westbrook gave the Nuggets a lift with seven straight points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 41 points and keyed a third-quarter rally as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 120-103. Jalen Williams added 20 points and Aaron Wiggins had 16 for the Thunder, who have now won five straight games and seven of their last eight. Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Ja Morant, who returned after missing two games with a sore shoulder, led Memphis with 24 points, but was 8 of 22 from the field. Memphis dropped its fourth straight and has lost seven of its last nine games.
James Harden scored 50 points, his 24th career 50-point game and first with the Clippers, as Los Angeles beat the Detroit Pistons 123-115. Harden scored 23 in the first quarter and ended up with the eighth 50-point game in franchise history, the first since Lou Williams on Jan. 10, 2018, at Golden State. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 23 points and Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who played without Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell on the second night of back-to-back games
James Harden delivered another 50-point game, putting on a throwback performance in the Clippers’ new arena. The All-Star guard reached that total for the first time with Los Angeles and the 24th time in his career, pulling within one of Kobe Bryant for third-most in NBA history. Harden’s big night — with former President Barack Obama sitting next to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer behind the baseline — carried Los Angeles to a 123-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Wilt Chamberlain has the NBA record with 118 games of 50 or more points, followed by Michael Jordan with 31 and Bryant with 25.
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd took issue with media speculation that Kyrie Irving’s heavy workload over the last month led to the nine-time All-Star’s season-ending knee injury. Kidd noted Wednesday that the injury came on a “freak accident.” Irving tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Monday in the first quarter of a 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Irving was fouled by DeMar DeRozan on a drive to the basket and his right foot landed on the foot of the Kings’ Jonas Valanciunas.
NFL
The Los Angeles Chargers released Joey Bosa. The move Wednesday night ended the linebacker’s nine-season tenure with the franchise. It was expected due to Bosa’s large salary cap number and injury history. Bosa had a cap number of $36.47 million for the 2025 season, but the move will save the Chargers $25.36 million in cap space. Bosa was the third overall pick by the Chargers in the 2016 draft and was the last player on the roster from when the team played in San Diego. Bosa's five sacks were his fewest in the six seasons he has played at least 12 games as he battled hip and back injuries.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Bill Belichick is back on the practice sidelines again, though now in college at North Carolina. The 72-year-old coach who won six Super Bowls with the NFL's New England Patriots opened spring practices at UNC this week. He also held his first news conference on campus since his introductory one after his hiring in December. Belichick told reporters that players have responded well to the new staff. That comes as Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi have talked about building what amounts to a mini-NFL model in a college program. UNC's spring practices run through April 12.
SOCCER
Harvey Elliott scored less than a minute after coming on as a late substitute to fire Liverpool to a stunning 1-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. Runaway Premier League leader Liverpool survived a barrage of attacks in Paris to keep the score at 0-0 going into the final stages. Elliott was sent on to replace Mohamed Salah in the 86th minute and became an unlikely hero when sweeping home a low shot with his first touch of the match. Bayern Munich took a big step toward the last eight with a 3-0 win against German rival Bayer Leverkusen. Ten-man Barcelona beat Benfica 1-0 and Inter Milan won 2-0 at Feyenoord.
MLB
The New York Mets led the major leagues in spending for the third straight season in 2024 and have totaled $1.36 billion in payroll and luxury tax over four years under owner Steve Cohen, exceeding what the Marlins, Pirates and Rays each have spent on players in the past 21 seasons. The Mets established a $333.3 million regular payroll record, according to figures finalized by Major League Baseball this week and obtained by The Associated Press. That topped the previous mark of $319.5 million set by the Mets in 2023, when they became the first team to exceed $300 million. New York totaled $430.4 million last year in payroll and luxury tax to set a cost record. The Mets paid $420 million the year before, including a $100.8 million tax.
BASEBALL
Boston 4 Tampa Bay 2
Detroit 17 Philadelphia 7
Houston 6 St. Louis 5
Pittsburgh 7 Toronto 6
Milwaukee 3 Chicago White Sox 2
Texas 5 Cincinnati 3
L.A. Dodgers 5 L.A. Angels 3
Chicago White Sox 8 Milwaukee 2
Baltimore 5 Minnesota 2
Kansas City 9 Seattle 6
Washington 8 Miami 7
Colorado 4 San Diego 3
San Francisco 11 Arizona 5
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
St. Bonaventure 73 UMass 72
UConn 72 Marquette 66
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Boston College 76 Syracuse 73
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