The Boston Celtics spent another game without guard Kyrie Irving, but it didn't stop them from posting a 32-point win. Jaylen Brown delivered 24 points and 10 rebounds in the Celtics' seventh win in eight games, 126-94 over the Hornets.
Jayson Tatum added 20 points and helped Boston close the third period on a 25-6 run to take a 98-75 lead. Terry Rozier had 17 points and tied a career high with 10 assists in place of Irving, who missed his second straight game with a left hip strain.
Dennis Smith Jr. had his second career triple-double and Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 14 points as the Mavericks dealt the Knicks their 11th straight loss, 114-90. Harrison Barnes had a team-high 19 points and Smith contributed 13 with 15 assists and 10 boards.
Checking out Wednesday's other completed NBA action, Nikola Jokic registered his eighth triple-double of the season by furnishing 20 points, 13 rebound and 10 assists in the Nuggets' 105-99 triumph over the Pelicans. Malik Beasley scored 22 points, and Monte Morris added 20 to help the Northwest Division leaders win their fourth straight.
Damian Lillard pumped in 36 points and had 11 assists as the Trail Blazers blew out the Jazz, 132-105. CJ McCollum had 30 points for Portland, which scored 17 straight in the third quarter to go ahead by 27.
Bradley Beal scored 25 points and Jeff Green came off the bench to add 23 in the Wizards' 107-89 victory against the Pacers. Thaddeus Young scored a team-high 13 points for Indiana, which is 0-3 since leading scorer Victor Oladipo suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The Timberwolves pulled out a 99-97 overtime win against the Grizzlies on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns finished with 10 rebounds and scored all 16 of his points after halftime of Minnesota's fourth straight win.
Harry Giles came off the bench and scored 12 of his season-high 20 points in the third quarter of the Kings' 135-113 pounding of the Hawks. Marvin Bagley III added 17 points and 12 rebounds, while teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic had 16 points and seven assists for Sacramento.
Bobby Portis scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half to lead the Bulls to just their second win in 15 games this month, 105-89 at Miami. Wayne Selden added 20 and Lauri Markkanen had 14 with 13 rebounds to help Chicago drop the Heat's home record to 11-14.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In men’s college basketball, UAlbany topped New Hampshire, 62-42, Hartford beat Binghamton, 86-60, and Syracuse took down Boston College, 77-71.
In women’s college basketball, UAlbany defeated New Hampshire, 59-41, Binghamton topped Hartford, 73-62, and Rider beat Marist, 68-58.
In top-25 basketball, Marquette was able to coast in its first game since cracking the top 10 in The Associated Press men's basketball poll on Monday. Markus Howard scored 32 points and Sam Hauser added 19 as the 10th-ranked Golden Eagles dumped Butler, 76-58 at Indianapolis. Howard shot 14-for-23 overall, grabbed five rebounds and provided six points during an 11-0 run that put Marquette ahead, 61-45 with 6:34 remaining. The Golden Eagles are 19-3 overall and 8-1 in the Big East following their eighth straight victory.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker tied a season high with 25 points and No. 12 Virginia Tech improved to 17-3 by shooting 59 percent to beat Miami 82-70. Justin Robinson scored 17 points for the Hokies but appeared to hurt his left leg before limping to the locker room midway through the second half.
Number-14 Villanova has a nine-game winning streak after Eric Paschall scored 20 points and Phil Booth added 19 and eight assists in an 86-74 verdict over DePaul. Freshman forward Saddiq Bey matched a career high with 16 points and set one with 11 boards, while hitting four of the Wildcats' 15 3-pointers.
No. 15 Louisville won its sixth in a row as Jordan Nwora scored 20 points in an 82-54 romp at Wake Forest. Dwayne Sutton added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Cardinals, who shot 52 percent and improved to 16-5 overall and 7-1 in the ACC.
Tremont Waters scored a season-high 36 points with a career-best six 3-pointers to give No. 19 LSU its 10th straight victory, 72-57 over Texas A&M. Naz Reid scored all seven of his points during a 10-2 run that put the Tigers ahead 51-40 with 15 minutes left.
Lindell Wigginton scored a season-high 27 points off the bench in 20th-ranked Iowa State's 93-68 rout of West Virginia. Marial Shayok scored 19 points for the 16-5 Cyclones.
In college basketball news, former Oklahoma State assistant basketball coach Lamont Evans has pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to a single charge of conspiracy to commit bribery. Evans admitted to accepting $22,000 in bribes to convince NBA-destined athletes to team up with favored financial advisers. Sentencing was set for May 10. A plea deal with prosecutors recommends a sentence of up to two years in prison and a $22,000 fine. Judge Edgardo Ramos also warned him that he might be subject to deportation because he is a citizen of Barbados.
Michigan State guard Joshua Langford will miss the rest of the season because of an ankle injury that likely requires surgery. Langford started the Spartans' first 13 games, averaging 15 points before missing the last eight contests.
NFL
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league will keep focusing on opportunities to create a deeper pool of minority coaching candidates. At his State of the League news conference Wednesday, Goodell lauded the NFL's Rooney Rule, designed 20 years ago to ensure minorities get interview chances when head-coaching opportunities come available. An Associated Press analysis of coaching staffs for the 2018 season found only four minorities in the stepping-stone positions of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick says Malcom Brown has been added to the team's injury report after being limited during today's practice. Brown has a calf injury, and Belichick says the defensive tackle spent much of the workout on the sideline. Belichick said everyone else "was good to go."
In other NFL news, Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman says he has received "one or two" death threats from frustrated Saints fans on social media. Robey-Coleman was involved in the now-infamous play during which he was not penalized for his hit on Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis. No flag was thrown for pass interference for the helmet-to-helmet nature of the hit — for which Robey-Coleman was fined about $27,000 by the NFL.
Saints coach Sean Payton says he's glad he's part of the committee that discusses proposed NFL rule changes. Payton said that coming up with the topics for the committee will be easy, but finding solutions are the hard part. Payton also noted that nothing discussed or done in the future can change recent officiating mistakes that may have cost the Saints a trip to the Super Bowl.
Key rulings are expected soon in a lawsuit against the NFL filed by two Saints season ticket holders upset with the outcome of the NFC championship game. The suit calls for the NFL to invoke a rule that could result in a do-over of the game, which ended with the Rams beating the Saints and advancing to Sunday's Super Bowl. At issue is officials' failure to call interference or roughness penalties against a Rams player at a key point in the final minutes of regulation play.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Washington State and football coach Mike Leach have agreed on a one-year contract extension that runs through the 2023 season. The school said Wednesday that Leach will be paid $3.75 million in 2019, and $4 million per year the following four years. Leach guided Washington State to an 11-2 record last season, the most wins in program history. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Board of Regents has approved a one-year contract extension for football coach Lincoln Riley through 2023. The Sooners have won the Big 12 championship and made the College Football Playoff in both of his seasons as head coach.
University of Maryland President Wallace Loh will remain at the state's flagship university through June 2020. He initially announced plans to retire at the end of this school year in the aftermath of a football player's death, but Board of Regents Chair Linda Gooden has announced that Loh is leading several initiatives critical to the university's future. The university was shaken by the death of 19-year-old Jordan McNair, who died of heatstroke after a May workout. Gooden says the university is launching the process to select Loh's successor.
NHL
Jamie Benn's first-period goal held up as Ben Bishop handled 30 shots in the Stars' 1-0 win against the Sabres. Bishop made 14 saves in the third period to secure his third shutout of the season and 27th of his career.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have followed a lifeless loss against the last-place New Jersey Devils with a strong victory against the NHL's top team. Kris Letang tied a team record and Evgeni Malkin reached a milestone as the Pens doubled up Tampa Bay, 4-2. Letang notched his 109th goal as a Penguin to tie Hall of Famer Paul Coffey's franchise record for career goals by a defenseman. Malkin set up two scores to become the fifth Russian-born player in league history to reach 600 career assists. Riley Sheahan, Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby scored during Pittsburgh's three-goal first period. Matt Murray stopped 33 shots and blanked the Lightning until J.T. Miller tallied with 4:10 remaining. The win puts the Penguins in a second-place tie with Washington in the Metropolitan Division, three points behind the Islanders. The Lightning suffered just their fourth regulation loss in their last 24 games, keeping them five points ahead of the Flames for the league's top record.
EMPIRE STATE WINTER GAMES
The torch relay for the Empire State Winter Games is in the home stretch. This year's relay began last Sunday and is split into two segments, one coming east from Buffalo and one heading north from New York City. Barring weather delays, runners on the two routes will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday in Malone, a symbolic gesture uniting the state. They'll then travel together to Lake Placid for the opening ceremony Thursday night. Olympic ski jumper Nick Farrell is the keynote speaker. More than 2,300 athletes are expected to participate in more than 30 sports in the games, which end Sunday.
MLB
Two people familiar with the negotiations say reliever Greg Holland and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million contract. The deal allows Holland to earn an additional $3.5 million in bonuses. The 33-year-old right-hander earned $14 million while going 2-2 with a 4.66 ERA for St. Louis and Washington last season. He has a 2.83 ERA in eight major league seasons.
Mark Reynolds is back with the Rockies organization after accepting a minor league contract. The first baseman hit .248 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs in 86 games last season, opening the campaign with the Rockets before joining the Washington Nationals.
The Twins and left-hander Martin Perez have finalized a one-year contract that includes a $7.5 million club option for 2020. Perez went just 2-7 with a 6.22 ERA in 22 appearances in 2018, including 15 starts.
The Nationals have hired 88-year-old Jack McKeon as a senior adviser to general manager Mike Rizzo, a move that was first reported by The Athletic. McKeon spent parts of 16 seasons as a major league manager, compiling a 1,051-990 record and winning the World Series with the Marlins in 2003.
TENNIS
No. 17 Madison Keys and No. 23 Danielle Collins will lead the U.S. Fed Cup team against Australia next month in Asheville, North Carolina. Sofia Kenin and Nicole Melichar will join them on the team announced by the U.S. Tennis Association and team captain Kathy Rinaldi. The 25-year-old Collins recently reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open.
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