The Pistons and Nets continue to share sixth place in the Eastern Conference after Spencer Dinwiddie scored 12 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter of Brooklyn's 113-107 victory over the Cavaliers. D'Angelo Russell added 25 points for the Nets, who trailed 85-80 heading into the final period.
Gordon Hayward hit a tiebreaking shot with two seconds to play to send the Celtics to a 111-109 victory at Sacramento. Hayward came through with the winning bucket after fouling Buddy Hield on a 3-point attempt with 7.6 seconds left. Jayson Tatum led Boston with 24 points, while Al Horford contributed 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to help the Celtics win without injured guard Kyrie Irving.
Devin Booker scored a season-high 41 points as the Suns rolled to their third consecutive victory, 107-96 over the Knicks. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 points and Tyler Johnson 14 for the Phoenix, which trailed 35-24 in the second quarter before going on an 18-4 spurt.
Zach LaVine capped his 39-point performance by hitting a layup with 1.6 seconds left to give the Bulls a 108-107 win over the 76ers. LaVine scored 13 in the fourth quarter as the Bulls wiped out a 10-point deficit and dropped the 76ers one game behind Indiana for third place in the East.
In the NBA's other Wednesday action, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has passed Michael Jordan for fourth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. James scored his 32,293rd point on a driving layup in the second quarter against the Nuggets, but Denver came away with a 115-99 win over the Lakers in Los Angeles. The 34-year-old James began the night needing 13 points to pass Jordan. He now trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant. But the Nuggets torched the Lakers for 43 points in the first quarter and climbed within one game of Golden State for the Western Conference lead. Will Barton had a team-high 23 points for Denver, while teammate Nikola Jokic added 12 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists. Jamal Murray and Gary Harris each had 19 points to help the Nuggets end a three-game losing streak.
Derrick Favors scored 25 points and Rudy Gobert added 22 with rebounds as the Jazz topped the Pelicans, 114-104. Donovan Mitchell had 22 points for Utah, and Joe Ingles had 10 points and 10 assists to help the Jazz move one game ahead of the Spurs and Clippers for sixth place in the West.
The Pistons are 32-31 after winning for the 10th time in 12 games, a 131-114 rout of the Timberwolves. Andre Drummond had 31 points and 15 rebounds for his 16th straight double-double, two off the club mark he set last season. Luke Kennard added 21 points to Detroit's sixth consecutive home win.
The Heat took over sole possession of eighth place in the East as Kelly Olynyk and Hassan Whiteside each delivered double-doubles in a 91-84 downing of the Hornets. Olynyk had 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Whiteside added 18 points and 15 boards off the bench in Miami's third straight win.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 32 points and the Spurs pulled away in the closing minutes for their fourth straight victory, 111-104 in Atlanta. Derrick White finished with 18 points and nine assists, fueling San Antonio's comeback with seven straight points to put the Spurs ahead, 98-93.
Bradley Beal contributed 30 points eight assists and seven rebounds as the Wizards dumped the Mavericks, 132-123. Trevor Ariza scored 22 and Jabari Parker 20 to help the Wizards beat Dallas for the first time in 10 meetings in Washington.
In NBA news, Andrew Bogut is rejoining the Golden State Warriors after being cleared by his Australian team, the Sydney Kings. Golden State had an open roster spot and chose to use it at center to replace Damian Jones, who is recovering from surgery for a torn left pectoral muscle. The first overall pick in the 2005 draft appeared in 23 games for the Lakers last season and made five starts, averaging 1.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 9.4 minutes. He played on the Warriors' 2015 champion team and the 73-win team the following season.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In the women's America East playoffs, UAlbany defeated Binghamton, 61-56, Stony Brook beat Vermont, 69-58, and Hartford took down UMBC, 65-48.
And the MAAC Tournament kicks off at Albany’s Times Union Center today at 9:30 a.m. In the women’s championship, Siena faces Iona at 11:30 a.m. And in the men’s championship, Marist takes on Saint Peter’s at 5 p.m.
In top-25 basketball, tenth-ranked LSU narrowly avoided a road loss as the Tigers try to wrap up at least a share of the SEC regular-season title. Tremont Waters provided tying and go-ahead baskets to help the Tigers beat Florida, 79-78 in overtime. Waters dribbled the length of the court for the tying basket with three seconds remaining in regulation, then hit a 3-pointer early in OT. Waters finished with 19 points, six assists and six turnovers for LSU, which is 15-2 in the conference following its eighth win in nine games.
No. 16 Marquette absorbed its third straight loss as Myles Powell poured in 34 points to lead Seton Hall's 73-64 win over the Golden Eagles. Powell furnished 10 straight points during an 18-0 run that put the Pirates ahead. Seton Hall scored 27 of the final 32 points after trailing 59-46.
In college basketball news, University of Arkansas System regents have been asked to name the basketball court at Bud Walton Arena in honor of former men's basketball coach Nolan Richardson. Richardson led the Razorbacks to 13 NCAA Tournaments, back-to-back Final Fours and the 1994 national championship. He was 389-169 in 17 seasons for Arkansas from 1985 to 2002.
NHL
The Washington Capitals have recaptured sole possession of first place in the NHL's Metropolitan Division and kept the Philadelphia Flyers seven points out of an Eastern Conference playoff berth. Alex Ovechkin pumped in his league-leading 46th goal while the Capitals were building a 5-0 lead in a 5-3 victory at Philadelphia. Washington already led 2-0 until Ovechkin, Andre Burakovsky and Nicklas Backstrom scored during a 3:05 span early in the second period. Ovechkin also set up Tom Wilson's goal and Dmitri Orlov had two assists as the Caps moved two points ahead of the Islanders in their division race. It was Braden Holtby's 250th career victory as he stopped 27 shots in his 409th game. He's the second-fastest netminder to reach 250 wins, topped only by Ken Dryden.
Elsewhere on NHL ice, Deryk Engelland snapped a 1-1 deadlock with 10 ½ minutes remaining before the Golden Knights completed a 2-1 win against the Flames. Shea Theodore also scored, William Karlsson had two assists and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 33 shots as Vegas kept Calgary three points ahead of the Sharks for the Western Conference lead.
The Canucks pulled out a 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs on Alex Edler's goal 3:11 into overtime. Goals by Morgan Rielly and Ron Hainsey gave Toronto a 2-0 lead before the Leafs lost for the first time this season when leading after two periods.
Robert Thomas and Alex Pietrangelo scored in the final 64 seconds to send the Blues past the Ducks, 5-4. Thomas tied it with is second goal of the night and Pietrangelo tallied just 12 seconds later to give St. Louis its first win in three games.
MLB
Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright has been suspended for 80 games following a positive test for Human Growth Hormone. The suspension is the latest in a series of setbacks for the 34-year-old knuckleball pitcher. Wright accepted a 15-game suspension in spring training last year under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.
Yankees ace Luis Severino expects to resume a throwing program in two weeks. Severino will miss his scheduled opening-day start on March 28 because of right-shoulder inflammation. He was scratched from his first planned spring-training start on Tuesday after feeling discomfort after throwing his first slider in a pregame bullpen session.
In other MLB news, Clayton Kershaw has not yet been ruled out for opening day by the Los Angeles Dodgers despite all the time he's missed at spring training with a sore left shoulder. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that, for now at least, Kershaw remains scheduled to start March 28 for the two-time defending NL champions. However, that possibility seems unlikely based on the progress the three-time Cy Young Award winner would need to make in the next few weeks.
Royals catcher Salvador Perez has undergone Tommy John surgery that will cause him to miss the upcoming season. The recovery time is usually about a year, meaning Perez could be back for opening day next season.
Right-hander Bud Norris and the Blue Jays have finalized a minor league contract that puts him in their big league camp. The 34-year-old Norris had 47 saves over the past two seasons for the Angels and Cardinals. He went 3-6 with a 3.59 ERA and 28 saves in 64 appearances with St. Louis last year.
NFL
The Cleveland Browns have released linebacker Jamie Collins, who never lived up to high expectations. Collins had two years remaining on his contract. Cleveland acquired the 29-year-old in a 2016 trade from New England. Collins made 30 starts for the Browns, recording 204 tackles, seven sacks and two interceptions.
The Bears continue to stockpile kickers by signing Chris Blewitt, days before the team plans to release Cody Parkey. Blewitt left Pittsburgh as the school's career scoring leader with 363 points from 2013-16, but he's never played in the NFL.
Former Packers fullback John Kuhn has announced his retirement. Kuhn played nine seasons with the Packers and won the Super Bowl in the 2010 season. He was a part of Packers teams that won five division titles, finished with at least 10 wins in a season seven times and made the playoffs eight times.
The Broncos are releasing strong safety Darian Stewart. The 30-year-old Stewart spent four productive seasons as a starter in Denver, where he won a Super Bowl ring and earned a Pro Bowl selection.
CUBA LITTLE LEAGUE
Cuban baseball and Little League International say they are launching a relationship that will allow young Cuban players to participate in international Little League tournaments. The agreement follows a deal between Major League Baseball and the Cuban Baseball Federation that will allow Cuban players to legally play professionally in the United States for the first time.
BOXING
World Boxing Association super featherweight champion Gervonta Davis is accused of assaulting someone at a shopping mall near Washington, D.C. News outlets report that Fairfax County, Virginia, police have issued a warrant for Gervonta Davis. According to reports, the misdemeanor assault warrant is based on sworn testimony from the alleged victim in a February 17 incident.
TENNIS
Andy Murray says he is pain-free after hip surgery but likely won't play at Wimbledon. Murray tells the BBC in an interview he wants to continue playing but the surgeons "couldn't give me any guarantees." After an emotional Australian Open exit in January, the three-time Grand Slam champion had an operation to repair his damaged right hip with a metal implant. The 32-year-old Murray says he is now without pain for the first time in 18 months but cannot do "any high-impact movement."
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