NBA:
In the NBA, Washington topped Golden State 112-108, Detroit beat Portland in overtime 120-113, Memphis bested Phoenix 130-112, Oklahoma City defeated Utah 109-106, Charlotte won against the Lakers 109-104, and it was Denver over Chicago 125-107.
Russell Westbrook scored 12 of his 43 points in the final 2:05 to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Utah Jazz 109-106 last night. Westbrook also had 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his 30th triple-double of the season, 67th of his career, and fourth in his last four games.
DeMarcus Cousins of the New Orleans Pelicans will miss tonight's home game against the Detroit Pistons. The 6-foot-11 center has drawn his 18th technical foul of the season, which means an automatic one-game sit-down.
Veteran center Andrew Bogut has chosen to join the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bogut's agent, David Bauman of ISE, tells The Associated Press that Bogut plans to sign with the Cavaliers as soon as he clears waivers. Bauman anticipates that Bogut will join the defending NBA champions by this weekend.
NHL:
In the NHL, Washington topped the Rangers 4-1, Boston beat Arizona 4-1, Nashville skated by Buffalo in overtime 5-4, Montreal edged Columbus in overtime 1-0, Florida beat Carolina in a shootout 3-2, Edmonton defeated St. Louis 2-1, Minnesota bested Winnipeg 6-5, Dallas edged Pittsburgh 3-2, Calgary slid by Los Angeles in overtime 2-1, Detroit beat Vancouver in overtime 3-2, Philadelphia shut out Colorado 4-0, and it was San Jose over Toronto 3-1.
The New York Rangers have acquired defenseman Brendan Smith in a trade with Detroit. In return the Red Wings got two draft picks, a third round choice this year and a number-2 next year. Detroit drafted Smith in the first round in 2007 and in 291 games he has 67 career points.
The Chicago Blackhawks are reuniting with veteran defenseman Johnny Oduya, who was part of their last two Stanley Cup championships. Oduya was traded by the Dallas Stars to the Blackhawks in exchange for young forward Mark McNeill and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL draft.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed 36-year-old defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron to a two-way AHL-NHL contract for the rest of the season. He has spent this season playing for the American Hockey League affiliate in Cleveland. Bergeron has 82 goals and 153 assists in 490 career NHL games with Carolina, Tampa Bay, Montreal, Minnesota, Anaheim, New York's Islanders and Edmonton from 2002-13.
The Ottawa Senators have acquired forward Viktor Stalberg from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Ottawa's third-round pick this year. Stalberg, an unrestricted free agent after the season, signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with Carolina last July. He had nine goals and three assists in 57 games with the Hurricanes.
NFL:
Opening statements are scheduled to begin Wednesday in the double murder trial of ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez. The former New England Patriots tight end already is serving a life sentence after being convicted in the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player. Hernandez is charged in the 2012 fatal shootings of two men he encountered at a Boston nightclub. He has pleaded not guilty.
The NFL free agent marketplace gained two big names at running back but lost the prime quarterback potentially when Kirk Cousins was given the franchise tag by Washington, preventing him from testing the free agent market. Nine days before the free agency begins, Adrian Peterson was told his $18 million option would not be picked up by the Vikings, and Jamaal Charles was released by the Chiefs on Tuesday. Together, they have rushed for more than 19,000 yards and scored 165 touchdowns.
Darrelle Revis's second stint with the New York Jets is over. The Jets are releasing the 31-year-old cornerback, saving some $15 million, including a $2 million roster bonus, in salary cap space.
In a move that shows he has recovered from a serious hand injury sustained in a fireworks accident in 2015, the New York Giants have placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. It marked the second time in three years the Giants placed the tag on Pierre-Paul.
Defensive lineman David Parry of the Indianapolis Colts has been arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, on suspicion of assaulting the driver of a motorized cart and then stealing and crashing the vehicle. Police say Parry showed signs of impairment when arrested early Saturday morning near where the cart was found crashed. Parry was a 2015 fifth round draft pick. He started all of the Colts' games in 2015 and 2016.
The NFL is considering making referees full-time employees and centralizing replay review at its New York headquarters as it aims for more consistent, shorter games. Falcons president Rich McKay, chairman of the competition committee, noted that the collective bargaining agreement allows the league to hire as many as 17 full-time officials. He told The Associated Press that it's being discussed.
MLB:
In baseball’s spring training, a split squad New York Yankees beat Detroit 9-5 and Boston 5-4 and the Mets beat Miami 3-1.
Mets captain David Wright has been diagnosed with impingement in his right shoulder. The third baseman has been told not to throw for two weeks. The Mets says Wright will be re-evaluated after the two weeks. The seven-time All-Star, who is 34-years-old, has been limited to 75 regular-season games during the past two seasons because of injuries. Last season, he was batting .226 with seven homers, 14 RBIs and 55 strikeouts in 137 at-bats through May 27 when he was sidelined by neck pain.
The Washington Nationals have been in the market for help in their bullpen. According to a person with knowledge of the deal, the club has addressed the issue by coming to terms on a contract with Joe Blanton. The person tells The Associated Press that the Nats and Blanton have agreed to a $4 million, one-year pact. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.
NCAA:
Vermont will take on Maine at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the America East Quarterfinals. Meanwhile UAlbany will take on Hartford at 7:30 p.m.
The longest winning streak in the 117-year history of Vermont basketball, 18 games, is now the longest current winning streak in all of NCAA Division I. The Catamounts (26-5) took over the top spot Saturday night after a loss by then top-ranked Gonzaga (29-1) to BYU. Vermont defeated Stony Brook to finish its America East regular season at 16-0.
A former New York community college basketball coach accused of scheming to get star players into NCAA Division I schools with forged transcripts has pleaded guilty. Authorities say Tyrone Mushatt has admitted providing St. John's University with a forged transcript for a Westchester Community College player. Mushatt also admitted he conspired to possess and turn over 10 forged WCC transcripts of six players to St. John's, Quinnipiac University, Concordia College and Florida A&M University.
Top-seeded Notre Dame and Number 2 seed Florida State each placed two players on the all-Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball team. The 10-player first team was announced yesterday following a vote of school representatives and media members.
Jordan Fox scored 23 points and Army hit six 3-pointers in the second half to fuel a run that saw the Black Knights outscore American University by 15 points over the final 20 minutes to take a 74-58 victory in a first-round game in the Patriot League tournament.
Boston Marathon Bombing:
A college friend of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has lost his bid to have his conviction for lying to authorities dismissed. Robel Phillipos asked the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn his conviction, saying statements he made to FBI investigators after the April 2013 bombing were coerced.
ECHL:
After finishing its second season, the Calgary Flames’ Adirondack Thunder ECHL hockey team will remain at the Glens Falls Civic Center under new ownership. As WAMC’s Lucas Willard reported Tuesday, the Adirondack Civic Center Coalition is purchasing the team. Composed of local business leaders, the group has worked with Calgary and public officials to make many improvements to the aging arena including a new marquee, new lighting, and a new video board.
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