NBA:
In the NBA, Philadelphia beat Brooklyn 106-101, Golden State topped Houston 113-106, Portland won against Denver 122-113, Washington bested the Lakers 119-108, Miami squeaked by Detroit 97-96, Atlanta beat Phoenix 95-91 Minnesota edged Indiana 115-114, and it was Milwaukee over Charlotte 118-108.
Joakim Noah says he's sorry for a positive drug test that has ended his injury-plagued first season with the New York Knicks. Noah was suspended 20 games by the NBA on Saturday for violating the league's anti-drug policy. He says he took an over-the-counter supplement to help with his injuries and "it backfired."
NHL:
In the NHL, Boston topped Nashville 4-1, San Jose edged the Rangers in overtime 5-4, Winnipeg slid past New Jersey in a shootout 4-3, Columbus won against Buffalo 3-1, Anaheim beat Vancouver 4-1, Edmonton bested Los Angeles 2-1, Washington won against Minnesota in overtime 5-4, Montreal beat Florida 3-2, Philadelphia skated by Ottawa in a shootout 3-2, and it was Carolina over Detroit 4-1.
MLB:
The New York Yankees will likely bat power-hitting catcher Gary Sanchez second in their lineup at the start of the season. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said yesterday that he was leaning toward having Brett Gardner bat leadoff, followed by Sanchez, Greg Bird, Matt Holliday and Jacoby Ellsbury.
In baseball’s spring training, St. Louis tied the Mets 3-3, Detroit doubled up the Yankees 6-3, and Boston blasted Pittsburgh 9-2.
The Orioles have acquired pitching help just before their season opener, getting right-hander Alec Asher from the Phillies for a player to be named or cash. The 26-year-old Asher was 2-7 with a 5.88 ERA in 12 big league starts for the Phillies the previous two seasons. He served an 80-game suspension for steroid use last season, when he went 2-1 with a 2.88 earned run average in five starts.
Also in the majors:
— The Rays have acquired a potential backup to Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier by getting speedster Peter Bourjos from the White Sox for cash or a player to be named. Bourjos hit .251 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 123 games with the Phillies last season.
— The Nationals say President Donald Trump has declined an invitation to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before their season opener Monday against visiting Miami because of a scheduling conflict.
NFL:
The New York Jets have signed former Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman Jonotthan Harrison. The Jets announced the move yesterday. Terms of the deal were not immediately available. Harrison was not tendered a restricted free agent contract by the Colts earlier this month, making him an unrestricted free agent.
NFL replay decisions could take less time this season after owners approved having referees use a hand-held tablet for video reviews. The referees had been going to a sideline camera for reviews and would have final say on confirming or reversing a call. Now, league officiating chief Dean Blandino and his staff in New York will make those decisions with input from the referee.
In other NFL news:
— The Eagles have worked out a two-year contract with defensive end Chris Long, who won a Super Bowl last season with New England. Long has 342 tackles, 58 1/2 sacks, nine forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 130 games since being taken by the Rams with the second overall pick in the 2008 draft.
— Cowboys coach Jason Garrett says nothing has changed regarding quarterback Tony Romo. Dallas had planned to release Romo earlier this month, then opted not to as it sought a trade for the 36-year-old QB.
— Dallas tight end Jason Witten has signed a four-year contract extension that theoretically guarantees the 14-year veteran will spend his entire career with the Cowboys. Witten turns 35 in May.
NCAA:
Quinnipiac University has hired Villanova associate head coach Baker Dunleavy to be its new head coach. Dunleavy replaces Tom Moore, who was fired earlier this month after 10 years at the school. The 34-year-old Dunleavy has been on Jay Wright's staff at Villanova for seven seasons and helped guide the team to the 2016 national championship.
Kansas guard Frank Mason III has been unanimously selected to the AP All-America men's basketball team. Mason averaged 20.8 points and 5.1 assists for the Jayhawks this season to earn first team votes from all 65 members of the national media panel that selects the AP Top 25. Joining Mason on the first team are fellow senior Josh Hart of Villanova, sophomore Caleb Swanigan of Purdue, freshman Lonzo Ball of UCLA and junior Justin Jackson of North Carolina.
North Carolina State freshman Dennis Smith Jr. has announced he's giving up his college eligibility to enter the NBA draft. Smith was named freshman of the year by the ACC after averaging 18.1 points, a league-high 6.2 assists and 1.9 steals. He is projected to be a potential top-five pick.
Georgia Tech and TCU have moved into the NIT title game. Josh Okogie scored a game-high 22 points and Ben Lammers finished with 15 and 11 rebounds as the Yellow Jackets knocked out Cal State Bakersfield, 76-61 at Madison Square Garden. Quinton Stephens had 13 points for Georgia Tech, which led by nine before going on a 15-6 spurt to surge ahead 55-37. Dedrick Basile's 18 points led the Roadrunners.
In Game 2, Kenrich Williams scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half of the Horned Frogs' 68-53 win over Central Florida. Williams also grabbed 14 rebounds and had seven assists for TCU, which trailed by two before opening the second half with a 16-5 run. Matt Williams paced the Knights with 15 points.
FIFA:
Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi has been banned from his country's next four World Cup qualifying games. He was suspended for "having directed insulting words at an assistant referee" during a home qualifier last week against Chile. The punishment began with last night's 2-0 loss to Bolivia and ends just before Argentina's final match in the 10-team South American qualifying group.
Clint Dempsey scored his 56th international goal last night, but the United States men's soccer team had to settle for a 1-1 tie with Panama in World Cup qualifying. Christian Pulisic made an outstanding individual move to steal the ball and spin a defender before feeding Dempsey in the 39th minute for his 56th international goal. However, Gabriel Gomez tied the score four minutes later following a throw-in, leaving the United States 1-2-1 in group play.
MLS:
The New York Red Bulls have hired Bradley Carnell as an assistant coach. The MLS team says the former South African international will join Jesse Marsch's staff immediately. Carnell most recently served as an assistant coach in South Africa's Premier Soccer League.
Olympics:
NBC says it will broadcast all primetime programming from the Pyeongchang Olympics live across all time zones, a first for the Winter Games. The network will have primetime broadcasts at 8 p.m. EST on most nights, followed by local news and then "Primetime Plus" programming with more live coverage. Pyeongchang, South Korea, will be 14 hours ahead of the East Coast during the Olympics.
USA Hockey:
The US women's hockey team will be going to the world championships, after all. USA Hockey has announced that it has reached a wage agreement that avoids a team boycott of the championships. Players were seeking a four-year deal that included payment outside the six-month Olympic period. The team was prepared to boycott the tournament as it sought greater compensation. USA Hockey was exploring the possibility of filling the roster with replacement players for the tournament, which gets underway on Friday in Plymouth, Michigan.
Gymnastics:
Retired star gymnasts are recommending a bill that requires tougher sex-abuse reporting for Olympic sports. The gymnasts testified before Congress Tuesday that they were sexually abused by Dr. Larry Nassar, who is in prison in Michigan and faces sex abuse charges on the state and federal level. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California is co-sponsoring a bill that requires organizations overseeing Olympic sports to immediately report sex-abuse allegations to law enforcement or child-welfare authorities.
NASCAR:
Atlanta Motor Speedway officials have announced that they have postponed the repaving of the 20-year-old racing surface at least until after next year's race weekend. The decision is certain to please numerous drivers who prefer the aged, abrasive surface, saying it makes the racing more challenging and exciting. However, it also increases the chance that a race could be delayed by crumbling asphalt or water seeping up through the track. Atlanta plans to continue its extensive maintenance program in an effort to prevent further deterioration.
Kayaking the Great Lakes:
A Michigan sheriff is warning a Missouri kayaker who's trying to paddle the Great Lakes that she could lose her boat if she gets into trouble again in Lake Huron. The Huron County sheriff says 52-year-old Traci Lynn Martin had problems with her rudder Friday and faced strong winds and ice. He says she again faced trouble Monday offshore of Sleeper State Park and was hypothermic when brought to shore. Sheriff Kelly Hanson says in a statement: "we will resort to confiscating her kayak or abandoning it in the water if another incident occurs under similar circumstances offshore of our county." The Associated Press sent an email Tuesday seeking comment from Martin, who is from the Kansas City, Missouri, area. Her trip began March 9 in Michigan.
Davis Cup:
Jack Sock, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson will represent the United States against host Australia in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on April 7-9. U.S. captain Jim Courier announced his roster Tuesday. Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt's squad is Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson, Sam Groth and John Peers. No. 16 Kyrgios and No. 17 Sock are the only players on either team ranked in the ATP's top 20. The best-of-five series will be played on an outdoor hard court in Brisbane. The U.S. leads Australia 26-20 in their Davis Cup meetings, including a victory by the Americans in last year's first round.
Skiing:
Hig Roberts won the men's giant slalom in the U.S. Alpine Championships yesterday at foggy Sugarloaf Mountain for his first national title. He edged seven-time national champion Tim Jitloff by .14 seconds.
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