NBA:
In the NBA, Miami topped Knicks 105-88, Milwaukee won against Boston 103-100, Charlotte bested Toronto 110-106, Atlanta beat Philadelphia 99-92, Oklahoma City defeated Orlando in overtime 114-106, Golden State beat San Antonio 110-98, the Clippers topped Washington 133-124, and it was Utah over Sacramento 112-82.
There's a chance Kevin Durant will return to the Golden State Warriors' lineup before the regular season ends. Durant has been cleared for non-contact basketball drills, and the Warriors say he's made good progress in his recovery. He has been out since Feb. 28, when he suffered left knee and leg injuries.
NHL:
In the NHL, Chicago beat Pittsburgh 5-1, the Kings topped Calgary 4-1, Washington won against Colorado 5-3, and it was St. Louis over Arizona 3-1.
Wild forward Zach Parise will likely miss the next three games after being struck by Washington's Tom Wilson before crashing into the knee of another Capital on Tuesday. Parise has bruising and swelling around an eye from a high stick to the face that led to blows to the head as he fell. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said he wouldn't be surprised if Parise were ready to return after the weekend.
MLB:
In baseball’s spring training, the Mets tied Atlanta 2-2, the Yankees topped Toronto 3-1, and Minnesota won against Boston 5-3.
New York Mets reliever Jeurys Familia has accepted a 15-game suspension without pay under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. MLB announced the suspension yesterday, and Familia has agreed not to appeal. The suspension stems from Familia's October 31st arrest on a simple assault charge. Prosecutors later dropped charges.
The chairman of the Pawtucket Red Sox has met with the new president of the Rhode Island Senate and is looking for support from the state to build a new stadium. Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio says he met yesterday with PawSox Chairman Larry Lucchino. Ruggerio says the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox is looking to stay in Rhode Island but might need some help to replace the aging McCoy stadium.
Rhode Island's economic development agency says it has settled a lawsuit brought against it by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over the state's failed $75 million deal with former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's videogame company. The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation said Wednesday it agreed to pay $50,000 and in the future not violate the law it was accused of violating.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— The Indians will begin the season with outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall on the disabled list because of a right shoulder injury suffered last week. The team is hoping Chisenhall will be ready to return for the April 11 home opener against the White Sox. Cleveland is also opening its American League title defense without second baseman Jason Kipnis due to right shoulder inflammation.
— The Texas Rangers still don't know if third baseman Adrian Beltre will open the season on the disabled list. Beltre hasn't played since Sunday due to a strained left calf. He also had a similar injury when he reported to camp and has hit just 1-for-28 this spring, including an 0-for-16 mark in the World Baseball Classic.
NFL:
The Buffalo Bills have waived defensive lineman Scott Crichton for failing his physical. The move was announced yesterday, two days since the Bills claimed Crichton after he had been placed on waivers by the Minnesota Vikings.
Fort Lauderdale police are investigating sexual battery allegations made by a woman against former NFL star Michael Irvin. The report says the alleged encounter involving Irvin took place at a Fort Lauderdale hotel on March 22. No charges have been filed against Irvin, who settled a woman's lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault six years ago.
MLS:
The New York Red Bulls have signed two-time MLS Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips to a new contract. The Red Bulls announced the deal yesterday without releasing details, other than to say it was multiyear year. The team says that Wright-Phillips will continue to occupy a designated player spot on the roster. He earned $715,000 last season.
NCAA:
UMass has hired Matt McCall as its next basketball coach. The 35-year-old McCall spent the previous two seasons in Chattanooga, where he led the school to the NCAA Tournament in 2016. The hiring is the second in two weeks for the Minutemen, after Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey backed out of an agreement to coach the program just minutes before he was set to be introduced.
Women's basketball saw its lowest attendance for the NCAA Tournament regionals in 20 years, and there is no change in sight to the format. An average of 4,719 fans showed up for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in the four neutral-site venues. That's down 27 percent from last year and nearly 50 percent from 2014, when the games were played on campus sites.
Maryland junior guard Melo Trimble is forgoing his final year of collegiate eligibility to enter the NBA draft and will sign with an agent. The three-time All-Big Ten selection helped the Terrapins advance to its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance this season. He also led the team with 16.8 points per game.
A federal judge has granted the University of North Carolina's request to dismiss the Chapel Hill school from a lawsuit filed by two former Tar Heels athletes tied to its multiyear academic scandal. U.S. District Court Judge Loretta C. Biggs stated the school had 11th Amendment immunity as an arm of the state that prevented it from being sued in federal court. The plaintiffs were former football player Michael McAdoo and former women's basketball player Kenya McBee. McAdoo filed his class-action lawsuit in November 2014 amid the scandal tied to irregular courses in an academic department popular with athletes.
The Associated Press has compiled data from its men's basketball polls to determine the top 100 programs of all-time. Kentucky is the all-time No. 1 team, with appearances in 75.4 percent of all polls and 124 No. 1 rankings. The Wildcats are followed by North Carolina, Duke and UCLA, the only other programs to be ranked at the top for more than 100 weeks. The Bruins have been No. 1 more times than any other school, topping the list 134 times since the poll began in 1949. Kansas, Indiana, Louisville, Arizona, Syracuse and Cincinnati round out a top 10 that includes only schools that have won national championships.
Obit:
Thoroughbred trainer and Monmouth Park racing official Daniel Dufford has died. The racetrack announced his death Wednesday, a day after Dufford died at his home following a short illness. He was 66. Dufford's top runner was Rumptious, who he saddled to victory in the 1984 Salvator Mile. Following his training career, Dufford moved into the racing office where he started as an official at Monmouth Park and eventually became stakes coordinator.
Golf:
Gary Woodland says he withdrew from the Dell Technologies Match Play because his wife had complications with her pregnancy, resulting in the loss of one of their twins. Woodland had won his opening match last week before withdrawing for what was described as a personal family matter. The 35th-ranked Woodland says he still plans to play the Masters next week.
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