Sports

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Porter Jr. scored 27 points and the Houston Rockets beat the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers 114-110 on Wednesday night. It’s the second straight win for the Western Conference-worst Rockets, who beat Boston on Monday night. Already without LeBron James because of an injury, the Lakers

By BRIAN HALL Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 35 points and Jayson Tatum added 22 as the Boston Celtics held on to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-102. The Celtics remained a game ahead of Philadelphia for second place in the Eastern Conference and closed within 2 1/2 games of Milwaukee for first.

MIAMI (AP) — New York Mets fans began the year dreaming about a World Series closed out by Edwin Díaz. For now, they’re facing a potential nightmare. In a startling scene, Díaz was taken off the field in a wheelchair after injuring his right knee celebrating Puerto Rico’s victory over the Dominican Republic in the

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Golden State forward Andre Iguodala is set to have surgery next week on his fractured left wrist. The Warriors announced Iguodala’s status Wednesday night before their game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Iguodala sustained the injury Monday night in a home victory over the Phoenix Suns. An update on how long

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 26 points, Tyler Herro added 24 and the Miami Heat enjoyed a rare easy win by topping the Memphis Grizzlies 138-119. Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Max Strus had 12, Caleb Martin finished with 11 and Kevin Love and Gabe Vincent each had

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Joel Embiid had 36 points and 18 rebounds and played the final 4:12 after initially being called for his sixth foul, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to their sixth straight victory, 118-109 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. James Harden added 28 points and Tyrese Maxey

TORONTO (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon was the only scorer in the shootout as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Wednesday night. Mikko Rantanen scored in regulation for Colorado (38-22-6), which got 18 saves from Alexandar Georgiev. Morgan Rielly scored for Toronto (40-18-9). Ilya Samsonov stopped 28 shots.

By JACOB BENGE Associated Press DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Ansley Almonor scored a game-high 23 points and Fairleigh Dickinson beat Texas Southern 84-61 to earn its first NCAA Tournament win in four seasons. The Knights held a 14-2 lead after a 12-0 run in the opening 3:29 and never gave up the lead. Grant Singleton

By The Associated Press YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Led by Tyreek Smith’s 13 points, the Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated the Youngstown State Penguins 69-64 in the NIT.

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have added two offensive weapons for their incoming rookie quarterback via free agency. The Panthers announced they have agreed to terms with running back Miles Sanders from the Philadelphia Eagles and tight end Hayden Hurst from the Cincinnati Bengals. Sanders ran for

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations says the Cleveland Browns reached agreement with former Kansas City Chiefs free agent safety Juan Thornhill on a contract. Thornhill is getting a three-year, $21 million deal, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the 27-year-old has

By JOSH DUBOW AP Sports Writer SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Max Rice remembers the excitement he saw watching Northwestern win its first NCAA Tournament game six years ago. Now, Rice wants to do the same for his Boise State team that is looking for its first tournament win when the 10th-seeded Broncos take on the

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer After fortifying their offensive and defensive lines with splashy moves earlier this week, the Denver Broncos turned their attention to upgrading their special teams Wednesday when they agreed to a two-year deal with cornerback Tremon Smith worth up to $5.5 million. Smith, 26, who has played for the

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Pato O’Ward isn’t dwelling on the temporary loss of engine power that almost certainly cost him a victory in the season-opening IndyCar race on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg. He is instead focused on the second-place finish that he did have. O’Ward says that’s still a fantastic start to

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Pro Football Writer The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms on a contract with former Arizona cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. The deal was announced on the first day of NFL free agency along with agreements with former New Orleans outside linebacker Marcus Davenport and former Miami tight end Josh Oliver. The

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — The 15-year-old son of three-time major champion Lindsay Davenport has lost at the FILA International Junior Championships in Southern California. Jagger Leach was beaten 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 by Stiles Brockett in the second round at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. That’s where Davenport reached the finals of the pro tournament six

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer The Dallas Cowboys are releasing two-time rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott. The move ends a seven-season run for a running back whose dominance faded later in his Dallas career. The move will save Dallas about $11 million under the salary cap this season. Elliott had 12 rushing touchdowns in

By FRED GOODALL AP Sports Writer ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A season removed from reaching the Final Four for a 13th time under Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski, Duke not only is in the NCAA Tournament again, but appears to be peaking at the right time with first-year coach Jon Scheyer at the helm. The

By The Associated Press The NCAA Tournament has arrived. The First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, kicked things off and set the final bracket with 68 teams battling it out for the national championship in men’s basketball. Sweet 16 weekend will see games in New York City, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Missouri, and Louisville, Kentucky.