Update on the latest sports

NBA SCHEDULE-BUCKS-WIZARDS

Giannis has 3rd straight triple-double, Bucks beat Wizards

UNDATED (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) had 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his third consecutive triple-double to lead the Milwaukee Bucks past the Washington Wizards 133-122 for their fourth consecutive victory.

The Bucks pulled away late after letting a 26-point third-quarter lead slip to five midway through the fourth. When the Wizards got within seven in the final minutes, Antetokounmpo scored the next four points to make it a double-digit game again. Antetokounmpo combined for 64 points, 26 rebounds and 21 assists in the two-game series at Washington that Milwaukee swept. Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 37 points after sitting out Saturday to rest a sore left knee.

In other NBA action:

— Terry Rozier scored 26 points, Gordon Hayward added 25 and the Charlotte Hornets overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 122-116 for their fourth straight win. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 29 points, while Richaun Holmes had 17 points and 15 rebounds.

NHL-SCHEDULE-CAPITALS-SABRES

Ovechkin matches Esposito with 717th goal; Caps rout Sabres

UNDATED (AP) — Alexander Ovechkin matched Phil Esposito for sixth on the NHL’s career list with his 717th goal and the Washington Capitals beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-0. Ovechkin scored in the third period, helping send the Capitals to their fifth straight win with his 1,299th career point — one shy of becoming the 35th player to reach 1,300. He scored from the slot off a pass from former Sabre Conor Sheary, who found Ovechkin cutting toward the net. Ovechkin snapped a quick shot past Carter Hutton, who was screened. Vitek Vanecek stopped 23 shots and improved to 4-0-1 against the Sabres.

Barkov’s short-handed goal leads Panthers over Blackhawks

Elsewhere on the ice on Monday:

Evgeni Malkin scored on a power play for his 1,100th career point and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Boston Bruins 4-1. Malkin is the third Russian-born player to reach 1,100 points in the NHL, joining Alex Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov. Malkin has eight goals on the season and had an assist while extending his points streak to eight games. Tristan Jarry made a season-high 42 saves for Pittsburgh.

—Jakub Voracek scored at 3:47 of overtime to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 5-4 win over the New York Rangers. Claude Giroux, Joel Farabee and Ivan Provorov each had a goal and an assist, and James van Riemsdyk also scored for the Flyers, who won for the third time in eight games. Carter Hart finished with 20 saves. Keith Kinkaid stopped 25 shots.

—Aleksander Barkov scored a tiebreaking short-handed goal in the third period, and the Florida Panthers beat the slumping Chicago Blackhawks 6-3. Barkov poked in a loose puck from right in front with 6:34 left. It was the Panthers’ first short-handed goal this season. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots and won his sixth straight start. Down 3-1, the Panthers scored five unanswered goals to win their fourth straight game. Patrick Kane, Philipp Kurashev and Brandon Hagel scored for the Blackhawks, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Kevin Lankinen made 30 saves.

Calle Jarnkrok had a short-handed goal and three assists, helping the Nashville Predators beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1. Pekka Rinne (PEH’-kuh RIH’-neh) stopped 38 shots and picked up his 14th career assist in Nashville’s first victory against Tampa Bay in six meetings on the season.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NCAA TOURNAMENT

March Madness: 68 teams punch ticket; the hard part awaits

NEW YORK (AP) — The 68-team NCAA Tournament field is set, but it’s the next few days that could be the most nerve-wracking. Gonzaga has the top overall seed, trying to become the first team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers to finish a season undefeated. The other top seeds are Baylor, Illinois and Michigan.The tournament will be held entirely in the Indianapolis area. And here’s the nerve-wracking part: No player can show up for a game without seven negative test for COVID-19. There are deadlines for teams to be replaced, too. The first games are set for Thursday.

In other college basketball news:

—UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home. The school made the announcement hours before it was expected to be named the top seed in the NCAA Tournament. UConn says the Hall of Famer received a positive result from a test taken Sunday and isn’t experiencing any symptoms. The team’s head physician says contact tracing protocols revealed that Auriemma didn’t have close contact with any other team member since Friday.

—Indiana has fired coach Archie Miller after four mediocre seasons. The move was confirmed Monday by a person with knowledge of the decision who spoke to The Associated Press. Miller was 67-58 with the Hoosiers. His teams never made the NCAA Tournament.

—Iowa State and men’s basketball coach Steve Prohm have agreed to part ways after one of the worst seasons in program history. The Cyclones were 2-22 overall, 0-18 in the Big 12. They lost their last 18 games. Prohm was 97-95 in six seasons and led the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament three times.

— Boston College has hired Earl Grant from the College of Charleston as its men’s basketball coach. Grant replaces Jim Christian, who was fired with three weeks remaining in his seventh season. Grant had a 127-89 record in seven seasons with the Cougars. They won the Colonial Athletic Association regular season and tournament championship in 2018.

— DePaul fired coach Dave Leitao six years into his second tenure. The Blue Demons went 5-14 overall in a season that started about a month late because of COVID-19 issues. They finished last in the Big East for the fifth straight year at 2-13.

ACC RULES

ACC to allow transfers within conference to play immediately

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference has eliminated its rule requiring athletes to sit out a season if they transfer within the league.

The move is the latest across college sports to loosen restrictions on transferring athletes so they can switch schools and play right away. The NCAA is moving toward making the so-called one-time exception available for all athletes.Currently, athletes in high-profile Division I sports such as football and basketball must sit out a season when they transfer to another DI school.

The NCAA was expected to vote on transfer rule legislation in January — and it was expected to pass — but a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry delayed that vote.

NFL-FREE AGENCY

Shaq Barrett re-ups with Bucs, Golden returns to Cards, Ravens add guard

UNDATED (AP) — Linebacker Shaquil Barrett has agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barrett has been one of the NFL’s top pass rushers over the past two seasons. The 28-year-old’s new deal includes $36 million guaranteed and was facilitated by Tom Brady signing an extension that cleared $19 million in salary cap space.

Elsewhere:

—The Denver Broncos have agreed to a three-year deal to keep defensive end Shelby Harris in Denver. They also have agreed to a three-year deal to bring in veteran free agent cornerback Ronald Darby. The seventh-year cornerback had a productive season in Washington last year when he played on a one-year, $4 million contract.

—The Dallas Cowboys are set to bring back defensive tackle Antwaun Woods and a pair of receivers lower on the depth chart in Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown. The team says Woods and Wilson are expected to be offered tenders as restricted free agents. Brown has agreed to a one-year contract as an unrestricted free agent.

—A person familiar with the negotiations tells the AP that the Cleveland Browns have agreed to terms with free agent safety John Johnson III. He spent the past four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. The Browns ended their long playoff drought last season and want to upgrade their defense this offseason.

— The Arizona Cardinals have re-signed linebacker Markus Golden to a two-year deal. The 30-year-old has spent most of his career with the Cardinals after being selected by them in the second round of the 2015 draft. He returns to a defense that recently signed three-time NFL defensive player of the year J.J. Watt. The team did not disclose financial terms.

— Guard Kevin Zeitler has agreed to a three-year, $22 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens. The nine-year veteran was released by the New York Giants last week. Zeitler just turned 31 and has also played for Cincinnati and Cleveland. The durable guard has started all 16 games in six of his NFL seasons, including five of the past six.

— The Patriots have agreed to sign free agent tight end Jonnu Smith. Agent Drew Rosenhaus tells The Associated Press, Smith agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal. At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Smith had been a consistent presence for the Tennessee Titans, with 53 starts over the past four years. He is coming off his best season, catching 41 passes for 448 yards for eight touchdowns.

— A person familiar with the deal says the New England Patriots are trading tackle Marcus Cannon, a mainstay on the right side of their offensive line, to the Houston Texans. The Patriots will send Cannon to Houston in exchange for the swap of fourth, fifth and sixth-round picks with the Texans in next month’s NFL draft. Cannon opted out last season because of COVID-19 concerns.

— The San Francisco 49ers are bringing back Jason Verrett on a one-year deal. NFL Network reported the contract has a $5.5 million base value with the chance to make more. Verrett has been plagued by injuries throughout his career but stayed healthy in 2020 and excelled at cornerback for the 49ers. That made him a high priority to keep this offseason.

— A person familiar with the situation says defensive end Romeo Okwara has agreed to stay with the Detroit Lions. Reports say the unrestricted free agent landed a $39 million, three-year contract. Okwara had a career-high 10 sacks last season in his third year with the Lions and fifth in the NFL.

— Kevin Colbert is sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team’s long-time general manager has signed a one-year contract extension that runs through the 2022 NFL draft. The 64-year-old Colbert has been with the franchise for more than two decades but has recently started working on a year-to-year basis.

— Linebacker Vince Biegel has agreed to terms on a one-year contract to remain with the Miami Dolphins. Biegel had the best season of his three-year NFL career in 2020 for Miami, starting 10 games while totaling 59 tackles and 13 quarterback hits.

MLB NEWS

Yanks lefty Britton has elbow surgery

UNDATED (AP) — New York Yankees left-hander Zack Britton has had surgery to remove a bone chip from his pitching elbow. The reliever is likely to be out until at least May and perhaps until summer. The team has not specified a timeframe. Yankees head team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad operated at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Left-hander Aroldis Chapman is the Yankees’ closer, and manager Aaron Boone said he will mix and match during the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Boone has said right-hander Chad Green, side-arming right-hander Darren O’Day, right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga and left-hander Justin Wilson are options.

In other MLB news:

— YouTube will broadcast a Major League Baseball package of games for a third season. The series of 21 telecasts starts April 7 when the Boston Red Sox host the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays in the finale of a two-game series. The games are exclusive and will not be televised by club broadcast partners. YouTube telecasts include live chats. MLB’s primary national agreements are with Fox, Turner and ESPN.

GOLF-HONDA CLASSIC-VIRUS

Woodland among 3 players to test positive for coronavirus

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland is among three players who had to withdraw from the Honda Classic because of a positive test for the coronavirus.

The others were Doc Redman and Scott Piercy. The three positive tests are the most in pre-tournament screening since the RSM Classic at Sea Island in November. The Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit also had three players withdraw because of positive tests in early July. The positive tests follow two weeks of Florida events allowing for limited attendance at Bay Hill and at The Players Championship.