Update on the latest sports
NBA-SCHEDULE
Nets beat Pacers, catch Sixers
UNDATED (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets have pulled even with the Philadelphia 76ers atop the NBA’s Eastern Conference at 28-13, with the Milwaukee Bucks just 1 1/2 games back.
James Harden carried the short-handed Nets to the 14th victory in their last 15 games, providing 40 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a 124-115 win at Indiana. Harden tied the game at 96 with a runner in the lane, igniting a 13-4 run.
Joe Harris finished with 19 points and Jeff Green added 15 with nine boards for the Nets, who had seven players with at least 10 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) had a double-double and the Bucks rallied from a 14-point, halftime deficit to beat the 76ers, 109-105 in overtime.
Antetokounmpo delivered 32 points and 15 rebounds in the Bucks’ fifth win in a row. He scored 10 of the Bucks’ 16 overtime points as they ended Philadelphia’s six-game winning streak.
Tobias Harris had 19 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers.
Checking out Wednesday’s other NBA action:
— Nikola Jokic posted his 10th triple-double of the season with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the Nuggets’ 129-104 pounding of the Hornets. Michael Porter Jr. had a team-high 28 points and helped Denver pull away in the second half. Will Barton scored 23 points as the Nuggets won for the seventh time in eight games and snapped Charlotte’s four-game winning streak.
— Luka Doncic poured in 42 points and the Mavericks avenged Monday’s 10-point loss to the Clippers by whipping Los Angeles, 105-89. Doncic scored 29 points in the first half and took over again in the fourth quarter, assisting on a 3-pointer and hitting a fadeaway jumper and a 3 to get the lead back to 12 at 87-75. Josh Richardson scored 14 points and was a defensive spark as Dallas won the season series, 2-1.
— Cleveland ended a four-game skid as Collin Sexton scored 29 points and Darius Garland added 25 in a 117-110 win over the Celtics. The Cavs also ended a nine-game losing streak to Boston. Jayson Tatum scored 29 Jaylen Brown 28 for the Celtics.
— Draymond Green hit 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists as the Warriors handed the Rockets their franchise-record 18th straight loss, 108-94. It was the third triple-double this season for Green and the 27th of his career. Reserve Jordan Poole scored 23 points and made a career-high six 3-pointers to help the Warriors bounce back from Monday’s blowout loss to the Lakers.
— Ja Morant dribbled the length of the court for a tiebreaking layup with 1.2 seconds left in the Grizzlies’ 89-85 triumph over the Heat. Memphis’ Kyle Anderson intercepted the inbound pass after Morant’s basket, was fouled and made two free throws to end Miami’s winning streak at five. Morant, Anderson and De’Anthony Melton each scored 13 points.
— Jakob Poeltl furnished 20 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds as the Spurs used a huge fourth quarter to beat the Bulls, 106-99. The Spurs trailed by 23 in the second quarter and were down 58-40 after their lowest-scoring first half of the season. But they dominated Chicago 39-19 in the fourth as Derrick White scored nine of his 17 points in the period.
— The Pistons overcame Norman Powell’s 43 points to beat the Raptors, 116-112 and end a four-game losing streak. Saddiq Bey had 28 points and 12 rebounds, going 6-for-10 from beyond the arc to lead Detroit to the third win in its last 13 games. Delon Wright added 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Pistons, and Jerami Grant had 23 points.
— De’Aaron Fox scored 28 points and hit a jumper over Bradley Beal with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Kings a 121-119 victory over the Wizards. Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes each added 18 points for Sacramento, which got its first win in the third of a six-game East Coast trip. Washington guard Russell Westbrook had 26 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his 11th triple-double of the season.
NBA-NEWS
Heat sending Leonard to Thunder for Ariza
MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat have agreed to trade Meyers Leonard and a 2027 second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Trevor Ariza.
The Thunder are not expected to keep Leonard, who is unable to play the rest of this season because of a shoulder injury and has a team option for about $10.2 million next season.
Leonard has been away from the Heat for more than a week after a video surfaced of him using an anti-Semitic slur while livestreaming a video game.
In other NBA news:
— Former NBA player Shawn Bradley has revealed he was paralyzed when struck from behind by a vehicle while riding a bike near his Utah home. The incident involving the 48-year-old occurred in January in St. George, Utah. The 7-foot-6 Bradley was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1993 draft by Philadelphia. The former BYU standout spent most of his 12-year career with Dallas.
NFL-NEWS
49ers hand Trent Williams richest contract ever at OL
UNDATED (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have worked out a contract with left tackle Trent Williams, the largest deal for an offensive lineman.
His agents say the Niners will pay Williams $138.1 million over the next six years, surpassing the $138 million deal David Bakhtiari got from Green Bay during last season. Williams also will get the biggest signing bonus ever for an offensive lineman at $30.1 million, as well as $55.1 million guaranteed.
Williams sat out the entire 2019 season in Washington over a dispute with the front office before reviving his career in San Francisco, earning his eighth Pro Bowl selection.
In other NFL news:
— Shaquil Barrett, Lavonte David, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski are all staying with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barrett finalized a four-year, $72 million deal that includes $36 million guaranteed after emerging as one of the NFL’s top pass rushers. The moves leave receiver Antonio Brown, running back Leonard Fournette, defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh and kicker Ryan Succop as key players who can also field offers from other teams after helping the Bucs win the Super Bowl last month.
— The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to a $5 million contract for next season with three-time Pro Bowler Kyle Long, who will come out of retirement to help their rebuilt offensive line. The deal is according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The Chiefs also agreed to one-year deals to keep running back Darrel Williams, linebacker Ben Niemann and defensive end Taco Charlton, sources told The AP.
— The Chicago Bears announced a one-year contract with former Cincinnati and Dallas quarterback Andy Dalton as well as one-year deals with safety Deon Bush and offensive lineman Germain Ifedi. Dalton is due $10 million and could earn an additional $3 million in bonuses.
— The Arizona Cardinals have added seven-time Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green on a one-year deal, traded for three-time Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson and signed two-time Pro Bowl kicker Matt Prater. The Cardinals acquired Hudson and a seventh-round pick in the upcoming draft from the Raiders and will send a third-round pick back to Las Vegas. The 32-year-old Green gets about $8 million.
— Washington has agreed to sign William Jackson to a contract worth $42 million over three years with $26 million guaranteed, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
— A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that the Los Angeles Rams were finalizing a trade sending veteran defensive tackle Michael Brockers to the Detroit Lions.
— Two people familiar with the deal say the Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to one-year contracts with free agent receiver John Brown and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas.
— A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Patriots have agreed to sign free agent center Ted Karras to a one-year, $4 million contract, reuniting him with the franchise where he began his NFL career.
— Free agent cornerback Justin Coleman has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins.
— The Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with linebackers Haason Reddick and Denzel Perryman and defensive end Morgan Fox, according to a person familiar with the situation.
— Offensive tackle Nate Solder has renegotiated his contract with the New York Giants and will return to the NFL after opting out of last season because of family concerns about COVID-19.
— The Falcons have acquired veteran Lee Smith from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
— A person with direct knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press that the Buffalo Bills have reached an agreement to sign veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders, pending a physical.
— The Seattle Seahawks have signed defensive tackle Poona Ford to a two-year contract, locking up one of the key pieces of their defense.
— Police in Arlington County, Virginia say Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Broderick Washington was charged with destruction of property and tampering with a vehicle after attempting to break into parked cars.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NCAA TOURNAMENT
Sooners’ Harmon to miss first two NCAA rounds.
UNDATED (AP) — Oklahoma guard De’Vion Harmon will miss the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.
Harmon is the Sooners’ No. 2 scorer, averaging 12.9 points while providing 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest. The sophomore scored 22 points earlier in the season in a win over Kansas and a career-high 23 in a loss to Oklahoma State.
In other men’s college basketball news:
— Virginia remains in Charlottesville because of a positive COVID test that caused the Cavaliers to pull out of last week’s ACC tournament. The Cavs are the only team not yet in Indianapolis for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, which begins on Thursday. The defending champs continue individual workouts and conditioning sessions. They hope to practice at home on Friday before heading to the tournament, where they open against Ohio on Saturday night.
— Drake basketball coach Darian DeVries has agreed to an eight-year contract extension through 2028-29. DeVries has led the Bulldogs to 20-win seasons each of his first three years at the school. Drake currently has the third-most wins in the nation at 25-9 and will play Wichita State in an NCAA First Four game Thursday.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Rangers crush Flyers
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Rangers are back at .500 after posting the NHL’s most lopsided win of the season.
The Rangers destroyed the Flyers as Mika Zibanejad (MEE’-kuh zih-BAN’-eh-jad) recorded a hat trick and collected three assists in New York’s 9-0 thrashing. Zibanejad scored three consecutive goals within a 10:10 span of the second period for his fifth career hat trick.
Pavel Buchnevich had two goals and two assists for the Rangers, who scored seven times in the middle frame.
The Rangers did it without their coaching staff due to COVID-19 protocol, promoting their AHL staff from Hartford.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Ryan Reaves broke a tie while the Golden Knights were scoring four straight goals in a 5-4 decision over the Sharks. Cody Glass, Nicolas Hague and Alec Martinez also scored over a roughly eight-minute span when Vegas erased a 3-1 deficit. The Golden Knights improved to 13-1-3 in 17 regular-season meetings with San Jose, including 5-0-0 this season.
— Drew Doughty, Carl Grundström and Trevor Moore scored in a dominant first period that sent the Kings to just their third win in 10 games, 4-1 over the Blues. Moore had a goal and an assist for his first multipoint game of the season. Captain Anze Kopitar scored an empty-net goal from the opposite goal line and added an assist in the victory.
— NHL scoring leader Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists for the Oilers in a 7-3 romp over the Flames. McDavid has 18 goals and tops the league with 38 assists and 56 points. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jesse Puljujarvi, Dominik Kahun, Darnell Nurse, Zack Kassian and Alex Chiasson also scored to help the Oilers rebound from a 4-3 loss in the series opener.
— Nikolaj Ehlers scored at 55 seconds of overtime to give the Jets a 4-3 victory over the Canadiens. Kyle Connor scored twice, Blake Wheeler connected on the first shot of the game, and Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves. Pierre-Luc Dubois added three assists to help the Jets rebound from a 4-2 loss to Montreal on Monday.
— Adam Gaudette scored the lone shootout goal in the Canucks’ 3-2 verdict over the Senators. Bo Horvat had a goal and an assist, while Brock Boeser also scored in regulation for Vancouver. The Canucks’ victory was their third in a row, sixth in their last seven outings, and fifth against Ottawa this season.
NHL-NEWS
Sabres fire coach Krueger while in midst of 12-game skid
UNDATED (AP) — Ralph Krueger has become the Buffalo Sabres’ sixth coach to be fired in just over eight calendar years, losing his job with the team on a 12-game losing streak.
The Sabres are 6-18-4 this season, earning as many victories as shutout losses as forwards Jeff Skinner and Taylor Hall have failed to produce as expected.
Assistant coach Don Granato has been promoted to interim head coach by general manager Kevyn Adams, who openly challenged his players’ accountability and pride, while suggesting changes to the roster are looming.
In other NHL news:
— New York Islanders captain Anders Lee is out for the rest of the season due to a torn right ACL that requires surgery. Lee was leading the Isles with 12 goals when he was injured in a collision with Devils forward Pavel Zacha last week. New York can use his $7 million in salary-cap space to add players before the April 12 trade deadline.
— The NHL has suspended Minnesota Wild defenseman Carson Soucy for one game for charging Arizona Coyotes forward Conor Garland. Soucy was given a five-minute major for charging Garland in the first period of Tuesday night’s 3-0 win by Minnesota.
OBIT-HOYT-BOSTON MARATHON ICON
Dick Hoyt, who pushed son in multiple Boston Marathons, dies
BOSTON (AP) — Dick Hoyt, who inspired thousands of runners, fathers and disabled athletes by pushing his son, Rick, in a wheelchair in dozens of Boston Marathons and hundreds of other races, has died. He was 80.
Hoyt first pushed his son, who is quadriplegic has cerebral palsy, in the Boston Marathon in 1980. Dick and Rick completed 32 Boston Marathons together, until Dick retired in 2014, citing health issues.
