Category: Basketball

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Cearah Parchment scored 15 points, and Destiny Jackson added 14 for No. 10-seeded Illinois in a 71-69 win over No. 10-seeded Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night.

Maddie Webber added 13 for the Illini (21-10), Jasmine Brown-Hagger scored 12 and Berry Wallace finished with 11. Illinois will move on to the quarterfinals to play No. 2 seed Iowa.

The Spartans (22-8), who are ranked No. 18 in the country, were led by Kennedy Blair, who scored a career-high 30 points. Grace VanSlooten scored 13, and Jalyn Brown added 12.

Illinois turned over the ball on its first four possessions of the game, forcing a timeout to reset. An 8-0 run gave the Fighting Illini their first lead of the game at the end of the first quarter, and they led 36-29 heading into the break.

Michigan State had a 9-0 run after the break to regain the lead, 42-41, but a layup and a 3-pointer from Brown-Hagger gave the advantage back to Illinois.

On the Spartans’ final possession of the game, VanSlooten collected two rebounds from under the basket before kicking it back out to Blair in the midrange. Without a clear shot, she passed it out wide to Brown, who couldn't save the ball from going out of bounds with a second to go in the game.

Up next

Illinois: Will face No. 2 seed Iowa on March 6. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 9 in the country.

Michigan: Will wait for an invitation to a postseason tournament.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Gabby Elliott had 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and No. 10 seed Arizona State beat No. 7 seed Iowa State 77-68 on Thursday in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Arizona State (24-9) advances to face No. 2 seed West Virginia in the quarterfinals on Friday and strengthened its case for an NCAA Tournament berth. The Sun Devils improved their win total dramatically under first-year coach Molly Miller after finishing with 11 victories last season.

Arizona State set the tone early, jumping to a 17-2 lead behind Heloisa Carrera, who scored 12 of her 17 points in the opening stretch. The Sun Devils led 33-25 at halftime before Elliott ignited a decisive third-quarter run.

She opened the second half with eight straight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers, as Arizona State stretched the lead to double digits. The Sun Devils outscored Iowa State 27-21 in the third quarter and carried a 60-46 advantage into the fourth.

Iowa State pushed back late and trimmed the deficit to 68-62 on an Addy Brown 3-pointer with 1:41 remaining. Arizona State, however, did not allow the Cyclones to get closer than six points the rest of the way despite going nearly eight minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter.

McKinna Brackens finished with 16 for the Sun Devils.

Audi Crooks led Iowa State (22-9) with 21 points, while Brown added 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Up Next

Arizona State plays No. 2 seed West Virginia on Friday in the quarterfinals.

Iowa State awaits an invitation to play in a postseason tournament.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Christeen Iwuala scored 18 points for No. 7 seed Mississippi in a 73-57 win over No. 15 seed Auburn in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday.

Ole Miss (22-10) led the entire game, jumping out with a 12-1 run to open the game and had a double-digit lead heading into halftime, 48-20.

Iwuala shot a perfect 5 of 5 from the field in the first half for 10 points, and finished the day 8 of 8. She added nine rebounds, including the 250th of her career. Latasha Lattimore and Cotie McMahon both scored 13 for the Lady Rebels.

Auburn (15-17) was led by Khady Leye, with 17 points. Kaitlyn Duhon scored 14 for the Tigers. Auburn had a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that lasted over three minutes, but it wasn't enough to swing the momentum in its favor.

Ole Miss will move on to face No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt.

Up next

Ole Miss: plays No. 2 seed Vanderbilt on March 6.

Auburn: awaits an invitation to play in a postseason tournament.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Venus Williams lost again in her return to the BNP Paribas Open, falling in the first round Thursday, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-1 to Diane Parry of France.

The 45-year-old Williams, who has dropped her last eight WTA singles matches, received a wild card into the singles and doubles draws for the tournament in the Southern California desert. It came 30 years after she made her Indian Wells debut in 1996 when she was 15.

After Williams rallied in the second set to tie it, the 23-year-old Parry, ranked 111th in the world, took control and cruised in the third.

It was Williams' 10th career appearance in the tournament and first since 2024, when she also lost in the first round as a wild card. The seven-time major winner was given a wild card last year, but didn’t accept it.

“I’m so excited to be heading back to Indian Wells and can’t wait to return home to play in California,” Williams said last month.

Parry will face 15th-ranked American Madison Keys in the second round Saturday.

Williams entered the BNP Paribas Open having lost her last seven matches, with the only win in her comeback to the tour coming in her return at Washington last year.

She competed in the Australian Open in January and lost in the first round in both singles and doubles. Williams was the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open singles main draw, surpassing the mark set by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round in 2015.

Williams most recently participated in the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, last month as a wild-card entry and lost in the first round of singles to Ajla Tomljanovic.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will miss at least two more weeks as he continues to recover from a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.

The Grizzlies announced Thursday that Morant was progressing in his rehabilitation but was still experiencing discomfort. The two-time All-Star had follow-up imaging Wednesday that showed what the team described as “incomplete healing of the injury.”

The Grizzlies said Morant will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Morant has appeared in 20 games this season, averaging 19.5 points and 8.1 assists. He hasn’t played since injuring his elbow on Jan. 21.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico (AP) — John Daly II had an easier time, and a far easier golf course, than his father in his PGA Tour debut. The 22-year-old son of John Daly opened with a 2-under 70 in the Puerto Rico Open on Thursday, where the kids were all the rage and Chandler Blanchet wound up with the lead.

Blanchet bogeyed his first hole and that was his only mistake. He followed with nine birdies for an 8-under 64, his lowest round on the PGA Tour for a one-shot lead over Gordon Sargent, the former top college golfer who has struggled the last few years.

“It was good,” Daly said. “Feel like I left a few out there, but I made it up with just a couple good saves and nice chip-in on 16.”

John Daly, the former PGA and British Open champion, made his first PGA Tour-sanctioned start nearly 40 years ago. But that was Shinnecock Hills — not Grand Reserve — and it was the 1986 U.S. Open, not an opposite-field event in Puerto Rico. Daly shot 88 that first round.

His son was not the only player getting attention. Blades Brown, the 18-year-old who played in the final group with Scottie Scheffler when the world's No. 1 player won The American Express, opened with a 69. It was his 16th score in the 60s in his 34 career rounds on the PGA Tour.

Miles Russell, the 17-year-old from Florida and among the top amateurs in the world had a 71. The other young prospect, Zhou Yanhan of China, shot 72. The 17-year-old Zhou had seven wins on the China Tour last year.

Blanchet earned his PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour last year, winning twice, including the circuit's Tour Championship. But it has been a slow start to his first season in the big leagues, missing the cut in all five tournaments he has played.

He hopes there's plenty of learning that comes with those weekends off, and Blanchet said he looked forward to facing more challenges, such as dealing with short putts he misses. He wants to get mentally stronger to deal with that.

“I missed a 5-footer right on the first hole and I looked at my caddie and he said, ‘This is our test.’ Handled it well,” Blanchet said. “Then made some good birdies over the next few holes. Yeah, really solid day.”

Eugenio Chacarra, who began his pro career on Saudi-backed LIV Golf in 2022 and became the first player from the rival league to a get sponsor exemption on the PGA Tour, opened with a 73.

The winner of the Puerto Rico gets into The Players Championship and the PGA Championship, along with a two-year exemption on tour. But it does not qualify for the Masters.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Uche Izoje recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Syracuse to a 70-59 win over California on Thursday in the ACC Tournament.

It marked Syracuse’s first ACC Tournament win since 2021 and sent the Orange to the quarterfinals after doubling their conference win total from last season.

The Orange struck quickly, opening the game on a 9-0 run and never trailing. Syracuse extended the margin to 37-16 by halftime as California struggled offensively.

The Golden Bears shot 25% from the field in the first half and committed 10 turnovers, producing their lowest scoring half of the season.

California pushed back in the second half, trimming its deficit that had reached 21 points. A 3-pointer from Lulu Twidale pulled the Bears within 56-52 midway through the fourth quarter.

Syracuse answered behind Izoje, who scored during a decisive stretch late in the game. Laila Phelia connected with Izoje on an alley-oop that pushed the lead to 61-53 with just over three minutes remaining.

The Bears were unable to get closer, going the final two and a half minutes without a field goal as Syracuse closed the game at the free-throw line.

Phelia added 17 points for the Orange, while Sophie Burrows extended her streak to 16 straight games with a made 3-pointer. Izoje, the ACC rookie of the year, was 11 of 19 from the field.

Sakima Walker led California with 19 points. Twidale finished with 14 and Gisella Maul added 13.

Up next

Syracuse will play No. 2 seed Louisville on Friday in the quarterfinals.

California awaits an invitation to play in a postseason tournament.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

The tanking has been bad. Really bad. The Nets have lost nine straight entering Thursday’s home-and-home with Miami. They aren’t the only tankers… tanking. The Pacers have lost seven straight, Wizards six straight, and the Jazz seven straight. One win and it can all be thrown off. The Draft Lottery can’t come soon enough.

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🏀 KEY INFO

Who: Brooklyn Nets (15-46) vs Miami Heat (33-29)
When: 7:30 PM ET
Watch:YES Network

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🏓 Prospect watch

Game	Time	Watch	Prospect
Tennessee @ South Carolina	6:00 PM	SEC Network	Nate Ament
Alabama @ Georgia	6:30 PM	ESPNEWS	Labaron Philon, Amari Allen
Clemson @ North Carolina	7:00 PM	ESPN	Caleb Wilson
Oregon @ Illinois	9:00 PM	Peacock	Keaton Wagler

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💬 DISCUSSION

Share your thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg is back in the starting lineup for Dallas against the Orlando Magic on Thursday night after missing eight games with a foot injury.

Flagg, the No. 1 pick in last year's NBA draft, was sidelined with a left mid-foot sprain. He last played at Phoenix on Feb. 10.

The 6-foot-9 forward out of Duke is averaging a team-leading 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 49 games. He has missed a total of 12 games in his rookie season.

The 19-year-old Flagg leads all NBA rookies in scoring, and ranks fourth in rebounds and second in assists. Against the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 29, he scored 49 points and became the youngest player to score at least 45 points in an NBA game.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

LYON, France (AP) — Lens continued its impressive season by advancing to the semifinals of the French Cup with a penalty shootout victory over Lyon on Thursday.

Lens is second in Ligue 1 — just four points behind Paris Saint-Germain — and survived a fightback by Lyon, having led 2-0 at halftime at Groupama Stadium to draw 2-2.

Lyon forced the game to penalties with an equalizer from Remi Himbert in the fourth minute of added time after Lens had gone down to 10 men following Arthur Masuaku's red card.

Florian Thauvin scored the decisive penalty as Lens won the shootout 5-4 after Moussa Niakhate had seen an earlier effort saved.

Lens coach Pierre Sage had led Lyon to the French Cup final two years ago and is within one match of repeating that feat.

Thauvin fired Lens ahead after 23 minutes and Abdallah Sima doubled the lead in the first minute of first-half added time.

But Masuaku's red in the 64th proved a turning point.

Lyon scored through Roman Yaremchuk three minutes later to give the home team hope before its late equalizer.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Dallas Mavericks (21-40) are on the road for the second game in their six-game road trip. On Thursday night they play the Orlando Magic (32-28) in the first night of a road back-to-back. The Mavericks were most recently waxed by the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. The Magic beat the Washington Wizards on Tuesday to avoid starting a losing streak.

Here’s the main things you need to know:

• WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Orlando Magic
• WHAT: Becoming one with road games.
• WHERE: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
• WHEN: 6:00 pm CST
• HOW: KFAA Channel 29, MavsTV streaming, NBA League Pass

There’s another long injury report for Dallas. Cooper Flagg is questionable as of this writing and the Mavericks are signaling (by literally saying it in the media) that they expect him to play tonight but that he’s a true game-time decision. Stein’s gone so far as to report that he’s playing. We’ll see, considering Dallas plays in Boston tomorrow against the Celtics, in a game Jason Tatum is expected to return in on ESPN. Marvin Bagley is out. All of the two-way players are doubtful (so, out). Brandon Williams is questionable with his quad issue and Klay Thompson is probable.

For the Magic, Franz Wagner is out. Dallas native Anthony Black, Wendell Carter, and Jonathan Isaac are all questionable for the Magic.

If Flagg plays in this game, Dallas has a chance. If he doesn’t it’s going to be an ugly game… well it might be ugly either way, but if Flagg doesn’t play it’s going to be ugly in a way I don’t want to watch. Look for Paulo Banchero to try to get every Dallas bigman into foul trouble, which is a good bet. Look for Dallas to try more threes as they keep not shooting any.

Be sure to chime in with your predictions in the comments!

Consider joining Josh and me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube, we should start LATE. Thanks so much for spending time with us here at Mavs Moneyball. Let’s go Mavs!

Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors

March 5, 2026

Location: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas

TV: Prime

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App, SCHN+

Time: 6:30 CST

Probable Starting Lineups

Rockets: Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun

Warriors: Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Gui Santos, Gary Payton II, Draymond Green

The Washington Wizards play the Utah Jazz at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena. Trae Young will make his Wizards debut. Chat about it in the comments below!

LONDON (AP) — Tottenham's Premier League survival hopes took another blow with a 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Thursday.

Spurs — one of the richest teams in Europe and a founding member of the Premier League — is just one point above the relegation zone and without a domestic win in 2026.

“We know that the position we are in is not where we want to be. We need to figure out how to get out of it as soon as possible," said Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke. “There have been difficulties, but we aren’t in the position to make excuses. We need to do the job on the pitch.”

Spurs' latest defeat was the fifth in a row and the third under new coach Igor Tudor, who was tasked with the responsibility of turning the season around.

He watched as his team capitulated in front of a home crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — conceding three goals in the first half, having taken the lead and then gone down to 10 men when Micky van de Ven was sent off.

Palace took full advantage by scoring three times in seven minutes before the break.

Ismaila Sarr struck twice — one from the penalty spot — with Jorgen Strand Larsen getting the other for the visitors.

That was after Solanke had given Spurs the lead in the 34th minute. Van de Ven was red-carded four minutes later for bringing down Sarr in the box and Palace took control.

“I am very disappointed, like the fans,” Tudor said. "We know what the moment is and we need to keep working and believe.

“But after this game I believe more than before because I saw something in the team and in the dressing room after the game. When we will be complete it will be good, I believe.”

The deepening crisis at Tottenham comes after winning the Europa League last season and advancing to the knockout stage of the Champions League this term, where it faces Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 next week.

But its desperate league form has carried on from last year when it finished one place above the relegation zone — its lowest final position in the Premier League era.

Its plight also comes amid a tumultuous period when it has had seven managers in less than seven years.

Tottenham has spent only one season out of England's top flight since 1950 and has been an established member of the Premier League since the competition's inception in 1992.

It is a two-time English league champion and was a Champions League finalist in 2019.

It's near-63,000 capacity stadium is one of the most impressive in Europe and regularly hosts NFL games, as well as top music concerts.

Deloitte ranked Spurs ninth on its most recent rich list in January with revenues of $781 million. That placed Tottenham above giants like Chelsea, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer