Stars extend franchise-record winning streak to 10 with 6-1 romp over Flames

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Sam Steel scored twice and added an assist and the Dallas Stars extended their franchise-record winning streak to 10 games with a 6-1 romp over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

Jamie Benn, Mavrik Bourque, Nathan Bastian and Wyatt Johnston also scored to help Dallas improve to 38-14-9. Matt Duchene had four assists giving him a team-best 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) during the winning streak.

Steel and Duchene tied career highs for points in a game, and Steel tied a career high with 10 goals. He also had 10 times for Minnesota in 2022-23.

Casey DeSmith made 20 saves to improve to 13-4-5.

Flames starter Dustin Wolf was pulled after giving up four goals on 17 shots. Devin Cooley made 16 saves in relief.

Up next

Stars: Host Colorado on Friday night.

Flames: Host Ottawa on Thursday night.

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Cincinnati jumps out early, beats BYU 90-68

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jalen Celestine and Jizzle James each scored 18 points and Cincinnati cruised past BYU 90-68 on Tuesday night.

Moustapha Thiam added 15 points and nine rebounds for Cincinnati, which shot 50% overall and 43.5% (10 of 23) from long range. Baba Miller chipped in with 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Day Day Thomas scored 12 points.

Thiam’s dunk with 7:45 to play gave the Bearcats a 71-50 lead. Miller added a one-handed slam with 2:05 remaining.

Cincinnati (17-13, 9-8 Big 12) has won six of its last seven. BYU (20-10, 8-9) has lost three straight.

The Bearcats took the lead about three minutes in and led by as many as 16 points in the first half. The Cougars scored the first five points of the second half to get within seven points, but that was as close as they would get.

AJ Dybantsa scored 23 points and Robert Wright III added 21 for BYU. Aleksej Kostic scored 14 points.

Up next

BYU hosts No. 10 Texas Tech on Saturday in a regular-season finale.

Cincinnati ends its regular season at TCU on Saturday.

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Dak's career-high 22 points and career-high 10 rebounds help Colorado withstand Utah in 92-78 win

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Bangot Dak scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Colorado withstood Utah's second-half shooting barrage to beat the Utes 92-78 on Tuesday.

It was the 7-foot Dak's fifth double-double of the season and second this year against Utah. Isaiah Johnson also scored 22 points, Barrington Hargress scored 19 points and Jalin Holland 11 for Colorado (17-13, 7-10 Big 12).

Terrence Brown scored 26 points and Don McHenry 19 for Utah (10-20, 2-15).

A 13-13 contest with 14:46 left before halftime became one-sided as the Buffs went on to dominate and posted a 51-26 lead at halftime, shooting 67.9% (19 of 28) before intermission. Utah meanwhile shot 34.5% (10 of 29) and missed all nine 3-point attempts.

The Utes turned it around after the break and shot 73.9% (17 of 23) including 85.7% (6 of 7) from 3-point range and got back in it. McHenry's three-point play brought Utah within 69-60 with 8:58 remaining.

Colorado responded with Holland making a pair of foul shots, Dak made four straight and then a tip-in layup and Colorado stayed ahead by double digits the rest of the way.

Up Next

Colorado: Hosts No. 2 Arizona in a regular season finale on Saturday.

Utah: Ends the regular season at Baylor on Saturday.

___

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Ryan Conwell scores 23 points and Louisville tops Syracuse 77-62

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Ryan Conwell scored 23 points, he and Isaac McKneely combined for 10 3-pointers, and Louisville defeated Syracuse 77-62 on Tuesday night.

The Cardinals, who have fallen out of the Top 25 after losing three of their last four games, got 19 points from J’Vonne Hadley and 16 points from McKneely. Conwell and McKneely each buried five 3s and the Cardinals (21-9, 10-7 ACC) finished 14 for 35 from deep.

Naithan George scored 16 points, Nate Kingz 14 and Donnie Freeman 10 for Syracuse (15-15, 6-11). The Orange made only 4 of 19 from 3-point distance.

Louisville made 6 of 17 3-pointers in the first half and Syracuse was 0 for 11. The Cardinals took the lead for good with an 11-0 run that made it 21-10 nine minutes into the game. Later, a 10-0 run pushed the Louisville lead to 37-16 and the score was 39-21 at halftime.

The Cardinals made five 3s in the first 10 minutes of the second half, pushing their lead to 60-38. A few minutes later a 13-2 run had Syracuse within 62-51 but the margin never got down to single digits.

Syracuse has lost four straight games and six of eight overall.

Up next

Syracuse: The Orange wrap up the regular season with a home game against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Louisville: The Cardinals finish at No. 22 Miami on Saturday.

The conference tournament runs March 10-14 at Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Scheifele scores in overtime as the Jets beat the Blackhawks 3-2

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Mark Scheifele scored at 2:06 of overtime to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

Cole Perfetti forced the extra frame for Winnipeg, tying the game 2-2 with just 38.6 seconds remaining in regulation. Dylan Samberg, who assisted on Scheifele's winner, also scored in the first period for the Jets, who went to overtime for the fourth consecutive game.

Teuvo Teravainen and Ryan Greene scored for Chicago. Connor Bedard picked up two assists.

Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves for the victory. Spencer Knight stopped 29 shots for the Blackhawks.

The Jets pulled Hellebuyck for the extra attacker and netted the equalizer when Perfetti buried the late chance. The goal validated a second-period line shuffle that had Perfetti placed on a line with Adam Lowry and Gabriel Vilardi.

By forcing the extra frame, the Jets went to overtime for the fourth consecutive game. It was a crucial late push to grab two points as they kicked off a critical eight-game homestand.

Chicago’s special teams continue to be a primary driver of the squad’s offense. With Teravainen’s first-period goal, the Blackhawks now have a power-play goal in four consecutive games.

Winnipeg picked up its seventh straight home victory over Chicago and improved to 4-10 in overtime games this season.

Up next

Blackhawks: Host Vancouver on Friday.

Jets: Host Tampa Bay on Thursday.

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11 Stats to explain the Cavs 113-109 win over Pistons

CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 3: Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons dribbles the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 3, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers, without the services of Donovan Mithell, were able to avenge Friday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons by defeating them 113-109 on Tuesday evening.

The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass.

Effective Field Goal PercentageOffensive Rebounding PercentageOffensive Turnover PercentageFree Throw Rate
Cavs54.1%, 48th percentile26%, 37th percentile10.6%, 83rd percentile23.3, 64th percentile
Pistons56.5%, 64th percentile25%, 31st percentile14.9%, 45th percentile28.6, 83rd percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

  • Cade Cunningham went just 4-16 from the field. Head coach Kenny Atkinson called keeping him in check “the key to the game.” Cleveland didn’t have Dean Wade to guard Cunningham, but they were able to do it by committee as Jaylon Tyson and Keon Ellis stepped up in this matchup. It’s worth noting that Cunningham still had 14 assists, which speaks to how good of a player he is.
  • The Pistons lost Cunningham’s minutes by 11. Cunningham drives everything that the Pistons do. If they aren’t succesful when he’s playing, they likely aren’t winning the game.
  • Cleveland’s bench outscored Detroit’s 38-32. The Cavs received multiple big contributions off the bench. Their ability to stretch the lead in the second and third quarters was critical to getting this game over the finish line.
  • The Cavs won the minutes Thomas Bryant was on the floor by 12. Jarrett Allen went down in the third quarter with a knee injury. This thrust Bryant into more critical minutes, and he performed admirably providing nine points and five rebounds in 16 minutes. “What a signing by our front office,” Atkinson said afterward. “He gives teams trouble because he can stretch the floor. … That’s really hard to defend.”
  • Dennis Schroder provided 15 bench-points. Cleveland outscored Detroit by 16 when Schroder played. His scoring and ability to set up others has trasformed this team. This was a huge pickup at the deadline that has been unfairly overshadowed by James Harden.
  • Jaylon Tyson went 5-12 from three. Teams are yet to treat Tyson as a bona fide three-point shooter. That should probably change as he’s made nights like this look routine as he came into this one shooting 46% from deep — the third-highest percentage in the league this season.
  • Both teams had 11 second-chance points. The Pistons can really hurt opponents on the glass as they’re second in offensive-rebonding this season. Cleveland neutralized that advantage as they did a great job cleaning the glass. This went a long way in securing the victory.
  • Cleveland turned it over just three times in the first three quarters. One of the best ways to ensure you have a good offense is to get a shot attempt every time down the court. The Cavs nearly did that. Doing this against a Detroit team that came into this one turning over their opponent more than anyone else in the league is quite impressive.
  • The Cavs coughed it up seven times in the fourth quarter leading to 11 points of turnovers for the Pistons. If you want to know why this game became a little too closer for comfort down the stretch, look no further than the late giveaways.
  • Cleveland is now 8-1 when Harden plays. This includes big wins over the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, and now the Pistons. He wasn’t great in this game going, 5-17 from the field with five giveaways, but they likely don’t win this late without his ability to orchestrate the late-game offense.
  • The Cavs went 7-12 on corner threes. They were deadly from this spot on the floor. The drive-and-kick game from Harden helped. Three of his seven assists led to corner triples.

Cavaliers beat the East-leading Pistons 113-109 as Donovan Mitchell misses a fourth game

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jaylon Tyson scored 22 points, James Harden added 18 and the Cleveland Cavaliers avenged a recent loss in Detroit by beating the East-leading Pistons 113-109 on Tuesday night despite playing without injured star Donovan Mitchell.

Evan Mobley also had 18 points and Dennis Schroder 15 for the Cavs, who split their four regular-season games with Detroit.

Mitchell sat out his fourth straight game with a nagging groin strain. Coach Kenny Atkinson said the seven-time All-Star is “trending better” but doesn’t know when he’ll be back to build chemistry for the postseason with Harden, who was acquired at the trade deadline.

Jalen Duren added 24 points and 14 rebounds and Tobias Harris scored 19 points — all after halftime — for the Pistons, who had their road winning streak stopped at six games. Cade Cunningham dished out 14 assists but scored only 10 on 4-of-16 shooting for Detroit.

The Pistons cut an 11-point deficit to one in the fourth, but Sam Merrill hit a big 3-pointer to help the Cavs hang on.

HORNETS 117, MAVERICKS 90

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 17 points, and Charlotte routed Dallas for its fifth straight victory.

LaMelo Ball added 15 points and nine assists to help the Hornets (31-31) reach .500 for the first time since Oct. 28 when they were 2-2.

Brandon Williams had 18 points for the sputtering Mavericks. They’ve lost 14 of 16.

Charlotte, playing on the first night of a back-to-back, got tremendous production from its bench, with the backups shooting 12 of 21 from 3-point range.

Grant Williams made four 3s, Josh Green and Sion James had three each and Pat Connaughton had two.

Charlotte was whistled for a season-high 31 fouls and Dallas went to the free throw line 42 times, making 31. However, the Mavericks made only 3 of 22 shots from beyond the 3-point arc and could never get on track offensively in the second half making just 11 field goals.

MAGIC 126, WIZARDS 109

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero equaled a season high with 37 points, Desmond Bane scored 25 and Orlando eased to a victory over Washington.

Banchero went 15 of 21 from the field as Orlando shot 55.3% and dominated with its starters on the floor to end a two-game skid. The Magic are seventh in the Eastern Conference.

Jett Howard scored 12 points and Jalen Suggs, Jevon Carter and Moritz Wagner had 10 apiece for an Orlando team that was missing injured regulars Anthony Black (quad), Wendell Carter Jr. (ankle) and Franz Wagner (ankle).

Rookie Will Riley scored 19 points and Jaden Hardy added 18 for the Wizards, who had nine healthy players available and lost their sixth straight.

KNICKS 111, RAPTORS 95

TORONTO (AP) — Jalen Brunson had 26 points and 10 assists, Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and New York beat Toronto for its fifth win in six games.

After snapping San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak on Sunday, the Knicks ran their win streak against Toronto to 12. The Raptors last beat New York on Jan. 22, 2023, a 125-116 win at Toronto.

The Knicks (40-22) became the third Eastern Conference team to reach 40 wins, joining Detroit and Boston. OG Anunoby scored 15 points against his former team, Landry Shamet and Josh Hart each had 12 and Mikal Bridges added 11 for New York.

Brandon Ingram scored 31 points and RJ Barrett had 20 for Toronto, which lost its fourth straight at home and dropped to 4-10 against Atlantic Division opponents.

Toronto’s Scottie Barnes scored 14 points, and Immanuel Quickley had 13 points and 12 assists.

New York had 17 turnovers, leading to 22 points for Toronto. The Raptors were sloppy, too, making 15 miscues that led to 17 points for the Knicks.

New York’s reserves outscored Toronto’s 26-8.

HEAT 124, NETS 98

MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo had 23 points, nine rebounds and six steals, and Miami beat Brooklyn in the opener of a two-game series.

Tyler Herro added 22 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 20 for the Heat, who won for the fifth time in seven games.

Adebayo and Herro each had 15 points at halftime, while Jaquez and Andrew Wiggins both had 13 as Miami built a 69-54 lead. The Heat shot 53% in the first two quarters before pulling away in the fourth quarter and leading by 27.

Noah Clowney scored 17 points for the Nets, who lost their ninth straight. Ziaire Williams had 16 points and Nolan Traore added 14.

Nets leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. had a miserable night, going 3 for 17 and missing all nine 3-point attempts. He finished with nine points.

Brooklyn hasn’t won since consecutive victories nearly a month ago.

SPURS 131, 76ERS 91

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dylan Harper scored 22 points and Victor Wembanyama needed only 10 to help San Antonio bounce back from its first loss in 12 games and rout Philadelphia.

The Spurs hit 18 3-pointers and wrapped their annual rodeo road trip with a 5-1 record. They had won 11 straight games overall before they lost Sunday to the New York Knicks.

No worries in Philly about a losing streak. San Antonio never trailed and led by 49 points at the end of the third quarter.

Devin Vassell hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points for the Spurs.

Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points for the Sixers. They scored only 11 points total in the third quarter.

THUNDER 116, BULLS 108

CHICAGO (AP) — Jared McCain scored 20 points, Isaiah Joe added 19 and Oklahoma City — playing without star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — beat Chicago.

The defending NBA champion Thunder held out Gilgeous-Alexander to manage an abdominal strain that sidelined him for most of last month. But even without the reigning MVP, they had more than enough to win for the sixth time in seven games. They lead the Western Conference at 48-15.

McCain made four 3-pointers. Aaron Wiggins scored 18 points. Jaylin Williams had 17 points and 16 rebounds. Cason Wallace had 17 points, and Chet Holmgren added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Collin Sexton scored 20 points for Chicago, including a 3 in the closing minute that cut it to 112-106. But the Bulls got back to losing after stopping an 11-game skid with a lopsided win over Milwaukee on Sunday.

Guerschon Yabusele had a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double in 11 games since a trade-deadline deal with New York. The 6-foot-8, 283-pound Frenchman made four 3-pointers.

TIMBERWOLVES 117, GRIZZLIES 110

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 41 points as Minnesota overcame a sluggish first half to beat Memphis.

The Timberwolves, who moved into fourth in the Western Conference over the weekend, have won four in a row and seven of eight. Memphis saw its two-game winning streak end.

Julius Randle added 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolves and Ayo Dosunmu contributed 14 points off the bench.

Jaylen Wells led Memphis with 19 points and Cedric Coward added 15. Memphis went on a 12-2 run to cut it to four points in the final minute but couldn’t complete the rally.

Edwards, fresh off being named Western Conference Player of the Week, took over in the fourth quarter. He scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers, as the Wolves pulled away. It was his ninth 40-point game of the season, and fans serenaded him with “MVP!” chants in the final minute.

Lawal scores 20 in Virginia Tech's 72-63 win over Boston College

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Tobi Lawal scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, Neoklis Avdalas added 15 points and six rebounds, and Virginia Tech got by Boston College, 72-63 on Tuesday night.

Amani Hansberry and Ben Hammond each scored 11 for the Hokies (19-11, 8-9 Atlantic Coast Conference), who improved to 14-3 at home this season.

Virginia Tech led for all but 47 seconds of game time, taking the lead for good on an Avdalas 3-pointer to open the scoring. They led 35-24 at half after a 6-0 BC run brought the lead from 17 to 9.

The Hokies shot 43% from the floor and 46% from deep, while Boston College was 42% and 23% respectively.

The Eagles (10-20, 3-14) cut the lead to as few as six points late with a 9-0 run, but Tech held on to preserve the victory. BC won the glass battle, 36-32, and scored 42 of their points in the paint.

BC was led by Boden Kapke's career-high 25 points along with eight rebounds and Fred Payne's 16 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals. The Eagles lost their second straight game and have dropped nine of their last 10 contests.

Up next

Boston College: hosts Notre Dame on Saturday.

Virginia Tech: visits No. 13 Virginia on Saturday.

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Bill Self ejected from Kansas basketball game at Arizona State

In his team’s first game of March, Bill Self watched Kansas men’s basketball fall behind a middling Arizona State team by seven points in the first half. 

Apparently, he’d seen enough.

The legendary Jayhawks coach was ejected from the matchup against the Sun Devils on Tuesday, March 6 with 6:07 remaining in the first half and No. 15 Kansas trailing, 23-16. ASU went on to upset No. 15 Kansas, 70-60.

Self appeared to be arguing a foul call against freshman phenom Darryn Peterson, which sent Arizona State to the free-throw line with a chance to extend its lead. He was assessed a double technical for his efforts, and Self was ejected.

With Self back in the locker room, the Jayhawks are being led the rest of the game by assistant coach and former Kansas star Jacque Vaughn. Vaughn picked up a technical foul with 43 seconds remaining in the first half.

It is just the third ejection of Self’s head-coaching career, which began in 1993 at Oral Roberts.

After an eight-game win streak appeared to right a frustrating season, Kansas has lost four of its past six games, with each of those losses coming by double-digit points.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Self ejected from Kansas basketball's game at Arizona State

Minus lead scorer Haggerty, McGriff and Johnson help Kansas State hold off West Virginia 65-63

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Khamari McGriff scored 18 points and Nate Johnson scored 16 points and Kansas State delivered another blow to West Virginia's NCAA Tournament hopes holding off the Mountaineers 65-63 on Tuesday night.

Reserve Chance Moore scored 18 points, Brenen Lorient scored 14 points, reserve DJ Thomas 12 and Honor Huff 11 for West Virginia.

It was the first win of the season for the Wildcats in which they didn't score 81-or-more points.

PJ Haggerty, the nation’s third-leading scorer, was unexpectedly scratched from the Wildcats' lineup posted an hour-and-a-half before the 7 p.m. CT tip-off. Haggerty wasn't listed on the team’s initial availability report released Monday.

Kansas State said in a release that Haggerty sustained an injury in practice in recent days. He’s listed day-to-day ahead of Saturday’s matchup at Kansas. Haggerty, the Wildcats’ starting point guard, entered Tuesday night second in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 23.3 points per game.

Despite his absence Kansas State (12-18, 3-14) used a 21-0 run to take a 48-31 lead with 10:53 remaining, its longest scoring run of the season.

But the Wildcats proceeded to leave the door open failing to score a field goal in the final 3:48. McGriff made two free throws for a 57-39 lead with a 7:29 left.

West Virginia (17-13, 8-9) then outscored the Wildcats 19-1 down the stretch and got to with 61-58 with 48 seconds left before McGriff and Johnson each made foul shots to secure the win.

Up next

West Virginia: Wraps up the regular season on Friday against UCF.

Kansas State: Ends the regular season on the road against 14th-ranked state rival Kansas on Saturday.

___

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Winners and Losers: Cavs vs Pistons – Jaylon Tyson plays his role to perfection

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 03: Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons brings the ball up court around Jaylon Tyson #20 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter at Rocket Arena on March 03, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

WINNER – Jaylon Tyson

Earlier this week, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson was asked what the ideal role for Jaylon Tyson is. His response? Defend, rebound, and make open shots.

I’d say Tyson checked all of the above tonight.

Tyson led the Cavs with 22 points on 5-12 three-point shooting. Each of his makes came off the creation of other players, knocking down catch-and-shoot opportunities to punish the defense and reward his teammates. Tyson also played superb defense throughout the night, at times checking Cade Cunningham and helping to “drain his battery,” as Atkinson put it.

As for the rebounding, Tyson only finished with 3 rebounds. But make no mistake, he was fighting for every loose ball and boxing his man to secure defensive stops. All in all, it was everything the Cavs envisioned him doing in a big win over an Eastern Conference rival.

It can be tough for a young player to have their place in the rotation juggled as much as Tyson has recently. But when the details of the job are as clearly defined as they are, it makes it easier for Tyson to slot back into his role on any given night.

LOSER – Injuries

It feels like the Cavs have been bitten by the injury bug all season. They’ve been without key plays throughout the year, including tonight. And as the game went on, they lost another one.

Jarrett Allen left this game in the third quarter with a knee injury. It appeared to be a non-contact injury that happened as Allen was going after a rebound. That’s something no one likes to see. Until we find out more, we won’t know how bad this is. We’re hoping the four days off are enough to get Allen healthy and back on the court.

WINNER – The James Harden Step Back

Everyone is aware of James Harden’s patented step-back jumper. For many of us, that jumper brought nothing but pain for the past decade and a half.

But now that he’s doing it in a Cavs jersey? I have to say, it’s a piece of art.

Harden began this game by slamming on the brakes and nailing a step back jumper. A few minutes later, he turned Ausar Thompson fully around before smacking another three. Finally, he sent Cade Cunningham to Parma with a step-back that brought the crowd to its feet. Harden let that one linger, doing a mini-shimmy before (tragically) missing the attempt.

This wasn’t an efficient game from Harden. In fact, those two step-back jumpers were the only three-point shots he made tonight. But you know what, he made each one count.

WINNER – Hustle

We’ve all heard it. The Cavs are soft and can’t handle intensity. Certainly not against a bruising, physical team like the Pistons.

So, what happened tonight?

Cleveland established an early lead by beating the Pistons to loose balls. They gobbled up second-chance opportunities throughout the first half, setting the tone that they wouldn’t be folding over and taking a big loss on the glass tonight.

The Pistons eventually won the rebounding battle 44-38, but the Cavaliers finished with more offensive rebounds. And they forced Detroit into 13 turnovers behind 7 steals. The tenacity that Cleveland played with made it seem like maybe the difference in perceived toughness won’t matter so much once the ball is actually tossed into the air.

I don’t want to jinx anything, obviously. But this is consecutive games against the Pistons, where physicality was simply not a concern. The Cavs met and passed the test.

Poulin leads PWHL-leading Victoire to 6th straight win, 4- 3 over Sceptres in shootout

TORONTO (AP) — Marie-Philip Poulin scored in regulation and twice in a shootout and the PWHL-leading Montreal Victoire beat the Toronto Sceptres 4-3 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.

Poulin, the Victoire captain, was playing her second game since returning from a knee injury sustained playing for Canada in the Olympics.

After Lina Ljungblom scored early in the third period to give Montreal a 3-2 lead, Jesse Compher tied it with 1:04 left and goalie Raygan Kirk off for an extra frame.

Hayley Scamurra also scored for Montreal, and Sandra Abstreiter made 23 saves.

Maggie Connors and Blayre Turnbull — on her bobblehead night — added goals for Toronto. Kirk made 31 saves.

Up next

Victoire: Host Boston on Sunday, March 15.

Sceptres: Host Minnesota on Sunday.

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Adebayo and Herro lead Heat to 124-98 victory over Nets in the opener of a two-game series

MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo had 23 points, nine rebounds and six steals, and the Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-98 on Tuesday night in the opener of a two-game series.

Tyler Herro added 22 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 20 for the Heat, who won for the fifth time in seven games.

Adebayo and Herro each had 15 points at halftime, while Jaquez and Andrew Wiggins both had 13 as Miami built a 69-54 lead. The Heat shot 53% in the first two quarters before pulling away in the fourth quarter and leading by 27.

Noah Clowney scored 17 points for the Nets, who lost their ninth straight. Ziaire Williams had 16 points and Nolan Traore added 14.

Nets leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. had a miserable night, going 3 for 17 and missing all nine 3-point attempts. He finished with nine points.

Brooklyn hasn't won since consecutive victories nearly a month ago.

Wiggins was scoreless in the second half, playing just 11 minutes and taking two shots.

Up next

The teams play again Thursday night in Miami.

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Roy and Clary lead Oklahoma State over UCF, 111-104 in OT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Roy finished with 27 points, Kanye Clary scored seven of his 23 in overtime and Oklahoma State beat UCF 111-104 on Tuesday night.

Oklahoma State ended the extra period on an 11-4 run and outscored UCF 17-10. Clary hit a 3-pointer and shot 4 of 4 from the line in OT.

The Cowboys (18-12, 6-11 Big 12) have won two of their last three since ending a five-game losing streak. UCF (20-9, 9-8) has lost two straight.

Jaylen Curry and Christian Coleman added 16 points apiece for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys shot 49% (35 of 72) from the floor and 80% (32 of 40) from the free-throw line.

Themus Fulks scored 22 points to lead UCF. Riley Kugel added 18 points.

With 24 seconds remaining left in regulation, Isaiah Coleman's dunk gave Oklahoma State a 94-91 lead. UCF answered with Chris Johnson's 3-pointer to knot it at 94-all with 11 seconds left. The Cowboys had the final possession, but Curry missed a field goal and John Bol blocked Roy's jumper to force the extra period.

UCF built a double-digit lead early in the first half before Oklahoma State used a 21-8 run to tie it 31-all. The Cowboys then closed the half on a 9-4 spurt for a 45-40 halftime advantage. Curry led the Cowboys with 12 first-half points and Kugel scored 11 for the Knights.

Up next

Oklahoma State ends its regular season at home against No. 7 Houston on Saturday.

UCF is at West Virginia on Friday in a regular-season finale.

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Griffen scores 21, Dominguez 17 and Texas A&M tops Kentucky 96-85

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Rylan Griffen and Ruben Dominguez came off the bench to score 21 and 17 points respectively and Texas A&M defeated Kentucky 96-85 on Tuesday night.

With Griffen and Dominguez (who have 48 combined starts) leading the way, the Aggies held a dominant 57-39 advantage in bench points.

Rashaun Agee had 14 points and eight rebounds and Pop Isaacs contributed 12 points, six rebounds and eight assists for Texas A&M (20-10, 10-7 SEC), which had lost six of eight coming in. Zach Clemence had 13 points. He, Griffen and Dominguez combined to make 12 of the Aggies' 13 3-pointers.

Otega Oweh had 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Wildcats (19-11, 10-7), who have lost four of their last six games. Mouhamed Dioubate scored 19 points.

Kentucky led 30-18 with eight minutes left in the first half before Texas A&M took charge. The Aggies had runs of 13-0 and 14-0 while outscoring the Wildcats 27-3 over the final minutes to lead 45-33 at halftime.

Clemence hit three 3s early in the second half and Griffen scored 11 straight Texas A&M points while the Aggies built a 73-52 lead 9 1/2 minutes into the period. Kentucky slowly chipped away at the deficit but it didn't get within single digits until Trent Noah hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 remaining to make it 86-78. Texas A&M wrapped it up with eight free throws in the final minute.

Up next

Kentucky: The Wildcats conclude the regular season with a home game against No. 5 Florida on Saturday.

Texas A&M: The Aggies finish at LSU on Saturday.

The conference tournament runs March 11-15 in Nashville, Tennessee.

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