Category: NBA

MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield scored 4:38 into overtime as the Montreal Canadiens edged the Boston Bruins 3-2 in a rivalry matchup Tuesday night.

Caufield tapped a pass from Nick Suzuki into the back of the net for his 40th of the season, becoming the first Canadien to reach the mark since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94.

Suzuki and Josh Anderson also scored while Jakub Dobes made 26 saves for Montreal, which snapped a two-game losing skid.

Brendan Gallagher picked up an assist in his 900th NHL game, all for Montreal.

Pavel Zacha had both goals for Boston, and Jeremy Swayman stopped 28 shots.

The Canadiens sat third in the Atlantic Division and one point ahead of the Bruins — with one game in hand — heading into Tuesday’s games.

Zacha opened the scoring on the power play 2:22 into the first period when he shoveled home a backhand after Alexandre Carrier’s double-minor for high-sticking put the Canadiens on a four-minute penalty kill.

Suzuki replied at 10:30, casually deking to his backhand following a net-front pass from Juraj Slafkovsky to beat Swayman and tie the game.

Five minutes into the second period, Zacha tipped Viktor Arvidsson’s pass for his second of the night after defensive-zone confusion between Montreal’s Lane Hutson and Oliver Kapanen left the Bruins center all alone in front of the net. Anderson evened the score again at 13:15 in the second with a deflection on Hutson’s point shot.

Bruins star winger David Pastrnak extended his point streak against Montreal to 14 games, tying Bobby Orr for the longest by a Bruins player against the Canadiens.

Up next

Bruins: Host Winnipeg on Thursday.

Canadiens: Visit Detroit on Thursday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

TORONTO (AP) — Calum Ritchie had a goal and an assist on a pair of first-period power plays as the New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Brayden Schenn scored his first goal since being acquired from St. Louis ahead of the trade deadline, and Emil Heineman also scored for the Islanders, who have won nine of 12.

Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves for New York, and Mathew Barzal had three assists.

Steven Lorentz scored for Toronto. Joseph Woll stopped 31 shots.

The Leafs fell to 2-1-1 since losing captain Auston Matthews for the season to a knee injury — a run on the heels of an ugly 0-6-2 slide that all but cratered their playoff hopes.

New York's Matthew Schaefer picked up an assist to move within one point of becoming the fourth rookie defenseman in franchise history to reach 50 in a season. The 18-year-old is looking to join Stefan Persson (56 in 1977-78), Denis Potvin (54 in 1973-74) and Vladimir Malakhov (52 in 1992-93).

Schenn scored on the game's first power play at 4:15 of the first. Ritchie doubled New York's lead at 9:43, also with the man advantage.

Toronto entered Tuesday with the NHL’s third-best penalty kill at 83.5%. New York’s power play was 29th at 15.9%.

Up next

Islanders: Visit Ottawa on Thursday.

Maple Leafs: Host Carolina on Friday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Charlie Coyle had a goal and three assists, Danton Heinen scored his 100th career goal and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Mason Marchment, Denton Mateychuk and Mathieu Olivier also scored for Columbus, which has gotten points in a season-high 10-straight games (6-0-4). Cole Sillinger and Adam Fantilli each added two assist, and Jet Greaves stopped 27 shots.

Andrei Svechnikov scored and Brandon Bussi made 25 saves for the Hurricanes.

Marchment scored on a power play 5:25 into the first period, and the Blue Jackets have scored in the opening 10 minutes in 13 of their last 20 games. Coyle added another power-play goal in the final minute of the first.

Svechnikov scored his 25th goal of the season with 5:55 left in the second period before Heinen and Mateychuk scored 34 seconds apart.

Olivier capped the scoring 7:38 into the third period.

Up next

Hurricanes: Host Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Blue Jackets: Host the New York Rangers on Thursday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Orlando Magic 113-108 Tuesday night for their 10th straight win.

Chet Holmgren added 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder and Ajay Mitchell had 16 points, five of them during a mid-fourth quarter run that put the Thunder ahead to stay.

Paolo Banchero had 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for Orlando. Jalen Suggs added 14 points for the Magic, who lost on a second straight night after a seven-game win streak of their own.

Gilgeous-Alexander's record 129th game scoring 20 or more points was accomplished on 14 for 27 shooting and 9 of 11 free throws. He hit 3 of 5 3-point shots, the final one giving the Thunder a 102-96 lead with 3:11 remaining.

His streak of 20-plus point road games, also an NBA record, reached 61 games.

Holmgren scored on three dunks and a midrange jumper while Oklahoma City opened the second quarter on a 19-5 spurt to lead 45-27, the largest lead of the game.

Jevon Carter started Orlando's response with back-to-back 3-pointers, and Banchero opened the third quarter with a scoring burst to put the Magic up by seven points.

Gilgeous-Alexander was on the bench when Mitchell scored inside to lift the Thunder to a 91-90 lead with 8:05 left. He followed with a three-point play and Isaiah Joe added a 3-pointer.

Center Isaiah Hartenstein played his third straight scoreless game for the Thunder, finishing with seven rebounds and eight assists in 16 minutes.

Up next

Thunder: Play at Brooklyn on Wednesday night.

Magic: Play at Charlotte on Thursday night.

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

BOSTON (AP) — Daryl Watts scored her eighth goal of the season with 11:01 left in the third period, Raygan Kirk recorded her second straight shutout, and the Toronto Sceptres beat the Boston Fleet 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Toronto (8-1-5-8) leads the PWHL with 14 points (4-0-2-0) in six games since the Olympic break — the team’s longest point streak of the season.

Boston (9-5-2-4), which sits atop the PWHL standings with 39 points, lost a home game for the first time this season. The Fleet were playing at home for the first time in 48 days.

Watts, who won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2018 with Boston College, cut to the left to create some separation and snuck it through the pads of goaltender Aerin Frankel to open the scoring. Watts also scored two goals in Toronto’s last game at Agganis Arena on March 26, 2025, a 4-2 win over the Fleet.

Blayre Turnbull added an empty netter with 26.5 seconds left after Boston pulled Frankel at 1:20. Turnbull is riding a four-game point streak with three goals and an assist to set a career high with 12 points.

Kirk made 26 saves for the first shutout win on the road in team history. Kirk also stopped 32 shots to shut out the Seattle Torrent 2-0 on Sunday.

Up next

Toronto has more than a week off before hosting Boston on March 27.

The Fleet host Seattle on Saturday and Vancouver on Tuesday before a rematch with the Sceptres.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jalen Duren had 36 points and 12 rebounds for the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, who lost fellow All-Star Cade Cunningham to back spasms in the first half of a 130-117 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

Cunningham was hurt early in the first quarter while diving for a loose ball. He played for a few more minutes before being taken out at the 6:40 mark, and the team said during the second quarter he would not return.

Reserve Daniss Jenkins added 15 points for the Pistons, who have won four of five and sent the Wizards to their 13th straight loss. The teams meet again on Thursday; should Detroit prevail, Washington would equal its 14-game skid from early this season that sent it to a 1-15 start.

Bub Carrington scored a season-high 30 points for the injury-depleted Wizards, who had little-used veteran Anthony Gill in the starting lineup. Rookie Will Riley added 21 points and Justin Champagnie scored 18.

The Wizards have been surprisingly tough against the Pistons this season, with a victory at Detroit on Feb. 5 and an overtime loss in November. Washington kept this one within double digits before Duren gave the Pistons a 78-67 lead midway through the third quarter.

Detroit extended its advantage to 22 points late in the period.

Up next

The teams conclude their season series Thursday at Washington.

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

The first domino in the 2026 NBA Playoffs has fallen.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, the team with the best record in the NBA, became the first squad to clinch a postseason berth Tuesday, March 17 with its 113-108 victory over the Orlando Magic. This marks Oklahoma City’s third consecutive trip to the postseason.

The reigning NBA champions, the Thunder have led the Western Conference wire-to-wire since the start of the season and now sit atop the standings with a 54-15 record, which is 3.5 games ahead of the challenging San Antonio Spurs.

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Oklahoma City, however, has its sight on bigger prizes, as the Thunder have the chance to become the first team to repeat as NBA champions since the Golden State Warriors did so in 2018.

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has carried Oklahoma City this season in the face of several injuries to its other key stars. Forward Jalen Williams, a first-time All-Star last season, has played just 26 of a possible 69 games and continues to be sidelined by a right hamstring strain. Gilgeous-Alexander is once again the odds-on favorite to win MVP and ranks second in the NBA in scoring, entering Tuesday night averaging 31.6 points per game.

In the team’s playoff-clinching game against the Magic, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting and added two assists with five rebounds.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: OKC Thunder clinch 2026 NBA playoff berth with win vs Orlando Magic

Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale were part of truTV's broadcast crew for the second game of Tuesday's First Four in the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament.

Prior to tip-off of NC State vs. Texas, Barkley joined the studio crew that included Jalen Rose, Bruce Pearl and Jamal Mashburn.

Barkley was asked about his favorite for this year's March Madness, which devolved into a stream of consciousness.

March Madness bold predictions: Best upset picks, Final Four sleeper

"This is the Arizona ass-kicking Invitational, and we're accepting all challenges," Barkley said.

"Listen, Michigan has a great team. I love coach (Dusty) May, I think that (LJ Cason) injury might hurt them a little bit. I think the injuries are going to hurt Duke. Now you could have gone back and forth between UConn and Florida, who is at No. 1 seed.

"Obviously I think St. John's got screwed a little bit in the seeding," Barkley added.

"And I'm going to make one thing perfectly clear: Miami Ohio got screwed, too. They should be a higher seed. They went 31-0, and I know my man Bruce Pearl, who I love, disagrees with me. I'm not a big proponent of strength of schedule. It's not their fault everyone in their conference sucks. They only played the schedule they were dealt. They should be in the main draw. And I don't usually root for teams other than Auburn to be honest with you, but I'm rooting for Miami Ohio to advance in this tournament."

Miami plays in Wednesday's First Four against SMU.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Barkley rooting for Miami Ohio, says RedHawks got 'screwed'

WASHINGTON (AP) — Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, a two-time All-Star who is among the leaders in the NBA MVP race, left Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards with back spasms.

The Detroit News reported that Cunningham was injured early in the first quarter while diving for a loose ball. He played for a few more minutes before being taken out at the 6:40 mark.

The team said during the second quarter he would not return.

Cunningham is averaging 25 points, 10 assists and 5.6 rebounds this season. He had six points and two rebounds in 5 minutes, 20 seconds on Tuesday night before leaving the game.

Cunningham has played in 61 games this season. A player must appear in 65 games to qualify for major postseason awards like MVP and All-NBA teams.

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

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Authorities found 2.1 pounds of marijuana in Alabama basketball star Aden Holloway's apartment when they arrested him Monday, according to court records released Tuesday — just below the 2.2-pound threshold for a drug trafficking charge.

Holloway, the No. 2 scorer for the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide, has been suspended indefinitely and is away from the team as it prepares to play Hofstra on Friday in the NCAA Tournament. Among the charges is a count of first-degree marijuana possession, not for personal use, which is a Class C felony and carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $15,000.

Holloway's attorney, Jason Neff, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. But he told ESPN that there is no proof his client was selling the drugs.

Neff told the outlet that it could take 18 months for the case to make its way through the Alabama courts, a process that would jeopardize Holloway's college and possible NBA career.

“He has no criminal history,” Neff said. “If he were to plead out or even go to trial, the judge could give him probation. It is a felony. For a 21-year-old man trying to get through college and get to the NBA, a felony issue could be a major issue long term.”

Agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force said they knocked on the door of an apartment in Tuscaloosa and were met by Holloway, according to a statement by the arresting officer. After entering the residence, they found “loose marijuana” and a vacuum-sealed bag of the drug in the living room, the statement said.

In Holloway’s bedroom, agents say they found more marijuana in a backpack in the closet and also in a suitcase, and a rolling tray with marijuana on it under in the bed. In a spare bedroom, they found a box of marijuana in the closet, according to the court records.

“Holloway stated that he wanted to remain silent, but then stated that he only smokes,” according to the officer’s statement.

The total weight of marijuana found in the apartment was 964 grams, “which is approximately 2.1 pounds,” it states. More than 2.2 pounds can result in a drug trafficking charge under Alabama law.

Holloway was also charged with failure to affix a tax stamp and was released from jail on a $5,000 bond shortly after his arrest. The university said in a statement that he was "removed from campus pending further investigation by the UA Office of Student Conduct.”

Coach Nate Oats said Monday during his weekly radio show that the Crimson Tide were preparing to play without Holloway in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Tampa, Florida. Alabama is the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region.

“We’ve got standards in our program and ways we’ve held our guys accountable,” Oats said.

“We’re certainly disappointed in his behavior,” the coach added “That being said, we still love him. He’s still our guy and we’re helping him get the help that he needs and we’re going to help him in any way that we can.”

Holloway is in his second season at Alabama. He is averaging 16.8 points per game and leads the Crimson Tide in 3-point shooting, hitting 43.1% from behind the arc. Holloway has started 27 of 28 games that he’s played this season. Without him, Alabama (23-9) will be down to nine scholarship players in the NCAA Tournament, where it is a No. 4 seed.

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The Dallas Mavericks (23-46) host the Atlanta Hawks (37-31) on Wednesday in a battle of two teams who faced off just over a week ago. Tipoff at American Airlines Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Hawks took the win over the Mavericks in the teams’ first meeting of the year, 124-112, on Mar. 10 in Atlanta. Klay Thompson shot the lights out in the second half, scoring 18 of his team-high 21 points as Dallas tried to dig itself out of the hole the Mavs dug themselves with yet another slow start. Nickeal Alexander-Walker led all scorers with 29 points for the Hawks in the win, while Jalen Johnson added 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Winning

That win over the Mavs eight days ago was the Hawks’ seventh in a row at the time. They have since rattled off wins over the Brooklyn Nets, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic to extend their current win streak to 10 games entering Wednesday’s contest.

Alexander-Walker is coming off a career-high scoring night in Monday’s 124-112 win over the Magic. The guard in his seventh season out of Virginia Tech scored 41 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including a 9-of-14 night from 30-point range, and grabbed seven boards in the win. Johnson has grabbed 34 rebounds and dished 34 assists in the team’s last three games as well.

So, the same two guys who gave the Mavericks hell the first time around are really going well for Atlanta recently.

Losing

Dallas, meanwhile, is coming off Monday’s demoralizing 129-111 loss at the New Orleans Pelicans. Having reached the point in a long season where losing has become at least an acceptable outcome, it’s hard to envision the Mavericks offering a ton of resistance as the Hawks seek their 11th straight win.

Daniel Gafford is questionable with an illness as of the 6:15 p.m. injury report on Tuesday, and so is Caleb Martin, with plantar fascia soreness. Brandon Williams is doubtful after suffering a blow to the head in Monday’s loss to the Pelicans.

These developments open the door to heavier minutes for guys like recent two-way signee John Poulakidas and longtime Mavericks’ reserve Dwight Powell. The Mavs have won just twice in their last 14 games and currently sport the sixth-worst record in the NBA.

Drawing a blank?

It’s getting tougher and tougher to find a reason to sit through an entire Mavericks game as the 2025-26 season wears on. But, Cooper Flagg has become appointment television once more, with 21 or more points in each of his last three games. P.J. Washington has finally strung together back-to-back good nights, scoring 20 points in Sunday’s 130-120 win at the Cleveland Cavaliers and backing it up with 18 more in Monday’s loss to New Orleans.

Can Flagg work his way back to front-running in the NBA Rookie of the Year race? Can Washington find his groove down the stretch in the small-ball lineups head coach Jason Kidd has employed out of necessity in recent games?

It might be a stretch, but if you squint, sometimes there is still a feint glimmer of something resembling hope for the future with the Mavs starting a rebuild in the face.

How to watch

The Mavericks and the Hawks tip off from American Airlines Center at 7:30 on Monday. The game will be televised locally on KFAA Channel 29, and the stream will be on MavsTV and NBA League Pass where available.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The Lakers have plenty of optionality in the summer since they have very few players on the books for the upcoming season. That flexibility works both ways, however, as players who are not under contract can also walk away from the franchise after this season.

One player whose future is up in the air is LeBron James. He will be an unrestricted free agent, and with his talent still being at an All-Star level, there will undoubtedly be interest in his services in what appears to be a shallow free agency pool.

His future will be a hot-button topic from the moment the Lakers season comes to an end until a decision is made in free agency. As things stand, there is no indication of which way he is leaning, either on whether he’ll play or, if he does, which jersey he’ll be wearing next season.

So, for our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, what does the future hold for LeBron James?

LeBron has a couple of options here. For starters, he could return to LA and continue his longest stint with one franchise and end things here with the Lakers.

President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka has made it clear that he’d like to see LeBron retire here. Figuring out the contract numbers could be tricky, but the Lakers seem to be on board with him coming back if that’s his desire.

The other clear option would be LeBron returning to the Cavs. Cleveland is a contending team and not only could James help them, but it’d be a picture-perfect ending to a historic career.

It’s hard to imagine LeBron starting somewhere else this late into his career, but we know teams have expressed interest in James.

The Warriors had conversations with the Lakers about trading for LeBron. With James as a free agent, they can just talk to him directly and try to convince him to join Steph Curry for one final attempt at a title.

But what if LeBron is happy with the story ending now?

LeBron has consistently stated he is unsure about his future, but his actions certainly indicate this could be it. He was rather emotional after watching the Cavs’ tribute to him during his only game in Cleveland this season.

James can always walk away from the game, and at age 41, having played more years than any NBA player, no one would blink twice if he ended things here.

But what do you think? Share your opinion by voting and letting us know down below!

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

After suffering a scary fall in Sunday’s win over Indiana, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss a significant chunk of time with a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise. The Bucks reported that Antetokounmpo would miss at least one week after undergoing testing. Bucks staff changed his injury designation to out shortly before Tuesday’s primetime clash against Cleveland. Originally designated as questionable due to an ankle sprain, his knee injury marks a big setback as he continues to bounce back from a calf strain that kept him out for an extended period of time.

The injury occurred with roughly 3:50 left in the third quarter of their game against the Pacers. With the teams tied at 81, Giannis spun past Jay Huff off a transition play and finished with the dunk, landing stiffly on his left knee.

Although Giannis played a couple of minutes after the scary fall—albeit gingerly—he checked out of the game with roughly three minutes to go and didn’t return. After the game, Giannis brushed off injury concerns as typical wear and tear.

“I had the conversation with Luke and Tommy, and again, I don’t think anything changed,” Giannis told The Athletic after the win against the Pacers. “I wanted to get back in the game. They looked at me and said, ‘No, it’s not worth it.’ We were up 13, 15. They were like, ‘No, no way, it’s not worth it.‘”

“I’m just going to go back home, sleep, see how I feel tomorrow, try to lift some weights. And if I have a little bit of discomfort, then I’ll go from there. But as of now, I’m not really bothered by it at all.”

With Giannis out, the team faces a bleak future where qualifying for a play-in spot seems far away, but tanking isn’t a viable option. Giannis will likely miss the Bucks’ remaining 15 games, capping an injury-riddled season where he averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in 36 games played.

The Bucks have struggled without Giannis this season, going 11-20 in his absence and suffering despondent losses like their blowout loss to Boston or their struggles against the blatantly tanking Nets. With fellow frontcourt mate Myles Turner also suffering from injuries, the Bucks will look to Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., and Bobby Portis to fill in the missing production. The 28-39 Bucks will continue their season tonight against the 41-27 Cavs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to get back on track as they take on the rudderless Milwaukee Bucks for the fourth and final time this season.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

Go Cavs!

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. and forward Santi Aldama will miss the rest of the season after each had surgery on Tuesday.

Pippen had an operation on his right big toe and Aldama had a procedure and injection to address discomfort in his right knee. The team said both procedures were successful and the players will be ready for next season.

The Grizzlies (23-44) have lost eight straight games and entered Tuesday night nine games back in the race for the final play-in berth in the Western Conference. Star Ja Morant has played in only 20 games this season, missing the last 25 with a left elbow injury.

Pippen had a similar procedure in October and didn’t make his season debut until last month. In 10 games, he averaged 11.4 points.

Aldama was averaging 14 points and 6.7 rebounds this season.

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