Category: NBA

We have our Final Four.

After four rounds, 64 teams have been sent home and four remain in the hunt for a national championship. Connecticut, Arizona, Michigan and Illinois are en route to Indianapolis, two wins away from winning it all.

Some of the representatives aren’t much of a surprise, as the top-seeded Wildcats and Wolverines have looked like a tier above the rest of the sport, and anything less than a Final Four appearance would have been a disappointment. The Huskies stunned its away back to a familiar place, and Illinois isn't really a shocker and are far from an underdog after a very successful season, proving worthy of its spot.

IN-DEPTH: How Arizona players' halftime talk ended 25 years of March Madness heartbreak

The results of the weekend not only impacted the championship race, but the sport as a whole. Here are the winners and losers of the Elite Eight:

Winners

UConn’s comeback

A return to the Final Four didn’t seem possible when Connecticut was down 19 points late in the first half against Duke, but did the Huskies respond.

UConn clawed back in the second half, slowly chipping away at the lead before a 7-0 run put it in striking distance with under four minutes left. The Blue Devils couldn’t stop the momentum and Connecticut pulled out a shocking victory, punctuated by Braylon Mullins’ 3-pointer at the final second. UConn outscored Duke 44-28 in the final 20 minutes for its third trip to the Final Four in four seasons.

It was one of the largest comebacks in NCAA Tournament history, and UConn made Duke the first No. 1 seed to lose a game after being up by at least 15 points at halftime in an ending for the ages.

Big Ten

The Big Ten rolls onto the biggest stage with the conference getting two teams into the Final Four with Michigan and Illinois. It’s the first time the conference has accomplished the feat since 2015 and fourth time since 1999.

The tournament has been a Big Ten showcase after seven of its nine teams won their first round game. It put a record four teams in the Elite Eight, and was guaranteed to get at least one Final Four team with the Illinois-Iowa winner, and could’ve had up to three, but two is still a very successful result.

It’s been the winner of every round so far. Now all that’s left is finishing it on top with a 50% shot at a national championship, the first since 2000. It could be sealed with an all-Big Ten title game, very much possible.

Breaking droughts

The 2026 Final Four is more than two decades in the making for Arizona and Illinois, getting back to the final stage after falling short so many times.

Arizona is in the Final Four for the first time since 2001, a relief on the shoulders of the Wildcats after losing all of its past five Elite Eight appearances. They did it in emphatic fashion with a major second half comeback over Purdue to cruise toward a stress-free finish against the Boilermakers. Illinois was able to put away the surprise run against Iowa to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2005, the last time it was close to winning its first national title.

Two successful programs redeemed years of frustrations, and not only have they finally broken through, but they are viable national championship contenders, with Arizona on the verge of its second title and Illinois on the cusp of its biggest accomplishment yet.

Andrej Stojakovic 

Watch out dad, son can definitely hoop, too. The son of Peja, Andrej Stojakovic came up clutch for Illinois, a catalyst for his team surviving and advancing.

Iowa jumped out to a quick double-digit lead, but Stojakovic came in and helped his team recover quickly and eventually win. He made some clutch shots at the end and most importantly, defended Iowa star Bennett Stirtz down the stretch to prevent any late heroics. Even though Keaton Wagler was the star with 25 points, Stojakovic had 17 points and his plus/minus of +19 was the best on the team, proving how vital he was to his team’s success.

The Elite Eight isn’t the only time Stojakovic has come up big in the tournament, but Illinois may have been cooked if he wasn’t the sparkplug he was against the Hawkeyes. His presence keeps his team’s title hopes alive and well.

Losers

Duke chokes

It's another stunning March loss for Duke. The top overall seed looked destined for the Final Four after jumping to a 19-point lead against UConn in the first half.

Then came the second half.

The Blue Devils couldn't stop UConn from rallying at the end, and had the game in its hands in the final seconds, but a shocking turnover turned into a game-winning 3-pointer by the Huskies. UConn outscored Duke 15-5 in the final five minutes. Duke now is the first No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history to lose after leading by at least 15 points at halftime, as they were 134-0 in such instances. The 19-point blown lead is tied for the sixth largest in the tournament.

The shocking loss keeps Duke away from winning its first national championship in the Jon Scheyer era, with the last title in 2015. Its the longest the Blue Devils have gone without a championship this century.

SEC

March doesn’t mean more in the SEC as the conference finishes with a dud to follow its historic past season.

It was going to be hard to follow up two teams in the Final Four en route to a national champion, but the SEC didn’t get close to replicating some of that success. It only got one team in the Elite Eight in Tennessee, and it got blown out by Michigan. The SEC will not be represented in the semifinals for the first time since 2023.

To add insult to injury, the conference did not do well against its fellow Power league in the Big Ten. The SEC went 0-5 vs. Big Ten teams in the tournament, which ended up getting two teams to the Final Four. After an amazing showing in 2025, this one has been a forgettable month in the Southeast.

Lower seeds

Make way for the heavyweights. The 2026 Final Four will feature two No. 1 seeds, a No. 2 and a No. 3 seed, another season of no surprise runs to the semifinals.

While it’s no surprise when the favorites at the start of the tournament ended up making it to the final weekend, it’s exactly what happened last season when we had an all-No. 1 group. This marks back-to-back years where the Final Four doesn’t feature a team seeded No. 4 or lower, which hasn’t happened since a three-year streak from 2007-09.

This year’s tournament had upsets and some magical runs, but none of them reached the final stage. Are even really solid teams going to have trouble winning a region, and are true Cinderellas dead?

Tennessee

Another Elite Eight, another exit for Rocky Top. The Volunteers are left searching again for their first Final Four after getting stopped at the doorstep.

Tennessee’s optimism was quickly wiped out early against Michigan, leading to a 33-point rout in one of the largest blowouts in Elite Eight history. While the Vols have nothing to be ashamed about given it was a good run as a No. 6 seed, it’s the third straight season the Vols were eliminated in the regional final.

Rick Barnes has maintained winning in Knoxville, but after coming up short so often, will Tennessee ever get over the hump? 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elite 8 winners, losers: UConn, Big 10, Duke headline March Madness ups, downs

UConn true freshman Braylon Mullins became a March Madness legend against Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday, March 29.

Mullins' 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left (it was later changed to 0.4 seconds) gave UConn a 73-72 win over the top-seeded Blue Devils, securing a 19-point comeback win for the Huskies in dramatic fashion. He was 3-of-9 shooting and 0-of-4 from 3-point range prior to the shot.

UConn trailed 72-70 with six seconds left with Duke inbounding the ball, but Cayden Boozer's intended pass down the court was deflected and stolen by Silas Demary Jr., resulting in the Huskies' final possession.

REQUIRED READING: Duke vs UConn live updates, Elite 8 game score, highlights

"Just happy to see that (expletive) go in," Mullins said on after the game on the CBS broadcast.

UConn guard Alex Karaban, who holds the NCAA Tournament record for wins with 17 in his career, was held to five points on 2-of-10 shooting. However, the senior showed up when it mattered most, nailing a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left to pull the Huskies within a point.

UConn struggled from 3-point range overall, going 5-of-23 from distance. Starters Alex Karaban, Solo Ball, Braylon Mullins and Silas Demary Jr. combined for 5-of-21 shooting from 3-point range, despite the quartet all being solid shooters this season. Four of those makes came in the final 10 minutes, with the game on the line.

UConn's Tarris Reed Jr., one of the top performers of the entire men's NCAA Tournament, continued his hot streak, scoring a game-high 26 points with nine rebounds in the win. Twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer were also tremendous for Duke, as Cameron scored 27 points with eight rebounds and four assists, whereas Cayden added 15 points, five rebounds and six assists.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UConn vs Duke: Huskies advance to final four behind game-winning shot

March makes heroes. Braylon Mullins, welcome to the pantheon.

The UConn shooter was 0-for-4 from 3-point range in the bra, but the shot that made him 1-for-5 will live on in March Madness lore. Mullins took a pass from Alex Karaban at the logo and heaved it in a 72-70 game. The ball hit the twine and UConn eliminated Duke to get to the Final Four in miraculous fashion.

BRAYLON MULLINS FOR THE LEAD 🤯🤯🤯pic.twitter.com/b0f52hEcyT

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 29, 2026

Duke would be unable to score with the remaining 0.4 seconds, completing UConn's shocking comeback.

The Huskies were battling back all game after trailing by as many as 19 points. It took a Duke turnover on the final possession to give the Huskies a chance, which Mullins capitalized on in spades.

UConn will now take on Illinois in the Final Four, as it strives for its third championship in four years. And Mullins, who played high school ball in Greenfield, Indiana, will be in Indianapolis to try and do it.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Braylon Mullins sends UConn to Final Four with game winner vs Duke

WASHINGTON – For 39 minutes and 59 seconds, it look like Connecticut’s bid for a third national title was going to fall short.

Until freshman guard Braylon Mullins hit one of the great shot in men’s NCAA Tournament history putting the Huskies into the Final Four with a 73-72 defeat of Duke in the championship game history.

The unlikely finish came after Connecticut trailed by as much as 19 in the first half and were down by two with 10 seconds left. Attempting to get a steal, Silas Demery deflected a pass by Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer The ball would wind up in the hands of the Huskies and Mullins would launch a 35-footer that would be for the win.

OH MY GOODNESS 😱

UCONN LEADSSSS UNBELIEVABLE #MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/IPX2JWiw0b

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026

It swished through the basket with 0.4 seconds left, keeping Connecticut's hopes of winning a third national title in four years alive.

The heroics from Mullins were preceded by some key plays by Alex Karaban and Solo Ball, the two regulars remaining from that team won consecutive titles in 2023-24. The duo who are the team’s second- and third-leading scorers, combined for 15 points on 5-of- 21 shooting.  

But their experience was significant down the stretch.

Ball had two baskets and a free throw in a run that Duke’s 9-point lead with five minutes left lead to 67-65

Karaban’s three-pointer with 50 seconds left trimmed the margin to one and set the stage for Mullins’ shot, which came 35 years after Duke’s Christian Lattner hit a similar buzzer-beater in the Elite Eight that knocked Connecticut out of the tournament.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UConn beats Duke in Elite 8 on Braylon Mullins stunning 3-pointer

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Sophie Shirley scored two goals to make a winner of Boston rookie goaltender Amanda Thiele in her PWHL debut, and the Fleet beat the Minnesota Frost 4-2 on Sunday to clinch a spot in the postseason.

Shirley gave Boston (13-5-2-4) two-goal leads in the first and third periods to help the Fleet move five points in front of Montreal and nine ahead of third-place Minnesota (11-3-3-6) with three weeks left in the regular season. All three of her goals this year have come in the last two matches.

Thiele got her first start when Aerin Frankel was given the day off after she posted a league-record three straight shutouts and a scoreless streak of 191 minutes, 1 second. Thiele, a two-time NCAA champion at Ohio State, saved 23 shots. The Fleet’s scoreless stretch reached 211:24 before it ended.

Haley Winn upped her point streak to four straight matches when she scored for the fourth time this season to give Boston a 1-0 lead at 9:11 in the first period. Shirley was in the right spot to redirect a shot with 3:14 left for a two-goal lead.

Lee Stecklein scored for the first time this season just 23 seconds into the second period to cut it to 2-1. Kendall Coyne Schofield, who was activated from long-term injured reserve before the match, snagged her seventh assist. Kelly Pannek added her 11th assist and became the third Frost player to reach 50 career points — 19 goals and 31 assists.

Coyne Schofield and Klára Hymlárová set up Taylor Heise for a point-blank shot in front of the net and Minnesota tied it 2-2 with 10:41 left in the second.

Former Frost center Liz Schepers answered less than two minutes later with her third goal in the last two matches and her career-high fifth this season, scoring unassisted to give Boston a 3-2 lead. Shirley capped the scoring at 5:16 in the third.

Boston is 16-2 when scoring first this season but has whiffed on 29 straight power-play opportunities.

Boston defender Rylind MacKinnon was fined $500 by the league for an incident that ensued in the Fleet's 4-0 victory over the Toronto Sceptres on Friday night.

Up next

Minnesota: Visits the New York Sirens on Wednesday.

Boston: Visits the Vancouver Goldeneyes on April 7.

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

Every Eastern conference matchup is a reminder of the precarity of the Raptors’ place in the playoff race. Tonight’s matchup with the Orlando Magic pits Toronto against a team pushing to get out of Play-In purgatory, as the Raps seek to tack on another win before getting back on the road. 

While Toronto is freed from the risk of falling out of the postseason, the fifth place spot that secures a playoff berth is set to be more hotly contested real estate than a rent controlled unit on Bloor Street. The first four spots occupied by the Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, and Cavaliers, seem all but impossible to dislodge, and represent a massive gulf in season success between them and all other teams in the conference. Orlando is a team that has underperformed this year. Despite a great start to the season, the Magic cooled off fast, and have had a number of hot streaks and cold runs that brought them to a 39-34 record.

While still contending with Franz Wagner’s lingering injury from early this season, the Magic have also been playing without shooting guard Anthony Black, who’s started 40 games this season. Paolo Banchero has been carrying the Magic, putting up some big statistical performances over the past three games. He’s hit thirty points in two losses and a win, most recently, in a victory at home against the Sacramento Kings.  Immanuel Quickley and Jamison Battle both being out signals a heavily depleted reserve of shooting for the Raptors, meaning more minutes and more potential impact from Ja’Kobe Walter, fresh off of an 18 point night where he took 10 threes and made 40% of them, while dishing out four assists. Toronto is lucky to have the guard depth it does in a situation like this, though the loss of firepower is never a good thing in a game that could go either way.

The Raptors have played the Magic twice already this season, beating them in December, while losing the January contest. This is a chance for the Raptors to take the season series, and cement their victory over the Florida squad. This game, and the rest leading to the end of the regular season, represent whether the Raptors will need to fight their way out of the Play-In, or maintain the luxury of a confirmed playoff spot.

Game Information and Detail

Game Time: 6:00 EDT

Watch On: TSN

Injury Report

Raptors: Immanuel Quickley (Out – foot), Jamison Battle (Out), Collin Murray-Boyles (Day-To-Day – back), Brandon Ingram (Day-To-Day – heel), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Day-To-Day – knee)

Magic: Franz Wagner (Out – ankle), Anthony Black (Out – abdomen), Jonathan Isaac (Out – ankle)

Projected Lineups

Raptors: Ja’Kobe Walter, Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl

Magic: Desmond Bane, Tristan da Silva, Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.

We risk looking foolish when we believe we know the contents of a man’s soul, but Dusty May sure seems like one of the good guys.

Nobody could deny he’s become one of college basketball’s premier coaches. He started winning big at Florida Atlantic and kept winning big at Michigan.

May did not start out a “Michigan Man.” He’s an Indiana graduate and a former student manager for Bob Knight.

These past couple of seasons, though, May became Michigan’s man. Its good man. Its winning man. Its man heading to the Final Four, in just his second season, in charge of an incredible team.

Michigan sends message: You don't want to play them

More: At Michigan, Dusty May's son is the student manager his dad once was

“They’ve become such a unit,” May said of his Wolverines, who'll head to Indianapolis with a 35-3 record. “It’s a special group.”

With a special coach.

Michigan must keep this man, too, no matter how badly North Carolina might like to have him.

UNC needs a no-nonsense basketball coach who’ll restore the program to such an elite status that you (mostly) forget all about the embarrassment of Bill Belichick and Tar Heels football.

Well, May has experience in that arena.

May and his basketball team are something fresh, something redeemable, for Michigan after the stench of Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stalions and Wolverines football cheating their way to glory.

May’s success and his team’s dominance helped Michigan provide some distance from the giant stain Sherrone Moore supplied, too.

I’ve seen more than a few pathetic coaches in my time, but I don’t know that I’ll ever see anyone look as pathetic as Moore did, sitting in a white jumpsuit in December, while a prosecutor accused Moore of terrorizing his ex-mistress before police arrested him.

“The football stuff, there's some, obviously, some poor decisions made across the board,” May said last winter, following Moore’s disgraceful exit.

True words.

As for the basketball stuff?

May made sure that corner of Michigan athletics shines a bright light.

Give Michigan credit for one good move these past few years, when it had the good sense to snap up May after his consecutive NCAA bids at FAU.

May's Wolverines left no doubt within the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan crushed four straight opponents and left Tennessee for dust on Sunday, in a win that sends Michigan to the Final Four for the first time since 2018.

If Michigan isn’t the favorite in this Final Four, it’s about as close as it gets.

“We have a sign in our locker room that says April habits,” May said on CBS after Michigan annihilated Tennessee, 95-62. “Since this group got together this summer, we’ve been training to build championship habits.”

May evolves, too. He took FAU to the Final Four with a team fueled by guard play.

This Michigan team, in contrast, bullies opponents and starts a frontcourt that goes like this: 6-9. 6-9. 7-3.

Goodnight.

If North Carolina possessed any doubts as to what it needs out of its next coach, it need only take inspiration from how May straightened out Michigan after the tumultuous Juwan Howard era, the lowlight of which was Howard punching an opposing assistant coach. Just another black eye for Michigan.

May cleaned it all up. He’d be a slam-dunk choice for the Tar Heels, if only he’d leave Michigan.

But, why should he stop being Michigan's man?

May obviously can achieve at the highest level at Michigan, without the pressure that accompanies a blue-blood job.

Anyway, UNC must try for him, and Michigan must promise to give May what he needs to stay put. May is the antidote to the disgraces that occurred within Michigan football. He's become Michigan's main man.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan man Dusty May is just what UNC basketball needs

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Désiré Doué scored a pair of goals and France defeated Colombia 3-1 on Sunday as both teams prepare for the men's World Cup this summer.

Marcus Thuram also scored for the French before an announced crowd of 60,734 at Northwest Stadium, home of the NFL's Washington Commanders.

After starting in France's 2-1 victory over Brazil earlier this week, Kylian Mbappe came in as a substitute in the 78th minute. He remains a goal away from matching France’s all-time goal scoring record, held by Olivier Giroud with 57 goals.

Mbappe was working his way back after a knee injury that has sidelined him in matches for his club team, Real Madrid.

Mbappe and Hugo Ekitike both scored against Brazil on Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Bremer scored a late goal for Brazil.

Les Bleus, the World Cup winners in 1998 and 2018, have not dropped a match since last June and are ranked second in the FIFA rankings.

Colombia, ranked No. 13, was coming off a 2-1 loss to Croatia in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday.

Doué scored in the 29th minute. Marcus Thuram added a goal off a cross from Maghnes Akliouche before halftime.

Doué's second goal came in the 56th with an assists from, Thuram, before Jáminton Campaz closed the gap for Colombia in the 77th.

France opens the World Cup in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 16 against Senegal in Group I. Colombia opens against Uzbekistan in Mexico City in Group K on June 17.

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

CHICAGO (AP) — Joey Wiemer and Keibert Ruiz homered and the Washington Nationals earned a season-opening series win with a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Jake Irvin (1-0) allowed two runs and three hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in five innings and Clayton Beeter, the last of four Washington relievers, worked a clean ninth for his first save. Washington took two of three in the series.

Alex Bregman hit two solo home runs — his first since joining the Cubs as a free agent — and Ian Happ added one.

Brady House and Daylen Lile hit consecutive two-out singles off Shota Imanaga (0-1) in the first and Wiemer followed with his second homer of the season to give Washington a 3-0 lead.

Imanaga also gave up Wiemer’s leadoff triple in the fourth, but stranded him there with three straight outs. Wiemer was 3 for 3 with a walk.

Ruiz added a two-run homer off reliever Hoby Milner in the eighth.

Bregman, who signed a five-year, $175 million contract in January, hit a solo shot to center to start the fourth and Happ added his second of the season two pitches later to make it 3-2.

Bregman added an eighth-inning solo shot to right field off Cionel Pérez.

Imanaga was pulled after walking the leadoff man in the sixth. He gave up six hits and four runs while walking two and striking out seven.

Winnipeg Jets forward Jonathan Toews, who captained the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Up next

Nationals: at Phillies where Washington's Foster Griffin faces Philadelphia's Taijuan Walker on Monday.

Cubs: host Angels. Ryan Johnson starts for Los Angeles against Chicago's Edward Cabrera on Monday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

There’s a certain comedy in the agony for Nets fans right now, and frankly, all fans of tanking teams. There has to be. Otherwise it would really be a brutal watch… assuming you’re still watching.

Typing out this sentence feels wrong, but it’s the reality: the Brooklyn Nets need to lose tonight. And not just tonight — as many times as possible over these final eight games. Up next is a gauntlet of teams trying to accomplish the exact same thing. The Kings tonight. The Wizards next week. Milwaukee twice. The Pacers sandwiched in between. It’s a scramble to the bottom.

There is a strange beauty in it, too. These games still matter, just not in the way we’re used to. There are young professionals on the floor who are competing for future opportunities and contracts. That part is real…

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🏀 KEY INFO

Who: Sacramento Kings (19-56) at Brooklyn Nets (17-57)
When: 6:00 PM ET
Watch: YES Network

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⚠️ Injury Report

Nets

• Egor Demin
• Danny Wolf
• Michael Porter Jr
• Day’ron Sharpe
• Josh Minnott
• Jalen Wilson
• The Nets three two-ways and one 10-day are available.

Kings

• DeMar DeRozan
• Malik Monk
• Russell Westbrook
• Domantas Sabonis
• Zach Lavine
• Keegan Murray
• De’Andre Hunter
• Drew Eubanks

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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.

Two days with no games allowed the Lakers to fully reset as they prepare for the final stretch of the regular season and a playoff run.

They have eight games left, starting with the NBA lottery-bound Washington Wizards at Crypto.com Arena on Monday. The Lakers will play without star guard Luka Doncic because he’s serving his one-game suspension for reaching the league limit of 16 technical fouls.

The Lakers had an early practice Sunday and that gave them a chance to make adjustments with fresh bodies and minds.

Read more:Luka Doncic will serve one-game suspension for techs on Monday

“Yeah, for me, I think, based on all of them wanting to come in at 10 a.m. on a Sunday, I think it is as much mental and spiritual and emotional,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after practice. “We didn't want to have these guys in here long today. But we got a lot done, watched some film and cleaned some stuff up. But there is these two days for us. It's a great reset for us.”

Doncic got his 16th technical foul of the season Friday night during a win over the Brooklyn Nets after an exchange with Ziaire Williams, when both were given double technical fouls in the third quarter of that game.

For Doncic, who earns $45.9 million per season, the suspension will cost him about $264,000.

If he gets two more technical fouls between now and the end of the regular season, he will be automatically suspended for an additional game.

Doncic is eligible to return for the Lakers on Tuesday night when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I mean, he's disappointed,” Redick said of Doncic. “He wants to be there for his teammates, and again, I've talked about this all year, like he plays. He's not a guy that takes games off. He can be banged up and he's gonna play. He was like that when I was his teammate in Dallas. For tomorrow, we've gotten, I think, some great contributions from guys that haven't necessarily been in the nine-man rotation when we've been fully healthy.”

Redick spoke about how Bronny James, Jarred Vanderbilt and Maxi Kleber have all had “good moments” when they were called on for duty.

And with Doncic out, Redick said it will take a group effort to beat the Wizards.

“But we're gonna need everybody tomorrow,” Redick said.

Read more:Swanson: Bronny James has proven he deserves to be a Laker — with or without LeBron

The Wizards have the third-worst record in the NBA at 17-56. They are second to last in the league in points allowed, giving up 124 per game.

Still, this is all about the Lakers and how they get ready for the playoffs during the final few games of the season .

Half of the eight games are against teams with records below .500.

The Lakers will face a Cavaliers team that’s making a push for better positioning in the Eastern Conference. They will twice face an Oklahoma City team that has the best record in the league and a Suns team that has a 3-1 record against the Lakers.

“That's the thing I've talked about all year is you need great effort and you need great execution,” Redick said. “I think the effort part has been there very consistently for weeks now. Sometimes when the games are stacked together and travel and all that, there can be some small details, execution-wise, that can have slippage, and I think for us, especially on the defensive end, we can do some things better. But I mean, look, the last 16 games we are where we are because we've been really good on both ends.”

Etc.

Redick said guard Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) and forward Adou Thiero (left knee soreness) are in “that day-to-day camp” with their injuries.

“So we’re just kind of waiting for them to feel like they’re good enough to go,” Redick said.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

MIAMI (AP) — Owen Caissie hit a walk-off, two-run homer to give the Miami Marlins a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday and complete a sweep of their season-opening series.

Javier Sanoja doubled with two outs in the ninth inning against Rockies reliever Victor Vodnik (0-1) before Caissie drilled a change-up from Vodnik over the wall in right field.

In addition to going deep, Caissie doubled twice and batted 5 for 10 over the three-game set.

Sanoja, Otto López and Xavier Edwards had two hits each for the Marlins. Michael Petersen (1-0) got the win, throwing a perfect ninth.

The Rockies struck quickly against Marlins starter Max Meyer on Jordan Beck’s three-run double in the first.

Miami chipped away at the early deficit when López hit an RBI double in the first and Austin Slater added a sacrifice fly in the second.

Rockies starter José Quintana was lifted after 4 1/3 innings and 78 pitches of two-run ball. Quintana gave up four hits, struck out two and walked four.

The 37-year-old Quintana began his 15th season with Sunday’s outing. Quintana pitched for eight previous clubs before Colorado signed him to a free agent deal in the offseason.

Meyer settled down after the first and kept the Rockies scoreless through the remainder of his five-inning outing. He allowed five hits, struck out five and walked two.

Miami’s Deyvison De Los Santos doubled in his first major league at-bat in the second. De Los Santos was recalled from Triple-A Saturday.

Up next

Rockies: RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (10-10, 4.64 with Baltimore in 2025) makes his Colorado debut in the opener of a three-game set at Toronto on Monday. Four seasons since his last major league appearance, RHP Cody Ponce will start for the Blue Jays.

Marlins: RHP Chris Paddack (5-12, 5.35 in 2025) will start the opener of a three-game home series against the Chicago White Sox on Monday. RHP Davis Martin (7-10, 4.10) will start for the White Sox.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendonitis) and Derrick White (right knee contusion) when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. Those absences will come on the first night of a back-to-back; the Celtics will visit the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

Jayson Tatum, who was listed as questionable with right Achilles repair management, is available, as is Neemias Queta (right thumb sprain). Nikola Vucevic remains out with a right ring finger fracture he suffered on March 6th.

It’s unclear if either Brown’s or White’s injuries are cause for concern

Brown will miss his second straight game with Achilles tendonitis; Joe Mazzulla said on Friday that he was “a little banged up” and day-to-day. White is likely just taking a rest night with the Celtics playing again on Monday, though he previously missed a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this month with the same knee contusion.

With both players sidelined, Baylor Scheierman will likely remain in the starting lineup. Scheierman started on Friday in place of Brown in the win over the Hawks, his 18th start of the season. He’s averaging 4.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 17.9 minutes per game this season, while shooting 38.5% from three.

In addition, Ron Harper Jr. and Jordan Walsh could see increased minutes with the Celtics shorthanded. Harper Jr. started two games last month when Brown was sidelined, while Walsh is coming off his most extensive run in weeks, having tallied 27 minutes on Friday night.

Queta and Luka Garza will continue to anchor the frontcourt with Vucevic sidelined; Garza has played double-digit minutes in 11 straight games after previously falling out of the rotation after the trade deadline.

Celtics-Hornets tips off at 6pm ET.

For the second time in the past four years, and at the second different program, Dusty May is in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

This time around, the end of the path to college basketball’s preeminent event came with a little extra personal meaning.

With May’s Michigan team leading Tennessee 92-62 late in their Elite Eight matchup on Sunday, March 29 in Chicago, his son, Charlie, swished a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:02 to cap off a 95-62 victory.

DUSTY MAY'S SON GETS A BUCKET 🪣

CHARLIE MAY GREEN LIGHT 🚦#MarchMadness@umichbballpic.twitter.com/WDG0C0s02V

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026

REQUIRED READING: Michigan sends message: You don't want to play them

A 6-foot-5 senior, the younger May is in his second season with the Wolverines after transferring over from UCF in 2024 after his father was hired at Michigan. Prior to Sunday’s win, he had scored just four career points and made one career field goal. This season, he has appeared in 18 minutes across seven games.

May’s trey sent the Michigan bench into hysteria, with the team’s biggest stars like Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara celebrating passionately.

“Mayday in Chicago!” CBS play-by-play broadcaster Andrew Catalon said after May splashed the shot.

The win against the Volunteers continued a dominant postseason run for the Wolverines, who have won their four NCAA tournament games by a combined 90 points. Only one of those victories came by fewer than 21 points.

It's the second career Final Four trip for May, who led Florida Atlantic on an improbable run to the national semifinals in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where the Owls lost on a buzzer-beater to eventual national runner-up San Diego State.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dusty May's son swished a 3 to cap off Michigan's Elite 8 win over Tennessee

The book on Jalen Green when he arrived in Phoenix as part of the Kevin Durant deal was simple. Electric scorer, can get anywhere he wants on the floor, can create his own shot at will. The question has always been consistency. Some nights it flows, some nights it disappears, and in his short time with the Phoenix Suns, we have already seen both sides of that coin.

But when he finds it, when he locks into that rhythm, it is something different. It is smooth, it is effortless, it is the kind of scoring that makes you lean forward in your seat a little bit. Against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, he hit that gear.

Jalen Green has the most games in the NBA this season with 30+ PTS & 0 FTA. pic.twitter.com/b2SQWGCwP8

— Real App (@realapp) March 29, 2026

31 points in 22 minutes, and it never felt forced. Threes falling, drives collapsing the defense, mid-range shots dropping in stride. It came from everywhere. That is the version of Jalen Green that reminds you why the ceiling is so high, why the flashes keep you believing, why you keep waiting to see if it can become something more consistent over time.

It is fun to watch. It really is. Because it feels a little different from what we have had in Phoenix for a while. A guard who can create his own shot, get downhill whenever he wants, and do it with real burst and athleticism. You probably have to go back to Gerald Green or Jason Richardson to find that kind of pop out of the two slot, and that is more than a decade ago. Having that on the roster adds something. It bends defenses. It pulls help. It creates space for everyone else because when Jalen Green turns the corner, the defense has to react.

But there is another side to it, and we have already seen it.

That same ability can bring a level of confidence that drifts into tough decisions. Shot selection gets a little loose. The moment can turn into a search for the spectacular instead of the simple. You see it on drives where he has a clean path. Instead of finishing quickly, the ball gets cocked back, the play stretches, and suddenly defenders have time to recover.

And it sounds funny to say, but sometimes you want the layup. Two points is two points. Is this the anti-Ayton argument, isn’t it? I can LO to the L about the thought, but it’s true. With Ayton, we pined for aggression at the basket, begging for a dunk. With Green? Just get the ball through the cylinder. This is not about asking him to be something he is not. It is about channeling what he already does into something more efficient. Finish the play, keep the pressure on, make the defense pay. Because when he does that, when he balances the flash with control, that is when it all starts to come together.

So yeah, there are holes in Jalen Green’s game, but that does not erase the potential he brings. The season is closing fast, and when you look ahead, it feels unlikely that the Phoenix Suns are going to rush into any decisions on a player set to make $36 million next season. This is something you let breathe. You gather more data, you see how the market shapes up, and you give yourself more time to evaluate what you truly have.

The path forward is still there. If he tightens the shot selection, if he finds a little more efficiency, it can unlock something real. The tools are obvious. The flashes are not subtle. It is about refining how and when he uses them.

And in the meantime, there is nothing wrong with enjoying it. Nights like Saturday, when he catches fire and everything opens up, that is part of the experience. That is the version of him that can swing a game, that can tilt momentum, that can carry a team for stretches. You take that for what it is. You appreciate it, you recognize what still needs to come along, and you understand that both can exist at the same time.

That is the story with Jalen Green right now. The peaks are real, the questions remain, and somewhere in between is the player he is still becoming.