Category: NBA

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant hit a go-ahead 18-footer with 7.6 seconds left and the Houston Rockets outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 107-105 on Friday night to move into third place in the crowded Western Conference.

Durant scored 32 points two nights after matching his season low with 11 in a blowout loss at Denver. Against the Pelicans, he was 13 of 24 from the field and had six rebounds and five assists.

Amen Thompson added 23 points for Houston in the opener of five-game homestand. Reed Sheppard scored 18 points, and Jabari Smith Jr. had 16.

Dejounte Murray led New Orleans with 35 points, but stepped out of bounds with the Pelicans up a point with 13 seconds remaining. After Durant put the Rockets ahead, Zion Williamson threw the ball out of bounds, and Durant hit two free throws to put it away.

Murray was 14 of 18 from the field, hitting 4 of 5 3 pointers.

Williamson had 21 points. The Pelicans had won won two straight and three of four.

Up next

Pelicans: Host Dallas on Monday night.

Rockets: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday and Wednesday nights.

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

WASHINGTON D.C. (AP) — Olivia Moultrie scored early in the second half to give the Portland Thorns a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League season opener on Friday night.

It was the first road shutout for the Thorns against the Spirit since 2021. Portland fell to the Spirit 2-0 in the semifinals of the playoffs last season at Audi Field.

Moultrie broke through for the Thorns with her goal in the 52nd minute off a pass from Pietra Tordin. Moultrie broke by defender Tara Rudd and finished with a shot that Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver couldn’t reach.

The Spirit, who went on to play in the NWSL title game last season but fell 1-0 to Gotham, welcomed a sellout crowd of 19,215 for the game.

Trinity Rodman started for the Spirit after signing a three-year deal to return to the team in the offseason. The effort to keep Rodman prompted the NWSL to adopt the “High Impact Player” rule, which allows teams to go up to $1 million over the league's salary cap to sign players who meet certain criteria.

Hal Hershfelt had a shot from distance in the 75th minute hit the cross bar as the Spirit scrambled to equalize. Rodman had a header that popped up and over the goal in the final minutes.

Shortly thereafter, Sophia Wilson, who didn't play for the Thorns last season while on maternity leave, subbed into the game.

Wilson played her first minutes in more than a year in a preseason match against Mexican club Monterrey earlier this month.

There were questions around the Thorns this season after losing midfielder Sam Coffey to Manchester City in the offseason. Portland is also playing under a new coach, Robert Vilahamn, who joined the team for the first time earlier this month.

Andi Sullivan was unavailable for the Spirit with an illness.

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

DALLAS (AP) — Evan Mobley matched his season high with 29 points, Donovan Mitchell had 24 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Dallas Mavericks 138-105 on Friday night in the opener of a home-and-home series.

Mobley had 16 points in the first quarter and was already up to 23 by halftime, the second-highest scoring half of his career. He went 12 for 15 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds while playing just 23 minutes.

James Harden finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who shot 61.5% from the field and were 18 for 38 (47%) from 3-point range.

Cooper Flagg scored 25 points for the Mavericks, who were coming off a victory in Memphis that snapped an eight-game losing streak. Naji Marshall had 17 points.

The Cavs led 38-21 after shooting 60% overall and on 3-pointers in the first quarter. Mitchell then scored 10 points in the second quarter and it was 67-50 at the break, with Mobley 10 for 12. The forward's best half was 28 points on Dec. 7, 2024, against Charlotte.

Mitchell made all five shots and scored 12 more in the Cavs' 41-point third quarter and Cleveland led by 35 in the final period.

Cleveland beat Dallas for the seventh straight time.

Up next

The teams meet Sunday in Cleveland.

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

After a national game letdown, the Cleveland Cavaliers flexed their muscles from start to finish and beat down the Dallas Mavericks 138 to 105. Evan Mobley led the way with 29 points on a very efficient 12-15 shooting, while Donovan Mitchell and James Harden added 24 and 17 points, respectively. The Cavs led by 17 points at halftime, scored 41 points in the third, and led by as many as 35.

This is the type of game that the Cavs should be having against poor teams like the Mavericks. While Cooper Flagg is certainly an exciting player (he finished with 25 points, including 19 in the second half), he is not enough against what should be a championship contender like the Cavs. Dallas has the third-worst offensive rating in the league, are an equally bad three-point shooting team, and to add insult to injury, they inbounded the ball on the wrong side of the court in the third quarter. The better team did what they were supposed to do.

The Cavs set the tone with quality defense in the first half, with seven different players recording a steal and forcing 11 Dallas turnovers in total.

After a disappointing game from Mobley in Orlando, he righted the ship tonight against a Dallas team that really started Marvin Bagley III at center. The Cavs kept feeding him down low, and Mobley delivered with a monster game. Those 29 points tied his season-high, though the free-throw shooting still leaves something to be desired (3-7). As has been the case all season and last season, it comes down to consistency with Mobley in terms of energy on the offensive side of the ball. It is one thing to dominate bad teams, but it’s a new ball game against the best of the best in the league.

In a high-octane third quarter, where the Cavs had a scorching stretch of eight-straight made field goals, Harden showed off his slick handle and shot-making ability. That included draining a long three over Flagg and erasing Naji Marshall with a nasty crossover and comfortably hit the floater.

That’s vintage James Harden right there 🥵 pic.twitter.com/GlqMNayXnV

— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) March 14, 2026

Since coming to Cleveland, Harden has been as advertised, and that was on full display against the Mavs.

Keon Ellis started in place of the injured Sam Merrill, and he produced in his absence. Ellis had 13 points and three rebounds on 5-9 shooting, but it’s the energy that is what makes him so important. Even up 25 points in the third quarter, Ellis was the first player down the floor to defend after he made a three, sprinting after his man. There is endless hustle in Ellis.

The Cavs were able to pull their starters and meaningful bench with just under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, an indication of their dominance all night. Nothing quite like a good old-fashioned beatdown to brighten the spirits. Cleveland will face Dallas once again on Sunday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Tip-off is at 3:30 p.m EST.

Jaden Bradley has made clutch shots for Arizona basketball in the past.

However, the Big 12 Player of the Year delivered one of the biggest shots thus far of March (and of his career) Friday night in an all-time thriller for No. 1 Arizona against No. 7 Iowa State in the Big 12 semifinals. With the ball in his hands in a tied game at 80-80 and time expiring, Bradly drove right, faded, shot, and found the bottom of the net for the buzzer-beating winner to send the Wildcats to Saturday's conference tournament championship game.

HOLY MOLY.

JADEN BRADLEY. GAME WINNER. CATS TO THE 'SHIP.#Big12MBB | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/a9WOAJb9ju

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 14, 2026

REQUIRED READING: Big 12 tournament bracket, scores, updates: Back to hardwood for semifinals

Bradley's shot at the T-Mobile Center came seconds after Tamin Lipsey hit a game-tying 3-pointer in front of the Cyclones bench to allow for the possibility of playing overtime in Kansas City on Friday.

"JB's one of a kind. He's put in the work like I've seen everyone else do on the team. We have the ultimate confidence in him. He won Big 12 Player of the Year for a reason," Bradley's teammate, Anthony Dell'Orso, told ESPN's Rece Davis, Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg after the game.

The Wildcats had to come from behind to win Friday's semifinal, as they trailed the Cyclones 43-37 after the first half. Arizona, which trailed as many as 12 points in the first half, finished the game on a 26-20 run against Iowa State to keep its chances of being a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament alive.

Bradley finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field with seven assists, two steals, two rebounds and a block.

Arizona will face the winner of Houston vs. Kansas in March 14's championship game at 6 p.m. ET.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaden Bradley delivers March moment fro Arizona with buzzer-beater

MIAMI (AP) — Austin Wells hit a walk-off three-run homer in the seventh inning that ended the game under a tournament rout rule, and the Dominican Republic beat South Korea 10-0 Friday night to reach the World Baseball Classic semifinals.

Seeking its second title and first since 2013, the Dominicans play the United States or Canada in a semifinal on Sunday in Miami and will start Luis Severino. The Dominicans are 5-0 in the tournament, have outscored opponents 51-10 while batting .312 and with 14 homers tied the WBC record set by Mexico in 2009.

Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in two runs and has 11 RBIs in the tournament. He is tied for third in a single WBC, trailing only Masataka Yoshida’s 13 for Japan in 2023 and Wladimir Balentien’s 12 for the Netherlands in 2017.

Wells, who entered as a defensive replacement in the top of the seventh, reached down and drove a first-pitch cutter from Hyeong Jun So off the front of the second deck in right. Wells was born in Arizona to a mother is of Dominican descent.

He hit the Dominicans' second walk-off homer of the tournament after Juan Soto's drive that ended a 12-1 group stage win over the Netherlands.

Backed by three runs in the second inning and four in the third, winner Christopher Sánchez struck out eight in five innings of two-hit ball.

South Korea, which lost a semifinal in 2006 and the final in 2009, had been eliminated in the first round three straight times before reaching a quarterfinal this year. The South Koreans had two hits, batted .222 and finished with a 5.91 ERA.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked against loser Hyun Jin Ryu and scored the game's first run from first base with a head-first slide on Junior Caminero’s double into the left-field corner. Julio Rodríguez followed with an RBI groundout and Tatis had a run-scoring single.

Soto scored on Guerrero’s double in a four-run fourth, hooking an arm around catcher Dong Won Park with a head-first slide.

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

President Donald Trump has breathed new life into an old story – that he supposedly intervened during a fight between Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and Jayson Williams, a 9-year NBA veteran, when Bryant and Williams were in New York for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game.

During an interview with Jake Paul published Friday, March 11, Trump said he broke up a fight involving “Kobe.’’

“Kobe was having a hard time with somebody and it worked out fine,’’ Trump said, although he did not mention Williams by name.

Charles Oakley, then a star power forward with the New York Knicks, was on the elevator when Williams, then with the New Jersey Nets, punched Bryant, according to "Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty" – a book by Jeff Pearlman, a New York Times-bestselling author.

The elevator was at the Grand Hyatt in New York, then owned by Trump, according to Pearlman’s book.

Oakley, during a phone interview with USA TODAY Sports, said he doesn’t remember being on the elevator during the reported incident but that he’s heard Williams tell the story of the fight.

“He had told it to some people that I was around,’’ Oakley said. “Jayson, he liked to be a story. He's a storyteller. I told him, 'Jayson, I mean, you 55, 57. You probably told that story 50 times.' ’’

Williams, 58, did not respond to a request for comment by email and did not answer a phone call from USA TODAY Sports. His voicemail box was full.

The altercation reportedly broke out after Bryant got into an elevator occupied by Williams and Oakley, Williams greeted Bryant and then took offense to Bryant's cold replay, according to Pearlman's book, which states that Williams lunged and punched Bryant in the cheek.

"Trump, of all people, grabbed Williams and told Bryant, 'Get out of here. Quickly.' ''

Bryant got off the elevator, according to Pearlman's book.

Bryant died in 2020 during a helicopter crash that also killed his daughter Gianna and seven other people.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump, Kobe Bryant and elevator fight: Charles Oakley responds

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Henry Bolte, Breyson Guedez and Nick Kurtz homered on consecutive pitches from San Diego’s Michael King in the Athletics’ Cactus League game with the Padres on Friday.

Bolte hit a 401-foot, three-run shot to right on an 0-1 pitch from King in the fourth inning. Guedez followed by delivering a 450-foot blast to right on the first pitch he saw from King. The next pitch King threw resulted in a drive that Kurtz sent just over the left-field wall.

The Padres eventually won the game 13-9.

Kurtz is trying to build off an outstanding 2025 season in which he earned AL rookie of the year honors and batted .290 with a .383 on-base percentage, 36 homers and 86 RBIs in 117 games. ___

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

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto star Auston Matthews has a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Keira Hanson scored 23 points, Malia Lenz posted a double-double and Vermont beat Maine 61-43 on Friday night to win a second straight America East Conference championship and earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Hanson sank 9 of 13 shots with three 3-pointers for the top-seeded Catamounts (27-7), who will appear in the main event for the third time in four seasons and the ninth overall. Lenz totaled 13 points and 14 rebounds. Nikola Priede pitched in with 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Jadyn Weltz went 0 for 7 from beyond the arc but finished with 11 points and five assists.

Adrianna Smith had 22 points and 15 rebounds to pace the second-seeded Black Bears (19-13), who were aiming for their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance. Smith made 7 of 18 shots, while her teammates hit 8 of 34.

Lala Woods hit a 3-pointer to give Maine a 9-2 lead with 4:29 left in the first quarter. Hanson sank back-to-back 3-pointers and Priede had the final two baskets in a 12-2 run that gave Vermont a 14-11 lead after one quarter.

Priede's layup extended Vermont's lead to 14 with 3:36 left in the second period. Woods and Asta Blauenfeldt hit 3-pointers for Maine and the Catamounts went scoreless as the Black Bears closed within 29-21 at halftime.

Hanson and Priede had the first two baskets of the third and the Catamounts outscored Maine by nine in the period for a 48-31 advantage heading to the fourth.

The two teams split two games during the regular season with both winning at home.

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We know the season has been a mess for the Memphis Grizzlies, who seemed primed to move on from franchise staple Ja Morant, found out there was no market for him, and instead sold high on Jaren Jackson Jr. But it’s been even worse than you think since Christmas. The Grizzlies are tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the fewest wins since Dec. 26. They excel at nothing, but really struggle with defensive rebounding, last in the NBA, bottom 5 in turnover percentage, bottom five in points off turnovers against, and bottom two in allowing points in the paint. I feel like I’m repeating myself, but this feels like it has the potential to be another big game for Detroit’s big men, just as with the most recent Nets game and the Sixers game.

Tonight, the Pistons will be without Tobias Harris, while Caris LeVert returns. Ausar Thompson remains out. This also feels like a great time to remind fans everywhere, and risk jinxing territory, that the Pistons have the NBA’s best record on the second night of back-to-backs at 8-2.

Game Vitals

When: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -16

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (47-18)

Cade Cunningham, Marcus Sasser, Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren

Memphis Grizzlies (23-42)

Ty Jerome, Cedric Coward, Cam Spencer, Taylor Hendricks, Olivier-Maxence Prosper

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to pick up a win in their first of two-straight games against the Dallas Mavericks.

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!

The Knicks (42*-25) visit the Indiana Pacers (15-51) tonight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. New York is favored by A LOT because Indy has the league’s worst record and generally stinks. Yet do not be fooled by their extensive injury list (Siakam, Nesmith, McConnell, Toppin, and Jackson are all OUT) nor tempted by hubris, Knickerbockers. Coach Rick Carlisle always circles your games on the calendar and prepares for them like it’s a bar exam. The roster might be reduced to Ethan Thompson, a hot dog vendor, and three cheerleaders, but Indy never quits against the Knicks.

Tip-off is 7:30 pm EST on MSG. This is your game thread. This is Indy Cornrows. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Enjoy each other’s company, respectfully. And go Knicks!

* Should be one more, but NBA Cup wins are Russian spies.

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — Madison St. Rose scored 18 points, Fadima Tall had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 23 Princeton routed Brown 65-51 on Friday night in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals.

Princeton (25-3), the No. 1 seed, moves on to play Saturday for the title — after not reaching the championship game last year for the first time in the tournament’s history.

Princeton scored 12 of the opening 15 points of the game to take control. The score was 23-6 after the opening 10 minutes and 36-14 at halftime after Princeton held Brown to 15% shooting (4 for 27). The Tigers shot 50% in the half, including 6 of 11 behind the arc — with 3-pointers from five different players.

Brown made six 3-pointers in the opening six minutes of the third quarter, but its deficit was still 47-32.

Princton made just 2 of 12 field goals in the fourth but held on by making 7 of 10 free throws, while Brown went 2 of 14 from 3-point range.

Ashley Chea added 12 points and Skye Belker scored 11 for Princeton, which outrebounded Brown 46-33.

Grace Arnolie scored 17 points and Olivia Young added 13 for Brown (16-11), the No. 4 seed. Alyssa Moreland, who entered averaging 11.0 points and 10.4 rebounds, played just six minutes due to a leg injury.

Eleven of Brown's 16 field goals were from behind the arc. The Bears shot 29% overall and turned it over 18 times.

Up next

Princeton plays on Saturday against the winner of the other semifinal between Harvard and Columbia. The Tigers have won 21 of its last 23 games — with both losses coming against the Lions.

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

VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain (AP) — Villarreal equalized 1-1 deep in stoppage time and broke the hearts of relegation-threatened Alaves in La Liga on Friday.

The home side seemed destined for a first win in six games and a debut three points for coach Quique Sanchez Flores, who was taking charge at home for the first time since replacing Eduardo Coudet nine days ago.

Alaves had gone ahead in the 40th minute courtesy of an own goal from center back Rafa Marin.

Toni Martínez’s clever backheel from the byline smacked off Marin’s head just four meters from goal and flew past his own goalkeeper.

However, a late equalizer was always a worry for a side that has conceded as many league goals in the last quarter of an hour as they have in the first half of their matches this season.

Sure enough, Nicolas Pépé did the damage with almost the last kick of the game in the seventh minute of added time when he finished off a counterattack by bending a fine shot into the far corner.

Villarreal moved above Atletico Madrid into third place in the table, a point ahead of the capital club.

Alaves remained in 16th place in the 20-team table, three points above the relegation zone.

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