Category: NBA

Ninety-nine seconds.

That’s all it took.

Ninety-nine seconds to turn a championship contender into a question mark. Ninety-nine seconds to flip the Lakers from dangerous to delicate.

Ninety-nine seconds to remind everyone how thin the line is between March momentum and April uncertainty.

Because for five weeks, this thing felt real.

A 16-2 stretch. Third place in the Western Conference. Chemistry off the charts. The ball was moving. The defense was rotating, and the belief— that fragile, invisible fuel — filled every corner of the Lakers’ locker room.

But before those 99 seconds could run out, one moment changed everything. 

Luka Doncic had already done his damage for the month — 600 points, a scoring binge that earned him Western Conference Player of the Month just hours before tipoff. He was the engine, the reason this entire Lakers experiment suddenly made sense.

Then late in the first quarter, he drove, stopped on a dime, let two defenders fly past him — and laid it in. But his hand immediately grabbed at his left hamstring.

He stayed in. He limped through the rest of the first half.

At halftime, head coach JJ Redick said the team’s training staff checked the hamstring. They worked on it. He was cleared to return. 

“It was discussed at halftime. I wanted to give those guys about six minutes,” Redick said. “If we didn’t cut into the lead, I was going to pull them.”

Six minutes.

The Lakers were down 32 to the reigning MVP and champions.

The game was already gone — LeBron James said as much after the first seven minutes of the opening quarter that saw the Thunder race out to a 25-9 lead like an F1 car redlining through open asphalt.

---

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

The Lakers on the other hand? They were a broken down Fiat in need of repairs. 

Bad energy. Worse execution. Eight turnovers. Poor transition defense that led to fast break points and second chances for OKC.

“That’s the game right there,” said James after the loss of those first seven minutes. 

Then why was Doncic still on the floor?

Why did Redick allow Doncic to push through the nagging injury when his team was down by as many as 35 points in the first half? Why even risk another six minutes to start the second?

With 7:39 remaining in the third quarter, 99 seconds before Redick said he was going to “pull him,” Doncic drove towards the basket on the left wing, stopped at the elbow, went up for a shot, but instead dropped the ball, grabbed his hamstring again and collapsed on the floor.

He would not return.

Luka Doncic headed to the locker room after appearing to tweak his left hamstring via non contact.

Prayers up for Luka. pic.twitter.com/M3um6xUCbv

— Zero Gravity (@zgsportsmedia) April 3, 2026

That 99 second difference between the injury taking place and when Redick was going to pull him now is the pivot point in a season that 24 hours earlier was full of promise. 

That’s the moment this season may be remembered by.

Because that time didn’t just cost the Lakers a game they were losing by as many as 46 points. It may cost them everything that came before it as well. 

That wave of momentum in March? Gone. 

That 16-2 stretch in their last 18 games, climbing from play-in purgatory to third place now feels like a mirage.

Their once-assumed home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs? Suddenly unstable.

The Lakers entered the night in sole possession of third, holding tiebreakers, controlling their destiny. Stay the course, and you’re hosting a first-round series against a manageable opponent.

But without Doncic? That floor collapses.

Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. All in play now. And with it, a potential first-round date with the Denver Nuggets — the worst possible matchup — and no home court to soften the blow.

And the ripples don’t stop there.

The MVP race? It’s over now. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was already the frontrunner, but Doncic had surged — from 100-1 odds to 20-1 in a week, closing ground with five games left, including another head-to-head against OKC. A strong finish, and the conversation changes entirely. 

But now? It’s finished.

Even worse for Doncic? The math is cruel now based on an atrocious NBA rule.

Doncic will undergo an MRI on Friday that will determine the severity of the hamstring injury, and with it just how dire the Lakers future looks.

A Grade 1 strain is 1-3 weeks. A Grade 2 strain is 3-6 weeks. A Grade 3 strain is unimaginable. Season over. 

Regardless of the outcome, Doncic is done for the remainder of the regular season.

He ends it with 64 total games played. One short of the league’s 65-game threshold to be eligible for major postseason awards like MVP, All-NBA, and All-Defensive teams.

For Doncic, that means no chance at MVP. No All-NBA First Team. No hardware. And more importantly, no financial escalators tied to those honors. 

All of that hinged on 99 seconds. 

And here’s the part that lingers, like a line you wish you could rewrite as you type it. 

Two nights earlier, after beating Cleveland, Doncic was asked if he’d prefer to fast-forward to the postseason and skip the final stretch because everything was clicking for the Lakers. He was in the best scoring flow of his illustrious career, and the team did not need to risk injuries with six games left. 

“No,” he said matter of factly.  “We need some rest. We need to rest after the season, so I don’t want them to start now.”

The irony cuts clean.

Because now, rest is coming. Whether the Lakers can afford it or not.

Another important question to ask, is even if Doncic does return for the playoffs in exactly two weeks, what version of him will we see?

A compromised engine in a playoff race demands perfection. To play at the highest level it involves sprinting, cutting, stopping, absorbing contact. One misstep and Doncic reaggravates the injury. There’s no margin left. 

Which brings us back to the beginning.

Ninety-nine seconds.

That’s all it took.

Not to lose a game that’s outcome was already decided.

But to potentially lose a once-in-a-generation player because of it, that now puts the entire season waiting on the results of an MRI. That verdict will echo far louder than anything that happened on the scoreboard in OKC. 

Ninety-nine seconds.

The Golden State Warriors are reportedly getting back their superstar this weekend with Stephen Curry set to return Sunday for their game against the Houston Rockets.

Curry is expected to be cleared to play, according to ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, after missing more than two months – 27 consecutive games – due to a persistent knee injury.

Curry has averaged 27.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 39 games played this season, while shooting 46.8% from the field, 39.1% on 3-pointers and 93.1% on free throws.

The Warriors have posted a 9-18 record in those 27 games without Curry, including back-to-back home losses against the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers on April 1 and 2, respectively.

LUKA DONCIC: How injury impacts Lakers' NBA playoff scenarios

Prior to the Warriors' April 2 game against Cleveland, the team had a scrimmage which Curry participated in. Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters before the Warriors-Cavaliers game that Curry looked liked himself during the action.

"Everything went well. Yeah, he looked good," Kerr told reporters. "He’s pretty good. He looks like Steph Curry."

The Warriors have suffered a number of injuries in the 2025-26 season. So it's no question that getting their superstar and leader back would be huge, not just for the gameplay on court, but to the team morale, as well, Kerr said.

"Yeah, I mean he brings hope to a tough situation," Kerr told reporters. "I thought [Spurs'] game, we were never really in the game, but the guys fought, they competed, they stayed with it until the end. The vibe was good. When Steph’s around, the vibe tends to be better. It’s definitely better right now so hopefully we’ll have another good effort tonight and he’ll be on the sidelines cheering. We’ll see how it goes the next couple of days but we’re obviously dying to get him back.”

NBA PLAYOFF BRACKET: Where teams stand, who can clinch berths today

Warriors' playoff race

Curry's return in just in time to get back into basketball shape for the post season.

The Warriors are set to play in the NBA Play-In Tournament, as the won't be able to catch the Western Conference's No. 6 seed before the regular season ends. The Warriors (36-41) are currently the No. 10 seed in the West and have five games remaining before the postseason begins Tuesday, April 14.

Atop them, by three games, are the Los Angeles Clippers (39-38) at the No. 9-slot. The Portland Trail Blazers are 40-38, a half game above the Clippers at No. 8.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steph Curry injury update: Warriors star expected to return vs Rockets

DALLAS — Lakers star Luka Doncic will be sidelined for the rest of the regular season because of Grade 2 left hamstring injury he suffered during Thursday’s road loss to the Thunder, the team announced on Friday after Doncic received an MRI.

Even though the Lakers didn’t provide an official timeline for when Doncic is expected to return to the court or be reevaluated, he will also likely miss the start of the playoffs, which start on April 18.

Grade 2 hamstring strains typically come with a recovery timeline of 3-6 weeks. InStreetClothes, which is an NBA injury database ran by certified athletic trainer Jeff Stotts, stated that the average time lost for type of injury Doncic suffered is about 35 days.

The Lakers, who are 50-27 and at third place in the Western Conference standings, already clinched a playoff spot and will bypass the play-in tournament (April 14-17) for the second straight season.

Three weeks from when Doncic suffered the hamstring injury is April 23, which would be around Games 3 or 4 of the Lakers’ first-round playoff matchup.

A timeline closer to 35 days, let alone six weeks, would likely take Doncic out of the Lakers’ entire first-round playoff series, even if it lasted seven games.

Doncic left during the third quarter of the Lakers’ blowout loss to the Thunder after suffering the hamstring injury drive attempt against Thunder wing Jalen Williams.

He was hobbling and limping to stay off his left leg before laying down underneath the basket by the Thunders’ bench, with coach JJ Redick calling timeout to sub Doncic out of the game.

“At this point, at this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” LeBron James said after Thursday’s game. “Anybody on our team, but when you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want to see is somebody go down with a hamstring injury.”

Doncic was on the injury report because of left hamstring soreness before the March 27 home win over the Nets, but played after being listed as questionable, scoring 41 points in 39 minutes to lead the Lakers to a victory.

---

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

Lakers say Luka Dončić has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be out for the remainder of the regular season.

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) April 3, 2026

He sat out of Monday’s win over the Wizards, serving his one-game suspension because of an accumulation of technical fouls after picking up his 16th of the season against the Nets, before having 42 points in Tuesday’s home win over the Cavaliers.

Doncic sat out of the Lakers’ last four games leading into the All-Star break because of a left hamstring strain.

He appeared to injure the left hamstring in the first half but tried to play through.

Doncic was seen grabbing at his hamstring after making a layup late in the first quarter, and again late in the second quarter after driving and passing to Luke Kennard.

“We checked him out,” Redick said on Thursday. “He got work done. He was cleared. I mean, again, we’re not going to put a player at risk. Those things happen.”

Doncic walked off the court under his own power before going back to the locker room.

“You wish for the best,” Austin Reaves said on Thursday. “Obviously, you don’t want to see anybody get hurt. But you hold on to some faith for the best news possible. I’ve gotten to know him the last year and a half. He’s a competitor, so he’ll do all he can do to put himself in a position to come back when he can.”

Observations after Sixers find another gear in 2nd half to top Timberwolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers roared into a higher gear in the second half to surge past the Timberwolves and earn a 115-103 win Friday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. 

The win ensured the Sixers stayed in sixth place (and out of the play-in tournament places) in the Eastern Conference standings. At the final buzzer, the seventh-seeded Raptors held an 18-point halftime lead over the Grizzlies. Toronto would join the Sixers at 43-34 with a victory. 

Paul George’s 23 points led the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 21 apiece.

Joel Embiid had 19 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Bones Hyland and Julius Randle each posted 21 points for the T-Wolves, who fell to 46-31.

The Sixers will conclude their back-to-back by hosting the Pistons on Saturday night. Here are observations their win over Minnesota:

Exemplary Barlow start 

VJ Edgecombe scored the game’s first basket with a slick fadeaway jumper. George put the Sixers up 5-1 when he swished a three-pointer after Dominick Barlow grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out. 

Barlow had an excellent, typically scrappy opening stint that included three offensive boards, four defensive rebounds, five points on 2-for-3 shooting and sturdy defensive work against Julius Randle. Not that Sixers head coach Nick Nurse needs it, but Barlow provided further evidence Friday that he’s a viable starting option in the postseason. 

Embiid was back in the Sixers’ starting lineup after missing the team’s victory Wednesday over the Wizards with an illness. He didn’t look anywhere near his peak level at the start of the game. 

The Sixers’ star big man was slow to run up the floor and join the offense a couple of times in the first quarter. He began 0 for 4 from the floor, had a three-point attempt blocked by Naz Reid and turned the ball over on a casual first-quarter outlet pass. 

Bones brings it 

The Timberwolves started 4 for 26 from the field and 1 for 13 from three-point range.

Minnesota only mustered 17 points in the first quarter … and trailed by just two entering the second. Not the finest quarter for either offense.

Hyland gave the T-Wolves a serious spark in the second quarter. 

A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Hyland had gleeful reactions to just about every positive play. He made three long-range jumpers in the second quarter, helped Minnesota build a lead as high as nine points, and posted a team-high 14 in the first half. Hyland’s outing brought back memories of his 21-point performance as a rookie in the Nuggets’ March 2022 win over the Sixers. 

Meanwhile, Embiid shot 1 for 10 from the floor in the first half and the Sixers went 2 for 13 beyond the arc.

Embiid-Drummond pair does the trick

George was by far the most productive Sixer in the first half. 

He did much of his damage before halftime as an aggressive driver. George reached double-digit free throw attempts early in the third quarter. He took a season-high 10 foul shots in the game and made eight. 

Embiid hit a mid-range shot on his first attempt of the second half. The Sixers gained momentum during a stretch in which T-Wolves superstar Anthony Edwards missed a wide-open dunk. Embiid’s jumper cut the Sixers’ deficit to one point and a fast-break Edgecombe jam pushed the team into the lead. 

Fatigue was surely a factor on the second night of a back-to-back for the Timberwolves, who had an eight-man rotation until Terrence Shannon Jr. subbed in late in the third quarter.

Nurse’s fourth man off the bench was quite surprising. 

Andre Drummond subbed in with 2:04 to go in the third quarter and played next to Embiid. The Drummond-Embiid frontcourt minutes went extremely well for the Sixers. Two Quentin Grimes fast-break layups gave the Sixers an 83-71 lead. Drummond didn’t drain threes or make tons of highlight plays, but he was solid on both ends of the floor. The veteran big man ended up with four points and six rebounds in nine minutes.

Nurse had hinted pregame at still having a few rotation ideas he wanted to explore before the postseason. Perhaps Drummond-Embiid minutes were one of them.

The Sixers expanded their lead early in the fourth quarter with Embiid and Maxey on the bench. George drilled two threes to extend their advantage to 99-82.

The Maxey-Embiid duo subbed back in with a little under five minutes left and the Sixers holding a 14-point lead. Minnesota hung around, but the Sixers ultimately secured a winning start to their back-to-back without much late-game drama. Oubre canned a pair of threes down the stretch to ice the win.

On the second night of a back-to-back, the San Antonio Spurs waltzed into Los Angeles and beat a potential first-round playoff opponent. The Spurs beat the Clippers 118-99 without their star player, Victor Wembanyama.

Instead, the team was led by its trio of guards. De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper have been playing great basketball with and without Wembanyama this season. The trio is one of the big reasons the team is -170 to make the Western Conference Finals on FanDuel. They’ll headline our player grades for the win over the Clippers.

As a quick reminder, these grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.

Stephon Castle

33 minutes, 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8-for-15 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, +5

Castle went head-to-head with Kawhi Leonard and won. Leonard finished with more points, 24 of them, but Castle won the game and looked comfortable in the matchup. Leonard scored more when Castle wasn’t guarding him, and Castle was still able to score efficiently against one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders. He knocked down threes and hit mid-range jumpers. When those shots are falling, he becomes really hard to guard.

The sophomore guard had a few bad turnovers as the Clippers made a run, but other than that, he was a real leader in the Spurs’ win.

Grade: A-

De’Aaron Fox

29 minutes, 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 9-for-13 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, +24

Fox always seems to turn it on when Wembanyama misses a game. He’s more assertive with the ball in his hands and takes more chances shooting around the rim. Not only did Fox lead the team in scoring, but he was a catalyst on the defensive end, getting into the opposing ball-handlers’ space and racking up 2 steals. One was a clutch interception as the Clippers threatened to cut the lead to single digits.

Fox is a stabilizing force and a leader for the team. Thursday night was an example of how his impact could be felt in a playoff series.

Grade: A

Dylan Harper

25 minutes, 19 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8-for-12 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, +11

Harper was locked in after struggling a bit against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. As the Clippers started to come back in the third quarter, Harper shut things down with some emphatic offensive plays. He also hit one of the craziest shots of the season before halftime, catching the ball with just a second left and heaving a half-court shot that swished in.

This was one of those games where it felt like Harper could get to the rim whenever he wanted to. The Clippers were too small on the perimeter to handle him. He was a big reason the Spurs outscored Los Angeles 66-56 in the paint.

Grade: A-

Julian Champagnie

28 minutes, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 5-for-13 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, +17

One thing that will eventually separate Champagnie from other 3&D wings in the NBA is his ability to attack a closeout. Champagnie did most of his damage inside the arc on Thursday. He struggled to hit threes, but got to the rim and scored fairly efficiently. He continues to be one of the best rebounders on the team and had an effective defensive game against LA.

Grade: B

Luke Kornet

25 minutes, 8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 foul, 2-for-3 shooting, +14

Was that Luke Kornet or baby Jokic out there on Thursday? Kornet was about halfway to a triple-double as he filled in for Wembanyama. He logged 5 assists and had some savvy plays on the offensive glass. It’s so jarring to see even an above-average rim protector replace Wembanyama. You expect every shot to be impacted, but it’s just not the reality for big men who aren’t a once-in-a-generation defender. Still, Kornet had a solid defensive game protecting the paint.

Grade: B

Devin Vassell

29 minutes, 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 foul, 5-for-12 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, +4

Devin Vassell double-double alert! With rebounds, no less! Vassell looked much more comfortable offensively, knocking down three triples. He grabbed two offensive rebounds as the Spurs pounded the Clippers on the glass 48-38.

Grade: B+

Harrison Barnes

21 minutes, 3 points, 2 assists, 1 block, 1-for-2 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, +11

Barnes was quiet but effective on Thursday. The team didn’t struggle when he was on the floor, but he didn’t make a big impact either. You love to see him knock down a three-pointer. The pressure is now on Barnes, though. He is the eighth Spurs player to average double-digits, and he now sits at 10 exactly. We’ll need to see some double-digit performances in the next five games if San Antonio wants to break the record.

Grade: C+

Keldon Johnson

27 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 6-for-11 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, +18

KJ also got the Kawhi assignment on Thursday. He did a good job being physical with the Clippers wing, but wasn’t necessarily the Kawhi stopper. Offensively, he was great at getting to the rim and scoring inside. In other words, it was a typical performance from Johnson.

Grade: B

Carter Bryant

10 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1-for-3 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, -7

The small-ball center lineup with Bryant was not as effective as it was against Golden State. He made some silly mistakes, including a bad turnover in the first quarter. He did have a great put-back after streaking to the basket on a missed shot.

Grade: C

Kelly Olynyk

3 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0-for-1 shooting, +/- 0

Olynyk got to play a bit in garbage time. He grabbed a few boards and missed a deep shot. Olynyk also did the classic move of holding the ball until the buzzer sounded, and then taking a shot to not rub it in the other team’s face. He missed that shot, too.

Grade: Incomplete

Harrison Ingram

3 minutes, 2 points, 1 turnover, 1-for-1 shooting, +/- 0

It was nice to see Ingram get rewarded for his time in the G League. The sophomore has been crushing it in Austin. He had a nice driving layup in garbage time. Maybe we’ll see more of Ingram on next year’s team.

Grade: Incomplete

Bismack Biyombo

3 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 foul, +/- 0

The most Biyombo stat line of all time: 1 rebound, 1 foul. Enough said.

Grade: Incomplete

Jordan McLaughlin

4 minutes, 2 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1-for-2 shooting, -2

I love McLaughlin. He’s such a steady fourth guard. He hit a nice-looking floater but couldn’t convert on his second in garbage time.

Grade: Incomplete

Monday’s Inactives: Victor Wembanyama, David Jones-Garcia, Emanuel Miller

MADRID (AP) — Rayo Vallecano left it late to beat 10-man Elche 1-0 and record its first La Liga win for almost a month on Friday.

The Madrid-based club had not picked up three points since beating bottom side Oviedo on March 4 but returned to winning ways thanks to a second-half goal from Randy Nteka.

It was helped by the dismissal of Elche’s Pedro Bigas six minutes before halftime.

The veteran center half was booked midway through the first half and picked up a second yellow for a high challenge and was shown a red card.

Pedro Díaz hit the post in the second half and Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro made smart saves but Nteka got on the end of a nice cross from Álvaro García with 16 minutes remaining to give the home side the win.

It was the Angola international’s first goal of the season and a vital one for Rayo, which climbed two places into 12th.

Elche remained in 17th spot, one place above the relegation zone.

___

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

INDIANAPOLIS – Rodney Tention couldn’t help but notice the similarities.

The former Arizona assistant returned to Tucson in February to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the program’s last Final Four team, and during the trip, coach Tommy Lloyd invited the group to practice.

“It reminded us of the group that we had,” Tention told USA TODAY Sports.

That sentiment continued to resonate the more they were around the 2025-26 team. The alumni watched them play, talked to them and importantly, got to see how they interact in a locker room. Everything was so similar to the 2000-01 team, they couldn’t help but let Lloyd know.

“We all said it,” Tention said. “I think this is the group that can break through.”

Sticking around: Tommy Lloyd staying at Arizona, won't take UNC coach job

Arizona vs Michigan predictions: Who will win in Final Four, play for national title?

How right they were. This year's group was, in fact, the one to break through. 

Arizona is back to the Final Four for the first time since that 2001 team. It ended decades of heartbreak for a program that had proven its relevancy, but couldn’t punctuate it with the most sought destination in the sport. 

It felt like there was a hex over the Wildcats. Despite having loaded teams capable of reaching the Final Four, they just didn't. NBA All-Stars and champions like Andre Iguodala, Aaron Gordon and Channing Frye. High draft picks like Deandre Ayton and Derrick Williams to name a few. They all contributed to Arizona having the sixth-most wins since 2003.

So, what was wrong? Those that have witnessed all those teams try to get back to the Final Four said they just got unlucky.

“It's hard,” Tention said. “At some point you've got to have a little bit of luck on your way. That's all to it. Balls just got to bounce your way on that one certain day.”

The Wildcats surely had some things go wrong. A 15-point blown lead against Illinois in 2005, running into scorching Kemba Walker in 2011 and tough battles against Wisconsin in 2014 and 2015 are just some of those moments.

All of those games are some March Madness classics, just on the wrong side of history.

“You have shots and moments that happened that you're just a part of basketball history,” said 2001 starter Richard Jefferson. “There was never any, ‘Oh, there's some sort of issue.’ It was just like, ‘Yo, we just had a stretch where certain things haven't gone our way.’”

When asked how the 2001 team made the Final Four, members all had the same message: It was a deep rotation that didn’t try to play hero ball, but emphasized defense. A well-rounded, oiled machine.

It’s easy to forget how stacked that 2001 team was. Jefferson, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Gardner, Michael Wright and Loren Woods were starters while Luke Walton came off the bench. A loaded team that very much resembles the current iteration. 

Both teams were in the top 15 in scoring, defensive field goal percentage and rebound margin. Being high percentage shooters helped each unit be in the top five in scoring margin.

The similarities don’t end there. That team had six players who averaged 20 minutes per game, this one has seven. Five guys who averaged double figure scoring, so does this season’s. 

“I don't really think they really care who gets the points in the game,” Tention said. “That's what makes them so dangerous. You don't know who you gameplan against.”

No one may know that better than Jason Gardner, a sophomore guard on the 2001 team and now director of player relations for the Wildcats. He said the mixture of upperclassman leadership and talented freshmen create the special sauce, and they brought the intensity that was needed.

“I definitely think we're a little bit more physical than maybe we have been in the past and I think it's kind of really helped us kind of carry over this year,” Gardner said.

Jefferson notices comparisons in some of the guys he played with, notably with Jaden Bradley, who reminds him of standout Jason Terry from the 1997 national title team.

He also loves Koa Peat, an Arizona kid that knows what the program means to the state and decided to stay home.

It’s not lost on this year’s team the road was paved by those successful squads in the late 20th century, built on the legacy of Lute Olson. Former players and coaches said Lloyd has made an effort to involve them in the program, allowing them to watch and interact with the team so they can truly understand what it means to “Bear Down.”

“It's really important that we include those guys in everything and they feel like owners of our program because they are owners. They're 100% owners and they're great dudes,” Lloyd said. “It's been one of the coolest things for me to experience: developing relationships with them and having them tell me their stories because their stories are Arizona basketball stories.”

That’s why after Arizona defeated Purdue in the Elite Eight to punch their ticket to Indianapolis, Lloyd shouted out Olson to the large fan presence in San Jose, and why he mentioned postgame how his job was set up to succeed because of those building blocks.

“It's really pretty gratifying, to be honest,” said Jim Rosborough, Olson’s right-hand man who spent 27 seasons with him, including 18 at Arizona. “(Lloyd’s) been one to recognize what went on before him, that he's not the inventor of the wheel, but he's kind of kept the wheel turning.”

All of it makes for one of the most highly anticipated weekends in recent memory. For as large of a brand as Arizona is, Tucson prides itself on a small-town vibe that rallies around its program.

“People live and die with Wildcat sports,” Tention said. Look at how the reception when the team arrived back home in the wee hours after winning the West Region, taking over the local airport. It actually goes beyond Pima County, as Rosborough mentioned, “it's hard to be in the state of Arizona and not know about this team,” and it doesn’t get much bigger than this.

“To bring this back to the city of something that we were so close numerous times, I think is awesome,” Gardner added.

However, Jefferson sees the 2026 Final Four as more than just for the community and state. Not only did Arizona break the 25-year drought and is going for its second national championship in program history, but it’s also trying to break a drought out West. The 1997 title team is the last from the West Coast to win it all.

“We are in a position where we're carrying an entire Mid-West-West Coast,” Jefferson said. “They really have half of the country that wants to prove that UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, all of these schools that have been dominant over years, can still win a national championship.”

You’d be a fool to think Arizona is satisfied with just making the Final Four again. This team has its eyes set on cutting down those nets inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

“It's not like where it feels like we're back on the mountaintop. It just feels like we have performed up to our standard in the biggest moment,” Jefferson said. “Arizona is not one of those schools that's like, ‘Hey, we made it to the Final Four. We're lucky. We're happy.’ No, we're one of those schools that say, ‘Hey, we're proud of you, we're proud of ourselves, we're proud of what you guys have done. Now go finish the job.’”

If that happens, you can bet all of Tucson will be shut down, all the way from Flowing Wells to Saguaro National Park, with fans crazed like the javelinas that roam the desert. If it doesn’t happen, it will still be a celebrated squad that will live in Wildcat lore as the ones that finally got Arizona back where it belongs.

Like the teams before them laid the blueprint, the Wildcats hope this one remodels for another reign in the Sonoran Desert.

“Arizona is one of the strongest brands in all of collegiate sports,” Jefferson said. “At the same point in time, they're awake right now.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arizona basketball's last Final Four team enjoying this year's run to Indy

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

DALLAS (AP) — The home arena of the Dallas Stars has launched an investigation into a video that apparently shows four fans celebrating a goal with a Nazi salute.

A spokesperson for the American Airlines Center told WFAA-TV in Dallas that the arena has “zero tolerance for any acts of hate and/or discrimination.”

“We strongly denounce the actions that appear to be depicted in the video footage and are conducting an internal investigation,” the spokesperson said. “All fans and attendees are expected to adhere to AAC and, as applicable, NBA or NHL Codes of Conduct when attending events.”

A Stars fan, Courtney Ripley, told the television station she took a 12-second video at a game against Toronto in late December. It shows four fans reacting to a goal by appearing to raise and extend their right arms with a straightened right hand facing downward. The video gained traction this week on several social media platforms.

A Stars spokesperson told ESPN on Thursday that the team is “fully aligned with the arena’s statement and working with them to find out exactly what happened.”

Fan codes of conduct are prominent throughout the NHL. Every team has a scripted segment that is shared on their video boards, through their public address system or both, telling fans about their respective codes of conduct.

The NHL also has a multipoint fan code of conduct that opens by stating, “The best hockey experiences happen in environments that are inclusive, safe and respectful.”

The NHL said possible punishments for violating the code of conduct include ejection, suspension or a lifetime ban from future events.

___

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

PARIS (AP) — Ousmane Dembélé scored twice in the first half as Paris Saint-Germain beat Toulouse 3-1 and increased its lead of Ligue 1 to four points on Friday.

The game was brought forward to give PSG more recovery time ahead of next Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal with Liverpool at the Parc des Princes.

PSG came into the match having scored 12 goals in its last three games and it took the lead midway through the opening period when Dembélé crashed a superb volley into the top corner from the edge of the 18-yard box.

However, four minutes later goalkeeper Matvey Safonov could not secure a wicked in-swinging corner and Rasmus Nicolaisen headed home the rebound to level the scores.

Dembélé restored PSG’s lead 12 minutes before halftime. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia headed on a corner kick and former Dortmund and Barcelona forward Dembélé was on hand to side-foot the ball over the line.

He had a third goal disallowed for offside in a second half dominated by the home side but it wasn’t until stoppage time that PSG added a third, substitute Gonçalo Ramos stroking home with his right foot from 25 meters.

The result lifted PSG four points clear of Lens, which travels to fifth-placed Lille on Saturday for the Derby du Nord.

Toulouse remained in ninth place.

___

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

INDIANAPOLIS – Everyone can think of an old dog. 

You know, the one that’s kind of crusty, maybe losing sight or hearing — or both — hair matted, walks pretty slow and doesn’t play fetch? The funny thing about them is, when it seems like they’re in their final stages of life, they just don’t die. You wait for the end, and you keep on waiting.

There’s an old Husky lurking in the Connecticut locker room. It’s Alex Karaban, and he just won’t go down.

“Everybody knows that old dog that just won't die,” said UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. “My auntie had an old dog, he lived for a while. He just wouldn't die. Just stayed around, it be hard to kill him. I feel like that's (Karaban).”

Opinion: Dan Hurley isn’t actually a jerk. He just plays one on TV

Illinois vs UConn predictions: Who will win in Final Four, play for national title?

Well, that’s one way to put it. That even threw off the dog himself.

“An old dog? Why an old dog,” he asked his teammate before the explanation only left him speechless.

He’s not exactly Old Yeller, but his coach offered him another title: baby sitter.

“He just babysits your team for 40 and a half years,” said UConn coach Dan Hurley. “I mean, he's been the best babysitter.”

Point is, this isn’t Karaban’s first rodeo, but it’s certainly his last as he closes his storied college career trying to achieve something that hasn’t been achieved by a player in more than 50 years: win three national championships.

Done eight times in history — all by those in John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty in the 1960s and 1970s — the last time it was accomplished was in 1971-73 with Larry Farmer and Larry Hollyfield.

Now 53 years later, Karaban is the person two wins away from joining this prestigious list, and even though the 23-year-old gets clowned on, his teammates want him to get there.

What’s remarkable about Karaban’s time is it wasn’t like he was some benchwarmer during the first two titles. A two-time captain, he has been a major factor in getting UConn on the cusp of a dynasty.

That’s why he became the first active men’s basketball player to be inducted into UConn’s illustrious Huskies of Honor, and already the team’s winningest player ever.

As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in all 39 games — starting the last 38 — to lead the team in total minutes played, all while shooting 40.2% from 3-point land. The following season, he started every game, upped his scoring from 9.3 to 13.3 points per game and shot nearly 50% from the field. 

“He's the greatest problem solver you'll ever have in practice, in game, and then, like, the tone he sets for your culture with his work habits, the peer pressure that that puts on everyone in the organization when your best player works as hard as he does,” Hurley said.

Now in Indianapolis, the Huskies haven’t stopped leaning on Karaban either. He had some fun reminding the first-timers this is his third Final Four, and having him around has really helped those newbies go about the biggest stage in the sport.

Whether it’s dealing with playing in a football stadium, the pressure and endless questions from media, Karaban has given them tips on how to navigate it and not let it become too much. That’s probably why if Reed and guard Silas Demary Jr. needed a teammate as an emergency contact, they both would put down Karaban.

“Having a guy like that to literally lead your team been here before, he's poised on this stage,” Reed said. “Having that guy in your corner is really special.”

Not many people get to be in Karaban’s position, 4-0 in the Final Four with a chance to be 6-0. Even though he’s achieved all of this success, he feels like the Huskies have a chip on their shoulder as they aren’t the major favorite to win it all. 

So, yes Karaban is an old dog, and he ain’t ready to go down just yet.

“It's an interesting way to put it, but I mean, yeah, I don't want this to end. I want to keep going. I want to keep fighting and really keep wearing that Connecticut jersey across my chest.,” Karaban said. “I guess the old dog wants to keep living for his treats — and my treat is a win — then, yeah, I'll keep fighting for it.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: At Final Four, Alex Karaban is UConn's 'old dog that just won't die'

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the first inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Miami Marlins 8-2 in their home opener Friday for their second 6-1 start in three seasons.

Trent Grisham reached leading off with the first of 11 walks by Marlins pitchers and Judge drove a slider into the left-field seats against Eury Pérez (0-1).

Judge, who had three RBIs, hit a record 20 first-inning home runs last year, when he finished with 53. Three of Judge's five hits this season have been home runs.

Ben Rice homered and hit a two-run double for the Yankees.

Will Warren (1-0) allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings, including solo homers by Xavier Edwards in the first and Owen Caissie in the fifth.

Miami entered the game at 5-1, matching its franchise-best start, and had spent six days atop the NL East — double its total for 2021-25 combined. Miami pitchers had their most walks since April 2023; they had walked just nine in the team's first six games.

Pérez (0-1) allowed four runs, two hits and a career-high six walks in four innings. He forced in runs on consecutive pitches in the second when he walked Grisham and hit Judge. Tyler Phillips threw a run-scoring wild pitch in the sixth.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and José Caballero each had two stolen bases and Judge one off catcher Liam Hicks, who has allowed 60 steals in 66 attempts since reaching the major leagues last year.

Up Next

Yankees LHP Ryan Weathers (0-0), acquired from the Marlins in January, starts Saturday night against Miami RHP Max Meyer (0-0).

___

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

INDIANAPOLIS – UConn coach Dan Hurley is a really easy guy to dislike.

His sideline antics are an embarrassment, berating refs and acting like a toddler having a tantrum. He’s crossed the line so many times it’s practically worn away, most recently with his bizarre interaction with a referee at the end of UConn’s stunning upset of Duke in the Elite Eight.

Hurley is the personification of everything that’s wrong with sports, his bad behavior enabled by his won-loss record.

And yet …

Take Hurley off the court, and he’s a completely different person. Personable, thoughtful, self-aware, even funny.

Illinois vs UConn predictions: Who will win in Final Four, play for national championship?

More: Braylon Mullins is more than a big shot. He's been UConn's missing piece

The kind of guy you want shaping the hearts and minds of young people because it’s obvious the life lessons he’s imparting matter just as much as the Xs and Os.

“I get much more of a bad reaction from people, I think, on social media than when I meet regular people,” Hurley said Friday, April 3 at the Final Four. “Because anytime I meet regular people, they look at me and they start laughing or they start smiling. Or (say), `You're the guy from the video. You look a little crazy, but I think you're a good egg.’”

Maybe it’s fitting that Hurley’s histrionics are a focal point as he tries to lead UConn to its third title in four years in what was once the backyard of Bob Knight, a coach who was called a lot of things in his Hall of Fame career, but never a good egg.

Whatever life lessons Knight taught were lost amid a hurricane of bad temper and chair tossing and, eventually, the choking of a player. Hurley isn’t that guy. He isn’t actually a jerk. He just plays one on TV.

“I think a lot of people kind of misinterpret who he is as a person,” UConn guard Silas Demary Jr. said. “Behind closed doors, he's one of the best coaches I've ever been around. He's going to feed you with confidence, but he's also not going to go over your head. He’s going to keep you even keeled. He's going to tell you when you do it bad. He's going to praise you when you’re doing good.

“The message is more important than the tone,” Demary added, “because at the end of the day, he's pushing us to be the best.”

That’s the end game, right? In eight years at UConn, Hurley has won almost 73% of his games and led the Huskies to back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024. He’s sent 10 players to the NBA from UConn, four of whom were lottery picks.

But the former high school coach knows that’s only part of his job. The Hurley his players see is approachable, someone they can have heart-to-heart talks with. He cracks jokes. He’s an advocate of therapy. He encourages them to put their phones down and live in the real world.

“Get off Twitter, get off Instagram, stop reading the comments. That's probably why it doesn't bother me when people have things to say,” Hurley said. “I don't live in that world. My world, and the world I think is the best world to live in, is the real world, which is interacting with people, putting your phone down.”

This isn’t meant to excuse Hurley’s outbursts. At 53, he’s old enough to know better. If he really wanted to change his behavior, he could. (Hurley himself noted he's not once gotten a technical during the NCAA Tournament.) Plenty of coaches are intense and passionate about the game without being the human equivalent of a Tasmanian devil.

Hurley also should consider himself lucky, because a coach of color would never be afforded the grace Hurley has been.

But the ultimate measure of a person, be they a college basketball coach, an insurance salesman or the president of the United States, is whether they are leaving the world a better or worse place.

On that call, there is little debate.

USA TODAY Sports' Jordan Mendoza contributed to this report.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dan Hurley's antics at UConn make him look like a jerk. But he's not.

CHENNAI, India (AP) — Opening batters Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh gave Punjab Kings a flying start to a target of 210 as they overhauled Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League on Friday.

Impact substitute Arya set the tone with 39 runs off 11 balls as he and Singh rumbled to 68-1 in the powerplay. Captain Shreyas Iyer's 26-ball half-century and Cooper Connolly's 36 ensured Punjab reached 210-5 with eight balls to spare and won by five wickets.

Chennai thought it put up a defendable total of 209-5 at home thanks to former India Under-19 captain Ayush Mhatre's 73 off 43, Shivam Dube's unbeaten 45 off 27 and Sarfaraz Khan's cameo 32 off 12.

But Chennai's bowling was ordinary. Only five bowlers were used while allrounders Dube and debutant Prashant Veer were not used.

“That was an exceptional start for us,” Iyer said. “I feel the way they (Arya and Singh) have been batting has been phenomenal and it stabilizes the rhythm for us. I am glad everyone is getting to bat. It gives immense confidence to the team.”

Arya smacked fast bowler Matt Henry for three fours and a six in a 20-run second over after the left-hander hit Khaleel Ahmed for a four and a six off the first two legitimate balls in the first over.

Singh raised Punjab’s 50 in only the third over when he took three boundaries off Anshul Kamboj.

Henry rattled Arya's off stump and Singh was run out in a mixup with Connolly when the Australian refused to go for a tight second run. Connolly holed out at long-on then Iyer took charge of the chase.

Iyer smashed three sixes and four boundaries in a 59-run stand with Nehal Wadhera that sealed the result.

Earlier, Iyer continued the template of teams preferring to chase when he won the toss and elected to field. Sanju Samson, returning to his home venue, perished in the second over for just 7.

Mhatre showed plenty of aggression in a stand of 96 with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made a scratchy 28 before falling to IPL leading wicket-taker Yuzvendra Chahal in the 12th over.

Mhatre looked set for a big knock after crashing five sixes and six boundaries and was livid with himself when he was caught at short third while attempting an extravagant shot against Vijakumar Vyshak (2-38).

Khan and Dube propelled Chennai beyond 200 but their bowlers couldn't tie down Punjab.

“We felt ... having two wrist-spinners bowling in tandem will help but off-day for both of them and that is what cost us,” Gaikwad said.

___

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