Category: NBA

Here’s where the Wizards are at this point: losing by 11 to the Boston Celtics feels almost like an achievement. Most of the relative narrowness of that margin was due to Boston bricking open and wide-open threes they normally make, some working out of kinks related to Jayson Tatum’s return to the lineup, and probably a little Boston slacking off, but being almost kinda-sorta close to being almost competitive towards the end was…umm…something?

There was stuff in this game that I don’t recall ever seeing before. For example, Washington was +15 from three-point range in the first quarter and exited the period trailing by two.

Boston was so dominant on the boards, the broadcast team sent their stats guy to research the biggest single-game rebounding differential in franchise history. The Celtics were “only” =17 on the glass last night — well short of the franchise record (+52 during the Bill Russell era — Boston had 112 rebounds in that one game, believe it or not).

Washington’s defense was so bad, it revealed the “getting to watch good basketball” privilege enjoyed by Boston fans and analyst Brian Scalabrine. Scalabrine was baffled by Washington “choosing” not to defend Neemias Queta after the center went to help.

Several times, Scalabrine said he’d never seen a defense like the one Washington was playing — with no one cracking back to pick up the big. It was kinda cute that Scalabrine thought that was by design and not simply Washington defenders repeatedly blowing rotations they should be making.

The Wizards largely fixed the issue at halftime, by the way. Presumably the coaching staff reminded players to try a little.

The game revealed the oceanic distance Washington needs to cover to become a contender. Boston out-smarted, out-worked, and out-executed the Wizards all night long. The only thing keeping the final margin under 30 was the Celtics having an off night shooting the ball.

Thoughts & Observations

• The first defensive possession game me some hope — Bilal Coulibaly blocked a Jaylen Brown attempt to bully-ball a bucket. The defensive intensity didn’t last.
• Jayson Tatum looked pretty damn amazing considering he’s less than 10 months removed from tearing an Achilles. That injury used to be career-ending, or massively career-diminishing. Modern sports medicine is downright miraculous.
• The possession ending at 9:54 in the first quarter is a good example that illustrates Scalabrine’s point that Washington just didn’t guard the big man when their center helped. It’s not scheme, though — it’s failure to execute. On the play, Washington seemed to switch a high pick-and-roll. Sarr took Brown and Coulibaly seemingly having responsibility for Queta. Then Coulibaly suddenly blitzed Brown, giving Washington three defenders on two guys 25 feet from the basket (Trae Young was lurking there because Sam Hauser was coming up for a Spain screen. Washington had two guys low — Will Riley on Tatum in the strongside corner (he correctly stayed home on Tatum), and Tre Johnson on Derrick White in the weakside corner. Johnson didn’t move until the ball was already reaching Queta, and his “help” was a pointless flyby swipe at the ball. Again, that’s not scheme — the responsibilities were clear. Johnson just didn’t notice what was happening.
• Another? At 4:18, Sarr helped on a Tatum drive. I first thought no one rotated to help on Queta’s roll, but what actually happened was worse. Bub Carrington picked him up, and then just left him to run out and defend the weakside corner. I have no idea why he abandoned a seven-footer standing under the basket.
• So, I was about to add Boston’s announcers to the list of mis-pronouncers of Tristan Vukcevic’s name. But, I got curious at the persistent and consistent mispronunciation, so I googled it. And, the NBA’s official pronunciation guide — one where the players say their own names — has Vukcevic saying his name is Vook-chevitch. I stand corrected and apologize to all the announcers I’ve criticized along the way.
• Boston had many, many beautiful possessions in this game — great examples of teamwork, quick actions, and passes to create good shots, which they then missed because off night. A few examples, if you want to watch (use the official play-by-play on NBA.com)
  • 10:13, second quarter
  • 6:37, second quarter — a dribble handoff, a screen, a ghost screen, and a roll. Simply not guardable, even by a good defensive team.
  • 2:35 — A Spain pick-and-roll produces a Queta dunk.
• Boston’s Spain pick-and-roll sets are so fun to watch. They’re fast, varied, and brutal to defend. They mix in misdirection, real screens, ghost screens, rolls, pops, and drives. Joe Mazzulla’s system is superb.
• In the third quarter, Coulibaly had an impressive drive — Tatum couldn’t stay with him, and Queta couldn’t get there fast enough. Coulibaly missed the layup, but the turbo speed was cool to see.
• Jaden Hardy scored 12 points on five shots in just 15 minutes of action.
• Jamir Watkins competed on defense and hit shots.
• Vukcevic pumped in 22 points in 20 minutes, including six threes. Tanktacular moment: Vukcevic hit his sixth three, and moments later got replaced in the game by Anthony Gill. LMAO.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

FOUR FACTORS	WIZARDS	CELTICS	LGAVG
eFG%	53.0%	50.5%	54.3%
OREB%	20.0%	39.6%	26.0%
TOV%	13.8%	14.8%	12.7%
FTM/FGA	0.131	0.183	0.208
PACE	94		99.3
ORTG	106	118	115.5

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Tristan Vukcevic	20	40	176	25.1%	6.0	297	21
Jaden Hardy	15	30	191	17.8%	4.0	332	17
Jamir Watkins	24	46	116	26.9%	0.1	176	12
Bilal Coulibaly	24	48	107	21.0%	-0.9	128	-15
Bub Carrington	22	43	144	11.3%	1.4	127	8
Justin Champagnie	21	42	129	16.7%	1.0	124	8
Trae Young	24	48	112	23.5%	-0.3	95	-23
Will Riley	29	58	86	13.7%	-2.3	27	-17
Anthony Gill	6	11	60	9.1%	-0.6	-22	-7
Sharife Cooper	8	15	60	13.3%	-1.1	-38	-11
Alex Sarr	22	43	30	24.8%	-9.2	-84	-25
Tre Johnson	24	48	56	23.6%	-6.7	-128	-23

CELTICS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Neemias Queta	31	61	164	22.5%	6.7	290	14
Jayson Tatum	32	63	118	25.8%	0.5	199	18
Derrick White	35	70	126	19.3%	1.4	144	33
Luka Garza	15	30	164	28.0%	4.1	204	2
Jaylen Brown	31	60	107	23.7%	-1.2	85	8
Sam Hauser	26	52	114	17.4%	-0.1	86	29
Baylor Scheierman	25	48	73	15.8%	-3.2	30	-6
Payton Pritchard	30	59	62	14.0%	-4.5	-25	-6
Hugo Gonzalez	9	19		0.0%	0.0	-107	-22
Amari Williams	2	3	110	59.5%	-0.1	292	-5
Max Shulga	2	3		0.0%	0.0	0	-5
Ron Harper Jr.	2	3	0	29.9%	-1.1	-654	-5

Saturday night marked Jayson Tatum’s fourth game back since returning from a ruptured right Achilles tendon. His transition from five-on-five team scrimmages to rejoining the Boston Celtics’ starting lineup was swift, and coach Joe Mazzulla hopes that doesn’t get taken for granted.

Coming back from a nearly 10-month recovery isn’t something that produces immediate results like those Tatum provided before surgery. Yet, Mazzulla already sees the impact Tatum is having.

“I think sometimes these guys get judged by just the points, and some of that is their responsibility,” Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media.

Tatum played 32 minutes in Saturday’s 111-100 win over the Washington Wizards — his most since coming back. He got off to a slow start, missing his first five shots, including three layups. He went into halftime having shot only 2-of-8 with eight points, before finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. The scoring was modest by his standards, but as Mazzulla pointed out, focusing only on points does a disservice to all the other ways Tatum has helped the Celtics.

“He’s rebounding, he’s boxing out, he’s making the right play, getting to space, and doing all the things that impact winning,” Mazzulla told reporters. “So I think that’s more important than anything else.”

More than half of Tatum’s assists went to center Neemias Queta. Using the attention he drew from Washington’s defense, Tatum helped fuel Queta’s career-best first-half start. Queta scored 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting by halftime to keep pressure on the Wizards, courtesy of Tatum’s playmaking.

“He’s giving the game exactly what it needs,” Mazzulla added.

The euro step 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/9o04tjtABo

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 14, 2026

The missed layups, which kept Tatum from finishing with 28 points instead of 20, are typical for a player returning from an injury of his severity. It’s been almost a year since he last played NBA basketball, which is vastly different from drills or five-on-five scrimmages.

But little by little, as he logs more minutes, Tatum feels his comfort returning.

“Compared to the first game, I feel a lot more relaxed,” Tatum told reporters, per CLNS Media. “Obviously, the first game was such a big moment. I think now I’m finding more and more moments where I’m feeling more confident, more explosive. Whether it’s driving or a closeout or reacting to something, it’s just more and more moments each game where I find plays where — maybe it’s not a big play that people notice — but it’s something that I noticed, and it gave me confidence.”

Eight days ago, during Tatum’s return game against the Dallas Mavericks, he missed a one-handed dunk from just two feet away. In the third quarter against Washington, Tatum euro-stepped past Tre Johnson in transition for a slick two-handed dunk.

The difference reflects what he’s working toward, and each game brings him closer to where he wants to be.

With 15 games left in Boston’s regular season and five weeks until the playoffs, Tatum is committed to the plan. The Celtics, now 44-23 after defeating the Wizards, remain a major threat in the Eastern Conference. Having Tatum back in the mix, whether as a scorer, a rebounder, or a facilitator, only makes Boston even stronger moving forward.

“I knew that my minutes would go up a little bit this week, and that’s just the progression,” Tatum told reporters. “I was playing 27 minutes the first three games. They go up a little bit for a week or so to see how you respond. But obviously I’ve been responding really well and feeling great the next day and after the games, and we go from there.”

Tatum added: “Since May 13, nobody’s done more calf raises than me.”

For the time being, Tatum is embracing everything that comes with his return — even the not-so-fun parts. During Boston’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, Tatum hit the deck after getting shoved by Victor Wembanyama in the third quarter. He didn’t think much of it, chalking it up as part of the game.

“You’ve got to enjoy all aspects of coming back to play, not just the fun parts,” Tatum told reporters. “Like getting knocked on your ass and falling is a part of being in the NBA. When (Wembanyama) pushed me, it knocked me off balance, but I laid there for a second like, ‘All right, I’m fine.’ It’s just moments like that where it’s been a while since something like that has happened. So, it is a good feeling of like, ‘I’m back.’”

SHANGHAI (AP) — Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli wins Formula 1's Chinese Grand Prix.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Pakistan won the coin toss and elected to field in the third and final one-day international against Bangladesh on Sunday.

Bangladesh won the first game by eight wickets before Pakistan leveled the series with a 128-run win by the DLS Method in the rain-affected second ODI.

Pakistan gave debuts to Ghazi Ghori and Saad Masood in place of the injured Hussain Talat and Shamyl Hussain, who was left out after failing in the first two games. Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed also returned to the team and replaced fast bowler Mohammad Wasim.

Bangladesh retained the same side for the third successive game, keeping faith in its three-man pace attack — Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana and Mustafizur Rahman.

___

Bangladesh: Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (captain), Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mustafizur Rahman.

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Ghazi Ghori, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Abdul Samad, Saad Masood, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf.

____

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

The last MMBets post went 4-for-4. I celebrated while writing this in the dark of the ‘ol home office with a bowl of Häagen-Dazs Caramel Cone ice cream, which was outstanding. In other news, my left SI joint spent the day reminding me that barometric pressure is a real and personal enemy. Life is good and also painful.

Alright, let’s do this. The Dallas Mavericks (22-45) travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers (41-26) Sunday at 2:30 PM CST in the back half of a home-and-home, after Cleveland routed Dallas 138-105 on Friday—a game that felt about as close as the score suggests. Cooper Flagg had a monster third quarter, and Naji Marshall showed signs of life. Everyone else was a supporting character in a Cavs highlight reel.

Cleveland will be without Jarrett Allen (right knee tendonitis, out) despite earlier reports suggesting his return—the official injury report filed at 2:30 AM puts that to rest. Klay Thompson is doubtful (rest). For Dallas, Gafford and Cisse remain doubtful, and PJ Washington is questionable with a left ankle.

Let’s scan the lines in search of value:

🏀 Fixture: Dallas Mavericks (22-45) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (41-26) 📍 Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — Cleveland, OH 🕑 2:30 PM CST, Sunday, March 15, 2026 📺 NBA TV / KFAA Channel 29 / MAVS TV

📊 DraftKings Snapshot (as of 3:00 AM CST) Spread: CLE -16.5 (-112) | DAL +16.5 (-108) Total: 236.5 (O -115 / U -105) Moneyline: CLE -1600 | DAL +900

📉 Game Side Lean: Dallas +16.5

Sixteen and a half points is a canyon, and the Mavericks are a team that usually plays too hard to fall into those this season. Granted, they lost by 33 on Friday, but let’s gently set that aside and say the quiet part out loud: this spread is too big.

This is a roster with no quit—no tanking by committee, no mailing it in—just a group of guys playing out the string with something to prove on a nightly basis even when Tankathon wisdom might suggest otherwise. Cleveland, meanwhile, will be without Allen, and is juggling a playoff rotation with Strus working back from a Jones fracture. The Cavs are the better team. They may win by 20. But 16.5 asks a lot of a team that may have one eye on seeding and another on rest, and Dallas has enough scrappers to make the final margin uncomfortable. Back door cover is a real conversation here. Keep it light on this one.

🔮 Total Lean: Under 236.5

This number feels high for a game missing this much frontcourt. Allen out means the Cavs will again be missing an efficient Harden pick-and-roll partner, and the Dallas interior—already a wreck—slows possessions down by necessity rather than design. Friday’s game finished at 243 combined with everything clicking for Cleveland in a blowout. In a closer, messier game with more bodies on the injury report, the pace comes down. Under 236.5 has value.

🎯 Player Props We Like

Naji Marshall Over 24.5 PRA (+103) Marshall had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in 27 minutes Friday—27 PRA and a clear signal that the usage and confidence are back. You don’t wait three more games to confirm a player has returned to form; by then the books have already adjusted. Marshall is Dallas’s most versatile wing with the ball in his hands, and against a Cleveland defense that may be running a looser rotation with playoff positioning in mind, 24.5 is a number he’s capable of clearing. The plus money makes this an easy look.

Dean Wade Over 5.5 Points (+105) Wade has been one of the steadier quiet contributors in Cleveland’s home rotation, consistently clearing this number at Rocket Mortgage when he gets his minutes. This is the kind of low-floor prop that doesn’t make the highlight reel but cashes quietly while you’re watching something else. With Strus limited and the wing rotation stretched, Wade sees a clean path to his usual run. Plus money on a number he clears almost by accident. We’ll take it.

💡 Summary: Dallas +16.5 for a team too stubborn to lose ugly twice in a row. Under 236.5 with the frontcourt carnage on both sides. Marshall returning to form at plus money, and Dean Wade doing Dean Wade things at home. Let’s see if the Caramel Cone was the good kind of harbinger. Dark Cherry Truffle is also a solid pick. Go Mavs. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to sleep dreaming of a shocking Mavs win, an SI joint hat will calm down and ice cream that never expands the waist line. Go Mavs.

Some facts are irrefutable. Take the fact that I’m typing on a keyboard, and you, in response, are reading these words (thanks for doing that, by the way). Nobody denies such claims, because, well, there’s no benefit to arguing with a bulletproof truth. In stating such a rock-solid fact, the world stabilizes

Some truths of the world can be compared to the complexion of a slice of Swiss cheese. Facts that are largely true, save for a few rare exceptions. For example, gravity will always draw items to the ground. That is, of course, unless that thing is filled with helium, or is copping some Air Jordans (it’s gotta be the shoes!). Here’s my favorite Swiss cheese truth: The Sacramento Kings are always terrible at basketball.

We all hold the Mike Bibby, Chris Webber, Vlade Divac Kings of the early 2000s in high regard, of course, but aside from some minor blips on the chart, Sacramento has been one of the most consistently awful organizations in all of professional basketball.

We all celebrated when De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis dragged their organization from its prolonged postseason drought (I support the Seattle Mariners. Believe that I can empathize). We all roared with glee as the fanbase chanted “Light the beam!“ But when the Kings committed organizational suicide by dealing De’Aaron Fox for the distinguished honor of reconstructing the failed DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine-era Chicago Bulls (a team which has also suffered a relatively humiliating history outside of the Jordan years. Must be the shoes), we all just laughed.

The Kings will do what the Kings have done. Time is a circle; welcome back to the beginning.

Predicting Sacramento to miss the playoffs wasn’t difficult, but with the amount of veterans they loaded onto the depth chart, it’s clear that the front office had no intention of leading the tank race back in October. But here we are in the middle of March, and a purple emblem stands in the top 3 of Tankathon.com.

Look, I’ve been incredibly critical during this article, and I haven’t even mentioned the Utah Jazz yet, who are technically supposed to be the subject of this preview, but I have a little bit of sugar to spread on top of Sacramento’s dumpster stack. The Kings are winning basketball games these days — that’s right, basketball’s fraudulent royalty has descended from their throne atop the Great Tank Race and are now slumming it with the commoners.

Winners in 5 of their last 10 games, SacTown may be doing irreparable damage to their lottery odds, but Russell Westbrook (Utah Jazz legend) posted a triple-double in their recent win over the Clippers. They still carry a 17-51 record, which is the worst mark in the Western Conference.

Enter, stage left: The second-worst record in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz. Utah (20-47) is still 3.5 games ahead of their adversary, but stands with a great deal of lottery gold to gobble should they fall to the home Kings on Sunday night. But keep this in mind: Utah beat Sacramento by nearly 30 points in their last meeting.

But the Jazz are positively hobbled, now without Keyonte George, Kyle Filipowski, Jusuf NurkicLauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Walker Kessler, John Konchar, and even Ace Bailey, who left the last game on concussion protocol after taking a gnarly elbow to the face.

Sacramento, though similarly hobbled, will essentially face off against the SLC Stars on Sunday.

The Kings are led by proud veterans unwilling to let losing become their identity. Utah is wheeling out whoever can play without losing the function of a vital appendage. With a sudden shot of momentum, this game is Sacramento’s to lose, which is why they are favored despite boasting an inferior record.

How to watch Utah Jazz vs Sacramento Kings

Date: Sunday, March 15, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM MT
Location: Golden One Center, Sacramento, California
Channel: Jazz+, KJZZ
Odds: SAC -2.5

LeBron James praised the "generational" talent of team-mate Luka Doncic after the Slovenian hit an overtime winner as the Los Angeles Lakers came from behind to beat the Denver Nuggets 127-125.

Doncic, 27, finished with 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his eighth triple-double of the season as the Lakers secured their fifth consecutive victory.

The six-time NBA all-star hit a step-back jump shot with 0.5 seconds remaining on the clock to hand his side the victory.

"Just a big-time shot by a generational player," James said of his team-mate.

"He's just a big-time player, man. It's going to be just the first of many game winners like that for him in a Lakers uniform."

Austin Reaves hit a team-high 32 points, Marcus Smart added 21 points and five steals, while James, 41, contributed 17 points in 40 minutes as the Lakers moved up to third in the Western Conference.

James dived full length on the floor to prevent Denver getting an offensive rebound with 54.3 seconds remaining - a play Lakers coach JJ Redick said he had never previously seen in James' 23-year professional career.

"I think all of us have heard it from our coaches when we were little: the first man to the floor usually gets the ball," said James.

"So, that's just my little league coach kind of in my head at that moment, understanding the significance of it."

Lakers coach Redick was pleased with his side's collective performance.

"We still have got a long way to go, but we are certainly optimistic with how we handled this stretch of games," Redick said.

• Heated Doncic interaction 'very normal' - Redick

SYDNEY (AP) — Toko Koga headed in two goals as Japan routed Philippines 7-0 on Sunday to advance to the Women’s Asian Cup semifinals and secure a spot in next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

The 20-year-old Tottenham defender scored in first-half stoppage time and again in the 76th minute as Japan improved its tally to 24 goals and none conceded so far in the 2026 championship.

Japan will play 2022 runner-up South Korea on Wednesday for a spot in next weekend's final.

“It’s always nice to score a lot of goals and for the players to show what they can do, but it’s not going to help us against Korea,” Japan coach Nils Nielsen said. “I knew we scored a lot, but for the semifinal, (earlier goals) can’t help us.

“We will be ready to play South Korea.”

Four years ago, Japan lost on penalties to eventual champion China in the semifinals, ending its title defense.

All the semifinalists in Australia qualify automatically for the 2027 Women’s World Cup. The losing quarterfinalists go into playoffs for two more guaranteed places in Brazil.

Slow start, big finish

Japan completely dominated possession and field position but wasn't able to score for 45 minutes against a determined Philippines defense anchored by goalkeeper Nina Meollo.

Once the first goal went in — Mina Tanaka's header from point-blank range after a scrappy scramble in the goalmouth — it started a flow for the top-ranked team in the tournament.

Three minutes later, Koga jumped to meet a corner from Honoko Hayashi and angled it into the back of the net to give Japan a 2-0 halftime lead.

The Japanese scored twice in three minutes midway through the second half to lead 4-0, with Remina Chiba sliding in with a right-foot shot from the edge of the box in the 65th from Aoba Fujino’s long, floating cross and Manaka Matsukubo scoring in the 67th.

Koga scored again with a close-range header to make it 5-0 before substitutes Momoko Tanikawa and Riko Ueki added further goals in the last four minutes of regulation.

“Obviously it’s tough to take but you’re playing probably the best team in Asia … probably one of the top five teams in the world,” Philippines coach Mark Torcaso said. “Our girls showed a lot of determination in that first half. We had a lot of younger players out there in the first half, and they got some really good exposure and experience, so I’m really proud of that.

“But we’ve got another game to worry about to get to a World Cup, to play Uzbekistan, so we'll just turn the page over and we’ll focus on the next one now.”

Japan, the 2014 and 2018 champion, scored a tournament-leading 17 goals in the group stage.

China beat Taiwan 2-0 in extra time in a Saturday quarterfinal set against geopolitical tensions to move into a semifinal against host Sam Kerr 's Australia, which beat North Korea 2-1 on Friday night.

Iran's exit

The last of the quarterfinals was played hours after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced another three members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who accepted refugee visas to stay in Australia have decided to return Iran.

Initially, six players and a support staff member accepted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia before the rest of the Iranian contingent flew from Sydney to Malaysia on March 9. So far, four of those have elected to rejoin the Iran squad which has temporarily remained in Kuala Lumpur.

___

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

SHANGHAI (AP) — He’s been defined by being Lewis Hamilton’s successor and George Russell’s teammate. Now Kimi Antonelli is a Formula 1 race-winner in his own right, and the second-youngest in history.

The 19-year-old Italian pulled clear of an entertaining battle between Russell and the two Ferraris to take a commanding win at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday and share the podium with his teammate and Hamilton, the seven-time champion he replaced last year.

It's a vindication of the gamble Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff took in picking the youngster, who'd joined Mercedes' junior program aged just 11, to replace an all-time great when Hamilton moved to Ferrari for 2025. There were plenty of doubters when Antonelli crashed 10 minutes into his practice debut in 2024.

“Many said it was just too early last year, and obviously we asked ourselves that question, whether it was too much to throw him into this pressure cooker," Wolff told Sky Sport Germany.

"One year with ups and downs and he’s young. We have to forgive him these mistakes, and now he’s in the second Grand Prix (of 2026) and brings it home ruthlessly. It’s good.”

The 19-year-old Italian was the youngest pole-position starter and briefly lost the lead to Hamilton at the start but retook it soon after and was in control the rest of the way.

“We did it! We did it!” Antonelli shouted to his team over the radio amid laughs and whoops, and he was holding back tears amid celebrations and a TV interview soon after.

It was another 1-2 finish for Mercedes to start the season as Russell came through a battle with both Ferraris to finish second. Hamilton was third for his long-awaited first Grand Prix podium finish for Ferrari.

The only driver younger than Antonelli to win a Grand Prix was Max Verstappen, who was 18 when he took his first victory in 2016. He's the first Italian to win since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006.

Russell bests Ferraris in thriller

The new regulations again produced a dramatic fight for position between Mercedes and the fast-starting Ferraris as Russell fought his way past Charles Leclerc and Hamilton in a multi-lap battle with numerous changes of position. That allowed Antonelli to build his lead at the front.

Even after Russell had pulled away to secure second place, teammates Leclerc and Hamilton kept up their own fight for third. “This is quite a fun battle," Leclerc exclaimed over the radio.

Leclerc was fourth with Oliver Bearman fifth for Haas, Pierre Gasly sixth for Alpine and Liam Lawson seventh for Racing Bulls. Isack Hadjar recovered from an early spin to place eighth for Red Bull, ahead of Carlos Sainz, Jr. in ninth for Williams, while Franco Colapinto was 10th for Alpine to score his first point since 2024.

Max Verstappen was running sixth when his car lost power and he had to limp back to the pits in another blow for the four-time champion, who has been a leading critic of F1’s new cars.

Double disaster for McLaren

Formula 1 champion Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri were both unable to start after encountering technical problems minutes before the race began.

Piastri was due to start fifth and Norris sixth for Sunday's race. Norris was in his car in the pits but didn't leave for the grid, before Piastri was then withdrawn from the grid.

McLaren said it found “two different electrical problems on the power unit side” after an investigation. It's the second time Piastri has failed to start in 2026 after he crashed before the start of last week's race in Australia. Only 18 of 22 cars took the start, with Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto and Williams' Alex Albon also unable to make it, before both Aston Martin cars and Verstappen hit trouble in the race too.

F1 is racing hours after it announced next month's races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not go ahead because of the war in the Middle East.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

PARADISE, Nev. (AP) — Dominique Daniels Jr. hit three 3-pointers in the final two minutes and finished with 23 points on Saturday night to help No. 2 seed Cal Baptist beat top-seeded Utah Valley 63-61 to win the final Western Athletic Conference Tournament and clinch the first NCAA Tournament berth in program history.

Cal Baptist (25-8), which began the transition from Division II in 2018 and became eligible for the postseason in the 2022-23 season, extended its program record (D-I era) for single-season wins. The Lancers have won six games in a row.

Utah Valley (25-8), which has won back-to-back conference regular-season titles and four of the last six, had its seven-game win streak snapped.

Daniels, who finished 7-of-25 shooting, hit back-to-back 3s that tied it 60-all with 1:16 to play. Jackson Holcombe grabbed an offensive rebound, was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws with 39 seconds left, but Daniel hit a pull-up 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down that gave Cal Baptist a two-point lead with 14.6 seconds remaining.

Isaac Davis missed a potential tying alley-oop dunk with three seconds left.

Holcombe led the Wolverines with 18 points and Davis scored 12. Trevan Leonhardt had 10 rebounds and eight assists to go with six points while consistently harassing Daniels defensively.

Bradey Henige had 11 points for the Lancers and Jonathan Griman had 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting before he fouled out with about 5 1/2 minutes left.

Utah Valley won the season series, 2-1, with both wins coming on its home floor. Daniels had a program-record 47 points in Cal Baptist's 78-71 home win over the Wolverines on Jan. 24.

Both programs are joining the Big West Conference beginning next season, when the WAC will rebrand as the United Athletic Conference.

Up next

Cal Baptist: Awaits its seeding and first-round opponent for the NCAA Tournament.

Utah Valley: Clinched an automatic invite to the NIT.

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MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand has won the toss Sunday and chosen to bat in the first of five Twenty20 internationals against South Africa, beginning only a week after New Zealand's loss to India in the T20 World Cup final.

Eight members of the New Zealand World Cup squad including Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Glenn Phillips, Jacob Duffy, Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman are unavailable while preparing for the Indian Premier League or Pakistan Super League.

New Zealand beat South Africa by nine wickets in the World Cup semifinals after previously losing to the Proteas in group play.

Australia-born batter Nick Kelly will make his T20 debut for New Zealand after previously playing in three one-day internationals against Pakistan last year. Tom Latham, Tim Robinson, Bevon Jacobs and Zak Foulkes rejoin the New Zealand team along with Ben Sears who was a traveling reserve at the World Cup.

Connor Esterhuizen will make his debut for South Africa along Dian Forrester and Jordan Hermann who joins brother Rubin Hermann in the Proteas lineup.

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New Zealand: Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Tim Robinson, Nick Kelly, Bevon Jacobs, Mitchell Santner (captain), Jimmy Neesham, Cole McConchie, Zak Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears.

South Africa: Connor Esterhuizen, Jordan Hermann, Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, Dian Forrester, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj (captain), Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman.

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

Indiana Pacers (15-52, 15th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (27-39, 11th in the Eastern Conference)

Milwaukee; Sunday, 3:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bucks -7.5; over/under is 228.5

BOTTOM LINE: Indiana travels to Milwaukee looking to break its six-game road slide.

The Bucks are 19-26 in conference play. Milwaukee is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 32.4 defensive rebounds per game led by Giannis Antetokounmpo averaging 7.0.

The Pacers are 3-9 against opponents in the Central Division. Indiana ranks ninth in the Eastern Conference with 26.4 assists per game led by Andrew Nembhard averaging 7.3.

The Bucks score 110.8 points per game, 8.9 fewer points than the 119.7 the Pacers allow. The Bucks average 111.0 points per game, 5.0 fewer points than the 116.0 the Bucks allow to opponents.

The teams meet for the fourth time this season. The Bucks won 105-99 in the last meeting on Feb. 7. Kevin Porter Jr. led the Bucks with 23 points, and Nembhard led the Pacers with 22 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Ryan Rollins is averaging 16.7 points, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals for the Bucks. Bobby Portis is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Pascal Siakam is averaging 24 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists for the Pacers. Jarace Walker is averaging 14.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bucks: 2-8, averaging 102.9 points, 39.3 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 7.4 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.4 points per game.

Pacers: 0-10, averaging 110.3 points, 39.4 rebounds, 28.1 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 125.4 points.

INJURIES: Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo: day to day (calf), Ousmane Dieng: day to day (illness).

Pacers: Pascal Siakam: day to day (knee), Johnny Furphy: out for season (knee), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles), Quenton Jackson: day to day (calf).

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

Utah Jazz (20-47, 14th in the Western Conference) vs. Sacramento Kings (16-51, 15th in the Western Conference)

Sacramento, California; Sunday, 10 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Kings -1.5; over/under is 232.5

BOTTOM LINE: Western Conference foes Sacramento and Utah meet on Sunday.

The Kings are 10-34 in conference games. Sacramento has a 3-4 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Jazz have gone 11-31 against Western Conference opponents. Utah allows 125.0 points to opponents while being outscored by 7.6 points per game.

The Kings average 110.6 points per game, 14.4 fewer points than the 125.0 the Jazz give up. The Jazz's 46.5% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.8 percentage points lower than the Kings have given up to their opponents (49.3%).

The teams play for the fourth time this season. The Jazz won the last meeting 121-93 on Feb. 12. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 23 points to help lead the Jazz to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: DeMar DeRozan is averaging 18.4 points and 3.9 assists for the Kings. Russell Westbrook is averaging 1.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Keyonte George is averaging 23.6 points and 6.1 assists for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 18.3 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Kings: 4-6, averaging 115.1 points, 44.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.3 points per game.

Jazz: 2-8, averaging 112.6 points, 41.0 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 10.9 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 43.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.2 points.

INJURIES: Kings: Malik Monk: out (ankle), Domantas Sabonis: out for season (back), Devin Carter: out (calf), De'Andre Hunter: out for season (eye), Zach LaVine: out for season (finger), Drew Eubanks: out (thumb), Keegan Murray: out (ankle).

Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (ankle), Ace Bailey: day to day (concussion), Keyonte George: day to day (leg), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee), John Konchar: day to day (calf).

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

Phoenix Suns (39-28, seventh in the Western Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (44-23, second in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Monday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Phoenix Suns take on the Boston Celtics in a non-conference matchup.

The Celtics have gone 22-10 in home games. Boston leads the league in team defense, allowing 107.0 points while holding opponents to 44.1% shooting.

The Suns have gone 17-15 away from home. Phoenix is last in the league scoring 42.9 points per game in the paint.

The Celtics are shooting 46.4% from the field this season, 0.6 percentage points lower than the 47.0% the Suns allow to opponents. The Suns score 5.5 more points per game (112.5) than the Celtics give up (107.0).

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Celtics won the last meeting 97-81 on Feb. 25. Derrick White scored 22 points to help lead the Celtics to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jaylen Brown is averaging 28.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists for the Celtics. White is averaging 17.5 points and 5.1 assists over the past 10 games.

Devin Booker is averaging 25.4 points and six assists for the Suns. Collin Gillespie is averaging 3.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 6-4, averaging 110.1 points, 48.8 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 5.5 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 103.8 points per game.

Suns: 6-4, averaging 108.4 points, 41.1 rebounds, 23.6 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.6 points.

INJURIES: Celtics: Nikola Vucevic: out (finger).

Suns: Dillon Brooks: out (hand), Mark Williams: out (foot).

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

Los Angeles Lakers (42-25, third in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (41-25, fourth in the Western Conference)

Houston; Monday, 9:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles visits the Houston Rockets following the Lakers' 127-125 overtime win against the Denver Nuggets.

The Rockets are 23-19 in conference matchups. Houston ranks second in the Western Conference at limiting opponent scoring, giving up only 109.9 points while holding opponents to 45.9% shooting.

The Lakers are 28-16 in Western Conference play. Los Angeles scores 116.5 points and has outscored opponents by 1.2 points per game.

The Rockets are shooting 47.4% from the field this season, 1.0 percentage point lower than the 48.4% the Lakers allow to opponents. The Lakers average 12.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 fewer makes per game than the Rockets allow.

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Rockets won 119-96 in the last meeting on Dec. 26. Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 26 points, and Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 25 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Thompson is scoring 17.8 points per game and averaging 7.7 rebounds for the Rockets. Kevin Durant is averaging 26.1 points and 6.1 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LeBron James is averaging 21.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers. Doncic is averaging 34.0 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 6-4, averaging 112.1 points, 46.9 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 7.7 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.0 points per game.

Lakers: 8-2, averaging 121.7 points, 42.2 rebounds, 28.0 assists, 8.9 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.4 points.

INJURIES: Rockets: Jae'Sean Tate: out (knee), Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Alperen Sengun: day to day (back), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).

Lakers: Maxi Kleber: out (back).

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