Category: NBA

Cinderella wears a 9-seed’s uniform. Specifically, it’s a black jersey trimmed in gold.

Iowa, the slipper is yours. You wear it well.

You say a Big Ten team can’t be Cinderella, I say we might need to broaden our horizons a smidge when Iowa advances into the Elite Eight for the first time in 39 years.

By beating No. 4 Nebraska, the Hawkeyes became just the ninth 9-seed ever to reach the Elite Eight.

Sweet 16 scores: Live updates, highlights, March Madness predictions

“Cinderella, whatever they want to call us,” Iowa coach Ben McCollum said. “We’re in the Elite Eight — that’s what they need to call us.”

And, so, Iowa becomes the highest seed left standing.

This isn’t akin to Saint Peter’s slaying giants or Kent State to the Elite Eight or George Mason’s Final Four run, but inside this chalky tournament, Iowa swiftly became the tournament’s top underdog tale, thanks to two guys who were tucked away at Division II Northwest Missouri State as of two years ago.

Luther Vandross will be singing about Bennett Stirtz and McCollum in two weeks.

“That’s my guy,” Stirtz said.

He was talking about McCollum, not Vandross.

Stirtz is McCollum's guy, too. Stirtz followed his coach from Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa to the Elite Eight.

Stirtz swiftly became Iowa’s guy, its heartbeat, its big-bucket maker, and he went for 20 points and four assists in this 77-71 takedown of Nebraska.

Ben McCollum, Bennett Stirtz are masters of March Madness

Stirtz and McCollum are masters of March. A year ago while both were at Drake, they introduced themselves to the national stage with a first-round upset of Missouri. After Drake exited the tournament, McCollum hit the coaches’ transfer portal, and Stirtz was at his heels — off to Iowa.

Too bad for Indiana. The blue-blooded Hoosiers needed to snap up McCollum when IU was hiring last year. Instead, Iowa got him. A lifelong Midwesterner born in Iowa City, McCollum perfectly suits the Hawkeyes.

Fran McCaffery, go ahead and enjoy the. Ivy league. McCollum and Stirtz got this covered.

The Hawkeyes never led in this game until Stirtz drilled a 3-pointer with just more two minutes remaining. The next time down the court, teammate Tate Sage drilled a triple.

Nebraska extinguished.

Iowa writes underdog story at Nebraska's expense

Like the Cinderellas that came before them, the Hawkeyes made their hay from a land where the buckets are worth three points, not two.

Thirteen 3s, Iowa drilled, against one of the nation’s best defensive teams.

Out in Lincoln, you can bet your cornstalk they had the pyrotechnics ready, too. Earlier in this tournament, Huskers fans blasted fireworks in celebration of a program that hadn’t had much to celebrate in its entire history, before a slick-shooting barrage carried Nebraska into the Sweet 16.

The Huskers got hot against Troy, stayed hot against Vanderbilt, and kept cooking in the first half against Iowa.

And what did Nebraska do when its first five attempts from 3-point range after halftime missed the mark? It fired two more. Pryce Sandfort, then Braden Frager, bang, bang. Huskers back in front, for a spell.

Nebraska made 36 3-pointers in three tournament games, and Vandross will sing of Sandfort, too, and his “One Shining Moment,” right after he’s through with Stirtz.

Three years ago, Sandfort was Mr. Basketball in Iowa. He previously played for the Hawkeyes. Then, Sandfort transferred and became Mr. Husker. He scored 25 points against Iowa. Sandfort just needed more help from his teammates, just as Stirtz got 38 points from Iowa’s bench.

If you think the Hawkeyes are done here, well, ask Florida for a second opinion. Iowa sent the defending national champions packing just last week, part of an improbable uprising from a Hawkeyes squad that had stalled for a month heading into this tournament. Evidently, McCollum and Stirtz were saving their heroics.

Together, they gave an upset-starved tournament its first hint of a Cinderella story.

Or, as McCollum put it, maybe the committee “should have seeded us better.”

Oh, my! A cheeky one.

“Nah, I'm just kidding,” McCollum said. “They seeded us right where we should."

Indeed, the committee did. An underdog’s seed suited Iowa.

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

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ben McCollum, Bennett Stirtz make Iowa a March Madness underdog tale

SAN JOSE, CA — The past four years of Trey Kaufman-Renn’s all led to Thursday, March 26. 

Since he arrived on Purdue’s campus in 2022, coach Matt Painter has tried to tell his forward sometimes, it’s not the first shot that’s the most important, it’s the second. 

He found out it’s indeed true in the Sweet 16. 

Renn came up clutch for No. 2 seed Purdue, getting the game-winning tip-in shot against No. 11 seed Texas to get the Boilermakers in the Elite Eight.

It was the heroics Purdue needed to avoid another March Madness loss to a double-digit seed, and for a moment, it seemed possible. Texas’ Dailyn Swain got a bucket and the foul to tie the score with 11 seconds to go, setting up Purdue for the final shot.

After a timeout, guard Braden Smith brought the ball down and drove to his right for a floater. The play was fully designed for him, meant for him to drive down and get the shot. The only thing was to make sure he didn’t get blocked.

The moment the ball left his hand, he thought that would seal it.

“Honestly, it left the hand, I thought it was in,” Smith said. “I was hopping kind of excitedly.”

But the ball bounced off the rim, suddenly changing his thoughts.

“It took a weird bounce, and it was off,” he added.

TREY KAUFMAN-RENN GAME-WINNER 🚨

PURDUE ADVANCES TO THE ELITE 8 🤯 pic.twitter.com/CYj7ltsGXT

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2026

It completely altered the mindset of Renn too. The forward thought it was the look his teammate wanted, and figured that would be it. Once he saw the shot go off the rim, then it was time to prepare for the lesson his coach had been trying to tell him.

“I just tried to get myself in position to get a rebound or a post if his defender cut him off,” Renn said.

The ball bounced perfectly for him to get the putback, and at that point, all he thought was he just needed to get his hand on it.

“It's not like it's a shot you practice every single day, although I do practice some crazy shots every day,” he said. “I just tried to get a hand on the ball and give us another chance.”

The last chance Purdue needed. The second-chance bucket sent the Boilermakers crowd of the SAP Center in the arena into a frenzy, elated to see the team advance to the Elite Eight for the second time in three seasons. 

Pretty much everyone in black and gold was excited, except for Renn – yet.

“I was kind of nervous,” Renn said. “I was like ‘Man, I got to go back on defense now.’”

Fortunately, Texas’ Jordan Pope was unable to hit the long heave for the miracle win, and as the shot clanked off the timebox, the Boilermakers hounded the game’s savior. It was only at that moment Renn finally felt excited, understanding the lesson his coach had been preaching came to life.

“It's kind of cool to actually experience that,” Renn said.

Purdue’s game-winner highlighted something that helped Purdue stave off Texas in the second chance opportunities, outsourcing the Longhorns 22-12 in the category. 

“We're always, like if that clock is low, don't get back on defense. Make sure everybody gets to the glass,” said Painter. 

It was going to be a battle on the boards, as both teams entered the night top 20 in the country in rebound margin.

The final result? Texas 31 rebounds, Purdue 32 – with the last one being the difference in surviving and advancing.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside Purdue's game-winning play to advance to Elite 8

Los Angeles (47-26) is back home, where they will play their next three games, starting with the Brooklyn Nets (17-55) on Friday.

The Lakers looks to win their second straight game and sweep the season series against Brooklyn.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Brooklyn Nets

When: 7:30 p.m. PT, Mar 27

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet

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The Lakers just concluded their best road trip of the season, given the stakes involved. Not only did they win five out of six games, but they defeated the Rockets — who were lurking below them in the Western Conference standings — twice, and their only loss came down to one possession against the Pistons.

The purple and gold’s performance has been commendable, and that’s why they’re sitting nicely as the third seed in the Western Conference. Now, they’re home with the opportunity to build another winning streak.

It’ll also help that the Lakers have two days of rest after Friday’s matchup against the Nets.

And speaking of the Nets, they come into Crypto.com Arena as losers of their last nine games. They’re statistically the second-worst team in the league, and only the Pacers, who the Lakers just defeated, are worse than them.

Brooklyn has shut down its best player, Michael Porter Jr., so they’re pretty much in tank mode right now. That’s why there’s really no excuse for the Lakers to lose this one.

The Lakers can win their second straight game if they simply keep up what they’ve been doing. It’ll obviously be nice to see Luka Dončić play, but he is currently listed as questionable.

The last time the Lakers played against the Nets, they dominated on the road. That was one of those rare games where none of the big three played more than 30 minutes.

Despite Brooklyn struggling, Los Angeles should still take note of Ziaire Williams, Nic Claxton and Jalen Wilson, who are leading the offense now. The Lakers should capitalize on the Nets’ lack of firepower and their inability to score.

As long as the Lakers approach this one the right way and play their usual game, then it should be a win for them.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, Luka Doncic (left hamstring soreness) and Rui Hachimura (right calf injury) are questionable.
• Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) and Adou Thiero (left knee soreness) are out.
• As for the Nets, Egor Demin (plantar fascia), Michael Porter Jr., (hamstring strain), Day’Ron Sharpe (thumb surgery) and Danny Wolf (ankle sprain) are all out. Meanwhile, Noah Clowney (wrist sprain) is noted as probable.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday denied the NCAA's motion for a temporary restraining order to stop DraftKings from using registered trademarks associated with its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

The complaint for trademark infringement, filed in the Southern District of Indiana last week, requested that DraftKings stop using “March Madness,” “Final Four,” “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen” and variations of those terms to promote its business.

Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ruled the NCAA did not show how the online sports wagering platform's use of the terms would cause irreparable harm.

“With further discovery the NCAA may be able to show they are entitled to a preliminary or permanent injunction, and those claims remain pending,” Pratt wrote.

DraftKings has been using “March Madness” and other familiar terms to refer to the NCAA Tournament for more than five years and has the legal right to do so, the sportsbook said in a court filing Wednesday in response to a complaint filed by the NCAA last week.

The NCAA has said it actively avoids any appearance of affiliation with gambling and said in the complaint that DraftKings’ use of the terms confuses customers by making it appear the NCAA is on board.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Texas guard Jordan Pope was willing to do whatever the Longhorns needed in its last-second loss to Purdue in the Sweet 16, including playing through a serious injury.

The senior guard revealed he played 33 minutes with a broken foot against the Boilermakers on Thursday, March 26, after suffering the injury against Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The severity of his injury, which resulted in him being a game-time decision against Purdue, wasn't previously known.

REQUIRED READING: Trey Kaufman-Renn last-second putback sends Purdue past Texas, into Elite 8

It was definitely up in the air," Pope told reporters after Texas' season-ending 79-77 loss. "... Now five minutes left against Gonzaga. I broke my foot, a complete break. So, it was definitely tough. I'm not sure a lot of guys would have went out there and played, but credit to my training staff."

Pope scored 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting in the loss, with all his points coming on 3-pointers. The 6-1 guard was remarkably available in his career, starting 129 of his 134 career games at Oregon State and Texas.

Texas coach Sean Miller said Pope's decision to play ultimately came down to he and his family's decision after making sure they had all the information they needed from team doctors.

"Just watching him out there tonight is really remarkable," the first-year Texas coach said. "Really was what he did, how he played under those conditions and now he'll go and get healthy for the long term."

Jordan Pope injury update

Pope ended his college career playing on a broken foot after suffering the injury in Texas' upset win over Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He said it was a clean break, and in order to play he needed to reduce the swelling to make the pain tolerable against Purdue.

"After conversations with the doctor, I couldn't break it anymore," he said after the game. "So there wasn't much high risk in terms of the actual injury. Obviously, I heard other things, but I had nothing to lose. It was a Sweet 16 back home in front of my family. I'm playing for my teammates, my coaches. Never had this opportunity again. I couldn't let that pass."

Pope said he underwent a lot of therapy in order to be available for the game.

"A lot of icing, a lot of bone therapy," Pope said. "The thing is, just to keep the swelling down, because it was gonna hurt. It was a break, was no fixing that, but just being able to get the swelling down, which helped ease the pain a bit and just make it tolerable."

Jordan Pope stats

Here are Pope's year-by-year per-game averages in college:

• 2022-23 (Oregon State): 12.6 points with 2.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists
• 2023-24 (Oregon State): 17.6 points with 2.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists
• 2024-25 (Texas): 11 points with 2 rebounds and 1.7 assists
• 2025-26 (Texas): 13.1 points with 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jordan Pope injury: Texas G played with broken foot vs Purdue in Sweet 16

All Times EDT

Friday, March 27

MLB

N.Y. Yankees at San Francisco, 4:35 p.m.

Athletics at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.

Colorado at Miami, 7:10 p.m.

Kansas City at Atlanta, 7:15 p.m.

L.A. Angels at Houston, 8:10 p.m.

Cleveland at Seattle, 9:40 p.m.

Detroit at San Diego, 9:40 p.m.

Arizona at L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.

NBA

L.A. Clippers at Indiana, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Miami at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

Chicago at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Houston at Memphis, 8 p.m.

New Orleans at Toronto, 8:30 p.m.

Utah at Denver, 9 p.m.

Dallas at Portland, 10 p.m.

Washington at Golden State, 10 p.m.

Brooklyn at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

NHL

Chicago at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.

Detroit at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NCAA Tournament - Sweet Sixteen

East Region

No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 1 Duke at Washington, 7:10 p.m.

No. 3 Michigan St. vs. No. 2 UConn at Washington, 9:45 p.m.

Midwest Region

No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan at Chicago, 7:35 p.m.

No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Iowa St. at Chicago, 10:10 p.m.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NCAA Tournament - Sweet Sixteen

Fort Worth 1 Regional

No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt at Fort Worth, Texas, 2:30 p.m.

No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 1 UConn at Fort Worth, Texas, 5 p.m.

Sacramento 2 Regional

No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 1 UCLA at Sacramento, Calif., 7:30 p.m.

No. 3 Duke vs. No. 2 LSU at Sacramento, Calif., 10 p.m.

NWSL

Houston at Angel City, 10 p.m.

PWHL

Boston at Toronto, 7 p.m.

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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Ben Kindel scored the shootout winner to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

Rickard Rakell scored twice and had an assist, and Erik Karlsson also scored for the Penguins, who moved into second in the Metropolitan Division.

Drake Batherson scored twice and Nick Cousins also scored for the Senators. Tim Stutzle added two assists.

Both Linus Ullmark and Stuart Skinner made huge saves in overtime to force the shootout.

Pittsburgh opened the third period on the power play with a two-man advantage after Ottawa took a late tripping penalty and got called early too many men. The Penguins capitalized with Rakell scoring his second of the game at 1:43.

Just over two minutes later, the Senators tied the game with Batherson burying a rebound in the crease for his second of the game. Pittsburgh challenged for goaltender interference but was unsuccessful.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby took the opening shift of the second period but left after 38 seconds and did not return.

With an assist on the opening goal, Stutzle picked up his 400th point and became the seventh player, and youngest, in franchise history to hit the milestone.

Up next

Penguins: Host the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

Senators: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

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

DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons past the New Orleans Pelicans 129-108 on Thursday night.

Kevin Huerter had 22 points and Daniss Jenkins added 19 for Detroit, which was coming off a 130-129 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. The Pistons, normally one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league, shot 53.6% (15 of 28) from beyond the arc, including 9 of 14 from Huerter and Jenkins.

Zion Williamson scored 21 points for New Orleans, which lost its third straight after winning five of six. Former Piston Saddiq Bey added 17, but no one else scored more than 13. The Pelicans made things harder on themselves by only shooting 45.8% (11-24) from the free-throw line.

HORNETS 114, KNICKS 103

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Kon Knueppel scored 26 points and made six 3-pointers to become the youngest player in NBA history with 250 in a season, and Charlotte snapped New York’ seven-game winning streak with a victory.

Knueppel, 20, nearly had his first career triple-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

LaMelo Ball added 22 points and Brandon Miller had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Hornets, who’ve won five straight. Miles Bridges and Coby White each chipped in with 17 points.

Jalen Brunson had 26 points and 13 assists for the Knicks, who would have clinched a playoff berth with a victory. OG Anunoby added 17 points in a game that featured a high-intensity postseason atmosphere.

Charlotte (39-34) pulled into a tie with Miami for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, although the Heat own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

MAGIC 111, KINGS 107

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) —Paolo Banchero had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Orlando stopped a six-game losing streak with a victory over Sacramento.

Banchero logged his third straight game of 30-plus points for the Magic (39-34), who fell below the play-in cut in the Eastern Conference during their skid that came immediately after a seven-game winning streak had propelled them into fifth place.

This was the 25th time in Banchero’s four-year career that he logged at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists. Only Tracy McGrady (66) has more such games.

Desmond Bane added 23 points and Jalen Suggs returned from a two-game absence to an illness with eight points and four assists in 34 minutes for Orlando, which forged a three-way tie with Charlotte and Miami for eighth. Atlanta (41-32), Toronto (40-32) and Philadelphia (40-33) are just ahead, with the top six teams in each conference guaranteed a spot in the playoffs without having to go through the play-in games.

The Golden State Warriors are officially down to their final stretch of the season. After beating the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, the Warriors are now 35-38, with just nine games left on the schedule.

Golden State has already clinched an 83rd game this season. Five teams are eliminated in the Western Conference, meaning the Warriors will make the play-in tournament. It’s just a matter of what team — or teams — they play. The play-in field isn’t completely set, but it’s been the same four teams for a long time now, and that will almost surely still be the case when the regular season ends.

Let’s take a look:

10. Golden State Warriors

Record: 35-38
Games remaining: 9
Home games remaining: 6
Games left against eliminated teams: 3

The Dubs have a home-heavy final stretch of the season, but they face the LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Denver Nuggets. They’re 1.5 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers, and a pair of games behind the Clippers. They’re not locked into the final seed, but it sure is close.

9. Portland Trail Blazers

Record: 37-37
Games remaining: 8
Home games remaining: 5
Games left against eliminated teams: 4

The Blazers have won five of their last six games, and as they try to stay ahead of the Warriors, they find themselves with a fairly favorable schedule ahead of them. They’re more interested in catching up to the Clippers, whom they play twice more, and less concerned with falling behind the Warriors. Critically, the Blazers also have the tiebreaker over the Warriors.

8. LA Clippers

Record: 37-36
Games remaining: 9
Home games remaining: 5
Games left against eliminated teams: 4

The Clippers are in a good spot, but it’s a critical stretch for them. They have nine games remaining, with two against the Blazers and one against the Warriors … including visiting Portland in their penultimate game, and hosting Golden State in their season finale. The Clippers have won two of three against the Warriors, so beating them would ensure they earn the tiebreaker.

7. Suns

Record: 40-33
Games remaining: 9
Home games remaining: 3
Games left against eliminated teams: 4

The Suns are in good shape. They’re a full three games ahead of the Clippers, so it’s unlikely that anyone catches them in the play-in standings. It certainly won’t be the Warriors.

If these standings hold, then the Warriors would kick off the play-in tournament by visiting the Blazers. If they lose that game, their season is over. If they win, then they would travel south to face the loser of the game between the Suns and Clippers. And if they win that, then they would be the eighth seed, which would likely book them a one-way ticket to ass-kicking town, thanks to a terrifying date with the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.

It ain’t pretty, folks.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alex Bump and Sean Couturier scored in the first three minutes of the game and the Philadelphia Flyers used the fast start to cruise to a 5-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.

Bump, Noah Cates and Christian Dvorak had a goal and an assist each for the Flyers, who have won six of their last eight games to stay in the chase for a wild-card playoff spot. Denver Barkey also had a goal for Philadelphia and Samuel Ersson made 25 saves.

Connor Bedard scored his 30th goal of the season for Chicago to become the third Blackhawks player with a 30-goal season at age 20 or younger, joining Jonathan Toews (34 in 2008-09) and Eric Daze (30 in 1995-96).

Spencer Knight had 37 saves for Chicago.

Bump scored just 48 seconds into the game and Couturier made it 2-0 at 2:33 of the first.

Barkey made it 3-0 at 5:14 of the second before Bedard got one back.

Cates scored his fourth goal in his last five games with 7:19 to play in the second to make it 4-1. Dvorak scored with 25 seconds left in the second period. With an assist on Dvorak's goal, Cates has 40 points this season, a career single-season high.

Chicago's Sacha Boisvert played in his first NHL game. The 18th overall pick in the 2024 draft signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on March 16.

The Flyers outshot the Blackhawks 42-26 and won 61.8% of the faceoffs. The Blackhawks, who are well out of the playoff picture, went scoreless on three power-play chances while the Flyers were 0 for 4 on the power play.

Up next

Blackhawks: Play at the New York Rangers on Friday night.

Flyers: Visit Detroit on Saturday night.

___

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

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

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Orlando Magic stopped a six-game losing streak with a 111-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.

Banchero logged his third straight game of 30-plus points for the Magic (39-34), who fell below the play-in cut in the Eastern Conference during their skid that came immediately after a seven-game winning streak had propelled them into fifth place.

This was the 25th time in Banchero's four-year career that he logged at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists. Only Tracy McGrady (66) has more such games.

Desmond Bane added 23 points and Jalen Suggs returned from a two-game absence to an illness with eight points and four assists in 34 minutes for Orlando, which forged a three-way tie with Charlotte and Miami for eighth. Atlanta (41-32), Toronto (40-32) and Philadelphia (40-33) are just ahead, with the top six teams in each conference guaranteed a spot in the playoffs without having to go through the play-in games.

DeMar DeRozan had 33 points and 11 assists for the Kings, who sliced a nine-point deficit with a little more than two minutes left down to 116-115 on Daeqwon Plowden's 3-pointer with 50.4 seconds to go. Suggs answered with a 3-pointer with 27.4 seconds remaining to give the Magic a bigger cushion.

Plowden added 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range and Precious Achiuwa had 14 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento (19-55), which is in last place in the Western Conference.

Up next

Sacramento plays at Atlanta on Saturday. Orlando plays at Toronto on Sunday.

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

The Dallas Mavericks (23-50) will play the Portland Trailblazers (37-37) 9pm Friday at Moda Center. Both clubs last played Wednesday, with Portland extending its win streak to two against the Bucks 130-99, behind guard Scoot Henderson’s 23 points; and the Mavericks losing 142-135 against the Nuggets in Denver, their fifth straight setback. They were led by Cooper Flagg’s 26 points and Naji Marshall’s 22.

The Blazers, who clinched a spot in the Play-in Tournament with a win Monday, are 23-17 since the calendar turned to 2026 after stumbling out of the gate to a 14-20 start, a record built largely by beating the teams they’re supposed to beat. They’ve followed form thus far in this four-game homestand, dispatching Brooklyn and Milwaukee before facing the Mavericks and Wizards this weekend. They’ve also notched some impressive upset victories like the one last week against a feisty Minnesota team playing without Anthony Edwards, scratching out a tough 108-104 road win after blowing a lead that ballooned to 18 in the first half. The team has continued handling business since a left fibula stress reaction sidelined its second-leading scorer, wing Shaedon Sharpe, Feb. 6.

Friday’s game will be the third and final time these clubs meet in 2025-26 and the first time since Dec. 27, when Portland won at home 125-122. Dallas prevailed in overtime 138-133 at home Nov. 16, as four Mavericks- Flagg, Daniel Gafford, P.J.Washington, and Klay Thompson- scored 19 or more.

Strange brew

The Blazers are a pretty good, pretty weird team that ranks top-five league-wide in offensive rebounds, total rebounds, possessions, field goal attempts, three-point attempts, free throw attempts, second-chance points, and turnovers. Five rotation players take more than 6.2 three-pointers per game. They’ve got size that’s hard to match up with in center Donovan Clingan and wing Deni Avdija, and a third tone-setter in power forward Jerami Grant, whose toughness is hard to match. When the Timberwolves’ defense clamped down in the game’s final minutes March 20, Grant scored his team’s final eight points- a three to retake the lead, a three to keep the lead, and a pair of foul shots to ice it.

Grant returned Wednesday to hit four of 10 three-pointers against the Bucks, but when he sat against Brooklyn Monday with a calf injury, third-year forward Toumani Camara stepped up with 35 points, connecting on nine of 11 three-pointers. Camara’s lone qualifying two-point attempt in the game was a bold drive in which the lefty deftly switched hands for the finish when met at the rim by two Nets. His outburst Monday, a career high, followed up a four-of-six performance from deep in the loss against Denver.

Cling peach

Donovan Clingan, the league leader in offensive rebounding at 4.6 per contest, has taken a big step in his second year. The big man entered the league as a center in the traditional mold, and with 33 double-doubles and 1.7 blocks per game he’s done well in that role this season, but is also developing into a real three-point threat as the Blazers heat up down the stretch. In scoring a career high 28 last week against the Pacers he made three of five from deep, though the trend was already on display in two games early this season against Dallas, as Clingan made 14 of 21 field goals, including four of 10 three-pointers. It’s a fun development for a player who averaged 0.1 three-point attempts per game in his college career at UConn, and a huge challenge for the Mavericks, who missed Gafford Wednesday as he sat with a shoulder injury. In the first three minutes of the third quarter against the Bucks Clingan tip dunked a Camara miss from the wing, outfought Jericho Sims for a board on the other end, made a top of the key three that he was ready for when Avdija passed up after penetrating, cut for a reachback jam on a feed from Jrue Holiday, and set several hard screens. As with many of the Blazers’ strong suits, the offensive rebounding led by Clingan is not limited on the roster to his contributions. Reserve center Robert Williams III hauls in 2.4 in 17 minutes per game, a comparable clip.

Downhill Deni

Portland’s team identity centers around three core tenets: second chance-opportunities, high-volume three point shooting, and aggressive drives to the rim. Deni Avdija handles that third leg of the stool, softening up defenses by relentlessly taking it to the rack, where the first-time All-Star is a punishing finisher through contact, and by getting to the line, where he makes just over 80% of his league second-most 9.2 free throws. Though Avdija attempts a lot more threes, he’s got an offensive game that will look familiar to observers of Flagg attacking and finishing with little regard for his own safety.

The Blazers, who are separated from the Clippers by half a game as the two teams jockey for eighth place, will be highly motivated to maintain the momentum they’ve built so far at home. With a victory they would nudge their record above .500 for the first time since they were 6-5 on Nov. 12. The Mavericks, themselves a pretty weird team, figure to provide a more significant roadblock than the Nets or Bucks, however. In its last three games Dallas has taken two to overtime, ultimately dropping both contests to the Clippers and Warriors, and held firm against Denver, clawing within a point with three minutes remaining in the third. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray cooked the Mavericks from beyond the three-point line Wednesday, making nine of his 14 tries, but for as many three pointers as the Blazers attempt each game, they only make them at a rate of .339, good for 29th in the league.

How to watch/listen

You can watch the game on NBA TV, KFAA Channel 29, or MAVS TV (streaming), or listen at 97.1FM KEGL (English), and 99.1FM KFZO (español).

The Athletic’s Fred Katz wrote about 10 players who have made giant strides in at least one element of their games. It should come as no surprise that Suns guard Collin Gillespie made the cut for his list of 10 players.

His First Team featured Jalen Duren, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaylon Tyson, Ajay Mitchell, and Neemius Queta. The Second Team included Collin Gillespie, Ryan Rollins, Keyonte George, Anthony Black, and Peyton Watson. It is quite a list of emerging young talent around the association, and Gillespie deserves to be in the mix with his breakout season.

Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic here. 

Not only is he getting national attention, but he is on the verge of breaking the franchise’s single-season three-point record. He is now just six threes away from tying Quentin Richardson, and seven away from holding the record to himself with nine games left on the schedule.

"It would be special. Definitely something I never thought about, but it would be cool to do."

Collin Gillespie on what breaking the franchise three-point record would mean to him, while remaining focused on playing, "the right way." pic.twitter.com/LU7U6pvErr

— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) March 24, 2026

His snippet on Collin Gillespie, who he had on the Second Team, can be found below.

Collin Gillespie, guard, Phoenix Suns

“The Suns live in a perpetual state of too many point guards or not enough point guards. Either they have Goran Dragić, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas, or they are wedging Bradley Beal into running the offense.

Coming into this season, they were closer to the latter.

Jalen Green, who’s not a distributor but will dance with the basketball, was out. Beyond Devin Booker, there wasn’t much creation. So, the burden fell on three guys: Grayson Allen, who has handled the rock more than ever; Dillon Brooks, who was a contender to make one of these two teams; and Gillespie, the most surprising player on one of the league’s most surprising squads.

Coming into 2025-26, Gillespie had played as many minutes in the G League as he had in the NBA. Now, he’s fourth in the league in 3-point makes.

His spot-up shooting is an intuitive fit alongside Booker. Confidence has been built in the process. If Gillespie notices a sliver of daylight, he’ll hoist a long ball. He’s gone from riding benches to running first units. And the Suns are better off for it.“

It’s always interesting to get a national perspective on our players. And more specifically, an overarching, big-picture blurb on the Suns’ guard rotation. As noted above, his role entering the season was not certain, given the core trio of Booker, Green, and Allen. He has quickly inserted himself as not only a key piece but a staple. Dillon Brooks tabbed him as “Villain Jr.” during preseason, seeing the edge and grit he played with during practice and camp. It has certainly translated to the NBA regular season as well.

One of my bold takes entering the season was that Collin would emerge as a legitimate 6th MOY candidate. It sounded homerish and ridiculous at the time to some, but now, he’s played himself OUT of it entirely by starting too many games to even qualify. His emergence has been fun to track, and it’s a reminder of why it’s important to take a shot on developing young(ish) talent.

Gillespie will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and his return must be a priority for this front office.

MONTREAL (AP) — Zachary Bolduc scored the winner with his first goal since Dec. 23, and the Montreal Canadiens edged the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Thursday night.

Jayden Struble — with his first of the season — also scored, and Jakub Dobes made 25 saves as Montreal won its third consecutive game.

Damon Severson scored for Columbus, and Jet Greaves stopped 18 shots.

The Blue Jackets fell to 19-4-4 since Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason as head coach Jan. 12. They climbed from 28th overall to second in the Metropolitan Division ahead of Thursday’s games.

The Canadiens, meanwhile, sit third in the Atlantic Division with 11 games remaining.

Bolduc ripped a shot into the top-left corner 4:36 into the third period to snap a 31-game goalless skid and give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead.

Struble ended a drought of his own when he opened the scoring at 9:54 in the first period. He snuck a wrist shot past Greaves short side for his first goal since Nov. 26, 2024.

Two minutes later, Severson got Columbus on the board by beating Dobes blocker-side on a 2-on-1 after Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson was caught up ice.

With an assist on Struble’s goal, Hutson became the fourth defenseman in Canadiens history to register 70 points in a season — and the first since Chris Chelios in 1988-89. Larry Robinson and Guy Lapointe also reached the mark.

Up next

Blue Jackets: Host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

Canadiens: Visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

___

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

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Knicks faced their toughest test, by far, in two weeks.

And they ran out of the gym.

Their defense, ranked No. 1 in the NBA since Jan. 21, turned into a porous mess for much of an ugly 114-103 defeat to the Hornets. The Knicks allowed a younger and faster opponent to run rampant, and their seven straight wins entering Thursday felt like a paper streak when it ended Thursday with a thud.

Kon Knueppel, a real threat to snatch Rookie of the Year from Cooper Flagg, scored 25 points in 37 minutes for the Hornets, knocking down 6 of 10 3-pointers. Four of his teammates had at least 17 points as the Hornets shot 53 percent overall and 39 percent on treys.

But the Knicks’ biggest problems were threefold:

• They were killed by Charlotte’s pace, which started from the opening tip and never relented.
• They were killed by Charlotte’s pick-and-rolls.
•  They were killed on rebounds.

“They just kicked our behinds on the glass,” coach Mike Brown said. “We need more production on the glass than what we got from a handful of guys. If you’re going to go on the road and let a team outrebound you 43-24, it’s not even close because we didn’t put bodies on bodies. We didn’t hit first.”

The Knicks, meanwhile, got little offensively outside of Jalen Brunson, who had a spectacular first quarter but otherwise fizzled while finishing with 26 points and 13 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns logged just 22 minutes with eight shot attempts, scoring 13 points. The All-Star center wasn’t part of the closing lineup for a second consecutive game.

The Knicks trailed for the final three quarters and by as many as 21. It was worse than the final score.

“They played very well. They were physical,” Josh Hart said. “I just felt like we were a step slow. When another team is playing at that pace and with that physicality, it’s not going to be good day.”

Hart added the Hornets played as if “shot out of a cannon.”

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It’s totally different than what the Knicks witnessed in their previous matchup against the Hornets, way back in December.

“Yeah, 100 percent,” Brunson said. “From the outside looking in, it looks like they all bought in to playing a certain style and bought in to playing together. And they looked great.”

By the time the Knicks turned up the intensity late in the fourth quarter, it was too late. LaMelo Ball iced the game with two free throws to put the Hornets up by 12 with two minutes left, and Miles Bridges’ tomahawk jam in the final seconds was the final insult.

It was a discouraging start to a four-game road slate for the Knicks, with tougher games coming at Oklahoma City and Houston.

Before this, the Knicks feasted on lesser opponents — including a slew of tankers — having toppled seven straight teams currently with losing records.

The Hornets are trending in the opposite direction of tanking. They’re sharpshooting and surging, riding Knueppel and a revived Ball to a legitimate hope for the playoffs.

In fact, Thursday was the first time since 2001 that the Knicks and Hornets faced off this late in a season with both teams sporting above-.500 records. It’s also a potential first-round playoff matchup, depending on how the jumbled conference standings shake out over the final two-plus weeks.

The Knicks (48-26), who could’ve clinched a playoff spot with a win, now sit third in the East. The Hornets (39-34), winners of five straight, are tied with the Heat for eighth.

Charlotte certainly looked like the better team Thursday.

“Our pick-and-roll defense wasn’t good,” Brown said. “And part of the reason why it wasn’t good is because they set great physical screens. And we didn’t do a good job protecting one another in the pick-and-roll.”