Category: NBA

In the moments after his Alabama men’s basketball team’s dreams of a Final Four were dashed, coach Nate Oats shifted his attention to the subject that, for better or worse, defined the Crimson Tide’s 2025-26 season.

After falling to No. 1 seed Michigan 90-77 in the Sweet 16 on Friday, March 27 in Chicago, Oats addressed Alabama’s lack of rebounding against Michigan by mentioning a player who didn’t — and couldn't — suit up for the Tide.

Former G-League player Charles Bediako’s painfully prolonged fight for additional eligibility captured the attention of much of the college basketball world for nearly a month as the former Alabama center tried to return to the program he left in 2023 when he declared for the NBA Draft.

REQUIRED READING: Michigan vs Alabama highlights: Wolverines take down Crimson Tide, advance to Elite 8

Thanks to a temporary restraining order granted to him by an Alabama judge, Bediako was able to play five games for the Tide, averaging 10 points and 4.6 rebounds during a stretch in which his team went 3-2.

It was a short-lived reunion, though, with the temporary restraining order expiring and another Tuscaloosa, Alabama circuit court judge denying Bediako’s motion for a preliminary injunction, effectively ending his season and his college career.

Though the Bediako drama was resolved more than a month ago, Oats couldn’t help but think of the impact the seven-foot center would have had for a team that had an underwhelming frontcourt for much of the season.

“We know we've got to get bigger,” Oats said. “Some of it was injuries and stuff that happened. When we saw the opportunity to bring some size on after all the adversity we went through and after (James) Nnaji was declared eligible and most people, including ourselves, thought if they were going to declare Nnaji eligible that Bediako would be eligible. We had one judge who thought so. He would've definitely helped the situation with the rebounding...We would not have gotten out-rebounded by 13 tonight had we been able to continue to play him.”

“It wasn’t meant to be," Oats added later. "God had something different in store for us.”

Nate Oats postgame 👀

"We know we gotta get bigger... We saw the opportunity to bring some size on, after Nnaji was declared eligible, and most people, including ourselves, thought Bediako would be eligible. We had one judge who thought so. He would've definitely helped the… pic.twitter.com/9GIJntY8RI

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 28, 2026

Though he never played in an NBA game, Bediako was in the G-League for three seasons and played a game for the Motor City Cruise only a few days before he was granted the temporary restraining order to return to Alabama.

In the loss to Michigan, the Tide were outrebounded 46-32 and gave up 13 offensive boards.

The Sweet 16 appearance was Alabama’s fifth in the past six years. Prior to that run, the Tide hadn’t made it to the second week of the tournament since 2004.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nate Oats says Charles Bediako would have helped Alabama in Sweet 16 loss to Michigan

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Riley Tiernan scored the go-ahead goal and Angel City defeated the Houston Dash 2-1 on Friday night in the National Women's Soccer League.

Sveindís Jónsdóttir also scored for Angel City, which has won each of its first three matches for the best start in team history.

Maggie Graham scored for the Dash, who lost for the first time this season.

Graham's header in the 10th minute gave the Dash (2-1-0) the early lead. It was her first goal of the season.

Jónsdóttir got her third goal of the season in the 47th minute. The shot from distance sailed into the upper corner of the net out of Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell's reach. It was the first goal that Houston had allowed this season.

Two minutes later, Tiernan scored in a scramble in front of the Dash goal. Tiernan has four career winning goals.

Angel City (3-0-0) was coming off a 3-1 win at Bay FC last weekend. Jónsdóttir had two goals in that match and was named the NWSL Player of the Week.

Houston was coming off a 3-0 victory over the expansion Boston Legacy.

Angel City won both of its matches against the Dash last season.

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

The Cleveland Cavaliers ran the Miami Heat off the floor. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

WINNER – Jarrett Allen

In case you couldn’t tell, the Cavs missed Jarrett Allen. That was clear the moment he returned to the floor for his first game since March 3rd.

During that time without Allen, the Cavs ‘ defense had fallen off a cliff. They ranked 20th in defensive rating over the last two weeks. And, while their offense had been surging, it still felt like they were missing an important contributor.

Allen provided the goods as soon as he hit the hardwood.

In the opening minutes, Allen sealed Bam Adebayo in the paint for an easy post hook, pounded the glass for a few rebounds, and ran like the wind to finish an alley-oop jam. This trend repeated until he had 18 points and 10 rebounds midway through the third quarter.

“He’s been the best rim protector in the league post All-Star,” said Kenny Atkinson. “And then his rim presence offensively, I think sometimes without him, we become too perimeter oriented.”

Allen, in years past, has been the unsung hero of this team. I’m not so sure he’s being unsung anymore. Everyone in Rocket Arena seemed to appreciate the performance he just had. I know I did.

WINNER – Max Strus

Well, if the Cavs missed Jarrett Allen, you can say the same thing about Max Strus.

Strus already gave us an electric reintroduction when he hit Boston with a barrage of three-pointers in his first game of the season earlier this month. But after a few games of not having much success, Strus once again jolted back to life by erupting from downtown against his former team.

“Everything is game speed,” said Kenny Atkinson after the game. “He’s first in the gym, in the performance room, lifting, rehab, recovery, he does a phenomenal job taking care of his body — so I knew he had a little rest here, he didn’t play the last game, and so I kinda felt like he was going to come out and have a big game.”

It doesn’t take much to get Strus going. A semi-open jumper kicked it off. From there, any sliver of daylight meant Strus was launching it. The gravity that comes from having a player on a heater like this opened the floor for everyone else to attack. Miami wouldn’t dare to leave him.

Was it a revenge game? Or just Mad Max doing his thing? I don’t really care; it was awesome either way.

WINNER – Everyone Else

It was just one of those nights.

Who else can I shout out? James Harden, who put the Heat’s defense into a torture chamber and didn’t let them out until he had 17 points and 14 assists.

How about Evan Mobley, who padded his stats a bit in the fourth quarter, but punished Kel’el Ware in isolation after being embarrassed the game before. Mobley might have taken advantage of garbage time for 12 fourth-quarter points — but he owed them a little something extra.

The bench was all around much more impactful than last time. After only combining for 14 points in their first meeting, Cleveland’s bench had 50 points going into the fourth quarter against Miami this time around. Even if you subtract the points added by Strus, this was still a much better showing from them.

All in all, the Cavs were a well-oiled machine tonight. They played their hearts out defensively and couldn’t miss a shot on the other end. That’s how you build a 30+ point lead and get yourself back on track.

BOSTON (AP) — Payton Pritchard scored 36 points, Jayson Tatum had 26 points and 12 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-102 on Friday night.

Jalen Johnson scored 29 points and CJ McCollum had 21 for the Hawks, who came in 15-2 since the All-Star break, best in the Eastern Conference. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 20 points but Atlanta’s shooting touch faded as the game progressed after a strong start.

Boston played without All-Star guard Jaylen Brown, who was ruled out with Achilles tendinitis.

Behind Pritchard’s spark off the bench and a dramatic swing beyond the arc, the Celtics caught the Hawks after trailing 25-9 in the first quarter. Boston made seven straight 3-pointers during the second quarter, but Johnson and Atlanta went into halftime up 60-55.

Fresh off an overtime victory over Eastern Conference leader Detroit, Atlanta entered the final quarter within striking distance of Boston, which has the East’s second-best record. Tatum had a tough night from the field, missing 16 of 24 shots, yet his spinning drive to the rim gave Boston a 97-86 lead with 7:29 remaining.

After getting fouled on a 3-point attempt with time winding down on the shot clock, Tatum sealed it with three free throws that gave Boston a 107-99 lead with a minute left.

The surging Hawks entered Friday with 14 wins in their last 15 games. They had their three-game winning streak snapped after shooting 39% from the field.

CLIPPERS 114, PACERS 113

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kawhi Leonard made a jumper with 0.4 seconds remaining, and Los Angeles rallied from a 24-point deficit to beat Indiana.

Leonard finished with 28 points, reaching 20 for the 50th straight game. Darius Garland led the Clippers with 30.

Los Angeles was run off the floor early by the team with the NBA’s worst record. The Pacers were a sizzling 8 for 11 from 3-point range in the first quarter, opening a 42-21 lead.

It grew to 45-21 early in the second before the Clippers stormed back for their fourth straight victory, giving coach Tyronn Lue the 400th of his career.

Indiana had gone back ahead 113-108 on Obi Toppin’s jumper with a minute to play. Leonard answered with a jumper, Garland made two free throws and the Clippers got the ball back after Pascal Siakam missed a jumper. They inbounded along the left side to Leonard, who dribbled into the middle and pulled up for the winner.

Leonard become the 14th NBA player to score at least 20 in 50 straight games, a streak that began Nov. 28.

Bennedict Mathurin scored 17 points against his former team, going 12 for 15 on free throws.

CAVALIERS 149, HEAT 128

CLEVELAND (AP) — Max Strus scored 29 points, Evan Mobley had 23 and Jarrett Allen came back from injury to add 18, leading Cleveland to a win over Miami in the second matchup between the teams in three days.

Strus made six of his eight 3-pointers in a 22-point first half as the Cavs bolted to a 35-point lead. He made one just ahead of the halftime horn to put Cleveland ahead 81-46 and cap the team’s highest scoring half this season.

The Cavs bounced back from a 120-103 loss to the Heat on Wednesday with a strong performance and matched the team record for points in a regulation game.

Allen’s return provided a major spark. He missed 10 games with tendinitis in his knee. The 27-year-old’s absence especially hurt on defense and deprived him time to build chemistry with star guard James Harden, whose acquisition at the trade deadline has raised title hopes.

Harden finished with 17 points and 14 assists, his most with Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell scored just six on 1 of 10 shooting.

THUNDER 131, BULLS 113

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points, and Oklahoma City used a 22-0 second-half run to power a win over Chicago.

The usually efficient Gilgeous-Alexander made just 8 of 24 shots. His teammates picked up the slack and helped the Thunder shoot 46.5% from the field. Gilgeous-Alexander still scored at least 20 points for a record 134th consecutive game.

Cason Wallace added 21 points for the Thunder, who were coming off a loss at Boston that followed a 12-game win streak. Oklahoma City got back on track, despite All-Star forward Chet Holmgren sitting out with a bruised right hip.

It was an important win for Oklahoma City, which is trying to hold off San Antonio for home-court advantage in the playoffs. The Thunder opened the night two games ahead of the idle Spurs with nine games to play and San Antonio holding the tiebreaker.

It was Thunder forward Jalen Williams’ first home game since Jan. 13. He had missed most of the past two months with a bruised right hip. The 2025 All-Star had 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Collin Sexton scored 22 points, Tre Jones scored 21 and Isaac Okoro added 20 for the Bulls, who have lost four of five.

ROCKETS 119, GRIZZLIES 109

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 25 points and led a fourth-quarter rally as Houston pulled away from Memphis for a victory.

Jabari Smith Jr. added 21 points and 16 rebounds and Amen Thompson had 18 points as Houston ended a two-game slide. Durant also had 10 assists.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper led the Grizzlies with a career-high 31 points and had seven rebounds. GG Jackson and Javon Small each added 14 points as Memphis lost its fifth straight and 13th in its last 14.

The Grizzlies were trailing 96-93 near the 7-minute mark of the fourth when Durant returned and made a 3-pointer. That kickstarted a 14-3 run through the middle stages of the frame that grew the Rockets’ lead to 110-96.

The Rockets, who are in sixth place in the Western Conference, are closer to Minnesota in the fifth spot than they are in danger of falling into a play-in game. With the win, Houston pulled within a game of the idle Timberwolves and four games games ahead of Phoenix for seventh.

Memphis, which has dealt with several injuries, is limping to the end of the regular season, hoping to enhance its position in the draft lottery. Ten Grizzlies were on the injured list against Houston.

RAPTORS 119, PELICANS 106

TORONTO (AP) — Scottie Barnes had 23 points and 12 assists, Jakob Poeltl had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Toronto beat New Orleans.

RJ Barrett, Sandro Mamukelashvili and J’Kobe Walter also scored 18 points apiece for the Raptors, and Brandon Ingram added 13.

Zion Williamson scored 22 points for New Orleans on 9-for-13 shooting from the field and 4 for 4 from the foul line. Saddiq Bey added 19 points.

The Raptors won for the second time in three outings to remain in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, a full game ahead of the idle Philadelphia 76ers. The top six teams automatically make the playoffs in each conference.

The Pelicans lost their fourth in a row overall and fifth straight on the road. They were without top scorers Trey Murphy III (ankle) and Dejounte Murray (Achilles). Immanuel Quickley (Achilles) was absent from the Toronto lineup.

NUGGETS 135, JAZZ 129

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 33 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists, Cam Johnson and Jamal Murray combined for four 3-pointers in the final 2:20, and Denver rallied from 13 down in the fourth quarter to beat Utah.

Murray finished with 31 points two nights after scoring a season-high 53. Jokic had his fourth straight triple-double and 31st of the season to help Denver avoid a costly loss in the tight Western Conference playoff race.

The Nuggets are in fourth place, a game ahead of Minnesota and a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kyle Filipowski led Utah with 25 points but was scoreless in the fourth quarter when Denver rallied from a 120-107 deficit. Jokic started the comeback with a layup, Tim Hardaway Jr., who finished with 21 points, hit a 3-pointer and two free throws that made it 124-121.

After Ace Bailey made a baseline jumper, Jokic hit a turnaround and Johnson tied it with a 3-pointer. The teams traded threes before Johnson, who had 12 points, put the Nuggets ahead for good with another from deep with 46 seconds left.

After a turnover, Murray sealed with another from behind the arc with 17 seconds left.

Utah, which has lost 26 of its last 29, played without several key players, including Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen.

WARRIORS 131, WIZARDS 126

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis had 28 points and eight assists, Gui Santos made a pair of free throws with 11.4 seconds remaining, and Golden State held off Washington for the win.

Brandin Podziemski added 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to help the Warriors win a third straight game for the first time in nearly two months. Santos scored 27 points, Gary Payton II had 15 and Pat Spencer scored 13.

Rookie Will Riley had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Wizards, who were trying to win back-to-back games after ending a franchise record-tying 16-game losing streak by beating the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

Bilal Coulibaly added 21 points while Bub Carrington had 16 points and five assists.

Playing their 24th consecutive game without star Stephen Curry, the Warriors led the majority of the game until the Wizards made a late surge in the fourth quarter.

MAVERICKS 100, TRAIL BLAZERS 93

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Marvin Bagley III scored 26 points off the bench and Cooper Flagg had 24 to lead Dallas past Portland, snapping a five-game skid.

Naji Marshall had 19 points and five steals for the Mavericks, who had dropped seven of their previous nine games on the road and bounced back from a 142-135 loss at Denver on Wednesday night. Bagley had nine rebounds and Flagg four steals for Dallas.

Jrue Holiday scored 23 points and Deni Avdija had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who had their two-game winning streak stopped and fell below .500 at 37-38. Portland, which has clinched a playoff spot and is currently in ninth place in the Western Conference, had won five of its previous six to get back to .500 for the first time in over two months.

Donovan Clingan had 17 rebounds and six points for the Trail Blazers.

LAKERS 116, NETS 99

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 41 points and eight rebounds while also picking up his suspension-triggering 16th technical foul during the Los Angeles Lakers ′ victory over Brooklyn.

Austin Reaves scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter while the Lakers finally pulled away from the young Nets to secure their 11th victory in 12 games. LeBron James added 14 points and eight assists for the Lakers in their return from a 5-1 road trip that has put them in third in the Western Conference standings.

Josh Minott had 18 points and six rebounds in Brooklyn’s 10th consecutive loss. Nic Claxton and Ziaire Williams scored 16 points apiece while leading the Nets’ lively effort, but both starters were kept on the bench for the entire fourth quarter along with Noah Clowney.

The young Nets still hung with the road-weary Lakers until the final minutes, erasing an early double-digit deficit and leading in the fourth quarter of their 20th loss in 22 games overall.

The Cleveland Cavaliers obliterated the Miami Heat in a bounce-back performance from their previous meeting.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

6 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals

Mitchell played the role of facilitator in this one. He used his gravity as a weapon, drawing multiple defenders and generating open looks for his teammates. Mitchell threw dimes to the bigs and sprayed it out for shooters like Sam Merrill to get rolling.

I know it’s weird to give Mitchell such a positive grade when he shot 1-10 from the floor. But trust me, he was better than the box score suggests.

Grade: B

James Harden

17 points, 14 assists, 5 rebounds

The Heat didn’t have any answers for Harden. He was a menace in isolation, making Norman Powell and Tyler Herro look like rookies. Whether he was scoring or passing, Harden was in full control tonight.

“I think James had 20 potential assists, he just finds the right solution in every situation,” said Kenny Atkinson after the game.

Grade: A+

Evan Mobley

23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

Mobley scored just 8 points in his previous game against the Heat. He had more than that in the fourth quarter tonight (12 points). It wasn’t an explosive game from Mobley, but he was one part of a symphony that wreaked havoc on Miami all game long.

Grade: A

Jarrett Allen

18 points, 10 rebounds

“The guys kept asking me, when is he [JA] gonna be back? They know how important he is,” said Kenny Atkinson after the game.

Well, welcome back, JA.

Allen returned to the floor for the first time since March 3rd to rousing success. He immediately made his impact felt, running the court for alley-oop dunks and impacting Miami’s attempts at the rim. Allen brought new life to a Cavs team that looked half asleep the last time they played.

Grade: A+

Max Strus

29 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist

Cavs fans are familiar with Strus catching fire. But that doesn’t mean it will ever get old. Strus hit his first four three-point attempts on his way to a 22-point first half. There was an audible excitement in Rocket Arena whenever he caught the ball today. That type of energy is infectious.

Extra credit for his aura in the post-game interview. Happy Birthday, Max.

Grade: A+++

Sam Merrill

10 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds

Merrill’s enjoying the best season of his career. He’s always been a steady shooter; now he’s added a mid-range and interior game. Merrill drove by Herro for a tough finish at the rim in the first half, showcasing his growth as an all-around player.

Grade: B+

Keon Ellis

10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

Ellis wasn’t bothered by Miami’s defense in either of their matchups this week. He scored 17 points in the previous game and started a perfect 3-3 from the floor tonight. His defensive activity feels much more impactful when sharing the floor with Mobley and Allen.

Grade: B+

Dennis Schroder

8 points, 5 assists, 2 steals

Schroder hasn’t totally fit in with the Cavs over the last few weeks. Tonight, he was a welcoming presence as he kept the offense churning through his playmaking in the second unit. Similar to Ellis, Schroder is able to be more impactful as a pest defensively when he has two bigs behind him to cover up any mistakes.

Grade: B

Thomas Bryant

11 points, 4 rebounds

Bryant is back to being the third big in the rotation. That’s good for everyone. He can provide helpful minutes off the bench when needed — and now, we aren’t as worried about diminishing returns.

Grade: B

HOUSTON (AP) — Mike Trout, Josh Lowe and Zach Neto hit home runs and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Houston Astros 6-2 on Friday night.

In his second game with the Angels, Lowe broke a 1-1 tie in the second when he sent a first pitch fastball from Mike Burrows into the Crawford Boxes for a three-run homer. Lowe was acquired by the Angels in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays on Jan. 16.

Trout’s fifth inning solo home run was part of a three-hit game, and it marks the first time in his 16-year major league career that he’s gone deep in his first two games of a season.

Neto added a solo shot leading off the ninth inning for his second extra base hit of the night.

The long balls were in support of an Angels staff led by Yusei Kikuchi, who allowed two runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. The bullpen quartet of Chase Silseth, Ryan Zeferjahn (1-0), Sam Bachman and Jordan Romano combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

Burrows (0-1), who was making his Astros debut after he was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Dec. 19, surrendered five runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six.

Yordan Alvarez hit a home run for the Astros, while Carlos Correa went 2 for 3 with a walk.

Jeremy Peña, who missed Thursday’s season opener, had two hits, a stolen base and scored a run.

The Astros have started 0-2 for the second time in three seasons under manager Joe Espada.

Up next

Astros RHP Cristian Javier faces Angels LHP Reid Detmers when the series continues Saturday.

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

SAN FRANCISCO — The longer Steph Curry remains sidelined, the louder the ticks on the clock grow inside the Warriors’ building.

Time is running out to get the Golden State superstar the buildup he would need to return for the play-in tournament, Steve Kerr acknowledged before Friday’s game against the Wizards.

“We need to give him a runway if this is gonna work, and we are running out of games. That’s fair to say,” the Warriors coach said, acknowledging that among the staff “it’s actually a conversation now.”

After hosting Washington, the Warriors have eight games left in the regular season. They clinched their spot in the play-in and are on track to visit the Trail Blazers in the 9-10 matchup.

“We’re not bringing him back, like, for the play-in game,” Kerr said. “He needs to play some games.”

Curry, 38, missed his 24th consecutive game with runner’s knee, and while Kerr said the injury has “frustrated” him at times, he added that Curry was “in a good place now” and currently “encouraged.”

The Warriors provided the latest update on Curry’s status before Friday’s game, saying he was making “good progress” and was expected to participate in a 5-on-5 scrimmage “in the coming days.” 

However, Curry was supposed to take part in a scrimmage this past Sunday. That never happened, and Curry is still waiting to receive the go-ahead from Rick Celebrini, the head of their medical staff.

“The whole idea is that if he’s healthy, he’s going to play,” Kerr said. “If he’s not healthy, or if there’s any risk at all, then he won’t play.”

Kerr said Curry was still working with the mindset that he’ll return this season. However, the longer Curry’s absence draws on, the less likely it is that happens.

Warriors injury updates

Golden State has been so beaten up recently that the update on Curry came with status reports on three other injured players, including his younger brother, Seth Curry.

The two brothers have yet to share the floor this season because of their various ailments. The younger Curry has at least returned to live on-court work, according to the team, after missing his eighth straight game with a groin strain.

Al Horford, who also missed his eighth straight game with a calf strain, has started “light on-court workouts,” according to the team. The 39-year-old is set to be reevaluated in a week, ruling him out for at least three more contests

Without Horford or Quinten Post, the Warriors have been lacking size. The Dutch 7-footer is still considered day to day with right foot soreness, which left the Warriors down two big men for the third game in a row.

WASHINGTON – Caleb Foster rolled out of the Duke locker room with his right foot wrapped in ice and his right knee perched atop a one-legged scooter, a bag of ice strapped and wrapped around his left calf for good measure.

Twenty days ago, Foster fractured his right foot in a win against North Carolina. In the wake of the injury, Duke coach Jon Scheyer believed Foster, a junior, had a “one-in-a-million” chance on returning this season.

On Friday night, Foster came off the bench to score 11 points, corral three rebounds and dish out a pair of assists across 19 crucial minutes to spark the No. 1 Blue Devils’ 80-75 win against No. 5 St. John’s to reach the East Region finals.

Sweet 16 scores, highlights: Who is headed to Elite 8?

TORONTO (AP) — Scottie Barnes had 23 points and 12 assists, Jakob Poeltl had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors beat the New Orleans Pelicans 119-106 on Friday night.

RJ Barrett, Sandro Mamukelashvili and J’Kobe Walter also scored 18 points apiece for the Raptors, and Brandon Ingram added 13.

Zion Williamson scored 22 points for New Orleans on 9-for-13 shooting from the field and 4 for 4 from the foul line. Saddiq Bey added 19 points.

The Raptors won for the second time in three outings to remain in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, a full game ahead of the idle Philadelphia 76ers. The top six teams automatically make the playoffs in each conference.

The Pelicans lost their fourth in a row overall and fifth straight on the road. They were without top scorers Trey Murphy III (ankle) and Dejounte Murray (Achilles). Immanuel Quickley (Achilles) was absent from the Toronto lineup.

Barnes scored 13 of his game-high total in the third quarter. Mamukelashvilli came off the bench for his total that included three 3-pointers.

After pulling away with a 25-8 run to begin the second quarter, the Raptors took a 59-44 lead into halftime. Toronto maintained its 15-point advantage after three quarters.

The Raptors played on two days of rest after a five-game road trip that concluded in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Up next

Pelicans: Host the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

Raptors: Host the Orlando Magic on Sunday.

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

When the Lakers hosted the Nets on Friday, there was an iconic deep voice missing inside of Crypto.com Arena.

Longtime franchise public address announcer Lawrence Tanter wasn’t in attendance for Friday’s game as he recovered from a health matter, the team announced.  

Jason Barquero filled in for Tanter. 

“The entire Lakers organization is wishing Lawrence all the best in his recovery,” the Lakers said in a statement, “and we look forward to welcoming him back soon.”

Tanter, 76, has been the Lakers’ PA announcer since the 1982-83 season. 

Lakers broadcast analyst Stu Lantz also wasn’t at Friday’s game because he was under the weather, with five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher filling in for Lantz.

It was a tale of two games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the second being a lot more to their liking. Max Strus hit eight threes, Jarrett Allen had a double-double in his return to the starting lineup, and James Harden added 17 points and 10 assists as the Cavs throttled the visiting Miami Heat 149 to 128. After laying an egg Wednesday night against the very same Heat team, it was a full 180-degree turnaround in front of a raucous Cleveland crowd.

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson talked about Allen’s return to the starting lineup and how much it meant, and he may have undersold it. Allen’s paint presence as a defender, ability to run to the rim off screens, and his sense as a roller of the pick-and-roll was on full display in the first half. The Cavs clearly missed him, on several levels.

Atkinson mentioned pregame how much of a difference it is having both Allen and Evan Mobley patrol the interior, and he was right. The Heat only attempted just 24% of their shots in the paint per Cleaning the Glass, almost 8% lower than their team average. That is an indicator of how much of a deterrent having two bigs is for opposing teams when facing a healthy Cleveland front court.

Despite the Cavs putting up 149 points, it was not because of Donovan Mitchell. The superstar shooting guard had a quiet scoring night, but still dished six assists and had four steals. Truthfully, there was not a need for him to carry the offense when everyone else was clicking so well.

Harden put together a 17-point 14 assist double-double, making the role of point guard look far too easy. The biggest benefactor to that was Allen, who had 18 points while being an ideal rim-running partner. His athleticism and contact on screens makes things easier, and the Cavs as a unit made things look extremely easy. Here is just one of Harden’s passes to Allen:

But the real star of the night was Max Strus, who was absolutely blistering from deep in the first half. The former Heat wing hit six three-pointers in the first half and eight overall en route a 29-point effort. Strus has been an instant-impact player for the Cavs sing returning from a foot injury, and this game was the highlight. A healthy Strus hitting shots and playing hard off the bench in the playoffs is an ideal scenario for the Cavs.

Mobley had a quiet first three quarters, but exploded out of the gate in the fourth to the tune of six straight points, and 12 for the quarter in total. He finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds on 10-15 shooting. The aggressiveness at the start of the fourth quarter was welcome, as the Cavs had just allowed that Heat to make up 13 points in the third. Mobley essentially iced the game, if Keon Ellis’ buzzer-beater three didn’t already do that:

The end of the game got a little chippy. Tyler Herro was assessed a technical after plowing right through Sam Merrill on a screen and arguing about the call. Then Myron Gardner fouled Tyrese Proctor hard on a layup that resulted in in a technical for him and Thomas Bryant, the latter for defending his teammate. The infractions didn’t matter, but it highlighted a frustrating night for the Heat in general, who were seemingly run off the court from the opening tip. They trailed 15-2 just a few minutes into the game and never recovered.

The Cavs managed to salvage the second end of this home-and-home series with the Heat, and get a few days off before starting a West Coast swing – beginning in Utah on Monday night. Tip-off is at 9:00 p.m. EST on FanDuel Sports Ohio.

Jayson Tatum set his season high in the Celtics 109-102 win over the Hawks on Friday night with 26 points. After a rough first half, Tatum really settled in during the 2nd half with 21 points and 5 rebounds on 6/13 from the field. However, it was Payton Pritchard who led team in scoring with 36 points.

Jaylen Brown joined Nikola Vucevic on the Celtics injury report. Baylor Scheierman replaced Brown in the starting 5 with Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta. Just Jock Landale missed the game for Atlanta. The Hawks started CJ McCollum, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, a group that has led them on a big winning streak as of late.

It was a slow start for the Celtics and a fast one for the Hawks. The Hawks starting 5 has been among the best in the league and that was the case at the start of this one. They got off to a 16-7 lead over Boston.

Jordan Walsh took Jaylen’s spot in the rotation; it was his first action since March 12 against the Thunder.

Jordan Walsh will return to the rotation with Jaylen out. He last played in OKC on 3/12.

— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) March 27, 2026

It was a 25-9 start for the Hawks, but the Celtics outscored the Hawks 17-4 to end the quarter. The Hawks led 29-26 at the end of 1. Payton Pritchard led the team with 7 points. Jayson Tatum had 5 of his own.

The Hawks got off to a quick start in the second quarter, taking a 37-28 lead but 9 straight Celtics points, 5 of which came from Payton Pritchard who got off of to a scorching hot start, evened the score.

The Celtics took the lead at 46-43 but a 13-4 Hawks run put Atlanta up, 56-50. The Hawks defense did a big part of the run, doing a good job of holding the Celtics offense down.

Basketball is a game of runs and the first half was the half of runs. The Hawks led, 60-55 at the end of the 2nd quarter. Pritchard led the C’s with 19 points while Sam Hauser had 7.

It was a tough half from the field for Jayson Tatum and Derrick White.

Tatum/Derrick: 4-18 (1-4) 3 TOs -17

Don't see that a lot

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) March 28, 2026

Payton Pritchard was a huge reason as to why the Celtics stayed in the game. He gave them a 69-68 lead in the middle of the third quarter after back-to-back deep threes.

Payton Pritchard is unreal

Comes off the bench after the timeout and hits 2 straight threes to hit 25 points early in the third quarter

Timeout ATL pic.twitter.com/SBFloPl9Zj

— NikNBA🏀 (@NIKNBAYT) March 28, 2026

The Celtics led at the end of three quarters, 87-82 as Pritchard was the leading scorer with 30 points. Jayson Tatum had 13 points with 8 on 3/5 shooting coming in the third quarter.

I thought the 2nd half was an awesome Tatum half, he was very good in 3rd quarter and it carried over to the 4th. He was getting to the cup, finishing strong, making the right passes and rebounding the ball.

Then, he finally hit the setback three.

I’m thinking Jayson Tatum is back pic.twitter.com/TdCGclz7ty

— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) March 28, 2026

Celtics got a bunch of offensive rebounds late in the game, 4 fourth quarter offensive rebounds gave the Celtics extra opportunities. Including a big one from Payton Pritchard who kicked the ball out to Tatum and was fouled on a three point shot.

The Hawks just did not have enough to keep up with Boston, even without Jaylen Brown. Boston beat Atlanta, 109-102.

Payton Pritchard led the team with 36 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Jayson Tatum had a season high 26 points. Luka Garza, Derrick White and Sam Hauser also scored in double figures.

The Celtics shot 47% from the field and 40% from three while Atlanta shot 39% from the field and 36% from three. The Celtics next game is Sunday in Charlotte against the Hornets at 6 EST.

TORONTO (AP) — Aerin Frankel made 18 saves for her third straight shutout and seventh of the season as the Boston Fleet topped the Toronto Sceptres 4-0 on Friday night.

Liz Schepers, with two goals, Jessie Eldridge and Sophie Shirley scored for Boston, which extended its lead atop the standings to five points ahead of second-place Montreal.

Elaine Chuli stopped 19 shots for Toronto, which had its six-game point streak snapped. Three of the Sceptres’ four wins during the streak came against Vancouver and Seattle, the PWHL’s last-place teams.

The Sceptres last played on March 17, a 2-0 win at Boston. It was the second of back-to-back shutout wins for Toronto, including a 2-0 home win over Seattle on March 15.

Schepers opened the scoring 11:38 into the first period when she put home a rebound after Shirley’s point shot was initially tipped by Hadley Hartmetz.

Schepers added her second of the game at 10:54 of the second period after she tipped in a wrist shot from Haley Winn.

Eldridge scored with 5:28 remaining in the middle frame.

Shirley put home a rebound with 5:46 left in the third period after Chuli stopped consecutive shots from Jamie Lee Rattray and Mia Biotti.

The Fleet now hold the best goal-differential in the PWHL at plus-23, and have scored first in a PWHL-leading 18 games this season.

Up next

Fleet: Visit the Minnesota Frost on Sunday.

Sceptres: Host the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Sunday.

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

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The NBA fined Timberwolves big man Naz Reid $50,000 "for questioning the integrity of game officials" in Minnesota's 110-108 victory over the Houston Rockets 110-108 on Wednesday.

Reid was hit with a technical foul and ejected with 4:13 left in overtime. He had not been charged with a prior technical, which would have resulted in an automatic ejection.

Crew chief Scott Foster told the pool reporter after the game that Reid was ejected for making “a statement that questioned the integrity of the crew.”

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

Per his Instagram account, UNC forward Caleb Wilson has declared for the NBA Draft. His announcement arrives just less than a week after former head coach Hubert Davis was relieved of his duties.

Wilson had one of the most incredible individual seasons that we’v seen in a long time at UNC. He finished his season averaging 19.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. At one point during the season he lead the team in all major categories, but then he injured his left hand in the game against Miami. There was hope that he would be able to return before the season was over, but while practicing for the Duke game he broke his thumb in his right hand during a non-contact drill. That injury ended his freshman season, and it effectively ended his Carolina career.

Despite missing a decent amount of time, Wilson as named first-team All-ACC, second-team All-American, and was selected for the ACC All-Rookie team. His incredible season guaranteed that his jersey will be hung in the rafters of the Dean Smith Center.

There was some hope that Caleb Wilson would return for a sophomore season, but it was never a likely outcome. Wilson is a projected top-five NBA Draft pick, and while NIL has made sure college players are making good money, it is still nothing compared to a top-five rookie contract — if he is picked fifth overall, he can still around $9 million his first two seasons. His NIL valuation during his freshman season was reportedly $1.9 million per On3.com.

Wilson is bound to be a really good player in the NBA. His skill set is something that many NBA GMs are looking for, and he’s drawn a lot of comparison to Kevin Garnett. He certainly has enough talent to be in the league for a long time, and he may even have enough talent to become a NBA All-Star if he lands in the right system. That’s a tough ask considering the teams that are at the top of the NBA Draft boards right now, but perhaps he will get a fortunate break and not land with a team like the Sacramento Kings. Is it messy to say that? Maybe. Is it a fair statement? NBA fans would almost certainly tell you yes.

We wish Caleb Wilson the best of luck at the next level. Thank you for giving your all to the program, and I will be rooting for you loud and proud wherever you land.