Category: NBA

Cooper Flagg's homecoming at TD Garden was nearly cut short in the opening minutes of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics.

Flagg limped off the court after he drove toward the basket, while splitting two defenders, for a shot attempt. Flagg's shot was short as he went to the ground and immediately began holding his left leg and ankle.

The Maine native did return and finished out the game in the eventual 120-100 loss to the Celtics.

Flagg returned from an eight-game absence on Thursday in a 115-114 loss to the Orlando Magic. Flagg had suffered a left midfoot sprain on Feb. 10.

Cooper Flagg stats vs. Celtics

Points: 16

FG: 7-for-23 (0-for-4 from 3-point line)

Free throws: 2-for-2

Rebounds: 8

Assists: 6

Steals: 1

Blocks: 0

Turnovers: 3

Fouls: 5

Minutes: 30

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cooper Flagg stats, points tonight, Mavericks vs Celtics highlights

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Tyler Herro had 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists and the Miami Heat snapped the Charlotte Hornets' six-game winning streak with a 128-120 victory Friday night.

Herro was 8 for 10 from 3-point range, including one that broke a 108-all tie with 7:06 to play. That came during a 9-0 run after the Hornets led by two and was essentially the difference in the game.

Bam Adebayo added 24 points and 12 rebounds to help the Heat win their fourth straight game. Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 21 points off the bench. Miami was 18 for 38 (47%) on 3s.

Kon Knueppel scored 27 points for the Hornets, going 6 for 10 behind the arc. Brandon Miller had 22 points and 13 rebounds, while LaMelo Ball scored 21 points but was 7 for 22 from the field.

Charlotte fell back to .500 at 32-32. All the victories during the Hornets' winning streak had been by 15 or more points, tying the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors for the second-longest streak in NBA history.

The first meeting between the teams in four months showed how much things had changed for the Hornets. Miami rang up a franchise-record 53 points in the first quarter of that Nov. 7 game, rolling to a 126-108 victory.

Charlotte had become the team hanging big numbers on opponents and tried to rally behind Knueppel, who hit consecutive 3-pointers to cut it to 120-117. But Herro hit a jumper and Dru Smith had a follow shot to push it back to seven.

The Hornets have another winning streak they will try to extend in their next game. They have won a franchise-record 10 straight on the road and go to Phoenix to begin a four-game trip Sunday.

Up next

Heat: Host Detroit on Sunday.

Hornets: At Phoenix on Sunday to open a four-game trip.

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

NEW YORK (AP) — Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin was suspended for five games for slashing Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on the head, a punishment that will cost the Penguins forward nearly $160,000, the NHL announced Friday night.

Malkin was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking, a major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct 35 seconds into the second period of the Penguins' 4-1 loss to the Sabres on Thursday night.

Video showed that Malkin and Dahlin made contact at the side of the Buffalo net. Dahlin cross-checked Malkin, for which he was penalized, and Malkin responded by raising his stick and striking Dahlin on his helmet and shoulder.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety noted that Malkin was not off-balance and the contact was not accidental.

The 39-year-old Malkin has been fined five times and suspended twice previously in his NHL career, one game for high-sticking Philadelphia’s Michael Raffl in February 2019 and four games in April 2022 for cross-checking Nashville’s Mark Borowiecki.

Malkin has 13 goals and 47 points in 46 games this season and 527 goals and 1,393 points in a 20-year NHL career, all in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins are already without captain Sidney Crosby for a minimum of four weeks because of a lower-body injury as the team, currently in second place in the Metropolitan Division, battles for playoff position.

Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Malkin will forfeit $158,854.15. That money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

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

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Lanie Grant scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, Nyla Harris had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and third-seeded and No. 16 North Carolina beat No. 6 seed Virginia Tech 85-68 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday night.

North Carolina (26-6) plays No. 12 and second-seeded Louisville in the semifinals Saturday.

Grant hit 4 of 7 from 3-point range and Harris made 8 of 11 from the field. Elina Aarnisalo totaled 18 points, six assists and five rebounds for UNC, and Nyla Brooks added 10 points.

Harris made a layup that gave the Tar Heels the lead for good and sparked an 11-2 run that made it 30-22 with 4:33 left in the second quarter. Aarnisalo hit a 3-pointer and added two free throws as UNC scored eight of the final nine first-half points to take a 13-point lead into the intermission.

Carleigh Wenzel made 14 of 15 from the free-throw line and finished with 26 points for Virginia Tech (23-9) but was 6-of-17 shooting, 0 of 6 from 3-point range.

Wenzel scored six consecutive points to cut the Hokies' deficit to nine points with 3:34 left in the third quarter, but Grant answered 12 seconds later with a three-point play and North Carolina led by double figures the rest of the way.

The Mountaineers missed their first 10 3-point shots and finished 2 of 18 from behind the arc.

Up next

North Carolina: Plays in the semifinals Saturday.

Virginia Tech: Awaits a likely at-large NCAA Tournament berth.

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The Dallas Mavericks (21-42) lost to the Boston Celtics (42-21) on Friday, 120-100. Jaylen Brown led a balanced effort from Boston, scoring 24 while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing seven assists. Klay Thompson was the high point man for Dallas, scoring 19 off the bench.

Before the game, the ESPN broadcast had a great deal of understandable Jayson Tatum-adjacent pageantry as he’s coming back just 10 months after tearing his Achilles tendon. The first portion of the game was filled with offensive offense; nary a soul could hit a shot. Dallas fans dealt with a scare as Cooper Flagg grabbed his ankle following a shot attempt in the paint, but he gutted out the free throws and stayed in the game. Both teams found some scoring in the latter half of the period, and the game finally felt a bit more like basketball. Dallas led after one, 22-21.

Dallas kept the pressure on Boston in the second, with rather relentless rim pressure. Naji Marshall in particular kept the Mavericks ahead, scoring in crafty ways around the basket. The Celtics couldn’t take or hold a lead versus Dallas very long, but made threes and kept it close. Tatum finally got on the board late in the half to give the Celtics the lead on a putback dunk. He followed that up with a big three which nearly brought the house down. Dallas seemed to come apart down the stretch after leading nearly the entire half. Dallas entered the half down 58-53.

During the third, I ate my dinner while Dallas slowly got out-mathed by Boston. Three is worth more than two and while Dallas made numerous valiant efforts to keep pace, by the end of the quarter, it felt hopeless for the Mavericks, given the talent disparity between the two teams. Dallas went into the fourth quarter down 90-80.

The game got out of hand in the fourth. The Mavericks offense died as Boston seemed content to let Dalals drive and defend the rim with multiple guys swarming. Defensively, the Celtics spread Dallas too thin. They were unable to cover the Celtics from deep and protect the rim and the Boston lead grew throughout the frame. Dallas fell to Boston, 120-100.

Cooper didn’t look right

When Flagg went down, grabbing his ankle, I assumed his night was over. It’s the same foot he missed a month of game action due to a sprain in the midfoot area. But when he toughed it out, I wasn’t surprised; he’s 19 after all. Remember when Dereck Lively sprained his neck in the Western Conference Finals? I assumed he’d be out the series, instead he missed the game. That’s a part of being a super human athlete at 19 I guess.

All the same, Flagg did not look like Flagg all game. He was slow to move and his anticipation and quickness is his game, partocualrly on the defensive side of the floor. I have to imagine the decision was made because Flagg couldn’t hurt the ankle worse and because it was an important game for him with family coming to see him live. And yet I didn’t feel good watching him play this one. Hopefully he heals up and we get more off the Flagg we’ve come to know and love.

PJ Washington is a mess

2026 has not been Washington’s year on the basketball court. He’s not been able to string more than a game together without looking like he’s new to basketball. It’s disappointing too — he’s important to what Dallas wants to do. He’s another guy where I wonder if he’ll be with the team after this season, but I hope so. We’ve seen what he can be, and right now we’re looking at a shell of a player.

Jayson Tatum looks great

He had to shake off the nerves and rust, but Tatum looked like the exact same player who helped lead the Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship. He’s a really unique player and while I will never love him (for the aforementioend 2024 ring), I appreciate what he brings to the NBA and the kind of work it takes to come back from this kind of injury. I look forward to seeing how he finishes the season and in the playoffs.

“I’m excited.”

Two simple words followed by an ear-to-ear smile as Tatum walked the halls of TD Garden headed to the Celtics locker room. That grin lasted well into joining Jaylen Brown in pre-game warmups, a tradition the two have done since they become the cornerstones of the franchise.

With Deuce back on the sidelines, a raucous home crowd welcomed him out of the tunnel in his first game back after two hundred ninety-eight days of recovery and rehabilitation on not just the road to re-build his Achilles, but regain his confidence.

It wasn’t perfect to start. He missed his first six shots — including a loud missed dunk attacking a closeout — but connected on two alley-oop passes to Neemias Queta and found Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White behind the arc.

In a pair of six-minute stints, his legs looked heavy. There was a slight tentativeness with contact around the rim. With collective anticipation in the air, Tatum, the team, and TD Garden hung with every missed shot.

Then, a putback dunk off a Payton Pritchard miss gave the Celtics the lead again. He followed his first points of the season by a patented sidestep three and the top blew off the Garden.

Listen to the TD Garden crowd 🔥

JT is BACK. https://t.co/Kjd70NYGt2pic.twitter.com/zmgqizkc1l

— NBA (@NBA) March 7, 2026

That’s all it seemingly took as Tatum took over in the second half. He worked off the dribble at the top of the arc — the triple threat 6’8 point forward working back into perennial MVP candidate form. Absorbing contact on a drive and finishing off the glass? Check. The mid-range fall-away? Still got it. A jab step triple in the corner? Swish.

Starter or second unit, primary playmaker or second side swingman, Tatum naturally looked rusty, but it’s clear he kept his tools sharp over the last nine months. In a game that saw the prodigal son of Maine, Cooper Flag, return to New England and Nic Vucevic fracture his ring finger, the obvious headline of the night was Tatum’s return to the parquet.

"It was an emotional day… It's been a long journey."

JT, after putting up 15 PTS, 12 REB, and 7 AST in his first game back 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qav9u6hbzT

— NBA (@NBA) March 7, 2026

It wasn’t about the numbers. However, a near triple-double of 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists only shows how a complete a player that Boston has been missing all year.

Celtics 120, Mavericks 100 with Jayson Tatum the big winner of the night.

Welcome back, champ.

The Utah Jazz are near the end of a difficult four years of rebuilding. They’ve had successes and failures with their picks and development. Luckily, the successes have seemingly outweighed the failures. The Jazz have not been lucky on lottery night the last three seasons. Maybe this fourth season is the charm? Despite the bad lottery luck, Utah has successfully accumulated a roster that will win a lot of games next year. With a mix of trade and drafting, Utah is ready to start its next winning chapter.

The question this week was, of all the players Utah has accumulated for this next run, which one is the most likely to be an All-Star next season? It looks like that player for Jazz fans is Keyonte George.

But the season isn’t over yet! We still have at least 20 games left, and the Jazz still have a chance to improve their lottery odds. Currently, the Jazz are sitting at 5th in the lottery standings. It’s going to be tough, but can the Jazz still rise in the standings? That was my next question for Jazz fans: Do you think the Jazz can lose enough to get into the top of the lottery?

According to Jazz fans, fifth is as high as they will go. Not a bad thing considering it likely keeps the pick in Utah. That alone would be a win for the Jazz, considering it was likely going to the Thunder a few months ago.

If you would like to look at the FanDuel odds, you can look at them here. It’s a good place to look next season if you want to bet on Keyonte George making the All-Star team, there’s a really good chance.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sydney Shaw hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, Gia Cooke scored 16, and second-seeded West Virginia beat No. 10 seed Arizona State 67-54 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

No. 15 West Virginia (25-6) plays Saturday in the semifinals against the winner between No. 20 Baylor, the No. 3 seed, and sixth-seeded Colorado. The Mountaineers have won 25 games in each of coach Mark Kellogg's first three seasons.

Shaw tied the program record for 3-pointers in a Big 12 Tournament game. Jordan Harrison added 10 points, five assists and three steals for West Virginia.

Marley Washenitz led Arizona State (24-10) with 14 points and Heloisa Carrera scored 10. Gabby Elliott left the game due to an apparent knee injury with 5:33 left in the third quarter but returned to start the fourth and finished with nine points — all in the first half.

Washenitz hit a 3-pointer that capped an 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter and made it 52-50 game with 8:05 left. Shaw answered 30 seconds later with a 3 before Cooke added a putback and — after a steal by Wheeler — another 3 before Shaw hit her final 3-pointer to give West Virginia a 13-point lead with 2:37 to go.

The Sun Devils went scoreless for more than six minutes in the fourth quarter before Carrera hit two free throws that made it 63-52 with 1:48 left.

Up next

West Virginia: Plays in the semifinals Saturday.

Arizona State: Awaits a likely at-large NCAA Tournament berth.

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Yanic Konan Niederhauser tore a ligament in his right foot, putting an early end to his rookie season with the Clippers.

The 7-foot Swiss center was injured Wednesday night in a 130-107 win against the Indiana Pacers. Niederhauser was diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury in his right foot and will require surgery, the team said. The injury involves damage to the ligaments or bones in the middle of the foot.

Niederhauser averaged 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 41 games. After being selected 30th in last year's NBA draft, he began the season in the G League, but after the Clippers traded Ivica Zubac last month, he was earning more minutes.

In his last five games, Niederhauser was shooting 52% from the field and averaging 8.2 points and 6.2 rebounds while playing 18 minutes a game.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico (AP) — Chandler Blanchet did more than make his first cut of the year on the PGA Tour. His 5-under 67 on Friday gave him a four-shot lead in the Puerto Rico Open with a pair of teenager and John Daly's son around for the weekend.

Blanchet made birdies on all the par 5s at Grand Reserve and matched the tournament record for largest lead through 36 holes.

Gordon Sargent, one shot off the lead when the day began, shot 70 to fall four back.

Blanchet was at 13-under 131.

“The first part of the season, it’s been difficult, for sure,” Blanchet said. “It’s no fun practicing on Saturday and Sunday and not playing and waiting five days. So will be very happy to play some golf on a Saturday and Sunday this weekend.”

Blades Brown, the 18-year-old who turned pro before graduating high school in January, gets another crack at becoming the youngest PGA Tour winner in 95 years. Brown shot 67 and was tied for third, hoping to build off the experience of playing in the final group with Scottie Scheffler at The American Express last month.

Brown was at 8-under 136 along with Ricky Castillo (68), Jesper Svensson of Sweden (69) and Jeremy Paul of Germany (67).

“Yeah, we're halfway there,” Brown said. “A lot can happen in two days, so I’m excited for the weekend.”

Daly played bogey-free and was six shots out of the lead in a tie for seventh. The Arkansas alum is making his PGA Tour debut.

His father, the two-time major champion, played the Puerto Rico Open six times, making the cut four times with his best finish at tie for 10th in 2015, when his son was 11.

“It’s awesome. This place has always been one of my favorites to come watch my dad play back in the day, so it’s pretty cool to make it to the weekend,” Daly said.

Brown wasn't the only teenager to make the weekend. Miles Russell, the 17-year-old who already has committed to play at Florida State, make his first cut in his fifth PGA Tour start by making birdie from the bunker on his final hole at the par-5 ninth.

The winner gets a spot in The Players Championship next week and the PGA Championship, but not the Masters because it is held opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

John Daly authored one of the more amazing wins when he was the ninth alternate for the 1991 PGA Championship, got in when Nick Price withdrew, and then overwhelmed Crooked Stick with his power to win.

Could another surprise be in the works with his son?

“Honestly, go out there and try to go a low as I can,” Daly said. “I got nothing to lose, so just go out there and have fun and just keep doing what I’m doing.”

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

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Tajianna Roberts scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Mackenly Randolph had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 12 Louisville beat Syracuse 87-61 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.

Second-seeded Louisville (26-6) plays the winner between No. 3 seed North Carolina and sixth-seeded Virginia Tech in the semifinals Saturday.

Reyna Scott made 7 of 10 from the field and finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Cardinals. Skylar Jones scored 12 while Imari Berry and Laura Ziegler each added 11 points.

Syracuse (23-8), the No. 7 seed, announced before the game that Dominique Darius — who averages 12.6 points and has a team-high 106 assists this season — would miss the rest of the tournament due to a hand injury suffered in the Orange’s 70-59 win over California in the second round.

Uche Izoje had 22 points, 16 in the first half, and nine rebounds for the Orange. Sophie Burrows added 12 points and nine rebounds and Jasmyn Cooper scored 11.

Roberts opened the scoring with a 3-point shot nearly three minutes into the game that sparked a 17-3 run and Louisville led by at least eight points the rest of the way.

The Cardinals made 36 of 68 (56%) from the field and limited Syracuse to 34% (23 of 67) shooting, 4 of 25 (16%) from 3-point range.

Up next

Syracuse: Awaits a likely at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Louisville: Plays Saturday in the semifinals.

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Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers

March 6, 2026

Location: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas

TV:Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App, SCHN+

Time: 7:00 CST

Probable Starting Lineups

Rockets: Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun

Trail Blazers: Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Matisse Thybule, Jerami Grant, Donovan Clingan

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum will start for the first time this season as he makes his debut against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. Tatum will start alongside Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, and Neemias Queta.

Baylor Scheierman, who has been the Celtics’ starter over the past few weeks, will move to the bench.

Tonight's Celtics starters:

Derrick White
Jaylen Brown
Sam Hauser
Jayson Tatum
Neemias Queta

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 6, 2026

Joe Mazzulla confirmed that Tatum will start pregame, though he normally wouldn’t unveil that kind of information beforehand.

“Don’t ever say I don’t do anything nice for you guys,” Mazzulla said with a half-smile, insinuating it was a rare occasion in which he was willing to share information with reporters before game time.

Mazzulla did not say whether Tatum would be on a minutes restriction.

Tatum has previously shared the floor with all four other starters, although there will be an inevitable adjustment period to playing with this current iteration of the Celtics.

”I have no idea what it’s gonna look like,” said Derrick White on Thursday afternoon. “He hasn’t played in a really long time, and we all hope it’s the best thing in the world — but there’s gonna be ups, and there’s gonna be downs.”

Jaylen Brown addressed Jayson Tatum’s return for the first time

Brown confirmed Tatum was returning on Friday in an appearance on the “Cousins with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady” Podcast.

“First, I want to commend JT for taking that notion and be like I want to come back,” Brown said. “Him even wanting to come back is an unselfish act, putting potentially his body on the line in order for us to accomplish something great. We both are on the same page; we had a good talk today about what we want. We talked about just the mindset that we both want to come back and add to winning.”

Jaylen Brown confirms Jayson Tatum will make his return to the Celtics TONIGHT. 🔥🍀 pic.twitter.com/yiRfUoSWpm

— Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady (@VinceAndTmac) March 6, 2026

“We have a great understanding of what it means to win,” Brown said. “We’ve won for a long time. We know how to find success. We’re on the same page.”

Celtics-Mavericks tips off at 7pm ET.

MADRID (AP) — Spanish soccer team Celta Vigo is desperately seeking Madonna as it goes in search of a 36-year-old soccer shirt the pop star wore during a 1990 concert at its Balaidos stadium.

Madonna appeared on stage wearing the club's true blue colours during her Blonde Ambition tour in July 1990.

She delighted locals who claimed the material girl as one of their own and brought unexpected attention to defender Jose Manuel Espinosa, whose No. 5 shirt she wore.

However, the whereabouts of the cherished garment are unknown and, after searching fruitlessly for decades, Celta is asking the 67-year-old Madonna to help find it for the club's archive.

“Although ours was not the only football shirt you ever wore on stage, this iconic image has grown to shine differently as years have passed,” Celta president Marián Mouriño Terrazo wrote in an open letter to the American icon.

“Over time we came to better understand what you stood for back then: questioning established norms and standing up to those who try to tell you what you can or cannot do. At our club we recognise ourselves in this line of thought. That is why we hold on to the hope of finding the garment you once wore.

“Do you have it? If you know where it may be, or if you would like to join us in the search to retrieve it, please contact us via private message.”

The appeal caused a commotion on social media after it was published on Wednesday and the club doubled down before Friday's 2-1 home league defeat by Real Madrid, playing Madonna’s songs before kickoff and putting her picture on the field and on social media.

Mouriño Terrazo told local media he was hopeful the repercussions would reach the pop star.

“I imagine that the letter reached Madonna and that she will reply,” he said.

Madonna burst on the scene in 1983 with the hit Holiday and followed that with a run of top-10 hits that included “Like a Virgin”,” Papa Don’t Preach” and “Ray of Light.”

She remains one of the most successful recording artists in history.

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