Category: NBA

Minnesota Timberwolves (40-26, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (52-15, first in the Western Conference)

Oklahoma City; Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City comes into a matchup against Minnesota as winners of seven straight games.

The Thunder are 10-3 against the rest of their division. Oklahoma City averages 118.6 points and has outscored opponents by 10.8 points per game.

The Timberwolves are 8-5 in division games. Minnesota is fifth in the NBA scoring 118.6 points per game while shooting 48.4%.

The Thunder average 118.6 points per game, 3.5 more points than the 115.1 the Timberwolves give up. The Timberwolves average 13.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 fewer makes per game than the Thunder give up.

The teams play for the fourth time this season. The Timberwolves won the last meeting 123-111 on Jan. 30. Anthony Edwards scored 26 points to help lead the Timberwolves to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.8 points and 6.6 assists for the Thunder. Jaylin Williams is averaging 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds over the past 10 games.

Edwards is averaging 29.4 points and 3.7 assists for the Timberwolves. Julius Randle is averaging 14.1 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 9-1, averaging 113.6 points, 43.9 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.5 points per game.

Timberwolves: 6-4, averaging 112.3 points, 41.7 rebounds, 24.6 assists, 8.4 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 48.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.2 points.

INJURIES: Thunder: Branden Carlson: day to day (back), Jalen Williams: day to day (hamstring), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Isaiah Hartenstein: day to day (calf).

Timberwolves: None listed.

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

Sacramento Kings (16-51, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (33-32, eighth in the Western Conference)

Inglewood, California; Saturday, 10:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Clippers -13.5; over/under is 229.5

BOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles hosts the Sacramento Kings after Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points in the Los Angeles Clippers' 153-128 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Clippers are 8-5 against Pacific Division opponents. Los Angeles is 6-8 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Kings are 10-34 in Western Conference play. Sacramento is eighth in the Western Conference with 11.2 offensive rebounds per game led by Domantas Sabonis averaging 3.4.

The Clippers average 113.4 points per game, 7.5 fewer points than the 120.9 the Kings give up. The Kings are shooting 46.3% from the field, 0.4% lower than the 46.7% the Clippers' opponents have shot this season.

The teams meet for the third time this season. In the last meeting on Feb. 7 the Clippers won 114-111 led by 31 points from Leonard, while Malik Monk scored 18 points for the Kings.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bennedict Mathurin is scoring 18.3 points per game and averaging 5.6 rebounds for the Clippers. Leonard is averaging 27.5 points and 5.7 rebounds over the last 10 games.

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

LAST 10 GAMES: Clippers: 6-4, averaging 121.4 points, 41.2 rebounds, 23.7 assists, 10.2 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 51.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.7 points per game.

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

INJURIES: Clippers: Darius Garland: out (toe), Yanic Konan Niederhauser: out for season (foot), Bradley Beal: out for season (hip), John Collins: out (arm).

Kings: Malik Monk: day to day (ankle), Domantas Sabonis: out for season (back), Dylan Cardwell: out (ankle), Devin Carter: day to day (calf), De'Andre Hunter: out for season (eye), Zach LaVine: out for season (finger), Keegan Murray: out (ankle).

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

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Isaac Johnson scored 19 points and Harry Rouhliadeff added a double-double to propel Hawaii to a 78-63 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Friday night in a Big West Conference Tournament semifinal.

No. 2 seed Hawaii (23-8) will play No. 1 seed UC Irvine in the championship game on Saturday with a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Johnson made 6 of 15 shots with a 3-pointer and all six of his free throws for the Rainbow Warriors. Rouhliadeff totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds. Dre Bullock had 11 points and Hunter Erickson pitched in with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

Christian Williams made 6 of 10 from 3-point range and scored 21 to lead the third-seeded Titans (18-16). Bailey Nunn sank three 3-pointers and scored 11 off the bench.

Johnson had seven points in a balanced first-half attack to help Hawaii take a 29-21 lead into the break. Erickson hit a jumper to give the Rainbow Warriors a 46-44 lead with 12 minutes remaining and they pulled away from there.

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SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors were already beaten-up heading into their matchup with the Timberwolves, and by the close of the first quarter, they had lost Draymond Green and Al Horford, too.

Slowing down Anthony Edwards turned from a difficult task to an impossible one for the undersized and undermanned Warriors in a 127-117 loss that got out of hand early.

Edwards feasted for 42 points, including a dozen at the foul line. Rudy Gobert sank eight of 10 free-throw attempts to finish with 18 as Golden State struggled to handle Minnesota’s size, speed and physicality, falling behind by as many as 25 points early in the second half.

The uncompetitive loss — and the worsening injury issues — spoiled what could have been a positive turn on the health front as Kristaps Porzingis suited up for the third time in four games. Making his first start, the 7-foot-3 center trailed only Brandin Podziemski (25) with 20 points and offered some of their only resistance against the Timberwolves’ onslaught in the paint.

The spot in the starting five was only available after Green was ruled out about an hour before tipoff. Horford, Seth Curry and Quinten Post also left the game and didn’t return. 

“We’re going through it, for sure,” coach Steve Kerr said. “But you saw how hard the guys played. … Can’t ask anything more of our players right now. We’re about as beaten-up as any team I can ever remember.”

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What it means

One team was going to snap out of a skid, and it turned out to be the Timberwolves. Minnesota cruised to its first win in four games, while the Warriors’ losing streak reached a season-long four games.

Turning point

When Horford was ruled out for the remainder of the game late in the first quarter.

The veteran 6-foot-8 big man started alongside Porzingis, and it looked at first as if the Warriors would be able to counter the size of Timberwolves’ four starters at 6-foot-9 or taller.

That went out the window as soon as Horford’s right calf tightened up during his first stint on the court. With Porzingis still limited to 19 minutes, the Warriors ended up asking 6-foot-7 Gui Santos to play center for much of the fourth quarter after Post exited with a sprained left ankle.

“My only goal was just trying to take Rudy out of the way so that somebody else could grab the rebound,” Santos said. “But then you look and there’s two more guys that are really tall that are trying to fight for the rebound. It’s tough when you lose all that size.”

Minnesota bullied its way to a 52-40 edge in the paint, 23 points on 26 attempts from the foul line and 55 rebounds to the Warriors’ 45.

MVP: Anthony Edwards

Ant was unstoppable at all three levels. He facilitated easy early buckets for Gobert and Julius Randle before taking over himself, getting to the rim just as easily as he would cross over and step back beyond the arc.

Edwards finished a perfect 12-for-12 from the foul line and 13-of-22 from the field. He finished four times in the paint, found the bottom of the net five times from the mid-range and connected on four 3-pointers.

“As a defense, I think league-wide, you would be OK giving up the majority of the shots that he took,” said Podziemski, calling him a top-five player in the NBA. “Him and Shae (Gilgous-Alexander) and Kawhi (Leonard) are kind of on that level where the shots you would give up to anybody else, you probably don’t want to give up to them, and he hit a bunch of those.”

The Warriors entered halftime down by 21, 69-48, as Minnesota outscored them 38-20 in the second quarter. But they used a run of their own late in the third quarter and into the fourth to cut the deficit to single digits, 112-104 with 7:01 to play.

Edwards immediately put a stop to things with consecutive 3-pointers. Golden State wouldn’t get any closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

Stat of the game: 65.4%

Whether it was Edwards or anyone else, the Timberwolves got whatever they wanted inside the arc against a Warriors team that played long stretches of the game with only Post or Porzingis as their only player on the court taller than 6-foot-5.

Minnesota converted 34 of its 52 two-point field goals for a success rate of 65.4%. That opened things up from beyond the perimeter, where the Timberwolves also outshot the Warriors (40% to 31.3%)

All in all, Golden State clearly felt the absences pile up.

Up next

The Warriors head to the East Coast to begin a six-game road trip Sunday against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Steph Curry (knee) will miss at least the first portion of the trip, and coach Steve Kerr said before the game he wasn’t sure if Curry would travel with the team.

The Utah Jazz came up short against the Portland Trail Blazers, with a final score of 114-124.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was in attendance tonight to watch 10-day contract players Bez Mbeng and Andersson Garcia promote pro-competitive play. Thankfully for the Commissioner, and the Jazz’s pocketbooks, none of Utah’s stars played tonight.

Tongue-in-cheek comments aside, Utah’s end-of-rotaion players played surprisingly well tonight. Facing off against Portland’s A-team, the Jazz stayed within striking distance largely off the back of fast-paced, high-effort play. Utah was led by Brice Sensabaugh, who ended the night with 31 points on 12-20 from the field. This marks three-straight games of 20+ points for the third-year guard. Cody Williams finished with a career-high 19 points, 14 of which came in the first half.

Mbeng and Garcia, both experiencing the first NBA minutes of their careers, were tremendous on defense. Both had two steals, were quick in rotations, and had active hands. But most of all, they showed great effort on that side of the ball, something Utah’s youth have struggled significantly at times. Isaiah Collier finished the night with 17 points and 9 assists, but on only 6-15 from the field.

The Trail Blazers were led by 25 points apiece from Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson. Donovan Clingan dominated the paint, finishing with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Utah continues its roadtrip against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

PORTLAND, Ore (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the Portland Trail Blazers' game against the Utah Jazz on Friday night following the Oregon Legislature's approval of funds for the renovation of the Moda Center.

State lawmakers passed the measure last week that gives the state joint ownership of the Moda Center with the city and provides a mechanism to secure $365 million for renovation of the 30-year-old building.

The legislative effort comes amid the sale of the Blazers by Paul Allen's estate to a group led by Tom Dundon, owner of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. It helped allay fears that the new ownership might move the team out of Portland.

During his visit to Portland, Silver met with local officials about the next steps. He noted that Moda Center is not just home to the Blazers, but it will also be home to the expansion Portland Fire in the WNBA.

“I’ve had great conversations with the governor and the mayor, and it’s been a bipartisan effort,” Silver said. “I think everyone in this community recognizes that, even in addition to the Trail Blazers and the Fire — and we can’t forget about the Fire, which are about to open this season — that these arenas are multiuse facilities, whether it’s conventions or trade shows, concerts, graduations, you name it. They’re part of the life blood of communities. So it’s not just for the Trail Blazers and the Fire. You need a state of the art arena here.”

Silver made the comments in an interview posted by the Blazers. He did not speak to reporters at the game.

The Blazers have maintained that the arena needed renovation to attract big events, like the NBA All-Star Game and future NCAA Tournament games. The estimated total cost of the project is $600 million.

“You need a state-of-the-art arena here. And the Moda Center has become probably the oldest building in the league. There may be a building or two that are older, but have already gone through significant renovations,” Silver said. “So you know that this work needs to be done, not just for the basketball teams in town, but for all those events, and because I know, on behalf the economy of Portland, you guys have lost out on some big events because this arena hasn’t been updated in a long time. So it’s just work that needs to get done. But it seems like the spirit is there.”

Allen's estate has already agreed to the terms of the sale to Dundon. The NBA Board of Governors was expected to approve the sale later this month.

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

TORONTO (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 36 points, RJ Barrett added 22 and the Toronto Raptors rallied to beat Phoenix 122-115 on Friday night, snapping the Suns’ winning streak at four.

Jalen Green scored 34 points for Phoenix, matching his career high with eight 3-pointers, and Devin Booker added 31 points, but the Suns couldn’t hold on after leading by 10 in the fourth quarter.

Immanuel Quickley scored 17 points for Toronto. Scottie Barnes had 14 and Ja’Kobe Walter 12 as the Raptors won for the first time in three games.

Grayson Allen scored 15 points for the Suns.

Toronto trailed 105-95 with 8:12 left in the final period but turned it around with a 13-2 spurt capped by Barrett’s 3-pointer with 3:35 remaining.

Royce O’Neal stopped the run by making a 3 with 2:36 left but the Suns didn’t score again until Booker made three free throws with 24 seconds remaining.

CAVALIERS 138, MAVERICKS 105

DALLAS (AP) — Evan Mobley matched his season high with 29 points, Donovan Mitchell had 24 and Cleveland beat Dallas in the opener of a home-and-home series.

Mobley had 16 points in the first quarter and was already up to 23 by halftime, the second-highest scoring half of his career. He went 12 for 15 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds while playing just 23 minutes.

James Harden finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who shot 61.5% from the field and were 18 for 38 (47%) from 3-point range.

Cooper Flagg scored 25 points for the Mavericks, who were coming off a victory in Memphis that snapped an eight-game losing streak. Naji Marshall had 17 points.

PISTONS 126, GRIZZLIES 110

DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 30 points and 13 rebounds and Cade Cunningham added 17 points and 15 assists as Detroit handed Memphis its seventh straight loss.

The Pistons have won their last three games by an average of 25.3 points after a season-worst four-game losing streak.

Marcus Sasser had 16 points for the Pistons, which had seven players in double figures.

Javon Small led the Grizzlies with 23 points while Ty Jerome had 21. Taj Gibson made his season debut for the Grizzlies after signing with them in late February. The 40-year-old played nearly 12 minutes with three points and three rebounds.

Detroit led 98-84 at the end of three quarters, thanks to 26 points from Duren, and quickly moved the advantage to 22 before coach J.B. Bickerstaff emptied the bench.

KNICKS 101, PACERS 92

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jalen Brunson finished with 29 points and nine assists, OG Anunoby added 25 points and eight rebounds, and New York beat Indiana.

Mitchell Robinson had a career-high 22 rebounds to go with 12 points as last year’s Eastern Conference runner-up won its second straight and its sixth game in nine contests. The Knicks are still fighting to earn a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Jarace Walker scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Pacers. Aaron Nesmith had 12 points as injury-riddled Indiana lost its 12th straight. Ivica Zubac added 11 points and eight rebounds in his second game with Indiana since being acquired in a February trade.

ROCKETS 107, PELICANS 105

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant hit a go-ahead 18-footer with 7.6 seconds left and Houston outlasted New Orleans to move into third place in the crowded Western Conference.

Durant scored 32 points two nights after matching his season low with 11 in a blowout loss at Denver. Against the Pelicans, he was 13 of 24 from the field and had six rebounds and five assists.

Amen Thompson added 23 points for Houston in the opener of five-game homestand. Reed Sheppard scored 18 points, and Jabari Smith Jr. had 16.

Dejounte Murray led New Orleans with 35 points, but stepped out of bounds with the Pelicans up a point with 13 seconds remaining. After Durant put the Rockets ahead, Zion Williamson threw the ball out of bounds, and Durant hit two free throws to put it away.

TRAIL BLAZERS 124, JAZZ 114

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson each scored 25 points, Donovan Clingan had 21 points and 15 rebounds and Portland beat Utah.

With Golden State’s loss to Minnesota, the Trail Blazers moved within a half-game of the Warriors for the ninth seed in the Western Conference.

Brice Sensabaugh led Utah with 31 points.

After Utah jumped out to a 33-15 lead, the Trail Blazers found their footing and went on a 27-5 run to take control.

Portland’s Sidy Cissoko’s 3-pointer hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the second to make it 38-34, part of a 14-0 run to open the periodr. Portland took its first lead on a 3-pointer by Holiday, and led 66-58 at halftime.

The Jazz made several runs to cut into the lead in the second half. A layup by Oscar Tshiebwe made it 91-89 with 2:01 left in the third quarter, but that was as close as the Jazz would get.

TIMBERWOLVES 127, WARRIORS 117

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 42 points and Minnesota held off injury-plagued Golden State.

Edwards shot 13 for 22, made all 12 of his free throws and also had eight rebounds and five assists, while Rudy Gobert contributed 18 points and nine rebounds in what coach Chris Finch considered a must-win game. The Wolves snapped a three-game skid — all of those double-digit defeats, including 153-128 at the Clippers on Wednesday — following a five-game winning streak.

Gui Santos’ 3-pointer followed by a dunk by Malevy Leons cut Minnesota’s lead to 109-102 with 8:37 left but Golden State couldn’t do much more.

Brandin Podziemski scored 25 points for the Warriors, who scratched Draymond Green less than an hour before tipoff because of a lower back injury. Kristaps Porzingis moved into the starting lineup in his place as the Warriors used their 33rd different starting five, and it was Porzingis’ first start since being acquired by Golden State at the trade deadline from Atlanta. He finished with 20 points.

CLIPPERS 119, BULLS 108

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points, Bennedict Mathurin had 26 and Los Angeles extended its winning streak to four games with a victory over Chicago.

Jordan Miller added 14 points to help the eighth-place Clippers win for the seventh time in eight games to solidify their hold on a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament. After starting the season 6-21, Los Angeles is a season-best two games over .500 at 34-32.

Leonard scored at least 20 points for the 44th consecutive game to tie Bob McAdoo’s franchise record set for the Buffalo Braves in 1974-75.

The Clippers were without trade-deadline acquisition Daruis Garland, who was listed with left toe injury management on the front end of a back-to-back.

Josh Giddey had his 11th triple-double of the season for the Bulls with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Tre Jones scored 21 points and Matas Buzelis added 18 as the Bulls went 2-3 on a West Coast trip.

Chicago shot 44.2% from the floor and 29.3% from 3-point range while falling to 3-4 following an 11-game losing streak.

MIAMI (AP) — Austin Wells' only swing of the bat put the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic record book and the semifinal round.

Wells hit a game-ending three-run homer in the seventh inning Friday night that stopped the contest under a tournament rout rule as the Dominican Republic beat South Korea 10-0 to reach the WBC semis.

Wells' homer was the 14th for the Dominicans in the tournament, tying the tournament record set by Mexico in 2009. Wells, who also homered in a 12-1 pool victory over the Netherlands on Sunday, drove a first-pitch cutter from Hyeong Jun So off the front of the second deck in right.

“Trying to win today and be able to move to the next round was the goal,” Wells said. “Being able to help out today and be part of it was a lot of fun. Definitely a special moment.”

With a lineup of stars including Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr, Wells has quickly adjusted to the team. And, when the star sluggers did their damage without the long ball against South Korea, it was Wells who went deep.

The homer also tied Wells with Soto, Guerrero, Tatis, Junior Caminero and Oneil Cruz.

“The experience has been incredible. It’s been an unbelievable honor being able to represent my family and the country of the Dominican,” said Wells, who was born in Arizona to a mother of Dominican descent. “It’s something that I’m never going to forget and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity again.”

During its power barrage through the first four games, the Dominicans have displayed viral-worthy bat flips and exuberant group celebrations when they complete their trot around the bases. But, Wells has been more subdued.

“I haven’t been one for big bat flips in my career,” Wells said. “I’m taking notes. A lot of the times I just black out when I hit a home run. It’s been hard for me to show some sort of emotion. Maybe next time.”

The Dominicans reached the semifinal round for the first time since the tournament championship game in 2013. Now, they will have the opportunity to move past Mexico and claim the homer record as their own — and move a step closer to another title — when they face the United States on Sunday in Miami.

“This is something special for us because we are a very united team, compact team,” Caminero said. “You can feel the emotion, the energy in the clubhouse. We work as a team. This is something very special to us. Now we have to focus on the next rival on Sunday, and to continue playing like we have been doing so far.”

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

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas men and Illinois women sit on top after Friday's opening day of the Division I men’s and women’s indoor track and field championships at Randal Tyson Track Center.

Arkansas' men lead with 14 points, one more than both Virginia and Kansas. Texas A&M is fourth with 12 points and Kansas State follows with 10.

Ryan Johnson launched 84 feet, 1 1/2 inches to set a new meet record in the men’s weight throw and earn Iowa’s first title in the event.

Oregon’s Peyton Bair dominated the competition on Day 1 in the heptathlon with 3,675 points, only trailing collegiate record holder Kyle Garland’s pace from the 2023 indoor championships.

New Mexico's Habtom Samuel edged fellow junior Marco Langon of Villanova to win the 5,000 meters. Samuel finished in 13 minutes, 36.58 seconds to Langon's 13:36.98.

Kansas junior Ashton Barkdull won the pole vault, clearing a personal best 19 feet, 0 1/4 inches on his second try. Texas A&M senior Aleksandr Solovev finished second after clearing the height on this third attempt.

Reinhardt Harrison, Josiah Johnson, Tor Hotung-Davidsen and anchor Colin Sahlman led Northern Arizona to a first-place finish in the distance medley relay with a time of 9:19.95.

Tarleton State's Likesh Sathyanathan leaped a personal best 26-11 1/4 to win the long jump. Runner-up De'Aundre Ward of Southern Miss fell short by 1/4 inch.

Auburn's Ja'Kobe Tharp ran the second fastest 60-meter hurdles in NCAA history, clocking in at 7.36 seconds during Friday's preliminaries. Florida's Grant Holloway set the record at 7.35 seconds in the 2019 indoor championships.

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On the women’s side, Illinois totaled 30 points to grab the first-day lead, 10 better than second-place Oregon. Florida (14), BYU (13) and Minnesota (10) round out the top five.

Freshman Liisa-Maria Lusti became the second Oregon woman to win the pentathlon — first since Brianne Theisen-Eaton in 2012 — with a season-best 4,498 points. Lusti outpaced Illinois’ JaCieonna Gero-Holt in the 800 meters by one spot to hold off her fellow freshman. Gero-Holt became the school’s highest finisher in the event with a school record point total of 4,466.

Illinois junior Sophia Beckmon won the long jump with a mark of 21-9 — after finishing fifth in the event last season. It placed the All-American second all-time in Illinois’ indoor long jump history.

BYU freshman Jane Hedengren cruised to a first-place finish in the 5,000 meters, setting a facility record with a time of 15:00.12.

Oregon anchor Wilma Nielsen pulled away over the final 1,600 meters to help Oregon win the distance medley relay with a time of 10:48.76. South Carolina finished second in 10:49.69. Juliet Cherubet ran the first leg for the Ducks, followed by Lakely Doht-Barron and Silan Ayyildz.

Minnesota's Anthonett Nabwe won the women's weight throw with the sixth longest heave in collegiate history at 82-5.

Both championships conclude Saturday.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

It’s very clear how good Deandre Ayton can be. He was picked No. 1 in the same draft as Luka Dončić because he can dominate as a scorer, rebounder and even as a defender.

When he reaches those heights, he flirts with his maximum potential. But when he falls short of that quality, it’s equally disappointing.

During the Lakers’ current homestand, Ayton has been the best version of himself. Against the Wolves, he had 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Lakers dominated Minnesota.

After the win, Austin Reaves talked about how much Ayton matters to this team.

“He was a monster…” Reaves said. “He was the only person scoring for us efficiently and then just being high energy on the other end. Just doing what he does and that’s what we need him to do. When he does that, we’re a different team. We’re thankful to have him.”

While Ayton has had moments of disappointment, he’s still the starting center for the Lakers. When he registers a double-double as he did against Minnesota, the Lakers dominate. During the 20 times this year, Ayton has accomplished this feat, LA is 17-3 in those contests.

So, getting Ayton producing puts the Lakers in a position to win.

“I think he was very locked in today,” Dončić said after the win over the Wolves. “He was huge for us today. We need to encourage him to keep doing like that. When he plays like that, it helps as well.”

While Ayton is oozing with talent, he seems to be a player who needs the encouragement Luka is talking about. He’s a big who needs to get fed the ball and feel involved so he can bring his best. The Lakers have done big and small things to keep him engaged. A clear example of this is them making t-shirts for Ayton that encourage him to be a lion.

Ayton followed up his performance against the Wolves with an equally impressive game against the Bulls. He earned another double-double, and the Lakers won again, making them the third seed in the West.

Sure, Ayton can be frustrating and inconsistent at times, but his dominance raises the ceiling for this team. When he’s at the top of his game, he is far and away the best center on the team. And with the West featuring players like Nikola Jokić and Rudy Gobert on playoff teams, Ayton can help neutralize them with his game.

Hopefully, his current stretch of good games will lead to more productive performances from Ayton as the Lakers enter the home stretch of the season.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Rookie Peyton Anderson scored her first career goal to spark the Minnesota Frost to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Torrent on Friday night in the PWHL.

Minnesota (8-3-3-4) needed just 2:30 to grab the lead when Anderson used assists from Élizabeth Giguère and Claire Butorac to score. It was the first assist this season for Giguère and the second for Butorac.

The Frost took a 2-0 lead with 2:32 remaining in the first on Abby Hustler's third goal this season. Kendall Cooper notched her 10th assist and Grace Zumwinkle collected her fifth.

Minnesota went up 3-0 with 4:38 remaining in the second period when Klára Hymlárová scored for the second time this season. Britta Curl-Salemme picked up her 11th assist and Kelly Pannek added her eighth.

Seattle (5-1-2-10) cut it to 3-1 with 8:19 remaining on a power-play goal by Lexie Adzija. Anna Wilgren earned her fifth assist and Danielle Serdachny her fourth on Adzija's fourth goal of the season.

Taylor Heise sent a shot into an empty net in the final minute to complete the scoring with her fifth goal. Heise joins Alex Carpenter and Marie-Philip Poulin as the only players in the league’s first three seasons to top 20 points in back-to-back campaigns.

The two-time defending champion Frost became the first team to beat an opponent by three or more goals in three consecutive matches after posting a 3-0 victory in Seattle and a 6-2 victory at home earlier this season.

Maddie Rooney finished with 28 saves in goal for the Frost.

Corinne Schroeder saved 27 shots for the Torrent in the first of five straight games away from home for the first-year club.

The Frost had a 23-11 advantage in shots through the first 40 minutes, but the Torrent outshot Minnesota 18-8 in the final period.

Minnesota's 20 first-period goals this season trails only the 21 of Ottawa. Seattle has allowed 19 first-period goals, tied with New York for the most in the league.

Up next

Seattle: At Toronto on Sunday.

Minnesota: Hosts New York on Sunday.

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

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant hit a go-ahead 18-footer with 7.6 seconds left and the Houston Rockets outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 107-105 on Friday night to move into third place in the crowded Western Conference.

Durant scored 32 points two nights after matching his season low with 11 in a blowout loss at Denver. Against the Pelicans, he was 13 of 24 from the field and had six rebounds and five assists.

Amen Thompson added 23 points for Houston in the opener of five-game homestand. Reed Sheppard scored 18 points, and Jabari Smith Jr. had 16.

Dejounte Murray led New Orleans with 35 points, but stepped out of bounds with the Pelicans up a point with 13 seconds remaining. After Durant put the Rockets ahead, Zion Williamson threw the ball out of bounds, and Durant hit two free throws to put it away.

Murray was 14 of 18 from the field, hitting 4 of 5 3 pointers.

Williamson had 21 points. The Pelicans had won won two straight and three of four.

Up next

Pelicans: Host Dallas on Monday night.

Rockets: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday and Wednesday nights.

___

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

Back from their disappointing Houston/New Orleans road trip and in Toronto to face the Phoenix Suns on Friday, the Raptors had a lot of people to answer to. Their last game was a horrible loss against the Pelicans, made even worse by a late-game scuffle that drew a ton of online criticism.

The Raptors were called everything from fightless to directionless, and some of it has merit (especially the criticisms about the ceiling of this roster). They fell out of the top six in the standings, are clinging to a play-in spot, and their chemistry is being questioned. What else could go wrong? A locker room illness, anyone?

Yeah, to top it all off, Scottie Barnes went into the Phoenix game Friday fighting an illness that’s been making its way through the locker room.

Despite all of this, Darko Rajakovic was in a pretty good mood on Friday afternoon. He’s always a glass half full kinda guy, but today, especially, the strategy in responding to the noise was to be incredibly optimistic. He not only said the Raptors were exactly where they needed to be, but he even went so far as to say he was happy about where they find themselves right now — seeing a bit of adversity.

The Raptors found themselves chasing the Suns for a lot of tonight’s game. Barnes had a quiet night, his illness obviously slowing him down a bit, but Brandon Ingram was able to pick up the slack. Unfortunately for the Raptors, outside of their starting lineup, no one was really able to give them anything. Fortunately for the Raptors, their starters did enough to keep them in it late in the game. Amid Barnes being ill, Ingram and RJ Barrett led the team, and Quickley was solid.

In the end, the Raptors figured out how to close a tight game on the winning side, something they haven’t seemed to be able to do in recent weeks. A mix of strong action on the defensive glass, clutch shooting from Ingram and Barrett, and some of the grit they were missing on the road came into play as the Raptors were able to win their game, 122-115, over the Phoenix Suns. It was more of a sigh of relief than a huge celebration, and knowing this Raptors team, they will quickly shift focus into bringing whatever good energy they created today into their next game.

Ingram, in particular, was phenomenal. He scored 36 points on 13-20 shooting from the field. A few of those shots came in the clutch, when the Raptors needed him most. After the game, Darko mentioned Ingram was being exceptionally communicative with his teammates, stepping up to lead the team.

“This is what Brandon expects from himself, and what we expect from Brandon,” Darko said of Ingram’s 36-point showing tonight.

Barrett was also key in the clutch in this win. “It felt good to win in the way that we want to,” Barrett said after he scored 22 points on 9-16 from the field.

I feel like this season has come in phases. There was the shiny and new phase — seeing Ingram integrated into the team. There was the wild hype phase — when they went on that wild winning streak. Then came the adjusting expectations phase — realizing this team was playing ahead of their true current capabilities and adjusting accordingly. Some might call this current phase a slump, but I think it’s more of a time to start thinking about what’s next and what needs to be changed so that we continue to see improvement next season. When you stop catastrophizing and realize how far the Raptors have come this year alone, it’s easier to swallow a slump month… but that can’t last too long. In order for people to maintain patience with this rebuild, next season needs to continue to progress.

As we head into the final weeks of the NBA season, some glaring problems arise with this Raptors team. Their lack of bench offence and the Poeltl problem stood out tonight, to me. You’re getting nothing from guys like Gradey Dick and Jamison Battle, who are supposed to be off-the-bench shooters. Things would be better if Murray-Boyles were playing, but he’s hurt. Ja’Kobe has been great, but his 10 points can’t carry the bench.

In the starting lineup, Ingram is undeniably a star, as is Scottie Barnes — even if he didn’t have the best “flu game” tonight. To me, the last piece of the core trio is Barrett, who is solid when he needs to be and when he is healthy. He can get you 20 points a night pretty effortlessly, is efficient, and fits well on the court with Barnes and Ingram. Quickley has been pretty good as of late, but there is still the question of whether a more dynamic point guard would boost this team into actually being good enough to be mainstays in a playoff conversation. When he gives you 15 points, though, you can’t complain too much.

It’s Jakob Poeltl who seems to be the most glaring problem in the Toronto Raptors’ core. Your big man giving you 6 points in a game isn’t all that acceptable. Is the difference between this team being just big and them being great having a star center on the roster? Would a capable big man turn this team into a contender? Regardless, Poeltl’s lack of oomf is a glaring eyesore on an otherwise decent performance from the Raptors starters Friday night.

With 16 games left in the regular season, the Raptors need every win they can get. They’ll have another chance to improve from the slump of the beginning of March when they play a Sunday matinee game against the Detroit Pistons.

Gainbridge Fieldhouse is a house of horrors for the Knicks. There are other places, namely Utah and Los Angeles lately, that have given the Knicks’ fits, but there’s no place that just hurts more to play at than Indianapolis.

The Pacers (15-52) are trying to lose. They’ve load-managed as many players as humanly possible for much of the season, but they’ve happened to be particularly healthy whenever they see the orange and blue on the schedule. The Knicks (43-25) were lucky not to see Pascal Siakam tonight, but essentially every Pacer that wasn’t recovering from a torn Achilles was out there to try and spook a team they’ve eliminated in consecutive years.

Fortunately for our Knicks, they won’t see the now-eliminated Pacers in the playoffs in 2026, and there’s only one game left this season against them. For the third time in as many games, the Pacers forced the Knicks to get down and dirty and overexert to get a win against a team that would rather lose, but ultimately, unlike the overtime slugfest in MSG last month, the Knicks got it done, winning 101-92.

The biggest catalyst behind this win? To quote PW, “Mitch is killing it.” Robinson was forced to start due to a sore knee for Karl-Anthony Towns, and he wound up playing a season-high 31 minutes. He made it count—12 points, 22 rebounds (a career-high), nine offensive rebounds, and four stocks. It was as Mitch-y of a game as it could get.

Jalen Brunson poured in 29 points, mostly in an efficient first half, before a choppy second half. OG Anunoby attacked the rim all night and went 25-8-5. The starters were very, very good, all registering plus-minuses over 10.

First Half

The game got off to a choppy start on both ends, as the two teams looked to settle into a groove. Jalen Brunson, missing his co-star due to a balky knee, needed a few minutes to settle in and looked a tick off early. It was tied at four over four minutes in before the pace began to quicken and the Knicks got into a groove.

A trend of the first half? Gainbridge Fieldhouse became Lob City for the Knicks, who were setting up Mitchell Robinson for several thunderous jams (and an acrobatic layup for Mikal Bridges).

things we like to see… THIS 😤 pic.twitter.com/LRx1Dx2lbU

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 13, 2026

alley oop layyy 👀 pic.twitter.com/C3G5rv8bJd

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 13, 2026

Very shorthanded, the Knicks went deep into the bench early, including a cameo by Pačome Dadiet. The second-year Frenchman announced his arrival early, nailing a late shot clock logo triple to give the Knicks an early 17-8 lead.

FROM THE LOGO??!!!! 👀 pic.twitter.com/c1gOWlu8nL

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 13, 2026

Of course, this Pacers team was never going to make things easy. Even as the Knicks settled into a groove with Brunson scoring 11 in the opening frame, the Pacers fought back to make it 24-21 after one.

The Knicks got the lead back to eight multiple times early in the second as OG Anunoby decided to get in on the lob threat (not to mention his poster dunk earlier). Still, those pesky Pacers battled back and even took the lead on an Andrew Nembhard mid-range five minutes into the quarter.

An 11-0 run immediately after for the Knicks put them up eight, partially aided by a Rick Carlisle technical foul, who got mad at the refs overturning a bad call of their own. A strong end to the first half saw Brunson get to 23 points and the birthday boy Landry Shamet stretching the lead to a game-high 11 to end the first half, 56-45.

23 PTS & COUNTING FOR JB ‼️ pic.twitter.com/2MrcOwOnjw

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 14, 2026

birthday boy 👌 pic.twitter.com/7PD5mDRaCf

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 14, 2026

Second Half

The Knicks led 62-47 after a Shamet free throw with 9:02 left in the third. That would be the high-water mark, as things immediately fell apart after that.

The Pacers, who had Nembhard and Ivica Zubac playing in the second half of a SEGABABA after resting the second half the night before, went on a run, but that run was mostly done with them off the floor. Over the next nine minutes, the Knicks were outscored 27-11 by a Pacers run that was buoyed by underrated backup center Jay Huff, who was draining top-of-the-key threes like Karl-Anthony Towns himself.

Four-point play for Jay Huff ✅ pic.twitter.com/ySaXFw8mZ9

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 14, 2026

It also didn’t help that the Knicks’ lack of depth showed greatly. Brunson was playing in lineups that included Dadiet, Ariel Hukporti, and Jordan Clarkson. Those three, coupled with the up-and-down Mo Diawara, would share the floor with the captain during this run, where the Knicks were badly struggling to put the ball in the basket. The Pacers were content blitzing JB at halfcourt and daring the hodgepodge of other Knicks to make the right reads and make shots.

Eventually, the Pacers briefly came all the way back to take the lead on a catch-and-shoot triple by (who else?) Aaron Nesmith at the end of the shot clock with five seconds left. Not to worry, as Clarkson got him back with a buzzer-beater to give the Knicks the lead into the fourth, 76-74.

Aaron Nesmith's triple to beat the shot clock is tonight's Shot of the Game 🔥

"GOT IT! NESMITH HITS IT!" pic.twitter.com/D0ZmKj0cSL

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 14, 2026

JC AT THE BUZZER FOR 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/AB5RrHGaCv

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 14, 2026

Anunoby opened the fourth with a strong drive to the rim for an and-1. Needing a spark defensively, Mike Brown threw out a lineup that included Robinson, Anunoby, and Jose Alvarado, who were able to muck things up for the Pacers. A block by Robinson on one end led to a tough Clarkson layup on the other, getting the lead back to seven just over two minutes in.

Normally, a 15-win team that’s actively trying to lose would eventually let go of the rope and happily accept the contribution to the tank, but not the Pacers against the Knicks. OAKAAK Obi Toppin hit a three, perpetual pest TJ McConnell nailed his patented 9-footer, and you’re back in a dogfight.

Brunson had to re-enter the game with just a hair under seven minutes to play to stabilize the offense as McConnell’s comically tough shotmaking frustrated fans across the globe. In a three-point game with 5:47 to go, the refs granted Brown a very delayed challenge because of some gamesmanship to delay an inbound, and it got the team an extra possession. Coach is now batting nearly .800 on challenges this season.

The game turned into a real slog as the closing lineups took the court. 88-83 entering the final four minutes is not a score you expect in 2026, but that’s what happens when all-star forwards are in street clothes on both sides. Jarace Walker nailed a corner three to cut it to two, the two teams exchanged free throws, and we entered clutch time.

Quiet for much of the night, and much of the road trip, it was Bridges who nailed a massive triple to extend the lead to seven with 1:58 to go. Who set it up? Big Mitch, who was up to 21 rebounds. A mid-range miss by Nembhard and a beautiful fastbreak Anunoby layup got the lead to nine and forced a timeout from Carlisle.

yessirrrrr mikal pic.twitter.com/yAiXwIPx4o

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 14, 2026

transition ball 🤝 knicks pic.twitter.com/jFcdeEHFhU

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 14, 2026

But of course, the Pacers were never going to make it easy. An acrobatic layup from Nesmith and a quick steal gave them a chance to cut it to four, but Nesmith couldn’t replicate his Game 1 heroics. In fact, Indiana got a few opportunities to show they were still capable of the magic that they had with Tyrese Haliburton out there, but they didn’t.

Game Notes

• Robinson’s 22 rebounds are a career high. He played 30:37, which is the second-most he’s played in a game since suffering a stress fracture in his ankle in December 2023. It’s the first time since April 2023 that he registered 20 rebounds.
• Brunson started 9-for-15 in the first half and finished 2-for-10. Around halftime, the Pacers figured out that they could just send two at Brunson and dare his teammates to capitalize, so that explains it. Overall, fine game.
• First time that Mikal Bridges has scored 10+ points since March 4 against the Thunder.
• Alright, about Indiana. If you don’t think that they are circling these games on the calendar as one of the only ones they’re trying to win in this tankfest, I don’t know what to tell you. Two of Andrew Nembhard’s top four games in minutes are against the Knicks. Tonight, he played 32 minutes, which is his most since before the All-Star break. He rested the entire second half yesterday, but apparently needs to be load-managed otherwise? But he can play back-to-backs like this? Ivica Zubac made his Pacers debut yesterday and also rested in the second half. He played 29 minutes and closed tonight.

Up Next

Knicks head home for a primetime clash with the shorthanded Golden State Warriors on Sunday night at 8 pm. Stephen Curry, who’s had some of his best games ever at MSG, will not play.