MONTREAL (AP) — Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored 3:14 into overtime, rookie Matthew Schaefer had two goals in a 55-second span in the second period and the New York Islanders rallied to beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Thursday night.
Schaefer has 18 goals to surpass Denis Potvin for the most by a rookie defenseman in team history. Schaefer, selected first overall in last year’s draft, also moved past Phil Housley for the most goals in NHL history by an 18-year-old defenseman.
Islanders captain Anders Lee, skating in his 900th game, also scored and Ilya Sorokin made 21 saves to help New York win its third straight. Sorokin improved to 7-0-2 in his career against Montreal.
The Canadiens' Noah Dobson scored two goals in his first game against his former team. Cole Caufield scored his team-leading 33rd goal for Montreal in the third period and Samuel Montembeault made 23 saves.
Dobson, who scored at even strength and on the power play, spent his first six NHL seasons with the Islanders before being traded last June to Montreal for Emil Heineman and two 2025 first-round draft picks.
It was the first game back for both teams following the NHL’s 19-day pause for the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.
Dobson took advantage of a poor line change by the Islanders to open the scoring for Montreal in the first period. The Canadiens defenseman took a stretch pass from Lane Hutson before firing a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Sorokin to the glove side.
Dobson has 12 goals, one shy of his single-season high set with the Islanders in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
Up next
Islanders: At the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Canadiens: Host the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
Victor Wembanyama steps out of the visitors’ locker room, hunches through the tunnel, and Barclays Center greets him with a shriek. A mass circles the east end of the court as the Alien starts to warm up. Rarely is a nickname — bland it may be — this fitting. Wemby clutches a basketball, balancing on one leg while the physiotherapist pokes and prods him; they then begin a series of strange-looking stretches targeting muscles you haven’t heard of. Hushed fascination overtakes the crowd. It really does feel like a ticketed exhibition at Area 51; I snap the best photo I can get, proof that my work is occasionally as cool as my friends think it is.
On the west end of the court, Josh Minott and Ochai Agbaji warm up in front of empty seats. In pregame, Jordi Fernández gives his longest answer of the season, promising a bright future for the Brooklyn Nets as directly as he can: “We really like where we are. You know, we have a process and a plan in place … and everybody should feel the excitement of the next step. It’s a big 25 games for everybody, and a big, big, big summer.”
The media room is packed with national reporters, braving the slush to observe the Alien up close. Some of them ask me how I feel about Brooklyn’s rookie class. But before getting nerdy, I express my gratitude: The rookies have made this season interesting at the very least, even exciting at times.
Danny Wolf made a couple threes on Thursday night, finishing with 14/5/2, but Nolan Traore was once again the most impressive of the pack. He put up 13/2/3, only turned it over once, and consistently put pressure on the paint…
Nolan rejects, then uses the screen, then uses the re-screen and engages the big.
Nolan is 3-of-8 from two tonight, but three of his misses have been tipped in, in this exact manner vs. drop. More positive plays: pic.twitter.com/8JBffyk4Ae
Brooklyn did not wilt against Wemby. They scored 54 points in the paint, their highest total since a February 9 victory over the Chicago Bulls. San Antonio threatened to break the game open in the first quarter, but Day’Ron Sharpe, who reached a double-double, came off the bench and scored a quick seven points. Nic Claxton subbed back in and followed his lead, reaching double-figures before the half.
Jordi Fernández knew they would drown if not for the adjustment: “We go out there and shoot three threes and seven mid-range shots in the first quarter. So that’s just lack of intention and concentration … but then after that, you know, the second quarter we did better and coming out in the third, we did good.”
Michael Porter Jr. single-handedly kept Brooklyn within striking distance in that third quarter, maneuvering around Wemby for three quick layups…
Then, at long last, he found the 3-point stroke that’s been AWOL in February, hitting three straight. Porter Jr. scored 17 points in the period, finishing with 25/14/1 and six turnovers on just 9-of-22 shooting. Still, an improvement.
Alas, the Spurs put their foot down after Porter Jr.’s little outburst. The Nets were trailing by six. Blink. The Nets were trailing by 26. Brooklyn native Julian Champagnie led the way with 26 points, but it was a total team effort, as the West’s #2 seed showed no signs of fatigue having flown in from Toronto the night before.
Unperturbed by every run the Nets made, San Antonio whipped the ball around the court, posting an incredible 36:9 turnover:assist ratio and shooting 39.5% from three. It was the exact basketball Brooklyn hopes to play, right down to the franchise-changing superstar in the middle of it, though Wemby scored just 12 points himself.
“I thought we fought in that third quarter, cut it under ten, made it a game,” said Jordi Fernández. “We did a lot of things better, you know, fighting for long, longer rebounds, took the challenge, but then couldn’t close it. So, you have to play very well against a team like this, one of the best teams in the NBA.”
Egor Dëmin, perhaps unsurprisingly, was not one of the Nets who barreled toward the rim on Thursday. He shot just 2-of-3 from the floor, and was pulled early in the first quarter after being “involved in a few defensive mistakes,” per Fernández. But it wasn’t all bad for the young Russian, just a little odd: He did post a career-high nine assists with just one turnover.
Brooklyn’s head coach had a succinct message postgame: “Be more aggressive, and find those shots early, pushing. Obviously the unselfishness. I really like it … So, gotta watch the film again. In a perfect world, probably, I need him to take more than two threes and more than three shots.”
Jordi Fernández knows that we’re waiting for the summer. As opponents keep rolling through Barclays Center with ease, he might be counting down the days too. But until then, the Nets are not quite a basketball team trying to win games, but a collection of kids trying to — hold on, Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson came up with the perfect metaphor in his pregame.
“It’s hard to ask a 19-year-old to help another 19-year-old. It’s like asking a bunch of kids learning how to swim to make sure the other one doesn’t drown.”
Final Score: San Antonio Spurs 126, Brooklyn Nets 110
Milestone Watch
Dëmin joins Reece Beekman (4/8/25) as the only Nets rookies with at least nine dimes and under two giveaways since Marcus Williams(!) (3/9/07).
With 14/11/4 Day’Ron Sharpe logged his 19th career double-double, and his fifth this season. (Had a career-high six in 2023-24.)
After a couple of later games — the Pelicans win over the Jazz and the Kings over the Mavericks — the Tankathon rankings are looking up for the Nets. They are now one game out of second and two games out of first.
Next Up
<p>Luiza Moraes/Getty Images</p><br>
It’s a quick turnaround, as the Brooklyn Nets ship up to Boston for the second night of a back-to-back. Tip-off against the Celtics is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Dylan Larkin scored in his second goal of game at 1:50 of overtime, John Gibson made 26 saves and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Ottawa Senators 2-1 on Thursday night.
Larkin beat Linus Ullmark with a backhander in the tiebreaker.
Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring in the first period. Ullmark stopped 18 shots.
Detroit tied it at 1 on a power play early in the second when Lucas Raymond fed Larkin at the side of the net for a one-timer past Ullmark.
Just over two minutes later, Simon Edvinsson stepped into Tkachuk, with the Senators forward’s stick bouncing up and hitting him in the face. Tkachuk dropped to the ice, and Dylan Cozens jumped to his captain’s defense. Edvinsson and Cozens were both sent to the box.
Tkachuk returned to the ice before play resumed and skated to the penalty box to confront Edvinsson, drawing a 10-minute misconduct. Once in the box, Tkachuk continued to voice his displeasure.
ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 26: Bilal Coulibaly #0 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on February 26, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Joe Boatman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Washington Wizards lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, 126-96.
The first half of this game was tough to watch. Washington allowed Atlanta to head into halftime with a 76-56 lead. I get that the Wizards aren’t going to be very good this season. But that margin and the total number of points the Hawks scored is embarrassing.
Now, there’s something else I wanted to point out today. The Hawks wore their black and gold City Edition uniforms which were coincidentally the same colors as the Wizards’ black and gold City Edition uniforms. Unless you are someone who digs deep into each team’s alternate uniforms, some viewers may have very well had a tougher time figuring out who the Wizards and Hawks were.
Anyway, Washington was able to keep things relatively even in the third quarter, but the Hawks went back on another rampage in the fourth.
Corey Kispert, now with the Hawks, scored 33 points to show some revenge on his old team. He also made 6-of-11 of his three point shots. For the Wizards, Will Riley, Jaden Hardy and Justin Champagnie all scored 14 each to co-lead the team.
The Wizards now head back home to face off against the Toronto Raptors for their next game on Saturday. Tip off is at 7 p.m. ET. See you then.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Lina Ljungblom notched her first two points of the season and Ann-Renée Desbiens saved 34 shots to lead the Montréal Victoire over the New York Sirens 4-1 on Thursday night in the first PWHL game since the Olympic break.
Skylar Irving made it a 3-0 lead on an unassisted goal with 9:53 left in the first period, making it three goals on four shots for the Victoire (8-3-0-5), which moved into a 30-point tie for first place with the Boston Fleet.
The Victoire had another goal taken off the board due to goaltender interference. The fourth-place Sirens (7-0-3-7) quickly made a goalie change, switching out Kayle Osborne for Callie Shanahan early in the second period.
The lone Sirens goal came on a power play a few minutes later on a shot by Casey O'Brien assisted by Maja Nylen Persson and Sarah Fillier, who picked up her 10th assist of the year (second in the PWHL).
The Victoire extended their lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal early in the third on a puck that deflected awkwardly off the stick of Ljungblom — her first goal of the season — over the head of Shanahan.
Desbiens, who entered with the second-lowest goals-against average (1.16 per game) finished with a .971 save percentage, saving all but one of the 35 shots she faced. Erin Ambrose and Marie-Philip Poulin were out due to injuries.
Feb 26, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
You know the Spurs have reached a new level from even a month ago when they can look tired and a step slow, and still blow out a bad team (remember, playing down to opponents used to be a thing of theirs). After a hard-fought, exhausting win in Toronto the night before, the Spurs avoided a letdown game against the Brooklyn Nets by beginning the game strong and overcoming some rough stretches by spreading the wealth and riding the hot hand of the moment on their way to a 126-110 victory.
Seven Spurs scored in double figures, led by 26 from the hometown kid Julian Champagnie on 10-14 shooting, 6-9 from three. Michael Porter, Jr. was cold in the first half but exploded in the second for the Nets, finishing with 25 points and 14 rebounds.
Observations
Ed Malloy has always been one of my least favorite refs in the league (egotistical, heavy with the technicals, etc.), and he reminded me why at tip-off. Nic Claxton was grabbing Victor Wembanyama and crossing into his territory, so there were lots stops to reset him. Then, when Malloy finally threw the jump ball, Claxton was draped all over Wemby, who still won it. However, instead of either letting it go and allowing the game to start or calling a foul on Claxton, Malloy decided to redo the throw. Wemby again won it, but come on, Ed! (I think I’m running out of basketball brain cells to want to type this all out.)
The first quarter was a snooze fest, but in a good way because the Spurs were doing what they’re supposed to do: methodically (if unexcitedly) work down an inferior opponent. It lacked the excitement of recent games and opponents, but Devin Vassell remained hot, hitting is two three-point attempts, and Stephon Castle carved up the Nets’ putrid defense for 13 points in the quarter on the way to a 36-22 lead.
The Spurs hit four straight threes to open the second quarter each from their two NY/NJ-area players in Champagnie and Dylan Harper, but things got for sloppy as the Spurs seemed to lose focus, and the Nets managed to cut what had been a 22-point lead down to 12. But, they again did what good teams do and got their act back together to regain control by halftime, behind 19 first-half points from Champagnie.
The Spurs were again asleep at the wheel to start the third quarter as the Nets got within six while Porter Jr. got hot with 17 points in the quarter. This time, it was De’Aaron Fox’s turn to be the stabilizer with 10 points and initiating ball movement. That helped spark everyone else back into form, and five more made threes helped the Spurs get the lead back out to 20, and that was essentially the ball game with the fourth quarter being extended garbage time.
Victor Wembanyama had his third straight off game on offense, although he wasn’t forcing things tonight. He finally got his first field goal late in the second quarter and finished with 12 points on 3-9 shooting, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. He mentioned after last night’s win in Toronto that he was tired from the lack of rest during All-Star weekend and he hadn’t slept well the night before. The back-to-back tonight probably didn’t help much in that regard, but they have two days off before they play the Knicks, followed by a quick train ride to Philadelphia, so hopefully the rest and lack of travel over the next several days helps him regain his rhythm.
The win gives the Spurs their third undefeated month in franchise history (with a minimum of 10 games played). Their entire 11-game win streak has been within the month of February, with their last loss being the infamous snow game in Charlotte. Also, if they win the next two, they will sweep the Rodeo Road Trip. Who saw this happening coming into the season?
Utah Jazz leading scorer Lauri Markkanen is out and will be re-evaluated in two weeks after an MRI of an injury suffered in practice on Wednesday found a hip impingement, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.
Markkanen also tweaked his ankle during that practice, but the MRI on it was clean, Charania added. (The NBA did not send a doctor to review the MRI results, despite an online report, which was quickly retracted.)
Markkanen has played at an All-Star level this season, leading the Jazz in scoring, averaging 26.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He has missed 16 games lately due to a variety of ailments.
Markkanen found himself in the middle of the NBA’s tanking debate when the Jazz, for a short stretch, played him and just-acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. for 25 minutes per game but sat them in the fourth quarter (Utah blew a lead to Orlando and lost in one of those games). Utah owes its pick to Oklahoma City but it is top-eight protected, and the Jazz are tanking to hold on to that pick (they currently have the sixth-worst record in the league and a 96% chance of retaining the pick).
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was not amused by the creative benchings and brought the hammer with a $500,000 fine for Utah for sitting its stars in key moments of an undecided game. The Jazz got the message and since then Jackson (knee) and Jusuf Nurkic (nose) both needed surgeries that happen to end their seasons.
Now Markkanen will miss at least two weeks, and likely more. For medical reasons.
ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 26: Corey Kispert #24 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on February 26, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Not going to lie, this was such an uncompetitive game against a clearly tanking team that I have nothing to recap.
Corey Kispert had 22 in the first half and a career-high (!) 33 points overall. Newbies CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga added 25 and 17 respectively.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey broke Allen Iverson's 76ers franchise record for 3-pointers, finishing with five 3s and 28 points Thursday night in Philadelphia's 124-117 victory over the Miami Heat.
Maxey also had 11 assists and helped steady the Sixers after they blew a 16-point halftime lead. Joel Embiid had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Kelly Oubre scored 21 points for Philadelphia, which has won three straight after dropping its previous four.
Bam Adebayo had 29 points and 14 rebounds and Tyler Herro scored 25 points for the Heat, who have lost two straight.
Maxey came in with 882 3-pointers, three behind Iverson, and broke the record with 1:38 left in the first quarter. He made all five of his 3s — a career high for a period — and scored 20 points in the first quarter alone. He finished 5 of 12 beyond the arc.
The 25-year-old Maxey has 887 3-pointers midway through his sixth season; Iverson played his first 10 seasons and parts of two more for the Sixers.
Miami took its first lead of the game on a 3 by Herro with 2:44 left, but the Heat didn't score again. Maxey hit two free throws and then found Kelly Oubre for a 3 to put the Sixers back ahead 121-117. Embiid extended the lead on a 3 with 29.2 seconds remaining.
The Sixers led 73-57 at halftime. Miami rallied to tie it late in the third quarter, and the margin was within single digits the rest of the way.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 26: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a three point basket during the first quarter against the Miami Heat at Xfinity Mobile Arena on February 26, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A franchise record and a big standings win in one night — what a treat.
The Sixers outlasted the Miami Heat 124-117 Thursday night. They are now 33-26, still in control of the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Tyrese Maxey dropped 20 in the first quarter, breaking Allen Iverson’s franchise record for made three-pointers, and led the Sixers with 28 points and 11 assists. Joel Embiid put up 26 and 11 boards on 8-of-20 shooting despite picking up some banged up ribs in the second quarter.
VJ Edgecombe, again coming up with big clutch baskets despite some quiet stretches, finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor. Bam Adebayo led all scorers with 29.
The Sixers were only down Paul George (suspension) and Johni Broome (meniscus tear) while the Heat were only down Nikola Jovic.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
Embiid opened this game much more aggressively than the previous one, muscling his way to the basket for two easy layups before knocking down a three. He was the hub of everything early, scoring or assisting their first 14 points scored in the half-court. His two-man game opened up Maxey for a three and he also threw a nice pass to Dominick Barlow cutting to the block.
As he’s done a lot of as of late, Quentin Grimes knocked down a three very quickly after checking in for the first time. Two turnovers in a row, one that saw him get stripped and the other a bad post-entry pass, helped the Heat erase the early Sixers’ lead. Whether this was the first time all year he had a short leash, or Nick Nurse wanted to go big with both Jabari Walker and Trendon Watford, Grimes’ first shift only lasted a little over two minutes.
Once he made his first two threes, it seemed like Maxey wanted to get breaking the franchise record for made threes over as quickly as possible while keeping the offense somewhat organized. He made his fourth three of the quarter to pass Allen Iverson with a little over a minute left in the first. While the Sixers couldn’t stop themselves from fouling Miami, Watford’s foul on Jaime Jaquez at least gave the fans a chance to give Maxey a nice round of applause. He added on another three and a trip to the line, but that only had the Sixers up by one.
After taking a hard foul on the first play of the quarter, Embiid was favoring his side for the remainder of his shift. He was still able to score with ease, even getting down the floor and up for an alley-oop, but Edgecombe threw an errant pass. Even if the Sixers weren’t getting stops, they took over control of the pace to start the quarter, with Edgecombe beating most of the Heat back on defense nearly every time down the floor. He was also hobbling a bit after completing an and-1 on one of those fast-break possessions.
That nick Edgecombe took didn’t seem to slow him down at all. On top of his three transition drives to the hoop, Maxey hit him with a lob as well. It looked like he was playing with more confidence as the quarter wore on, especially after hitting a grenade three to beat the shot clock.
Miami starting the night cold from three helped the Sixers defense a lot. They basically just had to keep the Heat out of the paint to get stops. Two quick makes followed by another Grimes turnover was just the shot of life they needed as the Sixers were starting to build a lead. Embiid was able to settle things, drawing two shooting fouls on the swipe through move. Grimes redeemed himself with a corner three to give the Sixers a 16-point lead at the break.
Third Quarter
Seriously, what do they do at halftime? The Sixers didn’t pay for it too much immediately, but it took them nearly four minutes to score in the second half. They seemed to let a loose ball or two speed them up, either hoisting a contested three or trying to drive through the whole defense.
The timeout Nurse called didn’t stop Adebayo or Tyler Herro from catching fire from three, nor did it really get the Sixers’ offense back on track. They hit a couple kick-out threes but Maxey and Embiid weren’t able to cook the same way they had been. Adebayo was on such a three-point surge Miami briefly took their first lead of the night.
That second three from the Sixers at least stopped the bleeding for a moment. After Kelly Oubre Jr. sunk that one, he and Maxey strung two good drives together for baskets. After Cam Payne and Barlow hit their first threes of the game, an Adem Bona putback appeared to end the quarter on good vibes, pushing the lead to seven. Maxey thought he was fouled on the miss that caused the putback and got T’d up after a very heated conversation.
For the second straight quarter it took the Sixers a couple minutes to score and Miami capitalized with a 7-0 run to tie it up again. A Payne three to end that was much needed, but not as much as Edgecombe scoring his first points since the second quarter.
Still favoring his midsection quite a bit, Embiid looked like a different player in the second half. He had multiple passes he just couldn’t corral and his shots not even coming close were a result of him not being able to bully his way to spots as easily. He went to the bench with 6:48 to go at a timeout. While Edgecombe and Oubre both hit jumpers coming out of that timeout, Miami responded with two threes on their ensuing trips down the floor.
Maxey and Edgecombe were finally able to break the Heat’s zone consistently as the game wound down, which was good because Embiid continued to sit on the bench. After a pair of Maxey free throws, he kicked to Oubre for an open three to put the lead back up to four. Edgecombe impressively secured the rebound on the Heat miss, but the Sixers ensuing basket was waved off due to basket interference from Bona.
Perhaps it was the interference call that did it, because Embiid replaced Bona after that possession. After Herro missed a contested three, the Sixers got another kick-out three, this time it was Embiid and he drilled it to put the game away.
Here's a sentence that should scare the rest of the NBA: The Oklahoma City Thunder are getting healthy.
Shai Gilgous Alexander, who missed nine games with an abdominal strain, is not on the injury report and is expected to return to the Thunder rotation on Friday night against Denver.
The reigning NBA MVP, Gilgous-Alexander is the frontrunner to repeat, averaging 31.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds per game shooting 39% from 3-point range.
Oklahoma City kept its head above water, going 5-4 with Gilgeous-Alexander out (Jalen Williams missed seven of those games, and there are a host of other injuries on the team). The Thunder retain the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but the red-hot Spurs are now just two games behind them and have a much easier schedule the rest of the way (OKC has the second-toughest remaining schedule in the league). Oklahoma City and Detroit are now in a race for the No. 1 overall seed in the league (the Thunder lead by a half-game as of this writing, but the Pistons have one fewer loss).
His return comes in time both for his chance to play enough games to qualify for postseason awards (he can only miss six more games this season) and to keep the Thunder as a top seed — a huge advantage with how loud their arena is during the playoffs.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Elina Aarnisalo scored 20 points, Lanie Grant added 15 points and 21st-ranked North Carolina ended its two-game losing streak by beating Virginia 82-70 on Thursday night.
Reserve Nyla Brooks scored 11 points, and Nyla Harris and Ciera Toomey each scored 10 for North Carolina (24-6, 13-4 ACC), which shot 58% (29 of 50), including 67% (16 of 24) from 3-point range.
Kymora Johnson scored 22 points and Romi Levy 15 for Virginia (19-9, 11-6).
North Carolina built a 9-0 lead and carried it to 15-8 at the end of the first quarter. The Tar Heels opened its offense in the second, outscoring Virginia 13-5 over in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the quarter to build their lead to 28-13. North Carolina led 40-23 at halftime.
North Carolina maintained its double-digit lead through the third until Levy made a 3-pointer with 6:57 left to get the Cavaliers within 66-57. After trading baskets, the Tar Heels went back to their double-digit cushion with an 8-2 run and were never threatened again.
North Carolina reached 13 conference wins for the second straight season — the first time in school history to hit the mark in back-to-back seasons.
Virginia is sporting its first 19-win season in the four-year tenure of head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.
Up next
North Carolina: Hosts 12th-ranked Duke in a regular-season finale on Sunday.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Amelia Hassett scored 15 points on five 3-pointers to lead No. 16 Kentucky past Auburn 63-56 on Thursday night.
Hassett was 5 of 8 from the floor and posted six rebounds and two blocks. Clara Strack notched 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks — after entering second in the nation with 75 blocks, having already broken her own Kentucky program record of 73 blocks set last season.
Teonni Key had 11 points and nine rebounds for Kentucky and Morgan Tonie also scored 11 to go with four assists.
The Wildcats (21-8, 8-7 Southeastern Conference) held a 35-27 lead at the half after starting the game on a 14-3 run. The lead shrunk to six in the third quarter, before another 14-3 run ballooned it to as much as 19. The Tigers closed the game on a 14-2 run over the final 5:47.
Khady Leye had 20 points, eight rebounds and two steals for the Tigers (14-15, 3-12). Harissoum Coulibaly added 13 points. Kaitlyn Duhon had five steals, driving a 17-8 turnover advantage and 15-9 margin on points off turnovers.
The Wildcats outrebounded the Tigers 37-26 and shot 46% (24 of 52) to the Tigers' 39% (22 of 57).
Up next
Kentucky ends the regular season on Sunday, hosting No. 3 South Carolina.
Auburn finishes its regular season slate with a trip to Arkansas on Sunday.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Liv McGill had 28 points, six rebounds and eight assists, Laila Reynolds added 14 points, and Florida beat No. 19 Mississippi 74-67 on Thursday night for its first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
Florida (17-13, 5-10 SEC) snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series.
McGill found Reynolds for an alley-oop layup in transition for a 63-51 lead early in the fourth during a 12-1 run.
But Ole Miss scored the next nine points, with two 3-pointers from Tianna Thompson, to get within 65-60 with 4:13 left. The Rebels would not get closer that five points the rest of the way as Me’Arah O’Neal and McGill combined to go 4 of 4 at the stripe in the final 1:16 to secure it.
Florida (17-13, 5-10 SEC) shot 59% from the field and outscored Ole Miss 46-20 inside the paint. McGill made a layup early in the third quarter to break Florida’s single-season scoring record, passing Tonya Washington’s mark of 631 points.
Thompson set career highs with 25 points and seven 3-pointers for Ole Miss (21-9, 8-7). Cotie McMahon added 15 points and Christeen Iwuala had 10. Latasha Lattimore, the Rebels' third-leading scorer, was injured in the third and did not return.
Florida closed the first half on a 15-5 run to take a 40-37 lead into the break. McGill led the Gators with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Ole Miss went without a field goal for the final five minutes of the first half.
Up next
Ole Miss: Returns home to play Texas A&M on Sunday in a regular-season finale for both teams.
Florida: Goes on the road to face No. 23 Georgia to conclude its season.
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT - SEPTEMBER 29: Mo Bamba #11 of the Utah Jazz poses for a portrait at Redman Studios on September 29, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
According to Shams Charania (through agents), the Utah Jazz have signed Mo Bamba to a 10-day contract.
7-footer Mo Bamba is signing a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports and Greer Love tell ESPN. Bamba spent time earlier this season with the Raptors and has averaged 17 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks for the Jazz’s NBA G League affiliate. pic.twitter.com/zjzVIstqaO
This likely comes because of the loss to Jusuf Nurkic, who is out for the season. Bamba was on the Jazz roster to start the season and now makes his return. We’ll see if this will turn into a larger contract, but we may be seeing multiple 10-day contracts as the season goes on.
Bamba has not been able to find a home in the NBA, and it’s unlikely this is a long-term thing. That said, Bamba is a true center, something the Jazz do not have on their roster. This allows the Jazz to use their young players with a true center in certain lineups. The closest thing they have to that right now is Kyle Filipowski, but he doesn’t look like a long-term fit at center for Utah. We may not see Bamba at all, but it is a nice option for Utah to get a lineup on the floor that vaguely resembles what we might see next season.
