Category: Basketball

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Khamari McGriff scored 18 points and Nate Johnson scored 16 points and Kansas State delivered another blow to West Virginia's NCAA Tournament hopes holding off the Mountaineers 65-63 on Tuesday night.

Reserve Chance Moore scored 18 points, Brenen Lorient scored 14 points, reserve DJ Thomas 12 and Honor Huff 11 for West Virginia.

It was the first win of the season for the Wildcats in which they didn't score 81-or-more points.

PJ Haggerty, the nation’s third-leading scorer, was unexpectedly scratched from the Wildcats' lineup posted an hour-and-a-half before the 7 p.m. CT tip-off. Haggerty wasn't listed on the team’s initial availability report released Monday.

Kansas State said in a release that Haggerty sustained an injury in practice in recent days. He’s listed day-to-day ahead of Saturday’s matchup at Kansas. Haggerty, the Wildcats’ starting point guard, entered Tuesday night second in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 23.3 points per game.

Despite his absence Kansas State (12-18, 3-14) used a 21-0 run to take a 48-31 lead with 10:53 remaining, its longest scoring run of the season.

But the Wildcats proceeded to leave the door open failing to score a field goal in the final 3:48. McGriff made two free throws for a 57-39 lead with a 7:29 left.

West Virginia (17-13, 8-9) then outscored the Wildcats 19-1 down the stretch and got to with 61-58 with 48 seconds left before McGriff and Johnson each made foul shots to secure the win.

Up next

West Virginia: Wraps up the regular season on Friday against UCF.

Kansas State: Ends the regular season on the road against 14th-ranked state rival Kansas on Saturday.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

WINNER – Jaylon Tyson

Earlier this week, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson was asked what the ideal role for Jaylon Tyson is. His response? Defend, rebound, and make open shots.

I’d say Tyson checked all of the above tonight.

Tyson led the Cavs with 22 points on 5-12 three-point shooting. Each of his makes came off the creation of other players, knocking down catch-and-shoot opportunities to punish the defense and reward his teammates. Tyson also played superb defense throughout the night, at times checking Cade Cunningham and helping to “drain his battery,” as Atkinson put it.

As for the rebounding, Tyson only finished with 3 rebounds. But make no mistake, he was fighting for every loose ball and boxing his man to secure defensive stops. All in all, it was everything the Cavs envisioned him doing in a big win over an Eastern Conference rival.

It can be tough for a young player to have their place in the rotation juggled as much as Tyson has recently. But when the details of the job are as clearly defined as they are, it makes it easier for Tyson to slot back into his role on any given night.

LOSER – Injuries

It feels like the Cavs have been bitten by the injury bug all season. They’ve been without key plays throughout the year, including tonight. And as the game went on, they lost another one.

Jarrett Allen left this game in the third quarter with a knee injury. It appeared to be a non-contact injury that happened as Allen was going after a rebound. That’s something no one likes to see. Until we find out more, we won’t know how bad this is. We’re hoping the four days off are enough to get Allen healthy and back on the court.

WINNER – The James Harden Step Back

Everyone is aware of James Harden’s patented step-back jumper. For many of us, that jumper brought nothing but pain for the past decade and a half.

But now that he’s doing it in a Cavs jersey? I have to say, it’s a piece of art.

Harden began this game by slamming on the brakes and nailing a step back jumper. A few minutes later, he turned Ausar Thompson fully around before smacking another three. Finally, he sent Cade Cunningham to Parma with a step-back that brought the crowd to its feet. Harden let that one linger, doing a mini-shimmy before (tragically) missing the attempt.

This wasn’t an efficient game from Harden. In fact, those two step-back jumpers were the only three-point shots he made tonight. But you know what, he made each one count.

WINNER – Hustle

We’ve all heard it. The Cavs are soft and can’t handle intensity. Certainly not against a bruising, physical team like the Pistons.

So, what happened tonight?

Cleveland established an early lead by beating the Pistons to loose balls. They gobbled up second-chance opportunities throughout the first half, setting the tone that they wouldn’t be folding over and taking a big loss on the glass tonight.

The Pistons eventually won the rebounding battle 44-38, but the Cavaliers finished with more offensive rebounds. And they forced Detroit into 13 turnovers behind 7 steals. The tenacity that Cleveland played with made it seem like maybe the difference in perceived toughness won’t matter so much once the ball is actually tossed into the air.

I don’t want to jinx anything, obviously. But this is consecutive games against the Pistons, where physicality was simply not a concern. The Cavs met and passed the test.

TORONTO (AP) — Marie-Philip Poulin scored in regulation and twice in a shootout and the PWHL-leading Montreal Victoire beat the Toronto Sceptres 4-3 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.

Poulin, the Victoire captain, was playing her second game since returning from a knee injury sustained playing for Canada in the Olympics.

After Lina Ljungblom scored early in the third period to give Montreal a 3-2 lead, Jesse Compher tied it with 1:04 left and goalie Raygan Kirk off for an extra frame.

Hayley Scamurra also scored for Montreal, and Sandra Abstreiter made 23 saves.

Maggie Connors and Blayre Turnbull — on her bobblehead night — added goals for Toronto. Kirk made 31 saves.

Up next

Victoire: Host Boston on Sunday, March 15.

Sceptres: Host Minnesota on Sunday.

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

MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo had 23 points, nine rebounds and six steals, and the Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-98 on Tuesday night in the opener of a two-game series.

Tyler Herro added 22 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 20 for the Heat, who won for the fifth time in seven games.

Adebayo and Herro each had 15 points at halftime, while Jaquez and Andrew Wiggins both had 13 as Miami built a 69-54 lead. The Heat shot 53% in the first two quarters before pulling away in the fourth quarter and leading by 27.

Noah Clowney scored 17 points for the Nets, who lost their ninth straight. Ziaire Williams had 16 points and Nolan Traore added 14.

Nets leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. had a miserable night, going 3 for 17 and missing all nine 3-point attempts. He finished with nine points.

Brooklyn hasn't won since consecutive victories nearly a month ago.

Wiggins was scoreless in the second half, playing just 11 minutes and taking two shots.

Up next

The teams play again Thursday night in Miami.

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

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Roy finished with 27 points, Kanye Clary scored seven of his 23 in overtime and Oklahoma State beat UCF 111-104 on Tuesday night.

Oklahoma State ended the extra period on an 11-4 run and outscored UCF 17-10. Clary hit a 3-pointer and shot 4 of 4 from the line in OT.

The Cowboys (18-12, 6-11 Big 12) have won two of their last three since ending a five-game losing streak. UCF (20-9, 9-8) has lost two straight.

Jaylen Curry and Christian Coleman added 16 points apiece for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys shot 49% (35 of 72) from the floor and 80% (32 of 40) from the free-throw line.

Themus Fulks scored 22 points to lead UCF. Riley Kugel added 18 points.

With 24 seconds remaining left in regulation, Isaiah Coleman's dunk gave Oklahoma State a 94-91 lead. UCF answered with Chris Johnson's 3-pointer to knot it at 94-all with 11 seconds left. The Cowboys had the final possession, but Curry missed a field goal and John Bol blocked Roy's jumper to force the extra period.

UCF built a double-digit lead early in the first half before Oklahoma State used a 21-8 run to tie it 31-all. The Cowboys then closed the half on a 9-4 spurt for a 45-40 halftime advantage. Curry led the Cowboys with 12 first-half points and Kugel scored 11 for the Knights.

Up next

Oklahoma State ends its regular season at home against No. 7 Houston on Saturday.

UCF is at West Virginia on Friday in a regular-season finale.

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Rylan Griffen and Ruben Dominguez came off the bench to score 21 and 17 points respectively and Texas A&M defeated Kentucky 96-85 on Tuesday night.

With Griffen and Dominguez (who have 48 combined starts) leading the way, the Aggies held a dominant 57-39 advantage in bench points.

Rashaun Agee had 14 points and eight rebounds and Pop Isaacs contributed 12 points, six rebounds and eight assists for Texas A&M (20-10, 10-7 SEC), which had lost six of eight coming in. Zach Clemence had 13 points. He, Griffen and Dominguez combined to make 12 of the Aggies' 13 3-pointers.

Otega Oweh had 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Wildcats (19-11, 10-7), who have lost four of their last six games. Mouhamed Dioubate scored 19 points.

Kentucky led 30-18 with eight minutes left in the first half before Texas A&M took charge. The Aggies had runs of 13-0 and 14-0 while outscoring the Wildcats 27-3 over the final minutes to lead 45-33 at halftime.

Clemence hit three 3s early in the second half and Griffen scored 11 straight Texas A&M points while the Aggies built a 73-52 lead 9 1/2 minutes into the period. Kentucky slowly chipped away at the deficit but it didn't get within single digits until Trent Noah hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 remaining to make it 86-78. Texas A&M wrapped it up with eight free throws in the final minute.

Up next

Kentucky: The Wildcats conclude the regular season with a home game against No. 5 Florida on Saturday.

Texas A&M: The Aggies finish at LSU on Saturday.

The conference tournament runs March 11-15 in Nashville, Tennessee.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109 in a revenge match from last week.

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

James Harden

18 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 turnovers

The Cavs don’t win this game without James Harden. That’s not because he carried them by any means, but he’s raised their floor in a meaningful way since landing in Cleveland. Just having a Hall of Fame-level creator to keep the offense from falling off a cliff is a luxury few teams have.

Harden shot 5-17 from the field tonight and turned it over five times. But none of that changes what I wrote above. The pressure that Harden put on Detroit’s defense to keep him contained is what made this a winnable game for the Cavaliers.

Grade: B

Jarrett Allen

8 points, 3 rebounds, 20 minutes

Allen only played 20 minutes before leaving the game with a knee injury. Let’s hope it’s nothing worth worrying about.

Grade: Incomplete

Evan Mobley

18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Mobley had some uber-aggressive moments in this game. Like his 1-on-1 drive against Duncan Robinson or a spin move around Javonte Green into a dunk. Those flashes were the best part of the game. And while he didn’t collect as many rebounds as you’d like, he did play his role in boxing out Detroit’s frontcourt and opening opportunities for his teammates to clean the glass.

Grade: B+

Jaylon Tyson

22 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers

Can Jordyn Tyson come to every game and support his brother?

Jaylon Tyson played his best game in weeks, giving the Cavs a huge boost in the scoring department and setting the tone with his energy on defense. This game was a classic example of everything that we’ve come to love from JT.

Grade: A+

Dennis Schroder

15 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds

Schroder looks like he’s being shot out of a cannon on his way to the rim, at times. He’s an incredibly fun player to watch when his usage is correctly dialed in. His attacks on the basket helped to lead the way tonight.

Grade: A

Sam Merrill

9 points, 2 assists

This had the potential to be an explosive game from Merrill. He had a few open opportunities that missed the mark before Detroit’s defense eventually took him off the board as a scorer. It wasn’t until the closing minutes that Merrill finally freed himself up again for a huge three-pointer.

Grade: C+

Keon Ellis

7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 steals

If Ellis is on the court, there’s a good chance the ball is being deflected in one way or another. He’s everywhere defensively, and that activity made him the first player off the bench in Kenny Atkinson’s rotation tonight. A few unfortunate calls led to Ellis fouling out in the fourth quarter.

Grade: B+

Craig Porter Jr.

7 points, 3 assists, 8 rebounds

Porter is having a weird week. He’s undoubtedly had some ugly moments, but he’s also raised the floor in certain scenarios with crucial plays to swing momentum. His offensive rebound and putback layup to end the third quarter is one example of this. A dunk over Isaiah Stewart is another.

Still, Porter’s limitations as a three-point shooter remain an issue.

Grade: B

Thomas Bryant

9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Bryant converted a four-point play in the third quarter. That alone is worth the grade I’m about to give him.

Grade: A+

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Damon Severson broke a tie with a snap shot from the point through traffic at 6:07 of the third period and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Tuesday night to open a four-game homestand.

Both teams played Monday night, with Columbus beating the Rangers 5-4 in overtime in New York, and Nashville falling 4-2 at home to Detroit.

Adam Fantilli and Sean Monahan also scored for Columbus, with Monahan tying it at 2 at 1:52 of the third with a short-handed goal. He also had a short-handed goal Monday in New York.

Jet Greaves made 20 saves for Columbus in 51:44, missing an 8:16 stretch of the first period because of concussion protocol after Nick Blankenburg caught him with an elbow on the side of the head on a rush. Elvis Merzlikins stopped both shots on faced before Greaves returned.

Filip Forsberg had a power-play goal for Nashville, and Ryan O’Reilly was credited with a goal in the second that a Columbus player put in. O’Reilly was cut below the eye taking a faceoff midway through the third.

Justus Annunen stopped 24 shots for the Predators.

Before the game, Nashville traded center Michael McCarron to Minnesota for a 2028 second-round pick.

Up next

Predators: Host Boston on Thursday night.

Blue Jackets: Host Florida on Thursday night.

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BOSTON (AP) — Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt scored less than a minute apart early in the first period and the Boston Bruins held on for a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.

Pittsburgh's Erik Karlsson scored just 42 seconds into the game, but Khusnutdinov tied it at 1-1 when he snapped the puck high inside the far post past Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner for his 13th goal of the season at 5:10 of the first.

Mittelstadt added his 13th of the season 50 seconds later when he gathered in the rebound of Nikita Zadorov's shot and fired past a diving Skinner and into an open net. Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves.

Karlsson scored on the Penguins' first shot on goal after the Bruins had two excellent scoring chances in the first few seconds requiring solid saves by Skinner. The Bruins challenged for goalie interference but the goal was upheld. Skinner finished with 26 saves.

The Bruins came in having lost three of their last four games — two in the shootout — but have now won 11 consecutive home games to remain in the hunt for a wild-card playoff spot.

Charlie McAvoy's nine-game point streak came to end. The Olympian joined Ray Bourque as only the second Bruins defenseman in the last 40 years with a nine-game point streak.

Up next

Penguins: Host Buffalo on Thursday night.

Bruins: Visit Nashville on Thursday night.

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

The Dallas Mavericks were beaten by the Charlotte Hornets, 117-90 in a game that fell well short of competitive.

Dallas, still short-handed and without Cooper Flagg, was dispatched with ease by the NBA’s hottest team. With the win, the Hornetts are back to .500 and looking towards the postseason for the first time in a long time.

+51: Charlotte’s 3-point scoring differential

That Dallas was even in this game as long as they were is something of an anomaly. The Hornets came out of the gates hot and didn’t cool down all night. At the end of the first quarter, Charlotte led 31-to-23 after the first quarter, powered by a 6-of-16 effort from deep. That’s compared to Dallas’ 0-of-6 mark through the first quarter.

Much of the damage came from some familiar faces. Two former Mavericks, Josh Green and Grant Williams, combined to go 7-of-11 from three off the bench. The Hornets’ ROY-leading Kon Knueppel didn’t even get into the mix until later in the game. He was 2-for-9 for just four points at the half.

By the end, though, the Hornets had taken 51 three-point attempts and made 20, while the Mavs struggled to a 3-of-22 night from beyond the arc. Charlotte took 88 total field goals, so their 51 three-point attempts made up well over half of their shot diet as a team. Not a bad strategy if you’re going to shoot it at 39%.

+23: Dallas’ free-throw differential

On the complete opposite side of the coin, it was Dallas earning a huge free-throw disparity by trying to work the ball into the paint most of the night. The Mavs attempted 42 free throws and made 31. That’s 31 points out of a total of 90 on the night.

To cast it in a positive light, it’s an impressively gritty achievement for a team that wasn’t playing for much tonight. It certainly would’ve been much easier to pack it in and let it fly from deep or lazy jumpers instead for guys like Ryan Nembhard, who took some lumps tonight because of his focus on getting some paint penetration with his dribble.

0-2: John Poulakidas shooting night

It’s been said that there will always be a place in the league for guys who can knock down shots. That was probably the line of thinking behind signing Yale-grad John Poulakidas from the G-League to a two-way contract. The 22-year old was shooting 38.5% on five attempts per game in the G-League after shooting over 40% his final three years in college, but he’s off to a bit of a slow offensive start in his NBA debut. He took a single three-pointer and another jumper just outside the paint and missed them both.

He didn’t leave the stat sheet blank, though. Poulakidas managed to grab five boards and a pair of assists in only 14 minutes. He wasn’t brought in to clean the glass, but it’s good to see he stayed active despite not getting many shots up.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — VJ Edgecombe was ruled out for the rest of the game with lower back soreness after the 76ers' star rookie suffered a hard fall in the first half against San Antonio.

Edgecombe was fouled by Carter Bryant on a 3-point attempt on Tuesday night and grimaced as he was helped up by his teammates. Edgecombe stayed in the game and went 2 of 3 from the free throw line.

With the 76ers down 78-53 at halftime, Edgecombe did not return. He scored six points.

The No. 3 overall pick in the draft, Edgecombe, averaging 15.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists, is one of three rookies in the NBA this season averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. He ranks first among rookies in steals (1.5) and is seventh in rebounds (5.6).

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The Washington Wizards lost to the Orlando Magic, 126-109 on Tuesday night on the road.

The first half of this game was a rather even affair with Washington own 57-54. Neither team shot particularly well from three with the Magic shooting 1-of-13 from the line. There was a chance that the Wizards could win if their shooting could turn around.

In the third quarter, the Wizards shot better, 52.6 percent overall. But the Magic shot 15-of-19 from the field AND 5-of-5 overall from the three point line, so they broke the game open with a 97-81 lead heading in to the fourth quarter. Paolo Banchero scored 13 of his 37 points in that period. After the third quarter, this game was decided.

For the Wizards, Will Riley led with 19 points while Jaden Hardy added 18 points and Sharife Cooper added 16 more off the bench.

The Wizards’ next game is on Thursday when they host the Utah Jazz at 7 p.m. ET. See you then.

As if things weren’t going poorly enough, the Sixers will play the second half vs. the Spurs without VJ Edgecombe.

The rookie guard injured his back after being fouled by Carter Bryant in the closing seconds of the first half.

VJ Edgecombe lands hard on his back after this contest by Carter Bryant. Will be curious to see if he plays in the second half with the Sixers down 25 at halftime. pic.twitter.com/sfEOPKmy0j

— Drew Peltzman (@dapeltz13) March 4, 2026

Edgecombe was able to get up and walk under his own power. He took the ensuing free throws, but did not look very comfortable doing so. The team ruled him out for the second half with lower back soreness.

The Sixers were already without Joel Embiid (right oblique strain), Paul George (suspension) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (illness). They couldn’t get much going in the first half vs. Victor Wembanyama and company. San Antonio held the Sixers to 37.3% from the field, taking a 78-53 lead into the locker room.

The Sixers are right back at it Wednesday night as they welcome the tanking Utah Jazz to town.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero equaled a season high with 37 points, Desmond Bane scored 25 and the Orlando Magic eased to a 126-109 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

Banchero went 15 of 21 from the field as Orlando shot 55.3% and dominated with its starters on the floor to end a two-game skid. The Magic are seventh in the Eastern Conference.

Jett Howard scored 12 points and Jalen Suggs, Jevon Carter and Moritz Wagner had 10 apiece for an Orlando team that was missing injured regulars Anthony Black (quad), Wendell Carter Jr. (ankle) and Franz Wagner (ankle).

Rookie Will Riley scored 19 points and Jaden Hardy added 18 for the Wizards, who had nine healthy players available and lost their sixth straight.

Angel Reese of the WNBA's Chicago Sky was in attendance to watch her brother, Washington's Juju Reese, make his second career start. The 6-foot-9 rookie out of Maryland had nine points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes.

The Wizards led briefly in the second quarter and kept it within single digits until early in the third, when a layup by Suggs put the Magic ahead 66-56. Orlando led by double digits the rest of the way and pushed its advantage to 25 points in the fourth quarter.

Up next

Wizards: Host Utah on Thursday.

Magic: Host Dallas on Thursday.

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