Category: Basketball

Houston, we have a problem.

The Elite Eight matchup on Saturday, March 28 between No. 9 seed Iowa and No. 3 Illinois had to be paused with 7:43 remaining in the first half of their 2026 NCAA Tournament game at the Toyota Center in Houston because a buzzer from the scoreboard hanging over the court in the arena would not stop blaring.

THE BUZZER IS FIXED 🚨🤣#MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/PYX7wbAltG

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 28, 2026

Game and NCAA officials gathered around the scorer's table to try to resolve the issue. Eventually, the scoreboard was completely shut off, stopping the noise.

After 11 minutes, it mercilessly stopped and action resumed, with the Hawkeyes holding a 22-20 lead. While the jumbotron remained off, officials used an airhorn from the scorer's table.

REQUIRED READING: Illinois vs Iowa live updates: Score, highlights of Elite 8 game

While the game was stopped, players from both teams remained on the court shooting.

It’s a sound that TBS play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Harlan compared to “a torture chamber.”

“It’s what Jim Carrey said in ‘Dumb and Dumber’ — it’s the most annoying sound in the world,” TBS analyst Robbie Hummel said.

"Surely there's a way to unplug this -- surely there's a horn expert somewhere in this building!"

Kevin Harlan on the call as an issue with the horn gets worked on. pic.twitter.com/dnI0W9HOWT

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 28, 2026

The Houston Rockets' regular in-house crew are operating the game clock, scoreboard and shot clock for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games being held at the venue. The technical issue wasn't the fault of a clunky, out-of-date piece of technology, either. The Rockets installed the 6,200 square-foot display ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness: Blaring horn forces delay in Iowa vs Illinois Elite 8 game

WASHINGTON – Things didn’t work quite as Dan Hurley hoped.

Earlier this week, the Connecticut coach implored fans of the Huskies and rival St. John’s to put aside the rivalry and root for each team to advance out of the East Region semifinals for the fourth matchup this season, this time in the Elite Eight.

The No. 2 Huskies took care of their end of the bargain, beating No. 3 Michigan State 67-63 thanks to the play of veterans Alex Karaban, Tarris Reed Jr. and Solo Ball. But the No. 5 Red Storm couldn’t get over the hump against No. 1 Duke, losing 80-75 in the most physical game of this year’s NCAA Tournament.

March Madness Sweet 16 winners, losers: Big Ten puts 4 teams in Elite 8

More: Caleb Foster 'had no business playing tonight.' But he did — and led Duke to Elite 8

Instead of an all-Big East rematch, the Elite Eight will feature a rekindled rivalry between the Huskies and Blue Devils, who engaged in three similarly high-stakes tournament games in the 1990s culminating in a UConn win in 1999 for the first of the program’s six national championships.

“UConn and Duke have been the two best college basketball programs on the men's side in the last 30 years,” Hurley said. “So it's a pretty cool matchup.”

Duke, UConn have deep March Madness history

Like every previous pairing, the sixth tournament matchup in the rivalry’s history will decide who plays for and potentially wins the national championship.

Duke and UConn first met in the 1964 Elite Eight, with the Blue Devils rolling to a 101-54 rout before finishing as the national runner-up. In 1990, the Blue Devils pulled out a 79-78 win in the Elite Eight before again losing in the title game.

A year later, Duke topped UConn 81-67 in the Sweet 16 and then advanced for the program’s first national championship. The two faced off in the 1999 championship game, with the Huskies winning 77-74. The most recent matchup, in the 2004 national semifinals, ended with UConn winning 79-78 before going on to beat Georgia Tech for former coach Jim Calhoun’s second title.

“You have two of the biggest brands in college basketball going at it to make it to the Final Four,” Karaban said. “You've seen Duke. You've seen UConn throughout your entire life when you watch college basketball growing up. To be another piece of that story of those two programs going at it, I think it's awesome.”

UConn experience battles Duke young talent

This Elite Eight matchup features one immediate contrast: While Duke is again built around underclassmen, including star freshman forward Cameron Boozer, UConn is a veteran-driven team that has leaned on this experience to win challenging tournament games against No. 15 Furman, No. 7 UCLA and the Spartans.

But there’s a question of whether experience really matters at this stage of the season. While younger, Duke has been tested enough in this tournament — against the Red Storm and in the opening round against No. 16 Siena, which had a double-digit halftime lead — to potentially erase the Huskies’ edge.

“I think it's less about the age and more about the mindset, the competitiveness, their feel for the game,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer. “I think that's really something important for me and this program. And the rest takes care of itself.”

Karaban may be the game’s biggest wild card. More of a complementary piece during the program’s back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024, he’s averaging 20.3 points per game in this year’s tournament and has made 11 of his 25 attempts from 3-point range. He brings into Sunday night a remarkable 16-1 record in tournament play.

“At the end of the day also, he's just a competitor and a winner,” Boozer said. “He's a great player.”

On the Duke side, one key will be landing a similar impact from point guard Caleb Foster, who made an unexpected recovery from a fractured foot suffered earlier this month to contribute 11 points across 19 minutes of action against the Red Storm.

His availability brings the Blue Devils’ depth back to normal strength and sets up an intriguing backcourt matchup between Foster, freshman Cayden Boozer and Isaiah Evans against the Huskies’ main group of Ball, Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins.

For Duke, getting Foster back is “huge confidence builder for the people around him,” said Hurley.

Frontcourt, physicality are biggest Elite Eight factors

But a Final Four berth should be determined by two related factors.

The first is the battle in the frontcourt pitting Reed against Boozer and center Patrick Ngongba II. Reed has battled inconsistency in this tournament, sandwiching his game against the Spartans and some monster numbers against Furman with a 10-point performance against UCLA that saw him struggle to get position in the paint and shoot just 3 of 8 from the field.

Should UConn work to get him active, however, Reed’s variety of slippery post moves could force Cameron Boozer to overexert himself on the defensive end, especially with Ngongba still working his way back from a lingering foot injury.

“Obviously, Reed down low is a handful,” Scheyer said.

On the other hand, Boozer has continued to show why he’s a favorite for national player of the year and a strong contender for the first pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. He’s posted at least 19 points and 10 rebounds in his three tournament games and has been adept at getting to the line, making 26 of his 28 free-throw attempts.

Given how often the UConn offense runs through Reed in the halfcourt set, whether the senior can stay out of foul trouble after being whistled four times against MSU could determine the Huskies’ chances.

But the biggest question mark heading into the Elite Eight is whether the Blue Devils can carry over the physical play that helped them escape against St. John’s and coach Rick Pitino.

This ferocious style got the better of UConn twice during the regular season, including in the Red Storm’s dominant 72-52 win in the Big East tournament championship. The Huskies did wallop St. John’s once during the regular season, winning 72-40 on Feb. 25 after forcing 24 misses from the field in a row to end the game.

Which team shows up on Sunday — the one that pushed back on the Red Storm’s physicality or the one that wilted — will determine who advances to the Final Four.

“I think it's their character,” Scheyer said of his team. “I think it's about the fact of learning on the fly, realizing they can be that good. Then I think that belief has kicked in the second half of the year.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Duke, UConn to rekindle March Madness rivalry with Final Four at stake

The NBA gave Luka Doncic one mulligan. The league wouldn’t grant the Lakers superstar a second.

Doncic will serve a one-game suspension because of technical foul accumulation, the NBA announced Saturday, sidelining him for Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards after he picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in the Lakers’ win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

Doncic said he was trying to get away from Brooklyn’s Ziaire Williams when he pushed the Nets forward aside with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter. Doncic had just been called for an offensive foul while the Lakers were attempting to inbound the ball. Williams was shouting in Doncic’s direction. Doncic attempted to move past Williams and the 24-year-old from Lancaster then waved his arm behind him and slapped Doncic in the throat. Both were given technical fouls.

Doncic said referees told him his push was “exaggerated.”

“Which was obviously [not the case],” said Doncic, who scored 41 points with eight rebounds and three assists in the win.

This is the second time in a week that Doncic has faced the mandatory suspension after getting his 16th technical foul, but he avoided the fate after the NBA rescinded a technical he picked up against Orlando on March 21. The reversal kept Doncic available for the Lakers’ matchup with Eastern Conference-leading Detroit on March 23 in which Doncic scored 32 points, but missed the potential game-tying three at the buzzer of a tense 113-110 Lakers loss that ended a nine-game winning streak.

Read more:Lakers beat Nets, but Luka Doncic is facing suspension again after 16th technical

Monday’s game will likely not have the same drama.

The Wizards (17-56) have lost 17 of their last 18 games. The only win came against the Utah Jazz, another team that’s attempting to position itself for the lottery more than the playoffs. Washington will be without Trae Young (quad) and Anthony Davis (finger), the team’s two major midseason acquisitions.

With another bottom-feeding team coming to Crypto.com Arena, Doncic and the Lakers might actually benefit from resting the superstar. He played through left hamstring soreness Friday, and the Lakers (48-26) host the playoff-bound Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. The days between Friday’s win and Monday’s game will be the Lakers’ first two-day break since the All-Star Game.

Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, has charged into the most valuable player conversation by helping lift the Lakers into third place in the Western Conference. He has scored 30 or more points in 12 consecutive games, the longest such streak for his career.

The Lakers have won 15 of their last 20 games with Doncic averaging 35.5 points per game during the span. With 102 steals on the season, including three against the Nets, Doncic also became the first Laker since Kobe Bryant in 2012-13 averaging 30 or more points per game with 100 or more total steals.

The Lakers could also be without guard Marcus Smart, who has missed the last three games because of a right ankle contusion. He also suffered a hip injury in a separate fall against Orlando, but he is showing improvement and remains day-to-day, Lakers coach JJ Redick said Friday.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

LeBron James sees and hears everything. Need proof?

“I mean, it sells papers a lot easier — and clippings and podcasts — if you say, ‘LeBron, the team is better off without him,'” James told reporters earlier this month after the Lakers beat the Miami Heat. “A lot of people will view it. So, I get it…They’re absolutely wrong.”

LeBron notably left out blogs, so let’s put his notion to the test.

The notion that the Lakers were better off without LeBron had been floating around this season, in large part due to some concerning on/off splits. As Sam Amick of The Athletic noted, lineups featuring LeBron, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves had a minus-4.9 net rating in 238 combined minutes through Feb. 27 this season.

Since then, that trio has boasted a net rating of plus-21.1 in 287 minutes.

So, no, the Lakers are not better off without LeBron this season. Next season, though? That’s an entirely different question.

Why Reaves’ cap hold is the key

After last year’s trade deadline, we broke down why Austin Reaves was the key to the Lakers’ post-LeBron future. The TL;DR version: He’s going to be in a unique spot as a free agent—one which could greatly benefit the Lakers.

Reaves figures to sign a max or near-max contract this offseason once he inevitably turns down his $14.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season. However, since he’s not coming off a standard rookie-scale contract, he’ll count differently against the Lakers’ books than a former first-round pick would.

At $13.9 million this season, Reaves is earning more than the NBA’s average salary. Until the Lakers re-sign him or he signs elsewhere as a free agent, his cap hold will be 150% of his salary this year, or roughly $20.9 million.  

Based on the current $165 million projection for the 2026-27 salary cap, a max contract for someone with Reaves’ amount of NBA experience would start at $41.25 million. Reaves will count against the Lakers’ books as more than $20 million less than that at the start of free agency.

From there, it’s just order of operations. The Lakers figure to first spend their roughly $50 million in cap space — a figure which includes Reaves’ cap hold — before re-signing Reaves. Since they have full Bird rights on Reaves, they’re allowed to re-sign him to anything up to a max deal even if they’re over the salary cap.

The Philadelphia 76ers did this same trick with Tyrese Maxey during the 2024 offseason, which is what gave them enough cap space to sign Paul George in free agency. Maxey had a cap hold of only $13 million, but he wound up signing a max deal starting at $35.5 million after the Sixers spent the rest of their cap space. (In retrospect, they might have been better off not taking advantage of Maxey’s cheap cap hold.)

Much like the Sixers in 2024, Reaves’ below-market cap hold is a use-it-or-lose-it opportunity for the Lakers. Once he signs his next contract, he’ll be on the books for that amount moving forward. This offseason is their only chance to take advantage of the Reaves’ cap-hold maneuver.

That brings us back to LeBron.

How much less would LeBron take?

According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith, the Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets are the only three teams projected to have at least $40 million of cap space this offseason. The Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons could each have at least $25 million, but there’s a chance both operate as over-the-cap teams instead.

So, barring a sign-and-trade, LeBron doesn’t have an obvious destination that can pay him anywhere close to a max contract this offseason. The Lakers could do so, but they shouldn’t.

If Reaves signs a max or near-max deal this offseason, he and Luka are going to gobble up more than 50% of the Lakers’ cap space each year moving forward. The Lakers will still have flexibility to retool around those two, but because of the Reaves cap-hold trick, this offseason is their best opportunity to either bring in a third star or land players on medium-sized contracts to round out their supporting cast.

The free-agent class has already begun to get picked clean by extensions, but plenty of starter-caliber players are still set to hit the market. They could throw big money at a restricted free agent such as Walker Kessler, Peyton Watson or Bennedict Mathurin, or they could go hunting for value among the unrestricted free agents. Either way, the opportunity to play alongside Luka and Reaves should make the Lakers an especially appealing destination. (Lakers Exceptionalism strikes again!)

If LeBron is willing to settle for the $9.4 million room mid-level exception, he wouldn’t cut into the Lakers’ spending power at all. They could spend their cap space first, then sign LeBron with the room MLE and re-sign Reaves. But if he wants more than that, he would eat into their cap space.

If the Lakers go on a deep playoff run this season, perhaps they’ll decide it’s worth bringing him back for a farewell tour even if it comes at the expense of their long-term future. However, they’ve spent all year signaling that they’re firmly focused on the Dončić era moving forward. That decreases the likelihood that they’d be willing to spend major money to bring back James, no matter how impactful he might still be.

So, Lakers fans should enjoy these next few months with LeBron. They very well might be his last in a Lakers uniform.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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The Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves could be a terrific matchup, but it’d be even better if both sides had healthy lineups. Unfortunately, neither do. Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart, effectively the first and fourth(?) most important members of the Pistons, are out. For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Ayo Dosunmu will be absent. You can consider Edwards and McDaniels as fulfilling similar roles to Cunningham and Stewart (though as Minny’s best defender, he’s probably closer to Ausar Thompson), and Donsunmu is like Daniss Jenkins and Marcus Sasser combined. Those absences for the Wolves mean we will see veteran Mike Conley and second-year player Terrence Shannon Jr. enter the starting lineup. The game also has big NBA Draft implications, because the Pistons have the right to swap first-rounders in this year’s draft. Currently, the Wolves are in slot No. 22, and Detroit owns pick No. 28. A Pistons win can do nothing but help because Minnesota can’t fall enough in the standings to keep their pick.  

Game Vitals

When: 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 
Watch: ABC/ Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -1.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (53-20)

Daniss Jenkins, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Minnesota Timberwolves (45-28)

Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, Terence Shannon, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert

BOSTON — Charles Bassey has played for five different NBA teams since being drafted in 2021. This season, he’s bounced around the league on Ten-Day contracts, enjoying stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors.

Since mid-March, he’s been with the Celtics; Bassey signed his first Ten-Day contract on March 15th, and his second this past Sunday.

And, while he doesn’t know what his future holds, this stint in Boston has stood out.

“This is professional,” Bassey told CelticsBlog. “Everything the coaches do, the players — it’s just direct. It’s just fun because everybody comes in and works, and they come in with a smile on their faces. It’s been great, to be honest. It’s been good being here.”

This month isn’t Bassey’s first experience with the Celtics. The 25-year-old spent this past Summer League with the Celtics, where he spoke openly about wanting to be a part of a championship-caliber organization.

Now, he’s seeing the behind-the-scenes of how the Celtics operate, and it’s struck him so far.

Optional workouts? Everyone files in, even the team’s stars, whether for rehab, on-court work, or film breakdowns.

“When the coach says, ‘Okay, there’s optional stuff, but you don’t [have to] come in’, everybody still shows up,” Bassey said. “That just helps the team grow, and helps build connection with the team. Guys are just coming in ready to work every day, regardless if it’s optional — you got to show up. They’re always in the gym, they’re always in the practice facility, so they put in the work. Me coming in and seeing that, it’s fun.”

His transition has been made easier due to the fact that the team is filled with familiar faces. Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Max Shulga, and Amari Williams were also all on the Summer League team — that’s five of the Celtics’ 13 rostered players.

On top of that, Bassey played against Luka Garza in college and knows both Garza and Neemias Queta from his time in the G League.

There’s a lot of familiarity with the coaching staff; he’s mostly worked with player development coaches Nana Foulland and Steve Tchiechang, both of whom he first got to know in July. Bassey oftentimes gets in post work before games alongside fellow center Williams.

A peak into pregame player development with Charles Bassey, who signed a new 10-Day contract

Player development coaches Nana Foulland, Da’Sean Butler, God Shammgod Jr., and Steve Tchiengang leading post drills here pic.twitter.com/GFJj9fO4mo

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 25, 2026

“Everybody I was working with in the summer leagues are the same coaches I’m working with right now,” Bassey said. “So, it’s just familiar faces.”

Bassey is now on his second Ten-Day contract with the Celtics — that contract expires on April 3rd, and his future in Boston is uncertain. The Celtics are required to have 14 players on their roster, so they’ll have to sign someone once Bassey’s contract expires. Bassey is an option, or the team could go with someone else, such as a former Ten-Day player like Dalano Banton.

For now, he’s working hard to stay ready in case an opportunity emerges.

“You just gotta come ready to walk, man,” Bassey said. “You never know — there might be opportunities. So you just gotta come ready to just work, show the coaches and the guys you’re ready to work and help the team any way you can.”

Usually, these Victor Wemanyama – Giannis Antetokounmpo match-ups have been must-watch TV, but with the latter out along with several more members of the Bucks’ main rotation, it was another methodical Spurs blowout win against a struggling opponent. Things were clicking offensively for everyone not named Wemby in this one, and they used a full team effort to put the Bucks away 127-95, despite Milwaukee trying to make things interesting with a hot third quarter that still didn’t even put a dent in the Spurs’ lead.

Stephon Castle led the way with an efficient 22-10-10 triple-double, and while it wasn’t his most efficient shooting night ever on just 7-21 shooting with no threes, Wemby still had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists. Six Bucks scored in double figures, led by 18 from Gary Trent and 15 from Myles Turner.

Observations

• Am I the only one who hates this 2 PM Saturday time slot for NBA games? This may sound weird coming from someone who likes lazy weekends on the couch and watches plenty of Saturday afternoon sports during college football season, but this just doesn’t jive with NBA ball for me. (Maybe it’s also in the back of my head that Spurs and matinee games never go well together, but the early tip-off didn’t bother them today.)
• I love a good revenge shot. Despite the score, it was a physical game with Wemby ending up on the floor multiple times. At one point in the first quarter, the Bucks had a 5 on 4 advantage because Myles Turner had knocked Wemby over on defensive rebound, and he was able to sprint down the court unimpeded for a dunk. But the Spurs were quickly able to quiet the crowd as Castle jab-stepped Turner to fake him out and send him backwards before burying the spot-up three. Overall it was a solid first quarter for the Spurs, who gradually built the lead up to 37-24 with methodical team work, 61% shooting and 19 combined points from Castle and Devin Vassell.
• The shots weren’t falling for Wemby in this one, but his passing game was on point with three assists in the first half, including a Manu-esque behind-the-back pass to Castle for a dunk and alley-oop pass to Carter Bryant. Usually Wemby is on the the receiving ends of oops, but a recurring development lately has been him using his gravitational pull to find his open teammates, and despite his height, he’s surprisingly accurate as an oop passer. The Spurs still led by 22 at halftime despite just five points from Wemby.
• Wemby finally got his first block early in the second half, which was one of his signature high-point blocks above the backboard square. I guess the refs are still new to seeing this from Wemby, because they called goal tending, which Mitch Johnson immediately and successfully challenged.
• The Bucks threaded to make things interesting with a hot start to the third quarter by exploding from three (they hit 8 in the quarter after only 4 in the first half) and cutting the deficit to 13, but in yet another sign of how far this Spurs team has come, they didn’t panic or fold, but instead came out of timeout and promptly went on an 8-0 run, spearheaded by two Vassell threes and a Dylan Harper lay-up. Despite the offensive onslaught from the Bucks in that quarter, the Spurs still managed to outscore them by one by dominating the paint.
• Luke Kornet finally attempted his first three of the season at the third quarter buzzer, and it circled around the rim and out. His reaction was typical hilarious Kornet, with him kneeling over with a smile a clinched fists, wishing so badly that a shot that didn’t matter would have gone in.
• The Spurs opened the fourth on an 11-0 run with Wemby presumably trying to improve his numbers to make his MVP case, as he drove with determination and usually ended up getting fouled. He was laughing through it all, but otherwise it felt weird that he was still out there and playing so hard despite it being a blowout. He finally exited with under six minutes to go.
• The loss means the Bucks will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and it will be Doc Rivers’ first losing season since 2007 with the Celtics. But that is also a reminder to the Spurs: you don’t have to make the playoffs the year before to win a championship the next season. Granted, it won’t be on the back of a super team built the same way the 2008 Celtics were, but they also don’t have to listen to this “lack of experience” talk.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paige Vanstee totaled 25 points and nine rebounds to help Grand Valley State beat Indiana (PA) 72-49 on Saturday and win a second straight Division II Championship.

Grand Valley State, the top seed, finishes 36-1 in snagging its third overall championship in three trips to the final. The Lakers lost one game last season — by two points — on its way to the title under Mike Williams. Its only loss this season under Williams was a 78-77 defeat at the hands of Wayne State in early February. Williams has won two straight WBCA NCAA Division II coach of the year awards.

Vanstee made 9 of 11 shots with two 3-pointers and 5 of 7 free throws for the Lakers. She added three steals and three blocks. Nicole Kamin and MacKenzie Bisballe both scored 18. Kamin added five rebounds and four assists, while Bisballe grabbed seven boards and blocked five shots.

Teresa Maggio scored 20 to lead the second-seeded Crimson Hawks (31-4), who advanced — under the guidance of coach Craig Carey — to the championship game for the first time in program history.

Bisballe and Kamin both had two baskets as the Lakers jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first 4:22 and never looked back. They led 17-8 after one quarter, 41-24 at halftime and 58-35 heading to the final period.

Grand Valley State shot 62.2% overall, including 38.5% from 3-point range. Indiana (PA) shot 31.1% and missed 10 of 12 from beyond the arc.

Grand Valley State beat American International 58-52 to win the 2006 championship under coach Dawn Plitzuweit.

___

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The Celtics could be extremely short-handed when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday evening. Jayson Tatum (right Achilles repair management), Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendonitis), Neemias Queta (right thumb sprain), and Derrick White (right knee contusion) are all questionable to play.

And, Nikola Vucevic remains out as he continues to recover from a fractured right ring finger he suffered on March 6th.

Brown, Queta, and White were all questionable ahead of Friday’s game against the Hawks with their respective injuries, but only Brown missed time. Joe Mazzulla said Brown was day-to-day and did not offer more specifics regarding the extent of his injury.

Sunday’s game is the first in a four-game Celtics road trip — and comes on the first night of a back-to-back for Boston. They’ll face the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, the Miami Heat on Wednesday, and the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

The Hornets will be mostly healthy except for Tidjane Salaun, who is out with a left calf strain.

How the Celtics, Hornets stack up

The Celtics and Hornets have faced off once this season, with Charlotte coming away with a 118-89 win over Boston on March 4th. That was one of the Celtics’ largest losses of the season, and came amid the Hornets playing some of their best basketball of the season.

The Hornets have been steadily climbing through the standings, and now have a 39-34 record, good for 8th-best in the Eastern Conference. They have a 13-5 record since the All-Star break, and could be a prospective first-round matchup for Boston.

The Celtics widened their lead for second place in the East with a 109-102 win over the Hawks on Friday.

After this game, the Celtics and Hornets will face off again on April 7th in Boston for one final regular-season match-up.

Celtics-Hornets tips off at 6pm ET on Sunday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

It’s quite possible we’ve seen the last of Kevin Porter Jr. in 2025–26. Prior to today’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said that he would be “surprised” if KPJ played again this season. The news was initially reported by Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

It’s been an injury-riddled season for KPJ, as he’s only been able to suit up for 38 games. This latest injury is right knee synovitis in the same knee he had meniscus surgery on in October, which caused him to miss four weeks. According to the Cleveland Clinic, synovitis is swelling of the synovial membrane that lines some joints in the leg. Porter has missed nine of the last 12 games with this latest ailment, last playing on March 17. When he has suited up, KPJ has put up some of the best numbers of his career since his last season in Houston, averaging 17.4 PPG, 7.4 APG, 5.2 RPG, and a shooting line of .465/.322/.878.

Milwaukee sits nine games back of the Heat for 10th in the East, and with a loss today, the Bucks will officially be eliminated from playoff contention. It’s likely the team will play this injury with more caution than the others. So, unfortunately for Porter, he’ll likely have to wait until next season to beat Bam Adebayo’s 83-point single-game scoring mark.

That shifts Porter’s focus to the off-season, and it’s not guaranteed that KPJ returns to Milwaukee. Porter holds a $5.4m player option for 2026–27, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines it. If he opts out, the Bucks will have his Bird rights and access to the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $15.1m, giving Milwaukee the chance to give KPJ a raise themselves.

DETROIT (AP) — Catherine Dubois scored twice in a three-goal third period to rally the Montreal Victoire to a 3-1 victory over the New York Sirens on Saturday in a Takeover Tour stop at Little Caesars Arena.

Montreal (12-4-2-5) pulled within two points of the front-running Boston Fleet with three weeks left in the regular season.

New York (8-0-3-12) took a 1-0 lead when Casey O'Brien was in the right spot to knock in a rebound on a shot by Jaime Bourbonnais that goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens blocked but couldn't corral at 9:09.

Bourbonnais notched her ninth assist and Anne Cherkowski collected her sixth O'Brien's sixth goal of the season.

Dubois pulled Montreal even 1:54 into the third period and gave the Victoire a 2-1 lead less than five minutes later with her fourth goal of the campaign. Natálie Mlýnková earned her fifth assist on Dubois’ first netter. Shiann Darkangelo and Kaitlin Willoughby both notched their third assists on the go-ahead score.

Laura Stacey scored for the sixth time this season, adding an insurance goal at 7:29. Kati Tabin tallied her ninth assist and Hayley Scamurra collected her eighth.

Desbiens had 23 saves for Montreal.

Kayle Osborne stopped 26 shots in goal for New York.

Montreal outshot New York 29-24 after the Sirens had an 11-2 advantage in the first period.

New York had not shut out an opponent through the first two periods since Jan. 6 in a 2-0 victory over the Toronto Sceptres.

Up next

New York: Hosts the Minnesota Frost on Wednesday.

Montreal: Hosts the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Wednesday.

___

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

Who: Phoenix Suns (40-33) vs. Utah Jazz (21-53)

When: 7:00pm Arizona Time

Where: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, Arizona

Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, NBA TV

Listen: ESPN 620 / S: KSUN

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This will be the third and final meeting between the Suns and Jazz this year. The season series stands at 1-1 after an October in which they met twice.

The Suns come into this one as winners of just one of their last seven games. It is worth noting, however, that half of those six losses came in one-possession games.

It could be worse for Phoenix. The Utah Jazz come into tonight’s game as the winners of just three of their last nineteen, including a loss to Jokic and the Nuggets last night. 

Probable Starters

Now, if you are like me, you see this Utah Jazz starting lineup and are a bit confused. Ace Bailey is playing center? Didn’t he get drafted as a wing? Well, my friends, the Utah Jazz are once again committing to the most horrendous of tanks. They are rolling out nothing but guards and wings in their starting lineup, so I just listed them from 1-5 based on height. Ace Bailey is the tallest of these five at 6’9”.

Injury Report

Suns

• Grayson Allen – QUESTIONABLE (Knee)
• Haywood Highsmith – OUT (Knee)
• Dillon Brooks – OUT (Hand)
• Mark Williams – OUT (Foot)
• Amir Coffey – OUT (Ankle)

Jazz

• Isaiah Collier – OUT (Hamstring)
• Keyonte George – OUT (Hamstring)
• Jaren Jackson Jr. – OUT (Knee)
• Walker Kessler – OUT (Shoulder)
• Lauri Markkanen – OUT (Hip)
• Jusuf Nurkic – OUT (Nose)

What to Watch For

This shouldn’t be close. The Jazz are coming off the second night of a back-to-back and the Suns have mostly done well in taking care of business this season against poor teams. The Suns will be bigger and have both the rest and talent advantage.

I am hoping for a big lead early and some extended run for Maluach, Fleming, and Dunn throughout the game. With the season winding down towards the playoffs and the Valley Suns season conclusion, we are quickly approaching a point where these guys are going to get their minutes slashed. The only one that I think Coach Ott may keep in his playoff rotation is Fleming, as he seems to be the one of the three that Ott trusts the most.

Key to a Suns Win

While tonight shouldn’t be close, it has the potential to be a trap game. The Jazz have beaten good teams this year, such as Detroit and San Antonio. Utah is surprisingly 9th in the NBA in points scored. Of course, that number is boosted by the first two-thirds of the season when their players were actually playing. As a counterpoint, even with their best players playing for most of the year, the Jazz have given up more points than any other team in the NBA this season.

The Jazz are young and small tonight. If the Suns can crash the glass with effort, this should be an obvious win.

Prediction

I think the Suns will get out to a big lead early tonight, and I think Oso Ighodaro will have a big game. He is coming off of a battle with Jokic in which he put up 15 points and 6 rebounds on good efficiency. After matching up against the Joker, playing against anyone else has to feel like bowling with guardrails.

Suns 125, Jazz 105

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Star batter Virat Kohli hit 69 not out off 38 balls, including five sixes and five fours, as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in the Indian Premier League season-opener on Saturday.

Devdutt Padikkal smashed a 26-ball 61, with four sixes and seven fours, as Bengaluru raced to 203-4 in 15.4 overs with 26 deliveries to spare.

Earlier, New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy picked up 3-22 in four overs on his IPL debut as Hyderabad finished with 201-9 in 20 overs. Stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan hit 80 off 38 balls, including five sixes, with Aniket Verma adding an 18-ball 43.

Chasing a par score at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru lost Phil Salt cheaply – out caught for eight.

But impact substitute Padikkal lived up to his role as he raced to 50 off 21 balls. He put on 101 runs off 45 deliveries with Kohli as Bengaluru set a hectic pace in its chase – 76-1 in powerplay and 100 off just 8.1 overs.

Padikkal was caught in the 9th over, but skipper Rajat Patidar didn’t let the momentum slip. He smashed 31 off 12 balls and put on 53 off 22 with Kohli for the third wicket.

Sunrisers’ impact player David Payne struck twice in the 13th over – Patidar and Jitesh Sharma (0) were caught off consecutive deliveries.

But Kohli paced the chase well and Bengaluru was never in serious trouble.

Kohli brought up his 64th IPL half-century off 33 balls to the delight of a packed home ground and then raced to the finish, hitting 18 off Harshal Patel’s four deliveries in the 16th over.

Tim David hit 16 not out off 10 balls, sharing a 40-run unbeaten stand with Kohli off 19 balls.

Hyderabad struggles

Put into bat, Hyderabad’s top order struggled against Duffy’s disciplined bowling. Big hitting openers Abhishek Sharma (7) and Travis Head (11) fell cheaply, while Nitish Reddy was out caught for 1.

Hyderabad was 29-3 in 4.2 overs, when Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen came to the rescue with 97 off 53 for the fourth wicket.

Kishan continued his T20 World Cup form to rescue his side, hitting five sixes and eight fours in his 27-ball 50.

Klaasen made 31 off 22, and looked good for more. He was adjudged caught at midwicket off Romario Shepherd. Phil Salt’s catch was reviewed by the third umpire and Klaasen was not pleased with the decision.

Salt pulled another one-handed stunner at the deep point fence – already a contender for catch of the season – as he dived to the right to dismiss Kishan in the 16th over.

With Hyderabad running out of batting, Aniket Verma (43) smacked four sixes and three fours in 18 balls to take his side past the 200 mark.

But it never looked enough against a raging Bengaluru batting side.

___

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

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It’s a close one in this latest Utah Jazz Reacts survey results. The Utah Jazz are going to be very good next year, and I was curious who Jazz fans think will be the most important player. These results don’t include the potential results of the upcoming NBA lottery and draft, and that may change thinking come May, but they do involve the five core players of the Jazz right now: Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, and Walker Kessler. Here’s what Jazz fans said:

By one percentage point, Lauri Markkanen takes the lead as the most important Jazz player going into next season. Probably not surprising, as he’s the most well-known Jazz player. We’ll see how important Markkanen is next season as the Jazz play for wins and a chance at a championship. If Markkanen is your most important player, does that make for a championship team? We’ll find out.

You can find the FanDuel lines here.