Category: Basketball

The Dallas Mavericks got blown out again, this time a 135-120 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night in Dallas.

CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 24 points, while Jalen Johnson almost had a triple double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Daniel Gafford came off the bench to lead Dallas in scoring with 23 points.

There wasn’t a lot of defense in this one, as the Mavericks continue to get closer to the end of another losing season. New Orleans and Memphis won tonight, so great game for the tanking standings.

Let’s just get to the numbers.

72: Hawks points in the paint

After giving up 68 paint points to the lowly Pelicans on Monday night, Dallas followed that up by allowing an egregious 72 paint points to the Hawks. Dallas can’t guard a wet paper bag right now.

The Maverick started the small-ball lineup again, and it was just a sieve from opening tip. PJ Washington is a decent rim protector for a wing, but as the sole backline defender, it’s just not enough. Combine that with 5’11 Ryan Nembhard playing a lot, and the Mavericks have little-to-none in regards to defensive resistance.

Not much else to say about this. Dallas just doesn’t have enough good defenders combined with the fact that the team doesn’t really have anything else left to play for. Not a great combination.

4: Combined steals, blocks for Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg didn’t have a good offensive game, but he at least made a handful of splashy defensive plays. Flagg finished with two steals and two blocks.

The Mavericks didn’t have a lot of defensive moments in this one (see the above stat), but Flagg at least had a few off-ball havoc generating plays. It was fun!

2-for-10: Combined 3 point shooting for Cooper Flagg, PJ Washington, Naji Marshall

Dallas is starting small and getting Ryan Nembhard into the lineup to help juice an anemic offense and take some pressure off of Cooper Flagg. However there’s one problem small-ball doesn’t really solve: three of the Mavericks best players can’t really shoot.

Washington was at least 2-of-6 from three, but Flagg and Marshall were a combined 0-for-4. If Dallas wants to keep Marshall and Washington around for the foreseeable future to play with Flagg, they either have to improve as shooters or coach Jason Kidd has to split up their minutes. It’s really hard to play three shooters the defense don’t respect on the floor at the same time, and that will only ratchet up when/if Kidd returns to play a center full time again.

Jonathan Kuminga was trying to throw a first court pass to teammate Jock Landale at the end of the third quarter in the Atlanta Hawks vs. Dallas Mavericks game on Wednesday night when something amazing happened: he accidentally hit one of the longest shots in NBA history.

Kuminga couldn’t believe it, and immediately put his hands on his head in shock. Landale instinctively held his arms close to his chest so that no one could accuse him of interfering with the ball. The Hawks are living right at the moment — their 135-120 win over Dallas was their 11th straight victory — and this shot proves it.

You need to see every angle of Kuminga’s shot. Fortunately, this video that the Hawks — or excuse me, the HaWWWWWWWWWWWs — tweeted during the win has them all. This is the eighth longest shot in NBA history, and Kuminga didn’t even mean to hit it. Unbelievable.

KUMINGA WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??? 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/Wq8FDVi8vX

— Atlanta HaWWWWWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2026

The Hawks got Kuminga at the trade deadline. I liked the move better for the Golden State Warriors at the time with the addition of Kristaps Porzingis, but it’s clear Kuminga really just needed a change of scenery. Kuminga had 16 points and five rebounds off the bench in the win. His numbers are a little better so far in Atlanta in similar minutes, and it will be fascinating to see if he’s part of their long-term plans this summer.

Either way, Kuminga already has a legendary moment as a Hawk. Atlanta may never lose again if they’re making shots like this.

We really needed more proof, huh? Well, now we have it.

Miami (Ohio) belongs.

Not just in the First Four, but in the 64-team bracket most of us consider to be the real tournament.

The selection committee put Miami on the doorstep. Good enough. The RedHawks moved SMU out of the way and busted down the door en route to the first round.

In winning a First Four game, 89-79, with blistering shooting, Miami served more proof – seriously, why did anyone think we needed more proof? – that the best midmajor teams belong in the NCAA Tournament, even if they don’t win their conference tournament.

Miami poured in the points and buried one 3-pointer after another, one night after Texas and N.C. State piled up bricks. As Miami’s fans reveled in the stands after the latest deep bomb, it occurred to me that this was the most entertaining the First Four has ever been in 15 years of its existence in Dayton, Ohio.

Bruce Pearl pretends he 'expected' this performance from Miami (Ohio)

And all Bruce Pearl could do was chuckle like a cartoon character at halftime, with a silly grin on his face, after Miami drilled 10 first-half 3-pointers.

“This is kind of what we expected to see,” Pearl said.

Sure you did, Bruce.

Some of us might have expected this, but you didn’t. At least, Pearl acted as if he didn’t think much of Miami as he shilled for Auburn, which employs Pearl and his son.

Using his TNT-provided stage as a pulpit for propaganda, Pearl repeatedly trashed Miami leading up to the Tournament, shamelessly feigning that an Auburn team (coached by Pearl’s son, I’m sure that’s a coincidence) that barely finished above .500 would make a worthy tournament pick, while pretending Miami might finish last in the Big East.

That was a bigger load of bull even than anything Pearl’s ever told the NCAA.

Pearl couldn’t possibly have believed half the hogwash he served. He’s a lot of things, but he’s no idiot.

Still, Pearl’s relentless scrutiny of Miami kicked a hornet’s nest. More loons came out of the woodwork to question whether a 31-1 team deserved a bid, or whether it should go to a 12th-place team from a Power conference amid a woefully weak bubble.

Well, now Miami’s 32-1, after lighting up a Power Four opponent that couldn’t duck them.

Miami (Ohio) continues legacy of midmajor upsets in March Madness

And, we shouldn’t be surprised. We’ve seen this repeatedly, and not just from Miami. The best midmajors belong – of course they do. They don’t always prevail, but they win often enough in these games that nobody could have possibly believed Pearl’s nonsense that a Division I team with 30-plus victories would finish last in a Big East that’s not very good.

Miami answered all the naysayers, so emphatically that there’s really only one question left: How far can it go?

Consider No. 6 Tennessee on upset alert.

Who can forget VCU, in 2011, going from First Four to Final Four?

Wally Szczerbiak, anyone? The RedHawks of Wally World reached the Sweet 16 in 1999 as a 10-seed.

Or, how about Manhattan? The Jaspers were the last-team-in to what was then a 64-team bracket in 1995. Fran Fraschilla’s team, seeded No. 13, toppled Oklahoma.

“The tournament selection committee (is) not as dumb as people think,” Fraschillatold reporters afterward, adding that “it is nice to show people we deserve to be here and can play with anyone.”

The best midmajors keep proving that, too, even as their credentials are questioned.

Power Four teams hesitate to play teams like Miami in the regular season, and the little guy’s strength of schedule suffers, even as wins pile up. But, there’s no ducking the Miamis of the world in March, at least so long as the selection committee keeps recognizing that winning nearly all of your games warrants a bid, no matter what the bobbleheads say.

The late Billy Packer just about lost it on Selection Sunday in 2006 when George Mason slipped in as an at-large 11-seed. After George Mason rattled off four straight wins to reach the Final Four, in one of the greatest Cinderella stories ever, Patriots fans chanted Packer’s name.

And in the second half of this game, a pro-Miami crowd going bananas in the stands chanted, “Let’s go RedHawks! Let’s go RedHawks!”

I can think of another thing to chant.

Shut up, Bruce.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami Ohio March Madness win makes Bruce Pearl look silly

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Kaemyn Bekemeier had 22 points and 13 rebounds on Wednesday night, Lainie Douglas added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Missouri State beat Stephen F. Austin 85-75 at the women's First Four.

No. 16 seed Missouri State (23-12), which has won at least one game in each of its last four NCAA Tournament appearances, plays top-seeded Texas in the Round of 64 on Friday.

Missouri State shot 48% (33 of 69) and outrebounded SFA 50-30 to overcome 19 turnovers, which the Ladyjacks converted into 22 points.

Stephen F. Austin (25-10) has lost eight consecutive NCAA Tournament games since a 73-72 first-round win over Xavier in 2000.

Missouri State used a 9-0 run to take the lead for good late in the first half. Angel Scott capped the spurt with a 3-pointer that made it 45-37 with 1:55 to go in the second quarter.

Ashlyn Traylor-Walker scored 23 points and Aziyah Farrier had 13 points and nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals for SFA. Harmanie Dominguez hit three 3-pointers and finished with nine points. Dominguez extended her program record for single-season 3s made to 100 — third most in Division I this season.

Maiesha Washington scored 18 points, Kendal Brueggen had 13 points and nine rebounds and Faith Lee added 10 points for the Lady Bears.

Scott, who finished with three points, played two seasons for the Ladyjacks, helping them advance to the 2022 NCAA Tournament and the 2023 WNIT.

The Lady Bears are in the Big Dance for the 18th time and first since 2022, when they beat Florida State 61-50 in the First Four before losing 63-56 to Ohio State in the Round of 64.

Up next

Missouri State will try Friday to snap third-ranked Texas' seven-game win streak.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

The Fenway Sports Group, which is a business partner of LeBron James, is not expected to pursue the potential NBA Las Vegas expansion team, according to a report by The Athletic.

Las Vegas and Seattle are expected to be serious contenders for new NBA expansion teams.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the league will hold a vote at the board of governors meeting next week regarding the addition of new expansion teams in those respective cities. If approved, the league would target the start of the 2028-29 season as the first year of play for the new teams.

James had stated publicly for the past decade that he would be interested in joining the likes of Michael Jordan as a former player who became an NBA owner. In more recent years, he has especially expressed interest in owning a team in Las Vegas.

But with Fenway Sports Group "no longer pursuing NBA ownership, it is less likely that LeBron will pursue a team," The Athletic reported, citing a source.

The 22-time All-Star is currently playing his 23rd season and has not publicly decided on his future. He signed a multi-year contract with the Lakers in 2024 and is in the final year of that deal.

James began his partnership with FSG in 2021, making him a part-owner of several organizations, including the Boston Red Sox and the Liverpool Football Club.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James, Fenway Sports Group unlikely to pursue NBA expansion team

DALLAS (AP) — CJ McCollum scored 24 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 22, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 135-120 on Wednesday night for their 11th straight win.

Dyson Daniels had 19 points on 9 for 13 shooting and Jalen Johnson scored 17 points with 11 rebounds for the Hawks, who at 38-31 are in the middle of the race for a play-in playoff spot.

Atlanta hasn’t won at least 11 in a row since winning a franchise-record 19 straight during the 2014-2015 season. Their current streak is tied for the fourth-longest winning streak in club history.

Daniel Gafford came off the bench to lead the Mavericks with 24, P.J. Washington had 23 and Cooper Flagg added 17.

The Mavericks have now lost 11 of their last 13 and appear destined for the draft lottery at 23-47.

Atlanta's Onyeka Okongwo scored the first 10 points of the game and the Hawks never trailed. The score was 67-56 by halftime.

The Mavericks turned the ball over 18 times, seven more times than the Hawks.

Jonathan Kuminga hit a 75-foot basket in the win, the longest basket by a Hawk in the play-by-play era and the sixth-longest among all players in the play-by-play era since 1997-98, according to Elias Sports. The previous longest made basket by a Hawk was a 63-foot bucket by Jason Terry on Jan. 5, 2000.

Up next

Hawks: At Houston on Friday night.

Mavericks: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.

___

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

___

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

Plantar fasciitis has ended Egor Dëmin’s rookie season.

A successful procedure has the Nets guard already looking toward the offseason.

“Everything went well, and now it’s just the process of rehab and getting back on the court as soon as the season ends, as we planned,” Dëmin, 20, said in his first comments since being shut down. “Hopefully everything’s going to go in the right direction and I’ll be able to get back to work as soon as I can.”

Neither Dëmin nor Brooklyn coach Jordi Fernández would specify exactly what procedure the Russian guard underwent on his left foot, other than to say it was successful.

“Cortisone is typically the first line of injection treatment, but sometimes people utilize alternative types of injections like platelets [PRP] or stem cells or amniotic tissue injections,” Dr. Andrew Brief of the Ridgewood Orthopedic Group told The Post about the plethora of non-surgical options available to Dëmin.

“PRP most likely is in the treatment algorithm if someone hasn’t responded to everything else.”

Dëmin, who was Brooklyn’s first lottery pick in 15 years, has been dealing with the issue since last offseason, and it has cropped up on and off during his rookie campaign.

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“[The procedure] was successful. I’m not qualified to explain exactly what it was, but it was to make his plantar fasciitis better and find the best way for him to take the next step and get stronger,” Fernández said before his tanking Nets suffered a 121-92 blowout loss to the defending champion Thunder at Barclays Center. “So it went well, and he’ll be ready to go at some point in the offseason, which is great because then you have all this time to work, get better and go into summer league.

“Yeah, [summer league is the goal]. But right now, what we’re doing is — what’s the next step? Right now he’s not on the court, so I don’t think we’ll have any timeline; but that’s the idea, yeah, at some point.”

Dëmin averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds in a solid rookie campaign, the first Net since 2019 picked for the Rising Stars at All-Star Weekend.

He set an NBA rookie record by hitting a 3-pointer in 34 straight games. But eventually the plantar fasciitis took its toll.

“I just really want to play basketball. And sometimes for athletes, when you know you can run, that’s enough for you to just go and play, right?” Dëmin said. “And I don’t want to say people would let me go and play with injury; that’s not what I’m saying. It’s just about me trying my best to recover as fast as I can.

“And in the season, it’s pretty hard for me, being a rookie, being in the process of that many games for the first time. I did feel it at some point. Going to the All-Star, I’m like, ‘OK, it’s a privilege to be in All-Star Weekend.’ But I’m like, ‘OK, that’s another two days of some sort of work.’ So it’s just been a long season even though I didn’t finish it. So that’s a factor, not just for my foot, but for anybody in anything.

“Yeah, I’m taking this … I don’t want to say time off, but this time being off the court with a positive approach where I’ve really tried to take advantage of it, where I can have more time in the lifting room without worrying about being sore and not being able to play the same as I could. So I’m just trying to kill as much as I can right now [since] it’s not going to affect my game because I’m not playing. So there’s a lot of advantage from not playing, even though I really like basketball and I’d prefer to be [playing]. But everything is happening for a reason and I believe in it, and I’m trying to be intentional with whatever I have in front of me.”

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ayo Dosunmu scored 23 points and had nine rebounds in his second straight start in place of the injured Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves took charge in the second quarter to cruise past the Utah Jazz 147-111 on Wednesday night.

Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Julius Randle also scored 21 points and had eight assists for the Timberwolves, who have won two in a row without their All-Star guard.

Minnesota announced Tuesday that Edwards will miss one to two weeks with right knee inflammation before being re-evaluated. The Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104 behind 32 points from Randle.

Brice Sensabaugh scored 41 points, two off his career high, to lead the Jazz, who have lost four in a row and 12 of their last 14.

Ace Bailey added 17 points for Utah, which went 0-3 on its road trip. Walker Kessler (shoulder), Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee) and Jusuf Nurkic (face) remained sidelined.

The game was tight early, with eight lead changes and three ties before the Timberwolves took control. With Utah leading 28-27, Bones Hyland made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:22 left in the opening quarter — the start of an 8-0 run by Minnesota.

The Timberwolves led 72-58 at halftime and ran away in the second half while building a lead as much as 38 points in the fourth quarter.

Minnesota won three of its four matchups this season with Utah.

Up next

Jazz: Host Milwaukee on Thursday night.

Timberwolves: Host Portland on Friday night.

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

The Hawks looked to keep rolling in the Lone Star State, with a pair of games at the Mavericks and the Rockets on Friday. No change to the usual starting lineup for tonight.

Onyeka Okongwu came out of the gates and scored the game’s first 10 points all by himself. Here was a montage of those buckets:

Onyeka is EN FUEGO

First 10 points of the game 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/AR71yEbpoG

— Atlanta HaWWWWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2026

But the Hawks’ early edge was short-lived, as the Mavericks crushed the Hawks on the offensive boards early on. That propelled them to pulling roughly even with Atlanta by midway through the quarter.

With the bench unit it, Jonathan Kuminga shook off a rough two games to give the Hawks some offensive punch. This corner three came from good ball movement via Jock Landale:

Kuminga in the corner 🎯 pic.twitter.com/3rdBHQRSfA

— Atlanta HaWWWWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2026

After one quarter, the Hawks led 37-30.

Atlanta’s bench put together an immediate 7-0 run in the following quarter to open up a 14-point lead, with plays like this from Zaccharie Risacher to CJ McCollum acting as catalysts:

Zacch steal ⏩ CJ bucket pic.twitter.com/fGYpblqmVt

— Atlanta HaWWWWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2026

Atlanta tightened the screws defensively and on the rebounding front in the second quarter to protect their lead. The bench handed things off back off to the starting unit to take them home in the first half.

After some scrappy play to close the half, the Hawks led 67-56. Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu were tied for the scoring lead by the halfway point at 10.

CJ McCollum turned on the scoring faucet in the next period, getting his early and often. Jalen Johnson chipped in to create his opportunity:

Jalen interception👉 CJ +1 pic.twitter.com/lMWmPJ44o5

— Atlanta HaWWWWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2026

Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Johnson paired up once again to provide a two-headed offensive punch in the third quarter. Kuminga got to his spots over and over, and Dallas had no one to contend with his downhill pressure.

Kuminga even hit maybe the shot of the year in the entire NBA with this insane heave (pass?) at the end of the period:

KUMINGA WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??? 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/Wq8FDVi8vX

— Atlanta HaWWWWWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2026

After 36 minutes, the good guys had the advantage, 101-82.

The fourth quarter was fairly routine, with the Mavericks never cutting the lead down to single digits. The Hawks calmly salted away their 11th straight win, 135-120, to move to 38-31.

CJ McCollum was the Hawks’ highest scorer with 24, Jonathan Kuminga put in 16 points from off the bench, and Jalen Johnson finished an assist shy of a triple-double with 17 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds.

The streak is tied for the third longest in the entire NBA this season.

The Hawks now aim for third place on their own with a matchup against the Houston Rockets on Friday.

The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Dallas Mavericks 135-to-120.

This game started on the wrong foot, and the Mavericks never quite found their level. If you blinked (or spent the first couple of minutes looking at your phone), you might’ve missed the Hawks starting the game by opening up a 10-to-0 lead within the game’s first two minutes. The Mavericks woke up a little at that point and worked their way back into it, but that was how things went all night — Atlanta would surge ahead, and Dallas would get just close enough that you didn’t want to turn the game off, but the Mavs were never threatening to win this one.

Daniel Gafford had a big game, scoring a season-high 24 on nine-of-10 shooting and four offensive boards.

For Atlanta, CJ McCollum led the way with an efficient 22 points on eight-of-12 shooting.

Just you wait

There are few things less productive as a sports fan than complaining about refs, and that’s not even necessarily the aim here, but Cooper Flagg’s whistle has nowhere to go but up.

As a rookie, Flagg has been damn-near stoic when it comes to showing visible frustration on the floor, but after a n0-call on a layup in the first quarter left Coop bleeding from the forearm, he did have an extended conversation with the nearest referee, showing off the wound like a courtroom prosecutor bringing the juror’s attention to “Exhibit A.”

He’s a rookie. Sure, the same rules should apply equally to every player all the time, but in the real world, it’s just a matter of fact that guys need to earn their lumps. Cooper is certainly doing that this year. His hesitation to let it fly from deep and instead drive to the cup as often as possible almost seems purposeful. Like he wants to make sure he pays enough dues this season so that next year, his whistle will be undeniable.

Big ups, big guy

Daniel Gafford, a guy who started the year vying for minutes with Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively, has been charged with shouldering the vast majority of the minutes at center. He’s played through some injuries and logged a bunch of minutes, but he’s still able to deliver solid performances in games like tonight.

He ended up with 24 points on a nine-of-10 shooting, plus a nearly perfect six-for-seven from the line and eight total boards.

Ideally, he’s a guy who could come off the bench (which he actually did tonight, as the Mavs started a wacky forward-heavy lineup with Flagg, Naji Marshall, and PJ Washington all starting) and play a hyper-efficient game around the basket with a top-tier facilitator. That’s still in the cards in the near future, but while we’re still in the present, his steadying presence as Dallas’ premiere Big is commendable.

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 23 of his 32 points in the first half and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 120-99 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.

Jayson Tatum added 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who have won three straight.

It was Tatum’s fifth time scoring at least 20 points in the six games he’s played since making his season debut following Achilles tendon surgery. It also marked his third double-double.

Golden State cut a 21-point third-quarter deficit to 11 early in the fourth, but Boston responded with a 17-6 run to push the lead back to 22 with just more than five minutes to play.

Gary Payton II and Pat Spencer both had 14 points to lead the Warriors, who have lost six of seven. They are 6-13 since star guard Stephen Curry was sidelined with a right knee injury. Draymond Green and Gui Santos scored 13 apiece.

Kristaps Porzingis, who played for the first time in TD Garden since winning a championship with Boston to cap the 2023-24 season, finished with 11 points and five rebounds.

THUNDER 121, NETS 92

NEW YORK (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points and Oklahoma City beat Brooklyn for their 10th straight win.

Gilgeous-Alexander was 8 of 9 from the field and was subbed out with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter with the Thunder leading by 38. The reigning NBA MVP extended his NBA-record of 62 consecutive road games with at least 20 points.

Jared McCain had 26 points and Aaron Wiggins finished 17 for the Thunder, who led by as many as 42 and never trailed in the second game of a back-to-back.

Jalen Wilson had 15 points off the bench and rookie Nolan Traore was the lone starter in double figures with 13 for the Nets, who have lost their last five games and 15 of 17. Leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. (ankle) missed his fourth straight game.

Oklahoma City shot 53% from the field and 40% from long distance to improve to a league-best 25-8 on the road.

TRAIL BLAZERS 127, PACERS 119

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Deni Avdija scored 23 of his 32 points in the first half Wednesday night and Donovan Clingan added a career-high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help Portland hold off hard-charging Indiana.

Portland won the for the third time in four games as the 10th-seeded Trail Blazers close in on clinching a Western Conference play-in spot in what figures to be a wide-open postseason.

Indiana extended the longest losing streak in its NBA franchise history to 15 games. The Pacers’ last win came Feb. 11.

Avdija also had 11 rebounds for Portland, which matched its highest-scoring half of the season with 79 points in the first two quarters. Clingan was 3 of 5 on 3-pointers and had two blocks.

Ivica Zubac led the injury-riddled Pacers with 18 points. Jalen Slawson had 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.

RAPTORS 139, BULLS 109

CHICAGO (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 23 points, Brandon Ingram had 18 and Toronto pounded Chicago for their third consecutive win.

Toronto shot 57% (48 for 84) from the field and put seven players in double figures in the opener of a five-game trip. Scottie Barnes had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Ja’Kobe Walter also scored 18.

The Raptors led by as many as 38 while completing a sweep of their three-game season series against the Bulls.

Matas Buzelis scored 19 points for Chicago, which lost for the third time in four games. Collin Sexton had 14 in his return from a left leg injury.

Bulls guard Josh Giddey was held to nine points, three assists and no rebounds. The 23-year-old Giddey had been on a tear, posting five triple-doubles while averaging 19 points, 12 assists and 11.7 rebounds over his previous seven games.

PELICANS 124, CLIPPERS 109

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 25 points, Trey Murphy added 23 and New Orleans overcame an early 18-point hole to beat Los Angeles.

Dejounte Murray had 17 points and 11 assists, while Zion Williamson and rookie Derrick Queen each scored 14 for the Pelicans, who received a standing ovation as the final seconds wound down on their sixth straight victory at home and ninth win in their past 13 games overall

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and John Collins added 18 for the Clippers, who dropped a game below .500 (34-35), but maintained a tenuous hold on the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings, a half-game ahead of Portland.

Bey hit five of 10 3-point shots to help New Orleans go 16 of 37 (43.2%) from deep. The Pelicans also made 20 of 21 free throws, with Queen making all nine of his.

Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fears chipped in 11 points off the bench.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are truly an epiphany in basketball. Before tonight the Wolves had lost four of their last six games. Despite being one of the most marketable and successful teams in their history, the regular season has always seemed like a red herring for what they actually are.

Case in point them being 12th in offensive rating, 11th in defensive rating and 11th in net rating.

Utah on the other hand, seem like they’re always a Will Hardy temper tantrum away from a blowout win against any opponent. There was no sarcasm in that sentence — Utah always happens to find themselves in a close finish against their opponents during this post-ASG period.

But alas, the Jazz were all business tonight for Tanking and Co™. A calm and orthodox 147-111 loss was what Jazz fans were treated to on the last leg of their West Coast road trip. Wolves had a grip on Utah all game, a combination of turnovers, poor interior defense and an Ayo Dosunmu takeover all played a part.

With only a single glance at the injury report, the Jazz were ready to make their report in Minnesota just for league formalities. There was no intention to play the game of basketball.

The @utahjazz injury report:

OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)

OUT – Blake Hinson (2-way)

OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)

OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)

OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)

OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)

QUEST – Ace Bailey (concussion)

QUEST – John Konchar (calf)

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) March 17, 2026

Minus Anthony Edwards with right knee inflammation, the Wolves were in full-force in their push over the 5th-seeded Nuggets to battle it out in an excruciatingly difficult matchup against the powerhouse Jazz. There was intention to play the game of basketball.

UPDATED Minnesota @Timberwolves Status Report in advance of tonight’s game vs. Utah Jazz:

AVAILABLE
Clark- Right Calf Soreness

OUT
Edwards- Right Knee Inflammation
Freeman- Two-Way
Phillips- G League Assignment
Reid- Right Ankle Sprain
Zikarsky- Two-Way https://t.co/rlfJnn96LX

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) March 18, 2026

Utah came out of the gates with the hot hand; every Jazz fan across the globe pinched the bridge of their nose as they were probably expecting Utah to fight tooth and nail for an agonising and close loss. Perfectly normal for the Jazz to knock down 3-4 of their three-pointers in the first two minutes. Additionally, it is completely normal for the Wolves to shoot 4-5 from the field during the same period.

Hardy has his business outfit on. No intentions of losing this one, using the services of Kevin Love and John Konchar — don’t worry Svi, you’ll get to play someday.

It was all Wolves from that point on. Minnesota went on a 20-5 run between the 3:02 and 6:38 mark in the first quarter, led by Julius Randle’s 16 points and 4 steals at the half. Old friend Rudy Gobert poured in 12 points and 11 rebounds on a perfect 6-6 from the field.

They held a 26-7 advantage in fastbreak points despite the Jazz not having that far of a disadvantage in fastbreak possessions. Wolves generated 8 steals while committing 9 turnovers, while Utah collected 10 turnovers.

On the brighter side of the St. Paddy’s Day rainbow, it was none other than ‘Ice Brice’ Sensabaugh to record 23 points and 3 boards on 10-17 shooting on a chilling 35-degree day in Minneapolis. Ace Bailey scored 12 on 4-7 three-point shooting.

The Timberwolves then took away our small pot of gold; a further 21-9 run in the third quarter was enough to put the cork back on the lid. They shot 80% from the floor during that period whilst hitting 4 triples. Gobert scored seven points, Utah recorded an additional four turnovers, totalling to 18 turnovers for the Jazz through three quarters.

On yet another 11-3 run by Minnesota in the final frame, Ayo Dosunmu scored or assisted in 8 points as Utah turned it over three times. And right on cue, it was none other than Jinglin’ Joe Ingles to make an appearance on the basketball court once the Jazz were down by 38. Hold up, and he had back-to-back buckets? Well, that makes this night just a tad more bearable, as if it were bearable at all beforehand.

I will say this, if there was a listing of players who could break the absurd 83-point night by ███ ███████, I’d guarantee Brice isn’t too far down the list. When he has the hot hand, everything is going down in flames. The former Buckeye recorded his second 40+ point performance this season, finishing with 41 points, 4 boards on 17-31 shooting.

Hardy had high praise for Ace Bailey before tonight, calling him “incredibly unselfish. For somebody that was as highly touted as he was… He doesn’t carry himself where he thinks he’s not getting enough…”

And tonight he responded with calm 17 points, 2 boards and 2 assists on 6-13 shooting. Nothing too flashy, but he’s dialled in his three-point shooting compared to how he fared earlier in the season. Over the last five games, he’s shot 20-42 (47.6%) from beyond the arc.

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Up Next

Utah is back home on their turf in Salt Lake City to welcome the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow night, March 19th, at 5 PM MST.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Grace Zumwinkle and Kelly Pannek scored 11 seconds apart during a four-goal first period and the Minnesota Frost routed the Ottawa Charge 5-0 on Wednesday night.

Minnesota (10-3-3-4) has won four straight games — the last three by scoring at least four goals. The Frost sit tied atop the league standing with the Boston Fleet at 39 points apiece.

Taylor Heise opened the scoring 27 seconds into the game — the second fastest goal in the PWHL this season — when she angled a shot from the corner that deflected off the stick and skate of goaltender Gwyneth Philips. Heise has goals in four straight games — the longest goal streak of the PWHL season.

Zumwinkle scored her ninth goal of the season and Pannek added her first goal of the game for a 3-0 lead to chase Philips. Pannek added her 11th goal of the season — to tie the league lead — late in the second period to cap the scoring.

Kaitlyn O’Donohoe scored her first PWHL goal — in her 16th game with Minnesota — by knocking in her own rebound.

Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney recorded the fifth shutout of her career — first this season — for her 20th career win.

Kendra Woodland made her PWHL debut in relief of Philips.

Ottawa (5-6-1-9) has alternated wins and losses in its last 10 games. The Charge had won two straight games against the Frost, most recently 5-2 on Jan. 3.

Up next

Ottawa hosts Montreal on Sunday.

Minnesota travels to face Vancouver on Saturday.

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