This is 41.

On the same night he tied Robert Parish for the NBA record in regular-season games played, ageless wonder LeBron James had a 19-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in Thursday’s 134-126 win over the Miami Heat. The 41-year-old playing in his 1,611th game helped the Lakers (45-25) win their season-best eighth consecutive game while star guard Luka Doncic poured in a season-best 60 points, including 20 points in the final quarter.

James became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, besting the mark he set last month. 

“He’s a psycho,” coach JJ Redick said with affection, awe and respect. 

Read more:Luka Doncic (40 points) and LeBron James (30) lead Lakers to win over Rockets

James, Doncic and guard Austin Reaves were all questionable to play in their second game in as many nights. Doncic was dealing with right hip soreness and Reaves was battling a right forearm contusion after Wednesday’s physical win over Houston. James, who took a hard spill in the fourth quarter and banged his right elbow, was officially nursing left foot arthritis. Earlier this season, James characterized his ailments as being simply “old.”

But before Redick could even check on the status of his stars Thursday afternoon, he learned they already decided on their availability. The players huddled in the locker room after Wednesday’s game before the coaches entered and decided they would all play against Miami (38-32).

“When he said he was playing, I was like, I can't let a 41-year-old play and I not play,” said Reaves, who battled through a bruise on his shooting wrist to finish with 18 points. “So [I] signed up to play and so did Luka and we went and grinded the win out.” 

Doncic, one night after scoring 40 points with 10 assists, was showered with “MVP” chants in the fourth quarter as he became the ninth Laker with multiple 50-point performances in a single-season. He scored 51 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls on March 12. 

Following the 8:30 p.m. local tip in Houston, the Lakers didn’t land in Miami until past 4 a.m. Players didn’t get to their hotel rooms until 5:10 a.m.

The Lakers looked like it early on, too. They sleep-walked through the first minutes of the game, falling behind 9-0. They didn’t get their first basket until the 8:59 mark of the first quarter.

Of course it was a dunk from James.

“Just wanted to come in and see how the body felt after some of the routine things that I do and the treatments things that I do,” James said. “And decided to give it a go. We all decided to give it a go. So that's a big, gritty win for us on the road, especially under circumstances."

Instead of the physical toll of playing two games in consecutive days in different time zones, James was more focused on locking in mentally. His meticulous pregame routine took years to develop and takes hours to complete. Teammates a decade younger than him have never beaten him to the arena on game days. 

But they still try to keep up.  

“You see this guy who has done everything in this league, accomplished everything, he's still coming out here every day with that professional attitude and not taking anything for granted,” said 32-year-old guard Marcus Smart, who played 27 minutes and 31 seconds with 13 points one night after 34 minutes in Houston. “It forces you to do the same.” 

With many of his teammates struggling early, James made his first seven shots from the field, a perfect shooting streak that lasted into the fourth quarter. Redick approached the Lakers bench during their groggy start and tried to sympathize with his players, saying he knew they were tired. 

“Bron was like, ‘I’m not tired,’” Reaves said. “So I was like, ‘I'm not tired either.’ So yeah, follow the leader.” 

In his record 23rd NBA season, James is helping the Lakers play their best at the most important time of the year by taking on a new role. Since returning from a three-game injury absence, James has ceded more control of the offense to Doncic and Reaves. He has not relinquished any impact on the game, averaging 20.4 points over the last five games while shooting 64.6% from the field.

James has missed only five shots in the last two games, including a 13-for-14 effort against Houston on Wednesday. It came 13 years since his last 13-for-14 shooting performance, which happened with the Heat in 2013. The coach of that team, Erik Spoelstra, can only marvel.

"He's not only competing against the entire league but also Father Time,” Spoelstra said. “And he's giving Father Time hell."

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

A 60-point game from Luka Dončić paired with a triple-double from LeBron James led the Lakers to their eighth straight win on Thursday as they knocked off the Heat in Miami, 134-126.

Given the circumstances of it being the second night of a back-to-back and the team not arriving at their hotel until after 5 a.m., this was one of the unlikeliest wins of the season.

LA trailed by as many as 15 in the first half before racing back to take a double-digit lead in the second half. Luka caught fire in the third and fourth quarters to put the game to rest, scoring an ethical 60 points compared to other recent scoring outbursts this season.

The game began with Deandre Ayton fouling Bam Adebayo, who converted on both free throws. Fortunately, that was not the beginning of an 83-point night again.

LA fumbled the ball on the other end, leading to Davion Mitchell draining a 3-pointer. The Heat jumped to a nine-point lead as Los Angeles tried to find their offense. 

Marcus Smart scored first for the Lakers on a pair of free throws. 

LA heated up with every starter scoring. Luka Dončić drained a pair of triples and had eight points. Los Angeles struggled defensively, leaving shooters open. At the 6:08 mark, Miami was up by five. 

The Lakers had already given up 24 points in the paint. 

Fatigue seemed to be a huge factor in LA’s lack of defense. They struggled to focus on both sides of the ball. Luka led the team with 12 points. Bam led Miami with nine points. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by 13. 

The second period began with Los Angeles turning the ball over, resulting in an easy layup for Dru Smith. LeBron James responded on the other end with a mid-range jumper. He was perfect from the field again, going 4-4 in this half so far. 

At the 7:30 mark, LA was down by 11. 

LeBron entered double-figures with 11 points. He and Luka were the only Lakers to find consistent offense. Austin Reaves had just four points.

Luka poured in five more, helping cut into the deficit until a 3-pointer from Tyler Herro put Miami up by nine with 2:37 left in the half. 

Rui Hachimura was having a productive showing off the bench with seven points. 

Down by as many as 15, the Lakers have trimmed the margin to 7 with 2 minutes left in the half, and Dončić up to 19 points.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 20, 2026

After going down by as much as 15, the Lakers did well to crawl back into the game to trail by just six at halftime.

The third period began as a shooting clinic for both teams. LeBron continued his perfect shooting, converting on a layup. Luka drained three 3-pointers, helping put LA in front. 

Smart also knocked one down himself. LeBron was still perfect, up to 7-7 from the field. Los Angeles was up by three at the 6:52 mark. 

LA continued to stretch their lead, taking all the momentum. They were winning the quarter 33-17 while shooting 63% in the period.

That's 14 3-pointers for Luka in the last 24 hours.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 20, 2026

The Heat scored a quick four points as the quarter wound down. Going into the fourth, the purple and gold were up by nine. 

Norman Powell knocked down a 3-pointer to start the final frame. The Lakers missed two opportunities to score, but Reaves was sent to the charity stripe and converted on one of two free throws. 

A minute and a half into the period, LA was up by seven. 

Reaves was having a nice quarter, knocking down a triple that helped keep Los Angeles with a good cushion on their lead. He had five points in the quarter and 15 total for the game. Luka put the Lakers up by eight with seven minutes left. 

The game slowed down as the referees called a few fouls, leading to plenty of free throws for both teams. Herro drained a 3-pointer to make it a six-point deficit at the 5:10 mark for Miami. 

After what felt like 400 free throws, both teams started making shots. Luka turned his jets on and took over for seven points to reach 50 points and put the Lakers up by nine with 3:40 left.

Herro kept the Heat in it, scoring five to make it a four-point game with 2:17 left. Things went into chaotic mode as Luka and LeBron took over, Luka draining an insane triple and LeBron converting on a layup.

LA was up six with 54 seconds left in the game. Reaves was fouled and converted on one of two free throws. Luka was fouled with 14 seconds left, and he converted on one of two free throws for 60 points. 

Key Player Stats

Luka finished with 60 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals. He became the franchise leader in single-season 3-pointers, passing D’Angelo Russell.

LeBron had a triple-double of 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Reaves ended with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. 

Hachimura scored seven points off the bench. Jake LaRavia logged five points with six rebounds. Jaxson Hayes pitched in with six points and five rebounds.

The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Orlando Magic on Saturday at 4:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

The Phoenix Suns lost an absolute heartbreaker tonight in San Antonio. The season series ends up tied at 2 apiece between the teams in their final meeting of the year.

The Suns were in control for a good chunk of the game, but the fourth-quarter chaos got the best of them.

The Spurs turned it over more (14-11), and Phoenix had more second-chance points (14-5). That is a winning combination. Unfortunately for Phoenix, the free-throw line is where they could look at being the reason those numbers offset, as the Spurs shot 6 more of them and did so while being 15% better from the charity stripe.

Collin Gillespie had 24 points, Devin Booker chipped in with 22, and Jalen Green added 17. Oso Ighodaro had a strong all-around game, posting 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists on 7-10 FG. Victor Wembanyama had 34 points and 12 rebounds, along with the game-winner with 1.1 seconds remaining.

Game Flow

First Half

The Spurs opened up on a 13-7 push, with all five starters getting in on the scoring action early, in typical Spurs fashion. Phoenix started to push back after a pair of explosive takes by Jalen Green, who looked sharp early.

Jalen is so smooth on the break 💨

He's got 9 PTS on 4/5 FG in the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/9XpSfksQRh

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 20, 2026

A Ryan Dunn triple tied it up at 21 with just over 2 minutes remaining in the quarter. Despite the strong Spurs start, Phoenix kept chipping away and hung in there early.

Collin Gillespie snapped out of his recent funk early after dropping in a pair of threes. Phoenix led 26-24 after the first quarter, led by Jalen Green’s 9 points. The duo of Gillespie and Green carried the Suns’ offense early.

Gillespie picked up where he left off in the last quarter, with another pair of tough triples to open the second quarter.

Rasheer Fleming had his best dunk of the year over fellow rookie Carter Bryant, which I’m sure you’ve already seen everywhere. If you haven’t, here you go:

🚨 RASHEER FLEMING POSTER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/qJ0wNACld8

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 20, 2026

The Suns were dominating the boards, 20-to-12, and making the Spurs pay in the interior. Oso Ighodaro provided some steady minutes as well, with 9 points (4-6 FG), 3 assists, and 2 rebounds in his opening 17 minutes of action.

The offensive pace picked up a bit towards the end of the second quarter, but Phoenix held strong. The Suns led 59-52 at the break, paced by 17 points from Jalen Green, 13 from Gillespie, and 9 from Oso Ighodaro. It was a pleasant surprise to see them take a seven-point advantage into the half.

Second Half

The Spurs’ physical intensity defensively picked up a bit as they cut the lead to just five early in the third. There were 8 fouls called between the teams in the opening five minutes to back up that last sentence. It was getting chippy out there.

Phoenix would be without Amir Coffey for the remainder of the game due to a sprained ankle, per the team. Another blow for an already thin Suns squad.

Devin Booker had 5 of the Suns’ 11 points early in the third.

Watch Book get to his spot 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/gYngsjYnp3

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 20, 2026

The Suns and Spurs traded buckets through the opening 6 minutes of the 3rd quarter, with San Antonio leading 14-11 in the period. Giving credit to the Spurs’ defense first and foremost, but the Suns’ offense really started to struggle to generate good looks.

The Spurs successfully challenged on a Devin Booker drive to the rim, where it looked like he was tripped up, but they deemed it a no-call.

Booker started to heat up and take over in the third, exploding to the rim, generating fouls, and playing like the Devin Booker we all know and love. He poured in 14 points in the quarter, connecting on 6 of his 7 free throw attempts.

The Suns led 79-73 heading into the 4th quarter, withstanding a Spurs surge early in the quarter.

CLUTCH OSO BUCKET ☄️

He's got 13 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST tonight pic.twitter.com/SsrhEk9yRX

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 20, 2026

Phoenix opened the 4th on a 10-6 push. A Collin Gillespie three-pointer bounced on the rim about three times before dropping in. It came after an extra possession was generated, and Gillespie did a ring around the rosie, then hit Oso and relocated for the spot-up triple.

The Spurs continued to swing back any time it seemed like they had a chance to extend the lead.

Khaman Maluach got a “brings the boom” from Kevin Ray on a strong roll to the rim. De’Aaron Fox followed that up with a triple to steal back some of the momentum.

Rasheer Fleming made an incredible closeout block on a Fox three-pointer the next possession, only for him to fumble the pass to Jalen Green, and long story short, the Spurs got the ball, and Wemby drilled a three right after to cut it to four points and shift the momentum in the Spurs’ favor.

A clutch Jordan Goodwin corner three gave the Suns a five point led with a little over a minute left.

Rasheer Fleming caught the ball in the corner and got fouled with 11 seconds left. Sending him to the line was not what the Suns had in mind, and the Spurs knew it. They fouled him immediately. He missed both, as each shot rimmed out.

And well, you know the rest. I’ll spare you from seeing that video again.

Up Next

Phoenix finally gets to return home to the desert. They will face the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

March Madness has struck again, hard.

Hubert Davis and No. 6 seed North Carolina not only were upset by No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth on Thursday, March 19 — ending the Tar Heels' hopes for a Men's NCAA Tournament run in the first round — but they also let the Rams claw back from a 19-point deficit to win 82-78 in overtime.

North Carolina did not score a single basket in the extra period.

The Tar Heels were already short-handed in the postseason after an injury to Caleb Wilson, who led the team in nearly every major category before a broken right thumb ended his season. But the way the Tar Heels lost, coupled with a second first-round exit in as many years, has raised questions as to the future of the program under Davis.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness live scores: Upsets, close calls, highlights from NCAA first round

Davis opened his tenure at North Carolina in 2021-22 replacing the legendary Roy Williams with a run to the national championship game, where the Tar Heels gave up a 22-point lead and eventually fell 72-69 to Kansas. Since then, the Tar Heels have declined an NIT invitation in 2023 and made the Sweet 16 in 2024 before their recent stumbles.

Here's what to know of Davis' buyout and contract information at UNC following the Tar Heels' upset loss to VCU:

Hubert Davis buyout at North Carolina

According to Davis' contract, obtained by the USA TODAY Network, North Carolina would owe the coach $5.312 million if he were to be fired on April 1.

Hubert Davis contract details at North Carolina

• Length: Contract is six-year deal through June 30, 2030.
• Base salary remaining: $5.3 million.
• Supplemental compensation remaining: $11.7 million.

According to North Carolina's contract with Davis obtained by the USA TODAY Network, the deal runs through June 30, 2030. In addition to his $1,250,000 annual base salary, he is earning $1,800,00 in supplemental pay for the 2026 contract year. The supplemental part of his compensation increases by $100,000 in each of the remaining four years left on the contract. Davis also earns $50,000 in annual expenses from the university and has separate yearly payments from Nike ($200,000) and Learfield Sports ($500,000).

His total pay for the 2026 contract year is $3,850,000. The compensation will increase by $100,000 in each of the remaining four years.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hubert Davis buyout, contract details for UNC basketball coach

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored with 11.1 seconds left to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Tkachuk controlled the loose puck in the crease and squeezed it past goalie Ilya Sorokin for the comeback victory.

New York dropped out of a playoff position in the tight Eastern Conference, while Ottawa closed within four points of the Islanders.

Tkachuk and Anders Lee dropped the gloves on the opening faceoff in a fight between captains. Five minutes later, Ottawa’s Ridly Greig and Brayden Schenn also exchanged punches.

Shane Pinto had a short-handed goal to tie it at 1 for the Senators in the second period, and Warren Foegele sent a backhander past Sorokin 5:12 into the third to even it at 2. James Reimer made 19 saves for the victory.

Rookie Matthew Schaefer opened the scoring for the Islanders early in the second period, and Schenn made it 2-1 at 2:02 of the third.

Schaefer is the second 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to have 50 points in a season, joining Phil Housley (57 in 1982-83).

Sorokin stopped 23 shots.

Up next

Islanders: At Montreal on Saturday night.

Senators: Host Toronto on Saturday night.

___

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

This is why we can never quit you, March Madness.

The Men's NCAA Tournament isn’t even through the first day of the first round and already we’ve had little High Point getting its first win in school history. Same for Nebraska, which did it in made-for-TV fashion with a coach whose grandfather once had the same job and whose son now plays for him.

VCU clawed itself out of a 19-point hole — 19 points! — to force OT against North Carolina and then won. Yes, you read that right. From a 19-point deficit to the round of 32, the largest comeback ever in the first round.

More: High Point upset was going to take everything — including a first layup of the season

If all that wasn’t enough to warm the hearts of fans who’ve been turned off by all the greed and opportunism in college athletics of late, Siena comes along and puts top-seeded Duke on the ropes. Alas, the historic upset didn’t happen, but it at least gives Duke haters (read: everyone who didn’t go there) hope that the Blue Devils’ road to the Final Four might wind up being a dead end.

“It sucks that we came up short,” said Gavin Doty, who led Siena with 21 points, “but I'm proud of the fight we had.”

We know college athletics is gross and the people who are supposed to be shepherding it aren’t much better. Traditional rivalries have been blown up for TV money. Athletic directors and conference commissioners spent money with reckless abandon for decades but, now that players are getting some, are crying for Congress to come in and clean up the mess.

Even the NCAA Tournament isn’t safe, with The Devil, sorry, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, pushing for it, too, to be supersized.

It’s enough to make you want to turn off the TV or put away your phone unless your alma mater is playing. But then the NCAA Tournament rolls around and we get sucked right back in.

It isn’t perfect; it’s almost as big an offense as the ones Bruce Pearl committed that one-loss Miami (Ohio) was relegated to the First Four because it’s not from a power conference. But the games! The passion! The energy!

Fourth-seeded Nebraska played Troy in Oklahoma City, but you’d swear it was Lincoln by how loud and red the crowd was. They were breaking noise ordinances from the moment the Cornhuskers took the court for warm ups and they never lowered the volume.

“It was unbelievable. I’ve never been at a neutral site where it’s been louder,” coach Fred Hoiberg said.

Even late in the second half, when Nebraska was assured of snapping an oh-for-8 streak in the NCAA Tournament, Cornhuskers fans were cheering every possession.

“This is emotional, no doubt about it. My family history here — this means the world,” said Hoiberg, whose grandfather Jerry Bush was Nebraska’s coach from 1954-63 and whose son Sam starts for the Cornhuskers.

High Point’s drought wasn’t quite as long, given this is only the Panthers’ second appearance in the tournament. But the Big South champions came in looking to prove a point for the little guy and, boy, did they.

A team that can’t even get a return phone call about playing bigger schools during the nonconference season took down Wisconsin. That would be the same Wisconsin that handed Michigan its only loss during the Big Ten regular season, as well as Purdue, Illinois (twice) and Michigan State.

High Point also got shipped clear across the country to play in Portland, Oregon, rather than any of the six sites east of the Mississippi.

“High Point and Miami (Ohio) are 2-1 in Quad-1 games. We couldn't get games. They couldn't get games. Akron, UNC Wilmington, Belmont couldn't get games,” Panthers coach Flynn Clayman said, deservedly salty.

“That team (Wisconsin) right there is a fantastic team that beat five top-10 teams,” Clayman said. “If we can get games like this on neutral courts and some home games, I think we'd know who's really the best teams.”

Duke is supposed to be the best of the best in this tournament, the overall No. 1 seed with three projected first-round picks in the NBA Draft. But going back to Christian Laettner’s days, there’s something about the Blue Devils that makes them really easy to hate.

Maybe it’s all their success, with five NCAA titles and 18 Final Fours. Or the arrogance coach Mike Krzyzewski and players like Laettner, J.J. Redick and Grayson Allen oozed. Whatever. It makes you want to root against them.

Hard.  

Had Siena pulled the upset off, people across the country would have been partying for days. They’d be taking off work. Calling their friends. Meeting up at bars to celebrate. OK, they’re doing that, anyway. It’s March Madness. Still, for the better part of two hours, Siena gave us hope.

And that’s March Madness' secret sauce.

There are so many things in life we know are impossible. So many dreams we don’t have the guts to pursue or get kicked in the teeth trying to make reality. But in the NCAA Tournament, anything really can happen and there is a purity that remains in the pursuit of that.

It's Madness. And it's marvelous.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness delivers, year after year. Just enjoy it

Terrence Hill Jr. led No. 11 VCU to an 82-78 upset victory in overtime over No. 6 seed North Carolina in the first round of the Men's NCAA Tournament on March 19.

Hill produced 34 points, five rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes of play for the Rams. He shot 13-of-23 from the field and was 7-of-10 from the three-point line.

The guard made a 3-pointer to give VCU an 80-78 lead with 15 seconds remaining in overtime. Nyk Lewis sealed the game with a pair of successful free throws.

The Tar Heels led by as many as 19 points during the game, but the Rams fought back for the sixth-largest comeback in March Madness history.

Hill also produced a 3-pointer for VCU off an assist from Lewis that cut into the Tar Heels' lead at 70-68 with 3:56 left in the second half. VCU was on a 12-0 scoring run and provided the Rams with some momentum to crawl back into the game.

The score was tied at 75 with 8.7 seconds in the second half.

Henri Veesaar had the ball for UNC but lost control of it and went out of bounds. VCU received the ball with 2.9 seconds but had the ball stolen by Seth Trimble. His shot was no good, sending the game to overtime.

Veesaar had a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels. Trimble added 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Veesaar missed a pair of free throws with four seconds remaining in overtime. He also missed a 16-foot turnaround jumpshot as time expired at the end of the game.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No. 11 VCU upsets No. 6 UNC in with historic March Madness comeback

Not only did No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth upset No. 6 North Carolina in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, but it did it with an impressive comeback.

The Rams took down the Tar Heels 82-78 in overtime on Thursday, March 19, a result that didn't seem possible early in the game. North Carolina was up 56-37 early in the second half, primed to advance to the second round in the March Madness bracket, but the Rams went on a run to close the gap and forced overtime after a bucket in the final seconds. VCU held North Carolina without a field goal in overtime to pull off the victory.

It was among the largest comebacks in NCAA Tournament history, but where does it rank?

How large was VCU comeback over North Carolina?

VCU pulled off a 19-point comeback to beat UNC in overtime.

Where does VCU comeback rank in NCAA Tournament history?

The 19-point comeback is the largest in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Overall, it's the sixth-largest.

Largest comebacks in NCAA Tournament history

• 1. 25: No. 14 seed BYU over No. 14 seed Iona (2012 First Four)
• T-2. 22: No. 1 seed Duke over No. 3 seed Maryland (2001 Final Four)
• T-2. 22: No. 7 seed Nevada over No. 2 seed Cincinnati (2018 second round)
• T-3. 20: No. 4 seed Louisville over No. 7 seed West Virginia (2005 Elite Eight)
• T-3. 20: No. 1 seed Ohio State over No. 5 seed Tennessee (2007 Sweet 16)
• 6. 19: No. 11 seed VCU over No. 6 North Carolina (2026 first round)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness largest comebacks: Where VCU vs. North Carolina ranks