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Woods’ 20 lead Tulane over Florida Atlantic 83-76 in American Athletic Conference Tournament

Asher Woods had 20 points in Tulane's 83-76 win against Florida Atlantic on Friday in the American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Woods shot 6 for 10 (2 for 3 from 3-point range) and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line for the Green Wave (19-13). Kaleb Banks added 17 points while shooting 7 for 11 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and 0 of 3 from the free-throw line while he also had five rebounds.

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Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton dealing with calf injury in addition to elbow issues; timeline still unknown

Giancarlo Stanton can't catch a break.

The Yankees designated hitter is already dealing with tennis elbow in both his arms, which will keep him off the roster to start the season, but manager Aaron Boone revealed that Stanton has a calf injury as well.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that Stanton's calf ailment is "chronic" but that the elbow injuries are the bigger problem.

Stanton is back with the Yankees in camp after he had his third PRP injection on his elbows, but the team still doesn't have a timetable for the slugger's return.

Heyman did report that an optimistic estimate for a Stanton return is Memorial Day, but it's way too early to tell.

As Stanton tries to overcome his elbow issues, surgery has not been ruled out for the slugger. But the former NL MVP admitted that if he were to go under the knife, it could certainly be season-ending.

Stanton had an injury-plagued 2024 season, managing to play in 114 regular season games and slash .233/.298/.475 with 27 homers and 72 RBI. He hit seven home runs and had 16 RBI in 14 playoff games, however.

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Flames Projected Lineup & Game Notes Against Avalanche 3.14.25

Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

The Calgary Flames (30-23-11) wrap up a three-game homestand by hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

After a busy trade deadline, this is the first time the Flames will play the Avalanche following the acquisitions of Brock Nelson and Erik Johnson. Considering their position in the standings, tied for the second wildcard spot, Friday night is another must win for Calgary. 

Inside the Numbers

Calgary

- Last 10: 4-2-4

- vs. Opponent: 0-1-0 (4-2 L)

- At Home: 18-10-5

Colorado

- Last 10: 7-2-1

- vs. Opponent: 1-0-0 (4-2 W)

- As Visitors: 17-14-1

Between the Pipes

Calgary starter - Dustin Wolf

  • Season: 38 GP / 22-12-4 / 2.52 GAA / .915 SV%
  • Career: 56 GP / 30-19-5 / 2.68 GAA / .909 SV%
  • Last 5: 3-2-0 / 1.60 GAA / .929 SV%
  • vs. Opponent: 1-0-0 / 1.00 GAA / .958 SV%

Avalanche starter - Scott Wedgewood

  • Season: 17 GP / 8-6-1 / 2.49 GAA / .908 SV%
  • Career: 147 GP / 56-54-23 / 2.92 GAA / .906 SV
  • Last 5: 2-3-0 / 2.80 GAA / .884 SV%
  • vs. Opponent: 0-3-1/ 4.03 GAA / .891 SV%

Conversation Starters

- Jonathan Huberdeau had one of his best games as a member of the Flames on Wednesday. Does he have an encore performance in another critical game?

- Dustin Wolf is starting his third straight game. Considering the Flames have only one more back-to-back left on the schedule, it is safe to assume that he's getting most of the starts the rest of the way?

- Where is the secondary scoring? Matt Coronato is Calgary's fourth leading scorer and has only two points (two goals) in his last nine games. Meanwhile, Blake Coleman, the fifth highest scorer, has a single assist in the past 14 games. These two must step up now that Connor Zary and Mikael Backlund are out. Do they have it in them?

Where Are They Now?

Calgary

- 4th Pacific Division

- 2nd Wildcard

- 8th Western Conference

- 15th NHL

Colorado

- 4th Pacific Division

- 2nd Wildcard

- 8th Western Conference

- 15th NHL

Flames & Canucks Leaders

  • Goals: Huberdeau & Kadri (22) / MacKinnon (27)
  • Assists: Weegar (29) / MacKinnon (75)**
  • Points: Huberdeau & Kadri (46) / MacKinnon (102)**
  • PIM: Pachal (80) / Wood (46)
  • PPG: Huberdeau (7) / Makar (10)
  • SOG: Kadri (211) / MacKinnon (268)

** - NHL Leader

Flames Projected Lineup

According to NHL.com, here's a look at the projected lineups for the Flames. (Subject to change)

FORWARD

Jonathan Huberdeau -- Nazem Kadri -- Matt Coronato

Joel Farabee -- Morgan Frost -- Blake Coleman

Martin Pospisil -- Yegor Sharangovich -- Adam Klapka

Ryan Lomberg -- Kevin Rooney -- Dryden Hunt

DEFENCE

Kevin Bahl -- Rasmus Andersson

Joel Hanley -- MacKenzie Weegar

Jake Bean -- Daniil Miromanov

GOALIE

Dustin Wolf

Dan Vladar

Tonight's game starts at 7:00 p.m. MT and is available on TVAS, SN1, ALT2, KTVD and Sportsnet+.

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Josh Hart says Knicks are ‘moving on’ from Draymond Green’s comments about Karl-Anthony Towns

The Knicks are in the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors on Saturday in what will be the final game of their five-game West Coast road trip. While the game itself is enough for NBA fans to want to tune in, the controversy surrounding Draymond Green and his comments about Karl-Anthony Towns has added a layer of intrigue to the matchup.

The outspoken Warriors forward made news when he suggested Towns did not want to play Golden State when the two teams matched up last week at The Garden. On his podcast, Green said Towns wanted to avoid Jimmy Butler.

Of course, Towns missed that game due to the loss of a family friend. When Green was asked about his comments after Golden State's game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 7, Green was surprised and offered condolences but didn’t apologize for his baseless accusation.

Josh Hart was asked about Green’s comments Friday and said the team is ready to move on, but wishes the former Defensive Player of the Year was more responsible. 

“I think KAT handled it the right way,” Hart told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “For me, I have my own podcast and all that stuff. Whenever I’m wrong about something, I’ll sit there and say I was (wrong). For me, I wish he kind of did that - just apologized. You don’t got to be embarrassed or feel like apologizing is when you’re wrong isn’t manly. I wish he did. Now that’s in the past and we’re moving on.”

Bondy asked Towns earlier this week for his reaction, and the first-year Knick stayed positive.

“I choose to approach that with love and not hate. That’s all I really care about,” Towns said. “I hope no one has to go through what I went through and those kids—and what those kids had to go through. Losing a parent is tough."

The Knicks enter Saturday’s matchup with a 2-2 record on the road trip and hope to finish it on a high note without their captain, Jalen Brunson who is out for a few weeks due to an ankle sprain. Entering Friday, the Knicks (42-23) sit five games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

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Flames & Wranglers Busy Adjusting Rosters

Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

The Calgary Flames (30-23-11) play the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night, ending a three-game homestand before their final trip to the East Coast next week.

In their last contest against the Vancouver Canucks, forward Conor Zary hit defenseman Elias Pettersson with an elbow in the back of the head, leading to a two-game suspension, announced on Thursday afternoon.

During the same game, captain Mikael Backlund suffered an upper-body injury, and on Friday, the team announced that he was now listed as week-to-week. 

Before the Canucks game, the Flames recalled Adam Klapka from the Calgary Wranglers. The 24-year-old was a healthy scratch on Tuesday, but will most likely be pressed into action on Friday night against Colorado.

Meanwhile, with another hole in the lineup to fill, Calgary recalled Dryden Hunt on Friday morning. The pair of Wranglers forwards have combined to skate in 14 games this season in the NHL, with one point.

Hunt is the Wranglers' second-leading scorer, with 48 points, while Klapka has contributed 26 points. 

However, that wasn't the Flames organization's last move on Friday. The Wranglers acquired forward Ty Tullio from the Buffalo Sabres via the Rochester Americans.

Initially drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round (125th overall) in the 2020 Draft, Tullio has yet to play in the NHL. Over three seasons in the AHL, he has scored 23 goals with 31 assists for 54 points in 147 games.

The Flames, who maintain the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference, will host the Avalanche at the Saddledome on Friday.  Meanwhile, the Wranglers hit the road for a weekend series with the Abbotsford Canucks on Saturday and Sunday.

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House and Jacksonville State defeat Middle Tennessee 70-68 in Conference USA Tournament semifinals

Freshman Quel'Ron House led Jacksonville State with 20 points, including two free throws with 22 seconds remaining as the Gamecocks took down Middle Tennessee 70-68 on Friday in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals. Jacksonville State will face Liberty in the championship game on Saturday. House shot 6 for 10 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line for the Gamecocks (22-11).

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Pep Guardiola fires back at Capello’s jibe about making football boring

  • ‘It’s not the first time he’s said that’
  • Capello said Guardiola ruined Italian football

Pep Guardiola has responded sarcastically to Fabio Capello’s claim that he is arrogant, has “ruined Italian football” and has made the sport boring. The former England coach offered his view of Guardiola to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo this week. On Friday Manchester City’s manager was asked whether he listened to someone of the Italian’s stature in the game.

“I listen to everything that people say about me. Everything. So be careful. I am controlling you,” he said as a joke. “It’s not the first time that Mr Fabio Capello said that. I’m not good enough to win Italian football. Italian football is much, much more important than the way you do it. A big hug from Fabio. A big hug.”

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Mazzulla praises ‘overlooked' Holiday after big night vs. Heat

Mazzulla praises ‘overlooked' Holiday after big night vs. Heat originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jrue Holiday may not be the first, second, third, or even fourth player who comes to mind when thinking about the Boston Celtics’ star-studded roster. Still, the All-Defensive guard is a crucial part of the C’s championship formula.

Holiday provided a firm reminder of that in Friday’s 103-91 victory over the Miami Heat, battling through his right-hand mallet finger injury to deliver a season-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He also contributed four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal in a stellar two-way performance.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla heaped praise on Holiday after the win. When asked about the 34-year-old veteran’s impact being “kind of” overlooked, Mazzulla issued a correction.

“It’s not ‘kind of.’ It is overlooked,” Mazzulla said. “But it’s overlooked because that’s just the type of person that he is, and it’s also just the type of teammate that he is, that he’ll do whatever it takes to win for his team.

“Tonight, the ball found him early and I’m glad he was aggressive and then he was able to build through that. I thought he made some timely plays and some big-time plays. I’m really happy for him because he does get overlooked at times, but we’re really grateful to have him.”

Holiday has never been flashy or outspoken, but he has been among the most consistent two-way players since entering the league in 2009. The two-time NBA champion continues to lead by example in Boston, most recently by battling through a finger injury that forced him to miss several games.

“I’m doing the best I can. Today was a good day,” Holiday told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. “Sometimes on the catch, it feels weird, but there’s no excuses out here. They don’t care that my finger’s broken or I have mallet finger. Just trying to come out here every game and focus and try to lock in.”

Holiday stepped up with Jaylen Brown (right knee posterior impingement) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) sidelined. The Celtics will hope to have the duo back in the starting lineup when they visit the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday for the second night of their back-to-back.

Tip-off for C’s-Nets is set for 6 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.

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Chaz Lanier scores 23 as No. 8 Tennessee downs Texas to reach SEC Tournament semis

Chaz Lanier scored 17 of No. 8 Tennessee's first 21 points, and the Volunteers never trailed Friday beating Texas 83-72 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The fourth-seeded Volunteers (26-6) also gave coach Rick Barnes the 832nd victory of his career, moving him into sole possession of 10th all-time after being tied with Cliff Ellis. The Vols will play regular season champ and third-ranked Auburn, a 62-57 winner over Ole Miss, in the semifinals Saturday.

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PJ Haggerty scores 42 for Memphis after coach Penny Hardaway told standout guard he had to produce

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway was speaking from experience with his message to standout guard PJ Haggerty before the start of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. "When you’re the man and you’re expected to go out to produce, you’ve got to go out and produce,” Hardaway told the sophomore. Haggerty responded with a career-high 42 points, including nine in a 12-0 run after halftime that put the 16th-ranked Tigers ahead to stay in an 83-80 win over nemesis Wichita State in a quarterfinal game Friday.