el Page 51 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Italy 1 win away from World Cup after blanking Northern Ireland
Italy finally cleared its first hurdle in the World Cup playoffs -- and now it has one more game to win to avoid missing the competition for the third straight time.,The four-time World Cup champions beat Northern Ireland 2-0 on Thursday night in Bergamo, getting a breakthrough goal from Sandro Tona...

Mike Trout blast leads Angels to rare Opening Day road win over Astros
Mike Trout homered, walked three times and stole a base, and Jose Soriano struck out seven over six shutout innings to lead the visiting Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Thursday afternoon in the season opener for both teams., ,It was the 405th career home run for Trout...

Thriving Jayson Tatum leads Celtics into battle vs. Hawks
Jayson Tatum will attempt to take another step forward in his return from surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon when the Boston Celtics try to cool off the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Friday night., ,Tatum turned in what was arguably his best performance of the season during Wednesday's 1...

Bennedict Mathurin returns as surging Clippers visit Pacers
Looking to take advantage of a golden opportunity to bolster their play-in tournament status, the Los Angeles Clippers begin a two-game Eastern Conference road trip on Friday against the fading Indiana Pacers at Indianapolis.,Los Angeles (37-36) was all but written off in late December after beginni...

Postseason wear and tear leaves mark on Dodgers' Opening Day roster
The Los Angeles Dodgers will be paying the bill for their 2025 playoff run with three contributors to their World Series title opening this season on the injured list.,Left-hander Blake Snell and utility player Tommy Edman went on the injured list leading up to Opening Day and Enrique Hernandez went...
Five Teams That Could Challenge Los Angeles Dodgers This Year
The Dodgers are MLB favorites again, but teams like the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Phillies could challenge their dominance in 2026....

Adam Silver noncommittal on Cathy Engelbert's WNBA future
Adam Silver celebrated the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement and praised the "fantastic job" performed by Cathy Engelbert during her 6 1/2 years as that league's commissioner.,That said, the NBA commissioner was noncommittal in regard to Engelbert's long-term job security when speaking at h...

Pistons host Pelicans, looking to bounce back from rare loss
The Detroit Pistons had their four-game winning streak snapped by the red-hot Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. They'll look to start a new one when they host the lowly New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.,Detroit dropped a 130-129 overtime thriller at home to the Hawks. Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren both mi...

Hungry for points, Kings face spoilers in Canucks
Pacific Division rivals meet in what could be a playoff-deciding matchup for the Los Angeles Kings when they visit the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.,The game is the second of four between these teams this season, with the final three matchups in the final month of the regular season. Los Ange...

Jaylen Brown (31), Celtics halt Thunder's 12-game win streak
Jaylen Brown had 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Boston Celtics end the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder's 12-game winning streak with a 119-109 victory Wednesday in a game that featured the last two NBA champions., ,Jayson Tatum added 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists f...

Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger shoots down job speculation
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger on Wednesday disputed any speculation involving him and other coaching jobs as "not true," as rumors of him being a possible North Carolina coaching target persist.,Otzelberger addressed the situation at the team hotel in Chicago shortly after the No. 2 seed Cyclone...

Mariners, Guardians return from playoff seasons to meet in opener
The Seattle Mariners will set sail on their 50th season Thursday.,It is a voyage they hope will take them to the World Series for the first time and it begins with a visit from the Cleveland Guardians.,The Mariners came as close as they ever have to reaching that destination last season, losing to t...

Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez gets Opening Day nod vs. Rangers
The Philadelphia Phillies showed their faith in Cristopher Sanchez last weekend by signing the left-hander to a six-year, $107 million contract extension.,While that deal officially begins in 2027, Sanchez will likely have a bounce in his step on Thursday afternoon when he takes the mound as the Phi...

Panthers' Anton Lundell (rib) likely out for rest of season
Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell likely will sit out the remainder of the season as he nurses a rib injury.,Lundell is expected to be sidelined from two to six weeks for the Panthers (35-32,3, 73 points), who reside 12 points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 12 g...
How Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s Extension With Seahawks Complicates Things for Rams
The Seattle Seahawks signed Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a four-year, $168.8M deal, making him the league’s highest-paid wide receiver. How will this impact the Rams and Puka Nacua’s market value?...
Why the 2026 NBA Awards Could Be Vulnerable to Gambling Influence
A provocative look at the NBA Rookie of the Year race and how gambling concerns could raise questions about awards voting....

Kansas' Bill Self says no decision on retirement yet
Kansas coach Bill Self said he has made no decision about retirement, despite persistent rumors that say otherwise.,Self, who just completed his 23rd season with the Jayhawks, told the Kansas City Star on Wednesday that any reports of his imminent retirement are false.,"No news. All b.s. Bad info," ...

Astros carry high expectations into opener vs. Angels
The Houston Astros missed the playoffs last season for the first time in nine years, something with which the Los Angeles Angels have become familiar over the past 11 seasons.,Both teams will try to get the 2026 season off to a good start on Thursday when the Astros host the Angels in the opener of ...

Reports: Brad Stevens turns down North Carolina overtures
Brad Stevens plans to continue to pilot the front office of the Boston Celtics and declined to interview for the coaching vacancy at North Carolina, according to CBS Sports. ,The former Butler coach hasn't had a sideline role since 2021 but reportedly was among high-profile targets of the Tar Heels ...

Mikaela Shiffrin wins record-tying 6th WC skiing title
Mikaela Shiffrin won a record-tying sixth World Cup season title on Wednesday in Hafjell, Norway.,Heading into the giant slalom, the final race of the season, Shiffrin had an 85-point lead over Emma Aicher of Germany. A finish no lower than 15th place would result in claiming the title. Aicher could...