ew Page 1266 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Pacers look to close out homestand with win over Raptors
After facing Western Conference contenders in the first three dates of their four-game homestand, the Indiana Pacers close out the set on Wednesday with their struggling Eastern Conference counterparts, the Toronto Raptors.,Indiana began its challenging home stretch with wins over Memphis (127-113) ...

Pistons bid for 8th straight win as they host Celtics
The surprising Detroit Pistons will try to do something on Wednesday that they haven't accomplished in 17 years. They'll look to stretch their winning streak to eight games when they host the defending champion Boston Celtics.,The last time Detroit won eight or more consecutive games came in 2008, w...

Cal needs win over SMU to make late ACC tourney push
Cal will have its top player while SMU probably won't when the Atlantic Coast Conference teams meet in a rematch Wednesday night in Berkeley, Calif.,Boopie Miller had 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals when the Mustangs (20-7, 11-5 ACC) beat the Golden Bears (12-15, 5-11) 76-65 i...

Valeri Nichushkin a 'possibility' to return for Avalanche vs. Devils
The Colorado Avalanche have stumbled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but they may get a key player back when they host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.,Winger Valeri Nichushkin practiced with the team Tuesday and could return, though coach Jared Bednar would not fully commit to writing...

Stumbling Ohio State and Southern California desperately need win
Two teams mired in three-game losing streaks meet when Ohio State battles Southern California on Wednesday night in Big Ten play at Los Angeles.,The Buckeyes (15-13, 7-10 Big Ten) are locked in a 10th-place tie while USC (14-13, 6-10) finds itself barely on the right side of the Big Ten tournament c...

Kings' productive new line might stick together against Canucks
The Los Angeles Kings found another forward combination to boost their offense in a tight game, but it's unclear whether Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield will remain together Wednesday night against the visiting Vancouver Canucks.,Kempe joined Fiala and Byfield in the second period Mond...

Dolphins coach: WR Tyreek Hill had wrist surgery for ligament damage
Miami star wide receiver Tyreek Hill recently had ligament surgery on his left wrist and is expected to be ready for training camp, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.,The coach said that Hill is slated to begin running soon until he's ready to catc...

Cue the Spider-Man meme: Arkansas, Texas meet with matching records
Arkansas and Texas will try to create some separation from each other in the minds of the NCAA Tournament committee when they square off Wednesday in a key Southeastern Conference game in Fayetteville, Ark.,Differentiation is important for both teams because each owns a 16-11 overall record and a 5-...

Creighton goes for 22nd straight win over DePaul
Creighton looks to keep its faint Big East title hopes alive Wednesday night when it hosts DePaul in Omaha, Neb.,The Bluejays (19-8, 12-4 Big East) reside 2 1/2 games behind first-place St. John's in conference play with four games left for Creighton and three for the Red Storm.,While that's a steep...

Boston College heads to Stanford needing more wins to reach ACCs
Boston College will try to keep its hopes of reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament alive when it tips off a critical two-game trip Wednesday night at Stanford.,The Golden Eagles (12-15, 4-12) began the week one game out of the conference's top 15 that will earn invitations to the prestig...

Rising Hoosiers aim to avoid flop against Penn State
After one of its biggest wins of the season, Indiana will try to avoid a letdown performance when it tips off against Penn State in a Big Ten Conference matchup Wednesday evening in Bloomington, Ind.,Indiana (16-11, 7-9 Big Ten) is coming off a 73-58 victory against then-No. 13 Purdue on Sunday. Now...

49ers make change at QBs coach, promote Mick Lombardi
In addition to confirming a new set of coordinators Tuesday, the San Francisco 49ers promoted Mick Lombardi to quarterbacks coach, replacing Brian Griese in the role.,It was not yet known whether Griese was let go or chose to leave the 49ers on his own. Griese, the quarterbacks coach for the past th...

Wake Forest's sliding NCAA hopes on the line vs. Virginia
Wake Forest had avoided the pitfalls of what might be considered "bad losses" for most of the season.,After absorbing a couple of them recently, the Demon Deacons can ill afford another when Virginia visits for an Atlantic Coast Conference game Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.,Wake Forest (19-...

Bucs hope to ink WR Chris Godwin long-term: ‘I love him to death’
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are working toward a new contract for wide receiver Chris Godwin as general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles rained praise on him when speaking to reporters at the scouting combine Tuesday in Indianapolis.,Godwin, who is coming off a dislocated left ankle that ...

Reports: Nationals bringing back All-Star closer Kyle Finnegan
All-Star right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan has agreed to return to the Washington Nationals on a one-year, $6 million deal, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.,Finnegan recorded 38 saves last season and is expected to be the club's closer again.,Finnegan was non-tendered by the Nationals in ...

Villanova looks to continue climb against Seton Hall
It seems every time Kyle Neptune's seat gets piping-hot, Villanova pulls it off the burner with an unexpected win., ,Neptune's Wildcats remain on the periphery of the NCAA Tournament bubble thanks in large part to an 81-66 upset of then-No. 16 Marquette on Friday. Villanova has three games to go bef...

Zach LaVine, Kings aim to retain urgent tempo against Jazz
Two common themes emerged from the Sacramento Kings' blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.,For one, the Kings liked how they responded while playing with "a sense of urgency." For another, they couldn't help but be wowed by the performance of recent acquisition Zach LaVine, who...

Heat F Nikola Jovic (hand) to miss four-plus weeks
Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic will miss at least four-plus weeks due to a fractured right hand, the team said Tuesday.,Jovic fractured the second metacarpal in his right hand during Sunday's 120-113 loss to the host Milwaukee Bucks. He sat out Monday's 98-86 against the host Atlanta Hawks.,The tea...

Slumping Clippers to face Bulls squad riding rare high
Bogdan Bogdanovic was assessing his struggles in his first start with the Los Angeles Clippers when he indirectly captured the pulse of the team.,"It's easy when everything is good, you know. Sometimes you can mask yourself with a couple wins," Bogdanovic said. "But it's good to see the real picture...

Report: Rob Gronkowski, 35, eyeing return to NFL
Tight end Rob Gronkowski may be interested in coming out of retirement once again, according to a report by DenverSports.com on Tuesday.,Gronkowski spent nine years with the New England Patriots prior to retiring after the 2018 season -- only to come back and play two more years with Tom Brady when ...