ew Page 1280 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Celtics hope to brush off loss, face banged-up Suns
The Boston Celtics will try to avoid losing back-to-back games at home for the first time this season when they face the visiting Phoenix Suns on Friday night.,After going unbeaten during a six-game road trip, Boston suffered a 124-103 home loss to Miami on Wednesday. Boston (56-20) has lost back-to...

Powerhouse programs Duke, Houston clash in Final Four
As Duke and Houston prepare to battle Saturday night in San Antonio, the story of the Final Four matchup between these No. 1 seeds is a contrast of two basketball powers at different stages of evolution.,The Blue Devils (35-3), appearing in their 18th Final Four and seeking their sixth national titl...

Reports: Ex-UCLA PG Dylan Andrews heading to Boise State
Former UCLA point guard Dylan Andrews is transferring to Boise State to continue his college career, according to reports.,Andrews, a two-year starter with the Bruins, had a tough junior season following a sophomore campaign in which he averaged 12.9 points and 3.7 assists. He averaged 35.2 minutes ...

Wild fight for first wild card while Islanders go without Anthony Duclair
The Minnesota Wild are comfortably in a playoff spot, but still in a race for the Western Conference's first wild-card berth as they visit the New York Islanders on Friday night.,The Wild (41-28-7, 89 points) are battling the St. Louis Blues for the top wild-card spot. The Wild and Blues boasted ide...

Anthony Davis returns to Los Angeles as Mavs visit Clippers
Two months after the NBA trade panned around the world, Anthony Davis makes his return to Los Angeles on Friday night as the Dallas Mavericks open a two-game set against the Clippers.,Davis, traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to Dallas on Feb. 2, has only played six games with the Mavs (38-39) because...

Juan Soto, Pete Alonso each happy to be home as Mets face Jays
Juan Soto can expect a warm reaction at Citi Field when he finally plays his first home game as a member of the New York Mets.,But the biggest cheers may be reserved for Pete Alonso -- a familiar face, but one whose return to New York was anything but certain throughout the offseason.,Alonso will lo...

Angels trust in RHP Jose Soriano vs. Jose Ramirez, Guardians
Jose Soriano will be on the mound for the Los Angeles Angels against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night in Anaheim, Calif., in an attempt to match his impressive season debut.,Soriano (1-0, 0.00 ERA) allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox last ...

Former Georgia G Silas Demary Jr. transfers to UConn
Guard Silas Demary Jr., a two-year starter at Georgia, announced Thursday that he is transferring to UConn.,The 6-foot-5 Demary averaged 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals in 33 games for the Bulldogs this season.,Demary was one of the top guards in the transfer portal. He has two...

Rising Hurricanes arrive with Red Wings needing big finish
Essentially, the Detroit Red Wings are in playoff mode now because they can't afford many more losses -- if any at all.,With eight games remaining, the Red Wings are on the outside looking in at the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Therefore, Friday's home game against a Carolina Hurricanes team ...

After matching sweeps, Rockies and A's seek solace in Denver weather
After a long first week on the road, the Colorado Rockies finally get to host their home opener Friday afternoon as they begin a three-game series against the Athletics.,The Rockies send Ryan Feltner (0-0, 3.60 ERA) against Osvaldo Bido (1-0, 1.80) in a matchup of right-handers.,Friday is not expect...

Max Homa splits with caddie Joe Greiner week before Masters
Max Homa and his longtime caddie, childhood friend Joe Greiner, have decided to split up.,When Homa tees it up at the Valero Texas Open this week, he will have veteran caddie Bill Harke on his bag instead.,"Joe and I made memories for a lifetime and can't be more thankful for all the hard work," Hom...

Best of the West: Thunder and Rockets engage for fifth time
It had been a foregone conclusion for a while, yet the Rockets had reason to rejoice.,With their 143-105 home victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, the Rockets (50-27) secured their first playoff berth in five years. Houston won for the 13th time in 15 games, stretched its lead over the Los Angel...

Reports: Raiders QB Geno Smith agrees to 2-year extension through 2027
The Las Vegas Raiders and their new quarterback, Geno Smith, have agreed to a two-year, $75 million contract extension, multiple media outlets reported on Thursday afternoon.,The new deal could be worth $85.5 million with incentives and includes $66.5 million guaranteed, per the reports.,Smith, 34, ...

UCLA's Cori Close connected with Geno and UConn, igniting a run of her own
Maybe they haven't played three times this season like Southern California and UCLA, but familiarity between Bruins coach Cori Close and UConn is as thick as Florida humidity. ,Close traces her connection to Huskies coach Geno Auriemma to 13 years ago, when she found herself without an NCAA Tourname...

Braves bring 0-7 record into home opener against Marlins
The Atlanta Braves send Spencer Schwellenbach to the mound for their home opener on Friday against the Miami Marlins in hopes of ending their season-opening seven-game losing streak.,Atlanta is the only winless team in the major leagues. The Braves were swept in a four-game series by the San Diego P...

Struggling Kings nearing must-win territory at Hornets
The Sacramento Kings were supposed to boost their playoff stock during this part of their six-game road trip.,But with no dividends to date, they certainly need to get things right when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. The Kings (36-40) have lost three games in a row and seven of th...

76ers G Tyrese Maxey expected to miss rest of season
Philadelphia 76ers star guard Tyrese Maxey is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a finger tendon injury, his agent confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.,Maxey also had been dealing with a back issue and has not played since a March 3 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.,He attempted to rehab ...

Virginia G Isaac McKneely commits to Louisville
Isaac McKneely, Virginia's leading scorer in 2024-25, announced Thursday he is transferring to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Louisville.,"Committed to the Ville," the rising senior guard posted on X along with a photo of himself in a Cardinals uniform.,McKneely shot an ACC-best 42.1 percen...

Coaches put friendship aside as Auburn, Florida meet in Final Four
When Bruce Pearl was hired in 2014 to rebuild Auburn's program, he lured Todd Golden away from Columbia to serve as his director of basketball operations.,After Golden spent his first year focused on Auburn's advanced analytics and metrics and a lot of other duties, Pearl promoted him to assistant c...

Knicks star G Jalen Brunson (ankle) cleared to practice
New York Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson is expected to return to practice and could see game action this weekend.,Brunson, 28, initially was expected to miss at least two weeks after spraining his right ankle during overtime of a March 6 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. His recovery time ha...