preview Page 21 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Thunder host Pacers for first time since NBA Finals Game 7
The last time the Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Indiana Pacers, the Thunder left the court with the city's first NBA championship after their Game 7 win., ,Now, just a day over seven months since Oklahoma City's 103-91 win, the teams meet again Friday on opposite ends of the league's spectrum., ,...

Celtics own customary Atlantic Division lead as they visit Nets
During their first month without Jayson Tatum and his injured Achilles tendon, the Boston Celtics hovered around the .500 mark.,Since those opening weeks of life without their perennial first-team All-NBA star, the Celtics have ascended to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. Their next stop...

Lowly Kings arrive while Cavaliers plan to continue to thrive
Eight wins in their last 12 games have given the Cleveland Cavaliers a much-needed boost into fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.,The Cavaliers seek to continue that momentum Friday when the Sacramento Kings make their annual pilgrimage to northeast Ohio.,Point guard Donovan Mitchell sc...

Rising Butler aims for third straight win when Marquette visits
Butler hopes to extend its winning ways when it hosts Marquette on Friday night in Indianapolis.,The Bulldogs (12-7, 3-5 Big East) have won two in a row after their 1-5 start in conference play, including a signature win on the road at then-No. 25 Seton Hall followed by an 87-80 win at home over DeP...

Suns, with Jalen Green back, chase 4th straight win vs. Hawks
The Phoenix Suns, who got a key player back in the lineup this week, will try to finish their six-game East Coast road trip with a bang when they go for their fourth straight win in Atlanta on Friday.,The Suns have won three in a row after beating the Philadelphia 76ers 116-110 on Tuesday, when Jale...

Stars-Jackets matchup may come down to special teams
Coming off a lopsided win, the Dallas Stars are looking to finally build some momentum when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.,The Stars are 3-6-4 in their last 13 games, and had been outscored 9-3 during an 0-3-0 losing streak heading into Tuesday's matchup with the Boston Bruins. Wi...

Luka Doncic, Lakers out to derail Clippers' hot stretch
One month into their midseason revival, the Los Angeles Clippers will mark the occasion by returning to the matchup where it all began with a visit from the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday at Inglewood, Calif., ,The Clippers were 6-21 on the season when they turned one of their better defensive effor...

Senators out to capitalize on Predators' porous defense
The Ottawa Senators will look to make their three-game road trip a winning one as they wrap it up Thursday against the Nashville Predators.,The Senators snapped a two-game skid Tuesday in Columbus with a 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets. Tim Stutzle and Ridly Greig both scored a goal and added an assis...

Coby White, Bulls aim to keep Timberwolves reeling
Fresh off matching a franchise shooting record, the visiting Chicago Bulls will look to stay hot against the reeling Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday in Minneapolis.,Chicago poured in 25 3-pointers to tie the team record on Tuesday in a 138-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. In an injury-m...

Sam Darnold, Seahawks try to deny Rams 3rd road playoff win
If Sam Darnold has a nemesis, it's the Los Angeles Rams.,Which, along with Darnold's oblique injury, lends another level of intrigue to the NFC Championship game on Sunday in Seattle.,"Just attacking rehab these last couple days," the Seattle Seahawks quarterback said. "Obviously, will be throughout...

Sam Darnold, Seahawks try to deny Rams 3rd road win of playoffs
If Sam Darnold has a nemesis, it's the Los Angeles Rams.,Which, along with Darnold's oblique injury, lends another level of intrigue to the NFC Championship game on Sunday in Seattle.,"Just attacking rehab these last couple days," the Seattle Seahawks quarterback said. "Obviously, will be throughout...

Jonathan Kuminga back in fold as Warriors try to tame Mavs
Golden State coach Steve Kerr hasn't ruled out leaning further on Jonathan Kuminga as the Warriors continue adjusting to life without the injured Jimmy Butler when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.,Kuminga ended a run of 16 consecutive DNP-CDs (Did Not Play - Coach's Decision) when he sco...

Duo sparking Wisconsin; Penn State eyes 1st Big Ten win
On the court, Wisconsin guards Nick Boyd and John Blackwell are fierce competitors.,Off the court, the duo could not be more different.,"Nick has a different personality," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. "Nick's a little more outgoing, Nick's more outspoken, Nick wears his emotions on his sleeve mor...

Youth movement positively impacting Sabres, Canadiens
The Buffalo Sabres will look to tighten the gap in the upper half of the Atlantic Division standings when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.,Buffalo is fourth in the division, four points behind third-place Montreal with a game in hand on its division foe. The Sabres, who have been on a ...

Reed Sheppard hopes for continued spark as Rockets visit Sixers
Reed Sheppard isn't the best player on the Houston Rockets, but right now he just might be their most important.,Sheppard aims to continue his strong play of late when the Rockets visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.,This is the first game of a brief two-game road trip for Houston, which will v...

Bruins, Golden Knights refocus after end of streaks
Ahead of their Thursday matchup, the Boston Bruins and visiting Vegas Golden Knights are starting from scratch after having extended win streaks snapped.,To rookie coach Marco Sturm, the Bruins have a lesson to learn from Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, which ended Boston's six-game winning ...

Reversing fortunes against Islanders could be poetic outcome for Kraken
A 1-0 shootout loss to the host New York Islanders just before Thanksgiving sent the Seattle Kraken into a 1-9-1 skid and dropped them into last place in the NHL's overall standings.,An 8-0-1 streak followed, putting the Kraken in playoff position in the bunched Western Conference.,The pendulum has ...

Southern California seeks Big Ten momentum against reeling Northwestern
Southern California welcomes Big Ten Conference counterpart Northwestern to Los Angeles on Wednesday as both teams look to get on track in league play.,The Trojans (14-4, 3-4 Big Ten) pushed fourth-ranked Purdue to the limit on Saturday but couldn't get over the hump, leading to a losing record in t...

On 11-game skid, Canucks focused on fixing 'culture,' host Capitals
The struggling Vancouver Canucks are not going to get any sympathy from the visiting Washington Capitals when the teams meet on Wednesday night.,While the Canucks have lost 11 straight games (0-9-2) and sit at the bottom of the NHL standings, the Capitals have lost three straight and are 2-5-0 in th...

Penguins, benefitting from depth, continue trek at Flames
The Pittsburgh Penguins opened their road trip with a decisive victory and will search for another when they visit the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.,Thanks to a 6-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Monday to open a four-game swing, the Penguins have collected points in four consecutive games and sit th...