preview Page 39 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Canes not looking past Blackhawks in quest for No. 1 seed
The Carolina Hurricanes clinched the Metropolitan Division title and remained on track to secure home-ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs with Tuesday's overtime victory against visiting Boston.,On Thursday, Carolina (50-22-6, 106 points) will aim to keep its focus as it meets t...
Rockets fight to keep win streak going, next take on inconsistent 76ers
In the blink of an eye, all the Houston Rockets gained during their six-game winning streak entering Tuesday seemed lost when the Phoenix Suns assertively seized momentum early with a 24-0 surge.,The Rockets had climbed to within range of the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and carved out a dec...
Jets, Blues in desperate need of win to keep hope alive
The playoff outlook remains slim for both the Winnipeg Jets and the Blues heading into Thursday night's matchup in St. Louis.,The Jets (34-31-12, 89 points) enter this crucial game four points back of the final Western Conference wild-card spot, held by the Nashville Predators, while the Blues (33-3...
Wizards looking to snap 7-game skid, avenge recent defeat vs. Bulls
The Chicago Bulls snapped a seven-game losing streak at the expense of the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.,Losers of seven in a row themselves, the NBA-worst Wizards will love nothing more than to return the favor Thursday when the teams reconvene in Washington, D.C.,Rob Dillingham scored a career-hi...
Raptors hope to tighten hold on playoff spot with sweep of Heat
The Toronto Raptors aim to tighten their hold on a playoff spot Thursday night when they go for a sweep of the season series against the visiting Miami Heat.,Toronto earned a 121-95 home victory Tuesday in the first of back-to-back games with the Heat.,That left the Raptors (44-35) in the sixth play...
Flyers look to continue hot streak vs. sliding Red Wings
With the regular season winding down, the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings are heading in opposite directions. ,The Flyers look to continue their hot stretch Thursday when they visit the Red Wings, who are scuffling to the finish line. ,Philadelphia (40-26-12, 92 points) has won nine of its...
Nuggets eye 10th straight win as depleted Grizzlies visit
The surging Denver Nuggets are fighting for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference -- and fighting their porous 3-point defense.,Denver (51-28), which has won nine in a row, goes for the first 10-game winning streak in the Nikola Jokic era when it hosts the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. On...
Sabres confident amid fight for Atlantic Division, face Rangers next
After getting back to their game and snapping a mini-skid, the Buffalo Sabres hope to stay on track and keep pace atop the Atlantic Division when they visit the New York Rangers on Wednesday.,The Sabres (47-23-8, 102 points) earned a share of top spot in the division when they defeated the Tampa Bay...
Clippers host Mavericks, eye No. 8 seed in West
With a key play-in tournament seeding matchup set for later in the week, the Los Angeles Clippers are intent to focus on the task at hand when they play host to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday at Inglewood, Calif.,The Clippers (40-38) are tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for eighth place in the ...
On a roll since coaching change, Golden Knights eye sweep of Canucks
The Vegas Golden Knights will look to stretch their winning streak to four games under new head coach John Tortorella when they continue a four-game road trip against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.,Vegas (35-26-16, 86 points) improved to 17-14-7 on the road this season with a 5-1 win over t...
Goal is to get Stephen Curry in peak form as Warriors face Kings
The Golden State Warriors embark upon the Stephen Curry management portion of their schedule when they take on the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco on Tuesday night to tip off a stretch of four games in six days to close out the regular season.,Curry returned from a two-month absence caused by a so...
Mammoth host Oilers in high-stakes contest for playoff positioning
The Utah Mammoth continue their push for a playoff berth as they host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.,This will be the third and final game between these teams this season. The Oilers won the first two meetings of the season and have won five straight in the overall series.,T...
Pelicans to host Jazz in matchup of Western Conference also-rans
Late-season losing streaks collide Tuesday when the New Orleans Pelicans play host to the Utah Jazz.,While losing has more benefit than winning for teams low in the standings, the Jazz (21-58) have more to gain by losing as they sit fourth from the bottom of the overall NBA pecking order with three ...
Blues shoot for critical two-game sweep of NHL-best Avalanche
Defeating the Colorado Avalanche once has proven to be a difficult assignment for most teams, but defeating them twice in a row seems akin to ascending Mount Everest.,That's the mountain that the St. Louis Blues must climb to pick up crucial points Tuesday night when they welcome the Avalanche in th...
Celtics looking to integrate Nikola Vucevic against surging Hornets
Although this is the final week of the NBA regular season, the Boston Celtics still have at least one significant thing to iron out entering Tuesday's game against the visiting Charlotte Hornets: making sure Nikola Vucevic fits comfortably into the rotation before the playoffs begin.,Vucevic returne...
Raptors host Heat for a pair with both vying for optimal playoff positioning
Plenty will be at stake on Tuesday when the Toronto Raptors host the Miami Heat for the first of two straight meetings north of the border between the postseason-bound teams.,Entering Monday's action, Toronto (43-35) sits in the No. 7 spot of the crowded Eastern Conference standings, tied with the P...
Bucks, Nets playing better of late than records would indicate
At the beginning of the final week of the regular season, two teams already looking toward the offseason face off as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday in New York.,It's the first of two matchups between these teams in the next week, as they'll reconvene Friday in Milwaukee.,An...
Deep Mets forge ahead without Juan Soto, open series vs. D-backs
The New York Mets have scored 23 runs and earned a trio of lopsided wins since Juan Soto exited with a right calf strain in the first inning of Friday night's game against the San Francisco Giants.,Now the Mets just need to figure out how to maintain that Soto-less surge for the next two or three we...
Yankees hope Cam Schlittler's white-hot start continues vs. A's
Cam Schlittler emerged as a possible mainstay for the New York Yankees during the final two months of the regular season when he replaced an injured Clarke Schmidt.,His star received a boost when he tossed eight innings and 12 strikeouts in a shutout over the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the wild-car...
Canadiens, Cole Caufield shooting for goals against Panthers
The playoff-bound Montreal Canadiens host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night and Cole Caufield has history to chase down.,The Canadiens (45-22-10, 100 points) clinched their second consecutive Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance on Sunday, despite having their eight-game winning streak snapped by a 3...