preview Page 5 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Lionel Messi, Son Heung-Min ready to clash as Miami opens at LAFC
The two most valuable clubs in MLS clash when Lionel Messi's Inter Miami visit Son Heung-Min's Los Angeles FC in the league opener for both on Saturday night.,After preseason injury scares for both clubs, it looks as if each side could be close to full strength for the clash that has been moved to t...
New faces for Crew, familiar ones with Timbers for season opener
Shortly after he was announced as the Columbus Crew coach on New Year's Eve, former Malmo FF manager Henrik Rydstrom was asked by a newspaper in his native Sweden what he envisioned in MLS.,"I want a team that is like a f------ rock band," Rydstrom said.,The Crew (14-8-12, 54 points last season) wil...
Upbeat UCF travels to Utah for key 2-game road swing
UCF coach Johnny Dawkins emphasized to his players about the merits of competing for a full 40 minutes earlier this week, and apparently the Knights were listening.,After an 11-point wire-to-wire home win on Tuesday over TCU, a "Last 4 In" Big 12 Conference bubble rival, the Knights will start an im...
Dallas turns to GK Michael Collodi as Toronto debuts Walker Zimmerman
For Michael Collodi, Saturday night's match between FC Dallas and Toronto FC in Frisco, Texas is not just a season opener but a new chapter in his career.,Dallas' new goalie earned his shot when last year's starter, Maarten Paes, went back home to the Netherlands to play for Ajax. Collodi played wel...
Knicks tangle with Rockets in latest chance to prove contender status
The New York Knicks missed their last chance to make a statement against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.,But the Knicks won't have to wait long to get another opportunity against a potential NBA title contender Saturday night, when they host the Houston Rockets in t...
Ruben Dominguez, Texas A&M seek scoring touch vs. Sooners
Texas A&M squares off with streaky Oklahoma in a Southeastern Conference game on Saturday in Norman, Okla.,The Sooners (13-13, 3-10 SEC) are coming off an 89-66 loss at Tennessee on Wednesday that ended a two-game winning streak. That modest stretch had followed a nine-game skid, which had come afte...
Kentucky looks to bolster NCAA case as Auburn faces bubble
Two teams in need of quality league wins meet Saturday when Kentucky, owners of a solid NCAA Tournament resume, travels to Auburn, which is likely sitting on the tournament bubble.,The visiting Wildcats (17-9, 8-5 Southeastern Conference) might still have a bit of margin for error, but a pair of los...
NJ Benson, rising DePaul face Providence vying for 3rd straight win
Paced by potent paint presence NJ Benson, DePaul is in position to record its longest Big East winning streak of the season.,Meanwhile, Providence seems to be its own worst enemy.,Looking to win three in a row, the Blue Demons can also hand the Friars a third consecutive defeat Saturday night in Chi...
Spurs look for 8th straight win, face woeful Kings
The San Antonio Spurs look to build on their season-high seven-game winning streak and continue their push toward the top of the Western Conference standings when they play the hapless Sacramento Kings on Saturday in Austin, Texas., ,The Spurs are in second place in the West but have been gaining on...
Pistons aim for fifth straight win in clash with slumping Bulls
The Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons aim to play a harassing, up-tempo style no matter who fills their rotation.,Detroit will try to maintain that m.o. on Sunday night as it attempts to cap a perfect, four-game road trip in a visit to the slumping Chicago Bulls.,The Pistons again will be m...
Seton Hall trying to stay on tourney bubble with Georgetown on tap
Seton Hall hosts Georgetown on Saturday night in Newark, N.J., hoping to start a last-minute NCAA Tournament push.,The Pirates (18-9, 8-8 Big East) are now tied for fourth in the top-heavy Big East Conference with Creighton and were listed as one of the "next four" teams out in the latest NCAA Tourn...
West Virginia owns up to 'small margin for error' with TCU on horizon
West Virginia tempted fate one too many times on Wednesday and the cost may be a bid to the NCAA Tournament.,The Mountaineers (16-10, 7-6 Big 12) had won two games in 10 days after trailing by 14 in the second half each time. But on Wednesday, West Virginia stormed from 15 back in the second half to...
USC welcomes Oregon in clash of frustrated rivals
Former Pac-12 Conference rivals Southern California and Oregon meet on Saturday in Los Angeles, each looking to pull out of slumps in Big Ten Conference play.,USC (18-8, 7-8 Big Ten) has seen its NCAA Tournament aspirations take hits in recent outings. The Trojans come into Saturday's contest on a t...
Fresh off 3-point barrage, Magic visit banged-up Suns
The Orlando Magic began post-All-Star break play with a franchise-record 3-point barrage.,The Phoenix Suns began it with another injury.,The Magic enter the second game of a four-game Western trip against the host Suns on Saturday after making 27 3-pointers in a 131-94 beatdown at Sacramento on Thur...
Christopher Bell hoping for another big boost at Atlanta
Now that Speedweeks is in the rear-view mirror and Tyler Reddick completed a last-ditch move to capture his first Daytona 500 victory, the NASCAR Cup Series will visit EchoPark Speedway for Sunday's Autotrader 400 in Hampton, Ga.,No track on the NASCAR schedule has changed as much as the venue forme...
Lakers' star trio back together to battle resurgent Clippers
There will be far more than pride on the line as the Battle of L.A. resumes Friday with plenty at stake for both the Los Angeles Clippers and the host Los Angeles Lakers.,While the Lakers hope to have all of their stars in place for the fourth and final matchup of the regular season, the Clippers --...
Under new leadership, St. Louis City focus on Charlotte FC
Yoann Damet will make his debut as a permanent manager on Saturday when he leads St. Louis City against visiting Charlotte FC in both teams' season opener.,The 35-year-old Frenchman was previously twice an interim manager at FC Cincinnati, promoted from his role as assistant both times at a club tha...
Battling Hawks amid playoff race, Heat may get Tyler Herro back
The Miami Heat hope to get a boost to their playoff hopes when Tyler Herro returns to the lineup, possibly as soon as Friday when they visit the Atlanta Hawks for their first game after the All-Star break.,Herro has missed 45 games because of assorted injuries -- the first 17 with an offseason ankle...
Rebounds key to No. 9 Nebraska rebounding versus Penn State
One of the last teams in the country to suffer its first loss, No. 9 Nebraska will try to get back to its winning ways when it hosts last-place Penn State in a Big Ten Conference game on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, Neb.,Since starting 20-0, the Cornhuskers (22-4, 11-4) have dropped four of six to...
No. 17 St. John's wants to stop Creighton's upset streak at one
After Wednesday's events that featured some help from its next opponent, the path to the top seed in the Big East tournament has become clear for No. 17 St. John's.,In sole possession of the conference lead for the first time this season, the Red Storm attempt to push their winning streak to 13 game...