preview Page 73 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Leon Draisaitl shouldering load as Oilers face last-place Sharks
No one is sure when Connor McDavid will return to the Oilers' lineup, but it won't be for Edmonton's Thursday road game against the San Jose Sharks.,Edmonton's superstar captain has been out since sustaining a lower-body injury on a check from Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey on March 20.,McD...
Flames out to ignite playoff hopes, battle Ducks
The Calgary Flames have essentially no room for error to keep their playoff hopes alive as they play host to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.,The Flames (35-27-12, 82 points) are seven points outside a playoff spot in the Western Conference chase, and after a 3-1 road loss to the Utah Hockey Club on T...
Warriors, Lakers face off in potential playoff preview
The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers are lined up for a potential must-see first-round playoff matchup and a preview of what might go down will take place on Thursday in Los Angeles.,Revived by trade-deadline moves, the Lakers and Warriors are turning championship DNA into dueling title ...
Andrei Kuzmenko, Kings out to extend hot stretch vs. Utah
The Los Angeles Kings weren't too busy at the trade deadline last month, but one of the few moves they made is turning into a winner.,Andrei Kuzmenko is beginning to settle in nicely for the Kings, who have won six of their last eight games heading into their matchup against the Utah Hockey Club on ...
Opportunity knocks in Crown for Villanova, USC
For opponents Villanova and Southern California, facing off in Thursday's quarterfinal round of the inaugural College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas, the opening-round of the tournament provided opportunities in the unknown.,For Villanova (20-14), interim coach Mike Nardi capitalized on the opportuni...
Stars aim for 7th straight win with lowly Predators in town
The Dallas Stars tore through the month of March. They'll look to stay on that track and inch closer to top spot in the Central Division when they host the Nashville Predators on Thursday.,The Stars (49-21-4, 102 points) went 11-2-2 in March, the second-best record in the NHL over that month behind ...
Blues eye team-record 11th straight win as Pens visit
The St. Louis Blues can tie a team record with a home win Thursday night when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins, but an 11th consecutive win would just be a means to accomplishing a bigger goal.,"We just know if we keep winning our games we're going to be in the playoffs, and that's our goal," coach...
Blazers put postseason hopes on the line vs. Raptors
The Portland Trail Blazers will try to keep their faint hopes of a play-in spot alive when they visit the already-eliminated Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.,The Trail Blazers come off a 127-113 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, a result that left them 3 1/2 games away from a p...
Wolves aim to bolster playoff positioning against Nets
The Minnesota Timberwolves had their 89th off day of the season on Wednesday. Suffice it to say it was the one they enjoyed -- and needed -- the most.,The Timberwolves (44-32) will look to build on a chaotic victory on Thursday night when they continue a five-game road trip by taking on the Brooklyn...