review Page 533 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

No. 5 Tennessee out to avoid sweep by confident Vanderbilt
No. 5 Tennessee is at home and looking to avoid a regular season sweep at the hands of in-state foe Vanderbilt when the programs meet Saturday in Knoxville.,Tennessee (20-5, 7-5 Southeastern Conference) is coming off a 75-64 loss to Kentucky on Wednesday, as the Wildcats became the first, and so far...

College hoops titans clash as UCLA visits Indiana
Two of college basketball's most decorated programs meet for the first time as conference foes on Friday when Indiana welcomes UCLA for a Big Ten clash at Bloomington, Ind.,The programs, which have combined for 16 national titles and 3,966 wins, have split the previous 12 all-time meetings, with fiv...

Jazz pursue home sweep of Los Angeles teams
After an impressive home victory against a Los Angeles team on Wednesday, the Utah Jazz are hoping to beat another L.A. squad on Thursday to cap a back-to-back set in Salt Lake City.,Two nights after getting blown out by 19 points against the Lakers, the Jazz responded with their own one-sided victo...

Wolves get crack at slowing Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the NBA's best record entering the final day of action before the All-Star break.,They would like to keep it that way.,The Thunder will look to lock up the top record before the break when they tip off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday in Minneapolis.,Okla...

Evolving Kings search for season sweep of Pelicans
The Sacramento Kings are making progress as the All-Star break looms.,The New Orleans Pelicans are in one their worst stretches of a very bad season.,The teams will meet for a second consecutive night in New Orleans on Thursday in their pre-break finale.,The Kings are making a modest move in the Wes...

New-look Mavs hope to enter break on high note
Max Christie is making a strong first impression with the Dallas Mavericks, who host the Miami Heat on Thursday in the final game before the All-Star break for both teams.,Christie was considered a throw-in by many when the Mavericks traded star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package hi...

Rockets hope roster experiments keep paying off
Having avoided playing Tari Eason and Steven Adams in back-to-back games, Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka utilized both against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, with Eason thriving in a 119-111 home victory ahead of a showdown against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.,Both Eason and Adams will be...

USA favored, Finland embraces underdog role in 4 Nations opener
With a surplus of talent at all positions, Team USA is a favorite at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and heavily favored for its opening game matchup against Finland on Thursday night in Montreal. , ,The United States boasts its most talented squad assembled for an international tournament since winning the...

Canada, Sweden set to drop puck on anticipated 4 Nations Face-Off
When the puck drops between Canada and Sweden on Wednesday in Montreal, marking the start of the 4 Nations Face-Off, the nine-year absence of best-on-best international hockey will finally end.,Not since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey have the NHL's brightest stars lined up against each other to compe...

Wet, windy conditions await relocated Genesis Invitational
The Genesis Invitational has arrived this week at Torrey Pines Golf Course, along with the one thing that might have kept it from being here in the first place: rain.,The PGA Tour Signature Event was moved about 125 miles south from its usual home at Riviera Country Club due to the tragic wildfires ...

No. 14 Memphis hopes Tyrese Hunter can return to face South Florida
Memphis guard Tyrese Hunter missed a game for the first time this season on Sunday when a knee injury kept him sidelined.,The good news: If Hunter has to sit out the 14th-ranked Tigers' Thursday game against South Florida in Tampa, coach Penny Hardaway appears to have a quality backup in place.,Form...

Brice Williams, Nebraska look to stay hot vs. No. 25 Maryland
Nebraska's NCAA Tournament hopes were dim after a six-game skid in January.,Since then, Brice Williams has taken over to help propel the Cornhuskers back into contention.,The fifth-year guard will try to lead Nebraska to a fifth straight win Thursday night when No. 25 Maryland visits Lincoln, Neb.,W...

Grizzlies carry momentum into meeting with Clippers
A pair of Western Conference playoff contenders will meet at different points of their season-long journey when the Los Angeles Clippers face the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday at Inglewood, Calif.,While the Grizzlies are roaring into the All-Star break, having won 11 of their past 13 games, the Cli...

Rockets pursue defensive improvement vs. Suns
For a bulk of the first half of the season, the Rockets were second only to the Oklahoma City Thunder in defensive rating, which helped propel Houston up the Western Conference standings.,However, Houston has experienced slippage of late, sliding to fourth in defensive rating while dropping six cons...

Bulls, after historic beatdown, get shot at redemption vs. Pistons
A case of deja vu sounds lovely to the Detroit Pistons. For the Chicago Bulls, it's something to avoid at all costs.,After thumping the host Bulls 132-92 on Tuesday, Detroit plays in Chicago again on Wednesday in the teams' pre-All-Star-break finale.,Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff embraces the chall...

Knicks, Hawks on upswing ahead of last game before break
The NBA schedule-maker decided to play a little "This Is Your Life" with the New York Knicks just before the All-Star break.,The Knicks will conclude a three-game stretch against the peers with whom they are most compared on Wednesday, hosting the Atlanta Hawks in the final game for both teams befor...

Cavs, already with an eye on playoffs, clash with Raptors
The Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday with the luxury of being able to experiment with moves they hope will lead to a long playoff run.,"It's a little bit my DNA," Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said after his team's 128-107 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday...

Pacers seek a lift vs. wallowing Wizards
In the final game before the All-Star break for each team, the Indiana Pacers travel to the nation's capital to meet the lowly Washington Wizards on Wednesday.,Indiana has lost three of four games and is looking to enter the weeklong break with momentum as it finishes the unofficial first half of th...

Sputtering Sixers seek turnaround vs. improving Nets
The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are defying preseason expectations for differing reasons.,Predicted to contend for a high playoff seed, the 76ers are well under .500 heading into a Wednesday road game against the Brooklyn Nets, who are in their best stretch of a rebuilding season.,Philadelp...

New-look Lakers visit Jazz, go for 7th straight win
After Luka Doncic's successful, albeit limited, debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, the Lakers aim to extend their win streak to seven games when they face the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night.,Los Angeles coach JJ Redick said he plans on playing Doncic alongside LeBron James a...