review Page 9 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers intent on not overlooking Pacers
Looking to stay in the hunt for a top-eight seed in the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers will try for back-to-back wins for the first time in over five weeks when they face the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night in Indianapolis.,Portland, currently the No. 10 seed, trails the No. 9 Gold...

Playoffs? Check. Next up for Thunder: Handle lowly Nets
The Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the first step in their title defense and saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extend his historic streak on Tuesday.,After becoming the first team to secure a playoff berth this season, the Thunder will attempt to earn their 10th straight victory and widen their lead atop ...

Penguins, buoyed by blasting Avalanche, seek encore vs. Hurricanes
The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off what might be their most impressive result of the season.,Two nights after beating the team with the best record in the NHL, the Penguins will try to conquer a team tied for the most points in the Eastern Conference.,Pittsburgh opposes the Carolina Hurricanes o...

Cole Hutson could debut, boost Capitals' offense against Senators
The Washington Capitals welcome the Ottawa Senators to the American capital on Wednesday night. The game may also mark the debut of Washington's newest player.,Cole Hutson, who signed his entry-level contract over the weekend, took part in his first team practice on Tuesday. A second-round pick in t...

Caps prospect Cole Hutson could debut, boost offense against Senators
The Washington Capitals welcome the Ottawa Senators to the American capital on Wednesday night. The game may also mark the debut of Washington's newest player.,Cole Hutson, who signed his entry-level contract over the weekend, took part in his first team practice on Tuesday. A second-round pick in t...

Without JT Toppin, Texas Tech sliding into 5 vs. 12 match with Akron
Texas Tech does not enter the NCAA Tournament at its best.,The Red Raiders were building quite a resume with four wins over top-11 opponents -- including Duke and Arizona -- before losing JT Toppin to a torn ACL on Feb. 17. They held things together for a time without Toppin, who was named an AP fir...

Virginia opens vs. Wright State as Ryan Odom's arc comes full circle
PHILADELPHIA -- Eight years ago, Ryan Odom became the first coach to guide a No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament.,On the wrong side of history that night was a stunned Virginia. Now Odom's story has come full circle as the former UMBC coach not only has gotten the Cavaliers back to t...

Gonzaga looks to extend NCAA Tournament opener streak vs. Kennesaw State
PORTLAND -- Gonzaga returned to its usual spot in the NCAA Tournament field this season, earning its 27th straight appearance.,There was no such thing as usual this season for 14th-seeded Kennesaw State, which suspended its leading scorer at midseason due to a federal gambling investigation and tied...

Kevin Durant expects better of himself in Rockets' rematch with Lakers
Kevin Durant is a 16-time All-Star, a four-time scoring champion, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and soon will pass Michael Jordan for fifth in career points. His credentials are unassailable.,So when Durant insisted upon shouldering the blame for the Houston Rockets' fourth-quarter collapse against the ...

Flyers’ playoff hopes teeter ahead of consequential Ducks clash
The Philadelphia Flyers kick off a three-game, make-it-or-break-it California road trip on Wednesday night when they face the Anaheim Ducks.,Entering Tuesday, Philadelphia was seven points behind both the third-place New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division and the Boston Bruins for the final...

Blues riding post-break surge into clash with struggling Flames
As much as it is a long shot for the St. Louis Blues to make the playoffs, they have a golden chance to keep the faith when they continue their road trip Wednesday against the slumping Calgary Flames.,The Blues are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, but they have been one of the l...

League-best Avalanche try to stem Stars’ push for first place
The playoffs don't begin for another month, but Wednesday night will have a postseason atmosphere when the Colorado Avalanche host the Dallas Stars in a matchup of the top teams in the NHL.,Colorado has led the league for most of the season but losing three of its last four allowed red-hot Dallas to...

Fast-rising Hawks go for 11th straight win vs. Mavericks
The hottest team in the NBA looks to make it 11 straight victories when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night.,Atlanta hasn't won at least 11 in a row since winning a franchise-record 19 straight in 2014-2015.,Granted, Atlanta has played some of the teams in the bottom half of...

Raptors feeling things start to click as key road trip begins at Bulls
Consecutive home wins have helped the Toronto Raptors regain momentum and maintain their grasp on the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.,On Wednesday, the Raptors will aim to stop a road funk as they open a five-game trip with a visit to the Chicago Bulls.,Toronto is coming off Sunda...

Clippers hit the road for back-to-back with soaring Pelicans
After an extended homestand ended with a thud, the Los Angeles Clippers will be out to solidify their play-in tournament status with back-to-back road games against the New Orleans Pelicans starting Wednesday.,The Pelicans enter with a five-game home winning streak that is part of an 8-4 record sinc...

North Carolina could have hands full against scrappy VCU
VCU is riding a high into the NCAA Tournament and North Carolina might be trending in the other direction.,The teams will meet in the South Region's first round Thursday night in Greenville, S.C.,Sixth-seeded North Carolina (24-8) is trying to regain a flow that existed earlier in the season. Since ...

Vanderbilt pursues first tourney win since 2012 in matchup with McNeese State
Vanderbilt, the No. 5 seed in the South Region, aims for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012 when it faces 12th-seeded McNeese State in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon.,The Commodores (26-8) nearly replicated the path of the 2012 team, which stunned powerhouse Kentucky to clinch the school'...

Warriors' Kristaps Porzingis hopes to bring revenge tour to Boston
Golden State center Kristaps Porzingis has been seeing a lot of familiar faces lately, and that will continue when the Warriors visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.,Porzingis spent two seasons with the Celtics before he was traded to Atlanta after the 2025 season. The Hawks shipped him to Go...

Jack Hughes, Devils vying for another stellar showing vs. Rangers
New Jersey Devils star forward Jack Hughes torched the New York Rangers earlier this month by registering his fourth career hat trick to go along with an assist.,The Olympic hero will look for another strong performance against the Rangers on Wednesday night when the Devils cross the Hudson River to...

Nebraska chasing history in challenge from No. 13 seed Troy
Maybe this is the year for No. 4 seed Nebraska. ,Underdog Troy stands in the way of the Cornhuskers in a first-round NCAA Tournament game Thursday in Oklahoma City, where Pryce Sandfort and Nebraska are shooting for some history. ,"It was kind of like a dream come true, but we still have a lot of wo...