v Page 24 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Fire hunt first playoff win in 16 years at Orlando City's expense
After ending one of the longest playoff droughts in MLS, the Chicago Fire will look to halt another when they host Orlando City in the Eastern Conference wild-card game on Wednesday night in Bridgeview, Ill.,Chicago finished eighth in the East to end a league-worst run of seven years without a posts...

Young stars take center stage as Spurs, Mavericks clash
The future of the NBA will be on display when the visiting San Antonio Spurs face the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday in the season opener for both teams.,The game marks the debut of No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, who will be the league's youngest player at 18 years, 10 months and one day when he ta...

Sliding Portland, rising Salt Lake converge in wild-card round
For the second consecutive season, the Portland Timbers host the Western Conference wild-card game when Real Salt Lake visits on Wednesday night.,But the hope that greeted manager Phil Neville's first playoff appearance in 2024 has been replaced with frustration that the Timbers couldn't finish high...

No. 21 Cincinnati takes on Baylor in QB showdown
One of two teams still undefeated in Big 12 play, the No. 21 Cincinnati Bearcats are back home Saturday afternoon to take on the Baylor Bears.,Saturday's matchup features the top two scoring offenses entering this week in Big 12 play. Cincinnati is No. 1 in the Big 12 with 36.0 points per game, whil...

Opener pits youthful Jazz against veteran Clippers
The Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers will meet in a season opener for both at Salt Lake City on Wednesday with different targets and trajectories for the road ahead.,While the future looks bright for Utah, the future is here for Los Angeles. That is especially the case as the average age on the Ja...

Khris Middleton's return to Milwaukee highlights Wizards-Bucks opener
Khris Middleton has been part of Opening Night in Milwaukee for more than a decade. But Wednesday marks the first time he'll be in something other than a Bucks uniform.,Middleton's first game in Milwaukee since being traded takes place Wednesday as his Washington Wizards and the Bucks launch their s...

Surging Canadiens take show on road, face struggling Flames
After a successful homestand, the Montreal Canadiens are looking to bring some momentum on the road starting with a clash against the struggling Calgary Flames on Wednesday to open a four-game trip.,The Canadiens are coming off a 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday that gave them three win...

Beset by injuries, Grizzlies seek silver linings vs. Pelicans
The Memphis Grizzlies are beginning the 2025-26 NBA season where they ended last season: trying to navigate through a rash of injuries.,When the Grizzlies open Wednesday night at home against the New Orleans Pelicans, the list of available players will prevent Memphis from playing at full strength.,...

Pistons poised for another leap starting with opener vs. Bulls
The Detroit Pistons engineered much of last season's historic turnaround without guard Jaden Ivey.,As their young core prepares to keep climbing -- beginning with Wednesday's opener against the host Chicago Bulls -- the Pistons will be minus Ivey for a bit longer.,Ivey encountered a setback after he...

Reinforced Raptors, Hawks hatching playoff plans
The Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks, two teams that failed to make the NBA playoffs a year ago, bring high aspirations into their season opener on Wednesday in Atlanta.,"I think our expectations for our team is to definitely make the playoffs and win some games in the playoffs," Toronto forward Sc...

Behind Joel Embiid, Sixers set for opener vs. new-look Celtics
Two teams hoping to contend for the Atlantic Division title will meet Wednesday night when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Boston Celtics in the opening game for each team.,Philadelphia might be without veteran forward Paul George, who is still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery performed du...

Heat face Magic in opener following pair of 1st-round exits
Coming off first-round playoff exits, the Orlando Magic host the rival Miami Heat in Wednesday's season opener.,Last season, the Boston Celtics eliminated the seventh-seeded Magic in five games. The Heat won twice in the play-in tournament to become the first No. 10 seed in NBA history to advance, b...

Is this the year? Knicks, Cavs open season with similar expectations
The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers will be among the first Eastern Conference teams to tip off their seasons.,If all goes according to plan for the Knicks and Cavaliers, they'll be the last two teams in the conference still tipping off next spring, as well.,The two teams will begin the path...

SMU puts unblemished ACC mark on line at Wake Forest
Two non-conference losses to in-state opponents have SMU on the outside looking in at the Top 25.,And yet, the Mustangs are very much looking like a force once again in their second season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. With last week's win at Clemson, SMU (5-2, 3-0 ACC) has won all 11 regular-se...

Northwestern carries major momentum into clash at Nebraska
Northwestern looks to continue its four-game winning streak when it heads to Nebraska for a Big Ten clash on Saturday in Lincoln.,The Wildcats (5-2, 3-1) blanked Purdue 19-0 at home last Saturday for their first shutout since a 39-0 win against Minnesota in 2017.,Preston Stone passed for 132 yards w...

No. 7 Georgia Tech remains unbeaten heading into Syracuse clash
As No. 7 Georgia Tech continues to rack up victories, coach Brent Key acknowledges there can be gratification from two different perspectives., ,Key certainly is focused on his team's long-term success this season, but he also wants his players to enjoy each win -- a run he hopes will continue Satur...

Nets, Hornets embrace bright spots entering opener
With offseason talking points in the background, the repairing of reputations for the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets finally can begin.,The teams will meet in a season opener Wednesday night in Charlotte.,Neither team made the playoffs last season. Brooklyn won 26 games and Charlotte 19, and th...

'Everything a captain should be': Dylan Larkin, Wings take on Sabres
Dylan Larkin and the Detroit will look to continue their torrid starts to the season on Wednesday night when the Red Wings visit the Buffalo Sabres.,Larkin was named the NHL's First Star of the Week on Monday after recording nine points (four goals, five assists) and a plus-7 rating in four games la...

Diego Pavia, No. 10 Vanderbilt to have hands full vs. No. 15 Missouri
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea texted a request to Missouri counterpart Eli Drinkwitz earlier this season.,His ask: Could the Tigers stop scoring so much?,On Saturday, Lea and his players will have a direct say on the matter as the 10th-ranked Commodores host the No. 15 Tigers in a Southeastern Conferen...

Fever coach: Caitlin Clark 'like Taylor Swift 2.0'
Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White found an anecdotal comparison for guard Caitlin Clark's transcendent impact on the WNBA in another superstar that needs no introduction.,"It literally is like Taylor Swift 2.0, and because of that, her name gets thrown into a lot of conversations that have absolut...