v Page 785 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Celtics launch long homestand against NBA-best Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking to extend their eight-game winning streak Friday night when they visit the Boston Celtics in a matchup between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings., ,Cleveland leads Boston by 6.5 games, but has lost two of the three meetings against the Celt...

Colorado CB-WR Travis Hunter to NFL teams: 'I'm just different'
INDIANAPOLIS -- Travis Hunter played 111 snaps per game as the Heisman Trophy winner at Colorado last season and boldly lobbied future employers to allow him to continue dual-position duty in the NFL.,Hunter was designated a defensive back at the NFL Scouting Combine this week if only because prospe...

Amid John Wooden backdrop, UCLA takes on No. 20 Purdue
In a matchup pairing legendary John Wooden's alma mater against the program he coached to 10 national championships, No. 20 Purdue will face UCLA in a Big Ten Conference game in West Lafayette, Ind., on Friday night.,The two programs that the late Wooden is associated with played most recently in De...

Canucks look to pick up steam at expense of Ducks
The Vancouver Canucks will look to maintain their recent dominance over the Ducks when the Pacific Division clubs square off Thursday night in Anaheim, Calif.,The Canucks have won eight straight games against the Ducks, dating to the start of the 2022-23 season. Vancouver most recently skated to a 5...

High-octane Jets face Predators, aim to continue win streak
The Winnipeg Jets will put their franchise-record 11-game winning streak on the line when they visit the struggling Nashville Predators on Thursday night.,The Jets, who last were defeated on Jan. 20, have climbed to the top of the NHL standings. That said, they were not fooling themselves on their p...

Japan stops USWNT's reign in SheBelieves Cup
Toko Koga scored the go-ahead goal in the 50th minute to help Japan defeat the U.S. women's national team 2-1 in San Diego on Wednesday to end the Americans' five-year reign as SheBelieves Cup champions.,Japan won its first title.,Yuka Momiki gave Japan the lead in the second minute before Ally Sent...

Valeri Nichushkin returns as Avalanche dump Devils
Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists as the Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 5-1 in Denver on Wednesday night.,Artturi Lehkonen, Casey Mittelstadt and Logan O'Connor also scored for Colorado, which ended a two-game skid. Martin Necas had three assists, Cale Makar contributed two ...

Eric Dixon leads Villanova's rally past Seton Hall
Eric Dixon scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half and Villanova kept its faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive by charging back to beat host Seton Hall 59-54 on Wednesday in Newark, N.J.,Villanova (17-12, 10-8 Big East) ended the first half on a nine-minute field-goal drought before flipping the ...

Golden Knights seek redemption vs. visiting Blackhawks
The Vegas Golden Knights enter Thursday night's game against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks with a two-point lead over the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division standings. ,However, head coach Bruce Cassidy wasn't pleased with his team's last outing, a 5-2 loss at Los Angeles on Monday. The Golde...

Pushing for a playoff spot, Utah hosts injury-riddled Wild
The Utah Hockey Club seeks a third straight win on Thursday night when the Minnesota Wild travel to Salt Lake City.,Utah has won its last two contests by identical 2-1 scores, and in similar fashion. Lawson Crouse netted the game-winner on Tuesday with 7:48 left in the third period to help Utah defe...

Suns look to move into play-in contention as they face Pelicans
The Phoenix Suns do a lot of talking about making a sustained postseason run, but their on-court results continue to fall short.,The Suns are on the outside of the Western Conference play-in race with 24 games left as they begin a pivotal two-game home set against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursda...

Timberwolves take aim at another West contender in Lakers
After a victory this week over the best in the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves will take on another foe ahead of them in the conference standings when they hit the road to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.,The Timberwolves come in after a 131-128 overtime road victory against the Oklahoma Ci...

Mavericks return home in hopes of righting ship against Hornets
The Dallas Mavericks return home to face the struggling Charlotte Hornets on Thursday following an emotional loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and former franchise star Luka Doncic.,Dallas fell to Luka's Lakers 107-99 on the road on Tuesday, marking the Mavericks' second consecutive loss after tumbling...

Wimbledon champ Barbora Krejcikova (back) pulls out of Indian Wells, Miami
Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova has withdrawn from next month's tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami because of a back injury.,Krejcikova hasn't played in a tournament since the WTA Finals in November. She initially hurt the back during the tour's Asian swing in October.,Krejcikova, 29, also ...

Surging Sabres out to extend Hurricanes' tough stretch
The Carolina Hurricanes have taken a detour, but there's time to get back on track for a team that has been one of the most difficult to face over the past few seasons.,Experiencing a challenging period of transition, the Canes will be looking for a reset of sorts when the Buffalo Sabres visit Ralei...

Slumping Oilers look to get back on track vs. short-handed Panthers
Leon Draisaitl is dominating, but his Edmonton Oilers are slumping.,That, in essence, is the state of the Oilers, who are set to visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.,Draisaitl has scored 43 goals, leading the NHL by a wide margin. He also has at least one goal in six straight games.,Yet, th...

Nuggets visit Bucks in battle of MVP candidates
Two MVP candidates face off for the first time in over a year as Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks welcome Nikola Jokic and the visiting Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.,Denver enters this matchup coming off a resurgent 125-116 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday in the first contest ...

Jimmy Butler leads streaking Warriors into meeting with Magic
Jimmy Butler and the surging Golden State Warriors open a five-game road trip Thursday with a visit to Orlando.,The Warriors are 6-1 since acquiring Butler and have climbed to eighth in the Western Conference, just a half-game behind the sixth-place Los Angeles Clippers.,Butler had just six points i...

Blue Jackets, Red Wings commence critical series
The second game of the Detroit Red Wings' back-to-back with the Columbus Blue Jackets this week will attract more attention. The first one, in Detroit on Thursday night, will count just as much as in the standings.,Both Eastern Conference teams are in a spirited battle for a playoff berth. The Red W...

Fan favorites eyeing breakthrough at Cognizant Classic
As the PGA Tour begins its Florida swing at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches on Thursday, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Daniel Berger are among the names vying for a redeeming victory.,A pair of fan favorites, Spieth and Fowler, have dropped to Nos. 70 and 95, respectively, in the Offici...