w Page 4 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

No. 9 Gonzaga braces for stern test from Washington State
Most years, Gonzaga's most difficult games come in the first couple of months of the season -- when they load up the schedule with highly ranked non-conference opponents -- and during March Madness.,But this season, the ninth-ranked Bulldogs are finding some stiff competition in the West Coast Confe...

'Special' Cooper Flagg, Mavericks take aim at Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd says Cooper Flagg is "built differently.",The first-year sensation from Duke has proved that ahead of the Mavericks' encounter against the visiting Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. ,Flagg leads all rookies in scoring with an average of 19.13 points per game, just ...

Pelicans, Nets eager to halt pronounced slides
Two teams trending in the wrong direction will match up when the New Orleans Pelicans host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.,The Pelicans have the worst record in the NBA and have lost 11 of their last 12 games. New Orleans squandered an 11-point lead Tuesday night in a 122-116 loss to the Denve...

Jazz chase strong defensive performance vs. Bulls
The Utah Jazz were left with both resentment and resolve after suffering the worst loss in club history.,The Jazz hope to keep channeling the latter during Wednesday night's visit to the Chicago Bulls.,Utah moved past its 55-point home loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday by opening a five-game...

Rangers intent on halting slide in clash vs. Senators
The New York Rangers were looking for answers on Monday after their latest home loss.,On Wednesday night, the Rangers hope to have found answers to questions about their fourth straight loss (0-3-1) when they host the Ottawa Senators.,The Rangers appeared they were going to rebound from Saturday's 1...

Austin Swartz's OT jumper leads Creighton past Georgetown
Austin Swartz hit a jump shot with 30 seconds to go in overtime, lifting Creighton to an 86-83 win over Georgetown on Tuesday in Omaha, Neb.,Swartz finished 33 points, including seven in overtime, guiding the Bluejays (11-7, 5-2 Big East) past the Hoyas (9-8, 1-5).,Georgetown led 76-73 in regulation...

No. 11 BYU poses tall task for TCU as part of tough road trip
TCU opens a two-game road swing with a big challenge in No. 11 BYU in a Big 12 Conference game Wednesday in Provo, Utah.,The Horned Frogs (11-5, 1-2 Big 12) have dropped two straight games, both against ranked teams. A 104-100 overtime setback at then-No. 22 Kansas on Jan. 6 was followed by an 83-7...

Malik Monk behind Kings' surge heading into matchup with Knicks
Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk had his playing time severely cut in mid-December.,But suddenly the Kings have won back-to-back games for the second time all season, and he has been the catalyst.,Monk strives to put together his third straight strong performance when the Kings host the New York Kn...

No. 6 Duke pays 1st-ever visit to Cal
Cal gets an opportunity to host the most attractive home game of the Mark Madsen era when No. 6 Duke makes its first-ever visit to Berkeley, Calif., on Wednesday night.,The Blue Devils (15-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) will bring a four-game winning streak into the matchup, while the Golden Bear...

Clippers on the rise, while Wizards looking for more offense
The surging Los Angeles Clippers will complete a short visit at home between East Coast road trips when they face the Washington Wizards on Wednesday in Inglewood, Calif.,Travel fatigue or not, the Clippers continue to roll, having improved to 10-2 since Dec. 20. They held off the Charlotte Hornets ...

Lakers post 81-point first half, trounce Hawks
LeBron James scored 31 points with 10 assists and nine rebounds, Luka Doncic added 27 points with 12 assists and the Los Angeles Lakers ended a three-game losing streak with a 141-116 victory Tuesday over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.,Deandre Ayton scored 17 points with a season-high 18 rebounds, Jake...

No. 4 Michigan hopes for bounce-back effort at Washington
Michigan's dominating season includes 10 wins by 25 or more points, but now there is a blemish on the ledger.,The No. 4 Wolverines will look to bounce back from their initial defeat of the season when they visit Washington on Wednesday night in Big Ten play at Seattle.,Michigan (14-1, 4-1 Big Ten) s...

Tigers Woods, back on course, helped shape Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return
Brooks Koepka is headed back to the PGA Tour, and Tiger Woods hopes to do so, too.,In addition to focusing on his rehabilitation from his seventh lifetime back surgery, Woods was a part of the PGA Tour committee that formulated the Returning Members Program. On Monday, Koepka, 35, accepted the terms...

Rebounding key when Arizona State takes on No. 1 Arizona
Arizona State's next two games are on the road against No. 1 Arizona in Tucson on Wednesday and No. 7 Houston on Sunday, which means a win over struggling Kansas State at home in the Sun Devils' most recent game was essential.,"This was much needed, this outcome, just for the morale of the group," A...

Austin Swartz hits go-ahead jumper to lift Creighton over Georgetown
Austin Swartz hit a jump shot with 30 seconds to go to lift Creighton to an 86-83 overtime win over Georgetown in a Big East game Tuesday in Omaha, Neb.,Swartz finished 33 points, including seven in overtime, to lift the Bluejays (11-7, 5-2) past the Hoyas (9-8, 1-5).,Georgetown led 76-73 in regulat...

No. 2 Iowa State shocked by Kansas as 16-game win streak snapped
Tre White scored 19 points and freshman sensation Darryn Peterson added 16 as Kansas shocked No. 2 Iowa State 84-63 on Tuesday in a Big 12 game in Lawrence, Kansas.,The Jayhawks (12-5, 2-2) dominated the Cyclones (16-1, 3-1) from the start in ending Iowa State's school-record 16-game winning streak....

Jets score 4 in second period, hold off Islanders
Kyle Connor and Adam Lowry each had a goal and an assist to help the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-4 win against the visiting New York Islanders on Tuesday night.,Mark Scheifele had two assists, and Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves for the Jets.,Anthony Duclair, Emil Heineman and Kyle MacLean and Matthew Scha...

Short-handed Timberwolves make quick work of Bucks
Even without Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, the Minnesota Timberwolves dominated the host Milwaukee Bucks 139-106 on Tuesday behind 29 points from Julius Randle.,Bones Hyland added 23 points for Minnesota, who won its sixth game in seven tries. Naz Reid added 19 while Randle also grabbed eight reb...

Jamal Murray puts up 35 as Nuggets run past Pelicans
Jamal Murray collected 35 points and nine assists and Peyton Watson added 31 points and seven rebounds, lifting the visiting Denver Nuggets to a 122-116 victory over the reeling New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.,Murray made five 3-pointers in his return from a two-game absence caused by an ankle inju...

Senators snap 4-game losing streak as Canucks' skid rolls on
Artem Zub and Jordan Spence each scored within a 15-second span in the first period and the Ottawa Senators held on for a 2-1 home win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.,The victory ended Ottawa's season-high four-game (0-4-0) losing streak and moved the Senators out of last place in the Eastern...