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Tag: Basketball

  • DeRozan scores 49 as Bulls beat Timberwolves in double OT

    DeRozan scores 49 as Bulls beat Timberwolves in double OT

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    CHICAGO — DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 49 points, Zach LaVine finished with 39 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 139-131 in double overtime on Friday night.

    DeRozan and LaVine joined Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen as the only Bulls duo with 39 points or more in the same game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The two Hall of Famers did it against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 18, 1996, with Jordan going for 44 and Pippen finishing with 40.

    “When we’ve got it rolling like that, it makes everything so much easier not even just to score, just to get everybody else involved,” said DeRozan, who had some trouble seeing after getting hit in the eye.

    Nikola Vucevic added 21 points and 11 rebounds.

    Minnesota All-Star Anthony Edwards left with a sprained right ankle in the first quarter, and the Timberwolves lost for the fourth time in five games.

    Mike Conley led Minnesota with 28 points, nailing a career-high 8 of 12 3-pointers. Rudy Gobert finished with 21 points and 19 rebounds before fouling out in the first OT, and Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points.

    The Bulls led 130-125 in the second OT before Conley hit a 3-pointer. Minnesota’s Naz Reid had a layup rim out, and DeRozan made a turnaround jumper to bump Chicago’s lead to 132-28 with 1:27 remaining.

    Nickeil Alexander-Walker made the second free throw after an airball to pull the Timberwolves within three, but Vucevic brought the Bulls bench to its feet with a thunderous one-handed dunk for a three-point play with just over a minute left.

    Reid drove for a layup to make it a four-point game. But DeRozan made four free throws in the final 36 seconds to help Chicago come away with a wild win.

    EDWARDS INJURED

    Edwards was hurt late in the first quarter when he landed awkwardly after jumping while throwing a pass. He stayed down clutching his ankle before being helped to the back, and coach Chris Finch wasn’t sure how long he’ll be out, though Edwards wasn’t ruling out playing at Toronto on Saturday.

    “I’m gonna see how it feels tomorrow,” he said. “Hopefully I can play.”

    Losing Edwards, who came into the game averaging 25 points and made his first All-Star team this year, would be a big blow for the Timberwolves, particularly with Karl-Anthony Towns appears poised to return from a calf injury that has sidelined him for most of the season. The Timberwolves are trying to avoid the play-in and build some momentum with the regular season winding down.

    “You want to be getting guys healthy and playing at your best, guys in a great rhythm,” Conley said. “Obviously being without KAT and then losing Ant, two of our best players, at such an important time of the season is very tough. This team’s got to be resilient. This is gonna be a great time for us to grow up together and figure it out.”

    FIRST OT

    Conley nailed a 3 to give Minnesota a 121-118 lead in the first overtime. DeRozan tied on a three-point play with just over a minute left, with Gobert fouling out in the process.

    McDaniels then scored to put Minnesota back on top. LaVine drove for a tying layup with 11 seconds remaining after the Timberwolves’ Taurean Prince threw the ball away, and McDaniels missed a pull-up 3 for Minnesota.

    TIP-INS

    Timberwolves: Finch said there are “a lot of dynamics” to Towns’ impending return that the Timberwolves “haven’t really dug into” because there are still some unknowns, such as whether he will be on a minutes restriction. Towns hasn’t played since he strained his right calf against Nov. 28 in a game at Washington. The team announced Wednesday the three-time All-Star is expected to return “in the coming weeks.” “The good thing about KAT is he’s pretty much wired to make the right play, whether it’s passing or shooting,” Finch said.

    Bulls: Coach Billy Donovan wasn’t sure when or even if Lonzo Ball will play again for Chicago, with the point guard set to have yet another surgery on his troublesome left knee. Donovan said Ball will likely undergo a cartilage transplant early next week, though he wasn’t sure which day, and is in for “a long rehab.” The surgery will be the third on the knee in 14 months for Ball, who was ruled out for the season in February.

    UP NEXT

    Timberwolves: Visit Toronto on Saturday.

    Bulls: Host Miami on Saturday.

    ___

    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Fairleigh Dickinson stuns No. 1 seed Purdue in March Madness

    Fairleigh Dickinson stuns No. 1 seed Purdue in March Madness

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    COLUMBUS, Ohio — Fairleigh Dickinson brought down a giant.

    Pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, the undersized, underdog Knights stunned top-seeded Purdue 63-58 on Friday night, becoming the second No. 16 seed to win a game in March Madness.

    The shortest of the 363 Division I teams in the country, the Knights (21-15) showed no fear in swarming 7-foot-4 All-America center Zach Edey from the start and simply outplayed the Big Ten champion Boilermakers (29-6).

    “If we played them 100 times, they’d probably beat us 99 times,” FDU coach Tobin Anderson said. “Play them 100 times, we have one win. But tonight’s the one we had to be unique, we had to be unorthodox. We had to make it tough on them, just be different.”

    Sean Moore scored 19 points to lead FDU and a relentless defensive charge — the Knights pressed most of the game — by a team that now has everyone’s attention.

    Five years ago, UMBC showed the way for the little guys by overwhelming Virginia in the first 16-over-1 victory after numerous close calls over the years. Still, No. 16s had a 1-150 record against No. 1s and were 1-151 overall before FDU’s shocker.

    After the final horn, FDU’s players mobbed each other on the floor of Nationwide Arena, where the fans from Memphis and Florida Atlantic who were waiting for the day’s final game joined forces in cheering on the Knights in the final, frantic minutes.

    The Knights will meet FAU — a 66-65 winner over Memphis — on Sunday for a Sweet 16 berth and a trip next week to play at Madison Square Garden in New York, just a short drive from the private school’s main campus in Teaneck, New Jersey.

    “Man, I can’t even explain it,” Moore said. “I’m still in shock right now. I can’t believe it. It’s crazy. But it feels amazing.”

    Fairleigh Dickinson didn’t even win the Northeast Conference Tournament, falling by one point in the title game to Merrimack, which couldn’t participate in the NCAA Tournament because of an NCAA rule that bars it from the postseason because it’s still completing its four-year transition from Division II.

    FDU held Purdue scoreless for more than 5 1/2 minutes down the stretch and moved ahead by five on a 3-pointer by Moore — who is from suburban Columbus — with 1:03 left.

    The Knights held on from there, becoming the third straight double-digit seed to send the Boilermakers home. Purdue was a No. 3 seed when it lost to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s, another small New Jersey school, in the Sweet 16 last year. The Boilermakers were bounced in the first round by 13th-seeded North Texas in 2021.

    “Our job was just to come into the game and throw a punch,” said FDU’s Demetre Roberts, 20 inches shorter than Edey. “We knew they would throw multiple punches. Just throw a punch back. We knew what type of game this was.”

    Edey finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds in what may have been his final college game, but the Knights were masterful against him in the second half. Edey didn’t attempt a shot in the final nine minutes, and anytime he touched the ball there were FDU players draped all around him.

    “A lot of times they would have one dude guarding from behind and one dude basically sitting in my lap,” Edey said. “They were full fronting the entire game. Made it very hard to get catches. Credit to them, they had a great game plan coming in. And they executed it very well.”

    When Purdue’s late push fell short and its season ended, Edey squeezed the shoulder straps on his jersey and walked stone-faced toward Purdue’s locker room.

    The junior center is a possible NBA lottery pick, but the bitterness of this defeat could sway Edey to stick around for another year.

    “I have no opinion on that,” Edey said when asked about his future. “I’ll make my decision going forward.”

    The Knights’ two prior NCAA Tournament wins came in the First Four, including this year, when they drubbed Texas Southern 84-61. After that game, Anderson told his players he believed they could handle Edey and Co.

    “The more I see Purdue, the more I think we can beat them,” Anderson said with a camera in the locker room.

    Some of Purdue’s players said they felt disrespected by the comments, which turned out to be prophetic.

    “It was the right message, wrong audience,” Anderson said. “I would have said that with no camera in there. I didn’t mean to get Purdue upset. That was not the idea at all. But that’s got to be the message. We’re trying to win the next game. We just can’t be happy to be here.”

    “And the guys gotta believe.”

    Just being in the tourney was quite an accomplishment for FDU, which went 4-22 a year ago and now has two NCAA tourney wins in three days.

    This was Anderson’s first season at the school, and after he landed the job in May, he held a practice the first night just so he knew what he had to work with from a team that had the second-worst record in the program’s 58-year history.

    It wasn’t a lot, so he brought three players — Roberts, Grant Singleton and Moore — along with him from Division II power St. Thomas Aquinas.

    Turns out, they’re giant slayers.

    “We’re the shortest team in the country,” Anderson said. “But we made him (Edey) uncomfortable. And the things he made were not easy baskets. I don’t think he ever felt terribly comfortable. And that was just a great team effort.”

    “We were sagging in the paint. We went off certain shooters. Let’s make them make 3s, but not give them 3s — make them make 3s. Just an unbelievable team effort.”

    Purdue finished 5 of 26 from beyond the arc — including 3 of 15 in the second half.

    It was the Boilermakers, not the undersized Knights, who were scrambling from the opening tip.

    Purdue may have had Fairleigh Dickinson outsized on the floor and in the stands as a boisterous group of Boilermakers fans gave their team what felt like a home-court advantage despite being 240 miles from West Lafayette, Indiana.

    However, when the Knights’ Joe Munden drained a step-back 3-pointer in the first half, “F-D-U!” chants broke out inside the arena and it became obvious this small team had big dreams.

    Without a player on its roster taller than 6-6, Fairleigh Dickinson sometimes needed two players to guard Edey — one in front and one behind — and he missed his first three shots before a dunk.

    Edey showed some frustration and at one point told one of the officials, “Sir, he’s holding my left arm.”

    Purdue eventually settled in and reeled off 11 straight points — four on Edey free throws — to take 24-19 lead. The Knights, though, responded with their own spurt and Heru Bligen’s layup after a steal helped FDU take a 32-31 into halftime.

    Roberts finished with 12 points and 6-4 forward Cameron Tweedy had 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting for FDU.

    ___

    AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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  • No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson shocks No. 1 Purdue in historic March Madness upset | CNN

    No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson shocks No. 1 Purdue in historic March Madness upset | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Fairleigh Dickinson University did something on Friday that has only been done once before.

    The Knights, who are a 16-seed, upset No. 1 Purdue University 63-58 to advance to the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

    Down three points with less than ten seconds left, Purdue heaved up a three-point shot but missed the opportunity to tie. The Knights then made two free throws at the opposite end.

    This is the second time in NCAA men’s tournament history that a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed. In 2018, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County became the first to complete the feat over the Virginia Cavaliers.

    Knights head coach Tobin Anderson was speechless on the court following the win.

    “We just have faith in what we do and our guys are so tough and competitive,” Anderson told the TNT broadcast. “I love our guys. They’re tough. They’re great. They played their tails off. That’s an unbelievable win. It’s unbelievable. We shocked the world.”

    FDU players celebrated the historic feat together on the court. Purdue players and fans at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, looked on in complete shock.

    Boilermakers big man Zach Edey, who was earlier named one of the semifinalists for the Naismith Player of the Year, finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.

    The Knights made the tournament this year after a turnaround season in which they finished with a 20-15 record. Last season, FDU finished with a measly 4-22 record.

    The 15-win increase over last season was the second-best improvement in Division I men’s basketball, following Southern Mississippi.

    The Knights are the second Northeast Conference school ever to advance to the second round in NCAA tournament history. Iona did it in 1980 – but the school’s victory was later vacated.

    FDU will next play Sunday, facing the winner of the game between Memphis and Florida Atlantic.

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  • Princeton Player In Iconic Photo Jumps For Joy Again As Coach In Tourney Shocker

    Princeton Player In Iconic Photo Jumps For Joy Again As Coach In Tourney Shocker

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    Nearly three decades after his famous photo, Princeton basketball coach Mitch Henderson was still jumping ― but not quite as high ― after the No. 15 seed Tigers stunned No. 2 Arizona in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday for the biggest upset of the day. (Watch the video below.)

    Henderson was featured in a 1996 photo leaping for joy as a point guard on Princeton’s 13th-seeded team after defeating No. 4 UCLA, the defending champion, in the first round of March Madness. The picture is on display at Princeton’s practice facility.

    But the circumstances for Henderson getting off the ground on Thursday were a tad different.

    Watch the coach join his players in a mosh pit of sorts in a delirious locker room celebration after their 59-55 win.

    Reminded of the victory over UCLA in a postgame interview, Henderson said: “That was a long time ago.”

    But many outlets remembered.

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  • Ja Morant suspended 8 games by NBA for ‘conduct detrimental to the league’ | CNN

    Ja Morant suspended 8 games by NBA for ‘conduct detrimental to the league’ | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been suspended by the NBA for eight games without pay for “conduct detrimental to the league,” officials announced Wednesday.

    The punishment follows an incident where Morant was seen in an Instagram Live video holding a gun at a nightclub outside Denver.

    The league said an investigation “did not conclude that the gun at issue belonged to Morant, was brought by him into the nightclub or was displayed by him beyond a brief period. The investigation also did not find that Morant possessed the gun while traveling with the team or in any NBA facility.”

    Morant has missed the last five games following the incident.

    Earlier this month, the police department in Glendale, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, said the agency would not recommend charges against Morant.

    This is a developing story and will be updated.

    Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of games Ja Morant has missed.

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  • Diamond Sports Group files for bankruptcy, will continue to broadcast MLB, NBA, NHL games

    Diamond Sports Group files for bankruptcy, will continue to broadcast MLB, NBA, NHL games

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    Diamond Sports Group, which operates regional sports networks that televise nearly half of all MLB, NBA and NHL games, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday.

    Diamond is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc. SBGI, and operates its networks under the Bally Sports name.

    In a statement Tuesday, Diamond said it was finalizing a…

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  • Girls’ high school deemed ineligible to play in future activities and tournaments after forfeiting basketball game against team with transgender student-athlete | CNN

    Girls’ high school deemed ineligible to play in future activities and tournaments after forfeiting basketball game against team with transgender student-athlete | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    A Vermont girls’ high school that withdrew from a basketball tournament last month after refusing to play against a team that had a transgender player is no longer able to participate in future Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) activities and tournaments, the group said in a news release Monday.

    VPA, the state’s governing body for school sports, sent a letter to the Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) on Monday saying the school’s forfeiture, and stated rationale for forfeiting, did “not meet the expectations” of the organization’s policies after MVCS forfeited the February 21 game.

    “Thus, Mid Vermont Christian school is ineligible to participate in VPA activities going forward,” the letter said.

    In a Tuesday statement, MVCS said it plans to appeal the decision.

    “Mid Vermont Christian school is disappointed with the decision of the VPA Executive Council to ban us from participation in all VPA activities. We intend to appeal the decision,” the head of school at MVCS, Vicky Fogg, said in an email. “Canceling our membership is not a solution and does nothing to deal with the very real issue of safety and fairness facing women’s sports in our beloved state. We urge the VPA to reconsider its policies, and balance the rights of every athlete in the state.”

    A 2017 report in the journal Sports Medicine that reviewed several related studies found “no direct or consistent research” on trans people having an athletic advantage over their cisgender peers, and critics say the recent surge in anti-trans rhetoric and legislation adds to the discrimination that trans people – particularly trans youth – face.

    VPA said its executive council held a meeting Monday to discuss the forfeited game and came to “an immediate determination of ineligibility for Mid Vermont Christian in VPA sanctioned activities and tournaments going forward.” The news release cites the letter VPA sent to MVCS.

    MVCS was set to play against Long Trail School last month, but MVCS forfeited the game due to a transgender player on Long Trail’s roster, the head of school at MVCS, Fogg previously told CNN.

    “We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players,” Fogg previously said in a statement. “Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”

    CNN has repeatedly reached out to Long Trail for comment.

    In its Monday release, VPA said it “reiterates its ongoing support of transgender student-athletes as not only a part of building an inclusive community for each student to grow and thrive, but also as a clear expectation by Vermont state law(s) in the Agency of Education Best Practices, and in VPA Policy regarding transgender student athletes.”

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  • Giannis has 46 points, 12 boards as Bucks beat Kings 133-124

    Giannis has 46 points, 12 boards as Bucks beat Kings 133-124

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    Giannis Antetokounmpo had 46 points and 12 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Sacramento Kings 133-124

    ByCAMERON SALERNO Associated Press

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 46 points and 12 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Sacramento Kings 133-124 on Monday night.

    Khris Middleton scored 31 points and Brook Lopez added 23 for the Bucks, who are on the verge of becoming the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season. They came needing a win and a Miami loss, but the Heat beat Utah.

    Domantas Sabonis had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists for his 10th triple-double of the season for Sacramento. Sabonis has a franchise-record 54 double-doubles, which leads the NBA.

    De’Aaron Fox scored 35 points to lead the Kings, and Kevin Huerter had 17 of his 28 in the fourth quarter.

    The Bucks scored six straight points on a 3-pointer by Brook Lopez and three free throws by Middleton to take a 106-100 lead with under eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Sacramento scored the next eight points and took a two-point lead on Huerter’s 3 midway through the quarter.

    Antetokounmpo made two free throws to cap a 7-0 run that put Milwaukee up 113-108 with five minutes to go, and the Kings got no closer than two points the rest of the way. Another 7-0 burst push the lead to 127-116 with two minutes left.

    FIGHT

    With 15.4 seconds left, Sacramento’s Trey Lyles and Lopez got into an altercation, which led to the ejection of both players.

    TIP-INS

    Bucks: F Joe Ingles was ruled out with knee injury management. … Middleton received a technical foul with 9:20 left in the 4th quarter.

    Kings: Sacramento received its second delay of game warning with 10:09 left in the third quarter, resulting in a technical foul.

    UP NEXT

    Bucks: At Phoenix to face the Suns on Tuesday night.

    Kings: At Chicago to face the Bulls on Wednesday night.

    ___

    AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • No. 6 Marquette routs Xavier 65-51 to win 1st Big East title

    No. 6 Marquette routs Xavier 65-51 to win 1st Big East title

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    NEW YORK — Tyler Kolek and No. 6 Marquette raced out to a hefty lead and never looked back, beating No. 15 Xavier 65-51 on Saturday night to win the Big East Tournament for the first time.

    Kolek, the Big East Player of the Year, had 20 points and eight rebounds as the top-seeded Golden Eagles (28-6) dominated a Big East final that brought a Midwestern flavor to Madison Square Garden.

    Coach Shaka Smart’s surprising team will head into the NCAA Tournament with a nine-game winning streak after Marquette’s first appearance in the Big East championship game resulted in one of its best performances of a scintillating season.

    Kolek’s steal and layup made it 51-27 with 14:12 left. Less than a minute later, after two offensive rebounds by the Golden Eagles, David Joplin made a corner 3 to double up second-seeded Xavier (25-9).

    Joplin finished with 12 points. Kolek was selected the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

    Adam Kunkel scored 12 points to lead the Musketeers, who had a five-game winning streak snapped.

    This was the first Big East title game since the conference dropped in 2013 to not feature any of its longstanding Northeast members.

    Still, the Milwaukee school (Marquette, which joined in 2005) and the Cincinnati school (Xavier, which joined in 2013) filled The Garden for the first 1 vs. 2 seed Big East Tournament final in 19 years.

    It looked more like a 1-16 NCAA Tournament game for a while.

    Marquette jumped out to a 21-4 lead, and never relented.

    During a particularly splendid 2 1/2 minutes, Stevie Mitchell swished a corner 3, Kolek came off a screen to make another 3, Kam Jones got free for a reverse layup after a nifty hesitation move on the baseline and Kolek converted a layup off a give-and-go with Oso Ighodaro.

    At that point, Marquette was up 33-10 with 7:02 left in the first half and the Golden Eagles had not yet committed a turnover.

    The Musketeers responded with a 14-5 run to end the period, but with their fans chanting “We are, Mar-quette!” the Golden Eagles went into the break up 39-24.

    Marquette’s only previous league tournament title was as a member of Conference USA in 1997.

    Twenty-six years later, the Golden Eagles were able to clear the bench in the final minute of the Big East championship game and their fans were finally able to make Madison Square Garden feel like home.

    BIG PICTURE

    Xavier: The Musketeers played what coach Sean Miller called one of their best two-way games of the season in the semifinals Friday night against Creighton. Less than 24 hours later, they did almost nothing well. Xavier shot 34% from the field, forced only four turnovers and was held 12 points under its previous season low. The Musketeers fell to 0-2 in Big East championship games.

    Marquette: Smart, who took VCU to a Final Four but never could find that consistent winning formula at Texas, guided a team picked to finish ninth in the Big East in the preseason coaches’ poll to maybe its best season since Dwyane Wade led Marquette to a Final Four in 2003.

    UP NEXT

    Xavier: Miller will have the Musketeers back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.

    Marquette: The Golden Eagles will be making their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and figure to earn perhaps a No. 2 seed.

    ___

    AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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  • Butler scores 33, Heat rally to topple Cavaliers 119-115

    Butler scores 33, Heat rally to topple Cavaliers 119-115

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    MIAMI — Jimmy Butler did everything right in the final minutes. He knew when to score, knew when to rebound, even knew when and how to foul.

    And the Miami Heat needed all of it.

    Butler scored 12 of his 33 points in the final 5:11, Tyler Herro added 25 and the Heat rallied from a 14-point, second-half deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-115 on Friday night.

    “There’s a lot at stake,” Herro said. “Every game counts for us.”

    Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 42 points for Cleveland, which got 16 apiece from Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert. Evan Mobley added 12 for the Cavaliers.

    Cleveland (42-27) fell 3-1/2 games behind Philadelphia in the race for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference; the 76ers (44-22) edged Portland 120-119 on Friday.

    Miami (36-32) remained No. 7 in the East, still three games in the loss column behind No. 6 Brooklyn (38-29) — which won at Minnesota.

    “We’re fighting for our competitive lives right now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Is this the exact position we want to be in? No. But you do have to embrace the competition. When you’re dreaming about things in the middle of the summer, this is what you want, games with incredible pressure and context.”

    Bam Adebayo scored 19 points and Max Strus had 14 for the Heat, who split a two-game home set with the Cavaliers.

    “We let them get to their spots too easily. … But I thought it was a heck of a game,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.

    Heck of a finish, too.

    Miami outscored Cleveland 37-26 in the fourth. Butler returned to the game midway through the final period, then scored eight consecutive Heat points over a two-minute stretch to keep Miami on top, albeit barely.

    “That’s why he’s Jimmy Butler,” Bickerstaff said.

    But Cleveland made it very interesting. Helped by Miami committing offensive fouls on illegal screens on back-to-back possessions, the Cavaliers cut the lead to one when Mobley got a dunk with 38.3 seconds left.

    The Cavs never got the lead back, and a Butler foul helped Miami finish it off. With the Heat up three, Butler fouled Mitchell near midcourt with 5.6 seconds left — not letting Cleveland get any looks at a potentially game-tying 3-point shot.

    Mitchell made the first and intentionally missed the second. It was a ploy he’s used before — most notably in the Jan. 2 game against Chicago when he forced overtime in what became his 71-point game by running down an intentionally missed foul shot and scoring. The Heat knew it was coming, Butler controlled the rebound, and iced the game with two last free throws.

    “Donovan Mitchell missed that free throw about as perfectly as you could,” Spoelstra said.

    TIP-INS

    Cavaliers: G Darius Garland missed the game with a right quadricep contusion, suffered in Wednesday’s win over Miami. He’s day-to-day. … Jarrett Allen was inadvertently poked in the eye by Adebayo as the two were among those going for a rebound with 3:53 left. The play was reviewed and determined to be a common foul; Allen left the game.

    Heat: PG Kyle Lowry missed his 15th consecutive game with left knee soreness. He’s hoping to return at Orlando on Saturday. … Miami was 11 for 19 on 3’s in the second half, after going 3 for 10 in the first half from deep.

    RALLIED HEAT

    It was Miami’s sixth time coming back and winning after trailing a game by at least 14 points this season.

    BIG HALF

    Mitchell scored at least 25 points in a first half for the third time this season — all on the road. He had 27 at Dallas on Dec. 14, 25 in his return to Utah on Jan. 10, and 25 on Friday. He had “only” 16 at the half of his 71-point game in Cleveland against Chicago on Jan. 2.

    UP NEXT

    Cavaliers: Visit Charlotte on Sunday.

    Heat: Visit Orlando on Saturday.

    ___

    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Domantas Sabonis has triple-double, Kings top Knicks 122-117

    Domantas Sabonis has triple-double, Kings top Knicks 122-117

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    Domantas Sabonis had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season, helping the Sacramento Kings hold off the New York Knicks 122-117 on Thursday night

    ByCAMERON SALERNO Associated Press

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Domantas Sabonis had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season, helping the Sacramento Kings hold off the New York Knicks 122-117 on Thursday night.

    The Kings are 7-1 since the NBA All-Star break to reach 39-26.

    Sabonis iced it, hitting two free throws with six seconds left to stretch the lead to five points.

    De’Aaron Fox scored 16 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter for the Kings. Malik Monk had 19 off the bench.

    RJ Barrett scored 25 points for New York. The Knicks dropped to 39-29 with their second straight loss after a nine-game winning streak.

    Starting guard Jalen Brunson left at halftime with left foot soreness and did not return. He finished with 19 points in 19 minutes.

    Julius Randle added 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Quentin Grimes scored 19 points, hitting four 3-pointers.

    TIP-INS

    Knicks: Josh Hart scored nine points, 15 rebounds and seven assists off the bench.

    Kings: Fox returned to the lineup after a one-game absence due to a hamstring injury.

    UP NEXT

    Knicks: At Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

    Kings: At Phoenix on Saturday night.

    ___

    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • AP source: Doncic MRI shows no significant issues with thigh

    AP source: Doncic MRI shows no significant issues with thigh

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    Luka Doncic had an MRI that showed no significant issues with his bothersome left thigh, easing some concerns for the Dallas Mavericks that the All-Star might miss major time as they push for a playoff spot, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

    That person spoke of condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because there was no announcement from the team about Doncic’s status. He is averaging 33 points a game, and made an early exit a day earlier. ESPN first reported the MRI result.

    Doncic said after leaving in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s 113-106 loss at New Orleans that he could barely run and was in too much pain to be effective. He has said that he first noticed the thigh issue when he woke up after a game about three weeks ago.

    “I didn’t get hit. So, it’s kind of weird for me,” Doncic said Wednesday night. “I really don’t know what it is.”

    He said that if the MRI came back clear he hoped ice and physical therapy would help him return quickly. Doncic said the injury affects his ability to run somewhat, but mostly bothers him on jump shots.

    Dallas (34-33) was narrowly in the Western Conference playoff picture with 15 games remaining. The Mavericks next play on Saturday night at Memphis.

    Going into Thursday, the Mavericks were in eighth place in the Western Conference. They were only a half-game out of sixth place to avoid the play-in tournament, and only 2 1/2 games above 11th place that would leave them out completely.

    Doncic has been trying to play through the injury and had been productive recently. He scored 42 in a victory over Philadelphia, 34 in a loss to Phoenix and 29 in a win over Utah on Tuesday night.

    But against the Pelicans, he was 4 of 14 with 15 points when he left after missing a step-back jumper.

    “We all can see he’s not moving well. So, shooting, defense, it’s affecting everything,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said after the game. “He’s trying to fight through it and help his teammates.”

    In his last home game Sunday, when Doncic missed a late floater that would have tied the Suns, he had left the court in the second quarter for treatment on a his left thigh. He said then that it was the worst the injury had felt, but three days later he couldn’t finish a game.

    ___

    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Suns’ Durant out with ankle injury, re-evaluated in 3 weeks

    Suns’ Durant out with ankle injury, re-evaluated in 3 weeks

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    PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns say Kevin Durant has a sprained left ankle after slipping on the floor during pregame warmups Wednesday night and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

    The hope was the 34-year-old star wouldn’t miss much time because of the unlucky mishap, but now it appears he’ll be out until April.

    If that’s the case, the Suns will have just five more games until the playoffs start.

    Durant has played in just three games — all on the road — since coming to the Suns in a blockbuster trade deadline deal that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and other draft compensation to the Brooklyn Nets.

    The 13-time All-Star slipped on the floor during pregame warmups while getting ready for the team’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was supposed to be his home debut.

    Video showed Durant driving to the basket during warmups when he rolled his left ankle as he jumped. He immediately hopped up and continued his pregame work, but several minutes later, the Suns confirmed that Durant would miss the game.

    The Suns won anyway, beating the Thunder 132-101 behind Devin Booker’s 44-point night.

    The Suns have looked like a juggernaut in the three games Durant has played, winning all of them. The talented starting lineup also included Chris Paul, Booker, Deandre Ayton.

    But the latest injury is a reminder that Durant has missed a lot of time with injuries over the past four seasons.

    Durant was out the entire 2019-20 campaign because of an Achilles injury. He has missed time this season with a sprained knee ligament.

    Now, an ankle injury.

    “He’s out there, working his tail off, getting ready for the game and twists his ankle,” Suns coach Monty Williams said after Wednesday’s game. “You can’t get frustrated about that. It’s life, you know what I’m saying? I felt bad for him because he feels bad.”

    ___

    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Lawyers: Former NBA star Shawn Kemp fired in self-defense

    Lawyers: Former NBA star Shawn Kemp fired in self-defense

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    TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Former NBA star Shawn Kemp acted in self-defense when he exchanged gunfire in a Washington parking lot while trying to retrieve a stolen cell phone and other items, his attorneys said Thursday.

    Kemp, 53, was arrested by Tacoma police Wednesday for investigation of a drive-by shooting but was released from jail Thursday afternoon without charges having been filed. The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said it would not file charges pending further investigation.

    “We’re grateful they didn’t rush to judgment,” said Seattle criminal defense lawyer Tim Leary, who is representing Kemp.

    In a written statement, another Kemp attorney, W. Scott Boatman, said Kemp’s vehicle was broken into Tuesday night and several items were taken — including an iPhone. Kemp tracked the phone’s location to an occupied car at the Tacoma Mall, and when Kemp confronted the individuals inside, they shot at him, and he returned fire, Boatright said.

    “There was not a drive by shooting as previously reported and Mr. Kemp’s actions were reasonable and legally justified,” Boatman said. “Mr. Kemp met with law enforcement at the scene in an attempt to assist in the matter.”

    Tacoma police said they recovered a gun at the scene.

    Kemp, who has two licensed cannabis stores in Seattle, was a six-time NBA all-star and played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.

    Kemp debuted in the NBA during the 1989-90 season as a 20-year-old who had never played college basketball. He became known for his high-flying, athletic dunks.

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  • Grizzlies tried to address Morant’s actions before gun video

    Grizzlies tried to address Morant’s actions before gun video

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    MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Thursday that members of the organization had spoken to All-Star guard Ja Morant about his off-the-court conduct before he posted a video in which he appeared to be displaying a gun in a strip club.

    The team had been hoping to avoid a situation like what happened this past weekend, which led to Morant being away from the team for at least six games, Jenkins said before Thursday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors.

    “We have had conversations in the past trying to guide him and help him continue to evolve as a person and a player,” Jenkins said of the discussions before the incident in Glendale, Colorado. “Obviously, this came to a head the other day, so we put this process into action.”

    Morant, the team’s leading scorer, livestreamed the video of himself with the apparent weapon on his Instagram account after the Nuggets beat the Grizzlies on Friday night. Glendale police said Wednesday there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges against Morant.

    The Grizzlies initially announced the 23-year-old would miss at least two games. Immediately after Glendale police said they would not pursue charges, the team said he would not play at least four more games.

    That means the earliest Morant could return would be March 17 at San Antonio. The Grizzlies entered Thursday’s game tied with Sacramento for second in the Western Conference.

    “There are definitely steps that are going to have to be met — personally and professionally,” Jenkins said, “as he deals with some stuff personally to get better.”

    Morant’s absence comes with Memphis on a three-game losing streak. Reserve center Brandon Clarke tore his left Achilles tendon in Friday night’s loss at Denver, ending his season. The team also announced Thursday that starting center Steven Adams, who was expected to return to action soon, would be re-evaluated in four weeks due to a knee injury.

    But Morant’s situation has drawn the most attention because of concerns about the behavior of one of the NBA’s most electrifying players.

    “Everyone wants to know what this going to be,” Jenkins said of Morant’s absence. “It’s the hot topic for sure. But he’s taking time. The responsibility to get better personally. That’s a big factor in this.”

    ___

    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Everyone hates switching the clocks for Daylight Saving Time. So why is it so hard to get rid of? | CNN Business

    Everyone hates switching the clocks for Daylight Saving Time. So why is it so hard to get rid of? | CNN Business

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    Everyone hates switching the clocks for Daylight Saving Time. So why is it so hard to get rid of?

    CNN’s Harry Enten tells “Nightcap’s” Jon Sarlin why Americans switch the clocks back and forth twice a year, even though the time change is pretty universally hated. Plus, Los Angeles Times columnist LZ Granderson on how legal sports betting has changed March Madness. And CNN’s Clare Duffy explains why the FTC’s investigation of Twitter could be a real problem for Elon Musk. To get the day’s business headlines sent directly to your inbox, sign up for the Nightcap newsletter.

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  • Kevin Durant misses potential Phoenix Suns home debut after slipping during pre-game warmups and injuring ankle | CNN

    Kevin Durant misses potential Phoenix Suns home debut after slipping during pre-game warmups and injuring ankle | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Kevin Durant missed the opportunity to make his home debut for the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night after he slipped and injured his ankle during pre-game warmups.

    Ahead of Wednesday’s NBA clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Suns’ Footprint Center, Durant was seen on video slipping while going up for a shot near the basket, rolling his ankle in the process.

    The 34-year-old was able to get up and continue his workout but moved gingerly throughout the rest of it, and minutes later, Phoenix announced he would miss the game, being replaced by Torrey Craig in the starting lineup.

    After the Suns had comfortably beaten the Thunder 132-101, Phoenix head coach Monty Williams provided an update on Durant’s injury status.

    “We don’t have anything official to report,” Williams told reporters.

    Williams said there will be more tests done on Thursday and the team is calling it an ankle sprain for the time being.

    “He’s out there working his tail off, getting ready for the game and he twists his ankle,” Williams added. “Can’t get frustrated about that. It’s life, you know what I’m saying? I feel bad for him because he feels bad. He feels like – I saw his face and I’ve been around him so many times. I know what he’s feeling.”

    When Durant arrived in Arizona in February – in a trade from the Brooklyn Nets for a huge haul – he was recovering from an MCL sprain which had seen him miss more than a month of action.

    The 13-time All-Star finally made his debut for the Suns last week against the Charlotte Hornets and the team has won all three of their games with Durant in the lineup – the 2014 MVP has averaged 26.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in those three games.

    In his absence though, the Suns never had to get out of fourth gear to beat the Thunder, being led by a game-high 44 points from guard Devin Booker.

    As a result, Phoenix improved to 37-29 and moved to within two games of the second and third seed in the Western Conference.

    “Our group has adapted to a number of things all year long from the summer until now. This is no different. We will do our best to get him healthy and get him back out there on the floor,” Williams said.

    Phoenix is next scheduled to host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday before heading on the road to play the Golden State Warriors early next week. The Suns then return home to host the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic on March 14 and 16 respectively.

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  • CBS Evening News, March 8, 2023

    CBS Evening News, March 8, 2023

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    CBS Evening News, March 8, 2023 – CBS News


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    Justice Department investigation finds Louisville police violated civil and constitutional rights; Rutgers star shares strong bond with mentor who helped him find basketball

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  • Rutgers star shares strong bond with mentor who helped him find basketball

    Rutgers star shares strong bond with mentor who helped him find basketball

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    Rutgers star shares strong bond with mentor who helped him find basketball – CBS News


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    Cliff Omoruyi only started playing basketball at age 14, just before his family in Nigeria sent him to New Jersey. The Rutgers basketball star said he owes his success to his mentor. Nancy Chen has his story.

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  • Rutgers basketball star donates endorsement money to program that gave him his start

    Rutgers basketball star donates endorsement money to program that gave him his start

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    Rutgers basketball star shares bond with mentor


    Rutgers star shares strong bond with mentor who helped him find basketball

    01:37

    Newark, New Jersey — Cliff Omoruyi is known for his powerhouse dunks. 

    But the Rutgers University junior only started playing basketball at age 14, just before his family in Nigeria sent him to New Jersey.

    “It was just to get a better education,” Omoruyi told CBS News.

    Omoruyi moved in with Muhammad Oliver, a volunteer with the basketball program at the Salvation Army Center in Newark, who wasn’t overly impressed with Omoruyi’s on-court skills at first.

    “He had a lot of work to do,” Oliver said. “We had to basically start from scratch.”

    Oliver was not only Omoruyi’s legal guardian, but also a motivator.

    “I almost gave up on basketball,” Omoruyi said. “He got me to believe that I could be what I want if I just keep working.”

    It was a work ethic that applied off the court too and allowed Omoruyi to serve as a role model for Oliver’s son.  

    “Because of Cliff, my son improved academically tremendously,” Oliver told CBS News. “He saw how Cliff handled basketball and math.”

    Clifford Omoruyi
    Clifford Omoruyi of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights looks on in the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on Feb. 20, 2022, in West Lafayette, Indiana.

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    Omoruyi, who leads Rutgers in points and rebounds this season, is also one of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given annually to the nation’s best college center.

    And as one of the best players in the Big Ten Conference, he has earned $25,000 in endorsements. In honor of Oliver, he’s donated all that money to revitalize the basketball court at the Salvation Army Center.

    Omoruyi said Oliver changed his life.

    “I think he’s changed our life as well,” Oliver replied.


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