HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
| CLASS 4A | ||||
| Michigan City | ||||
| Penn | 73 | Chesterton | 60 | |
| Hammond Central | 59 | Mishawaka | 46 | |
| Logansport | ||||
| Fort Wayne Wayne | 62 | Noblesville | 60 | |
| Kokomo | 68 | Fort Wayne North | 55 | |
| Southport | ||||
| Brownsburg | 66 | New Palestine | 39 | |
| Ben Davis | 63 | Indianapolis Cathedral | 53 | |
| Seymour | ||||
| Jennings County | 64 | Evansville Reitz | 40 | |
| Bloomington North | 45 | Columbus North | 43 | |
| CLASS 3A | ||||
| South Bend Washington | ||||
| NorthWood | 72 | Lake Station | 35 | |
| John Glenn | 58 | South Bend Washington | 54 | |
| New Castle | ||||
| Fort Wayne Dwenger | 65 | Twin Lakes | 43 | |
| Delta | 54 | Peru | 47 | |
| Lebanon | ||||
| Guerin Catholic | 66 | Danville | 52 | |
| Beech Grove | 65 | Indian Creek | 56 | |
| Washington | ||||
| Scottsburg | 48 | Greensburg | 46 | |
| North Daviess | 48 | Gibson Southern | 44 | |
| CLASS 2A | ||||
| North Judson | ||||
| Lewis Cass | 62 | North Judson | 51 | |
| Gary 21st Century | 67 | Westview | 58 | |
| Lapel | ||||
| Fort Wayne Blackhawk | 80 | Tipton | 59 | |
| Wapahani | 73 | Carroll (Flora) | 50 | |
| Greenfield | ||||
| Indianapolis Scecina | 45 | Park Tudor | 42 | |
| Parke Heritage | 58 | Northeastern | 48 | |
| Southridge | ||||
| Brownstown Central | 64 | Forest Park | 49 | |
| Linton-Stockton | 62 | North Decatur | 33 | |
| CLASS 1A | ||||
| Triton | ||||
| Marquette Catholic | 60 | Tri-County | 48 | |
| Kouts | 44 | Bethany Christian | 40 | |
| Frankfort | ||||
| Fountain Central | 54 | Liberty Christian | 52 | |
| Southwood | 57 | Blue River | 38 | |
| Martinsville | ||||
| Indianapolis Lutheran | 43 | Bloomfield | 40 | |
| Jac-Cen-Del | 61 | Bethesda Christian | 59 | |
| Loogootee | ||||
| Loogootee | 57 | Northeast Dubois | 33 | |
| Rock Creek Academy | 67 | New Washington | 32 |
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
| Cincinnati | 48 | Final |
| 1 Houston | 69 | |
| 8 Arizona | 61 | Final |
| 2 UCLA | 59 | |
| 7 Texas | 76 | Final |
| 3 Kansas | 56 | |
| 25 Missouri | 61 | Final |
| 4 Alabama | 72 | |
| Ohio St. | 66 | Final |
| 5 Purdue | 80 | |
| 15 Xavier | 51 | Final |
| 6 Marquette | 65 | |
| 21 Duke | 59 | Final |
| 13 Virginia | 49 | |
| Vanderbilt | 75 | Final |
| 18 Texas A&M | 87 | |
| Penn St. | 77 | Final |
| 19 Indiana | 73 | |
| Utah St. | 57 | Final |
| 20 SDSU | 62 |
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
| Iowa State | 82 | Final |
| 14 Oklahoma | 72 | |
| Oklahoma State | 57 | Final |
| 15 Texas | 64 | |
| WestKy | 70 | Final |
| 25 MiddTn | 82 |
NBA SCOREBOARD
| New York | 95 | Final |
| LA Clippers | 106 | |
| Indiana | 121 | Final |
| Detroit | 115 | |
| Miami | 114 | Final OT |
| Orlando | 126 | |
| Utah | 119 | Final |
| Charlotte | 111 | |
| Boston | 134 | Final |
| Atlanta | 125 | |
| Chicago | 119 | Final |
| Houston | 111 | |
| Dallas | 108 | Final |
| Memphis | 112 | |
| Oklahoma City | 110 | Final |
| New Orleans | 96 | |
| Milwaukee | 116 | Final OT |
| Golden State | 125 | |
| Sacramento | 128 | Final |
| Phoenix | 119 |
NHL SCOREBOARD
MLB SCOREBOARD
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS
FILIPOWSKI, NO. 21 DUKE BEAT NO. 13 VIRGINIA FOR ACC TITLE
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) Jon Scheyer stood on the stage, wiping his brow as he scanned the bubbly crowd while his Duke players danced around the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship trophy.
That’s when Kyle Filipowski walked up behind his coach and wrapped an arm around him.
The youthful Blue Devils – from their freshmen to their 35-year-old rookie head coach – could savor a moment that felt oh-so-familiar for the blueblood program.
Filipowski had 20 points and 10 rebounds as the tournament’s most valuable player and No. 21 Duke locked down defensively to beat No. 13 Virginia 59-49 in Saturday night’s ACC tournament championship, securing a title in Scheyer’s debut season as the successor to Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“Coming in, everyone was talking about, ‘We’re too young, Scheyer’s first year,’” freshman guard Tyrese Proctor said while standing amid confetti strewn about the court. “We just stuck together all year and just didn’t give up.”
Jeremy Roach scored 19 of his career-high 23 points after halftime for the fourth-seeded Blue Devils (26-8), who completed a final-month surge to the top of the ACC to claim a league-record 22nd championship.
Only now, it’s with the former Blue Devils player and assistant coach in charge.
Scheyer spent last year as the coach-in-waiting for Krzyzewski’s last Final Four run, assembled the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, then masterfully led that group through youthful ups and downs to enter the NCAA Tournament on a nine-game winning streak.
Yes, he said, the new players that arrived this year or returned from last year wanted to be part of Duke’s tradition. But it was also a leap of faith at a pivotal moment of change for the program, too.
“They believed in us and in me,” Scheyer said, “and obviously I felt that way about each of them.”
And it all had Scheyer soaking up the scene of celebrating fans from his midcourt-stage perch and basking in “a surreal feeling.” That includes becoming the first to win an ACC Tournament title as both a player and a coach in league history, and only the third first-year coach ever to claim the title.
Duke’s winning streak began after an overtime loss at Virginia in which a league-acknowledged officiating error cost the Blue Devils a chance to win in regulation. This time, Duke grinded its way through to the horn by leaning on a defense-first approach that Scheyer has pushed all season.
The Blue Devils held the second-seeded Cavaliers (25-7) to 33% shooting, with Virginia missing both contested and clean looks while committing nearly as many turnovers (12) as made shots (16).
“Their length and athleticism was real, and I think at times it sped us up,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “And we were at times a little bit uncharacteristic or a bit rushed. I think they sat down and guarded. We sat down and tried to guard hard, and there just wasn’t a whole lot there.”
The Blue Devils never trailed, leading by as many as 14 points and keeping the Cavaliers – playing a methodical pace and their own defensive-minded style – working to inch closer all night.
Reece Beekman scored 12 points for Virginia, which drew to within six on Isaac McKneely’s 3-pointer with 3:05 and five on Kihei Clark’s layup off a scramble with 1:07 left. Finally, Beekman pulled Virginia to within 53-49 on a driving layup around Filipowski with 44 seconds left.
But the Blue Devils didn’t wobble, hitting six straight free throws to clinch this one. Roach hit four of those, turning in a veteran’s composure on a freshman-laden team reminiscent of some of his big postseason moments during last year’s Final Four run.
Scheyer finally started to wave his arm to the Duke fans behind the bench for noise with freshman Mark Mitchell preparing to go to the line for the final free throws with 22.1 seconds left.
Moments later, Scheyer began exchanging handshakes and high-fives with his staff as Proctor began dribbling out the clock. The horn sounded and Proctor flung the ball skyward, screaming as the players began to mob each other for the first title in Duke’s new era.
BIG PICTURE
Duke: Offense had been the story for Duke through the first two games in the tournament, with the Blue Devils beating Pittsburgh and No. 14 Miami while averaging 90.5 points and shooting 58.7% and tallying 43 assists. Duke shot 42% this time, but the defense made Virginia work for everything.
Virginia: The Cavaliers were seeking their fourth ACC Tournament title and third under coach Tony Bennett, whose first title came here against Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils in 2014. After sharing the regular-season title with the Hurricanes, the Cavaliers beat North Carolina and Clemson to reach the final despite losing starting forward Ben Vander Plas to a season-ending injury on the eve of the tournament. That altered the rotation here in Greensboro, with Kadin Shedrick seeing more minutes inside, and it will force more adjustments for the NCAA Tournament ahead.
TIP-INS
Filipowski went scoreless in the controversial first meeting on 0-for-6 shooting. … McKneely added 10 points for Virginia, including a pair of 3-pointers. … Veteran Virginia point guard Kihei Clark struggled to six points on 1-for-9 shooting. … The Cavaliers’ 17 first-half points matched the lowest-ever output in any ACC final.
RAMEY LIFTS NO. 8 ARIZONA OVER NO. 2 UCLA FOR PAC-12 TITLE
LAS VEGAS (AP) Courtney Ramey made a 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds left to put Arizona in front and the eighth-ranked Wildcats beat No. 2 UCLA 61-59 on Saturday night in the Pac-12 championship game.
The Wildcats (28-6) boosted their case for a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA (29-5) still hopes to land the No. 1 seed in the West and return to Las Vegas in two weeks for the regional.
It was the second year in a row Arizona beat UCLA in the Pac-12 title game.
Arizona second-year coach Tommy Lloyd can’t lose in Las Vegas. He is 9-0 in this city, 8-0 at T-Mobile Arena and 6-0 in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Ramey’s 3-pointer put the Wildcats ahead 60-58. The clutch shot came after teammate Azuolas Tubelis missed a 3 that was rebounded by Pelle Larsson. He tossed to Ramey, who shook a defender and connected from the top of the key.
UCLA guard Tyger Campbell was fouled with 6.8 seconds left, and he made the first free throw but missed the second. Tubelis hit one of two free throws with 5.8 seconds to go, and UCLA’s Dylan Andrews missed a 3 at the buzzer to ensure Arizona’s victory.
Tubelis had 19 points and 14 rebounds for second-seeded Arizona. Oumar Ballo scored 13 points and Larsson had 11.
Amari Bailey led top-seeded UCLA with 19 points. Campbell scored 16 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bruins knew coming in they wouldn’t have guard Jaylen Clark (lower leg) or Adem Bona (shoulder), and their problems only mounted when two of Bona’s replacements in the post got into foul trouble.
Mac Etienne and Kenneth Nwuba each had four fouls in the second half, forcing coach Mick Cronin to play at least one of them. Etienne fouled out with 9:35 left and Nwuba with 4:27 remaining, meaning the Bruins had to play with a smaller lineup the rest of the game.
Arizona wasn’t completely healthy, either. Point guard Kerr Kriisa has been playing with a balky shoulder this tournament.
BIG PICTURE
Arizona: The Wildcats entered the game just 10 3-pointers behind their school record set in the 2010-11 season. But long-range shots didn’t fall for them against the Bruins until the end. Arizona went 6 of 20 from beyond the arc.
UCLA: The question is the health of Clark and Bona. Cronin won’t provide any information other than saying before the Pac-12 Tournament that Clark wouldn’t play. UCLA was easily the class of the Pac-12 this season, but not having those players was quite noticeable, especially against Arizona.
UP NEXT
Arizona: Likely will be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA: Almost certainly a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA tourney.
NO. 7 TEXAS ROLLS PAST NO. 3 KANSAS 76-56 FOR BIG 12 TITLE
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The players flooded off the Texas bench, right past interim coach Rodney Terry and to the middle of the court inside T-Mobile Center, where they couldn’t wait to get their hands on the trophy crowning them Big 12 champions.
After the season they had, who could blame them?
It began under the darkest of clouds with their high-profile coach, Chris Beard, fired following a domestic incident. Terry was given the job and the tall task of guiding the Longhorns through a grueling schedule, and what many have called one of the toughest conferences in college basketball history.
But after finishing second to Kansas in the regular season, the seventh-ranked Longhorns proved Saturday night they were champs in their own right, blowing out the third-ranked Jayhawks 76-56 in the Big 12 finals.
Dylan Disu overcame early foul trouble to score 18 points and was tournament MVP. Marcus Carr and Sir’Jabari Rice, who also landed on the all-tournament team, had 17 apiece. And just about everyone wearing burnt orange had a hand in shutting down the Jayhawks, who were trying to win a second straight tournament title.
“There probably hasn’t been a team challenged as much in terms of adversity or staying the course,” Terry said, his voice long gone hoarse. “There was no nights off. This tournament, we knew, was going to be tough as well, but we were excited about it, and these guys’ approach and their attitudes – they wanted to be champions, and they made it happen.”
After going more than two decades without a Big 12 tourney title, the Longhorns (26-8) have won two of the past three, and likely wrapped up a No. 2 seed in next week’s NCAA Tournament with their performance in Kansas City.
“You only take this win for one night,” said Brock Cunningham, who was on that 2021 title team that was then bounced in the first round of the NCAA tourney. “We’ll have this win tonight and then we’ll get back to work.”
The Jayhawks played once again without Hall of Fame coach Bill Self, who went to the emergency room on the eve of their quarterfinal for an undisclosed medical procedure. Self’s longtime assistant and acting coach, Norm Roberts, said afterward that he hopes to have Self back when they begin defense of their NCAA title next week.
Jalen Wilson scored 24 points and Joseph Yesufu, pressed into the starting lineup due to injuries, finished with 11 for the Jayhawks (27-7), who had won 13 of their previous 16 trips to the Big 12 finals.
The question now is whether the defending national champs did enough before Saturday night to earn the overall No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, and with it a favorable road through Kansas City in the regional round.
“Give Texas a lot of credit. They played really well,” Roberts said. “They’re very athletic; we knew that. Fast. They have some really good offensive players. I thought we did a good job early in the game, but then we missed a bunch of bunnies, easy shots and putbacks that could have kept us in the game, and then I think fatigue took over.”
Both teams were missing starters Saturday night due to injuries – Kevin McCullar Jr. for the Jayhawks, Timmy Allen for the Longhorns – yet there was still plenty of star power on display inside T-Mobile Center.
Wilson, the league’s player of the year, kept the Jayhawks afloat during a scattershot first half. He scored 17 points, more than half their total, while pounding the glass and even picking up a steal.
Texas, meanwhile, relied on depth and balance in forging a 39-33 halftime lead. It had to after losing Disu, a revelation in the previous two rounds, to a pair of fouls less than eight minutes into the game.
“Everybody on the court was doing their part,” Carr said later, “cutting, moving, knocking down shots.”
When Disu returned, the big man went right to work. He had a couple of baskets in the opening minutes, and a nearly five-minute drought by Kansas allowed the Longhorns to extend their lead to 53-41 with 12 minutes to go.
By that point, about 500 Texas fans sounded like 15,000. And about 15,000 Kansas fans were dead silent.
The knockout blow came moments later, when Disu’s baskets bookended one by Rice, and Arterio Morris added an ally-oop dunk. That pushed the Longhorns’ lead to 70-50 with 4 1/2 minutes to go, and while Roberts finally called a timeout to slow the onslaught, it came far too late to make a difference.
“I don’t think we really thought about the game was over at any point,” Rice said. “We just kept playing, and whatever the outcome was going to be when the buzzer sounded, that’s what we cared about.”
MISSING STARTERS
McCullar, the Jayhawks’ defensive dynamo, has been dealing with back spasms that flared up again during a semifinal win over Iowa State; he watched from the bench in sweats. The Longhorns were without Allen all tournament while the veteran leader rested a lower leg injury ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas shot 50% from the field but was especially good inside the arc – the Longhorns were just 4 of 17 on 3s. And rarely did they go more than a couple of minutes without a basket, preventing Kansas from getting its crowd into the game.
Kansas was forced to use some different lineups with McCullar out, playing freshman MJ Rice extra minutes. The Jayhawks rarely seemed in sync, and that was evident in Dajuan Harris Jr. turning the ball over an uncharacteristic four times.
UP NEXT
The Longhorns and Jayhawks are headed to the NCAA Tournament. They’ll learn Sunday night who, when and where they will play in the first round.
NO. 1 HOUSTON IN AAC TOURNEY FINAL AGAIN, BUT SASSER’S HURT
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) When Marcus Sasser crumbled awkwardly to the court after his feet slipped from under him while dribbling past midcourt, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson knew something was wrong even without really seeing what had happened.
“Marcus goes down, it means he’s hurt,” Sampson said. “We always say pain is an opinion. Some kids have a high opinion. Some kids have a low opinion. But Marcus doesn’t go down. He never misses practice, never misses a rep. He’s always there.”
Sasser, the American Athletic Conference player of the year, suffered an apparent groin injury with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half of the top-ranked Cougars’ 69-48 win over Cincinnati in their AAC tournament semifinal game Saturday.
Houston (31-2), which led throughout, was up by eight when Sasser got hurt and expanded that to 15 by halftime.
Sampson said Sasser would be re-evaluated, but indicated that the senior guard might not play when the two-time reigning regular-season champion Cougars try to win their third consecutive AAC tournament title against Memphis on Sunday.
“I would probably err on the side of holding him out because of how important next week is,” Sampson said. “But the most important thing is Marcus … his healthy going forward is the most important thing here.”
Jamal Shead had 16 points and nine assists for the Cougars in the AAC semifinal, which matched two teams that are moving to the Big 12 next season. J’Wan Roberts had two second-chance layups in the game’s first minute to put Houston ahead to stay. He finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Jarace Walker had 13 points.
“Just knowing that Marcus came out of the game and we still have teammates that we know that come off the bench and come with that same energy, it just shows a lot about our team,” Roberts said. “It just shows everybody has each other’s back and we never get away from what we’re doing, just staying together.”
Houston is a sure bet to be a No. 1 seed when the NCAA Tournament bracket comes out Sunday, no matter what happens in its fifth straight AAC Tournament championship game.
Landers Nolley II had 14 points for Cincinnati (21-12), which shot a season-worst 25.5% (13 of 51) from the field.
After 30 points for the Cougars on Friday, Sasser had four points in nine minutes against Cincinnati before the non-contact injury. He was dribbling between the conference logo and the 3-point line when his right foot appeared to slip, throwing him off-balance before his left foot slipped as well, sending him into an awkward split.
Sasser was a starter on the Cougars’ 2021 Final Four team but missed their run to the NCAA Elite Eight last year because of a broken bone in his left foot before Christmas. He didn’t talk to the media after the game.
Cincinnati was within 44-35 on a 3-point by Nolley with about 15 minutes left – the only time after halftime the Bearcats were within single digits. Shead then started a 17-3 run with a jumper, and had seven points in the spurt that pushed Houston’s lead to 61-38.
“Obviously, they’re the No. 1-ranked team in the country for a reason, and they’re a difficult team to score on,” Bearcats coach Wes Miller said. “It was a tough night for us, because we didn’t score and we didn’t defend well. So that’s how you get that kind of a lopsided margin.”
BIG PICTURE
Cincinnati: The Bearcats will miss the NCAA Tournament again, their last appearance being 2019, which was their ninth in a row. … For the second straight day, Cincinnati was down 10 points less than seven minutes into the game. But there would be no comeback like Friday’s 84-54 victory over Temple for the Bearcats’ largest-ever winning margin in a conference tournament game. Instead, they lost by more than 20 points for only the second time this season.
Houston: The Cougars bounced back from Friday’s season-worst shooting game (28.1% overall, 16 of 57). They nearly doubled that in the semifinal game, shooting 50.9% (29 of 57). … Houston is 11-0 in Dickies Arena, and still hasn’t lost away from home this season.
UP NEXT
Houston plays Memphis (25-8) in the tournament championship game Sunday. The winner gets the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth, but both will be make the 68-team NCAA field – like last year, when the Cougars beat the Tigers 71-53 for the AAC tournament title.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL WIRE:
March 12, 2023
- UCLA radio broadcast: Arizona fan yells at Cronin’s dad
- Ramey lifts No. 8 Arizona over No. 2 UCLA for Pac-12 title
- Grand Canyon beats Southern Utah 84-66 to claim WAC title
- No. 1 Houston, Memphis to scrap for AAC title
- Filipowski, No. 21 Duke beat No. 13 Virginia for ACC title
- US Santa Barbara beats Cal St Fullerton 72-62, wins Big West
March 11, 2023
- Carry scores 26, Kent State tops Toledo to win MAC tourney
- Florida Atlantic shatters UAB for trip to NCAA tourney
- No. 6 Marquette routs Xavier 65-51 to win 1st Big East title
- Iona secures 2nd straight NCAA Tourney bid beating Marist
- San Diego State beats Utah State for Mountain West title
- No. 7 Texas rolls past No. 3 Kansas 76-56 for Big 12 title
- Penn State primed to push No. 5 Purdue in Big Ten tourney title game
- No. 4 Alabama rolls into title showdown with No. 18 Texas A&M
- Jayhawks hope to have Bill Self back for NCAA title defense
- Memphis to another AAC final after 94-54 win over Tulane
- No. 1 Houston in AAC tourney final again, but Sasser’s hurt
- Texas Southern holds off Grambling to clinch automatic berth
- Pickett, Penn State beat Indiana 77-73 in Big Ten semis
- No. 18 Texas A&M beats Vandy to reach 2nd straight SEC final
- Dayton defeats Fordham 78-68 in Atlantic 10 semifinal
- Stansbury resigns as Western Kentucky coach after 7 seasons
- Wichita State fires Isaac Brown after 3 seasons
- Edey dominates, Purdue beats Ohio State in Big Ten semis
- Miller’s double-double leads No. 4 Alabama to SEC final
- No. 1 Houston’s Marcus Sasser injured in AAC tourney
- Princeton defeats Pennsylvania 77-70 in Ivy League semifinal
- Howard wins by point, heads to 1st NCAA tourney since 1992
- VCU wins 90-78 against Saint Louis in Atlantic 10 semifinal
- Arkansas AD apologizes for incident with Kentucky reporter
CURRY, WARRIORS RALLY PAST NBA-BEST BUCKS 125-116 IN OT
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Stephen Curry knocked down all the dazzling shots everybody has come to expect from him in crunch time night after night – and then a surprising block at the rim that mattered just as much or maybe even more.
Curry scored 36 points with 22 of those in the fourth quarter and overtime, shining in his first home game back from a long injury absence and leading the Golden State Warriors past the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks 125-116 on Saturday night.
Curry hit a tying 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in regulation, then blocked a layup attempt by Jrue Holiday in the closing moments.
“He came out of nowhere. Jrue had a straight line drive to the rim,” Draymond Green said.
The Warriors got the ball back with 1.9 seconds remaining and Curry inbounded to Green, who missed from deep though he thought for sure it was “cash.”
Holiday had put Milwaukee up on a 3 with 32.7 seconds to play and wound up with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. But the Bucks (48-19), playing without star Giannis Antetokounmpo, had their three-game winning streak snapped with just their second defeat in 21 games since Jan. 21.
“I loved this game. I thought we competed the entire time,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought we were really solid for most of the night.”
Curry’s 3 with 1:08 remaining in regulation got Golden State within 108-106. A steal by Klay Thompson on the other end moments later led to a tying layup by Curry before Holiday delivered.
“Overtime and fourth quarter, he got away from us a little bit,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Curry. “Some of them were high level.”
Thompson added 22 points, Donte DiVincenzo had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Warriors won at home for the seventh in a row and 11th in 12.
Curry loved making a difference on the defensive end.
“To hit a couple big shots down the stretch and then find yourself in a position where you can make a play on the other side, it gives everybody a good boost because it’s shocking,” Curry said. “I think I got more about that in the locker room than any shot I made tonight, which speaks for itself.”
Khris Middleton had 19 points and five assists, Bobby Portis contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds and Brook Lopez 19 points, seven boards and five blocks.
Bucks leading scorer and rebounder Antetokounmpo missed his second straight game with right hand soreness and third overall after sitting out March 7 with a non-COVID illness.
Golden State used a 16-4 burst out of halftime to go ahead 66-53 but the Bucks fought back to get within 80-77 heading into the fourth.
Green went down hard and limped to the locker room midway through the third quarter before returning with 38.7 seconds left. While cutting through the key, Green’s left foot got tangled with Holiday’s right leg and Green tripped and rolled his ankle.
While sore, “I will 100% expect to play,” Green said of Monday’s game with Phoenix.
Green finished with five points, 13 rebounds and nine assists and Golden State shot better from beyond the arc (41.8%) than it did inside (40.4%).
Curry returned March 5 at the Lakers from a left leg injury suffered Feb. 4 that sidelined him for 11 games. He played on the team’s three-game road trip.
DiVincenzo has learned that anything Curry lets fly has a chance.
“It’s super fun to watch,” he said. “Sometimes when it leaves his hand I’m like, ‘No way.’”
KLAY’S GIFT
Thompson presented soon-to-be 16-year-old Braulio Noriega with a birthday surprise: a custom-basketball wheelchair. Noriega had his left leg amputated from above the knee because of cancer as a 6-year-old.
The teen hopes to compete playing wheelchair basketball in college and eventually in his home country of Mexico.
“I can’t even describe how I felt,” an overjoyed Noriega said. “… There’s so much emotional energy from him.”
TIP-INS
Bucks: Milwaukee shot just 9 of 25 on 3s in the first half to 10 for 24 by the Warriors. Allen missed his initial five and shot 2 of 9 overall. … The Bucks managed just seven offensive rebounds to the Warriors’ 18.
Warriors: JaMychal Green scored 11 of his 18 points in the first quarter for Golden State making three 3-pointers. … Golden State had 33 assists – its 35th game with 30 or more to tie the Nuggets for most in the NBA. … G Moses Moody was recalled from the G League Santa Cruz Warriors and grabbed four rebounds in six minutes as the Warriors held a 65-48 advantage on the boards.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Visit Sacramento on Monday night riding a 13-game winning streak against the Kings.
Warriors: Host the Suns on Monday night having lost the last two in the series at home.
MAGIC BEAT HEAT IN OT, 126-114 DESPITE 38 POINTS BY BUTLER
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Wendell Carter Jr. had 27 points and 11 rebounds and the Orlando Magic bounced back from a fourth-quarter collapse to beat the Miami Heat 126-114 in overtime Saturday night.
Jimmy Butler scored 38 points for the Heat, including 15 in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter when Miami overcame a 15-point deficit. Butler’s 3-pointer at the buzzer of regulation sent the game to overtime.
But the Magic outscored Miami 18-6 in the extra session.
“Being able to withstand their run and shake back, after what they did late in the fourth and the buzzer-beater after they got all the momentum, that’s big-time for us,” said Jalen Suggs, who had 16 points and four steals for Orlando.
For Magic coach Jamahl Mosley, the win reminded him of the last Miami-Orlando meeting – a 107-103 Heat OT win on Feb. 11. Only this time, his young team found a way.
“I’m more proud of the fact that we were in the exact same scenario the last time we played them and we didn’t fold,” Mosley said. “We gained and learned from the experience from last time, and that shows the growth of a young team.”
The finish of the fourth quarter included a wild sequence during which Paolo Banchero’s foul on a 3-point attempt by Butler with 14.5 seconds left was overturned on replay. But Miami got the ball to Butler one last time, and he connected to tie the game.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” Butler said.
Banchero had 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Magic. Franz Wagner had 17 points and eight rebounds before leaving with an ankle injury early in the fourth quarter.
Heat guard Kyle Lowry played 36 minutes in his first game in more than a month, and did so without starting for the first time in more than a decade.
Lowry, who had 12 points and four assists, had missed 15 games with soreness in his left knee and his return was as a backup to Gabe Vincent. It was Lowry’s first time playing as a reserve since Jan. 26, 2013. He had started in each of his last 771 games, including 94 in the playoffs.
“It was great to be back with the guys,” Lowry said.
TIP-INS
Heat: Tyler Herro played 27 minutes, battling through food poisoning. … Miami lost C Cody Zeller in the first half after he collided with Orlando’s Jalen Suggs. Zeller needed stitches to repair a cut near his right eye and later it was determined he also broke his nose. … Zeller’s injury led to C Omer Yurtseven playing for the first time this season after missing much of the year with an ankle injury. … G Duncan Robinson (health and safety protocols) missed the game, as did F Caleb Martin (left knee soreness).
Magic: Carter returned after a three-game absence and was back in the starting lineup, leading Orlando to a 54-35 rebound advantage. … Orlando plays the Heat only once more this season on April 9 in the regular-season finale for both clubs, at Miami.
LATE TECH
Butler was called for a technical foul in the final seconds of overtime for leaving the floor early.
“I’m not going to get a fine and, league, you’re not even going to think about getting a fine,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, pointing straight to a camera in the postgame interview room, as if to underscore his point.
The Heat were upset with referee James Williams, especially after it seemed he ignored a request from Butler to talk about getting struck in the face.
“He got the last laugh on that one, the official did,” Spoelstra said.
UD’S FINALE
It was the 40th and, barring an unlikely playoff meeting, the final time Miami would visit Orlando with Udonis Haslem on the Heat roster. He’s retiring after the season.
UP NEXT
Heat: Host Utah on Monday.
Magic: Visit San Antonio on Tuesday.
TATUM’S 34 HELP CELTICS HOLD OFF HAWKS’ COMEBACK, 134-125
ATLANTA (AP) When the Atlanta Hawks wouldn’t give up their comeback bid late in the game, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said his Celtics survived because they were able to “navigate the chaos.”
It helped that the Celtics sank 20 3-pointers.
Jayson Tatum led a balanced attack by scoring 11 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics overcame Atlanta’s fourth-quarter comeback bid, beating the Hawks 134-125 on Saturday night.
“We are playing at the level we are supposed to be playing,” Tatum said. “We responded when we needed to.”
The Celtics opened a six-game trip by having six players score in double figures. Jaylen Brown had 24 points. Tatum added 15 rebounds.
“We were intentional about what we wanted to accomplish,” Mazzulla said after the Celtics strengthened their hold on the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Trae Young had 35 points and 13 assists for Atlanta, which could not maintain momentum following back-to-back wins at Washington. The Hawks remain eighth in the East.
With 1:25 remaining and Boston leading 129-121, Young and Marcus Smart had to be separated after the two were entangled and fell to the court under the Celtics’ basket. Smart was called for an initial foul before a lengthy review by the officials called both players for technical fouls and ejected Smart.
“I just saw them both kind of go down, definitely chirping at each other going down,” Celtics center Al Horford said. “We were all in there trying to do damage control.”
The officials’ crew chief, Sean Wright, told a pool reporter Smart was ejected “for the grab and takedown of Trae Young.” Wright said Young drew the technical foul “for getting up and pointing in Marcus Smart’s face.”
Young said he had “nothing much to say” about the skirmish. He made two free throws to cut the deficit to six points.
The Celtics, who had only nine turnovers with 35 assists, had an answer for every Hawks challenge. Boston made 20 of 42 3s while Atlanta made only 10 of 34.
Boston led by 16 at 60-44, but the Hawks rallied in the final period. Clint Capela’s tip-in cut Boston’s lead to 108-103 with 8:06 remaining. Boston still led by only five points before Smart’s 3-pointer stretched the advantage to 117-109.
Young’s 3-pointer again pulled Atlanta within 119-114 before Horford answered with a 3 for Boston and Tatum’s layup extended the advantage to 10 points.
“I feel like in the last couple of games we’ve been very conscious of taking advantage of our possessions,” Horford said. “We had some adversity there but as a group … we have to keep moving and we did that.”
LOOKING FOR DEFENSE
Quin Snyder has stressed defense, including against 3-pointers, since he was named Atlanta’s coach on Feb. 26.
“If a team is going to make 20 3s in a game, it is tough to beat them,” Snyder said. “… It is something we continue to talk about and continue to work on and it is the end result of not staying in front of the ball.”
SELLOUT
Boston was welcomed to Atlanta by a strong turnout of fans wearing green in the sellout crowd of 17,884.
30-10 DOUBLE-DOUBLE (AGAIN)
Young has 10 games this season with at least 30 points and 10 assists, the most by any player in the Eastern Conference. His 61 career games with those totals are the seventh-most in NBA history.
TIP-INS
Celtics: C Robert Williams (strained left hamstring) missed his fourth consecutive game. PG Payton Pritchard (left heel) missed his second straight game. … Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White each had 18 points.
Hawks: G Bogdan Bogdanovic (back tightness) was held out. … Dejounte Murray had 14 points, his fourth game under 20 points in his last five.
UP NEXT
Celtics: Visit Houston on Monday night.
Hawks: Host Minnesota on Monday night.
LAVINE SCORES 36 POINTS, BULLS BEAT ROCKETS 119-111
HOUSTON (AP) Zach LaVine scored 36 points and DeMar DeRozan added 27 as the Chicago Bulls used a huge run in the fourth quarter for a 119-111 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
The Bulls trailed by four points midway through the fourth before going on a 13-0 run for a 115-106 lead with two minutes remaining.
DeRozan, who had seven rebounds and five assists, scored the first four points in the run and LaVine scored the next four. LaVine’s second basket in that span came on an alley-oop from DeRozan, and former Rocket Patrick Beverley capped the run with a 3-pointer.
“The biggest thing is I felt like there was some resolve there,” coach Billy Donovan said. “We got stops when we needed to get stops … we just didn’t discouraged. We didn’t back away. We didn’t get emotionally dejected.”
It’s the second straight victory for the Bulls, who got 18 points and 11 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic and 16 points and 10 rebounds from Beverley. LaVine had nine rebounds and five assists.
Rookie Jabari Smith Jr. had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Western Conference-worst Rockets, who dropped their third in a row.
“It was tough out there,” LaVine said. “It was a track meet. Guys out there were tired. They’re better than what their record says. And they’ve got a lot of guys over there that can make shots. So you’ve got to really play them and they’re going to make you beat them.”
Houston’s Kevin Porter Jr. was disappointed that the Rockets let the game get away from them late.
“We’ve just got to focus,” he said. “We lost our focus on the defensive end and offensive end and it came to bite us. We definitely had that game and a lack of focus kind of (got) us at the end.”
Houston led by nine points early in the fourth quarter before Chicago scored the next nine points to tie it at 98 with 8 ½ minutes to go. Andre Drummond scored the first six points in that stretch and DeRozan capped it with a three-point play.
The Rockets got their first points in almost three minutes on a basket by Jalen Green after that. He was fouled on the play and missed the free throw, but Smith grabbed the rebound and finished with a dunk to make it 102-98.
The Rockets led by a point at halftime and the teams stayed close through most of the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Vucevic got Chicago within one with about three minutes left in the quarter, but Houston scored the next six points to make it 87-80 a minute later.
LaVine made two free throws after that before the Rockets used an 8-2 run, with 3s from Tari Eason and Kevin Porter Jr., to extend the lead to 95-84.
LaVine had a three-point play near the end of the third to get the Bulls within 95-87 entering the fourth.
Houston led by as many as 13 points early, but the Bulls cut the lead to 55-54 by halftime.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Drummond had 11 points and five rebounds. … Chicago made 15 3-pointers. … Alex Caruso, who played in college at nearby Texas A&M, had five points and and three steals.
Rockets: Houston made 16 of 34 3-pointers. … Green had 18 points and seven assists. … Eason had 12 points off the bench. … Alperen Sengun had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. … Kenyon Martin Jr. scored 16 points.
BOOST FROM BEVERLEY
LaVine believes that Beverley has given the Bulls a boost in the seven games since he signed with his hometown team after agreeing to a buyout with the Orlando Magic after a trade from the Lakers.
“He gets us going and you can see how much he cares,” LaVine said. “He cares about winning. He cares about his teammates. So we definitely needed somebody like that. You can see the impact he makes on the game every night.”
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host Boston on Monday night.
Bulls: Host Sacramento on Wednesday night.
NBA WIRE:
March 12, 2023
- Blazers, Pelicans meet in game with play-in implications
- Hornets seek to shore up defense in first of two against Cavaliers
- Curry, Warriors rally past NBA-best Bucks 125-116 in OT
- Kings use late run, stellar bench to push past Suns 128-119
- Gilgeous-Alexander scores 35, Thunder top Pelicans 110-96
March 11, 2023
- Roddy leads fourth-quarter rally as Grizzlies beat Mavericks
- LaVine scores 36 points, Bulls beat Rockets 119-111
- Tatum’s 34 help Celtics hold off Hawks’ comeback, 134-125
- Lowry back for Heat, comes off bench for 1st time since ’13
- Magic beat Heat in OT, 126-114 despite 38 points by Butler
- Horton-Tucker scores 37 points as Jazz top Hornets 119-111
- Smith leads Pacers to 121-115 win over short-handed Pistons
- Bucks star Antetokounmpo misses 3rd game in row, hand sore
- Leonard scores 38, leads Clippers to 106-195 win over Knicks
- Streaking Sixers still not satisfied with Wizards ahead
- Nuggets look to keep the faith in clash vs. Nets
- Russell scores 28 points in return, Lakers beat Raptors
- Butler scores 33, Heat rally to topple Cavaliers 119-115
- Bridges scores 34 points, Nets outlast Timberwolves in OT
NHL
BRUINS FASTEST EVER TO 50 WINS, CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH
BOSTON (AP) The Boston Bruins’ T-shirt factory is struggling to keep up with all the milestones the team is cruising past on its way to the Presidents’ Trophy.
“Fifty wins, it’s amazing,” said forward A.J. Greer, who was wearing a shirt commemorating Patrice Bergeron’s 1,000th NHL point while discussing Boston’s 50th win of the season, a 3-2 victory over Detroit on Saturday.
The Bruins became the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season, earning their spot when the Capitals beat the Islanders 5-1 on Saturday night. Boston’s win also made it the fastest team to 50 wins in NHL history.
“I love playing for this team,” Greer said after assisting on Garnet Hathaway’s game-winner with six minutes left. “I love wearing the Bruins logo and especially with the results, it’s been an amazing journey so far. But we’re not really focused on anything right now besides playing the right way for 60 minutes every night.”
Hathaway gathered in a rebound and poked it in to break a third-period tie as Boston rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Detroit and improve to 50-9-5 on the season. The 50 wins in 64 games broke the record of 66 set by the 1995-96 Red Wings and matched by the 2018-19 Lightning.
“Congrats to us then, I guess,” said goalie Linus Ullmark, who stopped 30 shots. “But we focus on the process, and our process is what’s important.”
The Bruins were already the fastest NHL team ever to earn 100 points.
“Fifty wins is great. And it’s kind of a testament to how hard this team has continued to work throughout the year,” Hathaway said before the team headed to Detroit for a rematch with the Red Wings on Sunday. “But I think guys want 51, you know? Guys are excited to play this team tomorrow already.”
After blowing a two-goal lead and losing 3-2 to Edmonton on Thursday night, snapping a 10-game winning streak, the Bruins fell behind 2-0 on Saturday before the game was 5 minutes old. But Hampus Lindholm and Bergeron scored 88 seconds apart in the second period, when Boston had the first 12 shots on goal and an 18-2 edge in shots in all.
Hathaway broke the tie in the third scored to avert what would have been the Bruins’ first back-to-back losses at home this season.
“We never want to lose two in a row. We showed that today,” Ullmark said. “We came out a little slow. They came out hot as well. Give them credit, they really came here to play in that first period and we were just weren’t ready for it.
“But we took a breather in between the first and second, and we told each other we’ve got to ramp it up a little bit. And then we absolutely dominated them in the second.”
Magnus Hellberg made 35 saves for Detroit, which snapped a six-game losing streak by beating Chicago on Thursday. Andrew Copp scored a short-handed goal in the second minute of the first period, and Alex Chiasson also scored to give the Red Wings a 2-0 lead just 4:32 in.
Lindholm scored with seven minutes gone in the second, and the Red Wings appeared to respond quickly. But Dylan Larkin’s goal was taken off the board because he had smacked the stick out of David Krejci’s hands seconds earlier.
Instead, Bergeron tied it on the power play, deflecting a pass from Jake DeBrusk through Hellberg’s legs. It stayed that way until Hathaway tallied his 10th of the season and his first since arriving in Boston before the trade deadline from the Washington Capitals.
UP NEXT
The teams play again in Detroit on Sunday.
LIGHTNING BEAT BLACKHAWKS 3-1; STAMKOS INJURES LEFT LEG
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Brayden Point scored his second goal of the game with a minute left and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 on Saturday night after losing captain Steven Stamkos to a leg injury. Point broke a tie with a one-timer from between the circles that beat Petr Mrazek. He has a career-high 43 goals. “He’s been the straw that stirred the drink many nights,” coach Jon Cooper said about Point. “He and Kuch (Nikita Kucherov) have such chemistry and they’re a dynamic group together. Just look at the play they made at the end on the winning goal. You put Point in that spot and more often than not he’s going to finish.” Brandon Hagel, acquired from Chicago in a trade on March 18, 2022, hit the empty net with two seconds remaining.
The Lightning lost Stamkos, their career leader in goals and points, late in the first period with a left leg injury after he got tangled up with Chicago forward Joey Anderson and both players fell to the ice. Stamkos skated off the ice, holding his leg, and did not return. “I think he’s going to be OK,” Cooper said. “We just kept him out for precaution. We’ll check him out tomorrow, but we’re hopeful he will be OK.” It was the second gut-wrenching loss in as many nights for the Blackhawks, who were beaten 4-3 in overtime by Florida on Friday night.
“It’s heartbreaking because I really felt our guys put it all out there tonight,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. “I thought we controlled the pace of the game. I thought we had some really good chances in the third after we scored; we got some momentum there. But they’re a good team.”
Point opened the scoring at 6:21 of the second period, picking up his own rebound and lifting it past Mrazek. “Guys give it to me in good spots, that’s definitely for sure,” Point said. “I’m trying to shoot and sometimes it’s a numbers game. The more you shoot, the better chance you have to score.” Taylor Raddysh, acquired by Chicago in the trade for Hagel, tied it at 5:23 of the third period. Cole Guttman chased down the rebound of Tyler Johnson’s shot behind the net and centered for Raddysh, who snapped a shot past Brian Elliott for his career-high 17th goal. All three players had connections to the Lightning. Raddysh and Johnson played for Tampa Bay; Guttman, a sixth-round pick in the 2017 draft by the Lightning, signed with Chicago last summer as a free agent. “The guys were pumped to play here tonight,” Richardson said. “I think they all played very well.” Elliott finished with 23 saves, helping the Lightning beat the Blackhawks for the eighth straight time. Mrazek made 34 saves for the Blackhawks, the NHL’s lowest-scoring team.
“Overall, I thought our game was pretty good,” Johnson said. “I thought we had a lot of chances, and Mrazek was unbelievable and kept us in it.”
Neither team generated much offense in the scoreless first period. The best chance came in the final minute, when Mrazek stopped Tampa Bay’s Alex Killorn on a 2-on-1 short-handed rush. “We got better as that game went on,” Cooper said. “We were pretty sleepy in the first period. Because of that we weren’t executing, but as the game went on we got better. The big boys came in, made some plays at the end and we pulled it out.” Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay’s top defenseman, returned after missing two games with an upper-body injury. DOMINATING
The Lightning are 19-1-1 in their past 21 games against Chicago, and 14-1-0 in the last 15 regular-season games at Amalie Arena since the start of the 2009-10 season. BACK-TO-BACK STRUGGLES The Blackhawks fell to 1-6-1 in their past eight games overall, and they dropped to 1-10-1 in the second of back-to-back games. UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Host Boston on Tuesday night.
Lightning: Host Winnipeg on Sunday night
NHL WIRE:
March 12, 2023
- Andrei Kuzmenko scores twice, Canucks beat Senators 5-2
- Matt Duchene scores shootout winner, Predators top Kings 2-1
- Wild beat Sharks 5-2, extend point streak to 12 games
- Heiskanen scores in OT to lift Stars to 4-3 win over Kraken
- Red Wings have another shot at record-setting Bruins
March 11, 2023
- Maple Leafs score 4 in 2nd period, down McDavid’s Oilers 7-4
- Hischier leads Devils to 3-1 win over Canadiens
- Quick posts first shutout with Knights, beats Hurricanes 4-0
- Lightning beat Blackhawks 3-1; Stamkos injures left leg
- Kuemper stops 17 shots, Capitals beat Islanders 5-1
- Kyrou scores hat trick as Blues beat Blue Jackets 5-2
- Mark Scheifele scores in OT, Jets beat Panthers 5-4
- Cale Makar scores in OT to lift Avalanche past Coyotes, 3-2
- Bruins fastest ever to 50 wins, clinch playoff berth
- Panarin scores in OT, Rangers beat Sabres 2-1
- Crosby’s goal powers Penguins past Flyers, 5-1
- Capitals re-sign Trevor van Riemsdyk to $9M, 3-year deal
- Comtois, Grant rally Ducks to 3-1 win over Flames
- \
NFL NEWS
BUD GRANT, STOIC COACH OF POWERFUL VIKINGS TEAMS, DIES AT 95
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Bud Grant, the stoic and demanding Hall of Fame coach who took the Minnesota Vikings and their mighty Purple People Eaters defense to four Super Bowls in eight years and lost all of them, died Saturday. He was 95.
The Vikings announced Grant’s death on social media.
“No single individual more defined the Minnesota Vikings than Bud Grant. A once-in-a-lifetime man, Bud will forever be synonymous with success, toughness, the North and the Vikings,” owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf said in a joint statement distributed by the team. “In short, he was the Vikings.”
Wearing his trademark purple Vikings cap and a stone-faced demeanor, Grant displayed a steely sideline gaze that became synonymous with his teams. He was a mainstay among coaches of his era, a decorated group that included Don Shula, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, John Madden and Hank Stram. Grant, however, had little interest in accolades.
“The only reason I can see for a head coach getting credit for something good is that he gets so much blame when something is bad,” Grant once said. “The whole secret, I think, is to not react to either the good or the bad.”
He guided the Vikings from 1967-85, with a one-year hiatus in 1984, on his way to a 158-96-5 record with 11 division championships in 18 seasons. He went 10-12 in the playoffs. When he retired, Grant was eighth on the NFL’s all-time victory list.
“There are so many adjectives appropriate to describe Coach Bud Grant: legendary, determined, successful. Underneath his outwardly stoic demeanor that some misunderstood as a coldness laid the warm heart of a man who truly loved his players and the sport of football,” Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said.
After replacing another Hall of Famer, Norm Van Brocklin, Grant assembled the revered defensive line dubbed the Purple People Eaters. The line – whose motto was “Meet at the quarterback” – was joined by a powerful offense that helped Minnesota reach the Super Bowl in 1970, the final edition of the big game before the AFL-NFL merger.
The heavily favored Vikings fell 23-7 to Kansas City, setting a tone for the infamous run of title game losses to Miami, Pittsburgh and Oakland from the perceived lesser conference following the 1973, 1974 and 1976 seasons.
“If you’re going to succeed, survive is maybe a better word,” Grant said during his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech in 1994 in Canton, Ohio. “You’ve got to handle losing. You die every time you lose, but you’ve got to get over it.”
An avid outdoorsman who spent many an offseason on fishing trips in Alaska or hunting expeditions in Arizona, Grant also was a successful coach in the Canadian Football League who became the first person elected to the Hall of Fame in both the CFL and NFL. He won four league championships during his 10 years in Canada.
Harry Peter Grant Jr. was born on May 20, 1927, in Superior, Wisconsin, and given the nickname Bud by his mother. He overcame a bout with polio as a child and became a three-sport high school star. He learned early about the coaching business after enlisting in 1945, and played on a team at the Great Lakes naval station outside Chicago run by Paul Brown, who would go on to a Hall of Fame career as an NFL coach, executive and owner.
From there, Grant played football, basketball and baseball at the University of Minnesota, a nine-time letterman who was drafted by both the NBA and NFL. He pursued basketball first, playing two seasons for the Minneapolis Lakers and winning a title with them in 1950.
But it was football where Grant truly excelled, first for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was second in the NFL with 56 receptions and 997 yards in 1952, before a contract dispute steered him to Winnipeg in the CFL. After starring as a two-way player for the Blue Bombers, once snagging five interceptions in a playoff game, he became their coach and took them to six Grey Cup games — winning the title in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962. Grant won 102 games as a CFL coach.
That sparked interest from the Vikings, who lured him back across the border in 1967. With such stars as Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Alan Page, Paul Krause and Ron Yary – all Pro Football Hall of Famers – Grant led the Vikings to 10 Central Division crowns in 11 seasons.
Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s late father, Jim Klobuchar, was a newspaper reporter who closely covered those Vikings teams. She said in a statement released by her office that “no name loomed larger” in her house growing up than Grant’s.
“I remember answering the phone as a young kid to silence on the other line, save for maybe the grunted word ‘Jim,’” Klobuchar said. “That meant it was Bud calling my dad back for the postgame story, regardless of the outcome.”
Disciplined to the core and insisting on sharp mental focus, Grant went so far as to have his players practice standing at attention during the national anthem. He infamously took the Vikings outdoors in the frigid winter for workouts and banned sideline heaters during games at Metropolitan Stadium.
On Jan. 10, 2016, when the Vikings staged the coldest game in franchise history in the first round of the playoffs against Seattle, at the university’s outdoor stadium while their building was being built, Grant served as an honorary captain. He strolled out for the pregame coin flip in a Vikings cap and a purple short-sleeved polo shirt, looking ready for a round of golf in defiance of temperatures of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 25 with the wind chill.
Grant retired after the 1983 season, replaced by Les Steckel, whose fiery approach was the opposite of his calm predecessor and went 3-13. Grant returned for one season, a 7-9 finish, before longtime offensive coordinator Jerry Burns was promoted to the top job.
Though Grant was done with coaching then, his influence on his team and city remained. Grant continued living in the same suburban home he bought upon his 1967 arrival, in Bloomington less than 10 miles from Metropolitan Stadium. He became an ambassador of sorts for the Vikings in the community, sometimes lending his voice in the lobbying effort to replace the Metrodome, where the team played from 1982-2013.
He went on hunting and fishing trips with friends and family as often as possible. On one particularly harrowing visit to hunt in Canada in 2015, Grant’s pilot safely belly-flopped a twin-engine plane after the landing gear and dashboard instruments failed.
Grant showed more of his softer side, too. At the university’s return to on-campus football, at TCF Bank Stadium in 2009, the Gophers named him and eight other former players an honorary captain. His face shook and his eyes welled as fans cheered his name in the pregame ceremony.
There were also Grant’s famous garage sales, where he gave autographs to those who bought at least $25 worth of his items, including memorabilia from his playing and coaching days and even used outdoors equipment. For the 2017 three-day event, there were custom-made bobblehead dolls in his likeness available for purchase. Grant would sit in a chair outside his home and sign for a nonstop line of admirers, some coming from overseas to look through the old coach’s stuff.
The Vikings maintained a spacious office for him at their suburban headquarters, continuing to list him as a consultant on all team directories. Whenever a new coach or executive was hired, Grant was usually one of the first people the Vikings made sure to introduce.
“Bud was one of the first people to warmly greet me when I walked through the doors of this facility. I didn’t realize at the time I would be so blessed to build a close friendship with him over the next year,” current Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “Bud was gracious with his time, meeting in his office weekly to discuss football and life. I will forever cherish those conversations because they made me a better coach, a better husband and father and a better person.”
When he turned 95 on May 20, 2022, the team organized a Zoom call for him and several of his former players. Jim Marshall led the group in the virtual “Happy Birthday” singalong.
He is survived by his partner, Pat Smith, six children, 19 grandchildren and, as of 2021, 13 great grandchildren. His wife of 59 years, Pat, died in 2009. One son, Mike Grant, built a powerhouse football program at Eden Prairie High School, a 15-minute drive from his father’s house, winning 11 state championships in a 22-year span from 1996-2017.
NFL WIRE:
March 11, 2023
- Saints tight end Johnson agrees to 2-year extension
- Shaq Thompson restructures contract to remain with Panthers
- New Saints QB Carr embracing chance to ‘reinvent’ himself
- Bud Grant, stoic coach of powerful Vikings teams, dies at 95
- Bud Grant, stoic Hall of Fame coach who took Minnesota Vikings to 4 Super Bowls, dies at 95, team announces
BASEBALL
SCHWARBER’S 3-RUN HOMER SENDS U.S. PAST BRITAIN IN WBC
PHOENIX (AP) Kyle Schwarber launched a three-run homer, Nolan Arenado had three hits and two RBIs, and the United States overcame a slow start to beat Britain 6-2 on Saturday night in the World Baseball Classic opener for both teams.
Trayce Thompson put Britain up 1-0 in the first inning with a homer off Adam Wainwright that just cleared the left-center wall. Thompson – who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers – is one of the few players on Britain’s roster with big league experience.
Thompson’s drive briefly put a damper on the mood for the crowd of 39,650 at Chase Field, but the Americans weren’t down long.
The U.S. grabbed a 2-1 lead in the third and then broke the game open in the fourth on Schwarber’s shot that landed in the stands near the swimming pool that sits behind the right-center fence at Chase Field.
In Tokyo, Shohei Ohtani had another RBI double, 21-year-old right-hander Roki Sasaki reached 100 mph 21 times in 66 pitches and Japan beat the Czech Republic 10-2 on Saturday night to clinch a quarterfinal berth.
Shugo Maki hit his second home run of the tournament and new Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida had three RBIs, including a go-ahead, two-run double in the third inning off loser Ondrej Satoria as the Samurai Warriors overcame a 1-0 deficit.
Ohtani went 1 for 3 with a walk before a crowd of 41,637 in the Tokyo Dome, leaving for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. He is 5 for 10 with three doubles, four RBIs and five walks for Japan (3-0), which has one more group game and will host a quarterfinal on Wednesday or Thursday. He also has pitched four scoreless innings.
Sasaki struck out eight in 3 2/3 innings and got the win. He allowed an unearned run, two hits and two walks.
Sasaki threw the 16th perfect game in Japanese major league history in April, then pitched eight perfect innings in his next start before being pulled after 102 pitches. He went 9-2 with a 2.02 ERA for the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines last year, striking out 173 in 129 1/3 innings.
In the opener, Rixon Wingrove had four RBIs as Australia (2-0) won in a 12-2 rout of China (0-3) in a game shortened to seven innings by the 10-run mercy rule.
In Group B at Taichung, Boston’s Yu Chang hit a tiebreaking, second-inning grand slam that lifted host Taiwan (2-1) to a 9-5 win over the Netherlands (2-1), and Panama (2-2) won 2-0 over Italy (1-2).
In the first game of Group C in Phoenix, Colombia beat Mexico 5-4 in 10 innings when Jorge Alfaro scored on an error by shortstop Luis Urias.
Also, Puerto Rico beat Nicaragua 9-1 and Venezuela topped the Dominican Republic 5-1 in Miami.
UNITED STATES 6, BRITAIN 2
PHOENIX (AP) – Wainwright gave up one run and five hits over four innings for the win. Kyle Freeland allowed one run in three innings of relief, and David Bednar struck out the side in the ninth.
Former big league pitcher Vance Worley gave up two unearned runs over 2 2/3 innings for Britain. Thompson, who tied his career high with 13 homers last season for the Dodgers, finished with two hits.
VENEZUELA 5, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1
MIAMI (AP) – Luis Garcia struck out seven in three hitless innings and Venezuela tagged NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara to beat the Dominican Republic.
The game drew an electric crowd of 35,890.
Anthony Santander homered off Alcantara in the second. The Miami Marlins ace allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in 3 2-3 innings for a team many consider the WBC favorite.
David Peralta hit a two-run single in the fourth and added an RBI double in the sixth to make it 4-1. Santander tripled and scored on a single by Eugenio Suarez in the eighth.
The Dominican Republic threatened in the eighth when Wander Franco singled and World Series MVP Jeremy Peña walked. But Santander made a diving catch on Jeimer Candelario’s flyball to right field and Francisco Mejia struck out.
Juan Soto hit an RBI double in the first to give the Dominican Republic a 1-0 lead.
Jose Altuve, Luis Arraez, Salvador Perez and Andres Gimenez all had hits for Venezuela.
José Ruiz got two outs for the win. Garcia followed with a dominant performance.
COLOMBIA 5, MEXICO 4, 10 INNINGS
PHOENIX (AP) – The back-and-forth game saw Mexico take a 1-0 lead in the fourth on an RBI single by Isaac Paredes.
Colombia tied the game in the top of the fifth and then took a 3-1 lead on a two-run homer by Reynaldo Rodriguez. Mexico’s Randy Arozarena responded with his own two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 3-all.
The game was tied at 4 going into extra innings. In the 10th, Gustavo Campero hit a grounder that Urias couldn’t handle, which allowed Alfaro to score. Guillermo Zuñiga retired Mexico in order in the bottom of the 10th to seal the win. Jesus Cruz took the loss.
JAPAN 10, CZECH REPUBLIC 2
TOKYO (AP) – Japan’s pitchers struck out 16 in all.
The Czechs went ahead in the first when Marek Chlup doubled and scored on shortstop Takumu Nakano’s throwing error.
Ohtani struck out with two on in the third, but Japan went ahead as Yoshida doubled and scored on a single by 2015 Central League MVP Tetsuto Yamada.
Lars Nootbaar had an RBI single in the fourth as Japan opened a 7-1 lead. Kenduke Kondoh and Ohtani hit consecutive run-scoring doubles, and Ohtani stole third and scored on Yoshida’s sacrifice fly.
Yuki Udagawa and Hiroya Miyagi finished a four-hitter. Miyagi threw 68 pitches over five innings and struck out the final five Czech batters,
AUSTRALIA 12, CHINA 2
TOKYO (AP) – Wingrove hit a three-run double off loser Xin Qi in the first inning and added an RBI single in a five-run fourth as the Southern Thunder opened a 10-2 lead.
Robbie Glendinning hit his second homer of the tournament, a two-run drive in the fourth against Weiyi Wang.
Winner Kyle Glogoski allowed one hit in 2 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and three walks. Coen Wynne pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings and Todd Van Steensel threw a perfect seventh as four pitchers combined on a five-hitter.
China scored twice in the fourth when Jie Cao hit his second double on the game, Luke Wilkins threw a run-scoring wild pitch and Jinjun Luo had an RBI single.
PANAMA 2, ITALY 0
TAICHUNG, Taiwan (AP) – Jose Ramos homered off loser Michele Vassalotti leading off the second inning and scored on Allen Cordoba’s seventh-inning single against Sam Gaviglio. Ramos is hitting .313 (5 for 16).
Italy put runners at the corners in the ninth when Javy Guerra walked Dominic Fletcher leading off and Brett Sullivan singled, but John Valente struck out and Nicky Lopez hit a comebacker that Panama turned into a game-ending double play.
Winner Harold Araúz allowed two hits in four scoreless innings, and Humberto Mejía, Alberto Baldonado and Guerra finished a five-hitter.
TAIWAN 9, NETHERLANDS 5
TAICHUNG, Taiwan (AP) – Chang homered off Derek West after Li Lin’s tying RBI single against loser Lars Huijer. Chang hit a two-run homer in the 11-7 victory over Italy and is 6 for 12 with seven RBIs in the tournament.
Winner Tzu-Peng Huang gave up two runs – one earned – and two hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Didi Gregorius had two RBIs for the Netherlands, including a first-inning RBI single, and Xander Bogaerts went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts and two walks.
Tsung-Che Cheng’s run-scoring single and Kun-Yu Chiang’s sacrifice fly boosted the lead in the third, and Chieh-Hsien Chen made it 8-2 with an RBI triple in the fourth.
Ray-Patrick Didder homered for the Dutch, who got RBI singles from Juremi Profar – Jurickson’s brother – and Wladimir Balentien. The Netherlands closed to 8-5 in the eighth before Chia-Hao Sung retired Chadwick Tromp on an inning-ending flyout with a man on.
PUERTO RICO 9, NICARAGUA 1
MIAMI (AP) – Francisco Lindor scored twice and hit an RBI single as Puerto Rico won its 2023 WBC debut.
Lindor singled and scored in the first inning.
Elian Miranda hit a homer off starter Marcus Stroman in the fifth to tie it at 1. Puerto Rico retook the lead in the bottom half with a five-run inning against JC Ramirez.
Lindor and Javier Baez both drove in runs in the fifth, Kike Hernandez scored and MJ Melendez hit a two-run single to give Puerto Rico a 6-1 lead.
Puerto Rico added to its lead with a three-run seventh when Emmanuel Rivera scored on a fielding error and Christian Vázquez added a two-run single.
Vázquez had two hits, a pair of RBIs and scored once. Nicholas Padilla got the win for Puerto Rico.
SOUTH KOREA 7, CZECH REPUBLIC 3
TOKYO (AP) – Ha-Seong Kim of the San Diego Padres hit two solo homers for South Korea on Sunday.
Winning pitcher Se Woong Park struck out eight in 4 2/3 innings. South Korea improved to 1-2 in Group B and will play winless China in its final group game. The Czechs are also 1-2.
St. Louis Cardinals infielder Tommy Edman had a two-run single for South Korea. Kim’s homer in the sixth made it 6-0.
Matej Mensik put the Czech Republic on the board with a two-run double in the seventh. Kim hit his second homer of the game in the bottom half.
GOLF
SCHEFFLER HOLDS 2-SHOT LEAD THROUGH ROUND 3 OF PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler won early, holing a chip from deep rough for eagle on the par-5 second hole at The Players Championship to win a bet against his caddie on the number of times the Masters champion chips in during the season.
The bigger payoff was the way Scheffler navigated 26 holes on Saturday — eight in the morning to finish the rain-delayed second round, 18 in the afternoon when the TPC Sawgrass was as soft and vulnerable as it gets — for a 7-under 65 to build a two-shot lead over Min Woo Lee of Australia.
Still to come: A chance for Scheffler to capture another big prize against a strong field, return to No. 1 in the world and cash a $4.5 million winner’s check.
“I would much rather win the tournament than get back to No. 1 in the world,” Scheffler said. “So that will be my focus going into tomorrow, just going out and having a solid round of golf.”
Scheffler capped his long day with what amounted to a two-shot swing.
Lee, the younger brother of U.S. Women’s Open champion Minjee Lee, took three putts from 70 feet on the fringe at the 18th hole on the TPC Sawgrass for a 66. Scheffler, in the final group behind him, hit the ideal approach to the right side of the green and rode the slope to 10 feet for one final birdie.
He was at 14-under 202, and no one else from the top 10 in the world is within seven shots of him at the strongest field of the year.
Scheffler knows enough about Lee, who narrowly got into The Players, and the TPC Sawgrass to realize 18 final holes can feel like a long rollercoaster ride.
Lee holed out for eagle from 131 yards on the first hole and stayed with Scheffler stride-for-stride, and occasionally leading, until the end.
Lee only got into The Players Championship two weeks ago when he narrowly stayed in the top 50 after the Honda Classic. He made news on Thursday when he suffered a cramp on his tee shot at the 15th hole. And now he’s in the final group with the Masters champ.
“Tomorrow could be the biggest day of my life, but I’m going to go out there and have fun again,” Lee said. “It’s been the motto for the last three months. … I’m just out here enjoying my time, and like I said, I just crept into this tournament and making the most of it and soaking it all in.”
Cam Davis of Australia had a 67 and was four shots behind, followed by a group five back that included Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai of England, who made a hole-in-one on the 17th. It was the first time the island green has yielded two aces in the same week. Chad Ramey made one in the opening round.
Jon Rahm, the current No. 1 and three-time winner this year, withdrew before the second round with a stomach ailment. Rory McIlroy had a chance to get back to No. 1, but he missed the cut with rounds of 76-73.
Storms kept half the field from finishing on Friday. Scheffler returned at 7 a.m. with eight holes to play, made a pair of birdies to get within two-shots of 36-hole leader Adam Svensson and then swapped turns at the top with Lee most of the day.
Tom Hoge set the record on the Players Stadium Course when he holed a 10-foot putt for his 10th birdie of the round and a 62.
And to think Hoge had a flight booked home to the Dallas area for Saturday afternoon. He opened with a 78, bounced back with a 68 and figured his 2-over total would still not be enough when the second round finished Saturday morning.
The biggest help came from Luke List. He was short of the par-5 ninth green in three, some 40 feet from the hole. Get up-and-down for par and the cut would be 1 over and 11 players would have missed the cut. He made double bogey. Hoge was among those who got in. And he took it from there, missing only two greens and converting all the important putts.
Hoge now is at 8 under, six shots out of the lead.
“I finished yesterday afternoon actually and woke up this morning to watch the scores for a few hours there, and that was all over the place,” Hoge said. “So I just felt fortunate to have tee time this morning. Just tried to go out and make as many birdies as I could.”
He didn’t know it was a course record until he signed his card.
Svensson, meanwhile, made birdie on his final hole of the second round after hitting into a hospitality tent next to the ninth. That gave him a 67 and a two-shot lead, and he started with a birdie. But it got sideways quickly, particularly when he made a mess of the 14th and took triple bogey. He shot 75 and fell eight back.
Lee has plenty at stake. A two-time winner on the European tour, he can earn PGA Tour status with a win, and a decent finish is likely to move him high enough in the world ranking to get in the Masters. There’s also that small matter of a $4.5 million payoff to the winner.
“Sawgrass is scary,” he said. “There’s a lot of times where people have faltered and you don’t want to be one of those. But as long as you can control your emotions and go out there and have fun — which I did — it was fun playing really good golf.”
MEN’S GOLF WIRE:
March 11, 2023
March 10, 2023
- Spieth gets amazing break, McGreevy gets wrong record score
- Jon Rahm out of Players Championship with stomach illness
- Nacho Elvira finishes strong to lead Kenya Open by 1 shot
TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES
GAME REWIND: PACERS 121, PISTONS 115
All season long, the Indiana Pacers have boasted one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. That strength proved the difference in the Motor City on Saturday.
Despite both teams missing several key players, multiple Pacers (31-37) made the most of their enhanced minutes as the Blue & Gold earned a 121-115 win over the Detroit Pistons (15-53) at Little Caesars Arena.
The teams were tied at 90 going into the fourth quarter before the Pacers’ Jalen Smith, off the bench, scored 11 points early in the final frame to spur a 10-2 run that led to his team’s win. In the final 4:26 of play, the Pistons didn’t get any closer than seven points of the lead.
Smith finished with a game-high 20 points to go with nine rebounds while Isaiah Jackson, in a starting role for Myles Turner, who was out with a sore lower back, had season-highs in points (19) and rebounds (11). Pacers rookie Andrew Nembhard recorded 19 points and eight assists and Buddy Hield finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
Other Pacers who scored in double figures included Oshae Brissett and Jordan Nwora, who recorded 11 points each.
Despite having a much different looking bench rotation, the Pacers’ reserves outscored the Pistons second unit 54-47 in the game.
“Everybody stepped up, everybody played the role they had to play, everybody had a factor in this win,” Smith said.
Before the game tipped off, the injury report for both teams was long.
Indiana was without four key players in Detroit, as Turner, All-Star starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton (bruised left knee), point guard T.J. McConnell (sore back) and rookie standout Bennedict Mathurin (right ankle sprain) all didn’t suit up. All of the players, minus Mathurin, who left Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets with his injury, were announced out on Saturday.
Jackson got the start in place of Turner and Chris Duarte started for Haliburton.
While most of their injury report was unchanged from earlier in the week, the Pistons were without seven players due to injuries or illnesses, including Cade Cunningham, Bojan Bodganovic, Alec Burks, Isaiah Stewart and Jaden Ivy. Ivy was a late scratch due to health and safety protocols.
Detroit has now lost 11 straight games and continues to have the worst record in the NBA.
With the win, Indiana is just a half game back from the final Play-In Tournament spot. The top six teams in the Eastern Conference will automatically make the playoffs while seven through 10 will make the Play-In.
After trading the lead seven times in the first five minutes of the game, the Pacers used an 11-5 run – coming from five different scorers – to lead 28-19 with 2:21 left in the first quarter. Jackson came out with a hot hand, scoring nine points in the first 10 minutes and pulling down a pair of rebounds.
A floater and a 3-pointer from Nwora pushed the Pacers’ lead to 33-22, but in the final 29 seconds of the first quarter R.J. Hampton and Eugene Omoruyi both drained shots from behind the arc to narrow it to 35-30.
Two minutes into the second quarter, the Pistons used a 7-0 run to retie the game at 37 on four points by Jalen Duren and a three from Cory Joseph.
However, the Pacers responded in a big way.
Indiana used runs of 11-2 and 9-2 to retake the lead and go up 59-47 with 4:35 left in the half. During those stretches, Smith scored five points and Brissett had four.
The Pacers didn’t trail the remainder of the half.
Four minutes into the third quarter, the Pistons outscored the Pacers 24-8 to retie the game.
Out of the break, the Pistons came out on fire: going on a 13-2 run – led by two 3-pointers from Rodney McGruder, one from Isaiah Livers and four points by Killian Hayes – to cut it to 71-68.
After tying the game at 77, on another Livers 3-pointer, two 3-pointers by Hield helped the Blue & Gold back to the lead at 86-79 with six minutes left in the third quarter.
A 9-1 Pistons gave them the lead back at 88-87 and the teams were deadlocked at 90 going into the fourth quarter.
In the third quarter, the Pacers made just 8 of 28 field goals while getting outscored 33-21.
The teams traded the score four times before a basket by Smith, free throws by Brissett and a 3-pointer from Nwora put the visitors up 103-99. A 3-pointer by Smith then gave the Pacers some more room at 108 with seven minutes remaining.
Out of a timeout, baskets by George Hill, James Johnson and Brissett extended the lead to 114-103 by the 4:26-mark.
Seven Pistons scored in double figures. Livers scored a career-high 18 points, Hayes finished with 17 points and 13 assists and Duren totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds.
These two teams will meet again in less than 48 hours, as the Pacers will play again in Detroit on Monday. Indiana leads the season series 2-0.
“I want to see our young guys go out and do this again,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “I want to see them go out and play the same kind of game knowing that Detroit is going to make adjustments and it’s going to be a little bit like a mini playoffs series.”
Postgame, Carlisle said the injured players that missed Saturday’s game won’t play Monday.
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers finished with 26 second-chance points, one point shy of matching their season high.
Indiana was two offensive rebounds short of matching a season high in that stat category.
Nwora has scored in double figures in eight straight games. He has played in all 10 games since being acquired via a trade in February.
Johnson recorded season-highs in minutes (21:42), field goals made (four), rebounds (five) and assists (three).
The entire Pacers starting lineup finished with negative +/- but the entire bench was positive.
Indiana shot 46.2 percent and Detroit shot 45.7 percent from the field. Detroit made 11 3-pointers and the Pacers drained nine.
Jackson recorded his fourth double-double of the season.
You Can Quote Me On That
“I thought our young guys played exceptionally well. I loved the way (Andrew) Nembhard ran the team. (Chris) Duarte did not shoot the ball great but he was playing the right way and he was doing some good things defensively. Isaiah Jackson did a good job in the third quarter, especially playing without fouling. We had a lot of guys that had really good nights. Jalen Smith was great. Our veteran guys were terrific. James Johnson had a really nice game and Geroge Hill was great too. The effort was really terrific. Proud of the guys.” – Carlisle on the win
“These guys had been playing short minutes, and at times longer stretches, but this (was) a great opportunity for them. They’re both approaching it the absolute right way. We know these guys have this kind of ability.” – Carlisle on Smith and Jackson stepping up when given increased minutes
“He just had a really nice pulse on the game tonight. His shooting looks really good. He just plays the game the right way and he understands the game. He understands his teammates and he puts his teammates in a position to succeed.” – Carlisle on Nembhard
“I just try to let the game come to me. I knew I had big ball-handling responsibilities tonight. I just wanted to put guys in good positions as well as be aggressive myself to make that happen easier.” – Nembhard on his performance
“It meant a lot to me. My family was hyped about it as well. It was a lot of emotions coming in, but I don’t really feel pressure. I just went out and did my thing. My family being here, and being from here, gave me some confidence too.” – Jackson on winning in his home state and city
“With this group of guys, there was no pressure for anybody. We’re all hoopers. We all ball.” – Jackson on the team stepping up with key players out
Stat of the Night
The Pacers outrebounded Detroit 58-42 (18-12 offensive) in the game, falling one board short of their season-high of 59 rebounds set on Oct. 22…against the Pistons.
Noteworthy
Indiana has put out 22 different starting lineups this season.
With Mathurin missing his first game, Hield is the only Pacer to have played in all 68 games this season.
Jackson, a Michigan native, played high school basketball in Detroit and was the state’s top recruit in 2020. He said he had around 60 family members in attendance during the game.
The Pacers lead the all-time regular season series against the Pistons 107-100.
Tickets
The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, March 18 at 7:00 PM ET.
FUEL FALL TO WALLEYE ON SATURDAY
INDIANAPOLIS – The Fuel hosted the Walleye on Saturday for Wizard Night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. In a close battle that remained tied for most of the game, the Walleye ultimately came away with the 2-1 win.
1ST PERIOD
The first five minutes of the game flew by but at the 6:36 mark of the first period, Indy’s Jared Thomas took a slashing penalty giving the Walleye their first power play opportunity.
While they did not score on the power play, just ten seconds after it ended, Toledo’s Joseph Nardi netted the first goal.
About halfway through the frame, Sam Craggs sat for tripping and shortly after that penalty was killed, the Fuel’s Chris Cameron took a five minute boarding call but Indy was able to kill it all off without giving up a goal.
At the end of the first period, Toledo was outshooting Indy 14-7.
2ND PERIOD
Four minutes into the second period, the Walleye’s Gordi Myer took a hooking call that led to a power play goal for Indy. Alex Wideman was credited with the goal, however it was Toledo’s Charlie Curti who tapped it in behind his own goaltender.
At 6:11, Fuel captain Keoni Texeira took an interference penalty quickly followed by a tripping call to Nardi. Both penalties were killed off.
A few minutes later, Nardi was sent to the box again, this time for cross-checking. After that penalty was killed off, time ticked down on the period with both teams having a few good chances but not scoring. They would head into the third period tied at one.
While the Fuel posted seven shots like they did in the first, they held the Walleye to just four shots.
3RD PERIOD
Just ten seconds into the final frame, Chase Lang took a two minute hooking penalty that the Fuel were able to kill off.
It was Toledo’s Simon Denis who broke the tie, scoring from the blue line to make it 2-1.
The Fuel had a few more good chances to tie the game up but time quickly turned on them. With two minutes left, they took a timeout and pulled Driscoll from net for the extra skater.
While the Fuel dominated those two minutes, it was not enough and Indy fell to Toledo 2-1.
The Fuel return to Indiana Farmers Coliseum next week on Friday, March 17 to face the Toledo Walleye again for All You Can Eat Night.
AODHAN QUINN’S STOPPAGE TIME PENALTY HELPS ELEVEN EARN POINT FROM SEASON OPENER
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Saturday, March 11, 2023) – The marquee match-up of the USL Championship’s opening night slate did not lack for drama, as Indy Eleven midfielder Aodhan Quinn’s 96th minute penalty kick conversion helped Indiana’s Team claim a hard-earned point via a 1-1 draw with the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium.
Claims for penalty kicks were a common theme throughout the match, starting in the first minute when Rowdies midfielder Charlie Dennis appealed for a point to the spot after going down inside the Eleven area, but received a yellow card for diving instead. After a flurry of Eleven corner kicks inside the first 10 minutes went wanting, the Rowdies indeed got their wish for a spot kick when Eleven defender Jesus Vazquez’s arm made contact with a shot in the 19th minute. However, Indy goalkeeper Yannik Oettl made a big one-handed save across his body as he dove to his right to thwart Cal Jennings’ PK attempt, keeping the proceedings scoreless.
The sides traded chances just after the half hour mark, starting when former Boy in Blue Connor Antley saw his low near post attempt stopped by a lunging Oettl, who also alertly pounced on the rebound. On the other end a minute later it was Oettl’s counterpart Phil Breno stepping up with back to back saves for the Rowdies, first stopping Jack Blake’s low rocket before getting a touch to Jonas Fjeldberg’s follow up on the spilt rebound. Oettl intervened one more time to close out the half, darting off his line to make a sliding tackle on a through ball just outside of his area to stop a 1-v-1 opportunity and keep the score at 0-0 heading into the halftime break.
Indy Eleven captain Sebastian Guenzatti was active against his former side, and he rued a missed opportunity in the 57th minute when his heavy touch forward of Solomon Asante’s square ball inside the area allowed Breno to gather. On the next attack downfield the home side moved the scoreboard first through Jake Areman, who redirected Sebastian Dalgaard’s back post ball across the frame of goal to push the Rowdies to a 1-0 lead.
A choppy second half saw few chances from there on out, with the bulk of Indy’s looks coming from set pieces that couldn’t test Breno, while counter attacks by Tampa failed to put Oettl into further action. Four minutes deep into six minutes of stoppage time it was Guenzatti pressing the issue to help earn Indy’s penalty attempt, as Forrest Lasso held up, then hauled down the Indy captain to earn the equalizing chance for the visitors. It was the veteran Quinn who stepped up to the spot, and the newcomer coolly finished low with his left foot, sending Breno the wrong way and sending home the Eleven with a justified point from an even affair.
Following a second away affair to start the season at Detroit City FC on Saturday, March 25 (4:00 p.m., live on ESPN+), Indy Eleven will kick off the home portion of its USL Championship campaign on Saturday, April 1, when the Boys in Blue welcome Las Vegas Lights FC for a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff in the Circle City.
Single-game tickets for all home games at IUPUI Carroll Stadium along with 17-game Season Ticket Memberships, specially-priced group tickets, and an increased portfolio of hospitality options are available for purchase now via indyeleven.com/tickets or by calling 317-685-1100 during regular business hours (Mon.-Fri., 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
USL Championship Regular Season
Tampa Bay Rowdies 1: 1 Indy Eleven
Saturday, March 11, 2023
Al Lang Stadium – St. Petersburg, Fla.
Indy Eleven: 0W-0L-1D, 1 pt.
Tampa Bay Rowdies: 0W-0L-1D, 1 pt.
Scoring Summary:
TBR – Jake Areman (Sebastian Dalgaard) 57’
IND – Aodhan Quinn (penalty kick) 96+’
Discipline Summary:
TBR – Charlie Dennis (caution) 2’
TBR – Aaron Guillen (caution) 27’
TBR – Sebastian Dalgaard (caution) 38’
IND – Jack Blake (caution) 63’
IND – Juan Tejada (caution) 89’
TBR – Forrest Lasso (caution) 94+’
Indy Eleven line-up (4-3-3): Yannik Oettl; Gustavo Rissi (Bryam Rebellon 60’), Jesus Vazquez, Adrian Diz Pe, Younes Boudadi; Aodhan Quinn, Cam Lindley (Harrison Robledo 84’), Jack Blake; Jonas Fjeldberg (Juan Tejada 68’), Sebastian Guenzatti, Solomon Asante
Tampa Bay Rowdies (3-5-2): Phil Breno; Aaron Guillen, Forrest Lasso, Jordan Doherty; Sebastian Dalgaard, Zach Herivaux, Charlie Dennis, Lewis Hilton (Yann Ekra 9’) (Freddy Kleeman 85’), Connor Antley (Jake Areman 45’); JJ Williams (Ariel Martinez 86’), Cal Jennings (Deyonn Harris 76’)
INDIANA FALLS AGAINST PENN STATE IN B1G TOURNAMENT
CHICAGO – Mike Woodson glared. Boy, did he glare. Indiana was giving up open Penn State 3-pointers and layups at a Big Ten tourney-ruining pace, and the coach had enough.
Woodson called a first-half timeout, delivering tough coaching with a stare that would have backed up a grizzly from 30 yards. Trayce Jackson-Davis got the first rant, the remaining Hoosiers followed.
The result — open looks vanished along with Penn State’s long-range accuracy. Potential blow-out defeat became Cream ‘n Crimson possibility.
A tone was set. The third-seeded Hoosiers (22-11) would fight to the finish.
And so, they did, losing 77-73 after shaving off 14 points of a 15-point deficit in the closing minutes.
“We had to fight to get back in it,” Woodson said. “We didn’t have enough to close it.”
The defeat cost IU a Sunday, title-game shot at top-seeded Purdue (28-7), a team it swept during the regular season. Instead, it will spend Selection Sunday awaiting its second straight NCAA tourney opportunity.
“It’s our intensity,” Jackson-Davis said. “We have to be more intense on the ball. Late in the game, we had that. If we had that the whole game, it would have been a different outcome.”
It’s a lesson that, if learned, could produce a long NCAA tourney run.
“I have to get them to understand that you have to commit for 40 minutes,” Woodson said. “It can be a second that can cost you a tournament victory.
“They have to figure it out when they’re on the floor. There’s no magical pill to give them when they’re struggling. We competed, we just didn’t compete for 40 minutes. We fell short. We’ll regroup and get ready for NCAA Tournament play.
One thing is certain – unlike last year, there will be no First Four trip to Dayton.
“We’ll be prepared,” guard Tamar Bates said. “We’ve seen every part of a season. We went through a lot of adversity and came back from it. We have some time to get ready get our bodies right. We’ll be ready to go.”
IU lost a Big Ten tourney semifinal cliffhanger for the second straight season, a follow up to last year’s last-second loss to Iowa. It meant Jackson-Davis and fellow seniors Race Thompson and Miller Kopp wouldn’t win a Big Ten title.
“I put all the heat on me,” Woodson said. “I’ve got to get them over the hump. This is two years in a row we’re game from playing for a Big Ten title. I’ve got to help them more.
“Not to get a Big Ten championship for them is disappointing for me.”
Containing Penn State’s three-point shooters was a top priority. The No. 10-seeded Nittany Lions hit 18 of them in the first meeting. On Saturday, they hit eight, six more than the Hoosiers.
“They have a good team,” Bates said. “One through five can shoot the three-ball.”
Jackson-Davis led IU with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Bates came off the bench for 14 points and three assists. Jalen Hood-Schifino had 11 points. He missed a trying three-pointer in the closing seconds.
“He had a good look,” Woodson said. “He just didn’t make it.”
Bates scored one more point than he had in his previous five games combined.
“I just try to help the team win,” he said. “The coaches instill confidence in me. My teammates believe in me. They know when I provide a spark off the bench, that makes us that much better of a team.”
Jalen Pickett led Penn State (22-12) with 28 points.
“Trayce is special,” Nittany Lions coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “For us to play this way against this caliber of team, I’m really proud of our guys.”
IU opened with offensive and defensive ferocity — hitting six of its first nine shots with a 10-0 edge in points in the pant while holding Penn State to 1-for-6 shooting. That produced an early 12-6 lead.
The Nittany Lions responded with a three-point-sharp-shooting-fueled 13-0 run for a 19-12 lead. Kopp ended it with a jumper after that intense Woodson timeout session.
Still, Penn State hit its fifth three-pointer to surge ahead 28-16 with six minutes left in the half.
Thompson electrified the crowd with a spectacular one-handed dunk via a Bates pass that cut the lead to eight. A Jackson-Davis basket cut it to six before IU reached halftime trailing 34-26.
The Hoosiers’ 20-8 points-in-the-paint advantage was negated by Penn State’s 15-0 three-point edge.
Penn State built a pair of early 10-point, second-half leads. Bates came off the bench to shoot IU within three. A Kopp jumper got the Hoosiers within a point at 42-41. A Jackson-Davis dunk got them within a point. Another dunk tied the score at 47-47 with 10 minutes left.
The Nittany Lions followed with a 7-0 run and rebuilt their 10-point lead as the clock ticked under five minutes, then boosted it to 15 two minutes later.
IU closed within 10, then seven, then five, then four behind fierce full-court defensive pressure and attack offense. Hood-Schifino completed a three-point play. Bates hit his second three-pointer. Jackson-Davis dunked and tipped in a basket. Trey Galloway made a layup.
IU trailed 74-73 with 17.7 seconds left. Penn State closed it out with three straight free throws.
The Hoosiers’ focus instantly turned to the NCAA tourney.
“We believe in each other,” Bates said. “We believe in our coach. We believe in the staff. Even though we took a tough one, we’ll get our stuff right and be ready to compete.”
TOP-SEEDED PURDUE ADVANCES TO BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
CHICAGO (AP) — Zach Edey knew what he needed to do just just about every time he touched the ball. After all, he had just one man trying to defend him in the paint.
The star center took over and led the Boilermakers to the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
Edey had 32 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 5 Purdue beat Ohio State 80-66 in the conference semifinals on Saturday.
“There’s kind of like a point halfway through the first half when one of our coaches, P.J. (Thompson), kind of came up to me, this is just one of those days you’ve got to get 30” he said. “So I just kind of stuck with it. I executed the game plan. I just tried my best to score the ball every time I touched it.”
The top-seeded Boilermakers (28-5) started to take control late in the first half and cruised into the conference final for the second straight year. They will meet the winner of semifinal matchup between No. 19 Indiana and Penn State on Sunday.
Purdue is seeking its second tournament title to go with the one it captured in 2009. It will try to become the first No. 1 seed to win since 2019.
Edey, the Big Ten Player of the Year, dominated down low with the Buckeyes mostly guarding him one on one.
“There’s legendary Hall of Fame coaches that don’t believe in doubling the post because they don’t want to be in rotations and they don’t like the rebound balance,” coach Matt Painter said. “But you’ve got to mess with him in some capacity.”
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said the plan actually was to help on Edey. It just didn’t work out for a variety of reasons, whether the rotations weren’t quick enough or he caught the ball closer to the basket than the Buckeyes would have liked.
“We were trying to trap him,” Holtmann said. “We just couldn’t get there. He got it too deep a couple times, more than a couple times. Their ability, they do a great job obviously getting him the ball, but also he just plants in the paint and you can’t move him. He just plants there, and he’s immovable. Sometimes they’ll do some ball screen actions, but it’s too hard to get him out of the paint.”
Brandon Newman scored 15 and Braden Smith added 14 points as the Boilermakers won their fourth in a row.
Roddy Gayle Jr. led Ohio State (16-19) with a career-high 20 points, 16 in the first half. The freshman made 5 of 6 from long range.
“Just being able to see him grow over these past couple weeks, just how fast he’s been able to pick up on stuff and he’s been able to get to it, especially during this Big Ten tournament,” Justice Sueing said. “It shows the growth and progression he was able to make but also what’s to come. Roddy is going to be a great player for Ohio State University.”
Sueing had 15 points. Leading scorer Brice Sensabaugh missed his second game in a row because of a sore knee, and the Buckeyes came up short after winning five of six following a nine-game losing streak.
TAKING CONTROL
It was 61-55 when Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton missed a pull-up jumper with just over five minutes left. Edey grabbed the rebound and made two free throws before Smith drove for a layup to bump the lead to 10.
Edey scored 17 in the first half to help Purdue grab a 42-34 lead.
With Gayle hitting his five 3-pointers, the Buckeyes took to a 29-21 lead even though they were playing their fourth game in as many days. But Purdue outscored them 13-3 over the final 3:51.
Edey made two free throws and scored in the paint to put Purdue on top 33-31 before Gayle answered with a 3. But the Boilermakers reeled off the final nine points of the half.
BIG PICTURE
Ohio State: The Buckeyes came on strong late in the season after struggling in a big way.
Purdue: With one of the best players in the country in Edey, the Boilermakers hope to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The question is whether his teammates will make enough shots.
TOP-SEED BOILERMAKERS BATTLE PENN STATE IN BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SUNDAY
GAMEDAY INFO
Sunday, March 12, 2023 | 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT
[1] Purdue (28-5) vs. [10] Penn State (22-12)
Chicago, Illinois | United Center (20,917)
TELEVISION: CBS | RADIO: Purdue Sports Network
ANNOUNCERS: Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, Tracy Wolfson
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• After securing its fourth win in a row overall, the No. 5-ranked and top-seeded Purdue basketball team looks for its first Big Ten Tournament title since the 2009 tournament when it faces a surging Penn State team. The Boilermakers are making their second straight championship-game appearance, their fourth in the last seven tournaments and sixth title-game appearance overall.
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Penn State by a 45-13 advantage, including a 29-6 record under head coach Matt Painter. Purdue has defeated the Nittany Lions twice this year (76-63 at The Palestra on Jan. 8; 80-60 in Mackey Arena on Feb. 1). Purdue has won six meetings in a row against Penn State, and 15 of the last 16 meetings.
• Purdue played Rutgers (Jan. 2), Ohio State (Jan. 5) and Penn State (Jan. 8) in three straight games earlier this year. It will do the same this weekend.
• Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry was an assistant coach under Matt Painter for two different stints during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, and then again during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. Shrewsberry was the offensive coordinator under Painter in his 2nd stint.
• Zach Edey became Purdue’s fifth Big Ten Player of the Year in school history, joining Caleb Swanigan (2017), JaJuan Johnson (2011), Glenn Robinson (1994) and Steve Scheffler (1990) as recipients. Edey became the fifth player in Big Ten history to win the league scoring title, be a conference champion and win POY honors (Swanigan, Evan Turner, Robinson, Jim Jackson).
• Purdue is 57-13 since the start of last season. The 57 wins over a two-year span are tied for the most in school history. Since the start of last year, Purdue’s 57 wins lead the Big Ten by 12 victories (Iowa – 45).
• Purdue’s 11 quad-1 wins (at the time of the printing of these notes) are tied for the third-most nationally, while its 11-4 quad-1 record is the best among teams that have played at least 11 games. Meanwhile, Purdue’s 18 quad-1 and quad-2 wins combined are tied for second nationally behind Kansas’ 21 quad-1 and quad-2 wins.
• Purdue is 16-5 against KenPom top-50 teams, the most wins in the country against top-50 teams (Kansas is 2nd – 14).
• Zach Edey became the fourth player in the last 30 years to accumulate at least 700 points, 400 rebounds, 50 blocks and 40 assists in a season (Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton – 2017-18; Utah’s Andrew Bogut – 2004-05; Kansas’ Drew Gooden – 2001-02).
• Zach Edey moved past Caleb Swanigan (2016-17) for third on the school’s career double-doubles list with 37 after a 32-point, 14-rebound game.
• Zach Edey has seven 30-10 games this season, tied for the most for a major-college player in the last 20 years (Marvin Bagley, Kevin Durant). Prior to this season, Purdue had seven combined 30-10 games since the 1994-95 season (Glenn Robinson – 10 in 1993-94).
• Zach Edey is seventh nationally in scoring (22.1 PPG) and second in rebounding (12.8). He is one of five high-major players over the last 25 seasons to rank in the top 10 in both categories (Luke Harangody, Michael Beasley, Kevin Durant, Troy Murphy).
• Purdue is now 6-0 in neutral-site games, including 5-0 in NBA arenas (Gonzaga, Duke, Davidson, Rutgers, Ohio State). Purdue’s 14 wins away from Mackey Arena are the most for a power-conference team in the country and third overall (Houston, Iona – 15).
• Braden Smith has become the fourth freshman in Big Ten history to have at least 330 points, 140 rebounds and 140 assists in a season joining Michigan State’s Magic Johnson (1978), and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell (2015) and JaQuan Lyle (2016).
• Purdue’s freshman duo of Fletcher Loyer (367) and Braden Smith (331) have combined for 698 points, the third-highest freshman scoring duo in school history (2008 Robbie Hummel, E’Twaun Moore – 813 points; 2013 A.J. Hammons, Ronnie Johnson – 709 points).
• Purdue is in search of its fourth No. 1 seed in school history, previously earning the No. 1 seed in 1988, 1994 and 1996. In addition, Zach Edey is the leader to earn consensus National Player of the Year accolades. The last time Purdue earned a No. 1 seed, it was led by its last consensus National Player of the Year recipient, Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson.
SPORTS EXTRA
NBA STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Milwaukee | 48 | 19 | .716 | — | 28-6 | 20-13 | 8-4 | 29-14 | 8-2 | 1 L | ||
| 2 Boston | 47 | 21 | .691 | 1.5 | 26-9 | 21-12 | 9-4 | 29-16 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 3 Philadelphia | 44 | 22 | .667 | 3.5 | 25-10 | 19-12 | 7-6 | 25-15 | 7-3 | 4 W | ||
| 4 Cleveland | 42 | 27 | .609 | 7.0 | 28-7 | 14-20 | 12-3 | 26-14 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 5 Brooklyn | 38 | 29 | .567 | 10.0 | 19-12 | 19-17 | 7-8 | 26-18 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 6 New York | 39 | 30 | .565 | 10.0 | 19-16 | 20-14 | 8-8 | 28-17 | 7-3 | 3 L | ||
| 7 Miami | 36 | 33 | .522 | 13.0 | 22-13 | 14-20 | 9-5 | 19-23 | 4-6 | 1 L | ||
| 8 Atlanta | 34 | 34 | .500 | 14.5 | 18-14 | 16-20 | 7-8 | 21-23 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 9 Toronto | 32 | 36 | .471 | 16.5 | 20-13 | 12-23 | 4-9 | 20-21 | 5-5 | 3 L | ||
| 10 Chicago | 31 | 36 | .463 | 17.0 | 18-15 | 13-21 | 6-8 | 23-22 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 11 Washington | 31 | 36 | .463 | 17.0 | 15-17 | 16-19 | 7-5 | 18-23 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 12 Indiana | 31 | 37 | .456 | 17.5 | 19-16 | 12-21 | 6-5 | 21-19 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 13 Orlando | 28 | 40 | .412 | 20.5 | 16-19 | 12-21 | 5-8 | 15-28 | 4-6 | 1 W | ||
| 14 Charlotte | 22 | 47 | .319 | 27.0 | 11-21 | 11-26 | 7-9 | 13-31 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 15 Detroit | 15 | 53 | .221 | 33.5 | 8-27 | 7-26 | 0-12 | 6-35 | 0-10 | 11 L | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Denver | 46 | 21 | .687 | — | 30-5 | 16-16 | 10-5 | 32-13 | 7-3 | 2 L | ||
| 2 Sacramento | 40 | 26 | .606 | 5.5 | 21-13 | 19-13 | 8-6 | 27-14 | 8-2 | 3 W | ||
| 3 Memphis | 40 | 26 | .606 | 5.5 | 28-5 | 12-21 | 8-2 | 22-19 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 4 Phoenix | 37 | 30 | .552 | 9.0 | 22-11 | 15-19 | 9-2 | 24-16 | 7-3 | 1 L | ||
| 5 LA Clippers | 36 | 33 | .522 | 11.0 | 18-15 | 18-18 | 6-7 | 20-21 | 5-5 | 3 W | ||
| 6 Golden State | 35 | 33 | .515 | 11.5 | 28-7 | 7-26 | 5-8 | 22-18 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 7 Minnesota | 34 | 34 | .500 | 12.5 | 20-16 | 14-18 | 8-7 | 25-20 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 8 Dallas | 34 | 34 | .500 | 12.5 | 22-13 | 12-21 | 8-4 | 25-20 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 9 LA Lakers | 33 | 34 | .493 | 13.0 | 18-15 | 15-19 | 4-9 | 19-22 | 7-3 | 3 W | ||
| 10 Utah | 33 | 35 | .485 | 13.5 | 20-13 | 13-22 | 5-8 | 21-22 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 11 New Orleans | 32 | 35 | .478 | 14.0 | 21-12 | 11-23 | 8-4 | 21-18 | 3-7 | 1 L | ||
| 12 Oklahoma City | 32 | 35 | .478 | 14.0 | 20-15 | 12-20 | 7-7 | 19-23 | 4-6 | 1 W | ||
| 13 Portland | 31 | 36 | .463 | 15.0 | 17-15 | 14-21 | 5-8 | 21-19 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 14 San Antonio | 17 | 49 | .258 | 28.5 | 11-22 | 6-27 | 2-10 | 7-34 | 3-7 | 1 W | ||
| 15 Houston | 15 | 52 | .224 | 31.0 | 9-24 | 6-28 | 3-9 | 9-35 | 2-8 | 3 L | ||
Eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.
X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference
NHL STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 x-Boston Bruins | 64 | 50 | 9 | 5 | 105 | 48 | 242 | 137 | 27-3-3 | 23-6-2 | 9-1-0 | |
| 2 Carolina Hurricanes | 64 | 43 | 13 | 8 | 94 | 39 | 217 | 162 | 23-8-2 | 20-5-6 | 7-3-0 | |
| 3 New Jersey Devils | 65 | 43 | 16 | 6 | 92 | 41 | 232 | 177 | 18-12-2 | 25-4-4 | 7-2-1 | |
| 4 Toronto Maple Leafs | 65 | 40 | 17 | 8 | 88 | 40 | 223 | 175 | 24-6-4 | 16-11-4 | 7-3-0 | |
| 5 Tampa Bay Lightning | 66 | 39 | 21 | 6 | 84 | 37 | 231 | 203 | 24-5-5 | 15-16-1 | 3-4-3 | |
| 6 New York Rangers | 65 | 37 | 19 | 9 | 83 | 33 | 215 | 183 | 17-11-4 | 20-8-5 | 4-5-1 | |
| 7 Pittsburgh Penguins | 65 | 33 | 22 | 10 | 76 | 32 | 214 | 208 | 18-9-5 | 15-13-5 | 6-3-1 | |
| 8 New York Islanders | 68 | 34 | 26 | 8 | 76 | 34 | 196 | 187 | 20-12-3 | 14-14-5 | 6-3-1 | |
| 9 Florida Panthers | 67 | 33 | 27 | 7 | 73 | 31 | 229 | 226 | 19-10-4 | 14-17-3 | 6-3-1 | |
| 10 Washington Capitals | 67 | 32 | 28 | 7 | 71 | 31 | 208 | 200 | 15-13-4 | 17-15-3 | 4-5-1 | |
| 11 Ottawa Senators | 65 | 33 | 28 | 4 | 70 | 31 | 206 | 207 | 19-12-2 | 14-16-2 | 6-4-0 | |
| 12 Buffalo Sabres | 65 | 32 | 28 | 5 | 69 | 31 | 238 | 236 | 13-18-3 | 19-10-2 | 4-5-1 | |
| 13 Detroit Red Wings | 65 | 29 | 27 | 9 | 67 | 27 | 194 | 214 | 16-12-4 | 13-15-5 | 3-6-1 | |
| 14 Philadelphia Flyers | 66 | 24 | 31 | 11 | 59 | 23 | 169 | 217 | 12-15-4 | 12-16-7 | 2-7-1 | |
| 15 Montreal Canadiens | 66 | 26 | 34 | 6 | 58 | 22 | 180 | 236 | 14-16-3 | 12-18-3 | 3-5-2 | |
| 16 Columbus Blue Jackets | 65 | 20 | 38 | 7 | 47 | 19 | 169 | 244 | 13-20-2 | 7-18-5 | 3-4-3 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Vegas Golden Knights | 66 | 40 | 20 | 6 | 86 | 36 | 212 | 182 | 21-13-1 | 19-7-5 | 6-2-2 | |
| 2 Dallas Stars | 66 | 36 | 17 | 13 | 85 | 33 | 229 | 178 | 17-9-8 | 19-8-5 | 6-3-1 | |
| 3 Los Angeles Kings | 67 | 38 | 20 | 9 | 85 | 32 | 228 | 221 | 20-9-3 | 18-11-6 | 6-2-2 | |
| 4 Minnesota Wild | 66 | 38 | 21 | 7 | 83 | 31 | 191 | 173 | 21-10-3 | 17-11-4 | 8-0-2 | |
| 5 Seattle Kraken | 66 | 37 | 22 | 7 | 81 | 37 | 232 | 211 | 16-13-4 | 21-9-3 | 5-4-1 | |
| 6 Colorado Avalanche | 64 | 36 | 22 | 6 | 78 | 32 | 206 | 181 | 18-11-5 | 18-11-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 7 Edmonton Oilers | 67 | 36 | 23 | 8 | 80 | 36 | 258 | 227 | 16-12-5 | 20-11-3 | 6-4-0 | |
| 8 Winnipeg Jets | 66 | 37 | 26 | 3 | 77 | 36 | 206 | 187 | 21-11-2 | 16-15-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 9 Nashville Predators | 63 | 32 | 24 | 7 | 71 | 28 | 181 | 185 | 16-11-3 | 16-13-4 | 6-3-1 | |
| 10 Calgary Flames | 66 | 29 | 24 | 13 | 71 | 27 | 201 | 203 | 15-14-3 | 14-10-10 | 3-5-2 | |
| 11 St. Louis Blues | 65 | 29 | 31 | 5 | 63 | 26 | 202 | 237 | 14-14-4 | 15-17-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 12 Vancouver Canucks | 65 | 28 | 32 | 5 | 61 | 24 | 221 | 250 | 15-17-1 | 13-15-4 | 7-2-1 | |
| 13 Arizona Coyotes | 66 | 23 | 32 | 11 | 57 | 20 | 183 | 233 | 16-11-3 | 7-21-8 | 4-4-2 | |
| 14 Anaheim Ducks | 66 | 22 | 35 | 9 | 53 | 19 | 168 | 266 | 11-16-2 | 11-19-7 | 5-2-3 | |
| 15 Chicago Blackhawks | 66 | 22 | 38 | 6 | 50 | 20 | 165 | 236 | 13-18-3 | 9-20-3 | 3-6-1 | |
| 16 San Jose Sharks | 67 | 19 | 36 | 12 | 50 | 18 | 193 | 257 | 6-19-8 | 13-17-4 | 2-7-1 | |
Last updated Mar. 12, 1:54 ET
Eight teams in each conference qualify for the divisional playoff format. The top three teams from each division make up the first six spots. The two remaining teams with the highest points, regardless of division, qualify for the final two wild card spots. X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference