AP National Sports

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer Nobody knows for certain where the NBA will be in 25 years, when it’ll be celebrating its 100th anniversary. The only safe bet is that things will be very, very different. A play-in tournament was added in recent years. An in-season tournament is probably coming in the next couple

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Of all the 6,576 shots that were officially struck at Augusta National on Day 1 of the Masters, only one truly mattered. It didn’t go in the hole. It wasn’t down the center of the fairway. Nothing special about it at all, really. Except for

By AMANDA SEITZ, MIKE CATALINI and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” TV star, a Paralympic swimmer and a self-described “brand king” were among the Instagram and TikTok influencers who were paid by Chinese officials for a discreet campaign that promoted the Beijing Winter Olympics, new Justice Department

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Seth Beer launched a game-winning, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres. Beer’s blast to deep right field off Craig Stammen spoiled a stellar outing by San Diego starter Yu Darvish,

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Seth Beer launched a game-winning, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres. Beer’s blast to deep right field off Craig Stammen spoiled a stellar outing by San Diego starter Yu Darvish,

HOUSTON (AP) — John Isner has erased a match point and hit a tournament-record 38 aces during a 6-7 (1), 7-6 (4), 6-3 comeback victory over Steve Johnson at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. Isner won the title in 2013. He one of five Americans in the quarterfinals, tying the most at the event

By BEN ROSS Associated Press SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Elias Lindholm scored twice, Matthew Tkachuk added a goal and two assists, and the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2. Trevor Lewis also scored for Calgary, which won its third straight game. Dan Vladar made 31 saves to earn his 10th win. Nick

By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A former Florida prep school administrator who took college entrance exams for students in exchange for cash to help wealthy parents get their kids into elite universities is facing sentencing. Judge Nathaniel Gorton is slated to hand down the decision against Mark Riddell in Boston federal court

By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 33 points with six 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors won their third straight game after dropping four in a row, running away late from the depleted Los Angeles Lakers for a 128-112 victory. Jordan Poole added 19 points and a career-high

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc led a one-two Ferrari sweep in the first practice session for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix. Sainz completed the revamped Albert Park circuit in a time of 1 minute, 19.806 seconds with Leclerc .571 second behind. Red Bull drivers Sergio Perez and defending series champion Max Verstappen

By JACK MAGRUDER Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Bo Horvat and Alex Chiasson each had two goals and an assist and the Vancouver Canucks continued a late playoff push with a 5-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. Elias Pettersson had a goal and two assists for the Canucks, who have won two straight and

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — CJ McCollum scored 23 points in 29 minutes against his former team, and the New Orleans Pelicans moved closer to clinching a home play-in game with a 127-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Jonas Valanciunas, who returned from a sore right ankle, scored 14

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s Pavin Smith sliced a line-drive single to start the seventh inning, ending an opening day no-hit bid by the San Diego Padres. Yu Darvish threw the first six innings for San Diego without giving up a hit, but he was pulled before the seventh after

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — CJ McCollum scored 23 points in 29 minutes against his former team, and the New Orleans Pelicans moved closer to clinching a home play-in game with a 127-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Jonas Valanciunas, who returned from a sore right ankle, scored 14

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic made history on the night his Denver Nuggets clinched a fourth consecutive playoff berth with a 122-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Jokic became the first player in NBA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season. He had 35

STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer DALLAS (AP) — Auston Matthews has the most goals ever in a single season for the Toronto Maple Leafs — and the most in the NHL by an American-born player. Matthews set the franchise record with his 55th goal in regulation Thursday night, then scored No. 56 in overtime to