AP National Sports

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Dejounte Murray had 28 points before sitting for the final quarter and the San Antonio Spurs routed the Portland Trail Blazers 133-96 on Wednesday night. Keldon Johnson added 26 points for the Spurs, who are still in the mix for a play-in game in

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) — Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller scored 1:52 apart early in the third period, Jaroslav Halak stopped 32 shots and the Vancouver Canucks beat the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche 3-1. Boeser got things rolling by taking advantage of a turnover with a goal 1:23 into the final period.

PROVO, Utah — Michael Flowers had 27 points as Washington State got past BYU 77-58 in the NIT quarterfinals. Fousseyni Traore led BYU on Wednesday night with 16 points and eight rebounds.

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer DALLAS (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 28 points while Spencer Dinwiddie added 26 with Luka Doncic resting a sore right ankle and the Dallas Mavericks overwhelmed the Houston Rockets in the second half for a 110-91 victory. The victory pulled Dallas even with Utah at 45-28 for the fourth

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Deandre Ayton scored a career-high 35 points and had 14 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns surged past trash-talking Minnesota 125-116. Devin Booker had 22 of his 28 points in the second half for Phoenix. Landry Shamet scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Theo Maledon scored 17 of his season-high 25 points in the fourth quarter and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 118-102 to snap a 10-game losing streak. Tre Mann and Isaiah Roby each scored 21 for the Thunder in a matchup between two

By JONAH BRONSTEIN Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson scored two goals and added another in a shootout, Alex Tuch also had a shootout goal, and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 on Wednesday night for their third consecutive win. Zemgus Girgensons also scored for the Sabres, who have won five

By CLAY BAILEY Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 23 points, including nine straight as Memphis rebuilt its lead in the fourth quarter, and the Grizzlies beat Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets 132-120. Irving scored 43 points and Kevin Durant had 35 points and 11 rebounds. Irving was on the court

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York city’s mayor will announce Thursday that he’s exempting athletes and performers from the city’s vaccine mandate for private workers. The move will allow Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving to play home games, and let unvaccinated baseball players take the field when their season

By MARK AMBROGI Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Damian Jones’ tip-in with less than a second left lifted the Sacramento Kings to a 110-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Trey Lyles missed a 3-pointer but Jones tipped in the rebound with 0.2 seconds remaining. Davion Mitchell scored 25 points and Chimezie Metu had a career-high

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 11 of his 26 points during Boston’s nearly perfect first quarter to help the Celtics roll to a 125-97 victory over the Utah Jazz. Jaylen Brown also added 26 points and Marcus Smart finished with a career-high 13 assists as Boston recorded its

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns cornerback Greg Newsome said he was surprised as the rest of the NFL when quarterback Deshaun Watson changed his mind and picked Cleveland as his new team. Newsome was the first Browns player to speak about Watson, the former Houston quarterback who will be bringing

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 30 points and the New York Knicks made 20 3-pointers to beat Charlotte 121-106, snapping the Hornets’ five-game winning streak. Obi Toppin had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Alec Burks chipped in with 17 points for the Knicks, who have won

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Wade Taylor IV posted 12 points as Texas A&M beat Wake Forest 67-52 in the quarterfinals of the NIT. Isaiah Mucius led the Demon Deacons on Wednesday night with 15 points.

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Jeremi Grant scored 21 points and the slumping Detroit Pistons routed the Atlanta Hawks 122-101 on Wednesday night. Cade Cunningham added 17 points and eight assists for Detroit. The Pistons led by 29 points while winning for the second time in eight games. Detroit had eight players