Sports

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Karim Benzema is reaching the pinnacle of his career at an age when most top athletes are hoping to remain relevant. The 34-year-old France striker is enjoying the best season of the 13 he has spent at Real Madrid and making a strong argument for being

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods will put his surgically repaired right leg to the test as he begins his pursuit of a sixth green jacket. The 46-year-old Woods is competing for the first time since severely injuring his leg in a car accident in February

By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — Former UCLA and St. John’s coach Steve Lavin has been hired to take over the struggling program at the University of San Diego. The 57-year-old Lavin replaces Sam Scholl, who was fired March 6 after the Toreros went 15-16 in a third straight losing season.

By W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Elias Pettersson scored twice and had two assists to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-1 victory over Vegas, snapping a five-game winning streak for the Golden Knights. The victory gave the Canucks’ slim playoff hopes a boost as they chase a Western Conference wild card.

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Michael Stone got his first goal of the season and an assist in his 500th NHL game, and Elias Lindholm scored his 36th goal in the Calgary Flames’ 4-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Tyler Toffoli also scored and Johnny Gaudreau got his 96th point

By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ville Husso made 28 saves to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. The Blues have won three in a row and recorded points in six straight games with a 5-0-1 mark. Robert Thomas, Justin Faulk, Ryan O’Reilly and Jordan

By JOHN COON Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 27 points, Rudy Gobert added 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Utah Jazz beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 137-101 on Wednesday night.  Jordan Clarkson had 18 points and a season-high 10 assists, and Hassan Whiteside added 15 points, 11 rebounds and

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — John Carlson had four points and Alex Ovechkin scored to help the Washington Capitals beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3. Carlson had two goals and two assists. Ovechkin’s 43rd goal of the season was also his 1,400th career point. The Capitals snapped their skid at two

CHICAGO (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Al Horford added 17 on 7-of-7 shooting and the Boston Celtics routed the Chicago Bulls 117-94 on Wednesday night for their 50th victory. The Celtics have won three in a row and are 27-6 since Jan. 22. They can wrap up the second spot in the Eastern

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young scored 16 of his 30 points in the third period to help Atlanta stretch its lead, and the Hawks beat the Washington Wizards 118-103. Kristaps Porzingis led Washington with 26 points and 18 rebounds. The Hawks remain ninth in the Eastern Conference, thanks to

By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ville Husso made 27 saves to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. The Blues have won three in a row and recorded points in six straight games with a 5-0-1 mark. Robert Thomas, Justin Faulk, Ryan O’Reilly and Jordan

HOUSTON (AP) — Reilly Opelka came back from a set down while dealing with an achy shoulder and ended up with 15 aces in a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over qualifier Mitchell Krueger in the second round of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston. Opelka is ranked No. 18 in the world and

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant had 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, leading the Brooklyn Nets back from 21 points down to a 110-98 victory over the New York Knicks that strengthened their chances of the best spot possible in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. After watching

By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — After playing home games in a Los Angeles suburb the last two seasons, San Diego State’s football players loaded into buses for the 10-minute drive to their new stadium.  They liked what they saw of 35,000-seat Snapdragon Stadium so much that they were already looking