HOCKEY
Connor McDavid scored at 8:18 of overtime in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game to give Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States on Thursday night as the North American rivals turned what had been a tune-up for the 2026 Olympics into a geopolitical brawl over anthems and annexation as much as international hockey supremacy. Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett also scored for Canada. Jordan Binnington made 25 saves in the first three periods and six more in the extra period on the same ice where he helped the St. Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup five years ago. Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson scored for the Americans, and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots in regulation and three more in OT.
The anthem singer who performed the Canadian anthem prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game changed a lyric in “O Canada” from “in all of us command” to “that only us command.” Publicist Adam Gonshor in an email to The Associated Press confirmed Chantal Kreviazuk changed the lyric as a response to U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks about making Canada the 51st state. Kreviazuk also posted to her Instagram story the phrase “that only us command” written on her left hand with emojis of a Canadian flag and a flexed muscle. The NHL declined comment on the situation. Canada won the game 3-2 in overtime.
NBA
Karl-Anthony Towns had 32 points and 18 rebounds, Jalen Brunson added 22 points and 12 assists and the New York Knicks edged the Chicago Bulls 113-111 in overtime. Miles McBride finished with 22 points, while Mikal Bridges had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the short-handed Knicks, who improved to 36-18 in their first game following the All-Star break. New York has won three straight and nine of 11. The Knicks were without Josh Hart and OG Anunoby. Josh Giddey had 27 points and 16 rebounds and Nikola Vucevic had 21 points for the Bulls, who have lost their last five.
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and three Cleveland teammates scored in double figures as the Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets 110-97. Darius Garland scored 18 points, Evan Mobley added 18 points and 13 rebounds and Jarrett Allen finished with 16 points and 20 rebounds for Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland, which improved to 45-10. Cam Johnson led Brooklyn with 18 points.
Payton Pritchard made eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points, Jayson Tatum finished with his fourth career triple-double, and the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 124-104. Tatum had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Jaylen Brown added 20 points, Kristaps Porzingis scored 17, and Derrick White had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who have won eight of nine. Paul George scored 17 points to lead the 76ers, who have lost six straight and eight of nine. Philadelphia fell a season-worst 15 games under .500.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 22 points and Myles Turner had 17 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high seven blocks to help the Indiana Pacers pull away from the Memphis Grizzlies 127-113. Indiana missed its first seven shots and its first eight 3-pointers in its first game since the All-Star break and still managed to score a season-high 78 points in the first half. Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 23 points and seven assists. Memphis' Jaren Jackson Jr. had 18 points and seven rebounds. Former Purdue star Zach Edey had five points and 11 rebounds in his first NBA game in Indiana.
Paolo Banchero had 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Orlando Magic rallied from an early 19-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Hawks 114-108. Franz Wagner scored 25 points and Cole Anthony had 17 for the Magic, who are seventh in the Eastern Conference — two spots ahead of the Hawks. Banchero now has 47 games with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, the third most by a player before his 23rd birthday behind LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Trae Young scored 38 points for the Hawks. Rookie Zaccharie Risacher had his first double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo returned after missing six games with a calf strain and scored 23 points as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied for a 116-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Anteotkounmpo was on a minutes restriction and played just under 24 minutes. He left for good with 6:27 remaining as the Bucks trailed 101-96. Milwaukee then completed its comeback from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit with Antetokounmpo on the bench. Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, James Harden added 24 and Ivica Zubac had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers.
The NBA has suspended Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis Jr. for 25 games without pay because he tested positive for the painkiller Tramadol, a violation of the league’s anti-drug program. Portis cannot play again until April 8 — the 79th game of Milwaukee’s 82-game schedule — at the earliest. His suspension starts with the Bucks’ game Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Portis says “I made an honest mistake and took a pain-reducing anti-inflammatory pill that is not approved.” Portis is averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Bucks this season, playing mostly off the bench.
Jamal Murray scored 34 points, Nikola Jokic finished an assist shy of his 26th triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to nine games by holding off the depleted Charlotte Hornets 129-115. Jokic finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. Murray picked right up where he left off before the All-Star break when he erupted for 55 points. Against Charlotte, Murray was 12 of 18 from the floor, including seven 3-pointers. Miles Bridges had a season-high 36 points to go with 13 rebounds for a Hornets team missing LaMelo Ball (ankle management) and Mark Williams (return to competition reconditioning).
LeBron James scored 40 points, including eight straight in a fourth-quarter surge, and Austin Reaves had 32 as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 110-102. The Lakers were without guard Luka Doncic, who missed the game as he continues to recover from a strained calf. Deni Avdija led Portland with 28 points.
De’Aaron Fox scored 11 straight points in the final three minutes and finished with 26 as San Antonio beat the Phoenix Suns 120-109, hours after learning Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was done for the season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder. Fox added nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks as the Spurs won the opener of a two-game set in Austin. Kevin Durant scored 22 points for the Suns in his return to the University of Texas campus.
San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama's season is over. The Spurs say Wembanyama has been diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder. It is a massive blow to the Spurs, who are contending for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The condition was diagnosed this week after Wembanyama returned from the All-Star Game. Wembanyama’s situation comes about 3 1/2 months after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke and was forced to take a leave from the sideline. A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that the Spurs expect Wembanyama to recover fully.
MLB
ESPN’s coverage of Major League Baseball games — at least in its current form — will conclude at the end of the 2025 season. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro informed baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday morning that the network was opting out of the final three years of its contract, two people told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss financial matters. ESPN and MLB both made statements Thursday night confirming the end of the current rights deal. There was a March 1 deadline for MLB and ESPN to opt out of the final three years of their contract. The sides agreed to a seven-year deal in 2021 that averaged $550 million per season.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Cody Poteet believed the 95 mph fastball he threw to Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Max Muncy was in the strike zone. Plate umpire Tony Randazzo disagreed and called it a ball. Instead of arguing, Poteet simply patted the top of his cap, signifying he wanted to challenge the call. After a few seconds, the verdict was ready on the video board in right-center field. Poteet was correct — it was a strike, just catching the bottom of the zone. The first test of the Automated Ball-Strike System went off without a hitch Thursday, with Randazzo quickly reversing the call.
Aaron Boone and the New York Yankees have agreed Thursday to a two-year contract extension through the 2027 season. Boone is entering his eighth season as manager. The team had exercised his 2025 option in November. He has led the Yankees to three AL East titles and one pennant. New York reached the World Series last year for the first time since 2009, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Boone and the team agreed to the extension Thursday.
GOLF
Tiger Woods and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan have taken part of a White House meeting with President Donald Trump that signals more progress in getting a deal done with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the financial muscle behind the rival league, also was part of the meeting. The PGA Tour said in a statement that the parties discussed “the reunification of golf.” It was the second meeting in two weeks at the White House on the future of the sport.
International players have won six of the seven tournaments on the PGA Tour this year. The Mexico Open is keeping up with that trend. The three players sharing the lead at 64 are Jeremy Paul of Germany, Kris Ventura of Norway and Harry Hall of England. The opening round was ripe for low scoring. Hall played in the morning and had to deal with more gusts. Paul had a chance for the lead until he missed the green on his final hole at the par-3 ninth and couldn't covert a 10-foot par putt. Five other players were one shot behind.
NFL
Two people with knowledge of the decision say Zack Martin is retiring after a decorated career that included seven All-Pro seasons at right guard with the Dallas Cowboys. Martin informed Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones of his decision in a meeting Thursday. The 34-year-old Martin didn’t make it through his 11th and final season with the Cowboys because of an ankle injury that eventually required surgery. Martin made nine Pro Bowls and was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2010s all-decade team.
SWIMMING
The World Anti-Doping Agency has dropped a lawsuit and an ethics case it had filed against critics in the United States who disagreed with its handling of a doping case involving Chinese swimmers who tested positive for performance enhancers but were not penalized. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday that a defamation lawsuit filed in Swiss court against the American drug-fighting agency along with an ethics complaint against former U.S. drug czar Rahul Guptha had both been withdrawn. USADA CEO Travis Tygart called the end of the legal action “complete vindication for us both.”
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UAlbany 79 Maine 68
UVM 59 Bryant 55
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UAlbany 56 Maine 40
Siena 66 Niagara 64
North Carolina 68 Syracuse 58
Manhattan 68 Iona 65
OT Marist 69 Canisius 62
Bryant 61 Vermont 53
Being cut from her high school basketball team was painful for Baileigh Sinaman-Daniel, but she refused to let that rejection, or being born with one arm, stop her from pursuing her basketball dreams. The 22-year-old Lesley University player has made NCAA history as the first Division III women’s basketball player with one arm to score in collegiate games. Inspired by LeBron James as a child, Sinaman-Daniel emailed hundreds of college coaches seeking a chance to play. Lesley University coach Martin Rather says she is now the team's hardest-working player. Since her historic first basket, Sinaman-Daniel has scored again and helped lead her team to its best season in 14 years.
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