Orediggers

WNBA super rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese wasted no time showing their wares in the WNBA&rsquo;s return to action after a month-long break from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Indiana Fever&rsquo;s Clark, the no.1 overall selection in this year&rsquo;s draft, lit up Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury in their first game back in the WNBA. Clark had 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists in the win over Taurasi and Team USA teammates Brittney Griner and Kahleah Copper. Clark showed poise and renewed confidence as the Olympic break seemed to calm the super rookie&rsquo;s game down. Clark started her WNBA career on a whirlwind, going from the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament to being drafted in the league in three weeks, then starting the entire month with just over a month.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The transition seemed to have affected Clark&rsquo;s game to start, however she has gotten her groove. Clark followed up that performance against Phoenix with 23 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks and made history in the process by breaking the WNBA record for most assists in a season by a rookie. Clark is now also the franchise record holder for most 3-pointers made by a rookie, a testament to the rookie&rsquo;s incredible season as a pro. Clark is starting to get into her groove now as she gets more and more comfortable in the league and that is bad news for the rest of the WNBA teams.
Angel Reese, Chicago Sky&rsquo;s no.7 pick, has continued her double-double rampage throughout the league. Since coming back from the Olympic break, Reese has delivered three straight double-doubles, putting up 11 and 15 against the Phoenix Mercury; 14 and 11 against the Los Angeles Sparks; and an almost 20-20 game vs the Mercury again with 19 points and 20 rebounds. Reese&rsquo;s relentless pursuit of the boards put her in special company in the league, making history in her own right by being the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 20 double-doubles in a single season. Reese&rsquo;s latest triple-double also marked a league-leading mark &ndash; an impressive one being a rookie in a league with premier players in A&rsquo;Ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.&nbsp;
For Wilson and Stewart, Team USA&rsquo;s runaway best players in their 8th straight run to Olympic gold, they will now be back to their respective teams in the WNBA to lead another championship run. Wilson&rsquo;s Las Vegas Aces and Stewart&rsquo;s New York Liberty met in the 2023 WNBA Finals with Wilson and Las Vegas eventually coming out on top. This season, the two teams are one of the best in the league yet again and it figures out to be yet another race to the finish line among them. When the league resumed play, Stewart and New York recently got the better of the matchup with a tough 79-67 victory. Stewart had 18 points and 7 boards in the win, but she had a lot of help from her Liberty teammates with Sabrina Ionescu leading the way with 23 points.
Despite the Aces&rsquo; rocky season than expected coming off a WNBA championship, Wilson continues to dominate the league by further establishing her status as the best player in women&rsquo;s basketball. She recently had a staggering 34 points, 13 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 blocks on 12-20 FG and 10-11 FT to lead the Aces to another win and bring their record to 17-9, good for 4th overall in the league.
A lot of action is still yet to unfold in the WNBA with more and more stars and good basketball to be played, so stay tuned as the race to the end gets more intense.

WNBA super rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese wasted no time showing their wares in the WNBA’s return to action.

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese light up the WNBA after Olympic break

The redemption season is now complete.
On Sunday, South Carolina defeated Iowa 87-75 to win the national championship and finish their season undefeated after falling short last year.
The Gamecocks avenged their loss to the same Hawkeyes team that denied them history last year when Caitlin Clark lit them up for 41 points in the Final Four. They were on the brink of the same feat at 36-0 before Clark&rsquo;s brilliance booted them out of the competition.
After seemingly a deja vu of last year&rsquo;s result, Clark again shined through with 18 points in the first quarter alone. However, South Carolina was not about to be denied this time around.
Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley immediately made the right adjustments to turn the game around, as Clark scored just 12 points the rest of the way. The National Player of the Year scored 30 points in the game but was made to work by Staley&rsquo;s gritty Gamecocks, needing 28 shots to score all those points.
South Carolina, who finished the season 37-0, joined an exclusive list of only 10 teams in the history of NCAA women&rsquo;s college basketball to go undefeated in a whole season. This is Staley's third national championship with South Carolina. 
It was a total team effort for the Gamecocks, who had four players score in double figures led by projected WNBA lottery pick Kamila Cardoso&rsquo;s 15 points and 17 rebounds.&nbsp;
As for Clark, she will end her college career coming up short in the title game in back-to-back years but will leave a lasting legacy as arguably the best women&rsquo;s college basketball player of all time and holder of numerous records.

On Sunday, South Carolina defeated Iowa 87-75 to win the national championship and finish their season undefeated.

Staley, South Carolina beat Clark, Iowa to complete perfect season

NBA all-time three-point leader and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and WNBA single-season three-point record-holder and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu will compete in &ldquo;Stephen vs. Sabrina,&rdquo; the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA Three-Point Challenge, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during All-Star Saturday Night.
The competition will air on TNT after the Three-Point Contest and before the Slam Dunk Contest. All-Star Saturday Night will begin at 8 p.m. ET.
&ldquo;Stephen vs. Sabrina&rdquo; will follow standard Three-Point Contest rules. Curry will shoot from the NBA three-point line with NBA basketballs, and Ionescu will shoot from the WNBA three-point line with WNBA basketballs.
Ionescu challenged Curry to a three-point competition after she recorded 37 points (out of a possible 40 points) in the final round of the WNBA Three-Point Contest at WNBA All-Star 2023, setting a WNBA and NBA single-round event record and winning the contest for the first time. Curry raised the challenge once again when he was mic&rsquo;d up during Golden State&rsquo;s Jan. 25 game against the Sacramento Kings on TNT.&nbsp; Ionescu responded on social media, officially&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/sabrina_i20/status/1750731376796803252?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/sabrina_i20/status/1750731376796803252?s%3D20&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1706738564550000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0N6zsRzc9HuTqZg7tm7OY5">accepting the challenge</a>.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
&ldquo;I think I gotta bring her out&hellip;we gotta settle this once and for all.&rdquo;<a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCurry30?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephenCurry30</a> challenges <a href="https://twitter.com/sabrina_i20?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sabrina_i20</a> 👀 <a href="https://t.co/dUG2MFusAX">pic.twitter.com/dUG2MFusAX</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1750722997285961875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2024</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Curry, a two-time NBA Three-Point Contest champion, has made an NBA-record 3,577 3-pointers in the regular season. In 2023, Ionescu set a WNBA single-season record with 128 three-pointers.
As part of the competition, Curry&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.eatlearnplay.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eat.Learn.Play.</a> nonprofit and Ionescu&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.eifoundation.org/partners/si20-foundation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SI20 Foundation</a> will receive a donation from the NBA and WNBA. In addition, each shot made by Curry and Ionescu will trigger a donation from State Farm to the <a href="https://nbafoundation.nba.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA Foundation</a> to support economic empowerment in the Black community. Each regular three-pointer made will be valued at $1,000, the money ball at $2,000 and the &ldquo;STARRY Range Ball&rdquo; &ndash; a deep three-pointer from 29 feet, 9 inches away &ndash; at $3,000.

Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will compete in “Stephen vs. Sabrina,” the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA Three-Point Challenge

Steph Curry, Sabrina Ionescu to face off in NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Contest

Today, the NBA and Zignia announced that the NBA Mexico City Game 2023 will feature the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic playing a regular-season game at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Thursday, Nov. 9.&nbsp; The matchup will mark the league&rsquo;s 32nd&nbsp;game in Mexico since 1992, more than any country outside the U.S. and Canada.&nbsp;
The Magic will be playing its fourth game in Mexico since 2012 and currently features 2022 No. 1 overall pick and 2022-23 NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero, 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie First Team member Franz Wagner, and 2017 No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz.&nbsp; 
The Hawks, who will be playing their first game in Mexico, are coming off their third consecutive playoff appearance behind two-time NBA All-Star Trae Young and 2022 NBA All-Star Dejounte Murray.
&ldquo;With the Magic having been to London twice, Japan, China, Brazil and Mexico City previously, we love representing the NBA and the City of Orlando when we have the opportunity to play in these Global Games," said Magic CEO Alex Martins. "We&rsquo;ve had the opportunity to be in Mexico City before, and we know the passion of the fans and are really looking forward to bringing our team back to Mexico City to play.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It is always a privilege to showcase our team, the city of Atlanta and the NBA in the Global Games," said Hawks CEO Steve Koonin. "We had an incredible time last year starting the season in the first NBA Abu Dhabi Games and we are excited to connect with the fans in Mexico City and experience the wonderful culture there.&rdquo;
The NBA Mexico City Game 2023 will air live in Mexico on ESPN, Star+, TUDN and NBA League Pass, the league&rsquo;s premium live game subscription service available on the NBA App, reaching fans in more than 200 countries and territories&nbsp;on television, digital media and social media. In addition to the NBA Mexico City Game 2023,&nbsp;the league and its partners will conduct NBA Cares community outreach initiatives, Jr. NBA youth basketball development programming and interactive activities that will bring the NBA experience to fans in Mexico City.&nbsp;
To conclude the week-long celebration of basketball in the country, the Mexico City Capitanes will host the Osceola Magic on Friday, Nov. 10 as part of the NBA G League&rsquo;s Showcase Cup schedule.&nbsp; Additional details about the 2023-24 NBA G League season will be available at a later date.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re excited to welcome the Hawks and Magic to Mexico City next season and give our passionate fans the opportunity to see some of the brightest young stars in the game," said NBA Mexico Vice President and Managing Director Raul Zarraga. "There is so much momentum around basketball in Mexico, and this game and the surrounding events will serve as the ultimate celebration of the NBA for fans across the country and throughout Latin America.&rdquo;
The game and surrounding events will be supported by a roster of NBA marketing partners, including AT&amp;T, Gatorade, Hisense, Michelob ULTRA, Nike, Tissot and Wonder as well as Zignia&rsquo;s associate partners Banco Azteca and TotalPlay. Additional partners will be announced in the coming months.
Beginning today, NBA ID members interested in attending the NBA Mexico City Game 2023 can register their interest in tickets and receive access to an exclusive ticket pre-sale that will take place Aug. 14-15 by visiting <a href="http://www.nbaenmexico.nbaid.mx/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.nbaenmexico.nbaid.mx&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1690465572681000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3iFCuhxfH0EJnuN_HZ5qrp">this site</a>. Tickets for the game will go on sale to Banco Azteca card holders from Aug. 16-18 and to the public on Aug. 19. Special ticket packages offering premium access, VIP experiences, hospitality and local hotel accommodations are available for purchase at <a href="https://nbaexperiences.com/nba-mexico-city-game-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nbaexperiences.com/nba-mexico-city-game-2023&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1690465572681000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0FHra0Wvi4LYlOnDrJWkB_">here</a>.
Fans in Mexico can find more information&nbsp;about the NBA at&nbsp;<a href="http://nba.com/Mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://NBA.com/Mexico&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1690465572681000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3RDeoUuYjsl81AvmiLZ2rK">NBA.com/Mexico</a>,&nbsp;by downloading the&nbsp;<a href="https://global.nba.com/nba-apps/index.html?_branch_match_id=811567537499273278&amp;_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTywo0MvJzMvWy0tK1EvOz9UH0kAxAF91y5sfAAAA" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://global.nba.com/nba-apps/index.html?_branch_match_id%3D811567537499273278%26_branch_referrer%3DH4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTywo0MvJzMvWy0tK1EvOz9UH0kAxAF91y5sfAAAA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1690465572681000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Lkj6NKq6NfRyPJNCju-QY">NBA App</a>, and on Facebook (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/NBAMexico/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/NBAMexico/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1690465572681000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3eDMVn5p5OHnPAfbI3uxxf">@nbamexico</a>), Tiktok (<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nbamex" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.tiktok.com/@nbamex&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1690465572681000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2VI8mtyeHRh5nJmRe6D-9T">@nbamex</a>), Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/NBAMEX" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/NBAMEX&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1690465572681000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Hjjd6eX8OFrcgbwCgk-Cv">@nbamex</a>), YouTube (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/NBAMexico/featured" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/user/NBAMexico/featured&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1690465572681000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0aqa1qSUkw385nECaz2B2B">NBA M&eacute;xico</a>) and Instagram&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/nbamex/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/nbamex/?hl%3Den&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1690465572681000&amp;usg=AOvVaw15R7OZhTHc26bKeQ6olM9s">(@nbamex</a>). Fans can also purchase official NBA merchandise online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbatienda.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nbatienda.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1690465572681000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3DwZWTfnYo9g9umEsTAacU">NBATienda.com</a>&nbsp;and at the Arena CDMX on game night.

The NBA Mexico City Game 2023 will feature the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic playing a regular-season game at the Arena CDMX.

Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic to play regular-season game in Mexico City

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; His team huddled up before taking the floor, Harrison Barnes hollered a message to the Kings with their special season on the line: &ldquo;Leave it all on the floor and take this series back to Sac!&rdquo;
With spectacular performances on both ends against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, the Kings are going home to Sacramento for Game 7 against the defending champions.
Malik Monk can only imagine what a winner-take-all showdown might be like with a chance to extend this long-awaited playoff run as all those supporters try to will their Kings into the second round.
For Curry and Co., there&rsquo;s no imagining necessary &mdash; they know what hostile road environments feel like for elimination games, having been there so many times over the past decade on the way to four titles.
&ldquo;Man, I never been to Game 7, so I don&rsquo;t know. I don&rsquo;t know what to expect,&rdquo; Monk said. &ldquo;I just know I&rsquo;m going to go out there and play 110 percent, give it my all, and continue to do what I&rsquo;ve been doing, and that&rsquo;s attacking the rim and making plays for my teammates. So I&rsquo;m going to be ready.&rdquo;
Facing elimination, upstart Sacramento shined on both ends and hardly looked to be feeling any added pressure in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/warriors-kings-nba-playoffs-2023-48443f77587597953cf2cbadf9530b60">commanding 118-99 Game 6 victory</a> Friday night.
Whenever Curry worked his offensive magic, Monk or Fox or Keegan Murray did something brilliant of their own. With big man Domantas Sabonis in foul trouble, others like Trey Lyles came through to quiet a fan base dreaming of a Warriors repeat title.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve put ourselves in a situation where we have to be the team that&rsquo;s playing with desperation, obviously on the road in a Game 7. There&rsquo;s a lot of belief that we can do that,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of belief in every single guy that&rsquo;s going to be out there on the floor, that we can make the necessary adjustments. If it is an energy thing, that&rsquo;s something you can control and correct it. So you&rsquo;ve got to embrace the challenge of what&rsquo;s in front of us and try to go get the job done.&rdquo;
If the Kings got a glimpse of their homecourt advantage in the initial two games of this series, Golden 1 Center might be at another level on Sunday.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be rocking. We&rsquo;ve had loud games this year,&rdquo; De&rsquo;Aaron Fox said. &ldquo;Coming out for Game 1, I think our guys were amazed at what was going on. But going back there for a Game 7, I feel like &mdash; everybody doesn&rsquo;t get to experience a Game 7, but not a lot of people get to experience a Game 7 in Sacramento.&rdquo;
Coach of the Year Mike Brown joked he doesn&rsquo;t have &ldquo;magic dust&rdquo; regarding what to do against the Warriors other than compete with the same physical authority on both ends because he has seen Golden State thrive through all the toughest moments.
Brown was the Warriors&rsquo; top assistant before joining the Kings.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to have to play at our best. Again, they&rsquo;re the champions,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to have to play at an elite level for 48 minutes against these guys because they&rsquo;re going to bring it, trust me.&rdquo;
All that work to earn the No. 3 seed and home court sure matters now for these Kings &mdash; &ldquo;that&rsquo;s part of the reason why we bust our behind all year,&rdquo; Brown said.
The Warriors, meanwhile, must regroup and try to rediscover the energy and efficiency they had in a 123-116 win Wednesday at Golden 1 Center. On Friday, they missed 10 free throws while shooting 35 &mdash; three that Curry couldn&rsquo;t convert and three missed by Andrew Wiggins. Klay Thompson shot 2 for 9 from 3-point range.
&ldquo;When I said that was the best win of the season Game 5, this is probably the worst loss of the season, but there&rsquo;s no time to hang our heads,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;Luckily for us, we still have another crack at it. I still have absolute belief in this team that we can go get it done on the road. It will be a tall task but we are up for it and I know we will respond.&rdquo;
Curry is counting on that, too, and knows it will start with smart basketball despite the challenging atmosphere.
&ldquo;Coming out with a sense of composure is a big thing, especially if you&rsquo;re on the road because it&rsquo;s going to be hostile and their crowd is going to be into it,&rdquo; Curry said.
Brown has embraced the notion of his young team learning on the fly in what is the first playoff series for most. Each game, each situation provides new experiences and opportunities for growth.
He is thrilled by how the Kings have handled outside noise, such as anyone who counted Sacramento out of this series before the ball had even tipped in Game 1.
&ldquo;The job&rsquo;s not done,&rdquo; Brown said, &ldquo;so we&rsquo;ve got to see how we&rsquo;re going to respond in a Game 7 for the first time as a group.&rdquo;
WARRIORS AT KINGS
Series tied at 3-all. Game 7, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Warriors &mdash; trying to improve to 19-0 in playoff series against Western Conference opponents under coach Steve Kerr dating to the team&rsquo;s 2014-15 title run &mdash; know every miscue will be magnified after their 18 turnovers led to 23 Kings points in Game 6.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Sacramento&rsquo;s Kevin Huerter. After struggling all series with his shot &mdash; 20 of 52 in the first five games &mdash; the fifth-year forward hit two crucial 3s down the stretch and might have a performance to build on going into the decisive Game 7. &ldquo;You got no idea. It feels good,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Just got to see the ball go in sometimes.&rdquo;
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Sabonis has a cut beneath his left eye after being hit on a jump ball by Kevon Looney. Fox insists he&rsquo;s doing great despite the broken index finger on his shooting hand. He scored 26 points on 10-for-18 shooting and had 11 assists but will strive to cut down on turnovers after committing 11 over the past two games. &ldquo;I feel fine. Obviously at times it&rsquo;s going to hurt, but that is what it is,&rdquo; Fox said.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Golden State won once on the Kings&rsquo; home floor in Game 5 after a dismal regular season on the road and now the defending champions must find a way to quiet the playoff-starved, cowbell-clanging Sacramento crowd to save the season after losing Games 1 and 2 at Golden 1 Center.

The Kings will host Game 7 against the Warriors, and they're counting on their passionate fans to create a hostile environment.

Kings hope their home crowd can carry them in Game 7 vs. Warriors

For the Golden State Warriors, it&rsquo;s a drive for five, as in five championships in nine years. It&rsquo;s a similar thought for LeBron James, as the NBA&rsquo;s all-time points leader is set to resume his quest for a fifth ring.
And for a bunch of other teams, just one ring would satisfy.
The NBA playoffs start Saturday, with Milwaukee as the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference and holder of home-court advantage throughout the postseason, and Denver as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the first time.
&ldquo;Every year, I mean, it&rsquo;s tough,&rdquo; said James, who helped the Los Angeles Lakers get back to the playoffs despite a topsy-turvy year marred by injuries and slumps. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s too many great teams, too many great players. Every year is tough. No matter if you&rsquo;re the 1 seed or the 8 seed, every single year is tough.&rdquo;
The defending champion Warriors open on the road, albeit not far from home, as they take on Sacramento &mdash; one of the feel-good stories in the NBA this season, back in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Kings first-year coach Mike Brown was part of the Warriors&rsquo; staff under Steve Kerr for years, and brought that championship culture to Sacramento.
They&rsquo;ve been talking playoffs all year. But Brown knows that words only go so far.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, the best teacher is going to be the actually going through it and seeing how you hold up to things that come your way, especially the adversity,&rdquo; Brown said.
The Warriors know what that means. They opened the season with a ring ceremony, and that was about the last thing that went according to plan. They didn&rsquo;t get over the .500 mark for good until late February.
But if there&rsquo;s another title, the Warriors know all the struggles will be forgotten.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re coming off a championship and lacing &rsquo;em back up, you&rsquo;re celebrating what you accomplished,&rdquo; Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. &ldquo;But every time you step foot on the floor and practice and get ready for the games and everything that we&rsquo;ve been through this year, it&rsquo;s all about the goal at the end of the year of having an opportunity to go chase another one.&rdquo;
Some of the top playoff hopefuls had less-rocky paths to the playoffs. Milwaukee &mdash; champions two years ago, with much of the same core now &mdash; was at or near the top of the East all season. In some order, the East 1-2-3 has been the Bucks, defending East champion Boston and title-starved Philadelphia since mid-January.
The Bucks dealt with injuries, the Celtics dealt with a preseason coaching change, and neither was derailed. A title for Boston would be the franchise&rsquo;s 18th, breaking a tie with the Lakers for the most in NBA history. And the Celtics have not forgotten the pain of losing last year&rsquo;s finals.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve essentially been waiting for this moment, getting to the playoffs,&rdquo; Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said. &ldquo;The group is locked in, the group is focused, everybody&rsquo;s back healthy, so we&rsquo;re just preparing the right way. ... Now, it&rsquo;s here. We&rsquo;re all excited and ready for the moment.&rdquo;
The moment &mdash; and the ring &mdash; are all that matters. Just ask Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
&ldquo;This is what we need,&rdquo; he shouted to Bucks fans earlier this month, pointing to his ring finger. &ldquo;We need a second one.&rdquo;
Some need a first.
Chris Paul still doesn&rsquo;t have a ring, even though he and the Phoenix Suns led the Bucks 2-0 in the finals two years ago. So now, he and Devin Booker have Kevin Durant &mdash; a two-time champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist &mdash; alongside them to try and win it all. The Suns drew Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers in Round 1.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re ready to go,&rdquo; Booker said.
Denver &mdash; a No. 1 seed, a team that moved into first in the West a few days before Christmas and stayed there the rest of the way &mdash; has a two-time (and possibly soon-to-be three-time) MVP in Nikola Jokic, and has the best regular-season record in the West over the last five years.
And yet, few believe;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=nba-finals" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FanDuel Sportsbook</a>&nbsp;has Denver tied for the third-best odds to win the West and the fifth-best odds to win the NBA title.
&ldquo;The pressure, that I have, is pressure I put on myself,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re never going to be able to put any pressure on me. This is my job, this is my livelihood, I love my job and we as an organization put pressure on ourselves to win a championship. That&rsquo;s what motivates us.&rdquo;
James knows that motivation. He&rsquo;s been running off it for most of his 20-year career.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the only reason I play still, is to try to put myself in a position to make championship runs and give teammates that never been a part of a championship run something they haven&rsquo;t experienced before,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;It has not changed for me, I would say, since about 2006, &rsquo;7. That&rsquo;s just been my mindset every year: How can I make a championship run?&rdquo;
He knows the way. So do the Warriors.
One step at a time, Curry insists. Game 1&rsquo;s of Round 1 are Saturday and Sunday. Titles will not be won nor lost this weekend. It&rsquo;s a marathon, as was the regular season when a slew of teams got off to slow starts &mdash; the Lakers were 2-10, the Warriors were 3-7, the 76ers were 0-3, the Kings 0-4, Brooklyn 1-5 &mdash; and made the playoffs anyway.
Lock in, as Curry says. It&rsquo;s ring time.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely hard to do what we&rsquo;ve done,&rdquo; Curry said, &ldquo;and what we&rsquo;re going to try to do.&rdquo;

The NBA Playoffs start today. For the Warriors, it’s a drive for five, as in five championships in nine years.

NBA playoff overview: Warriors seek 5th title in 9 years

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Rodney Terry stopped on the way to the Texas locker room after his team knocked out Xavier for a spot in the Elite Eight, the interim coach fulfilling a fan&rsquo;s wish for a photograph by flashing that all-too-familiar &ldquo;Hook &rsquo;em Horns&rdquo; sign.
&ldquo;Go get that job, coach!&rdquo; the grateful fan hollered after him.
A couple more wins and the folks at Texas might not have a choice.
The longtime assistant made his boldest statement yet for the full-time gig, guiding the Longhorns without ailing big man Dylan Disu to an 83-71 win over the Musketeers on Friday night. Tyrese Hunter scored 19 points, and Marcus Carr and Christian Bishop added 18 apiece, to move second-seeded Texas within a game of the Final Four for the first time in 15 years.
&ldquo;I thought we played one of our better defensive games tonight that we played all year,&rdquo; said Terry, who stepped into the top job in December, when Chris Beard was suspended and ultimately fired following allegations of domestic violence.
&ldquo;Proud of my guys and the way they put their will on this game from the start to finish.&rdquo;
Disu, who had been dominant through the first two games of the tournament, hurt his foot in a second-round win over Penn State. He got treatment on it all week, and the Longhorns successfully kept it secret until tipoff, when the big man played just a couple of minutes and then limped off the floor and straight to the locker room.
When he returned to the bench, he was wearing a big walking boot, a black hoodie and a grim expression.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be day-to-day right now at the moment,&rdquo; Terry said. &ldquo;We got the best in the business working with us.&rdquo;
Still, the Longhorns already had a tough task ahead in No. 5 seed Miami on Sunday night, especially given the way the Hurricanes roared to an 89-75 win over Houston. The possibility of playing without Disu, who led the Longhorns to a Big 12 Tournament title and earned MVP honors on the same floor just two weeks ago, only makes it harder.
&ldquo;We knew before the game that we wouldn&rsquo;t have Dylan for the whole game,&rdquo; Carr said. &ldquo;We just wanted to really play for him. We knew how much this would mean to him. We got emotional in there knowing he wouldn&rsquo;t be out there.&rdquo;
Relegated to a 6-foot-9 cheerleader Friday night, Disu at least had plenty to celebrate.
Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 16 points and Timmy Allen added 11 for the Longhorns (29-8). The best-seeded team left in the tournament kept Souley Boum and Xavier&rsquo;s perimeter threats in check while making life miserable for Jack Nunge down low.
Adam Kunkel hit five 3-pointers and led the third-seeded Musketeers (27-10) with 21 points. Nunge scored 15 but needed 19 shots to get there, while Colby Jones also had 15 points. Boum didn&rsquo;t hit a field goal until early in the second half and finished with 12.
&ldquo;They were better than us,&rdquo; Xavier coach Sean Miller said. &ldquo;We had a very difficult time running our offense and that&rsquo;s a testament to their defense, because we&rsquo;ve been able to score virtually every game we&rsquo;ve played this year.&rdquo;
It was Texas that scored at will, though, and Carr that got them going. He spun through the lane like a Tilt-A-Whirl for tough buckets at the rim, and even knocked down a spinning, desperation 3 as the shot clock expired. And when Miller traded out a man-to-man defense for a zone, the Longhorns began to pound the ball to Bishop in the paint.
With dozens of family and friends on hand, the Creighton transfer from the Kansas City suburb of Lee&rsquo;s Summit, Missouri, went to work. Bishop threw down one dunk on Carr&rsquo;s alley-oop lob, then slammed down another a few minutes later.
By the time Allen banked in a half-court heave, the Longhorns had established a 42-25 halftime advantage &mdash; and had to be redirected from the Xavier tunnel, where they were busy celebrating, toward their own locker room.
&ldquo;Their pressure is something you can&rsquo;t really simulate until you&rsquo;re in the game against them. Their toughness, their experience,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;And then offensively they have great guard play, and you feel that as well.&rdquo;
Xavier tried to creep back a couple of times, but the Longhorns never let their lead sniff single digits. And that gave Terry, who returned to Texas after head jobs at Fresno State and UTEP, a chance to breathe deeply and enjoy the moment.
The 54-year-old from the small Texas town of Angleton was on Rick Barnes&rsquo; staff the last time the Longhorns reached the Elite Eight, back in 2008. He was on the 2003 staff that guided them all the way to the Final Four, too.
Now, he&rsquo;s one step away from taking Texas on a most improbable trip to college basketball&rsquo;s biggest stage.
&ldquo;Continue to want more. I mean, each round &mdash; don&rsquo;t be satisfied,&rdquo; Terry said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to enjoy this victory for one night, like we have all year long, and we&rsquo;ll be on to the next challenge and very quickly against a really good Miami team.&rdquo;

Tyrese Hunter scored 19, and Marcus Carr and Christian Bishop added 18 apiece, to move Texas within a game of the Final Four.

Texas blows out Xavier 83-71 for spot in NCAA Elite Eight

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) &mdash; The horn sounded and Miami coach Katie Meier turned to start jumping and hugging her staff as players and cheerleaders sprinted past for a meet-at-midcourt celebration. She soon made her way into the crowd to embrace players hollering with delight.
Soon she emerged through the other side to trade hugs and high-fives with a front-row section of Hurricanes fans.
An improbable and emotional ride to the program&rsquo;s first Elite Eight appearance in the women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament was worth sharing with as many people as she could.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe it,&rdquo; Meier said afterward. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to act cool. This is awesome.&rdquo;
Jasmyne Roberts scored a career-high 26 points &mdash; including a stick-back for the go-ahead, three-point play with 38.8 seconds left &mdash; to help Miami overcome blowing a 21-point lead and beat Villanova 70-65 on Friday, pulling the program to within a win of the Final Four.
Miami had reached the Sweet 16 only once before, in 1992. Now the Hurricanes will play Sunday for the Greenville Region 2 title against third-seeded LSU.
The ninth-seeded Hurricanes (22-12) looked dominant in building a huge lead, wobbly in blowing it. But they hung on down the stretch after Villanova made its push back behind the latest big-scoring effort from Associated Press first-team All-American Maddy Siegrist.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t even explain the feeling really,&rdquo; guard Haley Cavinder said.
The celebration said plenty. While Meier made her way to the fans, Roberts stayed locked in a firm and emotional embrace with teammate Ja&rsquo;Leah Williams. The sophomore guard picked a perfect time to come through with a huge performance by making 10 of 16 shots and all six of her free throws while pulling down nine rebounds.
&ldquo;Cool Hand Luke is her new nickname. She doesn&rsquo;t even know that movie,&rdquo; Meier said, referencing the Paul Newman movie released more than three decades before Roberts&rsquo; birth.
Siegrist, the nation&rsquo;s scoring leader, had 31 points, 13 rebounds and five steals for fourth-seeded Villanova (30-7). It marked her third 30-point outing in as many tournament games, pushing her to the No. 2 single-season scoring total in Division I history.
Yet it wasn&rsquo;t enough down the stretch, with Siegrist coming up empty in a couple of key moments late. The first came when she posted up Destiny Harden inside, but a quality look on a turnaround hit the backboard before coming off the rim with her team down just 67-65.
Moments later, after a Miami free throw, Siegrist missed from the other side of the lane as Villanova had a chance to extend the game. Instead, Miami secured the rebound, and Roberts hit clinching free throws with 11.1 seconds left for a two-possession lead.
Miami originally appeared to be headed for a much easier finish.
The Hurricanes spent much of the first half using their athleticism and aggressiveness to take control, both in scoring off the dribble and attacking the glass. The Hurricanes led 46-33 by halftime then used a stunning 8-0 burst in the opening minute of the second half, ending when Harden scored on a drive through contact from Siegrist for a three-point play that pushed Miami to a 54-33 lead.
Villanova responded by throwing fullcourt pressure to get back into the game. The Wildcats scored 14 straight points to end the third quarter then took a 60-59 lead on Siegrist&rsquo;s free throws with 5:31 left to cap a 23-2 run, a stretch that had Roberts saying the Hurricanes &ldquo;did kind of lose our composure for a little bit.&rdquo;
That set up a tense finish with neither team leading by more than two until the final 30 seconds. Villanova took its last lead at 65-64 when Lucy Olsen banked in a drive with 49 seconds left before Roberts answered with the and-1.
&ldquo;My mistake,&rdquo; Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. &ldquo;We should have in the first half shown some more of the pressure, the press, but you think just a team that&rsquo;s quick like that can take advantage. But again, just waited a little too late to make that run.&rdquo;
Consider it the latest entry in a wild NCAA novel for the Hurricanes. They first rallied from 17 down to beat Oklahoma State. Then Harden hit the late shot to win at 1-seed Indiana and get them back to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 31 years.
Now they have a chance to play for &mdash; and celebrate &mdash; a whole lot more.
SIEGRIST&rsquo;S FUTURE
An emotional Siegrist fought back tears during her postgame news conference, and offered a hint of finality when asked about plans that could include returning to school or pursuing the WNBA.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to talk to my parents and stuff like that after,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;But I couldn&rsquo;t be more grateful for the opportunity to have played here. So many good people, and it&rsquo;s really about the people. Take the basketball part out of it, like the memories and the people are something that I&rsquo;m going to cherish forever.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Siegrist closed with 37 straight 20-point games, which the NCAA said is the longest streak by any men&rsquo;s or women&rsquo;s Division I player this century. ... Christina Dalce had 13 points, eight rebounds and five blocks to help Villanova do a better job of battling Miami inside after halftime. ... Harden had 15 points and nine rebounds for Miami, which took a 43-32 rebounding advantage. ... The Wildcats made just 2 of 16 3-pointers.&nbsp;

Miami had reached the Sweet 16 only once before, in 1992. Now the Hurricanes will play Sunday for the Greenville Region 2 title vs. LSU.

Miami women hold on, beat Villanova for first trip to Elite 8

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; South Carolina is keenly aware that everyone remaining in the women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament field is coming after the undefeated Gamecocks &mdash; and hard.
That conviction has been boosted after two of the top four seeds in Indiana and Stanford were ousted &mdash; something that hasn&rsquo;t happened since 1998. If they didn&rsquo;t before, each of the Sweet 16 teams believe they can knock out the defending national champions, no matter how dominant the Gamecocks have been.
It makes for good theater &mdash; which is good for the sport.
Rebecca Lobo, the former UConn star turned ESPN analyst, calls South Carolina&rsquo;s dominance combined with Sweet 16 parity &ldquo;an interesting dichotomy.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like parallel paths, you have this overwhelming favorite to win it all, yet you have UConn losing to Marquette or Stanford losing in the second round,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an interesting time for women&rsquo;s basketball.&rdquo;
South Carolina with its 40 straight victories isn&rsquo;t concerned about history, ratings or if the Gamecocks&rsquo; drive for a second straight championship is good for the game.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re just about basketball,&rdquo; coach Dawn Staley says with admiration. &ldquo;We really are.&rdquo;
Women&rsquo;s basketball is thriving even with the Gamecocks&rsquo; dominance in the midst of rarely seen tournament chaos. South Carolina&rsquo;s four-team pod in Greenville, South Carolina, is all chalk. The top-seeded Gamecocks (34-0) play No. 4 seeded UCLA on Saturday with No. 2 seed Maryland taking on third-seeded Notre Dame.
South Carolina has three-time All-American Aliyah Boston, high-scoring Zia Cooke and a bench full of players who could start for most NCAA Tournament teams. That&rsquo;s helped the Gamecocks show a relentless push toward a third straight Final Four.
If they run the table, South Carolina would be the 10th undefeated Division I women&rsquo;s champion. The men have had just one in D-I: Indiana in 1976.
Analyst Debbie Antonelli believes women&rsquo;s basketball fans love the new faces and schools still alive in this tournament. She isn&rsquo;t sure how fans would react if the Gamecocks&rsquo; seemingly inevitable championship run gets derailed short of the national title game.
&ldquo;As someone who cares about ratings, I&rsquo;d be curious,&rdquo; Antonelli said.
South Carolina is trying to join an exclusive club. The nine undefeated champions hail from just four schools: Texas, UConn, Tennessee and Baylor:
&mdash; UConn, which has gone undefeated an unprecedented six times. In 1995, the Huskies went 35-0 with Lobo leading the way. UConn went 39-0 in 2002, 2009 and 2010 with a slew of All-Americans, including Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Swin Cash. UConn followed those title runs by going 40-0 in 2014 and 38-0 in 2016.
&mdash; Texas was the first perfect champion, going 34-0 in 1986.
&mdash; Tennessee finished 39-0 in 1998 with the three &ldquo;Meeks&rdquo; in Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall.
&mdash; Baylor and Brittney Griner went 40-0 in 2012.
Coaches and players say there are no shortcuts for going undefeated.
Lobo, Jennifer Rizzotti and Kara Wolters anchored the 1995 UConn team. There had only been one team prior to the Huskies as undefeated champions, so Lobo and her teammates never discussed that possibility.
&ldquo;It was fun winning, it was fun not losing, but I can honestly tell you the undefeated portion was not something we thought about,&rdquo; she said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.
Kellie Harper agrees. She was part of Pat Summitt&rsquo;s Tennessee team that was the first to go 39-0.
Harper said coaches don&rsquo;t enter seasons telling their players, &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s be perfect this year.&rdquo; However, as the point guard on that 1997-98 team, having star players can be a difference-maker.
&ldquo;Going down the stretch with three All-Americans, that made my job a lot easier,&rdquo; Harper, now coaching her alma mater, said before adding, &ldquo;but it gave me a lot of confidence that we can do anything.&rdquo;
Staley&rsquo;s not sure all undefeated seasons are created equal. She recalls other perfect runs celebrated more than her team&rsquo;s current streak.
&ldquo;My player, Aliyah Boston is not the one that&rsquo;s being talked about on men&rsquo;s games, OK? She&rsquo;s not,&rdquo; Staley said.
Iowa&rsquo;s Caitlin Clark has taken some of the national attention away from the perfect Gamecocks with her barrage of long-range jumpers and triple-doubles.
The Gamecocks have overcome several challenges this season.
They trailed by 10 through three quarters at Stanford last November before pulling out a 76-71 win in overtime. UConn held an 11-point first-half lead in February before South Carolina rallied for an 81-77 victory.
The Gamecocks advanced to their 10th Sweet 16 in 11 tournaments with a 76-45 win over feisty South Florida, which trailed by just 33-29 at the half. There was also an 64-57 overtime win at Ole Miss, which knocked off Stanford.
Yes, there is pressure to stay perfect.
&ldquo;But it&rsquo;s also a lot of fun,&rdquo; sophomore reserve Bree Hall said.
South Carolina&rsquo;s experienced roster &mdash; including Boston, Cooke and fellow senior Brea Beal &mdash; knows what it takes to win. They&rsquo;ve started since their freshman year in 2020, when their first title run was canceled by COVID-19. South Carolina was No. 1 in the rankings at 31-1 and on a 26-game win streak.
The Gamecocks will need that experience as the pressure ratchets up.
In 1995, UConn&rsquo;s two closest contests was a 67-63 win over Virginia in the Elite Eight and in the championship win, 70-64, over Tennessee.
Both UConn and Tennessee, that pesky Ole Miss squad and the rest of the Sweet 16 field would welcome a shot at South Carolina &mdash; which is nothing new for the Gamecocks.
___
AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker in Knoxville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.

South Carolina is keenly aware that everyone remaining in the women’s NCAA Tournament field is coming after them.

March Madness Mix: Dominant Gamecocks amid Sweet 16 parity

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Madison Scott hit a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left that gave Mississippi the lead for good, Angel Baker scored 13 points, and the Rebels delivered on their declaration to get defensive, stunning top-seeded Stanford 54-49 on Sunday night to reach the NCAA Tournament&rsquo;s Sweet 16 for the first time in 16 years.
Behind the entire game, Stanford called timeout with 28 seconds left then Hannah Jump turned the ball over and Scott converted. Haley Jones lost the ball out of bounds on the Cardinal&rsquo;s last possession with a chance to tie then again in the waning moments.
Marquesha Davis hit a pair of free throws with 15.4 seconds to play as Ole Miss overcame not making a field goal over the final 5:47, going 0 for 8.
These upstart Rebels (25-8) advance to the Seattle Regional semifinal next weekend, while Tara VanDerveer&rsquo;s Stanford team (29-6) is eliminated far earlier than this group envisioned &mdash; the season ending on the Cardinal&rsquo;s home floor.
GREENVILLE 1 REGION
No. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 76, No. 8 SOUTH FLORIDA 45
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Zia Cooke scored 21 points and Aliyah Boston had her 81st career double double as South Carolina shook off a slow start to power past South Florida.
The Gamecocks improved to 34-0 with their 40th straight win overall and moved four victories away from a second straight national title. They&rsquo;ll head to Greenville, where they won the Southeastern Conference Tournament two weeks ago, to play for a spot in the Final Four.
Boston, the program career record holder for double doubles, finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, coming out of her final game at home to a huge ovation.
South Florida (27-7) entered looking for a program-record 28th win this season and its first berth in the Sweet 16, but after a feisty start, couldn&rsquo;t hang with the Gamecocks.
No. 2 MARYLAND 77, No. 7 ARIZONA 64
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) &mdash; Diamond Miller scored 13 of her 24 points in the third quarter to help Maryland to a victory over Arizona.
The Terrapins (27-6) advance to the Sweet 16 for a third straight year and the 11th time under coach Brenda Frese. Maryland trailed by a point after two quarters but ran past the Wildcats (22-10) in the second half.
Shyanne Sellers scored 15 points and Faith Masonius gave the Terps a lift with 12.
Frese was coaching against her alma mater. She played at Arizona and graduated in 1993.
Cate Reese led Arizona with 19 points.
No. 3 NOTRE DAME 53, No. 11 MISSISSIPPI STATE 48
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Lauren Ebo had 10 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks to help Notre Dame beat Mississippi State.
Maddy Westbeld added nine points and 15 rebounds for the Irish, who blew an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter before making the plays down the stretch for the win.
Mississippi State scored eight straight points to open the fourth quarter and tie the game at 41. Ebo scored the first Irish basket of the final period on an offensive putback with 4:38 remaining.
The Irish regained the lead for good on a pair of KK Bransford free throws with 3:49 left in the game, which gave Notre Dame a 45-43 advantage. The Irish held onto the lead the rest of the way.
GREENVILLE 2 REGION
No. 2 UTAH 63, No. 10 PRINCETON 56
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Alissa Pili had 28 points and 10 rebounds to lead Utah to a win over Princeton.
Jenna Johnson added 15 points for the Utes, who made only one 3-pointer but still advanced to their first Sweet 16 since 2006.
Kaitlyn Chen scored 19 points, Grace Stone had 16 and Ellie Mitchell finished with 18 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end, for Princeton (24-6).
Down the stretch, the game turned into an old-fashioned rockfight. The teams combined to miss 15 consecutive field goal attempts at one point, but Utah (27-4) got to the free throw line to advance and face No. 3 seed LSU.
No. 3 LSU 66, No. 6 MICHIGAN 42
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Angel Reese dismantled Michigan on both ends of the court with 25 points, 24 rebounds, six blocks and three steals to help LSU beat the Wolverines.
Reese, a 6-foot-3 All-America forward, did most of her damage with gauze wedged under her upper lip after a shot to her mouth drew blood in the opening minutes of the game.
Alexis Morris scored 11 and LaDazhia Williams had 10 points and 10 rebounds for LSU (30-2), which never trailed and held Michigan (23-10) to its lowest point total of the season.
SEATTLE 3 REGION
No. 1 VIRGINIA TECH 72, No. 9 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 60
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) &mdash; Georgia Amoore scored 21 points and Virginia Tech held off South Dakota State.
Elizabeth Kitley added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Hokies (29-4), who won their 13th consecutive game, to advance to the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history. They will play the winner of Monday&rsquo;s matchup between No. 12 seed Toledo and No. 4 seed Tennessee.
Virginia Tech also set a school record with its 29th win, breaking the mark of 28 set by the 1998-99 squad &mdash; the only other team in school history to advance to the Sweet 16.
Myah Selland led South Dakota State (29-6) with 17 points and nine rebounds.
SEATTLE 4 REGION
No. 2 IOWA 74, No. 10 GEORGIA 66
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Caitlin Clark had 22 points and 12 assists while Monika Czinano added 20 points to help Iowa beat Georgia.
The Hawkeyes (28-6) advance to the ninth Sweet Sixteen in program history.
Gabbie Marshall added 15 points and McKenna Warnock had 14 for Iowa, which erased the memory of last season&rsquo;s second-round home loss to No. 10 seed Creighton.
Clark, a first-team Associated Press All-American, was held scoreless for 13 minutes in the first half, but scored 14 second-half points as the Hawkeyes finally shook off the 10th-seeded Lady Bulldogs (22-12). She made just 6 of 17 shots, but either scored or assisted on nearly every point by the Hawkeyes in the second half.
Georgia, a No. 10 seed, got within 68-66 on a 3-pointer from Audrey Warren with 2:17 left in the game, but the Lady Bulldogs would not score again, committing three straight turnovers and missing a layup.
Diamond Battles led Georgia with 21 points. Brittney Smith and Javyn Nicholson each had 12 points.

A recap of Sunday's slate of women's March Madness includes the Rebels upsetting the top-seeded Cardinal.

Ole Miss stuns Stanford, reaches first Sweet 16 in 16 years

Diamond Sports Group, the largest owner of regional sports networks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday. The move came after it missed a $140 million interest payment last month.
Diamond owns 19 networks under the Bally Sports banner. Those networks have the rights to 42 professional teams &mdash; 14 baseball, 16 NBA and 12 NHL.
(Editor's Note: Those NBA teams are the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs.)
The company said in a release Tuesday night that it expects to continue to operate during the bankruptcy process and that coverage of games should not be affected.
Diamond Sports also said it is negotiating a restructuring agreement with debt holders that will eliminate most of its debt. Under an agreement with creditors, it would become a separate company from Sinclair Broadcast Group.
&ldquo;DSG will continue broadcasting games and connecting fans across the country with the sports and teams they love,&rdquo; Diamond Sports CEO David Preschlack said in a statement. &ldquo;We look forward to working constructively with our team and league partners and all DSG stakeholders throughout this process and beyond.&rdquo;
Diamond said in a financial filing last fall it had debt of $8.67 billion. The bankruptcy filing was made in the Southern District of Texas.
Sinclair Broadcast Group bought the regional sports networks from The Walt Disney Co. for nearly $10 billion in 2019. Disney was required by the Department of Justice to sell the networks for its acquisition of 21st Century Fox&rsquo;s film and television assets to be approved.
Diamond has nearly $1 billion in rights payments, mostly to baseball teams, due in the first quarter this year. The company is current on payments to hockey and basketball teams, but it might withhold payments from some baseball teams where it is trying to renegotiate a better deal.
Major League Baseball has set up a local media department in case it has to take over broadcasts for teams. Games would air locally via MLB Network or streamed on MLB.TV in case that happened.
&ldquo;Diamond Sports Group&rsquo;s bankruptcy declaration today is an unfortunate development that we have been expecting. Despite Diamond&rsquo;s economic situation, there is every expectation that they will continue televising all games they are committed to during the bankruptcy process,&rdquo; MLB said in a statement late Tuesday night. &ldquo;Over the long term, we will reimagine our distribution model to address the changing media climate and ultimately reach an even larger number of fans.&rdquo;
Diamond Sports isn&rsquo;t the only company experiencing financial woes with its regional sports networks. Warner Bros. Discovery, which has an ownership stake in three of the AT&amp;T SportsNet networks, has given the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates until March 31 to reclaim their broadcast rights. WBD Sports is ending its investment in the networks.

Bally Sports expects to continue to operate during the bankruptcy process and that coverage of games should not be affected.

Bally Sports files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, 16 NBA teams affected

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; The Washington Wizards looked ready to start their All-Star break early, before Bradley Beal helped snap them out of their funk.
This new-look, still-adjusting team has been starting to turn a corner.
Beal had 13 of his 35 points over the final 4 1/2 minutes to help the Wizards finish their rally from a 20-point first-quarter deficit and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106 on Thursday night.
Kyle Kuzma &mdash; who had 16 points on just 6-for-21 shooting &mdash; swished a top-of-the-key fadeaway from deep for a 107-106 lead that was Washington&rsquo;s first of the game with 1:14 to go.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to keep building these habits that we&rsquo;re doing right now,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re playing great team ball right now.&rdquo;
Beal, who topped the 30-point mark for the third time in four games, followed with a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left &mdash; after a miss by Minnesota&rsquo;s Anthony Edwards &mdash; to make it 110-106.
&ldquo;Probably this is the best game for me this season so far, because of how we showed our heart, we stayed in the game, we kept playing,&rdquo; said Kristaps Porzingis, who had 14 points. &ldquo;Some guys were already like checked out a little bit. We locked back in and we pulled it out of somewhere.&rdquo;
Corey Kispert scored 15 points off the bench to offset off nights by Kuzma and Porzingis and help the Wizards (28-30) build on their recent momentum entering the All-Star break. They have won 10 of their last 14 and hold the 10th and final spot for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still learning each other, but now we feel like we can take off running,&rdquo; Beal said.
Edwards had 18 of his 34 points in the first quarter to help the Timberwolves surge to a 30-10 lead. They were still ahead 99-92 with 4:38 left after three free throws by Kyle Anderson, before Beal hit a wide-open 3-pointer to spark his late surge.
Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 19 rebounds for the Timberwolves (31-30), who were derailed by their characteristic mid-game lulls and missed an opportunity to move a season-best three games above the .500 mark.
With the Wizards wearing their hot pink &ldquo;City Edition&rdquo; uniforms in an&nbsp;ode to the city&rsquo;s iconic cherry blossoms, the Wolves were the hotter team for most of the game while new point guard Mike Conley continued to help Gobert find his offensive groove with the pick-and-rolls and lob passes they perfected together in Utah.
But Edwards &mdash; who had six turnovers &mdash; began to make some rash decisions after his strong start, and the Wolves were outrebounded and outhustled down the stretch.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve done it time and time again,&rdquo; said Anderson, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. &ldquo;It stings like hell.&rdquo;
The Wizards have won seven straight games against the Wolves, extending the longest streak in the history of their series.
&ldquo;I feel like it&rsquo;s the same story,&rdquo; Gobert said. &ldquo;We get a lead, and then we just lose the urgency.&rdquo;
ANT GOES MARCHING
Edwards, who was added to the All-Star roster last week&nbsp;as an injury replacement, was&nbsp;headed to Utah&nbsp;for the annual in-season showcase this weekend while his teammates scattered on vacations.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
&ldquo;I think moments like that are perfectly suited for him,&rdquo; Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;He enjoys that type of environment. It&rsquo;ll be fun for him in and around all of those other players. He&rsquo;ll get treated like the star that he is becoming.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Wizards: Beal, who became the second player in franchise history to hit the 15,000-point mark for his career in a loss on Monday at Golden State, went 14 for 28 from the floor. ... Kispert went 4 for 6 from 3-point range. He was 5 for 22 over his last five games.
Timberwolves: Edwards had only one higher-scoring first quarter in his three-year career, with 19 points at Orlando on Nov. 16. ... Towns missed his 40th straight game with the right calf strain he suffered when Minnesota played at Washington on Nov. 28.
</div>

Bradley Beal scored 35 points to help the Washington Wizards rally from a 20-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106.

Beal, Wizards overcome 20-point deficit to beat Timberwolves

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Kamilla Cardoso had 18 points and 13 rebounds, Zia Cooke scored 17 and No. 1 South Carolina beat third-ranked LSU 88-64 on Sunday in a showdown of the last two unbeaten teams.
Aliyah Boston finished with 14 points and nine boards to help the Gamecocks win their 31st straight game.
The game, billed as a showcase between reigning AP player of the year Boston and Angel Reese, quickly become a highlight reel of South Carolina&rsquo;s experience, talent and depth. The Gamecocks (25-0. 12-0 Southeastern Conference) ran out to an 18-2 lead as they ended the record start of LSU (23-1, 11-1).
Boston and Reese entered this with a combined 39 double doubles this season. Instead, it was the 6-foot-7 backup Cardoso who collected double figure points and rebounds.
Reese, the 6-foot-3 dominator, couldn&rsquo;t get going against the Gamecocks&rsquo; withering inside presence, going 5-of-15 shooting for 16 points and four rebounds for her first game this season without double figure boards.
Boston, South Carolina&rsquo;s career record holder with 76 games in double figure points and rebounds, also came up short with of that standard. Not that it matter twice blocked Reese&rsquo;s shots in the third quarter as South Carolina took control for good.&nbsp;
Reese held her hands up, wondering where the foul was as she sat on the court.
LSU cut a 10-point halftime deficit to 45-40 on Reese&rsquo;s inside bucket midway through the third quarter. But South Carolina closed the period on a 19-8 burst finished by Brea Beal&rsquo;s second 3-pointer.
Her teammates rushed her after time ran out, celebrating like they had won a title. The Gamecocks sure proved who runs things this year in the women&rsquo;s game.
The sold-out crowd was loud and raucous from the jump and went crazy when Staley, a Philadelphia native, came out in a classic Eagles&rsquo; Randall Cunningham jersey for her team&rsquo;s Super Bowl Sunday warm up with LSU.
The Gamecocks then gave them even more to yell about as they took off on an 18-2 start the first six minutes that threatened to run the Tigers out of the building. Cooke scored six points in the surge while Brea Beal had a 3-pointer and a three-point play.
Alexis Morris led LSU with 23 points.
Boston and Cardoso each had three blocks for the Gamecocks.
BIG PICTURE
LSU: The Tigers were off to a strong start, but not faced a team like the Gamecocks. Second-year coach Kim Mulkey will have to come up with a better plan since it&rsquo;s likely these team will play for the SEC Tournament title in three weeks.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks just continue their march toward more titles. In what was considered a defining stretch &mdash; UConn last Sunday, LSU a week later &mdash; South Carolina once more relied on its defensive dominance to remain perfect.
UP NEXT
LSU returns home to face Mississippi on Thursday night.
South Carolina is home against Florida on Thursday night.&nbsp;

In a battle of the unbeatens, the Gamecocks defeated the Tigers to win their 31st straight game.

No. 1 Gamecocks stay perfect in showdown win over No. 3 LSU

The NBA has a new king sitting atop its scoring throne... The King.
On Tuesday night, in front of the legendary previous record-holder Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and a packed Staples Center in Los Angeles, LeBron James became the NBA's all-time scoring leader.
LeBron's 38,388th career point came via a fadeaway at the end of the third quarter.
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HISTORY. With this bucket, LeBron James moves past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer! <a href="https://t.co/N6V5RxPe6r">pic.twitter.com/N6V5RxPe6r</a>
&mdash; NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1623184801284104192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2023</a></blockquote>

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He came out firing in the first half, dropping 20 on 6-for-11 from the field and getting downhill with aggression, and followed that up with 16 points in the third period alone to break the record.
Following the incredible feat, the Lakers and NBA stopped the game with 10.9 seconds left in the third and held a celebration.
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This moment between Kareem and LeBron is something special. <a href="https://t.co/NygObZsn7p">pic.twitter.com/NygObZsn7p</a>
&mdash; NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1623186718861176833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2023</a></blockquote>

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We are all witnesses 👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KingJames</a> <a href="https://t.co/d2PsIFv0Ke">pic.twitter.com/d2PsIFv0Ke</a>
&mdash; NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1623187836206997504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2023</a></blockquote>

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"I just want to say thank you to the Laker faithful, you guys are one of a kind. To be able to be in the presence of such a legend and a great as Kareem, it means so much to me. It's very humbling," LeBron said to the crowd. "To my beautiful wife (Savannah), my daughter (Zhuri) my two boys (Bronny and Bryce), my friends, my boys, my family, my mother (Gloria), everybody that's been a part of this run with me the last 20-plus years &mdash; I just want to say I thank you so much 'cause I wouldn't be me without y'all. All y'all help, all y'all passion, all y'all sacrifice has helped me get to this point.
"And to the NBA, to (Commisioner) Adam Silver, to the late, great David Stern, I thank you guys so much for allowing me to be a part of something I've always dreamed about. I would never, ever in a million years dreamt this even better than what it is tonight."
Abdul-Jabbar's mark of 38,387 points stood for nearly 34 years.
Once thought to be an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-are-the-most-unbreakable-individual-records-in-sports-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unbreakable record</a>, LeBron has added inarguably his greatest individual accomplishment to date to a plethora of other personal accolades, most recently passing Mark Jackson and Steve Nash to take fourth place on the NBA's all-time assist list.
James is in the midst of yet another All-Star season in Year 20, entering the night's contest with averages of 30.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/bron-alltime.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="625" />

In front of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and a packed Staples Center, LeBron James became the top scorer in NBA history on Tuesday.

LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as NBA all-time scoring leader

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Antoine Davis&rsquo; journey into the NCAA record book took a fortunate turn when his father lost a job.
The Detroit Mercy guard moved in middle school from Alabama to Houston, where former NBA coach John Lucas put him through grueling daily workouts, and it changed the trajectory of his basketball career.
&ldquo;His name wouldn&rsquo;t be in the record books if I didn&rsquo;t get fired from UAB,&rdquo; Titans coach Mike Davis said. &ldquo;Moving to Houston and working out three times a day with John Lucas made him a different player.&rdquo;
Davis is the nation&rsquo;s leading scorer but that doesn&rsquo;t capture it all. Last week, he broke the Division I record for career 3-pointers with a spectacular performance. He made a personal-best 11 3-pointers in a win over Robert Morris, giving him 513 in a career few saw coming when the 142-pound son of the coach stepped on campus in the Motor City.
And after Detroit Mercy plays this Saturday in Indianapolis against IUPUI, there is a good chance that only the late Basketball Hall of Famer Pete Maravich will be ahead of Davis on the NCAA all-time scoring list.
Maravich scored 3,667 points, an astonishing total over three seasons during an era of college basketball without freshmen, shot clocks or 3-point lines. Davis is just 18 points from passing former Portland State star Freeman Williams, who scored 3,249 points in 106 games from 1974-78.
Davis set the 3-pointer mark in his 130th game, four fewer than the previous record-holder, Fletcher Magee, who played at Wofford from 2014-19. He likely will break the all-division NCAA record for 3-pointers set by John Grotberg, who made his 526th career 3-pointer in 2009 for Division III Grinnell.
He is averaging an NCAA-best 26.2 points, the first Titan to lead the nation in scoring since Spencer Haywood in 1968-69, and has scored in double figures in 130 straight games, an NCAA record.
&ldquo;Those numbers are surreal at the end of the day,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;I still probably won&rsquo;t feel this until after my college career is over, probably later on down the line, but that&rsquo;s a lot of points and a lot of 3&rsquo;s made.&rdquo;
He passes, too, as evidenced by him joining Keydren Clark of St. Peter&rsquo;s as the two players in NCAA history with at least 3,000 points and 500 assists.
The Titans (7-12, 3-5 Horizon League) are ninth in their 11-team conference, though Davis is clinging to his dream of getting the program into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
Davis took advantage of an opportunity to play a fifth season, an option for all athletes who were enrolled when the pandemic hit during the 2019-20 season.
Davis entered the transfer portal last spring and was tempted to leave an overlooked basketball program for a major one. Maryland, Georgetown, Kansas State and BYU all offered Davis a chance to play at a higher level.
He had the green light to go, but chose stay despite a lack of fan support at games and financial backing for the basketball program that forces his father to pay a strength coach out of his own pocket to train the slender shooter.
When Detroit Mercy celebrated Davis joining the 3,000-point club by presenting him with a ball on the court before a recent game, there were maybe 200 fans in the stands.
&ldquo;I just said to my mother, `Where are the students?&rsquo;&rdquo; Tamilya Davis said at halftime of a home game against Youngstown State, sitting on a couch in her husband&rsquo;s office under photos of former Detroit coaches such as Dick Vitale. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand it. ... There&rsquo;s no school spirit.&rdquo;
Maybe bigger crowds are in the future for Davis. The 6-foot-1 guard is generously listed as 165 pounds and his slight frame may give NBA teams pause.
His father is trying to do something about that by hiring a strength coach to personally train him.
&ldquo;To do the things he&rsquo;s done at that size and not being wiry strong, but being weak, it tells you about how skilled he is,&rdquo; Mike Davis said. &ldquo;And, how much he&rsquo;s put time into his skill set.&rdquo;
The 24-year-old Davis was born in Bloomington, Indiana, where his father led the Hoosiers to the 2002 national championship game, and became a skilled basketball player when his father was forced to find a new job a decade ago and landed at Texas Southern.
He began getting homeschooled by his mother in Houston as part of the family&rsquo;s plan to free up his day for Lucas to train him along his other clients in the league and college basketball.
The extended court time also allowed Lucas to change his shot.
Davis holds the basketball in his right hand and steadies it with his left, like many players, and yet when his right wrist flicks on a shot his left palm rotates in to face the basket in a style that&rsquo;s all his own.
Lucas groomed Davis with those long workouts while requiring him to make at least 500 shots a day while coaxing him to become more competitive.
Davis has shot up to 10,000 times in a day, according to his father, and once hoisted up 60,000 shots in a 10-day period. Against NBA players and college standouts as a teenager, Davis did full court, one-on-one drills and had 100-possession games to test his mental and physical stamina.
&ldquo;Nobody was too big in the gym to go against the younger kids, so &rsquo;Toine was going against guys like Damon Stoudamire, Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley,&rdquo; Lucas recalled. &ldquo;His gift was, and is, scoring.
&ldquo;The only equalizer for size is a shot,&rdquo; Lucas said. &ldquo;If you can make shots, no matter how big or little you are, you will find your way onto the court and there&rsquo;s not too many people who can shoot like him.&rdquo;

Antoine Davis is the nation’s leading scorer, but that doesn’t capture it all

Antoine Davis on scoring binge at unheralded Detroit Mercy

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Destiny Littleton scored 18 points with six assists as Southern California pulled off a program-defining victory Sunday with a 55-46 upset victory over No. 2 Stanford.
Okako Adika scored 11 points with 11 rebounds, while Taylor Bigby and Kayla Williams added nine points each as the Trojans set the tone with their defense and held on late to end a 14-game losing streak against the Cardinal, who had won 51 straight against unranked opponents.
It was USC&rsquo;s first victory over Stanford (17-2, 5-1 Pac-12) since the 2014 conference tournament. Cameron Brink scored 11 points with 14 rebounds for Stanford, which saw its 12-game winning streak come to an end.
USC (13-4, 3-3) held Stanford to four points in the first quarter, its low for any period this season.
NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 81, MISSOURI 50
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Aliyah Boston had 20 points and 10 rebounds for her 71st career double-double and South Carolina won its 24th straight by beating Missouri.
Boston&rsquo;s 11th game with double-figure points and rebounds moved her with one of program-record holder Sheila Foster &mdash; and kept the Gamecocks perfect at 18-0 and 6-0 in the Southeastern Conference.
Zia Cooke added 16 points and Ashlyn Watkins 13 for the Gamecocks.&nbsp;
Missouri (14-5, 3-3) lost its third straight after opening SEC play with three consecutive victories. Lauren Hansen finished with 14 points to lead the Tigers.
NO. 4 UCONN 65, GEORGETOWN 50
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Aaliyah Edwards scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as UConn opened up a close game against Georgetown in the second half.
Huskies leading scorer Azzi Fudd left the game in the first half when she appeared to reinjure her right knee. Fudd was playing in just her second game back after missing the previous eight after hurting that knee in December.
Dorka Juhasz had 13 points for the UConn (15-2, 8-0 Big East), and Nika Muhl and Lou Lopez Senechal each added 12.
Brianna Scott led Georgetown (8-9, 1-7) with 11 points.
NO. 5 LSU 84, AUBURN 54
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Angel Reese had 23 points and 15 rebounds to maintain her streak of double-doubles in every game this season, and LSU improved its program-record best start to 18-0 with a win over Auburn.
Jasmine Carson scored 18 points, and Alexis Morris had 12 points and 10 assists for LSU, which led the entire way to end up 6-0 in Southeastern Conference play &mdash; winning each of those by 19 or more points.
Precious Johnson scored 13 points and Kharyssa Richardson added 10 for Auburn (10-7, 0-5), which lost its fifth straight since opening SEC play.
NO. 6 INDIANA 93, WISCONSIN 56
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Mackenzie Holmes scored 29 points and Yarden Garzon added 19 to help Indiana run to a 93-56 win over Wisconsin.
Indiana (16-1, 5-1 Big Ten) shot 55% from the field, including 8-for-20 from beyond the arc, while its defense held Wisconsin (6-12, 2-5) to 35% shooting.
The Badgers had no answers for Holmes, who shot 11-for-15 from the field in her 26 minutes.
Wisconsin was led by Brooke Schramek&rsquo;s 13 points and Serah Williams&rsquo; 10.
NO. 7 NOTRE DAME 72, SYRACUSE 56
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) &mdash; Olivia Miles scored 13 of her game-high 23 points during the second half of Notre Dame&rsquo;s win over Syracuse.
Dara Mabrey chipped in 15 points for the Irish (14-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who were coming off a dominant 86-47 victory over Wake Forest on Thursday. Miles also had seven boards and seven assists.
Dyaisha Fair&rsquo;s 14 points led the way for the Orange (13-5, 4-3), who entered Sunday on a three-game winning streak.
NO. 8 UCLA 87, CALIFORNIA 70
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Freshman Londynn Jones had 18 points and Charisma Osborne added 17 to lead UCLA past Cal.
UCLA star freshman Kiki Rice had a double double with 15 points and a career-high 12 assists.
The Bruins (15-3, 4-2 Pac-12) trailed by as many as 12 points in the first quarter but came back. Cal played well on the road and kept it close until the fourth, when UCLA, trailing by two points, went on a 12-2 run.
Kemery Martin had a game-high 23 points for the Bears ((10-7, 1-5).
NO. 9 MARYLAND 80, RUTGERS 56
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) &mdash; Diamond Miller had 17 points, six rebounds and five steals, and Maryland forced 17 first-half turnovers in a victory over Rutgers.
The Terrapins (14-4, 5-2 Big Ten) rebounded from a loss at No. 6 Indiana earlier in the week. Brinae Alexander led Maryland with 20 points, surpassing 1,000 for her career, and Abby Meyers added 14 with three steals.
The Terps beat Rutgers (8-11, 2-5) for the second time in 14 days. The Scarlet Knights turned the ball over 22 times in the first meeting, and they had 23 on Sunday against Maryland&rsquo;s pressing defense.
Kaylene Smikle scored 21 points for Rutgers and Chyna Cornwell contributed 15.
NO. 10 UTAH 80, NO. 14 ARIZONA 79
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Alissa Pili scored 27 points, including the winning free throws with 0.3 seconds left, to lead Utah past Arizona.
Pili went 11 of 16 from the field, while Gianna Kneepkens finished with 20 points and seven rebounds for the Utes (15-1, 5-1 Pac-12). Issy Palmer added 10 points.
Cate Reese tallied 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead Arizona (14-4, 4-3). Jade Loville finished with 17 points and Esmery Martinez and Shaina Pellington chipped in 10 apiece for the Wildcats, who lost their second straight game.
NO. 22 NORTH CAROLINA 56, NO. 11 N.C. STATE 47
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Kennedy Todd-Williams scored eight of her 15 points in the fourth quarter, Destiny Adams scored all of her eight points in the final 4 minutes and North Carolina beat rival N.C. State.
Alyssa Ustby added nine points and a career-high 18 rebounds for North Carolina (12-5, 3-3 ACC).
Jakia Brown-Turner led N.C. State (13-4, 3-3) with 14 points and Camille Hobby scored 13 in a game that saw 10 lead changes and six ties through the first three quarters.
TEXAS 68, NO. 15 IOWA STATE 53
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; DeYona Gaston scored 17 points and Shaylee Gonzales had five of her 11 in a game-breaking 13-0 run in the fourth quarter and Texas defeated Iowa State.
Izzi Zingaro&rsquo;s layup to open the fourth quarter pulled the Cyclones within 52-49 but they went scoreless for the next 6:17, missing five shots with five turnovers as the Longhorns increased the defensive pressure.
Sonya Morris added 11 points for the Longhorns (13-5, 4-1 Big 12 Conference), who have won 10 of 11 since a 5-4 start knocked them out of the rankings.
Ashley Joens scored 21 points for Iowa State (11-4, 3-2) and grabbed six rebounds to become the Cyclones&rsquo; all-team leading rebounder.
NO. 16 DUKE 65, GEORGIA TECH 47
ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Celeste Taylor scored 13 points, Elizabeth Balogun added 12 and Duke overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Georgia Tech for its 11th straight win.
The Yellow Jackets managed only six of their 19 second-half points in the fourth quarter and Duke (16-1, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) did not allow a point in the final 5:45 of the game, outscoring Georgia Tech 9-0 down the stretch.
Kayla Blackshear led Georgia Tech (9-9, 0-7 ACC) with 14 points. She made 7 of 10 shots and grabbed eight rebounds. Tonie Morgan added 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.
WEST VIRGINIA 74, NO. 18 BAYLOR 65
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Madisen Smith and Ja&rsquo;Naiya Quinerly scored 17 points apiece, Jayla Hemingway added 15 points and 14 rebounds and West Virginia&rsquo;s defense forced seven fourth-quarter turnovers in its win over Baylor.
West Virginia (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) has won three consecutive games and improved to 4-22 all-time against Baylor.
Sarah Andrews hit four 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs added 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Caitlin Bickle scored 10 points for Baylor (12-4, 3-1).
WASHINGTON STATE 85, NO. 21 OREGON 84, OT
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Bella Murekatete scored 20 points, Jessica Clark scored six of her career-high 14 in overtime and Washington State defeated Oregon for its first win over a ranked team since 1998.
Washington State won despite giving up a 14-point lead in the final four minutes, allowing the tying free throws with 0.1 left in regulation and surviving an Oregon shot in the closing seconds of overtime. The Cougars never trailed in the extra session, which started with a Clark layup for a 78-76 lead.
Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 17 points for Washington State (13-3, 3-3 Pac-12 Conference), Johanna Teder had 15 and Ula Motuga had 14 with 10 rebounds.
Endyia Rogers scored 33 points, making 6 of 8 3-point attempts, for Oregon (13-5, 4-3), Chance Gray added 22, Te-Hina Paopao 11 and Grace VanSlooten 10.
NO. 24 ILLINOIS 70, MINNESOTA 57
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Makira Cook scored 20 points, Genesis Bryant added 18 and Illinois celebrated its first game as a ranked team in 23 years with a win over Minnesota.
Brynn Shoup-Hill and Adalia McKenzie both added 13 points for the Illini (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten Conference), who haven&rsquo;t had a winning season since 2012-13, haven&rsquo;t made the NCAA Tournament since 2003 and were last ranked on Nov. 27, 2000.
Alanna Micheaux scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Golden Gophers (8-10, 1-6), who have lost five straight. Micheaux was 11-of-16 shooting, her teammates 12 of 46 (26%).

A recap of Sunday's top-25 action in women's college basketball includes the Trojans' first victory over the Cardinal in nine years.

USC topples No. 2 Stanford, its first vs Cardinal since 2014

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Dirk Nowitzki stood with his son Max, both ready to push the lever that would unveil the statue of the retired Dallas Mavericks star outside the team's arena.
It already had been revealed that the statue depicted Nowitzki's signature one-legged fadeaway jumper. Not that there ever was any question.
&ldquo;That jump shot, just going up to the sky, creating all type of rain,&rdquo; said Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham, whose team was playing the Mavericks in the Christmas Day game that followed the Nowitzki ceremony Sunday.
Nowitzki has a street named after him not far from American Airlines Center, where his jersey is in the rafters. And now a nearly 24-foot statue on the plaza south of the arena, unveiled on a chilly but sunny morning.
&ldquo;It was emotional,&rdquo; said Nowitzki, the only NBA player to spend all 21 seasons with the same franchise. &ldquo;When the thing went up, felt like the sun was just perfect today, just shining right on it."
The biggest of those multiple moments honoring Nowitzki's career came on the 11th anniversary of the only other Christmas home game for the Mavericks.
Nowitzki was the face of the franchise then, opening defense of the club's only NBA title in the lockout-delayed 2011-12 season.
The new face, 23-year-old star guard Luka Doncic, watched the ceremony from just behind Nowitzki with several teammates and coach Jason Kidd.
Nowitzki's point guard on the 2011 title team had to throw in at least one joke about his former teammate, deciding to poke fun at the defense of the NBA's highest-scoring foreign-born player.
&ldquo;They picked the right move,&rdquo; Kidd told reporters later. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think they were going to use the swipe (on defense) or him passing the ball. You see his stats on passing? He was a ball hog.&rdquo;
Sculptor Omri Amrany has created statues of other retired NBA stars in Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal. He worked mostly with Nowitzki mentor Holder Geschwindner, who shaped the 7-foot German's one-legged fadeaway.
Nowitzki's family came from Germany along with Gershwindner, and the 44-year-old couldn't say enough times what it meant to have his mom and dad witness the ceremony.
It came four days after Nowitzki was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-hall-of-fame-announces-candidates-for-class-of-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nominated for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame</a> alongside Gregg Popovich, coach of Texas rival San Antonio, retired Spurs guard Tony Parker and Dwyane Wade, who beat Nowitzki in the 2006 NBA Finals with Miami before losing to him with LeBron James in 2011.
Nowitzki's title came the year James and Chris Bosh joined Wade and the Heat, who went on to win the next two multiple championships. Nowitzki stayed through some lean final years in Dallas, mostly because he had what he wanted most.
&ldquo;I'm so happy I didn't have to do that and it worked out this way,&rdquo; Nowitzki said. &ldquo;Once we won the championship, I knew I wanted to be here and finish my career here.&rdquo;
Nowitzki is sixth on the career scoring list with 31,560 points and the leader in every other significant offensive category for the Mavericks. He is a consultant for owner Mark Cuban and spends most of his time in Dallas with his wife, Jessica, and three children.
As the three-year statue project dragged on, Nowitzki pondered the theme that would accompany the base. When it came time to decide, he said he got lucky in picking something with 21 letters, matching his 21 seasons with the Mavericks.
&ldquo;Loyalty never fades away.&rdquo;

In addition to having a street named after him and his jersey in the rafters, Dirk Nowitzki now has a 24-foot statue on the arena's plaza.

Mavs unveil Dirk Nowitzki statue before Christmas game vs. Lakers

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Snowflakes were just starting to fall in earnest as students hurriedly erected tents with the intent of camping out for a basketball game more than 24 hours away.
The overnight party was eventually called off over concerns about the snow and frigid temperatures from the late autumn storm. But it still illustrated that there&rsquo;s nothing else in West Coast college basketball to rival what Gonzaga has created over the last two decades.
&ldquo;I am an undergrad degree-holder of the institution and so have been part of it for over 35 years and I&rsquo;ve seen sort of what it was before we have experienced the modern era of basketball and what it has been during that time,&rdquo; Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh said. &ldquo;And then some of the things that we now find ourselves challenged with and have opportunities around and it&rsquo;s very clearly been an important dimension of who we are and how we&rsquo;re seen.&rdquo;
Gonzaga is no longer the plucky up-and-comer with the frequently mispronounced name, and it no longer really fits in the &ldquo;mid-major&rdquo; category, not with its resume. And with college sports realignment back in play, the Zags are being talked about as a potential target for bigger conferences that once never would have looked to Spokane.
The possibility of a future somewhere other than the West Coast Conference is on the table for Gonzaga, which has been a member since 1979.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s always the need to look and the need to evaluate and it&rsquo;s not simple math, it&rsquo;s calculus,&rdquo; Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford said. &ldquo;I think you just have to stay open-minded and you have to be willing to look at the existing ecosystem and recognize that it&rsquo;s not static, it&rsquo;s very dynamic. And you have to anticipate what some of that dynamism means, and not be complacent.&rdquo;
The talk surrounding Gonzaga is not new. There has been talk in the past of a move to the Big East or the Mountain West. More recently, the Zags have been linked to the Pac-12 and Big 12 following the latest realignment moves involving those conferences.
All those moves were based on football. Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC; USC and UCLA to the Big Ten; the Big 12 adding Cincinnati, UCF, Houston and BYU, which is a WCC member in basketball.
But the realignment juggle may be hitting its peak with regards to football. That&rsquo;s left the question of what&rsquo;s next and what still could be done with college basketball, the next most profitable college sport.
Gonzaga wouldn&rsquo;t bring television market size. It would definitely offer brand relevance.
The Zags&rsquo; basketball resume is impressive: two national championship game appearances for the men, 23 straight NCAA Tournament berths, 21 WCC regular-season titles. The women&rsquo;s basketball program is also regularly ranked in the AP Top 25 and has made three Sweet Sixteen trips and one Elite Eight appearance.
The Bulldogs are regularly strong in other sports like baseball and soccer, all helping to create national recognition.
&ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s probably the lesson that I get taught over and over is we underappreciate the power of our brand nationally,&rdquo; Standiford said. &ldquo;I think it means a lot to the sport of college basketball. I think it means a lot to the collegiate model because it inspires people to recognize that you still have a pathway to get there and it&rsquo;s not economically driven, it&rsquo;s opportunity-driven.&rdquo;
One of those opportunities for Gonzaga could be with the Big 12, whose commissioner has not been shy about expressing his desire to have a presence on the West Coast. In Las Vegas earlier this month, Brett Yormark reiterated statements he&rsquo;s made several times about the future of the Big 12 being larger than the four schools joining in 2023.
&ldquo;We want to go coast-to-coast at some point in time,&rdquo; Yormark said. &ldquo;We would love to get into that fourth time zone and we will at some point.&rdquo;
Yormark also said he views basketball as being undervalued and that he would be open to adding a member that doesn&rsquo;t play football: &ldquo;If there is a stand-alone basketball opportunity that creates value enterprise, value for the conference, absolutely.&rdquo;
His statements appears to point toward Gonzaga, which seems to stand alone in its potential value because of its basketball program, at least out West. But the Pac-12 is also evaluating its future with the pending departure of the Los Angeles schools.
Any substantial consideration by the Pac-12 likely must wait until its next media deals are finalized. The Big 12 finished its TV deals earlier this year.
When asked generally if Gonzaga feels wanted, Standiford simply replied, &ldquo;yes,&rdquo; although there are no offers from potential suitors yet.
There is also the possibility that Gonzaga ends up staying put, deciding the WCC &mdash; all of its member schools are private, faith-based institutions &mdash; is the right fit.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not as easy or as simple as I think perhaps some people might want to think it is,&rdquo; McCulloh said. &ldquo;We are still a small- to medium-sized university that&rsquo;s in a town called Spokane and our success as an institution has been very interrelated with our community and with our alumni.&rdquo;

Qith college sports realignment back in play, the Zags are being talked about as a potential target for bigger conferences

Gonzaga ponders future with realignment beckoning

It was a big night for Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Adebayo dropped a season-high 30 points, with 14 of those coming in the fourth quarter. He also added 10 rebounds, with 6 of those coming on the offensive end. Being a plus-12 in a game the Heat won by one point speaks a bit to the impact he had in his 36 minutes.
There were plenty of highlights from Adebayo's evening, including plenty of transition goodness as the ball-handler. What stood out to me was this early first-quarter possession.
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That's Mikal Bridges, quietly <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-153-hooters-with-the-fellas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">having a career year</a>, getting another valuable on-ball rep. He runs a ball-screen with Deandre Ayton, one that required a re-screen before capping things with a pull-up middy. But peep Miami's side of the equation.
Adebayo,&nbsp;the&nbsp;premier switch big in the NBA, is in a drop on this possession. Max Strus is tasked with staying attached to Bridges; he's successful on the first screen, but not so much on the second. Instead of Adebayo stepping up to switch onto Bridges, Kyle Lowry helps off of Torrey Craig to stunt at the Bridges drive.&nbsp;
The possession ends with a bucket, of course, but it's time we examine the increased frequency of Adebayo operating in a drop defensively.&nbsp;
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Per Second Spectrum, Adebayo defended 15 picks in a drop on Monday night, marking the third straight game that he's eclipsed double figures in that scenario. Between this game and the two games against the Charlotte Hornets last week, Adebayo has defended 53 picks in drop coverage.
On its face, 53 picks in three games isn't a large number. It&nbsp;is&nbsp;rare for Adebayo; he hasn't had a three-game stretch of double-digit reps like this since Game 4 through Game 6 of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals (16, 14 and 15 picks respectively). You'd have to go back to the beginning of that regular season &mdash; a stretch between Oct. 27 and Oct. 31 &mdash; to find a three-game stretch with more picks defended in a drop.
The results have been uneven so far. On one hand, they've succeeded in shifting Miami's opponent's shot profile a bit. Prior to this three game stretch, here's where the Heat ranked in terms of shot rate (percentage of field goals) allowed.
<ul>
<li>Rim: 28.6% &mdash; second-lowest rate in the NBA</li>
<li>Mid-Range: 29.7% &mdash; 15th</li>
<li>Total Threes: 41.7% &mdash; highest rate in the NBA</li>
<li>Corner Threes: 13% &mdash; second-highest rate in the NBA</li>
<li>Above the Break 3: 28.7% &mdash; fifth-highest rate in the NBA</li>
</ul>
In simpler terms &mdash; the Heat were preventing shots at the rim, but giving up a ton&nbsp;of shots from deep in the process. Because the Heat (read: Bam) switched at a high rate, teams weren't generating a ton of paint touches with dribble penetration. And to that point: the Heat defended 38 drives per 100 possessions through Nov. 9, the lowest mark in the NBA.
Instead, they'd often manipulate matchups against those switches in an effort to force the Heat to send help. When extra attention was allocated, fruitful three-pointers would present themselves.&nbsp;
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Over the past three games, this has shifted some. Here's the opponent shot profile:
<ul>
<li>Rim: 31.6% (+3.0)</li>
<li>Mid-Range: 31.9% (+2.2)</li>
<li>Total Threes: 36.5% (-5.2)</li>
<li>Corner Threes: 15.2% (+2.2)</li>
<li>Above the Break 3: 21.3% (-7.4)</li>
</ul>
You see a pretty sizable drop-off in three-point rate, with that drop entirely coming from above-the-break threes. In turn, the Heat have allowed a larger share of mid-range jumpers (good) and shots at the rim (different, requires context). The Heat are defending slightly more drives (40.2 per 100 possessions), though that would still be a top-three mark in the league if extrapolated across the season.&nbsp;
The rise in shots at the rim and from the corners deserve further examination. Natrually, if you're forcing ball-handlers off the three-point line, they're going to venture more into space. If the screen navigation isn't up to par, those ball-handlers will have more space to explore comfortably.&nbsp;
The gamble the Heat are making is essentially, "You can get to the rim, but you have to finish over Bam Adebayo. Good luck!" You can understand that gamble with reps like these:
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I do wonder if teams start challenging Adebayo more moving forward in this alignment. He does a lot of work from the ground, flashing his hands and stunting at ball-handlers in an effort to bait them into making reads. That could lead to some openings for more aggressive drivers.
A quieter subplot to follow will be how much space Adebayo gives in the drop. Turning threes into mid-range shots can be viewed as good process, broadly. But it's also worth noting that not all mid-range shots are bad shots. Making teams live on long-twos is the result you want; if they're able to feast around the elbows or slightly lower, things get dicier.&nbsp;
Most guards are comfortable with&nbsp;these&nbsp;intermediate looks.
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And because the Heat don't want to give up&nbsp;those&nbsp;kind of looks, they've countered with digs or stunts from the perimeter. The issue is that some of those stunts are (still) coming from the corners. We can revisit the Bridges shot from earlier in the piece. Watch Lowry here:
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This possession against the Charlotte Hornets ends in an offensive foul, but look at Strus:
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Under Spoelstra, the Heat have been good about knowing who to help off of. That type of planning, aside from your egregious non-shooters (think Matisse Thybulle), is typically saved for the postseason. The Heat will have to live in that bag if they're sticking with the aggressive corner help we've seen them complement their switching with.
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Ultimately, this may just come back down to screen navigation. Can the guard stable &mdash; Lowry, Gabe Vincent, Strus, Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo (when they return) &mdash; navigate cleanly enough to not need&nbsp;those stunts?
If they can, the Heat may be able to have their cake and eat it too. Keep Adebayo near the rim and in rebound positioning; lower the amount of threes they're giving up; send help towards drivers when poor shooters are stashed in the corner so they can allow a healthier shot diet while keeping up their Heat-like pressure.
If not, it'll likely go back to switching Adebayo onto the perimeter and navigating the back-end as best they can.

Nekias Duncan dives into the Heat's decision to experiment with Bam Adebayo on the defensive end using drop coverage.

Trick or trend? Heat putting Bam Adebayo in drop coverage

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Smooth as ever starting his 14th NBA season, Stephen Curry shook Tyler Herro and made it look oh so easy.
Curry scored 10 of his 33 points in a tight fourth quarter to go with nine assists and seven rebounds, leading the Golden State Warriors past the Miami Heat 123-110 on Thursday night.
He pounded his chest with both hands and hollered in delight after a dazzling sequence in which he crossed over twice to lose Herro, then stepped back and sunk a 3-pointer with 5:32 remaining that put Golden State ahead 108-100.
&ldquo;It was a great move,&rdquo; teammate Draymond Green said. &ldquo;He got to the spot that he wanted. Once he got Tyler to open his back leg up, he was kind of dead at that point. Steph is incredible and he&rsquo;s playing great to start this year off, which is expected. He continues to improve, which is scary that that guy continues to get better. It&rsquo;s pretty interesting and fun to watch.&rdquo;
Curry made a driving layup at 3:15, a 3 at 2:40 and long jumper at 2:04 to seal it. He has scored 30 or more points in all four home games.
Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, and Klay Thompson had 19 points with five 3s.
Jordan Poole drove into the paint and made a pretty pass around Bam Adebayo&rsquo;s waist to hit Ty Jerome, who knocked down a 3-pointer with 9:36 left for a 100-92 lead then Poole&rsquo;s jumper at the 8:07 mark made it 102-94.
Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Adebayo 26 and Kyle Lowry had 12 points and eight assists for Miami in the second game of a back-to-back after a 119-98 win at Portland on Wednesday.
&ldquo;I thought it was our best defensive game, which isn&rsquo;t saying much given the other four. It just felt like a more typical Warriors performance where we were getting stops consistently and then getting out and running,&rdquo; coach Steve Kerr said. &rdquo;... Other than a few careless turnovers I thought it was the best we&rsquo;ve played at both ends, and of course Steph was just sublime. What he&rsquo;s doing is incredible. He just gets by anybody. It doesn&rsquo;t matter who&rsquo;s on him, he gets right into the teeth of the defense, finishes, finds guys. He&rsquo;s been spectacular here to start the year.&rdquo;
Lowry missed a 3 from the top with 6:11 to go that would have tied it then Kevon Looney dunked moments later as the Warriors bounced back after a 134-105 thumping at Phoenix on Tuesday in which a frustrated Thompson was ejected for the first time in his career.
Two nights later, Thompson played an extended 29 minutes. Curry&rsquo;s Splash Brother is still working to build up to his full minutes and had been 8 of 28 from 3-point range, missing all five of his attempts against the Suns on Tuesday before a 5-for-14 outing against the Heat.
GENERATION THRIVE
The Warriors unveiled their&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/1585770388725780480" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">San Francisco Generation Thrive space</a>&nbsp;in Chase Center.
It&rsquo;s a free spot for teachers and educators or educational community groups to hold gatherings, meetings or as a small work space. It can be used by non-profit leaders and educators for professional development or to provide health and well-being resources.
President and COO Brandon Schneider announced $2.42 million in grants given by the Warriors Community Foundation, a record for a single season.
TIP-INS
Heat: C Omer Yurtseven is making progress from a left ankle impingement while rehabbing at home in Miami. &ldquo;We wanted to just get him checked out and then he&rsquo;ll train there and hopefully be able to ramp up when we get back,&rdquo; coach Erik Spoelstra said. ... The Heat have lost the last three against the Warriors and also three in a row on Golden State&rsquo;s home floor.
Warriors: The Warriors had 30 assists. ... Golden State marked the seven-year date of when it began an NBA-record streak of 24 straight wins to start the 2015-16 season. ... G Donte DiVincenzo (left hamstring) missed his second straight game and won&rsquo;t play on the team&rsquo;s upcoming trip while veteran F Andre Iguodala is still yet to play as the team monitors his nagging left hip in an effort to keep him healthy for the long haul.
UP NEXT
Heat: At Sacramento on Saturday night.
Warriors: Open a five-game East Coast road swing at Charlotte on Saturday night. The Warriors have lost the last three on the road to the Hornets.
___
More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

The Golden State Warriors defeat the Miami Heat.

Cade