Russell Westbrook had a season-high 36 points, Robert Covington also had a season best with 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 141-132 on Wednesday night to open a two-game set. The teams — both short-handed Wednesday — will meet again Friday night in Memphis. Westbrook made five 3-pointers without a miss and had 10 assists. Covington was 9 of 10 from the field, making all seven of his 3-point attempts. Bones Hyland added 20 points for Los Angles, including 12 in the fourth quarter as the Clippers pulled away in the final seven minutes. Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 36 points and nine assists. The Grizzlies had won seven in a row and 12 straight at home.

LeBron James scored 25 points in his return to the starting lineup, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls 121-110. James also had seven rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes in his second game back after he was sidelined for a month because of a torn tendon in his right foot. The four-time MVP scored 19 points in Sunday’s 118-108 loss to Chicago in just his second appearance as a reserve in his 20-year NBA career. Lakers star Anthony Davis had 38 points and 10 rebounds in his hometown. Nikola Vucevic had 29 points and 12 rebounds for Chicago.

Bulls center Andre Drummond missed the team's game against the Los Angeles Lakers after he posted on Twitter that he was deleting his social media apps to focus on his mental health. The team says Drummond is out because of personal reasons. Coach Billy Donovan says he is hopeful about the possibility of Drummond traveling with the team ahead of Friday night’s game at Charlotte. Drummond posted on Thursday that it was time to focus on his mental health.

Talen Horton-Tucker scored a career-high 41 points and the Utah Jazz defeated the Spurs 128-117 in what could be coach Gregg Popovich’s final home game in San Antonio. Utah snapped a four-game skid to keep its fading playoff hopes alive. But San Antonio lost its fifth straight in its worst season since 1997, the year it drafted Tim Duncan with the No. 1 overall pick. Popovich has given no indication that he is retiring or even that he will return for his 28th season. The annual speculation has intensified though. Rookie Malaki Branham led San Antonio with 21 points. Horton-Tucker shot 15 for 25 from the field.

Joel Embiid had 25 points and nine rebounds, James Harden added 15 points and 12 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks 116-108 on Wednesday night. Embiid flashed his MVP credentials when he powered the Sixers back in the fourth against Luka Doncic and the Mavs. Embiid hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 103 and followed with a 16-footer the next time down for what ended up the winning basket. Doncic had 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Kyrie Irving scored 23 points for the Mavericks. Tyrese Maxey added 22 points to help the 76ers snap a three-game losing streak.

Cam Johnson had 31 points, Mikal Bridges scored 12 of his 27 in the fourth quarter and the Brooklyn Nets rallied to beat the Houston Rockets 123-114 on Wednesday night. Johnson and Bridges came over together from Phoenix in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Suns. Durant finally made his home debut for Phoenix on Wednesday night. Nic Claxton added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, and Spencer Dinwiddie had 17 points. The Nets won for the second time in three games to snap a four-game home losing skid. Kevin Porter Jr. had 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Houston, and Alperen Sengun had 21 points and 12 rebounds. The Rockets have lost seven in a row.

The number of San Diego State teams that have won an NCAA Division I championship can be counted on one finger. Many Aztecs fans and alumni have no idea because it happened 50 years ago and the school dropped men’s volleyball in 2000. Brian Dutcher, who has been on campus for 24 years, does know about that championship and would love to double the school’s total when he coaches the Aztecs in their first Final Four. The Aztecs will face fellow first-timer Florida Atlantic on Saturday in Houston.

Wild On Ice, winner of the Sunland Park Derby, is among 13 3-year-old colts that were made eligible to compete in this year’s Triple Crown series with a late payment of $6,000. There are now 382 horses eligible to compete in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. The late payment was due Monday. Any horse not nominated during the early or late phases can become eligible through a supplemental fee due at the time of entry for each Triple Crown race. The Kentucky Derby fee is $200,000, the Preakness is $150,000 and the Belmont costs $50,000.

Immanuel Quickly scored 24 points, Quentin Grimes had 23 and the New York Knicks moved closer to a postseason berth and sent the Miami Heat closer to the play-in tournament with a 101-92 victory. Josh Hart added 13 for the Knicks, who overcame the loss of Julius Randle to a sprained left ankle to win their second straight and remained firmly in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They are 2 1/2 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets and opened a four-game gap over the seventh-place Heat. The top six teams are guaranteed postseason spots. The Heat’s third straight loss dropped them 1 1/2 games behind the Nets.

Ilya Sorokin made 28 saves in regulation and two more in the shootout to help the New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 2-1. Trade deadline pickup Pierre Engvall scored his second goal in two games. Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri scored in the shootout. The Islanders strengthened their hold on the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They're now five points up on Pittsburgh and six ahead of Florida with five games left to play. The Capitals have lost five of six to fall out of the playoff race.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 51 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points in a triple-double and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 149-136 on Wednesday night.

TORONTO (AP) — Brandon Montour scored 1:41 into overtime and the Florida Panthers rallied to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Wednesday night, snapping a four-game skid.

Brandon Montour scored 1:41 into overtime and the Florida Panthers rallied to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2, snapping a four-game skid. Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart also scored to help the Panthers get their first win since snapping a 6-0-1 stretch in a loss at Philadelphia on March 21st. Alex Lyon stopped 38 shots as Florida pulled one point behind Pittsburgh for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Zach Aston-Reese and Auston Matthews scored for the playoff-bound Maple Leafs, and Ilya Samsonov had 26 saves. In overtime, Aleksander Barkov brought the puck up the left side on a 2-on-2 rush and sent a cross-ice pass to Montour who quickly fired it past Samsonov for his 14th.

Ohio State star guard Jacy Sheldon says she’s returning for a fifth year after missing most of this season with a leg injury. Sheldon played 13 games this season and helped the Buckeyes make the Elite Eight for the first time since 1993. She wrote on Twitter that she “can’t wait to run it back with my teammates.” The 5-foot-10 guard played well in the NCAA Tournament, hitting a late layup to beat North Carolina before Ohio State knocked out UConn, ending the Huskies’ streak of reaching 14 consecutive Final Fours. Ohio State lost Monday night to Virginia Tech.

UCLA guard Jaylen Clark has declared for the NBA draft, weeks after a leg injury forced him out of the season’s final six games. The junior from Riverside, California, announced his plans on his Instagram account. Clark didn't indicate whether he would hire an agent ahead of the June 22 draft or retain his remaining eligibility. He suffered a lower leg injury in the regular-season finale on March 4 that kept him out of the Pac-12 and NCAA Tournaments. Clark was the Pac-12's defensive player of the year. He averaged 13 points and six rebounds while starting 29 of 30 games for the Bruins.

The Vegas Golden Knights are the only team to have five goalies record multiple victories this season. Vegas also made NHL history when it became the first team ever to win four consecutive games with four different goalies last week. The Knights entered Wednesday leading the Western Conference with 98 points. They could clinch a playoff spot Thursday at San Jose. The race is tight in the Pacific Division with Los Angeles at 96 points and Edmonton at 95.

New York Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle missed the second half against Miami with a sprained left ankle. He has played in all 77 games for New York this season. Randle was hurt in the second quarter Wednesday when he grabbed an offensive rebound and Heat center Bam Adebayo landed on him after Randle faked a shot. Randle was eventually helped up and stayed in the game to shoot his free throws, but was clearly in pain and the Knicks then quickly committed a foul to substitute him out of the game. The Knicks announced at halftime that Randle would not return.

Julio Rodríguez sent a buzz through T-Mobile Park, whether it was the second-deck home runs or running down flyballs in center field. And this was just the workout day for the Seattle Mariners. The reigning AL rookie of the year seems more than ready for the start of the regular season against Cleveland. It’s a far cry from a year ago when everything was new for Rodríguez. But he showed he could handle the pressure and expectations of last season when he helped Seattle snap its 21-year playoff drought as the Mariners reached the postseason as a wild card team. The goal this season is closing the gap with Houston in the AL West.

All-Star outfielder Ian Happ appears poised to enter the season with an expiring contract after he and the Chicago Cubs were unable to agree on a new deal. Happ had “nothing really to report” and “no real comment on it.” He says he is not breaking off talks, but adds: “That also doesn’t mean anything.” Happ is eligible for free agency after the upcoming season. Chicago hosts the Milwaukee Brewers on opening day on Thursday. The Cubs did lock in one key player, finalizing a $35 million, three-year contract infielder Nico Hoerner on Wednesday. That contract begins in 2024. Hoerner is moving to second base after playing shortstop last season with the arrival of All-Star Dansby Swanson on a $177 million, seven-year contract.

The New York Rangers have signed Filip Chytil to a four-year extension worth $17.75 million. Chytil will count just under $4.44 million against the salary cap through the 2026-27 season. The 23-year-old Czech forward is in the midst of a career year. He has set career highs with 22 goals, 20 assists and 42 points in 66 games for the playoff-bound Rangers. Chytil is the team's sixth-leading scorer and ranks fourth on the roster in goals. The 2017 first-round pick has 144 points in 342 NHL regular-season and playoff games. He was set to be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.

The San Jose Sharks have signed defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov to a two-year, $2.5 million contract extension through the 2024-25 season. The 25-year-old Knyzhov returned to the Sharks lineup on March 6 after missing nearly two full years with lower-body injuries. He has played nine games for San Jose since returning and scored one goal. Knyzhov has three goals and eight assists in 68 career games in the NHL.

California is hiring a former Stanford star to revive its struggling basketball program. The Golden Bears have announced that Mark Madsen was signed to replace Mark Fox, who was fired following the worst season in school history. Madsen played at Stanford from 1996 to 2000 and helped the Cardinal reach the Final Four in 1998. Madsen had a 70-51 record the past four seasons as the head coach at Utah Valley. He led the team to a 28-9 mark this season before losing in the NIT semifinals.

NASCAR has fined Daniel Suarez $50,000 for hitting another vehicle on pit road following the race at Circuit of the Americas. The fine was classified as a behavioral penalty and NASCAR cited “contact with another vehicle on pit road after the race.” Suarez hit both his Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain from behind and then Alex Bowman as the cars returned to pit road following Sunday’s race on the road course. He spoke with Bowman on pit road after, and leaned into Chastain's window to talk to his teammate. Suarez finished 27th in a race that ended in triple overtime.

The Milwaukee Brewers have operated the last handful of seasons under the philosophy that they want to contend for as long as possible rather than going all-in during a particular season. But a look at their roster indicates that championship window might not stay open much longer. The Brewers’ best two starting pitchers and their top returning position player all could become free agents at the end of the 2024 season. Manager Craig Counsell has a contract that’s set to expire after this season. That makes the stakes particularly high as the Brewers get set to open their season Thursday.

The draw for the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals set up a possible meeting between No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 2 Novak Djokovic as Spain and Serbia were placed in the group. Spain will host Group C in Valencia in September. It also includes the Czech Republic and South Korea. The United States will face two-time champion Croatia along with Finland and the Netherlands in Group D. Defending champion Canada is in Group A along with host Italy, Sweden and Chile. Group B consists of host Britain, last year’s runner-up Australia, France and Switzerland.

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the Atlanta Falcons have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with free agent defensive end Calais Campbell. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed, says Campbell has agreed to play for the Falcons in 2023. Campbell played the past three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Campbell, who turns 37 on September 1, has 99 career sacks, including 5 1/2 in 2022. Atlanta’s pass rush ranked last in sacks in 2021 and was next to last with 21 last season.

Legislation authorizing sports gambling in North Carolina has received final approval in the state's House annd now heads to the Senate. The bill spells out how gambling operators would be licensed, wagers made and revenue taxed. The measure passed Wednesday, a day after it received tentative House approval following nearly two hours of debate. A similar initiative failed in the House in 2022, but pro-gambling forces redoubled their efforts and this year's measure had over 50 sponsors. The Senate approved a sports wagering bill in 2021. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper also supports the idea.

Major League Baseball has introduced a slate of new rules for the 2023 season. The pitch clock aims to speed the pace of play by eliminating down time between pitches. Pitchers may only disengage from the pitching rubber — either to call timeout or to attempt a pickoff throw — twice per plate appearance. A new limit on infield shifts states that all four infielders must have both feet within the outer boundary of the infield and two infielders must be on each side of second base when a pitch is delivered. And bases have been increased from 15-inch squares to 18 inches.

Cyprus’ justice minister has unveiled a host of measures to combat fan violence at sporting events, including pre-game drug and alcohol tests, increased body searches and tougher policing. The measures come days after opposing fans at a basketball playoff game between rivals Anorthosis and Apollon fought inside and outside the Tassos Papadopoulos stadium in the capital Nicosia, setting fire to public transport offices outside the venue. Justice minister Anna Koukkides-Procopiou says the government will introduce legal amendments enabling police to administer drug and alcohol tests to suspected users ahead of sporting events. A dedicated riot squad will be tasked with exclusively policing sporting and other “high-risk” events.

North Carolina State sophomore guard Terquavion Smith says he’s entering the NBA draft. Smith announced his decision in a social-media post, saying he was eager to pursue “a lifelong dream of mine.” The 6-foot-4 guard was a first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference pick for The Associated Press after averaging a team-best 17.9 points, which was second in the ACC. He also made 187 3-pointers over his two seasons. He helped the Wolfpack return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.

The defending champion United States will play Mexico in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League on June 15. The winner advances to the final against Canada or Panama on June 18, also in Las Vegas. The semifinal match kicks off at 10 p.m. EDT, following the Canada-Panama match. No. 13 U.S. also plays 15th-ranked Mexico in an exhibition om April 19 at Glendale, Arizona. That match is not on a FIFA fixture date and neither team figures to have most of its Europe-based players.

Brea Beal changed her game and became a key piece of South Carolina's run to three straight Final Fours. The defending national champions advanced with an 86-75 win over Maryland, a game that turned when Beal and the Gamecocks' defense held the Terrapins to nine points in the second quarter to take control. Beal has been a focal point of the team's defense since arriving four seasons ago alongside more heralded players in Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke. Beal turned herself into a defensive stopper and most likely will check Iowa All-American Caitlin Clark in the national semifinals on Friday.

Duke freshman Dariq Whitehead says he’s entering the NBA draft. The 6-foot-7 wing announced his decision Wednesday. He averaged 8.3 points and shot a team-best 42.4% from 3-point range in 28 games. Whitehead missed time to start the season and then during the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule due to injuries. Coach Jon Scheyer says he's “just scratching the surface on who he's going to be.” Whitehead scored 16 points in a win against eventual Final Four team Miami in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament,