The Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks are moving in opposite directions.
However, on Tuesday night in New York, they will meet for the final time this season.
After beating Boston 131-129 in double overtime on Sunday, the Knicks now have a nine-game winning streak. It marked New York’s second week-long victory over the Celtics.
After a five-game winning streak, which was the longest of the season, the Hornets have lost three straight. Without their most dynamic player and out of playoff contention, Charlotte may struggle the remainder of the season.
The Knicks appear to be going full speed ahead toward the playoffs, despite having the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference. Despite their desire not to be derailed by the Hornets, they will undoubtedly require energy replenishment following three nights of two-point road victories, the first of which was against Miami.
Only three times this season has Immanuel Quickley scored a team-high 38 points for the Knicks, a career high.
However, for the majority of the Knicks’ efforts, Randle remains the center of attention. He has scored 32 points per game over the past six contests.
With Jalen Brunson (foot) out of the lineup, Quickley took over.
Since LaMelo Ball’s season-ending ankle injury last week, the Hornets have faced offensive challenges.
Clifford has criticized the team’s lack of ball movement, particularly in their defeat to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, when they lost 102-96.
For the past three games, Kelly Oubre Jr. has been Charlotte’s leading scorer. At Brooklyn, he scored just 17 points and missed all four of his attempts at a 3-pointer.
In the absence of Ball, Dennis Smith has continued to play on the bench, but in many instances, he has been the Hornets’ sole true point guard. Even though Smith played a significant role earlier in the season when injuries reduced the Hornets’ backcourt, this is a time of adjustment.
Focus Imprint Williams had another twofold in the Brooklyn game, giving the freshman seven this season.
On the road, on December 9, the Knicks defeated Charlotte 121-102 and beat the Hornets 134-131 in overtime.
The Milwaukee Bucks seem to like life on the road, as they have won seven of their last eight games away from Fiserv Forum.
On Tuesday, the Bucks will face the developing Orlando Magic, who are making a late push for a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, and they will attempt to extend the streak.
Milwaukee came back on Sunday with a 117-111 road victory over the Washington Wizards, snapping the team’s 16-game winning streak one night earlier.
The Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was one rebound away from recording his fourth triple-double of the season. He missed a shot on purpose to get the rebound from No. 10 in the final seconds, and on Monday, the NBA removed the board.
In the past month, Milwaukee has been shooting well from three-point range, and that trend continued against the Wizards. Six players made at least two 3-pointers for the Bucks, who connected on 22 of 49 (44.9 percent) attempts from beyond the arc.
In the game against Washington, Jevon Carter and Joe Ingles scored 34 points for the Bucks, providing a spark off the bench. Carter scored 20 points while going 7 of 13 from the field, including 6 of 10 from beyond the arc, and Ingles hit four three-pointers.
The first meeting between Milwaukee and Orlando ended in a 139-117 victory for Milwaukee.
Orlando has lost three of its last five games, the most recent of which was Sunday’s 122-119 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers. Markelle Fultz had 15 points, eight assists, and four steals for the Magic, which was led by Paolo Banchero with 26 points and 24 from Franz Wagner.
Center Wendell Carter Jr. (left hip pain) and guard Gary Harris (hip) were both listed as day-to-day for Orlando’s game.
In his last two games, Banchero has scored 28.5 points on 50 percent shooting and is still leading the NBA Rookie of the Year competition. 25 times, the 6-foot-10 forward has scored more than anyone else on the team.
Orlando will need a strong offensive effort to keep up with Milwaukee if it is to avoid its first two-game losing streak since late January. The Magic are currently in 13th place in the conference and are still determined to advance to the play-in tournament (seeds 7-10).
Over the weekend, the Washington Wizards were buried under a flurry of 3-pointers. However, on Tuesday night, when they play the struggling Detroit Pistons, they will try to change course and get hot.
On Saturday, Washington fell to Toronto in overtime after Raptors guard Fred VanVleet made two crucial three-pointers in the extra session.
After that, on Sunday, Milwaukee defeated the Wizards 117-111, making 22 attempts from beyond the arc.
With the back-to-back defeats, Washington, which is vying for a postseason berth, fell to 30-34. The Wizards have won just two games in a row since January, when they went on a six-game winning streak.
In the game against the Bucks, Bradley Beal scored 33 points for Washington, while Kristaps Porzingis added 24 points and 13 rebounds.
During a challenging month in which the Wizards play 16 games, Porzingis is attempting to maintain a positive outlook.
After playing 42 minutes against the Raptors, Kyle Kuzma had a sore right knee and missed the game against the Bucks. Both he and Monte Morris, who has a sore lower back, are listed as questionable for the Detroit matchup on Tuesday.
In addition to the second game of a five-game homestand, the Pistons will play the second game of a back-to-back.
Monday, Portland defeated Detroit 110-104 to end its eight-game losing streak. After the Trail Blazers scored the first ten points, the Pistons never extended their lead.
As much as 19 points separated Detroit, which committed 16 errors.
Bojan Bogdanovic, the Pistons’ leading scorer, and three other regulars were sidelined by a variety of injuries while the team played without them. A haphazard rotation could have caused the sluggish start.
With 17 points, forward Isaiah Livers led seven Pistons in double figures, his best offensive performance of the season. Typically, Livers shoots from beyond the three-point arc, but on Monday, he scored four of his seven points inside the arc.
* Connor McDavid’s monumental 2022-23 campaign continued with his 250th career multi-point game en route to establishing a single-season career high for points.
* The Stars nearly staged a multi-goal comeback but Tyler Toffoli scored the third-latest go-ahead goal in franchise history to help the Flames keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race.
* Wild Card implications in the Eastern Conference will be on the line when the Sabres visit the Islanders during the first game on HULU and ESPN+, while a Pacific Division matchup between the Kraken and Ducks rounds out the doubleheader.
McDAVID SCORES TWICE EN ROUTE TO ESTABLISHING CAREER HIGH IN POINTS It was another night of achievements for Connor McDavid (2-0—2), who reached a career high in points, extended his point streak to 11 games, recorded his 250th career multi-point game and scored the 62nd game-winning goal of his career:
* McDavid improved his 2022-23 totals to a career-high 54-70—124 (65 GP) – only two players since 2000-01 have had as many points in a single campaign: Nikita Kucherov (41-87—128 in 2018-19 w/ TBL) and Joe Thornton (29-96—125 in 2005-06 w/ SJS & BOS).
* The Oilers captain now has 12 goals in his past eight games – the last Edmonton player with more through as many contests was Wayne Gretzky from Dec. 17, 1986 to Jan. 7, 1987 (13). His second of the night stood as the game winner, which broke a tie with Gretzky (61) for the second most in franchise history. He now sits 10 shy of Glenn Anderson (72).
* McDavid required the fourth-fewest games in NHL history to register 250 career multi-point performances (552 GP) behind Gretzky (382 GP), Mario Lemieux (444 GP) and Mike Bossy (549 GP).
TOFFOLI’S LATE-GAME HEROICS HELP FLAMES WITHSTAND THIRD-PERIOD RALLY The Flames held a 4-2 lead early in the third period before surrendering two goals in a five-minute span, but Tyler Toffoli (1-0—1) netted the game-winning goal with seven seconds left in regulation to lift Calgary (28-23-13, 69 points) to victory. The Flames moved within five points of the idle Avalanche (34-21-6, 74 points) for the final Wild card spot in the Western Conference.
* Cory Stillman (59:56; April 14, 1999) and Jarome Iginla (59:56; Feb. 14, 1999), responsible for the only two later go-ahead goals in franchise history, each achieved the feat in similar scenarios for the club. Stillman’s tally helped Calgary withstand a three-goal comeback by Vancouver and Iginla ended any hopes of a one-goal, third-period comeback by Boston.
COPLEY NOTCHES FRANCHISE MARK AS KINGS CAPTURE FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN Kevin Fiala assisted on one of four Kings goals and Pheonix Copley turned aside 20 shots to improve to 20-4-2 in his career with the franchise as Los Angeles (37-20-8, 82 points) earned its fourth straight win. The Kings, who sit tied with the idle Golden Knights (38-19-6, 82 points) for the most points in the Pacific Division, own the NHL’s second-longest active win streak (tied) behind the Bruins (10 GP).
* Copley entered the 2022-23 campaign with 31 games of NHL experience on his resume, posting a 16-9-3 record through those contests and appearing in 29 with the Capitals (16-8-3) – the opposition Monday. The North Pole, Alaska, native shared the Harry Holmes Memorial Award with Hershey Bears teammate Zach Fucale for holding the League’s lowest goals-against average in 2020-21 – Washington’s American Hockey League affiliate.
LONGTIME TEAMMATES OVECHKIN, BACKSTROM FEATURED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES The Monday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured notes from the six-game slate, including Alex Ovechkin scoring his 816th career goal and first against Pheonix Copley. Copley, who appeared in 28 games with Ovechkin from 2018-19 to 2021-22, became the 169th different goaltender the Capitals captain has scored against in his career.
* Monday marked the second time in as many games Ovechkin has scored against a goaltender for the first time after netting two past San Jose’s Kaapo Kahkonen on March 4. He has achieved this feat in consecutive games one other time this season when he scored against Detroit’s Ville Husso, Arizona’s Karel Vejmelka and Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner during a three-game stretch from Nov. 3-7, 2022.
* Overall, Ovechkin has scored against nine goaltenders for the first time this season. Excluding his rookie campaign (2005-06), there’s only been five other seasons with more such instances: 2008-09 (14), 2021-22 (13), 2007-08 (12), 2015-16 (11) and 2013-14 (10).
* Nicklas Backstrom collected an assist on an Ovechkin goal for the first time this season and has now done so 279 times during their time together. Only three players in NHL history have registered more assists on one teammate’s regular-season goals.
‘ICE QUEENS’ SET TO LAUNCH ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY NHL Original Production ‘Ice Queens’, a documentary showcasing Black women in hockey, will make its broadcast debut on International Women’s Day. Along with the film’s launch, NHL and NHLPA will celebrate Women’s History Month by sharing stories and showcasing women who continue to move the game forward.
* Ice Queens is a film about resilience, perseverance and jubilance as well as the continued efforts and valuable contributions of Black women to the game of hockey. Produced in association with NHL Original Productions, Ice Queens uses personal interviews, archival footage and nostalgic photography to tell stories of triumph and overcoming, while exploring the intersection of gender, race and hockey.
Tuesday will feature the second straight day with a double header on HULU and ESPN+, this time featuring the Sabres (32-26-4, 68) visiting the Islanders (32-25-8, 72 points) in a battle between two teams deep in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race and the Ducks (21-34-8, 50 points) taking on the Kraken (36-21-6, 78 points), who will aim to extend their point streak to five games.
* Noah Dobson (29-80—109 in 221 GP) enters Tuesday with the second-most points by a New York player dating to Feb. 1 and tied with Bryan Berard for the third-most points by an Islanders defenseman at age 23 or younger. Dobson, who doesn’t turn 24 until Jan. 7, 2024, trails only Denis Potvin (95-219—314 in 322 GP) and Tomas Jonsson (33-96—129 in 214 GP).
* The second contest of the doubleheader on HULU and ESPN+ will feature the top two rookie scorers: Kraken forward Matty Beniers (19-26—45 in 61 GP) and Ducks forward Mason McTavish (14-23—37 in 62 GP). McTavish sits three points shy of becoming the second Anaheim rookie in as many seasons to reach the 40-point mark after his teammate Trevor Zegras did so last season (23-38—61 in 75 GP in 2021-22) – it would mark the second time in franchise history the club has featured a rookie reach 40 points in consecutive season after Dustin Penner in 2006-07 (29-16—45 in 82 GP) and Chris Kunitz in 2005-06 (19-22—41 in 67 GP).
FORMER BILLET BROTHERS, HUGHES, NYLANDER, SET TO FACE OFF
The second-place seeds in both the Metropolitan and Atlantic Division are set to go head-to-head when the Devils (41-15-6, 88 points) welcome the Maple Leafs (38-17-8, 84 points) to Prudential Center. The contest will pit Jack Hughes (36-40-76 in 58 GP) and William Nylander (33-41—74 in 63 GP) against one another – a duo whose hockey history dates back nearly a decade.
* Nylander billeted with the Hughes family for three weeks when the Maple Leafs forward first moved to Toronto to play for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. Jack, who was a die-hard Maple Leafs fan growing up, gave his bedroom to his role model Nylander while he lived at their house. Jack has fond memories of golfing and playing ping pong for hours against Nylander in his basement.
NEW YORK – Boston Bruins defenseman Dmitry Orlov, Ottawa Senators right wing Claude Giroux and Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 5.
FIRST STAR – DMITRY ORLOV, D, BOSTON BRUINS
Orlov shared second place in the NHL with 3-6—9 and a +7 rating across four games to help the League-leading Bruins (49-8-5, 103 points) complete a perfect week and extend their winning streak to 10 contests dating to Feb. 14. Acquired by Boston on Feb. 23, Orlov collected two assists (his first points in his second game as a Bruin) in a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Feb. 27. He then registered consecutive three-point performances for the first time in his career, tallying 2-1—3 in a 4-3 overtime win against the Calgary Flames Feb. 28 and 1-2—3 in a 7-1 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres March 2 as Boston became the fastest team in NHL history to reach the 100-point milestone. Orlov added an assist on the decisive goal in a 4-2 win versus the New York Rangers March 4, giving him 3-6—9 through his first five games with the Bruins. Only two defensemen in League history have recorded more points in their first five outings with a team: Harry Cameron with the 1917-18 Toronto Arenas (9-6—15 in franchise’s first five contests) and Paul Coffey with the 1992-93 Detroit Red Wings (2-8—10). The 31-year-old Orlov, who played his first 686 NHL games with the Washington Capitals (60-196—256), has compiled 6-22—28 in 48 total appearances this season.
SECOND STAR – CLAUDE GIROUX, RW, OTTAWA SENATORS
Giroux also notched 3-6—9 and a +7 rating in four contests to propel the Senators (32-26-4, 68 points) to their fifth straight win as they moved within three points of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. He totaled 2-4—6 during a sweep of a back-to-back set against the Detroit Red Wings, posting 1-3—4 (including the game-winning goal) in a 6-2 triumph Feb. 27 and 1-1—2 in a 6-1 victory Feb. 28. Giroux then registered 1-2—3 (and another decisive goal) in a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers March 2 before being held off the scoresheet in a 5-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets March 4. The 35-year-old Giroux is averaging more than a point per game during his first season with Ottawa (62 GP), leading the team in plus/minus (+8); ranking second in goals (t-26), assists (37) and game-winning goals (5); and placing third in points (63).
THIRD STAR – FILIP GUSTAVSSON, G, MINNESOTA WILD
Gustavsson stopped 70 of the 71 shots he faced, going 2-0-0 with a 0.48 goals-against average, .986 save percentage and one shutout to help the Wild (36-21-6, 78 points) maintain second place in the Central Division via a perfect three-game week. He made a career-high 39 saves – and denied all three shootout attempts – in a 2-1 victory against the New York Islanders Feb. 28. Gustavsson then earned his second career shutout with 31 stops, including 12 in the third period, in a 3-0 triumph over the Calgary Flames March 4. The 24-year-old Gustavsson has appeared in 29 total games this season (his third in the NHL and first with Minnesota), ranking second in the League in both goals-against average (1.99) and save percentage (.933) to go along with a 17-8-3 record.
Julian Rodriguez Takes on Kashon Hutchinson in Main Event; Mikenna Tansley Fights Amy Salinas for WBC Continental Americas and NABF Bantamweight Titles; Plus King’s Promotions Fighters Thanjhae Teasley, Francis Oran and Devon Young
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – THIS FRIDAY NIGHT, March 10th, King’s Promotions will be back at The Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with a huge night of boxing that will be headlined by a terrific eight-round welterweight bout between Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez and Kashon Hutchinson.
Rodriguez of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey has a record of 21-1 with 14 knockouts. The 28 year-old Rodriguez is a 10-year professional was a former amateur standout who has wins over Neyeine Muang (1-0-2), Angel Figueroa (3-0-1), King Daluz (12-2-2), Darlo Feman (14-2), Anthony Laureano (13-0) and Jose Lopez (29-7-2). In his last bout, Rodriguez suffered his only defeat when he lost to two-division world champion Jose Pedraza on June 12, 2021 in Las Vegas.
Hutchinson of Reading, PA is 10-5 with two knockouts. The record does not tell the story with Hutchinson as he has won seven bouts in a row. The 29 year-old Hutchinson is a seven year pro who has wins over James Martin (4-0), Edgar Torres (8-0-1), and his last bout when he took a six-round unanimous decision over Rasheed Johnson on October 1, 2022 in Philadelphia.
A terrific undercard is assembled and tabbed for March 10th will be:
In an eight-round bout, Mikenna Tansley (6-2, 2 KOs) of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada battles Amy Salinas (4-3) for the WBC Continental Americas and NABF Bantamweight titles.
Tansley of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada will be looking for her second consecutive win after destroying Alisha Martinez Gonzalez in 47 seconds on February 10th in the Dominican Republic. Tansley also has a win over previously undefeated Danielle Bennett (2-0).
Salinas of Las Cruces, New Mexico started her pro career over undefeated Leanna Martinez (4-0). Salinas is coming off a loss to undefeated Christina Cruz on January 20th in Kissimmee, Florida.
Six-Round Bouts:
Jonathan Rodriguez (13-1-1, 5 KOs) of Bethlehem, PA takes on a opponent to be named in a bantamweight fight.
Thanjhae Teasley (5-0, 2 KOs) of Bethlehem, PA takes on Emmanuel Tennison (3-4, 2 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas in a welterweight contest.
Johnny Spell (7-0, 4 KOs) of Pittsburgh fights Antonio Dunton El Jr. (3-1-2, 2 KO) of Baltimore, MD lightweight contest.
In Four-Round Bouts:
Francis Oran (1-0, 1 KO) of Bethlehem, PA fights Joseph Bond (0-4) of Orlando, Florida in a heavyweight contest. Oran is co-promoted with Jeter Promotions.
Devon Young (3-0, 2 KOs) of Aiken, SC fights Lamir Riley (2-0, 1 KO) of New Cumberland, PA in a heavyweight battle.
Tickets are on Sale now for $150, $100, $75 and $50.
Calvin Ridley of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been fully reinstated, the NFL announced today.
Ridley, who had been suspended indefinitely since March 2022 for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, is eligible to participate in all team activities, effective immediately.
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Following today’s spring training game against the Dodgers, the Chicago White Sox made the following six roster moves:
• Optioned RHP Jonathan Stiever to Class AAA Charlotte; • Reassigned RHPs Sean Burke and Matt Thompson, OF Luis Mieses, INF Colson Montgomery and C Evan Skoug to minor-league camp.
With the moves, the White Sox have 60 players remaining in camp: 31 pitchers, five catchers, 15 infielders and nine outfielders.
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s optioned right-handed pitcher Luis Medina and outfielder Cal Stevenson to Triple-A Las Vegas, the club announced today. The A’s also reassigned 14 non-roster invitees to their minor league camp, including right-handed pitchers J.T. Ginn, Deolis Guerra, Daulton Jefferies, Jorge Juan, Nolan Long, Mason Miller, Norge Ruiz and Trey Supak, catcher Daniel Susac, infielders Ernie Clement, Kevin Cron, Logan Davidson and Max Muncy and outfielder Cody Thomas.
The A’s now have 52 players remaining in camp, which includes 38 players on the 40-man roster and 14 non-roster invitees. The breakdown includes 24 pitchers, five catchers, 14 infielders and nine outfielders.
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