Karl-Anthony Towns scored 31 points, Jalen Brunson had 30 and the New York Knicks held on for a 118-116 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.

Nate Schmidt scored his third goal in two games, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 shots and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Rory McIlroy, playing for the first time since winning the Masters, teamed with Shane Lowry to shoot an 8-under 64 in better-play Thursday in the Zurich Classic, leaving the Irish defending champions six shots behind leaders Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Vetlo.

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up three spots to select Heisman Trophy winner and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.

Cam Ward has gone from zero-star recruit to No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

Haeran Ryu and Yan Liu each shot 7-under 65 to share the lead during the suspended first round of the Chevron Championship as top-ranked Nelly Korda struggled to a 77 on Thursday in her title defense.

The Tennessee Titans certainly hope picking a first-round quarterback for the third time in 15 NFL drafts proves to be the charm.

A cardiologist testified that Diego Maradona was considered a “high-risk patient” and said that the authorities at the clinic where he underwent surgery days before his death recommended that the former national team captain should recover in a rehabilitation clinic rather than in a private home.

Jayson Tatum remains listed as doubtful for the Boston Celtics, meaning the reigning NBA champions do not expect him to play Friday when they visit the Orlando Magic in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series.

The Orlando Magic have been here before.

Young golfers can play at several South Florida golf courses for $5.

Evan Mobley said his goal coming into the season with the Cleveland Cavaliers was to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.

The chippiness and chirping is beginning to heat up as it usually does during the NBA playoffs.

Kyle Larson experienced his first crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the second day that Indianapolis 500 drivers participated in open testing on the 2.5-mile oval.

Spire Motorsports has parted ways with championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers after only nine races with the team.

This time Iga Swiatek had the answers against teenage sensation Alexandra Eala.

NBA great Jason Kidd has entered the soccer world by joining the ownership group of English Premier League club Everton.

WNBA training camps are set to open this weekend and there’s no doubt that No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers is primed for a pro career in the league.

Former Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard and San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt announced their plans Thursday to join the Negro Leagues’ “Pitch for the Future” in bringing greater awareness to the legacy of the Negro Leagues with a museum expansion.

Jamie Vardy is leaving Leicester following its relegation from the Premier League to end the striker’s 13-year stay at a club he famously helped to win the English title in 2016.

Home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Madrid Open because of muscle injuries.

Tyler Seguin scored at 5:31 of overtime after Dallas killed a late double-minor penalty, and the Stars beat Colorado 2-1 in Game 3 on Wednesday night in a game that featured the return of Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog.

Adrian Kempe had two goals and two assists, captain Anze Kopitar added a goal and three assists, and the Los Angeles Kings routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 to seize a 2-0 lead in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series.

Jalen Green made eight 3-pointers and scored 38 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 109-94 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in a testy matchup to even the first-round Western Conference series at one game apiece.

Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter and 12 other prospects will walk the red carpet at Lambeau Field before going backstage at the NFL draft theater to wait for their name to be called Thursday night.

Nobody lifts more weight at the NFL draft than Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Los Angeles Kings have brought back the harmonica-playing senior citizens whose rendition of the national anthem caused a sensation before their playoff opener.

Pope Francis’ beloved soccer club in his native Buenos Aires, San Lorenzo, has celebrated a Mass dedicated to its most famous fan two days after his death, with Argentina still awash in emotional tributes to the first Latin American pontiff.

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler sustained a pelvis contusion after taking a hard fall on a foul by Amen Thompson late in the first quarter and missed the rest of the Warriors’ 109-94 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

Jaylen Brown had 36 points and 10 rebounds, Kristaps Porzingis returned to the game after getting a bloody gash to the forehead and finished with 20 points, and the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 109-100 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Pete Crow-Armstrong homered and drove in four runs, and the Chicago Cubs topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-6 for another wild victory.

Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome scored a minute apart early in the second period, Logan Thompson made some spectacular stops among his 25 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round series.

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis went to the locker room with a gash on his forehead but returned to shoot a pair of free throws and to the game after taking an elbow from Goga Bitadze of the Magic.

Steve McMichael, a star defensive tackle on the Chicago Bears’ famed 1985 Super Bowl championship team, has died following a battle with ALS.

Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell is going to stop throwing for a couple days after he felt some discomfort when he played catch.

Starling Marte's 10th-inning, broken-bat single gave the New York Mets a 4-3 win over Philadelphia, a three-game sweep of the Phillies, an unbeaten homestand and a five-game NL East lead over their rival.

The judge overseeing the sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences has delayed final approval of the plan until it is modified to address concerns about roster limits.

Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks has won the NBA’s clutch player of the year award.

The Detroit Pistons, Tigers and Lions are giving the Motor City a reason to celebrate for a change.

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a teenager who accused an NBA All-Star of punching him during a pickup game in 2022.

North Carolina looks at its 2026 game in Ireland against TCU as an example of the bump from hiring Bill Belichick in its efforts to boost the school's football profile.

The surprise transfers of brothers Nico and Madden Iamaleava have prompted fresh questions about contracts and name, image and likeness buyouts for athletes in a college sports landscape looking increasingly like the pros.

Paige Bueckers is doing her best to live in the present during what has been an insanely busy stretch.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is confirming that starting quarterback Derek Carr has a shoulder “issue” but is declining to discuss specifics or forecast Carr’s playing status for this coming season.

The main question everyone is asking ahead of the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night is where Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders going.

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned to the lineup and played his first NHL game in nearly three years Wednesday night in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 3.

Home-ice advantage hasn’t really existed over the past couple of years in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Rory McIlroy says he wasn't going to let a cold or post-Masters fatigue stop him from joining friend Shane Lowry to defend their title at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

The status of quarterback Kirk Cousins remains a backdrop to the Atlanta Falcons’ plans for the NFL draft after he surprised some observers by reporting for the first day of the team’s voluntary offseason program.

Two-time defending Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden waited nearly three hours to start turning his first test laps Wednesday.

Jimmer Fredette, the 2011 Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the year who went on to become an NBA lottery pick and then played for the U.S. in 3x3 at last year’s Paris Olympics, has announced his retirement.

Celtics star Jayson Tatum will miss the first playoff game of his career with a bone bruise in his right wrist when Boston hosts the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the teams’ Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Czech leaders have condemned apparent threats made by former Russian president and prime minister Dmitry Medvedev against NHL great Dominik Hasek for his critical stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason.

Luka Doncic had 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers fought back to even their first-round series with the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 94-85 victory in Game 2.

Matthew Tkachuk had two power-play goals and an assist in his first game after a two-month absence and the Florida Panthers opened defense of their Stanley Cup title with a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opener of the teams’ first-round playoff series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Memphis Grizzlies 118-99 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 12 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks 123-115 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.

This year’s NFL draft is on target to achieve a first.

Matthew Tkachuk returned to the lineup and was back to his old self quickly for the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

Payton Pritchard came off the bench and changed games for the Boston Celtics this season.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport has fired CEO Ju'Riese Colón.

Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Boston’s Jayson Tatum have been the driving forces for their teams throughout the season.

Hall of Famer Champ Bailey lays out the challenges facing Travis Hunter as he tries to play both cornerback and wide receiver in the NFL.

Andre Agassi collected two of his eight Grand Slam tennis titles at the U.S. Open and now he’ll be competing at a different racket event with that name.

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been listed as doubtful with a bone bruise in his right wrist for Game 2 of Boston’s Eastern Conference first-round series against the Orlando Magic.

John Korir arrived in Hopkinton hoping to join his brother as a Boston Marathon champion.

Mapalo “Maz” Mwansa’s journey to the NFL has been unique, even for a league that continues to expand its international footprint.

UCLA is coming off a losing season in coach DeShaun Foster's first year, but landing Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has the Bruins feeling like winners.

Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed a preemptive lawsuit against Republican President Donald Trump over the administration's push to ban transgender athletes from girls and women's sports.

Major League Baseball has played at the “Field of Dreams” movie site.

Lou Lamoriello is out as president and general manager of the New York Islanders.

NASCAR driver Katherine Legge said she has been receiving “hate mail” and “death threats” from auto racing fans after a crash last weekend at Rockingham.

Former Virginia safety Jonas Sanker took an unconventional path to the NFL draft.

Brock Purdy reported to the start of the offseason program for the San Francisco 49ers, while star tight end George Kittle stayed away from the start of the voluntary program.

Simone Biles is unsure whether she will compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says television ratings from the opening weekend of the playoffs were the best the league has seen in about a quarter-century.

All-Star guard Damian Lillard wanted to give the Milwaukee Bucks a lift Tuesday night.

As an Olympic gold medalist and Champions League winner, Almuth Schult was one of the top goalkeepers in women’s soccer.

The Italian national Olympic committee has asked for sports events to be suspended on Saturday, the day of Pope Francis’ funeral.

Phillip Danault scored his second goal with 42 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Kings blew a four-goal lead before rallying for a 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the opener of the clubs’ fourth consecutive first-round playoff series.

Colin Blackwell scored 17:46 into overtime and the Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in Game 2 to even up the first-round Western Conference series.

Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting and the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round playoff series against the Nuggets with a 105-102 win in Denver.

Francisco Lindor is off to a smashing start for a change, and he picked up right where he left off against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Alex Ovechkin added another accomplishment to his illustrious career just over two weeks since breaking Wayne Gretzky's record for the most goals in NHL history.

The Detroit Pistons snapped their NBA-record, 15-game postseason losing streak by beating the New York Knicks 100-94 in Game 2 of their playoff series.

Alex Ovechkin scored the first playoff overtime goal of his NHL career to give the Washington Capitals a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Zeev Buium was trying to help lead Denver to the NCAA’s Frozen Four championship less than two weeks ago.

Matthew Stafford is glad to be back at work with the Los Angeles Rams after a second straight offseason of financial discontent.

Many NFL fans spend the weeks leading up to the draft poring over predictions to try to figure out which players their favorite teams are most likely to select.

A day after firing coach Dan Bylsma, the Seattle Kraken have promoted longtime general manager Ron Francis to president of hockey operations, with assistant Jason Botterill taking over day-to-day responsibilities.

Deion Sanders says he shudders to think about the kind of negativity he would have faced back when he was preparing for the NFL draft in 1989.

The Green Bay Packers hold the 23rd overall pick in this year’s NFL draft.

JJ Redick says he enjoys coaching more than he enjoyed playing in his 15-year NBA career.

The Boston Marathon had about the same number of no-shows as last year, dispelling concerns that international runners would skip the race in the face of increased U.S. border scrutiny.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves will try to avoid complacency when they return to action on Tuesday after dominating their first-round playoff series openers.

The NFL draft kicks off Thursday night and Miami quarterback Cam Ward is still the overwhelming favorite to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans.

The NCAA has passed rules that would upend decades of precedent by allowing colleges to pay their athletes per terms of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement expected to go into effect this summer.

Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard is listed as questionable for Game 2 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

The Colorado Avalanche activated captain Gabriel Landeskog off injured reserve, but again delayed his return after nearly three years.