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I Dig Sports
Wizards last this season to hold team under 100
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WASHINGTON -- It took 57 games for the Washington Wizards to hold a team under 100 points this season.
Of course, Marcus Smart wasn't around for most of those.
Smart and the Wizards held Brooklyn to 12 points in the fourth quarter of their 107-99 victory over the Nets on Monday night. Washington was the only team in the NBA that hadn't kept an opponent in double digits this season, but the Wizards finally did it in Smart's second game with them.
"It took everybody," Smart said. "That Brooklyn team as we all know, they don't back down from nobody. They're going to come out and test you on both ends."
The 2022-23 Utah Jazz went the whole season without holding an opponent under 100, according to Sportradar. They were the first team that failed to hold a team under 100 since the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets. Denver also needed until game No. 74 to do it in 1986-87.
The Wizards acquired Smart from Memphis in a recent trade that moved him from one of the top teams in the Western Conference standings to the league-worst Wizards. He was the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year with Boston, but he hasn't played much since being dealt to the Grizzlies in June 2023.
Smart has been dealing with an injury to his right index finger recently, but he made his debut for the Wizards last week and played again Monday. He scored 10 points in 21:38 against Brooklyn.
"There is some people that kind of probably slept -- I haven't played in a couple years consistently, and they probably forgot about me -- which is cool. I'm used to it," Smart said. "I still do what I do."
Brooklyn took a 97-96 lead on Trendon Watford's layup with 4:45 remaining. Then the Nets didn't score again until a couple of free throws with 13 seconds left.
Washington won despite 23 turnovers. Brooklyn committed 18 of its own.
"We weathered the storm," Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. "We didn't play a perfect game. We scored 40 points in the second half. We struggled to score at times. We're still learning chemistry with the new guys. But that didn't stop us from staying competitive and staying with the game. We really won the game tonight with our defense."
'Incredible' Jokic dishes career-high 19 assists
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Nikola Jokic had a career-best 19 assists, while adding 18 points and nine rebounds, Aaron Gordon scored 25 points and the Denver Nuggets defeated the Indiana Pacers 125-116 on Monday night.
According to ESPN Research, Denver's win marked Jokic's 28th career game with at least 15 assists, the most by a non-guard in NBA history. His final total is also tied for second most in a game by any center in the league's history. Only Wilt Chamberlain, according to ESPN Research, has had more, posting 21 assists against the Detroit Pistons back in 1968.
"If you're a player that has no weakness, and there is not one (mark) in that armor, the guy is just an amazing, complete basketball player. And I think the most remarkable thing is not just 19 assists, but the satisfaction and joy that Nikola gets from making his teammates better," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "And he'd be happy getting 19 assists ... and us winning (more) than any other superstar that I've ever come across."
Denver used a balanced attack to bounce back after the Los Angeles Lakers ended the Nuggets' nine-game winning streak on Saturday, but make no mistake: Jokic was the star of the show.
"He's a humble person and understands that this whole thing is always much bigger than the individual," Malone said. "It's the collective. But 19? ... What is that? ... He's just an incredible player. And what a luxury to have when you can just play through him down the stretch of a close game and you know something good is going to happen each and every time."
Michael Porter Jr. had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Christian Braun added 17 points and Jamal Murray scored 16 for Denver.
Myles Turner led Indiana with 23 points. Tyrese Haliburton had 19 points and 15 assists, Pascal Siakam scored 19 points and Aaron Nesmith 17.
"Obviously, Nikola is not a guy in the league that you would say is an elite defender, but he's one of the highest IQ guys in the league," Haliburton said. "And I thought he did a great job in the pick and roll making me have to make different reads."
The Nuggets led by as many as 13 before settling for a 64-58 lead at halftime. The Pacers had trimmed the lead to 56-55 off a fast break dunk by Obi Toppin with 2:43 left in the second quarter. Denver followed with a 6-0 run to regain control.
The Nuggets shot 56% and held a 46-32 rebounding edge. Denver also made 8-of-21 3-pointers while the Pacers were 14 of 43 from 3-point range.
After the Pacers narrowed the deficit to 115-108, Gordon hit a 19-foot jumper and then Christian Braun scored on a layup from an alley-oop pass from Jokic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The Detroit Red Wings placed veteran center Andrew Copp on injured reserve Monday with an undisclosed injury, and the team has no timeline for his return.
In a corresponding move, the Red Wings recalled center Sheldon Dries from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League.
Copp, 30, was injured in the second period of Detroit's 4-3 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Copp missed the Red Wings' 5-4 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, and he will not travel with the team for Tuesday's game at the Wild.
"We will know a lot more [Tuesday]," coach Todd McLellan said Monday after practice, "but it looks like it might be longer than we anticipated."
Copp has 10 goals, 23 points, 8 penalty minutes and 35 blocks in 56 games this season.
The Winnipeg Jets selected Copp in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL draft. He has 114 goals, 186 assists, a plus-73 rating, 149 penalty minutes and 371 blocks in 700 regular-season games for the Jets (2014-2022), New York Rangers (2022) and Red Wings (2022-present).
Copp also has 9 goals, 26 points and 16 penalty minutes in 54 playoff games.
Dries, 30, last played in the NHL in the 2022-23 season for the Vancouver Canucks. He has 16 goals, 26 assists, 59 penalty minutes and 68 blocks in 122 games for the Colorado Avalanche (2018-21) and Canucks (2021-23).
Earlier in the day, Detroit sent veteran goaltender Ville Husso to the Ducks for future considerations. Husso had also been playing with Grand Rapids after being demoted earlier this season.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.
From bad to worse? Man City facing battle just to qualify for Champions League
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It has been another bad week for Manchester City. But after being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid and symbolically dethroned as Premier League champions in a 2-0 home defeat to runaway leaders Liverpool, it could get even worse from here for Pep Guardiola's team.
Leaving aside the shadow of the hearing into the Premier League's 115 charges for breaching financial regulations -- a verdict is expected within the next month or so -- the weeks ahead look bleak for a team that last season became the first in English history to win four successive league titles.
City have lost 14 of their past 27 games in all competitions and eight of their past 17 in the Premier League. Their woeful form, which is unprecedented since Guardiola's arrival as coach in 2016, has now left the club facing a battle to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Wednesday's Premier League trip to Tottenham Hotspur has become meaningless in terms of City's title hopes. With Liverpool 20 points ahead at the top of the table, City are out of the running to claim a fifth straight championship. But it is crucial nonetheless in the context of saving City's season.
Even though the Premier League is almost certain to have five Champions League qualification spots for next season (with England in a dominant position at the top of UEFA's coefficient table) the safety net of the extra place will only offer the faintest of comfort to City in contrast to their worrying form. Sitting in fourth position in the Premier League heading into the midweek fixtures, City are only a point clear of sixth-place AFC Bournemouth and just four ahead of ninth-place Brighton & Hove Albion.
Over the past 10 Premier League games, City sit in sixth position in the form guide, with Bournemouth and Newcastle -- sixth and fifth respectively in the table -- ahead of them. In the past 15 games, City are ninth behind Chelsea, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Newcastle United, so the threat to Guardiola's hopes of extending City's run of Champions League qualifications to a 14th straight season is clear.
City are beset by injuries -- Ballon d'Or winner Rodri might not play again this season, John Stones and Manuel Akanji are facing weeks on the sidelines and Erling Haaland's knee injury is causing concern -- and serial winners Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gündogan and Bernardo Silva are fading fast as players capable of making an impact.
So could City's season actually get worse to the extent that they miss out on qualifying for the Champions League? The reality is that they are now one of six clubs scrambling for two places, and recent performances offer little encouragement that Guardiola's squad have nothing to worry about.
The good news for City is that none of the teams below them are tearing it up. Newcastle have lost three of their past six Premier League games, including a 4-0 loss at City on Feb. 15, while Bournemouth's impressive run of four wins in five league games was surprisingly halted with a 1-0 home defeat to relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers over the weekend.
Chelsea have dropped to seventh following a nightmare run of two wins and five defeats in their past 10 league games, and Villa only ended a five-game Premier League winless streak with a 2-1 victory against Chelsea at Villa Park on Saturday. Brighton have the best form of the Champions League chasers, winning four of their past six league games, but their two defeats in that run were a shocking 1-0 loss at home to a then-struggling Everton and a 7-0 hammering at Forest. So of the six teams chasing the final two Champions League qualification spots, none can boast of being in unbeatable form, but the inconsistency is giving them all hope of a top-five finish.
City, at least, have the benefit of being in control of their own destiny because they occupy a Champions League spot. It's a simple equation for Guardiola and his players: Win more games than the teams below you, and it will be possible to salvage the bare minimum from this season. But that means beating a resurgent Spurs on Wednesday and then denting Brighton's hopes with another victory at the Etihad on March 15. City also have home games against Villa and Bournemouth in the weeks ahead.
By this stage of a typical City season under Guardiola, all of those games would be regarded as nothing short of formalities, with City surging to a series of wins on the way to another title.
But this isn't a typical season, and City have been dragged down into the ranks of also-rans, so nothing can be guaranteed -- not even a place in the Champions League.
Australia and South Africa in battle to top the group
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Big picture: Expect a hard-fought contest
All that, combined with expectations of a batter-friendly pitch in Rawalpindi, means the bowling attacks can expect a tough day out after already being challenged by absences in personnel. Australia are missing more than South Africa with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc all out of the tournament. But with Anrich Nortje and Gerald Coetzee also ruled out, South Africa had to look elsewhere for express pace. Still, they have five seamers and three spinners (if you include Aiden Markram) to choose from. Australia's squad make-up is similar, and with Marnus Labuschagne turning his arm over, they have additional options. So the real point of difference may lie in selection and how the captains allocate overs to exert pressure on each other.
Whatever happens, given these two sides routinely bring out the most competitive streaks in each other, this will be one of the tournament's showpiece matches in front of what is expected to be a sell-out crowd.
Form guide
Australia: WLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: WLLLL
In the spotlight: Nathan Ellis and Rassie van der Dussen
Team news: Heinrich Klassen to have fitness test
Australia don't have reason to change things and Alex Carey suggested the XI would remain as is. They may consider a switch in their attack, and swap out one of their two left-arm quicks - Spencer Johnson and Ben Dwarshuis - for Sean Abbott.
Australia: (possible): 1 Matthew Short, 2 Travis Head, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Alex Carey, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Spencer Johnson
South Africa (possible): 1 Temba Bavuma (capt), 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi
Pitch and conditions
Before this tournament, Rawalpindi had not hosted ODIs since April 2023, when Pakistan and New Zealand made scores of 288, 291, 336 and 337 in two matches. South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma and Carey said they expected another high-scoring encounter on what should be a flat surface. Bavuma also revealed that South Africa noted significant dew during a training session at the venue over the weekend and both he and Carey expected chasing to be easier than defending a target. The weather will be cooler than in Karachi or Lahore with a high of just 17 degrees, and there is some drizzle forecast in the afternoon which could impact the match.
Stats and trivia
- Australia's chase of 352 against England was their second-highest successful chase in ODIs.
- In that game, Josh Inglis became the fourth Australian men's cricketer to complete a hundred in all formats, after Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and David Warner.
- Since 2016, South Africa have batted first 12 times against Australia in ODIs and lost only two of those matches. The most recent of these defeats was the semi-final of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
- Travis Head has scored 62 runs off 55 balls off Kagiso Rabada in ODIs and been dismissed by him three times. Against Lungi Ngidi, however, he's scored only 15 off 25 balls for two dismissals.
- Klaasen has scored 121 runs off 89 balls from Adam Zampa in ODIs and been dismissed twice by him.
Quotes
"We probably don't want to chase 350 too many more times but our bowlers will learn a lot from that hit out."
Australia batter Alex Carey reflects on the game against England
"We're quite bullish about our chances. Even though in the [preceding] tri-series, we didn't have all our guys, it still was an opportunity for us to get whatever intel that we can on the conditions and share that information with all the other guys who came in. Confidence is good. We're quite optimistic about our chances and how far we can go in this competition."
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's correspondent for South Africa and women's cricket
Jaffer: Senior Bangladesh players 'just don't turn up' in ICC events
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Mahmudullah has history in performing well at ICC events, he made back-to-back hundreds in the 2015 ODI World Cup and a hundred when Bangladesh beat New Zealand in the 2017 Champions Trophy. But here, he missed their first match with injury and self-destructed in the second.
"Even the shot selection we've seen today was very disappointing," Jaffer said. "Mushfiq [Mushfiqur] playing that shot, Mahmudullah playing that wild shot. And this is a must-win game. You want them to step up in these kinds of games and make themselves count. So that's been the story in the ICC events, unfortunately."
Jaffer also felt that Bangladesh were at least "50 to 60 runs short" on a Rawalpindi surface which wasn't offering much help for the bowlers.
"They could have easily put 300-plus on that pitch," he said. "They have got themselves to blame. It is too much to ask from the bowling unit to get a team New Zealand all out for below 240."
"I like the look of their bowling attack," Bond said. "They have got the heat, they have got the left-armer [Mustafizur Rahman] which New Zealand and a team like England doesn't have. The spinners are good.
"Also the fine margins they missed chances. If you miss those run-out chances or those dropped catches, they are the difference between winning or losing a game. If they had taken those chances, this game could have been completely different. There is a lot to work with with their bowling attack. I think their batting in the end was the problem."
Bond, who coaches extensively in the franchise T20 circuit, also felt that any coach would "feel a bit grumpy" after the kind of performance Bangladesh put in as their Champions Trophy 2025 journey came to an end.
"I think it's the natural inclination as a coach to feel that way," Bond said. "If you start talking about what you shouldn't do and let emotion pour out as a coach, it's a dangerous place to go. So you're still trying to create an environment where you want guys to come out and play positively, you want them to be really clear about how you're going to play.
"And at the end of the day, if they go out and try to execute their game plans and play the way that you want and they lose, then that's okay. If they don't, then it makes it very difficult. So that's what you're looking for as a player.
"You want, 'this is how the coach wants me to play my role in the team. If I go and do that to the best of my ability, then it's okay.' You know, some days it's not going to work and we're not a fly on the wall in the Bangladesh camp, so we don't know what those conversations are and it's difficult to make judgments on that stuff."
Ant caps furious Wolves rally with block on SGA
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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Anthony Edwards blocked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's go-ahead shot attempt, capping a 25-point second-half comeback as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the top-ranked Oklahoma City Thunder 131-128 in overtime on Monday night.
Jaden McDaniels scored 27 points, Naz Reid had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points for the Timberwolves. Edwards had 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for Minnesota, which lost 130-123 to the Thunder on Sunday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 39 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but Edwards blocked him at the rim with 13.2 seconds remaining in overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander also missed a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left in the extra period that would have tied the game.
The Timberwolves were trailing by as much as 16 points in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter. They are just the second team in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98) to win after trailing by at least that much with that little time left in regulation, according to ESPN Research. The Bucks did it against the Raptors on Jan. 4, 2023 after trailing by 21 in the final four minutes.
Jalen Williams scored 27 points and Aaron Wiggins added 19 for the Thunder, who still lead the Western Conference at 46-11.
Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, who missed three months with a pelvic fracture before recently returning, rested. Center Isaiah Hartenstein left the game in the second quarter and did not return with what Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called a facial contusion.
Oklahoma City led 82-57 in the third quarter and was ahead 102-80 going to the fourth. But rookie reserve Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 11 of his 17 points in the period and the Timberwolves outscored the Thunder 41-19.
Minnesota's rally happened mostly without Edwards, who played less than four minutes in the fourth quarter. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said Edwards' leg was bothering him in the fourth, which is why he was on the bench. But with the game back in reach late, Finch said he was told Edwards was good to return.
The Timberwolves also won without center Rudy Gobert, who was out with lower back spasms.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Cubs ship outfielder Canario, 24, to hobbled Mets
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NEW YORK -- Hit hard by injuries early in spring training, the New York Mets added some depth Monday night when they acquired outfielder Alexander Canario from the Chicago Cubs for cash.
Canario, who turns 25 in May, made his major league debut for the Cubs in September 2023. He is 12-for-42 (.286) with 2 homers, 8 RBIs and an .857 OPS in 21 career games over the past two seasons.
The right-handed hitter was designated for assignment last Thursday when Chicago signed veteran infielder Justin Turner. Canario came to the Cubs in the July 2021 trade that sent four-time All-Star Kris Bryant to the San Francisco Giants.
In a corresponding move Monday, the Mets placed infielder Nick Madrigal on the 60-day injured list with a broken left shoulder.
The 27-year-old Madrigal, who was competing for a bench spot, was injured in a spring training game Sunday.
On Monday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Madrigal would be out "a long time."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Former world number one Venus Williams has turned down a wildcard for next month's Indian Wells tournament.
Organisers said last week the 44-year-old had been invited but the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion has not taken it up.
"Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wildcard this year," the event posted on X in a statement attributed to tournament director Tommy Haas.
"We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future."
Williams has dropped to 974th in the world and has not played a WTA Tour-level match since losing in the first round of the Miami Open last March.
She earlier told the TennisWeekly podcast she would not be making her return at the Indian Wells tournament, which runs from 2-16 March.
"I'm not playing - I'm going to be overseas. I'm not going to be here," she said.
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Britain's Dan Evans lost to Russian Karen Khachanov in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship.
Evans, who received a wildcard for the tournament, had won all five of their previous meetings, including a five-and-a-half-hour classic at last year's US Open.
However, world number 24 Khachanov triumphed 6-1 6-3 in one hour 20 minutes.
He will face Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in the second round.