FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- - Lionel Messi scored for the third time in four Major League Soccer matches this season, helping Inter Miami get a 1-1 tie with Toronto FC on Sunday night.

It was Messi's 40th goal across all competitions since joining Inter Miami, extending his franchise record. The goal Sunday was a left-footed volley from the top of the 18-yard box about five minutes into first-half stoppage time.

The tie left Inter Miami (4-0-2) one point behind Columbus in the Eastern Conference, with one match in hand.

Messi's goal tied the match, three minutes after Federico Bernardeschi opened the scoring for Toronto (0-4-3). Messi had what appeared to be a goal wiped out earlier in the first half after it was determined he committed a foul shortly before that score.

Toronto had the lead for only the second time all season - the first was a 19-minute stretch against Chicago last month. This time, Messi took it away quickly.

Messi has had at least one point in all four MLS matches in which he has appeared this season for Inter Miami, which is 8-1-2 overall this season when adding in four victories in CONCACAF Champions Cup matches. The loss was a 1-0 decision against LAFC in a Champions Cup match last week; the second leg of that matchup is Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale.

Toronto plays Saturday at home against Minnesota. Inter Miami resumes MLS play next Sunday at the Chicago Fire.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

Ruben Amorim said that Manchester United and Manchester City aren't good enough to make the derby "a spectacle" after the two teams played out a disappointing 0-0 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday.

United are 13th in the Premier League table after what Amorim described as "the worst season in history." City, meanwhile, have relinquished their title and are in danger of missing out on a place in next season's Champions League.

Ahead of kickoff, the game was labelled as the most inconsequential Manchester derby in years and, with little entertainment and a lack of clear-cut chances, it delivered on the low expectations.

"We are not in the best moments to give the best spectacle to every fan," said Amorim. "I understand that we are doing the worst season in history. Manchester City won everything in the past, this season is struggling.

"When we are not fighting for the big things, of course it's different. But you have to look at the context of the game."

Despite picking up a point against their neighbours, United remain on course for their lowest Premier League finish and their lowest Premier League points total. Amorim's team has only recorded four wins in their last 12 games in all competitions and are yet to win back-to-back league games this season.

However, the Portuguese coach insists he is seeing signs of improvement.

"In the moment it's still really hard every day, but of course you can imagine that the next season is going to be so much different," said the United boss. "Everybody here is suffering a lot with all these changes and we have to show something in the next year, so right away.

"In the good days you think like that -- that it was important to come in the middle of the season, to work with the players, to improve the players as soon as possible, to start the next season with a better idea of what we want.

"Today was that day that we played well. Of course you can feel it in the game, it's not there, in the top level, the intensity, but you can also understand the context of both teams at this moment."

After their trip to face Lyon in the Europa League, United face Newcastle United in the Premier League on April 13, a day after City host Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium.

Southampton set an unwanted record on Sunday as they became the first team in Premier League history to be relegated with seven matches left to play.

A 3-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in north London confirmed Southampton's fate. A first-half brace from Brennan Johnson and Mathys Tel's first Premier League goal earned all three points for Ange Postecoglou's men, while Mateus Fernandes scored for the visitors.

Ipswich Town and Derby County held the previous record for the earliest relegation in league history. They had their relegations confirmed with six matches remaining in 1994-95 and 2007-08, respectively.

"We knew it was probably going to be inevitable at some point, we haven't been good enough all season," Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale told Sky Sports. "We were dominated by the better team. We dug in in the second half but it is a sad day and one that this group of players will learn from."

"We need wins, points, performances. It has to come to a point where the fans are happy and singing. Fair play to those [fans] who came today, have been at St. Mary's and travelled around the country. We have to build some momentum going in to the Championship season."

Southampton are also on course to finish the campaign with the lowest recorded points tally. The 2007-08 Derby team infamously finished with 11 points -- one point more than Southampton have managed so far.

"We want to get as many points as we can until the end of the season," Ramsdale said. "No-one wants that record and we will do what we can but we will do what we can to get more points on the board."

It has been a miserable season for the south-coast club who attempted to change course when they fired manager Russell Martin in December.

The appointment of Ivan Juric failed to halt the club's downward momentum, with the Croatian coach so far only picking up a single win in his 13 games in charge. Southampton have lost 11 games in that period.

Asked whether there had been any discussions over his future, Juric said: "No, now we will see everything. We are thinking just about the games now. We will see now what everyone thinks, what I think.

"The fans deserve much more and we have to understand all of the mistakes we have made and then create something really strong."

Southampton host Aston Villa in their next Premier League fixture on April 12.

Pep Guardiola accused a section of Manchester United supporters of a "lack of class" for targeting Manchester City's Phil Foden with derogatory chants about the player's mother during Sunday's 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.

Foden, 24, was substituted midway through the second half by City manager Guardiola following an ineffective performance. The England midfielder, a boyhood City supporter from nearby Stockport, was one of only two local players on the pitch in this Manchester derby alongside City youngster Nico O'Reilly.

Despite his local roots, Foden was subjected to several chants -- the player responded by raising a thumbs-up gesture to the United supporters -- and Guardiola said the actions of the fans reflected modern society.

"Lack of class," Guardiola said when asked about the chants aimed at Foden. "But it's not United, it's the people, you know?

"We are so exposed in the screen in world football -- managers, owners, and football players especially. Honestly, I don't understand the mind of the people involving the mum of Phil. It's a lack of integrity, class, and they should be ashamed."

City's failure to win the game means that they still occupy the fifth and final Champions League qualification spot in fifth place in the Premier League table, a point clear of Aston Villa, who are due to visit the Etihad on April 22.

Seventh-place Newcastle, who are two points behind the reigning champions having played two games fewer, can climb above City into the fifth spot by winning away to relegation-threatened Leicester City on Monday.

Despite the risk of missing out on the Champions League, Guardiola said he is not concerned about the team's qualification prospects.

"Nothing," Guardiola said when asked his thoughts about finishing in the top five. "All that is important is our next game, against Crystal Palace.

"We will prepare for the upcoming games. There are a few things I'm happy with what I saw, but now we need to achieve the target of qualifying for Champions League, then next season is next season."

NEW YORK -- Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored goal No. 895 on Sunday, passing Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL's all-time goal-scoring leader.

Ovechkin, on a pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson, netted the record breaker in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders with a power-play goal past fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin with 12:34 left in the second period of Sunday's game -- the 1,487th game of his career, the same as Gretzky's career total.

"This is something crazy," Ovechkin said after the game. "I'm probably going to need a couple more days. Maybe a couple weeks to realize what it means to be No. 1.

"All I can say: I'm very proud. I'm very proud for myself. I'm really proud for my family, for all my teammates, that helped me to reach that milestone, and for all my coaches. It's huge. It's an unbelievable moment."

With Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in attendance, the game came to a standstill as players and fans celebrated the historic moment.

"They say that records are made to be broken, but I'm not sure who's going to get more goals than that," Gretzky said before shaking Ovechkin's hand.

When Casey Cizikas took a tripping penalty seven minutes into the second period, the arena echoed with chants of "Ovi! Ovi!" from the considerable number of Capitals fans who attended the Islanders home game.

Ovechkin ripped his shot from the top of the left circle -- aka the "Ovi spot" where he has scored the majority of the goals in his career. He turned and did a belly slide over the blue line into the neutral zone as his teammates hopped over the boards in celebration.

It was his 42nd goal of the season, which is second only to Gordie Howe (44 in 1968-69) for a player aged 39 or older.

A sight we've seen 894 times before this and each and every single time has been in a Capitals sweater.

Thank you, O!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/NgDK9EZopG

x - Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 6, 2025

Ovechkin eventually skated to center ice and applauded the crowd and then pointed to the sky with his gloves, a gesture he has made in the past to honor departed loved ones.

He skated over to the Capitals bench and hugged coaches and staff members while arena workers walked carpets out to the ice for the ceremony -- including one with "Alex Ovechkin -- 895" on it. They also set up a specially commissioned painting from Canadian artist Tony Harris that featured Ovechkin and Gretzky.

The Islanders got into a handshake line to congratulate Ovechkin, while his Capitals teammates wore special edition hats to commemorate the moment.

A video played that chronicled Ovechkin's goal-scoring journey, featuring congratulations from NHL legends, including Jaromir Jagr, Brett Hull and Phil Esposito, as well as former Capitals teammates, such as center Nicklas Backstrom.

It ended with his mother, Tatyana Ovechkin, telling Alex, "Your dad would be so proud." Mikhail Ovechkin died in 2023 at 71.

Tatyana Ovechkin joined Alex's wife, Nastya, and his children, Sergei and Ilya, on the ice for the ceremony. Wilson and John Carlson skated over to give them flowers during the ceremony.

"I mean, it makes me a little bit emotional, just because I think so much of him," Wilson said after the game about the assist on Ovechkin's goal. "To be able to be beside him forever on a big goal, I feel very lucky. I feel very honored to be a part of that."

Bettman, Gretzky and his wife Janet, and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis also took part in the on-ice celebration.

"Wayne, you'll always be 'The Great One,' and you had a record that nobody ever thought would be broken," Bettman said as he addressed both Gretzky and Ovechkin. "But Alex, you did it. You've been amazing."

As Ovechkin's teammates gathered together on the carpets for a photo, he turned to address them.

"I've always said, all the time, it's a team sport," Ovechkin said. "... Fellas, thank you very much. I love you so much."

The 25-minute ceremony ended with another video featuring an eclectic mix of star athletes and celebrities offering congratulations: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Derek Jeter, Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Roger Federer, Jayden Daniels, Cody Rhodes, Sidney Crosby, Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn and Danny DeVito among them.

Ovechkin had never scored on Sorokin before, making his countryman the 183rd different goaltender he has beaten.

Ovechkin tied Gretzky's record Friday with two tallies in a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. He chose not to go out on the ice after the Blackhawks pulled their goalie late in the third for a possible hat trick, saying later, "I don't want an empty net" when he sets the record.

His pursuit of the goals record has spanned his extraordinary 20-year NHL career, all of it with the Capitals. He won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's regular-season goal-scoring leader nine times. He captured the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP three times (2008, '09, '13) and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in leading the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018.

Ovechkin is the NHL's all-time leader in power-play goals (325) and overtime goals (27) and passed Jagr for the most winning goals after tallying his 136th on Friday. He has scored 50 more power-play goals than Hall of Famer Dave Andreychuk, who is second on the list. More than 210 of Ovechkin's power-play goals were scored from the Ovi spot near the left faceoff circle.

Gretzky captured the goals record on March 23, 1994, as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. His 802nd goal surpassed the career mark of his idol, Gordie Howe. The game against the Vancouver Canucks was stopped for a 15-minute ceremony. Gretzky retired in 1999 with 894 goals, a career total that few in the NHL believed would ever be surpassed -- until Ovechkin arrived.

"I always said that if there's any guy who could do it, it's him," said Backstrom, currently injured, who assisted on more Ovechkin goals than any other teammate from 2007 to 2023. "Sometimes, it just seems like the puck finds him, and he's got that ability to put it in the net like no one else."

The Capitals won the 2004 NHL draft lottery to select Ovechkin first overall. The Moscow native won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2005-06 with 52 goals, as his buoyant personally revitalized the franchise. By the end of his 10th NHL season, having yet to turn 30 years old, Ovechkin had amassed 475 goals in 760 games.

Gretzky told NHL.com in 2016 that if Ovechkin sustained that pace "there's no question in my mind" he could set a new career goals record.

"The first 500 are the easy ones," Gretzky said. "It's the next 500, when you're getting a little bit older and your body is a little bit worn down -- the travel and physical part of the game catches up to you."

Ovechkin entered this season needing 42 goals to pass Gretzky, and he wasted no time. The Capitals captain scored 15 goals in his first 18 games, the hottest goal-scoring start of his career and an unprecedented feat for a 39-year-old in the NHL. His season took an unexpected turn on Nov. 18, when Ovechkin broke his left fibula in a game against Utah. But the "Russian Machine," as he has been called for his stamina and good health, returned ahead of schedule -- and scored a goal -- on Dec. 28, after missing 16 games.

Ovechkin's record hunt captivated the hockey world during the final weeks of the regular season. It was branded "The GR8 Chase" by the NHL. Game broadcasts introduced alternate feeds that focused only on Ovechkin. In Washington, goal counters were added inside Capital One Arena and in Union Market District. Gretzky, Bettman, Leonsis and Nastya Ovechkin began following the team from arena to arena.

Ovechkin, meanwhile, used his record pursuit to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, donating an amount equal to his goal total for every goal he scores during the remainder of his career and encouraging fans to contribute on a per-goal basis as well.

TAMPA, Fla. -- UConn coach Geno Auriemma joked about being the oldest coach to win a Division I basketball title, women's or men's, after the Huskies got the program's 12th on Sunday.

"Well, all those other coaches had the good sense to not stick around until they were 71," Auriemma said after an 82-59 win over South Carolina at Amalie Arena.

He also won his 10th championship in this venue, in 2015. Then, the Huskies won again in 2016 in Indianapolis for a fourth straight title, ending Breanna Stewart's amazing UConn career.

"There was a big part of my inner circle of people that I trust that were hoping that after the Stewie fourth in a row that I should have called it a day back then," Auriemma said. "That would have been apropos, I guess -- ride off into the sunset.

"But ... you make the decision you're not finished yet, and then three, four years go by, and people start telling you that UConn is not UConn anymore and it's somebody else's turn. And then five years go by, and six years go by, and seven years go by."

In all, eight years and seven NCAA tournaments passed (the 2020 tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic) between the end of Stewart's reign and Sunday's championship. During that time, UConn still got to the Final Four every year but one (2023, when Paige Bueckers was out because of a knee injury) but the championships went to South Carolina (3), Notre Dame, Baylor, Stanford and LSU.

Along with Bueckers' injury in 2022-23, guard Azzi Fudd missed all but two games last season because of a knee injury, and the Huskies dealt with several other serious injuries to key players. UConn was not at full strength for the past three postseasons.

"For us, it always seemed like, if we ever got a chance to get healthy, this could be pretty good," Auriemma said.

That was the case Sunday, as the Huskies beat their third No. 1 seed in this tournament. UConn won its two Final Four games by a combined 57 points. Bueckers, Fudd and freshman Sarah Strong made the all-tournament team with Fudd as the Final Four's most outstanding player. The trio scored 65 points against South Carolina and 57 against UCLA in the semifinals.

For Auriemma, the all-time winningest coach in college basketball (1,250-165), this was his 24th Final Four and he is now 12-1 in championship games. The only loss came in 2022 to South Carolina.

Auriemma's birthday is in March; he was 71 years, 14 days old Sunday. The previous oldest coach to win the women's title was Stanford's Tara VanDerveer in 2021, when she was 67 years, 282 days. The oldest to win the men's title is also from UConn: Jim Calhoun, who was 68 years, 329 days when the Huskies won in 2011.

Auriemma half-seriously said Saturday that he thought about retiring multiple times a season over the past few years, but always found reasons to stay.

"We all feel our age at some point," he said. "We don't like to admit that we're older because we still act younger because of the people that we're dealing with. A lot of my friends that are my age that haven't done what I've done with who I've done it with ... they look way older, act way older because they've lost the ability to be a kid because they're not around kids.

"So, yeah, I may be 71 number-wise, but I think otherwise I'm more able to do stuff with those young people because I'm around them every day and they rub off on me. Does that mean I can do this for another X number of years? No, because, you know, wine is good for you, too, and if you're around it all the time, after a while, you wake up and you go, 'That was really bad, I had too much fun.'

"So these kids are fun. But there is going to come a time when the fun doesn't eliminate how hard it is to do this job. This job is really hard to do."

For now, though, it sounds like Auriemma is willing to spend more time where he has been since taking over the UConn program in 1985. He credits the players for that.

"When I tell you it's really out of your hands, it really is true," he said. "All of this is in the hands of the players who are playing. And they made it all worthwhile today."

TAMPA, Fla. -- It had been a nine-year wait for UConn to get its 12th national championship. But after the No. 2 seed Huskies finished their run through three No. 1 seeds -- USC, UCLA and 82-59 vs. South Carolina in the NCAA final Sunday -- they won a title that means a little more because of the journey that came before it.

After winning four championships in a row from 2013 to 2016 behind superstar Breanna Stewart, the Huskies hit a series of roadblocks with tough losses and injury heartbreaks.

But on Sunday, the Huskies moved to the top of the women's basketball world again, sending senior guard Paige Bueckers -- who is expected to be the WNBA's No. 1 draft pick on April 14 -- out with her first national championship.

A tearful Bueckers buried her face in coach Geno Auriemma's shoulder as they hugged on the sideline when she exited the game with just over a minute left, mission at last accomplished.

"It's been a story of resilience, of gratitude, of overcoming adversity and just responding to life's challenges," Bueckers said.

With guards Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, healthy at the same time, and the top freshman in the nation in forward Sarah Strong, UConn looked like so many of its championship teams of old. Not just the best team, but also the team that played the best.

Fudd and Strong finished with 24 points each, and Bueckers had 17. For her efforts, Fudd was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. Meanwhile, freshman Joyce Edwards and sophomore Tessa Johnson led South Carolina with 10 points each as the Gamecocks fell short of repeating as national champions and finished 35-4. The 10 points are the fewest by any team's leading scorer in a women's NCAA final.

UConn now has 12 wins in the Final Four by 20 or more points. All other teams in Division I women's history have 11 combined. The Huskies' 23-point margin of victory ties for the third largest in championship game history behind two previous UConn teams that won by 33 (vs. Louisville in 2013) and 31 (vs. Syracuse in 2016).

"They did a masterful job in executing on both sides of the basketball," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said.

Bueckers was asked before Sunday's game how she would like to be remembered at UConn.

"As a great teammate, a great leader. I think those are the two most important things to me, just being somebody that people love to play with, make their teammates better, wears a UConn jersey with pride," she said.

Now, she also will be remembered as a national champion. Admittedly, there were points in her career where it didn't seem as if that would happen. UConn's disappointments go back, in fact, to the end of their 111-game winning streak at the Final Four in Dallas in 2017. The Huskies were defeated on a buzzer-beater in overtime in the national semifinals by Mississippi State.

Then in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024, the Huskies also lost in the semifinals. They fell in the 2022 championship game to South Carolina, and missed the 2023 Final Four -- the only time since an Elite Eight loss in 2007 that the Huskies have not made the season's final weekend. Bueckers missed the 2022-23 season with a knee injury.

With Fudd out last season, the Huskies went down to the wire with Iowa in the semifinals but lost 71-69. That set up a lot of pressure on Bueckers and the Huskies to make their dreams come true this year.

UConn wasn't perfect this season, as has been the case with six of the school's former championship teams. But after an 80-76 loss at Tennessee on Feb. 6, the Huskies didn't lose another game. They won the Big East regular-season and tournament titles, then dominated their way through the NCAA tournament (including wins over 1-seeds USC, UCLA and South Carolina) to finish 37-3.

On Sunday, the Huskies took a 19-14 lead after a first quarter that featured a very fast pace and some intense defense inside from UConn. The Huskies set the tone by shooting 52.9% from the field in the opening period while holding the Gamecocks to 40%. Unlike UCLA in its semifinal loss to UConn, South Carolina was working the ball into the spots it wanted, but didn't finish well.

Strong's emphatic block of a Raven Johnson layup attempt at the 9:04 mark of the second quarter sent a message, as did her play throughout her first postseason.

Strong set a record for points by a freshman in a single NCAA tournament with 114, passing Tennessee's Tamika Catchings, who had 111 in 1998. That year, incidentally, Strong's mother, Allison Feaster, led Harvard as a No. 16 seed past No. 1 Stanford in the NCAA tournament. Feaster went on to a 10-season career in the WNBA, where her daughter will be headed in a few years.

Strong is also the first player (regardless of class) to have at least 100 points, 25 assists and 10 blocks in a single NCAA tournament since blocks became an official stat in 1988.

"I did better than I was expecting," said the soft-spoken Strong, who also had 15 rebounds and five assists Sunday.

Staley predicted Saturday that over the next few years, Strong might end up as the best Huskies player of all. Which is saying a ton considering UConn boasts former players such as Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash and two of the most recent Naismith Hall of Fame inductees, Maya Moore and Sue Bird, who were honored at Sunday's game.

UConn, which entered Sunday averaging 8.7 3-pointers per game, had just one in the first half, but that shot -- by Ashlynn Shade from the left corner with nine seconds left -- gave the Huskies momentum going into halftime up 36-26.

The Huskies continued to control the game throughout the second half, and the big lead allowed the UConn starters to exit to loud ovations. UConn is now 91-2 when leading by double digits at halftime in the NCAA tournament. The two losses were the 2001 national semifinal (up 12 at the half), when it lost to eventual champion Notre Dame, and in the 1989 first round (up 10) against La Salle.

Auriemma was coaching in his first NCAA tournament in 1989, in his fourth season at UConn. The Huskies have now appeared in 36 NCAA tournaments and 24 Final Fours. Auriemma, who turned 71 in March, is the first coach to win a championship at age 70 or older in Division I women's or men's basketball.

He joked before the game that he thought about quitting multiple times during the season the past few years, but then would go to practice and always be drawn back in.

"I think there's a lot of people counting on me to keep doing what I'm doing at UConn -- all my team, all my staff," Auriemma said. "I think they're counting on me to keep going and keep impacting and keep doing what we do.

"Maybe what this [championship] means is that there were a lot of people that didn't think it would ever happen. There are a lot of people that hoped it would never happen. I'm glad we were able to get to that spot that Connecticut has occupied. In the last 30 years, I don't know that any program has meant more to their sport than what UConn has meant to women's basketball."

DENVER -- Jamal Murray sat out his fifth consecutive game for the Denver Nuggets on Sunday because of a strained right hamstring and coach Michael Malone said "hopefully" his star point guard would be back for the start of the NBA playoffs.

Malone said that keeping Murray on the bench with four games to go in the regular season wasn't a matter of precaution: "Jamal's hurt. It's not [being] careful. He's hurt."

"This has been a weird one," Malone added. "It was day-to-day, day-to-day. The next thing you know it's not day-to-day. So, obviously a big loss for us. But we have more than enough. We've shown that time and time again in that locker room. So, if Jamal is unable to go, we need other guys to step up and and play desperate and play urgent."

Asked before tipoff against Indiana on Sunday if he expected Murray to be back by the playoffs, Malone said, "Hopefully, he's able to be back by then."

The Nuggets' loss Sunday to the Pacers was their fourth straight and leaves them on shaky ground in a bunched-up Western Conference.

Murray dealt with a sprained ankle down the stretch a year ago and played poorly in a second-round playoff series against Minnesota and again for Canada in the Paris Olympics.

The Pacers were without star forward Pascal Siakam (right elbow) in Denver.

Siakam's injury exacerbates the Pacers' challenge in facing Nikola Jokic, who's on the verge of becoming the first player in league history to finish top-three in scoring, rebounds and assists in the same season.

"It's a monumental task," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "If you think about it, he's really playing every position on the floor. He's handling the ball a lot of the time. He plays the five. I mean, he really does the things that every position on the floor does. He shoots it, he rebounds, he drives like wings. He does things that [forwards] do. It's another historic year for him and we've had a lot of problems with him."

Malone also addressed sticking with Russell Westbrook, who had two big blunders in the closing seconds of a 140-139 loss in double-overtime to the Wolves last week.

"We wouldn't be where we are right now, in fourth place with four games to go, if it wasn't for Russell this year," Malone said. "And I think it's easy to look at with the recency bias: 'Well, he missed a layup, he fouled a guy against Minnesota,' and everybody just kind of wants to detach from him. ... I don't do that.

"I respect Russell Westbrook and I"m also appreciative of everything he's done for this team this year on the court and off the court," Malone said. "And with Jamal out, we need Russell Wesbrook. We need him to come into the game, provide a spark, bring energy -- and our turnovers aren't just Russ. ... It is a team-wide issue right now.

"But Russ has been around the block. He knows what big games are about and we're playing a lot of guys right now that have no idea what big games are about. So, having a veteran that's been there and done that ... can reassure some of those guys."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

BOSTON -- Former Boston Celtics and current Washington Wizards guard Marcus Smart said a fan "crossed the line" when he was heckling the road team's bench during Sunday's game at TD Garden, leading to a bit of shouting before the fan was ushered out of the arena.

"He just crossed the line. We all know, I don't do line crossing," Smart said after the Celtics beat the Wizards 124-90. "You never want to see that, especially for a guy who's coming back and has given the city everything he has."

The game between the defending NBA champions and a team competing for the worst record in the league was never close, and Boston led by 35 with about six minutes left when a hubbub arose behind Washington's bench. Smart was pointing at a fan, and it appeared his teammates and a coach were trying to hold him back.

Smart said he was pointing the man out to security. "Just trying to get him out before it escalated more than what it was," he said.

Smart was drafted by the Celtics in 2014 and played the first nine years of his career with the team, but he was traded to Memphis in the summer of 2023 in a deal that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston.

The Celtics, who reached the Eastern Conference finals six times and the NBA Finals once with Smart, went on to win it all in the first season without him. Smart did not play in last season's game when the Grizzlies visited Boston; he did play for Memphis in Boston in December.

Back in the city for the first time since he was traded to Washington in February, Smart did not play Sunday as the Wizards focus on young talent and the draft lottery. During the game, fans chanted: "We want Marcus!"

"Flashbacks, baby," Smart said. "The love is always there. From both sides -- myself and the fans, the city. It's definitely emotional coming back and you try to hold it back. But I love it. I love every last bit of it. I'm a part of the city -- nine years. A kid to a young man."

Smart spent a long time after the game catching up with his former teammates.

"It's always good to keep in touch with those guys," he said. "Grew up with those guys. We went through a lot of battles -- blood, sweat and tears. A few of those guys came to my mom funeral. So it's a deeper bond than just basketball between us."

In Washington, the club is glad to have him on its side. In fact, a Boston reporter asked Brian Keefe on Sunday about Smart's leadership in a young locker room, with the Wizards coach summing it up succinctly as "he's been terrific.

"We're thrilled to have him on our team," he added. "Obviously, you guys know here in this town what he meant to the city of Boston. He's a tremendous leader, a tremendous player."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

DENVER -- The Denver Nuggets haven't been the same since blowing a chance to beat their nemesis in double-overtime on April 2.

They've dropped three straight since a 140-139 heartbreaker that the Minnesota Timberwolves stole from them after Russell Westbrook missed an uncontested layup to seal it, then fouled Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a 3-pointer with a tenth of a second left and Denver clinging to a one-point lead.

Alexander-Walker sank two free throws to run Minnesota's winning streak over Denver to six games and ruin Nikola Jokic's career-best 61-point performance that night.

The Nuggets lost to San Antonio the next night with all five starters sitting out, then dropped a game at Golden State despite a 44-point first quarter. On Sunday night, they blew a 13-point first-half lead and committed three crucial turnovers down the stretch in their 125-120 loss to the short-handed Indiana Pacers that saddled the Nuggets with their first four-game skid of the season.

"I don't know if I would say there's been a hangover," coach Michael Malone said. "We were up tonight. We got up by 13. We weren't able to hold on. We were up in Golden State, weren't able to hold on. So, I don't know if it's a hangover necessarily, but whatever it is we've got to find a way to get this out of our system."

They'll likely have to do it without point guard Jamal Murray, who missed his fifth consecutive game with a pulled right hamstring Sunday night.

Asked before tip-off Sunday if he expects Murray to be back in action by the playoffs, Malone said, "hopefully he's able to be back by then."

But where will the Nuggets be?

Anywhere from Ball Arena to a play-in game.

Denver is still in fourth place in the Western Conference playoff race but just a-half game out of eighth place with three games remaining.

"We've lost four in a row, in a bad moment, so I think we're a little bit down," Jokic said. "But a win can always cheer us up or make us feel better about ourselves."

Christian Braun, who scored a career-best 30 points against the Pacers but got tangled with Jokic on a crucial turnover with 15 seconds left and the Nuggets down two, said he trusts the Nuggets can still straighten things out in time to make a run in the postseason.

"We get to the playoffs I know this team can compete with anybody," Braun said. "We've got to go in there with momentum. We've got to go in there playing the right way. We've got to find a way to find some toughness.

"We've got to get back to who we are and we've got to find ourselves in these last three games. Like I said, it's not over or anything like that. But we do got to get some momentum."

The Nuggets visit Sacramento on Wednesday night, then host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night before wrapping things up Sunday at Houston.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.