AP Sports Summary for February 26th, 2025:
Luka Doncic's Mavericks reunion was "so weird." He still gets a triple-double and a W for the Lakers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic hit deep 3-pointers and fearlessly drove for layups. He flung a ridiculous behind-the-head assist to Austin Reaves. Doncic stared at the Dallas Mavericks' bench a few times, yet also played with a smile on his face. In his first meeting with the Mavs since they traded him away, Doncic knew he was the center of attention, and the Slovenian superstar appeared ready to rise to the occasion. The 25-year-old Doncic was the face of the Mavericks franchise until general manager Nico Harrison suddenly decided he wasn't. Lakers fans chanted "Thank you, Nico!" to celebrate the deal.
Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury retires after 20 WNBA seasons, 3 titles and 6 Olympic golds
PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi is retiring after 20 seasons, ending one of the greatest careers in women's basketball history. The WNBA's career scoring leader and a three-time league champion, Taurasi announced her retirement on Tuesday in an interview with Time magazine. The Phoenix Mercury — the only WNBA team she played for — also confirmed her decision. The 42-year-old won her sixth Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games and finishes her WNBA career with 10,646 points, nearly 3,000 more than second-place Tina Charles. She led UConn to three consecutive national titles and kept winning after the Mercury selected her No. 1 overall in the 2004 WNBA draft.
Alex Ovechkin scores 30 goals in a season for an NHL-record-extending 19th time in 20-year career
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin has reached 30 goals in a season for the 19th time in his 20-year NHL career. That extends the record he broke last year with his 18th. The Washington Capitals captain got his latest milestone goal Tuesday night at home against the Calgary Flames. Scoring his 883rd career goal also puts Ovechkin 12 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky's mark of 894 that had long seemed unapproachable. Becoming just the fourth player in hockey history to score 30-plus goals at age 39 or older, Ovechkin is now on pace to pass Gretzky in early April long before the regular season is over.
Georgia fans show it's possible to be polite and still celebrate win over No. 3 Florida on the court
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia fans showed it's possible to storm the court for a postgame celebration — and to be polite at the same time. The Stegeman Coliseum public address announcer made repeated requests in the final minute of Georgia's 88-83 upset of No. 3 Florida to wait 90 seconds after the game and give the Gators and officials time to leave the court. The message, delivered during late timeouts, included the addendum that fans then would be welcome to celebrate on the court. Perhaps the biggest surprise was fans followed the instructions.
Ravens GM calls sexual misconduct allegations against Justin Tucker 'concerning'
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta considers the mounting allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior against kicker Justin Tucker "serious" and "concerning." He said Tuesday the team will let the NFL's investigation play out before determining how to proceed. The Baltimore Banner reported that 16 massage therapists in the Baltimore area have accused Tucker of inappropriate behavior. DeCosta says he has met with Tucker but declined to provide specifics of the conversation. The Ravens have instituted a zero-tolerance policy but DeCosta says the team will apply that policy on a case-by-case basis.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni pushes back against proposal to ban the tush push
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni pushed back against the Green Bay Packers' proposal to ban the tush push play his team has used so successfully in short-yardage situations, including during its victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst confirmed Tuesday that the Packers were the team that had made that proposal. The tush push is a modified quarterback sneak where teammates behind Jalen Hurts push him forward to help him try to gain the yardage necessary for a first down or touchdown.
Bengals plan to make All-Pro receiver Ja'Marr Chase the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals plan to make All-Pro wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Coach Zac Taylor added the team also wants to extend Tee Higgins' contract and continue giving Joe Burrow the playmakers that help make one of the league's most dynamic passing attacks. Chase led the league in receptions (127), yards receiving (1,708) and touchdown catches (17) this past season, becoming just the sixth wide receiver in the Super Bowl era to achieve the receiving triple crown. The Bengals picked up his fifth-year option of $21.816 million, but will give him a long-term deal in the range of $40 million per year. Higgins played last season on the $21.8 million franchise tag.
Howie Roseman says the Eagles' roster will change as team begins quest for repeat title
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Howie Roseman's forehead has healed from the beer can that left him bloodied at the Philadelphia Eagles' victory parade, and the general manager is working on getting the team in position to repeat. Less than two weeks after the Eagles and their fans celebrated the franchise's second Super Bowl title, Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni joined their peers at the NFL's scouting combine as teams get set to evaluate college prospects ahead of the draft in April. Roseman says his roster "may look different" next season and he asked the fickle Philly fans for patience.
Lionel Messi strikes early, Inter Miami beats Sporting KC 3-1 to advance in Champions Cup
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi opened the scoring with a masterful strike in the 19th minute, and Inter Miami beat Sporting Kansas City 3-1 on Tuesday night in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup's first round. Luis Suárez and Tadeo Allende also scored as Inter Miami advanced with a 4-1 aggregate to face Jamaica Premier League champion Cavalier FC in the round of 16 on March 6. Messi also scored in Miami's 1-0 win at Kansas City in the first leg last Wednesday. Memo Rodríguez scored for Kansas City, the team's first goal of 2025.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid draw 4-4 in thrilling 1st leg of Copa del Rey semifinals
MADRID (AP) — Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both rallied from two goals down in a frantic 4-4 draw in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. Atletico scored twice in the first six minutes before conceding four unanswered goals and coming back to even the match with goals in the final 10 minutes, including the equalizer by substitute Alexander Sorloth three minutes into stoppage time. The second leg will be at Atletico's Metropolitano Stadium will be in April. The winner will play either Real Madrid or Real Sociedad, which will play their first-leg match on Wednesday in Basque Country.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Toronto 3 St. Louis 2
Final Atlanta 6 Boston 1
Final Houston 8 N.Y. Mets 5
Final Philadelphia 5 Tampa Bay 4
Final L.A. Angels 2 San Diego 1
Final Athletics 7 San Francisco 5
Final Colorado 14 Chicago White Sox 3
Final Seattle 11 L.A. Dodgers 5
Final Milwaukee 9 Cleveland 6
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Minnesota 5 N.Y. Yankees 4
Final Baltimore 8 Detroit 7
Final Kansas City 15 Texas 6
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Atlanta 2 Pittsburgh 1
Final Washington 14 Miami 7
Final Chicago Cubs 4 Arizona 2
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Boston 111 Toronto 101
Final Cleveland 122 Orlando 82
Final Houston 100 Milwaukee 97
Final New Orleans 109 San Antonio 103
Final OT Memphis 151 Phoenix 148
Final Golden State 128 Charlotte 92
Final L.A. Lakers 107 Dallas 99
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Montreal 4 Carolina 0
Final Philadelphia 6 Pittsburgh 1
Final Columbus 6 Dallas 4
Final Calgary 3 Washington 1
Final Buffalo 3 Anaheim 2
Final OT Toronto 5 Boston 4
Final N-Y Rangers 5 N-Y Islanders 1
Final Tampa Bay 4 Edmonton 1
Final Detroit 3 Minnesota 2
Final St. Louis 7 Seattle 2
Final Florida 4 Nashville 1
Final Utah 2 Chicago 1
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2)Duke 97 Miami 60
Final Georgia 88 (3)Florida 83
Final (5)Tennessee 65 LSU 59
Final (6)Alabama 111 (24)Mississippi St. 73
Final Oklahoma St. 74 (9)Iowa St. 68
Final (11)Wisconsin 88 Washington 62
Final (14)Missouri 101 South Carolina 71
Final (19)Louisville 71 Virginia Tech 66
Final (21)Marquette 82 Providence 52
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
St. Louis at N-Y Yankees 1:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh 1:05 p.m.
Houston at Washington 1:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at Toronto 1:07 p.m.
San Diego at Chi White Sox 3:05 p.m.
Colorado at Kansas City 3:05 p.m.
Cincinnati at L-A Angels 3:10 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay at Boston 1:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Detroit 1:05 p.m.
Texas at Cleveland 3:05 p.m.
Athletics at Seattle 3:10 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh at Atlanta 1:05 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Miami 1:10 p.m.
Chi Cubs at San Francisco 3:05 p.m.
Milwaukee at Arizona 3:10 p.m.
L-A Dodgers at Milwaukee 3:10 p.m.
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Boston at Detroit 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at New York 7 p.m.
Portland at Washington 7 p.m.
Toronto at Indiana 7 p.m.
Atlanta at Miami 7:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Chicago 8 p.m.
Sacramento at Utah 9 p.m.
San Antonio at Houston 9:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Winnipeg at Ottawa 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Colorado 9:30 p.m.
Vancouver at Los Angeles 10 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Mississippi at (1)Auburn 7 p.m.
(7)St. John's at Butler 9 p.m.
(8)Michigan St. at (16)Maryland 6:30 p.m.
Vanderbilt at (12)Texas A&M 7 p.m.
Notre Dame at (13)Clemson 7 p.m.
(17)Kentucky at Oklahoma 9 p.m.
Rice at (18)Memphis 8 p.m.
Utah at (22)Arizona 9 p.m.
(25)BYU at Arizona St. 9:30 p.m.
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