Associated Press stories, Page 18
Heat’s Keshad Johnson soars to a slam dunk title, edging Carter Bryant who had a perfect score
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat won the Slam Dunk contest at NBA All-Star Saturday, overcoming perfect scores by San Antonio rookie Carter Bryant on his first dunk in the final round. For his final dunk, Johnson started behind the judges’ table, took off from the free...
Poulin scores in return, Canada beats Germany 5-1 in women’s hockey quarterfinal
MILAN — Marie-Philip Poulin’s injured right knee held up just fine. And the Canadian women’s hockey icon added another entry to her “Captain Clutch” reputation. Returning to the lineup after missing two-plus games, Poulin injected a spark into a slow-starting Canadian team by making a key defensive play and then...
Brazil’s first Winter Games gold is about much more than the medal
RIO DE JANEIRO — With Brazil entering the joyous throes of Carnival, Alpine ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen on Saturday gave it another reason to celebrate: an Olympic medal. It was the first medal at the Winter Games for any country in South America. And not just any medal: gold....
Bhatia’s big birdie runs helps him beat the wind and lead at Pebble Beach
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Akshay Bhatia played Pebble Beach by the book in accommodating weather with such a blistering start that he threatened to run away with the tournament by building a five-shot lead at the turn. But then a cool day turned into a cold one, more spectators holding...
Huff scores 21 in West Virginia’s 74-67 comeback win over UCF
ORLANDO, Fla. — Honor Huff scored 21 points as West Virginia mounted a comeback from a 14-point second half deficit to beat UCF, 74-67, on Saturday. Huff had 21 points on 5-of-12 shooting and 8 of 8 at the free-throw line, and Jasper Floyd scored 17 to go with five...
Stolz adds 2nd Winter Olympics gold with thrilling win in the 500
Jordan Stolz is 2 for 2. There’s a chance 4 for 4 might not be far behind. The American speedskating star added his second gold medal in two attempts at the Milan Cortina Olympics by sprinting to victory in the men’s 500 meters Saturday. Stolz joined Eric Heiden as the...
Jack Eichel and Brady Tkachuk power the U.S. past Denmark 6-3 at the Olympics
Jack Eichel scored off his own faceoff win a minute after setting up Brady Tkachuk’s first of two goals the same way, and the U.S. rode its top line to a 6-3 defeat of Denmark on Saturday night, keeping pace with also-unbeaten Canada for the top seed in the men’s...
Bittle, Simpkins combine for 44 points to lead Oregon 83-72 past Penn State, snap 10-game skid
EUGENE, Ore. — Nate Bittle and Takai Simpkins scored 22 points each to help Oregon snap a 10-game losing streak with an 83-72 win over Penn State on Saturday. The Ducks (9-16, 2-12 Big Ten) had been without a win since Jan. 2 over Maryland, their only previous Big Ten...
NASCAR moves up the Daytona 500 start time by an hour as bad weather looms
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR is moving the start time of Sunday’s Daytona 500 up one hour because of the threat of inclement weather. The green flag is now scheduled for 2:13 p.m. Eastern at Daytona International Speedway. William Byron will try to become the first driver in history to...
William Byron will drive backup car in Daytona 500 3-peat bid
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — William Byron will try to drive his way into NASCAR history Sunday when he attempts to become the first winner of three consecutive Daytona 500s. He’ll have to do it in a backup Chevrolet after his preferred No. 24 was damaged in a qualifying race at...
A lawsuit seeks to stop Trump’s overhaul of a 100-year-old public golf course in Washington
Two golfers in Washington, D.C., sued the federal government on Friday to try to prevent the Trump administration from overhauling a more than 100-year-old public golf course, accusing the administration of violating environmental laws and polluting a park that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The suit is...
Finland earns feisty win over Sweden at Olympics as McDavid and Crosby score in Canada’s victory
Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby scored in Canada’s 5-1 victory over Switzerland on Friday in men’s ice hockey as Canada improved to 2-0. Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists. Thomas Harley and Macklin Celebrini also scored for the tournament favorite. McDavid scored his first Olympic goal when —...
U.S. military strikes another alleged drug boat in Caribbean, killing 3
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Friday it has carried out another deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the Caribbean Sea. U.S. Southern Command said on social media the boat “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” It...
Bhatia and Hisatsune share Pebble Beach lead. Travis Kelce and amateurs head home
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Far removed from the false hopes Taylor Swift would make an appearance at Pebble Beach, Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatsune went about their business quietly at Spyglass Hill and wound up with a share of the lead Friday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am. Bhatia was...
Some schools cancel class pictures after online claims surrounding links to Epstein
MALAKOFF, Texas — Some school districts in the U.S. dropped plans for class pictures after widespread social media posts linked a billionaire with ties to Jeffrey Epstein to the photography giant Lifetouch, which on Friday called the claims “completely false.” The disruption to school picture plans in Texas and elsewhere...
Mikhail Shaidorov earns gold in men’s figure skating after collapse by ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Ilia Malinin’s coronation as an Olympic champion will have to wait. The 21-year-old U.S. figure skater stumbled twice during an uncharacteristically sloppy performance in the men’s free skate Friday, opening the door for Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan to win a stunning gold at the Milan Cortina...
Rob Thomson proud Nick Castellanos admits bringing beer to dugout
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Turns out, the Philadelphia Phillies were ale-ing last year. Deciding their relationship ruptured when Nick Castellanos angrily brought a beer into the dugout after he was pulled from a game, the Phillies released the outfielder even though they owe him $20 million for the final season of...
Patriots star WR Stefon Diggs pleads not guilty to assault charges
DEDHAM, Mass. — Fresh off the Super Bowl, veteran New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs pleaded not guilty Friday morning in Dedham District Court to assault charges. He’s accused of felony strangulation or suffocation and a lesser assault and battery charge against a live-in chef, according to the DA....
Could trade deadline enliven NASCAR season? Plenty of moving parts work against driver swaps
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Imagine a scenario in the NASCAR world — say, around the Brickyard 400 in July — when the hot topic isn’t just which driver might kiss the bricks. Try, which driver could kiss his current ride goodbye. What if NASCAR took a cue from stick-and-ball sports...
What to know about the Homeland Security shutdown starting this weekend
Another shutdown for parts of the federal government is expected this weekend as lawmakers debate new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire Saturday. Democrats say they won’t help approve more funding until new restrictions are placed on...
Trump says he’s sending second aircraft carrier to the Mideast as he seeks Iran deal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday he decided to move a second aircraft carrier into the Middle East as he presses Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is being sent from the Caribbean Sea to the...
12-time All-Star Chris Paul, the ‘Point God,’ retires after 21-season NBA run
Chris Paul, the “Point God” who was a 12-time All-Star selection and two-time Olympic gold medalist, announced his retirement Friday in the capper of a 21-season career that will surely merit induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Paul, 40, made the announcement on the first day of the NBA’s...
Feds open a perjury probe into ICE officers’ testimony about the shooting of a Venezuelan man
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal authorities have opened a criminal probe into whether two immigration officers lied under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis last month, as all charges were dropped against two Venezuelan men. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons said Friday his agency opened a joint probe with the...
Chase Elliott says fuel-mileage strategy is here to stay at Daytona, and everyone has caught on
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chase Elliott remembers when Hendrick Motorsports was one of the first NASCAR teams to approach superspeedway racing as fuel-mileage events. It wasn’t that long ago, really. Elliott said Friday that turning laps at Daytona International Speedway has changed dramatically since the “Next Gen” car’s debut in...
Brian Flores’ NFL discrimination suit headed to court, not arbitration
NEW YORK — The Brian Flores-led discrimination lawsuit against the NFL can proceed to open court and avoid the league’s arbitration process, a federal judge ruled Friday. Flores, who is joined in the lawsuit by Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, sued the league and three teams in February 2022 after...
