DENVER (AP) — LeBron James has become the NBA’s leader in career field goals. James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Thursday night in Denver. James set the mark with his third basket of the night against the Nuggets. That gave him 15,838 buckets. Abdul-Jabbar finished with 15,837. Karl Malone is a distant third. James already owns the career scoring record and he has topped 50,000 points across the regular season and playoffs. Lakers coach J.J. Redick compared James' long run to Bruce Springsteen’s catalog.
TOKYO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has thrilled fans by hitting a grand slam in the second inning at the World Baseball Classic, pushing Japan to a quick 4-0 lead over Taiwan. He also doubled in his first at-bat in the first inning. That was the early game action. The superstar had put on a giant show in batting practice hours before the game even started, to the delight of many who had traveled from afar to see him.
VERONA, Italy (AP) — The Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics will officially open later Friday amid the tensions of war in the Middle East and with some countries intending to boycott the opening ceremony because of the return of the Russian flag to the global sports stage. Ukraine is leading the list of countries not attending the opening ceremony in Verona, Italy to protest the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to allow Russian athletes to compete under their own flag and with their national anthem. The opening ceremony will take place at the Arena di Verona. It's the first time a Paralympic ceremony is being held at a UNESCO World Heritage site. The ancient Arena has been retrofitted with new wheelchair ramps and accessible restrooms.
The Buffalo Bills have brought in a familiar face for rookie coach Joe Brady and a top target for quarterback Josh Allen, agreeing with the Chicago Bears to acquire D.J. Moore in a trade. That's according to two people with knowledge of the trade who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal cannot become official until the start of the new league year. They say Buffalo is swapping Chicago a second-round pick for a fifth-rounder in this year’s draft to get Moore. Brady coached Moore as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and ’21.
The Anaheim Ducks pulled off a stunner of a move with less than 14 hours to go before the NHL trade deadline. They acquired Stanley Cup-winning defenseman John Carlson from Washington for a conditional first-round pick and a third-rounder in 2027. Anaheim's deal came just after Buffalo and Columbus opened deadline day with significant additions of their own. The Sabres added defensemen Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley from Winnipeg, while the Blue Jackets won a bidding war to get winger Conor Garland from Vancouver.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates were honored by President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday for winning last year’s MLS Cup. Miami beat the Vancouver Whitecaps in December for the Major League Soccer title, and the Argentinian superstar was named the league’s MVP for the second consecutive season. Trump praised Messi's efforts, saying he did something that's hard to do because he's expected to win. Messi did not speak during the event. Inter Miami was the first MLS team to be invited to the White House during Trump’s two terms in office.
MILAN (AP) — The Winter Paralympics officially open on Friday and bring a record number of athletes and medals to the Milan Cortina Games. Athletes compete in six sports. There is Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard, and wheelchair curling. In the ski sports, athletes compete in one of three categories: standing, sitting, or vision impaired. A factoring system lets different disability divisions compete together. Events take place across venues in Cortina, Tesero, and Milan, with wheelchair curling adding mixed doubles.
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is on the verge of making a return to NBA action nine months after rupturing his right Achilles tendon injury during last season’s playoffs. Tatum was listed as questionable on the Celtics’ injury report on Thursday ahead of the team’s home matchup with the Mavericks on Friday. It is the first time this season he hasn’t been listed as sidelined and undergoing rehabilitation for the injury he suffered during Game 4 of Boston’s Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the New York Knicks last May. Tatum previously indicated that his return to the court would be for a home game.
VAL DI FASSA, Italy (AP) — In the absence of injured Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, Emma Aicher seized her chance at a World Cup downhill on Friday to cut the American superstars’ leads in the season-long standings. Aicher is the Olympic downhill silver medalist and placed second at Val di Fassa in Italy just 0.01 behind first-time winner Laura Pirovano. Aicher's run pushed Olympic champion Breezy Johnson down to third. Vonn’s season was ended by her nasty crash at the Winter Olympics and her lead in the downhill points race is just 14 with two races left. Aicher’s 80 World Cup points cut Shiffrin’s lead in the overall standings to 139.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Daniel Berger grabs an early lead at Bay Hill with a bogey-free 63 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He played in the morning when conditions were at their best. His score was nearly nine shots better than the field. Collin Morikawa surges late with an eagle-birdie-birdie finish for 66. Ludvig Aberg matches that 66 in the harsher afternoon wind and firmer greens. Scottie Scheffler opens with 70. Rory McIlroy struggles to 72 after taking a double bogey from the water on No. 13. Only 32 players break par. Justin Thomas returns from back surgery and posts a 79.
Finals
MLB SPRING TRAINING
INTERLEAGUE
Final Miami 2 Houston 0
Final Philadelphia 6 Boston 2
Final Atlanta 9 Toronto 5
Final San Diego 27 Seattle 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Baltimore 4 Tampa Bay 3
Final Athletics 16 L.A. Angels 11
Final Cleveland 12 Chicago White Sox 3
Final Texas 15 Kansas City 9
Final Minnesota 15 N.Y. Yankees 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final St. Louis 3 Pittsburgh 2
Final Washington 7 N.Y. Mets 4
Final Chicago Cubs 8 Arizona 1 Final Milwaukee 10 Colorado 8Final Cincinnati 14 L.A. Dodgers 13
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Utah 3 Philadelphia 0
Final Buffalo 5 Pittsburgh 1
Final Columbus 4 Florida 2
Final N-Y Rangers 6 Toronto 2
Final Winnipeg 4 Tampa Bay 1
Final Nashville 6 Boston 3
Final Ottawa 4 Calgary 1
Final Los Angeles 5 N-Y Islanders 3
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (3)Michigan 71 Iowa 68
Final (8)Michigan State 91 Rutgers 87