After missing more than 2 months with right knee injury, Stephen Curry returns for Warriors
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry swished a 3-pointer on his second shot from deep and raised his arms in delight when the ball went through. He was looking to do the same on the last possession with Golden State down a point, but missed a long, straightaway 3-pointer. No matter the result, Curry is back and healthy at long last for the Warriors after a right knee injury, and everyone at Chase Center celebrated right along with him in Golden State’s 117-116 loss to Houston on Sunday night. Coming off the bench in the regular season for the first time in 14 years, Curry finished with 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting and became the 26th player in NBA history with 9,000 field goals. He played 25 minutes.
Cooper Flagg scores 45 points and Mavs beat LeBron James and injury-depleted Lakers 134-128
DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg scored 45 points and the Dallas Mavericks ended their longest home losing streak in 32 years at 14 games with a 134-128 victory over the depleted Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James had 30 points and 15 assists for the playoff-bound Lakers. They led for just 13 seconds in the opening minutes of their first game since injuries sidelined Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the rest of the regular season. Flagg had nine assists and eight rebounds while recording consecutive 40-point games for the first time. Two nights earlier the 19-year-old rookie No. 1 pick scored 51 to become the first NBA teenager with a 50-point outing.
Islanders fire coach Patrick Roy after losing 4 in a row, name Peter DeBoer his replacement
NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Roy has been fired as coach of the New York Islanders. First-year general manager Mathieu Darche announced the abrupt decision Sunday after the team lost four in a row and seven of its past 10 games. The Islanders were comfortably in a playoff spot until this late-season tailspin put their chances in danger with four games left to play. Peter DeBoer was named as Roy’s replacement and not just on an interim basis. He has taken two teams to the Stanley Cup Final and most recently coached the Dallas Stars to three consecutive trips to the Western Conference final before being fired last spring following their latest exit.
J.J. Spaun rallies to win Texas Open for first title since US Open
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — J.J. Spaun delivered two crucial shots to secure a win at the Valero Texas Open. He finished with a 5-under 67, marking his first title since last summer’s U.S. Open. Spaun’s victory at TPC San Antonio was his second, but unlike four years ago, he already has a spot at Augusta National. This win was significant as he hadn’t finished in the top 20 in seven starts this year. Robert MacIntyre led much of the tournament but finished second. Spaun’s birdie and eagle on the 16th and 17th holes were key to his victory.
It’s a boy! Scottie Scheffler arrives at Masters with 9-day-old son and a game he hopes is ready
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler has brought his entire family to Augusta National. All four of them. He confirms his wife gave birth to their second son on March 27. They named him Remy. Scheffler tends to keep his golf separate from his home life, so there hadn’t been any word until Sunday. His wife was pushing the newborn in a stroller. The Sunday before the Masters is unlike at any other major. There was the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals and Masters champions awarding trophies. There was 90-year-old Gary Player sharing the green with an 8-year-old boy from Las Vegas.
After getting ‘smacked’ again in title game, South Carolina’s Staley plots program’s next moves
PHOENIX (AP) — South Carolina’s quest to win a fourth national title ended in ugly fashion for a second straight season when the Gamecocks lost to UCLA 79-51 in the NCAA women’s basketball title game. Even so, the monster program that Dawn Staley has built over the past 15 years doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere. South Carolina should be one of the top contenders to make a seventh straight Final Four in 2027 and it will have plenty of motivation after Sunday’s debacle. The Gamecocks shot just 29% from the field and the 28-point margin was among the biggest in championship game history.
AP national player of the year Cameron Boozer is recovering physically, emotionally from UConn loss
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Duke star and Associated Press men’s national player of the year Cameron Boozer is still healing physically and emotionally after the Blue Devils’ devastating March Madness loss to UConn. Boozer said Sunday he sustained “a couple of fractures” to his face in the Elite Eight loss. Boozer was at the Final Four for Sunday’s award presentation for the AP national honor along with another from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Boozer took a blow to the face in the first half against UConn that caused his eye to swell noticeably. He played through it and finished with 27 points.
Lauren Coughlin wins the Aramco Championship by 5 shots at Shadow Creek
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) — Lauren Coughlin made sure victory was never truly in doubt Sunday in the Aramco Championship in rolling to a five-shot win over Nelly Korda and the rest of the star-studded field. Coughlin shot an even-par 72 for 7-under total and her first victory in two years. She earned $600,000. Korda was runner-up yet again after shooting a 75 and finishing at 2 under. This was her third consecutive second-place finish after opening her season by winning in Florida.