AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:53 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press
Updated: April 3, 2025 - 4:04 AM
Published: April 2, 2025 - 4:00 AM

Ovechkin scores his 892nd career goal. He needs 2 to tie Gretzky and 3 to break the NHL record

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin moved three goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record with No. 892 in the Washington Capitals’ game at the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night. Ovechkin beat Frederik Andersen for a 10th time in 13 career games against the Danish netminder. The 39-year-old Russian has 39 goals this season and is on track to reach 40 for a record 14th time despite missing 16 games because of a broken left fibula. The first-place Capitals have seven games left this season.

Ohtani’s walk-off homer in 9th completes rally as Dodgers stun winless Braves 6-5 for 8-0 start

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning on his bobblehead night, lifting the unbeaten Los Angeles Dodgers over the winless Atlanta Braves 6-5. The Dodgers improved to 8-0, the best start ever by a defending World Series champion. Max Muncy tied the game on a two-run double in the eighth off Atlanta reliever Raisel Iglesias after the third baseman’s two errors led to five unearned runs by the Braves early. Atlanta is 0-7 for the first time since opening 0-9 in 2016. Six of the Dodgers’ eight wins have been via comeback.

MLB’s average salary tops $5 million for first time, AP study shows

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s average salary broke the $5 million barrier on opening day for the first time, according to a study by The Associated Press. Juan Soto’s record $61.9 million pay from the New York Mets led the way. The Mets topped payrolls for the third straight opening day, at $322.6 million, just ahead of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers at $319.5 million. Those two teams each spent roughly five times as much as the Miami Marlins, who at $64.9 million ended the Athletics’ three-year streak as the lowest spender. The average rose 3.6%, up from a 1.5% increase last year.

UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Geno Auriemma share mutual respect heading into the Final Four

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — UConn’s run to the Final Four reveals the partnership guard Paige Bueckers and coach Geno Auriemma have forged over her time with the Huskies. UConn will play in its record 24th national semifinal in the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday when the Huskies meet UCLA on Friday in Tampa, Florida. Win, and UConn will play for its first national title since 2016. Bueckers is headed to the WNBA Draft following March Madness.

Heat extend winning streak to 6 games and snap Celtics’ 9-game streak with 124-103 victory

BOSTON (AP) — Tyler Herro had 25 points and nine assists and the Miami Heat extended their season-best winning streak to six games with a 124-103 victory over the Boston Celtics. Bam Adebayo had 21 points for Miami, which had seven players finish in double figures to cap a 3-0 road trip. The Heat’s run of wins come after a stretch last month in which they lost 10 consecutive games. They played without Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love. Jaylen Brown had 24 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who had their season-best nine-game win streak snapped.

Maple hardwood, the very foundation of the Final Four, is ingrained with basketball’s rich history

The maple hardwood that makes up the courts at the men’s and women’s Final Four is part of basketball’s foundation. Maple has been the go-to wood for courts for a century. That means decades of historic moments in basketball have happened on the same type of surface. That includes epic games and great players or coaches. The Michigan-based company that makes the Final Four courts is Connor Sports. They’re based in a tiny town on Michigan’s upper peninsula. Marketing director Zach Riberdy says it’s hard to describe “just how much of an impact one tree has” on the sport’s tradition.

SafeSport knew of allegations against former cop before hiring him as investigator

People at the U.S. Center for SafeSport knew a former police officer was the subject of an internal investigation at his former job but hired him anyway. That’s according to details of a letter sent from the center to Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is looking into the matter. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, sent a new letter to the center’s CEO, Ju’Riese Colon, this week asking more questions about why it hired Jason Krasley as an investigator even though it had knowledge of his potential legal trouble. Krasley has been charged with multiple sex crimes. His attorney has asserted his innocence.

Paul Skenes dominates the Rays on the day GQ publishes profile of him and girlfriend Livvy Dunne

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The only thing that flustered Paul Skenes on Wednesday was getting asked about his photo spread with girlfriend Livvy Dunne in GQ magazine. The topic came up only after the Pirates ace dominated the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing one unearned run on three hits in seven innings of a 4-2 Pittsburgh victory. Skenes struck out six and walked none while throwing 102 pitches. His dominant performance came on the same day that GQ published a profile of Skenes and Dunne with photos taken at a house in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Skenes says he might “get some flak in the locker room.”

Timberwolves sale to Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore will go forward, AP source says

The yearslong quest by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to acquire control of the Minnesota Timberwolves seems to finally be in the home stretch, after current owner Glen Taylor opted not to appeal an arbitration panel’s ruling that he must go forward with the $1.5 billion sale. A person with knowledge of Taylor’s decision confirmed it to The Associated Press on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Timberwolves had not offered any public comment. ESPN first reported the decision. All that appears to be left is final approval by the NBA’s board of governors, which is the last step before any sale of a team can be completed.

There’s no one-and-done path in women’s college basketball. And NIL money makes that a good thing

Paige Bueckers is widely expected to become the first WNBA No. 1 overall draft pick from the University of Connecticut since Breanna Stewart nine years ago. Both became can’t-miss stars in college, both are UConn icons, both went to four Final Fours. Stewart did it while making nothing. Bueckers has done it while making millions. And she’s far from the only one cashing in right now. There’s no one-and-done path to the WNBA for women’s players because the NBA and WNBA have different rules regarding draft eligibility. For years, that impeded how and when women’s players could start making money. The name, image and likeness era of college sports has changed just about everything.