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Israel and Ukraine, Lewandowski and Luxembourg bring strong soccer histories to Euro 2024 playoffs
GENEVA (AP) — Two national soccer teams whose countries are involved in wars. A two-time FIFA world player of the year aiming for possibly his last tournament. A team that went 31 years failing to win a European Championship qualifying game.
The plotlines are vivid for those hoping to earn one of three places in the 24-team lineup at Euro 2024 that are being decided over the next week in qualifying playoffs.
Twelve nations set out on Thursday in four-team knockout brackets. They must advance through two single-leg games in five days to be in Germany for the June 14-July 14 tournament.
Israel and Ukraine could meet next Tuesday in what would be a decisive game of a bracket where neither can play at home because of military conflicts.
Israel has picked Hungary — its adopted soccer home for security reasons since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 — to face Iceland on Thursday. The winner in Budapest will travel to face Ukraine or Bosnia-Herzegovina next Tuesday.
If Ukraine wins on Thursday in Zenica — the Bosnian city where its November 2021 win in a World Cup qualifier was the team’s last game before the Russian invasion — it will host the bracket final in Wroclaw, Poland.
Poland is in a separate playoffs bracket and captain Robert Lewandowski, voted FIFA player of the year in 2020 and ’21, will lead his team on Thursday in Warsaw heavily favored to beat Estonia.
If Poland wins, it will be away next Tuesday at Wales or Finland, who meet on Thursday in Cardiff.
The third bracket involves low-ranked teams trying to follow North Macedonia's underdog path to Euro 2020.
Luxembourg is closer than ever to a major tournament after being overmatched for much of the European Championship’s 66-year history.
If Luxembourg can get past Georgia in Tbilisi on Thursday, it will host Euro 2004 champion Greece or Kazakhstan, who meet in Athens.
PLAYOFFS FORMAT
The 21 teams already in the Euro 2024 lineup are Germany plus the winner and runner-up in each of 10 traditional qualifying groups played last year. UEFA banned Russia from the competition.
Entry in the playoffs is based not on those group standings, but results in the Nations League groups played in 2022.
Poland and Wales played in the Nations League top tier and their opponents Estonia and Finland, respectively, were upgraded from lower tiers. Estonia was the highest ranked of the Nations League fourth-tier teams.
LEAGUE A BRACKET
At age 35, and with 82 goals in 146 games for Poland, Robert Lewandowski might have just one finals tournament left in a stellar career.
The winner of this bracket goes into a Euro 2024 group with the Netherlands, Austria and a final game against France in Dortmund — where Lewandowski starred from 2010-14.
Poland is unbeaten at home in 20 Euros qualifying games since 2006, though Estonia won when they last met 12 years ago. That game was decided by a 90th-minute goal by Konstantin Vassiljev. Now 39, Vassiljev can tie the national record of 157 appearances, held by Martin Reim, if he plays in Warsaw.
Wales is proven in playoffs after qualifying for the 2022 World Cup that way, beating Austria and Ukraine. Just like two years ago, the draw has given Wales only home games.
LEAGUE B BRACKET
Israel has never played at a European Championship. The national team has tried qualifying since joining UEFA 30 years ago because of security and diplomatic issues in Asian soccer.
Though some Asian soccer federations want Israel sanctioned in the sport because of the military conflict in Gaza, a key difference with Russia’s exclusion is that no UEFA member has refused to play games against Israeli teams.
Israel first faces Iceland, whose debut at Euro 2016 was a feelgood story as it eliminated England to reach the quarterfinals.
Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov’s team returns to Bosnia, where it won 2-0 in November 2021. One of those goals in Zenica was scored by Artem Dovbyk. He is having a standout debut season in Spain with Girona, which was the surprise La Liga leader for several weeks.
Bosnia-Herzegovina hopes to join Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia as the fourth qualifier from the former Yugoslavia at Euro 2024.
“It’s something almost impossible to imagine before this,” Bosnia coach Savo Miloševi?, the former Serbia striker, said at the playoffs draw in November.
Bosnia had three different coaches in a troubled qualifying group and still relies on veterans Edin Džeko and Miralem Pjani?.
The bracket winner will go into a Euro 2024 group with Romania, Slovakia and Belgium.
LEAGUE C BRACKET
Georgia will first host Luxembourg in the intimidating national stadium in Tbilisi without talismanic star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The Napoli winger is suspended for getting three yellow cards in the qualifying group, including in the last two games against Scotland and Spain, which were irrelevant to entering the playoffs.
Luxembourg also misses a key attacker, Daniel Sinani, who got a red card in the last qualifying group game. In that group, Luxembourg won more games (five) than in its previous six Euros qualifying programs combined.
A Greece team coached by Uruguayan great Gus Poyet would be rewarded at Euro 2024 with playing neighbor Turkey. Portugal and the Czech Republic also are in the group.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku ruled out of Ireland friendly due to groin issue
BRUSSELS (AP) — Romelu Lukaku will miss Belgium's friendly in Ireland this weekend because of a groin problem.
Lukaku missed a Europa League match last Thursday because of a recurring hip injury, then played 85 minutes on Sunday in Roma's 1-0 win against Sassuolo in Serie A.
Belgium said on Tuesday that Lukaku was not fit to face Ireland “due to a slightly overloaded groin.”
Belgium meets Ireland on Saturday in a warmup for the European Championship. It will then take on England next Tuesday.
Lukaku left Belgium's training camp but will travel with the team to Ireland and England, the team said. It did not say whether Lukaku could play at Wembley if he recovers in time. A spokesperson from the federation was not immediately available for comment.
Euro 2024 in Germany is scheduled from June 14-July 14.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Germany to play Ukraine, Greece in final warmup games for Euro 2024
BERLIN (AP) — Germany will play Ukraine and Greece in its final warmup games before hosting the European Championship.
The team will face Ukraine in Nuremberg on June 3, and four days later Greece, the 2004 European champion, in Mönchengladbach, the German soccer federation said on Tuesday.
Both opponents need to get through playoffs to qualify for this summer’s tournament. Ukraine faces Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece plays Kazakhstan in the playoff semifinals on Thursday.
“We have to prepare for different playing styles and systems," Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said. "Ukraine and Greece are two strong, passionate teams. We’ve had our difficulties with opponents of this type recently."
Germany first plays France in Lyon on Saturday, then the Netherlands in Frankfurt on Tuesday.
The team will start preparations for Euro 2024 at a training camp in the state of Thuringia from May 26-31 before moving to its base camp at Herzogenaurach in Bavaria for the tournament.
Germany opens Euro 2024 against Scotland in Munich on June 14, followed by Hungary in Stuttgart on June 19 and Switzerland in Frankfurt on June 23.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
NBA teams on the defensive as scoring goes slightly down after All-Star break
New Orleans forward Herbert Jones learned a long time ago the critical component to being an elite defensive stopper was keeping whoever you're guarding in front of you.
It's that simple. It's that difficult, too.
“You do the best you can,” Jones said.
Contrary to popular belief, there HAS been some defense played in the NBA this season (it's just been tougher). It's been on display more following the All-Star break and on the heels of that record-setting 211-186 All-Star Game when all signs of guarding anyone vanished.
The numbers post-break speak volumes about the commitment to defense: Entering Monday, NBA teams were averaging around four points per game less than they were before mid-February, dropping from 115.5 to 111.3.
NBA coaches and players have various explanations for that. Maybe defenders are being allowed to get away with more by officials, becoming wise to the tricks of the elite scorers. Or maybe it’s because the NBA playoff race is tightening up down the stretch.
It's probably as simple as this: Fewer fouls are being called on each team (down from 19.4 per game to 17.5 post-break) and fewer free throws are being attempted (22.7 down to 19.8). Fewer free throws, fewer points.
The NBA says it did not mandate fewer fouls being called.
“We haven't gotten a memo about it, or maybe I wasn't paying attention,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That could be the case. Good. If the competitors and teams can figure it out between those four lines, we're all for it.”
Spoelstra thinks it could be as simple as teams just locking in at an important time of year. Michael Malone, coach of the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, can see that.
“I just think our guys are more disciplined from a personal and game-plan standpoint. I think we’re a lot more urgent,” Malone said. "Our disposition is where it needs to be."
For Jones, guarding someone boils down to fundamentals. He was taught at Alabama to play defense with his chest. Basically, using his footwork to keep his upper body in front of an offensive player and not reaching with his hands.
As for any discrepancy between the amount of calls before and after the All-Star break, well, Jones said it just depends on the night.
“You really never know how things may go, and I think that’s what the first quarter is about,” Jones explained. “You’re just trying to figure out the flow of the game. I mean, try to be physical coming out to see if you can get away with things. But at the end of the day, whatever the refs call, it’s their call and you’ve got to deal with it.”
San Antonio's 7-foot-4 center, Victor Wembanyama, impedes the way of just about anyone who dares enter his lane. In this particular instance, though, the rookie conceded a little ground by saying that fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert has a good chance of earning his fourth NBA defensive player of the year award.
“Let him earn it now because afterward it won’t be his turn,” Wembanyama joked.
Gobert’s presence in the middle has been big for a Minnesota team missing Karl-Anthony Towns due to a knee injury. Gobert leads the league in defensive rating and remains the heavy favorite to win the defensive award, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Also in the mix are Wembanyama (the league's leader in blocks), Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, Miami’s Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis of the Lakers.
At the start of the season, defense took a backseat as high-scoring games became the norm. There have been 15 instances in which a player scored 50 or more points — 16 if you count Towns' 50 in the All-Star Game — including a 73-point outburst from Luka Doncic on Jan. 26.
But none have occurred since the break.
Earlier this season, when scorers were posting gaudy numbers, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked if he would lobby for rule changes in an effort to return to old-school defensive games.
He scoffed.
“No, because that would be a waste of time,” Popovich said. “The league has decided how they want this to be played, and we’ve been doing it for quite a while now and it’s not going in the other direction because the fans love it.
"I don’t know this for a fact, but I am going to guess that our ’05 championship against Detroit had the entire league office just hiding and biting their lip and hoping it would be over quickly because it was so freakin’ boring.”
That 2005 NBA championship was a defensive gem the Spurs won in seven games, when only once did San Antonio or Detroit top 100 points.
This season, the Indiana Pacers are leading the way on offense by averaging 123.1 points a game. Every team averages at least 105.8.
“In this league, there’s always an ebb and flow,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. "Defenses catch up to offenses and offenses adjust and defenses adjust. That’s what makes it a unique league. ... You have to continue to adapt to what’s going on in the game.”
That's the consensus of Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, too.
“These players are very, very smart and understand how to trick the referees,” said Kidd, a Hall of Fame guard who won a title in 2010-11 with Dallas. "What we’re taught to do is get the rules and figure out how to turn them to our advantage as players.
“It will be a little more physical and players who can make that adjustment will have success.”
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AP Sports Writers Brett Martel, Schuyler Dixon and Joe Reedy, and Associated Press writer Raul Dominguez, contributed to this report.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Dodgers-Padres season opener is a triumphant homecoming for Korean star Kim
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has received the most attention as his Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres prepare to launch the Major League Baseball season with the first regular season games in South Korea.
But the two-game “Seoul Series" starting on Wednesday is also a triumphant homecoming for Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who is coming off a dominant season and returning to a stadium he previously called home.
Kim played for the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kiwoom Heroes for seven seasons before signing with San Diego in 2020. He called it a “glory” on Tuesday to play in Gocheok Sky Dome again.
He played down questions about being overshadowed by Ohtani, the Dodgers’ newly signed Japanese superstar, and said his focus was helping his team get off to a positive start against division rivals.
“When an MVP-level player arrives at a team, of course the attention is going to go that way. Our team has lots of good players, too, and I think Korean fans will just love the fact that Major League Baseball is being played in Seoul,” Kim said after a workout at the stadium.
“The real games start tomorrow, so I am focused on keeping myself in good condition. I worked hard this year to prepare, and I need to perform well.”
Kim hit .260 with 17 homers, 60 RBIs and 38 steals while establishing himself last season as one of the best defensive infielders in the National League. He won his first Gold Glove as a utilityman, which was the first time an infielder from east Asia won the award given for defensive skills.
Despite a roster built with years of heavy spending, the Padres finished third in the NL West behind the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks with an 82-80 record and missed the playoffs in 2023.
The front office has since moved in a different direction, trading star outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees and refrained from spending big on marquee free agents. Former staff ace Blake Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, has also left the Padres to sign a two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants.
The departure of the key players, as well as the Dodgers’ offseason spending spree, have put more pressure on the Padres’ existing players and new manager Mike Shildt to reach the postseason.
Kim seems to be stepping into a bigger role, too. While Kim last season started 98 games at second base, 29 at third and 16 at shortstop, Shildt is trying him as their regular shortstop while moving Xander Bogaerts to second base to clear the way.
During a voluntary workout on Tuesday, Kim spent much of the time fielding balls from shortstop and practicing double-play moves, drawing occasional cheers from teammates after fielding groundballs deep in the hole and firing accurately to first.
“Bogaerts is such a good player, so if I do good, our chemistry will get better,” Kim said. “We see each other more than our families and we are a tight bunch. Our players have worked hard, so I think we will definitely have a better record than last year. If we continue to fight, we will push ourselves closer to a championship."
Kim has looked sharp in practice games against South Korean professional players this week, hitting two home runs against the reigning KBO champions LG Twins on Monday off pitchers he faced for years.
Ohtani, who went 0 for 5 in two exhibition games against Korean opponents in Seoul, didn’t show up on the field for an optional workout on Tuesday.
The Dodgers' other superstar, Mookie Betts, fielded batted balls from shortstop, a position he was recently shifted to in a key move for them.
Tyler Glasnow, pegged as the Dodgers’ starter for Game 1, threw long tosses from the outfield. Nearby, Game 2 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another Japanese star the Dodgers signed in the offseason, went through his unusual training routines, including bounding rubber balls off the outfield wall and throwing small javelins.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Japan prepares to host and then travel to North Korea for back-to-back FIFA World Cup qualifiers
Even with the top continental ranking and players of vast international experience, Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan squad faces a journey into the unknown in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers against North Korea.
Asian qualifying resumes Thursday with Japan hosting North Korea in Tokyo. Five days later, Japan will be playing in Pyongyang in front of a potential crowd of 50,000 — almost exclusively North Korean — at the Kim Il Sung Stadium.
The Japan Football Association’s request that the match be moved from the North Korean capital to a neutral venue amid concerns over a lack of operational transparency — including visa and logistics information — was rejected by the Asian Football Confederation.
“There are probably a lot of unexpected things that could happen,” Moriyasu, the Japan coach, said. “We just need to be prepared.?
Japan has tallied 10 goals in its opening two matches against Myanmar and Syria in the second round of Asian qualifying. Back-to-back wins over North Korea, which lost 1-0 to Syria before responding with a 6-1 win over Myanmar, could assure it progresses to the third round as one of the top two teams in Group B.
But Japan's national men's team hasn't played in Pyongyang since a 2011 loss to North Korea in the qualifying stages for the 2014 World Cup.
The last men's international in Pyongyang was back in 2019, when the visiting South Korea team complained about a lack of contact with the outside world and an overly physical approach from the host team.
When Japan beat North Korea at the Asian Games in October, players from the losing team manhandled the referee.
“I admit that our players were a little bit over-excited in the match but it is football,” North Korea coach Sin Yong Nam said at the time. “But there are confrontations in football matches ... I think our behavior is acceptable.”
Moriyasu decided not to select forward Junya Ito, who has been investigated by police after being accused of sexual assault in Osaka last year. Ito has been playing for French club Reims, scoring the winning goal against Metz on Sunday.
“I tried to imagine what the surrounding environment would have been like for him in Japan and I didn’t think it would be one that would allow him to live and play football in peace,” Moriyasu said. “It wasn’t just him - I didn’t think the whole team would have been able to go about their business in peace.”
South Korea, which is aiming for an 11th successive appearance at the World Cup, also has controversy to deal with.
The team’s last game was an upset Asian Cup semifinal loss to Jordan which resulted in Jurgen Klinsmann being fired as head coach. Since then, a reported scuffle during the tournament between star players Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in that resulted in Son injuring his finger has been in the headlines.
Lee, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, attracted fierce criticism on social media and later publicly apologized to Son, the team captain. Son subsequently asked fans to forgive the younger player. Interim coach Hwang Sun-hong has selected both players for what will be his first game in charge against Thailand in Seoul.
“I don’t think this is a problem only between the two of them,” Hwang said. “Everyone who was there, from players to coaches to members of the support staff, has to take responsibility … we should all be prepared to atone for our mistakes in front of our fans.”
Asian Cup champion Qatar played in the last World Cup as the host nation but has never secured a spot at the global tournament via qualifying. The Qataris are determined to rectify that and are 2-0 so far in the second round of qualifying ahead of their match against Kuwait.
Also on six points atop their groups are Australia and Saudi Arabia.
The Socceroos, who have qualified for the last five World Cups, host Lebanon in Sydney and Canberra and Saudi Arabia has home and away games against Tajikistan.
The top two of each of the nine groups will advance to the third round of qualifying. Asia’s automatic World Cup allocation has increased to eight for 2026.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
NHL roundup: Ovechkin joins small list to score 20 goals in at least 19 straight seasons
CALGARY, Alta (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored twice and became the third player in NHL history to have at least 20 goals in 19 consecutive seasons as the Washington Capitals beat the Calgary Flames 5-2.
The 38-year-old Ovechkin had two power-play goals in the second period as Washington won its third straight game. He joined Gordie Howe (22 straight seasons) and Brendan Shanahan (19 straight seasons) as the only players to achieve the goal-scoring feat.
Dylan Strome, Hendrix Lapierre and Tom Wilson also scored for Washington (33-25-9), which moved into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the idle Detroit Red Wings. It’s the first time the Capitals have occupied a playoff spot since Jan. 2.
Kevin Rooney and MacKenzie Weegar scored for Calgary (33-30-5). The Flames finished 2-2-0 in a four-game homestand.
Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:
SABRES 6 KRAKEN 2
SEATTLE (AP) — Jeff Skinner had a hat trick, with his first goal coming during a three-goal outburst in the first six minutes to chase Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord, and the Buffalo Sabres cruised to a 6-2 victory.
Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch also scored in the first period for the Sabres, who earned their first win in six tries against the third-year Kraken.
Owen Power had Buffalo’s other goal. Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves.
The three-goal barrage came after Jordan Eberle gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead just 24 seconds into the game. Matty Beniers scored on a power play late in the first but the Kraken lost their fifth straight game — all at home.
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Sabonis records 50th straight double-double, Monk leads the way in OT as Kings beat Grizzlies
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Malik Monk scored 12 of his 28 points in overtime, Domantas Sabonis had his 50th straight double-double and the Sacramento Kings beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-111 on Monday night.
“Having a guy like Malik close the way he did was a lot of fun to watch,” Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. “We just put the ball in his hands and put them in pick-and-roll, and he was able to create a little bit of separation and get to his medium game, and he was really on point with it tonight.”
Monk added six rebounds and six assists as the Kings improved to 5-1 in overtime.
“I feel like I was relaxing a little bit in the fourth quarter," he said. "I was just able to turn that around in overtime and we got the win.”
Sabonis finished with 25 points and 18 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox had 23 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for Sacramento.
GG Jackson scored the first basket of overtime to put Memphis in front before Monk scored eight in a row and assisted on a dunk by Sabonis as part of a 12-0 run that helped the Kings outscore the Grizzlies 16-6 in the extra period.
“It’s always great when you have multiple guys who can take over a game,” Fox said. “With (Monk) having it going like that, you know that he’s also still going to make the right play.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 25 points on 8-of-27 shooting. Desmond Bane added 24 points, and GG Jackson had 22.
“Very proud of how our guys competed,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “Give the Kings credit, they made big-time plays: Fox at the end of the fourth, Monk taking over in overtime. That was a high-level basketball game. Our guys should be extremely proud.”
The Kings played most of the game without starting guard Kevin Huerter, who exited with a left shoulder injury just 1:51 into the first quarter.
Huerter was attempting a layup when Bane made contact with his left arm, sending him to the ground. Bane was called for a common foul.
Huerter briefly remained on the floor before heading to the locker room while cradling his arm.
Brown did not have an update on Huerter after the game.
Memphis closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 32-28 lead. Sacramento dominated the second, outscoring the Grizzlies 29-15 to go up 57-47 at halftime.
The Kings extended the lead to 63-52 early in the third before Memphis scored 10 straight points to get within one.
Fox made three straight 3-pointers in the final 1:39 of the third to extend Sacramento’s lead to 84-76.
The Grizzlies rallied in the fourth, using a 10-1 run to tie the game at 97 with 4:47 remaining.
Memphis' Marcus Smart, inactive due to a right ring finger injury, picked up two technical fouls on the bench late in overtime and was ejected.
Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard missed the game due to personal reasons.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: At Golden State on Wednesday night.
Kings: At Toronto on Wednesday night.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Skinner nets hat trick, Sabres chase Daccord with early barrage in 6-2 win over Kraken
SEATTLE (AP) — Jeff Skinner had a hat trick, with his first goal coming during a three-goal outburst in the first six minutes to chase Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord, and the Buffalo Sabres cruised to a 6-2 victory Monday night.
Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch also scored in the first period for the Sabres, who earned their first win in six tries against the third-year Kraken. With 71 points, Buffalo is four behind Washington for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with 13 games left.
Owen Power had Buffalo’s other goal and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves as the Sabres bounced back from Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Detroit. Luukkonen has allowed three or fewer goals in 26 of his last 27 games.
“That’s just how it’s going to be from now on — we just sort of move on to the next game,” said Skinner, who leads the team with 24 goals. “We have another one tomorrow (at Pacific Division-leading Vancouver), so we won’t be able to think about this one too long. It’s sort of a big challenge tomorrow, and everyone knows we need two points.”
The three-goal barrage came after Jordan Eberle gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead just 24 seconds into the game — the third fastest-goal in team history. Matty Beniers scored on a power play late in the first but the Kraken lost their fifth straight game, all at home.
Daccord made four saves before being pulled. Phillip Grubauer came on and stopped 23 shots the rest of the way. With 68 points, Seattle is 11 out of a Western Conference playoff berth with 15 games remaining.
It was the second time in three weeks that Daccord was chased.
“No. 1, those are quality shots. The first goal against, with Thompson, I mean that’s just a hell of a shot, right?” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “But you get to a point where, even though they’re from pretty good areas, the second and the third ones are still pucks that I know, when Joey’s on, he stops. He sees those and he makes those saves.”
Just moments after Eberle put Seattle on top, Thompson tied it on a shot from just outside the top of the right circle that zipped past Daccord at the 49-second mark.
Skinner gave the Sabres a 2-1 lead at 3:56. Tuch’s shot from the top of the slot at 5:41 made it 3-1 and sent Daccord to the bench.
“I liked the response. I thought it was a great response,” Buffalo coach Don Granato said. “I thought our energy level was high, and whenever we play with a high energy level, we play well, and we did tonight. The response after giving up the goal really early, to respond really quick after that was outstanding.”
Skinner and Power scored 24 seconds apart midway through the second, boosting the margin to 5-2. Skinner capped his hat trick with 1:58 left in the game.
“He’s deadly. When’s he on, he can score and create plays and that’s a big burst of life for us, especially when we’ve been struggling to score,” Thompson said. “When he gets hot, he’s hot, and we need him to start feeling that and keep riding him. He does a good job of being positive and making everyone in a good mood. And now that he’s playing like that, he’s going to be even better.”
UP NEXT
Sabres: Visit the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.
Kraken: Visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Anthony Edwards throws down huge dunk over John Collins in Timberwolves' win against Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — One thunderous dunk provided a perfect snapshot of Anthony Edwards' second-half dominance Monday night.
Edwards threw down a monster slam over John Collins of the Utah Jazz in the third quarter, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 114-104 victory but leaving both players banged up after the play.
“I was thinking I was going to miss it because I wasn’t close to the rim, but somehow God willed it in for me,” said Edwards, who scored 25 of his 32 points after halftime.
The play immediately went viral on social media. Timberwolves veteran point guard Mike Conley said it might have been the best dunk he's ever witnessed in person.
“He’s like a cat almost,” Conley said. “He just keeps going forward and lands on his feet. Stuff like that is what makes him who he is and why he can maneuver in the game how he does.”
Edwards said he grew up idolizing players like Vince Carter who were known for their dunking ability. Dunking the way they did has always been a goal for Edwards.
His slam on Monday night certainly put him in that category.
“It gives me chills , man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that,” Edwards said.
Collins and Edwards were both injured on the play. Edwards dislocated his left ring finger after his hand collided with Collins’ cheekbone. He raced back to the locker room during a subsequent timeout, popped the finger back in place, got it taped up and returned to action.
Collins was ruled out for the entire fourth quarter while being evaluated for a possible concussion. His injury was later confirmed to be a head contusion.
Edwards’ dunk gave a short-handed Minnesota team an emotional boost during a critical stretch. The Timberwolves lost Naz Reid to a first-half head injury and were already playing without injured starters Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
“It gives everybody energy,” Edwards said. “It makes everybody want to defend, want to get stops. It makes the game more exciting.”
Edwards also totaled eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocks over 38 minutes. His relentless energy on both ends of the court put the Jazz on their heels throughout the second half.
“That’s who he is,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “He’s an All-Star. He’s a hell of a player.”
Edwards has had three consecutive 30-point games. He's averaged 31.5 points in back-to-back wins over Utah on 58% shooting from the field.
“He’s always been a guy who can really flip a game around,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Knows when to raise it. Knows when to make the big play. Can sometimes make it out of nothing. But now he’s like way more polished with what he’s doing. He’s a little more composed, not rushing it as much.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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LeBron scores 25, D'Angelo Russell ties Lakers 3-pointers record in LA's 136-105 win over Hawks
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James had 25 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and D'Angelo Russell scored 27 points while tying the Lakers' single-season record for 3-pointers in a 136-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
Russell's six 3-pointers against the Hawks gave him 183 this season, passing Kobe Bryant's 180 in the 2005-06 season and tying Nick Van Exel's franchise record set in 1994-95. Russell's latest standout shooting display was highlighted by a beautiful 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer followed by two more early in the fourth to tie the record before the Lakers emptied their bench.
“That's really cool, honestly,” Russell said. “Just to get credit for your game and what you work to do and showcase it every night, and then to get credit for something like this, it's just really cool.”
Russell also had 10 assists, while Anthony Davis had 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers snapped a two-game skid with their 13th win in 20 games since losing in Atlanta in late January.
Davis left Saturday’s loss to Golden State early with a scratched cornea in his left eye, but the All-Star big man recovered quickly enough from the resulting blurry vision to play a full game against the Hawks. Davis said he chose not to wear goggles.
“I've been through that phase in high school," said a grinning Davis, who wore prescription glasses and goggles at times while growing up in Chicago before he got corrective eye surgery several years ago. “I'm out of that phase. Obviously (I would have) if the doctors had told me I needed it, but I didn't need it.”
Los Angeles, which hasn’t lost three straight games since early January, also moved back up to ninth place in the Western Conference standings with this win and Golden State’s loss to New York. While Russell had another prolific game and Davis looked sharp down low, James produced another outstanding effort, giving him 65 points on 25-of-37 shooting in the past two games.
“Bron is Bron, and it's that time of the year,” Davis said. "He's shooting the ball extremely well. He's been in attack mode, finding guys. He's been locking in defensively."
Jalen Johnson scored 25 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 17 for the Hawks, who have lost four of five overall and three of four on their West Coast road trip.
“I thought we were ready to play, (but) there’s two Hall of Fame players that were unselfish, and I thought they played really well,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “It’s hard to sustain a defensive effort against a team that’s playing the way they are offensively. When the ball isn’t going in, it’s even harder. They made us pay for any mistake we made.”
Johnson went down in obvious pain after rolling his ankle while landing with 6:47 to play. Johnson, who only returned two games ago from a sprained ankle, was able to leave the court moments later under his own power. Snyder wasn't sure about the severity of the new injury.
Atlanta's Onyeka Okongwu had 11 points and four rebounds while playing 19 minutes in his return from a 13-game injury absence due to a sprained left toe. Okongwu, a Los Angeles-area native who starred at USC, hadn't played since Feb. 12, shortly before the All-Star break.
Trae Young missed his 12th straight game following hand surgery. He scored 26 points with six 3-pointers while the Hawks racked up 138 points in their victory over the Lakers in January.
Los Angeles gradually pulled away from the Hawks all night, hitting 60% of its shots in the first half while moving the ball smoothly. Russell beat the buzzer with his fourth 3-pointer to boost the Lakers' lead to 111-86 heading to the fourth.
UP NEXT
Hawks: At Phoenix on Thursday.
Lakers: Host Philadelphia on Friday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Jalen Brunson scores 34 points to lead the Knicks past the Warriors 119-112
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 34 points and Miles McBride added a career-high 29 to lead the New York Knicks to their fourth straight win, 119-112 over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.
The Knicks raced out to an 18-4 lead early in the game and never trailed as they earned just their fifth win in their last 19 meetings against the Warriors.
“This team has demonstrated all year there’s a lot of fight, a lot of heart, a lot of toughness and a lot of togetherness to the group,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. "So there’s a belief that we can win. We always talk about our defense, our rebounding, taking care of the ball. I thought we shared the ball extremely well tonight."
Josh Hart had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his fifth triple-double in the past 21 games for New York, while playing all 48 minutes.
“You can’t say enough about the job Josh did as well. Josh’s toughness was huge for us in this game,” Thibodeau said.
Donte DiVincenzo added 18 points for the Knicks.
Stephen Curry scored 27 points to lead Golden State and Trayce Jackson-Davis added 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Warriors fell to 17-18 at home this season.
“I don't know what the answer is,” Curry said about the struggles at home. “If we did, we would be able to get ahead of it.”
Golden State chipped into a deficit that reached 15 points, getting within four early in the fourth quarter but could never get over the hump and lost another home game.
“Just one of those nights where we didn't really get anything going from that starting group,” coach Steve Kerr said. “They've been really good but it just felt like from the very beginning we were swimming upstream. I think it was 15-4 out of the gate and we didn't once have the lead in the game. We made a good comeback, but I just didn't think we were disciplined enough throughout the game to earn the win.”
Brunson made enough shots to keep the Knicks in control and is averaging 40.3 points on the first three games of this Western swing.
The Knicks were without forward OG Anunoby, who flew home after his surgically repaired right elbow flared up. Thibodeau said an MRI came back clean and that Anunoby is day to day. Thibodeau said Anunoby is unlikely to rejoin the team for the final game of a four-game trip on Thursday at Denver.
Anunoby missed 18 games earlier because of the injury before returning last week against Philadelphia. He played three games before the injury flared up again.
Anunoby's absence gave McBride a chance to at his 10th career start and he delivered in a big way.
He played tight defense early against Curry as New York held Golden State scoreless for the first 3:53 of the game — the longest game-opening scoring drought for the Warriors in more than three years.
McBride scored 19 points in the first half — two off his career high — and the Knicks led 62-56 at the break.
“We wanted to add more shooting to the floor," Thibodeau said. "That’s really, you know, why we did it. When they sent the second defender (at Brunson) now we have another 3-point shooter out there. We thought that would make a difference.”
UP NEXT
Knicks: Visit Denver on Thursday night.
Warriors: Host Memphis on Wednesday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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