PROVO, Utah (AP) — Kevin Young wants to turn BYU into a breeding ground for NBA talent. Young, who was introduced as the Cougars’ new head basketball coach on Wednesday night, said he plans to use his NBA experience and player development skills to turn Provo into an NBA pipeline for the players while building a consistently successful program in the Big 12. It’s a major selling point Young used when he first met with his current roster that’s already seen three major contributors — Dallin Hall, Aly Khalifa and Richie Saunders — enter the transfer portal since Mark Pope left to coach Kentucky ..read more

April 16 1939 — Stanley Cup Final, Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Boston Bruins beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1 for a 4-1 series win; first best-of-7 SC Final series. 1940 — Bob Feller of Cleveland defeats the White Sox 1-0 in Chicago in the only opening day no-hitter in the major leagues. 1949 — The Toronto Maple Leafs win 3-1 to sweep the Detroit Red Wings for the second straight year in the Stanley Cup Finals. 1953 — Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins, 1-0 for a 4-1 series win. 1954 — The Detroit Red Wings edge the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in ..read more

Washington Wizards guard Johnny Davis (1) and Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) vie for a loose ball in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)(AP/Steven Senne) Washington Wizards guard Johnny Davis (1) and Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) vie for a loose ball in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)(AP/Steven Senne) BOSTON (AP) — Payton Pritchard scored a career-high 38 points and the NBA-best Boston Celtics rested their entire starting lineup in a 132 ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rookie Adama Sanogo had 22 points and 20 rebounds to shatter his career highs and help the short-handed Chicago Bulls beat the Washington Wizards 129-127 on Friday night. Chicago coach Billy Donovan gave starters DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Alex Caruso the night off after clinching the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference on Thursday night with a victory in Detroit. “It allows them to rest a little bit,” Donovan said. “And then we’ll probably talk after the game tomorrow about going to the New York game.” Those absences and others allowed Sanogo, who has spent most of h ..read more

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — ​Anthony Edwards scored a career-high 51 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame an early 21-point deficit with a dominant second half to beat the Washington Wizards 130-121 on Tuesday night. Edwards had 30 points in the second half. Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 23 points and Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Wolves, who have won four of five and eight of 10. Edwards credited coach Chris Finch for keeping him focused ahead of the matchup with one of the worst teams in the league. “He put me in the office 2-3 days ago and said, ‘Look man we’ve ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Deandre Ayton scored a season-high 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers sent the Washington Wizards to a franchise record-tying 63rd loss with a 108-102 victory Friday night. Dalano Banton added 21 points and Scoot Henderson scored 19 for Portland, which won its second straight. Jabari Walker finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds to help the Trail Blazers to their first consecutive wins since the beginning of March amid a seven-game road trip. “We’re just working on us,” Ayton said of Portland’s own poor season. “We’re not really thinking about ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Davis scored 19 of his 35 points in the first quarter and had 18 rebounds, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Washington Wizards 125-120 on Wednesday night for their eighth victory in nine games. LeBron James had 25 points and nine assists, and Rui Hachimura scored 19 points for the Lakers against his former team. Davis was 10 of 17 from the field and made 15 free throws without a miss. Jordan Poole led Washington with 29 points. The Lakers are ninth in the Western Conference, meaning they’d have to win twice in the play-in tournament to make the main playoff bra ..read more

Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) dunks as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) and Wizards forward Eugene Omoruyi watch during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)(AP/Nate Billings) Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) dunks as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) and Wizards forward Eugene Omoruyi watch during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)(AP/Nate Billings) WASHINGTON (AP) — Corey Kispert scored 27 points and Den ..read more

The D.C. council is expected to hold a final vote for upgrades at Capital One Arena on Tuesday. It comes after Alexandria’s mayor reacted to the failed proposal to bring the Washington Wizards and Capitals to the Virginia city. Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson wrote in a monthly newsletter that the city missed the potential to “dramatically reshape” its economy and ease the tax burden on homeowners when the proposal for a new arena and entertainment district fell through at Virginia’s General Assembly. Wilson said the failed deal is “perhaps the most negative financial event for our schools, pub ..read more

The D.C. Council is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would allocate more than $500 million toward improving the Capital One Arena as part of a plan to keep the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals in the District until 2050. Council Chair Phil Mendelson said he expects the measure to pass. Under the legislation, $515 million in D.C.’s capital budget would go toward renovations to the arena and improvements to the surrounding area, including the Gallery Place building next door. According to Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Wizards and Capitals, terms of the deal in ..read more