BOSTON (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a solo homer in his first at-bat on his 25th birthday, Xander Bogaerts also went deep with a game-breaking, three-run shot and the Boston Red Sox beat the stumbling Los Angeles Angels 9-0 on Saturday.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Gregg Popovich took Saturday off, for good reason. There was no way he was going to miss Tim Duncan’s enshrinement into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 26 points and 11 rebounds as the short-handed Boston Celtics cruised to a 124-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

LeBron James may be one game away from the playoffs. Or he may be one game away from the play-in tournament, and a possible high-stakes showdown against Stephen Curry.

Los Angeles Angels (16-21, fifth in the AL West) vs. Boston Red Sox (24-16, first in the AL East)

BOSTON (AP) — Hunter Renfroe and Bobby Dalbec each hit a two-run homer, and the Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 on Friday night.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Mike Breen remembers the way he was taught the game of basketball, and quickly learned that it is best when the five players on the floor work as one.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Vanessa Bryant got a private tour to see some of the newly remodeled Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, viewing the exhibit that will honor the life and legacy of her late husband before the rest of the world gets their first look.

There will be no mysteries when Tampa Bay and Florida meet in the first round of the playoffs after facing off eight times this season and twice in the past week. Same deal for Montreal and Toronto, who have played 10 times since mid-January.

The Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association is forging ahead with its bid to establish an economically sustainable professional league in North America with or — for now — without the NHL’s full financial backing.

Boston Bruins (33-16-7, third in the East Division) vs. Washington Capitals (36-15-5, second in the East Division)

Columbus Crew SC (1-1-2) vs. New England Revolution (2-1-2)

Los Angeles Angels (16-20, fifth in the AL West) vs. Boston Red Sox (23-16, first in the AL East)

Boston Celtics (35-35, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (22-48, 13th in the Western Conference)

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox manager Alex Cora has been searching for contributions from the rest of his lineup with Boston’s biggest bats struggling to produce during a sudden scoring slump.

After a one-year break because of the pandemic, college lacrosse is ready to decide its national champions, and North Carolina starts in a very good place: The Tar Heels are the top seed for both the men's and women's Division I tournaments.

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. (AP) — Marko Vavic was in Mexico when it happened. He had just flown to Cabo San Lucas to spend spring break with a group of friends.

Kobe. Timmy. KG.

Oakland Athletics (23-15, first in the AL West) vs. Boston Red Sox (22-16, first in the AL East)

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Celtics can stop chasing, get some rest and hopefully heal up. They're play-in bound.

BOSTON (AP) — James Kaprielian got the victory in his first major league start with five innings of one-run ball, Matt Olson homered and the Oakland Athletics held off the Boston Red Sox 4-1 Wednesday night.

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Kacper Przybylko scored in the 88th minute and the Philadelphia Union tied the New England Revolution 1-1 on Wednesday night.

ORONO, Maine (AP) — The associate head coach at the University of Massachusetts hockey program is jumping from a national championship to a head coaching gig in Maine.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Already missing All-Star forward Jaylen Brown because of a serious wrist injury, the Boston Celtics will also be without Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart when they play the reeling Cavaliers on Wednesday night in a game with playoff implications.

Oakland Athletics (22-15, first in the AL West) vs. Boston Red Sox (22-15, first in the AL East)

Boston Celtics (35-34, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (21-48, 14th in the Eastern Conference)

Using any metric, Connor McDavid’s 100-plus point season makes the Edmonton Oilers captain the clear frontrunner for the NHL MVP award.

BOSTON (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 24 points and the Miami Heat clinched a playoff spot and sent the Boston Celtics to the brink of the play-in tournament Tuesday night with a 129-121 victory.

BOSTON (AP) — Chris Bassitt struck out a season-high 10 over seven innings and the Oakland Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox 3-2 on Tuesday night in a matchup of American League division leaders.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Capitals got Alex Ovechkin back on the ice feeling “100%” heading into the playoffs. Winning was just a bonus.

Imagine the disappointment of the women's lacrosse team at Le Moyne College.

The man who transformed the Vermont-based Orvis company from a niche fly-fishing supply company into a global retailer of outdoor supplies, apparel and protector of the environment has died. Leigh H. Perkins was 93.

BOSTON (AP) — For James White, the upcoming 2021 NFL season is all about starting fresh, both on and off the field.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence was fielding calls, posing for pictures and still hugging everyone in sight when he realized the Jacksonville Jaguars were about to be back on the clock during the first round of the NFL draft.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Dream have hired La’Keshia Frett and Daynia La-Force as assistant coaches on interim coach Mike Petersen’s staff.

Boston Bruins (33-15-7, third in the East Division) vs. Washington Capitals (35-15-5, second in the East Division)

Oakland Athletics (21-15, first in the AL West) vs. Boston Red Sox (22-14, first in the AL East)

This didn't happen last year.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Cedric Mullins raced around the bases for a bizarre bloop triple, Trey Mancini hit a go-ahead solo homer and the Baltimore Orioles four-hit the Boston Red Sox for a 4-1 victory Monday night.

BOSTON (AP) — Taylor Hall scored his second goal of the game 2:53 into overtime and the Boston Bruins beat the New York Islanders in their home finale on Monday night to clinch third place in the East Division.

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics All-Star forward Jaylen Brown will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his left wrist.

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is planning to join a group of governors to meet with President Joe Biden on Tuesday to discuss ongoing efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible to continue the fight against COVID-19.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The frustration over yet another losing season, combined with what Sabres captain Jack Eichel called “a disconnect” with his team over how to treat a herniated disk led to him questioning his future in Buffalo on Monday.

The six-team National Women’s Hockey League added a third private owner Monday by approving the sale of the Connecticut Whale.

New England Revolution (2-1-1) vs. Philadelphia Union (1-2-1)

Boston Red Sox (22-13, first in the AL East) vs. Baltimore Orioles (15-19, fifth in the AL East)

Miami Heat (37-31, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (35-33, seventh in the Eastern Conference)

BOSTON (AP) — Jimmy Butler had 26 points and 11 assists to help the Miami Heat hold off the Boston Celtics 130-124 Sunday as the teams fight for position in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Rafael Devers and Hunter Renfroe homered, Nick Pivetta won his third consecutive start and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 Sunday.