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Auburn edges Kentucky on Elyjah Freeman's last-second tip-in

Syndication: The Montgomery AdvertiserKentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) drives the ball on Auburn Tigers guard Kevin Overton (1) as Auburn Tigers take on Kentucky Wildcats at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.

Auburn rallied from a nine-point deficit early in the second half to claim a pivotal 75-74 win over Kentucky at home and boost its NCAA Tournament hopes. KeyShawn Murphy scored 17 of his career-high 25 points after halftime and Auburn got a tip-in from Elyjah Freeman with 1.2 seconds to play to claim the win and end a five-game losing streak.

Kentucky led 39-35 at halftime and stretched its edge to 46-37 on a Otega Oweh dunk with 17:53 to play. Auburn rallied to pull even at 53 on a driving layup from Murphy and stretched the lead to 66-60 with 3:35 to play on a dunk from Murphy. Kentucky (17-10, 8-6 SEC) rallied back to claim a 74-71 lead with 18.8 seconds to play, but Auburn scored the game’s final four points.

Auburn (15-12, 6-8) pulled within 74-73 on a pair of Tahaad Pettiford free throws with 14 seconds left, then regained possession after an offensive foul on Kentucky’s Collin Chandler. Kevin Overton missed a shot in the lane on Auburn’s final possession, and after Murphy missed a tip-in, Freeman connected on Auburn’s third try. Kentucky’s final possession ended in a deflected pass that prevented a shot.

Murphy led Auburn with 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting, with 10 rebounds. Freeman finished with 11 points. Overton added 10 points, and Keyshawn Hall tallied 10 points on 3-for-15 shooting but did add nine rebounds and seven assists.

Auburn was in jeopardy of sliding onto the NCAA Tournament bubble with a loss but likely gained a bit of breathing room with the victory.

Kentucky lost its third straight game. Oweh paced Kentucky with 29 points, including 17 scored after halftime. Oweh shot 11-for-20 from the floor and grabbed seven rebounds. Denzel Aberdeen added 15 points while Chandler notched 10 points.

The Wildcats shot just 11-for-30 (36.7%) in the second half and had 14 turnovers in the game, including five by Chandler.

Auburn outscored the Wildcats 16-8 on bench points, including Freeman’s game-winner.

–Field Level Media

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Braves rally from 6-run hole, defeat Rockies on late HR

MLB: Atlanta Braves at Colorado RockiesMay 1, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) and infielder Ozzie Albies (1) celebrate after scoring during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Michael Harris II blasted a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning, and the Atlanta Braves rallied late to beat the Colorado Rockies 8-6 in Denver on Friday night.

Matt Olson also went deep, while Austin Riley, Mauricio Dubon and Ronald Acuna had two hits each. Didier Fuentes (1-0) got the win in relief for Atlanta, which erased a six-run deficit and won for the fourth time in its last five.

Mickey Moniak homered among his two hits and Tyler Johnston also had two hits for Colorado, which has lost three of its last four.

The Braves, who trailed 6-1 after six innings, got a run in the seventh and then tied it in the eighth when Zach Agnos and Jaden Hill walked the bases loaded with one out.

Dubon tripled down the right field line to make it 6-5. Then came home with the tying run on Riley’s sacrifice fly.

Juan Mejia (0-3) walked Jonah Heim to lead off the ninth and Harris followed with his seventh homer of the season to give Atlanta the lead.

Robert Suarez pitched the ninth for his fourth save.

The first six Rockies batters reached in the first inning against Grant Holmes, and 10 went to the plate in the frame. Edouard Julien led off with a walk, Moniak singled and Hunter Goodman drove in the first run with a double.

TJ Rumfield followed with an RBI single and Tyler Freeman’s bunt single brought home Goodman to make it 3-0. Johnston’s single loaded the bases, and Willi Castro grounded out to first base to score Rumfield. Freeman came home on Olson’s errant throw to the plate.

Moniak led off the second with his ninth home run of the season to make it 6-0 but Holmes settled down after that. He allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits and struck out four in his five innings.

Colorado starter Jose Quintana was sharp. He allowed just one hit until Olson’s homer in the fourth and scattered five hits over six innings.

–Field Level Media

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USL, players' union reach tentative CBA deal

MLS: FC Dallas at Toronto FCMay 4, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; General view of BMO Field before an MLS game between FC Dallas and Toronto FC at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The United Soccer League is set for at least four years of labor peace after coming to a tentative agreement with the players’ union on a collective bargaining agreement.

The league and the USL Players Association wrote in a statement that the agreement represents “a significant step forward for the league and its players, reflecting a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game and the advancement of professional standards.”

The deal would run through 2030, with an option to make it go an extra year depending upon talks surrounding health insurance.

The minimum salary for players in the USL Championship, currently the league’s top tier, will rise to $42,000, an increase of $11,000. The USL will start a new higher level, USL Premier, to compete on par with Major League Soccer in 2028. The minimum wage in that league will be $67,500.

Entry-level deals will be worth $34,000 in the USL Championship (a hike of $8,000) and $50,000 in the USL Premier.

–Field Level Media

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RJ Barrett's OT heroics push Raptors-Cavs to Game 7

NBA: Playoffs-Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto RaptorsMay 1, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) celebrates after scoring the winning basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the overtime period in game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

RJ Barrett made a dramatic 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in overtime Friday night as the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 112-110 to force Game 7 of a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Barrett’s Kawhi Leonard-esque bucket from straight away hit the back of the rim, bounced high into the air and fell in between the mesh. The shot was from the same end of the court as Leonard’s four-bounce miracle during Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers that sent Toronto to the Eastern Conference finals in 2019.

Asked by a reporter how many times he dreamed about making a big shot like Game 6’s winning basket, Barrett said, “I still dream about it.”

The hoop set up a deciding game Sunday at Cleveland. The home team has won every game in the series.

Scottie Barnes had 25 points and 14 assists for the Raptors. Barrett finished with 24 points, as did Ja’Kobe Walter. Collin Murray-Boyles contributed 17 points.

Evan Mobley had 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell added 24 points, and James Harden had 16 points, nine assists, nine rebounds and four turnovers. Jarrett Allen scored 14 points, while Dean Wade contributed 10.

“I thought we did a lot of good things,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We rebounded like we asked them to rebound (Cleveland had a 52-38 advantage). We had some really good looks, you know sometimes it’s make or miss but I like a lot of things we did. That’s why you fight so hard to get home-court advantage. We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. This is the playoffs. This is what it’s about.”

Toronto took an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter. After two Cleveland defensive stops, Mitchell nailed a corner 3-pointer and then made a driving layup to reduce the margin to three with 6:54 to go. Mobley’s rebound and dunk cut the gap to one with 5:48 left.

A Barnes free throw had the Raptors up by two with 1:17 to go. Toronto’s shot-clock violation gave Cleveland possession with 15.6 seconds remaining. Mobley’s layup tied the game at 104 with a layup with 11.6 seconds to play in regulation. The Raptors’ Jamal Shead missed a 17-footer to set up overtime.

“We tightened up defensively,” Mitchell said of the Cavs’ fourth-quarter comeback. “I think both sides got a little fatigued naturally in a game like this. We put ourselves in position. We had a bunch of good looks, they didn’t fall and now we’ve got to go home and protect home court.”

After a Toronto turnover, Harden hit a 12-footer to give Cleveland a two-point lead in overtime. Barnes tied it at 108 with a floater with 1:25 to go.

Mitchell’s layup put Cleveland up by two with 33.7 seconds left, and then Shead made one of two free throws to cut the lead to one. Mobley’s turnover gave Toronto the ball with 10.9 left to set up Barrett’s shot.

“Call me crazy, call me psychic, but I saw this one coming tonight … It’s surreal,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said, adding that he drew up the play for Barrett. “It was (in the air for) only half a second, but it felt like an eternity. … I was happy for him, for this team, for this city, that the shot went down.”

“To do it in the city where he grew up in, that’s truly amazing,” Barnes said of Barrett, who hails from Mississauga, Ont., about 20 miles southwest of Toronto. “The way that shot went in and when we needed it most, he showed up, that’s big time. It’s hard to wrap your head around.”

After Barrett put the Raptors on top, Mobley was off target on a 29-foot attempt at the OT buzzer.

The game was tied at 32 after one quarter.

The Raptors led by nine points after Barnes spun around Harden before dunking with 7:04 left in the second quarter. Cleveland cut the margin to two before Toronto took a 61-51 halftime lead following Shead’s 3-pointer with 51.3 seconds remaining.

A Cleveland turnover led to Barrett’s running layup and a 15-point lead with 5:02 to play in the third quarter. Toronto led 92-81 after three quarters.

Toronto was without Brandon Ingram (heel) and Immanuel Quickley (hamstring).

–Field Level Media

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