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Avalanche chase payback vs. Penguins after 7-2 blowout

NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado AvalancheMar 16, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) reacts after his goal in the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Colorado Avalanche look to avenge a rare lopsided loss when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

On March 16, the Penguins handed the Avalanche a 7-2 blowout in Denver. It was only the Avalanche’s sixth regulation loss at home this season and their largest margin of defeat.

Gabriel Landeskog missed that game as part of a seven-game absence due to a lower-body injury. In his return to action Sunday, the Avalanche captain scored Colorado’s first goal in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals.

“You need a big goal in a situation, and (Landeskog) just has a knack for making a play when you need it, whether it’s on the offensive side or the defensive side,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said.

Colorado is 37-4-7 with Landeskog in the lineup and just 9-9-3 without him.

The Avalanche (46-13-10, 102 points) lead the NHL in points and have clinched a playoff berth, though the club is only five points ahead of the Dallas Stars for the Central Division lead.

Pittsburgh (35-19-16, 86 points) has a much more fragile hold on a playoff spot. The Penguins are second in the Metropolitan Division but just one point ahead of both the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders, and two points from falling out of a wild-card position in the Eastern Conference.

With the playoff race so tight, the Penguins picked a bad time for a letdown in Sunday’s 5-1 home loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Pittsburgh never led, and its normally elite penalty-kill unit allowed goals on three of five Hurricanes power plays.

“I don’t think we had the best legs today … We were playing the game a bit slowish, (which) caused us to turn the puck over a lot,” forward Bryan Rust said. “Anytime you do that, especially against a team like that, it’s going to be a recipe for an unhappy night.”

Despite the breakdown, the Penguins still rank second in the NHL with an 83.2% penalty-kill rate. The Avalanche are right behind at 82.8, but Colorado’s weakness is a struggling power play with a 16.5% conversion rate that ranks near the bottom of the league.

Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins in goals (28) and points (63).

Rust has 11 points (five goals, six assists) during a seven-game point streak.

Because Stuart Skinner started against Carolina, Arturs Silovs should be back in Pittsburgh’s net Tuesday. Silovs is 16-9-8 with an .894 save percentage and a 2.92 goals against average this season, and he stopped 25 of 27 Avalanche shots on March 16.

Mackenzie Blackwood has gotten wins in each of Colorado’s last two games, though Scott Wedgewood could be due for another start Tuesday given the team’s usual goalie rotation.

Nathan MacKinnon tops the NHL with 45 goals and leads Colorado in assists (69) and points (114).

Since the Olympic break, MacKinnon hasn’t even been the brightest star on his own team. Martin Necas is second in the NHL with 24 points since the league’s hiatus, and MacKinnon is third with 21.

Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea is day-to-day after missing Sunday’s game with an upper-body injury. The same type of injury has kept forward Ross Colton out of the Avalanche’s last six games, and he is questionable for Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

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Alabama coach Kristy Curry leaves for South Florida post

Syndication: The Courier-JournalAlabama Crimson Tide head coach Kristy Curry encourages her team during a first-round game between the Rhode Island Rams and Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the KFC Yum Center, March 21, 2026, in Louisville, Ky.

After 13 seasons in charge at Alabama, women’s basketball head coach Kristy Curry is leaving for the same job at South Florida.

Both schools announced the move Tuesday, with South Florida CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins calling Curry “a proven winner at the highest levels.”

“She has guided her teams to the NCAA championship game and built an exceptional resume that includes 16 20-win seasons and 21 postseason appearances over 27 years as a head coach,” Higgins said in a statement. “I’m incredibly excited about the future of South Florida women’s basketball under her leadership.”

Curry, 59, has spent her entire head-coaching career at high-major schools — Purdue (1999-2006), Texas Tech (2006-13) and Alabama — so the choice to move to the American Conference program is surprising.

However, Jose Fernandez built the Bulls into a frequent NCAA Tournament team in his 25-year career there before he took over the WNBA’s Dallas Wings in 2025. Michele Woods-Baxter served as the temporary head coach in 2025-26; the Bulls went 20-12 (13-5 American) but missed the tournament.

“I would like to thank Rob Higgins for the tremendous opportunity to lead a proud South Florida women’s basketball program,” Curry said in a statement. “A strong foundation is in place, and I look forward to building on it as we pursue conference championships and NCAA Tournament success. Rob and the University’s commitment to competing at the highest level–along with the clear vision and alignment at USF–are truly exceptional. I can’t wait to meet Bulls Nation and experience a rocking Yuengling Center.”

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne thanked Curry for doing “a commendable job” in a statement Tuesday.

“We appreciated her contributions and wish her and her family well moving forward,” Byrne said. “As we begin a national search for our next head coach, Alabama athletics remains committed to the continued growth and investment in women’s basketball.”

The Crimson Tide qualified for each of the last four NCAA Tournaments and advanced to the second round in three straight years. As a sixth seed, the team’s season ended Monday with a narrow 69-68 loss to third-seeded Louisville in the Round of 32.

Alabama (24-11, 7-9 SEC) also received a ranking in the AP Top 25 poll for the second straight year, coming in as high as No. 21. Before Curry, the program had not done so since 1998-99.

Curry is 554-322 as a head coach all-time. She took Purdue to the Final Four in 2001 and beat Missouri State before falling 68-66 to Notre Dame in the title game.

–Field Level Media

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Report: Warriors G Moses Moody (knee) out rest of season

NBA: Golden State Warriors at Dallas MavericksMar 23, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) waves to fans while leaving the court on a stretcher during overtime against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody’s season is over after he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee on a noncontact play against the Dallas Mavericks, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

Moody, 23, was injured while attempting a dunk in the Warriors’ 137-131 road victory on Monday night.

Golden State led 136-131 when Moody stole the ball from Cooper Flagg and headed for a clinching dunk with 1:09 to go in overtime. However, Moody had his left knee crumble beneath him as he attempted to elevate for the hoop, with the shot not reaching the rim. Moody had to be stretchered off the floor after the team’s medical staff attended to his left knee.

The Warriors said afterward that Moody, who had missed the previous 10 games with a sprained right wrist, would have an MRI on Tuesday. He finished with 23 points, three rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in 34 minutes.

Moody this season averaged career bests of 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.6 blocks and 25.7 minutes in 60 games (49 starts).

The Warriors (34-38) have 10 games remaining in the regular season. Through Monday, they are 10th in the Western Conference and have the final berth in the play-in tournament.

Golden State selected Moody in the first round (14th overall) in the 2021 NBA Draft.

For his career, Moody averages 8.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 18.3 minutes in 315 regular-season games (106 starts) for the Warriors since 2021. He also has started two of 37 postseason games, including playing 13 games as a rookie in a reserve role in Golden State’s run to the 2022 NBA championship.

He signed a three-year, $39 million contract extension before the start of this season.

–Field Level Media

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Stars align as healthier Thunder, Celtics match up

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Philadelphia 76ersMar 23, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) passes the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be seeking their 13th consecutive victory when they visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City, the defending NBA champion, had a franchise-record 16-game winning streak earlier this season and currently has the best record in the league (57-15).

“We don’t really focus on the winning streak, we focus on the possessions,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said following Monday night’s 123-103 road victory over Philadelphia.

“We don’t even focus on the game, we focus on the possessions and trying to build the right habits and win the little battles that exist inside a possession and let them stack up throughout a game,” the coach continued. “Sometimes you look up and you win the game, sometimes you look up and you’re up 20 and sometimes you look up and you have a winning streak.

“We try to stay very present and just continue to sharpen our blade, improve our stuff and compete. Wherever that lands us, it lands us.”

The Celtics-Thunder matchup will feature two of the NBA’s top scorers. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.5 points per contest, which ranks second in the league. He has scored at least 20 points in 64 straight road games after he broke Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record of 58 from 1961-63.

Boston’s Jaylen Brown is averaging 28.5 points per game, which is fifth in NBA scoring.

The Celtics (47-24) had their four-game winning streak end with Sunday night’s 102-92 home loss to Minnesota. Boston’s Jayson Tatum had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the setback but shot 6 of 16 from the field.

Tatum is shooting 38.8% from the field, including 29.3% from 3-point territory, in eight games since he returned from surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon in May.

“I wouldn’t say normal slump, because it’s the first time I went through something like this,” Tatum said. “I mean, it’s just been a long time. It was a long time before I could shoot a basketball, before I could walk. So just trying to knock the rust off game by game. I find great spurts and moments from game to game and, you know, just trying to put more of them together.”

Tatum, a six-time All-Star and first-team All-NBA the past four seasons, is averaging 19.1 points and 8.9 rebounds this abbreviated season.

“Just taking it day by day,” Tatum said. “I have probably the worst injury you can have. Came back in 10 months and getting better. Better feel each game. I wanted to be perfect and first-team All-NBA Jayson, but it’s going to take time. I didn’t rush the rehab process, so I can’t rush this. It’s all gonna work out.”

Guard Jalen Williams returned to the Oklahoma City lineup for Monday’s game against Philadelphia and scored 18 points with six assists and four rebounds in 20 minutes in the win. A right hamstring strain had kept him out of game action since Feb. 11, a span of 16 games.

The hamstring strain plus offseason wrist surgery has limited Williams to 27 games this season.

“I think if I was on a different team I’d be more frustrated, but I’m around good energy,” Williams said. “So I think that’s been one of the things that keeps me going.”

Wednesday’s game will be the second meeting between the teams this season. Oklahoma City came away with a 104-102 home victory on March 12 when Chet Holmgren made two free throws with 0.9 seconds to play. In that game, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points to break Chamberlain’s record with his 127th consecutive game overall with at least 20 points. The streak is now up to 132 games.

–Field Level Media

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