SPORTS HEALINES

Audio By Carbonatix

Mac McClung pulls off the first NBA dunk contest three-peat

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mac McClung pulled off four perfect dunks for an unprecedented NBA dunk contest three-peat. The G League star and dunk maven put on a remarkable show at NBA All-Star Saturday night by recording perfect scores of 50 on all four of his jaw-dropping, creative dunks to become the first player to win three straight dunk contests. Nate Robinson is the only other player to win the dunk contest three times, taking it in 2006 and then repeating in 2009-10.

No. 1 Auburn edges No. 2 Alabama in a showdown of top-ranked teams; a rematch is set for March 8

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Auburn and Alabama had never played as top-10 teams. On Saturday, the Tigers and Crimson Tide squared off as the top teams in the country — and didn’t disappoint. No. 1 Auburn went on the road and beat No. 2 Alabama 94-85 in the historic matchup of in-state rivals. And a rematch of the top-rated teams might be coming shortly, because they meet again at Auburn on March 8. And, they might not be done then — they could face off in the Southeastern Conference and NCAA tournaments.

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo passes Bob Knight for most Big Ten conference wins

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Michigan State’s Tom Izzo followed one of the most disappointing losses of his coaching career with a record-setting victory. The No. 11 Spartans came from behind to beat Illinois 79-65 on Saturday night for Izzo’s 354th career Big Ten victory, breaking former Indiana coach Bob Knight’s record of 353 conference wins. Izzo tied Knight on Feb. 8 when Michigan State rallied in the second half to defeat Oregon 86-74. Izzo, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Jan. 30, is now 354-173 in Big Ten play in 30 seasons as coach. He’s 727-300 overall since replacing Jud Heathcote in 1995

Trump plans to attend NASCAR’s Daytona 500 for the second time as president

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump is planning to attend NASCAR’s Daytona 500 for the second time as president. Trump attended the race in 2020 while running for a second term and was given the honor of being grand marshal. Trump also thrilled thousands of fans with a flyover of Air Force One and later rode the presidential limousine onto the racetrack. Sunday’s race is expected to get underway in the early afternoon. Last weekend, he made history by becoming the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl.

Patrick Rodgers takes the lead at Torrey Pines as Scheffler and McIlroy falter

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Patrick Rodgers has a chance for his first PGA Tour victory after a wild day at the Genesis Invitational. Rodgers was at his best on the back nine and shot 68. That includes a bogey on the 18th hole when a wedge found the water. He’s one shot ahead of Denny McCarthy, another player who has never won on tour. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy started the third round right in the mix. They finished five shots behind. Scheffler had a 76 for his worst score in nearly three years. McIlroy shot a 74 with a three-putt double bogey.

Adam Silver was surprised about the Doncic-Davis trade, urges angry Mavs fans to keep faith

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has a message to those Dallas Mavericks fans who are still angry, two weeks later: He feels your pain. That said, he’s also sure that the Mavericks believe that their decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis was — in their minds, at least — the best possible move for the franchise. Silver, in his annual address at All-Star weekend on Saturday, said he had no advance word that the trade was looming and that he was surprised like everyone else. He also said he wasn’t going to second-guess Dallas’ decision.

Victor Wembanyama thought he had a time-saving idea; the NBA DQ’ed him and Chris Paul anyway

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul made history on All-Star Saturday night. The wrong type of history, that is. The San Antonio teammates were disqualified from the Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday night because their shot attempts during the event were not “valid,” as the rules required. And afterward, all everyone wanted to know was who came up with the plan.

The new NBA All-Star format is here, and Sunday night will show whether it works

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — This will be an actual All-Star matchup. On one side, there’s a team with 86 combined All-Star selections, $2.7 billion in on-court earnings and where every single player on the team is either an NBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist, or both. On the other, there’s a bunch of young guys without much in the way of resumes yet. Welcome to the reimagined NBA All-Star Game, a single-elimination mini-tournament: four teams of eight players, three games, first to 40 points wins and a David vs. Goliath element thrown in there for good measure. It happens Sunday night in San Francisco, the NBA’s latest way of trying to make the midseason showcase event competitive again.

Auburn, Alabama, Florida headline SEC’s haul in the NCAA selection committee’s early top-16 seeds

Auburn was the No. 1 overall seed in the preliminary rankings unveiled Saturday by the committee that will select the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament. That was part of a big haul for the Southeastern Conference. The SEC also had 1-seeds with Alabama and Florida among five of the top six overall seeds. Duke was the other No. 1 seed. SEC teams Tennessee and Texas A&M were the top 2-seeds. The preliminary rankings are a snapshot of where things stand with about a month until Selection Sunday. They came before Auburn won at Alabama later Saturday.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani throws 1st BP of spring training, taking a step toward possibly pitching

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani threw his first bullpen of spring training on Saturday, taking a step toward possibly pitching for the first time since 2023. The reigning World Series champion and National League MVP has not pitched in the big leagues since he was with the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 23, 2023. The right-hander later had elbow surgery that limited him to a hitting role during his first season with the Dodgers in 2024. The Dodgers have ruled out Ohtani as a pitching option in Tokyo when they open the season next month against the Chicago Cubs.