NBA: The NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs became the first team to win 60 games this season in a 124-92 win over the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night. The Spurs' victory coupled with a Lakers' 95-87 loss to Golden State guaranteed San Antonio the top seed in the West and home-court advantage throughout the conference playoffs. Los Angeles' loss marks the second consecutive game in which the Lakers have fallen to one of the worst five teams in the West.
The Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated from playoff contention Wednesday night but still managed to beat the Miami Heat 90-85. The Heat were missing the NBA's third leading scorer, Dwyane Wade, who was sitting out with a sore right thigh. Miami now sits a half-game behind Boston in the race for the No. 2 seed in the East.
For the first time since 2006, the Indiana Pacers clinched a playoff berth by beating the Washington Wizards 136-112. Also securing a spot in the postseason was New Orleans, which beat Houston 101-93. The Hornets are in the playoffs for the third time in four seasons, while the Rockets sit in ninth place, 3 1/2 games behind Memphis, and on the brink of postseason elimination.
The Oklahoma City Thunder captured the Northwest Division title by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 112-108. This is the first division crown for the Thunder since 2005, when they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics.
MLB: For the first time in history, two AL East are off to an 0-5 start in the same season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Red Sox are still winless after losing their fifth game of the season, an 8-4 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Indians. This is Boston's worst start since the 1996 season. Joining the Red Sox in the cellar of the AL East are the defending division champion Tampa Bay Rays, who are also 0-5 and off to their worst start in franchise history. The Rays had exactly one run and four hits for the fourth time this season in a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
The only National League team without a victory is Houston, which lost to Cincinnati 12-4. The Astros are three losses shy of matching last season's 0-8 start. The Reds, who are the NL's only undefeated team, overcame a four-run deficit to reach 5-0 for the first time since 1990, when they last won the World Series.
The Texas Rangers became the first team since 2003 to win six straight games to open a season. Mitch Moreland broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the seventh with a double off Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez to lead the Rangers to 7-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Texas improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1996.
Men's college basketball: Duke point guard Kyrie Irving announced that he will be entering the NBA draft after one season with the Blue Devils. In a statement released Wednesday, Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Irving, who played in only 11 games for Duke and missed the majority of the season due to an injured big toe on his right foot, intends to hire an agent and end his college career.
College football: South Carolina indefinitely suspended quarterback Stephen Garcia from the football program on Wednesday. This is Garcia's second suspension this spring and his fifth since he arrived on campus in 2007. Spurrier said Garcia would be suspended for the rest of the spring semester, and his future status would be decided at a later time.
