AP Wednesday Sports Roundup

NBA-SCHEDULE:

Thundering along...Pistons beat Raptors

UNDATED (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to improve their NBA playoff chances despite learning this week that they will likely finish the regular season without Kevin Durant.

The Thunder have a four-game winning streak after Russell Westbrook and Enes Kanter each had double-doubles in a 127-117 triumph against the Los Angeles Lakers. Westbrook poured in 27 points and added 11 assists, while Kanter contributed 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Thunder move three games ahead of Phoenix for the final Western Conference playoff berth.

In other NBA finals:

— The Warriors have clinched their first division title in 39 years. Stephen Curry had a strong shooting night in Golden State's 122-108 win at Portland, shooting 13 of 22 from the field and 5 of 9 from 3-point range to finish with 33 points. Andre Iguadala had 21 points for the Pacific Division champs, who shot 60 percent from the field in their seventh consecutive win.

— Monta Ellis matched his season high with 38 points while shooting 16 for 27 in the Mavericks' 101-94 victory against San Antonio in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki collected 15 points and 13 rebounds, Chandler Parsons added 15 and the Mavericks climbed within percentage points of the sixth-place Spurs in the West.

— Toronto came back from 15 down to take a 91-90 lead with 5:41 left, but Detroit scored the next seven points before pulling out a 108-104 triumph against Toronto. Reggie Jackson had 28 points and nine assists for the Pistons, while Andre Drummond added 21 points and 18 rebounds.

— Khris Middleton drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Milwaukee an 89-88 win over Miami and end the Bucks' six-game losing streak. Ersan Ilyasova had 19 points for the Bucks, who won for just the fourth time in 18 games since trading starting point guard Brandon Knight.

— Sacramento beat Philadelphia 107-106 behind DeMarcus Cousins' 33 points and 17 rebounds. The 76ers were held to three points in the final 6:12 en route to their 16th straight road loss.

NHL-SCHEDULE

Blues beat Pens, catch Ducks

UNDATED (AP) — The St. Louis Blues have pulled even with the Anaheim Ducks for first place in the NHL's Western Conference, and they continue to top the Central Division by one point over Nashville.

Alex Steen scored 35 seconds into overtime to cap the Blues' comeback in a 3-2 victory in Pittsburgh. The Penguins led 2-0 until Roberto Bortuzzo and Marcel Goc (gahch) scored 2 ½ minutes apart in the second period. Jake Allen made 24 saves and was perfect after Blake Comeau and Steve Downie beat him 17 seconds apart in the second stanza.

The Pens remain two points behind the New York Islanders for second in the Metropolitan Division.

The Ducks squandered leads of 2-0 and 3-2 before Scott Hartnell completed a hat trick to lead Columbus past Anaheim 5-3. The Blue Jackets were down a goal until Scott Hartnell and Nick Foligno tallied during a 71-second span of the second period. Hartnell completed his eighth career hat trick with an empty-netter, securing the Jackets' seventh victory in eight games.

Elsewhere on NHL ice:

— Montreal's lead in the East is one point over Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers after the Canadiens lose 3-2 to the Predators in overtime. Filip Forsberg scored a power-play goal 1:54 in OT on an assist from Mike Ribeiro, who also set up the tying goal by Ryan Ellis in the third period.

— Los Angeles picked up a huge victory as Jonathan Quick stopped 34 shots and Marian Gaborik scored the game-winner in the Kings' 4-1 triumph over the Rangers in New York. Robyn Regehr, Jeff Carter and Jake Muzzin also scored, and Anze Kopitar had two assists as the Kings moved into a virtual tie with Calgary for third place in the Pacific Division.

— The Rangers lead the Metropolitan Division by six points after the Islanders wasted a 1-0 lead in the third period of a 2-1 shootout loss to Minnesota. Devan Dubnyk handled 37 shots and Zach Parise scored the lone shootout tally after netting the equalizer, keeping the Wild three points clear of a Western Conference playoff berth.

— Third-period goals by Nikita Kucherov and Ryan Callahan lifted Tampa Bay past Florida 4-3, keeping the Panthers five points behind Ottawa for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth. Jussi Jokinen, Brandon Pirri and Jonathan Huberdeau scored during a 1:58 span of the second period to put the Panthers ahead 3-2.

— Mark Arcobello's goal at 3:08 of OT completed Arizona's 5-4 win over Detroit, leaving the Red Wings one point behind Pittsburgh for fifth place in the East. David Moss scored twice to help the Coyotes end an eight-game losing streak.

— Vancouver spotted Winnipeg a 2-0 lead before Radim Vrbata collected two goals and an assist in the Canucks' 5-2 win over the Jets. Henrik Sedin had a goal and an assist as the Canucks moved four points ahead of third-place Calgary in the Pacific Division. The Jets are just two points ahead of the Kings for the final Western Conference playoff berth.

NHL-RANGERS

Lundqvist return getting closer

NEW YORK (AP) — Henrik Lundqvist says he hopes to return to the New York Rangers this weekend. The veteran goalie practiced with the team Tuesday morning for the first time since he was forced from the lineup by a neck injury in February. Lundqvist took the ice and faced all kinds of shots from teammates.

New York coach Alain Vigneault says it would be "a stretch" for Lundqvist to be in the lineup Thursday at Ottawa.

Also in the NHL:

— The Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Chris Tanev to a five-year contract extension through 2021. Tanev has two goals and 16 points this season.

NFL-REPLAY

Owners meetings

PHOENIX (AP) — NFL owners shot down nearly every video replay proposal brought to their meetings today, including extending the number of coaches' challenges and letting them challenge all officiating calls.

The only replay proposal to be approved will allow game officials to use replay for clock issues at the end of a half, game or overtime if more than one second remains.

The owners approved a proposal for stopping play when a medical adviser believes a player is unstable and should be taken off the field. They also approved rules prohibiting players from pushing teammates on the line of scrimmage when the opponent is punting; eliminating all peel-back blocks; and extending defenseless player protection during an interception return.

In other NFL news:

— Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings have reached a standstill in their relationship. Peterson's agent says he believes a return to Minnesota this season is not in the "best interest" of the running back. Peterson was suspended by the NFL and missed all but one game last season due to a child abuse case he was involved in. He has not yet been reinstated.

— The Vikings have agreed to terms on contracts with linebacker Casey Matthews and safety Taylor Mays. Matthews played the past four seasons with Philadelphia and had a career-high 62 tackles last year. Mays will likely compete with incumbent Robert Blanton for a starting spot next to Harrison Smith.

— Browns coach Mike Pettine expects quarterback Johnny Manziel to take part in the team's practices next month after leaving rehab. Pettine does not know when Manziel will be discharged from rehab, but he expects the young QB to return to football immediately. The coach said the team has received "good" feedback about Manziel, who entered a treatment facility on Jan. 28 for an undisclosed problem.

— The Chicago Bears have worked out a one-year contract with defensive end Ray McDonald. The former 49er played under new Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in San Francisco. The Niners cut McDonald in December after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her following a night of drinking in which she injured her head in a fall by his swimming pool.

MLB-TRANSACTIONS

Dozier extended...Dodgers sit Ryu, work out deal with Olivera

UNDATED (AP) — Minnesota's Brian Dozier has been rewarded for having a good season last year. The 27-year old second baseman has agreed to a four-year, $20 million deal after hitting .242 with 23 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 112 runs scored in 2014.

Also in the majors:

— The Los Angeles Dodgers will rest pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu (hyoon-jihn ree-oo) for two weeks to see if it helps ease the discomfort in his left shoulder. Ryu recently underwent a contrast MRI that showed no change from the one he took in 2012. He was bothered by shoulder issues last season while going 14-7 with a 3.38 ERA.

— The Dodgers have come to terms with Cuban infielder Hector Olivera on a six-year, $62.5 million contract. His agent says the deal includes a $28 million signing bonus. Olivera is said to be 29 and was on the Cuban team that won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics.

— The Tampa Bay Rays will honor former senior adviser Don Zimmer by retiring uniform No. 66 before their April 6 season opener against Baltimore. Zimmer was with the Rays from 2004-14, the longest stint in his 66 years with 14 major league teams as a player, coach, manager or adviser.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-MISSISSIPPI STATE-HOWLAND

Howland takes over Bulldogs

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Ben Howland has been hired as the men's basketball coach at Mississippi State.

The former UCLA coach replaces Rick Ray, who was fired Saturday after three seasons in which he went 37-60.

The 57-year-old Howland led UCLA to three straight Final Fours from 2006 to 2008. The Santa Barbara, California, native has won every where he's been during a 19-year career at the Division I level. He led Northern Arizona and Pittsburgh to the NCAA Tournament before taking over at UCLA.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-ARIZONA STATE

Sendek canned as coach

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State has fired men's basketball coach Herb Sendek after nine seasons in charge. He led the Sun Devils to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years in 2013-14, but the team failed to make the tournament this year with a record of 18-16. The Sun Devils lost to Richmond in an NIT second-round game on Sunday.

Sendek went 159-137 at Arizona State with two NCAA Tournament appearances. He previously coached at North Carolina State and Miami of Ohio.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NIT

Hurricanes, Cardinal advance

UNDATED (AP) — Miami and Stanford have reached the NIT semifinals.

Sheldon McClellan scored 16 points and the Hurricanes staged a huge rally in a 63-61 triumph at Richmond. McClellan scored seven straight points and gave Miami its first lead with 1:02 remaining.

Davon Reed had 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Hurricanes advanced despite trailing by 18.

Anthony Brown scored a season-high 26 points as the Cardinal held off visiting Vanderbilt 78-75. Freshman Matthew Fisher-Davis hit a 3-pointer with 28.8 seconds remaining to pull the Commodores within 77-75, but he missed a long 3 under pressure from well beyond the arc in the waning seconds.

GOLF-CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL-NICKLAUS

Nicklaus gets Congressional honor

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has awarded its highest civilian honor to golfing great Jack Nicklaus.

The House and Senate leadership bestowed the Congressional Gold Medal on Nicklaus in the Capitol Rotunda in front of members of Congress, family members and golfing great Arnold Palmer.

The 75-year old Nicklaus is the winner of an unprecedented 18 major championships. Speaker John Boehner called him the "gold standard."