That is an article model of the CBS Sports activities HQ AM Publication, the final word information to every single day in sports activities. You’ll be able to signal as much as get it in your inbox each weekday morning right here.

😜 Good morning to all, however particularly to …

LUKA DONČIĆ AND THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS

You can not persuade me that Luka Dončić did not need this one, and never simply the W. In entrance of the person who shipped him out of Dallas earlier this month, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ inheritor obvious picked up his first triple-double as a member of the purple-and-gold final evening — and within the first assembly in opposition to his outdated membership no much less. With Mavericks GM Nico Harrison in attendance, Dončić produced a stat line authored by just one different Laker: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Discuss maintain my beer.

In fact, Dončić did not shoot nicely, however he did sufficient of every part else as he went for 19 factors, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals and two blocks. There have been additionally no less than 9 different gamers on the courtroom at any given second. LeBron James (27 factors, 12 boards) and Austin Reaves (20 factors, 5 assists) helped energy the Lakers to their 107-99 victory, a win that reinforces their document to 35-21 and, maybe extra importantly, 7-2 for the reason that Feb. 2 blockbuster deal for Anthony Davis that also kinda would not appear actual.

After Harrison’s espresso store convo together with his Lakers counterpart Rob Pelinka, Dallas’ GM might by no means want to purchase one other cup of java in L.A. Followers within the area shouted their appreciation for Harrison’s transfer on evening that the Lakers additionally delivered a video tribute for Davis, who didn’t play. For his half, Dončić’s former teammate, the game-high scorer Kyrie Irving with 35 factors, summed up the reunion with three phrases: “Awkward as s—.”

It is round this time that we usually kick it to considered one of our stellar NBA scribes to drop a little bit data, however on at the present time I do not suppose anybody can say it any higher than Dončić (who, it needs to be famous, can also be nonetheless processing all this) so he’ll take us out: “The closure’s gonna take some time, I feel. You understand, it is not perfect. However like I stated, I am glad this sport is over. You understand, there’s loads of feelings. However we go little by little, and every single day is best.”

👍 Honorable mentions

🏀 And never such morning for …

THE NO. 3 FLORIDA GATORS

Can you’re feeling it? As March creeps nearer and the stakes get increased, you’ll be able to really feel that win-to-get-in need that always permeates the school basketball world this time of yr. I am not saying that unranked Georgia‘s gorgeous 88-83 takedown of No. 3 Florida places them within the “get in” dialog — removed from it, says Matt Norlander — however a loss most definitely would have torpedoed their likelihood with out operating the desk on the SEC Convention championship.

The Gators did not do themselves any favors in all phases of the taking pictures division, and the nearer they acquired to the rim the smaller the ring should’ve appeared. They had been 11 of 32 (34.3%) from past the arc, 18 of 29 (62.1%) from the road and a ghastly 15 of 27 (55.5%) on photographs Stat Broadcast thought of layups. Even with all that, Georgia virtually wound up because the (lowercase) goat as a result of the Bulldogs had a 26-point lead within the first half, but discovered themselves down by a degree with 88 seconds to go. Georgia can thank its scorching exterior taking pictures (10 of 19, 52.6%) for escaping with the win.

In one other notable video games, No. 2 Duke continued to do Duke issues because the Blue Devils dropped the hammer on the Miami Hurricanes, 97-60. Extra intriguing than the result’s whether or not Jon Scheyer will lose his prime assistant, Jai Lucas, to the Canes as soon as Jim Larrañaga departs after the season.

Plus, we have Issac Trotter together with his Trotter’s 10 Tendencies, which this week covers Oregon‘s depth and the Massive East Defensive Participant of the Yr battle as two of his featured objects, together with Jerry Palm’s Bracketology Bubble Watch.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

👋 Diana Taurasi retires

The retirement of Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time main scorer and a champion at each stage, shouldn’t have been a shock. She had been hinting at it. The Mercury held an on-court sendoff following the their last dwelling sport final season. Her children hugged her at heart courtroom. She laid the microphone down on the brand after addressing the Phoenix crowd. Nonetheless, it may be onerous to think about a league with out her.

Take into account this: Taurasi, 42, performed 20 WNBA seasons, all for the Mercury, and she or he appeared in additional than 60% of the video games the franchise — one of many WNBA’s authentic eight — over the historical past of the group. All the numbers are staggering. She’s the one participant to attain greater than 10,000 factors within the WNBA, has six Olympic gold medals, is a three-time WNBA champion, a two-time Finals MVPs and the league MVP in 2009. She was drafted in 2004, again when present WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had been actually toddlers.

Tributes got here from far and large, as you’ll anticipate. Taurasi, who grew up a Lakers and Kobe Bryant fan, was famously nicknamed “The White Mamba” by her idol. Subsequent up? A well-earned retirement and a visit to Springfield and every other Corridor of Fame that might be fortunate sufficient to have her. In the meantime, Jack Maloney takes a have a look at the gamers who may be capable to catch her scoring document.

🏈 NFL mix prospect rankings, daring predictions, exercise tracker and the quickest 40s ever

We have nonetheless acquired a day earlier than (some) gamers take the sphere on the NFL Scouting Mix in Indianapolis, however that simply means we have another day to share a bevy of our advance insights together with:

We gave you a mountain of content material yesterday, so I wish to run again the hyperlinks to the place yow will discover the important thing prospects to observe, notable snubs and touchdown spots for the important thing gamers:

⚽ USWNT, large Premier League showdown predictions

It will not be a UEFA Champions League week — that returns subsequent week, and you’ll watch all of it on Paramount+ — however this midweek continues to be turning into fairly an eventful one. After a loopy 4-4 draw between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid yesterday, at the moment brings U.S. ladies’s nationwide staff motion and a bunch of Premier League play. The U.S. will face acquainted foe Japan on Wednesday evening for the SheBelieves Cup title, which Pardeep Cattry breaks down for us. The Individuals need to win to take dwelling the title as a draw will probably be sufficient for the guests. In England, Manchester Metropolis and Tottenham play in a battle of wealthy golf equipment that Chuck Sales space explains are removed from the place they wish to be at this level of the season. Here is a glance at the moment’s main motion:

• Cattry: “USWNT 1, Japan 1 — The U.S. ladies’s nationwide staff wraps up the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday, going through a must-win sport in opposition to Japan if they’re to win the competitors for a sixth time in a row. It units up for an interesting check for this explicit model of the USWNT — head coach Emma Hayes is working with a reasonably inexperienced group as she begins the lengthy course of to arrange for the 2027 Girls’s World Cup, with 13 members of the present squad having 20 caps or fewer. They are going to tackle a Japan staff that has arguably been the most effective aspect on the SheBelieves Cup, outscoring the opposition eight to 1 in two video games to this point. It is a onerous consequence to foretell due to the USWNT’s period of experimentation, however anticipate a fiercely contested sport regardless.”
• Sales space: “Tottenham 3, Manchester Metropolis 1 — On the floor, it could appear to be a battle of golf equipment with out a path as Tottenham and Manchester Metropolis meet within the Premier League, however with Ange Postecoglu’s Spurs getting more healthy by the day and Pep Guardiola’s Metropolis aspect clinging on for pricey life within the prime 5, the stakes will probably be excessive. No staff has had Guardiola’s quantity fairly like Tottenham throughout his time within the Premier League they usually’ll engineer yet one more upset of their dwelling stadium successful behind Brennan Johnson.”

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

⚽ Manchester Metropolis at Tottenham, 2:30 p.m. on Peacock
⚽ Empoli at Juventus, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Actual Madrid at Actual Sociedad, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+
🏀 No. 8 Michigan State at No. 16 Maryland (M), 6:30 p.m. on Massive Ten Community
🏀 Georgetown at Connecticut (M), 6:30 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Ole Miss at No. 1 Auburn (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Notre Dame at No. 13 Clemson (M), 7 p.m. on ACC Community
🏀 NC State at Syracuse (M), 7 p.m. on ESPNU
🏀 76ers at Knicks, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Houston at No. 10 TCU (W), 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 2 UCLA at Wisconsin (W), 8 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 No. 7 St. John’s at Butler (M), 9 p.m. on CBSSN
🏀 Spurs at Rockets, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Canucks at Kings, 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV
⚽ SheBelieves Cup: Japan at United States, 10:30 p.m. on TBS