Storm causes rescheduling of NBA and college games across southern states

NEW ORLEANS>> The NBA and multiple college basketball conferences postponed games in response to winter weather that broke snowfall records in some southern states and coated others with a mix of snow and ice.

Wednesday night’s NBA contest between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pelicans was called off a day after the storm dumped about a foot of snow in New Orleans.

In Baton Rouge, LSU’s fifth-ranked women’s basketball team was unable to fly on Wednesday to Columbia, S.C., so the Southeastern Conference chose to postpone the Tigers’ game at the No. 2 Gamecocks from Thursday night until Friday.

Meanwhile, the Sun Belt Conference cited “hazardous travel conditions” in rescheduling four men’s basketball games.

Georgia Southern’s home game against Coastal Carolina, and Louisiana-Lafayette’s home game against Texas State were moved from Wednesday to Thursday. Two games originally scheduled for Thursday — Southern Mississippi at Troy and South Alabama at Louisiana-Monroe — both were moved to Monday.

Heat suspend Butler again, for 2 games for missing team flight, source says

Jimmy Butler will be suspended by the Miami Heat for the second time in three weeks, a person with knowledge of the decision said Wednesday, a move that adds to the possibility he has already played his final game for the franchise.

Butler drew the latest suspension — it is expected to last two games — for missing the Heat’s flight to Milwaukee on Wednesday. The Heat, who did not immediately comment, are scheduled to play the Bucks on Thursday and at Brooklyn on Saturday.

Mavs center Dereck Lively II out at least a month with stress fracture in ankle

DALLAS >> The Mavericks say center Dereck Lively II has a stress fracture in his right ankle and will be re-evaluated in a month.

Lively has been sidelined the past three games with a right ankle sprain. He has missed 11 overall this season with a variety of injuries. The 20-year-old former Duke standout was limited to 55 games by injuries as a rookie in 2023-24.

Ohio State’s second title in the CFP era averages 22.1 million viewers

Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game, was the most-watched game of the season. However, it was a double-digit drop from last year.

ESPN announced that the Buckeyes’ second national championship in the CFP era averaged 22.1 million viewers. It was the most-watched, non-NFL sporting event over the past year, but a 12% drop from the 25 million who tuned in for Michigan’s 34-13 win over Washington in 2024.

Dodgers’ prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki gets $6.5 million signing bonus

LOS ANGELES >> The Los Angeles Dodgers introduced prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki on Wednesday after he agreed to a minor league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus.

The 23-year-old pitcher donned a No. 11 jersey at a news conference at Dodger Stadium.

Sasaki announced his intention to sign with the Dodgers on Friday, ending a hotly contested pursuit among multiple major league clubs. He joined fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers in a signing many baseball executives long expected.

— The Associated Press