BASKETBALL

The trade deadline is gone. The All-Star break is ending. Luka Doncic is with the Los Angeles Lakers. Jimmy Butler is with the Golden State Warriors. Anthony Davis is with the Dallas Mavericks, though it’s unknown when he’ll play again. The dust has settled. It’s time for the stretch run.

Every club has between 26 and 30 games remaining in this sprint to the April 13 finish line. And teams will point to recent history as proof that getting into the playoffs means anything can happen: No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 seeds have made their way to the conference finals in the last two years.

Victor Wembanyama has already gone up against the U.S. in international events, most notably last year’s Paris Olympics when he led France’s march to the gold medal game against the Americans. He’d like to be in that position more often — maybe even annually. And Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo loves that idea as well.

In the ongoing search for what the right NBA All-Star format, there was plenty of talk this weekend in San Francisco about an idea that has picked up some momentum in recent years: The U.S. on one side, the world on the other side.

Notre Dame is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll for the first time since 2019. Texas moved up to second for its best ranking since 2017.

UCLA had been No. 1 for 12 straight weeks after beating South Carolina in late November but the Bruins are now third in the rankings. USC moved up to fourth and UConn is fifth after routing then-No. 4 South Carolina.

Auburn is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the sixth consecutive week. The Tigers claimed 59 of 60 first-place votes in the latest poll after beating then-No. 1 Alabama on the road. Florida claimed the other first-place vote and broke last week’s tie with Duke to move up to second.

BASEBALL

The Red Sox’s ballyhooed signing of Alex Bregman was met with considerable resistance Monday when Rafael Devers said he wouldn’t cede third base. Devers is a three-time All-Star and has played the hot corner for Boston since 2017 and himself received a major deal just two years ago. The Red Sox signed Bregman on Saturday to a three-year, $120 million contract that includes a $5 million signing bonus. A two-time All-Star, Bregman has hit more than 20 home runs each of the past three seasons.

Bregman gets salaries of $35 million this year and $40 million in each of the next two years, and $60 million will be deferred: $20 million annually.

NASCAR

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon wants a “Days of Thunder” sequel and said at Daytona International Speedway that he’s been in touch with Tom Cruise about making the project come to life. The Hollywood Reporter reported in November that Cruise had talked to Paramount about a follow-up to his 1990 NASCAR racing film. The original was a critically panned summer blockbuster that was largely lampooned throughout the NASCAR industry for its exaggeration and overindulgence.

Gordon said he had talked to Cruise about another “Thunder” movie. Gordon could have inspired Cruise’s Cole Trickle back in the day, though the character was loosely based on the late Tim Richmond. Gordon, now vice chairman at Hendrick Motorsports, won the Daytona 500 on Sunday with team owner Rick Hendrick and driver William Byron.