It’s been a down year for Pac-12 basketball, making the conference tournament the last hope for several teams in their quest to earn a spot in March Madness. At the moment, Washington (24-7, 15-3 in Pac-12) and Arizona State (21-9, 12-6) may be the only teams that don’t need to win the Pac-12 Tournament. MORE: Watch Pac-12 tournament games live with fuboTV (7-day trial) Despite the absence of any top 25 teams, there are several first-round draft prospects in the conference, namely Luguentz Dort (Arizona State), KZ Okpala (Stanford), Kris Wilkes (UCLA), Jaylen Nowell (Washington) and Kevin Porter Jr....

Lance Stephenson added 17 points and eight assists for the Pacers, who won the series 4-2 over the Wizards. They will host Game 1 against the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat on Sunday. Indiana took the Heat to seven games in the conference finals a year ago. The Wizards took a one-point lead with 8½ minutes to play, but they scored only two field goals the rest of the way as the Pacers closed with a 20-6 run....

As the Pacers listen to potential trades for George, Indiana has to prepare to rebuild without the four-time All-Star. One of the more entertaining subplots of the Paul George saga is a possible Pacers rebuild that features Lance Stephenson at point guard, according to the Indianapolis Star’s Gregg Doyel. MORE: Clippers interested in Paul George trade Aside from a 26-game stint with the Grizzlies, Stephenson has undoubtedly been at his best when playing in a Pacers uniform....

We’ll need to time travel to 1986-87 to find the Oilers’ last division championship. Back then, of course, Edmonton stomped around the Smythe Division, led by one Wayne Gretzky, who at 26 led the NHL with a casual 183 points. The world didn’t welcome Connor McDavid for another 10 years. A lot has changed since then, which would make it remarkable all the more if the Oilers are able to win the Pacific 31 years later....

Packers star Aaron Rodgers spoke with reporters Monday about the reactions Luck received from the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium as he left the field. Rodgers felt Luck deserved better. “I thought it would’ve been more of a standing ovation type thing and a thank you than boos," Rodgers said, via The Athletic. “I said it this morning. I 100% respect him immensely for his decision. I salute him for choosing quality of life, and he’s a fantastic player....

Rodgers reached the milestone in his 193rd NFL appearance as the Packers downed the struggling Eagles 30-16 on Sunday. The two-time MVP and one-time Super Bowl champion became the seventh QB to achieve the feat, but quicker than Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Brett Favre and Philip Rivers after finding teammate Davante Adams in the third quarter. After throwing three touchdown passes, Rodgers also became the first player in league history with 35-plus TD passes in five different seasons....

Matthews, one of the game’s elite edge pass rushers, has had to line up at inside linebacker the past two years as the Packers worked to bolster their poor run defense. MORE: 18 high-impact rookies | Cam Newton reveals incredible gift from Muhammad Ali The run defense did improve, but at a cost: The Pack lost the rushing threat that Matthews brings from the outside. But now, with a recent draft pick ready to take his place in the middle (Stanford linebacker Blake Martinez, No....

For the Packers, running back Aaron Jones (calf) is a game-time decision. With Jamaal Williams and AJ Dillon on the COVID-19 list, it would be a committee of scat-back Tyler Ervin and second-year back Dexter Williams against a tough run defense if Jones can’t go. On the more positive news, wide receiver Allen Lazard (core) is expected to be activated from IR to start opposite Davante Adams to give quarterback Aaron Rodgers another key target....

Vegas odds have the Seahawks as -340 favorites this Sunday, indicating about a 77 percent chance of winning. AccuScore data, while it doesn’t pick a different winner, does expect the game to be much more competitive. AccuScore gives Seattle a 59.5 percent chance of winning. AccuScore data would have Seattle listed as -145 favorites. As far as the Packers are concerned, some Vegas shops have them priced at +280. However, the simulation data suggests Green Bay has a 40....

Thinking everything was going to be an easy road now that the fight was made is a different story. MORE: Classic photos of Pacquiao’s career | Mayweather says he is better than Ali With 12 days left before the fight, tickets still haven’t gone on sale at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Sporting News has reached out to MGM Grand Garden officials as to when tickets go on sale, but as of this writing, no response has been written....

Pacquiao told Huffington Post Live that he has agreed to a contract for the bout, confirming earlier reports. MORE: Mayweather taunts Pacquiao | Superbook posts odds | Pacquiao vs. Algieri photos “My promoter and his promoters, there’s negotiations already and there is an understanding,” Pacquiao said about 10 1/2 minutes into the video. “I heard there’s an understanding already. We’re just waiting for the signed contract from them.” The boxing world has been waiting five years for these two to meet, and even though great progress has been made, a bout remains far off....

The Padres’ National League Rookie of the Year candidate will be sent down in an effort to limit his innings, the team announced. Paddack is 4-4 with a 3.15 ERA this season with 72 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings. The 23-year-old has never thrown more than 90 innings in a season. San Diego is 33-34 on the season and 11 1/2 games back of the Dodgers for first place in the NL West....

The wait continued today for the royal family to address claims one of their number expressed concern over whether Meghan and Harry’s offspring would be “too dark.” Yesterday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed support for Queen Elizabeth II—yet her views on the allegations facing her family are still unknown. British newspaper of record The Times reported the 94-year-old monarch refused to sign off a statement yesterday, saying she needed more time to consider her reaction....

Paleo Diet Guidelines As the role of inflammation in many health conditions is gaining attention, diets such as the Paleo diet have become an increasingly popular strategy for reducing inflammation. Paleo diets, also known as “ancestral eating” or “caveman diets,” have varying interpretations. These diets generally emphasize: Whole foods in their original, unprocessed formsGrass-fed, hormone-free meats, eggs, and seafoodPesticide-free and otherwise organic vegetablesSome fruit, nuts, and seeds Paleo diets usually recommend avoiding foods that commonly trigger inflammation, allergies, food sensitivities, and other reactions, including:...

Faced with these challenges, the top Palestinian negotiator told Newsweek on Thursday that other Arab powers should not follow in Abu Dhabi’s footsteps until the longstanding Middle East conflict was resolved in accordance with international agreements. “The Arab League not approving a condemnation of the UAE-Israel normalization deal doesn’t mean or suggest a consent for member states to normalize relations with Israel,” Saeb Erekat, head of the Palestine Liberation Organization - Negotiations Affairs Department, told Newsweek....

While Newton was unable to lead Carolina to a Super Bowl title, the 2015 NFL MVP was voted by his peers as the league’s top player. MORE: Teams closest to winning their first Super Bowl NFL Network revealed the top 10 players on its Top 100 Players of 2016 list on Wednesday night. Last year’s No. 1 player, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, came in at No. 3. Between Watt and Newton was Patriots quarterback Tom Brady....

And you’re surprised? Carolina’s 2014 offensive situation is a perfect storm of ugliness, and while Newton has issues of his own, the quarterback is just a little rain. The Week 10 loss, an unfortunately accurate representation of Carolina’s issues, shed further, inevitable light on how bad the offensive line is. The unit literally ranks last with a -54.2 pass block rating, according to Pro Football Focus. Left tackle Byron Bell and right tackle Nate Chandler have allowed six and seven sacks on the season, respectively....

Line: Seahawks -7, Total: 40.5 Line movement: Seattle opened as a 5.5-point favorite at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook last Sunday and was bet up to -7 by Monday. That’s where the line sat across town on Friday. The over-under, which opened at 41 points, has toggled back-and-forth between its initial offering and 40.5. Visit our odds page for updated NFL point spreads and totals. Trends that matter: The OVER is 4-0 when the Panthers play in Seattle; they are 1-3 ATS in those games…....

Nearly three years ago, the Red Sox made Thompson their 18th-round pick in the MLB Draft. But it’s safe to say the Panthers will get more out of Thursday night’s pick (25th overall) than the Red Sox ever did. Before turning his attention back to football full-time at the University of Washington, Thompson put together what has to be one of the worst professional baseball careers in history. MORE: Recapping the first round of the NFL Draft | Baseball’s best rookies so far in 2015...