NBA – National Basketball Association

Last Night

Phoenix Suns 127, Chicago Bulls 124

Suns 127, Bulls 124 – Booker scores 38, NBA-best Suns hang on, beat Bulls 127-124

Devin Booker scored 38 points, and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns hung on to beat the Chicago Bulls 127-124. The Suns led by as many as 27 points in the third quarter and withstood a push down the stretch to win for the 13th time in 14 games. They improved to 43-10 overall and a league-leading 21-5 on the road. Chris Paul added 19 points and 11 assists. JaVale McGee finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Mikal Bridges scored 15. Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan scored 38, coming off a season-high 45-point performance in Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia. Zach LaVine added 32 points after missing the previous two games because of back spasms.

Tonight

Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m.

Detroit Pistons at Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m.

NFL – Texans hire veteran coach Smith as new head coach

Lovie Smith has been hired as the new head coach of the Houston Texans. Smith, who is Black, is the second minority candidate to be hired this offseason after the Miami Dolphins hired San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who is biracial, on Sunday. Smith spent last season as Houston’s associate head coach and defensive coordinator. He takes over for David Culley, who is also Black, and was fired after just one season.

NFL – AP sources: Saints tab Dennis Allen to replace Sean Payton

Two people familiar with the decision say the New Orleans Saints have promoted defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to head coach. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Saints have not announced their chosen replacement for Sean Payton, who resigned nearly two weeks ago after 16 years with the club. The 49-year-old Allen is in his second stint with the Saints. He was their secondary coach when they won the Super Bowl in the 2009 season. He was the Oakland Raiders' head coach from 2012 to 2014 before returning to New Orleans in 2015.

NFL – Bears hire Cardinals assistant Dray as tight ends coach

The Chicago Bears have hired Arizona assistant Jim Dray as tight ends coach. Dray joins new coach Matt Eberflus’ staff after spending the past three seasons as an offensive quality control coach with Cleveland in 2019 and the Cardinals in 2020 and 2021. He was an offensive assistant at his alma mater Stanford in 2018. The 35-year-old Dray played eight seasons in the NFL as a tight end with the Cardinals, Cleveland, Buffalo and San Francisco. The Bears also announced Monday they are raising season-ticket package prices by 6% because they are scheduled to play a ninth regular-season home game instead of a second preseason matchup at Soldier Field.

NFL – Goodell, civil rights leaders meet over Rooney Rule

A group of civil rights leaders called for replacing the Rooney Rule in a meeting Monday with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial, National Action Network Founder and President Rev. Al Sharpton, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation President and CEO Melanie Campbell, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, and National African American Clergy Network co-convener Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner requested the meeting after former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores accused the NFL and three teams — the Giants, Broncos and Dolphins — of racial discrimination in a proposed class-action lawsuit last week.

NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball

Tonight

(14) Wisconsin at (17) Michigan State, 7:00 p.m.     Superhits 103.7 Cosy-FM 6:00

Western Michigan at Miami (OH), 7:00 p.m.

Central Michigan at Ball State, 7:00 p.m.

Eastern Michigan at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.

Michigan at Penn State, 9:00 p.