LOS ANGELES -- The Chargers released outside linebacker Joey Bosa on Wednesday night, cutting ties with their longest-tenured player and one of the best in franchise history.

The move saves them $25.36 million in cap space.

Bosa, 29, was selected by the Chargers with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft. His 72 career sacks in the regular season rank second in franchise history behind Leslie O'Neal (105.5).

Bosa was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016, posting 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. He quickly emerged as one of the league's best edge rushers, making four Pro Bowls in his first six seasons. He set an NFL record with 19 sacks in his first 20 games.

The Chargers rewarded Bosa with a five-year, $135 million contract extension in 2020, a deal that at the time was the richest for a defensive player in NFL history. But injuries have plagued him since; he has played in just 28 games over the past three seasons.

Still, Bosa was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl in 2024, albeit as an alternate, and his 14 games played were his most since 2021. When healthy, he has remained an effective pass rusher; in the Chargers' playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January, he had a team-high six pressures and one sack.

Bosa made it clear throughout the season that he wanted to be a Charger for life, and he took a pay cut last offseason to stay with the team. Still, he was projected to have a $36.4 million cap hit this season, which always seemed untenable for the Chargers, who with his release now have $90.6 million in cap space.

Bosa will navigate free agency for the first time in his career. Earlier in the offseason, he discussed the potential of playing with his younger brother Nick, a five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher with the San Francisco 49ers.

"It'd be cool at some point," Bosa said then. "I always thought of myself being somebody that will play here and retire here, which I think not many people do on one team, and I think it would be a cool thing to accomplish, but you never know."

BOSTON -- Payton Pritchard and Derrick White have been mostly glue guys during their time with the Boston Celtics, filling in gaps and providing sparks when necessary.

But with starters Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis sitting out Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, the two players raised their games.

Pritchard scored a career-high 43 points and had a career-best 10 3-pointers to lead the short-handed Celtics past the Trail Blazers 128-118.

White added career highs with 41 points and nine 3s, making Pritchard and White the first Celtics duo to score 40 or more points in the same game.

They also became the first pair of teammates in NBA history to each record their first career 40-point game in the same game and the first duo in NBA history with nine or more 3-pointers each in a game.

Pritchard also had 10 rebounds, making him the first player in NBA history with at least 40 points, 10 3-pointers and 10 rebounds in a regulation game. Damian Lillard and James Harden did it in overtime games.

"I think the work over time has built up to supreme confidence," Pritchard said. "Then having my teammates and coaches to have the confidence in me now to allow me to have nights like this. ... It just builds and builds and finally you see it on nights like this."

Even sweeter? The Oregon native did it against the team he grew up watching.

"It's always fun playing the Blazers," Pritchard said.

White said hitting three consecutive 3s in the second quarter was what got him going.

"Credit to my teammates who kept finding me in good positions, and I was able to stay hot," he said.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said the night Pritchard and White had was a testament to their work ethic.

"They were tremendous," Mazzulla said. "The way those two played shows a lot about who they are. ... We're lucky to have them, and it was a lot of fun to watch them do that."

Pritchard added five assists, becoming the first player to record at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a game off the bench since starters were first tracked in 1970-71. His 10 3-pointers tied for the second most in a game in Celtics history and gave him his 20th game this season with at least five 3s, a first in Celtics history.

In a postgame locker room video posted by the Celtics, the team celebrated White's night by showering him with water. Pritchard stayed dry during the clip. But he said that was because he was still drying off.

"They got me on the court when I was doing an interview," Pritchard said. "I already got a bunch of water thrown on me. It was cold. We wanted to make sure we got D-White, too. He had a great night as well."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CLEVELAND -- Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Darius Garland had 10 assists and the Cleveland Cavaliers survived some sloppiness in the final two minutes to win their 12th straight game 112-107 over the banged-up Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

With the victory, the Cavs became the first NBA team to clinch a playoff berth. They did so in 62 games, second only in an 82-game season in franchise history behind the 2008-09 Cavs, who clinched in 60 games, according to ESPN Research.

The Cavs also became the second team in NBA history to record three 12-game win streaks in a season, joining the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks.

"It's special. This is really special," coach Kenny Atkinson said. "We know what we're going to be judged on but we have to enjoy a season like this."

The win wasn't easy as the Heat, who were missing several rotational players, led 107-106 with 2:55 left. But Miami didn't score again, and Duncan Robinson's apparent tying 3-pointer with 17.4 seconds left was waved off because he stepped out of bounds.

Bam Adebayo scored a season-high 34 points for Miami, which was without leading scorer Tyler Herro. It was Adebayo's second game with 30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 60% shooting this season.

The Heat were already missing Jaime Jaquez Jr. (ankle sprain), Nikola Jovic (broken hand), Kel'el Ware (knee sprain) and Andrew Wiggins (ankle sprain) before Herro came down with a head cold in the past 24 hours.

Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter added 16 points apiece for Cleveland.

Miami's Kevin Love played his first game in Cleveland since signing with the Heat two years ago. The 36-year-old Love received a rousing ovation from Cavs fans, who will never forget his major role in helping the team win the 2016 NBA title. Love was saluted with a video tribute during a timeout in the first quarter.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MILWAUKEE -- Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd called Kyrie Irving's torn ACL a "freak accident" and refuted any perceived connection between the star guard's increased playing time and the injury.

In the 10 games before Irving was hurt Monday against the Sacramento Kings, he was averaging 39.3 minutes (up from 35.9), the most in the NBA during that span, which began after Dallas' trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Speaking before Wednesday night's matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, Kidd said he did not appreciate any connections drawn between Irving's uptick in playing time and the season-ending injury.

"We're talking about one play," he said. "Not many before that. It's a freak accident, that's how it should be reported. We're reporting on conspiracy theories. We want our stars to play. This isn't supposed to be a rest league."

Irving had been the Mavs' most consistent player this season. He was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 36.1 minutes, and had played in 50 of the team's 62 games. He was selected to his ninth All-Star team in February.

"Kai is our leader," Kidd said. "Kai also was playing at a high level; maybe some of the best basketball that he's played in his career. We can't talk from both sides and say our stars don't play enough minutes and guys don't play enough. They rest. But now we're saying they play too much."

Dallas already is playing without Anthony Davis, who left his only game with the team on Feb. 8 because of a groin injury. Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and Kai Jones also have been out.

Against the Bucks, the Mavericks had only eight healthy players available and ended up losing, 137-107.

Veteran infielder Jose Iglesias has agreed to terms on a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres, a source confirmed to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez amid multiple reports.

The contract includes an invitation to major league spring training. He will make $3 million in 2025 if he makes the major league roster.

Iglesias, 35, sparked the New York Mets on and off the field last year on their run to the National League Championship Series.

On the field, he hit .337 with four home runs and 26 RBIs and became the Mets' starting second baseman in September and the playoffs after Jeff McNeil fractured his wrist. After signing a minor league contract with the Mets last offseason, he was called up on May 31 and helped spark a turnaround for the club, which was 10 games under .500 at the time.

Off the field, his hit song "OMG" was embraced in the Mets' clubhouse and by the team's fans. The Mets even had an "OMG" sign in the dugout to celebrate big moments.

A veteran of 12 seasons, Iglesias is a career .283 hitter and has 51 home runs and 392 RBIs.

Emma Raducanu will begin a trial period with Slovakian coach Vladimir Platenik when she plays her first-round match at Indian Wells on Thursday.

The 49-year-old was coaching Lulu Sun when the New Zealand qualifier beat Raducanu in the fourth round of Wimbledon last July.

Platenik worked with compatriot Dominika Cibulkova when she reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2009, and has also coached Russians Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova.

Loughborough Academy coach Tom Welsh agreed to join Raducanu for Indian Wells, but that was billed as a one-off arrangement.

Raducanu, who has been without a permanent coach since Nick Cavaday stood down for health reasons after January's Australian Open, plays Japan's Moyuka Uchijima in her opening Indian Wells match.

"I don't want to rush into anything, but I'm looking, I'm finding options and setting trials up," Raducanu, 22, told BBC Sport before the tournament.

"I think once I have a structure in place, I will feel very set - whereas in the Middle East it was very difficult for me because I didn't really have any direction or [advice on] which tournaments to play, and it was very difficult doing it all on my own.

"I'm that kind of person who needs a plan and needs preparation. That's what I'm building and that's making me feel more comfortable."

Raducanu has won just one match since Cavaday's departure but also had to deal with a man who followed her to four tournaments before being issued with a restraining order by Dubai Police.

South African back row James Venter will join Gloucester from Durban-based Sharks ahead of next season.

The 28-year-old began his career at Lions in Johannesburg before moving to Sharks in 2020, where he has made 46 appearances.

"I'm pleased to have signed for Gloucester Rugby next season. I was really impressed by the vision the club has for the future, and I'm looking forward to playing my part in that," Venter told Gloucester's website., external

"I've heard amazing things about Kingsholm and the incredible support from the fans. That played a huge role in my decision to move to England. I can't wait to experience it all first-hand."

Gloucester are third in the Premiership table, level on points with fourth-placed Leicester Tigers.

They visit leaders Bath when the league returns after the completion of the Six Nations on Saturday, 22 March.

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus says he will make use of assistant Felix Jones' new knowledge of England and their northern-hemisphere rivals, but denied the Irishman's short-lived stint at Twickenham was part of any deliberate ploy.

Jones won back-to-back Rugby World Cup in South Africa's set-up before joining up with England as defence coach in January 2024.

However, he quit after only seven months and his return to South Africa's staff was announced last week.

"I don't want people to think it was at all a plan to get him over there and come back again," said Erasmus.

"We all hoped for him that it would work out and I can't comment on why it didn't work out at England. But getting him back is fantastic, because we never wanted to lose him."

Jones previously had a remit with South Africa that focused on attack and core skills, but Erasmus says the 37-year-old's time concentrating on defence in a different environment would make him an even greater asset to the Springboks.

"Obviously Felix will have learned a lot and we would love him to share some of those things with us," he added.

"We do think there are little things we have missed where we can do better and Felix is going to play a pretty vital role in that. There is not one coach who didn't send me a list of things that he wants Felix to be involved with in in his department."