SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Stars have been front-and-center at Super Bowl 60, from Chris Pratt and Jon Bon Jovi introducing the teams to a series of soaring pre-game performances.

Highlights from Levi’s Stadium include Blue Ivy Carter leaping in an end zone before the game and Green Day delivering a tribute to the NFL championship game’s 60th anniversary.

Brandi Carlile kept it sincere and simple for “America, the Beautiful,” Charlie Puth made “The Star-Spangled Banner” big and soulful and Coco Jones brought a bit of the elements of both to “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Bad Bunny’s upcoming halftime performance is a highly anticipated moment to come.

Green Day brings Bay rock — and an f-bomb — to an MVP parade

San Francisco Bay Area punk-pop vets Green Day took the pre-game stage and performed a snippet of their song “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” to a parade of former Super Bowl MVPs.

Local heroes Steve Young, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice were among those who walked out during the song meant to celebrate 60 years of Super Bowls.

Billie Joe Armstong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool then blasted into the harder and less sentimental stuff, including “Holiday,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “American Idiot.”

Armstrong did not censor the f-word in the lyrics of “American Idiot.” The word was muted on the NBC telecast but drew loud cheers inside the stadium.

Carlile and Puth deliver patriotic moments ahead of kickoff

Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth delivered a sweeping and soulful rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The 34-year-old from New Jersey stood at a Rhodes electric piano as he sang and was backed by a choir and horn section.

His delivery felt slow and deliberate but it took him 1 minute, 56 seconds to sing, which is slightly faster than average for a Super Bowl anthem.

Before that, Brandi Carlile gave an earnest acoustic rendition of “America, the Beautiful.”

The 44-year-old folk and country rocker wore a black suit and was backed by a violin and cello on the field at Levi Stadium.

The Grammy winner told the AP this week that she’d use no prerecorded tracks, saying “the people deserve to have you live.”

After the song Carlile, who is from Ravensdale, Washington, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) outside Seattle said she was “relieved, and so excited for the Seahawks baby let’s go!”

Coco Jones opens Super Bowl 60 performances with ‘Lift Every Voice’

Coco Jones, a 28-year-old singer-songwriter and actor from Columbia, South Carolina wore a white gown and was backed by a string octet as she performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song that has become known as the unofficial Black national anthem.

“I feel really amazing, I hope that I did my ancestors proud, and I hope that I inspired the nation to come together,” Jones told the AP just after the song.

She FaceTimed with her mom on the sideline ater the performance while her fiance, Cleveland Cavaliers player Donovan Mitchell, held the phone.

Written by James Weldon Johnson, the song has been performed at the Super Bowl each year since 2021, the first Super Bowl after the protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd, when Black Lives Matter sentiment, and the song, became especially prominent.

Celebrities spotted at Super Bowl 60

Chris Pratt rocked a Seahawks jersey while attending the Super Bowl and gave a rousing introduction to the team before they ran out onto the field.

On the opposite side of the field, Jon Bon Jovi delivered the Patriots’ intro.

Stars including Travis Scott and Jay-Z were on the sidelines ahead of the game. Jay-Z’s daugther, Blue Ivy Carter, leaped in one of the end zones to take a photo.

Among those sitting in suites watching the game were Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber and Adam Sandler.

Bad Bunny awaits his big moment

Bad Bunny will look to distill a 10-year career and a heavy load of cultural expectations into a 13-minute halftime show when he takes the stage at halftime.

The 31-year-old has been rising to every moment in a monumental year. A week ago he won the Grammy for album of the year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” a love letter to his native Puerto Rico that was the most streamed release of 2025.

Now, he takes on a performance that by its very existence is a landmark for Latino culture.

He said this week that fans didn’t need to learn Spanish to enjoy his set — but they should be prepared to dance.

___

Dalton reported from Los Angeles.

We already discussed one part of the return for Merrill Kelly in this series, when we covered Kohl Drake. Bratt was also received from Texas for their short-term loan of Kelly. While he is three years younger than Drake, having turned 22 in July, and is less likely to reach the majors this year, Mitch is still seen as among our better pitching prospects. Fangraphs had him in their top 10 arms, while Prospects 1500 were even more bullish, ranking Bratt as Arizona’s fifth-best pitcher (and it was perilously close there: Bratt was #13 overall, with the pitchers ahead of him occupying spots #9-12).

Mitch’s best talent is his control. He just doesn’t walk many batters: last year at Double-A, he issued only 21 free passes across 122.1 innings of work. His K:BB for the year was better than seven, and he actually improved on that after the trade. Small sample size warning, but in Amarillo, he had a K:BB ratio of 42:5 across 31.2 innings for the Sod Poodles. That 8.4 ratio was easily the best of any Arizona prospect in 2025 – nobody else, regardless of innings pitched, was able even to reach 7.0. Purely on walk rate alone, Bratt was tied for the lowest figure of anyone with 10+ IP in the D-backs’ system.

That’s the good news. The bad news is, his strike-throwing comes with a cost: a lot of hard contact. All told, Mitch allowed almost as many home-runs (18) as walks (21) last year. His fastball typically sits around 91 mph, and none of his pitches appear to be particularly outstanding at this point. Fangraphs rates them all 45-50, with the latter grade seen as the ceiling across the board. It seems that Bratt is going to need to learn how to pitch, in order to be successful, because he won’t be blowing the ball past batters based on stuff alone. That mean mixing up his offerings and locations, in order to keep hitters off balance, while continuing to show the good control he has done thus far.

While the fact he is a left-handed pitcher certainly raises his profile, the addition to the 40-man roster in November was likely more to do with Mitch being Rule 5 eligible, rather than immediate plans for him in the big leagues. Despite his young age, Bratt has already completed five years in the minors, having been drafted out of high school. He was picked by Texas in the fifth round of the 2021 draft, out of Georgia Premier Academy. I think he may start the year in Double-A again, mostly because the Reno Aces rotation appears full: Cristian Mena, Kohl Drake, Dylan Ray, Spencer Giesting and Yu-Min Lin are probably ahead of Mitch on our current depth chart.

As mentioned in our World Baseball Classic articles, Bratt is Canadian, though his appearance in the 2023 WBC did not go well. If he reaches the majors here, he won’t quite be a pioneers, but it’s close. The D-backs have only had one pitcher born in Canada across their history. It was Adam Loewen, who made eight appearances in relief, as part of the 2016 squad. It didn’t go well – a 15.00 ERA. So Bratt definitely has a shot at becoming our most successful pitcher from North of the border. [Since you ask, there have been three such position players. Most recently, of course, was Josh Naylor: but before him, Arizona was home to Jamie Romak and Danny Klassen]

Free agent Cam Thomas has agreed to a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The terms for the deal were not initially disclosed.

Thomas averaged 21.4 points per game over the past three seasons with the Brooklyn Nets.

The 24-year-old guard was waived by the Nets on Thursday, Feb. 5, after the trade deadline.

He had signed a one-year, $5.9 million qualifying offer in September and was set to become a free agent after the season.

Thomas is expected to help bolster a Milwaukee roster that still features Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo was a popular name in trade rumors leading up to the deadline but was not traded by the Bucks.

Cam Thomas 2026 stats

Cam Thomas averaged 15.6  points, 3.1 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 24 games played for the Nets this season.

When was Cam Thomas drafted?

Thomas was drafted by the Nets in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft with the 27th overall pick.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cam Thomas signs with Milwaukee Bucks as free agent

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kasparas Jakucionis was 6 for 6 from 3-point range and scored 22 points, Bam Adebayo also had 22 and the Miami Heat routed the Washington Wizards 132-101 on Sunday.

Norman Powell added 21 points for Miami, and Kel’el Ware had 19 points and 14 rebounds. The Heat snapped a two-game losing streak and added to their team record with a 14th 130-plus point effort of the season.

Andrew Wiggins had 11 points and 10 rebounds as eighth-place Miami closed within a half-game of seventh-place Orlando in the Eastern Conference.

Tristan Vukcevic had 14 points to lead Washington. The Wizards lost back-to-back games for the first time since a nine-game slide from Jan. 7-24.

Alex Sarr added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards, who saw both Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly depart early with injuries.

KNICKS 111, CELTICS 89

BOSTON (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 31 points and Josh Hart added 19 to help New York beat the cold-shooting Boston.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who never trailed over the final 42 minutes. Mikal Bridges (14 points) and recently acquired Jose Alvarado (12 points) rounded out the double-digit scorers for New York, which shot 14 of 45 (40%) from behind the 3-point line.

Jaylen Brown socred 26 points and Derrick White added 19 for the Celtics, who saw their five-game winning streak snapped, Baylor Scheierman started in place for the injured Sam Hauser and finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

Boston shot 37% for the game and was 7-of-41 (17.1%) from behind the arc.

The matchup pitted two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, with Boston entering with a one-game lead over New York for second place. They’ll meet one more time during the regular season on April 9 in New York.

CLIPPERS 115, TIMBERWOLVES 96

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 41 points and eight rebounds and Los Angeles beat the slumping Minnesota.

John Collins had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser also scored 15 points. The Clippers took command with a 17-3 run closing out the third quarter.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 23 points, and Julius Randle had 17. The Timberwolves have lost three of their last four, all to sub-.500 opponents. Minnesota made just 8 of 33 3-point attempts and committed 20 turnovers while being held under 100 points for just the second time this season.

Ayo Dosunmu, making his Timberwolves debut after being acquired in a trade with Chicago, had 11 points and two steals.

RAPTORS 122, PACERS 104

TORONTO (AP) — Scottie Barnes had 25 points and 14 rebounds to help Toronto beat Indiana.

Barnes was 12 of 20 from the field and had six assists, four blocks and two steals in 33 minutes. Toronto won its second straight to move 10 games above .500 at 32-22.

RJ Barrett had 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Sandro Mamukelashvili added 17 points.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 18 points, Jay Huff had 15 and Jarace Walker 13. Last in the Eastern Conference, the injury-ravaged Pacers have lost four straight to fall to 13-40.

Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts
Monday, February 9
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
8:30 p.m.

Oregon at Indiana — FS1

NBA BASKETBALL
10 p.m.

Philadelphia at Portland — KUNP Portland, NBCS Philadelphia, BlazerVision, NBA League Pass

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV.

The Mets and MJ Melendez agreed to a one year, $1.5m deal (with $500k in incentives) in the twilight of the 2026 offseason, giving the Mets another option to fill out their bench, and giving Melendez a legitimate shot to open the 2026 season on a Major League roster. According to Will Sammon of The Athletic it is a split deal, meaning his salary differs depending on whether he is in the big leagues or in the minor leagues.

Melendez, now 27, spent his entire professional career up until now with the Kansas City Royals. The Daytona Beach, Florida native was drafted in the second round by the Royals in 2017, forgoing a commitment to Florida International University to turn pro. He eventually became one of the best prospects in the sport, earning Top 100 prospect status from Baseball Prospectus (#35), Baseball America (#42) and MLB Pipeline (#51) prior to the 2022 season, then as a catcher. He eventually made his debut in 2022, moving positions and converting to the corner outfield, where he has been a regular part of the Royals Major League roster, until last season.

He never reached the heights he did as a prospect in the Majors, putting together three okay seasons at the plate (97 wRC+ in 2022, 93 wRC+ in 2023, 86 wRC+ in 2024) before falling off a cliff in 2025, hitting .083/.154/.167 (-14 wRC+) in 23 games before getting sent to Triple-A for the remainder of the season. He was non-tendered after the season, and became a free agent. He comes to the Mets a career 215/.297/.388 hitter, with 52 home runs in 435 games, good for an 88 wRC+.

The Mets were in clear need of someone who can handle the corner outfield, especially after the acquisition of Luis Robert Jr. and the continued presence of Tyrone Taylor (and, frankly, the likely debut of Carson Benge) leaving them completely covered in center field. They could also use someone who could hit left handed off the bench, as their roster became right-handed heavy over the course of the offseason.

For the Mets, Melendez represents a chance to get some pop off the bench, and a chance to recapture some of his former Top 100 prospect status that he had not too long ago. He also put together some roughly league average season as a Major Leaguer, and that is a welcome development from a bench player if they can get him back to that. He can serve as cover in the corner outfield, perhaps first base (again, according to Sammon), and will likely serve has the emergency catcher if he does make the roster. He will be a project for the new hitting apparatus of Jeff Albert and Troy Snitker. He also, according to FanGraphs, still has an option remaining, which still leaves David Stearns open to acquiring someone else for the role and stashing Melendez in Syracuse.

For Melendez, the Mets represent a competitive environment that has a pretty open bench spot, so the combination of being on a Major League roster on a good team on Opening Day is likely too good to pass up for him.

North Carolina basketball picked up a thrilling win over rivalDuke on Saturday, Feb. 7, but will feel its pockets getting lighter as a result.

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Sunday, Feb. 8, that it was fining the Tar Heels $50,000 for fans storming the court at Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, following Seth Trimble’s game-winning shot.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracketology projection NCAA tournament sees Kansas on rise

“The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that the University of North Carolina has been fined for violation of the league’s event security policy at the conclusion of its men’s basketball game versus Duke University on February 7,” the league wrote in a news release.

“The conference’s event security policy is designed to protect the safety and well-being of all student-athletes, coaches, officials and fans.”

The fine is $50,000 for UNC, as it was the first offense for the program. The penalty increases to $100,000 for a second offense and is $200,000 for each subsequent offense within two years.

All fines for storming the court or rushing the field that are collected under the policy are directed to the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Fund, which benefits ACC student-athletes pursuing graduate education.

In addition to the court storming, following the game, Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer alleged that members of his staff “got punched in the face.”

“It’s hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned for the safety of our players,” Scheyer said. “I don’t wanna make it about that, but … I got staff members that got punched in the face … That’s not what this game is about. That was a scary ending.”

The University of North Carolina did not respond to USA TODAY Sports’ request for comment on the claim from Scheyer.

Fans actually stormed the court on two separate occasions. Fans first rushed the court following Timble’s 3-pointer, but the clock still showed 0.4 seconds remaining in the game. They rushed the court once again after the clock officially hit triple zeroes, however, it was treated as one incident by the conference.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UNC basketball fined by ACC for fans storming court after Duke win

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 41 points and eight rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the slumping Minnesota Timberwolves 115-96 on Sunday.

John Collins had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser also scored 15 points. The Clippers took command with a 17-3 run closing out the third quarter.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 23 points, and Julius Randle had 17. The Timberwolves have lost three of their last four, all to sub-.500 opponents. Minnesota made just 8 of 33 3-point attempts and committed 20 turnovers while being held under 100 points for just the second time this season.

Ayo Dosunmu, making his Timberwolves debut after being acquired in a trade with Chicago, had 11 points and two steals.

The Timberwolves were coming off one of their most frustrating losses of the season, when they blew an 18-point third-quarter lead in a home loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans.

The first half was more of the same for Minnesota. Leonard scored 24 points and helped key an 18-2 run late in the second quarter that give the Clippers a 54-42 lead.

Minnesota made just 3 of 18 3-point attempts and committed 13 turnovers in the first half. Edwards was 0 for 6 on 3s and turned it over a team-high four times in the first half.

Los Angeles played without its two key trade deadline acquisitions. Darius Garland, who arrived from Cleveland in the James Harden trade, remained sidelined with a sprained big toe on his right foot. The Clippers had already said wingman Bennedict Mathurin, picked up in a swap with the Pacers, wouldn’t debut with his new team until Tuesday in Houston.

Up next

Clippers: At Houston on Tuesday night.

Timberwolves: Host Atlanta on Monday night

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Jade Masogayo’s three-point play with two seconds remaining lifted Colorado to a stunning 80-79 victory over No. 14 TCU on Sunday, denying the Horned Frogs a spot at the top of the Big 12 Conference.

After Donovyn Hunter’s driving layup gave TCU a 79-77 lead with five seconds remaining, Masogayo took a sideline inbounds pass, drove the right side of the lane and made a short bank shot to tie the score. Kennedy Basham was called for a foul on the play and Masogayo sank the and-1 for the win.

TCU led 76-70 after a layup by Olivia Miles with about three minutes remaining. Colorado scored the next five points, then Miles made a free throw for a 77-75 lead with 50 seconds left. Masagayo made two tying free throws with 24 seconds left.

Masaqayo scored a career-high 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting plus 9 of 10 free throws. Desiree Wooten added 19 points, Logyn Greer 17 and Zyanna Walker 15 for the Buffaloes (16-8, 7-5 Big 12). Masagayo topped her previous best of 22 points against TCU last season.

Miles matched her season high with 31 points. Marta Suarez scored 20 and Hunter 17 for TCU (21-4, 9-3). With a win, TCU would have shared first place with 15th-ranked Baylor, which is 10-2 in the conference.

TCU took its first lead of the game, 37-34, on a 3-pointer by Suarez to open the third quarter. Colorado never led in the third but 10 points from Greer helped keep it close, 67-62 heading to the fourth quarter.

Wooten scored 10 points in the first quarter and Colorado led 28-20 after one. It was 34-all at halftime.

Up next

TCU: The Horned Frogs visit Baylor on Thursday.

Colorado: at Houston on Wednesday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.