CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Julius Randle scored 30 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Charlotte Hornets 122-105 on Saturday night, their first victory since All-Star Anthony Edwards was sidelined with an injury.
Without Edwards, who has a right hamstring strain, Minnesota had lost home games to Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid added 18 points each, Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 15 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 14 points for Minnesota.
Miles Bridges had 30 points and LaMelo Ball had 18 points, seven rebounds and eight assists to lead Charlotte, which has lost its last three games.
KINGS 135, BUCKS 133
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Zach LaVine had 31 points, DeMar DeRozan scored 29, and Sacramento turned back a late rally to hold on for a victory over Milwaukee.
The Bucks, who trailed 108-102 entering the final period, pulled within 133-132 on Miles Turner’s 3-pointer from the right corner with 51 seconds remaining.
DeRozan missed a pullup jumper on the Kings next possession, but the Bucks failed to capitalize when Giannis Antetokounmpo turned it over with a poor pass with 19 seconds left.
Dennis Schroder hit two free throws with 14.8 seconds left to put the Kings up 135-132. A.J. Green missed a 3-pointer on the Bucks’ next possession. Green hit the first of two free throws with 1.1 seconds left, but the Bucks could not control the rebound.
Russell Westbrook scored on a put back to put the Kings up 126-118, but Antetokounmpo scored the Bucks’ next 11 points, cutting the lead to 131-129 with a breakaway dunk.
Domantas Sabonis had 24 points and 13 rebounds and Schroder had 24 points for the Kings.
Antetokounmpo, who did not play in the Bucks 120-110 win over Golden State on Thursday with left knee soreness, had 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in 32 minutes.
MAGIC 125, WIZARDS 94
WASHINGTON (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 28 points and 11 rebounds as Orlando beat Washington.
Banchero shot 9 for 15 from the field and went 3 of 6 from 3-point range in 26 minutes for his fourth double-double.
Wendell Carder Jr. added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Franz Wagner scored 25 points as the Magic won consecutive games after an early season four-game skid.
Orlando outrebounded Washington 53-40 — a margin that narrowed late — and held an opponent under 100 points for the first time this season. The Magic are 2-2 on their five-game trip and 3-4 overall.
Keyshawn George scored 17 points and CJ McCollum added 13 as the Wizards lost their fourth straight overall and third straight at home. Washington has dropped 11 consecutive games against the Magic.
PACERS 114, WARRIORS 109
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Quenton Jackson scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as Indiana snapped a season-opening five-game losing streak with a victory over the Golden State.
Aaron Nesmith scored 31 and Pascal Siakam added 27 for the Pacers.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 24 points. Jimmy Butler scored 20 points and Jonathan Kuminga 17 for Golden State.
ROCKETS 128, CELTICS 101
BOSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 26 points in three quarters before resting the fourth, Amen Thompson added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Houston beat Boston.
Alperen Sengun had 16 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Rockets. Jabari Smith Jr. and Josh Okogie each scored 12 as Houston won its third straight following an 0-2 start to the season and ended Boston’s three-game win streak.
Baylor Scheierman led Boston with 17 points. Payton Pritchard had 14 points, Josh Minott finished with 10 points and six rebounds and Jaylen Brown had 12 points for Boston, sitting out the fourth one night after leading the Celtics with 32 points in a 109-108 win at Philadelphia on Friday night.
PISTONS 122, MAVERICKS 110
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Jalen Duren had 33 points and 10 rebounds, Cade Cunningham added 21 points with 18 assists and Detroit pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Dallas Mavericks in Mexico City.
Duncan Robinson added 18 points and Ausar Thompson had 15 for the Pistons, who won their second game in a row.
D’Angelo Russell came off the bench to score 31 points while first overall pick Cooper Flagg scored a season high 16 points on 3-for-14 shooting for the Mavericks.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham, left, looks to pass against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV pushed back Monday on President Donald Trump’s broadside against him over the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, telling reporters that the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he doesn’t fear the Trump administration.
“To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,” Leo told The Associated Press aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria. “And I’m sorry to hear that but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.”
History’s first U.S.-born pope stressed that he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fueling the Iran war and other conflicts around the world.
“I will not enter into debate. The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone. The message of the Gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’” Leo said.
“I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible.”
Speaking to other reporters, he added: “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for.''
“We are not politicians. We do not look at foreign policy from the same perspective that he may have,'' the pope said, adding, ”I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems.
"Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent people have been killed, and I believe someone must stand up and say that there is a better way,'' he said.
Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Leo on Sunday night, saying he didn't think the U.S.-born global leader of the Catholic Church is “doing a very good job” and that “he's a very liberal person," while also suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”
Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticize Leo, then kept it up after deplaning, in comments on the tarmac to reporters.
“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.
Trump's comments came after Leo suggested over the weekend that a “delusion of omnipotence” is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. While it’s not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it’s exceedingly rare for the pope to directly criticize a U.S. leader — and Trump’s stinging response is equally uncommon, if not more so.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote in his post, adding, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."
Italian politicians across the spectrum showed their solidarity with Leo. Premier Giorgia Meloni sent a message of support for his peace mission while the leader of the main opposition party, Elly Schlein, was more direct, calling Trump’s attacks “extremely serious.”
Trump repeated that sentiment in comments to reporters, saying, “We don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon.”
Later, Trump posted a picture suggesting he had saint-like powers akin to those of Jesus Christ. Wearing a biblical-style robe, Trump is seen laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers, while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly. The sky above is filled with eagles, an American flag and vaporous images.
All of that came after Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, the same day the United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan during a fragile ceasefire, with Vice President JD Vance leading the U.S. delegation. Vance is Catholic and recently released a book about his faith.
During his evening prayer service, the pope didn’t mention the United States or Trump by name, but his tone and message appeared directed at Trump and U.S. officials, who have boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.
Leo, who is on an 11-day trip to Africa starting Monday — has previously said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.” He's also referenced an Old Testament passage from Isaiah, saying that “even though you make many prayers, I will not listen — your hands are full of blood.”
Before the ceasefire, when Trump warned of mass strikes against Iranian power plants and other infrastructure and that “an entire civilization will die tonight,” Leo described such sentiments as “truly unacceptable.”
In his social media post on Sunday night, however, Trump went far beyond the war in Iran in criticizing Leo.
The president wrote, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States.” That was a reference to the Trump administration having ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do,” Trump added, referencing his 2024 election victory.
He also suggested in the post that Leo only got his position “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump wrote, adding, “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”
In his subsequent comments to reporters, Trump remained highly critical, saying of Leo, “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess” and adding, “He’s a very liberal person.”
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement saying he was “disheartened” by Trump's comments.
“Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls,” Coakley said.
The Italian Bishops' Conference expressed regret over Trump's words, and underlined that the pope "is not a political counterpart, but the successor of Peter, called to serve the Gospel, truth and peace.''
In the 2024 election, Trump won 55% of Catholic voters, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate. But Trump's administration also has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders and has claimed heavenly endorsement for the war on Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Americans to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ.” And, when Trump was asked whether he thought God approved of the war, he said, “I do, because God is good — because God is good and God wants to see people taken care of.”
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Winfield reported from aboard the papal plane.
Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists aboard his flight bound for Algiers’ Houari Boumédiène International Airport on Monday, April 13, 2026, at the start of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa. (Alberto Pizzoli/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, April 12, 2026, after he returned from Miami. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Pope Leo XIV delivers the Regina Coeli prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, April 12, 2026, after he returned from Miami. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
