Sports Headlines
Emotional return for Luka Doncic and Mavericks fans in his 1st game at Dallas since trade to Lakers
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic always knew it was going to be an emotional return to Dallas when wearing his No. 77 Los Angeles Lakers jersey in the place he called home the first 5 1/2 seasons of his NBA career. Then the Mavericks showed a more than two-minute video tribute before he had even been introduced before his first game back Wednesday night, two months after being traded. Doncic watched while sitting on the bench alone, with tears in his eyes and wondering if he would even be able to get through the game. “After that video, I was like, there’s no way I’m playing this game," Doncic said. “So many moments, and I just went out there and ... Read MoreHarrison Barnes swishes 3-pointer at the buzzer as Spurs stun Warriors with 114-111 win
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Harrison Barnes made a 3-pointer at the buzzer after committing a foul moments earlier that could have cost his team, and the San Antonio Spurs stunned the Golden State Warriors 114-111 on Wednesday night. Draymond Green made two free throws with 3.1 seconds left to make it 111-all after Barnes fouled him, then the veteran guard let it fly over Jimmy Butler and was immediately swarmed by his teammates when the horn sounded. Keldon Johnson made a go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left after tying the game with 32 seconds remaining and finished with 21 points. Butler scored 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and converted 16 of 17 free throws and Stephen ... Read MoreClippers extend winning streak to 6 games with 134-117 win over short-handed Rockets
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — James Harden had 35 points and 10 assists and the streaking Los Angeles Clippers beat the playoff-bound Houston Rockets 134-117 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight win. The Rockets had already locked up the No. 2 seed in the West and will be making their first playoff appearance since the 2020 bubble in Florida. They rested most of their starting lineup, including Dillon Brooks and Alperen Sengun. Ivica Zubac had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Clippers, his first career triple-double and the third by a center for the team. Kawhi Leonard returned with 22 points and 10 rebounds after sitting out Tuesday to rest his surgically repaired right knee. Nicolas Batum ... Read MoreSeager homers twice as Rangers avoid a sweep in Chicago, beat Cubs 6-2
CHICAGO (AP) — Texas shortstop Corey Seager homered twice as the Rangers avoided a sweep in Chicago, beating the Cubs 6-2 on Wednesday. The two-time World Series MVP opened the game with a solo shot to left-center, and then lined another solo home run to right field in the seventh to put the Rangers up five. It was Seager’s 18th career game with multiple home runs and his first since August 19, 2024. Rangers pitcher Tyler Mahle (2-0) held Chicago to just two hits in seven innings. The right-hander allowed one earned run and lowered his season ERA to 1.32. Shota Imanaga (2-1, 2.70 ERA) picked up the loss for Chicago, allowing a season-high five earned runs in five innings. ... Read MoreAstros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti won’t need surgery on broken right thumb, team says
SEATTLE (AP) — Houston right-hander Spencer Arrighetti will wear a cast but not require surgery on his broken right thumb, manager Joe Espada said Wednesday. Arrighetti was injured when he was hit by a line drive while playing catch in left field before Monday night’s game at Seattle. “We want to take it one step at a time, but no surgery is great news,” Espada said of the 25 year old, who was placed on the 15-day IL on Tuesday, retroactive to Monday. Espada said Arrighetti will be in a cast for up to two-and-a-half weeks. He'll then have additional testing before starting physical therapy. “After that, if everything looks fine, we can probably start talking about him starting to ... Read MoreZuby Ejiofor listens to St. John’s coach Rick Pitino and delivers solid 1st pitch at Mets game
NEW YORK (AP) — The basketball season is over, but St. John's forward Zuby Ejiofor is still heeding coach Rick Pitino’s advice. The 6-foot-9 Ejiofor, who earned first-team All-Big East honors last month after helping the Johnnies to their first outright regular-season conference title in 40 years, threw out the first pitch at Citi Field on Wednesday before the series finale between the New York Mets and Miami Marlins. “He gave me a little advice,” Ejiofor said of Pitino, who threw out the first pitch before a Mets-Yankees game in 2023. “He said not to bounce it.” Despite saying he had “zero” experience in baseball, Ejiofor threw a pitch from the top of the mound that landed right in the ... Read MoreArozarena hits grand slam in 8th and draws winning walk in 9th as Mariners rally past Astros 7-6
SEATTLE (AP) — Randy Arozarena hit a grand slam in the eighth and drew the game-winning walk in the ninth as the Seattle Mariners rallied for seven runs over the final two innings to beat the Houston Astros 7-6 on Wednesday. Arozarena's slam trimmed Seattle's deficit to one before the Astros made it 6-4 when Jeremy Peña scored on a wild pitch by Casey Lawrence (1-0) in the top of the ninth. Julio Rodríguez delivered a two-run double in the bottom half to tie it, and a walk to Mitch Garver loaded the bases. Houston got a forceout at home before Bryan Abreu (0-1) walked Arozarena on a full count. The Astros seemingly had the game in hand after Hunter ... Read MoreTexas point guard Rori Harmon to return next season in bid to get Longhorns back to the Final Four
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas point guard Rori Harmon announced Wednesday she will return for a fifth season in bid to get the Longhorns back to the Final Four. Harmon has a medical redshirt season to use after a knee injury knocked her out of the 2023-24 season after just 12 games. Texas advanced to the Elite Eight that season. Texas made the Final Four this season for the first time since 2003. Harmon announced her decision in a post on the team's social media accounts. “Let's finish what we started. Hook'em," said Harmon, who averaged 9.3 points and 5.9 assists last season. She also was considered the team’s top defender. Texas lost to Southeastern Conference rival South Carolina in ... Read MoreHouston’s Kelvin Sampson was close to his 1st national title. It slipped away painfully vs. Florida
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — All Kelvin Sampson could do was stand there, hands on hips with a blank look on his face, as the ball bounced loose and Houston’s latest chance at a national title bounced away, too. The coach who has commanded all details over a 36-year career of wins, losses and a few Final Fours couldn’t do anything about this one. The last-second blunder ended in a 65-63 loss to Florida on Monday night. It took years for the 69-year-old coaching lifer to turn Houston into one of college basketball’s top programs again – one built on defense, toughness, rebounding and doing things a certain, hard-nosed way. Sampson rehabilitated his image too, the pariah who nobody understood becoming ... Read MoreCanucks make NHL history with 3 goals in last minute of regulation, beat Stars 6-5 in OT
DALLAS (AP) — Kiefer Sherwood set an NHL record three weeks ago by accumulating the most hits in a season. He helped the Vancouver Cancuks made history on Tuesday night with a big comeback in the final minute of regulation. Sherwood scored with 1:16 left in overtime after the Canucks became the first NHL team to score three times in the final minute of regulation – all 6-on-5 scores – as Vancouver rallied to stun the Dallas Stars 6-5. “Says a lot about the group,” said Sherwood, who took Conor Garland’s pass from behind Dallas’ net in the low slot and fired a shot past Casey DeSmith. “‘Gar’ just made an absolute crazy play. Kind of felt like slow motion, ... Read MoreNBA coaches react with dismay over Michael Malone’s firing, ‘the unfortunate part of the business’
These are the coaches who won NBA championships in the last six years: Joe Mazzulla with Boston, Michael Malone with Denver, Steve Kerr with Golden State, Mike Budenholzer with Phoenix, Frank Vogel with the Los Angeles Lakers and Nick Nurse with Toronto. Mazzulla is still with Boston. Kerr is still with Golden State. Everybody else got fired. They packed up their ring and left. Malone became the latest name on that list Tuesday, when the Denver Nuggets — the 2023 NBA champions — fired him with three games left in the season, an unprecedented move for a postseason-bound team. And around the league, in the hours that followed, coaches reacted in basically the same stunned, surprised manners. “Just disappointment,” New ... Read MoreGilgeous-Alexander scores 42 as NBA-leading Thunder top Lakers 136-120 after Doncic ejection
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 136-120 on Tuesday night after Luka Doncic was ejected. Doncic scored 23 points before leaving the game in the fourth quarter following his second technical foul. The Thunder outscored the Lakers 29-12 the rest of the way. Jalen Williams added 26 points for the Thunder, who bounced back from a 126-99 loss to the Lakers on Sunday. Oklahoma City (65-14) inched closer to clinching the best record in the league and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. The Thunder have a two-game lead on the Cleveland Cavaliers with three games remaining. The team set a single-season franchise record for victories, surpassing the ... Read MoreIvica Zubac leads surging Clippers past Spurs 122-117 and into fourth place in the crowded West
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Ivica Zubac had 24 points and 20 rebounds, Norman Powell scored 25 points and the Los Angeles Clippers surged into fourth place in the Western Conference with a 122-117 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night. James Harden had 21 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who have won five straight. Los Angeles, at 47-32, also currently holds the tiebreaker over Denver, Memphis and Golden State, who all have the same record with three games left in the regular season. All four are right behind the third-place Lakers, who are 48-31. Kawhi Leonard sat out to rest his perpetually balky right knee, but he’s likely to return for the Clippers’ visit ... Read MoreLuka Doncic gets ejected the night before his return to Dallas
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Luka Doncic didn’t wait for his much-anticipated return to Dallas to crank up the drama. The night before he faces the franchise with which he spent his first 6 1/2 NBA seasons, he was ejected from the Los Angeles Lakers’ 136-120 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. Doncic scored 23 points before leaving the game in the fourth quarter after being called for his second technical foul with 7:40 remaining. He said he was talking trash back and forth with a fan, but the officials disagreed. The Thunder outscored the Lakers 29-12 the rest of the way. “I mean, it was tough,” Doncic said. “I mean, we were right there. I think we ... Read MoreRangers 3B Josh Jung activated from injured list after being sidelined with neck spasms
CHICAGO (AP) — Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung was activated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday after being sidelined because of neck spasms. Jung batted seventh against the Chicago Cubs in his first appearance since leaving Texas' win over Boston on March 28. He exited an exhibition game late last month because of neck stiffness, but started each of the first two regular-season games against Boston. He left the Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Red Sox on March 28 after re-aggravating his neck issues on a big defensive play with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. He made a backhanded play on Alex Bregman’s chopper near the line and then a strong throw to first base for ... Read MoreOctavio Dotel, who once held record of pitching for 13 major league teams, dies in DR roof collapse
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Octavio Dotel, who pitched for 13 major league teams in a 15-year career and won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, was among the dead after a roof collapsed at a nightclub in his native Dominican Republic where he was attending a merengue concert. He was 51. Officials initially said Dotel was rescued from the debris and transported to a hospital, but spokesman Satosky Terrero from the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic confirmed to The Associated Press that Dotel died later Tuesday. At least 79 people died and 160 were injured after the collapse at the Jet Set nightclub, officials said. Tony Blanco, who played one MLB season and eight ... Read MoreSwanson hits tiebreaking single in 4-run eighth as the Cubs beat the Rangers 10-6
CHICAGO (AP) — Dansby Swanson lined a tiebreaking two-run single in Chicago's four-run eighth inning, and the Cubs beat the Texas Rangers 10-6 on Tuesday on another frigid night. The Cubs blew a 6-3 lead before taking advantage of two errors in the eighth and closing out their seventh win in eight games. They had the bases loaded when Swanson singled to right against Chris Martin (0-1). Pete Crow-Armstrong added a two-run single against Hoby Milner on a 35-degree night. Swanson homered leading off the second against Patrick Corbin. He also hit a sacrifice fly in a three-run fifth against Jacob Webb. Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong each had three hits and two RBIs. Jameson Taillon pitched six innings of ... Read MoreBraves add to bullpen depth by acquiring right-hander Rafael Montero from Astros
ATLANTA (AP) — The Braves added to their bullpen depth on Tuesday night by acquiring right-hander Rafael Montero from the Houston Astros along with $7.7 million that will cover just over 70% of his remaining salary. Atlanta will send the Astros a player to be named. Montero, 34, has a 4.71 ERA in 11 seasons. Of his 324 career games, only 30 came as a starter, including none since 2017. He allowed two runs and three hits over in four innings this season. “They said he's been throwing the ball really well,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of his team's scouts. “He's a veteran. You kind of get a little excited when you get a guy like that.” Montero made ... Read MoreCaratini delivers winning hit to push Astros to 2-1 extra-innings win
SEATTLE (AP) — Victor Caratini hit the winning RBI single in the top of the 12th inning, as the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 on Tuesday night. Caratini came into the game as a pinch hitter in the 10th and struck out, but against reliever Jesse Hahn (0-1), took a curveball the opposite way that plated Brendan Rodgers, who advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Chas McCormick. The game was tied at one after eight until Caratini's single. The Astros had the bases loaded in the 11th, but a double play ended the rally. It was a scoreless contest through six innings. Houston rookie Cam Smith hit an RBI triple down the third-base line in the ... Read MoreAsphyxiation ruled out as cause of death for former Yankees player Brett Gardner’s son: Costa Rican National Police
Mike Stobe/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Asphyxiation has been ruled out as the cause of death for the 14-year-old son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, officials with the Costa Rican National Police told ABC News.Authorities determined Miller Gardner didn't die from asphyxiation because his respiratory tract was clear, police said.This comes one day after a Costa Rican government official had said Miller Gardner may have died from asphyxiation due to "food intoxication."More tests are being done to determine his cause of death, the Costa Rican National Police said Tuesday. It could take up to three months to complete the autopsy due to the significant demand in the country because of its high murder rate, police added.Authorities said they ... Read More
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