Today is
Sunday April 28, 2024
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Wyatt Johnston scored his second goal of the game in overtime to give the Dallas Stars a 3-2 victory over Vegas on Saturday night, cutting the defending champion Golden Knights’ series lead to 2-1.
Johnston, who had a team-high eight shots, dragged the puck down the left side to the goal line, drawing goalie Logan Thompson into a low position, and beating him with a high shot 16:23 into the extra period.
“What a player,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said about the 20-year-old forward. “He still can’t get in the casino and play cards, he’s not old enough, it’s unbelievable.
“Really incredible play by one of … the great young players, the next generation of stars of this league. I thought he was just outstanding tonight for a kid to be under 21 years old and be on that ice with that level of player and look like he did all night tonight, just an outstanding player.”
Johnston’s shots on goal tied a career high, as he was arguably Dallas’ best player.
“You don’t want to go down 3-0 to the defending Stanley Cup champs,” Johnston said. “So I think it’s that desperation coming out and making sure we’re doing all those things that make us successful.”
Miro Heiskanen also scored for the Stars, and Jake Oettinger made 32 saves. The Stars had lost six straight against Vegas, which was hosting its first home playoff game since winning the Stanley Cup last June.
Brayden McNabb and Jack Eichel scored for Vegas, and Thompson stopped a career-high 43 shots. Dallas, which averaged 31.5 shots per game during the regular season, held a whopping advantage of high-danger shots, 27-4.
Game 4 is Monday night in Las Vegas.
“It’s huge,” Oettinger said. “I mean, you lose that game you’re down 3-0 and you never know what happens there. So, we win a game on Monday, we have home-ice advantage again.”
Johnston opened the scoring midway through the first period when he backhanded a loose puck off a rebound through Thompson’s pads.
Dallas outshot Vegas 18-8 after one while it marked the first time the Western Conference’s top seed led at the end of a period in this series.
The Stars made it 2-0 at 5:25 of the second when they caught the Golden Knights in transition and ended up with a 3-on-2 rush. Former Golden Knight Evgeni Dadonov fed Tyler Seguin, who found a wide-open Heiskanen for the finish.
After tempers began flared midway through the second with Vegas’ physical fourth line, and two roughing penalties resulted in a 4 on 4, McNabb skated to the high slot and fired a wrist shot past Oettinger to pull Dallas within one.
Shortly thereafter, Eichel skated into the zone with William Karlsson on a 2 on 1, kept it for himself and buried a shot from the right circle to tie it to ignite the announced crowd of 18,536.
“At some point, you have to get to your game,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It just took us too long. Now having said that, we weathered it because of Logan. He gave us every chance to get back in the game and we did. So once it was 2-2, then it was a little different. But they executed better than we did. You could see it in overtime. They had more jump, more urgency.”
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Before the first of two games in Mexico City, Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said he hoped that the trip could help them solve their offensive struggles.
Apparently, it worked.
Yordan Alvarez hit two home runs, Kyle Tucker added a solo shot and the Houston Astros beat the Colorado Rockies 12-4 on Saturday night in the MLB World Tour: Mexico City Series to snap a five-game losing streak.
Alvarez hit a two-run homer to center field and Tucker followed with a shot to left field and the Astros took a 4-2 lead in the third. Alvarez hit his seventh home run of the season in the ninth inning.
“Today we were able to bat with runners in scoring positions, that’s a good sign for the team,” Espada said. “We took strong turns and we were able to spread the ball on the field, that really helped us today.”
Alvarez went 3 for 5 with three RBI and two runs scored and Yainer Diaz had three hits and scored three runs.
“When we saw the introductions, we knew that it was a moment to think that the season was just beginning for us,” Alvarez said. “We knew that we were struggling, but we trust in the team’s talent.”
Ronel Blanco (3-0) allowed two hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked two.
The Rockies’ Cal Quantrill (0-3) allowed six hits and six earned runs in five innings.
“We have not played to our standards, but hopefully we get there,” said Rockies manager Bud Black. “For me, all was positive (from the game in Mexico) except for the outcome.”
Houston arrived in Mexico City after scoring just six runs in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs, but the team took advantage of the 7,349-foot (2,240-meter) elevation of the Alfredo Harp Helú stadium to break the offensive slump with 15 hits against the Rockies.
The Astros also benefited from the support of the crowd, most of them wearing the team’s colors even though the Rockies were the home team.
“We did not feel like the visiting team, we felt at home. There was a tremendous passion and energy in the stadium, and it really felt like home,” Espada said.
The Rockies took the lead on Ryan McMahon’s two-run homer to center field in the first.
The Astros pulled ahead for good after Alvarez and Tucker hit their homers in the third.
The series marks the Astros’ second regular-season visit to Mexico. In May 2019, they swept the Angels in two games played in Monterrey. The Astros also played exhibition games in Mexico against the Padres in 2016 and Marlins in 2004.
The Rockies, who came south of the border after beating the Padres 10-9 at Coors Field, have yet to win consecutive games this season, the longest such stretch to begin a season in franchise history.
Colorado played their second regular-season game in Mexico. In 1999, they beat San Diego in their season opener, also at Monterrey.
URQUIDY MISSES THE CHANCE
José Urquidy played with the Astros in a exhibition game against the San Diego Padres in Mexico City in 2016, but a right arm injury left him out of the series against the Colorado Rockies.
“Back then (2016) I was a kid just dreaming of playing in the majors. It was a long process for me to become a starter in the MLB, but I made it,” said Urquidy, who despite not being able to play was joined by family and friends.
The right-hander, who was born in Mazatlan, invited some of his closest friends, some of whom lack visas to enter the United States and have never seen a major league game.
“Even though I’m not playing, I’m happy for them to be able to watch a major league game live. We had a day off (Friday) and they get to know some of my teammates. I’m happy for them,” Urquidy said.
The 28-year-old Urquidy said that he threw a bullpen session in Mexico City and feels close to a return to the rotation.
ARLINGTON (AP) — Hard-throwing Reds right-hander Hunter Greene held the Texas Rangers to one hit over seven scoreless innings and Jonathan India homered while driving in four runs on a four-hit day as Cincinnati beat the reigning World Series champions 8-4 on Saturday.
Greene (1-2) struck out six and walked one while throwing 63 of his 98 pitches for strikes while relying mainly on his fastball and a few sliders.
“Just trusting myself being able to attack the zone,” Greene said. “When you attack the zone, great things happen.”
The last Reds starter with a scoreless start of at least seven innings and six strikeouts, and one or no hits, plus one or no walks was Greene in June 2022. The right-hander at 24 years and 265 days old became only sixth major league pitcher with that kind of line twice by that young age, according to Stathead.
“He’s going deep into the game. … That is important, but he’s pitching really well and he’s making improvements,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Really was on the attack the whole day, so was able to accomplish both, going deep into the game and limiting runs. That’s a great start.”
Brent Suter relieved him with a perfect eighth before allowing six hits in the ninth, including back-to-back homers by rookie Davis Wendzel and Corey Seager. Alexis Díaz got the last two outs for his sixth save in seven chances.
“It’s always good to show life when things weren’t looking so good for eight innings,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “It’s just tough sledding. We faced a guy with a really good fastball and he used it well. … We just couldn’t do much with him. He was on top of his game.”
India already had a pair of RBI singles before his two-run homer in the seventh for his first of the season. That doubled his season RBI total from four to eight, put the Reds up 5-0 and chased Texas starter Michael Lorenzen (2-1).
Will Benson also had a two-run homer for the Reds, who have won six of their last nine games.
Josh Smith had the only Texas hit off Greene when he pulled a double into the right-field corner to open the fifth and extended his on-base streak to 15 games. He got stranded at third base when shortstop Elly De La Cruz made a slick backhanded stop of a short-hopper and was falling away from first base when threw out speedy Travis Jankowski by a step to end the inning.
“One of the best plays I’ve seen all year, and he made it look relatively easy,” Bell said.
Lorenzen struck out three, walked one and allowed five runs on six hits against his original team. The right-hander was the 38th overall pick by the Reds in the 2013 draft and pitched in 295 games for them from 2015-21.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The problems for Dallas are two-fold — the Stars aren’t getting great scoring chances and for long stretches aren’t even putting the puck on net.
That’s primarily why the Golden Knights are back in Las Vegas with a 2-0 lead in the first-round NHL playoffs series. Game 3 is Saturday night (10:30 p.m. EDT, TBS).
In Game 1, a 4-3 Dallas loss, the Stars didn’t get a shot on goal in the second period until 8:52 into it. Vegas closed out the 3-1 victory in Game 2 by holding Dallas without a shot on goal over the final 5:38.
“It’s tight through the neutral zone,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said. “We’ve got to pick our spots, whether to skate (the puck) or put it in a spot where we can get it back.”
That kind of defense was a major reason why the Knights won the Stanley Cup last year, but there were lapses this season as Vegas battled injuries and illness on the blue line. The Knights began to find themselves defensively about a month ago.
“That certainly has to be a calling card for our hockey club if you want to be successful, a clear understanding of how we have to play,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “So we talk about it. I think our guys bought into it. They saw it work last year.”
For Vegas, the defense goes beyond forcing opponents into dry shooting spells. Since Cassidy became the Knights coach two years ago, he has installed a defensive system that pushes shots to the sides and keeps scorers out of the slot.
Dallas actually outshot the Knights 29-15 in the series opener, but Vegas controlled most of the game and led throughout.
“We’ve been doing a good job of eliminating time and space,” Knights defenseman Alec Martinez said. “I think the forwards have done a really good job of applying that back pressure, and their back checking allows us to feel comfortable to stay up.
“When you have pressure from behind and ahead of you, it tends to squeeze players out of the neutral zone and forces them to make decisions either they don’t want to make or make the decision a little bit earlier than they want.”
PANTHERS at LIGHTNING, Panthers lead 3-0, 5 p.m. EDT (TBS)
Tampa Bay has dropped the first three games of a series for the first time since being swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019.
The Lightning have lost six straight postseason games at home, dating to a 6-2 victory over Colorado in Game 3 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
Tampa Bay has never rebounded from a 3-0 deficit to win a series. Overall, teams losing the first three games have a series record of 4-202.
An empty-net goal was the difference in the series opener, Carter Verhaeghe’s overtime winner decided Game 2, and Florida scored late to seal a 5-3 win in Game 3.
“That’s a very, very good hockey team over there that plays a style that you need to play to win at this time of the year,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. “But we still believe that we can go out and win the next game.”
BRUINS at MAPLE LEAFS, Boston leads 2-1, 8 p.m. EDT (TBS)
The Maple Leafs are about to find out how committed Bruins coach Jim Montgomery is to his goalie rotation.
Jeremy Swayman is 2-0 so far against Toronto in their first-round playoff series and 5-0 against Toronto this season. Linus Ullmark, who lost Game 2, would be the starter for Saturday’s fourth game if Montgomery keeps alternating his goalies, as he did for almost all of the regular season and the playoffs so far.
Goalie rotations are not uncommon in the regular season, but they are virtually unknown in the playoffs, when there are no back-to-back games needing rest. Teams try to find the hot hand and ride with it.
“The rotation has been so good for us,” Montgomery said. “So it’s a hard decision.”
HURRICANES at ISLANDERS, Carolina leads 3-0, 2 p.m. EDT (TBS)
Pushed to the brink of elimination, the Islanders know they don’t have any margin of error left.
“We cannot think more than one game at a time,” coach Patrick Roy said. “We have our backs against the wall. So we need to focus about tomorrow. That’s all we can do. And then let’s see where we are after the game.”
Roy confirmed veteran goalie Semyon Varlamov will be back in goal.
Varlamov started the first two games and gave up six goals on 63 shots. The Islanders turned to Ilya Sorokin for Game 3, but he was pulled in the second period after allowing three goals on 14 shots. Varlamov came on and stopped all eight shots he faced in the Islanders’ 3-2 loss.
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AP Sports Writers Vin Cherwoo, Jimmy Golen, Fred Goodall and Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marcus Semien homered to break an eighth-inning tie, helping the Rangers beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 on Friday night.
Semien pulled a 1-1 fastball from Lucas Sims (1-1) down the line in left.
Jacob Latz, José Leclerc (2-2) and Kirby Yates retired the final nine Cincinnati batters, Yates getting his fourth save in four chances. Texas’ bullpen has thrown 16 straight scoreless innings.
Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi held the Reds to three singles through six innings after allowing a run in the first on three walks, three stolen bases and an error.
The Rangers, who led the American League in runs last year en route to winning the World Series, hit .226 in their previous 12 games and scored Friday on two homers. Evan Carter pulled Texas even at 1, leading off the second with a home run to right off starter Graham Ashcraft.
“We play good defense. I think that’s our identity,” Semien said. “We’ve been pitching the ball great. Evo battled. The bullpen’s been great, and we hit a couple balls out.
The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer drew one-out walks. De La Cruz advanced to third base on Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s fly out to right. On the first pitch to Tyler Stephenson, Steer broke for second, Jonah Heim’s throw sailed into center field and De La Cruz was credited with stealing home.
De La Cruz’s steal of the plate, added to Steer’s steal of home April 6, gave the Reds two steals of home in one month for the first time since Joe Morgan and Pete Rose did it in April 1978.
The Reds, who were shut out in two of their previous four games, struck out 12 times.
Eovaldi matched a season high with eight strikeouts, allowing the one run on three hits plus five walks — three in the first inning — pitching six innings.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done tonight, but we will in the future,” Reds manager David Bell said. “We’ll continue to work and look for those opportunities.”
Ashcraft, who won his previous three starts, pitched a season-high 6 1/3 innings. He gave up one run on seven hits, striking out three with no walks.
Corey Seager, last year’s World Series MVP, snapped an 0-for-18 slump in the sixth inning with an infield single.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: OF Jake Fraley (illness) was available after missing the four previous games. … OF TJ Friedl (right wrist fracture) and LHP Alex Young (low back disc degeneration) were scheduled to begin rehab assignments at extended spring training. … RHP Frankie Montas (forearm contusion) should throw this weekend.
Rangers: LHP Cody Bradford, placed on the 15-day injured list April 14 with back soreness, has been diagnosed with a rib stress fracture.
UP NEXT
The Reds have lost all five starts made this season by RHP Hunter Greene (0-2, 4.55 ERA), who will start Saturday in the middle game of the series. Greene will face Rangers RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-0, 2.45), who spent his first seven big league seasons with Cincinnati.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic called out to his coaches during a flurry of 3-pointers from James Harden.
The Mavericks superstar and NBA scoring champion wanted to defend the star guard of the Los Angeles Clippers.
It’s suddenly defense first in Dallas.
Doncic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and the defensive-minded Mavericks had a chippy 101-90 victory over the Clippers on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.
The Mavs rode the same defense that gave them home-court advantage with a Game 2 victory in LA, and won in Dallas three years after losing all three first-round games on their floor in a seven-game loss to the Clippers. Game 4 is Sunday in Dallas.
“I think we all see that when we’re on the defensive side, there’s a different look in everybody’s eyes,” said rookie center Dereck Lively II, who had all 13 of his points in the first half as the Mavs got their lob game going with 10 dunks before the break. “It’s like being aggressive and being the aggressor even though they have the ball.”
Daniel Gafford, Lively’s tag-team partner as a dunker and rim protector, had an emphatic block of a dunk attempt by Paul George early in the fourth quarter while Dallas was taking control for good in a game with five technical fouls, a flagrant foul and two ejections.
Harden scored 21 points for the Clippers, but just seven after halftime, while fellow stars George and Kawhi Leonard had little impact.
Norman Powell also had 21, and Ivica Zubac had 19 points and eight rebounds. But the Clippers had 19 turnovers and the Mavericks had seven blocks — three of them from Gafford and two from Lively.
George dealt with foul trouble and finished with seven points, five rebounds, five assists — and five fouls.
Leonard never looked comfortable in his second game back after missing nine games with right knee inflammation and had nine points and nine rebounds.
“It just didn’t respond the way we wanted after the first game,” Leonard said about his surgically repaired knee. “But we’re going to get it right. Time will tell. We’re doing all the right things.”
Kyrie Irving picked up his fourth foul early in the second half before scoring 19 of his 21 points in the final 13-plus minutes, including eight in the final 1:18 of the third quarter. Doncic’s co-star was instrumental in Dallas rebuilding an 18-point lead that had been cut to six.
An already testy game reached a boiling point midway through the fourth quarter when Russell Westbrook slung Doncic around after fouling him.
Westbrook was called for a technical for that contact and for shoving P.J. Washington after Washington confronted him. Washington also was called for a tech during the sequence, and already had one from an earlier shoving match with Terance Mann.
Westbrook, who in the first half got a flagrant 1 foul for excessive contact when fouling Josh Green on a breakaway, and Washington were ejected.
Westbrook, who missed all seven shots and scored one point, drew the ire of the crowd one other time when he bowled over Doncic after Zubac was called for a foul as Doncic went up for a shot. Officials reviewed the play but ruled Westbrook’s contact incidental.
“We’ve got to channel our aggression in other ways,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “It’s getting chippy. I like the physicality. I like the tough possessions. I like all of that. But we’ve got to make sure we’re not getting the technical fouls, we’re not getting thrown out of the game, because everybody’s important.”
Doncic, who briefly left the court after limping off while grabbing his right knee in the first quarter, was just 7 of 25 from the field and 3 of 14 from 3-point range.
But Dallas held George and Westbrook to a combined 1 of 10 from deep, while Leonard didn’t even have a 3 attempt among just seven shots in 25 minutes.
“He’s trying to find his way back,” Lue said. “We’re just managing it. Just being smart, making sure we do it right by Kawhi and seeing how he feels and just kind of gauge it from there.”
Harden scored 12 of his 14 first-half points with four 3-pointers in a three-minute span starting in the final second of the first quarter. He didn’t score again until the final minute of the third as the Clippers finished with 19 turnovers while also losing their composure.
“We’re all competing for each inch to find a way to win,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “This series is going to be more mental as it goes on just because of the physicality. I thought the guys did a great job of protecting one another.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Health issues hang over the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks, with all three teams trailing 2-1 in their first-round playoff series going into their respective Game 4s on Sunday.
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns are mostly healthy but facing elimination after falling behind Minnesota 3-0. No NBA team has recovered from that deficit to win a series.
Joel Embiid scored 50 points as the 76ers got their first victory against the New York Knicks in Game 3, but the reigning MVP played with a bulky brace on his surgically repaired left knee while revealing after the game he is dealing with lingering symptoms of Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis.
Kawhi Leonard acknowledged after the Clippers’ 101-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks that his balky right knee didn’t respond well coming out of Game 2, his first appearance in more than three weeks.
The Bucks are still waiting for the debut of Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf strain) in their series against Indiana, and star guard Damian Lillard aggravated an Achilles tendon injury after earlier dealing with a knee issue in a Game 3 loss in overtime to the Pacers.
Khris Middleton scored a playoff career-high 42 points, including a tying 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left in regulation, after missing practice a day earlier with a sprained right ankle.
Lillard, who was clearly limping at times in Game 3, was in a walking boot Saturday and underwent an MRI to determine the extent of the Achilles damage.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Saturday it was “not looking good” for Lillard and that he doubted Antetokounmpo would be cleared to play following a pregame workout.
“We’re taking a lot of hits right now injury-wise, and our guys are hanging in there,” Rivers said after the Game 3 loss. “Dame goes out, we think he’s out, he comes back and says, ‘I don’t have much, but I’ll go.’ Khris, we didn’t think was playing. So proud of this team.”
KNICKS AT 76ERS
New York leads 2-1. Game 4, 1 p.m. EDT, ABC
— NEED TO KNOW: The 76ers got the Game 3 victory they needed to give themselves a shot at winning the series. The 76ers are home, where they won a play-in tournament game against Miami and then beat the Knicks. Philadelphia scored 43 points in the third quarter, the most it has posted in a playoff quarter since a franchise-record 51 in the third against Brooklyn in 2019.
— KEEP AN EYE ON: Embiid was 13 of 19 from the floor, made 19 of 21 free throws and hit five 3-pointers in the Game 3 victory. Embiid, who scored a franchise-best 70 points against San Antonio in January, became the first player in NBA history to score 50 points on fewer than 20 shots in a playoff game.
— INJURY WATCH: Again, Embiid. He has one good eye, one good leg, and one transcendent postseason performance. Embiid says the Bell’s palsy has affected him since before the play-in tournament, and he doesn’t have a timetable on a complete recovery. New York’s Mitchell Robinson, a valuable defender against Embiid, sprained his left ankle in Game 3 and left the arena in a boot.
— PRESSURE IS ON: The Villanova trio. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo are the three former Villanova Wildcats who carried the Knicks in the first two games at Madison Square Garden. Brunson did lead the Knicks with 39 points and 13 assists in Game 3 after shooting poorly in the first two. Hart — whose spectacular 3-point shooting in New York was an unexpected bonus for the Knicks — scored 20 points but DiVincenzo had five.
CLIPPERS AT MAVERICKS
Dallas leads 2-1. Game 4, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC
— NEED TO KNOW: Dallas is winning with defense, having held the Clippers under 100 points in consecutive victories. The Mavs kept the opponent under triple digits in back-to-back games just once in the regular season. Luka Doncic’s 22 points in Game 3 were the fewest in the superstar’s 14 playoff victories with Dallas. The Clippers have been at their best in this series when James Harden is connecting from 3-point range. Their biggest lead in Game 3 was seven early in the second quarter, after the last of Harden’s four 3s in a three-minute span. The 10-time All-Star didn’t hit another from long range until LA was down 19 early in the fourth quarter.
— KEEP AN EYE ON: Leonard’s knee didn’t respond well after two full days off. Now the 32-year-old has to come back on shorter rest. The seven shot attempts were Leonard’s fewest in a playoff game in 10 years. “Frustrating that it happened to me this late in the season,” said Leonard, adding he intended to play Sunday. “We’re going to keep going. We’re going to get it right.”
— INJURY WATCH: Dallas is likely to be without G Tim Hardaway Jr. again because of a sprained ankle. Daniel Gafford had a strong showing to boost the Dallas defense but has a lingering back issue.
— PRESSURE IS ON: With Leonard clearly hampered by the knee injury, Paul George will have to be much better than he was in Game 3. He was saddled with foul trouble when the Mavericks retook control of the game late in the third quarter and ended up with just seven points on 3-of-11 shooting. The nine-time All-Star was 1 of 6 from 3 in the first playoff game together for George and Leonard in which neither reached double figures.
BUCKS AT PACERS
Indiana leads 2-1. Game 4, 7 p.m. EDT, TNT
— NEED TO KNOW: Indiana has won six of the eight meetings against Milwaukee this season and has done it, in part, by flipping the script. The NBA’s third-worst rebounding team during the regular season has outrebounded Milwaukee in seven straight contests, with its per-game average jumping from 41.5 to 48.3 in the playoffs.
— KEEP AN EYE ON: Milwaukee’s midseason acquisition of G Patrick Beverley could prove especially valuable with all the injury issues. The 35-year-old averaged 2.6 assists and 0.6 turnovers after joining the Bucks and could be asked to shoulder a heavier burden.
— INJURY WATCH: Playing without Antetokounmpo and Lillard in a meaningful game would be new for the Bucks. The only such instance in the regular season was a 125-107 loss at Oklahoma City in the second-to-last game.
— PRESSURE IS ON: After his playoff career high, Middleton may have to do even more to avoid the Bucks being on the brink of a third consecutive postseason disappointment after winning the 2021 title.
TIMBERWOLVES AT SUNS
Minnesota leads 3-0. Game 4, 9:30 p.m. EDT, TNT
— NEED TO KNOW: Anthony Edwards scored 36 points in a 126-109 victory as the Wolves dominated a third straight game in what’s become a lopsided series. The Suns had title hopes with the All-Star trio of Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal, but the club’s three-year run of winning at least one series is in jeopardy.
— KEEP AN EYE ON: Wolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter of Game 3, helping turn a tight game into another blowout. He’s averaging more than 14 points per game off the bench, six more than in the regular season.
— INJURY WATCH: Suns guard Grayson Allen missed Game 3 after spraining his right ankle in the series opener and aggravating the injury in Game 2. Phoenix has missed the NBA leader in 3-point shooting percentage from the regular season. There is hope Allen will be available Sunday.
— PRESSURE IS ON: Suns coach Frank Vogel. The veteran coach might be one-and-done with the franchise after being hand-picked by owner Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones. Vogel has struggled to win with this top-heavy roster, and the Suns might be looking for a different voice again.
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AP Sports Writers David Brandt, Dan Gelston and Michael Marot contributed to this story.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
ByABC News
Australian golfer Lucas Herbert says his caddie is “good now” after he was struck in the head by a water bottle during second-round action Saturday at LIV Golf Adelaide.
Herbert had just made birdie on No. 12 and was celebrating with boisterous fans when his caddie, Nick Pugh, was hit in the back of the head by a water bottle thrown by a patron while he was replacing the flag in the cup.
Pugh was knocked to his knees but managed to avoid serious injury. He eventually made his way back to the clubhouse at The Grange Golf Club.
“I was worried about him to begin with, but he’s good now,” Herbert said, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, after his round. “He’s good, and he took it really well. He could have been a lot more upset with it, but he took it really well.”
More than 30,000 fans were in attendance for LIV Adelaide’s second round, many of whom were crammed into the popular party hole.
“It’s probably difficult to request someone who has had 15 beers to aim a water bottle away from someone,” Herbert said. “That’s maybe asking too much.
“[Playing partner Branden Grace] made a putt from the top tier and some drinks landed on the green. That’s good fun, and it’s in the right spots so we can deal with it. A few pushed it too far. But the crowd self-policed and they got some boos when they were throwing things too close. That’s about as crazy as it needs to get.”
Fans on the 12th had been well-behaved during the first two rounds of play until Saturday’s incident.
Chase Koepka was showered with beer cups when he made a hole-in-one on No. 12 during the final round last year.
Australian Open champion Joaquín Niemann said he has no issue with the fans at the watering hole.
“It’s crazy. You get there and you can barely talk with your caddie,” Niemann said. “It is fun. I get there and you’re feeling a bit more pressure having all the people watching you.”
Herbert carded a 7-under 65 on Saturday, but he is 7 shots off the lead of American Brendan Steele, who sits atop the leaderboard at 14-under.
ByABC News
Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon said Friday that he has a high-grade partial tear of his left hamstring, with the update coming five days after he was placed on the injured list with a “strain.”
It is expected to be a lengthy recovery for Rendon, who has not played more than 58 games in any of his previous four seasons since signing a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels, although one of those was the shortened 2020 pandemic season.
“I’m definitely not going to be back in the 10-day window,” Rendon said. “It’s been four years running now. So I was angry for a few days, frustrated, mad, everything you could imagine because the game keeps getting taken away from me, right? I want to win, and I want to be out there. I do everything in my power to stay out there, and it seems like nothing is working.”
Rendon is batting .267 with no home runs, three RBIs and three stolen bases in 19 games. He opened the year by going 0-for-19 in five games before batting .357 (20-for-56) over his past 14 games.
He was an All-Star and finished third in the National League MVP voting while playing for the Washington Nationals in 2019. That season, he set career highs with a .319 batting average, 34 homers and 126 RBIs, the latter leading the majors along with 44 doubles.
For his career, Rendon is batting .283 with 158 homers and 660 RBIs in 1,135 games.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
ByJAMAL COLLIER
INDIANAPOLIS — Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has a strained right Achilles tendon, sources confirmed to ESPN, putting his availability for Game 4 of the team’s first-round series against the Indiana Pacers in jeopardy.
Lillard was wearing a walking boot following the team’s film session Saturday afternoon after agitating the injury near the end of the fourth quarter in Game 3 on Friday night. Lillard was grabbing at his leg after a foul on Aaron Nesmith with 6.2 seconds remaining in regulation. He stayed on the floor as Game 3 went into overtime, but he went scoreless and did not attempt a shot.
Lillard’s Achilles has been bothering him for a few weeks. He revealed he had been feeling some discomfort following Milwaukee’s regular-season finale in Orlando and then sat out the first few days of practice before the start of the playoffs in order to recover, a break Lillard said helped him feel fresh entering the series.
After Lillard agitated the injury in Game 3, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said he served mostly as a decoy during overtime.
The Athletic was first to report the extent of Lillard’s injury.
The Bucks trail the Pacers 2-1 in the series. Game 4 is Sunday night. The Bucks are now facing the prospect of trying to overcome the series deficit without Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has not played in this series because of a calf strain.
Antetokounmpo took a scheduled off day Saturday, but Rivers said Antetokounmpo expects to be on the court again Sunday morning ahead of Game 4.
“He’s working out [Sunday], going to go hard, early, and then we’re going to make a decision,” Rivers said Saturday afternoon.
Could Antetokounmpo work out in the morning and feel good enough to play in Game 4?
“I doubt it,” Rivers said. “But we’ll see”
ByKATHERINE TERRELL
METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints selected South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler with the first of three fifth-round picks Saturday.
Rattler was the first quarterback to come off the board since Day 1, when six quarterbacks were selected in the first round. “At the end of the day it’s a blessing to get picked wherever,” Rattler said Saturday. “I knew we were waiting around a day or two but I had faith that I would be picked today. … I was very happy the Saints came and picked me, what a great feeling.”
Rattler said that he took a pre-draft visit to New Orleans and had dinner with Saints quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko. Rattler said the visit went great and he had a feeling the Saints could be in the mix to select him.
Rattler joins a quarterback room that includes starting quarterback Derek Carr, who signed an four-year deal worth up to $150 million in free agency in 2023, veterans Kellen Mond and Nathan Peterman and 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener. He is the third pick for the Saints in the 2024 draft behind Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga and Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, who was taken in the second round.
Saints coach Dennis Allen said Friday that the Saints did not make any move to trade up to get one of the first six quarterbacks off the board in the first round.
“I think anytime there’s a quarterback you think has a chance to be your future quarterback, then I think it’s always something that you’re going to consider,” Allen said Friday. “There was zero effort on our part to move up for a quarterback. … Obviously we feel good about the quarterbacks that we have and yet I think you’re always looking to make sure that you’re secure in your future. But that was not a position that we targeted and said we’ve got to move up and go get one of these guys. And it really wasn’t a position that we were really considering at 14.”
Rattler attended the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, Louisiana, in 2022 and said that he still keeps in touch with former Saints quarterback Archie Manning. He said that he and Manning, the first-round pick (No. 2 overall) by the Saints in 1971, text on a weekly basis.
“Very excited, very blessed. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. Just blessed to be here, blessed that the Saints picked me,” Rattler said.
Rattler was a fifth-year senior at South Carolina after spending his first three college seasons at Oklahoma. He finished his college career having completed 68.5% of his passes for 10,807 yards, 77 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. He was named the Senior Bowl MVP this spring.
Rattler, now 23, was one of the subjects of the Netflix docuseries “QB1: Beyond the Lights.” when he was in high school. Rattler participated in Season 3 of the series during his final year at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix.
Dowell Loggains, Rattler’s offensive coordinator in his final season at South Carolina, said that he never watched the show, but Rattler was part of his decision to accept the job to coach there during the 2023 season.
“The guy that I got to coach for a year, I’m a better person for coaching him,” Loggains said. “I saw a guy that was a great teammate, a guy that was humble and treated people well. … He was the leader of the quarterback room, not myself, and the only way you can become a leader is if the other guys in the room know you care about him. All the guys rallied around him.”
ByJEFF LEGWOLD
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It turned out all of those conversations the Denver Broncos had in recent weeks with the New York Jets weren’t just about quarterback Zach Wilson.
The Broncos stayed busy on Day 3 of the draft Saturday as they acquired defensive end John Franklin-Myers from the Jets, sources told ESPN. The Broncos sent the Jets a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Franklin-Myers, who was the Los Angeles Rams’ fourth-round selection in the 2018 draft and joined the Jets in 2019 after the Rams had waived him, will quickly be in the mix to start at defensive end in the Broncos’ 3-4 look, opposite of Zach Allen.
Franklin-Myers was slated to be in the third year of a four-year, $55 million extension he signed in 2021. He was scheduled to make $29 million over the next two years.
The Jets decided to move on from Franklin-Myers after acquiring pass-rusher Haason Reddick in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Three weeks ago, the Jets gave Franklin-Myers permission to speak with teams about a trade, a source told ESPN.
The Broncos showed immediate interest. The Broncos and Franklin-Myers came to a contract agreement relatively quickly — a two-year deal, $15 million contract that includes $10 million fully guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The deal almost got blown up Friday night when the Jets traded a draft pick that was supposed to be included in the package to Denver, a source said. The Jets were prepared to send Franklin-Myers and a 2024 fifth-rounder to Denver, which had agreed to send an undisclosed draft pick to the Jets to complete the trade.
As it turned out, the Jets used that fifth-rounder on Friday night, sending it to the Carolina Panthers to trade up in the third round for wide receiver Malachi Corley. At that point, the Jets and Broncos had to rework the trade agreement, with the two teams eventually settling on a 2026 sixth-rounder going to the Jets.
This was a money-saving and cap-clearing move by the Jets. After inheriting Reddick’s $15 million salary for 2024, they didn’t want to pay Franklin-Myers’ $13.3 million salary. From a cap perspective, the Jets cleared $7.3 million and will get stuck with a $9.1 million dead charge this year.
Franklin-Myers was one of the Jets’ best linemen. He was a three-year starter who played every down, outside and inside, and recorded 13.5 sacks over the past three years. As a rookie, Franklin-Myers played on a Super Bowl team for the Rams.
Payton and general manager George Paton have lamented since the Broncos’ 8-9 finish this past season about the team’s need to defend the run better. The Broncos finished 30th in the league in run defense last season and were 20th in the league in sacks per pass attempt.
The Broncos surrendered at least 170 yards rushing in six games last season, including 350 yards rushing in a Week 2 loss in Miami.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini contributed to this report.
ByADAM TEICHER
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said the team would look at options beyond renovating Arrowhead Stadium as it searches for a home beyond the expiration of its lease following the 2030 season.
“We will approach it from a broader perspective going forward because time is short for us at this point and so we need to see what other options are out there for us,” Hunt said. “When we started on this process three years ago, it felt like we had a very long time, a long runway with about 9½ [years] left on our lease. We’re now down to 6½ and so I do feel very much of a sense of urgency.
“Arrowhead is a special place for our family and our fan base. That was one of the reasons that we focused on it with the last effort, but going forward it may make more sense for us to be in a new stadium.”
Voters in Jackson County, Missouri, rejected a sales tax measure earlier this month that would have helped fund major renovations to Arrowhead as well as build a new ballpark for MLB’s Royals in downtown Kansas City.
Options for a stadium for the Chiefs elsewhere in the Kansas City area include building on the Kansas side of the state line.
The Chiefs had committed to contribute $300 million to the Arrowhead renovations, which had an overall cost of $800 million. The plan to renovate Arrowhead and build a new stadium for the Royals was rejected by almost 60% of voters. It would have replaced a three-eighth-cent sales tax with a similar tax for the next 40 years.
Hunt indicated the Chiefs and Royals would work on separate plans for funding their new stadiums.
“At this point it makes sense for both of us to work independently,” Hunt said. “There’s certainly nothing to preclude us coming back and doing something together, but [Royals owner John Sherman] also feels that sense of urgency and I know he’s eager to try to find a long-term solution, which we are as well.
“Stadium development projects just take a long time and I don’t want to put a specific number on it, but with only 6½ years left on the lease, we’re going to have to work very hard over the next year, year and a half to see if we can find an option.”
ByTIM MCMANUS
PHILADELPHIA — Jeremiah Trotter to the Eagles. Again.
With the 20th pick in the fifth round, the Eagles selected Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. — the son of one of the most beloved players to wear the midnight green.
Trotter Sr., a third-round pick of the Eagles in 1998, patrolled the middle of the defense for eight seasons, racking up four Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl appearance during that time.
Trotter Jr. was born in New Jersey and played high school football at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia. He went on to star at Clemson, where he posted 29.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and 4 interceptions over three seasons.
He was named second-team All-American and first-team All-ACC in 2023 after compiling 88 tackles (15 for loss), 5.5 sacks and 2 interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Linebacker was an area of weakness last season for the Eagles, who finished 30th in points allowed (25.2 ppg). That presents opportunity for Trotter Jr. He joins a room that includes Nakobe Dean and a pair of new free agent arrivals in Devin White and Oren Burks.
At 6-foot, 228 pounds, he is on the smaller side for middle linebackers, but he earned a reputation at Clemson for having a high football IQ and a knack for getting to the ball. He was a finalist for the Butkus Award last season, given to the nation’s top linebacker.
(NEW YORK) -- Former standout college football player and NFL running back Reggie Bush will have his 2005 Heisman Trophy reinstated, according to Bush's attorneys and a statement posted on the Heisman website Wednesday.
Bush posted a photo on Instagram with the trophy captioned, "No one can take from you what God has for you."
Bush forfeited the trophy in 2010 amid NCAA sanctions against his former school, the University of Southern California.
"I am grateful to once again be recognized as the recipient of the Heisman Trophy," said Bush in a statement via his attorneys, "This reinstatement is not only a personal victory but also a validation of the tireless efforts of my supporters and advocates who have stood by me throughout this arduous journey."
Bush, who was accused of receiving improper benefits while playing at USC, maintained his innocence in the statement.
"I want to make it abundantly clear that I have always acted with integrity and in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth by the NCAA," Bush stated. "The allegations brought against me were unfounded and unsupported by evidence, and I am grateful that the truth is finally prevailing."
In a statement confirming the decision, Michael Comerford, president of the Heisman Trophy Trust, said the choice was made considering "enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years."
"We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments," said Comerford. "We considered the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years in deciding that now is the right time to reinstate the Trophy for Reggie. We are so happy to welcome him back."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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