Update on the latest sports
APNBA-NEWS
Durant back for Nets after 3-game absence with thigh injury
UNDATED (AP) — Kevin Durant is back for the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday against Phoenix after missing three games with a bruised left thigh.
Durant was hurt last Sunday against Miami. Coach Steve Nash said the Nets would go in with the goal of playing the All-Star forward fewer than 30 minutes against the Suns.
Durant has played in just five of the previous 32 games. In his first season back after missing all of last season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, he has been limited to just 24 games because of injuries and COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
The Nets have 12 games remaining, including three sets of back-to-backs. Nash said his preference remains that Durant doesn’t play in both games in those situations, so it’s unlikely Durant plays in every game before the playoffs even if he remains healthy.
In other NBA news:
— Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss multiple games while going through the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin will coach in Clifford’s absence, starting with Sunday night’s game against Indiana. There is no timetable for Clifford’s return. Typically, those in the league who have tested positive have missed at least 10 days before being cleared to resume work. That would mean Clifford could miss much of the remainder of the season.
MLB-NEWS
Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera gets suspension reduced to 2 games
UNDATED (AP) — Chicago Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera has had his three-game suspension for throwing at Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff reduced to two games.
Tepera began his suspension with Sunday’s series finale against the Brewers. The Cubs begin a four-game series at Atlanta on Monday night.
Tepera also was fined by MLB senior vice president for on-field operations Michael Hill. He appealed the discipline to MLB special adviser John McHale Jr.
The 33-year-old Tepera threw a pitch behind Woodruff in the fifth inning of Chicago’s 3-2 victory at Milwaukee on April 13. Cubs catcher Willson Contreras had been plunked earlier in the game, and Tepera said he wanted to send a message because he felt his team had been hit too often in the past couple of years.
In other baseball news:
— The Milwaukee Brewers are moving along with their plan for Christian Yelich (YEH’-lihch) after an MRI on the slugger’s strained lower back showed no major issues. Yelich hasn’t played since April 11. He was eligible to come off the injured list this weekend, but the 2018 NL MVP was sent back to Milwaukee because manager Craig Counsell said the outfielder had hit a “plateau” in his recovery. Counsell says the team “basically just ruled out anything significant structurally that would show up on the MRI.”
— The Braves have sent Sean Kazmar Jr. to their alternate training site, a week after the infielder returned to the majors for the first time since 2008. The 36-year-old Kazmar became an instant feel-good story when Atlanta brought him up to the big leagues. Kazmar hit .205 in 19 games for San Diego when he debuted 13 years ago, and had been in the minors since then. Kazmar got into two games for Atlanta and batted just once — he grounded into a double play against the Cubs at Wrigley Field and was a pinch-runner at Yankee Stadium. Kazmar lost his roster spot when the Braves reinstated lefty Drew Smyly from the injured list to start Saturday night against Arizona. The game got rained out, and the Braves and Diamondbacks are now scheduled for a doubleheader.
— The Miami Marlins’ minor league complex in Jupiter, Florida, was shut down for the weekend after five players tested positive for COVID-19, a club spokesman said. The stricken players were isolated. About 120 players train at the complex. The interruption in workouts is not expected to affect the start of the season for any of the Marlins’ four full-season affiliates — the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Class A Beloit Snappers and Class A Jupiter Hammerheads. Their seasons begin May 4.
NHL-BLACKHAWKS-STILLMAN
Blackhawks announce 3-year extension with D Riley Stillman
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a three-year contract extension with defenseman Riley Stillman. The contract runs through the 2023-24 season and carries an annual cap hit of $1.35 million.
The 23-year-old Stillman was acquired in a multiplayer trade with Florida on April 8. He has 16 hits and eight blocked shots in six games with Chicago.
Stillman was selected by Florida in the 2016 NHL draft. He appeared in 34 games with the Panthers last season, finishing with five assists. He also skated in three playoff games last year.
