Update on the latest sports
APNBA-SCHEDULE
Nets beat Celts, pass Sixers
UNDATED (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets are back in sole possession of first place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference after dealing the Boston Celtics just their third loss in a dozen games.
Joe Harris scored 20 points and the Nets moved a half-game ahead of the 76ers by downing the Celts, 109-104. Kyrie Irving just missed a triple-double despite missing 15 of his 19 shots, finishing with 15 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.
Boston cut Brooklyn’s 17-point lead to 98-95 with about 3 1/2 minutes left after consecutive 3-pointers by Payton Pritchard and Jayson Tatum. But Harris answered with a 3-pointer and Irving passed ahead to Jeff Green for a dunk to quickly push the lead back to eight.
Tatum had 38 points for the Celtics, who were swept by the Nets in the season series for the first time.
Checking out Friday’s other NBA action:
— Paul George had 33 points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers in a 109-104 win over the Rockets. Paul George had 20 points in the first half, leading the Clippers to a 65-61 lead. But Los Angeles trailed 80-76 after shooting 5-for-22 in an 11-point third quarter.
— Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 21 points and John Collins added 20 as the injury-depleted Hawks surprised the Heat, 118-103. Atlanta got a combined 47 points from reserves Brandon Goodwin, Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams while leading scorer Trae Young and NBA rebounding leader Clint Capela sat out with injuries. The Hawks won for the 10th time in their last 12 games against the Eastern Conference and 10th time in the last 13 overall.
— Stephen Curry scored 32 points and the Warriors welcomed back fans for the first time since the pandemic began by thumping the Nuggets, 118-97. Draymond Green had 19 assists and 12 rebounds to help the Warriors withstand Michael Porter’s seven treys and team-high 26 points for Denver. Nuggets forward Will Barton went down 59 seconds into the game with a strained right hamstring and didn’t return.
— The Trail Blazers dropped their fourth in a row Ja (jah) Morant had 33 points and 13 assists in guiding the Grizzlies to a 130-128 victory at Portland. Dillon Brooks added 25 points for Memphis, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Damian Lillard overcame a slow start and finished with 27 points for the Blazers
— The Hornets erased a 10-point second half deficit to beat the Cavaliers, 108-102. Miles Bridges had 25 points and 10 rebounds as Charlotte won for only the second time in eight games. P.J. Washington and Terry Rozier also had 25 points apiece for the Hornets.
— Russell Westbrook had another triple-double in his return to Oklahoma City, guiding the Wizards to a 129-109 rout of the Thunder. Westbrook finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in his fourth straight triple-double and 14th in 16 games. Bradley Beal added 33 points in Washington’s seventh win in a row.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Sabres stop Bruins’ streak
UNDATED (AP) — The Boston Bruins had a golden opportunity to creep closer to the NHL’s East Division-leading Washington Capitals tonight. Instead, the previously-hot Bruins lost to the league’s worst team.
Sam Reinhart scored three times, including a game-sealing empty-netter that sealed the Sabres’ win over the Bruins, 6-4. Reinhart’s power-play goal put Buffalo ahead, 5-1 4 1/2 minutes into the third period. But the B’s scored three times in a 5:06 span before Reinhart completed his hat trick.
Steven Kampfer had a goal and two assists for the Bruins, who ended a six-game winning streak and remain four points out of first place.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Juuse Saros (YOO’-see SAH’-rohs) made 29 saves and Luke Kunin (KUH’-nihn) scored for the third straight game as the Predators beat the Blackhawks, 3-1. Ryan Johansen and Erik Haula also scored for as Nashville moved four points ahead of Dallas for the fourth and final Central Division playoff spot. Vinnie Hinostroza (asterisk)hih-nah-STROH’-zah) scored with 3:19 left in the third period to spoil Saros’ shutout bid.
— Kirill Kaprizov (kah-REEL’ kah-PREE’-zahv) had two goals and the Wild picked up their sixth straight win by holding off the Kings, 4-2. Joel Eriksson Ek and Nico Strum also scored as Minnesota improved to 9-2-1 in its past 12 games. Cam Talbot made 40 saves in helping the Wild get within five points of West-leading Vegas.
— Alexandar Georgiev (gee-OHR’-gee-ehv) stopped 26 shots in the Rangers’ fifth win in seven games, 4-1 against the Flyers. Pavel Buchnevich and rookie Alexis Lafreniere each had a goal and an assist for the Blueshirts, who moved within six points of fourth-place Boston in the East Division. Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil (HEE’-tul) also scored and Artemi Panarin (ahr-TEH’-mee pah-NAH’-rihn) had two assists to help New York bounce back one night after a 3-2 loss to the Flyers.
— The Flames doubled up the Canadiens, 4-2 as Sean Monahan had a goal and two assists. Andrew Mangiapane (mahn-juh-PAN’-ee) had a goal and an assist for Calgary in the first of three straight games between the teams. The Flames pulled six points behind Montreal for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division.
NHL-NEWS
Silfverberg, Larkin done for season
UNDATED (AP) — Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg (SIHL’-vur-burg) and Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin are done for the season.
Silfverberg will be sidelined for four to six months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip. Silfverberg had career lows of eight goals and 16 points in 47 games for the Ducks this season, along with a career-worst minus-17 rating.
Larkin’s season has ended because of an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old center had nine goals and 23 points in 44 games. The Detroit captain had 53 points in 71 games last year in another lackluster season.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Cubs pound Brewers
UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago Cubs scored just 34 runs while losing eight of their first 13 games this season. They’ve scored at least 13 runs in three games since last Saturday, including this afternoon’s 15-2 clobbering of the Brewers.
Jake Marisnick homered and matched a career high with five RBIs in the Cubs’ fourth straight victory. Anthony Rizzo, Javier Báez and Willson Contreras also connected for Chicago, which is averaging 9.2 runs over its last six games.
Nico Hoerner had three hits in his first start of the season, and Kyle Hendricks pitched six innings of two-run ball in his first win of the campaign.
Milwaukee had won three in a row.
In other major league finals:
— Jacob deGrom struck out a career-high 15, pitched a two-hitter and boosted the sagging Mets’ offense with a go-ahead double in a 6-0 shutout of the Nationals. DeGrom has struck out 50 overall this season, breaking the major league record for most in a pitcher’s first four starts set just last weekend by Cleveland ace Shane Bieber with 48.
— Huascar Ynoa (hoo-AHS’-kahr ih-NOH’-ah) earned his first career win by allowing two runs and two hits over six innings of the Braves’ 5-4 decision over the Diamondbacks. Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies (AL’-beez) homered for Atlanta, which went ahead on a double by Jose Rojas in the seventh.
— Raimel Tapia hit a solo home run with one out in the ninth inning to give the Rockies a 5-4 triumph against the Phillies. Trevor Story, C.J. Cron and Garrett Hampson also homered in Colorado’s third straight win.
— The Padres whipped the Dodgers, 6-1 as Fernando Tatís (tah-TEES’) Jr. hit two homers at Dodger Stadium on the 22nd anniversary of his father hitting two grand slams in one inning at the same park. Yu Darvish outpitched Clayton Kershaw by scattering four hits while fanning nine over six innings, helping the Padres beat the Dodgers for the second straight night.
— Alex Wood surrendered a homer on his third pitch before tossing seven innings of the Giants’ 5-3 decision over the Marlins. Mike Yastrzemski (ya-STREHM’-skee) homered as the Giants improved to 7-1 at home and celebrated Buster Posey becoming the first player in franchise history to catch 1,000 games.
— Yadier (YAH’-dee-ehr) Molina homered and doubled to help St. Louis build a 5-0 lead in a 5-4 victory against the Reds. Kwang-Hyun Kim allowed one run on five hits with a career-high eight strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings as St. Louis snapped a two-game skid.
— The Blue Jays topped the Rays, 5-3 as Steven Matz won his fourth consecutive start and Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer. Matz gave up five hits over five innings, including Randy Arozarena’s (ah-ROH’-zah-RAY’-nahz) three-run homer.
— Ramón Laureano homered and the Athletics earned their 12th consecutive victory by downing the Orioles, 3-1. Cole Irvin won consecutive starts for the first time in nearly two years as the A’s improved to 13-1 since dropping their first six games.
— Rookie pinch-hitter Robel Garcia’s RBI single in Houston’s three-run 10th inning lifted the Astros to a 5-4 win over the Angels. Los Angeles scored twice in the top of the 10th on RBI singles by David Fletcher and Albert Pujols (POO’-hohlz) before the Astros rallied for their second straight win since a 1-9 stretch.
— Xander Bogaerts (BOH’-gahrts) slammed a two-run homer all the way out of Fenway Park and added an RBI single as the Red Sox beat the Mariners, 6-5. J.D. Martinez also homered for Boston, which survived a late scare when Kyle Seager hit a three-run homer in the ninth to pull Seattle within a run.
— Giancarlo Stanton busted out of his slump with two rocketed home runs in the Yankees’ 5-3 victory at Cleveland. Stanton hit a 429-foot solo shot in the third inning off Logan Allen and added another in the fifth for his first multi-homer game since Sept. 27, 2018.
— Rookie sensation Yermín (yehr-MEEN’) Mercedes added to his scorching start with four more hits, including a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning as the White Sox topped the Texas Rangers, 9-7. Yoán Moncada (yoh-AHN’ mahn-KAH’-dah) had three hits and a home run for Chicago, which coughed up a five-run lead before moving above .500 for the first time this season.
— J.A. Happ carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning of the Twins’ 2-0 shutout of the Pirates. Happ’s no-hit bid ended when Jacob Stallings doubled with one out in the eighth.
— Andrew Benintendi (behn-ihn-TEHN’-dee) and Ryan O’Hearn homered off Casey Mize to lift the Royals to a 6-2 victory over the Tigers. Mike Minor was reached for five runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings, holding Detroit hitless until the fifth.
MLB-NEWS
Twins add Sanó to injured list
UNDATED (AP) — The sputtering Minnesota Twins have shelved another regular. They placed first baseman Miguel Sanó (sah-NOH’) on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring.
Sanó is batting .111 with two home runs and 20 strikeouts in 45 at-bats.
Shortstop Andrelton (AN’-druhl-tuhn) Simmons, right fielder Max Kepler and left fielder Kyle Garlick are among five players currently on Minnesota’s COVID-19 injured list.
In other MLB news:
— Angels star Mike Trout was scratched from the lineup on Friday night after being hit by a pitch on the left elbow a night before. Manager Joe Maddon said he expects Trout to return for Saturday’s game at Houston.
— The Dodgers have placed promising rookie Zach McKinstry on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique. McKinstry is batting .296 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 17 games while playing second base, third base, right field and left field for the Dodgers.
— Brewers left-hander Brett Anderson left Friday’s game against the Cubs after just 11 pitches because of a tight hamstring. After Willson Contreras grounded out, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo doubled and Javier Báez singled before Anderson was replaced by Josh Lindblom. Anderson was 2-0 with a sparkling 0.75 ERA in his previous two starts.
— Three players and five staff members were positive for COVID-19 in the past week among 12,458 monitoring tests announced by Major League Baseball and the players’ association. There have been 39 positive tests among 123,770 tests this year. Nineteen of the 30 teams have had a positive test. Six games have been postponed this season due to COVID-19.
NFL-NEWS
Browns exercise 5-year option for Mayfield and Ward
UNDATED (AP) — The Cleveland Browns have exercised the fifth-year option on quarterback Baker Mayfield’s rookie contract. The move was expected after his strong 2020 season.
Mayfield had 30 touchdown passes last season and led the Browns to their first playoff appearance in nearly 20 years. Cleveland won its first postseason game since 1994, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round before losing to Kansas City.
The team also picked up the fifth-year option on top cornerback Denzel Ward’s contract.
In other NFL news:
— The Chiefs have acquired Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Brown from the Ravens for a package of draft picks that includes one in each of the first three rounds next week. Baltimore will get the No. 31 overall pick on Thursday night, along with third- and fourth-round picks this year and a fifth-round pick next year. The Chiefs will get the Ravens’ second-round pick next week and a sixth-round selection in 2022.
— The NFL is modifying COVID-19 protocols for all personnel who have been fully vaccinated. Effective immediately, fully vaccinated individuals in the NFL are no longer required to be tested each day for the novel coronavirus. Instead, they must be tested weekly on a monitoring basis.
— Steelers cornerback Justin Layne has been arrested in Ohio after police say they found a loaded gun in his car during an early morning traffic stop. Police say they stopped Layne for speeding and conducted a search after smelling marijuana and seeing loose particles scattered throughout the vehicle. According to the police report, Layne acknowledged the gun was his and said he forgot it was there.
— Former Bears star defensive tackle Steve McMichael says he has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He told the Chicago Tribune in an article published Friday that he is battling the condition. McMichael was an All-Pro in 1985 and 1987, helping the Bears win Super Bowl 20. He played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 and ranks second to Richard Dent on the Bears’ all-time sacks list with 92 1/2.
COLLGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS-EXPANSION
CFP management committee discusses future format expansion
IRVING, Texas (AP) — College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock says the CFP management committee has discussed dozens of possible changes to the format during meetings this week while also voicing support for the current four-team format.
In a news release, Hancock says the full committee of conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director heard from four of its members who have been analyzing expansions options. More than 60 possible formats were reviewed, including those with six, eight, 10, 12 and 16 teams, according to the CFP. The working group expects to make a full report on future formats at an upcoming meeting.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-LOYOLA CHICAGO
Williamson staying at Loyola Chicago
UNDATED (AP) — Loyola Chicago’s Lucas Williamson is returning for one more season under relaxed NCAA rules prompted by the pandemic.
The decision is a boost for the Ramblers after coach Porter Moser left for Oklahoma and star Cameron Krutwig announced he is turning pro.
PGA-ZURICH CLASSIC
Co-leaders at Zurich Classic
AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Tony Finau and Cameron Champ shot a 4-under 68 in alternate-shot play for a share of the Zurich Classic lead with the Norwegian duo of Viktor Hovland and Kris Ventura.
Hovland and Ventura had a 69 to match Finau and Champ at 13-under 131 through 36 holes.
Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose birdied seven holes, including the par-3 17th with a 12-foot putt by Rose. But they also bogeyed three holes in a four-under 68 that put them at 11 under and tied for third with Bubba Watson and Scottie Scheffler.
The teams will play best ball Saturday, and close with an alternate-shot round Sunday.
TRANSGENDER ATHLETES-ALAMABA
Ivey signs transgender athletics ban
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey has signed legislation restricting transgender students from participating in K-12 sports. That makes Alabama the latest conservative state to ban transgender girls from playing on female sports teams.
Ivey’s office announced in an email that she had signed the bill that says a public K-12 school “may never allow a biological male to participate on a female team.”
