Update on the latest sports
APNBA-SCHEDULE
76ers hammer Magic to clinch top seed
UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers have wrapped up the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs by defeating one of the NBA’s worst teams.
Seth Curry scored 20 points and the Sixers improved to 48-23 with a 122-97 rout of the Magic. Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Ben Simmons delivered 13 points and nine assists to help Philly end a two-game skid.
Embiid, Simmons and the rest of Philadelphia’s starters relaxed on the bench in the fourth quarter with the 76ers up big.
It’s the first time the 76ers have the top seed in the conference since 2001.
Checking out Friday’s other NBA action:
— Bojan (BOY’-ahn) Bogdanovic furnished 22 points and the Jazz inched closer to the top seed in the West by whipping the Thunder, 109-93. Jordan Clarkson scored 18 points and Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 18 rebounds in Utah’s first win in three games. All-Star guard Michael Conley chipped in 10 points in 16 minutes as he returned after missing nine games with a right hamstring injury.
— Markus Howard scored a career-high 20 points and Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH’-lah YOH’-kihch) had a triple-double in the Nuggets’ 104-91 decision over the Pistons. Jokic had 20 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists for Denver, which is 3-0 on its regular season-ending four-game trip. Jokic finished off the triple-double early in the third quarter, and he and Howard both finished the period with 20 points as the Nuggets pulled out to an 87-74 lead.
— The Wizards have clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament by dumping the Cavaliers, 120-115. Russell Westbrook had 21 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds for his 183rd career triple-double, league-leading 37th this season and first since breaking Oscar Robertson’s all-time record in that category. Davis Bertans (DAH’-vihs bur-TAHNS’) scored 17 points for Washington, which can finish as high as eighth in the conference.
NBA-76ERS-HOWARD-SUSPENSION
76ers’ Howard suspended a game for too many technical
UNDATED (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers center Dwight Howard sat out Friday’s game against Orlando as punishment for picking up his 16th technical foul of the season the previous night.
Players who earn a 16th technical foul receive an automatic one-game suspension without pay. Howard earned the technical for knocking Miami’s Udonis Haslem (oo-DAH’-nihs HAZ’-lehm) to the floor while the two were going for a rebound.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
— Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden are all expected to play when the Brooklyn Nets host the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. The three All-Stars have played in the same game just seven times since the Nets acquired Harden from Houston in mid-January. going 5-2. They haven’t been together since a Feb. 13 victory at Golden State, with Durant missing 23 games and Harden sitting out 18 before returning to the lineup on Wednesday.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Royals, White Sox end streaks
UNDATED (AP) — A pair of streaks ended as the Kansas City Royals took the opener of their doubleheader with the White Sox in Chicago.
Salvador Perez belted a three-run homer and Michael A. Taylor had a two-run drive as the Royals dumped the White Sox, 6-2. The Royals had dropped 11 in a row before ending the White Sox’s six-game winning streak.
Kansas City’s Hunter Dozier and Chicago’s Jose Abreu (ah-BRAY’-oo) had to leave the game in the second inning following a collision on the basepath that left both players dazed for several minutes. Dozier hit a weak popup and was looking down as he tried to avoid hitting catcher Yasmani Grandal (yahs-MAH’-nee grahn-DAHL’), who was camped under the ball. Dozier continued to run to the first base bag and slammed into Abreu less than halfway down the line.
In other major league games:
— Aaron Judge banged out two more homers against the Orioles and Gio Urshela (JEE’-oh ur-SHEH’-lah) went deep in the Yankees’ 5-4 victory. Judge is now 10 for 19 with five home runs versus Baltimore this season.
— The Red Sox were 4-3 winners over the Angels behind two-run homers by Hunter Renfroe and Bobby Dalbec. Shohei Ohtani (SHOH’-hay oh-TAH’-nee) hit his 11th homer for the Angels, who lost their third straight while Boston ended a three-game skid.
— The Tigers’ four-game winning streak is over after Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer in the third inning of the Cubs’ 4-2 victory at Detroit. Joc Pederson had three hits in Chicago’s first win in four games.
— Adam Frazier had four hits and led the Pirates’ 11th-inning rally in a 3-2 triumph over the Giants. Frazier tripled home the tying run and scored the winner on Gregory Polanco’s sacrifice fly.
MLB-NEWS
Realmuto off COVID-19 list
UNDATED (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (ree-al-MOO’-toh) is back in the starting lineup tonight against Toronto, one day after being placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. Realmuto was cleared to return by Major League Baseball, and was the designated hitter and batting fourth on the posted lineup. Realmuto felt ill and had a fever Wednesday night before being placed on the IL in accordance with MLB protocols.
In other major league news:
— Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks had an MRI that revealed a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist. Manager Aaron Boone said the team will initially try to treat the injury with medicine, which could make Hicks available to play this weekend. However, Hicks could require surgery if the medicine is not effective.
— Veteran catcher Tyler Flowers has retired a week after signing a minor league contract with the Braves. The 35-year-old Flowers played for Atlanta from 2016-20 after spending seven seasons with the White Sox. He hit .237 with a .319 on-base percentage, 86 homers and 301 RBIs in 802 career regular-season games.
NFL-CONCUSSION SETTLEMENT
Retired Black players say NFL brain-injury payouts show bias
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Thousands of retired Black professional football players, their families and supporters are demanding an end to the controversial use of “race-norming” to determine which players are eligible for payouts in the NFL’s $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims.
Former Washington running back Ken Jenkins and his wife Amy Lewis on Friday delivered 50,000 petitions demanding equal treatment for Black players to Senior U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia, who is overseeing the massive settlement. Former players who suffer dementia or other diagnoses can be eligible for a payout.
Under the settlement, the NFL uses a scoring algorithm on the dementia testing that assumes Black men start with lower cognitive skills. They must therefore score much lower than whites to show enough mental decline to win an award. The practice, which went unnoticed until 2018, has made it harder for Black former players to get awards.
In March, Brody threw out a civil rights lawsuit that claimed the practice is discriminatory. But she later said in a filing that the practice raised “a very important issue” and asked a magistrate judge to compile a report on the problem. She told The Associated Press she did not know when it would be completed.
NFL-PACKERS-LAFLEUR
LaFleur on Rodgers: ‘We want him back in the worst way’
UNDATED (AP) — Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur reiterated his hope that he’d get to continue working with Aaron Rodgers this season while offering no news on the quarterback’s status.
LaFleur said the Packers want Rodgers “back in the worst way.” ESPN reported just before the draft that Rodgers wants out of Green Bay. Packers CEO Mark Murphy acknowledged the issue and said he, LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst have all met with Rodgers during the offseason.
In other NFL news:
— A person with knowledge of the details tells The Associated Press that Broncos wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton sustained a serious knee injury Friday while working out on his own. The person said Hamilton is suspected to have torn an ACL, as first reported by NFL Network. That not only imperils his $2.183 million salary for this year, but it also squelches trade talks for the fourth-year pro.
HORSE RACING-PREAKNESS
Medina Spirit OK to run in Preakness
BALTIMORE (AP) — Medina (meh-DEE’-nah) Spirit has passed three rounds of prerace drug testing and been cleared to run in tomorrow’s Preakness.
Maryland racing officials said today’s tests on the Kentucky Derby winner and fellow Bob Baffert-trained Concert Tour came back with nothing that would cause either to be scratched from the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Medina Spirit tested positive for the steroid betamethasone in post-Derby testing, causing Baffert’s camp to agree to rigorous testing and monitoring of his horses as a condition of entry to the Preakness.
PGA-AT&T BYRON NELSON
Burns sizzles in taking second-round lead
McKINNEY, Texas (AP)— Sam Burns birdied six of his last eight holes for a 10-under 62 and a two-stroke lead over Alex Noren at 17 under after the second round of the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Burns is playing for the first time since his first PGA Tour win two weeks ago at the Valspar Championship in Florida. Before that, he had twice failed to convert 54-hole leads
Noren shot 64 to get to 15 under, and K.H. Lee is at minus-14 after his second 65. Doc Redman bogeyed two of his last three holes for a 67 that left him 13 under.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS-MITSUBISHI
Ames has Tour Champions lead
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Stephen Ames has a one-stroke lead over Paul Goydos through the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ Mitsubishi Electric Classic. The 57-year-old Ames had an opening bogey and seven birdies on a 6-under 66. Goydos played the back nine in 5 under, closing with a birdie on the par-5 18th.
PGA-US OPEN-MICKELSON
Mickelson changes his mind, accepts exemption to US Open
UNDATED (AP) — Phil Mickelson is assured at least one more crack at winning an elusive U.S. Open title after accepting an invitation to play in next month’s event at Torrey Pines.
The five-time major champion has been eligible for every U.S. Open for nearly 30 years, but he’s fallen out of the top 100 at age 50. The U.S. Open is the only major Mickelson hasn’t won, although he’s had six runner-up finishes.
Mickelson said last year that he wouldn’t accept a tournament exemption.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS
12 of 30 MLB teams able to relax virus protocols
UNDATED (AP) — Five more major league teams have been able to relax coronavirus protocols after 85% of their players and other on-field personnel completed vaccination. That raises the total to 12 of the 30 clubs. Major League Baseball and its players’ union say four additional teams have reached the 85% level of final doses. They would be able to relax protocols within two weeks once they are fully vaccinated.
In other pandemic-related sports news:
— The Rockies have been approved by the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment to raise capacity at Coors Field to 35,000 beginning June 1. The size of the crowd is currently 21,363 — or 42.6% capacity. Coors Field is scheduled to host the All-Star Game in July.
—The Reds will have full capacity at Great American Ball Park beginning June 2. The Pirates will no longer require fans who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear a facemask while at PNC Park.
—The IndyCar race in Toronto has been canceled for the second consecutive year because of the pandemic. The event was scheduled for July 9-11 but can’t take place because of restrictions in Canada.
— Justin Haley will miss this weekend’s NASCAR races at Dover because of COVID-19 protocols. Josh Berry will make his Cup Series debut for Spire Motorsports driving for Haley in Sunday’s Cup race at Dover International Speedway.
