Update on the latest sports
APNBA-SCHEDULE
Knicks clinch No. 4 seed in East…Wizards 8th, Pacers 9th
UNDATED (AP) — Julius Randle and the New York Knicks opened the NBA playoffs at home. Randle capped his All-Star season with 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and the Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 96-92 to clinch the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. RJ Barrett scored 22 points for the Knicks, who won their third straight to finish 41-31 and set up a first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks.
New York is headed to the playoffs for the first time since winning the Atlantic Division title in 2012-13. The Celtics were already locked into the No. 7 spot in the play-in tournament and rested all their top players.
In other NBA results Sunday:
— E’Twaun Moore scored 22 points and made a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining that lifted the Phoenix Suns past the San Antonio Spurs 123-121 and kept alive their chances at the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Playing without Devin Booker and Chris Paul, the Suns were bailed out late by Moore. Utah could secure the top seed in the West with a win over Sacramento on Sunday night, but the Suns would get the top seed if the Jazz lose because Phoenix swept the season series from Utah. DeMar DeRozan led the 10th-seeded Spurs with 23 points.
— The Washington Wizards finished eighth in the Eastern Conference standings and set up a play-in matchup against the No. 7 Boston Celtics by coming back to beat the Charlotte Hornets 115-110. Bradley Beal scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half for Washington. The Hornets closed the regular season on a five-game losing streak to drop to the 10th spot in the East and will play at Indiana in the play-in round. Russell Westbrook had a triple-double for the Wizards.
— Oshae Brissett scored a career-best 31 points and Domantas Sabonis added 25 points, 16 rebounds and three steals as the Indiana Pacers beat the Toronto Raptors 125-113 to lock up the Eastern Conference’s ninth seed. Indiana secured home-court advantage for Tuesday’s play-in game against Charlotte. Toronto misess the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
— Stephen Curry became the oldest scoring champion since Michael Jordan in 1998, finishing with 46 points as the Golden State Warriors held off the Memphis Grizzlies 113-101 in a regular-season finale that determined the play-in tournament’s eighth and ninth spots. The Warriors wrapped up the No. 8 seed and will play Wednesday, while Memphis finishes at No. 9 and will host the Spurs on Wednesday. The 33-year-old Curry averaged 32 points during his second 2,000-point season.
NBA-BUCKS-MIDDLETON
Bucks’ Middleton to miss regular-season finale against Bulls
CHICAGO (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton will miss the regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls because of a sore left ankle.
Middleton was ruled out Sunday after scoring 21 points the previous night in a win over Miami. The two-time All-Star is missing his fourth game this season.
The Bucks began the day a game behind Brooklyn for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They needed a win over the Bulls plus a loss by the Nets to the Cleveland Cavaliers to clinch the second seed. Otherwise, they would finish third in the East.
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME-2021 CLASS
The Hall calls: Bosh, Webber, Wright among the 2021 class
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Ben Wallace, Jay Wright, Chris Bosh and Chris Webber are among the 16 names announced as this year’s Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement class, a group that also includes Paul Pierce, coaches Rick Adelman and Cotton Fitzsimmons, and WNBA stars Yolanda Griffith and Lauren Jackson.
And it includes someone who has been a Hall of Famer for 46 years: Bill Russell. The 11-time NBA champion was enshrined in 1975 as a player and has now been selected again as a coach.
Russell becomes the fifth Hall of Famer who will be inducted as both a player and a coach, joining John Wooden, Lenny Wilkens, Bill Sharman and Tommy Heinsohn.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Palmieri’s OT winner lifts Isles by Penguins 4-3 in first-round opener
UNDATED (AP) — Kyle Palmieri’s second goal of the game 16:30 into overtime lifted the New York Islanders to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of their first-round series. Palmieri collected a pass from Jean-Gabriel Pageau near the goal line and lifted it over Tristan Jarry and into the net.
The victory was the first for New York in five tries at PPG Paints Arena this season.
Sidney Crosby scored his 69th career playoff goal, but the Penguins lost for the 10th time in their past 11 postseason games.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
— Joel Eriksson Ek’s goal at 3:20 of overtime lifted the Minnesota Wild past the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 in Game 1 of their first-round series. Wild goaltender Cam Talbot stopped all 42 shots he faced. Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury, the first goalie in NHL history to play in 15 consecutive postseasons, made 29 saves.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Hendricks takes shutout into 9th, Cubs beat Tigers 5-1
UNDATED (AP) — Kyle Hendricks took a shutout into the ninth inning and the Chicago Cubs defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-1. Hendricks allowed eight hits and struck out a season-high eight in eight-plus innings without allowing a walk. He left after Harold Castro and Miguel Cabrera started the ninth with singles.
Dan Winkler appeared to get Jonathan Schoop to hit into a game-ending double play with runners on the corners, but the call at first was overturned after a review, allowing Detroit to score its only run. Ian Happ had three hits, including a homer, and was aggressive on the bases as the Cubs won for the second time in six games.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Shohei Ohtani (SHOH’-hay oh-TAH’-nee) hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Angels rallied past the Boston Red Sox 6-5, ending a four-game losing streak. Boston closer Matt Barnes retired the first two batters in the ninth before giving up a bloop single to Mike Trout. Ohtani followed with his major league high-tying 12th home run, tucked just inside the Pesky Pole in right field. It was Ohtani’s second homer of the series and stopped Boston’s three-game winning streak.
— Manuel Margot, Willy Adames and Brandon Lowe homered off Marcus Stroman, leading the Tampa Bay Rays over the New York Mets 7-1 for a three-game sweep. Two-run homers by Margot in the fourth and by Adames in the fifth built a 4-0 lead, and Lowe led off the sixth with his seventh home run this season. Ji-Man Choi had three hits, including an eighth-inning RBI double, in his first game after recovering from arthroscopic right knee surgery.
— Matt Chapman had three hits and three RBIs and Ramón Laureano scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the ninth inning as the Oakland Athletics defeated the Minnesota Twins 7-6. The A’s went 4-2 on their trip to Boston and Target Field.
— Wade Davis bounced a wild pitch that allowed José Abreu to dash home with the game-ending run, and the Chicago White Sox rallied in the ninth inning to beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3. Abreu was hit just above the left elbow by an 82 mph knuckle-curve. Abreu, injured Friday in a collision with Hunter Dozier, dashed home when Davis bounced a knuckle-curve off Gallagher,
— Freddy Peralta struck out eight over six scoreless innings, Avisail Garcia homered and the Milwaukee Brewers blew most of an 8-0 lead before holding on to beat the Atlanta Braves 10-9. The Brewers got some insurance with Lorenzo Cain’s two-run single in the seventh. Josh Hader worked the ninth for his ninth save.
— Maikel Franco homered and drove in three runs, rookie Bruce Zimmermann came out of the bullpen to hold down the Yankees and Baltimore Orioles avoided a three-game sweep by rallying to beat New York 10-6. Aaron Judge homered for the third straight game and went 6 for 10 with four home runs and five RBIs in the series. Baltimore is 6-15 at Camden Yards.
— Shane Bieber’s record strikeout streak ended when the Seattle Mariners sent the Cleveland ace to an early exit. Bieber had fanned at least eight in 20 straight games. But the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner fell just short against the Mariners, striking out seven in 4 2/3 innings. Bieber left trailing 3-0 with the bases loaded in his shortest outing of the season. The 25-year-old right-hander leads the majors with 92 strikeouts.
— Alex Wood pitched six innings while keeping his perfect record intact and Mike Yastrzemski hit a game-sealing home run as the San Francisco Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1. Wood improved to 5-0. He gave up one run while scattering eight hits. He struck out six and walked one as NL West-leading San Francisco gained a split of the four-game series.
— Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette hit consecutive first-inning homers, Randal Grichuk had a two-run double in a five-run second and the Toronto Blue Jays hung on to beat the injury-depleted Philadelphia Phillies 10-8. Semien finished with three hits and three RBIs, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 11th homer, a solo drive in the eighth that gave him home runs in three consecutive games. Toronto burst to an 8-0 lead and won for the sixth time in eight games, moving five games over .500 for the first time this season.
— Chas McCormick had a two-run single as part of a four-run eighth, Lance McCullers Jr. threw six scoreless innings and the Houston Astros won their sixth straight, 6-2 over the Texas Rangers. Houston loaded the bases with one out in the eighth on singles by José Altuve, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman. Yuli Gurriel hit a sacrifice fly. After Kyle Tucker walked, McCormick singled to left before Myles Straw capped the inning with an RBI single. Brooks Raley struck out the side in the eighth to get the win.
MLB-NEWS
Dodgers’ Seager likely out for a few weeks with broken hand
UNDATED (AP) — World Series MVP Corey Seager will miss at least a few weeks for the Los Angeles Dodgers after breaking a bone in his right hand. Manager Dave Roberts says the star shortstop does not need surgery on his broken fifth metacarpal. The team placed Seager on the 10-day injured list Sunday and recalled catcher Keibert Ruiz from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
In other MLB news:
— The Yankees have had another positive COVID-19 test, this one involving a staff member. Manager Aaron Boone made the announcement before the Yankees’ game against the Orioles at Camden Yards on Sunday. The Yankees have had nine total positives within the traveling party since Monday — three coaches, five staffers and shortstop Gleyber Torres.
NFL-GIANTS MOVES
Giants sign veterans Kelvin Benjamin, Corey Clement
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Giants have signed wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and running back Corey Clement.
Benjamin, who was a first-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2014, has not played in the NFL since 2018 when he split time between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
Clement, who joined the Eagles as a rookie free agent, spent the past four seasons with the Philadelphia and won the Super Bowl in his rookie season.
The Giants waived running back Jordan Chunn and tight end Nate Wieting.
WTA-ITALIAN OPEN
Nadal beats a tired Djokovic for 10th Italian Open title
ROME (AP) — Rafael Nadal has beaten Novak Djokovic (NOH’-vak JOH’-kuh-vich) 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 for a record-extending 10th Italian Open title. The Spaniard recovered from a potentially dangerous fall after tripping over a raised line to take the latest installment of the most-played rivalry in modern men’s tennis.
It also re-established Nadal as the overwhelming favorite for the French Open where the Spaniard will be aiming for an even harder-to-believe 14th title starting in two weeks.
In the women’s Italian Open final, reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek routed Karolina Pliskova (PLIHSH’-koh-vah) 6-0, 6-0.
NASCAR-DOVER
Bowman parks 48 in familiar spot in victory lane at Dover
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Alex Bowman won the the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway to led Hendrick Motorsports to a 1-2-3-4 finish. Kyle Larson was second, Chase Elliott third and William Byron fourth.
Bowman led the final 98 laps. Larson led a race-high 263 laps.
Hendrick Motorsports is the first team to finish 1-2-3-4 since Jack Roush in 2005. HMS led 382 of the 400 laps at Dover.
GOLF-BYRON NELSON
Delayed Nelson resumes with K.H. Lee near victory, PGA spot
McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — K.H. Lee is headed to the PGA Championship after getting his first victory on the PGA Tour at the AT&T Byron Nelson. The South Korean shot 6-under 66 and finished at 25 under for a three-shot victory over third-round leader Sam Burns.
Local Favorite Jordan Spieth got his first top 10 at the Nelson 11 years after contending on as a 16-year-old.
