U.S./World Sports category, Page 11
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder roll into West finals with 125-93 rout of Nuggets in Game 7
OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Jalen Williams added 24 and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals, beating the Denver Nuggets, 125-93, in Game 7 on Sunday. The top-seeded Thunder will host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves starting Tuesday. It’s Oklahoma City’s first trip to...
Scott McLaughlin destroys car in huge crash ahead of Indianapolis 500 qualifying
INDIANAPOLIS — Scott McLaughlin crashed his Team Penske car in Sunday afternoon practice and ruined his chance to repeat last year’s Indianapolis 500 pole-winning run. McLaughlin qualified Saturday inside the top 12 and was eligible to run for the pole later Sunday. But he spun at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and...
Caitlin Clark has triple-double to lead Fever past Sky as tempers flare after hard foul
INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark opened the season with the third triple-double of her career, and the new-look Indiana Fever dominated the final 16 1/2 minutes Saturday to pull away from the revamped Chicago Sky, 93-58. Last season’s WNBA Rookie of the Year finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10...
Journalism wins Preakness 2 weeks after finishing 2nd in Kentucky Derby
BALTIMORE — Journalism jostled with horses down the stretch, burst through after the contact and came from behind to win the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. The odds-on favorite was bumped by Goal Oriented near the quarter pole, and it looked like another second-place finish was coming...
Palou and Penske set pace in 1st stage of Indy 500 qualifying. Andretti in danger of missing race
INDIANAPOLIS — Three familiar faces were at the top of the Indianapolis 500 qualifying board after the first round of time trials, with two-time defending IndyCar series champion Alex Palou holding the provisional pole. Palou, winner of four of the first five races this season, qualified at 233.043 mph in...
Promoter’s Caution could add random layer of chaos in NASCAR All-Star Race
The fate of the NASCAR All-Star Race largely rests on the whims of Marcus Smith, who is giving few hints about how he will deploy a new “Promoter’s Caution.” It’s the latest goofy gimmick in an event defined by annual format changes designed to goose the competition in the name...
Finally back in Eastern Conference finals, Knicks face Pacers team that eliminated them last year
NEW YORK — The New York Knicks nearly ended their lengthy Eastern Conference finals drought last year, only to lose on their home floor to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the second round. With two new starters and much better health, the Knicks finally made it this season...
Journalism horse to beat in Preakness, but recent trends show it won’t be easy
BALTIMORE — Leave it to two seasoned, Hall of Fame trainers with 15 combined Preakness Stakes victories to turn up the heat on a competitor a few days before the big race. D. Wayne Lukas said to Michael McCarthy, “I think, Mike, it’s your race to lose.” Bob Baffert jokingly...
WNBA set to tip off season with host of teams looking to challenge for title
There are no shortages of challengers to the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty or star power across the league. A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier are some of the veterans who will share the spotlight with Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers as the league, in its...
Another Kentucky Derby winner not in the Preakness reignites debate about Triple Crown changes
BALTIMORE — Sovereignty is not running out of that starting gate in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, two weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby. Yet he is still the talk of Pimlico Race Course this week. That is because owners and trainer Bill Mott opted to skip the Preakness and...
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers go into offseason disappointed
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers won 64 games during the regular season, captured the top seed in the Eastern Conference and had two winning streaks of at least 15 games. Mitchell, though, goes into the offseason feeling one thing. Embarrassed. That’s because, despite all the good...
Preakness notes: Jockey who broke 24 bones, spent 5 weeks in coma to ride
BALTIMORE — Raul Mena was a young jockey in a race in his native Chile in 2011 when the horse he was riding jumped the rail, throwing him to the ground with severe injuries. “It was a scary accident,” Mena recalled Wednesday. “I broke 24 bones in all my body,...
Bryson DeChambeau looks to keep rolling at PGA Championship
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bryson DeChambeau left Augusta National last month frustrated over his final-round meltdown at the Masters and perplexed by his poor iron play. The burly 6-foot-1, 220-pound DeChambeau has put that disappointing loss behind him and feels he’s fixed the iron issue — or at least put a...
Tatum to miss remainder of playoffs after Achilles tendon surgery, imperiling Celtics’ repeat hopes
BOSTON — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum had surgery Tuesday to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon that will sideline him for the remainder of the playoffs, the team announced. The Celtics announced the extent of Tatum’s injury and the surgery a day after the six-time All-Star went down in...
ESPN’s $29.99/month streaming service will debut in September
NEW YORK — ESPN said Tuesday that its new all-encompassing streaming service will take on a familiar name — ESPN — and launch in September at an initial price of $29.99 per month. The service will enable consumers to view all of ESPN’s various networks, including ones devoted to the...
Novak Djokovic splits with coach Andy Murray ahead of French Open
LONDON — Novak Djokovic is splitting with coach Andy Murray just two weeks ahead of the French Open, following a dismal start to the clay-court season. Murray’s representatives announced Tuesday that the two former No. 1-ranked players will “no longer be working together.” “Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity...
Dallas Mavericks win the NBA draft lottery and the chance to pick Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall
CHICAGO — The ping-pong balls have spoken: Cooper Flagg might be headed to Dallas to start his NBA career. And a fan base that lost Luka Doncic this season might have a new star to cheer. The Mavericks won the NBA Draft Lottery on Monday night, giving them the No....
Journalism opens as the 8-5 morning line favorite for the 150th Preakness Stakes
HALETHORPE, Md. — Journalism is the morning line favorite for the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes. The Kentucky Derby runner-up to Sovereignty opened at odds of 8-5 on Monday night when post positions were drawn for the middle leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. Journalism again is set to...
Kyle Larson wins again at Kansas, dominating for his 3rd NASCAR Cup Series win this season
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kyle Larson took most of the drama out of his second straight spring victory Sunday at Kansas Speedway. After putting his No. 5 car on the pole for Hendrick Motorsports, Larson led 221 of 267 laps, winning both stages and cruising to his third NASCAR Cup...
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 25 points and leads Thunder past Denver 92-87 to tie series 2-2
DENVER — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder finally outplayed Denver in crunch time, beating the Nuggets, 92-87, on Sunday to knot their second-round series at two games apiece. The Thunder trailed 69-63 after three quarters and fell behind by eight when Peyton Watson started the...
NBA draft lottery: Cavaliers and Magic have landed the most top picks in the event’s 40-year history
Patrick Ewing was poised to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft 40 years ago when commissioner David Stern began the first draft lottery by pulling a logo of the Golden State Warriors out of an envelope, indicating they would select seventh. Pat O’Brien, announcing for CBS, proclaimed:...
Despite goats and a dog, Pedersen makes it 2 wins out of 3 at Giro to take back pink jersey
VLORE, Albania — Even goats and a dog couldn’t distract Mads Pedersen. The third stage of the Giro d’Italia all went to plan for Pedersen, who won a bunch sprint to reclaim the leader’s pink jersey with his second victory in this year’s race. Pedersen, who rides for Lidl-Trek, edged...
Michael Porter Jr. comes up big for Nuggets through shoulder pain
DENVER — Michael Porter Jr. hasn’t really been able to take off his uniform by himself going on three weeks now because of a sprained left shoulder that has essentially turned him into a one-armed hoopster in these playoffs. He can’t really guide his jump-shot with his left hand ever...
Denny Hamlin remains confident in antitrust case brought by 23XI and Front Row against NASCAR
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin said Saturday that he remains “pretty confident” in the case brought by his 23XI Racing, co-owned by the veteran driver and retired NBA great Michael Jordan, and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR alleging antitrust violations. Hamlin spoke a day after a three-judge federal appellate...
Kyle Larson ready to defend at Kansas Speedway
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kyle Larson isn’t quite ready to start thinking about his return to the Indianapolis 500. That will change by Sunday night. And he would like nothing better than to have those thoughts of “the Double” — running every lap of the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600...
