Update on the latest sports
NBA-SCHEDULE
Jazz roll by Bucks
UNDATED (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks had as much luck beating the Utah Jazz as the rest of the NBA has this season.
The Jazz won for the sixth straight time and 17th in 18 games as Rudy Gobert (goh-BEHR’) had 27 points and 12 rebounds in a 129-115 victory over the Bucks.
Gobert was one of four Utah players with over 20 points. Joe Ingles tied his career high with 27 points as Utah improved to a league-best 21-5. Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, and Jordan Clarkson had 25.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) scored 27 of his 29 points in the second half, but Milwaukee dropped its second straight game since a five-game win streak.
Checking out Friday’s other NBA action:
— Anthony Davis delivered 35 points and LeBron James almost had a triple-double as the Lakers posted a 115-105 win versus the Grizzlies. James had 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the Lakers’ seventh consecutive victory. Kyle Kuzma had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the defending NBA champions, while Davis finished two points shy of his season high in his return from a two-game absence with an Achilles injury.
— Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard scored 16 of his 33 points while the Clippers were expanding a four-point lead to 12 in the third quarter of a 125-106 win at Chicago. Marcus Morris Sr. delivered 15 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to help Los Angeles seal the 13th victory in its last 17 games.
— Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH’-lah YOH’-kihch) finished an assist shy of a triple-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the Nuggets’ 97-95 victory against the Thunder. Jamal Murray also scored 22 points and Michael Porter Jr. finished with 15 for Denver, which trailed most of the game before winning its second straight since a three-game slide.
— The Trail Blazers thumped the Cavaliers, 129-110 as Gary Trent Jr., Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter combined for 70 points. Trent was high man with 26, Anthony had 23 and Kanter furnished 21 as Portland dealt Cleveland its sixth consecutive loss.
— Luka Doncic (DAHN’-chihch) poured in a career-high 46 points and the Mavericks withstood Zion Williamson’s career-best 36-point performance to beat the Pelicans, 143-130. Doncic also had 12 assists and eight rebounds, while teammate Kristaps Porzingis (KRIHS’-tahps pohr-ZIHN’-gihs) finished with 36 points.
— The Pistons earned a 108-102 win at Boston as Saddig Bey (sah-DEEK’ bay) furnished 30 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Detroit is just 7-19 overall this season but 2-1 versus the Celtics.
— The Spurs opened a seven-game trip with a season-high 77 points in the first half of a 125-124 victory in Atlanta. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and eight assists, Keldon Johnson had 20 points and Dejounte (deh-ZHAHN’-tay) Murray added 16 in the win.
— The Magic beat the Kings, 123-112 behind Nikola Vucevic (VOO’-seh-vihch), who scored 42 points and matched his career high of six 3-pointers. Michael Carter-Williams scored 15 of his season-best 21 points in the third quarter in his return from a five-week injury absence.
— Terry Rozier poured in 41 points and rookie LaMelo Ball had 20 with 11 rebounds in the Hornets’ third win in four games, 120-114 against Minnesota. Cody Zeller added 17 points for Charlotte on 7-of-8 shooting to help the Hornets deal the 6-20 Timberwolves their fourth straight loss.
— Julius Randle had 24 points and 18 rebounds for the Knicks in their first win in three games, 109-91 over the Wizards. Derrick Rose scored 14 points in 20 efficient minutes off the bench in his second game for New York.
NBA-NEWS
Durant, Herro cleared to return
UNDATED (AP) — Kevin Durant has rejoined the Brooklyn Nets and will be able to play Saturday in his return to Golden State.
Durant missed three games for coronavirus health and safety protocol reasons and faced a mandatory seven-day quarantine after being a close contact of a team employee who tested positive for the virus. The star forward continued to test negative during his absence and was able to return to practice Friday.
Tyler Herro was also cleared Friday to resume basketball activities with the Miami Heat. He had missed one game while dealing with the NBA’s health and safety protocols related to the pandemic.
TOP 25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Illinois could have the NCAA Player of the Year in men’s basketball.
Ayo Dosunmu (eye’-oh doh-SOO’-moo) almost single-handedly carried sixth-ranked Illinois to a 77-72 overtime win at Nebraska. He scored the Illini’s last 10 points of regulation and the first five in overtime.
Dosunmu had 22 of his 31 points after halftime to lead Illinois to its fifth straight win.
Kofi Cockburn added 21 points and 13 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season for the Illini.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Bruins blank Blueshirts
UNDATED (AP) — The Boston Bruins have the best record in the entire NHL after extending their winning streak.
Jaroslav Halak (YAH’-roh-slahv hah-LAHK’) made Nick Ritchie’s goal stand up as the Bruins picked up their fifth straight win, 1-0 over the Rangers.
Halak stopped 21 shots in his first shutout of the season and 51st of his career. He’s 4-0-1 with a 1.38 goals-against average in five starts this season.
Ritchie beat Igor Shesterkin (shehs-TUR’-kihn) 9:27 into the second period. Shesterkin made 29 saves for New York.
The Bruins lead the East Division with 22 points at 10-1-2. The Rangers dropped to 4-6-2 with their third loss in a row.
In Friday’s other NHL game, the Blues ended a three-game losing streak as Justin Faulk had two goals and an assist in their 4-1 victory over the Coyotes. Jordan Binnington stopped 24 shots for St. Louis, which clinched it with empty-netters by Ivan Barbashev and Brayden Schenn.
NHL-COVID-19 LIST
Stamkos, Lindblom, Laughton on COVID list
UNDATED (AP) — Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is one of five players added to the NHL’s COVID-19 list, a day after he was unable to play in a 5-2 loss to Florida. The Lightning had listed Stamkos as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The Philadelphia Flyers now have seven players on the list with the additions of defenseman Oskar Lindblom and forward Scott Laughton.
NFL-NEWS
Watt, Texans agree to split in latest team upheaval
UNDATED (AP) — J.J. Watt has suddenly become an intriguing free agent signing to NFL general managers.
The defensive end and the Houston Texans have “mutually agreed to part ways,” ending the tenure of the face of the franchise. Watt said in a video on social media Friday that he had asked for his release with one year remaining on a 6-year, $100 million contract.
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year and 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year has spent his entire career with the Texans after being selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 draft.
Watt is the only player in NFL history to have 20 or more sacks and 10 or more passes defended in a single season after doing it in both 2012 and 2014. He’s tied for fifth among defensive lineman in league history with six touchdowns in the regular season, including three TD catches.
In other NFL news:
— Mike and Maurkice Pouncey have retired after spending a decade among the best centers in the league. The 31-year-old twins made the announcement Friday on their respective Instagram pages. Maurkice Pouncey was a two-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler in Pittsburgh. Mike Pouncey reached four Pro Bowls while playing for Miami and the Los Angeles Chargers.
— The Jacksonville Jaguars and embattled strength coach Chris Doyle parted ways, a few hours after a respected diversity group blasted the team and called the recent hiring “simply unacceptable.” The Fritz Pollard Alliance cited issues involving Doyle when he worked at the University of Iowa. A statement by the alliance says “Doyle’s departure from the University of Iowa reflected a tenure riddled with poor judgment and mistreatment of Black players.”
MLB-NEWS
Arrieta back with Cubs
UNDATED (AP) — Jake Arrieta is returning to the Chicago Cubs, after agreeing to a one-year, $6 million contract that includes $1 million in performance bonuses, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The 34-year-old Arrieta won the NL Cy Young Award with the 2015 Cubs and helped Chicago win the 2016 World Series, the team’s first championship since 1908. He went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA in 128 starts over five years in his first stint with the team before spending the last three years with the Phillies.
In other baseball news:
— Left-hander Martín (mahr-TEEN’) Pérez and the Red Sox have finalized a $5 million, one-year contract. Pérez went 3-5 with a 4.50 ERA in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he was the only starter in Boston’s rotation to make all 12 of his scheduled starts.
— A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league contract to keep 2015 All-Star second baseman Joe Panik. The 30-year-old hit .225 with one homer and seven RBIs in 120 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened season, his first with Toronto.
— Mike Soroka (sah-ROH’-kah) has argued his salary arbitration case with the Atlanta Braves today. Soroka argued for a raise from $583,500 to $2.8 million, while the team maintained the right-hander should be paid $2.1 million. The 23-year-old Soroka was 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA in three starts last season before tearing his right Achilles tendon while pitching on Aug. 3.
— Well-traveled right-handed reliever Dylan Floro has been traded by the Dodgers to the Marlins for left-handed reliever Alex Vesia and pitching prospect Kyle Hurt. Floro went 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA in 25 games last year.
— Free agent infielder Brock Holt has agreed to a minor league contract with the Rangers that includes an invitation to big league spring training. Holt will get $1.75 million this year if added to the 40-man roster.
— Baseball’s Hall of Fame has canceled its traditional outdoor induction ceremony for the second straight summer because of the pandemic. Instead, there will be an indoor, televised event for Derek Jeter and other members of the Class of 2020 being honored. No new inductees were chosen for this year’s class.
— Major League Baseball has revamped its spring training exhibition schedule because of the pandemic, cutting travel for Florida-based teams in an effort to minimize virus risks. College baseball teams were dropped from the revised schedules because they are not subject to major league testing protocols. Also eliminated were split-squad games, which are traditionally used in the first half of the exhibition season to allow evaluation of more players.
TENNIS-AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Injury could force Djokovic to withdraw
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Day 6 of the Australian Open has begun with an upset.
No. 6 Karolina Pliskova (PLIHSHS’-koh-vah) blew a 5-0 lead in the second set and lost to No. 25 Karolina Muchova (moo-KOH’-vah), 7-5, 7-5.
Unseeded Americans Jessica Pegula reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. The daughter of Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula beat Kristina Mladenovic (mluh-DEH’-noh-vihch), 6-2, 6-1. Next up for Pegula is No. 5 Elina Svitolina, who ousted Yulia Putintseva, 6-4, 6-0.
American Jennifer Brady joined Pegula in the round of 16 by beating qualifier Kaja Juvan, 6-1, 6-3. Brady next takes on No. 28 Donna Vekic, who rallied to beat Kaia Kanepi, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4.
On the men’s side, fourth-seeded Daniil (dah-NIHL’) Medvedev achieved a career first by reaching the Round of 16 at Melbourne. Medvedev was 0-6 in five-setters before a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-0 win over Filip Krajinovic
American Mackenzie McDonald matched his best Grand Slam result by winning his third-round match in straight sets, 7-6, 6-1, 6-4 against Lloyd Harris.
Novak Djokovic’s (NOH’-vak JOH’-kuh-vich-ehz) bid for a ninth Australian Open championship has been thrown into doubt after he took a fall during a five-set victory in the third round. The top-ranked Djokovic says he tore a muscle and might not be able to play his next match.
Djokovic seemed to be cruising along to a 17th consecutive win when his left foot gave out from under him as he tried to change directions early in the third set against Taylor Fritz.
PGA-PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM
Spieth has first 36-hole lead since 2017
PEBBLE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jordan Spieth (speeth) shot a 5-under 67 at Spyglass Hill for a one-shot lead over Daniel Berger going into the third round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Spieth was at 12-under 132, his first 36-hole lead since capturing the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale. Berger shot a 66 at Pebble Beach by going 2-3-2 along the ocean, putting him two ahead of Henrik Norlander.
