Update on the latest sports
NBA-SCHEDULE
76ers go 1-up in East
UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers are sole owners of the NBA’s Eastern Conference after defeating the short-handed Brooklyn Nets.
Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) had 39 points and 13 rebounds in leading the Sixers to their third straight win, 123-117. Embiid scored 21 points by halftime, his 14th 20-point 1st half this season. Tobias Harris made all six shots in the second quarter and scored 13 of his 26 points to help the Sixers move one game ahead of Brooklyn.
Kyrie Irving scored 23 of his 37 points in the first half for the Nets, who were without James Harden, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Checking out Wednesday’s NBA action:
— Khris Middleton had 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in three quarters of the Bucks’ 130-105 blowout over the Timberwolves. Brook Lopez added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Bucks, who were coming off a 37-point win over the Magic. Jrue Holiday pitched in 15 points and three steals as Milwaukee improved to 3-3 since Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) was taken from the lineup due to left knee soreness.
— OG Anunoby (an-oo-NOH’-bee) scored 22 points and Pascal Siakam (see-A’-kam) added 20 with 11 rebounds in the Raptors’ 117-112 verdict over the Spurs. Raptors rookie Malachi Flynn had a productive fourth quarter, scoring eight of his 16 points in the period and finishing with seven assists. Derrick White led San Antonio with 25 points and Patty Mills added 23.
— The Cavaliers knocked off the Hornets, 103-90 as Taurean Prince scored a season-high 25 points with six 3-pointers. Jarrett Allen had 15 points and eight rebounds in his first action since March 26. Kevin Love added 17 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland, which snapped a two-game skid and handed Charlotte its third straight home loss.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Burnes delivers as Brewers trounce Cubs 7-0
UNDATED (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers have continued their hot streak that followed a 1-3 start.
The Brewers won for the sixth time in eight games as Corbin Burnes struck out 10 in six dominant innings of a 7-0 shutout of the Cubs. Burnes allowed just two hits and delivered a two-run single for his first career RBIs.
Travis Shaw hit a solo homer and an RBI single for the Brewers, who have allowed just 19 runs over their last eight games.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Joe Musgrove suffered a loss in his first start since tossing San Diego’s first-ever no-hitter, allowing one run over four innings of a 5-1 setback against the Pirates. Musgrove had thrown 32 consecutive scoreless innings dating to last season with Pittsburgh before Gregory Polanco homered in the second off his former teammate. Tyler Anderson gave up one run in 5 1/3 innings to get his first win with the Bucs.
— Johnny Cueto (KWAY’-toh) worked the first 5 2/3 innings of the Giants’ 3-0 shutout of the Reds before leaving the game with a tight lat muscle. Showing no signs of physical duress before his injury occurred, the 35-year-old Cueto surrendered three hits and walked none while striking out four against his former team. Austin Slater doubled up the game’s first run and came around to score on a grounder.
— Joe Ross tossed six innings of four-hit ball as the Nationals downed the Cardinals, 6-0. Ross also singled and scored a run before four relievers combined to hold St. Louis hitless the rest of the way. Ryan Zimmerman hit his first homer of the season, a two-run drive off Adam Wainwright.
— Nate Lowe smacked a solo homer and rookie Kohei Arihara got his first major league victory, pitching into the sixth inning of the Rangers’ 5-1 win over the Rays. Arihara allowed two singles and a double over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his third start since signing with the Rangers. David Dahl’s two-run double and Adolis García’s two-run triple broke it open in the seventh.
— Salvador Pérez homered and doubled to cap off an impressive series, leading Brad Keller and the Royals over the Angels, 6-1. The All-Star catcher drove in two runs Wednesday and went 8 for 12 with four RBIs in the series. Carlos Santana also homered as the Royals took two of three from the Angels.
— Bo Bichette’s (bih-SHEHT’) second homer of the day was a walk-off blast in the ninth inning of the Blue Jays’ 5-4 win over the Yankees. Bichette extended his hitting streak to 11 games, going 3-for-4 with his two solo blasts and a stolen base. Alejandro Kirk belted a two-run shot and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had two hits as the Jays took the rubber match of the three-game set.
— Nathan Eovaldi (ee-VAHL’-dee) allowed two runs over five innings of the Red Sox’s 3-2 victory over the Twins in Game 1 of a doubleheader. Christian Arroyo, Alex Verdugo and Xander Bogaerts (ZAN’-dur BOH’-gahrtz) each had two hits for Boston. Kenta Maeda (mah-EH’-dah) was undone by Minnesota’s defense in the second inning, including his own throwing error that allowed a run to score.
— The Red Sox also took the nightcap of the twinbill for their ninth straight win, their longest winning streak since a 10-game run in 2018. Verdugo had three hits, including a two-run single in a six-run fifth that fueled a 7-1 victory at Minnesota. Eduardo Rodríguez pitched five innings and gave up one run on five hits for Boston.
MLB-NEWS
COVID issues among Astros, Twins
UNDATED (AP) — The Astros will spend time without second baseman Jose Altuve (al-TOO’-vay), third baseman Alex Bregman, designated hitter Yordan Álvarez, catcher Martín Maldonado and infielder Robel Garcia. They’ve been placed on the injured list because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Also, Twins shortstop Andrelton (AN’-drul-tuhn) Simmons has tested positive for COVID-19. He was placed on the COVID-19 injured list before Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Red Sox.
Simmons has said he doesn’t plan to get the vaccine, which was made available to the team in a single-shot dosage last week.
In other MLB news:
— Braves left-hander Max Fried (freed) has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring after injuring himself while running the bases. Cristian Pache is also on the injured list with a strained left groin. Left-hander Tucker Davidson and outfielder Guillermo Heredia were called up from the alternate-training site to fill the openings.
— Toronto Blue Jays closer Julian Merryweather has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique. The right-hander felt discomfort in the left side of his abdomen on his final warmup pitch in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s 7-3 victory over the Yankees.
— Cincinnati right-hander Sonny Gray is set to make his first start of the season Saturday at Cleveland. Gray began spring training as the Reds’ possible opening day starter but began the regular season on the 10-day injured list. The two-time All-Star was 5-3 with a 3.70 ERA last year.
— The Orioles and Mariners were rained out in Baltimore, the teams’ second rainout in three days. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Thursday.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Zuccarello scores twice as Wild top Arizona 5-2
UNDATED (AP) — The Minnesota Wild took another major step toward securing a Stanley Cup playoff berth.
Mats Zuccarello (zzo-kahy-REH’-loh) scored two power-play goals as the Wild beat the Coyotes for the fifth time in six meetings this season, 5-2. Zuccarello’s power-play tallies give Minnesota 12 in their last seven games.
Zach Parise (pah-rEE’-say) and Jared Spurgeon also scored and Cam Talbot made 28 saves to help the Wild solidify their hold on third place in the West Division. Parise’s second-period goal put the Wild ahead to stay.
Jakob Chychrun (CHIK’-rihn) and Phil Kessel (KEH’-suhl) scored in Arizona’s fifth straight loss.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Mikko Rantanen (MEE’-koh RAN’-tah-nehn) and J.T. Compher each had a goal and an assist as the Avalanche won their fourth in a row, 4-3 against the Blues. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Brandon Saad (sahd) also scored, and Liam O’Brien had a pair of assists to help Devan Dubnyk (DOOB’-nihk) win his Avs debut. Colorado is 17-1-2 since March 10, setting a mark for the best 20-game stretch in franchise history.
— Mathieu Perreault (peh-ROH’) and Trevor Lewis scored third-period goals to rally the Jets past the Senators, 3-2. Mark Scheifele (SHY’-flee) also scored in Winnipeg’s fourth win in five games. Laurent Brossoit (lohr-AHNT brah-SAH’) finished with 27 saves in place of Connor Hellebuyck (HEH’-leh-buhk), who had made seven straight starts.
— The Flames won their third in a row as Mark Giordano had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Canadiens. Noah Hanafin, Josh Leivo and Sean Monahan also scored, and Chris Tanev had two assists for Calgary. Jacob Markstrom stopped 26 shots to help the Flames get within four points of Montreal for the final North Division playoff berth.
NHL-NEWS
Radulov done, Bishop won’t play at all for Stars this season
UNDATED (AP) — Dallas Stars high-scoring forward Alexander Radulov (RAD’-yoo-lahv) won’t return this season, and goaltender Ben Bishop won’t play at all.
Radulov needs surgery to repair a core muscle injury after playing only 11 games this season. Bishop hasn’t played while rehabbing from twice having knee surgery last year. Both players are expected to be healthy for next season.
In other NHL news:
— Sabres captain Jack Eichel (EYE’-kul) will miss the rest of the season with a herniated disc in his neck. Eichel had 18 points in 21 games before coming out of Buffalo’s lineup.
NFL-NEWS
NFL’s revised offseason program includes mandatory minicamp
UNDATED (AP) — — Free agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney has signed a one-year, $10 million contact with the Cleveland Browns, where he’ll be paired with All-Pro Myles Garrett.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2014 hasn’t always played up to his reputation and has dealt with numerous injuries. The sides agreed to a deal after he completed a medical exam.
In other NFL news:
— The Giants have waived cornerback Ryan Lewis and added cornerback Adoree Jackson in free agency. They have 14 defensive backs on the roster, including James Bradberry, Darnay Holmes, Julian Love, Logan Ryan, Jabrill Peppers and Xavier McKinney.
— A lawyer has told Pittsburgh police that Rams star Aaron Donald and others assaulted his 26-year-old client at a nightclub last weekend, causing multiple injuries. De’Vincent Spriggs’ attorney say Spriggs required 16 stitches and suffered a broken orbital bone in his head, a broken nose and a sprained or broken arm at a bar around 3 a.m. Sunday.
— One of the 22 women who filed lawsuits accusing Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and harassment has dropped her case The woman cites privacy and security concerns after some of the women were ordered to make their names public following court hearings last week. In court documents an attorney says the women have faced death threats since accusing Watson.
— The NFL’s revised offseason program still includes a post-draft rookie minicamp, voluntary workouts and a mandatory minicamp next month despite the union’s objection to in-person activities due to COVID-19 concerns. The league says that its altered offseason program complies with COVID-19 protocols agreed upon last season.
NCAA-NEWS
NCAA dumps requirement that transfers sit a year
UNDATED (AP) — Major college football and basketball players will be permitted to transfer one time before graduating without being required to sit out a year of competition starting next season. The NCAA Division I Council voted to changed the long-standing rule which has helped deter players in high-profile sports from switching schools.
Starting this fall semester, all athletes will be operating under the same rules: Transfers will be allowed to play right away.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NEWS
Louisville’s Johnson to enter NBA draft, forego eligibility
UNDATED (AP) — Louisville guard David Johnson will enter the NBA draft and forego his final two seasons of eligibility after being one of the Cardinals’ most productive players the past two years.
The 6-foot-5 Louisville native averaged 12.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 19 games and was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorable mention.
In other college basketball news:
— Michigan guard Eli Brooks is returning for a fifth season with the Wolverines. Brooks started 27 games this season and was one of the key players on a team that won the Big Ten title.
— UConn swingman Tyler Polley has announced plans to take advantage of an extra year of eligibility and return to the school but says he’ll put his name into the NBA draft pool for evaluation purposes. The decision will allow the 3-point specialist to continue exploring his professional options and receive feedback from pro scouts.
— Duke forward Matthew Hurt is declaring for the NBA draft and intends to hire an agent following a breakout sophomore season in which he became the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top scorer. Hurt averaged 18.6 points in conference play, and ranked second in ACC shooting at 56%.
— South Florida forward Alexis Yetna is headed to Seton Hall as a graduate transfer. Yetna returned to the court this past season and averaged 9.5 points and 7.3 rebounds for South Florida.
— Arizona has hired longtime Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd as its men’s basketball coach. Lloyd replaces Sean Miller, who was fired last week after 12 years amid an NCAA infractions investigation.
— Arkansas has signed men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman to a new, five-year agreement that runs through April 2026. The extension comes a month after Arkansas reached its first NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance in more than 25 years.
— Joe Golding has been named the new men’s basketball coach at UTEP. The move comes after a decade at Abilene Christian that included an upset victory for the 14th-seeded Wildcats over No. 3 seed Texas in the first round of this season’s NCAA Tournament.
WOMEN’S SOCCER-UNEQUAL PAY
US women soccer players appeal decision against equal pay
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Players on the women’s national soccer team have asked a federal appeals court to overturn a lower court decision throwing out their lawsuit seeking equal pay to the men’s team.
Appeals are assigned to three-judge panels. The 9th Circuit estimates that oral arguments in civil appeals will be scheduled 12 to 20 months from the notice of appeal.
