Update on the latest sports
NBA-NEWS
AP source: Mavs pick Kidd to replace Carlisle
DALLAS (AP) — Jason Kidd is returning to Dallas to replace Rick Carlisle, the coach he won a championship with as the point guard of the Mavericks 10 years ago, according to a person with direct knowledge of the agreement.
The person tells The Associated Press that Kidd and the Mavericks agreed on a contract Friday, eight days after Carlisle resigned abruptly in the wake of general manager Donnie Nelson’s departure.
The person says the Mavericks have also found Nelson’s replacement in Nike executive Nico Harrison. He will carry the titles of GM and president of basketball operations, as Nelson did. The Indiana Pacers hired Carlisle on Thursday for his second stint as coach of the team.
In other NBA news:
—Giannis Antetokounmpo’s lengthy free-throw routine might be too long to be legal. Officials are under renewed pressure to enforce the 10-second rule, placing the Milwaukee Bucks’ two-time MVP further in the spotlight Friday night in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks. The NBA says Antetokounmpo should have been called for 10-second violations on both free throws he shot with 5.3 seconds remaining in the Hawks’ 116-113 Game 1 win on Wednesday night. Antetokounmpo made both free throws, trimming the Hawks’ lead to 114-113
MLB-SCHEDULE
Astros-Tigers rained out, split doubleheader Saturday
UNDATED (AP) — The game between the Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers scheduled for Friday night at Comerica Park has been postponed because of inclement weather.
The teams will make it up as part of a day-night doubleheader Saturday, with the first seven-game starting at 1:10 p.m. and the nightcap at 6:10 p.m. Heavy rain was forecast for the Detroit area on Friday night, causing the postponement
MLB-NEWS
Nola strikes out 10 straight Mets to match MLB record
UNDATED (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola has struck out 10 straight New York Mets batters, tying a major league record that stood alone for more than five decades. Hall of Famer Tom Seaver fanned his final 10 hitters for the Mets in a 2-1 victory over San Diego at Shea Stadium on April 22, 1970. That mark for consecutive Ks held for 51 years until Nola whiffed Michael Conforto leading off the fourth inning in the first game of a doubleheader at Citi Field, which replaced Shea as the Mets’ home in 2009 on the same site in Queens. Nola started and ended his streak with punchouts of Conforto. Pete Alonso halted the run when he doubled on a 1-2 slider.
NFL-NEWS
Steelers sign 5-time Pro Bowl guard Turner to 1-year deal
PITTSBURGH (AP) — It didn’t take long for the Pittsburgh Steelers to find a replacement for David DeCastro.
The Steelers signed five-time Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner to a one-year deal on Friday, a day after cutting DeCastro.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but Pittsburgh did find itself with a little money to spend after releasing DeCastro, a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro who served as the linchpin of a line that was among the league’s best for the second half of the 2010s.
Turner heads to Pittsburgh three months after getting cut by the Los Angeles Chargers. He spent just one season in Los Angeles, playing in a career-low nine games.
PGA-NEWS
Bubba Watson snaps driver, remains in the hunt at Travelers
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Bubba Watson recovered to birdie the second hole after snapping his pink driver in the middle of his tee shot and is within one shot of Jason Day, who leads the Travelers Championship.
Day fired a 62 to vault into the lead at nine-under. Watson shot his second straight 66 to move to 8 under par through 36 holes. He’s tied for second with Kramer Hickock. Seven other players, including Justin Rose, are knotted at 7-under.
WIMBLEDON-DRAW
Djokovic, Federer could meet in Wimbledon final; Halep out
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Novak Djokovic (NOH’-vak JOH’-kuh-vich) and Roger Federer have been placed on opposite sides of the Wimbledon bracket. That means they only could meet in the final. It would be a rematch of their epic 2019 title showdown won by Djokovic in a fifth-set tiebreaker.
Federer, who turns 40 on Aug. 8, is coming off a pair of operations to his right knee last year and has played only eight matches in the past 16 months.
The top-seeded Djokovic will have a lot at stake when play begins at the All England Club on Monday. He seeks a 20th major title to tie the men’s record shared by Federer and Rafael Nadal.
While Djokovic pursues Slam No. 20, Serena Williams will once again take a shot at No. 24, which would tie her with Margaret Court for the most major singles titles in tennis history. Williams, seeded No. 6, will open against 100th-ranked Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who reached Wimbledon’s fourth round in 2018. The 39-year-old American could meet No. 25 Angelique Kerber — who beat Williams in the 2018 final — in the third round.
The reigning women’s champion, No. 3-ranked Simona Halep (HAL’-ehp), pulled out of the field just before the draw began, citing a torn left calf that also forced her to sit out the French Open. No. 2 Naomi Osaka withdrew last week.
Two of the top five men are out, too: No. 3 Rafael Nadal, a two-time champion at Wimbledon, and No. 5 Dominic Thiem (teem), the 2020 U.S. Open champ.
NASCAR-OBIT-INGRAM
‘Iron Man’ racer, NASCAR champion Jack Ingram dies at 84
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR Hall of Famer Jack Ingram has died at the age of 84. No details were released by the Hall of Fame, which announced Ingram’s death.
Ingram won five championships in NASCAR’s lower divisions. He was widely regarded as the best driver in history of NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series until Mark Martin broke his wins record. Kyle Busch now holds the record.
Ingram ended his career with 122 top-five and 164 top-10 finishes in 275 starts of what is now known as the Xfinity Series. He lived in North Carolina.
HOLYFIELD STATUE
Statue of Evander Holyfield unveiled in Atlanta
ATLANTA (AP) — Soon after Friday’s unveiling of an Evander Holyfield statue outside State Farm Arena, the boxing champion was standing near where he grew up west of Atlanta. The statue stood in storage for approximately two years. Sculptor Brian Hanlon was commissioned in 2017 and in 2019 finished the 10-foot, 2,500-lb., bronze commemorative and two-ton granite base. Yet Fulton County Commission chairman Robb Pitts had nowhere for it. Earlier this year, State Farm Arena and Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin offered a spot. State Farm is on the site of the former Omni, where Holyfield first became a world champion with a 15-round split-decision victory over Dwight Muhammad Qawi on July 12, 1986, for the WBA cruiserweight title.
