NBA:
James Harden scored 30 points and the Houston Rockets evened the NBA's Western Conference finals at two games apiece by outscoring Golden State 25-12 in the fourth quarter of a 95-92 victory against the Warriors. Chris Paul had 27 points for the Rockets, who blew a seven-point halftime lead and trailed by 10 heading into the final period. Stephen Curry poured in 28 points for the Warriors, while Kevin Durant added 27 with 12 rebounds. Game 5 is tomorrow at 9 p.m.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have found a new gear after back-to-back wins in Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Eastern Conference finals series swings back to Boston's TD Garden for Game 5 tonight at 8:30 p.m., where the Celtics are 9-0 this postseason. Boston's young corps has struggled the last two games. Meanwhile, LeBron James has gotten help from his supporting cast led by Kevin Love, Kyle Korver and JR Smith. The series is tied at 2-2. Game 5 is tonight at 8:30 p.m.
Philadelphia's Ben Simmons and Utah's Donovan Mitchell have been unanimously voted to the NBA's All-Rookie team. The two guards received all 100 first-place votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Boston's Jayson Tatum also was selected Tuesday to the first team, falling one vote short of being unanimous. Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma and Chicago's Lauri Markkanen rounded out the first team.
MLB:
The Boston Red Sox are back atop the AL East by a half-game over the New York Yankees. Mookie Betts leads the majors with 16 home runs after delivering a three-run blast to put the Bosox ahead to stay in a 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay. Jurickson Profar smacked a three-run homer and Cole Hamels allowed a pair of runs and four hits over seven innings to send Texas past the Yankees, 6-4.
The Houston Astros continue to lead the AL West by two games over Seattle following wins by both teams. Tony Kemp drove in five runs and Gerrit Cole worked six innings of the Astros' 11-2 pounding of San Francisco. Mike Zunino smacked a game-tying, two-run homer in the seventh inning before Guillermo Heredia lined an RBI double in the 10th to lift the Mariners past the Athletics, 3-2.
The Arizona Diamondbacks dropped their sixth in a row to stay a half-game behind the NL West-leading Colorado Rockies. Jhoulys Chacin combined with three relievers on a three-hitter in Milwaukee's 1-0 shutout of Arizona. The Brewers now lead the NL Central by 2 ½ games over St. Louis after Jason Hammel surrendered nine hits but just one run over seven innings to pitch Kansas City past the Cardinals, 5-1.
The Atlanta Braves have expanded their lead in the NL East to 1 ½ games by downing the second-place Phillies, 3-1 in Philadelphia. Ozzie Albies crushed his 14th home run and Brandon McCarthy held the Phils to a run and four hits with five strikeouts over 5 2/3s. The Braves are 20-10 against their own division this season, including a 7-4 mark versus the Phillies.
The New York Mets lost to The Miami Marlins 5 -1 but the news was off the field Mets have signed free agent Jose Bautista, getting the former home run champion two days after he was cut by the Atlanta Braves. The 37-year-old Bautista went right into the starting lineup against Miami, hitting a double in his first at-bat and scoring a run.
Checking out Tuesday's other MLB action:
— The Astros rolled to an 11-2 laugher against the Giants behind Gerrit Cole, who had a shutout until his brother-in-law, Brandon Crawford, belted a two-run homer in the fifth inning. Tony Kemp furnished a pair of two-run singles and collected five RBIs.
— Houston's lead in the AL West remains two games over Seattle following the Mariners' 3-2, 10-inning comeback win at Oakland. Mike Zunino tied it with a two-run blast in the seventh and Guillermo Heredia contributed the go-ahead double in the Mariners' fourth consecutive win.
— Jose Ramirez launched his 14th homer and the Indians climbed back to .500 by blowing out the Cubs, 10-1 in Chicago. Ramirez smacked a three-run shot and Yonder Alonso supplied three of Cleveland's 11 hits, including a three-run double that put the Indians ahead 10-0 in the fifth.
— Brian Dozier doubled twice and had three RBIs as the Twins blanked the Tigers, 6-0 to stay within one game of the AL Central-leading Indians. Lance Lynn worked the first five innings of a combined seven-hitter to help Minnesota get its third straight victory.
— Kendrys Morales slammed a two-run homer while the Blue Jays scored five times in the first inning of a 5-3 win over the Angels. J.A. Happ won his second straight start and helped Toronto improve to 4-12 in their last 16 home games, yielding two runs and three hits in seven innings.
— Yolmer Sanchez singled home the tiebreaking run while Chicago scored three in the eighth to beat the Orioles, 3-2. Welington Castillo also had an RBI single and Yoan Moncada added a sacrifice fly as Chicago won for the fourth time in six games.
— The Braves expanded their lead in the NL East to 1 ½ games by downing the second-place Phillies, 3-1. Ozzie Albies crushed his 14th home run and Brandon McCarthy held Philadelphia to a run and four hits with five strikeouts over 5 2/3s.
— The Nationals pulled out a 2-1 win over the Padres on Michael A. Taylor's RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. Bryce Harper cracked his 15th home run and Jeremy Hellickson worked into the sixth inning of Washington's second straight win since absorbing a three-game sweep by the Dodgers.
— Los Angeles won for the fifth time in six games as Chris Taylor and Yasiel Puig (YAH'-see-ul pweeg) belted consecutive homers in the sixth inning of a 5-3 verdict over the Rockies. Matt Kemp raised his average to .331 with two hits as the Dodgers kept the first-place Rockies a half-game ahead of Arizona in the NL West.
— The Diamondbacks lost for the 13th time in 14 games as Jhoulys Chacin combined with three relievers on a three-hitter in the Brewers' 1-0 shutout of Arizona. Milwaukee managed just four hits but went ahead on Domingo Santana's sacrifice fly in the sixth.
— Milwaukee now leads the NL Central by 2 ½ games over St. Louis after Jason Hammel surrendered nine hits but just one run over seven innings to pitch Kansas City past the Cardinals, 5-1. Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez homered for the Royals, who allowed Jose Martinez to steal home in the first inning.
— Scooter Gennett collected six RBIs with a grand slam and a two-run double in the Reds' 7-2 rout of the Pirates. Matt Harvey picked up his first win since joining Cincinnati from the Mets, giving up a Colin Moran homer and just two other hits over six innings.
NFL:
The NFL has passed a new rule for this season that says any player who initiates contact with his helmet is subject to ejection. All calls will be subject to an in-game video review conducted in New York. The new rule can apply to both offensive and defensive players.
The NFL has unanimously approved a $2.2 billion deal to sell the Carolina Panthers to the David Tepper. The league announced the completion of the purchase during its spring meeting in Atlanta. It was the first order of business after Tepper was approved by the owners' finance committee during a morning session. Tepper is paying an NFL-record price to buy the team from Jerry Richardson, the team's founder and only owner since the Panthers entered the league in 1995.
Teddy Bridgewater missed most of the past two seasons after suffering a gruesome, career-threatening injury in August 2016 while with the Minnesota Vikings. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and dislocated the knee joint on a non-contact play that had many wondering if he'd ever play again. In his first practice with the New York Jets, Bridgewater looked sharp and healthy.
Three months after losing the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles, the New England Patriots held their second organized team activity… without Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Coach Bill Belichick declined to comment on the absence of two of his biggest stars, and their teammates claimed to be too focused on their own jobs to worry about who wasn't there.
The New York Jets have traded quarterback Christian Hackenberg to the Oakland Raiders for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2019. Jets coach Todd Bowles announced the move in his post-practice news conference. Hackenberg was a second-round pick out of Penn State in 2016, but never played a regular-season snap for the Jets.
Dylan Donahue feels fortunate to have a second chance. At football. And, most of all, at life. The New York Jets linebacker knew he needed to make some major changes this offseason after making a decision that nearly cost him everything. Donahue calls a 30-day stay in a substance-abuse treatment facility in Florida was "life-changing."
The New York Giants coaches were surprised to see Josh Mauro lined up at defensive end during the first practice at organized team activities. Mauro already knows the system being installed by new defensive coordinator James Bettcher. But he will miss the first four games of the season while serving a suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. The Giants knew the suspension was coming before signing Mauro to a one-year contract. Mauro is grateful for the opportunity.
NHL:
Longtime NHL executive Lou Lamoriello has joined the New York Islanders and will have full authority in all hockey matters. The team announced the hiring of the 75-year-old Lamoriello as president of hockey operations. He comes to a team that has missed the playoffs eight of the last 12 seasons. Lamoriello led the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cup titles during his 18 years as general manager. He spent the past three seasons as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Also in the NHL:
— A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Evander Kane could sign a seven-year contract with the Sharks as early as Wednesday. Kane could have been eligible for free agency this summer after scoring 29 goals in 78 games for the Sharks and Sabres this season.
— Goaltender Antti Niemi is staying with the Montreal Canadiens after accepting a one-year, $950,000 contract. The 34-year-old could have become eligible for free agency July 1 after Niemi went 7-5-4 with a 2.46 GAA and a .929 save percentage with the Canadiens. He signed with Pittsburgh last summer and saw action with the Penguins and Florida Panthers before being claimed off waivers by the Habs.
NCAA:
The UAlbany men’s basketball team will compete in the 2nd Belfast Classic next season. The announcement yesterday sees the field of eight teams head to Northern Ireland from November 29th to December 1st.
WNBA:
Los Angeles has jumped over Minnesota to the top spot in The Associated Press WNBA power poll following the Sparks' season-opening victory over the Lynx. The Sparks received all 14 first-place votes from the national media panel in the first regular-season poll.
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