NBA PLAYOFFS:
Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Max Strus added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals by topping the Philadelphia 76ers 120-85.
Victor Oladipo scored 13 for Miami, which got 12 from Bam Adebayo and 10 apiece from Tyler Herro and P.J. Tucker. The top-seeded Heat now lead the East semifinal series 3-2, and improved to an NBA-best 6-0 at home in these playoffs. Joel Embiid scored 17 points for fourth-seeded Philadelphia, which got 14 from James Harden and 12 from Tobias Harris. The 76ers were down by 15 going into the fourth, then gave up 12 consecutive points to open the final quarter.
Game 6 is in Philadelphia on Thursday.
Devin Booker scored 28 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-80 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Suns used a huge third quarter to turn a tight game into a comfortable win. Phoenix opened up the second half on an 11-4 run, highlighted by Booker’s two 3-pointers, for a 61-50 lead.
The top-seeded Suns bounced back after dropping the previous two games and can win the series in Game 6 on Thursday in Dallas.
The Memphis Grizzlies say All-Star guard Ja Morant is doubtful for the remainder of the postseason after an MRI and further evaluation revealed a bone bruise in his injured right knee.
The NBA’s most improved player had been averaging 38.3 points a game in the Grizzlies’ Western Conference semifinal matchup with Golden State. But he sat out the Game 4 loss with what the team said at the time was a sore knee. The Grizzlies trail 3-1 in the series. Warriors coach Steve Kerr will remain out for Game 5 with COVID-19. Associate head coach Mike Brown will coach in his place.
In other NBA news:
San Antonio Spurs owner Peter J. Holt sent a message Tuesday to fans worried he may try to move the franchise: the team isn’t going anywhere. An announced desire to have the Spurs move a few games to Austin had raised some local worries that the owners may be considering moving the team. Holt’s message posted to social media insisted the Spurs would stay in San Antonio.
Joe Cronin has been named the Portland Trail Blazers’ general manager after serving in the interim role since December. Cronin was promoted to interim GM after Neil Olshey was fired following an investigation into allegations of a toxic workplace environment.
Basketball big man Bob Lanier has died after a short illness. He was 73. Lanier was one of the NBA’s top players of the 1970s, muscling up beside the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Lanier played 14 seasons with the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. The left-hander averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds. He was the No. 1 draft pick in 1970 after leading St. Bonaventure to the Final Four. In 1992, he made the Hall of Fame, where a bronzed pair of his giant sneakers is displayed.
NHL-PLAYOFFS:
Rookie Seth Jarvis scored twice and Antti Raanta finished with 34 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Boston Bruins 5-1 to take a 3-2 lead in the first-round playoff series. Defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Tony DeAngelo scored first-period goals for the Hurricanes and Vincent Trocheck added an empty-netter. The series has yet to see a team secure a road win. The Hurricanes can clinch the series Thursday in Boston.
In other NHL playoff action:
Auston Matthews scored the tiebreaking goal with 6:06 left in the third period and the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied from an early two-goal deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Tuesday night and take a 3-2 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Vladimir Tarasenko had three goals in the third period to break open a tied game and series, and the St. Louis Blues pushed the Minnesota Wild to the edge of elimination with a 5-2 victory in Game 5. Ryan O’Reilly scored for the fourth time in the series and Brandon Saad got the tying goal late in the second period as the Blues upstaged a stellar performance by Kirill Kaprizov. The Wild star had two first-period power-play goals. He set the franchise record with seven goals in the series.
Adrian Kempe scored 1:12 into overtime to give the Los Angeles Kings a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers for a 3-2 lead in the first-round playoff series. Kempe also scored and had an assist for the Kings in regulation. Leon Draisaitl scored twice for Edmonton. Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists and Zack Kassian added a goal for the Oilers, who were coming off a 4-0 loss in Game 4 on Sunday. Jonathan Quick made 24 saves for the Kings. Edmonton’s Mike Smith stopped 38 of 43 shots.
Patrick Marleau has announced his retirement from hockey after a 23-year career and the most games played in NHL history.
Marleau made the announcement at the Shark Tank in San Jose, where he played 21 of his 23 seasons. Marleau retires having broken Gordie Howe’s games played record and with 566 goals and two Olympic gold medals.
In other NHL news:
The Montreal Canadiens are hosting the NHL draft in July and will have the right to the No. 1 pick. Montreal won the draft lottery on Tuesday night. Montreal will host this year’s event on July 7 and 8.
MLB:
Angels rookie Reid Detmers pitched the majors’ second no-hitter this season, cruising after he benefitted from a borderline error call in the seventh inning as Los Angeles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 12-0. The 22-year-old left hander threw a career-high 108 pitches in his 11th big league start, striking out two and walking one. He completed the 12th no-hitter in franchise history when Yandy Diaz grounded out shortstop Andrew Velazquez to end the game.
In other MLB action:
Aaron Judge hit a mammoth three-run drive in the ninth inning for his first walk-off home run in the major leagues to give the New York Yankees a 6-5 comeback victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Giancarlo Stanton tied it with a three-run shot in the sixth, and the Yankees rallied for their 14th victory in 16 games.
Astros ace Justin Verlander, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, who missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery, is back to his old self. Verlander missed out on his fourth no-no by five outs but still faced the minimum through eight innings, and Houston beat the Minnesota Twins 5-0 Tuesday night for its eighth straight win. Verlander was vying to tie Sandy Koufax for second on the career no-hitter list. Nolan Ryan holds the record with seven.
Justin Turner hit three of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ eight doubles and finished with four hits and four RBIs in an 11-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night. The Dodgers hadn’t hit eight doubles in a game since moving to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 1958. The franchise record is nine.
There was no question this rat was for real. So, too, are these New York Mets. A critter scurried through the outfield grass just before James McCann’s sacrifice fly drove in the go-ahead score during a three-run sixth inning Tuesday night, and Carlos Carrasco nearly got to the seventh again, helping the Mets beat the Washington Nationals 4-2.
Madison Bumgarner pitched effectively into the seventh inning in his first start since being ejected and the Arizona Diamondbacks made Torey Lovullo the winningest manager in franchise history with a 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins. Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer off Jesus Luzardo in the first inning. Arizona has won seven of eight, and this one was Lovullo’s 354th victory game, passing Kirk Gibson’s team record.
Robbie Ray pitched into the sixth inning and had 10 strikeouts, the most by a Seattle pitcher this season, and the Mariners beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4. Nick Castellanos, Rhys Hoskins and Jean Segura had solo homers for Philadelphia, which has lost six of eight. Phillies manager Joe Girardi was ejected in the second inning for arguing when the Mariners’ Adam Frazier was called safe after inadvertently knocking the ball out of first baseman Hoskins’ glove on a play that led to a Seattle run.
Cedric Mullins and Tyler Nevin each homered and Kyle Bradish struck out 11 over seven strong innings, leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. It was the Orioles’ first time playing at the new Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006.
Josh Hader reached 500 career strikeouts, Luis Urías hit tying home run and made a clutch catch and the Milwaukee Brewers held off Cincinnati 5-4 to stop the Reds’ season-high, two-game winning streak.
Rafael Devers hit his first career grand slam and the last-place Boston Red Sox broke out for clean-shaven manager Alex Cora in a 9-4 win over the Atlanta Braves that ended a five-game skid.
Gavin Sheets homered in his second straight game, Tim Anderson had three hits and 2 RBIs and the Chicago White Sox shook off the previous night’s big collapse by beating the Cleveland Guardians 4-1. Starter Lucas Giolito went seven innings and gave up just the one run that came on a Josh Naylor homer to win his second straight start.
Corey Seager snapped an 0-for-16 slump with two home runs as the Texas Rangers returned home with a 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals. Seager hit a two-out solo homer in the first, then led off the third with another homer.
Alfonso Rivas of the Chicago Cubs got a two-run homer when his fly ball to deep center field bounced out of the glove of rookie Jose Azocar and went over the fence. Azocar was starting in place of Gold Glove center fielder Trent Grisham because the Padres were facing lefty Wade Miley.
Manny Machado hit a go-ahead double in the sixth inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 hours after finding out manager Bob Melvin will have prostate surgery. Mike Clevinger pitched well for 4 1/3 innings. Clevinger missed last season while rehabbing after Tommy John surgery. Chicago’s Wade Miley lasted three innings in his Cubs debut.
Alex Wood pitched into the sixth inning and didn’t allow an earned run, Brandon Belt had an RBI double in his return to the lineup and the San Francisco Giants won their ninth straight against the Colorado Rockies, 9-2.
The Detroit Tigers were the visiting team in their own ballpark in the opener of a unique doubleheader caused by Major League Baseball’s lockout, ending a 27-inning scoreless streak and a six-game skid with a 6-0 victory over the reeling Oakland Athletics. In the second game, 25-year-old Adrian Martinez pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his major league debut to help Oakland to a 4-1 victory.
Minor league players and Major League Baseball have reached a settlement in a lawsuit alleging teams violated minimum wage laws. Terms of the settlement have not been filed with the court and details were not released.
The suit had been scheduled for a federal trial starting June 1 in San Francisco. The sides said they had reached a settlement in principle as part of a confidential memorandum of understanding that is subject to ratification by the parties.
In other Big League news:
Major League Baseball dropped the one-game suspension of Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson for giving fans the middle finger during a game on April 20 as part of a settlement with the players’ association. He agreed to a fine as part of the settlement.
The Minnesota Twins have placed shortstop Carlos Correa on the 10-day injured list. His bruised right middle finger wasn’t healing fast enough for him to face his former team. The move was made retroactive to last Friday and before the Twins began a three-game series against Houston.
Third baseman Austin Riley became the first of four members of the World Series champion Atlanta Braves to go to a salary arbitration hearing, asking for $4.25 million rather than the team’s $3.95 million offer. A decision is expected Wednesday.
San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin says he’ll have prostate surgery and hopes he misses only part of a forthcoming road trip. Melvin says he doesn’t think he has cancer, but doctors won’t know until the surgery.
BOXING:
Authorities will not file criminal charges against former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson after he was recorded on video punching a fellow first-class passenger aboard a plane at San Francisco International Airport last month.
The victim and Tyson requested that charges not be filed. Tyson representatives have said the boxer was on a flight with an aggressive passenger.
NFL:
Tom Brady will join Fox Sports as a football announcer when his playing career ends. That announcement was made Tuesday by Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch on an investor call.
Brady had announced his retirement at the end of last season, but later renounced it and said he was going to play at least another season as the Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback. Signing the seven-time Super Bowl champion was a coup for Fox after its top football announcing team, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, recently left for ESPN.
In other NFL news:
Former NFL placekicker Josh Lambo has filed a lawsuit against the Jacksonville Jaguars seeking more than $3.5 million in salary and damages for emotional distress caused by former head coach Urban Meyer. The Tampa Bay Times first reported details of the lawsuit, which claims Meyer and the Jaguars created a hostile work environment.
The Miami Dolphins signed running back Sony Michel to a one-year contract on Tuesday, bringing a South Florida native back to his home area.
The Baltimore Ravens have signed running back Mike Davis to a one-year deal. The Ravens announced the move Tuesday. Davis rushed for 503 yards and three touchdowns last season for the Atlanta Falcons.
PGA:
The PGA Tour is denying releases to golfers who want to play in the first Saudi-funded tournament next month in England.
It’s a bold move by Commissioner Jay Monahan in trying to quash Greg Norman’s latest bid to start a rival league. The first LIV Golf Invitational is scheduled for June 9th through 11th at Centurion Golf Club outside of London. It has a 48-man field competing for a $20 million purse with $4 million to the winner. Players risk losing PGA Tour membership if they still choose to play without a release.
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