NBA PLAYOFFS:
The Golden State Warriors have opened the NBA's Western Conference finals with a 25-point win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Steph Curry had 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds as the Warriors stifled the Mavs, 112-87. Andrew Wiggins added 19 points, getting Golden State going by making six of his first eight attempts on the way to shooting 8 for 17.
Jordan Poole chipped in 19 points off the bench and Klay Thompson had 17 while they helped Curry keep Luka Doncic in check. The Dallas guard scored 20 points but shot just 6-for-18 and 3 of 10 from deep. Doncic made back-to-back 3-pointers late in the first half to get his team within 54-45 at the break.
Jalen Brunson scored 14 points but missed all five of his 3s for the surprising Mavs, who come off a series win against the top-seeded Suns.
Game 2 is Friday night in San Francisco.
Toronto Raptors guard-forward Scottie Barnes, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley have been unanimously selected to the 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Joining Barnes, Cunningham and Mobley on the All-Rookie First Team are Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner and Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green.
Barnes is this year’s NBA Rookie of the Year.
Also around the NBA:
The Mavericks have been fined $50,000 by the NBA for a second violation of bench decorum during their Western Conference semifinal series against Phoenix. The league said players and a member of the coaching staff stood for extended periods, were too far from the bench area and encroached on the court during the Mavs’ Game 7 blowout win over the Suns. The previous fine was $25,000 and was issued after Game 2 in Phoenix.
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS:
The Carolina Hurricanes have grabbed the opener of their Stanley Cup second-round series with the New York Rangers.
Ian Cole’s goal completed the Hurricanes’ comeback in a 2-1 overtime win against the Rangers. Cole beat Igor Shesterkin at 3:12 of OT, the second career playoff goal for the Canes defenseman.
Shesterkin was perfect until Sebastian Aho tied the game with just 2:23 remaining in regulation.
Zach Hyjman scored twice and Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists for the Oilers.
Former Ranger Antti Raanta stopped 27 shots and blanked the Blueshirts after Filip Chytil beat him 7:07 into the game.
Game 2 is Friday in Raleigh.
Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers defied playoff norms by playing a burn-burner in Calgary.
Matthew Tkachuk registered a hat trick in the Flames' 9-6 win over the Oilers. Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane scored in the game's opening minute before Brett Ritchie tallied five minutes later.
Blake Coleman had two goals in the opening 6:10 of the second period to give Calgary a 5-1 lead, but Edmonton chipped away and tied it on Kailer Yamamoto's goal early in the third. Rasmus Anderson netted the go-ahead goal 1:29 later.
Zach Hyman scored twice and Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists for the Oilers.
The Flames host Game 2 on Friday.
MLB:
The Los Angeles Dodgers have followed a season-worst, four-game losing streak with five straight wins.
Justin Turner slammed a three-run homer and the Dodgers completed a four-game sweep by rallying past the Diamondbacks, 5-3. Turner’s fourth-inning blast gave Los Angeles a 4-2 lead and made a winner out of Walker Buehler, who allowed two runs over five innings.
David Price worked out of a seventh-inning jam and tossed a perfect eighth to preserve the lead.
Also on major league diamonds:
The Rockies were in danger of their 13th straight loss to the Giants before C.J. Cron belted a tiebreaking two-run homer in a three-run eighth that gave Colorado a 5-3 victory over San Francisco. Giants pitcher Logan Webb retired 16 straight batters and led 3-2 when pinch-hitter Connor Joe singled leading off the eighth. Charlie Blackmon hit his 37th leadoff home run and Brendan Rodgers added an RBI single in the first for Colorado, which stopped a three-game skid overall.
Keston Hiura returned to the majors and hit a two-run, winning homer off Jesse Chavez in the 11th inning of the Brewers’ 7-6 comeback win over the Braves. Both teams scored in the 10th and the Braves took a 6-5 lead when Travis d’Arnaud led off the top of the 11th with a single that brought home automatic runner Ozzie Albies. Atlanta had grabbed a 4-0 lead when Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna hit back-to-back homers off Corbin Burnes with two out in the third.
The Mets finished their 11-4 rout of the Cardinals without Max Scherzer, who took himself out in the sixth inning because of discomfort in his left side. The Mets are 13-1 following losses this season after Pete Alonso delivered a home run and four RBIs. Mets batters were hit by pitches three times, increasing their major league-leading total to 28. That includes eight by St. Louis pitchers in six games.
Zack Wheeler combined with two relievers on a four-hitter as the Phillies blanked the Padres, 3-0. Wheeler struck out nine and scattered four hits over seven innings to help Philadelphia ruin Blake Snell’s season debut. Rhys Hoskins homered and J.T. Realmuto snapped his 0-for-13 skid with an RBI single.
Keibert Ruiz had three hits, including a go-ahead double in the 10th inning to push the Nationals past the Marlins, 5-4. César Hernández tripled and doubled, Maikel Franco singled twice and Juan Soto had three walks for Washington. Miami was seeking its second three-game sweep of the Nats this season.
Chicagoland native and Pirates rookie Jack Suwinski belted a tiebreaking homer in a 3-2 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Michael Chavis’ single in the third snapped the Pirates’ scoreless streak of 20 innings. Pirates relievers Mitch Keller, Duane Underwood Jr. and David Bednar allowed four hits over the final seven innings.
Gerrit Cole was sharp in the Yankees’ 21st win in 24 games, allowing two runs and six hits in a 3-2 verdict of the Orioles. Gleyber Torres hit an RBI double and scored in a three-run first inning that propelled the Yankees to their ninth straight series win. New York’s 28-9 start is tied for second-best in the majors since 1948, trailing only the 1984 Detroit Tigers at 32-5.
The Red Sox took the rubber match of their three-game set with Houston as Nick Pivetta tossed a two-hitter in Boston’s 5-1 victory. Pivetta retired 18 straight after Jose Altuve led off the game with a home run. Xander Bogaerts hit a solo home run and Rafael Devers added an RBI double for the Sox.
Nathaniel Lowe hit a two-run homer on the first pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Rangers a 6-5 win and a three-game sweep of the Angels. Los Angeles had tied it at 4 on Jared Walsh’s second homer of the game, a two-run shot in the ninth inning. Jonah Heim had three hits and drove in two runs against Angels starter Shohei Ohtani.
Gary Sanchez had three RBIs and the Twins set a season high for runs in a 14-4 rout of the Athletics. Correa was 2-for-4 with a double in his first game since missing 11 straight with a bruised middle finger on his right hand. Luis Arráez, Ryan Jeffers and Gilberto Celestino drove in two runs apiece to help Minnesota win a series in Oakland for the first time in 11 years.
The Royals earned a 6-2 win over the White Sox as Bobby Witt Jr. and MJ Melendez homered and fellow rookie Emmanuel Rivera hit a go-ahead triple. Witt, Melendez and Rivera each had two hits. Lucas Giolito labored early, needing 54 pitches to complete the first two innings of his first outing since coming off the COVID-19 list.
Isaac Paredes homered twice against his former teammates and the Rays knocked out Eduardo Rodriguez in the first inning of a 6-1 win over the Tigers. Rodriguez was charged with three runs in just 1/3 of an inning, escorted off the mound by the trainer after his fastball averaged 2.4 miles below his season average. Drew Rasmussen allowed four hits and struck out seven in five shutout innings, improving to 4-0 with a 1.01 ERA in his last five starts.
Marco Gonzales pitched six solid innings to snap a five-start winless streak and lead the Mariners past the Blue Jays, 5-1. Ty France hit a two-run homer for the M’s, who also received solo shots from Cal Raleigh and Abraham Toro, France was 3-for-5 to help Seattle avoid a three-game sweep.
The Reds and Guardians were rained out in Cleveland. The game will be made up on Thursday, an off-day for both teams.
It could be late July before Bryce Harper plays right field again.
Phillies manager Joe Girardi said Wednesday that doctors said Harper should not throw for at least six weeks. The reigning National League MVP is recovering from a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow and hasn’t played the Phillies’ last three games.
The 29-year-old star is batting .305 with nine home runs, 14 doubles, 27 RBIs, and a .634 slugging percentage.
Meanwhile, former Harper teammate and current Mets ace Max Scherzer is scheduled for an MRI on Thursday after removing himself from Wednesday’s start against the Cardinals with discomfort on his left side. The three-time Cy Young Award winner left with two outs in the sixth inning and a 1-1 count on Albert Pujols.
Scherzer threw 87 pitches and left with a 6-2 lead against his hometown team.
Also around the majors:
The Twins have sent thriving rookie Royce Lewis back to Triple-A St. Paul after activating fellow shortstop Carlos Correa. Lewis was more than capable as Correa’s replacement, hitting .308 with four doubles, two homers, five RBIs and five runs in 39 at-bats.
Guardians manager Terry Francona has cleared health and safety protocols and returned to the team after missing four games with COVID-19. Francona and bench coach DeMarlo Hale both tested positive last week while the Guardians were in Chicago.
NFL:
The New York Jets have signed wide receiver Garrett Wilson to a four-year, $20.55 million deal.
Wilson is the last of the team’s three first-round draft picks to get under contract. He was the No. 10 overall pick last month out of Ohio State.
In other NFL news:
The Eagles have strengthened their secondary by agreeing on a one-year contract with veteran cornerback James Bradberry. The 2020 Pro Bowl selection was released by the Giants last week for salary cap reasons.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
The Pac-12 has announced that it is scrapping its divisional format for the coming football season.
The Pac-12 will now match the teams with the highest conference winning percentages in its title game after 11 seasons of matching winners of the North and South divisions.
The decision was announced moments after the NCAA Division I Council tossed out requirements that dictate how football conferences can determine a champion.
Other conferences are expected to follow, most notably the 14-team Atlantic Coast Conference.
Also in college football:
Ohio State plans to hike Ryan Day’s annual salary to $9.5 million as part of a two-year contract extension. Day’s raise makes him the latest coach to crack $9 million per year, putting him in company with Alabama’s Nick Saban and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. Day is 34-4 overall and 23-1 in the Big Ten during his three seasons as the Buckeyes’ head coach.
US SOCCER:
The U.S. Soccer Federation has reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally.
That makes the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes matching money. The federation has announced separate collective bargaining agreements through 2028 with the unions for both national teams.
The move ends years of often acrimonious negotiations fueled by lawsuits filed by the women’s team members.
GOLF:
Bryson DeChambeau has withdrawn from the PGA Championship after practicing for two days at Southern Hills to test his surgically repaired left wrist.
The 28-year-old had surgery to repair the hamate bone in his wrist on April 14. The procedure was expected to sideline him for up to two months.
DeChambeau missed the cut in three of his past four starts and has just one top-25 finish in five starts this season.
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