NHL PLAYOFFS
Sam Reinhart scored a power-play goal 1:12 into overtime, and the Florida Panthers topped the New York Rangers 3-2 to even the Eastern Conference Final at two games apiece. It was the third straight OT game in the series — and the first time Florida got a win in those matchups. Blake Wheeler, playing his first game for the Rangers since mid-February, was called for hooking Aleksander Barkov 59 seconds into the extra session. And it didn’t take long for the Panthers to cash in, with Barkov setting up Reinhart in front. Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe also scored for Florida. Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière scored for the Rangers.
Game 5 is Thursday night at 8 in New York.
NBA PLAYOFFS
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the Dallas Mavericks 105-100 to avoid a sweep in the Western Conference finals. Anthony Edwards had 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Wolves stayed alive in their first trip to the conference finals in 20 years, and just the second in the franchise’s 35 seasons. Now third-seeded Minnesota heads home for Game 5 on Thursday night to see if it can make the series even more interesting against No. 5 seed Dallas. Luka Doncic had 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in his sixth triple-double of these playoffs. But he and co-star Kyrie Irving were just 13 of 39 from the field. Dallas leads the series 3-1. Game 5 is Thursday night at 8:30 in Minnesota.
WNBA
DeWanna Bonner scored 19 points to help become the fifth player in WNBA history to reach 7,000 career points and the Connecticut Sun eased by the Phoenix Mercury 70-47 lastnight to set a franchise record with six straight wins to start a season. Connecticut (6-0), the only undefeated team in the WNBA, entered tied with its 2018 and ’21 teams as the only 5-0 starts in franchise history. It was tied at 19-all before the Sun went on a 19-1 run to take control. Connecticut led 38-20 with 2:18 in the first half before the Mercury scored the final five points. Phoenix had just 10 points in the third quarter as the Sun cruised. The Mercury were just 1 of 27 from 3-point range.
Kia Nurse scored 22 points and Aari McDonald added a season-high 21 to help the Los Angeles Sparks rally for a 88-82 victory over the Indiana Fever, handing Caitlin Clark her third straight home loss. Clark finished with a season-best 30 points, six assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks The game featured the top two picks in last month’s WNBA draft, Clark and forward Cameron Brink, and the league’s only one-win teams. Brink finished with three points, three rebounds and two assists. Los Angeles swung the game with a 28-8 second half run that turned a 55-48 deficit into a 76-63 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Fever never recovered.
Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 21 points, Jewell Loyd added 19 and the Seattle Storm pulled away in the third quarter for a 77-68 victory over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night. Seattle won its third straight game to move above .500 for the first time since the 2022 season. Seattle led by one point at halftime before outscoring Chicago 26-15 in the third quarter to take control. Diggins-Smith and Loyd combined to score 19 points in the third quarter. Seattle went on an 11-0 run spanning the third-quarter break to go ahead 71-52, but Chicago scored the next 12 points. The Storm regained control when Loyd intercepted a long pass and sent it ahead to Diggins-Smith for a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 76-68 with 2:25 left.
MLB
Gavin Stone struck out seven in seven innings, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the reeling New York Mets 3-0 for a doubleheader sweep. Stone allowed three hits and walked none. Alex Vesia got six outs for his second save, finishing a three-hitter. The NL West-leading Dodgers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 win in the opener. Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning, and Teoscar Hernández had three hits. New York has dropped seven of eight. It is just 10-24 since April 21.
Taylor Ward’s two-run double into the left-center gap scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, Kevin Pillar had three hits, including a two-run homer, and the Los Angeles Angels rallied for a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees to snap a three-game losing streak. After Clay Holmes replaced Luke Weaver (3-1), Ward’s double, which rolled to the left-field wall brought in Mickey Moniak and Luis Rengifo. It also marked just the second time in 29 games the Angels have won when trailing after seven innings. Yankees’ slugger Juan Soto homered for the fifth time in seven games and Anthony Volpe had a pair of base hits to extend his hitting streak to 20 games. It is the longest by a Yankees’ hitter since Robinson Canó’s 23-game run in 2012.
Brennan Bernardino worked out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-3 Tuesday night. Wilyer Abreu and Rob Refsnyder homered and Brayan Bello won for the fifth time in six starts for Boston, which beat the Orioles for the first time in five meetings this season. Grayson Rodriguez struck out a career-high 10 for Baltimore, which had a season-best five-game winning streak halted.
Luis Matos hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, Spencer Howard pitched four scoreless innings and the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0. After the Phillies failed to score in the top of the 10th off Sean Hjelle, automatic runner Tyler Fitzgerald advanced to third on a flyball by Wilmer Flores before Matos knocked him in with a flyball to leftl The Giants have won 10 of their last 12 games, taking the first two games of the three-game series against the Phillies after being swept in a four-game set in Philadelphia earlier this month. Philadelphia has lost three straight games for the first time this season.
Corey Seager homered for the seventh time in as many games, putting the Texas Rangers ahead with his three-run shot in their 4-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The homer Tuesday night came off Brandon Pfaadt in the rematch of last year's World Series. It was the World Series MVP’s 12th homer overall, extending his hitting streak to a season-best 11 games and his on-base streak to 21 games. Andrew Heaney worked 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the win after Nathan Eovaldi was activated from the injured list. David Robertson worked a perfect eighth before Kirby Yates pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Josh Naylor hit two homers and drove in five runs, David Fry hit a tie-breaking three-run home run in the seventh inning, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Colorado Rockies 13-7. José Ramírez homered and scored four runs for Cleveland. He has career-high seven-game RBI streak and leads the majors with 56 RBIs. Rookie Kyle Manzardo had three hits and two doubles in his first career multi-hit game. Kris Bryant and Elehuris Montero hit two-run homers for Colorado. Cade Smith, the fourth Guardians’ pitcher, struck out three in 1 1/3 innings for the win. Peter Lambert took the loss.
Rookie Mitch Spence took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, Miguel Andújar hit a three-run homer and the Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0. Spence had allowed just one base runner until José Caballero flared a single to center with one out in the sixth. T.J. McFarland, Michael Kelly and Mason Miller, who worked the ninth to get his 11th save in as many chances, completed a three-hitter. Zack Littell gave up three unearned runs, five hits and struck out nine over seven innings.
Simeon Woods Richardson earned his first win in eight starts, Jose Miranda knocked in two runs and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 . Minnesota, winners of six of their last seven games, got two hits apiece from Manuel Margot, Byron Buxton and Carlos Santana. Jhoan Duran allowed the first two hitters he faced in the ninth to reach base, but helped by Christian Vázquez throwing out a runner trying to steal second, he didn’t allow a run and earned his eighth save. Cole Ragans (4-4) struggled early for Kansas City but got through five innings. He allowed nine hits and struck out seven.
Davis Schneider had three hits and three RBIs, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the sliding Chicago White Sox 7-2. Justin Turner drove in two runs for Toronto, which finished with 13 hits. George Springer had two hits, walked three times and scored two runs. Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman pitched six innings of one-run ball. The 33-year-old Gausman has won his last four decisions. Chicago dropped its seventh straight game. At 15-41, the White Sox are off to the worst 56-game start in franchise history.
Julio Rodríguez drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single in the eighth inning after Josh Rojas tied the game with an RBI double and the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 4-2. A second run also scored on Rodríguez’s single, as Alex Bregman’s throwing error allowed Rojas to score and Rodríguez to take second base. The winning rally came off reliever Ryan Pressly (0-2). Bregman hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Taylor Saucedo pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the win and Ryne Stanek worked a perfect ninth inning for his third save.
Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer, Kyle Gibson pitched six sparkling innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-1. Iván Herrera had three hits for St. Louis, which improved to 11-3 in its last 14 games. Gibson was charged with one run and two hits. The right-hander struck out six and walked two. Cincinnati had won a season-high four consecutive games. Will Benson led off the sixth with his eighth homer for the Reds’ first hit of the night.
Marcell Ozuna broke a scoreless tie with his 16th homer in the seventh inning, Max Fried threw eight strong innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 2-0. Fried allowed seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts while finishing three outs shy of his second consecutive complete game and third of the season. Fried outlasted Washington right-hander Jake Irvin, who set a career high with 10 strikeouts in six scoreless innings. Ozuna greeted Jacob Barnes by lining the go-ahead homer into the left field seats to open the seventh.
Mike Tauchman hit a go-ahead single in Chicago’s five-run 10th inning that appeared to bounce off Trevor Megill’s throwing elbow, and the Cubs stopped a five-game skid by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3. Ben Brown struck out a career-high 10 in seven hitless innings, continuing the Brewers’ season-long futility against Cubs starting pitchers. The Brewers got their first hit on Sal Frelick’s one-out single off Hayden Wesneski in the eighth. Brown threw 93 pitches, 64 for strikes, in the rookie right-hander’s sixth start and 13th appearance. Cubs starters have combined to throw 32 1/3 shutout innings against the Brewers so far this season.
Jurickson Profar homered and reliever Jeremiah Estrada extended his club-record strikeout streak to 13 straight batters, the most in the expansion era, for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Miami Marlins 4-0 for their third straight win. Estrada achieved his milestone by striking out the side in the ninth. He celebrated by pounding his chest and glove and blowing a kiss to the sky. A few minutes later, he got a Gatorade shower from his teammates. Knuckleballer Matt Waldron pitched seven impressive innings for the win.
The Pirates’ 12:40 game against the Tigers in Detroit was postponed due to rain and will be made up as a doubleheader starting at the same time today.
After further review, maybe Ángel Hernández wasn’t that bad of a guy. That seemed to be the prevailing sentiment among major league managers and players who reacted to the sudden retirement of the longtime and often scorned umpire, whose big league career began more than three decades ago. Most of those who spoke about the 62-year-old Hernández mentioned his long tenure and pleasant personal interactions rather than any beefs over missed calls or ejections. Some had reactions that were open to interpretation and some simply declined to comment. Some players said they will miss him.
Josh Gibson became Major League Baseball’s career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb’s .367, when records of the Negro Leagues for more than 2,300 players were incorporated after a three-year research project. Gibson’s .466 average for the 1943 Homestead Grays became the season standard, followed by Charlie “Chino” Smith’s .451 for the 1929 New York Lincoln Giants. They overtook the .440 by Hugh Duffy for the National League’s Boston team in 1894. Gibson also became the career leader in slugging percentage at .718 and OPS at 1.177, moving ahead of Babe Ruth in each statistic.
NCAA
Scholarships are not going away in college athletics. But how many there are and which sports they will apply to in coming years are among the many questions stemming from a mammoth antitrust settlement and athlete revenue-sharing plan proposed by the NCAA and its five largest conferences. Nearly $2.8 billion in damages over 10 years must come from somewhere. Schools are scrambling to find out how much more money will be necessary to compensate athletes in sports like baseball and softball, many who previously only got a fragment of what their classmates who play football or basketball received.
NFL
The Houston Texans have agreed with wide receiver Nico Collins on a three-year extension worth a maximum of $75 million with $52 million guaranteed. The Athletic first reported the deal. Agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed the terms he helped negotiate with Ryan Matha and Jason Rosenhaus to The Associated Press after sharing a social media post that detailed specifics of Collins’ extension. Collins is coming off his best season yet. He caught 80 passes for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns and helping Houston win the AFC South with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett says he stepped away from football last year to address his mental health. Bennett now says he feels recharged and ready to play again. The two-time national champion at Georgia is participating in the Rams’ organized team activities. Bennett was a fourth-round pick by the Rams after winning his second title with the Bulldogs. He participated in Los Angeles’ team activities and played extensively in the preseason while competing to be Matthew Stafford’s backup. But Bennett left the Rams before the regular season began, and he didn’t return to the team in 2023.
NASCAR
Stewart-Haas Racing will close its NASCAR teams at the end of the 2024 season. The announcement comes after nearly a year of rumors that the four-car Cup Series team was looking to sell its charters and either scale back or exit the series completely. Gene Haas founded the team in 2002 and landed Stewart as a co-owner ahead of the 2009 season. Stewart in his debut season gave the team its first Cup Series victory and its first Cup title in 2011. Kevin Harvick added a second championship in 2014. The move also affects a two-car Xfinity Series team.
TENNIS
Defending champion Novak Djokovic has won his first-round match at the French Open by beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Tuesday's victory began Djokovic's bid to become the first player in tennis history to claim 25 Grand Slam singles trophies. He has won three of his 24 so far at Roland Garros. He will need to make it back to the final if he wants to retain his No. 1 ranking. Djokovic has not reached a final at any tournament this year and his record is just 15-6 overall. Other winners on Tuesday included two-time runner-up Casper Ruud and past major champions Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
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