The Philadelphia 76ers have stretched their lead in the NBA's Eastern Conference to one game over Brooklyn by knocking off the Bulls in Chicago. Tobias Harris scored 21 points and Seth Curry added 20 as the Sixers earned their fifth win in a row, 106-94. Philadelphia led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter and by 20 to start the fourth. But Chicago went on a 24-5 run to get within 88-87 midway through the final period before the 76ers embarked on a 12-4 run. Every Sixers starter scored in double figures as Ben Simmons scored 15 points, Danny Green had 14 and a relatively quiet Joel Embiid scored 13.
Julius Randle scored 28 points and Derrick Rose added 25 on 11 of 15 shooting in the Knicks' 12th win in their last 13 games, 118-104 at Memphis. RJ Barrett added 15 points for New York, which guaranteed itself a winning season for the first time in eight years. The Grizzlies received five technicals in a span of 18 seconds to seal the loss.
Russell Westbrook produced an impressive triple-double in the Wizards' 154-141 win over the Pacers. Westbrook had 14 points to go along with his career-high 21 rebounds and career-high-tying 24 assists, his league-leading 32nd triple-double of the season. Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player in NBA history 20-plus rebounds and 20-plus assists, doing it twice.
Over in the Western Conference, the Jazz lead by a half-game over the Suns after Bojan Bogdanovic scored 25 points to lead Utah's 110-99 win against the Spurs. Rudy Gobert chipped in 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Jazz, who scored 22 points off 13 San Antonio turnovers and shot 50% from the field while leading wire to wire. Jordan Clarkson added 16 points and Joe Ingles provided 13 with eight assists in Utah's second straight win.
Anthony Davis scored 25 points and had key plays on both ends of the floor in the final minute of the Lakers' 93-89 triumph over the Nuggets. Davis hit a jumper with 41.8 seconds remaining to give the Lakers a four-point lead before he blocked a 3-point attempt to help Los Angeles halt a three-game skid. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 32 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 19.
Danilo Gallinari nailed seven 3-pointers on his way to 28 points, leading the Hawks to a 123-114 victory over the Trail Blazers. Bogdan Bogdanovic provided the bulk of Atlanta's offense over the first two quarters, scoring 23 of his 25 points for the second highest-scoring half of his career. He also made seven 3s as Atlanta dropped Portland to 4-1 on its six-game road trip.
Stephen Curry poured in 41 points and Draymond Green registered a triple-double in the Warriors' 123-108 downing of the Pelicans. Green had 10 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds to help Golden State move four games ahead of New Orleans for the 10th and final Western Conference playoff slot. Andrew Wiggins added 26 points for Golden State, with 10 coming in a key stretch early in the fourth quarter.
Mo Bamba had career highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Magic downed the Pistons, 119-112. Chasson Randle added 18 points to the win.
In NBA news, a person familiar with the decisions says center Anderson Varejão is expected to sign with the Cavaliers for the remainder of the season after the NBA granted the team a roster hardship exception. Varejão spent 12 seasons with Cleveland before he was traded in 2016. The 38-year-old's return would be little more than a ceremonial move by the Cavaliers, who want to honor and celebrate Varejão for his time with the team.
NHL
Patrice Bergeron scored his 20th goal of the season and the Bruins clinched their fifth straight playoff berth with a dominating 3-0 victory over the Devils. Nick Ritchie broke a scoreless tie in the second period as the Bruins won their fourth straight game and ended the Devils' three-game winning streak. Tuukka Rask stopped 20 shots for his second shutout of the season.
In other NHL action:
The Bruins moved into third in the East when the Islanders blew a 2-0 lead in a 4-2 loss to the Sabres. Michael Houser stopped 34 shots in his NHL debut, blanking New York after Adam Pelech and Oliver Wahlstrom beat him. Sam Reinhart scored twice in Buffalo's three-goal third period, helping the Sabres beat the Isles for the first time in seven meetings this season.
Daniel Sprong's tiebreaking goal in the third period propelled the Capitals to a 6-3 victory over the Rangers. Sprong put the Capitals ahead 4-3 at 4:37 of the third before Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson added insurance tallies. Nic Dowd, Conor Sheary and Garnet Hathaway also scored as the Caps snapped a two-game skid.
The Penguins' 7-2 loss to the Flyers leaves Pittsburgh in a first-place tie with Washington in the East Division. Claude Giroux had two goals and an assist to help Philadelphia end a three-game skid and win for just the sixth time in its last 16 games. Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh after missing 23 games with a lower body injury.
Cole Caufield's overtime goal capped the Canadiens' comeback in a 3-2 triumph over the Maple Leafs. The Leafs were less than a minute away from a regulation victory until Philip Danault extend the game. Auston Matthews netted his league-leading 39th goal of the season for Toronto.
The Carolina Hurricanes remain the leaders in the NHL's Central Division, with an eye on the Presidents' Trophy as the league's top team in the regular season. Sebastian Aho scored twice in the second period on the way to a hat trick in the Hurricanes' fourth straight victory, 5-2 over the Blackhawks. Dougie Hamilton and Martin Necas also scored while the Canes were building a 4-0 lead. Aho capped his night by beating Patrick Kane to a puck and scoring an empty-netter at 18:44. The Hurricanes continue to lead the Central Division and overall standings by two points over Florida.
The Panthers kept pace as Aleksander Barkov scored 2:50 into overtime to give them a 5-4 victory over the Stars. Jonathan Huberdeau, Nikita Gusev, Gustav Forsling and MacKenzie Weegar also scored for the Cats, who blew a two-goal lead before winning. The Stars trailed 4-2 in the third until Joel Kiviranta and Tyler Seguin scored 11 seconds apart. It was Seguin's season debut following hip surgery in November.
The Wild scored three times in the final 9 1 2/minutes to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 6-5 win over the Golden Knights. Jonas Brodin scored with 1:06 left, 26 seconds after Kirill Kaprizov had tied the game. Nick Bonino added two goals and an assist as Minnesota beat the Knights for the fifth time in seven meetings this season.
Andre Burakovsky scored 41 seconds into overtime and the Avalanche pulled within two points of the West-leading Knights by outlasting the Sharks, 5-4. Colorado scored three times in the third period to overcome a pair of two-goal deficits. Nazim Kadri provided the tying tally with 3:39 left in regulation.
Robert Bortuzzo got his first goal of the season and Brayden Schenn also scored, leading the Blues to a 3-1 victory over the Ducks. Bortuzzo gave St. Louis a 2-1 lead at 2:13 of the third period. Jordan Binnington had 19 saves to earn his 70th career win.
The Predators tightened their hold on the final Central Division playoff berth by getting a goal from Roman Josi at 3:24 of overtime to complete a 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets. Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen each had a goal and an assist, and Juuse Saros had 30 saves as Nashville moved four points ahead of fifth-place Dallas. Emil Bemstrom scored three goals in the third to rally Columbus from a 3-0 deficit before Josi ended it with his second goal of the night.
Connor McDavid had two goals and two assists as the Oilers beat the Canucks, 5-3 to clinch a playoff berth. McDavid leads the NHL in scoring with 91 points on 31 goals and 60 assists. Jesse Puljujarvi had a goal and an assist as Edmonton dealt Vancouver its fifth loss in a row.
Nikita Zaitsev scored with 1:13 left in the third period to give the Senators a 2-1 win over the Jets. Zaitsev's third of the season gave Ottawa its sixth win in eight games. The Jets went 0-for-6 on the power play and absorbed their seventh straight loss.
Anze Kopitar is one point shy of 1,000 for his career after contributing a goal and an assist to the Kings' 3-2 downing of the Coyotes. Arizona has dropped 11 of its last 14 and is five points behind St. Louis for the West Division's final playoff spot with three games remaining.
MLB
Nolan Arenado and Harrison Bader homered to support Adam Wainwright in the Cardinals' 6-5 victory against the Mets. Wainright fell behind 5-2 but lasted 5 2/3 innings in his first start since coming off the COVID-19 list. After the game, the Mets fired hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant Tom Slater. New York has lacked power at the plate and struggled badly with runners in scoring position, a trouble area last year as well when the popular Davis worked remotely because of coronavirus concerns. Several accomplished hitters are off to slow starts, including $341 million newcomer Francisco Lindor. Minor league director of hitting development Hugh Quattlebaum becomes the new hitting coach, and director of player development Kevin Howard takes over as assistant hitting coach.
Elsewhere in MLB:
Vince Velasquez allowed one run and four hits, striking out six in his longest outing this season to lead the Phillies past the Brewers, 4-3. J.T. Realmuto slammed a two-run homer in the first inning to put the Phils ahead, 2-1.
The Athletics knocked off the Blue Jays, 5-4 as Ramon Laureano homered for the third consecutive day. Stephen Piscotty also went deep and Jed Lowrie went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles as Oakland spoiled Marcus Semien's return to the Bay Area.
Pittsburgh's Tyler Anderson made a bid for the third no-hitter of the major league season, but it was the San Diego Padres who came away with a shutout win. Wil Myers singled with no outs in the seventh to end Tyler Anderson's no-hit bid and ignite a two-run inning that pushed the Padres past the Pirates, 2-0. After Myers' hit, Tommy Pham hit a sacrifice fly and Austin Nola poked an RBI single with two out to chase Anderson and send Pittsburgh to its fifth loss in a row.
Willy Adames and Manuel Margot homered and Mike Brosseau had a two-run single as the Rays knocked off the Angels, 7-3 to begin a seven-game road trip. Tyler Glasnow pitched six innings of four-hit ball with three walks for the defending AL champion Rays.
Cedric Mullins and Freddy Galvis each hit two-run homers while the Orioles put together a five-run eighth to beat the Mariners, 5-3. Dean Kremer had arguably the best start of his young career, throwing six innings for Baltimore and allowing just two hits and one run in a no-decision.
Kenta Maeda had a season-high eight strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, allowing only two singles and two walks in the Twins' 6-5 win over the Rangers. Jorge Polanco had an RBI triple and run-scoring double, while rookie Alex Kirilloff kept up his torrid start with two doubles for Minnesota.
Eddie Rosario swatted a tiebreaking, three-run homer that sent the Indians to an 8-6 win over the Royals. Josh Naylor added a two-run shot two batters later and Emmanuel Clase worked around a single in the ninth for his sixth save.
The Dodgers and Cubs were postponed in Chicago due to bad weather, as was the Giants-Rockies game in Colorado. Both games are rescheduled as part of Tuesday twinbills.
In MLB news:
White Sox center fielder Luis Robert could miss the remainder of the season because of a torn right hip flexor. Robert was injured in Sunday's loss to Cleveland. He fell to the ground after beating out an infield single to third base in the first inning and was helped off the field while putting no weight on his right leg. Robert is batting .316 with one homer and 11 RBIs this year. He finished second in the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year voting and was a Gold Glove winner last season.
The Indians have reinstated designated hitter Franmil Reyes from the paternity list and promoted outfielder Harold Ramirez from the taxi squad before tonight's series opener against the Royals. Reyes and his wife, Marian, welcomed their fifth child last week. He's off to a fast start this season, hitting .279 with seven homers and 18 RBIs through 23 games.
Marlins rookie right-hander Paul Campbell has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for an anabolic steroid in violation of Major League Baseball's drug program. Campbell said he never knowingly ingested the substance or had even heard of it. The 25-year-old Campbell made his major league debut this season and is 0-2 with an 8.74 ERA in five games and 11 1/3 innings.
The Rockies have appointed Bill Schmidt as their interim general manager after parting ways with Jeff Bridich. Schmidt has been with the team for nearly 22 years and has been in his current role of vice president of scouting since January 2007. Schmidt will be in charge of the team's baseball operations.
Baseball Hall of Fame Chairman Jane Forbes Clark says the museum has accepted Roberto Alomar's resignation from its board of directors. The Hall of Fame second baseman was fired last week as a consultant by Major League Baseball and placed on the league's ineligible list after an investigation into the allegation.
NFL
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds are staying around for at least two more seasons. The Bills exercised the fifth-year options of both players' contracts and retained the 2018 first-round draft picks through the 2022 season. The move comes at a combined price of about $36 million, with Allen set to make nearly $23 million in his final year.
In other NFL news:
Amazon Prime Video will become the exclusive home of the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" package a year earlier than originally anticipated. The 11-year package begins in 2022. This is the first time a streaming service has had the full rights to an NFL package. Prime Video will carry 15 regular-season games on Thursday night along with one preseason game.
The Falcons have picked up receiver Calvin Ridley's fifth-year option, meaning he will make $11.1 million in 2022 and be in line for a long-term deal. Ridley had 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns last season.
Jaguars defensive tackle Taven Bryan, Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes and Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch have been declined a fifth-year option on their rookie contracts. NFL teams had until Monday to decide whether to exercise fifth-year options on 2018 first-round picks.
Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox has signed his restricted free agent tender worth almost $3.4 million this year. Alie-Cox was signed by the Colts as an undrafted rookie in 2017 following his basketball career at VCU. He's played in 40 games over the past three seasons and posted his best stats in 2020 with 31 receptions and 394 yards.
Veteran left tackle Charles Leno Jr. Leno says on Twitter that his "time in Chicago has officially come to an end" and calls it "a bittersweet day." He said he will "be rooting for the young guys to succeed" and thanked Bears fans. Drafted by Chicago in the seventh round in 2014, Leno started every game the past five seasons and 93 in a row dating to 2015. He made the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2018.
Titans fourth-round draft pick Rashad Weaver has been charged with simple assault following an incident in Pittsburgh last month. The complaint stems from an alleged altercation between Weaver and a woman in a popular entertainment district in the early hours of April 18.
INDYCAR
A racing icon has passed. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser died of natural causes at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday. Unser won the Indy 500 in 1968, 1975 and 1981. His younger brother, Al, is one of only three four-time Indy 500 winners in race history. The Unser family tradition stretched to Al Unser's son, Al Unser Jr., who won the Indy 500 in 1992 and 1994. Bobby Unser was one of just 10 drivers to win the 500 at least three times. Unser and Rick Mears are the only drivers to win the 500 in three different decades. Unser was one of six members of the Unser family to race in the Indianapolis 500. Bobby Unser was 87 years old.
TRANSGENDER SPORTS
An appeals court will consider the constitutionality of the first law in the nation banning transgender women and girls from playing on women's sports team. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments Monday in a case that will have far-ranging consequences as more states follow conservative Idaho's lead. Idaho passed its law last year, and more than 20 states have considered such proposals this year.
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