NBA:
The Houston Rockets have a three-games-to-two lead in the NBA's Western Conference finals after Eric Gordon came off the bench to score 24 points and provide a big steal in a 98-94 triumph over the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors had a chance to win it or force overtime until Gordon stole the ball from Draymond Green in the closing moments. Chris Paul finished with 20 points after shooting 0-for-7 in the first half, but he had to leave the game in the final minute with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. The Warriors will try to stave off elimination when they host Game 6 on Saturday.
LeBron James has been unanimously selected to the All-NBA first team for a record 12th time, while Houston's James Harden also appeared on all 100 first-team ballots. They were joined on the first team by New Orleans' Anthony Davis, Golden State's Kevin Durant and Portland's Damian Lillard. James passed Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone with the 12th first-team selection of his 15-year career.
MLB:
Travel problems have delayed the New York Yankees from getting home from Texas. Newsday reports the team's charted Delta flight took off after Wednesday night's 12-10 loss to the Rangers. But the flight had to return to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport because of a mechanical problem. The plane safely landed and the flight resumed early Thursday morning.
The Boston Red Sox's lead in the AL East is down to one game over the New York Yankees after the Bosox dropped a 6-3 decision to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays took advantage of errors by catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Mookie Betts while building a 5-0 lead by the second inning. Wilson Ramos had three hits and two RBIs to back Blake Snell, who struck out eight while limiting the Red Sox to three hits over six innings.
Brandon Nimmo reached base five times, Steven Matz pitched six solid innings and the New York Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0. Nimmo raised his on-base percentage to .450, best in the majors among players with at least 100 plate appearances, with a career-high four hits and a walk. He had a triple and two doubles, and Asdrubal Cabrera and Wilmer Flores each added two RBIs.
The Houston Astros have expanded their lead in the AL West to three games over Seattle and cut Cleveland's lead in the AL Central to 1 ½ games over Minnesota. Alex Bregman and Jake Marisnick hit three-run homers and Charlie Morton improved to 7-0 by working six innings of the Astros' 8-2 rout of the Indians. Seattle's five-game winning streak is over after Stephen Piscotty hit a two-run double while the A's did all their scoring in the first inning of a 4-3 win over the Mariners.
Milwaukee's lead in the NL Central is down to 2 ½ games over Pittsburgh and St. Louis after Steven Matz scattered four hits over six innings of the Mets' 5-0 shutout of the Brewers. Leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo reached base five times while going 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Asdrubal Cabrera lined a two-run double and Wilmer Flores had two RBIs as New York ended a two-game skid that followed a four-game winning streak.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Mike Trout and Albert Pujols each hit solo home runs and Shohei Ohtani reached base four times as the Angels thumped the Blue Jays, 8-1. Ohtani doubled twice, walked twice and scored twice to help Nick Tropeano get his first win since April 12. Martin Maldonado had two hits and three RBIs to back Tropeano, who allowed one run and four hits over a season-high 7 1/3 innings.
— Salvador Perez hit a pair of two-run singles and Whit Merrifield doubled home a pair as the Royals hammered the Rangers, 8-2. Danny Duffy entered the game with a 6.88 ERA before holding Texas to a run and four hits over 7 2/3 innings. The Royals' third straight win moves them out of the AL Central cellar, a half-game ahead of the White Sox.
— Dylan Bundy was outstanding in the Orioles' 9-3 rout of the White Sox, striking out a career-high 14 in a two-hitter. Adam Jones and Trey Mancini hit solo home runs while the Birds took a 9-0 lead by the third inning. Jones and Manny Machado each had three hits, and Chance Sisco drove in three runs as the Orioles won for just the third time in nine games and improved to 6-21 on the road.
— The Pirates lost for the fifth time in six games as Eugenio (ay-oo-HAY'-nee-oh) Suarez launched a grand slam and Jesse Winker added a solo shot to lead the Reds past the Bucs, 5-4. Luis Castillo (4-4) gave up four hits in six innings, including a two-run homer by David Freese. Pirates hurler Ivan Nova dropped his sixth straight start against the Reds, surrendering the two home runs and five other hits over 5 1/3 innings.
In other MLB news:
— White Sox catcher Welington Castillo has been suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball following a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance. Castillo is the eighth player suspended this year under the major league drug-testing program. He would lose more than $3.5 million of his $7.25 million salary. The 31-year-old Castillo is hitting .267 with six home runs, 15 RBIs and a .774 OPS this season, one year after slamming a career-high 20 homers.
— Dustin Pedroia is returning to the Boston Red Sox's active roster Friday after missing the team's first 50 games following knee surgery. The second baseman's return to the AL East leaders will come exactly seven months after cartilage-restoration surgery on his left knee. Eduardo Nunez is expected to go back to a utility role after filling in for Pedroia.
— The Twins have reinstated third baseman Miguel Sano from the disabled list after he missed the last 24 games with a strained left hamstring. The Twins sent outfielder Jake Cave to Triple-A Rochester. Sano went 6 for 16 with two homers and three walks on a five-game rehab assignment.
— The Angels are pushing back Shohei Ohtani's next outing as a starting pitcher to manage the workload of the two-way rookie. Ohtani is 4-1 with a 3.35 ERA in seven starts. He had been scheduled to pitch against fellow Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
— Rays manager Kevin Cash says reliever Sergio Romo is scheduled to start Friday night and Sunday against Baltimore, and Ryne Stanek is set to face the Orioles on Saturday. Tampa Bay planned to begin the regular season with four starting pitchers and have one bullpen day, but the team is currently without starters Nathan Eovaldi and Jake Faria.
— A 10-person committee of researchers hired by the commissioner's office has been unable to determine why baseballs are traveling farther. There was no evidence of meaningful change in the bounciness of the balls or alteration in batters' swings, such as uppercutting. Committee chairman Alan Nathan concluded that the aerodynamic properties of the ball have changed, allowing it to carry farther.
NHL:
David Quinn had been contacted by other NHL teams in recent years, and chose to remain at Boston University. When the New York Rangers came calling, it was different. As talks with general manager Jeff Gorton and assistant GM Chris Drury, both of whom he's known for many years, progressed, he knew it was time to make the move.
In 25 years, Commissioner Gary Bettman has helped the National Hockey League grow into a nearly $5 billion business. He has served longer than the commissioners of the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball combined. At 65, he is not going anywhere and has helped hockey expand to new, non-traditional markets in the United States. That includes Las Vegas, which will host Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.
In other NHL news:
The San Jose Sharks have signed forward Evander Kane to a seven-year, $49 million contract that keeps him off the free agent market. Kane scored 29 goals this season for San Jose and Buffalo, including nine goals and 14 points in 17 games for the Sharks. The Avalanche have brought back forward Gabriel Bourque on a one-year deal. Bourque scored five goals in 58 games for the Avs this season.
NCAA:
In men’s college lacrosse, UAlbany will face Yale tomorrow at noon in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky junior safety Marcus Walker has been charged with trafficking cocaine and marijuana following a police search of an off-campus apartment. Lexington police arrested Walker and 23-year-old Tavon Wells early Thursday morning after finding at least five pounds of marijuana and four grams of cocaine in a search of the residence. The arrest citation stated that a large amount of cash and a cash counter were found in the search.
NFL:
President Donald Trump says the NFL is "doing the right thing" with a policy banning kneeling during the national anthem. Trump spoke to "Fox & Friends" in an interview airing Thursday. The policy forbids players from sitting or taking a knee on the field during the anthem but allows them to stay in the locker room. Any violations of the new rules would result in fines against teams. Trump says he doesn't "think people should be standing in locker rooms," but he praised the plan overall.
Buffalo Bills receiver Zay Jones has had knee surgery that will prevent him from participating in the team's series of spring practices. Coach Sean McDermott wouldn't discuss the nature of the injury or which knee was operated on in providing the update as the Bills closed a three-day voluntary minicamp.
Police took veteran NFL guard Richie Incognito to a Florida mental hospital after he allegedly threw weights and tennis balls at gym employees and another patron. Boca Raton police officers wrote that Incognito said he was involved with National Security Agency, but that he couldn't talk about it because they didn't have a high enough security clearance. Incognito announced earlier this year that he was retiring from football after 11 seasons.
PGA:
Kevin Na had a great finish as he took the first-round lead in the Fort Worth Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. Na chipped in from the rough more than 90 feet away for an incredible birdie to close out an 8-under 62. That put him one stroke ahead of Charley Hoffman, who also was bogey-free when shooting a 63 in the morning round. Jhonattan Vegas, Emiliano Grillo, Andrew Putnam and Beau Hossler shot 64.
Nevada club pro Stuart Smith shot a 5-under 66 for a share of the first-round lead in the Senior PGA Championship. Smith closed his morning round with a double bogey on the par-4 18th. Scott McCarron, Tim Petrovic, Wes Short Jr., Barry Lane and Peter Lonard matched the 66 in the afternoon. Smith is the director of golf at Somersett Country Club in Reno. He is one of 41 club pros in the field at Harbor Shores for the senior major.
Bobsled:
Mike Kohn has been promoted to head coach of the USA Bobsled national team. That move was one of many made by the national bobsled and skeleton federation after a disappointing showing at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Horse Racing:
Justify has begun preparing for the Belmont Stakes and pursuit of the Triple Crown with an energetic gallop around Churchill Downs. Back at work since returning from last weekend's muddy half-length victory over Bravazo in the Preakness, the unbeaten chestnut colt galloped 1 3/8 miles under a clear sky on a dry, fast surface. Jimmy Barnes, assistant trainer to Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, said the horse "really seemed to enjoy it" this time.
NASCAR:
Kyle Busch has won the pole for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch turned a lap of 191.836 mph to take the top starting position for NASCAR's longest race. Joey Logano will start alongside Busch on the front row. Cup points leader Kevin Harvick never got on the track after failing pre-race inspection three times. Car chief Robert Smith was ejected, and Harvick will have to sit out the first 30 minutes of practice Saturday before starting in the rear for the race.
Boxing:
President Donald Trump has granted a rare posthumous pardon to boxing's first black heavyweight champion more than 100 years after what Trump said many feel was a racially motivated injustice. Jack Johnson was convicted in 1913 by an all-white jury for violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for "immoral" purposes. Johnson died in 1946.
WNBA:
Chiney Ogwumike scored 18 points in her first WNBA victory against her sister and the Connecticut Sun beat the Los Angeles Sparks 102-94. Chiney Ogwumike topped Nneka for the first time in six professional meetings.
Sports Betting:
A New Jersey horse racing association has sued the four major pro sports leagues and the NCAA over what it says is more than $130 million in lost sports betting revenue. The suit filed Thursday in federal court claims the leagues acted in bad faith when they got a restraining order in 2014 to block Monmouth Park Racetrack from offering sports betting. The suit claims Monmouth Park would've made $139 million in revenue between November 2014 and this month when a Supreme Court ruling allowed all states to authorize legal sports gambling.
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