Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot hit back-to-back 3s to put Brooklyn ahead to stay, and the Nets beat Milwaukee 119-116 to keep the Bucks from clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Luwawu-Cabarrot finished with a career-high 26 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a team-high 16 points playing only the first half for Milwaukee, which now has lost two of three seeding games.
Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat never trailed in beating the Boston Celtics 112-106. The Heat remained alone in the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics had their lead for the No. 3 seed cut to 1 1/2 games over the Heat. Miami has a game lead on Indiana and improved to 2-1 so far in the seeding games despite Jimmy Butler sitting out with a sore right ankle.
In other NBA action:
Luka Doncic punctuated a triple-double by making the tiebreaking shot with 1:57 left in overtime Tuesday and leading the Dallas Mavericks past the Sacramento Kings, 114-110. Doncic was sensational, finishing with 34 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and 12 assists. Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points and seven rebounds before fouling out late in regulation. It was the Mavs' first victory since arriving at Walt Disney World and allowed them to remain the only NBA to avoid three straight losses this season.
Damian Lillard scored 21 points and Carmelo Anthony hit a big 3-pointer late to help the Portland Trail Blazers to a 110-102 victory over the Houston Rockets. The Blazers led by one before Lillard made one of two free throws. Anthony's 3 then extended the lead to 107-102 when less than a minute to go. Anthony had 15 points and 11 rebounds. James Harden led Houston with 23 points and nine assists on a night he was slowed by foul trouble. Jeff Green added a season-high 22 points
T.J. Warren scored 32 points and Myles Turner added 21 to send the Indiana Pacers past Orlando 120-109 for their third consecutive victory. Warren has topped the 30-point mark in each game at Walt Disney World and tied Jermaine O'Neal's franchise record for most points in a three-game stretch with 119. Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Magic.
Devin Booker made a turnaround jumper over Paul George as time expired, capping a 35-point performance and giving the Phoenix Suns a 117-115 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Suns improved to 3-0 in the bubble as they chase a playoff spot. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 27 points and George added 23.
In NBA news, the Memphis Grizzlies will be without forward-center Jaren Jackson Jr. for whatever remains of this season after he hurt his left knee. The Grizzlies said Jackson was hurt when he landed awkwardly after making contact with an opponent while contesting a shot. Further evaluation found a meniscus tear in his left knee. Jackson is expected to make a full recovery.
WNBA
Breanna Stewart scored 22 points and hit three of Seattle’s 11 3-pointers as the Storm beat the Connecticut Sun 87-74. Sami Whitcomb hit 3 of 5 from 3-point range and finished with a season-high 15 points for Seattle (4-1). Brionna Jones led Connecticut (0-5) with 20 points. Stewart hit one 3 and Alysha Clark added two more in an 11-0 spurt that pushed the lead into double figures for good midway through the fourth.
NHL
Sebastian Aho scored twice in the third period while James Reimer was strong in net to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 4-1 on Tuesday night and sweep the Stanley Cup qualifier series. Warren Foegele scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period for the Hurricanes. Reimer added 37 saves for the Hurricanes in his first start of the series. Chris Kreider scored for the Rangers. Rookie Igor Shesterkin finished with 27 saves in his postseason debut for New York.
Jordan Eberle scored twice, including the go-ahead goal, and the New York Islanders rallied to a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers and take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five NHL preliminary round playoff series. Ryan Pulock and Matt Martin also scored, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 26 shots in a game New York overcame a pair of one-goal deficits. Mike Hoffman had a goal and assist and captain Aleksander Barkov also scored for Florida, which is one loss from going one-and-done in the playoffs for a fifth consecutive time.
In other Tuesday action:
The Nashville Predators stumbled in their postseason opener by falling into an early hole, putting themselves in a must-win situation for Game 2. Behind steady goaltending and a dedication to clogging shooting lanes, the Predators snatched the momentum back less than 24 hours before Game 3.
Aware of how much back-to-back losses could devastate their playoff hopes, the Calgary Flames wrested momentum back in their series with the Winnipeg Jets with a 6-2 win Tuesday. The Flames lead the best-of-five qualifying series 2-1. Game 4 is Thursday.
Auston Matthews and John Tavares scored and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 on Tuesday to even their best-of-five qualifying series at one game. Toronto defenseman Jake Muzzin was taken off the ice on a stretcher with 1:52 left in the game after his head made violent contact with Columbus' Oliver Bjorkstrand behind the Blue Jackets net. He was taken to a hospital.
MLB
Howie Kendrick's four hits included a solo shot and Josh Harrison also homered to help the Washington Nationals return from a coronavirus-caused four-day break with a 5-3 victory over the injury-depleted New York Mets. Washington slugger Juan Soto celebrated both of his teammates' homers by dancing atop the home dugout. Patrick Corbin earned the win and Steven Matz took the loss after lasting just three innings. Michael Conforto hit a two-run homer and Pete Alonso had an RBI single for New York. The Nationals won their third consecutive game after a 1-4 start. The Mets are 4-8 after losing six of seven.
Austin Meadows got two hits after missing the first 10 games of the season with the coronavirus and the Tampa Bay Rays stopped their losing streak at five by beating the Boston Red Sox 5-1. Boston lost its fourth in a row, including a three-game sweep at Yankees Stadium over the weekend, and fell to 3-8 overall.
In other Tuesday action:
Finally back on the baseball diamond after enduring eight days of virus testing, hotel room service and lengthy bus rides, the Miami Marlins scratched out a victory worth savoring. Following one final delay in their effort to return from a miserable coronavirus-induced hiatus, the Marlins found enough power and pitching within their vastly overhauled roster to beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-0 Tuesday night. Francisco Cervelli and Jesús Aguilar homered for the Marlins, who had their season halted after 18 players tested positive for COVID-19 following the opening series in Philadelphia. All the happiness that playing baseball brings was displayed when Cervelli slammed a 3-1 pitch from John Means over the left-field wall to give Miami a 1-0 lead in the fifth. The players in the dugout cheered, and Cervelli saluted them as the rounded third and headed for home.
Mike Trout homered in his first plate appearance as a father, Albert Pujols moved one step closer to Willie Mays on the career home runs list and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 5-3. Trout missed four games while on paternity leave for the birth of his son, Beckham Aaron Trout. He returned with a solo shot to left-center in the first inning on a day full of news for the Angels as top prospect Jo Adell also made his debut. Pujols hit a two-run homer later in the first for a 3-0 lead, giving him 659 for his career, one behind Mays on the career list.
Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa hit solo homers, George Springer added a two-run double and the Houston Astros roughed up Madison Bumgarner in an 8-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. Altuve hit his homer in the first inning and Correa followed with another in the second. The Astros put the game away in the fifth inning with five runs, including two on Springer's bases-loaded double. The Diamondbacks have lost five of six games. Bumgarner had a rough night, giving up eight runs over 4 1/3 innings.
Max Fried boosted Atlanta's depleted rotation by allowing only one run in six innings, Austin Riley hit a three-run homer and the Braves beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-1. Riley pulled a 3-2 pitch from Matt Shoemaker into the Blue Jays' bullpen behind the left-field wall in the fifth. It was the third homer allowed by Shoemaker. Matt Adams and Tyler Flowers hit homers in the second. Fried was thrust into the role of staff ace when Mike Soroka suffered a torn right Achilles tendon on Monday night, ending his season.
Stephen Piscotty hit Oakland's second walkoff grand slam of the year and the Athletics beat the Texas Rangers 5-1 Tuesday night for their fourth straight win.
José Berríos pitched six strong innings, Nelson Cruz had three hits and the Minnesota Twins beat the Pittsburgh 7-3 Tuesday in a game briefly delayed when an unauthorized drone flew over Target Field. The Twins won their fifth in a row and improved to 9-2 for the second time in the team's 60-year history. The game was delayed for nine minutes in the fifth inning and players were pulled off the field when the drone flew over center field. A few pitchers in the bullpen threw balls at the flying intruder but missed.
Max Fried boosted Atlanta's depleted rotation by allowing only one run in six innings, Austin Riley hit a three-run homer and the Braves beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-1. The Blue Jays played their first game since Thursday in this virus-interrupted season.
Jose Abreu hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning, helping Lucas Giolito and the Chicago White Sox edge the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2. The White Sox have won six consecutive games for the first time since April 2017 as they attempt to snap a string of seven straight losing seasons. This latest victory may prove costly. White Sox rookie second baseman Nick Madrigal left the game with an injured left shoulder.
Shane Bieber overcame two solo home runs to pitch into the eighth inning, Franmil Reyes hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer and the Cleveland Indians snapped a four-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night. The Indians played their third consecutive game without manager Terry Francona, who continues to undergo tests in Cleveland for a gastrointestinal condition.
The Cubs overcame another shaky outing by closer Craig Kimbrel to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 Tuesday night for their fifth straight win. Jason Heyward, Jason Kipnis and Willson Contreras homered and the Chicago Cubs overcame another shaky outing by closer Craig Kimbrel.
In MLB news:
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina says he's one of the players on the team who tested positive for COVID-19. The nine-time All-Star revealed his results in a Spanish-language Instagram post. Soon afterward, the Cardinals issued a release naming six of the players who have tested positive. The others are infielders Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa and Rangel Ravelo along with pitchers Junior Fernandez and Kodi Whitley. The outbreak resulted in the postponement of the Cardinals' scheduled three-game weekend series at Milwaukee as well as a four-game series with Detroit.
The Atlanta Braves have placed right-hander Mike Soroka on the 45-day injured list following his torn right Achilles tendon and have designated right-hander Chris Rusin for assignment. Soroka was the team's opening day starter. He had to be helped off the field after suffering his season-ending injury in Monday night's loss to the New York Mets.
A group of House Democrats has called for the name of former baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis to be pulled off future Most Valuable Player plaques. It's an idea endorsed by several players who have won the award. U.S. Reps. Gil Cisneros of California and Cedric Richmond of Louisiana sent a letter signed by 28 members of Congress on Tuesday to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and the Baseball Writers' Association of America asking for action. In late June, former NL MVPs Barry Larkin, Mike Schmidt and Terry Pendleton told The Associated Press they would favor removing Landis' name from the trophy because of concerns over his handling of Black players.
NFL
The New York Giants improved their pass rush by re-signing linebacker Markus Golden. The Giants announced Tuesday the signing on their leader in sacks last season. Golden's contract is a one-year tender for $5.1 million. Golden had 10 sacks in 2019, more than twice the total of any other Giants defender. The 29-year-old is entering his sixth season.
In other NFL news:
The Detroit Lions removed Matthew Stafford from the COVID-IR list, saying he received a false positive test result — and drawing the ire of the quarterback's wife toward the NFL. The list was created for players who either test positive for COVID-19 or have been in close contact with an infected person. Stafford was listed on it Saturday, but the team said Tuesday his testing sequence for the pre-entry period was: negative, negative, false positive -- then the next three tests were all negative. The team issued a statement saying Stafford does not have the virus and never did.
NFL players who decide to opt out of the coming season must do so by Thursday afternoon. That's according to a person familiar with the agreement between the league and the players. There also are opt-out provisions for players who experience emergency or extenuating circumstances during the season due to the coronavirus. Another person with direct knowledge of the agreement between the league and the players' union tells The Associated Press that relief in the 2020 salary cap is being provided to the 32 teams.
Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Andrew Billings has opted out of the 2020 season because of coronavirus concerns. Billings signed a one-year free-agent contract with Cleveland in March after spending three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. The 6-foot-1, 328-pounder was going to give the Browns some size and depth up front. Billings is the third Cleveland player who has chosen not to play, following guard Drew Forbes and tackle Drake Dorbeck. The Browns also placed wide receiver Ja'Marcus Bradley on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Linebacker Skai Moore has become the first Indianapolis Colts player to opt out of playing the 2020 season because of the coronavirus. Moore has been a backup linebacker and special teams player the last two seasons for Indy. He appeared in a total of 10 games over those two seasons. Players who opt out voluntarily will receive a $150,000 stipend. Those who receive a medical opt out will receive $350,000.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have cleared starting quarterback Gardner Minshew from the COVID-19 list. Minshew spent the last two days in mandatory quarantine after being in close contact with someone infected. Safety Andrew Wingard also was activated from the COVID-19 list Tuesday. Minshew, Wingard and receiver Michael Walker are roommates in Jacksonville and have been for more than a year. Walker remains on the list. Jacksonville had an NFL-leading dozen players on the COVID-19 list Monday, with most of them being rookies and second-year players like Minshew, Wingard and Walker. The Jaguars are expected to hold their first training camp practice next Wednesday.
Six-time Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy has finalized a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the signing, the Bucs add another offensive playmaker to help Tom Brady with his new team. The 32-year-old McCoy is entering his 12th NFL season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Minnesota Gophers wide receiver Rashod Bateman has opted out of the 2020 season amid concerns about the coronavirus. He will forgo his remaining two years of eligibility to enter the 2021 NFL draft. Bateman posted a video on Twitter that he narrated in explanation of his decision. The university confirmed his departure, which Bateman called "the hardest decision that I've ever had to make in my life." The native of Tifton, Georgia, totaled 111 receptions, 1,923 yards and 17 touchdowns over two seasons. Bateman was a third team All-American in 2019. He won the Big Ten Conference's receiver of the year award.
TENNIS
Defending champion Rafael Nadal will skip the U.S. Open because of the coronavirus pandemic. That puts on hold his bid to equal Roger Federer’s men’s record for Grand Slam titles. Nadal explained his decision in a series of tweets sent in Spanish and English. The 34-year-old from Spain called sitting out the tournament scheduled to begin Aug. 31 in New York “a decision I never wanted to take” but added that he would “rather not travel.” The current No. 1-ranked woman, Ash Barty, already had announced she would be missing the U.S. Open.
NASCAR
NASCAR has fined an Xfinity Series team $50,000 because driver Alex Labbe violated the testing policy for the road course at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR will race on that configuration for the first time later this month and is not holding any practice sessions before the events. The sanctioning body has said drivers may participate in only one race that weekend in an effort to prevent competitors from gaining experience on the course. In an attempted workaround of the rules, Labbe went to an SCCA event last weekend at Daytona to try to learn the circuit. NASCAR officials caught wind of his presence and ordered Labbe off the track.
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