NBA:
The Boston Celtics are within one victory of their first trip to the NBA Finals in eight years. Rookie Jayson Tatum scored 24 points and Al Horford had 15 points and 12 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-83 and take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics remained perfect in Boston this postseason with their 10th straight victory at home and moved within one win of their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2010. Game 6 is Friday at Cleveland.
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales has apologized to Bucks guard Sterling Brown for a January arrest that started with a parking violation and escalated to include use of a stun gun. The apology came as police released body-camera footage that showed how a simple interaction over an illegally parked car quickly escalated. Earlier this week Mayor Tom Barrett said he found the content of the video concerning. Brown responded with a statement that described the incident as "an attempt at police intimidation" and said it "shouldn't happen to anybody." Morales says some officers have been disciplined.
In other NBA news:
— The Clippers and coach Doc Rivers have agreed to a contract extension. Terms were not disclosed. The 56-year-old Rivers is 259-151 in five years with the Clippers. They missed the playoffs with a 42-40 record this season as Rivers used a league-high 37 difference starting lineups. Rivers was set to enter the final year of his five-year contract next season.
— The Houston Rockets will wear patches on their jerseys to honor the victims of the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, on Thursday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors. The school's high school choir will perform the national anthem, and there will be a moment of silence and a video tribute before tipoff.
NHL:
The Washington Capitals are going to the Stanley Cup final for just the second time in their 43-season history, and the first in 20 years. Alex Ovechkin scored an early goal and Braden Holtby stopped 29 shots as the Caps blanked the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-0 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final. Ovechkin put the Capitals in front just 62 seconds after the opening faceoff. The Washington captain leads all playoff scorers with 12 goals. Holtby became just the fifth goaltender in league history to post shutouts in Games 6 and 7 in a series. The whitewashes were his first in a postseason game since April 24, 2016. The Capitals will travel to Vegas to take on the Golden Knights.
The New York Rangers have hired Boston University's David Quinn as their new head coach. Quinn is the second college coach hired by an NHL team this month and the third in the past four years. Quinn coached Boston University to four NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons.
The Buffalo Sabres have signed prospect forward Rasmus Asplund to a three-year entry level contract. Asplund is from Sweden and was selected by Buffalo in the second round of the 2016 NHL draft. The 20-year-old had a career-best eight goals and 28 points in 50 games in his third full season with Swedish Hockey League's Farjestad BK.
NFL:
The NFL is taking steps to end player protests during the national anthem. Owners have approved a new policy that permits players to stay in the locker room during the "The Star-Spangled Banner" but requires them to stand if they come to the field. The rule was passed without any discussions with the NFL Players Association, which said it will challenge any part of the new policy that violates the collective bargaining agreement. Also at the owners meeting, the NFL awarded the 2023 Super Bowl to Glendale, Arizona, and will host the 2024 title game in New Orleans. The league also said next year's draft will be held in Nashville.
The New York Jets say they will pay any fines and not penalize players if they violate a new NFL policy to stand or stay in the locker room during "The Star-Spangled Banner." Jets owner Christopher Johnson says the team is focused on working with players on social justice issues, not creating club rules or penalties. The league's move is meant to stem debate over protests started by former QB Colin Kaepernick. The policy leaves it up to teams to decide whether to punish players directly.
Dylan Donahue feels fortunate to have a second chance. At football. And, most of all, at life. The New York Jets linebacker knew he needed to make some major changes this offseason after making a decision that nearly cost him everything. Donahue calls a 30-day stay in a substance-abuse treatment facility in Florida was "life-changing."
Arizona Cardinals safety Antoine Bethea says the NFL's new national anthem policy is "not really a compromise," as touted by the league. The 12-year NFL veteran noted that "if you want to use your right of freedom of speech and take a knee, you're going to get fined." In reality, the team, not the player, would be fined. The players' union also dismissed the notion that the policy was a compromise. It noted it hadn't been consulted about the policy while it was being developed.
Richie Incognito, the NFL offensive lineman who was once suspended for bullying a teammate, was taken into custody for psychiatric examination after an incident at a Florida gym. Incognito was taken into custody under Florida's Baker Act, which allows for involuntary psychiatric commitment for people seen as a danger to themselves or others.
The former fiancée of the late New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez says she is expecting a baby. Shayanna Jenkins Hernandez made the announcement in a post on Instagram on Tuesday. She says she and her daughter with the late Hernandez, Avielle, are "blessed" to be expecting a baby girl. She did not say who the father is or when she is due, and asked for privacy.
Ryan Tannehill is back on the field with the Miami Dolphins and says he's not thinking about his surgically repaired left knee. Tannehill is practicing this week for the first time since tearing his left ACL during training camp last summer. He hasn't played in 18 months, missing the last four games of 2016 due to an injury to the same knee.
In other NFL news:
— Two-time All-Pro right guard Zack Martin missed the first session of the Cowboys' voluntary offseason practices as he works on a contract extension. Martin is in the fifth year of his rookie contract at a salary of $9.4 million. He has started all 67 games in the regular season and playoffs for the Cowboys.
— A Santa Clara County judge has ruled that 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster will not have to stand trial on domestic violence charges after the accuser recanted her allegations at a preliminary hearing. Judge Nona Klippen said prosecutors didn't meet the burden of probable cause on charges of felony domestic violence and forcefully attempting to dissuade a witness.
— Veteran NFL guard Richie Incognito has been taken into custody for a psychiatric examination following an incident at a Florida gym. Boca Raton police took Incognito into custody under Florida's Baker Act, which allows for involuntary psychiatric commitment for people seen as a danger to themselves or others.
MLB:
Jurickson Profar had a bases-clearing double to put the Texas Rangers ahead to stay in a wild, series-clinching 12-10 win over the New York Yankees, who matched a major league record with four more homers. Gleyber Torres became the youngest Yankee ever to homer in three consecutive games and Aaron Judge hit a 471-foot blast as New York became only the third team in major league history with 21 homers in a five-game stretch _ 12 of those in Texas.
J.T. Realmuto and Starlin Castro each hit an RBI single off closer Jeurys Familia in the ninth inning, and the Miami Marlins rallied for a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets. Jacob deGrom dodged trouble throughout seven scoreless innings and Brandon Nimmo homered in the fifth for the Mets, who carried a slim lead into the ninth. But the Marlins broke through against Familia, who has four blown saves in 17 chances this season.
Xander Bogaerts sparked a three-run rally in the ninth inning, David Price pitched the bulk of a three-hitter and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 for their fourth straight win. Bogaerts doubled off Alex Colome to drive in J.D. Martinez, who reached on a throwing error by shortstop Willy Adames to lead off the ninth. After a wild pitch, Eduardo Nunez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Boston tacked on another on a passed ball.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Pittsburgh coughed up a 4-1 lead in the eighth before beating the Reds, 5-4 on Josh Harrison's run-scoring triple in the 12th inning. Francisco Cervelli cracked a two-run homer and pitcher Chad Kuhl laid down a bunt single to put the Pirates ahead, 4-0 in the fifth.
— Jake Arrieta yielded seven hits over 6 2/3s and Carlos Santana went 2-for-4 with an RBI as the Phillies blanked Atlanta, 4-0 to get within a half-game of the NL East-leading Braves. Arrieta has allowed just three earned runs in 32 innings over five home starts since signing with the Phillies last winter.
— J.T. Realmuto and Starlin Castro hit RBI singles off Jeurys Familia in the ninth inning to rally the Marlins past the Mets, 2-1. Familia ruined a nice performance by Jacob deGrom, who tossed four-hit ball over seven scoreless innings and lowered his ERA to an NL-leading 1.54.
— Christian Villanueva hit a two-run double and the Padres avoided a three-game sweep by topping the Nationals, 3-1 in Washington. Tyson Ross scattered five hits over 6 2/3 innings and blanked the Nats until Matt Adams homered in the seventh.
— The Dodgers were 3-0 winners over the Rockies behind Kenta Maeda, who struck out 12 and surrendered just two hits over 6 2/3s. Kenley Jansen struck out three in the ninth for his 10th save as Los Angeles won for the sixth time in seven games.
— Xander Bogaerts lined a tiebreaking, RBI double to spark the Red Sox's three-run ninth in a 4-1 victory at Tampa. Former Ray David Price gave up a run and three hits with nine strikeouts over six innings as Boston stretched its lead in the AL East to 1 ½ games over the Yankees.
— Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, Nomar Mazara, Jurickson Profar and Ronald Guzman drove in three runs apiece and the Rangers erased deficits of 4-0 and 10-7 in a 12-10 slugfest win over the Yankees. Guzman smacked a three-run homer and Profar delivered the go-ahead, three-run double in the sixth to help Texas withstand home runs by Didi Gregorius, Neil Walker, Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge.
— Justin Verlander struck out nine while allowing a run and just three hits over six innings of the Astros' 4-1 victory against the Giants. George Springer hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the fifth to support Verlander, who is 6-2 with a major league-best 1.08 ERA.
— Marco Gonzales tossed two-hit ball over seven innings and the Mariners stayed two games behind the AL West-leading Astros by nipping the Athletics, 1-0. Guillermo Heredia scored the lone run on a fielder's choice and an error by shortstop Marcus Semien in the fourth inning.
— The Angels were two outs from a 3-1 loss until Shohei Ohtani and Andrelton Simmons hit two-run singles off Tyler Clippard in the ninth inning to send Los Angeles past the Blue Jays, 5-4. Kole Calhoun kept the Angels ahead by throwing out Curtis Granderson at the plate for the second out before Blake Parker struck out Justin Smoak to end the game.
— Adam Plutko carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Andrew Miller provided stellar relief work in the Indians' 1-0 shutout of the Cubs. Recalled from the minors to make the start, Plutko retired 13 in a row before Anthony Rizzo led off the seventh with a double for Chicago's first hit.
— Drew Butera lined a tiebreaking, two-run single in the 10th inning of the Royals' 5-2 win at St. Louis. Salvador Perez homered and Abraham Almonte lifted a game-tying, sacrifice fly to help Kansas City win a series for the first time since May 6.
— Niko Goodrum ended a 0-for-14 skid with a two-run homer and the Tigers stopped a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 win at Minnesota. Michael Fulmer gave up one run and four hits over 5 2/3s to win for the first time in four starts.
— Yoan Moncada belted a three-run homer before Adam Engel and Jose Rondon added two-run blasts in the White Sox's 11-1 drubbing of the Orioles. Dylan Covey was sharp over seven innings, striking out eight and yielding a run and six hits.
NCAA:
Clemson has announced that returning quarterback Kelly Bryant enters the fall as the starter, beating out incoming freshman Trevor Lawrence. Bryant led Clemson to a 12-2 mark last year including an ACC championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Lawrence came in this January as the country's top quarterback prospect. He broke many of former Tiger star Deshaun Watson's Georgia high school passing marks.
Indy 500:
James Hinchcliffe has stopped looking for a way to get back into Sunday's Indianapolis 500 and says barring "unforeseen circumstances" he will not race this weekend. He was one of two drivers left out of the field following qualifying last week along with Pippa Mann, who will not race.
Sports Betting:
A top New Jersey lawmaker is urging all 50 states to reject so-called "integrity fee" payments to professional sports leagues in any sports betting legislation they enact. Democratic state Senate President Steve Sweeney says it is "extortion" for the leagues to demand money in return for hosting honest games. The U.S. Supreme Court last week allowed states to legalize sports betting after a suit brought by New Jersey. The leagues are seeking payments from states or sports betting providers to help them pay for the cost of making sure their games remain free from cheating.
Horse Racing:
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney and Penny Chenery are among 12 new members elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Also selected Wednesday by the Hall of Fame's Pillars of the Turf Committee were: Elias J. Baldwin, August Belmont I, Cot Campbell, John W. Galbreath, Arthur B. Hancock, Sr., Hal Price Headley, John Morrissey, Dr. Charles H. Strub, William Collins Whitney, and Harry Payne Whitney. Induction ceremony is Aug. 3 in Saratoga Springs, New York.
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