Stephen Curry set a career high for playoff points, but the Toronto Raptors still managed to take a two-games-to-one lead in the NBA Finals. Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Kyle Lowry combined for 71 points to trump Curry’s 47 as the Raptors knocked off the two-time defending champs, 123-109 in Oakland.
Leonard scored 30 points for Toronto, which shot 52% and nailed 17 3-pointers. Lowry hit five treys while scoring 23 points, and Green scored all 18 of his points from beyond the arc. Pascal Siakam provided 14 of his 18 points while the Raptors were building a 60-52 halftime edge. Curry was 6-for-14 from 3-point range and 13 of 14 from the line in breaking his previous playoff career high of 44 set against San Antonio in the 2013 Western Conference semifinals. It was the sixth 40-point playoff game of his career, but he was one of just two Warriors with more than 11 points. Draymond Green had 17 points for the Warriors, who host Game 4 on Friday.
In NBA news, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge spoke to reporters for the first time since his second heart attack and vowed "my role's not going to change." Ainge says he will eat better and exercise more but he's still leading the team's efforts to improve from a disappointing season in which it followed a conference final appearance with a second-round exit.
Cleveland Cavaliers owner and Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert remains hospitalized while recovering from a stroke. The 57-year-old Gilbert had the stroke after falling ill and being taken to a Detroit-area hospital on May 26. Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner said in a statement Wednesday that Gilbert's family reported he “maintains his strong sense of humor and focus on constant improvement.”
MLB
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. blasted a go-ahead, three-run homer off Zack Britton in a five-run eighth inning that propelled the Blue Jays past the Yankees, 11-7. Former Yankees infielder Brandon Drury and Randal Grichuk hit back-to-back homers against Luis Cessa in the eighth, one inning after Teoscar Hernández laced a two-out, two-run double to get Toronto within 7-6. New York dropped its third in a row despite DJ LeMahieu’s three-run blast and four RBIs.
Jason Vargas threw a five-hitter and the Mets homered three times in a 7-0 shutout of the Giants. Vargas struck out eight in his first complete game since June 2, 2017 for the Royals against the Indians. Amed Rosario, Michael Comforto and Adeiny Hechavarria went deep as New York ended a three-game skid.
Chris Sale tossed a three-hitter for his third career shutout as the Red Sox bashed the Royals, 8-0. Sale struck out the side in the eighth on nine pitches and finished with 12 Ks while improving to 2-7. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Rafael Devers drove in three runs apiece in Boston’s fifth straight win at Kansas City.
Adam Haseley's first career hit drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Phillies turned a 5-2 deficit into a 7-5 victory at San Diego. Haseley broke a 5-5 tie with an RBI double and pinch-hitter Andrew Knapp followed with a run-scoring single as Philadelphia won its second straight after dropping five in a row. Phillies outfielder Jay Bruce homered for the third time in two games.
The Nationals have their first four-game winning streak since last September after Trea Turner slammed a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to give them a 6-4 triumph over the White Sox. Kurt Suzuki had two RBIs while the Nats built a 4-1 lead, but the White Sox tied it in the eighth on homers by José Abreu and Welington Castillo on consecutive pitches. The Nationals have 12 blown saves this season, tied with the Pirates for second-most and two behind the Mets.
Elsewhere in the majors — it isn’t often the Los Angeles Dodgers have wasted solid pitching performances this season, but they did so on Wednesday. The Dodgers’ seven-game winning streak is over after David Peralta’s RBI single in the bottom of the 11th gave Arizona a 3-2 victory. Eduardo Escobar led off the 11th with a triple and scored the deciding run that allowed the Diamondbacks to avoid a three-game sweep and end the Dodgers’ seven-game winning streak. Kenta Maeda left the game with a 2-1 lead after allowing just two hits while striking out seven over five innings. Maeda retired the first nine hitters he faced until Jarrod Dyson singled and scored on Peralta’s double. Even with the loss, Los Angeles still owns the best record in the majors at 43-20.
David Bote was the star in the Cubs’ 9-8 win over the Rockies, going 4-for-4 with a three-run homer and a career-high seven RBIs. Bote keyed a five-run sixth with a three-run double that put Chicago up 8-3 and helped the Cubs take a one-game lead over Milwaukee in the NL Central. Nolan Arenado ran his hitting streak to 15 games and drove in two, but Colorado dropped its second straight since an eight-game winning streak.
The Marlins spoiled Jimmy Nelson's return to the majors as Brian Anderson hit his first career grand slam to put Miami ahead to stay in an 8-3 rout of the Brewers. Nelson was reached for four earned runs over three innings in his first major league game since suffering a shoulder injury 21 months ago. Starlin Castro and Bryan Holaday each drove in two runs as the surging Marlins earned their fourth straight victory.
Joe Musgrove worked into the ninth inning for the first time in his career as the Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves 7-4. Musgrove entered the ninth with a 7-1 lead but was pulled for closer Felipe Vázquez after giving up back-to-back home runs to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Dansby Swanson. Elias Diaz and Colin Moran homered for the Bucs, who also got three hits apiece from Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte.
Edwin Encarnacion’s three-run homer capped the Mariners seven-run sixth in a 14-1 assault on the AL West-leading Astros. Domingo Santana and Tom Murphy began the rally with two-run shots before Encarnacion followed with one of Seattle’s five home runs. Mike Leake gave up six hits in his first complete game since 2015, helping the Mariners end a five-game skid and win for the fourth time in 20 games.
Dustin Garneau's ground-rule double with two out in the bottom of the ninth completed the Angels’ 10-9 verdict over the Athletics. Ohtani homered and tied a career high with four RBIs for Los Angeles, which trailed 7-1 in the bottom of the third. Tommy La Stella and Mike Trout also furnished longballs for the Halos.
Jordan Luplow and Roberto Pérez homered in the seventh to put the Indians ahead for good in a 9-7 victory against the Twins. Luplow’s two-run shot tied it before Pérez went deep to make it 8-7. Francisco Lindor also homered and José Ramirez had three RBIs for Cleveland, which trailed 5-1 after 2 ½ innings.
Charlie Morton extended his unbeaten streak to 20 starts by striking out eight while scattering five hits over seven innings of the Rays’ 4-0 shutout of the Tigers. Morton is 10-0 with a 2.86 ERA since taking a loss last Aug. 11. Austin Meadows tripled and scored on a throwing error in the third to open the scoring. Tampa Bay scored two more runs in the fifth and snapped its four-game losing streak.
The Rangers earned a 2-1 win over the Orioles on Delino DeShields’ fourth hit of the game, an RBI single in the bottom of the 12th. The Rangers were two outs from a 1-0 win when rookie Richie Martin homered off Shawn Kelley. Texas starter Mike Minor escaped multiple jams in pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Cardinals and Reds were rained out in St. Louis. The game has been rescheduled for Aug. 31 as part of a day-night doubleheader.
In MLB news, the Mets have activated All-Star second baseman Robinson Canó from the injured list and put him in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Giants. However, Canó had to leave the game after four innings with tightness in in the left quadriceps that kept him sidelined since May 22.
Yankees reliever Dellin Betances faced hitters for the first time in almost three months, throwing 20 pitches to minor leaguers in a simulated game Wednesday. Betances has not pitched in a game since March 17 because of a right shoulder impingement.
The Indians say starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been diagnosed with a blood condition after feeling lethargic for several weeks. The Indians placed him on the 10-day injured list so the right-hander can "explore the optimal treatment and recovery options." The club said further details will be released at Carrasco and his family's discretion.
The Giants have placed All-Star catcher Buster Posey on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain suffered while running out a grounder Saturday. San Francisco already had called up catcher Aramis Garcia on Sunday to back up Stephen Vogt.
NHL
The Bruins could be without captain Zdeno Chara when they host the St. Louis Blues tonight in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Chara did not go to the arena yesterday, 36 hours after taking a puck to the jaw in Boston's Game 4 loss that tied the series at two games apiece.
San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson has undergone groin surgery before becoming eligible for free agency this summer. The Sharks say Karlsson had the operation last week and has already started rehabilitation. The team says Karlsson is expected to recover fully in the offseason and be ready for the start of the 2019-20 season.
FRENCH OPEN
A steady rain washed out Wednesday’s French Open schedule, forcing those matches to be played on Thurday. Defending champion Simona Halep of Romania was scheduled to face 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova, and No. 8 Ash Barty of Australia was supposed to meet No. 14 Madison Keys.
On the men's side, No. 1 Novak Djokovic had his match with No. 5 Alexander Zverev pushed back a day, as was another quarterfinal match between fourth seed Dominic Thiem and No. 10 Karen Khachanov. Djokovic is seeking a fourth consecutive Grand Slam title.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
The 3-point line is moving back in college basketball. The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel announced Wednesday that the arc will be moved to 22 feet, 1 ¾ inches for the upcoming season, matching the international distance. The change will not go into effect in Division II and III until 2020-21 due to the potential financial impact on schools. The 3-point line was last moved in 2008-09, extending a foot to 20 feet, 9 inches. The panel also approved resetting the shot clock to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound and gave coaches the ability to call live-ball timeouts in the last two minutes of the second half and any overtime period. Players also will be assessed technical fouls for derogatory language about an opponent's race, religion, sexual orientation or disability.
NFL
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard says the team knew about a sexual assault allegation against Bobby Okereke before drafting the Stanford linebacker in April. Ballard said Okereke told team officials about the allegation from 2015 during their first meeting in January. A five-member university panel decided not to punish Okereke and no criminal charges were filed.
The Browns have released left tackle Desmond Harrison, who started eight games as a rookie last season. The move comes a day after coach Freddie Kitchens said the 25-year-old "missed a flight or something" and wasn't at mandatory minicamp.
The Raiders will take on the Green Bay Packers in an exhibition game in Winnipeg on Aug. 22.
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