NBA:
LeBron James poured in 51 points, but the Golden State Warriors took Game 1 of the NBA Finals by downing the Cleveland Cavaliers, 124-114 in overtime. Stephen Curry scored 29 points and Kevin Durant had 26 with nine rebounds for the defending champs. The Cavs had a chance to win it in regulation, but J.R. Smith grabbed a rebound and ran out the clock thinking Cleveland had gone ahead when George Hill hit one of two free throws with 4.7 seconds left. The series remains in Oakland for Game 2 on Sunday.
In other NBA news:
— The NBA says it will hold its Africa exhibition game in the South African capital of Pretoria on Aug. 4, with All Stars DeMar DeRozan and Joel Embiid among those lined up to play. The NBA has held two Africa games previously, in 2015 and last year.
— NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has encouraged the Philadelphia 76ers to both quickly and thoroughly resolve the investigation into whether team president Bryan Colangelo used Twitter inappropriately. Silver has talked with 76ers officials after the story about five Twitter accounts and how they were used was broken by The Ringer earlier this week.
MLB:
Carlos Correa snapped an 0-for-10 slump with a two-run homer in the first and Tony Kemp and Jake Marisnick had an RBI each to help the Houston Astros to a 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox. Houston starter Lance McCullers allowed four hits and two runs in six innings to help the Astros to the victory in this rematch of last year's ALDS which Houston won in four games.
Jose Quintana pitched six shutout innings, Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer and the Chicago Cubs beat the banged-up New York Mets 5-1 in the opener of a four-game series. Zobrist also doubled and singled in the leadoff spot as the Cubs won for the fourth time in five games.
The opener of a scheduled four-game series between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night has been postponed by rain. A steady rain began to fall shortly before the planned 7:05 p.m. start, and the game was called after a delay of just under two hours. The makeup has been scheduled as part of a doubleheader on July 9.
Major league teams spent a record $289 million on players picked in last year's amateur draft, an increase of 7.2 percent from 2016. After an initial drop when restraints began in 2012, spending has climbed gradually. For the sixth straight year, no team exceeded its signing bonus pool by more than 5 percent _ the level that triggers the loss of a first-round draft pick the following June.
Also in the majors:
— Houston still owns a one-game lead in the AL West after Nelson Cruz launched a two-run homer to spark the Mariners' 6-1 win over the Rangers. Wade LeBlanc continued to pitch well while starting in place of the injured Erasmo Ramirez, holding Texas to a run and four hits in five innings. Dee Gordon tripled and scored in his first at-bat since a fractured toe put him on the 10-day disabled list.
— Ben Zobrist snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the fifth inning as the Cubs downed the Mets, 5-1. Jose Quintana held New York to three hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings to help Chicago pull within four games of the NL Central-leading Brewers. Brandon Nimmo hit an eighth-inning homer for the Mets, and Seth Lugo came out of the bullpen to throw four innings of three-hit ball as a starter before Hansel Robles served up the go-ahead homer.
— The wildest finish of the day was in St. Louis as the Cardinals scored five times in the bottom of the ninth to stun the Pirates, 10-8. Yairo Munoz ended it with a three-run homer off Felipe Vazquez after recently-recalled pinch-hitter Luke Voit lined a two-run single. Munoz drove in five runs for the Redbirds, who overcame Francisco Cervelli's three-run shot and Josh Bell's two-run homer.
— Jorge Alfaro hit an RBI single and a tiebreaking double as the Phillies downed the Dodgers, 2-1 to get within one game of the NL East lead. Alfaro's seventh-inning double made a winner out of Aaron Nola, who limited Los Angeles to a run and just two hits with seven strikeouts over seven innings. Clayton Kershaw was sharp in his first game since returning from the disabled list, yielding a run and four hits over five frames.
— Christian Villaneuva banged out a two-run homer and Eric Hosmer was 3-for-4 with three RBIs in the Padres' 8-3 rout of the Marlins. San Diego received strong pitching from Jordan Lyles as he gave up two runs and six hits with seven Ks over seven innings.
— The Indians coughed up an 8-0 lead before Francisco Lindor's solo homer in the eighth inning gave Cleveland a 9-8 victory at Minnesota. Lindor also hit a three-run shot and Jose Ramirez added a solo blast in the fourth inning while Cleveland surged ahead by eight runs. Homers by Logan Morrison, Eduardo Escobar and Miguel Sano helped the Twins tie the game before the Indians won their sixth in a row to maintain their 4 ½-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central.
— Victor Reyes laced a bases-loaded triple to give the Tigers a 5-0 lead in the first inning of a 6-2 trouncing of the Angels. Jeimer Candelario hit an RBI double and John Hicks followed with a run-scoring single before scoring on Reyes' triple. Ryan Carpenter was on pace to pick up his first career victory before leaving the game after four innings with an oblique strain.
— Daniel Mengden carried a three-hit shutout into the ninth inning before the Athletics completed a 7-3 win over the Rays. Mengden lost the shutout and was lifted from the game following a two-run double by Wilson Ramos. Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and Matt Joyce homered to help Oakland end a three-game skid.
Lawmakers have expressed support for a more expensive but less risky plan to replace the aging stadium of the Pawtucket Red Sox. The House Finance Committee considered the revised proposal on Thursday. State and city officials say it's a promising framework that needs fine-tuning. Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello announced the new plan on Tuesday that removes the state's $23-million backing and instead relies on special revenue bonds.
NFL:
Brian Daboll is so busy focused on his new job as the Bills offensive coordinator that he has no time to reflect on what it's like to be working in his hometown of Buffalo. Daboll was hired by the Bills in January after spending last season as offensive coordinator of Alabama's national championship team. He has 17 seasons of NFL experience and won five Super Bowls in two separate stints as an assistant with the New England Patriots.
Eric Wood can finally announce he's retiring after the Buffalo Bills released the veteran center in a move considered a formality after he was diagnosed with a career-ending neck injury in January. The NFL transactions list listed the Bills reaching an injury settlement and releasing Wood under the designation: "Termination of vested veteran."
The New England Patriots were back at practice this week, but Tom Brady wasn't there. Instead, another five-time champion was with the team. NBA star and Oscar winner Kobe Bryant visited Gillette Stadium this week.
NHL:
Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz had no update Thursday on injured center Evgeny Kuznetsov or his status for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final against the Golden Knights. Kuznetsov missed the last two periods of Wednesday night's 3-2 win at Vegas after taking a hit from defenseman Brayden McNabb. The Capitals are calling it an upper-body injury, but he was clutching his left arm as he headed to the dressing room. Kuznetsov tops the Caps with 25 points on 11 goals and 14 assists in 21 games.
The American Hockey League has extended the contract of president and CEO David Andrews through June 2020. The league announced the extension that would keep Andrews in charge for his 25th and 26th seasons.
Tennis:
Serena Williams has advanced to the third round at the French Open by overcoming some early difficulties to beat 17th-seeded Ashleigh Barty of Australia 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Williams made 12 unforced errors in the first set and trailed by a set and a break before recalibrating her shots and taking control in the second. The 36-year-old American is playing in her first Grand Slam tournament in 16 months — and first since giving birth to a daughter about nine months ago.
Williams' next opponent will be 11th-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany, who reached the third round for the fourth time with a 7-5, 7-6 win over Alison Van Uytvanck in the final match on Thursday's program.
Also Thursday, Rafael Nadal completed another straight-set win to reach the third round, easily dispatching Guido Pella of Argentina 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. Nadal hasn't lost a set at the French Open since 2015, when he was beaten in the quarterfinals by Novak Djokovic.
In other action, top-seeded Simona Halep beat wild-card entry Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-1, showing no signs of fatigue despite playing on consecutive days.
Two-time champion Maria Sharapova improved to 13-0 in second-round matches at the French Open by beating 50th-ranked Donna Vekic of Croatia 7-5, 6-4. The 31-year-old Russian is competing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2015. She missed the clay-court Grand Slam tournament in 2016 while serving a doping suspension, then was denied a wild-card entry by the French tennis federation last year.
Other Day 5 winners include Karolina Pliskova, Garbine Muguruza, Samantha Stosur, Marin Cilic and Richard Gasquet.
NCAA:
The MAAC Tournament is leaving the Times Union Center after next year. A press conference on Friday will officially announce the site of the 2020-22 men’s and women’s basketball championships in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Yale captain Ben Reeves and junior attack Sam Apuzzo of Boston College have won the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the most outstanding male and female college lacrosse players in the nation. Reeves closed his college career with one goal and three assists in a 13-11 victory over Duke on Monday for the national championship. Apuzzo led BC to an undefeated regular season and finished with 88 goals and 41 assists.
Seton Hall is getting a shot-blocking center for its basketball team. Coach Kevin Willard says Ike Obiagu will leave Florida State and play for the Pirates. The 7-footer must sit out the 2018-19 season and then will have three years of eligibility. He averaged 2.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and a team-best 2.1 blocks.
Soccer:
Former U.S. forward Tiffeny Milbrett was surprised by her selection to the National Soccer Hall of Fame by former teammate Brandi Chastain in Portland, Oregon. Milbrett played for the national team from 1991 to 2006, amassing 100 goals in 206 appearances. Milbrett was vital to the team that won the 1999 World Cup and in 1996 scored the game-winning goal in the gold-medal match against China at the Olympics.
PGA:
Hideki Matsuyama holed out from 130 yards for an eagle on 17 before completing a 7-under 65 that gives him a share of the lead at the Memorial. Matsuyama was in the middle of the pack until he made four straight birdies starting on the 13th hole, and then made his eagle on the 17th hole. Joaquin Niemann and Abraham Ancer also share the lead, one shot ahead of Beau Hossler. Tiger Woods had a strong finish with three straight birdies late in his round, but all that did was get him back to even par.
LPGA:
Irish twin sisters Leona and Lisa Maguire are turning professional and plan to compete at next week's ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey. Leona Maguire is a two-time National Player of the Year and three-time ACC champion for Duke. Lisa Maguire has been ranked as high as 35th as an amateur.
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