NBA:
Now who has the momentum in the NBA Finals?
LeBron James had his second straight 41-point game and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their second straight must-win game, beating Golden State 115-101 to force a decisive Game 7 Sunday night in Oakland. No team has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win an NBA championship series, but the Cavs are giving it their best shot. Afterward James said of the 3-1 comeback jinx: "Records are made to be broken."
James also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out 11 assists. Kyrie Irving added 23 points as the Cavaliers led by as many as 24. Stephen Curry had 30 to lead the Warriors before getting ejected with 4:22 left. It's the first ejection in the NBA MVP's career.
After taking down one of the best teams in NBA history, LeBron James had a heartfelt moment with one of the game's most popular sideline reporters. James was interviewed by Craig Sager (SAY'-gur) after Cleveland's 115-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors that tied the NBA Finals at three games apiece. It was Sager's first NBA Finals in 34 years on the job. His employer, TNT, worked out a deal with ABC, the network that broadcast the game, to get Sager on the air. Sager was diagnosed with leukemia in 2014 and has been in a fight for his life over the last two years.
MLB:
In baseball, in the American League, the Yankees beat Minnesota 4-1, Baltimore won against Boston 5-1, Texas defeated Oakland 5-1, Seattle bested Tampa Bay 6-4, and it was Detroit over Kansas City 10-4.
In National League, the Mets beat Pittsburgh 6-4, Washington topped San Diego 8-5, Atlanta won against Cincinnati 7-2, and it was Milwaukee over the Dodgers 8-6.
In interleague play, Toronto crushed Philadelphia 13-2.
New York Mets third baseman David Wright had surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck, and is out for the foreseeable future. He's expected to miss most of the remainder of the season -- perhaps all of it.
The Cincinnati Reds have placed right-hander A.J. Morris on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain. He left Wednesday night's game against Atlanta in the fifth inning after experiencing difficulty with the shoulder. He returned to Cincinnati after the game for further examination which found he had to be shut down. To fill his roster spot the Reds recalled right-hander Dayan Diaz from Triple A- Louisville.
WNBA:
In the WNBA, the Liberty beat Connecticut 80-72 and it was Dallas over Seattle 88-79.
Soccer:
The United States nipped Equador 2-1 to reach the semifinals of the Copa America tournament. Clint Dempsey opened the scoring with a header into the net in the 22nd minute. Gyasi (JAH'-see) Zardis added a goal in the 66th minute before Equador scored late.
The win sends the U.S. into the semifinal round. The Americans will play the winner of Saturday's Argentina-Venezuela quarterfinal. The Americans will play next in Houston next Tuesday.
NCAA:
Fired Baylor football coach Art Briles is accusing the school of wrongful termination and has indicated he has no interest in settling a federal lawsuit filed against him and the university by a woman who was raped by a football player. The criticism was in a motion filed as part of the lawsuit. Briles says he wants a judge to assign him new attorneys and his personal legal team is demanding that Baylor turn over all its files in the sexual assault scandal.
Briles' petition says he met April 7 with Baylor attorneys and that they used information he shared to support his firing.
NHL:
Goalie Cam Ward has signed a two-year, $6.6 million dollar contract extension with Carolina. Ward will be paid $3.5 million next season and $3.1 million in 2017-18, keeping the 32-year-old netminder with the team that selected him in the first round of the 2002 draft.
His tenure with the team includes the Hurricanes' run to the 2006 Stanley Cup championship, with Ward earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.
— The Red Wings have signed center Riley Sheahan to a two-year, $4.15 million contract. He had 14 goals and 25 points in a career-high 81 games this past season. The 24-year-old has 36 goals and 85 points in his career, which began toward the end of the 2011-12 season. Detroit also signed defenseman Brian Lashoff to a two-way contract. He will make $650,000 if he plays in the NHL and $275,000 if he is in the American Hockey League again.
LPGA:
Defending champion Lexi Thompson shot a 6-under 65 for a share of the Meijer LPGA Classic lead. Thompson is tied with 52-year-old Laura Davies, Sei Young Kim, Carlota Ciganda and Paula Reto. Women's PGA Championship winner Brooke Henderson and top-ranked Lydia Ko are two off the pace.
Tennis:
Not much golf was played on opening day of the US Open with rain interrupting the action three times before it was suspended. They will try to complete the first round early this morning.
Little-known Andrew Landry tops the leaderboard at 3-under through 17 holes and set up a 10 foot birdie putt on the final hole when play was halted. The PGA Tour rookie is ranked 624th in the world.
Amateur Scottie Scheffler has the clubhouse lead after posting a 1-under 69. Only nine of the 156 golfers were able to complete their round.
Defending champ Jordan Spieth is 1 over through 11 holes. Masters champ Danny Willett is 4 over through 12 and Rory McIlroy is 4 over through 13 holes.
IndyCar:
Massachusetts officials have issued subpoenas as they investigate why an IndyCar race pulled out of Boston before it even began. State Attorney General Maura Healey has subpoenaed documents from the defunct Boston Grand Prix and the national IndyCar organization. Healey wants to know where millions of dollars in ticket sales and sponsor fees went. Boston Grand Prix manager John Casey told The Boston Globe he believes the parties will reach an agreement.
NFL:
The New England Patriots have signed third-round draft pick Jacoby Brissett. The former North Carolina State quarterback was the last pick to sign with the team. Terms were not disclosed.
Gronk is ready to line up as a TV host. Rob Gronkowski will be the face of "Crashletes," introducing popular viral videos of sports bloopers. "Crashletes" debuts at 7 p.m. July 5th on Nickelodeon. New episodes of "Crashletes" will air at 7 p.m. on weekdays.
©2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.