AP-Sports Right Now/2384
Update on the latest in sports:
NBA PLAYOFFS-ROCKETS-SPURS
Spurs rebound to beat Rockets 121-96, but lose Parker
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame the loss of Tony Parker to beat the Houston Rockets 121-96 on Wednesday night and even the Western Conference semifinals at one game apiece.
Parker did not return after hurting his left leg with 8:43 remaining in the game. Spurs officials said Parker will undergo an MRI on Thursday morning.
Parker fell to the court after missing an uncontested short jumper. He grabbed his left knee immediately upon landing and remained on the court for a few minutes. He attempted to walk, but had to be basket carried by teammates to the back. Spurs owner Julianna Hawn Holt rose from her courtside seat to point and scream at an official after Parker exited the game.
Houston point guard James Harden was limited to 13 points on 3-for-17 shooting.
NBA PLAYOFFS-RAPTORS-CAVALIERS
LeBron scores 39, Cavaliers rout Raptors 125-103 in Game 2
CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James scored 39 points, hopped Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the career playoff scoring list and pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 125-103 blowout over the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Wednesday night.
Just like a year ago in the conference finals, the Cavs are up 2-0 on the Raptors, who had better figure some things out or this series will be over quickly. Toronto was blown out for the fifth straight time in Cleveland in the playoffs, losing each by an average of 24.2 points.
Game 3 is Friday night at Toronto's Air Canada Centre, where the Raptors will have the crowd on their side.
However, they won't have James, who has won a road game in 27 consecutive series and appears determined to toss Toronto aside. He finished 10 of 14 from the field.
In other NBA news:
— Los Angeles Lakers forward Luol Deng (LOO'-ul dehng) has undergone surgery to repair his right pectoral muscle. The veteran is expected to be recovered well before the start of training camp.
— The NBA has fined Houston Rockets center Nene $15,000 for escalating a fight with San Antonio Spurs center Dewayne Dedmon in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. The league announced the fine Wednesday, hours before Game 2 tips off.
— Authorities say former NBA player Brandon Roy was shot at a party in Southern California over the weekend. A Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman says Roy was one of four people shot in Compton on Saturday. He says the victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Roy was a shooting guard for the Portland Trail Blazers and won the NBA's Rookie of The Year award in 2007. He now coaches a high school men's basketball team in Seattle.
NHL PLAYOFFS- CAPITALS-PENGUINS
Minus Crosby, Penguins edge Capitals 3-2 to take 3-1 lead
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins found a way to survive without injured star Sidney Crosby.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 36 shots and rookie Jake Guentzel took advantage of a fortunate bounce to earn his league-leading eighth goal of the playoffs and the defending Stanley Cup champions held off the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Wednesday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Justin Schultz scored in a second straight game and Patric Hornqvist picked up his third of the postseason as Pittsburgh took a 3-1 lead in the series.
The Penguins played without Crosby, who is out indefinitely with a concussion suffered in Game 3.
Pittsburgh has a chance to eliminate the Capitals in Game 5 on Saturday in Washington.
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nate Schmidt scored for the Capitals. Braden Holtby finished with 15 saves, but Washington failed to even the series despite controlling play for long stretches.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Jakob Silfverberg scored 45 seconds into overtime, lifting Anaheim to the win in Game 4 of its second-round playoff series, 4-3. Captain Ryan Getzlaf set up the winning score and finished with two goals and two assists. Rickard Rakell also scored for Anaheim, which has won two in a row after dropping the first two games of the series at home.
In other NHL news:
— The Los Angeles Kings have signed defenseman Oscar Fantenberg to a one-year, entry-level contract. The 25-year-old Swede went undrafted by the NHL, but he bloomed into a solid defenseman in Sweden's top domestic league.
MLB--SCHEDULE-DIAMONDBACKS-NATIONALS
Zimmerman, Turner lead Nats to 2-1 victory over Diamondbacks
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ryan Zimmerman had two hits and doubled in the go-ahead run, Jacob Turner worked four innings of scoreless relief and the Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Hours after he was named the NL player of the month for April, Zimmerman recorded multiple hits for a career-high sixth straight game and stretched his hitting streak to 10 games.
Left-hander Gio Gonzalez drove in Washington's other run with a third-inning groundout.
Turner replaced Gonzalez in the sixth and finished out the game, striking out four and allowing two hits.
Robbie Ray struck out 10 against the team that drafted and signed him in 2010 but allowed two runs and four hits over six innings. His effort helped the Diamondbacks set a new major league record by recording 10 or more strikeouts in nine consecutive games.
In other MLB finals:
— Billy Hamilton ended one of the major leagues' longest home run droughts with a three-run shot, and Devin Mesoraco hit his first in more than two years, powering the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds have won five of six from their Ohio River rivals.
— Jose Reyes tied his career high with five RBIs, New York pounded out 20 hits and Jacob deGrom managed to hang around long enough to get the win, leading the Mets to a 16-5 rout of the Atlanta Braves. Rene Rivera drove in three runs, while Michael Conforto and deGrom had two RBIs apiece to overshadow two early base-running blunders that resulted in double plays for the Mets.
— Aaron Judge hit another long drive for his major league-leading 13th home run, singled to start the go-ahead rally and had the first three-hit game of his big league career, helping the New York Yankees rally from an early deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-6. Matt Holliday hit his 300th home run, a three-run shot in the first, and pinch-hitter Didi Gregorius drove in the go-ahead run in a three-run seventh inning.
— Carlos Carrasco pitched six impressive innings, and the bullpen held on for the Cleveland Indians in their 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Jose Ramirez hit a two-run triple in the fourth, and the Indians rebounded a bit after losing the first two of the four-game set. Carrasco allowed two runs and five hits.
— J.T. Realmuto drove in four runs, Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run double in Miami's five-run sixth inning, and the Marlins beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-6. Stanton's hit capped a stretch of seven consecutive hits, including Realmuto's two-run single and an RBI single by Christian Yelich, off reliever Austin Pruitt to start the sixth. Realmuto added a two-run triple during Miami's three-run seventh, helping the Marlins to a 10-5 lead.
— Hours after Major League Baseball held a conference call to tell the Red Sox and Orioles to stop their festering feud, Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman was ejected in the second inning for hitting a batter and Boston went on to win 4-2. Orioles center fielder Adam Jones was later tossed, too, soon after being upset by a called strike.
— Nate Karns pitched six innings of one-hit ball, striking out four in his final frame, and the Kansas City Royals cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Karns wound up striking out seven with only one walk in his best performance of the season.
— Marwin Gonzalez homered for the fourth time in his last three games and Carlos Correa had four hits, helping the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 10-1. Gonzalez had two hits and smashed a two-run homer off the batter's eye in center in the sixth inning for a 6-1 lead. Charlie Morton allowed a run and five hits in six innings, striking out eight and walking two.
— Kennys Vargas tied his career high for Minnesota with five RBIs, including a three-run homer off erratic Oakland starter Kendall Graveman that propelled the Twins to a 7-4 victory over the Athletics.
— Pinch hitters Willson Contreras and Matt Szczur had consecutive two-out RBIs in the sixth inning, helping the Chicago Cubs edge the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4.
— Jarrod Dyson's two-out, two-run double in the eighth inning pulled Seattle even, Jean Segura followed with a two-run single to take the lead and the Mariners rallied late for an 8-7 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
— Brandon Belt and Gorkys Hernandez each singled in a run in the 11th inning after Jeff Samardzija's excellent start, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1.
— Ian Desmond hit two home runs off Jered Weaver and drove in three runs to help rookie right-hander Antonio Senzatela and the Colorado Rockies beat the sloppy San Diego Padres 11-3.
In other MLB news:
— Vin Scully returned to Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. Scully retired last year following his 67th season broadcasting Dodgers games. He was back at the ballpark to become the 11th inductee into the Dodgers ring of honor prior to a game against the San Francisco Giants. He'll share the honor with Jackie Robinson, Tommy Lasorda, Pee Wee Reese and Don Drysdale, among others.
— The Boston Red Sox have permanently banned a fan from Fenway Park who used a racial slur toward another fan. The Red Sox took the action Wednesday in the wake of Baltimore star Adam Jones being racially taunted during a game in Boston.
— The Cleveland Indians have put ace right-hander Corey Kluber on the 10-day disabled list with a lower back strain and the Indians recalled right-hander Joe Colon from Triple-A Columbus.
—The Miami Marlins have put Edinson Volquez on the 10-day disabled list with a right thumb blister and recalled right-hander Nick Wittgren from Triple-A New Orleans.
— The Colorado Rockies have placed catcher Tony Wolters on the seven-day concussion disabled list. He was hurt in the seventh inning Tuesday night when he got hit in the helmet by Hector Sanchez's backswing.
— Oakland Athletics reliever Sean Doolittle has been put on the 10-day disabled list due to a strain of the left shoulder that has troubled him for three seasons. Manager Bob Melvin said he's not anticipating a quick return for Doolittle, an All-Star in 2014 who missed 121 games in 2015 and 59 games in 2016 with shoulder injuries.
— Detroit Tigers pitcher Paul Voelker has been suspended for 50 games under baseball's minor league drug program following a positive test for the banned stimulant Amphetamine. The 24-year-old right-hander was 0-1 with a 3.97 ERA in nine relief appearances this season for Double-A Erie of the Eastern League.
— Baltimore Orioles starter Kevin Gausman was ejected in the second inning of Wednesday night's game against the Red Sox after he hit Boston batter Xander Bogaerts with a pitch. The teams had a conference call with Major League Baseball officials before the game in an attempt to end the recent spate of brushbacks and beanballs. Red Sox manager John Farrell says the message of the call was: "Enough is enough."
NFL-PANTHERS-MOVES
Panthers claim defensive end Moore off waivers from 49ers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have claimed defensive end Zach Moore off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers.
The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Moore entered the NFL in 2014 as a sixth-round draft choice of the New England Patriots. He has had stints with Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, too.
In other news from around the NFL:
— The New York Jets have claimed offensive lineman Alex Balducci off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Balducci was signed by the 49ers and his former college coach Chip Kelly last year as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon. He played in two games for San Francisco after being promoted from the practice squad on Dec. 12. Balducci was a defensive tackle in college.
— The Arizona Cardinals have signed center/guard Tony Bergstrom to a one-year contract. The 6-foot-5, 315 pound Bergstrom played 15 games for Houston last season and was released by the Texans on April 13.
— A federal appeals court has dismissed former NFL star Darren Sharper's appeal of his sentence for drugging and raping women. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' two-sentence order Wednesday came less than a month after prosecutors filed their brief. The court granted a prosecution motion to dismiss.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-UTAH-KUZMA
Utah forward Kyle Kuzma to remain in NBA draft, hire agent
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah forward Kyle Kuzma has announced on Twitter that he will hire an agent and remain in the NBA draft.
The 6-foot-9 Michigan native led the Utes in scoring and rebounding as a junior and had 15 double-doubles last season. He shot 50.4 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from 3-point range. Kuzma is small to play power forward at the next level, though his versatile game fits the recent NBA style of play.
In other college basketball news:
— Washington State has rolled over basketball coach Ernie Kent's contract through the 2021-22 season. Kent led the Cougars to a 13-18 record last season and is 36-57 in three years at the school. Kent coached at Oregon for 13 seasons, going 235-173 from 1997-98 to 2009-10.
Minnesota's Richard Pitino is enjoying a contract extension. He guided the Golden Gophers to the best single-season turnaround in the country last year. The extension runs through the 2021-22 season. Pitino led Minnesota to 24 wins and an NCAA Tournament berth last season.
Headgear approved for use by world basketball body
HONG KONG (AP) — Basketball's international governing body has approved a new rule that will allow players to wear headgear that complies with their religious faith.
The Switzerland-based body, known as FIBA, says the rule will take effect in games from on Oct. 1.
Then, players can wear hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes after a 20-year ban on head coverings that was initially imposed for safety reasons.
FIBA member federations passed the rule Thursday at a congress in Hong Kong after studying the issue since 2014, and with several conditions on design and color.
Headgear will be permitted under the following conditions: must be black, white or the same dominant color as a team's uniform; not cover any part of the face entirely or partially; and have "no opening/closing elements around the face and/or neck."
MLS-NYC-VILLA
David Villa extends contract with NYC by 1 year through 2018
NEW YORK (AP) — Spanish striker David Villa has extended his contract with Major League Soccer's New York City team for one year through the 2018 season.
The deal with the 35-year-old was announced by the team on Wednesday. Villa, the 2016 MLS MVP, is earning $5.61 million this season.
Villa, a member of Spain's 2010 World Cup champions, began playing for NYC in 2015. He has 46 goals in 70 games, including five in seven matches this season.
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