NBA:
The Golden State Warriors finished a four-game sweep of Western Conference rival Utah, defeating the Jazz 121-95 in Salt Lake City. The Warriors and the team they lost to in last year's championship series, the Cleveland Cavaliers, have coasted through the playoffs, with each going undefeated in two 4-0 series sweeps in the quarter- and semi-finals.
Houston faces San Antonio tonight at 8 p.m. in Game 5, the series is tied at 2 games apiece.
NHL:
Facing elimination, the Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 Monday night to even the best-of-seven series 3-3. Washington will have home ice for the climactic seventh game Wednesday night. The Caps were led by Andre Burakovsky, who scored two goals, and goalie Braden Holtby stopped 16 shots.
The Rangers have had a tough time closing out against the Senators in Ottawa, a challenge they're eager to take on again. First, there's business to take care of in New York. After giving up another late lead before losing in overtime again on the road, the Rangers return home needing a win in Game 6 on Tuesday night to avoid elimination in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against Ottawa. Rangers forward Jesper Fast said: "We have no time to waste right now." The Rangers face Ottawa at 7:30 p.m. in Game 6, the Senators lead the series 3-2.
MLB:
The New York Yankees have the major league's best record, 21-9, after hammering the Cincinnati Reds 10-4. Bret Gardner and Matt Holiday each hit their 6th home run of the season to pace the Yankee lineup. Joey Votto cracked his 10th in a losing cause.
Neil Walker hit a game-ending single with two outs in the ninth inning, and the New York Mets put turmoil aside to beat the reeling San Francisco Giants 4-3. Michael Conforto, who has struggled in limited at-bats against left-handers, reached base for the third time when he walked leading off the ninth against lefty Josh Osich (0-1). T.J. Rivera fouled out, Jay Bruce flied out and Wilmer Flores singled off reliever Hunter Strickland's calf.
Matt Harvey is to rejoin the New York Mets' rotation on Friday at Milwaukee after serving a three-day suspension for not showing up at Citi Field for a game last weekend. Mets manager Terry Collins says Harvey will return to the Mets today and it's up to the pitcher whether to address teammates as a group or individually. The suspension is costing Harvey $84,016 of his $5,125,000 salary.
New York Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera says he escaped serious injury when he landed on his left thumb in a game last weekend. Cabrera had an MRI on Sunday, a day after he was hurt while diving to try to prevent a single against the Miami Marlins. Cabrera says the thumb is being treated with ice. He's not sure whether he will go on the disabled list.
Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to restore cartilage in his left knee. The team says the right-handed knuckleballer had the procedure yesterday. Boston manager John Farrell said last week that no one specific thing caused Wright's injury.
The Braves have released former National League MVP Ryan Howard from his minor league contract after he struggled at Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta signed Howard, a longtime star with the Philadelphia Phillies, shortly after the season began. He went to extended spring training in Florida before joining the G-Braves a couple of weeks ago. He lasted only 11 games.
Tennis:
Rafael Nadal's debut at the Madrid Open has been pushed back a day because of an ear infection. Organizers say that Nadal will play his opening match on Wednesday because of the ailment that has been bothering him since Friday. The four-time champion said he has had trouble sleeping because of the pain, but was cleared to keep playing.
Tennys Sandgren has earned his first berth in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament by winning the U.S. Tennis Association's wild-card challenge for the French Open. The USTA announced his spot in the field at Roland Garros on Monday. The USTA announced last week that 15-year-old Amanda Anisimova, of Freehold, New Jersey, won its women's wild-card challenge. The French Open will also be her Grand Slam main-draw debut. The French Open begins May 28.
NFL:
A preliminary timeline for the proposed stadium that would be home to the Raiders in Las Vegas shows construction would be finished only three months before the 2020 regular season begins. The draft of the timeline made public Monday by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority shows construction on the proposed 65,000-seat stadium would begin in January and last 30 months, giving the team three months to move in. Members of the board overseeing the $1.9 billion project are expected to discuss the preliminary timeline during their regularly scheduled meeting Thursday. The Raiders did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The NFL's newest stadium took two-and-a-half years to complete. The first Minnesota Vikings preseason game at the venue took place in August.
NCAA:
Penn State University's president is calling a grand jury report into the death of a student after an alcohol-fueled fraternity event heart-wrenching, sickening and incomprehensible. President Eric Barron says details in a grand jury report issued on Friday as prosecutors filed involuntary manslaughter and other charges against fraternity member showed Timothy Piazza endured hours of suffering before his death in early February. Barron says it's "numbing" to see that a dangerous atmosphere could occur at a fraternity that prided itself on commitment to each other and the community. The school has permanently banned the fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, after looking into events around the death of Piazza, a 19-year-old engineering student from Lebanon, New Jersey. The grand jury report says Piazza suffered a series of falls during and after a pledge acceptance ceremony and was forced to run a "gauntlet" of drinking stations.
A Penn State University fraternity member calling 911 for help in a case that has led to charges against 18 students following an alcohol-fueled party calmly told a dispatcher "we have a friend who's unconscious."
The call from Beta Theta Pi member Ryan McCann wasn't made for nearly 12 hours after Timothy Piazza fell face-first down a basement stairway Feb. 2. Piazza died two days later. He was from Lebanon, New Jersey.
Eight of the charged frat brothers are accused of involuntary manslaughter.
A recording of the 911 call was made public Monday. On it, McCann tells the dispatcher his 19-year-old friend was breathing but hadn't moved and was "probably going to need an ambulance." He acknowledges alcohol was involved.
Surveillance video showed Piazza falling multiple times at the alcohol-fueled pledge acceptance party. Piazza died of a traumatic brain injury.
Sports Media:
ESPN has announced a multiyear agreement with Tim Tebow, who will continue as an analyst on the SEC Network. Tebow has worked as a studio analyst for the SEC Network since its 2014 debut. He will remain part of "SEC Nation," the network's traveling Saturday pregame show. The 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback is currently playing minor league baseball in the New York Mets organization.
CBS is making another change to its cast for the "NFL Today" show on Sundays, replacing Bart Scott with Nate Burleson. Burleson is the second newcomer to the program, with Phil Simms moving from the broadcast booth to the studio. That switch was announced last month. Burleson played 11 NFL seasons as a wide receiver for the Vikings, Seahawks and Lions.
Legal:
A judge is set to hear arguments in a push by lawyers for former NFL star Aaron Hernandez to erase his conviction in a 2013 murder. The former New England Patriots tight end hanged himself in his prison cell on April 19th while serving a life sentence in the killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd. Hernandez's attorneys have made their request under a legal principle holding that when defendants die before their direct appeal is decided, their convictions should be vacated.
Bobsled:
A memorial service for U.S. bobsledder Steven Holcomb will be held Thursday evening in Lake Placid, New York. Holcomb died unexpectedly on Saturday at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid. The three-time Olympic medalist and five-time world champion was 37.
Olympics:
The state agency that operates winter sports venues in Lake Placid has held a ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking for the arena that hosted the "Miracle on Ice" Winter Olympics hockey game. Officials from the state Olympic Regional Development Authority were joined by local elected officeholders and executives from the Gilbane Building Co. for Monday morning's ceremony at what's now known as Herb Brooks Arena. The United States men's hockey defeated the Russians in the arena in February 1980 while en route to winning the gold medal.
Los Angeles and Paris are awaiting their Olympic inspectors this week. Both cities are seen as winning options for the 2024 Games. The cities will host three-day visits by an International Olympic Committee panel, whose chairman has no doubt about their hosting credentials. IOC evaluation commission chairman Patrick Baumann tells The Associated Press, "I think today at least you can already say, either way, we will have fantastic Olympic Games." IOC President Thomas Bach seems so sure of the two cities' qualities that he asked his four vice presidents for advice on also bringing the 2028 Olympics into play, rewarding both cities with hosting duties.
PGA:
President Donald Trump is congratulating golfer John Daly for winning his first PGA Tour Champions title. The 51-year-old Daly had not won on tour since the PGA Tour's 2004 Buick Invitational. Daly, who endorsed Trump during the campaign, was wearing American flag pants when he finished at 14-under 202 at The Woodlands. Trump is an avid golfer who owns more than a dozen golf courses and says he likes to use the game to conduct business. Trump tweeted his congratulations to Daly early Monday. Trump wrote: "John is a great guy who never gave up - and now a winner again!"
©2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
