NBA:
It will be the San Antonio Spurs taking on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA's Western Conference finals. LaMarcus Aldridge and the San Antonio Spurs have advanced to the NBA's Western Conference finals by slamming the Rockets, 114-75 in Houston. Aldridge had a season-high 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who led by 19 at halftime and outscored the Rockets 27-11 in the fourth quarter. Jonathan Simmons had 18 points while starting in place of Kawhi Leonard, who sat out with a sprained ankle suffered in Game 5 on Tuesday.
Tonight, the Celtics take on Washington at 8 p.m. in Game 6. Boston leads the series 3-2.
Avery Bradley created a buzz with his playoff-career high 29 points. But it's been the Boston guard's consistency on defense during the first two rounds that have the top-seeded Celtics on the verge of an Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
NHL:
In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Nashville starts Game 1 of the Western Conference finals today against Anaheim.
The Buffalo Sabres have hired Pittsburgh Penguins associate general manager Jason Botterill to oversee a franchise that owner Terry Pegula criticized for lacking structure and discipline. Botterill takes over three weeks after Tim Murray was fired, and one day after Pittsburgh advanced to the Eastern Conference finals by defeating the Washington Capitals 2-0 in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series.
MLB:
Mookie Betts' three-run home run in the ninth inning yesterday lifted the Boston Red Sox to a 4-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. It was Betts' fifth homer of the season and third in his last four games, and helped Boston salvage one win in the three-game series in the Red Sox's first trip to Milwaukee since 2003.
Dallas Keuchel is the first six-game winner in the majors this season after limiting the Yankees to an unearned run and five hits while striking out nine over six innings of Houston's 3-2 victory in the Bronx. Carlos Correa hit a two-run homer in the first inning as the Astros won their fourth in a row and improved to 24-11, the best 35-game start in club history. Defensive replacement Jake Marisnick ended the game by nailing Jacoby Ellsbury at the plate.
Derek Jeter is paying tribute to New York City a few days before the Yankees permanently retire his jersey. Jeter posted an essay titled "Thank You, New York" on his Players' Tribune website yesterday. Jeter writes about being "quiet, unsure and a little intimidated" coming to New York after growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He praises the city for supporting him throughout his 20 seasons with the Yankees.
Mets closer Jeurys Familia has an arterial blood clot in his right shoulder that might require surgery. The Mets say the 27-year-old right-hander will be examined by a doctor in St. Louis today. The diagnosis was revealed a day after Familia gave up four runs while getting just one out in the ninth inning of a loss to San Francisco. He was pitching for a third straight day.
Zack Greinke flirted with a no-hitter in leading the Arizona Diamondbacks past the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1. Gregory Polanco ruined the gem by leading off the eighth inning with a homer to get the Bucs within a run. Greinke struck out over eight innings and improved to 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA.
The Phillies have extending manager Pete Mackanin's contract through next season with a club option for 2019. Mackanin is 121-160 since replacing Ryne Sandberg on June 26, 2015. He was in the final year of a contract before signing a new, two-year deal yesterday.
Also in the majors:
— Blue Jays left-hander Francisco Liriano has landed on the 10-day disabled list with a sore shoulder after allowing a season-worst seven runs in two-plus innings against Cleveland on Wednesday. The Jays recalled right-hander Leonel Campos from Triple-A Buffalo to replace Liriano, who is 2-2 with a 6.35 ERA in seven starts this season.
— The Rockies have placed shortstop Trevor Story on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder. Story aggravated his shoulder on a swing in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.
NCAA:
Tomorrow. the men’s NCAA lacrosse tournament kicks off. No. 8 UAlbany faces North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. No. 2 Syracuse faces Yale on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
The women’s NCAA lacrosse tournament begins today. UAlbany goes head-to-head with Northwestern at 7 p.m. Cornell sees Notre Dame at 7 p.m. Colorado will take on UMass at 7 p.m. No. 6 Syracuse will face the winner of the Boston College/Canisius game on Sunday.
A suburban New York college lacrosse team has replaced its warm-up music with a recording of a portion of a speech by President Donald Trump. An Instagram video of the Adelphi University team was posted Wednesday showing players running onto the field at the conclusion of an excerpt of a Trump speech that includes his campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again."
Newsday reports Adelphi athletic director Danny McCabe says in a statement the pre-game music is chosen as a team. It was approved because it did not contain vulgarity or inappropriate subject matter. The team finished the regular season with a 14-3 record. It begins the NCAA Division II playoffs against Pace on Saturday. Adelphi is a private university on Long Island. The Barstool Sports website was the first to report the Instagram video.
NFL:
The Buffalo Bills have signed rookie linebackers Matt Milano and Tanner Vallejo, who were both late-round selections in the NFL draft last month. Milano played at Boston College and was the first of Buffalo's two fifth-round picks. Vallejo was drafted in the sixth round out of Boise State.
A person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has been denied reinstatement by the NFL and can reapply in the fall. Gordon has been suspended several times by the league, including the current ban for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. The 26-year-old Gordon rejoined the Browns last summer, then entered a rehab facility in September. After leading the NFL in yards receiving in 2013, Gordon barely has played, getting into only five games in 2014.
The Chicago Bears have released veteran receiver Eddie Royal, who was limited to nine games in each of his two seasons in Chicago because of injuries. He caught 33 passes for 369 yards last season after finishing with 37 receptions for 238 yards and a TD in 2015. And the Arizona Cardinals have announced the signing of quarterback Blaine Gabbert to a one-year contract.
The fiancee of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez says she thought his suicide was a hoax. Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez says in an interview on "Dr. Phil" scheduled to air next week that she thought "some cruel person" was playing a trick on her when she heard Hernandez hanged himself in his prison cell on April 19th. The interview with Dr. Phillip McGraw is scheduled to air Monday and Tuesday.
— The Cardinals have announced the signing of quarterback Blaine Gabbert to a one-year contract. Arizona also released linebacker Daryl Washington, who had been reinstated by the NFL after three seasons away from the game.
— The Falcons have signed first-rounder Takk McKinley and three more draft picks, ensuring that all six of their selections are under contract before the start of rookie camp on Friday.
— Alabama teammates Jonathan Allen and Ryan Anderson have signed their rookie contracts with Washington, which has deals with nine of its 10 draft picks.
— James Conner is officially a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The former Pitt running back who has overcome cancer signed a four-year deal with the Steelers.
— A man has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Titans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe assaulted him in an alley behind a bar the first night of the NFL draft. Dante R. Satterfield is asking for at least $500,000 in damages in the lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court.
PGA:
William McGirt and Canadian rookie Mackenzie Hughes share the lead after one round of the PGA's Players Championship in Florida. McGirt had two eagles on the back nine and Hughes played bogey-free before they signed off on 5-under 67s. J.B. Holmes, Jon Rahm, Alex Noren and Chez Reavie share second.
Four 30-foot trees have been cut down at a Trump Organization-run golf course in New York City, and police are searching for the vandals. The Daily News says a golf course manager discovered the damage Tuesday morning. Police recovered a chain saw near one of the severed 30-foot trees. The 18-hole Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx is owned by the city, but the Trump Organization maintains the contract to run it. Advocates have objected to a proposal to extend the course into a 19½ acre waterfront area that had been earmarked for future public park land. The Trump Organization says part of the land would become a wildlife sanctuary. It wants the redesign so major PGA tournaments could be held there.
WNBA:
The WNBA is entering the daily fantasy sports market. The league announced a partnership with FanDuel on Thursday — the first time a women's professional sports league will be available in one-day fantasy games. FanDuel will be offering free WNBA contests in which participants can win courtside tickets and merchandise among other things. The NBA in 2014 became the first major pro league to partner with FanDuel. The site will also have its normal offerings of daily fantasy contests in which people can win money by picking a lineup of WNBA players and pitting them against other players. The WNBA is hoping this venture brings new fans to the league, which starts its 21st season this weekend.
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