NBA:
The Cleveland Cavaliers are within one victory of their third straight NBA Finals meeting with Golden State following a 112-99 win over the visiting Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his game-high 42 points in less than five minutes of the third quarter. LeBron James added 34 points, while Kevin Love had 17 points and 17 rebounds for Cleveland.
Boston Celtics star guard Isaiah Thomas has visited one hip specialist and plans to see others. Thomas is done for the season with a right hip injury he sustained in March and aggravated in the playoffs. He told Celtics coach Brad Stevens that he intends to get "one or two more opinions" before a course of action is set.
The Orlando Magic have hired Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond as their new GM. He replaces Rob Hennigan, who was fired last month after the franchise missed the postseason for the fifth straight season. Hammond had been with the Bucks the past nine seasons and is reunited with Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman, whose was Hammond's assistant GM from 2008-13.
NHL:
Craig Anderson turned back 45 shots and the Ottawa Senators forced a Game 7 in the NHL's Eastern Conference finals by topping Pittsburgh, 2-1. Anderson was perfect after Evgeni Malkin scored early in the second period to put the Penguins ahead. Bobby Ryan tied it late in the second period and Mike Hoffman snapped a 1-1 deadlock 1:34 into the third.
MLB:
The Rangers had won 11 of 12 until Xander Bogaerts had three hits and three RBIs for the Red Sox in an 11-6 drubbing of Texas in Boston. Dustin Pedroia doubled home a pair during a four-run sixth to back a shaky Rick Porcello, who was reached for five runs and 11 hits over 6 2/3s.
Danny Duffy beat the Yankees for the second time in a week and rookie Jorge Bonifacio capped a three-run, seventh-inning rally with a go-ahead, two-run homer that led the Kansas City Royals over New York 6-2 last night. On the 22nd anniversary of Mariano Rivera's major league debut, the Yankees' usually reliable bullpen flopped: Adam Warren, Jonathan Holder and Chasen Shreve all allowed long balls.
The Mets clobbered the Padres, 9-3 as Michael Conforto homered twice and had four RBIs. Lucas Duda had three hits and three ribbies to back Matt Harvey, who gave up two runs over five innings of New York's third win in four games since a seven-game losing streak.
Plans for a new Pawtucket Red Sox stadium are reaching a dead end at the Rhode Island State House. Leaders of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly expressed opposition yesterday to considering the team's request for a $23 million state investment to help build a downtown Pawtucket ballpark. Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien had been working with the Boston Red Sox affiliate to file the legislation this week.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Homers by Jake Lamb and Chris Herrmann powered the Diamondbacks to their seventh win in eight games, 5-4 against the White Sox. J.J. Hoover worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the eighth before Fernando Rodney tossed a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances.
— The Dodgers pulled out a 2-1 win over the Cardinals on Logan Forsythe's game-ending double in the bottom of the 13th. Los Angeles starter Clayton Kershaw struck out 10 and was two outs from a complete-game three-hitter until he uncorked a wild pitch to bring home the tying run.
— Anthony Rendon homered twice and had five RBIs as the Nationals pounded the Mariners, 10-1 in Washington. Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth also went deep to back Joe Ross, who allowed one run over eight innings after being recalled from the minors.
— The Twins were 2-0 winners at Baltimore as Ervin Santana tossed a two-hitter for his 10th career shutout. Brian Dozier homered and Byron Buxton hit an RBI single for Minnesota, which is the first road team to win a series in Baltimore this year.
— Edwin Encarnacion hit two of Cleveland's four homers off rookie Amir Garrett and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in leading an 8-7 triumph over the Reds in Cincinnati. Francisco Lindor and Yan Gomes also had solo homers off Garrett, who gave up seven hits in five innings.
— Juan Centeno smacked a solo homer in his Astros debut and Lance McCullers allowed just one hit over five shutout innings of Houston's 6-2 verdict over Detroit. Yuli Gurriel added a round-tripper as the Astros improved to a major league-best 31-15.
— Kendrys Morales hit a two-run homer that put the Blue Jays ahead 4-0 in a 4-3 decision over the Brewers in Milwaukee. Toronto's bullpen came through with 4 2/3 scoreless innings after Jonathan Villar's two-run single got the Brewers within a run.
— Jon Lester pitched a four-hitter and Anthony Rizzo slammed a two-run homer in leading the Cubs over the Giants, 4-1. Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward also connected as Chicago improved to 5-2 on its nine-game homestand.
— Cameron Maybin and Mike Trout opened the Angels' seventh win in nine games by slamming back-to-back homers in a 4-0 shutout of the Rays. Matt Shoemaker gave up three hits over 6 1/3 innings to win his third consecutive start.
— Justin Bour was 4-for-5 with a solo homer, two RBIs and four runs scored to highlight the Marlins' 19-hit attack in an 11-9 win at Oakland. Dee Gordon, Derek Dietrich and Ichiro Suzuki also drove in two runs apiece as Miami won for the second time in three games since a 4-19 skid.
— Matt Adams hit a solo homer and added a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Braves past the Pirates, 6-5. Pittsburgh led 5-4 until Nick Markakis hit an RBI double and scored the winning run.
NFL:
NFL owners have cut the overtime period from 15 to 10 minutes for all games following concerns from coaches who felt too many players were exhausted and risking injuries at the end of the extra period. The change will include all preseason, regular season and playoff games, although postseason contests cannot end in ties. Research suggests the number of tie games will rise from one to three per season due to the change, but Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league doesn't think it will.
The NFL also wants to put some flair back into celebrations, allowing players to use the football as a prop, celebrate as a group and roll around on the ground again if they choose. Goodell says the new guidelines are intended to deliver "a more exciting game experience." The league will continue to penalize any celebration deemed offensive, including those that embarrass opponents or mimic the use of weapons.
Meanwhile, the league has altered its upcoming Super Bowl hosting schedule by giving Tampa Bay the 2021 game. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Los Angeles, but construction delays with the new football stadium in Inglewood, California, have prompted the league to push back L.A.'s hosting duties one year to 2022. Because of the construction delays, the NFL would have needed to waive a rule that prohibits a Super Bowl being played at a stadium before it has hosted two full regular seasons.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots will practice together for two days in advance of their exhibition opener. The Jaguars will work out with the defending Super Bowl champions on August 7th and 8th. The teams are scheduled to play at Gillette Stadium on August 10th. Each practice will be open to the public.
The New York Jets have signed safety Marcus Maye and linebacker Dylan Donahue, leaving just two of their nine draft picks unsigned. Wide receiver Devin Smith also cleared waivers yesterday and reverted to the Jets' injured reserve list. The 2015 second-round draft pick from Ohio State tore his ACL during the offseason workout program.
NCAA:
Brett Kinneman's three-run homer in the seventh inning broke the game open as North Carolina State topped Boston College 6-1 yesterday in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. The left fielder also drove in a run in the bottom of the first and Will Wilson followed with a two-run bloop single to right field to get the seventh-seeded Wolfpack started.
Xavier basketball fans got good news Tuesday as Trevon Bluiett decided to stay in school for his senior season instead of entering the NBA draft. Bluiett was second in the Big East in scoring at 18.5 points per game last season. He was even better in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 21.3 points in leading the Musketeers to the Elite Eight.
A lawyer says three Michigan State University football players have been found in violation of campus policy after a sexual assault investigation. Michigan State says federal law bars it from releasing the report or discussing the findings. But the report was shared with attorney Karen Truszkowski, who represents the alleged victim.
Olympics:
More than 100 medals winners from the Rio Olympics say those medals are damaged. Beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings says her bronze medal from last summer is flaking and rusting. A spokesman for the Rio Games says officials have noted problems with the covering on 6 to 7 percent of the medals. The IOC and Rio organizers plan to replace them with new medals.
WNBA:
Sylvia Fowles had 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to help the Minnesota Lynx beat the Connecticut Sun 80-78 last night. Seimone Augustus added 16 points, including nine in the third quarter, for the Lynx. Jasmine Thomas made a career-high five 3-pointers and scored 18 points for 11th-ranked Connecticut.
Epiphanny Prince hit a go-ahead jumper with 4.5 seconds left and the New York Liberty held off the Phoenix Mercury 69-67 last night. Prince dribbled down the clock and used two high screens to sink the jumper from the wing. After a timeout, Leilani Mitchell drove to the basket but her shot was blocked by Sugar Rodgers. Prince was 10 of 14 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and finished with 24 points.
Obit:
Hall of Fame defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy has died in Orlando. The Orlando Police Department confirms that the 48-year-old Kennedy was found dead Tuesday morning. Police public information officer Wanda Miglio says the circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown, but there is nothing suspicious about his death. An investigation is being conducted. Kennedy was an eight-time Pro Bowler during his 11 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. He won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 1992, 20 years before his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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