Rockets beat Lakers 99-93 in Game 5, avoiding playoff elimination for the 2nd straight game
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 points, Tari Eason added 18 and the Houston Rockets avoided playoff elimination for the second straight game with a 99-93 victory over the Lakers in Game 5. Los Angeles' lead in the first-round series is down to 3-2. Alperen Sengun had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the fifth-seeded Rockets, who sent the series back to Houston for Game 6 on Friday night with a gritty performance to overcome Austin Reaves’ 22-point return to the Lakers. LeBron James scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half and added seven assists, but missed two 3-point attempts in the final minute.
Howden's short-handed goal gives Golden Knights 5-4 double-OT win over Mammoth and 3-2 series lead
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Brett Howden scored a short-handed goal at 5:28 of the second overtime to give Vegas a 5-4 victory over the Utah Mammoth and put the Golden Knights one victory from winning the first-round series. The Golden Knights take a 3-2 series lead. Vegas’ Pavel Dorofeyev’s 6-on-5 goal with 52.7 seconds left in regulation forced overtime and gave him the sixth playoff hat trick in franchise history. Also for the Golden Knights, Shea Theodore has a goal and assist. Carter Hart stopped 34 shots. John Marino, Lawson Crouse and Guenther scored for the Mammoth. Karel Vejmelka made 31 saves.
Cam York scores in OT as Flyers beat Penguins 1-0 in Game 6, reach Round 2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cam York scored in overtime, sending the Philadelphia Flyers to the second round for the first time in six years. The Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0 in Game 6 on Wednesday night. Dan Vladar shined in net, stopping all 42 shots. Sidney Crosby and the Penguins aimed to become the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 3-0 but fell short. The Flyers, under coach Rick Tocchet, advance to face Carolina. This marks their first playoff appearance since 2020 and their first home series since 2018.
Cade Cunningham comes through for Pistons on the brink, outduels Magic star Paolo Banchero in Game 5
DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham came through for the Detroit Pistons when they needed him. Detroit was teetering on the brink of elimination, and Cunningham outdueled Paolo Banchero in a sensational scoring matchup of former No. 1 overall picks. Cunningham had a franchise playoff-record 45 points and the top-seeded Pistons held off the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic for a 116-109 win on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series, avoiding elimination for at least a couple more days. Orlando leads the series 3-2 and will get a second chance to advance at home on Friday night.
Arsenal and Atletico exchange penalty goals in 1-1 draw in 1st leg of Champions League semifinals
MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid and Arsenal have drawn 1-1 in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals. It was a gritty encounter in Madrid between the clubs trying to return to the final after a long absence and looking to win the European title for the first time. It was a harsh contrast to Tuesday’s semifinal, when defending champion Paris Saint-Germain edged Bayern Munich 5-4 in a thriller in France. Viktor Gyökeres put Arsenal ahead at the Metropolitano stadium by converting a 44th-minute penalty kick. Julián Alvarez equalized for Atletico — also from the penalty spot — in the 56th.
Lightning on the brink of elimination after another home playoff loss
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Another home loss in the playoffs has the Tampa Bay Lightning on the brink of an early vacation again. Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed a fluke goal on the day he was nominated for the Vezina Trophy, the offense struggled to win face-offs, lucky bounces went the other way and the Lightning lost to the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Wednesday night to fall behind 3-2 in the series. Game 6 is Friday night in Montreal. The Lightning are facing a fourth straight first-round elimination since falling two wins short of a Stanley Cup three-peat in 2022.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan leaving board of LIV Golf as Saudi funding dries up, report says
Sports Business Journal has reported that Yasir Al-Rumayyan is resigning as chairman of LIV Golf. Al-Rumayyan is the governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the man behind the creation of LIV Golf. Even with Greg Norman as the first CEO, it was Al-Rumayyan who was the face of the league. He also was the one who signed a framework agreement with the PGA Tour that ultimately only ended lawsuits. His resignation comes at a time when LIV Golf plans to announce its strategy going forward without Saudi funding. That includes a new board of directors.
Schroder's halftime speech, 11 points in 4th quarter spark Cavaliers to victory over Raptors
CLEVELAND (AP) — James Harden garnered the most attention for the series of moves the Cleveland Cavaliers made near the NBA trade deadline. However, the Cavaliers would have been in dire straits on Wednesday night without Dennis Schroder. Schroder scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers came back to beat the Toronto Raptors 125-120 Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series. Schroder — acquired from the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 1 along with Keon Ellis — finished with 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting, including three 3-pointers, in 21 minutes. This is the 17th time Schroder has scored at least 19 points in a playoff game. He had 20 for Detroit in Game 2 of its first-round series against New York last year.
Nathan Church steals another homer, this time giving the Cardinals a win over the Pirates
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nathan Church is making a habit of stealing home runs. The rookie left fielder’s latest saved the game for the St. Louis Cardinals. Church ended a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates by robbing Nick Gonzales of what would have been a walk-off, two-run homer by making a leaping catch at the left-field wall. It's the third time this season Church has robbed someone of a homer. He did it four days earlier against Seattle’s Mitch Garver. The other was on opening day against Tampa Bay’s Ryan Vilade.
This year's World Cup games could be sizzling. Here's what's being done to prepare for extreme heat
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar was moved from summer to winter because of the threat of extreme heat. But if the record-breaking heat that scorched the Southwest in March is any indication, summer temperatures in cities hosting World Cup games this year could be sizzling. In Los Angeles, officials are planning temporary pop-up hydration stations, shade structures and a public messaging campaign on how to stay safe in the heat. For the Dallas games and related events, plans include tents with misters, water distribution and multiple first aid stations, and medical personnel will have immediate access to ice immersion bags and ice. In Seattle, city officials are looking into providing air-conditioned buses, tents and water misters.
