UNDATED (AP) — Tony Parker had 23 points and the San Antonio Spurs took a 3-2 lead in the NBA’s conference quarterfinals by beating Dallas 109-103. Toronto has a 3-2 lead in its conference quarterfinal series after Kyle Lowry shot 6-for-9 from 3-point range and scored 36 points in a 115-113 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Dwight Howard’s 22 points and 14 rebounds led Houston’s 108-98 win over Portland, which pulls the Rockets within three games to two in the series.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mike D’Antoni (dan-TOH’-nee) has resigned after less than two seasons as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He went 67-87 with the Lakers, including a 27-55 mark this season. D’Antoni took over for Mike Brown, who lasted just 71 games after replacing 11-time NBA champion coach Phil Jackson.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA owners’ advisory and finance committee will hold a meeting Thursday to discuss the next steps in the removal of Donald Sterling as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. The conference call comes two days after Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life from the league and fined him $2.5 million for making racist comments. Silver also said he would urge owners to use their power to force Sterling to sell the team, although that requires the support of three-fourths of the league’s owners in a vote.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford is now a two-time winner of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, according to a league official with knowledge of the award. Crawford was the Clippers’ third-leading scorer and the NBA’s top-scoring reserve with 18.6 points per game. He last won the award in 2010 with the Hawks.
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild and L.A. Kings have reached the NHL’s conference semifinals. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 26 shots in the Rangers’ 2-1 triumph over the Flyers, and Nino Niederreiter (NEE’-noh nee-dur-RY’-tur) scored at 5:02 of overtime to give the Wild a 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
