NBA PLAYOFFS-WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
Spurs crush Thunder
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs are back in control of the NBA’s Western Conference finals after a thorough dismantling of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Tim Duncan had 22 points and 12 rebounds in under 30 minutes of work as the Spurs crushed the Thunder 117-89 to take a three-games-to-two lead. Duncan shot 8-for-13 and was one of six Spurs to score in double-figures. Manu Ginobili (MAN’-oo jih-NOH’-blee) came off the bench to add 19 points on 7 of 9 from the field, and Danny Green delivered four 3-pointers and 14 points.
San Antonio shot 50 percent from 3-point range, hitting 13 of their 26 attempts. The Spurs also did a nice job muzzling Serge Ibaka (ih-BAH’-kah), who provided just two rebounds and six points on 3-of-10 shooting. Ibaka had provided a spark in the Thunder’s two victories in Oklahoma City after returning from a calf injury.
Kevin Durant had 25 points and Russell Westbrook added 21 for Oklahoma City, which hosts Game 6 on Saturday.
NBA-CLIPPERS
Ballmer wins bidding for Clippers.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers have found a buyer. The question now is whether they have a willing seller.
An individual with knowledge of the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Shelly Sterling has reached an agreement to sell the franchise to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion. The person said Ballmer and the Sterling Family Trust now have a binding agreement which must be presented to the NBA for approval.
Shelly Sterling negotiated the sale after her husband, Donald Sterling, made racist remarks that were made public. Commissioner Adam Silver banned Donald Sterling for life and asked other NBA owners to force him to sell the team.
It’s unclear if the deal will go through. Donald Sterling’s attorney has said his client isn’t going to sell the team. However, a May 22 letter obtained by The Associated Press and written by another one of Sterling’s attorneys that says that “Donald T. Sterling authorizes Rochelle Sterling to negotiate with the National Basketball Association regarding all issues in connection with a sale of the Los Angeles Clippers team.”
The sale price would obliterate the NBA record of $550 million paid by Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens for the Milwaukee Bucks this year. Sterling bought the team for $12 million 33 years ago.
NBA-FLOPPING FINES
Pacers pair fined for hitting the floor in Game 5
MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is fining Lance Stephenson and Roy Hibbert of the Indiana Pacers for flopping in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Stephenson was fined $10,000 for his second violation of the playoffs. Hibbert was fined $5,000.
NHL PLAYOFFS-EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
Rangers advance to finals for first time in 2 decades
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Rangers are in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since winning it all in 1994.
The Blueshirts ended their 20-year drought by taking Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals 1-0 over the Montreal Canadiens. Neither team scored until Dominic Moore fired a shot at Dustin Tokarski with 1:53 left in the second period.
Henrik Lundqvist stopped 18 shots for his first shutout of the postseason and ninth of his playoff career. The whitewash came two nights after he surrendered four goals on 19 shots before he was pulled in the second period of a 7-4 loss in Montreal.
Tokarski finished with 31 saves.
The Rangers next face the winner of the Western Conference finals between Los Angeles and Chicago. The Kings lead the series 3-2 and host Game 6 tonight.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Royals end Jays’ streak…Gem for Collmenter
UNDATED (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays were one out away from stretching their winning streak to 10 games. Instead, the Kansas City Royals rallied for an 8-6, 10-inning win over the Jays in Toronto.
The Royals had new life after shortstop Jose Reyes threw away a potential game-ending grounder, allowing pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson to score the tying run from second. Omar Infante snapped the 6-6 deadlock with a two-run single in the 10th.
The Jays took a 6-5 lead in the sixth on Edwin Encarnacion’s (ehn-kahr-nah-see-OHNZ’) second two-run homer of the game. Encarnacion has 16 home runs in May, breaking Jose Bautista’s team record for homers in a month.
Bautista smacked a two-run shot in the first inning.
Also in the majors:
— Josh Collmenter faced the minimum 27 batters in a three-hitter, Aaron Hill homered and had two RBIs and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the light-hitting Cincinnati Reds 4-0.
— The Pittsburgh Pirates doubled up the L.A. Dodgers 6-3. Gerrit Cole won his fifth game. Russell Martin and Pedro Alvarez both went deep for the Pirates.
__ The L.A. Angels rode a four-run fourth inning and beat Seattle 7-5. Erick Aybar (EYE’-bar) clubbed his fourth homer for the Angels.
— Xander Bogaerts (ZAN’-dur BOH’-gahrts) hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to complete the Red Sox’s comeback in a 4-3 win over the Braves. Atlanta led 3-1 until Bogaerts and A.J. Pierzynski (peer-ZIHN’-skee) hit run-scoring singles in the eighth for the Red Sox, who swept four straight from the Braves.
— Houston picked up its season-high sixth straight win by beating Baltimore 3-1 on George Springer’s two-run homer in the seventh. The Astros’ rookie outfielder is hitting .390 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs and a 1.000 slugging percentage during his 11-game hitting streak.
— Rick Porcello is 8-2 after allowing two runs and five hits over 5 2/3 innings of Detroit’s 5-4 win at Oakland. Porcello worked out of a no-out, bases-loaded situation in the second inning and left the game after loading the bases in the sixth, but the A’s failed to score in either inning.
— Leonys Martin (lee-OH’-nihs mahr-TEEN’) doubled twice and scored three times, including the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of the Rangers’ 5-4 win at Minnesota. Shin-Soo Choo hit a three-run double in the second for the Rangers, but Josh Willingham smacked a two-run homer and an RBI single while the Twins were rallying from a 3-0 deficit to take a 4-3 lead.
— Michael Morse hit a solo homer before lining a tiebreaking, two-run double in the eighth inning to push San Francisco past St. Louis 6-5. Pablo Sandoval hit a solo homer as the Giants improved to a major league-best 35-19.
— Chris Young hit a two-run homer and the New York Mets picked up their third straight win by downing the Phillies 4-1 in Philadelphia. Zack Wheeler struck out nine and allowed just four hits over 6 1/3 innings.
MLB-GIANTS FAN BEATEN
Lawyer says Dodgers Stadium security wasn’t enough
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The attorney for San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow says the Los Angeles Dodgers failed to provide adequate security when he was severely beaten in a Dodger Stadium parking lot after the 2011 opening day game between the California rivals.
Stow’s attorney made his opening statement Thursday in a lawsuit seeking damages from the team and former owner Frank McCourt. The attorney says the Dodgers cut costs by using more non-uniformed off-duty police officers than uniformed officers.
The lawyer representing the Dodgers and McCourt says that the team took security needs seriously and that Stow was gravely injured in “a testosterone and alcohol fueled flash-fire fight in the parking lot.”
NFL-GIANTS/MANNING
Eli looks good in OTA
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Eli Manning participated with the first-team offense at the New York Giants’ OTA on Thursday and showed no signs of the ankle surgery he underwent nearly two months ago. He took most of the snaps during the workout and said he felt he can do almost anything football-related. The ankle bothered Manning most of last season and knocked him out of the final game against Washington.
NFL-SEAHAWKS/BALDWIN
Baldwin gets extension
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin has accepted a contract extension through the 2016 season. Baldwin was a restricted free agent for 2014 and had a second-round tender placed on him by the club, but was hoping to get a long-term deal done. He had 50 catches and five touchdowns last season.
FRENCH OPEN-DAY 4
Nadal, Ferrer and Americans Young and Stephens among those advancing
PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal won for the 61st time in 62 matches at Roland Garros to advance to the third round of the French Open. The eight-time champion rolled to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win against Dominic Thiem of Austria.
Joining Nadal in Round 3 are fifth seed David Ferrer, seventh seed Andy Murray, women’s fourth seed Simona Halep (HAH’-lehp) and No. 5 Petra Kvitova (kuh-VIT’-oh-vah). Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova (kooz-NET’-soh-vah), sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic (yeh-LAY’-nuh YANK’-oh-vihch) of Serbia and 15th-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States also advanced with straight-set wins.
None of the top-20 seeds lost Thursday.
A host of top-10 seeds are on Friday’s French Open schedule as the tournament moves into its sixth day. Women’s third seed Agnieszka Radwanska (ag-NAYS’-kuhs rad-WAHN’-skah) and No. 7 Maria Sharapova sandwich their matches around men’s fourth seed Roger Federer’s third-round match. Men’s No. 2 Novak Djokovic (JOH’-koh-vihch) also is in action.
PGA-MEMORIAL
McIlroy in command
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Rory McIlroy carded two eagles on the back nine en route to a 9-under 63 that gives him a 3-stroke lead through one round of the Memorial at Muirfield Village.
McIlroy won the BMW PGA Championship in England last week, days after his split with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki (wohz-nee-AK’-ee) became public. Thursday’s round included a double bogey with a wedge in his hand on the 14th hole.
Masters champion Bubba Watson shares second with Paul Casey and Chris Kirk. Adam Scott is six off the lead after winning the Colonial last week.
