NBA-SCHEDULE
Pacers outlast Wizards for sixth straight win…Celtics in seventh heaven
UNDATED (AP) β The Indiana Pacers are on the verge of another NBA playoff appearance
C.J. Miles dropped in 25 points and the Pacers reduced their magic number to one for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs by outlasting Washington 99-95 in double-overtime. George Hill finished one rebound shy of a triple double, producing 24 points and 10 assists.
The Pacers’ sixth straight win eliminates the Miami Heat from postseason contention and forces Brooklyn to beat Orlando on Wednesday if the Nets have any hope of grabbing the eighth seed from Indiana. The Pacers will get in which a victory Wednesday against Memphis, regardless of what Brooklyn does.
Marcin Gortat (MAHR’-shihn GOHR’-taht) and Bradley Beal each had 19 points for the Wizards.
Also in the NBA:
β The Los Angeles Clippers will have no worse than the third seed in the playoffs and could move up to No. 2 after Chris Paul hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points in a 112-101 win at Phoenix. Blake Griffin hit his first six shots in a 20-point performance, and DeAndre Jordan had 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Clippers will finish second if San Antonio and Houston lose their regular-season finales on Wednesday.
β Jae Crowder drained an off-balance, fall-away from the corner with 0.8 seconds left to send Boston to its fifth straight win, 95-93 over Toronto. Evan Turner and Avery Bradley each scored 14 points for the Celtics, who nailed down the seventh seed in the East and will face Cleveland in the conference quarterfinals. The Raptors have the fourth seed in the East and will take on the Wizards, with the first two games in Toronto.
NBA-STERLING
Sterling’s wife wins in court again
LOS ANGELES (AP) β The wife of former Clippers owner Donald Sterling can claim another victory in court.
A Los Angeles judge has ruled that Shelly Sterling is owed $2.6 million by a woman her husband showered with gifts. Sterling had claimed that money used to buy V. Stiviano a house, luxury cars and stocks was her community property.
Stiviano’s lawyer had argued the gifts were made when Donald and Shelly Sterling were separated and that Shelly Sterling couldn’t seek them from a third party.
The ruling comes nearly a year after Stiviano’s recording of Donald Sterling making racially offensive remarks bounced him from the NBA and cost him team ownership. Shelly Sterling worked out a sale of the team with Steve Ballmer last year, a deal that was completed after Donald Sterling tried to block it in court.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NBA DRAFT
Winslow, Portis leaving school early
UNDATED (AP) β Add Justise Winslow and Bobby Portis to the list of players who are leaving school early to enter the NBA draft.
Winslow is giving up his last three years of eligibility after helping Duke win its fifth national championship. Winslow averaged 12.5 points and 6 Β½ rebounds for the Blue Devils, who also are losing freshman Jahlil Okafor (jah-LIHL’ OH’-kah-fohr).
Portis says he is leaving Arkansas after being named the SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore. The 6-foot-11 Portis averaged 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season, leading the Razorbacks to a 27-9 record and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-PITT
Pitt’s Johnson leaving
PITTSBURGH (AP) β Pittsburgh junior Durand Johnson is leaving the basketball program after sitting out last season because of an NCAA suspension.
The 6-foot-6 Johnson averaged 8.8 points for the Panthers during his sophomore year in 2013-14. The Panthers stumbled to a 19-15 record without Johnson last season, missing the NCAA Tournament and losing to George Washington in the opening round of the NIT.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Nats struggle again
UNDATED (AP) β The Washington Nationals were among the favorites to win the World Series this October, but things have looked pretty ugly through eight games.
The Nationals are 2-6 following another display of bumbling glovework in an 8-7 loss in Boston. The Nats led 7-5 until they committed three errors in the seventh, leading to three unearned runs. Ian Desmond sparked the flub-fest with an error before reliever Blake Treinen committed two more.
The miscues occurred after Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg allowed five runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings, leaving him with a 6.75 ERA through two starts.
Dustin Pedroia (peh-DROY’-uh) went 3-for-4 and Mookie Betts had two RBIs to help the Red Sox improve to 6-2.
Elsewhere in the majors:
β The Los Angeles Dodgers beat Seattle 6-5 on Howie Kendrick’s two-run single in the bottom of the ninth. The Dodgers rallied after Robinson Cano (kuh-NOH’) and Nelson Cruz hit back-to-back homers to put the Mariners ahead 3-0 in the first inning. Cruz has gone deep five times during his four-game home run streak.
β Odrisamer Despaigne (oh-DREE’-sah-mehr deh-SPAHN’-yay) held Arizona to a run and two hits in seven innings of San Diego’s 5-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. Justin Upton has a hit in all nine of the Padres’ games this season after banging out a homer.
β Corey Dickerson was 3-for-4 with an RBI single and three runs scored as Colorado beat San Francisco 4-1 to improve to a surprising 6-2. Dickerson scored on a squeeze bunt, a wild pitch and a groundout.
β Robinson Chirinos hit a three-run homer and had five RBIs as Texas mauled the Los Angeles Angels 8-2. Elvis Andrus (AN’-droos) also went deep and Nick Martinez yielded just an unearned run and five hits in seven innings. Martinez hasn’t allowed an earned run in his 14 innings this season.
β Rookie Kendall Graveman combined with four relievers on an eight-hitter and Josh Reddick went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Oakland’s 4-0 shutout of Houston. Gravemen walked four and held the Astros to four hits in 5 1/3 innings for his first big league win.
β Anthony DeSclafani limited the Cubs to two hits in seven shutout innings of Cincinnati’s 3-2 triumph at Chicago. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Marlon Byrd hit RBI singles to put the Reds ahead 3-0 in the fourth.
β Miguel Gonzalez struck out a career-high 10 over seven innings of Baltimore’s 4-3 verdict over the New York Yankees. Adam Jones hit a solo homer and had two RBI’s, while Caleb Joseph went 2-for-3 with a run-scoring single.
β Shane Greene allowed just three singles in eight innings of Detroit’s 2-0 shutout of Pittsburgh. Rajai (RAH’-zhay) Davis and Ian Kinsler hit RBI singles as the 7-1 Tigers bounced back from their lone loss of the season.
β Giancarlo Stanton highlighted Miami’s 11-hit attack by going 3-for-3 with two walks, four RBIs and two runs scored in an 8-2 rout of Atlanta. Tom Koehler allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings against the Braves, who’ve dropped two of three since a 5-0 start.
β Lucas Duda (DOO’-duh) laced a three-run double and Daniel Murphy hit a solo homer to support a shaky Matt Harvey in the New York Mets’ third straight win, 6-5 against Philadelphia. Harvey surrendered two homers and was reached for three runs and five hits while striking out eight in six innings.
β Desmond Jennings lifted a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to send Tampa Bay past Toronto 3-2. The Rays’ bullpen came through with 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball after Jose Reyes doubled home the tying run in the bottom of the fourth.
β The Chicago White Sox beat Cleveland 4-1 as Jose Quintana held the Indians to an unearned run and three hits in six innings. Jose Abreu (ah-BRAY’-oo) hit a solo homer for the White Sox.
MLB-INDIANS
Brantley out again with pain in back…Hayes up, Gomes out 6 weeks
CLEVELAND (AP) β It was a painful day for the Cleveland Indians.
Pitcher Carlos Carrasco was struck in the face by a line drive in the first inning of Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Carrasco was carted off the field after Melky Cabrera rocketed a shot up the middle that slammed the right side of the right-hander’s face. The Indians said X-rays of their No. 2 starter, were negative and he was being treated at Lutheran Hospital for a bruised jaw.
The jaw injury comes after Michael Brantley was held out of Cleveland’s starting lineup for the fifth time because of a bad back. Brantley has been bothered by lower back stiffness since he reported to training camp in February.
MLB-ROYALS
Rios breaks hand, out indefinitely
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) β The Kansas City Royals have suffered their first loss of the season.
Right fielder Alex Rios (REE’-ohs) was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a broken bone in his left hand. Rios was hit by a pitch Monday in the eighth inning of their game at Minnesota. X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal, which is the bone the hand that leads to the pinky finger. The team said no timetable for his return has been set, declaring him out indefinitely. The injury typically takes one month or so to heal.
The Royals and Twins resume their series Wednesday.
NBA-HAWKS-SEFOLOSHA
Hawks player blames New York’s Finest for injuries
ATLANTA (AP) β Atlanta Hawks swingman Thabo Sefolosha (TAH’-boh seh-feh-LOH’-shuh) is blaming New York City police for causing a fractured right lower leg that has knocked him out for the season.
Sefolosha and teammate Pero Antic (PEH’-roh AHN’-teech) were arrested and charged with obstructing authorities and disorderly conduct following the stabbing of Indiana forward Chris Copeland and two women outside a Manhattan nightclub last week. Sefolosha declined to get into detail about the incident on advice of counsel, but Antic said he and Sefolosha were not trying to shield police or onlookers from Copeland.
NBA-MEXICO CITY
Celtics, Kings to tangle south of the border
NEW YORK (AP) β Next season’s NBA schedule will include the Boston Celtics taking on the Sacramento Kings in Mexico City on Dec. 3.
It will be the league’s third regular-season game in Mexico, where 22 NBA games have been played overall.
The NBA is also planning two preseason games in China between the Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers. The league says more international games will be announced.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BOWL PAYOUTS
College football reaps benefits of CFP
UNDATED (AP) β Running a successful college football program has become even more lucrative.
Bowl games paid more than a half-billion dollars to college football conferences and schools last season. That’s the most ever, and an increase of almost $200 million from the final season of the Bowl Championship Series to the first of the College Football Playoff.
An NCAA report shows the 39 postseason FBS games distributed $505.9 million to the participating conferences and schools. The schools spent $100.2 million to take part in bowl games.
Total payouts from 35 postseason games from the 2013-14 season were $309.9 million, while schools spent $97.8 million to participate.
The spike in payouts is due mostly to the increased value of media deals with the seven games that are part of the CFP.
NHL-BLACKHAWKS
Kane expected back for opener against Predators
CHICAGO (AP) β The Chicago Blackhawks should be at full health when they open the NHL’s division semifinals against Nashville Wednesday night.
Blackhawks star right wing Patrick Kane is expected to be in the lineup after head coach Joel Quenneville (KWEHN’-vihl) confirmed the forward is ready to return following today’s practice.
Kane received medical clearance to play on Monday, two months after breaking his collarbone. He was tied for the league lead with 64 points at the time of the injury.
NHL-SENATORS-REEDS OBIT
Senators assistant dies after battling cancer
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) β Ottawa Senators assistant coach Mark Reeds has died at 55.
The team announced in March 2014 that he had cancer, and coach Dave Cameron had repeatedly asked people to keep Reeds and his family in their thoughts. Reeds had been an assistant in Ottawa since 2011. He broke into the NHL with the 1981 Blues and played his final game with the 1988-89 Whalers.
NFL-STEELERS-TAYLOR
Taylor is latest Steelers vet to retire
PITTSBURGH (AP) β Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor is retiring after a 12-year career that included a pair of Super Bowl victories.
The 34-year-old Taylor became a free agent last month and says he couldn’t envision playing for another team. He finishes his career with 17 interceptions, including three in the playoffs.
COLLEGE SPORTS-ARMY
It’s “Army West Point” now
UNDATED (AP) β No more separating Army and West Point.
After a rebranding process with Nike that took 18 months, the athletic teams of the United States Military Academy will be called Army West Point and don new logos, uniforms and colors.
