NBA PLAYOFFS-SCHEDULE
Warriors finish sweep…Bucks avoid elimination…Nets cut Hawks lead to 2-1…Grizzlies 3-up on Blazers
UNDATED (AP) β The Golden State Warriors are heading to the second round of the NBA playoffs after eliminating New Orleans in four games, 109-98. Steph Curry had 39 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Warriors, who finished their first sweep in a seven-game series since 1975. Curry hit six 3-pointers. Klay Thompson added 25 points.
Draymond Green added 22 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State, which raced to a 67-54 halftime lead and led by as many as 24.
The Warriors now play the winner of the Portland-Memphis series.
In other first-round playoff series:
β The Milwaukee Bucks will not get swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Jerryd Bayless made sure of that. Bayless made a layup at the buzzer off an inbounds pass to give Milwaukee to a 92-90 victory over the Chicago Bulls. That draws the Bucks within 3-1 in their Eastern Conference playoff series. Bayless finished with 10 points, one of five Bucks in double figures. Bulls guard Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 33.
__ Playing in front of their own fans seemed to help the Brooklyn Nets. They cut the Atlanta Hawks series lead to 2-1 with a 91-83 victory. Brook Lopez had 22 points and 13 rebounds. Thaddeus Young added 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Game 4 will be played on the Nets home court Monday night.
__ The NBA schedule concluded with Memphis gaining a 3-0 advantage on Portland. The Grizzlies beat the Trail Blazers 115-109 behind 25 points from Marc Gasol (guh-SAWL’). Gasol was 13 of 14 from the free throw line. The Grizzlies can eliminate Portland with a victory Monday night as they go for the sweep. Nick Batum (bah-TOOM’) was high man with 27 for Portland.
NBA-MAVERICKS
Coach fined by league
DALLAS (AP) β Coach Rick Carlisle of the Dallas Mavericks has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing officials after a loss to Houston that left the Mavs trailing 3-0 in their first-round playoff series. He was fined for comments about a play early in the fourth quarter when Dwight Howard appeared to push Devin Harris out of bounds as they chased a loose ball. Howard grabbed the ball and passed to a teammate for a 3-pointer.
NHL PLAYOFFS-SCHEDULE
Caps and Islanders all even…Blackhawks and Flames advancing
UNDATED (AP) β The New York Islanders have forced a deciding seventh game of their NHL playoff series with Washington. Playing on their home ice the Isles beat the Capitals 3-1 to even things up at 3-3. Game seven will take place Monday in Washington.
Nikolay Kulemin (KOOL’-ay-mihn) scored the go-ahead goal with 9:27 left and Islanders captain John Tavares had a goal and assist. Nick Leddy had two assists in what could still be the franchise’s final game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The winner advances to play the Rangers, defending Eastern Conference champions.
In other first-round hockey playoffs:
β The Chicago Blackhawks finished off the Nashville Predators in six games with a 4-3 victory. Six goals were scored in a 3-3 first period before Duncan Keith got the game-winner at 16:12 of the third period. The defenseman, who had the winning goal in a 4-3 double-overtime victory in the series opener, also had two assists in the clinching game. Corey Crawford stopped 13 shots after replacing Scott Darling in the first period after the rookie gave up three goals.
β The Calgary Flames are also moving ahead in the playoffs to play the Anaheim Ducks. They rallied to beat Vancouver 7-4 to eliminate the Canucks in six games. Matt Stajan broke a tie with 4:17 left. The Canucks added a pair of empty net goals in the final minute.
β Detroit routed the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0. That gives the Red Wings a 3-2 series lead heading to Game 6 at Joe Louis Arena on Monday. Petr Mrazek (MRAH’-sehk) posted his second shutout of the series with 28 saves. Riley Sheahan, Drew Miller, Pavel Datsyuk and Danny DeKeyser scored for the Red Wings.
MLB-ROYALS/WHITE SOX
MLB hands out punishments
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) β Major League Baseball has come down on seven members of the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox for their roles in a brawl earlier this week. Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura was suspended seven games, fellow starter Edinson Volquez suspended five games, and outfielder Lorenzo Cain and reliever Kelvin Herrera suspended two games apiece for taking part in the benches-clearing fight Thursday night.
White Sox pitchers Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija (suh-MAHR’-juh) were suspended five games.
All six players were fined an undisclosed amount, along with White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers. The Royals-White Sox game on Saturday was rained out, meaning all suspensions will begin Sunday unless a player chooses to appeal.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Mets back in win column…Cards win but lose Wainwright
UNDATED (AP) β Matt Harvey finished one out shy of a complete game and improved to 4-0 by pitching the New York Mets to an 8-2 victory over the crosstown rival Yankees.
Kevin Plawecki hit his first major league home run and drove in three runs. Lucas Duda and Eric Campbell also connected off an ineffective CC Sabathia, who fell to 0-4.
The Mets rebounded from having their 11-game winning streak snapped in the Subway Series opener and kept pace with the 1986 team for best start in franchise history at 14-4.
In other baseball:
__ St. Louis lost ace Adam Wainwright to an ankle injury, and then got a boost from Mitch Harris that helped the Cardinals to a 5-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Wainwright was helped from the field by a trainer after injuring his left ankle while stumbling out the batter’s box during an at-bat in the fifth inning.
β Tom Koehler outpitched Stephen Strasburg, Giancarlo Stanton homered and the surging Miami Marlins earned their fourth win in a row by blanking the slumping Washington Nationals 8-0. Defending NL East champion Washington endured its fourth consecutive defeat and fell to 7-11 on the young season.
β Andrelton Simmons led off the seventh inning with a homer, sparking a rally that helped the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2.
__ Pittsburgh nipped Arizona 2-1. Starling Marte (mahr-TAY’) singled home Neil Walker with two outs in the ninth inning.
__ The L.A. Dodgers worked over San Diego 11-8. Adrian Gonzalez hit his sixth home run against San Diego this year, a three-run shot. Andre Ethier, Howie Kendrick and Juan Uribe (yoo-REE’-bay) each had a two-run homers.
__ San Francisco edged Colorado 5-4 in 11 innings. Nori Aoki (a-OH’-kee) scored from third on Joe Panik’s bunt down the first base line in the 11th inning.
β Houston star Jose Altuve (al-TOO’-vay) hit a three-run homer to extend his hitting streak against Oakland to 28 games, and the surging Astros beat the Athletics 9-3. Houston has won six of seven.
β After losing to the Indians 13-1 Friday night the Tigers clawed back for a 4-1 win. Alfredo Simon (al-FRAY’doh SY’-muhn) improved to 4-0 while the loser was last-minute replacement T.J. House. He was called on to work when Trevor Bauer called in sick.
β David Lough hit a game-ending homer in the 10th inning to cap a two-run rally against Koji Uehara (oo-eh-hahr-ah), and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 to end a five-game losing streak.
β Tim Beckham hit a tiebreaking double during a three-run eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won their fourth straight game by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2.
β The L.A. Angels beat Texas 4-1 for their fourth straight victory. C.J. Cron hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the sixth inning.
β Eduardo Escobar hit a solo home run and six other Minnesota Twins drove in at least one run in a collective 8-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
β A suspended game and a scheduled game between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals have been postponed because of rain. The teams will resume Friday’s rain-suspended game with the score tied 2-2 on Sunday, followed by the regularly scheduled game. No makeup date was announced for Saturday’s game.
β Also postponed because of bad weather was the Cubs at Reds game.
MLB-BALTIMORE
Tense night at the ballpark
BALTIMORE (AP) β A strange night at Camden Yards for the Boston Red Sox ended with manager John Farrell wondering how their bus was going to weave through Baltimore to the safety of the team hotel.
While the Red Sox were losing to the Orioles 5-4 in 10 innings Saturday, thousands gathered outside the stadium and around the city to protest the death of Freddie Gray, who died in police custody after suffering an unexplained spinal injury.
Several helicopters circled Camden Yards as some of the protesters threw cans and plastic bottles in the direction of police officers. Inside the ballpark, fans watched a peaceful demonstration turn tense and violent.
OBIT-FANNING
Former big league manager dies
TORONTO (AP) β Jim Fanning, the longtime Montreal Expos executive who managed the franchise to its only playoff appearance in Canada, has died. He was 87. His death was confirmed by the Blue Jays.
Fanning was the Expos’ general manager when the team entered the major leagues in 1968 and spent 25 years with the franchise that moved to Washington in 2005 and became the Nationals. As field manager in the strike-shortened 1981 season, he directed Montreal to playoffs where the Expos lost to the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
PGA-ZURICH
Compton, Day tied
AVONDALE, La. (AP) β Erik Compton birdied four of six holes after a nearly six-hour rain delay Saturday, giving the two-time heart transplant recipient a share of the lead with Jason Day early in the third round of the rain-plagued Zurich Classic.
Compton and Day were at 13 under, a shot ahead of Justin Rose, Blayne Barber, Jerry Kelly and David Hearn at TPC Louisiana when play was suspended because of darkness.
LPGA-SWINGING SKIRTS
Canadian tries to keep it going
DALY CITY, Calif. (AP) β Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson continues to lead entering Sunday’s final round of the LPGA’s Swinging Skirts Classic in Dale City, California, with a one-shot lead over Morgan Pressel and Min Seo Kwak. The 17-year-old Canadian had to settle for an even-par 72 and a 9-under 207 total.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Woosnam-Lyle team on top
RIDGEDALE, Mo. (AP) β Boyhood rivals Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle took a two-stroke lead Saturday in the Champions Tour’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf. Former Ohio State teammates John Cook and Joey Sindelar were tied for second with Corey Pavin and Duffy Waldforf.
In the Legends Division for players 65 and older, Larry Nelson and Larry Fleisher had a four-stroke lead at 11 under.
INDY CAR-ALABAMA
Team Penske sweeps top 3 spots
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) β Helio Castroneves (EHL’-ee-oh kas-troh-NEH’-vehz), Will Power and Team Penske will start from a familiar position at Sunday’s Indy Grand Prix of Alabama: Up front.
Castroneves earned his second pole in the Alabama race and second in a row this year after finishing No. 2 at Long Beach.
NASCAR-RICHMOND
Sunday start after rainout
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) β The Sprint Cup race scheduled for Richmond, Virginia, has been postponed because of day-long rain. The event will now take place at Richmond International Raceway Sunday afternoon.
When the race gets underway the man on the pole will be Joey Logano, who won the top spot in Friday’s qualifying. He begins the 400-lap race 30 points behind Kevin Harvick for the series lead.
BOXING
Klitschko makes 18th successful defense
NEW YORK (AP) β Wladimir Klitschko (VLAD’-uh-meer KLICH’-koh) easily outpointed a game-but-outclassed Bryant Jennings in the champion’s return to the United States, defending his heavyweight titles with a unanimous decision Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
Klitschko was in control from the outset in his 18th straight successful defense.
