NBA PLAYOFFS-SCHEDULE
Top seeds look to take series lead
UNDATED (AP) β During the regular season the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors were the dominant teams of their respective divisions. The Hawks finished first in the East with the Warriors on top of the West. Tonight each team can take a big step toward advancing to the conference finals.
In Atlanta the Hawks and Wizards are squaring off in the fifth game of their best-of-seven series with two wins apiece. John Wall of the Wizards remains questionable for the game. He has missed the last three games after suffering five non-displaced fractures in his left wrist and hand in Game 1. With Wall watching from the bench the Wizards are 1-2, with their lone win coming on a buzzer-beating bank shot by Paul Pierce.
No matter the outcome of tonight’s game, the sixth game will be played Friday night in Washington with a seventh game, if needed, next Monday back in Atlanta.
After losing two straight to Memphis, Western Conference top seed Golden State jumped all over the Grizzlies two nights ago to even up the best-of-seven series at 2-2. The Warriors found their shooting touch again in Monday’s 101-84 win in Memphis. Following this evening’s game in Oakland the series resumes in two nights in Memphis, with a seventh game, if needed, back in Oakland Sunday.
NHL PLAYOFFS-SCHEDULE
A Game 7 in the NHL
NEW YORK (AP) β No matter the sport, baseball, basketball or hockey, the seventh game of a playoff series is always exciting and tonight one is taking place in New York. The Rangers are playing host to Washington in the final game of their NHL Eastern Conference semifinal. The Rangers have won the last two games to force the deciding contest. And despite having lost the last two games after taking a 3-1 lead, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (oh-VECH’-kin) predicted earlier this week that his team would win the contest.
History is working against the Capitals as in all previous series that they led 3-1, they have been pushed to Game 7 four times and they’re 0-4.
On the other hand the Rangers have a good track record in Game 7s as they have won their last five dating to 2012, including a win in Pittsburgh last season that capped a rally from a 3-1 deficit and the last two series against Washington in 2012 and ’13.
The winner of the series will face Tampa Bay in the conference finale.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Light matinee schedule
UNDATED (AP) β There are two day games being contested in big league baseball today. In the American League contest the Red Sox are playing the Athletics in Oakland. Sonny Gray is getting the ball for the A’s and the right hander is looking for his fifth win against no defeats. He is sporting an impressive 1.65 earned run average. By the way Coco Crisp of the A’s is hitless in his last 38 at bats, going back to last season. He is 0-25 this season. The club record for futility is 40 games without a hit, as held by Jose Conseco (kon-SAY’-koh) in 1986.
The National League game this afternoon features the Nationals playing at Arizona.
Last season Corey Kluber (KLOO’-bur) of the Indians dominated games and in doing so won the American League Cy Young Award. This year the sinker-ball-throwing righty is winless in five decisions with a 5.04 ERA. Opponents are batting .290 against him after hitting .233 last season, when Kluber was 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA. Tonight the Indians are hosting the St. Louis Cardinals.
James Shields is certainly paying dividends for San Diego. Acquired in the offseason, Shields is 4-0 and tonight is facing the Mariners in Seattle.
The rest of the schedule has the Blue Jays in Baltimore, the Tigers home to the Twins, New York’s Yankees at Tampa Bay, the Rangers hosting the Royals, the White Sox in Milwaukee, the Giants in Houston to face the Astros, Colorado in Anaheim for a game with the Angels, Pittsburgh in Philadelphia, the Reds entertaining the Braves, Miami in L.A. for a game with the Dodgers and the Mets in Chicago to play the Cubs.
NASCAR
Busch approved for the Chase
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) β Kyle Busch is eligible to compete for the NASCAR championship despite missing the first 11 races this season because of injuries suffered in a crash. NASCAR has announced that it has granted Busch a waiver that would allow the Joe Gibbs Racing star to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Busch, who is returning to racing this weekend for the exhibition All-Star race in Charlotte, needs a victory in one of the remaining 15 points races and be 30th or better in the standings to qualify.
NASCAR requires drivers to start every points race to be eligible for the Chase. But the sanctioning body has granted waivers to several drivers, including Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers, after they missed events for different reasons.
