GOLF-THE MASTERS
Spieth sets two round Masters record
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) β Jordan Spieth (speeth) broke a scoring record and expanded his lead at the Masters.
The 21-year old seemed unfazed by gusty winds and shot a 6-under 66 in the second round of the Masters. That gave him a halfway total of 14-under par 130, a record for the opening 36 holes of the tournament. Raymond Floyd had the old mark of 131 set in 1976.
Last year’s runner-up heads into the weekend with a five-shot lead over Charley Hoffman, which ties the Masters mark for biggest halfway margin. Hoffman was the only one that could keep Spieth in sight and would have been closer if not for a final-hole bogey. He finished with a 68.
Paul Casey, Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson are tied for third, one stroke ahead of Phil Mickelson. Lefty fired a 4-under 68 to get to minus-6.
Tiger Woods kept alive his streak of making the cut in every Masters since he turned pro. He shot a 3-under 69 for a 2-under total in his first tournament since a self-imposed nine-week layoff.
Woods is tied with Rory McIlroy, who shot his second consecutive 71.
Tom Watson is done at Augusta National. The 65-year-old Watson followed his impressive 71 on Thursday with a 9-over 81.
And Ben Crenshaw has bid farewell to play in the Masters. The 1995 winner of the green jacket finished his last round 13-over-par for a two round score of 32-over.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Grizzlies take over Southwest lead
UNDATED (AP) β The Memphis Grizzlies are the new leaders in the NBA’s Southwest Division, a half-game ahead of San Antonio and one game in front of Houston.
Marc Gasol (gah-SAHL’) had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Grizzlies got past the Jazz 89-88 at Utah. Beno Udrih (BAY’-noh OO’-drihk) started for the injured Mike Conley and had 20 points for Memphis on 9-for-13 shooting. Zach Randolph added 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Grizzlies’ second straight win.
The Spurs picked up their 10th straight win as Tim Duncan had 29 points and blocked James Harden’s layup with 2.9 seconds left in a 104-103 triumph at Houston. Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard provided 18 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs, who held Harden to 16 points. Harden didn’t score in the second half until there were 90 seconds remaining.
In other NBA finals:
β Oklahoma City blew a 13-point lead before beating Sacramento 116-103 to remain tied with New Orleans for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Russell Westbrook contributed 27 points and 10 assists, while Enes Kanter added 25 points for the winners.
β Anthony Davis had 19 points and nine rebounds to send the Pelicans over Phoenix, 90-75. Omer Asik had a season-high 18 rebounds and Eric Gordon had 15 points for New Orleans.
β Bojan (BOH’-hahn) Bogdanovic hit all six of his 3-point attempts while scoring 22 points in Brooklyn’s 117-80 laugher against Washington, keeping Brooklyn tied with Boston for the last two Eastern Conference playoff berths. Brook Lopez finished with 26 points to help the Nets post their most lopsided margin of victory at Barclays Center. Jarrett Jack added 14 points off the bench in the Nets’ sixth victory in seven games.
β Marcus Smart led the Celtics’ balanced attack with 19 points in a 99-90 triumph at Cleveland. Isaiah Thomas had 17 points, Avery Bradley scored 15 and Tyler Zeller finished with 13 to help the Celtics remain tied with Brooklyn at 37-42, one game ahead of Indiana.
β The Pacers beat Detroit 107-103 behind Rodney Stuckey, who hit three straight jumpers down the stretch and finished with 24 points. C.J. Miles also scored 24 points in the Pacers’ fourth straight win.
β Raymond Felton helped Dallas outlast Denver 144-143 in double-overtime, hitting a layup with 1.5 seconds left before blocking a potential buzzer-beater. Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and Richard Jefferson added a season-high 24 as the Mavericks survived Danilo Gallinari’s career-high 47 points.
β Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs ah-day-toh-KUHN’-boh) returned to the lineup and delivered 23 points as Milwaukee downed New York 99-91. The Bucks lowered their magic number to one for clinching a playoff berth after finishing a league-worst 15-67 last season.
β Mike Muscala scored 17 points and the Atlanta Hawks reached the 60-win mark for the first time in team history by downing Charlotte 104-80. Kyle Korver finished with 16 points and Al Horford had 15 for the Southeast Division champs.
β Lou Williams drained a 3-pointer with 9.9 seconds left to lift Toronto past Orlando 101-99. DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 29 points and Tyler Hansbrough added 16 in the Raptors’ 11th consecutive win over the Magic.
β Ryan Kelly scored 21 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat Minnesota 106-98 to end a five-game skid. Rookie Jabari Brown added 20 points and seven assists to the win.
NBA-BLAZERS
Blazers lose Affalo
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) β Portland Trail Blazers guard Arron Afflalo (uh-FLAH’-loh) will be out one to two weeks because of a right shoulder strain. He injured his shoulder during the Trail Blazers’ 116-105 loss at Golden State on Thursday night.
Afflalo has been a key contributor to the Blazers in the absence of starter Wesley Matthews, who is out for the season because of a ruptured Achilles.
NFL-STEELERS-POLAMALU
Polamalu retires
PITTSBURGH (AP) β Troy Polamalu (pohl-uh-MAH’-loo) has ended his 12-year run with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh has announced the star safety’s retirement after a spectacular career that included eight Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pro selections and two Super Bowl rings.
Polamalu’s retirement was first reported by the Uniontown (Pa.) Herald-Standard.
Polamalu turns 34 later this month. He had two years remaining on his contract but questioned whether he could make the commitment necessary to play another season.
NFL-GIANTS
NFL suspends New York linebacker
NEW YORK (AP) β The NFL has suspended New York Giants linebacker Victor Butler without pay for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances. Butler will be eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games.
Butler played two games with Indianapolis last season and signed a reserve future contract with the Giants in January. He started his career in Dallas in 2009 and played in 63 games in his first four seasons. He didn’t play in 2013.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-WISCONSIN-DEKKER
Dekker turning pro
MADISON, Wis. (AP) β Wisconsin junior forward Sam Dekker says he will skip his final season of eligibility and enter the NBA draft. The 6-foot-11 forward was instrumental in the Badgers run to the NCAA championship game where they lost to Duke Monday.
Dekker averaged 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in helping Wisconsin to a school-record 36 wins, Big Ten regular season and tournament championships. He reached double-figure scoring in 27 of the final 31 games of the season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-IOWA STATE-HOIBERG
Hoiberg to have heart valve replaced
AMES, Iowa (AP) β Iowa State basketball coach Fred Hoiberg says that he’s scheduled to have open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve next Friday, a procedure he put off twice during the season.
Hoiberg had the valve replaced 10 years ago.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Yanks, Bosox play a marathon
UNDATED (AP) β In one of the classic games of their long and illustrious rivalry, the Boston Red Sox finally outlasted the New York Yankees 6-5 in 19 innings early Saturday when the game-ending double play was turned at 2:13 a.m.
In the first meeting of the year between the teams, Boston at last went ahead for good on a sacrifice fly by Mookie Betts. Xander Bogaerts scored the decisive run after reaching on his fourth hit in extra innings.
Chase Headley and Mark Teixeira (teh-SHEHR’-uh) hit tying home runs for the Yankees in an early-season epic interrupted by a power outage for 16 minutes in the 12th. That’s why the official time of game was 6 hours, 49 minutes β even though it took more than seven hours to complete.
The teams get little chance to rest, too. They’re back at it for the middle game of the series Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
Also in the majors:
β Kendrys Morales hit a solo homer and Lorenzo Cain drove in a pair as Kansas City doubled up the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 to stay unbeaten. Jason Vargas allowed two runs and five hits in six innings for the win.
β The Braves blew an early 3-0 lead before Phil Gosselin laced a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to lead a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets in Atlanta’s home opener. Cameron Maybin led off the bottom of the first with a homer, five days after coming to Atlanta from San Diego.
β Ike Davis was 3-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored as Oakland ripped Seattle 12-0. A’s starter Drew Pomeranz held the Mariners to two hits over seven innings.
β Ender Inciarte (in-see-AHR’-tay) hit a game-ending single in the bottom of the 10th to give Arizona a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Diamondbacks’ other scoring came on Paul Goldschmidt’s three-run blast in the second, but the Dodgers later tied it on Yasmani Grandal’s solo shot and Jimmy Rollins’ two-run double.
β San Diego beat San Francisco 1-0 on Wil Myers’ RBI double in the bottom of the eighth. Brandon Morrow struck out seven over seven innings and combined with two relievers on a five-hitter.
β The Marlins blew an 8-1 lead before Christian Yelich (YEH’-lihch) capped his three-RBI night with the game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th to complete Florida’s 10-9 win over Tampa Bay. Giancarlo Stanton also had three RBIs and Michael Morse drove in two for the Marlins.
β Pedro Alvarez hit a solo homer and had two RBIs as the Pirates downed Milwaukee 6-2 to avoid their first 0-4 start in nine years. Pittsburgh starter and winner Jeff Locke allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings.
β Joey Votto (VAH’-toh) hit a pair of two-run homers and Todd Frazier lifted a tiebreaking sacrifice fly as Cincinnati topped St. Louis 5-4 to improve to 4-0. Votto is 7 for 17 with three homers and eight RBIs after hitting just six home runs last season.
β Josh Donaldson and Dioner Navarro (dee-AH’-nur nuh-VAH’-roh) each drove in three runs as the Blue Jays mauled the Birds 12-4. Jose Bautista went 3-for-3 with four runs scored to back Mark Buehrle (BUR’-lee), who picked up his 200th major league win by holding the Orioles to two runs despite eight hits in six innings.
β Cesar Hernandez had a go-ahead, two-run single while Philadelphia scored four times in the seventh to beat Washington 4-1. The Phillies took advantage of two walks and a pair of hit batters to rally from a 1-0 deficit after Michael Taylor homered for the 1-3 Nationals.
β Tommy Milone (mih-LOHN’) pitched two-hit ball into the eighth inning of Minnesota’s 6-0 shutout of the Chicago White Sox. Joe Mauer reached base four times with an RBI single and three walks to help the Twins pick up their first victory under new manager Paul Molitor.
β Jed Lowrie homered for the second straight day and Colby Rasmus added a two-run blast as the Houston Astros beat Texas 5-1. Collin McHugh allowed one run in six innings to get the win.
β Nick Castellanos (kas-tee-AH’-nohs) hit a two-run homer and the Detroit Tigers improved to 4-0 with an 8-4 pounding of Cleveland. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez each had three hits and an RBI to back Alfredo Simon, who took a shutout into the sixth inning of his Tigers debut before tiring.
β The Colorado Rockies are 4-0 for the second time in team history after Troy Tulowitzki (too-loh-WITS’-kee) laced a two-run double and Justin Morneau hit a solo homer in a 5-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. The Rockies’ bullpen tossed five innings of one-hit shutout relief after Tyler Matzek allowed seven baserunners in four frames.
MLB-ANGELS-HAMILTON
Angels owner says Hamilton’s future with team in doubt
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) β Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno isn’t certain Josh Hamilton will play for the team again after his latest relapse into substance abuse.
Moreno says the 33-year-old outfielder’s contract contains language protecting the team against a relapse by Hamilton, apparently contradicting his previous statements.
Hamilton has three years and $83 million left on his contract with the Angels.
MLB-DISABLED LIST
Holland, Nolasco, Grimm headed to DL
UNDATED (AP) β Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland will be out at least six weeks with a shoulder injury. Holland left Friday’s loss to Houston after only one inning with tightness in the back of his shoulder.
Elsewhere:
β Minnesota Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco is headed to the 15-day disabled list because of inflammation in his pitching elbow. Nolasco felt pain during Wednesday’s 11-0 loss at Detroit. Manager Paul Molitor says an MRI showed no structural damage.
β The Chicago Cubs put reliever Justin Grimm on the 15-day disabled list on Friday because of inflammation in his right forearm. Grimm had not yet made an appearance this season. He was 5-2 with a 3.78 ERA in 73 relief appearances for the Cubs last season.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Pens fall to Isles
UNDATED (AP) β The Pittsburgh Penguins failed to wrap up a playoff berth while allowing the New York Islanders to finish no worse than third in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division.
Jaroslav Halak (YAH’-roh-slahv hah-LAHK’) stopped 37 shots and the New York Islanders scored twice in the third period to beat the Pens 3-1. John Taveras snapped a 1-1 tie 2:46 into the final period before Michael Grabner added the insurance tally with 3:40 remaining.
The Isles can finish fourth in the East and earn home-ice advantage in the conference quarterfinals if they beat Columbus on Saturday and Washington loses at home to the New York Rangers.
The Penguins remain just one point ahead of Boston for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth heading into the final day of the regular season. The Pens finish at Buffalo and the Bruins are at Tampa Bay.
The Sabres have wrapped up the NHL’s worst record and the best chance to snag the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery. Matt Calvert had a goal and an assist as the Blue Jackets beat Buffalo 4-2 to improve to 10-0-1 in their last 11 games. Cam Atkinson scored the game-winner midway through the third period.
NASCAR-TEXAS
Busch wins qualifying
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) β Kurt Busch has earned the pole for Saturday’s Duck Commander 500 Sprint Cup race in Texas.
Busch edged defending series champion Kevin Harvick with a run of 193.847 mph. It’s the second pole of the season for Busch, who also took the top qualifying spot in Fontana, California.
Brad Keselowski was third at 193.195 mph, followed by Kasey Kahne (kayn).
OBIT-LAUREN HILL
Lauren Hill dies
CINCINNATI (AP) β Lauren Hill, the Mount St. Joseph University basketball player who played through her battle with an inoperable brain tumor, has died at 19.
Hill wouldn’t let the tumor dictate her final days, and her perseverance inspired her team and convinced the NCAA and others to move up Mount St. Joseph’s season opener to allow her a chance to play. She made two layups in the game.
Hill’s nonprofit foundation helped to raise more than $1.5 million for cancer research.
