NBA-PLAYOFFS
Grizzlies steal one in OKC…Clippers hammer Warriors
UNDATED (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers both managed to even their Western Conference quarterfinal series at a game apiece. The Grizzlies did it with a tight finish, while the Clippers enjoyed a laugher.
In Oklahoma City, Zach Randolph scored 25 points and provided the go-ahead basket as the Grizzlies downed the Thunder 111-105 in overtime. He hit a layup with 26 seconds left to put Memphis ahead 107-105 and added a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining to ice the victory.
Mike Conley added 19 points and 12 assists for the Grizzlies.
Kevin Durant had 36 points and 11 rebounds for the second-seeded Thunder, who are just 5-5 since April 3. Russell Westbrook scored 29 points for Oklahoma City but made just 11 of 28 shots.
Game 3 is Thursday in Memphis.
The Clippers posted their most lopsided playoff victory in franchise history, racing out to a 67-41 halftime lead before completing a 138-98 dismantling of Golden State. Blake Griffin had 35 points in less than 30 minutes for the Clippers, whose previous greatest margin of victory in a playoff game was 25 points against Phoenix in 2006. The Clippers shot 57 percent from the field, with Griffin hitting 13 of his 17 attempts.
Danny Granger finished with 15 points and Chris Paul added 12 and 10 assists.
Stephen Curry was the lone Warrior to score more than 11 points, contributing 24.
The Warriors host Game 3 on Wednesday.
NBA-COACHING CHANGES
Three teams looking for a new coach
UNDATED (AP) — Mike Woodson owns a .580 winning percentage as head coach of the New York Knicks, third best in franchise history. It wasn’t good enough.
Woodson has been let go in the first official move under recently-hired president Phil Jackson. The dismissal comes after the team finished 37-45 and failed to make the playoffs, just a year removed from an Atlantic Division title.
The Knicks aren’t the only NBA team in need of a head coach. The Utah Jazz have declined to offer Tyron Corbin a new contract after the team posted the worst record in the Western Conference at 25-57. Corbin took over for Jerry Sloan three years ago and had a record of 112-146.
And Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman has decided to retire after 23 seasons in the NBA. The decision brings to an end a career in which he had 1,042 victories, eighth on the NBA’s career list.
NBA-DEFENSIVE PLAYER
Bulls Noah takes defensive honors
DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Chicago center Joakim (JOH’-keem) Noah is the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, joining Michael Jordan in 1988 as the only Bulls players to win the award.
Noah got 555 out of a possible 1,125 points, including 100 out of a possible 125 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Indiana’s Roy Hibbert and DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers came in second and third, respectively.
BOSTON MARATHON
A rare win for an American in the Boston Marathon
BOSTON (AP) — The 118th running of the Boston Marathon was completed without incident and featured the first U.S. citizen in 31 years to win the event.
Former New York City Marathon champion and Olympic medalist Meb Keflezighi (kehf-LEHZH’-gee) won in a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes, 37 seconds. He is the first American to post the best time since 1983, two years before Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach of the U.S. took the women’s title in 1985.
The winner of the women’s division was Rita Jeptoo of Kenya, who set a course-record of 2 hours, 18 minutes, 57 seconds to become the seventh three-time Boston Marathon champion. American Shalane Flanagan finished seventh after leading for more than half the race.
More than 32,000 people ran in the in a powerful show of defiance a year after the deadly bombing that killed three people and wounded more than 260 others. The race got underway amid heavy security, a moment of silence was observed and “America the Beautiful” was played over a loudspeaker before the start of the race.
The 38-year-old Keflezighi had the first names of four victims of the bombing on his running bib.
NHL-STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
Pens rally again
UNDATED (AP) — A two-goal lead has been a dangerous thing in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Stanley Cup first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. For the third time in as many games, the winning team has stormed back from a two-goal deficit.
The Jackets led 3-1 until Brandon Sutter, Lee Stempniak and Jussi Jokinen (YOO’-see JOH’-kih-nehn) scored during a 2:13 span early in the third period to lead the Pens to a 4-3 triumph at Columbus. Stempniak and Maata tallied 63 seconds apart to put the Penguins ahead with 11:54 remaining.
Goals by Boone Jenner and Jack Johnson gave the Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead just 3:18 into the game, but Columbus fired just 17 shots the rest of the way as the Pens grabbed a 2-1 series lead.
Game 4 is Wednesday in Columbus.
The St. Louis Blues lead their series two games to one following a 2-0 loss in Chicago. Corey Crawford made 34 saves in his third career postseason shutout to help the Blackhawks bounce back from a pair of overtime losses in St. Louis.
Jonathan Toews (tayvz) put the Hawks ahead in the first period with just the second goal scored by a Chicago forward in the series.
Game 4 is Wednesday in Chicago.
The Minnesota Wild have pulled within two-games-to-one in their series with Colorado. Mikael Granlund scored at 5:08 of overtime to complete the Wild’s 1-0 win over the Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov (SEHM’-yahn vahr-LAH’-mahv) made 45 saves until Granlund’s wrist shot eluded him.
The Avalanche finished the game without defenseman Tyson Barrie, who’s out 4-6 weeks with a left knee injury.
Darcy Kuemper (KEHM’-pur) stopped 22 shots for the Wild, who host Game 4 on Thursday.
The top seed in the West also suffered its first loss as Kari Lehtonen handled 37 shots to lead Dallas past Anaheim 3-0 in Game 3. Jamie Benn opened the scoring with 35 seconds left in the first period, 10 seconds after completing a two-minute minor for hooking.
The Stars killed off the Ducks’ five power plays and won despite being outshot 37-22.
Game 4 is Wednesday in Dallas.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Orioles stop the Red Sox
BOSTON (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles jumped out to a 6-0 lead at Fenway Park on Patriots’ Day, hours after blowing a 5-0 lead in a 6-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox. This time, the Birds earned a victory as they parlayed a six-run third inning into a 7-6 win over the Bosox.
Steve Clevenger (KLEH’-vehn-jur) scored twice and was one of seven Orioles to drive in a run. Wei-Yin Chen (way-yihn chehn) had a shutout until the Red Sox put together a three-run fifth.
Boston scored once in the ninth and had the tying run on third when Mike Carp hit a game-ending grounder to first, leaving the Red Sox in the American League East basement.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Donnie Murphy’s RBI single snapped a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning of the Rangers’ 4-3 comeback win against Oakland. Texas starter Yu Darvish struggled with his control, allowing three runs on eight hits and four walks in six innings.
— Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley hit two-run homers in Cleveland’s 4-3 win over Kansas City. Zach McAllister is 3-0 after allowing two earned runs and six hits in six-plus innings.
— John Danks gave up a run and six hits in 6 ½ innings to pitch the Chicago White Sox past Detroit 3-1. The Tigers lost on two reviews while the White Sox scored three times in the seventh.
— Houston’s seven-game losing streak is over after Matt Dominguez hit a two-run homer and had three RBI’s in a 7-2 romp over Seattle. Dallas Kuechel helped the Astros deal the Mariners their seventh consecutive loss, surrendering two runs and six hits in six innings.
— Aramis (ah-RAH’-mihs) Ramirez homered and Ryan Braun had two RBIs in Milwaukee’s 4-3 verdict over San Diego. Wily Peralta (WIH-lee peh-RAHL’-tah) gave up three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings as the Brewers improved their major league-best record to 15-5.
— Evan Gattis (GAT’-ihs) hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning to give Atlanta a 4-2 win over Miami. The Braves’ starting rotation has a 1.52 ERA after Julio Teheran held the Marlins to a run and five hits in seven innings.
— Travis Wood was the star in the Chicago Cubs’ 5-1 win against Arizona, hitting a three-run homer and collecting four RBIS while throwing seven strong innings. Wood tied a career high with nine strikeouts and gave up a run and six hits for his first win of the season.
— Charlie Blackmon hit two of Colorado’s five homers and Jorge De La Rosa went five innings in an 8-2 rout of San Francisco. Nolan Arenado, Wilin Rosario and Corey Dickerson also went deep in the Rockies’ fourth victory in five games.
— Jenrry Mejia (HEHN’-ree meh-HEE’-uh) struck out seven while holding St. Louis to four hits over 6 2/3 innings to lead the New York Mets’ 2-0 shutout of the Cardinals. The Mets took the lead on David Wright’s RBI single in the third.
— Pittsburgh pulled out a 6-5 win over Cincinnati on Neil Walker’s single with two out in the bottom of the ninth. Ike Davis hit a grand slam in the fourth inning of his third game with the Pirates, and Andrew McCutchen tied the game with a solo homer in the eighth.
— Pinch-hitter Raul Ibanez (ih-BAHN’-yehz) laced a tiebreaking, three-run double while the Los Angeles Angels scored four times in the eighth inning to beat the Nationals 4-2 in Washington. Starting pitcher Garrett Richards had to settle for a no-decision despite one-hitting the Nationals over six innings.
— Cliff Lee struck out 10 and retired 21 of his final 22 batters before leaving after eight innings of Philadelphia’s 7-0 shutout of the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Carlos Ruiz hit a two-run homer and a two-run double, and Ryan Howard added a two-run blast.
MLB-NEWS
Sale could miss start…Cuddyer DL’d…Abreu back in majors
UNDATED (AP) — Chicago White Sox left-hander Chris Sale is likely to miss his scheduled start against Detroit tonight because of what manager Robin Ventura describes as general muscular soreness, one outing after he threw 127 pitches in a game against Boston. The Chicago ace was supposed to face Tigers star Justin Verlander. He’s 3-0 with a 2.30 ERA on the season.
Also in the majors:
— Colorado Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer (ky-DY’-ur) will go on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Cuddyer is hitting .317 with three homers and 10 RBIs this season after winning last year’s batting title with a .331 average.
— The New York Mets have promoted 40-year-old outfielder Bobby Abreu (ah-BRAY’-oo) and optioned outfielder Andrew Brown to Triple-A Las Vegas. Abreu signed a minor league deal with the Mets in late March and hit .395 with one homer and nine RBIs in 15 games at Las Vegas.
— The Astros have placed pitcher Scott Feldman on the 15-day disabled list due to biceps tendinitis and recalled right-hander Collin McHugh from Triple A Oklahoma City. Feldman is 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in four starts.
NFL-BENGALS/GREEN
Bengals pick up Green’s option
UNDATED (AP) — The Bengals have exercised a 2015 contract option for receiver A.J. Green and will now focus on an extension for quarterback Andy Dalton. Green was the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft and was entering the final season on his deal. He had 1,426 receiving yards last year, trailing only Chad Johnson’s club record of 1,440 yards.
In other NFL news:
— A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that Ndamukong Suh (ehn-DAH’-muh-kahng soo) will be a no-show at the Detroit Lions’ voluntary minicamp this week. The two-time All-Pro has skipped voluntary workouts in the past, and the 6-foot-4, 307-pound Suh has stayed in good shape.
— Josh Freeman has signed with the New York Giants to be a backup quarterback to Eli Manning. Freeman was released by Tampa Bay early last season and spent the rest of 2013 with Minnesota.
— The Oakland Raiders have traded quarterback Terrelle Pryor to the Seattle Seahawks for a seventh-round pick in next month’s draft. Pryor went 156 for 272 for 1,798 yards, seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions while going 3-6 last season. Terms of the deal were not immediately announced.
