UNDATED (AP) — The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs took Game 1 of their respective NBA conference semifinal series last night. LeBron James scored 22 points and Ray Allen added 19 in the Heat’s 107-86 blowout win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Spurs ripped Portland 116-92 behind Tony Parker’s 33 points and nine assists.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — LeBron James’ two-year reign as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player is over after Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant captured the honor. Durant averaged a league-high 32 points a game this season, along with 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Durant totaled 119 first-place votes and 1,232 points in the voting of sportscasters and writers, while James picked up sixth first-place votes.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Golden State Warriors have fired coach Mark Jackson following the team’s first-round ouster in the NBA playoffs. Jackson had the job for three years and compiled a record of 121-109, including a 51-31 mark this season. Jackson was just the third coach in team history to have a 50-win season, joining Don Nelson and Al Attles.
UNDATED (AP) — Montreal and Chicago each have 2-1 leads in the NHL’s conference semifinals following the Canadiens’ 4-2 victory over Boston and the Blackhawks’ 4-0 loss at Minnesota. P.K. Subban (SOO’-ban), Dale Weise (wees) and Lars Eller each had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who built a 3-0 lead before holding on. Erik Haula snapped a scoreless tie for the Wild before Mikael Granlund added a pair of goals to help Minnesota end the Hawks’ six-game winning streak.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Nashville Predators have hired Peter Laviolette (lah-vee-uh-LET’) as their new coach, making him only the second head coach in the franchise’s history. Laviolette coached Carolina to a Stanley Cup in 2006 and took Philadelphia to the Stanley Cup finals in 2010. He was fired in October after the Flyers lost their first three games of the season.
