Month: April 2022

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer It took three games for one of San Diego’s starting pitchers to allow a hit. That’s a promising sign for one of baseball’s most disappointing teams of 2021. The Padres began the season by taking three of four at Arizona. Yu Darvish threw six no-hit innings in Thursday night’s

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Klay Thompson’s form is now the least of Golden State’s worries. Warriors coach Steve Kerr says “the proof is on the court” in the last couple of weeks. Thompson poured in a season-high 41 points in a regular-season ending 128-107 victory in New Orleans on

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler’s journey to Augusta was a true family affair. Scheffler and each of his three sisters have played golf, and his father Scott served as the stay-at-home dad while his mother Diane worked. Scottie Scheffler says having dad at home instead of

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Masters champions get to go to the Masters Club dinner, and Scottie Scheffler has a permanent seat at that table now. His score of 10-under 278 gave him a three-shot victory over Rory McIlroy on Sunday at Augusta National for his first major championship. It

By ADAM SILVER For The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The season-long celebration of the NBA’s 75th anniversary is winding down. As part of The Associated Press series on the NBA’s first 75 years, Commissioner Adam Silver offered perspective on what the league could look like 25 years from now when it celebrates its

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers forward Matisse Thybulle is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and barred from Canada because unvaccinated foreign nationals are currently prohibited from entering the country. He will be ineligible to play for the Sixers in at least two games of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff

By MICHAEL KELLY Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Malik Monk had a career-best 41 points and Austin Reaves set career highs with 31 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 146-141 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets in what might have been Frank Vogel’s final game as coach.

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Juancho Hernangomez had a season-high 22 points and the Utah Jazz secured the fifth seed in the Western Conference with an 111-80 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the regular-season finale. The Jazz will face the fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the opening round

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Klay Thompson’s season-high 41-point performance included seven 3-pointers for the Golden State Warriors, who clinched the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 128-107 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Jordan Poole scored 22 for the Warriors. Golden State opened up a 22-point

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic strained his left calf in Dallas’ 130-120 win over San Antonio in what turned out to be a meaningless regular-season finale, putting the superstar’s status in question for the playoff-bound Mavericks. Doncic wouldn’t have even been eligible for the game had the NBA not

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Justin Holiday, Damian Jones and Donte DiVincenzo each scored 19 points and the Sacramento Kings beat the Phoenix Suns 116-109 on Sunday night in the regular-season finale for both teams. At 64-18, Phoenix finished with the best mark in franchise history and had eight more victories

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Amir Coffey had career highs of 35 points and 13 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the depleted Oklahoma City Thunder 138-88 to end the regular season on a five-game winning streak. The Clippers finished 42-40, a major accomplishment after playing the entire season

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic strained his left calf and has been ruled out for the rest of the regular-season finale against San Antonio. Doncic had turned to run to the defensive end when he pulled up after the first step and stopped. He called for the medical staff while reaching for

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Patrick Williams scored a career-high 35 points and Ayo Dosunmu had 26 points in a season-high 45 minutes, as the Chicago Bulls hung on for a 124-120 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both teams were in rest-the-regulars mode in preparation for the postseason. The Bulls played

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Bill Schonely, the broadcaster who coined the phrase “Rip City” is retiring after more than 50 years with the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland honored Schonely at the team’s regular season finale on Sunday night. Affectionately known as “Schonz,” the 92-year-old was the Blazers broadcaster

By JAKE SEINER AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Bobby Dalbec hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the sixth inning and the Boston Red Sox avoided a season-opening sweep against their longtime rival with a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees. Boston blew multi-run leads in the first two games of the series

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Paul Stastny and Kyle Connor also scored for Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves. Brady Tkachuk had a pair of power-play goals for the Senators, who were coming

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Brad Stuver delivered a two-save shutout while Maximiliano Urruti scored a pivotal goal in Austin’s 1-0 victory over Minnesota United. Austin improved to 3-1-2 and United fell to 2-2-2.

By The Associated Press Cleveland rookie Steven Kwan hit .469 in spring training after compiling a .301 batting average in three minor league seasons. So there were signs he might be able to handle big league pitching. He’s done more than that so far. Kwan added to his remarkable start by going 5 for 5

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Ted Scott was retiring last fall. He was done with golf, ready to do something else, probably teach the game. And when Scottie Scheffler called to ask the veteran caddie to work for him, an answer didn’t come easily. Scott was truly torn. He told

NEW YORK (AP) — Obi Toppin scored a career-high 42 points, Immanuel Quickley had 34 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, and the New York Knicks finished a disappointing season by beating the Toronto Raptors 105-94. The Knicks finished 37-45 after making the playoffs last season, but second-year players Toppin and Quickley ended on high

TOKYO (AP) — Roki Sasaki pitched a perfect game with 19 strikeouts, leading the Chiba Lotte Marines over the Orix Buffaloes 6-0 in Japan’s Pacific League. The 20-year-old right-hander struck out 13 consecutive batters and needed 105 pitches to complete the nine-inning game. Sasaki pitched the 16th complete game perfect game in the Japanese major

By CLAY BAILEY Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, Jaylen Brown added 18 and the Boston Celtics secured the second seed in the East with a 139-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night in the regular-season finale for both teams. Al Horford added 13 points as the Celtics

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is the Masters champion, Rory McIlroy is the runner-up and other facts and figures from the final round at Augusta National.

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid sat out after he clinched the scoring title and James Harden joined him on the bench, leaving Shake Milton and Tyrese Maxey to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-106 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. The Sixers clinched the No. 4

By DICK SCANLON Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Mo Bamba and R.J. Hampton each scored 21 points and the Orlando Magic beat the Miami Heat 125-111 on Sunday night in the regular-season finale for both teams. Victor Oladipo had 40 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Heat. They wrapped up the top

By BOB SUTTON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Staal capped his fourth career hat trick and first in 10 years with an empty-net goal and the Carolina Hurricanes settled in defensively after an offense-filled first period to beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Martinook also scored for the Metropolitan Division-leading

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Key hole on Sunday at the Masters

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler can play in the Masters forever now. That’s a perk that comes with winning at Augusta National. Cameron Champ knows he can play at Augusta National in 2023. For him, that was a win as well. Champ finished tied for 10th at the

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) — Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone said star point guard Jamal Murray isn’t mentally prepared to return to action yet. It’s been almost a year since Murray tore his left ACL. He’s looked good at practice and in pregame warmups but Malone said Murray has good days

By MIKE COOK Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Boldy and Jared Spurgeon each had a goal and an assist, helping the Minnesota Wild rally from an early three-goal deficit to beat the Los Angeles Kings 6-3. Kirill Kaprizov tied a franchise record with his 42nd goal and Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Foligno and

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Jurickson Profar hit a grand slam, Jorge Alfaro followed with another homer and the San Diego Padres used a big second inning to win their third straight game, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-5. The Padres sent 10 hitters to the plate in the second and the

By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brian Elliott made 28 saves, Corey Perry and Ondrej Palat had goals 17 seconds apart in the first period and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-0 on Sunday night. Brandon Hagel, Nikita Kucherov and Ross Colton also scored to help the two-time defending

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Alex Bregman put the Astros ahead with a two-run single in the fifth, and José Urquidy yielded four hits over five innings in Houston’s 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Chas McCormick had an RBI single, and rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña delivered three hits

By DAN SCIFO Associated Press PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby scored the second of his two goals at 2:21 of overtime for his 1,400th career point, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins snap a four-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. Crosby added an assist in his 1,100th game, becoming the seventh-fastest player

By MICHAEL WAGAMAN Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Heliot Ramos had two hits and scored a run in his major league debut, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Miami Marlins 3-2. Mauricio Dubón added an RBI double for the Giants, who scored the decisive run in the third inning after a throwing error

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world and has a Masters green jacket to show for it. Scheffler won his first major at Augusta National with another command performance. It caps an amazing two months of four victories in six starts. Scheffler

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Cameron Smith’s hopes of winning his first major vanished on the 12th hole during the final round of the Masters. Smith’s tee shot on the infamous par 3 found Rae’s Creek. That led to a triple bogey that helped clear the way for Scottie Scheffler

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) — C.J. Cron drilled a two-run homer on an afternoon when the whipping wind made flyballs an adventure, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-4 to give Bud Black his 1,000th win as a major league manager. Black becomes the 66th skipper to reach

HOUSTON (AP) — Reilly Opelka beat fellow American John Isner 6-3, 7-6 (7) on Sunday to win the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in the tallest matchup in an ATP Tour final. The 6-foot-11 Opelka won his fourth tour title and first on clay. He improved to 5-1 against the 6-10 Isner. The 24-year-old Opelka,

By JAY COHEN AP Baseball Writer CHICAGO (AP) — Mike Brosseau’s first career pinch-hit homer snapped a tie in the seventh inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 for their first victory of the season. Willy Adames and Rowdy Tellez also went deep, helping the reigning NL Central champions overcome a shaky

By CODY FRIESEN Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians won for the first time with their new name as hot-starting rookie Steven Kwan went 5 for 5 in a 17-3 romp over the Kansas City Royals. Oscar Mercado hit a grand slam during a five-RBI performance and Owen Miller drove in

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid won the NBA scoring title to become the first Philadelphia player to top the league since Allen Iverson 17 years ago. Embiid sat out the finale Sunday night against Detroit and finished at 30.6 points per game. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo also rested Sunday, finishing

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Trae Young had 28 points and 11 assists as the Atlanta Hawks wrapped up the regular season with a 130-114 win over the Houston Rockets — a victory that didn’t improve their postseason position. The Hawks finished ninth in the Eastern Conference and will host the

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer It lasted 174 days, required the usage of more players than any season in history primarily because of the ongoing challenge of playing through a pandemic, and saw playoff-positioning chases go all the way down to the final moments. Now, move over, regular season. The NBA’s postseason is finally

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored 35 points, Kevin Durant had 20 points, a career-high 16 assists and 10 rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets locked up seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 134-126 victory over the Indiana Pacers. The Nets will host No. 8 Cleveland on

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets beat the Washington Wizards 124-108 on Sunday behind 25 points from Terry Rozier and 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists from LaMelo Ball, but were unable to improve their seed heading into the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.The Hornets finished the regular

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Belinda Bencic won three of the last four games to outlast Ons Jabeur and take her first ever clay-court championship with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 victory at the Credit One Charleston Open on Sunday. Bencic of Switzerland collected her sixth WTA title and first since

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Josef Newgarden won under caution Sunday on the downtown streets of Long Beach to move Team Penske to 3-0 to start the IndyCar season. Newgarden led a race-high 32 laps to win his second-consecutive race. Team Penske last opened an IndyCar season with

By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Michael Chavis hit a go-ahead grand slam as Pittsburgh overcame a three-run, third-inning deficit, and the Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-4 for their first win this season. Chavis made his first start of the season and homered off left-hander Steven Matz, who allowed seven

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love made eight 3-pointers and scored 32 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers took the No. 8 play-in spot — and a matchup against Brooklyn — with a 133-115 win over Milwaukee. The Bucks rested superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and their other regulars for the regular-season finale.

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit a grand slam into the third deck and Carlos Correa launched his first homer for the Minnesota Twins in a 10-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Byron Buxton had two of Minnesota’s six home runs. The Twins totaled only eight hits in 2-1

By IAN HARRSON Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Corey Seager capped a six-run fourth inning with a go-ahead single, and the Texas Rangers rallied from a five-run deficit to overcome Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 467-foot home run and beat the Toronto Blue Jays 12-6. Guerrero’s third-inning home run off Spencer Howard, the longest of Guerrero’s career,

NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred gave major league players Bose headphones on opening day as a peace offering after a bitter 99-day lockout that delayed the start of the season. Major League Baseball confirmed that headphones and a letter signed by Manfred were left at the locker of each player when teams