AP Sports Headlines for Saturday, April 22nd.
Knicks romp past Cavaliers 99-79, take 2-1 series lead
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 21 points, RJ Barrett broke out of a slump with 19 and the New York Knicks rolled to a 2-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first-round playoff series with a 99-79 victory. The Knicks emphatically bounced back from a loss in Game 2 and moved halfway to their first series victory since 2013. Josh Hart added 13 points for the fifth-seeded Knicks, who host Game 4 on Sunday. They haven't reached the second round since beating Boston in 2013.
Jokic has triple-double, Nuggets beat T-wolves for 3-0 lead
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nikola Jokic had his seventh career triple-double in the playoffs with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as the Denver Nuggets fended off the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-111 to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round NBA playoff series. Michael Porter Jr. pitched in 25 points and nine rebounds and Jamal Murray had 18 points and nine assists as Denver withstood another dashing performance by Minnesota's Anthony Edwards. Edwards scored 36 points to raise his series total to 95. Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points after totaling only 21 points over the first two games for the Wolves.
Young scores 32, Hawks beat Celtics 130-122 to close to 2-1
ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young scored 32 points in his best game of the playoffs and the Atlanta Hawks gave themselves a glimmer of hope, beating the Boston Celtics 130-122 to close the gap to 2-1 in their opening-round series. Young hit a step-back 3-pointer from the corner with 2:21 left and knocked down another huge basket on a floater in the lane with 45 seconds remaining after Jaylen Brown missed a 3-pointer that would've tied it for the Celtics. The Hawks will try to even the series in Game 4 Sunday night at State Farm Arena. Jayson Tatum scored 29 points to lead Boston, which was barely challenged in the first two games of the series.
LeBron not trading trash talk with Brooks before Game 3
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James declined to respond to Dillon Brooks' taunts before the Los Angeles Lakers host the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. Brooks said the top scorer in NBA history was "old" in Memphis following Game 2. The 38-year-old James patiently parried several questions about Brooks' comments and about the importance of trash talk in general before abruptly cutting short his media session at the Lakers' training complex. he Lakers' visit from the Grizzlies is the second game of an NBA doubleheader in Los Angeles, with the Clippers also hosting the Phoenix Suns in Game 4.
Shohei Ohtani strikes out 11, Angels beat Royals 2-0
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out a season-high 11 and allowed two hits over seven dominant innings, and fill-in catcher Chad Wallach hit a two-run homer in the Los Angeles Angels' 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Ohtani struck out the side in the first inning, and he struck out the final six Royals he faced. In between, Kansas City managed two singles and two walks while getting just one runner to second base. After issuing a leadoff walk in the sixth, Ohtani struck out his final six batters to secure his major league-best 12th double-digit strikeout game since the start of 2022.
Collision ends Smyly perfect game bid, Cubs top Dodgers 13-0
CHICAGO (AP) — Drew Smyly lost a perfect game bid when he collided with his catcher while trying to field an eighth-inning dribbler that went for an infield single in the Chicago Cubs' 13-0 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nico Hoerner hit a three-run homer with four hits and four RBIs as Chicago won for the fifth time in six games. Cody Bellinger went deep for the second straight day and third time this season against his former team. Trey Mancini and Patrick Wisdom also connected. Smyly struck out 10 and walked none in 7 2/3 innings.
NFL suspends 5 players for violating gambling policy
The NFL has suspended five players for violating the league's gambling policy. Detroit Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore and Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney are suspended through at least the the 2023 season for betting on NFL games in the 2022 season. Lions receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams were each suspended six games for betting from an NFL facility on non-NFL games. The Lions released Cephus and Moore.
Toronto fires Nick Nurse, who led Raptors to 2019 NBA title
TORONTO (AP) — Nick Nurse has been fired as coach of the Toronto Raptors. It comes four years after he led the franchise to its first and only NBA championship. Nurse went 227-163 in his five seasons with the Raptors. His winning percentage of .582 is the best of any coach in franchise history. The Raptors missed the playoffs in 2021, a year where they were forced to call Tampa, Florida, home because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenge of getting teams in and out of Canada for games. They lost in the first round last year, and lost an elimination game at home in the play-in tournament this season.
A Lim Kim shoots 7-under 65, leads rain-delayed Chevron
THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — A Lim Kim birdied the final two holes for a 7-under 65 and the lead Friday in the suspended second round of the rain-delayed Chevron Championship. Thirty-one players were unable to finish the round before dark in the first women's major tournament of the season, with the event in its first year in suburban Houston after a decades-long run in the California desert. Kim won the last LPGA Tour major held in the Houston area, the 2020 U.S. Women's Open at Champions Golf Club. After opening with a 71 on Thursday at The Club at Carlton Woods, she had eight birdies with just one bogey Friday to reach 8-under 136. Americans Lilia Vu and Megan Khang were a stroke back.
Column: Another domino falls on road to MLB expansion
The Oakland Athletics are packing their bags for Las Vegas, a long-expected move that will affect far more baseball fans than in those two cities. MLB is a significant step closer to expansion, which will bring two more franchises into the big leagues while also necessitating the creation of eight new minor-league teams around the country. With the Athletics buying land for a new stadium in Sin City, finding the Tampa Bay Rays' next home is the last hurdle to a 32-team major leagues. For sure, the lobbying has already begun for Nashville, Charlotte, Montreal, Portland and Salt Lake City.