AP Sports Headlines for Wednesday, April 19th, 2023.
Damar Hamlin cleared to play, 4 months after cardiac arrest
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin took to the podium and declared he's ready to resume his football career some four months after going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated on the field during a game. Hamlin says his "heart is still in the game," and adds that what happened on the field in Cincinnati isn't the end of his story. He spoke after participating in the team's voluntary workout program on Tuesday. Bills general manager Brandon Beane says Hamlin was cleared to play after meeting with a third and final specialist on Friday. The second-year player from the Pittsburgh area collapsed on the field after making what appeared to be a routine tackle in a Jan. 2 game against the Bengals.
Booker scores 38 points, Suns beat Clippers to even series
PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 38 points, Kevin Durant had 25 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 123-109 on Tuesday night in Game 2 to tie the Western Conference first-round series. Booker drilled a 3 just before the halftime buzzer to tie it and scored 18 points in the third quarter on 7-of-8 shooting, helping the Suns push to a 92-87 advantage entering the fourth. The series moves to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night. Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles with 31 points.
Warriors' Green suspended for stepping on Kings' Sabonis
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended for one game without pay for stepping on the chest of Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis and will miss Game 3 of the Warriors' first-round playoff series against the Kings on Thursday night. The NBA made the announcement two days before the series shifts to the defending champions' home court at Chase Center. The NBA made the announcement of a decision by executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars.
Warriors in rare territory, trail Kings 2-0 in NBA playoffs
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Golden State Warriors had gone 27 consecutive playoff series during the Stephen Curry era without falling behind 2-0. Steve Kerr hadn't seen it, either, since he began coaching the team in 2014-15. Now, the defending NBA champions will need a mighty comeback and now without emotional leader Draymond Green. Green stomped on Domantas Sabonis during the fourth quarter of Monday night's 114-106 defeat at Golden 1 Center and was penalized by the NBA with one-game suspension without pay. Game 3 against the Sacramento Kings is on Thursday in San Francisco.
Garland scores 32, Cavs beat Knicks 107-90 to even series
CLEVELAND (AP) — Darius Garland scored 32 points, 26 while setting an aggressive tone for Cleveland in the first half, and the Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory over the Knicks. Garland scored 15 in the second quarter, when Cleveland tightened down defensively and dominated New York. The Cavs forced nine turnovers on the way to opening a 20-point halftime lead. The Cavs pushed their lead to 29 in the fourth. Caris LeVert scored 24 and Donovan Mitchell added 17 and a career playoff-high 13 assists for the Cavs. Julius Randle scored 22 and Jalen Brunson added 20 for New York, which will host Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
Jets' Barron receives 75-plus stitches after skate to face
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron took a skate to his face Tuesday night that required more than 75 stitches. He returned to the ice less than a period later. Barron was injured in the first period during a big scramble in front of the Vegas Golden Knights' net in Game 1 of the teams' Western Conference first-round series. As players collapsed around the front of the net in pursuit of a loose puck, Vegas goalie Laurent Brossoit's skate cut Barron.
Padres hope Tatis brings energy, maturity when PED ban ends
SAN DIEGO (AP) — El Niño is coming and it could be quite the storm. On Thursday night at Arizona, Fernando Tatis Jr. will be announced as the leadoff hitter for the San Diego Padres and settle into a big league batter's box for the first time since the last game of the 2021 season. One of baseball's most electrifying players will return from an 80-game PED suspension that shocked and angered his teammates and an entire fan base. If a jaw-dropping power display during a rehab stint at Triple-A El Paso is any indication, the Padres will be getting back the player who was an All-Star in 2021.
Kershaw wins No. 200 in style as Dodgers blank Mets 5-0
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw delivered a vintage performance for his 200th win, pitching seven splendid innings of three-hit ball as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 5-0. J.D. Martinez homered twice and drove in four runs, finishing with four hits to help the Dodgers stop New York's five-game winning streak. Kershaw struck out nine to pass Mickey Lolich for 22nd place on the career list with 2,833 strikeouts. The three-time Cy Young Award winner improved to 200-88 over 16 major league seasons — the best winning percentage among the 117 pitchers to win 200 games. The only one of them with a lower career ERA than Kershaw is Hall of Famer Walter Johnson.
Ohtani homers in Bronx, 100 years to day after Ruth hit 1st
NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered at Yankee Stadium, 100 years to the day that Babe Ruth hit the first home run at the original ballpark in the Bronx. Ohtani turned on a 88.7 mph sweeper from Clarke Schmidt and hit a 116.7 mph drive that landed in the Yankees bullpen in right-center, 391 feet from home plate It was the fourth home run of the season for Ohtani and his eighth in 18 games against the Yankees. When the original Yankee Stadium opened across 161st St. on April 18, 1923, Ruth homered off Boston's Howard Ehmke in New York's 4-1 win.
No need for Champions League heroics for Madrid this time
MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid is making it look easy this time. There's been no need for late heroics or big comebacks. No need for last-minute goals or extra time victories. It's just been straightforward dominance. Madrid is taking the easier route after needing to rally its way through the knockout rounds of the Champions League last season. The team has cruised into the semifinals and remains on track for a record-extending 15th European title. Madrid defeated Chelsea 2-0 in London on Tuesday in the second leg of the quarterfinals and advanced 4-0 on aggregate. Rodrygo scored both goals.
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