AP Sports Summary for Saturday
Silver says Morant not being charged with a crime won't prevent NBA penalties
DENVER (AP) — Memphis guard Ja Morant not being charged with a crime for twice displaying a gun on social media will not prevent the NBA from handing down more discipline, Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday. Silver is preparing to announce whatever penalty is coming Morant's way for the second gun incident shortly after the end of the NBA Finals. He suspended Morant for eight games in March after the Grizzlies star held a gun in a suburban Denver nightclub while streaming himself live on Instagram. Another live stream in May, this time while sharing the front seat of a car with one of his friends, saw Morant displaying a weapon again.
Detroit Pistons announce deal with new coach Monty Williams
DETROIT (AP) — Monty Williams is taking over the Detroit Pistons. The team says it has reached an agreement with Williams to fill its coaching vacancy. Terms of the deal were not announced, but a person familiar with the situation told the AP on Wednesday night that it was a six-year contract. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not been announced at the time. The 51-year-old Williams was fired by Phoenix on May 13, two years after reaching the NBA Finals and a year after he won the league's coach of the year honors.
Elena Rybakina, reigning Wimbledon champion, pulls out of French Open because she is sick
PARIS (AP) — Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has pulled out of the French Open before her third-round match on Saturday because she is sick. The No. 4-seeded Rybakina was supposed to face 132nd-ranked Sara Sorribes Tormo in the day's opening contest on Court Philippe Chatrier. Rybakina was considered among the top contenders for the title at Roland Garros. She has won her past 10 matches, including a tuneup title on red clay at the Italian Open last month.
Vegas-Florida Stanley Cup Final pits top team in West against upstart in East
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers is a matchup of contrasting roads through the season and a topsy-turvy NHL playoffs. The Golden Knights won the Western Conference and were a mostly consistent force despite goaltending injuries. The Panthers scuffled at the start before getting hot at the right time. Florida was the last team to qualify for the postseason and the eighth seed in the East before knocking off the league's best and advancing with goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Who lifts the Cup will be determined from the net out.
Betts hits 2 HRs, Kershaw beats Yankees for 1st time in Dodgers' 8-4 win
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw beat the Yankees for the first time with nine strikeouts over seven innings of four-hit ball, and Mookie Betts hit two more homers in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 8-4 victory over New York. Betts hit a leadoff homer and an RBI single during Los Angeles' six-run, eight-hit first inning against Luis Severino. Kershaw was 0-1 in his four previous starts against the Yankees over his 16-year career. Josh Donaldson hit two homers and Giancarlo Stanton also homered in both sluggers' first game back from lengthy injury absences for the Yankees in the opening game of this high-profile interleague series.
Suh, Matsuyama ride hot putts on steamy day at the Memorial
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Justin Suh has the 36-hole lead at the Memorial. Hideki Matsuyama is one shot behind. Both can thank their putters for that. Suh made eight putts from the 10-foot range and longer. That includes a birdie on his final hole for a 66. Right behind is Matsuyama. The Japanese star made a pair of long birdie putts at the end of his round for a tournament-best 65. Patrick Cantlay is a two-time Memorial champion. He's two shots behind. And four shots back were Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm. Rahm began his round of back-to-back bogeys and recovered for a 70.
Churchill Downs moves meet to Ellis Park to examine protocols following 12 horse deaths
Churchill Downs will suspend racing operations on Wednesday and move the remainder of its spring meet to Ellis Park to conduct a "top-to-bottom" review of safety and surface protocols in the wake of 12 horse fatalities the past month at the home of the Kentucky Derby. A release stated that no single factor has been identified as a potential cause for the fatalities or pattern detected, but it decided to relocate the meet "in an abundance of caution."
Suns hire veteran coach Frank Vogel to lead franchise, AP source says
PHOENIX (AP) — A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press that the Phoenix Suns have hired veteran coach Frank Vogel to replace Monty Williams. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the move. The 49-year-old Vogel has been the coach of the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers during his career and now moves to the Suns, where he'll try to help the franchise win its first title in its 55-year history.
Dad-to-be Chris Bassitt pitches Blue Jays over Mets 3-0
NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Bassitt took the mound after a 91-minute rain delay, ready to rush back to Toronto as his wife went into labor, and shut down his former team on three hits to lead the Blue Jays over the New York Mets 3-0. Bassitt's wife Jessica was due to give birth to their second child after daughter Landry. The game was scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m. but began at 8:41 p.m. and didn't end until shortly after 11 p.m. George Springer started the night by homering on Justin Verlander's second pitch. Bassitt tied his season high with eight strikeouts.
Kelly throws 7 strong innings, Diamondbacks beat Braves 3-2 for 6th straight win
PHOENIX (AP) — Merrill Kelly threw seven strong innings, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ripped a two-run double and the Arizona Diamondbacks won their season-high sixth game in a row by beating the Atlanta Braves 3-2. It was the first game of a series between two of the top teams in the National League. It's no surprise the Braves are among that group, but the emergence of the Diamondbacks has caught some by surprise. Arizona is now 12 games over .500 for the first time since 2018 and on a six-game winning streak for the first time since 2020. The Braves have lost five of their past seven.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Miami 4 Oakland 0
Final Toronto 3 N.Y. Mets 0
Final Colorado 7 Kansas City 2
Final L.A. Dodgers 8 N.Y. Yankees 4
Final Baltimore 3 San Francisco 2
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay at Boston 4:05 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Texas 2 Seattle 0
Final Chicago White Sox 3 Detroit 0
Final Minnesota 1 Cleveland 0
Final Houston 6 L.A. Angels 2
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Milwaukee 5 Cincinnati 4
Final Pittsburgh 7 St. Louis 5
Final Washington 8 Philadelphia 7
Final Arizona 3 Atlanta 2
Final Chicago Cubs 2 San Diego 1
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WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final New York 77 Chicago 76
Final Washington 75 Dallas 74
Final Las Vegas 92 Atlanta 87
Final OT Los Angeles 99 Phoenix 93
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Colorado at Kansas City 4:10 p.m.
Oakland at Miami 4:10 p.m.
Toronto at N-Y Mets 4:10 p.m.
N-Y Yankees at L-A Dodgers 7:15 p.m.
Baltimore at San Francisco 10:05 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay at Boston 1:10 p.m.
Detroit at Chi White Sox 2:10 p.m.
Seattle at Texas 4:05 p.m.
L-A Angels at Houston 4:10 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Boston 6:10 p.m.
Cleveland at Minnesota 7:15 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia at Washington 4:05 p.m.
St. Louis at Pittsburgh 4:05 p.m.
Milwaukee at Cincinnati 4:10 p.m.
Atlanta at Arizona 10:10 p.m.
Chi Cubs at San Diego 10:10 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Florida at Vegas 8 p.m.
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WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Minnesota at Washington 7 p.m.
Seattle at Los Angeles 10 p.m.
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
New England at New York City FC 3:30 p.m.
Portland at Seattle 4:30 p.m.
Chicago at Cincinnati 7:30 p.m.
Charlotte FC at Columbus 7:30 p.m.
D.C. United at Miami 7:30 p.m.
Orlando City at New York 7:30 p.m.
CF Montréal at Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at Austin FC 8:30 p.m.
Nashville at FC Dallas 8:30 p.m.
Toronto FC at Minnesota 8:30 p.m.
Houston at Saint Louis City SC 8:30 p.m.
San Jose at Colorado 9:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Los Angeles FC 10:30 p.m. (Postponed)
Sporting Kansas City at Vancouver 10:30 p.m.