AP Sports Headlines for Saturday Morning, April 29th
Levis goes quick, Hooker waits longer on Day 2 of NFL draft
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Will Levis quickly got the call he waited on for 24 hours. Hendon Hooker had to sit around a few more hours to hear his name announced. After Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson were selected in the first four picks, it took two more rounds for the top five quarterbacks to be off the board in the NFL draft. The selections of Levis by Tennessee and Hooker by Detroit highlighted a Friday night filled with plenty of trades and some surprises. Day 2 of the draft at Union Station in downtown Kansas City kicked off with family ties. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. with the first pick of the second round. His dad, Joey Porter, was a three-time Pro Bowl linebacker in eight seasons with Pittsburgh.
Lakers obliterate Grizzlies 125-85, advance to 2nd round
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers completed their first-round upset of the Memphis Grizzlies with a 125-85 victory in Game 6. Anthony Davis had 16 points and 14 rebounds while blocking five shots in a spectacular defensive performance, and D'Angelo Russell scored a career playoff-high 31 points. LeBron James scored 22 points for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who emphatically clinched a playoff series in their own arena for the first time since 2012. Ja Morant scored 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting for the Grizzlies, who won 107 games and two Southwest Division titles in the past two seasons, but just one playoff series.
2023 NFL Draft | Who are the top players for Day 3?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Day 2 of the NFL draft is a wrap. The second and third rounds ended with 16 trades, including the Tennessee Titans moving up eight spots to select quarterback Will Levis with the No. 33 overall pick. The Kentucky standout was the biggest name on the board when the second round kicked off Friday from Kansas City's Union Station. Bryce Young went first overall to the Carolina Panthers followed by C.J. Stroud to the Houston Texans for a 1-2 quarterback combo on Thursday.
Monk, Fox lead Kings past Warriors 118-99 to force Game 7
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Malik Monk scored 28 points, De'Aaron Fox added 26 points and 11 assists, and the Sacramento Kings staved off elimination in their first-round playoff series by beating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors 118-99 in Game 6. Now, a winner-takes-all Game 7 is back in Sacramento on Sunday afternoon. Rookie Keegan Murray scored 15 points with four 3-pointers and grabbed 12 rebounds for his first playoff double-double, and the Kings withstood every scoring surge by the defending champions and shined in nearly every facet of this one with their special season on the line.
NFL draft Day 3: All-Americans, Heisman finalists on board
Heading into the final four rounds of the NFL draft, two of the best players on the board regardless of position are cornerbacks. One is a national championship game hero and the other an All-American. With only five quarterbacks off the board through three rounds, expect about that many more to go Saturday as teams try to find the next Brock Purdy among a group that includes two Heisman Trophy finalists.
A's met by fans in Oakland with chants of `Sell the team!'
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Just 6,423 fans showed up for the Athletics' first home game since announcing a deal for land to build a ballpark in Las Vegas, many chanting "Sell the team!" and "Stay in Oakland!" during an 11-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Unable to make progress on a new ballpark in the Bay Area and wanting to make plans as the expiration of their Oakland Coliseum lease approaches at the end of the 2024 season, the team announced April 19 that it had signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a new retractable roof ballpark in Las Vegas.
Panthers score 7, force a Game 7 against the Bruins
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk scored twice, Eetu Luostarinen put Florida ahead to stay with 5:38 left in what was a crazed third period, and the Panthers forced a Game 7 in their Eastern Conference first-round series by beating the Boston Bruins 7-5. Aleksander Barkov, Brandon Montour, Zac Dalpe and Sam Reinhart also scored for the Panthers, who got 30 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. Tyler Bertuzzi and David Pastrnak each scored twice for Boston, which got four assists from Brad Marchand and 26 saves from Linus Ullmark. Jake DeBrusk also scored for the Bruins. Game 7 is Sunday.
Defending champ Avs force Game 7 with 4-1 win over Kraken
SEATTLE (AP) — Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, including an empty-net goal in the closing seconds, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Seattle Kraken 4-1 to force a Game 7 in their first-round playoff series. Mikko Rantanen scored for Colorado in the final seconds of the first period, tying it at 1 after Seattle scored the first goal yet again. The Avalanche then dominated the final two periods, flashing some of what made them Stanley Cup champs a season ago. Erik Johnson scored his first of the playoffs on a deflected shot 7:21 into the second, and Lehkonen redirected Devon Toews' slap pass at 16:57 to give Colorado a 3-1 lead. Vince Dunn scored Seattle's only goal.
Stars bounce Wild in 6 with 4-1 win behind Hintz, Oettinger
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Roope Hintz scored his fifth goal of the series, Jake Oettinger stonewalled his home-state team again, and the Stars eliminated the Minnesota Wild with a 4-1 win in Game 6 of their first-round NHL playoff series. Wyatt Johnston and Mason Marchment scored in the second period when the Stars outshot the Wild 18-5. Oettinger made 22 saves as the Stars advanced to face the Colorado-Seattle winner. Freddy Gaudreau scored with 7:07 left to prevent Oettinger from posting a second shutout in the series. Max Domi added an empty-net goal for Dallas. Minnesota hasn't advanced in the postseason in eight years.
Jack Nicholson returns to courtside for Lakers' playoff game
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson was back at courtside Friday night when his team hosted the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series. The 86-year-old Nicholson was back in the Lakers' downtown arena for the first time since last season's opening game in October 2021. The three-time Academy Award-winning actor sat in his usual seats near the opposing bench alongside his son, Ray. Nicholson was a fixture in the last half-century of Lakers history, cheering on the team during several eras of success after getting season tickets in 1970.
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