AP Sports in a Minute Report for April 29th, 2024.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has torn patellar tendon in right knee after collision with player
PHOENIX (AP) — Minnesota coach Chris Finch has a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee after a collision with Timberwolves guard Mike Conley in the fourth quarter of the team's playoff win over the Phoenix Suns. Finch was helped off the court and later left the arena on a cart. The Timberwolves confirmed the nature of Finch's injury. Conley was trying to dribble down the sideline when he collided with Suns star Devin Booker and ran into Finch, who appeared to injure his right knee as Conley tried to brace their fall. Assistant coach Micah Nori directed the team for the final 1:41.
Timberwolves outlast Suns to finish sweep. Minnesota coach Chris Finch leaves with knee injury
PHOENIX (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 40 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 28 and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away late to beat the Phoenix Suns 122-116 and sweep the first-round playoff series. Edwards scored 29 of his points in the second half. He finished 12 of 22 from the field, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range. The franchise's first playoff series win in 20 years came after coach Chris Finch left the game late in the fourth after an inadvertent collision with Wolves guard Mike Conley. The team said he had a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee.
Brunson scores career playoff-high 47 points, leads Knicks over 76ers for 3-1 lead
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored a career playoff-high 47 points, added 10 assists and the New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 97-92 on Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. OG Anunoby added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and took on some of the defensive assignment against Joel Embiid in the fourth quarter as the Knicks moved within a victory of getting to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight year. The No. 2-seeded Knicks can do that with a victory at home on Tuesday night. Embiid played the entire second half after the 76ers faltered badly when he sat in the first. But the All-Star center couldn't muster a basket in the fourth quarter.
Paul George, James Harden help Clippers even series with Mavs at 2-2 after blowing 31-point lead
DALLAS (AP) — Paul George and James Harden each scored 33 points while playing key fourth-quarter roles to help the Los Angeles Clippers hold on after blowing a 31-point lead and beat the Dallas Mavericks 116-111. The first-round series is even at 2-2. The Clippers won again without Kawhi Leonard. The star forward missed the series opener with right knee inflammation before playing in the two Dallas victories. Game 5 is Wednesday in LA. Kyrie Irving scored 40 points with a layup for a fourth-quarter lead that was Dallas' first since the first quarter. Luka Doncic had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10.
Rangers finish off sweep of the Capitals, move on to the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs
WASHINGTON (AP) — The New York Rangers have advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs after finishing off a sweep of the Washington Capitals with a 4-2 victory in Game 4. Artemi Panarin scored the go-ahead goal on the power play early in the third period. Igor Shesterkin finished with 23 saves in another brilliant performance. Alex Ovechkin did not have a point in the series. The Rangers will next face either the Carolina Hurricanes or crosstown rival New York Islanders for a spot in the Eastern Conference final.
Boeser's hat trick helps Canucks rally, push Preds to brink of elimination
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Elias Lindholm scored 1:02 into overtime as the Vancouver Canucks stunned Nashville 4-3 on Sunday night and grabbed a 3-1 lead putting the Predators on the brink of elimination in their best-of-seven, first-round series. Brock Boeser had his first hat trick in the playoffs and seventh of his career. He scored on Vancouver's first shot and got the Canucks into overtime scoring twice in the final 2:49. His third came with 8 seconds left in regulation to quiet a Nashville crowd that celebrated much of the third period. The Canucks won with Arturs Silovs making 27 saves in his NHL playoff debut as their third different starting goalie in this series.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry rally to win Zurich Classic team event in a playoff
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event Sunday, beating Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer with a par on the first hole of a playoff. Trainer pushed a 6-foot par putt to the right of the cup to end it, with Lowry and McIlroy sharing a smiling embrace on the green. The 34-year-old McIlroy, playing in the event for the first time, won his 25th PGA Tour title and first of the season. Lowry claimed his third PGA Tour victory. The Irish tandem closed with a 4-under 68 in the alternate-shot final round to match Ramey and Trainer at 25-under 263. Ramey and Trainer tied the alternate-shot tournament record of 63.
Denny Hamlin holds off Larson late to win NASCAR Cup race at Dover Motor Speedway
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Denny Hamlin held off a hard-charging Kyle Larson over the final, thrilling laps and wiggled through lapped traffic to win the NASCAR Cup race by about a quarter of a second Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway. Hamlin's third win of the season tied William Byron for most this season in the series. Hamlin also picked up his 54th career Cup win, all with Joe Gibbs Racing. He's tied with Lee Petty for 12th on the career Cup list. Larson was second. Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott completed the top five.
Pacers hit franchise playoff best 22 3-pointers to beat Bucks 126-113 and take 3-1 lead in series
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Myles Turner scored 29 points, Tyrese Haliburton added 24 and the Indiana Pacers made a franchise playoff record 22 3-pointers as they pulled away from the Milwaukee Bucks 126-113. Indiana leads the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can close out the Bucks with a Game 5 win Tuesday at Milwaukee. The Pacers are 7-2 this season against the Bucks. Turner also had nine rebounds and four assists against a Bucks squad that was missing two injured All-Stars, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 27 points and nine rebounds, and Khris Middleton added 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. But Milwaukee never led in the second half.
Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray's status in jeopardy for Game 5 vs. Lakers because of calf injury
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets on Sunday listed point guard Jamal Murray as questionable for Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers because of a strained left calf. Murray was seen nursing the calf in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' loss in Los Angeles on Saturday night that snapped Denver's 11-game winning streak over LeBron James and the Lakers. Murray missed 23 games during the regular season with a variety of leg ailments but the calf strain is a new problem that popped up in Game 4.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Toronto 3 L.A. Dodgers 1
Final Atlanta 4 Cleveland 3
Final Texas 4 Cincinnati 3
Final N.Y. Yankees 15 Milwaukee 5
Final Houston 8 Colorado 2
Final Arizona 3 Seattle 2
Final Boston 5 Chicago Cubs 4
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Detroit 4 Kansas City 1
Final Chicago White Sox 4 Tampa Bay 2
Final Oakland 7 Baltimore 6
Final Minnesota 11 L.A. Angels 5
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Mets 4 St. Louis 2
Final Washington 12 Miami 9
Final San Francisco 3 Pittsburgh 2
Final Philadelphia 8 San Diego 6
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final New York 97 Philadelphia 92
Final L.A. Clippers 116 Dallas 111
Final Indiana 126 Milwaukee 113
Final Minnesota 122 Phoenix 116
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Colorado 5 Winnipeg 1
Final OT Vancouver 4 Nashville 3
Final N-Y Rangers 4 Washington 2
Final Edmonton 1 Los Angeles 0
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
St. Louis at Detroit 6:40 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Milwaukee 7:40 p.m.
Philadelphia at L-A Angels 9:38 p.m.
Atlanta at Seattle 9:40 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Oakland 9:40 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
N-Y Yankees at Baltimore 6:35 p.m.
Kansas City at Toronto 7:07 p.m.
Minnesota at Chi White Sox 7:40 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington at Miami 6:40 p.m.
Chi Cubs at N-Y Mets 7:10 p.m.
Cincinnati at San Diego 9:40 p.m.
L-A Dodgers at Arizona 9:40 p.m.
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Boston at Miami 7:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at New Orleans 8:30 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Denver 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Tampa Bay at Florida 7 p.m.
Dallas at Vegas 9:30 p.m.