AP Sports SummaryBrief at 12:32 a.m. EDT
Nuggets try to avoid letdown with 1 win to go for team's first title
DENVER (AP) — Everything from the history books to the way they've played through most of the postseason suggests the Denver Nuggets are on the verge of capturing their first NBA title in 47 years in the league. The goal now for Denver is to avoid a letdown against the Miami Heat in what will be the first title-clinching opportunity in franchise history. The Nuggets are trying to keep their minds on hoops, not that trophy, and the mission could be helped by the fact that Miami's only win in this series came a week ago in Denver. Also, the Heat have won seven road games during the postseason.
Novak Djokovic wins his 23rd Grand Slam title by beating Casper Ruud in the French Open final
PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic has won his men's-record 23rd Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud in the French Open final. Djokovic broke a tie with Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the history of men's tennis. Nadal is a 14-time champion at Roland Garros who missed the tournament because he is injured. Djokovic adds to the French Open titles he earned in 2016 and 2021. He is the only man with at least three titles from each major. He also won 10 trophies at the Australian Open, seven at Wimbledon and three at the U.S. Open.
Nick Taylor wins Canadian Open, first Canadian champion since 1954
TORONTO (AP) — Nick Taylor became the first Canadian in 69 years to win his national open, holing a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole to beat Tommy Fleetwood in the RBC Canadian Open. Taylor tossed his putter into the air and jumped into the arms of his caddie after the longest made putt of his PGA Tour career. Fellow Canadian players Mike Weir, Corey Conners and Adam Hadwin were among those who ran out to the green to congratulate him. Hadwin was tackled on the green by a security guard. The last player from Canada to win the Canadian Open was Pat Fletcher in 1954 at Point Grey in Vancouver.
Golden Knights try not to think of Stanley Cup returning to Vegas on verge of title
The Vegas Golden Knights left Florida on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup. The trophy will be in the building the next time they play. That's back at home in Game 5 of the final on Tuesday night against the Panthers. But the immediate task at hand for players and coaches is not to dwell on how close they are to the franchise's first title. The Golden Knights have shown all playoffs and throughout this series that they are championship-worthy.
Status of Tkachuk is biggest question facing Panthers down 3-1 in Stanley Cup Final
The status of leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk is the biggest question facing the Florida Panthers down 3-1 to Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final. Tkachuk left for a stretch during the third period of Game 4 because of an undisclosed injury. Coach Paul Maurice said any of his injured players would be treated before and after flying to Las Vegas for Game 5. Florida would make history by becoming the first team in 81 years to erase a 3-1 deficit in the final.
Martin Truex Jr. surges to 4th career Sonoma Raceway victory
SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — Martin Truex Jr. has won at Sonoma Raceway for the fourth time. He passed Chase Elliott for the lead after a late restart and held off Kyle Busch for his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season. Truex confidently drove his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to another victory on the hilly road course at the base of Northern California wine country, where he also won in 2013, 2018 and 2019. Only Jeff Gordon with five has more victories at Sonoma than Truex, who earned the 33rd win of his Cup career and his second in the last six races.
Sue Bird commands floor once more as her No. 10 retired by the Seattle Storm
SEATTLE (AP) — For more than two hours, Sue Bird was back commanding the middle of the court. At times funny, at times emotional, Bird's 21-year career received a ceremony that matched the longevity of her basketball exploits when the Seattle Storm retired the No. 10 she wore during her WNBA career. The event pushed nearly three hours in total length with Bird's speech taking up more than half that amount. But it was the comprehensive closure that never materialized after Bird's career ended in the 2022 WNBA playoffs. It was a chance for Bird to share her thanks to former coaches, teammates, family, friends and fans who watched her win four WNBA titles and five Olympic gold medals.
Analysis: Iga Swiatek doesn't want to say what she thinks she is capable of, but it's a lot
PARIS (AP) — A popular question posed to tennis players after they begin accumulating Grand Slam titles is some form of: What's next? What are your aims now? What do want to accomplish? How many of these major championships can you collect? When it comes to Iga Swiatek, there's not much point in asking, although there were attempts Saturday night after she beat Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the French Open final. That victory made Swiatek the owner of four Slam trophies, including three at Roland Garros. Just making it to the last match of the tournament assured her of maintaining her grip on the No. 1 ranking, where she's been since April 2022.
Oral Roberts claims surprise College World Series bid; Wake Forest, LSU, Virginia also win supers
Oral Roberts will continue its surprising NCAA baseball tournament run in the College World Series after beating Oregon 11-6 in the deciding game of their super regional. No. 1 national seed Wake Forest, No. 5 LSU and No. 7 Virginia also won super regionals to advance. No. 2 Florida and TCU clinched CWS bids Saturday. Winners from the Texas-Stanford and Tennessee-Southern Mississippi super regionals will earn the other two CWS spots. Oral Roberts is the lowest-seeded team to reach the CWS in Omaha, Nebraska, since Stony Brook in 2012.
Phoenix Mercury make travel 'adjustments' following airport incident with Brittney Griner
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Phoenix Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard says the WNBA team will adjust its travel plans following Saturday's incident in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Nygaard would not say what changes will be made, citing league policy and safety concerns about the team's future road trips. Brittney Griner's teammates say they were startled when a "social media figure" confronted Griner at the airport. Airport officials eventually escorted the team's players to a different room with more privacy. The league says it approved charter flights to all road games this season for the All-Star after she returned from detainment in Russia.
AP-Scorecard
TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
___
INTERLEAGUE
Final Arizona 7 Detroit 5
Final Miami 6 Chicago White Sox 5
Final Oakland 8 Milwaukee 6
___
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Cleveland 5 Houston 0
Final Tampa Bay 7 Texas 3
Final Baltimore 11 Kansas City 3
Final Toronto 7 Minnesota 6
Final L.A. Angels 9 Seattle 4
Final Boston 3 N.Y. Yankees 2
___
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Pittsburgh 2 N.Y. Mets 1
Final Washington 6 Atlanta 2
Final Philadelphia 7 L.A. Dodgers 3
Final Cincinnati 4 St. Louis 3
Final Colorado 5 San Diego 4
Final San Francisco 13 Chicago Cubs 3
___
WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final New York 102 Dallas 93
Final Las Vegas 93 Chicago 80
Final Washington 71 Seattle 65
Final Connecticut 89 Atlanta 77
Final Phoenix 85 Indiana 82
Final Minnesota 91 Los Angeles 86
___
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Final tie LA Galaxy 1 Saint Louis City SC 1
Final Portland 1 FC Dallas 0
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.