UNDATED (AP) — The 2024 NFL draft class could quickly transform losers into winners. With a full season of college football still to be played, two future franchise quarterbacks are already being penciled into the top of draft boards: Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of Southern California and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Things can change, of course, but barring injuries the top prospects in 2024 should include the two QBs, a wider receiver with Hall of Fame bloodlines, a couple of foundational left tackles and several Alabama defensive players.
UNDATED (AP) — The spring transfer window for college football players is now closed. Colorado saw 52 scholarship players enter the transfer portal since Deion Sanders was hired as head coach in December. More than 40 of them did so over the past three weeks. That is unprecedented turnover even in a new era of loosened transfer rules.
BOSTON (AP) — James Harden matched his playoff career high with 45 points and hit a go-ahead, step-back 3-pointer over Al Horford with 8.7 seconds left as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied without Joel Embiid to beat the Boston Celtics 119-115 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal. Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and Tobias Harris finished with 18 for the Sixers, who made 17 3-pointers in the absence of MVP finalist Embiid, who sat sat out with a sprained right knee. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 39 points and 11 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 23 points. Boston hosts Game 2 on Wednesday night.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — It’s LeBron vs. Steph on the big stage, Take Five. Except this time it's a slightly different look in the playoffs two of the game’s greatest players. Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and these Warriors have never faced LeBron’s Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs — even if they’re plenty familiar with James himself. The Warriors faced James' Cleveland Cavaliers in four straight Finals from 2015-18. Game 1 in this best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series is on the Warriors’ home floor Tuesday night — Golden State is the sixth seed and the Lakers No. 7.
UNDATED (AP) — The first round of the NHL playoffs is usually chaotic. This year is no exception. The Stanley Cup favorite, the defending NHL champion and the team that made three consecutive trips to the final are all out. After winning a playoff series for the first time since 2004, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now favored to win its first championship since 1967. Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers also have a chance to come out of the West in another bid to end Canada's 30-year Cup drought.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Akira Schmid rebounded from his only bad game and made 31 saves in Game 7 to lead the New Jersey Devils to a 4-0 victory over the New York Rangers Monday night in an entertaining first-round playoff series. Michael McLeod and Tomas Tatar scored second-period goals in the series decider and Erik Haula and Jesper Bratt added insurance goals in game between the long-time Hudson River rivals. Coming off a franchise best 52-win season, the Devils will open the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday against the Metropolitan Division-winning Hurricanes in Raleigh, North Carolina.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Todd Pletcher-trained colt Forte and Brad Cox's filly Wet Paint are the morning line favorites respectively for the 149th Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Forte, the 2-year-old champion whose 190 points led the Derby qualifying trail, drew the No. 15 post at 3-1 odds on Monday for the $3 million premier race for 3-year-olds. Stablemate Tapit Trice is the 5-1 second choice after drawing the No. 5 post, with Cox’s Angel of Empire the 8-1 third choice after drawing the No. 14 post. Wet Paint drew the No. 7 post for the Oaks at 5-2 odds.
NEW YORK (AP) — Batting average for left-handed hitters was up 13 percentage points through the first full month of the season, an impact of baseball’s new rule changes. Average time of a nine-inning game is 2 hours, 37 minutes, down from 3:05 at the same point last year. Stolen bases rose 40% to their highest level in nearly a quarter-century and scoring increased by 1.1 runs per game. Pitch clock violations averaged 0.74. The big league batting average was .248 through 425 games. Lefties hit .242, up from .229 through April last year. Righties are hitting .250, up from .234.
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Former Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer is about to start his first game for his new team — the Yokohama BayStars. Bauer was shunned by major league baseball after claims of domestic violence and sexual assault. He was eligible to play this year in the MLB but no team would take a chance. His past has not followed him to Japan where he's a minor celebrity with Yokohama fans hoping he can bring the team its first championship in 25 years. A local department store will unveil a massive poster of Bauer to promote his first game.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday, 160 days after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The two-time National League MVP indicated on Instagram that an appointment with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday went well and that he was cleared to return. The Phillies arrived in Los Angeles overnight to begin a three-game series against the Dodgers on Monday. ESPN was the first to report that Harper was cleared. The return would complete a stunning recovery for Harper. The Phillies said when Harper had surgery on Nov. 23 that he was expected to return around the All-Star break in mid-July.
MONDAY SCORES
INTERLEAGUE
Final Houston 7 San Francisco 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Cleveland 3 N.Y. Yankees 2
Final Boston 6 Toronto 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Atlanta 9 N.Y. Mets 8
Final N.Y. Mets 5 Atlanta 3
Final Chicago Cubs 5 Washington 1
Final San Diego 8 Cincinnati 3
Final L.A. Dodgers 13 Philadelphia 4
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final Philadelphia 119 Boston 115, Phily leads 1-0
Final Denver 97 Phoenix 87, Denver leads 2-0
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final New Jersey 4 N-Y Rangers 0, New Jersey wins series 4-3
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