Expansion Portland Fire hand New York 3rd straight loss with 81-74 victory
NEW YORK (AP) — Sarah Ashlee Barker scored all seven of her points in a fourth quarter run to lift the Portland Fire to an 81-74 win over the New York Liberty on Monday night. Trailing 65-60, midway through the fourth quarter, Portland (4-3) scored 12 straight points with Barker leading the way to go up 72-65. She hit a layup and a 3-pointer that made it 67-65 — Portland’s first lead since early in the third quarter. New York, which was missing star guard Sabrina Ionescu, could only get within 74-71 on two free throws by Breanna Stewart with just over 29 seconds left. Stewart finished with 25 points for New York, which has lost three straight.
New York back in NBA Finals for first time since 1999 after beating Cleveland 130-93 to finish sweep
CLEVELAND (AP) — Karl Anthony-Towns had 19 points and 14 rebounds, OG Anunoby scored 17 and the New York Knicks routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 Monday night to complete a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference finals and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Landry Shamet scored 16 off the bench while Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson had 15 apiece for the Knicks, who became the fourth team to have an 11-game winning streak during their postseason run. The last to do it was Golden State, which had a 15-game run en route to its second title in three seasons in 2017. Donovan MItchell had 31 points for Cleveland, which was swept in a postseason series for the first time since the 2018 NBA finals against Golden State.
Astros starter Tatsuya Imai and 2 relievers throw combined no-hitter against Rangers
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai and relievers Steven Okert and Alimber Santa combined to throw a no-hitter in a 9-0 win over the Texas Rangers. It was the first no-hitter in the major leagues since Shota Imanaga and two Chicago Cubs relievers combined for a 12-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 4, 2024. The 23-year-old Santa fired two perfect innings Monday night and became the first pitcher to finish a no-hitter in his big league debut. Imai went six innings in the 17th regular-season no-hitter in Astros history and fourth that was a combined effort. Houston also threw a no-hitter in the 2022 World Series when four pitchers combined against Philadelphia. Okert worked the seventh, and Santa threw a called third strike past Brandon Nimmo to end it.
Svechnikov scores in OT as Hurricanes beat Canadiens 3-2 in Game 3 of East final
MONTREAL (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov scored at 14:06 of overtime as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final. Shayne Gostisbehere and Taylor Hall scored in regulation for Carolina. Frederik Andersen made 11 saves. Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson scored for Montreal, which got 35 stops from Jakub Dobes. Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday at the Bell Centre.
Jalen Brunson leads Knicks to NBA Finals, wins Larry Bird Trophy as Eastern Conference finals MVP
CLEVELAND (AP) — The New York Knicks made a commitment to Jalen Brunson four years ago, signing him as a free agent and building their team around him. Brunson proved they made the right decision by leading them to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The All-Star point guard averaged 25.5 points and 7.8 assists during New York’s sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, earning the Larry Bird Trophy as the series MVP. He had 15 points and five assists, when the Knicks crushed Cleveland 130-93 in Game 4.
Wander Franco criminally responsible for abuse, judge finds, but spared punishment in Dominican case
PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — A Dominican judge has ruled that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco is criminally responsible for the sexual and psychological abuse of a minor but will not serve a sentence. Judge José Antonio Núñez found Franco was a victim of extortion by the minor’s mother, who was sentenced to ten years for trafficking her daughter. Franco was arrested in January 2024 for a relationship with a 14-year-old girl. After the ruling, Franco expressed relief and asked fans for support. The full sentencing is set for June 16.
Heat wave at French Open impacts the clay courts and sends fans to sprinklers
PARIS (AP) — Tennis players at the French Open say they haven’t experienced conditions this hot at Roland Garros since the 2024 Paris Olympics. And the Olympics were held in July and August. Temperatures for the opening two days of the clay-court Grand Slam have soared to 33 degrees C (91 F). That’s far beyond normal for late May in the French capital. And it’s forecast to stay that way for the entire first week. Besides making it uncomfortable for fans and players alike the sultry conditions have also created faster conditions on court. Russian-born Australian player Daria Kasatkina says “I don’t remember the last time it was so hot at Roland Garros.”
Inter Miami says Lionel Messi has ‘an overload’ associated with fatigue in left hamstring
MIAMI (AP) — Inter Miami confirmed Monday that Lionel Messi has a left hamstring issue, though did not say when the problem is expected to be cleared up. And that adds a bit of intrigue for defending World Cup champion Argentina, which is scheduled to open its training camp for this year’s tournament on June 1 in Kansas City. Messi underwent testing on Monday — which almost certainly means an MRI exam, though the team did not divulge what procedures were involved — and was ultimately diagnosed with “an overload associated with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring.” Typically, the timeframe for recovery from such issues is varied depending on the severity.
Cavaliers overwhelmed in Game 4 by Knicks, who sweep series and send Cleveland into uncertain summer
CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers finally got past the second round and face-planted in the Eastern Conference finals. They weren’t ready for the Knicks or the big stage. Cleveland’s season ended with an embarrassing 130—93 loss on Monday night in Game 4 to the New York Knicks, who swept the series and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The sweep will trigger a massive roster overhaul and perhaps even a coaching change in Cleveland. This isn’t what the Cavs had in mind when they traded for guard James Harden in February.
The Knicks keep adding numbers to their historic run, which has taken them to the NBA Finals
The NBA Finals won’t start until June 3, so the schedule will do something that the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers could not in recent weeks. It’ll prevent the New York Knicks from winning. For a few days, anyway. The Knicks are headed to the NBA Finals, and they’re headed there on a roll like few others in league history. New York finished off a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night, beating the Cavaliers 130-93 — and extending its winning streak to 11 games.
Dodgers get their ‘clown in the clubhouse’ back as Kiké Hernández returns from surgery
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have Kiké Hernández back in action. He went 2 for 2 with a RBI double in his season debut against the Colorado Rockies, playing third base in place of injured Max Muncy. The Dodgers rallied for a 5-3 win. Hernández missed the first 53 games recovering from elbow surgery. Manager Dave Roberts praised his energy and toughness, noting that few understood the severity of his injury. Hernández played through pain last season, helping the Dodgers win their second consecutive World Series. He signed a $4.5 million, one-year contract in February to return for his 10th season in Los Angeles.