Game 7 awaits Spurs and Thunder, with NBA Finals berth against Knicks going to the winner
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The last time Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder played a Game 7 it was the ultimate game of ultimate games, one that decided last season’s NBA championship. Another Game 7 awaits on Saturday night against the San Antonio Spurs to decide the Western Conference title. The winner goes to the NBA Finals to play the New York Knicks starting on Wednesday night, the loser goes home to lament what might have been. The Thunder went 2-0 in Game 7s last season on their way to the NBA title, while Spurs star Victor Wembanyama will be making his maiden appearance on the Game 7 stage.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Carolina Hurricanes is a Stanley Cup Final of playoff powerhouses
The Vegas Golden Knights will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final. It begins Tuesday night in Raleigh. The Hurricanes set the final matchup Friday night by finishing off Montreal in five games in the Eastern Conference Final. Carolina goes into the series as a slight favorite with home-ice advantage having won 12 of 13 during the playoffs. Vegas swept NHL-best Colorado in the West final to get some extra rest before what could be a grind against the Hurricanes.
Andersen remains steady in emotional win as Hurricanes advance to Stanley Cup Final
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen continued his strong postseason in net in an emotional win that pushed the Eastern Conference’s top seed to the Stanley Cup Final. Andersen carried a shutout into the third period of Friday night’s 6-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens to close out the Eastern Conference Final in five games. That came a day after learning that his agent and former NHL playing great Claude Lemieux died after taking his own life.
Giants’ Abdul Carter felt the need to call out Jaxson Dart to show he is against Donald Trump
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter says he felt the need to call out quarterback Jaxson Dart for introducing President Donald Trump because he felt it was his responsibility to show his teammates and others that he is against that. Carter took to social media on Saturday to criticize his teammate after realizing a video of Dart on stage with Trump was real. Dart said in a prepared statement he addressed the situation with teammates and did not invoke Trump’s name. Coach John Harbaugh said he felt the Giants would be a better team coming out of the situation.
Arne Slot fired as Liverpool manager a year after winning Premier League title
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Liverpool has fired manager Arne Slot at the end of his second season in charge and a year after leading the team to the Premier League title. The Fenway Sports Group owners say it made a “difficult” decision after Liverpool finished fifth in a disappointing title defense. FSG says “We have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a decision which has been reached lightly, anything but.”
The Latest: Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal prepare for Champions League final in Budapest
The title match in soccer’s biggest club competition is here: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Arsenal in the Champions League final in Budapest, Hungary. PSG is looking to win Europe’s elite competition for a second straight year, while Arsenal is bidding to become European champion for the first time on its return to the final after a 20-year wait. Both teams are coming off winning their own domestic leagues, in France and England, respectively. The game starts at 1600 GMT.
This is how Arsenal can upset the odds to beat PSG in the Champions League final
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Arsenal is the underdog heading into the Champions League final against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. But there are reasons to believe the newly crowned English champions have a good chance of upsetting the odds. Arsenal has the best defense in the Champions League with just six goals conceded. The team has developed the most efficient set-piece threat with a record 19 goals scored from corners in this season’s Premier League. Arsenal also is heading into the biggest club game in European soccer with the pressure off after ending its 22-year wait to win the Premier League.
It’s more than just fashion for Naomi Osaka in Paris. She’s into the French Open 4th round
PARIS (AP) — Naomi Osaka has advanced to the fourth round of the French Open for the first time in her career. Osaka beat 18-year-old American opponent Iva Jovic 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 over nearly three hours in her 100th Grand Slam match. It was again hot and humid in Paris with the temperature forecast to rise to 34 degrees Celsius, 93 Fahrenheit. The heat is expected to break for Sunday and the second week of action. Osaka’s Round of 16 opponent will be top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka or Daria Kasatkina. In the same half of the draw, defending champion Coco Gauff was playing 28th-seeded Anastasia Potapova.
Brewers pitcher Abner Uribe suspended 1 game for actions against the Cardinals
HOUSTON (AP) — Milwaukee reliever Abner Uribe has received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his inappropriate actions toward the St. Louis dugout earlier this week. The MLB announced Friday that Uribe had been suspended. He is appealing the suspension so he will be available Friday night when the Brewers open a three-game series at Houston. Uribe retired Alec Burleson on a called third strike with two outs and runners on first and second in the eighth on Tuesday night. He then made three WWE-style crotch chops while facing the Cardinals dugout. He later apologized through an interpreter.
Champions League final: PSG and Arsenal face off for European club soccer’s greatest prize
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain is aiming for back-to-back Champions League titles in the final. Arsenal is trying to win it for the first time in its history. European club soccer’s biggest prize is at stake when the the champions of France and England face off at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary. Titleholder PSG can become only the second team in the modern era to retain the trophy after Real Madrid, which won three in a row from 2016-18.