U.S./World Sports category, Page 113
Jokic leads Denver Nuggets past LeBron’s Lakers, into their first NBA FinalsVideo
LOS ANGELES — Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, and the Denver Nuggets advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history Monday night, sweeping the Western Conference finals with a 113-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jamal Murray scored 25 points...
LSU’s Dylan Crews top SEC player, teammate Paul Skenes top pitcher
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — LSU junior outfielder Dylan Crews is the first consecutive winner of the Southeastern Conference player of the year award while Tigers junior right-hander Paul Skenes is pitcher of the year. The teammates, projected as the top two picks in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft, were honored Monday...
Alex Palou’s record run earns Chip Ganassi 3rd straight Indy 500 pole
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Palou will lead the field to green in the Indianapolis 500 after the young Spaniard put together the fastest four-lap pole run in history Sunday, edging Rinus VeeKay and Felix Rosenqvist to give Chip Ganassi Racing its third consecutive pole in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”...
PGA Championship becomes a ‘Block party’ celebrating club pro finishing tied for 15th
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Michael Block recalled how only a week ago he was having drinks at the Pittsford Pub — a few par-5s away from where the PGA Championship was being held at Oak Hill in suburban Rochester, N.Y. — and no one knew who he was. On Sunday, the...
Carmelo Anthony retires from NBA, after 19-year career, NCAA title, 3 Olympic gold medals
Carmelo Anthony, the star forward who led Syracuse to an NCAA championship in his lone college season and went on to spend 19 years in the NBA, announced his retirement on Monday. Anthony, who was not in the NBA this season, retires as the No. 9 scorer in league history....
Mark Madden: Attendance doesn’t lie when it comes to Brittney Griner’s return to WNBA
Brittney Griner made her return to the WNBA on Friday when her Phoenix team visited Los Angeles. Griner missed the 2022 season while she was imprisoned 10 months in Russia for carrying a controlled substance (cannabis vape cartridges) through a Moscow airport. Vice President Kamala Harris attended. So did tennis...
Kyle Larson dominates NASCAR All-Star race, takes home $1 million
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Kyle Larson turned in a dominating effort to win his third All-Star race and earn $1 million Sunday night in the Cup Series’ return to North Wilkesboro Speedway following a 27-year absence. Larson became only the fourth driver to win the All-Star race at least three...
Hovland endures another near miss at a major at PGA, believes his time is comingVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Viktor Hovland knows his moment on golf’s biggest stage is coming. Of course, he would be fine if it would just hurry up and get here already. For the third straight major, the 25-year-old Norwegian with the incandescent wardrobe and the even more vibrant game found his...
Brooks Koepka delivers another major performance to win PGA Championship
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — All those injuries that made Brooks Koepka wonder if he was still among golf’s elite were put to rest Sunday at Oak Hill when he beat the strongest field of the year and won the PGA Championship for his fifth major title. Determined as ever to restore...
Murrysville’s Jared Smith takes bronze at World Karate Federation event
Pennsylvania Shotokan Karate Club athlete Jared Smith earned a bronze medal in April at the World Karate Federation K1 Series A event in Vancouver, Canada. A Franklin Regional grad and current student at Carnegie Mellon, Smith finished third in the 75-kilogram division for kumite fighting. He competed against martial artists...
Mage’s Triple Crown bid ends after finishing third in PreaknessVideo
BALTIMORE — A half-mile into the Preakness, Mage’s Triple Crown chances were already in serious jeopardy. The Kentucky Derby-winning colt was racing comfortably — and wasn’t that far behind — but the pace was a fairly easy one, and that made the leaders tough to catch. “Not much speed in...
Finally paired at a major, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau play nice and play well at PGA
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau insist they ended their beef long ago. They’ve hugged it out. They’ve made their money. They’ve moved on. They’re at different points in their careers now. Different parts of their lives. As if to prove it once and for all, Koepka and...
Koepka again in position for major title after stellar 66 at soggy PGA ChampionshipVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Brooks Koepka says he thrives in majors because they’re the toughest tests. The PGA Championship was every bit of that on a rainy Saturday at Oak Hill, and so was Koepka. Koepka was at his best even during occasional downpours, and he surged into the 54-hole lead...
National Treasure wins Preakness, ending Triple Crown possibility
BALTIMORE — Bob Baffert choked back tears, and his voice cracked while trying to juggle the feelings of one of his horses winning the Preakness Stakes and another being euthanized on the same track. “This business is twists and turns, the ups and downs,” he said. “To win this —...
NASCAR drivers facing unfamiliar venue with All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — William Byron has driven past North Wilkesboro Speedway on his way to the Blue Ridge Mountains. So has Brad Keselowski and many other North Carolina-based NASCAR drivers. Like most, they’d never been inside the track before this week. And none of the drivers on the NASCAR...
Horse trained by Bob Baffert euthanized on track after racing injury on Preakness undercard
BALTIMORE — A horse trained by Bob Baffert was euthanized on the track after going down with a left front leg injury and unseating his jockey during a race on the Preakness undercard Saturday. Hours before the second leg of the Triple Crown, favorite Havnameltdown buckled forward and threw jockey...
‘One of us’: Club pro Michael Block scores one for working man at PGA Championship
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Michael Block is supposed to work on Monday, just like nearly every other PGA club professional this time of year. The 46-year-old’s daily routine at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Southern California is a mixture of lessons and paperwork. It’s typically followed by an early-evening visit from...
Scheffler tied for lead in PGA Championship as Oak Hill delivers a new challenge
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Oak Hill is delivering a little bit of everything at this PGA Championship. One constant is Scottie Scheffler, who is getting used to chasing majors. A frost delay at the start gave way to warmth and wind Friday morning before rain showers brought out the umbrellas in...
Bob Baffert is back at Preakness, his 1st Triple Crown race in 2 years
BALTIMORE — Bob Baffert is back at the Preakness for his first Triple Crown race in two years, returning from a suspension and looking for a record-breaking win with National Treasure. The white-haired Hall of Fame trainer and one of the faces of horse racing was in a familiar spot...
Takuma Sato, Marcus Ericsson put Ganassi on top in final practice before Indy 500 qualifyingVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato turned the fastest lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 27 years on Friday, and defending winner Marcus Ericsson was close behind him, making Chip Ganassi Racing the team to beat heading into qualifying weekend for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Sato turned...
Mage faces tough challenge in second Triple Crown race at Preakness
BALTIMORE — Mage’s path through Triple Crown season is not an easy one. The Kentucky Derby winner opened as the favorite for this weekend’s Preakness Stakes, but Mage will have to top a field that includes Bob Baffert-trained National Treasure and others to become the first horse to take the...
Wrestling’s ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham, the template for Hulk Hogan, dies at 79
“I lift barbell plates. I eat T-bone steaks. I’m sweeter than a German chocolate cake. How much more of me can you take?” When you discuss the hyperbolized figures in pro wrestling history, “Superstar” Billy Graham has to be in the conversation. He was supposed to be a reviled rulebreaker,...
First Mission scratched from Preakness 36 hours before Triple Crown race
BALTIMORE — Brad Cox-trained First Mission has been scratched from the Preakness on the advice of veterinarians, taking one of the top contenders out of the Triple Crown race 36 hours before post time. Godolphin, which owns the horse, announced the scratch early Friday, saying vets identified a left hind...
Katie Taylor’s impact on women’s boxing hits home for young Irish fighters
DUBLIN — Kaci Rock was an elementary school student when she slipped on the gloves at Bray Boxing Club. Problem was, there weren’t many other girls. Katie Taylor was one of them, though. “There was nothing really for girls at that time. I’d have to fight boys when I was...
DeChambeau resurfaces at Oak Hill and leads PGA ChampionshipVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Bryson DeChambeau was back on a major stage Thursday. No longer the incredible bulk, he still lashed away with speed and strength that carried him to a 4-under-par 66 at tough Oak Hill and the early lead in the PGA Championship. DeChambeau kept the ball in play...
