September 14, 2020 3:57 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning used a quick-strike attack to take a three-games-to-one lead in the NHL’s Eastern Conference final. The Lightning are one win away from their first trip to the Stanley Cup final since 2015 following a 4-1 win over the Islanders. The Lightning’s first two goals came 12 seconds apart midway through the second period. Blake Coleman tied it 15 seconds after Brock Nelson gave the Islanders the lead. Ondrej Palat made it 2-1 at the 11:54 mark. Brayden Point added an insurance goal 3:33 into the third, returning to the ice after a one-game injury absence. Pat Maroon added an empty-netter and Andre Vasilevskiy made 26 saves for Tampa Bay. Isles netminder Semyon Varlamov was brilliant at times while stopping 32 of 35 shots. Game 5 is Tuesday.
September 14, 2020 3:55 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The Denver Nuggets have done it again, climbing back from a 3-1 deficit for the second consecutive NBA playoffs series. It was a comeback within a comeback as the Nuggets turned a 19-point, third-quarter deficit into a 13-point win over the Clippers, 111-98. Denver outscored Los Angeles, 62-27 over a dizzying 20-minute stretch of the second half. Nikola Jokic had 34 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for Denver, which also faced a 3-1 series deficit before downing Utah. Jamal Murray scored 21 for the Nuggets, who also got 16 from Gary Harris. Paul George had 33 points and Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard scored 25 for the Clippers.
September 13, 2020 7:12 am
PITTSBURGH — Kenny Pickett threw a touchdown pass and ran for another as Pittsburgh scored on each of its first six offensive possessions and raced to a 55-0 victory over Austin Peay at Heinz Field on Saturday. With Pittsburgh up 42-0 halftime, the teams agreed to play 10-minute quarters in the second half. Seven Panthers players were held out of the game due to COVID-19 protocol. Pickett and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple spread the love around as Pickett threw to seven receivers and six players scored touchdowns during the Panthers’ offensive explosion. A Paris Ford interception set up Pitt’s first score, a 1-yard Daniel Carter plunge. Pickett connected with Shocky Jaques-Louis on a 68-yard strike before scrambling into the end zone from six yards out to score on Pitt’s second drive. He then connected with wide-open Maryland transfer DJ Turner for a 51-yard score. Pickett finished 14 of 20 for 277 yards through the air. Freshman Jordan Addison was his most frequent target, hauling in seven catches for 35 yards.
September 13, 2020 7:14 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Jarrett Doege threw three touchdown passes, Leddie Brown and Alec Sinkfield gave West Virginia’s running game a lift it hadn’t seen in quite some time, and the Mountaineers beat Eastern Kentucky 56-10 Saturday. Brown and Sinkfield both finished with career highs of 123 yards and two rushing TDs in the Mountaineers’ season opener. It marked the first time that two West Virginia players went over 100 yards in the same game since the 2017 season. West Virginia did not have a single 100-yard rusher last season and averaged just 73 yards per game as a team, the third worst in the Bowl Subdivision. West Virginia overcame the suspension earlier in the day of 11 players for reasons that were undisclosed and not related to the coronavirus pandemic. Ten of those players were on offense, including starters at wide receiver and on the offensive line.
September 13, 2020 7:15 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Adalberto Mondesi homered and stole a base for the third consecutive game, Kyle Zimmer got his first career win after a winding path to the major leagues and the Kansas City Royals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4 on Saturday night. Whit Merrifield added a solo homer and the Royals won their fifth straight game. It was the third consecutive loss for Pittsburgh. Mondesi and Bobby Abreu in 2004 are the only players to homer and steal a base in three straight games since at least 1901, according to MLB.com.
September 12, 2020 5:14 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kris Bubic worked hard through five innings to earn his first major league win as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 for their fourth straight victory. Bubic improved to 1-5. He faced baserunners in every inning, but only allowed one run on six hits in five innings. The 23-year-old lefty won in his eighth big league start. He walked two and struck out six. Royals star catcher Salvador Perez came off the injured list and hit a double and single. He had missed the last 20 games with fluid on his left eye.
September 12, 2020 5:16 am
UNDATED (AP) – College sports leaders have said they expect disruptions to the football season that has just begun. About a dozen games have already been postponed because of the pandemic. Contact tracing is proving to be a key part of life for campus health officials. Differences in deciding who plays and who doesn’t could loom large over this college football season.
September 11, 2020 3:54 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs appear to have another offensive weapon after opening their Super Bowl title defense with a 34-20 win over the Houston Texans. Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran through the rain for 138 yards and a touchdown in his first game since the Chiefs grabbed him in the first round of the NFL draft out of LSU. The pint-sized dynamo unleashed a wicked stutter-step before running 27 yards for his first career TD. Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ aerial attack is as potent as it was during their Super Bowl run. Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes (mah-HOHMZ’) Jr. threw for 211 yards, including scoring strikes to Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs have won 10 straight dating to last season, including their come-from-behind 51-31 victory over the Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs. Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score, but he also was under relentless pressure and was intercepted once. David Johnson provided the biggest bright spot for Houston, running for 77 yards and a score. The game was attended by a socially-distanced crowd of about 17,000 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
September 11, 2020 3:57 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – The Dallas Stars had to go into overtime to take a 2-1 lead in the NHL’s Western Conference final against Vegas, but the extra session didn’t last long. Alexander Radulov scored 31 seconds into OT to give the Stars a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights. Radulov tallied on the only shot of the period, beating Robin Lehner with a wrist shot for his third career overtime goal. The Knights tied it twice in the third period before falling. Shea Theodore and Mark Stone sandwiched goals around Jamie Benn’s score to extend the game. Vegas outshot the Stars 18-4 in the third period and 40-23 for the game. Anton Khudobin stopped 38 shots for the Stars, who resume the series on Saturday.
September 11, 2020 3:55 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – Anthony Davis has powered the Lakers to within one victory of a potential all-Los Angeles Western Conference finals in the NBA playoffs. Davis had 29 points and 12 rebounds while dominating the paint in the Lakers’ 110-100 win over the Houston Rockets. Davis also helped Los Angeles compile a 52-26 rebounding edge. Houston also had trouble stopping LeBron James, who finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. Alex Caruso chipped in 16 points and Rajon Rondo had 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The Rockets showed fortitude after trailing by 23 midway through the third quarter. An 18-2 run got Houston within 103-96 as the Lakers turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions during that stretch. L.A. recovered to take a 3-1 lead in the conference semis. Game 5 is Saturday.
