September 10, 2020 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – James McCann went deep twice for the first multi-homer game of his seven-year career as the White Sox drilled the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1. McCann hit a solo home run off Pittsburgh rookie JT Brubaker leading off the third and sent a two-run shot to the bleachers in left field in the sixth. Dane Dunning pitched six-plus shutout innings for the White Sox to pick up his first career win. The loss spoiled a celebratory day for the Pirates, who wore the No. 21 to honor Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente.
September 10, 2020 2:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has announced his retirement nearly three years after a spinal injury put his career on indefinite hold. Shazier required spine stabilization surgery after getting hurt in Cincinnati in December 2017. The two-time Pro Bowler became a source of inspiration during his rehab as he learned to walk again. The team placed him on the reserved/retired list during the offseason. The 28-year-old says he still loves football but is ready to begin the next chapter of his life
September 10, 2020 3:50 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning have followed a blowout win with a nail-biter to take a two-games-to-none lead over the New York Islanders in the NHL’s Eastern Conference final. Nikita Kucherov scored with 8.8 seconds left to lift the Bolts past the Isles, 2-1. The Lightning had two quality chances that were stopped by Semyon Varlamov seconds before Kucherov fired the puck into the net. Matt Martin put the Isles ahead just 1:24 into the game. Martin has five playoff goals after scoring just five the entire regular season. Victor Hedman tied it late in the first period for the Lightning, who were outshot 28-21. Andrei Vasilevskiy was superb at times and helped Tampa Bay kill off a five-minute major and a 5-on-3 situation. Game 3 is Friday.
September 10, 2020 3:52 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA (AP) – It took double-overtime for the Toronto Raptors to force a Game 7 in the NBA’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Kyle Lowry contributed 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 53 minutes as the Raptors outlasted the Celtics, 125-122. He got an acrobatic jumper to fall with 11.7 seconds left. Lowry bounced back after scoring just 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting in Toronto’s Game 5 loss. Norman Powell finished with 23 points off the bench for the defending champs, Fred VanVleet had 21 and OG Anunoby chipped in 13 with 13 rebounds. Anunoby put Toronto ahead by nailing a 3-pointer with under a minute left. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart combined for 83 Boston points, but Kemba Walker managed just five. Brown was high man for Boston with 31 points and 16 rebounds, Tatum had 29 with 14 boards, and Smart had a triple-double of 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. However, Smart missed a 3-point try that would have forced a third OT. Game 7 is Friday.
The Los Angeles Clippers are one win away from their first trip to the Western Conference finals following a 96-85 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4. Kawhi Leonard finished an assist shy of his first playoff triple-double, providing 30 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots. Leonard has scored 30 or more points six times during this postseason. Reserve Montrez Harrell added 15 points to help the Clippers take a 3-1 lead. They can close out the Nuggets on Friday night. Los Angeles coughed up an early 18-point lead and was tied at 48 early in the third before the Clippers responded with a 21-5 run. Nikola Jokic had 26 points and 11 boards for a Nuggets team that finds itself in an all-too-familiar situation. They were down in their first-round series against Utah before becoming the 12th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
September 9, 2020 7:58 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pinch-runner Jason Martin scored the winning run on catcher Yasmani Grandal’s error in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox. With the score tied at 4, the Pirates loaded the bases with none out. Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell singled and, after both runners advanced on a wild pitch, Ke’Bryan Hayes was intentionally walked to load the bases. Kevin Newman then hit a nubber in front of home plate. Pitcher Jimmy Cordero fielded the ball and shoveled it to Grandal in attempt to get a force out at home plate, but Grandal dropped the toss and Martin, who ran for Polanco, scored.
September 9, 2020 8:16 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – The Vegas Golden Knights turned the tables on the Dallas Stars to even the NHL’s Western Conference final at a game apiece. Two days after a shutout loss in the opener, the Knights allowed just 24 shots and blanked the Stars, 3-0. Robin Lehner posted his second consecutive shutout and fourth of the postseason. All the scoring came in a 10-minute span of the second period, beginning with Paul Stastny’s goal at the 4:53 mark. Stastny also set up William Karlsson’s power-play goal about 3 1/2 minutes later. Tomas Nosek capped the scoring for the Knights, who put 32 shots on Anton Khudobin . Game 3 is Thursday.
September 9, 2020 8:13 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The top seed is out after just two rounds and 10 games of the NBA playoffs. The Heat are in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in six years following a 103-94 win over the Bucks. Playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo because of a sprained ankle, the Bucks raced out to a 28-15 lead but couldn’t sustain the momentum. Miami answered with a 30-9 spurt that put the Heat ahead, 45-37. Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic each scored 17 points for the Heat, who overcame 22 turnovers and clinched their seventh trip to the conference finals since 2005. The Bucks are just the sixth No. 1 seed to fail to advance to the conference finals since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984. Khris Middleton scored a game-high 23 points for the Bucks.
Next up for Miami is the winner of the East semifinal series between the Celtics and Raptors, which Boston leads, three games to two. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers enjoy a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals after beating the Houston Rockets for the second straight game. LeBron James scored 36 points and Rajon Rondo sparked a fourth-quarter rally in the Lakers’ 112-102 win over the Rockets. Rondo scored eight straight points during a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter that put the Lakers ahead for good. He finished with 21 points and nine assists to help James set an NBA record with his 162nd career playoff win, surpassing Derek Fisher. Anthony Davis had 26 points and Kyle Kuzma added 14. James Harden scored 33 points and Russell Westbrook had 30 for the Rockets.
September 8, 2020 2:08 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa — The Pittsburgh Steelers locked up their defensive captain for what could be the remainder of his career, as lineman Cam Heyward has signed a record contract extension. Heyward signed a four-year deal worth $75.1 million. That average annual value would be the highest yearly contract for a defensive player over 30 years old in NFL history. The 31-year-old has been a force for the Steelers’ defense since they drafted him in 2011 out of Ohio State. He’s a two-time first-team All-Pro and has made three Pro Bowls. The deal reportedly includes $65.6 million in new money, which includes the last year of Heyward’s current deal. Throughout training camp, Heyward has been adamant he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh with the Steelers. Last season, Heyward had nine sacks, six pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In his nine career with the Steelers, the leader of the defense has recorded 54 sacks, 30 pass deflections and 6 forced fumbles.
September 8, 2020 3:50 am
EDMONTON, Alberta. (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning overwhelmed the New York Islanders in Game 1 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference final. Brayden Point and linemate Nikita Kucherov each collected five points as the Lightning clobbered the Isles, 8-2. Point delivered two goals and three assists for the Lightning, who showed no rust after defeating the Bruins in five games. Kucherov had four assists and scored a goal that put Tampa Bay ahead, 6-1 six minutes into the third period. The Islanders hadn’t allowed more than four goals in the postseason and owned the best goals-against average before getting blitzed. Thomas Greiss (grys) was pulled after surrendering three goals in the first 11 minutes. Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who will try to regroup before Game 2 on Wednesday.
September 8, 2020 3:48 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The Boston Celtics are one victory away from knocking off the defending NBA Champions. The Celts own a 3-2 series lead after Jaylen Brown scored 27 points in a 111-89 blowout over the Raptors. Kemba Walker scored 21 for the Celtics, whose starters outscored Toronto’s top five by a whopping 93-45. The Raptors shot 2-for-15 during its first 15 possessions to fall behind 18-5. A 23-7 Boston run put the Celtics up by 28 late in the first half. Fred VanVleet scored 18 for Toronto, which trailed by as many as 30. Norman Powell scored 16 for the Raptors, but Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry managed 10 points apiece. Game 6 is Wednesday. The Los Angeles Clippers staged a fourth-quarter rally to take a two-tames-to-one lead in the Western Conference semifinals against Denver. The Nuggets led 97-90 until the Clippers reeled off a 14-4 run in a 113-107 triumph over Denver. Kawhi Leonard had a huge block down the stretch and finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Paul George had a team-high 32 points for the Clippers, who are two wins away from their first conference finals berth since the franchise began play 50 years ago. Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for Denver despite a sore right wrist that had him questionable before the game.
