September 3, 2020 3:56 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The Houston Rockets are in the NBA’s Western Conference semifinals after winning a gritty seventh game in their series with the Oklahoma City Thunder. James Harden made up for a miserable shooting night with a big blocked shot that secured the Rockets’ 104-102 triumph over the Thunder. The Thunder got the ball to Lu Dort, who attempted a 3-pointer that Harden blocked with 4.8 seconds left. Robert Covington had 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Eric Gordon also scored 21 points for the Rockets. Harden finished with 17 points and nine assists. Jimmy Butler bailed out the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Milwaukee. The Heat squandered a six-point lead in the closing seconds before Butler drained two free throws with no time left to give Miami a 116-114 triumph over the top-seeded Bucks. The foul shots give the Heat a 2-0 lead in the series. Goran Dragic scored 23 points, Tyler Herro added 17 off the bench and Jae Crowder had 16 for the Heat.
September 3, 2020 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Todd Reirden is back with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have hired Reirden as an assistant coach under Mike Sullivan, just over a week after Reirden was fired as head coach of the Washington Capitals following a playoff loss to the New York Islanders. This is Reirden’s second stint in Pittsburgh. He served as an assistant under Dan Byslma from 2010-14. Reirden worked four seasons as an assistant under Barry Trotz in Washington, helping guide the Capitals to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2018. Reirden was promoted to head coach in the summer of 2018 but was removed after failing to lead the team past the first round of the playoffs.
September 2, 2020 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Ian Happ singled home Nico Hoerner in the top of the 11th to lead the Chicago Cubs to an 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Happ, who led off the game with a home run, went 3 for 6 with two RBIs as Chicago spoiled the major league debut of Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. Hayes, the son of longtime major league infielder Charlie Hayes, hit a game-tying home run in the eighth and added an RBI double. Kris Bryant added two hits for the Cubs in his return from the injured list.
September 2, 2020 2:24 am
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby underwent surgery to his wrist, the team announced Tuesday. The arthroscopic wrist surgery was successful, executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford said. Crosby had the surgery Monday in New York. Recovery time is expected to be three to four weeks.
September 2, 2020 3:53 am
UNDATED (AP) – Running back Leonard Fournette is a free agent after going unclaimed 24 hours after being waived by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fournette’s representatives responded to the waiver move by formally filing a grievance against the Jaguars in an effort to recoup the $4.17 million in base salary he was initially guaranteed for this season. Jacksonville voided all remaining guarantees in Fournette’s rookie deal following his one-game suspension for fighting with Buffalo linebacker Shaq Lawson in November 2018.
September 1, 2020 3:50 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Orlando Arcia’s pinch-hit single with two outs in the eighth inning drove in the tiebreaking run as the Milwaukee Brewers slipped past the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 on Monday night. Ben Gamel led off the eighth with a double and scored on Arcia’s hit as the Brewers took three of four in the series. Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save in his first appearance since walking five of the six batters he faced while trying to close out Saturday night’s game. Hader has yet to give up a hit this season.
September 1, 2020 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – The San Diego Padres have acquired Mike Clevinger in a multiplayer trade with the Cleveland Indians, bolstering their rotation with another bold move ahead of baseball’s trade deadline. San Diego got Clevinger, outfielder Greg Allen and a player to be named for Cleveland for a package of young players that included outfielder Josh Naylor, right-hander Cal Quantrill and catcher Austin Hedges. In other trade activity ahead of the deadline:
– The Oakland Athletics have acquired Mike Minor in a trade with the Texas Rangers, adding another piece to their rotation. Minor has struggled this year, going 0-5 with a 5.60 ERA with Texas, but he went 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA in 32 starts last season.
– Toronto has acquired left-hander Robbie Ray in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, giving the Blue Jays a former All-Star who has struggled so far in 2020. The Diamondbacks got lefty Travis Bergen in the deal. Toronto also received cash considerations as part of the trade.
September 1, 2020 3:58 am
TORONTO (AP) – Victor Hedman scored with 5:50 left in the second overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins and their fourth berth in the NHL’s Eastern Conference finals in six seasons on Monday night. Hedman beat goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the left circle, finishing a barrage that saw the Lightning outshoot Bruins 7-1 in the second OT. Tampa Bay improved to 5-0 in overtime games in this year’s playoffs.
September 1, 2020 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree is betting on himself once again. Dupree and the Steelers failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension during the offseason, meaning Dupree will likely become a free agent next spring. The Steelers placed the franchise tag on Dupree in March after he had a career-high 11 1/2 sacks in 2019. Dupree says he’s eager to prove his production last season wasn’t a fluke. He added that it’s “bittersweet” that his time with the Steelers is nearing an end but remains confident he will find the right landing spot in 2021.
August 31, 2020 10:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – John Thompson, the imposing Hall of Famer who turned Georgetown into a “Hoya Paranoia” powerhouse and became the first Black coach to lead a team to the NCAA men’s basketball championship, has died at 78. His death was announced in a family statement Monday. No details were disclosed. One of the most celebrated and polarizing figures in his sport, Thompson took over a moribund Georgetown program in the 1970s and molded it into a perennial contender, culminating with a national championship team anchored by Patrick Ewing in 1984. At 6-foot-10, with an ever-present white towel slung over his shoulder, Thompson literally and figuratively towered over the Hoyas for decades, becoming a patriarch of sorts after he quit coaching in 1999.
