AP Sports

Butler, Williamson injuries are part of story for Heat-Bulls and Kings-Pelicans play-in finales

MIAMI (AP) — All four teams in the finales of the NBA play-in tournament on Friday night are dealing with injury issues. Chicago goes to Miami and then Sacramento plays at New Orleans. The winner of the Bulls-Heat game meets Boston in Round 1 and the Kings-Pelicans winner meets Oklahoma City. The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier for their game against the Bulls, who had guard Alex Caruso go down to a sprained ankle in Wednesday’s win over Atlanta. The Pelicans will be without Zion Williamson because of a hamstring injury.

NFL draft has potential to set a record for most players on offense selected in the first round

The 2024 NFL draft has the potential to set a record for most players on offense selected in the first round. No draft has seen more than 19 players on offense chosen in the first round. That happened three times, most recently in 2009. Many draft experts are predicting more than 20 offensive players will go in the first round and some have up to 25. The AP’s final mock draft had 22 going in the first round, including 10 offensive linemen, six wide receivers, five quarterbacks and one tight end. Only once in the past 57 years have the first seven picks all been offensive players. That happened in 2021.

NHL PLAYOFFS: ‘It’s wide open’ is the theme as the race to the Stanley Cup begins

There is no prohibitive favorite to win the Stanley Cup as the NHL playoffs begin this weekend. Carolina gets the slight edge after the Hurricanes won 16 of their final 21 games and look every bit like a team poised for a long run. So did Boston last year after setting league records for the most wins and points in a season. This time it wouldn’t be surprising if any one of nearly a dozen teams is the last one left standing in June. That group includes defending champion Vegas, 2023 East winner Florida and Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers.

Utah and Florida clinch final two spots at NCAA championship, denying Oklahoma’s bid for three-peat

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Utah and Florida clinched the remaining two spots at the NCAA women’s gymnastics championship on Thursday night, denying No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma a chance at a three-peat. Utah took the lead on the first rotation after posting a season-high 49.6375 on the beam — with a 9.950 from Abby Paulson and Malie O’Keefe. Jaylene Gilstrap and O’Keefe also posted 9.950 on the floor to keep Utah in front. The Utes finished with 197.9375 points, while the Gators had 197.8750 for the fifth-highest score in program history at the championships. Defending champion Oklahoma suffered from five falls to place third with 196.6625, followed by Alabama (196.4125). Fifth-seeded Utah and No. 4 Florida join No. 2 LSU and No. 3 California in Saturday’s finals.

Rivalries on tap with Barcelona-Chelsea and Lyon-PSG in Women’s Champions League semifinals

LONDON (AP) — The Women’s Champions League semifinals kicking off Saturday have a bit of everything. Two teams are trying to assert their continental dominance and the other two are fighting to be crowned European champion for the first time. Defending champion Barcelona hosts Chelsea in their first-leg match before eight-time champion Lyon takes on French rival Paris Saint-Germain. The second legs are the following weekend. Barcelona is going for its third title in four years, while Lyon is seeking its record-extending ninth. Chelsea and PSG have never won the Champions League or its predecessor the UEFA Women’s Cup.

NFL draft will include many Michigan men, maybe enough to break record set by 2022 Georgia Bulldogs

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — J.J. McCarthy is expected to be the first of many Michigan men drafted from its national championship team. The Wolverines had a record 18 players at the draft combine, giving them a chance to be the first school with at least 16 prospects picked in one NFL draft. Georgia’s 2022 national championship team set the standard since the draft went to seven rounds with 15 players picked, including a record-tying five first-round selections in the 2023 draft. McCarthy may be Michigan’s only player taken among the top 32 next Thursday night in Detroit.

Montreal scores twice in final minutes and rallies to beat Minnesota 4-3 in PWHL

MONTREAL (AP) — Kristin O’Neill scored twice, and Montreal rallied to beat Minnesota 4-3 on Thursday night in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Trailing 3-2, Montreal pulled its goalie for an extra attacker with 2:49 left in the game, and the move paid off. Laura Stacey scored past Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney and tied the game with 2:23 left. After Minnesota’s Maggie Flaherty took a minor penalty for holding, O’Neill scored her second of the game with 46 seconds remaining, completing the come-from-behind win.

Chasing 5th straight win, Nelly Korda is 2 shots back at Chevron Championship after a first-round 68

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — Nelly Korda, who is looking to tie an LPGA Tour record with her fifth straight win, shot a 4-under 68 in the opening round of the Chevron Championship. That leaves her two shots behind leader Lauren Coughlin in the year’s first major. The top-ranked Korda is seeking her second major after winning the Women’s PGA Championship in 2021. She could join Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam as the only players to win five consecutive LPGA events. The 31-year-old Coughlin has never won on the LPGA Tour and shot a bogey-free 66.

Chinese Grand Prix could deliver drama to F1 and slow Verstappen’s victory march

SHANGHAI (AP) — The Chinese Grand Prix could deliver some much-needed drama to Formula 1. This means Red Bull’s Max Verstappen can’t be penciled in as the almost-certain winner on Sunday. The three-time world champion has won 22 of the last 26 GPs and three of the first four this season. Only a brake failure in Australia kept him from possibly sweeping the first four races. The last Chinese GP was five years ago. The track is unfamiliar and has also been resurfaced. On top of this, the China weekend features the season’s first sprint race. That adds more unpredictability. Lando Norris of McLaren won the pole for Saturday’s sprint race.

Soldiers who lost limbs in Gaza fighting are finding healing on Israel’s amputee soccer team

RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — Israel’s national amputee soccer team is heading to France for the 2024 European Amputee Football Championships in June. The team lineup includes two Israeli soldiers who were seriously wounded and lost limbs during the war in Gaza sparked when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7. Another team member was wounded in the militants’ attack on the Tribe of Nova music festival. Amputee soccer teams have six field players who are missing lower limbs and a goalkeeper with a missing upper extremity. Sixteen teams, mostly from Europe, will participate in the competition.