AP Sports

Tatum scores 33, Celtics stave off elimination by topping Heat 116-99 in Game 4

MIAMI (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 17 points and the Boston Celtics staved off elimination in the Eastern Conference finals by running away in the second half to beat the Miami Heat 116-99 in Game 4 on Tuesday night. Derrick White had 16 points, Grant Williams scored 14, Al Horford added 12 and Marcus Smart scored 11 for the Celtics, who still trail the series 3-1 — but sent it back to Boston for a Game 5 on Thursday. Jimmy Butler scored 29 for Miami, which led by nine in the second half before getting outscored 48-22 in a 14-minute stretch that turned the game and perhaps the series completely around.

Vegas 1 win from another Stanley Cup Final after 4-0 win over Stars in Game 3

DALLAS (AP) — Jonathan Marchessault and the Vegas Golden Knights are one more win from reaching another Stanley Cup Final. Marchessault had the first of three goals in the game’s first 7 1/2 minutes for Vegas in a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars to take a 3-0 series lead in Western Conference Final. Game 4 is Thursday night. The Knights are looking to advance to their second Cup final in the franchise’s six seasons. Adin Hill stopped 34 shots for his first career playoff shutout. The Knights knocked Jake Oettinger out with three goals on their first five shots.

Lakers hoping LeBron James decides to continue career after playoff elimination

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James didn’t meet with the media on the day after the top scorer in NBA history said he needed time to think about his basketball future following the Los Angeles Lakers’ elimination from the Western Conference finals. James has skipped his team’s postseason media exit interviews before, but his decision Tuesday left Lakers fans hanging about his intentions with his enigmatic comments following a four-game sweep by the Denver Nuggets. General manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham say they’ll speak with James soon about his future.

NFL expects fewer kickoff returns with new fair catch rule inside 25

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The NFL has pushed the kickoff return further toward irrelevance with a priority on player safety. League owners voted for a one-year trial of an enhanced touchback rule that will give the receiving team the ball at its own 25 with a fair catch of a kickoff anywhere behind that yard line. The proposal passed despite coaches and players across the league saying they didn’t like it. They argued that it will create uglier plays with squib and corner kicks that are impossible for fair catches.

Vinícius Júnior soccer racism dispute ignites heated off-field debate in Spain

MADRID (AP) — Repeated racist insults against Brazilian soccer star Vinícius Júnior have unleashed a heated debate in Spain about tolerance for racism in a society that is becoming rapidly more diverse on and off the field. Since the season began in September, Vinícius Júnior has suffered racist abuse by fans of at least five rival teams, including the hanging of an effigy depicting the Black player from a bridge by a group of Atletico Madrid fans in January. Through his social media presence, the Real Madrid winger has repeatedly called out racist attitudes that he says prevail in a southern European country where a third of children are now born to foreign parents, the majority from Latin America and Africa.

Aaron Rodgers strains calf during warmups, sits out first Jets practice open to media

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers never made it past warmups in his first New York Jets practice in front of the media. The 39-year-old quarterback strained a calf while participating in conditioning drills Tuesday. Rodgers watched quarterback drills and remained on the field during practice, but was without his helmet and threw no passes. Rodgers downplayed the injury and said it’s not too serious. New York acquired Rodgers from Green Bay on April 26. Organized team activities began Monday and Rodgers participated. The session Tuesday marked the first with media in attendance.

Bills safety Damar Hamlin eases back into practice 5 months since near-death experience

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin eased his way back onto the practice field by taking part in individual drills and stretching sessions during the team’s voluntary minicamp some five months after having a near-death experience on the field. Coach Sean McDermott said the team is taking things one day at a time when asked of Hamlin’s status. McDermott did not provide any timetable as to when Hamlin can begin on-field sessions a month after being cleared to resume his career. The 25-year-old Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2.

NFL, Goodell close to finalizing 3-year contract extension; new deal would end in 2027

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL have agreed on the framework of a three-year contract extension that will keep him in place until 2027. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed the development on Tuesday at the league meetings in Minnesota. Goodell’s current deal expires in 2024. He has been commissioner of the league since replacing Paul Tagliabue in 2006. Irsay says he’s under the impression Goodell will retire after the extended contract expires and be involved in the development of his successor.

Yankees reliever tosses PitchCom device into stands, but avoids $5K bill

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael King makes his living by dotting the corners with 94-95 mph sinkers. But when the New York Yankees’ reliever tried to toss his PitchCom device into the dugout, he couldn’t even keep it from sailing into the stands. Working in the ninth inning of a one-run game against the Baltimore Orioles, the right-hander was having trouble getting on the same page with catcher Ben Rortvedt when it came to their PitchCom signals. So King decided to ditch his electronic device. He took it off his belt and threw it toward the Yankees’ bench, but it ended up floating too far. A woman in the seats between the dugout and home plate snagged it before it was returned to the team.

Blue Jays rout Rays 20-1 as Guerrero Jr has 6 RBIs, position players give up 10 runs

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had six RBIs and the Toronto Blue Jays stopped a five-game losing streak with a 20-1 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays, scoring their last 10 runs off position players. Guerrero put Toronto ahead with an RBI single off Taj Bradley in the first, had a run-scoring single in the fifth that opened a 10-0 lead and hit a 423-foot grand slam in a nine-run ninth against Luke Raley. All 12 Toronto batters in the game had hits, and the Blue Jays finished with 27 hits.