AP Sports

Tkachuk sends Panthers to Stanley Cup Final, after topping Hurricanes 4-3 for sweep

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk scored a power-play goal with 4.9 seconds left, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 36 shots to cap off a brilliant series, and the Florida Panthers earned their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 27 years by beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 to win the Eastern Conference title in a sweep. Tkachuk’s goal was his second of the night — and maybe the biggest in Panthers’ history. The Panthers will play either Vegas or Dallas for the Stanley Cup starting sometime next week; Vegas currently leads the Western Conference title series 3-0.

Ja Morant is ‘fine,’ taking a social media break, police say after welfare check due to cryptic post

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Police in Tennessee have conducted a welfare check on suspended Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and say “he is fine” after cryptic messages appeared on his Instagram account and were later deleted. The post from Wednesday included messages and pictures saying “Love ya ma,” “Love ya pops” and “You da greatest babygirl love ya.” A fourth message simply read: “Bye.” Shelby County Sheriff’s Office spokesman John Morris told The Associated Press deputies checked on Morant at his home Wednesday morning. Morris says Morant told them he was “taking a break from social media.” Morant was suspended from all team activities May 14 after a video showed him flashing a gun for a second time.

Still down 3-1 to Heat, Celtics cling to hope as East finals shift back to Boston

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics finally found cohesion between their defense and offense in their Game 4 win, capitalizing off 16 Heat turnovers and finding their 3-point shot. Now down 3-1, the question is whether Boston can carry that energy home, a place where it is just 4-5 this postseason to keep alive its hopes of extending the series. At the very least the Celtics’ win made their hopes of becoming the first NBA team in 151 tries to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series shift from insurmountable back to possible heading into Game 5.

Pressure building on Team Penske to get Indianapolis 500 results

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Team Penske has struggled at the Indianapolis 500 the past few years, both in qualifying and the race, and the pressure has been building to produce some results. Will Power qualified 12th for Sunday’s race, matching the best qualifying effort of any Penske driver since the 2019 race. That’s when the team dominated both qualifying and race day, and Simon Pagenaud gave team owner Roger Penske his 18th Borg-Warner Trophy. Scott McLaughlin will start 14th and Josef Newgarden 17th for the 107th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Power was fastest in practice Monday, giving the team a jolt of confidence.

4 people accused of hanging Vinícius Júnior effigy released from custody

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Four people accused of hanging an effigy of Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior off a highway bridge have been released from custody while still under investigation for perpetrating a hate crime. A Spanish judge has prohibited the four people from attempting to communicate with Vinícius. They also have a temporary restraining order banning them from getting too close to Madrid’s stadium and training facilities and from any soccer stadium between four hours before and four hours after a Spanish league game. The court statement says the four people are also being investigated for trying to damage the moral integrity of Vinícius.

Frazier, Henderson power 8-run 7th, Orioles win 9-6, stop Yanks’ 5-game win streak

NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Frazier hit a three-run homer and pinch-hitter Gunnar Henderson had a go-ahead, two-run double in an eight-run seventh inning that rallied the Baltimore Orioles over the Yankees 9-6 and stopped New York’s season-high, five-game winning streak. Gleyber Torres homered twice and drove in three runs, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa tripled and homered as the Yankees built a 5-1 lead against Tyler Wells. New York’s bullpen entered with a major league-best 2.80 ERA, but Baltimore sent 12 batters to the plate in the seventh against Cortes and the Yankees bullpen, the Orioles’ highest-scoring inning this season.

Ohtani, Trout homer in Angels’ 7-3 win, completing sweep of slumping Red Sox

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout homered in the same game for the 26th time during the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox to sweep a three-game series. The Angels’ MVP duo came through in the early innings. Ohtani connected in the third, and Trout followed in the fourth to match Ohtani with 12 homers apiece this season. Rookie Zach Neto hit a three-run homer during a four-run second inning in the Angels’ fourth straight win. Connor Wong homered for the Red Sox, who have lost four straight for the second time in two weeks.

Sherpa guide who climbed Mount Everest a record 28th time says he’s not ready to retire

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — One of the greatest mountain guides says he’s not ready to retire after climbing Mount Everest for a record 28th time. Nepalese Sherpa Kami Rita reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain on Tuesday, beating his own record less than a week after setting it. He told reporters at Kathmandu’s airport that he will continue to climb as long as his body allows him. Supporters and family members gave him a hero’s welcome at the airport as he arrived by helicopter from Mount Everest. Kami Rita first climbed Everest in 1994 and has done so nearly every year since then.

Nuggets make Denver a hoops town with first trip to NBA Finals in 47 years

DENVER (AP) — It took 3,787 regular-season games and 29 trips to the playoffs, countless ripoffs of rainbow uniforms and even more ‘yeah, buts’ than any city should have to stomach. Finally, 47 seasons into an entertaining, often frustrating and almost always overlooked journey in the NBA, Denver is at the center of the basketball world. The Nuggets are in the NBA Finals. The Nuggets brushed aside their long-held irrelevance by completing their first sweep in 44 NBA playoff series. They did it against the Lakers, the team had beaten them in their seven previous playoff series. Next up, Denver will play the winner of the Miami-Boston series that the Heat lead 3-1. The first game of the NBA Finals is set for June 1.

A’s, Nevada leaders reach tentative ballpark agreement

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo announced Wednesday a preliminary agreement between his office, legislative leaders in the state and the Oakland Athletics for a stadium funding plan. It comes after weeks of negotiations over how much public assistance the state will contribute to a $1.5 billion ballpark in Las Vegas. The preliminary agreement indicates a funding bill could come to the Nevada Legislature in the coming days. It still needs approval from both the Senate and Assembly, with less than two weeks until the session ends. The A’s have been looking for years for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season.