AP Sports

The Lakers fire coach Darvin Ham after just 2 seasons in charge and 1st-round playoff exit

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham after just two seasons in charge. The Lakers announced on social media that they were dismissing Ham four days after their season ended with a first-round playoff loss to Denver in five games. Ham led Los Angeles to the Western Conference finals less than a year ago in his first season as an NBA head coach. Ham presided over a disappointing year for the Lakers, who went 47-35 in the regular season and won the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament. General manager Rob Pelinka says the move “is the best course of action following a full review of the season.”

After top betting choices Fierceness and Sierra Leone, it’s wide open for the 150th Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Owner Mike Repole is 0 for 7 in the Kentucky Derby. Two of his top horses never made the starting gate. Last year, Forte was scratched the morning of the race with a foot injury and in 2011 Uncle Mo was scratched the day before because of illness. Now Repole is back with morning-line favorite Fierceness for Saturday’s 150th Derby. The bay colt will have to overcome a bit of Derby history since no horse has ever won out of the No. 17 post. Sierra Leone is the early second choice for trainer Chad Brown. After the two of them, the Derby becomes wide-open with 20 horses running 1 1/4 miles at Churchill Downs. A record $5 million purse is up for grabs.

Larry Demeritte is just the second Black trainer since 1951 to saddle a horse for the Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Larry Demeritte has run horses on Kentucky Derby day in the past, just never in the big race. The 74-year-old trainer says it was all practice for Saturday, when he will saddle West Saratoga in the Derby. The gray colt cost just $11,000 and is the pride of Demeritte’s 11-horse stable in Lexington, Kentucky. He’s just the second Black trainer since 1951 with a horse in the Derby, a race that was dominated in its early years by winning Black trainers. Demeritte was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and undergoes chemotherapy. He’s from the Bahamas, where his father was a trainer.

Miami Dolphins agree to sign Odell Beckham Jr. to a 1-year contract, AP source says

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins have agreed to sign wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year contract. That’s according to a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because the contract was not finalized. The 31-year-old Beckham will join his fifth team after previously playing for the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore, Cleveland, and the New York Giants, who drafted him 12th overall in 2014. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams during the 2021-22 season. NFL Network first reported the agreement.

French cyberwarriors ready to test their defense against hackers and malware during the Olympics

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Just like the Olympic athletes, the cyberwarriors that will be crucial for the success of the Paris Games are deep into training for the big event. They have turned to friendly hackers to probe their cyberdefenses, like boxers who use sparring partners to ready them for a championship fight. They have studied and analyzed the strengths, tactics and weaknesses of their opponents. But unlike the 10,500 Olympians who will converge on France’s capital in July, the cybersecurity engineers behind the Games are hoping to stay out of the spotlight. For them, the equivalent of a gold medal will be getting through the Games without a major incident.

Title, relegation and European spots in the balance as Premier League heads for exciting finale

The Premier League season is down to its final two weeks and there’s still plenty at stake from top to bottom. The title race is down to two teams in Arsenal and Manchester City, the relegation battle still involves three clubs in Nottingham Forest, Luton and Burnley, and the fight for the remaining European qualification positions contains as many as five rivals. The second-tier Championship’s regular season finishes on Saturday with a second promotion spot set to be secured. This is a glance at what is still to be decided.

Chevrolet denies participation in Team Penske’s IndyCar cheating scandal

Chevrolet denies having any knowledge of the IndyCar cheating scandal within Team Penske and says it hired an independent law firm to investigate if any General Motors employees were involved. General Motors President Mark Reuss says the manufacturer respects the “decision and actions” of IndyCar following last week’s disqualifications of winner Josef Newgarden and Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin from the March 10 season-opening race. IndyCar nearly two months later discovered that the push-to-pass software system on all three Penske cars had been manipulated to override series rules and allow the drivers to utilize the boost of horsepower during restarts.

Jamal Murray is saving the defending champion Nuggets with clutch playoff performances

DENVER (AP) — Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray scuffled with his shot in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers. But he kept coming through in the clutch by the time the fourth quarter rolled around. He’s the first player in the league’s 77-year history to hit two game-winning baskets in the final five seconds in a playoff series. Murray will lead the Nuggets into the second round where they’ll face the Minnesota Timberwolves starting Saturday in Denver.

Pat Beverley throws ball at Pacers fans, later tells reporter to leave his locker-room interview

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Beverley indicated a video showing him throwing a ball at a spectator on Thursday was misleading but later added that “I have to be better.” Cameras showed Beverley sitting on the bench and throwing a ball into the stands and hitting a fan with about 2 ½ minutes left in Milwaukee’s 120-98 Game 6 loss at Indiana that knocked the Bucks out of the playoffs. The video showed him throwing the ball at a second fan after it was lobbed back to him. Also during a postgame interview, Beverley wouldn’t allow a particular reporter to ask a question after discovering she didn’t subscribe to his podcast.

Fever move Caitlin Clark’s preseason home debut up 1 day to accommodate Pacers’ playoff schedule

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Fever fans will get to see Caitlin Clark make her home debut one day earlier than expected. Team officials announced Friday that next week’s preseason game against the Atlanta Dream will be played on Thursday. The game had initially been scheduled for May 10 but was moved to accommodate the Indiana Pacers NBA playoff schedule. The Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a win over Milwaukee on Thursday night. They’re scheduled to host the New York Knicks on May 10. The Pacers and Fever play in the same building.