Sports

NBA Round 2 matchups: Cavs-Pacers, Celtics-Knicks, Warriors-Timberwolves and Thunder-Nuggets

Defending champion Boston vs. title-starved New York. High-scoring Cleveland vs. high-scoring Indiana. The 2023 champion Denver vs. this year’s favorite in Oklahoma City. And Golden State vs. Minnesota, pitting a current face of the NBA in Stephen Curry against an heir apparent in Anthony Edwards. Welcome to Round 2 of the NBA playoffs. It’s already in progress, actually: Indiana went on the road and grabbed Game 1 of its Eastern Conference semifinal series against Cleveland on Sunday. The Boston-New York and Denver-Oklahoma City matchups open on Monday; the Golden State-Minnesota series starts Tuesday.

Gregg Popovich speaks at news conference introducing Mitch Johnson as new Spurs coach

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Gregg Popovich spoke publicly Monday for the first time since suffering a stroke six months ago, saying at the news conference where the San Antonio Spurs formally introduced Mitch Johnson as his replacement that the time was right to make that move. Flanked by Spurs greats Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, the 76-year-old Popovich — speaking far more softly than he has in the past — said his health is improving and that he fully believes in Johnson. Popovich says “things are getting better by the day, but it’s not good enough for what we plan ahead.”

Can Aaron Judge hit .400? Peak Barry Bonds couldn’t, and that shows how daunting the math is

Ted Williams is the last American Leaguer to hit .400, and there are actually plenty of similarities between him and Aaron Judge. The one major difference is in the strikeout column. That’s why Judge is highly unlikely to repeat Williams’ famous feat. Judge has a .423 batting average through 34 games. His OPS of 1.287 is actually the same number Williams finished with when he hit .406 in 1941. Williams averaged a homer every 12.32 at-bats that year. Judge is hitting one every 11.82 so far this season. But Williams struck out only 27 times in all of 1941. Judge has already done so 31 times.

Michigan to suspend Sherrone Moore for 2 games to address NCAA allegations, AP sources say

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan is expected to suspend football coach Sherrone Moore for two games this year to address allegations that he failed to cooperate in the NCAA’s sign-stealing investigation, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke with AP. Moore is expected to miss the Wolverines’ third and fourth games against Central Michigan and Nebraska and all athletic-related duties during those weeks.

Natalie Nakase is 1st Asian American WNBA head coach and unfazed by being the face of the Valkyries

Natalie Nakase is the coach of the San Francisco Bay Area’s first WNBA team and she has learned to block out those who underestimated her. That focus and grit is what led to Nakase blazing a trail to become the league’s first Asian American head coach. The distinction adds to an already impressive rise to be the leader of the Golden State Valkyries, the league’s first expansion franchise since 2008. Nakase is one of four head coaches of color in the league this season. Her hiring has electrified Asian Americans, young girls in particular.

Cadillac F1 makes its entrance as official team at Miami Grand Prix as questions swirl about lineup

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The new Cadillac F1 team officially announced its arrival at a glitzy South Beach extravaganza over the weekend ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. Cadillac’s car was not revealed, a bit of a disappointment for those who expected to see all the bells and whistles of the newest team in Formula 1. No worries, promised the leaders of the new team: Cadillac F1 is on pace to be on the grid in 2026.

The rise of women’s soccer has led to more professional options for athletes

The opportunities for players looking to make soccer a career have increased as the popularity of women’s soccer grows. The National Women’s Soccer League was once the lone professional women’s league in North America. But others have more recently jumped into the market, including the USL’s Super League and the Northern Super League in Canada. Lower-tier leagues are forming, too. The NWSL has asked U.S. Soccer to sanction a second-division league that would include at least six teams and possibly launch in 2026. The WPSL Pro also will launch next year as a second-tier league.

Atkinson, Bickerstaff and Udoka are the finalists for NBA coach of the year

Kenny Atkinson got Cleveland off to a 15-0 start to the season and led the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference. J.B. Bickerstaff pulled Detroit from the basement to the playoffs. Ime Udoka guided Houston’s path to ending its five-year playoff drought. All three did elite jobs this season. And Monday, one of them will be the NBA’s coach of the year. The winner will be revealed on a TNT broadcast shortly after 6:30 p.m. Eastern. The coach of the year award, like several other NBA honors, was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters.

NHL to hold an international event at UBS Arena in 2026 in place of All-Star Weekend, AP source says

A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press the NHL is planning an international event at UBS Arena next February in lieu of the previously announced All-Star Weekend at the home of the New York Islanders. Commissioner Gary Bettman has said on multiple occasions recently that the league has been rethinking what to do about the event after the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year. The thought was always to use New York as a jumping off point for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, with players leaving from there to participate in the Games for the first time since 2014.

Champions League semifinals: Inter and Barcelona evenly poised, PSG holds a narrow lead over Arsenal

PARIS (AP) — Scoring three away goals should make Inter Milan feel confident heading into the return leg of its Champions League semifinal against Barcelona. But three-time champion Inter might not think so given five-time winner Barcelona’s ability to conjure goals out of nowhere with Lamine Yamal in the side. The first leg in Spain finished 3-3 with Yamal leading the comeback from 2-0 down with a stunning goal. In the other semifinal, Paris Saint-Germain holds a 1-0 advantage over Arsenal heading into the return leg in Paris but is sweating on the fitness of 33-goal top scorer Ousmane Dembélé. Neither side has won the competition.