Sports

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 34 as Thunder top Timberwolves 124-94 to advance to NBA Finals

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 to win the Western Conference finals series 4-1 and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. Chet Holmgren had 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks and Jalen Williams added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder. Oklahoma City will play the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks in the finals. Indiana leads the Eastern Conference finals series 3-1 with Game 5 to be played in New York City on Thursday.

Novak Djokovic trades his racket for a bicycle and takes a nighttime ride around Paris

PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic has swapped his racket for a bicycle and taken a ride around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Wearing a tracksuit and helmet, the 24-time Grand Slam champion navigated the famously chaotic roundabout with ease on Wednesday night. Someone filmed Djokovic and posted a short clip on social media. Wearing a dark blue track suit, sneakers and a properly fastened helmet — safety first! — the 38-year-old Serbian star pedaled through the famously hectic roundabout at one end of the Champs-Élysées.

MLB invests in Athletes Unlimited Softball League ahead of June debut

Major League Baseball is investing in Athletes Unlimited to support its softball league that will debut next month, marking the first time MLB will have a comprehensive partnership with a professional women’s sports league. MLB said Thursday it was making a strategic investment in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League of an undisclosed amount for operational costs and a commitment to help it gain visibility in various ways, including assistance with content, marketing and sales, events, distribution, editorial, and digital and social platforms. That includes marketing the AUSL and its athletes during MLB’s All-Star Game and throughout the postseason.

Defending champion Panthers head back to Stanley Cup Final with 5-3 Game 5 win over Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carter Verhaeghe broke a tie off a feed from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 left and the defending champion Florida Panthers advanced to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday night in Game 5. The Panthers beat the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final for the second time in three seasons. The Panthers will face the winner of the Western final between Dallas and Edmonton, with the Oilers up 3-1 to put them within a win of a rematch with Florida for the Cup. Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left by skating down a loose puck straight out of the penalty box after Florida had held up against a critical late power play for the Hurricanes.

MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still hasn’t achieved his main goal for the Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94, win the Western Conference finals series 4-1 and advance to the NBA Finals. He averaged 31.4 points on 45.7% shooting, 8.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game during the series and earned the Magic Johnson Trophy for MVP of the conference finals. Gilgeous-Alexander says he has one more goal and knows that none of that will matter when the Thunder play either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks in the Finals, starting June 5.

Paul Maurice, Rod Brind’Amour skipped player handshakes after East final. It was for a good reason

Florida coach Paul Maurice did not shake hands with the Carolina Hurricanes when the Eastern Conference final ended. And he asked Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour not to shake hands with the Panthers, either. It wasn’t out of disrespect. Quite the contrary. The handshake line at the end of a playoff series is one of hockey’s sacred traditions. And Maurice thinks the handshakes are part of what makes the game great to hockey fans, and he’s all for it happening. He has just said repeatedly throughout this postseason that he thinks the coaches shouldn’t be part of it and that he wants it all about the players.

In Barkov They Trust: The Panthers, led by their captain, are headed back to the Stanley Cup Final

Florida captain Aleksander Barkov is an unassuming star. He dislikes praise. He avoids attention. But it’s unavoidable now after leading the Panthers back to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season. Barkov set up Carter Verhaeghe for the game- and series-winning goal against the Carolina Hurricanes that gave Florida the East title again. His teammates have come to expect that he will show up in the biggest moments.

Heysel remembered: A look at the 1985 stadium disaster and how soccer recovered

On May 29, 1985, 39 people went to the biggest club game in soccer and never returned home. Heysel Stadium in Brussels was staging the European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool exactly 40 years ago. Crowd disorder culminated in a surge by Liverpool fans into an adjacent stand containing mostly Juventus supporters. In the ensuing chaos, some were trampled or suffocated to death as they tried to flee and others died when a retaining wall collapsed. A total of 39 people died and around 600 were injured. This is a look at the background and consequences of one of soccer’s darkest days.

French Open: Playing through pain is common for players worried about tennis’ rat race

PARIS (AP) — Casper Ruud is hardly an up-and-comer simply trying to make his way — and a living — in professional tennis. He’s a three-time Grand Slam finalist, ranked No. 8, the owner of more clay-court victories than any other man since 2020 and someone who’s earned nearly $25 million in prize money. And yet Ruud felt the need to play through pain for the better part of two months. He voiced concerns, also expressed by other players, that there is an overwhelming sense of obligation to take the court as often as possible, no matter one’s health, thanks to a schedule and a system Ruud called a “rat race.”

SEC’s spring meetings: The future of college sports is in the balance at Florida resort

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Nothing less than the future of college sports is being hashed this week at the Southeastern Conference’s annual spring meetings in Florida. Among the topics are the future of the College Football Playoff, the SEC’s own schedule, the transfer portal and the NCAA itself. All are influenced by the fate of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement that hovers over almost every corner of college athletics.