Sports

Game 5: Williams scores 40 points and Thunder win 120-109 for a 3-2 NBA Finals lead over Pacers

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jalen Williams had a career playoff-high 40 points, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 and the Oklahoma City Thunder moved one win from a title by beating the Indiana Pacers 120-109 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.It was the 10th — and by far, the biggest — time the Thunder stars combined for more than 70 points in a game. Williams was 14 of 24 from the field, and Gilgeous-Alexander added 10 assists for the Thunder.Pascal Siakam had 28 points for Indiana, which now trails the series 3-2 and will play host to Game 6 on Thursday night.

Panthers can clinch a 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup championship by beating the Oilers in Game 6

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers can win the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row by beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the final. Their first chance to clinch the franchise’s second championship comes at home after a dominant performance in Game 5 at Edmonton. Players say they learned important lessons from failing to close out the Oilers three times in the final a year ago. Still, the Stanley Cup being in the building is enough to rile up the nerves in what could be the final game of the NHL season.

Jay Monahan to leave next year as PGA Tour turns to NFL exec Brian Rolapp as new leader

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — The PGA Tour has a new CEO and Commissioner Jay Monahan is leaving after 10 years. The tour has announced top NFL executive Brian Rolapp as CEO of the tour and the commercial PGA Tour Enterprises. Monahan says he will concentrate on his board duties until leaving when his contract ends next year. The transition comes at a time when golf remains fractured by the Saudi riches that lured key players to LIV Golf. Rolapp was chief media and business officer for the NFL and a key executive for Commissioner Roger Goodell. He has been with the NFL for 22 years.

Sho-time at Dodger Stadium as Ohtani makes his long-awaited return to the mound after elbow surgery

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani gave up a pair of two-strike hits and a run in his Los Angeles Dodgers pitching debut against the San Diego Padres, which came 21 months after the two-way superstar had elbow surgery. Ohtani threw 28 pitches — 16 for strikes — in the first inning as Dodger Stadium fans hung on every one. They oohed when a fastball was clocked at 100.2 mph — the second-hardest pitch thrown by a Dodgers hurler this season. After getting through the top of the first on the mound, Ohtani struck out swinging at the plate leading off the bottom of the inning against Dylan Cease. Los Angeles reliever Anthony Banda replaced Ohtani in the second. Ohtani finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs as the Dodgers won 6-3.

Red Sox baseball boss Breslow says Devers trade does not mean ‘waving of the white flag on 2025′

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox thought they would be better off with a happy clubhouse than a disgruntled Rafael Devers. A day after trading their erstwhile third baseman to the San Francisco Giants, Red Sox President Sam Kennedy told reporters on Monday night that Devers’ refusal to change positions made it untenable for him to remain with the team. The Red Sox sent the three-time All-Star to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night for pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison and a pair of prospects. The move comes less than two years after Boston signed Devers to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract.

UConn greats Rebecca Lobo and Jen Rizzotti reunite to coach AAU team with their sons on it

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Rebecca Lobo and Jen Rizzotti have spent the last few years coaching the AAU team that their sons play for. It’s hard to miss a lot of the unselfish play and style that the two UConn greats learned in their time under Geno Auriemma and Chris Dailey, who just finished off their 40th year at the school. They’ve instilled that in their boys’ team.

OKC’s Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enter NBA Finals lore with Game 5 scoring spree

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jerry West and Elgin Baylor did it often. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James did it a couple of times. Magic Johnson and Jamaal Wilkes were among those who did it once. And now, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have entered NBA lore. Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night marked just the 14th time in league history that a game saw somebody score at least 40 points in a title-round game while one of his teammates scored at least 30. Williams had 40 and Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 in Oklahoma City’s 120-109 win over Indiana, a victory that gave the Thunder a 3-2 lead in the series.

Alcaraz-Raducanu is a US Open mixed doubles entry. So are Osaka-Kyrgios, Keys-Tiafoe, Swiatek-Ruud

Imagine Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu competing together for a Grand Slam trophy. How about Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe as a duo? Iga Swiatek alongside Casper Ruud? Or Naomi Osaka with Nick Kyrgios? Those are among the high-wattage pairs on Tuesday’s preliminary entry list for the reimagined U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament on Aug. 19-20. Ten of the top 11 women in the WTA singles rankings and 10 of the top 11 men on the ATP tour have registered to compete for the $1 million top prize that will be split by the winners. That is an $800,000 increase over 2024.

Louisiana is poised to hike its sports betting tax to help colleges pay their athletes

Louisiana soon could raise taxes on sports betting to help finance the athletic departments at many of its public universities. Legislation pending before Gov. Jeff Landry would make Louisiana the first state to raise taxes for college sports since a judge approved a landmark settlement allowing schools to directly pay athletes for use of their name, image and likeness. Earlier this year, Arkansas became the first state to exempt school NIL payments to athletes from state income taxes. Some sports business analysts expect more states to follow with laws aimed at giving an edge to their college athletes.

Sabalenka apologizes to Gauff for post-match comments after French Open

BERLIN (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka says she has written to Coco Gauff to apologize for the “unprofessional” comments she made following her loss to her American rival in the final of the French Open. Speaking to Eurosport Germany, the top-ranked Sabalenka said her remarks after her loss to Gauff at Roland-Garros were a mistake. In her post-match press conference in Paris, Sabalenka had suggested that the result was more due to her own errors than to Gauff’s performance. Sabalenka says “that was just completely unprofessional of me,” adding that she let her emotions get the better of her.