NBA
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Giannis Antetokounmpo helped Milwaukee lock up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and the NBA playoffs with another MVP-worthy performance.
Antetokounmpo outdueled fellow MVP candidate Joel Embiid, finishing with 45 points and 13 rebounds and leading Milwaukee to a 128-122 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night as the Bucks clinched the top spot in the conference and the top overall top seed in the upcoming playoffs.
NEW YORK (AP) - New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis has been fined $15,000 by the NBA for directing an obscene gesture toward a fan.
NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe, who announced the fine on Thursday, says Davis made the offending gesture as he left the court following the Pelicans’ 115-109 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in New Orleans on Wednesday night.
NHL
WASHINGTON (AP) - Nic Dowd put Washington ahead for good early in the second period, Braden Holtby made 33 stops and the Capitals clinched the Metropolitan Division title with a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
Lars Eller also scored as Washington wrapped up a fourth consecutive division crown with one game remaining.
After clinching their fifth consecutive playoff spot and 11th in 12 seasons last week, the defending Stanley Cup champions enter the postseason having won five of six. They’ve allowed only one goal in three of those victories.
NEW YORK (AP) - Hall of Fame executive Glen Sather is stepping down as Rangers president and transitioning to a new role as senior adviser to owner James Dolan.
Sather’s move comes after 19 years with the Rangers in which he served the first 15 as New York’s president and general manager. He ceded general manager duties to longtime assistant Jeff Gorton before the 2015-16 season.
The team will immediately begin a search for a new president
BASEBALL
CLEVELAND (AP) - The Cleveland Indians’ bid to pitch a combined no-hitter has been broken up by a leadoff single in the ninth inning by Toronto’s Freddy Galvis.
Galvis singled cleanly up the middle Thursday against Indians closer Brad Hand.
Indians starter Trevor Bauer was pulled after seven no-hit innings and 117 pitches. Relievers Jon Edwards and Brad Hand kept the try going through the eighth.
Bauer struck out eight and walked six.
The Indians haven’t pitched a no-hitter since Len Barker threw a perfect game in 1981 against Toronto.
NEW YORK (AP) - The most popular players in All-Star voting will be in the money - at least enough to cover part of the season’s clubhouse tips.
The highest vote-getter in both leagues in the first round of the new fan voting system will receive a $15,000 bonus, according to details obtained by The Associated Press. That payment will go to the leading vote-getter at catcher and each infield position plus the top three among outfielders.
For all positions other than the outfield, the second-place finishers will receive $5,000 apiece and the third-place finishers $2,500 each.
-By Baseball Writer Ronald Blum.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw gave up two runs and struck out six in 4 1/3 innings during his rehab assignment for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday night.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner threw 61 pitches against the San Antonio Missions, a Milwaukee Brewers affiliate. Oklahoma City trailed 2-0 when Kershaw was pulled in the top of the fifth. He earned a no-decision.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Texas Tech’s Chris Beard has guided his team to its first Final Four appearance and now has a top coaching honor to go with it.
Beard has been named The Associated Press men’s college basketball coach of the year. He earned 20 of 64 votes from AP Top 25 voters who submitted ballots before the start of the NCAA Tournament.
Beard’s team won a share of the Big 12 regular season title for the first time, then pushed past No. 1 seed Gonzaga to win the West Region and earn a ticket to Minneapolis.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Megan Gustafson rewrote the women’s basketball record book at Iowa.
The 6-foot-3 center led the nation in scoring for the second straight season, averaging 27.9 points, and became the fourth player to reach 1,000 points in a year. On Thursday, she won The Associated Press women’s college basketball player of the year award.
Led by Gustafson, the Hawkeyes reached the Elite Eight for the first time since 1993. That season, coach Kim Mulkey and Baylor ended their season.
Mulkey was also honored Thursday, taking the AP coach of the year award for the second time. She has led top-ranked Baylor to a 35-1 record and helped the Lady Bears reach the Final Four for the first time since 2012. That was when Mulkey won the coach of the year, leading Baylor to a 40-0 record and the national championship.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - The attorney for North Carolina women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell says players misconstrued comments she made as racist and that she wouldn’t try to force someone to play without clearance from medical staff.
Wade Smith made the comments Thursday to The Washington Post and The News & Observer of Raleigh.
The school placed Hatchell and her coaching staff on paid administrative leave Monday amid player concerns while a law firm conducts a review of the program. The Post, citing unnamed parents of players, said complaints were about inappropriate racial comments and players being pushed to play while injured.
FOOTBALL
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Jets have unveiled new uniforms and a tweaked team logo at an event in midtown Manhattan.
It’s the first time the franchise has rebranded its uniforms, apparel and merchandise since 1998.
The uniforms will feature combinations of a unique shade of green called Gotham green and spotlight white, along with stealth black that’s featured in an alternative uniform the team can wear up to three times in a season. The jerseys also feature “New York” in small letters across the chest and above the players’ numbers.
The helmet is a shiny green, replacing the white headgear the players wore the last 20 years. The new logo features the letters “JETS” in white, with a white football under it.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - A person with knowledge of the deal says the Denver Broncos have agreed to terms with cornerback De’Vante Bausby, one of the stars of the failed Alliance of American Football league that suspended operations this week.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team has not officially announced the signing, which is expected Friday.
Bausby had four interceptions for the San Antonio Commanders in the new spring league that lasted just eight weeks.
-By Football Writer Arnie Stapleton.
NASCAR
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Darrell Waltrip is set to take the checkered flag on his broadcasting career.
The Fox Sports analyst will retire at the end of the network’s portion of the NASCAR schedule following the June 23 race at Sonoma Raceway in California. It will likely be the last time the Kentucky native will utter his “Boogity! Boogity! Boogity! Let’s go racing, boys!” call to open a race.
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