The Sports Report: Lakers lose Anthony Davis and Game 4; Clippers dominate
Howdy, I’m your host, Austin Knoblauch, filling in for Houston Mitchell, who’s on vacation (probably watching Sting body slam those guys at “Double Or Nothing” on an endless loop). Let’s get right to the news.
Dan Woike on the Lakers: “Uh-oh,” Devin Booker said, a grin forming between the rosy cheeks of the Phoenix Suns’ All-Star guard.
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He knew. So did teammate Chris Paul. And with Anthony Davis in the locker room, LeBron James and the Lakers couldn’t hide from the truth.
Still, Booker wanted to make sure the rich and famous sitting in the front row of Staples Center knew their Lakers were in trouble.
With Davis nursing an injured groin and Paul suddenly knocking down elbow jumpers like he was 26 instead of 36 with a bad shoulder, everything changed Sunday, the Suns grabbing control of a series that was about to slip through their fingers by beating the Lakers 100-92.
The series is now even at 2-2, the Lakers unsure when Davis will be able to return to action.
“The one thing that you can’t predict is if one of your focal points goes down,” said James, who had a game-high 25 points. “And obviously that was big for our team.”
Already dealing with a sprained left knee from Game 3, Davis landed gingerly on a driving layup in the final minute of the second quarter, immediately grabbing at the inside of his left leg as he fell to the court following the miss. He didn’t come out of the locker room at halftime, the team ruling him out shortly after because of a strained groin.
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CLIPPERS
Andrew Greif on the Clippers: The first fans who had seen enough left American Airlines Center on Sunday night after three quarters, picking up the free blue T-shirts that had been left on every seat ahead of Game 4 before walking out, their team down 22 points.
They left in waves eight minutes later, the final straw seeing guard Reggie Jackson make a corner three-pointer to push the Clippers’ lead over the Dallas Mavericks to 24, then strut back into the arms of a gleeful, whooping bench.
When the Clippers came to Dallas, they trailed 2-0 in this Western Conference first-round playoff series, with the possibility looming that their flight home to Los Angeles late Sunday might be their final trip of the season.
Now, after a dominant 106-81 victory that was not close for the final half, they return home officially tied in the series but looking like they have cracked Dallas’ code after a series of adjustments that includes swarming defense.
The Clippers are strutting. Meanwhile, Dallas star Luka Doncic is “in pain,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said, after he played through a strained neck for a second consecutive game. Doncic bent over, wincing at times, on his way to 19 points on 24 field-goal tries.
“We still haven’t done anything yet,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
DODGERS
Mike DiGiovanna on the Dodgers: What’s “great” for baseball in the eyes of manager Dave Roberts might not be so good for the Dodgers, whose path to a ninth consecutive National League West title has become far more treacherous than expected.
Two months into the season, it’s clear that what most thought would be a two-team division race between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres is going to be a three-team dogfight, the San Francisco Giants reasserting themselves by winning three of four weekend games in Chavez Ravine.
The Giants ambushed left-hander Clayton Kershaw for five runs and seven hits, including two homers, in the first four innings of Sunday’s 5-4 victory over the late-charging Dodgers, giving them three wins in a row over a team that swept a three-game series in San Francisco last weekend.
The Giants (33-20) have the third-best record in baseball and are a half-game behind the first-place Padres (34-20) in the NL West. The Dodgers (31-22) are in third place, 2½ games behind San Diego.
“It’s not like our guys need incentive to play good baseball, but I think for the fans, for everyone, it’s good to have each game matter,” Roberts said of the dynamics of a three-team race. “These are three good ballclubs playing good baseball, so we’re gonna have our hands full all year long.”
The bulk of Sunday’s game was an exercise in futility and frustration for the Dodgers, who managed two hits in six innings and struck out seven times against Giants ace Kevin Gausman, who improved to 6-0 with a 1.40 ERA, the second-best ERA in baseball behind Chicago White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn (1.37).
ANGELS
Jack Harris on the Angels: It was a familiar scene.
An Angels pitcher struggling to find the strike zone. An early lead in sudden peril. A winnable — or in this case, split-able — series on the verge of slipping away.
This time, however, the Angels managed to escape.
After building an early four-run lead, the Angels held on for a 4-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday at RingCentral Coliseum, getting six scoreless innings from their bullpen to take two of four games in their weekend series against the American League West division leaders.
“A nice intense game, an intense series,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said. “I loved it. We got to know that we can win here. That’s important.”
The game almost got away from them in the third inning, when shortstop David Fletcher committed a throwing error and starter José Quintana issued three consecutive full-count walks, the latter plating a run.
But then, Quintana struck out Chad Pinder, gave up a sacrifice fly to Sean Murphy and ended the inning by fanning Mitch Moreland with a fastball over the outer half of the plate.
BASKETBALL
From the Associated Press: Nneka Ogwumike had 21 points and nine rebounds and the Sparks rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the Chicago Sky 82-79 in overtime on Sunday.
Erica Wheeler had 17 points, seven assists and three steals and Amanda Zahui B. added 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the Sparks. Nia Coffey had a season-high 15 points.
Wheeler and Ogwumike made back-to-back layups before Coffey hit a three-pointer to cap a 7-0 spurt that gave the Sparks the lead for good at 80-75 with 2:03 left. The Sky went 0 for 4 from the field with three turnovers over the final 92 seconds.
AUTO RACING
From the Associated Press: At long last, Helio Castroneves joined the exclusive club of four-time Indianapolis 500 winners on Sunday.
Then Spiderman scaled the Indianapolis Motor Speedway fence for his trademark victory celebration at the largest sporting event since the start of the pandemic.
Castroneves wasn’t done yet. At 46 and one of the oldest drivers in the field, he sprinted along the frontstretch of the speedway waving to the 135,000 fans in attendance. He was interrupted during his victory jog by multiple drivers and most of Team Penske, the organization he spent more than two decades with and won three Indy 500s.
But it was time for Roger Penske to part ways with Castroneves, who still believed he had plenty of racing ahead. Michael Shank picked him up for a partial schedule that included the Indy 500 and a shot for Castroneves to add to his legacy at the speedway.
His last Indy 500 win was in 2009, and Castroneves has been trying since to join A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears, his former mentor at Team Penske, as the only four-time winners of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Mears was the last driver to join the club in 1991.
“I love Indianapolis! You guys don’t understand it! The fans, you give me energy,“ Castroneves said.
TENNIS
From the Associated Press: Naomi Osaka was fined $15,000 at the French Open for skipping a post-match news conference after her first-round victory Sunday — and threatened by all four Grand Slam tournaments with stiffer penalties, including being defaulted, if she continues to avoid meeting with the media.
The fine will come out of Osaka’s prize money and was announced in a joint statement from the president of the French tennis federation, Gilles Moretton, and the heads of the other majors.
The statement said Osaka has been “advised” that “should she continue to ignore her media obligations during the tournament, she would be exposing herself to possible further Code of Conduct infringement consequences.”
Citing the rule book, the statement notes that “tougher sanctions” from “repeat violations” could include default — being disqualified from the tournament — and “the trigger of a major offense investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions.”
Osaka vowed in a Twitter post Wednesday she would not be doing the news conferences at Roland Garros. That didn’t mean she was able to entirely elude any question about her problems playing on red clay.
NBA PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE/RESULTS
FIRST ROUND
All times Pacific
WESTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 Utah vs. No. 8 Memphis
Memphis 112, Utah 109
Utah 141, Memphis 129
Utah 121, Memphis 111
Today: at Memphis, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Wednesday: at Utah, TBD, TBD
*Friday at Memphis, TBD, TBD
*Sunday: at Utah, TBD, TBD
No. 2 Phoenix vs. No. 7 Lakers
Phoenix 99, Lakers 90
Lakers 109, Phoenix 102
Lakers 109, Phoenix 95
Phoenix 100, Lakers 92
Tuesday: at Phoenix, 7 p.m., TNT
Thursday: at Lakers, TBD, TBD
*Saturday: at Phoenix, TBD, TBD
No. 3 Denver vs. No. 6 Portland
Portland 123, Denver 109
Denver 128, Portland 109
Denver 120, Portland 115
Portland 115, Denver 95
Tuesday: at Denver, 6 p.m., NBATV
Thursday: at Portland, TBD, TBD
*Sat., June 5: at Denver, TBD, TBD
No. 4 Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas
Dallas 113, Clippers 103
Dallas 127, Clippers 121
Clippers 118, Dallas 108
Clippers 106, Dallas 81
Wednesday: at Clippers, 7 p.m., TNT
Friday: at Dallas, TBD, TBD
*Sun., June 6: at Clippers, TBD, TBD
EASTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 Philadelphia vs. No. 8 Washington
Philadelphia 125, Washington 118
Philadelphia 120, Washington 95
Philadelphia 132, Washington 103
Today: at Washington, 4 p.m., TNT
*Wednesday: at Philadelphia, TBD, TBD
*Friday: at Washington, TBD, TBD
*Sunday: at Philadelphia, TBD, TBD
No. 2 Brooklyn vs. No. 7 Boston
Brooklyn 104, Boston 93
Brooklyn 130, Boston 108
Boston 125, Brooklyn 119
Brooklyn 141, Boston 126
Tuesday: at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m., TNT
*Thursday: at Boston, TBD, TBD
*Saturday: at Brooklyn, TBD, TBD
No. 3 Milwaukee vs. No. 6 Miami
Milwaukee 109, Miami 107
Milwaukee 132, Miami 98
Milwaukee 113, Miami 84
Milwaukee 120, Miami 103
Milwaukee wins series, 4-0
No. 4 New York vs. No. 5 Atlanta
Atlanta 107, New York 105
New York 101, Atlanta 92
Atlanta 105, New York 94
Atlanta 113, New York 96
Wednesday: at New York, 4:30 p.m., TNT
*Friday: at Atlanta, TBD, TBD
*Sunday: at New York, TBD, TBD
*-if necessary
NHL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE/RESULTS
FIRST ROUND
All times Pacific
East Division
Pittsburgh vs. NY Islanders
New York 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)
Pittsburgh 2, New York 1
Pittsburgh 5, New York 4
New York 4, Penguins 1
New York 3, Pittsburgh 2 (2OT)
New York 5, Pittsburgh 3
New York wins series, 4-2
Washington vs. Boston
Washington 3, Boston 2 (OT)
Boston 4, Washington 3 (OT)
Boston 3, Washington 2 (2 OT)
Boston 4, Washington 1
Boston 3, Washington 1
Boston wins series, 4-1
Central Division
Carolina vs. Nashville
Carolina 5, Nashville 2
Carolina 3, Nashville 0
Nashville 5, Carolina 4 (2OT)
Nashville 4, Carolina 3 (2OT)
Carolina 3, Nashville 2 (OT)
Carolina 4, Nashville 3 (OT)
Carolina wins series, 4-2
Florida vs. Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay 5, Florida 4
Tampa Bay 3, Florida 1
Florida 6, Tampa Bay 5 (OT)
Tampa Bay 6, Florida 2
Florida 4, Tampa Bay 1
Tampa Bay 4, Florida 2
Tampa Bay wins series, 4-2
North Division
Toronto vs. Montreal
Montreal 2, Toronto 1
Toronto 5, Montreal 1
Toronto 2, Montreal 1
Toronto 4, Montreal 0
Montreal 4, Toronto 3 (OT)
Montreal 3, Toronto 2 (OT)
Today: at Toronto, 4 p.m., CNBC
Edmonton vs. Winnipeg
Winnipeg 4, Edmonton 1
Winnipeg 1, Edmonton 0
Winnipeg 5, Edmonton 4 (OT)
Winnipeg 4, Edmonton 3 (3OT)
Winnipeg wins series, 4-0
West Division
Colorado vs. St. Louis
Colorado 4, St. Louis 1
Colorado 6, St. Louis 3
Colorado 5, St. Louis 1
Colorado 5, St. Louis 2
Colorado wins series, 4-0
Vegas vs. Minnesota
Minnesota 1, Vegas 0 (OT)
Vegas 3, Minnesota 1
Vegas 5, Minnesota 2
Vegas 4, Minnesota 0
Minnesota 4, Vegas 2
Minnesota 3, Vegas 0
Vegas 6, Minnesota 2
Vegas wins series, 4-3
SECOND ROUND
East Division
New York Islanders vs. Boston
Boston 5, New York 2
Today: at Boston, 4:30 p.m., NBCSN
Thursday: at New York, 4:30 p.m., NBCSN
Saturday: at New York, 4:15 p.m., NBCSN
*Monday, June 7: at Boston, TBD, TBD
*Wednesday, June 9: at New York, TBD, TBD
*Friday, June 11: at Boston, TBD, TBD
Central Division
Tampa Bay vs. Carolina
Tampa Bay 2, Carolina 1
Tuesday: at Carolina, 4:30 p.m., NBCSN
Thursday: at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., USA
Saturday: at Tampa Bay, USA
*Tuesday, June 8: at Carolina, TBD, TBD
*Thursday, June 10: at Tampa Bay, TBD, TBD
*Saturday, June 12: at Carolina, TBD, TBD
West Division
Colorado vs. Vegas
Colorado 7, Vegas 1
Wednesday: at Colorado, 7 p.m., NBCSN
Friday: at Vegas, 7 p.m., NBCSN
Sunday: at Vegas, 5:30 p.m., NBCSN
*Tuesday, June 8: at Colorado, TBD, TBD
*Thursday, June 10: at Vegas, TBD, TBD
*Saturday, June 12: at Colorado, TBD, TBD
North Division
Winnipeg vs. Toronto/Montreal
Wednesday: Site TBD, 4:30 p.m., NBCSN
Friday: Site TBD, 4:30 p.m., USA
Sunday: Site TBD, 3 p.m., NBCSN
Monday, June 7: Site TBD, TBD, TBD
*Wednesday, June 9: Site TBD, TBD, TBD
*Friday, June 11: Site TBD, TBD, TBD
*Sunday, June 13: Site TBD, TBD, TBD
*-if necessary
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1927 — Detroit first baseman Johnny Neun records an unassisted triple play in the ninth inning to end the 1-0 win over the Cleveland Indians. Neun grabs a Homer Summa line drive, tags Charlie Jamieson at first and outruns Glenn Myatt to tag second.
1938 — Henry Armstrong beats Barney Ross for the world welterweight title.
1942 — Sam Snead wins the PGA Championship, beating Jim Turnesa in the final round 2 and 1.
1949 — Sam Snead wins the PGA Championship, defeating Johnny Palmer in the final round 3 and 2.
1965 — Jim Clark becomes the first non-U.S. driver in 49 years to win the Indianapolis 500.
1983 — The Philadelphia 76ers win the NBA championship with a 115-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, completing a four-game sweep.
1987 — The Edmonton Oilers win their third Stanley Cup by beating the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 in Game 7.
1992 — Ayrton Senna wins his fourth consecutive Monaco Grand Prix to end Nigel Mansell’s season-opening winning streak at five races.
1997 — Ila Borders becomes the first woman to pitch in a regular-season professional baseball game, in the sixth inning of the St. Paul Saints’ Northern League game against Sioux Falls. She struggles, giving up three earned runs without getting an out.
2001 — Pat Day becomes the third jockey to reach 8,000 wins by guiding Camden Park to a one-length victory on the turf in the sixth race at Churchill Downs. The 47-year-old Day trails only Laffit Pincay Jr. (9,147) and Bill Shoemaker (8,833).
2002 — Jason Kidd becomes the first player in 35 years to record three triple-doubles in an NBA playoff series, and the New Jersey Nets finish off the Boston Celtics with a 96-88 victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. He joins Oscar Robertson (1963) and Wilt Chamberlain (1967) as the only players with three triple-doubles in a series.
2007 — LeBron James scores a career playoff-high 48 points to lead Cleveland to a 109-107, Game 5 win over Detroit in two overtimes. James is the first player to score 25 straight points for a team in the postseason while scoring 29 of the Cavaliers’ final 30 points.
2008 — Usain Bolt sets the world record in the 100 meters with a time of 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York. Bolt is .02 seconds faster than the old record held by fellow Jamaican, Asafa Powell.
2009 — Rafael Nadal’s unbeaten run at the French Open ends when the four-time defending champion loses to Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the fourth round. Nadal’s record winning streak at Roland Garros ends at 31 matches.
2009 — Stephen Cardullo sets a tournament record with seven hits, including three of Florida State’s NCAA-record 15 doubles, as the Seminoles routs Ohio State 37-6 to advance to the super regionals.
2011 — Austrian player Daniel Koellerer is been banned for life by a tennis anti-corruption unit for attempting to fix matches. Koellerer, who was ranked No. 55 in 2009, is found guilty of three violations of the Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program between October 2009 and July 2010.
2012 — Kevin Durant scores 22 points, Thabo Sefolosha sets playoff career-bests with 19 points and six steals, and the Oklahoma City Thunder snap San Antonio’s 20-game winning streak by beating the Spurs 102-82 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.
And finally
Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer determined all of the Tim Tebow data he had on his laptop was expendable. Watch what he did here.
Until next time...
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