AP Sports in a Minute for April 28th, 2024.
LeBron scores 30, and the Lakers avoid 1st-round elimination with a 119-108 win over champion Denver
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers avoided playoff elimination with a 119-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of their first-round series. LeBron James scored 30 points and Anthony Davis added 25 points and 23 rebounds. The seventh-seeded Lakers snapped their 11-game losing streak against the defending NBA champions with their first win over the Nuggets since December 2022. Nikola Jokic had 33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists in the two-time MVP's 18th career triple-double and second in this series. Denver swept Los Angeles out of the Western Conference finals last season, but the current Lakers responded better to this 0-3 deficit.
Celtics lead wire-to-wire in Miami, roll past Heat 104-84 for 2-1 lead in East series
MIAMI (AP) — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 22 points, and the Boston Celtics soundly beat the Miami Heat 104-84 to a take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday night. Tatum added 10 rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who led Game 3 wire-to-wire and reclaimed the home-court edge that they lost when Miami won Game 2 in Boston. Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 and Derrick White scored 16 for the Celtics. Bam Adebayo scored 20 points for eighth-seeded Miami, which remains without starters Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier because of injuries.
AP NFL draft grades: Bears earned highest mark after landing Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze
Some teams see an immediate impact from a draft class. Others have to wait on a return. The Houston Texans went from worst to first in their division last season after selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge Will Anderson Jr. back to back with the second and third overall picks. The Carolina Panthers ended up with the worst record despite taking Bryce Young No. 1 overall so they have to be patient. The Chicago Bears are the leading contender to have a Texans-like turnaround after getting QB Caleb Williams with the first pick and wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9. The Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders also had excellent drafts.
Wyatt Johnston scores in OT, Stars beat Golden Knights 3-2 to cut series deficit to 2-1
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Wyatt Johnston scored his second goal of the game in overtime to give the Dallas Stars a 3-2 victory over Vegas on Saturday night, cutting the defending champion Golden Knights' series lead to 2-1. Johnston, who had a team-high eight shots, dragged the puck down the left side to the goal line, drawing goalie Logan Thompson into a low position, and beating him with a high shot 16:23 into the extra period. Miro Heiskanen also scored for the Stars, and Jake Oettinger made 32 saves. The Stars had lost six straight games against Vegas. Brayden McNabb and Jack Eichel scored for Vegas, and Thompson stopped a career-high 43 shots. Game 4 is Monday night in Las Vegas.
Lionel Messi gets 2 goals in front of record New England crowd as Miami beats Revolution 4-1
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Lionel Messi scored two goals to excite a New England Revolution-record crowd, leading Inter Miami CF to a 4-1 victory on Saturday night. Messi didn't disappoint the crowd of 65,612 that filled Gillette Stadium, scoring on a left-footed kick from deep inside the box for his ninth goal of the season, breaking a 1-all tie in the 68th minute. The attendance beat the previous record of 61,316, when the Revolution lost to the LA Galaxy in the 2002 MLS final.
Marchand breaks team playoff goals mark, Bruins beat Maple Leafs 3-1 to move within win of advancing
TORONTO (AP) — Brad Marchand broke the Boston playoff goals record with his 56th and the Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 in Game 4 on Saturday night to move within a victory of advancing to the second round. Marchand also had an assist, James van Riemsdyk and David Pastrnak scored and Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves. Boston can wrap up the series Tuesday night at home. Mitch Marner scored for Toronto. Auston Matthews, the NHL goals leader in the regular season with 69, sat out the third period because of an illness that forced him to miss practice Friday. Ilya Samsonov started in goal for Toronto, stopping 14 of 17 shots in the first two periods, and Joseph Woll made five saves in the third.
Josh Naylor, Ramon Laureano help Guardians outlast Braves 4-2 in 11 innings in meeting of top teams
ATLANTA (AP) — Josh Naylor and Ramon Laureano had RBIs in the 11th inning and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in a game featuring the teams with the two best records in the majors. Scott Barlow (1-2) escaped a bases loaded, one-out jam in the 10th inning, retiring Chadwick Tromp and Jarred Kelenic, to earn the win. Nick Sandlin pitched a perfect 11th to record his first save of the season.Naylor was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Steven Kwan was 3-for-5.
Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder roll to 3-0 series lead with 106-85 win over the Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 106-85 on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey each scored 21 for the Thunder. Top-seeded Oklahoma City hit 17 of 36 shots from 3-point range and led by as many as 24 in the fourth quarter. Brandon Ingram scored 19 points and CJ McCollum had 16 for New Orleans. The Pelicans made just 9 of 32 3-point shots and committed 21 turnovers, leading to 23 Thunder points. The eighth-seeded Pelicans will try to avoid elimination at home in Game 4 on Monday night.
Former BYU teammates Patrick Fishburn and Zach Blair lead Zurich Classic of New Orleans
AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Former BYU teammates Patrick Fishburn and Zach Blair shot a 12-under 60 in better-ball play Saturday to take the third-round lead in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA Tour's only team event. At 23-under 193, Fishburn and Blair had a one-stroke lead over Luke List and Henrik Norlander, with the Irish duo of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry — tied for the lead after each of the first two rounds — two strokes back. Fishburn and Blair, both winless on the PGA Tour, have been playing golf together since their junior high school days in Ogden, Utah. List and Norlander had a 62. McIlroy and Lowry shot 64 to join Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard at 21 under.
Australians Grace Kim and Hannah Green tied for lead in LPGA Tour's JM Eagle LA Championship
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Grace Kim stumbled to a 5-over 76 on Saturday in the LPGA Tour's JM Eagle LA Championship — and still held onto a share of the lead. It was that kind of a day at Wilshire Country Club, the tree-lined layout made difficult by bumpy poa annua greens and tricky wind conditions. Four strokes ahead entering the day after rounds of 64 and 66, Kim was tied with fellow Australian Hannah Green, the defending champion who saved par with a 12-footer on the par-3 18th for a 70. They were at 7-under 206.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final L.A. Dodgers 4 Toronto 2
Final Cincinnati 8 Texas 4
Final Boston 17 Chicago Cubs 0
Final Houston 12 Colorado 4
Final N.Y. Yankees 15 Milwaukee 3
Final Cleveland 4 Atlanta 2
Final Seattle 3 Arizona 1
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Baltimore 7 Oakland 0
Final Detroit 6 Kansas City 5
Final Chicago White Sox 8 Tampa Bay 7
Final Minnesota 16 L.A. Angels 5
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Washington 11 Miami 4
Final St. Louis 7 N.Y. Mets 4
Final Philadelphia 5 San Diego 1
Final Pittsburgh 4 San Francisco 3
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final Orlando 112 Cleveland 89
Final Oklahoma City 106 New Orleans 85
Final Boston 104 Miami 84
Final L.A. Lakers 119 Denver 108
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final 2OT N-Y Islanders 3 Carolina 2
Final Tampa Bay 6 Florida 3
Final Boston 3 Toronto 1
Final OT Dallas 3 Vegas 2
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Final Austin FC 2 LA Galaxy 0
Final Cincinnati 2 Colorado 1
Final tie CF Montréal 0 Columbus 0
Final D.C. United 2 Seattle 1
Final New York City FC 2 Charlotte FC 1
Final Miami 4 New England 1
Final tie Vancouver 1 New York 1
Final Toronto FC 2 Orlando City 1
Final Real Salt Lake 2 Philadelphia 1
Final tie Atlanta 0 Chicago 0
Final FC Dallas 2 Houston 0
Final Minnesota 2 Sporting Kansas City 1
Final tie San Jose 1 Nashville 1
Final Los Angeles FC 3 Portland 2
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Cleveland at Atlanta 1:35 p.m.
L-A Dodgers at Toronto 1:37 p.m.
N-Y Yankees at Milwaukee 2:10 p.m.
Cincinnati at Texas 2:35 p.m.
Houston at Colorado 4:05 p.m.
Arizona at Seattle 4:10 p.m.
Chi Cubs at Boston 7:10 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Oakland at Baltimore 1:35 p.m.
Kansas City at Detroit 1:40 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Chi White Sox 2:10 p.m.
Minnesota at L-A Angels 4:07 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis at N-Y Mets 1:40 p.m.
Washington at Miami 1:40 p.m.
Pittsburgh at San Francisco 4:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at San Diego 4:10 p.m.
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
New York at Philadelphia 1 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Dallas 3:30 p.m.
Milwaukee at Indiana 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Phoenix 9:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Winnipeg at Colorado 2:30 p.m.
Vancouver at Nashville 5 p.m.
N-Y Rangers at Washington 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Los Angeles 10:30 p.m.
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