U.S./World Sports category, Page 43
Caitlin Clark, WNBA getting attention for far more than basketball
NEW YORK — Oh, you thought going to a WNBA basketball game might be an escape from the arguments and polarization that are so common in American life these days? Ha, good one. Some of the atmosphere in the public and media that has swirled around the professional women’s league...
LA Sparks rookie Cameron Brink tears ACL in left kneeVideo
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Los Angeles rookie Cameron Brink tore the ACL in her left knee, the Sparks announced Wednesday. The rookie forward had to be helped off the court after suffering the injury in the first quarter of the Sparks’ 79-70 loss to Connecticut on Tuesday night. Brink played under...
Pistons fire coach Monty Williams after 1 season
The Detroit Pistons have fired coach Monty Williams after just one season, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not made any announcement. ESPN first reported the firing. The Pistons...
Celtics have short to-do list as they look to become 1st repeat NBA champion since 2018Video
BOSTON — It took more than a decade, savvy front office and draft moves and some free agency luck for the Celtics to ultimately build the roster that brought an end to their 16-year championship drought. But with NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown already locked up long-term and fellow All-Star...
Celtics win 18th NBA championship with Game 5 blowout over Dallas MavericksVideo
BOSTON — The Boston Celtics again stand alone among NBA champions. Jayson Tatum had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds as the Celtics topped the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night to win the franchise’s 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in...
Analysis: Penske rebounds from IndyCar cheating scandal with a hot streak that stretches to NASCARVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you come for The Captain, you better not miss your shot. Under fire at a level perhaps never seen before in his 87 years, Roger Penske has rebounded with a truly remarkable display of strength and determination. His IndyCar team in April was found to have...
Ryan Blaney wins inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway
NEWTON, Iowa — Ryan Blaney dominated the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday night for his first victory of the season and a spot in the playoffs. Blaney led four times for a career-high 201 laps, finishing 0.716 seconds ahead of William Byron for his 11th...
Rookie Dereck Lively leaving impression as Mavericks try to stay alive in NBA Finals
Dereck Lively II drained the first 3-pointer of his career, forced a missed layup at the other end and ping-ponged back down the court to slam home an alley-oop pass. The Dallas Mavericks didn’t trail again in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Boston after that first-quarter sequence from...
Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley wins duel for top amateur honors at U.S. Open
Mt. Lebanon native Neal Shipley’s last day as an amateur golfer was one he’ll never forget. Shipley beat Florida State junior Luke Clanton in dramatic fashion in the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday at Pinehurst No. 2 to claim low amateur honors. Shipley shot a 2-over-par 72...
Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee ready to ‘put on show’ for U.S. wrestling at Paris Olympics
There is one thing that has never changed about Spencer Lee since he began wrestling when he was 8. Lee strived to be the best. And during the past 17 years, it’s hard to argue he hasn’t been one of the best. Now the 25-year-old Franklin Regional and Iowa graduate,...
Celtics take season’s worth of lessons into Game 5 of NBA Finals vs. Mavericks
BOSTON — The Celtics picked the most inopportune time to play their worst game of the season. Boston’s 122-84 Game 4 loss to Dallas had all kinds of superlatives, and none of them were good. It ended the Celtics’ 10-game playoff win streak. It was the Celtics’ lowest-scoring output of...
NASCAR’s Cup Series comes to Iowa, but it’s not same track drivers remember
NEWTON, Iowa — Christopher Bell likes that the NASCAR Cup Series will be at Iowa Speedway for the first time. Heading into Sunday’s race, the .875-mile track isn’t quite the one he remembers. Bell has seven top-five finishes in nine starts at the track in NASCAR’s other series, including two...
After penalty stroke, Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley shoots 71 in 3rd round of U.S. Open
Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley is 4-over par after three rounds of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. If his ball hadn’t moved a matter of millimeters at an inopportune time Saturday, he’d be 3-over par. Shipley was assessed a one-stroke penalty on the 13th hole when his ball, sitting on an...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Joey Chestnut drama is frankly ridiculous
The world of competitive eating was split asunder this past week when the annual July 4 Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest at Coney Island banned 16-time winner Joey Chestnut because he’s endorsing a vegan frankfurter. Only in America. But Chestnut rebounded quickly: He will go one-on-one with six-time winner Takeru...
Doncic scores 29, Mavericks roll past the Celtics 122-84 to avoid a sweep in the NBA FinalsVideo
DALLAS — Luka Doncic scored 25 of his 29 points in the first half, Kyrie Irving added 21 points and the Dallas Mavericks emphatically extended their season on Friday night, fending off elimination by beating the Boston Celtics, 122-84, in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Mavs’ stars were...
Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley makes cut at U.S. Open at unforgiving Pinehurst
Mt. Lebanon native Neal Shipley went viral in the online golf community this week with his choice of head cover for his driver. It’s a replica of an order of curly fries from Arby’s. He’s also making some headlines for more substantive reasons. Shipley made the cut in a major...
Martin Truex Jr. announces retirement from full-time racing in NASCAR’s Cup SeriesVideo
NEWTON, Iowa — Martin Truex Jr. announced Friday he will retire from full-time racing at the end of the season, saying it was time to live by his own schedule after 19 years in NASCAR’s Cup Series. “I mean, it’s as simple as just not having a crazy schedule where,...
Celtics on brink of 18th title, can close out Mavericks in Game 4 of NBA Finals
DALLAS — It’s over. That’s what the numbers say. There will be a record-setting 18th championship for the Boston Celtics to celebrate soon, maybe very soon. They have a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals, a lead that has never been wasted in any NBA series, ever. The stats are...
Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley puts off turning pro, shoots even-par 70 at U.S. Open
PINEHURST, N.C. — Mt. Lebanon native Neal Shipley finished his college career at Ohio State and is ready to take the next step. Just not right now. He was exempt to the U.S. Open as the runner-up in the U.S. Amateur last summer. But unlike the winner, Nick Dunlap, Shipley...
Dan Hurley says he belongs at UConn after turning down ‘obviously tempting’ offer from LakersVideo
STORRS, Conn. — Dan Hurley considered the opportunity to try to lead UConn to a third consecutive national title or the chance to become coach of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises and asked himself one question. “Where do you belong?” Hurley said Thursday at UConn’s basketball headquarters. The...
IndyCar moves to Fox Sports in 2025 after 16 seasons with NBC; Fox now has Daytona 500, Indy 500
Fox Sports said Thursday it has acquired the rights to broadcast IndyCar starting in 2025, a move that gives the network two of the biggest races in the world: the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Daytona 500. Fox Sports already broadcasts the first half of the NASCAR schedule. NASCAR in November...
Wimbledon prize money is increasing to a record 50 million pounds. That’s about $64 million
WIMBLEDON, England — Wimbledon’s total prize money fund will rise to a record of nearly $64 million, with the singles champions earning $3.45 million each, All England Club officials announced Thursday at the annual spring briefing. The total amount is $6.8 million more than last year, an increase of 11.9%...
Tatum, Brown help Celtics hold off huge Dallas rally for 106-99 win, 3-0 lead in NBA FinalsVideo
DALLAS — Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, Jaylen Brown had 30 and the Boston Celtics held off a furious Dallas rally to reach the brink of a record 18th championship with a 106-99 victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday night for a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals. Brown finished...
Pulisic offsets Rodrygo goal as U.S. gains 1-1 tie against Brazil in last Copa America warmupVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Four days after one of their worst matches, Christian Pulisic and the U.S. soccer team stopped an 11-game losing streak to Brazil with a spirted 1-1 draw that left them with a positive mindset heading into the Copa America. Hershey native Pulisic scored in 26th minute to...
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas fails in challenge to rules that bar her from elite women’s races
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas failed in her challenge against rules that stop her from competing in elite women’s races because judges ruled she did not have standing to bring the case. The Court of Arbitration for Sport panel of three judges dismissed Thomas’ request for arbitration with the World Aquatics...
