Jalen Brunson scores 33 points and helps Knicks take 3-0 lead over 76ers with 108-94 Game 3 win

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 33 points and sealed the game with big buckets late to the delight of roaring Knicks fans, leading New York to a 108-94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers for a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia. Josh Hart had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Mikal Bridges added 23 points, pushing the Knicks and first-year coach Mike Brown within one victory of their second straight conference finals appearance. Joel Embiid scored 18 points for the Sixers in his return after he missed Game 2 with injuries.

NFL and referees agree on a 7-year collective bargaining agreement, avoiding potential work stoppage

The NFL and the NFL Referees Association have agreed on a new seven-year collective bargaining agreement that avoids a potential work stoppage and use of replacement officials. The deal runs through the 2032 NFL season. The league began the onboarding process for replacement officials last month because negotiations weren’t progressing. But they won’t be necessary. A stalemate in 2012 resulted in a 110-day lockout and replacement referees were used.

Jets, running back Breece Hall agree to a 3-year, $45.75 million contract extension, AP source says

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the New York Jets and running back Breece Hall have agreed on a three-year contract extension worth $45.75 million. The deal Friday makes Hall the third-highest paid running back in the NFL. The Jets had used the franchise tag on Hall and the new contract pays him $15.25 million per year. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Jets didn’t announce the extension. Hall rushed for a career-high 1,065 yards last season, despite missing the final game because of a knee issue.

Rory McIlroy says LIV players should be able to return to PGA Tour, but he’s not sure they want to

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rory McIlroy is no longer opposed to LIV Golf players returning to the PGA Tour. But he says the question is whether players want to come back. McIlroy says the answer will likely depend on what happens with LIV’s financial situation in the coming months. Last month, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund pulled the plug on future funding for LIV. The breakaway tour lured away stars including Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau with lucrative, guaranteed contracts, but now it’s not clear how long they will stay. McIlroy says it’s “good business practice” for the PGA Tour to welcome back players who will make the tour stronger.

Spike Lee, Timothée Chalamet and non-famous Knicks fans enjoy a Game 3 win in Philly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet joined Knicks fans for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the 76ers. The game took place Friday night, and despite efforts to keep Knicks fans out, many made it to Philadelphia. The 76ers had tried to restrict ticket sales to local fans, but some, like Lenny Rakhmanov from Brooklyn, found ways around it. The 76ers also donated tickets to community groups to maintain a home crowd presence. The Knicks won 108-94 to take a 3-0 lead in the series.

Basketball gets more beer money, while tennis and other small college sports worry over their future

The expansion of March Madness and the $300 million in extra revenue that comes with it through opening sponsorships to beer, wine and liquor companies offered a brief reprieve from the steady drip of headlines this spring that underscore the problems confronting college sports. Among them are the disbanding of tennis teams at Arkansas, new efforts to generate revenue in the Big 12 and at Duke and the ongoing issues surrounding the industry’s new regulator, the College Sports Commission. Odds are those issues won’t be close to sorted out once the buzz over the new 76-team hoops brackets, which debut next year, subsides.

Snell to make season debut for Dodgers on Saturday. Glasnow placed on injured list

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Snell will make his season debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves. The two-time Cy Young Award winner is set to rejoin the rotation sooner than anticipated after teammate Tyler Glasnow left a start early this week because of back trouble. Glasnow was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with low back spasms, and Los Angeles recalled right-hander Paul Gervase from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Snell has been on the IL since late March with left shoulder fatigue. He had been scheduled to make one more minor league rehabilitation start for Class A Ontario on Saturday, but instead will face the Braves at Dodger Stadium.

Robby Snelling makes his MLB debut for the Marlins in a 3-2 loss to the Nationals

MIAMI (AP) — Robby Snelling was already receiving autograph requests from young Marlins fans 24 hours before his first Major League Baseball start. The Marlins sure hope that will become a new norm for their No. 2 pitching prospect, who made his MLB debut Friday against the Washington Nationals after being called up this week from Triple-A Jacksonville. The left-handed Snelling, selected 39th by San Diego in the 2022 amateur draft, was dealt to Miami in a 2024 package that sent Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing to the Padres.

Orioles hold Tupac Skakur bobblehead promotion, and his sister throws out the ceremonial first pitch

BALTIMORE (AP) — Fans lined up well before the gates opened at Camden Yards in anticipation of a Tupac Shakur bobblehead giveaway at the ballpark. Shakur was raised in New York and Baltimore before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1980s. He lived in Oakland, California, in the early 1990s. That made Friday’s matchup between the Orioles and Athletics an appropriate time to honor the rap icon, who was killed in 1996. The familiar riff from “California Love” was played while the starting lineup for the A’s — who left Oakland before last season — was being announced. The Athletics beat Baltimore 4-3 on Friday night.

Rory McIlroy shoots 67 to move into contention at Truist Championship, 4 shots back of Sungjae Im

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rory McIlroy has returned to his Masters form. The No. 2 player in the world heated up on the back nine Friday at Quail Hollow and finished with a 4-under 67 to climb into contention at the Truist Championship, four shots behind 36-hole leader Sungjae Im. Playing his first tournament since winning the green jacket for a second time on April 12 at Augusta National, McIlroy was 1 under and buried on the leaderboard eight shots back when he made the turn. But he shot 32 on the back nine to give himself a chance to win at Quail Hollow for a fifth time.

Rory McIlroy is softening his stance on the return of players from LIV Golf to the PGA Tour, acknowledging Friday that bringing back more defectors from the breakaway circuit could be a net positive.

With the future of LIV in doubt after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced it is pulling its financial backing after this year, McIlroy was asked his reaction to how that could impact the PGA Tour.

“It’s a question if (players) do want to come back,” McIlroy said after ending the second round of the Truist Championship tied for eighth in Charlotte. “Obviously we have seen the quotes over the last few days. And, you know, it seems like … it all depends on what happens to LIV.

“But if it is a scenario where they have the option to come back and play on the traditional tours, you know, I think (PGA Tour CEO) Brian Rolapp has said anything that makes this Tour stronger, anything that makes the DP World Tour stronger, I think everyone should be open to that. That’s just good business practice.”

The six-time major champion added, “I think everyone sort of knows my views on LIV and where it stands in the game of golf. I don’t think I need to rehash any of that. It’s never been for me and, look, it doesn’t mean that LIV is going to go away. They’re going to go and try and find alternative investment, whatever that may look like.

“But when one of the wealthiest sovereign wealth funds in the world thinks that you’re too expensive for them, that sort of says something.”

Earlier this year, five-time major winner Brooks Koepka accepted the terms of the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program and came back from LIV. The requirements included “heavy and appropriate limitations to both tournament access and potential earning that we believe properly holds returning members accountable for substantial compensation earned elsewhere.”

The offer was made to golfers who won a Players Championship, Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open or Open Championship between 2022-25. Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith were the other players eligible per those criteria.

Commenting on LIV players in general, McIlroy said Friday, “I was probably too judgmental with the guys that went because I was seeing it from my point of view and maybe not seeing it from other points of view. But again, I’m not going to judge anyone for not wanting to play on the PGA Tour. …

“Does that mean that they go play DP World Tour maybe. If that’s a pathway, that would make the DP World Tour stronger, and I would be delighted with that, because that’s my home Tour, at the end of the day.

“But … if you want to be the most competitive golfer you can be, (the PGA Tour) is the place to be. And if you don’t want to play here, I think that says something about you.”

–Field Level Media

By Nicole Fernandes

TORONTO, May 8 (Reuters) – The WNBA officially arrived in Canada on Friday with the Toronto Tempo tipping off their inaugural season against the Washington Mystics in front of an electric, sellout home crowd. 

Fans young and old sporting the Tempo’s bordeaux and borealis blue gear brought the energy all night at Coca-Cola Coliseum, letting out a roaring, prideful cheer after the Toronto Children’s Choir sang the national anthem “O Canada.” 

Many fearless young girls wearing Tempo T-shirts were spotlighted on the jumbotron, keeping the crowd of 8,210 entertained during breaks with their dancing.

And while there was no shortage of love for Canadian Kia Nurse during player introductions, it was Canadian women’s soccer great Christine Sinclair who drew some of the night’s loudest, longest cheers when shown on the big screen.

The arrival of the WNBA’s first franchise outside the U.S. marks a new chapter for the league and Canada, which lacked an avenue for women to play top-tier, professional basketball on home soil.

It’s a moment 30-year-old Nurse, who grew up just outside Toronto, has been waiting for.

“It’s really special and it’s kind of a full-circle moment,” Nurse said last week, adding that she’s “grateful for the opportunity to be on this stage and to be given this platform for growing women’s basketball in Canada.”

Toronto proved it was ready for the WNBA in 2023, when a preseason exhibition game between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky drew a sellout crowd of nearly 20,000 to Scotiabank Arena, home of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.

Tempo players felt the excitement building before they even dribbled a ball, with the city’s passionate fans pledging their support in the weeks leading up to the home opener.

That usually comes with being “the new thing in town,” said Tempo centre Temi Fágbénlé, who was with the Golden State Valkyries during their inaugural season last year.

“But it’s more than just a new thing,” Fágbénlé said. “It’s supporting women’s sports. So many young girls [and] older women as well haven’t seen this in Canada.”

Nurse believes that visibility will benefit the national team, saying one day “you’ll be able to field an entire (Canadian) Olympic roster from WNBA players because these will be Tempo-influenced players.”

Nurse has also been emphasizing to her teammates that they’ll have an entire country behind them.

The Tempo will play two regular-season games each in Montreal and Vancouver this season, embracing their role as “Canada’s team.” Nurse said those visits will help create a sense of belonging for fans and aspiring athletes.

“(Sports is) a place where you belong,” said Nurse. “It’s a place where you can look out on the court and see somebody that looks like you and resonate with them, resonate with their story.

“To be able to do that across Canada is truly special.”

Like her players, head coach Sandy Brondello sees the franchise as a testament to the growth of women’s basketball.

Having been involved in the WNBA for 27 years now, the two-time champion has enjoyed seeing the evolution of the league, from expansions to sponsorship deals and the overall rising interest in the women’s game.

For her, the addition of the Tempo will help continue the momentum, especially in Canada.

“We are creating history,” Brondello said. “But we want to make history, too.”  

(Reporting by Nicole Fernandes in Toronto; Editing by Tom Hogue)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Carolina and Colorado have been well-built for a championship run for a few years now.

The Hurricanes and the Avalanche have put on a clinic for how to start the race.

The top two teams in the NHL during the regular season, seemingly on a collision course to meet in the Stanley Cup Final, have been performing on the ice with a force to match their natural-disaster-themed nicknames. Neither the Canes nor the Avs have lost a game in these playoffs.

With a 4-1 win at Philadelphia on Thursday to take a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Hurricanes became the 13th team in NHL history to start a postseason with seven straight wins. Eight of the first 12 won the Stanley Cup.

The Hurricanes will send sizzling goalie Frederik Andersen out for Game 4 on Saturday to try to finish off the Flyers, seeking a sweep that would give them the league’s first 8-0 start in the playoffs since 1985.

“I would anticipate we’re going to give it our best, because we’re going to need to,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We’re not going to win if we don’t put our best foot forward.”

Only three teams in NHL history have overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, but plenty of teams have managed to at least force a fifth game.

“The fourth one is the hardest one to win. No one wants to go home,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. “It’s going to be a brand-new challenge.”

Only two teams have started the playoffs 7-0 in the last three decades. Colorado, which has already scored 14 goals on Minnesota in their Western Conference semifinal series, would make it two in the same year by winning Game 3 on Saturday night. The NHL gave the Avalanche and Wild three days between games to sync up the schedules of the four ongoing series.

“For our team, the energy and pace that we want to play with on a nightly basis that helps us have success, it doesn’t hurt,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “It doesn’t hurt to be rested and recovered and still get a little practice time in to go out and feel good about your puck touches and your systems and everything. Meetings don’t have to get crammed in. You can take your time and get feedback from the guys.”

The Hurricanes, who have made the playoffs in each of eight seasons under Brind’Amour, lost to eventual champion Florida in the Eastern Conference finals last year. They would tie for the 10th-longest winning streak in a single NHL postseason by beating the Flyers on Saturday. Twenty-three teams in league history have won eight or more consecutive playoff games in the same year, and 18 of them won the Stanley Cup.

One of the five that came up short was the 1992 Chicago Blackhawks, who matched the all-time record with 11 straight playoff wins. The Pittsburgh Penguins also staked claim to the record that spring, finishing with a four-game sweep in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Avalanche are aiming to emulate the way the Canes powered through the Philadelphia crowd noise to win a feisty Game 3. Minnesota has not hosted a game this late in the postseason since 2015.

“It will be a rockin’ environment,” Avs goalie Scott Wedgewood said. “That’s what makes playoff so fun, right?”

When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Saturday, 6 p.m. EDT (TNT, truTV, HBO Max).

Series: Hurricanes lead 3-0.

The Flyers have been unable to solve Carolina’s stifling defense, with just three goals in three games. Their league-worst power play during the regular season has carried over, with just one goal in 12 opportunities in this series and a 3-for-29 showing in nine playoff games.

When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Saturday, 9 p.m. EDT (TNT, truTV, HBO Max).

Series: Avalanche lead 2-0.

The Wild have spent the extra time off trying to shore up their penalty kill, which has been dearly missing center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin. But after dominating Dallas at even strength in the first round they’ve also struggled to contain Colorado’s high-octane forwards in 5-on-5 situations. Minnesota might go back to rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt after giving Filip Gustavsson the net for a 5-2 loss in Game 2.

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AP Sports Writers Dan Gelston in Philadelphia and Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Snell will make his season debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves in a matchup of National League division leaders.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner is set to rejoin the rotation sooner than anticipated after teammate Tyler Glasnow left a start early this week because of back trouble. Glasnow was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with low back spasms, and Los Angeles recalled right-hander Paul Gervase from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Snell missed most of the 2025 regular season because of a lingering shoulder injury, making just 11 starts after signing a $182 million, five-year contract in November 2024. But the left-hander went 3-2 in six postseason games to help the Dodgers win their second consecutive World Series title.

Snell has been on the IL since late March with left shoulder fatigue. He had been scheduled to make one more minor league rehabilitation start for Class A Ontario on Saturday, but instead will face the Braves at Dodger Stadium.

Glasnow exited after one inning against the Houston Astros on Wednesday. He had an MRI that showed “nothing really significant,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday before the opener of a three-game series against Atlanta.

The 32-year-old Glasnow is 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA in seven outings this season.

The 6-foot-10 Gervase, 25, is 2-0 with a 3.65 ERA in nine games for Oklahoma City this year. He made one appearance for the Dodgers last season, striking out two batters in two innings. He also pitched in five games for Tampa Bay, compiling a 4.26 ERA.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

The UFC’s plans to hold a fight card on the White House grounds briefly took a back seat to one fighter’s antics at the press conference for UFC Freedom 250 on Friday.

The media gathering was held in Newark, N.J., the site of UFC 328 on Saturday. But the focus for the day was on the upcoming event in Washington, with all 14 fighters scheduled for the card present Friday for faceoffs.

Josh Hokit, an undefeated heavyweight scheduled to face Derrick Lewis, turned the event into his personal stage.

Decked out in a black robe, sunglasses and American flag gloves and bandana, Hokit stood and cut WWE-style promos about not only Lewis but also Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria until UFC security eventually removed him from the arena. His screeds were frequently vulgar, attempted to rhyme and invariably ended with, “Am I right, New Jersey?”

He called Lewis “the Black Pillsbury Doughboy” and lobbed multiple slurs at his fellow fighters. The other fighters tried not to engage until Topuria stood up to defend Pereira, who is not fluent in English and did not appear to understand Hokit’s insults.

Topuria threw something small at Hokit before the 28-year-old from California was dragged away.

A former college football player and wrestler, Hokit improved to 9-0 in his MMA career when he defeated Curtis Blaydes via unanimous decision last month at UFC 327.

Meanwhile, UFC CEO Dana White had to step in during Mauricio Ruffy’s faceoff with Michael Chandler, when Ruffy stretched out his arms and touched Chandler’s chin with his fist. The faceoffs otherwise went off without incident.

White on Friday explained why UFC was releasing 85,000 tickets to the public to watch the fights not on the South Lawn but across the street in Ellipse Park on big screens.

“It’s on federal land,” White said. .”.. We’re (paying) the bill for this whole fight. And I can’t sell a hot dog, a T-shirt or a ticket. Nothing can be sold on federal land.”

White said about 4,000 people will be on the South Lawn where the Octagon itself will be erected. President Donald Trump will receive 1,000 tickets, White and TKO Group CEO Ari Emanuel will have 200 apiece and the remaining tickets will be distributed across branches of the military.

Trump himself was not in attendance at the press conference, but on Wednesday he hosted several UFC fighters involved with the card and revealed renderings of the Octagon with the White House as a backdrop.

–Field Level Media

Milwaukee Brewers leftfielder Brandon Lockridge was taken off the field on a cart with an apparent leg injury in the fourth inning of Friday night’s home game against the New York Yankees after sliding into the wall while unsuccessfully attempting to make a sliding catch on Cody Bellinger’s foul fly.

Lockridge appeared to slide into the concrete below the padding at a corner where the wall juts out.

Lockridge, who entered hitting .277 with no homers and 10 RBIs, had an RBI single during the Brewers four-run second off Max Fried and singled in another run in the third to put the Brewers up 5-0. He was 2-for-2 with a run scored when he exited.

The Brewers have not announced a status update on Lockridge.

–Field Level Media

BALTIMORE (AP) — Fans lined up well before the gates opened at Camden Yards on Friday night in anticipation of a Tupac Shakur bobblehead giveaway at the ballpark.

“I grabbed three of them,” Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said before a 4-3 loss to the Athletics.

Shakur was raised in New York and Baltimore before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1980s. He lived in Oakland, California, in the early 1990s, which made Friday’s matchup between the Orioles and Athletics an appropriate time to honor the rap icon, who was killed in 1996. The familiar riff from “California Love” was played while the starting lineup for the A’s — who left Oakland before last season — was being announced.

Albernaz mentioned “Pain” when asked his favorite Tupac song.

“This is back on — I’m dating myself — Napster or LimeWire, trying to download that,” Albernaz said.

He also said “All Eyez On Me” best encapsulates the current Baltimore team.

Everyone on the Orioles’ active roster was born in 1989 or later, so it wasn’t immedately clear if the players were familiar with Shakur’s music.

“I hope so,” Albernaz said. “I probably should ask around about that.”

Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, Tupac’s sister, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The game drew 39,311 fans, the most for a Baltimore home game since opening day.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid returned to the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday night after he missed the previous game against the New York Knicks with a sprained right ankle and a sore right hip.

Embiid struggled through a short night in the Knicks’ 137-98 romp in Game 1, scoring 14 points on 3-for-11 shooting before the starters were benched with the game out of reach.

Embiid had been listed as probable to play in that game and the Knicks repeatedly took advantage of his lack of mobility to create open shots.

He had been expected to play Game 2 but was ruled out hours beforehand.

Embiid had an appendectomy late in the regular season. He returned during Game 4 of Philadelphia’s first-round series against Boston and helped the 76ers overcome a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Celtics.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand built a three-stroke lead through two rounds Friday as she attempts to go back-to-back at the Mizuho Americas Open in West Caldwell, N.J.

Thitikul won the event last year at Liberty National Golf Club before it was moved to Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, N.J. Her 3-under-par 69 in the second round lifted her to 8-under 136, with Jennifer Kupcho the next-closest at 5 under following her own round of 69. Brooke Matthews (72) is alone in third at 4 under.

Thitikul, 23, had a busy round after starting on the back nine. Between Nos. 17 and 4, she mixed four birdies with two bogeys. She finished strongly with birdies at the par-5 sixth and eighth holes to climb to 8 under.

“I didn’t (play) well when the wind really picking up in the beginning,” Thitikul said. “I mean, luckily we don’t have much wind on the back nine after the rain came and then the wind just like shut down. Then we just lucky. If we got the breeze the front nine, I don’t think my number is going to be that low for sure.”

Thitikul, who won her eighth LPGA title in February in her native Thailand, said her coach told her to go about her job as usual.

“Just prepare things the same routine,” she said. “I mean, just let golf be golf and let me be me. … So I think it’s just maybe stick to that process that just another day at the office and then whatever it’s turn out to be that turn out to be, and then you figure it out.”

Kupcho has yet to earn a top-10 finish this season, but put herself in fine position with her Friday round. She could have finished closer to Thitikul; after making four birdies on the front nine and another at No. 13 to reach 7 under, she bogeyed Nos. 14 and 17 coming home.

“Like 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, all of those hole pin placements were on the sides of a hill,” Kupcho said after wrapping up her round in the morning. “For the wind and the speed we’re playing the greens, I don’t know that they’re going to be playable this afternoon, to be quite honest. It’s a really hard golf course.”

No one posted a better score than 4-under 68. Two players managed to do so: France’s Celine Boutier, who moved into fourth alone at 3 under, and Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who’s in a seven-way tie for fifth at 2 under.

Boutier, a former major champion, agreed with the prevailing sentiment that the course was challenging and the wind was a complicating factor.

“I feel like because I was first off this morning, I was able to take advantage of the first few holes that were less windy and then it started picking up in the middle of my front nine,” Boutier said.

“Yeah, I’m definitely glad to be done right now because it’s picked up even more. And I feel like it’s a course where you have to be really strong from the tee to green, so I think you have to be a very complete game to be able to score well.”

Andrea Lee, who claimed the first-round lead with a 66, followed it up with a second-round 79 that left her 1 over for the tournament.

Notable names in line to miss the cut of 3 over par include South Korea’s Sei Young Kim (5 over), Lexi Thompson (5 over), Canada’s Brooke M. Henderson (5 over), Nasa Hataoka of Japan (5 over following a second-round 80), Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand (6 over following an 80), England’s Lottie Woad (13 over) and Michelle Wie West (18 over).

Wie West went 82-80 in her first two LPGA rounds in three years as she prepares to play the U.S. Women’s Open next month.

–Field Level Media