Sports

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer Jason Kidd has been here before in his first season as coach of the Mavericks, down 1-0 in a third consecutive NBA playoff series. The Bay Area native is looking for another bounce-back from Luka Doncic and company in his first trip to the conference finals as a coach,

GENEVA (AP) — Second-seeded Casper Ruud has advanced to the Geneva Open semifinals in defense of his title by beating Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 7-6 (3). No. 8-ranked Ruud forced the only service break in the first set of a quarterfinals match that saw only four break-point chances created. Ruud will next face fourth-seeded American Reilly

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Tyler Naquin homered in the fifth inning and scored on Kyle Farmer’s go-ahead single in the eighth, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians. It was Cincinnati’s first series sweep of its Ohio neighbors since 2014. The Reds won both games

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves are talking to Denver Nuggets president Tim Connelly about their vacant president of basketball operations role, The Associated Press has confirmed. The talks were confirmed by a person familiar with the discussions, who spoke with AP on condition of anonymity because neither franchise

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Longtime Ravens punter Sam Koch retired Thursday and will join the Baltimore coaching staff as a special teams consultant.  A 16-year veteran, Koch, 39, appeared in a franchise-record 256 regular-season games, 239 consecutively from 2006-20, also a team record. He was a member of Baltimore’s 2012 Super Bowl championship team,

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Mitch Kupchak has signed a multiyear contract extension to remain the Charlotte Hornets’ general manager. His contract was set to expire this summer. Kupchak told reporters on Thursday that “for better or for worse I will be here for the next couple of years.” He

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Three people were injured when the chartered bus carrying the Murray State softball team was involved in a two-vehicle crash on the way to the NCAA Tournament in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, police said. Murray State said the three had injuries that weren’t life threatening after the accident Wednesday. The school didn’t say

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid says it has signed a stadium management deal for the Santiago Bernabéu worth $381 million. The agreement was reached with investment firm Sixth Street and “experiences company” Legends. Real Madrid says the 360 million euros can be invested in “any of the club’s activities.”

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — Al Horford is coming back. Marcus Smart is hoping to play. And Derrick White headed home early for a good reason. The Boston Celtics have one and are hoping to have two of their missing starters back for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Nashville Predators have extended the contracts of coach John Hynes and his assistants through the 2023-24 season trying to build on a season with several individual successes for a franchise that wound up being swept in the playoffs for the first time. General

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Mets pitcher Max Scherzer is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks with a strained oblique muscle in his left side. It’s the latest blow to a New York pitching staff already missing ace Jacob deGrom. Scherzer is a three-time Cy Young Award

By JON GAMBRELL and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Officials say that a Hong Kong-flagged sailboat is reported to have come under attack off the coast of war-torn Yemen. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations group said the attack on Thursday happened off Hodeida, a contested port city amid Yemen’s

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer PARIS (AP) — Naomi Osaka’s return to the French Open will be a tough test against the player who beat her at the Australian Open, No. 27 Amanda Anisimova. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion who used to be No. 1 in the rankings but has slipped to

NEW YORK (AP) — Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter is among the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, presented annually to the NHL’s coach of the year. Andrew Brunette of the Florida Panthers and Gerard Gallant of the New York Rangers are the other two finalists. Sutter oversaw the biggest season-over-season improvement by

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Lo van Pham’s journey to the NFL began when he fell in love with sports upon arriving in Texas after living in refugee camps with his family. More than 40 years later, van Pham is set to become the first Asian American to officiate in the NFL. Before