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UNDATED (AP) — NBA PLAYOFFS-SCHEDULE
Spurs and Heat look to advance
UNDATED (AP) — After failing to complete a sweep over Portland earlier this week, the Spurs get a second chance at advancing to the NBA Western Conference finals tonight. The Spurs are back on their home court where they earned two convincing wins over the Trail Blazers to open the series. Portland kept its hopes alive with dominating win in Game 4. The Trail Blazers are hoping that's a springboard to becoming the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
The Heat will be trying to secure a fourth straight trip to the Eastern Conference finals when they host Brooklyn in Game 5 tonight. Faced with the prospects of having the series potentially tied, LeBron James took matters into his own hands in Game 4, pumping in 49 points seemingly at will. The Heat star is averaging 30.3 points through four games. Since James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh joined forces in Miami, the Heat is 8-0 in home games that could end a series.
NBA-PISTONS
New coach for Motown
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Pistons have hired Stan Van Gundy as their coach and president of basketball operations. Van Gundy is 371-208 in seven-plus seasons as a coach with Miami and Orlando. He reached the NBA Finals in 2009 with the Magic.
Detroit went 29-53 last season, missing the playoffs for a fifth straight year.
NHL PLAYOFFS-SCHEDULE
A Boston-Montreal Game 7
UNDATED (AP) — The Canadiens and Bruins hit the ice tonight in Boston with a spot in the NHL Eastern Conference finals at stake. The winner of tonight's Game 7 of the series goes on to face the Rangers, who won Game 7 against Pittsburgh last night.
The Canadiens forced the decisive game with a strong 4-0 win in Montreal on Monday.
Anaheim can earn a shot at Chicago in the Western Conference finals with win at Los Angeles tonight. The Ducks have won the last three games of the series to move to the brink of advancing. But it will likely not be an easy chore against the Kings. L.A. was down 0-3 in the opening round series to San Jose before stringing together four must wins.
Rookie goalie John Gibson has had a big hand in getting the Ducks in front in the series, stopping 67 of 70 shots he faced in the last two games.
NHL-SHARKS-OWNER
Sharks to keep on McLellan, Wilson
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The San Jose Sharks are bringing back coach Todd McLellan and general manager Doug Wilson for another season.
Owner Hasso Plattner has issued a statement saying he was disappointed with the way the season finished but that he supports Wilson's recommendation to keep McLellan.
The Sharks lost the final four games of a seven-game series in the first round of the playoffs against Los Angeles.
HORSE RACING-PREAKNESS DRAW
Derby winner is Preakness favorite
BALTIMORE (AP) — Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome has been made the heavy 3-5 favorite for the Preakness Stakes, and he drew a favorable post position in the 10-horse field.
California Chrome will break from the No. 3 post, which has produced 10 winners in the previous 138 runnings of the 1 3/16-mile race.
Social Inclusion was the 5-1 second choice. The colt drew the No. 8 post on Wednesday.
Bayern and Ride On Curlin are the co-third choices at 10-1. Bayern is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who will be seeking a sixth Preakness win. Ride On Curlin finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Angels and Tigers win
UNDATED (AP) __ Justin Verlander got tagged for five runs in the fifth inning and still got the win as Detroit completed a three-game sweep of Baltimore 7-5. That's because Verlander's teammates staked him to a 6-run lead before he ran into the jam. Miguel Cabrera got things started with a two-run single in the third and Rajai Davis added a homer and two RBIs for the AL Central-leading Tigers. Detroit has won 12 of its last 15.
In other major league play;
— Garrett Richards tossed five-hit ball over seven innings to help the Angels shutout Philadelphia 3-0. Richards struck out eight and walked none while lowering his ERA to 2.42. He's 4-0.
— Ian Desmond and Tyler Moore had two-run singles in the ninth inning to lead Washington to a 5-1 win over Arizona. Jayson Werth homered for Washington, while Aaron Hill hit one out for the Diamondbacks.
— Struggling Mike Moustakas delivered a three-run double to lead Kansas City to a 3-2 win over Colorado. He entered the game hitting an anemic .147. Jason Vargas took a shutout into the seventh inning and improved to 4-1.
NFL-BEARS-FULLER
Bears first rounder agrees
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears and first-round draft pick Kyle Fuller have agreed to a four-year contract that includes an option for a fifth season. The cornerback from Virginia Tech was the 14th overall pick in last week's NFL draft. The Bears have come to terms with seven of their eight draft choices.
NCAA-APR SCORES
Disparity evident in APR scores
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The money gap at Division I colleges is continuing to show up on the playing fields and in the classrooms.
Thirty-six teams will be banned from the 2014-15 postseason because of sub-par scores on the newly released Academic Progress Rate. Not one of them comes from a power conference.
And of the 17 football and men's basketball teams, eight are from historically black schools. Alabama State and Florida A&M made the list in both sports.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BOISE STATE-HOMELESS PLAYER
Homeless player to get assistance
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The NCAA says Boise State can immediately assist a homeless football recruit who signed to play with the team in February.
Antoine Turner said in an interview with KTVB-TV in Boise that he's recently been living in a motel as he finishes up classes at Fullerton College in California.
Boise State has received clearance from the NCAA to reach out to Turner and offer support.
After graduating from Fullerton, the defensive tackle is scheduled to take summer school classes at Boise State, where he will live in the dorm and have a meal plan.
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