Belgian cyclist suffers fatal injury in Giro
Cycling: Hurtling down an Italian mountain pass at a speed that only a car would normally reach, Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt lost control of his bike for just a split second. In a sport where the smallest mistake can have catastrophic consequences, it proved lethal.
Weylandt tumbled to his death Monday in a downhill crash during the third stage of the Giro d’Italia, with the riders going 40 mph to 50 mph at the time. It was the first fatality at the Italian race in 25 years and the first at one of the sport’s showcase tours in 16 years.
Portuguese rider Manuel Cardoso, who saw the accident, said Weylandt lost control after slamming into a wall on the side of the road during the descent about 12 miles from the finish in Rapallo in northern Italy.
Thunder even series with 3OT win
NBA: Kevin Durant scored six of his 35 points in the third overtime, and the Oklahoma City survived a thriller in holding off the Memphis Grizzlies 131-123 at Memphis, Tenn.
With the victory, the Thunder grabbed back home-court advantage and tied this Western Conference semifinal at 2-2.
Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 40 points. James Harden added 19, and Daequan Cook had 10.
The Grizzlies seemed to run out of energy in the third overtime as they hit just 1 of 9 from the floor. Zach Randolph led Memphis with 34 points and 16 rebounds. Marc Gasol had 26 and 21 rebounds.
• Heat take 3-1 series lead after OT win: LeBron James scored 35 points with 14 rebounds to lead Miami to a 98-90 overtime victory over the Celtics in Boston and give the Heat a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Dwyane Wade scored 28 with nine rebounds and Chris Bosh had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Miami, which could eliminate the defending conference champions and advance to the East finals with a victory in Game 5 in Miami on Wednesday night.
• Garnett, Bryant back on all-defensive team: Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and Lakers guard Kobe Bryant have been selected to the NBA all-defensive first team, both tying Michael Jordan’s record of nine selections.
Garnett and Bryant were joined by Magic center Dwight Howard, who received the most points; Heat forward LeBron James; and Celtics guard Rajon Rondo.
The second team has Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, Hornets guard Chris Paul, Mavericks center Tyson Chandler, 76ers forward Andre Iguodala and Bulls forward-center Joakim Noah.
Canucks advance past Predators
Hockey: Daniel Sedin and Mason Raymond scored first-period goals, and Roberto Luongo made 23 saves as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Predators 2-1 to advance to the Western Conference finals in Nashville, Tenn.
Raymond gave Vancouver the lead 7:45 into the game and Sedin made it 2-0 just 1:43 later. Luongo did the rest for the Canucks, who were outshot 24-19. Vancouver recorded only nine total shots in the first two periods.
• U.S. moves on despite loss to Switzerland: The United States lost to Switzerland 5-3 at hockey’s world championship in Kosice, Slovakia, a defeat that leaves the Americans facing defending champion Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.
The U.S. had already qualified for the playoff round. It finished fourth in Group F and now awaits the Czechs on Wednesday. Switzerland already had been eliminated.
Simon routs Roddick in Italian Open
Tennis: Andy Roddick extended his troubled start to the clay-court season with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Gilles Simon of France in the opening round of the Italian Open in Rome.
Roddick hit only nine winners to Simon’s 23 and committed 27 unforced errors to his opponent’s 18. The 12th-seeded American also trailed 4-1 in aces.
Els heads class called to Hall of Fame
Golf: South African Ernie Els, a three-time major champion and the ultimate global player of his generation, was among six people to be inducted at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla.
The 41-year-old Els, who has 62 wins around the world, was elected on the PGA Tour ballot. Japanese icon Jumbo Ozaki, who won more than 100 tournaments, was voted into the Hall of Fame on the International ballot. Doug Ford and the late Jock Hutchison, both two-time major champions, were selected through the Veterans category.
Former President George H.W. Bush and the late Frank Chirkinian, the television golf producer for CBS Sports, were selected through the Lifetime Achievement category.
League claims ruling discounted harm
NFL: The NFL says a federal judge failed to consider all the harm that would be inflicted on team owners when she lifted football’s labor lockout last month.
Attorneys for the league filed a brief with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. The 74-page filing laid out the league’s position in advance of a June 3 hearing on its appeal of U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson’s decision in the fight between the NFL and its players.
Nelson issued an injunction that lifted the lockout on April 25. But the 8th Circuit issued a temporary hold of that order four days later – meaning that players can’t work out now with any of the 32 clubs.
NFL attorneys argue that it would be impossible to “unscramble the eggs” if the lockout is lifted and player signings are allowed before a new labor deal is in place. They say the best players would likely sign with the “more favorably-situated” teams, creating a competitive imbalance.
Maryland picks Turgeon to take helm
Men’s basketball: Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon has agreed to take over and replace the retired Gary Williams at Maryland, calling it a “great opportunity.”
Turgeon went 97-40 in four seasons with the Aggies, leading them to four consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament. They went 24-9 this past season, losing to Florida State in the second round.