In Brief: Cavs down Raptors to stay unbeaten
NBA: LeBron James had a triple-double and the Cleveland Cavaliers stayed postseason perfect through 10 games with a 108-89 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals in Cleveland.
James had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as the Cavs became the fourth team in NBA history to start 10-0 in the playoffs, joining the Los Angeles Lakers (1989, 2001) and San Antonio Spurs (2012). Only the second Lakers team won an NBA title, and the Cavs are now two wins from appearing in their second straight NBA Finals and trying to end Cleveland’s 52-year sports championship drought.
Kyrie Irving scored 26 and Kevin Love 19 for Cleveland.
The Raptors managed to hang around longer than in Game 1, when they were blown out by 31.
Game 3 is Saturday in Toronto, where Raptors All-Star guard Kyle Lowry can only hope the rims at Air Canada Centre are kinder than the ones in Quicken Loans Arena.
Towns, Porzingis make All-Rookie team: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns and New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis have been unanimously selected to the NBA All-Rookie first team.
Both players received all 130 first-team votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.
Willett takes 2-shot Irish Open lead
Golf: Masters champion Danny Willett struck an opening round of 7-under 65 in the Irish Open, in Straffan, to take a two-shot lead over home favorite Rory McIlroy.
Willett continued his impressive form barely a month after he won his first major title at Augusta.
Muirfield says ‘no’ to female members: Muirfield was stripped of its right to host the British Open after the Scottish club voted against admitting female members in a move that provoked sharp criticism from players and lawmakers.
The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which owns Muirfield, announced its decision to retain the club’s male-only policy following a ballot of its members.
Perry takes Regions Tradition lead: Kenny Perry birdied the final hole for an 8-under 64 and a two-stroke lead in the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Alabama, the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors.
Bernhard Langer bogeyed No. 18 for a 66 to fall into a second-place tie with Gene Sauers at Greystone Golf and Country Club, hosting its first PGA Tour Champions event since the Bruno’s Memorial Classic in 2005.
Miyazato takes lead at Kingsmill: Mika Miyazato had five birdies in a six-hole stretch and finished with a 6-under 65 to take the first-round lead in the Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia.
In tricky conditions on the rain-soaked River Course, the 26-year-old Japanese player closed her opening nine with the birdie run, dropped a stroke on the par-5 third and rebounded with birdies on the par-4 sixth and eighth holes.
Spieth 1 shot back at Byron Nelson: Jordan Spieth covered his mouth in disbelief on the 16th green when his long eagle putt stopped short of falling in for a share of the lead. His group then rushed to complete the final two holes before dark.
Spieth finished with consecutive pars for a 6-under 64 and was within a stroke of the lead when the first round of the AT&T Byron Nelson in Irving, Texas was suspended because of darkness.
Sharks take 2-1 series lead over Blues
NHL: Martin Jones made 22 saves in his second straight shutout and Tomas Hertl scored twice to give the San Jose Sharks a series lead for the first time in four trips to the Western Conference final with a 3-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 3 in San Jose.
Joonas Donskoi also scored to give the Sharks a 2-1 series advantage and move them as close as they have ever been to reaching their first Stanley Cup final. San Jose had won just three games in its first three trips to the conference final, part of a long history of playoff disappointment that is showing signs of coming to an end.
Coyotes, Tucson make move official: The Arizona Coyotes and Tucson made it official, saying the team is moving its American Hockey League franchise to the city.
The AHL’s board of governors approved the sale of the Springfield Falcons to the Coyotes on May 10, the Tucson City Council approved a 10-year arena lease agreement between the Coyotes and the Tucson Convention Center and the Coyotes closed on the franchise purchase.
Greipel posts 3rd win at Giro d’Italia
Bike Racing: German rider Andre Greipel sprinted to his third stage win in the Giro d’Italia in Bibione, Italy, then abandoned the race.
Bon Jungels had little trouble holding onto the overall lead during the 12th stage.
Cranking his pedals in high gear, Greipel surged in front on the final straight of the entirely flat 182-kilometer (113-mile) stage from Noale to Bibione, crossing the line in over four hours.
Skujins wins Stage 5 of Tour of California: Toms Skujins pulled away from Adam De Vos and Xabier Zandio, the only remnants of an early breakaway, and cruised across the finish line to win Stage 5 of the Tour of California in Lake Tahoe.
Julian Alaphilippe finished 43 seconds back in a pack of overall contenders on the 132-mile route through vineyards and forestland to retain the yellow jersey. Peter Stetina remained 22 seconds adrift in second and George Bennett 37 seconds back in third.
US beats Czechs at ice hockey worlds
Miscellany: The United States upended the odds and downed the Czech Republic 2-1 in a shootout to reach the semifinals of the ice hockey world championship in Moscow.
That sets up a semifinal on Saturday against Canada, which pounded Sweden 6-0.
Russia and Finland contest the other semifinal.
Loaded with young talent, the Americans came into the game as heavy underdogs after losing four times in the group stage.
Chaves fastest in Indy 500 practice: Gabby Chaves led Indianapolis 500 practice with a fast lap of 227.961 mph as Honda topped the speed chart for the third straight practice session.
The Colombian-American, who was hired by Dale Coyne Racing this month and made his season debut last week in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, topped a practice session at Indianapolis for the first time.
USA Swimming moves camp to Atlanta: Concerned about the threat of the Zika virus, USA Swimming has moved a pre-Olympic training camp from Puerto Rico to Atlanta.
A person familiar with the situation spoke to the AP, saying a letter went out to national team athletes and coaches telling them of the change.