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Ready or not, Durant, Suns prepare for Clippers series

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant’s arrival in the desert hasn’t gone exactly to plan. Because of injuries, the 13-time All-Star has played just eight games with the Phoenix Suns since he was acquired in a mid-February franchise shakeup.But those eight games sure were impressive.The Suns are unbeaten when Durant plays, giving the franchise plenty of hope that it can win an NBA championship for the first time in its 55 seasons. No. 4 seed Phoenix opens the playoffs Sunday against the No. 5 seed Los Angeles Clippers.“Chemistry matters, being on the same page with your team matters,” Durant said. “In a perfect world, I would have loved to play more than eight games with this team. But I’ve just got to rest on me playing 1,000 games in the NBA.“I’ll figure it out.”Durant’s arrival has given the Suns a star quartet that also includes Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. Phoenix is trying to make it back to the NBA Finals for the second time in three s...

Grand National race delayed after activists get onto track

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — The Grand National, one of the world’s most famous horse races, was delayed Saturday after animal rights activists scaled fences around the perimeter of Aintree racecourse and got onto the track.The developments came after three people were arrested in connection with a plan by the activists to disrupt the race. All three were arrested on “suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance,” Merseyside Police said.Some of the activists from an estimated group of 300 climbed the high fences around the racecourse and got onto the track a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start, apparently attempting to handcuff themselves to the obstacles.Police and security officials were seen stopping other activists and shaking the perimeter fences to prevent others mounting them.The race was delayed as a result and the 39 horses were kept in the parade ring. It was originally scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m. local time (1615 GMT).A 25-year-old woman and a ma...

Rublev reaches Monte Carlo final again; Sinner faces Rune

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

MONACO (AP) — Fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev reached the Monte Carlo Masters final for the second time after rallying to beat eighth-seeded American Taylor Fritz 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 in a rain-interrupted contest on Saturday.The Russian player, who lost in the final two years ago, goes for his 13th career title and first at Masters level against either sixth-seeded Dane Holger Rune or No. 7 Jannik Sinner of Italy.They played later Saturday, with the 21-year-old Sinner competing in his third straight Masters semi this season.Under cloudy skies, Rublev leveled the match on his fourth set point when Fritz, the French Open junior runner-up in 2015, double-faulted for the fifth time.He broke Rublev to lead 2-1 in the deciding set but trailed 15-40 in the next game. Fritz won a 40-stroke rally to save one break point, but Rublev let out a roar after a stinging backhand down the line won the next point as he broke straight back. He then held for 3-2 as the rain started falling more heavily.The chair ...

NHL playoffs: Can anyone in the East beat the Boston Bruins?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

After winning an NHL-record 65 games and steamrolling opponents since October, the Boston Bruins look like the clear favorite to come out of the East and win the Stanley Cup.The reality? “Everyone’s 0-0,” veteran forward Charlie Coyle said.The climb to try to win the franchise’s first championship in more than a decade begins with a series against the Florida Panthers. Injuries could make Boston vulnerable in the second round against Toronto or Tampa Bay and in the conference final against either Carolina, New Jersey, the New York Rangers or Islanders. But the Bruins’ talent, consistency and depth make them look like they can overcome it all.“The confidence level is high,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “We believe that it’s going to be hard, and we don’t talk about winning the Stanley Cup now. We talk about Game 1, that’s going to be our focus. We think that not looking too far ahead that creates anxiety. We believe in staying present and our process allows us to have succe...

Dortmund wastes great chance to move level with Bayern

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Neither Borussia Dortmund nor Bayern Munich could seize their opportunity on Saturday. Borussia Dortmund conceded three late goals against 10-man Stuttgart and squandered the chance to capitalize on Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.Gio Reyna temporarily fired Dortmund level on points with Bayern at the top of the table when he scored in injury time, but there was still time for Silas Katompa Mvumpa to score Stuttgart’s even later equalizer for 3-3, leaving Dortmund two points behind Bayern with six rounds remaining.Hoffenheim forward Andrej Kramarić struck what seemed a decisive blow in the title race with a free kick that canceled Benjamin Pavard’s opening goal for Bayern, but Dortmund failed to make the most of its two-goal lead against Stuttgart that had a player less for the whole second half.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Source

Eze scores twice as resurgent Palace beats Southampton 2-0

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) — Eberechi Eze scored twice and resurgent Crystal Palace beat last-place Southampton 2-0 on Saturday in the Premier League for its third straight victory since the return of manager Roy Hodgson.Eze knocked in a rebound from close range in the 54th minute and struck from distance 14 minutes later at St. Mary’s Stadium in a victory that should ease any concerns Palace had about relegation.It’s a third consecutive loss for Southampton, though, and with seven matches remaining Ruben Selles’ team is running out of time to find points.The Saints have gone six straight games without a win and will travel to London to face first-place Arsenal next Friday.Palace was without a win in 2023 when it hired the 75-year-old Hodgson last month as the replacement for the fired Patrick Vieira.The visitors opened the scoring when Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu parried Jordan Ayew’s shot into the center of the box, where Eze awaited before scoring with a...

Suspect in murder of Indiana teen girls wins prison transfer

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

DELPHI, Ind. (AP) — A judge has ordered a man charged with killing two teenage girls in Indiana transferred to a different state correctional facility after the suspect’s attorneys argued that his physical and mental health is deteriorating after months in isolation.Richard Matthew Allen, 50, will be moved to another facility that will accommodate his medical, physical and psychological needs, the Journal & Courier reported, citing a court order signed Friday.Since shortly after his arrest in the 2017 killings of Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, Allen has been held in isolation at the maximum-security Westville Correctional Facility for his protection. It’s unclear where he’ll be sent next, but the order suggests it will have different medical facilities.In an April 5 request for Allen’s transfer, his defense team said he sleeps on a pad on a concrete floor, hasn’t received visits from his wife or family for the past five months, and is force...

Swan Boats open for 146th season

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

The iconic Swan Boats returned Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Boston Public Garden’s lagoon just as spring comes around the corner. This is their 146th season, and the 113th year for the oldest boat in the fleet.Mayor Michelle Wu celebrated the first ride of the season this morning amid One Boston Day events. She was joined by students and teachers from Tynan Elementary School and other officials.The tradition began in 1887 by Irish immigrant shipbuilder Robert Paget, whose boat design is still used today. The boats are still owned and operated by the Paget family.The boats will host rides daily until September.

Donovan Mitchell facing the Knicks with something to prove after playoff failures

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

CLEVELAND — The New Yorker has something to prove against the Knicks.With Cleveland hosting a playoff game for the first time without LeBron James on its roster since (get this!) 1998, Donovan Mitchell is the focus of the playoff series and has plenty of motivators.Beyond playing against his hometown squad — and beyond facing his mentor, Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant — Mitchell has an opportunity to change the narrative of his playoff failures. It sets up perfectly against Jalen Brunson, the point guard who outplayed Mitchell in last year’s series between the Mavericks and Jazz.Both players switched conferences in the summer — and were almost teammates in New York — but the defeat remains haunting to Mitchell.He’s now just 2-4 in playoff series, while Brunson is coming off last year’s run to a place Mitchell has never seen: the conference finals.“[I remember] how early I was at my house,” Mitchell, who is from ...

Bruins notebook: Patrice Bergeron held out of practice

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:11:41 GMT

When the Bruins took the Warrior Ice Arena sheet for their first post-season practice on Saturday, there was a one notable absence. Soon, a second key player would leave the session early.Captain Patrice Bergeron, who left the regular season finale in Montreal with what was termed an “upper body” injury, did not suit up while his long-time linemate Brad Marchand left after a few twirls and line rushes.But the word of the week – “precautionary” – held for another day.“We’re just giving (Bergeron) extra rest. He’s had a long year. Same thing with Marchie,” said coach Jim Montgomery. “Marchie wanted to give it a try today and he…had a little bit of soreness so I said ‘Get off the ice.’ And we knew it was going to be a hard practice, so I was going to be very cautious. (Matt Grzelcyk) is a little sore, so he didn’t partake in the scrimmage portion of it. It’s just precautionary. The reason I wanted to have a hard practice with some scrimmage inv...