Smashdown Sports

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gary Harris , who had missed Denver’s last two games with a sore left ankle, scored 27 points and the Nuggets won their fifth straight game by edging the Portland Trail Blazers 113-112 on Friday night. Paul Millsap added 22 points for the Nuggets, who led by as many as 17 points but nearly squandered it in the frantic final minutes. CJ McCollum had 33 points, but missed a short jumper at the final buzzer as the Blazers came up just short. Jusuf Nurkic added 17 points and 11 rebounds for Portland, which has lost four of its last five games. The Blazers started to chip away at Denver’s lead late in the third quarter. McCollum’s jumper got Portland within 98-97 with 6:04 left but Monte Morris answered with a 3-pointer for the Nuggets and the Blazers couldn’t get any closer until Nurkic’s basket with 1:30 left counted on a goaltending call to close the gap to 108-106. McCollum added step-back jumper to tie it at 108 with less than a minute left. Jamal Murr

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GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Defending champion Cameron Smith shot a 5-under 67 Saturday to increase his lead to three strokes over Marc Leishman after three rounds of the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines. Smith had a 54-hole total of 14-under 202. Leishman and Smith played together at the World Cup of Golf last week in Melbourne, where they finished tied for second behind winning Belgium. Leishman, who shot 69 Saturday, and Smith were in the final group Saturday and will do the same on Sunday. Leishman trailed Smith by one stroke going into the third round. American Harold Varner III, who won the tournament in 2016 and has finished second in a playoff and sixth in three Australian PGAs at Royal Pines, shot 71 and was tied for third, seven strokes behind Smith.

WASHINGTON — Teams coming off vastly different losses will meet when the Washington Wizards host the Brooklyn Nets Saturday night at Capital One Arena. While the Wizards (8-14) were routed in Philadelphia, the Nets (8-15) dropped their fifth straight but took the visiting Memphis Grizzlies to double overtime before falling 131-125 on Friday. D’Angelo Russell (26 points) put the Nets ahead 125-124 with 2:49 left in overtime but the Grizzlies scored the final seven points. “We play Washington tomorrow night,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said after the Nets lost for the ninth time in 11 games. “That’s the great thing about the NBA. We don’t have to wait a week to wash our hands and move on. Give them credit, again. I thought they made some great plays. Tough one.” DeMarre Carroll had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets, who also couldn’t hold a 10-point fourth-quarter lead or a seven-point lead with 33 seconds remaining. “I mean yeah, especially when you give it away like that

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Phillies did not tender contracts to first baseman Justin Bour and left-hander Luis Avilan , allowing the players to become free agents. Both players were acquired in trades during the season and saw limited action in Philadelphia. Bour hit .224 with one homer and five RBIs in 49 at-bats after batting .227 with 19 homers and 54 RBIs in 112 games for the Marlins. Avilan had a 3.18 ERA in 12 games for the Phillies, spanning 5 2/3 innings. He was 2-1 with two saves and a 3.86 ERA in 58 appearances for the White Sox. The Phillies tendered contracts to other arbitration-eligible players on Friday, including right-handers Aaron Nola , Vince Velasquez , Hector Neris , Jerad Eickhoff and Luis Garcia; left-hander Adam Morgan ; infielders Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco ; and outfielder Aaron Altherr . ####https://smashdownsportsnews.com####

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Clint Capela had 27 points and 12 rebounds, James Harden had 23 points and 10 assists and the Houston Rockets handed the San Antonio Spurs their second straight lopsided defeat, 136-105 on Friday night. Chris Paul added 14 points and 10 assists as Houston was able to sit its starters for most of the fourth quarter while holding a 110-74 lead after the third. San Antonio (10-12) fell two games below .500 for the first time since Nov. 20, 2009 when it was 4-6. The Rockets entered the game on a four-game skid but the Spurs were the troubled team. Two nights after a 39-point loss in Minnesota, San Antonio actually fared worse against Houston. “You need to take that embarrassment and bottle it up,” forward Dante Cunningham said during the team’s morning shootaround. “You have to never want that again. That taste has to stick around forever. You just can’t give up games like that. Pride has to kick in at some point.” Little changed as the Spurs allowed their b

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pitcher Tony Cingrani reached agreement on a $2.65 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday to avoid salary arbitration. The left-hander made 30 appearances last season and had a 4.76 ERA in 22 2/3 innings with 36 strikeouts. Cingrani, 29, made two trips to the disabled list last season due to shoulder issues and made only two appearances in September. The Dodgers also decided not to offer a contract offer to switch-pitcher Pat Venditte , who became a free agent. ####https://smashdownsportsnews.com####

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Clint Capela had 27 points and 12 rebounds, James Harden had 23 points and 10 assists and the Houston Rockets handed the San Antonio Spurs their second straight lopsided defeat, 136-105 on Friday night. Chris Paul added 14 points and 10 assists as Houston was able to sit its starters for most of the fourth quarter while holding a 110-74 lead after the third. San Antonio (10-12) fell two games below .500 for the first time since Nov. 20, 2009 when it was 4-6. The Rockets entered the game on a four-game skid but the Spurs were the troubled team. Two nights after a 39-point loss in Minnesota, San Antonio actually fared worse against Houston. “You need to take that embarrassment and bottle it up,” forward Dante Cunningham said during the team’s morning shootaround. “You have to never want that again. That taste has to stick around forever. You just can’t give up games like that. Pride has to kick in at some point.” Little changed as the Spurs allowed their

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Right-hander Bryan Mitchell and infielder Greg Garcia both agreed to $910,000, one-year contracts with the San Diego Padres on Friday. The 27-year-old Mitchell was 2-4 with a 5.42 ERA in 11 starts and five relief appearances for the Padres, who acquired him from the Yankees last December. He made seven starts, was sent to the bullpen, went on the disabled list for 2½ months because of a right elbow impingement, then had four starts in September. Garcia, 29, is from San Diego’s El Cajon suburb and was claimed off waivers from St. Louis on Nov. 1. He hit .221 with three homers and 15 RBIs in 181 at-bats for the Cardinals this year. ####https://smashdownsportsnews.com####

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Gabby Carle and Malia Berkely scored first-half goals on Friday night and Florida State snapped reigning champion Stanford’s 45-game unbeaten streak with a 2-0 victory in the College Cup semifinal. Stanford’s school-record unbeaten streak was the longest for Division I women’s soccer since North Carolina went 70 games without a loss from 1996 to 1998. It was the third time in school history that Florida State (19-4-3) has defeated the No. 1 team in the nation and the Seminoles will face North Carolina for an all-ACC final on Sunday. Florida State lost at home to North Carolina 1-0 in the regular season and beat the Tar Heels 3-2 in the ACC championship in Cary, North Carolina. The Tar Heels beat Georgetown with a late goal in the other semifinal Thursday night. Carle opened the scoring in the 29th minute with her first goal of the season. She slipped through a pair of defenders near the touchline, dribbled past another to get an opening at the top of the area an

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Second baseman Joe Panik reached agreement on a $3.85 million, one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Friday to avoid salary arbitration, while reliever Sam Dyson received a $5 million, one-year deal. The Giants, with new baseball operations chief Farhan Zaidi now in charge, did not tender contracts to outfielder Gorkys Hernandez or reliever Hunter Strickland , allowing the pair to become free agents. Panik batted .254 with four home runs and 24 RBIs in 102 games while again dealing with injuries. Dyson went 4-3 with a 2.69 ERA in a team-best 74 outings. After a stint as closer last season, Strickland punched a door in June after blowing a save and taking a loss to Miami, and he required surgery. In late May 2017, the excitable right-hander ignited a brawl when he beaned Washington’s Bryce Harper with a 98 mph fastball on his first pitch in the eighth inning with two outs, none on and the Nationals ahead 2-0. Harper charged the mound and both

BOSTON (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored 29 points in the first three quarters and the Boston Celtics topped their season scoring high for the second straight game, routing the Cleveland Cavaliers 128-95 on Friday night. Marcus Morris added 15 points, Jayson Tatum had 13, and Aron Baynes finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Boston took over in the third quarter, making 6 of 8 3-pointers and outscoring Cleveland 39-20. Tristan Thompson had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland. 76ERS 123, WIZARDS 98 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 16 points and 15 rebounds, Ben Simmons added 13 points and 10 assists and both Philadelphia stars sat for the final quarter and a half. T.J. McConnell scored 15 points to help the 76ers win their third in a row and seventh in the last eight. They improved to 12-1 at home. Bradley Beal had 19 points for short-handed Washinton. PISTONS 107, BULLS 88 DETROIT (AP) — Andre Drummond had 19 points and 19 rebounds and Blake Griffin added 2

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Just over a minute from having to decide the match with penalty kicks, Julia Ashley scored in the second overtime to lift North Carolina over previously unbeaten Georgetown 1-0 in their College Cup semifinal on Friday. North Carolina, a No. 1 seed as were all four semifinalists, advances to Sunday’s championship game against the Stanford-Florida State winner. The Tar Heels are in the title game for the 26th time and will be after their 23rd championship. They have played in all 37 NCAA tournaments. After the Tar Heels (21-3-1) spent most of the match in the Hoyas’ half, the drive to the winning goal started deep in the UNC half and concluded when Ashley passed to Rachael Dorwart, who returned the ball to Ashley, who then sent the ball past charging goalkeeper Lauren Gallagher near the penalty spot at 107:41. It was Ashley’s sixth goal of the season. Gallagher, who had played in only two games this season, came in for Arielle Schechtman, who suffered a leg injury

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Darius Leonard chose No. 53 so he could follow in his half-brother’s footsteps. The Indianapolis Colts rookie linebacker soon learned he had much larger shoes to fill. Leonard has embraced the legacy of Edwin Jackson , who wore the same jersey number with the Colts before he was killed in a February traffic accident. Now Leonard will honor Jackson’s memory during the NFL’s annual My Cause My Cleats celebration, something Jackson’s family endorses. “When my family and I watch Darius, we see the same passion and fire Edwin played with” said Adam Jackson, Edwin’s brother. “Edwin often talked about how he represented a lot of people when he was on the field, and that he wanted to make them proud and give them a show. It seems like this is similar for Darius Leonard. From what I have read about Darius, he was considered an underdog coming out of college just like Edwin. They both used this underdog mentality as fuel to become NFL starters for the Colts.” The sim

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox agreed to terms with right-handed reliever Tyler Thornburg on a one-year deal worth $1.75 million on Friday. Thornburg, who earned $2.05 million this past season, can also earn $400,000 in performance bonuses if he pitches in 60 games. He made his Red Sox debut in July and appeared in 25 games. Thornburg had a 5.63 ERA. He sat out the 2017 season after undergoing surgery to treat thoracic outlet syndrome. Thornburg was taken in the third round of the 2010 June Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He went 14-9 with a 2.87 ERA in 144 career appearances for the Brewers from 2012-16 prior to being acquired by the Red Sox in a trade in December 2016. ####https://smashdownsportsnews.com####

TORONTO (AP) — Infielder Yangervis Solarte was not offered a 2019 contract by the Toronto Blue Jays , allowing him to become a free agent. The 31-year-old hit a career-low .226 this year with 17 homers and 54 RBIs. He earned $4 million in the final season of a $7.5 million, two-year contract. ####https://smashdownsportsnews.com####

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was listed as doubtful Friday and likely will miss his second straight game because of a right shoulder injury when the NFC North leaders visit the New York Giants on Sunday. Trubisky was hurt sliding late in a win over Minnesota on Nov. 18. He was hit by the Vikings’ Harrison Smith on the left side, resulting in his throwing shoulder getting driven into the ground. Though Trubisky practiced on a limited basis this week, veteran Chase Daniel figures to make his second straight start for the NFC North leaders. The Bears also listed defensive end Akiem Hicks as questionable. He was a full participant Friday after sitting out the previous two practices with Achilles tendon soreness.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams has apologized for remarks he made in a radio interview defending the team’s decision to claim Reuben Foster off waivers. The Redskins were the only team to put in a claim for Foster after the San Francisco 49ers released him following a domestic violence arrest over the weekend. In an interview with a Washington radio station Wednesday, Williams said the Redskins were willing to take the public relations “beat up” for signing Foster and added, “We’ve got people who are in high, high, high, high places that have done far worse.” After practice Friday, Williams issued an apology to the organization, his wife, mother, sister and six daughters, saying, “Never in my life have I said anything so insensitive.” Williams did not take any questions. from Blogger https://ift.tt/2Q3hjmF via SEO Services

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers will once again be without receivers Marquise Goodwin and Pierre Garcon . Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that Goodwin will miss this weekend’s game at Seattle because he is dealing with a serious family issue and Garcon will be out with a knee injury. Goodwin is missing his second straight game and Garcon will be out for the third straight game. The 49ers also said guard Joshua Garnett (thumb) and safety D.J. Reed (heel, chest) will miss this week’s game.

South America’s soccer leaders have thrown in the towel. They are incapable of staging the biggest annual game on their own continent. A confederation of 10 nations can’t find anywhere safe enough for River Plate and Boca Juniors to complete their Copa Libertadores final after proving incapable of securing the streets for the abandoned second leg in Buenos Aires. The tournament named after the “liberators” of South America from Spanish rule is now reliant on the old colonial conquer. Argentine fans will have to make a costly 24-hour round trip to Madrid next weekend. “They are teams from a country and a part of the world which is obviously is very closely tied to Spain ,” Spanish Football Association President Luis Rubiales said Friday. “So we are really pleased.” But it’s humiliating for Alejandro Dominguez, president of the South American soccer body CONMEBOL, that “his final to end all finals” will be played so far away. With the SuperClasico final enjoying unprecedented

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press that Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt appears headed to the NFL’s Commissioner Exempt List, sidelining him while the league investigates a video of Hunt striking a woman in February. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not issued a formal statement Friday, although one was expected for later in the evening. The video was published earlier Friday by TMZ. Police were called to the scene, but no charges were filed for the Feb. 10 incident. But the video shows Hunt knocking over and kicking the woman in a Cleveland hallway. Cleveland police and the NFL did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hunt was at practice Friday, then was excused and sent home. The Chiefs (9-2) are at Oakland on Sunday. Being placed on the exempt list means the player is paid and does not count against the club’s 53-man roster. But he can’t practice or play until he is

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Cardiff City coach Neil Warnock will spend his 70th birthday a happy man after his squad climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone with a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday. Warnock turns 70 on Saturday and will mark his milestone birthday with a family get-together at a restaurant in the Welsh countryside. The meal will taste all the sweeter after second-half goals from Aron Gunnarsson and Junior Hoilett completed yet another Cardiff comeback win. Matt Doherty had marked his 200th league appearance for Wolves by opening the scoring after 18 minutes, but a fifth defeat in six games means Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have only picked up one point from a possible 18. Cardiff has found some momentum in recent weeks and this was its third win from four home games, all of which it has fallen behind in. Wolverhampton is 11th while Cardiff moved up to 15th.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo will be out indefinitely as he tries to recover from a sore right knee. Oladipo already has missed six straight games with the injury and the Pacers are 3-3 without him. Indiana finishes a four-game road trip Saturday at Sacramento. The former Indiana University star leads the team in scoring with 21.4 points per game and steals at 1.56. He’s also second on the Pacers in assists (4.7) and rebounds (6.6) after winning the NBA’s steals title last season. Free-agent acquisition Tyreke Evans will likely continue to replace Oladipo in the starting lineup. Evans averages 10.5 points. The Pacers have not provided additional details about Oladipo’s injury.

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Jon Rahm hardly missed a shot and found golf easy Friday on his way to a 9-under 63, giving him a share of the lead with Henrik Stenson going into the weekend at the Hero World Challenge. Tiger Woods stayed eight shots behind, and an 18-month-old rules decision kept him from being a further stroke back. He hit into a palm bush on the 18th hole on his way to a double bogey. Video evidence revealed he hit the ball more than once, but Woods wasn’t given an additional penalty shot because of the rule that players aren’t penalized if it can’t be seen by the naked eye. He shot 69. Stenson ran off three straight birdies late in his round for a 66. They were at 10-under 134.

NEW YORK (AP) — One unidentified major league player tested positive for a banned stimulant in the year ending with the World Series. Under the joint drug agreement between Major League Baseball and the players’ association, an initial positive test for a banned stimulant results in six additional urine tests over the next year rather than a suspension, and the identity is not announced. The positive test for an amphetamine was listed in the annual report issued Friday by the drug program’s Independent Public Administrator. In the year ending with the 2017 World Series, there were two positive tests for banned stimulants that did not result in a suspension, one each for Adderall and D-Amphetamine. Players not on 40-man rosters are not covered by the union and are subject to the minor league drug program, which mandates is most cases a 50-game suspension for an initial stimulant violation. Major League Baseball conducted a record 11,526 drug tests, a 39 percent increase from two

MIAMI (AP) — The memories will be impossible for Mike Miller to ignore on Saturday. He’ll be back inside AmericanAirlines Arena, where he helped the Miami Heat win the 2012 and 2013 NBA championships. He’ll see the banners and recall his best moments — the one-shoed 3-pointer against San Antonio as part of Miami’s Game 6 comeback in the 2013 NBA Finals, the seven 3s against Oklahoma City in the 2012 title clincher, the way he got mobbed when he returned as a visitor to get his second ring. Then he’ll get to work. Miller is an assistant coach on Penny Hardaway’s staff at Memphis now, and the Tigers (3-3) will take on No. 20 Texas Tech (6-0) as part of the four-game lineup at the HoopHall Miami Invitational. And Miller plans to show off many of the championship reminders scattered around his former home arena to Memphis’ players, hoping they might serve as inspiration. More Miami Heat news “What we’re trying to do with this team is we’re trying to get these kids to understand

MADRID (AP) — Rayo Vallecano defeated Eibar 1-0 in the Spanish league on Friday, ending an 11-match winless streak. Adrian Embarba scored from close range in the 53rd minute to give Rayo its first victory since September in all competitions. It was Rayo’s first win in eight matches this season at its Vallecas Stadium in Madrid. The result left the promoted club second-to-last in the league standings with 10 points from 14 matches, three points from safety. Eibar, 10th in the standings, was coming off a 3-0 rout of Real Madrid in the previous round. Sevilla leads the league with 26 points, one more than Barcelona and two more than Atletico Madrid .

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams has apologized for remarks he made in a radio interview defending the team’s decision to claim Reuben Foster off waivers. The Redskins were the only team to put in a claim for Foster after the San Francisco 49ers released him following a domestic violence arrest over the weekend. In an interview with a Washington radio station Wednesday, Williams said the Redskins were willing to take the public relations “beat up” for signing Foster and added, “We’ve got people who are in high, high, high, high places that have done far worse.” After practice Friday, Williams issued an apology to the organization, his wife, mother, sister and six daughters, saying, “Never in my life have I said anything so insensitive.” Williams did not take any questions.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adrian Beltre went into this offseason pretty sure he had played his last game after 21 big league seasons. “I just waited a little longer than I wanted to,” Beltre said, explaining Friday he wanted to make sure he wasn’t one of those players who retired and then had desire to get back on the field. “I was waiting for that, but I didn’t get it.” While Beltre knows he will miss baseball, the four-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove third baseman said he is “completely happy” with his decision. Beltre, who spent the last eight seasons of his Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Texas Rangers, said goodbye in a laughter-filled news conference at the ballpark where he joined the 3,000-hit club in 2017. There were no tears from the 39-year-old Beltre, who had announced his decision 10 days earlier and answered questions for about 30 minutes. “I didn’t expect to be emotional because I’m really happy with what I am doing,” said Beltre, pointing out that he di

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Tiger Woods avoided a penalty for hitting the ball twice because of an 18-month-old rule that limits the use of advanced TV replays. Woods was in a palm bush right of the 18th fairway Friday in the Hero World Challenge when he took a short back swing and tried to punch the ball back into play. Questions arose whether the ball stayed on the club too long, and PGA Tour officials reviewed the shot. Chief rules official Mark Russell says only when they used high-definition replay in slow motion were they able to detect that Woods hit the ball twice. Woods says he didn’t feel the club make contact more than once. The decision from May 2017 says that when penalties are not applied when a violation could not reasonably be seen with the naked eye.

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CAPE COAST, Ghana (AP) — Cameroon became the third and final African team to qualify for next year’s Women’s World Cup by beating Mali 4-2 on Friday in the third-place game at the African Cup of Nations. Cameroon joins Nigeria and South Africa at the World Cup in France in June and July. Nigeria, the defending African champion, and South Africa will meet in the Cup of Nations final on Saturday. Nigeria has won 10 of the 12 African Cups played and is seeking a third title in a row in Ghana. South Africa has lost four finals and never won the tournament, but did beat Nigeria in the group stage this year. In the third-place game, a brace of goals by midfielder Ninon Abena gave Cameroon a 2-0 lead over Mali. Fatoumata Diarra hit back for Mali and an own goal by Cameroon defender Aurelle Awona made it 2-2 in the 56th minute. Substitute Aboudi Onguene put Cameroon ahead again six minutes later and captain Christine Manie sealed victory in injury time with a long-range free kick.