CHARGES AGAINST WORLD'S TOP GOLFER SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER DROPPED AFTER ARREST OUTSIDE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

AP Photo 

 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.

Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell asked a judge Wednesday afternoon to drop the four charges against Scheffler, who was not required to be in the courtroom. The prosecutor said Scheffler's explanation that he had a misunderstanding with police directing traffic was "corroborated by the evidence.”

“Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler," O'Connell said during the short hearing.

Scheffler said in an Instagram post Wednesday that his May 17 arrest and jailing was an “unfortunate misunderstanding” during a “chaotic situation.”

“I wish to put this incident behind me, and I hope (the officer) will do the same. Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler had been charged with a felony for assaulting a police officer with his vehicle, along with three misdemeanors. The arresting officer, Detective Bryan Gillis, was outside the gate of Valhalla Golf Course directing traffic after a pedestrian death when he encountered Scheffler.

Video of Scheffler in handcuffs being escorted by officers quickly spread on the internet, followed by a mug shot of Scheffler in an orange jumpsuit from Louisville's jail.

O’Connell said Wednesday that his office thoroughly reviewed evidence in the case before deciding to dismiss charges.

“The evidence we reviewed supports the conclusion that Detective Gillis was concerned for public safety at the scene when he initiated contact with Mr. Scheffler,” O’Connell said. “However, Mr. Scheffler’s actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses.”

Scheffler was not aware there had been a pedestrian death, and several PGA-marked vehicles like Scheffler's were able to enter the course without a problem, O'Connell said. But a passenger bus attempting to enter was halted and told to turn around. Gillis was on the scene stopping vehicles so the bus would have room to pivot, and Scheffler's car was among the first to reach the point where Gillis was stopping traffic, O'Connell said.

Gillis said in a police report that Scheffler then “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging” Gillis to the ground. Gillis said his uniform pants were damaged in the fall and he was taken to the hospital for his injuries.

A surveillance video released by Louisville police last week showed Gillis pursuing Scheffler’s vehicle on foot and stopping him from entering the course. Scheffler is later pulled from the car and cuffed. But the video did not show Gillis’ first contact with Scheffler, authorities said.

Gillis has been disciplined for not activating his body-worn camera during the arrest. In a report on that failure, Gillis wrote that Scheffler had “demanded to be let in” the golf course.

The famous golfer spent a brief stint in a jail cell, then returned to the course for the second round. He finished the tournament tied for eighth place.

Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, said eyewitness accounts confirmed that the officer was not dragged by his client's car.

“The more evidence that comes out, the more it shows that Scottie was a victim here. And I think everybody sees something like this happen and realizes they’re one wrong turn ... from going to jail themselves,” he said after the hearing.

Romines also said there were grounds for a civil lawsuit against Louisville police but Scheffler is not interested in pursuing litigation.

“Scottie Scheffler doesn’t want the taxpayers of Louisville to have to pay him a dime,” he said.

O'Connell and Romines also addressed the death of the pedestrian, a 69-year-old tournament volunteer named John Mills.

“The events that led us here today began with a tragedy ... and my hope is more attention will soon be paid to Mr. Mills and his life," O'Connell said.

Romines said he has spoken to Mills' family to extend condolences from Scheffler.

“These kind of tournaments can't go on without people like John Mills working out there,” Romines said.

- DYLAN LOVAN

SIR LEWIS HAMILTON ON 'BORING' MONACO 🇲🇨 GRAND PRIX

 

TEAM OF THE SEASON | EUROPES TOP 5 LEAGUES 2023/24

 

MLB OFFICIALLY INCORPORATES STATISTICS OF FORMER NIGRO LEAGUES PLAYERS

USA TODAY Sports 

 Major League Baseball has officially incorporated statistics of former Negro Leagues players from 1920-1948 into its historical records on Wednesday in a move that saw all-time greats like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb replaced atop some categories.

Because of the changes several MLB records, including career leader in batting average, are now held by Hall of Famer Josh Gibson while the career totals of players like Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson will also reflect their Negro Leagues totals.

"We are proud that the official historical record now includes the players of the Negro Leagues," MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred said in a news release.

"This initiative is focused on ensuring that future generations of fans have access to the statistics and milestones of all those who made the Negro Leagues possible.

"Their accomplishments on the field will be a gateway to broader learning about this triumph in American history and the path that led to Jackie Robinson's 1947 Dodger debut."

Given the changes, Gibson now holds the all-time lead with a .372 batting average, surpassing Hall of Famer Cobb's career .367 batting average. Gibson also replaced Hall of Famer Ruth atop the career slugging percentage list with a .718 total.

Gibson is now MLB's all-time career leader in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage, and holds the all-time single-season records in each of the categories.

The statistics of more than 2,300 Negro Leagues ballplayers from 1920-1948 launched on Wednesday in a newly integrated database on MLB's website.

According to the news release, it is estimated that the available Negro Leagues records between 1920-1948 are nearly 75% complete and future findings may result in additional changes to the game's all-time leaderboards.

MLB announced in 2020 that it would correct "a longtime oversight" and incorporate the statistics of the Negro Leagues, in which Black players competed after being forced out of MLB competition due to racism and segregation laws.

The changes to many long-held records follow an evaluation by the independent Negro Leagues Statistical Review Committee, which was chaired by John Thorn, the Official Historian of Major League Baseball.

"Shortened Negro League schedules, interspersed with revenue-raising exhibition games, were born of MLB’s exclusionary practices," Thorn said in the MLB release.

"To deny the best Black players of the era their rightful place among all-time leaders would be a double penalty."

- Reuters 

DAVID GOFFIN SLAMS 'TOTAL DISRESPECT' FROM FRENCH OPEN FANS

David Goffin cupped his ear to the crowd as he was booed following his win

 PARIS -- David Goffin accused partisan fans at the French Open of "total disrespect" and said he was spat at by a spectator during his marathon first-round victory over local favorite Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Fans can often turn the usually quiet Roland Garros courts into a wild arena when a French player needs backing, with the resulting atmosphere unmatched at the other three majors. Goffin, of Belgium, was subjected to the experience Tuesday afternoon.

On a raucous Court 14, Goffin kept his cool to defeat wild card Perricard 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 before the former world No. 7 held his hand to his ears as he left the venue to loud jeers.

"When you are insulted for 3½ hours, you have to tease the public a little," Goffin told Belgian media. "Clearly, it goes too far, it's total disrespect. It's really too much. It's becoming football. Soon there will be smoke bombs, hooligans and fights in the stands. It's starting to become ridiculous. Some people are there more to cause trouble than to create an atmosphere.

"Someone spat out their chewing gum at me. [The match] was getting complicated. That's why I wanted to stay calm. If I started to get angry about it, it could have destabilized me."

Goffin urged the organizers of the year's second Grand Slam to take action.

"A lot of people are complaining. A lot of umpires feel that there is a lot of disrespect," Goffin said. "This is repeated a lot in the locker room and among the ATP authorities. We're going to have to do something about that.

"I think it only happens in France. At Wimbledon, obviously, there's not that. Or in Australia either. At the US Open, it's still rather quiet. Here, it's a really unhealthy atmosphere."

Tournament organizers said officials would ensure that fans follow the rules and respect players.

"The public are incredibly enthusiastic, particularly on the outside courts," they said in a statement. "However, they must of course show full respect to all players while doing so. Oversight bodies are in place to make sure rules are followed. Although it's only natural that fans share their excitement and cheer on their favorites, this may not in any case go against the values of tennis or consideration for the players."

Last year, Taylor Fritz got a reminder of how brutal the venue can be as persistent boos and whistles rained down from the Philippe Chatrier stands as the American shushed fans repeatedly after beating Arthur Rinderknech.

When the crowd pick on a player, it can become unsettling, as Martina Hingis found out during the 1999 title clash against Steffi Graf. Jeered by the fans after disputing a line call while up 6-4, 2-0, the Swiss player lost her composure and the match, only to be booed again after match point.

- Reuters 

INSIDE THE UNUSUAL LOCKER ROOM DYNAMICS OF PRO TENNIS

Andrey Rublev warming up in the locker room before a match at the 2023 Laver Cup. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup

 Sloane Stephens still remembers what it was like walking into the locker room at some of her first tournaments on the WTA Tour. She was 16 when she made her main draw debut, and it was intimidating to be surrounded by so many women she had admired.

And now she would have to play them.

But what most stands out today when Stephens, now 31 and ranked No. 35, thinks about it, was just how quiet it was. There was no casual conversation. In fact, people rarely spoke at all. Not to her, nor to anyone. The top players didn't even glance in her direction.

It was an isolating and daunting place.

But, according to Stephens -- who lost in the first round of the French Open on Tuesday -- it's a dramatically different scene today. During the early rounds of the tournament -- in which there could be dozens of singles and doubles players at any given time -- the locker room will be buzzing with activity and conversation.

"Now we have full on [get-togethers] in the locker room," Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, told ESPN. "We're like, 'What about this? Did you go to this place for dinner? Did you watch this show?' It's definitely more interactive, which is really nice. We travel so much and we're away from home and it can be hard. Your career can be really up and down, but it's sometimes the little interactions that mean so much. The camaraderie really matters."

Sloane Stephens said the locker room was a lonely place when she first started playing on tour, but now it is full of activity and camaraderie. Elsa/Getty Images

Imagine if Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics had to prepare for an upcoming NBA Finals game with the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic or Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards just feet away doing the same. It might seem incomprehensible -- comical even -- especially when thinking about team sports. But in tennis, this is what happens every single week on tour. There is typically one locker room for the women and one for the men, and every player in the draw shares the space.

At Roland Garros, that means 128 players in each singles draw, with an additional 128 in the doubles draws and the addition of junior players during the second week. Players come in and out of the locker room before and after matches, as well as ahead of and following practice.

Every player is different in how much they like to interact, or not, with their peers.

"If I'm in the locker room and I have to go for the match, I don't really talk to anyone," Andrey Rublev, the current world No. 6, told ESPN. "If I'm in the locker room after practice and I know that now it's my free time, and there are some players that I know, we talk, we can laugh a bit. It's very easy for me to separate competing on the court against someone and being off the court with them. Even if something happened on the court [during a match with an opponent], I'm easy and don't take it personally. It doesn't change anything [in the locker room]."

Stephens added that there is an unspoken code to make sure it's quiet enough for players who are about to head out to a match.

"I think there's a very high level of respect when it comes to someone actually getting ready to play," Stephens said. "You're not going to bother them, you're not going to strike up a conversation. You're going to give them peace and energy they need."

After Danielle Collins defeated Daria Kasatkina at the Charleston Open in April, Kasatkina celebrated with Collins in the locker room. Elsa/Getty Images

Players who are set to play against each other rarely interact -- save for a simple greeting -- before a match, but it can be a different story after. Even, according to Danielle Collins, after a high-stakes match like a final. After winning the title at Charleston in April, Collins said her opponent Daria Kasatkina was not only happy for her in the locker room immediately after, but that they went out to dinner later to celebrate.

"Even though we're competing so hard against each other on court and leaving it all out there physically, emotionally, mentally, I can say the majority of the women on tour are able to kind of separate that," Collins, the world No. 10, shared with ESPN. "And then they're able to leave it all out on the court and be really awesome, amazing people when they come off the court and be people that you want to hang out with and be around and lean on for support."

But still, no matter how supportive it might be, for younger players -- much like for Stephens when she began on tour -- it can be overwhelming to see stars in the locker room for the first time, just getting dressed or listening to music. For Leylah Fernandez, now 21 and ranked No. 33, that exact scenario played out at the 2019 French Open.

She was still a junior when she walked into the locker room to find Serena Williams just steps away.

"I was just in awe of seeing a multiple Grand Slam champion and legend in front of me, beside me," Fernandez, who ultimately won the junior title at the event, told ESPN. "I had been watching her since I started playing tennis. I couldn't say anything. I think we had a brief eye contact moment, and that was pretty much it."

There are moments in which tempers flare in the locker room after tough matches. Following their heated quarterfinal clash at the 2022 French Open, Holger Rune claimed that Casper Ruud -- the winner of the match -- came up to him in the locker room and "shouted 'YEEEESSSS' right up in my face." Ruud's camp denied the allegations.

After Aryna Sabalenka lost to Coco Gauff in the 2023 US Open final, she was recorded on video smashing her racket in frustration in the locker room. In Collins' experience, those types of moments are rare.

"Sometimes you can have a tough moment on court and you can bump heads or something can come up," Collins said. "Sure, it happens, but off the court, most people are cool and no grudges are held. People are pretty quick to move on from stuff and very laid back and eager to have those fun relationships away from the court."

After this heated quarterfinal match at the 2022 French Open, Holger Rune (left) claimed that Casper Ruud shouted in his face in the locker room. AP Photo/Michel Euler

Taylor Townsend, ranked No. 78 in singles and No. 12 in doubles, believes it was the pandemic that changed the locker room vibe to its current friendlier state.

"Before, I always felt like there was this sense in the locker room where it's just about me, we were all in our own worlds, in our own bubbles," Townsend, who reached the 2023 French Open doubles final with Fernandez, told ESPN. "No one would acknowledge one another, and even though it always felt very strange to me, I kind of adapted to it just to fit in. But I think after [the] COVID [suspension], it was like everyone valued relationships more because we went through a period of isolation. Now it's great to be able to have a laugh, a conversation, joke around and kind of ease the pressure a little bit."

Townsend referenced a recent tournament in which she had just come off the court into the locker room after a win and Madison Keys asked her for advice on how to wear her shirt -- tucked in or not -- ahead of her own match.

"There's a camaraderie for sure," Townsend added.

Stephens said the rise of social media has also allowed players to feel more connected to one another -- and that has translated to even greater support among the players when necessary. Explaining that there have been many times when a player's luggage has been lost while traveling to a tournament, Stephens said others always pitch in and lend their own clothes, sneakers and gear so the player can make it through the week.

The locker room has also become a place for candid conversations about day-to-day life on tour, as well as advice on different coaches, sponsors or anything else.

"It's a safe place to share information, and it's nice to be able to have an open dialogue," Stephens said. "I never want younger players to be scared or not feel like they can participate, so I always introduce myself whenever I see a new person or someone I've never seen before in the locker room. I know they're never going to come up to me."

With players traveling around the world for 10 months of the year and spending more time on the road than at home, it creates an unlikely bond. On the court, everyone wants to win. But off the court, there's an underlying understanding and connection. And what sometimes starts in the locker room can extend far beyond.

"If I'm at a tournament in a foreign country and something happened, the only people I know are going to be the people at the tournament," Stephens said. "I would trust a girl that I have been on the tour with for 10 years -- even if we've never spoken or just in passing in the locker room -- if I was in a pickle. I know she's going to have my back. We are all competitors, but at the end of the day, when something happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. We're always there for each other."

- D'Arcy Maine, ESPN.com

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FESTIVAL

 Four-day UEFA Champions Festival begins on Thursday 🎉

✅ Champions League legends

✅ World-renowned music artists

✅ Exciting giveaways

ALFA ROMEO FURIA GT-1 1971

 

JÜRGEN KLOPP AIMS DIGS AT MAN CITY, CHELSEA AND MAN UNITED

Jürgen Klopp attended a farewell event in Liverpool on Tuesday that was attended by approximately 11,000 fans. John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

 Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp criticised several of the club's rivals during a "Danke, Jürgen" farewell event on Tuesday, appearing to aim digs at Manchester City's alleged financial rules breaches, Chelsea's owners and Manchester United's handling of Jadon Sancho.

Klopp returned to the city for the send-off event at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena, nine days after his final match in charge -- a 2-0 victory over Wolves at Anfield.

The 56-year-old won seven major trophies during his nine-year tenure, lifting the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League title in 2020. But Liverpool were also pipped to the title by a single point by City on two occasions.

City have been charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, with the league's CEO Richard Masters saying on April 26 that the hearing over City's alleged breaches will take place in the "near future."

"You leave this club having won the Premier League once," one of the event's hosts, comedian John Bishop, said. "There could be a court decision that means you've won the Premier League three times..." Klopp interrupted: "If you organise a bus parade, I'm in! How long it takes I don't care."

Klopp also said that he had no regrets over Liverpool not signing star players such as Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland as it is not the "Liverpool way."

"Can you imagine LFC as the club with unlimited money?" Klopp said. "Imagine Kylian Mbappé came here. Imagine Bellingham came here, Haaland. It is not us, it just does not fit. We won what we won and we did it the Liverpool way. We had hard conversations and other clubs didn't do that in the same time."

Klopp said that he felt supported by Liverpool's owners during his time at the club and added that he felt that he would not have been shown as much faith at some other teams.

"We should be really happy that we have these owners and not guys who bought London clubs and other stuff," the German coach said. "I wouldn't have survived a year at Liverpool [with them in charge].

"'Great development but not good enough, sack him!' A year later: 'Sack him.' Then finally they play football where people think they might be back and they sack the manager anyway.

"People always think the grass is greener but we have owners who really feel responsible for the club and work really hard as well to be successful. I felt supported. We did it as good as we could have done and I'm fine with it."

Klopp also appeared to criticise United's treatment of Sancho, who joined the team from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, before falling out with head coach Erik ten Hag and re-joining the German club on loan last summer.

"If the whole world loses trust and faith in the player, the manager has to be the one behind the player," Klopp said.

"I cannot just buy into that, 'he's useless,' like other clubs did by the way, buying a player for £80 million ($102m) and then sending him out on loan."

- ESPN 

REINHART SCORES IN OT, PANTHERS BEAT RANGERS 3-2 OT OF GAME 4 OF EAST FINAL

AP Photo 

 SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers couldn't have asked for a better scenario. Sam Reinhart, alone in the slot, on the power play.

Game over. Series tied.

Reinhart — the NHL's power-play goal leader this year — came through with his 65th and most important goal of the season 1:12 into overtime, and the Panthers topped the New York Rangers 3-2 on Tuesday night, evening the Eastern Conference Final at two games apiece.

“If he's open, obviously, we want to look for him,” said Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who set Reinhart up for the game-winner.

With good reason. Reinhart has 31 goals on the man advantage this year, connecting on 32% of his power-play shots.

“I saw him wide open there, and I was pretty confident he was putting that one in,” Florida forward Carter Verhaeghe said. "He has an awesome shot and obviously he made no mistake on that one, and it was awesome.”

It was the third straight OT game in the series, and the first one that the Panthers scored in the extra session. And on a night when it took a bounce off a skate and then a baseball swing to give Florida its first two goals of Game 4, the finish was picture-perfect for Florida.

Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett also scored for Florida, which got 21 saves — and an assist — from Sergei Bobrovsky.

Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière scored for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin stopped 37 shots.

Game 5 is Thursday in New York, where the teams split the opening two matchups in this series. Game 6 will be Saturday in Sunrise, and the Prince of Wales Trophy — awarded to the East champs — will be in attendance that night.

“Overall, not the result we wanted,” Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad said. "It’s the best out of three. We go home and try to take care of Game 5.”

Blake Wheeler, playing his first game for the Rangers since mid-February, was called for hooking Barkov 59 seconds into the extra session. And it didn't take long for the Panthers to cash in, with Barkov setting up Reinhart in front.

Rangers defenseman Adam Fox defended Wheeler, who basically had no chance with Barkov skating in alone on Shesterkin.

“I don’t think it was a bad penalty to take. They have a good power play and they capitalized,” Fox said.

Bennett got Florida on the board midway through the second period, on a second effort. His first shot got past Shesterkin, but not into the net — and Bennett, who followed the shot, managed to get to the puck before anyone else. He knocked it off the back of the goalie's skate and barely across the goal line.

And 3 1/2 minutes later, Florida had the lead on a pinball goal by Verhaeghe.

Matthew Tkachuk centered the puck from the right corner, and it deflected off Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren's stick. Airborne, it bounced off Shesterkin, then off Lindgren's upper body — and Verhaeghe, with more of a baseball swing than anything else, batted it out of the air for a 2-1 Florida edge.

"I don’t even know what it hit," Verhaeghe said.

Including playoffs, over the last two seasons, Florida entered Tuesday with an NHL-best record of 81-2-6 in games where it led after 40 minutes.

Lafrenière didn't care. A neat spin move from Fox got him the puck on the left side of the crease and he tapped it home with 16:32 left for his third goal in the last two games.

The rest of regulation was wild. Back and forth, play more often resembling a 3-on-3 regular season overtime than anything else, going end to end — Bobrovsky making some point-blank stops, Shesterkin once again getting peppered just as he was late in Game 3 to no Florida avail.

And for the third straight game, to OT they went.

“That’s a pretty desperate team,” Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. “We have to find an ability to raise to that level.”

Trocheck opened the scoring with a power-play tally, on a play where he won a faceoff, moved into the high slot, waited for a centering pass from Artemi Panarin and ripped a perfect shot — an inch or two past the right side of Bobrovsky's head, kissing it off the bottom of the crossbar and into the goal.

So, the crossbar giveth on that Rangers power play. It taketh away on the next one, when the game of inches went the Panthers' way.

New York had Florida reeling later in the first period, when Brandon Montour was in the box for cross-checking. Zibanejad was alone on the left side of the crease and shot toward a ton of open net, but the puck hit Bobrovsky's shoulder, ricocheted up to the crossbar — and this time, bounced back into the crease, just off the goal line as the Panthers remained down only 1-0.

“We have a good feeling,” Bobrovsky said. “We’ve got good belief, good trust in each other here. We’ve got great atmosphere. And, yeah, it’s a fun challenge.”

RUNE VS. EVANS | FRECH OPEN HIGHLIGHTS

NOVAK DJOKOVIC VS. HERBERT | ROUND 1 | ROLAND-GARROS

FORMER NO. 11 ALIZÉ CORNET HAD HER 'LAST DANCE' AT THE FRENCH OPEN

BOCHUM DID THE IMPOSSIBLE! | DÜSSELDORF - BOCHUM | RELEGATION PLAYOFF

 

WOLVES STAY ALIVE WITH GAME 4 ROAD WIN OVER MAVERICKS

USA TODAY Sports 

 That one was about pride.

The next three are about history.

The Minnesota Timberwolves stayed alive in the Western Conference finals Tuesday night, riding Anthony Edwards' game-high 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns' recalibrated long-range shooting form to a 105-100 victory over the host Dallas Mavericks in Game 4.

With their first win in the best-of-seven series, the Timberwolves earned a Game 5 at home on Thursday night, hoping to blaze a trail to become the first team in NBA history to rally and advance after trailing 3-0 in a playoff series.

Winning the series wasn't on the team's radar in Game 4, Edwards insisted afterward.

USA TODAY Sports 

"We just wanted to get one game and extend the series," he said. "I've never been swept in my career. I didn't want to get swept. Not on their home court, hearing their fans talk trash all day."

Luka Doncic posted a 28-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double for the fifth-seeded Mavericks, who won the first two games of the series in a previous trip to Minneapolis.

After Minnesota led by 12 early on, the teams battled on even terms for the first 18-plus minutes of the second half, with Towns' 3-pointer with 5:41 remaining giving the Timberwolves a 92-90 lead.

The visitors never trailed again, thanks in large part to Towns, whose 3-pointer on Minnesota's next possession made it a five-point game.

Dallas' best chance to draw even down the stretch came when Doncic misfired on a 3-pointer with the hosts trailing 95-92 with 3:18 to go.

When Towns connected again from beyond the arc with 2:54 to go, and Edwards followed with a bank shot in the lane 67 seconds later, the Timberwolves had broken things open at 100-92.

"That was on me," Doncic said. "(I) didn't give enough energy."

A desperation 3-pointer by Doncic as he was being fouled with 13.2 seconds left kept the Mavericks alive at 103-100, but Doncic missed the subsequent free throw.

After a timeout, Naz Reid got behind the Dallas defense for a game-clinching layup with 11.3 seconds remaining.

USA TODAY Sports 

"We'd never lost three in a row until earlier in the playoffs. We've never lost four in a row," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "The guys responded. Fun team to coach because they always believe they can win, no matter what."

The Timberwolves had been outscored 10-3, 6-0 and 14-3, respectively, at the end of the first three games en route to three-, one- and nine-point losses.

They are now 3-0 in potential elimination games this postseason.

Edwards' personal series-high point total came as part of a near-triple-double. He also found time for a team-high-tying 10 rebounds and a team-best nine assists.

After missing 19 of his 22 3-point attempts in the first three games of the series, Towns buried 4 of 5 before fouling out with 25 points. He made 9 of 13 shots overall.

The big guy had gone 22-for-50 on threes in the first two series.

Rudy Gobert equaled Edwards' 10 rebounds while also completing a double-double with 13 points for third-seeded Minnesota, while Mike Conley had 14 points and Jaden McDaniels chipped in 10.

Kyrie Irving was held to 16 points on 6-for-18 shooting, while Jaden Hardy had 13 points, Daniel Gafford supplied 12 to complement eight rebounds and three blocks and P.J. Washington added 10 points.

Things were tied at 49 at the break, with Edwards and Doncic each leading their respective teams with 17 points. Minnesota was up 78-73 heading into the fourth quarter.

"They won one game," Doncic said. "We've got to focus on the next one."

- Field Level Media

MAN UNITED YET TO DECIDE ERIK TEN HAG'S FUTURE - SOURCES

 

Erik ten Hag has won two trophies in his two seasons at Manchester United. (Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)

Erik ten Hag is being made to wait before learning whether he will continue as Manchester United manager, with sources telling ESPN that a decision on the Dutchman's future is not expected imminently.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team have started an end-of-season review which will look at every aspect of United's performance this season.

It will include a focus on whether Ten Hag, who has a year left on his contract, should stay on as manager or be replaced.

A source has told ESPN that INEOS reviews led by director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford in other sports have typically taken around four days to complete, although United insist there is no time limit.

Ten Hag strengthened his case to stay on as United boss by lifting the FA Cup on Saturday with a surprise 2-1 win over Manchester City.

But he began a holiday on Sunday still in the dark about whether he will keep his job.

Doubts about his suitability for the role have led INEOS to sound out potential replacements including Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Frank and Kieran McKenna. A source has told ESPN that McKenna is now set to stay at Ipswich Town. United also hold an interest in Gareth Southgate and Roberto De Zerbi.

Ten Hag is under pressure after a miserable Premier League season which saw United finish eighth -- their lowest placing in England's top-flight since 1990.

United also finished bottom of their Champions League group as they exited European competition before Christmas.

Sources have told ESPN that INEOS have not ruled out starting next season with Ten Hag in charge, although sources close to the 54-year-old believe he could still be sacked after failing to get a cast-iron guarantee from either Ratcliffe or Brailsford following victory over City at Wembley.

The decision has been made more complicated because INEOS are still waiting to complete their football leadership team.

New technical director Jason Wilcox has arrived but new CEO Omar Berrada is on gardening leave from Man City and is not expected to start until July 13. Incoming sporting director Dan Ashworth is still on gardening leave from Newcastle United.

- Rob Dawson, Correspondent

DOES F1 NEED.TO CHANGE UP MONACO FORMAT AFTER DREARY RACE?

The growing size of F1 cars combined with the narrow streets of Monte Carlo made for a processional Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday. Peter Fox - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

 MONACO -- The worst fears of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso came true on Sunday as the Monaco Grand Prix produced the most processional race in Formula One history. For the first time since the championship started in 1950, the top 10 finished in the same position they started.

The feel-good story of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finally winning his home race after years of heartbreak was a glorious end to what had otherwise been a dire event at the most famous race venue on this side of the Atlantic.

Emotions were contrasting. While Leclerc was fighting back tears of joy late in the race, championship leader Max Verstappen, uncharacteristically running down the order in sixth position, had been fighting back tears of a different kind.

"F--- me, this is so boring," he said in a radio message to the Red Bull pit wall in the opening stage of the race. "I should have brought my pillow!"

Ahead of the weekend, Verstappen's old title rival Hamilton had asked the media how they stayed awake watching the Monaco Grand Prix every year. That same day, Alonso had said Monaco was the standout F1 week of the year, until race day.

Hamilton and Alonso are in the camp of drivers who simultaneously agree that F1 would not be the same without the Monaco Grand Prix and that something might need to be done to improve the spectacle of the championship's most famous race.

Verstappen had his own suggestions of what needed to change by Sunday evening. The championship leader spent much of his race behind Hamilton's Mercedes teammate George Russell, both drivers operating well below the limit of their respective cars in a bid to get their tyres to the end of the race.

Russell's radio comms were equally damning about the race that was unfolding.

"At this stage, we gain nothing from driving fast," he told Mercedes with 68 laps still to run. Hardly something you expect to hear from someone competing in motor racing's pinnacle series.

The narrow, twisty streets of Monte Carlo and the ever-growing size of F1 cars have bolstered the race's reputation for monotonous races in recent years, but even by the standards of the Monaco Grand Prix, this one was horrendous in terms of quality. One extenuating circumstance turned the dullness dial up to 11.

World championship leader Max Verstappen, left, was stuck behind fifth-placed George Russell for the entirety of Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix. Joe Portlock - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

The red flag on Lap 1, caused by a collision involving Sergio Pérez, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg, prompted the race to be suspended. Due to a quirk of F1's rules, teams could change tyres during the wait. This meant that when the race resumed more than a half hour later, every driver had made the one change of tyre compounds mandated in the rulebook and, in effect, could go to the end of the race without stopping again.

"It was a very static race," Red Bull boss Christian Horner said. "The top 10 is as it started. ... The red flag effectively killed the race, because everybody just was going to run to the end."

It wasn't just Russell and Verstappen who were driving slower than they could. A little further down the road, RB's Yuki Tsunoda was dropping even further back in eighth. Early on, three groups had formed: Leclerc and the chasing three behind him, then a group of Russell, Verstappen and Hamilton, then the rest behind Tsunoda.

Williams driver Alex Albon, who claimed his team's first points of the season in ninth, was the driver stuck directly behind the RB for the entire contest.

"It's annoying because he had pace, he had so much pace," Albon said about Tsunoda after the race. "I was like, we can all manage, I'm happy to manage. We don't need to manage this much. We were managing so much. I was like, 'Man, I could get out and drive my Vespa around here.'

"I mean, it was so slow. It was so painful. It's actually hard to stay focused when you're driving that slowly because you're just not even near anything. You're not near any limit. He absolutely cleared off at the end of the race, and I was like, 'You could have done this the whole time!'"

Asked whether the rule about changing tyres under a red flag needed to be looked at in the future, Albon said: "We need to figure [something] out. Or maybe if it's a Lap 1 red flag maybe have a mandatory pit stop or something.

"It worked in our favour, to be honest with you, so I'm not complaining about it, but that is part of it. The medium guys at the start of the race were just ... I do think they could have kept up with the pack on the first few laps."

The fact that the pace did pick up toward the end highlights another issue with Monaco. Verstappen was one of the few who made a pit stop, which he could do thanks to the huge gap Tsunoda had created, but after easily catching Russell with fresh tyres, he got stuck immediately again and did not even have a sniff at moving up to fifth position.

Russell and Verstappen have not always seen eye to eye, but they appeared to share a bonding moment over how little they had enjoyed the race, a topic of conversation that is likely to pick up traction in the 12 months until F1's next race in Monte Carlo.

The transcript of their interaction, captured while Verstappen was being interviewed by ViaPlay, went as follows:

Verstappen: I think George and I are going to go for a run now, because we didn't really have any exercise. My God! That was terrible. So boring! Yeah, anyway.

Russell: At least a bit more interesting at the end. I was scared we were going to lose the tyres by driving so slow.

Verstappen: It's OK. You can't pass, so ...

Russell: We need to do something. They need to change something for Sunday. Mandatory pit stops, I don't know.

Verstappen: Like five or something!

Russell: Yeah, five!

Interviewer: Refuelling?

Russell: Refuel, yeah. `

Verstappen: Mandatory nap! I don't know.

Russell: One lap on foot!

Interviewer: Toilet break?

Verstappen: I needed to go to the toilet, yeah. It was bad. I went, luckily, so it was all good!

While there was clearly a tongue-in-cheek element to some of the suggestions, the prospect of a format or circuit tweak for the next Monaco Grand Prix surely has to be considered after how the 2024 event unfolded. Horner suggested the prospect of improving Monaco's main event should be high on the agenda of F1's decision makers.

"It's something that we should collectively have a look at," he said. "It's not racing as such when you're just driving around three or four seconds off the pace because the other car hasn't got any chance of overtaking. Monaco is such a great place to come racing, but the cars are so big now that we just need to look at, 'Can we do something that introduces an overtaking area?' Or at least the potential of an overtake? Because the top 10 is exactly as it started on the grid and not a single overtake in the top 10."

F1 will have to consider any changes to Monaco carefully, though.

One statistic that went around social media in the hours after Leclerc's win: In the Formula E race around a slightly different version of the Monaco track earlier this year, there were more than 200 overtakes. That's evidence that F1's bigger cars are to blame, some said, while others said it is proof the circuit can be tweaked to accommodate better racing.

But Formula E's race at Monaco should provide a cautionary tale. It is nowhere near the world-famous event the F1 equivalent has become. Part of that will be down to the fact that Formula E is a new series without the history to match the Monaco Grand Prix, but there is another reason fans do not flock en masse to watch the all-electric cars around the streets of Monte Carlo: they just don't look very good. The cars do not inspire awe in the same way an F1 car does around the narrow streets and, in the process, the kind of mystique F1 can generate at different points of the weekend is not there.

There is a prevailing school of thought in some corners of the paddock that the sport can always have dull Sunday races at the Monaco Grand Prix so long as Saturday's qualifying event is standout. And, as noted ahead of the week, the spectacle of one flat-out lap in Monaco is still one of the greatest things you can see in modern Formula One.

"We keep the extra excitement for qualifying as everyone knows that's a really important session," Tsunoda said on Sunday night. "Probably more than a normal race, qualifying has more value and we ended up in the top 10. Obviously the race is hard to overtake and maybe less overtaking for the spectators or whatever, but I think this is Monaco, and this is why qualifying is extra special compared to other tracks."

Whether that is enough for everyone remains to be seen.

- Nate Saunders, General Editor, F1

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BILL WALTON, NBA HALL OF FAMER AND FREE SPIRIT, DIED AT 71

Reuters 

 Bill Walton, a two-time NBA champion and member of the basketball Hall of Fame, whose brilliant but injury-riddled career led to a second act as a free-spirited broadcaster who waxed philosophical on the air, died on Monday at the age of 71, the National Basketball Association announced.

Walton, who had a prolonged battle with cancer, was surrounded by his family when he died, the National Basketball Association said.

"Bill Walton was truly one of a kind," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that recalled his many accomplishments on the court and his "insightful and colorful commentary" as a broadcaster. "But what I will remember most about him was his zest for life."

Walton, a 6-foot-11 (211-cm) center who moved gracefully despite his height, rose to stardom in college where he was part of the University of California, Los Angeles, dynasty under Coach John Wooden, winning National Collegiate Athletic Association championships in 1972 and 1973.

The first overall pick of the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, Walton established himself as a force early in his professional career, leading Portland to the championship in the 1976-77 season, and he was named Most Valuable Player the following year.

But with brittle bones in his feet, Walton missed three of the next four seasons, mostly as a member of the San Diego Clippers, and later came back as a bench player for the Boston Celtics, helping them win the NBA championship in 1985-86.

In the years following his NBA career, Walton turned to sports broadcasting and was involved with multiple charitable and philanthropic organizations, clinics and camps. He served as both a studio analyst and a color commentator.

'TREMENDOUS IMPACT'

Multiple injuries, including from a bicycle accident, continued to afflict him after his playing days, interrupting his career as a whimsical broadcaster who could intersperse criticism of the officiating of a game with riffs on human consciousness.

He was also known as an avid fan of the Grateful Dead, going on the road with the psychedelic band, often wearing a tie-dye T-shirt common with the group's fan base.

Walton suffered from myriad injuries throughout his life, requiring 38 orthopedic surgeries, according to an interview with the Advanced Medical Technology Association.

In his 2016 autobiography "Back from the Dead," Walton begins in the summer of 2009 when he was in so much pain from his injuries that he was forced to live on the floor of his San Diego home for most of the previous 2-1/2 years. He wrote, "If I had a gun, I would use it."

But with time, as well as inspiration from thinkers as diverse as Coach Wooden, George Bernard Shaw and the Grateful Dead, he was able to convalesce from spine surgery and resume broadcasting, Walton wrote.

While at UCLA, Walton broke multiple school records and stands atop the school's career rebounding list while also ranking among the top 10 leaders in program history in multiple statistical categories.

"It's very hard to put into words what he has meant to UCLA's program, as well as his tremendous impact on college basketball," UCLA's men's head basketball coach Mick Cronin said in a statement.

"Beyond his remarkable accomplishments as a player, it's his relentless energy, enthusiasm for the game and unwavering candor that have been the hallmarks of his larger than life personality."

- Daniel Trotta

CELTICS COMPLETE SWEEP OF PACERS, PUNCH TICKET TO FINALS

USA TODAY Sports 

 Derrick White had missed 7 of 8 3-point attempts when he found himself open in the right corner of the floor in the final minute of a tie game with an NBA Finals berth at stake.

He watched Jaylen Brown handle the ball and was just waiting for his Boston Celtics teammate to deliver a pass. Once Brown did just that, it was White's turn to make a play.

"Just was trusting that JB is going to make the right play like he has this entire year," White said. "I got a good look and wanted to stay in the shot and knock it down."

White drained the 3-pointer with 45 seconds left and the Celtics finished off a four-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals with a 105-102 victory on Monday night at Indianapolis.

"It's a credit to him," Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of White. "He's another guy who has short-term memory. The last (missed) shot doesn't bother him, he plays with a sense of presence."

Brown scored 29 points and Jayson Tatum added 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the top-seeded Celtics landed a spot in the Finals for the second time in the past three seasons.

"It's been nothing but a grind," Brown said. "We didn't skip no steps all season. We have a bunch of great guys in this locker room. We have a bunch of tough guys and our coaching staff and front office has been great. Now we want to take it to the next step."

Andrew Nembhard had 24 points and a playoff career-high 10 assists for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who lost in the East finals for the eighth time in nine trips. Indiana's only victory was over the New York Knicks in 2000.

Boston overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter while once again playing better basketball down the stretch.

A defensive breakdown by the Pacers left White standing alone in the right corner on the decisive shot. Brown, who was named the MVP of the series, spotted him and his pinpoint pass was on the mark, and White's shot swished through the net.

Nembhard missed a 3-pointer with 33.6 seconds left and Tatum got the rebound. Indiana decided not to foul, and Tatum missed a trey with 8.3 seconds remaining. But Jrue Holiday collected the offensive rebound with 4.7 seconds left, and the Celtics ran out the clock.

It was Boston's second straight comeback win in Indianapolis. The Celtics overcame an eight-point deficit with 2:38 left in Game 3 to post a 114-111 victory. Boston trailed by as many as 18 in that contest.

"We never say die," Tatum said. "These were some tough games we had to play in, and we always find a way to figure it out. It's different guys every single night and we sacrifice in order to reach our ultimate goal."

Holiday had 17 points and nine rebounds and White added 16 points, five steals and three blocked shots for the Celtics, who will face either the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves in the Finals.

Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 10 rebounds and T.J. McConnell added 15 points for Indiana. Aaron Nesmith scored 14 points and Obi Toppin added 12.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) missed his second straight game.

"The level of fight was tremendous all the way through this," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said of his team. "Circumstance never fazes them one way or the other. They were in this to win every possession that they could and any game that they could.

"A lot of respect to our players and how they conducted themselves in the series."

The Celtics shot 44.9 percent from the field, including 14 of 44 from 3-point range.

Indiana made 46 percent of its shot attempts and was 10 of 29 from behind the arc.

McConnell scored six points in 64 seconds early in the fourth quarter to give the Pacers an 89-82 lead. A three-point play by Nembhard made it 94-85 with 8:57 remaining.

After Boston moved within four, Nesmith made back-to-back baskets to give Indiana a 98-90 lead with 5:56 to go.

The Celtics answered with an 8-2 run, moving within 100-98 on Holiday's three-point play with 3:54 remaining.

Brown's runner tied the score at 102 with 2:40 left.

Tatum scored 16 points before halftime as Boston led 58-57 at the break. Nembhard also tallied 16 points in the first half.

The Pacers took an 83-80 advantage into the final stanza but were outplayed by Boston down the stretch of a close game for the third time in the series. Indiana lost Game 1 in overtime.

"It's hard because I think when you look at all those games, we were right there," Siakam said. "It stings and it's hard because I know how hard we work.

"It's heartbreaking losses after heartbreaking losses. ... It doesn't matter how good we played. We didn't get it done."

- Reuters 

RAFAEL NADAL ON-COURT INTERVIEW | ROUND 1 | ROLAND-GARROS 2024

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NEWGARDEN GOES BACK-TO-BACK AT INDY 500 TO GIVE ROGER PENSKE RECORD-EXTENDING 20TH WIN

 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Josef Newgarden once again brought his victorious Team Penske car to a stop on the Yard of Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He found that same hole in the fence, climbed through, and was pummeled by fans celebrating his second consecutive Indianapolis 500 triumph.

Everything about his victory Sunday — right down to the last-lap duel, this time with Pato O’Ward — seemed just like last year.

The only difference was the circumstances.

A year ago, Newgarden was the hard-luck driver who had accomplished so much yet never won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” On Sunday, he was the superstar winning the race in the shadow of a cheating scandal that kept his race strategist from even being inside the speedway for the rain-delayed race.

Newgarden put the cheating scandal behind him to become the first back-to-back winner of the Indy 500 since Helio Castroneves 22 years ago and give Roger Penske a record-extending 20th win in the biggest race in the world.

The Tennessean passed O'Ward on the final lap to become the first driver to win consecutive 500s since Castroneves did it for Penske in 2001 and 2002. Newgarden also celebrated last year by climbing through a hole in the fence to celebrate with fans in the grandstands.

“I love this crowd. I’ve got to always go in the crowd if we win here, I am always doing that,” said Newgarden, who earned a $440,000 bonus from trophy-maker BorgWarner for winning consecutive 500s. The award was established in 1995 and only claimed once, by Castroneves.

Penske had been watching the race high above the speedway and pumped his arm in celebration as Newgarden crossed the finish line. He then hugged his wife. It took less than an hour for the placard that designates Penske's parking spot inside the speedway to be changed from “19” to “20.”

AP Photo 

O'Ward slumped his head over his steering wheel in bitter disappointment. He was trying to become the first Mexican in 108 runnings to win the Indy 500.

It looked as if he had been crying when he finally removed his helmet. He finished sixth in his Indy 500 debut, then fourth and then second in 2022 when he was accused of not being aggressive enough to race Marcus Ericsson for the win.

He refused to back down last year and wound up crashing as he went for the victory. As O'Ward bided his time in the closing laps — he and Newgarden traded the lead several times — he waited to make the winning pass on the final lap.

Newgarden got it right back two turns later.

“It is hard to put it into words — we went back, we went forward, we went back, some people were driving like maniacs,” O'Ward said. “We had so many near-race enders. Just so close again. ... I put that car through things I never thought it was going to be able to do. It is always a heartbreak when you're so close, especially when it's not the first time and you don't know how many opportunities you have.”

O'Ward has finished second to Newgarden in six different races and was still struggling with his emotions an hour after the race. He said he's battled the flu the last week and barely slept the last five days.

“I'm fine. It's been a tough month, so much goes into this race,” O'Ward said. “I think I'm somebody who wears my heart on my sleeve. I don't really hide anything. And it's just, when you come so close, and it just doesn't seem to happen, it's just a lot of emotion.”

He said he deliberately took his time getting out of the car and removing his helmet because “I just wanted to calm down. It was wet in there.”

Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing finished third as the highest-finishing Honda driver and had empathy for O'Ward. Dixon is a six-time IndyCar champion who is considered the greatest driver of his era, and he has one win in the Indy 500.

“It’s a privilege to race here, right? I’m in a situation where I’m lucky to have won, but Pato has come close a few times,” Dixon said. “It can go in cycles. As I’ve said many a times, finishing second sucks. It’s horrible. You’d rather finish last I think almost at this place and be out of the race early. He’ll be fine. He’s got plenty of time on his hands.”

The win was an incredible rebound for Newgarden, who last month had his March season-opening victory disqualified because Team Penske had illegal push-to-pass software on its cars. Newgarden used the additional horsepower three times in the win, and it took IndyCar nearly six weeks to discover the Penske manipulation.

Roger Penske, who owns the race team, IndyCar, the Indy 500 and the speedway, suspended four crew members, including Team President Tim Cindric. The Cindric suspension was a massive blow for Newgarden as Cindric is considered the best strategist in the series.

Newgarden was thrilled to have the win and put the push-to-pass scandal behind him.

“Absolutely, they can say what they want, I don't even care anymore," he said. “It's always a team win. This win epitomizes a team victory. I'm thankful for Roger Penske, he stood by me. He's the man. He's a legend.”

AP Photo 

The start of the race was delayed four hours by rain and it ruined NASCAR star Kyle Larson's chance to run “ The Double.” The delay in Indy made him miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Although Larson was decent most of the day, two rookie mistakes led to an 18th-place finish. He was on a helicopter headed to a plane for North Carolina within minutes of the race ending.

“I'm proud to have finished but disappointed in myself,” said Larson, who has a two-year deal with Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports for Indy and could return in 2025.

Dixon was followed by Alexander Rossi, O'Ward's teammate at Arrow McLaren Racing. Chevrolet took three of the top four spots.

A first-lap crash took out Ericsson, the 2022 winner, Tom Blomqvist and Pietro Fittipaldi as three Honda drivers failed to complete a lap. In all, Honda drivers finished in the final seven spots.

- JENNA FRYER