Here are the AP’s top sports stories that have moved or are planned to move today. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan. Sports content can be found at http://newsroom.ap.org/page/APSports.

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UPCOMING

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BKN--NBA PLAYOFF COVERAGE

FORMATS: Photo, Text

1. WITH: BKN--NBA PLAYOFF COVERAGE

2. DESCRIPTION: Coverage of the NBA postseason

3. UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 7:00 p.m. EDT

4. WITH: BKN--KNICKS-PISTONS

5. DESCRIPTION: DETROIT — The New York Knicks have a second chance to eliminate the Detroit Pistons, who are 0-2 at Little Caesars Arena in the first-round series and have lost an NBA-record tying nine straight home games in the playoffs since 2008. By Larry Lage. UPCOMING: 450 words, photos.

6. UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 7:30 p.m. EDT

7. WITH: BKN--NUGGETS-CLIPPERS

8. DESCRIPTION: INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets attempt to finish off Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 of their first-round series. By Greg Beacham. UPCOMING: 450 words, photos. Starts 7 p.m. PDT.

9. UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 10:00 p.m. EDT

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RAC--KENTUCKY DERBY-WILKES

DESCRIPTION: LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ian Wilkes is fully embracing the attention Burnham Square has generated heading into the Kentucky Derby. Whether that translates into a signature win on Saturday remains to be seen, but the colt has given the Australia-born Wilkes his best chance in his second Derby appearance as a trainer. By Gary B. Graves. 600 words, photos.

SENT: By 05/01/2025 2:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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BBO--DIAMONDBACKS-METS

DESCRIPTION: NEW YORK -- Juan Soto and the New York Mets wrap up a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field.

UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 4:10 p.m. EDT, Text

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CAR--F1-MIAMI

DESCRIPTION: MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Lando Norris returns to the site of his first career Formula 1 victory locked into a championship battle with McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and four-time world champion Max Verstappen struggling to keep up. By AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer. 800 words. By 6 pm.

UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 6:01 p.m. EDT, Text

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HKN--GOLDEN KNIGHTS-WILD

DESCRIPTION: ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild play Game 6 of their first-round series in the NHL playoffs. By Dave Campbell. 450 words.

UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 7:30 p.m. EDT, Photo, Text

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BOX--ALVAREZ-SCULL PREVIEW

DESCRIPTION: Canelo Alvarez takes on William Scull for the undisputed super middleweight championship as part of Alvarez’s four-fight deal to compete in Saudi Arabia. By Mark Anderson. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos, by 8 p.m. EDT.

UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 8:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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GLF--BYRON NELSON

DESCRIPTION: McKINNEY, Texas — World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler returns to his hometown event at the Byron Nelson after missing last year for the birth of his child. Jordan Spieth is the other hometown favorite in the Dallas-area event lacking star power beyond the two former University of Texas golfers, who are paired together for the first two rounds. By Schuyler Dixon. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 8:00 p.m. EDT, Photo, Text

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BOX--INOUE-CARDENAS PREVIEW

DESCRIPTION: LAS VEGAS — Japanese sensation and four-division champion Naoya Inoue fights in the United States for the first time since 2021 when he takes on Ramon Cardenas for the undisputed super bantamweight title. By Mark Anderson. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos, by 8 p.m. EDT.

UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 8:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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GLF--LPGA TOUR

DESCRIPTION: IVINS, Utah -- Mao Saigo, coming off her first major championship, leads the field in the Black Desert Championship as the LPGA Tour goes to Utah for the first time in 60 years. Upcoming: 500 words.

UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 9:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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HKN--MAPLE LEAFS-SENATORS

DESCRIPTION: OTTAWA, Ontario -- The Toronto Maple Leafs get another chance to advance to the second round of the playoffs, taking a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 against Ottawa. 7 p.m. ET start. 450 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 10:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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HKN--STARS-AVALANCHE

DESCRIPTION: DENVER -- The Dallas Stars can move on with a win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night in Game 6 of their first-round series. By Pat Graham. UPCOMING: 400 words, photos. Game time is 930 p.m. ET.

UPCOMING: By 05/01/2025 11:22 p.m. EDT, Text

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NEW AND DEVELOPING

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BOX--TIMES SQUARE BOXING PREVIEW

Road to Garcia-Haney rematch runs through Times Square, where both box Friday in famed New York spot

SUMMARY: The road to a Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney rematch runs right through the heart of Times Square. Both boxers will fight Friday night in a ring set up in the center of the city’s famed tourist spot. It’s their first fight since Garcia’s victory over Haney last year in New York was overturned to a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. If both win, they are expected to move on to a rematch of that fight. Teofimo Lopez defends his title against Arnold Barboza Jr. in the first fight of the tripleheader on the main card.

WORDS: 831 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 1:24 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:a9e127a89aaeebc9ed4f933fb7852cd6&mediaType=text

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SOC--BRAZIL-ANCELOTTI

Brazilians getting impatient as soccer federation negotiates with Ancelotti to become next coach

SUMMARY: Brazil is hoping to have a new national team coach in place this month ahead of its next two World Cup qualifiers but fans are growing impatient as negotiations with Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti drag on. Two sources at Brazil’s soccer federation, CBF, confirmed to The Associated Press that negotiations with Ancelotti are ongoing but complicated by the fact that he has another season left on his Madrid contract. Brazil hopes to present a new coach before May 20 when it announces the squad for its next two World Cup qualifying matches in June which will be one year out from the 2026 World Cup.

WORDS: 708 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 12:54 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:4874f43e020cab8b22b28b7a29f3f080&mediaType=text

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FIG--SHIBUTANIS-COMEBACK

US ice dancers Alex and Maia Shibutani return to competition with an eye on 2026 Olympics

SUMMARY: Alex and Maia Shibutani are making a comeback with an eye on competing for the U.S. figure skating team at next year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics. The brother-sister duo stepped away from competing shortly after the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, where they won bronze in both the individual ice dance competition and the team event. They chose to focus on school and other interests, and the hiatus wound up getting extended when Maia was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on her kidney. She is healthy now, and the 34-year-old Alex and 30-year-old Maia hope to make the loaded U.S. team for the 2026 Olympics.

WORDS: 554 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 12:45 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:cabdd7ed3e36ec6fcc9ebc89d9654cd2&mediaType=text

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BKN--NBA-SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

Celtics’ Jrue Holiday wins NBA’s sportsmanship award, becomes 5th player to win it more than once

SUMMARY: Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics has won the NBA’s sportsmanship award for the second time, making him the fifth player in league history to win that trophy in multiple years. Holiday received about 34% of the first-place votes cast by nearly 400 current NBA players to decide the award winner. Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen finished second, Dallas’ Kyrie Irving was third, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was fourth, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dorian Finney-Smith was fifth and Orlando’s Franz Wagner was sixth.

WORDS: 556 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 12:39 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:16e8196ab176723926c5cf7c5915926a&mediaType=text

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US--NFL AGENT DEATH

Jeff Sperbeck, former agent for John Elway, dies after injury at 62

SUMMARY: A business partner and former agent for Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway has died after suffering an injury at a Southern California golf resort. The Riverside County coroner’s office says 62-year-old Jeff Sperbeck died Wednesday. No cause of death is listed. But the report says Sperbeck was injured last Saturday and the address listed for the incident belongs to The Madison Club in La Quinta. The Riverside County Fire Department says the agency was called to that location on Saturday after someone fell out of a golf cart. A witness told KESQ-TV she saw Elway at the scene.

WORDS: 436 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 12:26 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f6be4138b8bb50149e1f8d2cd7f3fc7b&mediaType=text

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EU--BRITAIN-SOCCER-TRANSGENDER

Transgender women soccer players to be banned from women’s teams in England and Scotland

SUMMARY: The governing bodies for soccer in England and Scotland say they will ban transgender women from playing on women’s teams following a U.K. Supreme Court ruling last month. The Football Association and Scottish Football Association said Thursday they will bar transgender women from playing the women’s game. The decision comes two weeks after the U.K’s highest court defined a woman for anti-discrimination purposes as someone born biologically female. The FA’s policy had allowed transgender athletes to play on women’s soccer if they had reduced testosterone levels.

WORDS: 524 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 12:03 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:d9c49c04298b10fd1fd1a3e6307917c5&mediaType=text

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BBO--CUBS-PIRATES FAN FALLS

The man who fell over a railing at PNC Park is in critical condition. Police say it was an accident

SUMMARY: A man who fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park during a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs remains in critical condition. Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, posted on X says that the “incident is being treated as accidental in nature.” The man appeared to fall while celebrating as Pittsburgh star Andrew McCutchen delivered a go-ahead two-run single. McCutchen said the team is focusing on the man’s health. The fan was tended to for approximately five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel.

WORDS: 675 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 11:55 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:2ff0eb48d03b98787b3523ed20e5ad3b&mediaType=text

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BBO--CUBS-PCA-LEVITY

Longtime Cubs fan revels in Pete Crow-Armstrong using his group’s song for walkup music

SUMMARY: John Hauldren has been a Chicago Cubs fan all his life. During the team’s last homestand, he got a text message from a high school friend. It was the first text he had received from him. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had just used “Front to Back” — a song from Hauldren’s electronic music group, Levity — as his walkup music in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hauldren, who is from the Chicago suburbs, was in disbelief until he confirmed the moment himself. Levity played Coachella this year, and it is on the bill for Lollapalooza this summer.

WORDS: 579 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 11:42 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:7b62c36e78839c6ec3e1a5629a62c21b&mediaType=text

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CAR--F1-MIAMI-VERSTAPPEN BABY

Max Verstappen skips Thursday in Miami as he awaits birth of first child with partner Kelly Piquet

SUMMARY: Four-time reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen skipped Thursday activities at the Miami Grand Prix to be with his partner as she awaits the birth of their first child. It is not clear when Kelly Piquet is due and Red Bull only announced Thursday morning that Verstappen would not attend media activities. The team said no further details would be released and that Verstappen is expected in Miami in time for Friday on-track action. Verstappen and Piquet went public with their relationship in 2021. Verstappen won the first two Miami Grand Prix races.

WORDS: 237 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 11:01 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:6499d85b9c0d956041e7dc249ce4bc3d&mediaType=text

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CAR--NASCAR-BUSCH TURNS 40

Kyle Busch was once kicked out of a track for being too young. Now the NASCAR champ turns 40

SUMMARY: Kyle Busch was hyped for NASCAR greatness long before he was a teenager by his Hall of Fame nominee brother, who vowed “if you think I’m good, wait until you see my little brother.” Busch’s debut in a NASCAR national series race was delayed when he turned up at California Speedway in 2001 to run the Truck Series race. He dominated practice in a race sponsored by Marlboro but, because he was only 16 at the time, was ruled ineligible. Fast-forward to Friday when Busch celebrates his 40th birthday as a two-time Cup Series champion headed to Texas Motor Speedway with 232 national series victories.

WORDS: 645 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 10:56 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:30e4fd6df176e471ed0626751325e2a7&mediaType=text

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BKN--LAKERS-LEBRON FUTURE

LeBron: ‘I don’t have the answer’ to questions about his future after Lakers’ exit from NBA playoffs

SUMMARY: LeBron James wasn’t ready to make any decisions about his future in the painful moments immediately after his 22nd NBA season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round playoff exit. The top scorer in NBA history said he doesn’t have the answer to questions about whether he will return for a record-breaking 23rd season. The 40-year-old James has given no public indication he is thinking about retirement this year, but Lakers fans will be holding their breath until the top scorer in NBA history makes his plans official. James provided no hints after recording 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Lakers’ 103-96 loss to Minnesota.

WORDS: 814 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 10:51 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:6882adbc41748e40b85c7005decb6d27&mediaType=text

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BKN--TIPOFF

Warriors return home to Chase Center with another chance to close out 1st-round series with Rockets

SUMMARY: The Golden State Warriors missed a chance to clinch the best-of-seven series on the road, and they gave some momentum right back to the Rockets as red-hot Houston ran away for a 131-116 victory to stave off elimination. Jimmy Butler, Stephen Curry and Green will need to forget their Game 5 blowout fast and now count on their experience in big games as they return to Chase Center and try again to get past the second-seeded Rockets.

WORDS: 863 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 9:22 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:3727215ebb3e713442e5699dacd7471c&mediaType=text

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HKN--NHLPA-OKPOSO

Kyle Okposo joins the NHL Players’ Association months after winning the Stanley Cup and retiring

SUMMARY: Kyle Okposo is joining the NHL Players’ Association as business development and player engagement adviser. The NHLPA is announcing the hires of Okposo, chief commercial officer Steve Scebelo and communications and media relations manager Stephanie Maniago on Thursday. Okposo retired in September after playing 17 seasons in the league and winning the Stanley Cup last June with the Florida Panthers. Okposo was a prominent member of the search committee formed in 2022 to find a new executive director that ended with U.S. Secretary of Labor and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh landing the job.

WORDS: 521 - MOVED: 05/01/2025 8:00 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:8c161acec2b36b10529240994bc160e9&mediaType=text

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MOVING TOMORROW

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HKN--NHL PLAYOFF COVERAGE

Coverage of the NHL postseason.

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BKN--NBA PLAYOFF COVERAGE

Coverage of the NBA postseason.

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