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AP Sports Digest

Posted 5/8/25

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. …

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AP Sports Digest

Posted

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.

For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, including agate, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477.

The New York sports desk can be reached at 800-845-8450, ext. 1630. Sports photos, ext. 1918; graphics, ext. 7636.

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UPCOMING

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RGU--LIONS-SQUAD

DESCRIPTION: The squad for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia gets picked in front of a live audience at London’s O2 Arena. The announcement creates plenty of debate among rugby fans. By Steve Douglas. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/08/2025 11:00 a.m. EDT, Photo, Text

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BKC--TEXAS-MILLER CONTRACT

DESCRIPTION: AUSTIN, Texas — University of Texas System regents were expected to approved a 6-year, $32 million guaranteed contract for new basketball coach Sean Miller on Thursday, a deal worth about twice as much as his predecessor Rodney Terry. UPCOMING: 250 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/08/2025 11:30 a.m. EDT, Text

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BBO--MANAGING OHTANI

DESCRIPTION: INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani’s agent Nez Balelo shares insights into one of the most closely watched athlete-agent relationships in sports at Sportico’s InvestWest conference. By Beth Harris. UPCOMING: 500 words. Begins at 1 p.m. EDT.

UPCOMING: By 05/08/2025 4:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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MMA-UFC 315 PREVIEW

DESCRIPTION: Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad faces fifth-ranked challenger Jack Della Maddalena in UFC 315 on Saturday night in Montreal. By Mark Anderson. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/08/2025 4:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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BKN--TIPOFF

DESCRIPTION: INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets each take away home-court advantage from their opponents with early second-round wins on the road. Now they’ll try to maintain that advantage when they head home for Game 3 against their higher-seeded opponents, Cleveland and Oklahoma City, on Friday. By Michael Marot. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/08/2025 5:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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SOC--CONFERENCE LEAGUE ROUNDUP

DESCRIPTION: Chelsea has a commanding 4-1 advantage over Djurgarden ahead of the second leg of the Conference League semifinal at Stamford Bridge while Fiorentina is at home trailing Real Betis 2-1. UPCOMING: 300 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/08/2025 5:15 p.m. EDT, Photo, Text

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GLF--TRUIST CHAMPIONSHIP

DESCRIPTION: FLOURTOWN, Pa. — Rory McIlroy begins defense of his Truist Championship title at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in the first round of the PGA Tour’s sixth signature event of the season. By Bob Lentz. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/08/2025 7:00 p.m. EDT, Photo, Text

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GLF--LPGA TOUR

DESCRIPTION: JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Nelly Korda is the defending champion as the Mizuho Americas Open begins at Liberty National. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/08/2025 7:00 p.m. EDT, Photo, Text

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FBN--CARDINALS-JOHNSON

DESCRIPTION: TEMPE, Ariz. — Will Johnson slipped from a potential top-10 pick to the second round because of injury concerns. Now the former Michigan cornerback is ready to show the Arizona Cardinals they got a steal with the 47th overall pick. By David Brandt. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/08/2025 7:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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FBN--49ERS-SALEH

DESCRIPTION: SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers are banking on the return of Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator to help revive a defense that has regressed from its once dominant form. By Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 05/08/2025 9:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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HKN--OILERS-GOLDEN KNIGHTS

DESCRIPTION: LAS VEGAS — The Edmonton Oilers visit the Vegas Golden Knights for Game 2 of their second-round NHL playoffs series. By Mark Anderson. UPCOMING: 450 words, photos. Game begins at 9:30 p.m. EDT.

UPCOMING: By 05/09/2025 12:15 a.m. EDT, Photo, Text

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NEW AND DEVELOPING

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BKN--NUGGETS-THUNDER

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 34 as Thunder roll past Nuggets 149-106, tie West semis at 1-1

SUMMARY: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past the Denver Nuggets 149-106 in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series. Oklahoma City set an NBA playoff record for first-half points with 87 on its way to evening the series at a win apiece. The Thunder tied the record for points in any half of a playoff game. Milwaukee had 87 in the second half against Denver on April 23, 1978. Nikola Jokic, who had 42 points and 22 rebounds in Game 1, had 17 points and eight rebounds on Wednesday before fouling out.

WORDS: 603 - MOVED: 05/08/2025 1:40 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:50b7f402e366173a4971cb21302fbc59&mediaType=text

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HKN--STARS-JETS

Rantanen has second straight hat trick as Stars beat Jets 3-2 in series opener

SUMMARY: Mikko Rantanen scored a natural hat trick in the second period and the Dallas Stars beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. Jake Oettinger stopped 30 shots for Dallas, which is facing Winnipeg in the postseason for the first time. Nino Niederreiter and Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets, who snapped a four-game home win streak at Canada Life Centre. Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves. Scheifele returned to action after sustaining an upper-body injury in Game 5 of Winnipeg’s opening-round series against St. Louis. The Stars welcomed back forward Jason Robertson, who injured his knee in the team’s final game of the regular season and missed Dallas’ first-round matchup with Colorado. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday in Winnipeg.

WORDS: 617 - MOVED: 05/08/2025 1:11 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:9104a02d0a358148370e8bb5c4024a07&mediaType=text

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BKN--THUNDER-RECORD

Thunder set NBA playoff record for first-half points with 87 vs. Denver in Game 2 of West semis

SUMMARY: The Oklahoma City Thunder set an NBA playoff record for first-half points with 87 against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series. Oklahoma City surpassed the previous record of 86 set by the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 9, 2017. The Thunder shot 58.8% from the field and made 17 of 18 free throws to take an 87-56 lead at the break. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 18 points. All five Thunder starters scored in double figures.

WORDS: 190 - MOVED: 05/08/2025 12:24 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:bc52c74fff9f7a2048375600dd720278&mediaType=text

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HKN--PANTHERS-MAPLE LEAFS

Marner scores tiebreaking goal as Maple Leafs beat Panthers 4-3 for 2-0 series lead

SUMMARY: Mitch Marner scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series. Max Pacioretty and Max Domi each had a goal and an assist, William Nylander also scored and Morgan Rielly added two assists for the Maple Leafs. Joseph Woll had 25 saves in place of the injured Anthony Stolarz. Anton Lundell had a goal and an assist, and Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 16 saves. The best-of-seven matchup between Atlantic Division heavyweights now shifts to South Florida, with Game 3 set for Friday.

WORDS: 863 - MOVED: 05/08/2025 12:19 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:79d47cf6e02173fa5604afb9b8d9c4fe&mediaType=text

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BKN--KNICKS-CELTICS-FIRE ALARM

Fire alarm causes brief evacuation after Knicks’ Game 2 win over Celtics

SUMMARY: A fire alarm was triggered at TD Garden in the aftermath of the New York Knicks’ 91-90 playoff victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, causing a brief evacuation. TD Garden officials released a statement late Wednesday saying that an alarm was tripped and that no one was injured. The cause of the alarm is under investigation, the statement said. Alarms began blaring while New York’s Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were still at the podium concluding a post game interview. Boston’s Jaylen Brown had just completed his interview session in a separate room when officials directed members of the media toward the exits. Due to the evacuation, Jayson Tatum’s planned interview session was canceled. New York leads the series 2-0.

WORDS: 136 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 11:28 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:7ea4a8cc3d84282460136479e62a6eb8&mediaType=text

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BKN--KNICKS-CELTICS

Knicks take a 2-0 lead over the Celtics after coming from 20 down again to win 91-90

SUMMARY: Mikal Bridges scored all of his 14 points in the fourth quarter before making his second straight game-clinching steal, and the New York Knicks overcame a 20-point deficit again to beat the Boston Celtics 91-90 on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Jalen Brunson scored 17 points for New York and made two free throws with 12.7 seconds left for a 91-90 lead. Jayson Tatum then couldn’t get to the rim and Bridges moved in to bat the ball away and recover it. Josh Hart had 23 points and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Knicks, who will host Game 3 on Saturday.

WORDS: 658 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 11:08 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:da5620e1a2559de5058f2ec5f7835579&mediaType=text

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US--NCAA SETTLEMENT-UNCERTAIN ATHLETES

‘Hands tied’: Athletes left in dark as NCAA settlement leaves murky future for nonrevenue sports

SUMMARY: Pending approval, the $2.8 billion House settlement will allow schools to share revenue with athletes directly for use of their name, image and likeness. That could secure generational wealth for some but not others, and replacing scholarship caps with roster limitations is expected to leave walk-ons, partial scholarship earners, nonrevenue sport athletes and high school recruits at risk. There are deep concerns about the potential impact on sports that feed the U.S. Olympic teams. Some athletes say they have little knowledge of what’s happening now, much less what’s ahead.

WORDS: 818 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 10:27 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:37ad7713f540c4597627116b1f219483&mediaType=text

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US--NCAA SETTLEMENT

NCAA settlement plan for roster limits gets do-over to save players who lost spots on teams

SUMMARY: Attorneys handling the $2.8 billion NCAA settlement are proposing a massive do-over when it comes to roster limits. They want schools to offer athletes who lost their spots a chance to be on teams without counting against the new caps for as long as they have eligibility. Those players can be invited back to compete for roster spots or go to new schools. The proposal would also give this exemption to high school recruits who were promised spots that were later rescinded and would last for as long as those players are eligible in college.

WORDS: 709 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 9:43 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:d829dee23830e6ccc034381d02fef576&mediaType=text

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SOC--PSG-ARSENAL

Sans superstars, PSG reaches Champions League final and will face Inter Milan for elusive title

SUMMARY: Paris Saint-Germain weathered one attack after another and showed remarkable adaptability to hold off and defeat an inspired Arsenal 2-1 to reach the Champions League final. Deprived of the ball possession it usually enjoys, PSG looked shaky early on but found answers by relying on counter-attacks and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to advance 3-1 on aggregate. PSG reached the final of Europe’s elite tournament for just the second time in club history — it was runner-up five years ago — and did so in the first season following superstar Kylian Mbappe’s departure to Real Madrid. The French club will try again for its first Champions League title when it faces Inter Milan on May 31 in Munich.

WORDS: 744 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 6:52 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:4308ec6b367431269e83d2d21159321f&mediaType=text

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HKN--UTAH MAMMOTH TEAM NAME

Utah Mammoth is the permanent name of the NHL team in Salt Lake City

SUMMARY: The NHL team in Salt Lake City is now known as the Utah Mammoth. Owners Ryan and Ashley Smith unveiled the franchise’s permanent name Wednesday after more than a year of fan input and voting. Mammoth replaces the inaugural season placeholder name Utah Hockey Club, which was also one of the three finalists, along with Outlaws. Yeti was taken out of consideration when the cooler company bearing that name could not come to a copyright agreement with Utah ownership. The Mammoth are maintaining the same black, light blue and white color scheme and the road jerseys with UTAH diagonally down the front.

WORDS: 685 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 6:29 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:31aa2fa9d1cbb825ba5e0b61815e58de&mediaType=text

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FBN--STEELERS-COWBOYS TRADE

The Steelers move on from George Pickens by trading mercurial receiver to Cowboys

SUMMARY: The Pittsburgh Steelers have run out of patience with wide receiver George Pickens. The team has agreed on a trade that sends the talented but mercurial 24-year-old to the Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers will get a third-round pick in the 2026 draft and a fifth-rounder in 2027. The Cowboys get a sixth-round choice in two years. Pickens has spent his first three seasons in the NFL being equal parts productive and petulant, mixing highlight-reel catches with bouts of immaturity along the way. Pickens joins a Cowboys offense that could use another downfield threat to pair with star CeeDee Lamb.

WORDS: 479 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 6:23 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:2fd4c79337748c82b66994180c6999aa&mediaType=text

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BKN--WARRIORS-CURRY

Warriors sideline Curry for at least a week with hamstring strain, putting rest of series in flux

SUMMARY: The Golden State Warriors are planning to play without Stephen Curry for at least the next three games of their second-round series against Minnesota. An MRI on Wednesday confirmed a mild strain of the star guard’s left hamstring. The Warriors said Curry would be sidelined at least a week after the injury forced him out early in the second quarter of the Game 1 win. He had 13 points in 13 minutes to help Golden State take home-court advantage away from the Timberwolves. Game 2 is Thursday. The earliest return for Curry appears to be Game 5 on May 14.

WORDS: 591 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 6:19 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:7ff9bd8b9e6b0f4215577e5c540c52aa&mediaType=text

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FBC--FLORIDA-PLAYER ARRESTED

Florida’s Dijon Johnson charged by police with possession of a gun, synthetic marijuana

SUMMARY: Police have charged Florida cornerback Dijon Johnson with two felonies, including possession of a firearm, and misdemeanors after his arrest over the weekend while driving a car in Tampa. Police said they pulled over the car Friday for surpassing a stop signal. Officers smelled marijuana and said Johnson was argumentative during the traffic stop, refusing to exit the car, according to the criminal report. The report stated a black Glock 19 loaded with 17 rounds in a magazine was found in the car. Attorney Tim Taylor says Johnson has filed written pleas of not guilty to all charges.

WORDS: 342 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 5:23 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:1ea632220fcea2bb22f257d859aeee0b&mediaType=text

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US--BYRON SCOTT-SEX ASSAULT LAWSUIT

Lawsuit accuses former Los Angeles Lakers star Byron Scott of sexually assaulting teen girl in 1987

SUMMARY: A woman is suing former Los Angeles Lakers player and coach Byron Scott, accusing him of sexually assaulting her during a team event at a high school in 1987, when he was 26 and she was 15. The lawsuit was first filed in December 2022 and amended May 1. The amended complaint names Scott publicly for the first time and accuses him of sexual battery and false imprisonment. It says the alleged victim was attending summer classes when she was assaulted by Scott in a janitor’s closet. Scott said through an attorney Wednesday that he doesn’t deny that sexual contact occurred, but maintains he thought she was of legal age.

WORDS: 537 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 4:41 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:6d8bf5460ffca838e45c5695fd093cb3&mediaType=text

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GLF--TRUIST CHAMPIONSHIP-KELCE

Go Birds and birdies: Retired Eagles great Jason Kelce takes his swings, advice at PGA Tour pro-am

SUMMARY: Jason Kelce has tried in his first year of retirement to up his golf game and lower his score, taking the task of trying to get it in the hole as seriously as he did opening them as he once did on the offensive line. Kelce posted a video of his swing on Reddit this week and asked readers — anyone from pros to casual players — for advice on how to get better. The retired Philadelphia Eagles center said the early feedback was “crazy.” Kelce showed off his game at a pro-am ahead of the Truist Championship.

WORDS: 786 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 2:20 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f6398858e43813b1def88f54f675a101&mediaType=text

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GLF--TRUIST CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

Rory McIlroy getting back to normal as defending champ of Truist at the Philadelphia Cricket Club

SUMMARY: Things are getting back to normal for Rory McIlroy, and it’s anything but routine for this week’s Truist Championship at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. McIlroy is playing in an individual tournament for the first time since winning the Masters and completing the career grand slam. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is skipping the event ahead of next week’s PGA Championship. The field of 72 golfers in the no-cut event will be playing the Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course for the first time.

WORDS: 838 - MOVED: 05/07/2025 2:18 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:339cf7cf927cbbcb12846337593dd445&mediaType=text

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