Conley’s pitch clock violation leaves Braves-Red Sox tied
Baseball’s new rules designed to improve pace of play are coming fast at everyone, particularly the players. The most dramatic moment of the new pitch clock era arrived on the first full day of spring games. Cal Conley of the Atlanta Braves thought he had won the game with a two-out, bases-loaded walk-off walk. He took a few steps toward first base with bat in hand when umpire John Libka indicated strike three. Conley wasn’t set in the box as the clock wound under eight seconds. The penalty is an automatic strike. Conley apparently thought he had been awarded ball four.
Tatum’s late 3 lifts Celtics past Embiid, 76ers 110-107
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jayson Tatum made the winning 3-pointer for Boston with 1.3 seconds left to lead the Boston Celtics to a 110-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid buried his desperation heave but it was just after time expired and did not count. Tatum finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Derrick White had 18 for the Celtics. Embiid finished with 41 points and 12 rebounds. James Harden scored 21 points and Tobias Harris had 16.
Arizona State stuns No. 7 Arizona 89-88 on Cambridge’s heave
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Desmond Cambridge Jr. hit a 60-foot shot at the buzzer and Arizona State rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat No. 7 Arizona 89-88. The Sun Devils went up 86-85 on Warren Washington’s layup with just a minute left, but Pelle Larsson put Arizona back up on a layup with 29 seconds left. Arizona State’s DJ Horne missed a jumper with 4 seconds left and the Sun Devils had a final shot after Oumar Ballo hit 1 of 2 free throws. Cambridge left the fans at McKale Center stunned, launching a shot from beyond half court that sent his teammates charging onto the floor in celebration.
Miller leads No. 2 Alabama following pregame pat-down intro
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 24 points and Mark Sears made 7 of 8 free throws over the final 1:04 to help No. 2 Alabama secure an 86-83 victory over Arkansas. Miller delivered his second straight huge game for the Crimson Tide since police alleged in testimony that Miller brought a gun to former teammate Darius Miles, who is charged with capital murder in a fatal shooting. Arkansas freshman Nick Smith Jr. led the Razorbacks with 24 points.
No. 1 Houston tops East Carolina to claim outright AAC title
GREENVILLE. N.C. (AP) — Marcus Sasser scored 22 points to help top-ranked Houston beat East Carolina 76-57 and clinching outright possession of the American Athletic Conference regular-season title. Tramon Mark added 20 points for the Cougars. J’Wan Roberts had 17 points and 12 rebounds to help Houston win its ninth straight game. Sasser left the game briefly in the first half after rolling his right ankle. Ezra Ausar had 15 points to lead East Carolina. The Pirates made just 3 of 25 shots before halftime in their first visit from a No. 1-ranked team.
Westbrook goes from Lakers’ bench to being Clippers’ starter
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Russell Westbrook not only switched locker rooms at Crypto.com Arena. He went from being on the bench to a return to the starting lineup. Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue didn’t waste much time seeing how well Westbrook would mesh with his new team. The eight-time All-Star signed after he cleared waivers on Wednesday and was the starting point guard for Friday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings. Westbrook’s Clippers debut was overshadowed in what ended up being the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history. He had 17 points, 14 assists and five rebounds in 39 minutes during the Clippers’ 176-175 loss in double overtime.
Kirk battles, takes 2-shot lead into final round at Honda
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Chris Kirk’s last win on the PGA Tour was nearly eight years ago. He has put himself in a position to change that at the Honda Classic. Kirk battled his way to a 4-under round of 66 on Saturday, putting him at 13-under 197 for the week and giving him a two-shot lead over Eric Cole (66) through three rounds at PGA National. His last win on tour was at Colonial in 2015 — 180 tournaments ago. He’s a four-time winner on tour, played in the Presidents Cup in 2015, and has been waiting to hoist a trophy again since.
Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark scores into empty net
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Goaltender Linus Ullmark scored into an empty net in the final minute and the NHL-leading Boston Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 on Saturday might for their sixth straight victory. Ullmark made a save and fired a high wrist shot the length of the ice to become the 13th goalie in NHL history to score a goal. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm and Brad Marchand had first-period goals for the Bruins, and Ullmark made 26 saves. Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver.
American Lilia Vu storms to maiden LPGA title in Thailand
PATTAYA, Thailand (AP) — American Lilia Vu has claimed her maiden LPGA crown with a one-shot victory over home favorite Natthakritta Vongtaveelap at the LPGA Thailand. Trailing the local rookie by six strokes at the start of the day, 25-year-old Vu unleashed eight impressive birdies, including five straight from the eighth hole to end her campaign with an immaculate round of 8-under 64 for a 22-under 266 total at Siam Country Club Old Course. Vu became the third American to triumph in the event after Lexi Thompson in 2016 and Jessica Korda in 2018.
Sofia Goggia wins World Cup downhill, closes on season title
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Sofia Goggia has raced toward another World Cup downhill title with a fifth win in her dominating season. Goggia raced through lightly falling snow at Crans-Montana in the Swiss Alps to finish 0.15 seconds ahead of Federica Brignone. Brignone started after Goggia when snow had stopped falling and sunshine broke through. Laura Gauche wearing the No. 26 bib then placed a career-best third 0.41 seconds back. Goggia’s fifth win in seven World Cup downhills extended her points lead over Ilka Štuhec. Goggia needs just one top-10 finish in the last two downhills to win a fourth career title.
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