AP Sports Summary Brief at 11:43 p.m. EDT | national sport

The Celtics thrive with 3s, beat Heat 110-97 in Game 5 and extend East Finals

BOSTON (AP) — Derrick White had 24 points, including six 3-pointers, to help lead the offense as the Boston Celtics dominated the Miami Heat 110-97 in Game 5 to secure the finals of the Eastern Conference extended. Marcus Smart had 23 points and five steals. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finished the game with 21 points each as the Celtics clinched their second straight win and reduced Miami’s lead of the series to 3-2. It keeps Boston’s hopes alive of becoming the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series. Game 6 is Saturday in Miami. Duncan Robinson led the heat with 18 points.

Joe Pavelski scores on OT power play, Stars beat Golden Knights 3-2 to avoid a west sweep

DALLAS (AP) — Joe Pavelski scored on a power play after 3:18 of overtime and the Dallas Stars denied a win in the Western Conference Finals with a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday night. Jason Robertson scored twice in his first multi-goal playoff game of his career for Dallas, who were playing without suspended captain Jamie Benn. Jake Oettinger had 37 saves two nights after being drafted 7-10 in Game 3 after conceding three goals on five shots. Benn was suspended by the NHL for two games Wednesday for landing his stick near Vegas captain Mark Stone’s neck in the first two minutes of Game 3 on Tuesday night. William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault scored for Vegas.

Suspended Lions WR Jameson Williams says he was unaware of NFL rules on gambling that he broke

ALLEN PARK, Michigan (AP) — Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, who was suspended for the first six games of the season, said he was unaware of the NFL gambling policy he violated. Williams told reporters Thursday that the suspension hit him out of the blue. The league suspended former Lions players Quintez Cephus and CJ Moore and Washington’s Shaka Toney for the entire 2023 season in April for betting on NFL games last year, adding they may seek reinstatement. Williams and teammate Stanley Berryhill were benched for six games for betting on non-NFL games at a league facility.

Sport isn’t a safe diversion from politics when champs visit the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — Politics and sports go together like baseball and apple pie. For decades, title-winning teams have visited the White House. But what began as an impartial rite of passage becomes increasingly entangled in politics. It’s a shift some associate with the presidency of Bill Clinton. A professional golfer declined an invitation from the White House and described Clinton in unflattering terms. On Friday, President Joe Biden will welcome the NCAA champion women’s basketball team, LSU, along with the men’s team from UConn. Some were outraged when First Lady Jill Biden suggested inviting the Iowa team, which lost to LSU in the Finals, as well. After considerable resistance, this idea disappeared.

Harry Hall crashes ‘Block’ party at Colonial at 62 while club pro shoots 81

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – So much for the block party at the Colonial. California club pro Michael Block had a dream week at the PGA Championship as he hit a hole-in-one to secure 15th place. He returned to reality at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Block had three double bogeys and an 81 shot in the last four holes, putting him last in the 120-man field. Harry Hall of England scored a 62 to lead Harris English by three strokes. Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Sam Burns opened with 67 seconds. Jordan Spieth shot a 72nd block says he had a day when everything went wrong.

Man United secure a return to the Champions League with a 4-1 win over Chelsea

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United secured a return to the Champions League with a 4-1 win over Chelsea. Goals from Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford ensured a win that saw Erik ten Hag’s team finish in the top four in the Premier League. United moved up to third place and two points ahead of Newcastle before the last game of the season. United needed a point from their last two games to secure Champions League qualification and took the lead in the sixth minute when Casemiro headed in a Christian Eriksen free-kick. United’s win secures Liverpool fifth place with a Europa League spot.

Manfred: The vote on moving the Athletics to Las Vegas could happen at the June meetings

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ potential move to Las Vegas could potentially take place when the league’s owners meet next month. Manfred noted that it’s “very difficult to put a timeline” on the move “until there’s actually a deal to consider.” MLB owners meetings will be held June 13-15 in New York. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said Wednesday that lawmakers and the athletics had reached a tentative agreement on a $1.5 billion stadium funding plan that would lure the franchise to Las Vegas.

On their way to the Stanley Cup finals, the Panthers deal knockout punches to anyone who gets in their way

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 27 years. They defeated the Carolina Hurricanes to become the third team in NHL history to eliminate three of that season’s top four teams in the same postseason. The first to do so were the 1969 Montreal Canadiens. The second was the 1980 New York Islanders. Both won the Stanley Cup. Florida now has a chance to join them.

Four years after missing the Indy 500 with Alonso, McLaren Racing is a clear contender

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — McLaren Racing missed the 2019 Indianapolis 500 with Fernando Alonso in a humiliating defeat that could have kept the team from a full-time switch to IndyCar. But McLaren entered the series in 2020 and has slowly become a top contender. Arrow McLaren will start the 107th edition of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing on Sunday with all four cars in the top 12. The team believes the chemistry it has built within the organization has helped make it one of the IndyCar elite.

4 people accused of hanging the image of Vinícius Júnior released from custody

MADRID (AP) – Four people accused of hanging a likeness of Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior on a highway bridge have been released from custody while still being investigated for committing a hate crime. A Spanish judge has banned the four people from communicating with Vinícius. They also have an injunction prohibiting them from getting too close to the Madrid stadium and training facilities, as well as a football stadium, between four hours before and four hours after a Spanish league match. The court statement states that the four individuals are also being investigated for attempted damage to Vinícius’ moral integrity.

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