Wednesday Sports in Brief

Updated Oct. 1, 2020 2:42 a.m. ET

Associated Press

NBA

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Davis scored 34 points in his NBA Finals debut, LeBron James had 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists and the Los Angeles Lakers rolled past the Miami Heat 116-98 on Wednesday night.

The Heat left beaten and battered.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 13 points, Danny Green had 11 and Alex Caruso finished with 10 for the Lakers. They returned to the finals for the first time in a decade and sent a very clear message. James’ teams had been 1-8 in Game 1 of past finals, with losses in each of the last seven openers.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reiterated Wednesday that the league’s hope is to begin next season with teams in their home arenas and with fans in the seats, though cautioned that there are still numerous unknowns to work through before any plan can be finalized.

Silver, in his annual state-of-the-league address before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, also said the protocols that allowed the league to get through a restart in a so-called bubble at Walt Disney World — such as strict adherence to mask-wearing and social distancing — proved that a balance can be struck “between public health and economic necessity.”

NFL

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have at least one more day to see if the team’s coronavirus outbreak is under control before their game with the Steelers is rescheduled for Monday or Tuesday.

Only one new positive test result came back Wednesday, a day after the Titans had three players and five team personnel test positive for COVID-19. More daily test results are upcoming.

The league announced the postponement from Sunday afternoon on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL is threatening teams with possible suspensions for sideline personnel, including coaches, who do not properly wear face coverings during the pandemic.

Forfeiting draft picks also could be among disciplinary measures for failing to comply with league/players’ union protocols.

In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, Troy Vincent, who oversees NFL football operations, told the 32 teams Wednesday that “accountability” is required on the sidelines.

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Fifteen NFL teams play their home games on artificial turf. Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter wants to see that number reduced to zero.

The NFL Players Association president cited the league’s official injury reports from 2012-2018 to state his case that natural grass fields provide a much lower risk for injuries, compared to artificial surfaces, during practices and games.

The analysis shows that players have a 28% overall higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries on turf. Non-contact knee injuries occur at a 32% higher clip and non-contact foot or ankle injuries are 69% percent more likely on artificial fields.

NHL

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated their Stanley Cup title with a boat parade and ceremonies Wednesday at Raymond James Stadium.

The boat parade featured forward Alex Killorn on a jet-ski with Steven Stamkos riding on the back as they held up the Stanley Cup and did laps around the boats in the Hillsborough River. The parade was followed by a public trophy celebration at the stadium with a capped attendance of 16,000 people.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Rangers bought out the contract of star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on Wednesday, parting ways with one of their greatest players in franchise history after 15 mostly spectacular seasons.

In buying out the final year of the 38-year old’s contact, the Rangers will save $3.7 million in cap space for next season. Lundqvist is now a free agent.

Since joining the team in 2005-06, Lundqvist has won the Vezina Trophy (2011-12), led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final (2014) and been selected to the All-Star Game five times. He also helped Sweden win gold at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

MLB

NEW YORK (AP) — Fans can take themselves out to the ball game for the first time this season during the NL Championship Series and World Series at new Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Major League Baseball said Wednesday that about 11,500 tickets will be available for each game. That is about 28% of the 40,518-capacity, retractable-roof stadium of the Texas Rangers, which opened this year adjacent to old Globe Life Park, the team’s open-air home from 1994 through 2019.

The World Series is being played at a neutral site for the first time in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The conference commissioners who manage the College Football Playoff decided to stick with a four-team format during this pandemic-altered season after the Pac-12 made a request to consider expansion.

College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said Wednesday that Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott asked the rest of management committee to consider having eight teams play for the national championship this season. ESPN first reported Scott broaching the subject.

The request was made because of disruptions to the season caused by the pandemic. Conferences are not playing the same number of games, are starting play at different times and there are no interconference matchups between Power Five leagues.

TENNIS

PARIS (AP) — Serena Williams’ latest bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title has ended at the French Open because of an injury.

Her 2020 season is probably done, too.

Williams tried to warm up for her second-round match at Roland Garros on Wednesday but decided her left Achilles tendon that she hurt at the U.S. Open nearly three weeks ago was too much of an issue.

It was Williams’ earliest exit from a major tournament in six years.

LONDON (AP) — Spanish tennis player Gerard Joseph Platero Rodriguez has been suspended for four years and fined $15,000 after being convicted of courtsiding, the first player to be charged with the offense.

The Tennis Integrity Unit said Wednesday that six months of the ban were suspended on condition that no further breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program were committed.

It said an investigation established that Rodriguez, who has no ranking, had acted as a courtsider at an ITF tournament held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in July 2019. Court-siding is a prohibited practice which involves transmission of live scoring data from a match to a third party for betting purposes.

WINTER SPORTS

USA Bobsled and Skeleton is not sending sliders to Europe for at least the first half of the World Cup sliding season, part of a plan to keep its athletes and coaches as safe as possible during the coronavirus pandemic.

At a minimum, the Americans are planning to miss four World Cup weekends — two in Sigulda, Latvia, in November and two in Igls, Austria, in December. There are eight World Cup weekends on the schedule, plus the world championships that were moved from the U.S. team’s home base in Lake Placid, New York, because of the pandemic and quarantining concerns.

FIGURE SKATING

BEIJING (AP) — The Grand Prix Final in figure skating has been postponed by the International Skating Union due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ISU made the announcement Wednesday without setting a new date for the competition, which also serves as a test event for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The final had been scheduled for Dec. 10-13 in Beijing.

All six Grand Prix series events are still on, but they are limited to skaters from the host countries or athletes training in those countries. The series begins in late October with Skate America in Las Vegas.

OLYMPICS

TOKYO (AP) — The organizing committee of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has named Mikako Kotani as its new sports director. She takes over the position on Thursday.

Kotani won two bronze medals in synchronized swimming — now called artistic swimming — at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.

She replaces Koji Murofushi, who is becoming Japan’s Sports Agency commissioner, a position in the Japanese government.

The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee is headed by 83-year-old Yoshiro Mori, a former Japanese prime minister.

HORSE RACING

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jockeys and exercise riders in California will be working under a more restrictive rule governing the use of whips that goes into effect on Thursday.

The amended Rule 1688 was designed by the California Horse Racing Board to further protect horses without compromising the safety of horses and riders, although as written it is not being widely embraced by some riders. They believe whips are a necessary part of their equipment to keep horses and riders safe.

Riders cannot use the whip more than six times during a race, excluding showing or waving the whip or tapping the horse on the shoulder. They can’t use the whip more than two times in succession as part of the six-time limit without giving the horse a chance to respond before using the whip again.

SPORTS GAMBLING

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Caesars Entertainment said Wednesday it is buying the British bookmaker William Hill for $3.7 billion in a deal aimed at binding its casinos ever closer to the fast-growing legal sports betting industry in the U.S.

Caesars said it is interested in the the company’s U.S. assets, and indicated it would seek to sell off William Hill’s assets in the United Kingdom and other countries.

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