Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Draft notebook: Missouri F Porter declares
Missouri forward Jontay Porter says he will enter the NBA draft. Porter missed the 2018-19 season after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee two weeks before the start of the season.
Report: P Gonzalez opts out of Yankees contract
Pitcher Gio Gonzalez opted out of his contract with the New York Yankees and intends to become a free agent, MLB.com reported Saturday. Now, the next move belongs to the Yankees.
Spurs' DeRozan ejected for firing ball toward ref
San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan was ejected during the fourth quarter of Saturday's 117-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets for firing the basketball in the direction of official Scott Foster. DeRozan was called for an offensive foul after charging into Denver guard Gary Harris with 5:01 remaining. He then leaped in the air and spun and sent the ball flying to the left of Foster.
Former Olympic champion Kiprop gets four-year doping ban
Kenya's former Olympic 1500 meters champion Asbel Kiprop has been handed a four-year ban for doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Saturday. The 29-year-old, who also won three world championship golds, tested positive for the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO) in November 2017.
MLB notebook: Judge may be next Yankee headed to IL
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge exited Saturday's game against the Kansas City Royals with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning with a left oblique injury. Already with a home run in the first inning -- his fifth of the season -- Judge singled to right field in the sixth but appeared to feel something on the swing. He gingerly ran to first base and was lifted from the game after a brief consultation from trainer Steve Donahue.
France and Romania level at 1-1 in Fed Cup semi
Caroline Garcia kept her composure to beat Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-3 6-3 and bring France level at 1-1 with Romania in their Fed Cup semi-final after Simona Halep outclassed Kristina Mladenovic 6-3 6-1 in the opening singles on Saturday. Garcia produced a rock-solid performance to dismantle the challenge of Buzarnescu in one hour, 27 minutes on the clay surface in the Normandy city of Rouen as two-time champions France bid for their sixth final.
NFL mock draft: Cardinals face conundrum
Unlike the 2018 NFL Draft, when the Cleveland Browns kept us guessing until practically draft night, the first overall pick seems to have been preordained for months. There remain whispers about whether ownership is on board, and as long as the Arizona Cardinals still have Josh Rosen on their roster, we can't be absolutely certain first-year coach Kliff Kingsbury will draft his former high school recruit, Kyler Murray, with the top pick.
NHL roundup: Schwartz's hat trick helps Blues eliminate Jets
Jaden Schwartz had a hat trick, and rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington made 18 saves as the host St. Louis Blues eliminated the Winnipeg Jets with a 3-2 victory in Game 6 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series Saturday. The Blues will face the winner of the Dallas-Nashville series in the next round of the playoffs.
Nadal blown away by Fognini in Monte Carlo semis
Rafa Nadal suffered a shock 6-4 6-2 semi-final defeat against flamboyant Italian Fabio Fognini at the Monte Carlo Masters on Saturday, showing rare signs of weakness five weeks before the French Open. The 11-time champion's loss in tricky conditions ended a series of 25 consecutive sets won on his favorite clay as Fognini set up a final showdown against Serbian Dusan Lajovic.
NBA roundup: 76ers rally past Nets in feisty contest
Mike Scott hit a 3-pointer with 18.6 seconds remaining to lift the visiting Philadelphia 76ers past the Brooklyn Nets 112-108 to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference opening-round playoff series on Saturday. Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 31 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and six blocked shots. Embiid, who had been listed as doubtful, started for the Sixers after missing Game 3 with left knee soreness. Tobias Harris added 24 points while Ben Simmons had 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
