LINE SCORES
NBA – This year’s NBA Draft will be staged in virtual fashion from the ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut, the league announced Thursday.
The COVID-19 pandemic that halted the season in March and led to the playoffs being staged at a quarantine bubble in Orlando will also wipe out the usual gathering for the allocation of new league talent to NBA clubs.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum will appear at ESPN to announce selections for the first and second rounds.
Select draftees, including many of the potential top picks, will appear through digital technology.
The Minnesota Timberwolves own the top pick in the NBA Draft followed in order by the Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons.
LaMelo Ball, an 18-year-old guard from Southern California and the younger brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball, is likely to be among the top picks. He has already played briefly in Australia and Lithuania.
Teen guard Anthony Edwards from the University of Georgia and University of Memphis big man James Wiseman are also candidates for the top selection. (AFP) TENNIS – Rafael Nadal will swap his rackets for his golf clubs on Sunday and play in the Balearic Championship in Mallorca, according to a report in Spain.
Nadal is an excellent golfer with a handicap of 0.3 and will join the list of 60 players for the tournament, which includes 23 professionals and 37 amateurs, said Diario de Mallorca on Thursday.
It is not Nadal’s first foray into golf, with the Spaniard finishing second just last weekend in the
V Test Circuit Hexagonal-Autovidal in Calvia.
The 34-year-old beat Novak Djokovic to win his 13th French Open title earlier this month and move level with Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slam titles. (AFP)
NFL – A COVID-19 outbreak among the Las Vegas Raiders prompted the NFL to shift their Monday game against Tampa Bay to an afternoon matchup instead of a night feature.
Vegas offensive right tackle Trent Brown tested positive for COVID-19 and the entire Raiders starting offensive line was sent home to self-isolate after being linked to Brown by contact tracing, with safety Jonathan Abram also quarantining.
With those players in danger of being unavailable to face Tom Brady’s Buccaneers in a nationally televised night game, the league decided to change the schedule.
The Raiders-Buccaneers contest was moved to an afternoon game while the unbeaten
Seattle Seahawks visit to Arizona was shifted to a Sunday night kickoff on national television.
‘’These decisions were made out of an abundance of caution to ensure that a game would be available for fans on Sunday Night Football,’’ the NFL said in a statement.
The league hasn’t given up on the Bucs and Raiders, saying, ‘’We expect the Buccaneers-Raiders game to be played on Sunday afternoon,’’ but the NFL isn’t so sure they want to leave the game as the only one available in the time slot. (AFP)
MOTOR SPORT – Lewis Hamilton is focused on winning his seventh drivers’ title and, he said yesterday, does not consider re-signing with Mercedes to be a priority.
He said he wanted to stay with the team, but had not yet agreed to do so and sign a new deal with team chief Toto Wolff for ‘’no particular reason.’’
Wolff, the driving force behind Mercedes’ record run of six successive team triumphs, is also out of contract this year.
Hamilton, who is seeking to claim a record 92nd career victory in Sunday’s Portuguese
Grand Prix, said there were no problems. Asked if it was a formality that he would remain with Mercedes, he said: ‘’A formality? I don’t know. Probably.
‘’I guess, at some stage, we have to sit down and have the conversation, but it’s not a priority right now – getting the job done, for me this year, personally, is the priority. That’s what I’m solely focused on right now.’’
He added that he was aware of speculation about his future and said it was a matter of timing for his negotiations, but stressed his commitment to Mercedes was unwavering.
‘’I’ve done it multiple times now. It’s just when the time is right, we’ll go and get on with it. At the end of the day, I’ve always been committed to this team and completely transparent.’’
He added that he had no fear of losing his seat and had not spoken to any other teams”.