BROWNS MAKE SAFE NO. 1 PICK IN GARRETT

BEREA, Ohio — The Browns didn’t mess around with the No. 1 pick.

Myles Garrett was the consensus best player in the NFL draft, and Cleveland made sure he didn’t go anywhere else.

Although their biggest need remains a franchise quarterback, the Browns selected Texas A&M’s defensive standout first overall, a pick that had been projected for weeks.

Following a dismal 1-15 season, the Browns are counting on Garrett and this draft — Sashi Brown, the club’s vice president of football operations called it “momentous” last week — to kick-start their turnaround and possibly end years of football folly for a once-proud franchise.

With two first-round picks, two in the second round and one in the third, the Browns have the assets to improve, and possibly to find that elusive QB after starting 26 since 1999.

But that’s been the hope before and years of blown draft picks, particularly in the first round, have hampered the team from making any significant progress.

The Browns had their eyes on North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, a local kid who grew up a Cleveland fan, but he was surprisingly selected at No. 2 by the Chicago Bears.

With a chance to get Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson at No. 12, the Browns sent that pick to Houston for the No. 25 selection and the Texans’ firstround pick in 2018. Houston then took Watson, the dynamic playmaker who led the Tigers to a national championship last season.

Raptors blow 25-point lead, but beat Bucks 92-89

MILWAUKEE — DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and the Toronto Raptors squandered a 25-point lead late in the third quarter before holding on for a 92-89 victory Thursday night over the Milwaukee Bucks to take their first-round playoff series in six games.

Cory Joseph had five points in a 9-0 run in the final 2 minutes, including a 3-pointer with 1:27 left, to help stave off the pesky Bucks.

The Raptors move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals in a series that starts Monday. They’ll need to work on finishing off opponents in the second half.

• At Nashville, Tenn.: Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points, and the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 103-96 Thursday night to take the series 4-2.

The Spurs now have beaten Memphis four of the five playoff series between these teams, and this was San Antonio’s second straight win over the Grizzlies in the first round.

Tony Parker added 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, while LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Patty Mills had 10 points off the bench for the Spurs. San Antonio outrebounded Memphis 4628, with 16 of those offensive boards. That led to 17 secondchance points. —

Manfred says 2 groups still in Miami Marlins’ bidding

NEW YORK — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says two groups are still bidding to buy the Miami Marlins from Jeffrey Loria.

Former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush are involved in one of the groups. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the Jeter/Bush group won an auction for the team with a $1.3 billion bid. Manfred said some reports on the sale have been premature.

“There are multiple bidders for the Marlins,” Manfred said Thursday at the groundbreaking for the Jackie Robinson Museum. “There is no agreement in place. We’re working with more than one group, and when we have a definitive agreement we’ll make an announcement.”

Asked about the timeline, Manfred responded: “The timeline is relatively short; it would be measured in days, not months.” He also said “there is not a signed document on any topic.”

“We still have two groups involved in the process,” he added. “Timing is one of the things that both the buyer and the seller are working through, so it’s just impossible to say at this point, and I don’t want to get into really what the issues are. The only reason I commented on this at all is there had been so much out there that really (is) not quite accurate.”