NBA could get January start
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said his “best guess” is that next season will not start until at least January and acknowledged that the later-than-usual schedule could mean top U.S. men’s players miss next summer’s Tokyo Olympics.
Silver, a guest in a series of panel discussions on CNN, did not indicate that any decisions are finalized. The league was originally hoping for a Dec. 1 start to next season, then shifted its focus to the chance of a late December start, and now the target has apparently moved again.
The Chicago Bulls hired Billy Donovan as their new head coach. The 55-year-old Donovan spent the last five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
A’ja Wilson had 29 points, seven rebounds and a career-high seven blocks to lead the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces past the Connecticut Sun 83-75 to even the best-of-five WNBA semifinal series at 1-1 . ... Alysha Clark’s putback at the buzzer lifted the Seattle Storm past the Minnesota Lynx 88-86 in the first game of their semifinal series.
Major League Soccer released the remainder of its 23-game regular-season schedule, which calls for a fourth El Tráfico between LAFC and the Galaxy at Banc of California Stadium on Oct. 25. The Galaxy have won the last two meetings of neighborhood rivals and lead LAFC by goal differential in the battle for the final Western Conference playoff berth.
— Kevin Baxter
The U.S. national men’s soccer team will not conduct a training camp or play matches during the FIFA window in October because of continuing issues with COVID-19. U.S. Soccer said planning for a camp or match in October, when most of the rest of the world’s national teams will play, was complicated by the difficulties of bringing an opposing team to the U.S. and by quarantine rules for players entering or leaving the U.S.
— Kevin Baxter
The Kings lent prospects Alex Turcotte, Akil Thomas, Tyler Madden, Aidan Dudas and Jacob Ingham to German club Eisbaren Berlin, where they will get to practice and play with the Deutsche Eishockey League side until the Kings can start hosting full on-ice workouts again. They are the latest Kings players to be sent to Europe for training while the NHL sorts out next year’s schedule.
— Jack Harris
The San Jose Sharks retained Bob Boughner as their coach, removing the interim tag to make him the ninth full-time head coach in franchise history.
Tiz The Law, who three weeks ago was being talked about as a possible Triple Crown winner, will skip the Preakness Stakes after his disappointing second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Jack Knowlton, managing partner of Tiz The Law’s owner Sackatoga Stable, said the 3-year-old colt will train up to the $6million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7.
— John Cherwa