Behind Davis, Lakers down Nuggets to take 3-1series lead,
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. » The Los Angeles Lakers are a victory away from returning to the NBA Finals — and only another comeback from3-1 down by the Denver Nuggets can stop them.
Anthony Davis scored 34 points, LeBron James had 26 and the Lakers beat the Nuggets 114-108 on Thursday night in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Davis got the Lakers off to a fast start with his scoring and James helped them finish it with his defense, forcing Jamal Murray into some late misses after the guard had kept the Nuggets in it with an array of high- difficulty baskets.
James added nine rebounds and eight assists, and the Lakers had 12 offensive rebounds for a whopping 25- 6 advantage in second-chance points.
Game 5 is Saturday, when the Lakers can reach the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade.
WNBA
STORM BEAT LYNX FOR 2-0 SERIES LEAD » Jewell Loyd scored 20 points and the Seattle Stormbeat theMinnesota Lynx 89-79 to take a 2- 0 lead in the best- of- 5 WNBA semifinal series.
Loyd had 10 points in a 12- 0 run to end the first half, including consecutive 3-pointers, for a 46-33 lead and the Storm led the rest of the way, fending offmultiple Lynx charges.
The second- seeded Storm have a chance to sweep the series Sunday.
Pro football
FITZPATRICKHANDLESJAGUARS AGAIN » Different team, familiar result for Ryan Fitzpatrick against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Fitzpatrick accounted for three touchdowns and
led Miami to a 31-13 victory, becoming the first NFL quarterback to notch six wins over the same opponent with six teams.
Fitzpatrick completed his first 12 passes — a career high — as Miami scored touchdowns on its first three drives for the first time since 2011. He ended the night celebrating another victory over the Jaguars (1-2).
He improved to 6-2 as a starter versus Jacksonville, with wins coming with Cincinnati (2008), Buffalo (2012), Tennessee (2013), Houston (2014), the New York Jets (2015) and now Miami.
PATRIOTS OWNER CLEARED OF MASSAGE PARLOR SEX CHARGE » Florida prosecutors dropped a misdemeanor charge against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft after courts blocked their use of video that allegedly shows him paying for massage parlor sex.
Palm Beach County court records show that the owner and manager
of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa are still facing numerous felony charges related to running a house of prostitution.
The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal found last month that Jupiter police violated the rights of Kraft and the other customers when they secretly installed video cameras inside massage rooms at the spa in early 2019. The court then blocked use of the video footage at trial.
The recordings, which have not been made public, are the only known evidence themen paid for sex. It could not be immediately determined if the charges against the othermen have also been dropped, but that is likely.
Baseball
ROYALS OUTFIELDER GORDON
TO RETIREAFTER SEASON » Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon, the former first-round pick whose rollercoaster career took him from near bust to All-Star and Gold Glove winner, announced he will
retire after the season.
Gordon wound up playing his entire 14-year career in Kansas City, joining only George Brett and Frank White as position playerswith thatmuch longevity with the franchise. He heads into a weekend four- game series against Detroit with the third-most walks (682), fourth-most homers (190), fifth-most doubles (357) and sixthmost games played (1,749) in club history.
TURNER SPORTS EXPANDS
RIGHTS DEAL WITH MLB THROUGH 2028 » Turner Sports will continue broadcastingMajor League Baseball after agreeing to an extension of rights through the 2028 season.
The seven-year agreement will take effect in 2022 and includes a Tuesday night game as well as additional postseason games. It also includes expanded digital rights for Bleacher Report and other WarnerMedia platforms.
Turner will pay an average of $470 million per season.