Spurs send Rockets packing

The San Antonio Spurs eliminated the sluggish James Harden and host Houston Rockets with a 114-75 victory in Game 6 on Thursday night, and they didn’t even need Kawhi Leonard to do it.

LaMarcus Aldridge had a season-high 34 points and added 12 rebounds in his second big game of the of the Western Conference semifinal series to pick up the scoring slack with Leonard out after rolling his ankle in San Antonio’s overtime victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

HUGHES SHARES LEAD

Canadian rookie Mackenzie Hughes played bogey-free in his debut at The Players Championship and shot 5-under 67 to share the lead with William McGirt after an opening round that showed anew that the TPC Sawgrass has surprises around every corner. Masters champion Sergio Garcia salvaged his poor round by making a hole-in-one at the infamous island green.

GREINKE NO-HIT SPOILED

Zack Greinke’s bid for his first career no-hitter ended when Gregory Polanco of the visiting Pirates led off the eighth inning with his first home run of the season, but the Diamondbacks staved off Pittsburgh for a 2-1 victory. Greinke went eight innings and struck out 11, allowing just the one hit.

l Mookie Betts’ three-run home run in the ninth inning Thursday lifted the Boston Red Sox to a 4-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. It was Betts’ fifth homer of the season and third in his last four games, and helped Boston salvage one win in the three-game series in the Red Sox’s first trip to Milwaukee since 2003.

l Major league ERA leader Jason Vargas went seven more scoreless innings, Salvador Perez had a two-run double during a five-run eighth inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0.

EX-JOHNNIE DEAD AT 63

Glen Williams, a star at St. John’s in the 1970s and a second-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks, has died. He was 63.

Williams, who had been battling cancer for the last seven years, died Tuesday, according to Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca.