Leonard may miss Clippers’ playoff opener

Kawhi Leonard’s status for the Clippers’ first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks remains murky.

Leonard missed the final eight games of the regular season with right knee inflammation. The Clippers were 4-4 in that stretch, having clinched their first Pacific Division title in 10 years. They earned the fourth seed in the West.

Coach Tyronn Lue said Tuesday that Leonard was participating in “a quarter” of practice.

“Just bring him along slowly,” Lue said.

Asked if Leonard will play Game 1 on Sunday, Lue said, “We’ll see.”

Leonard hasn’t played since the end of March. The All-star forward averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists during the regular season, when he was mostly healthy.

• Blake Griffin, a six-time All-star, announced his retirement after a 14year career.

He was the No. 1 overall pick by the Clippers out of Oklahoma in 2009. He missed his first season with a knee injury, but rebounded to earn the the 2011 Rookie of the Year. He also won the All-star Game dunk contest. Griffin averaged 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in his career. He finished third in MVP voting behind Kevin Durant and Lebron James in the 2013-14 season.

Griffin, 35, also played for Detroit, Brooklyn, and Boston.

NFL Browns’ Watson throwing full speed after shoulder surgery

Deshaun Watson is pleased with the velocity on his passes. At least there’s one aspect of his recovery from shoulder surgery with some speed.

The Browns quarterback said Tuesday that he’s following a conservative rehab plan set up by his doctor and the team’s training staff as he recovers from major surgery in November that ended his second season in Cleveland after just six games.

Watson, who suffered a fracture to the glenoid bone in his throwing shoulder, said his rehab has gone according to schedule and that there haven’t been any setbacks.

He’s been throwing pain free and without any issues.

“Everything is fluid motion, no hinging,” Watson said, raising his arm to demonstrate. ”When I’m throwing, everything is fluid and motion is really good. The velocity and the strength is really good.”

But while giving a positive medical report, the 28-year-old Watson didn’t have a timetable for when he’ll be 100% and he expressed some frustration at not being able to do more.

• The Philadelphia Eagles agreed to terms with wide receiver Devonta Smith on a three-year contract extension through the 2028 season. The move included the Eagles picking up the fifth-year option on Smith’s 2025 season.

Smith has 240 receptions for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns in three seasons with the Eagles. He’ll get a reported $75M contract extension that includes $51M guaranteed with his new deal.

RUNNING Lemma runs 10th fastest time at Boston Marathon

Sisay Lemma scorched the first half of the Boston Marathon course on Monday, setting a record pace to build a lead of more than half of a mile.

Then the weather heated up, and the 34-year-old Ethiopian slowed down.

After running alone for most of the morning, Lemma held on down Boylston Street to finish in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 17 seconds — the 10th fastest time in the race’s 128-year history. Lemma dropped to the pavement and rolled onto his back, smiling, after crossing the finish line.

“Until halfway through I was running very hard and very good. But after that it was getting harder and harder,” said Lemma, who failed to finish twice and came in 30th in three previous Boston attempts. “Several times I’ve dropped out of the race before. But today I won, so I’ve redeemed myself.”

Hellen Obiri defended her title, outkicking Sharon Lokedi on Boylston Street to finish in 2:27:37 and win by eight seconds; two-time Boston champion Edna Kiplagat completed the Kenyan sweep, finishing another 36 seconds back.

Obiri also won New York last fall and is among the favorites for the Paris Olympics. She is the sixth woman to win back-to-back in Boston and the first since Catherine “the Great” Ndereba won four in six years from 2000 to ‘05.

“Defending the title was not easy. Since Boston started, it’s only six women. So I said, ‘Can I be one of them? If you want to be one of them, you have to work extra hard,’” she said. “And I’m so happy because I’m now one of them. I’m now in the history books in Boston.”

CJ Albertson of Fresno was the top American man in seventh, his second top-10 finish.