Budenholzer, fired by Hawks, to lead Bucks
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks, who lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs this season, announced that Mike Budenholzer will be the team’s new coach.
Budenholzer, 48, went 213-197 in five seasons with Atlanta. Budenholzer was named NBA coach of the year in 2015, when he led the Hawks to a franchise-record 60 wins and an appearance in the Eastern Conference finals. Budenholzer and Atlanta mutually agreed to part ways last month with two years remaining on his contract, allowing Budenholzer to pursue other opportunities.
Budenholzer replaces Joe Prunty, a former assistant who went 21-16 in the regular season after replacing the fired Jason Kidd in late January. The Bucks lost to Boston in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
PRO BASKETBALL Lynx favored to win WNBA
The defending champion Minnesota Lynx are the team to beat in the WNBA, which tips off its 22nd season Friday.
Minnesota received nine first-place votes from the 14-person national media panel.
Los Angeles was second, garnering the other five first-place ballots. The Sparks and Lynx have faced off in the last two WNBA Finals.
Minnesota is led by Maya Moore, who is the league’s preseason player of the year for the second consecutive season. She is joined on the Associated Press’ All-WNBA preseason team by reigning AP player of the year Sylvia Fowles of Chicago, Los Angeles’ Candace Parker, Dallas’ Skylar Diggins, Phoenix’s Brittney Griner and Washington’s Elena Delle Donne.
A’ja Wilson, who was the first pick in the WNBA draft last month, was selected as the preseason rookie of the year.
GOLF Leishman’s 61 tops Nelson field
Marc Leishman shot a 10-under-par 61 on the new links-style Trinity Forest course to take the first-round lead in the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Jordan Spieth was eight shots back in his hometown event, which returned to Dallas after 35 years at the TPC Four Seasons in suburban Irving. Defending champion Billy Horschel shot 68.
J.J. Spaun and Texan Jimmy Walker shot 64 In other news:
Miguel Angel Jimenez matched the course record with an 8-under 64 to take the first-round lead in the Regions Tradition, the first of the PGA Tour Champions’ five major championships. The Spaniard birdied the first four holes and broke the front-nine record at 6-under 30 at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala. Gene Sauers, Wes Short Jr., Jerry Kelly and Joe Durant were second at 66.
Annie Park turned a blistering stretch on the back nine into a mistakefree 6-under 65 and a share of the first-round lead at the Kingsmill Championship at Williamsburg, Va. Jessica Korda, Azahara Munoz, In Gee Chun and Jaye Marie Green also shot 65. Park was 2 under when she hit the flag and birdied the par-4 14th hole. She then nearly holed her second shot on the par-5 15th after hitting “an OK 3-wood” that left her with a short eagle putt and also birdied the par-4 16th.
COLLEGES NCAA eases ban on gambling states
The NCAA is opening a door for states with legalized sports gambling to host NCAA championship events.
The governing body for college sports announced a “temporary” lifting of a ban that prevented events like college basketball's NCAA Tournament from being hosted in states that accept wagers on single games. The move comes three days after the Supreme Court overturned a federal law that barred most states from allowing gambling on professional and college sports.
NCAA president Mark Emmert said the board of governors will consider permanently revising its policy at future meetings, but the NCAA said it will not change its rules that prohibit gambling on sports by athletes and all athletic department employees, including coaches. In other news:
The Atlantic Coast Conference said it wants to expand the NCAA basketball tournament. Commissioner John Swofford said the league will propose legislation to expand the NCAA Tournament from 68 to 72 teams. That would create a second set of First Four games in the western half of the country to go with the tournament-opening ones in Dayton, Ohio.
Liberty is moving 17 of its athletic programs from the Big South to the Atlantic Sun Conference. The school said the only three sports not joining the new conference are football, field hockey and women's swimming and diving. Football will compete as a Bowl Subdivision independent for the first time this season.
MISCELLANEOUS Skeeters waste Cordero’s 2 HRs
Alberto Cordero hit a pair of two-run homers, but his four-hit, four-RBI effort went for naught in the Skeeters’ 10-8 Atlantic League loss to Southern Maryland at Constellation Field in Sugar Land. … Patrick Kane scored two goals to lift the United States to a 3-2 victory over the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals of the ice hockey world championship at Herning, Denmark. The Americans advance to a semifinals showdown against Sweden on Saturday. … Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal wore down Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-1 to reach the Italian Open's last eight. Four-time Rome winner Novak Djokovic reached his first quarterfinal of the year with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Alberto RamosVinolas. … Just 24 hours after finishing 34th out of 35 on the Indianapolis 500 practice speed charts, Graham Rahal jumped into the top spot with a fast lap of 226.047 mph. Tony Kanaan was the second-fastest at 225.896. Danica Patrick was 30th at 222.216 as she prepares for the final race of her career. Qualifying for the traditional 33-car starting grid will be held Saturday, and the nine-car pole shootout is scheduled for Sunday — one week before the race.