76ers hire ex-Raptors coach Nurse, reports say
The Philadelphia 76ers went all-in with their NBA championship pursuit on Monday, selecting veteran Nick Nurse as their new coach to try to win the franchise's first title since 1983.
The 76ers hired Nurse, 55, following his exit last month from Toronto Raptors, multiple sources reported.
Nurse led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship after they beat Joel Embiid and the 76ers in Game 7 of the the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Nurse will replace Doc Rivers, who was fired after he led the 76ers to their second straight 50win season behind NBA MVP Embiid but again failed to lead them to the Eastern Conference finals.
The 76ers held a 3-2 semifinals series lead against Boston before dropping Game 6 at home and were crushed in Game 7 on the road.
The 76ers still have to decide if they will try to bring back veteran James Harden, but making a move for a championship-winning coach like Nurse shows the franchise is still all in as it goes for its first title in 40 years.
Nurse went 227-163 in his five seasons as coach in Toronto, where his .582 winning percentage ranks as the best of any coach in Raptors history. He also spent five years as an assistant to former Raptors coach Dwane Casey before taking over the top job.
Nurse played at Northern Iowa, then started his coaching career there as an assistant. He wound up becoming a head coach at Grand View University when he was just 23. He coached in Belgium and Britain — winning a pair of British Basketball League titles as a coach in Birmingham in 1996 and London in 2000 — then got a couple of titles in what is now called the G League.
The second G League crown with Houston's team got Nurse noticed, with the Raptors calling because they wanted to talk to him about offense. They ended up hiring him as an assistant, and he'd been with Toronto ever since.
The Raptors finished 41-41 this season before losing at home to the Chicago Bulls in the play-in round of the postseason.
Sixers president Daryl Morey continues to build the team around his old Houston Rockets connections. Besides Harden — and others — Nurse coached Houston's G League-affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers for two seasons while Morey was in charge. Nurse won the G-League title in 2013 before moving on to a successful NBA career. He also won the 2020 NBA Coach of the Year award.
Oversight authority to meet with Churchill Downs
Horse racing's oversight authority will hold an emergency summit today with Churchill Downs, Kentucky's racing commission and HISA veterinary teams to review information and analysis in the wake of 12 horse fatalities in the past month at the home of the Kentucky Derby.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced that it will also send track superintendent Dennis Moore for a second independent analysis of the training and surfaces. HISA equine safety and welfare director Jennifer Durenberger will provide additional veterinary expertise and oversight of horses at Churchill Downs.
The review will begin Wednesday, a HISA release stated. CEO Lisa Lazarus and track safety director Ann McGovern will visit the track to receive analysis results and suggest follow-up.
Seven horses died from training or racing injuries at Churchill Downs leading up to the 149th Kentucky Derby on May 6, including two on the undercard. Gelding Lost in Limbo and mare Kimberley Dream, both 7-year-olds, were euthanized after sustaining similar leg injuries over the weekend at the track.
Florida's Biondi rallies to win NCAA golf title
Fred Biondi shot a 3-under 67 and rallied from a five-shot deficit in the final round to earn Florida's third individual men's NCAA golf championship in in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Biondi shot 2-under 35 on the front nine at Grayhawk Golf Club and was three back after a bogey on No. 12. The senior from Brazil birdied the par-4 14th and closed with four straight pars, two-putting from 50 feet on No. 18 to finish at 7 under.
Biondi joins Bob Murphy (1996) and Nick Gilliam (2001) as national champions at Florida.
Illinois' Jackson Buchanan just missed a 20-foot birdie on No. 18 that would have tied him with Biondi. He shot 67 to tie Georgia Tech's Ross Steelman at 6 under.
• Liam Entenmann made a season-high 18 saves and Brian Tevlin scored a go-ahead goal with 27 seconds left in the third quarter to help Notre Dame claim its first men's lacrosse national title with a 13-9 victory over Duke in Philadelphia.
Third-seeded Notre Dame (142) had lost in its previous two championship game appearances in 2010 and 2014 — both to Duke. The top-seeded Blue Devils (16-3) were playing in their seventh national championship game in program history.
Bell admits to smoking pot before NFL games
Former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell said he smoked marijuana before playing some NFL games during his career.
“That's what I did,” Bell told Barstool Sports' “Steel Here” podcast which was published Friday. “When I was playing football, I smoked, bro. Even before the games, I'd smoke and I'd go out there and run for 150 (yards), two (touchdowns).”
Jersey Jerry, who co-hosts the podcast with Kevin Adams, then asked: “In the NFL?”
“Yeah,” said the 31-year-old Bell, who hasn't played in the league since the 2021 season.
Bell was suspended twice for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy while he played for the Steelers. He began his professional career in Pittsburgh in 2013 and became one of the league's most dynamic and productive players. Bell was a onetime All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection as a dual threat out of the Steelers' backfield.
Bell had short stints with Kansas City in 2020, and Baltimore and Tampa Bay in 2021 after leaving the Jets. He has run for 6,554 yards and 42 touchdowns in his career.
Chelsea hires Pochettino
Chelsea hired Mauricio Pochettino as manager, tasking the Argentine coach with getting the best out of an expensively assembled squad that has underperformed at the start of a new era for the English club.