Friday’s Sports In Brief
NBA
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dennis Schroeder completed a three-point play with 7.6 seconds after a steal and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat Memphis 122-121 on Friday night, snapping the Grizzlies’ winning streak at 11.
Russell Westbrook led the Lakers with 29 points and LeBron James added 23. Ja Morant led Memphis with 22 points.
The Lakers trailed 114-107 before outscoring the Grizzlies 15-7 the rest of the way.
Schroeder, who scored 19 points, stole the ball from Desmond Bane near halfcourt and made a layup while being fouled by Bane to tie it at 120. Schoeder then made a free throw for the lead.
After a timeout, Memphis’ Brandon Clarke was fouled with 1.9 seconds remaining. He made the first, but missed the second. Bane got the offensive rebound, but lost control of it to give the Lakers possession with 0.4 seconds left.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hall of Fame football player Shannon Sharpe had a heated courtside conversation with Memphis Grizzlies players Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks and Morant’s father at the end of the first half Friday night in a nationally televised game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Fox Sports personality exchanged words with Brooks throughout the first half and then yelled at Morant on the final possession of the second quarter. After the halftime buzzer sounded, Brooks yelled at Sharpe and Sharpe motioned toward Brooks.
Morant walked toward Sharpe at his courtside seat before center Steven Adams stepped in front of him. Tee Morant, Ja Morant’s father, also got involved in the conversation before security at Crypto.com arena separated everyone.
DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray got his first career triple-double and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to nine games by routing the Indiana Pacers 134-111 without Nikola Jokic.
Murray finished with 17 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds to turn in his best Jokic imitation. Jokic, the two-time reigning MVP who leads the league in triple-doubles, was a late scratch due to hamstring tightness.
Aaron Gordon scored 28 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 19 as the Western Conference-leading Nuggets ran their home win streak to 16 games in a row.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Keegan Murray had season highs of 29 points and 14 rebounds, Domantas Sabonis added his fifth triple-double of the season and the Sacramento Kings beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-113 for their sixth consecutive win.
Sabonis finished with 18 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds. Murray, the No. 4 pick in the draft from Iowa, became the first Kings rookie to record consecutive double-doubles since the 2018-19 season. De’Aaron Fox scored 23 points and Kevin Huerter chipped in 14.
The Kings (26-18) have two six-game winning streaks in the same season for the first time since 2002-03 and are third in the Western Conference.
BASEBALL
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins traded reigning AL batting champion Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins for a three-player package featuring starting pitcher Pablo López.
The 25-year-old Arraez had a breakout season for Minnesota last year, making his first All-Star team while batting a league-best .316 and denying Aaron Judge a Triple Crown. The Yankees star led the AL in home runs and RBIs and finished five points behind Arraez in batting average.
López should bolster an already deep Twins rotation, albeit one that’s absent a true ace. He’ll slot in with Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle, Kenta Maeda, Joe Ryan and perhaps Bailey Ober. This has been an eventful month for the Twins, having re-signed shortstop Carlos Correa.
Arraez is a multi-positional player who spent most of his time at first base for the Twins last year, starting 61 games there, 34 at designated hitter and 31 at second base. He has also played extensively at third base and left field.
PHOENIX (AP) — Ronnie Gajownik has been hired as manager of the Hillsboro Hops, becoming the first woman to manage a minor league Class High-A team, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced Friday.
The 29-year-old Gajownik (pronounced Gah-jow-nick) served as video coordinator for the Hops in 2021. She was on the coaching staff of the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Diamondback’s Double-A affiliate, last season as first-base coach.
Rachel Balkovec became the first woman to manage a professional baseball team last year when she led the New York Yankees’ Class A Tampa Tarpons.
GOLF
LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Davis Thompson made three more eagles for a total of five through 36 holes to tie the PGA Tour record for the most in a 72-hole tournament since 1983, and he still didn’t put any more distance between himself and Jon Rahm at The American Express.
Thompson also carded his first bogeys of the tournament, which were hardly enough to slow him down. One day after making consecutive eagles in shooting 10-under 62 at La Quinta to take the first-round lead, Thompson carded an 8-under 64 on the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West. He had three eagles, four birdies and two bogeys.
The 23-year-old who played college golf at Georgia was at 18-under 126, two strokes ahead of Rahm, who also shot 64 on the Nicklaus course. Thompson will play the Stadium Course on Saturday, which will host the final round on Sunday after the 54-hole cut in this pro-am event, which uses three courses.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Brooke Henderson shot a 6-under 66 to take a four-shot lead after the second round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Henderson was at 11-under 133 after 36 holes. The other 28 LPGA pros in the winners-only field swiftly entered into scramble mode just to keep from losing sight of her. Henderson’s closest pursuers going into the third round are Nelly Korda (137) and England’s Charley Hull and Wei-Ling Hsu of Taiwan another shot back after each shot 69.
Tennis player and Davis Cup captain Mardy Fish took control among the celebrities and athletes, posting the equivalent of a 67 in the Modified Stableford scoring system.
He has 78 points, nine points better than Sorenstam, a Lake Nona resident, and military veteran Chad Pfeifer.
SOCCER
NEW YORK (AP) — Brian McBride is out as general manager of the U.S. men’s national team, U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Earnie Stewart told the governing body’s board of directors.
Stewart informed the board during his presentation near the end of the board’s executive session on Thursday, a person familiar with the discussion told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the decision, first reported by ESPN, was not announced.
McBride had held the job for three years. Stewart did not tell the board whether the former U.S. team star will be replaced in the role, the person said.
USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone and spokesman Neil Buethe did not respond to requests for comment.