BASKETBALL
Source: Knicks' Fisher scuffles
A person with knowledge of the details said New York Knicks Coach Derek Fisher (Little Rock Parkview, UALR) was involved in an altercation with Memphis Grizzlies forward and former teammate Matt Barnes in California on Saturday. The New York Post, citing an anonymous source, reported Wednesday that the altercation was because Fisher is dating Barnes' estranged wife. Fisher filed for divorce from his wife, Candace, in March. The person said Fisher traveled to Los Angeles after practice Saturday to see his children and the altercation happened that night while Fisher was attending a gathering at the home of Gloria Govan, Barnes' estranged wife. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no comments were authorized. Fisher, speaking before the Knicks' exhibition game Wednesday night, wouldn't comment about his personal life but said he is "completely focused and committed to the team." Fisher is in his second season with the Knicks after spending most of his playing career in Los Angeles, where his children remain.
• Commissioner Adam Silver said it is "premature" to talk about an NBA expansion in Europe. Silver said Wednesday that he doesn't think "it's going to happen in the very near future" but "could happen one day." Silver spoke in Madrid, a day before the Boston Celtics play Real Madrid on the NBA's Global Games tour. The commissioner also said the NBA will not stop if the international basketball federation decides to go ahead with its plan to change its calendar and have games coinciding with the NBA season. He said the NBA respects the international federation but stressed that "we are unable to interrupt our schedule" and "cannot remove players from our season midway, so we will continue to play despite their new schedule."
TENNIS
Nadal advances in Beijing
Rafael Nadal moved into the quarterfinals of the China Open with a 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory over Canada's Vasek Pospisil on Wednesday in Beijing. The third-seeded Spaniard picked up his game considerably following his first-round victory over the 230th-ranked Chinese wild card Wu Di, during which he was broken four times. Also Wednesday, second-seeded Tomas Berdych lost 6-4, 6-4 to Pablo Cuevas in the first round, just two days after winning his first title of the year in the rain-delayed Shenzhen final. In the women's draw, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, the fourth seed, advanced to the quarterfinals when Madison Keys retired from their third-round match with a thigh injury. The American lost the first set 6-3 before calling it quits. Seven women have retired or withdrawn from matches this week, including top seed Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard. Defending champion Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams also decided to skip the tournament, citing injuries. Germany's Angelique Kerber moved a step closer to qualifying for the WTA Finals with a dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory over Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. Kerber, who has won four titles this season, can qualify if she reaches the China Open final. Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland overcame five double faults to upset seventh-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals in a nearly 2 1/2 hour match, and Sara Errani of Italy advanced with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Germany's Andrea Petkovic.
• Local favorite Kei Nishikori advanced to the quarterfinals of the Japan Open with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over Sam Querrey on Wednesday in Tokyo. Second-seeded Nishikori set up match point with a blistering backhand down the line and won with a forehand smash, securing his third consecutive victory in seven matches against the unseeded Querrey. French Open champion and top seed Stan Wawrinka avenged last year's opening round defeat to Tatsuma Ito, by beating the 116th-ranked Japanese 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to book his place in the quarterfinals. Nishikori, 25, who is bidding for his third Japan Open title, has now reached the quarterfinals or better at 13 of his past 16 tournaments. There were no break-point opportunities in the first set, and Nishikori won five of the first six points in the tie-breaker. The sixth-ranked Nishikori broke Querrey to go up 2-1 in the second set and never let his opponent back in the match. He will next face either sixth-seeded Marin Cilic or Steve Johnson. Cilic outlasted Donald Young 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in a first-round match. Third-seeded Gilles Simon of France also advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic. Simon will face Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) winner over Jeremy Chardy of France.
HOCKEY
Torres won't appeal ban
San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres will not appeal his 41-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Anaheim's Jakob Silfverberg in a preseason game. The NHLPA said Wednesday that Torres will not contest the longest suspension in NHL history for a hit on another player. This marks the fifth and most significant suspension for Torres in his career. His previous longest ban had been a 21-game suspension -- initially 25 games -- for a high hit on Chicago's Marian Hossa in the first round of the playoffs in 2012 when he played for Arizona. Torres was suspended for the final six games of the playoffs in 2013 with San Jose for a hit to the head against Los Angeles' Jarret Stoll. Torres also was suspended for two games in January 2012 and April 2011 for hits.
FANTASY SPORTS
FanDuel ban employees from playing for money
NEW YORK — Daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel said Wednesday it will permanently ban all employees from playing any daily fantasy sports for money and begin an internal investigation following reports a DraftKings employee may have had access to unfairly valuable data before winning $350,000 in a FanDuel contest.
FanDuel said in a release there is no evidence showing the contest was compromised or that non-public information was used to gain an unfair advantage. But the New York-based company said it doesn’t want to rely only on what it knows right now and wants to rebuild trust with its players.
FanDuel said it hired former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to evaluate its internal controls. It is also creating an advisory board led by Michael Garcia, a lawyer who led the investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process then resigned from the FIFA ethics committee in protest over the handling of his findings.
The company’s announcement comes after New York’s attorney general sent letters to DraftKings and FanDuel on Tuesday demanding they turn over details of any investigations into their employees.
While legal in most U.S. states, daily fantasy sports is unregulated, unlike casinos and lotteries. The incident has been likened to insider trading.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman wants the companies to explain their policies or practices prohibiting employees from playing. Daily fantasy sports participants put together virtual teams based on real players and compete for points based on the players’ statistics. Paid contests vary widely in scope and cost, costing as little as $1 to enter but with some players wagering tens of thousands of dollars each matchup.
In the letters, Schneiderman asked for the names, job titles and descriptions of employees who compile and aggregate data including pricing algorithms and athletes’ ownership percentages for past contests.
Sports on 10/08/2015