BASKETBALL
Source: Lakers to fire Scott
A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Sunday night that Byron Scott will not return to coach the Los Angeles Lakers next season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the firing yet. Scott coached the Lakers for the two worst seasons in franchise history, going 38-126. The Lakers finished with the NBA’s second-worst record this season at 17-65. Scott received praise from General Manager Mitch Kupchak last week for his handling of Kobe Bryant’s farewell season. But the Lakers struggled to play competent defense or to put together coherent game plans with a roster of youngsters and unimpressive veterans. The Lakers are looking for their fifth head coach since Phil Jackson left in 2011.
Charlotte Hornets forward Nicolas Batum said he hasn’t ruled himself out for Game 4 of Charlotte’s first-round playoff series tonight against the Miami Heat. Batum missed Game 3 with a strained left foot. The Hornets won 96-80 on Saturday night to pull the series to 2-1. Batum walked around at practice Sunday, his left foot heavily taped, and shot some mid-range jumpers. Batum said the ankle has improved and some of the swelling has subsided since he injured it in Game 2. Batum is averaging 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the playoffs.
The NBA has fined Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant for violations in Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series. Westbrook was fined $25,000 on Sunday for directing inappropriate language at a fan in Dallas after he was fouled by Salah Mejri on a drive to the basket during the Thunder’s 119-108 victory Saturday. Durant was penalized $15,000 for his flagrant foul 2 on Justin Anderson with 50 seconds left in the game. The Thunder lead the series 3-1.
FOOTBALL
Brace, former Patriots, dies
Former New England Patriots defensive tackle Ron Brace has died. He was 29. Brace’s cousin, Shaunta Brace, confirmed the death Sunday night to The Associated Press. She said Brace died Saturday at his home in Springfield, Mass. The cause of death wasn’t immediately known. The Patriots drafted Brace in 2009 out of Boston College. He played 39 games, starting seven, for the Pats during an injury-shortened career from 2009-12.
MOTOR SPORTS
Pagenaud overtakes Rahal
Simon Pagenaud led most of the way and overcame late contact with Graham Rahal to win at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., on Sunday for his second consecutive victory. Pagenaud lost the lead briefly after contact with Rahal and was attempting to work past him outside on Turn 15. Rahal appeared to clip Jack Hawksworth, who was a lap down, and his left front wing fell onto the track. He managed to recover and hold off defending champion Josef Newgarden to finish second. But Rahal couldn’t challenge Pagenaud again. Pagenaud started on the pole and led 84 of the 90 laps at the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, but had to overcome a dustup with Rahal, who was trying to give Honda its first victory of the year.
Brittany Force raced to her second Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.C., becoming the first female driver to win the unique event. Force held off the twotime defending race winner Antron Brown, along with Doug Kalitta and Clay Millican, at zMAX Dragway. Force powered her dragster to a final-round performance of 3.764 seconds at 319.98 mph, while defending season champion Brown finished second at 3.779 at 316.75. Force, the winner last month in Gainesville, Fla., for her first career victory, is the daughter of Funny Car star John Force. Tim Wilkerson won in Funny Car, Jason Line in Pro Stock, and Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle in the distinctive event where teams compete in a four-lane format.
HOCKEY
Lecavalier to retire
Vincent Lecavalier said he still plans to retire this summer, ending a 17-year NHL career after one last season with the Los Angeles Kings. Lecavalier confirmed his long-stated plans Sunday as the Kings left their training complex. Their season ended with a five-game loss to the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the postseason. Lecavalier scored 949 points and won the Stanley Cup during a career that began with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who made him the No. 1 pick in the 1998 draft. He helped the Lightning to the 2004 title, and he won the Richard Trophy in 2007 as the NHL’s top goal-scorer.
TENNIS
Nadal wins Barcelona again
Rafael Nadal beat defending champion Kei Nishikori 6-4, 7-5 to win the Barcelona Open for the ninth time on Sunday, equaling Guillermo Vilas’ record of 49 career clay-court titles. Nadal added this title to his trophy from Monte Carlo last week as the 14-time Grand Slam winner regains form on his favorite surface ahead of next month’s French Open. Nishikori had won the tournament for the last two years after early exits by Nadal. In a clash of the top two seeded players, Nadal proved more decisive under pressure, saving seven of eight break chances in the first set while converting the two chances he got. The Spaniard then bettered Nishikori through several rallies to win key points and claim his 69th career title in his 101st final.
FOOTBALL
Manziel indicted by Dallas County grand jury
Johnny Manziel was indicted Sunday by a Dallas County grand jury on a charge of misdemeanor assault with bodily injury. The charge stems from an alleged January altercation in which an ex-girlfriend of Manziel told authorities that the quarterback repeatedly struck her after throwing her into a car.
The grand jury reviewed evidence in the case on Thursday, and some observers expected an indictment after nothing was announced that day. Dallas police had referred a misdemeanor domestic violence assault case to the grand jury rather than arrest Manziel.
Citing sources, CBS-DFW also reported that Manziel and Colleen Crowley had reached an out-of-court civil settlement of undisclosed terms. In February, a judge had placed a restraining order on the ex-Browns player, in which he must stay away from Crowley for the next two years.
Crowley had told police that the incident, which took place Jan. 29, began with an argument about another woman. She said that, after he forced her into his car, she jumped out and hid behind some bushes. When he found her and threw her back into the car, he struck her and told her that he was going to drop her off at her vehicle and then kill himself.
“He grabbed me by my hair and threw me back into the car and got back in himself,” Crowley said in an affidavit filed on Feb 3. “He hit me with his open hand on my left ear for jumping out of the car. I realized immediately that I could not hear out of that ear, and I still cannot today, two days later. Fearful for my life, I hit Respondent several times, hoping I could back out of the car. Respondent threw me off of him and I hit my head on the car window and I fell into the passenger floorboard. Still fearful for my life, I stayed in the floorboard motionless until Respondent pulled me back onto the seat.”
In March, Manziel was released by the Browns following two seasons marked by injury-marred, inconsistent play on the field and unrepentant partying off of it. Last week, the former Heisman Trophy winner was dropped by his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, the second time this year that an agent has fired him as a client.
Sports on 04/25/2016