BASKETBALL
NBA fines Bucks $50,000
The NBA fined the Milwaukee Bucks $50,000 on Tuesday over a comment General Manager Jon Horst made about the team's plans to offer league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo a "supermax" extension. The league said Horst violated league rules "governing the timing of discussions regarding future player contracts and permissible commitments to players." The Bucks cannot publicly commit to offering anyone a supermax until the summer following that player's seventh season. Antetokounmpo is entering his seventh season. He would be eligible to sign a record five-year extension worth nearly $250 million in July 2020, with that new deal beginning in the 2021-22 season. Horst was asked at a televised event about the status of Antetokounmpo's long-term contract. He replied by saying "right now, you can't talk and negotiate anything. Giannis, basically, a year from now, will be eligible for a supermax extension. At that time, of course, he'll be offered a supermax extension."
BASEBALL
A's reliever done for season
Oakland Athletics reliever Lou Trivino will miss the rest of the regular season and likely the playoffs after cracking a rib falling in the shower. Manager Bob Melvin said Tuesday that he did not expect Trivino to be available in the postseason should the A's secure a spot after the 27-year-old right-hander was injured in his Bay Area apartment last week. "We're saying, for sure, the regular season," Melvin said. "He's going to get a second opinion, I think, at some point in time here, but it doesn't look great, unfortunately." Oakland also will be without right-hander Blake Treinen the rest of the season because of a hip and back injury. Trivino and Treinen were two of Oakland's most effective pitchers coming out of the bullpen in 2018 but had not been nearly as productive this season. Trivino was 4-6 with a 5.25 ERA in 61 games this season after posting a 2.92 ERA as a rookie. Treinen was 6-5 with a 4.91 ERA in 57 games after he had a 0.78 ERA last season.
Mets to honor Koosman
Jerry Koosman will become the third New York Mets player to have his number retired by the team. The popular left-hander will be honored sometime next season, with his No. 36 joining Tom Seaver's No. 41 and Mike Piazza's No. 31 on display along the Citi Field roof. Chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon announced the plans Tuesday on the 50th anniversary of New York winning its first championship, the 1969 National League East title, with a pitching staff led by Seaver and Koosman. The Mets have also retired the numbers of ex-managers Casey Stengel (No. 37) and Gil Hodges (No. 14). Jackie Robinson's No. 42 was retired by all major league clubs in 1997. Current Manager Mickey Callaway has been wearing No. 36 but says he's glad to switch. He changed to No. 26 for Tuesday night's game against Miami. Koosman pitched for the Mets from 1967-78 and won twice during the 1969 World Series, throwing a complete game to beat heavily favored Baltimore in the clinching Game 5.
FOOTBALL
Vikings sign pair
The Minnesota Vikings have brought back a pair of familiar players, signing cornerback/punt returner Marcus Sherels and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. The moves were made Tuesday, when the Vikings placed wide receiver/punt returner Chad Beebe on injured reserve with an ankle injury and waived linebacker Devante Downs. Beebe was hurt on Sunday in a victory over Oakland, when he fumbled for the third time in the past two games. He had two catches for 70 yards. With Josh Doctson already on injured reserve, the Vikings needed more depth behind Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Treadwell was cut by the Vikings at the end of training camp, after the 2016 first-round draft pick totaled just 56 catches and 517 yards over his first three years in the NFL.
MOTOR SPORTS
Bell promoted to Cup Series
Christopher Bell has been promoted to NASCAR's top series and will drive for Leavine Family Racing in 2020. Leavine is an affiliate of Joe Gibbs Racing, which along with Toyota has Bell under contract. The logjam of drivers at the Cup level for Gibbs forced Bell to be farmed out to Leavine's single-car operation. Leavine last month released Matt DiBenedetto from the seat, clearing the way for Bell to be promoted from the Xfinity Series. The 24-year-old is considered a rising star in NASCAR and has 15 victories through 68 starts in the Xfinity Series. Bell has won seven times this season and leads the Xfinity standings after last week's playoffs opener. Bell is in his second full season in the Xfinity Series. He previously won seven races in the Truck Series and the 2017 championship. Jason Ratcliff, his crew chief, will be promoted with Bell. Current Leavine crew chief Mike Wheeler was named competition director of the Leavine organization.
TENNIS
Murray wins in China
Andy Murray won his first tour-level match since January on Tuesday, beating American opponent Tennys Sandgren 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-1 in the Zhuhai Championships. Murray, the former top-ranked player who had hip surgery in January, served 13 aces, won 80 percent of his service points and was not broken. Murray lost to Sandgren at the Winston-Salem Open in North Carolina in August in his second tour-level singles match since returning from the operation. Murray will next face seventh-seeded Alex de Minaur, who beat fellow Australian John Millman 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the round of 16. Minaur won eight of the first nine games and converted six of seven break points.
BASKETBALL
Nets not planning for Durant this season
NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets expect to wait a year before Kevin Durant plays for them.
General Manager Sean Marks said Tuesday that the Nets are planning this season without the injured All-Star. He added Durant will have a say in determining when he's ready.
"With Kevin, I think what we're going to say is the expectations are that he'll be out for the year," Marks said.
Durant is recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon. He was injured while playing for Golden State in the NBA Finals, then left the Warriors to sign with the Nets in July.
At the time, the Nets left open the possibility that Durant could play this season. That's still possible, but Marks isn't banking on it.
"I've been excited to see, I think we all have, how he's approached this rehab, which has been great, very refreshing and energizing for the whole group," Marks said. "But at the end of the day, this is a long-term plan here. This was never about this next season. This is about getting an elite athlete back to elite physical shape on the court, whatever that takes."
Durant returned from an injured calf muscle he suffered in the postseason for Game 5 of the NBA Finals, but lasted only 12 minutes before leaving with a more severe injury.
Marks said Durant hasn't given any indication that he plans to take things slowly.
"I think you're looking at one of the great competitors out there, so I think I would be remiss if I said no, he probably doesn't want to play," Marks said. "I think it's obvious he wants to play, but I think there's more at stake here.
"This is, again, a long-term approach. There are a lot of people with a lot of sweat equity in this from the rehab perspective and so forth. And so I think it'll be a group that makes the decision, and obviously Kevin included as to when and how that return is made."
Sports on 09/25/2019