AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy has joined more elite company at the Masters. He pulled away with a pair of birdies around Amen Corner and, as usual, saved a little drama for the end before taking his place in Augusta National history as only the fourth back-to-back champion. McIlroy seized control for good with a bold shot over Rae’s Creek to 7 feet for birdie on the par-3 12th. Then he blistered a 350-yard drive on the par-5 13th that set up another birdie. There were a few dicey moments, but he shot a 1-under 71 to for a one-shot victory to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as repeat winners.
MIAMI (AP) — The play-in tournament field is set. Miami goes to Charlotte for an elimination game Tuesday and Orlando goes to Philadelphia for a win-and-you're-in game Wednesday. The West play-in matchups are Phoenix-Portland on Tuesday and Clippers-Golden State on Wednesday. There are also four conference quarterfinals set to begin this weekend: New York-Atlanta and Cleveland-Toronto in the East, along with Denver-Minnesota and Lakers-Houston in the West.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says the Milwaukee Bucks don’t expect Doc Rivers back as their coach next season. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement about Rivers’ decision has been made. There has been some discussion about whether Rivers will stay with the organization in some capacity. ESPN first reported that Rivers won’t be back as Milwaukee’s coach. Rivers said before the Bucks’ season-ending 126-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday that he wasn’t going to announce anything. But he left little doubt about his intentions.
DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg’s standout rookie season ended slightly prematurely after the No. 1 pick of the Dallas Mavericks limped to the locker room in the finale against Chicago and was ruled out with an ankle sprain. Flagg winced as he left the court favoring his left ankle in the second quarter, and the Mavs soon said he wouldn’t return. The 19-year-old is in a tight race with former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel for Rookie of the Year. Flagg had 10 points and four rebounds and will finish the season averaging 21.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
The biggest FIFA World Cup ever, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches, is fast approaching. The tournament will be held across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Argentina, the defending champion, is back, and four nations will make their World Cup debuts. The group stage begins June 11, with teams guaranteed three matches. The top two teams from each group, plus the best eight third-place teams, will advance. The U.S. plays its first match on June 12. Argentina star Lionel Messi's participation remains uncertain, but is expected
WASHINGTON (AP) — If this was indeed the final home game of Alex Ovechkin’s sensational NHL career, the Washington Capitals star collected enough memories to take him deep into retirement. From the opening faceoff to the celebratory post-game skate in which he waved gratefully to the adoring fans, Ovechkin enjoyed one heck of a day. Best of all, the Capitals won Sunday to remain in the playoff hunt. Playing in front of a loud, appreciative crowd, the Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0. The 40-year-old Ovechkin will wait until the offseason to decide whether to retire or return for a 22nd NHL season.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo said it was “disrespectful” for Milwaukee to bench him over the final weeks of the season while he said he was healthy enough to play. His comments Sunday night were a stinging rebuke of the franchise as he enters a stay-or-leave offseason. Antetokounmpo said after a season-ending loss to Philadelphia that he learned that he had no control over his playing status as the Bucks limped to the finish. The two-time MVP led Milwaukee to its first title in half a century in 2021. But the Bucks haven't won a playoff series since 2022.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Sergio Garcia broke his driver on No. 2 at Augusta National after an outburst on the tee box and was issued a code-of-conduct warning, a first at the Masters. Garcia lost it on the second tee box after an opening bogey, slamming his club into the turf twice, then took a swipe at a table with a green cooler on it. That left the head of his driver dangling from the shaft, and Garcia reached over and yanked it off completely. According to club officials, Geoff Yang in his role as chairman of the competitions committee spoke to Garcia on the fourth tee and issued the code-of-conduct warning.
Doug Christie will return for a second full season as coach of the Sacramento Kings despite the team having one of the worst seasons in franchise history. A person familiar with the decision says Christie will return next season for the second year of a contract that also has a team option for 2027-28. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the decision. The Athletic first reported that Christie would return. The Kings finished with a 22-60 record that is the second-most losses in franchise history.
Manchester City issues a huge statement of intent in the race for the Premier League title with a 3-0 win at Chelsea. Pep Guardiola’s team moved to within six points of leader Arsenal ahead of next weekend’s top of the table clash. City also has a game in hand. Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku all scored in a blistering second-half performance at Stamford Bridge as City took full advantage of Arsenal’s shock defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday. Tottenham’s survival fight took another blow after a 1-0 loss to Sunderland left it rooted in the relegation zone.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Athletics 1 N.Y. Mets 0
Final Detroit 8 Miami 2
Final Baltimore 6 San Francisco 2
Final L.A. Angels 9 Cincinnati 6
Final Boston 9 St. Louis 3
Final Texas 5 L.A. Dodgers 2
Final Atlanta 13 Cleveland 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 5 N.Y. Yankees 4
Final Minnesota 8 Toronto 2
Final Chicago White Sox 6 Kansas City 5
Final Seattle 6 Houston 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Arizona 4 Philadelphia 3
Final Washington 8 Milwaukee 6
Final Chicago Cubs 7 Pittsburgh 6
Final San Diego 7 Colorado 2
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Washington 3 Pittsburgh 0
Final Montreal 4 N-Y Islanders 1
Final Boston 3 Columbus 2
Final OT New Jersey 4 Ottawa 3
Final OT Vancouver 4 Anaheim 3
Final Calgary 4 Utah 1