NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his first NBA Finals win, carrying the San Antonio Spurs to a 115-111 victory that cut the New York Knicks’ lead to 2-1. The Spurs handed the Knicks their first loss in 46 days and potentially salvaged their season on Monday night in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd that included President Donald Trump. The Knicks had their 13-game winning streak, the second-longest in NBA postseason history, snapped and missed a chance to move to the brink of their first championship since 1973.
NEW YORK (AP) — Spike Lee wore a Pope Leo Knicks jersey. Fans stood in lines down the block to get into bars. Some with tickets waited hours to get into Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals. In Brooklyn, a funeral home advertised a watch party to gather fans to watch the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. With the Knicks up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and on a 13-game winning streak during this playoff, run, the first finals game in New York since 1999 was a hot ticket, with the get-in price over $5,000.
NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Wembanyama shook off his miss at the buzzer in Game 2 by taking over Game 3 of the NBA Finals and preventing the San Antonio Spurs from getting pushed to the brink of elimination. Wembanyama made the first two shots he took Monday night on the way to scoring 32 points in a 115-111 victory over the New York Knicks. He was a force on both ends of the court as arguably the best player much of the night. He'll get a chance to try to help the Spurs tie the series in Game 4 on Wednesday night back at Madison Square Garden.
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was booed loudly by fans inside Madison Square Garden when he was shown on video screens during the national anthem prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Trump was shown for about 10 seconds giving a military salute. The boos ended when the U.S. flag followed him on the screens, and fans cheered when New York Knicks players were shown. Trump is watching from Knicks owner James Dolan's suite. His presence Monday led to enhanced security measures, the cancelation of a watch party outside the arena and a no-bag policy for ticket-holders. The president told reporters later that he heard “mostly cheers.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House's South Lawn has hosted many sports over the decades but never a UFC fight like the one President Donald Trump is organizing for his 80th birthday. The lawn is known for low-contact sports like T-ball and putting and joyful events geared toward children or bipartisanship. Now the lawn features an octagon cage and arena seating for upward of 5,000 people. This marks a shift from past presidential sports traditions. Teddy Roosevelt introduced sports to the White House with a tennis court in the early 1900s. Other presidents added their own sports facilities. Trump's love for UFC reflects his cage match approach to politics and his connection with UFC chief Dana White.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States after arriving in Miami and subsequently dropped from the tournament by FIFA had been set to make history for his country. Omar Artan was due to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at the World Cup. He is one of Africa's top referees. U.S. Customs and Border Protection say in a statement he was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns.” It didn't give details of those concerns. Somalia was one of the countries subjected to new travel restrictions last year under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Brendan Sorsby has been granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA. The ruling could clear the way for him to play for Texas Tech this fall, even after the transfer quarterback was declared ineligible for wagering on college sports. Some of those bets were made on his own team while at Indiana. The ruling prevents the NCAA from being able to block Sorsby’s eligibility for what will be his final college season. The NCAA late Monday filed its notice of an accelerated appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh District of Texas in Amarillo.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Caitlin Clark’s 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining gave the Indiana Fever a 78-76 victory over the Washington Mystics. And it gave the 24-year-old star a signature moment following a rocky stretch at the start of her third season. Indiana was just 5-5 entering the game. Clark was filling up the stat sheet but had not been shooting the ball well. As always, she’s been under a microscope, having to answer for a feisty sideline exchange with White and receiving criticism by national columnists for her occasional histrionics on the court. On Monday night, she made up for some late missed free throws with perhaps the biggest shot of her WNBA career.
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. national team already knew it was in for a once-in-a-lifetime experience this month as the home team in a World Cup. But when the 26 players took the field at Orange County’s Great Park to the cheers of several thousand fans who had turned out just to watch a mere practice, they were given another reminder of just how special this opportunity will be if they seize it. The Americans projected cool and excitement as they settled into their training base for at least the next three weeks in Southern California.
ATLANTA (AP) — The World Cup is offering the 16 host cities a chance to take action against one of the biggest problems they face — homelessness. Some, like Atlanta and Dallas, have embarked on ambitious plans to house people living on their downtown streets. But a survey by The Associated Press found most host cities are relying on existing services — without any fresh funding — to address homelessness. Advocates worry some cities will rely on a strategy of temporarily removing the homeless from areas where fans gather and games are played, rather than providing them with long-term housing. Such tactics have been seen in the past at large sports and political events worldwide.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 5 Toronto 2
Final Milwaukee 15 Athletics 14
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Seattle 6 Baltimore 3
Final Tampa Bay 3 Boston 1
Final N.Y. Yankees 7 Cleveland 5
Final Houston 5 L.A. Angels 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Washington 4 San Francisco 3
Final San Diego 6 Cincinnati 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final San Antonio 115 New York 111