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WASHINGTON – Paul DeJong’s long road from the emergency room to the batter’s box made a symbolic pit stop Friday afternoon when he returned to the Washington Nationals clubhouse.

The area under his left eye still sported a nasty bruise nearly one month after the pitch that sidetracked his career. And DeJong has no illusions he’ll be back during the first half of the season, not after a 93-mph fastball from Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller struck him in the face, breaking his nose and swelling both his eyes shut, resulting in an overnight stay in a Pittsburgh hospital.

Surgery to repair his nose and sinuses was delayed by two weeks due to facial swelling. DeJong is still limited to very light exercises, or, as he put it, “riding a bike or doing air squats.”

And only now is he pondering the notion of getting back in the batter’s box, a process as much mental and emotional as it is his physical wounds healing.

“It’s far away,” says DeJong, the Nationals’ 31-year-old third baseman. “I think it’s different from any injury I ever had. It’s hard for me to say how I’ll feel. It’s going to take some trust, but I think the physical helmet, with the (protective) C flap, will give me some confidence to at least stand in there fearlessly and take my at bat like I always would.”

DeJong is now part of a fraternity in which no one wants membership – ballplayers who have survived a gruesome hit-by-pitch. Its ranks include superstars like Giancarlo Stanton or long-forgotten players like Dickie Thon, whose career never recovered from a 1984 beaning by Mike Torrez.

He plans to reach out to veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar, his teammate on the Chicago White Sox last season, for advice. Pillar was hit by a 95-mph fastball as a New York Met in 2021, suffering nasal and facial fractures and ultimately sitting out two weeks; he called the beaning “a weird out-of-body experience.”

DeJong’s experience was similar, terming the hours after he was hit as “the most uncomfortable feeling, without pain.” The injury forced him into a personal rampdown, relying on family caretakers including his 79-year-old grandfather, with whom he’s watched several Clint Eastwood movies in this period, noting a personal preference for “High Plains Drifter.”

Eventually, the down time will end. DeJong anticipates traveling with the team at some point and working up to swinging a bat.

Then, the time will come to get in the box. DeJong is ready for it to feel foreign – hopefully for just a moment.

“I’m glad I get to go to rehab games first, I’ll tell you that,” he says. “I think it’ll be something new but familiar at the same time. I’m interested to see how I feel, especially once there’s some close calls (on inside pitches), because it’s going to happen. I know it is. It’s just baseball.

“But just to go out there and compete again and kind of focusing on playing the game physically, getting my body in shape will help me take my mind off the what-ifs and any flashbacks. This is part of being an athlete, and a quote-unquote warrior. “I’ve had a lot of injuries playing this game and you always come back and eventually get to a normalcy point.”

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This post appeared first on USA TODAY

If you can put yourself into the mind space of President Trump, it’s pretty easy to understand why he wants to insert himself into the cauldron of college sports. 

With his approval rating taking on water, wars across the globe expanding rather than concluding and a year that portends economic uncertainty heading into the 2026 midterms, being able to say, “I’m the guy who saved college sports” — whether he actually does it or not — seems politically enticing. He’s even got the GOAT, Nick Saban, signed up to be the face of it.

You can already imagine the Oval Office ceremony where Saban stands behind the Resolute desk, giving a thumbs-up and a, “Sir, we couldn’t have done it without you” when Trump puts pen to paper on something that will no doubt end up in a courtroom — just like every other attempt to restore order to college sports by short-cutting laws that a multitude of courts have said the NCAA was violating in its old business model. 

That’s why, even though some administrators across college sports will welcome Trump’s involvement because nothing else seems to move the needle, many others are rolling their eyes. 

After all, what is a presidential commission on college sports really going to accomplish when the solutions have already been well-established?

Without pre-judging the proposed commission’s intentions or which voices it plans to include — so far, the only names connected to it are Saban, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and billionaire Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell — neither they nor Trump have the ability to change reality. 

And the fundamental truth every attempt to “fix” college sports runs up against is that its future can only go down one of two paths. 

The first: Congress will pass a law, and Trump will sign it, that gives the NCAA the ability to enforce its rule book without the fear of getting sued every time it denies an NIL deal or an extra year of eligibility.

The second: A group of large revenue schools will have to band together and come up with a new system that allows them to collectively bargain with athletes, jointly setting the rules of the road and bringing order that will benefit both sides. 

That’s it. There’s no third option.

Even if Trump took a highlight reel of everything Nick Saban has publicly complained about regarding NIL and the transfer portal, turned it into an executive order and signed it, the overall net effect would be … not much.

If you think the lawyers have been the biggest winners in all of this up until now, just wait until they get ahold of an executive order that arbitrarily limits someone’s earning potential or freedom of movement. The economic news these days may be shaky, but there’s never a recession on billable hours in college sports. 

Again, all due respect to Saban for what he’s contributed to the game and what he believes is best for college sports. Much of his criticism of the current environment is correct.

But the goal of this commission, and by extension Trump’s involvement, cannot be primarily to erase what’s happened the last four years and go back to the way things were. That’s not going to happen, and any attempt to roll things back too much might unintentionally lead to what universities are most afraid of: An organized college athlete revolt that disrupts a college football weekend or an NCAA basketball tournament where hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. 

And that’s where yet another college sports commission gives folks some heartburn. 

First of all, the track record of blue-ribbon panels sufficiently addressing these issues is extremely poor. Just look at the Condoleezza Rice-led Commission on College Basketball, the remnants of which wouldn’t sustain warmth for more than 30 seconds if you threw them into a fireplace. 

Second, anything the committee comes up with or that Trump puts into an executive order won’t be worth much unless Congress passes some kind of law that protects the NCAA. 

There are a couple of big problems with that, too. The obvious one is that the NCAA has lobbied for a bill for nearly six years, and nothing is particularly close to being voted on. There have been a bunch of hearings and bluster, but there are few indications that college sports chaos is truly high up on the list of Congressional priorities these days.

The other impediment, quite bluntly, is Trump. If you’re a Democrat in the House or Senate, and you’re measuring the winds heading into 2026, what is the incentive to soften a mountain of problematic headlines on the economy or international affairs by handing him the opportunity to show up at the Final Four next year and brag about how he “fixed” college sports?

In an ideal world, would we want better of our leaders coming together to solve a problem? Sure. But we’re not talking about a national emergency here. It’s just college sports, and when you put an issue like college sports in the middle of the political arena, politics are going to happen. That’s just the way the game is played. 

And that brings us back to where we’ve likely always been. Only college sports can fix what’s wrong with college sports — as it should be. 

Will it be difficult to get the right people on the same page? Of course. Will there be pain for some people when the system gets blown up and becomes fully professionalized? No question. 

But a lightning rod president who hasn’t demonstrated much knowledge of the actual issues here putting Saban and Tuberville in charge because of a perceived political benefit is an inevitable last gasp of ineffectual college presidents who refuse to deal with the reality of where their enterprise is heading. 

They can either wait for Congress to save them, or they can get on with the business of saving themselves. If anything, adding Trump to the mix only delays the inevitable. 

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

“For the draft picks, the undrafted free agents and tryout guys, for them I look at it (as) this is a day and a weekend of evaluations. Really just mining for gold, diamonds and gems,” Harbaugh said. “Like those rare gems, they don’t just hop out of the ground and into your pocket. You got to dig. You got to go in there and find them.”

The most famous rare gem the Chargers found is tight end Antonio Gates, who was an undrafted free agent. Gates became the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions for a tight end and is now a member of the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

“I think of Antonio Gates, who’s going into the Hall of Fame. He’s a very highly sought after undrafted free agent. Made a Hall of Fame career here with the Chargers,” Harbaugh told reporters.

The Chargers signed seven members of their nine-player draft class and have 18 undrafted free agents as they begin rookie minicamp. Omarion Hampton and Tre Harris are the rookies who remain unsigned.

Harbaugh is “fired up” about the team’s rookies. The Chargers made a concerted effort to upgrade their offensive attack through the draft, selecting five players on that side of the ball, including their first two draft picks in Hampton, a running back, and Harris, a wide receiver.

Los Angeles ranked 20th in total offense, while quarterback Justin Herbert averaged a career-low 227 passing yards per game and was sacked a career-high 41 times in 2024. 

Harbaugh and the Chargers might need to find some gold within their draft class if they hope to overtake a Kansas City Chiefs team that’s won nine straight AFC West titles, the second-longest streak for division titles in NFL history.

“Top of the list,” Harbaugh continued. “Mining for gold.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X: @TheTylerDragon.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets took a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals with a 113-104 overtime victory Friday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Nuggets managed to overwhelm the Thunder in overtime, outscoring OKC 11-2.

Jokic overcame a slow start to finish with 20 points and 16 rebounds in the victory. He struggled from long range all night, going 0-for-10 from 3 (he was 8-for-25 from the field overall). Jamal Murray (27 points), Aaron Gordon (22) and Michael Porter Jr. (21) all joined Jokic in double figures.

Jalen Williams finished with a game-high 32 points for the Thunder while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put together a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. He was 1-of-6 from the 3-point line and 7-for-22 from the field overall.

The series will continue in Denver with Game 4 before shifting back to Oklahoma City for Game 5.

Thunder vs. Nuggets highlights

Final: Nuggets 113, Thunder 104 (OT)

STATS: Check out full stats from the game here.

End of fourth quarter: Thunder 102, Nuggets 102

The game will be decided in overtime with a chance to take the lead in the series.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 32 points and five assists in regulation. Jamal Murray recorded 25 points and six assists for the Nuggets in four quarters of play.

End of third quarter: Thunder 83, Nuggets 80

Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren have 16 points through the first three quarters of play for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enters the final quarter of regulation with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray have scored 18 points each for the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic has 14 points and 14 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. He is 0-for-7 from the 3-point line.

End of second quarter: Thunder 56, Nuggets 51

Chet Holmgren and the Thunder hold a five-point lead through the first half against the Nuggets.

Holmgren finished with 16 points and seven rebounds while Jalen Williams contributed 11 points in the first half for Oklahoma City.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot just 1-for-8 with five points and nine rebounds for OKC. 

Michael Porter Jr. helped keep the score close in the first half, after shooting 5-for-6 with 15 points for Denver. Jamal Murray finished with 11 points while Nikola Jokic was limited to eight points on 2-for-9 shooting.

End of first quarter: Thunder 28, Nuggets 22

Chet Holmgren was the first player to reach double-digit scoring with 11 points in the first quarter.

Holmgren nearly reached a double-double with six rebounds. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to just three points.

Nikola Jokic had five points and two early fouls in the quarter for Denver.

What time is Nuggets vs. Thunder?

Game 3 between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder will tip off at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, May 9 at Ball Arena in Denver.

Watch Nuggets vs. Thunder Game 3 on Fubo

How to watch Nuggets vs. Thunder playoff game: TV, stream

Date: Friday, May 9
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Location: Ball Arena in Denver
TV: ESPN
Stream: Fubo (free trial to new subscribers)

Nuggets vs. Thunder NBA playoff schedule, results

(All times Eastern; *if necessary)

Game 1 – Monday, May 5: Nuggets 121, Thunder 119
Game 2 – Wednesday, May 7: Thunder 149, Nuggets 106
Game 3: Thunder at Nuggets | Friday, May 9, 10 p.m. | ESPN
Game 4: Thunder at Nuggets | Sunday, May 11, 3:30 p.m. | ABC
Game 5: Nuggets at Thunder | Tuesday, May 13, TBD
Game 6: Thunder at Nuggets | TBD*
Game 7: Nuggets at Thunder | TBD*

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Michael Lynn Davis was found guilty of capital murder in the 2023 shooting death of Jamea Harris.
The prosecution argued Davis ambushed Harris and her boyfriend, while the defense claimed self-defense.
Former University of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles, whose gun was used in the shooting, awaits trial.

Michael Lynn Davis was found guilty of capital murder Friday in the 2023 shooting death of Jamea Harris in the Strip area of Tuscaloosa, near the University of Alabama campus.

The case is tied to former University of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles, who is also charged with capital murder but will be tried separately. Davis is a childhood friend of Miles.

Jurors deliberated for a little more than an hour before reaching a verdict. Davis was led out of the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court courtroom in tears after telling family members he loves them.

The state, led by Tuscaloosa County chief assistant district attorney Paula Whitley, argued that Davis ambushed a vehicle driven by Harris’ boyfriend, Cedric Johnson, with Harris in the passenger seat.

It argued that, in an exchange of gunfire, Davis was first to shoot with a gun that belonged to Miles and was delivered to him by Brandon Miller, who was Miles’ teammate with the Crimson Tide and is now a star with the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA.

Miles, who was also charged with capital murder, is awaiting trial. Miller was not charged with a crime.

The defense, led by Birmingham attorney John Robbins, argued that Davis acted in self-defense and that Johnson was the first to open fire. The defense built its case around the theory that Johnson was ‘on the hunt’ for Davis and his friends after an earlier altercation between Davis and Johnson near the corner of Grace Street and University Boulevard.

Harris was in the passenger seat of her 2018 Jeep Wrangler and was struck by a single bullet to her chin. According to testimony, Harris gave Johnson her gun after the initial interaction with Davis.

Davis will face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

America’s supply chain is under attack.

From coast to coast, organized criminal groups are hitting trucks on the road, breaking into warehouses and pilfering expensive items from train cars, according to industry experts and law enforcement officials CNBC interviewed during a six-month investigation.

It’s all part of a record surge in cargo theft in which criminal networks in the U.S. and abroad exploit technology intended to improve supply chain efficiency and use it to steal truckloads of valuable products. Armed with doctored invoices, the fraudsters impersonate the staff of legitimate companies in order to divert cargo into the hands of criminals.

The widespread scheme is “low risk and a very high reward,” according to Keith Lewis, vice president of Verisk CargoNet, which tracks theft trends in the industry.

“The return on investment is almost 100%,” he said. “And if there’s no risk of getting caught, why not do it better and do it faster?”

In 2024, Verisk CargoNet recorded 3,798 incidents of cargo theft, representing a 26% increase over 2023.

Total reported losses topped nearly $455 million, according to Verisk CargoNet, but industry experts told CNBC that number is likely lower than the true toll because many cases go unreported. Numerous experts who spoke to CNBC estimate losses are close to $1 billion or more a year.

Train cargo thefts alone shot up about 40% in 2024, with more than 65,000 reported incidents, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Industry experts and law enforcement officials say a more sophisticated and insidious form of cargo theft called strategic theft is also on the rise.

The way the system is supposed to work is this: A shipper pays a broker, and the broker, after taking its fee, pays the carrier, the trucking company that moves the load.

In strategic theft, criminals use deceptive tactics to trick shippers, brokers or carriers into handing cargo or legitimate payments, sometimes both, over to them instead of the legitimate companies.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

President Donald Trump and his administration inked a major trade deal with the U.K. Thursday, and closed the week gearing up for trade talks with China over the weekend. 

Details of the specific trade plan with the U.K. are sparse, but the deal keeps the existing 10% tariffs in place against U.K. goods while removing some import taxes on items like steel and cars. 

‘With this deal, the U.K. joins the United States in affirming that reciprocity and fairness is an essential and vital principle of international trade,’ Trump said Thursday. ‘The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers.’ 

The deal is the first historic trade negotiation signed following Liberation Day, when Trump announced widespread tariffs for multiple countries April 2 at a range of rates. 

The administration later adjusted its initial proposal and announced April 9 it would immediately impose a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, while reducing reciprocal tariffs on other countries for 90 days to a baseline of 10%. China responded by raising tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.

Trump also shed some insight into trade negotiations with China, given that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to kick off trade negotiations with China in Switzerland Saturday. 

‘Scott’s going to be going to Switzerland, meeting with China,’ Trump told reporters Thursday at the White House. ‘And you know, they very much want to make a deal. We can all play games. Who made the first call, who didn’t make them? It doesn’t matter. Only matters what happens in that room. But I will tell you that China very much wants to make a deal. We’ll see how that works out.’

Here’s what also happened this week: 

Meeting with Canada’s prime minister 

Trump also doubled down on his interest in expanding the U.S. during a Tuesday visit with Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney. 

Trump regularly has said he wants Canada to become a U.S. state, and has discussed acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal for security purposes. However, the matter of Canada isn’t open to negotiation, Carney said. 

‘Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign the last several months, it’s not for sale,’ Carney said at the White House Tuesday. ‘Won’t be for sale ever, but the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together. We have done that in the past, and part of that, as the president just said, is with respect to our security, and my government is committed for a step change in our investment in Canadian security and our partnership.’

While Trump acknowledged that Canada was stepping up its investment in military security, he said, ‘Never say never’ in response to Canada becoming another state. 

‘I’ve had many, many things that were not doable, and they ended up being doable,’ Trump said.

 

Meeting with ballet dancer freed from Russian prison 

Trump also met with Russian-American ballet dancer, Ksenia Karelina, at the White House Monday. Karelina faced a sentence of 12 years in a Russian penal colony for treason in 2024, but the Trump administration negotiated her return to the U.S. during a U.S.-Russian prisoner swap in April. 

‘Mr. Trump, I’m so, so grateful for you to bring me home and for (the) American government. And I never felt more blessed to be American, and I’m so, so happy to get home,’ Karelina said in a video posted by Trump deputy assistant Sebastian Gorka on April 11 upon her return to the U.S.

Karelina, a resident of Los Angeles who was born in Russia, was arrested in 2024 during a trip to visit family in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Russia Federal Security Service arrested her after inspecting her phone and finding a donation to a U.S.-based charity that supports Ukraine. 

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The defending champion Florida Panthers are back in their second-round series after downing the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 in overtime Friday.

Trade deadline acquisition Brad Marchand, a thorn in the Maple Leafs’ side during his Boston Bruins days, added a new chapter with his winning goal at 15:27 of overtime. It has his fourth career playoff overtime goal and also his 14th postseason game-winner, tops among active players.

The Panthers now trail the best-of-seven series 2-1 after coach Paul Maurice’s moves paid off.

He swapped out the entire fourth line, which provided energy and a goal. He also tweaked the top two lines, which were highly effective.

The Panthers still had to come back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to win. Sergei Bobrovsky, who looked shaky early, made several big saves in overtime in a game that was filled with lots of hits and fluky goals.

USA TODAY Sports provided live coverage for Game 3 between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs. Here are updates and highlights:

Panthers vs. Maple Leafs highlights

Panthers social media staff grateful for Marchand

Game 3 recap

Panthers-Maple Leafs final score: Brad Marchand wins it in overtime

Brad Marchand scores at 15:27 of overtime. After sustained pressure in the zone, Marchand skates toward the left faceoff circle and his shot hits something and deflects over Joseph Woll’s shoulder for a 5-4 win. The Panthers cut their series deficit to 2-1.

Another Sergei Bobrovsky save

Matthew Knies tracks down a loose puck, breaks in alone and Bobrovsky stops him.

Seven minutes left

Joseph Woll keeps the puck out as Panthers press. They’re scraping the ice with 6:56 left.

Big save by Sergei Bobrovsky

He stops William Nylander, who broke in after a long pass from the Leafs zone.

Overtime begins

Maple Leafs kill off the remaining 13 seconds of Max Pacioretty’s penalty.

Goal change

Jonah Gadjovich is awarded the goal originally given to Tomas Nosek. The puck defected off Gadjovich.

End of third period: Panthers 4, Maple Leafs 4

Morgan Rielly tied the game with a fluke goal in the third period. The Maple Leafs get some big blocks during a late Panthers power play and Sam Reinhart hits the post. We’re heading to overtime.

Maple Leafs hit crossbar

Game still tied.

Penalty missed

Morgan Rielly high-sticks Anton Lundell, but nothing is called.

Panthers-Maple Leafs score: Morgan Rielly scores on fluke play

He throws the puck at the end. Sergei Bobrovsky makes a blocker save and the puck goes off Panthers defenseman Seth Jones leg and into the net. Rielly had accidentally knocked the puck into his own net earlier in the game. Panthers 4, Maple Leafs 4

End of third period

This game has had several goals involving strange bounces and the Maple Leafs tie the game on one when Sergei Bobrovsky makes a blocker save and the puck goes off Panthers defenseman Seth Jones and into the net. Morgan Rielly got the goal. Both teams hit the post afterward and we’re going to overtime.

Panthers go on power play

Max Pacioretty is called for tripping Seth Jones. There’s 1:47 left in regulation. Sam Reinhart hits the post. Maple Leafs get some blocks and it’s heading to overtime. There will be 13 seconds left on the power play once overtime starts.

Midway through third period

More deliberate pace so far. Shots are 3-2 Toronto.

Third period underway

Goalie Joseph Woll was a near-giveaway early but recovers to stop Anton Lundell.

End of second period: Panthers 4, Maple Leafs 3

Toronto scores early and Florida controls like, just like the first period. The difference this time: Florida puts in three goals to take the lead. The Panthers led in shots, 9-4, and had another 20-plus hits in the period. The Maple Leafs led after two periods in the first two games of the series

Tomas Nosek slow to get up

Tomas Nosek, who scored the go-ahead goal, barrels into the net and is slow to get up. He starts heading to the dressing room but comes back to the bench.

Maple Leafs-Panthers score: Florida takes lead

Panthers coach Paul Maurice changed out his fourth line and the new one connects. Tomas Nosek takes a shot that deflects several times. He’s credited for now, his first goal of the playoffs. Fourth line looking good in this game. Panthers 4, Maple Leafs 3

Maple Leafs go on power play

Dmitry Kulikov holds Max Domi. Toronto already has a power-play goal in this game. Florida’s Brad Marchand gets the best chance. Penalty killed.

Maple Leafs-Panthers score: Carter Verhaeghe ties it up

Carter Verhaeghe has a wide-open net after a great pass from Sam Bennett. Two Florida goals in 64 seconds and we’re tied. Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 3

Maple Leafs-Panthers score: Florida scores weird goal

Brandon Carlo uses a broken stick to stop the puck from crossing the line. Sam Reinhart scores but it’s not clear that’s in until a replay shows the puck over the line. Maple Leafs 3, Panthers 2

Maple Leafs-Panthers score: John Tavares scores again

With the Maple Leafs on a power play, John Tavares tips a Mitch Marner point shot. It goes in off Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling. Maple Leafs 3, Panthers 1

Second period underway

2-1 Toronto.

End of first period: Maple Leafs 2, Panthers 1

Florida got off to a disastrous start by giving up a Mathew Knies goal 23 seconds in, the Maple Leafs’ quickest playoff goal in 62 years. Toronto added another goal off the rush (Florida was too aggressive on the forecheck) before the game was six minutes old. But the Panthers started controlling play after and got an Aleksander Barkov goal (knocked in by Morgan Rielly). Shots are 12-10 Toronto. Florida has a huge edge in hits, 24-10.

Panthers back on power play

Max Domi called for roughing Carter Verhaeghe. But power play doesn’t last long. Verhaeghe is called for holding the stick. Before Florida can touch the puck, Mitch Marner is stopped on a short-handed breakaway. Florida kills off the abbreviate Toronto power play.

Panthers go on power play

Brandon Carlo in the penalty box for his hit on Matthew Tkachuk. Panthers get some looks, Sam Reinhart hits the post and Toronto kills it off.

Panthers-Maple Leafs score: Aleksander Barkov gets one back

Aleksander Barkov throws a hit, takes a Sam Reinhart pass and drives the net. Morgan Rielly accidentally puts it into his own net. Maple Leafs 2, Panthers 1

Panthers-Maple Leafs score: John Tavares doubles lead

Maple Leafs get a 3-on-2 break. John Tavares gets the puck and scores on a wraparound at 5:57. Sergei Bobrovsky can’t get back in time. Max Pacioretty and William Nylander continue their strong play by picking up the assists. Maple Leafs 2, Panthers 0

Panthers-Maple Leafs score: Toronto strikes early

Matthew Knies scores 23 seconds into the game. Not the start Florida wants. Knies knocks in a rebound after Mitch Marner’s shot hits the crossbar. Maple Leafs 1, Panthers 0

Game underway

Auston Matthews line vs. Aleksander Barkov line.

What time is Panthers vs. Maple Leafs?

Game 3 between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs will start at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, May 9, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

How to watch Panthers vs. Maple Leafs playoff game: TV, stream

Date: Friday, May 9
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida
TV: TNT, truTV
Stream: Sling, Max

Panthers vs. Maple Leafs, Game 3

Panthers lineup change

According to the Panthers roster report, Tomas Nosek, A.J. Greer, Jonah Gadjovich are dressing for this game, replacing fourth-liners Mackie Samoskevich, Nico Sturm and Jesper Boqvist. Evan Rodrigues moves to the top line and Carter Verghaeghe goes to the second line.

Sergei Bobrovsky stats in second round

Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky uncharacteristically has given up nine goals on 50 shots in the series.

‘Our confidence (in Bobrovsky) is never wavering,’ forward Sam Reinhart said. ‘We feel we’ve got the best goalie in the world back there. Our job is to make it as easy as possible for him. I think we can do a better job of that.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

INDIANAPOLIS — Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points for a second consecutive 40-point outing, but this time it didn’t come in defeat as the Cavaliers beat the Pacers 126-104 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Cavs trimmed the Pacers’ series lead to 2-1, avoiding the 3-0 deficit from which no NBA team has ever come back. Game 4 is 8 p.m. ET, Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Cavs’ win guarantees the series will go at least five games with Game 5 being in Cleveland.

Guard Max Strus had 20 points and seven assists for the Cavs. Center Jarrett Allen had 19 points and 12 rebounds. Forward Evan Mobley had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 23 points. Forward Pascal Siakam added 18. Center Myles Turner added 15.

Here are three observations.

Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley refuse to allow Cavs to get swept

Mitchell gave the Cavs 48 points in a sensational performance in Game 2, but it still wasn’t enough for the Cavs to avoid a fourth-quarter collapse. He wasn’t about to let it happen again, and he also had more stars available to help him with Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter all back after missing Game 2 with injury.

Mitchell, as he has been all series, was impossible to keep away from the rim without fouling. He scored 43 points on 14-of-29 shooting with much of that coming at the rim, but he also hit 5-of-13 3s. He was also 10-of-14 at the line and when he wasn’t scoring he was playmaking for others. He grabbed nine rebounds and also dished out five assists.

The Cavs had four other players in double figures but Mobley was the most important on both ends. He scored 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting but he was a bigger game-changer on the defensive end. The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year grabbed 13 rebounds, including eight on defense, blocked three shots and registered three steals.

Pacers fall apart in second quarter

In three of the past four games, the Pacers have put together a truly awful offensive quarter in the first half to dig a hole for themselves. In Friday’s case it was the second quarter after a 13-point first quarter against the Bucks in Game 5 of the first round and a 15-point first quarter against the Cavs in Game 2.

The Pacers seemed totally flummoxed by the 3-2 zone the Cavs used, and Mobley personally blew up a lot of what the Pacers were trying to do. They lost the period 34-13 making just five of 22 field goals and missing all 11 of their 3-point shots. They managed five paint buckets in the period but that was almost all the offense they could muster.

Bennedict Mathurin brings another strong bench performance

In each game so far in this series, Mathurin has brought a spark to the Pacers when they absolutely had to have it and brought a sustained level of force on both ends.

The third-year wing broke the Pacers out of an early first-quarter funk with three buckets, including a pair of 3s. That helped the Pacers turn an 0-of-7 start from the field and a stretch where only Myles Turner could score points into a 32-point first quarter.

From there, Mathurin kept attacking the rim and kept drawing fouls and showed some shooting touch. He finished with 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-8 from 3-point range and 8-of-9 from the line. He also caused Garland trouble on defense, getting him to pick up his fourth foul at a critical time.

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Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Friday that ‘you cannot spy against an ally’ in response to reports that the U.S. was gathering intelligence on Greenland, as U.S. President Donald Trump has continued to suggest purchasing the Arctic island.

‘Cooperation about defense and deterrence and security in the northern part of Europe is getting more and more important,’ Frederiksen told The Associated Press. ‘Of course, you cannot spy against an ally.’

Frederiksen made the comments as Denmark and Greenland push back on Trump’s desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, stressing that it is not for sale. Trump, however, has not ruled out taking it by military force despite Denmark being a NATO ally.

‘I don’t rule it out. I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything,’ Trump said earlier this week during an interview on NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press.’ 

‘We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of and we’ll cherish them and all of that, but we need that for international security,’ he added.

The Danish prime minister’s statement on Friday came the day after Denmark summoned the top American diplomat in the country for an explanation to a report from The Wall Street Journal about several high-ranking officials under the U.S. director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, directing intelligence agency heads to collect information on Greenland’s independence movement and views about U.S. resource extraction on the island.

Acting head of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, Jennifer Hall Godfrey, met with Danish diplomat Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen at the Danish Foreign Ministry, although details of the meeting were not disclosed.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told Greenland newspaper Sermitsiaq that the reports of U.S. espionage are unacceptable and disrespectful. 

Nielsen said last month that Greenland ‘will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone’ and that ‘the talks from the United States have not been respectful.’

Gabbard’s office released a statement saying she had made three ‘criminal’ referrals to the U.S. Justice Department over intelligence community leaks in response to the report from The Wall Street Journal, which cited two sources familiar with the matter.

‘The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President by politicizing and leaking classified information,’ Gabbard said. ‘They are breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy. Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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