Grüße und Vorstellung » ueto will be sidelined for six

Ettore Messina was screaming at the Spurs Youth Dustin Byfuglien Jersey , and Manu Ginobili loved it.

Before Gregg Popovich, Ginobili played in Italy for Messina, and on Sunday he delivered a throwback performance for his old coach to save the Spurs’ season.

Experiencing a flashback to his days playing for Messina in the Euroleague in his early 20s, the 40-year-old Ginobili scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to help San Antonio beat the Golden State Warriors 103-90. The Spurs avoided a series sweep as Popovich missed his second straight game following the death of his wife, Erin, on Wednesday.

In his 16th season in the NBA and perhaps the final home game of his career, Ginobili rebounded from a scoreless effort in Game 3 to help Messina capture his first playoff victory as a coach, albeit an unofficial one.

”For moments when he talks to the rest of the team, or when he gets upset and he yells at us, a lot of flashbacks,” Ginobili said, chuckling. ”He’s very strict and he wants the team to play his way, so whenever we stopped executing the way we should have, the old himself comes back. It was good to see him coaching on this stage. Good memories.”

Ginobili played for Messina while both were with Virtus Bologna in 2000-02.

Kevin Durant had 34 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors, who can wrap up the series in Game 5 at home Tuesday.

”You have got to give them a lot of credit Leonard Floyd Jersey ,” Golden State forward Draymond Green said. ”They came out and they probably played with more intensity this game than they did the entire series.”

LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Spurs, but they were willed to the finish by Ginobili, who has said he will decide in the offseason if he will return for a 17th season.

Ginobili was 3 for 4 in the final quarter, including making both of his 3-point attempts, and did not have a turnover in 6 1/2 minutes.

”I am so happy for him,” Messina said. ”I’m so happy. I think he deserves everything that is happening to him in his life and his career.”

Golden State outscored San Antonio 29-21 in the third quarter and went on a 13-5 run beginning two minutes into the fourth quarter to pull within 88-86 with 6 minutes remaining after trailing by as many as 17.

Aldridge banked in a 3-pointer with 4:22 remaining to stop the Warriors’ run.

”It was kind of frustrating,” Green said. ”We played great defense and he throws something up like that.”

Ginobili then took over with a pair of 3-pointers in the final minutes.

”I smiled when he made that corner 3 right in front of us at the end of the game,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. ”It was just so typical Manu. Forty years old and 16 points and hits the clinching 3. He’s Manu. That’s what he does.”

The Spurs were 15 for 28 on 3-pointers on Sunday after shooting just 26 percent in the opening three games. The Warriors were 7 for 28.

”It was a do-or-die game, make it happen or go home, and I think every guy played with that mentality, that focus, and we ended up getting it done tonight,” Aldridge said.

Aside from Durant, only Klay Thompson (12) and Shaun Livingston (10) scored in double figures for the Warriors.

Rudy Gay scored 14 points for San Antonio, Dejounte Murray had 12 and Kyle Anderson added 10.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Livingston played despite spraining his left ankle late in the Warriors’ Game 3 victory. Livingston played 21 minutes. … Golden State PG Stephen Curry remained seated behind the team’s bench as he continues to rehabilitate a sprained left knee. Curry is expected to be available for the second round. … Andre Iguodala picked up his fourth foul with 7:56 remaining in the third quarter Authentic Odell Beckham Jr Jersey , but picked up just one more foul for the remainder of the game.

Spurs: Ginobili played in his 217th playoff game, breaking a tie with Shaquille O’Neal for sixth in league history. Ginobili also passed Reggie Miller for third in career 3-pointers in playoff history. Ray Allen holds the record with 385 3-pointers, followed by LeBron James (337), Ginobili (321) and Miller (320). … Murray was 3 for 3 on 3-pointers in the first half, the most 3s made in the playoffs without a miss by a Spurs player since Steve Kerr (2003) and Patty Mills (2014) were 4 for 4 in a half.

WE’RE OK

Durant was asked if the Warriors were downhearted following the loss because their locker room was so quiet following their first loss in the series.

”We were good,” Durant said. ”I guess everybody was just quiet in the locker room while you were in there, getting ready, putting on their clothes, getting ready to leave. What, you want us to be in there throwing champagne around?”

OUCH

Ginobili took a knee to the thigh in the fourth quarter, but remained in the game after dropping to the court in pain.

”Quad contusion, one of hundreds all career long,” Ginobili said. ”It hurts at the time, maybe tomorrow it’s going to hurt a little bit. We’ll see how bad or not bad it is for the next game.”
LeBron James sent Toronto into summer vacation for the third straight season as the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a series sweep of the Raptors with a 128-93 win in Game 4 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

James finished with 29 points, 11 assists and spent some of the final 7:38 dancing near the bench during Cleveland’s 10th straight playoff win over Toronto Deion Sanders Jersey , which changed its system, its roster and its approach but still can’t beat the game’s best player.

Kevin Love added 23 points and J.R. Smith 15 for the Cavs, who can now rest while waiting for the Boston-Philadelphia semifinal series to end.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 18 and Kyle Lowry had 10 assists to lead the exasperated Raptors. Toronto’s frustration hit its peak late in the third when All-Star DeMar DeRozan was ejected for a flagrant foul.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – T.J. McConnell turned a surprise start into the save of the season and Dario Saric scored 25 points to help the 76ers stave off elimination with a 103-92 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 4.

The Sixers still face daunting odds headed into Game 5 and trailing 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals: No NBA team has ever won a series down 3-0.

McConnell had a career-high 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in only his second start of the season and meshed well in the backcourt with Ben Simmons. The crowd chanted ”TJ! TJ!” each time he touched the ball in the fourth and proved why he has been so valuable even as bigger stars have sliced his playing time.

With NBA teams down 3-0 having lost all 129 series, the Sixers may need more than spirit to pull off this stunner.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 20 points and Marcus Morris had 17.

DETROIT (AP) – After four seasons of mostly mediocre results, the Detroit Pistons are moving on without Stan Van Gundy.

He won’t return as president of basketball operations and he isn’t staying on as Detroit’s coach, either.

Van Gundy held both those roles for four years, and at times the Pistons seemed to be making progress. But they made the playoffs only once during his tenure, in 2016, and the team announced his departure.

The Pistons went 39-43 this season, missing the playoffs for the third time in four years under Van Gundy. They’ve made the postseason just once in the past nine seasons, and even a blockbuster trade for Blake Griffin wasn’t enough to salvage 2017-18.

The Pistons went 152-176 over the past four seasons under Van Gundy, and his personnel decisions have come under more criticism than his coaching.

NHL

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Evgeny Kuznetsov’s breakway goal 5:27 into overtime gave the Washington Capitals a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6, and a berth in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 20 years.

Kuznetsov took a lead pass from Alexander Ovechkin and tucked the puck by Matt Murray to end Pittsburgh’s two-year reign as Stanley Cup champions and propel the Capitals into the NHL’s final four for just the third time in franchise history.

Braden Holtby stopped 21 shots for the Capitals, who will face Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals. Alex Chiasson scored his first playoff goal in four years during a taut Laken Tomlinson Jersey , tight contest through regulation.

Kris Letang scored for the Penguins and Murray finished with 28 saves but couldn’t close his legs fast enough to stop Kuznetsov’s forehand flick from in close as Pittsburgh’s bid at becoming the first team in 35 years to win three consecutive Cups came to an abrupt end.

PREDATORS 4, JETS 0

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) – Filip Forsberg had two goals and an assist, Pekka Rinne stopped 34 shots for his second shutout of the playoffs, and the Nashville Predatos beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-0 to force a decisive Game 7 in their Western Conference semifinal series.

Viktor Arvidsson also scored twice, including a late empty-netter, and added an assist for the Predators. Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen each had two assists.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 25 shots for the Jets.

Game 7 is Thursday at Nashville, Tennessee, with the winner advancing to face the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference final.

This back-and-forth series has yet to see a team win consecutive games.

BASEBALL

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – George Springer went 6 for 6 with a home run to match a Houston record as the Astros routed the Oakland Athletics 16-2.

Last year’s World Series MVP doubled and scored in the first inning, hit a three-run homer in the second and then singled and scored in the fourth. Needing a triple for the cycle, he reached on infield singles in the fifth and seventh before adding a fourth single up the middle in the ninth.

Springer’s batting average jumped from .264 to .292. He became the second player in team history to go 6 for 6 and the first to do it in a nine-inning game. Hall of Famer Joe Morgan accomplished the feat in a 12-inning game against the Milwaukee Braves on July 8, 1965.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – San Francisco pitcher Johnny Cueto will be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks because of a strained right elbow and will not have Tommy John surgery.

The 32-year-old right-hander was examined by Dr. James Andrews in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Cueto will undertake rest and rehabilitation.

Cueto is 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA in five starts. He on the disabled list for the second time this season. He missed two starts after spraining his left ankle in early April.

NFL

NEW YORK (AP) – The NFL players’ union has filed a non-injury grievance on behalf of free agent safety Eric Reid.

The NFLPA c Seattle Seahawks Jerseys