THE National Basketball Associataion (NBA) confirmed on Wednesday that it will hold the 2020 draft on Nov. 18. Multiple reports emerged over the past few...

Not a few quarters saw fit to write the Nuggets off in the wake of their disconcerting loss to the Lakers the other day. It wasn’t simply that the outcome put them two down after two contests in the West Finals. More crucially, it was that they appeared quite overmatched for long stretches at a time in both encounters. And while they made enough adjustments after Game One to nearly snatch victory in Game Two, that they succumbed, anyway, speaks volumes of their status as vast underdogs. In a series where they don’t have the two best players, they need no small measure of good fortune to survive.

PARIS — Teenage Danish qualifier Clara Tauson caused a shock as she saved two match points to beat American 21st seed Jennifer Brady (6-4 3-6 9-7) in the opening round of the French Open on Tuesday.

PARIS — French Open top seed Simona Halep put in a disciplined performance to tame big-hitting Romanian compatriot Irina-Camelia Begu (6-3 6-4) in the second round on Wednesday, extending her winning run to 16 matches.

A PAIR of bases-loaded walks in the first inning got the offense started and Corey Seager hit a home run late as the Los Angeles Dodgers earned a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in Game 1 of their National League wild-card series at Dodger Stadium.

GIANCARLO Stanton belted a grand slam in the ninth inning to power the New York Yankees to a 9-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series in San Diego.

Even with yesterday’s loss, the Jazz stayed at least three full games clear of the rest of the National Basketball Association heading into the All-Star break. That they were angling for victory despite the comfortable cushion and with the much-needed respite in the horizon would be an understatement. They didn’t simply want to bounce back from a relatively poor outing against the Pelicans. They wanted to get the better of the Sixers, their pace-setting counterparts in the East. And they could well have done so had they not fallen prey to both outstanding hoops and eminently avoidable mistakes.

Believe it or not, Rory McIlroy once thought of the Ryder Cup as an “exhibition” that engendered behavior not normally associated with a gentleman’s sport. Admittedly, it was a view from the outside looking in, and one that the former World Number One was quickly disabused of once he saw firsthand how golf’s premier golf event can turn the best of the best into putty and the seemingly overmatched into national heroes.

THE US OPEN scheduled to be played at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York from Sept. 17–20 will be held without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Golf Association (USGA) said on Wednesday.

DUSTIN Johnson had three front nine birdies to move to 15-under par, four shots clear of Justin Thomas midway through his third round of the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta on Sunday.

FORMER NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups is a candidate for the Indiana Pacers coaching job, ESPN reported Wednesday night.

THE NEW YORK METS’ playoff hopes looked pretty dim following a Friday night in which they lost by 13 runs and almost everyone else battling for the final National League wild card spot won.