LGBTQ Breaking News Service

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs used the agony of their most humiliating defeat this season as motivation for an uplifting victory, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

DeMar DeRozan had 23 points and the Spurs set a franchise record for points in the first half while rolling to a 146-125 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.

Milwaukee had a five-game winning streak snapped and dropped a game behind idle Brooklyn for second place in the Eastern Conference.

The victory came 10 days after the Spurs blew a 32-point lead at Boston and lost 143-140 in overtime.

“I wouldn’t say (that loss to Boston) came up by name,” San Antonio guard Lonnie Walker IV said, “but as far as teammates and players looking at each other and knowing there is a whole another 24 minutes, we just knew what time it was.”

The Spurs’ magic number to clinch a berth in the play-in tournament dropped to one with their victory and New Orleans’ 115-110 loss at Memphis.

“It was a good night against a hell of a team, a championship-caliber team, well-coached,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “We have to be just thrilled with it, but not too satisfied. We are still in a big battle.”

San Antonio set a season high for points and a team best with 87 points in the first half, the second-most the club has scored in any half. The Spurs tied their mark for any half with 12 3-pointers in the first and finished 17 for 29 from long range.

Dejounte Murray added 21 points, Keldon Johnson and Patty Mills each had 20 and Rudy Gay scored 19 for San Antonio. Mills and Gay combined to shoot 9 for 15 on 3s.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting. Khris Middleton added 23 points and Jrue Holiday had 20.

San Antonio had lost six of seven entering Monday but got off to an historic start against Milwaukee.

The Spurs scored a season-high 45 points in the first quarter, the fourth-largest total in franchise history, and followed it with the most points in team history during the first half.

“We’ve got to find a way to get stops,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Just be better overall defensively, be more efficient. It’s in us. We’ve just got to kind of go out and execute it on both ends.”

The Spurs shot 67% from the field and on 3-pointers in the first half.

BEHIND BROWN

Popovich expressed his best wishes to NBA referee Tony Brown, who will miss the rest of the regular season and postseason as he undergoes treatment after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last month.

Brown has officiated 1,109 regular-season games and 35 playoff games in 19 seasons.

“He’s a really class act,” Popovich said. “You feel for somebody and for their family when something like this occurs. We just wish him the best and hope the people (caring for him) figure something out.”

TIP-INS

Bucks: San Antonio honored former Spurs guard Bryn Forbes with a video tribute prior to the game. Before signing with the Bucks last offseason, Forbes played four seasons for the Spurs after going undrafted in 2016 out of Michigan State. … Antetokounmpo had a career-high 15 assists in the Bucks’ 120-113 victory over the Spurs on March 20. He had four assists Monday.

Spurs: San Antonio’s highest-scoring first quarter and previous high for the first half both came against Denver. The Spurs scored 47 points in the opening quarter against the Nuggets in 1993 and had 84 points in the first half against the Nuggets in 1984. San Antonio’s most prolific half also came against Denver, when the Spurs scored 91 points in the second half in 1984. … Devin Vassell has 50 3-pointers this season, joining Gary Neal, Davis Bertans, Tony Parker, Lloyd Daniels, Beno Udrih and Manu Ginobili as the only rookies in franchise history to reach that mark.

UP NEXT

Bucks: Host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

Spurs: At the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs used the agony of their most humiliating defeat this season as motivation for an uplifting victory, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

DeMar DeRozan had 23 points and the Spurs set a franchise record for points in the first half while rolling to a 146-125 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.

Milwaukee had a five-game winning streak snapped and dropped a game behind idle Brooklyn for second place in the Eastern Conference.

The victory came 10 days after the Spurs blew a 32-point lead at Boston and lost 143-140 in overtime.

“I wouldn’t say (that loss to Boston) came up by name,” San Antonio guard Lonnie Walker IV said, “but as far as teammates and players looking at each other and knowing there is a whole another 24 minutes, we just knew what time it was.”

The Spurs’ magic number to clinch a berth in the play-in tournament dropped to one with their victory and New Orleans’ 115-110 loss at Memphis.

“It was a good night against a hell of a team, a championship-caliber team, well-coached,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “We have to be just thrilled with it, but not too satisfied. We are still in a big battle.”

San Antonio set a season high for points and a team best with 87 points in the first half, the second-most the club has scored in any half. The Spurs tied their mark for any half with 12 3-pointers in the first and finished 17 for 29 from long range.

Dejounte Murray added 21 points, Keldon Johnson and Patty Mills each had 20 and Rudy Gay scored 19 for San Antonio. Mills and Gay combined to shoot 9 for 15 on 3s.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting. Khris Middleton added 23 points and Jrue Holiday had 20.

San Antonio had lost six of seven entering Monday but got off to an historic start against Milwaukee.

The Spurs scored a season-high 45 points in the first quarter, the fourth-largest total in franchise history, and followed it with the most points in team history during the first half.

“We’ve got to find a way to get stops,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Just be better overall defensively, be more efficient. It’s in us. We’ve just got to kind of go out and execute it on both ends.”

The Spurs shot 67% from the field and on 3-pointers in the first half.

BEHIND BROWN

Popovich expressed his best wishes to NBA referee Tony Brown, who will miss the rest of the regular season and postseason as he undergoes treatment after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last month.

Brown has officiated 1,109 regular-season games and 35 playoff games in 19 seasons.

“He’s a really class act,” Popovich said. “You feel for somebody and for their family when something like this occurs. We just wish him the best and hope the people (caring for him) figure something out.”

TIP-INS

Bucks: San Antonio honored former Spurs guard Bryn Forbes with a video tribute prior to the game. Before signing with the Bucks last offseason, Forbes played four seasons for the Spurs after going undrafted in 2016 out of Michigan State. … Antetokounmpo had a career-high 15 assists in the Bucks’ 120-113 victory over the Spurs on March 20. He had four assists Monday.

Spurs: San Antonio’s highest-scoring first quarter and previous high for the first half both came against Denver. The Spurs scored 47 points in the opening quarter against the Nuggets in 1993 and had 84 points in the first half against the Nuggets in 1984. San Antonio’s most prolific half also came against Denver, when the Spurs scored 91 points in the second half in 1984. … Devin Vassell has 50 3-pointers this season, joining Gary Neal, Davis Bertans, Tony Parker, Lloyd Daniels, Beno Udrih and Manu Ginobili as the only rookies in franchise history to reach that mark.

UP NEXT

Bucks: Host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

Spurs: At the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

Percentages: FG .500, FT .783.

3-Point Goals: 13-41, .317 (DiVincenzo 3-8, Forbes 2-3, Holiday 2-5, Middleton 2-7, Merrill 1-1, Portis 1-2, Tucker 1-3, Lopez 1-5, Nwora 0-1, Teague 0-1, G.Antetokounmpo 0-2, Connaughton 0-3).

Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 1.

Blocked Shots: 6 (Lopez 2, DiVincenzo, Forbes, Portis, Teague).

Turnovers: 7 (Middleton 3, Holiday 2, Nwora, Teague).

Steals: 6 (T.Antetokounmpo 2, Connaughton, Forbes, Nwora, Portis).

Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .596, FT .810.

3-Point Goals: 17-29, .586 (Mills 6-9, Gay 3-6, Walker IV 3-7, Murray 2-2, Vassell 2-3, Johnson 1-2).

Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 1.

Blocked Shots: 5 (Poeltl 3, Bates-Diop, Gay).

Turnovers: 12 (DeRozan 5, Bates-Diop 2, Dieng, Johnson, Samanic, Vassell, Walker IV).

Steals: 6 (Dieng, Gay, Johnson, Murray, Poeltl, Walker IV).

Technical Fouls: None.

A_3,992 (18,581). T_2:03.

ATLANTA (AP) — Russell Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson’s 47-year-old record for triple-doubles and missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer as the Washington Wizards lost 125-124 to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

Westbrook completed his 182nd triple-double when he pulled down a rebound with 8:29 remaining. The nine-time All-Star and 2016-17 MVP finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 21 assists, carrying the load for a Wizards team that was missing Bradley Beal, the league’s No. 2 scorer.

Trae Young scored 36 points and John Collins added 28 for the Hawks, who moved within a half-game of the fourth-place New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference. Washington is 10th in the East, which would give the Wizards the final spot in the league’s new postseason play-in tournament.

Beal has a strained left hamstring and the Wizards said earlier Monday he would also miss the team’s next game, a rematch at Atlanta on Wednesday.

Washington called a timeout with 39.7 seconds remaining after Collins’ free throws put Atlanta up 125-122. Westbrook followed by hitting a runner and the Hawks called timeout with 18.2 seconds left. He got a clean look at a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left. His shot bounced off the rim, and Westbrook pounded the ball hard against the floor when the game ended.

Bogdan Bogdanovich finished with 25 points and Clint Capela had 22 rebounds for Atlanta, which has won four of five.

WARRIORS 119, JAZZ 116

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 14 seconds left, moments after missing from deep, and scored 36 points to lead Golden State past Western Conference-leading Utah.

The Warriors kept hold of the eighth seed in the West.

Curry, coming off a 49-point performance with 11 3-pointers in 29 minutes in Saturday’s 136-97 thumping of the Thunder, wasn’t nearly as sharp — but his supporting cast did plenty to take the pressure off.

Jordan Poole finished with 20 points off the bench and Kent Bazemore scored 19.

Jordan Clarkson scored 41 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 27 for a Utah team still missing injured All-Star guards Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley.

GRIZZLIES 115, PELICANS 110

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Dillon Brooks scored 23 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, and Memphis secured a spot the postseason play-in tournament by beating New Orleans.

Kyle Anderson had 14 points and four blocks, while Ja Morant had 12 points and 12 assists.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the short-handed Pelicans with 18 points, while Willy Hernangomez had 15 points and eight rebounds. James Johnson and Jaxson Hayes scored 13 points each.

The Pelicans were without leading scorers Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, along with Josh Hart and Steven Adams.

SPURS 146, BUCKS 125

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan had 23 points and San Antonio set a franchise record for points in the first half while rolling past Milwaukee.

San Antonio had 87 points in the first half, the second-most the club has scored in any half. The Spurs tied their mark for any half with 12 3-pointers in the first and finished 17 for 29 from long range.

Dejounte Murray added 21 points, Keldon Johnson and Patty Mills each had 20 and Rudy Gay scored 19 for San Antonio. Mills and Gay combined to shoot 9 for 15 on 3s.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting. Khris Middleton added 23 points and Jrue Holiday had 20. Milwaukee had a five-game winning streak snapped and dropped a game behind idle Brooklyn for second place in the Eastern Conference.

PACERS 111, CAVALIERS 102

CLEVELAND (AP) — Domantas Sabonis had 21 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists as Indiana beat Cleveland and strengthened its hold on a play-in tournament spot.

Kelan Martin scored a career-high 25 points and Caris LeVert had 20 points and 10 assists for the Pacers, who moved one-half game ahead of Washington into ninth place in the Eastern Conference.

Collin Sexton scored 25 points for the Cavaliers in their 11th straight loss, matching the eighth-longest skid in team history. Rookie Isaac Okoro had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Dean Wade had 19 points and 12 rebounds in their first career double-doubles.

TRAIL BLAZERS 140, ROCKETS 129

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Damian Lillard had 34 points and nine rebounds, and Portland raced past Houston.

The Blazers scored 50 points in the first quarter, setting a franchise record for scoring in a period, and tied an NBA record for 3-pointers made in a quarter with 12. CJ McCollum had 21 points in the first as Portland built a 17-point lead.

McCollum finished with 28 points and Norman Powell also scored 28 for the Blazers, who never trailed as they moved within one-half game of fifth-place Dallas in the Western Conference.

Kelly Olynyk had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the NBA-worst Rockets, and D.J. Augustin also scored 21.

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

G.Antetokounmpo 11-16 6-7 28, Middleton 10-15 1-1 23, Lopez 4-10 3-4 12, DiVincenzo 4-9 1-2 12, Holiday 9-14 0-0 20, Nwora 0-2 0-0 0, Portis 5-11 2-2 13, T.Antetokounmpo 0-1 3-4 3, Tucker 1-4 0-0 3, Connaughton 0-4 0-0 0, Forbes 2-4 2-3 8, Merrill 1-1 0-0 3, Teague 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 47-94 18-23 125.

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:

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The Nashville Predators have reached an agreement that will allow for a crowd of 12,135 inside Bridgestone Arena for home games played during the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Predators will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, and all home games will see approximately 70% of Bridgestone Arena’s 17,159 seats filled.

The NHL has allowed the capacity increase based on a calibration of outside air flow requirements used uniformly throughout the league to determine venue capacities for the playoffs. To meet this requirement, Bridgestone Arena will supplement its existing HVAC system with three additional air conditioning units.

Additionally, in accordance with the city’s updated guidelines, future non-hockey events will be permitted to operate at full capacity.

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Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy will participate virtually in the team’s rookie minicamp this weekend rather than in person because a close contact tested positive for COVID-19.

Nagy will not be on the field when prized quarterback Justin Fields and the team’s other rookies get to work on Friday. They are also scheduled to practice Saturday and Sunday.

Nagy will be able to observe remotely and communicate with coaches. He will also be able to lead team meetings, which are conducted via Zoom.

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As coronavirus restrictions ease in the nation’s capital, the Washington city government says sports stadiums can have spectators at full capacity as of June 11.

That will allow the Washington Nationals to let about 40,000 fans into its home games.

The Major League Baseball team said Monday it was granted a waiver by the city to expand its ticket distribution at Nationals Park to up to 36% of capacity as of Friday.

The Nationals currently are allowed 10,000 fans per game — about 25% of what their outdoor ballpark holds.

As of last month, the NHL’s Capitals and NBA’s Wizards have been allowed to host 10% of capacity at their indoor arena downtown, roughly 2,000 people. That will rise to 25%, about 5,000 spectators, on Friday.

Both of those teams would need to make progress through the playoffs in order to reach next month’s date for full crowds.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that Nassau Coliseum will have a fully vaccinated fan section when the New York Islanders open the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Half of the arena will be used as a fully vaccinated fan section with attendees spaced approximately 3 feet apart with an unoccupied seat between each party. Individuals seated in those sections will have to prove they’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Young adults and children under age 16 not yet eligible for the vaccine may be seated with a vaccinated adult so long as they’ve received a recent negative COVID-19 test result.

Appropriate social distancing, masks and other health protocols will still apply throughout the Coliseum, which seats 14,500.

Entering this week, 66% of Long Island’s adults had received at least one vaccine dose and 53% had completed their vaccine series.

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New York Road Runners is planning to host races for thousands of runners as New York state eases coronavirus limits for large-scale outdoor event venues.

NYRR will more than double the runner field size of the field for the Mastercard New York Mini 10K on June 12 — from 1,200 to 3,000. The Front Runners LGBT Pride Run on June 26 and the Achilles Hope and Possibility 4M on July 10 will each have 4,250 runners.

The Mini 10K, a women-only road race, will be the first regularly scheduled and largest NYRR race to take place since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Comprehensive health and safety guidelines and procedures will be in place.

All events taking place in New York City’s Central Park will operate under NYRR’s return-to-racing guidelines. Those will include increased and staggered starts, self-hydration options, hand sanitation stations, and limited race amenities to uphold adherence to social distancing.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:

___

The Nashville Predators have reached an agreement that will allow for a crowd of 12,135 inside Bridgestone Arena for home games played during the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Predators will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, and all home games will see approximately 70% of Bridgestone Arena’s 17,159 seats filled.

The NHL has allowed the capacity increase based on a calibration of outside air flow requirements used uniformly throughout the league to determine venue capacities for the playoffs. To meet this requirement, Bridgestone Arena will supplement its existing HVAC system with three additional air conditioning units.

Additionally, in accordance with the city’s updated guidelines, future non-hockey events will be permitted to operate at full capacity.

___

As coronavirus restrictions ease in the nation’s capital, the Washington city government says sports stadiums can have spectators at full capacity as of June 11.

That will allow the Washington Nationals to let about 40,000 fans into its home games.

The Major League Baseball team said Monday it was granted a waiver by the city to expand its ticket distribution at Nationals Park to up to 36% of capacity as of Friday.

The Nationals currently are allowed 10,000 fans per game — about 25% of what their outdoor ballpark holds.

As of last month, the NHL’s Capitals and NBA’s Wizards have been allowed to host 10% of capacity at their indoor arena downtown, roughly 2,000 people. That will rise to 25%, about 5,000 spectators, on Friday.

Both of those teams would need to make progress through the playoffs in order to reach next month’s date for full crowds.

___

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that Nassau Coliseum will have a fully vaccinated fan section when the New York Islanders open the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Half of the arena will be used as a fully vaccinated fan section with attendees spaced approximately 3 feet apart with an unoccupied seat between each party. Individuals seated in those sections will have to prove they’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Young adults and children under age 16 not yet eligible for the vaccine may be seated with a vaccinated adult so long as they’ve received a recent negative COVID-19 test result.

Appropriate social distancing, masks and other health protocols will still apply throughout the Coliseum, which seats 14,500.

Entering this week, 66% of Long Island’s adults had received at least one vaccine dose and 53% had completed their vaccine series.

___

New York Road Runners is planning to host races for thousands of runners as New York state eases coronavirus limits for large-scale outdoor event venues.

NYRR will more than double the runner field size of the field for the Mastercard New York Mini 10K on June 12 — from 1,200 to 3,000. The Front Runners LGBT Pride Run on June 26 and the Achilles Hope and Possibility 4M on July 10 will each have 4,250 runners.

The Mini 10K, a women-only road race, will be the first regularly scheduled and largest NYRR race to take place since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Comprehensive health and safety guidelines and procedures will be in place.

All events taking place in New York City’s Central Park will operate under NYRR’s return-to-racing guidelines. Those will include increased and staggered starts, self-hydration options, hand sanitation stations, and limited race amenities to uphold adherence to social distancing.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports