Sports briefs 8/23
PAC soccer
Waynesburg was picked to finish third and Washington & Jefferson eighth when the Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s soccer preseason coaches poll was released Friday.
Waynesburg, which was 17-3-2 a year ago, received two of the 13 first-place votes.
Defending champion Grove City was picked as the favorite and received the other 11 first-place votes. Saint Vincent was picked to finish second, edging Waynesburg by four points in the poll.
Tennis
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner withdrew from the U.S. Open on Friday, unable to recover from a right knee injury that has sidelined him since winning the Wimbledon title.
Sinner beat Alexander Zverev last month for his second straight title at the All England Club, but then pulled out of the hard-court tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati that serve as a warmup for the U.S. Open.
Sinner was the 2024 U.S. Open champion and lost to Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s final.
NBA
The Dallas Mavericks and Klay Thompson have agreed on a contract buyout, ending a two-year tenure that was wrecked by the shocking trade of Luka Doncic.
Thompson intends to sign with the Miami Heat once he clears waivers, according to a person familiar with the five-time All-Star’s plans. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because Thompson has yet to reveal that detail publicly. Assuming he is not claimed by another club, Thompson may be able to sign with the Heat as early as Sunday.
The buyout announcement comes after the Mavericks missed the playoffs in both of Thompson’s seasons.
• Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx co-owner Marc Lore has agreed to sell his controlling stake in the franchises to limited partner Marc Stad at a $4.5 billion value barely a year after his purchase was finalized.
• DeMar DeRozan has agreed to sign a one-year contract with the Denver Nuggets worth the veteran minimum of $3.9 million.
It will be DeRozan’s fifth team in his 18th season for a six-time All-Star looking for his first championship.
The addition of DeRozan gives the Nuggets a veteran backcourt presence after sending young, versatile wing Peyton Watson to Cleveland as part of a four-team trade.
Men’s soccer
FIFA banned three Argentina players on Friday, including a 10-match suspension for midfielder Leandro Paredes, for striking Spain opponents after losing the World Cup final.
The ban for Paredes — who grabbed Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat and pushed Gavi to the ground — ranks with the FIFA sanctions for Uruguay forward Luis Suárez in 2014 as among the most severe in World Cup history.
Argentina defender Nahuel Molina was handed a seven-game ban while Thiago Almada was given a one-game suspension. FIFA imposed fines of $90,000 on Paredes and Molina, and $30,000 for Almada.
The ban for Paredes is effectively a one-year expulsion from the Argentina team as the FIFA calendar for national team schedules includes 10 games through June 2027.
Women’s hockey
The Walter Cup is missing, or at least the replica version of the trophy that belongs to the Professional Women’s Hockey League champion Montreal Victoire, the league said Friday.
Without going into detail, the PWHL issued a statement saying the trophy “did not arrive as expected at its latest stop,” and added “we are working closely with the shipping company to locate it.”
The trophy was supposed to be shipped to Lethbridge, Alberta, to spend the day with Victoire forward Dara Greig, a person with knowledge of the plans told the AP on the condition of anonymity because those details were not revealed by the league. The container arrived, but without the Walter Cup inside.
It’s unclear where the Walter Cup was last seen. And unlike the NHL and the Stanley Cup, the PWHL does not have a person dedicated to travel with its trophy when it goes on the road to be with players.
The missing Walter Cup in question is not the one presented to teams on the ice upon winning the championship. That one is permanently housed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
The missing version is instead a close replica issued to championship-winning teams to keep for themselves.