MLB-WORLD SERIES

Braves two-hit Astros for 2-1 Series lead

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves spent much of Friday night flirting on a no-hitter. Instead, they had to settle for a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros and a two-games-to-one lead in the World Series.

Ian Anderson worked five hitless innings but was pulled after 76 pitches. He struck out four, walked three and allowed just one base runner after the first inning.

Atlanta’s bullpen kept the no-hitter intact until pinch-hitter Aledmys (ah-LEHD’-mees) Díaz blooped a single leading off the eighth against reliever Tyler Matzek (MAT’-sehk). Houston’s other hit came on Alex Bregman’s single leading off the ninth.

Austin Riley’s RBI double in the third off Astros rookie starter Luis Garcia put Atlanta ahead. Travis d’Arnaud (dahr-NOH’) hit a 437-foot homer off Kendall Graveman in the eighth, his second round-tripper of the series.

The Braves improved to 6-0 at home this postseason.

Game 4 is Saturday in Atlanta.

NBA-SCHEDULE

Harden breaks out as Nets beat Pacers

UNDATED (AP) — James Harden averaged 8 1/2 points below his career average during the Brooklyn Nets’ first five games this season. He broke through on Friday by scoring a team-high 29 points in a 105-98 victory over Indiana.

Harden scored 13 points during a 28-9 run that gave the Nets a three-point lead at halftime.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half to help Brooklyn improve to 3-3. Aldridge became the 48th player in league history and the seventh active player to score 20,000 points.

Kevin Durant added 22 to the victory.

Checking out Friday’s other NBA action:

— Jimmy Butler scored 32 points and the Heat wasted most of a 26-point lead before posting a 114-99 win against the Hornets. Bam Adebayo had 26 points and 19 rebounds on the night his Olympic gold-medalist banner was unveiled in Miami. Tyler Herro (HEE’-roh) scored 26 points off the bench for Miami, which enjoyed a 60-37 rebounding advantage.

— Carmelo Anthony nailed six 3-pointers while furnishing 24 points in the Lakers’ third win in four games, 113-101 over the Cavaliers. LeBron James scored 26 points and Russell Westbrook added 19 with six boards, helping LA end Cleveland’s three-game winning streak. Rookie Evan Mobley led the Cavs with 23 points.

— Damian Lillard scored 25 points and the Trail Blazers extracted some revenge for a loss earlier this week to the Clippers with a 111-92 victory. Jusuf Nurkic (YOO’-suhf NUR’-kihch) added 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Blazers, who snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Clippers. Paul George poured in a game-high 42 points for LA.

— Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH’-lah YOH’-kihch) shook off a bruised right knee to deliver 11 points and 16 rebounds in the Nuggets’ 106-75 stifling of the Mavericks. Jokic was a game-time decision after hurting his knee Tuesday in Utah. Will Barton added 17 points for Denver, which outscored Dallas, 32-12 in the third quarter.

— Toronto has its first home win of the season after Fred VanVleet scored 16 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter of the Raptors’ 110-109 decision over the Magic. Gary Trent Jr. had 19 points and made a crucial defensive play on the game’s final possession. Scottie Barnes had 21 points to lead the Raptors.

— The Kings picked up a 133-109 win over the Pelicans as De’Aaron Fox scored 23 points and Richaun Holmes added 21. Harrison Barnes had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Buddy Hield scored 20 points for Sacramento, which has started the season with three road victories and two home losses. Jonas Valanciunas (YOH’-nuhs val-ehn-CHOO’-nuhs) had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans.

NBA-NEWS

Hawks’ Young fined

UNDATED (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has been fined $15,000 by the NBA for making contact with a game official.

The incident occurred midway through the second quarter of Atlanta’s loss to the Wizards on Thursday.

Young complained about the officiating after the game and said new rules regarding defensive calls have dropped the scoring averages of some of the league’s top players.

Also in the NBA:

— Bulls forward Patrick Williams will be sidelined for four to six months after tearing ligaments in his left wrist during Thursday’s loss to the Knicks. The team says Williams will need surgery, keeping the Bulls without one of their promising young players. Williams averaged 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 71 games as a rookie last season after being taken fourth overall in the 2020 NBA draft.

NFL-NEWS

Mayfield cleared to play…Mack out for Bears

UNDATED (AP) — Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will start Sunday against Pittsburgh, returning after missing one game with an injured left shoulder that will need management for the rest of this season.

Mayfield has participated in the team’s last three practices and has been cleared by team doctors and a second medical group.

He sat out last Sunday’s win over the Broncos, allowing him to improve his range of motion and reduce inflammation.

In other NFL news:

— A foot sprain will keep Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack from playing for Sunday against the 49ers. The Bears will have outside linebacker Robert Quinn after activating him the reserve/COVID-19 list, along with tackle Elijah Wilkinson.

— Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan has cleared concussion protocol and will play Sunday against the Colts. Tennessee won’t have seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones, who will miss his third game with a hamstring injury.

— Rookie Davis Mills will start at quarterback for the Texans Sunday against the Rams with Tyrod Taylor not yet ready to return from a hamstring injury. Taylor practiced this week for the first time since injuring his hamstring in Week 2.

— Chargers running back Austin Ekeler (EHK’-lur) is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Patriots due to a hip injury. Ekeler is second in the AFC with seven touchdowns and fifth among running backs in scrimmage yards per game.

— Jets wide receiver Corey Davis is unlikely to play Sunday against the Bengals because of a hip injury suffered in practice Thursday.

— San Francisco defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw has undergone season-ending knee surgery after being hampered by the injury since late season. Kinlaw hurt his knee last December in Dallas and missed the final two games of the season.

— The Broncos will honor Peyton Manning before and during their game against Washington on Sunday. The team will unveil Manning’s pillar for his Ring of Fame induction in a pregame ceremony and spend halftime honoring him for his recent induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

NHL-SCHEDULE

Panthers, Hurricanes still perfect

UNDATED (AP) — The Florida Panthers continue to win, no matter who’s behind their bench.

The Panthers are an NHL-best 8-0 after Aleksander Barkov’s second goal of the night gave them a 3-2 overtime win against the Red Wings. Eetu Luostarinen (EH’-too loo-oh-STAHR’-ih-nehn) had a goal and Sergei Bobrovsky (boh-BRAHF’-skee) made 28 saves to help the Panthers move within two of the NHL record for consecutive victories to start a season.

Andrew Brunette ran the Panthers a day after Joel Quenneville (KWEHN’-vihl) resigned as head coach. Quenneville was among those implicated for not responding swiftly to allegations by former Chicago player Kyle Beach of being sexually assaulted by an assistant coach in 2010.

Elsewhere on NHL ice:

— The Hurricanes improved their team-record start to 7-0 scoring four goals in the first period in a 6-3 victory over the winless Blackhawks. Antti Raanta (AN’-tee RAHN’-tah) made 23 saves in his Carolina debut. Tony DeAngelo had a goal and two assists for the Canes.

— The Coyotes dropped to 0-7-1 despite outshooting the Capitals, 32-16 in a 2-0 loss to Washington. John Carlson scored a power-play goal and Alex Ovechkin added an empty-netter as the Caps moved to 5-0-3. Ilya Samsonov (EEL’-yah sam-SOH’-nahv) stopped all 16 shots he faced to pick up the fourth career shutout.

— Chris Kreider scored two power-play goals and Igor Shesterkin (shehs-TUR’-kihn) stopped 31 shots in the Rangers’ first home win of the season, 4-1 versus the Blue Jackets. Ryan Strome (strohm) and Alexis Lafrenière (ah-LEKS’-ay lah-frehn-YEHR’) also scored, and Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin (ahr-TEH’-mee pah-NAH-rin) each had three assists to help New York get its fifth win in six games. Shesterkin is 4-1-1 with a 1.81 goals-against average after posting his third career shutout.

— Nic Roy and Evgenii Dadonov (dah-DAH’-nahv) scored in the shootout to send the Golden Knights past the Ducks, 5-4. Nicolas Hague and Chandler Stephenson each had a goal and an assist in regulation. Vegas led 4-1 until Troy Terry, Isac Lundestrom, and Adam Henrique (hen-REEK’) scored unanswered goals in about a five-minute span to tie the game with 3:31 left in the third.

— Josh Norris scored twice and the Senators snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Stars. Brady Tkachuk and Connor Brown provided Ottawa’s other goals, and Filip Gustavsson made 35 saves. Joe Pavelski scored in the second period for Dallas.

NHL-NEWS

Panthers win after coach steps down

UNDATED (AP) — The unbeaten Florida Panthers played less than 24 hours after head coach Joel Quenneville (KWEHN’-vihl) resigned.

Quenneville stepped down following a meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Gary Bettman on Thursday, and two days after the league issued a report that confirmed the Chicago Blackhawks waited three weeks to act on allegations made by a player who said he was sexually assaulted by assistant coach Brad Aldrich in 2010. Quenneville was head coach of the Blackhawks at the time.

Andrew Brunette led the Panthers on Friday and says he’s ready to serve as interim coach as long as the team needs him. Brunette had been on Quenneville’s coaching staff since June 2019.

Former Blackhawks assistant general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff (sheh-vehl-DAY’-ahf) will not be penalized by the NHL for his role in the club’s mishandling of sexual assault allegations. Bettman met with Cheveldayoff Friday and concluded based on that conversation and the team’s investigation that Cheveldayoff was not responsible for what was decided at the time. Cheveldayoff was not a member of the Blackhawks senior leadership team in 2010 and currently serves as general manager of the Jets.

Meanwhile, Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz wants the Hockey Hall of Fame to cover Aldrich’s name on the 2010 portion of the Stanley Cup. The Hall of Fame cannot remove a name from the Stanley Cup, but it can decide to engrave a series of X’s to cover it up.

In other NHL news:

— The Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Morgan Rielly to an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $7.5 million. The 27-year-old Rielly is the longest-serving current Maple Leaf after being drafted fifth overall in 2012, providing 59 goals and 309 points in 580 regular-season games. He has been an alternate captain since 2016.

— A lawsuit against the Penguins accuses its former top minor league coach of sexually assaulting the wife of one of his assistants. Jarrod and Erin Skalde say former AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Clark Donatelli sexually assaulted and harassed her. The lawsuit also says team officials sought to keep the matter quiet while terminating Donatelli, who apologized for the incident and said he was drunk.

— Devils center Jack Hughes will be sidelined at least another five weeks with a dislocated left shoulder. A re-evaluation showed the dislocation was stable and Hughes is on course with his rehabilitation. Hughes was hurt on Oct. 19 against Seattle in the Devils’ second game of the season.

COLLEGE SPORTS-NEWS

Marshall is latest planning to move to Sun Belt from C-USA

UNDATED (AP) — Marshall has announced it is moving to the Sun Belt Conference, becoming the ninth school to reveal plans to depart the dwindling Conference USA. The Huntington, West Virginia-based school has been a member of C-USA since 2005.

In other college football news:

— South Florida has been fined $10,000 and placed on three years’ probation for NCAA violations committed by the football and women’s basketball programs. The school and NCAA agreed Level II violations occurred within the Bulls’ football program under former coach Charlie Strong and in the women’s basketball program under longtime coach Jose Fernandez.

PGA-BERMUDA CHAMPIONSHIP

Pendrith leads after 61

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda (AP) — Taylor Pendrith ran off five straight birdies at the turn and flirted with a sub-60 round before settling for two a 10-under 61 and a one-shot lead at the PGA’s Bermuda Championship at Port Royal.

Pendrith had nine birdies and on eagle to offset his lone bogey on the 13th hole to move past Patrick Rodgers into the lead at 11-under 131.

Vincent Whaley was two shots behind, followed by Danny Lee and David Skinns.