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Joel Embiid took off his warmup gear and changed into street clothes, his left knee feeling too sore to play. Even with the All-Star center sitting down, the Philadelphia 76ers were flying high in Game 3. Ben Simmons scored a career playoff-high 31 points, Tobias Harris added 29 points and 16 rebounds and the 76ers shook off the absence of their leading scorer to beat the Brooklyn Nets 131-115 on Thursday night for a 2-1 lead in the first-round series. The 76ers relied on Simmons slashing to the basket, and Harris and JJ Redick shooting from the perimeter. “We have […]

The Houston Astros go for an 11th straight win overall and fifth straight over the Oakland Athletics when the American League West rivals complete a two-game series Wednesday night in Oakland, Calif. After outscoring the A’s just 18-10 during a three-game sweep in Houston earlier this month, the Astros pounded last year’s division runner-up 9-1 in the series opener on Tuesday. Left-hander Wade Miley (1-1, 3.45) will go for his third win during the winning streak when he duels Oakland righty Frankie Montas (2-1, 3.18). Miley pitched the only blowout of the earlier series in Houston, shutting out the A’s for 5 2/3 innings in a 6-0 win. […]

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw is set to make his season debut when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a three-game series on Monday night. The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner was shut down during spring training because of inflammation in his throwing shoulder and didn’t make the Opening-Day start for the Dodgers for the first time since 2010. “He’s champing at the bit,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Kershaw will likely face two former teammates in Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp. Both were traded to the Reds, along with starting pitcher Alex Wood, in December to potentially clear payroll space to sign […]

Walker Buehler dominated the St. Louis Cardinals as a rookie last season, much the way Michael Wacha completely shut down the Los Angeles Dodgers as a first-year pitcher during the playoffs 5 1/2 years ago. Both right-handers will look to find that success when the Cardinals host the Dodgers in the finale of their four-game series on Thursday afternoon. The Cardinals have won the first three games of the series and four consecutive overall. Walker faced St. Louis twice last season and threw a combined 15 shutout innings. He blanked the Cardinals on two hits over eight innings in a 3-0 victory on Sept. 14 in St. […]

Jon Lester did not want to leave Monday’s game for the Cubs — not with Wrigley Field packed for the home opener, the bullpen thin on available pitchers and the team trying to turn the recent road trip into a distant memory. When a left hamstring issue was bothering Lester in the third inning of the 10-0 romp over the Pirates, the veteran lefty initially convinced manager Joe Maddon to leave him on the mound. Following a few more errant pitches and a delivery that just did not look right, Maddon pulled the plug on Lester’s afternoon, though not before the starter’s […]