BASKETBALL
Joel Embiid wants to play again this year — for the Philadelphia 76ers, yes, even as they fade without the injured All-Star in the playoff hunt but also this summer for the U.S. Olympic team.
The reigning NBA MVP, Embiid has been sidelined since early February when he underwent meniscus surgery on his left knee after he was hurt when a player fell on him. Embiid had already been hampered by knee injuries this season that cost him multiple games — and cost the 76ers a good spot in the standings.
When healthy, Embiid continued to perform at an MVP level. He was the NBA’s leading scorer at 35.3 points per game at the time he was hurt and averaged 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He scored a franchise-record 70 points to go along with 18 rebounds on Jan. 22 in a 133-124 victory over San Antonio.
And the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft says he’s not done yet.
“That’s the plan,” to return, Embiid told reporters Thursday at the team’s New Jersey complex. “Obviously, everything has to go right as far as getting healthy and being as close as I’m supposed to be.”
Embiid and the 76ers have said there is no timetable for his return.
• The Charlotte Hornets are finalizing a deal to make Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager Jeff Peterson their new head of basketball operations, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person said the deal is expected to be completed in the next few days.
The 35-year-old Peterson will replace Mitch Kupchak, who announced earlier this month that he is stepping down as president of basketball operations and general manager and moving to an advisory role.
GOLF
LPGA: Sarah Schmelzel birdied two of her final three holes for a 4-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over three players that included fellow American Lilia Vu in Singapore.
Also tied for second with Vu at the HSBC Women’s World Championship at Sentosa Golf Club were Linn Grant and Esther Henseleit.
Two-time defending champion Jin Young Ko shot 71. Patty Tavatanakit, who won last week’s LPGA event in Thailand, shot 73. Minjee Lee, playing for the first time this year on the LPGA Tour, had a 74 and Brooke Henderson shot 75.
PGA: Chad Ramey shot a bogey-free round of 7-under 64 in the opening round of the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, tying S.H. Kim for the 18-hole lead. Kim had an eagle and five birdies, including one on the finishing hole, to pull into the tie atop the leaderboard at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
A group of five players — Cameron Young, Ryan Moore, Chesson Hadley, Austin Eckroat and Andrew Novak — all played in the morning wave and finished one stroke back with 6-under rounds of 65.
HOCKEY
NHL: The NHL issued $25,000 fines each to Buffalo Sabres Coach Don Granato and Toronto Maple Leafs Coach Sheldon Keefe for separate instances of unprofessional conduct directed at officials.
The league deemed that both coaches crossed the line during games on Tuesday night.
Granato was issued a bench minor in the third period of Buffalo’s 3-2 loss at Florida, after questioning officials for penalizing Zach Benson for tripping, while suggesting they missed several calls against the Panthers earlier in the game.
“At some point, you’ve got to stand up for your team,” Granato said following the game in explaining what sent him over the top. “You’re put in that position as a coach. It’s a tough position to be in. But you can’t sit and watch.”
The same night in Toronto, Keefe was ejected in the final minutes of a 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, which snapped the Leafs’ seven-game win streak.
“Not going there,” Keefe said in declining to explain what set him off. Keefe appeared to be upset by a tripping penalty assessed to Toronto forward Mitch Marner a few minutes before he was ejected, and shortly after the Leafs cut their deficit to 4-2.
TENNIS
DUBAI CHAMPIONSHIPS: Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev stayed on course toward a potential rematch for the title at Dubai, United Arab Emirates, after the Russians won their quarterfinals.
Medvedev, the defending champion and No. 1 seed, defeated eighth-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 6-3 to set up a semifinal against fifth-seeded Ugo Humbert.
The second-seeded Rublev advanced when Sebastian Korda retired with an unspecified injury. Rublev was up 6-4, 4-3 at the time.
Rublev will face seventh-seeded Alexander Bublik, who reached the last four after his Czech opponent Jiri Lehecka also retired with an injury. The big-serving Bublik was leading 6-4, 4-1.
BASKETBALL
WNBA: WNBA champion A’ja Wilson is coming back to the South Carolina Gamecocks arena where her statue sits when the Las Vegas Aces play Puerto Rico’s national team in an exhibition game on May 11.
Wilson played at South Carolina from 2015-18, helping the team to two Final Fours and the 2017 national championship. She was a three-time All-American and three-time Southeastern Conference player of the year.
SOCCER
DOPING: Once one of the world’s top midfielders, Paul Pogba was banned for the maximum four years by Italy’s anti-doping court after the World Cup winner tested positive for testosterone while at Juventus.
Even though Pogba said he would appeal to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, the verdict is unlikely to be overturned by the France international — who turns 31 next month — because he didn’t demonstrate any mitigating reasons for his failed test.
The positive result was announced in September, stemming from an exam that was carried out on Aug. 20 after Juventus’ game at Udinese. Pogba did not play in the Serie A match but was on the bench.
MLS: Osvaldo Alonso was never a star in the traditional sense despite being one of the most feared players in Major League Soccer during his 15-year career.
A four-time MLS All-Star and Seattle’s all-time leader in appearances during the MLS era, Osvaldo retired after signing a ceremonial one-day contract with the Sounders.
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