Wednesday’s Sports In Brief

NBA

MIAMI (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of a berth in the NBA Finals, running away after halftime to beat the Miami Heat 93-80 and take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference title series.

Al Horford had 16 points and Derrick White added 14 for the Celtics. Tatum finished with 12 rebounds and nine assists.

Bam Adebayo scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Heat, who shot 32% in the game — after shooting 33% in Boston’s 20-point win in Game 4.

The Heat were 7 for 45 from 3-point range.

Game 6 is in Boston on Friday night,

NHL

DENVER (AP) — Tyler Bozak scored 3:38 into overtime and the St. Louis Blues fended off elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, overcoming a three-goal deficit in a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.

Bozak unleashed a shot from near the blueline that got past Darcy Kuemper, capping a remarkable comeback for St. Louis.

Robert Thomas had two goals, including the tying tally with 56 seconds left in regulation, for a resilient Blues team. Vladimir Tarasenko and Justin Faulk also scored, Nick Leddy had four assists and Pavel Buchnevich had two.

The comeback offset a hat trick from Nathan MacKinnon, who looked like he might have just turned in a signature moment with goal No. 3. Gabriel Landeskog also scored.

Game 6 is Friday in St. Louis.

NFL

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NFL said it will appeal a ruling denying a request to move former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s lawsuit against the league from a public courtroom into closed-door arbitration.

Gruden’s lawsuit accuses the NFL of leaking his racist, sexist and homophobic emails to force him to resign last October.

Clark County District Court Judge Nancy Allf rejected league bids to dismiss Gruden’s claim outright or to order out-of-court talks that could be overseen by Goodell. The judge pointed to Gruden’s allegation that the league intentionally leaked only his documents. She said that could show evidence of “specific intent,” or an act designed to cause a particular result.

The judge’s ruling in the case that Gruden filed last November marked the first public skirmish in what could become a long legal battle pitting the coach who departed the Raiders with more than six seasons remaining on his record 10-year, $100 million contract against Goodell.

Attorneys for both sides declined to comment following a 90-minute hearing before Allf.

BASEBALL

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Evan Longoria homered twice and Joc Pederson hit his fourth in two games as the San Francisco Giants went deep four times in the first two innings off rookie Thomas Szapucki and routed the New York Mets 9-3.

Mike Yastrzemski also homered off Szapucki, a 25-year-old left-hander making his first major league start and second appearance after the Mets summoned him from the minors due to a string of injuries.

New York lost two of three in San Francisco, the Mets’ second series loss in their first 14 series this season. New York had won its previous 14 games following a loss, the third-longest such streak in major league history behind the 1934 New York Giants (16) and 1911 Philadelphia Athletics (15).

The Mets also lost consecutive games for the first time since April 10 and 11.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Erik Fedde and three relievers combined on a six-hitter, César Hernández had an RBI single and the Washington Nationals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 to avoid a series sweep.

Washington snapped a nine-game skid against Los Angeles. The Nationals had not defeated the Dodgers since Game 5 of the NL Division Series in 2019.

Tanner Rainey stranded two in the ninth inning for his fourth save in six tries, getting fly balls from Cody Bellinger and Will Smith to end it.

Los Angeles lost for only the second time in 11 games, but the Dodgers still own the best record in the National League at 29-14. Los Angeles had outscored Washington 19-5 in the first two games of the series.

CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Burger hit a three-run homer off Rich Hill, Lucas Giolito overcame a shaky first inning and the Chicago White Sox beat the Red Sox 3-1 to end Boston’s six-game winning streak.

The White Sox won for the fourth time in six games and moved over .500 to 22-21.

Burger, recalled Tuesday from Triple-A Charlotte after Luis Robert was placed on the COVID-19 injured list, hit an 0-2 breaking pitch in the fifth inning that traveled an estimated 444 feet.

Giolito (3-1) threw 27 pitches in the first but still allowed fewer than two runs for the fourth time this season.

Hill (1-2) held the White Sox hitless through four innings but lost his lead quickly. Jose Abreu led off the fifth with an opposite-field double to right, and AJ Pollock reached on a throwing error by third baseman Rafael Devers that preceded Burger’s homer.

Liam Hendriks got the final four outs to earn his 14th save in 17 tries.