BASKETBALL
Antetokounmpo MVP again
Giannis Antetokounmpo's historic year earned him a historic awards sweep. The Milwaukee forward is the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season, receiving that award Friday. He received the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award earlier in the playoffs. Antetokounmpo, 25, became just the third player in league history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, joining only Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. Antetokounmpo averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
CYCLING
Slovenes in Tour showdown
Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar, both of Slovenia, go into the last two stages of the Tour de France 1-2 in the general classification. Neither has won the Tour before. If one of them does this weekend, they will also be the first champion from Slovenia. The nation of just 2 million people, known more for its alpine skiers, ski jumpers and basketball players than cyclists, is expected to come to a standstill today as it watches the 20th and penultimate stage that will likely decide the Tour winner. After Stage 19 on Friday, Roglic was still in the yellow jersey and leading Pogacar by 57 seconds. The Tour has gripped Slovenes since Roglic won Stage 4, then became the first Slovene to wear the yellow jersey after Stage 9. He hasn't take it off since and is poised to win a second consecutive Grand Tour after taking the Spanish Vuelta last year. But Pogacar has been on his countryman's rear wheel for a week and is a serious threat.
AUTO RACING
Briscoe wins Xfinity race
The final regular-season race of the Xfinity Series proved to be a preview of the upcoming playoffs as title contenders Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric dominated yet another event. Briscoe passed Cindric with five laps remaining Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, pouncing when Cindric lost power steering. Briscoe raced to his series-best seventh victory of the year while regular-season champion Cindric slipped to a third-place finish. Ross Chastain, poised for a probable promotion to the Cup Series with Chip Ganassi Racing, followed Briscoe past Cindric in the waning laps and finished second.
FOOTBALL
Two games postponed
Baylor's season opener against Houston, scheduled less than a week ago, was one of two Bowl Subdivision games postponed Friday -- the day before before they were supposed to play. Florida Atlantic's opener against Georgia Southern was postponed earlier in the day, following the results of FAU's covid-19 testing Thursday. In both cases, the schools involved said they would try to find make-up dates. The number of FBS games postponed or canceled because of covid-19 issues since Aug. 26 is 16 and the pandemic's impact is being felt in other sports; one of college basketball's premier tournaments is moving from Hawaii to North Carolina and the NCAA delayed the start of the basketball season to Nov. 25.
Hall of Fame safety dies
Larry Wilson, a former Cardinals safety and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died. He was 82. Wilson died Thursday evening, according to a news release from the team. Wilson spent more than 43 years in the Cardinals' organization as a player and an executive. A seventh-round draft pick out of Utah in 1960, Wilson played 13 seasons with the Cardinals. He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and was a first-team All Pro five times. Wilson was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was on both the NFL's 75th and 100th anniversary teams. He holds franchise records with 52 career interceptions and 800 interception return yards. His seven consecutive games with an interception in 1966 are second-most in NFL history.
TENNIS
Djokovic finds way to win
Novak Djokovic was being pushed so hard in the first set by Filip Krajinovic that he urgently needed somewhere to sit down and catch his breath. Since it was 5-5 and not time for a changeover, he plopped down on one of the new boxes installed behind the court for players' towels -- which are there because ball kids are no longer providing towel service amid the coronavirus pandemic. It would take Djokovic quite a bit more work before he finally closed out the first set in 1 hour, 28 minutes and went on to finish off a 7-6 (7), 6-3 victory for a spot in the Italian Open quarterfinals for the 14th consecutive year on Friday. "It was a great battle," said Djokovic, who is playing his first tournament since being defaulted from the U.S. Open. Nine-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal faced much less resistance in beating Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-3 in more pleasant evening conditions. His next opponent will be eighth-seeded Diego Schwartzman, who got past Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
GOLF
Furyk leads at Pebble Beach
Jim Furyk birdied four of the last six holes for an 8-under 64 and the first-round lead Friday in the PGA Tour Champions' Pure Insurance Championship in Pebble Beach, Calif. Trying to join Arnold Palmer and Bruce Fleisher as the only players to win their first two starts on the senior tour, Furyk had a one-stroke lead over Ernie Els, Cameron Beckman and Stephen Leaney. Furyk made four birdies in a five-hole stretch on his opening nine in the afternoon round. On his second nine, he birdied the par-5 second, rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 third with a birdie on the fourth and reeled off three in a row on Nos. 6-8. Glen Day (Little Rock) shot an even-par 71. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) turned in a 72.
Lopez in mix at Portland
Hannah Green had to wait an extra day to open her title defense in the Portland Classic. Once she got going, about the only thing that slowed her was a 1 1/2-hour lightning delay and fading light. Green shot a 6-under 66 on Friday at Columbia Edgewater for a share of the lead with Cydney Clanton in the LPGA Tour event reduced to 54 holes because of poor air quality caused by wildfires. Green was able to finish in fading light, while many other afternoon starters were still on the course when darkness suspended play. Former University of Arkansas golfer Gaby Lopez was one of four players with a 5-under 67. Maria Fassi (Razorbacks) finished at 2-under 70 for a tie for 23rd. Stacy Lewis (Razorbacks) is tied for 56th after an even-par 72.
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September 19, 2020 at 02:07PM
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Off the Wire - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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