(BOSTON) — The Golden State Warriors are hoping to even out the series against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals Friday night.
The Celtics are up 2-1 in the series after beating Golden State on Wednesday, 116-110.
Game 4 is slated to tip off in Boston at 9 p.m. ET.
ABC News’ Will Reeve appeared on Good Morning America to share a preview of what to know ahead of Friday night’s matchup:
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Tampa Bay 2, St. Louis 1
LA Dodgers 11, Chi White Sox 9
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 8, Oakland 4
NY Yankees 10, Minnesota 7
Kansas City 7, Baltimore 5
LA Angels 5, Boston 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona 5, Cincinnati 4
Philadelphia 8, Milwaukee 3
Colorado 4, San Francisco 2
Atlanta 3, Pittsburgh 1
Miami 7, Washington 4
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Tampa Bay 3, NY Rangers 1 (Tampa Bay leads 3-2)
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Detroit 3, Pittsburgh 1
Atlanta 13, Oakland 2
Tampa Bay 11, St. Louis 3
LA Dodgers 4, Chi White Sox 1
Chi Cubs at Baltimore (Postponed)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kansas City 8, Toronto 4
Cleveland 4, Texas 0
Seattle 6, Houston 3
Minnesota 8, NY Yankees 1
Boston 1, LA Angels 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona 7, Cincinnati 0
Miami 2, Washington 1
Philadelphia 10, Milwaukee 0
San Diego 13, NY Mets 2
Colorado 1, San Francisco 1 (Bot 9th)
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Boston 116, Golden State 100 (Boston leads 2-1)
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Connecticut 88, Indiana 69
Washington 84, Chicago 82
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(NEW YORK) — As the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors face off in the 2022 NBA Finals, players are calling attention to the case of Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who has been detained in Russia for more than three months.
“She needs to be home, she needs to be safe, she needs to be with her family,” Warriors point guard Steph Curry told ESPN on Tuesday.
“Right now it’s just about getting her home and everybody just joining that effort … to make sure she’s talked about and all hands are on deck and all resources are thrown at getting her home as soon as possible,” he added.
Some have argued that if NBA stars like Curry or Lebron James were wrongfully detained in a foreign country, more would be done to get them back home.
“There’s something to that,” Curry said when asked about how Griner has been treated.
“It is an unfortunate situation and it is a tragedy,” he said.
The Boston Celtics raised awareness about Griner’s case on the court this week by wearing “We Are BG” T-shirts — a slogan that has become a rallying cry in the WNBA and beyond this season to show support for the Phoenix Mercury star.
“As a collective we wanted to come out and show our support for Brittney Griner,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said, according to ESPN. “She’s been over there for an extended amount of time, and we feel like enough is enough.”
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said that he got to spend time with Griner when they competed in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, which took place last year due to COVID-19 delays.
“It’s extremely tough seeing what she’s going through,” Tatum said earlier this week, according to ESPN. “I know everybody sees and feels that, and obviously we’re all together in support trying to bring her back to her family and things like that. Yeah, wearing those shirts today in support of her.”
Griner, a WNBA superstar, has been detained in a Russian prison for more than 110 days. She was visiting Russia in February to play basketball during the off-season when she was arrested at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow for allegedly having vape cartridges in her luggage that contained hashish oil — an illegal substance in Russia.
She was charged with “large-scale transportation of drugs” and could face up to 10 years in prison, according to The New York Times.
The U.S. government classified Griner’s case on May 3 as “wrongfully detained” in Russia, which means that the U.S. would work to negotiate her release. The State Department did not immediately return ABC News’ request for comment on Griner.
Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, told “GMA” co-anchor Robin Robertslast month that the support her wife has received from the league has brought the WNBA star “comfort” amid her detention.
The WNBA, which kicked off its 2022 season on May 6, is honoring Griner with a floor decal bearing her initials and jersey number (42) on the sideline of all 12 WNBA teams.
“Things like that matter, like, it has her hopeful,” Cherelle Griner told Roberts. “It lets her know she’s not forgotten.”
“Those small moments, I know, give her some type of hope,” she added.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began one week after Griner was detained on Feb. 17. Some officials are concerned that Americans jailed in Russia could be used as leverage in the ongoing conflict.
Cherelle Griner said that she would like to speak with President Joe Biden.
“I just keep hearing that, you know, he has the power. She’s a political pawn,” she said. “So if they’re holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it.”
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said last month that a U.S. consular officer was able to meet with Griner on May 19.
Price said the officer “found her continuing to do as well as could be expected under these exceedingly challenging circumstances.”
“But again, our message is a clear and simple one — we continue to insist that Russia allow consistent and timely consular access to all U.S. citizen detainees,” he added. “One-off visits are not sufficient, and we will continue to call on Moscow to uphold its commitments under the Vienna Convention for consistent and timely access, as well.”
Calls to free Brittney Griner escalated following the release of U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed in April, who was freed from a Russian prison as part of a prisoner exchange. Former Marine Paul Whelan has also been detained in Russia since 2019.
Reed called for Griner and Whelan’s freedom at a rally on Monday in Griner’s hometown of Houston.
“There is no justice in Russia,” Reed said. “Brittney and Paul will not receive justice in Russia. They’re not going to receive a fair trial, they will not receive a fair investigation. They will be there as hostages until the United States gets them out.”
Griner’s trip to Russia has underscored the issue of pay inequality in professional basketball.
Many WNBA players have traveled around the world to play in the off-season because they don’t make enough money during the season — an issue that is not as prevalent for NBA players who are paid more. The top WNBA salary is $228K, whereas star NBA players can make at least $1 million a year.
ABC News’ Conor Finnegan, Courtney Condron and Kelly McCarthy contributed to this report.
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(ANAHEIM, Calif.) — A California man has been arrested for the theft of an Olympic volleyball champion’s gold medal last month.
The medal, awarded to U.S. women’s volleyball starting setter Jordyn Poulter during the 2020 Tokyo Games, still has not been found, the Anaheim Police Department said in a statement.
Jordan Fernandez, 31, was charged with first-degree residential burglary, second-degree vehicle burglary, identity theft and possession of narcotics on Tuesday, the statement said.
Fernandez was arrested Friday and arraigned Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty. Court records show that he was being held in custody.
“Subsequent to pursuing several investigative leads, APD investigators arrested Jordan Fernandez, a 31-year-old resident of Anaheim, for the theft of the gold medal,” the police department said.
Poulter is offering a $1,000 reward for the medal’s return with “no questions asked,” Anaheim police said.
According to police, the medal was stolen from Poulter’s car while it was parked in a garage.
The medal, awarded to Poulter as part of the the U.S. women’s volleyball team’s historic first Olympic win, was given after the Americans defeated Brazil in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021.
Poulter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Poulter, 24, was training in California and had been living in Anaheim when the theft occurred. She had left the medal in a bag inside her unlocked car before leaving it in a two-door garage with the door open, police said.
“I really unintentionally forgot to take it out,” Poulter told NBC on Tuesday.
After going inside for a quick Zoom call, Poulter returned to see the car’s center console open and found her bag missing, according to police. The medal, along with several other items, had been taken.
The medal was awarded to Poulter after her first and only Olympic performance so far.
Poulter told the Los Angeles Times she cares more about the emotional value of getting her medal back versus the lost monetary value, citing the medal as being worth less than one might assume.
According to the International Olympic Committee, there are around six grams of gold plating on the 2020 Tokyo gold medals, and the rest is pure silver. The average 2020 gold medal weighs about 556 grams total.
The Anaheim Police Department asks anyone with information on the medal’s whereabouts to contact the department at 714-765-1900 or the Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.
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(NEW YORK) — Gymnasts and other victims of sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault of minors, as well as other charges, said they plan on Wednesday to file a series of tort claims against the Justice Department and the FBI seeking a collective total of about $1 billion, according to their legal team.
“The FBI knew that Larry Nassar was a danger to children when his abuse of me was first reported in September of 2015,” gymnast Maggie Nichols, a Team USA member and NCAA National Champion, said in a statement. “For 421 days they worked with USA Gymnastics and USOPC to hide this information from the public and allowed Nassar to continue molesting young women and girls. It is time for the FBI to be held accountable.”
The claimants include some of America’s most celebrated Olympic and Team USA gymnasts, including Nichols, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney. This group includes former University of Michigan gymnast Samantha Roy and former gymnast and victim’s advocate Kaylee Lorincz.
The amount of damages sought differs by claimant, but the total claims could exceed $1 billion, according to a group of lawyers from Manly Stewart & Finaldi, Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers, Grewal Law and Drew, Cooper & Anding, and Gruel Mills, the firms representing the clients.
Hundreds of young women and girls came forward to accuse Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics national team doctor, of inappropriate or criminal behavior. Nassar pleaded guilty in 2017 in connection with crimes against several victims and was sentenced to 60 years behind bars for child pornography and other charges. He again pleaded guilty in 2018 and was sentenced to an additional 40 to 175 years for multiple counts of sexual assault of minors.
At a September Congressional hearing, FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed outrage and sadness for the victims of Nassar’s abuse and FBI inaction.
A Department of Justice inspector general’s report found the FBI was notified of Nassar’s behavior, but failed to act for more than a year.
“I’m sorry for what you and your families have been through,” Wray told the Senate judiciary committee. “I’m sorry that so many different people let you down, over and over again. And I’m especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in in 2015 and failed.”
Wray said the allegations happened before he was director, but is doing everything in his power to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Atlanta 3, Oakland 2
Detroit 5, Pittsburgh 3
Baltimore 9, Chi Cubs 3
Tampa Bay 4, St. Louis 2
Chi White Sox 4, LA Dodgers 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 6, Texas 3
Texas 6, Cleveland 3
Toronto 7, Kansas City 0
Houston 4, Seattle 1
N.Y. Yankees 10, Minnesota 4
Boston 6, L.A. Angels 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami 12, Washington 2
Cincinnati 14, Arizona 8
Philadelphia 3, Milwaukee 2
San Diego 7, NY Mets 0
Colorado 5, San Francisco 3
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Tampa Bay 4, NY Rangers 1 (Series tied 2-2)
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York 88, Minnesota 69
Seattle 72, Atlanta 60
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(BOSTON) — Authorities from Homeland Security Investigations and the Boston Police Department are warning that there could be an uptick in counterfeit NBA goods and tickets being sold, as the series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Wednesday.
“Criminals have been known to exploit fan enthusiasm during major sporting events by selling counterfeit jerseys, hats and other sports related merchandise to unsuspecting consumers,” said Jim Mancuso, HSI Intellectual Property Rights Center Director. “Fans who spend their hard-earned money can rest assured the IPR Center and its partners are working around the clock to ensure they are getting only genuine, high-quality officially licensed NBA merchandise.”
HSI is the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
The effort isn’t new. During major events such as the Super Bowl and the NCAA Men’s Final Four, HSI is out on the streets collecting counterfeit goods. In February, officials announced they seized nearly $100 million worth of counterfeit sports goods in the past year.
In a separate news release, Boston Police urges fans to be cautious in purchasing NBA finals tickets.
“The BPD encourages fans to only buy tickets from authorized ticket agencies,” the Department says. “Fans who purchase tickets from a secondary source are taking a chance and do so at the buyer’s own risk.”
Homeland Security Investigations works in concert with the NBA and other sports leagues to crack down on counterfeits.
“In San Francisco, Boston and beyond, counterfeiters take advantage of consumers who want genuine, quality NBA merchandise and tickets — and take away from their overall NBA Finals experience,” said Ayala Deutsch, NBA Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel.
HSI urges consumers to shop at official NBA licensed stores and look for the NBA hologram which is on every licensed, official product.
The series between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors is tied and Game 3 takes place Wednesday at the TD Garden in Boston.
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(BATON ROUGE, La.) — Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards didn’t veto or approve the Republican-led Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, by the end of the legislative session Monday. The now-law that bans transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
“Whether it’s intended or not, the effect is to [send] a strong message to at least some of these young people that they shouldn’t be who they think they are, who they believe they are, who they know that they are,” Edwards said in a press conference on Monday. ” I find that very distressing. I do believe that we can be better than that.”
The legislation points to the biological differences between men and women. It claims “strength, speed, and endurance” are generally found in “greater degrees in biological males than biological females.”
The law also claims that hormone therapy after puberty is not effective until over a year after treatment begins — but does not reference puberty blockers, which some trans youth take to temporarily halt puberty.
There is no conclusive evidence as to whether transgender women have an unfair advantage, some experts say.
A recent study found that hormone therapy is most effective at quelling physical advantages after two years, but the study had several limitations. For example, it didn’t take into account differences in exercise habits.
Several major athletic organizations, including NCAA, the Olympics and the governing bodies for U.S. national sports leagues, allow transgender women to compete against cisgender women.
LGBTQ advocates say such bans are aiming to solve a problem that does not exist, and will only serve to harm trans children.
“SB 44 is a direct attack on transgender youth that are trying their best to just be kids, and fit in with and play alongside their peers,” the Human Right Campaign said in a statement when the legislation first passed the legislature.
It continued: “Trans kids, like all kids across the country, have said themselves that they play sports for the same reasons all kids do: to be part of a team, to learn discipline, and above all, to have fun with their friends.”
There have been more than 300 bills targeting the LGBTQ community across the country so far this year.
Louisiana joins Indiana, Oklahoma, Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia in banning transgender girls from sports that align with their gender identity.
However, several governors have vetoed similar bills, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.
The two cited a lack of evidence that trans students were unfairly dominating and warned about the mental health implications of banning trans youth from recreational sports.
The two both had their vetoes overturned.
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Seattle 7, Houston 4
Boston 1, LA Angels 0
Toronto 8, Kansas City 0
Texas at Cleveland (Postponed)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 7, Arizona 0
NY Mets 11, San Diego 5
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Colorado 6, Edmonton 5 (OT) (Colorado wins 4-0)
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