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Those in the sparse crowd at Charlotte Motor Speedway saw the Team Penske driver take the lead from teammate Ryan Blaney with 14 laps to go and drive away from any challenges. “I told (crew chief) Jeremy (Bullins) over the radio it felt like we were playing prevent defense early in the race, everybody was waiting for who was going to blow the next tire,” Keselowski told ESPN. “You didn’t want to run slow and get further back in traffic to where you couldn’t make passes....

Keselowski, the 2012 Sprint Cup champion, passed defending champion Kyle Busch with 75 laps to go and held off Busch’s teammate Darrell Wallace Jr. in the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Wallace closed to Keselowski’s back bumper with two laps left, but drifted high in turn one and Keselowski pulled away. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. finished third, followed by Matt Crafton and series points leader Johnny Sauter....

People said he was taking the easy way out by joining the Warriors, who just finished with the best regular-season record in league history before blowing a 3-1 lead in the Finals. There was also discussion on his relationship with Russell Westbrook. Durant addressed all of that, and more, on HBO’s “Any Given Wednesday” with host Bill Simmons. MORE: 25 best players to change teams mid-prime Speaking about the critics, Durant agreed with Simmons’ assessment that it drove him crazy, but ultimately he “had to keep rolling with the punches....

The Thunder star strongly denied a recent ESPN report that he’s considering signing with the Lakers when he becomes a free agent next offseason. MORE: Kevin Durant watch: Early look at the suitors Durant is set to become a free agent after this season. If the Oklahoma City star decides to look elsewhere, he’ll have plenty of suitors, including Washington — and Los Angeles. But for now, he emphatically denies that he or anyone connected to him has talked to the ESPN reporter....

Leonard has been touted because of his NBA Finals performance, which featured one of the all-time turnarounds. Leonard scored nine points each in Games 1 and 2, only to go on to produce 23.7 points over the final three games and end the series with averages of 17.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. MORE: Heat future in doubt | Duncan could retire… but why? | Finals in photos Thunder star Kevin Durant saw that performance as more of a system-based result, and he said as much in a casual Twitter debate....

The Warriors said Thursday that an MRI exam confirmed Durant suffered a strained right calf during Game 5 Wednesday night. Durant didn’t travel with the team to Houston for Game 6 and will be reevaluated next week, effectively sidelining him for the rest of the series. But then what? Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed optimism that Durant, after resting the injury, will return if the team advances to the conference final round....

With the Nets in Memphis for an early-season showdown with the Grizzlies, it was Morant’s star that shined brightest as he lead his team to a statement victory. After the game, Durant gave some meaningful praise to the guard. “He’s the most marketable guy in our league — the face of our league going forward,” Durant told reporters postgame, per ESPN’s Nick Friedell. “There are so many kids that are inspired by what he does....

But one group who will be overwhelmingly pleased with Durant’s new digs: advertisers. And Durant, the NBA’s No. 2 endorser behind LeBron James, stands to reap some impressive benefits. MORE: Classic photos of Durant through the years “It’s a huge move for Kevin,” said Eric Schiffer, CEO of Patriarch Organization and the chairman of ReputationManagementConsultants.com. “It’s going to be amazing for him from a financial standpoint. I think he is going to give LeBron a run for his money there once he gets into the Bay Area....

Kevin Ward Jr. was sent into the wall when his car was bumped by Stewart’s in a dirt-track race Saturday night at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York. Ward got out of his car and walked onto the track, where he was hit by Stewart’s car and killed. MORE: Ward’s father wants answers | What Stewart must do | Stewart’s legal challenge | Harvick penalty “Tony Stewart is a great person,” Harvick said Wednesday....

Kevin Johnson, 37, died at 7:40 p.m. after an injection of pentobarbital at the state prison in Bonne Terre on Tuesday night. Johnson was not in the execution chamber alone—a first for modern executions in the state, The Associated Press reported. He spoke softly with his spiritual advisor, the Rev. Darryl Gray, until the drug was administered, according to the AP. Gray read from the Bible as Johnson shut his eyes and all movement stopped within seconds....

Kevin Love delivered the biggest blows in that first-quarter run and a few more afterward as part of a 23-point performance that included 6 of 8 shooting from 3-point range. The Cavaliers nailed 24 3-pointers, a NBA Finals record. NBA FINALS: Highlights from Cavs’ impressive Game 4 win Now, Cleveland is back in familiar territory trailing 3-1 heading into Game 5 on Monday and some new questions can emerged. Can the Cavs keep shooting like that?...

This time, Love was waiting for the media who trudged into the locker room after the Timberwolves' latest gut punch of a loss, a 104-103 defeat to the Phoenix Suns. This time, he had a message to deliver, and it wasn't pretty. "We can't have two guys sitting at the end of the bench that play good minutes just sitting there and not getting up during timeouts," Love said, referring to the poor body language exhibited by veterans J....

But that could all change following an armbar from Kelly Olynynk that appeared to pope Love’s shoulder out if its socket early in the first quarter on Sunday. MORE: Perkins scuffles with Crowder | J.R. Smith ejected for elbow Love raced back to the locker room following the play, and was ruled out of returning to the game, according to ESPN. Shoulder injuries often range from the minute to the extreme....

USA Basketball officials announced the decision Saturday. Reason: Love doesn’t want to risk injury as he continues to wait for a trade from his NBA team, the Timberwolves. MORE: Cavs trade on hold | Bulls want him | Third parties | Defense questionable It’s the latest pullout for the Americans, who in recent weeks have lost All-Stars Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge, and NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. They have 18 players remaining and will choose 12 for the World Cup of Basketball roster....

During an interview on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo, McCarthy was asked whether or not he plans to keep his promise of removing some Democrats from their roles if he’s elected as the next speaker. Bartiromo was referring to California Representatives Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff, who both serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee....

“He took the video down and made a statement that he doesn’t support violence to anybody,” McCarthy said Monday afternoon, according to Politico. “I called him when I heard about the video. And he made a statement.” McCarthy declined to say whether he directly asked Gosar to apologize for the video, which showed him killing Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, and using a sword against President Joe Biden....

“I don’t think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election,” McCarthy, a California Republican, told reporters after a nearly two-hour, bipartisan meeting with Biden at the White House on Wednesday. “I think that is all over with, we were sitting here with the president today.” McCarthy’s remark is a stark departure from Trump’s stance, as the former president has baselessly claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from him....

Line: New England -8.5, Total: 48.5 Line movement: The Patriots opened at -9.5 at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook on Sunday night before playing at Indianapolis. Most sports books opened at -9 on Monday. Some underdog money later in the week pushed the spread down to -8 or -8.5. There’s also been some downward movement on the total, with 49s moving to 48.5s, and 48.5s to 48. Check our odds page for updated NFL lines from Las Vegas....

In the middle of his speech, Jill quickly moved between her husband and the protester who was on stage holding up a sign reading “Let Dairy Die.” The protester was quickly escorted off the stage by a security guard. Seconds later, a second protester appeared on stage with another Let Dairy Die sign, and she was quickly apprehended by Jill, who with the help of Symone Sanders, a Biden campaign senior adviser, grabbed and pushed the protester off the stage....