DALLAS (AP) — Tyronn Lue said he wants to be coach of the Los Angeles Clippers for the longterm and declined to address directly speculation that the Lakers would target him in their search after firing Darvin Ham.
Lue was asked about his future and the talk of the Lakers after Dallas ended the Clippers season with a 114-101 victory in Game 6 of a first-round series Friday night.
“I don’t really have a comment on that,” Lue said when asked about his name surfacing in the Lakers' search. “It’s great to be wanted. That’s a really good feeling. Like I said, I want to be here. Hopefully, we’re able to solidify that.”
Speaking to reporters in the final minutes of his 47th birthday after a late-night finish, Lue said he felt strong support from owner Steve Ballmer and team president Lawrence Frank among others.
Lue has two years remaining on his contract, and ESPN, citing anonymous sources, reported that the Clippers are interested in an extension.
“I didn’t come in to bounce around, go all over the place,” Lue said. “They’ve all been great to me. Just having a great relationship with the owner, with the front office. It’s great. I would love to be here longterm.”
The Clippers were without star forward Kawhi Leonard in four of the six games against the Mavericks with right knee inflammation. He missed three of five games in a first-round loss to Phoenix last year.
“I give our guys credit for just sticking with it through all the ups and downs and all the negative scrutiny and all the things that they went through this season,” Lue said. “Having to go into a series again short-handed.”
Lue coached Cleveland to the 2016 NBA title with LeBron James, who left for the Lakers in free agency two years later. Lue was gone just six games — all losses — into the season after James' departure from the Cavaliers.
Lue was an assistant on Doc Rivers' staff with the Clippers before taking over when Rivers and the club mutually parted ways following the 2019-20 season. Rivers ended up in Philadelphia.
The Clippers reached the Western Conference finals in Lue's first season and have a 184-134 record in the regular season under him.
Leonard is under contract in 2024-25, and fellow All-Star Paul George has a player option. James Harden, a 10-time All-Star added in an early-season trade, is a free agent.
“This was a good year,” Lue said. “Overall, I wouldn't trade it for anything, outside the early ending. I like the guys in the locker room. They respect me. I respect them. I'm ready to move on to next season and get better.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue shouts to his players during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lars Nootbaar and Masyn Winn hit two-run homers, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat Boston 10-6 on Friday night to drop the Red Sox below .500 for the first time since the season’s opening week.
Nolan Arenado had three hits that included an RBI single in the eighth after entering in a 3-for-27 slide.
“I think today we were just locked in on just competing and we were in it,” Arenado said.
Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson also went deep for the Cardinals, who matched season highs for runs, hits (14) and homers. St. Louis has had at least 10 hits in five of its last six games.
“A lot of good at-bats tonight from everybody, you know, and stringing them together as well,” Burleson said. “Just, you know, singled them to death when we needed to and then, you know, had a couple of long balls mixed in there too. So, a lot of fun to watch when we’re clicking.”
Winn’s two-run homer off Cam Booser was the first home run of Winn’s big league career.
“He came up to me right before that at bat, he said I’m going to be taking some big swings,” Nootbaar said. “And I was like, do it, dude, why not?”
Boston has lost three straight and 10 of 14, falling to 22-23. The Red Sox had not been under .500 since a 1-2 start.
Kyle Gibson (3-2) allowed five runs, eight hits and three walks in six-plus innings as the Cardinals won for the fourth time in five games.
Brayan Bello (4-2) gave up a season-high five runs in a season-low 4 2/3 innings. Pitching on his 25th birthday, he tied a career-worst by allowing three homers.
“It was a bad outing,” Bello said through an interpreter. “The team did everything possible to score some runs, to get me some run support, but I wasn’t able to make the adjustment tonight.”
Nootbaar put the Cardinals ahead when he drove a changeup 430 feet over the center-field wall for his third home run in 10 days.
“Hitting’s contagious and you have handful of guys that have some knocks and all of a sudden you feel a little bit better about yourself and have more confidence,” Nootbaar said.
David Hamilton’s two-run triple tied the score in the second. Tyler O’Neill scored on the hit and received a standing ovation in his return to St. Louis, his team from 2018-23.
Gorman homered in the second and Rafael Devers tied the score 3-3 with a 443-foot drive in the third — he is 9 for 20 against Gibson with three extra-base hits.
“We were what, 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position?” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “But the at-bats are getting better, which is, you know, a positive.”
Burleson homered leading off the fourth and Paul Goldschmidt hit an RBI single for a 5-3 lead in the fifth.
“Today was fun, man,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Up and down the lineup, not a whole lot of breathing room. Extra-base hits, homers, some key hits when they were needed from just about everybody. So, offense looked really really good today.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: RHP Garrett Whitlock (left oblique strain) experienced soreness in his right elbow following a rehab start and has been shut down. Whitlock, who threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings at Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, returned to Boston and will undergo imaging tests over the weekend.
Cardinals: C Willson Contreras (left forearm fracture) had his cast removed and still hopes to return around the All-Star break. … RHP Giovanny Gallegos (right shoulder impingement) threw a bullpen session.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals will start RHP Miles Mikolas (3-5, 6.19 ERA) against RHP Kutter Crawford (2-2, 2.24 ERA) and the Red Sox on Saturday night. Mikolas allowed just one run in six innings in his lone career start last year against Boston. Crawford gave up four runs in four innings in his only career start against St. Louis in 2022.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt fields a ground ball hit by Boston Red Sox's Dominic Smith in the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 17, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson, right, is congratulated by teammate Ivan Herrera (48) after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, May 17, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
Boston Red Sox's center fielder Jarren Duran jumps at the wall but is unable to catch a home-run hit by St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn in the sixth inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 17, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals' shortstop Masyn Winn (0) is congratulated by teammate Ivan Herrera (48) after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, May 17, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt hits an RBI single in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, May 17, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
Boston Red Sox first baseman Dominic Smith catches a foul ball hit by St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan in the sixth inning of a baseball, Friday, May 17, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher John King throws in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, May 17, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Lars Nootbaar (21), center, and teammates celebrate after their victory in a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, May 17, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz)
