Sports News Roundup: Walker sharp in Blue Jays debut; Tokyo Games to be symbol of hope and more

NBA roundup: Leonard posts 33, Clippers close out Mavericks Kawhi Leonard had 33 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists and the Los Angeles Clippers eliminated the Dallas Mavericks from the playoffs with a 111-97 victory in Game 6 on Sunday in the NBA bubble near Orlando.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

MLB roundup: Walker sharp in Blue Jays debut

Taijuan Walker pitched six scoreless innings in his Toronto Blue Jays debut and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio each had two RBIs in a 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night at Buffalo. Walker (3-2), who was acquired Thursday in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, allowed four hits and three walks and struck out four in his first outing in 10 days. It was his 100th career major league start.

Tokyo Games to be symbol of hope as flame goes on display

At a low-key ceremony to mark the unveiling of the Olympic flame display on Monday, Tokyo officials reiterated that next year's Games will be a symbol of hope for the world as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. The flame will be on show from Tuesday at the Japanese Olympic Museum, located next to the National Stadium purpose-built for the Games which were due to take place this year but were rescheduled for 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

NBA roundup: Leonard posts 33, Clippers close out Mavericks

Kawhi Leonard had 33 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists and the Los Angeles Clippers eliminated the Dallas Mavericks from the playoffs with a 111-97 victory in Game 6 on Sunday in the NBA bubble near Orlando. Ivica Zubac had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Paul George contributed 15 points, nine boards and seven assists for the Clippers. Leonard added five steals.

Legendary U.S. college basketball coach John Thompson dead at 78: media reports

Former Georgetown coach John Thompson passed away at the age of 78, ESPN and other media outlets reported on Monday. Johnson, also known as "Big John," was a legendary figure in U.S. college basketball and the first Black head coach to win a major collegiate championship when he led the Georgetown Hoyas to victory in the 1984 NCAA National Championship.

Ewan outsmarts Bennett to win Tour stage three as Alaphilippe retains lead

Australian Caleb Ewan timed his effort to perfection to win the third stage of the Tour de France in a bunch sprint at the end of a 198-km hilly ride through the Alpine foothills on Monday. Sam Bennett looked in control but the Irishman had probably underestimated the headwind and settled for second place as he watched Lotto-Soudal fastman Ewan whizz around him to snatch his fourth stage win on the Tour.

NHL roundup: Islanders take 3-1 lead on top-seeded Flyers

Brock Nelson scored twice Sunday night for the New York Islanders, who took a commanding lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, in Game 4 in Toronto. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period for the sixth-seeded Islanders, who seized a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. New York will attempt to close out the Flyers and advance to the conference finals for the first time since 1993 in Game 5, which is scheduled for Tuesday night.

Dodgers set National League record for home runs in a month with Bellinger's blast

The Los Angeles Dodgers hit three home runs in the first three innings of Sunday's game against the host Texas Rangers to set a National League record for homers in a month with 57. Cody Bellinger slammed the record-breaking homer with a two-run shot into the right-field seats off Kyle Gibson in the third inning. The Atlanta Braves held the old NL mark of 56, set in June 2019.

Djokovic, Osaka in action as very different U.S. Open begins

Former champions Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka headline Day One at the U.S. Open on Monday, as an unusual calm settled over Flushing Meadows for the first Grand Slam event since the coronavirus outbreak. Djokovic and Osaka, who won the singles titles in 2018, will compete in prime time starting at 7pm ET (2300 GMT), a marquee lineup that - under normal circumstances - would see thousands of fans pack under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Snowden to testify in defence of creator of Football Leaks

Fugitive U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden will be one of 45 witnesses testifying in Portugal in defence of Rui Pinto, whose trove of 70 million documents exposed the dealings of European soccer clubs, Pinto's lawyer said on Monday. Portuguese prosecutors have said the compilation of the Football Leaks data, which from 2016 revealed transfer fees, contracts and information on players' agencies, led to unauthorised access to Portuguese data, attempted extortion and violation of the privacy of correspondence.

Padres acquire veteran C Castro from Angels

The San Diego Padres acquired veteran catcher Jason Castro from the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to fortify a position that had been lacking in offense. Castro, 33, is hitting just .192 but has two homers and six RBIs in 18 games this season. He has spent 10 seasons in the big leagues, posting a .231 average with 88 homers and 298 RBIs in 843 games.