Sports News Roundup: Stars seek 'another level' in Stanley Cup Final; Davis, James power Lakers to verge of NBA Finals and more

Davis, James power Lakers to verge of NBA Finals Anthony Davis scored a game-high 34 points, LeBron James added 26 and the Los Angeles Lakers never lost the lead over the final three quarters Thursday night en route to a 114-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals near Orlando.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Stars seek 'another level' in Stanley Cup Final

The Dallas Stars have been a resilient group this postseason and so refuse to panic, even as their top players are in an offensive slump that has left the team one loss from being pushed to the brink of elimination in the Stanley Cup Final. With forwards like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin without a point in the NHL's best-of-seven championship and Alexander Radulov held to three assists, the Stars have fallen behind 2-1 with the next two games set for Friday and Saturday.

Davis, James power Lakers to verge of NBA Finals

Anthony Davis scored a game-high 34 points, LeBron James added 26 and the Los Angeles Lakers never lost the lead over the final three quarters Thursday night en route to a 114-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals near Orlando. The top-seeded Lakers hold a 3-1 lead in the series and are within one win of the NBA Finals. Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday.

Nadal faces tough path to French final, Wawrinka takes on Murray in round one

Rafael Nadal, who is seeking a record-extending 13th French Open title, was handed a relatively tough path to this year's final at Roland Garros when the draw was made on Thursday. The Spaniard will take on Bulgaria's Egor Gerasimov in the first round and faces a potential last-eight clash with U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev, who has never made it past the quarter-finals at the claycourt Grand Slam.

Florida prosecutors drop solicitation charges against owner of NFL's Patriots

Florida prosecutors on Thursday dropped charges against Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots football team, that he sought to pay for sex at a Jupiter massage spa, court papers showed. The 79-year-old owner of the six-time Super Bowl champions was among dozens of men accused of soliciting prostitution inside Orchids of Asia Spa in February 2019. He has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges and issued a public apology for his actions.

MLB roundup: Rays capture first division title since 2010

Randy Arozarena hit a tiebreaking two-run homer with one out in the sixth inning and added another homer in the ninth and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched the American League East Division title with an 8-5 victory over the host New York Mets Wednesday night. The Rays won their third division title and first since 2010. They took over first place in the division for good on Aug. 22 and are closing in on clinching the top seed in the American League playoffs. The Rays celebrated on the field with confetti near their dugout on the third base side.

Mahomes, Jackson headline Monday Night Football MVP clash

The stage is set for a clash of the MVP quarterbacks on National Football League's (NFL) Monday Night Football, as the Kansas City Chiefs head on the road to face the Baltimore Ravens in the Week 3 primetime showdown. The Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and the NFL's reigning MVP Lamar Jackson of the Ravens represent the league's fiercest rivalry in the making, as the leading figures in a growing cohort of young quarterback talent.

Dygert out after horror crash, Van der Breggen wins TT gold

American race favourite Chloe Dygert suffered a serious leg injury after a horror crash in the individual time trial at the UCI Road World Championships as Dutchwoman Anna van der Breggen claimed gold on Thursday. The 23-year-old defending champion Dygert was setting a searing pace on the 31.7km circuit at Imola and looked certain for another gold before losing control.

Kobe Bryant autograph on last game court piece hits auction block

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant's autograph, on a hardwood section of the court where he played his last game, is on the auction block online and expected to fetch at least $500,000 next week. The four-panel floor piece, measuring 4 feet by 8 feet (1.2 by 2.4 meters), is emblazoned with a huge "8," one of two numbers Bryant wore during a sensational 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. It graced one end of the National Basketball Association court for the game on April 13, 2016, balancing a section with his other jersey number "24" at the other end.

French Open allowed only 1,000 people a day, prime minister says

The French Open will be able to welcome only 1,000 people a day, including players, staff and organisers, down from the 5,000 spectators it had hoped for, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday. "We will apply at Roland Garros the same rules as elsewhere.

We will go from 5,000 to 1,000," he said, clarifying that those figures included players, staff and organisers. Sun take 2-1 semifinal lead on Aces

Playing in pain due to a dislocated right shoulder, Alyssa Thomas produced a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Sun to a 77-68 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night, with Connecticut taking a 2-1 lead in a best-of-five WNBA semifinal series at Bradenton, Fla. Down seven with 5 1/2 minutes to play, Connecticut went on a 20-4 run to end the game.

(With inputs from agencies.)