Sports Roundup: Celtics Edge Closer, Backstroke Queen Shines & More

The latest sports news covers various events: the Boston Celtics are nearing an NBA Finals sweep, Kaylee McKeown excels in swimming trials, West Indies progress in T20 cricket, and more. Notable mentions include Jakob Ingebrigtsen's European Championship gold and Tom Brady's number retirement by the Patriots.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Celtics hold off desperate Mavs, go up 3-0 in Finals

The Boston Celtics, one win away from sweeping the NBA Finals, insist they won't get overconfident. They only need to look back at the fourth quarter of Game 3 to see how dangerous the Dallas Mavericks can be.

Swimming-Backstroke queen McKeown eyes 200m berth at Olympic trials

World record holder Kaylee McKeown cruised into the women's 200m backstroke final at Australia's Olympic trials on Thursday, while former Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers set the pace in the men's 100m freestyle heats. McKeown has already secured Olympic places in the 200m individual medley and 100m backstroke, winning both finals at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre with sizzling times.

Cricket–West Indies into Super Eight, winless NZ face early exit

West Indies batsman Sherfane Rutherford transformed a match his team appeared doomed to lose to New Zealand on Wednesday with a scintillating unbeaten 68 from 39 balls to propel the home side into the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage. The co-hosts recovered from 30 for five in the seventh over at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy to reach a competitive 149 for nine on a tricky surface following heavy rain.

Olympics-France 2030, Salt Lake City 2034 take penultimate step towards hosting Games

France 2030 and Salt Lake City 2034 got the nod from the International Olympic Committee's executive board on Wednesday, the penultimate step towards becoming Olympic winter Games hosts, the IOC said. The bids will now await a vote of the Olympic body's session in Paris on July 24, Karl Stoss who heads the IOC's future host commission said, in what is largely a rubberstamping of the executive board's recommendation.

Athletics-Ingebrigtsen collects record sixth European gold

Norway's Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the 1,500 metres in Rome on Wednesday for a record sixth European Championship gold. The 23-year-old charged down the final metres and was all by himself when he crossed the finish in 3:31.95, a championship record, to become the most decorated male athlete ever in the continental championship.

MLB roundup: Carlos Correa, Twins trounce Rockies

Carlos Correa had a career-high five hits and Carlos Santana ripped a bases-clearing double, powering the Minnesota Twins to a 17-9 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday in Minneapolis. Royce Lewis and Willi Castro each homered to highlight their three-hit performances for Minnesota, which banged out a season-high 24 hits.

Pats retire Tom Brady's number, announce statue plans

The New England Patriots, while inducting Tom Brady into their Hall of Fame on Wednesday, delivered a few surprises for the legendary quarterback. Team owner Robert Kraft revealed that the Patriots are retiring Brady's uniform No. 12 and are commissioning a 12-foot-tall bronze Brady statue that will be installed during the 2024 season.

Olympics-Messi says he won't play for Argentina at Paris Games

Lionel Messi said he will not be part of Argentina's squad for the Paris Olympics as he is no longer at an age where he can play in every tournament. The 36-year-old Inter Miami forward is currently preparing for Argentina's Copa America title defence, which runs from June 20 to July 14 in the United States.

Cricket-US coach Law won't blame stop-clock penalty for India loss

The United States became the first team to be penalised under the game's stop-clock rules but coach Stuart Law said it did not play a part in his team's seven-wicket loss to India at the T20 World Cup on Wednesday. Using stop clocks to regulate the time taken between overs was made mandatory earlier this year in an effort to speed up over rates.

Jerry West, all-time great and inspiration for NBA logo, dies aged 86

Jerry West, widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all-time whose silhouette was the inspiration for the National Basketball Association's logo, has died at the age of 86. The Los Angeles Clippers, where he worked as an executive, confirmed the death on Wednesday, saying the 14-times NBA all-star passed away peacefully with his wife Karen by his side.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)