NBA owners passed rules Thursday designed to prevent healthy players from sitting out games, and teams from losing games on purpose to improve their draft position. Under the new draft lottery rules, the teams with the three worst records will all have 14 percent odds to land the No. 1 pick when the changes are implemented with the 2019 draft. The team with the worst record previously had 25 percent odds to win the lottery and could fall to the No. 4 spot in the draft. Now that team can tumble all the way to fifth. The lottery changes were to discourage tanking, the practice of losing games on purpose in an effort to improve draft odds. Also teams can’t sit healthy players for high-profile, nationally televised games, and fines for violating that can be for at least $100,000. The rules also say that unless there are unusual circumstances, teams should not rest multiple healthy players for the same game or rest healthy players when playing on the road . . . LeBron James rolled his left ankle during practice on Wednesday night, his first workout with former teammate Dwyane Wade. The Cavaliers said X-rays were negative and James did not practice Thursday so he could get treatment. He’s listed as day to day . . . Jurors heard closing arguments in the assault trial of NBA twin brothers Marcus and Markieff Morris in Phoenix. They are accused of helping three other people beat Erik Hood on Jan. 24, 2015, outside a high school basketball game. At the time, they played for the Phoenix Suns. Marcus now plays for the Celtics, Markieff for the Wizards.
Baseball
Athletics extend manager Melvin
Bob Melvin is set to manage another year for the Oakland Athletics, with an extension set to take him through the 2019 season. In late July, Melvin earned his 1,000th managerial win . . . Derek Jeter has about a 4 percent stake in the group buying the Miami Marlins and retired NBA great Michael Jordan approximately half of 1 percent, part of a $1.2 billion purchase that includes $800 million in cash. Bruce Sherman, who will become the controlling owner, has the highest equity stake in the group, about 46 percent, according to details obtained by the Associated Press from a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been announced . . . Chicago White Sox starter Carlos Rodon had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder Wednesday and could miss the beginning of next season, general manager Rick Hahn said. Hahn said Thursday the lefthander should miss six to eight months after the surgery.
. . . Bryce Harper was out of the Washington Nationals’ starting lineup Thursday night because he felt sore after returning this week from a knee injury that sidelined him for about a quarter of the season. Nationals manager Dusty Baker wanted to make one thing perfectly clear: ‘‘Don't,’’ he said, ‘‘be alarmed.’’Baker said said that nothing new cropped up with Harper, who hyperextended his left knee during a game in August and missed 42 games.
Miscellany
Ostapenko upsets No. 1 Muguruza
French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko beat Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, in the Wuhan Open tennis tournament quarterfinals in China. Ostapenko came from a break down in the deciding set, winning the last five games to beat Muguruza for the first time and a world No. 1 for the first time . . . The US Women’s National Team Players Association pledged $16,000 to help launch a union for players in the National Women's Soccer League. The NWSL Players Association represents more than 160 players who are not paid by the US and Canadian soccer federations.
Colorado Rapids forward Kevin Doyle said he is retiring because of repeated concussions. Doyle is from Ireland and has played 16 years in Europe and in Major League Soccer . . . America’s Cup champion Emirates Team New Zealand says the next edition of sailing’s marquee regatta will be contested in 75-foot monohulls with crews of 10 to 12, with a 20-percent nationality rule.
