The Los Angeles Chargers will take on the Detroit Lions in the annual Hall of Fame game as part of enshrinement week.

The Hall announced the matchup for July 31 with the Chargers playing just days before longtime tight end Antonio Gates will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Gates will be joined by three other modern era candidates with Eric Allen, Jared Allen and Sterling Sharpe also getting inducted on Aug. 2.

The Lions will be designated as the home team for the game after going 15-2 last season before losing in the divisional round to Washington. The Chargers went 11-6 and made the playoffs as a wild-card team in coach Jim Harbaugh’s first season.

This will be the fourth trip to Canton for the Lions and the third for the Chargers.

Bears legend McMichael dies at 67 >> Steve McMichael, a star defensive tackle on the Chicago Bears’ famed 1985 Super Bowl championship team whose larger-than-life personality made him a fixture in the Windy City for decades and a natural for professional wrestling, has died following a battle with ALS. He was 67.

McMichael died Wednesday afternoon, his publicist, Betsy Shepherd, told The Associated Press.

An All-Pro in 1985 and 1987, McMichael was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. He played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 and ranks second to Richard Dent on the Bears’ career sacks list with 92 1/2. His final NFL season was with Green Bay in 1994.

NBA

Celtics’ tatum misses first playoff game in career >> Celtics star Jayson Tatum missed the first playoff game of his career, sitting out with a bone bruise in his right wrist as Boston hosted the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the teams’ Eastern Conference first-round series.

The six-time All-Star was declared out about an hour before tipoff. He had been listed listed as doubtful with the injury, which he suffered in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ 103-86 victory Sunday.

Knicks’ Brunson wins clutch player of the year >> Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks won the NBA’s clutch player of the year award.

Brunson got 70 of the 100 first-place votes. Denver’s Nikola Jokic was second and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards was third.

Brunson averaged 5.6 points on 51.5% shooting in clutch time this season, with the Knicks going 17-11 in the games he played that met the criteria for the “clutch” designation.

Nuggets coach optimistic Porter Jr. will play Thursday >> Michael Porter Jr. participated in the Denver Nuggets’ practice and interim coach David Adelman said he was hopeful Porter would play in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.

Adelman also said a stomach bug that had swept through the team earlier in the week, one that had him doubting if Jamal Murray would even play Monday night, was abating.

Porter sprained his left shoulder late in the Nuggets’ 105-102 loss in Game 2 and wasn’t on the floor when Denver missed desperation 3-pointers in the final seconds. He got hurt when Kris Dunn fell on him while the two scrambled for a loose ball.

Judge drops lawsuit against Grizzlies’ Morant >> A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a teenager who accused two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant of punching him during a pickup game at the home of the Memphis Grizzlies guard’s parents in 2022.

Shelby County Circuit Judge Carol Chumney issued an order dismissing the lawsuit, saying in her ruling that Morant acted in self-defense and was immune from civil liability in the suit filed by Joshua Holloway, who plays basketball for Samford University and just completed his sophomore season.

Holloway was 17 and in high school when he was invited to play pickup basketball with other people at the home of Morant’s parents in July 2022. The daylong series of games ended when Morant punched Holloway once in the face. Holloway then sued Morant, alleging the NBA player had assaulted him.

Jimmer Fredette retires >> Jimmer Fredette, the 2011 Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the year at BYU who went on to become an NBA lottery pick and then played for the U.S. in 3x3 at last year’s Paris Olympics, announced his retirement.

Fredette, 36, was the No. 10 pick by Milwaukee in that 2011 draft. He spent parts of six seasons in the NBA with Sacramento, New Orleans, Chicago, Phoenix and New York. He also played professionally in China and Greece, winning the MVP award in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2017.

The native of Glens Falls, New York, had games of 70 and 75 points during his career in China, including one where he scored 60 points after halftime. He averaged 28.9 points per game for BYU in the 2010-11 college season, leading the country on his way to the AP player of the year award. And in 2023, he was USA Basketball’s 3x3 male athlete of the year.

NHL

Thompson dazzles late as the Capitals beat the Canadiens in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead >> Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome scored a minute apart early in the second period, Logan Thompson made some spectacular stops among his 25 saves and Washington beat Montreal to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.

Thompson was at his best in the third, notably robbing Josh Anderson of what would have been the tying goal on a 2-on-0 breakaway with 10:59 left, then later getting his stick on a deflection by Christian Dvorak. Fans chanted “L-T! L-T!” and gave the goaltender a standing ovation in honor of his performance in just his second game back from injury.

Until that point, Thompson did not have much work to do as his teammates outshot Montreal 18-8 in the second when Washington tilted the ice toward Sam Montembeault. McMichael added his second of the game into an empty net with 1.1 seconds left.

rangers extend GM >> The New York Rangers agreed to terms on a multiyear contract extension with general manager Chris Drury, keeping him in charge of their hockey operations moving forward after underachieving this season and missing the playoffs.

Drury, who took over as GM and president of hockey operations in 2021 when Dolan abruptly fired John Davidson and Jeff Gorton and directed the former captain-turned-executive to speed up the rebuilding process. New York reached the playoffs in each of his first three seasons in charge, winning four series over that time.

Clutterbuck announces retirement >> Cal Clutterbuck, the NHL’s all-time leader in hits, announced he is retiring from hockey after playing more than 1,100 games over 17 seasons, including more than a decade as a fourth-line staple for the New York Islanders.

Clutterbuck’s 4,029 hits are the most since the league started tracking them in 2005. He posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday along with a message thanking longtime linemates Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas and fans who made Long Island his home.

Women’s hockey

Vancouver gets PWHL expansion team >> The PWHL is heading west by selecting Vancouver as its first expansion franchise as part of the six-team league’s objective to broaden its reach across North America.

“This is a significant milestone for the PWHL and for the growth of women’s hockey,” vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said. “It’s a great celebration that we are growing, a tribute to the success we’ve had to date ... and such a great moment for our sport and certainly our league.”

And the addition of a second expansion team — with Seattle a candidate — is on the horizon, vice president of business operations Amy Scheer told the Associated Press.

Though the league is targeting Seattle, an agreement has not been finalized. Should a deal not be reached, the PWHL would consider other markets, the person said, with Denver and Detroit serving as likely candidates.

Tennis

Italian teenager earns ATP Masters 1000 win >> Italian teenager Federico Cina picked up his second ATP Masters 1000 victory by defeating Coleman Wong in straight sets at the Madrid Open.

The 18-year-old Cina won 7-6 (5), 6-1 to back up his victory over current No. 70 Francisco Comesaña in Miami last month, which marked his ATP 1000 debut. He saved both break points he faced against Wong and finished with 19 winners.

Cina will next face American Sebastian Korda. He lost his second-round match in Miami to Grigor Dimitrov.

Cina had lost in straight sets to Raphael Collignon of Belgium in his opening match in a challenger event in Monza, Italy, earlier this month.