T-wolves coach to have knee surgery

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Bob Baffert, center, owner of Preakness Stakes entrant National Treasure, walks near the stables ahead of the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 19, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

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BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 17: Vinicius Junior of Brazil looks on during an International Friendly match between Brazil and Guinea at Stage Front Stadium on June 17, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

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T-wolves coach to have knee surgery

The Timberwolves will enter their Western Conference second-round playoff series against the defending NBA champion Nuggets with an unsettled bench — coach Chris Finch will be recovering from knee surgery. Finch, who was hurt in a sideline collision with Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley, will have his ruptured right patellar tendon repaired Wednesday, according to reports Tuesday. The surgery will leave Finch, above, with only three days of recovery before Game 1 in Denver, and this type of procedure typically requires the leg to be immobilized for more time than that. He’ll need crutches for awhile, too. The cramped space on an NBA sideline makes it difficult to envision Finch being able to be on the bench for the beginning of the series. Assistant coach Micah Nori took the lead after Finch hobbled off late in the Game 4 win in Phoenix that completed the first-round sweep of the Suns. Game 1 against the Nuggets is Saturday, followed by Game 2 on Monday and then a three-day break before Game 3 in Minneapolis on May 10.

No Baffert again at Kentucky Derby

The 150th Kentucky Derby is missing horse racing’s household name: Bob Baffert. The Hall of Fame trainer with a record-tying six victories won’t be saddling a contender in Saturday’s Run for the Roses for the third consecutive year. Last July, Baffert had another year tacked on to his two-year suspension by Churchill Downs Inc., which was set to expire in 2023. The additional punishment came despite no positive drug or medication tests involving the 71-year-old trainer’s horses during that time. CDI imposed the original penalty after Baffert’s 2021 Derby winner, Medina Spirit, flunked a post-race drug test. The colt tested positive for a legal medication that isn’t allowed on race day in Kentucky. Medina Spirit was later disqualified. That led to two years of lawsuits, but Baffert failed in his attempts to be reinstated by Churchill Downs. In January, Baffert said he was dropping his legal challenges against CDI. Baffert can enter horses in the Preakness and the Belmont. He nominated 18 horses to the Triple Crown series, so any of them are eligible for the last two legs.

Madrid, Bayern draw in UCL semis

Vinícius Júnior scored twice for Real Madrid to draw 2-2 at Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday. Bayern dominated, but Madrid survived, and the tie is still wide open ahead of the second leg in Madrid on May 8. With the focus on England stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, as well as Toni Kroos’ return to his former team, Vinícius, above, emerged as the decisive figure on a night when his bright green boots were often a blur. The Brazil forward opened the scoring against the run of play in the 24th minute and equalized with a coolly taken penalty in the 83rd after Leroy Sané and Kane had scored for Bayern. Kane’s goal, another penalty, was the England forward’s 43rd goal in 43 games for Bayern this season. The winners of the two-leg semifinal will play either Borussia Dortmund or Paris Saint-Germain in the final in London on June 1. The Dortmund-PSG first leg is Wednesday in Germany. The clubs faced off in the group stage, with PSG winning 2-0 in Paris before a 1-1 draw at Dortmund. —Associated Press