National Sports

SAN ANTONIO — Playing basketball seemed trivial to the Spurs following the death of Erin Popovich. They competed as best they could Thursday night. It just wasn't enough against Golden State, again.

NEW ORLEANS — Nikola Mirotic watched his third 3-pointer of the first half swish through the hoop, turned to acknowledge the raucous, roaring crowd and raised his first triumphantly as he trotted back up court.

SAN ANTONIO — LeBron James fought back tears. Former President Bill Clinton offered condolences. Craig Sager's daughter tweeted that she was "just sick" over the news.

TORONTO — Facing an opponent missing arguably its best player in front of a raucous home crowd, the Toronto Maple Leafs felt pretty good heading into Thursday. Less than three hours later, they had been pushed to the playoff brink.

TORONTO — The Boston Bruins didn't need their all-star centre to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 in Game 4 of their first-round series.

Edmonton's police chief says he will speak with National Football League executives about the Sept. 30 attack outside a CFL football game that injured a police officer.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Game 4 lacked the intensity of the three before it, and no overtime heroics were necessary.

NEW YORK — David Robertson went wild and loaded the bases in the eighth inning, and the Yankees weren't all that concerned. "Whenever it's a tough situation like that, I want D-Rob on the mound," Aaron Judge said.

MIAMI — Joel Embiid had trouble with his new mask. It didn't slow him down. Embiid's playoff debut was a smashing success for Philadelphia.

NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. — Players on a Saskatchewan hockey team who were hoping to continue wearing a crest to honour a teammate who committed suicide have to remove it from their jerseys before next season.