USA Basketball men’s Olympic team arrives for camp in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — After months of planning, it’s time for the U.S. Olympic team — one that will go to the Paris Games later this month seeking a fifth consecutive gold medal — to take the floor. The first practice for the squad is Saturday, the start of a four-day training camp before its exhibition opener against Canada on Wednesday. Players began arriving Thursday in Las Vegas; Stephen Curry was the first to check in for camp, perhaps underscoring how anxious he is for what will be his first Olympics. The 12 players have all known each other for years, but the task of becoming a team starts in earnest Saturday.

Argentina reaches Copa America semifinals, beating Ecuador 4-2 on penalty kicks after 1-1 draw

HOUSTON (AP) — Defending champion Argentina advanced to the Copa America semifinals, beating Ecuador 4-2 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw after conceding a tying goal in second-half injury time. Lionel Messi put Argentina’s first penalty kick off the crossbar but goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez saved Ecuador’s first two attempts in the shootout and Nicolás Otamendi beat Alexander Domínguez with the winning kick. Lisandro Martínez have Argentina a 35th-minute lead, but Kevin Rodríguez scored the score in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. Ecuador’s Enner Valencia had put a penalty kick off a post in the 60th minute after a hand ball by Rodrigo De Paul.

Diamondbacks’ Christian Walker continues his Dodger Stadium rampage, hitting 2 more homers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Christian Walker continued his Dodger Stadium rampage Thursday, homering in his first two at-bats for his 18th and 19th home runs in 42 career games at the ballpark. He has homered in five consecutive games at the third-oldest ballpark in the majors, tying the longest single-season streak at the stadium with teammate Joc Pederson, who did it in 2015 with Los Angeles. Pederson and Walker went back-to-back with two outs in the first off rookie Landon Knack, with Walker’s blast going 435 feet to center. After Pederson walked with two outs in the third, Walker followed with a two-run homer to left off Knack to give Arizona 4-0 lead in the 9-3 victory. Walker had five homers in the three-game series.

It’s Luka vs. Giannis, with either Slovenia or Greece set to move 1 win from Paris Olympics

Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have faced off nine times in their NBA careers, and those games have never disappointed. They go head-to-head again Saturday — but like never before. Doncic and Slovenia will play Antetokounmpo and Greece in one of the eight semifinal games of the Olympic qualifying tournaments that are taking place to determine the last four berths in the men’s basketball field for the Paris Games. The game in Piraeus, Greece, is the first time the two megastars will face one another while representing their senior national teams.

Wimbledon players get a participation trophy, a silver plaque congratulating them for competing

LONDON (AP) — Wimbledon has started a new tradition of handing out sterling silver plaques to players to commemorate that they played at the Grand Slam tournament. They essentially amount to participation trophies. It’s a relatively well-kept secret at the event that ends next weekend. Even some athletes were completely unaware of the mementos. The All England Club began distributing them to every player in the singles brackets in 2022 and has since added those in doubles and wheelchair events to the list of recipients. It’s the only Grand Slam tournament that does this.

Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz comes back to beat Frances Tiafoe in the third round

LONDON (AP) — Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz has come back to eliminate Frances Tiafoe 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 to reach the fourth round. The third-seeded Alcaraz was outplayed for stretches by No. 29 Tiafoe on Friday but improved to 12-1 for his career in fifth sets. Tiafoe fell to 6-13 in that category. Alcaraz will continue to pursue a second consecutive title at the All England Club and his fourth Grand Slam trophy overall. Tiafoe was not quite able to pull out what would have been a surprising victory for someone who arrived at Wimbledon with a sprained ligament in his right knee and a losing record this season.

UEFA suspends Turkey player Merih Demiral for 2 games for making nationalistic gesture at Euro 2024

BERLIN (AP) — UEFA has suspended Turkey player Merih Demiral for two matches for making a controversial hand gesture at the European Championship. The incident has led to a diplomatic row between Turkey and host nation Germany. The Turkish Football Federation joined Turkish government officials in denouncing the ban but says it can’t appeal because the suspension is under the three-game threshold. The ban rules Demiral out of his team’s quarterfinal against the Netherlands on Saturday, and the semifinal, should Turkey progress. Demiral scored twice in a 2-1 win over Austria. He made a hand gesture that is used by Turkish nationalists.

Wimbledon is monitoring social media to try to protect players from cyberbullying

LONDON (AP) — The All England Club is monitoring social media to try to help protect players at Wimbledon from cyberbullying for the first time this year. Tournament director Jamie Baker said Friday that if there is something of concern, the club’s security team can help look into it. The police could also become involved if the harassment rises to that level of concern. Baker declined to say whether that has happened yet during the two-week Grand Slam tournament that began on Monday. The French Tennis Federation began this sort of monitoring of online comments during last year’s French Open.

Mbappé praises ‘legend’ Ronaldo and urges France to support Griezmann in ‘tough spell’ at Euro 2024

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Kylian Mbappé has described Cristiano Ronaldo as a “footballing legend” and “one of a kind” as the superstars prepare to meet in the European Championship quarterfinals. One of the major subplots of the Portugal vs. France match in Hamburg on Friday is the head to head between their captains. Mbappé has previously called Ronaldo his idol and he has spoken in glowing terms about the 39-year-old striker who has said he is playing in his last European Championship. Mbappé says “There is only one Cristiano Ronaldo, there will only ever be one.” Mbappé doesn’t see the match as a “passing-of-the-baton” occasion because “I am following my own path.”

World Anti-Doping Agency ‘disappointed’ at US investigation into Chinese doping case

MONTREAL (AP) — The World Anti-Doping Agency says it is “disappointed” to learn of a U.S. criminal investigation into the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who were allowed to continue competing despite testing positive for a banned substance in 2021. The Associated Press reported Thursday that U.S. investigators had launched a probe into the case and ordered a top official of the international swimming federation to testify. WADA says the reports about the investigation “validate the concerns expressed broadly by the international community” about a U.S. law that allows investigations into suspected doping conspiracies even if they occurred outside the United States.