MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are hoping to avoid a carbon copy of their semifinal series against the Boston Celtics.

The Bucks won the series, taking the last four games, and they haven't forgotten the 22-point whomping the Celtics delivered in Game 1.

Antetokounmpo said giving up Game 1 to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday in the Eastern Conference finals could be a death knell.

"Against Boston, you can go down 1-0 and still be fine," Antetokounmpo said at practice Tuesday. "But against Toronto, it's hard to be in that spot when you lose the first game in your home."

Antetokounmpo said he regards Kawhi Leonard as one of the best players in the league. Leonard hit a game-winning, deep-corner jumper in Game 7 against the 76ers to send the Raptors to the Eastern Conference finals.

Antetokounmpo admitted that he didn't think the shot, which rattled around the rim four times, would go in.

"I'm not gonna lie," Antetokounmpo said. "I thought it was gonna go to overtime.

"I was talking to my family. I was watching the game, and I told them that Toronto has some soft rims, so when you shoot the ball, it tends to bounce around the rim, and it goes in sometimes, so you always have a chance if you shoot the ball with an arc. And I was saying that, and in the fourth quarter, he hit the shot."

CHICAGO -- Ahead of this year's NBA draft lottery, the New Orleans Pelicans held a contest for a season-ticket holder to submit a lucky charm to wish the team success.

The winner, Connie Halphen, gave Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin a 56-year-old wooden angel.

It turned out to be exactly what the Pelicans needed.

New Orleans leapt up from the seventh spot to the top of this year's draft Tuesday night, earning the right to take Zion Williamson in next month's NBA Draft. The Pelicans had just a 6 percent chance to win the lottery.

"Connie had a good luck charm and it happened to be an angel," Griffin said. "It was fitting."

New Orleans winning the lottery capped a wild night that saw three teams -- the Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers -- leap far up the order, throwing chaos into one of the most anticipated drafts in recent memory.

The first shock was when the Lakers were revealed to have jumped up from the 11th spot -- a moment that grew gasps from the crowd inside the Chicago Hilton ballroom. A similar reaction occurred when the Washington Wizards were revealed to have the ninth pick -- meaning the Grizzlies and Pelicans had jumped up.

"I wasn't good enough at math to realize when the Washington Wizards came up ninth," Griffin said with a smile. "It's an incredible blessing for our organization."

#PELICANS TICKET OFFICE IS WILDIN!!' ??? #BirdStrikes pic.twitter.com/meihqCrWdd

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) May 15, 2019

The next piece of drama came when the fifth selection was waiting to be unveiled. After a moment, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum revealed that the Cleveland Cavaliers would have the fifth pick -- meaning the New York Knicks, who had the worst record last season, had jumped up into the top four.

"I just sat back and hoped it was going to be No. 1," said Patrick Ewing, the team's last No. 1 pick, 34 years ago, and who was representing the Knicks on the dais here.

It wasn't to be, though, as the Lakers would get the fourth pick and the Knicks the third. The winner wound then come down to either the Grizzlies or Pelicans -- two teams that had tied, along with the Dallas Mavericks, for the seventh-best odds.

The Pelicans got the benefit of the pingpong balls bouncing their way last month to receive the seventh lottery spot. They then got them again Tuesday in winning the chance to select Williamson.

"I don't want to focus on individual players," Griffin said with a smile, shortly after being mobbed by New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry, "but I think it's really good at the top."

Williamson told ESPN's Maria Taylor that he has never been to New Orleans, but he said he will bring his "will to win" to whichever team ends up drafting him.

"I don't know why, I'm just still nervous," Williamson said. "Maybe because ... all eyes were on me. And I think it's a lot to take in, 'cause I don't know where I'm gonna be."

This year marked the first time since 2005 that the NBA's lottery system underwent any changes. Under the prior system, having the worst record in the NBA meant having a 25 percent chance of winning the top pick, with each subsequent pick down to the final spot in the lottery -- the 14th selection -- having a lesser chance of winning. The league would draw for each of the top three spots in the lottery.

Starting this year, however, the teams with the three worst records had the exact same chance -- 14 percent -- of winning the lottery, followed by a much more gradual change in the percentages of jumping up. In addition, the NBA boosted the number of lottery spots available for the drawing from three to four.

The changes came in response to the league seeing an issue with teams tanking for top selections in the draft -- and after the team with the worst record had won the lottery in each of the past four seasons.

The New York Yankees acquired first baseman/designated hitter Kendrys Morales and cash considerations from the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Morales had hit at least 20 home runs in each of the previous four seasons, and he has 212 homers in his 13-year career.

The A's had designated Morales for assignment on Monday. The 35-year-old was hitting just .204 with one home run and seven RBIs in 108 at-bats. He had made 23 starts at first base this season.

In announcing the DFA, A's manager Bob Melvin said, "Unfortunately, we had to let him go. I'll tell you what, this guy, maybe he didn't put up big numbers, but this is a terrific teammate."

The A's acquired Morales from the Toronto Blue Jays before the season.

With first baseman Matt Olson returning last week after missing 34 games with a hand injury and Morales struggling at the plate, Morales' spot on the roster had been in question.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees transferred right-handed pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga to the 60-day injured list.

New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar will make a decision on whether to undergo shoulder surgery that would likely end his season in the next 24 hours, according to manager Aaron Boone.

Andujar, 24, missed more than a month because of a labrum tear in his right shoulder. He returned from the injured list last week but managed only three hits in 34 at-bats, prompting the Yankees to send him for more tests on his shoulder.

Andujar returned to the 10-day injured list on Monday, one day before an MRI showed no change in his shoulder from the MRI in April that revealed the tear, Boone said Tuesday.

Boone said Andujar will talk the situation over with his family and the team and make a determination on what's next, either a return to rehab or surgery.

SEATTLE -- Seattle Mariners starter Felix Hernandez is expected to miss four to six weeks after being diagnosed with a grade 1 lat strain in his right side.

Seattle manager Scott Servais said Tuesday that an MRI revealed the extent of the injury. Hernandez was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday and was originally diagnosed as having a shoulder strain. Servais said the injury is similar to the lat strain suffered by Hunter Strickland early in the season, just not as severe.

Hernandez landed on the injured list a day after he pitched 2 1/3 innings against Boston, giving up six hits and seven earned runs in his second-shortest start of the season. Hernandez lasted only one inning in April against Kansas City, but left that game because of an illness.

Hernandez said he's hopeful he will be out only a couple of weeks.

LOS ANGELES -- Major League Baseball has placed Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias on administrative leave in the wake of his Monday arrest on suspicion of domestic violence.

Urias was arrested and charged with domestic battery after an alleged physical altercation with a woman in the parking lot of the Beverly Center, an upscale shopping mall in L.A., at 7:30 p.m. PT, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was released at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday after posting $20,000 bail and did not join his teammates later in the afternoon.

MLB said it was conducting an investigation into the matter and is "in the process of gathering facts" while Urias is on administrative leave.

In a statement Tuesday morning, the Dodgers said the team also was gathering information and would have no further comment. Manager Dave Roberts met with the media before the Dodgers' home game against the San Diego Padres and said he was "choosing my words wisely," adding, "I don't know the facts."

"Obviously, it's not ideal in any sense of the word," Roberts said. "But until we know more, it just doesn't behoove me to make any comments. Fortunately, Major League Baseball is kind of digging into this, as it well should. We'll know more later."

In the meantime, the Dodgers, who should soon benefit from the return of lefties Tony Cingrani and Caleb Ferguson, added right-handed reliever JT Chargois to the active roster.

Urias' leave expires after seven days, but the league can extend it until its investigation is complete. Urias can also technically come off leave before the seven-day mark, but in prior circumstances, this process has dragged out for several weeks and even months.

Eleven players have been investigated and nine have been suspended since 2016, the first full season of MLB's current domestic violence policy. Suspensions ranged from 15 games (Steven Wright and Jeurys Familia) to 100 (Jose Torres). In between were cases involving household names such as Jose Reyes (51-game suspension), Aroldis Chapman (30 games), Addison Russell (40) and Roberto Osuna (75).

The Astros caught flak for acquiring Osuna in the wake of his domestic violence suspension, as did the Cubs for activating Russell last week.

"Every allegation of domestic violence must be taken seriously and addressed promptly," the Dodgers said in their statement, "and we will cooperate fully with the authorities and Major League Baseball to ensure that that happens in this case."

Urias is considered one of the most promising young pitchers in the league. He was beginning to build a special connection with the Dodgers' fan base in L.A. largely because of his Mexican heritage, drawing comparisons to Fernando Valenzuela.

Urias was in the big leagues at 19 in 2016, then spent most of the next two seasons recovering from shoulder surgery. He returned for the Dodgers' playoff run last October, pitching effectively out of the bullpen, then made his first Opening Day roster in 2019. Urias, now 22, began this season in the rotation, then moved to the bullpen -- gradually pitching in higher-leverage situations -- partly so that the Dodgers could monitor his innings.

The Dodgers were open to the possibility of Urias helping out as a starting pitcher once again during the stretch run.

Now they don't know when, if ever, they will get him back.

"Major League Baseball is going through their process and trying to get all the facts, getting as much information as they can," Roberts said. "Right now, we're going to kind of stand pat, let the process run its course."

BOSTON -- Red Sox ace Chris Sale struck out a career-high 17 in just seven innings against Colorado, then was pulled after 108 pitches on a chilly Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

Sale became the first pitcher in major league history to fan 17 in a start of no more than seven innings.

The big league record for strikeouts in nine innings is 20, done five times. Roger Clemens did it twice for Boston, Kerry Wood and Randy Johnson also accomplished the feat and Max Scherzer was the last to do it, in 2016.

When Boston manager Alex Cora told Sale he was coming out, the lefty used his fingers to form the number 20.

Sale surpassed his previous best of 15 strikeouts, dominating the Rockies with a firm fastball and a sharp slider. A seven-time All-Star, Sale struck out the first six batters and fanned eight through three innings. He didn't allow a runner until Mark Reynolds doubled to begin the fifth.

Sale gave up three hits, including a two-run homer to Nolan Arenado, didn't walk anyone and left with a 3-2 lead. Brandon Workman relieved to begin the eighth and gave up a two-run homer to Charlie Blackmon.

The 17 strikeouts are the most by any pitcher in a game since Scherzer struck out 20 on May 11, 2016, against Detroit, and the most by a Red Sox pitcher since Pedro Martinez had 17 in 2000.

In his last outing Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles, Sale had 14 strikeouts in eight innings. He is the first pitcher to record at least 14 strikeouts in consecutive starts since Clayton Kershaw in 2015 (Aug. 28-Sept. 2).

It's the second time in Sale's career that he has recorded at least 14 strikeouts in consecutive starts (also done in 2015). He's the third Red Sox pitcher in the live ball era (since 1920) to do so, joining Pedro Martinez, who did it three times, and Roger Clemens, who did it twice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Scottish hammer thrower charged with “tampering or attempted tampering with any part of doping control”

Scottish hammer thrower Mark Dry has been provisionally suspended from athletics after being charged with “tampering or attempted tampering with any part of doping control”.

UK Athletics announced that Dry’s alleged anti-doping rule violation was contrary to IAAF Anti-Doping Rule Article 2.5, which is listed as “conduct which subverts the doping control process but which would not otherwise be included in the definition of prohibited methods”.

The IAAF rule adds: “Tampering shall include, without limitation, intentionally interfering or attempting to interfere with a doping control official, providing fraudulent information to an anti-doping organization, or intimidating or attempting to intimidate a potential witness.”

In a statement, UK Athletics said: “The provisional suspension was issued by UK Anti-Doping and is in accordance with IAAF Anti-Doping Rules.

“The individual now has the opportunity to respond to the charge against him including the right to a full hearing of the case.”

Dry, who won bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and 2018 and is ranked fifth on the UK all-time list with his PB of 76.93m from 2015, had been working towards a comeback after hip surgery last year.

“I am surprised at UKA’s stance given that the investigation is still ongoing,” said Dry. “I am currently taking legal advice and will respond in due course.”

In a statement, Scottish Athletics said: “We are aware of the case involving a Scottish athlete. There is a process to be followed and we have to await the outcome of that process (which involves UK Athletics and UK Anti-Doping).

“We have a duty of care for all our athletes and that’s very much in our thoughts at this stage, too.”

Scottish Athletics understands that Dry will seek a hearing and appeal the decision.

SPEED SPORT has been reporting on and covering motorsports happenings from all over the world for 85 years, so we thought it would be fun to take a look back in the archives to see what happened 10, 25 and 50 years ago each week.

So check out what SPEED SPORT was covering 10, 25 and 50 years ago this week in Looking Back!

10 Years Ago (May 13, 2009): After being acquitted of tax evasion charges in a federal court in Miami on April 17, Helio Castroneves returned to Team Penske’s Indy car program and captured the Indianapolis 500 pole for the third time in his career. His speed of 224.864 mph was enough to bump his teammate, Ryan Briscoe, from the pole during Pole Day.

Other Happenings: Mark Martin, driving the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5, survived a caution-plagued Southern 500 to earn the 37th victory of his Cup Series career; Brian Birkhofer pocketed $30,000 for his victory in the SuperClean Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway in Missouri; Stevie Smith earned a pair of All Star Circuit of Champions victories at Port Royal Speedway while Todd Shaffer collected a win at Williams Grove Speedway; Donny Schatz took the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series points lead with a win at Eldora Speedway.

25 Years Ago (May 11, 1994): Following a diatribe in the May 4 issue of the Washington Post where sportswriter Thomas Boswell called for the banning of motorsports following the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, readers of The Post responded in overwhelming fashion. Readers responded to The Post’s “Point/Counterpoint,” in which editors asked readers to pick a side, pro racing responses outranked anti-racing replies by a 145-1 count.

Other Happenings: Ayrton Senna was laid to rest in his native Brazil in one of the largest funerals in the country’s history after his fatal crash in the Grand Prix of San Marino; Dave Blaney bagged $25,000 after winning a World of Outlaws feature at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway; Scott Brayton topped the charts with a 227.658 mph lap during Indianapolis 500 practice; Derrike Cope took Zook Racing, the former Davey Allison Racing team, to victory lane in Busch Grand National action at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

50 Years Ago (May 14, 1969): Lee Roy Yarbrough survived a collision with race leader Bobby Allison with four laps left to win the Rebel 400 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The contact between Yarbrough and Allison caused the race to end under the caution flag, allowing Yarbrough’s damaged Ford Talladega to take the checkered flag first. Allison said post-race that Yarbrough’s teammate, Cale Yarborough, triggered the crash by forcing Allison into the first turn wall.

Other Happenings: Parnelli Jones was declared the winner of a confusing SCCA Trans-Am race at Michigan Int’l Speedway. He was originally scored fourth at the flag, with Mark Donohue named winner before a scoring recheck found Jones was the actual winner; In the same Trans-Am race, a spectator was killed when Horst Kwech careened off track in the first corner and into an area occupied by fans; Mario Andretti was the clear-cut favorite to win the Indianapolis 500 pole after topping the practice charts; Andy Hampton won the 200-lap ARCA event at the Nashville Fairgrounds in a 1969 Dodge Charger.

INDIANAPOLIS– Oriol Servia became the latest, and probably final driver officially named to the Indianapolis 500 entry field late Monday as Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports announced its third entry.

Chicago-based Team Stange Racing LLC has partnered with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to field a car for Servia. Servia’s No. 77 Team Stange Racing with Arrow SPM Honda will be sponsored by MotoGator and Lucas Oil.

“I am so pleased to announce this great partnership with Arrow SPM today as Team Stange Racing makes its entry into IndyCar racing,” stated John Stange Jr., co-owner, Team Stange Racing. “We are so blessed to partner with a company like MotoGator who is committed to building a winning IndyCar program with TSR. Once we developed our plan, we knew that we wanted to launch at the world’s greatest race with so much history and it being so special to me personally. The second thing to do was to partner with a quality team that we could align and grow with as we build our team to compete in the NTT IndyCar Series eventually full time in 2021/22.”

Servia, a Spaniard with 10 Indianapolis 500 starts under his belt, has been competing in IndyCar for more than 15 years. The 1999 Indy Lights champion has a best Indianapolis 500 start of third (2011) and a best finish of fourth (2012).

“I work and prepare all year for this race, so it’s kind of ironic that we are actually announcing a program this late,” Servia said. “I am proud to represent Lucas Oil again, and couldn’t be more excited to introduce the world to MotoGator and Team Stange, which you will hear a lot more very soon. At last year’s 500, I did perhaps the best driving I’ve ever done and came really close. I’m here to finish that job, and I know for a fact that everyone on this program has worked really hard preparing this event with the same aim. It may look like we are arriving almost late to the game, but we are arriving ready.”

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports President Jon Flack echoed Stange’s sentiments.

“We couldn’t be more excited about adding a pilot of Oriol’s caliber to our driver lineup for the Indy 500, and it is equally satisfying to partner with TSR and welcome MotoGator to the program,” said Flack. “This is a really big step for Team Stange Racing and MotoGator, and Arrow SPM will give it everything it has to make them proud and leave a lasting impression on the motorsport community.”

Opening day of practice for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 is Tuesday, May 14.