BASKETBALL

U.S. tops Antetokounmpo, Greece at World Cup — Kemba Walker scored 15 points, Donovan Mitchell scored 10 on his 23rd birthday, and the U.S. contained NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, defeating Greece 69-53 in a second-round game at the World Cup on Saturday in Shenzhen, China. Harrison Barnes and Derrick White each scored nine points for the U.S. (4-0), which can clinch a quarterfinal berth Monday in multiple ways. It needs either a win over Brazil or a Greece win over the Czech Republic, or the Americans can clinch through a three-way tiebreaker, if necessary. Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks star and reigning NBA MVP, scored 15 points for Greece (2-2). The U.S. national team has won 57 consecutive games in international tournaments with NBA players, starting with the 2006 world championships bronze-medal game and continuing through every FIBA Americas, world championships, World Cup and Olympic event since.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

Nurmagomedov beats Poirier at UFC 242 — Khabib Nurmagomedov stopped Dustin Poirier by submission in the third round Saturday night at UFC 242, retaining his lightweight title and unbeaten record. After dominating Poirier with wrestling and grappling throughout the bout at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Nurmagomedov (28-0) landed a rear naked choke and forced Poirier to tap midway through the third. The Dagestan-born Russian fighter returned almost flawlessly for his first fight since beating Conor McGregor in October 2018. Nurmagomedov has stopped three of his last five opponents by submission, and he is challenging Jon Jones and Amanda Nunes for unofficial pound-for-pound supremacy in mixed martial arts. Poirier (25-6) nearly finished Nurmagomedov with a guillotine choke in a fight otherwise dominated by his opponent.

BASEBALL

Twins’ pitcher Pineda suspended 60 games — Minnesota Twins pitcher Michael Pineda was suspended for 60 games on Saturday for taking a diuretic, a big blow to the rotation of a first-place team heading toward the postseason. Major League Baseball said Pineda tested positive for the banned substance and the penalty takes effect immediately. He will not be allowed to pitch for the AL Central-leading Twins if they reach the playoffs. The 6-foot-7, 280-pound Pineda said in a statement that he took an over-the-counter medication given to him by an acquaintance to help manage his weight. The pills contained hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic that can mask other substances. Pineda (11-5, 4.01 ERA) apologized to the organization, teammates, family and fans for his “error in judgment” and said he “never intended to cheat the system, other players or opposing teams.”

Cubs’ Baez has hairline fracture in thumb — The Cubs’ depth will be pushed in their quest to catch the Cardinals in the National League Central after an MRI exam on Saturday revealed that two-time All-Star Javier Baez has a hairline fracture in his left thumb. Baez will be examined Monday by a hand specialist, who will determine the length of recovery. Baez’s status for final three weeks of the season is in jeopardy. “Javy is the heart of this team,” said catcher Willson Contreras, who returned Tuesday after missing a month because of a strained right hamstring. Without Baez, who was batting .281 with 29 home runs and 85 RBIs but was hitting just .200 with one home run and seven RBIs in his last 20 games, Addison Russell will take over most of the shortstop duties. Russell, who lost his full-time shortstop duties late last September when he was placed on the restricted list and served a 40-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy, entered Saturday batting .226 with a .300 on-base percentage. But defense is more of a concern. Russell, who does not have the same arm strength as Baez, committed two throwing errors in the first two games of this four-game series against the Brewers.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Beavers’ women’s team perfect in opener — The Oregon State women’s cross-country team opened the season with a perfect score at the Portland State Rust Buster at Blue Lake Regional Park. The Beavers had the top six finishers in the 4K race and nine of the top 11 finishers. Oregon State had 15 points to 66 for runner-up Portland and 69 for Portland State in the seven-team race. Haley Wolf was the individual winner for Oregon State in 13 minutes, 32.3 seconds, nearly seven seconds ahead of runner-up Lexi Reed (13:39.2). Rounding out the top five for Oregon State were Gabby Peterson (13:45.2), Audrey Lookner (13:48.3) and Meagan Lowe (14:03.6).

— Bulletin wire reports