Sports

LEVERKUSEN, Germany: Coach Xabi Alonso is concentrating on Bayer Leverkusen and has dismissed speculation linking him with some of Europe’s biggest clubs. The 41-year-old Alonso has enjoyed a successful start to his first senior coaching job after turning Leverkusen’s fortunes around and he said Wednesday he’s not finished yet. “I’m very happy with the team and the club. I’m not thinking at all about my future,” Alonso said before Thursday’s Europa League semifinal match against Roma.

NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe insists Newcastle United are not seeing themselves as the “hunted” despite Liverpool’s end-of-season run putting their own Champions League hopes at risk. Instead, head coach Howe prefers to see the top-four race as a battle between Newcastle and themselves, not Liverpool, as is being widely discussed. A remarkable end-of-campaign run of victories has seen the Reds close a nine-point gap, and now trail Newcastle by just one, as the Magpies prepare to take on fellow top-four chasers Brighton and Hove Albion at St James’ Park on Thursday evening.

DENVER: Nikola Jokic recorded his sixth triple-double of these playoffs with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists, powering the Denver Nuggets to a 132-126 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the opener of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night. Behind Jokic’s sizzling start and strong finish, and Jamal Murray’s 31 points, Denver beat the Lakers in the opener of the West finals for the first time ever.

PITTSFORD, N.Y.: Jon Rahm watched video of the last PGA Championship at Oak Hill, which would not seem to be of much value considering the restoration work on the East Course, the rain-soaked week in 2013 and the fact that it was in August. Rahm picked up a few details that could serve him or anyone well, particularly the discipline Jason Dufner showed when he got in trouble off the tee and how he relied on his wedge game. More than a student of the game, the 28-year-old Spaniard is simply a golf nerd who recently described himself as “beyond addicted to the game.”

JEDDAH: The draw for the seventh edition of the Arab Futsal Cup was held on Tuesday in Jeddah ahead of the tournament taking place in the Kingdom from June 6-16. Alongside hosts Saudi Arabia, the first group will pit Algeria, Libya and Sudan against each other. In the second group, Morocco, Comoros, Kuwait and Lebanon will face off, while Egypt, Mauritania, Palestine and Iraq make up the third group.

ROME: Novak Djokovic eased into the Italian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday after breezing past Cameron Norrie although there was tension with the Briton after the top seed was hit by a smash. While Djokovic dispatched Norrie 6-3, 6-4, Monte Carlo Masters winner Andrey Rublev and home hope Jannik Sinner both crashed out in Rome, a key warmup for the French Open. Djokovic has reached the last eight in each of his previous 16 appearances in the Italian capital and he did it again, getting past Norrie on center court to set up a clash with Holger Rune.

Major League Baseball is using a pitch clock this season, one of a few new rules that experts say are changing the game.