76ers guard Ben Simmons did not return for the second half Wednesday at Utah because of what the team called a minor sprain in his AC joint in his right shoulder and will be re-evaluated Thursday in Denver.

Simmons appeared to injure the shoulder in the first quarter when he collided with Jazz forward Royce O'Neale while turning with the ball in the post. Simmons passed it back out after the contact and then immediately grabbed at the shoulder.

He ended up playing 10 minutes, scoring two points with two assists and a rebound.

Utah led at the break 58-56.

LOS ANGELES -- Paul George is slated to go through his first full-contact practice with the LA Clippers on Saturday.

George has not played this season as he makes his way back from surgeries on both of his shoulders. Once he participates in a full live practice, barring any setbacks, the All-Star swingman could return to action sometime next week.

George had surgery in May to repair a partially torn tendon in his right shoulder. A month later, he had a partial tear of his left labrum repaired.

"I mean, I haven't felt this good," George told ESPN in early October during Clippers training camp. "My shoulders haven't been this good in a long time. I shot the ball pretty well last season, so I'm excited for what's to come."

Clippers coach Doc Rivers said George is getting "close."

"He's still doing just skeleton work," Rivers said. "I think live is coming up soon. Which I can't wait for. You can see he's very eager. He tried to slip in the last couple of practices, he tried to sneak in one possession unsuccessfully. You can see he's worked all this time. He wants to play. He's eager. He's close."

INDIANAPOLIS – Anton Hernandez will team up with car owner Ken Baldwin to run the full 2020 AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series and pursue rookie-of-the-year honors.

Hernandez, a native of Arlington, Texas, is a veteran of midgets and sprint cars with and without the wing, but this will mark his first foray into the realm of USAC sprint car racing, a culmination of a dream for the 21-year-old driver.

“On a scale from 1-10, I’m at 11,” Hernandez exclaimed. “It’s a dream come true. When I was little, running micros and go-karts, I always dreamed of running USAC. Now, it’s come true. I’m excited and can’t wait to get at it in February.”

Baldwin has been one of the most successful car owners through the decade of the 2010s, most notably with driver Chris Windom.

The Windom and Baldwin pairing won 16 USAC National Sprint Car features together, as well as the 2017 driver and owner championships.

At the end of the 2018 season, Baldwin sold all his equipment and exited racing altogether.

“I sold everything and said I’m never racing again. That didn’t last,” Baldwin admitted. “I just couldn’t stand it. I had to get back in. We were sitting around the house one weekend and looked at each other and said, ‘we shouldn’t have quit.’ So, here we go.”

The combination of Hernandez and Baldwin came out of left field, in a sense. It was a suggestion from another that got the ball rolling.

Baldwin acknowledged he had never heard of Hernandez just months ago. The two got in contact with each other, but Baldwin said he couldn’t put a driver in his car without seeing him run. In turn, Hernandez sent Baldwin about 30 videos of himself racing.

Baldwin, along with sponsor and friend Bob Fox, watched the videos and said, “This kid can drive. We’ve got to get him in a car.”

Baldwin flew Hernandez to his Lafayette, Ind., shop and a deal was made to tackle the full USAC campaign next season.

The cars and engines for the team were recently ordered to prep for next season’s run, which will include a full slate of USAC racing complimented by several local Indiana shows.

Having championship-caliber equipment right off the bat has Hernandez both thrilled and comforted.

“Knowing that you can trust the car 100 percent and being able to focus more as a driver than about what’s going to happen to the car, that takes a lot of stress off,” Hernandez said. “I’m going to be seeing a bunch of new tracks and a bunch of new faces next year and I’m ready for it.”

Five years after participating in the 2014 U.S. Women's Open as an 11-year-old amateur, Lucy Li has turned professional.

First reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the 17-year-old Li informed the USGA of her decision on Tuesday night, opting to surrender her amateur status and shift her focus to the paid ranks. Li, who tied for 72nd last month at the second stage of LPGA Q-School, has her Symetra Tour card for next season.

"So excited for the next step in my golf career, on and off the course," Li tweeted following her completion of second stage.

Li was not listed in Wednesday's latest update of the World Amateur Golf Ranking. She previously was ranked fifth in the world.

Highlighted by her memorable major debut at Pinehurst, Li's list of amateur accomplishments is lengthy. She played in the 2013 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links at age 10 and three years later made her U.S. Women's Amateur debut. She advanced to the quarterfinals in each of her final three U.S. Women's Amateurs.

She also was low amateur at the 2017 ANA Inspiration and a year later made the cut at the U.S. Women's Open. She also played for the 2018 U.S. Curtis Cup team.

Earlier this year, the USGA extended a warning to Li after she violated Rules 6-2 of its rules of amateur status by appearing in an Apple Watch advertisement. Li apologized and was allowed to keep her amateur status.

For Ernie Els, this was about form, not experience.

Els named Joaquin Niemann and Sungjae Im – 20 and 21 years old, respectively – along with Jason Day and Adam Hadwin, 32, his four captain’s picks for this year’s International Presidents Cup team.

The four picks, which were announced Wednesday evening, round out what is the youngest International team with six rookies, but Els didn’t see that as a drawback following more than two decades of futility in the biennial matches for the International side.

“I didn’t go looking for Joaquin who is 20, or Sungjae who is 21, but they made themselves a lock on this team,” Els said. “I definitely wasn’t that good at 20, 21, but these guys are world-class players and they’ve proven themselves. I’m excited by the new blood that’s coming in.”

Chile’s Niemann solidified his spot on the team following his victory at the season-opening Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. Im won the 2018-19 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Award and got off to a solid start this season with a playoff loss at the Sanderson Farms Championship in September and a tie for third in Japan two weeks ago.

“I think we’re going to bring a lot of energy. It’s going to be nice for us to grow up as a player,” Niemann said.

For Day, 31, it will be his fifth start in the Presidents Cup and his second at Royal Melbourne, where he also played in 2011 when the International side lost to the U.S. team. The Australian’s record in the event is 5-11-4.

“I’ve spoken to Jason through the year quite a few times. He absolutely is 100 percent in. He wants to rectify a lot of things, but I told him this isn’t a one-man-show. He’s a world-class player and a player who can play under pressure,” Els said. ‘That’s what we need, players who can play under pressure.”

Els also announced that the event will begin with four-ball play on Thursday.

MILAN -- Ederson is a serious doubt for Manchester City's crucial Premier League clash with Liverpool on Sunday, according to Pep Guardiola.

The Brazilian goalkeeper was forced off with a thigh injury at half-time of the 1-1 draw with Atalanta and was replaced with Claudio Bravo, who was later sent off.

Defender Kyle Walker ended the night in goal.

"I don't know right now," said Guardiola when asked whether Ederson will be available at Anfield. "It's a muscular problem. It's not big but he didn't feel comfortable and that's why we decided to make a substitution but honestly right now I don't know."

Ederson will have a scan on Thursday to determine the seriousness of the problem but speaking about David Silva's injury on Saturday, Guardiola suggested any muscle injury requires at least 10 days of treatment.

Bravo will be suspended for the next Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk, but will be available to line up at Anfield if required.

The Chile international has not started a Premier League game since May 2018, but Guardiola is convinced he is ready to step in if the news on Ederson is not positive.

"He's ready to play on Sunday," said Guardiola. "It is what it is. If Ederson can play he will and if not it will be Claudio. That's all.

"I know him and why should I have doubts about him? We've had incredible situations to overcome and we'll have to do it now.

"Hopefully some players can recover. We had the bench with two players from the academy we have no more players. We have to recover well and prepare for the game on Sunday."

Following Bravo's dismissal, Walker was nominated to take the gloves for the final nine minutes. He saved a late free kick from Ruslan Malinovskyi to earn praise from his manager.

"We didn't think before but [goalkeeping coach] Xabier Mancisidor suggested him for his courage and he's quick," said Guardiola.

"He went in and it was just one shot on target. Congratulations for the courage, the desire to help the team and for going in that position."

Rugby union will "bankrupt itself" if clubs are not stopped from breaching salary cap rules, says Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond.

Premiership champions Saracens face a 35-point deduction and a £5.36m fine after an inquiry into business dealings between owner Nigel Wray and players.

Diamond spent two years as Saracens head coach between 2004 and 2006.

"It's a bit naive to think they can get away with it with the processes in place," he said.

"There's got to be a punishment to make them stop doing it. And it's not about them and us - the other 11 clubs pointing the cross-hairs at them.

"It's for the good of the game because if it's not stopped the game will bankrupt itself."

European champions Saracens described the sanctions as "heavy-handed" and will appeal against the penalty, with the punishments suspended until the outcome. A final verdict is not expected until next year.

Clubs cannot spend more than £7m on player salaries, although they are allowed two whose wages do not count towards the cap. Teams can also receive extra money for fielding home-grown players or to pay for injury cover.

"If you commit a robbery in the UK you get a rollocking. You may go to prison for six months," said Diamond.

"If you commit two in the same year and the year after and another one the third year, the judge has to say 'listen, there's a habitual offender here'.

"If you don't give him a substantial penalty he's going to keep doing it. I think that's what they've done.

"What they've done in the past is done and maybe they should take down the integrity and honesty signs from the stadium for a year."

Saracens chairman repeats stance

In a club interview, Saracens chairman Wray stood by his statement on Tuesday, believing the club have not broken the rules.

He said investments he had made with players did not provide certain income, and could not be compared to a salary.

"The size of the fine must be one of the largest ever in sport, despite the fact the disciplinary tribunal said we had not deliberately breached the wage cap," he said.

"We do not believe that we have breached the wage cup - investment is not salary."

Asked about the consequences of the penalties faced by the club, Wray said: "There's no obligation whatsoever to get rid of any players."

CONCORD, N.C. – The Xtreme DIRTcar Series is adding a new event to its winter schedule on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn.

The $5,000-to-win Grinch 40 completes the Xtreme schedule, with six events from November through February at tracks across the southeast, including the season finale on Feb. 29 at Modoc Raceway, which will be a $7,000-to-win event.

The staff at Volunteer is excited to host its first super late model race of the season under new track owner Landon Stallard.

He said the season just couldn’t end without treating the track’s loyal fans to one last great show, featuring some of the Southeast’s best on the dirt late model circuit.

“We’re so glad we get to provide our great fans with the opportunity to see some quality super late model racing,” Stallard said. “We were honored to even be asked to be a part of it.”

The finale at Modoc will determine the Xtreme DIRTcar Series champion, who will collect $20,000 from the point fund.

GLENDORA, Calif – AMALIE Motor Oil has extended its title sponsorship of NHRA drag racing’s traditional east coast opener, the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, in a multi-year agreement.

One of the most legendary races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series circuit, the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals is a destination race for fans and drivers alike.

It also traditionally serves as the season opener for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock Motorcycle category.

“AMALIE Motor Oil is excited to announce the continuation of our title rights sponsorship of the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals,” said Rick Barkett, “We are fortunate to have one of the premier drag racing events in the world so close to our global headquarters in Tampa, Florida. The 50th anniversary Gatornationals this season was a huge success and we look forward to being an integral part of this great event for many more years.”

AMALIE Motor Oil has been involved in NHRA drag racing across numerous platforms through its presence in NHRA’s contingency program as well as its sponsorship of drivers including Top Fuel pilot Terry McMillen.

This renewal will continue to build upon the partnership and provides AMALIE Motor Oil with opportunities to connect with NHRA fans including product placement, signage, interactive displays, media exposure and more.

“AMALIE Motor Oil is a valued partner to NHRA Championship Drag Racing,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA vice president and chief development officer. “We are extremely happy to continue our relationship with AMALIE Motor Oil as the title sponsor for one of our largest, longest running and most iconic events.”