ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- New Jersey's governor has signed a bill allowing Atlantic City's Golden Nugget casino to accept bets on most National Basketball Association games.

Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta owns the casino -- and also owns the NBA's Houston Rockets.

When New Jersey lawmakers legalized sports betting last year, a provision in the law banned team owners from placing or accepting bets on any games involving their sport.

It was directly aimed at the Golden Nugget and enacted over protests that Nevada regulators allow Fertitta's casinos to take bets on pro basketball games as long as they don't involve the Rockets.

The bill Phil Murphy signed Friday brings New Jersey in line with regulations in Nevada and Mississippi, which also allow Fertitta's casinos to handle NBA bets that don't involve the Rockets.

"We're grateful, and appreciative that people eventually realized this was an overreaction," said Steve Scheinthal, general counsel for the Golden Nugget's parent company, Houston-based Landry's Inc. "It allows us to compete."

The ban on all NBA bets cut badly into the Golden Nugget's New Jersey sports betting business, given heavy bettor interest on basketball games. That's because customers are typically not willing to visit two different casinos to place their sports bets.

A gambler wanting to place bets on football at the Golden Nugget had to go somewhere else to bet on basketball, making it much less likely he or she would visit the Golden Nugget at all for sports betting.

"It was like going into a boxing ring with one arm tied behind your back," Scheinthal said. "You just can't compete that way. It gave everyone a year's head start on us."

New Jersey won a U.S. Supreme Court case in May 2018 clearing the way for all 50 states to offer sports betting should they so choose.

Since then, more than $3.7 billion worth of sports bets have been made in New Jersey, which is challenging Nevada for leadership of the national sports betting market.

The New Orleans Pelicans have named Jeff Bzdelik an associate coach for defense and promoted Chris Finch to associate head coach for the offense, the team announced Friday.

Bzdelik, 66, worked the past three seasons with the Houston Rockets and received credit for the team's defensive turnaround. He began a stint as associate head coach in 2016, then briefly retired in 2018. He was persuaded to come out of retirement in November after the Rockets got off to a rocky start.

His contract was not renewed following Houston's second-round exit in the playoffs.

Bzdelik started in the NBA 30 years ago as a scout, eventually working for Pat Riley with the New York Knicks and becoming head coach of the Denver Nuggets from 2002 to 2004. He was a college head coach with Air Force, Colorado and Wake Forest.

The Pelicans also hired former Suns assistant Jamelle McMillan as an assistant coach, promoted Joe Boylan to assistant coach/director of player development and promoted Michael Ruffin to an assistant coach/player development position.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that Gary Sánchez's groin strain is similar to the one he had earlier this year and "hopes" the catcher can return before the end of the regular season.

Sanchez left the second game of New York's doubleheader at Detroit on Thursday because of the injury.

He was thrown out trying to steal second base in the top of the third inning -- his first stolen base attempt of the year. Sanchez is hitting .233 with 34 home runs and 77 RBIs this year.

Edwin Encarnacion was hurt in the first game of the doubleheader and further tests revealed the slugger has an internal oblique strain, Boone said Friday, and the Yankees are hopeful it's not too serious.

The Yankees start a series in Toronto on Friday and Aaron Judge will be out of the lineup Friday as he's getting a regular day off.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

CHICAGO -- Joe Maddon on Friday pushed back on any notion the Cubs are playing uninspired baseball, but the manager admitted they might be playing tight.

The Cubs begin a 10-game homestand tied for the second wild card position in the National League and coming off yet another losing road trip (3-5), as their record dropped to 31-44 away from Wrigley Field on the season.

"I can see why that would be said, but I don't think it's true," Maddon said Friday morning. "I want us to loosen up and play baseball.

"My biggest concern is that I think we're playing tight."

Though Maddon often talks about September baseball bringing an energy of its own, he wasn't seeing it as much in San Diego, where the team just split a four-game series. He even compared the midweek atmosphere in the less-than-full Petco Park to that of a theater.

Instead of team meetings to combat the "uptight" notion, Maddon is handling it more one-on-one.

"I've been infiltrating the group in my own ways," he said. "I've seen it before, in other places."

Maddon's boss, team president Theo Epstein, first used the word "uninspired" on his weekly appearance on the team's flagship radio outlet but understood where Maddon was coming from when he spoke of the team being uptight.

"Because they care," Epstein said. "The guys are really frustrated. They look around at the other names and how they feel about themselves and the refrain I here is, 'We have so much talent. How come we're not winning?'"

Both Maddon and Epstein deflected talk of the manager's expiring contract, instead focusing on the task at hand: securing a fifth consecutive playoff appearance. But both know that Maddon's future hangs in the balance.

"The whole year was going to be speculation," Maddon said. "I'm fine with it. I have no issues with it whatsoever. It's a natural part of the landscape."

Epstein added: "He's done a great job of not letting his contract be a distraction."

One thing all parties agree on is leaving first baseman Anthony Rizzo at the top of the batting order. Cubs leadoff hitters have been abysmal at getting on base this season. It's now Rizzo's job by default. It also means when Ben Zobrist starts, he'll hit in the middle of the order just as he did in 2016, the year the Cubs won the World Series.

"I don't want to keep moving Anthony around," Maddon said. "Let's see how it plays."

Rizzo has a career .410 on-base percentage in 48 starts batting leadoff, including in Thursday's win over the Padres. He was asked if he was all-in on batting first.

"I'm all-in on winning," Rizzo said.

Wilson Ramos will indeed be behind the plate when Noah Syndergaard and the Mets take on Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in New York.

It will be Syndergaard's first start since the New York Post reported Monday that he and his agents have lobbied to let the right-hander pitch to backup catchers Tomas Nido or Rene Rivera instead.

Syndergaard later said the Post was wrong in saying he was "livid" in a meeting he had with Mets manager Mickey Callaway and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen to talk about the catching situation.

Syndergaard has a 5.09 ERA in 18 games throwing to Ramos and a 2.45 ERA in 10 games with Nido. The right-hander is 10-7 with a career-high 4.06 ERA overall in 28 starts this season.

Callaway had said Wednesday that Ramos was likely to catch Syndergaard on Friday night.

Also, the Mets are sitting NL home run leader Pete Alonso tonight for a routine off day.

WEEDSPORT, N.Y. – Weesdsport Kartway is set to host one of the biggest karting weekends in New York State on Sept. 28-29, with the running of Octoberfest II, featuring a 40-lap Clone Heavy 375 main event, paying $2,000 to the winner.

Octoberfest II will contend over two days of action with the finale of the Performance Manufacturing Super Kart Series, the $500 to win NYS Clone Heavy Invitational and PRO time trials taking place on Saturday, September 28.

The action on Sunday, Sept. 29 will see A-Qualifying races for all PRO classes as well as the weekend’s PRO A-Mains and trophy races for Jr. Red Clone, Jr. Green Clone and Jr. Purple Clone.

All of Sunday’s action will be covered by SPEED SPORT and MAVTV for air on national television.

PRO events on Sunday will be led by the $2,000 to win Clone Heavy finale as well as a $1,000 Clone Light main and $500 to win events for Clone Super Heavy, Jr. Unrestricted, Jr. Blue Clone and Winged Champs.

The majority of Saturday’s action will be dedicated to crowning Performance Manufacturing Super Kart Series champions, presented by Stirling Lubricants and Champion Racing Oil.

Current championship point leaders include Blake Banek (Jr. Red Clone), Connor Crane (Jr. Green Clone), Anthony Pollow (Jr. Purple Clone), Logan Crisafulli (Jr. Blue Clone), David Hackett Jr. (Clone Light) and Nick McGill (Clone Heavy and Clone Super Heavy).

Prelim events for Jr. Unrestricted and Winged Champ will also be conducted on Saturday.  Drivers competing in PRO on Sunday must also register for one points/prelim event as well.

GLENEAGLES, Scotland – U.S. captain Juli Inkster perhaps summed it up best Friday evening following a thrilling close to the opening day of the 16^th Solheim Cup.

“No one really ever talks about the half-point,” Inkster said after her side fought back for halves in each of the final two fourball matches. “And I have to say those two half-points at the end were huge.”

For a moment, the Americans were looking at a deflating finish – world No. 3 Lexi Thompson going 0-2 on Day 1, the plan to split up a winning Korda duo backfiring and a three-shot deficit entering the weekend at Gleneagles. Instead, Thompson is on the board, Jessica and Nelly Korda still have yet to lose and Team USA trails by just a single point.

“You have to dig deep for your partner, your country and your whole team,” said Thompson, who was the hero in her match with Jessica Korda, sinking an 18-footer for birdie at the par-4 finishing hole to avoid surrendering a full point to Bronte Law and Carlota Ciganda.

“There’s nothing like having a [deciding] putt on the last hole.”

Rookie Brittany Altomare now knows the feeling. Her 20-foot make for birdie at the last gave her and fellow first-timer Nelly Korda a half-point after being 3 down with three to play against Charley Hull and Azahara Munoz.

“We needed to make every putt,” said Altomare, who birdied four of her last six holes to pair with a near-ace by Korda at the par-3 17th. “We had nothing to lose.”

It seemed as if Inkster had much to lose by splitting up the Korda sisters after their dominant 6-and-4 foursomes victory and pairing each of them with partners, Thompson and Altomare, who looked less than stellar for much of a 2-and-1 foursomes loss to Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier.

But with fourballs requiring players to play their own ball, Inkster liked both of her new-look pairings. Inkster quipped that if the Kordas played three matches together, “they’d kill each other.” But in reality, Nelly Korda and Altomare had paired together during practice while Jessica Korda was likely just what Thompson needed to get going.

Thompson, who entered the week without usual partner Cristie Kerr (they had gone 4-0-2 together in the past two Solheim Cups), struggled mightily with the flatstick for much of both sessions. Until her clutch final roll, her biggest putt of significance was a 3-footer for par on the par-4 13^th on Friday afternoon that gave her and Korda a 1-up lead. That advantage stretched to 2 up a hole later before Law and Ciganda made a fierce charge, highlighted by Ciganda’s go-ahead birdie at No. 17, to take the lead with one hole to play.

But the Americans would not be denied at least something. Before striking her putt on the 18^th green, Thompson closed her eyes and said a little prayer.

It was answered. And the Americans, well, as the sun set on a blustery and downright cold day, they answered the bell not once but twice.

“You can't teach that,” Inkster said. “It's just in your belly.”

Time is running out on the MLS regular season, with just three weeks remaining until the playoffs get underway, and Wayne Rooney and D.C. United are traveling to Portland for a Sunday afternoon tilt on ESPN, while the Philadelphia Union take aim at LAFC, plus Eastern Conference leaders New York City FC clash with San Jose.

Can Philly pounce on LAFC's slump?

From the looks of it, the Philadelphia Union have shaken off their midsummer slump and are heading into the final weeks of the season playing some of their best soccer of the season, with four wins from their past five.

The man who has proved pivotal of late is Kacper Przybylko. The German forward has four goals in his past five games, and 13 on the season in 22 appearances to give Philly the proven goal scorer that it has needed.

The Union already passed one big test with flying colors when they downed Atlanta United 3-1 right before the international break, and they'll need to be just as prepared on Saturday against league leaders LAFC (7:30 p.m. ET, streaming on ESPN+).

It's an interesting time for Bob Bradley's bunch. The hamstring injury to Carlos Vela has made LAFC beatable, with a 2-0 loss to Minnesota United followed a 2-2 draw in Orlando last Saturday being the results without the Mexican.

Yet despite missing Vela and key players like Brian Rodriguez, Mark-Anthony Kaye and Walker Zimmerman on international duty, LAFC showed some character in rallying for a point in Orlando. If Vela is a scratch again this weekend, it would send a strong message to the rest of the league that LAFC could beat one of the Eastern Conference's top teams without Vela having played a single minute.

- Alvarez is Galaxy's breakout star and Zlatan's 'cub'
- Carlisle: MLS takes on Portland's most passionate fans
- Vela proves his commitment to LAFC is not in question

Rooney's legacy to be examined in Portland

With the international break now completed, the MLS season has reached crunch time, with playoff places and seeding up for grabs. That's especially important for D.C. United, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference and still have some work to do to secure a spot in the postseason.

There is also the matter of Wayne Rooney's D.C. legacy to consider. Nobody disputes that the Englishman's early days in the nation's capital were a big hit, with arguably the play of the 2018 season against Orlando City. But things have somewhat soured this summer for Rooney.

The abrupt news of his decision to leave at season's end coincided with a social media outburst about the league's travel policy, plus some choice words for a fourth official in Vancouver. A red card against the New York Red Bulls last month didn't help things, and by the end of August, D.C. had earned just four wins since May 15.

Yet if the former Manchester United man can deliver a strong finish and lead his team on a deep run in the postseason, his legacy in MLS will be firmly intact. The first test is Sunday against the Portland Timbers (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), who are coming off a big 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City and are right in the thick of an airtight Western Conference playoff race.

Can NYCFC solidify place atop East in brunch date with Quakes?

There is so much to like about how New York City FC's season has unfolded. Head coach Domenec Torrent was feeling the heat at the start, as the team didn't even pull down a win until Week 7, but now a full year into his reign in the Bronx, Torrent's mark is firmly stamped on this team and they have risen to the top of the Easter Conference playing some aesthetically pleasing soccer.

The 1-1 midweek draw with Toronto FC will go down as a disappointment, but that should not take away from what is a six-match unbeaten run, with five victories. Next up for NYCFC is an early Saturday kickoff with the San Jose Earthquakes (12:30 p.m. ET, streaming on ESPN+).

The Earthquakes were in action in midweek as well, a 1-0 loss at Real Salt Lake, and now venture to New York to play a match that starts when a good chunk of Northern California will still be in their pajamas. The Quakes are likely to be a bit fatigued from Wednesday night, plus their body clocks will still be on Pacific time. The chances to strike early -- and fortify their place atop the East -- should be there for NYCFC.

At the beginning of the 2018 Major League Soccer season, D.C. United found themselves in disarray. The once-proud franchise, which finished dead last the previous year, started 2W-7L-5D. Then, however, a certain ruddy English forward arrived and fortunes shifted.

"A lot of things happened at once last year," James Lambert, president of the Screaming Eagles supporters' group, said. "[Wayne] Rooney showed up the same day they opened Audi Field, really at the same time they were making major changes in the front office with leadership there as well."

From that point on, United -- who take on the Portland Timbers on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) -- accumulated 11 wins and four draws against just two loses, going unbeaten in their final 10 regular-season games. Although they lost their first playoff game in a penalty shootout to Gregg Berhalter and Zack Steffen's Columbus Crew, the prospects for 2019 looked strong.

- Alvarez is Galaxy's breakout star and Zlatan's 'cub'
- Carlisle: MLS takes on Portland's most passionate fans
- Vela proves his commitment to LAFC is not in question

"The combination of all the changes, Rooney coming in, and how well they played on that streak last year, there was generally a feeling of optimism around the club," Lambert said. "There were a number of us, I would count myself among them, that thought this was the first team we had talent-wise in a decade that could really compete."

A victory over reigning MLS Cup holders Atlanta United in the season's opening game, followed by seven wins and just three losses in the season's first 12 games, only added to the hype. Then, disaster. Ben Olsen's squad managed only two wins in the 13 matches between mid-May and early August, victories over lowly expansion team FC Cincinnati and perpetually floundering Orlando City.

The underlying numbers were even worse. Heading into the weekend, United sit tied for 18th in shots per game at 12.3, putting only 3.7 of those on target (20th in the league). They have the second-worst total-shots ratio, according to American Soccer Analysis, and the difference between their expected goals for and expected goals against is minus-14.7. Two teams -- Cincy and the Vancouver Whitecaps -- have a worse differential. In other words: Not. Good.

Oh, and in August, Rooney announced he's leaving the team at the conclusion of the 2019 season to take a spot as player/manager of Derby County. The forward hasn't been bad this year with 11 goals and seven assists in 25 games, but it's far from his electric 2018 performance. Earlier in the summer, he sang Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" at a Georgetown piano karaoke bar, which just about sums things up.

"It was a long summer," Olsen said with typical understatement. "It was a grind for us."

But hey, this is MLS, and despite the struggles and the chaos, United have managed to eek out a couple of results, including a 3-0 away win against the Montreal Impact in their last match, and sit tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Make the playoffs and who knows?

"I've seen so many different roads to winning an MLS Cup as a player and as a coach," Olsen said. "The offensive stuff, if we can get that to click a little bit more over the next month, I wouldn't want to play us if we got in."

During the transfer window, United brought in reinforcements, including Felipe Martins, Emmanuel Boateng and Ola Kamara. (Olsen on the Kamara addition: "Do we need a No. 9? Not necessarily. We have a guy named Wayne who is filling that role. But with the Wayne situation for next year, Ola's name came across. He's a guy who can not only give us a bit of a boost in the short term, but he's a long-term play as a starting No. 9 going forward.") Those three, combined with a break for the international window, provided Olsen and his charges a chance to reset and rest up for the stretch run. Rooney and Luciano Acosta, another player in the midst of a lost season, played 90 minutes in a friendly against Puebla, the Englishman nearly tallying a spectacular free kick in the dying stages.

Rooney vowed to continue pushing toward the playoffs, and Olsen sees no reason not to believe the forward.

"Wayne doesn't differ too much emotionally," the coach said. "He shows up and he goes about his business. That's always been the case with him. He's low-maintenance with that stuff as far as being at training and doing what he's always done: competing, training and being an overall good influence."

Four games left -- home against Seattle and Cincy, away at Portland and New York Red Bulls -- to determine the success or failure of 2019. A weird, difficult year; an ending unwritten.

"There's been drama," Olsen said. "No question. A little bit more than I would have liked, but I do feel like we're past a lot of this, and the focus is now about the last month of the season. I think the guys have good blinders on about what the task is. I'm looking forward to it as well."