Oklahoma nearly let history slip away as it saw a four-run lead turn into a three-run deficit against Clemson in Game 2 of the Norman Super Regional on Saturday.

But, down to their final strike, the defending champions fought back, tying things up on a Kinzie Hansen three-run homer and then getting the go-ahead solo home run from Tiare Jennings in the ninth inning to win 8-7 and advance to the Women's College World Series next week.

The win gives the Sooners the most consecutive victories of all time (48). Arizona (1996-97) was the previous record holder.

Oklahoma also holds the third-, fourth- and fifth-longest win streaks (41 games in 2019, 40 games in 2020-21 and 40 games in 2021-22).

The Sooners (56-1) are the prohibitive favorites to win a third straight WCWS. They have won six championships under coach Patty Gasso, including five in the past 10 years.

Their only loss this season came in February against Baylor -- a 4-3 defeat on the road. They later swept a three-game series against the Bears in Waco, Texas, in April.

Center fielder Jayda Coleman led off Saturday's win over Clemson with a home run. The next batter, second baseman Jennings, made it back-to-back slams with a homer over the right-field fence.

Third baseman Alyssa Brito also hit a home run in the top of the fourth inning. It was her third straight game with a homer -- her longest streak this season and tied for the longest streak of her career.

But in the bottom of the inning, Clemson responded as Maddie Moore hit a three-run homer to left field.

The next inning, McKenzie Clark hit a two-run homer to give the Tigers the lead. It was her 13th home run this season -- passing last season for the most she's had in a season in her career.

An Alia Logoleo walk with the bases loaded and a fielder's choice by Moore scored two more runs.

Oklahoma's Kierston Deal (1.2 innings pitched) and Jordy Bahl (3 innings pitched) didn't allow a single hit or run the rest of the game.

Clemson, which is in its fourth season of competition, was only one strike away from its first super regional victory with player of the year candidate Valerie Cagle on the mound and one runner on base. But Oklahoma's Haley Lee singled a 1-2 pitch to left field and Hansen, down 0-2, hit her 12th home run of the season.

The WCWS begins on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

The Milwaukee Bucks are hiring Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin as the franchise's next head coach, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

The Bucks landed on Griffin as their choice Saturday morning and began negotiations on a multiyear contract that is expected to result in a formalized deal soon, sources said.

Bucks general manager Jon Horst and team ownership became sold on Griffin's leadership presence, character and ability to oversee high-level defensive teams, sources said.

Griffin will replace Mike Budenholzer, who was dismissed after five years following a first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat. Griffin will take over a franchise that has had significant success in recent years around two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and is only two years removed from winning the NBA title.

Each of three finalists for the job -- Griffin, Golden State Warriors associate head coach Kenny Atkinson and former Raptors coach Nick Nurse -- met with Antetokounmpo as part of the search process, sources said.

Griffin, who spent the past four years as Nurse's top assistant in Toronto, is getting his first head-coaching job and comes with a reputation as a high-level defensive coach. He built his defensive system under Scott Skiles, Tom Thibodeau, Billy Donovan and Nurse. Griffin also built a reputation for his player development, which included his work with Jimmy Butler and Pascal Siakam.

Griffin has history with Horst, who was in the front office when Griffin started his coaching career in Milwaukee in 2008. A steady climber as a top head-coaching candidate among the pool of league assistants, Griffin also had stops with Oklahoma City, Orlando and Chicago.

Griffin played parts of nine seasons in the NBA, including stops with Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Houston and Seattle. He started eight games in the playoffs during the Mavericks' NBA Finals run in 2006. He was also voted MVP in both the Continental Basketball Association and United States Basketball League.

Griffin, who played at Seton Hall, is the father of Atlanta Hawks forward Adrian Griffin Jr.

ESPN's fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intel and data, featuring ESPN's proprietary Basketball Power Index (BPI) to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. NBA game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook.

What you need to know for Celtics-Heat Game 6

History is in the air ahead of Saturday night's anticipated Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals. The Boston Celtics enter South Florida as slight favorites against the host Miami Heat. Will Boston get one step closer to becoming the first team to avenge a 3-0 deficit?

Evaluating the player pool led my projections to Bam Adebayo as a strong DFS star given the third-highest blend of floor and ceiling behind superstars Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler. Miami's Caleb Martin has provided value in almost every playoff appearance this year while surpassing his points prop in five straight games.

From a scoring and shooting prop lens, Derrick White looks good, as he's lofted 15 3-pointers and 21 shots from the floor over the past two games. With Malcolm Brogdon's injury limiting his shot diet, White and Marcus Smart have consumed more shots. In a make-or-miss series, such complementary scorers could prove critical.

-- Jim McCormick

Breaking down Celtics-Heat Game 6

Boston Celtics at Miami Heat
Game 6: 8:30 p.m. ET, Heat lead series 3-2

Records (against the spread)
Celtics: 57-25 (45-36-1)
Heat: 44-38 (30-49-3)

Line: Celtics (-3) Total: 210
BPI projection: Celtics by 5.9
Money line: Celtics (-145), Heat (+122)

Injury report:
Celtics: Malcolm Brogdon, (GTD - Forearm); Danilo Gallinari, (OUT - Knee)
Heat: Gabe Vincent, (GTD - Ankle); Tyler Herro, (OUT - Hand); Victor Oladipo, (OUT - Knee)
Note: BPI numbers factor players who are ruled out but assumes GTD players will play

Eric Moody's best bets

Jimmy Butler over 42.5 points+assists+rebounds: Game 5 may have been quiet for Butler, but make no mistake, he's hungry for redemption. Butler was held to 14 points (his lowest total this postseason), five assists and five rebounds in 34 minutes. Despite leading in the series, this has the feel of a do-or-die game for the Heat, and they're not taking any chances. Miami wants to avoid having to travel to Boston for a Game 7. Butler's home-court dominance in the postseason has been undeniable, as he's averaging a jaw-dropping 30.0 points, 4.9 assists and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Bam Adebayo over 26.5 points+rebounds: Game 5 wasn't the best for Butler, and Adebayo couldn't quite fill the void, putting up only 16 points and eight rebounds. Those six turnovers? Ouch. Adebayo is ready to bounce back with a vengeance on Saturday. When playing at home against the Knicks and Celtics this postseason, he's averaged a solid 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Brace yourself for an even more dialed-in Bam in Game 6. There is a good chance he will exceed those per-game numbers on Saturday night.

Over 210: The Celtics have found their rhythm just in time, firing on all cylinders in the past two games with their season hanging in the balance. Butler's bold guarantee after the blowout loss in Game 5 adds an extra layer of intensity to Game 6. Buckle up, bettors, because this matchup has all the makings of a high-scoring spectacle. Celtics games have surpassed the 211-point mark an impressive 66 times this season, while the Heat have done it 58 times.

Celtics -3: Boston has been dominant in the past couple of games, leaving bettors and the Miami Heat in awe. As the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are finally proving exactly why they earned that distinction. Their championship-caliber defense has been an impenetrable force, holding the Heat below 100 points in consecutive games. With renewed confidence and swagger, momentum is squarely on the Celtics' side. The Heat have struggled at home against the spread this season, going 15-24-1. They will make adjustments in Game 6 and their stars should perform better, but against a Celtics team with this much talent, I don't know if it will be enough. Brace yourselves, folks, because it's looking increasingly likely that we'll be heading back to Boston for a thrilling Game 7.

The Baltimore Orioles have optioned top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez to Triple-A Norfolk amid his struggles at the big league level.

In a corresponding move Saturday, the team recalled left-hander Keegan Akin from Norfolk.

Rodriguez, 23, is 2-2 with a 7.35 ERA in 10 starts. The right-hander has thrown 45⅓ innings with 56 strikeouts and 21 walks for a 2.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has given up 13 home runs.

In April, Rodriguez allowed 11 earned runs in 24⅓ innings for a 4.07 ERA. In May, he has an 11.14 ERA, giving up 27 runs (26 earned) in 21 innings over five starts.

On Friday, the Texas Rangers tagged him with nine runs (eight earned) in 3⅓ innings on six hits -- three of them home runs -- and three walks. He struck out six in the 12-2 loss.

Akin, 28, is 1-1 with a 5.91 ERA in 13 relief appearances for the Orioles this season.

In 2022, Akin had a 3-3 record with a 3.20 ERA and two saves in 45 appearances (one start).

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- A bill introduced late Friday in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000-seat, $1.5 billion retractable-roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A's have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said she is disappointed the team didn't negotiate with Oakland as a "true partner."

The plan in the Nevada Legislature wouldn't directly raise taxes and can move forward with a simple majority vote in the Senate and the Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits.

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as and remained the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 to 1954. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major men's professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday that a vote on the Athletics' prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. On Thursday, Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A's, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County board of commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium's area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada's legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state assembly speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement Thursday.

"No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members," Yeager said.

Pitcher David Hess, whose MLB career was previously interrupted by a cancer diagnosis, has announced the disease has returned.

"The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind for us with this cancer journey that seems to never want to end," he posted to social media on Friday. "We found out that inside my tumor was [a] very rare and very aggressive type of cancer called angiosarcoma. Along with that discovery, lung nodules have popped up that we aren't sure what to make of yet."

Hess, 29, said he will have surgery Tuesday to biopsy the nodules and also undergo another surgery to remove the tumor. He also will have chemotherapy.

"I will fight like hell and do whatever is needed for a cancer free prognosis at some point," he wrote.

An online fundraiser was set up Friday to help Hess and his wife, Devin, with medical expenses. The biggest contribution so far has come from Chicago White Sox reliever Liam Hendriks and his wife, Kristi. Hendriks was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma last December and is close to returning to the team.

Hess was diagnosed with a germ cell tumor, a rare form of cancer, in his chest following the 2021 season. After treatment for the cantaloupe-sized tumor, he was cleared to return to baseball in early 2022.

Hess has a career record of 6-22 with a 6.25 ERA in 62 games (34 starts) with the Baltimore Orioles (2018-20), Miami Marlins (2021) and Tampa Bay Rays (2021).

He spent the 2022 season in the Rays' minor league system, tallying a 2-1 record with a 13.06 ERA in 10⅓ innings over eight relief appearances.

Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier hurt his back and exited Saturday's game against the Minnesota Twins after the second inning.

The Blue Jays later announced that Kiermaier experienced discomfort in his right lower back. He was replaced in the batting order by Cavan Biggio.

Kiermaier, 33, is batting .319 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 42 games this season, his first with the Blue Jays. The three-time Gold Glove winner signed a one-year contract worth $9 million in December.

He had a tough season in 2022 as he was limited to 63 games with the Tampa Bay Rays due to injuries. He didn't play after July 9 and had a season-ending hip operation in August. He batted .228 with seven homers and 22 RBIs.

But, even in a season where the Blue Jays have struggled under mighty expectations, Kiermaier has excelled and transitioned smoothly.

"I feel loved. I feel appreciated by my teammates, by fans. Coming here, everything's different. I knew one organization, one thing for so long. The transition coming over here was something I was anxious about," he told the Toronto Star earlier this month. "But excited, too, to see how me and my family were going to deal with it. And it's blown expectations out of the water. I'm having the time of my life, I really am."

Kiermaier is a career .251 hitter with 86 homers and 331 RBIs in 956 games with the Rays and Blue Jays.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames was placed on the seven-day concussion list Saturday after he was hit by a line-drive foul ball while in the dugout Friday night.

He spent the night in a Milwaukee hospital as a precaution.

Teammate Brian Anderson was batting in the bottom of the second inning against the San Francisco Giants when he hit a line drive that struck Adames, with video showing the ball appearing to hit him in the head or face.

Adames was able to walk to the clubhouse, and manager Craig Counsell said after the 15-1 defeat that tests done at the hospital showed no broken bones.

The game was stopped for a few minutes to allow Milwaukee's training staff to attend to Adames as he sat on the bench. Anderson's concern was apparent on his face as he waited from near the batter's box.

"I still haven't really processed it all the way through," Anderson said Saturday. "I was able to talk to him a little bit last night and he seemed like he was doing well, and I think he was actually in better spirits than I was last night.

"You know, he kept telling me, he's like, 'Don't worry about me, don't worry about me.' But he's a tough guy and we're going to miss having him. ... I'm just hoping and praying for a quick recovery for Willy."

The 27-year-old Adames, who has been voted the team MVP in two consecutive seasons since arriving from the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade in May 2021, has a slash line of .205/.292/.384 in 51 games his season. He also has four steals in six attempts.

In other moves Saturday, the Brewers brought up infielder Andruw Monasterio and right-hander Jake Cousins from Triple-A Nashville, optioned left-hander Ethan Small to Nashville and designated left-hander Alex Claudio for assignment.

Monasterio, 25, has yet to make his major league debut. He hit .271 with four homers and 19 RBIs in 42 games at Nashville. Cousins has a 3.24 ERA in seven relief appearances with the Brewers this season.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

As the tennis world came to terms with Rafael Nadal announcing his absence from this year's French Open, there was a certain irony about the identity of the man who directly benefited from his withdrawal.

In 2019, when Thiem lost for the second year running to Nadal in the Roland Garros final, it felt inevitable the Austrian would get his hands on the Coupe des Mousquetaires one day.

Four years later, Thiem has still not won the one major trophy which many thought he was destined to do.

Winning his first Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open has been the pinnacle of an enviable career that took Thiem to number three in the world.

Less than a year later, his journey was derailed by a wrist injury which kept him off the ATP Tour for 10 months and resulted in his ranking plummeting to outside the top 350 last year.

"It was difficult for me to cope with - and unusual - because it was the first time I had been out injured for a long time," Thiem, who is back up to 91st in the rankings, told BBC Sport.

"In the first 10 weeks I was in a cast so couldn't do anything anyway - and then the struggles started when I began to play again.

"It was so tough because before I was used to ripping the ball, I was used to using the wrist at full power and the whole body at full power, and then it was just not possible.

"My mind wanted to play full power. The body wouldn't allow it."

The excoriating style which led to Thiem's success - raw power generated through the wrist on both his forehand and one-handed backhand - took its toll on his body.

So did his eagerness to play as much as possible. Thiem became known for his hectic and heavy scheduling, and concedes now that his previous workload had contributed to the problems.

"I was always very lucky with my body because I was pushing it to the limit almost every day when I was young," he said.

"Because of all those strokes I did in my career up to then, it was inevitable something was going to happen at one point.

"Now everything is well and the body feels great."

The road back towards the top of the ATP Tour has been long and arduous.

Being unable to execute the aggressive shot-making for which he had become feared left Thiem lacking trust in his technique.

On his return to the tour in March 2022, Thiem lost his first seven matches and, after a French Open first-round exit last year, he admitted nerves were "toxic" to his forehand.

Afterwards Thiem decided to play some events on the ATP Challenger Tour - the second tier of men's tennis - to rebuild confidence.

He has since won 34 of his 61 matches across all levels, having used his protected injury ranking and wildcards to play at the biggest tournaments.

Thiem's encouraging display in a narrow 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-5) defeat by Greek world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas at the clay-court Madrid Open last month felt particularly significant.

"My level is getting much better because the beginning of the year was not good at all," said Thiem, who plays against Argentine world number 63 Pedro Cachin in the French Open first round.

"I was playing at a pretty bad level, definitely not good enough for the tour or for the top guys.

"Then at Indian Wells and Miami things changed. I started to play well and the clay season has been decent.

"The match against Tsitsipas was close, really close, giving me the feeling I am able to play at that level.

"I've been working very well and very hard for the past six weeks. I hope that will pay off at Roland Garros."

Fast approaching 30, Thiem says he does not feel young in tennis terms anymore.

Yet there is no bitterness, or even recognition, that he has been deprived of what are generally the peak years of a player.

"I have the feeling that all the years before were an amazing peak," said Thiem, who also reached the 2020 Australian Open final in a career-best year where only Novak Djokovic earned more ranking points.

"I was in the top 10 for five years consecutively, that was way more than I was expecting or hoping from my career.

"But I had the feeling no athlete - or almost no athlete - goes through a long career without major injury.

"Even when there were some setbacks in the recovery process, I had the feeling I was dealing with it pretty well.

"That's one thing I learned in all this time: if you are not able to change something, the best thing is to accept it and let it go. That's the healthiest way to digest it."

In the aftermath of his US Open triumph, Thiem decided to take two months away from the tour to have a "small reset" because of the physical and emotional impact of finally achieving the prize he had been striving for almost his whole life.

That enabled more time to pursue interests outside of tennis.

Championing environmental causes, including reducing plastic pollution and the protection of bees, is close to his heart.

Long walks with his dog Elon - named after the multi-billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk - is one of his favourite ways to enjoy nature and switch off from the world, while he has also launched a range of fashion sunglasses.

But, having taken up tennis aged six with his parents both being coaches, he says his passion for the sport never disappeared.

"The love of tennis never died - it was just covered by thoughts in my mind which were not easy," he said.

"But deep inside, the love of tennis was always there and will always be there, I'm 100% sure of that.

"Now I have a pretty clear goal in front of my eyes which is to get to my highest level tennis-wise.

"I definitely saw it was possible. This is the clear goal I have in the future - to reach another peak."

KAMLOOPS, British Columbia -- James Malatesta had a hat trick, Kassim Gaudet scored twice and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Quebec Remparts routed the host Kamloops Blazers 8-3 in the Memorial Cup opener Friday night.

Nathan Gaucher, Theo Rochette and Zachary Bolduc also scored for the Remparts.

Caedan Bankier, Daylan Kuefler and Matthew Seminoff scored for the Blazers. They played for the first time since May 8 when they were eliminated by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League's Western Conference final.

On Saturday in the four-team major junior hockey championship tournament, the WHL champion Thunderbirds will play the Ontario Hockey League champion Peterborough Petes.