Hammers all but nail down Premier League status

LONDON • West Ham effectively sealed their Premier League survival with a first-half goal blitz in Friday's 3-1 win over relegation rivals Watford.

David Moyes' side ran riot before the break at the London Stadium, thanks to goals from Michail Antonio, Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice.

The Hammers climbed to 15th place and sit six points clear of the relegation zone with just two games remaining. Holding a vastly superior goal difference to third-from-bottom Bournemouth and second-last Aston Villa, they should be safe from the drop.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Bucks' Bledsoe has virus, stays away from team

MIAMI • Milwaukee Bucks starting point guard Eric Bledsoe has tested positive for the Covid-19 disease and will not join his teammates in the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Florida restart bubble.

The 30-year-old, in his 10th NBA campaign, has averaged 15.4 points, 5.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Bucks, who were an NBA-best 53-12 when the season shut down on March 11 due to the coronavius pandemic.

Milwaukee's first scheduled game in the restart is on July 31 against the Boston Celtics, who are third in the Eastern Conference.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE