Philadelphia 76ers (45-37, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -6.5; over/under is 215
EASTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference second round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last meeting 137-98 on Tuesday, led by 35 points from Jalen Brunson. Paul George led the 76ers with 17.
The Knicks are 14-3 against opponents in the Atlantic Division. New York averages 116.5 points and has outscored opponents by 6.4 points per game.
The 76ers are 9-7 in division matchups. Philadelphia ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference scoring 50.1 points per game in the paint led by Tyrese Maxey averaging 14.0.
The Knicks score 116.5 points per game, 0.4 more points than the 116.1 the 76ers allow. The 76ers score 5.8 more points per game (115.9) than the Knicks give up (110.1).
TOP PERFORMERS: Brunson is scoring 26.0 points per game with 3.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists for the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 16.7 points and 9.6 rebounds while shooting 58.1% over the last 10 games.
Quentin Grimes is shooting 45.0% and averaging 13.4 points for the 76ers. George is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 7-3, averaging 116.4 points, 42.0 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 9.2 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 101.1 points per game.
76ers: 6-4, averaging 105.5 points, 41.9 rebounds, 21.2 assists, 6.5 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.3 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: None listed.
76ers: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
A first Champions League final in 20 years is within touching distance, but a difficult tie is not over yet
Mikel Arteta can be forgiven for never missing the chance to remind everyone that these are unprecedented times for Arsenal. As his side prepares to face Atlético Madrid in the decisive act of their second successive Champions League semi-final, it is easy to forget that they have only reached this stage on four occasions in their entire history.
But 20 years after Arsène Wenger’s team edged past Villarreal in the last European match to be played at Highbury, Arsenal have their best opportunity since then to reach a second final after a campaign where they have swept all before them. The 1-1 draw in last week’s first leg in Madrid made it 13 matches unbeaten in this year’s Champions League – the only club to have achieved that feat – and also matched Wenger’s longest run without a defeat in Europe’s premier competition.
Victor Wembanyama recently became the NBA's first unanimous winner of the defensive player of the year award [Getty Images]
A record-breaking defensive performance from Victor Wembanyama was not enough to prevent the Minnesota Timberwolves taking a 1-0 lead against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA's Conference semi-finals.
Wembanyama made 12 blocks - a record for the NBA play-offs - but Minnesota, sixth seed in the Western Conference, upset second seed San Antonio by claiming a 104-102 win on the road on Monday.
The defensive player of the year added 11 points and 15 rebounds, becoming the third player to get a triple-double in the play-offs including blocks since the league began tracking blocks in 1973-74.
Anthony Edwards returned from a knee injury for the Timberwolves and scored 18 points from the bench as they held on to win the opening game of the best-of-seven series.
San Antonio remain at home for game two on Wednesday.
"We have to be better," said Wembanyama. "We need to figure it out in the next 48 hours, and I've got no doubt that we will. I would trust us."
The New York Knicks made a commanding start to their series with the Philadelphia 76ers, winning 137-98 at home.
The Knicks, who are the third seed in the Eastern Conference, became the first NBA team to win three straight play-off games by at least 25 points.
Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the first half while London-born forward OG Anunoby finished with 18.
After beating the Atlanta Hawks 140-89 on Thursday, the Knicks became just the second team in NBA history to end one series and begin another with consecutive victories by at least 30 points.
"Wasn't any fun to be a part of, to be honest," said 76ers coach Nick Nurse. "But it's 0-1. Doesn't really matter if it's six points or 36 or whatever the hell it was."
Game two is scheduled for New York's Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (62-20, second in the Western Conference)
San Antonio; Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Spurs -9.5; over/under is 215.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Timberwolves lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference second round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Timberwolves won the last meeting 104-102 on Tuesday, led by 21 points from Julius Randle. Dylan Harper led the Spurs with 18.
The Spurs are 36-16 against Western Conference opponents. San Antonio is ninth in the league with 28.1 assists per game. Stephon Castle leads the Spurs averaging 7.4.
The Timberwolves are 31-21 in Western Conference play. Minnesota ranks second in the Western Conference shooting 37.0% from 3-point range.
The Spurs make 48.3% of their shots from the field this season, which is 2.1 percentage points higher than the Timberwolves have allowed to their opponents (46.2%). The Timberwolves are shooting 48.1% from the field, 3.0% higher than the 45.1% the Spurs' opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: De'Aaron Fox is shooting 48.6% and averaging 18.6 points for the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama is averaging 15.2 points over the last 10 games.
Anthony Edwards is averaging 28.8 points and 3.7 assists for the Timberwolves. Jaden McDaniels is averaging 15.7 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Spurs: 7-3, averaging 114.8 points, 45.4 rebounds, 26.3 assists, 7.6 steals and 7.2 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.5 points per game.
Timberwolves: 7-3, averaging 116.4 points, 43.4 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 6.8 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 48.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.7 points.
INJURIES: Spurs: David Jones Garcia: out for season (ankle), Carter Bryant: out (foot).
Timberwolves: Ayo Dosunmu: out (calf), Donte DiVincenzo: out for season (leg).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
May 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Every Star Wars Day (May the Fourth, in case this particular branding hasn’t been pounded into your skull) produces the same opportunity to lay the story of the baseball game over the Star Wars leitmotif. Last year we had an uninspiring 8-1 loss to the Rangers where Zach purposefully trolled by mixing up Stars War and Trek, but ultimately got trolled by the game being so bad no one got particularly mad about it. Maybe the only person he really made mad was staffer Jake Parr, who wrote his own Star Wars-themed recap a week later, repeating a theme of his from 2024 (and 2023!), when he was mad I had the recap on Star Wars Day and neglected to do anything with it, because by this point I have been through so. many. baseball Star Wars Days, while still having only ever seen the original trilogy, and at that only in 20-minute asynchronous increments on my break at the Cineplex Odeon Southcenter Theatre (-tre because we were Fancy).
But sometimes the narrative pull is so strong, and tonight that narrative pull involves a guy named Luke using the force to win (or help win) a baseball game, you just have to throw up your hands, pour a nice [frantic googling sounds] Tarisian Ale, put on some [more frantic googling] Max Rebo Band, and give yourself over to the story being told.
The story tonight was of two halves. The first half: bad. I will not be making an analogy to a Star Wars Thing here because I don’t want to make anyone mad, but it’s Jar Jar, right? Jar Jar is universally regarded as Bad? Anyway, things got off to a rough start right away, with Logan Gilbert surrendering a homer on the third pitch of the ballgame, a slider that reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin was able to elevate over the right-center wall for a no-doubter. Gilbert said postgame he wasn’t unhappy with his slider, saying he thought they hit some good ones – and he did get two of his four strikeouts on the slider – but that’s also the number of home runs he have up on the slider, and I am not sure that is a tenable ratio going forward.
The other concerning aspect of Gilbert’s outing was how much hard contact he gave up. The Braves finished this game with an xBA of .314, and that was down from the .385 it was earlier in the game while Gilbert was pitching. This is just way too much good stuff, too much in the middle of the plate, especially on the fastball:
So, things could have been worse, for Gilbert, but conversely, they also could have been better for the Mariners. Facing Bainbridge Island-raised JR Ritchie, the Mariners were able to get traffic on against the rookie, pitching in the ballpark he grew up attending as a fan. Ritchie’s command was far from pinpoint, and he only struck out two over five innings, but the Mariners continually shot themselves in the foot with runners on, generally looking like the disconnected, discombobulated mess we’ve come to expect from them offensively over the last week-plus. They hurt themselves at seemingly every opportunity: Braves catcher Sean Murphy, making his first start back after off-season hip surgery, blew both Atlanta’s challenges in the first inning, leading to a leadoff walk for J.P. Crawford, but Josh Naylor lined into an inning-ending double play to kill that momentum. A leadoff infield single by Randy Arozarena in the second, followed by a walk by Luke Raley, similarly went nowhere. A Naylor leadoff single in the fourth was erased by Randy Arozarena immediately grounding into a double play; and then when Dominic Canzone tried to keep the line moving with a single, Raley flew out harmlessly to end the inning.
The real crushing moment was when the Mariners loaded the bases without a hit with two outs in the fifth – Leo Rivas was hit by a pitch (a fireable offense, says one Brad Adam) and Crawford and Julio Rodríguez each worked walks behind him, but Naylor grounded out easily on the third pitch he saw to end the threat.
That last inning might have been the back-breaker for Logan Gilbert, who did everything he could to hold the Braves’ powerful offense down but lost the battle in the sixth, as all the hard contact he’d given up during the game came home to roost at once. It started with back-to-back solo home runs, first to Ozzie Albies, who smacked a fastball on the plate over the wall; and then another one, to Matt Olson, on one of the aforementioned sliders. Two batters later, Austin Riley, who had been pushed down in the lineup because he is off to such a slow start this season, demolished another fastball on the plate for a 4-0 lead that felt like game over facing the Death Star of Atlanta’s scorching-hot lineup.
But this is Star Wars Day, and the Mariners have a guy named Luke. Ritchie led off the sixth by walking Arozarena on four not particularly close pitches followed by a walk to Dominic Canzone on five pitches, four of which were nowhere close. Atlanta manager Walt Weiss opted to leave Ritchie in to face Luke Raley, who was on an 1-for-24 skid with 11 strikeouts over his past 11 games (and that one was…a questionable ruling). I feel like we’ve all earned this: Luke Used The Force.
After that bit of managerial misconduct, Weiss went out and collected his starter, bringing in Tyler Kinley. Kinley was able to strike out Cole Young, who had a rough game offensively, but walked Mitch Garver on four non-close pitches, something one Brad Adam calls a fireable offense. With two outs, J.P. Crawford came up, battled the count full, and punished a slider of his own:
Because who else could it be but J.P. Crawford? Author of so many walkoff wins for the Mariners, king of the two-strike hitting, subject of much criticism over this past week for his defense, flipping his bat like a light saber into the dark Seattle night.
The bullpen held it down over the stretch, with José Ferrer pitching in 1.1 innings of work, Eduard Bazardo – maybe the most Star Wars-coded names of the current Mariners – doing his Bazardo thing and hanging another Bazero, and Andrés Muñoz protecting that one-run lead like the Mandalorian protects Grogu (because if there’s a Mariner with Pedro Pascal vibes, it’s definitely Muñoz). The Braves’ last (not new) hope was the dangerous Baldwin, up with a runner on after pinch-hitter Dominic Smith came up with a sharp single on a 98 mph fastball. Baldwin took a called strike on a slider and then chased one, putting himself in an 0-2 hole, but declined to chase a third straight slider. Muñoz went to the slider one more time and Baldwin helpfully hit it to the Mariners’ most surehanded infielder, Cole Young, for an easy 4-3 putout and a losing streak-snapping win. Just like the script said.
With two top-10 defenses facing off, points were always going to be hard to come by in a second-round series between Minnesota and San Antonio.
Victor Wembanyama took that to another level — he had 12 blocks in Game 1, the most in a playoff game in 52 years. All of which is why Anthony Edwards' return from a bone bruise in his knee to play 25 minutes off the bench was so critical for Minnesota. His 18 points were a huge boost, as was the emotion of just having him back on the floor. Mike Conley also gave the Timberwolves a boost, shooting 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and Julius Randle did the same, scoring 21, including a clutch bucket in the final minute.
And yet, the Spurs had a good chance to win it. Julian Champagnie — who set a Spurs franchise record this season for made 3-pointers — got a quality look at the game-winner. It just didn't fall.
Minnesota stole Game 1 on the road by the score of 104-102. Game 2 is in San Antonio on Wednesday.
This has the potential to be the best series of the second round, two very evenly matched teams.
Minnesota's physical defense threw off Wembanyama (5-of-17 shooting) and De'Aaron Fox (5-of-14), who combined to score just 21 points.
"They did what they do, they're physical, they guard the ball well," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of the Timberwolves defense.
What do the Spurs need to do to change that dynamic?
"Start by making some shots," Wembanyama said bluntly. Minnesota might be one of the all-time great flip-the-switch teams the league has seen, a group disinterested in the regular season but come the playoffs, they are a different team.
Having Edwards back helped with that — he was his vintage self, chirping at the Spurs bench after a made basket, then not long after begging coach Chris Finch to leave him in the game.
This game was close the entire way, neither team ever led by double digits.
The 45-45 score at the half and the fact that both teams shot less than 42% overall were signs of what a defensive series this is going to be. Or there was the fact that Wembanyama had seven blocks in the first half alone.
Minnesota got 16 points from Jaden McDaniels despite his spending much of the night in foul trouble. Terrence Shannon Jr. added 16 points as well, and Naz Reid had a dozen off the bench.
Rookie Dylan Harper was doing his thing getting downhill and led the Spurs with 18 points, while Stephon Castle and Champagnie each added 17 for the Spurs.
San Antonio shot just 10-of-36 (27.8%) from 3 for the game, expect that to improve, and the young Spurs to improve.
Just don't expect a scoring explosion, it's not going to be that kind of series.
In this week’s Injury Report, Jackson Chourio returns to make his season debut for the Brewers. The Tigers’ rotation takes a hit with defending Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal set for a lengthy absence. The early-round hits keep coming as Ronald Acuña Jr. lands on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Let's break it all down as we run through the relevant injury news around baseball.
⚾️ Baseball is back! MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
Tarik Skubal (elbow)
Skubal came out of his last start reportedly feeling fine despite a check-in with a trainer in the seventh inning. Turns out, the two-time AL Cy Young winner was not fine. He was scratched from his start on Monday as a precaution, and it took all of about ten minutes to report that he needed surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. Hunter Greene and Spencer Schwellenbach underwent the same procedure before the season, with a projected return timeline sometime after the All-Star break. And Edwin Díaz is looking at a three-month recovery, as well. It seems like in a best-case scenario, we get six weeks of Skubal to end the season, something he may be more motivated to do as a pending free agent. But in leagues without IL spots, he’s probably a drop.
Skubal wasn’t the only first-round pick to hit the injured list this week. Acuña pulled up, grabbing at his hamstring as he ran out of the box on a ground ball in the second inning on Saturday. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday. Imagining revealed a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, which was much better news than expected. The timeline of a Grade 1 strain varies, but I wouldn’t expect the 28-year-old star back after the minimum. But a return before June could be in play. For reference, Jeremy Peña has been sidelined since April 11 with a Grade 1 strain.
Ryan Helsley (elbow)
Another week, another closer goes down. Helsley was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 29 with right elbow inflammation. The 31-year-old right-hander was one of the top-performing closers over the first month, posting a 2.53 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts over 10 2/3 innings while going 7-for-7 in save chances. An MRI revealed no structural damage, and he’ll be reevaluated later this week to determine a plan to resume throwing. Barring any setbacks, we could see him back before the end of the month. Of course, the occurrence of elbow inflammation will put him at an elevated risk of re-injury throughout the season. Rico Garcia could be in line to handle closing duties in Helsley’s absence.
Joe Ryan (elbow)
Ryan threw nine pitches on Sunday against the Blue Jays before leaving the game with a trainer in the first inning with right elbow soreness. There’s been no word on the severity of Ryan’s injury or what exactly he’s dealing with, but the team is expected to provide an update on Tuesday. It’s a good sign that Ryan traveled with the team ahead of their series opener against the Nationals.
Garrett Crochet (shoulder)
Crochet hit the 15-day injured list last week with left shoulder inflammation. It came as a surprise following one of his better starts in which he struck out seven batters over six shutout innings against the Orioles. While there’s no timetable for a return, an MRI revealed no structural damage, and he played catch on Sunday. Of course, the Red Sox will likely be extra cautious with their ace.
Jackson Chourio(hand)
Andrew Vaughn (hand)
Christian Yelich (groin)
The Brewers are getting some much-needed major reinforcements back, activating both Chourio and Vaughn on Monday. Chourio made his season debut after suffering a broken hand during the World Baseball Classic, making an impact right away, going 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles. In fact, all four of his hits were on batted balls of over 102 mph. Vaughn had been missing in action since late March with a hamate bone fracture. While the young star Chourio was universally stashed, Vaughn deserves some consideration in deeper leagues after hitting .309 with nine homers over 64 games with the Brewers last season. Meanwhile, Yelich is inching closer to a return as he recovers from a groin injury that has sidelined him since April 14. He took batting practice on Monday and is still aiming to return in mid to late May. The Brewers have a team WRC+ of 88 since Yelich hit the injured list.
Diaz was scratched from Monday’s lineup with what was described as an abdominal injury. After the game, manager Joe Espada indicated he’ll be placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique issue. The team recalled César Salazar in anticipation of the move. Christian Vasquez will step in as the primary catcher in Diaz’s absence. The 27-year-old backstop hasn’t exactly been lighting it up, hitting .248/.264/.356 with two homers and 14 RBI across 106 plate appearances.
Josh Hader (shoulder)
After a couple of live batting practice sessions, Hader is ready to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday. The 32-year-old left-hander is on the 60-day injured list and eligible to be activated on May 24. So he’ll have plenty of time to build up and be ready for activation, barring any setbacks.
Brandon Woodruff (shoulder)
Woodruff left his start against the Diamondbacks last Thursday in the second inning. You knew something was wrong when he topped out at just 86.9 mph. It was no surprise when he landed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Woodruff seemed to downplay the issue, calling it a dead arm situation. He’ll begin his throwing program this week, signaling it could be a short stay on the IL. Woodruff’s injury opened the door for Logan Henderson, who struck out eight over six innings in his first start on Sunday. The talented 24-year-old right-hander deserves to be added in all formats.
Roman Anthony (wrist)
Anthony’s status will be one to watch this week. He was removed from Monday’s game against the Tigers in the first inning following an awkward swing with right wrist discomfort. X-rays came back negative for any fractures, but Anthony will travel back to Boston for further evaluation, meaning he’ll likely miss at least a couple of games.
Cal Raleigh (side)
Raleigh will be another one to look out for on Tuesday. He missed his third consecutive game on Monday since experiencing right side tightness during Friday's contest against the Royals. The 29-year-old slugger indicated that he's feeling better, but the Mariners should have an update following an MRI. A trip to the injured list seems to remain in play.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his 35 points in the first half and the New York Knicks emphatically added to a historic postseason roll by overwhelming the Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Knicks became the first team in NBA history to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points, continuing a wave that began midway through the first round against Atlanta by shooting 63% from the field and leading by 40 points.
OG Anunoby added 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges both had 17, with Towns adding six rebounds and six assists in just 20 minutes.
After trailing 2-1 against Atlanta, the Knicks have won four straight games by a total of 135 points. They are the first team since detailed play-by-play began in 1996-97 to lead three straight playoff games by at least 30 points, according to Sportradar.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 18 points in his unexpected return from injury and Minnesota overcame a huge game by Victor Wembanyama and held on to beat San Antonio in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals.
Wembanyama had 11 points and 15 rebounds and set an NBA postseason record with 12 blocks. He’s the third player to get a triple-double in the playoffs including blocks since the league began tracking blocks in 1973-74.
San Antonio cut the deficit to 104-102 on a steal by Devin Vassell and layup by Dylan Harper with 31 seconds remaining. Following a miss by Minnesota’s Julius Randle, Julian Champagnie couldn’t connect on a 3-pointer at the buzzer as San Antonio suffered only its second loss in its last 17 series openers at home.
Randle finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Harper scored 18 points and Champagnie and Stephon Castle had 17 each for the Spurs.
Edwards was expected to miss at least the first two games of the series after suffering a bone bruise and hyperextending his left knee on April 25 during Game 4 of Minnesota’s opening-round series against Denver. Instead, Edwards worked diligently to return with guards Donte DiVincenzo (torn right Achilles tendon) and Ayo Dosunmu (right calf soreness) out with injuries.
Edwards did not start, entering the game with 6:53 remaining in the first quarter and the Timberwolves trailing 11-8. He finished 8 for 13 in 25 minutes.
ST. LOUIS — Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio produced a spectacular season debut in a losing cause Monday after missing the first month of the season.
Chourio went 4 of 4 and hit a pair of doubles in the Brewers’ 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Chourio and teammate Andrew Vaughn came off the injured list earlier in the day after both players were dealing with fractured bones in their left hand.
Vaughn went 0 for 4 in his first game since getting hurt in the Brewers' season opener.
“Physically, I feel really, really good right now,” Chourio told reporters through interpreter Daniel de Mondesert before Monday's game. “Thanks to God, I'm going to be able to go out there and give my everything.”
Milwaukee also optioned outfielder Blake Perkins to Triple-A Nashville and designated outfielder Greg Jones for assignment.
The Brewers had been lacking power while Chourio, Vaughn and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich were all on the injured list. Yelich last played on April 12 as he deals with an adductor strain.
Brice Turang's two-run shot in the ninth inning Monday was just Milwaukee's 23rd homer of the season. Only the San Francisco Giants have homered fewer times. Milwaukee’s .354 slugging percentage entering Monday's game ranked the Brewers ahead of only the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets.
Chourio collected at least 20 homers and 20 steals in each of his first two seasons in the major leagues. Vaughn had nine homers and an .869 OPS in 64 games for Milwaukee last year after they acquired him from the Chicago White Sox.
The 22-year-old Chourio was hit by a pitch from Washington’s Clayton Beeter while playing for Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic team in a March 4 exhibition with the Nationals at West Palm Beach, Florida. After Chourio felt bothered while attempting a check swing in late March, an MRI revealed a small hairline fracture at the base of the third metacarpal — something that hadn’t been visible during the initial testing that followed the March 4 game.
Chourio had left a game Saturday after fouling a ball off his left ankle during a rehabilitation appearance with Nashville, but the incident didn’t delay his return to the big leagues.
“It hurt, for sure,” Chourio told reporters. “It hurt right away. But I knew after that it wasn’t going to be anything that put me out for any long period of time or anything like that.”
Vaughn, 28, was injured during an at-bat in the Brewers’ 14-2 season-opening win over the Chicago White Sox. He was diagnosed with a fractured hamate bone.
The return of Chourio and Vaughn led to the exits of Perkins and Jones.
Perkins, 29, batted .109 with a .212 on-base percentage, no homers, five RBIs and one steal in 19 games. Jones, 28, hit .095 with one RBI, one steal, no walks and nine strikeouts in 22 plate appearances.
The Brewers also returned pitcher Quinn Priester from his rehabilitation appearance, though the right-hander remains on the injured list as he recovers from thoracic outlet syndrome. Priester allowed nine runs and walked eight batters over five innings in three appearances with Nashville.
Priester went 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA for Milwaukee last season.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MAY 4: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves handles the ball during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Round Two Game One of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 4, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The good thing about a defensive battle is that it provides some incredibly compelling basketball, where every shot must be earned, and every make has been fought for. The bad thing about a defensive battle is that sometimes no one makes a shot for five minutes at a time, and you can feel the life force draining from you as you watch a 7’4” inhuman monster block every single shot that the Minnesota Timberwolves throw within 48 inches of him.
The best part about a defensive battle, however, is winning it. It’s that first gasp of air after a stressful game. May basketball is fun. There’s truly nothing better than this.
The return of Anthony Edwards loomed large heading into this one, as just over a week after nearly snapping his knee on live television, the superstar shooting guard stepped back onto the court just a few minutes into the first quarter.
However, with Ant on a minutes restriction and Ayo Dosumnu still out with a calf injury, the Wolves lacked any real 3-point shooting or self-shot creation. With that need in place, Chris Finch did what would’ve seemed impossible a day ago. He let Ant challenge the limits of the minutes restriction.
Edwards started off slow but found a rhythm in the fourth. He is clearly still hobbled; his verticality and burst are near zero comparatively, but still, he continued to push.
For Minnesota, Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels performed admirably as offensive pressure valves, with Jaden finding shot after shot from inside the arc and Reid with a team-best plus/minus. However, there was a looming absence that continues to shape the Wolves’ rotation.
TJ Shannon and Jaylen Clark continue to figure into minutes distributions, largely due to the loss of not just Dosumnu but the ever-missed Donte Divincenzo.
It’s pretty obvious that losing a guy taking eight threes a game and making around 40% of them is gonna be a devastating event, but it’s especially bad when the San Antonio Spurs defense was hemorrhaging open threes and the Wolves just didn’t have anyone to shoot them.
Wolves can't take 3x more 2PT shots than 3PT shots in the 2H
They made 5 of their 13 triples (38.5%) and just 15 of their 35 2s (42.9%)
Love the 20 shot attempts at the rim (10/20, 50%), but just 5-15 (33.3%) on floaters/middies.
The Wolves roster is shaped by its specialists. Bones Hyland being terrible tonight made the lack of healthy Ayo and Ant even more obvious. The impact of Jaylen Clark as a defensive ace gave Jaden just enough of a break to not foul out in the same with that his counterpart in Stephon Castle did.
In losing Donte, they lost that aspect of themselves. It was painfully obvious tonight.
Everything came to a head in the last three minutes of the game. After an aggressive Ant built a lead that Julius Randle maintained, the Wolves led by seven with 180 seconds remaining. A minute later, DeAaron Fox scored a fastbreak layup to bring that lead down to a more achievable five.
Clutch time was always a worry for the Spurs, who lack any real playoff experience beyond Harrison Barnes, but there is also the question of whether this will be a running theme or a one-off. The Wolves have been here; the Spurs have not.
That was not immediately obvious, though. While the Wolves floundered, San Antonio stayed alive. A couple of second-chance points given up to Julian Champagnie (of all people) pulled it down to four when it could’ve been game over with miss after miss still becoming points.
Free-throw shooting has long since been an issue for Minnesota. Maybe it started when Anthony Edwards went from around 85% to 75% near overnight. Maybe it became more obvious when Rudy Gobert joined the team. Maybe it just got particularly obvious when checking the box score and seeing those nine missed free throws.
Dumb mistakes have also been abundant. From Rudy Gobert forcing a three-second rule to turn over Julius Randle to ridiculous turnovers to the lasting memories, lackluster defense, and backcuts from so many different playoff runs. Tonight’s version was a cursed inbounds play.
All of that was nearly enough to sink the Wolves.
But that’s exactly the thing: nearly.
The Wolves didn’t blow it. They held on and won Game 1 to claim home court advantage in this series.
There are so many things to point at to blame for this game. The last three minutes were a comedy of errors. The inbound pass that led to a turnover to bring the lead down to two was horrifying. The final offensive possession from Julius Randle (who had an excellent game and even better fourth quarter) was mindbogglingly bad.
Anthony Edwards spent the entirety of his postgame presser talking about how terribly he played. Nine days after a major knee injury, he was upset with his lack of rebounding. He had a fair amount to be upset about and an upsetting amount of things that he should be fairer about.
There was no way this should have worked. This should have been a disaster. In anything outside of a Disney Channel movie, this ends in failure and pain.
But it didn’t really matter.
On a night where Victor Wembanyama challenged the playoff block record in only the first quarter, the Wolves did enough to win.
If he can have his own movie moment, the Wolves can have their own.
Additionally, the potential return of Ayo Dosumnu, echoing that of Ant tonight, could give Minnesota another extra boost when the Spurs are very much locked in on who they are. It seems this series will be the ultimate battle of basketball identity vs. team identity.
The Spurs know exactly how they play. The Wolves know exactly who they are.
That made all the difference tonight.
“We just want to win ballgames. That’s all we want to do, as a group. No matter whose night it is, we don’t care, we want to embrace each other.
“We just want to win ballgames,” says Anthony Edwards. They have done that more than any era in franchise history. They did that tonight.
Goodnight Wolves fans. We’ll be back again on Wednesday night for Game 2, which likely won’t be nearly as neck and neck as this one was.
Phew. I have no other words outside of a few expletives and that aforementioned sigh. What a game. What. A. Game.
Up Next
Game 2 of this Timberwolves-Spurs series continues on Wednesday as the Wolves look to take the first two games on the road as they did two years ago in Denver. Tip-off is again at 8:30 PM CT, airing this time on ESPN.
Game 1 went about as good as the Knicks could’ve hoped.
New York came out on their homecourt and really set the tone for this second round series, dominating the 76ers on both ends of the floor in a commanding 39-point victory.
Defensively, they shutdown Philly’s one-two punch of Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, limiting them to just a combined 27 points and six fields goals on the night.
They continued clicking on all cylinders offensively, as well, as everyone who logged a minute scored and they shot a whopping 63 percent from the field as a team.
“We played full game of Knicks basketball,” Josh Hart said.
“I thought it was a really good game by our guys,” Mike Brown added.
New York has put together their best stretch of basketball when it’s mattered the most, winning their last four games by a combined 135 points.
That’s the largest point-differential in any four-game span in NBA playoff history.
Even as they keep rolling, though, the Knicks now firsthand that they can’t get too far ahead of themselves as there is still a lot of series left to be played.
“It’s good, but it’s just one game,” Mikal Bridges said. “It goes back to 0-0 in Game 2.”
“You’ve got to take this with a grain of salt and just move forward,” Jalen Brunson added. “I don’t think we’re going to see that team that we saw in Game 1 out there in Game 2 -- they’re going to be ready to go.”
Munetaka Murakami continues to dominate the league, now with 14 home runs. | Getty Images
The Force was strong with the White Sox tonight as they shut out the Angelswith a 6-0 win. Davis Martin reached a career-high double-digit strikeout milestone, and Munetaka Murakami finally doubled!
José Soriano started off the night with back-to-back walks, but redeemed himself with back-to-back strikeouts. But Soriano’s woes could not be escaped for long, with back-to-back RBI singles from Chase Meidroth and Andrew Benintendi, making it 2-0 before the Angels ace could get out of the top of the first.
Martin was outstanding once more, shutting down the Angels with efficiency. It was the third inning before Travis d’Arnaud got the first hit for the Angels, but Adam Frazier hit right into a double play to follow, keeping Martin facing the minimum batters.
In just the fourth inning but for the third time in the game, Sam Antonacci got on base. Insert Munetaka Murakami, who put the Good Guys up 4-0 with a two-run bomb:
Not to be outdone, Miguel Vargas followed with a solo homer, pushing the lead to 5-0.
Two innings later, Murakami finally doubled for the first time in his major league career, ending his MLB record streak of 14 straight extra-base hits as a homer at 14. In the bottom half, Martin reached a career high of nine strikeouts, still at just 68 pitches. And by the seventh, Martin notched his 10th strikeout of the game, and he would end his outing there, at seven innings, five hits, no walks and 10 Ks.
In the eighth, Colson Montgomery had an RBI single to extend his on-base streak to 17. Sean Newcomb, who entered in the eighth and was the only other pitcher used by the Sox in the game, retired the Angels in order, and then dominated the Angels in the ninth by striking out the side to preserve the shutout win.
May 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Luke Raley (20) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MAY 4: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs is guarded by Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during Round Two Game One of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 4, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After seven days off since beating the Trail Blazers in Game 5 of the first round, the San Antonio Spurs opened Round 2 against an injured but pesky Minnesota Timberwolves squad that gave them trouble in the regular season. It was an old school, defensive slug-fest most of the night, with neither team able to find much offense or build any separation throughout the first three quarters. Unfortunately, behind the surprising return of Anthony Edwards, the Wolves went on a run in the fourth quarter and built just a big enough lead that the Spurs couldn’t quite make it all the way back from, losing on a Dylan Harper miss at the buzzer, 102-104.
Despite seven Spurs scoring in double figures, they got very little offense from their stars. Wemby had an inefficient triple-double with 11 points, 15 rebounds and Spurs playoff record 12 blocks, while Harper led all Spurs with 18 points off the bench. Julius Randall, who was huge in the fourth quarter, led the Wolves with 21 points, while Edwards had 18 in 25 minutes off the bench.
Observations
Ant and Wemby are a lot alike: they’re both confident, loud and highly competitive. Just like many were surprised to see Wemby returns from a concussion in just five days in Round 1, there was equal surprise when it was announced Edwards would be ready for Game 1 of Round 2 tonight, albeit off the bench and on a minutes restriction, despite dealing with runners knee in one leg and a hyper extension and bone bruise in the other, suffered just over a week ago. Playing on two bad knees doesn’t seem like the greatest idea, and odds are he wouldn’t be if this were the regular season, but these are the playoffs, and competitive Ant won the argument.
Neither team faced particularly formidable defenses in the first round, so the opening minutes felt like both a “brushing of the rust” and adjustment period. Both squads tried and found out that challenging Wemby and Gobert at the rim is a fool’s errand, and there wasn’t a whole lot of ball movement from either team.
One thing the Spurs did have going initially was the three-point shot, as they hit 4 of their first 7 while the Wolves missed their first four to get out to a 17-10 lead, but then they went cold and otherwise kept getting stuffed everywhere on the court when they tried to play iso-ball, and the Wolves responded with a 12-2 run while Edwards was in the game and led 24-23 after the first quarter.
The scripts flipped to start the second quarter. With Gobert resting and Wemby in, it was his turn to stuff the paint while the Spurs finally had a path to the rim, using a 9-0 to retake the lead. The quarter continued to be a game of runs, often dictated why whether Wemby or Gobert were on the floor, and the defensive-dominant half fittingly ended with things tied at 45 apiece, which actually kind of felt like a win for the Spurs considering Wemby had just 6 points on 3-9 shooting and Fox 0 on 0-5. They largely had Stephon Castle and Harper to thank, who combined for 22 points on 7-13 shooting in the half.
What Wemby was doing was dominating on defense, with 7 blocks in the half, one off of tying Dwight Howard for the most ever in a half of a playoff game. (He had originally tied it, but one was retroactively taken away during halftime.) He got his 10th in the third quarter to surpass Tim Duncan’s Spurs record of 9 blocks in a playoff game, which he achieved three times between 2002 and 2003. Wemby’s 12 overall blocks was one shy of George Johnson’s franchise record of 13 in 1981.
The third quarter was more of the same: a defensive slug-fest with neither team able to consistently score, and every time one team created a sliver of daylight (as in a four or five-point lead), the other team would respond. One place the Wolves kept shooting themselves in the foot was the free throw line, where they were 5-13 after three quarters, and the Spurs being in the bonus early ended up being a blessing in disguise as it gave them a chance to breath while the Wolves missed free throws. The Spurs led 72-69 after three.
After being mostly invisible in his brief stints in the middle two quarters, the offenses opened up and Edwards scored 8 quick points to open the fourth quarter, and while the Spurs had a brief answer, they appeared out of gas while everything opened up for the Wolves. They couldn’t get a kind whistle on either end, were missing easy shots on offense, and even when they did get stops, the Wolves made lemonade off broken plays, stretching the lead to as much as nine at 95-86 with under five minutes to go. The Spurs tried to fight back, getting within two points on a Harper steal with 31 seconds left and a chance to win at the buzzer, but Harper’s three came up just short.
This was the second game in a row Castle fouled out, this time with just over three minutes left. He’s not afraid to muck it up a bit, but that can get him trouble in games with a tight whistle, and this was one of them. (In fairness to him, he had a couple of bad calls against him, the fifth one of which was Randall pushing him over from behind. No idea how that was perceived as a foul on Castle, but the Spurs didn’t have a challenge after Mitch Johnson had used it on another Castle foul in the first quarter in which he was pushed, but the refs decided he grabbed the defender first, which was iffy.)
May 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Atlanta Braves starter JR Ritchie (60) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
The Braves saw their winning streak come to an end on Monday night in Seattle, falling to the Mariners, 5-4, despite hitting four homers and leading 4-0 at one point.
Walt Weiss has been terrific this year, but his very questionable decision in the sixth inning turned the game upside down.
With the Braves up 4-0, JR Ritchie was very clearly out of gas — and had lacked command all night — and was inexplicably sent to the mound once again in the sixth. He issued back to back walks and was *still* not taken out of the game, giving up a three-run homer moments later on a hanging slider to Luke Raley to cut the lead to 4-3.
Tyler Kinley entered in relief and surrendered a two-out, two-strike, two-run shot to JP Crawford to give Seattle a very sudden 5-4 lead.
The Braves hit Mariners starter Logan Gilbert hard all night, launching four solo homers and spraying line drives all over the field. Drake Baldwin led off the game with a homer. Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson then went back-to-back in the sixth, followed by Austin Riley two batters later with a rocket of his own. The Braves could have very easily scored more than four against Gilbert, but some poor luck on batted balls prevented a bigger night offensively.
Pitching in front of hundreds of friends and family, it was not a great night for Ritchie, who issued six walks and scattered four hits across 5+ innings. He only struck out two. We’ll see if he makes another start against the mighty Dodgers this weekend or if Atlanta turns to a different option, like Martin Perez or Didier Fuentes.
The series continues Tuesday night with Bryce Elder set to face very good righty George Kirby. First pitch at 9:40 p.m. ET.
David Shovein
