Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II exited Thursday’s game in the seventh inning after experiencing left quad tightness. Fortunately, the move was only precautionary and Harris is expected to be on the lineup card tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Harris had a huge series against the Washington Nationals, where he logged six hits, two of them leaving the ballpark. He also recorded six RBI and did not strike out once. The Braves will hope he can carry that momentum into another strong performance this series.
More Braves News:
JR Ritchie’s MLB debut started horribly but shaped up to be spectacular. He went on to throw seven innings, allowed two runs, two walks, and struck out seven.
Tate Southisene knocked a leadoff homer during Wednesday’s GreenJackets game. More in the minor league recap.
Apr 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie (20) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Can someone explain to me how the Houston Rockets are 9.5-point favorites tonight in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers?
Sure, I get that the game is in Houston. The Rockets are in desperation mode after dropping the first two games in LA. Role players almost always play better at home than on the road in the playoffs. The Lakers have shot exceptionally well while the Rockets have…not.
Yet all of those factors pale in the shadow of truth that the Rockets just aren’t a good basketball team right now. The problems are everywhere, including coaching, effort, basketball intelligence, and ability.
The Lakers come into this game (and Sunday’s) playing with house money. Thanks to a media blitz relieving them of all pressure heading into the postseason, just winning two games in this series has allowed them to have fun and be free. They are feeling the effects of having zero expectations. Meanwhile, Houston is in an embarrassing position after losing two games against an undermanned Lakers squad missing their two best players. Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard have turned into superstars and the Lakers have collectively decided that missing three pointers is so last year.
So what has actually changed between Games 2 and 3? How is Houston such a heavy favorite when all the evidence says they should be serious underdogs? And that doesn’t include the potential return of Austin Reaves (who is questionable) or the lack of Kevin Durant (also questionable). The Rockets haven’t been swept in a playoff series since 1996. That could change by Sunday.
TORONTO, ON - April 23 In second half action, RJ Barrett (9) of the Toronto Raptors gets mixed up with Jarrett Allen (31) of the Cleveland CavaliersThe Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-104 in game 3 of the first round of the playoffs in NBA basketball action at the Scotiabank Arena. April 23 2026 Richard Lautens/Toronto Star (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Toronto Star via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers got run off the floor in Game 3 against the Toronto Raptors.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
15 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 turnovers
Mitchell didn’t do enough tonight. Simple as that.
It’s unusual to see Mitchell so uninvolved in a playoff game. The Raptors aggressively denied him the ball — and neither the Cavs nor Mitchell seemed overly willing to challenge that. They instead allowed Toronto to dictate the terms of engagement, keeping Mitchell off the board with just 15 points on 16 shot attempts.
All the while, he was targeted in the pick-and-roll by Toronto’s offense. He didn’t fare very well there, either.
Grade: F
James Harden
18 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 8 turnovers
You’ve seen this type of game before from Harden.
More turnovers than field goals made is painful. Not hustling back after turning it over is worse. Harden’s defense was bad, and for the first time in Cleveland, his offense didn’t even come close to making up for it.
Mobely was able to feast in Game 2 as a result of Mitchell and Harden breaking down the defense and then feeding him with an advantage.
Tonight, however, Scottie Barnes expertly denied Harden the ball in the backcourt. That forced Mobley to bring the ball up the floor and create for himself more than at any other point in the series.
The results weren’t awful, with Mobley dishing 7 assists and actually finding a brief groove in the second half. But that moment was fleeting — and most of those possessions ended in a drained shot clock with nothing to show for.
Worse, I think this was one of the least impactful defensive games of Mobley’s career. He was shockingly absent while the Raptors scored 60 points in the paint.
Grade: D
Jarrett Allen
12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks
The Cavs can’t afford for Allen to slip now. He’s been crucial to their success all season, but is once again looking like an afterthought as the team jacks three-pointers and stretches him too thin defensively by asking him to cover for an unreasonable amount of breakdowns.
It didn’t help that Allen himself seemed lethargic tonight, too. A recipe for yuck.
Grade: F
Dean Wade
5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
Finally, something decent to talk about.
Wade’s still a non-threat on offense. And that has constricted their ability to generate clean looks as the Raptors are starting to ignore him in favor of packing the paint. Those drive-and-kicks to Wade almost always end in a swing pass before resetting the offense. The guy just doesn’t want to shoot.
That said, Wade remains a bright spot defensively and was crushing the Raptors with his offensive rebounding. Wade’s ceiling is clearly defined, but he did all of the floor-raising things tonight to justify his minutes.
Grade: C+
Max Strus
15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Strus could sense trouble in the water. He entered the game and immediately began firing away, briefly swinging the momentum and finishing with 15 points on 4-8 three-point shooting.
I really don’t have anything bad to say. Strus unloaded the clip and did so efficiently. This one wasn’t on him.
Grade: B+
Keon Ellis
0 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover
Ellis has only made one shot so far in this series. He didn’t even attempt one tonight. The margin for error is getting too thin to keep him on the floor. Not to mention, his defense continues to fall by the wayside. Ellis takes some extremely questionable angles when navigating screens — and the Raptors have figured that out.
Grade: D–
Jaylon Tyson
13 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds,
Tyson was one of the only other bright spots. He’s finally dispatched those ‘first playoff’ jitters and is playing like the version of himself that we saw in the regular season. Tyson shot 3-6 from downtown and had a few shots rattle in and out. The Cavs would love for him to continue playing like this.
Grade: B
Sam Merrill
3 points, 3 rebounds
Toronto has totally taken Merrill off the board. He just can’t find any daylight. And trust me, this is a player who doesn’t need much room to get a shot off. The fact that he only attempted two three-pointers in 18 minutes tells you everything you need to know about the Raptors’ defensive game plan.
Grade: D+
Dennis Schroder
3 points, 1 rebound, 3 turnovers
Yeesh.
Three turnovers in five minutes is enough to stay on the bench for the rest of the game series.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 23: Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Round One Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Playoff basketball has returned to Toronto! After losing the first two games of the series in Cleveland, the Raptors returned to Scotiabank Arena to try to get a game on the board and keep their playoff hopes alive. It’s been a little bit of a rough series for Toronto — turnovers, offensive droughts, injury — but bringing the series home always shakes things up a little bit. That’s what the Raptors were banking on, anyway.
After a little bit of a rough start — a few early fouls for Scottie Barnes, another quiet night from Brandon Ingram, some turnovers — the Raptors finally seemed to settle into the game. In a fourth-quarter push fuelled by Jamison Battle’s impressive shooting, RJ Barrett’s love for the city of Toronto, and Barnes being a menace, the Raptors made Bay Street rock as they secured their first big lead of the series.
Ultimately, the Raptors got the win 126-104 over the Cavaliers to win game three, bringing the series to 2-1 and avoiding putting themselves in an elimination situation.
There were so many impressive things from this game.
Scottie Barnes plays most impactful game of his career
Barnes was everywhere for the Raptors in their win in game three, cementing likely his most important game since coming into the NBA. Wherever the team needed him, he was there. He scored 33 points and had 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block while shooting 11-for-17 from the field.
“Nothing surprised me,” Darko Rajakovic said about Scottie’s night. “I know he’s going to put everything out there for his team to win a game.”
Games like this are why Barnes has been given the keys to lead this team. When he plays like this, he’s an unstoppable force that can shift the energy of a series. He puts the team on his back and leads by example.
When it came to what was in Barnes’s mind through that game he mentioned they were trying to “focus on one possession at a time, we were playing so hard… control what we can control and live with the results.”
That energy will be needed on Sunday if the Raptors want to even out their series on Sunday.
“We got a lot more, we need to keep making adjuments,” Barnes said, “We have so much we can improve, we still have a lot of work to do.”
RJ Barrett represents for the home team
First playoff game in Toronto for the kid from Mississauga, and did he ever show out for it. He joined Barnes in scoring 33 points in the game, along with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block while shooting 12-for-19 from the field.
“I know he was very exited to play a game in front of home crowd,” Rajakovic said about Barrett after the game. “I know he gave it all, all his preparation — he did extra work to put himself in a position to help the team win.”
The crowd was giving him the support he needed in the second half as he went nuclear to help the Raptors expand the lead and take a 10+ point lead.
“That was great, energy in the building was crazy,” Barrett said after the fact, “they definitely helped us out.”
With Ingram struggling to find his rhythm in this series, Barrett absolutely needed to step up in order for the Raptors to have any chance of winning this game. This game and how he handled the moment might change the trajectory of his career as he becomes extension eligible this summer.
Jamison Battle loves playing the Cavaliers
Jamison Battle checked into this game in the second half and just went off, shooting 100% from three and 100% from the field. He was a huge part of the momentum shift in the second half that sent the Raptors on a run that would ultimately win them the game.
The funny part is, he did something very similar when the Raptors played the Cavaliers back near the beginning of the season.
“Ultimate professional, always keeps himself ready, always putting in the work,” Rajakovic said of Battle’s contributions to the team.
“He’s been ready whenever his name is called, we are not surpised but happy to have him on out side,” RJ Barrett added.
The work is far from over though, as the Raptors are still down 2-1 in the series. They have another home game on Sunday before heading back to Cleveland for game five. If they are able to win Sunday’s game and even the series 2-2, that will also guarantee another game in Toronto for game six. If the Raptors keep playing like they did in the final stretch of tonight’s game, there is definitely a chance for that to happen.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 23: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball during the game against the Toronto Raptors during Round One Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers took a blow in their first game on the road against the Toronto Raptors.
Let’s go over today’s losers, because there are no winners. Except the Tyson family, who deserve an honorary shout-out.
LOSER – Turnovers
Let’s start by setting the table. Or, like the Cavs, by spilling things all over the place and causing a mess.
Cleveland opened this game with nine turnovers in the first quarter. That’s enough to break your back in the NBA Playoffs. The Cavs somehow managed to weather the storm and stay within two possessions at the end of the quarter — but it set the stage for how poorly things would go.
Every potential run from the Cavaliers was met by these self-inflicted errors. That’s not to take anything away from the Raptors, whose length and athleticism contributed directly to those turnovers, but throwing the ball into the third row (like James Harden did in the second half) is something most NBA players can avoid.
“I didn’t think our spacing was great,” said Kenny Atkinson after the game. “Crowding the paint on our drives… they decided they really want to pack it, and I felt like we were trying to thread the needle too much trying to pass it in there.”
Dennis Schroder played five minutes in the first half. He turned it over three times in that stint and didn’t play the rest of the game.
Harden finished with a game-high 8 turnovers. That was his first playoff game with as many turnovers since 2019, when he was with the Houston Rockets. Some of his more careless giveaways were tough to watch. Though again, Toronto deserves credit for swarming him and making life a living hell.
The Raptors forced Cleveland into 20 turnovers overall. They took those for 23 points off turnovers. That was more than enough to erase any marginal advantage the Cavs had gained on the offensive glass (16-11). The truth is, if you give up that many possessions, you lose the game more often than not.
LOSER – The Paint
Much will be made of the Cavaliers’ three-point defense in this game. Trust me, anyone who has read FTS this season has heard plenty of complaints about how this team has defended the perimeter.
But while Toronto shot 14-23 (60%) from downtown in Game 3, the Cavs matched them in lockstep with 14 makes of their own. What truly buried the Cavs was Toronto’s dominance in the paint, outscoring Cleveland 60-40 in the restricted area.
Scottie Barnes bruised them for 33 points on 8-12 shooting from two-point range. RJ Barrett and Collin Murray Boyles joined in on the fun, combining for 55 points while shooting 17-26 inside the arc.
Meanwhile, the Cavs relied almost entirely on their outside shot. Cleveland took 45 three-point attempts and only 36 shots inside the arc. Harden, Mitchell, and Mobley took a combined 42 shot attempts, half coming from the three-point line, where they shot 4-21.
That’s the difference.
“He [Boyles] is a warrior, to be honest with you,” said Raptors’ coach Darko Rajakovic after the game. “I thought he had a high-level performance tonight and I contribute that to the power of his will.”
Toronto’s hot shooting obviously opened the floor for them to dominate the paint. Cleveland’s bigs, especially, started to drift further out to the three-point line at the cost of giving easier drives to the basket for the Raptors. I’d say they should have stuck to the game plan and walled off the interior — but the Raptors simply couldn’t miss, so I can’t fully blame the Cavs for overreacting and trying to stay within range of three-point shooters.
Nonetheless, Cleveland should be winning the battle of the paint. You can’t always control whether your opponent will catch fire from downtown. But you can control the paint. Mobley and Allen weren’t impactful enough tonight, even with their four blocks. Harden and Mitchell were also tested, routinely being put into Toronto’s actions and failing to meet the moment.
The Raptors won’t replicate their 60% three-point shooting again. At least, I wouldn’t expect them to. But I have no reason to believe they can’t replicate what they did in the paint.
The Cavs have to work harder in this regard or risk going back home with a tied series.
LOSER – 4th Quarter Battle
After (somehow) keeping this game close for 40 minutes, everything I mentioned finally came back to bite the Cavs in the fourth quarter.
Jamison Battle jumped off the bench and nailed four-of-four three-point attempts. Barrett doused more gasoline on the fire while Barnes and CMB repeatedly forced the Cavaliers to launch their own three-point shots to no avail. Controlling the paint, nailing three-pointers, and forcing turnovers was the path to victory for Toronto.
What followed was a 43-23 thrashing in the fourth quarter.
I think it’s worth reiterating that the Cavs did have this game within range before that final blow. It was a two-point game going into the final frame — and genuinely, nothing about the style of the previous 36 minutes was dramatically different from the closing 12.
In other words, you could look at this game from two different perspectives. Glass half full? The Cavs played poorly, Toronto was red-hot, and yet the game was still within reach for most of the night.
Half empty? The Raptors showed they can dictate the terms of engagement for 48 minutes and have a spark going into Game 4.
“We’ll bounce back,” said Aktinson. “This is part of the playoffs, it’s part of the process.”
Leading off while New York (9-16) was without the injured Francisco Lindor, Bichette's 3-for-5 evening at Citi Field featured a three-run double with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning.
"It's a good moment," Bichette said. "Great thing about baseball is you've got to show up and do it again tomorrow. So, looking forward to that."
The Mets ended up needing every last one of the three runs that Bichette drove in, surviving Minnesota (12-13) after the Twins scored a run in the ninth inning and brought the tying run to the plate.
"Huge," said Carlos Mendoza. "I think he's been looking for that moment, especially here at home -- or any ballpark, but I think meaningful to do it here in front of our fan base. I think I'm going to go back to that first opening weekend when he wanted it so bad. And then for him, after we lost the lead in the eighth, the way we did it, and just punch right back -- it was just good to see it."
Bichette overcame two strikeouts while adding a single in the first and fourth innings.
"I think the desire to help a new team and the desire to just perform at the level you know can perform at," said Bichette, who is slashing .277/.310/.373 with one home run and nine RBI through 83 at-bats in April. "So, I don't know if any of that was weighing on me. But I definitely still need to get better, but make adjustments and get to the player that I need to be at."
Bichette and the Mets, on the heels of this month's 12-game skid, seek their third straight win Friday when they start a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field.
"Winning games in the big leagues is really hard," Bichette said. "I think good teams fight, no matter the ebbs and flows of the game, and it was really exciting to see tonight from us."
ATLANTA (AP) — CJ McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12.5 seconds left to ruin New York’s night again, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead over the Knicks in their first-round playoff series on Thursday night.
After starring in a Game 2 stunner at Madison Square Garden, McCollum got the ball with his team trailing by a point. He came through again from 15 feet, finishing with 23 points.
The Hawks led nearly the entire game, building an 18-point lead in the first half. But New York rallied for a 108-105 edge on Jalen Brunson’s three-point play with 1:03 remaining.
After Jalen Johnson, who led the Hawks with 24 points, rolled in a shot, Josh Hart missed a 3-pointer for the Knicks. New York got the offensive rebound, but couldn’t get off a shot ahead of the 24-second clock.
Kuminga had a huge night for the Hawks off the bench, finishing with 21 points.
OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 29 points, Brunson had 26 and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 21. It wasn’t enough for New York.
Game 4 is Saturday in Atlanta.
RAPTORS 126, CAVALIERS 104
TORONTO (AP) — Scottie Barnes set career playoff highs with 33 points and 11 assists, RJ Barrett added a career playoff-high 33 points and Toronto beat Cleveland, snapping a 12-game playoff losing streak against the Cavaliers.
Collin Murray-Boyles had 22 points, Jamison Battle scored all of his 14 points in the final quarter and Brandon Ingram added 12 as the Raptors cut Cleveland’s lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series to 2-1.
Game 4 is Sunday afternoon in Toronto.
Murray-Boyles is the first Raptors rookie to score 20 or more in a playoff game.
The Cavaliers matched the NBA postseason record for consecutive victories against a single opponent by winning Game 2 on Monday but couldn’t extend that run in Toronto.
James Harden scored 18 points while Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Max Strus all had 15.
TIMBERWOLVES 113, NUGGETS 96
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jaden McDaniels and Minnesota flexed even more of their defensive muscle against flagging Denver, seizing a 2-1 lead in the first-round NBA playoff series with a dominant 113-96 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night.
McDaniels had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Ayo Dosunmu added 25 points and nine assists off the bench, and Donte DiVincenzo had 15 points and four steals for the surging Timberwolves.
Rudy Gobert followed his inspired Game 2 effort against Nikola Jokic by stifling the three-time MVP again on an ugly 7-for-26 shooting night, and the Timberwolves established a postseason franchise record by allowing the Nuggets just 11 points in the tone-setting first quarter.
Jokic finished with a too-little-too-late 27 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, who were missing Aaron Gordon to a calf injury and all of the energy he provides from his starting power forward spot. Jamal Murray had 16 points on just 5-for-17 shooting.
Buffalo's switch to goalie Alex Lyon in net paid off as the Sabres beat the Boston Bruins 3-1 for a 2-1 lead in their first round series.
Coach Lindy Ruff gave Lyon the start after he finished up a Game 2 loss. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had been pulled in that game after giving four goals on 19 shots, including a long flip shot from center ice.
Alex Lyon made 24 saves, giving up only the game's opening goal to Boston's Tanner Jeannot. Buffalo denied Viktor Arvidsson's penalty shot at 9:50 of the second period before scoring the game-tying goal just 1:08 later.
Noah Ostlund, an injury replacement for Josh Norris, drove down the left wing and slipped a pass from beyond the goal line to Bowen Byram in the right circle, where he knocked home a low wrister over Jeremy Swayman's glove.
Alex Tuch scored the winning goal, sliding down to the top of the left circle to snap a shot high on Swayman in the third period.
Ostlund scored an empty-netter.
Hurricanes take 3-0 series lead vs. Senators
Logan Stankoven scored for the third consecutive game and the Carolina Hurricanes put the Ottawa Senators on the brink of elimination with a 2-1 win in Game 3.
Carolina leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 and Game 4 is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
Jackson Blake also scored for the Hurricanes. Taylor Hall had two assists, and Frederik Andersen made 21 saves.
Drake Batherson scored his second goal of the series for the Senators, who have yet to have the lead at any point through three games. Linus Ullmark made 25 saves in the loss.
Carolina went 0-for-4 on the power play; Ottawa was 0-for-5 and is 0-for-12 for the series.
Stankoven opened the scoring, giving the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 5:13 of the first period. Hall got his own rebound after a shot on the rush, circled behind the net and then passed across to Stankoven, who scored on a wrist shot from the left circle.
Brady Tkachuk got in alone against Andersen early in the second period, but his backhand attempt was stopped.
The Senators had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:28 midway through the second period but did not convert.
Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson left the game at 10:07 of the second period with an apparent injury after taking a shot off his left hand. He had earlier taken a shot to the head from Hall.
Batherson tied it 1-1 at 16:06 when he received Nick Cousins' pass in the slot, went to his backhand and lifted it in over Andersen's pad.
Blake put the Hurricanes back on top 2-1 at 17:29. K'Andre Miller received a pass at the point, skated down to the top of the left circle and passed down across to Blake, who scored past the diving Ullmark from the far post.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Ayo Dosunmu #13 of the Minnesota Timberwolves handles the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets during Round One Game Two of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. 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 (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Brad Underwood is hitting the road this week with two of his staffers.
But it’s not a recruiting trip.
Illinois’ head coach visited Minnesota on Thursday ahead of Game 3 of the NBA playoffs between the Timberwolves and Nuggets.
Underwood posted a photo of him with former Illini star Ayo Dosunmu and two Illini staffers (Tyler Underwood and Zach Hamer).
May 13, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; A Yorkie named Prince is dressed up in Texas Rangers attire for Bark at the Park night before the game between the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored six runs while the Pittsburgh Pirates scored one run.
That’s more like it. After a few annoying losses here and there over the last couple of weeks, the Rangers came out tonight and did pretty much everything right as they finished off a series win over Pittsburgh in the first leg of the current homestand.
The Rangers had Jacob deGrom on the mound at The Shed and that usually works out pretty well.
Indeed, tonight was vintage deGrom as he allowed a single run on five hits and a walk with ten strikeouts in 5.2 innings of easy breezy dominance.
Meanwhile Evan Carter continued to make enemies of Pittsburgh with a two-run inside the park home run that gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Josh Jung keeps contributing as he kept his average back above .300 with a hit while also making a diving stop and throw to prevent the Pirates from converting on a bases loaded rally and keeping a final run off deGrom’s ledger.
Perhaps best of all there was Corey Seager demolishing one for a back-breaking three-run shot to finish off a four-run fourth inning during a two-hit night that hopefully catapults him out of an early slump.
The bullpen managed 3.1 more innings of scoreless ball, including a 10-pitch scoreless ninth from newest reliever Peyton Gray in his MLB debut.
The win also allows the Rangers to climb back above .500 and avoid slipping below the mark once again.
Player of the Game: I just can’t choose. My steak is too juicy, my lobster too buttery.
Up Next: The Rangers will don their new red TEJAS City Connect uniforms for the first time as they welcome the unhoused Athletics to Arlington for a three-game set. RHP Nathan Eovaldi will take the mound for Texas opposite RHP Luis Severino in a rematch of the series opener from West Sacramento from about ten days ago.
The Friday night first pitch in the series opener from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be telecast over-the-air via CW33.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 23: Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Round One Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers fought hard for three quarters, but got run off the floor in the final frame. Their inability to control the ball and rough games from their star backcourt came back to bite them. As did the Toronto Raptors‘ inability to miss in the final frame. This all added up to a 126-104 loss in Game 3.
The Cavs still maintain a 2-1 lead in the series, but we could be heading for a much longer opening.
The first away game of a series is always a difficult test. If you’re going to win on the road, you have to be able to take punches and deliver counters at every turn. The Cavs did that throughout the first three quarters before finally giving in.
The Raptors went 12-17 from the floor and converted all five of their triples in the first quarter. That strong of a first quarter should’ve resulted in a double-digit lead after one, but six turnovers and an inability to keep the Cavs from going to the line kept Cleveland in the game as the Raptors were only up six after one.
Toronto pushed its advantage to 10 at the start of the second quarter before the Cavs rallied.
Max Strus jump-started what was a lifeless offense in the second quarter. He poured in 12 points on 3-5 shooting from deep in that frame to help turn the momentum. That hot shooting allowed the Cavs to momentarily reclaim the lead before both teams went into the break tied at 54.
Toronto once again threw the first punch in the second half. They used a 13-6 run to get a seven-point lead, but the Cavs once again clawed their way back. They forced a tie in the closing moments of the third before Scottie Barnes hit a contested jumper at the buzzer to give Toronto a slim 83-81 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Raptors made their first five threes of the game, and then canned six straight in the final quarter to turn what was a tight game into what quickly became a double-digit affair.
The Cavs folded from there.
The offense couldn’t buy a basket, and they weren’t able to provide any resistance on the other end. What was once a back-and-forth game quickly snowballed into a stress-free win for Toronto.
Toronto won the final quarter 43-23. They went 8-9 from three (88.9%) and 17-23 (73.9%) from the field overall. RJ Barrett was the catalyst in the final frame. He scored 16 of his 33 points on 6-6 shooting in the fourth quarter.
James Harden played his worst game in a Cavaliers uniform on Thursday evening. He struggled with Toronto’s rangy defense as he turned it over eight times.
Turnovers weren’t an issue for just Harden. The Cavs as a team gave it away 20 times, which led to 23 points going the other way.
Harden finished the game with 18 points on 5-13 shooting with four assists.
Donovan Mitchell couldn’t establish a scoring rhythm. He had 15 points on 7-16 shooting with three assists and three giveaways of his own.
Evan Mobley had a good game at the charity stripe (7-8) but struggled with his efficiency from the floor. He had 15 points on 4-13 shooting to go along with seven assists, six rebounds, two steals, and a block.
Strus added 15 bench points in the loss.
The Cavs executed their game plan against Barnes. They kept him from getting to the rim and forced him to settle for jumpers. The problem for the Cavs was that he made those shots.
Barnes went 7-8 from the midrange and 3-5 from three. This added up to an efficient 33 points on 11-17 shooting.
The Raptors didn’t shoot a high volume of threes, but they canned the ones they took. They went 14-23 (60.9%) from beyond the arc in the victory.
Toronto will look to tie the series at two apiece as they host the Cavs for Game 4 on Sunday. Tip-off is at 1 PM.
The 10-8 victory, which came on the heels of the news that Francisco Lindor would likely be out months with a left calf strain, featured a brutal start from Christian Scott, a blown four-run lead in the eighth, a bizarre bullpen mix-up and then nearly another Devin Williams catastrophe in the ninth.
But the Mets put up enough runs, got enough solid innings from some unlikely relievers before Bo Bichette delivered a go-ahead double in the eighth and then Williams righted himself to finish it.
“It was good to get some wins [and] remember what that feels like,” said Bichette, who had a three-run double in the eighth after Huascar Brazobán allowed a game-tying grand slam in the top of the inning to Ryan Jeffers.
“It was a crazy game,’’ manager Carlos Mendoza said.
It came after they ended their longest streak in more than two decades Wednesday.
Bo Bichette belts the game-winning three-run double in the eighth inning of the Mets’ 10-8 win over the Twins on April 23, 2026 at Citi Field. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
Scott, making his first start since 2024 Tommy John surgery, retired just four batters and walked five before his early exit.
He walked five, hit one and was pulled in the second inning.
By then, the Mets had a 3-1 lead, courtesy of Brett Baty’s three-run homer in the bottom of the first, his first of the season.
New York Mets’ Brett Baty (7) and Bo Bichette (19) celebrate the win against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field, Thursday, April 23, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The lineup scored three unearned runs off Minnesota’s Joe Ryan in the second and Tobias Myers settled the game down with 2 ¹/₃ solid innings in relief of Scott — who will likely stay in the rotation because the entire staff is in tatters.
David Peterson, banished to the pen after three consecutive poor outings, was solid, allowing just one run in 3 ¹/₃ innings.
But Craig Kimbrel struggled before Brazobán gave up the game-tying homer to Jeffers.
The Mets recovered in the bottom of the inning.
Brett Baty celebrates with teammates after belting a three-run homer in the first inning of the Mets’ win over the Twins. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
It started with a Baty leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt by Tyrone Taylor and a single from Marcus Semien.
Ronny Mauricio popped out to center and Tommy Pham — pinch hitting for Carson Benge — drew a walk before Bichette just missed a grand slam of his own, with the ball hitting near the top of the wall.
The drama was only building.
Brazobán jogged back onto the field to start the ninth and crossed the foul line, mistakenly believing he was still in the game, while Williams was coming in from the bullpen.
Ryan Jeffers (27) accepts the congratulations from teammates after belting a grand slam in the eighth inning of the Mets’ win over the Twins. Robert Sabo for New York Post
Brazobán had to face a batter and recorded the first out before Williams entered and struck out Luke Keaschall then struggled again.
Williams gave up a single to Brooks Lee, who took second on defensive indifference and scored on Tristan Gray’s base hit.
Mets killer Byron Buxton then ripped a double to left to send Gray to third.
Williams recovered and struck out Trevor Larnach to end it.
As they try to put the franchise’s longest skid since 2002 behind them, and deal with the indefinite loss of Lindor, the Mets managed to knock Joe Ryan around for seven runs — four earned in five innings.
Carson Benge flips his bat after belting a solo homer in the fourth inning of the Mets’ win over the Twins. AP
The victory gave the Mets their first series win since they took three out of four from the Giants nearly three weeks ago. Now they have the Rockies and Nationals coming into Citi Field.
“Winning games in the big leagues is really hard,” Bichette said. “Good teams fight, no matter the ebbs and flows.”
Despite the win — which the Mets will take any way they come these days — the return of Scott was discouraging.
The 26-year-old right-hander had pitched well in his previous two starts with Triple-A Syracuse, but had no command Thursday.
And while they managed to hold on to beat the Twins, the bullpen is a bit of a mess, as they try to keep Peterson and Sean Manaea stretched out to be options in the rotation — as well as Myers — but they need them to get innings in relief.
“They’ve been saving us,’’ Mendoza said of the trio.
How long that can continue is anyone’s guess, but Thursday, they survived another day.
Apr 23, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette (19) celebrates after hitting a three-run double during the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
It wasn’t pretty, but the Mets managed to win another game, topping the Twins in their series finale 10-8. Christian Scott was poor and the bullpen coughed a lead up late, but the Mets offense – largely dormant for the past three weeks – finally woke up and scored enough to cover for the poor night on the mound.
The aforementioned Scott got the start, making his 2026 debut and his first major league appearance since July of 2024. He struck out the first batter he faced, then managed to walk four of the next five batters, forcing in a run. It didn’t get much better in the second either; a walk, a balk, and a hit batter ended his night after only 1.1 innings.
Against Joe Ryan, one of the more underrated starters in the game, you’d likely expect that to be the end of it with the way things have been going for the Mets. But no, tonight was different. Brett Baty got Ryan for a three-run home run in the bottom of the first, his first homer of the year. A couple of doubles led to another run in the bottom of the second, and two more came home after a passed ball on a strikeout extended the inning. The Twins got one run back in the fourth, but the Mets immediately responded with a solo shot from Carson Benge, giving them a 7-2 lead after four.
Nothing is easy for the 2026 Mets though. Tristan Gray homered off of David Peterson out of the bullpen in the sixth, making it 7-3. Then, the real disaster in the eighth. Craig Kimbrel entered and had nothing, loading the bases with two outs. Huascar Brazoban, Carlos Mendoza’s security blanket, was brought in to put out the fire. Instead, he surrendered a game-tying grand slam to Ryan Jeffers. Yup.
If anything, it’s fitting that the Mets were burned for making what was clearly the wrong transaction prior to the game. Yes, Craig Kimbrel is a future hall of famer. Yes, he has a shiny ERA so far as a Met. No, he is not currently a better pitcher than Austin Warren, and that’s immediately obvious to anyone who can visually or statically evaluate a pitcher. Optioning the superior arm in deference to a veteran who doesn’t have it anymore is simply bad process.
Mercifully (for us at least), this game didn’t go like so many others in this streak. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, bringing Bo Bichette to the plate. Bichette entered the game with a .220/.255/.390 line and the worst strikeout rate since his rookie season. He finally came through though, launching a ball that missed being a grand slam of his own by inches and which gave the Mets a 10-7 lead.
But again, nothing is easy for the 2026 Mets. Huascar Brazoban ran back out to the mound for the ninth, only he wasn’t meant to; Devin Williams was supposed to come in. But because Brazoban crossed the foul line, he needed to face at least one batter. (This whole incident is a huge indictment of the manager, as if we’ve not had enough of those recently.)
That’s okay though, Brazoban got the first out and Williams entered, and even struck out the first batter he faced. Then he allowed a single. Then another single. Then a double. Suddenly, the tying run was in scoring position, and it sure felt like yet another disaster was pending. But no, Williams bounced back to strike out Trevor Larnach and finally close out the 10-8 win.
The Mets are now 9-16 and perhaps are back on track, though losing Francisco Lindor earlier in the day for an extended period is not going to help (Ronny Mauricio did not look good at short today). They’ll start a 3-game series with the Rockies tomorrow with Freddy Peralta squaring off against Michael Lorenzen.
Big Mets winner: Bo Bichette, +44% WPA Big Mets loser: Huascar Brazoban, -32% WPA Mets pitchers: -29% WPA Mets hitters: +79% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Bo Bichette hits a three-run double in the eighth, +34.2% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Ryan Jeffers hits a grand slam in the eighth, -36.5% WPA
OTTAWA, CANADA - APRIL 23: Logan Stankoven #22 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates after a goal during the first period against the Ottawa Senators in Game Three of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre on April 23, 2026 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Logan Stankoven-Jackson Blake-Taylor Hall line continued their dominance of the series, both Power Plays looked more like they were stuck in black out conditions, and the Carolina Hurricanes showed their playoff experience by entering a hostile road arena and silencing it by defeating the Ottawa Senators 2-1. Carolina now holds a 3-0 lead in the best of seven series.
As expected, the Ottawa crowd was loud, trying to lift the Senators in the first few minutes and establish a tone as their home team entered the series down 0-2. The Senators would go on to follow up on this tone and out hit the Hurricanes 17-9 in the period, but it was clear that the Hurricanes expected the rush and weathered it well. Then just a scant five minutes in, the center-of-the-sun hot Logan Stankoven opened the scoring for the third straight game.
The play showed why the Canes traded for Taylor Hall last season. A year plus later, he’s found his spot and two line mates who seem to just feed off him, and vice-versa. Hall entered the zone alone, and had the space to throw a shot on Linus Ullmark. Ullmark made the shot, but the rebound bounced back to Hall who sped by, went behind the net, and fed a beautiful pass to an open Stankoven who immediately fired to get it past the goalie for a 1-0 lead.
The period had a chance to really get away from Ottawa after that, as the Senators would three penalties—two in the offensive zone. The Canes power play, however, fizzled as it went 0-3 and really didn’t have that many great shots on Ullmark. Frederick Andersen—starting his third game in a row—was sharp and while the shots were nearly even at 10-8, the Canes entered the locker room with the one goal lead.
In the second, the Hurricanes evened out the penalty disparity and then some. Carolina would have to kill off four penalties in the first eleven minutes, including 1:28 of a five-on-three. It was an alarming break down of discipline with checks to the head, too many men, a trip, and a hook that were all so clear that the officials had no choice but to call them. Yet, the penalty kill rose up to knock off each one including the 5-on-3. By the end of the final segment of the fourth penalty the home fans were quiet.
It felt then that the next goal would be scored by the Canes, but much like the first period, the team that had all the Power Plays saw their only goal come at even strength. The puck entered at the blue line and Jalen Chatfield was able to get it across, but against the wall Jordan Martinook would bat the puck back in. Even though some of the Senators were in the zone, with Martinook being the one to push the puck in the play was onside and created a two-on-one with Nick Cousins and Drake Batherson. Cousins skated in and got the puck past a diving Jaccob Slavin over to Batherson, and Batherson beat Andersen to knot the score at one.
The Hurricanes wouldn’t be deterred and not even 90 seconds later Carolina retook the lead thanks not only to the Stankoven line but one of the sickest plays you’ll see from another summer acquisition, K’Andre Miller. On zone entry, Taylor Hall was able to draw multiple Senators over to him against the wall, Miller skated on the other side toward the goal and Hall was able to feed it to him. Miller played it like he was going to put a shot on Ullmark and at the last second threaded a pass over to an open Jackson Bake, who banged it in to give Carolina a 2-1 lead.
Carolina would end the period having to kill another penalty as Jordan Martinook committed another clear infraction, but they would also end the period outshooting Ottawa 10-7 despite giving up five penalties and 1:22 of a 5-on-3.
The Power Play struggles for both teams continued in third as the Senators weren’t able to convert on the end of their advantage, and then Carolina had perhaps their worst power play later in the period when Brady Tkachuk was called for a major penalty that was reduced to a minor on review. All it managed to accomplish was melting two minutes off the clock, but by that point in the third the Senators were completely worn down. What didn’t help was the injury to yet another key defenseman. Jake Sanderson took the Hall check to the head, and then later on took a puck off his hand. After that incident, he never returned.
For perhaps the first time all series, neither goalie let in a goal that they would look at and say they should have stopped. Stankoven’s and Jackson’s goals came off great passes from players that are known shooters and Ullmark had to take them seriously. Anderson’s lone goal he allowed was on a two on one rush that would have required a miraculous save. Both goalies kept their teams in it with Ullmark making 25 saves, and Andersen making 21.
The key for the Canes’ win could be spotted in the faceoff dot. After being dominated the first two games, Brind’Amour apparently worked the team hard over the last couple of days because for the first time they won the faceoff matchup 54.1% to 45.9%. They were led by Sebastian Aho going 63.6% while Jordan Staal went 53.1%.
After the extended break there won’t be much of a rest before the next game. Ottawa will look to avoid the sweep on Saturday at 3 PM. There’s no doubt it’ll still be Ullmark in net for the Senators but once again it appears Ottawa will have to shuffle their pairings. The question will be between Carolina’s pipes as Andersen still hasn’t done anything to deserve being pulled but the short turnaround may see Rod Brind’Amour get Brandon Bussi a game to give the Dane some extra time. We may not know for sure until Saturday.
Bo Bichette, brought to New York in part because of his clutch hitting expertise, delivered in an enormous spot Thursday night at Citi Field. He smacked a three-run double in the eighth inning after the Mets had squandered a huge lead.
Bichette’s hit lifted the Mets to a wild 10-8 victory over Minnesota in their first game without the injured Francisco Lindor. The Mets had built early advantages of 6-1 and 7-2 before the Twins rallied for a 7-7 tie in the top of the eighth.
The Mets, who ended a 12-game losing streak on Wednesday, now have a modest winning streak -- two in a row. The Mets (9-16) took two-of-three from Minnesota, giving them their third series win of the season.
Here are the main takeaways:
-Christian Scott started for the Mets, his first outing in the majors since 2024 elbow surgery. The good part? He didn’t give up a hit. That’s it, though. The righty was wilder than he’s ever been in the majors -- was he too amped for his return? -- and did not make it out of the second inning, even with the Mets ahead at the time.
Scott delivered just 1.1 innings and allowed one run, forcing in a run with a bases-loaded walk in the first inning. Scott, who had not walked more than two hitters in any of his first nine starts in the majors, faced 10 batters Thursday and walked five. He also hit a batter and balked. In the first inning, he threw 33 pitches alone and only 13 were strikes. He had three straight walks in the frame and fell behind, 3-0, to the final batter of the inning before getting to 3-2 and inducing a fly ball. Scott walked Brooks Lee on four pitches to start the second inning and, one out later, balked him over and then plunked Byron Buxton, which ended the night for Scott. Overall, Scott threw 43 pitches and only 18 were strikes.
-Tobias Myers relieved Scott and threw 2.1 innings, allowing only an unearned run, which scored after Ronny Mauricio -- Lindor’s replacement at shortstop -- bungled a grounder in the fourth. Myers struck out three and walked none. David Peterson cleaned up the fourth and then had a five-pitch fifth inning, helped by a nice 1-4-3 double play. In all, Peterson threw 3.1 innings of relief and allowed one run and four hits while striking out two and walking one. The lone run Peterson gave up came on a solo home run by Tristan Gray.
-Things went sideways for the Mets in the eighth inning, even though they were up, 7-3. Craig Kimbrel got two outs in the frame, but also allowed two hits and a walk, which brought the tying run to the plate. The Mets brought in Huascar Brazobán to face Ryan Jeffers and Jeffers hammered a grand slam to left field, knotting the score at 7-7. Entering the appearance, Brazobán had not allowed a single run in 10.2 innings of work this season. Three of the runs that scored on Jeffers’ blow were charged to Kimbrel and one to Brazobán.
-There was an odd moment in the ninth. Between innings, Devin Williams started coming in from the bullpen, but Brazobán emerged from the dugout and headed toward the mound, a moment of Met confusion. Because Brazobán crossed the foul line, he had to at least face the first batter of the inning. He got the first out and then Williams came in.
-When Williams arrived, his recent troubles continued. He got one out, but then gave up three consecutive hits. That brought in one run and trimmed the Mets' lead to 10-8 and meant that Williams had to face Trevor Larnach with the tying runs in scoring position. Ultimately, though, Williams struck out Larnach swinging on an “airbender” changeup to end the game.
-The Mets entered the game with the worst offense in the majors by runs per game, averaging only 3.25. Brett Baty got nearly that many with one cut against Minnesota ace Joe Ryan with a three-run homer in the first inning and several other Mets contributed important hits, too. Baty’s homer was huge, considering the Twins had jumped to a 1-0 lead on Scott’s wildness. The blow was Baty’s first homer of the season and came on the first pitch he saw. It was measured at 414 feet and clocked at 107.1 miles per hour off the bat. It was Baty’s first extra-base hit since April 8.
Carson Benge smashed his second homer of the season, a 105.7-mph scorcher to right, and added his second double, too. The homer was Benge’s first since Opening Day. Luis Robert hammered an RBI double in the second. Marcus Semien had two hits, including a double. Juan Soto, playing in his second game back from a calf injury, was 0-for-3 but walked twice. The Mets were 5-for-13 overall with runners in scoring position.
MVP of the game
Bichette, obviously. He took a .325 career average with runners in scoring position into the game, but had been hitting only .174 in such situations as a Met. His bases-clearing double off Anthony Banda, which struck the wall in left-center, was his third hit of the night and one of the biggest hits of the season for the Mets, snapping a 7-7 tie. Bichette celebrated with several cathartic fist pumps after reaching second.
