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Could Game 4 be LeBron James' last with Lakers? What we know with LA down 3-0

The Los Angeles Lakers are potentially staring down a sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the possible end of the LeBron James era in LA.

The No. 4 seed Lakers led the No. 1 seed Thunder at halftime for the second straight game, but were outscored by 25 points in the second half following yet another collapse over the final two quarters to find themselves down 3-0 to the defending NBA champions.

"I'm not angry or disappointed," James told reporters postgame. "Obviously, I'm disappointed being down 3-0, but we still got life and that's all you can ask for, and we gotta be much better on Monday. We'll see what happens."

NBA takeaways: Lakers have no answer for Thunder and their antics

Whatever happens in Game 4, there's a chance it could be James' last in a Lakers uniform. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and the fact that no extension has been worked out has been at the center of a season-long soap opera filled with rumors suggesting a deterioration of his relationship with team governor Jeanie Buss. There's also been rumors to the contrary, that the Lakers would be happy to keep James in purple and gold through the remainder of his playing days.

And, of course, there's also the chance that James retires this summer.

All signs throughout the season have pointed to James playing a 24th NBA season next year, but his recent declaration that he wouldn't want a retirement tour sparked renewed speculation.

James' legacy as a Laker is a complicated one, but that's another story for another time. He brought a championship back to LA in his second season, ending a decade-long drought for the second-most decorated franchise in NBA history. He was the superstar who wanted the pressure of playing in LA when several in the years before 2018 eschewed what was then perceived as a dysfunctional, rebuilding team that lacked direction (remember LaMarcus Aldridge?).

Though James will probably forever be associated with the Cleveland Cavaliers first, his eight years as a Laker is his longest continuous stretch with any one team, surpassing the first seven years of his career in his home state (though he later rejoined the Cavs for four more seasons following his stint in Miami). He broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record — and several others — wearing a gold jersey.

But none of that matters right now. There's still more basketball to be played.

Both James and Austin Reaves had off nights offensively on Saturday; James contributed 19 points to go with eight assists and six rebounds, but was an inefficient 7-of-19 (36.8%) from the field and 2-of-6 from long range and was a -24 in his 37 minutes played. He and Reaves combined for eight total turnovers, half of the Lakers' total.

That's not to place the blame solely on the Lakers' two stars. Realistically, the Lakers were doomed from the moment Luka Doncic strained his hamstring on April 2 in Oklahoma City. It was James who turned back the clock and showed that he can still do incredible things on the court at 41 years old by leading LA to a first-round win over the Houston Rockets; don't forget his game-tying 3 in the final seconds to send one game to overtime, where they eventually gutted out a 112-108 win behind his 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

In this round, however, the Lakers have simply run into a team that's just flat-out better than them.

They've done an admirable job limiting MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Chet Holmgren has thrived. So has Ajay Mitchell, who has stepped into a bigger role while Jalen Williams has been sidelined with a hamstring strain of his own. Mitchell led OKC on Saturday with 24 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Jared McCain and Cason Wallace have been sparkplugs off the bench all series. The Thunder are simply too talented and too deep across the board for the Lakers to compete with for all four quarters, especially without the NBA's leading scorer this season in Doncic.

"They're pretty damn good, from top to bottom," James told reporters. "They don't let their foot off the gas. ... They have a lot of bodies and they got a lot of guys who can do multiple things on the floor, so it helps to have that depth."

As for the possibility that Monday might be it?

"Nah, you don't really talk about that," James told reporters. "Just focus on the moment, and go from there."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James contract status, future is uncertain with Lakers down 3-0

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Behind 24 from Ajay Mitchell, Thunder pull away from Lakers in second half to win 131-108

LOS ANGELES — There comes a point in almost every series where one coach realizes he's beaten, he's thrown every conventional lineup and attacked every matchup he could, and nothing has worked. So, the coach tries something desperate.

Midway through the third quarter of Game 3, with the game and the season slipping away, Lakers coach JJ Redick went small, playing without a center and playing Adou Thiero against a big Thunder team. It worked for a minute, the Lakers went on a 7-0 run and the home crowd — desperate for something to cheer for — got loud. Just as quickly, Ajay Mitchell settled the Thunder down, they made a couple of 3-pointers, and the Thunder's lead was back up to double digits.

"Typically, you can poke holes at a team in a playoff series. There's a good chance they might have, like a temporary solution, or can sort of adjust, maybe a little bit," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "This [Thunder] team — in-game because of their personnel — they just adjust. They need shooting on the floor, great. They need multiple wing defenders on the floor, great. They need two bigs on the floor, great. It's just, they're a terrific basketball team."

Game 3 felt like a replay of Game 2 — the Lakers did a lot of good things in the first half, but the Thunder's talent and depth won out in the end.

Oklahoma City pulled away for its biggest win of the series, 131-108, and now has a commanding 3-0 series lead. The Thunder have now won seven consecutive playoff games, a franchise record.

Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles and the Lakers will try to find something to keep their season alive.

Once again, it was the Thunder depth that was the difference. Jalen Williams, an All-NBA player a season ago, remains out with a hamstring strain, so Mitchell again stepped into a starting role, and this time dropped a team-best 24 points with 10 assists. He was particularly strong in the second half, when Oklahoma City needed him most.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another mediocre night by his MVP-level standards, with 23 points on 7-of-20 shooting. Seven Thunder players scored in double digits, including Chet Holmgren scoring 18 points and Cason Wallace hitting four 3-pointers off the bench and scoring 16.

"It's what makes us dangerous. I think we can throw so many people out there that can contribute, pretty much everybody, and everybody excels in their roles," said Isaiah Joe, who hit four 3-pointers off the bench. "It's what gives us the edge. A lot of the times we can go 10, 11, 12, 13 deep, and we can keep people on their toes."

The first half felt like the first half of Game 2 — Los Angeles was forcing turnovers (nine, for 13 points), draining 3-pointers (11-of-20), had seven offensive rebounds, and got 16 from Rui Hachimura. Despite all that, Los Angeles still led by just two, 59-57, after 24 minutes.

The Thunder came out much more intentional with their offense in the second half: Their first three possessions went right at Deandre Ayton. After that, it was a couple in a row targeting Austin Reaves. The result was the Thunder shooting 6-of-7 and going on a 19-6 run to grab an 11-point lead midway through the third, which was the difference heading into the fourth.

That forced JJ Redick to try something and go small, and it was all over from there.

Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 21 points, while Luke Kennard added 18 off the bench. The Thunder focused their defense on LeBron James and Austin Reaves, and they combined to score 36 points on 12-of-32 (37.5%) shooting. The Lakers did take 15 more free throws in Game 3 after being mad about the officiating in Game 2. It didn't matter.

The question now is what can the Lakers do, what might work, to extend their series on Monday?

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Braves News: Remembering Bobby Cox, strides from Spencer Strider, more

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 02: MLB Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Bobby Cox stand on the field after the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Detroit Tigers at Turner Field on October 2, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) | Getty Images

On a sad day overall for Braves Country, due to the passing of the legendary Bobby Cox, Spencer Strider gave Atlanta fans something to be happy and hopeful about with a stellar outing, shutting down the Dodgers potent offense for 6.0 innings with 8 strikeouts and 15 whiffs. He looked as good as he has in a long time. His fastball averaged 96.4 MPH, with 17 inches of induced vertical break and he had four pitches working nicely together. Even if Strider doesn’t quite return to his Jacob deGrom levels of dominance, having him as a true #1 or #2 quality starter would make a huge difference for this Braves team to pair with Chris Sale. Bryce Elder has been great this season, but shouldn’t be the second best starter in the rotation of a World Series contender. If Strider can keep something like Saturday night’s version of himself moving forward, that’s a huge development for him and this team.

Braves News

Braves Country and the baseball world at large lost Hall of Famer Bobby Cox on Saturday. We remembered Bobby’s life and legacy here onsite.

Spencer Strider had a strong outing against the formidable Dodgers’ lineup and the offense got the job done in a win on a night in Bobby Cox’ shadow.

MLB News

The Giants traded Gold Glove catcher Patrick Bailey to the Guardians for the 29th pick in the upcoming draft and a pitching prospect with the “Tugboat” nickname, as Bailey has been struggling at the plate this season.

The Orioles are giving former top prospect Jackson Holliday some time at third base during his rehab assignment, as he returns from a hamate bone fracture, but has also never fully settled in at the major league level.

Giants star Logan Webb is going on the IL with knee bursitis and is expected to return once the 10-day period ends.

The Rays DFA’d former Braves prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy, as they shuffled the back of their roster.

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20 Stats to explain Cavs Game 3 win over Pistons

May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates after hitting a three point basket against the Detroit Pistons during the first half of game three in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a 116-109 Game 3 win over the Detroit Pistons thanks to 35 points from Donovan Mitchell and clutch shotmaking from James Harden.

The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass. As a note, the percentiles are compared to other playoff games, which affects the sample size.

Offensive RatingEffective Field Goal PercentageOffensive Turnover PercentageOffensive Rebounding PercentageFree Throw Rate
Cavs122.1, 70th percentile66.2%, 95th percentile15.8%, 37th percentile25.3%, 25th percentile24.3, 69th percentile
Pistons114.7, 48th percentile50%, 24th percentile16.8%, 28th percentile40.4%, 93rd percentile19.8, 47th percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

  • The Cavs are now 15-1 this year when Donovan Mitchell scores 35 or more points. Cleveland has gone as Mitchell has all season. That trend has now carried over to the playoffs, as seen with his scoring outburst in Game 3.
  • Mitchell went 6-8 on shots in the restricted area. He continually got into the teeth of the defense and finished inside. Detroit simply couldn’t stay in front of him. This performance came after he attempted just one shot in the restricted area during the first two games combined.
  • Mitchell once again couldn’t get anything to fall from three as he went 2-8. He’s connecting on just 32.2% of his outside looks this playoff run.
  • Cleveland won the minutes Mitchell was on the court by seven. Mitchell was in the 86th percentile for on/off splits during the regular season. The Cavs consistently played their best basketball with him on the floor. That trend hasn’t carried over to the playoffs. Cleveland has only won Mitchell’s minutes four times this postseason. They’re 4-0 when they outscore their opponent with Mitchell on the court and 1-5 when they don’t.
  • Mitchell recorded 10 rebounds. This is the first time he’s reached double-digit boards in a game since Dec. 31.
  • The Cavs took 40% of their shots at the rim (85th percentile). This has been an issue throughout the series. The Cavs were in the 2nd and 31st percentile in rim attempts over the last two games.
  • Cleveland made the most of those looks as they converted 84% of their attempts in the restricted area (92nd percentile).
  • The Cavs executed well offensively, posting a 113.5 half-court offensive rating (87th percentile). The offense hasn’t performed great against Detroit’s set defense in the first two games of the series. Strong showings from Mitchell and Harden helped turn that around on Sunday.
  • Detroit missed 13 straight threes from the first quarter through the beginning of the third. The outside shot saved the Pistons in Game 2. Its absence for the first half of this game is what led to them trailing by 17 at the start of the third.
  • The Pistons went 7-10 from three to close the game. Detroit dug out of its deficit and had a chance to steal it late. The emergence of the three-ball again is what allowed them to do so.
  • Detroit had 16 second-chance opportunities to Cleveland’s six. This led to the Pistons outscoring them 19-11 in second-chance points and winning the possession battle overall. Afterward, head coach Kenny Atkinson said the Cavs can’t afford to lose this area, calling getting the victory without having more possessions “unsustainable.”
  • The Cavs had 27 points off turnovers to Detroit’s 19. While Cleveland didn’t win the possession battle, they took advantage of the turnovers they forced. The Cavs committed one fewer giveaway than the Pistons.
  • Cade Cunningham had eight turnovers. This was an overall good game from Cunningham as he finished with a 27-point triple-double. However, not being able to take care of the ball was an issue.
  • Cleveland had a 130.4 offensive rating with Sam Merrill on the floor. He was limited to just 14 minutes as he returned from a hamstring injury. His shooting and off-ball movement helped open up what was a stagnant offense during the first two games of the series.
  • The Pistons were outscored by 28 in the 18 minutes Daniss Jenkins played. This was mostly because Detroit registered a 168.4 defensive rating with Jenkins on the floor. It’s dangerous to read too much into single-game plus/minus, but it’s safe to say the Cavs offense was at its best in Jenkins’s minutes.
  • The Cavs have held Jalen Duran to 11 or fewer points in all three games. He is a combined 11-26 (42.3%) from the field this series after converting 65% of his shots in the regular season.
  • Dean Wade was the only Cavalier starter with a negative plus/minus. The Cavs lost the nearly 17 minutes that Wade was on the floor by six.
  • Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined to go 10-10 in the restricted area. The offense is at its best when it’s attacking the basket. The most effective way to do that is to get the bigs involved going downhill. Both were able to make an impact there in the win.
  • Ausar Thompson had five assists in a game for the second time this series. He isn’t a threat to score from the outside, but his ability to act as a secondary playmaker when the Cavs cheat off him has been an asset for Detroit. This is why the Pistons have had a functional offense with Thompson on the court this game, despite his limitations on that end.
  • James Harden had nine points on 4-5 shooting in the fourth. He had three big shots late to help seal the game, including a triple over Tobias Harris in the final minute.
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Blake Snell gets no help from the Dodgers' offense in loss to Braves

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 09: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell delivers during the first inning of a loss to the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night. (Meg Oliphant / Getty Images)

It was Blake Snell bobblehead night Saturday at Dodger Stadium but the Atlanta Braves spoiled the left-hander’s season debut with a 7-2 win.

Making his first appearance since the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, Snell showed rust early, giving up a leadoff single to Mauricio Dubón and walking Drake Baldwin. Ozzie Albies’ bunt single loaded the bases and after Matt Olson struck out, Dubon scored from third on Austin Riley’s fielder’s choice to shortstop. Snell struck out Michael Harris II to end the inning on his 25th pitch.

Atlanta loaded the bases again in the second and Albies poked a two-run single to left. Two more runs scored on Olson’s single to right and after an inning and a half the Dodgers trailed 5-0. In the bottom of the inning, Eli White made a sprinting catch on the warning track in right field to rob Max Muncy of extra bases.

Snell started the season on the injured list with left shoulder fatigue and was brought back from his rehab assignment early to replace Tyler Glasnow, who was placed on the injured list Friday with back spasms. Snell gave up four earned runs on six hits, with two walks and five strikeouts over three innings and 77 pitches.

Read more:Emmet Sheehan shows progress, bullpen thrives in Dodgers' win over Braves

While Snell struggled, Atlanta's Spencer Strider was locked in from the start, giving up one hit and striking out eight batters in six innings before being relieved by Dylan Lee.

National League East front-runner Atlanta (27-13) widened its gap to eight games over Washington while the Dodgers dropped to 24-15 and saw their National League West lead narrowed to one game over San Diego, which beat St. Louis 4-2 earlier in the day.

Jack Dreyer, who relieved Snell, gave up one hit in 1⅓ innings before being relieved by Edgardo Henriquez, who walked Riley and gave up an RBI double to Harris — the fifth hit in two days for the 2022 NL rookie of the year. Henriquez went 1⅔ innings before Paul Gervase yielded an RBI single to Baldwin.

One night after dealing Braves ace Chris Sale his second loss of the season, the Dodgers’ offense did not wake up until the ninth inning.

Shohei Ohtani went one for four with a single and two strikeouts. Freddie Freeman had two fly outs and a groundout before Dalton Rushing took his place at first in the seventh.

The Dodgers avoided their second shutout loss of the season and finally gave the crowd of 50,209 reason to cheer in the ninth when Andy Pages belted a two-run home run — his ninth of the season — off reliever Reynaldo Lopez.

Read more:Will work for free? Trevor Bauer hypothetically offers to sign a '$0 salary' deal with any MLB club

Players on both teams played with heavy hearts following the death of former Braves manager Bobby Cox at the age of 84 on Saturday.

Freeman, in his fifth season of a six-year, $162-million deal with the Dodgers, talked about Cox before the game.

“I woke up to the news this morning,” he said. “It’s a sad day in Braves country and all of baseball. My favorite memory of Bobby is seeing joy on his face when he saw my 6-year-old. He had our backs. He wanted to win as much as you do. What stands out is the genuine care he had for every person in that clubhouse.

"My first day of spring training I walk in and he joked ‘Why did it take you so long to get to the big leagues?’ He cared about the 19-year-old and 40-year-old the same way. I have an autographed Bobby Cox jersey at home.”

Cox's death came just four days after the death of Ted Turner, who owned the Braves from 1976 to 2007.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Hurricanes sweep Flyers 3-2 in OT, advance to Eastern Conference finals

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jackson Blake scored 5:28 into overtime for his second of the game, Logan Stankoven also scored in regulation and the Carolina Hurricanes finished a four-game sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season.

Frederik Andersen made 15 saves for Carolina, which has not lost in eight playoff games.

Alex Bump and Tyson Foerster scored for the Flyers.

Taylor Hall and Jaccob Slavin assisted the winning goal.

Dan Vladar stopped 37 shots for Philadelphia.

Carolina will play the winner of Buffalo and Montreal in the Eastern Conference finals after the NHL’s first 8-0 start in the playoffs since 1985.

The Hurricanes, who reached the Eastern Conference finals for the third time in four years, are looking for their first Stanley Cup since 2006. Carolina is the 24th team in league history to win eight or more consecutive games during a playoff run. Eighteen of them have won the Stanley Cup.

WILD 5, AVALANCHE 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored first and assisted on the next two goals as Minnesota forced a goalie change and handed Colorado its first loss in this postseason with a victory in Game 3 of their second-round NHL playoff series.

Quinn Hughes followed Kaprizov’s four-on-four score late in the first period with a four-on-three goal less than two minutes later. Ryan Hartman batted in a deflected power-play shot with 4:23 elapsed in the second period to prompt an early departure for Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood, who was replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood.

Nathan MacKinnon got the Avalanche on the board on a power play later in the second period before Brock Faber answered just 20 seconds later by deflecting a puck past Blackwood.

Matt Boldy added an empty-net goal and Jesper Wallstedt made 34 saves in his return to the net for the Wild after a 9-6 loss in the unhinged series opener prompted a start for Filip Gustavsson in Game 2.

The Avalanche will take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 in Minnesota on Monday, before the teams return to Colorado for Game 5 on Wednesday.

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Spencer Strider superb as Braves take down Dodgers, 7-2

May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider (99) throws to the plate during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Behind a stellar performance from Spencer Strider and an opportunistic offensive attack early, the Braves shook off their Dodger Stadium demons for at least one night to even up the series with a 7-2 win.

Strider became the story on Saturday night, working six nearly perfect shutout innings. His slider was virtually un-hittable with a 64% whiff rate. The fastball was humming throughout the night and had Shohei Ohtani in a blender. A week after a shaky debut in Coors Field, this was as impressive as Strider has looked in more than two years. He finished the night allowing just one hit and two walks with eight strikeouts.

It goes without saying, but if this is any sign of what the future holds for Strider, the Braves’ ceiling is immensely higher. We’ll see if he’s able to carry it over in his next start, presumably against the Red Sox next weekend at Truist Park.

The Braves didn’t exactly light up Blake Snell in the early innings, but they hit ‘em where they ain’t and scratched across five runs in the first two frames.

Atlanta loaded the bases with no outs in the first but somehow only scored one run — a theme that continued from Friday night’s debacle — but thankfully broke through in a big way in the second inning with a two-run single by way of Ozzie Albies and two-run single from Matt Olson to make it 5-0.

As the score held, the Braves tacked on another run in the fifth with a Michael Harris double that plated a scootin’ Austin Riley. And in the eighth, Drake Baldwin added a little insurance with a two-out single to make it 7-0.

Dylan Lee worked a scoreless seventh inning and gave way to Reynaldo Lopez, who allowed a harmless two-run homer in the 9th to finally get the Dodgers on the board.

The Braves are 27-13.

The series concludes on Sunday afternoon with Bryce Elder set to face lefty Justin Wrobleski, who owns a 5-0 record and 1.25 ERA that is screaming for some regression. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. ET.

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Blake Snell struggles in season debut, Braves defeat Dodgers 7-2

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 09: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Dodgers got the best of Chris Sale on Friday, but against the flamethrower Spencer Strider and crew, they were nearly left silent as the Braves defeated the Dodgers by a final of 7-2.

Blake Snell made his 2026 season debut after missing the first month of the regular season, marking his first appearance since coming out of the bullpen for Game 7 of the World Series last year. Atlanta immediately loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the first inning as Mauricio Dubón and Ozzie Albies singled while Snell walked Drake Baldwin. Snell managed to strike out Matt Olson, but a fielder’s choice from Austin Riley gave the Braves an early 1-0 lead. Snell struck out Michael Harris II to complete his first inning of work having tossed 25 pitches.

Snell had a better start to the second inning, striking out Sean Murphy on three pitches, but the Braves rattled off a pair of singles from Eli White and Jorge Mateo, with Baldwin later walking for a second time to load the bases with two outs. Albies somehow made contact on a pitch just off the dirt and poked it into left field for a two-run single, with Olson following with another two-run single to make it a 5-0 Braves lead. Snell would face one batter over the minimum in the top of the third inning, but he ended his night having tossed 78 pitches over three innings. The Braves would tack on another run with an RBI double from Harris against Edgardo Henriquez to make it a 6-0 lead.

While Snell struggled over just three innings, the same could not be said about Braves right-hander Spencer Strider as he kept the Dodgers in check over six shutout innings, striking out eight while allowing just one hit— a single by Will Smith in the first inning— and walking just two on 90 pitches. Strider had a first pitch strike rate at 71.4 percent (15 first pitch strikes over 21 hitters) against the Dodgers, and even though he generated a 20 percent whiff rate on his fastball, his three complementary pitches totaled a combined 62.5 percent whiff rate.

After Jack Dreyer and Henriquez combined for one run allowed over three innings, Paul Gervase made his season debut and just his second appearance as a Dodger. Gervase completed three innings of work allowing four hits and a walk with five strikeouts, although he helped Atlanta get another run as Jorge Mateo singled in the top of the eighth to make it a 7-0 lead.

Freddie Freeman’s seven-game hitting streak came to a close as he went 0-3 before being pulled in the top of the seventh inning for Dalton Rushing.

The Dodgers were once again a handful of outs away from getting shut out, but Alex Call gave the Dodgers their first extra-base hit of the night with a double in the bottom of the ninth, with Andy Pages launching a home run to put the Dodgers on the board. Pages now has nine home runs on the season— four this week— tied with Max Muncy for the team lead. Teoscar Hernández kept the game alive with a single up the middle before Hyeseong Kim was called safe on a ground ball to first. The initial call was overturned, giving the Dodgers’ their second loss that was verified by replay review on the final play over their last three home games.

Game particulars
  • Home runs— Andy Pages (9)
  • WP— Spencer Strider (1-0): 6 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
  • LP— Blake Snell (0-1): 3 IP, 6 hits, 5 runs (4 earned), 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Up next

The Dodgers wrap things up against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday (1:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA) before welcoming the San Francisco Giants for a four-game set beginning on Monday. Justin Wrobleski starts the finale against Bryce Elder.

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Twins 2, Guardians 1 – F/11: Genuinely How

May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) and pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) collide while looking for an infield popup in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Twins had two hits in eleven innings and won a baseball game at Progressive Field.

Sure, man.

Good team or no good team, the Buck Truck keeps rolling, as evidenced by Byron’s leadoff blast to left field in a rain-delayed Saturday night game against the Cleveland Guardians. Buxton’s bomb, his 13th of the year, set the tone for a Twins offense that promptly stopped scoring — or hitting at all — leaving Joe Ryan and Derek’s Magical Arm Barn the monumental task of holding it down in a tight game.

As expected, the first Cleveland run was largely thanks to Jose Ramirez. The future Hall of Famer reached in the fourth on a one-out single, stole second (15) and scored on a game-tying single from Kyle Manzardo.

From there, Joe attempted to take some heat off the bullpen by blowing the game his own damn self. The Guardians’ next two batters reached, with Ryan walking Daniel Schneemann, then plunking newcomer Travis Bazzana. With only one out and the bases loaded, Ryan was able to elicit a called strike three against Angel Martinez, then induce an inning-ending whiff from Austin Hedges.

I wasn’t kidding about the offense shutting down, by the way. After the leadoff homer, the Twins would not record a hit for another ten full innings, as starter Tanner Bibee notched nine strikeouts and walked only two in a six-inning start. Hunter Gaddis and Colin Holderman picked up where Bibee left off, putting well over 100 pitches between the Minnesota lineup and its last base hit.

To his credit, Ryan all but matched Bibee despite the lengthy fourth. The Guardians’ two fourth-inning singles were their only hits off Joe, a stretch that extended through Andrew Morris’ two-out appearance and Taylor Rogers’ getting-of-the-final out in the seventh. (Masterful prose.) Rogers would snag two more outs in the eighth, before handing the ball over to Yoendrys Gomez for his second appearance as a Twin. Gomez retired pinch-hitter Rhys Hoskins to take the ballgame into the ninth, all knotted up at 1-1.

I guess I owe a small apology to Shelton’s Magical Arm Barn for my expectations of their performance tonight. Their reputation preceded them, after all.

Erik Sabrowski struck out two in a quick top of the ninth, leaving the Twins one-hit through regulation, and setting up what should have been one of the most predictable Cleveland walk-offs of all time. The broadcast set up the disproportionate CLE/MIN one-run, walk-off dominance this decade, and almost on cue, Kody Funderburk walked the leadoff hitter to put the winning run aboard, then walked the next guy to move him over just for fun. Then, in the world’s most obvious bunt situation, Funderburk fielded a comeback sacrifice, spent eighteen years thinking about the sure out, then finally recorded the out at first base on a play so close that it had to be overturned by a Shelton challenge.

Funderburk was removed in favor of Eric Orze, who walked pinch-hitter David Fry, and engaged in direct combat with Bryan Rocchio with the bases loaded and one out. Orze forced a 4-2 fielder’s choice, with Luke Keaschall cutting down the winning run at the plate, then induced a sharp groundout from Steven Kwan to send the game into extra innings.

Despite a leadoff walk to Keaschall — you remember him? From the last sentence? — Minnesota couldn’t advance a runner in a 10th inning that ended with Matt Wallner caught looking at curveball, and the lineup caught looking at a box score that still registered one solitary hit.

Orze returned for the home tenth, intentionally walking Jose Ramirez with one out to set up a battle with Hoskins. The battle was underwhelming; he walked Hoskins on four pitches, loading the bases and forcing Shelton to activate the five-man infield for a second consecutive inning. But the defense, so often the downfall of the 2026 Twins, showed up in a major way — first, it was Brooks Lee showing off catlike reflexes to make a full-extension, game-saving grab on a liner for the second out. Then, it was Austin Martin, cradling a sharp flyout while still wearing his infielder’s glove out in left.

So, the Twins were extended another chance to take home the ballgame, and they were finally able to execute. With one out in the 11th, Byron Buxton narrowly missed a second homer on another long fly to left that banged off the high wall; responsible for the only two Twins hits in the ballgame, Byron also ended the night responsible for both runs batted in.

Luis Garcia was given the save opportunity. He got Martinez to fly out on the first pitch, but ghost runner Bazanna stole his way to third and gave Cleveland two chances to bring him home. But David Fry popped weakly to shallow left, and Rocchio grounded out on a web gem that required a slide and spin from Brooks Lee straight up the middle, and a backhand pick by Kody Clemens to seal the deal at first base.

Nice to have one like that in Cleveland.

It’s worth noting that Minnesota was able to hold the Guardians to just two hits themselves, although Cleveland was able to manufacture opportunities on a more consistent basis throughout the night. It was an incredible high-wire performance from all arms tonight.

The Twins will go for the series win tomorrow afternoon. See you then!

STUDS:

CF Byron Buxton (2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR)

SS Brooks Lee (Two game-saving plays)

SP Joe Ryan (6 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 5 K)

Shelton’s Magical Arm Barn (5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 2 K) ((lol))

DUDS:

NO DUDS! TWINS WIN! TWINS WIN!

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Diamondbacks 2, Queens 1: A Quality Start!

So today was Merrill Kelly’s fifth start of the season, after having his spring training cut short and then a lengthy rehab period to start the year. He entered the game carrying an unsightly 9.95 ERA, and while our broadcasters kept going on and on last Sunday about how he was “finally turning the corner,” he wound up surrendering 6 earned runs in while failing to complete five innings against the Cubs, which really didn’t support their oft-repeated thesis. Today, he was pitching at home, for a national audience because the game was being broadcast on Fox, and was facing off against Clay Holmes, who came into the game with seven starts under his belt and an NL-leading ERA of 1.69 (nice). So I for one certainly wasn’t feeling terribly optimistic, and I certainly didn’t expect a pitcher’s duel to break out.

But oddly enough, that was indeed what happened.

Merrill started things off with two quick outs, and then walked MJ Melendez, the Mets’ DH, on six pitches, which seemed to be a harbinger for control problems to come. No worries, though, at least not in the first frame, as Kelly picked Melendez off with a perfect throw to Ildemaro Vargas to end his inning with the minimum faced and only 11 pitches thrown. Because pickoffs don’t count as pitches. Sadly, however, Holmes retired our top three in order in the bottom of the first without breaking a sweat, and only 11 pitches thrown. It was eerie, almost.

We weren’t heading into the uncanny valley, though….Kelly recorded another two quick outs to start the second, then surrendered a single to Marcus Simien followed by a first-pitch meatball he left in the exact middle of the strike zone that Brett Baty sent out to deep center field for an RBI double. 1-0 Queens

We got some runners on base in the bottom of the second, thanks to a leadoff single by DH Adrian Del Castillo, and then a one-out walk by Nolan Arenado. The bottom of our lineup, though, were not going to cover themselves in glory today, though—collectively they went 0 for 11 with six strikeouts between them—as Holmes made short work of Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. and Gabriel Moreno.

Kelly pitched around a one-out walk in the top of the third to put up another zero, and despite being down a run, he was showing a lot more efficiency than in previous outings, pitching to contact and letting his defenders make plays behind him, and was go through the third with only 41 pitches thrown, and no nibbling at the edges of the strike zone in sight.

And finally, in the bottom of the third, our offense rewarded him with some actual run support. Not a lot of run support, to be fair, but when you’re very hungry even a half an apple and some crusts of bread are welcome. Ryan Waldschmidt, getting the start in center today and batting ninth, struck out to start things off, and four pitches later Ketel Marte grounded out to the pitcher for the second time in three innings, but then something nice happened! First Corbin Carroll grounded a single into shallow right. Then Geraldo Perdomo chopped a single over Bo Bichette and into left field, where Juan Soto made a very nice play to get the ball back into the infield that kept Perdomo from having a double and kept Carroll from scoring from first. That was okay, though, because ADC drew a six pitch walk, and then Ildemaro extended his new hit streak to three games with a single to left that scored both Carroll and Perdomo:

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Nolan Arenado then flied out to end the inning, but Ildemaro had given us the lead! Also, we hung 31 more pitches on Holmes in that inning alone, so he was up to 60 pitches after three. 2-0 DBACKS

And that, in terms of offense, was that. For both teams. Seriously. It hadn’t felt exactly like a pitchers’ duel up to that point, but that’s exactly what it wound up being. Both teams sat down in order in the fourth, Kelly pitched around a two-out double and an intentional walk to Juan Soto in the fifth, before retiring the Mets in order in the sixth and seventh innings to finish with his longest and best start of the season so far. His final pitching line was 7 innings pitched, three hits and three walks given up, one earned run allowed, and six strikeouts with 97 pitches thrown. Not too shabby, Merrill. Not too shabby. It’s almost like you turned that corner today that Steve and Bob were jabbering about during last Sunday’s broadcast. And damn, it was really good to see.

Meanwhile, Clay Holmes didn’t go quite as deep, retiring the top of our order in order again in the bottom of the fifth and then getting the first two outs in the sixth before surrendering a single to Arenado that got him the hook. Well, that and the fact that he was at 103 pitches after Arenado’s at bat, so his day was done.

So it was up to the bullpens, and both bullpens buckled down and did their jobs. Some dude named Austin Warren recorded four outs despite a two-out Ketel Marte doulbe in the bottom of the seventh, and somewhat hilariously Craig Kimbrel came out for the bottom of the eighth, and got three quick outs after walking the first two batters he faced, largely thanks to two egregiously bad one-pitch ABs by Vargas and Arenado that were duly pillories in the Gameday Thread.

For us, Taylor Clarke pitched a perfectly clean eighth, and Paul Sewald pitched a perfectly clean ninth to record his eighth save in eight save opportunities. Say what you will about Sewald being back on the roster, but the dude isn’t costing us very much while we await the return of Puk and JMart, and as long as we don’t let him pitch in any situation other than a save situation, he’s doing the business. Credit where credit is due.

Win Probability, courtesy of FanGraphs

Winner, Winner: Merrill Kelly (pitching line above, +35% WPA)
Chicken Dinner: Paul Sewald (1 IP, 0 ER, 2 K, +17% WPA), Taylor Clarke ( 1 IP, 0 ER, +12% WPA)
Gizzards and Entrails: The offense as a whole (30 AB, 6 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 8 K, -14% WPA)

Those Win Probability numbers pretty much say it all. Our pitching won this game for us. The offense did just enough. Seriously, though, and I mentioned this in a comment elsewhere earlier today, but Torey needs to take the whole damn offense and cram them into his office and have a “one-way” conversation with them like he did with the starters after the sweep by the Cubs last weekend. We’re damn lucky Merrill was so good today, and that the back end of our bullpen is proving right now to be capable of holding a one-run lead when we manage to give them a one-run lead to hold. But come on. We need to do better.

Anyway. It wound up being a pretty good Gameday Thread today, with 220 comments at time of writing. By popular acclaim and because I very much agree, today’s Comment of the Game goes to WebbGemz, for this appreciation of our often-reviled closer:

Stop by tomorrow as we try to secure our first series win in awhile. Everyone’s favorite hologram is going for us, while Huascar Brazoban is currently listed as the starter for the Mets, which I guess indicates that they’re going to be giving us a bullpen game. That might be fun. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm AZ time, TheRealRamona will be filing her guest recap for the month of May, and she lived in Queens for awhile back in the day, so I’m sure she will have thoughts to share. Hope you can join us!

As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!

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Lakers drop Game 3 to Thunder; now one loss from elimination

Los Angeles, CA - May 09: Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) tries to defend Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) early in game three of the second round of the NBA playoffs in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, center, tries to block a layup by Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, left, during Game 3 of their playoff series on Saturday night at Crypto,com Arena. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers are one playoff defeat from their season being over and from the conversation turning to LeBron James’ future.

They are in a hole no team has climbed out of in the history of the NBA, the Lakers’ 131-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 putting L.A. down 3-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

Game 4 is Monday night here in Los Angeles, a night the Lakers will try to stave off elimination and a night that will determine how the conversations will go with James if they lose.

As James sat at his locker with both knees wrapped in ice, after he had scored 19 points on seven-for-19 shooting, two-for-six on three-pointers, handed out eight assists and grabbed six rebounds, he was asked if this group of Lakers should acknowledge that a loss Monday night could be their last time playing together as currently constructed.

“No, you really don’t talk about that,” Jame said. “You focus on the moment at hand and go from there.”

James and his teammates gave a gallant effort Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, but the defending champion proved to be more than the Lakers could handle.

Lakers forward LeBron James, center, shows frustration as Thunder center Chet Holmgren, left, slam dunks during Game 3.
Lakers forward LeBron James shows frustration as Thunder center Chet Holmgren slam dunks during Game 3 on Saturday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

James finished his night with 19 points on seven-for-19 shooting, eight assists and six rebounds. Rui Hachimura had 21 points and Austin Reaves finished with 17 points and nine assists.

The Lakers are fully aware that no NBA team has successfully come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, with those teams holding a 161-0 record. Only four teams have forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-0, all of which ultimately lost the series, including the Boston Celtics in 2023.

The Lakers have now lost all three games by double-digits, the 23-point defeat Saturday being the most lopsided of them all. They have lost the three games by an average of 19.6 points per game.

James was asked what kind of effort it will take for the Lakers to beat the heavily favored Thunder.

“I mean, obviously we gotta [give] everything … ” James said. “I mean, everything and more.”

James has been frequently asked this season about retirement, but he has not given any indication of what the future holds for him,

He’s 41 years old and playing in an NBA-record 23rd season.

James is in the final year of his contract that pays him $52 million, making him a free agent this offseason. He can retire, join another team or perhaps return to the Lakers next season.

"I wouldn't say I'm angry or disappointed,” James said. “I mean, obviously you're disappointed in the simple fact of, like, being down 3-0, obviously. But, I mean, we still got life and that's all you can ask for. And we gotta be much better on Monday. See what happens.”

The Lakers will see the same Thunder team that had seven players score in double figures, led by Ajay Mitchell’s 24 points and 10 assists and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 23 points and nine assists.

Oklahoma City shot 56.% from the field and 44.7 percent from three-point range. They will still see a Thunder team that forced them into 17 turnovers and took advantage of that to score 30 points off those miscues.

“Typically, if you can poke holes at a team in a playoff series, there’s a good chance they might have, like, a temporary solution or can sort of adjust maybe a little bit,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “This team, in-game, because of their personnel, can just adjust like that. They need shooting on the floor — great. They need multiple wing defenders on the floor — great. They need two bigs on the floor — great.

"It’s just … they're a terrific basketball team. I said that before the series. I've been very impressed with them. Still think we can beat them, but we gotta be better.”

Lakers guard Marcus Smart reaches with his right arm to try to steal the ball from Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Los Angeles, CA - May 09: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) is tightly covered by Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) in game three of the second round of the NBA playoffs in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers went down 13 in the third quarter and had to play catchup the rest of the way. They never the deficit just kept growing, topping out at 27 points in the fourth quarter.

They once again lost the game in the third quarter, getting outscored 33-20. The Lakers didn’t take care of the basketball in the third, turning it over six times, and they didn’t play good defense, allowing the Thunder to shoot 59.1% from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range.

“You come and compete,” Reaves said. “Its a bunch of guys in this locker room that are competitors. And basically the message after the game was, ‘We’re going to come in here Monday and we’re going get a win.’

"Obviously this situation sucks, but that doesn’t give us the license to quit. We got to come in here and compete. We owe the organization that. We owe each other that. We owe our fans that. So, we’re going to come here on Monday and play as hard as we can.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Brewers walk off Yankees in extras as William Contreras plays hero

May 9, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (49) smiles while he waits for a reliever to take the mound against the New York Yankees in the eighth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Box Score

It was a matchup of two young pitchers who have been dominating to start 2026: Cam Schlittler and Kyle Harrison. Offense would be at a premium; that was certain.

The Brewers nearly were able to knock Schlittler out of the game in the first inning, after William Contreras ripped a 108.5-mph comebacker off of Schlittler’s calf for an infield single. He hobbled around gingerly, and his first test pitch sailed to the backstop. He pushed through to remain in the game, but was slow walking off the field after the inning.

He continued on and showed no ill effects from that hit and completed six innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six.

Kyle Harrison, meanwhile, lost the shutout on the first batter of the game, allowing a no-doubt home run to 38-year-old leadoff hitter and notorious Brewers killer Paul Goldschmidt. Then in the second inning, Harrison walked Amed Rosario and Jazz Chisholm with nobody out. He got out of it with no runs allowed, though. In the fourth, the Yankees went double, single, and walk to load the bases with nobody out. Harrison nearly got out of that one, until a Goldschmidt hot shot to third was unable to be fielded cleanly by Luis Rengifo, resulting in an infield single and a run scoring to make it 2-0 Yankees.

Pat Murphy turned to Chad Patrick out of the bullpen to begin the fifth inning. With days off on Tuesday and Thursday this past week and another one coming on Monday, the Brewers won’t need a fifth starter for a while, so this helps keep Patrick on some sort of normal schedule. Patrick was able to settle things down and kept the Yankees off the board in his three innings of work.

The Yankees turned to their bullpen in the seventh inning, and Jake Bauers was very happy to see it, taking the first pitch he saw, a middle-middle fastball from Brent Headrick, into the second deck in right to cut the deficit in half. The Brewers then added on in the eighth with some classic small ball, starting with a Brice Turang single. Turang followed by stealing second, and Contreras delivered an RBI single to left to tie the game up at 2-2.

With both teams unable to score in the ninth, we went to extra innings. Aaron Ashby was so close to getting through a scoreless 10th and had Ryan McMahon down 0-2, but a single through the middle gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead before Aaron Judge was caught heading to third.

In the bottom of the 10th, Garrett Mitchell was the Manfred Man on second base. A wild pitch put him on third base before Luis Rengifo walked. Gary Sánchez pinch-hit for David Hamilton and lifted a fly ball to shallow right field. Mitchell thought about tagging, but pulled up as the throw from Judge was on line (though a bit high). Then Jackson Chourio was able to deliver an infield single to bring Mitchell in and tie the game up at 3-3.

With runners on first and second and one out, Brice Turang hits a tapper to the pitcher Tim Hill. Hill, inexplicably, decided to throw the ball to third base to try to get Rengifo, and ended up hitting Rengifo in the hand, leaving the bases loaded for Contreras.

Contreras lofted a fly ball deep enough to right field to score Rengifo, and the Brewers walked off the Yankees 4-3.

Aaron Ashby ends up with his league-leading seventh win of the season, the Brewers win the series, and have a chance to sweep on Mother’s Day. Tomorrow’s game features Logan Henderson opposite Carlos Rodón, who is making his season debut for New York. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m.

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Harden’s late barrage lifts Cavaliers past Pistons, cuts series deficit to 2-1

CLEVELAND (AP) — James Harden hit three clutch shots in the final two minutes, Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit 116-109 on Saturday to cut the Pistons’ lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Harden bounced back from two mistake-marred performances to finish with 19 points and Jarrett Allen scored 18 for the Cavaliers, who will look to even the series when they host Game 4 on Monday night.

Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points in his 73rd game, tied for third-fastest among active players and ninth in NBA history.

Detroit’s Cade Cunningham had his second career postseason triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but also committed eight turnovers. Tobias Harris added 21 points.

Duncan Robinson’s 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining tied it at 104 before Cleveland, which is unbeaten in five playoff home games, was able to seize control.

Max Strus intercepted an inbound pass by Cunningham at midcourt and made a breakaway layup with 2:28 left.

Harden, who drew plenty of criticism for turnovers in the clutch in the first two games, kept the Cavaliers in front with big shots. The 17-year veteran hit a 16-foot step-back jumper to extend the lead to 108-104. After a driving dunk by Cunningham, Harden made a floating 7-footer to put the lead back up to four.

Cunningham responded with a 3-pointer before Harden provided the decisive blow with 25 seconds remaining on a step-back 3-pointer while being guarded by Harris to make it 113-109.

Robinson was short on a 3-pointer after a timeout and Mitchell made three free throws down the stretch.

THUNDER 131, LAKERS 108

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ajay Mitchell had career playoff highs of 24 points and 10 assists, and Oklahoma City extended its unbeaten playoff run to the brink of another Western Conference finals with a victory over Los Angeles in Game 3 of the second round.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points and nine assists for the Thunder, who coolly improved to 7-0 — both in these playoffs overall, and in their seven games this season against LeBron James and the Lakers. Oklahoma City is the NBA’s sixth defending champion to start 7-0 in the following postseason after three wins over short-handed Los Angeles by a combined 59 points.

Game 3 was remarkably similar to Game 2 in many respects: The Lakers again had to fight desperately just to keep up with the champs into the third quarter, only for the Thunder to run away with their usual merciless efficiency when LA finally faltered. Chet Holmgren had 18 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma City, which outscored the Lakers 33-20 in the third quarter and wasn’t threatened at all down the stretch.

Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles.

James had 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Austin Reaves had 17 points and nine assists. But both stars struggled from the field to a combined 12 for 32, and 21 points from Rui Hachimura weren’t enough to keep LA in contention with the champs.

Luke Kennard added 18 points for the Lakers, who have lost five of their last six games since midway through the first round against Houston.

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James Harden’s Game 3 heroics to keep Cavs season alive show why he’s a winner

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 9: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers walks off the court after the game against the Detroit Pistons on May 9, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

CLEVELAND — James Harden was the last player on the practice floor after the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lone tune-up between Games 2 and 3 of their first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. Everyone else was hurrying out of the team’s facility to prepare for the flight to Canada later that afternoon.

Harden picked up something while watching film from Game 2 of that series. He noticed that they were defending him a certain way, and he wanted to get as much practice as possible to combat Toronto’s scheme. I couldn’t tell what that specific thing was, only that he was meticulously working on various ways to generate three-point looks when coming off screens on his right.

All players go through individual drills with coaches to varying degrees. That isn’t unique. The level of focus he approached it with was — especially on an off day.

Every time Harden missed a shot or didn’t get the footwork how he wanted coming off the screen, he cursed. Some were under his breath that you would only notice if you were watching. Others you could hear from across the gym.

“There’s a cerebral part of the work he does individually,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said then.

Fast forward two and a half weeks to Game 3 of the second-round series against the Detroit Pistons. The Cavs coughed up what was a 17-point lead in the third quarter, and were trailing at times in the fourth. They needed baskets down the stretch to take and maintain the lead.

Instead of calling his own number, Donovan Mitchell deferred to Harden despite leading both teams in points with 35. And the reason was simple.

“You see the work,” Mitchell said. “He’s worked really hard on his game, and his resume speaks for itself.”

The resume does speak for itself.

Harden is one of the most accomplished guards in NBA history. He’s achieved nearly every individual accolade out there and has climbed the ladder in both all-time points (9th) and assists (12th). Even at 36 years-old, the skills that have allowed him to reach that point are undeniable.

The one hole in his portfolio is a lack of playoff success. His teams have faltered in the biggest moments, and so has he.

Harden has proved all the stereotypes about himself correct in the three months he’s been in Cleveland.

We saw what has led to his numerous postseason shortcomings during the first two games in Detroit. Turnovers, an inability to hit a big shot when his team needed one, and being picked on defensively were all present at the worst times for the Cavs. His play helped turn two winnable games into losses.

The other stereotype that he’s proven true is that he’s one of the hardest-working players in the league.

A week back, I asked Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković what causes certain players to rise in the playoffs while others fall. He attributed it to their preparation.

“I think that work is the baseline,” Rajaković said. “Players that really know that they put the right work in, they’re ready for this stage. … Those guys, they tend to fight through fatigue, through adversity, through whatever the playoffs bring. … I strongly believe it comes down to work.”

We don’t think of Harden as someone who’s fought through adversity, at least not on the court in the playoffs. We typically reserve that kind of thinking for players who we see overcome the obstacles thrown their way to emerge victorious.

At the same time, Harden has overcome obstacles.

He’s bounced back from every collapse and put himself in that position again the next year with the work he’s put in to still be playing at an incredibly high level in his 17th season in the league. Whether that motivation is monetary or for trying to win is unknown, and honestly, it doesn’t matter. The work ethic is the same regardless of the reason.

Sports often present this false binary. Everyone on the victorious team is labeled a winner, while those on the other are losers. There’s no room in between the two opposites.

Yet, if you judged whether someone is a winner by how they respond to challenges and shortcomings, you’d be hard-pressed to find many who have bounced back as consistently as Harden.

“You know the American way is championship or nothing,” Atkinson said before the playoffs. “In our movies, we call the little kid, ‘Hey Champ.’ That’s the thing. Sure, we’d all love to win the championship, but that doesn’t mean you’re not successful.”

Harden isn’t a winner in any way that we would typically define it, and understandably so because he’s fallen short in the playoffs too many times. Making crucial plays late in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals isn’t a big enough stage to alter that, even if his three-straight baskets and game-sealing triple over Tobias Harris after being hip-checked is why the Cavs’ season still has oxygen.

When asked why he wanted the ball late in Game 3 despite previous failures, his answer was simple.

“It’s something that I work on literally every day,” Harden said. “It’s basically repetition, and it’s the confidence to go out there and just do it.”

While this one two-minute stretch won’t change how he’s remembered, this game shows why it’s unfair to label him a loser or someone who will never be a part of a championship. The habits and work ethic that lead to winning have always been there.

And for one night, we saw that pay off in a way it typically hasn’t throughout his career.

“I’m not playing this long, at this high a level without putting the work in,” Harden said. “This is 17 years for me, and I work extremely hard, like, extremely hard on my body, especially since the last few years. … The confidence is always going to be there. It’s always there, and just put me in a position to be successful, and good things happen.”

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Brewers rally in 10th to win 4-3 as Yankees waste brilliant performance from Cam Schlittler

MILWAUKEE (AP) — William Contreras singled home the tying run in the eighth inning and hit a game-ending sacrifice fly in the 10th as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied past the New York Yankees 4-3 on Saturday.

The Yankees wasted a brilliant performance from Cam Schlittler and have lost back-to-back games for the first time since they dropped five in a row from April 8-12. On Friday, they got just three hits against Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski and Shane Drohan in a 6-0 defeat.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a leadoff homer and drove in two runs for the Yankees. Jake Bauers went deep for Milwaukee.

Schlittler got struck in the leg by a 108.5 mph liner off the bat of Contreras in the first but stayed in the game and allowed two hits in six scoreless innings, lowing his major league-leading ERA to 1.35.

After Ryan McMahon’s two-out RBI single on an 0-2 pitch from Aaron Ashby (7-0) put New York ahead 3-2 in the top of the 10th, Milwaukee scored twice in the bottom half to give Ashby the major league lead in wins.

Jackson Chourio’s one-out infield single off Fernando Cruz (3-1) tied it and put runners at first and second.

Tim Hill entered and got a comebacker from Brice Turang. The lefty reliever tried to throw out the lead runner at third, but his throw hit Luis Rengifo in the hand, loading the bases.

Contreras followed with a fly ball to right that easily brought home Rengifo.

Bauers got Milwaukee on the board in the seventh with a 420-foot shot to right-center off Brent Headrick. Turang hit a two-out single off Camilo Doval in the eighth, stole second and slid home on Contreras’ single to left.

Yankees right-hander Luis Gil was placed on the injured list Saturday at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with shoulder inflammation. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year isn’t expected to throw for three weeks.

Up next

Seven months after undergoing elbow surgery, Carlos Rodón makes his season debut for the Yankees on Sunday. Logan Henderson (0-1, 4.50 ERA) starts for the Brewers.