It seems like watching Rays baseball is all sunshine and rainbows when Tampa Bay isn’t playing an NL Central opponent, right?
The Rays are 11-1 against teams not hailing from the Senior Circuit, and are 5-10 against teams that do. In fact, the Rays went 1-2 against the Reds, Cubs, Pirates, Cardinals, and Brewers.
Now, on to the fun stuff.
Griffin Jax opened today, going 2.1 IP while striking out two and walking one. He allowed one hit.
Jesse Scholtens collected the win, with Cole Sulser grabbing a hold and save, respectively.
On the offensive front, Yandy Diaz continued his torrid April with another homer, Chandler Simpson swiped his ninth bag of the season, and Jake Fraley and Taylor walls both had doubles.
Jonathan Aranda also had a two-RBI single.
We do it again on Monday from the corner of Carnegie and Ontario (shoutout Guardians radio and Ford C. Frick award winner Tom Hamilton) where the Rays begin a quick three game road trip against Cleveland, with southpaws Steven Matz and Parker Messick toeing the slab.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) goes to the basket against Houston Rockets’ Reed Sheppard, left, and Alperen Sengun (28) during the first half in Game 4 of a...
HOUSTON — One team played like its season was on the line.
After falling behind in the series by three games, the Kevin Durant-less Rockets were the more urgent and aggressive team in their 115-96 blowout victory over the Lakers, who consistently struggled to generate offense the entire game.
The Lakers shot 50% from the field (37 of 74), but only made 5 of their 22 3-point attempts, with three of their 3s coming after coach JJ Redick subbed out the rotation players with 7:25 left in the game.
It was their fewest made 3s in a playoff game since making four 3s on April 26, 2013 (Game 3 of 2013 first round series against Spurs).
“[The Rocket had] a top-10 defense the entire season,” Redick said postgame. “It’s obviously very challenging without your two leading scores to generate offense. We’ll take a look at the process again on that end as well. And I know our points per shot and our expected points per shot were slightly below our season average. So to me, again, it goes back to the two keys: Take care of the ball. And we’ll look at that and how we can be better there.”
Deandre Ayton (19 points and 10 rebounds) and Rui Hachimura (13 points) were the only Lakers who found any sort of offensive rhythm in Game 4 – and Ayton was ejected in the third quarter after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul after elbowing Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun in the head.
LeBron James finished with 10 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds. AP
Ayton and Hachimura combined to shoot 15 of 22 from the field.
LeBron James finished with 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting to go with 9 assists and 4 rebounds, but was one of many Lakers who struggled with taking care of the ball, having a team-worst 8 turnovers/
Marcus Smart (9 points, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots), had 4 of the Lakers’ turnovers.
What it means
The series will head back to Los Angeles for Game 5 with the Lakers leading 3-1.
Turning point
When the Lakers committed three turnovers on four possessions early in the first quarter.
They were still leading at the time, but it set a poor tone for the remainder of the game, with the Rockets ramping up their defensive pressure from there.
“Just a little bit of lackadaisical from us,” Smart said. “We’ve been playing our asses off these past three, four games, right? They came out, they did their job.”
The Kevin Durant-less Rockets were the more urgent and aggressive team. NBAE via Getty ImagesThe Lakers committed 24 turnovers on Sunday, their most in a playoff game since 2020. NBAE via Getty Images
MVP: Amen Thompson
Thompson has been the Rockets’ best player in the series and was their most important on Sunday.
He finished with team-highs of 23 points and 7 assists, with all five Rockets starters scoring in double figures.
Tari Eason added 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. Sengun has 19 points and 6 rebounds.
Stat of the game: 24
That’s how many turnovers the Lakers committed on Sunday, their most in a playoff game since having 24 turnovers on Sept. 20, 2020, which was their win over the Nuggets in Game 2 of the 2020 Western Conference Finals.
The Rockets scored 30 points off the Lakers’ giveaways.
“We knew coming into the series, we have to protect the ball versus them and not have not have too many pick-sixes, which we did all night,” James said. “It started with me, obviously. My turnovers were unacceptable
Up next
Game 5 of the Lakers’ playoff series against the Rockets is scheduled for Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena with a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
Apr 26, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) grabs a rebound during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
On the heels of a grueling Game 3 win, the Lakers came out flat and were subsequently routed by the Rockets, 115-96.
From the jump, it was pretty clear the Lakers didn’t have the right level of effort and played as such throughout. LA turned the ball over a staggering 23 times with the Rockets tallying 17 steals and 30 points off turnovers.
On the possession where they didn’t turn it over, they weren’t connecting on outside shots, going only 5-22, including some garbage time makes. Across the board, it was a lackluster showing for the Lakers, who looked like a team eager to get back to LA and finish the series in Game 5.
Rui Hachimura and Reed Sheppard exchanged midrange jumpers to open the game. LA built a lead of five early, with Luke Kennard leading the team with three points. Three other starters had two points each. Houston had four players with two points.
At the 6:28 mark, Los Angeles was up by three.
LeBron James was now leading LA with six points with Kennard close behind with five. There were a lot of foul calls between the teams, with Los Angeles making seven of their nine free-throw attempts and Houston making three of four.
The purple and gold were up by three at the 3:53 mark.
After a quick four-point surge, the Rockets jumped ahead by one. A layup by Jake LaRavia put the Lakers back in the lead. Jaxson Hayes had rough minutes, picking up two fouls.
Houston retook the lead by five at the end of the first.
The Rockets lead the Lakers 26-21 after one quarter of play. LA's offense is nonexistent. They went 7-18 from the field and haven't made a three.
Jabari Smith Jr. further extended the Rockets’ lead by draining a triple to start the second period. The Lakers already had eight turnovers with Houston playing defense. The Rockets continued their desperate, strong play, extending their lead to 10.
LA was struggling from behind the arc, shooting 17%.
A sudden 10-3 scoring run found Los Angeles down by three, after Houston had built a lead as big as 10. Jake LaRavia, who had been having a tough series, had a much-needed six points off the bench.
Deandre Ayton had a strong quarter, scoring 12 points, trying to keep the Lakers close enough. At halftime, the Rockets had a nine-point lead.
The Rockets lead 57-46 at the half. Deandre Ayton is the only Laker who has it going. He went 7-9 from the field and has 15 points.
Amen Thompson started the third period with a layup for Houston. Sheppard then knocked down a triple to make it a quick 14-point lead.
LA missed all three of its shot attempts. Marcus Smart then stole the ball, and it led to a layup by Kennard. Sheppard then drained yet another triple in response.
The Rockets continued to play with serious desperation, overwhelming Los Angeles, who now found themselves down by 17. Ayton was the only saving grace for the Lakers as he was now up to 19 points after scoring another four points.
In a ridiculous turn of events, Ayton was ejected with 5:41 left after making contact with the back of Alperen Şengün’s head, which was deemed a Flagrant 2 foul.
Everything spiraled from there as the Lakers continued to turn the ball over and the Rockets kept making them pay, building their lead to 25 points at the end of the third.
LA did start the final frame a little better offensively with Jarred Vanderbilt notching four points, but the deficit was too large.
With 7:25 left, the Lakers waved the white flag. With 1:11 left, the ejections continued with Adou Thiero and Aaron Holiday getting tossed because it was important for everyone to remember the refs were the important part of this game.
Key Player Stats
LeBron finished with 10 points, four rebounds and nine assists but shot just 2-9 from the field and had eight turnovers. Ayton was the Lakers’ best player prior to his ejection, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Hachimura pitched in with 13 points and three rebounds. Kennard ended with seven points and three rebounds. LaRavia scored six points off the bench.
Marcus Smart logged nine points with two rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. Vanderbilt put up eight points largely in garbage time.
Game 4 will be on Sunday against the Houston Rockets at 6:30 PM PT.
After an underwhelming presence in Game 3, Knicks fans turned State Farm Arena into Madison Square Garden South in Game 4.
They were not as raucous or as strong in numbers during the Knicks loss in Game 3. In Game 4, however, it was a different story.
They certainly were loud.
“It’s one of the coolest things that I will always remember when I’m done playing, is how crazy these Knicks fans travel,” Jalen Brunson said. “Whether they live here now or whatever, they know how to attack an away stadium. And it’s a really cool sight to see.”
Knicks fans in the crowd before Game 4. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
There were noticeable crowd pops when the Knicks scored and went on runs. You could hear them chanting “de-fense” when the Knicks were on that end of the court. They even booed CJ McCollum, who was playing in what was supposed to be his home arena.
Hawks fans tried to drown them out. But given the one-sided nature of Game 4, that proved difficult.
“Knicks fans travel all around the world,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “It’s even more special — I already knew how special the Knicks fans were from last year, but to be going to Abu Dhabi in preseason and see the stadium packed with Knicks fans is crazy. So, they travel around the world. They bring us so much love and energy and just passion that you can just feel that kind of passion in the building and it helps us feel like every game we play, no matter if it’s away or in Abu Dhabi, around the world, it’s a home game.”
Jalen Brunson (11) and Karl-Anthony Towns (32) of the New York Knicks look on during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during Round 1 Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
After their Game 4 win, the Knicks had wings from Magic City Strip Club, a staple in Atlanta, in the locker room.
Later, Magic City posted on Instagram: “We don’t wanna take credit for the win…. But …”
Ex-Knick Carmelo Anthony, a studio analyst for NBC, has been critical of Towns this year.
But after his Game 4 triple-double, Anthony gave Towns his flowers.
“We talk about KAT, about what we always want to see from KAT,” Anthony said on the network. “From him today to lead the team by his passing, by his aggressiveness and then took advantage of the defense when he could. He just played a complete game.”
Even with things looking bleak for the Mets after dropping both games of Sunday's doubleheader and getting swept by the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field, the team is still fighting for one another and will continue to do so until the very end.
Make no mistake, it's not good for New York who dropped to 10 games below .500 and whose offense continues to reel. However, instead of pointing fingers the players on the team say they're all on the same page and are pulling on the same rope while acknowledging they must be better.
"It’s not great. We gotta be better," said Brett Baty who went 0-for-7 on the day, including three strikeouts in Game 1. "We’re putting in the work, all the guys are working really hard. Personally, I’ve been taking a bunch of swings and trying to get going. At the end of the day we just gotta be better."
Everyone from the manager to the batboy knows the Mets have to be better. How they plan on doing that and turning their season around before things truly get out of hand is the real question.
The good news is New York does still have time.
Thanks to their abysmal stretch coming at the beginning of the season as opposed to the middle or the end of the season, the Mets have all summer to right the ship. They may never, but they're at least afforded the chance to try.
"I was just raised like you gotta put your head down and keep working hard," Baty said. "A lot of ball left to play. Our goal remains the same so put our head down and keep working hard."
It won't always be pretty, but the hope for New York is the players on the roster eventually play up to their capabilities -- some even up to their potential.
Sooner or later, perhaps when the weather gets warmer as its been an unseasonably cold spring in Queens, results will come.
"They’re good hitters," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "They’ve done it for a long time."
As for if the Mets, who saw a few long-time players leave town during the offseason, need a new voice in the clubhouse for guidance or leadership, Baty doesn't think so and believes the team has everything it needs to be successful right here already.
"I think we all have each other’s backs here and I think we all understand that we’re gonna keep working hard and we’re gonna have each other’s backs til the last day," he said.
Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs...
Midway through the third quarter of Game 4 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets inside the Toyota Center, Ayton hit Alperen Sengun flush across the face with a left elbow.
A foul was called and the officials went to check the replay. At first glance, it felt like a sure-fire flagrant one foul. It was hard, and a little reckless. But after a few minutes, the officials determined it did reach the criteria of a flagrant two foul and Ayton was immediately ejected from the game.
The officials determined that the elbow contact rose to the level of intent, not just careless, but punitive. Ayton and several Lakers players were shocked by the decision, even pleading to the officials that it was not intentional.
Ayton was escorted off the court and headed back to the Lakers locker room. Rockets’ forward Kevin Durant, who has missed the last two games for Houston, waived goodbye as he left.
The Lakers were already unraveling in Game 3, trailing by as many as 26 points. Ironically, Ayton was the lone bright spot for the Lakers offense. He had 19 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes before he was ejected.
Now, instead of building off the momentum of their Game 3 surge, the Lakers look ready to head back home to Los Angeles for a Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
With 1.3 seconds left in a decided game, Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels made a layup. That was well within the rules and nobody was going to get injured, but it violated an unwritten rule in the NBA — and Nikola Jokic took exception. Jokic sprinted down court (maybe the fastest he ran all game) to get in McDaniels' face, and there was a minor altercation. Jokic, as well as Minnesota's Julius Randle, were ejected.
Tensions were high at the end of Game 4 between the Nuggets and Timberwolves
Both Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle were ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. pic.twitter.com/U7Pg8ULO1J
On Sunday, the league came down and fined Jokic $50,000 for instigating the incident and Randle for escalating it. From the league's release announcing the fines:
"Jokic initiated the incident by confronting and shoving Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels. Randle escalated the incident by forcefully inserting himself into the scrum and shoving Nuggets guard-forward Bruce Brown."
Neither player was suspended, and both will play in Game 5 on Monday in Denver. The league also chose not to fine several players who left their bench area during the altercation, a group that included Aaron Gordon and Jonas Valančiūnas.
The Timberwolves lead the series 3-1, and it may be frustration over that — and the fact that Rudy Gobert has played fantastic defense on Jokic and made him work for everything — that led Jokic to confront McDaniels that way. Denver needs to win three straight to advance, a tall task, but Minnesota lost starters Anthony Edwards (knee bone bruise) and Donte DiVincenzo (torn Achilles) in Game 4.
Mets pitcher Kodai Senga (34) reacts on the mound after giving up a home run in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
In a separate post, they captioned a graphic after their 3-0 win in the second game against the Mets, “Sweep State of Mind” in a play on words of “New York State of Mind.”
The Rockies defeated the Mets in the first game of the day, 3-1, before shutting them out in the second game to complete the sweep.
Colorado also defeated the Mets on Friday night in a 4-3 win that quickly ended the good times in Queens after the Mets had snapped a 12-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over the Twins.
Marcus Semien (10) reacts after striking out during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Minnesota had also used social media to poke fun at the struggling Mets earlier in the week, as did MLS club Charlotte FC after they defeated New York City FC, which uses Citi Field as a part-time home, earlier this month.
The Mets have Monday off before they begin a three-game set with the Nationals at Citi Field, looking to find any sort of positive momentum they can find while the team sits 10.5 games back of the top spot in the National League East.
While the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the midst of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the NHL level, both of the team's affiliates are beginning their own post-season runs.
And for the Penguins' ECHL affiliate, things have gotten off to a great start.
On Friday, the Wheeling Nailers began their first-round semifinal series in the Kelly Cup Playoffs at home against the Reading Royals - ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh's first-round opponent - and they won Games 1 and 2 on back-to- back days to go ahead in the series, 2-0. They won by a score of 4-0 on Friday - with Taylor Gauthier earning the shutout - and a score of 5-1 on Saturday.
According to THN - ECHL editor Samantha Wismer, Game 1 was a very physical affair, with several misconducts handed out at the end of the game. The scoring didn't begin until the second period, when forward Zach Urdahl took a pass from defenseman Emil Pieniniemi and put it home to give the Nailers a 1-0 lead - with Gauthier registering the secondary assist. Later in the period, Urdahl struck shorthanded as well, putting his team up, 2-0.
Forward Max Graham added a tally in the third period, and captain Matthew Quercia tacked on the empty-netter to give Wheeling the 4-0 win before the extracurriculars at the end, which involved six misconduct penalties split between the two teams. Gauthier stopped all 20 Reading shots he faced, and Quercia finished with two points.
As for Game 2, Reading dominated early on, as they outshot Wheeling 14-5 in the first period. But the Nailers came away with the only goal in the first, as Quercia scored early in the opening frame to give Wheeling the 1-0 lead.
Things opened up for the Nailers in the second period, however. Ryan McAllister was the first to tack on, and Matty St. Phalle followed suit later on in the middle frame. Reading's Alec Butcher scored the team's lone goal late in the period to cut the Wheeling lead to 3-1, but that was the closest they would come to tying things up.
Blake Bennett tallied one in the third period for the Nailers before a Craig Armstrong empty-net goal to seal the 5-1 victory. Gauthier stopped 32 of 33 Royals' shots, giving him a staggering .981 save percentage through the first two games.
NEW YORK — Denver’s Nikola Jokic was fined $50,000 and Minnesota’s Julius Randle was fined $35,000 for their roles in an altercation near the end of Game 4 of the teams’ playoff series, the NBA announced Sunday.
Both will be eligible to play when the series resumes Monday with Game 5 in Denver.
The incident was evidently sparked when Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels took an uncontested layup with 2.1 seconds left and the Timberwolves already leading by 14 — a play the Nuggets took exception to, given how the game had been decided.
Jokic, the NBA said, “initiated the incident by confronting and shoving” McDaniels in reaction to that play. Randle, the league said, “escalated the incident by forcefully inserting himself into the scrum and shoving Nuggets guard-forward Bruce Brown.”
Jokic and Randle were assessed technical fouls and ejected from the game.
“He scored when we’d stopped playing,” Jokic said. “You guys saw what happened.”
The teams are meeting in the postseason for the third time in the last four years. Minnesota leads the series 3-1, but will be without guard Donte DiVincenzo for the rest of the season because of a torn Achilles and will be without fellow guard Anthony Edwards indefinitely because of a knee injury. DiVincenzo and Edwards both got hurt on Saturday.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 26: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a three point basket during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Four of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 26, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer season standings: Tyrese Maxey – 23.5 VJ Edgecombe – 16 Joel Embiid – 11.5 Paul George – 8 Kelly Oubre Jr. – 5 Justin Edwards – 4 Andre Drummond – 3 Quentin Grimes – 3 Jared McCain :’( – 3 Dominick Barlow – 2 MarJon Beauchamp – 2 Adem Bona – 1 Porter Martone – 1 Cam Payne – 1 Jabari Walker – 1 Trendon Watford – 1 15th roster spot – 1
The Celtics put the Sixers on the brink of elimination with a 128-96 victory on Sunday, claiming a 3-1 series lead as the teams head back to Boston for Game 5.
The Celtics three-point barrage was firing on all cylinders and their defensive gameplan all but suffocated the Sixers in the first half. By the time the Sixers found an offensive rhythm, the Celtics were hitting threes consistently, with most of the damage coming off the bench. Payton Pritchard notched a game-high six threes and 32 points.
There was not much to sort through for Bell Ringer-worthy performances.
The big fella is the Bell Ringer tonight with a clear case over everyone else. The Celtics came out with a defensive intensity for which most of the Sixers were not ready. It just so happens the man just a little over two weeks removed from an appendectomy was able to withstand Boston’s energy and produce on the offensive end.
He opened the game immediately attacking Neemias Queta and drawing two early fouls to force him to the bench. He notched the team’s first field goal converting a transition dunk following a Paul Goerge steal and continued playing forcefully against Nikola Vucevic tallying the first eight points for the Sixers in his return.
Unfortunately, everywhere Embiid looked for help on offense, he got none. That is, at least for the first half, as Tyrese Maxey did spring to life offensively in the second half after only taking three shots by halftime. Paul George went 2-for-7 from the field in the first half, and VJ Edgecombe continued to struggle from deep. Embiid’s ability to draw fouls and his gravity were the only sources of offense for long stretches. By halftime, the Sixers had only 38 points.
In the third, the Sixers began hitting shots but were unable to get stops on the other end. Embiid found his touch from the midrange and even hit a straight ahead three-pointer. He went 6-for-11 from the field in the second half and theoretically shook off the rust. Despite the poor shooting night from the team, Embiid corralled only two offensive rebounds, and did not provide enough of a barrier to the Celtics’ persistent offensive rebounding.
Given it was his first game back, and that he played 34 minutes, it was a commendable outing for Embiid. However, a more polished performance may be the only thing to keep the Sixers from elimination.
Slater, 33, owned a .460 OPS in 11 games with the Marlins this season before his release.
Pham, 38, was 0-for-13 at the plate in a part-time role after arriving on a minor league deal.
As the starting left fielder in Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader, he went 0-for-2 and did not appear in the nightcap. The Mets lost 3-1 and 3-0 to the Rockies.
Nolan McLean was “pretty happy” with his start Sunday, but it was hardly his cleanest outing of the season.
The Mets rookie worked into the sixth inning in Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader but never recorded an out before he was removed with the bases loaded in the team’s 3-1 loss to the Rockies.
The Rockies also produced traffic in the fourth, driving up McLean’s pitch count. Overall, he allowed two runs, one unearned, on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. He threw 91 pitches.
Tommy Pham returns to the dugout after striking out during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Chicago. AP
“I thought my stuff was in a good spot,” McLean said. “I am pretty happy with the outing. There was some traffic there in a couple of innings, but I felt I did a good job.”
It was the team’s fourth straight loss in a game started by McLean, who has yet to surrender more than three earned runs in an outing this season. The right-hander owns a 2.55 ERA in his six starts.
Is there added pressure knowing the room for error might be minuscule given this struggling lineup?
“The way we see it in the clubhouse, it’s just any minute now,” McLean said. “We look at the lineup going out there each day and we know how hard they are working. It’s just a matter of time. We know how good these players are.”
Jorge Polanco has begun running and hitting off a tee in his rehab from a right wrist contusion. Polanco is also dealing with right Achilles bursitis that has been an ongoing issue since the opening weekend of the season. Polanco is under evaluation on a week-to-week basis, according to manager Carlos Mendoza.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With runners on second and third, Lane Thomas delivered a three-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the Kansas City Royals over the Los Angeles Angels 11-9 and sweep the series.
It was Thomas’ first home run of the season and the first walk-off RBI of his career.
Joey Lucchesi (0-1) took the loss, facing four batters in the final frame. Lucas Erceg (2-1) earned the win.
The Angels held a 7-4 lead when the game was delayed in the bottom of the seventh for severe weather. The Royals had two on and no outs with Bobby Witt Jr. at bat. It resumed after one hour and 29 minutes, and the Royals tacked on one run with a sacrifice fly to center by Vinnie Pasquantino.
Salvador Perez pushed another run across in the top of the ninth, and Jac Caglianone, who entered the game as a reserve in the eighth inning, tied the score with a two-out, two-run homer that landed just inside the right-field foul pole.
Angels shortstop Zach Neto led off the game with a single and scored on a two-run homer by Mike Trout. The home run moved Trout into first place in franchise history with his 797th career extra-base hit.
Neto struck again in the second with an RBI double, and Adam Frazier added another in the four-run inning.
The Royals got on the board in the fifth with an RBI single from Isaac Collins and Witt’s two-run homer in the sixth. Angels starter Reid Detmers was replaced after walking the next batter. He allowed five hits and three runs in five-plus innings.
Royals starter Seth Lugo allowed 14 hits and seven runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Up next
The Angels head to Chicago, where RHP José Soriano (5-0, 0.24 ERA) will face RHP Davis Martin (3-1, 2.01) of the White Sox on Tuesday.
The Royals open a three-game series in Sacramento, where LHP Kris Bubic (2-1, 4.08) will face RHP Aaron Civale (2-1, 3.86) on Tuesday.
The aftermath of the Nikola Jokic and Jaden McDaniels moment at the end of Game 4 between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets has settled, but it is still worth unpacking. If you missed it, McDaniels broke one of basketball’s quiet codes. When the game is decided and the clock is bleeding out, you do not go hunting for an easy bucket.
That is exactly what he did.
After a dominant showing at the Target Center that pushed Minnesota to a 3-1 series lead, McDaniels finished a late layup to make it 112-96. Nikola Jokic did not appreciate it. He sprinted down the floor and let McDaniels hear about it, and that is when things escalated.
Jaden McDaniels scores the layup instead of running out the clock, Nikola Jokic runs all the way from the other side of the court to face him, bumps him, as McDaniels grabs Jokic's jersey, a kerfuffle ensues.
Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle get ejected from the game
No punches. Nothing out of control. Still, it crossed the line enough for Jokic and Julius Randle to get tossed with 1.2 seconds left. Why did Jokic take exception to this? “Because he scored when everybody stopped playing,” he said in his post-game presser.
Today, the fines came out following the altercation. $50,000 for Jokic, $35,000 for Randle. But no suspensions, despite players coming off of the bench.
NBA discipline for Denver-Minnesota scuffle in Game 4:
Nikola Jokic fined $50,000 Julius Randle fined $35,000
So why no suspensions? Why does everyone suit up for Game 5?
You know where this goes. The precedent is there. Go back to the 2007 Western Conference Semifinals when Robert Horry hip checked Steve Nash into the boards late in Game 4. The league suspended Amar’e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. They were not in the altercation. They simply stepped over the white line, which was enough for then-commissioner David Stern to enforce accountability for “leaving the bench” and ensure that this game, which is ever so sacred, was not violated by the abhorrent act of stepping over a line after one of your players gets unnecessarily thrown into the boards at the end of the game.
Here’s the video, which is extremely hard to find on the ‘ole internet despite it being a precedent-defining moment.
But hey, perhaps I’m just a scornful Suns fan. Maybe the national conversation has no appetite for hearing it again after this series with Oklahoma City and the noise around officiating. Maybe every fan base feels this when they are on the wrong end of enforcement. It can start to feel personal.
The rules are the rules. Or at least they are supposed to be. I am not pounding the table, asking for suspensions here. I am filing it away. Noting how some things get applied in one moment and not in another.
Game 5 between the Timberwolves and Nuggets is tomorrow at 7:30pm. Tune in. And watch all the players play.
Apr 26, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) plays the puck against Montreal Canadiens center Alex Newhook (15) during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
MONTREAL — Brandon Hagel scored his NHL playoffs-leading fifth and sixth goals in the third period and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied to beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Sunday night in Game 4 to tie the series.
After the first three games in the first-round series went to overtime, Tampa Bay overcame a two-goal deficit to end it in regulation.
Hagel gave the Lightning the lead with 4:43 left, deflecting Nikita Kucherov’s shot past Jakub Dobes.
Jake Guentzel had a goal and assist, and Kucherov added two assists on the top line with Hagel. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 16 saves.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in Tampa.
The Lightning rebounded after falling 3-2 on Friday night on defenseman Lane Hutson’s OT slap shot.
Hagel tied it on a power play at 1:40 off a centering pass from Kucherov. The Lightning got the man advantage when Oliver Kapanen was sent off for high-sticking Dominic James.
Guentzel cut it to 2-1 with 54 seconds to go the second, beating Dobes from the left side off a feed from defenseman J.J. Moser.
Zachary Bolduc and Cole Caufield scored for Montreal in 3:23 span in the second. Caufield scored for the first time in the series after having 51 goals in the regular season. Dobes made 17 saves.
Bolduc opened the scoring with 9:54 left in the second. He took a long pass from defenseman Kaiden Guhle, held off Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh and had the puck deflect in off his body as he cut across the front of the goal.
Caufield struck on a power play with 6:31 left in the period, with Guentzel off for slashing Dobes’ glove. Caufield took Nick Suzuki’s centering pass in the slot and redirected the puck in.
