Following the Timberwolves’ 102-97 victory over the Warriors on Saturday night at Chase Center, Edwards credited Kuminga’s high-flying skills for fueling his second-half turnaround.
“Poster dunk by me? Nah, I feel like when Kuminga dunked on me,” Edwards told reporters after taking a 2-1 series lead. “It got me going more so than anything.”
Edwards, who contributed just eight points in the first half, finished with a game-high 36 points, helping Minnesota regain control of the series against a Steph Curry-less Golden State.
Kuminga, on the opposite end, erupted for 30 points off the bench for the Warriors. The 22-year-old’s valiant effort was ultimately wasted, with Golden State unable to capitalize as Curry watched on from the bench after being ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Late in the third quarter, Edwards, known in part for his explosive dunks, drove past Kuminga before elevating to the rim over Warriors big man Kevon Looney.
That wasn’t the source of motivation for the two-time NBA All-Star, however. Instead, the motivation came after getting humbled to the point where Edwards had to double down on his skills and mentality.
And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if it leads to a crucial playoff victory.
“Just trust the work, man,” Edwards added. “I feel like one thing I never lack in confidence. If I got that, I’ll be alright.”
As the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs continue to unfold, the odds of a Canadian team winning it all seem to get better and better.
In Toronto, the Maple Leafs are in a strong position against the defending Cup-champion Florida Panthers, leading their second-round series two games to one. In Winnipeg, the Jets have pushed back against the Dallas Stars, evening up their series at one game apiece. And in Edmonton, the Oilers are in firm control of their series with the Vegas Golden Knights, leading it two games to none.
For the first time in a long time, there’s a very real sense that multiple Canadian teams can get at least as far as their respective conference final – and maybe, just maybe, one of them can be the first Canadian team to win the Cup since the Montreal Canadiens did so in 1993. And what a time to achieve that goal.
Indeed, given recent world events, there’s a soaring sense of national pride among Canadians. We have started to put aside our regional differences in the name of seeing Canada rewarded for our tenaciousness and resilience on the ice, and having a Canadian team win hockey’s ultimate trophy would make Canadians ecstatic. Heck, when Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, is an old hockey goalie, you can see how the stars could be lining up to make some memorable magic with the country’s favorite game.
You don’t have to take our word for it – just take a look at a recent poll that investigated the degree of national pride among Canadians. You’ll learn that a growing number of Canadians want to see a Canadian Cup-winner, and the closer we get to seeing one crowned, the more of a sense of excitement there is going to be in hockey’s homeland.
Canada is a vast country with many different people and lifestyles, but when it comes to Canada’s favorite sport, we’re clearly ready, willing and able to support whatever Canadian team gets to the Cup final.
And really, what could be better for Canada at the moment than an all-Canadian-team Cup final? It would take the Leafs winning the Eastern Conference, and either the Oilers or Jets winning the Western Conference. But as it stands, that’s not a pipe dream by any stretch. A Toronto/Winnipeg or Toronto/Edmonton final would more or less shut down the country as Canadians pick sides, but that type of matchup would be one for the ages.
When you think about it, we’re not far away from such an event coming to pass. The Maple Leafs and Oilers are six wins away from the Cup final, and the Jets are seven wins away. A lot will have to go right for the three teams to get to that point, and all three Canadian teams could still be eliminated in Round 2. But the way Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton have performed thus far, it’s far from a longshot to see two of those three teams getting to the final.
There could come a day, sooner than later, when other Canadian teams get to where the Leafs, Oilers and Jets are today. The Canadiens and Ottawa Senators are up-and-coming teams, and the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames may only need a few additions to put them back into the playoff mix. But it should shock no one that any or many of the aforementioned teams could be thriving soon.
If and when one or two of those teams do arrive in the Cup final, Canadian nationalism may not seem as vigorous and widespread as it is right now. Or who knows – maybe it’ll be just as heightened, if not more heightened than it is at the moment. But in the days and weeks immediately ahead, it seems like a perfect meeting between Canadian pride and Canadian team skill that has Canadian hockey fans so stoked.
The Cup drought in Canada could be coming to a close. And if that happens, the true north strong and free is going to be an especially exciting place to be.
Postecoglou unmoved by idea of a new ‘Ossie’s Dream’
Spurs face Manchester United in Europa League final
Ange Postecoglou has played down the prospect of his Tottenham squad recording a cup final song before their Europa League final with Manchester United.
The record ‘Ossie’s Dream’ by Chas and Dave – in reference to the former midfielder Ossie Ardiles – is synonymous with Spurs’ history after being recorded with the squad to commemorate reaching the 1981 FA Cup final. However, Postecoglou insisted no repeat would occur with the class of ‘25, who secured a place in Bilbao with a 5-1 aggregate victory over Bodø/Glimt.
Houston pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. said he received online death threats directed at his children after his tough start Saturday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
McCullers, who was making just his second start since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, allowed seven runs while getting just one out in Houston’s 13-9 loss.
Afterward, McCullers said he had received the threats on social media.
“I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with,” he said. “So just as a father I think there have been many, many threats over the years aimed at me mostly, and I think actually one or two people from other issues around baseball actually had to go to jail for things like that. But I think bringing kids into the equation, threatening to find them or next time they see us in public, they’re gonna stab my kids to death, things like that, it’s tough to hear as a dad.”
The Astros said that the Houston Police Department and MLB security had been alerted to the threats.
McCullers and his wife Kara have two young daughters.
A visibly upset manager Joe Espada addressed the threats at his postgame news conference and added that they were also threatening the pitcher’s life.
“There are people who are threatening his life and the life of his kids because of his performance,” Espada said. “It is very unfortunate that we have to deal with this. After all he’s done for this city, for his team, the fact that we have to talk about that in my office — I got kids too and it really drives me nuts that we have to deal with this. Very sad, very, very sad.”
McCullers, who has had numerous injuries that have kept him off the field in the last couple of seasons, said it’s difficult to have to deal with threats on top of trying to return to form on the mound.
“If you fail you fail on a very large stage (with) a lot of eyes and there’s nowhere to hide,” he said. “At the end of the day, I just want to do my job. I just want to be a good pitcher for the Astros and I believe I’ll get there, but like I said I just think that having to worry about that, worry about leaving town and leaving them and things like that or dropping her off at school, I just think … there should be some type of decency.”
The three-pointer was falling for the Celtics and the Knicks could not respond in their 115-93 Game 3 loss on Saturday afternoon at MSG.
Boston shot 48 percent from the field and 50 percent (20-for-40) from three, while New York shot 40 percent and 20 percent (5-for-25) from three.
Here are the takeaways...
-Celtics entered Game 3 hitting 25-of-100 of their threes, so of course they would hit their first three three-point attempts. But Boston also made it a point to go to the rim -- six of their first nine shots were from two -- especially Jayson Tatum who only shot one three in the first six minutes of the game. On the other side, the Knicks looked tight and were a bit unlucky. Their shots didn't have conviction behind them, and when they did get some open shots, they would rim out. They started just 2-for-11 (1-for-5 from three) before head coach Tom Thibodeau called a timeout.
The Celtics would continue to hit their shots and take advantage of Knicks misses -- and a little bit of hack-a-Mitch to build their lead to 15 points. Payton Pritchard would hit a fadeaway jumper as the clock expired to put the Celtics up 36-20 after one quarter. Boston shot 58 percent (11-for-19) from the field, including 6-of-7 from three in the first. That, plus the Knicks shooting just 35 percent (8-for-23), including 1-for-7 from three, was the difference. What helped the Knicks sort of stay in the game was the offensive glass, which Mitchell Robinson had two of the team's five in that opening frame.
However, Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two first-quarter fouls, which limited the forward's play. KAT and Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with six points each. With KAT on the bench and Robinson out to limit the intentional fouls, Precious Achiuwa played three minutes and picked up four points.
-The second quarter was more of the same. The Celtics kept making their threes, and played incredible defense, denying Knicks cutters to the basket just about every chance they had. Boston had their lead reach 25 points at one point, but a burst from the Knicks cut the deficit to 17 and got the MSG crowd back into it. But Tatum and the rest of the sharpshooters on the Celtics silenced them with threes to keep their lead hovering around the 20-point mark.
Heading into the half, the Celtics were shooting 55 percent (24-for-44), including 12-for-19 from three. They also had three steals and four blocks. Jaylen Brown and Tatum led the scoring for Boston with 17 and 14 points, respectively.
For the Knicks, they shot just 40 percent (17-for-43), including 2-for-12 from three. KAT (13) and Brunson (12) led the scoring for New York who were outrebounded, 24-19, at halftime.
-The Celtics would come out of the break and build a game-high 31-point lead before an 8-0 run by the Knicks gave The Garden crowd something to cheer for. But whenever it felt like New York would shift the momentum, a Derrick White three or an and-one from Tatum would stop the push. Sloppy turnovers and poor transition defense allowed Boston to keep a stranglehold on this game.
-The Knicks would get the three-point shot to fall early in the fourth. Two from Brunson and one from Miles McBride cut the Celtics' lead to 20 points before Boston called a timeout. The Knicks' offense would struggle from then on as the Celtics continued to grind New York's defense with easy shots and back-breaking threes.
Thibodeau would pull his starters with three minutes remaining with the Celtics up 23 points. The Celtics were up by 20-plus since two minutes left in the second quarter until the starters were all benched.
-OG Anunoby had a disappointing game, scoring just two points on 1-for-6 shooting. He only had two rebounds and one assist. Brunson led the team with 27 points on 9-for-19 shooting, but turned the ball over four times -- clearly trying too hard to get the offense going.
Josh Hart finished with 10 points while KAT had 21 and Mikal Bridges added 12 to round out the starters' scoring.
On the other side, Pritchard led the Celtics with 23 points while Tatum (22), Brown (19), Al Horford (15), Jrue Holiday (8) and White (17) accounted for the starters' scoring.
Kristaps Porzingis, who has been dealing with aftereffects from a viral infection, played 19 minutes and scored five points.
Game MVP: Payton Pritchard
The Sixth Man of the Year really took it to the Knicks on Saturday. Whenever the Knicks had a run, Pritchard would hit a three or make a great defensive play.
The Texas Stars defeated the Grand Rapid Griffins in three game and the Abbotsford Canucks knocked off the defending Western Conference champion Coachella Valley Firebirds in four games.
The Stars are the first team to advance to the Central Division Finals on the back of six points each from Cameron Hughes and 2025 AHL Rookie of the Year Justin Hryckowian in three games, including an overtime winner in the second overtime of game three from Hughes.
Texas goaltender Remi Poirier stopped 64 of 70 shots against before Magnus Hellberg came in in relief in the third period of game three and stopped all 18 shots against.
Dallas' AHL affiliate will take on the winner of Milwaukee and Rockford in the next round.
The Canucks eliminated the back-to-back defending Western Conference champion Coachella Valley Firebirds in four games after Arturs Silovs made 29 saves and secure a 2-0 game four victory.
Abbotsford were led by Silovs, who has a 5-1 record, two shutouts, and a .935 SP in seven playoff appearances.
Veterans Sammy Blais and Phil Di Giuseppe lead the Canucks in scoring with eight and seven points respectively. Kirill Kudryavtsev and Akito Hirose have been essential to Abbotsford's solid defensive play and will need to keep it up in the next round.
Vancouver's AHL affiliate will take on the Colorado Eagles in the next round, with the series set to begin Friday May 16.
Mets outfielder Jose Siri, who's on the IL due to a fractured tibia, is making good progress and could be getting closer to starting a rehab.
"Definitely progressing a lot quicker than I was or we were anticipating," Mendoza said. "I didn't think he was going to be able to do some running and already hitting in the cages, tee, toss, playing catch, doing some light sprints there.
"As far as when do we anticipate [him returning], it's hard for me [to say]. But he's moving, he's progressing a lot quicker."
Siri suffered the injury on April 13 against the Athletics after fouling a ball off of his shin. Since he's been out, the Mets have gone with a combination of Tyrone Taylor (26 starts, 31 games total), José Azócar (three games), and more recently, Jeff McNeil (three games) in center field.
Siri played in just 10 games and struggled offensively with just one hit before getting hurt. He did walk four times and stole two bases.
Brett Baty continuing to make positive strides
Baty returned to the bigs this week with Jesse Winker heading to the IL and has been making the most of his playing time.
The 25-year-old went 0-for-4 in his first game on Wednesday, but flipped a switch Friday night with a two-hit performance, including his second home run of the season. Mendoza was asked if he'd like to have Baty play a handful of games consecutively and said he's trying to balance that with getting everybody else involved.
"I definitely wanna continue to get him going, but also my job as a manager is to put guys in a position where we feel they're going to have success," Mendoza said. "If I feel like we're better off playing some of the other guys and giving him a day, it's not so much about Brett Baty, it's putting other guys in a position where we're like, 'Hey, we like that matchup.' Yes, having the understanding that we might benefit from giving this guy a little bit of leeway and letting him play.
"It's a balance and you're trying to keep everyone sharp. I feel like we now have a really good rotation going with the position players, all thirteen of them. And Brett Baty's a huge part of that. It will continue to be a day-to-day thing."
Defensively, Mendoza has all the confidence in the former top prospect who's shown his versatility playing 2B in addition to his natural 3B.
"I thought last year he was really good," Mendoza said. "He's very athletic for a guy his size. I'm very comfortable playing him at second base. And then you watch him take balls at short, just BP right, and he's very athletic. That goes to show you that not only the footwork, he's got good hands, he's got the ability to throw on the run from different angles. But he's got the ability to adjust, too. Defensively, he's pretty good."
He added on how to help Baty continue his development: "Don't let him get comfortable. We want him comfortable with the environment, but not comfortable playing a big league game. There's always challenges. You got to bring your A-game. I think that's part of our job, not only as manager but as coaches, it's not as easy as you're making it look right now.
"It's just finding the consistency, don't get too high, don't get too low. I think that's the next step when you're talking about development. Not only just the result, but how you're going to go about your business day in and day out. That's what we're trying to do here."
For months now, the notion of NHL expansion hasn’t been on the league’s front burner, but don’t take that to mean expansion won’t be happening in the next few years. Under commissioner Gary Bettman, the league has always been coy when it comes to the movement or creation of teams.
The NHL is very good at keeping high-end secrets, but Bettman’s comments Friday in Sunrise, Florida certainly did nothing to extinguish long-standing rumors that the league would soon-enough be growing, most likely, by two teams.
The favorite to be the first city to land a team remains Houston, but picking up steam of late is the prospect of the NHL returning to Atlanta for the third time in league history. And it’s safe to say the league is on track to eventually expand by two teams, one of which would be an Atlanta team.
For proof, consider Bettman’s glowing appraisal of Atlanta Friday night.
“It’s a different place than when the Flames and the Thrashers left, in terms of how big the city is, how robust it is, the sporting interest,” Bettman said. “I don't think the prior two (Atlanta teams) have any bearing on whether or not we would go back – if all the other pieces that are referred to were put together.”
When the league looks at a potential expansion team, the pieces they’re looking for are (a) a market that can support another major-league team, (b) well-established and reliable business-people at the helm of ownership, and (c) either a deal in place to develop land into a new arena, or an arena already standing. That’s what gives Houston the edge right now, as they would likely play in the Toyota Center.
Atlanta doesn’t have an NHL-caliber rink just yet, but Sportsnet spoke to Georgia businessman Vernon Krause, who is leading a group that intends to put a team in Forsyth County, Ga., which is part of metropolitan Atlanta. Krause revealed that his group is close to putting all its financial ducks in a row – including building a new arena – and presenting an expansion pitch to Bettman and the 32 team owners.
“The next step is for us to go up to (NHL headquarters in) New York and meet with the commissioner of the NHL and show them what we have in place with the county in hopes that they vote for expansion,” Krause said. “There’s certain criteria that we have to meet to even apply for an expansion franchise. And that was purchasing land, getting the zoning that we needed. Both of those have been accomplished. Once we got the (Forsyth) county vote, getting definitive documents done, which our lawyers are working on, that we can present to the NHL, talking with our investors that we’ve been talking with over the last couple of years, being able to present what I would call a completed package to the NHL.”
The NHL doesn’t have a firm timetable for expansion, but THN.com believes that when the league does expand again – and to be sure, we don’t have a doubt that expansion is coming – it will expand by two teams and not, say, by one team one year, and another team in a subsequent year. The competitive imbalance that would occur if only one expansion team materialized would give an advantage to the conference that stays at 16 teams while the other conference grows to 17 teams. And players and team owners won’t want to deal with that imbalance.
It makes much more sense, then, that the NHL will expand with its 33rd and 34th teams – Houston in the Western Conference and Atlanta in the Eastern Conference – at the same time. That would leave 17 teams in each conference, and while the league’s playoff process would probably have to be tweaked to guarantee a fair competitive balance, that won’t stop them from adding teams and putting a couple billion dollars per expansion franchise in the league’s coffers.
If expansion were not in the cards for the NHL, Bettman would’ve firmly shot down any and every rumor to the contrary. Instead, he only stoked the fire of expansion speculation with his comments Friday, and those breadcrumbs of information will almost assuredly lead to a path ending with the league growing to 34 teams.
You may not like the prospects of expansion, but you should get used to it. Because, absent some unlikely development, expansion is on the horizon for the NHL, and it gets closer to reality with every passing day. And Houston and Atlanta are now firmly leading the pack in landing a new team.
Mets prospect Ronny Mauricio made his season debut with Double-A Binghamton on Saturday afternoon, playing third base in the first game of the Rumble Ponies' doubleheader, and he made an impact with his bat.
Mauricio went 1-for-3 but had an RBI double in the fifth inning to cut Reading's lead to 5-2. The extra-base hit came on a 2-2 count with Charles King throwing a pitch middle-middle into right field to score D'Andre Smith.
Binghamton would come back to tie the game in the sixth inning, but Reading would pull out the 7-5 victory with two runs in the top of the seventh.
Jett Williams went hitless (0-4) while striking out twice in the first game of the doubleheader. Ryan Clifford went 1-for-3 and came in to score.
Saturday was a big step for Mauricio, who is looking to make his way back to the majors after sustaining a knee injury that would require surgery during the 2023-24 offseason. As a refresher, Mauricio was impressive in his first taste with the Mets at the end of the 2023 season, hitting .248 with two home runs, four doubles and driving in nine runs. He also stole seven bases in 26 games.
In five games with Single-A this year, Mauricio was 2-for-15 with two stolen bases in five games.
Mauricio was not in the starting lineup for Game 2 of Binghamton's doubleheader on Saturday.
Jonah Tong impresses
Tong, the No. 7 prospect according to Joe DeMayo, dominated in Game 2 on Saturday afternoon with 13 strikeouts over 6.2 innings. He took a perfect game into the seventh and final inning -- minor league doubleheader rule -- but after throwing 99 pitches (61 strikes), he was pulled for TJ Shook, who struck out the final batter to complete the first perfect game in Binghamton franchise history.
The right-hander earned his first win of the season (1-2) over six starts and lowered his ERA to 2.57 on the season.
On the offensive side, Game 2 saw Williams hit a two-run double in the fifth -- his only hit in three at-bats -- and Clifford drive in two with a single in the six-run fifth inning. Clifford finished 1-for-2 with a walk.
Jonah Tong has struck out 13 and faced 18 batters through the first six innings 👀
SAN FRANCISCO – Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga’s valiant efforts weren’t enough for a Warriors’ Game 3 victory Saturday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing 102-97 at Chase Center.
The Warriors now have lost two consecutive games without an injured Steph Curry, falling in a two-games-to-one hole in the Western Conference semifinals.
Butler played the role of a superstar, and Kuminga was nothing short of sensational. The two combined to score 63 of the Warriors’ 97 points. Butler scored 33 on 12-of-26 shooting, his most since Game 1 of the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals, and also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Kuminga exploded off the bench for 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting.
He was the only Warrior with a positive plus/minus, finishing as a plus-5, and this was his first 30-point game since the calendar turned to 2025.
The team that revolutionized the three forgot about that part of the court without the greatest 3-point shooter ever. As the Warriors held a two-point lead at halftime, they had yet to make a single three for the second time ever in the first half of a game under Kerr. They became the first team to have a halftime lead in a playoff game without making any threes since the Cleveland Cavaliers did so against the Toronto Raptors in 2017.
As a team, the Warriors were 0 of 5 beyond the arc, marking the fourth time this season that a team went into halftime without any threes. Their five 3-point attempts were the fewest by any team this season, and this was the first game in which the Warriors didn’t have a three through the first two quarters since Jan. 6, 2020 – 476 games ago.
After going 0 of 5 in the first half, the Warriors went 10 of 18 in the second half.
Brandin Podziemski continued to struggle shooting, scoring only five points on 1-of-10 shooting. In three games this series, he has scored 19 points, and is 3 of 13 from long distance.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ Game 3 loss.
Playing Through Jimmy
The game plan was obvious going into Game 3, it became even more clear right from the jump: Give the ball to Butler.
Without Steph Curry, the offense completely changes and runs through his co-star. Butler repeatedly has said he isn’t a volume shooter and isn’t going to force his way to big scoring nights. He also understood the assignment Saturday night in front of the home fans.
Butler totaled 13 shots in Thursday’s Game 2 loss for 17 points. He then took seven in the first quarter of Game 3, going 5 of 7 for 11 of the Warriors’ 21 points. By halftime, Butler had taken as many shots as he did all last game (13) and his 18 points were one more than he finished two nights ago.
The second half was no different. Butler, through three quarters, was up to 28 points, his most this postseason. He added five more points in the fourth, but that wasn’t enough.
It didn’t matter who was in front of Butler. Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, Julius Randle and more. He bodied every defender in his way. Anthony Edwards, welcome to the spin zone.
Perhaps the main positive to Steve Kerr’s experimental minutes in Game 2 was Kuminga finding a rhythm offensively. He played 26 minutes, made his first eight shots and had a team-high 18 points off the bench. Kuminga, after the gam,e said he found his confidence again in the loss.
That’s how he played from the moment he stepped on the floor in Game 3. Kuminga put on a two-way athletic display, looking like the type of player the Warriors envisioned handing the keys to when they drafted him No. 7 overall. This blocked shot that led to an And-1 on the other side is just one example.
Kuminga followed Butler’s lead, attacking the Timberwolves frontcourt, but hitting a speed his veteran doesn’t have. Kuminga in the first half had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. He and Butler combined to score 30 of the Warriors’ 42 points going into halftime.
After tying his playoff career high of 18 points last game, Kuminga went into the fourth quarter Saturday with 20 points and was a game-high plus-14 at the time. Kuminga scored another 10 points in the fourth quarter, giving him his most points since Dec. 28, 2024.
Draymond’s Dud
What looked like an obvious charge halfway through the third quarter spelled disaster for the Warriors. They challenged the call, but lost and Draymond Green was given his fourth foul. Immediately, the Timberwolves took advantage of his absence.
Their next six made shots were all at the rim. Without Green, the Timberwolves drove with ease. Green didn’t give the Warriors much in the box score. His value also couldn’t have been more clear.
Then in the fourth quarter, Green and the Warriors again were on the wrong side of a challenge. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch challenged a foul call on Julius Randle, and upon review, Green was called for an offensive foul for grabbing Randle’s jersey. Not even 20 seconds later, Green was called for a foul contesting a dunk attempt, his sixth of the night. The Warriors were down 84-82 when he fouled out at the 4:38 mark of the fourth quarter.
Draymond Green fouled out in the fourth quarter of Game 3.
Jaden McDaniels’ two free throws made it 86-82. The Warriors were outscored 16-15 the rest of the game. In 29 minutes, Green’s final line was two points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals, five turnovers and six fouls. It was a night to forget for the four-time champion.
A gem from Ranger Suarez, a resurgent night from Bryce Harper and two-out thunder in the eighth inning led the Phillies to a 7-1 win Saturday in Cleveland, evening their series with the Guardians.
The Phils jumped all over left-handed reliever Joey Cantillo in the top of the eighth with seven straight hitters reaching base as a one-run lead turned into a laugher. The first blow of the inning came from Harper, who clobbered an 89 mph, middle-in fastball to right-center for a two-run home run, his seventh of the season.
Harper’s insurance homer wouldn’t have occurred without a two-out single by Trea Turner, a multi-hit machine the last three weeks. Turner is 33-for-82 over the last 19 games, hitting .402 with 15 runs scored.
That duo also set the table for the Phillies’ first run. Turner singled in the top of the fourth, Harper doubled and Kyle Schwarber blooped a single into left field to give the Phillies a lead that remained 1-0 until the eighth.
It was the best Harper (3-for-5) has looked since mid-April. He had hit .175 over a 16-game stretch entering Saturday night but killed the ball three times, 111 mph, 107 and 103 off the bat. He and Turner accounted for six of the seven hardest-hit balls of the game.
“I’ll tell you what, man, I’m so happy we’re winning. Obviously, it’s been a grind,” Harper said on the Phillies broadcast postgame. “Day in and day out, I’m working, trying everything I can to have a better approach, see pitches in the zone and not chase the ones out of the zone. But all in all, I’m excited we’re winning, my team has my back. It’s been a grind. But it’s a long season, you play a season for a reason.”
Suarez dealt in his second start since returning from a back injury with seven rapid-fire scoreless innings. He needed only 82 pitches. Cleveland had three singles and a walk.
J.T. Realmuto neutralized one of the baserunners by throwing out Jose Ramirez on a stolen base attempt to end the first inning — and maybe again in the seventh but there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn after a lengthy review. Realmuto has once again been a force in the running game, nabbing 11 of 35 runners (31.4%), well over the league average of 22.8%.
Suarez was much sharper this time out. He cruised through the first two innings of last Sunday’s season debut but couldn’t command the ball once he was forced to pitch from the stretch. Suarez didn’t spend much time in the stretch Saturday either but looked more like the efficient, confident, quick-working pitcher he’s been for the Phillies since 2019.
The Phils (23-16) were shut out Friday night at Progressive Field, then responded by scoring seven or more runs for the ninth time in 13 games. The offensive surge has catapulted them to ninth in MLB in runs per game (4.82), neck and neck with the Mets.
The Phillies will be in the national spotlight of Sunday Night Baseball as they vie for a fifth straight series win. Who better to turn to than Zack Wheeler?
On the 32 Thoughts podcast a little over a week ago, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that McKee “could be on Philly’s radar.”
Why McKee would be a fit
The 47-year-old is coming off a 44-19-5 season in Brantford. He captured the 2022 OHL title with the Bulldogs, leading a club that put up 107 points in the regular season (51-12-5) and won 16 of its 19 playoff games.
McKee has been a head coach in the OHL for parts of eight seasons and was an assistant for a 2014-15 Erie Otters team that featured Connor McDavid. His time working with prospects might have appeal to the Flyers, whose roster has consistently gotten younger.
Some quality former and current coaches took paths from the OHL to the NHL. Jacques Martin, Peter DeBoer, Sheldon Keefe and Kris Knoblauch all went through the OHL and eventually climbed to an NHL bench.
McKee has a connection to Briere. The two were teammates for parts of three seasons with the Sabres. Their prior relationship could make for a seamless GM-coach fit.
As the 14th overall pick in the 1995 NHL draft, McKee had a 14-year career between three teams. The former defenseman played 802 games in the NHL and had Shaw as an assistant coach for three seasons with the Blues.
McKee’s wisdom on the back end could potentially benefit the Flyers’ young blue-line picture.
Terry Wilson/OHL Images
Why McKee would not be a fit
Do the Flyers want more of a household name?
Considering McKee is such an under-the-radar candidate, he may not move the needle with the fan base. If a coach is the right coach, the Flyers won’t be super worried about outside perception, but it does matter to a degree.
The Flyers have gone five straight seasons without a playoff berth, matching the franchise’s longest drought. Their decision on the next head coach has a chance to reinvigorate the fan base a bit and set expectations for a critical 2025-26 season.
McKee’s inexperience coaching at the pro level would elicit some concern. He has never coached in the NHL and has one season as an AHL assistant, which was 13 years ago.
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla may have given his team its mantra for the remainder of its 2025 postseason run.
The C’s bounced back from their two devastating losses to the New York Knicks with a lopsided victory in Game 3, 115-93. After the win, Mazzulla couldn’t help but grin as he addressed the adversity his team is facing after falling into a 2-0 series hole.
“I’ve said it a thousand times, there’s no one way that it’s supposed to go,” Mazzulla said. “There’s no expectations. We’re on a path of trying to go after greatness. You don’t get to dictate the test that’s in front of you. …
“This is the fun part. You don’t get into the journey for it to be easy. It’s been dark, but in a good way. You just gotta tap into your darkness. That’s it. You just gotta do it.”
It’s the right mentality for a championship team that hasn’t faced much adversity since the start of the 2023-24 campaign. After a historic regular season, the Celtics steamrolled their opponents en route to an NBA title. This Knicks series is the first time they’ve had their backs against the wall since the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, when they forced Game 7 after going down 3-0 against the Miami Heat but couldn’t complete the comeback.
While no NBA team has ever come back from 3-0, there have been 34 teams to dig out of a 2-0 hole in a best-of-seven series. If the Celtics continue to shoot the way they did in Game 3 (20-for-40 from 3-point range), they will be well on their way to joining that group.
Boston will look to even the series Monday night at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off for Game 4 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
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