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Three takeaways from Lakers 104-98 win over Rockets

LOS ANGELES — It felt like a playoff game in many ways. It was defensive, grinding, at points feeling more like a throwback to a 2003 game. It certainly wasn't always pretty.

But it was illuminating.

Monday night, the Lakers beat a Rockets team on the second night of a back-to-back 104-98. While we don't want to read too much into one game, this one shed some light on these teams heading into the playoffs because of its intensity. Here are my three takeaways.

West playoffs will be bloodbath

We say that every year. We REALLY mean it this year.

This Rockets/Lakers showdown was a perfect example: Two of the top four teams in the West locked in a physical game filled with little chess matches. For example, the Lakers went small with Dorian Finney-Smith as the center to space the floor and pull the Rockets' bigs out from the paint; the Rockets countered by playing two seven-footers — Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams — to try and overpower the smaller Lakers. And then there was Dillon Brooks trying to get under LeBron James' skin. Just like old times.

Now imagine all that and more with the added urgency and intensity of the playoffs.

The West is a conference where the current No. 8 seed is 11 games over .500 (43-32), has a top-three defense in the league, and those Clippers feature future Hall of Famers Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. (For comparison, all four teams headed to the play-in in the East are below .500.)

Lakers’ small lineup can defend

When was the last time you saw Luka Doncic hustle like this on defense?

"They emptied the tank on the defensive end," Lakers coach J.J. Redick said, not just of Doncic but his team. It's that defensive effort that should give Lakers fans hope.

The knock on the Lakers' chances at a deep playoff run is directly tied to their defense — Austin Reaves and Doncic are below-average defenders who will be targeted in a playoff series, and there's no traditional big man providing rim protection behind them to clean up the mess.

Except, the Lakers' defense is thriving anyway (at least when LeBron James is healthy). For a couple of nights now (against Memphis and Houston), the Lakers have shown these smaller lineups are very active and aggressive defensively. It threw the Rockets off for stretches.

"Well, defensively it's just packing the paint and gang rebounding. I think we did that tonight," Redick said of the defense. "LeBron [James] eight rebounds, Austin [Reaves] eight rebounds, Luka [Dončić] six rebounds, Doe (Dorian Finney-Smith) six rebounds, Gabe [Vincent] four rebounds and Vando (Jarred Vanderbilt) six rebounds. That's how we have to control the glass is by committee."

What makes it all work is LeBron's versatility. He was fantastic much of the night, particularly covering Sengun, using his physicality to slow one of the key hubs of the Rockets' offense. He didn't do it alone, the Lakers did a great job fronting Sengun at points, bringing the double-teams and taking away what he wanted to do.

"I thought defensively we were very locked in with our gameplan and what we wanted to do…" LeBron said. "We understood that we had to key in on our keys defensively in order to win the game."

LeBron seemed to be everywhere, and he had the key block late for Los Angeles.

With Jaxson Hayes his only traditional big, Redick is going to go small during the playoffs and the Lakers' defense will be tested. However, with wings like Dorain Finney-Smith and Jared Vanderbilt, the Lakers defense might be good enough.

Who is Houston’s go-to option?

It's the question posed by many in league circles about the Rockets and their potential for a deep playoff run: Who is their go-to guy to get a bucket in the clutch? Reggie Miller brought it up on the broadcast.

In the moments when the Lakers' defense gave Houston fits, that lack of a clear number one guy who could be a relief valve stood out. The Rockets don't have one guy they trust to just bail them out, get a bucket and change the game's momentum. Houston does it by committee — Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Sengun — all with their veteran (and the guy with the ring) Fred VanVleet as the table setter. It can work, this is a deep team, but that approach lets them down at points. One of those points was against the Lakers, when the Rockets didn't break 100 against an aggressive Lakers D.

To be fair, the Rockets were on the second night of a back-to-back and tired legs may have been behind some of the missed 3-pointers. Then there were the turnovers.

"The difference is just making shots and limiting turnovers," Amen Thompson said. "We had two turnovers at the end that we didn't need. Without those, it could have been a different game. I think our defense was pretty good, but we just needed to score more."

Which comes back to who is the go-to person on the offense. It's one thing the playoffs will tell us about the Rockets — or it will tell the front office they need to go get a player like that.

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Notes on every Phillies pitcher through 4 games

Notes on every Phillies pitcher through 4 games originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Off to a 3-1 start, the Phillies have a great chance to win a second consecutive series Wednesday or Thursday when they resume play against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Zack Wheeler will be on the mound for his second start against one of the majors’ worst offenses, one that struggles even more on the road.

Here’s a note on all 13 pitchers so far:

Zack Wheeler

The only run the Nationals scored off Wheeler came on a Keibert Ruiz home run on a 96 mph fastball in and off the plate to conclude a 12-pitch at-bat.

Wheeler has made 65 regular-season starts since 2023. In 39 of them, he’s pitched at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer — five more such starts than any pitcher in baseball.

Shadows gave Nationals and Phillies hitters even less of a chance on Opening Day than they’d have usually had vs. Wheeler and Mackenzie Gore, but while Gore outdueled Wheeler that afternoon, the Phillies’ ace didn’t make many, if any mistakes.

Jesus Luzardo

Luzardo’s four-seam fastball averaged 96.9 mph in his first start, the highest velocity of any left-handed starter in the majors so far this season.

His sinker averaged 96.0, second in the majors among lefty starters to Cristopher Sanchez (96.5). Luzardo struck out 11 over five innings.

This is going to be a special rotation if the Phillies can keep at least four of the five guys healthy.

Aaron Nola

Nola has allowed 36 home runs in his last 36 starts, including playoffs. With how frequently he is around the plate and how much he challenges hitters, it seems this will always be a thing.

It isn’t such a big deal when nobody is on base. Allowing a solo home run is the same as allowing three straight singles, in fact it’s probably better because of the fewer baserunners and high-stress pitches. Nola has always done a good job of limiting walks and hits. His .287 career opponents’ on-base percentage is more than 30 points lower than the league average over that decade. He obviously has not always done a good job of limiting longballs.

Cristopher Sanchez

It’s not just that his sinker velocity is up 2 mph, his slider is as well, giving hitters less time to judge and react to it. Since June 2023, the changeup has been one of the best in baseball, not just from the eye test but statistically. Sanchez’ sinker already generates a high level of groundballs but at 97 has a chance to miss many more bats than at 94-95. His slider hasn’t been nearly as consistent as the changeup but has been a plus pitch at times. All three offerings could be better than ever this season if the command doesn’t vanish.

Taijuan Walker

While his velocity was closer to the 2023 range in spring training, Walker still struck out only eight batters in 17 innings. He isn’t going to miss many bats and will be reliant on pinpoint fastball command and the success of his splitter. Last season, he couldn’t command the splitter well enough to give hitters a reason to offer at it and they instead wailed away at an upper-80s fastball. At 92 mph, he would have slightly more room to breathe, though still not a ton.

This is a crucial month for Walker’s baseball future. If he pitches well in Ranger Suarez’ absence for three, four, five starts, it could increase his appeal to a more starter-needy team. It could also give the Phillies confidence that he’d serve a purpose as a long man in Year 3 of 4 under contract.

Jordan Romano

Good to see a quick, 11-pitch, two-strikeout bounceback performance to end the home opener after a two-run appearance in the eighth inning on Opening Day.

It seems like Romano and Jose Alvarado will be the right-handed and left-handed closing options, though Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm could pick up a few saves as well.

Jose Alvarado

Averaged 100.0 mph with his sinker on Monday and unsurprisingly leads all lefty relievers in average velocity thus far. Looks ridiculously good, it’s just a matter of maintaining confidence and control. So much of Alvarado’s game is about confidence and he’s never felt better, physically or stuff-wise.

Orion Kerkering

Is this guy no-nonsense or what? Kerkering has worked out of two jams with two men aboard by going right after hitters with a top-tier slider-fastball combination. On Opening Day, he survived two jam-job bloop hits by inducing more soft contact.

In the home opener, he struck out power-hitting Michael Toglia with a 97 mph fastball that probably caught too much plate, but Toglia wasn’t on time because the at-bat had been all sliders and that’s what hitters must prepare for first vs. Kerkering, especially with two strikes.

Kerkering turns 24 on Friday. There’s quite a future in front of him as a closer or high-leverage reliever. He was drafted in the fifth round in 2022 and no pitcher drafted before him has been more impactful, with Kerkering, Ben Joyce and Jonathan Cannon the top three so far.

Matt Strahm

He’s averaged 92 mph with his fastball and sinker through two outings after missing time in camp with a left shoulder impingement, then cutting the top of a finger as the Phillies were leaving Clearwater. Last season, he averaged 93.5. It would not be surprising to see that average creep up as the month progresses, and Strahm has a deep enough mix of pitches and deception that he’s not wholly reliant on velo anyway.

Tanner Banks

Banks would be a solid second lefty in a lot of bullpens but is the Phillies’ third. They like his ability to go more than an inning if needed. He has a 3.42 ERA as a Phillie but oftentimes for a reliever the more important number is his rate of scoreless appearances. Banks has avoided an earned run in two-thirds of his — ideally that would be closer to 75%. (An example of an elite rate would be 2024 Jeff Hoffman at 87%).

Joe Ross

Curious to see who the Phillies turn to first when they need a long man after a short start. Ross has started plenty in his career and was signed to both provide rotation depth and another experienced right-handed relief option. He had a 1.78 ERA last season as a reliever. Ross, Banks and Carlos Hernandez are the three relievers the Phillies feel most comfortable using for more than an inning.

Jose Ruiz

Came out of nowhere to deliver a solid 2024 season, though it remains to be seen whether he can be the third-best right-handed reliever in a contending bullpen.

Carlos Hernandez

Legitimately one of the largest men in the sport. Listed at 6-4/255 but looks closer to 6-6/280. Did not pitch well in his first outing and is likely a guy Rob Thomson wants to get into another non-leverage situation soon for a chance to rebound.

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Notes on every Phillies pitcher through 4 games

Notes on every Phillies pitcher through 4 games originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Off to a 3-1 start, the Phillies have a great chance to win a second consecutive series Wednesday or Thursday when they resume play against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Zack Wheeler will be on the mound for his second start against one of the majors’ worst offenses, one that struggles even more on the road.

Here’s a note on all 13 pitchers so far:

Zack Wheeler

The only run the Nationals scored off Wheeler came on a Keibert Ruiz home run on a 96 mph fastball in and off the plate to conclude a 12-pitch at-bat.

Wheeler has made 65 regular-season starts since 2023. In 39 of them, he’s pitched at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer — five more such starts than any pitcher in baseball.

Shadows gave Nationals and Phillies hitters even less of a chance on Opening Day than they’d have usually had vs. Wheeler and Mackenzie Gore, but while Gore outdueled Wheeler that afternoon, the Phillies’ ace didn’t make many, if any mistakes.

Jesus Luzardo

Luzardo’s four-seam fastball averaged 96.9 mph in his first start, the highest velocity of any left-handed starter in the majors so far this season.

His sinker averaged 96.0, second in the majors among lefty starters to Cristopher Sanchez (96.5). Luzardo struck out 11 over five innings.

This is going to be a special rotation if the Phillies can keep at least four of the five guys healthy.

Aaron Nola

Nola has allowed 36 home runs in his last 36 starts, including playoffs. With how frequently he is around the plate and how much he challenges hitters, it seems this will always be a thing.

It isn’t such a big deal when nobody is on base. Allowing a solo home run is the same as allowing three straight singles, in fact it’s probably better because of the fewer baserunners and high-stress pitches. Nola has always done a good job of limiting walks and hits. His .287 career opponents’ on-base percentage is more than 30 points lower than the league average over that decade. He obviously has not always done a good job of limiting longballs.

Cristopher Sanchez

It’s not just that his sinker velocity is up 2 mph, his slider is as well, giving hitters less time to judge and react to it. Since June 2023, the changeup has been one of the best in baseball, not just from the eye test but statistically. Sanchez’ sinker already generates a high level of groundballs but at 97 has a chance to miss many more bats than at 94-95. His slider hasn’t been nearly as consistent as the changeup but has been a plus pitch at times. All three offerings could be better than ever this season if the command doesn’t vanish.

Taijuan Walker

While his velocity was closer to the 2023 range in spring training, Walker still struck out only eight batters in 17 innings. He isn’t going to miss many bats and will be reliant on pinpoint fastball command and the success of his splitter. Last season, he couldn’t command the splitter well enough to give hitters a reason to offer at it and they instead wailed away at an upper-80s fastball. At 92 mph, he would have slightly more room to breathe, though still not a ton.

This is a crucial month for Walker’s baseball future. If he pitches well in Ranger Suarez’ absence for three, four, five starts, it could increase his appeal to a more starter-needy team. It could also give the Phillies confidence that he’d serve a purpose as a long man in Year 3 of 4 under contract.

Jordan Romano

Good to see a quick, 11-pitch, two-strikeout bounceback performance to end the home opener after a two-run appearance in the eighth inning on Opening Day.

It seems like Romano and Jose Alvarado will be the right-handed and left-handed closing options, though Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm could pick up a few saves as well.

Jose Alvarado

Averaged 100.0 mph with his sinker on Monday and unsurprisingly leads all lefty relievers in average velocity thus far. Looks ridiculously good, it’s just a matter of maintaining confidence and control. So much of Alvarado’s game is about confidence and he’s never felt better, physically or stuff-wise.

Orion Kerkering

Is this guy no-nonsense or what? Kerkering has worked out of two jams with two men aboard by going right after hitters with a top-tier slider-fastball combination. On Opening Day, he survived two jam-job bloop hits by inducing more soft contact.

In the home opener, he struck out power-hitting Michael Toglia with a 97 mph fastball that probably caught too much plate, but Toglia wasn’t on time because the at-bat had been all sliders and that’s what hitters must prepare for first vs. Kerkering, especially with two strikes.

Kerkering turns 24 on Friday. There’s quite a future in front of him as a closer or high-leverage reliever. He was drafted in the fifth round in 2022 and no pitcher drafted before him has been more impactful, with Kerkering, Ben Joyce and Jonathan Cannon the top three so far.

Matt Strahm

He’s averaged 92 mph with his fastball and sinker through two outings after missing time in camp with a left shoulder impingement, then cutting the top of a finger as the Phillies were leaving Clearwater. Last season, he averaged 93.5. It would not be surprising to see that average creep up as the month progresses, and Strahm has a deep enough mix of pitches and deception that he’s not wholly reliant on velo anyway.

Tanner Banks

Banks would be a solid second lefty in a lot of bullpens but is the Phillies’ third. They like his ability to go more than an inning if needed. He has a 3.42 ERA as a Phillie but oftentimes for a reliever the more important number is his rate of scoreless appearances. Banks has avoided an earned run in two-thirds of his — ideally that would be closer to 75%. (An example of an elite rate would be 2024 Jeff Hoffman at 87%).

Joe Ross

Curious to see who the Phillies turn to first when they need a long man after a short start. Ross has started plenty in his career and was signed to both provide rotation depth and another experienced right-handed relief option. He had a 1.78 ERA last season as a reliever. Ross, Banks and Carlos Hernandez are the three relievers the Phillies feel most comfortable using for more than an inning.

Jose Ruiz

Came out of nowhere to deliver a solid 2024 season, though it remains to be seen whether he can be the third-best right-handed reliever in a contending bullpen.

Carlos Hernandez

Legitimately one of the largest men in the sport. Listed at 6-4/255 but looks closer to 6-6/280. Did not pitch well in his first outing and is likely a guy Rob Thomson wants to get into another non-leverage situation soon for a chance to rebound.

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Canadiens: The Final Showdown With The Panthers

Brendan Gallagher celebrates with his teammates after sealing the win with an empty net goal on Sunday - Photo credit:  Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens had a disastrous road trip last week, but they still managed to redeem themselves by winning their duel with the Florida Panthers on Sunday afternoon in Sunrise. It was the third time the Habs beat the Stanley Cup champions this season, this time by a score of 4-2. The Cats appeared frustrated at the end of the game, as evidenced by Niko Mikkola's slapshot at the buzzer that nearly hit David Savard in the head.

On Monday, the NHL Player Safety announced Mikkola had been fined $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct. This came as a surprise to some, but it was a reckless act, and the Canadiens took it as an act of aggression. The referees quickly intervened and sent Mikkola back to the dressing room, but it wouldn’t be shocking if there were some repercussions on Tuesday night.

Canadiens: The Jacob Fowler Watch Is On
Three Takeaways From The Canadiens' Excellent Display On Sunday
Canadiens: Is Xhekaj Facing The Axe?

The Canadiens had a day off on Monday, so there’s been no indication of possible lineup changes, but generally speaking, Martin St-Louis is of the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” school of thought. It would, therefore, be surprising if he did make some changes.

I fully expect Samuel Montembeault to be back in the net; he has a 3-4-1 record with a 3.95 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage against Tuesday’s visitors, while Jakub Dobes has blanked them in his only start. Sergei Borbovsky is 16-9-1 against Montreal with a 2.47 GAA and a .918 SP. Meanwhile, backup Vitek Vanecek is 3-1-0, with a 2.74 GAA and a .894 SP.

The numbers up front haven’t changed much since our last preview. Brendan Gallagher is still the Canadiens’ point leader against the Panthers; he now has 24 points in 39 games, having added one on Sunday. Patrik Laine still comes second with 23 points in 22 games, but Nick Suzuki is closing in. Thanks to his three-point outing, he’s got 18 points in as many games.

As for the Cats, Aleksander Barkov is now the leader of the pack in points as well. His two-point performance Sunday gives him 49 points in 38 games. Brad Marchard is now in second place with 48 points in 58 games, having been held off the scoresheet last weekend, and Sam Reinhart padded his total to 23 points in 33 games.

The Habs are still holding the second wild card spot in the eastern conference, but the race is tight and the Columbus Blue Jackets could catch them up tonight if they win and St-Louis' men lose. 

The game is set for 7:00 PM, and the first 8,000 fans to come to the Bell Centre will receive a free Juraj Slafkovsky bobblehead. Montreal now has six home games remaining, with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers set to visit this week, the Detroit Red Wings next week, and the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes closing the regular season.

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White credits Draymond, Warriors for changing his life after Finals

White credits Draymond, Warriors for changing his life after Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Derrick White made Boston Celtics history Monday night, and he had the Warriors in part to thank for that.

White passed Isaiah Thomas’ record for most 3-pointers made in a season after reaching his 247th trey in Boston’s 117-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. But his confidence from behind the arc wasn’t always there.

Until … Boston’s 2022 NBA Finals loss against Golden State.

White admitted that was a pivotal point of his career that fueled his massive 3-point shooting improvement.

“After the Finals, I feel like that was the biggest summer of my life,” White told reporters in Memphis. “Obviously what happened in the Finals and how I was being guarded on that stage. It was like one of the lowest points. I told Draymond [Green] after the [2024] Olympics that he kind of changed my life because they weren’t guarding me.

“So I had to go in that summer and me and my trainer, Marcus Mason, just focused on being consistent. I think from that point, I just got better and better.”

To put it lightly.

Before being dealt to the Celtics at the 2022 NBA trade deadline, White never shot better than 36.6 percent from 3-point land in nearly five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. He shot 30.6 percent from deep on 4.3 attempts in his first 26 regular-season games with Boston.

In the Finals, he shot 18 of 55 from the field (32.7 percent) and 10 of 25 from downtown (40 percent), but five of those 3s came during a breakout Game 1 performance. He shot 29.4 percent from 3-point range the rest of the six-game series.

He took the loss hard that summer, but took his frustrations out in the gym. Adjustments were made, and the results are clear.

White shot 38.1 percent on 4.8 attempts and 39.6 percent on 6.8 attempts over the following two seasons, respectively, including shooting nearly 40 percent in Boston’s NBA Finals win over the Dallas Mavericks last year.

This season, he’s shooting 38.1 percent from beyond the arc on a career-high 9.1 attempts.

Despite the budding rivalry between the Celtics and Warriors that grew heated during that Finals matchup, there’s a level of respect between the two teams, and especially between White and Green.

“There’s a lot of mutual respect,” White said of Green. “He just sees the work that I put in to change how I play and I’ve always had a lot of respect for him.”

Sometimes, a little disrespect is all the fuel you need to turn things around.

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Sporticast 436: Breaking Down the NBA’s Europe Expansion Plans

On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams are joined by Richard Gillis, host of the Unofficial Partner podcast, to talk about big news in both the NBA and European sports. The NBA is looking into launching its own league in Europe, one that would blend aspects of major American leagues and also incorporate parts of the European sports culture.

The NBA has been exploring a more comprehensive European strategy for more than a year, including options that included working with the establish EuroLeague, or working in competition with it. The current plan is a hybrid of sorts–one with a set number of permanent new franchises, and slots for EuroLeague teams to qualify into on a yearly basis. Owners discussed the plans at owners meeting in New York City last week, and commissioner Adam Silver spoke publicly about the discussions on Thursday.

The plan would be for the NBA to own about half of the league, with franchise owners holding the rest of the equity. Silver made it clear last week that NBA owners would not own the European clubs themselves, they would be sold to outside groups.

The hosts talk about the cultural differences between U.S. sports and European sports. They include salary caps, regional history and profit motives. Will European fans support this? Who might want to own clubs? And what are the potential hurdles?

They also talk about the various successes and struggles that U.S. leagues have had in their overseas pursuits. The NBA is at an advantage relative to many of its peers because of the sheer popularity of its sport across Europe, both for fans and for participants. Compare that with the NFL, which has neither, and failed to sustain its own European league launched in the 1990s.

They close by pondering the “Why Now?” for the NBA. The league is also considering domestic expansion, but its labor peace and new TV deals have launched a few year stretch of relative stability, a time when leagues typically look toward their longer-term projects.

(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Google, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)

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New Zealand Rugby and Ineos settle sponsorship contract dispute

  • NZR had launched legal action over missed payment
  • Details of settlement to remain confidential

The Manchester United co-owner Ineos and New Zealand Rugby have announced a settlement has been reached in their sponsorship contract dispute.

In February NZR, the federation responsible for the All Blacks team, said it had launched legal action against Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos after accusing the chemicals firm of failing to pay the first 2025 instalment of a six-year deal. Ineos at the time said it had looked to “adjust” its sponsorship, with it having to implement “cost-saving measures” due the impact of “high energy costs and extreme carbon taxes” on its European businesses.

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Torpedo bats: a destroyer of worlds or baseball’s long-awaited savior?

Jazz Chisholm Jr has hit three homers in three games with the torpedo bat.Photograph: Pamela Smith/AP

In its brief moment of fame, the torpedo bat has made quite the impression in MLB. Over the weekend, the New York Yankees used the bat, designed by an MIT-educated professor, as an instrument of destruction against the hapless Milwaukee Brewers. Since then, I’ve heard about the bats so often that they’ve been showing up in my dreams. And that makes sense, because prior to this weekend, even in a bandbox like Yankee Stadium, even for a franchise that’s featured the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle, such home run power could only have been cooked up in the sweetest slumbers of their fanbase. Such a display of muscle was less video game and more cartoon, as in the famed 1946 Bugs Bunny clip that saw the Gas-House Gorillas rack up 46 straight runs against the genteel Tea Totallers.

The scene at Yankee Stadium over the weekend.

In case you missed it, the Yankees, minus the 68 home runs of the now departed Juan Soto and the injured Giancarlo Stanton, provided a franchise record nine home runs in one game, 15 home runs across three games and 36 total runs against the Brewers. We’re talking about a Yankees team that coughed up five errors on Saturday and still won by 11 runs.

The torpedo bats, just about the only thing that could overshadow MLB’s botching of Opening Day thanks to the crashing of its own app, is another example of how over-innovation can ruin baseball. The engineers who came up with the bat are cousins of the stats savants who brought us the analytics which slowly sucked the entertainment out of the sport, and the physics experts who came up with scientifically altered pitchers which sank the 2024 batting averages of all but six teams to below .250.

The latest over-innovation moves the bulk of the wood in the bat to the customized area where the batter is most likely to hit the ball the hardest. The enlarged sweetspot, which gives a player a better chance of making good contact makes perfect sense, and frankly, it’s incredibly smart. And yes, hitters do need something, anything, to take back some of the game from the pitchers who have shrunk batting averages for years. Now they have.

Related: Yankees’ new torpedo bats draw attention after home-run blitz against Brewers

That said, 15 home runs in three games? That’s a problem. After the Yankees’ 12-3 win over the Brewers on Sunday, their radio voice Suzyn Waldman was trying to explain away the torpedo issue, by saying that it’s not new, that the exit velocity is similar between traditional and torpedo bats, that other teams use them and that the issue will be a talking point for a while until everyone moves on.

That’s partially true: other players around the league are toying with the bats, and it’s not entirely new. But New York, thanks to the 2022 hiring of the bat’s key brain, Aaron Leanhardt, who holds a postgraduate degree in physics from MIT, are seemingly more in on the torpedo bats than any other team. If New York – or any other teams who decide to adopt the bat – continue to hit like this over the long-term it will turn box scores into farces, and mess with the integrity of the game in a way we haven’t seen since the steroid era.

It should be said that some players and coaches from other teams don’t seem to have an issue with the new bats. “It’s still a human that has to hit it,” said Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. “It’s not the bat hitting the homer.”

Swap “bat” for “PEDs”, and that’s a common defense for Barry Bonds’ election into the Hall of Fame. In this case, an important distinction is that the bats are totally legal, the Yankees have not broken any rules of the game. Coincidentally, Bonds’ early adoption of maple bats was, to a way lesser degree, somewhat controversial.

The reason he began using maple, and PEDs, is the same reason the torpedo bat is in the news today – players and teams are continuously looking for an edge. And right now the Yankees are getting it.

Now that we’re here, I have several questions. Will New York’s torrid stretch continue? Will this tech be adopted by other teams and players? If that happens, will more games become farcical? And should the bats be banned? If torpedo bats are banned – and there’s no indication that one is forthcoming – then why didn’t the Yankees wait until the playoffs to unveil their secret weapon? Now that would have surely wrestled back their “evil empire” label from the Dodgers.

There’s a caveat here. Aaron Judge smoked the Brewers – one of his four homers in the series went 468ft – without the torpedo bat. And then, on Monday, the Royals crushed the Brewers 11-1. As far as we know, the Royals don’t have torpedo bats, leading us to the conclusion that rather than being victims of technology, the Brewers are just … bad. But if the Yankees’ power-surge continues for another two weeks or so, MLB will probably have no choice but to ban the bats, legal or not, under the little used “best interests in baseball” clause. This would be another embarrassing mess for baseball, as Leanhardt told the Athletic that “it was a group effort, the results coming from conversations with coaches, players, MLB and bat makers.” So unless we’re all overreacting, MLB may have botched the rollout of this new tech by not unilaterally taking over the usage from the clubs.

The good news is that dialed down torpedo bats could actually serve as the long-term answer for suffering hitters. This could be vital for a sport which needs more dynamic offense and less of the increasingly predictable and boring three outcomes: a walk, strikeout or a home run. For now, much to the chagrin of Yankees fans, I’d put the toy back in the box, do the research and development in the minor leagues, and reintroduce a more refined product in a few seasons.

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Warriors begin most important week of season with four-game gauntlet

Warriors begin most important week of season with four-game gauntlet originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Drama until the very last day. 

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is getting his wish. As a handful of teams are packing their bags with four-leaf clovers in hopes of losing enough to win the NBA draft lottery, a number of spots remain up for grabs in the standings. The Warriors’ regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center could decide which of the two teams are in the playoffs as opposed to the play-in tournament. 

April 13 also can’t be top of mind for the Warriors. At least not yet. 

The week ahead can see the Warriors, currently the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, rise or fall with four games against teams ahead of them in the standings. It already began Monday for teams like the Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. For the Warriors, the first stop on this litmus test is FedExForum in Memphis on Tuesday night. 

“Big game coming against Memphis. We’ll be well-rested and in rhythm for that,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Sunday night to reporters in San Antonio after their 42-point win against the Spurs. “Big stretch coming.” 

The Grizzlies now have lost three straight games. They’re 0-2 under interim coach Tuomas Iiasalo after Taylor Jenkins’ shocking exit, losing Monday night to the Boston Celtics 117-103. If the Warriors (43-31) beat the Grizzlies (44-31), playing on the second night of a back-to-back, they’ll be a half-game ahead of them as the No. 5 seed in the West. 

A win also would make the Warriors 3-1 against the Grizzlies this season, giving them the tiebreaker between the two teams. 

“If we can beat Memphis, we get the tiebreaker over them, that’s huge” Kerr acknowledged. “We’re right there with the Clippers. The Lakers are only a couple ahead. We got them after, so it’s quite a race going down the stretch. 

“We have a difficult schedule. Our last eight games are pretty tough. We’re going to have to continue to play well.”

The No. 5 through No. 8 seed in the West, with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, are separated by one game. 

  • 5) Grizzlies 44-31 
  • 6) Warriors 43-31 
  • 7) Timberwolves 43-32 
  • 8) Clippers 43-32

Ahead of the Grizzlies by two games are the Lakers at 46-29. But their final seven games aren’t going to be the easiest. 

The Lakers have the second-hardest strength of schedule left in the West, playing the Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans at home, Oklahoma City Thunder two consecutive games on the road, the ninth-seeded Dallas Mavericks on the road, and then the Rockets back at home before ending the regular season on the road in Portland against the Trail Blazers. 

Following their game in Memphis, the Warriors will end their six-game road trip in LA against the Lakers, just to come home the next day to play the third-seeded Denver Nuggets (47-28) after being on the road for 14 straight days. They’ll get one day off and then host Houston – the No. 2 seed at 49-27 – to round out this challenge of a four-game stretch that can determine their playoff fate. 

Playing the Suns in Phoenix should have made it a five-game gauntlet but no team has been more underwhelming, and a sprained left ankle might keep Kevin Durant sidelined. 

“Every game we’ve been playing has been important probably for the last 20 games,” Kevon Looney said. “These last seven, eight are going to be just as important. We know the opportunity that we have in front of us. We have to make sure that we can capitalize. 

“Each game is going to be difficult, definitely playing on the road. Those teams know it’s going to be a big game as well. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s a chance for us to grow, it’s a chance for us to gain some ground.” 

These are the meaningful games Steph Curry and Draymond Green have begged for. Jimmy Butler will have to get into a phone booth and turn into Playoff Jimmy before the postseason even begins. Kerr and the Warriors know they can count on Looney under the bright lights of the playoffs. 

He has been there and done that in the biggest games. Young players like Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody in a starting lineup that now is 11-0 have not, yet. Their performances in a get-right blowout win over the Spurs might have created the kind of momentum they’ll need for the most important week of the Warriors’ season.

Podziemski and Moody, two 22-year-olds, were the Warriors’ leading scorers. While Podziemski scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting and made a career-high seven 3-pointers, Moody was 3 of 6 from 3-point range and finished 7 of 11 overall for 20 points. 

“The good thing about our schedule is that we play everybody that’s above us, except OKC,” Podziemski said. 

“It’s a sprint to the finish,” Moody said. “That’s what it is right now. It’s hard for me to pay attention to what the other teams are doing. If somebody wins, if somebody loses – whatever – I just know that if we win then stuff is going to go how we want it to. 

“Focusing on that. Winning the next game. Winning the game after that. Just sprinting to the finish.” 

Will it be a clear path for the Warriors, or an obstacle course too hard to handle? The playoffs still are to come. The intensity has arrived.

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