NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 1: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on March 1, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The New York Knicks have their mark for the NBA Finals.
After winning Game 7 at the Paycom Center, the San Antonio Spurs have completed their comeback and will face off against the Knicks in the NBA Finals.
For the Spurs, it’s their first visit to the NBA Finals since 2014 after they beat LeBron James and the Miami Heat in five games. That was San Antonio’s sixth Finals visit in a 15-year span, which began back in 1999 when they faced off against the Knicks, whom they beat in five games.
For the Knicks, they have not been back to the Finals since that trip back in 1999, but they come into this series extremely well-rested after sweeping both the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers in back-to-back series. Their last game came back on Monday, when they beat the Cavs by 37 points in Game 4 inside Rocket Arena.
The Knicks could come in with a big advantage with not as much mileage as the Spurs in the playoffs. The Spurs are coming off a brutal seven-game Western Conference Finals bloodbath against the Thunder, while the Knicks will have over a week of rest. However, the Knicks will start the series on the road and must win at least one game in San Antonio in order to win the franchise’s first title since 1973.
Posting and Toasting community, what do you think of the matchup between the Knicks and the Spurs? Let us know in the comments section below.
Victor Wembanyama and his Spurs teammates celebrate their win over the Thunder.Photograph: Nate Billings/AP
For large parts of this season, many wondered if the Oklahoma City Thunder had any weaknesses. One thing the reigning champions didn’t have was Victor Wembanyama, who led the San Antonio Spurs to a Game 7 victory in the Western Conference finals.
The Spurs’ 111-103 victory on Saturday night means they will face the New York Knicks in the NBA finals, with Game 1 set for Wednesday in San Antonio.
It would be a disservice to Wembanyama’s teammates to say the result was solely down to the 7ft 4in Frenchman, though. Julian Champagnie scored 20 points, including six three-pointers, Dylan Harper looked dangerous whenever he came off the bench and Wembanyama’s backup, Luke Kornet, pulled off a brilliant block at the rim in the fourth quarter as the Thunder threatened a comeback. Wembanyama finished the game with 22 points and seven rebounds.
“They don’t know how much I love them, and everyone stepped up tonight,” the 22-year-old said of his teammates.
The Thunder, who were without Jalen Williams due to a hamstring injury, fought hard even as the clock ticked down but they were forced to take hopeful threes from well outside the arc and the Spurs had the final say with a breakaway dunk.
Wembanyama was named the series MVP and was in tears at the end of the game.
“Realizing that some part of a childhood dream is going to come true,” said Wembanyama when he was asked why he had been so emotional as his team clinched their place in the finals. “We’re still hungry, we want more. This feeling is so powerful, I can’t explain it”.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, was typically brilliant for the Thunder, scoring 35 points and dishing out nine assists. But none of his teammates scored more than 20 as they relinquished their title.
“You have to grow from every experience, including the tough ones,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “And it’s the NBA – there are tough ones. We can also be really disappointed ... There’s nobody that we don’t think we can beat, respectfully.”
As for the Spurs, they are confident of the road ahead. They may also be cheered by history: the last time the Knicks made the NBA finals, in 1999, they faced the Spurs, who won the series 4-1.
“We never knew if we were going to get this far but when you’ve got the greatest player in the world things happen,” said Champagnie after the game.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs started the Western Conference finals with a win in Oklahoma City, then ended the series the same way.
The champions are dethroned. Wembanyama and the Spurs are headed to the NBA Finals.
Wembanyama scored 22 points, Julian Champagnie got 18 of his 20 off of 3-pointers and the Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 on Saturday night — bucking heavy odds to win a Game 7 on the road.
Victor Wembanyama, holding the Western Conference MVP trophy he won, celebrates with teammates after the Spurs’ 111-103 Game 7 win over the Thunder on May 30, 2026 in Oklahoma City. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Stephon Castle scored 16 points and De’Aaron Fox had 15. Dylan Harper added 12 and Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell each finished with 11 for the Spurs, who are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.
They will host the New York Knicks in Game 1 on Wednesday night.
The Spurs reacts as a timeout is called in the second half of their Game 7 win over the Thunder. AP Photo/Nate Billings
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 35 points, but for the eighth consecutive season the NBA will have a new champion.
Red Wings Will Rule - June 19, 1998 - Vol. 51, Issue 37 - Bob McKenzie
Here’s a little something for Washington Capitals’ coach Ron Wilson to pin on his team’s bulletin board: The Capitals will not win the Stanley Cup. In fact, they’ll be lucky to win a game against the Detroit Red Wings in this year’s final.
There, we said it and Wilson, the master motivator and one of the most colorful characters in the game today, will eat it up.
Fine, if we could put Wayne Gretizky’s Los Angeles Kings into the 1993 Cup final-something about Gretzky skating like he had “a piano on his back"-we have no problem providing some added inspiration for the Caps in their first-ever Cup final appearance.
Besides, the Capitals need all the help they can get to compete against a team as talented and driven as Scotty Bowman’s Red Wings.
The only thing that stands in the way of this being an utter mismatch is Washington netminder Olie Kol-zig, who enters the Cup final as the leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Kolzig, not Dominik Hasek, had been the NHL’s best playoff netminder this spring. Kolzig was consistent, something Hasek wasn’t, and brilliant, too. He had a goals-against average of 1.69 and save percentage of .946, both league leaders.
Heading into the final, the Caps had a 12-5 playoff record. They were outshot in 14 of those 17 games and often by a wide margin.
But it’s one thing to play sloppy hockey against the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres and have your goaltender bail you out. It is quite another, however, to do it against the Wings, who may not be as thoroughly dominant as they were a year ago, but are still a force with which to be reckoned.
The key to Red Wing success is depth and balance. Players such as Brendan Shanahan and Sergei Fedorov can misfire for a whole series, but Detroit’s depth was still good enough to beat the Dallas Stars, the NHL’s regular season titlist, in six games.
The Wings have four lines that can check and score: Steve Yzerman between Brent Gilchrist and Darren McCarty; Igor Larionov between Shanahan and Martin Lapointe; Fedorov between Tomas Holmstrom and Slava Kozlov; and the grind line of Kris Draper between Kirk Maltby and Joey Kocur, with Doug Brown ready to step into any role on any line. And Bowman mixes and matches his lines better than anyone in the game.
On the blueline, the almost error free pair of Nicklas Lidström and Larry Murphy lead the way. The Wings rely a little too much on the thirtysomething pair of Bob Rouse and Jamie Macoun, but if they could get the job done against the physically punishing Stars, they’ll get it done against the Capitals. Rookie Anders Eriksson and aged veteran Slava Fetisov comprise the third set with Dmitri Mironov and Aaron Ward providing the depth.
Certainly, after giving up longshot goals in Game 3 against the Phoenix Coyotes (Jeremy Roenick), Game 4 against the St. Louis Blues (Al Macln-nis) and Game 5 against Dallas (Jamie Langenbrunner), Wings’ netminder Chris Osgood has something to prove. But he has shown tremendous resilience in these playoffs. While Washington has an edge over Detroit in goal, it’s not as wide as Osgood’s detractors would have you believe.
Entering the final, Osgood rated at the Wings’ No. 2 candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy. The leading contender was captain Yzerman, for his complete game approach. Lid-ström, and to a lesser degree, Fedorov also rate some consideration, pending how they perform in the final.
No one should suggest the Caps aren’t full value for their first appearance in the final. If the Wings don’t show them respect, the Caps can jump up and bite them, especially if Kolzig remains true to form.
Wilson has two good offensive lines: Andrei Nikolishin between Peter Bondra and rookie star-in-waiting Richard Zednik; and savvy veteran Adam Oates between the recycled, but useful Brian Bellows and scoring hero Joey Juneau. And he got good mileage from a grinding line of Dale Hunter between Craig Berube and Chris Simon and a utility unit of Esa Tikkanen between Kelly Miller and Mike Eagles, with Michal Pivonka (bruised shoulder) and Todd Krygier (sprained knee) possibly available.
That fourth line for the Caps may find itself mismatched against any one of the Detroit lines.
The Hockey News’ scouting report (see opposite page) suggests the Detroit forwards have a significant edge in two categories-speed and competitiveness.
It’s true the Washington defense corps is, generally speaking, more mobile than Detroit’s, but what those numbers don’t reveal is how much the Caps rely on so few.
Mark Tinordi and Calle Johansson, the top pair, play a ton, as do stay-at-home Joe Reekie and offensive threat Sergei Gonchar, who often sees more than 30 minutes. The tandem of Brendan Witt and Phil Housley doesn’t play a lot, only 10 to 12 minutes some games. If it does play more against Detroit, the Wings will take advantage.
The flip side, though, is that it’s difficult to shut down Detroit using primarily four defensemen.
The Wings aren’t a particularly punishing team, but the pressure they exert with speed and puck control should break down a Washington defense that hasn’t been tested to this degree.
Another Capital weakness is their play along the boards. They got away with some sloppy efforts against Boston, Ottawa and Buffalo, three teams that simply don’t play with the same tenacity and consistency as the Wings. Enter THN’s Scouting Report and the Wings’ decided edge in spirit (competitiveness).
According to other NHL teams’ playoff scouting reports, the Caps will often leave their No. 1 power play unit, headed by Oates, on for 90 seconds. The Wings’ speedy and aggressive penalty killers could also take advantage of that.
But breaking down a series on paper is always easier than doing it on the ice. There is the Kolzig factor for the Wings to consider and the fact that the Caps are prohibitive underdogs will create a nothing-to-lose mindset that should permit Washington to play a relaxed, pressure-free game.
That said, it’s clear the Wings have better personnel than the Capitals. The Caps have good experience but so, too, do the Wings.
In each of the past three Cup finals, we’ve been shocked by four-game sweeps by the New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche and Detroit, respectively. If it happens this year, there’ll be no surprise.
THN’s pre-playoff Stanley Cup pick was Detroit. We see no reason to change it.
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The Chicago Blackhawks announced the death of Dennis Hull on Saturday, May 30. He was 81 years old.
The five-time All-Star left winger was the brother of Hall of Famer Bobby Hull and recorded 298 regular-season goals in the Windy City. He also was a member of Team Canada when they beat the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series.
“The Chicago Blackhawks are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dennis Hull earlier this morning," Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said in a statement. "Dennis enjoyed a distinguished career built on his scoring ability and consistency, leaving lasting contributions not only to the Blackhawks franchise, but to the game itself.
"Known around the league for his immense skill, toughness and intelligence, Dennis was as dominant on the ice as he was beloved off it. He often drew on his sharp wit and sense of humor to keep the locker room loose, while his warmth and humility made everyone he met feel welcome.
"On behalf of the Wirtz family and the entire Blackhawks organization, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Dennis’s family, friends and teammates, and the many fans who adored him."
Dennis' nephew, Bart, also shared the news of his passing on Instagram. A cause of death has not been revealed at the time of publication.
Dennis, who was known as the "Silver Jet," played 13 of his 14 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks, who signed him ahead of the 1964-1965 season after a stint with the St. Catharines Black Hawks, an amateur team in Ontario, Canada.
He played eight of those with Bobby, the "Golden Jet," who died in 2023 at age 84. Chicago made the playoffs all but once while Dennis was on the team, including reaching the Stanley Cup Final three times, which they lost each time. He finished his career with one season with the Detroit Red Wings.
After nearly two months, Fernando Tatis Jr. is finally on the board with his first home run of the season.
In the fifth inning of the Padres’ 9-4 loss to the Nationals, Tatis blasted a towering 451-foot solo homer to left field at Nationals Park to break his harrowing streak without a home run that dated back to last season.
Before Saturday’s game, the Padres outfielder had not gone deep in 240 plate appearances, which was the longest home run drought in the MLB.
“I just knew right away,” Tatis told reporters following the game, according to The Associated Press. “About f–king time.”
Upon hitting the homer, Tatis flipped his bat and got a warm welcome from his teammates as he rounded third base.
“It was very exciting for everybody,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “He’s been carrying that burden. The team has been carrying that burden.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. hits belts a solo home run, the first of the season, during the fifth inning of the Padres’ 9-4 loss to the Nationals on May 30, 2026, in Washington. AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.
The last time Tatis had hit a home run was a game against Arizona on Sept. 27.
“Bet you he’ll sleep a little better tonight, knowing that he has a little ‘one’ on his numbers. He has a lot in his career, but it’s different,” San Diego shortstop Xander Bogaerts said. “Everyone knows what the deal is here.
“Everyone knows he has zero, so I think getting that kind of pressure off his back is nice.”
Despite Tatis’ blast, the Padres gave up six runs to Washington in the seventh for their 25th loss of the season.
Fernando Tatis Jr. celebrates with his teammates after hitting a solo home run, his first of the season, in the fifth inning of the Padres’ loss to the Nationals. AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.
“There’s no off days over here, man,” Tatis said. “This game will find a way how to still punish you.”
Tatis’ numbers have taken a significant hit so far this season because of his home run drought.
Despite holding a .268 batting average going into Saturday’s game, the three-time All-Star was slugging just .307 across 55 games played.
May 30, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) looks on as Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) reacts to an overturned call during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images
The Saturday night matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs was supposed to be electric. What it turned out to be was…odd. The St. Louis Cardinals got a solid start out of Kyle Leahy, yet he wouldn’t make it out of the 5th inning and the Cardinals offense was nearly mute squandering what chances they had losing to the Chicago Cubs 6-1 Saturday night. It pains me to admit this, but Pete Crow-Armstrong had a lot to do with it.
Kyle Leahy gave the St. Louis Cardinals 4 1/3 innings allowing 6 hits with 4 strikeouts. He didn’t face any real drama until the top of the 2nd inning when Alex Bregman hit a ball that was initially called a home run, but the umpire review showed it ducked just to the left of the foul pole. Bregman did end up flaring a single to right field, but it didn’t lead to any runs.
The St. Louis offense didn’t awaken until JJ Wetherholt singled to center in the bottom of the 4th inning. He advanced to 2nd on an excuse me groundout by Iván Herrera and then scored the first run of the game when Alec Burleson cracked a single to right field giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
That lead wouldn’t last long as the dreaded 5th inning rolled around which has been the nemesis of the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff several times this season. Kyle Leahy would serve up a ball right down the middle that Pete Crow-Armstrong turned into a laser shot double to right. He then advanced to third on a Nico Hoerner groundout and then scored on a single by Michael Busch tying the game 1-1. Ryan Fernandez would come in to get the final outs of the 5th inning which he would do despite throwing a wild pitch in the process.
Ryan Fernandez would not be so fortunate in the top of the 6th inning. After making a good fielding play on a dribbler in front of the mound from Amaya, Ryan would fire the ball past Alec Burleson into right field. He would then walk Dansby Swanson before Manager Oli Marmol removed him for Justin Bruihl to face Pete Crow-Armstrong who he would hit with the first pitch to load the bases. Nico Hoerner then singled to right scoring Amaya giving the Cubs their first lead of game at 2-1. Michael Busch then hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field scoring Swanson upping the Cubs lead to 3-1.
The Cardinals would threaten in the bottom of the 6th when Victor Scott II drew a walk on a full count that was confirmed by a failed Cubs ABS challenge. The Fox announcer then made a big deal about JJ Wetherholt having never hit into a double play in his Cardinals career so far. Spoiler Alert: JJ didn’t hit into one this time either as he instead smoked a single into center field. Unfortunately, Iván Herrera would fulfill the prophecy of the Fox dude and hit into a double play grounding a ball to Alex Bregman who would step on third base and fire the ball across the diamond to first to end the inning.
The low point of the night (or best moment ever if you’re somehow a Cubs person) was Pete Crow-Armstrong responding to the “Tarps Off” crowds chants of “OVERRATED” by crushing a home run off of Gordon Graceffo right into the middle of their seats making it 4-1 Cubs in the top of the 8th inning. Well played, Armstrong, but we still despise you.
The Chicago Cubs would make a late innings comeback by St. Louis less likely as Ian Happ doubled to start the top of the 9th inning. Suzuki would then reach on an error from Nolan Gorman. After Ballesteros grounded out, Amaya would be given first base on catcher’s interference by Jimmy Crook. Matt Pushard did not help himself as he bounced a ball off of the backstop scoring Happ from third and making it 5-1 Cubs. Pushard would follow that up with a walk to Dansby Swanson and then…wait for it…another hit by Pete Crow-Armstrong who singled in Suzuki giving Chicago all the runs they’d need as it was 6-1. Believe it or not, it could have been worse. Masyn Winn made an incredible play on a ground ball up the middle that ricocheted off of JJ Wetherholt as he stepped on second and used his rifle arm on a throw to first for a double play.
To add insult to injury, the Cardinals made ridiculous decisions in the bottom of the 9th inning. Wait, there was just one ridiculous decision and it was made by Ivan Herrera. JJ Wetherholt led off the inning with a single. He was one of the few bright spots as JJ went 3 for 4 on the night. Ivan would reach on a fielder’s choice narrowly avoiding hitting into a double play, but would try to advance to third base on a single by Alec Burleson, but would be thrown out trying. Never make the first or second out of an inning at third base they say (for a good reason). Jordan Walker would make the last out of the game driving a ball deep into the left-center field gap, but it was caught by (you guessed it) Pete Crow-Armstrong.
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to rebound and win the series Sunday night when Matthew Liberatore takes the mound for another national broadcast. Jordan Wicks will get the start for the Chicago Cubs. First pitch is set for 6:20pm central time as the game will be watchable on NBC/Peacock.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 27: A bobblehead of Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers finish off their homestand on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound coming off a pair of seven-inning gems. He’s pitched at least six innings in nine of his 10 starts, averaging 6.4 innings per start this season.
Rookie Andrew Painter takes the ball for the Phillies, with a 5.40 ERA and 4.36 xERA through his first 10 major league games, including nine starts. He’s allowed five total runs in 16 1/3 innings over his last three starts.
The Dodgers are 10-5 during day games this season, including 5-3 on Sundays, though they’ve dropped two of their three Sunday home games.
The right-hander, who was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse after Friday’s game — allowing the Mets to add a fresh bullpen arm — will be lengthened out over the next two weeks, according to manager Carlos Mendoza, giving the team additional flexibility on his usage.
Myers will follow a “scripted” program in the minors that allows him to stretch out for length should the Mets decide to insert him into the starting rotation.
“Once these 15 days are up, then we will make that decision,” Mendoza said before the Mets’ 6-1 victory over the Marlins. “He could either go and continue to get stretched out or just back to the role we have been using him. He’s very versatile and an important part of our team.”
Tobias Myers is pictured during the Mets’ May 27, 2026 win over the Reds. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
Myers allowed two runs in one inning of work Friday, boosting his ERA to 4.05. He has filled various roles for the club, including opener, long reliever and high-leverage arm.
“Not an easy decision, given how important he’s been for the team,” Mendoza said of Myers’ demotion. “We told him, ‘Hey, you are going to be back here soon,’ and he understood, but obviously he’s not happy about it.”
Left-hander Cionel Perez was selected to the Mets’ roster.
He pitched a perfect sixth inning in his Mets debut.
Bobby Valentine and Lee Mazzilli were inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame during a pregame ceremony.
Bobby Valentine and Lee Mazzilli are pictured during the Mets’ Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 30. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
Those in attendance included former Mets managers Joe Torre and Willie Randolph, general managers Joe McIlvaine and Steve Phillips, and team Hall of Famers Mike Piazza, Al Leiter, John Franco, Howard Johnson, Edgardo Alfonzo and Mookie Wilson.
Hall of Fame hockey executive Lou Lamoriello, who as baseball coach at Providence College recruited Valentine to play in the Cape Cod League, also attended.
Jorge Polanco, who is continuing his rehab at Double-A Binghamton, could potentially rejoin the Mets for their series next weekend in San Diego.
The veteran infielder has been on the injured list since April 15, rehabbing a wrist contusion and Achilles bursitis.
The Mets are 8-3 in their last 11 home games.
Overall, they are 14-15 at Citi Field this season.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 27, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers Alex Call (12) warms up in the outfield before his start in right field in the game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Dodgers and Phillies are back at it, this time on SportsNet LA.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - MAY 30: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates a hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on May 30, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With two veteran serviceable but uninspiring pitchers on the mound in the Great American Ballpark, this had the looks of a high-scoring affair on paper.
Six batters were all it took to get through the first inning, as Martin Perez walked the only baserunner and got a double-play to erase him. The Braves struck first in the second, as Ozzie Albie doubled and came around to score after a Dubon walk and a Yaz single. Dubon was caught with a big lead at third on a throw-down by Stephenson at catcher, but the throw was low and bounced off the bag. Dubon came home and the throw from Suarez beat him there, as he was called out. He appeared to have eluded the tag on replay and the Braves challenged, but the call stood due to lack of clear and convincing evidence, though it feels like a call that would have been “confirmed” as safe if Dubon had been originally called safe. Not a great MLB replay challenge system moment, but the Braves had a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the second inning.
Perez walked Steer with one out in the second and then gave up a homer to JJ Bleday, as the Reds took the 2-1 lead. Ronald Acuna brought us level in the third with an opposite field homer of his own, as this was starting to look like the slugfest we expected.
The scoring resumed in the fifth, as Jorge Mateo jumped on a Singer breaking ball for a big solo homer to give the Braves a 1-run lead. Still with two outs in the fifth, Ronald, Harris, and Olson walked to load the bases for Ozzie. Ozzie flied out to extinguish the threat.
Tyler Kinley took over for Perez in the sixth and worked a quick 1-2-3 frame with a strikeout, as he has bounced back from a rough patch. Matt Olson gave Atlanta a big insurance run for a 4-2 lead with another solo homer in the seventh. The Death Star that is the back of the Braves’ bullpen was brought in and Lee and Suarez did their part with a scoreless 7th and 8th inning. Just to make sure we knew he is fully back and in peak form, Ronald Acuna launched another homer in the ninth, giving Raisel Iglesias a third run’s worth of cushion as he goes for another save. Raisel did his part and worked a 1-2-3 inning, securing a 5-2 victory on the night, a series win in Cincy, and a chance for a sweep on Sunday.
Join us tomorrow as the Braves go for that sweep with Spencer Strider on the mound at 1:40 PM ET.
May 24, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo (22) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Here we are again.
For the sixth time this season, the Mariners will look to break above .500 after a wild walk-off win on Friday in front of a crowd of over 44,000. Bryan Woo will look to keep rolling from his last pair of starts, while the Diamondbacks will be running out right-hander Ryne Nelson.
Lineups:
Mitch Garver is behind the plate for Seattle tonight despite the righty, continuing the fairy even job share with Jhonny Pereda while Cal Raleigh continues to work back from his oblique injury. Cole Young is once again in the six-hole above Dominic Canzone, and it’s very plausible that this is for splitting up the platoon bats. Despite Nolan Arenado suffering a gnarly-looking hit by pitch in the ninth inning in last night’s contest, he’s back at the hot corner for the Snakes. (UPDATE: Arenado has been scratched. José Fernández will play third and bat eighth in his stead, while Gabriel Moreno will hit cleanup with Adrian Del Castillo behind him hitting fifth. The rest of Arizona’s lineup remains unchanged.)
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 11: Ryan Weathers #40 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Monday, May 11, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Alyssa Piazza/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The ebbs and flows of a long, long baseball season can totally change your mood in a matter of days. Just six days ago, the Yankees had lost three consecutive games against division rivals and had fallen to 5.5 games back of the first-place Rays. Six days later, they have a chance to pull within a half-game after winning five in a row and Tampa dropping their fifth game in six days this afternoon against the Angels.
Ryan Weathers will take the bump, looking to secure the series victory in West Sacramento in his 11th start of 2026. It’s been a terrific start to the season for the former Marlin, posting a 3.14 ERA (131 ERA+) and 3.45 FIP in 57.1 innings with 65 strikeouts. He’s coming off a strong seven innings against the Rays at Yankee Stadium, and will look to replicate the eight innings of one-run ball he put up against this potent offense in early April.
Toeing the slab for the (Sacramento) A’s is J.T. Ginn, the one-time Mets prospect who you might remember from his near-no-hitter against the Angels earlier this month that resulted in a heartbreaking walk-off defeat. Despite a nightmare start last time out, he’s still pitching to a 3.19 ERA (141 ERA+) and 4.18 FIP in 12 appearances (nine starts) across 53.2 innings with 48 strikeouts. He’s faced the Yankees once before, throwing five innings of one-run ball back in 2024.
The peripherals are fairly pedestrian all around on Ginn, but he’s been well above-average at preventing hard contact in the air and keeping the ball on the ground. He has a five-pitch mix, led by his sinker, which he throws 54 percent of the time against right-handed hitters. It’s a much more even split from the left side, which he’s struggled with more, tossing his cutter, changeup, slider, and four-seamer all at least 14 percent of the time.
Trent Grisham, who’s been heating up of late, will lead off again, followed by Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Paul Goldschmidt will get another start at first base, batting sixth, while Ryan McMahon, Austin Wells, and Anthony Volpe round out the lineup. Keep in mind that Amed Rosario is unavailable after being put on paternity leave.
It’s more of the same for the A’s. Colby Thomas leads off in front of Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker, and Tyler Soderstrom. Henry Bolte and Zack Gelof get another start, while Darell Hernaiz and Alika Williams round out the bunch in the middle infield.
How to watch
Location: Sutter Health Park — West Sacramento, CA
By the end of the night Saturday, May 30, either the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder will represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. The Thunder and the Spurs, the two best teams in the regular season, are battling in a winner-take-all Game 7 of the conference finals Saturday, May 30.
And all eyes are on the two stars in this game: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two-time consecutive Most Valuable Player for the Thunder, and the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, the young phenom and unanimous Defensive Player of the Year.
Awaiting either squad in the NBA Finals is the New York Knicks, who swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.
Here are live takeaways from Game 7 of the Western Conference finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder:
Second-chance points have saved the Thunder
If there’s one thing that sparked Oklahoma City’s run in the second quarter, it was its work on the offensive glass.
The Thunder gained a 9-4 edge on offensive rebounds in the first half Saturday night. It was no surprise, then, that Oklahoma City took a massive 17-6 lead in second-chance points into intermission.
The offensive rebounding helped revive a moribund Thunder offense
The other thing offensive boards have done for OKC is to neutralize San Antonio’s transition offense; the Spurs have wanted to play quickly, and failing to scoop up defensive rebounds have robbed the Spurs of chances to get out on the break.
So did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
A monster, 13-point second quarter from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lifted the Thunder back into this game. Gilgeous-Alexander, admittedly, was slow to start this game.
The Spurs did throw extra bodies at him anytime he got the ball in an attacking position, so some of the early issues were to be expected.
But Gilgeous-Alexander was far more decisive in the second quarter and looked to get his looks before the Spurs were able to set their defense.
At the half, Gilgeous-Alexander has 19 points on a wildly-efficient 8-of-11 shooting and has added 5 assists and 4 rebounds.
His 19 points were most this series during a first half. He looks like an elite player who knows what’s at stake.
The San Antonio offense to start the game was impressive. Their defense was even better
Early on in Game 7, the Spurs swarmed the ball, used active hands to deflect passes and took control of the game with turnovers.
San Antonio, though the first 6:45 of the game, forced the Thunder into 5 turnovers (on 5 steals), which led to a quick 7-0 advantage on points off turnovers. Of course, it helped that the Spurs didn’t commit a single turnover during that span early, but it was the force and intensity the Spurs brought that impacted the game.
The Thunder were better with the ball in the second quarter, which allowed them to get better looks. For San Antonio to win this Game 7, it needs to find a way to continue pressuring ball-handlers into turnovers, because that’s the recipe it can use to play with more tempo.
He has been overshadowed all series long, but Oklahoma City will have a tough time winning this game if Chet Holmgren cannot provide more — on either offense or defense.
By the midway point of the the third quarter, Holmgren had taken just 2 shot attempts (making one), for 4 points. On the other end, he collected just 2 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal. He’s a premier defender but simply hasn’t been able to protect the rim as well as he has at points during the regular season.
On offense, he’s hesitating far too much when he gets the ball in his hands.
