LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: Tyler Glasnow #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws in the outfield before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Opening Day at Dodger Stadium on March 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers finish off their stretch of 13 game days in a row with a rare weekday daytime start at Dodger Stadium, hosting the Miami Marlins on getaway day Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Tyler Glasnow takes the ball for the Dodgers in the homestand finale, coming off nine strikeouts in eight scoreless innings, the latter tying a career high. He’ll duel with Marlins ace and former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara.
Wednesday is one of only two weekday daytime starts in Los Angeles this season, both against Florida teams. On June 17 against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Dodgers will play another 12:10 p.m. game.
Mets prospect A.J. Ewing made his Triple-A debut on Tuesday night and impressed his new team.
Ewing announced his arrival with a standup triple to lead the game. He launched a 93 mph fastball from Alan Rangel of the IronPigs to left center field. The ball was hit with an exit velocity of 104.4 mph and centerfielder Steward Berroa could not catch up to it. The ball caromed off the wall and trickled away from the fielders, allowing Ewing to get to third base unimpeded. He would eventually come around to score on a Christian Arroyo homer three batters later.
In his second at-bat, Ewing jumped on a fastball from Rangel again, but it stood in the air long enough for left fielder Otto Kemp to catch it on the run.
Ewing walked on a five-pitch walk in his third at-bat, and singled to lead off the seventh in his fourth at-bat. Two batters later, Ryan Clifford hit his fifth home run of the season to bring home Ewing.
In the eighth, Ewing came up with one out and runners on second and third when he doubled down the left field line to drive in his first runs with Syracuse.
Ewing finished 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and two runs.
In 18 games with Double-A this season, Ewing hit .349 with a .481 OBP and 1.053 OPS, hitting two home runs with seven RBI and 12 stolen bases. SNY's Joe DeMayo listed Ewing, who has experience in center field and second base, as the Mets' No. 3 overall prospect, behind Nolan McLean and Carson Benge.
"His first Triple-A hit breaks the left-center field wall!"
sunrise over San Juan Mountains off Dallas Creek Road. (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Remember roughly five minutes ago when Sal Stewart’s start to the season was the talk of at least one particular corner of the baseball world?
To be a bit more transparent, Sal’s still swatting the heck out of the baseball for the Cincinnati Reds. He even doubled and scored a run in the Reds series opening victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night in Great American Ball Park. But as the Reds rose up to a 7-2 win, it became a little bit evident just how red-hot his teammate over at shortstop has been so far this season, too.
Elly De La Cruz homered as part of a 3-hit day, driving in 4 runs to lead the Reds on the night. In the process, he actually bumped his average up to .291 for the season – just ahead of Stewart’s .290 mark – and his homer was a team-leading 10th. Not to be outdone, he even swiped a pair of bags on the night to overtake Stewart for the team lead, 8 to 7, in a game that had all of his talents on full display.
And when I say ‘all of them,’ I truly mean all of them.
Elly gets to take home tonight’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game after a performance that truly showed why he’s one of baseball’s great five-tool talents.
Other Notes
Spencer Steer hit a big 2-run homer early as part of his great current run. He entered play tonight with an .822 OPS and 4 dingers over his previous 21 games, and tonight’s dinger followed that very same path.
Chase Burns, at times, looked a little less than ‘brilliant’ tonight yet a quick look at the final box score shows just how good he can still be when not at his absolute best. He scattered 7 hits across his 6.0 IP, allowing a pair of earned runs, but he fanned 9 while walking a lone Rockie on the night.
Nate Lowe got the start (against a lefty) and chipped in with a 2-hit night and drove in a run. He’s a proven regular who puts together excellent at-bats and is playing for a legitimate contract next fall – I really don’t see how you don’t keep him in the lineup in some form and fashion just about every single day going forward.
The Dane Myers acquisition continues to look quite brilliant. He started against a LHP again – as he is wont to do – and scored 3 runs while being on-base all over the place on the night.
Brandon Williamson will look to get right with the start on Wednesday when these two clubs meet again. First pitch is once again set for 6:40 PM ET.
The Yankees top prospect is officially taking the next step in his journey through the system.
George Lombard Jr. is being promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, according to YES Network's Jack Curry.
It's felt like it was only a matter of time before Lombard took the leap to the next level, as he's gotten off to a scorching hot start to this season back with Double-A Somerset.
The 20-year-old come out swinging after struggling to master the level down the stretch last year, hitting .324 with four homers, eight doubles, 10 RBI, and a 1.008 OPS through 19 games.
He's also drawn 12 walks, helping rack up an impressive .414 on-base percentage.
Lombard has appeared in six games at the hot corner, 15 at shortstop, and two as the DH.
Curry reports that he'll spent time at both third and short as he kicked things off with the RailRiders.
The Yankees feel the youngster is big-league ready from a defensive standpoint, now they'll see how his bat progresses in Triple-A before deciding if they want to give him one more call.
Detroit Tigers center fielder Javy Baéz was taken from the Truist Field playing surface by a cart after an awkward slide into first base resulted in an apparent right leg injury in the fifth inning Tuesday, April 28.
Baéz hit a ground ball to Atlanta Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubón, whose throw to first was high and wide of the bag. Baéz made a last-second decision to slide feet first into the base, and his right leg appeared to get caught under the weight of his body.
Baéz stayed down for several minutes and could not put weight on the leg before Detroit's training staff helped him to the cart.
Javy Báez was carted off from tonight's game after this awkward slide into first base
Baez said he was feeling "much better" after getting treatment and can "put pressure on my ankle now." But, he noted, "we'll see what's going to happen."
Casey Mize (right groin tightness) and Javier Báez (right ankle injury) will get MRIs before Wednesday's game to determine the severity of their injuries.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 22: Maikel Garcia #11 of the Kansas City Royals pops out in the third inning during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Kauffman Stadium on April 22, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/IOS/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I’ll never get used to the Sacramento Athletics, and frankly I’m stunned that the MLB owners even allowed the Athletics’ ownership to do what they did. But everyone has dollar signs for eyes, I guess, and the sooner the A’s situation gets resolved the sooner that owners can get those sweet, sweet expansion fees in their pockets.
But here we are. Tonight, the Royals start their annual West Coast Road Trip by playing a midweek series against the A’s. The A’s, actually, are pretty good. Former Royal Brent Rooker is hitting cleanup, while Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz is hitting third. The A’s will be sending out Aaron Civale to the mound.
Meanwhile, the Royals will counter with Kris Bubic and a lineup that features the return of Maikel Garcia. Huzzah!
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 24: Tyler Fitzgerald #49 of the San Francisco Giants throws for an out at Oracle Park on March 24, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are collecting as many Fitzgeralds as possible for their Triple-A Oklahoma City roster. On Tuesday they acquired infielder Tyler Fitzgerald from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations.
The Dodgers also have Ryan Fitzgerald, who was acquired via waivers in January 9 and later sent outright off the 40-man roster. Ryan Fitzgerald has played mostly third base for Oklahoma City, plus some time at second base, first base, left field, and right field this season. Tyler Fitzgerald in his three major league seasons thus far (2023-25) has played mostly shortstop and second base, plus some time mixed in at third base, first base, and all three outfield spots.
This is the third organization for Tyler Fitzgerald, who played the last three seasons for the San Francisco Giants before getting traded to Toronto on April 5. The Blue Jays designated him for assignment last Friday to make room for catcher Willie MacIver.
Fitzgerald in his three major league seasons with the Giants hit .252/.309/.430 with 21 home runs and a 106 wRC+ in 618 plate appearances. The right-handed hitter, 28, is a career .280/.347/.495 hitter with a 134 wRC+ in 203 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers. This season in nine Triple-A games between Sacramento and Buffalo had three hits in 32 at-bats with one walk and 19 strikeouts.
Fitzgerald has one year, 108 days of major league service time and one option year remaining, having used options in 2024 and 2025.
To make room for Fitzgerald on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers moved pitcher Landon Knack to the 60-day injured list. Knack has been out since late March with an intercostal strain. Not sure of his rehab timeline, but this move guarantees he can’t be activated until at least May 21.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 28: Travis Bazzana #37 of the Cleveland Guardians warms up prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field on April 28, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Coming off of a loss, dropping game one of the series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Guardians announced that they would be calling up top prospect Travis Bazzana for today’s game.
Bazzana’s family flew in from Australia to see him start at second base, hitting seventh in the line up.
Tanner Bibee had another uninspiring, but solid start while his Tampa Bay counterpart had an excellent night. Bibee went 5.0 innings with 4H/1R/3BB/6Ks. He really struggled to keep the pitch count low during at bats while Nick Martinez was lights out against the Guards. Going into the 5th inning, Bibee’s pitch count was at 76 while Martinez was at 38. Thankfully Bibee held the Rays 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, but lacked run support from the Cleveland offense. Going into tonight’s game, Bibee had no run support in 4 of his 6 starts this season – the second lowest in the league.
In the top of the first, Bo Naylor gave Bibee a nice defensive assist, getting an out in a rundown.
José Ramírez added a defensive highlight of his own with a stellar throw to Kyle Manzardo.
Tim Herrin replaced Bibee to start the sixth inning. Herrin pitched 1.2 innings, only allowing one base runner via a walk. Connor Brogdon pitched 1.1 innings, allowing a single hit.
Nick Martinez carved up the Guardians offense, keeping them to 4 base runners in his 7.0 innings of work. Chase DeLauter and Daniel Schneemann both hit a single and Steven Kwan notched a double along the right field line to account for the 3 hits allowed. Travis Bazzana reached base in his first MLB game with a walk in the bottom of the eighth. Bazz’s walk finally forced Martinez out of the game and into Tampa’s bullpen. The Guards started to warm up finally. Rhys Hoskins, pinch hitting for Bo Naylor, drew a walk off of Rays pitcher Ian Seymour. Brayan Rocchio laid down a sac bunt and the Rays intentionally walked Steven Kwan to load the bases. Chase DeLauter struck out swinging, but brought up José Ramírez with . José hit a fly out to the deepest part of the park that would have probably been a grand slam if it was 5-10°F warmer.
Peyton Pallette closed out the game, walking a batter and striking out a batter.
The team sparked a rally in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Angel Martínez hit a double to right field. After taking two balls, Kevin Cash intentionally walked Travis Bazzana. George Valera pinch hit for the final at bat of the night. Valera fouled off the first pitch, took a strike, then swung on a fastball high in the zone.
After tonight the Guardians are 11-4 following a loss. Here’s to hoping that record improves tomorrow and that Travis Bazzana gets another high leverage at bat.
PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 26: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs stands during the national anthem prior to Game Four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on April 26, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. 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. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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The Silver and Black have an opportunity to advance past the first round of the playoffs tonight for the first time since the 2016-2017 season, when they got all the way to the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors. If they win tonight, they will face either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Denver Nuggets, who are engaged in a close series where the Wolves lead 3-2 with a chance to close it out Thursday night in Minnesota. If the Nuggets win Game 6, there will be a game on Saturday in Denver with the winner advancing to the second round and the loser going fishing.
The Spurs can’t afford to look ahead to the second round, because the Trail Blazers have shown that they are a team that can play well enough for parts of a game to give the Spurs trouble. The Spurs have been able to win three of the four games by coming up with dominant stretches when they need them, but they have not yet had a game where the Alamo City team dominated from start to finish, and it would be great to see that kind of effort tonight. San Antonio played one of their worst halves of the season in the first half on Sunday afternoon to trail by 17 going into halftime, but exploded out of the locker room in the third quarter to immediately erase the deficit and win by 21 with Jordan McLaughlin scoring the final points for the good guys.
Victor Wembanyama has had a journey in his first playoff series, with a scary fall in the first half of Game 2 that kept him out for a game and a half in concussion protocol. The Spurs handled his absence with a comeback win led by Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper as the young guard duo took over the game when the Spurs needed them to. De’Aaron Fox has been up and down a bit in the series, but he definitely put his stamp on Game 4 with 28 points and key defensive plays. Tonight is the night for the Spurs to put it all together to close out the series and avoid another west coast trip and gain a rest advantage on their eventual second round opponent. LET’S GO SPURS!
Game Prediction:
The game is not close in the fourth quarter, and ESPN viewers end up finding out a lot about Dave Pasch and Doris Burke’s hobbies, which are just as boring as you might have imagined.
San Antonio Spurs vs Portland Trail Blazers, First Round, Game 5 April 28, 2026 | 8:30 PM CT Streaming: ESPN app TV: ESPN Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.
The NBA teams with the worst records would no longer have the best chances of getting the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft as part of a potential, dramatic draft lottery reform, longtime NBA writer Mark Stein and others have reported.
In an apparent effort to discourage tanking, the teams with the fourth-worst through 10th-worst records each would have the best chances at the No. 1 pick – 8.1% – according to Stein. Those teams would get three lottery balls each, per ESPN.
By contrast, the NBA teams with the three worst records each would have a 5.4% chance at the top pick, according to Stein, who reported teams with the 11th-worst through 14th-worst records also would have a 5.4% chance at the top pick. Those teams would get two lottery balls.
This year the bottom three teams – the Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets – each will have a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick, and the odds drop among lottery teams with better records.
The "3-2-1 lottery" reform proposal, which would expand the lottery to 16 teams from 14 teams, could be approved May 28, according to Stein. The lottery for this year’s draft takes place May 10, when the order of selection among 14 teams will be determined by a lottery machine and the random draw of numbered ping-pong balls.
The additional lottery teams would be those that lose the No. 7 vs. No. 8 Play-In game, according to Stein, who reported that each of those two teams will have a 2.7% shot at the No. 1 pick. They would each have one lottery ball.
Of course, the team with the worst record in the NBA has not been assured of the top pick since 1984. Last year, for example, the Dallas Mavericks had just the 11th-best lottery odds yet won the top pick. They drafted Cooper Flagg, who was named Rookie of the Year.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 28: Hitting coach Troy Snitker #60 of the New York Mets talks with Brett Baty #7 of the New York Mets during batting practice...
The Mets offensive stats read like a hitting coach’s worst nightmare: fewest runs scored in the majors, as well as the lowest on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS, entering play Tuesday.
After being swept in a doubleheader by the Rockies on Sunday, when the Mets scored one run, Carlos Mendoza said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this.”
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Hitting coach Troy Snitker wouldn’t go that far when asked about the offense, but the former Astros hitting coach acknowledged he couldn’t recall an extended period of poor performance like the one the Mets have gone through in the first month of the season.
“As a hitting coach, and with hitting in general, you go through these unfortunate stretches during a season,’’ Snitker said before the series opener against the Nationals at Citi Field. “The length may be more in this situation, but we can still turn this around.”
Snitker — the son of former Braves manager Brian Snitker — was hired along with director of major league hitting Jeff Albert to get the most out of this new-look offense, and Snitker said he expected similar success in Queens as what he saw with the Astros.
“I still do,’’ Snitker said. “We have a lot of really good hitters. I’ve seen another group of really good hitters that have struggled [in Houston], and there’s always an answer of how to turn it around. We’re aiming for that.”
If that’s going to happen, a lot of hitters will have to get themselves right.
Hitting coach Troy Snitker of the Mets talks with Carson Benge during batting practice before the game against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on April 28, 2026 Getty Images
Mendoza — who has his own issues — backed his coaches Tuesday: “It’s a combination of all us in here, but it’s not on the hitting coaches.”
Still, when asked if anything had “surprised” him about his team’s atrocious start, Mendoza said: “It’s hard to point fingers, but we’re having a hard time scoring runs. There are so many guys going through a tough stretch at the same time. That’s the tough part to describe. It’s usually three or four guys that are carrying the team and two or three are going through it. Right now, a lot of people are going through a rough stretch.”
Mendoza praised the work of Snitker and Albert, but the results have been damning.
Against fastballs of 96 mph or faster, the Mets entered Tuesday with the worst slugging percentage (.231), the third-worst on-base percentage (.269) and fifth-worst batting average (.185), according to MLB Network research.
“We have to do a few simple things better,’’ Snitker said. “We’ve got to get our ball flight to the outfield and we’ve got to hit fastballs better. When players can accomplish that, then the rest of the game gets easier. You adjust to off-speed [pitches] better [and] you control the zone better.”
The lack of results against high velocity has been mystifying, with just about everyone other than Juan Soto and Brett Baty guilty.
Tyrone Taylor of the Mets reacts during the fifth inning of game two of a doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field on April 26, 2026. Getty Images
The issues, Snitker said, vary from hitter to hitter.
The outcomes, though, haven’t.
Outside of Soto and Francisco Alvarez, just about every other regular has disappointed, from veterans like Bo Bichette, Francisco Lindor and Jorge Polanco to a newcomer like Carson Benge.
“Coming into the season, we wanted to accomplish certain things and you’re constantly thinking about how things are working and then adjusting,’’ said Snitker, who detailed during the spring how he wanted this lineup.
He noted in spring he was looking for “the same type of culture and teamwork, [with the] ability to pass it to the next guy [as in Houston]. We want to work together, build off each at-bat and not have guys feel they have to do it themselves.”
Tuesday, Snitker said: “We still very strongly believe in what we came in with, but we’re always looking for areas to attack.”
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 27: Jackson Merrill #3 of the San Diego Padres connects for an RBI single during the inning of a game at Petco Park on April 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Chicago Cubs (17-12) at San Diego Padres (19-9), April 28, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST
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Granted, every postseason game is paramount, but Game 5s in the NBA playoffs when both teams enter tied at two games apiece are particularly crucial. Historically, the winner of Game 5s when tied at 2-2 go on to win the series 82% of the time.
For New York, it will come down to the plan on offense, and how coach Mike Brown deploys All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the latter of whom posted a 20-10-10 triple-double in Game 4 on Saturday, April 25.
The Hawks will need to play quickly and emphasize transition offense; through the first three quarters Saturday, Atlanta had failed to score a single fastbreak point.
From the time the game started to the time he was subbed out when the result was decided, Brunson took 31.5% of New York’s shot attempts. Normally, that’s a rough distribution, but Brunson shot it with efficiency, going 15-of-23 for a game-high 39 points.
Brunson was the only Knick to shoot more than 8 field goal attempts and carried the team’s offense. He also went 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
Since Game 4, the Knicks have found ways for Brunson to be off the ball more than he had earlier in the series, and that has paid dividends. Until the Hawks show they can slow him down, it’s something that’s likely to continue.
“Jalen was great,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said after the game. “His screening is great, his pace is great. We’re just trying to move him around as much as we can so that they can’t catch a rhythm on him.”
The Knicks made four of their first five shots and 8-of-12 to start the game. The Knicks were clearly intending on playing quickly and decisively, and that made a big difference. New York shot 58.5% in the first half.
So far, so good for Towns, who scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first half. He has also added 8 rebounds and 4 assists. He finished the game with a double-double – 16 points, 14 rebounds – while also adding six assists, two steals and two blocks.
He has significantly improved his impact on the glass throughout the playoffs, and the first quarter was no different. Anunoby recorded a team-high 7 rebounds in the period. After three quarters, he cracked double-figures and posted 10 boards.
He also added 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting and impacted the game on defense and in hustle plays that do not necessarily show up on box scores.
“I work very hard,” Anunoby said after the game. “We have a great team, my teammates are finding me and I’m playing with a lot of force.”
The Knicks were extremely active on defense, jumping passing lanes and using active hands to cause deflections. That prevented Atlanta from getting easy shots, and led to 10 turnovers for the Hawks.
He hasn’t been as engaged on offense, and his shot selection has felt forced at times in the series, but the Hawks clearly wanted to get Daniels going early. He scored the first two Hawks buckets of the game. Because Daniels hasn’t been a threat, Atlanta’s offense has suffered at times. And because Brunson is guarding him, it’s a matchup the Hawks can exploit.
By the first media timeout, with 6:42 left to play, Daniels was already 3-of-3 with 6 of Atlanta’s 8 points. That matched his point totals from Games 2 and 4 and surpassed his total from Game 1 (4). By halftime, Daniels had 10 points, and he finished with 17 on 7-for-11 shooting, making it his highest-scoring game in the series.
As he does sometimes, he has made an instant impact off the bench. Robinson first swiped a ball on defense that went off of CJ McCollum’s knee for a Hawks turnover. Seconds later, he slammed down a putback jam. Robinson finished with seven points and six rebounds while going 3-for-3 from the floor.
Points in the paint and bench points were an issue for Atlanta. After the first half, New York had a 40-22 edge in the paint, and its bench had outscored Atlanta’s by 6 points. The Knicks continued that advantage in the second half, ending the game with a 60-42 points-in-the-paint edge. They also dominated the Hawks in second-chance points 20-6 and fastbreak points 13-4. New York's bench finished with 38 points, while the Hawks had just 24.
“We can get kind of caught up in individual performances — you always need those — but we need to look at it collectively,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder told reporters after the game. “Everybody needs to make plays for each other. When we’re playing well, that’s what it looks like.”
He was Atlanta’s hero in Games 2 and 3, but the Knicks have thrown extra bodies in their attempt to defend McCollum. Because of that increased ball pressure, McCollum has just 4 points on 2-of-9 shooting through three quarters. He has also missed all three of his free throw attempts. He finished with just six points on 3-of-10 shooting (0-for-2 on 3-pointers) and missed all three of his free throw attempts.
Jonathan Kuminga gets in early foul trouble
He was a massive spark off the bench in Atlanta’s two wins in the series, and the Knicks have looked to attack Kuminga on defense. He was called for a pair of early fouls. He did, however, have a massive alley-oop dunk midway through the period but finished the first quarter 2-of-7 for 4 points.
It’s true that the Knicks are outplaying Atlanta in most facets of this game, so add one more: free throws. The Knicks have been more aggressive about drawing contact when attacking in the paint. New York went 25-of-34 (73.5%) from the line, while the Hawks were a measly 10-of-17 (58.8%).
With the Bruins facing elimination in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Sabres, they needed their two-best players — David Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman — to lead the way Tuesday night in Buffalo.
Pastrnak really struggled in the two previous games in Boston. He was held without a point in those matchups, and in Game 4 he had only one shot. The superstar right wing played much more aggressively in Game 5 with a team-leading seven shots, and the final one resulted in the winning goal to help Boston stave off elimination.
Pastrnak did a great job to drag his left skate to stay onside, and then he beat Sabres goalie Alex Lyon with a fantastic move.
It was Pastrnak’s second career playoff OT goal. The first came in Game 7 of the 2024 first-round series versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“What a nice finish by him,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said postgame. “I’m just very happy because this guy puts a lot of pressure on himself and he wants to be the difference, and today he was.”
The Bruins had a 23-11 edge in shot attempts, a 12-4 advantage in shots on net, a 14-4 lead in scoring chances and a 6-1 differential in high-danger chances during Pastrnak’s 19:46 of even-strength ice time in Game 5, per Natural Stat Trick.
Scoring in big games is nothing new for Pastrnak. He has scored in four of the six Game 7s he’s played in his career. And he also has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 15 games in which the Bruins were facing elimination.
The Bruins have scored only four goals over the last three games. They need to increase their scoring output to have a real chance to win this series, and as a five-time 40-goal scorer, Pastrnak has to lead that charge.
Pastrnak wouldn’t have had a chance to win Game 5 if Swayman didn’t stand on his head all night. He gave another fantastic performance with 26 saves on 27 shots (.963 save percentage). He saved an impressive 1.96 goals above expected, and he stopped all five high-danger shots sent his way.
“He’s been great in every game,” Sturm said. “Believe it or not even last game, if it wasn’t for him it was 10-0 after the first period. He’s a big competitive guy and he showed it again today. Big moments, big games, he wanted the big guys to show up and he’s one of them, and he did it. He made a few really good saves. He was awesome.”
Swayman made a couple clutch saves late in the third period when the Sabres were making a strong push in search of the winning goal. He also made a huge stop on Sabres forward Alex Tuch shortly before Pastrnak’s winner.
The Bruins have had a tough time scoring on Lyon since he entered the series in the third period of Game 2, which has put an enormous amount of pressure on Swayman to be almost perfect each night. And so far, he’s been the Bruins’ top player in the series, and it’s not even close.
He has a .911 save percentage through five games, which is skewed downward by the team’s awful 6-1 loss in Game 4. If you take out that game — which wasn’t his fault by any means — he has a .937 save percentage in the other four matchups combined.
Swayman is the No. 1 reason why the Bruins exceeded expectations and made the playoffs this season, and he’s the No. 1 reason why they are still alive in this series.
And he’ll need to be the Bruins’ best player the rest of the way if they are going to complete what would be a historic series comeback.
The Knicks have been at their best when Jalen Brunson (left) and Mile McBride are on the court together.
The numbers jump off the page.
When Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride play together, the Knicks often thrive.
Entering Tuesday’s Game 5 clash against the Hawks at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks had a net rating of 29.5 points when Brunson and McBride were on the floor together this postseason.
The Knicks have been at their best when Jalen Brunson (left) and Mile McBride are on the court together. Getty Images
That net rating was the highest among the top 12 two-man pairings with the most minutes played across the first four games of this first-round series.
The Knicks were excellent on both sides of the ball — with a 120.9 offensive rating and 91.5 defensive rating.
“Try to make his job as easy as possible, as well the rest of the teammates out there,” McBride said of playing with Brunson. “Anytime I’m on the floor, I try to make everybody’s lives easier, whether that’s on the defensive or offensive end. Just bringing whatever I have, whatever my talents are, whatever I see in the game, and do it.”
McBride had a rough start to the postseason, clearly still rusty after missing 28 games in the regular season following sports hernia surgery.
But he was much closer to his best in Games 3 and 4, recording 16 and 13 points, respectively, on a combined 8-for-16 shooting from 3-point range. His workload was also up, playing 31 and 23 minutes.
Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride, celebrating during the Knicks’ Game 4 2 win, entered Tuesday with a the Knicks had a net rating of 29.5 points when they were on the floor together this postseason. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
It’s notable because in both games, McBride was on the floor for most of the second half in place of the benched — and struggling — Mikal Bridges.
“He’s been playing great,” Brunson said of McBride. “To be able to use him in certain actions and play off-ball and obviously his shooting capability, the way he plays defense and everything, he does a lot for our team. So, I think regardless of who’s on the floor, he’s gonna do a lot of great things.”
McBride, as one of the quickest Knicks, has played a pivotal role in helping the team counter the Hawks’ pace.
And, more so than Bridges, he’s been able to take some of the creating burden off Brunson, who is facing constant double-teams and full-court pressure.
Though not a natural point guard, McBride — perhaps more than anyone else on the roster besides Brunson and Josh Hart — is capable of bringing the ball up the court, which allows Brunson to collect it in the half-court and avoid some wear and tear.
With Brunson and McBride on the floor, the Knicks are also having them set screens for each other in guard-guard actions, something the Hawks hurt the Knicks with earlier in the series.
“We’ve done it before and previous seasons, in the playoffs past,” McBride said. “It’s just whatever I see in the game, try to get in it and if it’s working, keep going back to it.”
Coach Mike Brown praised Brunson’s screen-setting ability to make that possible.
“The thing about him, he’s a great screen setter,” Brown said. “He has a really good change of pace where he slips and stuff like that which can cause confusion.”
Amid the constant chess match that goes on during a series, Brunson and McBride have been a winning move.
