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Kiké Hernández starts rehab with Triple-A Oklahoma City

Triple-A Oklahoma City has been a busy place for Dodgers on the mend for the past few weeks, with rehab assignments piling up over the last few days. Utility man Kiké Hernández is the latest to work his way back with the Comets, starting a rehab assignment on Tuesday night.

Hernández on Tuesday started and played five innings at third base and batted second against the Salt Lake Bees, an Angels affiliate. He doubled and scored among his three at-bats.

Hernández is coming off left elbow surgery in November, and also missed 40 games last July and August with left elbow inflammation. Oklahoma City Comets play-by-play announcer Alex Freedman during the broadcast in the first inning on Tuesday said Hernández mentioned earlier during batting practice that this was the first time he’s felt fully healthy in about a year.

This is going to be a lengthy rehab for Hernández, who has been on the 60-day injured list since February, and his earliest possible return to the Dodgers is May 24.

Hernández is the fourth Dodger to play for Oklahoma City since Saturday. Blake Snell pitched four innings in Round Rock on Sunday, and is expected to make one more rehab start this coming Saturday at a location to be determined. Brock Stewart rehabbed for three weeks with Ontario and Oklahoma City, and is back with the Dodgers in Houston, though he has not yet been activated off the injured list. Brusdar Graterol pitched in his first game in 549 days on Saturday, and is expected to be on a long rehab assignment as he returns from November 2024 shoulder surgery.

Other Dodgers on the mend

Tommy Edman is coming off right ankle surgery in November, and though he’s not (yet) on the 60-day injured list, he’s behind Hernández on the rehab calendar. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Monday in Houston that Edman felt some soreness in his ankle, so they’ve slowed down his rehab program, which has been on the cautious said since the offseason.

Mookie Betts could be on a rehab assignment soon, as he works his way back from an oblique strain.

“Mookie is working on his bat speed. He feels good. I would say he’s going to get out on a rehab soon. Whether it’s this week — he’s supposed to a simulated game, like a live BP on Thursday,” Roberts said Monday, as shown on SportsNet LA. “If he does his live BP on Thursday and comes out okay, then you can sort of figure out where he goes next.”

Betts was injured on April 4 in Washington D.C., and last week on the homestand said doctors initially told him he’d miss six weeks. This Saturday is the five-week mark for Betts, who said he was ahead of schedule but also cautioned that the nature of oblique injuries requires patience.

“It’s just time. There’s no magic formula to this. You can do as much rehab as you want. Obliques just take time, it’s always four to six weeks, no matter however you want to twist it,” Betts said on April 29 at Dodger Stadium. “We’re kind of approaching the four-week mark. Once I get to that point is when we’ll really turn the corner. We’re close, and after that it’s going to get a lot better.”

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The ‘huge’ test Mikal Bridges, Miles McBride passed for Knicks in Game 1 that could be series boon

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Mikal Bridges, Image 2 shows Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey #0 and New York Knicks guard Miles McBride #2 chase a loose ball in the first quarter
Knicks

It was one of the biggest questions ahead of the series. 

Who on the Knicks would get the responsibility of guarding the explosive and dynamic Tyrese Maxey? 

Josh Hart spent the end of the first round guarding the Hawks’ most dangerous guard, CJ McCollum. OG Anunoby often guards the opponent’s best scorer, regardless of their position. But Maxey’s quickness isn’t a great fit for Hart or Anunoby. 

So Mikal Bridges, back as the Knicks point-of-attack defender, got the assignment. When he came out of the game, it was Miles McBride who matched up with Maxey. 

Mikal Bridges played a key role in the Knicks’ Game 1 blowout win over the 76ers on May 4, 2026 at the Garden. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

And they both aced the test. 

“That was huge,” Josh Hart said after practice Tuesday. “Both of those guys obviously are blessed enough athletically to be able to keep up with them, use their physicality, use their length to their advantage. Maxey obviously is an offense unto himself, being able to break out in transition. He’s tough to guard off those handoffs and ball screens so they did an amazing job on him and just have to continue it.” 

Maxey finished with just 13 points on rough 3-for-9 shooting from the field while missing all three 3-pointers he took. None of those three field goals came against Bridges or McBride. He committed four turnovers. 

It was his lowest point total since Jan. 26. In the first round against the Celtics, he averaged 26.9 points on 46.4 percent shooting from the field and 41.8 percent shooting from 3-point range. 

“I feel like the whole team was just locked in, honestly,” McBride said Tuesday. “Mikal started off on him really well and then I came in, but there were times where other guys were matched up with him, and all of our antennas are up just guarding him as a team.” 

It was clear the Knicks placed an emphasis on slowing down Maxey, often having a second defender ready to help Bridges or McBride. They were physical with him — particularly when the 76ers tried to get him going in the pick-and-roll. The only concern was that he was able to get to the free-throw line more than the Knicks would have wanted — he took seven free throws, making all of them. 

His usage was also a bit perplexing — there were long stretches where he was not assertive. He didn’t make a field goal until midway through the second quarter. His nine shots were by far the fewest he took so far in the postseason — and fewest in any game since Feb. 3. 

Tyrese Maxey and Miles McBride (right) chase a loose ball in the first quarter of the Knicks’ Game 1 win over the 76ers.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

The Knicks expect that to change. 

“We know Maxey is going to be more aggressive,” coach Mike Brown said Tuesday. “So we have to be more alert than we were in our last game.” 

They also acknowledge they perhaps benefited from a bit of luck. 

“He missed some shots, too,” Brown said. “We know his aggression is gonna be at a higher level in Game 2. Like we told all our guys, it’s five guys guarding the basketball, but at the point of attack, we have to be pretty good. The biggest thing with guarding Maxey at the point of attack is, he just moves so well and he can score at all three levels. His quickness, his athleticism for his size is second to none, because he’s able to score from all three levels. So you have to give a multiple effort on every single possession because when he gives it up, you can best bet that he’s gonna get it back at some point on that possession, if not right away.” 

The 76ers will certainly have countermoves they try in Game 2 to get Maxey going. Because if he’s as poor as he was in Game 1, they have little chance. 

But in Bridges and McBride, the Knicks might have the answers.

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Yankees' Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon struggle in latest rehab starts

Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon continued their rehab assignments on Tuesday night, and neither had their best stuff.

The Yankees hurlers pitched for High-A Hudson Valley and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, respectively, and allowed 10 earned runs combined. Cole had it the toughest as he was taken deep by the second batter he faced. A double and a single later, and Cole found himself down 2-0. The Yankees ace settled down a bit, pitching back-to-back scoreless innings, but the longball would get Cole again in the fourth. 

Kyle Lodise led off the inning with a long fly and in the fifth, Cole hit a batter and allowed an RBI double. Cole was pulled after the double, and the reliever gave up a two-run shot, allowing Cole's runner to score.

Cole tossed 69 pitches (49 strikes) across 4.1 innings. He allowed five runs on seven hits (two home runs) while striking out four. Including Tuesday's start, Cole has now allowed 12 runs in 18.2 innings pitched.

Earlier in the day, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Cole was still "a little ways away" from rejoining the team. With how well the rotation is pitching, the Yankees will take their time with Cole.

The opposite is the case with Rodon. As long as the southpaw comes away from Tuesday's start healthy, his next start will be with the Yankees. However, his presumed final rehab start was also tough.

Rodon threw 83 pitches (49 strikes), allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits -- two home runs -- and two walks, and also struck out four batters in Tuesday's start in Triple-A. 

Rodon entered the start, pitching well for both High-A and Double-A. In his previous two rehab starts, he allowed one run across 9.2 innings on six hits and one walk while striking out 12 batters. 

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Florida Panthers To Select Ninth At NHL Draft After Dropping At Draft Lottery

The lottery balls have spoken.

On Tuesday night, the National Hockey League held its annual Draft Lottery inside the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.

The Florida Panthers entered the event holding the eighth-best chance at winning the lottery and moving up to either the first or second overall selection at next month’s NHL Draft.

While the Panthers did not win either of the draws, two other teams did, meaning two teams were lucky enough to move up in the draft order.

Those teams were the Toronto Maple Leafs, who moved from fifth to first, and the San Jose Sharks, who jumped from ninth to second.

With the Sharks moving up from behind Florida, that bumped the Panthers back one spot, from eighth to ninth.

In their history, the Panthers have only selected ninth overall once. That was in 2002, when Florida selected Czech forward Petr Taticek with the ninth selection.

The pick turned out to be a bust for the Panthers, as Taticek didn’t make his NHL debut until January of 2006 and only played a total of three games for the Panthers before taking his talents overseas the following season.

Now we’ll have to wait and see what Panthers General Manager Bill Zito chooses to do with the pick ahead of the NHL Draft, which is set for June 26 and 27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

Next season the Panthers are expected to re-join the top teams in the league competing for the Stanley Cup, and Zito may want to explore flipping the top-10 pick for a player or players who can help the team win now, as opposed to a young prospect still two or three years away from reaching the NHL.

We’ll see how things play out in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned.

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Photo caption: Jun 28, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; The draft board after round one of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena. (Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images)

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Blues Learn Fate of 2026 First-Round Pick Acquired from Red Wings

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The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery was held on Tuesday evening, an annual event that had become a source of frustration for Detroit Red Wings fans given the staggering number of spots they've fallen back in recent years. 

In 2017, they dropped back two spots. That was followed by slipping one spot in 2018 and two more in 2019. But the most egregious and jaw-dropping example came in 2020, when they fell three spots, from first to fourth, despite finishing with the NHL’s worst record by a wide margin before the COVID-19 pandemic paused the season.

Last season, the Red Wings fell back one spot from 12th to 13th. 

However, Detroit traded their first-round selection in this year's NHL Draft to the St. Louis Blues along with prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, a 2026 third-round pick, and defenseman Justin Holl in return for defenseman Justin Faulk. 

The pick, which was widely projected to be in the middle of the pack, turned out to be just that. The Blues learned their position they'll be selecting with the pick they received from the Red Wings, and it will be 15th overall. 

The Blues, who missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, also picked up the 11th overall selection based on their finish in the standings this season.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

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Not only that, but they also hold a third first-round pick—one that originally belonged to the Colorado Avalanche and was acquired in the trade that sent captain Brayden Schenn to the New York Islanders at the trade deadline.

Red Wings’ Traded First Rounder Gives Blues Slim But Intriguing Shot At Lottery SurpriseRed Wings’ Traded First Rounder Gives Blues Slim But Intriguing Shot At Lottery SurpriseA high-stakes trade deadline gamble leaves St. Louis holding Detroit’s slim lottery odds, creating a tense subplot as the NHL prepares to unveil Tuesday’s franchise-altering draft order.

Meanwhile, one of Detroit's top divisional rivals landed the first overall pick - the Toronto Maple Leafs, a club that had made the playoffs nine straight years but finished in 28th place with 78 points this season. 

The first 16 selections in the 2026 NHL Draft are as follows: 

  1. Toronto Maple Leafs
  2. San Jose Sharks
  3. Vancouver Canucks
  4. Chicago Blackhawks
  5. New York Rangers
  6. Calgary Flames
  7. Seattle Kraken
  8. Winnipeg Jets
  9. Florida Panthers
  10. Nashville Predators
  11. St. Louis Blues
  12. New Jersey Devils
  13. New York Islanders
  14. Columbus Blue Jackets
  15. St. Louis Blues (from Detroit) 
  16. Washington Capitals

Following his acquisition by the Red Wings, Faulk skated in 17 games, scoring five goals while adding three assists. He's under contract for one more season with a $6.5 million salary cap hit. 

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JR Ritchie Named International League Pitcher of Month

Atlanta Braves rookie starting pitcher JR Ritchie came up from Triple-A Gwinnett in the International League back in April, and the hope for him was that he had left that league behind for good. Today the IL came for him – but in a positive way, as Ritchie was named the league’s Pitcher of the Month for April.

Ritchie made five starts in Gwinnett, pitching to a 0.99 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts over 27.1 innings – though that includes one March start. In April he managed a 0.38 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 23.2 innings, which got him the award.

Ritchie has continued to make three starts with the Braves, pitching to a 3.63 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 13 strikeouts over 17.1 innings to start his big league career. Ritchie has mixed some flashes of brilliance along with some struggles against left-handed hitters, but the Braves first round pick in 2022 has shown why he has earned some rankings on Top 100 Prospect lists.

According to the press release:

“Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) right-hander JR Ritchie went 3-0 with a 0.38 ERA in four starts as he allowed one earned run on 10 hits and 10 walks over 23.2 innings. He led the league in ERA (0.38), average against (.135) and WHIP (0.85). Ritchie was promoted to Atlanta on April 23 and recorded his first Major League win that night in Washington, D.C. Ritchie, 22, was selected by Atlanta in the Competitive Balance Round A (35th overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Bainbridge High School in Bainbridge Island, Washington.”

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Dodgers vs. Astros game II chat

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 04: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two-run single in the third inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on May 04, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Dodgers followed a three-game win streak with a four-game losing streak, and have now won their last two. Will the streakiness continue tonight?

Tuesday game info
  • Teams: Dodgers at Astros
  • Ballpark: Daikin Park, Houston
  • Time: 5:10 p.m. PT
  • TV: SportsNet LA, TBS (Brian Anderson, Ron Darling; out of market)
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

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Blues Lose Out On Draft Lottery, Will Pick No. 11, 15 In First Round Along With Avalanche Pick At End of First Round

The St. Louis Blues will remain right where they started.

The NHL held its draft lottery on Tuesday night in New Jersey, and the Blues will remain in their two lottery picks when the process started, No. 11 with their pick and No. 15 as a result of getting the Detroit Red Wings' pick from the March 6 trade that sent Justin Faulk to Motown.

The chances were slim, and as process was unveiled for the top overall pick, which went to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were fifth in the process, the Blues moved up from three percent to 6.1 percent but ultimately fell out of the running.

The best the Blues could do with the pick from the Red Wings was move up to No. 5.

The 2026 NHL Draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

Coming out of the Olympic break, the Blues had the second-worst record in the NHL, which meant they had the second-best odds at winning the lottery selection, but even the Vancouver Canucks, who finished with the worst record in the league this season and had the best overall odds, slipped down to No. 3, behind the Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks, who took Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 pick in 2024.

The Blues also hold the pick of the Colorado Avalanche and that will be determined when the Avalanche are done in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and at this time, looks like it will be at the back end of the first round. That pick came in a trade with the New York Islanders on March 6 for Brayden Schenn.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was asked about finishing 17-5-3 in the final 25 games and went from second-worst in the league standings to 11th, where they will currently pick.

"Once the season’s over, you wish you had the high pick," Armstrong said on April 18. "It’s the pain of going through that to get it. I did talk to the players after the trade deadline and I told them, our mandate (was) we’re going to bring up younger players and we’re going to put them in positions that reflect what we want to see them. Theo [Lindstein] came up, he never played an NHL game and he was a top four defenseman. It’s not like we hid him as a seven. [Dalibor] Dvorsky against the other teams’ top players a lot of nights with Robert [Thomas]. [Otto] Stenberg came up, [Logan] Mailloux, what was his ice time pre- and post-Olympics? I said to the players, ‘We have a plan. Your job is to disrupt the plan. You’re professionals. This is how you make your living. I expect you to disrupt our plan, and they did and I give them full marks. Could we have picked (No.) 2 or 3 this year? It would have ... I think there would be less belief in our group. In the players that you have asked about, that you have talked about, there would be a lot less belief in that if we just had rolled over and just got door-matted for the last seven weeks of the season."

What will the Blues do now? They know they have options, including trade their picks in order to try and move up, use them in a NHL trade or simply keep one, two or all and select players they feel can benefit them in the future. Or they could accumulate more picks and move down if there's a benefit to do that. So lots of options.

"We’ll get our list together and the way that I’ve done it in the past is OK, give me lines, blocks of players. Where’s a block? So if there’s a block of four guys and we want to get into that block, then yeah," Armstrong said. "Yes we would, I guess that’s the long answer. We would move up if we can. We’ll also move back if we don’t like what we see. We can use the picks, we can use prospects, we can use players, but every team is the same in that fashion. If there’s somebody there that we believe is in a block outside of our pick and we can acquire him, we’ll give it our best chance. You also have to have someone that wants to move out of that pick too."

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NHL mock draft 2026: Instant projection after Maple Leafs win lottery

ALBANY, NEW YORK - MARCH 27: Gavin McKenna #72 of the Penn State Nittany Lions skates against the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in the first period during the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Regional Championship Semifinal at the MVP Arena on March 27, 2026 in Albany, New York. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Stanley Cup Playoffs roll on, but on Tuesday night the league conducted the 2026 NHL Draft lottery with the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the No. 1 pick, and the right to draft either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg in a class with more parity at the top than originally expected.

McKenna was viewed as the grand prize for much of the 2025-26 season. The rangy left wing already has good height, great playmaking, and a knack for driving the pace from the wing — making him a low-risk top overall pick. At times he’s been compared to Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, though personally, I don’t think he has quite the same ceiling as either phenom. Still, he’s a franchise cornerstone player, and it will be interesting to see whether a team chooses to keep him at his natural LW, or tries to convert him into a center.

The choice at No. 1 will be between McKenna and Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg, who has been racing up the boards as scouts take a deeper look into his run in the SHL. It’s unusual for a true 18-year-old to have any modicum of success in a pro league, but Stenberg more than held his own with his hockey IQ, and a shot volume that routinely made him one of the biggest threats on the ice for Frölunda HC. That pro-readiness is appealing for a team looking for an immediate impact, and his polish could cause him to be the top overall pick.

We’ll take a deeper dive into this year’s class as the draft approaches, but for now here’s a rapid-fire mock draft involving the teams in the lottery for the 2026 NHL Draft.

PickTeamPlayerPositionCurrent TeamLeague
1Toronto Maple LeafsGavin McKennaLWPenn StateNCAA
2San Jose SharksIvar StenbergLW/RWFrölunda HCSHL
3Vancouver CanucksKeaton VerhoeffDNorth DakotaNCAA
4Chicago BlackhawksChase ReidDSoo GreyhoundsOHL
5New York RangersTynan LawrenceCBoston UniversityNCAA
6Calgary FlamesCaleb MalhotraCBrantford BulldogsOHL
7Seattle KrakenViggo BjörckC/RWDjurgårdens IFSHL
8Winnipeg JetsEthan BelchetzLWWindsor SpitfiresOHL
9Florida PanthersCarson CarelsDPrince George CougarsWHL
10Nashville PredatorsDaxon RudolphDPrince Albert RaidersWHL
11St. Louis BluesAdam NovotnyLW/RWPetersborough PetesOHL
12New Jersey DevilsRyan LinDVancouver GiantsWHL
13New York IslandersMathis PrestonCSpokane ChiefsWHL
14Columbus Blue JacketsOliver SuvantoCTapparaLiiga
15St. Louis Blues (from Detroit)Albert SmitsDJukuritLiiga
16Washington CapitalsXavier VilleneuveDBlainville-Boisbriand ArmadaQMHL

As a reminder, these were the lottery odds for winning the first draw entering Tuesday night.

Vancouver Canucks — 18.5%
Chicago Blackhawks — 13.5%
New York Rangers — 11.5%
Calgary Flames — 9.5%
Toronto Maple Leafs (Top 5 protected to Bruins) — 8.5%
Seattle Kraken — 7.5%
Winnipeg Jets — 6.5%
Florida Panthers — 6.0%
San Jose Sharks — 5.0%
Nashville Predators — 3.5%
St. Louis Blues — 3.0%
New Jersey Devils — 2.5%
New York Islanders — 2.0%
Columbus Blue Jackets — 1.5%
St. Louis Blues (from Red Wings) — 0.5%
Washington Capitals — 0.5%

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Canadiens' Ivan Demidov Named Finalist For Top NHL Award

Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov has officially been named a finalist for the 2025-26 Calder Memorial Trophy. 

New York Islanders defenseman Matther Schaefer and Anaheim Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke are also finalists for this year's Calder.

When noting that Demidov had a very good rookie season for the Canadiens this campaign, it is easy to understand why he is a finalist for the Calder. The 20-year-old rookie has immediately cemented himself as a legitimate top-six NHL forward and a huge part of the Canadiens' roster because of it.

In 82 games this campaign with the Canadiens, Demidov scored 19 goals and led all NHL rookies with 43 assists and 62 points. With numbers like these, the young forward thrived this campaign for the Habs and should only get better as he continues to gain more experience. 

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Were all of Victor Wembanyama's blocks legitimate? Timberwolves say No.

Not everyone was over the moon that Victor Wembanyama broke the NBA playoff record for most blocks in a game during Game 1 of the conference semifinals between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, Monday, May 4.

The 2026 Defensive Player of the Year finished with 12 blocks on the night, passing the previous mark by two. He also was one swat shy of Dwight Howard’s record for blocks in one half of a playoff game in what ended up being a triple-double performance with 11 points and 15 rebounds.

A day after the remarkable outing in San Antonio, members of the Timberwolves decried Wembanyama’s final stats after even they they earned a 104-102 road win. After coaches and players looked at the game tape, they came to the conclusion that several of Wembanyama’s blocks were not actually blocks, but uncalled goaltending.

“Obviously, he had a historic night, but when we looked at ‘em, at least four of ‘em were goaltending, maybe even a fifth,” Minnesota head coach Chris Finch told reporters Tuesday, May 5. “To me, it’s a little alarming that none of ‘em were called.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Timberwolves edge Spurs in Anthony Edwards' return from injury

Timberwolves center and Wembanyama’s fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert agreed that not all of the blocks should have registered as such on the box score.

“He fouled me on the first one,” Gobert told reporters. “But I mean, if you look at them, probably three or four (goaltends).”

Finch continued by saying the game officials should have “heightened awareness” of Wembanyama, “a generational shot-blocker” and his style of play. He noted that if Wembanyama, who is known as “the Alien,” had the estimated four goaltends called instead of blocks, that would add up to eight points for the Timberwolves.

“You know the value of eight points in an NBA game? It’s massive,” he said. “That’s also 33 percent of his blocks were goaltending, uncalled. If I were to give you a 33 percent raise, you’d like that, right? That’s a huge number.”

NBA PLAYOFF BRACKET: Scores, schedule, odds for conference semifinals

Finch assured that his squad, which includes four-time All-Star Anthony Edwards, isn’t fazed by the disparity. The conference semifinals continue with Game 2 Wednesday night in San Antonio.

“We’re gonna keep coming,” he said. “And we got to make some better decisions in how we attack the rim. All credit to the guys for not being discouraged.”

Gobert showed how the team was keeping a lighthearted attitude.

“I wish I had that type of treatment, too,” he laughed with reporters.

Victor Wemanyama Game 1 highlights

Watch extended highlights of Wembayama's historic triple-double on May, 4, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Timberwolves' Chris Finch, Rudy Gobert question Wembanyama blocks

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The under-the-radar fix Mike Brown knows Knicks need to make against 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey #0 goes up for a shot against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns #32 in the second quarter.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey goes up for a shot against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns in the second quarter.

The discrepancy was startling. 

So much so that, just looking at the box score, it’s hard to believe it existed along with the final score. 

The Knicks took half the number of free throws as the 76ers — 17 to Philadelphia’s 34 — during their 137-98 Game 1 rout Monday night at Madison Square Garden.

Joel Embiid scored eight of his 14 points from the free-throw line. Tyrese Maxey scored seven of his 13 points from the line. 

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (R) is fouled by New York Knicks center Ariel Hukporti (L) in the first half during the Eastern Conference Semifinals, game one in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, on May 4, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST

It went under the radar given the margin of victory. But Knicks coach Mike Brown knows it would behoove the Knicks to not let it continue. 

“Maxey and Embiid are really, really good at drawing fouls,” Brown said after practice Tuesday. “Maxey’s speed, he’s gonna drive and he’s gonna attack the chest. I thought our guys did on some of the calls, but most of them, you can’t lead with your hands, you gotta lead with your chest and hope that the referee sees that at times we’re not initiating the contact. But we can’t put ourselves in the position to put the whistle in the referees’ hands. Make them call a no call. So we gotta do better leading with our chest and showing our hands. 

“And then with Embiid, he’s really crafty. Shot fake, shot fake and he can still shoot it, whether it’s from 2 or 3. So we have to be disciplined, we have to stay down and figure out how to be a second jumper while having contests from behind and stuff like that. But we can’t send those two guys to the free-throw line, and the rest of their team, 34 times and expect to get a win, especially if we only go 17.” 

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey goes up for a shot against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns in the second quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Brown began his news conference Tuesday by sending his wishes to 76ers coach Nick Nurse. 

Nurse’s brother, Ian, died unexpectedly April 29, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

“I heard about his brother, Ian, and I’d like to pass my condolences along to Nick Nurse and his family, his brother’s family and all their friends,” Brown said. “Life is precious. You don’t wish that upon anybody. So I’d like to pass along my condolences to him and his family while they’re going through these times.” 

Miles McBride believes that, given the 76ers’ lack of depth, the Knicks’ physicality can have a cumulative effect over the course of the series. 

“It can definitely play a part if you’re being realistic,” McBride said Tuesday. “If you have more guys running them, being physical can definitely play a big factor.”

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James Dolan spins Sphere earnings call into playful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander jab

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows New York Knicks owner James Dolan sitting courtside at an NBA Playoffs game, Image 2 shows Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts during a basketball game
Dolan-SGA

Knicks owner James Dolan was having some fun during a Sphere Entertainment earnings call Tuesday when he cracked a joke that alluded to a star of another team.

According to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, Dolan made the joke when he was asked about the SG&A costs — the costs related to running the business day to day that exclude direct production expenses — during the call.

“Boy, I’m really tempted to crack a joke here,” Dolan said. “So I guess I will. So SG&A is a great basketball player. And when we get to the Finals, I’m sure we’re going to beat them.”

Knicks owner James Dolan sitting in the front row during Game 6 against the Hawks. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

The Knicks and Garden boss was alluding to the nickname for Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is commonly referred to as SGA for short.

And SGA has become a bit of an antagonist for the Knicks during a recent meeting when the Thunder visited Manhattan and defeated the Knicks 103-100 on March 4.

Head coach Mike Brown earned a technical foul during the game after he complained to the referees about a missed foul on Gilgeous-Alexander that would have been his third of the game late in the first quarter.

Afterward, Brown used his postgame news conference to call out the way Gilgeous-Alexander plays.

“SGA, he’s a tough cover, and he does a great job of convincing the referees — probably better than anybody in the league — that he’s getting hit,” Brown said.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts during the game against the Phoenix Suns. NBAE via Getty Images

The Knicks are currently in the middle of a second-round playoff series with the 76ers, whom they defeated handily Monday night, 137-98 in Game 1.

Dolan may have been joking on the earnings call, but the Knicks could end up facing SGA and the Thunder if Oklahoma City reaches the NBA Finals.

The Knicks will have to knock out the Sixers and the winner of the Detroit Pistons-Cleveland Cavaliers series, and Oklahoma City has to defeat the Lakers in a best-of-seven series and then dispatch the winner of the Minnesota Timberwolves-San Antonio Spurs series for it to happen.

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Vancouver Canucks Lose 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, Will Pick Third Overall

The Vancouver Canucks have lost the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery. Despite having the best odds at first overall, the Canucks will instead pick third. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the San Jose Sharks won the draft lottery and will pick first and second overall.

Vancouver has selected third overall on four occasions. With the third pick, they selected Jocelyn Guevremont (1971), Don Lever (1972), Dennis Ververgaert (1973) and Henrik Sedin (1999). Some prospects who could be selected third overall include Caleb Malhotra, Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoeff. 

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is scheduled for June 26-27, 2026, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The Canucks enter the draft with 10 picks, including four in the first two rounds. The last three third overall picks were Anton Frondell, Beckett Sennecke and Adam Fantilli.

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Chicago Blackhawks Fall In 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, Will Make 4th Overall Pick

On Tuesday night, the National Hockey League conducted the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery. Every team that missed the playoffs participated with a weighted chance based on how they finished in the standings. 

The Chicago Blackhawks had a 13.5 percent chance to win the first overall pick, a 14.1 percent chance to retain the second overall pick, a 30.7 percent chance to drop to third, and a 41.7 percent chance of dropping two spots to fourth. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the first lottery and will make the first overall pick. With all of the turmoil going on within that organization, this is their chance to move past it. 

The second draw was won by the San Jose Sharks, who moved all the way up from 9th to get the second overall pick. They took major strides in 2025-26, and they will still make another great draft pick. 

Both teams that won the lottery were below the Chicago Blackhawks on the board, so they have slipped down to 4th overall. The Vancouver Canucks will slip into that third overall spot. 

Now, it is unlikely that the Chicago Blackhawks will land one of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, but plenty of other great prospects will be there for them to consider with the 4th overall pick. 

Prospects Blackhawks Will Consider If Picking 3rd Or 4thProspects Blackhawks Will Consider If Picking 3rd Or 4thThe Chicago Blackhawks may end up picking 3rd or 4th if the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery doesn't go their way. Still, they'd be getting a tremendous player.
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