Huascar Brazobán thought he had just gotten out of a big-time jam in the top half of the fifth inning on Tuesday afternoon at Citi Field. And in all other years of Major League Baseball’s history, the Mets' reliever did just that.
But this season is different from all others before it, and home plate umpire Brian O'Nora’s called strike three was merely an initial ruling and not the final word declaring Adrian Del Castillo guilty of being caught looking at a fastball on the inside corner to leave the bases loaded.
The Diamondbacks’ DH initiated the appeals process and the ABS challenge system quickly overruled O’Nora’s enthusiastic call as the right-hander’s pitch was 0.3 inches off the plate.
“It plays a big factor, big role,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of ABS after the game. “It was a really good challenge from [Del Castillo], really close pitch. Gotta give them credit there.”
Brazobán, who celebrated as a reliever is expected to after believing they ended a threat and preserved a 2-0 lead, had to quickly regain his composure for a 2-2 count. But it was Del Castillo who triumphed, driving the very next pitch, a 90 mph changeup that went right over the heart of the plate, into right field for a game-tying single.
“They got him there,” the manager said.
Mendoza added that the mental side of the new ABS challenge system was something they discussed with the players at the start of spring training.
“That particular spot right there, when there’s traffic, when there’s runners on. And you think you executed a pitch, you get the call, and then the hitter challenges,” Mendoza continued. “And then you gotta get back on the mound. That’s not an easy situation, and it’s new for all of us here.
“You think you’re out of the woods, and before you know it, you gotta get back on the mound.”
Reliever Luke Weaver called the situation the “challenge part” of the new system.
"I think that is the perfect example of what the ABS has for us,” Weaver said. “We want to get things right. We want the hitter obviously wanting to be right, and he was, but it's very close.”
He added that while he hasn’t gotten to experience the emotion of a big overturn going against him, “I just imagine that your body just kind of tends to want to lean towards the celebratory part of it, but you've kind of got to hold yourself.”
“It's kind of like the play in the field when the challenge happens. You see it as an out, and then you start to walk, and the umpire holds you up. There's this weird no man's land feel,” he continued. “I think it's a similar thing with the ABS, and in a crucial moment like that in a big inning, it's just so close.
“It can be disheartening, but I think if you're in a good frame of mind, which it's not always going to happen, I think you've got to fight for that. I think you've got to fight to be prepared for the worst and then be excited when it happens, because it's going to happen your way at some point."
The Diamondbacks took advantage of baseball's new reality by scoring three runs, including an RBI bloop double one batter later, but for Brazobán and the rest of the Mets, the learning experience was served with a side of victory after a walk-off win in the 10th.
Apr 7, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers (27) reacts to hitting a two RBI double during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images | Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images
After a pair of disappointing losses, the Tigers looked to right the ship on another chilly evening in Minneapolis. Despite having their ace on the mound, and the Twins putting together a far-from-fearsome lineup these days, those bats did enough to knock our starter around and secure a 4-2 victory for the Minnesotans.
Tarik Skubal made his third start of the season, and he’s been doing Skubally things so far. Coming into tonight he’d struck out nine and walked exactly zero in thirteen innings. Would tonight be the night he’d walk a guy?
Making his third start of the year for the Twins was Taj Bradley. After two seasons in the Rays’ rotation, he was traded to Minnesota at the trade deadline for Griffin Jax. Remember last year when the Twins had a little fire-sale? I sure do. They managed to procure a pair of good young starters in Bradley and Mick Abel, who will no doubt be a pain for the Tigers.
With one out in the second, Zach McKinstry doubled to right field, and Spencer Torkelson hit a single to put runners at the corners. Parker Meadows then struck out on a nasty splitter for the second out, and Javier Báez got plunked to load the bases, but Colt Keith promptly grounded out to second and that was that.
Skubal found himself in a mini-jam of his own in the bottom of the inning, after a one-out double by Victor Caratini and a single by Josh Bell to put runners on the corners. But then Skubal bore down and got a strikeout and a flyout to get out of it.
The bottom of the next inning saw the Twins get two singles to lead off, and Austin Martin hit into a double play, putting the lead runner on third with two outs. But then a soft comebacker to Skubal got him out of the inning.
A similar thing happened in the next inning: a Kevin McGonigle throwing error and a single to centre put two runners on with two out, and Royce Lewis lofted a fly ball towards the left-field fence, but Riley Greene hauled it in for the third out. But you can only play with fire long enough before it singes your fingertips.
The bottom of the fifth featured Skubal’s first walk of the year, to Byron Buxton (check your Bingo cards, everyone). And then he went and walked the next hitter, Martin, to put another two runners on. Since you can only play with fire for so long before getting burned, Luke Keaschall singled to centre to score Buxton and open the scoring. Ryan Jeffers followed with a two-run double to right to score both Martin and Keaschall; he was 1-for-25 before this plate appearance off Skubal in his career. After a strikeout, Bell blasted a double to make it 4-0 and end Skubal’s day. Tyler Holton came in and got a sharp grounder to second for the third out, but the damage had been done.
In the top of the seventh, and with Bradley still on the mound, the Tigers got a pair of singles from Torkelson and Meadows. Báez struck out, Bradley left in favour of Taylor Rogers, and Keith was replaced by Jahmai Jones, who flew out to right and pushed Torkelson to third. McGonigle singled to left, scoring Torkelson and making the score 4-1. But Gleyber Torres struck out and the inning ended.
Connor Seabold replaced Holton to start the seventh, and he threw a pleasantly boring inning.
With two out in the top of the eighth, Cole Sands walked McKinstry and Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter, who hadn’t started the past two days due to an illness, came on to pinch-hit for Meadows. Eric Orze replaced Sands to face Carpenter, but alas, he struck out and the threat was extinguished.
Seabold carried on into the bottom of the eighth, and perhaps he shouldn’t have, allowing a pair of singles to start the inning. After a strikeout and a walk, the bases were loaded with one out. Seabold then struck out Brooks Lee looking, surprising him with a low fastball, to bring up Buxton… who fouled-out to Torkelson for the third out.
The Tigers had some signs of life in the ninth: Báez doubled to lead off the ninth, but Jones struck out for the first out. McGonigle followed, and of course he came through, anticipating a splitter down and scraping it almost off the firt for a sharp double down the right field line. That knocked Báez in for a 4-2 score. Justin Topa replaced Orze, Torres grounded out for the second out, pushing McGonigle up to third; Greene walked to put runners at the corners. Alas, Dillon Dingler grounded out softly to shortstop and the game was over.
Coming into tonight’s game, the Tigers were tied for last (with the Orioles) in the American League with seven home runs.
The Astros have the most homers with fifteen, but what jumps out the most with me for Houston is the number of doubles they’ve hit: they have 34, and the second-place team, Boston, has 19. Wow! (The Tigers are in third place with 18, so there’s your extra-base power, I guess.)
On this day in 1795, France officially adopted the kilogram as its unit of mass. I’m a giant fan of the metric system, and the kilogram is the basic unit of mass around which lots of other units are built (the newton, the joule, the watt, and others). Ounces, pounds, bushels, hogsheads, fathoms, acres? Get outta here with that hot nonsense, buddy! Keep it metric!
Apr 7, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers (27) reacts to hitting a two RBI double during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images | Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images
After a pair of disappointing losses, the Tigers looked to right the ship on another chilly evening in Minneapolis. Despite having their ace on the mound, and the Twins putting together a far-from-fearsome lineup these days, those bats did enough to knock our starter around and secure a 4-2 victory for the Minnesotans.
Tarik Skubal made his third start of the season, and he’s been doing Skubally things so far. Coming into tonight he’d struck out nine and walked exactly zero in thirteen innings. Would tonight be the night he’d walk a guy?
Making his third start of the year for the Twins was Taj Bradley. After two seasons in the Rays’ rotation, he was traded to Minnesota at the trade deadline for Griffin Jax. Remember last year when the Twins had a little fire-sale? I sure do. They managed to procure a pair of good young starters in Bradley and Mick Abel, who will no doubt be a pain for the Tigers.
With one out in the second, Zach McKinstry doubled to right field, and Spencer Torkelson hit a single to put runners at the corners. Parker Meadows then struck out on a nasty splitter for the second out, and Javier Báez got plunked to load the bases, but Colt Keith promptly grounded out to second and that was that.
Skubal found himself in a mini-jam of his own in the bottom of the inning, after a one-out double by Victor Caratini and a single by Josh Bell to put runners on the corners. But then Skubal bore down and got a strikeout and a flyout to get out of it.
The bottom of the next inning saw the Twins get two singles to lead off, and Austin Martin hit into a double play, putting the lead runner on third with two outs. But then a soft comebacker to Skubal got him out of the inning.
A similar thing happened in the next inning: a Kevin McGonigle throwing error and a single to centre put two runners on with two out, and Royce Lewis lofted a fly ball towards the left-field fence, but Riley Greene hauled it in for the third out. But you can only play with fire long enough before it singes your fingertips.
The bottom of the fifth featured Skubal’s first walk of the year, to Byron Buxton (check your Bingo cards, everyone). And then he went and walked the next hitter, Martin, to put another two runners on. Since you can only play with fire for so long before getting burned, Luke Keaschall singled to centre to score Buxton and open the scoring. Ryan Jeffers followed with a two-run double to right to score both Martin and Keaschall; he was 1-for-25 before this plate appearance off Skubal in his career. After a strikeout, Bell blasted a double to make it 4-0 and end Skubal’s day. Tyler Holton came in and got a sharp grounder to second for the third out, but the damage had been done.
In the top of the seventh, and with Bradley still on the mound, the Tigers got a pair of singles from Torkelson and Meadows. Báez struck out, Bradley left in favour of Taylor Rogers, and Keith was replaced by Jahmai Jones, who flew out to right and pushed Torkelson to third. McGonigle singled to left, scoring Torkelson and making the score 4-1. But Gleyber Torres struck out and the inning ended.
Connor Seabold replaced Holton to start the seventh, and he threw a pleasantly boring inning.
With two out in the top of the eighth, Cole Sands walked McKinstry and Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter, who hadn’t started the past two days due to an illness, came on to pinch-hit for Meadows. Eric Orze replaced Sands to face Carpenter, but alas, he struck out and the threat was extinguished.
Seabold carried on into the bottom of the eighth, and perhaps he shouldn’t have, allowing a pair of singles to start the inning. After a strikeout and a walk, the bases were loaded with one out. Seabold then struck out Brooks Lee looking, surprising him with a low fastball, to bring up Buxton… who fouled-out to Torkelson for the third out.
The Tigers had some signs of life in the ninth: Báez doubled to lead off the ninth, but Jones struck out for the first out. McGonigle followed, and of course he came through, anticipating a splitter down and scraping it almost off the firt for a sharp double down the right field line. That knocked Báez in for a 4-2 score. Justin Topa replaced Orze, Torres grounded out for the second out, pushing McGonigle up to third; Greene walked to put runners at the corners. Alas, Dillon Dingler grounded out softly to shortstop and the game was over.
Coming into tonight’s game, the Tigers were tied for last (with the Orioles) in the American League with seven home runs.
The Astros have the most homers with fifteen, but what jumps out the most with me for Houston is the number of doubles they’ve hit: they have 34, and the second-place team, Boston, has 19. Wow! (The Tigers are in third place with 18, so there’s your extra-base power, I guess.)
On this day in 1795, France officially adopted the kilogram as its unit of mass. I’m a giant fan of the metric system, and the kilogram is the basic unit of mass around which lots of other units are built (the newton, the joule, the watt, and others). Ounces, pounds, bushels, hogsheads, fathoms, acres? Get outta here with that hot nonsense, buddy! Keep it metric!
Apr 7, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers (27) reacts to hitting a two RBI double during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images | Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images
After a pair of disappointing losses, the Tigers looked to right the ship on another chilly evening in Minneapolis. Despite having their ace on the mound, and the Twins putting together a far-from-fearsome lineup these days, those bats did enough to knock our starter around and secure a 4-2 victory for the Minnesotans.
Tarik Skubal made his third start of the season, and he’s been doing Skubally things so far. Coming into tonight he’d struck out nine and walked exactly zero in thirteen innings. Would tonight be the night he’d walk a guy?
Making his third start of the year for the Twins was Taj Bradley. After two seasons in the Rays’ rotation, he was traded to Minnesota at the trade deadline for Griffin Jax. Remember last year when the Twins had a little fire-sale? I sure do. They managed to procure a pair of good young starters in Bradley and Mick Abel, who will no doubt be a pain for the Tigers.
With one out in the second, Zach McKinstry doubled to right field, and Spencer Torkelson hit a single to put runners at the corners. Parker Meadows then struck out on a nasty splitter for the second out, and Javier Báez got plunked to load the bases, but Colt Keith promptly grounded out to second and that was that.
Skubal found himself in a mini-jam of his own in the bottom of the inning, after a one-out double by Victor Caratini and a single by Josh Bell to put runners on the corners. But then Skubal bore down and got a strikeout and a flyout to get out of it.
The bottom of the next inning saw the Twins get two singles to lead off, and Austin Martin hit into a double play, putting the lead runner on third with two outs. But then a soft comebacker to Skubal got him out of the inning.
A similar thing happened in the next inning: a Kevin McGonigle throwing error and a single to centre put two runners on with two out, and Royce Lewis lofted a fly ball towards the left-field fence, but Riley Greene hauled it in for the third out. But you can only play with fire long enough before it singes your fingertips.
The bottom of the fifth featured Skubal’s first walk of the year, to Byron Buxton (check your Bingo cards, everyone). And then he went and walked the next hitter, Martin, to put another two runners on. Since you can only play with fire for so long before getting burned, Luke Keaschall singled to centre to score Buxton and open the scoring. Ryan Jeffers followed with a two-run double to right to score both Martin and Keaschall; he was 1-for-25 before this plate appearance off Skubal in his career. After a strikeout, Bell blasted a double to make it 4-0 and end Skubal’s day. Tyler Holton came in and got a sharp grounder to second for the third out, but the damage had been done.
In the top of the seventh, and with Bradley still on the mound, the Tigers got a pair of singles from Torkelson and Meadows. Báez struck out, Bradley left in favour of Taylor Rogers, and Keith was replaced by Jahmai Jones, who flew out to right and pushed Torkelson to third. McGonigle singled to left, scoring Torkelson and making the score 4-1. But Gleyber Torres struck out and the inning ended.
Connor Seabold replaced Holton to start the seventh, and he threw a pleasantly boring inning.
With two out in the top of the eighth, Cole Sands walked McKinstry and Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter, who hadn’t started the past two days due to an illness, came on to pinch-hit for Meadows. Eric Orze replaced Sands to face Carpenter, but alas, he struck out and the threat was extinguished.
Seabold carried on into the bottom of the eighth, and perhaps he shouldn’t have, allowing a pair of singles to start the inning. After a strikeout and a walk, the bases were loaded with one out. Seabold then struck out Brooks Lee looking, surprising him with a low fastball, to bring up Buxton… who fouled-out to Torkelson for the third out.
The Tigers had some signs of life in the ninth: Báez doubled to lead off the ninth, but Jones struck out for the first out. McGonigle followed, and of course he came through, anticipating a splitter down and scraping it almost off the firt for a sharp double down the right field line. That knocked Báez in for a 4-2 score. Justin Topa replaced Orze, Torres grounded out for the second out, pushing McGonigle up to third; Greene walked to put runners at the corners. Alas, Dillon Dingler grounded out softly to shortstop and the game was over.
Coming into tonight’s game, the Tigers were tied for last (with the Orioles) in the American League with seven home runs.
The Astros have the most homers with fifteen, but what jumps out the most with me for Houston is the number of doubles they’ve hit: they have 34, and the second-place team, Boston, has 19. Wow! (The Tigers are in third place with 18, so there’s your extra-base power, I guess.)
On this day in 1795, France officially adopted the kilogram as its unit of mass. I’m a giant fan of the metric system, and the kilogram is the basic unit of mass around which lots of other units are built (the newton, the joule, the watt, and others). Ounces, pounds, bushels, hogsheads, fathoms, acres? Get outta here with that hot nonsense, buddy! Keep it metric!
NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 7: Bez Mbeng #21 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 7, 2026 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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 Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Jazz lose. Nets win. You can’t ask for a more successful night at this point in the season. Hopefully the Kings can win tonight to complete a perfect night for the Jazz.
Cody Williams – C
Cody had a pair of airballs tonight, and also went 0-5 from deep, but his midrange shot continues to look pretty nice. He also had some impressive passes in transition.
Brice Sensabaugh – C
Tough night for Brice, who went 2-8 from deep. He also couldn’t get a call to go his way either which didn’t help. He has looked better on defense and has made some strides as a passer.
Kyle Filipowski – B
Flip’s minutes suffered tonight because he’s another guy that is too good for the tank. In his 19 minutes he was solid, putting up 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. The reigning Summer League MVP will have his minutes return to normal when the season mercifully ends, and the Jazz are playing meaningful basketball again.
Kennedy Chandler –A
Forgive me Kennedy Chandler I was unfamiliar with your game! I remember when the Jazz first signed him to a 10 day contract I looked up his stats, and when I saw that he was listed at 5’11 and shot 13% from deep I thought that he would be back in the G league or playing overseas when his 10 day expired. I am so glad I was wrong, as Chandler has been really solid in the few games he has played with the Jazz so far. Tonight was his best game by a mile, he logged a career high in points, with 31, and rebounds with 7. He also had 8 assists. The Jazz would be wise to see what they have in Chandler and keep him around for Summer League.
John Konchar –A
Thurl Bailey’s favorite Jazz man secured himself his second career triple double. Konchar continues to be a calm and reliable presence on the court. He also was very kind and passed on a freebie layup to give Brice (who had a frustrating game) a bucket. A very classy move from the veteran.
Bez Mbeng – A
Bez had his best game as a Jazzman as well tonight. He had 26 points on efficient shooting and had 5 steals. There’s no question about his defensive ability, it’s just a matter of developing his shot from deep. Luckily for him he’s got two more seasons to work on it with the Jazz.
Oscar Tshiebwe –C
Tshiebwe shot efficiently tonight, and nabbed 7 rebounds. He’s just not the most impactful player, and I doubt he will be on the squad next year, but I will forever be an Oscar Tshiebwe fan.
Blake Hinson –B+
Blake is such a good shooter that the Jazz couldn’t risk him getting too much playing time tonight. He played 5 minutes before he was pulled, and he wouldn’t return until the game was safely out of reach. When he returned he secured the triple double for Konchar, and immediately followed it up with a steal, and a 3 ball. 10 points in 11 minutes, with 3 assists is awesome. What a great pickup Hinson has been for the Jazz.
Jordan Poole/Jeremiah Fears – A+
Poole, and Fears saved this game for the Pelicans, who found themselves down by double digits at the end of the first quarter. That’s when Poole, and Fears locked in and dropped 34, and 40 respectively. Jazz nation is forever in their debt!
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 7: Brendan Donovan #33 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field on April 7, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 3, Mariners 2
Something that is good or, sometimes, less bad: J.P. Crawford, +.016 WPA Something that is less good or, sometimes, bad: Dominic Canzone -.270 WPA
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 7: Brendan Donovan #33 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field on April 7, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 3, Mariners 2
Something that is good or, sometimes, less bad: J.P. Crawford, +.016 WPA Something that is less good or, sometimes, bad: Dominic Canzone -.270 WPA
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 7: Brendan Donovan #33 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field on April 7, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 3, Mariners 2
Something that is good or, sometimes, less bad: J.P. Crawford, +.016 WPA Something that is less good or, sometimes, bad: Dominic Canzone -.270 WPA
NEW YORK (AP) — E.J. Liddell scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 96-90 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
Ben Saraf added 19, while DrakePowell and Malachi Smith each had 11 for the Nets (20-59), who have won two straight and three of their last five.
AJ Green scored 20 points for Milwaukee, which dropped to 31-48. Taurean Prince added 16 points, Cormac Ryan chipped in with 14 and Jericho Sims had 12.
Five years after the Bucks edged the Nets in Game 7 of a thrilling second-round series on their way to the NBA championship, both teams are out of the playoff race and Milwaukee's Doc Rivers indicated before the game he might not coach much longer.
Liddell, who came off a 15-point, five-rebound, two blocked shots effort in Brooklyn’s 121-115 win over Washington on Sunday, scored 17 points in the first half. But he was the only Nets player to score in double figures in the opening 24 minutes and Brooklyn only led 49-43 at halftime.
The game remained close throughout the third quarter, with the Nets holding a 70-62 advantage.
Brooklyn extended its lead to 83-72 in the first five minutes of the fourth. Saraf converted a one-legged fadeaway and had a breakaway dunk in consecutive possessions.
Milwaukee cut the deficit to 88-87 on Prince’s corner 3 with 2:28 left. But that was as close as the Bucks would come.
Up next
Bucks: Visit Central Division rival Detroit on Wednesday.
Nets: Conclude the home portion of their 2025-26 season against Indiana on Thursday.
ATLANTA — There were only about 3 ¹/₂ minutes remaining in a game that the Knicks felt they had to win to build momentum and confidence.
They trailed the Hawks by five. They had just 92 points. They needed offense in a half-court set because the game had slowed down.
Just like the playoffs.
And they found something.
Five times over their next six possessions — interrupted only by a transition bucket off a turnover — the Knicks ran the same play: Brunson brought up the ball and gave it to Karl-Anthony Towns, who was on the wing at the 3-point line with a defender pressuring him.
The same spot every time.
From there, options were abundant and, as it turned out, highly efficient.
Jalen Brunson celebrates after hitting a shot during the Knicks’ win over the Hawks on April 6, 2026 in Atlanta. NBAE via Getty Images
Brunson twice hit runners in the lane off give-and-gos; KAT drew a foul after spinning around his draping defender; Brunson hit an open 3-pointer after a dribble handoff because his defender couldn’t get around Towns.
Half of Towns’ six assists were collected in a 40-second stretch of crunch time. The Knicks went from down five to up two, eventually beating the Hawks 108-105 on Monday night.
It became an example of two gifted offensive players — KAT and Brunson — working in harmony, rather than taking turns as they had for most of this campaign.
“I thought we did a great job [Monday] of utilizing it,” Towns said. “When the game got dicey, the coaching staff and our teammates leaned on us to have that two-man game show up when we needed it the most. And it worked.
Karl-Anthony Towns celebrates during the Knicks’ win over the Hawks on April 6, 2026 in Atlanta. Getty Images
“We have a good rapport where I think that, what you saw at the end of the game with me and J.B., allows him not to have so much pressure on him and allows me to help him out and do what I do best — cause gravity, which allows him to get a step on a defender, and that’s all he needs to score. It gave us a chance for him to play one-on-one and also get a step on the defender and give him some of the best looks of the night.”
Towns was giddy after Monday’s win and clearly excited about the play calling. He and Brunson combined for 51 points and 19 assists, engaging more often with the pick-and-rolls that were always projected as key to producing a powerful offensive duo. It wasn’t just down the stretch Monday.
“It’s huge to know a guy like Jalen can shoot and score the way he does. On top of that, he’s crafty. He’s crafty with the ball, crafty without the ball,” coach Mike Brown said. “Having KAT as a passer [makes it tougher on the opposition]. On top of that, KAT’s a great shooter. So you put those two guys in space in a two-man game, and teams gotta make decisions. Both those guys came through.”
However, the Knicks have gotten away from that two-man game for much of this season. Perhaps not coincidentally, Brunson and Towns both produced down years statistically — especially Towns.
Monday became a reminder of the possibilities with the playoffs around the corner.
“Playoffs are going to come down to a possession game,” Brunson said. “It’s real important for us.”
With the Wizards losing to the Bulls 129-98 on Tuesday night, they will keep their protected first-round pick as they cannot fall past seventh in the draft order (the pick was top-eight protected).
The Knicks will now get Washington’s 2026 and 2027 second-round picks instead.
The Detroit Red Wings were 16.1 seconds away from a badly-needed regulation victory at Little Caesars Arena, but the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets snatched that victory from the jaws of defeat.
Former Michigan Wolverines defenseman Adam Fantilli scored the game-tying goal with 16.1 seconds remaining in regulation, and fellow former Wolverine Zach Werenski netted the decisive shootout goal, lifting the Blue Jackets to a 4–3 win over the Red Wings in a critical matchup for both teams.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 8, 2026
The Red Wings are now three points behind the Ottawa Senators, who defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, for the final Wild Card postseason spot with only four games remaining. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets moved to 90 points, one ahead of Detroit.
Things didn't start well for the Red Wings, who surrendered the opening goal to Danton Heinen after a defensive zone turnover at 2:06 of the opening frame. But team captain Dylan Larkin netted his 31st goal of the season midway through the period on the power-play, knotting the score at 1-1.
Defenseman Justin Faulk, who made his return to the lineup after missing the last few games, scored a beautiful in the second period after cutting through multiple Jackets players and beating goaltender Jet Greaves with a glove-side shot.
But Columbus made Detroit pay after David Perron was whistled for a minor penalty; Werenski whistled a shot from the high slot past Gibson, tying the score.
At 15:14 of the third period, Faulk scored his second of the game right off a face-off, taking a pass from Alex DeBrincat and firing a one-timer past Greaves.
With Greaves on the bench for an extra attacker, Columbus won a critical face-off following an icing call to the Red Wings, setting up Fantilli's game-tying goal.
Neither team scored in overtime, but both exchanged goals in the ensuing shootout. Detroit got goals from Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, while the Blue Jackets responded with tallies from Kent Johnson and Charlie Coyle before Zach Werenski delivered the dagger.
Goaltender John Gibson made 32 saves, while Greaves countered with 34 saves. Detroit also lost forward Michael Rasmussen, who recently missed seven games, with an injury after blocking a shot.
From here on out, the Red Wings are officially in "must-win" mode while also having to hope for outside help.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 07: Amed Rosario #14 of the New York Yankees hits a two run home run in the eighth inning against the Athletics at Yankee Stadium on April 07, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The life of a backup position player isn’t a fun one. Sure, you get paid a lot to spend most of the game on the bench and have relatively little blame go your way any time your team loses, but any person who’s ever played sports tells you that it’s not fun to sit on the bench.
It was for that reason that Amed Rosario decided to take less money ahead of the 2024 season to sign with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees reportedly offered him a $4 million contract in their pursuit of bench depth, but Rosario took a $1.5 million deal to get more playing time with the Rays. A year and a half later, fate brought him to the Yankees at the Trade Deadline as a right-handed platoon bat off the bench, where he got some big at-bats but ultimately sat in the backup role he once shrugged off.
After hitting free agency this offseason, he elected to accept that bench role and returned to the Yankees on a small deal to fill the same role. It would be rare that he would face a right-handed pitcher, but in the wake of Ryan McMahon’s deep slump to start the year, Aaron Boone decided to give Rosario a start against a pitcher with semi-reverse splits.
That decision may go down as one of Boone’s best-ever moves, at least on an individual game basis. Rosario blasted two home runs Tuesday night. Both against righties, both gave the Yankees the lead, and both induced emphatic celebration. His pair of long homers lifted the Yanks back up off the mat, helping them come back from a 3-1 deficit to knock off the (Sacramento) Athletics, 5-3, to open a three-game set.
Cam Schlittler started his outing on the right note, retiring the first six batters he faced with a trio of strikeouts, including one over the American League’s Luis Arraez, Jacob Wilson. Against Aaron Civale, the Yankees drew a couple of walks in the first two innings and had Aaron Judge reach on catcher’s interference, but the only real damage would come on a long home run to left field by Rosario to open the scoring. Amusingly enough, it was his first regular season homer at Yankee Stadium since he walked it off for the Mets in the most 2020 game of all time.
Schlittler unraveled in the third. Max Muncy nubbed an infield single, Jeff McNeil lined a hit to right field, and Schlittler was able to jump ahead of the light-hitting Denzel Clarke, 0-2. Despite having two strikes, Clarke laid down a successful bunt, which set up slumbering slugger Nick Kurtz to break out of his rut with a two-run double. Two batters later, Tyler Soderstrom ripped a double down the right-field line to make it 3-1, A’s.
Civale went back out and worked around a two-out walk to Ben Rice to get through the third and had a 1-2-3 fourth, while Schlittler settled back in after a rough third inning. The Yankees finally got something going off Civale in the fifth with a José Caballero double and a Judge walk, but the veteran righty was able to strand the tying run in scoring position.
Schlittler wrapped up his outing with two straight clean innings, ultimately finishing with seven strikeouts and three runs allowed in five innings. While it was his worst start of the year, and his velo was down because of the blistering cold, he continued an impressive walkless streak. Once considered his biggest weakness, the 25-year-old is now up to 22 strikeouts and zero walks in 16.2 innings on the season.
Jake Bird got the sixth for the Yankees, trying to bounce back from an awful outing on Sunday. It was a mixed bag, as he gave up a smoked single to Soderstrom, but bounced back to strike out Brent Rooker and retire Wilson. Boone elected to play to a matchup with Lawrence Butler due up with Brent Headrick, but the lefty walked him, and after a throwing error by Austin Wells on a stolen base, there were runners on the corners. Fortunately, Headrick rebounded to strike out Muncy to end the frame.
Justin Sterner was first out of the bullpen for the Athletics, and he got through the sixth cleanly, striking out Giancarlo Stanton and erasing a Jazz Chisholm Jr. single with an immediate 6-4-3 double play by Rosario. Boone elected to be aggressive with the matchups again in the seventh, taking out Headrick with two outs so Fernando Cruz could get Shea Langeliers. An update on Headrick’s odd reverse splits: righties are 0-for-12 with two walks and eight strikeouts against him, while lefties are 5-for-11 with two doubles, two walks, and two strikeouts.
Wells drilled a leadoff double at 111 mph into the gap to start the bottom of the seventh, but was stranded after Caballero, Grisham, and Judge all grounded out off Sterner. Cruz walked a pair of A’s in the eighth, but tip-toed his way out of a jam with a strikeout of Muncy.
I had a very soft spot for Mark Leiter Jr. last year, almost to a fault. The Yankees played unfathomably poor defense behind him, and he ran an impossibly high BABIP all season long. I believed in his stuff, which was still very strong (along with his peripherals) until a midseason injury. He was non-tendered in the offseason and picked up by the Athletics, where he’s one of their better relievers.
Leiter was tasked with holding the lead in the eighth, which he did not do. Bellinger and Rice hit two jamshot singles to start the frame before an absolutely baffling knuckleball single by Stanton that somehow evaded Wilson at shortstop brought in a run.
Whatever curse was put on Leiter at Yankee Stadium was clearly in full effect.
After the righty narrowly avoided a fourth consecutive bloop single on a diving play by Clarke in center, he faced Rosario, and this was his night. The veteran journeyman absolutely cranked a splitter that stayed up into the second deck, prompting one of the most emphatic home run celebrations I’ve seen from a Yankee in April, to make it 5-3. It’s just his third career multi-homer game and first in nearly five years.
After Caballero’s single and stolen base were stranded to end the inning, it was time for Renegade. David Bednar got the call to face 8-9-1. He fell behind McNeil, but rebounded to strike him out in a lengthy at-bat in what would be the only time he’d have to sweat. A pinch-hitting Carlos Cortes flew out, and Kurtz did the same to end it, with Bednar picking up his fifth save of the season.
The Yankees will look to win their fourth consecutive series to start the season in the middle game of this three-game set, as Will Warren faces former Yankee Luis Severino tomorrow at 7:05pm ET on YES.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 07: Amed Rosario #14 of the New York Yankees hits a two run home run in the eighth inning against the Athletics at Yankee Stadium on April 07, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The life of a backup position player isn’t a fun one. Sure, you get paid a lot to spend most of the game on the bench and have relatively little blame go your way any time your team loses, but any person who’s ever played sports tells you that it’s not fun to sit on the bench.
It was for that reason that Amed Rosario decided to take less money ahead of the 2024 season to sign with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees reportedly offered him a $4 million contract in their pursuit of bench depth, but Rosario took a $1.5 million deal to get more playing time with the Rays. A year and a half later, fate brought him to the Yankees at the Trade Deadline as a right-handed platoon bat off the bench, where he got some big at-bats but ultimately sat in the backup role he once shrugged off.
After hitting free agency this offseason, he elected to accept that bench role and returned to the Yankees on a small deal to fill the same role. It would be rare that he would face a right-handed pitcher, but in the wake of Ryan McMahon’s deep slump to start the year, Aaron Boone decided to give Rosario a start against a pitcher with semi-reverse splits.
That decision may go down as one of Boone’s best-ever moves, at least on an individual game basis. Rosario blasted two home runs Tuesday night. Both against righties, both gave the Yankees the lead, and both induced emphatic celebration. His pair of long homers lifted the Yanks back up off the mat, helping them come back from a 3-1 deficit to knock off the (Sacramento) Athletics, 5-3, to open a three-game set.
Cam Schlittler started his outing on the right note, retiring the first six batters he faced with a trio of strikeouts, including one over the American League’s Luis Arraez, Jacob Wilson. Against Aaron Civale, the Yankees drew a couple of walks in the first two innings and had Aaron Judge reach on catcher’s interference, but the only real damage would come on a long home run to left field by Rosario to open the scoring. Amusingly enough, it was his first regular season homer at Yankee Stadium since he walked it off for the Mets in the most 2020 game of all time.
Schlittler unraveled in the third. Max Muncy nubbed an infield single, Jeff McNeil lined a hit to right field, and Schlittler was able to jump ahead of the light-hitting Denzel Clarke, 0-2. Despite having two strikes, Clarke laid down a successful bunt, which set up slumbering slugger Nick Kurtz to break out of his rut with a two-run double. Two batters later, Tyler Soderstrom ripped a double down the right-field line to make it 3-1, A’s.
Civale went back out and worked around a two-out walk to Ben Rice to get through the third and had a 1-2-3 fourth, while Schlittler settled back in after a rough third inning. The Yankees finally got something going off Civale in the fifth with a José Caballero double and a Judge walk, but the veteran righty was able to strand the tying run in scoring position.
Schlittler wrapped up his outing with two straight clean innings, ultimately finishing with seven strikeouts and three runs allowed in five innings. While it was his worst start of the year, and his velo was down because of the blistering cold, he continued an impressive walkless streak. Once considered his biggest weakness, the 25-year-old is now up to 22 strikeouts and zero walks in 16.2 innings on the season.
Jake Bird got the sixth for the Yankees, trying to bounce back from an awful outing on Sunday. It was a mixed bag, as he gave up a smoked single to Soderstrom, but bounced back to strike out Brent Rooker and retire Wilson. Boone elected to play to a matchup with Lawrence Butler due up with Brent Headrick, but the lefty walked him, and after a throwing error by Austin Wells on a stolen base, there were runners on the corners. Fortunately, Headrick rebounded to strike out Muncy to end the frame.
Justin Sterner was first out of the bullpen for the Athletics, and he got through the sixth cleanly, striking out Giancarlo Stanton and erasing a Jazz Chisholm Jr. single with an immediate 6-4-3 double play by Rosario. Boone elected to be aggressive with the matchups again in the seventh, taking out Headrick with two outs so Fernando Cruz could get Shea Langeliers. An update on Headrick’s odd reverse splits: righties are 0-for-12 with two walks and eight strikeouts against him, while lefties are 5-for-11 with two doubles, two walks, and two strikeouts.
Wells drilled a leadoff double at 111 mph into the gap to start the bottom of the seventh, but was stranded after Caballero, Grisham, and Judge all grounded out off Sterner. Cruz walked a pair of A’s in the eighth, but tip-toed his way out of a jam with a strikeout of Muncy.
I had a very soft spot for Mark Leiter Jr. last year, almost to a fault. The Yankees played unfathomably poor defense behind him, and he ran an impossibly high BABIP all season long. I believed in his stuff, which was still very strong (along with his peripherals) until a midseason injury. He was non-tendered in the offseason and picked up by the Athletics, where he’s one of their better relievers.
Leiter was tasked with holding the lead in the eighth, which he did not do. Bellinger and Rice hit two jamshot singles to start the frame before an absolutely baffling knuckleball single by Stanton that somehow evaded Wilson at shortstop brought in a run.
Whatever curse was put on Leiter at Yankee Stadium was clearly in full effect.
After the righty narrowly avoided a fourth consecutive bloop single on a diving play by Clarke in center, he faced Rosario, and this was his night. The veteran journeyman absolutely cranked a splitter that stayed up into the second deck, prompting one of the most emphatic home run celebrations I’ve seen from a Yankee in April, to make it 5-3. It’s just his third career multi-homer game and first in nearly five years.
After Caballero’s single and stolen base were stranded to end the inning, it was time for Renegade. David Bednar got the call to face 8-9-1. He fell behind McNeil, but rebounded to strike him out in a lengthy at-bat in what would be the only time he’d have to sweat. A pinch-hitting Carlos Cortes flew out, and Kurtz did the same to end it, with Bednar picking up his fifth save of the season.
The Yankees will look to win their fourth consecutive series to start the season in the middle game of this three-game set, as Will Warren faces former Yankee Luis Severino tomorrow at 7:05pm ET on YES.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 07: Amed Rosario #14 of the New York Yankees hits a two run home run in the eighth inning against the Athletics at Yankee Stadium on April 07, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The life of a backup position player isn’t a fun one. Sure, you get paid a lot to spend most of the game on the bench and have relatively little blame go your way any time your team loses, but any person who’s ever played sports tells you that it’s not fun to sit on the bench.
It was for that reason that Amed Rosario decided to take less money ahead of the 2024 season to sign with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees reportedly offered him a $4 million contract in their pursuit of bench depth, but Rosario took a $1.5 million deal to get more playing time with the Rays. A year and a half later, fate brought him to the Yankees at the Trade Deadline as a right-handed platoon bat off the bench, where he got some big at-bats but ultimately sat in the backup role he once shrugged off.
After hitting free agency this offseason, he elected to accept that bench role and returned to the Yankees on a small deal to fill the same role. It would be rare that he would face a right-handed pitcher, but in the wake of Ryan McMahon’s deep slump to start the year, Aaron Boone decided to give Rosario a start against a pitcher with semi-reverse splits.
That decision may go down as one of Boone’s best-ever moves, at least on an individual game basis. Rosario blasted two home runs Tuesday night. Both against righties, both gave the Yankees the lead, and both induced emphatic celebration. His pair of long homers lifted the Yanks back up off the mat, helping them come back from a 3-1 deficit to knock off the (Sacramento) Athletics, 5-3, to open a three-game set.
Cam Schlittler started his outing on the right note, retiring the first six batters he faced with a trio of strikeouts, including one over the American League’s Luis Arraez, Jacob Wilson. Against Aaron Civale, the Yankees drew a couple of walks in the first two innings and had Aaron Judge reach on catcher’s interference, but the only real damage would come on a long home run to left field by Rosario to open the scoring. Amusingly enough, it was his first regular season homer at Yankee Stadium since he walked it off for the Mets in the most 2020 game of all time.
Schlittler unraveled in the third. Max Muncy nubbed an infield single, Jeff McNeil lined a hit to right field, and Schlittler was able to jump ahead of the light-hitting Denzel Clarke, 0-2. Despite having two strikes, Clarke laid down a successful bunt, which set up slumbering slugger Nick Kurtz to break out of his rut with a two-run double. Two batters later, Tyler Soderstrom ripped a double down the right-field line to make it 3-1, A’s.
Civale went back out and worked around a two-out walk to Ben Rice to get through the third and had a 1-2-3 fourth, while Schlittler settled back in after a rough third inning. The Yankees finally got something going off Civale in the fifth with a José Caballero double and a Judge walk, but the veteran righty was able to strand the tying run in scoring position.
Schlittler wrapped up his outing with two straight clean innings, ultimately finishing with seven strikeouts and three runs allowed in five innings. While it was his worst start of the year, and his velo was down because of the blistering cold, he continued an impressive walkless streak. Once considered his biggest weakness, the 25-year-old is now up to 22 strikeouts and zero walks in 16.2 innings on the season.
Jake Bird got the sixth for the Yankees, trying to bounce back from an awful outing on Sunday. It was a mixed bag, as he gave up a smoked single to Soderstrom, but bounced back to strike out Brent Rooker and retire Wilson. Boone elected to play to a matchup with Lawrence Butler due up with Brent Headrick, but the lefty walked him, and after a throwing error by Austin Wells on a stolen base, there were runners on the corners. Fortunately, Headrick rebounded to strike out Muncy to end the frame.
Justin Sterner was first out of the bullpen for the Athletics, and he got through the sixth cleanly, striking out Giancarlo Stanton and erasing a Jazz Chisholm Jr. single with an immediate 6-4-3 double play by Rosario. Boone elected to be aggressive with the matchups again in the seventh, taking out Headrick with two outs so Fernando Cruz could get Shea Langeliers. An update on Headrick’s odd reverse splits: righties are 0-for-12 with two walks and eight strikeouts against him, while lefties are 5-for-11 with two doubles, two walks, and two strikeouts.
Wells drilled a leadoff double at 111 mph into the gap to start the bottom of the seventh, but was stranded after Caballero, Grisham, and Judge all grounded out off Sterner. Cruz walked a pair of A’s in the eighth, but tip-toed his way out of a jam with a strikeout of Muncy.
I had a very soft spot for Mark Leiter Jr. last year, almost to a fault. The Yankees played unfathomably poor defense behind him, and he ran an impossibly high BABIP all season long. I believed in his stuff, which was still very strong (along with his peripherals) until a midseason injury. He was non-tendered in the offseason and picked up by the Athletics, where he’s one of their better relievers.
Leiter was tasked with holding the lead in the eighth, which he did not do. Bellinger and Rice hit two jamshot singles to start the frame before an absolutely baffling knuckleball single by Stanton that somehow evaded Wilson at shortstop brought in a run.
Whatever curse was put on Leiter at Yankee Stadium was clearly in full effect.
After the righty narrowly avoided a fourth consecutive bloop single on a diving play by Clarke in center, he faced Rosario, and this was his night. The veteran journeyman absolutely cranked a splitter that stayed up into the second deck, prompting one of the most emphatic home run celebrations I’ve seen from a Yankee in April, to make it 5-3. It’s just his third career multi-homer game and first in nearly five years.
After Caballero’s single and stolen base were stranded to end the inning, it was time for Renegade. David Bednar got the call to face 8-9-1. He fell behind McNeil, but rebounded to strike him out in a lengthy at-bat in what would be the only time he’d have to sweat. A pinch-hitting Carlos Cortes flew out, and Kurtz did the same to end it, with Bednar picking up his fifth save of the season.
The Yankees will look to win their fourth consecutive series to start the season in the middle game of this three-game set, as Will Warren faces former Yankee Luis Severino tomorrow at 7:05pm ET on YES.
Apr 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) shoots the ball against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) in the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
The Boston Celtics hosted the eighth-placed Charlotte Hornets for their final matchup of the regular season. With four games to go in the regular season, the Celtics needed just two wins from the final four games to lock in the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. In what could be a possible playoff match up, Boston held their nerve to mount a strong comeback to start the 4th quarter after going behind multiple times against a feisty Hornet team, they hold on to win, 113-102.
Boston came into the game with the first clear injury list of the season, as Nikola Vucevic was finally cleared to play. It was Jayson Tatum bobblehead night at the TD Garden, and the C’s started Sam Hauser, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Neemias Queta. The Hornets started LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate.
Jaylen Brown got the C’s on the board first with a cutting layup; Neemias Queta scored the second bucket of the night on a fast break cut to the basket. La Melo rattled home 8 of Charlotte’s first 10 points, with Sam Hauser failing to stop La Melo Ball’s score on the offensive end. A Sam Hauser three-pointer made the score 11-13, Charlotte ahead early.
Queta was dominant inside for Boston; he had 3 big scores on the interior and a pair of second-chance makes in the Charlotte key. La Melo was hot to start the game; he had 13 quick points for Charlotte after just 7 minutes of action. At the first timeout, the scores were deadlocked at 18 apiece in a frenetic start.
Nikola Vucevic had his first reps in over a month, coming off the bench alongside Payton Pritchard and Baylor Scheierman. Former Boston Celtic Grant Williams got early first minutes back on the court at TD Garden; he hit six straight points as the scoring dried up for Boston. Charlotte went 7/17 from three after the first quarter compared to Boston’s 2/11. That hot shooting gave Charlotte an eleven-point lead after one quarter, 20-31.
Boston was just 35 percent from the field after the first and scoreless for it. four minutes to end the quarter. Payton Pritchard nailed his first triple on a cross-court pass from Hauser. Tatum hit three straight free throws as the C’s raced back into the game. Just 5 points, 28-33.
Neemias Queta had 10 early points to lead the C’s as he continued to impact the game for the home team. Tatum and Diabate were whistled for a double foul after tangling on the baseline as both teams and the refs broke up the action.
Derrick White connected on his first triple of the game, Tatum hit a fade away deuce, and JB scored on a terrific spinning reverse layup to make it 37-44, Charlotte’s first-quarter lead shrinking in real time.
Apr 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drive the ball against Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) and forward Brandon Miller (24) in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
Jaylen Brown’s free throws, followed by a transition three-pointer with four minutes to go in the half, cut the Hornets lead to just 2 points. Boston improved their efficiency and scoring output in the second quarter; the Hornets’ climbing foul count saw the home team in the bonus with a lot of time remaining in the half.
A Jordan Walsh corner triple in front of the Charlotte bench gave Boston its first lead since the opening minutes of the game. Jordan Walsh pressured LaMelo Ball into a backcourt turnover to give Boston another scoring attempt, JB converting a layup for his 18th point of the night.
Boston had 13 second chance points in the first half compared to just 6 for Charlotte. LaMelo Ball’s shot-making (23 points) was the difference between the two teams at the half, Charlotte up 55-61 at the half.
Jayson Tatum hit his first three-pointer to start the 3rd quarter. Neemias Queta found himself in rebounding position on the offensive glass; he caught a Tatum miss and went right back up to score his twelfth point. White hit a triple from up top, with Queta getting the assist. Boston down by one, 69-68.
Jaylen Brown hit on his 2,000th point of the season, becoming just the eighth Celtic all time to achieve such a feat. In an entertaining third, the Hornets and Celtics were trading leads throughout. Boston, however, recorded 4 straight turnovers in a horrible stretch as Charlotte opened back up a 7-point lead, 75-82.
Jordan Walsh was having an outstanding game for Boston; he had 9 points and 5 boards while matched up on LaMelo Ball. Baylor Sheierman had a dagger triple with Charlotte scrambling to cut it back to 4 late in the third. A JB step back over Knueppel gave Boston the lead back. JB then converted on a floater to give Boston their biggest lead of the game, 3 points, 90-87.
Vooch finally scored his first points of the game to start the fourth; he hit on a turnaround hook shot off a great Pritchard entry pass. Jaylen Brown hit the thirty point mark with 9 minutes to go in the game, he had 31 points, 8 boards and 2 assists.
Tatum had a tough step through lay up over Miller and Diabate, he had 18 points of his own. Pritchard’s three-pointer came after multiple kick outs, White with the assist, C’s go up 101-94. Boston extending it’s lead with La Melo on the bench for Charlotte, before Charles Lee went back to his high scoring guard.
In a crucial period, Boston went on a 26-7 run to start the 4th, Boston up double digits, 106-94. Vucevic showed good defensive minutes also in that stretch for Boston with Queta out after knocking heads to end the 3rd quarter. That was pretty much ball game as Tatum and Brown showed the young Hornets how to close out a tight contest.
Boston will next face the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Thursday night (9th April) at 7:30pm, a win would see them secure the 2nd seed.
