April 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia (12) moves the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
However, they might be playing without a member of their rotation for Friday’s Game 3. After Thursday’s practice, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Jake LaRavia is dealing with an ankle sprain and is considered day-to-day moving forward.
“He has a very, very low grade, minor, minor, minor ankle sprain” – JJ Redick gives an update on Jake LaRavia, who tweaked his right ankle in Game 2. An MRI came back clean and he is day-to-day pic.twitter.com/8IaxfGRAmL
LaRavia has been LA’s ironman this year. He played in all 82 regular-season games and both playoff matchups. If he misses, then that’s because it is an injury he simply can’t play through.
Considering that Redick stressed that this is a minor sprain and that the MRI came back clean, hopefully, he can play. Right now, we’ll have to wait until the injury report to see his official status.
LaRavia was clearly dealing with some discomfort in Game 2’s win against the Rockets. He airballed a corner 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and was visibly limping afterward. LaRavia was then taken out of the game and never returned.
The Lakers are essentially playing with an eight-man rotation, so losing anyone makes winning that much harder.
During the regular season, LaRavia put up respectable numbers. He averaged 8.2 points, four rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
In the playoffs, however, LaRavia has struggled. His numbers have dipped across all categories as his playing time has shrunk, and he hasn’t found ways to be impactful.
Still, it’s been a small sample size, and LaRavia being on the floor gives the Lakers some size, defensive versatility and a player Redick trusts. LaRavia is averaging 17 minutes per game, tied for sixth among Lakers.
If he can’t play, then other players will have to step up.
Unfortunately, Redick doesn’t have many options. Rui Hachimura is already starting and playing heavy minutes. Redick might have to increase Jarred Vanderbilt’s time or go with different looks completely to make up for the minutes LaRavia typically plays.
Still, he is not ruled out, so it’s just something to monitor as this series heads to Houston for Game 3.
Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan are on speaking terms again, and Barkley revealed there's a former Major League Baseball All-Star behind the thawing of the relationship.
A turning point came last week when former MLB outfielder Vince Coleman called Barkley at his home, Barkley said on Wednesday, April 23 during his latest appearance on ESPN 1000's "Waddle and Silvy Show," which is also where he made the original comments that upset Jordan in 2012. Coleman informed Barkley over the phone that he was with Jordan at The Grove XXIII, Jordan's golf club in South Florida.
"(Coleman) says, 'Yo, I'm down here at The Grove. I'm sick of you and MJ's BS. He's right here. Y'all need to talk. And we had a conversation," Barkley recounted to the show's hosts. "But Vince Coleman's the person who's responsible. We talked for a couple minutes. He's like, 'Man, let's get together and play golf,' and as soon as I get a break, I'm going to fly down there and we're going to spend a couple days playing golf."
Jordan and Barkley were rivals and superstars in the NBA and Olympic teammates with the original Dream Team in 1992. Jordan's Chicago Bulls beat Barkley's Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals, the same year Barkley won his lone MVP award. Coleman played 13 MLB seasons (1985-97), with the majority of his career spent with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets.
Jordan became the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2006 and Barkley has been an outspoken mainstay on "Inside the NBA," providing commentary on the league since his retirement.
Barkley criticized Jordan in 2012 for not surrounding himself with enough people willing to disagree with his decisions as the owner of Charlotte's NBA franchise, noting that "I love Michael, but he just has not done a good job."
Jordan sold his majority stake in the now-Charlotte Hornets in 2023 and currently owns the 23XI Racing NASCAR Cup Series team along with longtime NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin.
Barkley said Wednesday the feud between he and Jordan isn't as bad as it may have seemed, simply because they hadn't spoken in so long.
"I tell people, it's not like we're like Prince Harry and Prince William who hate each other," Barkley said. "Honestly, I think we both missed each other because we've had this conversation with other friends and we were both too stubborn to pick up the phone."
"One thing we both said," Barkley added, "I got a lot of love for you and you got a lot of love for me. Like Vince said, this thing has been silly and stupid, but both of y'all are too damn stubborn to pick up the phone, and y'all need to get ... together and play golf and bury this thing."
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 23: JR Ritchie #56 of the Atlanta Braves pitches to José Tena #8 (not pictured) of the Washington Nationals during the first inning of his major league debut at Nationals Park on April 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Ritchie struck out Tena for his first career strike out. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
JR Ritchie’s major league debut couldn’t have started much worse.
He gave up a home run on very his first pitch.
From there, though, he certainly looked like he belonged.
The 2022 first-round pick, called up to close out the Braves’ road trip in Washington Thursday afternoon, didn’t just excel in his debut. He set the tone in Atlanta’s 7-2 win over the Nationals, which clinched the team’s fifth straight series win and completed a 6-1 road trip.
Atlanta’s No. 2 prospect bounced back from the challenging first pitch to get through an efficient seven innings on 89 pitches, allowing two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. His seven strikeouts are tied for the third-most by a starter in his debut in franchise history, behind only David Hale (2013), Bob Dresser (1902) and Kenshin Kawakami (2009).
He’s the first pitcher in franchise history to throw seven-plus innings, allow no more than two runs and strike out seven batters in his major league debut.
JR Ritchie today became the first pitcher in franchise history to complete at least 7.0 innings while allowing no more than two runs and striking out at least seven in his major league debut. pic.twitter.com/4LBrBgX3We
Ritchie’s two walks came in the final innings. His two runs allowed came on solo homers, a middle-middle fastball to Wood and a changeup below the zone which CJ Abrams still managed to power out.
The debutant got an assist from Washington in the second inning, when the Nats put on an ill-advised delayed steal to run their way out of an inning when it had runners on the corners. From there, Ritchie didn’t face much more traffic, never again allowing multiple baserunners at the same time.
It wound up being quite important that Ritchie settled in so well as Atlanta’s offense was largely held down by Washington starter Cade Cavalli.
The majority of their damage against him came in a four-hit fourth which Matt Olson and Austin Riley started with back-to-back doubles. The pair scored on an Ozzie Albies sacrifice fly and a Michael Harris II RBI single, respectively, to stake Atlanta to a 2-1 lead.
Cavalli finished his first start against the Braves allowing two runs on seven hits with no walks and a career-high 10 strikeouts.
Once the starter was out, though, Atlanta got to Washington’s bullpen. After failing to score with two in scoring position and one out in the six, the Braves broke a 2-2 deadlock with a four-run seventh to take control.
After a leadoff strikeout, Drake Baldwin walked, Olson singled and Riley walked to load the bases. Baldwin gave the Braves the lead when he scored on a wild first pitch from Gus Varland. The next pitch was hit to right by Albies for a two-run single to make it 5-2.
Harris capped the big inning with an RBI double to right-center to cap off a 3-for-4 day at the plate. However, he was removed from the game after the inning with what the Braves called left quad tightness in a brutal bit of timing given the torrid run he’s been on at the plate.
For good measure, Albies added a run in the top of the ninth on a solo homer, his fifth of the season. Albies finished the day 3-for-4 as well with four RBIs and two runs.
The Braves bullpen again protected a lead with minimal stress. Dylan Lee struck out two in a 1-2-3 eighth and Carlos Carrasco, also called up on Thursday, delivered a 1-2-3 ninth in his season debut.
The Braves return home and kick off their second straight weekend series against the Phillies, this time at home, Friday night.
The New York Mets placed shortstop Francisco Lindor on the 10-day injured list with a calf injury, the team announced.
Lindor was injured during the fourth inning of Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field, when he rounded third base and slid into home safe on Francisco Alvarez's RBI double. He was removed from the game and did not return, as New York broke a 12-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory.
Lindor, who is batting .226 with two home runs and 5 RBI, was starting to heat up at the plate, with seven hits in his last 17 at-bats before Wednesday's game.
He was injured in the same game as Juan Soto returned from his own stint on the injured list with a right calf strain. Soto missed 15 games, and the Mets went 3-12 in his absence.
Taking Lindor's place on the roster is infielder Ronny Mauricio, who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. Mauricio is in tonight's lineup against Minnesota and will bat 8th in the lineup.
Entering tonight's series finale against the Twins, the Mets are 8-16, tied for the worst record in the National League.
During their 12-game losing streak, New York hit .161 with runners in scoring position, and have scored a pitiful 2.67 runs per game since April 3.
Their next six games in the homestand after the Minnesota series are against the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals, who are a combined 21-30 (.412)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 21: Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers slides to stop a ball hit by Jung Hoo Lee #51 of the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Oracle Park on April 21, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dodgers offense has nowhere to go but up in this series.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors in their first-round series. The Cavs won the first two games in Cleveland with the series now shifting to Toronto for Games 3 and 4. Cleveland is favored by 2.5 points, and the over/under for the matchup is set at 219.5.
How to watch Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors
Moneyline: Toronto Raptors +125 (42.2%) / Cleveland Cavaliers -155 (57.8%)
Over/Under: 219.5
Series results, schedule
Game 1:Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113 Game 2:Cavaliers 115, Raptors 105 Game 3: Thu., April 23 at Toronto (8 p.m., Prime) Game 4: Sun., April 26 at Toronto (1 p.m., ESPN) Game 5: Wed., April 29 at Cleveland (TBD) Game 6: Fri., May 1 at Toronto (TBD) *Game 7: Sun., May 3 at Cleveland (TBD)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 17: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 17, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants wrap up this three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers this afternoon from Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Logan Webb, who enters today’s game with a 5.10 ERA, 3.41 FIP, with 27 strikeouts to 11 walks in 30 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 10-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday, in which he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
He’ll be facing off against Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who enters today’s game with a 3.24 ERA, 2.58 FIP, with 29 strikeouts to six walks in 25 innings pitched. His last start was in the Dodgers’ 7-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday, in which he allowed one run on two hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in seven innings.
It's been almost three months since Barry Trotz unexpectedly announced he'd be retiring as the general manager of the Nashville Predators, with the search commencing immediately.
Owner Bill Haslam said that the team wants to have a new GM by draft day in late June, but is not hard-set on that deadline.
With the Predators missing the playoffs and officially in the offseason, finding a new GM remains the key focus for this franchise.
NHL insiders Elliotte Friedman and Frank Seravalli threw out a handful of names on Thursday that they believe are being heavily considered for the leading position in Nashville's front office.
Both agreed that Florida Panthers assistant general manager Brett Peterson, Edmonton Oilers assistant general manager Bill Scott and former New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald are candidates that "stand out."
Brett Peterson, Panthers Assistant GM
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) is handed the Stanley Cup from Gary Bettman, the NHL Commissioner, after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Peterson has been with the Panthers since 2020, joining the organization with general manager Bill Zito and is the first Black assistant GM in NHL history. Their efforts led Florida to three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2023 to 2025 and back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025.
He also served as the general manager for Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Championships and returns to the role for the 2026 World Championships.
Peterson served as an assistant GM during the 2025 tournament, where the Americans won their first Gold Medal since 1933.
Bill Scott, Oilers Assistant GM
Scott has been with the Oilers organization since 2010, serving as the general manager of Edmonton's AHL affiliate in some capacity until 2018. From 2014 to 2022, he bounced between Edmonton's assistant GM and director of hockey operations.
He has held the role full-time since 2022. Scott has been part of one of the longest rebuilds in recent memory, seeing the Oilers land four No. 1 overall picks from 2010 to 2015, including Connor McDavid in 2015.
In that stretch, the Oilers have picked up other valuable assets, including Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman and more, that have helped Edmonton to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances in 2024 and 2025.
Tom Fitzgerald, Former Devils GM
NJ Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald. Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Fitzgerald has been involved in NHL operations since 2007, joining the Pittsburgh Penguins as their Director of Player Development and being promoted to Assistant General Manager.
In his second year with the Penguins, he'd win a Stanley Cup in 2009.
In 2015, he was hired as the New Jersey Devils' assistant general manager and AHL affiliate general manager. Fitzgerald was in the Devils front office when they drafted Nico Heischer first overall in 2017 and Jack Hughes first overall in 2019.
During the 2019-20 season, he also served as an assistant coach and Executive VP of Hockey Operations before being promoted to General Manager following Ray Shero's firing.
During his time as GM in New Jersey, the Devils made the playoffs twice in 2023 and 2025, losing to the Hurricanes in the second round and the first round, respectively. He also served as an assistant GM for Team USA in the 4-Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Fitzgerald was fired by the Devils in April. New Jersey finished 13th in the Eastern Conference, 11 points outside of a playoff spot with a 42-37-3 record.
If the name sounds familiar to Predators fans, Fitzgerald was the Predators' first captain and played for the team for four seasons from 1998 to 2002.
Scott White, Stars Assistant GM
According to Friedman, the Dallas Stars gave permission for assistant GM Scott White to speak to Nashville and Toronto.
White has been with the Stars organization since 2005, coming on as the Iowa Stars' Director of Hockey Operations. He has been the AHL affiliate since 2009, and this is the first year White has served as Dallas' assistant GM full-time.
White first moved into the Stars Assistant GM role back in 2016 after serving as the Director of Hockey Operations.
During his time with the organization, the Stars have risen to become one of the best teams in the NHL, making an appearance in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. In 2014, the Texas Stars won the Calder Cup and in 2018 finished as runner-up.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 10: Seattle Mariners mascot Mariners Moose waves a flag after the game against the Detroit Tigers at T-Mobile Park on October 10, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Ben VanHouten/Seattle Mariners/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you are a MLB team, you’ll have fallow stretches. Let’s consider the 2025 season:
The World Series winning Los Angeles Dodgers went 10-14 in the month of July, but still secured their division with a 93-69 record en route to MLB’s first repeat title winner in 25 years.
April 10-May 7 saw the Toronto Blue Jays go 8-15, en route to a 94-68 record, the AL East crown, and American League Pennant.
From June 30-August 5, the 94-68 New York Yankees went 12-19, a .387 win percentage.
MLB’s best regular season club, the Milwaukee Brewers, were 97-65 overall but went 8-14 from April 23-May 17th.
Twice, the 96-66 Philadelphia Phillies fell 5.0 games back in the NL West in a year they’d wear its crown by 13 games. The first time came after a five-game losing streak including a sweep at the hands of the Mets, part of a 5-10 stretch from April 10-25th. The second was more dire, a 2-10 run from May 29th thru June 10th which saw them swept by the Brewers and their intrastate competitors in Pittsburgh. They dropped 7.0 games from their original standing in the divisional race in under two weeks.
If that final stretch scratched a particular itch for you, it may be its rhyme with the Seattle Mariners of 2025. Those 90-72 M’s went 4-13 from May 24th-June 11th, crumbling against several subpar clubs after dropping two of three to the Astros and converting a 2.5 game AL West lead into chasing 4.0 games, eventually stretching to 7.0 at early July’s sneaky nadir.
This isn’t inherently predictive. These 2025 clubs all recovered for playoff seasons. The Astros, Orioles, Braves, Mets, and Diamondbacks all entered 2025 with better-than-coinflip odds of making the playoffs according to ZiPS, with Houston, Baltimore, and Atlanta outright favored to win their divisions. Every one had at least one stretch as bad or worse than Seattle’s 10-15 start (blessedly now 11-15) to 2026. Every one missed the playoffs.
It’s easier to point to the reasons why in those instances. Baltimore, Atlanta, and Houston saw major stars and/or their entire pitching staffs evaporate due to injury. Arizona suffered from the loss of Corbin Burnes after 11 brilliant starts as well as a cartoonishly stars and scrubs affair in their order. And of course, the Mets continued their interminable immersive performance, hidden secretly in their founding deed, condemning them to draw new generations closer to the works of Camus.
Seattle’s only endured some moderate injuries in 2026, with Bryce Miller ably spelled by Emerson Hancock. Brendan Donovan’s absences have hurt the lineup, but defensively Seattle was always going to be atrocious on the infield, which is the localization of “Angels In the Outfield” in the Stygian realms. Not a single member of Seattle’s front office expected nor counted on full healthy seasons from Victor Robles nor Miles Mastrobuoni.
But health isn’t the only factor. Those unfortunate clubs also saw a their rivals feast on their corpses, as well as those of others. Atlanta and New York finished more than a dozen games behind Philly, as did Arizona of the Dodgers. Baltimore and Houston had not only their own troubles, but gauntlets to face in the form of their divisional rivals. Houston got elbowed out by these M’s, while the O’s were feasted upon by an AL East that sent three clubs to the playoffs.
As it stands, Seattle is in fine shape. Ryan wrote recently on this subject of good teams sometimes having bad stretches, and vice-versa. He noted in his bullet points the hitting being great, except the most important players who receive the most plate appearances and have previously demonstrated the strongest capabilities and track records. In their series with the Athletics, Seattle’s stars finally flared, with Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, and Josh Naylor all securing 6+ hits and some massive boosts to their season numbers.
But just as vitally, the closing point today is how little the rest of the AL West has done to strike upon Seattle’s exposed early struggles. FanGraphs places Seattle’s playoff odds at 70.1% entering Thursday’s off day, tops in the division comfortably, with Texas now a bit better than a coin flip and the ostensible leaders in Sacramento at a 32.8% clip. PECOTA is bolder, seeing the M’s still as division favorites by majority over plurality, and averaging an 87.9% playoff odds.
Unless you believe Seattle to be fundamentally far worse than they were expected to be a few weeks ago, the rest of this season shouldn’t be scuttled from sitting 1-2.5 games back of three flawed clubs. The way the standings sit at present, the American League West is the only division with just a single >.500 team, with the 13-12 Athletics the worst division-leading club around. Their -15 run differential doesn’t endorse them ringingly, and the rest of the 12-12, 12-14, and 10-16 opponents are between where they were expected to be and worse. If Seattle was off to a scalding start, the way the division looks might have a repeat AL West crown looking like fait accompli. As it is, we can still settle for it looking likelier than not.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 21: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets is double teamed by Rui Hachimura #28 and Marcus Smart #36 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of Game Two of the NBA Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the opening quarter, he was the most aggressive player on the court. He took seven shots and converted on five of them, including a trio of threes. Smart ended the quarter with 14 points, which was part of a 25-point performance.
Defensively, Smart was also at his best.
Smart had a game-high five steals and gave Kevin Durant plenty of trouble as he turned the ball over nine times, a season high for one of the best offensive players to ever play the game.
“I think we understand that kind of stuff and what he does on the floor, it doesn’t really show on the stats,” Hachimura said postgame. “But I think it gets us going as a team, especially the start of the game, he was guarding KD full court, and then he got the ball, and Bron almost got an and-one. Those kind of plays just set the tone. That’s really important for us. He always makes the plays.”
This game featured Durant’s return after missing Game 1, and Smart immediately set the physical tone this contest would take. Just minutes into the opening quarter, Smart was guarding Durant full court. He swiped the ball loose and dove onto the floor to guarantee the Lakers would gain possession.
The first of 2 early steals from Marcus Smart.
He also just drained his second 3-pointer of the game to give the Lakers an early 12-9 lead. pic.twitter.com/xCtbykkqfV
With the Lakers shorthanded, players have to elevate their game to win these playoff matchups. Luke Kennard did this in Game 1, scoring 27 points, and Smart matched that energy for Game 2. Now LA is up 2-0 in this series.
“He set the tone for us, got us going,” Kennard said. “We know with those guys out, it could be anybody any given night right now. Again, we try to elevate each other and push each other and motivate one another to just be who we are and have fun out there and play hard. Marcus definitely got us going there in the first quarter. It’s good to see. We need him to continue to be aggressive for us.”
Smart has emerged as one of LA’s most important leaders. And as a leader, he has to do the walking along with the talking for everyone to buy in. He’s been doing that all season, and Game 2 was a prime example of this.
Every playoff team needs a Smart on its roster. He’s a selfless player, and one who can do the dirty work along with the tough defensive assignments few can handle. This was a bounce-back year for Smart, and he deserves all the adulation coming his way. He’s set the tone for the Lakers and is a big reason why they have yet to lose in the playoffs.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JULY 15: In an aerial view, the downtown skyline is seen during a heat wave on July 15, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. Weather forecasts today are expecting temperatures to reach 115 degrees. The Phoenix area is grappling with record-breaking temperatures as prolonged heat waves continue soaring across the Southwest. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
WHITE SOX
DIAMONDBACKS
Andrew Benintendi – DH
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Munetaka Murakami – 1B
Ketel Marte – 2B
Miguel Vargas – 3B
Corbin Carroll – RF
Colson Montgomery – SS
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Everson Pereira – RF
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Sam Antonacci – LF
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Chase Meidroth – 2B
Jorge Barrosa – LF
Tristan Peters – CF
Alek Thomas – CF
Reese McGuire – C
Aramis Garcia – C
Davis Martin – RHP
Michael Soroka – RHP
A rare three-hour game for the Diamondbacks last night: 3:02, to be precise. Just the third of the season, and the first at Chase Field since the home opener. I guess at least it gave the SnakePitette and her husband their money’s worth: they were at the ballpark for the first time together. She popped in to borrow some items from the extensive collection of D-backs wear possessed by Mrs. SnakePit and myself. I await a report on whether they had… what is it the young people call it? Oh, yes: “fun”. Maybe not a game for baseball purists, but with six home-runs and three triples, no shortage of action.
Despite last night, the D-backs are actually seeing shorter games in general this year, even though we now have ABS challenges. The average game has been 2:41 long, which is three minutes less than last season. However, a factor there may be the lack of extra innings: Arizona has played only three frames over regulation through 24 games. That’s one every eight games, which is below last year’s rate of one extra inning every six games. Across all of baseball, nine-inning games are on average four minutes longer than in 2025. Right now, they average 2:42, which is the longest since the pace of play changes came in for the 2023 season.
We are seeing slightly more plate appearances per game, and also the number of pitches per plate-appearance is higher. The former may be due to an increase in extra-inning games: at 9.5%, the current rate would be the highest since 2013. The latter is at 3.93 pitches/PA, the second highest since records started being kept in 1999 (it was 3.97 in 2020). I wonder if this is a result of ABS? I do note we are seeing more walks per game than any year since 2000. But strikeouts are also up on last year too, so… We are still less than a month in to the new normal though, so let’s see how things work out.
Despite trailing by 12 points entering the fourth quarter, the Hawks mounted a late comeback led by CJ McCollum, who finished with a game-high 32 points. The Knicks had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Mikal Bridges missed a final jumper as time expired.
It’s only the second time in franchise playoff history that the Knicks lost a game they were leading heading into the fourth quarter; they’re now 40-2 all-time.
Knicks vs. Hawks: what to know
What: NBA Playoffs First Round, Game 3
When: April 23, 7 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Arena (Atlanta, Georgia)
Streaming: Prime Video (try it free)
The Knicks and Hawks will be back in action on Saturday for Game 4 of the series.
Knicks vs. Hawks start time:
Knicks vs. Hawks Game 3 is scheduled to begin tonight, April 23, at 7 p.m. ET.
How to watch Knicks vs. Hawks for free:
Tonight’s Hawks vs. Knicks matchup is one of the NBA Playoffs games streaming exclusively on Prime Video, so you’ll need an Amazon Prime subscription to watch.
If you aren’t a Prime Video subscriber yet, you can get started with a 30-day Amazon Prime free trial, including Prime perks like the Prime Video streaming service, free two-day shipping, exclusive deals, and more. After the free trial, Amazon Prime costs $14.99/month or $139/year.
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
It’s rubber match time in the Battle of the Bats between two teams that have scored 34 runs, walloped 12 homers, and — most amazing — sped to six triples in the first two games of the series.
On the White Sox side, Munetaka Murakami has homered in five games in a row, tying team and MLB rookie record streaks; Colson Montgomery is right behind with a four-game streak; and — bet you didn’t have this on your Bingo card — Miguel Vargas has gone deep three in a row, giving him five for the season, in a tie with Shohei Ohtani.
Trying to ice down the torrid timber will be two pitchers who have had very good seasons so far, Davis Martin for the White Sox and Michael Soroka for the Rattlers. They’ve each only given up two homers in more than 20 innings pitched.
Martin is 3-1 with a tremendous 2.16 ERA and 1.00 WHIP and held the A’s to three hits and one run over seven innings his last time out. Soroka is 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA and 1.06 WHIP and held Toronto to five hits and two runs in seven innings during his last start.
Righty Soroka will face a White Sox lineup that earlier in the month went seven games scoring no more than three runs, usually fewer, and now has gone five games scoring no fewer than six runs, usually more. The only Sox he’s ever faced are Andrew Benintendi and Reese McGuire, and for what it’s worth, they’re 3-for-3 against him.
Martin has almost as little experience against Arizona players, with Geraldo Perdomo the only one with a hit among the five at-bats.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:40 CST on what is bound to be a pleasant afternoon under the dome. Usual broadcast suspects.
The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks meet in Game 3 of their NBA first-round playoff series. The Hawks rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Knicks 107-106 on Monday and even the series. The next two games will be played in Atlanta.
Moneyline: Atlanta Hawks -102 (48.3%) / New York Knicks -118 (51.7%)
Over/Under: 216.5
Series results, schedule
Game 1:Knicks 113, Hawks 102 Game 2:Hawks 107, Knicks 106 Game 3: Thu., April 23, at Atlanta (7 p.m., Prime) Game 4: Sat., April 25, at Atlanta (6 p.m., NBC) *Game 5: Tue., April 28,at New York (TBD) *Game 6: Thu., April 30, at Atlanta (TBD) *Game 7: Sat., May 2, at New York (TBD)
After a remarkable freshman season at BYU, 19-year-old forward AJ Dybantsa officially announced that he will declare for the 2026 NBA Draft.
Dybantsa will turn pro as an early entry candidate after a successful and impressive one-and-done collegiate campaign. The former McDonald's All-American forward averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is currently projected at No. 1 overall to the Washington Wizards in USA TODAY's latest mock draft.
Dybantsa led the NCAA in scoring and was named a consensus first-team collegiate All-American, also earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year and the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
During his sole appearance in March Madness, he scored 35 points with 10 rebounds. It was one of eight games in which he had at least 30 points, highlighted by a 43-point performance against in-rival Utah. Dybantsa also notched a 30-point triple double against Eastern Washington in December.
Dybantsa led the nation in unassisted points scored, per CBB Analytics, and is able to inject instant life in whichever NBA team selects him. While he is listed at 6-foot-9, the playmaking forward finished more of his possessions as the ball handler in pick and roll sets than any other play type.
He also scored efficiently as the ball handler in transition and one-on-one against his defender in isolation. All teams will have interest in such a talented offensive creator who also brings a solid frame.
No matter which team gets the pole position, it will highly consider Dybantsa when it is on the clock. Other candidates for No. 1 in this class include Duke forward Cameron Boozer and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson.
The NBA's draft lottery in Chicago is scheduled for May 10 with the Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz as the most likely teams to get the No. 1 overall pick. The 2026 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
