Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after defeating the Houston Rockets during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
This was the game the Rockets needed to win on the road. Jimmy Butler was sitting on the bench in a brown sweat suit, out with a pelvic contusion after his fall in Game 2. The Warriors are not the same team without him.
Instead, it was the Stephen Curry show. He took over in the second half and dropped 36 on Houston’s long, athletic defense.
With that win, the Warriors are up 2-1 in the series with Game 4 in the Bay Area Monday night. Jimmy Butler could return for that game, and if the Warriors win with him, it will seem the Rockets missed their window.
The Rockets were ahead for much of the first half, with that lead growing to 13 at one point.
The spark the Warriors needed to turn things around came from Buddy Hield. He started draining 3s in the first half and cutting the Rockets’ lead down to size.
It was a rough game for Houston. This is a team built on defense, but they seemed to lose Curry and give him too much space too often. Additionally, their half-court offense stagnated much of the night.
The Warriors learned their lesson from Game 2, when Jalen Green went off for 38. They made him play in a crowd. For the game, the Rockets were led by Fred VanVleet with 17 points (13 of those in the first quarter), while Alperen Sengun added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Nobody could score enough for Houston.
Still, the Rockets fought back and even led 84-83 with 5:47 to go, but then the Warriors went on a 21-9 run to close out the game. A run fueled by Curry.
The Rockets need to find their own offensive fuel by Monday or they will find themselves on the edge of elimination.
Eventually, a home team will win a game in this series, right?
The Florida Panthers had a chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their opening round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon in Sunrise, but it was the Bolts who got the best of their hosts.
Tampa’s 5-1 victory got them on the board in the series, which Florida now leads 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Monday night.
Despite the loss, there is still an opportunity for the Panthers to take control of the series if they can earn a split of their two home games.
There are a few things the Cats will need to address if they want to see a better result than they did in Game 3.
Let’s get to the takeaways.
COULDN’T BUILD ON FAST START
The Panthers were all over Tampa Bay in the early stages of Game 3.
A goal by Matthew Tkachuk and a healthy shot and possession advantage had the Cats and their fans feeling good about Game 3.
Then Brayden Point scored late in the first period, and things gradually began going better and better for the Lightning.
“We just went flat for a while,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “I liked our start, at 1-1 straight through to 2-1, misconnections on a bunch of stuff, not that far off it, but the energy was there, the drive, we tried to make some plays that didn't go for us, but even with that, there's nothing going on in really the game, it was just a quiet block of the game. They got a couple of knucklers on you and you’re down 3-1 and chasing it a little bit.”
PUCK MOVEMENT WAS LACKING
One area of their game that Florida is generally quite sharp is when it comes to taking care of the puck.
The Panthers have always been very mindful of how they move around the ice with the puck, making smart plays and limiting opposing transition opportunities.
Whether it was something Tampa was doing differently or just an off night for the home team, Florida had a hard time making some plays that they generally making, particularly in the offensive zone.
“I thought we stopped moving the puck as well as we can in close proximity to some things that didn’t get connected,” said Maurice. “That's not a hands thing, for me, that's more of an emotional thing. You start looking for something a little better, and it slowed our game. I thought how we moved the puck slowed our game down.”
"THIS WAS GOING TO BE A GRINDER"
During the first two games in Tampa, the hockey gods were smiling on the Panthers.
The majority of the bounces went Florida’s way, particularly around the net, which helped fuel their two series-opening wins.
Things changed significantly on Saturday, as Tampa picked up a couple goals on funky plays that swung the momentum in their favor and kept them ahead of the game for much of the night.
They also get spectacular goaltending from Andrei Vasilevskiy, who finished with 33 saves, including an eye-popping 14 high danger stops.
“I don't think we were great,” Maurice said. “I think offensively we probably generated more tonight than we did and any of the other games, at 5-on-5 from an even strength perspective. We've got lots of room to get better, I'm sure they do too, so I'm not feeling today like there's an aberration to how I thought this would go. This was going to be a grinder straight through.”
PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez has had an all-or-nothing type of season.
It's safe to say that his performance Saturday night falls squarely into the “all” category.
Suárez became the 19th player in Major League Baseball history to hit four homers in a single game, accomplishing the feat in an 8-7 loss to the Atlanta Braves in 10 innings. The third baseman is the first player in the big leagues to do it since J.D. Martinez - also for the D-backs - in 2017.
“What can I say - obviously it's awesome,” Suárez said. “I never thought in my life that I would be able to hit four homers in a game.”
Suárez came into the game batting .167 with six homers and 15 RBIs. After Saturday, he has 19 hits this season, including 10 homers.
The 33-year-old Suárez hit a solo shot in the second, a two-run homer in the fourth and two more solo homers in the sixth and the ninth to finish with five RBIs. His fourth homer off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias tied it at 7 as the home crowd of more than 43,000 at Chase Field roared in disbelief.
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo admitted he couldn't believe Suárez had done it again.
“I thought there's no way he goes deep. When does that happen?” Lovullo said. “It's like a fairy tale. When it happened, I just was shaking my head. I couldn't believe it. He turned around a pretty good pitch. ... It's one of those magical nights. It's hard to describe.”
The four baseballs traveled a combined 1,655 feet, with the longest being a 443-foot shot to center for his third homer. The first three homers came off Grant Holmes.
The Braves rallied in the 10th to win after Matt Olson scored on a wild pitch.
“Mixed feelings right now because we didn’t win the game,” Suarez said. “But this is baseball, that’s why this game is so special. I just want to glorify God with this for the game today. It’s a gift and I don’t take it for granted.”
The Venezuelan-born veteran has hit 286 homers over a 12-year career with the Reds, Mariners and Diamondbacks.
Dodgers pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández, right, celebrates with Will Smith, left, and Tommy Edman after hitting a three-run home run in the eighth inning of an 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers entered Saturday night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on a three-game losing streak with hits and runs increasingly difficult to muster.
Home runs, however, are a different matter, especially when they come from batters named Hernández.
A blast by Teoscar Hernández to begin the eighth inning that put the Dodgers ahead and a pinch-hit, three-run shot by Kiké Hernández later in the inning were the difference in an 8-4 victory at a sold-out Dodger Stadium.
How bad had it become? Even after Saturday's barrage, the Dodgers are batting .233 — 20th in baseball — with a subpar .312 on-base percentage. Yet they rank fifth with a .431 slugging percentage because they lead baseball with 43 home runs.
Teoscar Hernández, whose home run was his seventh this season and 199th of his career, said he doesn't think about hitting the ball out of the park.
"Just narrowing the strike zone, trying to get a good pitch, a better pitch, [make] that strike zone little so we cannot make mistakes swinging out of the strike zone," he said. "I don't think anybody is going up there looking to hit a homer. If you put a good swing on it, the ball's going to go."
Most years a healthy portion of the long balls would be courtesy of Max Muncy. But the malady afflicting much of the Dodgers lineup seems to have infected the third baseman with a particularly virulent strain. If antibiotics were the cure, he'd be taking a handful. Rest isn't really what he'd prefer.
How bad is it for a slugger who hit 35 or more home runs in four of his previous seven Dodgers seasons?
Another Max Muncy, a promising rookie infielder with the Athletics from Thousand Oaks High, was sent back to triple A a few days ago after batting .176 with one home run in 68 at-bats. That's better than the Dodgers' Muncy, who has zero homers and four runs batted in while batting .167 over 78 at-bats. His characteristically low batting average — career mark: .225 — normally is palatable because he walks a ton, Muncy sporting a .350 career on-base percentage. But this season, seemingly emboldened by his power outage, pitchers have walked him only 12 times in 25 games.
"You know what's interesting is there are some balls barreled that aren't going out, but also there's still a lot of swing and miss," manager Dave Roberts said. "So it just, it's all sort of, right now, pretty puzzling, but I know he's trying to find his way out.
"But yeah, I mean, to think through April he hasn't hit a homer, I think that surprises everyone."
Teoscar Hernández hits a go-ahead home run for the Dodgers in the eighth inning Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
A couple of other Dodgers seemed to get well quickly against Pirates pitching. Shohei Ohtani hit two doubles and a triple. Andy Pages had three hits for the second game in a row. L.A. outhit Pittsburgh 11-8.
"The energy overall offensively was really good," Roberts said. "I thought the at-bats were good. I thought there was a lot of compete in the at-bats, aggressiveness, kind of imposing your will in the batter's box.
"Obviously, Teo is a big hit, Kiké is a big hit off the bench, but I thought Andy had some really good at-bats. And again, Shohei was really good tonight, and so just up and down the lineup, I thought we did a really nice job."
Dodgers rookie Roki Sasaki, in his sixth start, recovered the velocity that diminished in his previous outing, consistently throwing his fastball 96 mph. The right-hander pitched a creditable 5-2/3 innings, giving up three runs and two hits while striking out four and walking two, leaving with the score tied 3-3.
"My delivery feels pretty in sync," Sasaki said through an interpreter. "And even the pitches I don't really necessarily command, I feel pretty good about so long as my, you know, if I get my velo up a little bit, I think I'll be able to pitch the way I want to."
ONeil Cruz crushed Sasaki's first pitch, an elevated fastball, over the center-field wall, but he retired 11 of the next 14 batters before the Pirates added two runs in the fifth on three hits. Sasaki retired the next four batters before hitting Ke'Bryan Hayes with a pitch, prompting Roberts' hook.
It marked the third consecutive start of five or more innings for the 23-year-old Sasaki, who still is seeking his first MLB victory after posting a 30-15 record for Chiba Lotte of the Japanese League.
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki delivers against the Pirates on Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Pirates took a 4-3 lead in the seventh against left-hander Jack Dreyer, who gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases with none out. Bryan Reynolds drove in the run with a fielder's choice ground ball to first baseman Freddie Freeman before right-hander Evan Phillips came on the retire the next two batters.
The third out came on a diving play by Freeman, the third notable play made by the Dodgers. Center fielder Pages robbed Reynolds of a home run in the fifth inning and Teoscar Hernández threw out Joey Bart at the plate after charging a fly ball and throwing on the run in the second.
The Dodgers scored two in the first when Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández both doubled and Hernández scored on a throwing error by second baseman Todd Frazier. They tied the score 4-4 in the seventh on Ohtani's ringing double to left-center that scored Pages.
Ohtani and Pages had been among those struggling until recently. Roberts delivered a message that several slumping Dodgers seemed to heed at just the right moment.
"It’s not about the number of pitches you see, it’s about getting your pitch and doing something with it," he said. "That’s the message for everyone. Not trying to chase how many pitches you can accrue in an at-bat.
"A quality at-bat for me is, you get a good pitch to hit, your pitch, and you hit it hard. And we’ll take whatever results from that."
All the better when the result is eighth-inning home runs by Hernández and Hernández.
Tony Gonsolin ready for season debut
Dodgers starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin delivers against the Chicago White Sox in June 2023. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
It's been a long wait for Tony Gonsolin, who is expected to start for the Dodgers on Wednesday against the Miami Marlins. Gonsolin has been sidelined with a litany of injuries since August 2023, when he was shut down because of an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow that required Tommy John surgery.
Gonsolin missed all of last season and might have opened this season on the active roster but he tweaked his back while lifting weights near the end of spring training. In four triple-A rehab appearances, he has a 3.86 earned-run average over 14 innings while striking out 16, giving up 12 hits and six walks.
Roberts said Gonsolin threw a bullpen Saturday and that making his first start Wednesday "makes a lot of sense."
Few pitchers have shown the knack for notching wins that Gonsolin has since debuting with the Dodgers in 2019. He is 34-11 (.756 winning percentage), including a sparkling 16-1 mark in 2022 when he sported a 2.14 ERA and gave up only 79 hits in 130-1/3 innings over 24 starts.
The Dodgers would welcome a return to even an approximation of that effectiveness. The fifth spot in the starting rotation has been a problem all season, with young starters Landon Knack (7.27 ERA), Justin Wrobleski (14.40) and Bobby Miller (18.00) pitching poorly.
Times staff writer Benjamin Royer contributed to this story.
Brock Nelson's first playoff point with the Colorado Avalanche was a memorable one!
The former New York Islander carried the puck down ice before finding Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who fired it past Jake Oettinger for his first NHL goal since June 20, 2022:
This was Colorado's third goal of the night as they blanked Dallas 4-0.
Landeskog returned to NHL action on Wednesday, playing his first game in 1,032 days following a knee injury.
Once feared he might never play professionally again, he has now scored a goal in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With the series now tied at 2-2, Nelson and the Avalanche will return to Dallas for Game 5 on Monday night at 9:30 PM EST.
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Inglewood, CA - April 26: Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) dunks the final basket to beat the Clippers. LA Clippers hosted the Denver Nuggets of game 3 of the first round playoffs at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Nikola Jokic had the ball in his hands with the chance to even up the series against the Clippers: Eight seconds left, score tied 99-99, and he was isolated on Ivica Zubac. Jokic spun for position, put up a shot, and admitted his thought as he released the ball was, "This is going to be bad."
Then Aaron Gordon came flying in.
AARON GORDON DUNK AT THE BUZZER FOR THE NUGGETS WIN!!!
Gordon tried to sprint off the court as he was mobbed by his teammates, then everyone stood around for a couple of minutes while the review was conducted. Eventually, referee Zach Zarba said it counted.
What had been on the cusp of being a disastrous loss for the Nuggets — blowing a 22-point fourth quarter lead and going down 3-1 in the series — became the most dramatic win of these playoffs, in what has been the best series of the postseason.
The Nuggets escaped with the win and tied the series 2-2 heading back to Denver on Wednesday night.
It looked like a game Denver was going to win comfortably for at least 42 minutes on Saturday night, they came out playing with the desperation of a championship team with its back against the wall.
"I hate that stupid word of physicality, but they were more aggressive to start the game," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "I thought they picked their pressure up defensively, it kind of sped us up."
Nuggets defenders Christian Braun and Gordon started picking up James Harden and Kawhi Leonard out much higher on the court. In the face of that, Harden was relatively quiet much of the night (he finished with 15 points and 11 assists). It put pressure on the Clippers' role players to step up and hit shots, but unlike Game 3, that did not happen: Kris Dunn, Nicolas Batum, and Derrick Jones Jr. combined to shoot 1-of-13 from 3-point range. Denver never pulled away in the first half, but they led most of it.
Los Angeles grew frustrated, emotions built up, and then just before halftime — when Braun fouled Harden— everything bubbled over. Harden turned and got in Braun's face. Then Jokic, Gordon and Ivica Zubac all got in the mix. There was a mini-fracas, but referee Zach Zarba handled it well: Six offsetting technicals (Harden, Zubac, Norman Powell, Braun, Jokic and Gordon) so no free throws. Just play on.
For three quarters this looked like another classic Jokic game, as the three-time MVP dominated, particularly in the third quarter, when he scored or assisted on 26 of Denver's 35 points and the Nuggets got the lead above 20. Jokic finished the night with 36 points and 21 rebounds.
"Throughout the game, and he did a great job finding the soft spots in their defense," Nuggets coach David Adelman said of Jokic.
JOKER BEING JOKER
36 PTS 21 REB 8 AST
Jokić is now 1 of 4 players in NBA history to tally 35/20/8 in a playoff game pic.twitter.com/K7dTsbOBnP
Los Angeles trailed by 22 in the fourth but a combination of an offense-heavy lineup from Lue (leaning on Bogdan Bogdanovic), a zone defense from Los Angeles that threw Denver off, and the tired legs of the Nuggets' starters — every one of them played at least 42 minutes — opened the door for a dramatic comeback. Denver just looked exhausted.
A James Harden driving layup tied the game with eight seconds left. The Nuggets had one more shot and everyone in the building knew where it was going to go, including Gordon.
That putback saved the Nuggets' season — in this tight a series, they were not coming back from 3-1 down. Now, it's just a best-of-three that feels like a toss-up.
"[It's] 2-2. They're great team, won a championship a couple years ago, they're not going to give in, we got to beat them, and that's okay," Lue said.
CLEVELAND — Jarren Duran barely had time to catch his breath after tripling in the third inning. It didn’t matter, he had already made up his mind to run again.
Duran pulled off Boston’s first straight steal of home plate in exactly 16 years, scoring on the next pitch from Doug Nikhazy as the Red Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday night.
“(Third base coach Kyle Hudson) heard him tell the umpire that he was working from the stretch, so I decided I was going to go on the first pitch,” Duran said. “It was just to keep the offense going and cause a little chaos. I knew I had it.”
As Nikhazy went from the windup, Duran broke for home. He slid headfirst and slapped his right hand on the plate ahead of Bo Naylor’s tag. Umpire Brock Ballou’s safe call was upheld in a video review.
“Under the new rules, he’s kind of the perfect player,” Boston manager Alex Cora said of Duran. “We saw a window there and he took advantage of the situation.”
It marked the first straight steal of the plate by the Red Sox since Jacoby Ellsbury against the Yankees on April 26, 2009. Duran’s two previous thefts of home were part of double steals last season at Tampa Bay on May 21 and at the White Sox on June 7.
“It was really a cool play and a cool sequence of events there,” Red Sox pitcher Walker Buehler said. “He’s one of the most exciting players in baseball. After watching him from afar, it’s been fun to see him up close this season.”
Nikhazy, a 25-year-old left-hander, was making his major league debut and had already allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings. With Rafael Devers in the batter’s box, he said he took “a peek” at Duran before delivering the ball.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt praised Duran for making “a head’s up baseball play” because third baseman José Ramírez was off the line, but his starting pitcher blamed himself.
“He had taken a big jump and he took off immediately,” Nikhazy said. “In the moment, I chose to make the pitch as opposed to stepping off. Ultimately, when I saw him, I should have stepped off.”
Duran went 3 for 5 with three runs and two RBIs in the nightcap. He was hitless in four at-bats in the first game, which Cleveland won 5-4.
It didn't take long for Francisco Alavrez to reestablish his presence in the Mets' lineup with a clutch hit. He only needed five at-bats, to be exact.
In his second game since returning from the injured list, the slugging catcher delivered some opportune power on Saturday, smacking a two-run home run that served as the Mets' only offense in a 2-0 road win over the division-rival Nationals.
Blame the lineup's lack of rhythm on the weather, as the afternoon at Nationals Park featured two rain delays that irked fans in attendance and at home. What mattered was the pop from Alvarez, who's hoping to prove that his surgically-repaired left hand is fully healed and overall approach at the plate yields the long ball.
"It means a lot. I've worked a lot on my hitting, on all facets of my game," Alvarez said of his homer after the win. "To be able to have a day like today means a lot because I put a lot into my game as a player."
The two-run blast from Alvarez came in the second inning, facing Nationals starter Brad Lord. With two outs and Jesse Winker on first, the 23-year-old jumped on a high 0-1 slider and watched it slice down the right field line and land inside the bullpen near the foul pole. The homer turned out to be ample support for the Mets' pitching staff.
Only time will tell how long it'll take Alvarez to once again find his groove as a lineup fixture. The Mets are obviously hoping that the young backstop resembles more of his 2023 rookie self, who produced 25 homers and 12 doubles across 382 at-bats. They have reason to believe that his 2024 power outage was largely due to an early-season thumb injury.
"When he's able to hit a ball out like that, pretty impressive," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Alvarez. "Off the bat, I didn't think that ball was going to go, and it just kept going. He's got the ability to use the whole field and drive the ball with authority. That's what makes him a special player."
Kranick answers the call... again
When the Mets were forced to pull Edwin Diaz due to a hip injury in Thurday's extra-inning win over the Phillies, Max Kranick played the role of hero in relief by registering two huge outs in a 10th-inning jam. So, naturally, he was thrust into a similar emergency situation on Saturday.
This time when the bullpen phone rang for Kranick, he took over for A.J. Minter, who exited with one out in the eighth with a tricep injury. Once again, the chaotic moment didn't faze him -- after allowing a walk, he induced a strikeout and popout to collect his second hold this season.
It's been an impressive April for the 27-year-old right-hander, who didn't see any big league action during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Kranick now owns a 2.70 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 16.2 innings, and Mendoza is thrilled with the confidence and composure he's seeing from him during high-leverage moments.
"That's back-to-back [games] now where he has to come in and warm up on the game mound. That's not easy to do," Mendoza said. "He continues to attack, make pitches, get outs. He's been solid for us... Calm, poise, confidence. There's a lot to like. The more he pitches out of the roles, the more he continues to get outs... He knows he's got elite stuff."
The Ottawa Senators will live to fight another day.
Jake Sanderson’s overtime goal at 17:42 of the extra period gave the Senators a 4-3 victory, staving off elimination and forcing a Game 5 in Toronto on Tuesday. Sanderson played a key role, contributing both a goal and an assist for the Sens, who were outshot 35-22.
In OT, the Senators survived Drake Batherson’s double minor for high-sticking in the offensive zone. Batherson had already made one major overtime mistake back in Game 2, so that successful kill was probably the longest four minutes of his life.
The Senators struck first midway through the opening period with a brilliant power-play goal as Stützle unleashed a one-timer from the top of the right circle. The opportunity came after Max Domi caught Shane Pinto in the head with the end of his stick during a face-off, sending the Senators to the power play. They made the most of it, taking a 1-0 lead.
Just four minutes later, David Perron nearly scored during a goalmouth scramble. However, he got a little too aggressive in the ensuing scrum and ended up taking a penalty. But the PK was on a roll in this one. Pinto broke free for a shorthanded breakaway, and he made no mistake, slipping the puck through Anthony Stolarz’s legs to give the Senators a 2-0 lead.
Toronto responded late in the second period when Tavares was left unchecked to the right of Linus Ullmark. Tavares redirected a shot from William Nylander past Ullmark, cutting the Senators’ lead to 2-1 as the teams headed into the final frame.
In the third period, Knies caught Sanderson and Zub flatfooted on a puck that dribbled out the Toronto zone up the middle. He blew past them to tie the game at 2.
Perron restored the one-goal lead on a perfect pass from Artem Zub. Standing at the right post, Perron directed the puck into the open net, much like the Tavares goal, to make it 3-2. But Toronto quickly answered again. Nylander, playing the setup man for a second time, delivered a perfect cross-ice pass to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who fired a quick shot under Ullmark’s glove to tie the game at 3.
In overtime, after the huge four minute penalty kill, Sanderson hustled to keep the puck in at the left point along the boards and lofted a wrist shot through traffic that beat Stolarz high to the glove side to end the game and keep the Sens alive.
So, the Senators will not go gentle into that good night, but down 3-1, the road back remains long. Game 5 is on Tuesday in Toronto.
Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.
After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines, provide updates on the rest of the night's NHL slate and read your opinions.
Just about everything Mets converted starter Clay Holmes is experiencing in 2025 is new, but Saturday was something no one could have predicted.
The start of Saturday's tilt between the Mets and Nationals was delayed about 25 minutes. No big deal, Holmes hadn't started the game yet.
However, after getting one out in the bottom of the first inning, the skies opened up and the officials stopped the game to get the tarp on the field. As baseball fans know, rain delays could spell the end of a starter's outing, especially if it's a lengthy one. For 46 minutes, Holmes had to cool down from the nine pitches he threw, staying loose and then getting warmed up all over again when the delay was over because he had to take the ball immediately.
"Everything is new. This is new for him," Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza said of the delay's effect on Holmes. "As a reliever, you deal with a rain delay, you’re most likely done. We're not even through the first inning... He had to develop a routine and find a way to stay loose, stay warm and give us a solid five, that’s not easy to do. Part of the learning and I’m glad he went through it."
"You try to stay as locked-in as you can, but there's really not much you can simulate like the game speed," Holmes said of the experience. "Try to give what I could there, got through five and was able to make the most of it.”
Holmes pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while striking out two batters. While that statline may not jump off the page, Holmes was dominating this aggressive Nationals lineup, throwing just 70 pitches in those five innings, and at one point retiring nine straight batters. The right-hander would have gone deeper into the game if it weren't for the rain delay.
"The only thing that stopped him from going deep in the game was an almost 50-minute rain delay," Mendoza said with a chuckle. "He was dealing. Got groundballs and when he’s getting groundballs, lefties, righties, you know he’s on. Pitches were moving, attacking. Everything was in the zone. He was pretty good today. Part of the learning and I’m glad he went through it."
Of the 15 outs Holmes got, 10 came on groundballs thanks to his patented sinker, which he threw 37 percent of the time. His new changeup was thrown at a 20 percent clip, and complemented his other pitches, allowing Holmes to go at least five innings for the fourth straight start, while allowing one or fewer runs in three of those outings.
All in all, the Holmes experiment is working for the pitcher and the Mets. In his six starts this season, Holmes is 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA and considering how much of an unknown he would be in the rotation, the organization will take it.
"I still think there's a lot of room for growth, but overall, it's been, I feel like, pretty good," Holmes said of his season so far. "I think today was good to experience something new, having to deal with those things, but for me, I’ve relied on the people around me. Pitching coaches, the communication we have, the catchers. In that regard, I feel like it hasn’t been all on me; I’ve trusted the people around me. It’s been a group effort that’s been really good."
ST. PAUL - For the fifth time in franchise history, the Minnesota Wild have failed to turn a 2-1 series lead into a 3-1 series lead. In 2022, the Wild had a 2-1 series lead over the St. Louis Blues. In 2023, the Wild had a 2-1 series lead over the Dallas Stars.
They lost both those series in six games. They also had 2-1 series leads in 2008 and 2015.
But this team feels different. The way the Wild have played this season, it doesn't seem like this is the team that is capable of blowing a 2-1 series lead.
"Yeah, I mean, I like our group. I liked the experience that we have from those previous playoff rounds. We’re right there, right? We had the lead and penalties. It is what it is," Marcus Foligno said. "We worked really hard tonight, and the way we answered and came back after their goal was the mental toughness that we've been showing all year. So, 2-2 doesn't scare us."
Shea Theodore got Vegas on the board early in the first after he scored on the power play. The goal on the power play was a result of a Vinnie Hinostroza high-sticking penalty on Brett Howden.
The penalty came five seconds after Hinostroza was dumped into the boards from behind by Howden. Vegas got the power play and scored.
Marco Rossi scored just a few mintues later to tie it. It was his second goal in back-to-back games. Rossi scored in game 3 and now in game 4.
Despite that, Rossi only played 4:40 in the first two periods. He did not play the last 13 mintues on the secod period.
Wild head coach John Hynes was asked why Rossi's line played only 4:40 in two periods and if it is something Rossi is doing to warant no ice time.
"No, I think some of it goes into special teams and comes into matchups," Hynes said. "In different situations. So, we'll take it game by game here."
The Wild got the lead in the second period after Marcus Foligno scored his third of the playoffs. Mats Zuccarello fired a shot on net and Foligno grabbed it out of the air and down to his feet.
The puck trickled to the point and Hartman fired a shot on net before Foligno banged home the rebound.
Vegas got a power play chance in the third period after Zeev Buium caught Mark Stone up high with his stick. Stone was bleeding bad and Buium was given a four mintue penalty for high-sticking.
The Golden Knights had a few chances but couldn't convert. Later, Jake Middleton was defending Tomas Hertl in front of the net. Nicolas Roy then came in and hit Middleton in the face. Middleton was slow to the bench after taking Roy's stick to the chomps.
No call.
Moments later Roy scores on the power play to tie the game 2-2.
About five mintues later, Hartman and Hertl were in a wrestling match out in front of the net. Hertl then falls on top of Hartman and Stone fires a shot off the two and into the back of the net.
Mark Stone just pinballed? the puck off Hertl and Hartmann, who were wrestling in front pic.twitter.com/Qa3FaktVJr
"That’s something we talked about, wasted energy there," Wild captain Jared Spurgeon said on the non-calls. "Nothing we can really control. If we get frustrated with that, it bleeds into your game. To be able to just let it be as it is and work through it is something we’re trying to do."
But just 54 seconds after the Roy goal, Spurgeon scored on a wraparound goal to tie the game at 3-3.
After a back-and-forth overtime, Ivan Barbashev was able to captilize on a mistake by the Wild in the defensive zone.
Middleton got the puck behind the net and tried to clear the puck. He put it on the stick of Reilly Smith who found Barbashev in the slot. Game over.
Say what you want about the penalties that were and weren't called in the game. Could the Wild have gotten a few more power plays then they did? Sure. But that doesn't stop the fact that they were out-shot 46-32.
"Yeah, I didn't have to do much. I mean, our guys are dialed in," Hynes said on non-calls. "We’ve got strong belief in how we're playing and nothing really rattles us whether you win a game, lose a game, you know our team’s been resilient all year. One of the main reasons why we're here is because a) we’ve got a great team and b) we’re resilient. We just play. And that's part of what it is, so we'll move on."
The Wild have won in Vegas already. They will have to win at least once in Vegas to move on to the second round.
"It gives us a lot of confidence," Foligno said on winning in Vegas before. "I mean, we got to understand that we got to play the same way and play like we did in spurts of game one and majority of game two. So, yeah, we have a have a chance to go there. And, the road doesn't faze this team."
It is hard not to think about the last two playoff rounds the Wild have had a 2-1 series lead that turned into a 2-2 series lead and eventually two more wins for the oppenets.
That being said, this is a different team then the one in 2022 and in 2023. At least the Wild think so.
"We all mature as a group, right? So those guys gain confidence after years like that, and understand," Foligno said. "The way Kirill and Bolds have been playing, it's just who they are as players. And the reason why they're top elite players. So, yeah, we're in a great series. We got our guys going. And, yeah, we feel confident going into game five."
Hynes added: "Oh man, we're in a good spot. Hard-fought battle, played well again. The game was right in our hands. Both teams competed hard. We knew it was going to be a hard series. Love where we’re at. I mean, we knew it was going to be a hard-fought series, really like our game, you know? We're here, man. We'll just keep grinding."
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon stares down the Clippers after a flurry of pushes and shoves between players during Game 4 of the playoff series Saturday at Intuit Dome. Gordon was one of several players to receive technical fouls. There were no ejections. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The goal for the Clippers was to not give the Denver Nuggets any hope in Game 4 and in the process take complete control of the seven-game playoff series.
For any of this to happen, both teams had to maintain their composure, which both sides lost late in the second quarter, resulting in technical fouls being called on six players but no ejections.
The Clippers found a calmness amidst it all, even when they got down 22 points in the fourth quarter, keeping their emotions in check until Aaron Gordon dunked in a missed three-pointer by Nikola Jokic as time expired to give the Nuggets a thrilling 101-99 win.
The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Denver.
The Clippers went on a 32-9 run to take a 97-96 lead after Bogdan Bogdanovic got an offensive rebound and scored.
Clippers center Ivica Zubac blocks a layup by Nuggets guard Jamal Murray during the first half of Game 4 on Saturday at Intuit Dome. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
But Jokic (36 points, 21 rebounds, eight assists) made a free throw to tie the score with 58.6 seconds left. After Kawhi Leonard (24 points) missed a shot, Jokic scored to give the Nuggets a 99-97 lead.
James Harden (15 points, 11 assists) missed on a drive, but Ivica Zubac (19 points, 12 rebounds) tipped the ball in to tie the score at 99-99 with 8.0 seconds left.
Jokic shot a three-pointer that missed, but Gordon (14 points) dunked it for a game Denver thought it had won.
But the officials had to review the play, eventually deciding that the basket was good.
The ruckus began after Christian Braun fouled Harden with 6.6 seconds left in the second quarter, causing a lot of pushing and shoving.
Harden took exception with the foul and pushed Braun, then Jokic came over and pushed Harden followed by Gordon pushing Harden, who then pushed the Nuggets' forward back. Zubac grabbed and pulled Gordon away. But Norman Powell ran over and pushed Gordon and Braun, and Kris Dunn then ran in and pushed Gordon.
The officials finally got things settled down and issued technical fouls on Harden, Powell and Dunn as well as Gordon, Braun and Jokic.
And then when both teams came out to start the second half, both having been given a chance to calm down in their locker rooms and resume playing a tense basketball game, the Nuggets were the aggressors and the Clippers were not.
The Clippers fell behind 85-65 at the end of the third quarter, their offense struggling and their defense unable to control the Nuggets in the early going of the second half.
Denver scored 35 points in the third quarter by shooting 56% from the field and 50% (five for 10) from three-point range.
Meanwhile, the Clippers scored just 17 points in the third quarter, shooting 27.8% from the field.
Before the game, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue talked about his team’s approach to the game.
“We got to be locked in to start defensively,” he said. “They’ve come out really aggressive, really scoring the basketball in that first quarter. So we just got to come out with a defensive mindset to start the game and not give them any life to start the game because they are a really good team. Their starting five is amazing and like I said, they won a championship two years ago so we got to be locked in.”
The Clippers were mostly locked into the game at the outset, their defense forcing the Nuggets into two 24-second violations in the first quarter and that allowed L.A. to trim a Denver lead from nine to two points.
But the Clippers ended the first with a turnover when Harden’s long pass to Zubac sailed out of bounds with 1.9 seconds remaining.
That left the door open for the Nuggets, and they stepped into it when Jokic drilled a 28-foot three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to end the first half that put the Clippers down five points.
The Nuggets were without reserve guard Russell Westbrook (left foot).
