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They clawed. They scrapped. They refused to give up.
The team that was counted out reached the second round of the NBA playoffs after clinching its first-round series against the Rockets with a 98-78 win in Game 6 on Friday.
LeBron James led the Lakers to a series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Rockets by finishing with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. NBAE via Getty Images
What they went through over the last month transformed them, making them ready for their date with the reigning champion Thunder.
Before everything went wrong for them, they had no chance.
Now they do.
Game 6 was a huge test.
After the Lakers roared to a 3-0 series lead, the Rockets won the next two contests. Momentum had wildly swung. The Lakers had to win in Houston or else they’d face elimination.
The Lakers, who aren’t known as a great defensive team, held the Rockets to fewer than 80 points for just the 10th time in a playoff game since 2000.
Marcus Smart turned back the clock with devastating defense throughout the series, including a great effort on Kevin Durant in Game 2. Getty Images
Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart were bulldogs, preventing the Rockets’ scorers from getting hot.
As for James, he wasn’t about to let the Lakers — or himself — free-fall into infamy. He met the moment with the perfect combination of poise and ferocity, single-handedly outscoring the Rockets in the second quarter, 14-13.
As the Lakers huddled after the game, everyone bleated to honor him as the greatest player of all time (the GOAT). The 41-year-old James had just led all scorers for the fourth time this series, finishing with 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
“It speaks to his greatness,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “To me, he’s had the greatest career of any NBA player.”
It was the Lakers’ latest test amid a series of seemingly impossible quizzes that they’ve somehow aced over the last month.
When the Lakers lost Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) with five games remaining in the regular season, no one thought they had any chance in the playoffs. They were missing their leading scorers, who left a 60-point crater in their absence.
After a four-week absence due to a Grade 2 oblique strain, Austin Reaves returned in Game 5 and played a key role in the Game 6 win. NBAE via Getty Images
But the Lakers have learned they’re so much deeper than they thought.
James is still a superstar, ready and willing to be the first option. Luke Kennard’s talents extend far beyond the 3-point line. Ayton is capable of playing with force. Smart can look like the best defender in the league on any given night. Rui Hachimura and Jake LaRavia are capable of stepping up in big moments.
For the Lakers, cutting off their two biggest limbs made the rest of their body grow stronger.
It took a lot for this Lakers team to believe in itself. The negative noise was deafening.
What they just accomplished is stunning.
“It felt bleak,” Redick said. “… For us to be written off a few weeks ago and to win a playoff series is a big deal. And it just speaks to the character of our team and the leaders of our team. They didn’t let go of the rope.”
Now the Lakers may just be ready for the Thunder. It’s a crazy thought. But they’ve risen above the impossible.
That can change a team. It can seed a belief that’s infectious.
While Luka Doncic’s status is still unknown following a Grade 2 hamstring strain, the Lakers have given him a chance to return in the second round against the Oklahoma City Thunder. AP
If Doncic returns in the second round of the playoffs, his teammates will no longer feel as though they live or die on his 40-point scoring flurries.
Everyone in the rotation tapped into being the best version of themselves at various points this series.
That’s powerful.
There’s no denying that the Lakers have an enormous challenge ahead of them. Their last two games against the Thunder were disastrous. There was a 43-point loss on April 2, followed by a 36-point loss on April 7.
But the Lakers are battle-tested now in a way they weren’t before.
They’ve gone through something. They survived. They persevered.
Everyone played a part in it.
There will be no questioning LeBron James’ legacy after he led the undermanned Lakers to a first-round victory over the Rockets. AP
James proved he’s still James.
Reaves returned from a painful oblique injury in Game 5 after pouring himself into getting back onto the court. There were some days he left his house at 7:30 a.m. and didn’t return until 7:30 p.m. after seeking various treatments.
“Literally, did literally everything we could possibly do to get myself back in this opportunity,” said Reaves, who had 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
Deandre Ayton averaged 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in the first-round series vs. the Rockets. AP
Then there’s Smart, who was on the verge of falling out of the league before resuscitating his career this postseason, including bottling up Kevin Durant in Game 2.
As for Ayton, his maturity and professionalism had fallen into question before he recently showed he can star in his role, including holding Alperen Sengun to 17 points on 5-for-12 shooting in Game 6.
Then there’s Kennard, who made people question whether he had been playing the wrong role his entire career after shining as a playmaker in the first two games of this series.
There are so many success stories this postseason on the Lakers’ roster. They did this as a collective. They overcame adversity together. That makes them dangerous.
They didn’t have a chance. Now they’re going to the Western Conference semifinals.
It would be foolish to count them out again.
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TULSA, OKLAHOMA - APRIL 19: Josue de Paula #55 of the Tulsa Drillers stands in the batter's box during a game against the Arkansas Travelers at ONEOK Field on April 19, 2026 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Earlier on Friday, outfielder Josue De Paula remained in the top spot in Kiley McDaniel’s updated Dodgers team prospect rankings at ESPN, though there was some movement in the top five, including Zyhir Hope up to second in the system and shortstop Emil Morales up to fourth.
De Paula had two hits for Tulsa on Friday, including a three-run double in the seventh inning that broke the game open.
The #Dodgers No. 1 prospect, Josue De Paula, doubles and it's a scoring party with Vetrano, Myers, and George ALL crossing home! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ryFWkcit28
The Comets added three runs in the seventh inning and three more in the ninth to pull away from the Round Rock Express (Rangers).
Jack Suwinski’s two hits drove in the first two runs for the Comets, with a second-inning double and fourth-inning single. The outfielder has a seven-game hitting streak, including an extra-base hit in each of those seven contests. His last three games have been two-hit affairs.
Suwinski also walked to open up a three-run seventh, during which Oklahoma City benefitted from a no-out fielder’s choice, an error, and a wild pitch by old friend Alexis Díaz.
Jerming Rosario struck out five in two scoreless innings of relief, but after the Comets widened their lead to 8-1, he was not brought back out for the ninth, robbing us of a potential three-inning save.
Double-A Tulsa
The Drillers outfield was productive in a win over the San Antonio Missions (Padres). In addition to De Paula, Hope had two hits as well and drove in Tulsa’s first run of the night. Kendall George drove in the go-ahead run by getting hit by a pitch in the seventh, also singled, and scored twice. The outfielders combined for five hits, five RBI, and four runs scored.
After a one of his two blow-up starts this season last Friday, Payton Martin matched his season high with five innings with deuces wild against San Antonio, allowing two runs with two walks and two strikeouts.
Shortstop Elijah Hainline was hit by a pitch in the right hand in the fourth inning and was examined by a team trainer, but remained in the game and played the rest of the way.
High-A Great Lakes
Great Lakes in April set franchise records for both wins (16) and home runs (28) while averaging 5.92 runs per game, and started off May with a shutout loss to the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals). The game was tight nearly the whole way, 1-0 until Peoria piled on with five runs in the top of the ninth inning. It’s the first time the Loons were shut out in 2026.
Starter Logan Tabeling pitched a career-high six innings, and struck out six with only one walk, and allowed a run on four hits in a tough-luck loss. The 24-year-old right-hander has a 2.37 ERA with a 19.2-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate in his 19 innings this year.
The Loons had only five hits in the game, including a double and single by center fielder Eduardo Quintero.
Class-A Ontario
Ricardo Montero and Jecsua Liborius combined to allow five runs in a busy seventh inning in Ontario’s home loss to the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres).
Morales homered, tripled, walked, drove in two runs, and scored two. He leads the Tower Buzzers in hits (32), extra-base hits (16), and runs batted in (27) in his 23 games.
Mairo Martinus had a two-run triple. He played right field on Friday, for the fourth time this season, to go with 13 starts at second base and two games in center field. Last year he started games at second, third, shortstop, and all three outfield positions.
Isaac Ayon struck out four and walked one with one unearned run allowed in his four-inning start.
Transaction
Class-A: Nineteen-year-old catcher Francisco Espinoza joined Ontario from Arizona, filling in for Anson Aroz, the switch-hitter drafted in the 19th round last year out of Oregon who is still active but last played on Sunday.
SEATTLE - APRIL 12: Former Mariners star Randy Johnson throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Mariners' home opener against the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field on April 12, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Brewers young righty Jacob Misiorowski exited yesterday’s game against the Nationals with a hamstring cramp. The hard-thrower was 5 1/3 innings into a no-hitter when he left the game.
Oregon State right-hander and top 2027 draft prospect Dax Whitney will undergo UCL surgery. He is expected to be healthy prior to next year’s draft.
J.J. Cooper at Baseball America pointed out that the MLB rulebook definition of the strike zone and the zone that is actually being called in games are two different things. ($)
The Cubs came back home and got right back into a groove. When last we saw this team, they’d swept all seven games on a seven-game homestand. For those not keeping track at home, they also won the home game before that back on April 12. So this is now nine straight wins at Wrigley for the team. The last time the team had nine straight home wins was 2017.
It’s still relatively early. But this team is a study in contradictions. It doesn’t feel in any way like it is hitting on all cylinders. And yet, this team is accomplishing some unusual things. 10 game winning streaks. Nine game home winning streaks. These things don’t grow on trees. And yet, the bullpen feels like someone wrapped a bunch of duct tape around it. It’s hard to even know who some of these guys are if you don’t have a razor sharp awareness of bit players.
Then, even when a guy looks like maybe he’s going to step forward and be something more, he pulls away. Riley Martin felt like he was one of those guys who was maybe getting interesting. Then he got hurt. Ryan Rolison felt like he was someone to keep an eye on. Then he got roughed up by the Diamondbacks Friday afternoon. Granted, that offense will bite some guys along the way. But in just a few short batters, the game went from what looked like a comfortable win to needing to hold your breath. That said, hat tip for coming up with two strikeouts with the tying run on first to escape that inning. Not just any two either, but their third and fourth hitters.
Meanwhile, with the offense sputtering, Phil Maton came on and threw his first clean inning as a Cub, striking out two. He, too, has missed time with an injury. Hopefully, he is healthy now and turning a corner. But the even bigger surprise was Jacob Webb coming on and throwing two hitless innings, yielding only a walk while striking out three. For the first time, we see what the Cubs thought they had when they gave him a multi-year deal. To be fair, his deal isn’t one that particularly breaks the bank. But, the Cubs haven’t given a lot of multi-year deals to relievers.
The offense? It was relatively subdued. They had eight hits and four walks. Among the eight hits were three doubles. 16 times already they’ve had more than nine hits (13-3 record). 16 times they’ve had more walks (11-5). At 12 hits/walks combined, 20 times (15-5). So this was a little less than a middle of the road production-wise. How, then, did this one work? Two things went really well. One, Colin Rea was very good through five innings, running into trouble in the sixth. Secondly, the offense bunched all but one of those baserunners into the first four innings. Zac Gallen is a pretty good pitcher that they chased in less than four. He came into the game with a 3.14 ERA that is now 4.45.
Early offense. Good pitching. It’s a very good formula. Another win.
Three Positives:
Michael Busch had two hits, one a double. He drove in two runs.
Carson Kelly had two hits, both singles. He scored a run and drove in a run.
Jacob Webb, six very important outs protecting a one-run lead.
Hat tip to Colin Rea, two outs short of a quality start.
Game 32, May 1: Cubs 6, Diamondbacks 5 (20-12)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Jacob Webb (.274). 2 IP, 7 BF, BB, 3 K (Sv 1)
Hero: Michael Busch (.153). 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Sidekick: Colin Rea (.130). 5.1 IP, 25 BF, 8 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 6 K (W 4-1)
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Ryan Rolison (-.210). 0.2 IP, 6 BF, 3 H, BB, 3 ER, 2 K
Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.086). 0-3, BB
Kid: Matt Shaw (-.040). 0-3
WPA Play of the Game: With the bases loaded and two outs in a scoreless first inning, Michael Busch singled, scoring two runs. (.167)
*Diamondbacks Play of the Game: Geraldo Perdomo batted with runners on second and third with one out, the Cubs up four. He hit a three-run homer. (.159)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 31 Winner: Ben Brown 210 of 298 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Nico Hoerner +9.5
Michael Conforto +7
Moisés Ballesteros/Daniel Palencia +5
Pete Crow-Armstrong -8
Matt Shaw/Seiya Suzuki -9
Current Win Pace: 101.25
Up Next: Game two of the three-game set Saturday afternoon. Shōta Imanaga (2-2, 2.88, 34.1 IP) makes his seventh start of the year. Last time out, he lost, allowing four earned runs in just 5.1 innings of work. He’ll look to bounce back. The Diamondbacks start 28-year-old Ryne Nelson (1-2, 7.71, 25.2 IP). He is also making his seventh start. Last time out, he allowed six runs over five innings of work. The time before that, he allowed eight runs while only recording one out. So he’s struggled of late. He was the 2019 second-round pick of the Diamondbacks (56th overall).
Let’s keep his struggles going and keep our streak rolling.
Gwinnett rode a huge sixth inning while staving off a late-inning comeback attempt en route to a win on Friday.
Making his first start at triple-A on the season — and only his third career start at the level — Brett Sears got the nod and while he only went three innings, he managed to keep Charlotte off the board. In his three frames of work, Sears limited the damage despite issuing three walks and two hits, but he also struck out four on the night as well.
The Stripers offense was held in check for the most part in this one, as Gwinnett was limited to just two baserunners — one hit — through the first five innings. In the sixth, however, things flipped on a dime in favor of the Stripers.
Brewer Hicklen led off the inning with a double and Sean Murphy walked two batters later. The biggest blow came off the bat of Nacho Alvarez Jr. who took a 1-0 fastball and launched it over the right field wall for his first homer of the year — a three-run shot to give the Stripers the 3-1 lead.
In the next at-bat, Rowdy Tellez decided to get in on the fun as he took the very next pitch and deposited it into the right field seats for his sixth homer of the season to extend the lead to 4-1 on the night for Gwinnett.
Despite giving up three runs, the Stripers’ bullpen managed to keep Charlotte at bay for the most part, as the three runs were just enough to allow in order to give Gwinnett the chance to win.
Rome ultimately came up short on Friday, losing by one run to Bowling Green. Still, there were a handful of individual performances that stood out on the night.
2025 draftee Colin Daniel made his fifth start of the season for Rome. Across seven innings, Daniel scattered three hits while allowing two runs and two walks. He also struck out six on the night as well.
For Daniel — who set an individual season-high for strikeouts on Friday — he has remarkably limited opposing batters to an average of just .180. However, it’s the walks (11) and homers (five) that have ultimately been his downfall this season. If he can manage to get that under control, Daniel could be a rather intriguing guy to keep an eye on in terms of a swing rotation guy or bullpen piece down the line.
At the plate, Eric Hartman continued his sweet swinging ways as the centerfielder went 3-6 with a double and a pair of RBI to his credit on Friday to pace the Emperors’ offense. So far on the year, Hartman is batting .323 with an OPS of 1.030.
Both John Gil and Isaiah Drake tallied a hit on the night, while Gil added a walk as well in the process.
(14-11) Augusta GreenJackets 4, (8-17) Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 3
Ethan Bagwell was dominant on the mound for Augusta on Friday as the GreenJackets parlayed his start into a victory over Kannapolis.
In his six innings of work, Bagwell scattered four hits and issued two walks while striking out five. The biggest pro of his performance is that he managed to keep the Cannon Ballers off the scoreboard.
Friday’s outing moves Bagwell’s ERA to 2.57 on the season and it was a nice bounce back for the young righty who had given up two or more runs in each of his previous three starts. Bagwell showed exellent command of his breaking pitches on Friday, especially his sweeper which he was able to locate extremely well both up and down in the zone.
At the plate, Juan Mateo led the charge with two hits, including a double, while also driving in a run as well. Tate SOuthisene and Alex Lodise each tacked on a hit with Lodise driving in and scoring a run as well.
While Luis Guanipa went 0-3 on the night, he did bring home a run via sacrifice fly to give himself an RBI on the night.
Apr 7, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen (22) stands on the field in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
Jensen has just 173 2/3 career innings behind the plate with Kansas City, and mistakes are going to happen for any player in this game, no matter how young and inexperienced they are. What matters most is how they respond, and Jensen is focused on learning from all of his mistakes.
“A lot of it is with Hoov, going over my game,” Jensen said. “We’re looking at strikes stolen, strikes lost. The throws I make. The blocks. Looking at everything as a whole and reflecting on pitch-calling and all that stuff. Learning how we attack guys and putting that to use for the next time.”
But leave Missouri and it gets real dark. They go from fifth-best to worst. And while they’ve closed the gap a bit, their wRC+ is 68 on the road. Next worst is at 75. They’ve averaged 2.6 runs per game on the road. Some of this is explained by opponent. They’ve played the Braves, Guardians, Tigers, Yankees and now A’s on the road. Just looking at ERA, those are the second-best, seventh-best, 11th-best, best and 17th-best pitching staffs in baseball, respectively. The A’s are the one meh staff there, and the Royals at least had some better at bats against them. At home, they’ve had the Twins, Brewers, White Sox, Orioles and Angels. Only one of those staffs is in the top half of the league.
“On average, the way the wind patterns blow in Kauffman, makes the walls play as if they were 5 feet further back. So, it makes an already large stadium, even larger. That gave us an opportunity to say, ‘let’s start modeling what different stadium dimensions might do to account for that,” he described.
“Because we can still look at all those fly balls and looking at what the weather did to them, we can neutralize that, to show us what the impact of the wall is, so that we could find a good balance in left field and right field.”
Mark Cuban was interested in getting his team back.
The billionaire sold 73 percent of his stake in the Mavericks to the Adelson family for $3.5 billion in December 2023 after 23 years as an owner, only to see the franchise’s fortunes take a turn for the worse in the years that followed — including the ill-fated trade of superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February 2025.
Dallas, which has NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, still missed the playoffs over the past two seasons, with a combined record of 65-99, after losing in the NBA Finals in 2023-24.
Injuries to aging stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving have been the main culprit.
Mark Cuban attends the Round 1 Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks game at Crypto.com Arena on April 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
The 67-year-old Cuban, who was outspoken against the Doncic trade, was asked by FrontOffice Sports if he was interested in buying back the club and was clear about his willingness to do so and the hurdles that way face.
“If there was any chance of being able to do that anymore, I would, but that’s just not the game anymore,” he said.
Cuban, who still owns 27 percent of the team, noted that “a bunch of people” contacted him, unhappy with the direction of the franchise. He was willing to do his part to get control of the team back if the Adelsons were interested in selling, but strongly believed that wasn’t a viable scenario.
“I was like, ‘Look, if you can get them to sell, I would be more than happy to contribute my equity, et cetera, et cetera, and help.’ But I didn’t expect that to materialize,” Cuban said. “I told them I didn’t think it would happen, that I didn’t think the Adelsons had any interest in selling. And they don’t.”
Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson and Gary Barber attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena on May 1, 2024 Getty Images
Such a proposition could grow even more expensive in the coming years as the Adelsons have the option to buy 20 percent more of the Mavericks from Cuban within four years of ownership.
Entering their first-round playoff series with the Rockets, the Lakers knew they had to take away their opponent’s superpower.
During the regular season, the Rockets averaged an astonishing 15 offensive rebounds per game — the most in the NBA and the most by a team in 25 years. They also forced an average of 13 turnovers per game. Layer those together and you’re not just playing an opponent, you’re playing a second invisible game that is allowing them more shots, more chaos and more chances to bury you.
Through the first four games of the series, the Lakers were losing that game badly.
Deandre Ayton finished with 16 rebounds in the series-clinching Game 6 victory. NBAE via Getty Images
They gave up 21 offensive rebounds in Game 1. Then 17. Then 18. Their turnovers were piling up like traffic on the 110 freeway. 18, 20, 20 and then 23 turnovers in Game 4. By the time the dust settled, Houston had accrued 69 more possessions than the Lakers across the first four games.
And yet somehow, despite flirting with disaster, and dancing with bad habits, the Lakers built a 3-1 series lead while hemorrhaging the very thing that defines playoff basketball: extra possessions.
Which tells you everything you need to know: They were surviving these games, not solving them.
“In order for us to win, we had to protect the ball and rebound,” LeBron James said. “We understood that giving them extra possessions is a kryptonite for any team. If you give them extra possessions and you don’t take care of the ball, it’s not going to be an ingredient for success against Houston.”
In Game 5, something shifted.
The Lakers didn’t just compete on the glass — they punched back. They outrebounded Houston 41-34, and more importantly, they flipped the offensive rebound battle for the first time in the series, 13-6.
What changed from the first four games?
Deandre Ayton.
Ayton, who has had an up-and-down season, showed up when the Lakers needed him most. Getty Images
Ayton played like a man who finally understood his assignment.
He finished with 18 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks. He became the first Lakers player to have 15 or more points, 15 or more rebounds and at least two blocks in a playoff game since Pau Gasol in 2010. He also was the first Laker since Gasol in 2012 to have 10 offensive rebounds.
“You have to have some type of stop sign where enough is enough,” Ayton said. “I just tried to play as I am, the biggest dude on the court, and just go out and get every damn rebound.”
And that’s exactly what he did.
Even though they won the rebounding battle, they couldn’t get out of their own way. They shot 25% from 3 and lost the turnover battle again. They also lost the game 99-93, leaving the door open for a historic collapse.
But in Game 6, they finally slammed it shut.
Ayton averaged 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in the first-round series vs. the Rockets. AP
Inside hostile territory in Houston, the Lakers finally put it all together for one game. They executed the game plan to perfection. They ended the Rockets’ season with a 98-78 victory.
They secured 15 offensive rebounds, their highest total of the series. They allowed only eight. They once again outrebounded the Rockets, 54-45. And for the first time all series, they won the turnover battle, committing just 10.
“I challenged them before the game to box out and have their lowest turnover game tonight,” coach JJ Redick said. “The attention to detail was the important thing.”
That’s coach-speak for this: They finally did what I’ve been asking them to do all series.
Houston scored just 78 points — the lowest output by any team this entire postseason. Their superpower didn’t just disappear. It was taken away from them.
Ripped out of their hands by a Lakers team that decided, finally, that enough was enough.
Once again, Ayton was the anchor. He pulled down 16 rebounds and controlled the paint like it was his own personal property.
“He played his ass off … he was locked in from the start to the finish,” said Marcus Smart of Ayton’s performance.
In Game 5, Ayton finished with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks. He became the first Lakers player to have 15+ points, 15+ rebounds, and at least two blocks in a playoff game since Pau Gasol in 2010. Erik Williams-Imagn Images
Austin Reaves, fresh off a four-week absence because of an oblique injury, saw it the same way.
“I told him he was one of the biggest factors for us winning tonight … his physicality …16 rebounds is a big number.”
Ayton’s effort finally flipped the script, but it wasn’t just about him. The entire series was a team effort. Game 6 was about discipline, restraint and a veteran team choosing to take control over the narrative.
“That’s the story of this playoff series for us,” Redick said. “Each guy had moments that helped us win the game. I thought the collective tonight was awesome.”
It took a while, but the Lakers finally figured out how to take away the Rockets’ greatest strength and beat them with it.
Now they’re tasked with doing it again against the reigning champion Thunder.
Only the Thunder don’t have one superpower, they have several.
And if the Lakers want to shock the world and upset the champs, they’ll need to take away all of them. To do that, they’ll have to play every possession like it’s their last.
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Mitch Marner delivered when Vegas needed him most, scoring twice and adding an assist as the Golden Knights rolled past the Utah Mammoth 5-1 on Friday night in Game 6 to close out their first-round playoff series in emphatic fashion.
With the victory, Vegas advances to the Western Conference semifinals, where a showdown with Anaheim now awaits. The Ducks punched their ticket Thursday after a convincing 5-2 win over Edmonton in their own Game 6 clincher.
What once looked like a team searching for direction has quickly transformed into one gathering real momentum. Since John Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy behind the bench, the Golden Knights have rediscovered their edge. Vegas finished the regular season 7-0-1 after the coaching change, then responded to a 2-1 series deficit against Utah by rattling off three consecutive wins.
“This is what I hoped for,” Marner said. “There’s a lot more work to keep going.”
Marner Takes Over Under The Bright Lights
Marner was electric throughout the series, totaling two goals and five assists, but Friday marked his most dominant outing yet. It was also his first multi-goal playoff performance since April 20, 2023, when he accomplished the feat against Tampa Bay.
“It was his best game of the series. He just looked comfortable,” Tortorella said.
Vegas opened the scoring late in the first period when Brett Howden continued his scorching run. Marner fired a shot wide of the net, but the rebound kicked directly into the slot, where Howden buried it with 4:58 remaining. It was Howden’s fourth goal of the series, all of them coming over the final three games.
Howden had already been a difference-maker earlier in the week, scoring the winner in Vegas’ dramatic 5-4 double-overtime triumph in Game 5. He also netted twice in regulation during the club’s Game 4 overtime win.
Marner doubled the lead with just 45 seconds left in the second period after Vegas controlled possession in Utah’s zone for more than two straight minutes. Stationed high in the right circle, he hammered a slap shot that deflected off Ian Cole’s knee and found the back of the net.
“I’ve had a couple opportunities in that same area that I had just missed on,” Marner said. “That’s why I just decided to quickly wind one up and see if I could get a clapper though.”
Vegas Calmly Slams The Door
Utah finally answered in the third period when Kailer Yamamoto trimmed the deficit to 2-1, briefly giving the home crowd hope. But Vegas responded immediately, refusing to let the game tighten.
Colton Sissons restored the two-goal cushion moments later, Marner buried a power-play goal for his second of the night, and Cole Smith sealed the result with an empty-net finish.
“We’ve been here before,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said. “We don’t have the panic. Maybe some teams do. We can calm ourselves pretty quickly.”
Carter Hart turned aside 21 shots in a steady performance, while Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka also made 21 saves in defeat.
For the Mammoth, the ending was especially jarring. Utah had led in the third period of each of the first five games in the series, only to spend all of Game 6 chasing from behind.
“I didn’t have that in my bingo card,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “I was really confident we would go to Vegas tomorrow.”
Instead, the Mammoth are going home early. But it was not a failed season by any sense of the word.
The Mammoth are a young squad and if they can acquire some new players in the offseason that can help them on special teams and between the pipes, that would be a healthy start.
SAN DIEGO, CA - MAY 01: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres looks on during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Friday, May 1, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ryan Levy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The San Diego Padres had the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. Ty France was standing in the batter’s box after Xander Bogaerts battled through an at-bat to draw a walk. France has been one of the hottest hitters on the Padres roster in recent weeks, but he was unable to help his team and grounded out to second base to end the inning, stranding three runners, two of which were in scoring position. As hard as that was to watch for San Diego fans, the top of the second inning was worse. German Marquez allowed six runs in the inning and the Padres were playing catchup for the rest of the game. San Diego was unable to overcome the deficit, despite the efforts of Fernando Tatis Jr. who had three hits in the game, and took an 8-2 loss at Petco Park to open the three-game series with Chicago. The Padres will look to have better performances all around when they host the White Sox at 5:40 p.m.
Padres News:
It is not wrong to say the Padres are holding their starting rotation together with gum and paperclips. Walker Buehler, German Marquez and Matt Waldron have each had moments of success but have lacked consistency. That type of play has fans clamoring for Griffin Canning and Lucas Giolito, two pitchers who have yet to take the mound for the Padres, but either one could immediately step in as the No. 3 starter behind Michael King and Randy Vasquez.
Xander Bogaerts took a lot of criticism during his first seasons in San Diego and rightfully so. After signing a massive free-agent contract he failed to live up to the expectations of the fanbase. To his credit, Bogaerts took the criticism in stride, kept his head down and kept working. He is seeing that work payoff with his most impactful and consistent start as a Padre.
Jeremiah Estrada made his return to the Padres after a short IL stint and David Morgan who has been struggling with his command was sent down to Triple-A.
Pete Alonso did exactly what you would expect from the Polar Bear’s return to Queens to face the New York Mets, he homered on the first pitch of his at-bat.
BOSTON - 1975: World B. Free #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers moves the ball up court against the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1975 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 1975 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In another year and another Sixers-Celtics Game 7, the Artist Formerly Known as Lloyd Free was determined to make a name for himself.
One of ‘em, anyway.
He is known now as World B. Free. Has been since December 1981, when he legally changed his name midway through a 13-year run as a freewheeling, shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later NBA guard.
For the last 27 years Free, now 72, has served as the Sixers’ Ambassador of Basketball, making appearances throughout the Delaware Valley and on game nights glad-handing fans in every corner of Xfinity Mobile Arena.
But in the spring of 1977 he was still Lloyd, a second-year backup seeking minutes and shots on an ill-fated Sixers team headlined by Julius Erving, George McGinnis and Doug Collins. And Free was accorded both in the deciding game of an Eastern Conference semifinal set against Boston.
The game, which was played in the Spectrum, proved to be a rock fight. The Sixers shot 33 percent from the floor, the C’s 30 percent. The second half, in which Philadelphia outscored Boston 33-32, was particularly brutal, and the boxscore reflects the individual futility.
Erving shot 6-for-19, McGinnis 4-for-13 and Collins 3-for-11. Boston’s Jo Jo White was 7-for-24, while John Havlicek went 4-for-19 and Dave Cowens 5-for-16.
Free? He scored 27 points off the bench. And the Sixers won, 83-77.
“Lit ‘em up, yeah,” Free recalled as he breezed through a court-level corridor before Game 6 of the current Sixers-Celtics series. As always he was wearing a snazzy suit and a stylish hat. As always he was greeting the paying customers who bustled past, some of them by name.
“It was,” he added, “an unbelievable night — like, you know, I couldn’t miss. I couldn’t miss a shot. I went crazy on them.”
Here his memory betrayed him. He put up 27 shots, and made just 10. But the game went a long way toward earning him a nickname — “The Boston Strangler” — that was passed on to another Sixers guard, Andrew Toney, a few years later.
Free is OK with that.
“I’m not really talked about the way a lot of people are talked about,” he said, “even though I had the same kind of game. It’s good the way it is.”
He came to the Sixers as a second-round pick in 1975, from the Brownsville section of Brooklyn via Guilford College, an NAIA school in Greensboro, NC. On the NYC playgrounds the 6-foot-3 Free had been known as the “Prince of Mid-Air” because of his leaping ability. Also “All-World,” which in time would lead to his name change.
He believes his background prepared him well for the rigors of the NBA.
“Oh yeah, because I’m a street basketball player,” he said. “I’m from the streets. We played physical like that. Always played with older people that beat me all the time back there. So this was nothing when I came into the league.”
During that 1976-77 season he averaged nearly 22 points a game against Boston in four regular-season meetings, including a 36-point game. In the first six games of their playoff series, he scored at a 13.3 point-per-game clip.
The Sixers would go on to beat Houston in the Eastern finals, but fell to a Bill Walton-led Portland club in the Finals. And after the next season — a season in which Free again averaged over 20 a game against Boston, and 15.7 overall — he was traded to the Clippers for a 1984 first-round pick.
The Sixers used that pick, which was fifth overall, on Charles Barkley. And Free in the meantime got all the shots he wanted, not only with the Clippers (who were then in San Diego) but later the Warriors and Cavaliers as well. He even drifted back to the Sixers for 20 unproductive games late in his career, but overall he averaged over 20 a game for his 13 seasons, and at the time he retired his 17,955 points were 40th all time.
These days he appreciates the talent and tenacity of the Sixers young guards, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, and can only hope they have a full understanding of the challenges that arise this time of year.
“Playoffs, it’s such a different game, because everything slows down,” Free said. “More physical. You can get away with murder, but you have to adapt yourself every game.”
Especially Game 7. The one in 1977 is one of just two the Sixers have won against Boston, in eight tries. The other came in ‘82, when Toney scored 34 and Erving 29 to save the Sixers in a series they once led 3-1. That is also the last time Philadelphia beat Boston in a series of any length, having dropped the last six, three since 2018.
Now the question is, who makes a name for themselves Saturday night? And from which side? Because World B. Free knows all about such things — how reputations can be established and memories made. And how those things remain indelible, no matter how many years pass.
The Hockey Show returned this week with plenty to discuss as the Stanley Cup Playoffs are off and running.
Several of the opening round series’ have already been decided, and while some are threatening to go seven games, others ended much sooner than many anticipated.
Joining THS hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork this week is NHL Network’s Adnan Virk.
Among the topics discussed were Adnan’s Philadelphia Flyers advancing to face the Carolina Hurricanes after knocking out the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games, the Edmonton Oilers' quest for a third straight Stanley Cup Final trip coming to an abrupt ending after being knocked out of the first round by the Anaheim Ducks, and the future of the Dallas Stars, who were knocked out in round one by the Minnesota Wild after three straight appearances in the Western Conference Finals.
Carolina reached round two after sweeping the Ottawa Senators, and the quick exit by Ottawa led to speculation about the future of team captain Brady Tkacuk in Ottawa.
Roy and Dave had some insight into the story, including some intel they had yet to report before the show.
This week’s wins and fails included Sabres fans stepping up when the microphone cut out during O Canada, a stick-throwing celebration in Philly, an early exit in Edmonton, a baseball team getting booed and a not-so-controversial sucker punch.
You can check out the full show and interview in the videos below:
