“It’s an unfortunate way to lose,” Draisaitl said. “But that’s on us.”
The German Gretzky expanded on that idea by addressing two costly mistakes in his game from Saturday night. The first one is on the first Golden Knights goal.
“On the first one, I get stripped there,” Draisaitl stated. “That puck should probably just go in (to their zone) so that’s obviously, that’s on me.”
“I think the quickness of the two (goals) deflated us a little bit.”
Leon Draisaitl On Reilly Smith's Last-Second Goal
Draisaitl then shared his view of the buzzer-beater goal.
“We didn’t sort it out very well to let the puck get into the slot,” Draisaitl revealed. “After that, I think It’s unlucky, it’s unfortunate…It’s just a bad bounce.”
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 11, 2025
“It goes off my stick, I’m just trying to keep it out of the net.”
On the bright side, the Oilers are up 2-1 in the series. They must feel the sting of the loss to harness it as motivation to put the Golden Knights on their heels. Draisaitl knows what they need to do to get the win in Game 4.
“Get back to what we did in the first 10 minutes,” Draisaitl said. “Moving our feet, making plays, just get back to that.”
“Tomorrow’s a new day, we’ll move on.”
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Through 48 years of covering high school baseball in Southern California, watching so many prolific pitchers develop into legendary pro players has been one of the funnest parts of being a prep sportswriter. I’ve learned to always look for someone who can throw strikes.
There was Jack McDowell of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Bret Saberhagen of Cleveland in the 1980s. They became Cy Young Award winners for the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals, respectively.
In the 1990s, there was Jeff Suppan of Crespi, Russ Ortiz of Montclair Prep and Randy Wolf of El Camino Real. In the 21st century, there were Cy Young winners Gerrit Cole (Orange Lutheran), Shane Bieber (Laguna Hills) and Trevor Bauer (Hart); and standouts Paul Skenes (El Toro), Hunter Greene (Notre Dame), Jack Flaherty (Harvard-Westlake) and Max Fried (Harvard-Westlake).
Bringing up these names is to remind everyone how stunningly good Seth Hernandez of Corona has been this season as he prepares for the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs and heads off to be the next great pitcher from the Southland.
In 42 1/3 innings, he has struck out 88 batters while walking only three. Never has there been someone throwing a 98 mph fastball as a teenager with so much pinpoint control. In fact, he’s only hit one batter all season. Teenagers who throw in the 90s normally hit and walk lots of batters.
“That was his goal,” coach Andy Wise said of improving over his junior season. “What are we going to do to get better and that was his No. 1 thing to do.”
Hernandez has never suffered a pitching defeat since he started playing high school baseball. He went 9-0 and had 15 walks in 56 innings last season. This season he’s 8-0 with an 0.17 ERA. Showing off his athleticism, he has also hit five home runs.
Santa Margarita got two hits in third and had runners on second and third with one out and 3-1 count. Then Seth Hernandez struck out the next two. And of 3, Corona 1-0. He has seven Ks. pic.twitter.com/JdwgAPwnbG
As comparison, probably the pitcher closest to having a season with this much control was Flaherty in 2013, when he walked 10 in 89 innings, struck out 112 and went 13-0 as a junior. But he didn’t come close to Hernandez’s velocity. Greene was throwing 101 mph fastballs and had 10 walks in 55 2/3 innings in 2016, his junior season.
Greene's coach at Notre Dame, Tom Dill, said of Hernandez, "You take an arm like that with the ability to throw strikes and the upside is fantastic."
The Washington Nationals have the first pick in this summer’s amateur draft. Their general manager attended a Corona game to see Hernandez pitch.
Attending high school baseball games is free, so the best ticket around might be going to watch Hernandez pitch when he’s expected to be on the mound next Tuesday in Corona’s playoff opener. The pairings will be released on Monday, and Corona is expected to have a first-round bye when the playoffs begin on Thursday.
It’s not only his control and fastball that are impressive, it’s his poise and his breaking pitches. He really does have all the qualities scouts want in a pitching prospect, from work ethic to competitiveness to the ability to deal with pressure situations.
If opponents want him to autograph a ball during the playoffs, that wouldn’t be acting silly. That would be someone understanding they are in the presence of someone they’ll be watching from their living room one day pitching at a major league stadium.
It looks hot at Hove, the sun umbrellas up around the ground, slips picking at their sleeves. Gibbon thinks he’s had a driving Coles caught behind, but no cigar. Sussex 94-3, a lead of 198.
A Sunday morning start to proceedings at Trent Bridge after Hampshire initially lose the ball following a wild delivery from Brad Wheal. Liam Patterson White has reached fifty, the partnership with Jack Haynes an invaluable 113.
On the flip side, a handful of skaters failed to be the players that the Blackhawks were hoping for when they were brought in.
Some of these men didn’t have bad years necessarily, but they certainly failed to meet expectations. These are the three who will look back at 2024-25 and view it as a lost season:
1. Jason Dickinson
Jason Dickinson was good for the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2023-24 season. He had 22 goals and 13 assists for 35 points in 82 games. Those aren't superstar numbers or anything like that, but a bottom-six forward reaching the 20-goal plateau is always nice.
Most contending teams have guys playing Dickinson's role who put up numbers like that. The team around Dickinson wasn't great that year, so they had another bottom-three finish.
It was also his goal-scoring career high by 11, so you can't expect him to do that over and over again. With that said, his drop-off in 2024-25 was significant. He only had 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points in 59 games played.
There were some injury issues for Dickinson throughout the year as well, but overall, his performance was not what he (or the Blackhawks) wanted it to be.
Unless he is traded over the summer, Dickinson will be on the Blackhawks in 2025-26 as his contract has one more year on it. If he plays well, he will likely be traded to a contender, which would be good news for both sides. Everyone would benefit from him bouncing back from this below-expectations 2024-25 season.
2. Lukas Reichel
Lukas Reichel had a career high in goals (8), assists (14), and points (22) in 2024-25. He also played a career-high 70 games. However, that wasn't enough of a jump for him to be happy with his year.
Reichel was a first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, so the skill and pedigree are there, but he hasn't taken a step into being a true top-six forward.
If the Blackhawks retain him in the coming years, he likely will have to reverse course and become okay with being a full-time bottom-six player. There is no shame in that, but he will never be a star offensive producer based on what was shown in 2024-25.
Although he never met the expectations placed on him, there are plenty of players who carved out solid NHL careers despite not being offensive forces as they were drafted to be.
3. TJ Brodie
TJ Brodie has had a nice NHL career. He spent time with the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs before making his way to Chicago ahead of the 2024-25 season.
He was brought in to help the young defensemen grow their game, but he did not play well. In 54 games, he contributed two goals and eight assists for ten points.
Brodie has been an offensive contributor in his career, but that is not why he was brought to Chicago in his age-34 season. Being a veteran presence was his role.
By the end of the year, however, Brodie was a healthy scratch on a nightly basis. Once young studs like Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Ethan Del Mastro, Kevin Korchinski, and Nolan Allan started getting regular playing time, Brodie was out.
Connor Murphy was the only veteran Blackhawks defenseman who was getting regular playing time down the stretch.
When it came to playing in his own end, Brodie was unable to get it done. The Hawks are going to continue looking to get younger, so he can't expect much more playing time with this team. With one year left on his contract, the Blackhawks may be forced to buy him out.
Can any of these three players mentioned bounce back to help the team be better in 2025-26? Dickinson and Reichel are likely to be given the chance, but Brodie may be forced out. Kyle Davidson has some hard decisions to make as he looks to get this team to take another step.
There are plenty of superlatives to describe Steph Curry’s NBA greatness.
While some, like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, often describe the Warriors sharpshooter as the “greatest shooter God ever created,” or even the “closest thing to a God-like figure,” Curry’s teammate, Buddy Hield, offered perhaps the most eloquent Curry praise yet.
Speaking to reporters after Golden State’s 102-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals on Saturday at Chase Center, Hield was asked if he, as an elite marksman himself, feels any pressure to try and replicate what Curry can do on the court.
“If you’re coming in thinking you’ve got to, like, fill his role, you’re crazy because he does so much for his team,” Hield said. “Trust me, everybody would like to do it, but he’s touched by an angel. He’s touched by God. He’s blessed. He’s Steph Curry, man. He’s always supportive, always there, talking to the guys…I’m getting the Steph rules right now. And I told him, I see what you go through. But it’s fun.”
Well put.
Curry suffered a left hamstring strain in the Warriors’ Game 1 win over the Timberwolves, and has missed the previous two games, both Golden State losses, as he continues to work his way back to the court. The Warriors reportedly are targeting a Game 6 return for Curry — that is, if they can win one of the next two contests and force a Game 6 next Sunday at Chase Center.
If Curry truly is “blessed” and “touched by God,” those angelic healing properties certainly would come in handy right about now.
Big Red outfielder Art Montano hustles toward first base but is thrown out during a game against the Force in the Go-Getter league. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Infielder Eddie Castorena, 75, wore two braces under his Old Spice uniform, one for his knee and one for his back.
Big Red catcher Tony Spallino, 67, was moving pretty well behind the plate, hoping he won’t need a second hip replacement.
His teammate Agustin Quezada, 83, limped through the dugout between innings, leaning on his bat as if it were a cane.
“When I first started, it was like, man, it smells like Bengay here,” said Big Red utilityman Ruben Enriquez.
But there is no glory in compromise, and no thrill like blasting a ball into the gap and circling the bases, no matter how many paramedics it might take to get you home. So the games go on every Thursday at Smith Park in Pico Rivera, home of the Go-Getter softball league.
“I never played baseball before. Never. I learned here, and I love it,” said Isabel Enriquez, 73, who plays several positions for Big Red and made a sure-handed catch of a towering fly ball to left in a game against the Force.
Reflexes are generally good and the bats still have some pop in them, for the most part, especially for players closer to 50 than 80. When it comes to chasing after a ball or sprinting the basepaths, the effort is there, even if the feet can’t always deliver what the heart desires.
Big Red hitter Tony Spallino, 67, walks away in frustration after making an out during a game against the Force in the Go-Getter league. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“I hope when I’m their age … I’ll be flexible and be able to run down the basepath like that,” said Pico Rivera Mayor Johnny Garcia, who stopped by to take in some of the action in a league that’s more than 30 years young.
Lorenzo Sanchez, who pitched Rolling Thunder to a 14-2 win over the Warriors, wore a boyish smile and looked nothing like 83. He said that in 15 years of lacing up his cleats, he could only recall one minor muscle pull.
“I’m in good condition,” Sanchez boasted.
“I try to emphasize to my new players, go out with the grandkids, do some running and throw the ball back and forth,” said Rolling Thunder manager Gil Perez, 76. “Some of them do and some of them don’t.”
Perez and his wife, Deborah, 71, who plays catcher, work out regularly.
“I’m doing 2½-minute planks,” said Deborah, referring to the exercise in which you get into a push-up position and hold it for as long as you can. “So my core is pretty tight.”
Several players encouraged me to get out of the press box and onto the field.
I’d love to, I said. But I’ve had two knee replacements.
That drew a sharp, one-word response from Dichosa “Dee” Quezada, Agustin’s wife and a loyal spectator who watches every game from a lawn chair behind the backstop.
“So?” she asked with a withering glare.
A game in the Go-Getter league. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
I wouldn’t be the first, Dichosa told me, saying there was a guy with two knee replacements on a team from Anaheim.
In years past, one former Go-Getter used a walker to get to the field, swung a mean bat, and let a pinch-runner take over after she banged out a hit.
And then there’s Spallino, with the hip replacement, who told me he tried to come back too soon after his 2017 surgery. A little more rest did the trick and that hip is still holding up, Spallino said, “but I’m having problems with the other one now.”
The players have a sense of reassurance in knowing that former softballer Lupe Diaz, a retired registered nurse, comes to all the games with her first aid kit. Once, several years ago, there weren’t enough tools in that kit.
Rolling Thunder pitcher Lorenzo Sanchez, 83, watches the flight of the ball while batting during a Pico Rivera Co-ed Senior Softball League game at Smith Field.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles TimesDeborah Perez, Rolling Thunder catcher, sets up behind the plate at the Pico Rivera Co-ed Senior Softball League at Smith Field.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Diaz said. “I was catcher, and I was getting ready to throw the ball back when I saw this player lying on the ground in the outfield.”
Diaz raced out and began CPR on the fallen fielder, whose heart had given out, while someone called 911.
“I brought him back and they carried him to the dugout,” she said.
The player recovered at the hospital but died about two weeks later, as Diaz recalls.
On Thursday, Big Red outfielder Art Montano, 77, swung at a pitch and missed. He ended up hammering a sharp single to right, but he was still frustrated by the earlier whiff.
“My vision’s not like it used to be,” Montano said, and sometimes the brain isn’t reacting quickly enough to messages sent by the eyes. “Let’s say the ball is pitched, and you’re waiting on it, and the brain is telling you it’s right there, but you can’t pull the trigger.”
Big Red pitcher Agustin Quezada, 83, faces off against the Force at Smith Park. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In the Rolling Thunder rout of the Warriors, outfielder Uvaldo Davila showed off a slick glove and a strong arm, and after banging out a hit, he scampered around the bases to score. But back in the dugout, he said he’s been battling a big challenge.
“I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about eight years ago,” said Davila, 64, who told me his hand tremors are getting worse, and his neurologist told him he may soon have some balance issues.
“I’m taking medicine,” Davila said, and he intends to keep playing as long as he can, because softball is “better than medicine.”
The Force, this season’s strongest team, showed no mercy on Thursday, routing Big Red by a score of 21-1 to improve to 8-0.
“We have a lot of good hitters and no drama,” said Force journeyman Lee Wabash, 75. “In the past, there were a lot of arguments. But this team has it together.”
At one point, with nobody on base, a Force batter hit a routine grounder. Big Red’s second baseman fielded it cleanly, but threw to second instead of first.
“Senior moment,” a disappointed Big Red teammate muttered in the dugout.
In the sixth inning, several Big Red players noticed that their pitcher had gone missing. They looked around and spotted him in the parking lot, pedaling away on his bicycle.
“Rick!” one player called out, to no avail.
“He’s going home,” said another.
Agustin Quezada often uses his bat as a cane. At 83, he pitches and plays infield in the Go-Getter league. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
But two games remain in the regular season, so there’s still time to find a groove. And then all six teams qualify for the playoffs.
Anything can happen, said Ruben Enriquez, and just showing up to get some exercise and be with friends is a victory in itself.
“Better to play,” he said, “than to rot away at home.”
SAN FRANCISCO – Winning isn’t going to be easy for the Warriors when Draymond Green has three times as many fouls (six) as points (two), and more turnovers (five) than rebounds (two) and assists (four). His stats weren’t pretty.
Neither was the eye test in the Warriors’ 102-97 Game 3 Western Conference semifinals loss Saturday night at Chase Center. But both the stats and the nature of the game also showed how much he means to this team. His final three fouls were a brutal blow.
The Warriors led by three points halfway through the third quarter when he was called for a controversial fourth call. They were down by two when he fouled out with four minutes and 38 seconds left in the game, which led to two free throws for Jaden McDaniels – two makes – and the Warriors lost by five points.
During, and after the game, the Warriors didn’t agree with how he got those final three fouls. Steve Kerr challenged the fourth one. Green’s fifth was assessed during a review that he wasn’t part of it, and they felt like his sixth was soft.
“Yeah, we felt pretty strongly that the one on,” Kerr said about challenging the fourth foul called on Green. “I think it was his fourth on the block, it looked like [Julius Randle] went through his chest, so we felt pretty good about challenging and plus, it was his fourth. But obviously we didn’t get the call and that’s part of the game. Randle was great, and yeah, the foul trouble.
“The sixth one was a tough one. That didn’t feel great looking at the replay, but it is what it is, and they outplayed us in the fourth and they deserved to win.”
It wasn't a good game for Draymond Green
But his final three fouls completely changed the nature of the Warriors' Game 3 loss, especially the fourth foul pic.twitter.com/NqPGCiFlTY
Green was called for a block by Scott Foster at the 6:46 mark of the third quarter on a play where Randle seemed to extend his left arm. It wasn’t even Green’s reaction that made Kerr challenge the foul. His coaching staff was sure the officiating crew would see why Green went flying to the floor. Foster didn’t agree.
Kevon Looney then replaced Green because of his foul trouble. The Timberwolves saw a Thanksgiving dinner. They started feasting at the rim. It wasn’t all because Looney was in, but even more so because Green wasn’t.
The Timberwolves attempted five straight layups, and made three. All three were made by Anthony Edwards, who got comfortable and went on a heater once Draymond took a seat with four fouls. Every shot involved Looney.
Clearly, the Timberwolves were at more ease with Green off the floor, and then in foul trouble.
“Obviously, he’s one of the top defenders in the world,” Jimmy Butler said. “For sure the best defender on this squad. You know, when he’s out, it is just different. You don’t got nobody back there that’s quarterbacking the way that he does it, that can switch everything, and that can get every loose ball and that can rebound.
“Even whenever he comes out, we’ve still got to be better.”
Buddy Hield shared his frustration with how Green was officiated in the loss. The Warriors overall were called for 24 fouls, one more than the Timberwolves, and each team attempted exactly 21 free throws.
“There was an offensive foul,” Hield said. “I just don’t understand the rules. Draymond is an all-world defensive player. The guy put a forearm in his chest. I’ve seen referee challenge and it was automatic. They don’t take that long. I feel like they were debating it too long on the challenge and reviewing it and going over time and trying to figure out what’s the right call.
“I just know that everything just didn’t go our way today, and that’s how the game is. We don’t want no excuses. We don’t want nobody to feel sorry for us, but nothing went his way today, picking up a foul on McDaniels, and his hand is on the ball. We didn’t get calls.
“It is what it is. That’s the fun part about it. Just got to figure it out, and we’re down 2-1, we just got to weather the storm.”
On Green’s fifth foul, Jonathan Kuminga beat his man off the dribble and Julius Randle was called for a blocking foul. Randle right away told Minnesota’s coaching staff to challenge the call and was tugging at his jersey. Upon review, Green was called for an offensive foul for holding onto Randle’s jersey, something the veteran forward basically predicted.
That was a whole 18 seconds before Green’s sixth foul, a call that had him flabbergasted running down the sidelines. Green and the Warriors thought he had great positioning on Jaden McDaniels’ dunk attempt. Draymond didn’t think he touched him at all, and for the final four and a half minutes the Warriors didn’t have him in a game Kerr said pregame they had to win with their defense.
Edwards in the 18-plus minutes he played after Green’s fourth foul scored 25 of his 36 points. Before that fourth foul, Edwards was a minus-12 with 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. After, he was 9 of 15 and a plus-8.
Randle scored 15 points and was a plus-4 in the 24 minutes he played prior to Green’s fourth foul, but he also was 6 of 16 from the field. He played 16-plus minutes after and was a plus-10 with nine points, made four of his seven shots, had seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. That’s part of the Draymond Effect, even when he’s having a subpar overall game to his standards.
While Butler and Kuminga combined to score 63 points for the Warriors, Edwards and Randle scored 60 points, with 34 of them from Green’s fourth foul to the rest of their series-shifting Game 3 win.
78-year-old says he has recently undergone radiotherapy
McGeechan led four British & Irish Lions tours
Sir Ian McGeechan, the former head coach of Scotland and the British & Irish Lions, has urged rugby players and all younger men to get themselves tested after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The 78-year-old, who is the consultant director of rugby at the Championship club Doncaster, led Scotland to the grand slam in the 1990 Five Nations. McGeechan oversaw four series as the Lions head coach, defeating Australia in 1989 and South Africa in 1997. He also led the team on tours of New Zealand in 1993 and South Africa again in 2009.
Forward Reilly Smith's goal with 0.4 seconds remaining in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinal against the Edmonton Oilers did more than break a 3-3 tie, it breathed life into the Golden Knights.
After losing the first two games in Vegas, the Golden Knights were in desperation mode with their backs against the wall.
Smith's last-second shot deflected into the net off Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl's stick to give Vegas a shocking 4-3 victory on Saturday night, and cut the Oilers' series lead in half.
🎥 Cassidy: You don't see too many finishes like that. Good for us to get one to go in our favor. pic.twitter.com/fUANrX6Zie
— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 11, 2025
"You leave it all out there, and fractions of a second can break your heart or do the opposite," Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said.
Corey Perry gave Edmonton an early 2-0 lead, but Nicolas Roy and Smith tied it with goals in 54 seconds late in the first period.
Center William Karlsson gave Vegas a 3-2 lead with 2:55 left in the second frame when he beat goalie Stuart Skinner off a give-and-go play with defenseman Noah Hanifin. Oilers star Connor McDavid tied it with 3:02 left in the game when his centering pass caromed off defender Brayden McNabb's skate and into the net.
Adin Hill stopped 17 shots for Vegas, while Skinner made 20 saves for Edmonton.
Skinner was making his first appearance in the series, as he stepped in for Calvin Pickard, who injured his left leg when Vegas forward Tomas Hertl landed on his left pad in Game 2.
Game 4 is scheduled for Monday in Edmonton.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
IRONMAN MCNABB: Despite being injured during overtime of Game 2, McNabb was a pleasant surprise for the Knights in Game 3. McNabb was considered day-to-day after sustaining a controversial injury in Vegas' 5-4 overtime loss in Vegas. No call was made on what appeared to be tripping, and rather than Vegas skating with a man advantage, Draisaitl ended the game 17 seconds later. McNabb finished with an assist and three hits for the Knights on Saturday night.
STONE INJURED: Golden Knights captain Mark Stone was lost when he left the game with an upper-body injury. Stone, who has been a major contributor for Vegas during the postseason with four goals and eight points, exited in the first period, three shifts after he lost his balance and collided with Corey Perry. Cassidy said he's hoping for better news in the morning, but is considered day-to-day. Cassidy also said Stone has not been ruled out for Monday’s Game 4.
"When (the captain) goes down, everybody’s going to elevate their game and step up," Hanifin said. "We’ve always kind of had that in us. No matter what happens, super high or super low moments, I think we do a good job just staying even-keeled and knowing that we’re never out of it."
HILL'S RESPONSE: It was not only a much-needed win for the Knights, but also Hill, who has been one of the least efficient goaltenders during the postseason. Among netminders that have made at least five appearances, he's tied with the second-worst save percentage (.872) while he has the fourth highest goals-against average (3.14). Hill, who led the Knights to the 2023 Stanley Cup title, will need a big game Monday, as the Oilers have scored the most goals out of any team in the postseason so far with 36. They lead the NHL in total shots on goal this postseason (276) and are leading in most shots on goal by a forward group (190) and defensive corps (86). The team is also first in the league in high-danger shots on goal with 81.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 10: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket during the game against the Golden State Warriors during Round 2 Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on May 10, 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, 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 Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
NBAE via Getty Images
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Anthony Edwards hit a baseline 3-pointer with 1:19 remaining and scored 36 points, Julius Randle had a triple-double of 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors 102-97 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Jimmy Butler had 33 points, seven assists and seven rebounds and Jonathan Kuminga scored 30 off the bench, but the Warriors still lacked the kind of rhythm they have with Stephen Curry on the floor.
Kuminga shot 11 for 18 as the Warriors again mixed and matched while playing without Curry as he nurses a strained left hamstring that he injured early in Game 1 on Tuesday.
Game 4 is Monday night at Chase Center.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr stressed his team had to win with defense - and his team couldn't make the key stops down the stretch.
Edwards, who showed no signs of being hampered after spraining his left ankle in the second quarter of Game 2, knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6:16 remaining, while Jaden McDaniels made another key 3 with 3:20 to play.
Randle began 1 for 6 and missed his initial four 3-point tries before connecting 6:30 before halftime to put Minnesota up 39-29 and force a Warriors timeout. He shot 10 for 23.
Buddy Hield's 3-pointer with 1:56 left pulled Golden State within 93-89 then McDaniels threw the ball away moments later but the Warriors were sloppy.
Golden State missed all five of its 3-point tries in the first half but still led 42-40, then Hield found some rhythm and scored 14 second-half points.
Draymond Green fouled out with 4:38 to play, whistled for his sixth personal trying to block a shot by McDaniels that appeared questionable on several replay reviews. Green sprinted down the floor to the Warriors bench in frustration then pulled on his warmup jacket and stood with hands on hips.
Green kept his emotions in check two days after a fan was ejected and being investigated by the Wolves whether he directed racially charged comments toward the Warriors forward. Kerr applauded Minnesota's handling of the situation.
Trayce Jackson-Davis moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup after he made all six of his field goals and had 15 points and six rebounds in Game 2 but played just 11 minutes.
The Vegas Golden Knights shocked the Edmonton Oilers and their fans in the final second of Game 3.
Despite one last opportunity for Vegas, the game looked like it was headed to overtime for the second time this series, with Edmonton having a chance to take a 3-0 series lead. That would not be the case.
Golden Knights right winger Reilly Smith faked a shot and skated toward the left side of the net. Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner dropped to the butterfly position and shuffled out of the crease toward Smith to cut off any last-second opportunity.
Smith and teammate William Karlsson were the only players celebrating at first, as the green light went on to signal the end of the period.
As they skated toward the bench, however, the rest of the Golden Knights began to celebrate as well. Upon video review, the puck fully crossed the goal line with 0.4 seconds left in the game.
"I was sure it was in, but I saw the ref wave it off, so that gave me some doubt," Karlsson told Sportsnet's Gene Principe post-game. "But then I saw the bench celebrate, so that was a great feeling."
Just like that, the Golden Knights won the game 4-3 in Edmonton to only trail 2-1 in the second-round series. Karlsson called the goal a huge moment.
"Obviously, a 3-0 deficit, it's always hard to come back to; history speaks for itself," Karlsson said. "We've always been 'one game at a time' mentality, and this was one win on the way."
Smith's second goal of the game and third of the playoffs is one of just three game-winning goals in NHL playoff history to be scored in the final second of regulation.
Jussi Jokinen scored for the Carolina Hurricanes with 0.2 seconds left in the first round of the 2009 playoffs. They blew a 3-0 lead to the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 before Jokinen's tip-in tied the series.
In the round-robin of the 2020 COVID-19 bubble post-season, Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri scored with just 0.1 seconds left on the clock.
Is Brett Baty this year’s Mark Vientos – a young(ish) Mets player finally seizing a big-league chance and changing the trajectory of his career?
Maybe. Obviously, there’s much more for Baty to show. But on nights like Saturday, it’s tempting to believe that Baty can be a bigger deal than a guy who’s had MLB at-bats every season since 2022 but can’t seem to stick around.
At Citi Field, Baty clubbed two home runs and was basically the entire Mets offense – the successful part of it, anyway. He drove in all five runs in a 6-5 loss to the Cubs, setting his career high for RBI in his second career multi-homer game. The Mets were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, failing to cash in on whatever traffic they created, but Baty kept homering to keep them close.
“He’s been killing it since he came back up,” said teammate Tylor Megill, who knows a thing or two about re-emerging from the minors. “I mean, the biggest thing you can do is not pout about it. Stuff like that (getting sent down) happens. Take it like a man, go down there, work, keep working. Don’t lose your confidence, because at some point, you’re gonna be back up. You’re gonna help this team.
“He’s been a completely different player since he came back up… He’s hitting the ball really well.”
“He's not missing fastballs,” added manager Carlos Mendoza. “I feel like when he gets in trouble, he’s fouling them off… Even, I think, breaking balls in the strike zone, he's hammering them too. So anything on the strike zone he's putting barrels on.”
Baty was recalled from the minors on May 5. Over the past two games, he’s 4-for-8 with three home runs. One of his homers Saturday night was to right-center and the other to left field, his opposite field.
Mendoza noted that Baty lost his spot initially this season because of a roster crunch. But Baty was batting .204 with a .597 OPS when he was sent down. Those are the numbers of a vulnerable player, even if Baty has worked to add versatility to his skill set. Mendoza regularly expresses confidence in Baty’s defensive ability at third base and at second, which the Mets wanted him to learn so he could be more versatile.
“He’s getting opportunities and he knows he belongs in the big leagues,” Mendoza said. “He’s a really good big-league player. He’s got skills. He’s got tools and we see it… So I think it’s just the confidence now that he knows he belongs here.”
Baty talked after Saturday’s game about how he’s been challenging himself in the batting cages, looking at different pitch types, trying to get his heart rate up while there to help simulate game conditions. He’d rather dip into the technical aspects of hitting than attach heavy meaning to one game.
Still, it must be hard not to think about the ways he fits into this roster after a big night like Saturday, right?
“No, not until y’all (reporters) bring it up,” Baty replied.
Maybe he doesn’t look at one game as a referendum on the state of his career. And maybe that outlook will help him find his way in the majors. But one night like Saturday shows a pretty high bar for a former first-round pick still looking to cement himself as a Met.
The Mets could’ve moved on from Baty numerous times. But they have not. There was a time when observers wondered if Vientos would make a huge impact on the Mets and he finally did – Vientos’ emergence was one of the biggest stories of their 2024 season.
Can Baty duplicate that this season? He’s got another chance now. His numbers aren’t overwhelming. But nights like Saturday will make the Mets – and the rest of the baseball world – pay plenty of attention.
Team Canada really got a roster boost in the days leading up to the 2025 IIHF Men's World Championship, as stars like Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat, and Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby joined the fold.
And one young star player - also donning the Canadian maple leaf in Sweden and Denmark, where the tournament will take place - had high praise for the Penguins' future hall-of-fame center.
San Jose Sharks budding superstar Macklin Celebrini - who finished his first NHL season with 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games as well as with a Calder Trophy nomination for Rookie of the Year - shared his thoughts on playing for his home country and getting the opportunity to play with his childhood idol.
"Every time I get a chance to play for Team Canada, it's hard to say no," Celebrini said. "It's a dream come true. [Crosby] was an idol of mine growing up, and to get the opportunity to play with him is surreal."
And not only does Celebrini get to suit up on the same team as Crosby, he also started the tournament playing on the same line as the 37-year-old center, who currently sits ninth all-time in scoring.
Crosby centered a second line with Celebrini and Columbus Blue Jackets young star Adam Fantilli on Saturday in a 4-0 win over Slovenia.
"He's just such a role model," Celebrini told Penguins' team reporter Michelle Crechiolo. "The way he carries himself, the way he plays the game... he plays it complete, and you can use him in every situation. He's the best player for the job in every situation.
"The way he carries himself off the ice, how polite he is as a human... it's amazing to watch. He's been so great to me and to a lot of other guys."
That's now two starts in a row forTylor Megill that haven't looked like the ones the Mets were beginning to get accustomed to from earlier in the season.
After "laboring" through 4.2 innings on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, Megill allowed four earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven. Much of that damage came in the first inning where a run scored before the right-hander could even record an out and needed 28 pitches to finally get out of the inning after eight men came up to bat.
"Obviously ran into some trouble early there in the first inning," Megill said after the 6-5 loss. "Quick runner on third and then just trying to make pitches and limit damage and obviously ran up the pitch count there."
Following Megill's arduous first inning, he pitched a clean second but was ambushed once again in the third, throwing two pitches which resulted in a run for the Cubs. To his credit, Megill was able to right the ship during the inning and struck out two sandwiched in between Francisco Alvarez helping out his pitcher with a pickoff at first base.
"I think probably after the second inning, [I] kinda switched the gameplan going four-seam and had a lot of success with that," he said.
The final run Megill allowed came in the fourth when Dansby Swanson took him deep with a 1-2 count to lead off the inning. Of all the pitches he threw, that was probably the biggest mistake.
"Missed pitch over to Swanson on the 1-2," Megill said. "[I] was trying to go down away and shot it up and in, right in his little hot spot for a solo shot. But I think after that I switched the gameplan around and had success."
Overall, Megill's final line wasn't disastrous and after a rough first inning that got his pitch count up he only threw 77 pitches (50 strikes) on the evening.
A silver lining in what was a vexxing night at Citi Field? Sure, but Megill will take it.
"I think after that first inning, [I] did a really good job limiting pitches throughout there," he said. "Obviously got pulled there in the fifth, but pitch count was kinda where it needed to be. After getting pulled, looking back at it after the first inning [I] managed well."
Still, in Megill's last two starts he's allowed a combined eight earned runs in 9.2 innings. In his previous six starts, the right-hander allowed six earned runs across 31 innings.
It would be foolish to think that Megill, or any pitcher, would be able to pitch at the level that Megill had been pitching to start the season. However, in Megill's case, the recent string of mediocre starts is only somewhat troubling because of his history.
Throughout his career, the 29-year-old who is in his fifth year has made a habit of pitching extraordinarily well in the first month of the season, as evidenced by his 10-4 record and 2.45 ERA in 17 starts in March/April.
In two May starts this season, Megill has a 7.45 ERA.
Obviously it's a small sample size and the right-hander still owns a 3.10 season ERA and is part of a Mets staff that continues to lead the league in ERA.
In fact, manager Carlos Mendoza isn't concerned about the two recent blips from his starter.
"We’re pretty confident with his ability, his maturity, the guys that we got in here," Mendoza said. "... He was pretty good two outings ago. I think it’s just one of those where today probably wasn’t at his best and I feel like just the life on the fastball – I thought he got better. I saw 94-95 in the fourth and the fifth and he got some swings-and-misses at the top, but early on I didn’t see that."
Megill's next chance at proving he's not headed toward the same path he's been going throughout his career will likely come next weekend in the Subway Series when the Yankees host the Mets for a three-game series.
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