PHILADELPHIA — There hasn’t been much change in OG Anunoby’s availability.
He is again questionable for the Game 4 clash against the 76ers on Sunday afternoon at Xfinity Mobile Arena, as the Knicks look to close out the series. Anunoby, who has a right hamstring strain, was also questionable for Game 3 but did not play.
Coach Mike Brown said Saturday that they still consider Anunoby day to day.
OG Anunoby drives to the basket during the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ Game 2 win over the 76ers. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“Not for me,” Brown said. “It’s all medical related and it starts with [the training staff], the doctors and OG. All I want them to do is tell me when he can play.”
Anunoby suffered the injury in Game 2, when he began limping after driving to the basket in the fourth quarter. He stayed in for a few plays, but soon after asked to be subbed, went to the locker room and did not return.
Miles McBride started in his place in the 108-94 Game 3 win, though he struggled with his shot. It was Landry Shamet, who finished with 15 points and ended up playing more minutes than McBride, who more so helped fill the void.
Joel Embiid, who missed Game 2 with hip and ankle ailments and returned for Game 3, is probable for Game 4 for the 76ers.
No team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit. But the Knicks are cognizant that the 76ers just overcame a 3-1 deficit in the first round against the Celtics.
“They’re a really good team and they’ve already done it once before,” Brown said. “We addressed it, but the biggest thing is just trying to stay present, not getting ahead of yourself.”
Giants coach John Harbaugh is itching to get to a Knicks playoff game.
“My wife is on me, she wants to get there for a playoff game,” Harbaugh said Saturday. “Where do they stand? 3-0? Counting on another series.”
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 9: Alex Caruso #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during Round Two Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 9, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — The location of the Thunder-Lakers series switched from OKC to LA, but nothing else changed.
It was still a contest where the Lakers had to play to perfection to win and the Thunder just had to be good enough. Like the other matchups, it went OKC’s way as they won131-108 to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
There are plenty of reasons to explain these losses. Key starters have struggled. Austin Reaves had a bad game in Game 1 and LeBron James played poorly in this contest. Turnovers have also been an issue for LA. They led the NBA playoffs in this category, turning it over 17 times on Saturday night.
But the biggest reason they’ve lost is obvious and simple: they just aren’t as good.
“The MVP [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] is…7 of 20 tonight, and they’ve kicked our ass three straight games,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said postgame. “They’re an incredible basketball team.”
While the result itself was discouraging, how it happened was even more demoralizing.
The Lakers didn’t lose due to a lack of effort. Rui Hachimura was a laser, scoring 21 points and shooting 50% from the field. Luke Kennard gave LA an injection of offense off the bench, scoring 18 points. And Redick made some adjustments as well.
He benched the struggling Jake LaRavia and gave rookie Adou Thiero extended minutes. Before the game, Redick said he wanted Thiero to bring high effort and physicality. Thiero did just that, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds while playing 13 minutes.
With adjustments working and role players shining, the Lakers were up by two at the half. But when it was time to win the game, the Thunder woke up and put the Lakers to sleep.
OKC started the third with a pair of threes from Luguentz Dort and Ajay Mitchell. Then Isaiah Hartenstein slammed the ball on a Mitchell lob to regain the lead. The Thunder continued to pile on, going on a 15-6 run to start the quarter, forcing Redick to call a timeout.
Feel like the Thunder might have just snatched the Lakers' soul in the third.
This was similar to their Game 2 meltdown, when the Lakers went from being up by five in the third quarter to down by 13 to start the fourth. In that instance, it happened when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t on the floor. This time, SGA was on the court, able to relish his team putting another nail into the Lakers’ coffin.
“Especially in that second half, third quarter especially, they’ve just been killing us,” Kennard said. “We know it. It’s in our minds and hopefully we can get together, talk about it tomorrow, figure some things out, and be ready to go.”
The Thunder are the defending champions, have the best record in the NBA and have yet to lose a playoff game. They have arguably the best player in the world in SGA, and even his struggles have been irrelevant with OKC possessing the deepest bench in the NBA.
Jared McCain has hurt the Lakers all series long and Mitchell has looked like one of the best offensive players in the league, including in Saturday’s second half.
LA just doesn’t have the guys to compete with OKC, who are evenare playing without their second-best player, Jalen Williams who hasn’t played in this series.
Teams trailing 3-0 have never come back to win a playoff series. After three blowouts, only delusion at a level beyond comprehension would make one believe LA can turn this around.
Still, while an impossible task lies ahead of him, Redick maintains his message that this comeback can be accomplished.
“Third straight game, we’re right there after two and a half quarters,” Redick said. “We tried different lineups, tried different coverages, still lost those minutes again. We’ve got to be better.”
At this point, the only question that remains is how much fight does this team have left? Will they bring the appropriate level of urgency and play with the perfection and execution needed to win on Monday? Or does giving into a sweep seem far more pleasant than playing Game 5 in OKC?
What is wholly unquestionable, though, is that the Thunder are just the better team.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - APRIL 25: Nick Fortes #40 and Shane McClanahan #18 of the Tampa Bay Rays during a mound meeting in the bottom of the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field on April 25, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The No. 4 seed Lakers led the No. 1 seed Thunder at halftime for the second straight game, but were outscored by 25 points in the second half following yet another collapse over the final two quarters to find themselves down 3-0 to the defending NBA champions.
"I'm not angry or disappointed," James told reporters postgame. "Obviously, I'm disappointed being down 3-0, but we still got life and that's all you can ask for, and we gotta be much better on Monday. We'll see what happens."
Whatever happens in Game 4, there's a chance it could be James' last in a Lakers uniform. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and the fact that no extension has been worked out has been at the center of a season-long soap opera filled with rumors suggesting a deterioration of his relationship with team governor Jeanie Buss. There's also been rumors to the contrary, that the Lakers would be happy to keep James in purple and gold through the remainder of his playing days.
And, of course, there's also the chance that James retires this summer.
All signs throughout the season have pointed to James playing a 24th NBA season next year, but his recent declaration that he wouldn't want a retirement tour sparked renewed speculation.
James' legacy as a Laker is a complicated one, but that's another story for another time. He brought a championship back to LA in his second season, ending a decade-long drought for the second-most decorated franchise in NBA history. He was the superstar who wanted the pressure of playing in LA when several in the years before 2018 eschewed what was then perceived as a dysfunctional, rebuilding team that lacked direction (remember LaMarcus Aldridge?).
Though James will probably forever be associated with the Cleveland Cavaliers first, his eight years as a Laker is his longest continuous stretch with any one team, surpassing the first seven years of his career in his home state (though he later rejoined the Cavs for four more seasons following his stint in Miami). He broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record — and several others — wearing a gold jersey.
But none of that matters right now. There's still more basketball to be played.
Both James and Austin Reaves had off nights offensively on Saturday; James contributed 19 points to go with eight assists and six rebounds, but was an inefficient 7-of-19 (36.8%) from the field and 2-of-6 from long range and was a -24 in his 37 minutes played. He and Reaves combined for eight total turnovers, half of the Lakers' total.
That's not to place the blame solely on the Lakers' two stars. Realistically, the Lakers were doomed from the moment Luka Doncic strained his hamstring on April 2 in Oklahoma City. It was James who turned back the clock and showed that he can still do incredible things on the court at 41 years old by leading LA to a first-round win over the Houston Rockets; don't forget his game-tying 3 in the final seconds to send one game to overtime, where they eventually gutted out a 112-108 win behind his 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
In this round, however, the Lakers have simply run into a team that's just flat-out better than them.
They've done an admirable job limiting MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Chet Holmgren has thrived. So has Ajay Mitchell, who has stepped into a bigger role while Jalen Williams has been sidelined with a hamstring strain of his own. Mitchell led OKC on Saturday with 24 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Jared McCain and Cason Wallace have been sparkplugs off the bench all series. The Thunder are simply too talented and too deep across the board for the Lakers to compete with for all four quarters, especially without the NBA's leading scorer this season in Doncic.
"They're pretty damn good, from top to bottom," James told reporters. "They don't let their foot off the gas. ... They have a lot of bodies and they got a lot of guys who can do multiple things on the floor, so it helps to have that depth."
As for the possibility that Monday might be it?
"Nah, you don't really talk about that," James told reporters. "Just focus on the moment, and go from there."
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 9: Luke Kennard #10 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers high five during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round Two Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 9, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
While it doesn’t make the losses feel any more frustrating in the moment, there is something comforting in the long run knowing that the team you’re losing to is just a better team.
It was apparent before Saturday, but Game 3 made it abundantly clear that the Lakers are simply levels below the Thunder. LA has made mistakes at times, but OKC is relentless and punishes them every time.
Normal teams make mistakes. Normal teams do not take advantage of every one of them. The Thunder are an abnormality. We have rarely seen a team like this.
There’s a bit of bitterness that the Lakers won’t have Luka Dončić this series. But against many other teams, this effort would result in a competitive series. The scheme is there. The effort is there more often than not. It’s not been perfect and there are areas to improve, but it ultimately doesn’t matter because they’ve run into a buzzsaw.
The only question left is if they’re interested in taking a flight back to Oklahoma.
So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
This wasn’t LeBron’s best effort. He’s looked more tired as the series has progressed. He hit a couple of threes in the first half that were big, but he was much quieter in the second half.
He’s still attacking the rim…and not getting calls. The Lakers need that. But can we just let this man have continuation on one jumper?
The biggest winner of this series for the Lakers is Rui. He’s been a playoff riser before, but he’s been unbelievable in this series. Even after all the attention on it after Game 2, Rui came out and had his best game of the series.
This wasn’t a great Ayton game. That being said, it seems he became a bit of a lightning rod for blame for this loss. Oddly, that was led by the broadcast.
Blaming Ayton for the team not grabbing offensive rebounds felt out of order. He was battling Isaiah Hartenstein on most of those possessions and getting a hand on it. He isn’t solely responsible for rebounding.
Now, having said all that, he’s been outplayed by both OKC bigs and it’s made a steep hill even harder to climb.
The positive was that his playmaking remained strong. He set a new playoff career high with nine assists. However, eight of those came in the first half, a sign of how much the Lakers tailed off in this one.
The big negative, though, was his overall shooting. He started the game missing a lot of shots. He found his way a bit later on, but it was too little, too late. The Lakers just need him to be better, flat out.
It’s not realistic to expect him to average 30 points and be an elite playmaker. But it is what the Lakers need right now.
And when he’s not doing that, his defensive shortcomings look really loud.
These have been back-to-back frustrating Smart games. He’s doing a lot of the little things on both ends of the floor. He’s making things difficult defensively. His hustle created a couple of baskets on the offensive end.
Those things are great when Luka is around. When he’s not, the Lakers need more and he’s unable to provide it.
At the same time, he’s still doing some nonsensical things. His football pass to LeBron in the first half was a terrible decision that somehow worked and ended in a Luke Kennard three. OKC was forcing him to create as well, and you’ll never believe how that went.
Easily his best game since the start of the first round. The difference in Game 3 was that he was aggressive, both as a shooter and as a driver. The Lakers got multiple open looks off his drive and kicks.
There are still negatives with him — he plays small even as a small player, which gets him crushed on switches — but this was still a great showing.
Adou got Jake LaRavia’s spot in the rotation and was largely good. There were some chaotic moments, like blowing a wide open dunk and then getting bailed out by a foul call right after. But he grabbed eight boards, played decent defense and wasn’t awful. I’d suspect he gets time again in Game 4.
It was a bit of a surprise to see Kleber get minutes. It was even more surprising that he got them without another big on the floor. And those minutes went terribly. He turned the ball over, bobbled a pass out of bounds and set an illegal screen in consecutive possessions.
So, enough of that.
Grade: F
Dalton Knecht, Bronny James, Nick Smith Jr.
Only minutes in garbage time for this group.
JJ Redick
Redick is coaching one hell of a series. For a third straight game, they got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of rhythm as he finished 7-20 from the field. They’ve found some things that work offensively in spreading the Thunder out and finding shooters.
He changed up rotations today and found something that worked in Adou and something that didn’t in Kleber. But given where the team was in the game and series, you can’t blame him for trying something.
At the end of the day, it’s just obvious the team isn’t good enough.
LOS ANGELES — There comes a point in almost every series where one coach realizes he's beaten, he's thrown every conventional lineup and attacked every matchup he could, and nothing has worked. So, the coach tries something desperate.
Midway through the third quarter of Game 3, with the game and the season slipping away, Lakers coach JJ Redick went small, playing without a center and playing Adou Thiero against a big Thunder team. It worked for a minute, the Lakers went on a 7-0 run and the home crowd — desperate for something to cheer for — got loud. Just as quickly, Ajay Mitchell settled the Thunder down, they made a couple of 3-pointers, and the Thunder's lead was back up to double digits.
"Typically, you can poke holes at a team in a playoff series. There's a good chance they might have, like a temporary solution, or can sort of adjust, maybe a little bit," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "This [Thunder] team — in-game because of their personnel — they just adjust. They need shooting on the floor, great. They need multiple wing defenders on the floor, great. They need two bigs on the floor, great. It's just, they're a terrific basketball team."
Game 3 felt like a replay of Game 2 — the Lakers did a lot of good things in the first half, but the Thunder's talent and depth won out in the end.
Oklahoma City pulled away for its biggest win of the series, 131-108, and now has a commanding 3-0 series lead. The Thunder have now won seven consecutive playoff games, a franchise record.
Tonight, Oklahoma City became the sixth reigning champ in NBA history to start the playoffs 7-0 or better!
Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles and the Lakers will try to find something to keep their season alive.
Once again, it was the Thunder depth that was the difference. Jalen Williams, an All-NBA player a season ago, remains out with a hamstring strain, so Mitchell again stepped into a starting role, and this time dropped a team-best 24 points with 10 assists. He was particularly strong in the second half, when Oklahoma City needed him most.
GAME 3 FOR OKC: AJAY MITCHELL'S TAKEOVER
24 PTS (new postseason career high) 10 AST (new postseason career high) 3 STL (new postseason career high)
Thunder will look to close out the series vs. the Lakers on Monday at 10:30 PM ET on Prime! pic.twitter.com/zmZ2pCrStS
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another mediocre night by his MVP-level standards, with 23 points on 7-of-20 shooting. Seven Thunder players scored in double digits, including Chet Holmgren scoring 18 points and Cason Wallace hitting four 3-pointers off the bench and scoring 16.
"It's what makes us dangerous. I think we can throw so many people out there that can contribute, pretty much everybody, and everybody excels in their roles," said Isaiah Joe, who hit four 3-pointers off the bench. "It's what gives us the edge. A lot of the times we can go 10, 11, 12, 13 deep, and we can keep people on their toes."
The first half felt like the first half of Game 2 — Los Angeles was forcing turnovers (nine, for 13 points), draining 3-pointers (11-of-20), had seven offensive rebounds, and got 16 from Rui Hachimura. Despite all that, Los Angeles still led by just two, 59-57, after 24 minutes.
The Thunder came out much more intentional with their offense in the second half: Their first three possessions went right at Deandre Ayton. After that, it was a couple in a row targeting Austin Reaves. The result was the Thunder shooting 6-of-7 and going on a 19-6 run to grab an 11-point lead midway through the third, which was the difference heading into the fourth.
That forced JJ Redick to try something and go small, and it was all over from there.
Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 21 points, while Luke Kennard added 18 off the bench. The Thunder focused their defense on LeBron James and Austin Reaves, and they combined to score 36 points on 12-of-32 (37.5%) shooting. The Lakers did take 15 more free throws in Game 3 after being mad about the officiating in Game 2. It didn't matter.
The question now is what can the Lakers do, what might work, to extend their series on Monday?
Clay Holmes is eight starts into his second season as a starting pitcher in MLB and has a 1.86 ERA through 48.1 IP. The former Pirates and Yankees reliever followed last Saturday's gem with a tough-luck loss in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out six and walking two in 5.2 IP.
"I thought I was able to limit the damage there that one inning," Holmes said, referencing his third inning in which he retired the first two batters before Arizona (18-20) loaded the bases and scored on Ildemaro Vargas's single to left field. "They had some balls get through in the infield, a couple groundballs, and they were able to scratch a couple across there. But I felt like I could hold 'em there and I'm just trying to get as deep as I can after that and keep it there at two."
Holmes, who retired his next nine batters before Nolan Arenado's two-out single to right field in the sixth inning, threw 64 strikes on 103 pitches. He threw a career-high 104 pitches June 19, 2025, at the Atlanta Braves.
"You always want to finish on a strong note, but pitch count was getting to a certain spot where they wanted to go someone else," Holmes said. "But I feel like it ended well, and (Arenado) put a good swing on it and was able to get it there into right field."
Unfortunately for Holmes, Merrill Kelly's seven-inning dominance stifled the Mets (15-24), who managed three hits before Taylor Clarke and Paul Sewald closed the door.
"I thought he was very good," Carlos Mendoza said of Holmes. "Even though they put together some really good at-bats, they made him work -- some three-ball counts there, that third inning. But when you look back at that inning when they scored two -- two outs, nobody on base and that groundball from (Corbin) Carroll finds a hole.
"And then the walk and then Vargas with a nice piece of hitting the other way -- (Holmes) kept them on the ground. He got the groundball. Just this time, it found holes. But he was able to go back to the sixth inning and was almost able to finish -- gave us a chance and another solid outing from him."
Holmes has gone five innings or more in every start this year. He last failed to do so Sept. 24 at the Chicago Cubs in his penultimate start of the 2025 season.
"I think just being able to limit damage ... when I'm in the zone and don't give free passes, then I'm setting myself up for success," Holmes said. "So, in between the sinker, changeup, curveball, sweeper, I should be able to get guys on the ground, really limit the damage and just help me kind of go deeper in games and just trying to give the team the best chance to win."
Ultimately, Holmes put the Mets in a position to win. Huascar Brazobán looks to do the same in Sunday's 4:10 p.m. series finale on SNY.
"We come back tomorrow with an opportunity to win another series and finish off a pretty good road trip," Mendoza said. "And that's what we'll come back here tomorrow and ... do."
CHICAGO,IL - MAY 17: A detail photo of the ball machine during the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery at McCormick Place on May 17, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. 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 2022 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It all comes down to this!
Tomorrow is the biggest of the season for all the teams at the bottom of the standings. The Utah Jazz did everything they could to set themselves up for the most successful possible outcome in the lottery. The lottery is one of the most fascinating nights in all of sports. With the drawing of four lottery balls, the NBA’s future is decided. Will it be the worst teams in the league getting elite prospects, or will we see some of the better teams get lucky like the Oklahoma City Thunder or Atlanta Hawks?
Tomorrow, and for some reason on a Sunday on Mother’s Day, the NBA will decide which teams will receive a franchise-altering talent and which fan bases will come up with coping conspiracy theories as to why their ping pong balls didn’t come up in the lottery machine.
How to watch the 2026 NBA Lottery
Channel: ABC/ESPN
Start Time: 3:00 PM ET
Date: May 10, 2026
Where: McCormck Place Convention Center, Chicago, IL
What are the odds for the NBA Draft Lottery?
The Wizards, Pacers, and Nets are the three teams with the best odds to win the NBA lottery, with the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings tied with the next best odds at the 4th and 5th spots, with the Jazz owning the tiebreaker.
Here are the odds for each team in the NBA Draft Lottery
TEAM
RECORD
ODDS for #1 Pick
Washington
17-65
14.00%
Indiana (May be conveyed to the Clippers if not top-4)
19-63
14.00%
Brooklyn
20-62
14.00%
Utah
22-60
11.50%
Sacramento
22-60
11.50%
Memphis
25-57
9.00%
New Orleans (to Atlanta or Milwaukee)
26-56
6.80%
Dallas
26-56
6.70%
Chicago
31-51
4.50%
Milwaukee^
32-50
3.00%
Golden State
37-45
2.00%
LA Clippers (to Oklahoma City)
42-40
1.50%
Miami
43-39
1.00%
Charlotte
44-38
0.50%
But what are the odds for the rest of the picks? Here are the odds for each team and the range of likelihoods where the land.
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 02: MLB Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Bobby Cox stand on the field after the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Detroit Tigers at Turner Field on October 2, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On a sad day overall for Braves Country, due to the passing of the legendary Bobby Cox, Spencer Strider gave Atlanta fans something to be happy and hopeful about with a stellar outing, shutting down the Dodgers potent offense for 6.0 innings with 8 strikeouts and 15 whiffs. He looked as good as he has in a long time. His fastball averaged 96.4 MPH, with 17 inches of induced vertical break and he had four pitches working nicely together. Even if Strider doesn’t quite return to his Jacob deGrom levels of dominance, having him as a true #1 or #2 quality starter would make a huge difference for this Braves team to pair with Chris Sale. Bryce Elder has been great this season, but shouldn’t be the second best starter in the rotation of a World Series contender. If Strider can keep something like Saturday night’s version of himself moving forward, that’s a huge development for him and this team.
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates after hitting a three point basket against the Detroit Pistons during the first half of game three in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass. As a note, the percentiles are compared to other playoff games, which affects the sample size.
Offensive Rating
Effective Field Goal Percentage
Offensive Turnover Percentage
Offensive Rebounding Percentage
Free Throw Rate
Cavs
122.1, 70th percentile
66.2%, 95th percentile
15.8%, 37th percentile
25.3%, 25th percentile
24.3, 69th percentile
Pistons
114.7, 48th percentile
50%, 24th percentile
16.8%, 28th percentile
40.4%, 93rd percentile
19.8, 47th percentile
Now, let’s dive into the numbers.
The Cavs are now 15-1 this year when Donovan Mitchell scores 35 or more points. Cleveland has gone as Mitchell has all season. That trend has now carried over to the playoffs, as seen with his scoring outburst in Game 3.
Mitchell went 6-8 on shots in the restricted area. He continually got into the teeth of the defense and finished inside. Detroit simply couldn’t stay in front of him. This performance came after he attempted just one shot in the restricted area during the first two games combined.
Mitchell once again couldn’t get anything to fall from three as he went 2-8. He’s connecting on just 32.2% of his outside looks this playoff run.
Cleveland won the minutes Mitchell was on the court by seven. Mitchell was in the 86th percentile for on/off splits during the regular season. The Cavs consistently played their best basketball with him on the floor. That trend hasn’t carried over to the playoffs. Cleveland has only won Mitchell’s minutes four times this postseason. They’re 4-0 when they outscore their opponent with Mitchell on the court and 1-5 when they don’t.
Mitchell recorded 10 rebounds. This is the first time he’s reached double-digit boards in a game since Dec. 31.
The Cavs took 40% of their shots at the rim (85th percentile). This has been an issue throughout the series. The Cavs were in the 2nd and 31st percentile in rim attempts over the last two games.
Cleveland made the most of those looks as they converted 84% of their attempts in the restricted area (92nd percentile).
The Cavs executed well offensively, posting a 113.5 half-court offensive rating (87th percentile). The offense hasn’t performed great against Detroit’s set defense in the first two games of the series. Strong showings from Mitchell and Harden helped turn that around on Sunday.
Detroit missed 13 straight threes from the first quarter through the beginning of the third. The outside shot saved the Pistons in Game 2. Its absence for the first half of this game is what led to them trailing by 17 at the start of the third.
The Pistons went 7-10 from three to close the game. Detroit dug out of its deficit and had a chance to steal it late. The emergence of the three-ball again is what allowed them to do so.
Detroit had 16 second-chance opportunities to Cleveland’s six. This led to the Pistons outscoring them 19-11 in second-chance points and winning the possession battle overall. Afterward, head coach Kenny Atkinson said the Cavs can’t afford to lose this area, calling getting the victory without having more possessions “unsustainable.”
The Cavs had 27 points off turnovers to Detroit’s 19. While Cleveland didn’t win the possession battle, they took advantage of the turnovers they forced. The Cavs committed one fewer giveaway than the Pistons.
Cade Cunningham had eight turnovers. This was an overall good game from Cunningham as he finished with a 27-point triple-double. However, not being able to take care of the ball was an issue.
Cleveland had a 130.4 offensive rating with Sam Merrill on the floor. He was limited to just 14 minutes as he returned from a hamstring injury. His shooting and off-ball movement helped open up what was a stagnant offense during the first two games of the series.
The Pistons were outscored by 28 in the 18 minutes Daniss Jenkins played. This was mostly because Detroit registered a 168.4 defensive rating with Jenkins on the floor. It’s dangerous to read too much into single-game plus/minus, but it’s safe to say the Cavs offense was at its best in Jenkins’s minutes.
The Cavs have held Jalen Duran to 11 or fewer points in all three games. He is a combined 11-26 (42.3%) from the field this series after converting 65% of his shots in the regular season.
Dean Wade was the only Cavalier starter with a negative plus/minus. The Cavs lost the nearly 17 minutes that Wade was on the floor by six.
Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined to go 10-10 in the restricted area. The offense is at its best when it’s attacking the basket. The most effective way to do that is to get the bigs involved going downhill. Both were able to make an impact there in the win.
Ausar Thompson had five assists in a game for the second time this series. He isn’t a threat to score from the outside, but his ability to act as a secondary playmaker when the Cavs cheat off him has been an asset for Detroit. This is why the Pistons have had a functional offense with Thompson on the court this game, despite his limitations on that end.
James Harden had nine points on 4-5 shooting in the fourth. He had three big shots late to help seal the game, including a triple over Tobias Harris in the final minute.
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell delivers during the first inning of a loss to the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night. (Meg Oliphant / Getty Images)
It was Blake Snell bobblehead night Saturday at Dodger Stadium but the Atlanta Braves spoiled the left-hander’s season debut with a 7-2 win.
Making his first appearance since the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, Snell showed rust early, giving up a leadoff single to Mauricio Dubón and walking Drake Baldwin. Ozzie Albies’ bunt single loaded the bases and after Matt Olson struck out, Dubon scored from third on Austin Riley’s fielder’s choice to shortstop. Snell struck out Michael Harris II to end the inning on his 25th pitch.
Atlanta loaded the bases again in the second and Albies poked a two-run single to left. Two more runs scored on Olson’s single to right and after an inning and a half the Dodgers trailed 5-0. In the bottom of the inning, Eli White made a sprinting catch on the warning track in right field to rob Max Muncy of extra bases.
Snell started the season on the injured list with left shoulder fatigue and was brought back from his rehab assignment early to replace Tyler Glasnow, who was placed on the injured list Friday with back spasms. Snell gave up four earned runs on six hits, with two walks and five strikeouts over three innings and 77 pitches.
While Snell struggled, Atlanta's Spencer Strider was locked in from the start, giving up one hit and striking out eight batters in six innings before being relieved by Dylan Lee.
National League East front-runner Atlanta (27-13) widened its gap to eight games over Washington while the Dodgers dropped to 24-15 and saw their National League West lead narrowed to one game over San Diego, which beat St. Louis 4-2 earlier in the day.
Jack Dreyer, who relieved Snell, gave up one hit in 1⅓ innings before being relieved by Edgardo Henriquez, who walked Riley and gave up an RBI double to Harris — the fifth hit in two days for the 2022 NL rookie of the year. Henriquez went 1⅔ innings before Paul Gervase yielded an RBI single to Baldwin.
One night after dealing Braves ace Chris Sale his second loss of the season, the Dodgers’ offense did not wake up until the ninth inning.
Shohei Ohtani went one for four with a single and two strikeouts. Freddie Freeman had two fly outs and a groundout before Dalton Rushing took his place at first in the seventh.
The Dodgers avoided their second shutout loss of the season and finally gave the crowd of 50,209 reason to cheer in the ninth when Andy Pages belted a two-run home run — his ninth of the season — off reliever Reynaldo Lopez.
Players on both teams played with heavy hearts following the death of former Braves manager Bobby Cox at the age of 84 on Saturday.
Freeman, in his fifth season of a six-year, $162-million deal with the Dodgers, talked about Cox before the game.
“I woke up to the news this morning,” he said. “It’s a sad day in Braves country and all of baseball. My favorite memory of Bobby is seeing joy on his face when he saw my 6-year-old. He had our backs. He wanted to win as much as you do. What stands out is the genuine care he had for every person in that clubhouse.
"My first day of spring training I walk in and he joked ‘Why did it take you so long to get to the big leagues?’ He cared about the 19-year-old and 40-year-old the same way. I have an autographed Bobby Cox jersey at home.”
Cox's death came just four days after the death of Ted Turner, who owned the Braves from 1976 to 2007.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jackson Blake scored 5:28 into overtime for his second of the game, Logan Stankoven also scored in regulation and the Carolina Hurricanes finished a four-game sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season.
Frederik Andersen made 15 saves for Carolina, which has not lost in eight playoff games.
Alex Bump and Tyson Foerster scored for the Flyers.
Taylor Hall and Jaccob Slavin assisted the winning goal.
Dan Vladar stopped 37 shots for Philadelphia.
Carolina will play the winner of Buffalo and Montreal in the Eastern Conference finals after the NHL’s first 8-0 start in the playoffs since 1985.
The Hurricanes, who reached the Eastern Conference finals for the third time in four years, are looking for their first Stanley Cup since 2006. Carolina is the 24th team in league history to win eight or more consecutive games during a playoff run. Eighteen of them have won the Stanley Cup.
WILD 5, AVALANCHE 1
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored first and assisted on the next two goals as Minnesota forced a goalie change and handed Colorado its first loss in this postseason with a victory in Game 3 of their second-round NHL playoff series.
Quinn Hughes followed Kaprizov’s four-on-four score late in the first period with a four-on-three goal less than two minutes later. Ryan Hartman batted in a deflected power-play shot with 4:23 elapsed in the second period to prompt an early departure for Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood, who was replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood.
Nathan MacKinnon got the Avalanche on the board on a power play later in the second period before Brock Faber answered just 20 seconds later by deflecting a puck past Blackwood.
Matt Boldy added an empty-net goal and Jesper Wallstedt made 34 saves in his return to the net for the Wild after a 9-6 loss in the unhinged series opener prompted a start for Filip Gustavsson in Game 2.
The Avalanche will take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 in Minnesota on Monday, before the teams return to Colorado for Game 5 on Wednesday.
If the game was viewed as an extension of spring training, which is basically what it was for Blake Snell, the Dodgers’ 7-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night could be charitably classified as a success.
His fastball touched 98.1 mph, and the average velocity of the pitch was 95.9 mph.
So he was healthy, at least.
If the game was viewed as an extension of spring training, which is basically what it was for Blake Snell, the Dodgers’ 7-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night could be charitably classified as a success. AP
Snell’s final line was ugly – five runs (four earned), six hits and two walks in three innings – but he wasn’t as bad as his numbers suggested.
Snell struck out five batters, as the Braves whiffed on 16 of his pitches. The stuff was there.
What was missing was sharpness, and that was expected, considering he was initially scheduled to pitch in a minor league game on this day. A recent back injury to Tyler Glasnow forced Snell back into the rotation earlier than expected.
Snell loaded the bases in the first inning before registering an out, but he managed to limit the damage to a solitary run by striking out two of the next three batters.
Snell’s final line was ugly – five runs (four earned), six hits and two walks in three innings – but he wasn’t as bad as his numbers suggested. Getty Images
The Braves added four runs in the second inning, two on a bases-loaded single by Ozzie Albies, who practically scraped a changeup off the ground, and two more more on a line-drive hit by Matt Olson, who pounced on an elevated slider.
Snell departed the game after throwing 77 pitches in three innings.
But Snell looked to be a series of small adjustments from returning to his customary form, and the starter opposite of him showed how much of a difference a week could make for a pitcher in his position.
Sidelined with an oblique strain until last week, Strider made his season debut in Colorado and was charged with three runs, four hits and five walks in 3 ⅓ innings.
A former All-Star and 20-game winner, Strider was much better against the Dodgers. He blanked the defending World Series champions over six innings, limiting them to a hit and two walks.
The Braves added four runs in the second inning, two on a bases-loaded single by Ozzie Albies Getty Images
What it means
The loss was something of a reality check for the Dodgers.
In the series opener the night before, they scrapped and clawed against reigning Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale to earn a 3-1 victory.
If that game demonstrated their ability to capitalize on opportunities to win difficult games, their loss on Saturday was a reminder of how unthreatening their offense can look on certain nights.
The Dodgers let Spencer complete six innings on 91 pitches and they collected only two hits in the first seven innings. Their only runs were scored on a two-run homer by Andy Pages in the bottom of the ninth inning.
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But left-hander Jack Dreyer pitched a scoreless fourth inning and retired the only batter he faced in the fifth.
Dreyer has not allowed a run over the 8 ⅓ innings he’s pitched in his last eight games. His earned-run average has dropped from 4.35 to 2.41 over that period.
Who’s not
Brock Stewart wasn’t active for long.
Three days after he was moved to the active roster, the talented-but-fragile reliever was back on the injured list, this time with a bone spur on his left foot.
Stewart missed the first six weeks of the season as he was recovering from a procedure he underwent last September to clean up his right shoulder. He pitched two scoreless innings in his brief time on the active roster – an inning on Wednesday against the Houston Astros and another on Friday against the Braves.
The Dodgers acquired Stewart from the Minnesota Twins last year in exchange for outfielder James Outman.
Up next
In a showdown of breakout pitching standouts, the Dodgers will start Justin Wrobleski, who is 5-0 with a 0.56 earned-run average as a starting pitcher. The Braves will counter with Bryce Elder, who made an All-Star team in 2023 but has been mediocre since. Elder will enter the game with a 3-1 record and 2.02 ERA in eight starts.
May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider (99) throws to the plate during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Behind a stellar performance from Spencer Strider and an opportunistic offensive attack early, the Braves shook off their Dodger Stadium demons for at least one night to even up the series with a 7-2 win.
Strider became the story on Saturday night, working six nearly perfect shutout innings. His slider was virtually un-hittable with a 64% whiff rate. The fastball was humming throughout the night and had Shohei Ohtani in a blender. A week after a shaky debut in Coors Field, this was as impressive as Strider has looked in more than two years. He finished the night allowing just one hit and two walks with eight strikeouts.
It goes without saying, but if this is any sign of what the future holds for Strider, the Braves’ ceiling is immensely higher. We’ll see if he’s able to carry it over in his next start, presumably against the Red Sox next weekend at Truist Park.
The Braves didn’t exactly light up Blake Snell in the early innings, but they hit ‘em where they ain’t and scratched across five runs in the first two frames.
Atlanta loaded the bases with no outs in the first but somehow only scored one run — a theme that continued from Friday night’s debacle — but thankfully broke through in a big way in the second inning with a two-run single by way of Ozzie Albies and two-run single from Matt Olson to make it 5-0.
As the score held, the Braves tacked on another run in the fifth with a Michael Harris double that plated a scootin’ Austin Riley. And in the eighth, Drake Baldwin added a little insurance with a two-out single to make it 7-0.
Dylan Lee worked a scoreless seventh inning and gave way to Reynaldo Lopez, who allowed a harmless two-run homer in the 9th to finally get the Dodgers on the board.
The Braves are 27-13.
The series concludes on Sunday afternoon with Bryce Elder set to face lefty Justin Wrobleski, who owns a 5-0 record and 1.25 ERA that is screaming for some regression. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. ET.
Training camp for NHL teams may still be an entire summer away, but that doesn't mean it's too early to discuss who may be in the mix for roster spots when the time comes.
For the Pittsburgh Penguins, there is likely to be a whole lot left up in the air.
After making the postseason for the first time in four years, it stands to reason that Pittsburgh is going to try to improve this summer, likely targeting young NHL players in the trade market and trying to get the most out of free agency. But, with an aging team, it’s important that they take the next step in allowing some of their home-grown young talent to break out and, potentially, begin to flourish at the NHL level, too.
And some of them have a legitimate shot at breaking the NHL roster out of training camp.
Here are the five most likely prospects to be on the Penguins’ opening night roster, from most likely to least likely.
Murashov, 22, has had a dominant run so far for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) in the AHL playoffs, posting a .937 save percentage and 1.99 goals-against average to go along with a 3-1 record. He put together a solid regular season for WBS as well, going 24-9-3 with a .919 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average.
Stuart Skinner is a UFA, and Arturs Silovs is an RFA. In addition, Joel Blomqvist and Taylor Gauthier are, at least, legitimate AHL options.
Given the goaltending logjam in the system - and the uncertainty surrounding the status of the two NHL goaltenders from 2026-27 - it seems likely that Murashov will be half of the NHL tandem next season. Of course, nothing is a given, and the Penguins could sign a goaltender in free agency or bring both Skinner and Silovs back.
But, more than likely, Murashov will get his shot next season, which makes him the most likely prospect to crack the NHL roster.
Of course, Hayes’ chances are somewhat dependent on what choices Kyle Dubas makes this summer. What will happen with Noel Acciari, 34, who is a pending unrestricted free agent? Will Dubas sign more third- and fourth-line players to increase camp competition?
Even if both of those things happen, however, I think Hayes is in the best position to break the roster out of camp. Given his age and the direction the Penguins are trying to go, Acciari figures unlikely to re-sign, and Hayes, 23, is the perfect candidate to take his place on the fourth line next to Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar, both of whom have already signed extensions.
Hayes excels at many of the things Acciari does, and he’s younger and faster. The Penguins also seemed to favor him above others near the end of the season when the injury bug hit Pittsburgh hard, and he showed more than any of the other forwards called up during the season.
So, he is most likely among skaters to land a spot. In fact, it would be shocking if he doesn’t.
Brunicke, 20, made the NHL squad out of camp this season as a 19-year-old, and he stuck around for a while despite playing in only nine NHL games. After those sparse NHL games, an AHL conditioning stint, and participation in the World Junior Championship for Team Canada, he was sent back to the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL in late-January to finish their season.
There is a decent possibility that the Penguins may add to their right side this offseason - if not their left side - so it will probably take a good camp from Brunicke to secure an NHL roster spot out of the gate. That said, he’s had two outstanding camps out of two during his tenure with the Penguins, and he’s improved his net-front and own-zone play, per request of the Penguins’ organization and development staff.
So, as of now, a spot on the right side is his for the taking - but he has to earn it.
Unfortunately, for McGroarty, an injury before training camp began this season - and one that kept him out for a month and a half of the regular season - definitely seemed to set him back in 2026-27. He managed to record three goals and six points in 24 NHL games, but the majority of his season was spent at the AHL level, especially with the NHL club in the playoff mix all season long and riding hot hands at that level.
As long as he is healthy going into next season, the 22-year-old forward should have a pretty fair shot at securing an NHL roster spot out of camp. However, his inability to take full advantage of his minutes this season may have hurt his stock a little bit, and depending on how the Penguins approach trades and free agency this summer, making the roster may be a bit more of an uphill climb this time around.
Still, the Penguins and McGroarty are at a point in his development where they need to start seeing some signs of progress soon. He is likely to get his opportunities next season, but he may now be behind Hayes in the pecking order as far as prospects.
But, don’t give up on the 2022’s 14th overall pick quite yet. He has shown flashes of potential - and he was above point-per-game at the AHL level this season (10 goalsm 34 points in 30 games). Sometimes, players like him take a bit longer to develop fully.
Like McGroarty, time is beginning to wind down for Koivunen to show the Penguins that he can still be a valuable piece of their future. The trouble is that in an ever-crowding prospect pool, the longer Koivunen takes to show signs of growth at the NHL level, the less opportunity he’ll have - and fast.
Koivunen posted two goals and seven points in 39 NHL games this season despite having 13 goals and 41 points in 34 AHL games. Right now, Koivunen is a star AHL player - but he hasn’t quite shown an ability to think up to NHL speed yet.
Like McGroarty, shutting the door on Koivunen now would be premature, and he will get NHL opportunities. But, at this point, Hayes and McGroarty - and, perhaps, even Tristan Broz - might find themselves in the mix first, barring an excellent training camp for Koivunen.
So, like the others, he needs to have a good camp, and, likely, a standout one, to lock down a spot for opening night next season.
