Yankees' Trent Grisham exits Wednesday's game against Blue Jays with left knee discomfort

Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham left Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays with an apparent leg injury.

The team later announced that Grisham was dealing with left knee discomfort and will undergo imaging.

Grisham legged out a double to left field with two outs in the second inning and looked to be in discomfort after reaching second base, grabbing at his left leg.

"I don’t want to speculate too much. For him to come out of the game definitely raises your eyebrow," manager Aaron Boone said after the 2-1 loss. "We’ll see what we have and go from there."

The Yankees skipper said that he initially thought it was a calf issue, but when Grisham popped up from his slide into second base on the double, the veteran outfielder felt something on the side of his knee. 

“Just felt weird in my knee for a little bit," Grisham said after the game. "It didn’t feel like something I should mess with. Got out of the game and we’ll see tomorrow.”

Grisham stayed in the game through the third and fourth innings, but was replaced by Spencer Jones on defense in the top of the fifth inning.

"Before his at-bat, we wanted to see how he was and we felt we needed to get him out of there at that point," Boone said.

Grisham said he went back out to the field because he thought it would get better over time, but it didn't.  He felt it was better not to risk it and get imaging done, but was optimistic about the health of his knee.

After smashing a career-high 34 home runs in 2025, Grisham has been having a down year at the plate, hitting just .174 with six homers through 49 games.

Trent Grisham removed from Wednesday’s game with left knee discomfort

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 19: Trent Grisham #12 of the New York Yankees looks on during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on May 19, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images

With Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Domínguez already on the shelf after injuries suffered within the past month in two separate series against the Texas Rangers, the organization’s outfield depth is being stretched thin. Unfortunately, the hits kept on coming during Wednesday night’s game against the Blue Jays, following a two-hour rain delay.

Center fielder Trent Grisham was removed after four innings due to an left leg injury—later revealed to be left knee discomfort—that he seemed to suffer in the process of legging out a hustle double that blooped between the left fielder and third baseman in the second inning.

The 29-year-old remained in the game for two innings after appearing uncomfortable on second base, but was not in the on-deck circle in the bottom of the fourth when his turn in the order was due up, signaling something was wrong. As one might expect after that, it was Spencer Jones who would jog out to center field to replace him in the field the next inning.

Grisham battled through a left hamstring injury throughout last summer, considerably hampering his mobility in center field and leading to the worst defensive season of his career. He was never placed on the injured list due to how great he looked at the plate, and his mobility has looked considerably better in the early going this year.

With the previous injuries already causing the Yankees to recall both of their top outfield prospects to the major leagues, there’s no telling what the course of action would be if Grisham were to miss time. It would likely mean everyday reps for Jones in center field between Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge, and likely more playing time for Paul Goldschmidt with more DH reps opened up, but the person to fill the roster spot would be unclear. Would this allow Anthony Volpe to stay in the big leagues when José Caballero returns? That’s something that you’d hope they wouldn’t have needed to think about.

Update

The Yankees announced that Grisham left with left knee discomfort. We won’t have any further updates until his imaging is done tomorrow.

JJ Wetherholt’s Multi-Hit Game Not Enough-Cardinals Fall to Pirates 7-0

May 20, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) hits a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Michael McGreevy’s command was not sharp Wednesday night against Pittsburgh, but he toughed his way through 5 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen which is where the game eventually fell apart. That combined with the St. Louis Cardinals offense finding it difficult to get runs across the plate made for an uphill challenge against a Pittsburgh Pirates team that hammered single after single and a multi-hit game from JJ Wetherholt was not enough to overcome the Bucs as they got a very solid start from Carmen Mlodzinski.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were the first to score Wednesday night as Spencer Horwitz ripped a 365 foot line drive home run down the right field line giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning. Pittsburgh would also generate a two-out rally in the top of the 4th inning when Konnor Griffin reached on an infield single followed by a walk to Rodriguez and then a single by Garcia that would score Griffin doubling the Pirates lead to 2-0.

Michael McGreevy’s lack of his typically good command would lead to his exit in the 6th inning. He gave up a trio of singles to start the 6th inning to Griffin, Rodriguez and Garcia to load the bases. Manager Oli Marmol brought in Justin Bruihl to try and get out of the bases loaded no outs jam and he did limit the damage to just one additional run giving up a sacrifice fly to Gonzalez, but nothing more holding the Pirates to just a 3-0 lead. Michael McGreevy’s final stat line for the night would be 5 innings allowing 10 hits giving up 3 earned runs with 1 strikeout and 1 walk.

The comeback Cardinals would threaten in the 6th inning when Alec Burleson smacked a one-out single to right. Jordan Walker was then hit on the right hand by a pitch and then Nolan Gorman had a great at-bat resulting in a walk to load the bases. (Walker would later leave the game, but unclear if the hit-by-pitch played a role in that) That brought up Masyn Winn who just returned to the lineup after being out for knee discomfort. Yohan Ramirez who had come into the game in the bottom of the 6th in relief unfortunately came back from a 3-0 count to strike out Winn for the 2nd out. That brought up Cesar Prieto who was assigned third base responsibilities Wednesday night. He turned on a 2-1 pitch and drove it to the right field wall where Mangum (who was busy Wednesday night) made a great sliding catch to rob Prieto of potentially a game-tying double or triple. So close.

It’s not that the Cardinals weren’t making hard contact, but what hits St. Louis did manage to tally were not timely resulting in run production. JJ Wetherholt had 2 hits. Alec Burleson and Nathan Church hat a hit apiece and Victor Scott II drove a ball into the gap for a double. The problem is that none of these hits happened with runners in scoring position.

Justin Bruihl did a great job in relief. Not only did he get the Cardinals out of a no outs bases loaded jam allowing only 1 run, but he also pitched a scoreless top of the 7th inning. Matt Svanson would take over in the 8th inning which is where the game would fall apart for the Cardinals starting with a dribbling infield hit by Konnor Griffin. He would be followed by a single from Rodriguez. Two batters later, Mangum singled to score Griffin. Gonzalez then singled scoring Rodriguez giving Pittsburgh a commanding 5-0 lead. Bryan Reynolds added to the misery by slapping a double down the left field line putting the Pirates up 7-0. Matt Pushard was given an opportunity to burn the rest of the innings for St. Louis on the mound and did a fine job allowing no more runs in the disastrous 8th inning and occupying the top of the 9th inning so no one else had to.

To add injury to insult, Alec Burleson was hit in the shin by a pitch in the bottom of the 8th inning, but he would stay in the game. Combined with Jordan Walker being hit on the hand by a pitch earlier in the game, tonight’s game was the perfect example of lots of pain, but no gain.

The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up their homestand with a day game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday afternoon as they’ll try to win the series before heading to Cincinnati. Dustin May gets the start for the Cardinals while the Pirates will send Braxton Ashcraft to the mound. First pitch at Busch Stadium is set for 12:15pm central time.

Dylan Harper injury update: Why Spurs rookie left Game 2 vs. Thunder

Dylan Harper left Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the third quarter on Wednesday, May 20.

The San Antonio Spurs rookie was shown on the NBC broadcast walking into the locker room after he fell to the court while wrestling a rebound from Chet Holmgren, who was called for a foul on the play. He trotted out of the tunnel, NBC reported, because someone thought the Spurs were in the bonus and he was needed to shoot free throws. But he was redirected back to the locker room for further evaluation and never returned.

According to the Spurs, Harper suffered a "right leg" injury.

Head coach Mitch Johnson was asked about Harper's status after the Oklahoma City Thunder won the game, 122-113.

"I have not had an update,” he told the media. “I just know he went out when he took an awkward landing — I don’t know if I guess he fell — but that awkward landing and I just heard he wasn’t coming back. I haven’t gotten an update yet.”

Just a few plays before the foul, Harper landed awkwardly while attempting a layup that was swatted by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He grabbed his right hamstring and grimaced in pain.

The Thunder also have a player dealing with a hamstring issue. Jalen Williams seemed to reaggravate his left hamstring and left the matchup in the first quarter.

Harper ended with 12 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. He had a historic outing in Game 1 where he notched 24 points, 11 boards, 6 assists and 7 steals. At 20 years old, he is the youngest player to record a 4x5 in an NBA playoff game.

This story has been updated with new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dylan Harper injury update, status for Spurs vs Thunder Game 2

Royals swept by Boston after 4-3 loss

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 20: Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates his two-run home run with teammates against the Kansas City Royals in the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium on May 20, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Salvador Perez got the Royals an early lead against Connelly Early by pulling the ball straight down the left field line and into the seats. Exiting the first, Kansas City was up 1 to 0.

That lead did not last long. The top of the second was a long one for Michael Wacha. A leadoff triple led to an error by Nick Loftin who was looking to see if Willson Contreras was going home rather than scooping up out one. Willson was not headed home though, so it was first and third with no outs. Nick Sogard was up next and hit a single to right to score the first run of the inning and that was followed by a Marcelo Mayer walk. The bases loaded, one run already in, and no outs yet recorded. This could have been a very bad inning, but the next play was hit to Maikel Garcia who stepped on third and threw to first for a double play, though he did have to concede the second run of the inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined out to end the jam with Boston now in front 2-1.

The game then settled in as both teams would get a runner here and there, but no one could break through. Wacha ended up with a really nice outing, finishing with a line of 6IP, 6H, 2BB, 2R, 1ER, and 8Ks. It was his highest strikeout total so far in 2026. He even left in line for the lead thanks to Elias Diaz who decided to swing at the first pitch he saw in his 5th inning plate appearance.

That ball left in a hurry and scored Starling Marte who had led off the inning with a walk.

Stephen Cruz took over in the top of the 7th and gave up a single to start the inning. Boston pinch hit with Mickey Gasper who struck out, and then Jarren Duran went yard for the second night in a row. The Royals had led by one twice and now Boston had their second one-run lead. Daniel Lynch ended up coming in and finishing off the inning and then shared the 8th with Alex Lange who also took care of the 9th.

Bottom of the ninth in a save situation meant Aroldis Chapman was coming in to finish the game for Boston. It started with a weak pop-up by Starling Marte, but it was just far enough up the first base line that Contreras could not get to it. Carter Jensen, who had pinch run for Diaz earlier and stayed in the game, then struck out on a check swing where the ball got passed the catcher and moved Marte to second. Royals had the tying run 180 feet away. And that was a close as they would get. Lane Thomas pops up and Garcia grounds out to end it.

Seattle will be in town tomorrow and they will try again, but the struggles are really starting to make it feel like the time is running out.

Red Sox 4, Royals 3; Boston earns series sweep in rare late-innings win

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 20: Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox hits a two-run home run against the Kansas City Royals in the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium on May 20, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Red Sox earned just their third win of the season when trailing after six innings. The rare clutch comeback helped Boston sweep the Kansas City Royals with a 4-3 victory. A quality start from Connelly Early and a late swing from a hot bat delivered the clincher. 

Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday’s series finale.

EARLY BETTER THAN GAME SHOWS

Early made only two real mistakes in this start. The Royals made them hurt. 

Salvador Perez hooked a solo home run in the first inning before Elias Díaz lifted a two-run home run off the lefty in the fifth inning to give the Royals the lead.

Otherwise, Early looked solid in this one across six strong innings with five strikeouts against Kansas City. 

DURAN STRIKES AGAIN

The Red Sox could take a step forward if Jarren Duran finds a way to sustain even half of what he produced on the field at Kauffman Stadium this week. 

Duran went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs in the first two games of the series. On Wednesday night, he took over with a leaping catch at the wall in foul territory before his two-run home run in the seventh inning vaulted the Red Sox into the lead. He added another extra-base hit on the night with his first triple of 2026. 

He did run into an out to end the ninth inning when he tried to score on a ball in the dirt from third. Despite the failed attempt to push the envelope, Duran scratched to secure the sweep for the Red Sox. 

RISING ON THE ROAD

The Red Sox moved over the .500 mark in road games this season with a 14-13 mark. Boston also posted a 4-2 record on the road trip, the team’s first winning a record of a trip with multiple series this season.

Despite results, Mets' Zach Thornton reflects on 'super special' MLB debut: 'I feel as though I belong here'

While it wasn't a storybook debut, Mets LHP Zach Thornton was able to settle in after a tough first inning and get through 4.1 innings on Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals.

The 24-year-old let up a three-run home run to CJ Abrams in the first and another run in the second inning, but found a way to retire nine out of the final 10 batters he faced, including eight straight. After the 8-4 loss, Thornton was asked how he was able to lock back in after that first inning for the remainder of the outing and expressed confidence in his ability.

"I just know that I need to get in zone," Thornton said. "I feel as though I belong here. My stuff's going to play. So if I can just get in zone I'll be alright."

Overall, Thornton allowed four runs on four hits over 4.1 innings with three strikeouts and two walks. He said nerves weren't really a factor, because he's "nervous before every game," while focusing on the basics and adapting to the "little bit better" MLB hitters helped him throughout the night. 

"Just getting back to what I do best, getting to two strikes before I get to one ball," Thornton said.

He added: "Learning how to get certain pitches by people."

Despite some of the results, manager Carlos Mendoza was happy with Thornton's resilience.

"Obviously Abrams gets him there on that cutter for the three-run homer out of the gate, but I thought he competed," Mendoza said. "They have some good takes on some pitches that were strike-to-ball. But they ran his pitch count up. The one thing I liked, even after he got punched there in the first inning, he didn't back down. He kept going after it. Pitch count went up, but he competed though."

Mendoza also complimented Thornton's tempo, saying there were "some positives there."

More importantly than the box score, Thornton called his debut "everything you kind of dream about" and was thankful that his father, Paul, could be in attendance. Paul Thornton underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his spine seven weeks ago and the procedure resulted in temporary lower-body paralysis, preventing him from walking since.

"Super special," Thornton said on his dad being in attendance. "Just seeing him sitting there in his little wheelchair."

While Thornton's immediate future and next start in the big leagues is yet to be determined, the left-hander will enjoy the moment with his family forever.

"It means everything to me. He's got his own battle that he has to put aside now. We're gonna get with him for the next 30 days and hopefully he can bounce back from his rehab."

Dominant Harrison leads Brewers to 5-0 victory, sweep of Cubs

May 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Box Score

The first series of the year between the Brewers and their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, did not go the way that the Wrigley Field faithful wanted it to go. For the second straight night, Chicago was unable to score a run off a dominant Milwaukee starter. This time it was Kyle Harrison, who struck out 11 in seven shutout innings for one of the best starts of his young career. Injury was added to insult when Chicago starter Edward Cabrera had to leave the game with an injury concern, and the Brewers’ offense capitalized on some Chicago miscues to cruise to a 5-0 victory and a surprisingly comfortable three-game sweep.

The Brewers got a couple of hits in the first inning when Brice Turang and William Contreras hit back-to-back one-out singles. But Cabrera got Christian Yelich to fly out and Garrett Mitchell to ground out, and Turang didn’t make it past second base.

Nico Hoerner led off the Cubs’ half of the first inning with a double down the left-field line. But Hoerner tried to tag and advance on a fly ball to Mitchell in center, and Mitchell — who has one of the stronger outfield arms in the league — got him at third base (after an initial safe call was overturned on replay). A strikeout of Ian Happ ended the inning.

Things got weird in the top of the second. After a Jake Bauers groundout, Sal Frelick reached on catcher’s interference, a call that Milwaukee needed to challenge in order to get it right. Frelick stole second, then Joey Ortiz walked to put runners on first and second with one out. David Hamilton got ahead 2-0, which prompted a mid-at-bat mound visit from the Cubs’ dugout. On the next pitch, Hamilton hit what should’ve been a solid RBI single to center field… but for the second straight night, Pete Crow-Armstrong made an inexplicably bad play in center, and let the ball go under his glove. With the speedy Hamilton running, there was no question what would happen: it was a three-run little league home run.

Cabrera got out of the second inning with the score still 3-0, despite a 104-mph fly ball to center from Chourio. Harrison walked Seiya Suzuki to start the second, but came back with strikeouts of Carson Kelly and Michael Busch, and Dansby Swanson flew out harmlessly.

The Brewers also got a leadoff walk in the top of the third when Cabrera issued a free pass to Contreras. Cabrera struck out Yelich, and the Cubs could’ve had a strike ’em out, throw ’em out double play with Contreras running on the 3-2 pitch, but Kelly’s throw to second went into center field, and Contreras got up and made it all the way to third with one out. Mitchell had an ill-timed strikeout, but Bauers came through with a two-out RBI single through the right side that made it 4-0.

Miguel Amaya flew out to start the bottom of the third. PCA then watched four straight fastballs go by, three of which were in the zone, and Hoerner flew out to center to end the inning.

Cabrera threw one pitch in the top of the fourth, and something was clearly wrong as Kelly and Craig Counsell came to the mound. It wasn’t exactly clear what happened to Cabrera, but the pitch was a fastball that was about four miles per hour below what he’d been throwing earlier, and he seemed to be favoring his pitching arm. He went straight from the mound to the clubhouse, and there was a delay as Trent Thornton was given as much time as he needed to warm up on the mound.

Thornton settled things down for the Cubs and got the Brewers in order, though Chourio hit one to the back of the warning track in right field, his second flyout of the night that clocked in with an exit velocity over 100 mph. In the bottom of the inning, Bregman flew out to left, and Happ and Suzuki struck out, Harrison’s fifth and sixth strikeout victims.

Turang struck out looking to start the fifth on a pitch that needed to be overturned by a Kelly challenge. Thornton struck out Contreras, too, and Counsell went to Old Friend Hoby Milner to face Yelich, who flew out to shallow center.

Harrison had another 1-2-3 innings and two more strikeouts in the fifth, getting him to eight for the game. He’d also thrown just 65 pitches through five after needing 99 to get through five scoreless innings in his last outing. Milner continued in the top of the sixth and retired Blake Perkins, who’d entered defensively in the fifth (nothing wrong with Mitchell, it was just to counter the Milner move), Bauers, and Frelick in order.

UPDATE: After the game, it was reported that Mitchell’s back tightened up on him. Something to monitor, but hopefully it isn’t anything super serious to worry about.

Another 1-2-3 inning for Harrison in the sixth meant he’d retired 15 straight. He also struck out two more batters, bringing his total to 10.

Phil Maton was the new Chicago pitcher in the seventh. Ortiz hit a hard line drive into right field, but Suzuki had him positioned well and made the catch. Hamilton was next, and he hit a towering fly ball into the right-field corner that Suzuki reached but seemed to lose at the last moment — it hit Suzuki (it would’ve been a very nice play had he caught it), and Hamilton ended up at third base with a triple. Maton’s first pitch to Chourio was wide and got past Kelly, and Hamilton scored easily from third on the wild pitch.

Milwaukee tried to keep the rally going in the seventh — Chourio drew a one-out walk, and Contreras singled with two outs. Counsell went back to his bullpen to bring in lefty Ryan Rolison to face Yelich. Yelich nearly came through with a two-out RBI single on a slow grounder up the middle, but Hoerner made a nice play to end the inning.

Harrison, at just 80 pitches, was back out to start the seventh. Bregman hit the first pitch of the inning into center field for a hit, and he became the first Cub batter to reach since Suzuki’s leadoff walk in the second inning. But Harrison wasn’t rattled: he struck out Happ, and got Suzuki and Kelly on pop-ups.

That ended a gem of an outing for Harrison. He pitched seven innings on 94 pitches and allowed only two hits, Hoerner’s leadoff double in the first and Bregman’s single in the seventh, and walked just one batter. He struck out 11, one less than the career-high 12 he recorded against Pittsburgh on April 26, and recorded 19 whiffs, which at publication time was tied with Minnesota’s Joe Ryan for the most of the day. Harrison finished the day with a 1.77 ERA — lower even than his superstar teammate, Jacob Misiorowski.

Rolison got a clean inning against the Brewers in the top of the eighth. In the bottom of the inning, the Brewers turned to DL Hall, making his 20th appearance of the season. Hall, who has gotten fantastic results that belie his issue with walks this season, gave a free pass to Busch to start the inning. But he recovered quickly: Swanson struck out, and Amaya hit a ground ball to second with which Turang started a 4-6-3 double play, possible only with the lead-footed Chicago catcher running.

Chicago kept rolling with Rolison in the ninth. Ortiz poked one further than it looked into the right-center gap, but Crow-Armstrong ran it down for the first out. After Ortiz was retired, Chicago turned to its closer, Daniel Palencia, with one out. Hamilton greeted him by picking up his third hit of the night, a single to left. Chourio flew out, Turang drew a walk, and Contreras hit a ball up the middle, which Hoerner made a diving play on — he couldn’t get any outs, but he did save a run, and that mattered, because Palencia struck out Yelich with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Pat Murphy let Hall continue in the ninth with a five-run lead. Contreras showed some annoyance that Hall fell behind PCA 3-1, but Hall came back to get him to ground out to Bauers at first. Hoerner also grounded out to Bauers, and Bregman struck out looking on a 3-2, backdoor curveball to end the game.

Harrison and Hall dominated Chicago on the evening. After Hoerner’s leadoff double, the Cubs didn’t get another runner into scoring position for the rest of the game. Hamilton was the offensive star: he had two singles and a triple and scored twice, but of course, one of those singles turned into his little league homer. (The triple was close to a homer, too, but Hamilton is still searching for his first actual home run of the season.) Contreras was the other offensive standout, as he was 3-for-4 with three singles, a run scored, and a stolen base.

Tomorrow is a well-deserved off day for the Brewers before they start a big series back at home with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday in a rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series. See you then.

Kenny Atkinson doubles down on his James Harden defense after Cavaliers’ meltdown

Kenny Atkinson ans

A day later, Kenny Atkinson remained firmly in James Harden’s corner. 

No second-guessing his decision to stick with the veteran despite his issues defending Jalen Brunson in the Knicks’ wild comeback from 22 points down to win the opener of the Eastern Conference finals. 

“One thing about James: I’ll just defend him,” the Cavaliers coach said Wednesday. “He’s a good isolation defender, always has been. He’s super smart. I said it [Tuesday] night, he has great hands.”

Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second quarter of the Cavaliers’ Game 1 overtime loss to the Knicks at the Garden. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In fact, Atkinson was far more disappointed with Cleveland’s team defense — or lack thereof. Time and again, the Knicks targeted Harden in the pick-and-roll to get him to switch on to Brunson, and the superstar guard torched the Cavaliers for 17 of his 38 points in the final 12:39 of regulation and overtime.

In the fourth quarter, the Knicks were able to get Harden to switch on to Brunson for nine isolations that averaged 1.9 points per action, according to the “All NBA Podcast.” In a stretch when Brunson scored 11 straight Knicks points to cap an 18-1 burst, Harden was the primary defender. 

“[Brunson] hit two or three really tough shots on him, but the baseline drive [that tied the game with 19.3 seconds remaining in regulation] where our low guy didn’t come over and get a contest, that is team defense. At this level, it’s team defense,” Atkinson said. “Sure, everybody’s putting it on James. A lot of it’s on the team, our team defense. … Sure, some of it was him, there were a couple of blow-byes. But again, I’d argue it was the team defense, too.” 

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On a few occasions, the Cavaliers blitzed Brunson to get the ball out of his hands, but it resulted in open shots for other Knicks, which was also a major part of the comeback. 

It has been an inconsistent postseason for Harden. While he is averaging 19.7 points and six assists, he is only shooting 31.8 percent from 3-point range on 7.1 attempts. He has also accounted for more turnovers than field goals in six different playoff games, including the series opener. 

But Atkinson has vehemently defended him throughout, speaking to Harden recently about his belief in him.

OG Anunoby past James Harden (1) during overtime of the Knicks’ Game 1 win over the Cavaliers at the Garden. Jason Szenes for the New York Post

“Without you, we’re knocked out in the first round,” the coach told him. “We’re in a great position, you’ve played great. Sometimes micro experiences get exaggerated. Keep being yourself.” 

Cavaliers have what it takes to rebound from ‘devastating’ playoff loss: Kenny Atkinson

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson argues with an official at the end of regulation in the Cavaliers' Game 1 overtime loss to the Knicks at the Garden, Image 2 shows Dennis Schröder goes up for a layup during the Cavaliers' Game 1 overtime loss to the Knicks at the Garden

Kenny Atkinson called it “devastating.”

No, not Tuesday’s Eastern Conference finals opener, in which his Cavaliers blew a 22-point fourth quarter lead to the Knicks.

He was referring to Game 6 of the opening round, specifically RJ Barrett’s game-winning 3-pointer that bounced off the back rim and dropped in, forcing a Game 7. 

Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson argues with an official at the end of regulation in the Cavaliers’ Game 1 overtime loss to the Knicks at the Garden. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

The point: Heartbreak isn’t new to this group of Cavaliers. They are well-versed in adversity, having survived two elimination games to get to this point. 

“We’ve been through it in the playoffs,” the Cavaliers coach said Wednesday after a walk-through inside the Garden. “I’m more like, ‘OK, here it is. This is what it’s about.’ You live between misery and awesomeness in the playoffs, and this is of course misery. But this is probably the fourth miserable game we’ve had in the playoffs. It’s like, ‘OK, get back on the horse.’ ”

Atkinson wasn’t trying to diminish the pain of the setback, and nor were his players.

The Cavaliers were in position to take home-court advantage, dominating the Knicks for three-plus quarters. MSG was quiet. The home team looked rusty. 

Then, everything went wrong for the visitors. 

Dennis Schröder goes up for a layup during the Cavaliers’ Game 1 overtime loss to the Knicks at the Garden. NBAE via Getty Images

“We gave them a game,” reserve guard Dennis Schröder said. “At the end of the day, we controlled the game — I think 90 percent of the game we controlled it. The last 10 percent, they did a great job. You have to give them credit, too, for not giving up and making shots at the end, and that was the game.” 

There was a lot to like before the collapse at both ends of the floor. Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting in the first three quarters. Big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley were giving the Knicks fits. Cleveland didn’t look like such a big underdog. 

“I want to lean on the positive,” Atkinson said. “We had three quarters of really good basketball — some of the best basketball we’ve honestly played in the playoffs, offensively and defensively.”

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The hope for the Cavaliers is their experiences throughout this postseason will help them Thursday and beyond. This is a team that shook off the Barrett shot, that rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take down the top-seeded Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals and win Game 7 in Detroit in emphatic fashion. 

“Just understanding that we didn’t have the best effort last night, we didn’t have the best outcome,” Allen said, “and the resiliency is going to show [Thursday] how we come out. 

“Just have confidence in yourself and the team, and know that we have to go get one [in Game 2].”

Thoughts on a 5-4 Rangers win

DENVER, CO - MAY 20: (L-R) Jacob Latz #67, Josh Jung #6, Joc Pederson #3 and Jake Burger #21 of the Texas Rangers celebrate their 5-4 win against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 20, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Rangers 5, Rockies 4

  • ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH, COLORADO!
  • ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH, COLORADO!
  • ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!
  • The Rangers won.
  • They shot the bb gun.
  • This is now two straight Wednesdays where the Rangers won due to a ninth inning comeback.
  • And this game didn’t even involved blowing a lead in the ninth inning first.
  • It did involve things going south for Jack Leiter relatively quickly in the middle innings.
  • But let’s focus on the positive aspect of things. The good things. Like Leiter’s first three innings, where he did give up a run in the first on a single, a stolen base and another single, but retired the other nine batters he faced, and struck out the side in the second.
  • Let’s not talk about the fourth inning, where, having just been given a 3-1 lead, he walked two consecutive batters with two outs, the second of which coming on a 3-2 pitch which was initially called a strike and then was overturned on an ABS challenge.
  • It seemed like there was a fair amount of ABS activity in the game. I could be wrong. It also felt like the strike zone wasn’t super well called. I could be wrong there, too, though.
  • Sometimes we are wrong about things. And that is, okay.
  • Two more runs scored in the fifth, but it could have been worse, as a 3-2 pitch to Mickey Moniak with no outs and a runner on third was initially called a ball, but was overturned on an ABS challenge and was called a strike. Basically the reverse of the bases loaded walk in the previous inning, except the bases weren’t loaded and there weren’t two outs.
  • But let’s move on.
  • Jakob Junis, Tyler Alexander and Jacob Latz each pitched a scoreless inning to get things to the ninth with the Rangers still down one.
  • It was a vexing down one because the Rangers had lots of opportunities, but were unable to convert.
  • Like in the fifth. The Rangers got back to back singles with two outs — the second by Brandon Nimmo, who was then lifted for pinch runner Alejandro Osuna due to a hamstring issue. As it has been all series, it was chilly and rainy, and not ideal weather for one with a muscle tweak.
  • A Josh Jung walk loaded the bases, but the bases were left stranded when Ezequiel Duran grounded out to end the inning.
  • No complaints about Duran, though, as he had a two run homer in that three run third inning to give the Rangers the lead. It was followed up by a Jake Burger homer. Burger, you might have noticed, is hitting kinda good lately.
  • (Spoiler alert — be sure to check him out in the exit velocity data towards the end of the post.)
  • In the sixth, the seventh and the eighth, the Rangers had a single in each inning, but nothing more.
  • Ninth inning rolls around, the Rockies have a lefty reliever on the mound, Danny Jansen pinch hits for Evan Carter and strikes out. The Rangers are now out of position players, and Joc Pederson is going to have to go from DH to the outfield to replace Carter if the Rangers tie the game or take the lead, which is looking unlikely at this point.
  • Pederson gets the rally started with a catcher’s interference, and really, isn’t that the best kind of way to get a rally started?
  • Justin Foscue had a hard hit single the other way, putting runners at first and second. Alejandro Osuna then reached on a not terribly hard hit chopper the other way that Ezequiel Tovar fielded but had to stick in his pocket, loading the bases.
  • Joc Pederson, who reached on catcher’s interference, then scored on a passed ball. Not a great inning for Rockies catcher Brett Sullivan.
  • Josh Jung then hit a grounder that snuck past the pulled in infield to give the Rangers the lead.
  • Osuna’s infield single had an xBA of .140. Jung’s go-ahead single had an xBA of .220. Sometimes its better to be lucky than good.
  • On the other hand, the Rangers had an xBA for the game of .313, while the Rockies had a .200 xBA, so the Rangers were actually good, and lucky, or maybe not that lucky. I’m not sure.
  • I think I confused myself.
  • This puts the Rangers at .500 on the road trip, and while they played two bad teams, its hard to say that going 3-3 on the road is not okay. Two of the wins were blowouts where the Rangers shut out the opposition, and one was this come-from-behind one run win. Two of the losses were close games where the offense took a powder, and one loss was a one run loss where weird bad things happened.
  • Texas is back to one game below .500. That’s still the wrong side of .500, but its better than being several games below .500. They will either be tied for the lead in the American League West or a game back, depending on what happens in the A’s/Angels game on the West Coast.
  • I would like to see this team get on a hot streak and rattle off a bunch of wins. The two weeks after this road trip, featuring four at home against Houston, three at home against Kansas City, three in St. Louis, then three back home against Cleveland would be a great time to do so.
  • But as of right now, they are hanging in there despite a very tough early schedule. They are currently, in fact, occupying the WC3 spot.
  • Things are trending the right direction.
  • Jack Leiter reached 97.4 mph on his fastball, averaging 95.4 mph. Jakob Junis hit 91.9 mph on his fastball. Tyler Alexander’s fastball touched 91.4 mph. Jacob Latz’s fastball maxed out at 96.6 mph.
  • Jake Burger had a 110.9 mph single, a 110.4 mph ground out, a 108.4 mph home run, and a 106.1 mph GIDP. Evan Carter had a 106.5 mph ground out. Ezequiel Duran had a 106.2 mph home run. Josh Jung had a 102.8 mph ground out. Justin Foscue had a 100.7 mph single.
  • Let’s luxuriate in a win in a day game before an off day.

Andrew Friedman, Farhan Zaidi have sat in on interviews for Lakers assistant GM role

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 18: President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman of the Los Angeles Dodgers watches a bullpen session prior to a Spring Training game against the San Francisco Giants at Camelback Ranch on March 18, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Lakers’ transition from a barebones front office to one as robust as the Dodgers is not something that can happen overnight.

On top of the sheer volume of hires, ensuring the right people are hired is just as important. It makes sense, then, to involve two of the main figures of that Dodgers front office in the process of filling out roles for the Lakers.

Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and special advisor Fahran Zaidi have both helped bridge the gap between the two franchises since Mark Walter officially took over. While their roles have been largely unclear, Yaron Weitzman of Yahoo Sports provided a little more insight into their roles with the Lakers right now in an article on Wednesday.

Pelinka recently told reporters the team will be hiring a pair of assistant general managers; one focused on personnel, the other on strategy and analytics. “We have started a wide search and begun interviews,” he said. That process is being led by Pelinka and longtime Lakers executive Kurt Rambis. But, according to league sources, Friedman and Zaidi have been involved in the process as well, with at least one of them typically sitting in on interviews.

The question here is how many Dodgers execs does it take to offset having Kurt Rambis involved? Hopefully, two smart minds like that can outweigh whatever decision he’s involved in.

Jokes aside, having these two involved is a big positive. While they may not have basketball minds, they are great team executives and can be part of the process. There are things that transfer across sports, like how they approach player development, for example.

This is also tangible evidence of what Friedman and Zaidi are doing with the team, too. As Weitzman further revealed, most of their work has been done in the background of everything else.

Since Walter took control of the Lakers, Friedman and Zaidi have operated in the background. Most of their energy, according to league sources, has gone toward behind-the-scenes work, where they are attempting to plug the organization’s biggest hole. The Dodgers, under Friedman, have turned their front office into one of baseball’s largest, with robust analytics and medical staffs and multiple experienced executives.

“[Friedman] knows that the Lakers are pretty antiquated in their ways,” said an associate of his from the baseball world. “What he’s said he really wants to do is layer on the stuff they do with the Dodgers so that they can better harness all the basketball IQ that’s in the building.”

Describing the Lakers as antiquated is both suboptimal and accurate. The team has badly needed bolstering in the front office for years and years.

It’s finally happening and while it might take some time to get there, hopefully the Lakers will be able to reap the same type of benefits the Dodgers are now down the road.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Jalen Williams injury update: Why did Thunder star leave Game 2 vs. Spurs?

Jalen Williams left the game in the first quarter of Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday, May 20 and did not return due to a hamstring injury.

The Oklahoma City Thunder forward was in the starting lineup for the matchup against the San Antonio Spurs but only played seven minutes before he was sidelined. Cason Wallace took his place.

ESPN NBA reporter Tim MacMahon said on X that Williams was "getting treatment on his left hamstring." The NBC broadcast also reported the news and showed Williams walking into the locker room with his hamstring wrapped in ice.

Head coach Mark Daigneault spoke to the media after the Thunder's 122-113 win and addressed Williams' injury.

“He’s going to get checked out,” he said. “I don’t deal in hypotheticals, especially when doctors are involved. I just let them tell us what’s going on, so he’ll get checked out in the morning, we’ll see where he’s at, we’ll update accordingly.”

Williams had 4 points and 2 steals in the game, which evened the series.

Williams suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs, where the Thunder swept the Phoenix Suns. He sat out six games before returning in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Spurs.

The Spurs also had a player dealing with an injury during Game 2. Rookie Dylan Harper left the competition in the third quarter with what the team called a "right leg" injury. He did not return.

This story has been updated with new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jalen Williams injury update, status for Spurs vs Thunder Game 2

Mets' David Peterson to start series finale against Nationals

David Peterson is going to start a game for the first time in nearly a month.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed after the team's 8-4 loss to the Nationals on Wednesday that the southpaw will begin the series finale in Washington D.C. on Thursday afternoon.

Peterson, who has been ineffective as a starter this season, pitched himself out of the rotation. In five starts this season, Peterson is 0-4 with an 8.10 ERA across 18.0 innings pitched. He made four consecutive starts to begin the season before he pitched out of the bullpen in his next two appearances. He made a start on April 29, against the Nationals, before being relegated to pitching behind an opener in his last three outings.

To Peterson's credit, the southpaw has been much more effective as a reliever. He's pitched to a 2.25 ERA and allowed only four earned runs over his last three appearances (13.0 IP). 

In his last start, Peterson had his worst outing of the season when he was roughed up by the Nationals at Citi Field. Washington pushed across seven runs on five hits and three walks across 3.2 innings. 

With the Mets heading to Miami for three this weekend, Freddy Peralta and Christian Scott are slated to make starts, but New York is leaving the option of calling up prospect Jonah Tong to make a spot start

The loss of Clay Holmes to injury has put the Mets rotation in flux. If Peterson can succeed as a starter, it would go a long way toward stabilizing the pitching staff.

Internet breaks after Stephon Castle posterizes Isaiah Hartenstein

We witnessed one of the greatest postseason slams of all-time as San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle rose up and put Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein on a poster during Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on May 20.

Castle drove the basket with 8:19 remaining in the second quarter and the Spurs trailed 43-39 as they were building momentum to climb back from a deficit.

The lane opened up. Castle took off before he posterized Hartenstein.