If Wednesday’s offensive disappointment was pinned on Ryan McMahon, who heard boos on a rough day during a rough start, Austin Wells might have been the face of Thursday’s frustration.
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What amounted to the Yankees’ best rally of the game — putting two runners on base in the seventh inning, Giancarlo Stanton drawing a walk and Ben Rice connecting for the club’s first hit of the afternoon — ended with Wells flying out on an afternoon the Yankees fell 1-0 to the A’s in The Bronx.
The entire bottom of the order is an early problem for the Yankees, but the struggles of Wells stand out in part because he is not experimenting with a radically different stance (like McMahon) or serving as a fill-in until a reinforcement arrives (like José Caballero) or owning a stellar track record that suggests he will come around (like Jazz Chisholm Jr.).
Wells arrived in the majors a couple of years ago with a reputation as a strong hitter who needed to work on his catching defense. He has emerged as an excellent framer and game-caller, but his bat has only flashed the kind of hitter he can become.
Austin Wells (28) hits a double during the seventh inning on April 7, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Those flashes have not appeared in the early going this season. Since tallying two hits on Opening Day, Wells has gone 3-for-27 with two singles, a double, four walks and 11 strikeouts.
In a reminder that the season is still in its infancy, Wells shrugged off the slump and was happy with the process that he feels will yield results.
“I feel pretty good [at the plate],” said Wells, who swung through a fastball for a strikeout in the third, grounded out in the fifth and made decent contact with his seventh-inning flyout. “Swinging at the right pitches. I’m just not getting much results. So, keep going.”
His manager, too, thought Wells’ swings were improving even if they were ending similarly.
Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) after hitting a double in the seventh inning against the Athletics on Tuesday. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
“A little better, actually. He’s been one of those guys struggling a little bit,” Aaron Boone said after the Yankees were shut out for the first time this season. “The last AB there, where we had a couple runners on, I thought he put together a pretty good at-bat and got some good swings off.”
The Yankees are only about 7 percent of the way into their season, and early April numbers often are forgotten. Plus, the Yankees are generally winning and Wells’ mind and defense are significant factors in the club’s rotation excellence thus far.
But the Yankees also consistently praise what J.C. Escarra can become and insist that Rice could be a major league catcher. So if Wells does not hit, there are other options.
“I feel like there’s been some games where he’s had some quality at-bats,” Boone said, “but obviously we got to get it more consistent, start getting some results. Obviously, he’s a guy that drives the ball as well.”
Knoxville Smokies infielder Jefferson Rojas (2) slides away from home plate after being called out during Opening Day for the Knoxville Smokies at Covenant Health Park against the Birmingham Barons on April 3, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Iowa Cubs
Rained out. Doubleheader starting at 5:08 tomorrow.
The Trash Pandas jumped all over Smokies starter Luis Martinez-Gomez with two runs in the first, one in the second and two more in the third. The final line on Martinez-Gomez was five runs on five hits over four innings. He walked two, struck out one and gave up a two-run home run in the third inning.
Vince Reilly pitched the eighth and ninth innings and got the win. He did not allow a hit or a run, although he did walk one. He faced the minimum thanks to a fantastic diving catch and double play by third baseman Karson Simas. Reilly struck out two.
The Smokies trailed this game 7-0 after five and a half innings, but they scored three in the bottom of the sixth and five in the bottom of the eighth to stage an improbably comeback.
First baseman Devin Ortiz hit a three-run double in the sixth. He also chipped in an RBI single in the eighth. His final line was 2 for 4 with the double and four RBI. He scored once.
Shortstop Jefferson Rojas hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to give the Smokies the lead. It was Rojas’ third home run this year. He was 1 for 4 with a walk.
Left fielder Jordan Nwogu went 2 for 4 with a triple.
Here’s the Rojas home run.
Jefferson Rojas goes the other way on a 3-run home run to give the Smokies an 8th-inning lead.
He is 9-for-27 with 3 HR, 2 2B, and 10 RBI through his first 6 games.
Great to see him having success in Double-A after his struggles at the level last year. pic.twitter.com/Pi6Iw5OG3n
Kevin Valdez made his season debut tonight by pitching 3.2 scoreless innings to start the game. Valdez allowed three hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Ethan Flanagan’s season debut could have gone better. After Grayson Moore gave up two runs in relief and South Bend tied it back up, Flanagan gave up three runs on five hits over 2.1 innings. Two of the five hits were home runs. Flanagan walked two and struck out three.
Catcher Owen Ayers hit his first South Bend home run with the bases empty in the fourth. He also singled and scored in the eighth. Ayers went 2 for 3 with a walk and the two runs scored.
Second baseman Drew Bowser tied it up 2-2 with a solo home run in the seventh. Bowser went 1 for 4.
Third baseman Reginald Preciado went 3 for 4. He singled home Ayers in the eighth.
Rowell Arroyo came on to pitch the sixth inning and allowed a runner to go to third with one out after fielding a dribbler in front of the mound and throwing the ball down the right line. The runner would score the only run of the game on a fielder’s choice. The final line on Arroyo was one unearned run on one hit over two innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Second baseman Jose Escobar singled to lead off the sixth inning. That was the only Pelicans hit of the game. Escobar was 1 for 3.
Josiah Hartshorn had the night off, so that didn’t help the offense.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 9: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the New York Knicks on April 9, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. 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 Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Boston Celtics traveled to New York to play the Knickerbockers for their 79th game of the season. Boston needed just a single win to secure a second place birth in the Eastern Conference playoffs. In a classic regular season contest, both team’s had runs and chances to close it out, but it was the Knicks who prevailed downt he stretch, 112-106.
Prior to the tip, Jaylen Brown was ruled out of the clash with left Achilles tendinitis. The starting five for Boston would be Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, and Jayson Tatum. Jayson Tatum would return to the scene of his traumatic knee injury last season. For the Knicks, they started OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Jalen Brunson.
Mikal Bridges hit the game’s first three shots as the Knicks jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead. Tatum scored Boston’s first two points of the game with a steal at half court and a layup. Tatum spun on Josh Hart and was fouled driving to the cup on another layup. Jordan Walsh got the nod ahead of Baylor Scheierman, who filled in for Jayson Tatum for much of the year; he hit his first three-pointer from the corner, game tied at 7.
Both teams traded buckets before Queta scored inside off a Tatum lob, with the C’s up 13-11 with 6 minutes to go in the quarter. Tatum had the ball in his hands for most of the first quarter and was picking apart the Knicks’ D. Derrick White had a pull-up jumper for his first two of the game. Payton Pritchard entered the game for Tatum and immediately hit his first shot, Boston up by 6 points, 19-13.
The Knicks were having a rough shooting start; they were just 5 of 13 to start the game and just 1 of 7 from downtown. Pritchard was having an early impact; his three quick buckets gave him the confidence to start talking trash at center court, presumably in the direction of Spike Lee. Pritchard drained a triple as the shot clock expired in the first quarter.
The Knicks rallied to start the second quarter with some good minutes from bench players Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, and Jordan Clarkson. They took the lead back 31-35 with nine minutes to play in the first half. Boston was just 0-4 to start the third; Pritchard finally broke the drought with a back-cut score.
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 9: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the New York Knicks on April 9, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. 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 Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Boston countered the Knicks with a nice 7-0 run, Sam Hauser draining a triple to make it all square at 40 apiece. Both teams slogged it out to finish the half, a very even contest. Brunson was the driving force for the Knicks with 16 first-half points; OG Anunoby had 10 points for the home team. For Boston, Tatum was filling the stat sheet; he had 10 points, 9 boards, and 4 assists. Payton Pritchard was the team’s leading scorer at halftime, with 15 points on 7-12 shooting. It would finish New York with 52 points and Boston with 51 points at the half.
New York was white hot to start the third; they reeled off 4 straight three-pointers as Boston was struggling to stay with the open shooters. Joe Mazzulla burned a timeout at the 9-minute mark, the Knicks starting to pull away from Boston 57-66. NY got the lead out to 13 points, Mazzulla needing to call another timeout, as KAT was starting to attack the bucket and Boston’s D was starting to fall apart.
Boston finally got going in the third, with Tatum and Pritchard fueling the C’s to a 10-0 run. Vooch got in on the act, hitting his first three-pointer of the game. Baylor Sheierman had a dagger triple on the break, Tatum finding him with a deft pass out wide on the left wing, Boston down just 4 points with 3 minutes to go in the third, 72-76.
A Nikola Vucevic triple got it back to just one point; a play later, Pritchard laced his 21st point of the game with a triple, Boston up by 2 points, 78-76. Both teams once again traded buckets after going on mini runs, setting up the game for a big fourth quarter, with Boston by just 2 points, 83-81.
Baylor Scheierman was showing out in the Big Apple 🍎; he hit his fourth triple of the game to start the fourth quarter on a relocation triple. Tatum returned to the game, replacing DWhite. Boston’s bench was outstanding in this game; they had 43 points compared to the Knicks’ 18. Tatum had 6 straight points for the road team, Boston up 92-87 with a ton of time to go.
A Josh Hart corner triple cut Boston’s lead back to 2 points; it was very rowdy at MSG. New York was leading the battle in the paint with KAT and Robinson; they had 38 points to Boston’s 28 points.
Apr 9, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) high fives Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
Scheierman laced another triple for Boston, KAT hit back with one of his own, the lead see-sawing, Knicks up by 1 point, 98-99. Baylor’s fifth three-pointer of the night had the New York crowd stunned, both team’s throwing hay makers.
Turnovers started to hurt the C’s for Boston late, but Baylor Scheierman was still hawt, he nailed yet another three-pointer to give Boston the lead back. Scheierman had 24 points from Boston bench but it was a one point game with the Knicks ahead and a minute and a half to go.
Derrick White rimmed out a triple with a minute to go in the game he struggled all game with just one made field goal, Josh Hart converted his to make it a 5 point game, 104-109 New York. Nikola Vucevic converted on a offensive rebound to cut it to 3 points. Josh Hart hit his fifth three-pointer to seal it. Boston drop a heart breaker with their All-NBA player Jaylen Brown watching on.
Boston will next play the NOLA Pelicans tomorrow at home at 7:30pm EST.
In what felt like a playoff atmosphere, the Knicks held on to a 112-106 win over the Celtics on Thursday night at MSG.
Josh Hart scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead New York to a big win against their conference rivals. With the win, the Knicks remain within reach of the Celtics for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks (52-28) have surpassed the win total from last season with two games to go.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Knicks' plan to start was to attack in transition, with Mikal Bridges scoring the first seven points of the game. The Celtics responded with a 9-0 run to tie the game with good defense and offensive rebounding. Boston would build a seven-point lead midway through the first frame thanks to outhustling the Knicks and getting every 50-50 ball, but New York would make their run.
The first quarter ended with Payton Pritchard and Jalen Brunson trading threes in the final minute as the Celtics led 29-26 at the end of one.
Pritchard was the catalyst for the Celtics' offense in the first. He put up 11 points in six minutes off the bench to lead the team. The Knicks were shooting just 34 percent when Boston had their biggest lead, but bounced back and finished the frame with 45 percent shooting. Brunson led the team with 10 points.
-The Knicks got out to a 7-0 run to start the second (10-0 run from the end of the first) to retake the lead. Both offenses will settle down, as they traded leads throughout the quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns wouldn't get his first points until midway through the second, but it wouldn't be his last. The two-man game between him and Brunson was effective and helped give the Knicks a five-point lead in the waning minutes, but a late surge by the Celtics helped them to trail by just one at halftime.
Pritchard (15) and Tatum (10) led the Celtics as they outrebounded the Knicks 29-25 after two quarters. Brunson (16) and OG Anunoby (10) led the Knicks in scoring.
-The Knicks built up a nine-point lead in the opening minutes of the third because of the three-point shot. That lead would balloon to 13 as Towns started to take over the game with his rebounding and drives to the basket. The Celtics responded after a timeout halfway through the third with a 10-0 run as their threes began to fall. That run extended to 19-4 as they retook the lead with two minutes remaining. Boston took that momentum to end the third with an 83-81 lead.
-The Celtics would get out to a seven-point lead early in the fourth as the Knicks could not get a stop. The Knicks made a run of their own to cut the deficit to two points with seven minutes remaining. Both teams traded buckets with New York taking advantage of Boston's turnovers to hold a 106-104 lead with 1:26 remaining in the game.
Hart hit two threes in the final minute to help the Knicks pull out the win.
-Hart finished with 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting (5 of 7 from three). Towns posted 16 points and 12 rebounds while Brunson had 25 points and 10 assists.
-The Celtics were without Jaylen Brown, and Tatum returned to MSG for the first time since tearing his Achilles in the playoffs last year. Tatum finished with a team-high 24 points on 7 of 22 shooting, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Pritchard scored 23 points in 35 minutes off the bench. Baylor Scheierman helped keep the Celtics in the game in the fourth with his three-point shooting. He finished with a season-high 20 points and went 6 of 7 from downtown.
Game MVP: Josh Hart
Hart's scoring in the second half, and especially in the fourth, pushed the Knicks over the top. His defense on Tatum also helped finish up the win.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Fabian Zetterlund scored a pair of goals and the Ottawa Senators moved closer to securing a playoff berth with a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
The Senators hold the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, leading the New York Islanders by three points with three games remaining. Ottawa plays at New York on Saturday. The Senators are two points back of Boston for the first East wild card.
With their third straight win, the Senators (42-27-10) wrapped up their five-game homestand with a 4-1-0 record, with the lone loss coming against Minnesota.
Drake Batherson, Artem Zub and Claude Girot also scored for Ottawa, and Linus Ullmark made 21 saves. Jesper Boqvist scored for the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, who have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Ottawa added reinforcement to its blueline, with Thomas Chabot returning exactly two weeks after having surgery for a broken arm. Chabot was initially expected to miss four to eight weeks.
Ottawa took a 3-0 lead 3:03 into the third period. Zub grabbed a rebound of a shot by Jake Sanderson and snapped a shot to the far side to beat Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 25 shots.
The Panthers finally solved Ullmark at 14:17 of the third. A.J. Greer found Boqvist at the top of the slot and Boqvist squeezed a shot under Ullmark’s right arm.
Giroux added an empty-netter with 3:17 remaining to put any hope of a comeback out of reach. Nineteen seconds later, Zetterlund scored his second of the game.
The Senators have outscored opponents 17-6 during their three-game winning streak.
Florida recalled defensemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson from their American Hockey League affiliate. The two made their NHL debuts.
Up next
Panthers: At Toronto on Saturday.
Senators: Visit the Islanders on Saturday as they seek to solidify their playoff position.
BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 9: Ben Saraf #77 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball during the game against the Indiana Pacers on April 9, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
I arrived at the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush a bit earlier than usual this afternoon. With 15 minutes to spare before doors opened up, I sat down outside Fini Pizza and inhaled a pepperoni slice. I felt a clam breeze as the sun shined down on me through the oculus. I heard birds chirping even as The Strokes hummed through my ear buds.
And for a brief moment, I forgot all about “tanking” despite being a mere 10 feet from its epicenter this week.
Like we did on Sunday and Tuesday, we’ll call tonight’s game what it was. Jordi Fernández is right each time he insists that all minutes at the NBA level matter, but the only concrete, tangible thing to be gained tonight were better odds to land a top pick in the upcoming draft lottery. The Nets came into tonight with only a half game cushion between them and the threshold for top odds at the number one overall pick this summer. The visiting Indiana Pacers sat two games ahead.
Both teams knew what was at stake, despite whatever rhetoric they’ve used to describe their rotations over the past few weeks.
This time, Brooklyn sat Nolan Traoré (rest), Josh Minott (left ankle soreness), Terance Mann (right patella tendinosis), Noah Clowney (left ankle injury management), Ziaire Williams (left foot tenosynovitis/bursitis), and Nic Claxton. They joined the expected crew of Danny Wolf (ankle), Michael Porter Jr. (hamstring), Day’Ron Sharpe (thumb), and Dëmin (foot), leaving Brooklyn with eight inactives.
The Pacers sat Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith , Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, Ivica Zubac, Johnny Furphy, Kobe Brown, Ben Sheppard, and of course, Tyrese Haliburton.
Yeah, they even sat their head coach, in a sense. Rick Carlisle missed tonight’s game and will miss the next to attend a school event for his daughter.
But tonight was also the home finale, and Fan Appreciation Night. For as much flack as this Brooklyn crowd gets for the hospitality it extends to visiting teams, seated fans for teams like this, at this point, in this kind of a season, are difficult to come by. Even if they were tourists simply looking to experience our city’s game at a discount, casuals hoping to score a Steph Curry or Luka Doncic autograph, or true team supporters, they were here, and deserve a nod for that.
“Yeah, I mean the loyalty and the support has been amazing, especially going into a season that we didn’t win a lot of games, but all our guys worked and played hard, got better, and to feel the support for what we’re trying to do and the plan we have is pretty special,” Fernández said pregame. “So, I appreciate them showing up, and the way we play is because we feel that support.”
Indeed, you’d like to see Brooklyn give them a show even with the understudies taking center stage.
If only it were that simple.
The Nets dipped deeper into their organizational rotation tonight than they have all season. Even though Jalen Wilson and Drake Powell have been part of the regular rotation at times this year, they came off the bench. Ben Saraf started alongside Tyson Etienne, Malachi Smith, E.J. Liddell, and Tre Scott. The Pacers took a similar approach, bringing Obi Toppin and Jay Huff off the bench.
Brooklyn lost the first quarter 31-14, shooting just 5-21 from the field. The Nets once more played without a true center tonight, and it showed. Brooklyn lost on the glass 21-12 in the opening frame, where Indiana also outscored them in the paint 20-6. Another quarter of play only ballooned those ratios. The Pacers went into the break up 65-37, up 46-20 in the paint, and 38-19 on the boards.
At that point, Obi Toppin was our only scorer with double digit points, putting up 14 on 5-7 shooting. Neither Chaney Johnson nor Ochai Agbaji, the only guys who might’ve had a chance to stop the bleeding inside, played any minutes this evening.
Nevertheless. Brooklyn opened up the third with 12-0 start in paint scoring. Rather than getting some taller reinforcements, the Nets simply started driving more often on an Indiana defense that either stopped caring in the second half or Brooklyn simply didn’t challenge enough in the first.
“He does a great job of getting into the paint with the ball, and that’s very important, because he draws a lot of attention” Fernández said of Saraf. “Now, he’s getting comfortable with making better decisions, whether it’s to score or to find shooters. He ended up with six assists and two turnovers, which is elite, and that’s a night that we didn’t make any shots. Just imagine if we make a couple.”
Also, Toppin and Huff weren’t in the game for that stretch, which saw the Nets slightly cut into the lead with an extended 18-11 run. Tank commanders might’ve started sweating had Toppin and Huff not come back in, but they did around halfway through the third, and once again started BBQ-chickening Brooklyn inside. The Pacers still ended up winning the period and put their lead back at 26 entering the fourth. After Brooklyn’s 12-0 start to the third in paint scoring, Indiana only lost the period there by 24-20 margin.
The Nets couldn’t conjure up another fake comeback after that. There are few things more disheartening for a team to go through than a possession where you drive, force a collapse, put the defense in a blender, kick for an open three, and then clank it off the side iron, and the Nets had about four of those in the final period’s first five minutes. They ended up posting .385/.211 splits for the game, which won’t get it done, even against a fellow basement dweller.
“I thought the effort and the purpose was there,” Fernández said. “We took the right shots. They just didn’t go in.”
So, both teams quietly strolled to the finish line down the stretch of the fourth. Amidst it all, E.J. Liddell waltzed into a career night where he led the Nets with 26 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 10-16 from the field. Ben Saraf followed with a 19/6/5 game. Tyson Etienne added 14 points, four assists, and four rebounds while shooting 3-7 from deep in the loss.
Once more, even if the on-court Nets weren’t after that, it’s what they should’ve been, with respect to the franchise’s long term outlook.
And in terms of leaving a better, final impression on the fans? It’s not like we don’t all have TVs and there aren’t two more games left.
Bottom line: The Nets remain in third place in the race to the bottom, a game behind of the Pacers, a game ahead of the Jazz. Meanwhile, the Wizards lost to the Bulls and clinched the worst record this season.
Final: Indiana Pacers 123, Brooklyn Nets 94
Sean Marks Speaks
As part of YES Network’s season-ending interviews with players, coaches and staff, Sean Marks sat down for a brief interview on the upcoming Draft Lottery, which is a month from Friday. The Nets GM laid out the importance of the lottery pick…
Marks made an interesting comment when talking about this year’s team and its youth. He noted that not only was the 2025-26 roster the youngest in the NBA this year. They were also the youngest NBA team in 20 years. He noted that next year’s squad will also be young, but not as young at this one.
Milestone Watch
E.J. Liddell had his first career double-double tonight against Indiana with 26 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. He has scored 15+ points in three straight games from 4/5-9 after his previous career best was 10 points on 3/14/26 at PHI.
Liddell also became the first Net with 25+ PTS and 10+ REB in an NBA game after playing in the G League that season. It was his third straight game with a career high in points after logging 15 vs WAS (4/5) and 21 vs MIL (4/7).
Injury Update
Nic Claxton gave his exit interview for the season pregame tonight. He came out with his right pinky finger in splint. He mentioned that he doesn’t expect (or want) to have surgery on it.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said when asked if he’d go under the knife. “Give it some time to rest. I think it’ll heal up. Not trying to have any procedures.”
Claxton also said that he recently had an MRI on the finger and intends to take “proper precautions.” We’ll have more on his exit interview later on.
Next Up
The Nets will complete their final back-to-back of the season, flying to Milwaukee for a penultimate game vs the Bucks. Like on Tuesday, expect the household names to sit this one out. It’ll tipoff at 8:00 p.m.
NEW YORK (AP) — Matthew Schaefer tied the NHL record for goals by a rookie defenseman, and the Islanders defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 on Thursday night in Peter DeBoer’s first game as New York’s coach.
Cal Ritchie had a goal and an assist, and Ilya Sorokin finished with 13 saves as the Islanders snapped a four-game skid. Brayden Schenn, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Emil Heineman also scored, and Tony DeAngelo added two assists.
DeBoer was hired Sunday after the Islanders fired Patrick Roy amid a late-season slide that saw the team lose seven of 10 games. New York remains in contention for a wild-card playoff spot, trailing Ottawa by three points with three games left.
Steven Lorentz, Easton Cowan and Morgan Rielly scored for Toronto. Artur Akhtyamov made 39 saves for the Maple Leafs, who lost their fifth straight.
Schaefer’s goal midway through the second period was his 23rd of the season to match Hall of Famer Brian Leetch’s record for a rookie defender, set in 1988-89 for the New York Rangers. His shot through Akhtyamov’s legs put the Islanders ahead 3-2.
Heineman scored late in the second for a two-goal advantage, and Ritchie added a power-play goal midway through the third period to put the game out of reach.
New York scored twice in the first five minutes to open the DeBoer era.
Schenn opened the scoring at 2:08 of the first period, finishing a feed from Ritchie on a delayed penalty. Pageau added a goal later in the period, depositing his own rebound to extend the Islanders’ lead to 2-0.
NEW YORK (AP) — Obi Toppin had 26 points and nine rebounds and seven Indiana players scored in double figures as the Pacers snapped a three-game skid with a 123-94 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.
The Pacers (19-61) won for the fifth time in 27 games. Indiana was without head coach Rick Carlisle, who missed the first of two games to attend his daughter’s spring formal. Lloyd Pierce handled the coaching duties.
Micah Potter had 18 points and 14 rebounds, Ethan Thompson added 15 points and Jarace Walker and Jay Huff each added 14. Jalen Slawson and Quenton Jackson finished with 12 points apiece.
E.J. Liddell led the Nets (20-59) with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Ben Saraf scored 19 point and Tyson Etienne added 14 for Brooklyn, which shot 37 for 96 (37%) from the field and had its two-game winning streak halted.
The Pacers raced to a 31-14 lead in the first quarter, led 63-37 at half and carried a 26-point (98-72) advantage into the fourth quarter.
Marcus Semien | (Photo: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
It seemed like a solo home run might be enough. With Nolan McLean already having put up six zeroes, the Mets had a 1-0 lead as the seventh inning began thanks to a solo home run by Luis Robert Jr. in the bottom of the first.
McLean was dealing at the time, but he appeared to tire a bit in the top of the seventh. He issued a leadoff walk, got his eighth and final strikeout of the night, and gave up a single to put runners on first and second. Carlos Mendoza turned to Luke Weaver, who immediately gave up a game-tying double to right field. If the Mets had an experienced right fielder at the position, there’s a chance the ball would’ve been caught. But Baty didn’t come close.
With runners on second and third, Alek Thomas hit a sharp ground ball to first base with the infield in. Mark Vientos fielded it nicely, but he absolutely butchered his throw home as the go-ahead run scored. If not for a great pick by Luis Torrens on the throw, another run might have scored on the play.
But a sac fly plated the Diamondbacks’ third run of the inning, and a Jorge Barrosa triple scored Arizona’s fourth run of the frame. Two of those runs were charged to McLean, while Weaver got full credit for the other two.
The Mets’ bats remained silent from there, but Mets reliever Luis Garía dampened spirits further by serving up three runs in the top of the eighth. Richard Lovelady threw a scoreless ninth and wound up being the only Mets pitcher who appeared in the game but wasn’t charged with a run.
With that, the Mets are 7-6 to start the season, and they’re set to host the don’t-call-us-Sacramento A’s for a three-game series this weekend.
Big Mets winner: Nolan McLean, +28% WPA Big Mets loser: Luke Weaver, -51% WPA Mets pitchers: -28% WPA Mets hitters:-22% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Luis Robert Jr. hits a solo home run in the first, +11% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Gabriel Moreno hits a game-tying double in the seventh, -28% WPA
Nolan McLeandelivered a brilliant start, but after exiting with two runners on base in the seventh, the bullpen couldn't hold a one-run lead as the Mets fell 7-1 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night at Citi Field.
The young right-hander was tremendous through six scoreless frames protecting a 1-0 lead, but was charged with two runs as part of a four-run seventh inning as Luke Weaver had his first bad outing of the season and spoiled what had been a dominant showing. McLean's final line: 6.1 innings, two runs on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts on 100 pitches (64 strikes).
McLean lost the rematch of the WBC final in what had been a real pitchers' duel as the D-backs’ Eduardo Rodriguez took the win, allowing one run over 6.0 innings on five hits and two walks, thanks to three strikeouts and holding the Mets to 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. And on a cold night, the Mets’ bats were colder, with just one hit (a single) over the final four innings.
New York fell to 7-6 on the year as Arizona improved to that same mark by taking the last two games of the series in Queens.
Here are the takeaways...
- The final numbers really don't tell just how good McLean was to start the game. He got three-straight groundballs to the right side of the infield in a 12-pitch first that saw him throw 10 sinkers to good effect against the left-handed bats at the top of Arizona’s lineup. Jose Fernandez, the first righty McLean faced, got jammed on a 3-1 sinker that was off the inside corner but muscled it for a one-out double in the second. McLean stranded him, getting ex-Met James McCann fishing on a curveball and Alek Thomas to bounce out.
McLean made it five straight retired, adding a strikeout looking as he froze Jorge Barrosa on a sinker that saw the visitors lose an ABS challenge. A leadoff walk in the fourth ended that run, but was erased on a 1-6-3 double-play before McLean froze lefty Adrian Del Castillo with a sinker that moved over a foot right onto the inside corner.
The 24-year-old added two more strikeouts in the fifth on six-straight pitches, first bambooziling McCann on a sweeper away and freezing Thomas on a sinker on the inside corner. A bloop single off the end of the bat opened the sixth and McLean dug deep as he battled and won. A flyout to center, a strikeout looking as the curveball at the knees wiped out Arizona’s last challenge, and then another nasty sinker in and at the knees got a roar from the right-hander as he bounded off the mound with his seventh strikeout on his 85th pitch of the game.
McLean’s night came to an end in the seventh as he walked the leadoff man and gave up a one-out single up the middle, a liner off the end of Fernandez’s bat. And that proved costly.
Through three starts of the season, McLean has allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits, six walks, and one hit batter with 20 strikeouts (16.2 innings).
- Weaver fell behind pinch-hitter Gabriel Moreno, before a low-and-away changeup was driven off the wall in right field over Brett Baty's head for an RBI double. The ball was hit hard and carried on Baty might have been caught by a more experienced outfielder. The baserunners seemed surprised it got over Baty's head as both were ready to tag up on the play.
Arizona had the lead when Mark Vientos spiked his throw home after fielding a sharp grounder to first. After a sac fly, Barrosa turned on an inside fastball and yanked it into the right-field corner for an RBI triple to make it a four-run seventh.
- Luis Robert Jr. gave the Mets an early 1-0 lead, turning a 2-0 cutter on the inside corner for a towering 412-foot bomb to right field. Robert came into the game with six hits in his last 14 at-bats (all singles) before just smoking the Rodriguez offering 109.8 mph off the bat.
After walking his second time up, his 11th free pass of the year, Robert got caught looking at a sinker at the knees with runners on the corners and one out in the fifth, losing the Mets’ first ABS challenge in the process. He finished 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Francisco Lindor entered the night in a funk, 7-for-47 with three extra-base hits, zero RBI, and a 77 wRC+ through 12 games. He went hitless in three at-bats against Rodriguez before muscling a ball off his hands into right for a two-out single off reliever Taylor Clarke.
- Bo Bichette, entered the game 5-for-13 against Rodriguez with a .923 OPS, lofted a two-out single into center with two down in the third. He added a walk and finished 1-for-3.
- Marcus Semien, after striking out his first time up, lined a leadoff single into left to start the home half of the fourth, but was left out there. He finished 1-for-4.
- Baty, the lone lefty in the Mets’ lineup, hustled out an infield hit to first with two down in the second and then stole second base, but was left stranded. He was 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Vientos, who made a nice play at first to end the first, looked to have a two-out hit with two men on in the third, but second baseman Ketel Marte was perfectly placed to snag the liner. He stranded runners at the corners to end the fifth, with a groundout to third. He went hitless in four at-bats with a strikeout.
- Tyrone Taylor, after getting the benefit of the doubt on a close 2-2 pitch, ripped a double that one-hopped the wall in left to start the fifth. He went 1-for-2 before being lifted for pinch-hitter Jared Young in the seventh. (Young grounded out.)
- Francisco Alvarez, who was DHing, caught looking at a good Rodriguez changeup that just caught the corner low and away and flied out to the edge of the track in right on a well-struck ball in the fourth. He went 0-for-4.
- Luis Torrens went 0-for-4, including a hard-hit liner right at the left fielder.
- Luis Garcia got touched up in the eighth with a double into the right field corner and an RBI double that one-hopped the wall in left, sandwiched around a walk. After a run-scoring groundout, Moreno hammed a Garcia sweeper into the gap in left-center for his second RBI double in as many at-bats.
Richard Lovelady closed things out by getting all five batters he faced.
Highlights
Luis Robert Jr. with his second homer of the year to get the Mets on the board! pic.twitter.com/xz2FVZydGz
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 09: Head coach Brian Keefe of the Washington Wizards reacts to a play against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Capital One Arena on April 9, 2026 in Washington, DC. 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. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Wizards did not take any chances with their lottery odds heading into their back-to-back games against the Chicago Bulls. The D.C. crew lost again on Thursday in a 119-108 contest at Capital One Arena.
The game started out like Tuesday’s blowout affair against the same Bulls. The visitors went ahead by 19-6 in the opening four minutes and looked like they were ready to run away with the contest. But the Wizards battled back, with Bub Carrington hitting a pair of threes to keep Washington within 32-24 after the opening period.
The Wizards used a balanced scoring attack in the second quarter to get back into the contest. Sharife Cooper went on a personal 7-0 run to give Washington its first taste of the lead, 44-43, with 4:04 left in the half.
Washington trailed 52-51 at the break. Carrington and Leaky Black led the way, each scoring 9 points.
The Wizards stayed in striking distance for most of the third quarter. However, the game’s complexion changed when Juju Reese got called for a flagrant foul after inadvertently elbowing 5-foot-7 Yuki Kawamura. The flagrant penalty plus a pair of live-ball turnovers resulted in an 8-0 Bulls run to close the third.
Washington trailed 87-74 entering the fourth quarter. The Wiz never chopped the lead smaller than 9 points, dropping their 8th straight contest.
Will Riley was the team’s leading scorer with 23 points to go along with seven assists, three steals, and three blocks. But the Illinois alum struggled with his shot for most of the game, tidying up his field goal shooting a bit with garbage time buckets. He went 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Juju Reese had another monster double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, feasting on the glass against a Bulls team that lost its only viable big man, Guerschon Yabusele, to a shoulder injury during the game.
With a Washington loss and an Indiana Pacers win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, the Wizards have a two-game cushion for the No. 1 spot in the tank rankings.
The Wizards next take on the Miami Heat on Friday in the team’s penultimate game of the season.
It took being pushed to the brink, it took a coaching change and it didn’t hurt at all that they played a Maple Leafs roster that resembled an AHL side. Whatever caveats you want to throw at this, though, the Islanders finally played like a team with their backs against the wall, which is just what they are.
That brought them a 5-3 win over Toronto in Pete DeBoer’s debut behind the bench Thursday night at UBS Arena, the first of four games to end the season in which four wins are an absolute necessity.
“There’s nothing that sells a coach’s message,” DeBoer said, “more than winning.”
At the close of business Thursday, the Islanders’ playoff odds had suddenly ticked up with losses by the Blue Jackets and Flyers. That left the Islanders one point behind Philadelphia for third place in the Metropolitan Division, with both teams still needing to play three games and the Isles having clinched the regulation wins tiebreaker.
Matthew Schaefer reacts after scoring a goal in the second period of the Islanders’ 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs on April 9, 2026 at UBS Arena. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Ottawa took care of business against the Panthers, leaving the Islanders still three points behind the second wild-card spot, but a win over the Senators on Saturday can pull the Isles within one point there as well.
One piece of the equation that hasn’t changed and won’t: Anything less than winning out, and it is hard to see how things can break the Islanders’ way.
If the Islanders can carry their effort from Thursday into the weekend, one has to like their chances.
Simon Holmstrom takes a shot during the first period of the Islanders’ win over the Maple Leafs. Heather Khalifa for New York Post
They threw pucks on net early and often, holding a Carolina-esque 24-3 edge in shots on net after just 20 minutes. They broke out quickly and decisively. They played with speed and purpose and, yes, an urgency that had been lacking for far too long.
“I think just being on our toes,” said Cal Ritchie, who contributed a goal and assist as part of a splendid effort. “Not standing by, not being stationary. I think at times, we haven’t been as much on our toes so tonight was one of those nights, we were on our toes, ready to pressure.”
Brayden Schenn and Jean-Gabriel Pageau both scored within five minutes. When the Leafs fought back to tie, the Islanders had no panic at all. They stuck to their game, kept tilting the ice and by the second intermission held a two-goal lead again.
Cal Ritchie celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the third period of the Islanders’ win over the Maple Leafs. Getty Images
This was not a night in which Schaefer, Ilya Sorokin or anyone else put the Islanders on their backs, though.
Just like Saturday’s match in Carolina was on all 20 skaters, so too was the dominance with which the Islanders operated Thursday. Ondrej Palat had his best game in the uniform despite a brief third-period absence after blocking a shot from Troy Stecher. Max Shabanov was consistently noticeable on a relentless third line with Pageau and Emil Heineman. Mathew Barzal’s move back to center was seamless; Simon Holmstrom looked like he’d played the whole season on the top line.
“I thought they played fast,” DeBoer said. “It looked like a seamless transition to some of the things we were trying to do.”
Tony DeAngelo returned after missing six games with a lower-body injury, and some of the ease with which the Islanders got the puck up the ice has to be attributed to the 30-year-old defenseman.
Matthew Schaefer, who scored a goal, skates away from Easton Cowan during the second period of the Islanders’ win over the Maple Leafs. Heather Khalifa for New York Post
The power play, a problem spot all year, scored twice. The first came on a Barzal-to-Heineman pass to the slot, then Ritchie at five-on-three off a heady play by Bo Horvat that kept the puck in the zone. Ritchie’s second goal made it 5-2 halfway through the third, extinguishing any hope of a Toronto comeback.
The shot-first mentality, something the Islanders have so often failed to come with against inexperienced goaltenders over the years, proved too much for Artur Akhtyamov to handle in his first career start. Given the terrible play of the Leafs in front of him, the rookie was passable, but, plainly, overwhelmed.
The only Islander below par was the one who has so often kept his team in the fight this year. Sorokin needed Schaefer — who was just as good defensively Thursday as he was offensively — to clear a puck off the line early in the match when Easton Cowan’s shot went through him, and stopped just 13 of 16 shots in total.
For once, the Islanders did not need him to cover up their mistakes.
Three more like that and the season just may have life past Tuesday.
Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team ELY guard Dink Pate (1) of the G League Ignite shoots the ball against Team BallIsLife during the G-League Next Up game at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Kentucky Basketball will not land Dink Pate, who made his commitment to Providence on Thursday after spending the last three seasons in the NBA G League.
Pate, who recently turned 20 years old, will leave the professional ranks to play college basketball. The 6-foot-7 point guard first made headlines in 2023 when he joined the NBA G League Ignite, becoming the youngest professional basketball player in United States history.
During the 2023–24 season with Ignite, Pate played under former Kentucky assistant coach Jason Hart, who is now at SMU. Once that move happened, many thought that could be it for the Wildcats’ chances with Pate. While Mark Pope did recently hold a Zoom call with Pate, Providence was able to win out in the end.
This season, Pate has played for the Westchester Knicks in the G League, where he has averaged over 15 points per game while shooting 41.3% from the field and 37.7% from 3-point range. The versatile guard also averaged over five rebounds and nearly four assists per contest, showcasing his ability to impact the game in multiple ways.
Before joining Westchester, Pate spent time with both the G League Ignite and the Mexico City Capitanes, giving him professional experience against older and more seasoned competition.
Despite playing professionally, Pate is expected to be eligible to play in college because he has never signed an NBA contract or appeared in an NBA game. With NCAA athletes now allowed to earn money through NIL opportunities, the league is treating G League similarly to overseas professional experience, which should make his path to eligibility much smoother.
With his size, experience, and playmaking ability, Pate could have given Kentucky a dynamic and experienced guard heading into the upcoming season.
Alas, Pope and Co. are left to look elsewhere for Kentucky’s rebuilding backcourt.
BREAKING: Westchester Knicks guard Dink Pate has committed to Providence, his agent Sam Permut of @RocNationSports told ESPN. G-League star turned down two-way and 10-day opportunities to maintain eligibility. Former top-30 recruit is averaging 16.0 PPG this season. pic.twitter.com/SNLnJV8zRH
The Florida Panthers put up a good fight against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, but the playoff-hungry Sens were just too much for the Cats to handle.
What ended up as a 5-1 defeat was frustrating for Florida everywhere but in the standings, where the Panthers continue to trend toward finishing in a spot that will give them a top-10 draft pick.
Ottawa got the scoring started early in the first thanks to Gus Forsling tripping penalty.
A long shot by Jake Sanderson was heading wide of the net, but the puck deflected off the legs of Drake Batherson and past Sergei Bobrovsky at the 6:49 mark.
Later in the period, Lars Eller found Fabian Zetterlund alone in the slot and he made a quick move to his forehand before sending a wrist shot past Bobrovsky’s glove.
Florida played a much better middle frame, outshooting Ottawa 8-5, but the score remained 2-0 after 40 minutes.
The Senators kept the pressure on once the third period arrived.
Similarly to their first goal, this one also came on a shot by Sanderson that missed the net.
This time, the puck bounced off the back boards and came right back out in front, allowing defenseman Artem Zub to come down from the point and blast a one-timer by the blocker of Bobrovsky.
Zub’s fifth goal of the season gave Ottawa a 3-0 lead at the 3:03 mark of the third period.
Florida finally got on the scoreboard late in the third, ending Linus Ullmark’s shutout bid.
An excellent backhand pass by A.J. Greer found Jesper Boqvist in the slot, and a hard wrist shot tricked through Ullmark with 5:43 to go.
Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice pulled Bobrovsky with 4:05 on the clock to attempt a late comeback attempt.
A giveaway in the neutral zone by Mackie Samoskevich to Claude Giroux led to the latter scoring from his side of the red line, and then 17 seconds later with Bobrovsky back in the net, Zetterlund scored his second of the game to make it 5-1 Senators.
On to Toronto for the last road game of the season.
Photo caption: Apr 9, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators right wing Drake Batherson (19) scores against Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images)
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Evgeni Malkin scored as part of his two-point game, Sidney Crosby set up two goals and Kris Letang had an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched a playoff spot by defeating the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Thursday night.
The Penguins are playoff-bound for the first time since 2022, ending a three-year drought that followed a streak of qualifying 16 seasons in a row. Crosby, Malkin and Letang have been around for all of it, including Stanley Cup runs in 2009, ‘16 and ’17.
Bryan Rust, who was part of the back-to-back championships, scored his 29th goal of the season on Pittsburgh’s first shot of the game.
Newcomers helped make the latest bid possible, including winger Egor Chinakov, who had a goal and two assists, and netminder Stuart Skinner, who made 19 saves and was serenated by “STUUUU” chants from visiting fans in attendance. Each player was acquired by trade in December.
Skinner stopped all seven shots he faced and got a fortunate break with a puck off the post before Rust gave the Penguins the lead. He turned aside former Edmonton teammate Connor Brown later in the first, before allowing a pair of goals in the second.
Tommy Novak also had a goal for the Penguins, and Erik Karlsson sealed it with an empty-netter.
U.S. Olympic hero Jack Hughes scored, and Jake Allen made 26 saves in net for the Devils. The team announced earlier Thursday the decision to shut down young defenseman Luke Hughes for the remainder of the season so he could undergo a procedure to address a lingering undisclosed injury and be ready for training camp in September.
Up next
Devils: Visit Detroit on Saturday in another crucial game for the Red Wings in their playoff chase.
Penguins: Host the Capitals on Saturday in the first half of a home-and-home series that could be the final two games between Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.
