Phoenix Suns (42-35, seventh in the Western Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (29-48, 12th in the Eastern Conference)
Chicago; Sunday, 3:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Chicago heads into the matchup against Phoenix as losers of six games in a row.
The Bulls are 18-21 on their home court. Chicago ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference with 17.0 fast break points per game led by Matas Buzelis averaging 2.7.
The Suns are 18-20 on the road. Phoenix ranks seventh in the NBA allowing only 111.3 points while holding opponents to 47.2% shooting.
The Bulls score 116.2 points per game, 4.9 more points than the 111.3 the Suns give up. The Bulls average 112.8 points per game, 8.8 fewer points than the 121.6 the Bulls allow to opponents.
The teams meet for the second time this season. The Bulls won 105-103 in the last matchup on March 6.
TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Giddey is shooting 44.8% and averaging 17.0 points for the Bulls. Buzelis is averaging 18.6 points over the last 10 games.
Devin Booker is averaging 25.7 points and six assists for the Suns. Collin Gillespie is averaging 2.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 2-8, averaging 119.3 points, 44.0 rebounds, 26.4 assists, 7.3 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.8 points per game.
Suns: 3-7, averaging 114.7 points, 42.3 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 8.8 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.4 points.
INJURIES: Bulls: Anfernee Simons: day to day (wrist), Jalen Smith: out for season (calf), Noa Essengue: out for season (shoulder), Nick Richards: day to day (elbow), Zach Collins: out for season (toe).
Suns: Haywood Highsmith: day to day (knee), Amir Coffey: day to day (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BOTTOM LINE: Dallas faces the Los Angeles Lakers after Cooper Flagg scored 51 points in the Dallas Mavericks' 138-127 loss to the Orlando Magic.
The Mavericks are 13-34 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas gives up 119.3 points to opponents and has been outscored by 5.7 points per game.
The Lakers are 30-17 against conference opponents. Los Angeles ranks eighth in the NBA scoring 52.1 points per game in the paint led by LeBron James averaging 11.0.
The Mavericks average 113.6 points per game, 1.4 fewer points than the 115.0 the Lakers allow. The Lakers average 11.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 fewer made shot on average than the 12.9 per game the Mavericks allow.
The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Lakers won the last matchup 124-104 on Feb. 13. James scored 28 points to help lead the Lakers to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Flagg is averaging 20.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Mavericks. Naji Marshall is averaging 15.5 points and 3.7 assists over the last 10 games.
James is scoring 20.6 points per game and averaging 6.0 rebounds for the Lakers. Austin Reaves is averaging 1.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 2-8, averaging 117.8 points, 43.4 rebounds, 26.9 assists, 9.1 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 127.9 points per game.
Lakers: 8-2, averaging 116.9 points, 40.5 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 9.3 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 51.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.3 points.
INJURIES: Mavericks: Dereck Lively II: out for season (foot), Caleb Martin: day to day (foot), P.J. Washington: day to day (illness), Kyrie Irving: out for season (knee), Marvin Bagley III: day to day (shoulder).
Lakers: Marcus Smart: day to day (ankle), Luka Doncic: out (hamstring).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Indiana Pacers (18-59, 13th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (48-29, fourth in the Eastern Conference)
Cleveland; Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Conference foes Cleveland and Indiana meet on Sunday.
The Cavaliers have gone 30-18 against Eastern Conference opponents. Cleveland ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference with 28.3 assists per game led by James Harden averaging 8.1.
The Pacers are 14-34 against Eastern Conference opponents. Indiana averages 13.7 turnovers per game and is 13-25 when turning the ball over less than opponents.
The Cavaliers are shooting 48.0% from the field this season, 1.1 percentage points lower than the 49.1% the Pacers allow to opponents. The Pacers are shooting 45.9% from the field, 0.5% lower than the 46.4% the Cavaliers' opponents have shot this season.
The two teams match up for the fourth time this season. The Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 120-116 in their last meeting on Jan. 7. Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers with 20 points, and Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 22 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Donovan Mitchell is averaging 27.7 points, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals for the Cavaliers. Harden is averaging 20.6 points over the last 10 games.
Siakam is averaging 24 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Pacers. Aaron Nesmith is averaging 2.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cavaliers: 7-3, averaging 121.0 points, 44.2 rebounds, 28.6 assists, 6.6 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 50.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.2 points per game.
Pacers: 3-7, averaging 123.0 points, 38.3 rebounds, 35.0 assists, 6.6 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 52.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 128.1 points.
INJURIES: Cavaliers: Dean Wade: day to day (ankle), Jaylon Tyson: out (toe).
Pacers: T.J. McConnell: day to day (hamstring), Johnny Furphy: out for season (knee), Andrew Nembhard: day to day (back), Ivica Zubac: out for season (rib), Pascal Siakam: day to day (back), Jarace Walker: day to day (back), Aaron Nesmith: day to day (neck), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
DALLAS, TX - APRIL 3: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket during the game against the Orlando Magic on April 3, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. 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 Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks kicked off the weekend with a Friday night matchup against the Orlando Magic. Both teams came in ice cold, each 2-8 in their past 10 games. But Orlando had too much firepower against a shorthanded Dallas, as the Mavericks home losing streak extended to 14. But it didn’t matter because there was a bigger storyline for Dallas tonight: Cooper Flagg is special. Here are the grades, as the Mavs shift focus to the Lakers on Sunday.
Cooper Flagg: A+
51 PTS / 6 REB / 3 AST / 3 STL / 1 BLK – 34 MIN
Holy cow. No teenager had ever scored 50 points in an NBA game – until tonight. At 19 years and 103 days old, Cooper Flagg became the youngest player in NBA history to hit the 50-point mark (51 actually). He was special tonight. Flagg was 19/30 from the floor, 6/9 from three, and 7/7 from the free throw line. An aggressive Cooper Flagg is a Cooper Flagg that we like to see. From the jump, Flagg was searching for his shot and getting to the rim with relative ease. Even with a physical Magic team hounding him all night, Flagg found a way to get to his spots, and his jumper was hotter than fish grease. When he starts taking pullup jumpers from the perimeter, you know he’s in rhythm.
Naji Marshall: C-
9 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL – 24 MIN
This was an uncharacteristic Naji Marshall game. Marshall was just 3/12 from the floor, missing several of his patented paint floaters. He just didn’t have the touch tonight and was a team worst -16. As icing on the cake, he was ejected with 10:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, after receiving his second technical foul.
Klay Thompson: A
18 PTS / 2 AST / 1 REB – 22 MIN
Klay Thompson is a lot more like us regular folk than one might think. This man just shows up for work, does what he was hired to do, and goes home. He was the hot hand from beyond the arc tonight for Dallas, going 4/10. If you needed a reminder, Klay is closing in on 3,000 three pointers made in his career and if he stays a Maverick this offseason, he’ll do it sometime in 2026. He currently sits at 2,891. And once he eclipses that mark, he’ll be one of only three players to hit 3,000 career threes, joining Stephen Curry and James Harden.
Max Christie: B+
14 PTS / 5 REB / 3 AST – 29 MIN
Max Christie, after losing his touch for a few games this season, has been better as of late. He hit a couple threes to give the Mavericks offense life early but was largely silent for the rest of the game. But he impacts the game defensively. Christie was a team high +7 on a night the Mavs lost by 11.
Brandon Williams: B-
23 PTS / 5 AST / 2 REB / 2 STL / 3 TO – 26 MIN
Williams’ ability to attack and finish is never an issue. He has one of the quickest first steps of any guard in the NBA and he’s past you before you can blink. But he had loose hands tonight, adding three turnovers to his five assists. The scoring is there, but Williams is limited in creating offense for others.
Ryan Nembhard: C+
2 PTS / 6 REB / 5 AST / 3 TO – 21 MIN
Nembhard is a good facilitator. He can run and offense and help get guys into their spots. But his lack of size is too often exploited on both ends of the floor. Sometimes his offense can make up for his defense, but it didn’t tonight. Scoring two points with five assists and three turnovers just isn’t good enough.
Daniel Gafford: B
7 PTS / 3 REB / 1 AST / 2 STL / 2 BLK – 20 MIN
Gafford has been through a lot this season. He has no real point guard to play off of and his injuries have kept him from maintaining any consistency in his play. While the stat sheet doesn’t jump off the page tonight, his energy and effort were much needed as the Mavs are desperately searching for something to inject them with some life on a nightly basis.
Dwight Powell: B
0 PTS / 5 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 1 BLK – 25 MIN
This is the most Dwight Powell game of Dwight Powell games. He didn’t score but did grab a few rebounds and still moved like he’s 22. Powell was at a severe disadvantage tonight with Orlando’s athletic big men, but as he always does, he tried. And solely for his effort, he would get an A.
Final Thoughts
Orlando, despite its recent struggles, is just the clear better team. They shot well from three, beat the Mavs up in the paint, and just found ways to expose the Mavericks on defense. But the real story was Cooper Flagg. There’s nothing else to be said that hasn’t been already. He’s special and one-of-a-kind. Even if he doesn’t win Rookie of the Year, he’ll be amongst the league’s elite…very soon.
The Anaheim Ducks returned home after a brief, yet supremely disappointing one-game road trip to begin their final homestand of the season. Their last five home games of the 2025-26 season began on Friday, as they hosted the St. Louis Blues.
The Ducks entered winless in their last three games, accumulating just one point of a possible six, yet remained tied with the Edmonton Oilers atop the Pacific Division.
The Blues came into this game five points out of the second wild card spot, but lost both of their first two California road trip games to the San Jose Sharks on Monday and the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.
On their roster, the Ducks only have 18 healthy skaters, as Radko Gudas, Pavel Mintyukov, and Cutter Gauthier are all considered “day-to-day” but remained out of the lineup for this one.
Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:
Kreider-Carlsson-Terry
Killorn-Washe-Granlund
Viel-Poehling-Sennecke
McTavish-Gaucher-Vatrano
LaCombe-Trouba
Moore-Carlson
Zellweger-Helleson
Lukas Dostal got the start for the Ducks, and he saved 23 of the 29 shots he faced in this game. Between the pipes for the Blues was Joel Hofer, who stopped 25 of 27.
Game Notes
After getting off to a decent start, scoring within the first two minutes of the game, the Ducks fell victim to their own propensity for catastrophic mistakes. They were undisciplined, allowing two goals on four power play opportunities, and they suffered mental lapses against the rush, which led to several chances against Dotal.
As they attempted to claw out of the deficit they created for themselves, they began to take increasingly bigger chances, which, when not successful, gave way to outnumbered opportunities the other way.
The underlying numbers reflect the final score relatively accurately, as at 5v5, the Ducks only generated 47.83% of the shots on goal, 53.85% of the shot attempts, and 41.99% of the expected goals.
“We had a decent start, then we gave them three goals in the first period that were definitely all our fault,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. “They gave us a good education on playing a real solid team game, and we didn’t play with the urgency needed, and they’re capable of sustaining their game.”
Rush Defense: Mistakes, with and without the puck, from the top of the circles in the defensive zone to the top of the circles in the offensive zone, cost the Ducks dearly in this game. F3’s made poor reads to engage in puck battles instead of tracking back to cover for pinching defensemen.
At the same time, Pinching defensemen made poor reads to activate down the offensive wall without a necessary high F3 to cover for him. Even when the Ducks did have numbers tracking back into their end to defend a rush, sorting issues arose, as did a lack of desire to eliminate the middle lanes of the ice and increase the difficulty for off-puck attackers to crash the crease.
Penalty Kill: St. Louis won most of their offensive zone draws while up a man in this game. They moved pucks efficiently along the perimeter and got to loose pucks on the walls. In doing so, they sustained elongated zone time and tired out the Anaheim penalty killers.
When the Ducks’ killers were running out of gas and spread too far toward the flanks, wide east-west seams opened, and the weak side forwards were late to react and close them. The Blues rarely utilized their bumper or net front attacker. Instead, they allowed the net front forward to drift to the bottom of the circle, and they allowed their bumper to drift to the flank.
Lukas Dostal: In order for the Ducks to win games like this, Dostal needs to be spectacular or at least make the saves an NHL starting goaltender is supposed to make, as he’d done for most of this season. He rarely allows soft goals where he gets beat on perimeter shots that eek through his body, but he allowed two such goals in this game, and at critical junctures.
The Blues’ second goal came on a power play in a tie game, just over halfway through the first period, which gave them a lead in a game where the Ducks had been controlling the game flow. St. Louis’ fifth goal came in the dying minutes of the second period, which ended up as a backbreaker, extending a two-goal deficit to three.
The Ducks saw their Pacific Division lead and their games in hand evaporate in relatively short order. They have another opponent in town in less than 24 hours, who could be considered better than their record, the Calgary Flames, and the Ducks now are more desperate for a win than they’ve been in a long time. Saturday’s game against Calgary will begin at 7 PM PST.
Mets left fielder Juan Soto exited Friday's game against the San Francisco Giants due to right calf tightness.
Tyrone Taylor replaced Soto in the bottom of the first inning.
After leadoff-batting shortstop Francisco Lindor's game-starting single to left field against Tyler Mahle, Soto singled to right-center field and appeared to come up gingerly on a run from first base to third during third baseman Bo Bichette's subsequent RBI knock that scored Lindor.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed that the injury occurred when he was running first to third, and the slugger hoped that his calf would loosen up while standing on third. It did not, instead getting tighter, so he came out of the game once he was out at a force play at home.
"We don’t have much other than what was announced," Mendoza said after Friday's win. "He’s going to get imaging tomorrow and we’ll see what we’re dealing with.
There’s obviously concern. Every time you send a player for MRI, those calf areas can be tricky. We have to wait, but obvioulsy concern."
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 03: Francisco Alvarez #4 of the New York Mets celebrates as he trots around the bases after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the fourth inning at Oracle Park on April 03, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There was a lot to like about tonight’s relatively smooth and easy 10-3 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Mets’ offense, which had been floundering, finally had a big day. Marcus Semien hit his first home run as a Met and Francisco Alvarez went deep twice. Semien and Bo Bichette both had a three-hit game. Nolan McLean was brilliant—perfect through his first five. Much like McLean’s performance, it was almost a perfect night…except for one very significant wrinkle. Juan Soto left the game in the bottom of the first inning after experiencing calf tightness running the bases in the top of the inning. So instead of being able to breathe easy and freely enjoy a nice rebound win after last night’s disastrous game, some anxiety and foreboding hangs like a specter over this victory.
Nonetheless, this was otherwise a relatively stress-free game. The Mets got on the board right away in the first against Tyler Mahle. Francisco Lindor led off the game with a single and Juan Soto followed with a single of his own. Bo Bichette then laced the Mets’ third consecutive base hit to drive in Lindor for the game’s first run. Luis Robert then walked to load the bases with nobody out and with one run already in, it looked like the Mets were poised for a huge first inning, much like they achieved on Opening Day. However, Brett Baty grounded into a 1-2-3 double play to take some of the air out of the rally. The Mets did manage to scratch out another run on a well-struck Marcus Semien single over the shortstop to double their lead to 2-0, but it should have been a bigger inning—both because of Baty’s double play and because Robert didn’t run on contact on Semien’s hit, despite the two-out situation, so he was unable to score from second on the play. Still, the Mets found themselves two runs to the good early and Nolan McLean took the mound with some run support already behind him.
It turned out that two runs was plenty of run support for McLean on this night, as he had all of his pitches working and was throwing some absolutely filthy stuff at Giants hitters all evening. In fact, McLean did not allow a single baserunner until the sixth inning when he issued back-to-back walks to start the inning. It was clear McLean was tiring at that point, partially because—to the credit of the Giants lineup—there were eight full counts against McLean in the first 17 batters he faced. Those walks came back to bite McLean, but he was still fantastic tonight. If you did not watch this game live because you are not a night owl sicko like I am, you should do yourself a favor and watch the clip of the pitch McLean threw to strike out Heliot Ramos to end the fifth inning. You can thank me later.
Meanwhile, the Mets added three more runs in the top of the fourth—all via the long ball. Mark Vientos singled to lead off the inning and Marcus Semien blasted a two-run homer to dead center—an impressive feat at Oracle Park—for his first Mets home run. Then with one out, Francisco Alvarez followed with a pretty prodigious blast of his own to extend the Mets’ lead to 5-0.
Unfortunately for McLean, both of those walks he issued in the sixth would come around to score. After recording the first out of the inning on a Jerar Encarnacion fly out to right, Willy Adames launched a ground rule double to end the no-hitter and the shutout. That chased McLean from the game and after 93 pitches, he made way for Brooks Raley, who did his job, striking out Rafael Devers and retiring Luis Arraez on a ground ball to first. However, Francisco Alvarez failed to handle one of Raley’s pitches and the Giants’ second run scored on the passed ball. But Alvarez would immediately make up for the run he cost his team, going deep again to lead off the seventh. The Mets piled on that inning against JT Brubaker in his second inning of work. After Alvarez’s second homer, Francisco Lindor—becoming quite the on-base machine in the early going—walked. Tyrone Taylor then struck out for the first out, but Bo Bichette doubled, advancing Lindor to third. Luis Robert drove him in with a single, which knocked Brubaker out of the game. Matt Gage came in for the Giants and struck out Brett Baty for the second out, but then Mark Vientos singled to plate the Mets’ eighth run.
Huascar Brazobán worked around a two-out hit by Heliot Ramos (the Giants’ second hit of the evening) to pitch a scoreless bottom of the seventh. Unlike his other recent appearances, this game proved to be an appropriate situation for Richard Lovelady, who gave up a run in the eighth on a Jerar Encarnacion double and a Luis Arraez RBI single. But luckily this time Lovelady had plenty of margin for error and the Mets added yet more insurance off Erik Miller in the top of the ninth. Luis Robert got things started with a walk and Brett Baty, who was one of the few Mets having a rough night at the plate, doubled him in. Marcus Semien notched his third hit of the night, advancing Baty to third and Baty scored on a Carson Benge grounder to second to put the Mets’ run total into double digits. Luis García polished off the lopsided victory with a scoreless ninth inning, working around a one-out single by Heliot Ramos.
Thus, the Mets snap their three-game losing streak in resounding fashion, but on a night when the bats finally broke out, concern remains for the lineup’s most potent threat; we should find out more about the severity of Juan Soto’s calf injury in the coming days.
Big Mets winner: Marcus Semien, +20.2% WPA Big Mets loser: Brett Baty, -15.1% WPA Mets pitchers: +17.3% WPA Mets hitters: +32.7% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Bo Bichette’s RBI single in the first, +12.3% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Willy Adames’ ground rule double to break up Nolan McLean’s no-hitter in the sixth, -7.7% WPA
SAN FRANCISCO — The bats erupted and Nolan McLean dominated, but Friday night was defined for the Mets by who wasn’t on the field following his first at-bat.
Juan Soto, bothered by right-calf tightness, departed after only a half inning, leaving the Mets to wonder when their best player will return.
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Soto singled in the first inning and felt discomfort running from first to third on Bo Bichette’s RBI single. Now the Mets, who snapped a three-game skid with a 10-3 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park, wait on their $765 million outfielder.
“We don’t have much other than what was announced, right calf tightness,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, adding that Soto will receive imaging on Saturday.
What is Mendoza’s concern level?
“There is obviously concern every time you send a player for an MRI and the calf area can be tricky,” he said. “We have just got to wait.”
New York Mets’ Nolan McLean (26) pitches to a San Francisco Giants batter during the fifth inning on Friday, April 3, 2026, in San Francisco. AP
McLean took a perfect game into the sixth but never escaped the inning, his shot at history spoiled by patient at-bats as his pitch count climbed.
The right-hander indicated his cutter was the only pitch he felt comfortable with, forcing him deeper into counts than he would have liked.
He lasted 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs (one unearned) on one hit and two walks with four strikeouts, departing after 93 pitches.
“I was just trying to piece it together,” McLean said. “Nothing felt incredibly great. Everything felt OK toward later in the game, but just kind of the full counts snuck up on me there at the end. I got a little bit fatigued by the end of it.”
Francisco Alvarez of the New York Mets celebrates trotting around the bases after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the seventh inning at Oracle Park on April 3, 2026 in San Francisco, California. Getty Images
McLean said he didn’t realize he had carried a perfect game into the sixth.
“It didn’t really feel that way just because of how many 3-2 counts and behind on counts I felt like I was,” he said. “So, it kind of felt grindier than what the scoreboard showed.”
Francisco Alvarez led the Mets’ three-homer attack with two blasts (Marcus Semien hit the other) in the Mets’ best showing offensively since their 11-run outburst against the Pirates on Opening Day.
New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) reacts on a call strike against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Alvarez’s bid at a three-homer game included a shot to the warning track in center field in the eighth inning.
The perfect game watch officially began as McLean breezed through the fifth, easily retiring Matt Chapman and Jung Hoo Lee before working the count full to Heliot Ramos. McLean unleashed a hellacious sweeper that nicked the inside corner for a called third strike.
McLean took the mound for the sixth at 67 pitches and walked Harrison Bader, reducing the performance to a no-hit watch. McLean worked the count full to Patrick Bailey and walked him, giving the Giants a rally. Jerar Encarnacion worked a nine-pitch at-bat before flying out, and Willy Adames ended the no-hit drama and McLean’s night with a shot that one-hopped the fence in right center for an RBI double.
Brooks Raley struck out Rafael Devers, but before the lefty could escape the inning, an Alvarez passed ball allowed the Giants’ second run to score.
The Mets countered in the seventh with Alvarez’s second homer of the night and an RBI single by Luis Robert Jr. that extended the lead to 7-2. Mark Vientos continued the party with an RBI single in the inning.
Bichette was among the offensive heroes, with a 3-for-5 performance in easily his best game since arriving to the Mets. The team was without Jorge Polanco, whose left Achilles tendonitis placed him on the bench and raised questions about his near-term availability. Polanco has dealt with discomfort since Sunday, limiting him to the DH spot.
The Mets sent eight batters to the plate against Tyler Mahle in the first inning and scored twice, but missed an opportunity to break open the game early. Bichette delivered an RBI single, and Robert Jr. walked to reload the bases before Brett Baty hit a comebacker that turned into a 1-2-3 double play.
New York Mets’ Marcus Semien, center, celebrates with Carson Benge, left, after hitting a two-run home run during the fourth inning. AP
But Semien, who snapped an 0-for-20 a night earlier, slashed an RBI single following a walk to Vientos, extending the Mets’ lead to 2-0. The rally started with consecutive singles by Francisco Lindor and Soto.
Semien struck again in the fourth with a two-run homer to center that gave the Mets a 4-0 lead. The blast was Semien’s first in a Mets uniform. Two batters later, Alvarez cleared the center field fence.
Ramos’ single in the seventh against Huascar Brazoban gave the Giants their second hit. Brazoban recovered to retire Bader, ending the inning.
Luis Arraez delivered a bloop RBI single in the eighth against Richard Lovelady before Baty stroked an RBI double in the ninth. Carson Benge’s RBI fielder’s choice brought in the Mets’ 10th run.
Seattle's Luke Raley scores in front of Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe on a triple by Cole Young in the 10th inning of the Angels' 3-1 loss Friday at Angel Stadium. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The Angels' offense was stifled in a 10-inning, 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners during their home opener Friday night in front of 44,931 fans at Angel Stadium.
In a scoreless game in the 10th inning, Seattle's Cole Young tripled to the right-field corner off Angels reliever Brent Suter that scored Luke Raley from second base. Two outs later, Suter intentionally walked Julio Rodríguez. Josh Naylor singled in two more runs to make it 3-0.
Jorge Soler drove in Mike Trout on a sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the 10th, but that was all the Angels (3-5) could muster after Seattle held them to just one hit and retired the final 21 Angels batters.
Mariners starter Bryan Woo gave up that one hit, struck out six and walked one over seven strong innings. Seattle relievers Matt Brash, Andres Muñoz and Gabe Speier were just as dominant, combining for six strikeouts and no walks over three no-hit innings.
“[Woo] is one of the best starters in the league. He was on his game tonight,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “He pitched well and when a guy like that pitches well you just got to do your best in battle and I feel like our guys were battling, just couldn’t muster anything up."
Angels starter Reid Detmers also had a strong game, giving up three hits, with four strikeouts and four walks over 6⅔ innings.
"It was a well-fought game and obviously we didn’t come out on the winning side, but we’ll go get them tomorrow," Detmers said.
Suzuki thought Detmers was in control and executed pitches well. He was getting ahead in the count of batters and putting them away, while also inducing soft contact, which allowed him to go deep into the game.
“He pitched his butt off,” Suzuki said. “It was nice to see him rebound from the last one and really have a good start."
In the first inning, Trout stared down Woo before taking first base after a sinker hit the star outfielder’s left shoulder. The blow came after the right-hander threw a four-seam fastball that nearly missed Trout's face.
“Anytime you get thrown up-and-in and then you get hit on the next pitch, you’re gonna be upset,” Trout said.
Angels star Mike Trout is hit by a pitch during the first inning Friday against the Mariners. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The first hit came in the bottom of the third after Oswald Peraza sent a bloop single to right field. Woo cleared the base paths after picking off the runner for the second out of the inning. Zach Neto grounded out to stop the Angels’ offense.
threw a fastball behind Rodríguez to open the top of the fourth inning. The outfielder stared down the left-hander and later grounded out to first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Seattle threatened to break the tie after Naylor reached first and Randy Arozarena followed with a single to right field.
Neto threw out Brendan Donovan at third to record the second out and Detmers struck out J.P. Crawford to end the inning.
Trout almost ended the pitchers' duel in the bottom of the sixth inning after sharply hitting a fly ball to left field but Arozarena tracked it down.
“I thought I got enough, for sure,” he said. “I hit it off the end a little bit but I thought I got enough — it is what it is.”
Suzuki also believed Trout hit the ball hard enough for a home run.
“I didn’t really see what the exit [velocity] or anything like that was, but I thought it came off his bat pretty well," Suzuki said. "Obviously the wind kind of hung it up there, but I thought it was a great pass.”
After a one-out walk to Crawford in the top of the seventh, Detmers picked off the runner but gave up a single to Victor Robles. The hit concluded his night after 104 pitches. He walked off to a round of applause from the crowd, but he didn't notice.
“I was in my zone, so I mean, it was a good game,” said Detmers, who lowered his ERA to 2.38.
Reliever Chase Silseth struck out Young to end the seventh.
In the eighth, Drew Pomeranz gave up a one-out walk to Cal Raleigh and a single to Rodriguez but retired Naylor and Arozarena on a fly ball and a groundball, respectively.
In the ninth, Jordan Romano threw a fastball that looked like it hit Leo Rivas, but the call was overturned after a challenge confirmed it hit the bat. The right-hander struck out Rivas and Crawford and got pinch-hitter Raley to line out.
With two outs and two strikes, Trout struck out to send the game to extra innings.
Nolan McLean pitched into the sixth inning with a perfect game and the Mets bats launched three home runs as they defeated the Giants, 10-3, on Friday night in San Francisco.
Friday's 10 runs scored is the most the Mets have driven in since the 11 they put on Opening Day. The 10 runs are more than the Mets offense scored in their last four games combined.
The combination of McLean and four relievers allowed just five hits. The Mets put up 15 hits, with each batter reaching base at least once.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Mets offense had struggled mightily since Opening Day, but the lineup would get started early on Friday. Three straight hits from Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette drove in the game's first run. After Luis Robert Jr. walked the bases loaded, Giants starter Tyler Mahle got what he needed with double play from Brett Baty. Mark Vientos walked, giving way to Marcus Semien with the bases loaded and two outs. Semien lined a single to drive in the second run of the inning, but Robert Jr. held up at third when he should have scored. Carson Benge struck out swinging to end the inning.
That extra run didn't matter much as the Mets offense continued to break out of their funk.
Vientos hit a leadoff single in the fourth and Semien followed up with a two-run shot, his first home run as a Met to put the team up 4-0. Two batters later, Francisco Alvarez hit a solo shot that landed in the same place as Semien's, straight away center field.
-Alvarez would hit a second solo home run in the seventh, but not to be outdone, Robert Jr. poked a single to drive home Lindor and Vientos, two batters later, looped a single to score Bichette and put the Mets up 8-2.
-As for McLean, the young right-hander was perfect through four innings. He tossed 54 pitches to that point, hurt by a few 3-2 counts a couple of times through the order, but it didn't deter him. McLean would get through five perfect innings before Harrison Bader worked a leadoff walk in the sixth. McLean walked the next batter, and after a fly out, Willy Adames knocked McLean out of the game with a run-scoring double.
Brooks Raley entered to try and limit the damage in relief of McLean. After striking out Rafael Devers, a wild pitch allowed the Giants' second run of the inning to score. Luis Arraez grounded out to end the inning and close the book on McLean's night.
The talented right-hander got through 5.1 innings pitched (93 pitches/51 strikes), allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit and two walks while striking out four.
-In the top of the first, Soto was replaced in left field by Tyrone Taylor. Soto suffered a tight right calf seemingly when he was going first to third on a base hit. Taylor finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
-Vientos, making his fourth straight start, is making the case to stay in the lineup. The young slugger went 2-for-3 with two walks and reached base four times. It's just the third time in his career he's reached four times in a game.
Game MVP: Marcus Semien
The veteran infielder was struggling, but his two-run shot opened up the game for the Mets to win this game. Semien finished 3-for-5 and drove in three runs.
Mike Trout was not entirely pleased with reaching base in the fashion that he did during the Los Angeles Angels' home opener on Friday, April 3.
Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo threw a 95 mph pitch that hit Trout high on the shoulder in the bottom of the first inning. That came after a high pitch that made Trout duck back.
Trout was seen glancing over at Woo with a look of disapproval before making his way over to first base.
Bryan Woo’s first pitch to Mike Trout was up and in and near Mike Trout’s head. His second pitch to Trout drilled him up high. Interesting 👀
After nine scoreless innings of play, the Mariners outscored the Angels 3-1 in the 10th inning to secure the victory.
Trout told reporters that Woo apologized to him later in the game, per The Athletic.
Trout, the three-time MVP, has already produced six hits, two home runs, six runs scored and three RBI through the first seven games of the season.
Outside of the pitch to Trout, Woo had a solid outing on the mound. He allowed just one hit and a walk, while striking out six in seven innings pitched.
A few notes from the Knicks' win over Chicago on Friday...
ROTATION CHANGE?
Mike Brown went with Jeremy Sochan as his backup center against the Bulls. He was pleased with Sochan's effort.
"It allowed us to do a lot of things like switch pick and rolls," Brown said while giving Sochan the Defensive Player of the Game nod. "It brought a different element to our game. Not just offensively with the speed, but defensively with switching a lot of things and just keeping the ball in front of us."
An interesting wrinkle to Sochan's rotation minutes? Neither Jose Alvarado nor Mohamed Diawara played in the first three quarters of Friday's game.
Afterward, Brown was asked about Alvarado's role with the team. It's a "priority" to play Miles McBride and Landry Shamet at the guard spots off the bench right now, Brown said.
"We think Jose has done a fantastic job for us," Brown said. "… Deuce is getting healthier and Landry's getting healthy and trying to find minutes for those guys -- both of those guys are capable of playing that (backup guard) spot -- is going to be a priority because they've proven themselves this year for us."
Speaking of McBride's health, he was asked about tweaking his groin/ab muscle last Sunday against Oklahoma City. McBride reiterated that the tweak against OKC is part of the process as he returns from sports hernia surgery.
"It's just kind of like a tweak; it's a painful tweak," McBride said. "(It's) like someone stabbing your groin, hip and ab at the same time. It's not fun. I'll get back right. All glory to God."
Brown was surprised to hear that OG Anunoby has only made one All-Defensive team in his career (second team in 2022-23).
"It's bulls--t, and I can say that with a straight face 'cause he's a great defender and he does a lot of different things that people don't see on that end of the floor for us and for other teams he played for," Brown said. "But more importantly, his versatility is just off the charts and you can do a lot of things with your defense because of him. In my opinion, he deserves First Team All-Defense this year -- and hopefully the powers that be will see it that way, too."
Anunoby agreed with the idea that he should have been named to more than just one All-Defensive team at this point in his career.
"I think I should've gotten it more, for sure," Anunoby said. "I think I should've gotten it last year. I think I should get it this year. That's definitely a goal of mine, coming into the season, especially defensively, being on the first team or second team -- hopefully first."
McBride was also surprised to hear that Anunoby has only made one All-Defensive team in his career. McBride calls Anunoby the "nickel" corner of the Knicks' defense, pointing out that he guards players both bigger and smaller than him.
"I think that speaks to his motor, his work ethic," McBride said. "He super important for us."
BROWN REMAINS CONFIDENT IN GROUP
The Knicks reached 50 wins on Friday night. They've won 50 or more games for three consecutive years. It's the first time a Knicks team has done that since the club had four straight 50-plus-win seasons from 1991-92 to 1994-95.
In a big-picture sense, this season is another in a great run for New York. But this year's team has been inconsistent on both ends of the floor. It has lost three straight to teams above .500.
It's hard to know what to make of the team with four games left before the postseason. What does Brown think about where his team is at the moment?
"You always want your team to be playing at the highest of high cylinders," Brown said before Friday's game. "Do I think we're there right now? No. Do I have belief in this team? Yes, I do. I've seen us play really good basketball throughout the course of the year. Even in games where there's quote-unquote manufactured pressure (such as the NBA Cup). We've played really good basketball.
"I like what we have in that locker room and I like the things that we've done this year, but I expect more from myself first and everybody else second."
Brown noted that his team has performed mostly well in games against Boston, the Thunder and in the NBA Cup. That means something to the head coach.
"All games you want to win, but when you go into Boston, it's different than maybe going into another arena," he said. "Or if you go into OKC, it's different than going into another arena. Those types of games, there's a lot of manufactured pressure just because they're good teams and it’s on national TV and all that good stuff. So to get that (environment) and to be able to perform at a pretty good level -- you embrace that opportunity. You want to win all games, but to win those games -- our guys have done (well) in those situations over the course of the year.
"So my belief is, (with) this group going into the playoffs when it's real, that our guys will rise to the occasion."
Apr 3, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez (44), right, hugs shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) after scoring during the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images
Seattle Mariners 3, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1
Chicken katsu sliders from Marination: Brendan Donovan (+.07 WPA)
Sweeping sliders from lefty pitchers against these Mariners: Julio Rodriguez (-.16 WPA)
Game Thread Comment of the Day:
We venerate and appreciate a dog who would’ve hated this game going long but we loved seeing be celebrated with a win.
NEW YORK (AP) — Matvei Michkov had a goal and two assists and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Friday night to move within one point of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Travis Sanheim and Alex Bump had a goal and an assist each and Owen Tippett also scored for Philadelphia. Dan Vladar finished with 20 saves. The Columbus Blue Jackets are also tied with the Flyers with 88 points.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for New York and Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves in his 10th straight appearance, but the Islanders lost their third straight in a tightly contested Eastern Conference playoff race.
Michkov fired a shot from behind the goal line off Sorokin’s pad early in the second period to give the Flyers a 3-0 lead.
Tippett opened the scoring, completing a forehand-backhand move off a pass from Sanheim with less than seven minutes remaining in the first period.
Bump extended the Flyers’ lead to two goals when he caught Sorokin out of position and sent a wrist shot just inside the post.
Pageau scored off a feed from Mathew Barzal with less than five minutes remaining in the second period to pull New York within 3-1.
Sanheim scored midway through the third period to restore Philadelphia’s three-goal lead and put the game out of reach.
BLUES 6, DUCKS 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Holloway scored a pair of power-play goals, Robert Thomas had a goal and two assists, and St. Louis kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a win over Anaheim.
Pius Suter and Colton Parayko each had a goal and an assist for St. Louis and Jonatan Berggren added a goal. Joel Hofer stopped 24 shots for the Blues, who pulled to within three points of the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference with seven games left.
Ryan Poehling had a goal and an assist, and Jeffrey Viel scored for the Ducks, who remain tied with Edmonton for first place in the Pacific Division but have lost four straight games. Lukas Dostal stopped 23 shots.
St. Louis extended a 3-2 first-period lead with two goals in the second. Tyler Tucker corralled a rebound behind the goal line and flicked a pass to Suter, who snapped a shot past Dostal for a 4-2 lead at the 3:08 mark. Parayko’s shot from the right circle beat Dostal glove-side for a 5-2 lead with 3:10 left.
Holloway’s power-play goal in the third made it 6-2.
The teams combined for five goals in the first period.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 03: Raisel Iglesias #26 and Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate a 2-0 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game Summary
Another Friday night, another tough loss. This week’s episode featured outstanding starting pitching from the hologram himself, Eduardo Rodriguez, as well as some incredible defense. Unfortunately, the offense didn’t come along for the ride and is now riding a streak of 3 runs scored in 27 innings since that 3-run go-ahead bomb off the bat of the rarely-seen-again Jose Fernandez. Sewald will get plenty of hate for his role in this outcome, but feel free to let me know the last time a team won a game when scoring 0 runs.
Eduardo Rodriguez truly does look like a new pitcher after the WBC and this offseason where he lost 30 pounds (per the Apple TV broadcast tonight). He was extremely efficient, needing 90 pitches to go 7 strong innings and rarely feeling like he was in trouble. The defense made a couple spectacular plays to back up ERod and our setup man, Juan Morillo. Corbin’s leaping grab in the first and Alek’s diving play in the 8th highlighted everything the Diamondbacks were hoping for when building out this roster this offseason: run prevention.
Unfortunately, the other side of the run prevention coin is run generation, and the Serpientes just couldn’t get anything going on that front, feeling like they were stuck in mud all night. Feel free to fact check me on this, but I don’t believe a single Diamondback reached third base all night. Grant Holmes was very effective and the 8-9 tandem of Suarez and Iglesias is top-shelf, but the Snakes just didn’t seem like they were able to make anyone work for their outs and they missed the few mistake pitches they were given. The lineup is extremely top-heavy right now, and if the Big 3 don’t do damage (combined 4-28 in the last 3 games), this team doesn’t have anyone left to reliably pick up the slack. When will Torey and the Front Office start pulling levers to try and jolt the offense? Too early to make big changes or should we just let it ride and hope to a return to the mean for our scuffling offense?
For the final bit, I’ll write about Paul Sewald. His velocity was down at 90mph on his two meatballs that were turned into the go-ahead home runs. I’m not gonna kill Torey for turning to him. The results have been there early on in the year and you gotta fire the bullets you have. However, this was the risk of building out the roster in the way Hazen did. We have a roster that’s costing almost as much as last year’s record-setting payroll, but we’re still here relying on Paul Sewald or a guy who signed a minor league contract to close out games for the foreseeable future. How much leash does Paul have? Is Loaisiga just going to be same story different character?
Loss Probability and Box Score
Outside the Box Score
Drake Baldwin’s single in the top of the 1st was a perfectly placed check-swing squibber that fell dribbled perfectly between ERod, Ketel, and Santana.
Matt Olson’s flout in the 1st inning was came courtesy of an absolutely amazing defensive play by Corbin in right field. Olson laced a 2-1 cutter into right that looked like it might be a homer off the bat. The camera switched to follow Corbin and you could tell he was tracking it and thought he had a shot at it, then he leapt into the air and snagged the ball out of the air from the middle of the warning track. Likely not a home run saving catch, but getting to that spot and leaping up on a 98mph line drive was still a very impressive feat.
Corbin followed up his amazing defensive play with a less-than-amazing at bat. He swung at 3 straight sliders in the dirt and walked back to the dugout the first strikeout victim of the night.
Nolan Arenado made really solid contact on his line drive in the second inning (103.3mph exit velocity!) but it was a little too close to the Braves left fielder who was able to come up with a diving catch to rob Nolan of a needed base hit. It’s a shame that his highest exit velocity to this point in the season resulted in an out, but that’s how it goes when you’re slumping.
The pitchers were dealing through the first third of the game. ERod needed only 34 pitches to get through his first 3 innings while Grant Holmes only needed 38 pitches for his 3 innings. Holmes’ pitch count was inflated greatly by Tim Tawa’s plate appearance with 2 outs in the third. Tawa worked a great 9-pitch AB that resulted in a walk and was the first baserunner the Snakes had all night.
Grant Holmes recorded a wild line out fielding Ketel’s 103mph liner back up the box. Holmes looked like he barely flinched as the ball went almost directly into his glove. The camera never even saw the ball so I half expected Holmes to just double over thinking he just got drilled in the chest. Crazy catch.
ERod hurt himself in the 6th inning when he reached up to field a bouncer back up in the middle. He reached up and the ball bounced off his glove and as soon as ERod knew he didn’t field it cleanly he hit his glove in frustration because it killed the momentum of the ball and resulted in an infield single to put runners at the corners and 1 out with Matt Olson coming to the plate. ERod proceeded to get Olson to strike out on a check-swing appeal, then got Austin Riley to harmlessly groundout to Geraldo Perdomo. Huge momentum swing to keep the Braves off the board in that high leverage spot.
Ketel Marte got the first hit for the Snakes in the 6th inning, drilling a liner the opposite way over Austin Riley at third for a 1-out single. That was right after Riley stole a hit from Tawa by making a running, bare-handed catch and throw to barely nip Timmy at first.
Alek Thomas made an incredible diving/sliding catch to rob a double from Drake Baldwin in the 8th. With 2 outs, Baldwin looked like he hit a sure gapper but AT kept closing and laid out at the last possible second and kept the ball in his glove through a little barrel roll to bring the good guys up to the plate in a still scoreless game. What. A. Play.
Sewald allowed back-to-back jacks to start off the ninth on a pair of 90mph fastballs in the middle of the zone. In Spring, he had been getting velocity back up to 92 range, but it was not there tonight.
Comment of the Game
The GameDay Thread was a humming along all night, finishing at 247 comments at time of publishing. Tonight’s COTG goes to Dano with this anti-AppleTV statement:
Coming Up
The Diamondbacks face the Braves for the third game of this series and still trying to get their first win of the set tomorrow afternoon with a 4:15pm start time on FOX. Right-hander Bryce Elder (1-0, 0.00) will take the mound for the Braves and the immaculate Michael Soroka (1-0, 0.00) takes the ball for the good guys. Another national telecast, let’s hope the boys don’t embarrass themselves!
