When Greg Swann was appointed executive general manager of football performance at the AFL, many saw him as the man to cure all the sport’s ills. He was one of those footy people known primarily by his nickname, a man who projected an air of knockabout affability, a man renowned for getting things done. He would apply “the pub test” to many of football’s most pressing issues: the draft, the rules, the umpiring, the AFL review centre (ARC). “Swanny”, we were assured, was the man who would make footy’s trains run on time.
One of the first things Swann’s predecessor, Laura Kane, did in the role was embark on an overseas study tour. Certain sports, she found, lent themselves to technological intervention. The geometry of tennis and baseball made it far easier to implement. She fast-tracked the trial of ball-tracking technology. But Australian football, she stressed, was an incredibly difficult sport to properly utilise technology. The shape of the grounds, the oval ball, the way goals often come down to the length of a player’s fingernail, all made it tough to land on a definitive decision.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — David Pastrnak scored on a breakaway 9:14 into overtime, and the Boston Bruins avoided elimination with a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
Catching Buffalo on a line change, Hampus Lindholm fed a pass up the right boards to find Pastrnak in stride just as he crossed the blue line. Driving in alone on net a step ahead of Buffalo’s Mattias Samuelsson, Pastrnak faked cutting across the front and nearly lost his balance before slipping the puck inside the right post.
The series shifts back to Boston for Game 6 on Thursday night, with Buffalo still seeking to clinch its first playoff series victory since eliminating the New York Rangers in six games of a 2007 second-round series. The Sabres are in the playoffs for only the third time since, and after snapping an NHL record 14-season playoff drought this year.
Elias Lindholm also scored for Boston which overcame a 1-0 deficit. Jeremy Swayman stopped 25 shots, including foiling Jason Zucker set up in front 3:30 into the extra period.
Rasmus Dahlin scored for Buffalo and Alex Lyon stopped 27 shots.
WILD 4, STARS 2
DALLAS ((AP) — Matt Boldy scored the tiebreaking power-play goal in the final minute of the second period, after having one taken away late in the first, and Minnesota beat DallasQ for a 3-2 lead in their first-round Western Conference series.
Kirill Kaprizov scored an empty-net goal with two minutes left and had two assists, while Mats Zuccarello scored in his return from a three-game absence with an upper-body injury for the Wild. Michael McCarron also had a third-period goal.
The Wild go home for Game 6 on Thursday with a chance to advance to the second round for the first time since 2015. They have lost their last nine playoff series, including to Dallas in 2016 and 2023
OILERS 4, DUCKS 1
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Leon Draisaitl scored a pair of goals and Evan Bouchard chipped in with three assists as Edmonton staved off elimination by beating Anaheim.
The Oilers now trail the best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series 3-2 with game 6 on Thursday night in Anaheim.
Vasily Podkolzin and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers who had previously allowed six separate leads to slip away in the first four games of the series.
Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had a pair of assists. Edmonton is now 18-3 when scoring first in a game when facing elimination.
Alex Killorn scored for the Ducks.
Connor Ingram made 29 stops for Edmonton, while Ville Husso recorded 10 saves for Anaheim after coming in to relieve Lukas Dostal, who allowed three goals on nine shots.
The Mets’ offense put together a much-needed breakout against the Nationals on Tuesday night, and Carson Benge found himself right in the middle of things again.
The rookie slugger enjoyed his second consecutive multi-hit outing.
Benge first struck as part of the Mets’ seven-run bottom of the fourth, following up Marcus Semien’s gift run-scoring knock with an opposite-field two-run single of his own.
He went first-to-third on a Ronny Mauricio hit, then scored on a sacrifice fly.
The 23-year-old showed that same approach two innings later, again going the other way with an inside fastball and lacing it for one-out single that left the bat at 102.6 mph.
Benge would finish the night 2-for-4, but it was another encouraging showing.
He's now hitting .368 with a double, a homer, three RBI, four runs scored, and a .947 OPS over his last games.
The youngster has also racked up a .368 OBP and has struck out just once over that span.
Carlos Mendoza has certainly been encouraged by what he’s seen of late.
“He’s just been short, aggressive, getting the barrel to the ball,” the skipper said. “He’s not only pulling the ball but he’s going the other way, hitting line drives and not missing pitches -- it’s really good to see.”
Benge has really struggled to find his footing in the majors thus far, but it would go a long way towards helping the Mets' offense turn things around if he could keep this stretch going.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Leon Draisaitl scored a pair of goals and Evan Bouchard chipped in with three assists as the Edmonton Oilers staved off elimination by beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Tuesday night.
The Oilers now trail the best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series 3-2 with game 6 on Thursday night in Anaheim.
Vasily Podkolzin and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers who had previously allowed six separate leads to slip away in the first four games of the series.
Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had a pair of assists. Edmonton is now 18-3 when scoring first in a game when facing elimination.
Alex Killorn scored for the Ducks.
Connor Ingram made 29 stops for Edmonton, while Ville Husso recorded 10 saves for Anaheim after coming in to relieve Lukas Dostal, who allowed three goals on nine shots.
For the fifth straight game the Oilers struck first, scoring on the game’s first shot just 2:22 into the contest as Podkolzin beat Dostal high for his second of the postseason.
Edmonton took a 2-0 lead 8:33 into the opening period as a point shot was deflected twice, the second time through Dostal’s legs by Hyman.
The Oilers took a 3-0 lead just 1:14 later as Draisaitl tipped Bouchard's point shot in for his second of the playoffs. That spelled an early end of the night for Dostal.
Anaheim got on the board on the power play 8:26 into the second period as Mason McTavish dropped it back to Killorn, who extended his points streak to four games with his third goal of the playoffs.
Edmonton responded with a power-play goal a couple of minutes later on a one-timer by Draisaitl, who tied Wayne Gretzky for the most postseason power-play goals in franchise history at 23.
Edmonton has played the most playoff games of any NHL team since 2022 with 80, two more than the Florida Panthers, who beat the Oilers in the last two Stanley Cup finals before failing to qualify this season.
Playing in his 80th career playoff game, Bouchard collected his 88th point, moving into a tie for third place for players through 80 games with Brian Leetch, behind only Bobby Orr (92) and Paul Coffey (92).
McDavid (63 points) passed Adam Oates for the second-most points in NHL history when trailing in a playoff series. Only Gretzky (80) has more.
Without it, they couldn’t get the two-way star off the hook for a loss in a 2-1 defeat to the Miami Marlins.
Ohtani pitched just fine in his six-inning, two-run, nine-strikeout outing, finishing the night with a 0.60 ERA through five starts this year despite lacking his typically premium stuff.
But for the second time this season, the Dodgers elected to leave Ohtani out of the batting order in a game he pitched as part of their plan to manage his workload this season.
Shohei Ohtani reacts after striking out Miami Marlins’ Agustin Ramirez. AP
Long-term, they hope, it will keep Ohtani fresh.
But on Tuesday, it led to a dreadful night at the plate from the rest of the team.
After coming up empty in a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity created by shaky Marlins defense in the first, the Dodgers (20-10) did little at the plate the rest of the evening.
Dalton Rushing argues with home plate umpire Clint Vondrak after striking out. AP
Miami starter Janson Junk kept them off-balance in a scoreless six-inning start, using a five-pitch to induce weak contact and collect quick outs. The Marlins bullpen avoided the kind of collapse that doomed them in Monday’s walk-off finish, giving up one run in the eighth but stranding runners on the corners to extinguish the threat.
That would be as close as the Dodgers came to a comeback. In the ninth, they got an infield single from Andy Pages, but nothing else.
“If you’re not going to put up crooked numbers and be clicking on all cylinders, you gotta be good situationally,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And we were not good at all tonight situationally. That’s what it comes down to.”
Roberts defended the decision to leave Ohtani out of the batting order, noting the move was made to “do right by Shohei” as the team tries to help him navigate what will be a grueling two-way campaign.
Plus, “even without him tonight in the lineup,” Roberts argued, “we should’ve won the game.”
Instead, the manager was left stewing over the team’s missed chances in the first and eighth innings.
“And in between all that,” he added, “there was nothing going on.”
Backup catcher Dalton Rushing replaced Ohtani as the team’s designated hitter –– and, so as not to disrupt the rest of the batting order, their leadoff man, as well –– but suffered an 0-for-4 performance that included a controversial strikeout in the fifth inning on a pitch-clock violation.
Rushing had requested a timeout in the batter’s box with two strikes, and initially believed it had been granted by home plate umpire Clint Vondrak (replays showed Vondrak raising his hand and subtly nodding his head).
However, when the clock wound down, Vondrak signaled for an automatic strike that left Rushing fuming.
Agustin Ramirez scores on a sacrifice fly as Will Smith watches. AP
By the end of the night, he wasn’t the only one, as the Dodgers managed just seven hits while leaving eight men stranded on base.
What it means
Tuesday was the kind of game that could give the Dodgers pause before keeping Ohtani out of the lineup on his start days again.
However, Roberts said that won’t “play in my math” regarding the two-way star’s future usage.
“I feel good about it,” he insisted. “I’d do the same thing again.”
Nonetheless, Ohtani’s absence loomed large. After slumping last week, he’d been one of the team’s few stars who seemed to be snapping out of an early-season funk in recent days, reeling off back-to-back three-hit games Sunday and Monday while reaching safely in 10 of his past 14 plate appearances overall.
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Alex Freeland jumps out of the way as Miami Marlins’ Agustin Ramirez steals second base. AP
Who’s hot
As a pitcher, Ohtani wasn’t his sharpest against the Marlins, battling somewhat shaky command while giving up five hits and three walks that drove up his pitch count to a season-high 104.
However, he managed to limit damage well and tap into his 100 mph fastball velocity when he needed it.
“For him to still find a way to navigate six innings and then give up two runs, we should win the game,” Roberts said.
The first run against Ohtani came as a result of his own defensive mistake, when he threw away a pickoff throw after hitting Agustín Ramírez with a pitch in the second inning. The Marlins scored again in the fifth on an RBI single from Kyle Stowers –– marking only the second earned run against Ohtani in 30 innings this year.
Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker reacts to striking out against the Miami Marlins. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
After that, though, he worked out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the score close, and puncuated his outing with three strikeouts in the sixth to strand a one-out single.
“I thought he pitched well,” said catcher Will Smith, who was the lone offensive bright spot by collecting three hits. “Thought he did a good job of slowing them down.”
Who’s not
Pages has officially come back to earth after his blistering start to the year.
Though he avoided an 0-fer by legging out his ninth-inning single (which was aided by a bad throw), the third-year slugger is now just 7-for-40 in his last 11 games –– during which time his batting average has fallen from an MLB-best .412 to .324.
It’s still been an excellent first month overall. It’s just not ending on the highest of notes.
Up next
The Dodgers and Marlins will conclude this series on Wednesday afternoon, when Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 2.45) will square off against former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara (3-2, 3.05 ERA) in a marquee pitching matchup. Ohtani is expected to return to the Dodgers’ lineup as designated hitter for the rubber match. Based on Tuesday’s performance, his bat will be needed.
After Game 1, OG Anunoby said he had to get better in “everything.”
He wasn’t specific.
The standout wing has let his play do the talking.
He was yet again terrific Tuesday, helping the Knicks take a 3-2 series lead with a 126-97 battering of the Hawks at a raucous Garden.
He defended, he scored and he rebounded, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals along with a plus-19 rating in 35 strong minutes.
An argument can be made that through five games of this best-of-seven opening-round playoff series, the 6-foot-7 Anunoby has been the best Knick.
He is averaging an even 20 points, nine rebounds, 1.4 steals and shooting an absurd 54.2 percent from 3-point range. Even in the two losses, he brought it.
It’s hard to play better.
“I think he’s one of a kind. Getting to see his work ethic, the person he is, what he has just been able to do in his time as a Knick, he’s been great,” Jalen Brunson said. “I’m so happy to have him. I’m happy I don’t have to see him on that side of the ball — he just creates havoc. I think his game’s growing, and that’s what happens when you work hard.”
OG Anunoby, rising up for a layup, score 19 points in in the Knicks’ 126-97 Game 5 blowout win over the Hawks on April 28, 2026 at Madison Square Garden. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Over the past two games, the Knicks have held the Hawks to fewer than 100 points each time. Before that, the last time that happened to Atlanta was March 20.
Anunoby has been a big part of that, as one of the backbones to the Knicks defense.
OG Anunoby, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, shoots a 3-pointer during the Knick’s Game 5 blowout win over the Hawks. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
“He’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “This series has been great for him to show the world on a big stage something that we always thought he was. When you have someone like that who is that good offensively and even better defensively, weirdly enough, it’s special.
“I believe he’s going to be First Team All-Defense, and he deserves it.”
Athletics starting pitcher Aaron Civale (45) threw five scoreless innings tonight against the Royals in West Sacramento. | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images
The Athletics returned home after a successful 4-2 road trip to start a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals. Taking the mound for the A’s tonight was 30-year-old righty Aaron Civale who matched up against 28-year-old lefty Kris Bubic for the Royals.
The A’s got on the board first in the second inning when Zack Gelof singled and Jacob Wilson drove him home with a base hit to center.
In the top of the fifth Tyler Soderstrom dove for a ball it into the corner and landed hard, wincing as he got up to retrieve the ball. He did not come back out for the sixth inning.
Speaking of not coming out for the sixth, Aaron Civale’s night was done after five. He finished his day with 5.0 innings, zero earned runs, five hits, three strikeouts and one walk. He gave way to Hogan Harris who promptly gave up a solo homer to Salvador Perez to tie the game. Harris didn’t make it out of the sixth. After the Perez homer, Harris walked Lane Thomas and Isaac Collins. That sent him to the showers, replaced by Scott Barlow, who threw two pitches and then picked Thomas off trying to steal third to end the Royals half of the inning.
Mark Leiter Jr. replaced Barlow in the top of the eighth inning and thanks to a great grab by Jacob Wilson, he tossed a 1-2-3 inning. After hitting a monster foul ball, Rooker struck out to lead off the inning. Thomas singled and moved to third on Carlos Cortes base hit. Darell Hernaiz walked to load the bases, but Jeff McNeil lined out to end the inning. The score remained tied at 1-1 headed to the ninth inning.
Jack Perkins entered the game to shut down the Royals in the ninth. He slammed the door with a three-up, three-down inning giving the A’s a chance to win it in the bottom of the inning. They did not, and the teams moved into the tenth.
Justin Sterner entered the game to pitch the start of extras. With a ghost runner on second, Jason Isbel tried to move the runner over but instead beat out the throw to put runners on first and second. Then Bobby Witt Jr. hit a three-run homer to give the Royals a 4-1 lead and clear the bases. But the A’s were not done. Lucas Erceg, former A’s reliever, came in to pitch the tenth. Kurtz was the placed runner. Cortes walked and Gelof beat out swinging bunt to load the bases with two outs. That brought Darell Hernaiz up. Unfortunately, he lined out to the second baseman to end the rally and the game.
There was no need for a comeback on Tuesday, the Spurs showed up ready to take care of business.
In Games 3 and 4 of this series, Portland was the more aggressive team early and took big leads (15 and 19), forcing Spurs comebacks that became the bigger story. Portland never had the lead on Tuesday.
It was the Spurs' defense from the start, holding the Trail Blazers to 35.1% shooting on the night and a 102 offensive rating.
Add in 21 points from De'Aaron Fox and a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double for Victor Wembanyama, and it was all too much.
San Antonio picked up a comfortable 114-95 win and with that takes the series, 4-1.
Next up for the Spurs is the winner of the Minnesota vs. Denver series, which the Timberwolves lead 3-2.
Next up for the Trail Blazers is an offseason with a lot of questions for new owner Tom Dundon to answer, starting with whether Tiago Splitter will get to keep his job as coach. However, Dundon's team also goes into the summer coming off an impressive playoff effort, pushing San Antonio (even in the fourth quarter on Tuesday.
At the start, it was all Spurs, who led by 12 after one quarter after holding the Trail Blazers to 11-of-31 shooting. In the second quarter, not much changed for Portland. Deni Avdija had 16 first-half points on 6-of-8 shooting, but the rest of the Trail Blazers combined to shoot 29.5% in the first 24 minutes.
The Spurs led by 10 after one quarter and 20 at the half, and it felt like they were in total control through the third quarter. However, in the fourth a Portland team playing with the desperation of a team trying to avoid elimination went on an 11-0 run and at a couple of points cut the lead to single digits.
That's when Fox stepped up, scoring 13 of his points in the fourth.
For the game, Julian Champagnie had 19 points and six 3-pointers, while Dylan Harper added 17 points for the Spurs. Avdija finished with 22 points for the Trail Blazers, but was 1-of-6 from 3-point range.
Give the young Spurs credit for closing the door (earlier in the night, the Celtics could not do it). This team does not shy away from the moment.
There was no need for a comeback on Tuesday, the Spurs showed up ready to take care of business.
In Games 3 and 4 of this series, Portland was the more aggressive team early and took big leads (15 and 19), forcing Spurs comebacks that became the bigger story. Portland never had the lead on Tuesday.
It was the Spurs' defense from the start, holding the Trail Blazers to 35.1% shooting on the night and a 102 offensive rating.
Add in 21 points from De'Aaron Fox and a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double for Victor Wembanyama, and it was all too much.
San Antonio picked up a comfortable 114-95 win and with that takes the series, 4-1.
Next up for the Spurs is the winner of the Minnesota vs. Denver series, which the Timberwolves lead 3-2.
Next up for the Trail Blazers is an offseason with a lot of questions for new owner Tom Dundon to answer, starting with whether Tiago Splitter will get to keep his job as coach. However, Dundon's team also goes into the summer coming off an impressive playoff effort, pushing San Antonio (even in the fourth quarter on Tuesday.
At the start, it was all Spurs, who led by 12 after one quarter after holding the Trail Blazers to 11-of-31 shooting. In the second quarter, not much changed for Portland. Deni Avdija had 16 first-half points on 6-of-8 shooting, but the rest of the Trail Blazers combined to shoot 29.5% in the first 24 minutes.
The Spurs led by 10 after one quarter and 20 at the half, and it felt like they were in total control through the third quarter. However, in the fourth a Portland team playing with the desperation of a team trying to avoid elimination went on an 11-0 run and at a couple of points cut the lead to single digits.
That's when Fox stepped up, scoring 13 of his points in the fourth.
For the game, Julian Champagnie had 19 points and six 3-pointers, while Dylan Harper added 17 points for the Spurs. Avdija finished with 22 points for the Trail Blazers, but was 1-of-6 from 3-point range.
Give the young Spurs credit for closing the door (earlier in the night, the Celtics could not do it). This team does not shy away from the moment.
Apr 28, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates the win with second baseman Ernie Clement (22) against the Boston Red Sox at the end of the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Red Sox 0 Blue Jays 3
That’s all the Jays need for a win, have their pitchers throw a shutout. .
Trey Yesavage continued on from where he finished off last year. He went 5.1, allowing just 4 hits, no walks, with 3 strikeouts.
John pulled him at 74 pitches. Trey seemed a bit bemused by the hook, but I think it was nice to take him out so he could enjoy the crowd cheering for him.
And the bullpen did the job:
Mason Fluharty got the last two outs of the sixth, giving up a walk.
Jeff Hoffman had a terrific seventh, getting 2 strikeouts.
Tyler Rogers was also terrific, throwing a clean eighth with a strikeout.
Louis Varland picked up his 4th save, striking out the side in the ninth.
Offensively? Well, we did enough. Not much more than enough, but enough. Only 6 six hits. We got:
Two in the third: Andrés Giménez led thing off with a single. Two outs later, Vladimir Guerrero doubled. Kazuma Okamoto singled them home. He was thrown out at second. The Jays challenged, and I thought the replay showed Kazuma safe, but the folks in New York disagreed. Thankfully, Vlad scored before the tag at second.
One in the fifth: With two out, Myles Straw and Ernie Clement walked (Ernie’s second walk this game. He only had one this season until today). And Vlad singled Straw home.
Vlad had two hits. Clement and Davis Schneider had two walks each. Straw had a single and a walk. Okamoto, Varsho, and Giménez each had a hit.
Jays of the Day: Yesavage (.29 WPA), Okomoto (.12), and Vlad (0.9).
No one had the number for the Other Award. Heineman and Straw had the low mark at -0.5.
Tomorrow Eric Lauer (6.75) gets the start after briefly being removed from the rotation. Brayan Bello (9.00) starts for the Red Sox.
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 28: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts to a ball being hit into the photowell during the MLB game between the Miami Marlins and the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 28, 2026 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani stuck to pitching and did his part, delivering another six-inning start with minimal damage. But the Dodgers couldn’t find much offense to support him in their 2-1 loss to the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Ohtani was pitching on five days rest with any sort of length for the first time since 2023, when 15 of his 23 starts that season with the Angels were on five days rest. Don’t expect that many such starts this year, however.
“I think it could happen, he’s certainly open to it. But in this particular situation, given what Tyler [Glasnow] did and kind of how it played out — but it could flip the next time,” manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday’s game. “I’m not going to say it’s the last time [pitching on five days rest], but I don’t think it’s going to be commonplace.”
All told, it was an impressive start for Ohtani with nine strikeouts, though he also tied his season high with three walks in his six innings. He did allow all of two runs, one of which was earned, matching his totals from his first four starts combined. Ohtani’s 104 pitches were his most in a start with the Dodgers, four more than Game 4 of last year’s National League Championship Series.
Ohtani’s ERA ballooned, all the way to 0.60, which once again leads the National League, another one-day stop atop the leaderboard as he has exactly 30 innings through 30 team games through Tuesday night. Ohtani has lead the NL in ERA after all five of his starts.
Lowest Dodgers ERA through April
Fernando Valenzuela (1981) 0.20 Fernando Valenzuela (1984) 0.21 Shohei Ohtani (2026) 0.60 *in live-ball era (since 1920), minimum 5 starts, per Baseball Reference
Three errant throws produced the first Marlins run against Ohtani, in the second inning. He hit Augustín Ramírez with a pitch, then had Ramírez dead to rights on a stolen base attempt but threw the ball into center field, putting the Marlins catcher on third base with nobody out. After a strikeout, Ramírez tagged on a flyout to Andy Pages, whose throw was up the third base line and hit Ramírez as he scored.
That first run was unearned, but Ohtani allowed an earned run in the fifth, a frame in which he allowed two walks and two singles. It could have been worse, with the bases full of Marlins with two outs, but Ohtani struck out Ramírez to extinguish that threat.
Any signs of fatigue were allayed when Ohtani worked around a single with three more strikeouts in the sixth, giving him nine on the night.
On a normal night, the Dodgers probably win this kind of a start over two-thirds of the time (they are 12-5, with a .706 winning percentage when a pitcher goes at least six innings and allows no more than two runs this season). But on Tuesday, the offense failed to score in six innings against Janson Junk, who allowed only three singles and a walk.
Los Angeles did not score until three singles with one out in the eighth inning, with Will Smith driving in Dalton Rushing to pull within one.
“I think his goal is to his goal is to make every [pitching] start. So with that, there has to be some compromise and some openness to read and react,” Roberts said. “I think so far we’re doing a nice job, and he’s open to that.”
Tuesday was the 12th of 13 consecutive game days for the Dodgers, and Ohtani was the only position player to start all of the previous 11 games.
“The 13 in a row, I think it’s been a grind on everyone. And also taking into consideration everything that Shohei goes through on a daily basis, to know that he’ll be back in the lineup tomorrow,” Roberts said. “I think this is an opportunity to hedge a little bit, play both sides, so have a guy who’s swinging a good bat in Dalton to replace him for a night, to give Shohei the best opportunity to pitch well and not take on both duties, then just hit tomorrow and have an off day. Hopefully this abbreviation will give him a reset, after the off day.”
Maybe Ohtani’s bat will help the Dodgers find some offense in the series finale.
One more day left on the homestand, with Tyler Glasnow going for the series win on Wednesday afternoon (12:10 p.m., SportsNet LA), against Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.
BOSTON (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 33 points, Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers avoided elimination, beating the Boston Celtics 113-97 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
Paul George had 16 points and nine rebounds for the seventh-seeded Sixers, who lost Games 3 and 4 at home to fall behind 3-1 in the series before returning to Boston to keep their season alive.
Game 6 is back in Philadelphia on Thursday night, when the Sixers will try to force the series to a decisive seventh game in Boston on Saturday.
In his second game back from an emergency appendectomy, Embiid helped rally Philly from a 13-point, third-quarter deficit. After scoring 13 points in the second quarter, he added 10 in the third and eight more in the fourth, when the Sixers went on a 12-0 run to turn a three-point lead into a 15-point runaway.
Jayson Tatum had 24 points and 16 rebounds for Boston and Jaylen Brown scored 22.
KNICKS 126, HAWK 97
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 39 points, nearly extending his own franchise record for 40-point playoff games, and New York routed Atlanta for a 3-2 lead in the first-round playoff series.
With their second straight lopsided victory, the Knicks positioned themselves to win the series Thursday night in Atlanta. They would have another chance at home in Game 7 if they need it — and it’s getting harder to picture why they should.
The Hawks took a 2-1 lead in the series with one-point victories in Games 2 and 3, but a pretty sizable gap between the teams has appeared since. The Knicks led by 24 on their way to a 114-98 win in Game 4 in Atlanta and by 32 on Tuesday, when the lead was never below double digits in the second half.
OG Anunoby added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. The Knicks need one more victory to reach the second round for the fourth straight season, which would continue their longest streak since advancing nine straight times from 1991-92 through 1999-2000.
Jalen Johnson had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Hawks. Dyson Daniels scored 17, but CJ McCollum, the catalyst of both Atlanta victories, had just six.
SPURS 114, TRAIL BLAZERS 95
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks and San Antonio never trailed in eliminating Portland in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.
De’Aaron Fox had 21 points, Julian Champagnie added 19 points and Dylan Harper had 17 as the Spurs led by as many as 28 points in winning their third straight game to advance to the second round.
San Antonio advances to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 2017, when it beat the Houston Rockets before losing Kawhi Leonard to an ankle injury and then getting swept by Golden State in the conference finals.
The Spurs will face the winner of the series between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves lead that series 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday.
There were plenty of factors that went into the Knicks completely outplaying the Hawks from beginning to end in their massive Game 5 win on Tuesday night at MSG.
One of the biggest was New York’s domination on the boards.
Atlanta was one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league all season, but the Knicks did a phenomenal job keeping them off the glass.
Leading that charge were Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby.
The dynamic duo combined to reel in 24 of the Knicks’ 48 rebounds on the night, which ended up as three more than the Hawks racked up as a team.
Of those 24, 14 came on the defensive end.
Atlanta was limited to just six second-chance and four fastbreak points.
“KAT and OG were monsters,” Mike Brown said. “The two of them, they were phenomenal -- it was huge for us to be able to keep them off the glass and out of transition.”
This continues what’s been a phenomenal series for both of them.
Towns took just seven shots on the night, but he was huge early, chipping in 16 more points and finishing just four assists shy of his second consecutive triple-double.
“I’m always just thinking about impacting winning,” the big man said.
Anunoby finished with just one more point than Towns (17), but his 10 rebounds helped him put together his second consecutive double-double.
The dynamic defender is now averaging 20 points and nine rebounds for the series.
“He’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA,” Towns said. “This series has been great for him to show the world that he’s something we’ve always thought he was -- when you have someone like that who is that good offensively and even better defensively, it’s special.”
With these two leading the charge and Jalen Brunson finally finding his footing, New York will look to close out their first-round matchup on the road on Thursday night.
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero took a baseball to the face after his own foul tip took a wild bounce and caught him on his right cheek on Tuesday night in Tampa Bay’s 1-0 win over the Guardians in Cleveland.
Caminero, 22, was up in the top of the first inning when he fouled a pitch off home plate, and the ball came back up, striking him and sending him bent over in pain.
The 2025 American League All-Star was checked up on by Rays trainer Joe Benge after he got back to his feet. Caminero eventually returned to the plate, and he grounded out to Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee on the next pitch.
But Caminero then came out of the game and was replaced by Ben Williamson.
After the game, Guardians manager Kevin Cash said Caminero — who suffered what the team said was a bruised right jaw — was doing well following the scary incident.
“He’s OK,” Cash told reporters, according to MLB.com. “He’s in really good spirits and I would expect him to be in the lineup tomorrow. That ball really came off the plate hard and I’m just glad that he’s in a pretty good spot right now.”
First baseman Jonathan Aranda called it a “scary moment” when he saw what happened to Caminero.
Junior Caminero is checked by a trainer after being injured during the first inning of the Rays’ 1-0 win over the Guardians on April 28, 2026 in Cleveland. Getty Images
”We’re wishing him the best and hopefully he comes back and joins us soon,” he said.
The Rays have said that Caminero is day-to-day.
Tampa Bay won the game 1-0 with Aranda driving in the only run as the Rays picked up their sixth straight victory.
Caminero holds a .257 batting average and .827 OPS with eight home runs and 15 RBIs this season.
The Knicks dominated the Hawks in Game 5 of their first-round series to put New York one win away from advancing.
And whileJalen Brunson's 39 points and OG Anunoby's ability to take over games on both sides of the ball will make the headlines, the Knicks bench needs its flowers after Tuesday's performance.
The combination of Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado scored 29 points and were a +56 in their 64 minutes on the floor in the Knicks' 126-97 win at MSG.
In contrast, the Hawks bench (Jonathan Kuminga, Gabe Vincent, Tony Bradley and Corey Kispert) scored 19 points and were a -55 in their 68 minutes on the floor.
"I feel like everybody's locked in," McBride said of the team's defense. "Defense isn't one guy's job, it's the whole team, so when the whole team's locked in, when guys coming off the bench, we’re locked in and we're not missing a beat, it just feels good."
"We get stops and we get rolling. Once we get our defense rolling, the offense is going to take care of itself," Alvarado said. "We know we can score the ball at a very high level. We need to get stops. And that’s what we try to do."
McBride was 0-for-4 shooting on Tuesday and was held without a point, but the guard contributed on the boards, which he had three, and helped on the defensive end. Robinson did his thing, coming down with six rebounds, scoring seven points and coming up with a block in his 16 minutes and Clarkson posted nine points on 3-of-7 shots, while giving the team energy.
And you can't talk about energy without mentioning Alvarado, who scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting (2-for-3 from three) in his 12 minutes.
My teammates found me, I was open and I made the shots today," Alvarado said of his offensive spurt.
But the bench's emergence in this series is a long time coming. Clarkson, acquired in the offseason, took time to find his place in coach Mike Brown's system. He was out of the rotation for a bit before emerging as a reliable bench player. Same with Alvarado, who was acquired at the deadline. The New York native burst onto the scene when the Knicks traded for him, but saw his minutes dwindle as the regular season was coming to an end.
"[Being out of the rotation is]definitely challenging, but I’ve been in the league for 12 years. I know how it goes," Clarkson said. "Just continue to stay ready. There’s a locker room of young guys and other people, watching me and seeing how I react to those things. Set an example for that. Continue to stay locked in with my team and organization. Just waiting for my opportunity to go out there and play. Everybody setting that example and having everybody ready is big for the team."
"It’s part of the business. Stay ready and whatever the team needs," Alvarado said. "We’re a really good team. They communicated with how it was going to go. And I stayed ready. That’s what I did mentally."
Staying ready has paid off for Clarkson and Alvarado. They, along with the rest of the Knicks bench, have allowed the team to hold on to large leads in the last two games. When the starters are on getting a breather, the bench has sustained the intensity the Knicks need to keep the scrappy Hawks at bay.
They know they have to do the same on Thursday when the Knicks try to close out the series in Atlanta.
"We know how good the bench is and how good the team is," Alvarado said. "We go out there and be ourselves and try to boost the energy. Whatever the team needs, the bench tries to provide that."
"We’re all tough-minded. We love challenges. We continue to hold each other up," Clarkson said. "This team has been resilient all year. It’s not going to be smooth. Continue to lean on each and continue to fight one through 15."
