The Lakers have struggled taking care of the ball: The Thunder averaged 23 points off the Lakers’ 19.5 turnovers in the first two games.
The Thunder also averaged 19 second-chance points despite only grabbing nine offensive rebounds per game — highlighting how efficient they were with an extra scoring opportunity.
These are the areas the Lakers were better during the first round, especially toward the end of their series victory over the Rockets.
And were significantly better throughout the regular season.
It was a talking point from coach JJ Redick after the Lakers’ Feb. 22 home loss to the Celtics, a team that deployed a deep drop coverage to stifle the Lakers’ offense, which mustered 89 points in defeat — their third-lowest scoring total of the season.
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The Lakers became less efficient against drop coverage throughout most of December and January before improving throughout February, March and the end of the regular season, utilizing the proper counters.
That wasn’t the case in the first two games against the Thunder.
The Thunder had their big men in drop for most of Game 1, with the Lakers not creating quality looks against the coverage — in part because of poor shotmaking but also the team and players not using the proper counters.
The Lakers need to use proper counters to solve the Thunder’s drop coverage. Getty Images
Too many drag screens that didn’t create quality offense.
Not enough stack sets. Not enough pull-up 3-pointers. Not enough Gortat screens.
“Our options out of early offense, specifically, we ran so many just early drags,” Redick responded ahead of Game 2 when asked what stood out from the offensive film of Game 1. “Which has been a great play for AR [Austin Reaves], but was not a great PPP [points per possession] play for us [Tuesday] night. So just trying to be organized with early offense.”
The Lakers struggled against the Thunder’s drop in Game 2, but they also faced it less often because the Thunder decided to hedge/blitz more — specifically when Reaves handled the ball coming off a screen.
The Lakers are very comfortable in this situation.
The counters are more natural for them after seeing these types of coverages more since Luka Doncic joined the franchise in February 2025.
But the Thunder’s decision to go away from what was working masked an issue that it looked like the Lakers had overcome toward the end of the regular season.
If the Lakers don’t consistently tap back into those counters from the late winter/early spring against the Thunder’s drop, their season will likely end this week.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 9: Shane Baz #34 of the Baltimore Orioles throws a pitch against the Athletics during the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 9, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Bill Streicher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This game was summed up for me by two innings. Be warned; it’s not pretty.
In the top of the third, the Athletics’ Brent Rooker came to the plate with two on and one out. Orioles starter Shane Baz had already given up a four-pitch walk and a single. Then, with the right-hitting Rooker up to bat, Baz left a cutter hanging up and just off the plate. Rooker swung, launching the pitch 365 feet away onto the flag court. That meatball, and the bombardment thereof, made the game 4-0 Athletics.
This felt like an insurmountable lead until the Orioles got a glorious scoring chance in the bottom of the fifth inning. Infielder Jeremiah Jackson had reached on a Bermuda Triangle single, Gunnar Henderson doubled, and Taylor Ward walked. That brought up to the plate Adley Rutschman, a career .407 hitter with the bases loaded. Sadly, Adley did not deliver that inning. Nor did Pete Alonso. Nor did Samuel Basallo. The former struck out after a long battle with A’s starter Aaron Civale; the second popped up too shallowly to score the lead runner; the third also flew out.
There was a late, two-run Baltimore rally against Mark Leiter Jr.—brother of Jack, son of Mark, nephew of Al, but also a pitcher who entered this game with a 7.63 ERA. Leody Taveras, Dylan Beavers, and a pinch-hitting Colton Cowser strung together consecutive hits to make it 5-2. That was as good as it got.
Anyway, today’s game is still defined by Shane Baz handing out runs with missed pitches and Orioles hitters making Civale look like an ace. I’m not sure which is more concerning: Baltimore hitters failing to take advantage of Civale, a pitcher whose average exit velocity is higher than his fastball, or Baz failing to go five while throwing one hundred pitches.
Start with the pitching side. Shane Baz is way too talented to be allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings to an offense like the Athletics’. Command issues were at the heart of his problems today. It started in the first, when Baz hung a cutter to leadoff man Nick Kurtz, who doubled. Then Baz missed with three straight cutters to catcher Shane Langeliers, who singled home a first run.
After looking lost against the first two hitters, Baz appeared to find something, and reeled off three consecutive outs, plus a scoreless second.
But again, there was that third inning, which felt completely avoidable, barring that early walk and two bad cutters.
It still feels true to say that with his stuff, most teams can’t beat Shane Baz, so long as he doesn’t beat himself. But he sure seems to be beating himself a lot lately…
As for the offense, let’s put it this way. At one point in the third inning, with Baltimore still scoreless, MASN flashed a graphic placing Aaron Civale in the bottom 110 to 130 MLB pitchers in hard-hit percentage and whiffs. Perhaps such stats undervalue “Crafty Veteranness.” And true, Civale did command his breaking pitches today.
But I don’t quite buy this excuse, for the reason that today, it was the same O’s hitters who’ve been connecting who connected, and the same ones who’ve lately looked hopeless who continued to look hopeless.
Gunnar Henderson had two hits, including a double. (He’s chasing too much, but still.) Adley Rutschman had a double. (Also that crucial bases-loaded strikeout, but still.) Taylor Ward walked three times (!!). Samuel Basallo singled twice, one of them 112 mph.
But that was it for the hitters against Civale, who over five innings racked up six punchouts, equal to nine per nine innings. Given a pitcher who averages 6.6 strikeouts a game, it feels hard to deny that O’s hitters aren’t giving opposing pitchers much of a challenge.
And toward the middle innings, it was the talented Shane Baz who looked error-prone, not Civale with his more limited stuff. Baz allowed a leadoff double to first baseman Nick Kurtz, then allowed Kurtz—no Trea Turner in sprint speed, from what I can see—to take third base uncontested as Baz missed high to catcher Shea Langeliers, who then got the RBI with a sac fly to center.
Now 5-0 Athletics, this felt like a slow trudge through nine. The fifth inning was the one exception: a bases-loaded situation that had you dreaming of grand salamis, only to cruelly rob you of all hopes of a stirring comeback.
The bullpen pitched okay, with the exception of Andrew Kittredge. Lou Trivino covered two 1/3 scoreless and Dietrich Enns threw one, too, despite allowing two hits. Kittredge continues to look problematic, allowing a sixth run in the ninth, although at this point it didn’t feel very important.
The two-run rally in the eighth was nice, in that it raised the averages of the struggling Beavers and Cowser, but I doubt the Athletics were very nervous.
It is what it is. Back this spring, there were high hopes for both this lineup and the starting rotation. Well, maybe not high hopes for this rotation, but at least reasonable expectations of competence. Now, Trevor Rogers is hurt (or something), Zach Eflin is out for the year, Dean Kremer—who didn’t even make the rotation—is out with a quad, and Shane Baz is highly erratic.
If this is the Orioles throwing their hardest punches and still getting KO’d, this is going to be a long season.
James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots against the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter in Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Rocket Arena on May 09, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio.
CLEVELAND — After collapsing in the clutch in the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cleveland Cavaliers got timely plays in the final three minutes from James Harden and Max Strus to get back into their series against the Detroit Pistons.
Harden hit three big shots and Strus came up with the steal and go-ahead basket in the Cavaliers’ 116-109 victory on Saturday to cut the Pistons’ lead to 2-1.
“We know how important it is to get this first win to make it a series. So, really a team win where a lot of guys contributed tonight,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said.
James Harden of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots against the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter in Game 3 on May 9, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. Getty Images
The Cavaliers will look to even the series when they host Game 4 on Monday night.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 35 points and 10 rebounds, while Harden finished with 19 points and Jarrett Allen scored 18.
There were 11 lead changes, with the final one occurring with 2:28 remaining when Strus jumped to snare Cade Cunningham’s inbound pass to Daniss Jenkins near midcourt. Strus then drove past Cunningham and Jenkins to make a layup and give the Cavaliers a 106-104 advantage.
Atkinson called it the winning play of the game.
“That was a game changer right there. It gives us a lead, get a couple stops and a couple buckets and that’s the game,” Harden said.
Strus said it was about 3-4 seconds into the inbound play that he timed his jump and made the play.
“My job is to help win in any form or fashion,” said Strus, who finished with seven points, five rebounds and one steal. “Some nights it’s going to be shooting. Some nights it’s going to be defense. Some nights it’s going to be rebounds. The ball didn’t find me tonight, but I don’t care. As long as our team wins, I just want to make an impact and find a way to win.”
It was also the first of three straight turnovers by Cunningham, who had his second career postseason triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but also committed eight turnovers.
“I don’t want to say they were careless turnovers because I care about it a lot. They were just bad turnovers,” he said.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots in front of Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) inthe first half of Game 3 of a second-round NBA playoffs series on Saturday, May 9, 2026 in Cleveland. AP
Harden, who drew plenty of criticism for turnovers in the clutch in the first two games, kept the Cavaliers in front with big shots. The 17-year veteran hit a 16-foot step-back jumper to extend the lead to 108-104. After a driving dunk by Cunningham, Harden made a floating 7-footer to put the lead back up to four.
Cunningham responded with a 3-pointer before Harden provided the decisive blow with 25 seconds remaining on a step-back 3-pointer while being guarded by Harris to make it 113-109.
Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points in his 73rd game, tied for third-fastest among active players and ninth in NBA history. He said Harden’s performance showed why he wasn’t worried after two tough games in Detroit.
“I think the biggest thing is just he’s always consistent. He’s not result based. I think the biggest thing is we’ve seen him thrive and for me and for the group just continue to be like, ‘Hey, we know who you are. Keep being yourself.’ We’ve seen him play at a very high level, so we have no doubt that he’s going to continue to be great,” Mitchell said. “Every game might not be that way for him, for me, for whoever. But it’s just how do you continue to stay even keel and find ways to impact the game.”
Tobias Harris added 21 points for Detroit, which had its five-game playoff win streak snapped.
CHICAGO - AUGUST 09: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Indians pauses during a heavy rain storm during the tenth inning against the Chicago White Sox on August 9, 2020 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images) | Getty Images
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 08: Wenceel Perez #46 of the Detroit Tigers hits an RBI double during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on May 08, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Detroit Tigers (18-21) vs. Kansas City Royals (18-21)
Time/Place: 7:10 p.m., Kauffman Stadium SB Nation Site: Royals Review Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Ty Madden (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Michael Wacha (3-2, 3.05 ERA)
May 8, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brock Stewart (41) pitches during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
LOS ANGELES — Blake Snell was activated off the injured list on Saturday to start against the Atlanta Braves, after missing the first six-plus weeks of the season with left shoulder fatigue. To make room on the active roster, Brock Stewart is back on the injured list, this time with a bone spur in his left foot.
With Tyler Glasnow sidelined with back spasms, the Dodgers turned to Snell, who was scheduled to pitch five innings in his final rehab start for Class-A Ontario on Saturday, with a proposition he was eager to accept.
“You try to figure out if [Snell] is open to taking the five innings here versus on rehab,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday. “And he was. he couldn’t be more excited to do that.”
Saturday is the 39th game of the season for the Dodgers, who to date have only used six starting pitchers in an incredibly stable rotation to date. This is the latest into a season the Dodgers have used their seventh different starting pitcher since 2021, when it took until game number 40 with opener Jimmy Nelson.
Stewart was just activated on Wednesday after missing the first 36 games while rehabbing from last September’s shoulder surgery. Stewart pitched in both games in which he was active, throwing scoreless innings on both Wednesday in Houston and on Friday against the Braves, totaling three strikeouts and a walk among his seven batters faced.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 21: Dustin May #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot park on April 21, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Tomas Diniz Santos/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dustin May will get the Saturday night start at Petco Park for the Cardinals as he’ll do battle with Randy Vásquez who will take the mound for the Padres. First pitch is set for 6:15pm central time and the musical chairs broadcast schedule has the game being broadcast on Fox Saturday night.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 09: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks to media after his team's 116-109 win over the Detroit Pistons in Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Rocket Arena on May 09, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers won a thriller over the Detroit Pistons behind some heroic shot-making from James Harden.
Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.
WINNER – The First Quarter
Hey, it turns out the Cavs can start a game ahead every once in a while. Not everything has to be an uphill battle.
The Cavs won the first quarter 32-30. Nothing special. But it felt a whole lot better than falling behind by double digits as they did in the previous two games. Sometimes, just giving yourself a chance is all it takes.
Shooting above 70% from the floor didn’t hurt. Cleveland began the game red-hot. Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen each scored 9 points in the opening quarter, shooting 8-for-11 combined. James Harden also chipped in with 5 points, starting this game significantly better than he did the previous one.
Again, no one wins a game in the first 12 minutes. But you can certainly kneecap yourself early, making the rest of the game a slog. The Cavs finally learned that lesson and started Game 3 with the appropriate energy.
WINNER – Donovan Mitchell
I don’t think it’s an overreaction to say this entire Cavs team is built around the idea of Donovan Mitchell being one of the best playoff performers in the league. If you take that away, the Cavs aren’t a serious contender.
But when he’s playing like the superhero we know and love? This team feels like it has a fighting chance.
Mitchell web-slinged his way to 20 points on 8-12 shooting in the first half. He cooked in isolation, burning Duncan Robinson to a crisp with his step-back jumper. Then, moments after throwing an impressive alley oop to Evan Mobley, he worked his way downhill and dropped a dime to Allen in the dunker spot.
This type of efficient scoring and processing speed as a playmaker is what we’ve been missing from Mitchell. He established himself as a threat and then used that against the defense to create opportunities for others.
Spida finished with 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.
LOSER – Offensive Rebounding
Detroit beat the Cavs 17-5 on the offensive glass.
While that’s a problem, it wasn’t as glaring as it might have seemed.
For further context, the Cavs were only outscored 19-11 on second-chance points. And, they somehow ended the game with more defensive rebounds than Detroit, winning that battle 28-23.
So what happened?
Well, the Pistons finished the game shooting 45% from the floor, and spent most of the day below that number. Meanwhile, the Cavs sat above 60% for a majority of the game and finished just below at 58%. The more shots you miss, the more offensive rebounds you have a chance to grab. The inverse is true, as well.
That doesn’t make it okay. Of course, giving up nearly 20 offensive rebounds is what allowed the Pistons to creep back into this game and take a momentary lead in the fourth quarter. They might have shot 8-18 on those second-chances, which is a credit to the Cavaliers’ defense, but that’s still eight field goals that shouldn’t have gone in, and 18 attempts that should have never had a chance.
WINNER – James Harden
Can I take back everything I’ve ever said?
Not really. The limitations in Harden’s style of play are still worth highlighting when he has games like the previous one in Detroit. But darn it, it looks great when he saves the day.
Harden took full control of Cleveland’s offense in the closing minutes. He picked his poison, working for a mismatch and then dictating the rest of the possession with his on-ball creation. The results? A step-back jumper from the mid-range. Then a crossover into a floater.
Finally, his patented three-point dagger.
“You know who you are, keep being yourself,” said Donovan Mitchell on his trust in Harden after the game. “The outside world can turn on you like that, but if you watch [Harden’s] face or demeanor, you can’t tell if he’s playing well or shooting poorly.”
We can talk about whether or not the Cavaliers’ offense needs to be more inclusive, or if Harden’s got enough gas in the tank to go the distance in a deep playoff run. But not tonight. Save that discussion for another day. Uno came through and put his team in a position to tie this series on Monday.
LOSER – The Starting Small Forward
The Cavs have an impossible decision to make. Worse, it’s a decision they’ve spent multiple years trying to solve. No matter what they try, it always feels like the wrong move.
Max Strus competently filled the starting small forward spot for years. Though he always felt undersized as the Cavs moved deeper into the postseason. Package that with a matchup versus the Toronto Raptors in round one, and it’s no wonder the Cavs pivoted to Dean Wade.
Only, Wade has given diminishing results as the playoffs go on.
Wade looked great in Games 1-2 versus Toronto. He’s had scattered moments since. But the Raptors eventually stopped defending him. The Pistons haven’t even pretended to care about him. That’s cramped Cleveland’s spacing and effectively blunted any defensive impact Wade can offer.
It went poorly the last time the Cavs tried adjusting this by starting Strus versus the Raptors in Game 5. Should that discourage them from trying it again? I’d say no, but I also think one can argue that Strus is better suited to being the sixth man than the starting forward. I think you could have argued that for years now.
Not having a better option isn’t an indictment on Strus or Wade, to be clear. This is a roster construction issue that’s bigger than either of them. Wade is a fine eighth man. Strus can be electric, if not streaky, off the bench. The issue is that both players have been overextended by trying to fill a round hole as square pegs.
Then there’s Jaylon Tyson, who many fans (including myself) have nominated for the job. He theoretically splits the difference between Wade and Strus. Just enough size to compete at the forward position, with just enough offensive skills to avoid being a detriment.
But starting lineups are earned, not given. The Cavs aren’t going to grant Tyson the starting position because of what he can do on paper. This actually has to translate to something tangible. And so far, that hasn’t happened in a strong enough way to take a chance on a sophomore wing in his first playoff run.
Note:I wrote a decent chunk of this before Max Strus stole an inbound pass and went coast-to-coast during a pivotal junction of the fourth quarter. While I do not want to delete everything I wrote before, I would like to formally give Strus my recommendation for the starting job, and perhaps even a key to the city of Cleveland, if I have that authority (I don’t).
The Montreal Canadiens got things back on track with their 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 2. With this, the Canadiens have now tied the series up at 1-1 as they head back to Montreal for Game 3.
However, the Sabres are expected to get back one of their key forwards for Game 3 against the Canadiens.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters, including TSN's Pierre LeBrun, that Sam Carrick is available to play for Buffalo in their Game 3 matchup against the Canadiens.
With Carrick being an important part of the Sabres' bottom six and penalty kill, it is not necessarily the best news that he is returning to the lineup for Buffalo. While this is the case, the Canadiens will be looking to build off their big Game 2 win against the Sabres by beating them again in Game 3.
In 73 games this season split between the New York Rangers and Sabres, Carrick recorded nine goals, seven assists, 16 points, 106 hits, and a plus-2 rating. This included him posting five goals and an assists in 13 games after being traded to Buffalo.
CLEVELAND — James Harden hit three clutch shots in the final two minutes, Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit 116-109 on Saturday to cut the Pistons’ lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Harden bounced back from two mistake-marred performances to finish with 19 points and Jarrett Allen scored 18 for the Cavaliers, who will look to even the series when they host Game 4 on Monday night.
Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points in his 73rd game, tied for third-fastest among active players and ninth in NBA history.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham had his second career postseason triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but also committed eight turnovers. Tobias Harris added 21 points.
Duncan Robinson’s 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining tied it at 104 before Cleveland, which is unbeaten in five playoff home games, was able to seize control.
Max Strus intercepted an inbound pass by Cunningham at midcourt and made a breakaway layup with 2:28 left.
Harden, who drew plenty of criticism for turnovers in the clutch in the first two games, kept the Cavaliers in front with big shots. The 17-year veteran hit a 16-foot step-back jumper to extend the lead to 108-104. After a driving dunk by Cunningham, Harden made a floating 7-footer to put the lead back up to four.
Cunningham responded with a 3-pointer before Harden provided the decisive blow with 25 seconds remaining on a step-back 3-pointer while being guarded by Harris to make it 113-109.
Robinson was short on a 3-pointer after a timeout and Mitchell made three free throws down the stretch.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 01: Julio Rodríguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates in the dugout with Rob Refsnyder #30 of the Seattle Mariners after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park on May 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Baseball is so weird. Emerson Hancock pitched his poorest outing of the season yesterday and got a win after being handed a loss in what was probably the best-pitched game of his career last outing. And it was still one of the more normal games the Mariners have played in the Windy City, where things always seem to go sideways. Today Luis Castillo takes the ball for the Mariners and will try to stave off the weirdness. Meanwhile, the White Sox will attack the Mariners with yet another lefty starter, forcing the Mariners to their righty-heavy lineup and Luke Raley, hero of yesterday’s game, to the bench to start the game.
Lineups:
News:
Some updates from Ryan Divish in Chicago:
Bryce Miller will start Wednesday in Houston. With 14 games in 14 days , Mariners will use a six man rotation and then reassess after the road trip.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 04: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Monday, May 4, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Last night, the Yankees opened up a three-game series in Milwaukee, and it could’ve gone better for them. Young phenom Jacob Misiorowski shut down the Bombers, striking out 11 in six innings and keeping them off the scoreboard. Tonight, the Yankees will look to bounce back, as they send their own best young starter to the hill.
Cam Schlittler will get the start for the Yankees looking to even the series up. Even though he only allowed one run in 5.2 innings, Schlittler is coming off a bit of a struggle, for him, as he uncharacteristically walked three batters and gave up seven hits.
Elsewhere in the lineup, recent callup Spencer Jones will make his first ever start in the field in this one. Jones will be playing center field and hitting eighth in the batting order.
For Milwaukee, Kyle Harrison will take the ball. The Brewers picked up Harrison in an offseason trade with the Red Sox, and he’s gotten off to a very impressive start. Through six starts and 29.2 innings, Harrison has a 2.12 ERA with a 2.86 FIP.
We hope that you’ll come join us in the game thread for tonight’s action.
May 8, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; The Kansas City Royals celebrate a walk off win in the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
One of my favorite things that happens on Royals Review is Suff76’s Path to 90 wins. Now that we’re at the quarter-point of the season, I wanted to check in on that. If the Royals were following that path, they’d have been 19-19 entering this series, and would want to be 21-20 exiting it. Instead, they entered it 17-21 and are now 18-21. If they at least split tonight’s game and tomorrow’s, they’ll be 19-22, only two games off the pace they’d need for 90 wins, assuming they can follow the path the rest of the way. Especially considering the 8-game losing streak, they’ve made up a TON of ground already.
One of the things I preach but don’t always practice is trying to view the season in homestand/away trip chunks rather than on a game-by-game basis. Going game by game, that Cleveland series was disappointing, but looked at from a series perspective, it was solid. Going series by series, the Oakland series was disappointing, while the Mariners series was terrific; from a road trip standpoint, a 4-2 trip was fantastic.
If we look at it from a homestand perspective, after the Royals take at least two out of three from the Tigers, that would be a good homestand. Win more games on a homestand/road trip than you lose, and you’re always making up ground, even if you lose individual games or even individual series.
What that means is the Royals have a chance to guarantee themselves a good homestand and give themselves a chance at a terrific homestand tomorrow with a win tonight. But that also means if they do win tonight and lose tomorrow, that’s not a lost opportunity, that’s a successful homestand. Baseball is, famously, a marathon rather than a sprint. But we fans so often treat individual games as if they will make or break a season.
The Royals, on paper, should have an excellent opportunity in front of them tonight. Michael Wacha will take the mound for KC, and five of his seven starts to begin the year have been of the above-quality version. A quality start is, of course, six innings and three runs. All five starts were that good, but all of them saw him allow fewer than three runs, and multiple saw him go more than six innings. He did have a couple of rough starts against Baltimore and the Athletics, but he rebounded with seven innings of two-run ball against the Guardians earlier this week in one of the Royals’ wins.
Wacha hasn’t faced the Tigers this year, but he faced them in every series the two teams played last year. He had two quality starts, one start where he allowed only 2 runs in 5.1 innings, and a final start that was a bit of a dud where he gave up 4 runs in 4.2 innings, but had some terrible sequencing luck as he only allowed 5 hits and 1 walk. Hopefully, he’ll pitch something more like the seven shutout innings he gave KC on May 31 last year, when the Royals won 1-0.
The Tigers had originally planned to throw Tarik Skubal in this one. Unfortunately for them, he had a loose body removed from his elbow earlier this week so he’s unavailable. As Rex might say, the Royals won’t be sending any sympathy cards. Instead, the Tigers will use old friend Burch Smith as an opener and likely follow him with bulk reliever Ty Madden.
Smith has had a rough time since pitching for KC, he bounced around the majors for a couple of years before spending 2022 in the NPB and then even took a stab at the KBO in 2023. He returned to the states in 2024 and pitched a few subpar innings for the Orioles and Marlins. Last year, he pitched exclusively for Pittsburgh’s AAA affiliate before signing a minor league deal with Detroit over the offseason. They recalled him on April 22, and he’s been pretty good with a 1.59 ERA in 11.1 innings. He can be hard to hit, but when he does get hit, he gets hit hard.
Ty Madden is a rookie who pitched a handful of big league innings for the Tigers in 2024, though he remained in the minors all of last year. He came into the season ranked 27th among the Tigers’ prospects by FanGraphs. He was pretty mediocre in 2024, but his bulk relief appearance against the Red Sox earlier this week saw him pitch five shutout innings with seven Ks and no walks. He had trouble finding the zone in that start, though; the Red Sox just kept chasing. If the Royals can be more patient, they ought to find more success.
Lineups
The Tigers have put their dangerous lefties back in the lineup. Things won’t be easy for Wacha. On the other hand, Quatraro has actually removed Isaac Collins in favor of Lane Thomas. I’m not sure why, but hopefully it will pay off.
Off the heels of an award-winning rookie season, Cooper Flagg has put his feet up on vacation and has seemingly hard-launched a relationship.
New pictures on Instagram showed the Mavericks star and Duke women’s basketball center Arianna Roberson having fun in the sun.
While the two did not share pictures of one another on Instagram, they both posted photos of themselves enjoying the same swings over the ocean at Noah’s Ark in Turks and Caicos on Friday.
Flagg, 19, sat in one of the swings while Roberson posed holding the swing and her sunglasses for her photo op.
Cooper Flagg enjoys his offseason vacation in Turks and Caicos with his new girlfriend. Instagram @cooper_flaggDuke women’s basketball player Arianna Roberson poses for a picture while on vacation with the Mavericks star. Instagram @arianna.roberson
The two seemingly met through their Duke connection.
Roberson overlapped with Flagg for a year at the school when they were freshmen in the 2024-25 season.
After Flagg’s impressive lone college season, where he won numerous accolades, including ACC Rookie of the Year, he declared for the NBA draft and was taken as the No. 1 pick by Dallas.
Roberson is no stranger to the game nor the demands of the pros.
Her brother is former NBA guard Andre Roberson, who spent six of his seven years in the league with the Thunder. His last NBA season was in the 2020-21 season with the Nets.
This past year as a redshirt freshman, Roberson averaged 8.0 points per game on 41 percent shooting across 33 games for the Blue Devils.
Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on April 10, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
In his first professional season, Flagg averaged 21 points on 46 percent shooting. He also logged 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals throughout 70 starts.
The season culminated in him winning Rookie of the Year.
Flagg also joined Michael Jordan as the only rookies to lead their respective teams in points, rebounds, assists and steals since the latter was first logged in the 1973-74 season.
Despite Flagg’s early NBA stardom, Dallas missed the playoffs entirely.
It’s the second consecutive year the Mavericks missed the postseason since losing the NBA Finals in 2023-24.
In both cases, the lower seeds played their first games of their respective series at home, and both looked to avoid falling into debilitating 0-3 deficits.
The Cavaliers did their part, fending off a Pistons rally in the second half to win, 116-109, with guard Donovan Mitchell leading the charge with 35 points.
Here are takeaways from Saturday’s Game 3s from the conference semifinal round:
Re-affirming the general vibe in the East, the Knicks remain the team to beat
While New York is excelling on both offense and defense, the Pistons have some vulnerabilities that have been exposed over the postseason. For one, All-Star center Jalen Duren (11 points and 4 rebounds in 29:17 on the floor Saturday) has become a role player, and is simply not a reliable No. 3 option, let alone a No. 2 threat.
In fact, his backup, Paul Reed (11 points and 3 rebounds in 9:46 on the floor) nearly matched Duren’s production in nearly 20 fewer minutes on the court. The Pistons lost 116-109.
The Cavaliers need the James Harden from the final two minutes of Game 3
James Harden did nail a trio of massive buckets inside the final two minutes Saturday — a step-back jumper, a floater in the lane and a step-back 3 to score 7 consecutive points for Cleveland in the clutch — but the Cavaliers cannot simply rely on Donovan Mitchell carrying this team back into the series with 35-pieces every game.
But consider this: prior to the final 1:29 of the game, Harden was sitting on just 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Harden does deserve credit for not forcing shots and letting the game come to him, but a dose of aggression earlier in these games will go a long way to tying the series up.
Coach Kenny Atkinson did show an immense amount of trust in Harden by putting the ball in his hands down the stretch. The Cavs should hope it can carry over into Game 4.
In make-or-miss league, Pistons need to find other outlets of offense
Like many teams, when the shots are dropping for Detroit, it can be tough to beat. Also like many teams, when they’re not falling, the Pistons can be vulnerable.
In the first half, the Pistons shot just 2-of-14 (14.3%) from 3-point range. And while Detroit was fortunate to catch fire and hit 7-of-11 (63.6%) from deep in the second half, a 16-point deficit at the half proved to be too much to overcome.
This has been Detroit’s weakness all season long, so the Pistons need to find ways to generate easier looks in transition to help open up the 3-point shooting.
On Saturday, both teams committed 15 turnovers. Yet, the Cavaliers turned those giveaways into 27 points, while Detroit produced only 19.
Cleveland’s inability this postseason to win away from the Rocket Arena is a significant concern. Granted, the Cavs obviously need to take care of Detroit in Game 4 to make this a series. But the Cavaliers have struggled to find offense outside of Cleveland.
In five home games this playoffs, Cleveland is averaging 119.2 points per game. On the road, that number plummets to just 100.2.
On Saturday, the Cavaliers shot the ball at an absurd 58.1% clip. In order to have any shot to come back and make a run, Cleveland needs to perform on the road.
