HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 24: Ryan Yarbrough #33 of the New York Yankees celebrates with Ben Rice #22 after defeating the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on April 24, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees are rolling again, having won eight games in a row, and they stand in position to sweep another one of their long-term rivals from this era. The Astros may be down on their luck, having lost most of their pitching staff to injury and falling down to the bottom of the AL West, but that wouldn’t make it any sweeter to exact a portion of revenge for how thoroughly their playoff meetings went. With the offense heating up during this streak though, and the pitching still delivering, it sure feels like every day they take the field expecting to win.
While we await the finale of this series later in the afternoon, there’s a couple of things to look forward to this morning. Matt goes over the results from around the league last night, including the surprising first managerial change of the season with Alex Cora out in Boston. Then it’s a double-feature from John, first taking the time to wish the Captain a happy birthday and go over the incredible career that he’s built for himself already before launching into the weekly social media spotlight.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees at Houston Astros
Time: 2:10 p.m. EST
Video: YES Network, Space City Home Network
Venue: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
Questions/Prompts:
1. Are you a believer that Luis Gil has found his form, or does he need to deliver another strong outing today to prove himself?
2. Did you think Alex Cora was on the hot seat prior to his firing? What do you make of Boston’s odds now that they’ve cleaned house on the coaches bench?
Maxime Raynaud, however, experienced his “welcome to the NBA” moment against a center from the Denver Nuggets — not Nikola Jokić, but rather his backup, Jonas Valančiūnas. The Kings’ 23-year-old shared his story in the latest edition of “The Old Man and The Three” with Sacramento teammates Precious Achiuwa and Nique Clifford.
“Jonas Valančiūnas; it was so bad,” Raynaud said. “It was so bad. Before the game … one of our video guys showed me a clip and was like, ‘Look, as soon as JV comes into the game, they’re going to run this ATO play — it’s like a cross-screen, he’s going to catch the ball, he’s going to post up — like, you know it’s coming. ‘Yes.’ He comes into the game, I see the cross-screen coming, I’m like, ‘All right, I got it,’ push him out, push him out.
“He catches the ball at the 3-point break — one dribble, chest, two dribbles, chest. He took me — just pushed me — out of the way. Did not even care to dunk the ball. Just laid it up over me; I felt like a baby. I was just like, I cannot do anything against this. He genuinely just walked me to the rim, took me, pushed me and just laid it up.”
“Then, after the game, our assistant GM [B.J. Armstrong] comes up to me, he’s like, ‘Max, you got to stand your ground.’ I’m like, ‘There’s no ground to stand on … I can’t do nothing,’” Raynaud hilariously added. “I couldn’t do anything.
“And then, the craziest thing is that he didn’t even have a crazy game … those eight points (were) loud.”
Raynaud and the Kings, at least, won the game, 128-123, on Nov. 22 at Ball Arena.
But the rookie will have to live with the lighthearted nightmare forever.
“He picked you up … this man picked him up,” Clifford said. “Max was two feet in the air.”
Despite the lowlight, Raynaud did keep Valančiūnas to eight points, as he remembered. Jokić, meanwhile, finished with 44.
There is a difference, though.
“It didn’t physically hurt you as much,” Raynaud said of Jokić’s buckets. “It sucks because you look up, and he’s probably the best player in the world at that moment. But …
“[Jokić] goes about his day, goes about his business. Like, he doesn’t talk too much to you or anything. After JV did ‘that,’ he started chuckling and running back kind of sideways; that’s what upset me the most.”
Valančiūnas, a former King, gave the rookie the business. Raynaud and Sacramento, though, ultimately left the Mile High City with the aforementioned dub — and that’s all that matters.
“You should feel good,” Achiuwa said. “We won that game.”
Boston, MA - April 23: Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard holds up the Sixth Man Award before Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Annually, the International Association of Structure Movers holds a convention with an awards banquet. Some awards are based purely on the numbers (e.g. “Heaviest Structure Moved on Rubber Tires”), but others are based on the opinions of judges (e.g. “Most Innovative Move”).
I love to use these awards as an example of a typical trade association’s annual recognition banquet because these are incredibly niche undertakings. These ain’t the Oscars—or the NBA’s awards for that matter.
Yet, they kind of are.
The NBA’s regular season awards recognize an array of achievements, but in the end, this is just the league and its media associates patting itself on the back. Call the MVP award the Oscar for Best Actor, or the “Most Innovative Move” and you’ve got the general idea figured out. Of course, an added complication in the NBA is that actual money in terms of max contract values is involved in some NBA awards, but the principle is the same.
When the NBA announced finalists for various individual performance awards last week, no Celtics players were listed. Jaylen Brown was not a finalist for the MVP and Neemias Queta was not a finalist for Most Improved Player. Jayson Tatum is a finalist for Teammate of the Year, which is surprising given the amount of on-the-court time he missed, and Joe Mazzulla is a finalist for an award that he has said he doesn’t really want.
Overall, though, how have the Celtics fared when it comes to these annual awards?
Looking back at the league’s most inclusive award, the All-NBA teams, Boston has nabbed 86 of 930 possible slots since the award was first given in the good old BAA days. This is second to the Lakers, who have filled 101 slots (Kobe, Kareem, and Magic account for 36 of those slots), but well ahead of the Sixers/Nationals, who have 67 All-NBA awards to their credit.
In terms of All-Defense, the Celtics lead the league in selections, with 49 of 570 slots. The Spurs are second with 44.
MVP selections are an interesting story. The Celtics have had 10 MVP awards. This is the most in league history. However, Larry Bird was the last Celtic to win an MVP award, and that was in the ’85-86 season. It’s been 40 years since a Boston player won an MVP award. At one point in time, one out of every four MVP awards had gone to a Celtic. Nowadays, it’s down to one out of eight. The Lakers and Sixers are tied for second place with seven MVP awards apiece.
For the Defensive Player of the Year award, Boston has two winners—Kevin Garnett and Marcus Smart. They are far from the most decorated franchise in league history here. The top awarded teams are, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Detroit Pistons (Ben Wallace was a four-time winner) and the San Antonio Spurs.
Rookie recognition is, as one would suspect, pretty thin on the ground for the Celtics. A team as consistently good as they have been doesn’t tend to give rookies a lot of opportunity to shine. Thus, the C’s have only landed 19 players on the 485 slots available on the All-Rookie team (the Bulls are, somewhat surprisingly, the league leaders, with 25 All-Rookie nominees). The Celtics have had three Rookies of the Year: Tom Heinsohn, Dave Cowens and Larry Bird. The Warriors lead all teams with six winners.
Boston players have won the Sixth Man of the Year award five times, which is tied with the Clippers, surprisingly, for most in league history, and no Celtic has ever been named Most Improved Player.
Overall, the C’s position as the winningest franchise in league history both in terms of games won and in terms of championships is pretty well reflected in player honors. To be sure, there seems to have been some neglect on the All-NBA teams, but from a big picture standpoint, there’s not a whole lot to gripe about here.
This is especially the case when you consider that the league has named seven awards after Celtic figures, the most of any team (Sam Jones, Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, Chuck Cooper, Red Auerbach, John Havlicek, and Bill Russell).
Where things make no sense at all is when it comes to the Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year awards.
The Atlanta Hawks have had the league’s Coach of the Year on six different occasions.
The league began giving this award out in 1963 and Harry Gallatin won the first award as coach of the then St. Louis Hawks. Since then the Hawks have accumulated a record of 2585-2581. I mean, that’s technically a better than .500 record, but c’mon. How thin can you slice that piece of pie?
The last time a Celtic coach won the award? Bill Fitch—in Larry Bird’s rookie year. The following year, the year the C’s won the title, the award went to Jack McKinney, whose Pacer team went 44-38. The Celtics have won five championships since Fitch’s award in 1980. Mind you, as I’ve said elsewhere, I think it’s good that coaches of other teams receive a little bronze statue of Red Auerbach to remind them of the league’s pecking order. But still, there’s very little about this award that makes sense.
Even more mind boggling is the Executive of the Year award. Here, Jerry Colangelo managed to land the award four times during a period in which his Suns finished first in their division exactly twice. During the period that Colangelo was collecting all that hardware, Red Auerbach won the award in 1980, presumably in recognition of his foresight in drafting Larry Bird the year before, and that’s it. No more awards for Red.
Red got zero recognition for moves like acquiring Parish and McHale in one trade, or Dennis Johnson, or Bill Walton. These were all brilliant deals that paid dividends the year that they were made, all were moves one would expect the league’s best executive to make, but none of them were good enough to secure another Executive of the Year award. On the opposite coast, neither Bill Sharman nor Jerry West got the award for building the Showtime Lakers, but hey, Atlanta’s Stan Kasten won it in ’85-86 and ’86-87, years in which two of the greatest teams in NBA history were fielded, neither of which were the Atlanta Hawks.
But what, ultimately, do these awards say about the quality of play on the court or talent on the bench or in the front office?
Not much.
To be sure, bad players don’t make it onto the All-NBA teams, and winning the MVP is basically a guarantee that you’ll end up in Springfield, but these awards are just a side show. They’re not the main event, and they’re not the final measure of the value of players, coaches and executives.
At best, awards are the detritus of a successful season. They’re side effects, secondary symptoms that indicate you’ve done a good job.
Sure, it’s always nice to get an award, to get recognition for doing your job well, whether it’s at an annual rubber chicken dinner hosted by the International Association of Structure Movers or in an NBA press release, but those awards aren’t where it’s at.
My brother-in-law Trent has been in the structure moving business for over thirty years. Despite participating in what was, at the time, the Heaviest Rubber Tire Structure Move in history, as well as a number of other award-winning projects and transport inventions, he says, “I don’t care whether we get an award. I don’t need that kind of recognition to motivate me.”
Joe Mazzulla couldn’t have said it better himself.
ATLANTA — Mike Brown began the game the same way, keeping his starting unit intact.
But notably, he also ended the game the same way to continue the growing concern around Mikal Bridges.
After acknowledging ahead of Game 4 that the Knicks were considering shaking up the starting unit, Brown stuck with his guns and kept Bridges in the starting lineup.
Bridges recorded eight points in 19 minutes in the Knicks’ 114-98 win over the Hawks on Saturday night at State Farm Arena to even the series at 2-2.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker steals the ball from Mikal Bridgets during the Knicks’ 114-98 Game 4 win over the Hawks on April 25, 2026 in Atlanta. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“We’ve won a lot of games with the starting group,” Brown said. “I didn’t want to panic and just change anything. Obviously, we changed some stuff strategy-wise, but I didn’t want to change anything with the starting group because I didn’t feel a need to.”
If those 19 minutes seem odd for a starter, there is a reason for that. After Bridges checked out with 7:34 left in the third quarter, he was benched the rest of the way. Miles McBride was on the floor in his place.
It mirrored the end of the Knicks’ Game 3 loss, when Bridges was benched — similarly for McBride — for the vast majority of the second half.
“At the end of the day, I just felt that [McBride] had it rolling,” Brown said. “They were gonna double Jalen [Brunson]. When they did, [McBride] hit some big 3s. So if a guy has it rolling, he may have a chance to stay out on the floor, that’s all it was.”
To begin the playoffs, it seemed like Jose Alvarado was out of the playoff rotation. But he’s crept back in — and is making an impact.
Jose Alvarado is held back by Mike Brown after he got into a bit of a dustup with Mouhamed Gueye in the first quarter of the Knicks’ 114-98 Game 4 win over the Hawks, forcing the Atlanta forward into a technical foul. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
He recorded six points in 14 minutes Saturday.
He also brought a bit of his trademark snarl — soon after checking in for the first time at the end of the first quarter, he got into a bit of a dustup with Mouhamed Gueye and forced Gueye into a technical foul.
His rise has come at the expense of Landry Shamet, whose struggles at the end of the regular season bled into the beginning of the playoffs.
Shamet, who only played in garbage time Saturday, seems to now be out of the rotation.
“He was huge,” Brown said of Alvarado. “He hit two big 3s. He was a guy that they were gonna leave open. He works very hard on his 3-point shooting. He took the right shots tonight. And then defensively, he tried to be a pest. What he did out on the floor for us gave us a huge lift, especially when Jalen was out.”
Brunson surpassed John Starks for the fourth-most total points in the playoffs in franchise history.
Apr 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox in the second inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
NY Daily News | Gary Phillips: Giancarlo Stanton left Friday’s game in the middle of the sixth inning after feeling tightness in his right calf while running the bases, and the team had an update on his condition ahead of their Saturday victory over Houston. Manager Aaron Boone commented on Stanton’s status, noting that they were going to “try to get to 24 hours or maybe tomorrow to see where we’re at and then decide what to do.” It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see Stanton end up on the injured list at some point in the season, but if they could avoid a stint on the IL this early in that would be the best-case scenario. Playing it safe seems like the most likely outcome regardless, as the veteran slugger could easily end up on the shelf for way longer if they let him back in the lineup too early.
NY Post | Greg Joyce: Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s usage of ABS challenges have been, to be frank, pretty terrible thus far. The second baseman has taken some bold attempts at overturning strikes that ended up being nowhere close, and he’s got a 1-for-6 record overall with the challenges. Chisholm has taken it on the chin though, admitting that he’s started fining himself for wasting challenges, and that his ninth-inning strikeout from Friday that got confirmed by ABS was the second time he’s administered a fine for his trigger-happy challenging ways.
MLB.com | Sarah Langs: The Captain turns 34 today, and in celebration of Aaron Judge’s birthday Langs takes us on a walk through the incredible achievements that Judge has already collected at such a rapid pace. Whether its the rate at which he’s smashed a historic amount of homers, the level of dominance he’s displayed as a right-handed hitter, or just the plain hardware count he’s collected, Judge’s career is an incredible one to look back at already, and there’s still so much to look forward to.
NY Daily News | Gary Phillips: Anthony Volpe is making progress in his rehab stint in the minors, but Boone isn’t anticipating that he’ll be back during their current road trip. The skipper wants to see Volpe make it through back-to-back starts before finishing his rehab assignment, and while he was set to do that Saturday with Triple-A Scranton inclement weather ended up postponing that game and pushing that goal a bit further back. Still, Volpe should be on pace to return for the Yankees’ next homestand beginning on Friday against Baltimore, and he’s expected to slide back into the starting lineup as the team’s shortstop once he’s there.
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: Finally, we end with a somber farewell to Ellie Rodríguez, who passed away earlier in the week at the age of 79. Rodríguez grew up in the Bronx and ended up signing with the Kansas City Athletics before getting sent over to New York in 1964. He ended up making his MLB debut in 1968 and had a nine-game stint with the Yanks before getting selected in the 1969 expansion draft becoming a part of the inaugural Royals franchise. Rodríguez wound up becoming a two-time All-Star during his nine year career in the majors that saw him spend time with the Brewers, Angels, and Dodgers. Our condolences to his family and loved ones.
HOUSTON — As someone who recently became a father for the first time himself, Austin Wells probably would have understood if Ryan Weathers was not at his sharpest Saturday night, three days after the birth of his son.
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“I had a couple months before I had to go back to playing baseball,” said Wells, who became a dad during the offseason. “I mean, he might still be blacked out from that event.”
Whatever Weathers was after a whirlwind week, he delivered what the Yankees needed.
The left-hander, who raced home from Boston on Wednesday morning to arrive just in time for the birth of Paul David Weathers and then flew to Houston on Friday, threw 5 ¹/₃ innings of two-run ball against the Astros on the way to an 8-3 win.
“It’s definitely been crazy, but it’s been great,” said Weathers, who struck out four and walked none. “Son is doing great; mom is doing great. So it was fun to just play baseball and get back out there.”
Ryan Weathers delivers a pitch during the Yankees’ 8-3 blowout win over Astros on April 25, 2026 in Houston. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Weathers’ wife, Thayer, was due to deliver Saturday, but he got a call at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday that her water broke. From Boston, where the Yankees were playing the Red Sox, he jumped in a car service back to New York and arrived home at 9:47 a.m. before his son was born at 10:04 a.m.
“So I had about 10 minutes to get in there,” Weathers said with a chuckle. “It was awesome. I made it in time; it was great. … Things happened pretty quickly.”
In the few days since, Weathers said he “actually got a lot” of sleep, with his son lying on his chest.
“Definitely priceless memories,” he said. “I want him to stay that little forever, for sure.”
As for his day job, Weathers was able to make it over to Yankee Stadium on Thursday to throw his bullpen session and again Friday to play catch.
Then he flew down to Houston on Friday and by Saturday was able to flip the switch from new dad to big league pitcher against a tough lineup.
“It’s still my job,” he said. “I still have to perform. So go out with that mindset. There’s been a lot of crazy things happening — my job is to go out there and throw up zeroes and try to help this ballclub win games.”
Karl-Anthony Towns recorded the first playoff triple-double of his career with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
He took over in the third quarter, when Jalen Brunson was in the locker room and the Knicks began to pull away.
Zero
Jalen Johnson, primarily guarded by OG Anunoby, finished with 14 points on rough 4-for-12 shooting from
OG Anunoby blocks Jalen Johnson’s shot during the third quarter of the Knicks’ 114-98 Game 4 win over the Hawks on April 25 2026 in Atlanta. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
the field. He was a game-worst minus-19.
Unsung hero
Josh Hart set the tone early, and his teammates fed off his energy as they so often do.
He finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Key stat
24.4 — The Hawks’ shooting percentage from 3-point range. They jacked up 41 of them, a plethora of low-quality looks.
Quote
“I thought we did a great job coming out with more tenacity. More desperation I think is the proper word.”
He recorded a game-high 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field — and 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range — along with 10 rebounds. He was a game-best plus-19.
OG Anunoby backs down Gabe Vincent during the Knicks 114-98 Game 4 win over the Hawks on April 25, 2026 in Atlanta. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Anunoby’s strong effort in Game 3 went a bit under the radar given the Knicks lost. But across these past two games, Anunoby shot a combined 7-for-14 from 3-point range.
“Just shooting no matter if I’m contested or not contested,” Anunoby said. “I work very hard on my game, so I always think it’s going in.”
Anunoby drilled back-to-back 3s in the second quarter Saturday as the Knicks extended their lead to double digits. His scoring was a steady presence the whole game — he scored six points in each of the first three quarters before finishing with four in the fourth quarter.
It’s been much more than just his shooting, though.
He spent the majority of Saturday matched up with Jalen Johnson and completely neutralized him. Johnson shot just 1-for-5 when Anunoby was guarding him, per the league’s official tracking stats.
In total, the Hawks on offense shot a combined 5-for-15 with Anunoby as the primary defender.
And he was key to the Knicks owning the glass. His rebounding numbers have been up the past two games — he had nine in Game 3.
Has that been a concerted effort?
“It’s a team effort, for sure,” Anunoby said. “We want to control the boards. And then just depending on who I’m guarding. When I’m on the perimeter, sometimes it’s harder to get rebounds. But making an emphasis on coming in, crashing the boards, helping the team finish possessions.”
With Jalen Brunson again not at his best, the Knicks needed others to step up and help carry the scoring load.
PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 24: Luke Kornet #7 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts after a dunk during the second half of Game Three of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on April 24, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. 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 Soobum Im/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Amid the uncertainty surrounding Victor Wembanyama’s return date, the Spurs headed to Portland for a crucial Game 3. A loss would have upped the pressure considerably on a young San Antonio team that still doesn’t know when it will get its superstar back. Fortunately, the Silver and Black prevailed thanks to fantastic performances from their young guards and a gutsy, physical team effort on both ends.
The urgency to get a win is now squarely on the Trail Blazers’ shoulders. Whether Wembanyama, listed as questionable, plays or not, they need to come out on top on Sunday or face elimination in San Antonio in Game 5. Desperation can be good, as the Spurs showed on Friday with a strong second half, but it can also lead to disarray. It will be on San Antonio to continue to play hard and try to get their opponent to make mistakes and exploit them.
A potential Wembanyama return could completely change the dynamic of the game, making the Spurs clear favorites. Even without him, the Silver and Black have proved they can get tough wins, so it should be a good matchup either way. Heading to San Antonio with a tied series wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, considering the circumstances, but this team clearly wants to continue exceeding expectations, even in the playoffs.
Spurs Injuries: Victor Wembanyama — Questionable (Concussion), Jordan McLaughlin – Questionable (Ankle)
Trail Blazers Injuries: Damian Lillard – Out (Achilles)
What to watch for:
Can Carter Bryant bring the energy again?
While Stephon Castle’s and Dylan Harper’s production understandably got the most attention for the win, there were plenty of others who were essential in Game 3. One of them was Carter Bryant, the rookie who was tasked with playing center in small-ball lineups. Bryant had his moments in the first half but really made his mark in the second, flying around the court on defense but also walking the ball up on offense to help avoid the full-court press the Blazers were using on the guards and keeping the offense moving when he got the ball in the half-court.
The challenge, if Wembanyama misses the game, will be to do it all again. The Blazers were leaving Bryant open, and at times, he was not even looking at the rim. In part, he was just trying to get others involved with handoffs and change the angle of attack, but if they continue to dare him, he’ll have to fire away. Bryant also defended Deni Avdija well when he got the chance, showing discipline against a tough opponent to guard. In general, his length and athleticism make him a good fit for this matchup against a Blazers team that has those traits in spades, so with or more likely without Wemby available, the Spurs could use another good Bryant game.
Gang rebounding will be key
One of the biggest concerns heading into the series was rebounding. The Trail Blazers have great offensive rebounding big men and like to attack the paint, drawing help defense. The Spurs were the best defensive rebounding team in the league, but it was still something they’d have to focus on to limit their opponent’s second-chance opportunities. They did a good job in the first two games, but going into Game 3 without Wemby, it seemed like it was going to be a problem.
Fortunately, the team found another level of energy and physicality on the boards, with the perimeter players, especially the young guys, helping out Luke Kornet, who dutifully boxed out when he was out there. In the end, offensive rebounding became a strength for the Spurs instead of the Blazers, as the visitors finished with 22 second-chance points to 12 for the home team. The Silver and Black will need that level of commitment to both clean the defensive glass and attack offensive boards in Game 4, especially if Wembanyama is out.
Can Keldon Johnson have a big game?
Keldon Johnson, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, is averaging five points on 28 percent shooting so far this series. He’s been a big help on the boards, averaging five a game, and has guarded centers at times, but he has massively struggled to provide any kind of offensive punch for the Spurs, especially inside. In Game 3, he went 1-for-7 from the floor, and his only make was a three-pointer. He’s not scored in double digits yet. The Blazers’ length at the forward spots and their interior defense have been giving Keldon fits so far.
Some of his misses, however, have been uncharacteristic, as he normally successfully uses his hook to get his shot past rim protectors, and he has good body control on drives. Johnson will need to continue being aggressive, especially when he’s guarded by Deni Avdija, to make the Blazers’ star spend energy on the defensive end. If Johnson can also do a better job when he has to guard a perimeter scorer, which he has struggled to do, it would help the Spurs massively. Portland is not a great matchup for Keldon, but he needs to find ways to contribute, and if the past is any indication, he will.
Fans of the Detroit Red Wings will have to wait another year for their beloved franchise to play beyond the 82nd game of the regular season.
Unfortunately, the Red Wings unraveled in the month of March once again, losing what was a comfortable playoff cushion and eventually being eliminated from contention in the 80th game of their centennial campaign.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes have already punched their ticket to the second round of the postseason thanks to a clean four-game sweep of Detroit's Atlantic Division rival, the Ottawa Senators.
In doing so, they matched an impressive mark set by the Red Wings in 2009 that had not been repeated until now.
The Hurricanes became the first team since the 2009 Red Wings, who swept the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Western Conference Quarterfinal, to never trail at any point during an opening-round series.
Talk about staying ahead of the game 🏃♂️💨
The Canes are the first team to never trail in a game in the first round series since the Red Wings vs. the Blue Jackets in 2009 🙌 pic.twitter.com/YiUboBdkFN
Detroit was matched against the Blue Jackets, who were making their very first playoff appearance.
Just like the Hurricanes did to the Senators, the Red Wings proved to be simply too much for the Blue Jackets to handle.
The only competitive game of the series was Game 4 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, a wild back-and-forth affair that ultimately resulted in a 6-5 victory for Detroit.
Johan Franzen scored the game-winning goal with 46 seconds left in regulation after an ill-advised bench minor penalty assessed to the Blue Jackets for too many men on the ice.
Detroit would then go on to enjoy a thrilling seven-game series win over the Anaheim Ducks, followed by a five-game series win over the Chicago Blackhawks to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season.
However, it would be the Pittsburgh Penguins pulling off a stunning upset, winning the series in seven games and skating the Stanley Cup on Joe Louis Arena ice.
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Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18, first in the Western Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (45-37, seventh in the Western Conference)
Phoenix; Monday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Thunder -10.5; over/under is 213.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Thunder lead series 3-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Oklahoma City Thunder look to clinch the series over the Phoenix Suns in game four of the Western Conference first round. The Thunder defeated the Suns 121-109 in the last meeting on Saturday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 42 points, and Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 33.
The Suns are 29-23 against Western Conference opponents. Phoenix has a 19-29 record against teams above .500.
The Thunder are 41-11 in Western Conference play. Oklahoma City is second in the league giving up only 107.9 points while holding opponents to 43.7% shooting.
The Suns score 112.6 points per game, 4.7 more points than the 107.9 the Thunder allow. The Thunder average 7.9 more points per game (119.0) than the Suns allow their opponents to score (111.1).
TOP PERFORMERS: Devin Booker is averaging 26.1 points and six assists for the Suns. Brooks is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Cason Wallace is shooting 43.2% and averaging 8.6 points for the Thunder. Isaiah Joe is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Suns: 3-7, averaging 106.3 points, 42.2 rebounds, 21.2 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.2 points per game.
Thunder: 8-2, averaging 122.0 points, 44.7 rebounds, 28.0 assists, 10.6 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.6 points.
INJURIES: Suns: Mark Williams: day to day (foot), Jordan Goodwin: day to day (calf).
Thunder: Isaiah Joe: day to day (personal), Jalen Williams: out (hamstring), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Detroit Pistons (60-22, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (45-37, eighth in the Eastern Conference)
Orlando, Florida; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Pistons -2.5; over/under is 214.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Magic lead series 2-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Orlando Magic host the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference first round with a 2-1 lead in the series. The Magic won the last meeting 113-105 on Saturday, led by 25 points from Paolo Banchero. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 27.
The Magic have gone 26-26 against Eastern Conference teams. Orlando is ninth in the Eastern Conference scoring 115.7 points while shooting 46.4% from the field.
The Pistons are 39-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Detroit is fourth in the league scoring 18.0 fast break points per game. Tobias Harris leads the Pistons averaging 3.7.
The 115.7 points per game the Magic score are 6.1 more points than the Pistons give up (109.6). The Pistons average 117.8 points per game, 2.7 more than the 115.1 the Magic give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Banchero is averaging 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Magic. Desmond Bane is averaging 17.5 points over the last 10 games.
Cunningham is averaging 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists for the Pistons. Duncan Robinson is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Magic: 7-3, averaging 114.9 points, 45.2 rebounds, 27.2 assists, 9.7 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.2 points per game.
Pistons: 7-3, averaging 115.5 points, 44.3 rebounds, 29.4 assists, 9.4 steals and 7.6 blocks per game while shooting 50.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.0 points.
INJURIES: Magic: Jonathan Isaac: day to day (knee).
Pistons: Kevin Huerter: day to day (hip).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (54-28, third in the Western Conference)
Denver; Monday, 10:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Nuggets -10.5; over/under is 223.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Timberwolves lead series 3-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Timberwolves look to clinch the series over the Denver Nuggets in game five of the Western Conference first round. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-96 in the last meeting on Sunday. Ayo Dosunmu led the Timberwolves with 43 points, and Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 30.
The Nuggets have gone 11-5 against division opponents. Denver is fourth in the NBA with 29.0 assists per game. Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets averaging 10.7.
The Timberwolves are 9-7 against opponents from the Northwest Division. Minnesota is eighth in the Western Conference scoring 50.3 points per game in the paint led by Dosunmu averaging 11.5.
The Nuggets average 14.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.1 more made shots on average than the 12.1 per game the Timberwolves allow. The Timberwolves average 118.0 points per game, 1.1 more than the 116.9 the Nuggets allow to opponents.
TOP PERFORMERS: Murray is averaging 25.4 points and 7.1 assists for the Nuggets. Jokic is averaging 22.7 points over the last 10 games.
Julius Randle is averaging 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and five assists for the Timberwolves. Bones Hyland is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 121.6 points, 46.9 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 6.8 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.6 points per game.
Timberwolves: 6-4, averaging 117.2 points, 42.1 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 7.9 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.3 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Peyton Watson: out (hamstring).
Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards: day to day (undisclosed), Donte DiVincenzo: out for season (leg).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Well, we had our first “home game” in Mexico City this afternoon, and here at the end of it I find myself in an absolutely filthy mood. A big part of that, I’m sure, is how the game ultimately turned out. Some portion is also that, like others have remarked over the last couple of days, it seems grossly unfair that, in a divisional series, one team—the Diamondbacks, in this instance—got the “honor” of being assigned as the home team despite the fact that we, like the San Diego Padres, are playing very far from home in fact, and in facilities and at an elevation that are both deeply unfamiliar and likely uncomfortable for both teams. And given that end-of-year tiebreakers, should they happen to come into play in September when postseason berths are being decided, have division records and whatnot pretty high up on the list, having two less actual home games, in our actual home park, against a divisional foe puts us at a distinct disadvantage, and makes these games much more high-stakes for us than they would be otherwise, and much more high-stakes than they should be. It seems distinctly unfair, and also pretty wildly unnecessary, at least if one’s primary interest is Major League Baseball. But more on that later, I suppose….I’m supposed to be a recapping a baseball game here. So I suppose I should get to it.
The Padres brought former Rockie German Marquez to play today, while we brought Zac Gallen. Since we were pitching “at home,” Gallen got to go first, and while he was hardly wowing with his control or his efficiency—of the seventeen pitches he threw in the top of the first, only eight of them landed for strikes—he did retire the top of the San Diego lineup in order, and put up a welcome zero. Marquez did the same to us, in the bottom of the first, but with rather more efficiency, needing only thirteen pitches to sit down Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, and Corbin Carroll in order with two looking punchouts and a grounder to short. Gallen was a bit better in the second, recording another clean inning with two strikeouts of his own, and only throwing fifteen pitches.
In the bottom of the second, meanwhile, we managed to make Marquez work a little bit harder, to say the least. Adrian Del Castillo flew out to center and Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. rolled a grounder to second for two quick outs, but then the bottom half of our lineup showed that they, at least, had gotten their bats through customs. Ildemaro Vargas kept his hit streak going with a line-drive single to shallow center, Nolan Arenado hit a shot that glanced off Manny Machado’s glove and wound up in left field for another single. Jose Fernandez, today’s designated hitter, roped a line drive double into the gap in left center to drive in Vargas and Nolan. Then Alek Thomas stepped to the plate, and on the third pitch he saw from Marquez demonstrated what hitting a fly ball at 7,300 feet above sea level can do for your offensive production:
Steve and Tom, who were our broadcasters today, kept describing the hit as “towering” and so on and so forth, but if you look closely, he kind of got under it and hit it pretty much off the end of the bat, and if you look at where it lands (in what I presume is a bullpen area just over the right field fence), I don’t think there’s any way that ball goes for a home run in any MLB ballpark. But what the heck? We’ll take it. 4-0 DBACKS
And that was the Diamondbacks One Big Inning on offense. You may have noted in the “dek” or the tagline for this post that One Big Inning laid Brandon Pfaadt and the Diamondbacks low, but this wasn’t it. You may not have noticed, but the Diamondbacks definitely seem to have OBI problems fairly frequently, not only in terms of our pitching but also in terms of our offense. For our offense, it manifests a bit differently—we score a chunk of runs in one inning of the ballgame, usually early, and after that it’s, well, nothing. Crickets. So it was today.
Maybe we should give that phenomenon a slightly different acronym, to distinguish the offense problem from the pitching problem. Maybe call the offense one Only One Big Inning, or OOBI. Yeah. I think that works.
Anyway. Gallen allowed his first bit of traffic in the top of the third, though to be fair it was hardly his fault. With out out already recorded, Zac threw a knuckle curve to Padres catcher Freddy Fermin, who hit it right back up the box. It hit Gallen in his right shoulder and then dribbled away onto the infield for a single. The trainers came out, they had Gallen throw a number of practice pitches off the mound, and when they were satisfied, they went back into the dugout and Gallen finished up the inning with a grounder to second and his third strikeout of the game. That was the end of his outing, however, as presumably the shoulder started to swell and stiffen up, and by the time to top of the fourth rolled around Brandon Pfaadt was warming up in the bullpen, and it was announced that Zac was out of the game due to a “right shoulder contusion.”
That didn’t seem like so bad a thing, really, because Pfaadt came out dealing. He struck out two in a nine-pitch top of the fourth, and pitched around a two-out solo dinger from San Diego first baseman Ty France in the top of the fifth. 4-1 DBACKS
The top of the sixth started off a bit rougher, with Jake Cronenworth drawing an eight-pitch leadoff walk from the nine hole. He struck out Ramon Laureano, though, and induced a very hard grounder from Fernando Tatis, Jr. that Perdomo scooped to start a very slick inning-ending double play.
You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned the offense, but that’s because the offense wasn’t doing anything except swinging early at Marquez pitches and allowing him to cruise through the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings with only 38 pitches thrown. They scattered two singles, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch across those four frames, and yet Marquez wound up having to throw, on average, fewer than ten pitches in any one of those innings. It was uninspiring, to say the least.
Meanwhile, Pfaadt was only at 36 pitches through his three innings of work, so he came out to start the top of the seventh, and that was when the wheels came off. He walked Jackson Merrill on ten pitches to open up the action, then surrendered a single to Machado, and then stepped off the mound three different times to balk the runners to second and third before walking Zander Bogaerts on six pitches to load the bases with nobody out. That earned Pfaadt the hook, with Taylor Clarke coming on to try and get out of the mess. Long story stort: he failed, though not for lack of effort. Gavin Sheets greeted his first pitch with a two-run single to right, Ty France reached on a fielding error by Perdomo that led to Perdomo leaving the game with what was later diagnosed as a sprained ankle, and two sacrifice flies later, the Padres had the lead. 5-4 San Diego
And that was pretty much that. Ty France hit another solo dinger off Trevor Andrew Hoffman to lead off the ninth, the Diamondbacks managed a bit more traffic on the basepaths but couldn’t get anyone else home, and that gives us our disappointing final score of 6-4 San Diego
Your Neighborhood Arizona Taco Shack: Zac Gallen (3 IP, 1 H, 3 K, 0 BB, +14% WPA), Jose Fernandez (4 AB, 2 H, 1 2B, 2 RBI, +13% WPA) That Taco Bell Just Off the Interstate Outside Dubuque, Iowa: Adrian Del Castillo (4 AB, 0 H, 1 K, -14% WPA), Brandon Pfaadt (3 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 HR, 5 K, -15% WPA) Jack in the Box: Taylor Clarke (1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 IBB, 1 HBP, -31% WPA)
The Gameday Thread today was sparsely attended, at least, with only 137 comments at time of posting. Probably just as well, really, as this game was really pretty desultory and disappointing. By popular acclaim, Comment of the Game goes to MikeMono:
I don’t entirely agree with this one, though I do agree that this is another game that can and should be added to the 2026 list of games that we should have won but didn’t. Myself, I feel like this was a more unusual circumstance, and less of the same-old-same-old, which reminds me….
What’s Wrong with In-Season Junkets Like the “Mexico City Series”
Coming back to the point I gestured toward at the end of my intro paragraph, there seems to me that there is absolutely no reason for “events” like this to exist while the MLB regular season in going on, and it frankly offends me that things like this do happen. In hopefully succinct bullet-list form, here’s why:
Nobody aside from the municipal authorities of Mexico City, the Mexico City Better Business Bureau, and the International-Market-Share-Growth Division of Major League Baseball give a crap about bringing in-season American baseball to other countries that don’t have MLB franchises of their own. It’s a cash grab by the league, and the owners who make up the league, pure and simple.
A venue like Mexico City, which is maybe a good junket destination for baseball marketing execs and so forth, and seems like a perfectly lovely place to play or watch some baseball, nevertheless has some environmental and geographical aspects that make it a completely inappropriate place to force MLB teams to pick up and go and play for a couple of days before coming home again. To wit, the elevation at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City is 7,350 feet above sea level, more than 2,000 feet higher than Coors Field, which as everyone already knows plays havoc with how the game functions in terms of, well, physics. Pitchers aren’t going to know how their pitches are going to behave in the very thin air at that elevation; hitters aren’t going to know how their swings and their approaches at the plate are going to be affected; position players aren’t going to know how their movement and their exertion and their physical conditioning are going to respond to playing at such elevations.
As such, there are a whole bunch of potential health risks that come from throwing 54 professional baseball players who have trained and conditioned themselves with very particular parameters for playing environments in mind into an environment that is well outside those parameters, and giving them maybe 24 hours tops to acclimate themselves, and then making them go out and play ball for at least eighteen innings over a 48 hour period. You think it’s no big deal? Take your daily exercise routine—walking, jogging, working out, whatever—that you do down in Phoenix or Tucson or wherever, and drive up to Flagstaff (which has a comparable elevation to Mexico City), and try doing the same thing, and see how it goes and how you feel afterwards. I guarantee that, unless you’ve done years of high-altitude training, it won’t go smoothly.
Do the teams, and the players, have a choice about whether or not to participate in this and other MLB international marketing stunts? I’m pretty sure they don’t. Do they get compensated for having to participate in these international junkets that disrupt the rhythm of the regular season just as they’re settling into that rhythm as we come up on the one-month mark in the season? Again, I‘m pretty sure they don’t.
So, yeah, that’s my rant. This sort of greedhead idiocy has no place in regular season MLB baseball. It should be abolished.
Anyway….
So join us tomorrow, if you feel so inclined, as we try to salvage a “series” split against the Padres. Michael King goes for San Diego, Ryne Nelson goes for us. Ulp. But I’m sure it will be fine. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 Arizona time, so bring your lunch, your beverage of choice, and your external oxygen tank. Hope to see you!
As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!
ATLANTA -- A few notes on the Knicks’ performance in a do-or-die Game 4 win.
HART OF THE MATTER
The Knicks put Josh Hart on CJ McCollum to start the most important game of their season and Hart delivered. With Hart as the lead defender on McCollum, the Knicks limited him to eight points and three turnovers in the first 20-plus minutes of the game. That allowed New York to build an early 15-point lead.
“Yeah Josh was really good on the ball," head coach Mike Brown said. "Josh is a guy with quick feet, he’s strong and when he gets locked in he’s locked in."
The Knicks also used Hart on Jalen Johnson in Game 4. Johnson had been Hart’s primary assignment earlier in the season.
It will be interesting to see how the Knicks handle MJ – I mean CJ McCollum early in Game 5.
TOO MUCH TOWNS
With Jalen Brunson playing below his standard, the Knicks needed to get production from other sources. Brown said New York changed its early offense during Game 4 and that resulted in the ball landing in Karl-Anthony Towns’ hands.
Towns did the rest. He had 10 points and four assists in the Knicks’ tone-setting first quarter. He continued to make plays throughout the game – whether it was at the elbow or in the post.
“He really put us in a position to win,” Brunson said of Towns, who had his first career playoff triple-double.
The number of touches/shots for Towns has been a hot button around the Knicks all year. On Saturday, they got him the ball and he certainly delivered.
After the game, Hart reiterated that the Knicks need to be deliberate in finding Towns on offense.
“He’s a hub," Hart said. "He’s a guy that can score the ball, but also pass the ball and find guys when they’re open. We have to continue to do that."
OH MY OG
Towns wasn’t the only Knick to pick up the scoring for Brunson. OG Anunoby was again strong on both ends for New York. He led the team with 12 first-half points and made life difficult on the other end for Atlanta. He also rebounded the ball well, helping the Knicks take a 14-point lead into halftime.
Anunoby has arguably been the best Knick through four postseason games. In the first three games, he averaged 20 points on 56 percent shooting (8-for-15 from beyond the arc). On Saturday, he finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. He’s averaging nearly nine rebounds per game, which is roughly four more than his per-game average in the regular season.
Whether it was Anunoby, Towns, Hart or strong bench play from Jose Alvarado, the Knicks found a way to dominate without relying on Brunson.
“No matter who it is – if KAT is struggling, he’s gotta find other ways to help us win. If Jalen’s struggling to shoot it, he’s gotta find other ways to help us win. If OG is struggling to shoot it or not getting enough touches, or Mikal [Bridges], whoever it is, they just gotta keep trying to find different ways to help us win,” Brown said. “[Jalen] created double-teams, [Miles McBride] got some some wide open looks. If they’re gonna keep doubling him, we gotta make sure we knock the shot down. He’s setting great screens. We gotta keep doing those little things when we’re not shooting the ball at the highest level. Jalen did that [in Game 4].”
