Ultramarathon swimmer Andy Donaldson completed the Dam to Dam Challenge from Lake Argyle to Kununurra in the East Kimberley on Tuesday, becoming the first man to complete the gruelling endurance swim. Adding to the difficulty was the fact the river in remote Western Australia is well known for its reptilian inhabitants; the freshwater crocodile population numbers 5,500 – one croc for every 10 metres of his swim. Fortunately for the 35-year-old and his team, freshwater crocodiles are smaller and more timid than their saltwater counterparts and unlikely to approach humans
Continue reading...Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers stave off elimination, score massive road win in Boston
Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 23.5
VJ Edgecombe – 16
Joel Embiid – 12.5
Paul George – 8
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 5
Justin Edwards – 4
Andre Drummond – 3
Quentin Grimes – 3
Jared McCain – 3
Dominick Barlow – 2
MarJon Beauchamp – 2
Adem Bona – 1
Porter Martone – 1
Cam Payne – 1
Jabari Walker – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1
The Sixers traveled to Boston for a do-or-die Game 5 at TD Garden, staring at a 3-1 series deficit. All hands-on deck for the Sixers as they were trying to keep their season alive.
Cold shooting from both teams was the theme of the first quarter in this one. Both teams struggled to find the range. Two Paul George threes early helped the Sixers race out to an 8-2 advantage, but they could not capitalize on the cold Boston start and extend that lead. The Celtics led 23-21 after the first period.
The Sixers and Celtics traded runs throughout the second quarter. Embiid led the Sixers with 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting but went 0-for-5 from three. Tyrese Maxey put in 13 points of his own to help keep the Sixers within striking distance. Boston, paced by 14 points from Jayson Tatum, took a 57-50 lead into the half.
The Celtics led by as many as 13 points early in the third quarter. The Sixers used seven made three-pointers and a dominant quarter from Embiid to make this anyone’s ball game headed to the fourth. Embiid made a concerted effort to dominate in the low post and attack around the rim where the Celtics have no answer. A Boston run late in the quarter stretched the lead to eight points and it looked like they might run away with it. The Sixers swung back, knocking down multiple timely shots to make a run of their own and make it an 86-85 score after three.
The Sixers kept it rolling early in the fourth quarter, taking a two-point lead on the first possession of the fourth quarter. A huge fourth quarter from Quentin Grimes, Embiid and Maxey, and a locked-in effort defensively and on the glass, carried the Sixers to another day. The Sixers blew the Celtics out in the fourth to take a 113-97 victory on the road. LET’S GO HOME!
Joel Embiid: 33 points, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 12-for-23 from the field, 39 minutes
What more is there to say about Joel Embiid? The Sixers’ franchise star turned in a massive performance in this one. Embiid struggled to find his range early in the game, going 0-for-5 from the three in the first half. He didn’t let that deter his confidence as he dominated in the post and mid-range all night long. The Celtics had no answers for the Sixers big man as he dominated single coverage and punished doubles with kickouts for open looks. Embiid’s defense down the stretch was dynamite as well, playing up to the line of the screen, containing drives on switches, and contesting shots at the rim. As he has so often over the last decade, the Sixers’ Superman put on his cape once again to keep the Sixers’ season alive.
Quentin Grimes: 18 points, 5-for-8 from the field, 4-for-7 from three
THE QUENTIN GRIMES GAME. Welcome to the 2026 postseason, Quentin Grimes. Grimes, who has been quiet this entire series, made his presence felt in Game 5 to the tune of a huge 18 points off the bench. Grimes’ quick trigger from three was a welcomed sight compared to the hesitancy and lack of efficiency on open threes from Oubre throughout this series. The Sixers likely had no chance in this series without getting something from Grimes off the bench and he stepped up huge tonight on both ends. Grimes late-game defense on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum was outstanding as he made life difficult for the Celtics stars — and did so without fouling.
Tyrese Maxey: 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 10-for-18 from the field
There’s probably nobody as happy about Joel Embiid’s return as Tyrese Maxey. Maxey got cleaner looks than he’s had all series tonight from both three and mid-range and he made the most of them, turning in his most efficient game of the series. The Embiid and Maxey two-man game was operating on all cylinders as Embiid was dialed in from mid-range and Maxey picked his spots to hunt his own shots. If the Sixers can get this Maxey going forward in this series, they have a good chance of getting back to Boston for a Game 7.
14-16 – Rangers saddle deGrom with 3-2 loss to Yankees
The Texas Rangers scored two runs but the New York Yankees scored three runs.
The Yankees got the customary two-out first inning run that the generous Rangers hand out every game. With some excellent starting pitching and some highlight-reel defense from both teams, score stays there.
Sixth inning, 1-0 game. The Rangers get the first two runners on against Cam Schlittler. 3-4-5 hitters coming up. Here’s their chance. Except, inning over in eight pitches without even advancing the runners.
Immediately after Jacob deGrom exited in a 1-0 game through six innings, Jalen Beeks gives up a home run. 2-0, a troubling deficit.
Eighth inning, 2-0 game. The Rangers get the first two runners on. Schlitter has hit the showers. 4-5-6 hitters coming up. Another chance. It’s not yet May and the Rangers ask Joc Pederson to sac bunt. Joc Pederson fails to bunt the runners over. The next two hitters K on a total of seven pitches.
The next half inning, Aaron Judge homers off Cole Winn. It’s 3-0. Lax Yankees defense helps the Rangers get a rally going. Texas gets their customary ninth inning runs to make it close. Lose on double play with tying run at second base.
1-for-10 with RISP overall. Ten left of base. Rangers lose. Series loss. Losing homestand.
See ya tomorrow!
Player of the Game: deGrom lowered his ERA to 2.01 on the year as he tied his longest outing of the season with six innings of one-run ball. It’s too bad he wasn’t perfect, I suppose.
Up Next: The Rangers and Yankees close out this series with Texas finishing up their homestand. RHP Nathan Eovaldi is set to pitch for Texas in the finale opposite right-handed top prospect Elmer Rodriguez who will be making his MLB debut for New York.
The Wednesday afternoon first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 1:35 pm CDT and your eyeballs can view it via the Rangers Sports Network if you’re so inclined.
Another Early Season Clunker: Dbacks 2, Brewers 13
The D-backs opened their series in Milwaukee with a real clunker on Tuesday night. The pitching wasn’t sharp, the defense botched some routine plays, and the offense was held hitless into the fifth inning. The recent decline in pitching has become a troubling theme over the past week, with command issues putting increasing strain on the bullpen.
Adding insult to injury, the pitcher who no-hit the D-backs through five innings was former Arizona fourth-round pick Chad Patrick. Traded during the 2023 season for Jace Peterson—who provided virtually nothing—this is starting to look like one of the roughest deals of the Hazen era. That’s especially true when you consider the Brewers have Patrick under team control through 2028, and his cutter already looks like an elite offering.
Merrill Kelly got the start and was largely ineffective, struggling to command his signature changeup. The walks piled up early, driving up his pitch count. He finished with five walks and five runs allowed over five innings—far from what the team needed from a veteran brought back to stabilize the rotation. It’s fair to wonder whether Kelly may have been rushed back too quickly from his spring training injury.
Things went from bad to worse in the sixth, when Andrew Hoffmann entered in relief and was immediately overwhelmed. The young right-hander recorded just one out while allowing eight runs to score. Some of the damage came on tough-luck contact and shaky defense against the Brewers’ small-ball approach, but the D-backs desperately needed length in that spot, and Hoffmann couldn’t provide it. A roster move wouldn’t be surprising, with Hoffmann potentially heading to Reno for a fresh arm. Notably, Yilber Diaz pitched today while Kade Strowd did not.
Offensively, Arizona managed just three hits and looked out of sync at the plate. They showed some patience early, drawing five walks, but couldn’t capitalize and frequently expanded the zone in key moments.
The lone bright spot came from Ildemaro “Bonds”… I mean, Vargas, who extended his hitting streak to 24 games—21 of those to open the season.
In an odd statistical quirk, former D-backs closer Jake Woodford was credited with a save in a 13–2 game—an unusual application of the rule, to say the least.
Arizona will try to even the series tomorrow, with Eduardo Rodriguez taking the mound in hopes of providing much-needed length and stability. They’ll need a sharper effort, though—because if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that the Brewers will be ready to play.
Cam Schlittler outduels Jacob deGrom in Yankees' 3-2 win over Rangers
Cam Schlittler and Jacob deGrom went blow for blow, but the Yankees came out on top in their 3-2 win over the Rangers on Tuesday night.
With the win, the Yankees (20-10) stay 1.5 games ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East.
Here are the takeaways...
-Going up against deGrom, the Yankees used some two-out magic in the first. Aaron Judge singled up the middle and Cody Bellinger turned on a pitch and hit a double off the top of the wall -- narrowly missing a two-run shot -- to score Judge from first. Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a liner that looked destined to split the outfielders, but Evan Carter caught it on the run to end the inning.
-On the other end, the Yankees defense helped out Schlittler. Bellinger ran down a liner moving away from him in left and then Trent Grisham made a diving catch to set the first two batters down.
-After that eventful first inning, both starters would settle in, getting through five innings with just one run allowed between them. However, Schlittler would get into trouble in the sixth.
Brandon Nimmo led off with a single, his second of the game. Schlittler would walk the next batter for Seager. Schlittler would get Seager to strike out swinging on three pitches. He'd get the next two batters to pop out to get out of the inning.
Schlittler pitched six scoreless innings (92 pitches/64 strikes), allowing three hits and two walks while striking out eight. He lowered his ERA to 1.51.
DeGrom was just as nasty against the Yankees. The two-time Cy Young winner allowed just one run in his six innings (93 pitches/56 strikes) on three hits and striking out five.
-With Tuesday's starters out, it was an adventure for both bullpens. Austin Wells launched his third homer of the season in the seventh to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. While the Yankees relievers had to work out of trouble in the seventh and eighth innings. Brent Headrick worked around the two batters getting on base to escape the seventh, while Fernando Cruz allowed the first two hitters in the eighth to reach. A sac bunt attempt by Joc Pederson was perfectly placed, but Cruz slid to get the ball and threw to Ryan McMahon at third while falling to get the force. He struck out Jake Burger and Ezequiel Duran to escape the inning.
With a three-run lead, David Bednar came in for the save. Andrew McCutchen reached on an error by McMahon with one out and then Danny Jansen lined a triple to push across the Rangers' first run. On the play, Grisham tried to get the ball but was out of reach and he tripped in the warning track. The veteran outfielder stayed on the ground for a bit, but stayed in the game. Bednar hits Nimmo to bring up the winning run in Josh Jung. Jung hits a single to make the score 3-2 before getting Corey Seager to ground into a game-ending doubleplay.
-Judge would launch his 12th home run of the season to lead off the ninth, a 424-foot bomb to put the Yankees up 3-0. He's now tied for the AL lead.
McMahon started at third and finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. His five-game hitting streak was snapped.
Jasson Dominguez went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. In his first two games this season, the young outfielder -- who started at DH -- is now 1-for-8 with two strikeouts.
Game MVP: Cam Schlittler
Schlittler was dominant but also showed his resolve, getting out of jams when needed.
Highlights
Cody Bellinger gets the Yanks on the board first with an RBI double! pic.twitter.com/DqJB6S8wnK
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 29, 2026
What a grab from Cody Bellinger! pic.twitter.com/6oKnk3VaWU
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 29, 2026
Fernando Cruz works around trouble with back-to-back strikeouts to end the 8th! pic.twitter.com/ZflANdy3F5
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 29, 2026
SEE YA! 👋
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 29, 2026
Second deck homer for Aaron Judge puts the Yankees up 3-0! pic.twitter.com/wBEcIMUa2Z
What's next
The Yankees and Rangers conclude their three-game set with an afternoon game on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 2:35 p.m.
Elmer Rodriguez will make his major league debut against Nathan Eovaldi (2-4, 5.79 ERA).
Jalen Brunson’s 39-point Game 5 propels Knicks into series lead over Hawks
There they are.
There are the real Knicks. The best version of these Knicks. The Knicks that had gone missing in the middle of the series.
They had spent the past few days talking about the need to recreate the sense of “desperation” and “urgency” they played with when trailing the series 2-1. And they came out like a team with no interest in playing with its food.
They put their foot down and blew out the Hawks 126-97 in Game 5 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden to take a 3-2 series lead. They head back to Atlanta with a chance to secure their spot in the second round.
Over the past nine quarters — Games 4 and 5 along with their comeback attempt in Game 3 — the Knicks have outscored the Hawks by 52 points.
“It’s been a multitude of things,” Jalen Brunson said. “I think we have picked it up as a unit. I also think they’ve gotten a lot of looks and we were lucky when they were missing. But just us being on the same page on both sides of the ball has been a factor.”
For the second straight game, the Knicks often ran their offense through Karl-Anthony Towns, using him as a hub to initiate their flow. Using him as a focal point — like in Game 4 — brought back the ball movement and fluidity to their offense. And it finally unlocked Brunson, who had by far his best game of the series and finished with a game-high 39 points — on 15-for-23 shooting from the field — along with eight assists and just one turnover. It created open shots for Anunoby, who continued his stellar series and finished with 17 points.
With 5:01 left in the second quarter, Brunson passed to Towns, curled around him and got it back from him for a wide-open layup to extend the Knicks lead to 16. It was a perfect microcosm of the overall offensive showing.
“It’s another dimension that we’ve been able to do,” Brunson said of using Towns as a hub. “KAT’s been making great decisions. I think us, playing off-ball, the screens that we’re setting, the pace that we’re cutting, has helped him with that. And also KAT has the ability to go by his defender. There’s a lot of things we can do off of that.”
The Hawks, after Towns’ triple-double in Game 4, adjusted and had the smaller Dyson Daniels guard Towns to start the game. It backfired. Not only did Towns kill Daniels, but it allowed Brunson to take over without Daniels guarding him until later on in the game.
By the second quarter, they switched back to having Onyeka Okongwu on Towns. Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Johnson also got turns on him. The results weren’t much different. Towns finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.
“I think it just gives us life,” Towns said of his passing, “gives energy to the basketball.”
Brunson went into attack mode late and made sure there wasn’t even a thought of a Hawks comeback, scoring 17 of his points in the fourth quarter.
“Big game,” Brown said, “from a big-time player.”
It took a while, but the Knicks’ significant size advantage has manifested the past two games. They had an 18-point advantage in points in the paint. They took just 26 3-pointers — way down from their regular-season average of 38.2 — and instead bullied the Hawks down low.
“I love it,” coach Mike Brown said. “Our guys have to continue trying to take what’s available. And right now for us, it’s finishing in the paint.”
Once the Knicks figured out how to stop CJ McCollum, it was as if the Hawks forgot how to score. McCollum returned to MSG as a ghost rather than a villain. With Josh Hart primarily guarding him, McCollum finished with just six points. Johnson, with Anunoby primarily guarding him, was little help himself.
Anunoby added 10 rebounds — seven of which came in the first quarter, his most in a quarter since 2020 — to finish with a second straight double-double. He went 2-for-3 from deep, continuing his red-hot 3-point shooting. Jose Alvarado — who has firmly surpassed Landry Shamet in the rotation — provided a punch off the bench in the second quarter. He played the first six minutes of the quarter and recorded seven points in that stretch.
After two straight one-point losses, the Knicks have responded with two straight routs.
“They’re resilient,” Brown said. “We talked about it throughout the course of the year, you gotta go through some adversity throughout the course of the year to see what you’re made of as a group, see how you’re gonna respond. You just gotta keep fighting. Our guys have been through a lot so far this year and they continue to go through it. They’ve been through it as a group. There is nothing that will deter the group. They’re a veteran group that knows what they want and how to get it no matter what’s in front of them.”
When the Knicks are clicking like this, there’s little the Hawks can do to stop them.
Knicks establish early lead, never look back in 126-97 Game 5 win over Hawks
The Knicks defeated the Hawks 126-97 in Game 5 of their first round matchup on Tuesday night at MSG.
New York reestablishes a 3-2 series advantage.
Here are some takeaways...
- Mike Brown gave Karl-Anthony Towns credit pregame for the work he's put in on both ends of the floor over the first four games of the series, and the big man responded by putting together as strong of a first quarter he's had. Towns took advantage of his mismatch with Jonathan Kuminga, knocking down his first three shots.
- Brown elected to turn to the two big-look early on, subbing Mitchell Robinson in with Towns also on the floor, and things worked in the Knicks' favor as they pushed the lead out to double-digits at the end of one (13). Robinson had three points, three boards, and a block over his first four minutes.
- OG Anunoby pulled in seven rebounds in the first, which is the most he's recorded in a quarter since 2020.
- Robinson wasn't the only member of New York's bench feeling it early, as Jordan Clarkson chipped in five points as part of a 12-2 late first quarter run and Jose Alvarado knocked down three buckets in the opening minutes of the second to help push the lead out even further.
- Towns also continued getting whatever he wanted, picking up five more points early in the second.
- New York's red-hot shooting continued the rest of the of the first half as they stretched the lead out to as many as 22 points, but Atlanta found their groove in the closing minutes to get it back down to 16. The road squad made just six of their 20 threes in the first half, while the home team shot 59 percent from the field.
- Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 17 points, followed closely by Towns' 14 and eight boards.
- The teams traded baskets coming out of the locker room, which New York certainly took as they hung onto the big double-digit advantage. OG Anunoby began to find his scoring touch after putting up just seven points in the first half, doubling that total with three buckets during the third quarter.
- The Anunoby, Towns, Clarkson, Alvarado, and Miles McBride unit helped close the third up 18.
- Even with the big advantage Brown had Brunson on the floor to begin the final frame, and the captain was feeling it. He put together one of his signature barrages with a stretch of 12 straight points, stretching the lead back beyond 20 and putting any doubts about this one to bed for good.
- Brunson led the way in the scoring department (39 points) while Towns (14) and Anunoby (10) dominated the glass, finishing with a combined 24 rebounds, which was just three less than Atlanta had as a team.
- New York held Atlanta under 100 points for the second consecutive game.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson
The captain put together his best scoring performance of the series, to this point.
Highlights
KAT TO THE BASKET💪 pic.twitter.com/mebiODT23c
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 29, 2026
Karl-Anthony Towns gets his first three of the night off an assist from Jalen Brunson!! pic.twitter.com/WK53568FG1
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 29, 2026
MITCHELL ROBINSON WITH THE SLAM! pic.twitter.com/bjxQK01SNd
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 29, 2026
Jose Alvarado making moves👀 pic.twitter.com/FIkgLgEhLS
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 29, 2026
OG Anunoby gets the dunk!!!! pic.twitter.com/8IuatJSwca
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 29, 2026
OG Anunoby from the corner🤝 pic.twitter.com/XuzP9ezAIW
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 29, 2026
Jose Alvarado ends Q3 with a 3️⃣! pic.twitter.com/ziz0eT6epR
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 29, 2026
What's next
New York will have a chance to close the series on the road in Game 6 on Thursday night.
Mariners 7, Twins 1: Bullpen implodes, hitting disappears
In a pitching duel between Joe Ryan and Logan Gilbert it was the Twins who were the first to break through. In the 5th, Byron Buxton hit a misplaced Gilbert fastball out of the park to left for his 7th home run of the year. It was a good result, but felt somewhat lacking as, in the 4th, they had stranded the bases loaded with Tristan Gray and Royce Lewis unable to get a hit.
That lack of run support hurt, as in the 6th Joe Ryan allowed a 2-out double to Julio Rodriguez, then Josh Naylor singled to left, tying the game. In the 7th, a lead off double by Randy Arozarena spelled the end of Ryan’s night, with Kody Funderburk entering. Kody got the next two Mariners out, but Cole Young slapped a single to left to give them a 2-1 lead.
The Twins batters were unable to get anything done against Eduard Bazardo in the 6th, and Gabe Speier in the 7th. The Twins bullpen was not so lucky in the 8th. Funderburk walked J.P. Crawford, then Cole Sands entered and gave up a double to Rodriguez, followed by a 3-run homer by Josh Naylor to break the game open, 5-1.
In the 9th, Rodriguez would double in 2 more Mariners to push this once close game to 7-1. That’s your final score.
I also wanted to mention that Randy Arozarena went 2-3 with a double tonight, continuing his dominance against Twins pitchers, as he had an OPS of 1.025 against them entering the game today.
Studs:
Byron Buxton: 2-5, HR, SB
Joe Ryan: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K
Duds:
Cole Sands: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K, HR
Luis Garcia: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER
The team with runners in scoring position: 0-10
Lakers vs. Rockets Game 5 Preview: Will Austin Reaves return?
The series between the Lakers and Rockets shifts back to LA for Game 5 on Wednesday. The Lakers will once again look to eliminate Houston from the playoffs.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets
When: 7 p.m. PT, Apr. 29
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: ESPN
The Lakers suffered their first postseason loss last Sunday, and it wasn’t all that surprising. Being on the road on the verge of sweeping a fifth-seeded opponent, it was expected that the Rockets would show some pride and play their best game yet — and they did.
Houston clamped down on Los Angeles and forced them into a series-high 23 turnovers. It also didn’t help that the Lakers had their worst shooting performance yet, going 5-22 from the field. It was very much a one-sided event.
That’s why in Game 5, the Lakers will be ready to execute some adjustments. One of which is the potential return of Austin Reaves, who will suit up for the first time since his injury in early April. Reaves is considered a game-time decision for this one, but it sure sounds like he’s determined to get out there.
Besides Reaves’ return, there’s certainly going to be motivation for the purple and gold to close this one out, not only because the series has gotten more physical and chippy, but they also know that the Oklahoma City Thunder are waiting for them in the second round.
A better performance from everyone across the board, especially LeBron James, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart, would put them in a position to win this one.
The Lakers have to find ways to control Alperen Şengün and make sure the Rockets don’t shoot 40% from the 3-point line again. It’ll help that Kevin Durant is officially ruled out for this one, so this game will pretty much be about defense for the purple and gold.
Perhaps the Lakers have also taken notice of how the Rockets have been talking as of late, and that might just be the extra motivation they need.
On Wednesday, we’ll see which team is better, and hopefully it’ll be the Lakers who come out on top.
Notes and Updates
- The Lakers’ injury report lists Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) as questionable, while Luka Dončić (left hamstring strain) remains out.
- As for the Rockets, Fred VanVleet (ACL surgery), Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain) and Steven Adams (left ankle surgery) are noted as out.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
Lakers could sit Austin Reaves to reduce risk. Why it's a bad idea.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves was transparent about his intentions.
“I want to get back out there as fast as I can,” Reaves told reporters Tuesday, April 28 at the Lakers’ training facility.
Increasingly, it sounds like Reaves is returning to action after missing the past nine games with a strained oblique muscle.
But is that a bad idea?
Would the Lakers be better off sitting Reaves again when they play the Houston Rockets Wednesday, April 29 in Los Angeles? Would it make sense to remove the risk of reinjury as they take a 3-1 lead into Game 5 with a chance to close out the first-round playoff series?
Presumably. the extra rest could further heal the oblique muscle Reaves strained April 2 before missing nine straight games recovering from the injury.
Something else to keep in mind: Reaves, the Lakers’ second-leading scorer in the regular season, could help the Lakers clinch the series and kill any hope of a historic Rockets rally. (No NBA team ever won a playoff series after being down 3-0, and the Rockets avoided a sweep by winning Game 4 in Houston.)
But that’s missing the more important point if Reaves is ready to play, according to Mychael Thompson, who won NBA championships as a member of the Lakers in 1987 and 1988 and is a broadcaster for the Laker games.
“Needs a tuneup game before the OKC series,’’ Thompson told USA TODAY Sports of Reaves.
When they Lakers end this series, they’ll be facing the reigning champions and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. And they’ll need Reaves in as close to top form as possible. That’ll be even more true with Luka Dončić out indefinitely with a hamstring injury.
As of Wednesday, Reaves will have gone 26 days without playing in a game. It’s hard to imagine he’ll be in top form for the Oklahoma City Thunder after one game against the Rockets. Of course, the series could extend another three games. Regardless, the faster Reaves gets back into game action, the faster he’ll regain the form during which he averaged 23.3 points per game this season and a career-high 51 points against the Sacramento Kings Oct. 26.
The Lakers will need that explosive guard to have any shot of beating the Thunder.
Concerns about the Lakers pushing Reaves back too quickly are unfounded. Before each of the past two games, Reaves was listed as questionable and ended up sitting out.
There’s no rush.
But if he’s ready, and he’s suggested he is – “I feel good,’’ he told reporters. “Trending in the right direction’’ – it’s time to get him back on the court.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Should Lakers play it safe and hold out Austin Reaves vs. Rockets?
15-16: Chart
Mariners 7, Twins 1
Good: Josh Naylor, .25 WPA
Bad: Cal Raleigh, -.16 WPA
Game thread comment of the day
Blake Snell strikes out 6 in 3 scoreless innings in 2nd rehab start
Blake Snell had his way with Class-A hitters in his second minor league rehab start on Tuesday night. The Dodgers left-hander struck out six in three scoreless innings for Ontario against the Lake Elsinore Storm, a San Diego Padres affiliate.
Snell struck out all three batters he faced in the first inning, then allowed a leadoff double in the second but struck out the next three batters to escape that frame unscathed. He needed only five pitches to complete a perfect third inning with a flyout and two groundouts.
In all, Snell threw 39 pitches on Tuesday, 29 for strikes. He induced 11 swinging strikes, and retired nine of his 10 batters faced.
This was the second rehab start with Ontario for Snell, who started the season on the injured list with shoulder fatigue. Last Wednesday with the Tower Buzzers in San Jose, Snell pitched one-plus inning and threw 32 pitches, and allowed two runs, one earned, with one walk and no strikeouts.
“The first two starts are like — for me, I’m very patient. I just want to see how I feel, how I respond, what’s working, what’s not working. If offspeed is really good, if the fastball is really good, I want to learn how they’re playing,” Snell told reporters last week in San Francisco after his first rehab start. “After those first two starts, that’s when you get more aggressive, like okay now we need to make it happen.”
Star’s career-best stunner as $4m man, Aussie hero look for answers: IPL mid-season report card
We’ve entered the second half of this season’s Indian Premier League, with the ladder starting to take shape.
Ozzie Albies homers in win as Martin Pérez continues to surprise
The Atlanta Braves took on the Detroit Tigers in a clash of first place teams, both with some of the best rotation outputs in MLB. The Braves are red hot having won twenty games before May for the first time in franchise history, and going 20-9 for only the ninth time in franchise history. This game had the makings of a low scoring affair if Martín Pérez was able to keep up his surprising start. As a side note, this series will be the only time these two teams meet in the regular season.
Martín Pérez has kept runs off the board, but his underlying metrics show he has been lucky. He got the job done again tonight though. Casey Mize, the Tigers’ SP for the night, has been stellar so far this season. However, he has never beaten Atlanta and holds a career 4.66 ERA against them.
Martín Pérez sat down the the first three hitters he faced with relative ease, and this is important because Gleyber Torres has three HRs against him in his twenty-two at-bats against Pérez. Ronald Acuña may finally be heating up as he smoked a ball for a double to lead off the the bottom of the first inning. It looked like the Braves would start their scoring then with Baldwin moving the runner to third with a groundout and then Matt Olson walking. However, Mize was able to Albies to strike out and Harris to ground out.
Pérez made it interesting in the second, but just like the rest of the year he was fortunate in the stranding runners on base department. He produced a groundout, but then gave up a walk on an ABS challenged pitch. After a Greene groundout, he gave up another walk. Fortunately, he calmed down and got the strike out to end the top of the second.
The Braves could not get anything going in the second, and to add salt to the wound Dominic Smith lost a challenge on a strikeout. Pérez settled down for the most part in the third by only giving up one baserunner, but it was yet another walk. The Braves finally broke through in the third inning. Yastrzemski decided it was time to get out of his slump and hit a double. Not to be outdone, Acuña followed that up with his second double of the night to plate the first run of the game.
Drake Baldwin grounded out to the pitcher, and unfortunately Mize then left the game due to groin tightness.
On the same play, it moved Acuña to third and Matt Olson cashed in by hitting a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0. Albies grounded out, but the Braves had done what they needed to. In the fourth inning, Pérez finally gave up his first hit when Dingler hit a single. By this time it seemed like it was not possible that it was the first hit because of the amount of baserunners, but Pérez has been really good at keeping his composure this season to stay calm and strand runners. Dingler’s single was the only base runner of the inning for the Tigers.
The good news for Austin Riley in the fourth inning is he finally got on base. The bad news is that it was due to a throwing error from a pitcher who would not have even been in the game if it were not for an injury. Kyle Farmer finally saw some playing time replacing Dominic Smith at DH due the pitching matchup, but he unfortunately struck out. The Braves were not able to capitalize on the error and Riley was the only baserunner of the inning.
Pérez stayed in the pitch the fifth inning and it was the right move, technically, but it was not without its drama. Lee doubled to start the inning, but Pérez got Báez to groundout. He then got a strikeout, but then it got scary for a second when Torres walked and then after a mound visit Kevin McGonigle looked to have hit a HR, but Acuña does what he does best and jumped at the wall to make the play to end the top of the fifth. The Braves were shut down in the fifth, but thanks to Acuña, they maintained their lead.
In the sixth inning Didier Fuentes made his first appearance since being called up. This goes to show he likely will remain in the reliever role for now. Pérez ended his night with 5.0 IP with two hits, zero runs, and five strikeouts, lowering his season ERA to 2.22. Fuentes stayed in the game for 2.0 innings and only allowed one baserunner via a walk. He also picked up a strikeout along the way. The Braves again had a blank on offense in the bottom of the sixth.
In the bottom of the seventh Riley led off with a strikeout which was confirmed via ABS and Farmer stuck out again as well. However, the back end of the lineup came through as Dubón had a double, making it four total for the Braves thus far in the game and then Yastrzemsi knocked him in with a single to make the score 3-0.
Moving onto the eighth inning and we see that Tyler Kinley is human after all when he gave up a single and a double. But, he did not give up a run and had assistance from ABS with a strikeout when Greene challenged and failed on an excellent pitch on the lower corner.
In the bottom of the eighth Baldwin continued to struggle with a pop out but Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies made up for it when Olson hit a double and then Ozzie Albies smacked a HR to make the score 5-0. Shocker alert, it was against a lefty.
It looked like more damage may be done with a single from Harris and Farmer but no more runs were scored. With the Braves bullpen, confidence was high.
With a five run cushion, Aaron Bummer came in to pinch. Fortunately the five run cushion existed because Bummer did not have his best night. He gave up a two-run HR, but was able to get three outs to end it.
It is hard to say if the Braves would win this game if it was simulated multiple times because of the Mize injury and Pérez walking as many hitters as he did, but the Braves were having no issues hitting doubles like it was batting practice and score enough runs to get the job done.
The first team to twenty-one wins will have a tougher test tomorrow as they face two-time reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal tomorrow at the same time and the same place.
Wild’s Jonas Brodin Exits Game 5 With Lower-Body Injury
The Minnesota Wild (2-2) welcomed back Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin against the Dallas Stars (2-2) for Game 5 after their injuries.
Unfortunately for the Wild, one of their top defensemen blocked a shot in the second period and did not return.
Under two minutes into the second period, Jonas Brodin took a shot from Mikko Rantanen off the skate and was laboring.
Brodin, 32, skated off and then went down the tunnel. He did not return for the rest of the second period and is not on the ice for the third period.
The Wild have Matt Kiersted, Daemon Hunt and Jeff Petry in the wings. If Brodin can’t go for Game 6, Hunt seems like the most plausible option.
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