The 2025-26 season has been nothing but positive for Florida Panthers winger Sandis Vilmanis.
The 22-year-old earned his first call-up to the NHL and locked down a role on the fourth line for 19 games while other Panthers forwards dealt with injuries. In his NHL stint, he notched three goals and five points, showing potential promise as a bottom-six winger.
Outside of the NHL, Vilmanis followed up his successful AHL rookie season in 2024-25 with a solid showing in his sophomore campaign. He finished with 17 goals and 38 points in 48 games.
The youngster also earned a spot on Latvia's Olympic team, but was unable to record any points in the four games he skated in.
Now, the former fifth-round pick in the 2022 NHL draft will represent Latvia at the 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship.
In a pre-tournament game, Vilmanis won player of the game, scoring two goals in a 3-2 win over Norway.
In his international career, Vilmanis has played for Latvia at the U-18s, World Junior Championship, and the Olympics. He is now set to add the World Championships to an already impressive resume.
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TAMPA, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer is not making progress in recovering from right forearm tendinitis and will seek additional medical opinions.
A 41-year-old right-hander, the three-time Cy Young Award winner was put on the injured list on April 27 because of the forearm injury and left ankle inflammation, a move retroactive to April 25. He had a light throwing session before Toronto’s 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay.
“It’s as confusing as anything I’ve ever had because, usually, if you go get an MRI, you would see something,” Scherzer said. “I would think that would show up, and yet there’s nothing in there on an MRI. There’s no strains. There is no inflammation, per se. So, I’m going to have to talk to more doctors to figure out a course of action here.”
Scherzer is 1-3 with a 9.24 ERA in five starts after signing a one-year, $3 million contract that includes $10 million in available performance bonuses for innings. He has given up seven runs or more in two of his past three starts and failed to get out of the third inning in three outings.
Scherzer went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 regular-season starts last year. He also was the winning pitcher in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series with Seattle and made two starts in the World Series.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the team will continue to be cautious with Scherzer, who says his ankle is improving.
“I think he’s just waiting (for his arm) to feel like his ankle does to really start going,” Schneider said. “There’s no real firm timetable as to when he’s going to really start getting after it. I think we’ll know more in a couple of days.”
SEATTLE, WA - MAY 06: Members of the Atlanta Braves stand during a tribute to Braves owner Ted Turner prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Connor Jalbert/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Ah, the Atlanta Braves and the West Coast. It’s truly a match made in the underworld as far as the Braves are concerned, as the games always just feel like they go one of two ways: Miserable slogs that have you like “I stayed up all night for this?” or miserable slogs that result in the Braves snatching and clawing their way to a close victory. Either way, it’s rarely ever a fun little ol’ romp for the Braves out West and this series was another example of that.
The Mariners weren’t coming into this series playing with their hair on fire or anything like that after they had gotten swept by the Royals (at home, no less) over the course of the weekend. Still, when it comes to games in this part of the country for the Braves, you always have to take it one day at the time and each game provides its own unique (and likely dreadful) set of challenges. So how did this series end up going? Let’s get into it.
The force was with the Braves’ bats on this particular day but as it turned out, this ended up being a matter of picking spots rather than quantity of homers. Atlanta had no trouble dealing with Logan Gilbert while he was out there, as the Braves teed off on him for four home runs during the six innings that he spent on the mound. Matt Olson’s homer in particular was a big one, as that was his 300th career homer. Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley each homered as well, with Riley’s homer making it a 4-0 game in the top of the sixth — which is when Atlanta hit three homers in that inning, alone.
Then the problems started for the Braves. JR Ritchie was doing fine through five innings and that maybe should’ve been all he got because he went out there for the sixth inning and immediately got in trouble. Two of Ritchie’s six walks came in this frame and they both cost him dearly once Luke Raley hit a dinger that brought Seattle to within one run. Tyler Kinley entered the game after that and got into a situation where there was a man on with two outs and J.P. Crawford at the plate. Unfortunately for us, Seattle’s empire struck back as Crawford lifted off on Kinley and hit one deep to right field that gave the Mariners the lead. Atlanta was unable to wake up their bats again and this one ended in a series-opening loss for the Braves.
J.P. Crawford got the Mariners started on the good foot once again, as he hit a two-run dinger off of Bryce Elder to give Seattle a 2-0 lead in the third inning. The good news is that this was the extent of the damage that Elder allowed in this one, as he delivered another fine start on the mound. Elder went six innings and only gave up two hits with three walks while striking out nine batters. It’s starting to feel like 2023 up in here, y’all.
George Kirby was equally tough for the Braves to deal with but it wasn’t a perfectly clean outing for Kirby, though. Atlanta was able to get to Kirby in the fourth inning after Mauricio Dubón delivered another big hit during the early portion of his tenure with the Braves. His RBI double brought both Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson home to score and just like that, it was a tie ballgame.
It stayed tied all the way until the ninth inning, which is when a big hit could’ve turned the tide at any given moment. As it turned out, it was none other than the man who has consistently been coming up big for the Braves so far this season; Matt Olson got a pitch that he liked from Andrés Muñoz and crushed it for a go-ahead solo shot that put Atlanta ahead. Raisel Iglesias returned to action and made the save that evened up the series for the Braves.
This was another close game and another one where the home team did just enough to get across the finish line and hand the Braves their first series loss of 2026. This time, the big hero (or villain, from our perspective) of the game for the Mariners was Bryan Woo. Woo bounced back from two rough starts in a row to look more like the guy who Seattle has expected to see over the past couple of years. Woo completely held the Braves in check while he was out there as he threw six scoreless innings and only surrendered a single hit and a pair of walks while striking out nine batters.
Martín Pérez made it into the sixth inning but he gave up a two-run dinger to Julio Rodríguez with one out in that sixth inning in order to break what was a scoreless deadlock. Didier Fuentes pitched two innings in this one but he gave up an RBI double to Cole Young in the ninth inning that gave Seattle a two-run lead that felt like double that amount with the way the Mariners were pitching in this one. The only reason why the Braves avoided getting shut out is because they were able to get something going in the eighth inning that led to a sacrifice fly from Dominic Smith to put them on the board. It also didn’t help matters that right after the sacrifice fly, pinch runner Jorge Mateo got thrown out for being a bit too casual getting back to first base on a pickoff attempt. Base runners were at a premium all day and that was a very frustrating way to lose an out to play with.
Outside of that, Atlanta was completely unable to get any real momentum going in this one and the first series loss of the season finally happened for the Braves. With that being said, losing a baseball game pales in comparison to losing a life, as Wednesday was certainly a somber day in Braves Country as the franchise mourned the loss of former owner Ted Turner.
Welp! If it takes until early-May to finally drop a series, then you’re doing pretty well, right? It also seemed like if this streak was going to come to an end at any point soon, it was going to happen while the Braves were in the Pacific Time Zone since it sure feels like this region has been a house of horrors for the Braves over the course of recent history. Still, credit has to go to the Mariners who were persistently hanging with the Braves and seemingly beating them upside the head with a club every time they got a good chance to do so. Seattle had timely hitting and their pitching was mostly good throughout the three games, so they certainly earned the series win.
As far as the Braves are concerned, this is one of those rare times where I’m actually not all that perturbed with a series loss. Atlanta still has a healthy buffer between themselves at the top of the division and the rest of their foes in the NL East and they also avoided a sweep. As long as they can avoid any extended losing streaks or dips in form, they’ll be fine going forward. Plus, seeing Matt Olson continue to rake is definitely a major positive as it’s becoming clearer and clearer that he could be in line to have a really big season here in 2026.
So, who knows? Maybe with the top arms in Atlanta’s rotation going for the series at Dodger Stadium, the pressure of keeping the series winning streak will be off and the Braves can actually go out and play confident baseball against a Dodgers team that will always be tough to deal with — especially in LA’s own stadium. All good things have to come to an end eventually and maybe ending it in Seattle was the perfect time for it to happen. Now granted, I think we’d all prefer to see this streak last forever but again, what did I just say about all good things? It’s now time to hope that Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder can get the job done and that the bats can wake up in Los Angeles in order to end the road trip on a high note. Let’s see what happens!
After an impressive win in Game 1, the Pistons have an opportunity to head to Cleveland up 2-0, which is still hard to process after how the series against the Orlando Magic went. It won’t be easy, as the Cavaliers will be motivated to bounce back after a sloppy Game 1 in which they turned the ball over 19 times.
The great thing about the NBA Playoffs is that each game can bring a whole new group of challenges. Maybe the Pistons are less successful in generating turnovers in Game 2 and now have to put up a better performance on offense in order to win. The Pistons offense was not great in Game 1, as Cade Cunningham struggled with his shot, but they did enough to come out on top.
Whatever happens, this should be another great game at home with a chance to put the Cleveland Cavaliers in a very difficult hole early in the series.
Game Vitals
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI When: Thursday, May 7 at 7 pm EST Watch: Prime Video Odds: Pistons (-3.5)
Analysis
People have talked about how the Cavaliers were careless with the ball in Game 1 without giving much credit to the Pistons’ defense. The Cavaliers were definitely sloppy, but the Pistons are the best team in the league at generating turnovers, so it isn’t all that shocking that they were able to control the game through generating turnovers.
They are able to overcome many of their offensive short-comings by getting out in transition and the Cavaliers have turned the ball over the most out of every team in the Playoffs, so at some point you have to concede that this probably isn’t the best matchup for the Cavaliers, even if they are the superior team on offense.
I don’t want to downplay the Cavaliers and make it seem like Game 2 will be an easy win, but many of the things the Pistons did in Game 1 are easily repeatable since they have done it all season. The toughest part for the Pistons so far this postseason is actually going out and doing it every night, which they struggled with at times against the Orlando Magic. That is why it took them 7 games and a 3-1 comeback to take them down.
A noticeable difference for the Pistons on offense in Game 1 as opposed to their series against the Magic is that offense seemed a little bit easier to come by for every other player on the Pistons besides Cade Cunningham. Cade was put through the ringer by having to deal with physical defense all game by Dean Wade and Jaylon Tyson for the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers don’t have quite the defensive infrastructure that the Orlando Magic do and didn’t pack the paint as much, so it opened things up a bit.
I wouldn’t even say that Cade had a more difficult time generating offense, as he still got up 19 shots and many of the looks he got were fine, he just only made six of those shots. Many of the missed shots were shots that he was making against Orlando, so I would suspect that he gets back to form in Game 2.
One notable player looking to get back to form for the Cavaliers is Jarrett Allen, who only played 18 minutes and scored 2 points due to being in foul trouble. Jalen Duren was able to attack him early against a more spaced out defense and draw a few fouls. It led to Allen not playing the rest of the 1st half, then Kenny Atkinson decided not to close with him despite him only having 4 fouls.
Although James Harden nearly led a 4th quarter comeback for Cleveland with some tough shot-making, he also helped the Pistons get the edge in the turnover battle by turning over the ball seven times. Many of his turnovers were also live-ball turnovers that allowed the Pistons to get out and run.
Donovan Mitchell also had a bit of an off-game as he only scored 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting. He made some comments after the game about the lack of foul calls, but he also didn’t do a ton of attacking the basket as he shot 4-of-10 from behind the arc and many of his drives ended in floaters. I would expect a much more aggressive Donovan Mitchell in game 2, so the Pistons may have to put other players besides just Ausar Thompson on him if he starts to get some foul calls.
It will be interesting to see who JB Bickerstaff settles with playing off the bench. Isaiah Stewart struggled mightily in Game 1 and the last couple games of the Orlando Magic series, so does he finally unleash Paul Reed off the bench? Ron Holland got the 3rd most bench minutes in Game 1 after not getting much playing time against the Orlando Magic, so will this be a Ron Holland series?
It is very clear that Daniss Jenkins is going to get a ton of minutes off the bench, and if he keeps playing how he has been the last couple of games it is completely justified. He helped swing Game 7 against the Magic with his shooting and helped swing Game 1 against the Cavaliers with a ton of hustle plays and 7 rebounds. He was also huge as a safety valve for Cade in the 4th quarter when the Cavaliers started to trap.
The Cavaliers played six different players off the bench, so I would expect that to get cut back as the series goes on and Kenny Atkinson is able to settle on which players work the best for this matchup. Thomas Bryant, in particular, probably got more minutes than was planned due to Jarrett Allen’s foul trouble.
The biggest takeaway I have from Game 1 is that the Pistons were able to get back to playing their brand of basketball and if that continues, I don’t see this series going longer than 5 or 6 games.
Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1): James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche are both deep and dynamic, and that unusual combination has the Minnesota Wild searching for answers to their opponent’s offensive onslaught.
“It’s one game at a time,” Wild forward Matt Boldy said after the Avalanche’s 5-2 win put Minnesota in a 2-0 hole in this second-round series. “It’s coming into the next game ready to go. Make our adjustments and be better. You don’t win a series with two wins. That’s our mind-set. You go in, we’re going to make adjustments.”
Not much has worked for the Wild so far as the Avalanche have pummeled both of their goaltenders, Jesper Wallstedt for eight goals in a 9-6 Game 1 and Filip Gustavsson for four more in Colorado’s Game 2 dominance.
The Avalanche’s 14 goals are the most in the first two games of a playoff series since the Calgary Flames scored 15 against the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.
Twelve Colorado players have scored so far, an NHL record for the first two games of a series, and 10 Avalanche players have multiple points in the series that resumes in St. Paul.
“It’s great. I mean, right now, that’s what you need,” defenseman Cale Makar said. “You need everybody contributing and we’re finding ways to do that. There’s a lot of jelling minds right now.”
Colorado coach Jared Bednar was asked if he realized he had this much firepower and depth.
“I was hoping we did,” Bednar said. “We’re getting it now, right, and it doesn’t mean we’re always going to get the depth scoring. But I think all of our lines and players are capable of producing. Players are going to go through hot streaks, cold streaks, but I also feel like playoff time when everything’s on the line, that could drag the best out of your group at times, and sometimes it can drag the worst out in your group.
“So it’s a consistency thing for me, but it’s all up in between the ears for me.”
After sweeping the Los Angeles Kings, who slowed things down and turned the high-flying Avs into defensive-minded stalwarts, Colorado has flashed its goal-scoring prowess against the Wild.
Scott Wedgewood set the tone for the rebound after allowing a half dozen goals in Game 1. He made 29 saves as he improved to 6-0 in his inaugural playoff run as a starter.
“Means we’re winning hockey games,” Wedgewood said. “I think, statistically, like I said, if we win 9-6, as long as we win, that’s all that matters this time of the year. It’s not always going to be pretty, like the other night, but just keep winning games, putting pucks on our board and go after the main thing.”
Great goaltending. Prolific scoring. Speed. Finesse. Physicality. It’s all working for Colorado.
“They’re a great team,” Boldy said. “They play super-fast, super-dynamic. Obviously they have some incredible players. The biggest thing is just staying above them and not giving them those odd-man rushes because obviously their pretty special players make special plays.”
Especially Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog and forward Nathan MacKinnon.
Landeskog is looking like his old, pre-injury self of 2022 before a right knee injury robbed him of three seasons. He had a goal and and assist in Game 2. MacKinnon scored a goal and assisted on two others.
MacKinnon joined some exclusive company with his third straight three-point playoff game. The only players to accomplish that feat over the last 40 years are Mikko Rantanen (2025), Leon Draisaitl (2022), Joe Pavelski (2010), Joe Sakic (1997) and Dennis Maruk (1986), according to NHL Stats.
“Just excited to play playoff hockey,” said MacKinnon, whose team has scored five or more goals in three straight postseason games for the fifth time in franchise history. “Obviously, the best time of year.”
Landeskog knows that feeling.
What brings out the best in him this time of year? That’s easy.
“It’s playoff hockey. It’s what you play for,” Landeskog said. “It’s what you think about through the dog days of the season. It’s what you think about when you’re training in the offseason. This is what it comes down to, so I think it’s about just leaving it all out there, really.”
Prior to Thursday afternoon’s game against the Rangers, the Yankees called up right-handed pitcher Brendan Beck. The 27-year-old has been with Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre all season, and will likely make his big-league debut against Texas.
Prior to today’s game, the Yankees signed RHP Brendan Beck (#89) to a Major League contract and selected him to the active roster.
Across seven starts and 37 innings to this point in 2026, Beck’s results have been so-so. The righty has managed a 5.11 ERA and 4.61 FIP against Triple-A hitters, numbers hampered by a couple of rough starts, though his most recent effort saw him toss seven innings of two-run ball. His season debut saw him strike out nine batters in five shutout frames.
Beck also pitched in this year’s World Baseball Classic for Great Britain, where he tossed four scoreless and hitless frames in his lone start for the tournament. Beck features a four-pitch mix, headlined by a decent slider that moves well in both directions. His excellent command, however, shines brighter on the scouting report than any of his individual pitches do, as his fastball sits in the low 90s, and the curve just does enough to get him by.
Beck’s call up is likely a short-term look, to see if the 27-year-old can provide support in a long relief capacity. Carlos Rodón is slated to be activated and make his season debut on Sunday, a move that will likely reclaim Beck’s spot on the roster. With the recently-ill Ryan Weathers scratched for Thursday, Paul Blackburn is scheduled to start for the Yankees, with Beck potentially coming in to be the bulk pitcher against Texas.
If he does make an appearance, it will be the right-hander’s MLB debut, as the Yankees look to take the series against the Rangers, and build on their thin lead over Tampa Bay in the American League East.
With their new coach Taylor Jenkins in the house, are the Milwaukee Bucks going to be able to build out a roster that gets Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign an extension and stay in Milwaukee, or are they going to trade him this summer (as is widely expected around the league)?
Whatever is going to happen, Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam wants it to happen soon — before next month's draft.
"I just think before the draft is a natural time," Haslam said at Jenkins' introductory press conference, via the Associated Press. "Because if Giannis does play somewhere else, we've got to have a lot of assets. That's Jon's [Horst, Bucks GM] job to do. And if he's here, then you build the team differently."
The expectation in league circles has always been exactly this, that any trade likely would be worked out before this draft. That allows a team trading for Antetokounmpo to include this year's pick as part of the deal (even if the trade couldn't be consummated until the end of the July moratorium). Horst gauged the market for Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline but did not make a deal, in part because he believed more teams would get in the mix and better offers would be available this offseason. That said, because Antetokounmpo now has just one year remaining on his contract (and a player option after that), he has a lot more leverage to get to a place he wants to be because he can just tell a team he will opt out and not extend with them.
"I think he's an incredible person. Obviously, he's an incredible coach… He had incredible culture in Memphis...
"I don't think Milwaukee is just getting just a good coach, I think they're getting a good person. And that's where it starts. Having a good person around that's gonna be able to set the tone, that set the culture and what Milwaukee Bucks basketball is all about. He's a really good coach."
However, when asked about the possibility of being coached by Jenkins...
"We'll see."
Whatever is going to happen, expect the rumors about an Antetokounmpo future and the trade market to ramp up and up as we get closer to the June 23 draft.
With their new coach Taylor Jenkins in the house, are the Milwaukee Bucks going to be able to build out a roster that gets Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign an extension and stay in Milwaukee, or are they going to trade him this summer (as is widely expected around the league)?
Whatever is going to happen, Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam wants it to happen soon — before next month's draft.
"I just think before the draft is a natural time," Haslam said at Jenkins' introductory press conference, via the Associated Press. "Because if Giannis does play somewhere else, we've got to have a lot of assets. That's Jon's [Horst, Bucks GM] job to do. And if he's here, then you build the team differently."
The expectation in league circles has always been exactly this, that any trade likely would be worked out before this draft. That allows a team trading for Antetokounmpo to include this year's pick as part of the deal (even if the trade couldn't be consummated until the end of the July moratorium). Horst gauged the market for Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline but did not make a deal, in part because he believed more teams would get in the mix and better offers would be available this offseason. That said, because Antetokounmpo now has just one year remaining on his contract (and a player option after that), he has a lot more leverage to get to a place he wants to be because he can just tell a team he will opt out and not extend with them.
"I think he's an incredible person. Obviously, he's an incredible coach… He had incredible culture in Memphis...
"I don't think Milwaukee is just getting just a good coach, I think they're getting a good person. And that's where it starts. Having a good person around that's gonna be able to set the tone, that set the culture and what Milwaukee Bucks basketball is all about. He's a really good coach."
However, when asked about the possibility of being coached by Jenkins...
"We'll see."
Whatever is going to happen, expect the rumors about an Antetokounmpo future and the trade market to ramp up and up as we get closer to the June 23 draft.
The Cubs, needing an extra arm in the bullpen for Thursday’s game, today recalled right-handed reliever Gavin Hollowell from Triple-A Iowa. Hollowell pitched in six games for Iowa, covering eight innings, with a 2.25 ERA and 15 strikeouts.
To make room for Hollowell on the 26-man active roster, right-hander Corbin Martin was designated for assignment. Martin had made four pretty good appearances for the Cubs, including posting a save against the Dodgers, then he walked the only three batters he faced a week ago in San Diego. One of those batters scored. Fortunately, the Cubs won the game. Then he had a rough inning Sunday against the Diamondbacks and another one Wednesday night against the Reds.. He will likely clear waivers and the Cubs can send him back to Iowa… if they so choose.
This move opens a spot on the Cubs’ 40-man roster, so feel free to speculate.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 06: Evan Carter #32 and Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers celebrate Carter's two-run home run during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 06, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 35-year-old retired in August after a decorated career that included nine seasons as Washington’s star point guard. Wall departed the Wizards as the franchise’s leader in assists (5,282) and steals (976) and led the team to three playoff series wins.
After finishing 17-65 — the NBA’s worst record — Washington owns a 14% chance of winning the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The Wizards can fall no further than No. 5 and own a 52.1% chance of winning a top-four pick.
This isn’t Wall’s first time on the lottery stage. The five-time NBA All-Star represented Washington at the 2011 draft lottery when they owned the fourth-best odds at winning the top pick.
That time, the odds were not in Washington’s favor, the team instead dropping two spots to No. 6 before later selecting Jan Vesely.
Fifteen years later, Wall will take the stage once more, this time hoping for a better result in a monumental draft lottery for the Wizards, who just finished their third tanking season and appear one star player away from making real noise in the Eastern Conference.
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced two new contract extensions on Thursday morning.
They first announced that they had re-signed forward Connor Dewar to a two-year extension before announcing that they had brought back defenseman Ilya Solovyov on a one-year extension.
Solovyov's deal will run through the 2026-27 season and has an average annual value of $850K.
Solo secured 🤝
The Penguins have signed defenseman Ilya Solovyov to a one-year contract extension.
Solovyov started the 2025-26 season with the Colorado Avalanche and played in 16 games with them before he was traded to the Penguins. He played in 30 total games this season, compiling one goal and eight points.
He also played in three Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Penguins and skated on the third pair.
At the very least, Solovyov is a solid seventh defenseman and will have an opportunity to push for more playing time when the 2026-27 NHL season starts in October.
The Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday will look to rebound from their Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in their second-round playoff series. Once again, Lakers superstar Luka Dončić will not be available for the game.
Doncic indicated to reporters on Wednesday, May 6, that he was given an eight-week recovery timetable for his hamstring injury. It’s been five weeks as of Thursday, May 7.
He suffered the injury on April 2 in a regular-season blowout loss to the Thunder and has not played in a game since.
Dončić also confirmed to reports that he went to Spain shortly after the injury to receive specialized Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections, with the intention of it accelerating his recovery. He stayed for an extended period to receive four separate injections that were spaced out four days apart and worked with specialists.
"I went to Spain to do PRP," Doncic said. "Everybody knows that Spain, they're just one of the best countries to do that. And obviously, I talked with the Lakers' doctors, so everybody agreed for me to go there."
The Lakers have officially ruled out Doncic for Game 2. Doncic would likely need to participate in practice and 5-on-5 simulated basketball games before being fully cleared to play.
When do the Lakers play next?
The Los Angeles Lakers will play the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road on Thursday, May 7. The game is slated to start at 6:30 p.m. PT (9:30 p.m. ET) and will be aired on Prime Video.
Game 1 of their second-round series didn’t go how the Montreal Canadiens hoped, as they lost the first game by a score of 3-2, despite only allowing 16 shots on net. Those who didn’t see the game and only checked the scoreline would be forgiven for thinking that Jakub Dobes had an off night, but that wasn’t the case.
The truth of the matter is, there wasn’t much the Czech goalie could have done on any of those goals. The first goal came on a three-on-one, and he certainly wasn’t to blame for that play. The second goal came on the power play after the Habs had broken the Buffalo Sabres' play, but the puck still got to Zach Benson’s stick, who easily found Ryan McLeod by the side of the net for an easy goal.
In the second frame, the Sabres scored early after fourth liner Jordan Greenway found himself with a golden opportunity when Alex Carrier failed to close him down and effectively screened his goaltender, just like Mike Matheson and Tyler Kozak, who were tangled in front of the net. Dobes couldn’t see a thing as the puck literally went through Carrier. If you’re going to take your goalie’s line of sight away, you need to block that puck. The final goal came on the power play from a great shot by Bowen Byram after Mike Matheson attempted to clear the puck through the middle of the ice.
Despite surrendering four goals on just 16 shots, Dobes battled all night to get a visual on the puck, and he wasn’t panicking. There’s a reason why Martin St-Louis didn’t replace him with Jacob Fowler. It wasn’t the time to do that; pulling him would only have messed with his confidence. Since claiming the number one job, Dobes hasn’t faltered, and the coach not pulling him was his way of showing him that he is their top guy and that he’s behind him. Asked about Dobes after the game, the coach said:
If you look at the first two goals, those are two goals he can’t do anything about. Dobes competed as he always does.
- St-Louis on Dobes
That’s a fair assessment. The goaltender was one of the most combative players for the Canadiens on Wednesday night, even if the scoreline suggests otherwise.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - MAY 04: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs defends Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half in Game One of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Frost Bank Center on May 04, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
They predicted a firm Los Angeles Lakers loss to the Houston Rockets in the First Round of this year’s NBA playoffs. Without two of their three best players (Austin Reaves, out with an oblique injury and Luka Doncic, out with a hamstring strain), they had no chance against the talented young Rockets, most media members in an ESPN survey said.
Actually, 15 of 16 believed that Houston would win comfortably.
— Mette L. Robertson (@M_Robertson100) May 6, 2026
And you can’t really blame them. Statistically, their chances of winning was 14 percent, according to Polymarket. That equates to “no chance”, according to Legion Hoops.
JUST IN: The Rockets have an 86% chance to eliminate the Lakers in the first round of the NBA playoffs
But the Lakers still won the series – and pretty convincingly at that – getting up 3-0, which is basically unbeatable historically.
That begs the question of how much attention we should give numbers and stats, especially in the playoffs.
Here’s why.
Numbers are great at calculating how to get the most efficient shots, finding weak points and so much more. But they can’t stand alone. They can’t tell you about chemistry and they can’t predict the big moments of a playoff series. In order to get a full picture of a player, a team, a series, you have to look up from the stats sheet.
Momentum, the intangibles in between possessions, rivalries, chemistry between certain players, trust in each other – and the opposite – overall team connection, leadership, mental toughness – no one can measure these things.
But it is, however, right here that the real story of a game takes place. The story of winning – or losing – of personalities and the biggest moments.
Most things worth experiencing are not quantifiable. It is in between all the numbers we track that the greatness of basketball is found.
Right there, when numbers just won’t cut it anymore, we have only emotions left. In those cracks and in between our logic and reasoning, basketball forces us to feel. The good, the bad, the sad, the disappointment, and the elation.
All of those feelings which we often are afraid to feel in our normal lives, because it would mean we lose control. But when we watch basketball, all of these feelings are acceptable, even applauded. And in that, basketball becomes a vent for all of our big feelings, which most people spend so much energy bottling up to get through the day.
According to a Freudian psychoanalytic perspective on fandom, sports provide a rare, socially acceptable place for behavior that would otherwise be unacceptable. Fans can be loud, boo and scream, and be hostile towards the opponent. That leaves a place to get the aggressive, primal urges of the id (from Freud’s theory) out in a way that’s acceptable by our social norms and the superego, in which our moralistic nature resides. The id’s raw energy is channeled into a civilized activity that we like to call fandom. Sports help us get an emotional release for pent-up tension. And basically, that’s why it feels so important – and gratifying – to be a sports fan.
That leads us to the future of the NBA, and a pretty good representation of the next generation generally, it seems: Victor Wembanyama from another playoff contender, the San Antonio Spurs. Just last week, Wemby talked about how he isn’t interested in trying to hide his emotions or consider it a weakness, which has been the predominant culture in the sports world, and generally, up until now. But that may be about to change.
“I refuse to carry the burden of having to hide my emotions,” he said in an answer to a question about whether being emotional is weakness.
Wemby is unapologetic about not trying to hide his emotions 💪❤️
If sports, fandom and basketball help us cope with life, find balance and release pent-up feelings of the past, that is a powerful conclusion and a meaningful purpose.
This piece started as a reminder to look up from the stats sheet – and perhaps your phone, as well – and how basketball is less about numbers and more about moments and all that comes in between. But as it turns out, it’s a lot about feelings, too.
Sure, for some, it’s about money mostly, but for fans, players and people around the teams, who put so much time and effort into this sport, it comes down to feelings.
Like someone used to say all the time (it was me), basketball is all about feelings. And maybe I was right. One thing I know, though, is that numbers can’t predict heart – so look up, or you might miss it.
