May 6, 2018; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans player Rajon Rondo controls the ball against the Golden State Warriors for game 4 of the 2018 NBA playoffs in the Smoothie Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Clause/The Advertiser via USA TODAY NETWORK
Former Kentucky Wildcat and two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo is reportedly in the running to be a NBA head coach.
According to Marc Stein, the New Orleans Pelicans are largely considering Rondo for their HC position.
He spent the 2017-2018 season as the starting point guard, averaging eight points and as many assists in 65 games.
Clearly the Pelicans brass liked what they saw from Rondo during his time in New Orleans and throughout the rest of his career, as they’ve already interviewed him for the HC position.
Rondo most recently served as a special assistant on the staff of Doc Rivers in Milwaukee, having last played in the NBA during the 2021-2022 season for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
He was always a true floor general and locker room leader during his playing career, even dating back to his first few seasons when he was the starting PG for the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics where he was heavily mentored by Kevin Garnett.
Rondo’s basketball IQ has always been seen as one of the best, which should also help him in the coaching scene where the Pelicans have highly talented players such as Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson. He could also be a great mentor for someone like Dejounte Murray.
What do you think about Rondo’s chances of becoming the next young coach in the NBA?
Did it cross the line? We may never know — but what is certain is that the Oilers season is now on the brink.
The Ducks’ Ryan Poehling scored 2:29 into overtime after his sharp-angle shot hit an Edmonton skate in front and reluctantly trickled under goalie Tristan Jarry for a 4-3 Anaheim victory.
The refs officials made no call on the ice before huddling and ruling it a goal. An extensive video review revealed no reason to overturn the judgment on the ice that the puck had barely crossed the goal line underneath Jarry’s skate.
The puck was partially blocked out on the overhead angle by the goaltender’s skate, making it impossible to tell if it had fully crossed the line.
The puck is behind Oilers goalie Tristan Jarry and ruled a goal by officials. Getty Images
Poehling celebrated immediately, even though he wasn’t totally sure the game was over.
“I thought I saw some white (between the puck and the goal line) when I was behind the net,” Poehling said. “Then everyone was celebrating. Did it go in? I’m like, ‘I think so?’ But yeah, I thought so right away.”
Not all would agree with the Poehiling.
Longtime NHL player Ryan Whitney fumed in a video on X about the controversy.
“Bulls—t. This is bulls—t,” Whitney, who hosts the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast on Barstool. “This is a scam, you do not see the puck across the line… I don’t know how it was called a goal on the ice. Nobody can see anything and the replay doesn’t show the puck go over the line all the way.
“I feel like I’m taking crazy pills… This is a disgrace to the National Hockey League. This is the worst call I’ve ever seen in an NHL playoff game.”
Oiler coach Kris Knoblauch felt similarly, even if it didn’t quite use as strong as language as Whitney.
The Ducks react after Ryan Poehling scored what was eventually ruled the game-winning goal. AP
“I can’t see it going in,” Knoblauch said. “I can’t see the line. … The (initial) goal call on the ice was probably about 60 to 90 seconds after (the shot), maybe even more. They huddled when they got to center ice, and then they made the (initial) call that it was a good goal. I don’t know. Wasn’t very definitive.”
The Ducks now lead the first-round series 3-1 with Game 5 back in Edmonton on Tuesday night.
Jeffrey Viel tied it with 6:29 left in regulation for the Ducks, who rallied from an early two-goal deficit and another third-period hole with their third consecutive victory over the back-to-back Western Conference champion Oilers.
The Ducks completed their NHL-best 10th multi-goal comeback of the season when Poehling’s sharp-angled shot hit an Edmonton skate in front and reluctantly trickled under goalie Tristan Jarry, who had played well in his first playoff start for his new team.
Tristan Jarry’s skate blocks the overhead view. TSN/X
Cutter Gauthier and Mikael Granlund scored power-play goals in the second period for the Ducks, who have scored 20 goals in four games to begin their team’s first Stanley Cup playoff series in eight years. Lukas Dostal stopped 24 shots and made a pair of spectacular saves on Connor McDavid in the final minutes.
“We’re just playing so connected right now, and we’re doing a good job of doing the right things,” said Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe, who leads the NHL in postseason scoring with eight points after recording two assists in Game 4. “We’re all just feeling great, and I think we’re all competing to the best of our ability, and it’s just paying off right now.”
Evan Bouchard scored a tiebreaking goal early in the third period and Jarry made 34 saves for the Oilers. Kasperi Kapanen and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored first-period goals.
"The issue I have with this is I don't understand how you can say that puck is completely crossing the goal line. There's no official behind the net there."
Edmonton nearly won it late in regulation, but Dostal made a sprawling pad save to deny McDavid on a late breakaway — and Dostal added another big stuff of McDavid in the final minute. The Oilers’ superstar center, who is suspected to be dealing with an injury, had two assists in Game 4.
Jarry struggled for Edmonton right after arriving in a midseason trade with Pittsburgh, losing his job to Connor Ingram. But with the Oilers struggling mightily to stop the fast, exciting Ducks, Knoblauch made the switch for Game 4 and got a solid effort from Jarry, who hadn’t played since April 8.
The Oilers also improved their defensive structure after a shambolic Game 3 – and yet the energetic, hungry Ducks still pumped in four more goals despite never leading.
The Ducks celebrate the Game 4 win. Getty Images
Kapanen silenced the raucous sellout crowd at Honda Center 38 seconds after the opening faceoff with his fourth goal in four games. Nugent-Hopkins then scored just Edmonton’s second power-play goal of the series.
The Ducks began yet another comeback with a vicious wrist shot from Gauthier, their 22-year-old top scorer. Anaheim’s once-awful power play has scored in eight consecutive games.
Granlund and Leo Carlsson then teamed up for a fluid give-and-go to tie it.
Bouchard ripped a wrist shot for a tiebreaking goal just 4 seconds into an Oilers power play, but the Ducks’ fourth line tied it again, with Viel punching home a rebound of John Carlson’s shot for his second career playoff goal.
This is the lab. In the lab we do experiments. Sometimes it is the moral and ethical equivalent of shining a magnifying glass on an ant. In other times, it is a little more serious. I should note that when I put things like this in the lab, it is not proceeded by “the Astros should…” or “the Astros should not….” This is not a hot take. If it were a hot take I certainly would not put it in a lab.
What we are looking at here is ultimately the value of a superstar. Branch Rickey is obviously known as the executive that broke the color barrier. He was also an executive with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. He infamously told Ralph Kiner that he could finish in last with him or without him. We have obviously seen the huge numbers that Yordan Alvarez has put up and I have spent the last two labs comparing those numbers with the rest of the team and the best hitters in baseball history.
Obviously, if the Astros were shopping Alvarez it would be big news. There have been a few superstar level moves in baseball over the last several years. Heck, Juan Soto was involved in two of those deals as the teams that held him cashed in with prospects. I shouldn’t have to tell anyone that if Yordan became available, there would be at least a half dozen teams waiting in line to make their offer. So, what would a Yordan Alvarez trade even look like?
We should start by accurately pegging his value. Last time, we saw that he is on pace to get close to 12 wins at the pace he is currently at. However, that is not horribly realistic. The best thing we can do is look at what he has done and project from there. There are two ways to do this. We can look at the WAR numbers and project those over 150 games or we can look at the traditional hitting numbers and do the same.
Yordan Alvarez: 25.8 FWAR in 703 career games through Thursday, 5.5 FWAR per 150 games Yordan Alvarez: .298/.392/.580, 39 HR, 96 Runs, 111 RBI, 2 SB, 78 BB
Those are pretty sparkling numbers. We could surmise that this is a career season for Yordan and he might be closer to a seven or eight win player. This is where things get more dicey than what we might think. It would be simplistic to suggest that you want something equivalent to seven or eight wins to break even on the exchange. However, that misunderstands the designation of a replacement level player. The players coming up to replace injured bench players are replacement level players. Most teams are not employing those players as regulars and the Astros are no different.
I hate to pick sides in a debate over metrics because that would taint the lab and its purpose. However, most sabermetricians seem to prefer Fangraph’s WAR over baseball-reference.com’s WAR. Again, I use both because I like getting a cross-section of thought on a player. In this case, we will use FWAR just to keep everything simple. Below would be the Astros regular lineup according to their 2025 FWAR numbers when Yordan Alvarez is removed from the equation.
FWAR
C Yainer Diaz
1.6
1B Christian Walker
1.1
2B Jose Altuve
2.1
3B Carlos Correa
2.6
SS Jeremy Pena
5.7
LF Joey Loperfido*
0.8
CF Jake Meyers
2.3
RF Cam Smith
1.0
DH Isaac Paredes
2.4
Asterisk: Joey Loperfido’s 2024 and 2025 FWARs were combined to simulate the number of plate appearances he would likely get in a full season.
So, as you can see, none of the regulars would be a replacement level player, so you are not starting at zero. The effective difference between Loperfido and Yordan would be an average of five wins and maybe closer to six or seven wins this season alone. I have to emphasize again that we are not simply looking for six or seven wins. We are looking for players that would be six or seven wins better than the players they are replacing.
For instance, if you wanted to upgrade at catcher then you would take the wins above 1.6 as the net improvement. So, a three win catcher is not a net three wins. It would be a net 1.4 wins. As you might imagine, it would be a group of players (likely three or four) that you would hope would combine to add six or seven wins of value to make up for the six or seven wins you are losing. One could easily look at the lineup and pitching staff and identify the spots where an upgrade would be nice. I’d surmise at least one of the players would be a pitcher if not two. The thinner outfield would also be a place where they would likely add.
Unfortunately, that would not be the end of the ledger on any such trade. A look at the wins added would also have to include the element of time. Yordan would have considerable value this season as someone under contract through the 2028 season on a pretty friendly hometown discount (6 years, 115 million). So, we are not only talking about the seven or eight wins he would produce this season, but also those same wins in 2027 and 2028. If we assume Loperfido is fixed at about a win then the Astros would need to recuperate conservatively 18 wins total.
The good news is that they wouldn’t have to do this only through 2028. The players they would likely get back with have more club control than Yordan. If those players were on the younger side then you would be talking five or six seasons of club control remaining for each player. So, three or four players with an average of five seasons of club control each would need to add 18 net wins over the span of those five seasons.
For instance, the tale of the tape on the Kyle Tucker trade is still ongoing. The Cubs got 4.5 wins out of Tucker last season which is probably three to 3.5 wins more than a marginal starter would have gotten. However, the Astros get the services of Cam Smith for six seasons, Isaac Paredes for this year and next year, and Hayden Wesneski for three additional seasons after this year. The Astros have not recouped the four wins yet, but they have through 2030 to recoup a grand total of four wins.
Obviously, the downside is bringing in prospects that produce zero wins. That is always the chance you take with these kinds of deals. However, while it seems foolish to think that you could get bang for your buck when you trade a superstar, the math actually works out more often than not. Naturally, math is not making these trades and it is a lot harder to do because you have to pick the right prospects and accept the fallout of trading a superstar player. Keep in mind, this is a lab experiment where we explain the math behind a theoretical deal. I am not advocating trading Yordan and I’m certainly not predicting it. What do you think? Could we ever recoup that value back?
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 26: Jake Burger #21 of the Texas Rangers walks back to the dugout after striking out in the fourth inning against the Athletics at Globe Life Field on April 26, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A’s 2, Rangers 1
And back to .500.
So far this year, the Rangers have been at .500 eight times. Well, nine, if you count Opening Day, which I don’t.
Kumar Rocker was fine on Sunday. The problem was, he apparently needed to be perfect.
A pair of two out walks in the first were followed by a Carlos Cortes triple, and that ended up being the ballgame.
It didn’t matter that Rocker didn’t walk anyone the rest of the way, went six innings with only those two runs coming across off of him, that the bullpen threw up three shutout innings.
Rocker only struck out three A’s hitters in the game, and generated just eight swinging strikes, none of which came on his fastball or sinker. Not a dominating performance, but at the end of the day, he allowed just two runs in six innings, and you’d like to think that the Rangers offense would take advantage of that.
The relievers the Rangers used — Tyler Alexander, Gavin Collyer, and Peyton Gray — are currently sporting a 0.63 ERA, a 0.00 ERA, and a 0.00 ERA. That’s good, it seems like.
Offensively, the Rangers put a lot of runners on base but didn’t do anything with them once they were on base. Texas was 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position, and the “1” was a Josh Smith bunt single that loaded the bases.
The Rangers totaled six hits and five walks, and also had Evan Carter reach once on an HBP and once on an error on an attempted sac bunt. That Evan Carter sac bunt/error play also brought home the lone run of the game, but with no RBI credited because of the error. So the Rangers didn’t even get an RBI in this game.
How sad.
Part of the problem was a lack of extra base hits. Josh Jung had a pair of doubles, but every other hit was a single, and its harder to score runs with singles and walks than with extra base hits.
Texas left runners on second and third with two outs in the second. Evan Carter reached on an HBP with one out in the fourth, stole second, was joined on the bases by Josh Smith with a two out walk, and both were stranded.
In the sixth, after the E1 that brought Jung — who led off the inning again with a double — home and put Carter on base, Jake Burger walked and Smith had that aforementioned bunt single, loading the bases. Danny Jansen then struck out. Sam Haggerty, who had hit for Alejandro Osuna the inning before, struck out. Brandon Nimmo then hit a line drive that, had it been in the gap, would have cleared the bases, but instead was to straightaway center field, and thus was caught for an out.
It felt then that it was over, and in fact, the Rangers only had two more baserunners the rest of the way, and didn’t get a runner past first base.
The old adage says that you are going to win a third of your games and are going to lose a third of your games, and its what you do with the other third that matters. This was a game squarely in that other third, and the Rangers let it get away.
Kumar Rocker hit 95.8 mph with his sinker, averaging 94.4 mph. Tyler Alexander reached 91.8 mph on his sinker. Gavin Collyer hit 97.8 mph with his fastball. Peyton Gray’s fastball touched 92.7 mph.
Corey Seager had a 108.4 mph line out. Jake Burger had a 107.9 mph sinlge. Josh Jung had a 107.7 mph fly out and a 100.2 mph fly out. Brandon Nimmo had a 104.6 mph fly out and a 103.0 mph line out.
Another game looms on the horizon. Maybe the Rangers will win it.
Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looses the ball in front of Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) and guard Gabe Vincent (4) during the second half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
How low can the vibes get before you reach a point of no return?
We got pretty close to that after the demoralizing beatdown the Knicks got at the hands of the shorthanded Mavericks back on MLK Day in January to fall to 2-9 in their last 11 games. Even throughout all the frustration in the prior year and a half, it felt like the Knicks were dangerously close to something irreparable that night. Fortunately for them, they solved their woes two nights later.
The Game 3 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday somehow found a lower point. While January is still a ways away from the playoffs and most fans knew they had enough time to shape up, the Knicks were suddenly fighting for their lives in Game 4. A loss would mean a 3-1 deficit and an all-but-assured first-round exit in the season with the highest expectations in nearly three decades.
The discontent was already beginning. Mike Brown was being flamed for every single decision. Jalen Brunson’s struggles were having fans question his long-term viability as the face of this franchise (don’t believe me? We got that discourse in our very own comment sections!). Mikal Bridges became the most slandered man in basketball. For the sake of the franchise and everyone involved, Game 4 was a must-win, even if they could technically afford to lose.
But they didn’t. They almost led buzzer-to-buzzer, and aside from a brief charge to start the second half, the Hawks were down double digits for essentially the final three quarters. Every small run was answered. Every time Atlanta countered an offensive strategy or found a way to exploit a defensive hole, it was patched immediately. It was 48 minutes of pure execution.
You could not script a better feel-good victory that has you take a step off the ledge and believe better days are ahead. But what exactly changed about how the team played in Game 4 compared to the first three?
Defensive Intensity and Pressure
The No. 1 thing that the Knicks did right in Game 4 was to not make anything easy for the Hawks on offense. There was significantly more full-court pressure, a higher pick-up point, and more physical on-ball defense. CJ McCollum, whose performance in the first three games mirrored the Black Mamba, got a variety of looks to keep him off balance and it wore him down, to the point where he played significantly more off-ball than usual.
The Knicks forced 18 turnovers and made play after play, gambling for steals and deflections to slow down a potent offense that thrives on early shot clock action.
A different referee crew might disrupt the game flow with a litany of fouls on these plays, but the Knicks recognized early that Scott Foster’s crew was going to let them play, and they looked the part of a veteran team playing with the type of desperation they needed against a young, athletic team on the road.
But it wasn’t just the way they were dragging down Atlanta in the halfcourt; it was the way they prevented them from playing to their pace.
Game 4’s pace sat at just 94 possessions, compared to 101 in Game 3.
The Hawks went from scoring 40 combined fast-break points in their two wins to just seven in Game 4.
The Hawks scored 37 points off 29 combined turnovers in Games 2 and 3, but only scored 14 points against 14 turnovers on Saturday. The Knicks turned the Hawks over 18 times on Saturday, a series-high.
All of this is absolutely necessary to continue to take firm control of this series.
Working Through Karl-Anthony Towns
Pretty much everyone here at P&T believed that Karl-Anthony Towns was the X-factor, so there’s no coincidence that Towns’ two best games have been the two wins this series.
What’s fascinating, however, is that you’re not getting the 35-point masterpieces. Instead, you’re getting low shot totals and 20-point triple doubles.
Gravity is extremely impactful in evaluating the impact of an offensive player. Even when Jalen Brunson is struggling with his shot some nights, he can have a big impact by drawing defenders and spraying to open shooters. While that’s not precisely what happened with Towns’ last game, his gravity led to openings for his teammates, specifically using the exact same back screen concept with Brunson and OG Anunoby that worked to perfection over and over again.
Here's the simple play the Knicks ran that Atlanta could not stop yesterday.
Goes to show you, especially in the NBA, it's not about the action, it's about the personnel running it. pic.twitter.com/A1t5Erk1Dg
When he wasn’t the facilitator, Towns was going right at both Onyeka Okongwu and Jonathan Kuminga. Unlike before, when he was content to sink into the corner when the Hawks switched up the coverages with Kuminga, he was a man on a mission all night long.
FIRST POSTSEASON TRIPLE-DOUBLE. KNICKS EVEN THE SERIES 2-2.
Karl-Anthony Towns, have yourself a night!
The only other @nyknicks player to tally 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a postseason game?
The only player that the Hawks have no answer for is Towns. We’ve seen them hound Brunson with a variety of wings that have made him struggle through four games, but no coverage in the world can stop the Big Bodega when he’s decisive and playing with purpose.
Better Rotations
The only time in this series that the minutes with both Brunson and Towns on the bench have been catastrophically bad was the start of the second quarter of Game 2. Outside of that, they’ve played about even.
That said, we saw very few of those minutes in Game 4 as part of a very different rotation.
For one, the struggling Bridges was limited to just 19 minutes, as his impact on offense was incredibly muted and, due to the team-wide priority on more defensive intensity, his defensive impact was more replaceable. That meant more minutes for Deuce McBride, whose minutes alongside Brunson and/or Towns this series have been exceptional this series:
There was still no double big lineups, but Mike Brown’s real stroke of genius was how he deployed Brunson and Towns. He did an effective line change with four minutes left in the first quarter to get all starters but Josh Hart out of the game, but re-inserted Brunson after a one-minute recharge to finish the quarter before starting him on the bench and Towns on the floor in the second.
His trust in Jose Alvarado was also similarly important, and he’s been willing to play the hot hand by putting in the fiery Brooklyn native over Landry Shamet, who’s currently out of the rotation. There’s still potentially more moves to be made, but the moves made thus far have stabilized this series.
Effort. Pure Effort.
At the end of the day, this is what it’s all about.
The Hawks have flat-out played harder through three games in this series. Talent can overcome intensity every so often, but the Knicks put themselves in the muck for long enough that energy won out in Games 2 and 3. The Knicks needed to match the intensity, and they played the type of ankle-biting basketball that we haven’t seen enough from this group.
They’re diving for loose balls. They’re communicating on defense. They’re getting in each other’s faces to lock in. Just look at what Rick Brunson was saying to his own son.
Every time this team faces any sort of adversity, there are detractors in the media who want to tear down everything that this team has built. Regardless of how Boston, Detroit, and Cleveland have fared in the playoffs so far, it’s the Knicks that have the most negative coverage. It’s not just the fanbase that was ready to write the Knicks’ obituary after Game 3; it was the national media. What other team gets mentioned on a WWE show as “cursed”
For the Knicks, the No. 1 key is intensity and effort. They played Game 4 like they only had 96 minutes left in their season, and that mentality needs to remain. Dropping Game 5 in MSG is a similar death sentence to dropping Game 4. The season is in similar peril on Tuesday, even if you feel a helluva lot more confident now than you probably did going into Saturday.
Keep Atlanta on their heels, and the series is yours. They’ve shown you the blueprint.
Apr 26, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) embraces guard Stephon Castle (5) after a game against the Portland Trail Blazers during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Talk about a tale of two halves! I’ll be honest, as halftime approached, I was comforting myself with the argument that this game represented an unfortunate but understandable stumble for a young, inexperienced team that was still coming off a critical Game 3 win without its superstar. It certainly wasn’t an ideal scenario, but I kept telling myself that this would be another one of those playoff scars that ultimately leads to winning.
Fortunately, my insincere, grasping rationalizations quickly gave way to delight, as the Spurs narrowed a 15-point deficit to just four via a 2-and-a-half minute burst early in the third. To their credit, Portland did not immediately crumble after this onslaught, as the remainder of the quarter was a back-and-forth affair that ended with the score knotted up at 74. The Blazers continued to keep things close for several minutes in the fourth; however, by the middle of the quarter San Antonio had a double-digit lead that continued to grow as the game drew to a close.
In pulling off this comeback, the Spurs became the only team in NBA playoff history to win a game by 15+ after being down by 15+ at half. As you might imagine, a performance like this produces some wild stats, as we will discuss below:
Note: Now that we’ve moved into the postseason, the reference period used for grading changes from the set of regular season games since 2012-2013 to the set of postseason games since 2012-2013. Unless otherwise noted below, this set DOES include play-in games. As of the end of April 26, 2026, this group include 1,151 games.
Factors that decided the game
This is one of those games in which the overall box score obscures wild variation in play for both teams over the course of the game. Of course, the factors discussed here are still completely valid, but it is important to note that essentially all of the Spurs’ key advantages were built in the second half.
San Antonio invested heavily in stocks (steals + blocks) in this game, logging 22 as a team to Portland’s 11. That Blazers total is unspectacular but perfectly respectable; unfortunately for them, Wemby matched it by himself.
The Spurs’ stifling defense produced a turnover margin of -5, which helped them build a FGA edge of +7. However, another reason that San Antonio attempted more field goals is that they fouled more often and at worse times, giving Portland a +6 advantage in FTA.
The Blazers’ notable edge at the free throw line (+5 FTM) was completely swamped by the Spurs’ massive advantage from the field, which was partly driver by volume but mostly the result of big margins in FG% (+9.43 percentage points) and 3P% (+10.17 percentage points). As a result, San Antonio made 11 more shots, four more threes, and outscored Portland by 26 from the field.
Rare Box Score Stats
I mentioned above that Victor had 11 stocks in this game (seven blocks and four steals). Only seven other players have met of surpassed this total in a true playoff game (i.e., no play-in contests) since the start of the 1996-1997 postseason.
The Spurs’ team total of 22 stocks is not nearly as rare a feat, but still far from common. In the 1,151 postseason games since 2012-2013, a stock total of 22+ has happened 30 times, including 22 times for winners and eight times for losers. That’s about once in every 39 contests, or a bit more than twice per postseason.
This was just the 19th postseason contest since 2012-2013 in which a winning team had an assist margin of +12 or more while having no more than 26 assists.
In the 2,380 true playoff games played since the start of the 1996-1997 postseason, this game marked just the 29th time that any team (winner or loser) recorded 10+ blocks as a team while no more than three members of that team had a block. Furthermore, it is was just the 21st time in the same period that 9+ players on one team had at least one steal.
What are Team Graded Box Scores?
Very briefly, these box scores grade winner-loser differentials for basic box score statistics, with the grade being based on the winning team’s differential relative to other NBA winners during a defined reference period. Think of it like a report card for understanding how a given winner performed relative to other winners. The reference period used runs from the start of the 2012-2013 season to the latest date of play, including only games in the same season category (i.e., regular season and playoff games are not compared to each other).
Data Source: The underlying data used to create these box scores was collected from Basketball Reference. In all cases, the data are collected the morning after the game is played. Although rare, postgame statistical revisions after data collection do occur and may affect the results after the fact.
Apr 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; A fan sits alone in the sixth inning of the game between the Colorado Rockies and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets lost twice to the Rockes in the span of six hours. Do you really want to hear any more?
Chris Sale passed Chuck Finley on the strikeouts leaderboard and recorded the 150th win of his career in the Braves’ 6-2 win over the Phillies.
In a 10-inning contest, Dicky Lovelady enjoyed the greener pastures of Washington got his first victory in a Nationals uniform in a 2-1 contest against the White Sox.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 02: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on September 02, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Outside that pair of series against the Athletics and Rays, this Yankees team has been pretty adept at quickly brushing off losses. That’s something they’ll look to do in the backend of this road trip after missing out on a sweep opportunity against the Houston Astros. After Luis Gil’s increasingly disappointing efforts on Sunday—ultimately leading to his demotion—the Yankees will start the series against the Rangers with the best they have to offer on the mound in a three-game set of high-profile pitching matchups.
Monday: Max Fried vs. Jack Leiter(8:05 pm ET)
Already making his fifth start on the road in 2026, Max Fried has been superb early on, but if there is one element to his game that’s lacked a bit, it is in the strikeout department—not that this is ever the primary aspect of his game. The Rangers’ offense presents quite the opportunity for Fried and other left-handers on the Yankees pitching staff—Texas has struggled the most against southpaws in the big leagues, only one of 30 clubs with a strikeout rate of at least 30 percent against them, and also boasts a pitiful 67 wRC+. Further damaging the Rangers’ prospects against left-handers is the absence of Wyatt Langford, their premier right-handed hitter and one of the more exciting young players in the American League, currently on the IL.
One of the few pleasant pieces of news for the Rangers last season was that Jack Leiter established himself as a solid starter. However, in the middle of a campaign that placed him seventh on the Rookie of the Year voting roll call, Leiter had his shortest outing against the Yankees. The young right-hander struggled with the free passes—conceding four of them—and not even finishing four innings. Yankee hitters will once again look to work deep counts against Leiter. It’s a bumpy start to 2026 for the former Vanderbilt standout, as he hasn’t finished the sixth since March and has allowed 12 runs on 17 hits and 9 walks across his last trio of outings (14.1 innings) against the Dodgers, A’s, and Pirates.
Tuesday: Cam Schlittler vs. Jacob deGrom(8:05 pm ET)
For the first time since he squared off against George Kirby in his second start of the season, Cam Schlittler will not be the center of attention of a pitching matchup, as he and the Yankees face one of the more dominant starters of this century of baseball. There is not a whiff of hyperbole in that statement when you assess what deGrom has done—the two-time near-unanimous Cy Young Award winner’s level of dominance in a post-prime period with the Rangers only enhances his legend, still just about as good as it gets out there. He has a 2.13 ERA and a 1.066 WHIP in his five starts for 2026, fanning 35 — including 10 Bucs his last time out.
It remains to be seen how Giancarlo Stanton will recover in the following days, having been out of the lineup on Sunday. Jasson Domínguez’s reported promotion seems to indicate that an IL stint is a lock (and Domínguez will be ready to face the Rangers’ righties from his superior side). If the Yankees’ designated hitter is indeed unable to suit up on Tuesday, it’ll be a particularly impactful hit; Stanton has potent numbers he has shown against deGrom over the years, hitting four home runs in 27 at-bats against him, doing so with a .333 batting average. Other than Stanton, the Yankee hitter who has faced deGrom the most is Cody Bellinger, also featuring quality numbers against the Rangers ace with a pair of bombs in 19 at-bats.
Wednesday: Will Warren vs. Nathan Eovaldi (2:35 pm ET)
On one side, an undefeated pitcher, who has been quietly solid early on in 2026 (only 11 qualified pitchers have topped Warren’s 0.9 fWAR in 31.1 innings); on the other, a starter that, as of Sunday, April 26th, is tied for the league lead in losses with four. As a former Yankee, it’s weird to think that Nathan Eovaldi has faced them more than any other club in his career as a big leaguer. Eovaldi was so magnificent last year that with this disappointing beginning to his 2026 campaign, the veteran is only four earned runs away from matching his total the previous season (25), achieved in exactly 130 innings of work.
While the results for Eovaldi have been vastly underwhelming, nothing under the hood corroborates the potential expectation of a rapid decline, so the Yankees should expect the usual customer who has a 3.22 ERA in 24 career appearances against them. While Stanton’s numbers against deGrom stand out more and the impact of his potential absence might be especially hurtful, his career stats against Eovaldi are also impressive. The currently sidelined Yankees DH has four bombs in 38 at-bats against Eovaldi, facing him one more time than Judge, who has gone deep twice with a .324 average facing him.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 17: Catcher Bo Naylor #23 of the Cleveland Guardians watches the scoreboard during the top of the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field on April 17, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good feeling’s gone.
The Guardians have now lost two straight series to the injury-depleted Astros and injury-depleted Blue Jays. Not great, Bob.
Nicole has the recap of a feckless performance by the hitters against Patrick Corbin. I had forgotten that Corbin inexplicably owns Jose Ramirez. Meanwhile, Steven Kwan has a 73 wRC+, Kyle Manzardo has a 58 wRC+, George Valera has a 55 wRC+, Juan Brito has a 44 wRC+ and Bo Naylor has a 9 wRC+. Those numbers have to change, one way or another. Also, I don’t know that they can continue to play Fry in right field or Brito at second base, defensively.
Aside from that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
Guardians Weekly featured Gavin Williams and Peyton Pallette, and a focus on the Hill City Howlers.
AROUND MLB:
The Tigers beat the Reds, the Royals beat the Angels, and the Twins and White Sox lost.
It is no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers' decision to trade for Trevor Zegras was a fantastic one. The 25-year-old forward had a strong first regular season with the Flyers in 2025-26, setting new career highs with 26 goals and 67 points in 81 games. He has also made a big impact for the Flyers so far this postseason, recording one goal and four points in four games.
While the Flyers have benefited by bringing in Zegras, the Anaheim Ducks have also gotten good value from Ryan Poehling from the trade. In 75 regular-season games during his first season with the Ducks, he scored 11 goals and set new career highs with 25 assists and 36 points. With numbers like these, he has been a solid part of the Ducks' forward group since being traded by the Flyers.
However, Poehling has been notably stepping up his game for the Ducks during the playoffs so far.
In four playoff games this spring for the Ducks, Poehling has three goals and a plus-2 rating. This included him putting together a two-goal game against the Edmonton Oilers on April 22. He also scored the Ducks' overtime winner against Edmonton in Game 4, giving Anaheim a 3-1 series lead.
With this, it is clear that Poehling is having a very good start to the playoffs for the Ducks. It will be interesting to see if the former Flyers forward can continue to be a difference-maker for Anaheim from here.
In 145 games over two seasons with the Flyers, Poehling had 23 goals, 36 assists, and 59 points.
The Braves once again took care of business on Sunday, beating the Phillies and winning yet another series as their great start to the season rolls along. The amount of positive data points from the past few weeks is highly encouraging to see, including the Braves going 10-3 against NL East opponents over the past two weeks. Plus, the Braves now have the best record in baseball, a needed start as they enter May and a tougher stretch of the schedule.
Braves News
The Braves also made some notable changes to their pitching setup for the week ahead. JR Ritchie will get a second start against the Tigers. Meanwhile, Reynaldo Lopez will, at least for the near future, work out of the bullpen as he continues to lock in his mechanics.
Another significant development on Sunday was a second solid start from Spencer Strider in Gwinnett, which is his third rehab start overall. While nothing is yet official, Strider’s return to the rotation could happen as early as this week.
Mets' Joe Torre slides under Dodger catcher Ellie Rodriguez as he scores on a single by Jerry Grote. Umpire Andy Olson makes the all as the Mets take an eight inning 4-1 lead. The Dodgers came back in the ninth inning to score four runs and beat the Mets 6-5. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Ellie Rodríguez, the Puerto Rican catcher who played nine major league seasons died on Thursday at age 79.
Rodríguez only played the one season for the Dodgers, but he held a notable place in local baseball lore. The Dodgers acquired Rodríguez at the end of spring training in 1976 from the Angels for backup outfielder Orlando Álvarez. That was the only trade involving multiple major league players between the Dodgers and Angels from 1976 for nearly four decades, a streak that was only snapped at the 2014 winter meetings when intermittent Dodger Andrew Heaney was sent to Anaheim for Howie Kendrick.
In his one season for the Dodgers, Rodríguez played 33 games behind the plate, with 21 starts, batted a total of 90 times and had no extra-base hits. But he walked 19 times and was hit by three pitches, giving him the wonderful .212/.400/.212 batting line. The .400 on-base percentage was rare among Dodgers catchers in franchise history.
Dodgers catchers with a .400+ OBP in 90+ PA
Babe Phelps (1935) .408
Babe Phelps (1936) .421
Ellie Rodríguez (1976) .400
Mike Scioscia (1985) .407
Mike Piazza (.400) 1995
Mike Piazza (.422) 1996
Mike Piazza (.431) 1997
Chad Kreuter (.416) 2000
Austin Barnes (.408) 2017
Will Smith (.401) 2020
Will Smith (.404) 2025
Rodríguez played nine years in the majors, and hit .245/.356/.308 with 76 doubles and 16 home runs in 775 games with the New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Angels, and Dodgers. He was the first All-Star in Royals history, in 1969, and also was an All-Star with the Brewers in 1972. Rodríguez caught Nolan Ryan’s fourth no-hitter with the Angels in 1975.
For 15 years (1998-2012), Rodríguez was the Latin American coordinator and player development consultant for the Atlantic League and also managed in the league.
“Ellie was an integral part of the foundation and growth of the Atlantic League with his ties to baseball throughout the world,” Atlantic League president Rick White said in a statement. “He was a dear friend who helped create many opportunities for players throughout Latin America, both in the Atlantic League and in Major League baseball. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his outstanding work in helping the league grow both in the U.S. and internationally.”
The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they have assigned defenseman David Reinbacher to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
Reinbacher had been with the NHL club but did not make an appearance during their ongoing first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He did play in his first two NHL regular-season games to round off the campaign, though, where he had one assist.
Down in the AHL this regular season, Reinbacher had five goals, 19 assists, 24 points, 56 penalty minutes, and a plus-18 rating. It was the most amount of games Reinbacher has played since starting his AHL career in 2023-24, which was certainly good to see.
Reinbacher will now be looking to make a big impact for the Laval Rocket during their playoff run. The 2023 fifth-overall pick is a huge part of the Canadiens' prospect pool, and he should get more chances at the NHL level next season with the Habs.
DALLAS, TEXAS - APRIL 12: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts to a play during the first half against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Center on April 12, 2026 in Dallas, 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 GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg last June, the franchise was saved, but there were still questions about Flagg’s upside.
Those questions were answered, as Flagg had one of the best scoring seasons for a teenager ever, and left no doubt about his future.
Season Review
Flagg’s season started off poorly, as he averaged just 15.5 points in the first 15 games. He looked uncomfortable and rushed, with no go-to moves.
These problems were only exacerbated by the truly awful two-big lineups the Mavericks were relying on, with multiple non-shooters always clogging the paint.
But it wouldn’t take long for Flagg to find his rhythm, as after the bad start he proceeded to average 23 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds over his last 51 games.
These stats show the biggest reason for optimism regarding Flagg, which is his superhuman ability to improve. At the beginning of his lone college year at Duke Flagg was seen as a mainly defensive prospect with some connective offensive tools. By the end of that season Flagg had become Duke’s de-facto point guard and lead ball handler.
And somehow he kept improving this year, even as the team around him crumbled. It started with his gigantic improvement as a ball-handler, allowing him to get to his spots much easier. But the biggest improvement was his touch around the rim, which was seen as a weakness before the draft. This touch has become his best weapon, as his floaters are already some of the best in the league.
He even found a new level in April, with step-back threes becoming part of his repertoire.
Flagg also rewrote the record books for players his age. Flagg became the youngest player in the league history to score: 30, 40, and 50 points, as well as being the first teenager to have multiple 40 point games.
This type of scoring production
All in all, Flagg showed consistent effort and buy-in all year, with the circumstances of the team never really affecting him, and his winning mentality never wavering.
Best Game
It is very hard to pick Flagg’s best game, with there being multiple generational performances. You could easily make a case for his 51 point explosion against the Magic, or his near 45 point triple double against the Lakers.
But to take a page out of Ryen Rusillo’s book, I’ll zag against the obvious.
My pick for Flagg’s best game was his 33 point, 9 rebound, 9 assist performance against the Denver Nuggets.
This game is far from Flagg’s best statistical outing, but it was maybe his most impactful. Not only did the Mavericks win this game, but it was against a bona-fide contender that was trying to win.
Flagg was amazing all night, with his three ball dropping all game, including a clutch-time three over multiple defenders.
He was also incredibly efficient, nailing 14-21 from the field and only having two turnovers.
This was also one of his best playmaking games of the season, as he consistently leveraged his downhill scoring to create opportunities for others.
My pick for his second best game would have to be his 45 point game against the Lakers.
Contract Status
Flagg will be entering year 2 of his 4 year, $62.7 million contract he signed last year.
Looking towards the future
Now that Flagg’s rookie season is over, what does he have to do to reach the level of a true superstar?
In my opinion, the most important improvement Flagg has to make is his shot selection. Flagg often settled for long mid-range jumpers over three pointers last year, leading to some of his poor efficiency.
Flagg only attempted 3.5 three point shots a game, accounting for just 20% of his total shots on the year. There were many moments throughout the season where defenses simply ignored Flagg from behind-the-arc, which made his paint finishing that much harder.
Shooting more threes, with hopefully more efficiency, should make Flagg nearly ungradable in almost any situation, forcing defenses to bend to his gravity.
Besides shooting, Flagg could also stand to attempt more free throws, as his Free Throw Rate was .29, which is slightly above average. Obviously this isn’t bad, but comparing it to other stars it lags behind. Shooting more free throws would help to ease the difficulty of his shot diet, and get more easy points.
But all of this doesn’t really matter if Mavericks do not build a smarter team around Flagg.
The spacing of last year’s team was a disaster, with Flagg always dealing with stacked paints. Having Kyrie Irving back will help to ease this issue, but it does not solve it. The Mavericks should prioritize adding this offseason, and hopefully give Flagg the space he needs to dominate.
Grade: A+
There’s no other grade that makes sense for Cooper Flagg.
Flagg exceeded any expectations as a scorer and shot creator, while simultaneously showing off incredibly impressive playmaking.
Detractors might point to his below-average efficiency, or disappointing advanced metrics; however, these issues can mostly be explained by the team around him.
Flagg was able to succeed in the most dire possible circumstances, and with the addition of a top 10 pick, Kyrie Irving and a hopefully healthy Dereck Lively II, he should be poised for a historic second season.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 25: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns attempts a shot against Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 25, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Thunder defeated the Suns 121-109. 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 Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Phoenix Suns are down 3-0 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. No NBA team has ever come back from losing the first three games of a series, and Phoenix hasn’t played like they’d have a chance to change that record.
With Game 4 tonight, here are the questions we want your thoughts on for Week 27 as the Suns face elimination:
Could the Suns steal Game 4 by getting hot from deep?
Phoenix hasn’t particularly shot the three-ball well this series, hitting just 33% of their triples. One way the undermanned and less talented team can steal a game in the series is by getting hot from deep; it’s how the seven-seeded Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their series: Philly went 19/39 from three in their win.
With Phoenix missing their starting center for the entirety of the series so far, the team has been forced to play small, opting for more spacing on the floor, including playing forward Haywood Highsmith at the center spot to help with spacing.
Is the key to victory in Game 4 a hot shooting night?
Assessing Devin Booker’s performance
Devin Booker has been limited by the Oklahoma City defense, averaging nearly six points less per game than he did in the regular season, on worse efficiency from three and the field. With lengthy and versatile defenders like Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, and Cason Wallace, the Thunder have made it their mission to make sure that anyone but Booker can beat them, and they’re doing so. Both Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks are averaging more shots per game during the series and are averaging more points per game, consequently.
With Mark Williams out, Phoenix’s inside/out game is not as strong as it was during the season, also prohibiting the team’s top ball handlers’ ability to operate on offense, but being the Suns best player and leader, should more be being asked of Booker?
Would a sweep be a disappointment?
The Suns have been heavy underdogs in every game during their first round series. If they do lose and get swept by the defending champions, does that make the team’s playoff run a disappointing one? Or should this have been expected. The Thunder had the best record in the league, came into the playoffs winning 18 of their last 21 games, while the Suns came into the series with less rest and dealing with multiple injury to key players.
Has this series gone as you expected it to go?
On the Suns’ plate this week
Game 4 is tonight at the Mortgage Matchup Center. If they lose, their season is over, if they win, they’ll head back to OKC for Game 5. If they get to Game 6, it’ll be on Friday, while Game 7 would be Sunday. Tonight’s game is on Peacock and NBC.
