NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 7: Jamir Watkins #5 of the Washington Wizards dunks the ball during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on February 7, 2026 at Barclays in New York City, New York. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
This Sunday matinee, the Washington Wizards visit the Big Apple and play the Brooklyn Nets on the second afternoon of a back-to-back East Coast road trip.
Game Info
When: Sunday, April 5 at 3:30 p.m.
Where: Barclays Center, New York City
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network
How to listen: The Team 980 AM, 106.7-2 FM.
Injury Report
Wizards: Tristan Vukcevic, Tre Johnson (Day-to-Day), Trae Young, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Cam Whitmore (Out)
Nets: Terance Mann, Noah Clowney (Day-To-Day), Nic Claxton, Ziaire Williams, Michael Porter Jr., Danny Wolf, Egor Demin, Day’Ron Sharpe
Pregame notes
A lot of injuries — The Wizards and the Nets are tanking right now, and so the combined injured list is close to half of their rosters. So, for all intents and purposes, this game is essentially a G-League matchup.
Defense — The Wizards’ defense as of late has been lamentable. They allowed 153 against the Philadelphia 76ers a couple nights back, and just today conceded 152 to the Heat in Miami. Can they start keeping teams below 150? Probably doable against the very depleted Nets. But who knows?
Flashback: Wizards defeat Nets with Russell Westbrook’s clutch three!
The last time a first-ballot future Hall of Famer played for Washington was the lone season of Russell Westbrook in D.C.
A Vintage Russ highlight (with two spectacular threes by him and Beal):
The Florida Panthers' quest for a rare three-peat was almost over before it started.
The two-time defending champions were already without Matthew Tkachuk because of offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia that he played through during the playoffs.
Then, on the first day of fall practice, captain Aleksander Barkov, a three-time Selke Trophy winner as top defensive forward, tore his ACL.
That was a major blow after an offseason in which general manager Bill Zito defied the odds and got Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad re-signed.
Instead of the Panthers pushing for the NHL's first three-peat since the 1980s, they were officially eliminated from playoff contention after a 9-4 defeat against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 4.
Normally, a team with Barkov's situation would place him on long-term injured reserve and bring in someone, but the newly enacted playoff salary cap makes that tougher to pull off.
The Panthers opened the season with three consecutive wins then lost four in a row as the injuries piled up.
Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov had surgery for an upper-body injury in mid-October with an estimated recovery time of five months.
"We're not allowing any short-term injuries this year," coach Paul Maurice quipped at the time.
Eetu Luostarinen missed eight games with burns after a "barbecuing mishap." Seth Jones missed 2½ months after being hit with a puck at the Winter Classic. Marchand missed 11 games in the lead-up to the Olympics.
Tkachuk was able to return on Jan. 19 and the Panthers got to a season-best eight games above .500 (three points out of a playoff spot) on Jan. 25 before they fell again.
After the Olympics, in which the Panthers sent a league-best nine players, the Panthers began shutting down injured players, including Marchand. And Niko Mikkola, Anton Lundell and Evan Rodrigues suffered long-term injuries recently.
"The most dangerous job in sports right now is to play for the Florida Panthers," Maurice told reporters.
What did the Florida Panthers accomplish?
Now that the Panthers are out of the playoffs, here's a look back at what they accomplished in recent years:
Won the Presidents' Trophy in 2021-22 but lost in the second round.
Traded for Tkachuk in July 2022, recovered from a 3-1 series deficit against the record-setting Boston Bruins in the first round and reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996. They lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Won four rounds in the 2025 playoffs despite lacking home-ice advantage and beat Edmonton again for back-to-back titles.
What's next for the Florida Panthers?
The Panthers' position near the bottom of the NHL standings will be advantageous. They moved their 2026 first-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks to acquire Jones, but it's top 10 protected so they should be able to hang onto it. This draft is considered deep.
Florida moved Jeff Petry at the trade deadline but retained Sergei Bobrovsky and other pending unrestricted free agents and will try to re-sign them.
The Panthers had played 12 playoff rounds in the last three years, plus had heavy representation in the 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympics. A season out of the playoffs will help them rest and heal.
Once Barkov returns, the Panthers will automatically be better. If Bobrovsky re-signs and returns to form and Florida is able to avoid this season's spate of injuries, it should be a Stanley Cup threat again.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Evgeni Malkin had his 14th career hat trick and added an assist to become the 23rd player in NHL history to reach 1,400 career points, and the Pittsburgh Penguins routed the Florida Panthers 9-4 on Saturday to eliminate the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions from playoff contention.
The Panthers began the season hoping to become the first team since the New York Islanders of the early 1980s to win three straight championships. It never came close to happening as injuries and shaky play in net sent them tumbling to the bottom of the standings early in the season, a hole from which they never fully recovered.
While Florida will miss the playoffs for the first time in four years, Pittsburgh is inching toward a return to the postseason after three straight absences.
The Penguins strengthened their hold on second in the Metropolitan Division by blitzing the Panthers during the first half of the second period, pouring in four goals in less than 10 minutes.
Anthony Mantha broke a 2-2 tie with his 31st goal of the season just 1:51 into the second. Malkin then beat Sergei Bobrovsky twice in less than three minutes to create more than enough breathing room.
Erik Karlsson had a goal and three assists for Pittsburgh. Noel Acciari and Elmer Soderblom added a goal and an assist. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby picked up a pair of assists to move past Hall of Famer and childhood idol Steve Yzerman and into seventh place on the NHL's career scoring list (1,756).
Artur Silovs stopped 19 shots for the Penguins and had little work to do after Pittsburgh chased Bobrovsky following Soderblom's third goal in 15 games since being acquired in a trade with Detroit.
Up next
The teams meet again Sunday at PPG Paints Arena in a rare back-to-back at the same venue.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 04: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates in front of Donovan Sebrango #6 of the Florida Panthers at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 4, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins keep the same skaters, flipping Ben Kindel and Rickard Rakell onto different lines. Arturs Silovs in the net.
It’s all Penguins early, the party gets started 20 seconds in with Noel Acciari driving hard to the net and lifting his rebound allll the way up and over the shoulder of Sergei Bobrovsky. Nice little bounce earned by driving to the net.
Bryan Rust takes a hard shot into the boards, he stays down for a minute in pain. With Rust unable to go out for the power play, Egor Chinakhov fills in and earns an assist. So too does Sidney Crosby to tie Steve Yzerman on the all-time points list thanks to a wonderful shot from Erik Karlson. 2-0 Pens just 5:06 into the game.
The Panthers don’t go away and answer back courtesy of a shaky play by Silovs. The goalie can’t handle a routine long shot and puts a rebound into a dangerous place. A.J. Greer moves to it and scores. 2-1.
The luck from the Acciari goals balances out when Seth Jones takes a shot that was going well wide until it hit the glove of Rakell and back on trajectory to go in. Game tied 2-2.
Shots are 9-7 PIT after 20. They’ve played well enough to probably be winning, but goaltending, whaddya gonna do? (Shoulder shrug)
Second period
The answer to the above is score four-straight goals and chase Bobrovsky.
Anthony Mantha starts the ball rolling, it’s another unlucky moment for Bobrovsky when his own defender reaching back to try and prevent Mantha’s pass down to Justin Brazeau. The tip alters the puck enough to hand cuff Bobrovsky, Pens back in front 1:51 into the period.
Pittsburgh goes back to the power play for a second time when Connor Dewar gets hit before the puck gets there, and the power play makes the Panthers pay. Karlsson measures up a perfect shot-pass for Evgeni Malkin to direct to the top of the net. 4-2 on Malkin’s 1400th career point.
Malkin strikes again, again from near the net. Big Gene is crashing to the net and Tommy Novak just throws a knee-high grenade at him, the puck goes in off the body. 5-2.
Bobrovsky’s night comes to an end after the sixth goal, another shot/pass type situation where this time big Elmer Soderblom leans out a little and sends Dewar’s offering to the top shelf.
Connor Clifton throws two big hits, including one in open ice and Florida is not happy. Luke Kunin and Clifton drop the gloves and square up.
Florida goes to the box for a third time, the Penguins strike for their third PPG of the game. The big boys snap it around, eventually Malkin feeds Rakell in the slot and a backhand shot gets the Swede involved in the flurry of goals. 7-2.
Even more bad luck for Florida, Ryan Shea slips into the middle of the ice, he shoots with Brazeau in front and yet again the Panther defender gets a slight piece of the puck before it heads to the back of the net. Stop the fight it’s 8-2.
Florida catches the Pens napping and score on the rush. Noah Gregor zooms by Clifton, Silovs tries for a poke check and, nope, he didn’t get there. As a result of the effort to spring out, the five hole is wide open. 9-3.
The Pens are trying to feed Malkin for a fourth goal and getting greedy can get you in trouble in the NHL, no matter what the score is. Sam Girard plays the 2-on-1 well to take away the pass but Silovs’ isn’t square to the shot and Mackie Samsokevich smokes a shot up high. 9-4 now.
This game reminded me a lot of the Islanders game on Monday. Shaky goaltending by Silovs kept the score closer than it needed to be until the Pens bypassed even counting on their goalie to zoom way out enough to break the will of the opposition. Shots in the second period today started out as 11-0 Pittsburgh, by the team Florida generated anything, they were already down 6-2 and just about cooked.
Silovs couldn’t allow under four goals, even in the blowout win. You gotta give him a pass on the second goal where his own player deflected a shot, but the other goals were less than confidence-building. The Pens weren’t exactly playing hard in the third period, they could have gotten a few more saves out of the goalie. Take the shooter on the 2-on-1, make a stop. Then in the first period, that first Florida goal was infuriating. A team can’t get away with that level of goalie play for very long. The Pens will probably clinch a playoff spot soon, and it’s not like you can really call Sergei Murashov up then, the time for that has probably passed, for better or worse this team is going to sink or swim with Silovs and Stuart Skinner. Neither has been very impressive lately, Silovs today didn’t do anything to inspire anything different.
It was a lethal power play, going 3/3. Karlsson’s fingerprints were all over that with three power play points and absolutely controlling every piece of the puzzle, from setups to shots to even making lunging efforts to hold the puck in the zone. The big guys all have their confidence now, snapping the puck around, working to manipulate shooting lanes into opening up and then converting. Nothing’s prettier on the ice than a high-functioning power play, the Pens got one cookin’ right now.
Ended up being a milestone night for Malkin and Crosby. Malkin crosses the 1,400 point barrier and had one of his better games in a long while, even before getting to the fact he recorded four points. Crosby ties and then passes Yzerman in the same game with a multi-point outing of his own.
Bobrovsky looked like he didn’t want to be in there after the sixth goal, can’t blame him. Karlsson beat Bob clean but Acciari and Mantha’s goals were were sheer bad luck. Add in a couple of shot/passes or tips into the top and it added up to six GA in about half the game, with very little he could do about it.
The Penguins did get a lot of puck luck and good outcomes today, but don’t discount how they got there (“the harder I work the luckier I tend to be” and all). A couple time Florida defenders got a piece of the puck before it ended up in the net. If they didn’t try to make those plays, Brazeau was standing on the doorstep and possibly about to score anyways.
Loved to see after Rust got boarded by Matt Benning the response the next shift can from Soderblom throwing a heavy hit of his own. Then the next shift Benning took, he went into the corner with Mantha and the big guy dropped his shoulder and absolutely laid into Benning in a way that Mantha never does.
The Pens might have dodged some injury bullets today. Rust took a heavy check into the boards and looked stunned for a while before the pain went away. Dewar briefly left the game in the second period after taking the hit that drew a penalty. Ben Kindel missed a shift as well. Brazeau took some damage in the third period with a stick into his extended arm and missed some time himself, though he did come back. All of them did come back, but it just goes to show that even the “easy” ones usually come at a cost.
Florida (winners of their last two) aren’t incapable, despite having so much talent sidelined with injuries. But this is what a good team does against the 14th place team in the conference, at home, in April. Maybe not score 9 goals, but they win these games.
The Panthers also didn’t totally pack their tents in an play out the string, scoring twice in the third period. That gives something to build on with a fresh start tomorrow. The individuals on that team are all playing for something and want to salvage their trip.
The Pens will try to replicate as much of today as they can tomorrow in the same building against the same opponent in the rare rematch situation coming up tomorrow against Florida at 3:00pm.
Apr 3, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) reacts on a call strike against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
After exiting yesterday’s game with calf tightness and undergoing an MRI earlier today, Juan Soto revealed that he has been diagnosed with a minor right calf strain. That’s about the extent of what we know, as Soto said he does not know how long he will be out and is hoping to avoid an IL stint. Speaking to the media prior to the game, Soto said, “We’re going to see how I wake up the next couple of days and go from there.”
Soto, who has appeared in at least 150 games in each full 162-game season dating back to 2019, has not made a trip to the injured list since April 2021, so this is a unique situation for the Mets’ left fielder. Soto exited Friday’s game in the first inning after appearing to injure his calf running first to third on a single. It was the lone negative in the team’s otherwise stress-free 10-3 win.
For now, the Mets have seemingly avoided the worst-case scenario, but it will be a few days before we know definitively. Losing Soto for any amount of time would be a huge blow for the club, especially with Francisco Lindor struggling following hamate surgery, and several of the team’s newcomers, including Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien, scuffling in the early stages of the season with their new club. Soto is hitting .355/.412/.516 with one homer, three runs scored, five runs batted in, and a 162 wRC+ on the young season. Last year, Soto finished second in NL MVP voting while slashing .263/.396/.525 with 43 home runs, 105 runs batted in, 120 runs scored, a 156 wRC+, and a 5.8 fWAR in 160 games.
The back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers will not be defending their crown.
Suffering through an incredibly injury-plagued campaign, Florida lost 9-4 to the host Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon, all but officially eliminating the Cats from playoff contention.
A Columbus Blue Jackets win later tonight will make it officially official.
It didn’t take long for the Penguins to get the fun started for their fans.
Just 40 seconds into the game, former Panther Noel Acciarl picked up his own rebound and shoveled a backhand that floated over Sergei Bobrovsky and dropped right behind him in the net.
Less than five minutes later, Pittsburgh took advantage after Mike Benning took a boarding penalty on Bryan Rust that led to Erik Karlsson blasting a one-timer past Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Penguins a quick 2-0 lead.
The Panthers were quick to answer back.
Cole Reinhardt entered the Pittsburgh zone and sent a long wrist shot toward the net that was stopped by Arturs Silovs, but A.J. Greer was right there to slap a backhand into the net to cut the Penguins lead in half at the 7:10 mark.
Panthers defenseman Seth Jones tied the game with 6:29 left in the first period, blasting a slapshot that deflected off Rickard Rakell before beating Silovs inside the far post.
Once the second period arrived, the home team took the game over.
Anthony Mantha got things started 1:51 into the middle, but it was exactly four minutes after that when the Penguins really shifted into gear.
Pittsburgh scored three goals within a span of 4:02, including a pair by Evgeni Malkin and Elmer Soderblom’s sixth tally of the season, to give the Pens a 6-2 lead and chase Bobrovsky from the net.
Bob finished with 13 saves on 19 shots in 29:53 of game time, including stops on six of the nine high-danger shots sent his way by Pittsburgh, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Late in the middle frame, a pair of Penguins goals just 19 seconds apart by Rakell and Ryan Shea send the Panthers into the second intermission trailing six.
Malkin completed his hat truck 3:30 into the third period, stealing the puck from Mike Benning and beating Tarasov with a nice backhand-forehand move.
The goal ballooned the Pens’ lead to 9-2.
A pretty cost-to-cost-type goal by Noah Gregor and an odd-man rush tally by Mackie Samoskevioch brought the Panthers back within four, but that would be as close as they’d get.
For Samoskevich, he has now scored in four straight games, the longest such stretch of his young career.
Photo caption: Apr 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell (67) controls the puck in front of the Florida Panthers net during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. (Mark Alberti-Imagn Images)
The Flyers’ Easter Sunday game just got that much bigger.
Rick Tocchet’s club has a chance to move into playoff position when it hosts the Bruins (3:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP). That’s because the Islanders and Blue Jackets lost in regulation Saturday night.
So with a win or loss after regulation Sunday, the Flyers would take over the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division.
They have 88 points, one behind the third-place Islanders. If the Flyers pick up a point Sunday with a loss in overtime or the shootout, they’ll have the tiebreaker over the Islanders because they’ll have played one fewer game.
A win, though, would be ideal for the Flyers. That would put them in sole possession of third place with five games to go. They’d have 90 points, one ahead of the Islanders, who have four games left.
The Islanders and Blue Jackets are off Sunday. The Flyers are tied with the Blue Jackets and have played one fewer game.
The Flyers had two other games go in their favor Saturday. The Senators and Red Wings also lost in regulation.
The Flyers are in a four-way tie with the Senators, Red Wings and Blue Jackets for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. The Flyers are behind the Senators and Red Wings because of the regulation wins tiebreaker.
A team to not forget is the Capitals. They’re playing well and have 87 points, just one behind the Flyers in both the division and wild-card races.
The Flyers have really turned it on down the stretch. They’ve gone 13-5-1 over their last 19 games. They’re trying to snap a five-year playoff drought.
A lot of eyes have been on the wild-card picture, but the Flyers’ main focus can be third place. They control their destiny now in the division.
The 2026 NBA postseason is right around the corner as teams around the association have five or fewer games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season.
The Golden State Warriors look to get their team into form ahead of the postseason following an injury-riddled season that has seen season-ending setbacks to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, and nagging injuries to Al Horford and Quinten Post.
ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported that Curry is expected to play April 4 against the Houston Rockets. With five games remaining in the Warriors' schedule, Curry's return is just in the nick of time to get back into basketball shape for a post season run.
Here's what Golden State's playoff scenarios could look like:
Here is who the Warriors face in their five remaining games of the 2025-26 regular season.
Sunday, April 5: vs. Houston Rockets
Tuesday, April 7: vs. Sacramento Kings
Thursday, April 9: vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Friday, April 10: @ Sacramento Kings
Sunday, April 12: @ Los Angeles Clippers
How the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament format works
The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament is practically the NBA's equivalent to MLB and NFL's wild card round. In this format, the Nos. 7-10 seeds are vying for a playoff berth. The higher seed plays at home throughout the tournament. The No. 7 and 8 seeds play each other, winner is the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. Loser still has a chance for the No. 8-seed.
The No. 9 and 10 seeds play each other in an elimination style game. The winner of the No. 9 vs. 10-seed game plays the loser of the No. 7 and 8 seeds game for the No. 8 and final spot in the playoffs.
Warriors' playoff scenarios
The Warriors will play in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament since they won't be able to catch the Western Conference's No. 6 seed before the regular season ends.
The Warriors (36-41) are currently the No. 10 seed in the West and have five games remaining before the postseason begins Tuesday, April 14 with the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament.
Ahead of them, by three games, are the Los Angeles Clippers (39-38) at the No. 9 slot. The Portland Trail Blazers are 40-38, a half game above the Clippers at No. 8. Currently placed at No. 7 are the Phoenix Suns.
If the regular season ended today, the Warriors would go on the road to face the Clippers in an elimination game for a chance at the No. 8-seed.
If Golden State loses they are eliminated from postseason contention. If they win, they would face the the loser of the No. 7 vs. 8 seed game between the Suns and Blazers for the No. 8 spot.
If the Warriors were to win both play-in games, they would make their 2026 NBA Playoff appearance in the first round against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Golden State Warriors playoffs odds
Here are the Warriors' playoffs odds, as of Saturday, April 4, courtesy of BetMGM.
Warriors' playoff chances
Miss the playoffs: -450
Make the playoffs:+300
Advance to Western Conference second round (semifinals):+2800
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 01: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers takes a selfie with fans after the game against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 01, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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 Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to sweep the season series against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday evening.
The Pacers have one of the worst records in the league, and given the convoluted protections on their first-round pick in the upcoming draft, they could benefit from being at the bottom of the standings.
Even though Indiana has an incentive to lose games, they’re still capable of winning. In the last week and a half, they’ve beaten the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, while coming close to taking down the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers.
Considering how the Cavs haven’t exactly handled their business against other teams they’re more talented than in recent weeks, this one could be closer than we anticipate at the onset.
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The link to the 2016 championship shirt HERE.
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports App, NBA League Pass
Point spread: Cavs -17.5
Cavs injury report: Evan Mobley – OUT (left calf injury management), Jarret Allen – OUT (knee injury management), Sam Merrill – OUT – (hamstring injury management), Jaylon Tyson – OUT (toe), Dean Wade – OUT (ankle)
Pacers injury report: Tyrese Haliburton – OUT (Achilles), Pascal Siakam – OUT (ankle), Johnny Furphy – OUT (ACL), T.J. McConnell – OUT (hamstring), Andrew Nembhard – OUT (back), Aaron Nesmith – OUT (neck), Ben Sheppard – QUESTIONABLE (hip), Obi Toppin – PROBABLE (foot), Jarace Walker – QUESTIONABLE (tailbone), Ivica Zubac – OUT (rib)
Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Keon Ellis, Max Strus, Thomas Bryant
Pacers expected starting lineup: Ben Sheppard, Quenton Jackson, Kobe Brown, Obi Toppin, Jay Huff
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 04: Masataka Yoshida #7 of the Boston Red Sox looks on after striking out in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park on April 04, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the eighth game in a row to kick off the 2026 MLB season, the Boston Red Sox failed to score more than five runs. They are the only team in baseball that has yet to do so this season. Get used to this.
The lineup isn’t going to be this anemic all season long — and it certainly won’t be bitterly cold with an easterly wind whipping off the harbor all season long. But the 2026 Red Sox just aren’t going to scare many opposing pitchers.
Yes, there is Roman Anthony. And in in the fifth inning he laced a triple to put the game-tying run on third base. The problem for Anthony and the Red Sox, though, is that there were already two outs and the man hitting behind him doesn’t belong near the top of an MLB lineup. It’s now been six years since Trevor Story was a real asset on offense. And in the key at-bat of the middle innings with Anthony 90 feet from home, he weakly grounded out to second.
On the pitching side of things, Connelly Early wasn’t that sharp today. He walked four batters in just four innings and spent a lot of the game nibbling around the edges. But he limited hard contact, struck out Fernando Tatis twice, and kept his team in the game, making him one of the few Red Sox players who did his job today.
Three Studs
Willson Contreras, 1-4 R, K
He scored the first run of the game and blasted a ball that would’ve been an extra base hit if Fernando Tatis didn’t cover more ground than any other right fielder I’ve ever seen. He’s seeing the ball well and is going to be massively important this season.
Marcelo Mayer, 1-3, RBI, 2 K
He knocked in the Sox first run of the game with a sac fly and, once again, looked good out there in the field. There’s no advance stat for this, but he continues to just look like a ballplayer, y’know?
Roman Anthony, 2-4
Triples are sexy, ergo Roman Anthony is sexy. Also he’s the only guy on the team who got multiple hits.
Three Duds
Trevor Story, 0-4 K
It wasn’t just the groundout with Anthony on third. He also came up with two on and no out in the 8th and struck out. The Sox ended up scraping a run across in that inning anyway, but it’s at-bats like that one that make it hard to put crooked numbers on the board.
Caleb Durbin, 1-3
Just as Story doesn’t belong at the top of a lineup, Durbin doesn’t belong in the six hole. Yes, he got a hit today. But it was an infield dribbler and he continues to swing the bat like a man who is afraid to hurt the baseball. And while Freddy Fermin’s RBI double down the third baseline definitely wasn’t his fault, it is, unfortunately, a fact that someone other than the shortest third baseman in the league might’ve been able to get a glove on it.
Aroldis Chapman, 1 IP, 2 H, K, 1 ER
He was brought into a tie game in the 9th and tasked with keeping it a tie game. He did not.
Play of the Game
I’m not putting a Padres game-winner here, so let’s take another look at Roman’s triple.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 4: Nick Yorke #38 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates with Brandon Lowe #5 after scoring on an RBI single by Jake Mangum #28 (not pictured) in the eighth inning during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park on April 4, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After misplays from Anthony Nunez and Coby Mayo allowed the Pirates to tie the game in the 8th, a Nick Yorke walkoff single in the 9th doomed the Orioles to their second straight loss in Pittsburgh.
Despite being tied at 2-2 heading into the bottom of the 9th, manager Craig Albernaz turned to close Ryan Helsley to bring the game to extras. After starting the inning by getting Brandon Lowe to ground out to second, Helsley left a fastball over the plate to Bryan Reynolds. The former All-Star smashed a line drive to deep left field that sailed just over Dylan Beavers’ glove for a one-out double.
After intentionally walking Ryan O’Hearn, Yorke came to the plate looking to end the game. With the count knotted at 2-2, Helsley fired a fastball at Yorke’s knees that seemed to catch the bottom of the zone. However, home plate umpire Dan Iassogna incorrectly called it a ball, and the Orioles were out of challenges after a failed challenge in the top of the 9th from Gunnar Henderson. The very next pitch, Yorke lined a single to left field to bring home Reynolds and walk off the O’s.
While the 9th inning stung, the real pain point for Birdland came in the 8th. Albernaz gave the rookie Nunez his first high-leverage opportunity of the season, sending him in for the penultimate frame with Baltimore up 2-1. The first batter Nunez faced reached base when Marcel Ozuna dribbled a ball up the third base line that Mayo failed to field cleanly. The O’s 3B somewhat redeemed himself on the next AB, throwing out new Pirates star Konnor Griffin on a grounder as pinch-runner Yorke went to second. Spencer Horwitz then grounded out to second to put the tying run at third.
Pirates manager Don Kelly then pinch-hit former Ray Jake Mangum for No. 9 hitter Joey Bart. The slap-hitting outfielder chopped a ball into the triangle between the pitcher, 1B and 2B. The grounder barely evaded Nunez’s glove, allowing Mangum to reach and Yorke to score the tying run.
The O’s held that lead for most of the game thanks to a two-run rally in the 4th. With the game tied at 0-0, Gunnar Henderson led off the inning by lining a hanging CB into right field for a single. Adley Rutschman then singled sharply up the middle to move Gunnar to third. Dylan Beavers followed Rutschman’s lead, attacking a first-pitch splitter from Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski and sending it to center field to bring home Gunnar. After Mayo walked, another rocket single from Leody Taveras gave Baltimore a 2-0 lead.
Throughout most of the afternoon, it looked like two runs were all the O’s would need thanks to starter Shane Baz. The right-hander had dominated the Pirates in his only previous outing vs. Pittsburgh and continued that dominant streak Saturday in PNC Park.
Early on, it looked like we might see a repeat of his up-and-down Orioles debut. Baz walked leadoff batter Oneil Cruz on a 3-2 fastball, replaced him with Brandon Lowe on a fielder’s choice and then gave up a single to No.3 hitter Bryan Reynolds. Instead of unraveling, however, Baz locked in; he punched out Ryan O’Hearn on a 3-2 fastball up and away, before striking out Marcell Ozuna looking on a fastball away.
From there, the former Pirates first-round pick entered cruise control against his former employers. He sped through the 2nd inning on only 11 pitches, getting a groundout from baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Konnor Griffin, a soft lineout from Spencer Horwitz and a flyout by Nick Gonzales. Baz was even more efficient in the 3rd, setting down Joey Bart, Cruz and Lowe just eight pitches, including making the Pirates CF look silly on a knuckle curve for the right-hander’s third strikeout.
The only blemish on his record came in the form of an unearned run in the 4th. Pitching with a 2-0 lead, Baz allowed Reynolds to reach on a tapper down the first base line, which the Orioles’ pitcher fielded but couldn’t get out of his glove in time.
The former Oriole O’Hearn followed that E1 with a hard single to right field. Both runners advanced on a groundout to Coby Mayo at third, who bobbled the grounder, forcing him to only take the out at first. After Baz hit Griffin to load the bases, Horwitz flicked a well-located curveball into left for a sac fly. Baz then got Gonzales to softly line out, ending the scoring threat and preserving a 2-1 Orioles lead.
The 26-year-old started to show some signs of fatigue in the 5th. After striking out Bart looking with another excellent knuckle curve, and getting Cruz to fly out, Baz issued two walks on 10 pitches to put the tying run at second. O’Hearn couldn’t play hero agains the O’s, though, sending a towering fly ball to center for the final out of the inning.
Perhaps unexpectedly, Baz returned for the bottom of the 6th, having already thrown 83 pitches. He picked up his fifth and final strikeout of the afternoon on another well-spun curveball to Ozuna. After getting Griffin to ground out to Mayo, Baz looked to finish off his quality start against Horwitz. Instead, the Pirates 1B would slice an automatic double into the left field bleachers to chase the Orioles starter.
After Rico Garcia came in and got the last out of the 6th, it closed Baz’s line at 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB and 5 K. While he only managed to get one more out than in his debut, the Orioles’ newest flame-throwing Texan showed the quality of pitching that earned him his recent $68M/5 years extension.
The bullpen arms followed Baz’s up until the 8th inning. Garcia walked the first batter he faced in Gonzales, but got Bart to roll over a slider to end the scoring threat. Lefty Grant Wolfram was equally cool under pressure; after giving up a single to Cruz to lead off the 7th, he struck out Lowe and Reynolds before getting O’Hearn to ground out.
The offense was not a particular bright spot either for the Orioles, as the bats only went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. However, given the late-inning meltdown by the pitching and defense, the offense will dodge most of the blame.
The Orioles will once again try and salvage the third game of an already-lost series tomorrow afternoon, when Chris Bassitt takes the mound on Easter. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35pm ET.
Instead of sitting in his office in the Michigan basketball locker room to prepare for the Wolverines' Final Four game vs Arizona at 8:49 p.m. ET, May was instead courtside scouting the Illinois-UConn semifinal.
Dusty May here courtside scouting the first half of this game.
The Wolverines would play the winner of the first semifinal if they prevail in the second semifinal on Saturday, April 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
May told TBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson that with the quick turnaround, he "wanted to see things live, especially because he's not that familiar with UConn." He added he wanted a fresh perspective on the Huskies, and that this was "much better than sitting in the back."
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 40 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds, Christian Braun added 21 points and the Denver Nuggets beat San Antonio 136-134 in overtime Saturday to snap the Spurs’ 11-game winning streak.
Cameron Johnson scored 17, Jamal Murray finished with 15 points and 10 assists and Aaron Gordon scored 15 for the Nuggets.
Gordon scored with 6.2 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, then forced Victor Wembanyama into a miss on the final shot of regulation.
Wembanyama finished with 34 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots for the Spurs, who lost for only the third time in their last 30 games.
Stephon Castle scored 20 points for San Antonio, while Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie each scored 18 for the Spurs.
Castle’s three-point play midway through the second quarter put the Spurs up 57-44, that 13-point margin the biggest that they would hold all afternoon.
Wembanyama scored with 9:08 remaining to put San Antonio up 107-96. The Spurs were 48-2 this season in games where they held double-digit leads in the fourth quarter.
They’re 48-3 now — with two of those losses against the Nuggets, who rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth to beat San Antonio on March 12.
Denver held San Antonio to 33% shooting the rest of the way, outscoring the Spurs 40-27 in the final 14 minutes of the game including overtime.
Jokic had 16 of his points in those final 14 minutes, while Denver held Wembanyama to 1 for 4 shooting in that span.
When asked after the team’s Saturday practice at Southern Methodist University if he wanted to clarify comments he made about Memphis during an appearance on the “Bob Does Sports” show, in which he suggested the Grizzlies should be relocated to Nashville, James pointed out that Memphis wasn’t the only city he was critical of.
“I said Milwaukee as well,” James said. “I’m 41 years old, there’s two cities I do not like playing in right now: that’s Milwaukee and that’s Memphis. I don’t like going home either, s–t, and I’m from there. People are ridiculous. They also get mad at my son being on the team, too.”
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
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While appearing on the YouTube show, James was asked about whether in-season travel wears on him, with the Lakers star acknowledging it does.
“A random f—ing Tuesday in Milwaukee, staying at the f—ing Hyatt at 41 years old; you think I want to do that s–t?,” James said on the show. “Being in Memphis on a f—ing random ass Thursday? I’m not even, like, the first guy to talk about it in the NBA. We’re all, like, ‘You guys have to move.’ Just go over to Nashville. You’ve got Vanderbilt over there. You’ve got the f—king NASCAR. You’ve got a stadium. Don’t they got a hockey team, too? They’ve got everything.”
"Did I say I don't like Black people?…I'm 41 years old. There's two cities I do not like playing in. That's Milwaukee and that's Memphis. I don't like going home, either. S–t, and I'm from here." – LeBron James when asked if he wanted to clarify the comments he made on Bob… pic.twitter.com/St9X9ebyTM
James’ comments were widely criticized, especially from those in Memphis, citing Memphis being one of the more densely-populated cities of Black people (by percentage of population) compared to other NBA cities.
“Did I say I don’t like Black people? No,” James said.
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He added: “I’m not talking about the city, like the people in Memphis. I don’t like staying at the Hyatt Centric. What’s wrong with that? Nothing. What are we talking about? What are we talking about? People need to chill the hell out.”
Memphis Mayor Paul Young responded to James’ original comments by inviting him to his city.
“I would welcome the chance to turn your criticism into action in one of the most important cities in the world,” Young wrote in Facebook post, which included ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins complimenting Memphis. “Come to Memphis and roll around with me for a bit and I will show you some of the culture and powerful investment opportunities in our City. Let’s do something epic in one of the largest majority Black cities in the nation!”
Apr 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Philadelphia Phillies players take batting practice before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
