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A smattering/ripple/slurp of applause as the players take the field. Tom Haines and Daniel Hughes in the middle. A windswept Ian Holland with the ball, the umpire in gloves. Here we go…
Ali Martin spoke to Shoaib Bashir. I really hope he finds the pastures welcoming at Derby – must have been a topsy-turvy few years.
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An Achilles injury is one ofAn Achilles injury is one of the most devastating injuries an athlete can suffer. Knee injuries used to be nearly as bad, but arthroscopic surgery has really changed that. ACL injuries still require major rehab, but it’s become fairly manageable. Achilles injuries are still a very difficult thing to overcome, one of the most devastating injuries an athlete can suffer. Knee injuries used to be nearly as bad, but arthroscopic surgery has really changed that. ACL injuries still require major rehab, but it’s become fairly manageable. Achilles injuries are still a very difficult thing to overcome.
So when former Blue Devil Jayson Tatum collapsed in a heap last year during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, his future was at best cloudy. He was expected to miss all of this season and come back next year, if things go well.
For that matter, the Boston Celtics were also expected to suffer this season. However, both have exceeded expectations.
The Celtics are currently 51-25, good for second place in the East, behind only Trajan Langdon’s Detroit Pistons (the Pistons are 4.5 games ahead at 56-21). Most of that was without Tatum, who returned to action on March 6th, less than 10 months after his injury. That’s almost miraculous.
And remarkably, on April 1st, Tatum got his first triple-double after coming back, racking up 25 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists against Miami on April 1st.
It’s a bit under the radar somehow, but what Tatum is doing may be the most amazing story in the NBA this spring.
Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions | Drop us a lineThis race, unexpectedly, has become a lot closer.
Although it feels like a two-man battle at this point, with no team having more than six games left in the 2025-26 NBA regular season, these players are quickly running out of chances to elevate their arguments for Most Valuable Player.
Thursday, April 2 was an interesting night, too, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Luka Dončić of the Los Angeles Lakers facing off, while phenom big Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs played the Los Angeles Clippers.
Here’s this week’s USA TODAY Sports NBA MVP rankings:
He has simply not let up. He dropped 43 in a rout Wednesday, April 1 against the Heat and has scored at least 29 points in his last seven games, and is averaging 33.6 over that stretch. More importantly, he has been the biggest reason for the Celtics to be a real threat in the East, despite missing Jayson Tatum (Achilles rehab) for most of the season. Brown has led Boston to a decently comfortable hold on the No. 2 seed in the East, and, even though Tatum is returning to form, Brown is looking poised to have a massive postseason.
He has notched triple-doubles in five of his last six games, as the Nuggets are peaking at the right time. Denver has won seven consecutive games and 10 of its last 12, and Jokić has been as consistent and dependable as always. He leads the NBA in rebounding (13.0) and is the only player averaging a triple-double (adding 27.7 points and 10.8 assists). He’s having a monster season, so it’s kind of absurd to rank him fourth. It’s just a testament to the players above him on this list, and the seasons they are having.
In 17 games in March, Dončić scored 600 points, becoming just the 10th player in NBA history to put down that output in any single month. The Lakers, crucially, went 15-2 over that stretch and have been impressive, with recent victories over the Timberwolves, Nuggets, Rockets (twice) and Cavaliers. Thursday’s blowout loss against the Thunder was a letdown, as Dončić struggled from deep, going just 1-of-7 from 3-point range. But the bigger problem was a left hamstring injury that sidelined him and may jeopardize his eligibility for individual awards. Thursday night was his 64th game, leaving him one shy of the minimum.
This has actually gotten really close. Wembanyama missed Thursday night’s game against the Clippers with a right ankle injury management designation, but his play as of late has closed the lead the top player on this list has held for much of the back half of the regular season. No player impacts the game on both sides more than Wembanyama, who has dropped 41 points in each of his last two games. As if that wasn’t enough, he swatted away 3 shots in each and collected 10 rebounds Monday, March 30 in a win over the Bulls and hauled in 18 Wednesday against the Warriors. San Antonio has won the last 15 games that Wembanyama has played in.
He remains the most consistent force in the NBA and Thursday’s beatdown of the Lakers was proof of how dangerous he can be. Gilgeous-Alexander had scored a smooth 21 points by halftime, as Oklahoma City had opened a massive, 31-point lead on the Lakers. Before that, SGA dopped 47 points in an overtime victory against the Pistons, and he has extended his consecutive 20-point streak to a ridiculous 137 games. Still, he’ll need to close strong because Wembanyama is making a late charge.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA MVP rankings after Luka Doncic injury
Thursday night brought with it a 6-3 loss for the Pittsburgh Penguins after they took an early lead but were eventually overwhelmed by the Tampa Bay Lightning, who surged with multiple goals to take control and earn two points. [Recap]
Penguins prospect Cruz Lucius will not be signing with the team, general manager Kyle Dubas announced on Thursday, choosing instead to become a free agent and seek a better opportunity with another organization. Dubas added that the decision was a personal one for Lucius. Still, from an external standpoint, it may also say something about the limited development opportunities within Pittsburgh’s suddenly crowded pool of young forwards. [PensBurgh]
The Penguins reassigned forwards Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty to the organization’s American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday. [Trib Live]
Not really directly Penguins-related, but a great Pittsburgh sports story nonetheless: Katie Stewart is an England-based Pittsburgh sports fan who has recently made her fifth annual trip to the Steel City to watch the teams and visit the city that she has fallen in love with. [Trib Live]
Jaromir Jagr has popped up again, seemingly to say he has put a stamp on his legendarily long pro hockey career. In a recent interview, he said that while he has not officially retired, he admits it’s likely the end of his career after 38 seasons, saying the physical demands, travel, and limited role at age 54 make continuing “not worth it.” [TSN]
Toronto Maple Leafs cornerstone William Nylander, 29, said that, barring a full-on rebuild, he wants to remain with the only team he’s ever played for. [TSN]
If the regular season ended this morning, the New York Islanders would qualify for the playoffs by virtue of having more points, thanks to having played one more game, than Detroit, Columbus, or Philadelphia.
Tonight that will not change but it can get either better or more fragile as they host the Flyers, who desperately need points to stay in the chase. So begins a back-to-back that concludes tomorrow in Carolina, where the Hurricanes have just clinched their playoff spot and hopefully went on a celebratory all-night bender.
Last night’s scores mostly broke in the Isles’ favor, though Ottawa won to leap into a wild card spot and show the Islanders that the Sabres can, in fact, be beaten (and handily, 4-1). The favorable scores included the Penguins losing to the Lightning in regulation (hallelujah!), the Blue Jackets losing to Carolina in regulation (amen!), and the Red Wings and Flyers also having the courtesy of finishing in regulation (Bossy is great!).
With Philly’s 4-2 home loss to the Wings, they are two points behind Ottawa, Columbus and Detroit and will want something from tonight all the more. Motivation should be extremely high for both sides, but that doesn’t stop three guys from chasing one Sabre behind the net now does it?
First Islanders Goal picks go here.
The Cleveland Cavaliers did enough to escape with a 118-111 win over an undermanned Golden State Warriors team.
Max Strus’s timely shotmaking saved the Cavs. He poured in 24 points on 6-10 shooting from deep. That included scoring eight in the fourth quarter and burying two threes in the closing minutes to put the game away.
The Cavs have so much offensive firepower in the starting five of Strus, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Strus can get lost in the shuffle with his off-ball movement and the attention the dynamic guards demand. The Cavs were able to find Strus enough late and ultimately secured the victory because of it.
This is a much more well-rounded offensive attack when they’re able to get this level of contributions from a proven playoff performer like Strus. He’s rounding into form at the right time as he’s combined to go 17-28 (60.7%) from three over his last three outings.
Overall, the late-game offensive execution since the Harden trade has been impressive. It was again here as the Cavs generated quality looks seemingly every time down the court.
The Cavaliers are doing this without any one player dominating the ball. Harden was orchestrating the offense late once again, but he wasn’t controlling possessions. Every member of the starting five scored four or more points in the final frame, with each scoring critical baskets to help put the game away.
More importantly, this five-man group has good playmakers for their position at every spot. When they create advantages — as Harden is known for doing — everyone on the court can capitalize on it by finding the open man.
This pass from Mobley is a great example of that. The Warriors showed help defense on Harden at the top of the arc. He found the open man in Mobley. And when the defense rotated over to prevent a shot at the rim, Mobley located Strus alone in the corner.
The ball is always faster than the man. Even if the defense does make the right play initially, if you’re moving the ball as efficiently as the Cavs have been in the clutch, you’re eventually going to find a crack in the armor.
The best offenses are often the most well-rounded and diverse. The Cavs have shown over the last several weeks that they can dissect opposing defense in a variety of ways, and did so again here.
Free-throw shooting is a concern for the bigs. Mobley’s struggles at the line have been well documented over the last month. He didn’t get many chances to prove himself at the charity stripe here, but he missed both opportunities he had.
Allen did a good job of aggressively attacking the defense, which led to him taking 12 free throws. The only problem was that he made just six of them.
There’s not much to really dive into with missed free throws. They aren’t fun to talk about, and there typically isn’t an easy fix for them. If they were, LeBron James would’ve figured it out a decade and a half ago.
That said, the margins in the playoffs will be incredibly thin. The Cavs don’t have the luxury of leaving points at the line, and they also can’t have their bigs hesitant to attack because they don’t want to take free throws.
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can buy the Donovan Mitchell and James Harden NBA Jam shirt HERE. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE.
Injuries have held the Cavs back all season, and still are.
Even though Cleveland had their four best players on the court together — which has been a rare sighting this season — you can still see that they aren’t close to being whole considering who’s still out of the lineup.
The Cavs were without Dean Wade (ankle) and Jaylon Tyson (toe). And while neither would be considered among the best five players on the team, the lineups that head coach Kenny Atkinson has been forced to use without those two forwards have been rough.
The four guard lineups simply don’t work. Point of attack defense is an issue when the team is fully healthy. Combine that with two players being asked to guard up a position as well, and there are too many holes to clean up for whichever lone big is on the floor.
Additionally, your defense is always just one switch away from a terrible mismatch. The Warriors used this to their advantage as they consistently forced smaller guards onto Kristaps Porzingis and then allowed him to work from there in the high post.
These groupings with four players that are 6’5” or under need to be potent offensively to make up for their shortcomings on the other end. And to their credit, they have been solid. But there’s a difference between spreading the floor out because you have wings and bigs who can create space and doing so with guards.
For one, these four guard lineups don’t have the multiple big screen setters you need to make Atkinson’s motion offense work. And while the Cavs do a lot of guard screening actions already, that is more of a changeup than a fastball.
Despite how much the NBA has changed over the last decade, positions still matter. Or at the very least, having size and a variety of skills does.
Right now, the Cavs don’t have any better options than to continue running these small lineups.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin hasn’t been able to replicate his early-season success much over the past several weeks. Teams know that he isn’t a threat to beat them with his outside shot, which makes it more difficult for him to get to the basket, and in turn cramps the spacing.
Thomas Bryant is the other forward who has shown that he deserves minutes, but he’s a center. That makes it difficult to play him alongside Jarrett Allen.
Atkinson hasn’t been willing to look outside of those options for minutes. Larry Nance Jr. hasn’t played consistent rotation minutes since the beginning of the season. There’s an argument that one of the three two-way players who are forwards should get an opportunity, but since none are eligible for the playoffs on their current deals, it’s not worth seriously exploring.
Getting Wade and/or Tyson back will help. These lineups will have much more size and versatility on both sides of the floor. That will drastically improve how this all looks.
At the same time, how incoherent these lineups are underscores the fragility of the current roster construction.
There are no perfect teams in this new parity era (except the Oklahoma City Thunder). Everyone has holes (again, except OKC). And with the speed of the game, you can’t just play six or seven guys in the playoffs and expect to get by. True contenders need to and can comfortably trot out nine at a minimum.
Health will play a significant role in determining the eventual champion. Not being able to cover up for multiple rotation players isn’t necessarily alarming on its own. At the same time, nothing about what we’ve seen this past week would make you believe the Cavs can compensate for missing either or both Wade and Tyson. That’s a scary place to be and isn’t ideal for the most expensive roster in the league.
The Yankees are taking the field in Yankee Stadium for the first time this year today, and they’ll do so with a strong 5-1 record to their name after excelling on their opening road trip. The Miami Marlins are the first team they’ll welcome to the Bronx, and while their record is an identical 5-1, it’s safe to say that most people aren’t rating them in the same tier as New York.
Today on the site, Nick leads off with a series preview for our pitching matchups in this Marlins series. After that, Sam has the Rivalry Roundup featuring a Royals/Twins ringer appearance with most of the typical rivals off on Thursday. Jonathan wishes a happy birthday to one of the cogs in the late 50s championship contenders in Art Ditmar, Andrés gives us five takeaways from the Yankees’ dominant road trip, and later in the day I’ll be back to answer your latest questions in the mailbag.
New York Yankees vs. Miami Marlins
Time: 1:35 p.m. EST
Video: YES Network, Marlins.tv, CBS Miami
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
1. Which Yankee is going over the short porch first?
2. Which team has the most surprising record thus far?
North Carolina needed a basketball coach, and it set its sights on one in the Final Four.
Its top target had a good job. A darn good one, and one newspaper columnist felt adamant Roy Williams wouldn’t leave Kansas, even if his alma mater tried to call him home to Carolina. Williams already turned down UNC once before, a few years previously.
No way Roy’s going to Carolina.
So read the headline of Joe Posnanski’s column in the Kansas City Star on April 2, 2003. Two weeks later, Posnanski wrote another column about how he got it all wrong. He trusted a coach to have loyalty. Whoops, rookie mistake.
If we’ve learned one thing in the more than two decades since then, it’s to never say never when it comes to these situations, and that a coach’s loyalty is the underdog when matched up against his ego.
Now here we are at another Final Four, and UNC’s hiring, and it’s déjà vu, with stay-or-go questions hovering over the coaches of the two favored teams in Indianapolis.
This time, nobody’s writing there’s “no way” Tommy Lloyd would leave Arizona for UNC. That doesn’t mean Lloyd will definitely bolt, but even he’s not saying he won’t. Lloyd himself fed into speculation he’s a prime option for UNC when he said, “Arizona’s going to have another good coach after me, I promise you.” And, when will Arizona need to hire its next coach? Will that be next week? Next year? Ten years from now?
No telling. At least, Lloyd’s not telling, other than to say he’s “present in the moment” and that neither he nor his players are distracted by UNC speculation.
He’s probably right about his players, anyway.
Arizona’s Brayden Burries, Koa Peat and Motiejus Krivas are projected first-round NBA Draft picks. Wildcats point guard Jaden Bradley is a senior. They’re out the door after this Final Four, regardless of Lloyd’s decision. A fifth starter, Ivan Kharchenkov, might return for another college season, but thanks to the transfer portal, he could follow his coach if Lloyd decided to leave. No stress. No fuss. No distraction.
Twenty-three years ago, KU star Wayne Simien expressed open frustration when Williams jilted the Jayhawks for North Carolina. Now, athletes better understand it’s not personal, it’s just business, because players field interest from other high-paying suitors, too, and face business decisions of their own.
While we’re on the subject of déjà vu, here’s Michigan with a team that can win it all, but will coach Dusty May prove himself a “Michigan man” or a renegade?
If UNC would like to have Lloyd, then it should love to have May. He’s now a veteran of Final Fours, having led Florida Atlantic there in 2023.
Perhaps, Michigan can breathe slightly easier than Arizona's administration, because at least May isn’t talking about how great Michigan’s next coach is going to be.
Even if May wouldn’t leave Michigan for UNC, the Tar Heels could cause a domino effect that results in May leaving Michigan. Just as the Wolverines lost John Beilein to the Cleveland Cavaliers, May has the goods of a future NBA coach. And if UNC hires Billy Donovan, well, then the Chicago Bulls will need a coach, won’t they?
Michigan knows what it’s like for a coach to spurn it. When Bill Frieder accepted the Arizona State job ahead of the 1989 NCAA Tournament, Bo Schembechler promptly booted Frieder and promoted Steve Fisher, explaining his decision with the now-famous line that, “A Michigan man is going to coach Michigan.”
The lesson Frieder provided: If you’re leaving for another job, maybe don’t tell anyone until the NCAA Tournament is finished.
Worked out great for Michigan. Fisher led the Wolverines to a national championship.
Never mind a Michigan man. The Wolverines would do well to keep their Indiana man. May got his start as a student manager under Bob Knight, but Frieder proved a coach’s alma mater doesn’t mean everything to everyone, even if Mama lured Williams home in 2003.
“I was a Tar Heel born. When I die, I'll be a Tar Heel dead,” Williams said after he took the UNC job.
In between, he became a turncoat at Kansas.
We learned then that when North Carolina wants to hire a Final Four coach, it’s naïve to think, “no way.”
Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tommy Lloyd, Dusty May would be great for UNC — if they pull a Roy Williams
In a 1940 publicity stunt, the Cleveland Indians’ flamethrowing pitcher, Bob Feller, tested which was faster: One of his own blazing deliveries, or a motorcycle. Feller’s pitching won, hands down. But today, Feller’s once-remarkable speed has become commonplace, even bettered, as major leaguers routinely pass triple figures on the radar gun. The secret to this arms race? The advances in pitching analytics,often authored by people without any previous baseball pedigree.
That’s part of the narrative of Unhittable, a new book by one such individual – Rob Friedman, more commonly known to his online followers as PitchingNinja. The book’s subtitle says it all: How Technology, Mavericks and Innovators Engineered Baseball’s New Era of Pitching Dominance.
This brave new world is tracked through methods such as heat maps, slow-motion cameras and AI. Those who chart this landscape use previously unheard-of terminology – among other things, readers will acquaint themselves with a precedent-defying phenomenon called Seam-Shifted Wake. All the while, stats gurus seek to quantify not just velocity but accuracy in how pitchers deliver the ball to the plate.
“It’s really changed through the years,” Friedman says. “[Baseball] used to be more focused on guys who were farm-strong but never lifted weights … [on the idea] you could not teach people how to throw hard, you were either born with it or could not do it.” Today, he says, “Technology brings out the best in everybody.”
Related: Former MLB umpire fears officials face humiliation by ‘computer geeks’ under ABS
Pitchers taking advantage of the wealth of analytics include last year’s National League Cy Young winner, Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Friedman is similarly upbeat about another young star, Nolan McLean of the New York Mets.
“My favorite guy to watch is … lesser-known,” Friedman says of McLean. “His stuff is absolutely nasty. I was happy that in the World Baseball Classic, the world got to see the movement of his stuff. He’s extraordinary, off-the-charts.
“Obviously, Paul Skenes I follow, I like, I root for him. Tarik [Skubal of the Detroit Tigers] is another guy. But Nolan McLean is not on the radar, even by some in New York.”
To quote Yogi Berra, is the rise in pitching talent deja vu all over again? Namely, are we seeing a return to 1968, when Denny McLain went 31-4 for the world champion Detroit Tigers, and Carl Yastrzemski led the American League with a .301 batting average? Friedman has thoughts on whether the cards are once again stacked against hitters.
“I’ve never said [the game is] too pitcher-friendly,” Friedman says. “My name is PitchingNinja. I love nasty pitching.” He calls baseball “the only sport in which the guy with the ball is technically on defense. The pitcher really is on offense. Guys will be reacting to what the pitchers do.”
In the modern game, Friedman says, “I do think pitchers have a big advantage. The question is, do fans want it the way it is?”
McLain’s opponent in the 1968 World Series, the St Louis Cardinals, featured the fearsome Bob Gibson, who was known for throwing triple-digit speeds. The book quotes Gibson about the toll that throwing 100 mph takes on a pitcher’s body: “Everything hurts. Even your ass hurts. I see pictures of my face and say, ‘Holy shit,’ but that’s the strain you feel when you throw.’”
Injuries to pitchers are on the rise. Does Friedman think that’s down to pitchers trying to throw as hard as possible these days? While he says there is “no agreement on why injuries happen,” he adds, “It’s just like a race car. You drive fast enough, you lose control. At some point, things break … Even Paul Skenes has backed off some,” lowering his velocity from 102 mph to 99 mph, “enough to get hitters out.”
Instead of just focusing on velocity, Friedman says, pitchers can also “focus on adding more pitches,” including through the practice of tunneling – developing multiple pitches that begin similarly before breaking in varying directions.
Before becoming PitchingNinja, Friedman was a lawyer. The nickname arose as a social media account; Friedman used it to share pitching-related videos and lessons. Interest surged to the point where he had to interrupt dinner with his wife to respond to a DM from five-time All-Star Yu Darvish. Another analytics expert who made it big, Daren Willman, first began sharing pitching information while he worked in software at a district attorney’s office in Harris County, Texas. The creator of the Baseball Savant website, Willman parlayed his passion into a full-time job with MLB, then into a similar role with the Texas Rangers, including during their World Series championship season; he’s now back at MLB.
“You don’t have to formally be in baseball or be a great baseball player to have an impact on the sport,” Friedman notes.
Speaking of outside-the-box thinking, that was the secret behind Nolan Ryan’s legendary speed, according to the book. It was the Hall of Fame fireballer who bucked longstanding baseball tradition to train with weights. The Ryan Express retired from a decades-long career with the all-time major-league strikeout mark.
“I don’t think he gets enough credit,” Friedman says, adding that in Ryan’s day, pitchers “did not weightlift, they thought weightlifting was a bad idea. He was one of the first to take to it, lifting throughout the season, which was maybe unique.”
Taking a macro approach, Friedman adds that Ryan’s career coincided with the “very cusp of when we started understanding more about technology – the computer revolution. We were able to digitize everything. In the 1990s, more of this came about, digging into data on what made pitchers more effective.
“Slow-motion cameras from Edgertronic showed thousands of frames per second of how balls left your hand. Everybody could have a radar gun … they were not ridiculously expensive, it was technology almost anybody could use.”
Friedman credits a more recent pitcher – Trevor Bauer – with a surge in interest in the analytics-minded approach to pitching. (Friedman writes that Bauer has had his share of controversy off the field, including a 194-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy. The book notes that Bauer was not criminally charged by authorities, and his treatment in the book focuses on his pitching.) Friedman writes that Bauer embraced analytics and explored training methods that were unpopular in baseball at the time: Long toss and weighted balls.
“He was not naturally talented,” Friedman says. “He was the poster child for that time period. He engineered himself into being a baseball player using available technology. I think he’s a good case study, a bridge to what we see today.”
Reflecting on the continuing debate between analytics and tradition, Friedman says, “Players with no formal engineering [background], who always played and were good, might ask, ‘Why are these weenies who can’t even pitch trying to tell me how to pitch, play, coach?’
“It goes both ways. Sometimes really smart people criticize players for not being open-minded. I don’t know if either side’s right. There needs to be a bridge to talk to everyone. All analytics are is more information.”
New York Post | Dan Martin: The Yankees created several questions with their offseason strategy to run it back with largely the same roster as last year, and their dominant first week of games has begun the process of moving the conversation away from those concerns. There were questions over how Ben Rice would hold up on both sides of the ball now that he is the full-time first baseman, and he has risen to the task on both fronts. Many wanted a more marquee upgrade to the starting rotation than Ryan Weathers with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt missing the start of the year to injury, but the Yankees rotation has only gone and made history by allowing just two runs in the first six games. The bullpen has had some up and down moments but largely has followed the rotation’s lead. The left side of the infield remains a question with Ryan McMahon’s limp bat and José Caballero’s throwing miscues.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: David Bednar has been a stabilizing force in the closer role since being brought over last trade deadline. He secured three saves on the road trip and in general inspires a ton of confidence when he enters in the ninth — unlike several pitchers the Yankees have allowed to close games in recent years. He is loving his time in New York on a contending team — the one area that still requires the biggest adjustment, however, is navigating city traffic during his commute to the ballpark.
SNY | Phillip Martinez: The Yankees return home from their six-game road trip to host the Marlins in their Friday home opener. Martinez came up with five storylines for the upcoming series, starting with whether Aaron Judge will truly ignite his season after striking out at an elevated clip to open the year. How will Will Warren and Ryan Weathers do in their second starts — Weathers facing the team that dealt him to the Yankees. The Yankees shouldn’t take these Marlins upstarts too lightly, the offense scoring nine-plus in three straight games and pitchers allowing more than three runs just once this year.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner ($): Yankee Stadium is offering a new slate of concessions and Kirschner provides his comprehensive review of the new dishes. Atop the list is an optical illusion dessert that looks like the famed chicken tender bucket but in reality is a cornflake-coated, drumstick-shaped ice cream. At the bottom of the list is a pinto bean empanada that is “an affront to empanadas.”
ESPN: ESPN released their first in-season power rankings and the Yankees sit in second behind the Dodgers. The pitching has been the driving force in the Yankees’ hot start, the team allowing a combined six runs across the first six games. The Dodgers’ superior offensive performances give them the slight edge, though the Yankees hold the upper hand in the standings and on the mound.
Vegas Golden Knights (34-26-16, in the Pacific Division) vs. Edmonton Oilers (39-28-9, in the Pacific Division)
Edmonton, Alberta; Saturday, 10 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Edmonton Oilers host the Vegas Golden Knights as winners of five consecutive games.
Edmonton is 39-28-9 overall with a 14-5-3 record in Pacific Division play. The Oilers rank third in the league with 264 total goals (averaging 3.5 per game).
Vegas has a 12-5-5 record in Pacific Division play and a 34-26-16 record overall. The Golden Knights have gone 33-6-10 in games they score three or more goals.
Saturday's game is the fourth time these teams meet this season. The Oilers won 4-3 in overtime in the last meeting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Connor McDavid has 43 goals and 83 assists for the Oilers. Matthew Savoie has five goals and two assists over the past 10 games.
Jack Eichel has 25 goals and 54 assists for the Golden Knights. Mitchell Marner has scored four goals with five assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Oilers: 7-2-1, averaging 3.1 goals, 4.9 assists, three penalties and 7.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game.
Golden Knights: 4-4-2, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.3 assists, 4.1 penalties and 10.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.
INJURIES: Oilers: Leon Draisaitl: out (lower-body), Colton Dach: out (undisclosed), Zach Hyman: day to day (undisclosed), Mattias Janmark: out for season (undisclosed).
Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body), Jonas Rondbjerg: out (lower body).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
On Thursday, the Vegas Golden Knights picked up two much-needed points with a 6-3 win over the Calgary Flames.
The Flames broke the ice at 7:41 in the first period. Morgan Frost intercepted Kaedan Korczak’s pass intended for Tomáš Hertl at center ice and raced into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1 with Matt Coronato. Frost had all the time in the world to shoot and beat Carter Hart glove-side.
Morgan Frost elects to shoot on a 2-on-1. That’s probably the right decision, because he knows a thing or two about Carter Hart.
— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 3, 2026
1-0, Flames pic.twitter.com/wgZXtzSW2Q
Despite trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes, the Golden Knights were the better team– they simply ran into a hot goaltender.
In the second period, they finally capitalized on the chances they were generating at will.
The Golden Knights answered back just 1:47 into the second period. Shea Theodore fired a shot through a screen from above the right circle, and Mitch Marner redirected it home.
Theodore the shot, Marner the redirect.
— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 3, 2026
1-1 pic.twitter.com/kUsOwpCVWB
The Flames pulled ahead at 4:38 in the second. Joel Farabee broke the puck out, and Mikael Backlund drove into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1 with Blake Coleman. Backlund got the pass across and Coleman fired a shot home.
There’s another 2-on-1. Farabee to Coleman to the back of the net.
— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 3, 2026
2-1, Flames pic.twitter.com/fssFy1W0oX
The Golden Knights found the equalizer at 6:42 in the second. Jack Eichel threaded a cross-ice pass to Rasmus Andersson at the right dot. Andersson faked a shot and set up Mitch Marner in the slot for the equalizer.
Some really nice puck movement there. Andersson finds Marner in the slot and it’s a tie game.
— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 3, 2026
2-2 pic.twitter.com/q3BY5AbYDG
The Flames took the lead again at 12:11 in the second. Blake Coleman jumped off the face-off, won a battle against Rasmus Andersson, and raced up ice on yet another 2-on-1 with Joel Farabee. Coleman bet on himself and ripped a shot past Carter Hart glove-side.
Blake Coleman is having the game of his life. Elects to shoot off yet another 2-on-1 and he’s got two tonight.
— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 3, 2026
3-2, Flames pic.twitter.com/lzZcZ0SYju
The Golden Knights tied it on the power play at 16:21 in the second. Mitch Marner held the line and set up Pavel Dorofeyev for his 35th goal of the season.
Marner hold at the line leads to a Dorofeyev one-timer. PPG. Tie game.
— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 3, 2026
3-3 pic.twitter.com/NZ6QAzjseV
After a 27-minute delay for ice repairs, the dam broke for the Golden Knights in the third period. They generated seven scoring chances and capitalized on nearly half of them.
The Golden Knights took their first lead of the night at 12:20 in the third period. Shea Theodore caught up to Ivan Barbashev’s bank pass, pulled up to avoid Olli Määttä, and threaded a pass to Brett Howden in the slot. Howden picked his spot and beat Dustin Wolf blocker-side.
Marner finds Brett Howden all alone in the slot. First Vegas lead of the night.
— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 3, 2026
4-3, Golden Knights pic.twitter.com/Vovn1QTMF0
The Golden Knights doubled their lead at 14:59 in the third. Dustin Wolf misplayed the puck after leaving the net, and Mitch Marner got to it first. Wolf recovered to make the save, but Ivan Barbashev banged in the rebound.
If you’re a goaltender… you know the rest. Dustin Wolf leaves the net, misplays the puck, and Ivan Barbashev bangs in Mitch Marner’s rebound.
— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 3, 2026
5-3, Golden Knights pic.twitter.com/WM3pbBktjG
The Golden Knights added to their lead at 18:31 in the third. Mark Stone won a foot race and found Mitch Marner in the slot. Marner moved in, danced around Morgan Frost, fooled Dustin Wolf, and completed the hat trick on the wraparound.
Throw the hats! Mitch Marner fools Dustin Wolf and tucks it home on the wraparound.
— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 3, 2026
6-3, Golden Knights pic.twitter.com/cBvs9tKaMR
1. For nearly half an hour following the conclusion of the second intermission, a nine-man band consisting of four members of the ice crew, three officials, two captains (and a partridge in a pear tree) hovered over a divot in the ice. Meanwhile, DJ Joe Green continued his rave-esque ‘Knight Life,’ bumping EDM while the projector displayed images of a roulette wheel onto the ice. The nine individuals were highlighted by a spotlight, which stood out as a harsh contrast against the colorful ice.
It was all very dramatic.
There’s a lot going on in the entertainment capital of the world. This has been the longest— but also most comical!—delay for ice maintenance I’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/DJjSzEz2sI
— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 3, 2026
New head coach John Tortorella did say that he wanted his team to be ‘more relaxed’ after Monday’s 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Maybe this moment was just what the doctor ordered. The Golden Knights only went on to outshoot the Flames 6-3 in the third period, but they capitalized on their scoring chances and controlled 87.27% of the expected goal share.
2. Mitch Marner capped off a five-point night by completing his first hat trick as a Golden Knight. He recorded six shots on goal and nine total attempts. He’s back to being a point-per-game player with 76 points in 75 games played.
3. Carter Hart returned from injury tonight, playing his first game since January 8th. He made 19 saves on 22 shots and recorded his sixth win of the season. The delay put him in a less-than-ideal situation in the third period, but he battled through. When the team needed him most, Hart answered the bell and made several key saves.
No Wemby, no problem. The Spurs won their third game in four nights and 11th straight Thursday night in an up and down game against the Clippers, keeping the #1 seed within reach while giving the Alien a night off.
It was a high-scoring game from the tip. Kawhi continued his magnificent season and scored a handful of baskets from all over the court. John Collins got in the action too, using his athleticism to drive and finish around the rim without having to worry about Wemby. Still, Luke Kornet was his usual reliable self, providing solid rim protection on the back line.
Offensively, the Spurs capitalized on lazy defensive efforts from the home team. San Antonio had two uncontested transition baskets early, swinging the momentum their way. They then caught fire from deep, making four in quick succession to build a double-digit lead. De’Aaron Fox, in particular, got on a heater, hitting a handful of mid-ranges and getting to the rim at will. That run coincided with the Clippers going ice cold, and it didn’t help that Darius Garland had to go to the locker room after taking a rough fall. Overall, the Spurs led 68-44 heading into halftime, showing no signs of fatigue or of Wemby’s absence.
LA showed signs of life early in the third. Kawhi regained his rhythm and made back-to-back buckets, forcing Mitch Johnson to call a timeout. The Spurs began trapping him soon after, but the Clippers started generating efficient offense even with the ball out of his hands. In a turn of events, LA capitalized on a number of sloppy Spurs possessions in a quick 3-minute stretch, going on a 14-5 run to cut the lead down to 12. Bennedict Mathurin led the charge, hitting a circus shot and helping force turnovers to bring his team back in the game. Following another sloppy Spurs possession, the Clippers made it just a 9-point game before both teams traded wild possessions that resulted in no basket scored for the remainder of the quarter.
LA’s momentum carried over to start the fourth. San Antonio continued to fumble the ball, resulting in the Clippers cutting the lead down to just seven. Fortunately, a technical call against LA helped the Spurs regain control, and a few key baskets from Stephon Castle put the good guys back up by double digits. The Clippers seemed to deflate afterwards, and a few more buckets from Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson sealed the game for the visiting side. With minutes left in the fourth, Ty Lue finally waved the white flag and brought in his reserves, prompting Mitch Johnson to do the same. The Spurs walked away with a 118-99 victory, but the scoreline doesn’t do justice to the crazy back-and-forth game.
Harper shot over 50% from three in March and is now hitting half-court heaves. Is he the next Steph Curry?
The Spurs will look to make it a lucky dozen when they face a rising Nuggets team on Saturday.
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Try it freeSAN FRANCISCO — Devin Williams has kept drama to a minimum to begin his Mets career, but he knows there is room for improvement.
The Mets closer began Thursday without allowing an earned run — and yielding only one hit — over three innings in his first three appearances, striking out four and walking two.
“I’m getting good results, at least,” said Williams who did not pitch in the Mets’ 7-2 loss to the Giants. “I have some room for improvement with my command and my changeup and with my fastball, so I think just getting reps is going to help that.”
Williams pitched a shutout frame Wednesday in the Mets’ 2-1, 11-inning loss to the Cardinals.
Manager Carlos Mendoza noted there are no restrictions on Williams pitching back-to-back days this early in the season.
The right-hander began throwing a cutter in spring training but has yet to deploy it in the regular season.
“I’m in a good spot with it,” Williams said. “It’s there if I need it.”
Jorge Polanco is “close” to returning to play first base, according to Mendoza.
Polanco, who was the DH for the fourth time in seven games, has dealt with left Achilles discomfort in recent days.
“Just wanted to give him an extra day [at DH],” Mendoza said. “He continues to feel better and progress. I might need that DH spot in the upcoming days for some other guys and that is why we’re taking advantage of the extra day here for him to DH.”
Mark Vientos started Thursday at first base for a second straight game.
The Mets began the day with 55 runners left on base, tied for the most with the Astros.
As a team, the Mets were 11-for-68 (.162) with runners in scoring position, ranking 29th in MLB.
The Reds were the only team worse in such situations.
This marks just the second time in franchise history the Mets played extra innings in three of their first six games. It last occurred in 1991.
Mendoza noted the strain it has placed on the bullpen, which needed to record 15 extra outs in the first week.