Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18, first in the Western Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (62-20, second in the Western Conference)
San Antonio; Friday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Spurs -1.5; over/under is 215.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: Series tied 1-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the San Antonio Spurs for game three of the Western Conference finals with the series tied 1-1. The Thunder defeated the Spurs 122-113 in the last matchup on Thursday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points, and Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 25.
The Spurs are 36-16 in Western Conference games. San Antonio is second in the Western Conference scoring 119.8 points while shooting 48.3% from the field.
The Thunder are 41-11 in conference games. Oklahoma City scores 119.0 points and has outscored opponents by 11.1 points per game.
The 119.8 points per game the Spurs average are 11.9 more points than the Thunder give up (107.9). The Thunder average 13.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.8 more makes per game than the Spurs allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Castle is shooting 47.1% and averaging 16.6 points for the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama is averaging 22.5 points over the last 10 games.
Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring 31.1 points per game and averaging 4.3 rebounds for the Thunder. Alex Caruso is averaging 2.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Spurs: 7-3, averaging 118.7 points, 48.9 rebounds, 25.5 assists, 8.3 steals and 8.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.2 points per game.
Thunder: 9-1, averaging 120.7 points, 41.0 rebounds, 26.6 assists, 11.0 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 49.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.2 points.
INJURIES: Spurs: David Jones Garcia: out for season (ankle), De'Aaron Fox: out (ankle), Dylan Harper: day to day (leg).
Thunder: Jalen Williams: day to day (hamstring), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The curse of the tarp is broken for Purdue baseball after an eighth inning comeback over Illinois to start off Day 2 of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. The Boilermakers had lost all five of their tournament games since 2022 when they scammed their way into the tourney by choosing not to tarp their field in the final series of the season. Today, they pulled off a 3-1 win despite a gem of a pitching performance from Illini lefty Aidan Flinn.
Flinn ends the third with his third strikeout of the day!
— Illinois Baseball (@IlliniBaseball) May 20, 2026
It was all about the pitching on both sides of the matchup as Zach Erdman matched Flinn’s efforts through five scoreless innings. He conceded the first run of the game as Illinois second baseman Michael Farina led off the top of the sixth with a single and then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jack Zebig. Right after that, Illini freshman star A.J. Putty smoked a single that scored Farina and put Illinois on top 1-0.
Flinn continued to pitch strong, holding on to that slim lead into the bottom of the 8th. Up to that point he had only given up one run to Purdue and faced more than three batters in an inning just twice. He started the 8th off with a strikeout of Jackson Bessette and seemed on his way to another quick inning. But that was not to be the case as he plunked pinch-hitter Quincy Malbrough after being ahead in the count, and then turned around and hit Dylan Drake.
All of a sudden, Purdue had two on and one out, and were facing a pitcher that had suddenly lost control of his pitches and could not find the strike zone. Next up was the nine-hole hitter Westin Boyle who trotted to first after a five-pitch walk. Flinn had completely melted down and was replaced by another lefthander, Reed Gannon.
Eli Anderson, at the top of the order, stepped in to face Gannon with bases loaded and ripped a single right back at the pitcher. The ball deflected just a bit off his leg but still got through the infield, scoring two and putting Purdue on top 2-1. They scored another run right away as Brandon Rogers laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to score Boyle.
The Boilers went to their closer Jake Kramer in the top of the ninth and he shut down the Illini with a pair of strikeouts and a weak grounder to first base. Curse broken and a Purdue 3-1 win allows them to play another day.
Illinois becomes the first team out of the tournament. Aidan Flinn deserved better today, but his teammates were stymied by a strong effort from the Purdue pitching staff. The Boilermakers will face the winner of Ohio State and Rutgers at 2:00 Thursday to see who gets to stick around and play against the big boys and who goes home.
Game 2
Ohio State 3 Rutgers 2
Starting Pitchers:
· Ohio State — RHP Pierce Herrenbruck (6-3, 3.45 ERA)
⚾️🏆 Obviously riddled with shame from our post putting them on blast about the pitching machine yesterday, Ohio State has chosen to go with the traditional “hit a G.D. ball with a G.D. bat” to take infield.
The story of the second game of Day 2 between Ohio State and Rutgers was the 98-pitch complete game tossed by Buckeye junior righthander Pierce Herrenbruck. Complete games are an unusual occurrence, but under the stress of a conference tournament and facing elimination, almost unheard of. Credit head coach Justin Haire for showing the confidence in his starter to stick with him.
Herrenbruck’s counterpart in the first base dugout, Zack Konstantinovsky, was very good today as well. Outside of a solo home run to Henry Kaczmar in the bottom of the fourth, he had done a very good job keeping the bases clear of Buckeyes. He did show some fatigue in the bottom of the sixth after his team had taken a lead and gave up a game-tying run.
Rutgers took advantage of Ohio State’s sloppy defense and took the lead for the first time in the top of the sixth inning. With one out, Chase Krewson tripled to right-centerfield. Had he not stumbled around second base, he could have perhaps turned that into an inside-the-park home run. The Buckeyes then intentionally walked the dangerous Peyton Bonds for the second time in the game. Sensing the big moment, Coach Steve Owens put Matt Chatelle in to pinch-run for the big slugger.
Gabriel Rivera then took a four-pitch walk from Herrenbruck to load the bases with one out. Up came Ryan Jaros and the fun began for the Scarlet Knights. Jaros slapped a ground ball right at second base. All Lee Ellis had to do was field it, step on second and fire to first for an easy double-play. However, Ellis fumbled and kicked it enough that everyone was safe and Rutgers put their first run across. Right after that on another infield ground ball, Buckeye first baseman Dane Harvey committed an error and another run scored. Lee Ellis, backing up the play did pick up the ball this time and fired to home to nail Rivera trying to score. At that point, Rutgers was up 2-1.
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) May 20, 2026
As mentioned above the Buckeyes came back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game as Alex Bemis scored on a Noah Furcht single. Furcht’s hit came off Joe Mazza, who had come in relief of Konstantinovsky.
With the game tied at two-all, one could sense the tension in the ball park. Both teams were scoreless in the seventh inning and Rutgers went down in order in the top of the 8th inning. Bemis led off the bottom half with a double, his second hit of the game. Mazza battled and got the next two batters out and kept Bemis at second. That didn’t last with Buckeye Big Boy Dane Harvey lacing a double of his own the opposite way to left-center to score Bemis. That ended up being the winning run as Herrenbrock worked around a couple of Rutgers singles in the ninth to end it.
BOTTOM 8 | The Buckeyes are back in the lead after an RBI double from @daneharvey_!!
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) May 20, 2026
Ohio State wins and advances and will play again Thursday in the 5:00 game against the winner of Washington and Michigan. Rutgers returns to New Jersey with their season over.
Game 3
Michigan State 4 Iowa 3
Starting Pitchers:
· Iowa — RHP Joe Husak (1-1, 6.52 ERA)
· Michigan State — RHP Carter Monke (4-5, 4.90 ERA)
For the third game in a row, pitching ruled the day and runs were hard to come by. Sparty starter Carter Monke was really good, as was Gannon Grundman who came in for him in the sixth. Iowa’s starter Joe Husak did struggle a bit in the second inning and Coach Rick Heller made the decision to pull him early and replaced him with Justin Hackett, who struggled but worked around trouble into the fourth inning when Kyle Alivo was brought in. Both coaches recognized the significance of this game and chose to act before the game got away from them.
Iowa took a quick lead in their usually aggressive way. First time lead-off batter Ben Swails started the bottom of the first off with a single and then stole second. He advanced to third when Gable Mitchell hit a ground ball to the second baseman and then scored on a fly ball to leftfield. 1-0 Iowa after one inning. After that, Monke toughened up and kept them from scoring any more runs through the fifth.
Just like that… the Hawks strike first!
Risley sends a sac fly to left to bring in Swails.
In the meantime, Michigan State tied the game in the top of the second and then took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning when Hackett walked three Spartans before he was pulled, and then one of them scored when Nick Williams hit a ground ball to the shortstop whose only play was to first.
Two innings later, Iowa went on top by a run when the top of their lineup came through. With one out Swails doubled and scored on a Mitchell single. Then Mitchell swiped second base to put himself in scoring position. He scored when Jaixon Frost record the third hit of the inning to make it 3-2 Hawkeyes.
Sparty came back quick and tied it in the top of the seventh when Parker Picot reached by being hit by Alivo and scored when catcher Matthew Delgado dropped the third strike, which would have been the third out, and sailed his throw well over the head of first baseman Caleb Wulf. Picot raced home from second base making it 3-3. Grundman retired six Hawkeyes in a row taking the tie to the ninth.
After Picot flew out to open the inning, Isaac Sturgess singled. An obviously fatigued Kyle Alivo then hit both Randy Seymour and C.J. Deckinga to load the bases. The Iowa staff opted to stick with their best reliever and then Ryan McKay poked a single through the left side to score Sturgess and put Michigan State up 4-3.
The one run lead was enough as Nolan Higgins came on in the bottom of the ninth and ended it for the Hawkeyes with a fly out and a couple of strikeouts.
Michigan State has the day off tomorrow and has advanced to the quarter-finals. Iowa will play again tomorrow in an elimination game.
An interesting statistic is that Michigan State left 15 runners on base and Iowa left four. Iowa pitching wasn’t great, but it, along with their defense kept things from getting out of hand. On the flip side, Spartan pitchers simply kept Iowa off the bases where they can create so much chaos.
Game 4
Washington 7 Michigan 1
Starting Pitchers:
· Washington — RHP Jackson Thomas (2-4, 5.13 ERA)
· Michigan — RHP Kurt Barr (5-4, 4.40 ERA)
Finally we were promised a battle between two teams’ aces. Only one didn’t go so well. Kurt Barr came out firing in the first inning for Michigan, looking unhittable. But then in the 2nd, he completely lost his feel for the bottom of the zone. Barr walked a batter then got to a 3-1 count on Husky third baseman Blake Wilson, and had to try and take some off his fastball to get it over. Wilson destroyed it into the bleachers for a 2-run blast.
A leadoff in the 3rd was all the Michigan staff needed to see to replace him. Showing how urgent winning this game is, they brought their 2nd most effective starter, David Lally Jr in. Lally gave up a double off the left field wall that allowed a runner to score to make it 3-0 Huskies.
Washington’s Jackson Thomas was on point in his khaki pants. He hammered the bottom of the zone with his sinker. After walking Michigan’s leadoff batter, Thomas retired 11 straight Wolverines, 6 of the 11 by strikeout.
It took Michigan until the 6th inning to finally get to Thomas. Back to back singles put runners on the corners and a sac fly scored the first Wolverines run of the game. Two more singles appeared to score another run, but the Michigan runner tripped rounding 3rd, he was able to scamper back to the base, but he had another runner right behind him who was gunned down heading back to second. Thomas’s 9th strikeout on pitch number 106 stranded two baserunners.
Lally had stabilized the game on the mound for Michigan, but as he neared 90 pitches in the 7th, he began to give up a lot more hard hit balls. He hit a batter, then gave up a double, that could have been caught by the right fielder. (What is it with right fielders from the state of Michigan in this park??) Last nights hero for Washington Mic Paul struck again late into the night. A solid single brought in both runners and extended the lead to 5-1.
The Huskies best hitter, Jackson Hotchkiss added a 2 run home run, his 20th on the season, to straightaway center, a rare feat in this park. Something only guys like Pete Alonso, have done. That gave us the final score, a 7-1 Husky win. Washington moves on to take on Oregon on Friday, and we get to watch The Game: Baseball Version on Thursday evening for the right to advance to take on Nebraska.
The Buffalo Sabres entered the offseason Wednesday carrying something the organization had not experienced in 15 years: legitimate momentum.
After guiding Buffalo back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011, Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen addressed the media for more than 30 minutes following end-of-season meetings with players and head coach Lindy Ruff. The tone throughout the afternoon was reflective, optimistic, and at times emotional as Kekalainen looked back on a season that reshaped expectations around the franchise.
Buffalo’s turnaround was fueled less by star power and more by the identity the group gradually developed over the course of the year. The Sabres became more connected defensively, more disciplined structurally, and far more difficult to play against as the season progressed — a shift that ultimately carried them into postseason hockey.
“I’m just real proud of the whole group and what we went through, and how much we learned," said Kekalainen on Wednesday in Downtown Buffalo. "Obviously we’re not where we want to be right now, and the disappointment will take a little while [to get over], but we did the exit meetings with Lindy [Ruff] together, and I just can’t emphasize enough to them how excited I am about the future of this group and the potential we have.”
A Foundation Buffalo Finally Believes In
Kekalainen repeatedly pointed toward the roster’s long-term makeup as one of the organization’s biggest strengths. From the depth at center to the mobility on the back end, Buffalo’s general manager made it clear he believes the Sabres are building a sustainable contender rather than simply enjoying a breakthrough season.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group of young men that have so many potential center icemen in the group," the Sabres general manager said. "I’ve always believed in building from the back end, and I would put our defensemen against anyone in this league. The goaltending was solid all year, and it’s just the beginning.”
Just as notable was the way Kekalainen spoke about the city itself.
Buffalo’s playoff atmosphere became one of the defining storylines of the spring, with KeyBank Center re-emerging as one of the loudest and most energized buildings in hockey. For a franchise that spent years trapped in rebuilding cycles and frustration, the emotional reconnection between the team and its fanbase clearly left an impression on the organization’s front office.
“It was so great to see how this city came together. I get chills even thinking about it," Kekalainen noted. "The atmosphere in the building, the electricity around the whole city.”
Major Decisions Await This Summer
Despite the optimism surrounding the franchise, Buffalo now enters an offseason filled with important roster decisions — beginning with the future of veteran winger Alex Tuch.
The 30-year-old is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and while Kekalainen praised Tuch’s value to the team, his comments suggested negotiations will need to strike a balance between rewarding leadership and maintaining long-term roster flexibility.
“He’s been an important part of our success," Kekalainen acknowledged. "He’s always getting some of the most ice-time of any of the forwards, killing penalties, playing power play, he’s a consistent goal scorer. He’s a valuable part of our team. But just like I’ve told him and I tell everybody in the same situation, we make our decisions based on how can we make our team better. We have to come to an agreement that this is the type of contract where we can still make our team better, and hopefully we can do that.”
Kekalainen sounded considerably more aggressive when discussing defenseman Bo Byram, who becomes extension eligible July 1 with one year remaining on his current deal.
Buffalo views Byram as a major piece of its long-term core alongside Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson — a defensive group Kekalainen clearly sees as the heartbeat of the roster moving forward.
“It’s very important, and I said that to Bo Byram today. I’d like to lock him up for a long time," Kekalainen said. "I think the top-four of our defense is our drive, our engine, and their mobility and ability to move the puck, ability to support offense and also play good defensively; there’s a lot of untapped potential there too. I think Bo’s still a young [defenseman], and he can get better.”
The organization also faces looming decisions in goal.
With new league requirements expected to mandate an emergency backup goalie presence at games next season, carrying three goaltenders on the NHL roster could become increasingly common around the league. Buffalo may find itself in exactly that situation, especially considering waiving Colten Ellis would likely expose him to a claim from the St. Louis Blues.
That reality leaves the development path of Devon Levi under continued scrutiny as the 24-year-old continues navigating the difficult transition from top prospect to full-time NHL starter.
“He’s a talented goalie, and he’s played some great hockey at the American League level," Kekalainen said of the 24-year-old netminder. "He’s played some games in the NHL, and I think almost every goalie in the league has gone through the process of when they need to develop and play games, they need to play in the minors. It’s the most demanding position, and you don’t get better by sitting on the bench. So he’s just getting through that process now, and next year he’ll need waivers, and we’ll see how he keeps developing.”
Now, the real work begins.
Buffalo’s long playoff drought is over, but expectations inside the organization have shifted quickly. The Sabres are no longer trying to prove they belong in the conversation — they are now tasked with proving this season was only the beginning.
The Golden Knights have never been such heavy underdogs entering a playoff series before, and that says less about them than it does about just how good this Avalanche team is. But, underdogs or not, they kicked off the Western Conference Final with a road win against the best team in the league.
Game 2 of the Western Conference Final is scheduled for 5 p.m. PST on Friday.
1. A Good Old-Fashioned Story of Perseverance
Dylan Coghlan played just three games with the Golden Knights during the regular season, spending the rest of the year with AHL Henderson. But he’s drawn into the last five postseason contests, and the undrafted free agent out of Duncan, British Columbia, is making a name for himself.
“When you say Dylan Coghlan to me, I think of no fear. I don't think he’s afraid to make a play,” said head coach John Tortorella following the 4-2 win. “I just think he plays. He’s been unflappable… I don’t think he gets caught up in anything. He just tries to be the best he can be. And I just think he has an inner confidence about himself.”
He opened the scoring tonight with a sneaky shot that beat Scott Wedgewood five-hole. It was the first postseason goal of his career, and his first goal since December 17th, 2021.
“It was pretty crazy,” Coghlan said postgame. “I didn’t know it went in until I turned and looked at Shea, and he was smiling at me. Just kind of blacked out for a second.”
2. Defense Wins Championships
Carter Hart made no shortage of impressive stops in the Golden Knights’ 4-2 win, but it’s possible that the best saves were the ones he didn’t have to make. Most of the Avalanche’s best looks ended up going off-net, whether by the nature of a strong defensive play or an unforced error. It was usually the former.
The Golden Knights were excellent at limiting the Avalanche off the rush and keeping them to the outside during the first two periods. If they want to win this series, that will have to continue.
3. The Looming Threat
The Golden Knights winning Game 1 was no small feat, whether the Avalanche were at full strength or not. However, it’s important to remember that they beat the Avalanche… without Cale Makar, the best defenseman in the world, in the lineup. If and when Makar returns, the Avalanche become infinitely more dangerous.
“It’s a very hard team we're playing against,” said Mitch Marner following the 4-2 win. “We know that, and we know they’re gonna come with even more next game, and we gotta be ready for that.”
It took just two minutes of Game 1 for Isaiah Hartenstein to get subbed out — having a non-shooting big man on the court allowed Victor Wembanyama to hang out in the paint and help off him, and that was blowing up the Thunder offense. For the rest of Game 1, Hartenstein only played when Wembanyama sat.
Then there was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He saw double-teams from the Lakers, however, he didn't see them with defenders as big, physical, and just plain good as the Spurs threw at him in Game 1 — and if he got by them he saw Wembanyama lurking in the paint, waiting. The result was a 7-of-23 shooting night in which the two-time MVP was not the best player on the court, or even on his own team. The Thunder lost.
Two days later, the Western Conference Finals are tied 1-1 because SGA and Hartenstein had massive bounce-back games.
In Game 2, Gilgeous-Alexander looked like the two-time MVP: 30 points, nine assists, some solid defense all night and a late bucket when his team needed it most. He was getting downhill into the paint, floating shots over Wembanyama or drawing him in then passing out to an open shooter. When the doubles came, he quickly found the open man and created 4-on-3s for OKC.
Hartenstein not only got the start in Game 2 but he also drew the Wembanyama defensive assignment much of the night — and he thrived.
Nobody is going to stop Wembanyama, but Hartenstein was physical, never let him get comfortable, fouled him a few times and basically made Wembanyama work for every inch of the court. Wembanyama still scored 21, but he wasn't the dominant force of Game 1. Also, Hartenstein added 10 points and 13 rebounds of his own to the Thunder.
“I thought we all played better,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, via the Associated Press. “I had a quiet confidence about that. I didn’t know if we’d win or lose the game, but I was pretty sure after watching Game 1 and knowing our team that we were going to come out and play better tonight.”
Part of what drove them was knowing that if they dropped Game 2 at home there would be no return to the NBA Finals. They would have dug too deep a hole against a very good team.
“The guys brought it tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Knowing what it would have meant if we lost this one, we brought the energy from the jump."
If the Thunder are going to take a game in San Antonio, the guys are going to have to bring it on the road — starting with SGA and Hartenstein.
WASHINGTON — Zach Thornton’s thrills Wednesday included sharing the night with his father, who is recovering from spinal surgery.
Paul Thornton has been confined to a wheelchair, his legs paralyzed, after undergoing surgery April 2 that removed part of a tumor from his spine. He will undergo radiation this summer.
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But the elder Thornton managed to attend his son’s major league debut, traveling from Chicago (where he’s been undergoing rehab) to watch Zach Thornton pitch into the fifth inning of the Mets’ 8-4 loss to the Nationals.
“[Zach] made one mistake to a major league hitter,” Paul Thornton said, referring to the three-run homer CJ Abrams hit for the Nationals in the first inning. “Those batters aren’t going to miss mistakes and he made one mistake that went a long way, and other than that he did great.”
Zach Thornton, who was selected from Triple-A Syracuse to fill a rotation need with Clay Holmes sidelined by a fractured right fibula, allowed four earned runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4 ¹/₃ innings. He retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced.
New York Mets starting pitcher Zach Thornton (49) throws the first pitch of his major league debut against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park on May 21, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I thought he settled in really well,” Paul Thornton said. “I know him. He probably wanted to go through five or six innings, so he will be disappointed about that, but Zach never loses. He just runs out of time.”
Paul Thornton’s journey to Nationals Park was his first time flying since he was confined to a wheelchair.
“It was an experience for my wife and I and learning how to travel with a wheelchair and maneuver a stadium with a wheelchair and so we’re learning all these things on the fly,” he said. “That’s OK. That is part of life.”
Zach Thornton was asked what it meant seeing his dad at the game.
“Super special just seeing him sitting there in his little wheelchair,” Zach Thornton said.
Paul Thornton visited with his son after the game, and the message was simple.
“I told him that I loved him,” Paul Thornton said.
"The support that the Mets have provided Zach over the last couple months has been nothing short of awesome. It makes a lot more of a special thing."
Zach Thornton's father, Paul, talks with @SteveGelbs about what his son's promotion to the majors means after his recent health… pic.twitter.com/mPcSQlsGl9
Two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back with a 30-point, 9-assist game after he had struggled with double-teams and inefficiency in the series opener.
On the other side of that, Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama (21 points, 17 rebounds) appeared to wear down late in the game, as Oklahoma City ramped up its physicality against him.
Here are takeaways from Game 2 of the Western Conference finals:
The biggest issue for the Spurs is obvious
In Game 1, the Spurs committed 21 turnovers — against 14 by the Thunder — yielding to a 28-17 deficit in points off of those giveaways.
On Wednesday night, it was much of the same. San Antonio turned the ball over 21 times (compared to Oklahoma City’s 9), leading to a 27-10 Thunder edge in points off of turnovers. Fourteen of those Spurs turnovers were on Thunder steals.
The main culprit here is Stephon Castle, who has had a solid series against Oklahoma City, overall, though he has committed 20 turnovers across both games. Some of that is because he has been tasked with more ball-handling than usual; starting point guard De’Aaron Fox has missed both games, and Dylan Harper left Game 2 in the third quarter.
That has forced Castle to be the primary play-maker. It’s a role he’s comfortable with in smaller doses, but Spurs coach Mitch Johnson already offered some possible solutions to cut down on those giveaways.
“We’ve addressed it and we’ll continue to, in terms of trying to help him with some of his reads, especially when he’s tired,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game. “Whether it’s playing more off of two feet or getting off the ball earlier with the early pass and letting the ball find the open man.
“They do such a great job of showing crowds in the paint and having multiple bodies. So it’s not just Steph. He had too many turnovers, but our whole team did.”
Castle did put the blame on himself, but it’s unclear whether Fox or Harper — or both — will miss additional time in the series. And while the Spurs did steal one game on the road, this pace of turning the ball over is not sustainable for winning.
How Oklahoma City defends Victor Wembanyama will define the rest of this series
In Game 1, 12 of Victor Wembanyama’s 14 made field goals came inside the restricted area, which is the semicircle that’s four feet from the center of the rim. Another of those 14 was from just outside the restricted area, and the final one was the logo 3 he hit in the first overtime.
In Game 2, the Thunder altered their defensive plan on Wembanyama.
Whereas in the series opener, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault chose to rotate a platoon of wing players — Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams being the primary ones — Wednesday night, he asked center Isaiah Hartenstein to be the primary defender on Wembanyama.
Hartenstein was physical, using his added bulk to displace Wembanyama down low and make it more difficult for him to get clean looks down low.
That said, Hartenstein also pushed the limits of what’s legal, often grabbing Wembanyama’s arms and jersey, pulling him and shoving him around the low block.
“I thought the other night, and during the regular season, having wings on (Wembanyama) was effective in the macro,” Daigneault said. “The other night, he just had way too much at the restricted.
“Two things that just didn’t feel good were his stuff at the rim just felt too sustainable, so we had to make some corrections there; it won’t be the last time we have a wing on him, we had a wing on him a couple of possessions tonight. And then the other thing that doesn’t feel good is playing Hart 12 minutes. It just didn’t feel good to me. And in order to get him extended past (12 minutes), that’s the matchup.”
Wembanyama still did score 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting and he hauled in 17 rebounds, but the added energy expended to battle Hartenstein appeared to take its toll late in the game; Wembanyama went just 2-of-7 in the fourth quarter, scoring only 4 points.
Daigneault added that the Thunder would never commit to having Hartenstein focus on Wembanyama the entire game, but that the injury to Williams prompted Hartenstein to take on the bulk of that responsibility in Game 2.
The Spurs will certainly tweak their plan to find ways to get Wembanyama easier offense. The Thunder, in turn, will need to adjust accordingly, because this is the central matchup in the series.
Injury management is suddenly going to be a delicate matter
Thunder forward Jalen Williams seemingly reaggravated the left hamstring injury that had kept him sidelined for a month-and-a-half.
Spurs rookie guard Dylan Harper left the game in the third quarter with a right leg injury.
After the game, there was no definitive update on either, but there’s the chance that either or both could now miss extended time in the series. This comes as Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox has missed both Western Conference finals games with right ankle soreness.
How both teams manage those injuries — and navigate any potential substitutions that might need to happen — will be significant because all three are essential to their respective teams.
The Spurs are in a particularly precarious situation, as Fox and Harper are often catalysts for the entire offensive operation.
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 27: Cameron Boozer #12 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates in the second half against the St. John's Red Storm during the Sweet Sixteen round game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Capital One Arena on March 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images
According to Fortyeightminutes, Cam Boozer may be higher on boards than people expect. Here’s what they said about AJ Dybantsa and the Washington Wizards. It looks like he may be more or less a lock to go #1.
Some NBA Teams are seeing little gap between AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson, which form a clear top-4. Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com writes that rival teams don’t see Dybantsa as a lock to go No. 1 and Woo writes that all four are expected to receive consideration by the Wizards.
Our intel tells a slightly different story. While the Wizards have done extensive research on all the top prospects, sources connected to ownership expect Dybantsa to be the selection with the No. 1 pick. Washington is always evaluating trade offers, though the franchise is likely to keep the pick.
First off, I don’t know how reputable this outlet is, so this comes with a grain of salt. That said, this appears to align with all the reports we’ve seen that the Wizards are focused on Dybantsa, and if they do have connections to ownership, it would appear to be a lock for #1.
They also go on to talk about the #2 pick and the Utah Jazz:
Our intel suggest that Boozer is strongly in the mix for the No. 2 pick.
The recent clip of new Mavs GM Mike Schmitz explaining how athleticism is no longer seen as something that dictated upside but rather is a mindset that several evaluators around the league align with. “Positional size, skill, and feel for the game” are the metrics that determine greatness or upside, Schmitz explains. It’s easy to understand why Boozer could be the preference of many teams over Wilson, for example.
It’s not much of a report, other than that the Jazz have Boozer “strongly in the mix.”
It’s far from a guarantee, but it’s more of a sign that the Jazz are doing their due diligence. But there’s a lot more here than meets the eye. If this report is accurate, it suggests some potential for trades.
Consider this. If the Grizzlies are really high on Cam Boozer, and the Jazz and Wizards know it, that gives them reason to put out the smokescreens that they’re interested in drafting Boozer.
What’s very clear for the Jazz, with a majority of the reporting going on, is that they’re high on both AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, and likely higher on Peterson. Knowing that, it makes a lot of sense for the Jazz to put out there that they’re considering Boozer at #2. If the Grizzlies are super high on Boozer and lower on Peterson, it might be a move by Utah to get a move done with the Grizzlies. Utah could get some sort of draft capital from the Grizzlies and swap spots so they take Boozer and the Jazz get their guy, Darryn Peterson, at #3.
But it goes beyond that. Let’s say the Wizards have AJ Dybantsa as their untouchable #1. If they know that Utah is taking Peterson regardless of who’s there at #2, including if Dybantsa is there, that opens up a potential trade with the Grizzlies. There’s a scenario where the Wizards have Dybantsa at #1, the Jazz have Peterson at #1, and the Grizzlies have Boozer at #1. It’s what makes this draft pretty remarkable that a scenario like that isn’t out of the question. If this were the case, and Utah creates enough uncertainty with the Grizzlies, the Grizzlies could also end up making a move with the Wizards, and the Wizards could fall to #3 and still take Dybantsa.
This is all a bit of tinfoil-hat stuff, but it makes sense if this report is true. It looks like there’s a chance we’ll see some movement at the top, like we don’t normally see. NBA draft night can’t come soon enough!
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 20: Jack Eichel #9 of the Vegas Golden Knights reacts after assisting on a goal during the third period against the Colorado Avalanche in Game One of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 20, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche opened the Western Conference Final without superstar defenseman Cale Makar on Wednesday night, and the difference was noticeable in a 4-2 Game 1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena.
Colorado pushed late with third-period goals from Valeri Nichushkin and captain Gabriel Landeskog, but Vegas controlled much of the game and capitalized on their opportunities to take an early series lead.
First Period
The opening 20 minutes were scoreless, though both teams generated quality chances.
Vegas entered the night having scored in the first period in each of its previous four playoff games, but Scott Wedgewood helped keep the Golden Knights off the board early. The Avalanche goaltender made several key saves in the first period, including a strong stop on a dangerous Vegas rush that energized the Ball Arena crowd.
Colorado had moments offensively, but the Avalanche struggled to consistently break through Vegas’ structure without Makar in the lineup. The Golden Knights controlled stretches of possession and kept Colorado from establishing much sustained pressure.
Second Period
Vegas broke through midway through the second period when depth defenseman Dylan Coghlan converted on a rush chance and scored his first goal of the postseason to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead.
A few minutes later, Pavel Dorofeyev added to the advantage on a power-play goal after a slick setup from Mitch Marner, extending the lead to 2-0. It was his 10th score of the postseason giving the young sniper the NHL lead in goals.
Although Colorado held an edge in shots through two periods, Vegas looked sharper in transition and created the more dangerous scoring opportunities. The Avalanche continued searching for offense but struggled to generate consistent traffic around the net and looked slow for most of the night up to this point.
Third Period
The Golden Knights pushed the lead to 3-0 midway through the third period on Brett Howden’s ninth goal of the playoffs, putting Colorado in its largest deficit of the postseason. He evaded coverage and batted a rebound out of the air before getting his stick on the puck for a legal goal.
The Avalanche responded later in the period when Val Nichushkin scored on a between-the-legs finish to cut the lead to 3-1 and bring some life back into the arena.
Now the momentum was really on Colorado’s side and they looked dangerous with the puck for the first time in the contest. With the goaltender pulled late in regulation after receiving a power play and executing the 6-on-4 attack, Gabe Landeskog added another goal with 2:20 remaining to trim the deficit to one and give Colorado a chance in the closing minutes.
With Wedgewood on the bench again Vegas answered shortly after when Nic Dowd beat out an icing and scored into the empty net to seal the 4-2 Vegas win.
Takeaways
Missing such an important piece as Cale Makar was a factor in the loss and every day that goes by will ramp up the hope that he can return to play soon. The rest of the team was a bit scrambled and slow in their coverage and can correct some mistakes in their own right.
Jack Ahcan was inserted into the lineup again and played double the three minutes he received in Game 5 against Minnesota. He still was on the ice for a goal against in this game, though. The ailing defense core is thin on options and the Avalanche need to come up with some other solutions.
Upcoming
The rematch in Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night at Ball Arena with puck drop set for 6 p.m. local time.
May 20, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage (39) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Blue Jays 2 Yankees 0
The game was delayed two hours because of rain in New York.
That was a nerve-racking game.
No one scored until the Jays got two in the top of the seventh. Smart work by the Jays to save the scoring til late to give less time for the Yankees to comeback.
In the eighth:
Ernie Clement beat out an infield single. Great hustle down the line.
Jesús Sánchez walked on five pitches.
Brandon Valenzuela put down a very good bunt, and beat it out. A catcher beating out a bunt single (he wasn’t trying for a bunt single, that was a pure sac bunt, his second of the night). It loaded the bases.
Andrés Giménez, in the best at bat I’ve seen this season, took a walk on 11 pitches. Just an excellent job. And it scored the first run of the game.
Schlittler came out of the game and Jake Bird came in. George Springer ground into a 5-2 force. Bases still loaded.
Vladimir Guerrero, who hadn’t put a ball in the air all game, flied out pretty deep to right center, scoring our second run. Thanks Vlad.
Daulton Varsho struck out to end the inning.
Cam Schlittler wasn’t great, but got the outs when he needed them (until that seventh inning). He gave up 8 hits, with 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts, with the 2 earned.
Trey Yesavage was amazing. 6 innings, 2 hits, 0 walks with 8 strikeouts. Great pitching. His ERA is down to 1.07. He threw a season high 95 pitches, while picking up his second win of the season.
Mason Fluharty came in for the eighth. He got a fly out and then had two popups that landed between the infield and outfield. First one, 241 feet that Varsho couldn’t get to and Giménez made a try at a circus catch. Baseball Savant has it at a .200 expected batting average. I’m thinking the Jays outfield was playing a little deeper, with the lead late. Then a second popup that Jesús Sánchez almost got to (actually I think he did get there and just missed the ball). This one 216 feet, but a .400 expected batting average.
Sánchez left the game with some sort of injury in his dive at the ball. I hope he’s ok. John Schneider said he got the wind knocked out of him, but I don’t believe anything they say about injuries anymore.
Jeff Hoffman came into the game, making us all very confident of the win (I’m pretty sure that the betting sites saw a spike in bets on the Yankees as he walked to the mound).
Hoffman got Amed Rosario to flied out to Yohendrick Piñango. It wasn’t an easy catch, down the right field line (Lips just moved to right), by the stands. Excellent job by Yohendrick to make the catch, ignoring the fans right beside him. Next Hoffman got a swinging bunt from Ryan McMahon, that Valenzuela picked up quick, moved so he was inside the foul line and made a nice throw. Great work by the rookie catcher.
I was all for Hoffman started the eight, but John went with Tyler Rogers (with three lefties due up, right-handed submariners don’t fair as well against lefty batters). But he got a fly out, ground out, and strikeout. Great work.
Louis Varland came in for the save. He struck Aaron Judge out, but then gave up a double to Cody Bellinger. Jazz Chisholm bounced a soft one to the left of Varland, who ran for it, but it went off his glove for a single. Then Paul Goldschmidt ground one right to Varland, who started to throw to second throw to second, but Chisholm was running on the pitch, so he went to first for the second out.
Thankfully Amed Rosario struck out to end the game. Varland’s 6th save. And holds for all the relievers.
Jays of the Day: Yesavage (0.35 WPA, a great outing), Sánchez (0.16, for a 2 for 2, plus a walk), Giménez (0.11, mostly for that amazing at bat, but he also had a hit), Hoffman (0.15), Rogers (0.09) and Varland (0.09).
Other Award: Springer (-0.14, for his 1 for 4 with a k), Okamoto (-0.12, for a 0 for 4, 3 strikeouts) and Piñango (-0.10). I was going to let him off the hook, because of that big catch, but he also let one drop (one of the two hits against Trey), on a popup down the left field line. None of he, Okamoto and Giménez got there, but I thought he could have caught it, but was scared of running into the other fielders. He should have yelled ‘mine’ and taken charge.
And let’s give an honourable mention to Valenzuela for the two sac bunts (well one of them turned out to be a single), plus the great defensive play in the ninth. And, in our half of the ninth, he hit a fly ball 373 feet to right, roughly 10 feet from a home run (and 10 feet from never having to bunt again).
Tomorrow we have TBD (Spencer Miles will at least be the bulk man, but I don’t know if they will use an opener) vs. Carlos Rodón (0-1, 5.63, in two starts). It is a 7:00 start (barring rain).
DENVER, May 20th, 2026– How do you eat an elephant? Piece by piece.
The Colorado Avalanche are the mightiest of elephants, and the Vegas Golden Knights took their first bite on Wednesday with a 4-2 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final. This was just Colorado’s second loss of the postseason.
Things didn’t look very promising early on. The Avalanche came in waves, hemming the Golden Knights into the zone for the first few minutes of the game. The Golden Knights survived the push and considerably improved their play for the rest of the period.
In the second period, the Avalanche held a slight edge in possession. They outshot the Golden Knights 15-10 and generated 12 scoring chances against nine from Vegas.
The Golden Knights broke the ice at 12:29 in the second period. Brandon Saad found Dylan Coghlan in the slot, and Coghlan beat Scott Wedgewood five-hole.
Dylan Coghlan from the slot. A goal in his fifth career postseason game!
The Golden Knights doubled their lead on the power play less than three minutes later. Mitch Marner danced around Brent Burns and stretched to corral the puck when it rolled off his stick. He slid a no-look pass by Logan O’Connor to find Pavel Dorofeyev all alone in the slot, and Dorofeyev snapped a shot past Scott Wedgewood short-side.
WHAT A PASS BY MITCH MARNER!
He sets up Pavel Dorofeyev to make it 2-0 for the @GoldenKnights!
The Golden Knights added another just 94 seconds into the third. As Ben Hutton’s penalty expired, Brett Howden blocked Sam Malinski’s shot from the point. The puck bounced out to Hutton as he stepped out of the box, who took off on a 2-on-1 with Howden. Scott Wedgewood made the save on Hutton’s shot, and Howden gloved down the rebound and poked it home.
Ben Hutton breakaway out of the box! Brett Howden gloves down the rebound and pokes it home.
From that point on, cracks began to show in the Golden Knights’ game. The Avalanche outshot Vegas 13-8, and generated 10 high-danger scoring chances while holding the Golden Knights to just one.
The Avalanche got on the board at 5:53 in the third. Val Nichushkin blocked a shot in the defensive zone and carried the puck out of the zone on an odd-man rush. As Nichushkin entered the offensive zone, Ben Hutton and Dylan Coghlan collided, taking themselves out of the play and effectively giving Colorado a 3-on-0. Nichushkin got a pass through to Ross Colton, drove the net, and redirected Colton’s feed between his legs and past Carter Hart.
Ben Hutton and Dylan Coghlan collide and the Avs are alive. Nichushkin tips home a feed from Colton.
The crowd came alive after Nichushkin’s goal and stayed raucous for the remainder of the game. Shea Theodore took a late high-sticking penalty, and the Avalanche pulled Scott Wedgewood for a 6-on-4 opportunity.
The Avalanche pulled to within one at 17:39 in the third. Devon Toews left the puck for Nathan MacKinnon in the defensive zone, and the center raced up ice. He cut across the blue line, drove deeper into the zone, and juked Brayden McNabb out of his skates. MacKinnon drifted up to the goal line and set Gabriel Landeskog up for a backdoor tap-in.
Oh, ew, Nathan MacKinnon. Spins Brayden McNabb out of his skates and finds Gabe Landeskog backdoor.
Down by only a goal with 2:02 remaining, the Avalanche again pulled Wedgewood for the extra attacker. They recorded just one shot on goal, and the puck ended up on the stick of Jack Eichel. Eichel’s bid at the empty net went wide, but Nic Dowd won the race to the loose puck and slammed it home.
“We had some major inconsistencies,” said head coach John Tortorella following the 4-2 win. “We didn't play a flawless game by any means. We got some timely goals, and we got some great saves at key times. We have work to do, and it’s nice to get the first one under your belt, to get a win. But we have plenty of work to do when we’re playing against that team.”
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 20: Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (21) hits a single and drives in two runs during an MLB baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels played on May 20, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The A’s were on the ropes tonight, down to their final three outs. A late home run tied this game up for the A’s and sent it to extras, where the Athletics managed to pull ahead and hang on for the win, putting them back over the .500 mark and remain alone atop the AL West.
Lots of early offense
It didn’t take long for the scoring bonanza to get going tonight. A HBP, a walk, and a single quickly loaded the bases for the A’s and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom cashed two of those runs in with an RBI base knock to center field, giving the squad an early 2-0 lead:
It’s been a tough season for the lefty slugger and we’re all waiting for him to heat up. Fingers crossed this was the thing that’ll spark his coming hot streak. That earlier walk also came from Nick Kurtz, which extended his on-base streak to 43 games. Closing in on McGuire.
Staked to a lead before even throwing a pitch, it was Aaron Civale’s turn to shut down the Angels’ bats and provide a shutdown inning. Instead, with two down Civale hung a curveball to Los Angeles DH Jorge Soler and he punished him for it with a game-tying two-run homer.
Looking to retake the lead the A’s kept it up in the second. Center fielder Henry Bolte worked a five-pitch walk and then promptly stole second base, his second already in seven games. I mean, look at this:
Speed on the base paths has been an element of the Athletics’ offense that has been ignored, lacking, and nonexistent. Bolte fixes that and puts a different kind of pressure on the opposing pitcher when he’s on base. He’s only got two but that’s good enough for fourth-most on the team and he’ll certainly lead everyone by season’s end. Gotta love diversifying the offense a bit!
A walk flipped the lineup and brought up leadoff man Carlos Cortes and he delivered his own RBI hit, a single to bring home Bolte and retake the lead for the A’s.
Given another chance to get a shutdown inning, Civale continued to look shaky. His first pitch of the second was deposited over the left field wall for a solo shot off the bat of Jo Adell, and that was soon followed by a two-run homer from Josh Lowe, the second two-run shot that Civale allowed in as many innings. After two innings of work tonight his season ERA rose from 2.70 entering tonight to a 3.51 mark.
Considering the early struggles one would have imagined that Civale wasn’t long for this game. But Jacob Lopez’s short start yesterday forced a lot of the ‘pen into action and the team needed more frames from the veteran right-hander tonight. Though he allowed leadoff doubles in each of the third and fourth, the righty bent but didn’t break the rest of the night, providing three more innings of scoreless pitching to keep the A’s in the game and give the bullpen some rest.
And frankly considering his low pitch count the team could have probably squeezed one more inning out of Civale before turning things over to the bullpen. It was a tough night for him though and Kotsay decided it was time. Tonight was not a great outing as he finished with a 3.31 season ERA after this one, over half a run more than what he entered the contest with. This was only the third outing this season he’s allowed more than three runs. He’ll hope to right the ship next time out at home against the Seattle Mariners.
A’s claw back
As for the A’s offense, they went dormant after the first two innings. From the third through the sixth they were retired in order, failing to work even a walk against Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz. The right-hander had those early struggles but once staked to a lead he went into cruise control against the A’s offense and they couldn’t force him out of this game soon enough.
Finally in the seventh the Angels pulled their starter and turned things over to their bottom-ranked bullpen. The A’s immediately had a scoring opportunity once Kochanowicz was out of the game. They had some help with two hit batsmen but when you’re down two runs you’ll take what you can get. Nick Kurtz cashed one of those runs in with a huge two-out RBI single to cut the Los Angeles lead to one…
… but Cortes was caught getting greedy trying to get to third and was thrown out, ending the rally right there. What’s the old baseball saying? Never make the last out of the inning at third. Big owch.
Righty Luis Medina replaced Civale and provided two scoreless innings to get this game to the eighth. Mark Leiter Jr. was next and he pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth to set the A’s up for a potential ninth-inning comeback.
It was the bottom of the order though and the Angels had Kirby Yates looking to shut the door on the A’s. Didn’t matter to Jeff McNeil, who golfed the fifth pitch of the at-bat over the short wall in the right field corner for a massive game-tying solo home run:
Huge, huge hit and one the A’s desperately needed. That was just his second homer of the season but it couldn’t have come at a better time. The A’s continued to rally but Kurtz grounded out with a runner at second to end the threat and send this one to the bottom of the ninth. Scott Barlow handled it and didn’t allow a baserunner. This game would have to be decided in extra innings.
Kurtz started the top of the 10th on second base and after a strikeout it was Soderstrom up to bat again. And for the second time tonight, Sodey had a massive hit, a one-out RBI single to give the A’s their first lead since the second inning:
He made it to third thanks to the ball getting by the outfielders but was ultimately stranded and with two chances it felt like the A’s left some meat on the bone there.
Still, either way you slice it the A’s had the lead. Lefty Hogan Harris was tasked with locking down the Angels and stranding the ghost runner at second. It got a little tense there at the end. He got the strikeout on a failed bunt attempt for the first out, a weak grounder to short for the second out, then an intentional walk to Mike Trout and another walk loaded the bases for Soler. With the game on the line Harris needed his best pitch of the night. He delivered it and got Soler to ground out to second base, securing the save for himself (#4) and the win for the team.
What a win! Always love to see the team never give up the fight. The A’s only managed six hits but that ended up being just enough. Civale wasn’t on his game tonight but he did well to battle through it and provide five full innings of work. That really helps the bullpen for the rest of this road trip, which still has four games left. Kurtz’s on-base streak lives, Soderstrom finally had a couple big hits, and the bullpen provided five shutout innings en route to the come from behind victory. The A’s are now 25-24 and remain in sole possession of first place in the AL West, and now they’ll have a chance for the series victory in the finale.
It all wraps up tomorrow evening, same time same place. It’ll be a battle of each team’s Opening Day starters as Luis Severino will take on Jose Soriano. Severino was on a roll recently but got roughed up in his most recent outing so he’ll be looking for a bounce back performance tomorrow evening. Soriano meanwhile is having a fantastic year overall but has also gotten hit hard in a couple of his most recent outings. Is the league figuring him out after one month of dominance? The A’s will hope that’s the case.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 20: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs and Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the Oklahoma City Thunder look on during Game Two of the NBA Western Conference Finals on May 20, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Spurs will have to settle for a split after two games in Oklahoma City. Despite doing a good job of keeping the game close and giving themselves a chance to win, fatigue and an injury to Dylan Harper that depleted their depth even more were too much to overcome against an opponent that found contributions from multiple sources. After the 122-113 loss, the series is tied at one heading to San Antonio.
The intensity from Game 1 didn’t go anywhere. The start of the second matchup of the series featured the physicality and shot-making that created the instant classic series opener, but the fatigue from that long battle began to affect the action. Both coaches rested their stars earlier than usual and tried to have their benches sop up minutes. The Spurs had Castle carry the lineup when Harper and Wembanyama rested, but while the second-year guard scored, he was also turnover-prone once again. The lack of ball handling caused by De’Aaron Fox’s injury was palpable and led to some surprising Jordan McLaughlin minutes. Despite San Antonio not playing as well as they could when some of their top guys were off the floor, the opening quarter was up-and-down, with lots of lead changes, and ended tied.
While neither team could break the parity earlier, the Thunder had one of their typical run fueled by turnovers caused that allowed them to create a buffer. Great drives by San Antonio’s guards, including a thunderous dunk by Castle, kept the offense alive for the Silver and Black, and their commitment to playing strong defense and running whenever possible prevented the lead from ballooning. But Oklahoma City looked in control. Foul trouble for Wembanyama, who was getting mauled by Isaiah Hartenstein with few calls to show for it, along with the fatigue that often showed itself from the shallower team, allowed the home team to get better looks while forcing tough ones on the other end. There were some good individual stretches, but the Spurs just couldn’t find fluidity on offense, and their defense showed cracks. At the break, the Thunder were up just 11 points, but the lead felt larger.
After such a long Game 1, trailing on the road and with the split not being a bad result, the Spurs could have folded in the third. They refused to and were aided by Jalen Williams exiting with injury after the first quarter and not returning, and Hartenstein getting into foul trouble. San Antonio was in attack more, with Wembanyama taking over the game on both ends to erase the deficit quickly. Another win seemed possible but, alas, Dylan Harper had to exit the game with an injury and couldn’t return, which really limited the Silver and Black’s options on offense. Meanwhile, on the other end, Chet Holmgren came alive during a stretch in which Wembanyama was resting, and then Mitch Johnson tried a zone that was successful in Game 1, but the Thunder had figured it out by Game 2. The Spurs dropped 37 points in the frame, but their opponent had 34 to remain in the driver’s seat heading into the final frame.
It was clear Wembanyama would need to be on the floor for the entire period for San Antonio to have a chance, as nothing else worked on defense. He started strong, making some plays along with Stephon Castle, which provided a reason for optimism for the Silver and Black faithful. Unfortunately, he started to fade after spending most of the game battling with a big, physical defender who focused almost exclusively on tiring him out. The Thunder started to feast on the offensive glass, and their role players came up big in important moments. There were small runs, largely fueled by three-pointers, but the Spurs simply didn’t have enough contributors to get over the hump. The deeper Oklahoma City team was more prepared to survive a high-paced game that at times resembled a wrestling match and came up on top to tie the series heading to San Antonio.
Game notes
The Thunder switched strategies and, as mentioned, had Hartenstein guarding Wembanyama for most of the game. In part because of how physical he was allowed to be by the officials, Harstentein held his own and really tired Wembanyama out to the point where he was not a factor late in the game. After the game, Mark Daigneault said they might give Wemby different looks, but if the officiating is lenient, they could get away with the matchup, which is big for an OKC team that might be without Jalen Williams.
Harper was having a terrific game before he had to exit in the third quarter. He attempted to return to the game, but the staff sent him back to the locker room. Hopefully, it won’t be a major injury, and the same goes for J-Dub.
Stephon Castle had 25 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. He also had nine turnovers after logging 11 in Game 1 and missed five of his six threes for the second time in a row. Shooting and decision-making are Castle’s weaknesses, which are only getting magnified by the absence of Fox, who made up for them in the starting lineup. He still defends hard and scores, but Mitch Johnson will have to find another way to run the offense if the other two guards are out, because such a big role is limiting the positive impact Castle normally makes.
Devin Vassell had a fantastic game. He provided scoring, helped on the glass, and defended well. His outside shooting was crucial, as Julian Champagnie made just one of his seven attempts, and the starting guards did most of their damage in the paint.
The bench was atrocious, and it’s a major reason the Spurs lost. The second unit was outscored 57-25, and some Thunder’s role guys like Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace also made major plays on defense. It’s tempting to question whether it was a good idea for Mitch Johnson to play his starters so much for the second game in a row, but he just didn’t have an option if he wanted to keep the game close. San Antonio needs to get healthy, or this could be an unsolvable problem.
The Cam Schlittler-Trey Yesavage Show lived up to the billing, with both young right-handers dominant through six innings.
But once the Yankees got Yesavage out of the game after six shutout innings, their lineup still couldn’t get going in a 2-1 loss to Toronto in The Bronx.
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While Schlittler and Yesavage went toe to toe, Schlittler faltered in the seventh and the Yankees — who were unable to even get a hit against Yesavage the last time they saw him in October — were again overmatched by the 22-year-old.
A pair of runs allowed by Schlittler in the seventh was enough.
Schlittler gave up a soft leadoff infield single to Ernie Clement to open the inning and walked Jesús Sánchez before Brandon Valenzuela reached on a bunt hit to load the bases with no one out.
Ex-Met Andrés Giménez then walked after an 11-pitch at-bat to force in the game’s first run and end Schlittler’s night.
Jake Bird got George Springer to hit a chopper to third, where Ryan McMahon made a great stop and strong throw home for the second out, but a sacrifice fly from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored Valenzuela to make it 2-0.
“I’m frustrated by the walks,” said Schlittler, calling them “unacceptable.”
“If I get out that inning, it’s probably a different outcome to that game,” Schlittler said.
The Yankees forced Yesavage to throw 95 pitches in his six scoreless innings but were unable to get much against Toronto’s bullpen.
A dejected Cam Schlittler looks down at the ground after walking in the first run of the game in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays on May 20, 2026 at the Stadium. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
In the bottom of the ninth, Cody Bellinger doubled off Louis Varland, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. then reached when Varland dropped a comebacker.
With runners on the corners, Paul Goldschmidt hit another one back to Varland to score Bellinger, make it a one-run game and move Chisholm to second.
“He’s a good player,” Schlittler said of Yesavage. “It was a good battle. It slipped away from me at the end. I like the fight we had the last inning.”
Aaron Judge, who whiffed four times, reacts after striking out in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ loss to the Blue Jays. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
The start of the game was delayed more than two hours by rain before both pitchers came out firing.
Schlittler entered the game with an MLB-best 1.35 ERA, while Yesavage had allowed just three earned runs in 19 ¹/₃ innings over his first four starts this season after dealing with a shoulder impingement that pushed back the start to his year.
The 22-year-old Yesavage pitched 5 ¹/₃ hitless innings in Game 2 of the ALDS last October in an 11-strikeout performance.
Trey Yesavage held the Yankees scoreless through six innings. Getty Images
He wasn’t quite as fearsome Wednesday.
And nearly as soon as Yesavage left the game, the Yankees had a chance to score.
Facing left-hander Mason Fluharty, Chisholm and Goldschmidt reached on bloop singles with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
When the Yankees sent up Rosario to hit for Spencer Jones — who’d replaced the injured Trent Grisham in the fifth — the Blue Jays went to Jeff Hoffman.
Hoffman got Rosario to fly out to right, and McMahon grounded out in front of the plate to end the threat.
Toronto had the game’s first real threat when they had runners on the corners with two outs with singles by Jesus Sánchez and Gimenez.
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Schlittler got to a full count against Springer — with Guerrero on deck — before Springer flied out to left to keep the game scoreless.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MAY 20: Ketel Marte #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrates with third base coach JR House #71 after hitting a two run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Chase Field on May 20, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It wasn’t enough that Ketel Marte broke the hearts of the San Francisco Giants with a walkoff three-run homer Tuesday night. He just had to go 3-for-3 with a walk and cross home plate as many times as the Giants’ entire team did in a 6-3 Arizona Diamondbacks win.
Tyler Mahle fell to 1-6 after giving up eight hits and six runs in five innings. At least he didn’t walk anyone! Merrill Kelly improved to 4-3 and won his ninth career game against the Giants, who went hitless in the final four innings of the game. The team is 20-30, and they deserve to be.
The Giants got on the board first when Casey Schmitt launched his ninth home run of the season in the first inning.
Marte continued to torment the Giants right away, doubling in the first and scoring on a Gerardo Perdomo sac fly. In the third, he almost got a Desert Splash Hit by launching a two-run homer just to the left of Arizona’s outfield pool.
For a while, the Giants’ bats were matching the Marte-backs. In the second, Matt Chapman singled and Bryce Eldridge doubled him home, his second RBI and second extra-base hit of the season.
Before the game, Mike Krukow said he thought Eldridge should go down to Triple-A, to improve his hitting and get more playing time. Well he went 1-for-4 and didn’t strike out a single time, so in your face, Kruk!
Chapman scored the tying run on Drew Gilbert’s RBI single with two outs in the 4th, but that would be the Giants’ penultimate hit of the ballgame. Rafael Devers hit a two-out double in the 5th and was stranded on second, and that was it for the offense aside from a Jesus Rodriguez pinch-hit walk.
The Will Brennan experiment seems to have run its course, but the Giants don’t really have other outfield options with Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee both injured. Where have you gone, Luis Matos? (The Nashville Sounds)
Arizona broke the 3-3 tie in the 5th inning, when Marte decided to switch things up and leg out a bunt single to load the bases. After an RBI groundout, Perdomo cleared the bases with a double, his second and third RBIs of the game.
The sweep sends the Giants home with a 4-6 record on their 10-day road trip, a record that would feel better had they not been at 4-3 for the road trip three days ago. They’re getting a much-needed day off Thursday before hosting the surprisingly-competent Chicago White Sox (25-24) on the weekend.
There’s not much to say, beyond what so many college student have declared after Spring Break trips: Visiting Arizona sucked.
