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Age of Extinction: Ice-Cold Golden Knights Eliminate Mammoth With Game 6 Blowout

If the Vegas Golden Knights were the slightest bit nervous before a potential series-clinching Game 6 against the Utah Mammoth, they didn’t let it show. The locker room was loose after Friday’s morning skate– Rasmus Andersson cracked jokes with Noah Hanifin, while Mitch Marner looked cool as a cucumber. In fact, you might have thought they were preparing for a game they already knew they were going to win.

That’s how they played, too. The Golden Knights were all over the Mammoth right from puck drop, and they didn’t relent until the final horn. Even their celebrations were business as usual following a 5-1 victory to send them into Round Two.

“We’ve been here before,” said Mark Stone following the blowout win. “We don’t have the panic. Maybe some teams do, but we calm ourselves pretty quickly.”

The Golden Knights came out swinging and outshot the Mammoth 10-6 in the first. They didn’t press for offense; they simply waited for the Mammoth to make a mistake. They finally capitalized on one at 15:02 into the period.

Lawson Crouse misread a play as the Mammoth tried to exit the zone, and Mitch Marner took it back the other way. He played catch with Mark Stone, moved into the slot, and fired a shot that went wide of the net. The puck bounced off the end boards right onto the stick of Brett Howden, who chipped it in for his fourth goal in three games.

The Mammoth came flying out of the gate in the second period and generated four high-danger scoring chances in the first few minutes. However, they simply couldn’t sustain enough offensive pressure to make it count; the Golden Knights had no such problem.

The Golden Knights capped off a 2-minute, 42-second shift in the offensive zone with a goal at 19:15 in the first. With five tired Mammoth on the ice, Ivan Barbashev made a great play to find Mitch Marner fresh from the bench in the high slot. Marner took advantage of Utah’s tired players, blew by Michael Carcone, and beat Karel Vejmelka with a clapper from the right dot.

The Mammoth got on the board at 7:41 in the third. Mikhail Sergachev sent a stretch-pass to Kailer Yamamoto, who entered the zone with speed and beat Carter Hart with a snipe from the right dot.

Yamamoto’s goal energized the crowd, and the Mammoth fed off of it. But as Stone said, the Golden Knights simply ‘don’t have the panic,’ and they snuffed Utah’s surge out as quickly as it started.

The Golden Knights restored their two-goal lead less than two minutes after Yamamoto’s goal. Nic Dowd won an offensive zone draw, and Colton Sissons banged in Brayden McNabb’s rebound.

“There was no panic on the bench,” said head coach John Tortorella postgame. “We just settled ourselves down…. For us to come back, and just taking a shot on goal, looking for a rebound, playing in the blue… The third goal was a pretty big one for us.”

From there, the Mammoth had nothing; the Golden Knights were home free. Mitch Marner scored his second of the game on the power play at 12:09 in the third to cap off a three-point night.

The Mammoth pulled Vejmelka for the extra attacker with over four minutes remaining in regulation, but weren’t able to generate any offense. Cole Smith hit the empty net at 16:24 in the third, and the Golden Knights cruised through the final three minutes of regulation.

Three Takeaways of the Knight

1. There’s no way Mitch Marner wasn’t feeling the pressure heading into Game 6. Despite playing well and doing the little things right all series, the production wasn’t there. But when his team needed him, he answered the call. He scored two goals, including the game-winner, and recorded a team-leading seven shots on net.

“I’ve had a couple of opportunities in that same area that I just have missed on, and that’s why I kind of just decided to quickly wind one up and see if I can get a clapper through. Lucky enough, it went through and found a hole and found the net,” said Marner following the win. “Yeah, just trust yourself. Trust yourself in those moments.”

2. Carter Hart didn’t have the best stats in Games 2-5, but John Tortorella’s confidence in him never wavered.

“I don’t look at the numbers,” said Tortorella on Friday morning. “Carter made three or four huge saves at key times. That’s what playoffs are… I look at momentum swings in the game, and what he’s done for us to keep us in it if we’re not playing well.”

Tortorella’s confidence paid off in a big way. Hart finished the night with 21 saves and a 1.37GSAx.

3. When the Golden Knights are on their game defensively, they frustrate their opponents to no end. That’s exactly what happened tonight, and there was a moment in the second period when Mammoth captain Clayton Keller smashed his stick against the glass after a failed scoring chance.

The Mammoth are brimming with young talent, but that youth also equates to inexperience. The Golden Knights’ veteran maturity matters, and they’ll be facing another young and inexperienced opponent in Round Two in the Anaheim Ducks.

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Cricket’s George Costanza: McCullum makes himself look vital by not turning up | Barney Ronay

England head coach survived Ashes review but going missing for 43% of the county season is straight out of Seinfeld

George: Right now I just sit around pretending I’m busy.
Jerry: How do you do that?
George: I look annoyed. Think about it. When you look annoyed all the time, people think you’re busy. [Rolls his eyes, slaps his forehead, does look busy.]

Does anyone remember Brendon McCullum? You know. Baz. It was a thing. People said “Bazball” in parliament. It was probably in the dictionary, one of those new zeitgeisty words, like rofl. Distinguishing marks? Hat. Jawline. A way of standing. Sports socks provocatively splayed on an ornate balcony. Look, it doesn’t really matter. But has anyone actually … seen him?

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James stars as Lakers set up Thunder showdown

Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James
LeBron James is the NBA's all-time record points scorer [Getty Images]

LeBron James scored 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets to set up a Western Conference semi-final play-off against reigning NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder.

James also added seven rebounds and eight assists to help the Lakers to a 98-78 victory, which secured a 4-2 series win against the Rockets.

The Lakers had led the series 3-0 and finally closed out the best-of-seven contest in convincing style away at Houston, whose top scorer was Amen Thompson with 18 points.

"A lot of our guys, quite frankly, have not been in this position, have not been in a close-out situation, especially on the road, so it was important for me to go out and set the tone," said 41-year-old James.

He told Amazon Prime: "The mission has always stayed the same no matter what my role has been throughout my career, and that is to go out there and try to dominate.

"Obviously, I have the most experience on the team and have the most play-off experience on the team so I know how a series can go. I just try to bleed that into them, bleed the confidence and tell them to go out and play."

Lakers coach JJ Redick was full of admiration for the performance of James, who is the first player to take part in 23 consecutive NBA seasons and is also the league's record points scorer.

"To me, he's had the greatest career of any NBA player," said Redick. "You can argue all you want; I don't care to postulate on who's the greatest of all time.

"He's one of, if not the greatest of all time, and for him to do it again and answer the bell again, it's baffling in some ways."

The Lakers face a tough task against the Thunder, who finished top of the Western Conference and secured a 4-0 series win against the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA play-offs.

The first game of their best-of-seven series is in Oklahoma on Tuesday.

Pistons and Raptors set up deciders

Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons, who finished top of the Eastern Conference, produced a stunning comeback to beat the Orlando Magic 93-79 to level their first-round series at 3-3 and set up a deciding game seven.

Detroit had trailed by as much as 24 points in game six, with the Magic having led 62-38 early in the third quarter when they looked to have moved themselves to the brink of a first play-off series win since 2010.

But Orlando missed 23 consecutive field goals and the Pistons, who were 3-1 down in the series, took full advantage to force a seventh game..

"Never say die, simple as that," said Detroit's Cade Cunningham, who top scored in the match with 32 points.

"I mean, Detroit grit, it's what we've been talking about all year."

The final game of the series will be on Sunday in Detroit and the winner will play either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Toronto Raptors, whose first-round play-off will also go to a deciding game seven.

RJ Barrett sank a three-pointer, which hit the rim of the basket and looped up in the air before dropping in, with 1.2 seconds left in overtime to give the Raptors a dramatic 112-110 victory in game six as they levelled the series at 3-3.

The home side has won each game so far and the decider will be in Cleveland on Sunday.

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Celtics, 76ers set for winner-take-all game 7

Philadelphia 76ers (45-37, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (56-26, second in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

LINE: Celtics -7.5; over/under is 205.5

EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Series tied 3-3

BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers square off in game seven of the Eastern Conference first round. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 106-93 in the last matchup on Friday. Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 30 points, and Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 18.

The Celtics have gone 36-16 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston leads the league giving up only 107.2 points per game while holding opponents to 44.2% shooting.

The 76ers are 27-25 against Eastern Conference opponents. Philadelphia is sixth in the Eastern Conference with 16.9 fast break points per game led by VJ Edgecombe averaging 8.0.

The Celtics are shooting 46.7% from the field this season, the same percentage the 76ers allow to opponents. The 76ers are shooting 46.2% from the field, 2.0% higher than the 44.2% the Celtics' opponents have shot this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Brown is averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum is averaging 18.7 points over the last 10 games.

Quentin Grimes is scoring 13.4 points per game and averaging 3.6 rebounds for the 76ers. Maxey is averaging 25.0 points and 3.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 6-4, averaging 112.2 points, 46.1 rebounds, 25.1 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.7 points per game.

76ers: 5-5, averaging 105.2 points, 44.2 rebounds, 21.0 assists, 7.6 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.4 points.

INJURIES: Celtics: None listed.

76ers: Joel Embiid: day to day (abdomen).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Red Sox 3, Astros 1: Bennett, Duran drive series opening victory at Fenway

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 01: Starting pitcher Jake Bennett #64 of the Boston Red Sox throws against the Houston Astros during his MLB debut in the first inning at Fenway Park on May 01, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images

What a weird game to be a part of, right? Your home debut of your interim manager, an MLB debut of a young southpaw, the plane flying Fire Breslow, Sell The Team above Fenway before the game, this had the makings of a mental disaster. Not tonight, apparently. It was left all off the field as the Red Sox snuck in a 3-1 victory over the Astros on Friday night.

Studs

Jake Bennett (5.0 IP, 2 BB, 3 K, 5 H, 1 ER)

What an impressive debut to make in a tough situation for this team. You could tell the moment looked a hairrrr bright at the start but he settled in smoothly the rest of the way aside from the Correa solo shot. Kudos to the kid here.

The Bullpen

No pitcher truly had a “clean” frame but all holds and a save is exactly what you want to see to back up a rookie making his debut. Kelly and Whitlock worked themselves into the most obvious trouble but well done to keep it off the board.

Duds

Wilyer Abreu (0-for-4)

Grounding into a double play not but TWICE is brutal. The first one stung more because the Sox had two on and were continuing to rally after Jarren Duran’s three run swat. Still, not an awesome night for Abreu by any stretch.

Play of the Game

This is the kind of swing the Red Sox need to see from Jarren Duran to justify his inclusion in the every day line up. Maybe Chad Tracy will give him some kind of confidence boost.

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Woo gets roughed up again, M’s lose to Royals 7-6

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 01: Bryan Woo #22 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after Kansas City scores during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park on May 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images

A week ago, Bryan Woo got touched up by the Cardinals to the tune of four home runs. He only made it through three innings, while striking out just one of the 18 batters he faced. Recapping the game, I wrote:

Was Woo bad or do we just shake it off? Let’s be real here, four home runs is a lot. And he was genuinely missing middle-middle pretty regularly—this wasn’t some Chicago wind storm or something. But on the other hand, you can’t get too worked up about an off day from a guy who’s had so much consistency that he literally holds the franchise record for most consecutive 6 inning games to open a season. All I know for sure is that, for today, pulling him after three innings was the correct move.

It’s a lot harder to shake off a second outing like this. Facing the other Missouri team tonight, Woo at least made it through six this time, but surrendered six runs on 11 hard-hit balls while striking out just two. 

The trouble was mostly contained to his first and last innings. The Royals ambushed him in the first with a pair of leadoff singles setting up a ball off Cole Young’s glove and a Salvador Perez line drive. Before you could blink, the score was 3-0 with a runner in scoring position and nobody out.

Woo took a beat and mostly settled down from there. That runner scored, but it was on a water balloon into shallow left that Leo Rivas couldn’t track down while Randy Arozarena wasn’t even in the camera shot. Woo then got through four clean innings in a row, but allowed more hard-hit balls than whiffs over that stretch. And in his last frame, he gave up two more runs on solo shots from KC’s Ferrari and Lamborghini, Vincent Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone. 

So what happened? Woo blew it off, saying of his first-inning struggles, “The only one that I’d probably like to have back is the sinker to Salvy. But I thought the rest of the pitches were not bad by any means.”

I respectfully disagree.

Two culprits jump out tonight. First, he had the same problem that got him into trouble on Saturday: leaking over the plate. I’m going to let a picture tell a thousand words here. That big empty circle in the strike-side of the shadow zone? That’s generally where one wants to throw the ball.

The other issue might be more serious: the sinker. It’s marginal, but this season he’s lost both run and rise on his two-seamer, and those marginal differences can compound, especially when he’s leaving it belt high rather than sending it to the bottom rail. It’s no surprise that guys are having a much easier time squaring it up and keeping it off the ground this year. The Mariners, or at least Cal Raleigh, seem to agree this is an issue. Woo threw seven in his first two innings, but just three over the entire rest of his outing. But I worry about this as a long-term solution. Arsenals are complementary. I’m just not sure his four-seamer will play as strongly without his most-used secondary.

So two bad outings in a row, but with no sign of injury or velo drop. Do we shake it off? I still vote yes, but the concern meter has risen from 0 to 2. And, despite his putting on a confident front through most of his post-game press conference, Woo signaled that he’s concerned too. “My process might have been alright, but I still got my ass kicked. There’s a balance to it, try to take the good and learn from the bad. But. You know. It sucks.”

Woo’s final words before leaving the podium were: “I don’t know. It’s —. I got not a ton of answers.”

If that makes you want to have his back after all he’s done for this team, you’re not alone. Julio Rodríguez said, “I feel like Woo has come through so many times for us and has pitched so many huge games for us.”

In his last outing, the Mariners offense was able to pick up Woo’s bad start by scoring 11 and eventually winning the game. And there were moments when it felt like that might happen again tonight, beginning with the first inning when they struck back after falling behind 4-0.

J.P. Crawford drew a leadoff walk and, the calendar having flipped from April to May, Julio went to the upper tank.

And the Mariners kept chipping away, with Connor Joe and Randy Arozarena hitting solo shots in the fifth and sixth. Julio even tied it up in the seventh inning and earned his first Sun Hat Award of the season, with his second home run of the game, this time going to the deep part of the park.

But, this being a Royals-Mariners game, the Royals struck back, scoring again in the seventh after Salvador Perez’s second double of the game. After that, the only hopeful note for Seattle was Alex Hoppe (the only hoppeful note?), who struck out the side against three batters who each have a career strikeout rate under 18%.

Tune in early tomorrow for Randy Johnson’s number retirement ceremony, which Mariners TV will air starting at 6:00.

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What’s in a hot start for the Diamondbacks’ players?

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 01: Ildemaro Vargas #6 of the Arizona Diamondbacks singles during the first inning of the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 01, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Zoe Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Introduction

There’s a baseball maxim that says, “You can’t win the division in April, but you can lose it.” I couldn’t find who the quote is originally attributed to, but there are plenty of former players and managers that could have said something like that. It also has the added benefit of being both internally consistent and being backed by evidence. Of the 12 eventual playoff teams, a whopping nine were in such position at the end of April last year. The year before, it was the exact same ratio with nine of the eventual playoff field in playoff position at the end of the first month of play. Obviously, if you start out hot, it gives your team more room for error for the inevitable injuries and poor play that comes with a 162-game marathon. It also demonstrates that if you’re on the outside looking in a month in, it’s more likely that you’re going to miss out than you’ll be able to climb over the teams that are above you. There are certainly exceptions: the 2024 Astros had the second-worst record at the end of April that year, but finished the year going 78-54 to secure their division and the number one seed in the American League. But that’s likely the exception that proves the rule in my opinion. Regardless, we’re not talking about the playoffs (yet). Instead, that exercise had me wondering if the same is true for individual players whose statistics can obviously fluctuate even more wildly than a team’s over the course of the season. In other words, how much does a hot (or not so hot) start matter for an individual player and for the D-Backs who fall into those categories?

Since there are no direct comparisons for “playoffs” for individual players, I’ve decided to modify the criteria slightly to look at those players who had an above-average OPS in the first month and then compare to see how those players did by the end of the season. I’m going to leave the pitchers for another week as teasing out the statistical noise will be particularly difficult when dealing with relievers and starters. For the first month of last season, the league averaged a . 707 OPS, unsurprisingly the lowest OPS of any month in the season. There were a little over 100 players who had 90 or more plate appearances in March/April (and would therefore qualify for rate stats) and had an OPS greater than or equal to .707 out of the 177 who accumulated the necessary 3.1 PA per game during that stretch regardless of their OPS. Of those 101 players from the first part of the query, only 34 were able to hold their OPS steady from the end of that first month through the end of the season while the rest saw their OPS drop to varying degrees. In other words, the vast majority of the players who have a hot start to the season will watch that start evaporate over the course of the season. And if we further constrain the list to those players who also ended the season with an above-average OPS for the season of .719, we’re left with just 78 candidates. Sadly, the player with the biggest gap in that 78-person list? Our very own Pavin Smith who was limited by injury and couldn’t sustain his volcanic-hot start. That is a limitation of this query too: I can’t limit the number of PA the player has by the end of the season so a player could theoretically start hot, have a bad week, and then either get injured or demoted to the minors which would hide that noise. But even with that qualification, I think this process at least gives us a directional understanding of what a hot start means for a player.

So what does this all mean for the Diamondbacks other than a hot start is better than a cold one? Well, there’s at least one D-Back who couldn’t be having a better start to the season. Is there any player in the league hotter than Ildemaro Vargas right now? After this afternoon’s 4-for-4 today, and thus extending his franchise-record hitting streak in a big way, his batting average has climbed all the way to .404 and his OPS to 1.131 which currently slots him in at third in the majors above Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, and Kyle Schwarber. While he’s indisputably been the Diamondback with the most fun storyline to follow in the early going of the season, I sincerely doubt he’s suddenly become an Arizona incarnation of Ted Williams or an upper-tier MVP candidate. As always, the question will be, how steep is the reversion back to the mean? For the team’s sake, we have to hope it’s not too steep or painful.

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Player Grades: Lakers vs. Rockets

HOUSTON, TX - MAY 1: Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball during the game against the Houston Rockets during Round One Game Six of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 1, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

All season long, when faced with adversity, the Lakers have responded.

When LeBron James missed the first 14 games due to sciatica, LA went 10-4 in his absence. After both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves went down late in the season, the Lakers fought hard to keep the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference.

LA started the playoffs without Austin or Luka, but just kept on winning. They went up 3-0 in their series against the Rockets, only for Houston to respond with two wins, forcing a Game 6. The purple and gold ensured there would not be a Game 7.

It was the Lakers who went on a dominant second-quarter run and took over, putting the game to bed.

Things will only get harder as they will now play the defending champs, but if we’ve learned one thing about the 2025-26 Lakers, they’ll fight as hard as possible to find success.

So, they’ll be underdogs again, but that’s a position they’ve excelled in under JJ Redick’s.

So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

LeBron James

37 minutes, 28 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 10-25 FG, 2-5 3PT, 6-8 FT, +26

The Lakers needed LeBron to be great and he delivered. James started aggressively by scoring inside, knocking down threes and handing out a slew of assists with just one turnover in the first half.

Thanks to his play, LA got out in front early and never looked back. LeBron remained on the attack throughout the game, and yes, at age 41, he was the best player on the court.

Take a bow, king!

Grade: A+

Rui Hachimura

35 minutes, 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 fouls, 8-15 FG, 5-7 3PT, +20

There is a reason Redick was so reluctant to bench Hachimura during the regular season. He is as clutch as they come, has good size, and is one of the best shot-makers in the NBA.

All of this was on display in Game 6.

This was one of the best games Rui has ever had as a Laker. With the series momentum leaning in favor of Houston, Hachimura tipped the scales back in LA’s favor.

He was an unstoppable shooter, going 5-7 from 3-point range. The only thing more demoralizing than his shot-making was the million-dollar smile he had while jogging back on defense.

Grade: A+

Deandre Ayton

28 minutes, 7 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 5 fouls, 2-6 FG, 3-7 FT, +5

I had to triple-check the rebounding numbers for Ayton. It’s unreal that he had 16 boards in an elimination game. He did a solid job defending Şengün when he had that assignment and did the little things that impacted winning.

A hilarious moment came when NBA official Scott Foster tried to ensure Ayton didn’t get an unfair advantage in a jump ball and kept restarting the play. It didn’t matter, as Ayton still won the tip.

In this series, Ayton has been excellent, and Game 6 was no exception.

Grade: B+

Marcus Smart

35 minutes, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-7 FG, 2-4 3PT, 1-2 FT, +25

Smart proved he could handle some on-ball duties for this team in these intense games. This wasn’t the case in Game 5 when he had way too many turnovers.

Smart acknowledged this and improved dramatically in this contest. He had a plus-minus of +25, which was the second highest on the team.

Grade: B

Austin Reaves

31 minutes, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 7-14 FG, 0-4 3PT, 1-1 FT, +3

Reaves showed flashes of who he is in this game.

He had a nice spin move layup, was driving inside and his three blocks demonstrated his aggressiveness defensively. Reaves is clearly not 100% just yet, but he found ways to impact the game and was a good offensive initiator for the team.

Grade: B-

Luke Kennard

29 minutes, 3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-6 FG, 1-2 3PT, +22

Okay, Kennard has regressed to his mean, but that’s not the worst thing. He can still be a positive on offense, but that monster Game 1 performance is likely a thing of the past.

Grade: B

Jaxson Hayes

17 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 1-1 FG, 3-4 FT, +21

After an awful Game 5, Hayes had a bounce-back performance in Game 6. He held his own on his defensive assignments and even got to the line and hit some free throws.

The Lakers needed Hayes to eat up some big man minutes, and he not only did so but was a net positive for the team during his shifts.

Grade: B

Jake LaRavia

16 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3-8 FG, 1-2 3PT, +2

This was the best game LaRavia has had this postseason. He held his own defensively, shot well from deep, and had some momentum-shifting plays like his dunk midway through the second quarter.

Grade: B+

Adou Theiro, Bronny James, Dalton Knecht, Nick Smith Jr.

This quartet played a short shift in garbage time so they will not be getting a grade.

JJ Redick

Redick stuck with a tight eight-man rotation and it paid off. He did the right thing by taking Jarred Vanderbilt out and leaning on his offensive players to get this win.

No longer doubling Şengün, they dared him to win his matchups and he couldn’t. This was a tremendous improvement from last year, when Redick did ridiculous things like making no subs in the second half and effectively playing no bigs late in the series.

This is 2026, and Redick learned who to trust, not to panic and, instead of blowing a 3-0 lead, they won a series many, myself included, didn’t think they could win.

Grade: A

Friday’s DNPs: Maxi Kleber, Jarred Vanderbilt

Friday’s inactives: Luka Dončić

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

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Can Lakers beat the Thunder? What we learned from series vs. Rockets

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers bounced back in a big way to avoid playing Game 7 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Houston Rockets.

James had 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Lakers beat the Rockets 98-78 on Friday, May 1. It was his league-record 157th playoff game with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Lakers played with a sense of urgency and energy that was missing from their home loss on Wednesday.

“My mindset was to play with aggression,” James said during a postgame interview on Prime. “(The Rockets) changed the aggression level in Games 4 and 5. … Most of our guys haven't been in a close-out game situation. … So I had to come out and set the tone for my team and just try to find a way to close this thing out.”

The Lakers will be asked to produce the same level of energy if they want to compete with the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the second round.

The Lakers must continue to get strong contributions from players such as Rui Hachimura, who helped neutralize the Rockets and kept them from having any chance of battling back into the game with several big shots. Hachimura finished with 21 points and six rebounds. He shot 5-of-7 from the 3-point line.

The Lakers will need all the rest they can get before the series with the Thunder begins on Tuesday, May 5, in Oklahoma City. The three days off won’t be enough time to get guard Luka Doncic back, though.

Doncic has not played since suffering a hamstring injury on April 2 in a blowout loss to the Thunder during the regular season.

Without the guard, Los Angeles will be tasked with overcoming the Thunder's defense and finding a way to generate enough offense to match the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Austin Reaves will be asked to shoulder some of that offensive responsibility. He made his return to the Lakers on Wednesday for Game 5 after missing time due to a left oblique muscle strain. He returned to the starting lineup in Game 6.

Reaves has 37 points, eight assists and seven rebounds combined in his first two games back. He will need to round back into form at the 3-point line, where he's made just 2-of-12 this week.

The Thunder will enter the series well-rested, having swept the Phoenix Suns. OKC will enter the second round having had a full week off.

The Thunder could also see the return of Jalen Williams in the series. He has not played since April 22 due to a hamstring strain.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What's next for Lakers after win over Rockets? Thunder await

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3 takeaways from Lakers’ series clinching Game 6 win vs. Rockets

HOUSTON, TX - MAY 1: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates during the game Houston Rockets during Round One Game Six of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 1, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

There will be no Game 7.

After dropping consecutive closeout games that simultaneously put the series in jeopardy and gave the Rockets real momentum, the Lakers took care of business in Game 6, dominating the Rockets and leaving no doubt on who the better team was with a 98-78 victory.

The Lakers have now punched their ticket to the second round and a matchup with the reigning world champs, but analysis of that series will need to wait. For now, the Lakers get a few days to regroup and game plan, while us fans get to reflect on what was a great performance up and down the roster to knock out the Rockets.

Here are three takeaways from the huge victory…

The Closeout King

LeBron James did not have his most efficient shooting night, hitting just 10 of his 25 field goal attempts. But in scoring a team-high 28 points to go along with seven rebounds, and eight assists (to just three turnovers), he controlled the action for nearly every moment of the 37:07 he played in this game and set his team up for victory with his focus, energy, and determination.

LeBron set the tone early, ducking into the post for power backdowns while exerting his strength advantage over Tari Eason. Positioning himself on the right block, LeBron consistently put the Rockets into situations where they would either need to send help or let him cook one-on-one. And when the help did not come, LeBron made the defense pay by scoring or drawing fouls.

When he was not posting up, he was setting up the action to attack via the pick and roll where he could either get downhill for himself or try to set up a teammate for an easy look. This sort of diversity helped keep Houston’s defense off-balance and allowed the Lakers to generate decent looks against a defense that had mostly stymied them for the better part of the previous three games.

But more than his efforts to keep the Lakers offense flowing in the halfcourt, it was LeBron’s hunting of transition and open court chances that helped the team generate the points they needed to separate and then keep the Rockets at bay.

The Lakers outscored the Rockets 19-8 in fastbreak points, with much of that difference coming from LeBron’s persistence in getting into early offense when the team secured a stop and there was a sliver of a lane to push the pace.

Again, though, this wasn’t solely about his production. After the Lakers did not play with enough force and focus in Games 4 and 5, LeBron reset the team’s approach through his individual approach and everyone followed suit. He did not do it alone, but he led the way.

Rui’s sharpshooting

If Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart were the difference makers early in the series with their shot making, it was Rui’s hot hand that made the difference in Game 6 to close out Houston. Hachimura hit five of his seven attempts from deep on the night, and eight of his 15 shots overall, en route to 21 points to go along with his six rebounds and two assists.

With the Lakers getting into their offense earlier, LeBron’s post-up and pick-and-roll play tilting the game towards him, and Austin Reaves’ drives creating more opportunities for advantage creation, the Lakers ball movement improved and it was Rui who was one of the main beneficiaries.

Time after time, the ball pinged around the court and ended up in Hachimura’s hands with him calmly stepping into jumpers that he knocked down over and over again.

On a night where the Lakers only shot 40.4% from the field overall, Rui’s accuracy and secondary scoring were a huge factor in giving the team the sort of offensive boost they needed to seize control of the game. And then, once they had the lead, every ensuing jumper dug Houston’s hole deeper, never allowing them to gain any sort of footing that could help foment a comeback.

Exactly the sort of role player performance the team needed on the road to get the win.

Deandre’s defense and rebounding

On a night where his shooting from the field (2-6) and the foul line (3-7) was not there, Deandre Ayton’s attention to detail and focus defensively and on the backboards were critical to the Lakers getting this victory. Of Ayton’s 16 rebounds, 13 came on the defensive end, allowing the Lakers to not only close out possessions but to help trigger their transition game that was so helpful all night to their offense.

Further, and more importantly, was that all night the Lakers left Ayton on an island to defend Alperen Şengün one-on-one rather than sending the sort of help and doubles that allowed Houston to get into such a good offensive rhythm in Game 5. Şengün shot just 5-12 from the field, but more importantly, had just a single assist after tallying eight in the last game.

Ayton’s ability to hold up in isolation allowed the rest of the defense to stay home and attached to shooters and cutters, gumming up the Rockets’ offense. Above all else, this was the major factor in Houston connecting on just 28 of their 80 (35%) shot attempts on the night, never allowing them to find a rhythm or climb back into the game.

And, as previously mentioned, when they did miss, it was Ayton who was the primary force in helping the Lakers to clean the glass, holding Houston to just eight offensive rebounds on their 52 misses, a fantastic number even if they cut down on crashing the glass as hard as they did earlier in the series.

The Lakers simply do not win this game — or the series — without Ayton anchoring their defense with the focus and force he displayed.

You can follow Darius on BlueSky at @forumbluegoldand find more of his Lakers coverage on the Laker Film Room Podcast.

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Lakers blow out ice-cold Rockets 98-78 to win series, advance to face Thunder

There was no history made in Houston on Friday night. In fact, it was a night Rockets fans would like to forget entirely.

The Lakers came out aggressive and focused from the opening tip, while Houston didn't match that energy. At the same time, its offense went ice-cold at the worst possible time — Los Angeles packed the paint defensively and the Rockets shot 2-of-11 from 3-point range and a disturbing 29.3% overall in the first half, scoring just 31 points. Think of it this way: LeBron James outscored the Houston Rockets by himself, 14-13, in the second quarter.

It didn't get much better in the third quarter, with the Rockets shooting 1-of-6 from 3 and 33.3% from the floor in the frame. While the Lakers were not exactly lighting up the scoreboard, they had LeBron James, who had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and he dominated the game.

Los Angeles cruised to a 98-78 win to take the series 4-2, ending talk of the Rockets becoming the first team to come back from 0-3 down to take a series.

The Lakers advance to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder starting Tuesday night in OKC.

Give the Lakers their flowers. They entered this series without Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique), and while Reaves returned and had a good Game 6 (15 points), this was an impressive team effort throughout the series. LeBron led the way, but role players — such as Luke Kennard early in the series and Rui Hachimura in Game 6 — stepped up when the team needed them.

Houston didn't lose this series on Friday night; it lost it in the final 30 seconds of Game 3. That's when the Rockets blew a six-point lead thanks to a couple of ugly turnovers and an ill-advised foul. Win that game, maybe things play out differently, but once the Rockets went down 0-3, everything had to be perfect — and the Rockets were not perfect or anything close to it in Game 6.

Friday's game was decided from when there was 4:51 on the clock in the first quarter to 8:02 of the second, when the Lakers went on a 27-3 run, going up by 19. Their lead never touched single-digits again, the Rockets simply weren't good enough on offense to close that gap. Nor were they able to get consistent stops.

Part of that was Hachimura, who added 21 points and hit a few clutch 3-pointers for the Lakers when it felt like the Rockets were making a push.

Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 18 points while Alperen Sengun added 17. The Rockets played this series with Kevin Durant only appearing in one game (and no Fred VanVleet or Steven Adams for any of it). Their young players showed flashes of potential but could not sustain it. It leads to an interesting offseason in Houston as it decides whether to run it back and bet on better health and its young players improving, or if the Rockets feel this is a sign to shake things up.

The Lakers don't have to start thinking about the offseason yet, they have at least four more games to play.

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Bruins' Charlie McAvoy ejected for slash after he was slew-footed

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy could draw the attention of NHL Player Safety after being ejected for slashing in Game 6 against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, May 1.

So could the Sabres' Zach Benson, whose dangerous play led to McAvoy's retaliation.

The incident happened during the final minutes of the Sabres' series-clinching win against the Bruins.

Benson tripped McAvoy with a slew foot, receiving a two-minute penalty. That type of play is dangerous because the recipient of a slew foot is unable to brace himself as he falls.

McAvoy, who has dealt with a broken jaw and lost teeth this season, got up and went after Benson with a baseball-swing slash. He received five minutes and a game misconduct.

Generally, a slew foot leads to a fine rather than a suspension. The slash will be a judgment call based on the perceived severity. Islanders star Mathew Barzal was fined $5,000 for a slash this season.

If McAvoy is suspended, he would serve it next season

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charlie McAvoy ejected for slash on Zach Benson after slew foot

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Ducks to Face Golden Knights in Round Two of 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Ducks now know their second round opponent. They'll be heading to Sin City to face the Vegas Golden Knights after dispatching the Edmonton Oilers in six games. The Golden Knights eliminated the Utah Mammoth in six games, winning 5-1 in Game 6 on Friday night.

Anaheim defeated Vegas in all three regular season games, with two of those matchups going to overtime. All three games finished 4-3, too. It was just the second time since Vegas entered the league in 2017 that Anaheim had won the season series.

Like their Round one opponent, the Golden Knights have a wealth of playoff experience on their roster. Many of the players from the 2023 Cup-winning team are still on the roster, led by forwards Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. Eichel's eight points in the first round were tied for the third-most among all skaters.

Jackson LaCombe took on the assignment of matching up against Connor McDavid, one of––if not the––best players in the world, and did it with aplomb. LaCombe also collected nine points in his first Stanley Cup Playoffs series, tied for second among all skaters in the first round. He and Jacob Trouba will likely take on the responsibility of matching up against the top line of Eichel, Ivan Barbashev and Pavel Dorofeyev. Dorofeyev scored in the final minute of Game 5, tying the game and grabbing his third goal of the game.

Feb 1, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) shoots the puck against Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Feb 1, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) shoots the puck against Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The biggest factor in this series will be goaltending. Lukáš Dostál was not at his best for Anaheim, displaying a .874 SV% and a 3.87 GAA. He was chased from Game 5 after allowing three goals on nine shots, but bounced back in Game 6 with 25 saves on 27 shots against. "I feel like I kind of got that day and a half," Dostál said after Game 6. "And that I have the time to recover physically and mentally."

Three different goaltenders started a portion of the regular season for the Golden Knights, with Carter Hart taking the reins in the final stretch. Hart won his last six games of the regular season, but wasn't much better in the first round than Dostál, carrying an .876 SV% through six games.

"We're gonna have a couple of days now, so I think it's gonna be important, physically and mentally," Dostál said. "We're gonna make sure that we're gonna be ready for the next one because it might be a completely different opponent than Edmonton is. That's what's so magical about the playoffs. When you keep advancing, you get to play different teams with different styles."

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Christian Scott set the tone for Mets' comeback win over Angels with improved second start

Earlier in the day, Christian Scott said he was ready to leave his rough first start behind him. And that's exactly what the young Mets right-hander did on Friday.

Going up against the Angels, Scott wasn't his sharpest, but showed improvement, going five innings in the Mets' eventual 4-3 win. But it could have gone sideways fast, and it almost did, for Scott and the Mets in the first inning.

Scott allowed a one-out single to Mike Trout and two batters later, Jorge Soler took him deep. The Mets, losers of 17 of their last 20 games, were already down two runs. But Scott settled in.

Aside from the third inning when he hit Zach Neto with a pitch to lead off, and he eventually scored on two stolen bases and a throwing error by Francisco Alvarez,the Angels could not get anything going off of Scott. Scott would retire the last nine batters he faced.

"That first inning, coming back from that last outing and he kept going," manager Carlos Mendoza said of Scott's outing. "He didn’t put his head down and kept attacking and gave us five innings and a chance to win a baseball game."

"When you go down 2-0 pretty early, you can start to overthink things," Scott said. "I think I did a good job going pitch by pitch, attacking the strike zone, bearing down and competing when I had to."

Scott, whose first big league start in almost two years was spoiled by erratic control that forced him out of the game after just four outs, said Friday's start felt like any other, and that his mindset was on attacking the zone, getting ahead and staying ahead. Scott credited Alvarez for being on the same page as him and calling a good game, but also leaned on his confidence to get over his rough first start and Friday's tough first inning. 

"I’m confident in myself and my stuff," Scott said. "I know I belong here and my stuff plays at a high level when it’s in the strike zone. Just have to be consistent... Just do that consistently is my goal moving forward."

"That’s what makes him. Not just because of the stuff, but he has a good head," Mendoza said. "Doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. Could have been easy for him to just put his head down after the last outing. First inning, he goes, ‘here we go again.’ And he didn’t show any sign. I’m not surprised by it. Goes to show you he’s a mature kid."

Once Scott was out after five innings and the score still 3-0, the comeback commenced. In the sixth, the Mets scored three runs on a pair of two-out singles. Ronny Mauricio then completed the comeback with a go-ahead solo homer. The bullpen continued what Scott started, retiring every Angels hitter they faced to finish the game.

"I’ve given up homers before, it’s not the end of the world," Scott said of overcoming the first-inning homer. "But I thought the offense did a really good job battling the whole day. Bullpen came in and not giving up a baserunner was nice to see them bearing down and competing at a high level. It’s early in the game, just have to give the team a chance to win and I thought I did that."

Scott not only gave the Mets a chance to win Friday's series opener, but Mendoza said the 26-year-old set the tone for the rest of the team.

"It started with Scotty. When he got punched, he punched back," Mendoza said. "He set the tone there."

Entering play Friday, the Mets held the worst record in baseball (10-21). Their offense was stagnant and questions regarding Mendoza's job security were rampant. But the team stuck together and prevailed, and it began with Scott's bounce-back start.

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'It was something different': Mets' energy shifts in series-opening win at Angels

Ronny Mauricio picked a good time for his first home run of the season.

The Mets' ninth batter and starting shortstop in Friday's 4-3 win at the Los Angeles Angels took José Fermin's 94 mph pitch deep to right-center field on a 1-1 count with one out, giving New York (11-21) enough of a window to complete a four-run comeback in Anaheim, Calif.

"It feels great to be able to help the team in a situation like that," Mauricio said through an interpreter. "... We're coming out here, we're working, we're doing everything that we have to do to go out in front."

A day that started with president of baseball operations David Stearns' published comments about not intending to "make a change" at manager, followed by Carlos Mendoza's on-record remarks about the phone call, ended in a gutsy victory.

"It says a lot, especially after what we've been going through," Mendoza said. "You get down early in that first inning -- that two-run homer out of the gate -- but they fought back and they found a way. That's a good sign -- when you're able to come back and lock it down, good at-bats, continue to just create some traffic ... it was a solid team win."

With two more games at the Angels (12-21), led by Saturday's 9:38 p.m. start on SNY, the Mets have an opportunity to build as the initial series and overall nine-game road trip begins.

"Every win means a lot, especially when we've dug ourselves into a hole like this," said Marcus Semien, whose two-RBI single with two outs in the sixth inning capped the Mets' three-run rally to tie the game at 3-3. "Especially a comeback win on the road -- that's big. It's big for the group. 

From Christian Scott's career-high-tying eight strikeouts in a bounce-back start to the timely hits and the Mets' four-man bullpen consecutively retiring the final 12 batters, Mendoza saw his team dig deep.

"I think they're all different, but every time you get an opportunity to win a game like that -- we haven't been able to win games like that when you get down 3-0 and the feeling's like, 'All right,'" he said. "Today, it wasn't the case. It was something different -- the energy in the dugout, the guys playing loose, the guys playing their game and we saw that. And it started with Scotty -- when he got punched, he punched back. So, it kind of set the tone there."

"We always feel like we're in the game," Semien added. "It's nine innings of baseball. We're all major league players, so we're working hard to scratch and claw to get back into the game."