Apr 25, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pinch hitter Jonny DeLuca (21) reacts after hitting a double in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
The Twins were drubbed 6-1, nearly taking in their first shutout loss of 2026, but regardless marking their eighth loss in the last nine ballgames, and exacerbating the absolute morale tailspin that Minnesota has found themselves in during the back half of April.
A bizarre first inning opened with a ghost-timeout that required something akin to a crew chief review, and ended with an outfield assist at home plate from Austin Martin, the fourth of his career.
From there, an early pitching duel developed, with an embattled Shane McClanahan trading zeroes with a velocity-challenged Bailey Ober (Tampa Bay’s starter logged a changeup that came in hotter than Bailey’s hardest fastball of the day.) A scoreless tie held for an hour and change, until a two-out solo shot from Jake Fraley, 401 feet into right field, cracked open a 2-0 lead for Tampa Bay.
But while the Rays had eventually broken through, the Twins would not produce an offensive highlight today. (Their lone run came with two outs in the ninth, when a snapped-bat single from Royce Lewis would bring in Luke Keaschall from second base.) And even the homer would not tarnish much of starter Bailey Ober’s linescore; he went six innings and gave up only three hits. While the swing-and-miss stuff was not present, Ober drove his ERA down below 4.00 in his first loss of the season.
McClanahan’s outing was quicker, but better. In five innings, he too allowed just three hits, but kept Minnesota off the board and struck out seven to only two walks.
The loss was cemented by another poor bullpen performance, which is becoming as dependable (and predictably dependable) of a theme as you might imagine. Taylor Rogers couldn’t get an out in the seventh, allowing an RBI triple off the bat of Ben Williamson, as well as a run-scoring single to Nick Fortes; he was also charged for the run when a sac fly from Richie Palacios scored known thorn Cedric Mullins.
Tampa Bay tacked on a sixth and final run off Garrett Acton (a Ben Williamson RBI double.)
The Twins have now dropped eight of nine, effectively erasing their astonishing stretch where they went 8-1 in nine games against numerous Cy Young-caliber starters and potential playoff hopefuls. The Rays win also delivers the first win at Tropicana Field for McClanahan in, per the telecast, over a thousand days. The Twins will attempt to avoid another sweep tomorrow afternoon.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 19: Ryan Weathers #40 of the New York Yankees high-fives teammates during the game against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on April 19, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees are rolling, and suddenly the offense looks awake again. After a brief April slowdown that had some fans uneasy, New York has responded with the type of outburst everyone had been waiting for. After feasting on the Royals in the Bronx, sweeping Boston at Fenway Park, and then opening the Houston series with an emphatic win, the mood has quickly changed around this club.
Now the Yankees will look to make it eight consecutive victories on Saturday night. That would match their longest winning streak from all of last year (September 20-28, to end the season). Winning streaks can disappear quickly over a long season, but right now, New York is playing with confidence, getting production throughout the lineup, and stacking wins against rivals on the road.
Before first pitch, the Yankees officially reinstated Ryan Weathers from the paternity list. The left-hander returns after welcoming a healthy baby boy and will take the mound looking to add another chapter to an already strong start in pinstripes. In a corresponding move, right-hander Angel Chivilli was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 23, with right shoulder discomfort. Jake Bird had been recalled to take Weathers’ spot on the roster and will remain in the bullpen. So the ’pen will be a situation worth monitoring as the Yankees continue this road trip.
Weathers gets the ball coming off his best start of his still-young Yankees career. The left-hander fired 7.1 scoreless innings against Kansas City in his last outing while striking out eight. He has piled up 18 K’s over his last two starts. The overall numbers have been mixed across starts thanks to some Angels homers, but the stuff passes the eye test.
This outing also marks Weathers’ first start as a father. Baseball players believe in routines, lucky charms, and hot streaks, but few forces are stronger than Dad Strength. The Yankees will hope this new chapter helps Weathers continue building toward the arm the front office believed he could become when he was acquired this offseason.
Houston counters with right-hander Mike Burrows, a newer addition to the Astros after arriving from Pittsburgh in a three-way trade that sent longtime Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe to the Bucs (among other player moves). Burrows works with a four-pitch mix built around his changeup, but he enters this start searching for better results after allowing 10 earned runs across his last 10.2 innings.
The Astros’ pitching staff as a whole has been one of baseball’s strangest groups so far. Houston enters tonight last in Major League Baseball with a 5.97 ERA and has walked 22 more batters than the second-worst Angels. Yet Houston also ranks top three in strikeouts, meaning the raw stuff can still dominate if opponents lose patience. That makes the Yankees’ offensive approach especially important tonight. If New York forces deep counts, accepts free passes, and avoids chasing, there should be opportunities to create traffic and keep pressure on Houston pitching.
Houston’s larger issue is simply health. The Astros currently have 16 players on the big-league injured list, including notable names such as Hunter Brown, Josh Hader, Cristian Javier, Jeremy Peña, Ronel Blanco, Jake Meyers, and others. It is a bruised roster, particularly on the pitching side, and one that has been forced to patch together innings throughout the opening month. Even with those absences, the Astros still bring a dangerous lineup for Weathers to navigate. Houston leans on veteran bats and middle-order power, so the Yankees’ southpaw will need sharp command from the opening inning.
The Yankees lineup card has a slightly different look tonight, and it starts with Trent Grisham at the top. Grisham leads off ahead of Ben Rice and Aaron Judge, giving New York two left-handed bats before its superstar slugger. Cody Bellinger slots cleanup, followed by the red-hot Jazz Chisholm Jr. and tonight’s designated hitter, Amed Rosario.
This alignment gives Aaron Boone a balanced mix of speed, on-base ability, and power with a fun lefty-lefty-righty split. Grisham and Rice can set the table, Judge remains the centerpiece, and Bellinger protects in the spot behind Judge. With Jazz and Rosario hitting behind them, there should be traffic throughout the order if the Yankees stay patient.
Austin Wells catches, while Ryan McMahon and José Caballero round out the lower third of the lineup. One major storyline is Giancarlo Stanton, who exited Friday’s game with an injury and is absent from tonight’s lineup. He will not be going on the IL yet as the club continues to evaluate the severity of the injury and what makes sense from a roster logistics perspective (mostly unsaid in all this is that Anthony Volpe is expected back soon himself but isn’t quite ready to return from his rehab assignment).
Asked if he could pinch-hit tonight, Giancarlo Stanton said he hasn't tried swinging a bat yet, so he's not sure. Wasn't sure if he would even try swinging either. #Yankeeshttps://t.co/2MAVcg7obj
A theme during this seven-game runR has been really good pitching and an offense that either produces four runs or hangs a football number on the scoreboard. With the weather finally turning the corner across the country, perhaps the bats are warming up too and can keep giving the pitching staff some comfortable leads.
Winning streaks can feel ordinary or sudden while they are happening, but they are not. If the Yankees keep taking care of business against clubs like Boston and Houston, this could become one of the stretches that matters in the final standings when the season ends. So here is to seven in a row, and hoping for eight tonight!
The Houston Astros (10-17) will play the second of a three-game series with their heated interdivision rival New York Yankkes (17-9), tonight at Daikin Park.
RHP Mike Burrows(1-3 ,6.75 ERA) will make his sixth regular season appearance for the Astros tonight opposite the Yankees and starter RHP Ryan Weathers (1-2, 3.18 ERA).
TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP Mike Burrows is making his sixth start of the season as he tries to follow up a promising beginning to his last start (4.2 hitless innings) before everything unraveled following the second out in the fifth inning.
This season, Burrows has actually been the Astros most durable starter as he has gone five or more innings in all but one of his starts.
HOME-COOKIN’: Tonight is the second game of a brief three game home stand against the Yankees. Even though the team is 10-17 overall, seven of those wins have come at home this season as the team is a respectable 7-7 at home coming into tonight’s game.
VS. THE YANKEES: This series revives a major rivalry between two stalwart American League franchises including three different playoff tilts since 2015. In spite of the dominance in the playoffs, the Yankees hold a 53-36 record all-time. The two teams split the season series last year at three games a piece.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have reinstated LHP Bennett Sousa from the 15-day IL today…he takes the roster spot of LHP Colton Gordon, who was optioned to Triple A Sugar Land after last night’s game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, April 25, 6:10 p.m. CST
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 99.1 FM HD2; KTRH 740 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
BRONX, NY - APRIL 19: Kansas City Royals Manager Matt Quatraro (33) takes the ball from Kansas City Royals Pitcher Cole Ragans (55) as he makes a pitching change during the fifth inning of a Major League Baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees on April 19, 2026, at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Royals arrive at the ballpark today winners of two of their last three games, but also two of their last two of their last eleven. So ya know, fun with endpoints!
The Royals are 2-2 so far on this home stand, and boy, things would feel a lot better after that awful losing stretch if they could finish it 4-2 with a series sweep over the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles, California. No, the Angels aren’t a particularly good team, but you’ve got to start somewhere.
Speaking of starting somewhere, Cole Ragans will take the mound to begin the day. Over his last 3 starts, he has pitched 11 innings while giving up 10 runs with 13 walks and 9 strikeouts. The team ace has not seemed himself at all since taking a soft liner off the bat of Jose Ramírez in Cleveland. But he’s going to give it another shot, and today would be the best day to look like his unhittable self since the last day he started.
In an argument against it being an injury problem, his spin rates, velocity, and movement profiles are all exceptionally similar using that day on April 8 as a breaking point. If anything, his spin rates have gone up slightly, and he’s even throwing about 2% more strikes than before. But his chase rate has dropped from 32% to 17.2%, and his whiff rate has dropped from 35.8% – one of the best in baseball at the time – to 17.5%. If we can accept that the issues aren’t physical, then I can only imagine that Brian Sweeney, Mitch Stetter, and Mike McFerran are lying awake at night over it.
Rookie Walbert Ureña will be making his second career big league start and fourth overall appearance this year. He made the club as a reliever out of Spring Training, but struggled in his first two appearances and was demoted back to AAA to stretch back out as a starter. He was recalled last week to allow an extra rest day for other starters on the Angels’ staff and shone, striking out 8 and allowing 2 runs in a six-inning performance against the Padres. Unfortunately for him, he took the loss as the Angels could only muster one run in support.
He entered the season ranked as the Angels’ 18th-best prospect on MLB Pipeline and 23rd-best on FanGraphs with a 40 FV. According to TJ Stats, he features four pitches, of which three are elite. Against righties, he will primarily throw a sinker that averages 98.8 MPH and grades out at 72 on the 20-80 scouting scale, mixing in a 67-grade sweeper. Against lefties, he throws a 45-grade four-seamer that averages 98.7 MPH and a 65-grade changeup. The four-seamer and changeup have gotten hit hard so far in his young career, and, not coincidentally, lefties have tortured him.
Lineups
With Maikel Garcia out for his second straight game but with a righty on the mound, the Royals have decided not just to go lefty-heavy, but to ask Carter Jensen to lead off for the third time in his career. The first two times were both last year, and while he was the designated hitter. The first time he did it was in that wild game against the Blue Jays when he went 3-for-7 with 3 doubles and the Royals won 20-1.
The Royals will only have three righties in the lineup. What will be particularly interesting to see is if this goes well for Carter, if the Royals might consider having him lead off against righties on the regular and move Maikel down in the order to even things out a bit, handedness-wise. Possibly finally shifting Salvy to a lower spot in the order where he better fits.
Regardless, the Royals have averaged 5.75 runs on this homestand, even with a lineup that didn’t really get anyone excited last night as they won 6-3. If they can keep doing that, we’ll stop caring about the batting order nearly as much.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 23: James Harden #1, Evan Mobley #4 and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the game against the Toronto Raptors during Round One Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers stumbled in their first playoff game on the road. They’ll get another chance to take care of business and head back home with a 3-1 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.
To do that, they’ll have to look much better than they did in Game 3.
The Cavs were thoroughly outplayed for 48 minutes on Thursday. Toronto owned them in the paint, turned them over at a high rate, and lit them up from behind the three-point line when the game mattered most. A 20-point thrashing in the fourth quarter made the final score look as bad as the rest of the game felt.
How do the Cavs fix this?
Shifting Cleveland’s focus back to the paint is a good start. Of course, they have to take care of the ball and limit quality three-point attempts for their opponent, but just getting their own shot diet back on track is a non-negotiable. The Cavs took 45 three-point attempts in Game 3 but only 36 two-pointers. That’s playing with fire.
I’m hoping to see the Cavs work harder to break Toronto’s shell and score in the paint. James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, specifically, have to be better at generating looks inside. They can’t afford another cold shooting night from downtown. Diversifying their shot chart is a more sustainable way to win.
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The link to the 2016 championship shirt HERE.
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 21: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 21, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena...
Kevin Durant was not on the Rockets’ bench as they melted down against the Lakers on Friday night, but Ime Udoka has revealed the reason why.
Durant, who also missed Game 1 of this first round series with a bruised right knee, sat out of the Rockets’ 112-108 overtime loss to LA with a sprained left ankle.
And as Udoka told reporters in his post-game press conference, the 37-year-old was receiving treatment for the issue during the game.
Udoka added on Saturday that Durant, who scored 23 points in his team’s Game 2 loss earlier this week, was running on an underwater treadmill as Game 3 went on.
Kevin Durant, seen during Game 2, has played in just one of three games during the series NBAE via Getty Images
The Rockets could have badly used Durant’s composure as they blew a six-point lead with 34.4 seconds left in Game 3, as both Jae’Sean Tate and Reed Sheppard committed costly turnovers that led to 3-pointers from Marcus Smart and LeBron James.
From there, LA outscored their hosts 11-7 in overtime as it took a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Ime Udoka says Kevin Durant continues to get treatment today on his left ankle.
Durant remains questionable for Sunday. Will test his ankle during shootaround tomorrow + pregame tomorrow night.
“Getting treatment still around the clock. I think there's some soreness. [Durant]… pic.twitter.com/dZglPrwmkY
Durant is questionable for Houston’s do-or-die Game 4 on Sunday, with Udoka telling reporters on Saturday that the 16-time All-Star was dealing with soreness.
His injury woes this postseason come after an extremely durable regular season, as he appeared in 78 games for Houston — his most since he played the same amount for Golden State in 2018-19.
Udoka said earlier this week that Durant’s latest ailment occurred when he was attempting to run down Lakers guard Luke Kennard towards the end of Game 2.
Ime Udoka told reporters that Durant was receiving treatment on his ankle during Game 3 AP
Durant finished that game, an eventual 101-94 Lakers win, shooting seven-of-12 from the field and adding six boards and four assists to his 23 points.
He also committed nine turnovers.
The Rockets will hope to save their season when they host the Lakers on Sunday.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 27: Former Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker looks on during batting practice prior to the home opener at Truist Park between the Atlanta Braves and the Kansas City Royals on March 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ahead of this evening’s game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, there was a special guest in the press conference room. Well, he’s a special guest who used to be a regular in that room. Former manager Brian Snitker is getting inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame and he took some time on his big day to take some questions from the media before the festivities got started.
Snitker was asked about how it feels to be up there with al of the other legendary figures in Braves history and as expected, Snitker felt pretty honored by the recognition.
“It makes me feel great,” said Snit. “When I got the job, I felt like I was a caretaker here to keep this thing going. There’s a lot of history here and we’ve had a lot of success. It takes a lot of people to make that happen and I’ve been very blessed and fortunate to be at the helm here. There’s a lot of people that were involved in that success.”
One of the many, many people that helped contribute to Snitker’s successful tenure here was current Braves manager Walt Weiss, who served as a bench coach under Snitker for eight seasons before taking over. I asked Weiss about what his main takeaway was from spending so much time working under Snitker and he gave a pretty interesting answer to that question.
“I always talk about Snit’s patience,” answered Weiss. “As a bench coach, I would always go in there and make sure everything was good and I know as a manager — especially after a loss — a manager wears a loss really tough. I never wanted Snit to be in there by himself following a loss, so I’d go in there and talk about things or sometimes we wouldn’t talk about anything. I’d just sit there in case he wanted to vent.”
“In the end, I’d go in there after a tough loss and try to make sure he’s okay and he’d end up talking me off of the ledge. He just had a calm presence about him — a patience that came across great in that leadership role. He was great at calming the waters. Through the tough times, he was very consistent and he was the same guy every day. That’s important in leadership — the players see that and it brings a calmness and consistency to the group.”
“I’m still working on that patience part! But that’s probably the greatest takeaway for me from Snit.”
Snitker was asked about his future and whether or not he thought about ending things earlier than usual. Snit was pretty candid in his response and made it clear that the time he decided to retire was indeed the right time and not a moment sooner.
“I might’ve thought about it but I never really seriously processed that. I remember one time after a phone call with Ronnie, the kids weren’t being real good and she’s kind of freaked out and all stressed out and I said, ‘Well, if I gotta come home and leave what I’m doing right here, I’m not going to be very much fun to be around because I’m gonna be miserable.
“This is what I do, this is where I’m happy at. I wanted to keep going. There’s never a time where I didn’t want to do this. I couldn’t wait every year to get to spring training. I hated the end of every year. I loved that routine in July where it’s 100 degrees and every day is the same. I liked that! Now I’m trying to figure out what my new normals are.”
He continued on by talking about what his new normal looks like. While he’s still hanging around baseball, you’ll have a better shot at catching him at one of the many local fields being a supportive grandparent instead of any big league action.
“I’ve been busy going to baseball practices, games, and I’ve been making a lot of sandwiches and getting snacks and going to the ballpark. It’s awesome.”
Going back to Snit’s comments about being a caretaker, it’s truly remarkable to see the journey that he went on as a member of the Braves. From seemingly being a minor-league lifer to getting the interim tag as manager to becoming full-time manager and eventually winning the World Series, this was an incredible run for Snit and one that will have a lasting impact in what’s becoming an increasingly long line of impactful Braves managers.
Apr 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman (55) reacts after the third out against the Cleveland Guardians during the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Guardians 3 Blue Jays 5
It seemed like the Kazuma Okamoto show. He was 2 for 3 with a homer, walk, 2 RBI and a number of nice plays at third. The home run, like yesterday’s was crushed to dead center, 425 feet, 108.9 mph. Just a terrific day for him.
But Kevin Gausman was pretty good too. 6.2 innings, 6 hits, 2 earned, just 3 strikeouts, but no walks. Few things hit hard off him. He came out at 91 pitches, after giving up a home run and a hard hit line drive out. He likely could have stayed, but after a couple of hard hit balls, and a lefty coming up, I was good with the switch.
Mason Fluharty got the third out.
Tyler Rogers had a quick eighth, with the help of a couple of nice plays by Okamoto, He gets such weak contact that infielders are going to have to make good plays for him.
Louis Varland, on the other hand, didn’t have a quick ninth. It went fly out, single, single, double (run scored, Varsho almost made a great catch, but had it go off his glove), walk (bases loaded), strikeout (on eight pitches), and strikeout (on five pitches). Just your routine 30 pitch save.
Offensively? Well, they did enough. I’d have preferred more than enough, but that’s me. 10 hits, and 3 walks, it would have nice to have more than 5 runs.
We scored:
One in the fourth: Okamoto homered.
Three in the sixth: Vlad singled and stole second. He was pretty easily safe, running on an 3-0 pitch. Okamoto singled putting runners on the corners. Jesús Sánchez struck out. Daulton Varsho singled, he had some tough at bats, but bounce that through the infield (though it could have been called an error on the second baseman, who looked like he was settling up up throw home and cut down the run. Varsho stole second. Davis Schneider struck out. Andrés Giménez doubled in two on a fly ball to left that likely should have been caught, but George Valera spent the game showing what it would be like to have me playing left field.
One in the seventh: Straw and Clement singled. Vlad walked. Okomoto walked bringing in a run. But then Sánchez popped out to left, to shallow to score Clement. Varsho hit into a 3-2 force. And Schneider struck out. They should have scored more
Straw, Clement and Okamoto had two hits each. Eloy Jiménez and Sánchez split an 0 for 4 down the middle, and Schneider was 0 for 3 with a walk. He had some bad at bats. Clement had a couple of bad at bats, but also had two hits, so I guess we’ll forgive. But he is so willing to chase a foot off the plate.
Jays of the Day: Okomoto (.22 WPA), Gausman (.20). Varsho deserves an honourable mention.
Other Award: Schneider (-.09) and Sánchez (-.09) both who struck out at the worst times.
Tomorrow’s game is a 1:30 start time. Patrick Corbin (3.68 ERA) vs. Slade Cecconi (6.20). Let’s get some runs off him.
Apr 24, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) walks on the. court after a play during overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun just wrapped up his second consecutive All-Star campaign, with averages of 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 51.9 percent from the field, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest. Sengun also racked up 34 double-doubles, which tied Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic for ninth-most in the NBA.
Sengun and the Rockets drew a favorable first-round postseason matchup against the aforementioned Lakers, due to injuries to Doncic and Lakers guard Austin Reaves but it hasn’t quite materialized into a favorable outcome thus far. The Rockets are down 0-3 and face a grim but realistic possibility of getting swept.
On their home floor, at that. Sengun hasn’t exactly been consistent throughout the series, averaging 19.5 points on 15-of-39 shooting from the floor (38.5 percent) through the first two games of the series. Game 3, however, saw a much different Sengun.
He was aggressive and did all he could to will this Rockets ball club to victory. Well, outside of long-range shooting, as he went just 1-of-5 from 3-point land, but that shouldn’t be a surprise.
All told, Sengun had 33 points, 16 rebounds (5 offensive), 6 assists, 3 steals and a block, in 47 minutes of action. This was the version of Sengun that was expected from the start of the season.
Several hours before tip-off of Game 3, a report surfaced from Will Guillory of The Athletic, stating that Sengun could very well be moved this summer, if the Rockets find themselves eliminated early in the postseason in a disappointing fashion (like they have).
According to Guillory, Sengun could be moved for a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, or Donovan Mitchell. The Rockets were linked to Antetokounmpo earlier in the season, so it’s not surprising to see his name again.
It’ll be interesting to see what else the Rockets do this offseason, from a roster construction standpoint, because adding another superstar will force the team to surrender roster depth and leave the Rockets compromised, as it pertains to replacing that depth.
Kings captain Anze Kopitar, right, battles Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews for position near the goal during Game 3 of first-round playoff series on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The best way to climb a mountain is one step at a time.
Especially when you’re wearing skates.
And the Kings will be wearing skates and staring at a very large mountain when they take the ice Sunday for Game 4 of their best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series with the Colorado Avalanche, a loss away from elimination.
“You’ve just got to start with the first one,” defenseman Mikey Anderson said after a fast-paced 45-minute practice Saturday. “You try to win the first one, and then reset and go from there.”
Since the Kings trail 3-0 a win in Sunday’s matinee at Crypto.com Arena will do little more than extend the series one game, sending the teams back to Denver. To advance to the second round, the Kings need to win four in a row against the team that posted the NHL’s best record in the regular season.
How big a mountain is that? Well, the Avalanche haven’t lost four in a row since October and the Kings haven’t won a first-round playoff series since 2014.
“You just have to win one, that's first off. And then the hardest one will be the next one,” Kings interim coach D.J. Smith said. “And then, you know, it's just momentum changes. But you can't think about that without winning one, and you can't think about winning one without winning the first period.
“You're up against it, but I don't think you can think about winning the series. You just got to think about winning one game.”
The series has been a lot closer than the deficit would indicate. The Kings have won the battle of the special teams, with their penalty kill shutting out the NHL’s highest-scoring team on nine chances. They’ve also scored a power-play goal in each of three games and held Nathan MacKinnon, the league’s top goal-scorer, to one assist in three games.
MacKinnon didn’t even take a shot in Game 3, yet Colorado won 4-2 with two goals bouncing in off the skates of Kings forward Adrian Kempe and goalie Anton Forsberg while another was scored into an empty net.
“You still lose the game,” Anderson said. “This time of year doesn't really matter. You can say it feels good, you do all these good things. But if you don't win the game, it's kind of it's the only thing that matters right now.”
ings center Scott Laughton (21) checks Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski (70) into the boards during the second period of Game 2 in Denver. (Jack Dempsey / Associated Press)
Added forward Scott Laughton, “Sometimes you get the bounce, sometimes you don't. You have to have a very-narrow minded focus. We’ve got to stick to the process.”
The Kings have only four goals in the series and have scored just once at even strength, so Smith scrambled his bottom two forward lines in practice Saturday in a search for speed in the offensive end. But he said he doesn’t plan any major changes for Game 4, adding the Kings just need to check harder, move the puck better and get to the net more.
“I think that the game plan is correct,” he said.
However the Kings have taken just 76 shots in the three games, making things far too easy for Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood, who has been brilliant.
“We’ve got to find ways to put the puck in the net, whether that's crashing the nets, making the play for an empty netter. It doesn't matter at this point,” said Kings’ captain Anze Kopitar, whose 20-year NHL career ends when his team’s season does. “We’ve got to find a way.”
Smith, who rallied the Kings into the playoffs after taking over for Jim Hiller with 23 games left in the regular season, is making his Stanley Cup playoff debut as a head coach. But he’s been in this position before. As an assistant with Windsor in the Ontario Hockey League, Smith coached a team that overcame a 3-0 deficit and went on to win the league title.
That was a big mountain. And they climbed it one step at a time.
“We’ve just got to play our best game one time, and then we'll worry about the next game,” Smith said. “But we have to find a way to score more while playing the exact same defense.
“Is it hard? Yes. Are we going to give it everything we got? Yes. I think you're going to see our best game in the series.”
PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 24: Devin Vassell #24 and Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrate after a 120-108 win against the Portland Trail Blazers following Game Three of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Moda Center on April 24, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As far as I can tell, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili only scored 30 points in the same game twice.
I remember both instances well.
The first came during the clinching Game 6 win against the Phoenix Suns in the 2007 Western Conference Semifinals, a critical home win with the series potentially going back to Phoenix for a deciding Game 7.
The second came the following year, in Game 3 of another hotly contested Western Conference Semifinal against the Chris Paul-era Hornets (now Pelicans), in a series that did go seven games.
Parker and Ginobili were 24 and 29 respectively in the 2007 postseason — 25 and 30 the following year.
And last night, at the tender ages of 21 and 20, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper not only came within a three-pointer of duplicating that feat, but they also nearly became the youngest pair of Spurs to score 30 points in a postseason game, period.
On the one hand, it’s almost shocking to find that Tony and Manu only combined to score 30 points together twice in all the years they played together.
On the other hand, it’s absolutely crazy to think of Castle and Harper following in their footsteps when only one of the two can even legally buy an alcoholic beverage.
Crazier still to consider that they performed the way they did in the absence of San Antonio’s franchise player.
That the fledgling duo effectively carried the Spurs in the fourth quarter of a dark postseason hour left me sitting there in shock at what I’d just witnessed.
With 5:09 left in the 3rd quarter, the Spurs were down 65-80, and ESPN had Portland’s chance of winning at 91.4%, their highest percentile of the game. Things looked grim. I had long ceased my pacing over the officiating, and that propulsive agitation had largely left me.
I was sitting in my brother’s most comfortable chair, engaged in conversation about Wemby’s concussion, discussing how Game 4 might go, brainstorming what I could even write about on a night that had felt deflating.
The Spurs were flailing. They couldn’t seem to stifle Portland’s guard duo of Scoot Henderson and the well-heeled Jrue Holliday. The offense that had worked so well against most teams in the absence of Victor Wembanyama just couldn’t find that extra gear.
Possessions looked stagnant as Portland’s game plan to minimize De’Aaron Fox’s effectiveness (and an unusually early four fouls) had San Antonio’s 2nd leading scorer of the regular season looking overly careful as ball movement stalled along with him.
Twitter was awash with tweets crashing out about both Fox and the team at large, so I closed it out and started thinking ahead, as my brothers asked about San Antonio’s chances for the rest of the series.
Caught up in conversation, I almost missed Dylan Harper blocking the snot out of 17-foot driving jump-shot, and then following it up with a clutch three-pointer about 30 seconds later.
The bench went wild. Wemby was so blown away that he turned around and put his head in his hands in disbelief, and I felt that same thing in the pit of my stomach that I’d felt back in 2014 when Manu Ginobili threw down a statement dunk on Chris Bosh — certainty.
The Spurs were only up by three points with that dunk, but I (and I think both Portland and their crowd) knew it was over. The Spurs certainly played like they knew it was. Whatever well of confidence it was that had dried up over the previous four-and-a-half quarters was overflowing and pouring out all over the hardwood.
Luke Kornet and Carter Bryant had come together in the most wholesome of combos to stifle the Trailblazers every moment that they shared the court. Stephon Castle was driving with such a ’damn the torpedoes’ attitude and ferocity that he was drawing fouls seemingly at will, and making the Blazers pay any time they sagged off of him a little around the arc.
Even De’Aaron Fox was finally finding space as the Portland players frantically shifted focus from threat to materializing threat. It was over, everywhere but the clock. They weren’t letting this one go.
Whether they were seizing their destiny or forging it, it seemed that nothing could bother them. Nothing could disturb the flow they were in. And when you get to witness something like that, you don’t say anything.
You just sit there and shut up, and cheer, and hope that it lasts for the rest of the postseason.
My brothers aren’t really big basketball fans, and yet, for a few minutes, the entire living room went quiet.
Every Spurs fan who had seen it before knew what they were watching, even if they didn’t know how to say it, and every Spurs fan who hadn’t got the thrill of watching it for the first time.
Last night Stephon Castle scored the 2nd most points in a player’s 1st playoff road game ever. Dylan Harper became the youngest guard in NBA history with a playoff double-double, the second youngest player to score 20+ points off the bench in the playoffs (after Kobe Bryant), the fourth rookie to ever score 25+ points and tally 10+ rebounds in a postseason game, and tied Manu Ginobili’s rookie record for most points in a postseason quarter.
Together, they joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the only duos age 21 or younger to each score 25+ points each in the same playoff game.
Sometimes in life, we do get to know exactly when we’re living in a special moment.
It was Game 3 of a first-round series. It meant nothing and everything. But it felt like an omen of things to come, and there’s a good chance I’ll remember it until I can’t remember things anymore.
I suspect I won’t be the only one.
Takeaways
Absolutely no one is ever going to be able to convince me that Luke Kornet’s contract wasn’t a significant underpay. That the Spurs were able to take advantage of the Celtic’s being relatively cash-strapped (and sold) has made this one of the best San Antonio free-agent signings of my lifetime. With Wemby and without, he’s been absolute nails, not just rim-protecting and doing the dirty work, but also taking advantage of any defensive lapses from the opposition in a way that he didn’t for most of the regular season. The Spurs needed every point and heady pass that he had in him, and he rewarded them with what was pretty arguably his best performance of the season. Even with positive comments from Boston fans, no one really understood what a playoff riser Kornet is. He’s been worth every penny, and more.
If there weren’t already going to be some questions about the off-season fate of Harrison Barnes, there almost certainly will be now. After Carter Bryant performance, I expect the Spurs will only be willing to keep Barnes on the cheap. Barnes is a great teammate who clearly missed winning after time in the basketball purgatory that is Sacramento, so he may very well do that, but Bryant’s box score does not fully express how vital he was to last night’s win. Seemingly, all 6 of his rebounds were heavily contested and/or kept possessions alive, and once he was paired with Kornet in the latter half of the game, San Antonio’s defense began to find stop after stop. Adding to that his three very timely blocks, and as long as he can splash the occasional three, I think the Spurs have their power-forward for the postseason (at least), as there’s just no other player who can match his athleticism on the roster, now that it’s mostly under control.
Also, I think a lot of credit has to go to Mitch Johnson on this one, who’s figuring out how to mix and match his roster to Portland’s adjustments (and in the face of some questionable calls) seemingly on the fly. Whether pairing Kornet and Bryant was a preconceived strategy or an act of desperation hardly matters because at least we have the satisfaction of knowing that Johnson won’t play it safe in the face of defeat. This was one of his most canny adjustments this year, and I think it says a lot about how much faith he has in an incredibly young roster, and how much faith they have in him. I have to say, I think the Spurs got this one right again. Shocker.
OTTAWA, CANADA - APRIL 25: Taylor Hall #71 of the Carolina Hurricanes reacts after scoring his teams first goal during the second period of Game Four of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Ottawa Senators and the Carolina Hurricanes at Canadian Tire Centre on April 25, 2026 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
*Deep breath* *Exhales* *Cracks knuckles*
The Carolina Hurricanes are officially heading to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth consecutive year after completing a sweep of the Ottawa Senators with a 4-2 win in Kanata on Saturday afternoon.
A vicious, violent game came to an end with a regulation win thanks to a valiant effort from a Carolina penalty kill that was asked to dig deep again and again as well as goals from Taylor Hall and Logan Stankoven, who put an exclamation mark on their respective excellent efforts in the series.
So too did Frederik Andersen, who surrendered just five goals in his four starts against a team that came into the postseason as one of the hottest in the NHL.
The first period went by without any goals or much in the way of incident before the second period became an absolute circus.
The shenanigans began when Tyler Kleven hit Alexander Nikishin hard enough to knock Nikishin out of the game. Andrei Svechnikov was assessed four minutes worth of roughing penalties. Brady Tkachuk received two, so Ottawa got a power play.
I’ll spare the details on the remainder of the penalties in the second period, but one that was not called was a sucker punch from Ridly Greig to Sean Walker while Walker was already engaged with Warren Foegele.
Hall got the scoring started with a nice shot along the ice to beat Linus Ullmark, and Drake Batherson answered for Ottawa with his third of the series to tie the game at a goal apiece heading into the third.
Carolina killed a partial 5-on-3 to start the third, and eventual the power play came through when Stankoven buried his fourth of the series to make it 2-1 and really put the pressure on Ottawa.
Sebastian Aho got his second of the series with an empty-net goal with over two minutes to go. The Sens weren’t done just yet, though, as Dylan Cozens got them one back with his second of the series.
With the game in question again, Jordan Martinook made one of the plays of the series when he stepped into a Tim Stutzle shot that might have been labeled for the net.
That allowed Aho to score his second of the game on an open net, and Ottawa had no further push from there.
Carolina will await the winner of the series between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to determine its second round opponent. The Flyers have a 3-0 lead and are going for a sweep of their own Saturday night.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 24: Jorge Mateo #2 and Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate after the Braves defeated the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on Friday, April 24, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kathryn Skeean/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Join us and discuss tonight’s game in the comments below as the Braves seek another series win behind Bryce Elder facing a recovering Zack Wheeler.
Apr 25, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives around Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) in the first half during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
The first round series between the Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder shifted to downtown Phoenix on Saturday afternoon, and while the setting changed, the result did not. Oklahoma City handled the Suns 121-109 and now holds a commanding 3-0 lead.
Credit Phoenix as the effort was there. The building had life, the energy showed up, and for stretches the Suns looked ready to push back. Execution never fully followed. Against OKC, that margin matters. It always does.
Phoenix went 13-of-41 from deep (31.7%), although holding the turnovers to 11 was a positive step. Dillon Brooks led the way again with 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three. Jalen Green added 26 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Devin Booker finished 6-of-16 for 16 points, with seven assists and four boards.
This was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s night. He went 15-of-18 from the field and 11-of-12 from the line, pouring in a career playoff high 42 points while adding eight assists and four rebounds.
The win gives the defending champions a firm grip on the series at 3-0, with a chance to close it out Monday.
Game Flow
First Half
It was a much cleaner start for the Suns at home as the team looked engaged and energized by the home crowd. The Thunder started 4-of-4 from the field, but they also were turning the ball over, doing so 3 times in the first 6 minutes. One of those turnovers? An SGA push off.
The Suns turned those 3 early turnovers into 6 points and a 15-13 lead during a 9-2 Phoenix run. It was at that point in the game, 5:37 left in Q1 and up 2, that Jordan Ott used a challenge following a ball that the officials called out on Collin Gillespie, but appeared to be off of Ajay Mitchell. The challenge was successful.
With 3 minutes left in the quarter, we witnessed something we haven’t yet seen this postseason: Grayson Allen.
And there it is Grayson Allen checking in with 3:29 left first quarter
OKC responded with a 13-3 run and took a 28-27 lead.
The Thunder bench was sharp as they outscored the Suns’ second team unit 11–4 in the period. The team was also more efficient from beyond the arc, as they went 5-of-9, whereas the Suns went 3-of-11. SGA had 9, Booker had 7, and the Thunder led 33-28 after one.
The defensive intensity from the Thunder’s second-team unit to open the second quarter was impressive. They create pressure and they swarm. And on offense, Jared McCain looked like the lottery pick he is (why did you give him to the Thunder for scraps, Philly?!). Both he and Ajay Mitchell looked great at the start of the second, and their constant movement confused Suns’ rookie Khaman Maluach, who did not look great on the defensive end.
Rough Maluach stretch. He looked completely lost on numerous possessions there
Still, the Suns were hanging around, despite being 5-of-17 from deep. Midway through the second, Phoenix trailed 44-40, and with 4 minutes left, they took the lead.
Jalen Green looked impressive in the first half as his aggression was creating opportunities for the Suns at the cylinder, which we know is an area of opportunity for them. He had multiple and-1 opportunities, and with three minutes left in the quarter, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault opted to challenge a play in which Green went to the basket and converted an and-1. The challenge was successful as it was determined that Oso Ighodaro pushed Alex Caruso into Green; therefore, it was an offensive foul.
The Suns lead 51-50, but OKC ended the half on a 12-2 run to take a 62-53 lead into the half.
SGA was 7-of-7 from the field and led all scorers with 17 points, and Ajay Mitchell added 10. For Phoenix, it was Dillon Brooks who led the scoring with 13. Devin Booker was 4-of-8 for 11 points, and Jalen Green had 10. Phoenix was 14-of-23 (60.8%) from two and 5-of-19 (26.3%) from three in the half.
Second Half
The second half opened with SGA drawing a foul on Collin Gillespie. Jordan Ott opted to challenge, seeing as SGA created contact when he elbowed Gillespie in the face on the play prior to any contact by Collin. The call was overturned, which meant Ott was 2-for-2 on challenges, but had none remaining.
They called this a foul on Gillespie, and the Suns had to burn their last challenge to get it overturned. pic.twitter.com/yNNhbUK6rQ
Devin Booker went down on a play in which Lu Dort extended his leg in an attempt to negate Booker’s progress. Booker went to the locker room as a result.
The Thunder continued to be surgical, answering every Suns run with an impressive one of their own. Suns put together a 5-0 run? Thunder respond with a 7-0 run. Rinse. Repeat. Jalen Green provides a spark with a pair of made threes? SGA responds on the other end. Phoenix kept attempting to chip away, but it was no easy task.
Phoenix did outscore OKC 26-25 in the quarter, but that was due to the Thunder going 1-of-8 from deep while the Suns were 4-of-12. SGA was up to 30 points on 12-of-14 shooting while Jalen Green had 10 in the quarter for Phoenix.
The fourth opened with that same frenetic lineup the Thunder rolled out to start the second, with McCain and Mitchell playing aggressively. Their pressure put the Suns in foul trouble, and with 9 minutes left, OKC was in the bonus.
There were four straight alternating possessions in which a block occurred, as Cason Wallace blocked Booker, Ighodaro blocked Hartenstein, Holmgren blocked Booker, and Ighodaro blocked McCain.
Phoenix started 2-of-11 from the field in the fourth, and soon they were down 15 points with 6 minutes left. SGA just kept coming at them. There was no stopping him today, and it certainly doesn’t help when you can’t help yourself.
Credit Dillon Brooks, who once again was offensively spicy late. Just as in Game 2, Brooks went into alpha mode, and it was working. For the second consecutive game, he posted a 30-point performance.
The Suns came within 10 points, but those early whistles in the fourth equated to free throw opportunities for the Thunder late. And if there is a team that knows how to draw fouls late, it’s OKC.
The Thunder outscored the Suns 34-30 in the fourth and easily took Game 3, 121-109.
OKC is a machine. And the Suns aren’t designed to stop them. Few teams are
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 14: Mitch Keller #23 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pitching Matchup: Mitch Keller (2-1, 2.79 ERA) vs. Jacob Misiorowski (1-2, 3.04 ERA)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Milwaukee Brewers looking to grab a win.
Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.
Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
Remember Bucs Dugout is basically a non-profanity site
Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads
The commenting system was updated during the summer. They’re still working on optimizing it for Game Day Threads like ours. If you don’t like clicking “Load More Comments”, remember that the “Z” key can be your friend. It loads up the latest comments automatically.
BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!
