With the Western Conference Finals tied at 1-1 apiece, the series shifts to the Alamo City as the San Antonio Spurs look to regain the upper hand on the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Our Thunder vs. Spurs predictions for Game 3 include no shortage of NBA player prop projections, and we have you covered for the best NBA picks on Friday, May 22.
Thunder vs Spurs computer picks for Game 3
Thunder
Spurs
Gilgeous-Alexander u7.5 assists +102
Harper o11.5 points -109
Holmgren o13.5 points -112
Champagnie u2.5 threes -105
Mitchell u14.5 points -115
Castle u7.5 assists +110
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Thunder Game 3 computer picks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 7.5 assists (+102)
Projection: 6.24 assists
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has failed to clear this line in seven of his last 10 games, and given the Oklahoma City Thunder's sixth-slowest pace, expect that to continue in Game 3.
OKC also ranks as the second-worst team in offensive rebounding on the road, so Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs should limit SGA's facilitating tonight.
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Chet Holmgren Over 13.5 points (-112)
Projection: 16.02 points
Chet Holmgren has cashed this prop in seven of his last 10, and our computer projects a 18.77% EV advantage ahead of tip-off.
The Thunder have averaged 119.6 points per game away from the Paycom Center this season, and Holmgren should continue to be one of the main beneficiaries tonight.
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Ajay Mitchell Under 14.5 points (-115)
Projection: 12.98 points
Ajay Mitchell has accumulated just 14 points through the first two games of this series, attempting only 13 shots in the process.
The OKC guard has finished below this number in six of his last 10 contests, and an elite San Antonio Spurs defense (third in defensive rating) is set to keep it that way.
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Spurs Game 3 computer picks
Dylan Harper Over 11.5 points (-109)
Projection: 12.57 points
Dylan Harper has really stepped it up in the postseason, averaging 16.4 ppg over his last five matches.
If Harper suits up tonight and De'Aaron Fox remains sidelined, the rookie should continue to shine against a Thunder defense that allows starting point guards to attempt the most threes per contest.
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Julian Champagnie Under 2.5 threes (-120)
Projection: 2.28 threes
Julian Champagnie has missed the cut on 2.5 threes in five of his last 10 games.
Shooting just 4-for-18 from 3-point range in the Western Conference Finals, look for the third-year Spur to take a backseat offensively tonight.
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Stephen Castle Under 7.5 assists (+110)
Projection: 6.84 assists
Stephen Castle’s assist totals have dipped from 7.4 per game in the regular season to 6.6 in the postseason.
At plus money, it’s worth a look for the Spurs guard, who has cleared this prop in just four of his last 10 contests.
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How to watch Thunder vs Spurs Game 3
Location
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Date
Friday, May 22, 2026
Tip-off
8:30 p.m. ET
TV
NBC
Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians roll into town on a six-game win streak, but Cristopher Sanchez and the revived Philadelphia Phillies are waiting for them.
Philadelphia has won six of its last seven series to get back to .500, and my Guardians vs. Phillies predictions back the hosts when they take on Cleveland starter Gavin Williams, who’s had some wobbly moments this season.
Get the lowdown on this matchup with my free MLB picks for Friday, May 22.
Who will win Guardians vs Phillies today: Phillies (-175)
For the Philadelphia Phillies, the gloom is long gone. They’re now 16-6 since Don Mattingly took over, and I’m trusting ace Cristopher Sanchez to bring the heat in tonight’s contest.
Sanchez enters with a 1.82 ERA, and the Phillies have won each of his past four starts. In fact, the lefty hasn’t given up a run this month — and he’s only allowed more than two earned runs once this year.
COVERS INTEL: Cristopher Sanchez has logged a 29.9% strikeout rate through 10 starts this season — on pace for a career high — and he’s racked up 30 Ks across his three outings so far in May.
Guardians vs Phillies Over/Under pick: Under 6.5 (-105)
Sanchez’s red-hot form has dragged down the O/U line, but I’m still taking the Under, which is 8-2 in the Phillies’ last 10 games.
Three of Sanchez’s past four outings have delivered six total runs or fewer, and both these teams rank in the bottom third of the majors in batting average.
Though Williams is still searching for his best stuff, he only allowed two runs in six innings against Cincinnati last weekend.
Meanwhile, the Guardians’ winning run hasn’t really been fueled by offense. They’ve scored three runs or fewer in six of their last nine contests.
Tom Oldfield's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 3-7, -5.30 units
Over/Under bets: 8-2, +5.16 units
Guardians vs Phillies odds
Moneyline: Guardians +145 | Phillies -175
Run line: Guardians +1.5 (-150) | Phillies -1.5 (+125)
Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-1115) | Under 6.5 (-105)
Guardians vs Phillies trend
The Under is 6-1-1 in the last eight meetings between these teams. Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Phillies.
How to watch Guardians vs Phillies and game info
Location
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
Date
Friday, May 22, 2026
First pitch
6:40 p.m. ET
TV
Guardians.TV, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Guardians starting pitcher
Gavin Williams (6-3, 3.67 ERA)
Phillies starting pitcher
Cristopher Sanchez (5-2, 1.82 ERA)
Guardians vs Phillies latest injuries
Guardians vs Phillies weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Memorial Day weekend begins with Friday afternoon baseball at Wrigley Field, as the Chicago Cubs look to snap a mini-skid against the visiting Houston Astros.
My Astros vs. Cubs predictions and MLB picks for May 22 expect the North Siders to fly the winning flag at The Friendly Confines in Game 1.
Don't miss first pitch at 2:20 p.m. ET on Apple TV.
Who will win Astros vs Cubs today: Cubs moneyline (-140)
Opposing hitters sport a well-below-average .300 wOBA to pave the way to Chicago Cubs vet Jameson Taillon spinning a tidy 3.28 ERA across an equally tidy 250 innings at Wrigley Field since signing with the franchise in 2023.
I give the North Siders a sizable edge on both sides of the dish following a day off with Houston Astros righty Spencer Arrighetti headed to the bump.
Arrighetti sports a career 5.15 ERA on the highway and faces a lineup sporting the third-lowest BABIP over the past three weeks, after all.
COVERS INTEL: The Cubs have scored just 2.8 runs per game during their active 2-9 skid after averaging 5.5 per to start the year.
Astros vs Cubs Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (+110)
Let’s take advantage of a low total at Wrigley. The wind is forecasted to be blowing in, but not truly gusting, and the Cubs and Astros rank ninth and 10th in wOBA against right-handed pitchers.
Arrighetti’s struggles have been highlighted, and Taillon just allowed five homers and a 41.9% squared-up contact rate in his most recent start.
While a few more fly balls might not leave the yard, these offenses can patch together enough runs to push this total Over the number Friday afternoon.
Neil Parker's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 21-12, +11.68 units
Over/Under bets: 12-9, +2.37 units
Astros vs Cubs odds
Moneyline: Houston +120 | Chicago -140
Run line: Houston +1.5 (-185) | Chicago -1.5 (+155)
Over/Under: Over 7 (-115) | Under 7 (-105)
Astros vs Cubs trend
The Cubs have won in 15 of their last 18 games at home (+11.30 Units / 43% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. Cubs.
How to watch Astros vs Cubs and game info
Location
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Date
Friday, May 22, 2026
First pitch
2:20 p.m. ET
TV
Apple TV
Astros starting pitcher
Spencer Arrighetti (5-1, 1.50 ERA)
Cubs starting pitcher
Jameson Taillon (2-3, 4.97 ERA)
Astros vs Cubs latest injuries
Astros vs Cubs weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
We have moved into DEFCON 2 after a bad dinger board last night, with 46% of all home runs hit coming in one of the seven games. Today, with the wind blowing in and lots of rain projected, I'm pushing all my chips into one indoor game that projects well for MLB player props and home runs.
The chips are going to Milwaukee, where the projections love the prices of most hitters in this game, as regression is coming sooner or later for a pair of fly-ball starters.
These are my favorite home run props for Friday, May 22.
UPDATE: Added another HR pick + parlay.
Best MLB home run props today
Player to hit a HR
Odds
Freddie Freeman
+419
Christian Yelich
+700
Shohei Ohtani
+251
💲Today's HR parlay
+11000
Home run pick: Freddie Freeman (+419)
This is a great price on Freddie Freeman in an indoor environment where the rest of the board looks much more pitcher-friendly.
It’s buying the dip on a player who just snapped a 0-for-14 stretch, a skid that came just two games after a two-homer performance. Freeman still isn’t where he needs to be production-wise, but the good times could be on the way for arguably the most consistent hitter in baseball over the last decade.
The projections at Covers love home runs in this game, and have Freeman carrying a fair price in the +330 to +340 range.
Milwaukee starter Logan Henderson is one of the highest-frequency fly-ball pitchers in baseball, sporting just an 18% ground-ball rate this season, along with an HR/FB rate due for regression.
He has been tougher on lefties by batting average, but 80% of the home runs he has allowed in the majors have come off left-handed bats.
Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Brewers.TV, SportsNet LA
Home run pick: Christian Yelich (+700)
Dodger starter Justin Wrobleski has some decent regression indicators, including a .233 BABIP. He has also been fortunate keeping the ball in the yard, especially considering he has become a fly-ball pitcher this season with a ground-ball rate of just 39%.
He isn’t fooling many hitters either, carrying a 4.9 K/9 and being forced to pitch to contact.
Christian Yelich is heating up after a slow start. He settled back into the lineup last week, has already launched two home runs, and finished last season with 29 dingers in 150 games.
This is a bat with 30-HR upside sitting at +700 against a pitcher with regression flags all over him. Yelich is also the only Brewer to have taken Wrobleski deep, which never hurts.
Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Brewers.TV, SportsNet LA
Home run pick: Shohei Ohtani (+251)
Let’s add the best left-handed bat in baseball against a pitcher who allows plenty of fly balls and has been more vulnerable to left-handed hitters.
Shohei Ohtani started the year slowly, much like several other WBC participants, but the swing looks fully back after homering last night. He draws another strong indoor matchup today with real home-run upside against Henderson.
Ohtani is slugging .926 over his last seven games with seven extra-base hits, and if he can’t snap my HR cold stretch, nobody can.
The fair price on this, per the projections at Covers powered by THE BAT, is +210.
Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Brewers.TV, SportsNet LA
Josh Inglis' 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 13-86, -18.94 units
Today’s HR parlay
Freddie Freeman
Bet Now +11000
Christian Yelich
Shohei Ohtani
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
It's a return for one of the New York Yankees stars as they welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to town for a weekend series.
Tampa has been hot, winning four straight games, while the Yankees have not. New York has scored a total of five runs over the last three games and lost two straight. I expect we will see some carryover here.
Read all about why in my Yankees vs. Rays predictions and MLB picks for Friday, May 22.
Who will win Rays vs Yankees today: Rays moneyline (+136)
Gerrit Cole returns to Yankee Stadium today after not pitching since Game 4 of the 2024 World Series, roughly 569 days ago, and I’m willing to fade him at anything up to +100.
Cole posted a 4.66 ERA across six minor league rehab starts, and this matchup sets up poorly against a Rays lineup that has the lowest whiff-rate (19%) in baseball.
Last season, Cole still relied heavily on strikeouts despite carrying a bottom 40% barrel rate. The Tampa Bay Rays enter off a sweep, while the New York Yankees have scored just five total runs across their last three games.
The driving force here is the Cole rust. I projected 8.6 runs, so I'm happy to get this number that feels a half run light. Nick Martinez plays a role here, too.
While I expect him to do enough to get Tampa across the finish line, it won't come without struggles. The xERA of 3.86 tells the true story: Martinez has been good, but he's due for regression.
His 16% strikeout rate sits in the bottom 14th percentile, and a 31% chase rate is a profile the Yankees can attack; Tampa simply outslugs them.
Chris Hatfield's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 20-18, +1.20 units
Over/Under bets: 24-14, +12.54 units
Rays vs Yankees odds
Moneyline: Tampa Bay +125 | New York -155
Run line: Tampa Bay +1.5 | New York -1.5
Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8
Rays vs Yankees trend
The Tampa Bay Rays have hit the Moneyline in 32 of their last 45 games (+19.60 Units / 37% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Yankees.
How to watch Rays vs Yankees and game info
Location
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Date
Friday, May 22, 2026
First pitch
7:05 p.m. ET
TV
Rays.TV, YES
Rays starting pitcher
Nick Martinez (4-1, 1.51 ERA)
Yankees starting pitcher
Gerrit Cole (2024: 8-5, 3.41 ERA)
Rays vs Yankees latest injuries
Rays vs Yankees weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
After a 109-93 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, the Knicks are in control of the Eastern Conference Finals with a 2-0 series lead. Game 2 was a balanced offensive attack as all five New York starters scored in double figures. Josh Hart also came alive with 26 points.
Now, the Knicks will look to extend their franchise record of consecutive postseason wins to 10 games. With the series scene shifting to Cleveland, let’s dive into some keys to Game 3.
Hart beat
Game 2 was a moment of redemption for Hart. Relegated to the bench for much of New York’s Game 1 comeback in the fourth quarter and overtime, Hart recovered with 26 points, four rebounds, and seven assists on Thursday night.
The story of this series so far has been Cleveland’s defensive strategy to have center Jarrett Allen guard Hart. Allen is largely ignoring the New York wing. Hart got off to a slow start, missing five of six treys in the first half, but he went on a run, knocking down four of five trifectas in the second half.
Many of the attempts Hart took were completely open. Cleveland is defending this way to keep the rest of New York’s lineup, including stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, in check. Allen has been able to protect the rim and limit scoring opportunities in the paint by ignoring Hart.
But Hart has shown he is capable. He shot 41.3 percent from the three-point line on 242 attempts in the regular season. The Cavs probably will continue to defend Hart with a center, but after this postseason career night, they might not leave him as wide open going forward. That could open up opportunities for other Knicks on Saturday.
May 21, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (2) during the second quarter of game two of the eastern conference finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Working the glass
Coming into this series, the Knicks were expected to have a rebounding advantage against Cleveland. However, through the first game and a half, the Cavaliers seemed to control the boards.
In the first half of Game 2, Cleveland dominated the glass, recording nine offensive rebounds to New York’s one offensive board. The Cavaliers had just four in the second half, where the Knicks created some separation.
Towns had a solid offensive night with 18 points. But he also made an impact on defense. The center had 13 rebounds, all coming on the defensive end. Preventing offensive rebounds from Cleveland’s big man duo of Evan Mobley and Allen is crucial to picking up wins in this series. Mobley and Allen combined for just four points in the second half.
Balanced starting five
Game 2 was all about balance for New York. After Brunson took over the series opener, the Knicks got contributions from each of the club’s starting five. New York’s starters each scored at least 14 points.
Cleveland made more of an effort to prevent Brunson from isolating one-on-one against James Harden. The Cavs brought help to stop the Knicks point guard. It created opportunities for Brunson to get his teammates involved.
Brunson finished the game with 19 points and a career-high 14 assists. New York had 32 assists on 44 field goals on Thursday night. Playing together has been a regular occurrence for The Knicks, who have recorded at least 30 assists on four different occasions during this playoff run.
The pass is a larger part of New York’s offensive identity. The Knicks are sixth in assist rate during the playoffs (60.5 percent) among 16 teams during the playoffs. In last year’s playoff run, the Knicks ranked dead last.
It’s safe to say that moving the ball will be important to New York’s continued success.
After taking two of three from the Padres and enjoying an off day, the Dodgers now are in Milwaukee to start a three-game set with the Brewers.
Milwaukee leads the NL Central by 1.5 games over the Chicago Cubs. They have been winning games, but not by hitting a lot of home runs. They have the fewest homers of any team in MLB so far this season, with 33. Aside from the Tampa Bay Rays, the next three teams behind them all are at the bottoms of their divisions. They also have the fewest total extra base hits in the majors, and have the highest ground-ball rate in all of MLB.
They are doing it by getting men on base by taking their walks and putting balls in play. They have the fourth lowest strike out rate and are tied for third in on base percentage. Then once those batters are on base, they excel at steals and sacrifice bunts and have the fourth highest batting average as a team with runners in scoring position.
The Brewers are coming off a three-game sweep of their rival Chicago Cubs in Wrigley, taking the divisional lead. Their top three power hitters have missed significant time this season to injury, but all three, Christian Yelich, Jackson Churio and Andrew Vaughn, are back in the lineup.
Milwaukee also has a top-notch pitching staff, and the Dodgers are maybe lucky to be missing Jacob Misorowski in this series.
On Friday the Brewers will send Logan Henderson to the mound. Since returning from Triple-A, Henderson has allowed two or fewer runs and gone at least five innings in those three outings. Cumulatively he has struck out 20 and only walked two in those appearances also.
The Dodgers will counter with Justin Wrobleski, who has gone 4-0 on the road with a 1.50 ERA. He has gone at least six innings in his last six starts, including his last outing against the Angels in Anaheim. Wrobleski, who does not get a lot of swings as misses, is facing a team that as aforementioned, doesn’t strike out and puts a lot of ball in play.
With the off day, the Dodgers bullpen will be well rested. The Dodgers offense still isn’t putting up great offensive numbers consistently but still managed to take two of three in San Diego. The offense will have to keep battling in this series against the Brewers.
LeBron James says he is just chilling after the end of his 23rd NBA season, and he isn't spending time thinking about his future.
"I'm still in the moment of just taking my time," LeBron said on the latest episode of his "Mind the Game" podcast with Steve Nash (hat tip Dave McMenamin of ESPN). "I haven't even really thought about it too much. Obviously, I understand that I'm a free agent and I can control my own destiny... but like, I haven't even really got to that point. I haven't even taken my family vacation yet, which is going to happen after Memorial Day. That's kind of the thing at the forefront of my mind."
LeBron may not be thinking about it, but the rest of the league is.
LeBron knows this isn't 2010 anymore, when he could make "the decision" on July 8 — at least 2/3 of free agency is done in handshake deals before free agency opens on July 1, a league source told NBC Sports a couple of years ago. By the time the Summer League starts (July 9 this year), all the major dominoes will have fallen, and teams are just filling out their rosters.
LeBron, for his part, does not want to be rushed.
"I think at some point in June, late June, as July rolls around, free agency starts to get going, and as July rolls around and maybe into August, we'll start to kind of get a feel of what my future may look like," LeBron said on his podcast.
LeBron would not commit to returning to play a record 24th NBA season, he can just retire, but the expectation in league circles remains that he will play one more season.
It's also much more likely we know where he plays that season by around the NBA Draft (June 23) or by July 1 than it is under LeBron's more casual timeline. He needs to wait out the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade situation — that is the big domino that must fall first for most free agents — but after that, things will move quickly. While LeBron is a huge name and the biggest brand on the board, and he's still an All-Star-level player at age 41, if he wants to prioritize winning (as he has said), then he is going to be more like the third-best player on whatever team he chooses. He accepted that role for the Lakers' best stretch of last season (in March) and he thrived in it.
The other big question: How big a pay cut is LeBron willing to take? That may be the biggest question about where he lands.
He's definitely taking less than the $56.2 million he made last season. The problem is that a lot of the teams he is linked to — Cleveland, Golden State, New York, Denver — can offer only a veteran minimum of $3.9 million. (While those teams could, in theory, work out a sign-and-trade with the Lakers to get LeBron more money, those teams are not going to want to give up a quality player to make this work, and the Lakers are only getting involved in a sign-and-trade if they get something back they want.)
LeBron could re-sign to stay with the Lakers, and they could offer him more money ($25-$30 million) on a one-year contract. The Lakers plan to re-sign Austin Reaves and then remake the roster to better fit Luka Doncic's playing style. LeBron has to fit into that roster reshaping, not be at the heart of it. Also, if winning is the ultimate priority, he just got an up-close look at how far the Lakers are away from the Thunder, even if Doncic had played in that series. If a shot at another ring is the highest priority, are the Lakers his choice? Of course, in reality, it's more nuanced than that, and it includes factoring in being close to his family and much more.
Whatever LeBron decides, expect it to happen faster than the casual timeline he laid out on his podcast.
STREAKING THE WRONG WAY: The Cubs’ current five-game losing streak is their longest this season. Five also was their high last year, but it did not happen until Sept. 18-23. They have not lost at least six in a row since July 7-16, 2022, when they lost nine straight. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TOO MANY RUNS ALLOWED: The Cubs have allowed at least five runs in six straight games: five, eight, nine, nine, five and five. Six games also was their longest such streak of its kind last season, June 19-24. They went 1-5 then, as they are now. Their last longest streak was eight games, May 29-June 6, 2024. They went 3-5. Their longest streak of allowing at least five runs was 13 games, May 9-23, 1930. They had an 11-game streak, Aug. 31-Sept. 11, 2000, and 10 in a row, May 6-17, 1986. This is their 16th streak of at least six games since 2000. Seven ended at six games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
THE WALK WATCH: The Cubs’ 228 walks lead MLB. That’s an average of 4.56 walks per game. If they keep up that pace they would have 739 walks for the season, which would demolish the franchise record (656, set in 2016).
EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A GOOD HOBY: Hoby Milner, last 20 games since March 31: 1.29 ERA, 0.857 WHIP in 21 total innings.
Maybe we should just pretend Jameson Taillon’s last start didn’t happen.
Oh, you can’t do that. Right. So: Five home runs and eight runs given up to the White Sox. Don’t do that again, Jamo.
Taillon has also had some very good outings this year. So, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Last year in Houston, June 29, 2025, Taillon allowed the Astros two runs in 4.2 innings and struck out four. Which doesn’t sound too bad until I tell you that he threw 107 pitches in that game, which, yikes. Don’t do that again either.
Spencer Arrighetti made 29 starts for the Astros in 2024 (including one against the Cubs) and posted a 4.53 ERA. Then he was injured much of last year and made only seven starts for Houston with an even worse ERA (5.35).
Thus his 1.50 ERA in six starts this year has to be a bit of a surprise. He’s allowed one or no runs in five of those six starts.
No current Cub has more than four at-bats against him. Hope they have a good scouting report.
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The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
The Montreal Canadiens picked up an impressive 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1. While the Canadiens' offense certainly played a significant role in this victory, Jakub Dobes also stepped up for them big time.
Dobes had a strong night for the Canadiens in Game 1, as he stopped 25 out of 27 shots. With this, he finished the contest with an impressive .926 save percentage.
Now, Dobes has made more history due to his strong play.
According to Sportsnet Stats, Dobes is now just the third rookie goalie in the history of the NHL to win seven out of his first nine road decisions in the same post-season.
The other goalies who achieved this were Ron Hextall in 1987 with the Philadelphia Flyers and Jordan Binnington in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues.
This latest impressive accomplishment shows just how strong Dobes has played this post-season for the Canadiens. The 24-year-old now has a 9-6 record, a 2.48 goals-against average, and a .911 save percentage in 15 games this post-season. Let's see how he builds on it from here.
After a fourth-quarter takeover, Jalen Brunson showed love to his favorite actress.
The Knicks’ star, who hit double-figures in points again in the final quarter of the Knicks’ 109-93 Game 2 win over the Cavaliers, celebrated by running over to Mariska Hargitay, the star of “Law & Order: SVU.”
The actress, who plays Captain Olivia Benson, gave Brunson a big hug for his latest heroics, as seen in a video posted by award-winning director and actor Ben Stiller.
“Jalen, from one captain to another, congratulations on becoming a 2025 NBA All-Star,” Hargitay said. “I cannot wait to see you work your magic in San Francisco.”
“Yeah, that’s my favorite person ever,” Brunson responded. “That’s my favorite person ever.”
Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay and Jalen Brunson are good friends. NBA
Brunson’s love of Hargitay is no secret of everyone else on Celebrity Row.
“The love that Mariska Hargitay gets from you postgame is the envy of every other Knicks fan, Knicks celebrity fan. She gets a hug after a loss,” Stiller told Brunson on his “Roommates” podcast last year.
Brunson was also seen with multiple other “Law & Order” stars on different occasions, including Christopher Meloni, who sat next to Hargitay in a clip that went viral last year as Brunson hugged her.
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Also in the photo was Hargitay’s son, August, whom she had with her longtime husband, Peter Hermann, with the two tying the knot in 2004.
The stars love Brunson, as he’s been seen hugging the likes of Francisco Lindor, Jimmy Fallon and many more before and after games.
There will be many more flocking to him, too, as the Knicks are up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals in this dominating run.
Jalen Brunson embraces with the Law & Order: SVU star.
After going down 2-1 to the Hawks in the first round, the Knicks have won nine straight playoff games.
The Knicks have opened Game 3 as 2.5-point underdogs with the series shifting to Cleveland, as oddsmakers suspect a big boost from the Cavaliers’ home crowd.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 18: Munetaka Murakami #5 of the Chicago White Sox bats against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on May 18, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Maddy Grassy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The White Sox spent a little bit in the offseason and acquired a fun player from Japan who has slugged the franchise back into relevance. As fun as it has been to see that the literal Pope of the Roman Catholic church is a White Sox fan, Munetaka Murakami’s fast rise in 2026 has dragged the Southsiders from embarrassing afterthought to a firm “on second thought” team and that alone makes this matchup feel cringe-inducing.
See, the Giants were supposed to be better than the Chicago White Sox. They’re supposed to be the better-run operation. Their player-turned-exec isn’t the one who should be getting grilled by AM radio hosts, it’s Chris Getz, the utility guy who hit .250 for his career then ditched his cleats for the front office, who should be having a tough time of things. He not only put together the 2024 & 2025 teams which combined for 223 losses, he was the exec in the offseason who couldn’t remember the handedness of a player he traded for — embarrassing… right?
And yet, his team has some heat. Not just from Vatican City, but across the country and in Japan. Game one of this three-game series is Friday Night at Oracle Park, which just so happens to be Japanese Heritage Night. Once again, the Giants don’t have a Japanese player on the roster, perhaps not for lack of effort, but they sure could use Munetaka Murakami in their lineup right now.
Here’s an extensive highlights package put together by MLB:
On the other hand, as Ben Clemens wrote for FanGraphs a month ago:
The book on Munetaka Murakami was pretty straightforward when he hit the market this winter. Phenomenal cosmic power – itty bitty contact rate. While acknowledging recent injuries, our writeup noted his contact rates against good velocity (63%) and secondary pitches (50%) as red flags in his profile. And these weren’t little red flags, either. […] “…if Murakami is only ever the quality of contact hitter we’ve seen the last three years, with no changes or improvements, he basically can’t be a good MLB hitter.”
In the 26 games since that post went up, the White Sox have gone 16-10 with Murakami hitting.253/.372/.526 in 113 plate appearances, boosted by 8 home runs and 2 doubles in 24 hits. His 18 walks and 38 strikeouts translate to a 15.9 BB% and 33.6 K%. On the season, he has 17 home runs and an 18.4 BB% paired with a 32.5 K%. That strikeout rate is currently 7th-worst in the sport behind the following players:
Hunter Goodman, COL — 36% (99 wRC+)
Garrett Mitchell, MIL — 35.9% (100 wRC+)
Oneil Cruz, PIT — 35.1% (115 wRC+)
Ian Happ, CHC — 33.0% (123 wRC+)
Kyle Schwarber, PHI — 32.9% (168 wRC+)
Spencer Torkelson, DET — 32.6% (95 wRC+)
I hope the takeaway is not that you can be a great hitter with a high strikeout rate, even as this list shows increasingly better hitters as the rate goes down. The 26-game sampling I just cited suggests that Murakami is trending in the direction the projection systems indicated given his numbers in Japan, too. No qualified hitter ended last season with a strikeout rate that high (Ryan McMahon had the worst with 32.1%) and only Zack Gelof in 2024 could “boast” something worse (34.4%). That walk rate is very competitive, though. It’s currently fourth-best in MLB behind Nick Kurtz (21.2%), Taylor Ward (21%), and Mike Trout (20.4%). His 17 home runs trail only Schwarber.
Why am I mentioning any of this?
Hmm… is it that I think the Giants missed out on signing a 26-year old slugger? Not exactly. I can certainly see the organization not wanting a player with lots of swing and miss in his game and I see that they’re willing to ignore the power potential to back up that belief (hello, Bryce Eldridge — or, rather, is it soon to be goodbye?) and I also acknowledge that 17 home run total might be closer to 8 or 9 playing in Oracle Park — though, it must be noted, the majority of his dingers have come on the road. And, it’s plausible that he’s going to regress to a mean ol’ mean pretty soon here given the spiking strikeout rate. But, just for a moment, it’s fun to imagine a team coming out of a rebuild led by a former player. Sounds nice.
Because how else have the White Sox gotten to the point of being above .500? Before he was the GM, Chris Getz was the team’s farm director. From his Wikipedia:
In 2014, Getz was hired by the Kansas City Royals as their assistant to player development. He worked with them until 2016 when he went to the Chicago White Sox as their director of player development from 2017 to 2020. There, he worked with many talented prospects like Luis Robert Jr., Yoán Moncada, Eloy Jiménez, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, and Dylan Cease. The White Sox farm system was ranked as the best in the MLB in 2017. In 2021, White Sox promoted him as assistant General Manager to then-GM Rick Hahn. Following Hahn’s firing on August 22, 2023, Getz was promoted as the White Sox new Senior Vice President and GM on August 31
The current roster has his fingerprints all over it, both from player development and during a teardown that saw the franchise go 162-324 over three seasons.
C — Edgar Quero (acquired in deadline deal trading away Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez) 1B — Munetaka Murakami (signed in the offseason via the posting season, 2 years, $34 million) 2B — Chase Meidroth (acquired in deal for Garrett Crochet) SS — Colson Montgomery(1st round draft pick — #22 — in 2021) 3B — Miguel Vargas (acquired in 3-way with Dodgers & Cardinals for Michael Kopech & Erick Fedde) LF — Sam Antonacci (5th round draft pick in 2024) CF — Tristan Peters (acquired for cash considerations this offseason — was acquired by Giants in 2022) RF — Jarred Kelenic (signed as a free agent in the offseason) DH — Andrew Benentendi (the inherited bad contract — just one more season to go!)
Starting pitchers: Davis Martin (14th round draft pick in 2018), Sean Burke (3rd round in 2021), Anthony Kay (a pitcher I thought the Giants might’ve signed this offseason), Erick Fedde (signed him out of Korea and got the best season of his career in 2024), Noah Schultz (1st round draft pick — #26 — in 2022).
They also signed Seranthony Dominguez in the offseason to be their closer. It hasn’t gone well so far (6+ FIP), but the White Sox kept pushing even if the vision wasn’t quite clear. And from above I intend to illustrate that this is the road map the Giants have been chasing since 2017, just without those 100+-loss seasons as catalysts. Some of Chicago’s later round picks have paid off on top of trades and free agent pickups.
One of Getz’s other key moves was hiring Max Venable to be their manager starting last season. Max and Molly’s kid really wore it in year 1 of his deal (101 losses), but with Murakami and the fruition of some talent development, he’s off to a much better start in 2026. In Wednesday’s post-game wrap, Dave Flemming mused that Max Venable is the first major league manager that Duane Kuiper has ever changed the diapers of and that notion had Kuip feeling some kind of way. Max Venable’s name had been mentioned as a possible candidate going all the way back to the post-Bochy days, but here he is now wrangling another team trying to win its way back to relevance. Who’s got it better right now?
The Giants have lost 3 straight games and are just 7-12 in May with a -26 run differential. Their team 89 wRC+ puts them ahead of only the Mets and Rockies in MLB, but their team batting average of .244 puts them in a three-way tie with Arizona & Washington for top 1/3 of the league, so, who’s to say if they’re bad or not? The White Sox are hitting just .235 but have a 105 wRC+. They also have better pitching (3.8 fWAR to the Giants’ 2.3), but if you’re only looking at ERA then, sure, the Giants have it over Chicago with a 4.17 team ERA compared to Chicago’s 4.35. But if you’re only comparing batting average and ERA, please check the nearest calendar because you might have traveled back in time to some point in the 20th century.
Series overview
Who: San Francisco Giants (20-30) vs. Chicago White Sox (25-24) Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, California When: Friday at 7:15pm PT, Saturday at 1:05pm PT, Sunday at 1:05pm PT National broadcasts: None.
Projected starters Friday: Davis Martin (RHP 6-1, 1.61 ERA) vs. Trevor McDonald (RHP 2-0, 2.37 ERA) Saturday: Erik Fedde (RHP 0-4, 4.30 ERA) vs. Adrian Houser (RHP 2-4, 5.25 ERA) Sunday: Noah Schultz (LHP 2-3, 4.93 ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (LHP 3-6, 4.28 ERA)
Players to watch
White Sox (besides Murakami)
Randal Grichuk: Here’s where this almost-Giant wound up in 2026. Well, first he was in the Yankees’ minor league system, then granted release, and then the White Sox got him. With three lefties in the Giants’ bullpen, it’s probable we’ll see him as a pinch hitter in this series as that’s been a big role for him in his 13 games. He’s 7-for-22 with 4 homers in this small sample size.
Jordan Hicks: Here’s where this former Giant wound up in 2026. The Red Sox wanted him off the roster enough to send cash, a prospect, and two players to be named later and all he’s done for the White Sox is continue his terrible slide into not being a major league-caliber pitcher. Having said that, don’t be surprised if he’s asked to get key outs in one of these games.
Giants
Victor Bericoto: As of this writing, it’s unclear who he’s replacing or what his role will be, but figure we’ll see him in this series at some point. The 24-year old left-handed batter has an .804 OPS in 186 PA for Sacramento this season.
Trevor McDonald: The Giants seem like they don’t want to send him down when Logan Webb becomes eligible to come off the IL, but it’s always worth checking out one of his starts.
Tony Vitello watch
With Eldridge and now Bericoto on the bench (presumably), might he turn to it a bit more often?
Bettiol: ‘I knew every single corner in the last 50km’
The Italian cyclist Alberto Bettiol attacked at the top of the final climb to ride solo to victory on stage 13 of the Giro d’Italia in Verbania on Friday, five years after his last stage win.
Bettiol, who also soloed to win a stage in 2021, caught Andreas Leknessund as they reached the Ungiasca summit and left the Norwegian in his wake before powering away on the descent to the shore of Lake Maggiore. The Italian took a quick glance over his shoulder before raising his arms long before the line in celebration, and his girlfriend, Lisa Finetti, was there to hug him after the finish.
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 21: Jarred Vanderbilt #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets on April 21, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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 Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
At times this season, the dynamic between Jarred Vanderbilt and Lakers head coach JJ Redick was rocky, in obvious and subtle ways.
It was never more apparent than their very vocal argument in a late regular-season loss against the Thunder. Redick called a timeout in the second quarter to take Vando out of the game, and they got into a heated debate.
It wasn’t a good look for either person. Vando didn’t play again in that contest, even though the Lakers were playing without Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, or Jaxson Hayes.
During Vando’s exit interview, he spoke about his dynamic with Redick.
“We ended up good,” Vanderbilt said. “Like I said, we’re both competitors. We’re competing at the highest level, so sometimes tensions rise and you have disagreements. But, it happens. Player to player, coach to player, staff to player, when you all have a goal like that of winning, sometimes disagreements happen. That’s all it was. We’ve been good ever since.”
Vando says they are good, but clearly, Redick prefers to play many players over him.
In Redick’s first year in charge, Vanderbilt averaged just 16.1 minutes per game. That was his lowest minutes total since the 2020-21 season.
This year, Vando played 17.4 minutes per game. That is well below his averages over the previous four seasons before Redick, when he was a 20-plus minutes-per-game player.
Given that Vando is the fifth-highest played player on the roster, but averaged the 11th most minutes, it’s clear his actual value on the team and what he’s compensated are out of whack.
This has been an adjustment for Vando, and given what we saw during that game against the Thunder in April, disagreements and frustration can boil over.
Still, Vando is a pro and handled it well. Not once did he publicly bash his coach or rant about wanting to play more. When his number was called, he gave his best effort, and that’s all one can ask for. It’s Redick’s team, and he gets to decide when people should play.
It’s good that the two are okay because Vando not only has value as a perimeter defender but also has a guaranteed contract next season and a player option the following year.
So, unless a trade happens, they have to figure out how to work well together. It seems that late into the year, after that disagreement, they found some common ground.
May 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Cole Smith (22) controls the puck under pressure from Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson (42) in the third period in game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
After a frustrating Game 1 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Colorado Avalanche are back in action again tonight, as they look to bounce back and even this series up in Game 2.
Colorado Avalanche
Game 1 was, in a word, frustrating for Colorado. Yes, Vegas is a good hockey team and they were incredibly opportunistic with their goals, but the Avs made it super easy for them to actually benefit from those opportunities, as they made a lot of mistakes defensively in that game, giving the Golden Knights maybe a bit of an easier time than they would’ve had otherwise. Tonight, they’ll have to clean up those defensive mistakes to even this series.
There’s no greater storyline for Colorado than what’s the status of Cale Makar. He was a participant at morning skate, which was fostering some optimism that he could return to the lineup tonight but the team indicated he is still out tonight. In net it still looks to be Scott Wedgewood despite the loss.
Projected Lineup
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Gabriel Landeskog Valeri Nichushkin – Brock Nelson – Martin Necas Ross Colton – Nazem Kadri – Nic Roy Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Logan O’Connor
Devon Toews – Sam Malinski Brett Kulak – Brent Burns Jack Achan – Josh Manson
Scott Wedgewood Mackenzie Blackwood
Vegas Golden Knights
As previously mentioned, the Golden Knights were very opportunistic in Game 1, and capitalized on the opportunities they got throughout the game. They were as advertised in this game, being strong defensively and overall frustrating to play against. Colorado did make a late push in Game 1 and showed that they’re capable of hanging with this team, they’ll just need to capitalize the way Vegas did to even this series.
No lineup changes are expected for Vegas, though Mark Stone did make the trip to Colorado but he’s still out indefinitely.
Projected Lineup
Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Pavel Dorofeyev Brett Howden – William Karlsson – Mitch Marner Brandon Saad – Tomas Hertl – Colton Sissons Cole Smith – Nic Dowd – Keegan Kolessar
Thunder
Spurs
COVERS INTEL: Cristopher Sanchez has logged a 
Freddie Freeman
Christian Yelich
