May 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) looks on after the game against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Alec Bohm has been under fire lately and justifiably so. He’s been one of the worst hitters in the game this year and came under question, even in these here pages, about his viability as a regular in the lineup. Don Mattingly sat him down for two days to give him a reset, but openly wondered about his place in the starting lineup.
Tonight at least, Bohm was king. And the Phillies reaped the rewards.
After losing Bryce Harper early due to migraines and falling behind to the Rockies in the second thanks to a Willi Castro home run, the outcome looked bleak. When Aaron Nola, the starting pitcher, falls behind like that, it feels like a long night again is in store. Yet Nola was able to battle on the evening, giving his offense a chance to battle back on their part. In the third, Bohm did just that, tying the game with one swing.
Adolis Garcia doubled, Edmundo Sosa singled and the lead stretched to 5-1. Who is this team?
Nola, though, did give a few back in the fourth when Kyle Karros hit a two-run double to make the score 5-3, yet that was where it would remain for a bit. Nola was actually pretty decent on the evening, a contrast to most of his April starts, and kept the Rockies at bay the remainder of his outing. Meanwhile, Bohm decided to have another.
A sacrifice fly by Brandon Marsh made the score 7-3 while the Phillies’ bullpen took over. Tim Mayza, Tanner Banks, Chase Shugart and Orion Kerkering combined to go 4 1/3 innings on the evening without giving up a hit or a walk. They were outstanding.
Then Alec Bohm hit another ball down the line to score two more runs and it was officially the “Alec Bohm Game” for this season.
Listen, the criticism levied at Bohm was, as said before, justifiable and fair. He just hasn’t been good this year, regardless of whatever is going on off the field. He has tried to work through it, but Mattingly wisely saw that maybe a few games off would be the best thing for him and the team. It worked tonight like a charm (an Elmo-sized influence notwithstanding). Will it continue? Let’s find out.
After the season, the vibe around the Warriors had been that Kerr would not continue as coach. This is a team that was going to start planning for the post-Stephen Curry era, wanted changes in the style of play, and wanted Kerr to commit to multiple years. Kerr spent last season on the final year of his contract and the Warriors did not want another lame-duck year, especially with Curry entering the final year of his current contract. All of that led to several meetings and weeks of conversations among Kerr, controlling owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy, during which they discussed both the short- and long-term plans for the franchise. Over time, it became clear Kerr was going to come back, with him saying in an interview he didn't want to leave Curry and Draymond Green.
Kerr's new agreement keeps him here for two seasons, and now the Warriors and Curry will talk extension, according to ESPN. Both Curry and Green had said they wanted Kerr back as coach.
"I hope he's our coach next year..." Green said after the Warriors were eliminated from the play-in by the Suns. "So lucky to have had for 12 years Steve as my coach."
In the four years since the Warriors last won the NBA title, they have missed the playoffs entirely — including this season, when they won just 37 games and were the No. 10 seed, but also had a dramatic play-in win over the Clippers — and have twice been bounced in the second round.
All of that is a sign the Warriors need to change the roster around — Golden State as constructed is old and unathletic. Curry is 38 years old and missed 39 games last season, largely due to runner's knee. Starting with the NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, the Warriors need to start remaking this roster, and not just to win with Curry next season. The team Kerr will be coaching next season will look different.
Overall, Kerr is 604-353 (.631) in the regular season, 152-104 (.684) in the playoffs, including winning four titles.
PHILADELPHIA — It has been 24 minutes of ugly offensive basketball for the 76ers, two fourth quarters in which they managed a grand total of 30 points.
Twelve points in the final quarter of Game 2, 18 in the final quarter of Game 3.
Both were winnable games that were lost because of Philadelphia’s offensive ineptitude, and now it will have to make NBA playoff history as the first team to rally from 3-0 down to advance.
Jalen Brunson drives on V.J. Edgecombe during the second quarter of the Knicks Game 3 win over the 76ers in Philadelphia. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
At least, that’s how the 76ers see it. It wasn’t the Knicks defense that did them in. It was their own doing.
“We’re not making shots, we’re getting a lot of looks,” rookie VJ Edgecombe said Saturday. “We just watched the film. We’re generating a lot of good looks. Nothing is going in for us.”
In Game 2, the 76ers shot 4-for-19 from the field over the final 12 minutes. In Game 3, it was 7-for-20. Both contests were well within reach before Philadelphia went ice-cold.
In Friday’s loss, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse pointed to a pivotal moment.
Trailing by 4 late in the third quarter, the 76ers got three consecutive stops but couldn’t take advantage. Joel Embiid and Edgecombe missed open looks from 3-point range.
Joel Embiid put ups a shot during the 76ers’ Game 3 loss to the Knicks. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
“There’s certainly an element of that for sure that has got us in the last two games,” Nurse said. “I don’t expect to make them all. But you make one of those, it’s a one-point game. Make two of them, you’re up two. I don’t know what else you can do other than create wide-open shots. Certainly, in Game 2, down the stretch there, all we did was have really good offensive creation. We just didn’t make enough. I can’t fault the guys’ effort and trying to do the right thing. We just need them to go in.”
Perhaps most concerning is the right players have taken the shots. Paul George is 0-for-8 in those quarters, and Tyrese Maxey is 4-for-11. Embiid didn’t play in Game 2 and was only 1-for-3 in Friday’s fourth quarter.
One potential issue is the Knicks are wearing down the 76ers. Philadelphia doesn’t have much depth to speak of, and the Knicks go deep into their bench.
Maxey, for instance, is averaging 40.4 minutes in the postseason, Edgecombe is at 37.7 and George is at 36.7.
“Obviously, fatigue is a factor. But fatigue’s a factor for every team this late in the season,” Edgecombe said. “If you want to win, that shouldn’t matter. We’ve just been missing wide-open shots.”
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 07: Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates with the puck against Rasmus Ristolainen #55 of the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period in Game Three of the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on May 07, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes picked up a 3-2 overtime win in Game 4 over the Philadelphia Flyers to secure their spot in the Eastern Conference Final, becoming the first team to go 8-0 through the first two rounds under the NHL’s current playoff format.
Just as they did in Game 2, the Flyers came out of the gate hot and made the Canes pay, as Tyson Foerster had plenty of time in the slot and rifled a wrister past Frederik Andersen to make it 1-0 for the home team.
Unlike in Game 2, Philadelphia was unable to add a second goal to its lead in the first period, as the game went into the second with a 1-0 score.
The Hurricanes played one of their best periods of the series in the second, outshooting the Flyers 15-4 and beating them out 8-2 in terms of high-danger chances.
One chance that was not particularly high-danger tied the game when Jackson Blake flung a puck toward Dan Vladar that pinballed off of Jamie Drysdale’s pants and into the net.
It looked like Carolina took a 2-1 lead just moments later when Mark Jankowski fired home a rebound, but a challenge and review determined that William Carrier had interfered with Vladar in the crease, keeping the game tied after two periods.
Logan Stankoven took the NHL lead in goals in the playoffs when he buried a gorgeous feed from Taylor Hall to make it 2-1, but the Flyers weren’t ready to give up just yet, as Alex Bump tied the game after Travis Konecny worked the puck to him by making a phenomenal play on the forecheck to strip K’Andre Miller of the puck.
The game went to overtime tied at two apiece, and it didn’t take too long for the Hurricanes to end the game and the series.
Hall picked up the puck at center ice and gained the zone with control and numbers, pushing the defense back to feed Blake and leave him plenty of time and space for a shot.
Blake ripped one off of Vladar’s glove, and the puck hung in the air for a bit before falling in behind the goal line to deal the decisive blow.
Apr 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) celebrates in the dugout after the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Wrobleski has started three of the Dodgers’ eight fastest games this season, averaging two hours, 34 minutes over his five starts.
Bryce Elder has been collecting outs himself for Atlanta, with a 2.02 ERA and 2.83 xERA through eight starts and 49 innings. He’s pitched at least six innings in each of his last four starts.
TUCSON, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr attends the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Wisconsin Badgers at McKale Center on December 09, 2023 in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Badgers 98-73. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Steve Kerr isn’t moving on from coaching just yet.
The former Arizona great has agreed to a two-year extension as head coach of the Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN, ending speculation that he might retire from coaching.
Kerr will be entering his 13th season as head coach of the Warriors. He has led the franchise to four NBA championships since 2014-15 but has missed the postseason in two of the last three seasons.
Breaking: Steve Kerr has agreed on a new two-year contract to return as head coach of the Golden State Warriors, his agents told @shamscharania, @anthonyVslater and @ramonashelburne.
The new deal will keep Steve Kerr as the highest paid coach in the NBA annually, sources tell… pic.twitter.com/4MHlnCBG08
Kerr has a 957-604 career record as the Warriors head coach with eight playoff appearances.
Kerr is expected to remain the highest-paid coach in the NBA, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Anthony Slater and Ramona Shelburne. He made $17.5 million this past season.
Kerr’s decision to remain with the Warriors means he’ll get to coach Steph Curry for at least one more year, as Curry is signed through the 2026-27 season.
Kerr, at age 60, still has plenty more years in the tank, whether he wants to one day get into broadcasting or work in basketball in another capacity.
Kerr starred at Arizona from 1983-1988. He helped lead the Wildcats to their first Final Four in 1987-88 before embarking on a 15-year playing career.
Two years after helping the Vancouver Canucks to Game 7 of the second-round during their 2024 Stanley Cup Playoff run, Philadelphia Flyers Head Coach Rick Tocchet has been eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tocchet, former Canuck Noah Juulsen, and the Flyers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Division Finals.
Similar to his first full season with the Canucks, Tocchet was able to help the Flyers along to a second-round exit in his first year as Philadelphia’s new Head Coach. This time, however, his team was taken out in only four games during the Division Finals. The final game ended in dramatic fashion, as Jackson Blake scored the overtime winner in a 3-2 victory for the Hurricanes.
Juulsen, who spent four seasons with Vancouver, only ended up playing in one game during the Flyers’ second-round matchup. Earlier on in the post-season, he registered two assists in Game 3 of Philadelphia’s first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Flyers’ second-round loss will send former Canuck Jalen Chatfield and the Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference Final for the fourth time in the past eight years — and their third in the past four. They have yet to make it past the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since they won the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Carolina will face the winner of the Montréal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres’ second-round series in the Eastern Conference Final. As of writing, that series is tied 1-1.
May 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet walk off the ice after their loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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May 9, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of the stadium prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images
Once again, the Detroit Tigers did not swing the bats well in this one. The makeshift pitching combination didn’t actually do that badly, but they aren’t scoring any runs, and they watched another player go down with a potential injury as Kerry Carpenter left the game after crashing into the wall on a play in the first inning that cost the Tigers a run defensively. No one is feeling sorry for them, and several guys are going to need to step up or they’re going to be fully cooked by the time they get any help back from the injured list.
Once again, things did not start off very well. Michael Wacha went through the order 1-2-3 in the top of the first. Opener Burch Smith saw Maikel Garcia line one into the left center field gap and outhustle Matt Vierling’s play on the ball into a double. Bobby Witt Jr. sliced a ball down the right field line and Kerry Carpenter overplayed it, banging into the wall while the ball rattled away into the corner. Witt Jr. sped around the bases with a two-run inside the park home run, which was a bit of home cooking from the official scorer, but whatever. Vinnie Pasquantino followed with a single, and a big, bad inning was already looming three batters in. Smith popped up Salvador Perez, but the plan was blown up from the start, and AJ Hinch came out to turn things over to Tyler Holton.
Carter Jensen got into a 1-1 count and then lined a drive down the left field line for a double, moving Pasquantino to third. Fortunately, with the infield in, Jac Caglianone grounded one to McKinstry, who checked Pasquantino for a moment and flipped to first. Jensen didn’t get the memo and ran on contact from second and was picked off as Torkelson threw to McGonigle at second. That left Pasquantino no choice but to run home with two outs and try to induce some chaos. Instead, Kevin McGonigle fired home to Jake Rogers to apply the tag and end what could’ve been a really bad inning. 2-0 Royals.
Wacha punched out Riley Greene to start the second inning, and Dillon Dingler got a first pitch sinker and flew out to right field. Kerry Carpenter chopped a bouncer to Michael Massey at second, but he had to try and rush it and instead failed to catch the baseball, and so far this was a pretty messy game on both sides. Wacha stayed away from Spencer Torkelson into a 3-0 count, then fired a fastball down the middle that Tork hit about 450 feet foul to left. Another sinker on the outer edge got a whiff, and once again the Tigers couldn’t make an opponent pay for their mistakes the way opponents are routinely doing to the Tigers right now.
Holton quickly retired Lane Thomas and Massey on weak contact in the bottom of the second, and Kyle Isbel grounded out to McKinstry to end the inning.
Now it was the Royals who couldn’t play the field, as McKinstry grounded one to Pasquantino and he just flat out clanged it as it rode up on him and then into shallow right field. The official scorer decided it was an error, but it gave the Tigers the leadoff man on base, and McKinstry promptly stole second without a throw. Jake Rogers was looking for something he could poke to right field behind the runner, but in a 2-2 count Wacha smelled this out and painted the inside corner for strike three. McGonigle drove a ball out to Caglianone at the warning track for the second out, and McKinstry tagged and took third. Vierling grounded out to Massey to end the threat.
Carpenter came out of the game at this point, with his left shoulder banged up from the collision, and Wenceel Pérez took over in right field. Is it Ben Malgeri time? Can Zack Short play right field? These are questions that can’t be avoided because everything sucks right now.
Ty Madden’s turn as the “bulk” guy, which isn’t exactly a friendly descriptor, began in the bottom of the third. Maikel Garcia pulled a chopper that Colt Keith had to jump and pull it down, and then uncorked a somewhat wild throw to first. Torkelson had to take his foot off the bag to catch it, but Garcia wasn’t exactly busting it down the line thinking he’d made an out, and so he did make an out. Witt pulled a sharp grounder that took a weird kick and McGonigle clanged it off the backhand, allowing Witt to reach. However, Madden then picked off Witt, who blew a tire trying to get back to first base, so that play didn’t hurt the Tigers. Pasquantino grounded out to McGonigle to end a very peculiar first three innings of baseball.
Avert your eyes, children, this baseball is unclean. Anyway, Keith struck out, Greene popped out, and Dingler grounded out in the fourth.
Madden was off to a solid start, and opened the bottom of the fourth by whiffing Sal Perez on a slider. He got a little wild against the left-handed hitting Jensen, missing a bit with several cutters and walking him. He fell behind against Caglionone as well, and the big right fielder got a fastball and pulled a grounder into right field as Jensen went first to third. In a 3-2 count against Lane Thomas, Madden fired a heater right down the middle and Thomas was late on 93 mph. So, there were two outs, and escape was at hand if Madden could get Massey, but left-handers have always been a problem for Madden. A first pitch cutter up was a strike. The second pitch cutter up in the zone was launched to right center field for a three-run bomb. Isbel grounded out to end the inning, but it was 5-0 Royals.
Wenceel Pérez flew out to right field to open the fifth, but Spencer Torkelson doubled to left and then took third on a wild pitch to Zach McKinstry. The infielder walked, but Jake Rogers lifted a shallow fly to right that wasn’t deep enough for Torkelson to score on. So, it was up to McGonigle. Wacha got ahead 0-2 with the help of a good challenge by Jensen on the first pitch of the AB, but Wacha pulled a cutter and hit McGonigle in the arm to load the bases. Vierling watched a 1-0 sinker just below the magnetic center of the strike zone, and then a swung at a changeup almost in the dirt and grounded out weakly to Witt to end the inning.
Madden came back out and walked Garcia to start the bottom half, bringing up the heart of the Royals order with the leadoff man on. That’s not a good idea, but Witt ulimately popped out to McKinstry. Jake Rogers then cut down Garcia trying to steal on a perfect throw to McGonigle. Caglianone whiffed on a cutter, and Madden had walked the tightrope.
Colt Keith opened the sixth with a pop-out. Riley Greene walked but Dingler tapped one back to Wacha for the second out as Riley moved to second. That left it to Pérez, who took a changeup on the top rail for strike three.
Madden punched out Sal Perez on a slider down and away to start the bottom half. Jensen hit a little dying quail into left field but Keith made a nice play running out there and snaring it over the shoulder before it got down. Caglianone whiffed on a slider to strike out, and we were on to the seventh, still 5-0 Royals.
The Tigers went in order without a hard hit ball in the top of the seventh as Wacha continued to cruise through them with absolute ease.
Madden got flyouts from Thomas and Massey in the bottom of the seventh. Isbel lined one back to Madden off the end of the bat and he snared it for the final out. Five decent innings from Ty Madden. He lost his command for a while in the fourth and fifth, wasting some counts where he was ahead, and he paid for it with Massey’s three-run shot, but for the most part he did depth starter things and was fine. Rogers did a really nice job leading him through it.
On the other hand, the offense is absolutely DOA right now. Losing Carpenter wouldn’t necessarily hurt much because he’s been pretty poor this year, but the Tigers don’t exactly have a stockpile of outfielders left to draw from with Parker Meadows and Javier Báez already injured.
Lefty Matt Strahm succeeded Wacha in the eighth, and McGonigle flicked a sinker the opposite way for a single to start the inning. Vierling worked into a full count and then chased a slider well down for strike three. Hao-Yu Lee hit for Colt Keith as Hinch searched for someone other than McGonigle, Greene, and Torkelson who can hit right now. Lee flew out to right field, and that left it up to Greene. The Tigers left fielder drove a ball to right field and Caglianone laid out for it and missed. McGonigle raced first to home, while Greene cruised into second with a double. 5-1 Royals. That was all they’d get as Dingler lifted a routine fly ball to Caglianone.
Madden kept going in the bottom of the eighth. Garcia flicked a soft liner to third base that Lee handled. McGonigle handled a slow grounder from Witt Jr. and did a nice job charging it and getting the ball to first quickly for the second out. Pasquantino grounded out to Torkelson to end the inning, making that 11 straight retired by Madden.
Hard throwing Steven Cruz came on to close this one out. Pérez grounded out, Torkelson took a slider for strike three, and McKinstry struck out as well to end it.
The Tigers are now 18-22 at the 40-game mark, as the Royals take command of second place in the AL Central. With the White Sox leading the Mariners as of this writing, the Tigers could be in fourth place just ahead of the Twins by the time the night is over.
Right-hander Beau Brieske made his second successful rehab appearance in Lakeland on Saturday. His velocity looks good and he should be transferred to Toledo pretty soon to complete the process.
We all know what the problems are for the Sixers against the Knicks and we all know they can’t be fixed during this series. After losses in Games 2 and 3 against New York, we can no longer simply point to the sub-48-hour turnaround from the first round to the second round as a reason for Philadelphia’s fatigue. The Sixers’ star players are getting outplayed by the Knicks starters and New York has several more bodies it can trust off the bench. When you put it like that, it’s kind of hard to fathom Philly was even competitive in Game 2, having lost Games 1 and 3 by double-digits.
No one should be pointing the finger at head coach Nick Nurse for the Sixers’ struggles in this series, and, to be fair, it doesn’t seem like anyone is. With the exception of maybe playing Dominick Barlow a little more in Game 2 when Joel Embiid was not available, Nurse has not had any levers to pull. Nurse finally emptied his bench in Game 3 when New York had the game won, but that’s about the only time he’ll ever do so. Frankly, who can blame him?
It begs the question, why are so many useless players on Philadelphia’s roster? Surely, Daryl Morey will be asked that question in some fashion at his end-of-season media availability. For as much focus gets put on trading Jared McCain away at the deadline this year, the issues are bigger than one subtraction anyway. In the last two drafts, Philadelphia spent picks in the top half of the second round on Adem Bona and Johni Broome. Bona has seen some meaningful minutes in this year’s postseason but has been far from a regular rotation player for Nurse to rely on. Broome only appeared in 11 NBA games in the regular season so he was never going to see playoff minutes. Not all second-round picks become playoff rotation players, but those bigs are taking up NBA roster spots.
Last season, Justin Edwards was playing a lot of minutes for a bad Sixers team. He hasn’t seen those same minutes for a better Sixers team in 2025-26. In the summer, Morey gave Trendon Watford a two-year minimum contract (2026-27 is a team option). Watford had a bench role for the Sixers in the regular season but his only postseason action has been in garbage time. Part of this year’s trade deadline was converting Jabari Walker’s contract to a standard deal. Like Watford, Walker saw bench minutes in the regular season but has been phased out in the playoffs.
Then there’s the veterans. Kyle Lowry has been lauded for his leadership role, but he’s taking up a roster spot without giving any on-court contributions. Andre Drummond has had his moments from time to time in these two playoff series with Boston and New York, but has been far from consistent. When you add this all up, you end up with six-to-eight players on a nightly basis for Philadelphia that are either sitting on the bench until garbage time or are never taking their warm-up clothes off.
It’s fair to wonder what meetings have looked like this season between Nurse and Morey or what they will look like when the season is over. Nurse would be well within his right to tell Morey “I can’t play these guys!” in reference to his reserves if he hasn’t done so already.
Nurse’s actions this postseason tell us that he agrees with the loudest complaint fans have had about the team during the Knicks series. The roster just isn’t deep enough. So what is Nurse left to do? Play his starters 40 minutes a night and cross his fingers they can outplay the Knicks starters. That hasn’t happened and so you get a 3-0 deficit.
To be completely fair, there were moments in third quarter of Game 3 where you might have been able to talk yourself into it being one that would go down to the wire. We got some glimpses of fight in the third quarter from Philly after an abysmal second quarter saw a four-point lead after one turn into an eight-point deficit at the half. The Sixers trailed by just two with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter. But the Knicks were not at all fazed, and quickly grew the lead back to nine by the end of the quarter and coasted to a victory in the fourth.
Despite some signs of fight in the third quarter, when the quarter was over, the Sixers had gone 36 minutes without a single point from their bench. When it’s that jarring for three full quarters of a playoff game, that’s a sign that the head coach doesn’t believe he can win games with the players he has on his bench. We know this. Nurse knows this.
As a result, Nurse runs his stars into the ground. Embiid’s availability is always in question and even when he plays he does not always look 100%. Tyrese Maxey could very well still be dealing with complications from his pinky injury. Paul George is 36 and just not going to regularly perform at the level he performed against Boston. Sometimes, VJ Edgecombe will look like a rookie. When even one of these things happens, the Sixers are bound to lose the game because they don’t have a way to compensate for their stars underperforming.
It’s all left Nurse with one of two options. Would he rather watch this season die by playing bench players he doesn’t believe in or allow his star players to wear down? He’s chosen the latter and I think we all would do the same if we were in his shoes.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 8, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) reacts towards the bullpen after hitting his 100th homer as a Dodger against Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on May 8, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Blake Snell makes his season debut against Spencer Strider.
The Colorado Avalanche entered Game 3 looking to take a commanding 3–0 series lead, but instead ran into a Minnesota Wild team that responded with urgency on home ice.
Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, Ryan Hartman, Brock Faber, and Matt Boldy all scored for Minnesota, while Jesper Wallstedt delivered a composed performance between the pipes to help the Wild secure a 5–1 victory and cut Colorado’s series lead to 2–1.
Colorado struggled with turnovers and defensive-zone breakdowns throughout the night, and those mistakes proved costly against a Wild team that capitalized on its opportunities. Nathan MacKinnon scored the Avalanche’s lone goal on the power play in the second period, briefly giving Colorado life before Minnesota quickly answered to restore control.
The game also featured an early goaltending change for the Avalanche after Ryan Hartman’s goal early in the second period made it 3–0. Head coach Jared Bednar elected to pull Scott Wedgewood in favor of Mackenzie Blackwood after Wedgewood allowed three goals on 12 shots.
First Period
Colorado struggled in the early stages, with turnovers limiting their ability to establish any sustained pressure. One giveaway at the blue line came when Martin Nečas tried to get too creative with the puck, only to cough it up and hand possession back to the opposition.
Even past the halfway point, the Avalanche continued to have trouble maintaining control in the offensive and neutral zones. Cale Makar also misplayed the puck in his own end, opening the door for Kirill Kaprizov to create a dangerous chance. However, Scott Wedgewood came up large, turning aside the opportunity with a sequence of three key saves to keep the game scoreless.
On the very next shift, Colorado’s depth began to show. Nazem Kadri found Parker Kelly coming off the boards with a sharp pass, sending him in alone on Jesper Wallstedt. Kelly went to the backhand, but Wallstedt got just enough of it with the glove to slow it down. The puck slid behind him but never fully crossed the goal line, keeping the game tied.
The ensuing minutes featured a series of penalties that disrupted the flow of the game. Brock Faber was called for high-sticking Nathan MacKinnon, giving Colorado a power-play opportunity.
The Avalanche were unable to capitalize with the man advantage, as Minnesota’s penalty kill held firm and kept them off the scoreboard.
Shortly after, tempers flared after a whistle when Parker Kelly and Ryan Hartman became entangled in some post-play roughing. The officials quickly intervened, assessing matching minors to both players and restoring order before play resumed.
Kirill Kaprizov scored his fourth goal of the playoffs with just under four minutes remaining in the opening period during a 4-on-4 sequence. He carried the puck into the offensive zone, patiently waited out Scott Wedgewood, and then snapped a shot top shelf to give the Wild a 1–0 lead.
Quinn Hughes made it two goals in 1:33 when Scott Wedgewood lost his stick, allowing Hughes to take control of the puck. He circled the zone, settled himself, and then unleashed a heavy wrist shot that sailed over Wedgewood’s blocker to double the lead.
Second Period
Sometimes you’re just unlucky, and that’s exactly how the second period started for the Avalanche. Ryan Hartman was left alone in the slot and batted a puck out of midair to triple the lead at 4:23. At that point, head coach Jared Bednar made the decision to pull Scott Wedgewood in favor of Mackenzie Blackwood. Wedgewood finished the night with nine saves on 12 shots.
Nearly nine minutes later, Nathan MacKinnon finally got Colorado on the board with a power-play goal. After Gabe Landeskog’s initial shot was turned aside by Jesper Wallstedt, MacKinnon crashed the crease and buried the rebound to cut the deficit to 3–1.
However, Minnesota answered just 20 seconds later during a delayed penalty at 13:31. Vladimir Tarasenko fired a snap shot from the left circle that rebounded off Mackenzie Blackwood before deflecting off Brock Faber’s right leg and into the net, restoring the Wild’s three-goal advantage at 4–1.
Colorado’s response was immediate but costly, as they were then assessed a penalty. Devon Toews was identified as the guilty party after hooking Matt Boldy, sending Minnesota to the power play and shifting momentum further in the Wild’s favor.
Third Period
Colorado largely dictated the pace of the third period, controlling possession and generating the better opportunities. What the Avalanche could not do, however, was the most important part of the game — score.
And sometimes, playoff games are decided by the slimmest of margins.
Colorado pulled Blackwood for the extra attacker with a little more than two minutes remaining, desperately searching for a late push to get back into the game.
Matt Boldy added an empty-net goal with four seconds remaining as the Wild secured a 5–1 victory, cutting Colorado’s series lead to 2–1.
PHOENIX — Tobias Myers is quite the utility player for the Mets.
But unlike other players fitting that description, Myers doesn’t play multiple positions. Instead, he’s a pitcher who has shown the capability to handle various roles.
Already this season he had been used as an opener, long reliever and setup man. And then on Friday he got thrust into the closer’s role, working a perfect 10th inning in the team’s 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.
Myers’ save was the first of his major league career.
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“It was a cool moment to get my first one and have guys like Craig Kimbrel, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, guys who have done it in the past, cool to kind of see their reaction and talk to those guys after the game,” Myers said before the Mets’ loss to Arizona on Saturday.
He entered the day with a 3.42 ERA in 12 appearances, a trusted reliever in a bullpen that overall has been respectable, but hardly great. The Mets began play with a 3.93 ERA from relievers, which ranked 13th in MLB.
“[Myers] has been huge for us, in a lot of different ways,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “As a multi-inning guy, an opener. High leverage, [Friday] night asking him to get the last three outs and coming in and doing his part, bouncing back from a tough one in Colorado, that shows a lot. It shows who he is as a competitor and as a player.”
For that Wednesday appearance, he was summoned to protect an eight-run lead, but got knocked out, forcing Mendoza to work deeper into his bullpen in the victory.
Myers allowed four earned runs on five hits, including two homers, over two-thirds of an inning in his least effective outing since arriving at the club.
Tobias Myers shakes hands with Luis Torrens after closing out the Mets’ 3-1, 10-inning win over the Diamondbacks on May 8, 2026 in Phoenix. Getty Images
“I think it was a lack of a good game plan,” Myers said. “I knew going in the splitter wasn’t going to play the same [because of the altitude] and I probably should have went away from it a little bit. It was a mixture of that and a lot of noncompetitive middle/middle pitches, either non-competitive or right down the middle.”
The Mets acquired the 27-year-old righty in the January trade that also brought Freddy Peralta to Queens and sent Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to Milwaukee.
Myers has pitched as long as three innings in relief. His lone start came April 19, when he pitched two inn- ings as an opener against the Cubs.. It’s possible Mendoza will go the opener route Sunday, ahead of David Peterson, putting Myers in play for the start. Mendoza has also used Huascar Brazobán in the opener’s role ahead of Peterson.
If Myers has an obvious strength it’s his ability to throw strikes. He entered Saturday with four walks in 23 ²/₃ innings. His walk rate of 4.3 percent ranked in MLB’s 96th percentile.
“When I am going my best I am going in there, no matter what the pitch is called, I am just attacking the zone, trying to throw it in the zone,” Myers said. “Get ahead, strike one, strike two. That mentality is definitely where I wants to stay at. Coming in from the bullpen, nobody wants to give free bases, especially late in the game. So, just trying to make the hitters earn it type of mentality.
Myers had a barrel rate of 4.2 percent that placed him in the 84th percentile.
Tobias Myers throws in the seventh inning of the Mets’ blowout win over the Nationals at Citi Field on April 28, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“I probably have to give credit to the catchers and the pitches they are calling,” Myers said. “I think I have done a decent job of putting the fastball in good spots, but as far as the breaking balls and the splits, they are kind of over the plate, so I think the catchers read the hitters, read the swings and are pressing the right buttons.”
Tobias Myers walks off after the third inning of the Mets’ win over the Twins at Citi Field on April 23, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt was available to play Saturday in Game 3. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The 6-foot-8 forward suffered an open dislocation to his right pinky during the second quarter of Tuesday’s Game 1 loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City.
Medical personnel were able “to put his finger back together,” according to Lakers coach JJ Redick, who added that Vanderbilt’s status was day to day.
Vanderbilt was doubtful before being downgraded to unavailable for Thursday’s Game 2 loss.
“We just had to kind of make sure that the tissue and the stitches were good to go so that the bone wouldn’t pop out again. But, I mean, he’s certainly tough-minded and wants to give it a go,” Redick said.
Redick added on the left-handed Vanderbilt: “Glad he’s never taken a shot right-handed in his life.”
Sources told The California Post on Tuesday that a bone in Vanderbilt’s pinky broke through the skin after he attempted to block an alley-oop for Chet Holmgren during the second quarter of Game 1, with Vanderbilt’s pinky hitting the backboard as he swiped for the ball.
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The 6-foot-8 forward immediately went to the ground in pain, holding his right hand near the Thunder bench, with Oklahoma City players reacting when they saw Vanderbilt’s hand.
He immediately went back to the locker room at the 5:51 mark of the second quarter.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 26: Landen Roupp #65 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Miami Marlins in the top of the fifth inning of a major league baseball game at Oracle Park on April 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today is a weird day. The San Francisco Giants traded their two-time Gold Glove catcher and then, a few hours later, placed their two-time All-Star starting pitcher on the 15-Day Injured List. And yet, through it all, the games must go on, and the Giants still have a date with the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight.
Landen Roupp makes the start for the Giants, as he looks to build on his great season. The 27-year old right-hander has made seven starts this season, and is 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA, a 2.65 FIP, and 43 strikeouts against 16 walks in 39.2 innings. He’s looking to bounce back from his worst start of the year, when he allowed four runs in 4.1 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
For the Pirates, it’s Braxton Ashcraft, a 26-year old right-hander in his second season. Ashcraft has made seven starts this year, and is 1-2 with a 3.02 ERA, a 2.99 FIP, and 45 strikeouts against 14 walks in 41.2 innings. He’s coming off his best start, when he pitched 7.2 shutout innings against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Golden State Warriors appear ready to run it back — at least with one key piece of the puzzle reportedly locked in.
Steve Kerr has agreed to return as head coach of the franchise after both sides agreed to a two-year contract extension, his agents told ESPN. Kerr will remain the highest-paid coach in the NBA on a yearly basis, ESPN reports.
This comes after weeks of speculation that Kerr was considering stepping down. Kerr, whose contract was set to expire, had been engaged in meetings with the Warriors over his future with the team.
“I still love coaching, but I get it,” Kerr told reporters after the Warriors lost in the Play-In Tournament. “These jobs all have an expiration date. There's a run that happens, and when the run ends, sometimes it's time for new blood and new ideas and all that.”
This is a clear indication that the Warriors are looking to run it back once more with Stephen Curry (38 years old), Jimmy Butler (36) and Draymond Green (36) — all of whom will be on expiring contracts in 2026-27, assuming Green exercises his player option.
Green could decline the option and seek a multi-year deal, but the Warriors will need to carefully consider their future beyond the next two seasons.
It’s also an indication that Kerr and the Warriors feel they can win; presumably, Kerr wouldn’t want to be part of a rebuild. And, along a similar thread, if the Warriors were looking to build for the future, they would presumably want a coach earlier in his career than the 60-year-old Kerr.
In any case, the Warriors likely need to add some pieces to stay competitive in the Western Conference.
In January, Butler suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and his status for the start of the 2026-27 season could be in doubt. Either way, it became clear that this Warriors roster was deficient, so Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. could use this closing window to compete to seek out a star.
Prior to the February trading deadline, the Warriors had been linked to Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, and as Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee will be assessed this offseason, Golden State could once again become involved in that pursuit.
In any case, one thing that will benefit the Warriors is if Kerr can get some of their younger players to develop and take steps forward.
Since taking over in 2014, Kerr’s record at Golden State is 604-353 (.631). He’s the second longest-tenured active head coach in the NBA behind only Erik Spoelstra, who has been head coach of the Miami Heat since 2008.
The 2025-26 season marked the first time in Kerr’s 12-year run that the Warriors finished with a losing record (37-45) in an 82-game season. Golden State went 15-50 in 2019-20, but they played only 65 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Not counting his five rings as a player with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, Kerr has won four NBA championships as the head coach of the Warriors.
Kerr took over in 2014-15 for previous head coach Mark Jackson and led Golden State to the Finals in his first season. Eventually, the Warriors knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers, ending a 40-year title drought. The team won a regular-season record 73 games the following year but ultimately lost a Finals rematch against the Cavs in seven games after Golden State blew a 3-1 lead.
That offseason, the Warriors shifted the balance of power in the NBA by signing Kevin Durant and proceeded to win consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018 before losing their bid for a three-peat to the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
The Warriors captured their most recent championship in 2022.
