Islanders eliminated from playoffs with loss to Canadiens as once-feel-good season comes to crashing end

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montréal Canadiens celebrates his goal and 100th point of the season at 15:46 of the second period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on April 12, 2026 in Elmont, New York, Image 2 shows With the New York Islanders losing 3-0 in the third period to the Montréal Canadiens Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders rests during a timeout at UBS Arena

Four weeks ago, it seemed impossible that this feel-good Islanders season would end so soon.

The Islanders had been in a playoff spot since early December. They were buyers at the trade deadline. They were not quite a Cup contender, but with Matthew Schaefer driving the bus, the season’s vibe was impeccable.

Getting eliminated from playoff contention before the last game of the season even took place? Unfathomable, until it became all but inevitable Saturday night. Impossible to digest until it became official, leaving no choice, on Sunday.

The Islanders’ 4-1 loss to Montreal formalized what has been an astonishing, gutting and indicting collapse over the past 25 days. Since losing to Ottawa and falling out of a spot March 19, the Islanders are 4-9-0 in their past 13 games, a .307 points percentage that would rank 32nd in the league by a wide margin over the season.

“You can take a guess how I feel right now,” Casey Cizikas said inside an utterly devastated dressing room. “Frustrated, disappointed. It sucks.”

With the New York Islanders losing 3-0 in the third period to the Montréal Canadiens Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders rests during a timeout at UBS Arena. Getty Images

Since the Devils moved to New Jersey in 1982, this is the first time that all three tristate area teams have failed to make the playoffs in a season.

Had they merely been passably bad as opposed to awful, the Islanders would almost certainly have at least made the playoffs. Had they been average, the Islanders might have home ice in the first round.

Instead, in game after game, the Islanders fell flat. Two nights after that loss in Ottawa, the Islanders fell to pieces in the third period in Montreal. They came out as if it were a preseason game against the Blackhawks, got blown out 8-3 to the Penguins and — in the final blow for coach Patrick Roy — could not muster any desperation or energy whatsoever in must-win games against the Flyers and Hurricanes last weekend.

Casey Cizikas #53 of the New York Islanders celebrates his third period goal against the Montréal Canadiens at UBS Arena on April 12, 2026 in Elmont, New York. Getty Images

Then, with Pete DeBoer behind the bench and the Islanders knowing they needed to run the table just to have a shot, an 0-for-5 power play and 3-0 loss to Ottawa on Saturday put their playoff chances into Lloyd Christmas territory.

Reverse just one or two of those results, and the Islanders might be looking forward to the postseason now. Instead, they could barely contain their emotions and shock Sunday night, still in disbelief that a season that had been so promising had ended so terribly.



“It’s just like, a bit of a gut punch,” Ryan Pulock said. “I think the first 65, 70 games, how we were so resilient and how much fun it was coming to the rink every day, trying to get back in the playoffs. I think at the start of the year, no one had us anywhere close. Just the finish we had and where we’re at now.

“This league’s tough. It’s tough. Every team is good. It’s such a fine line. You go and compete every night and then when this happens, it sucks.”

Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montréal Canadiens celebrates his goal and 100th point of the season at 15:46 of the second period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on April 12, 2026 in Elmont, New York. Getty Images

The details of Sunday’s match are, largely, immaterial. The Islanders fell apart during a 55-second span in the second period over which they gave up three goals, with Nick Suzuki, Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook doing the scoring. Offensively, they failed to threaten through two periods and failed to build Casey Cizikas’ third-period goal into anything more than a brief spurt of momentum. Zach Bolduc added a fourth for Montreal. The Islanders were left to sit with it.

“There’s not a lot of words, without swearing, [for] how I feel right now and how the group feels,” captain Anders Lee said. “We came up short after putting everything we had towards getting in this year.”

Tuesday’s now-meaningless bout against Carolina might be Lee’s last as an Islander. He is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and after the way this season ended, it seems a distinct possibility that general manager Mathieu Darche will look for serious changes in the roster’s composition.

Exactly what, and how much, changes are the questions facing Darche now.

After two straight seasons without playoff hockey, it’s pivotal to find the right answer.

Cavs end regular season with wire-to-wire win over Wizards

CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 12: Tyrese Proctor #24 of the Cleveland Cavaliers passes around Leaky Black #14 of the Washington Wizards during the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena on April 12, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: The Cavaliers defeated the Wizards 130-117. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored 26 points, Tyrese Proctor added 22 off the bench, and the Cleveland Cavaliers wrapped up the regular season with a 130-117 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards. With nearly every starter sitting out the finale to prepare for the postseason, Cleveland’s bench and G League players paced the team to its 52nd win.

Jamir Watkins, Bub Carrington, and former Cleveland Charge guard Sharife Cooper all scored over 20 points for the Wizards, who end another pitiful season on a 10-game losing streak. They have the worst record in the NBA, securing yet another high lottery pick in the upcoming draft.

For the Cavs, who had already secured home court for at least the first round of the playoffs, the stakes were relatively low — but not completely zero. Jaylon Tyson, who figures to have a prominent role in the playoff rotation, had 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 6-16 shooting. The stat line wasn’t as important as what was seen on court, which was a confident player. Tyson had missed time with an injury, so to hit some threes and see the ball go through the net is important for a young player’s mentality.

Max Strus had 10 points in his final tune-up before the playoffs, where he too will be relied upon for wing minutes in the postseason. Strus has had big games and several clunkers since his return from a broken foot, and tonight’s effort would fall squarely in the middle tier. In 17 minutes, he had 10 points and five rebounds on 4-9 shooting (1-6 from deep).

The rest of this game can be chalked up to evaluating how the young talent looked in regular minutes. Tyrese Proctor did not disappoint with a near triple-double, pouring in 22 points, 11 rebounds (which led the team), and eight assists in 34 minutes of court time. He also drilled half of his three-point attempts, which is good to see, but he had seven turnovers, which is expected and part of being a young point guard. Overall, it was a good game for the former Duke Blue Devil, who has had flashes all season. Just not consistent minutes.

Riley Minix, Olivier Sarr (whose brother Alex plays for Washington), and Tristan Enaruna represent the G League guys, and they played with the typical intensity and effort that is expected of players trying to make it in the NBA. They all scored in double figures, combined for six steals, and were positives when on the court. The Cavs pride themselves on being a good pipeline of talent from the G League to The Association, and there was plenty of that on display tonight.

The Cavs would never say they have nothing to play for, but this game was as close to that label as possible. They have the four-seed locked up and will officially be playing the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. The good news is they do maintain home court advantage. The bad news is they have not beaten the Raptors this season, but the postseason is a different ballgame. Oh, and the Cavs did not have James Harden in any of those games.

Doc Rivers out as head coach of Milwaukee Bucks as franchise heads into summer of change

In an expected move, Doc Rivers is leaving as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, something that ESPN Shams Charania reported minutes after the team's season ended on Sunday.

This exit comes one week after it was announced Rivers would be part of the Class of 2026 inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Bucks went 32-50 this season, in large part due to Giannis Antetokounmpo playing in just 36 games because of an assortment of injuries. Beyond that, Rivers never connected with this roster and did not elevate it during his two-and-a-half seasons as coach, going 97-103 in the role.

Rivers had hinted at an exit before, and prior to Sunday's game, Rivers sounded like someone with one foot out the door. Here are some pregame quotes, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

"I'm not gonna announce anything. But I gotta go to grandparents day on the 21st. There's another grandparents day on the 24th. I have something on my schedule right now that I need to do and I'm looking forward to doing...

"I don't ever use that R-word (retirement) because you never know. I don't want to be Ali and keep coming back. But yeah, it is (an emotional day)."

Rivers had one year and about $8 million remaining on his contract with the Bucks, which the team is going to eat, according to Charania. There had been reports that the Bucks might slide him into a front office role rather than pay him to go away.

Rivers has been an NBA head coach every year since the 1999-2000 season when he was in Orlando — a season he was named Coach of the Year. In his more than a quarter of a century on the bench, Rovers has gone 1,194-866, a 58% winning percentage. He coached the 2008 Boston Celtics to the title.

Don't be surprised to see Rivers on your television next season, part of the broadcast team for NBA games with one of the league's network partners.

Mets calling up Tommy Pham ahead of series with Dodgers

The Mets are calling up Tommy Pham, a league source confirms to SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes. 

Pham will join the team in Los Angeles for their three-game set, which kicks off Monday night. 

The veteran returned to the organization on a minor league deal on Opening Day. 

After taking some time to build himself up, he jumped into Low-A games earlier this month. 

Carlos Mendoza said this week that he wasn't sure exactly how many at-bats Pham would need, but he didn't think he was too far off from joining the big-league roster. 

Now after five games, he's being recalled to try to spark the Mets' struggling offense. 

New York was shut out for the second time in three games by the Athletics on Sunday as they closed out an ugly 1-5 homestand with their fifth consecutive loss.

The Mets are now averaging just 3.38 runs per game since Juan Soto went on the IL.   

Even at 37 years old Pham was able to put together a very strong showing last season, racking up 28 XBH's and a .330 OBP across 120 games with the Pirates.

It remains to be seen exactly how he'll fit into the Mets' outfield rotation, but he figures to compete for playing time with Carson Benge, Brett Baty, Jared Young and Tyrone Taylor in the corners. 

Canadiens 4, Islanders 1: Game over.

ELMONT, NEW YORK - APRIL 12: Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montréal Canadiens celebrates his goal and 100th point of the season at 15:46 of the second period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on April 12, 2026 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Just over a month ago, the New York Islanders were comfortably in a playoff spot. Even after a rough road trip out to California, a concerning stretch for sure, it still didn’t seem like the season was in any real peril. And then…

Everyone else in the Metro started surging while the Islanders floundered, going 7-10 to this point, including losing 6 of their last 7 games. The scoring went cold, while the defense fell apart and Ilya Sorokin started to look mortal, his Vezina bid likely slipping away in the process.

And all of that led to Patrick Roy’s dismissal. Mathieu Darche brought in Peter DeBoer with eyes towards next season. If everything worked out, he’d right the ship, go 4-0 in these games, and the Isles would earn a playoff bid in Matthew Schaefer’s first season.

That didn’t happen, though, and now Darche, DeBoer, and the Islanders will have a long offseason to start to set this team up for long-term success. That will probably be without some long time Islanders, but with an aging core and young talent along the way (Bridgeport made the AHL playoffs!), it’s time to make some difficult decisions.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

First Period

Anthony Duclair came into the lineup for Ondrej Palat, and hopefully that was a hint that Palat won’t be part of this team going forward.

The Islanders went to an early power play after Josh Anderson was called for high sticking Carson Soucy, but unsurprisingly, they couldn’t convert on the power play. Jacob Fowler made a good save on Kyle MacLean after the power play expired.

Mat Barzal put a shot off Fowler’s mask, which was the other big chance for the Islanders that period.

Then, Emil Heineman was called for tripping Ivan Demidov, and on that power play, Juraj Slafkovsky whiffed in front of an empty net, and Ilya Sorokin made a big save on Nick Suzuki, the sharpest he’s looked in a few games now.

Second Period

Anthony Duclair shot the puck high over the net while pressured in front.

Scott Mayfield was boarded by Arber Xhekaj, with no call for that. Brayden Schenn came in on Xhekaj, and both of them got roughing penalties. Neither team converted on the 4 on 4, but Mayfield left the game after that hit.

He did return a few minutes later.

Anderson got a breakaway but missed high.

Nick Suzuki then scored to make it 1-0 for the Canadiens. On that play, Matthew Schaefer took a four minute double minor for high sticking, so the Canadiens also picked up a two-minute power play after that as well. And on that power play, Demidov made it 2-0.

And then Alex Newhook made it 3-0 less than 30 seconds later.

Xhekaj was called for roughing, sending the Islanders to the power play, which would continue on into the third period.

Third Period

The Canadiens killed that power play despite one good look from the Islanders.

With 11 minutes left, Casey Cizikas tipped a Mayfield shot past Fowler to make it 3-1.

That gave the Islanders some life, but they couldn’t get anything past Fowler before pulling Sorokin for the extra skater. They couldn’t convert with the net empty, and then Zack Bolduc scored late with Sorokin back in to make it 4-1.

Up Next

Next, the New York Islanders will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, April 14, the last game of the season and Fan Appreciation Night. All eyes will be on whether Matthew Schaefer will break Brian Leetch’s rookie scoring record.

Canucks Curtis Douglas Scores First NHL Goal Against The Ducks

Vancouver Canucks forward Curtis Douglas has scored his first ever NHL goal, tying the game up by a score of 1–1 against the Anaheim Ducks. This is the forward’s third career NHL point, as he has also put up two assists through 41 games during the 2025–26 season. 

This is Douglas’ first NHL season, with the forward having made his NHL debut on October 9 against the Ottawa Senators. He scored his first career NHL point on November 12 against the New York Rangers and followed that up with an assist against the Florida Panthers the game after. His goal tonight is his first point as a member of the Canucks. 

Douglas was the Canucks’ lone acquisition on NHL Trade Deadline day. Including tonight, the forward has played in 12 games with the Canucks as well as 29 with the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier on in the season. 

Douglas' first career NHL goal also marked a career milestone for another Canuck. Defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev, who was called-up by Vancouver yesterday, tallied his first NHL point with an assist on the 1-1 goal. 

After tonight, Vancouver will play in their final home game of the season against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm PT.   

Mar 30, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Curtis Douglas (42) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Mar 30, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Curtis Douglas (42) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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Knicks set to face Hawks in first round of 2026 NBA Playoffs

The Knicks’ playoff opponent is officially set.

With Boston beating Orlando, Miami beating Atlanta, and Toronto beating Brooklyn on Sunday, New York is officially set to meet the Hawks in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

Atlanta played the Knicks tough during their regular season matchups. 

While New York took the series 2-1, the two victories were three point games and the loss was by 12. 

The latest meeting was earlier this week, when New York hung on to end the Hawks’ 13-game home winning streak. 

This will be the fourth time that they face-off in the playoffs. 

The most recent one was when Trae Young and the Hawks eliminated New York in five games in 2021. 

Now with Young out of town and a much different roster, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks will look to flip the script.  

Cannon to the right of them, walks to the left: Sox split series with erratic 6-5 win

Tanner Murray rounds the bases after his first career big fly, which also broke a two-game shutout streak by the White Sox. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

White Sox pitchers these days have to feel something like the cavalry riders of Lord Tennyson’s vivid description of the Charge of the Light Brigade: Galloping hopelessly into a unrepentant line of cannonfire (or Cannon-fire, in today’s case) knowing that offensive support is minimal and death is more or less certain.

The Kansas City Royals lineup isn’t exactly a valley of death these days, but the situation that Will Venable threw Jonathan Cannon into this afternoon might as well have been. Dating all the way back to his college days at Georgia, 116 of Cannon’s last 120 appearances have come as either a starting pitcher (111 games) or a bulk reliever (5 games). Yet, for reasons that may become clear in today’s postgame press conference but are not so to this author, Cannon was thrown into a two-on, one-out situation in the third inning of this afternoon’s game, despite his role as opener having been seemingly planned for the better part of a week now. To be sure, some of the blame for today’s chaos lies with Sean Newcomb, who failed to retire either of the lefties that he was brought in specifically to handle. Nonetheless, it felt to me like an abdication of a manager’s top priority as an authority figure: Put your players in a position to succeed. Point blank.

The reason I’m saying this is to ask the question: Why the hell would you take a guy who’s only ever been a starter and instead of giving him a clean inning as he surely expected, stuff him into a pressure situation that he’s actually not all that well suited for? Cannon pitches to contact, for the most part — if it were the eighth inning, you wouldn’t think of bringing him on in the same situation, because it’s one that very clearly and obviously calls for bat-missing ability.

Thrown into an entirely unfamiliar situation, surely with the added pressure of trying to make good on a major league chance that he failed to win out of Spring Training, Cannon walked all three batters he faced before being removed from the game in what the White Sox later called a “right hip contusion.”

Yet, somehow, the White Sox actually won this game.

While Cannon’s struggles may have been a consequence of his unconventional usage, Venable got away with it partly because Grant Taylor was absolutely filthy in his fourth appearance as an opener. Excitingly, the powers-that-be in the Sox dugout let him get a second inning of work, leaving Taylor with two perfect innings on his final line.

Less excitingly, the latter two of Cannon’s three walks resulted in runs scored, which leveled the game at two runs apiece not too long after the Sox had struck first with Tanner Murray’s first major league bomb, a towering fly ball that just kept carrying until it left the yard:

The last two walks wound up giving the Royals a 3-2 advantage, but Brandon Eisert managed to work his way out of Cannon’s jam. One must give Eisert credit where it’s due: Dropping back down to the minors after a full year spent putting up a very acceptable league average ERA in the bigs has to be tough psychologically, and Eisert responded admirably to his number being called for the first time this year.

The back-and-forth carried on for virtually the entire game. The Cannon sequence was highly discouraging, but it didn’t take long for the Sox to pick their spirits up again when Colson Montgomery found a barrel on a hanging breaking ball and turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 Sox lead:

Unfortunately, Eisert’s second inning out of the pen didn’t go quite as well as his initial relief of Cannon. After the lefty allowed two runners to reach base in the fifth inning, Jordan Hicks came on and came this close to holding the lead before Bobby Witt Jr. did what Bobby Witt Jr. does and gave the Royals a 5-4 lead:

Apropos of nothing, when was the last time you saw not one but both teams walk in a run in the same inning? I couldn’t tell you myself, but it did happen today when John Schreiber and Daniel Lynch IV couldn’t quite find the zone enough to hold Kansas City’s lead, with the tally that would ultimately be the game-winner scoring on a White Sox-esque wild pitch:

Meanwhile, after Hicks allowed Eisert’s runners to score, the Sox bullpen put up an incredibly game effort in holding on to a hair’s-breadth lead, with Bryan Hudson, Jordan Leasure, Lucas Sims and Seranthony Domínguez fully shutting down the Royals offense, none of them allowing a single hit in salvaging the split for the South Siders.

Given the Kauffman Stadium losing streak (12 games!) the White Sox entered this series with, a split doesn’t seem like such a terribly bad outcome after all. Last year’s Sox team didn’t win their sixth game until April 24. In 2024, it took until April 28. It was April 15th in 2023. Progress is being made! We think, at least.

The squad gets the day off tomorrow as they travel back to Chicago for a brief three-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays. The next first pitch — and the first pitch of Noah Schultz’s MLB career — comes on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. Central time, and we’ll see you there!


Islanders Eliminated From Playoff Contention After 4-1 Loss To Montreal

ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders have been eliminated from playoff contention following their 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

After a scoreless first period, the Islanders allowed three goals in 55 seconds to go down 3-0, the last of the three coming at 16:51 of the middle frame.  

Casey Cizikas did score at 8:45 of the second period after he deflected a Scott Mayfield point shot to stop the Islanders from being shut out for a second straight night after falling 3-0 to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon. 

Zachary Bolduc scored with 13.2 seconds to play for the 4-1 final.

With the loss, the Islanders have now missed the playoffs for a second straight season.

The last time that happened was in 2016-17 and 2017-18, the last two seasons of the Garth Snow-Doug Weight Era. 

The Islanders, who conclude their season on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, are 1-2-0 through their first three games under new head coach Pete DeBoer.  

Logan Gilbert’s best start in a year leads Mariners past Houston 6-1

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 12: Logan Gilbert #36 of the Seattle Mariners reafts during the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park on April 12, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Logan Gilbert needed this game almost as much as I needed Logan Gilbert to have this game. I’ll admit I was nervous at the beginning when the game started with Jose Altuve hitting a line drive into centerfield. But things quickly turned around when Josh Naylor deked a move back to first base that sent Altuve scrambling back. When Altuve realized Naylor was faking, he loped back toward second, and at that exact moment, with Altuve relaxed and leaning toward second, Gilbert struck. It notched Gilbert just the second pick-off of his career, with Altuve caught so flat-footed he didn’t even try to get back. According to Gilbert, the move was planned and was called from the dugout, with Naylor’s deke, Cal’s read and call for the pick-off with a glove drop: “Basically, everyone else picked him off. I just threw the ball.”

Despite his limited role in the affair, it still elicited a huge smile from Gilbert, who thought it was his first in MLB, saying, “I was about to throw the ball out, but I didn’t know if that would like, look bad.” I think the moment might have served as a hardware reset for him because the rest of his performance was, in my view, his best since his breakout 2024.

The key, as I’ve been obsessing over, was Gilbert’s slider. He picked up his first strikeout today—against Yordan Álvarez—on an 89-mph slider with more bite than I’ve seen on a Gilbert slider in a year. It was the first of five whiffs against it on just eight swings, with another three called strikes, for a CSW% of 47%. He even used it to put five batters away, something he used to rely on it for in his best seasons.

Just as exciting as the slider was the bounceback in Gilbert’s four-seamer velocity, regularly sitting 96-97 all game, a mile-per-hour faster than he sat at for most of last year, even before his injury. And there may be more in store, as he usually gains most of his velocity as the season rolls along.

He only had two bad PAs all game. The first came against Isaac Peredes in the third, in which he got away with three inside pitches to the pull-happiest hitter in baseball. That’s a better bet in T-Mobile Park in April than at Enron Field where those pitches are liable to end up in the Crawford Boxes, but it’s bad pitching regardless. The sequence ended on a hit off a cutter (a Gilbert pitch I’m coming to hate again). The second bad PA did more damage but seemed like a flukier sequence. Despite his fastball being hot both before and after this at-bat, he was at 95 three separate times pitching to Yainer Diaz in the fourth, the final one being parked in the bullpens. But it was the only run Gilbert gave up all day.

Other than those blemishes, this was a vintage Logan Gilbert start. He was even efficient for the first time in what felt like forever, never taking more than 15 pitches in any of his seven innings. After a 2025 in which he struggled to put batters away, he was cruising today. It was the result of a real change in approach: In the run-up to today’s game, he focused on being more efficient, saying he tried to act as though “if they swing, it’s a good thing.”

He wanted to just stay in the zone “instead of just trying to out-stuff everybody.” I’m going to try to write about this later this week, but this totally tracks with when he struggled to put batters away last season. As a preview, I’m thinking my thesis will be: was the issue that all Logan’s tinkering made his arsenal too good?

But getting back to today, he probably even had some left in the tank after his seven innings, getting pulled at 85 pitches. It was the first time he’s pitched seven innings since Opening Day of last year. “Didn’t know it’d been that long,” he said after the game. “That doesn’t feel great.” 

Of course, much as I wanted more out of him, the Astros were there to serve as a walking (pun intended) reminder of what happens when you don’t take care of your pitchers. After drawing 17 walks in the first two games, the Mariners offense started today in much the same fashion, facing literally Cody Bolton, who’d taken Hunter Brown’s place in Houston’s rotation. Brendan Donovan led off by reaching on a hit-by-pitch and Naylor walked to set up an RBI single from Randy Arozarena. They kept it going in the second, loading the bases on a trio of walks with nobody out. But just as they got Bolton on the ropes, he too left the game with the trainer. The back tightness that took him out today marks the seventh Astros starter with an injury issue.

The Mariners only cashed one of those runs in, but they kept getting opportunities, loading the bases again in the third, and scoring another pair of those runners on a Cole Young RBI walk and a Donovan sac fly. But despite having scored four, it felt like they were wasting a lot of chances, leaving nine runners on base through five innings. That’s enough LOBsters in the pot to make you nervous no matter how well Logan was pitching. I had to keep reminding myself they had, in fact, scored four times.

Things got even dicier in the sixth when Julio Rodríguez was thrown out at the plate. But they finally broke through on the next batter, when a Luke Raley double scored two, including Randy Arozarena losing his helmet rounding second but scoring from first.

The Mariners certainly could have scored more today given their eight hits and nine walks, but six was enough. Those nine walks bring their total to 26 over just 25 innings of offense against the Astros this series.

Josh Naylor earns today’s Sun Hat Award for providing a perfect bookend with an unassisted double play in the ninth, once again putting down a Jose Altuve who’d gotten too far off first base. This time it was Naylor’s turn to smile. As Gilbert put it, “Sometimes you can have fun out there. That’s OK.”

Knicks rest starters, close regular season with 110-96 loss to Hornets

The Knicks closed the regular season with a 110-96 loss to the Charolette Hornets on Sunday night. 

Here are the takeaways...

- The Knicks opted to sit out their key contributors with their spot/seed in the playoffs already locked up. Mikal Bridges still received the start to keep the NBA's longest active consecutive games streak alive (now at 638), but he committed an intentional foul to be subbed out after just 23 seconds. 

Bridges, Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Mohamed Diawara, and Ariel Hukporti was the starting five. 

- McBride dressed as he works to find his footing heading into the playoffs, and he finally showed flashes of his old form in the early going. The backup guard was New York's most effective scorer all night, leading the team with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and four threes. 

- New York saw plenty of other positives from their depth filling out the starting lineup throughout the night. Alvarado was everywhere with a final line of 13-5-6, Hukporti dominated the boards with a season-high eight, and Diawara tied his career-high with five assists.

- Jeremy Sochan and Kevin McCullar Jr. also put together strong showings off the bench. Sochan provided a spark in the third quarter and finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists. McCullar knocked down 6-of-11 attempts from the field to set a new career-high, 14 points. 

- LaMelo Ball led the way for Charolette with five threes, seven rebounds, and six assists. Coby White had himself a night off the bench, chipping in 19 points off the bench, and Kon Knueppel finished his stellar rookie campaign with three threes and 19 points of his own. 

- Despite being a bit overmatched, the Knicks' backups continued to show fight throughout the night. They were able to cut the deficit back down to eight points at one point early in the third quarter, but ultimately saw that stretched back out in the closing minutes of the final frame.

- New York finishes the regular season 53-29, good enough for third place in the Eastern Conference. 

What's next

The Knicks kick off the postseason and the quest for their third NBA title. 

Player Grades: Cavs vs Wizards – Tyrese Proctor ends strong

Apr 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Tyrese Proctor (24) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards guard Sharife Cooper (13) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

That’s a wrap. The Cleveland Cavaliers ended the 2025-26 regular season with a win over the Washington Wizards. Let’s get to the grades.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Jaylon Tyson

18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

Tyson looked like the kid who decided to show up on Senior Skip Day. He overachieved all season, ending the year both as the biggest surprise and the most entertaining part of the year, in my opinion.

Grade: A+

Olivier Sarr

10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal

Sarr has a solid game. He showcased great agility and touch for his height, but at 27 years old, I’m not sure how much more development we should expect from him. His thinner frame makes him vulnerable against NBA-sized frontcourts. Still, he’s a fun player to watch and easy to root for.

Grade: B-

Craig Porter Jr.

7 points, 4 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 block

Porter capped off his season with another all-around performance. His weak-side block in the first half was a highlight.

Grade: B

Tyrese Proctor

22 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 6 turnovers

I’m optimistic about Proctor’s future. He’s got all of the skills you want in a modern guard. A smooth jumper and good defensive instincts.

Six turnovers are the only thing stopping me from giving him the A+ for this near-triple-double performance.

Grade: A

Nae’Qwan Tomlin

26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists

Tomlin, as we’ve come to expect, was shot out of a cannon tonight. He rebounded his own miss three times in one possession and took a borderline heat-check three-pointer after hitting back-to-back jumpers in the first half. For the record, Tomlin is shooting 20% from downtown this season. His unbridled enthusiasm is something I have no choice but to respect.

Grade: A+

Max Strus

10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

We don’t get many opportunities to watch Strus handle the ball with volume. Tonight, he had the ball in his hands a ton — and it was a nice reminder of how skilled NBA players are. Strus unleashed a few shifty moves, bringing the ball up the floor, and it’s always fun to see someone take on a slightly different role for a night.

Grade: C+

Tristan Enaruna

15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

Enaruna can impact games with his size and physcality. He was a positive presence on both sides of the ball as a result. However, his lack of an outside shot will put a ceiling on him for the foreseeable future.

Grade: B+

Larry Nance Jr.

10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

Nance got one final run this season with the youngings. He’s been playing more recently, and could be someone to watch as a ‘break glass’ option in the playoffs — even if it’s clear that he’s lost a step or two over the years.

Grade: B

Rylie Minix

12 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block

Minix nailed a one-legged jumper early in this game. He then proceeded to make hustle play after hustle play on defense. That’s enough for me, take your degree and have a great summer.

Grade: A+

Cubs Minor League Wrap: Owen Ayers leads South Bend past Peoria

Nov 9, 2025; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Owen Ayers during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Iowa Cubs

Rained out. The game with the Omaha Storm Chasers will not be made up. Maybe they shouldn’t have run towards the rain.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were left on the launchpad by the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 7-4 in ten innings.

Jake Knapp started and gave the Smokies four strong shutout innings. Knapp surrendered three hits. He struck out five and walked no one.

Erian Rodriguez then pitched two scoreless innings, but Nick Dean allowed a three runs in the eighth. Dean pitched 1.2 innings and gave up three runs on three hits and no walks. He struck out three.

But the Smokies managed to come back and send the game into extra innings. But Vince Reilly ran out of gas in the tenth and took the loss. Reilly’s final line was four runs, two earned, on three hits over two innings. Reilly struck out two, walked one and hit two batters.

Devin Ortiz connected on a solo home run in the fifth inning. It was his second of the season and second in as many days. Ortiz went 1 for 4.

DH Haydn McGeary sent the game to extras with an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. McGeary went 2 for 4 with a walk.

Karson Simas was 2 for 5 with two steals.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs reassigned the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals), 5-4.

Koen Moreno bounced back from his disastrous first start of the year by tossing four scoreless innings, allowing just three hits. He struck out four and walked no one.

Kenten Egbert relieved Moreno and got roughed up for four runs in the fifth. That included a three-run home run to Tai Peete, who was a key part of the Brendan Donovan trade this winter. Egbert finished with four runs on four hits over two innings. He struck out two.

Marino Santy pitched the final three innings without allowing a run and got the win. Santy allowed two hits and one walk. He struck out two.

DH Owen Ayers gave the Cubs the lead with a two-run home run in the top of the ninth. It was his second home run this year. Ayers went 2 for 5.

Third baseman Matt Halbach homered in his second-straight game. His blast came with the bases empty in the fourth inning. Halbach went 1 for 5.

Center fielder Kane Kepley was 2 for 4 was hit by a pitch. Kepley doubled to lead off the top of the first and then scored when the next batter, right fielder Leonel Espinoza, singled him home. Espinoza went 2 for 5 with a double. He scored on Ayers’ home run in the ninth.

Left fielder Brian Kalmer was 3 for 4 with a double.

First baseman Cameron Sisneros was 2 for 4 with an RBI single in the fourth inning.

Halbach’s home run.

Owen Ayers’ game-winning blast.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans had their wings clipped by the Columbia Fireflies (Royals), 8-3.

Starter Riely Hunsaker was a last-minute replacement for Victor Zarraga and he may not have been ready as he was jumped on for four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Hunsaker took the loss after allowing four runs on one hit, three walks and one hit batsman over two-thirds of an inning. He did not strike anyone out.

Zarraga came to relieve Hunsaker in the first inning and he gave up four runs on three hits over 2.2 innings. Zarraga walked two and struck out four.

Third baseman Cole Mathis hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning. Mathis went 2 for 3 and was hit by a pitch. It was his third home run this season.

Right fielder Eli Lovich chipped in a solo home run in the top of the ninth. Lovich was 2 for 4.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn went 2 for 5.

Jokic to start for Nuggets versus Spurs to quality for award eligibility while Wemby sits

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic will start for the Denver Nuggets in their regular-season finale against San Antonio on Sunday night for his 65th game played to qualify for NBA awards.

Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama is sitting out the game after reaching eligibility in his previous game.

Jokic has played in 64 games and was listed as questionable with an injured right wrist.

Denver needs a victory over the Spurs on Sunday to secure the third seed in the Western Conference. A Nuggets loss, coupled with a win by the Los Angeles Lakers, would drop the Nuggets to fourth and move the Lakers to third.

The NBA requires players to participate in 65 games to be eligible for MVP, All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Jokic must play at least 15 minutes against San Antonio to be eligible.

The NBA allows two exemptions of 15 to 19:59 minutes played to count as an official game. Jokic has one exemption remaining.

“Yeah, he’ll play the first half,” Denver coach David Adelman said. “Then we’ll reconvene at halftime and see where he’s at, where the game’s at. It’s what the rules provide. So we’ll follow the rules.”

Jokic, who won MVP in 2021, 2022 and 2024, has been named to the All-NBA Team in seven of his 11 seasons.

Wembanyama qualified for award eligibility by playing in his 65th game Friday, in San Antonio's 139-120 victory over Dallas.

Wembanyama competed in 64 regular-season games in addition to the NBA Cup Final, which does not count toward regular-season record or statistics, but does qualify as a game played.

Wembanyama suffered a left rib contusion and missed the second half of Monday's 115-102 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers. He returned Friday to post 40 points and 13 rebounds in 26:13 minutes against Dallas.

He was listed as questionable due to injury management and was ruled out after the Spurs' afternoon walkthrough.

“Yeah, he’s doing well, but just a little sore and felt it was the appropriate decision,” San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said. “He was probably, to be honest, the closest call of the group, but just right in that kind of in between.”

Spurs guard Stephon Castle was upgraded to available after missing the past two games with a left foot soreness.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Royals blow lead, split series with White Sox in 6-5 loss

Apr 12, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron (65) pitches during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

After a three-hour rain delay, the Kansas City Royals blew a lead, dropping the series finale to the Chicago White Sox, 6-5.

The first three games all had final scores of 2-0, but this one was a fun, back and forth affair. The White Sox got on the board first, in the second inning. After Noah Cameron got two quick outs, Colson Montgomery smacked a double up the right field line, and Tanner Murray, who got his first major league hit yesterday, smoked his first major league home run to left field, and the Royals were down 2-0.

After the first seven Royals were sat down, Isaac Collins singled and Kyle Isbel walked. Jonathan Cannon then came in, the planned bulk pitcher today for the White Sox. Well, that didn’t go as planned. He came in and walked three straight Royals to help the KC offense tie the game at 2. Cannon would then leave the game with an injury.

The Royals were still 0 for their last 32 with a runner in scoring position after Salvy struck out. Carter Jensen came up, bases loaded, two down, game knotted at 2. Jensen broke the streak on a swinging bunt on the first pitch. A 40.4 mph exit velo, roller up the 3rd base line was picked up by the pitcher and he had no play. The Royals took the lead 3-2.

In the top of the fourth, Cameron gave up a one out single, but got a pop out to Jr. However, on the first pitch Montgomery blasted one inside the right field foul pole, 4-3 Chicago.

Jac Caglianone led off the bottom half of the inning for the Royals. He promptly smashed a double into the corner, and Collins smashed a single up the middle to tie the game again at 4. Isbel bunted Collins over to second, and Witt smacked a two out single to center to pull the Royals back in front 5-4. All of a sudden, the Royals were hot with RISP.

The 6th inning is where Cameron started to get erratic. After a quick first out, he walked Munetaka Murakami, Lenyn Sosa singled and a walk to Edgar Quero loaded the bases. Cameron would be relieved by Nick Mears. Cameron went 5.1 innings, giving up 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks and striking out 4.

Mears would go 3-1 with Montgomery, before getting him to pop up. However, he would walk Andrew Benintendi to tie the game back up at 5. Mears struck out the next batter to end the threat.

John Schrieber got the 7th, and as it has been for him all season, it didn’t go well, a leadoff double, hit batter and sac bunt, had the White Sox with 2nd and 3rd and one out. The Royals intentionally walked Murakami, the lefty to face Sosa. Schrieber threw a wild pitch to let the run score. He retired the next two hitters.

In the bottom of the 7th, Witt led off with a walk, but Vinnie, Salvy and Jensen couldn’t do anything with it.

Michael Massey looked to have tied the game to lead off the bottom of the 8th with a solo homer, but Dustin Harris reached over to bring it back. White Sox carried the 6-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

Isbel struck out to start the inning. Maikel Garcia weakly flew out to center, and Bobby Witt Jr . walked, giving Pasquantino a chance with two out. Vinnie quickly struck out in an ugly at bat. Splitting series at home against the lowly White Sox is not a good omen for the season. The Royals have won just one series 16 games in, they have either split or lost every other series. The schedule doesn’t get any easier ahead either. Man, sometimes I hate how much I care and stock I put into this team.

The Royals drop to 7-9 on the season. They split the series with the White Sox. They are off tomorrow, before being back in action Tuesday in Detroit, with first pitch being at 5:40 p.m. CT. Cole Ragans will pitch against Framber Valdez. After a three-game series in Motown, the Royals will be in the Bronx for a three-game set against the Yankees next weekend.