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Can Cavs Defend Home Court vs C’s?

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CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have wrestled home-court advantage away from the top-seeded Boston Celtics. The next task is not giving it right back.

After splitting two games in Boston, the fourth-seeded Cavaliers look to make a big statement when they host the Celtics on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference second-round series.

After being crushed 120-95 in Game 1, Cleveland thrashed the Celtics on Boston’s home floor in Game 2 and notched a 118-94 victory.

Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell understood that it was a huge breakthrough but immediately turned the attention to Game 3 — suddenly the most important game of the playoffs for both teams.

“It’s always good to get a win on the road, but at the end of the day, it’s one game,” Mitchell said after scoring 29 points. “So it was good to get the win. We did a lot of really positive things. But, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.

“You got to go take care of home court. It’s nice to get this win, but at the end of the day, we got one day to prepare and get ready to protect home court.”

Boston is looking to bounce back quickly after it appeared it was going to roll through the series following the dominating Game 1 performance.

Trailing by as many as 29 in the second half of Game 2, after being tied at halftime, was a stunning development to the Celtics.

“Just get ready for Saturday,” said Boston star Jayson Tatum, who had 25 points in Game 2. “Nobody was in there defeated, deflated. I mean, you never want to lose, especially in the playoffs.

“There’s a lot of things we can learn from, and we get it — the world thinks we’re never supposed to lose. We’re supposed to win every game by 25. And it’s just not going to be like that all the time.”

Mitchell was one of three 20-point scorers for Cleveland on a night in which his club shot 54.7 percent from the field. Evan Mobley had 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Caris LeVert scored 21 points off the bench.

Mobley was a big factor on the defensive end as Boston shot just 41.3 percent from the field. Tatum and Jaylen Brown (19 points) were both 7 of 17 from the field and Derrick White (10 points) was 3 of 11. White scored 25 points in Game 1.

“That’s where he’s at his best, continuing to protect the paint,” Mitchell said of Mobley. “Especially having him guard on the ball, and being able to deter them on their shots and layups. …

“It’s not easy attacking Evan like that, so just having him able to be that dominant, but also give us offensive production, was big time.”

Mobley’s play in the interior was huge with center Jarrett Allen (ribs) again sidelined. Allen has missed five straight games and is listed as questionable for Saturday.

Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis (calf) will miss his fourth straight game.

NBA Draft Lottery: Who Will Pick #1

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CHICAGO – Four teams enter the 2024 NBA Draft lottery on Sunday with better than 13 percent odds of landing the No. 1 pick, but the prize holds relatively modest value one year after Victor Wembanyama arrived in the NBA from France.

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The Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards share the top odds — 14 percent — ahead of the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers, who picked second and third behind the San Antonio Spurs last June. The Spurs scored the No. 1 pick, selected Wembanyama, and hold the fifth-best chance (10.5 percent) at getting the first overall pick in the 2024 draft via the lottery.

Since the lottery rules changed in 2019, each of the four teams to win the lottery and No. 1 pick entered with 14 percent odds to land the pick. The first year under the competitive balance rules in 2020, the Timberwolves won the lottery and selected Georgia’s Anthony Edwards.

While any team in the NBA would’ve welcomed a chance to bring Edwards or Wembanyama on board, there’s a bit of a red-headed stepchild narrative around the 2024 draft class.

The order of draft selections for lottery teams — the 14 teams not in the NBA playoffs — will be assigned mid-afternoon (3 p.m. ET, ABC) on Mother’s Day. Final positioning in the lottery was determined after the regular season based on record with the NBA settling tiebreaks involving teams with identical regular-season records.

Detroit drafted first overall in 2021 (Cade Cunningham) and fifth in 2022 (Jaden Ivey) and 2023 (Ausar Thompson). The Pistons find themselves back in this position following a league-worst 14-68 finish to the regular season.

Equal chances for the No. 1 pick belong to the Wizards. Washington last won the lottery in 2010, selecting Kentucky point guard John Wall.

The Hornets picked first once — in 1991, when they selected UNLV’s Larry Johnson — but have drafted outside of the lottery only once in the past 23 years. Charlotte selected Brandon Miller No. 2 overall in 2023 and LaMelo Ball with the third pick in 2020.

Greg Oden was the Trail Blazers’ pick at No. 1 in 2007 and Portland hasn’t been back in the top spot since. Point guard Scoot Henderson went at No. 3 to Portland in 2023. Kentucky shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe (seventh overall, 2022) and Lehigh guard CJ McCollum (10th overall, 2013) were the only other top-10 draft picks for the franchise since Oden.

Sporting the best record in the West in the regular season and playing in the conference semifinals, trade-happy Oklahoma City maintains two chances in the lottery as owed compensation in previous swaps with the Utah Jazz (6 percent chance at No. 1 pick) and Houston Rockets (1.5 percent odds at No. 1 pick). Because of pick protections placed on the trade, the Thunder would receive Utah’s selection only if it’s Nos. 11-14.

The current scouting consensus for the No 1 pick is Zaccharie Risacher.

Bruins Fall into a Hole

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Florida Panthers built a four-goal lead and finished off a 6-2 win over the host Boston Bruins in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday. Evan Rodrigues scored twice, Brandon Montour had a goal and an assist, while Vladimir Tarasenko, Carter Verhaeghe also scored for Florida, which took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

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Matthew Tkachuk had three assists, while Aleksander Barkov added two assists as the Panthers went 4-for-6 on the power play. Panthers’ goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky needed to make only 14 saves in Florida’s net in an impressive defensive effort, as Boston recorded half of its 16 shots in the third period.

After the Bruins accumulated only seven shots by the halfway mark of the game, Jakub Lauko and Jake DeBrusk each scored in a 3:30 span in the third period to break up Florida’s 10-0 scoring run in the series. DeBrusk added an assist.

Prior to Florida’s dominating run of goals, no team had scored more than seven straight in this postseason.

Jeremy Swayman stopped 27 shots for the Bruins.

Boston captain Brad Marchand did not return for the third period due to an upper-body injury.

Pavel Zacha’s blind backhand pass allowed Florida to maintain offensive-zone possession and score the opening goal 8:04 into the first period. Gustav Forsling took a shot from above the left circle that Rodrigues deflected over Swayman’s shoulder from the doorstep.

Boston defenseman Mason Lohrei’s double-minor penalty for high sticking in the second period proved costly, leading to two Florida goals in exactly a minute.

Tarasenko made it 2-0 when he snapped off a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Swayman upstairs at 16:14 of the middle period. A minute later, Verhaeghe redirected Matthew Tkachuk’s centering pass over Swayman’s blocker for a 3-0 lead.

After Lauko was called for a questionable goaltender interference penalty on a net drive early in the third, Montour took advantage on the ensuing power play and ripped a top-shelf shot from the center point at 3:09 for a 4-0 lead.

A delayed penalty helped Boston get on the board at 5:01, as Lauko tucked a wrister over Bobrovsky off a DeBrusk feed to the left circle.

Lohrei sent a pass to DeBrusk for a hard shot from the left dot that brought Boston back within 4-2 at 8:31.

Reinhart’s empty-netter with 1:24 left punctuated the Florida win, and Rodrigues added on with a power-play tally inside the final minute.

–Field Level Media

Cavaliers Look to Even Series

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The visiting Cleveland Cavaliers look to even their second-round Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Boston Celtics when the teams play Game 2 of the best-of-seven series tonight. The top-seeded Celtics pulled away in the second half of Game 1 to earn a 120-95 victory on Tuesday.

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“Obviously there’s a lot of areas that we can improve on,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Facing a team like Boston, I think it’s good to be able to play them and see them, and then play them again because you’re not used to the speed, the spacing, the shooting — all those things — until you get up against them. Especially coming from the series that we just came from (against Orlando) that was more of a half-court slugfest. … We’ll learn from it and we’ll be better on Thursday.”

Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell said the improvement has to start on offense. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers have failed to score 100 points in six of their eight playoff games.

“We got (42) 3s up and we hit 11,” said Mitchell, who scored a game-high 33 points in Game 1. “I think the biggest thing now is just being able to hit and knock them down.”

Boston received 32 points from Jaylen Brown and 25 from Derrick White, who sank seven 3 pointers.

“I think the most important thing is to win,” White said. “I’ve said before, it doesn’t matter if I score zero or score however many I scored (Tuesday). When we win, I’m doing enough.”

Cleveland was held to 15 points in the second quarter and trailed 59-49 at halftime. Boston led by 15 points after three quarters and opened the fourth on a 10-2 run.

“I thought we created some open shots,” Bickerstaff said. “I think we got some of the looks we were looking for; they just didn’t go. I think we missed four or five layups in that second quarter. Typically, we make those. We got some open 3s from guys who we wanted to take them. We’ll make more of those as the series goes along.”

Brown said it would be a mistake to read too much into the Game 1 result, especially since Cleveland had little time to recover after it advanced with a Game 7 victory over Orlando on Sunday.

“Anything can happen,” Brown said. “It’s the NBA playoffs. We’re just taking it one game at a time and that’s all we can control. And we try to come out, be the harder playing team. We stick to our agenda and we let the chips fall where they may. It’s gonna be tough for a team to have to beat us four times. But as long as we come out, we execute both ends, we’re the harder playing team, I think we’ll be fine.”

After Thursday, the series shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 (Saturday) and Game 4 (Monday). The Celtics won two of their three games against the Cavaliers during the regular season, but Cleveland won the only game it played at home.

“They came out here and did what they were supposed to do,” Mitchell said. “Now we have to find a way to steal Game 2.”

–Field Level Media

Sale, Braves Sweep Red Sox

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Chris Sale threw six shutout innings and Marcell Ozuna hit two home runs to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 5-0 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Wednesday and a sweep of their two-game series.

Sale (5-1) scattered six hits, walked one and struck out a season-high 10 batters against his former team. The Red Sox were 0-for-6 with runners on base and left seven runners on base against Sale, whose scoreless outing was saved in the sixth when left fielder Jarred Kelenic reached over the wall to take away a homer from Garrett Cooper.

Ozuna was 2-for-3 with a walk, scored two runs and hit his 11th and 12th home runs of the season, most in the majors. Ozuna drove in four runs and leads the majors with 38 RBIs. It was Ozuna’s second multi-homer game of the season.

Atlanta got two scoreless innings from Dylan Lee. Ray Kerr threw a perfect ninth inning in his Atlanta debut.

Dodgers 3, Marlins 1

Gavin Stone went seven strong innings, Teoscar Hernandez had a home run with three RBIs and Los Angeles extended its winning streak to seven games and completed a 6-0 homestand with a win over Miami.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the sixth inning, Freddie Freeman hit a two-out double and scored on Hernandez’s full-count home run to left that just cleared the top of the wall over the outstretched glove of Marlins left fielder Nick Gordon.

Bryan De La Cruz hit a home run among his two hits and Ryan Weathers gave up three runs over six innings as the Marlins went 1-5 on a six-game road trip that also included a stop at Oakland.

Angels 5, Pirates 4

Willie Calhoun hit a sacrifice fly to cap a three-run rally in the sixth that lifted Los Angeles over host Pittsburgh.

Los Angeles’ bullpen took care of the rest, with Adam Cimber (3-0) striking out the side in the sixth, Matt Moore fanning two in 1 1/3 clean innings, and Luis Garcia getting the last two outs of the eighth.

Luis Ortiz (2-2) took the loss. Oneil Cruz and Connor Joe each had two hits for the Pirates.

Blue Jays 5, Phillies 3

Vladimir Guererro Jr. and Kevin Kiermaier each had three hits to lift Toronto past host Philadelphia, which saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end.

Davis Schneider added two hits and an RBI, while Kiermaier drove in two runs, and Guerrero and Bo Bichette hit RBI singles for the Blue Jays.

Nick Castellanos had two hits and Bryson Stott knocked in two runs for the Phillies, who had their 11-game home winning streak snapped.

Yankees 9, Astros 4

Juan Soto hit a two-run homer two batters into the bottom of the first inning and finished with five RBIs as host New York continued its recent success against Houston.

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton added solo shots as the Yankees won their fifth straight and beat the Astros for the ninth consecutive time. It was the first time this season the trio homered in the same game. Judge had three hits, including a two-run double that pushed New York’s lead to 8-1 in the sixth. Carlos Rodon (3-2) allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Pena homered, their 11th and fourth, respectively, but the Astros dropped their fourth game in a row. Jake Meyers hit an RBI triple that chased Rodon, and Altuve added an RBI single in the ninth.

Guardians 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings)

Brayan Rocchio delivered a walk-off single in the 10th inning as host Cleveland defeated Detroit to take two of three in the series.

Emmanuel Clase (2-1) picked up the win by pitching a scoreless 10th. Starter Tanner Bibee gave up four runs on five hits in four innings and struck out five. Kyle Manzardo singled in the seventh for his first major league hit.

Detroit starter Reese Olson limited the Guardians to two runs (one earned) and one hit in six innings. Alex Lange (0-2) took the loss.

Twins 6, Mariners 3

Willi Castro went 2-for-3 with a triple, a homer and two RBIs as the Minnesota pulled away for a win over Seattle in Minneapolis.

Carlos Correa and Trevor Larnach each added a solo home run for the Twins. Chris Paddack (4-1) held the Mariners to one run on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings while fanning 10. Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.

Mitch Garver went 2-for-3 with a solo homer for the Mariners, and Cal Raleigh had a two-run double. George Kirby (3-3) allowed four runs on four hits, including three home runs, in five innings.

Royals 6, Brewers 4

Bobby Witt Jr. homered to lead Kansas past visiting Milwaukee in the rubber game of their three-game set.

Vinnie Pasquantino had two of the Royals’ nine hits while Michael Massey’s career-best 10-game hitting streak came to an end. Adam Frazier’s RBI hit in the three-run eighth snapped an 0-for-20 slide.

William Contreras drove in two runs for the Brewers, who have lost four of five.

Padres 3, Cubs 0

Dylan Cease pitched seven shutout innings of one-hit ball and San Diego got a few timely hits in its shutout win against host Chicago.

With the win, the Padres took the series over the Cubs, 2-1. They also won a three-game series against Chicago last month. Cease (5-2) racked up 12 strikeouts and gave up two walks in a masterful effort. It marked the fifth time in Cease’s last six outings that he gave up one or fewer earned runs.

Cubs starter Hayden Wesneski (2-1) was removed after pitching six innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in the loss.

Athletics 9, Rangers 4 (Game 1)

Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker each homered while combining for six hits and eight RBIs, propelling Oakland over visiting Texas in the opener of a doubleheader.

Brett Harris also homered and the Athletics held the Rangers scoreless over the final five innings, helping Oakland snap a three-game losing streak.

Marcus Semien homered for the second consecutive day for the Rangers as part of a 3-for-5 performance. The homer was his seventh.

Rangers 12, A’s 11 (Game 2)

Adolis Garcia, Josh Smith and Jonah Heim had consecutive RBI hits in the eighth inning to help Texas outlast host Oakland and salvage a doubleheader split.

Evan Carter and Nathaniel Lowe produced insurance runs in the ninth with RBI singles, allowing the Rangers to survive a four-run uprising by the A’s in the last of the inning.

Heim finished with two hits, two runs and three RBIs, while Texas’ Marcus Semien and Ezequiel Duran chipped in with three hits apiece. Shea Langeliers hit his second homer of the day for the A’s, and Tyler Soderstrom also went deep.

Diamondbacks 4, Reds 3

Jordan Montgomery allowed just two runs over seven innings and Gabriel Moreno drove in the go-ahead run to lead visiting Arizona past Cincinnati.

Eugenio Suarez homered against his former team and collected two hits while Moreno also added two hits for the Diamondbacks, who won their third straight. Montgomery (2-2) scattered seven hits, striking out two and walking two, to end a personal two-game skid.

Jeimer Candelario had three hits and Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl each had two for the Reds, who suffered their seventh straight loss. The Reds snapped a 43-inning drought without a lead when they broke through in the second against Montgomery.

Orioles 7, Nationals 6 (12 innings)

Jorge Mateo singled home the go-ahead run in the 12th inning and Baltimore beat host Washington after blowing two-run leads in the ninth and 11th innings.

Mateo led off with a single against Jordan Weems (1-1) that scored Jordan Westburg. Mateo ended up on third via two Washington throwing errors on the play and scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-5.

Albert Suarez (2-0) pitched two innings for the win and Jacob Webb picked up his second save of the season despite allowing Luis Garcia, Jr.’s run-scoring double in the 12th.

White Sox 4, Rays 1

Paul DeJong hit his second home run in as many games as Chicago salvaged a win in its three-game series, beating Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.

White Sox starter Chris Flexen (2-3) allowed one run on three hits in six innings to beat the Rays for the second time in two weeks. He fanned eight and walked one.

Tampa Bay got two hits from Harold Ramirez and an RBI double by Isaac Paredes, but the club produced just four hits as its season-high five-game winning streak ended.

Giants 8, Rockies 6

Michael Conforto had three hits, including a homer, Blake Sabol also had three hits, and San Francisco beat Colorado in Denver.

Matt Chapman and Mike Yastrzemski had two hits each for the Giants, who have won two straight after dropping four in a row.

Elias Diaz homered and singled, Sean Bouchard had three hits and Charlie Blackmon and Jordan Beck had two hits apiece for the Rockies, who have lost four in a row.

–Field Level Media

Panthers Knot Series at 1-All

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SUNRISE – (Staff and wire Service Report) – Florida team captain Aleksander Barkov collected two goals and two assists to fuel the Panthers to a 6-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

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Sam Reinhart notched four assists and defenseman Brandon Montour scored a goal and set up two others to help the Panthers even the best-of-seven series with the Bruins at one victory apiece. Game 3 is Friday in Boston.

Fourth-liner Steven Lorentz, Eetu Luostarinen and defenseman Gustav Forsling also scored for Florida, which recorded six consecutive goals in a playoff game for the first time in franchise history. Sergei Bobrovsky made 14 saves in the win.

Jeremy Swayman, who turned aside 19 of 23 shots, yielded more than two goals for the first time in eight games this postseason. Linus Ullmark made eight saves in relief and Charlie Coyle scored a goal in the first period for the Bruins.

An unmarked Lorentz deftly deflected Montour’s shot from the point past Swayman to forge a 1-1 tie at 1:56 of the second period. The goal was the second of the playoffs for Lorentz, who had one tally in 38 games during the regular season.

Barkov gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead just under eight minutes later after gaining inside position on Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy and cleaning up a rebound off a shot from Reinhart.

Forsling doubled the advantage after he dropped to a knee while blasting a shot past Swayman with two seconds remaining in the second period.

A turnover deep in Boston’s zone allowed Barkov to feed Luostarinen at the back post for an easy conversion and a 4-1 lead for the Panthers at 1:28 of the third period.

Barkov forced a turnover at the blue line and beat Ullmark at 10:52 of the third before feeding Montour at the doorstep just 66 seconds later. Barkov has four goals in his past three games.

Boston’s swarming forecheck resulted in Florida committing a turnover in its defensive end, leading to the game’s first goal with 7:48 remaining in the first period. Pavel Zacha executed a give-and-go with captain Brad Marchand before the latter backhanded a goal-mouth feed that Coyle converted for his first goal of the postseason.

–Field Level Media

Clark Looks to Defend at Wells Fargo

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CHARLOTTE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The last time Wyndham Clark found himself in the field for the Wells Fargo Championship, he didn’t have a single win on the PGA Tour to his name.

What a difference a year can make.

Clark will be gearing up for this year’s edition of the event as a defending champion for the first time ever. After taking the Wells Fargo title in 2023, he added two more victories to his ledger, prevailing at the U.S. Open last June before winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am just three months ago.

In seven events since Pebble Beach, Clark has missed the cut twice, but he has also come away with three top-five finishes. He landed in second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 10, then tied for second at The Players Championship a week later.

Clark most recently finished T3 at the RBC Heritage, and he’s been able to find the silver lining when it comes to finishing just behind the leader.

“I just think the more times I put myself in contention, the better I get even if I don’t win. So recently coming up short in Bay Hill and at The Players, I learned a lot,” Clark said. “I mean, even though I had won three times prior to those two second-place finishes, I still was learning. I just think the more I put myself in that situation, the better I’m going to get and learn.

“And as you put yourself in those positions, you want to be in those positions more. So that’s really what I look forward to every week when we tee it up on Thursday.”

Even though another one of his titles will be on the line in just over a month at the U.S. Open, Clark insists that he isn’t overlooking the Wells Fargo Championship by any means.

“This is one of my favorite Tour events, one of my favorite golf courses,” Clark said of the Wells Fargo, which is held at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. “If there’s anything that I before the year get excited about, it’s this event. So I’m really focused on this week.

“It’s fun, it’s my first chance to defend. I don’t know what that’s like, so it’s been exciting. Hope I can go out and have a great week and play my best and maybe defend it. Yeah, no, I’m focused on this week.”

Clark carded a 19-under 265 at Quail Hollow last year for the lowest 72-hole score in the history of the Wells Fargo. He beat Xander Schauffele by four strokes.

–Field Level Media

Sox Snap Twins Win Streak

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela and Rafael Devers hit two-run home runs and the Red Sox pulled away for a 9-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon in Minnesota.

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Vaughn Grissom and Dominic Smith added two-run doubles for Boston, which avoided a three-game sweep in the series finale. Rob Refsnyder had an RBI double.

Ryan Jeffers hit a solo home run for the Twins, whose 12-game winning streak ended. Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Minnesota lost for the first time since falling at home on April 21 against the Detroit Tigers. The 12-game winning streak was the Twins’ longest since a franchise-best 15-game streak in 1991.

Red Sox left-hander Brennan Bernardino (1-1) earned the win out of the bullpen after recording the final two outs of the fifth inning. Minnesota starter Joe Ryan (1-2) gave up three runs on four hits in six innings.

Rays 7, Mets 6 (10 innings)

Jonny DeLuca’s walk-off, two-run triple in extra innings propelled Tampa Bay to a win and a series sweep of New York in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Jake Diekman (1-1) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit in the extra inning for New York, which has lost three straight and five of its past seven. The Mets had gone ahead 6-5 in the top of the 10th, as Harrison Bader scored when Brandon Nimmo reached on a missed-catch error by first baseman Yandy Diaz.

Randy Arozarena tied it at 5-5 for the Rays in the ninth with a two-out solo home run to left-center field. Rays reliever Erasmo Ramirez (1-0) got the win.

Dodgers 5, Braves 1

Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs, Teoscar Hernandez also went deep and left-hander James Paxton pitched into the seventh inning as host Los Angeles finished off a three-game sweep of Atlanta.

Paxton (4-0) gave up a run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts and two walks.

Marcell Ozuna hit a home run and Max Fried (2-1) gave up four runs on four hits over seven innings after delivering a complete-game shutout and six no-hit innings in his previous two starts.

Yankees 5, Tigers 2 (8 innings)

Juan Soto hit a go-ahead, three-run double in the seventh and host New York completed a three-game series sweep by defeating Detroit in a game that was called early due to rain.

Aaron Judge homered one day after his first career ejection. Oswaldo Cabrera added two hits and an RBI. Yankees starter Nestor Cortes was charged with two runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings while recording nine strikeouts, and Victor Gonzalez (2-1) picked up the win in relief.

Detroit starter Tarik Skubal struck out a career-high 12 in six innings while allowing two runs and six hits. Spencer Torkelson had two doubles and an RBI to lead the Tigers’ offense. Shelby Miller (3-4), Detroit’s second pitcher, took the loss.

Nationals 11, Blue Jays 8

Eddie Rosario’s seventh-inning two-run homer broke an 8-8 tie and host Washington went on to beat Toronto.

Luis Garcia Jr. had four hits, including a home run, and drove in four runs while Jesse Winker had a three-run homer and a double for the Nationals, who took two of three games from Toronto.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a grand slam for the Blue Jays, who have lost four of their past five. Alek Manoah, making his first start in the majors since last August, was given a 6-1 lead but could not hold it. He went four innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits.

Pirates 5, Rockies 3

Oneil Cruz doubled and hit a two-run homer as Pittsburgh rallied from an early deficit to edge visiting Colorado in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Rowdy Tellez, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Jack Suwinski each drove in a run for Pittsburgh, which trailed 3-0 after two innings. Pirates starter Bailey Falter allowed three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings before Luis L. Ortiz (2-1) followed with 1 2/3 perfect innings.

Jacob Stallings and Sean Bouchard hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning for the Rockies. Bouchard, Elias Diaz and Brendan Rodgers each had two hits.

Guardians 4, Angels 1

Jose Ramirez hit a slump-busting, go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth, then scored two innings later on Josh Naylor’s home run as Cleveland downed visiting Los Angeles.

Mired in an 0-for-19 drought, Ramirez crushed the 10th pitch of his at-bat against Los Angeles starter Griffin Canning (1-4) well over the right-center-field wall to put Cleveland ahead 2-1. It was the sixth homer of the season for Ramirez.

Cole Tucker had a pair of hits for Los Angeles, which has dropped 13 of its past 16 and fell to 3-25 at Cleveland since the start of the 2015 season.

Mariners 5, Astros 4

Cal Raleigh slugged a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning as Seattle rallied to knock off host Houston in the rubber match of a three-game series, claiming its sixth consecutive series win.

Raleigh homered for the second time in as many games, drilling a sinker from Astros closer Josh Hader (1-3) for his eighth home run of the year. The Mariners rallied from a 4-3 deficit after coughing up a three-run lead. Andres Munoz (2-2) recorded the final four outs to secure the victory.

Kyle Tucker and Jon Singleton hit two-run homers for the Astros. Singleton and Jose Altuve had two hits apiece.

Rangers 3, Royals 2 (10 innings)

Nathaniel Lowe delivered a 10th-inning RBI single, lifting visiting Texas to a victory over Kansas City.

The Rangers rallied with single tallies in the eighth and ninth to tie the game at 2-2. With one out in the top of the 10th, Lowe lined a 1-2 pitch into center field to score Leody Taveras with the go-ahead run, completing the come-from-behind win.

The Royals grabbed a 2-0 lead, as their first four hits went for extra bases against Texas starter Jon Gray. Bobby Witt Jr. tripled and scored on Vinnie Pasquantino’s sacrifice fly in the first to open the scoring. With two outs in the third, Witt and Pasquantino hit consecutive doubles.

White Sox 5, Cardinals 1

Paul DeJong had two doubles, two runs and an RBI against his old team as visiting Chicago defeated St. Louis.

Eloy Jimenez hit a solo homer and Bryan Ramos got his first career RBI for the White Sox, who won two of three games to earn their second series victory of the season.

Willson Contreras hit a solo home run for the Cardinals, who mustered just four hits while losing for the fourth time in five games.

Cubs 5, Brewers 0

Nico Hoerner sparked a three-run fifth inning to break a scoreless stalemate while Javier Assad pitched six shutout innings in Chicago’s victory over visiting Milwaukee.

Dansby Swanson added his fourth home run of the season as the Cubs took the three-game series 2-1. Assad (3-0) gave up just four hits and three walks, striking out four.

Milwaukee only had five hits on the afternoon as Chicago posted its third shutout win of the year. Brewers starter Freddy Peralta (3-1) was pulled after five innings. He allowed three runs on three hits, with five strikeouts and six walks.

Marlins 12, Athletics 3

Nick Gordon collected two singles, a double and a home run, drove in three runs and scored twice as Miami avoided an interleague series sweep at the hands of host Oakland.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Bryan De La Cruz, Jesus Sanchez and Christian Bethancourt all scored a pair of runs for the Marlins, who rebounded from a 20-4 shellacking by the streaking A’s one day earlier. Burch Smith (2-0), who worked a scoreless fifth in relief of Sixto Sanchez, was credited with the win.

Gordon’s homer capped a four-run first against Athletics starter Joe Boyle (2-5), who completed the inning but then left because of back soreness. Boyle set up the big frame by walking the first three batters of the game, throwing nine straight balls in one stretch.

Diamondbacks 11, Padres 4

Jake McCarthy went 3-for-4 with three runs as Arizona topped San Diego in Phoenix to avoid being swept in a three-game series.

McCarthy was one of five Diamondbacks to drive in two runs, with Ketel Marte and Joc Pederson contributing two-run home runs. Arizona had lost eight of its past 11, while San Diego had a four-game winning streak snapped.

The Padres’ Jackson Merrill hit a two-run homer for his second long ball of his rookie season. Luis Arraez went 1-for-5 in his second game with San Diego.

Orioles 11, Reds 1

Dean Kremer allowed just one hit over six scoreless innings as visiting Baltimore completed a three-game sweep of punchless Cincinnati.

Kremer (3-2) was the latest Orioles pitcher to blank an anemic Cincinnati offense, allowing only a sharp single in the fifth, followed by a walk, to win his third straight start. Baltimore’s Anthony Santander belted his third career grand slam, had three hits and drove in five, while Jordan Westburg and Ryan McKenna added homers.

For the second straight contest, the Reds avoided a shutout in the ninth and have scored a total of just eight runs in losing five straight games.

Phillies 5, Giants 4

Bryce Harper hit a three-run home run and J.T. Realmuto had three hits to lead Philadelphia to a win over visiting San Francisco.

Alec Bohm doubled in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to 18 games for the Phillies, who won their fifth straight game and are 9-1 over their past 10. Philadelphia has won the first three contests of the four-game series and owns the best record in baseball at 24-11.

Thairo Estrada smacked a two-run homer for the Giants, who have lost five of their past six games. San Francisco ace Logan Webb (3-3) allowed five runs (four earned) and six hits over four innings.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | May 5

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While We’re Young (Ideas) Celebrates Cinco de Mayo with General Notes

Neil Patrick Harris – clutching the ‘bigger’ than life TONY (File: Getty Images)

 

By TERRY LYONS, Editor Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Everyone has their own Basketball Hall of Fame except the NBA. College Basketball opened its Hall of Fame & Experience in Kansas City while the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame opened in Knoxville. The International game has its hall in Switzerland. Only the NBA and WNBA have remained loyal to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the birthplace of basketball, Springfield, Massachusetts.

The BHofF in Springfield proudly claims to represent all levels of the sport, and it regularly honors high school, collegiate, professional, wheelchair, international and contributors to the game at all levels – both men and women.

FIBA (Federation for International Basketball) recently announced their Class of 2024 and its a good one with the USA’s Reggie Miller and Serbian favorite Predrag Stojakovic the two standout names rightfully honored for induction.

FIBA’s Official Induction announcement poster (file: FIBA.com)

The Class will be feted during the enshrinement ceremony, scheduled to be in Singapore in September. A total of seven players and one coach are being formally recognized for their outstanding contributions to the sport.

Said the official FIBA announcement: “Miller is a former Olympic and FIBA Basketball World Cup winner with USA who was especially revered for his NBA contributions across an amazing 18 seasons in the league. He tallied a spectacular 25,000 points, helped by 2560 three-pointers and that contributed to an eye-catching five NBA All-Star appearances.

“The Serbian, often referred to simply as ‘Peja’ won the FIBA Basketball World Cup gold medal in 2002 with Yugoslavia, as well as a FIBA EuroBasket title in 2001 when he was crowned MVP. Also an Olympian, Stojakovic attained plenty of success at club level, most notably winning an NBA Championship in 2011 with Dallas Mavericks. A three-time NBA All-Star, he also won the NBA Three-Point Contest twice.

“Latvian Skaidrite Smildzina-Budovska conquered the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup three times and the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket five times with Soviet Union. China’s three-time Olympian Miao Lijie starred at four editions of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and Croatian ace Danira Nakic-Bilic lit it up with Yugoslavia, competing in title games at the Olympics, the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and FIBA Women’s EuroBasket.

Other inductees include Kirk Penney, who is being honored for serving New Zealand with distinction at two Olympic Games and four FIBA Basketball World Cups, while African basketball can celebrate Central African Republic colossus Romain Sato being on the list. The guard attained huge success at club level, including titles in Euroleague, Eurocup, the Spanish League and also four Italian championships.

Finally, American (turned Italian) play-caller Dan Peterson flies the flag for coaches in the 2024 Class. He masterminded the European Cup for Champion Clubs silverware in 1987 with Olimpia Milano, just two years after delivering the FIBA Korac Cup. Peterson also amassed five Italian titles and a host of individual coaching accolades.

Created in 2007, the FIBA BASKETBALL Hall of Fame has enshrined 184 outstanding Hall of Famers from 45 countries and all five continents to date. Its home is the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Mies, Switzerland.

Class of 2024: Players

Miao Lijie (China)

Reggie Miller (USA)-(UCLA-Indiana Pacers)

Danira Nakic-Bilic (Croatia)

Kirk Samuel Penney (New Zealand)

Romain Sato (Central African Republic)

Skaidrite Smildzina-Budovska (Latvia)

Predrag “Peja” Stojakovic (Serbia)-(Sacramento Kings)

Class of 2024: Coach

Daniel “Dan” Peterson (USA)-(Italy)-(Milan)

The Keeper of the Cup is Miragh Bitove (Hockey HofF)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: For the first time in history, the Keeper of the Stanley Cup is a woman. Miragh Bitove, archivist at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto has been tabbed as the caretaker of the greatest trophy in sports. An art history and museum management major in college, Bitove went on to work as a Hall of Fame intern in 2003 before parlaying that into a job as an archivist at the venue. Now, 11 years later, she is the first woman in the role of the guardian of the Stanley Cup and general overseer on its annual celebration tour. … Each summer, the winners of the Cup, who have their name inscribed on the trophy, are able to take the Cup for a day – usually bringing it to their hometown – no matter how far away it might be. “Nothing like it,” she said to the AP. “There’s a glow.” … Phil Pritchard, the Hall of Fame’s vice president and the “Keeper of the Cup,” remembers when Bitove first arrived in the building. … “She had all the interest, all the background, everything that we’re looking for,” he said. “When you get someone like that, you don’t want to lose them.” … Bitove also has the game in her blood. While never a hockey player herself, the family tree includes great uncle Ted Kennedy, who won the Cup five times with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1945 and 1951.

NUGGETS AND TIDBITS: The United Football League was formed this spring after the merger of the XFL and USFL. The new spring league operates under the combined ownership of RedBird Capital Partners, FOX (FOX Sports), Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson. The UFL currently has eight teams based in eight US cities, including: Arlington (TX), Birmingham (AL), Detroit (MI), Houston (TX), San Antonio (TX), Memphis (TN), St. Louis (MO), and Washington (DC).

The UFL is entering its sixth week of play and has yet to crack the code of success enjoyed by the NFL and the other traditional leagues and the spring football concept always seems far out of place, especially with the NBA and NHL Playoffs heating up and MLB in full swing.

Add to challenge for the rest of the summer and you’ll note the WNBA is opening training camps this weekend and everyone’s favorite superstar, Kaitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, opening with a road game in Frisco, Texas. That game was streamed on the WNBA App and the Fever’s first home preseason game was postponed due to an Indiana Pacers playoff game.

If the UFL goes up in flames, the concept of spring football will have run the gamut of the entire alphabet from the WLAF (World League) in Europe, and rapid-fire through (Donald’s Trump’s very own) USFL to the publicity strong XFL where “He Hate Me” – aka Rod Smart – started with the Las Vegas Outlaws and bounced around to five other pro franchises before taking his degree in kinesiology and setting sail.

The UFL uses up the final life of the cat called spring football. If this entity goes under, the NFL and its remote affiliates will need to re-think their approach to player development.The league is opening offices and shopping TV all across the globe. The NFL has strongholds in Germany and to a lesser extent in England/Scotland/Ireland.

Yet, unlike soccer and basketball, American football, as a participation sport, is not played very much outside of the United States and Canada.

If the current reiteration of the sport doesn’t translate to sales and TV eyeballs, the UFL might stand for and add to the Unemployment Fookin’ Line.

NBA’s BEST, TAKE 1ST ROUND EXIT: Sixty percent of the very best and most productive NBA scorers from the 2023-24 regular season have been eliminated from the ‘24 NBA Playoffs. Using the proven formula of adding the positive stats and subtracting missed shots shows that only four of the Top 10 in the league have advanced to the NBA Conference Semi-Finals.

Player, Team, Formula (Positive/Efficiency per game)

  1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee, 41.192
  2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia, 41.105
  3. Luka Doncic, Dallas, 40.786
  4. Nikola Jokic, Denver, 40.416
  5. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento, 36.000
  6. Anthony Davis, LA Lakers, 33.095
  7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City, 32.986
  8. LeBron James, LA Lakers, 32.667
  9. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns, 29.877
  10. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics, 29.703

LAX SELECTION SHOW TIDBIT: The NCAA brackets for the 2024 Men’s Lacrosse Tournament will be announced today, May 5, at 9:30 pm on ESPN2. … No. 2 Johns Hopkins was upset by Michigan in the BIG 10 semifinals on Thursday. Notre Dame, the unanimous No. 1 in the USA, will play in its fourth straight ACC Championship title game when the Irish take on No. 6 Duke at Noon ET on today, May 5 in Charlotte at American Legion Memorial Stadium. The Fighting Irish have advanced to the title game in five of the last seven ACC Tournaments. The game will air on ACC Network.

KENTUCKY DERBY: It seems like just weeks ago that the 100th running of the Kentucky Derby took place and the favorite, Cannonade, rode to victory. Saturday, it was Mint Juleps for everyone as the 150th Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs in Louisville and Mystik Dan (18-1) was the winner in a three horse photo finish, one of the tightest in the history of the horse race. Mystik Dan paid $39.22, $16.32 and $10. Sierra Leone returned $6.54 and $4.64. Forever Young was another nose back in third and paid $5.58 to show.

Need the official recipe for the Official Mint Julep?

  • 2 cups sugar (for Simple Syrup)
  • 2 cups water (for Simple Syrup)
  • Sprigs of fresh mint (Flavor Simple Syrup overnight)
  • Fill Glass with Crushed ice
  • 1 Tablespoon Simple Syrup
  • 2 ounces of Kentucky Bourbon Whisky of Choice

Make simple or complicated syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight.

Make one julep at a time by filling a julep glass with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of the Kentucky Whisky.

Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

PODCASTING: Your favorite columnist participated in a special podcast which originated across the pond. Listen in.

Terry Lyons: NBA Growth & Navigating The Sports World

https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-3y8aq-15d5f41

Pendrith Takes CJ CUP Byron Nelson

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McKINNEY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Taylor Pendrith of Canada birdied the par-5 18th hole to beat Ben Kohles and win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in a dramatic finish on Sunday at TPC Craig Ranch on the outskirts of Dallas.

Embed from Getty Images

Pendrith was stuck on 22 under for five straight holes, parring Nos. 13-17 while playing partner Kohles made impressive birdies at the 16th and 17th greens to tie and then pass him for the lead.

But, with the tournament on the line, Kohles missed the 18th fairway and came up short of the green, landing between two bunkers. He couldn’t get his third shot up onto the green, and once he finally did, he missed a 5-foot par save. That reopened the door for Pendrith, whose lag putt from 41 feet left him 3 feet for the winning birdie and his first career PGA Tour victory.

Pendrith posted a final-round 67 to go 23-under 261 for the week. Kohles’ 66 powered him to the runner-up finish, and Swedish veteran Alex Noren placed third at 21 under after a Sunday 65.

–Field Level Media