NBA:
Kyrie Irving had 34 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant added 25 points and 11 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets took the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-108 in the play-in opener.
The Nets raced to a 20-point lead after one quarter and repeatedly turned the Cavaliers away while earning a matchup with No. 2 seed Boston in a series that begins Sunday.
Darius Garland scored 34 points for the Cavaliers, who have another chance to earn the No. 8 seed. They will host the winner of the Atlanta-Charlotte game on Friday.
Over in the Wester Conference playoffs, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell combined for 59 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Los Angeles Clippers 109-104 in a play-in game. Edwards and Russell helped the Timberwolves overcome a rough night for Karl-Anthony Towns and get the No. 7 seed. T
he Wolves have a first-round matchup with Memphis. Paul George finished with 34 points after shooting 2 for 10 in the first half for the Clippers. They have a second chance to make the playoffs with a home game on Friday for the No. 8 seed.
The Dallas Mavericks aren’t putting a timetable on Luka Doncic’s return from a left calf strain with the club four days from opening a first-round playoff series against Utah. The team says the 23-year-old superstar has begun treatment.
Dallas opens the playoffs at home Saturday against the Jazz.
In other NBA news:
Stephen Curry’s status for Golden State’s playoff opener Saturday against Denver remains unclear as he rehabs a sprained ligament in his left foot. The reigning scoring champion has been doing individual work on the court in recent days and could be integrated into full practices sometime this week.
MLB:
José Ramírez hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, remarkable rookie Steven Kwan reached base three more times and the Cleveland Guardians spoiled Cincinnati’s home opener by beating the Reds 10-5.
Andrés Giménez hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the ninth inning off Hunter Strickland. Ramírez, who tripled and singled earlier, capped a six-run burst with his third career slam for a 10-4 lead.
Kwan has now reached base at least three times in all five games of his major league career.
In other MLB action:
Seiya Suzuki homered twice, Drew Smyly pitched five scoreless innings and the Chicago Cubs beat Pittsburgh 2-1, spoiling the Pirates’ home opener. Suzuki connected for leadoff shots in the fifth and seventh. One of the top players in Japan, Suzuki signed an $85 million, five-year contract with the Cubs last month. Smyly permitted three hits and walked none in his Cubs debut. The left-hander agreed to a one-year contract last month.
Rafael Devers singled through the open shortstop area with the infield shifted to the right side, driving in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Boston Red Sox overcame a three-run deficit to beat the Detroit Tigers 5-3. Garrett Whitlock pitched four hitless innings to win in his first appearance since the Red Sox announced his $18.75 million, four-year contract on Sunday.
Tylor Megill delivered his second straight scoreless start for the Mets, Brandon Nimmo homered and New York beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0. Megill, who got a spot in the rotation only when two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom was sidelined by a shoulder problem in spring training, again looked like an ace for 5 1/3 innings. The burly 26-year-old righty has allowed just six hits while striking out 11 without a walk in his two starts.
Aaron Hicks hit a go-ahead two-run homer and made jumping catch in his first left-field start in four years, leading the New York Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays 4-0. New York scored first for the first time in five games this season when Hicks drove a 2-0 slider from Yusei Kikuchi into the right-center field seats in the second inning for Hicks’ first home run since last April 30.
Marcell Ozuna homered twice, Ozzie Albies drove in three runs and the Atlanta Braves fired up their offense to rout the Washington Nationals 16-4. Ozuna, Austin Riley, Adam Duvall, Dansby Swanson and Orlando Arcia each had two RBIs. Travis d’Arnaud had three hits and flopped to the field dramatically when hit on the left shoulder in the eighth inning by a 52 mph pitch from outfielder Dee Strange-Gordon.
Manuel Margot hit a game-ending single during Tampa Bay’s two-run 10th inning, and the Rays beat the Oakland Athletics 9-8. Wander Franco started the Tampa Bay 10th with an RBI double off Lou Trivino. Billy McKinney’s leadoff single off Ryan Thompson in the 10th put Oakland ahead 8-7. Ji-Man Choi, Brandon Lowe and Brett Phillips homered for the Rays, who improved to 4-1.
Albert Pujols homered for the first time since returning to St. Louis and Andrew Knizner hit a three-run shot as the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-5. Nolan Arenado also went deep for St. Louis. Salvador Perez homered twice and Michael A. Taylor also connected for Kansas City, which has allowed 33 runs in losing its last three games.
Kris Bryant got his first two RBIs in a Colorado uniform and the Rockies stretched their winning streak to four games with a 4-1 win over the Texas Rangers. Bryant had a go-ahead RBI double in the third inning, and added a sacrifice fly in the seventh. New Texas shortstop Corey Seager was robbed of what would have been his first homer. Center fielder Randal Grichuk made a leaping catch at the wall with two on to end the fifth inning.
Luis Robert hit his first home run of the season, a tiebreaking drive in the sixth inning that led the White Sox over the Seattle Mariners 3-2 in their home opener and extended their winning streak to three. Robert homered off Matt Brash, a 23-year-old right-hander making his major league debut. Liam Hendriks struck out Mitch Haniger on three pitches for his first save.
Pinch-runner Tyler Wade slid home when Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas bobbled Max Stassi’s grounder in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels swept a two-game interleague series with a 4-3 victory over Miami. Jesús Luzardo had a career-high 12 strikeouts over five innings in his season debut for the Marlins, who lost four of five on their season-opening California road trip.
Trea Turner and the Los Angeles Dodgers broke open a tie game with a six-run eighth inning, then waited out the rain to take a 7-2 victory in their series opener against the Minnesota Twins. Both teams sat through an 88-minute rain delay that halted play in the bottom of the eighth with the Dodgers leading 7-1. Will Smith and Gavin Lux each drove in a pair of runs for the Dodgers.
Andrew McCutchen hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning, Devin Williams pitched out of his own jam in the eighth, and the Milwaukee Brewers held on for a 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Cedric Mullins hit a grand slam for Baltimore.
Michael Brantley delivered a go-ahead single in the ninth inning, Jose Siri hit a homer and a key double, and the Houston Astros edged the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1.
The Pirates’ streak of last-place finishes did not deter Ke’Bryan Hayes from making a long-term commitment, The 25-year-old third baseman’s $70 million, eight-year contract was announced before Pittsburgh’s home opener against the Chicago Cubs.
In other MLB news:
New York Mets right-hander Taijuan Walker has been put on the 10-day injured list because of bursitis in his pitching shoulder. It’s the latest setback to the team’s rotation. The Mets already were missing Jacob deGrom. Max Scherzer is set to pitch Wednesday against the Phillies.
Alyssa Nakken made major league history as the first female to coach on the field in a regular-season game when she took her spot for the San Francisco Giants against San Diego. The 31-year-old Nakken came in to coach first base for the Giants in the third inning after Antoan Richardson was ejected. When she was announced as Richardson’s replacement, Nakken received a warm ovation from the crowd in San Francisco. She also got a congratulatory handshake from Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer.
Cincinnati Reds President Phil Castellini appeared to tell fans they had no choice other than to accept the team’s pared-down roster, then apologized hours later. Speaking Tuesday on WLW radio before the team’s home opener, Phil Castellini was asked why should a fan maintain trust in him? “Well, where are you going to go? Let’s start there. I mean, sell the team to who?”
NHL:
Kevin Fiala and Ryan Hartman each scored twice, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in a matchup of two of the NHL’s hottest teams. Frederick Gaudreau also scored for Minnesota, which improved to 11-1-2 in its last 14 games. Cam Talbot made 27 saves to extend his career-high point streak to 11 games at 9-0-2. Leon Draisaitl scored on the power play for Edmonton, his career-high 51st goal of the year and 21st with the man advantage, setting a franchise high.
In other NHL ice action:
Seth Jarvis and Jordan Staal scored third-period goals and Frederik Andersen made 28 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 4-2 on Tuesday night in a showdown for first place in the Metropolitan Division. Sebastian Aho had a goal and two assists and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for the Hurricanes, who moved four points ahead of second-place New York with eight games remaining in the regular season.
Rasmus Dahlin and Rasmus Asplund each had a goal and an assist, helping the Buffalo Sabres beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. Tage Thompson, Kyle Okposo and Jeff Skinner also scored for Buffalo. Craig Anderson made 23 saves as the Sabres won the season series 3-1-0 and became the only team to defeat the Leafs three times in 2021-22. Sabres defenseman Owen Power — the No. 1 pick at the 2021 draft — made his NHL debut after signing an entry-level contract last week.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 46th goal of the season to help the Washington Capitals rout the Philadelphia Flyers 9-2. The Capitals have won four in a row to go into their longest road trip on a high note. T.J. Oshie broke a nine-game goal drought with his ninth of the season. The Capitals’ nine goals were their most this season. Bobby Brink made his NHL debut for the struggling Flyers three nights after winning the NCAA championship with Denver.
Roope Hintz scored with 4:50 remaining and the Dallas Stars forced Tampa Bay to wait at least another day to clinch a playoff spot, beating the Lightning 1-0. The Lightning could have clinched their fifth consecutive playoff berth and eighth in the past nine years with a victory. Scott Wedgewood stopped 25 shots for his first shutout since joining the Stars in a trade with Arizona. It was the fifth of his career.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice, including the go-ahead goal in the second period, and the St. Louis Blues rallied to beat the Boston Bruins 4-2. Torey Krug and David Perron each finished with a goal and an assist as the Blues posted their sixth straight victory. Patrice Bergeron scored his 20th goal of the season and rookie Marc McLaughlin had his second career goal.
Ryan Johansen scored from a sharp angle at 3:18 of overtime to give the Nashville Predators a 1-0 victory over the slumping San Jose Sharks. Juuse Saros made 25 saves for the Predators, who snapped a two-game skid as they try to maintain their hold on a wild card in the tight Western Conference playoff race. Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 40 shots for the Sharks, who have dropped seven straight.
Matthew Tkachuk scored three goals for a career-best 37 this season, and the Calgary Flames rallied to beat the Seattle Kraken 5-3. Noah Hanifin had a goal and an assist, and Andrew Mangiapane also scored for Calgary, which had four unanswered goals in the third period to earn its fifth straight win. Dan Vladar started the third period in goal and stopped all seven shots he faced in relief of Jacob Markstrom to pick up the win.
Zach Parise and Josh Bailey each scored twice, and Kyle Palmier had the lone goal in the shootout as the New York Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4. Ilya Sorokin stopped Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang in the shootout and finished with a career-high 43 saves for New York.
Tim Stützle had two goals and an assist, and the Ottawa Senators beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1. Austin Watson added a goal and an assist as Ottawa stopped a three-game slide. Drake Batherson snapped a tie in the second period, and Anton Forsberg made 24 saves.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored at 3:41 of overtime to lift the Florida Panthers over the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 for their eighth straight victory. Anthony Duclair scored twice for the Eastern Conference leaders, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves.
Blake Lizotte scored twice, Phillip Danault had a goal and an assist and the Los Angeles Kings snapped a three-game skid with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Fabian Zetterlund and Kevin Bahl got their first career goals and New Jersey scored twice in the final minute of the second period, sending the Devils to a 6-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. Tomas Tatar and Jesper Boqvist, Yegor Sharangovich scored twice in the final five minutes and added an assist as the Devils won their second straight. Nick Schmaltz and Travis Boyd scored for the Coyotes, who have lost four in a row and 11 of 13.
Quinn Hughes scored 51 seconds into overtime and the Vancouver Canucks kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 5-4 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Elias Pettersson had goal and a pair of assists for the Canucks in regulation. Bo Horvat had a goal and an assist. Vasily Podkolzin and Brad Richardson rounded out the scoring for Vancouver, which has won four straight games. Robin Lehner stopped 22 of 27 shots for Vegas.
The NHL has pushed back a scheduled matchup between the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets as a winter storm sweeps through southern Manitoba.
The NHL says the game, originally scheduled for Wednesday, will instead be played at 1 p.m. Central time on May 1.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
The Anaheim Ducks are keeping head coach Dallas Eakins in charge next year for his fourth season with the struggling club. New general manager Pat Verbeek says the Ducks are picking up Eakins’ contract option for the 2022-23 season. Verbeek elected not to make an immediate coaching change after taking over the franchise two months ago.
NFL:
The U.S. House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission saying it found evidence the NFL’s Washington Commanders engaged in potentially unlawful financial conduct.
The NFL says it is engaging a former SEC chair to review the most serious allegations.
Elsewhere around the NFL:
The Los Angeles Chargers have signed linebacker Troy Reeder, who spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. The Chargers also signed wide receiver Jalen Guyton and tight end Donald Parham, who were exclusive rights free agents.
TENNIS:
Novak Djokovic opened his clay-court season with a surprising loss to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday.
Davidovich Fokina stunned the top-ranked Serb 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 in the second round to hand Djokovic another setback as he tries to move on from the controversy surrounding his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Tiger Woods fell short of his goal of winning the Masters golf tournament in his stunning return from serious injuries suffered in an auto accident, but he was a winner for the television networks who followed the event.
The Nielsen company said CBS’ coverage of the final round averaged nearly 10.2 million viewers — the most for any golf telecast since 2019, when Woods last won the coveted green jacket.
LPGA:
The LPGA says Shirley Spork died Tuesday at her home in California at age 94.
Her death comes two weeks after Spork learned she would be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame. She never won a tournament.
Spork helped launch the tour with 12 other women and inspired the LPGA Teaching & Club Pro Division that now has more than 1,700 members.
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