NBA PLAYOFFS
Jayson Tatum notched his first career playoff triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Boston Celtics past the Miami Heat 114-94 to open their first-round playoff series. Derrick White added 20 points and four assists for Boston, which finished with six players in double-figures. Miami spoiled the Celtics’ NBA finals dreams last season. But Boston fed off the energy of the TD Garden crowd, knocking down 22 3-pointers and outscoring the Heat 31-14 in the third quarter. The Celtics’ lead grew as high as 34 points in the fourth. Bam Adebayo scored 24 points for the Miami, which played without star Jimmy Butler following his right knee injury during the play-in round.
Elsewhere, after beating the 76ers in Game 1 111-104 on Saturday, the Knicks take a 1-0 lead into game two against Philadelphia tonight at 7:30.
James Harden scored 28 points, Ivica Zubac had a double-double and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks 109-97 to win their playoff series opener. Zubac’s 20 points were a playoff career high to go with 15 rebounds. Harden hit 6 of 11 3-pointers and had eight assists. The Clippers outdid the Mavs at their own game, making 18 of 36 3-pointers to 10 of 33 for Dallas. Doncic led the Mavs with 33 points and 13 rebounds. Kyrie Irving added 31 points and seven rebounds. The Clippers had five players in double figures without the injured Kawhi Leonard.
Damian Lillard scored all 35 of his points before halftime and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo to defeat the Indiana Pacers 109-94 in their Eastern Conference playoff opener. Antetokounmpo sat out with a strained left calf while Lillard set a Bucks record for points in either half of a playoff game. Pascal Siakam had 36 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who hadn’t scored fewer than 99 points in the regular season. Khris Middleton had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, while Bobby Portis added 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Bucks led 69-42 at halftime.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final minute, and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 94-92 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series. New Orleans’ CJ McCollum missed an off-balance 3-pointer in the closing seconds and the Thunder held on to win their first home playoff game since 2019. Jalen Williams scored 19 points and Chet Holmgren added 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Thunder. Trey Murphy III scored 21 points and McCollum added 20 for the Pelicans.
NHL PLAYOFFS
Jimmy Vesey had a goal and an assist, Artemi Panarin also scored, and the New York Rangers beat the Washington Capitals 4-1 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Matt Rempe and Chris Kreider also scored, Barclay Goodrow had two assists and Igor Shesterkin finished with 20 saves to help the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers get the postseason off to strong start. The Rangers, seeking their first Stanley Cup championship in 30 years, won their third straight and 11th in the last 14 games. Martin Fehervary scored and Charlie Lindgren stopped 27 shots for the Capitals, who had won three straight and four of their last five games to earn the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night at 7.
The Hurricanes beat the Islanders 3-1 on Saturday and now hold 1-0 lead in the first-round playoff series. Game 2 is tonight at 7:30.
Elsewhere, after crushing the Maple Leafs 5-1 in Game 1 on Saturday, the Bruins take a 1-0 lead into Game 2 against Toronto tonight at 7:00.
Carter Verhaeghe tapped in a pinpoint pass from Aleksander Barkov for the lead 58 seconds into the third period, Matthew Tkachuk added a goal and an assist and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in Game 1 of their NHL playoff series opener. Barkov had two assists, Sam Reinhart also scored and Sergei Bobrovsky had 17 saves for the Panthers, who won a Game 1 on home ice for the first time since 1997. Brandon Hagel got the goal for Tampa Bay, which now trails Florida in a series for the first time. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 stops for the Lightning.
Captain Adam Lowry and Kyle Connor each scored twice to propel the Winnipeg Jets to a 7-6 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists and Josh Morrissey and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored. Connor Hellebuyck made 40 saves for the Jets, who are on a nine-game win streak. Cale Makar had a goal and two assists for Colorado. Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin, Miles Wood and Casey Mittelstadt also scored. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 16 of the 23 shots he faced for Colorado.
Pius Suter and Dakota Joshua scored 12 seconds apart in the third period and the Vancouver Canucks stormed back for a 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Joshua had two goals and an assist, Elias Lindholm also scored and Thatcher Demko stopped 20 shots for Vancouver, the Pacific Division champion which hosted a playoff game for the first time since 2015. Jason Zucker and Ryan O’Reilly scored for Nashville, and Juuse Saros made 17 saves.
MLB
Luis Gil struck out a career-high nine over 5 2/3 innings for his first major league win in three years, and the New York Yankees took advantage of Adam Civale’s control problems in a four-run fifth to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4. Civale walked three straight batters with two outs in the fifth, then gave up Alex Verdugo’s two-run single and RBI singles by Jose Trevino and Oswaldo Cabrera — all in a three-pitch span — as New York spurted ahead 5-1. The Yankees improved to 6-1 in series this season.
Shohei Ohtani broke Hideki Matsui’s major league record for homers by a Japanese-born player with a huge two-run shot in the third inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped their three-game skid with a 10-0 victory over the New York Mets. Ohtani crushed a 423-foot line drive off Adrian Houser deep into the right-field bleachers for the two-time AL MVP’s fifth homer of the year and the 176th of his six-plus seasons in the majors. Tyler Glasnow struck out 10 and held New York to seven singles over eight strong innings while Los Angeles snapped the Mets’ six-game winning streak and salvaged the finale of a disappointing 3-6 homestand.
Wilyer Abreu had three hits and drove in two runs and the Boston Red Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 to complete a three-game sweep. Abreu’s RBI single off Martín Pérez (1-1) in the third gave the Red Sox the lead for good. Abreu added another RBI single in the sixth as Boston improved to 10-3 on the road. Reese McGuire added a pinch-hit two-run single for the Red Sox. Ke'Bryan Hayes had two of Pittsburgh's seven hits. The Pirates have dropped six straight following a promising 11-5 start.
Trea Turner stole home, Kyle Schwarber hit a solo shot and Aaron Nola struck out seven in eight innings to help the Philadelphia Phillies complete a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox with an 8-2 win on Sunday. Nola walked only one and threw 91 pitches. Bryce Harper added a sacrifice fly and an RBI single for the Phillies. The Phillies finished 8-2 on their 10-game homestand. The Phillies swept consecutive three-game series against Colorado and the White Sox.
Left-hander Mitchell Parker threw seven shutout innings, and Luis Garcia Jr. had three singles and two RBIs and the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros 6-0. The Nationals have won three of their past four series after starting the season 2-6. The Astros’ tailspin continues, having lost five of their past six and nine of their past 12.
The Reds’ bullpen picked up after starting pitcher Frankie Montas left the game in the first inning and Cincinnati shut out the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 on Sunday to sweep the series. Montas was hit by a line drive by Taylor Ward and left the game with a bruised right forearm after 16 pitches. Emilio Pagan earned the win after allowing one hit in two innings. Jose Soriano finished with three unearned runs on three hits in six innings, a career high, and struck out a career-high seven batters. Alexis Diaz earned his fourth straight save in five tries.
A bases-loaded triple by J.P. Crawford keyed a six-run second inning that propelled the Seattle Mariners past the Colorado Rockies 10-2 for a doubleheader split. In the opener, Ezequiel Tovar and Ryan McMahon each hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th to lift Colorado to a 2-1 win. That victory snapped a season-worst six-game losing streak for the Rockies, who have the worst record in the National League at 5-17. Colorado has yet to win consecutive games or a series this season. Cal Raleigh added a two-run homer in the sixth inning of the nightcap and finished the game with three RBIs. Emerson Hancock allowed two runs — one earned — in six innings. Seattle has won five of six.
Joe Musgrove pitched seven innings for the first time since July 4 and Xander Bogaerts homered for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 to avoid a three-game sweep. Musgrove improved to 4-0 against the Blue Jays, who picked him in the first round of the 2011 draft. The big right-hander from suburban El Cajon allowed solo homers to Davis Schneider and Ernie Clement but otherwise pitched well enough to improve to 3-2. He allowed three runs on five hits and struck out three. The Padres snapped a three-game losing streak.
Andrew Knizner hit a three-run homer, Adolis García added a two-run shot and the Texas Rangers avoided a three-game sweep with a 6-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Evan Carter also went deep as the reigning World Series champions erased an early 3-0 deficit and stopped Atlanta’s six-game winning streak. Michael Lorenzen recovered from a rocky start, giving up three runs and three hits with seven strikeouts in six innings. David Robertson worked 1 2/3 innings in relief and Kirby Yates got four outs for his third save. Marcell Ozuna launched his major league-leading ninth homer for the Braves, a three-run shot off Lorenzen in the first inning. Atlanta rookie Darius Vines allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings.
Josh Naylor delivered a clutch, three-run double in the seventh inning as the Guardians continued their best start in 25 years with a 6-2 win over the Oakland Athletics to complete a three-game sweep. With the Guardians up 3-2, Naylor, who celebrated a two-run homer on Saturday by bashing the top of his helmet with his bat, doubled with the bases loaded. He's batting .406 with 14 RBIs in nine home games. The surprising Guardians are 16-6 for the first time since opening with that mark in 1999. Will Brennan homered for Cleveland. Brent Rooker homered for the A’s. Ross Stripling lost his fifth straight start with Oakland.
Casey Mize pitched six scoreless innings for his major league win since 2021, and Buddy Kennedy homered and drove in three runs as the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 6-1. Spencer Torkelson had two hits, scored twice and knocked in two runs. Riley Greene scored three times for the Tigers, who improved to 8-3 on the road. Mize gave up five hits, walked three and struck out four in his first victory since Aug. 24, 2021, at St. Louis. The top pick in the 2018 amateur draft missed nearly all of the past two seasons because of Tommy John surgery and a back operation. The Twins have lost six of seven and are hitting .195, the second-worst batting average in the big leagues.
Vinnie Pasquantino and MJ Melendez homered to help the Kansas City Royals beat Baltimore 9-4 and stop the Orioles’ four-game winning streak. Adley Rutschman hit his first career grand slam for the Orioles, a seventh-inning homer off Will Smith. Dean Kremer retired his first 11 batters before Pasquantino drove a 1-1 splitter into the right-field bullpen for his fourth homer. MJ Melendez sparked a five-run sixth with an RBI single that ended an 0-for-23 slide. Michael Massey and Hunter Renfroe each had two-run hits for a 6-0 lead.
Owen Miller broke a scoreless tie with a two-run single and Colin Rea tossed five shutout innings to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 2-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Sonny Gray stuck out 12 batters over 6 1/3 innings for the Cardinals, who have lost four in a row. Rea gave up five hits over five-plus innings and left after walking Paul Goldschmidt to begin the sixth. Miller, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday, hit a two-run single in the seventh after Blake Perkins and Brice Turang singled with one out.
Jesús Sánchez hit a massive solo homer and an RBI single, helping the Miami Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3. Sánchez, Luis Arraez, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Nick Fortes each had two hits as Miami salvaged a split of the four-game series. The last-place Marlins are 6-8 since they opened the season with nine consecutive losses. Miami right-hander Edward Cabrera pitched five innings of three-run ball in his second start. Chicago had won six of eight. Nico Hoerner had three hits and two RBIs for the Cubs.
Right-hander Slade Cecconi held the San Francisco Giants to two runs in six innings in his 2024 debut, and Gabriel Moreno hit a two-run, go-ahead single in the sixth inning to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-3 victory. Cecconi started in place of an injured Merrill Kelly to help the Diamondbacks earn a split of the four-game series. He was recalled from Triple-A Reno to make his fifth career start to replace Kelly, who was scratched with a shoulder injury.
Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani has broken Hideki Matsui’s record for the most homers hit by a Japanese-born player in Major League Baseball. Ohtani crushed a two-run homer deep into the right field bleachers off Adrian Houser of the New York Mets in the third inning at Dodger Stadium. The homer was the 176th of Ohtani’s six-plus seasons in the majors. That’s one more than Matsui, who played the final 10 seasons of his 20-year pro career in North America. The homer was Ohtani's fifth for the Dodgers, who signed the two-time AL MVP to a $700 million contract last winter.
WOMEN'S GOLF
Nelly Korda etched her name in the LPGA Tour record books, winning (won) her record-tying fifth straight tournament with a two-stroke victory in the Chevron Championship for her second major title. Korda joins Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam as the only players to win five consecutive LPGA events. Her previous major victory was in 2021 at the Women’s PGA Championship. The top-ranked Korda shot a 3-under 69 in the final to outlast Maja Stark of Sweden, who birdied her final two holes to shoot 69 and pull within one. Korda stayed aggressive on the par-5 18th, easily clearing the lake in front of the green and setting up an easy up-and-down birdie for a two-shot victory.
MEN'S GOLF
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is on the verge of another victory. He just has to wait one day because of the rain. Scheffler chipped in for eagle and was comfortably ahead in the RBC Heritage when storms arrived. Heavy rain stopped play for 2 1/2 hours. By the time play resumed, there was no way to finish. Scheffler was 20-under par and leading by five shots. Wyndham Clark finished with a 65 and posted 15 under. Patrick Cantlay and J.T. Poston also are at 15 under but didn't finish the 18th hole. Scheffler has three holes left to play.
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Robin Lod had a goal and two assists and Minnesota United ended Charlotte FC’s 13-match unbeaten run at home dating to last season with a 3-0 victory. It was the first meeting between Minnesota United (4-2-2) and Charlotte (3-4-2), which joined the league in 2022. Minnesota United took a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute when Tani Oluwaseyi used an assist from Lod to score for a third time this season. Lod took a pass from Franco Fragapane and notched his third goal this season four minutes into the second half to give Minnesota United a two-goal lead. Hassani Dotson made it 3-0 in the 53rd minute, getting an assist from Lod off a corner kick to score his first goal of the season.
TALLADEGA
Tyler Reddick stole a victory at Talladega Superspeedway when front-runner Michael McDowell, swerving up and down the track trying to block Brad Keselowski, wound up crashing with the finish line in sight. It was a typical Talladega finish — and set off a raucous celebration on pit road with Reddick’s team owner, Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan. McDowell was the pole-sitter and in position to give Ford its much-needed first victory of the year. But his topsy-turvy efforts to block Keselowski — another Ford driver — wound up costing them both. McDowell crashed, Keselowski had to check up and Reddick sped by to win by 0.208 seconds.
INDYCAR
Scott Dixon moved closer to A.J. Foyt on IndyCar’s all-time win list by picking up his 57th career victory with a Sunday fuel-saving master class on the downtown streets of Long Beach. Foyt is IndyCar’s winningest driver with 67 career wins. Dixon’s win is his second career victory in the most prestigious street course race in the United States and gave Chip Ganassi Racing a sweep of the weekend. Ganassi’s sports car team of Renger van der Zande and Sebastian Bourdais won the IMSA race on Saturday. Dixon used fuel saving strategy that his rival drivers could not figure how the New Zealander made it to the finish.
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