NBA
Donte DiVincenzo made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining after a desperate scramble, and the New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 104-101 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. The Knicks trailed by five points within the final 30 seconds, on the verge of losing home-court advantage before a stunning rally, starting when Jalen Brunson finally got a shot to fall during an otherwise miserable night. Brunson finished with 24 points despite going 8 for 29 from the field. Josh Hart had 21 points and 15 rebounds, and DiVincenzo scored 19 points. Game 3 is Thursday night at 7:30 in Philadelphia.
Jamal Murray sank a 15-foot step-back jumper at the buzzer and the Denver Nuggets wiped out a 20-point second-half deficit to stun the Los Angeles Lakers 101-99 Monday night and take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference playoff series. Murray’s fadeaway, falling-down game-winner provided the Nuggets with their first lead since 5-3 in the opening minutes and gave Denver its 10th consecutive win over the Lakers.
LeBron James' anger boiled over after the Los Angeles Lakers' latest loss to the Denver Nuggets. His anger wasn't centered on the Lakers and blowing a 20-point lead in the second half or at Jamal Murray's game-winning buzzer beater to give Denver a 101-99 win. No, James was upset about the NBA's replay center reversing a foul call on the Nuggets in the second half. James said Michael Porter Jr. clearly hit D'Angelo Russell in the face and that the call shouldn't have been reversed. The Lakers are down 2-0 with the series heading to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday.
A team spokesman says the Philadelphia 76ers plan to file a grievance related to the officiating during their series against the New York Knicks. The 76ers lost both games in New York, with the Knicks rallying in the final 30 seconds for a 104-101 victory on Monday night. 76ers center Joel Embiid believed Tyrese Maxey was fouled when the Knicks stole the ball from him on the possession that led to the go-ahead 3-pointer by Donte DiVincenzo. Embiid also said coach Nick Nurse and some players were trying to call timeout on the play.
Jalen Suggs made a stunning comeback for Orlando in Game 2. The Magic need to make one of their own to save their season. Suggs shook off what appeared to a serious injury to the guard's left knee and played most of the second half as the Magic lost 96-86 to the Cleveland Cavaliers to fall behind 0-2 in their Eastern Conference playoff series. Unable to put any weight on his leg, Suggs was carried off the floor in the first quarter in pain and crying. He played in the second half with a sleeve on his leg and says he expects to play in Game 3 at Orlando on Thursday.
NHL
Auston Matthews scored on a breakaway to snap a third-period tie and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 to knot their first-round playoff series at one game apiece. Ilya Samsonov stopped 27 shots for Toronto. The Leafs had lost eight straight games to Boston over 534 days dating to November, 2022. Max Domi and John Tavares also scored for the Maple Leafs. They haven't beaten the Bruins in a playoff series since 1959. Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak scored for Boston. Linus Ullmark started as part of a goalie rotation even though Jeremy Swayman won Game 1 on Saturday. Ullmark made 30 saves. Game 3 is Wednesday night at 7 in Toronto.
Sebastian Aho and Jordan Martinook scored 9 seconds apart late in the third period to help the Carolina Hurricanes complete a comeback from three goals down to beat the New York Islanders 5-3. That gave (to give) Carolina a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series in improbable fashion. Aho struck first by redirecting Andrei Svechnikov’s shot at the right post behind Semyon Varlamov with 2:15 remaining to tie the game at 3. Then Martinook scored off Varlamov's left skate for the 4-3 lead. Kyle Palmieri, Bo Horvat and Anders Lee scored as the Islanders led 3-0 early in the second period. Game 3 is Thursday night at 7:30 in New York.
The N-Y Rangers take a 1-0 lead into game two of their playoff series with the Washington Capitals at 7 tonight for game 2.
Vegas captain Mark Stone scored quickly after missing two months, Tomas Hertl had a goal in his playoff debut for the Golden Knights and the reigning Stanley Cup champions opened defense of their title with a 4-3 win over the top-seeded Dallas Stars. Jonathan Marchessault scored his franchise-record 36th postseason goal and Brayden McNabb scored on a long shot in the second period Monday night. Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin both had two assists. The Knights opened as a No. 8 seed in Dallas, where last year they wrapped up the Western Final with a Game 6 victory. Jamie Benn, Jason Robertson and Mason Marchment scored for Dallas.
Zach Hyman had three goals and an assist in his first postseason hat trick, Connor McDavid had five assists and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 7-4 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Adam Henrique, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele also scored and Evan Bouchard chipped in with four assists for the Oilers, who had lost the first game of their last seven playoff series and had not won Game 1 of a series on home ice since 1990. Stuart Skinner finished with 33 saves. Mikey Anderson, Adrian Kempe, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Trevor Moore scored for the Kings, who were eliminated in the opening round by the Oilers in each of the previous two seasons. Cam Talbot had 38 saves.
Lindy Ruff is returning to Buffalo for a second stint as coach of the Sabres. General manager Kevyn Adams announced the hiring Monday. Ruff coached the Sabres from 1997-2013 and was the last person to guide them to the playoffs. Buffalo fired Don Granato after missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season with him in charge. The Sabres haven’t made the playoffs since 2011, the longest drought in the league. Ruff coached the New Jersey Devils the past three seasons before being fired in March.
MLB
Zack Gelof hit a two-run homer off Victor González in the ninth, and the Oakland Athletics stopped an eight-game losing streak in the Bronx by beating the Yankees 2-0 following the first-inning ejection of New York manager Aaron Boone over what appeared to be a fan remark aimed at the plate umpire. After New York’s Carlos Rodón and Oakland’s JP Sears matched each other with shutout ball, Abraham Toro reached off González leading off the ninth when the pitcher slipped while trying to pick up his dribbler. Gelof hit an opposite-field drive into the right-field seats.
Michael Conforto homered against the team that drafted him in the first round a decade ago, helping to back rookie Keaton Winn’s latest stellar outing as the San Francisco Giants beat the New York Mets 5-2. Nick Ahmed hit a two-run single in the second and Matt Chapman added a two-run double the next inning to support Winn. He struck out six while allowing four hits and one walk in six-plus innings. Pete Alonso homered leading off the fifth for New York — its first run in two days following a 10-0 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday.
Ranger Suárez allowed two hits in seven innings and Kody Clemens hit a three-run homer as the Philadelphia Phillies extended their winning streak to seven games with a 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Suárez ran his scoreless streak to 25 innings. He’s won his last four starts, including a 112-pitch shutout against Colorado last Tuesday. This time, he yielded two singles, struck out five and walked one. Gregory Soto and Jeff Hoffman completed the two-hitter for Philadelphia’s fourth shutout this season, tying Cleveland for most in the majors. Cincinnati was blanked for the first time. Reds starter Hunter Greene permitted four runs and seven hits in seven innings. Philadelphia has scored at least seven runs in five straight games.
Oneil Cruz broke out of a slump with three hits, rookie Jared Jones allowed one run in six innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended their skid at six games, beating Milwaukee 4-2 to stop the Brewers’ four-game win streak. Cruz capped a three-run sixth with a two-out, two-run single. He also singled in the second and dropped a double into right-center in the fourth. The 6-foot-7 shortstop was 4 for 44 in his previous 12 games. Jones gave up four hits and two walks. The 22-year-old struck out seven and has 39 strikeouts through five starts.
Tarik Skubal struck out nine over six scoreless innings, Mark Canha and Parker Meadows homered, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-1. The Tigers improved to 9-3 on the road this season. Skubal (3-0) scattered three hits in winning his seventh consecutive decision, dating to last September. The left-hander is 2-0 in four starts against the Rays. allowing two earned runs over 17 1/3 innings. José Caballero homered in the eighth inning off Shelby Miller as the Rays have lost three of four and six of 10. Tampa Bay had one runner reach second base against Skubal.
Max Kepler had two hits and three RBIs in his return from the injured list and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 7-0 Monday night. Chris Paddack struck out 10 in seven innings to win as starter for the first time in nearly two years. Edouard Julien homered among his three hits for Minnesota. Blanked for the eighth time this season and once in each series, Chicago has lost 10 of 11. Nicky Lopez and Danny Mendick had two hits, and Gavin Sheets and manager Pedro Grifol were ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the eighth inning.
Bo Bichette had a bases-clearing triple, Daulton Varsho hit a two-run homer and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3. The Jays have won seven of nine. The Royals lost their third straight at home after winning their previous nine at Kauffman Stadium. Yusei Kikuchi was efficient early, allowing one baserunner on 48 pitches in the first five innings. He allowed a two-run homer by Maikel Garcia in the sixth. Jordan Romano surrendered a homer by Kyle Isbel in the ninth but finished for his third save. Brady Singer took the loss, allowing five runs in six innings.
Craig Kimbrel struck out Mike Trout looking with the bases loaded for the final out, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 for their seventh win in eight games. James McCann and Colton Cowser homered and Adley Rutschman drove in two runs for the Orioles, who moved into first place in the AL East. They improved to 3-1 on their road trip while winning the 10,000th regular-season game in Angels history. Albert Suárez pitched four-hit ball into the sixth inning to earn his first major league victory since 2016 for Baltimore, but Kimbrel barely hung on in a tumultuous ninth inning to earn his sixth save.
Travis d’Arnaud hit his fifth home run in four games and Bryce Elder pitched 6 2/3 spotless innings in his return from the minors as the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 3-0. David Fletcher capped a three-run fourth with an RBI single to help the Braves win for the seventh time in eight games. Recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier in the day, Elder scattered eight hits in his first major league start this season. The right-hander struck out four and walked none. Elder was picked for the NL All-Star team last year, when he made 31 starts for Atlanta and finished 12-4 with a 3.81 ERA. But he struggled in the second half and began the 2024 season in the minors.
Nolan Gorman snapped an 0-for-19 slump with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the fourth home run this season for Gorman, who entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth. Paul Goldschmidt, who homered earlier, reached on an infield single before Gorman hit left-hander Kyle Nelson’s only pitch into the right-field seats. Ryan Helsley worked a scoreless inning and the Cardinals overcame a 3-0 deficit to halt a four-game losing streak. Ryan Thompson took the loss. Eugenio Suárez sparked Arizona with three hits and two RBIs.
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.
NFL
A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press the New York Jets have traded quarterback Zach Wilson to the Denver Broncos. The Jets are sending Wilson and a seventh-round pick in this week’s draft to the Broncos for a sixth-rounder, the person said. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams haven’t announced the deal. NFL Network first reported the trade. The Jets are parting ways with Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, after just three disappointing seasons. New York is also expected to pay a portion of Wilson’s $5.5 million salary for this season.
NFL teams are using premium draft picks on quarterbacks at an increasingly high rate. The draft this weekend is slated to be the eighth in the past nine years with at least three QBs taken in the first round. That will match the number of times that happened in the first 38 years of the common draft era. But finding a capable starter is still essentially a coin-flip proposition. Half of the first round QBs from 2011 until 2022 left their original teams without reaching the relatively low bar of receiving a second contract.
GOLF
Scottie Scheffler winning the RBC Heritage was inevitable. He returned to Harbour Town on Monday morning with a five-shot lead and three holes to play. Scheffler ended his streak of 68 holes at par or better with a meaningless bogey for a 68. That gives him a three-shot victory. He wins for the fourth time in his last five starts, which includes the Masters. Scheffler is the first player since Bernhard Langer in 1985 to win the Masters and the following week on the PGA Tour. There is no one close to him in the game at the moment.
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