NBA
Jaylen Brown had 36 points and 10 rebounds, Kristaps Porzingis returned to the game after getting a bloody gash to the forehead and finished with 20 points, and the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 109-100 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. Boston took a 2-0 series lead while playing without All-Star Jayson Tatum, who has a bone bruise in his right wrist and missed a playoff game for the first time in his career. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 32 points and nine rebounds. Franz Wagner scored 25 points. Game 3 is Friday night at 7 in Orlando.
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers held on for a 121-112 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series. The top-seeded Cavaliers set an NBA playoff record with 11 3-pointers in the second quarter and had 22 for the game. However, Cleveland had to hold off a second-half charge by Miami. Tyler Herro scored 33 points for Miami, which hosts Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
Jalen Green made eight 3-pointers and scored 38 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 109-94 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in a testy matchup to even the first-round Western Conference series at one game apiece. The seventh-seeded Warriors never led and played short-handed for most of the night after Jimmy Butler left with a pelvis contusion after a hard fall on a foul late in the first quarter. Green, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, rebounded from a flop in his playoff debut, when he scored just seven points on 3-of-15 shooting, with a dominant Game 2.
Golden State’s Jimmy Butler sustained a pelvis contusion after taking a hard fall on a foul by Amen Thompson late in the first quarter and missed the rest of the Warriors’ 109-94 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Coach Steve Kerr said he wasn’t sure if Butler would be available for Game 3 on Saturday. He’s scheduled to have an MRI exam Thursday. Butler was injured when Thompson was pushed into his legs as he jumped to try and grab a rebound. Both players crashed to the court in the collision, but Butler stayed down longer than Thompson.
Jimmer Fredette, the 2011 Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the year who went on to become an NBA lottery pick, has announced his retirement. The 36-year-old made the announcement today/Wednesday. He was the No. 10 pick by Milwaukee in the 2011 draft. He spent parts of six seasons in the NBA with Sacramento, New Orleans, Chicago, Phoenix and New York. He also played professionally in China and Greece, winning the MVP award in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2017. Fredette brought Glens Falls High School to the 2007 title game before starring at BYU in college.
NHL
Logan Thompson's goaltending in the third period is the biggest reason the Washington Capitals took a 2-0 series lead on the Montreal Canadiens. Thompson made 14 of his 25 saves in the third, most notably denying Josh Anderson with midway through the period, getting his stick in front of a deflection by Christian Dvorak with just over four minutes left and turning aside Juraj Slafkovsky on the next shift. Fans gave Thompson a standing ovation and chanted, “LT! LT!” to recognize the performance of one of Washington's most important players who was in his second game back from injury.
Adrian Kempe had two goals and two assists, captain Anze Kopitar added a goal and three assists, and the Los Angeles Kings routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 to seize a 2-0 lead in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. Quinton Byfield and Andrei Kuzmenko scored for the second straight game, and Brandt Clarke scored his first playoff goal in an overwhelming performance by second-seeded Los Angeles. Leon Draisaitl and Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Oilers, whose endemic defensive struggles couldn’t be covered up by the offensive brilliance of Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
Tyler Seguin scored at 5:31 of overtime after Dallas killed a late double-minor penalty, and the Stars beat Colorado 2-1 in Game 3 on Wednesday night in a game that featured the return of Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. Dallas took a 2-1 lead in the first-round series with its second straight overtime victory. Game 4 is Saturday night in Denver. Seguin knocked the puck past Mackenzie Blackwood off a feed from Mason Marchment. It was Marchment who was sent off for four minutes in the final minute of regulation for a high-stick that caught Brock Nelson in the face. Stars defenseman Esa Lindell made a key play in overtime when he deflected a shot by Artturi Lehkonen down low.
MLB
Carlos Rodón pitched seven strong innings, Paul Goldschmidt drove in two runs and Aaron Judge raised his major league-leading average to .415 as the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians 5-1 to avoid a series sweep. Rodón allowed just four hits, struck out five straight in one stretch and kept the Guardians off balance. Judge hit an RBI triple and Goldschmidt had an RBI double in the first inning off Luis Ortiz as the Yankees took the finale of the three-game set. The Guardians saw their winning streak stopped at five and fell to 7-2 at home.
Juan Soto threw out Nick Castellanos at the plate to prevent the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, Starling Marte capped a two-run 10th with a walk-off single and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 to complete a three-game sweep that extended their winning streak to seven. New York went 7-0 on its second-longest unbeaten homestand behind a 10-0 run against the Phillies, Braves and Marlins in April 2015. The Mets are 12-1 at Citi Field and opened a five-game lead over their NL East rival Phillies.
Right-hander Emerson Hancock struck out a career-high seven batters and J.P. Crawford had four RBIs to help the Seattle Mariners to and 8-5 win over the Boston Red Sox. Hancock (1-1) allowed two runs on five hits with two walks, lowering his ERA from 12.71 to 7.71. Andrés Muñoz, who entered the game leading the American League in saves, pitched a scoreless ninth for his eighth save of the season. With Seattle leading 1-0 after Mitch Garver’s first-inning single drove in Julio Rodríguez, Crawford’s first home run of the season scored Ben Williamson and Leo Rivas, who opened the fourth inning with consecutive singles to make it 4-0. Boston starter Sean Newcomb (0-3) gave up four runs over five innings on eight hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.
Reese Olson allowed two hits in 7 1/3 scoreless innings as the Detroit Tigers defeated the San Diego Padres 6-0 to win a three-game series. Justyn-Henry Malloy homered and doubled for the Tigers, who won two of three from the Padres to improve to 9-4 at home. Detroit has won six of its first eight series this season for the first time since 2015. Kyle Hart allowed two runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out six for San Diego, which has gone 3-5 after a 14-3 start. Fernando Tatís Jr.’s on-base streak ended at 23 games.
Luis Garcia Jr.’s sacrifice fly to deep center plated Alex Call with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth, James Wood led off the game with his eighth homer and the Washington Nationals beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Wednesday. Wood drove the fifth pitch of the game by Orioles starter Tomoyaki Sugano 431 feet over the right-center field wall and Josh Bell added a two-run shot as the Nationals raced out to a 3-0 lead on three hits in the first inning. Kyle Finnegan allowed two singles but struck out Tyler O’Neill and got Heston Kjerstad to pop out in the ninth for his ninth save of the season.
Oneil Cruz blasted a 463-foot home run to center field — the fourth longest in MLB this season — and Andrew Heaney retired the first 13 batters he faced to help the Pittsburgh Pirates shut down the Los Angeles Angels 3-0. Heaney (2-1) struck out nine and allowed just one hit in six innings for his first win at Angel Stadium since being traded by Los Angeles in February. Travis d’Arnaud got the Angels’ first hit in the fifth with a one-out double down the left-field line. Their second hit came with one out in the ninth before Dennis Santana earned his third save by getting Mike Trout to pop out. Trout struck out three times for Los Angeles, which has lost seven of its last nine games.
Kameron Misner and Yandy Díaz had RBI doubles in the 11th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays held on for a 7-6 victory over Arizona on Wednesday night, overcoming Corbin Carroll’s two home runs. Misner drove in Chandler Simpson with a double off Drey Jameson (0-1), but was thrown out trying for a triple. Jonathan Aranda walked and scored on a two-out double by Díaz. Eric Orze surrendered an RBI single to Alek Thomas leading off the bottom half, then walked Tim Tawa. Carroll drew a one-out walk to load the bases, but Orze induced Geraldo Perdomo to hit into a game-ending double play for his first career save. Pete Fairbanks (2-1) was the winner. Carroll hit his eighth and ninth homers of the season.
Christian Walker homered in a three-run second, Ryan Gusto pitched well into the sixth and the Houston Astros beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Wednesday night to sweep the three-game series. Walker led off the second with a home run to left off Bowden Francis (2-3), Yainer Diaz tripled and scored on Zach Dezenzo's RBI single and Yordan Alvarez capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly. Gusto (3-1) allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Houston has won five of its last six. Springer hit an RBI double in the fourth for the Blue Jays. They have lost five straight games.
Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach homered help the Minnesota Twins beat the last-place Chicago White Sox 6-3 on Wednesday night. Larnach hit a solo shot in the sixth, his second blast in two games, to make it 4-3. Buxton hit a two-run homer an inning later as Minnesota won its second straight in the series. Chicago scored all three of its runs in the fifth, one on a wild pitch and another on an error by second baseman Luke Keaschall. Minnesota tied it in the bottom of the inning on Brooks Lee’s sharp single that drove in Ty France. Justin Topa (1-1) worked the sixth for the victory, and Danny Coulombe threw the ninth for his first save.
Shea Langeliers had four hits and Nick Kurtz drove in a run with a base hit his first time up in his major-league debut to help the Athletics beat Texas 5-2 on a night that saw the Rangers’ Joc Pederson end a 0-for-41 slump with a pinch-hit double. Lawrence Butler homered on a 3-2 pitch from Rangers starter Kumar Rocker (1-3) to ignite a four-run outburst. Tyler Soderstrom doubled and scored on a hit by Langeliers. The Rangers scored on Wyatt Langford’s sixth homer — a solo shot in the fourth. Kevin Pillar singled and scored on a groundout by Adolis García in the sixth. Mason Miller allowed the Pederson double in the ninth before striking out the side for his seventh save.
Eli White hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the eighth inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 to win the three-game series. JoJo Romero gave up singles to Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies before White went deep off Ryan Fernandez for his first homer of the season. White was making only his sixth start of the season, including his fourth in left field. Daysbel Hernández stranded two inherited base runners in the eighth when he struck out Jordan Walker. Hernández remained in the game to pitch the ninth.
Austin Wynns homered, doubled and singled, Brady Singer struck out eight in six strong innings and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Miami Marlins 5-2. Wynns hit a solo shot off Sandy Alcántara in the third. The catcher has nine hits in his last 11 plate appearances, including two homers. He was a triple shy of the cycle after driving in a run with a double in the ninth. Singer gave up a two-run homer to Matt Mervis in the first but allowed little else. His eight strikeouts matched a season high, and he allowed only four hits and no walks.
Pete Crow-Armstrong homered and drove in four runs, and the Chicago Cubs topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-6 for another wild victory. Dansby Swanson had two hits and two RBIs as NL Central-leading Chicago improved to 4-1 on an eight-game homestand. The Cubs beat the Dodgers 11-10 on Tuesday night when Miguel Amaya homered with two out in the ninth inning and Ian Happ hit a game-ending RBI single in the 10th. They went 4-3 in their season series against the World Series champions. Teoscar Hernández homered and drove in four runs for Los Angeles, which lost for the third time in four games. Andy Pages hit a solo drive for the second straight night.
Wilmer Flores hit a two-run single in the sixth inning to back another strong start by Giants ace Logan Webb, and San Francisco beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Wednesday night. Jung Hoo Lee added three hits to help the Giants improve to 14-2 against right-handed starters this season, tops in the majors. Webb (3-1) pitched around traffic most of the night while outdueling Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta (2-2). Webb didn’t allow a run over 6 1/3 innings and had six strikeouts with three walks while lowering his ERA to 1.98. The Brewers scored twice in the ninth off closer Ryan Walker before Camilo Doval got the final two outs for his fourth save.
COLLEGE SPORTS
The judge overseeing the sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences has delayed final approval of the plan until it is modified to address concerns about roster limits. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken signaled she is ready to approve the rest of the settlement but wants both sides to come up with a way to not harm current athletes who will lose their spots on teams. The settlement calls for scholarship limits to be replaced by roster limits. Some attorneys argued that Wilken's order could throw college sports into chaos.
NFL
Steve McMichael, a star defensive tackle on the Chicago Bears’ famed 1985 Super Bowl championship team, has died following a battle with ALS. He was 67. McMichael's publicist, Betsy Shepherd, told The Associated Press that he died Wednesday afternoon. McMichael had a larger-than-life personality that made him a fixture in the Windy City for decades and a natural for professional wrestling. He was a two-time All-Pro and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. He ranks second to Richard Dent on the Bears' career sacks list. McMichael revealed in April 2021 that he was battling ALS.
The NFL draft kicks off tonight at 7 and Miami quarterback Cam Ward is still the overwhelming favorite to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans. There should be a lot more intrigue after that. Colorado’s two-way star, Travis Hunter, and his quarterback teammate Shedeur Sanders, Penn State’s Abdul Carter, Michigan’s Mason Graham and LSU’s Will Campbell are all expected to be among the early picks. Sanders is among a contingent of legacy players in this year’s draft. The three-day draft will be held at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which is the home of the Green Bay Packers.
The main question everyone is asking ahead of the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night is where Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders going. They’re not just debating it on television and sports radio. Even casual football fans in town for other business are wondering which team is going to pick “Prime Time’s” son. That was a discussion among a group sitting at a restaurant near Lambeau Field on Wednesday. In a draft loaded with talented players, Sanders has dominated the conversation in the days leading up to it.
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