Sports
Nuggets leaning on experience, Thunder on road prowess in Game 3
May 7, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) in the first quarter during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images The Oklahoma City Thunder were stunned by the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series. Oklahoma City was stunning in a Game 2 romp.
The Thunder’s 43-point rout Wednesday night evened the series, which shifts to Denver for the next two games, starting with Game 3 Friday night.
Oklahoma City needs to win one of those road games to take back home-court advantage, which shouldn’t be a tough task for a team that went 32-8 away from home during the regular season and won its first two on the road in the playoffs.
To get at least one win, the Thunder need to bring the same energy they had in Game 2 when they led by 24 after the first quarter, scored 87 points in the first half and were up by as much as 49.
“Winning by a hundred or winning by two, it’s still 1-1, and I think that’s very important,” Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Like I said, especially in the series, every game’s going to look different. People are going to make adjustments. It’s going to be a different crowd, a different feel. You’re going to start hot, you’re going to start cold, everything’s going to look different. It’s important to turn the page.”
The Thunder will likely stick with their game plan to contain Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. They were physical with the three-time MVP and frustrated him before he fouled out late in the third quarter. He finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six turnovers after putting up 42 points and 22 rebounds in Denver’s Game 1 win.
Jokic gave credit to Oklahoma City, saying only one team played the game, while Aaron Gordon came to his teammate’s defense.
“They are fouling Joker first. You know Jok is reactionary and they do get the second guy a lot of the times,” Gordon said. “But they are fouling him throughout the game — point blank. Period. And it’s a thing you can’t call every foul because you would be calling a foul every single play. But they are fouling him. They are a handsy team.”
Jokic wasn’t the only one who struggled. The Nuggets shot just 37.9 percent from the field, committed 21 turnovers and were outrebounded 44-38 after winning that category by 20 on Monday night.
Denver will lean on its championship experience to respond as it has in the past. The Nuggets were routed in Game 3 of the first round but came back to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4; last year they were down 0-2 to Minnesota before reeling off three straight wins.
Interim coach David Adelman said the players owned their performance after watching the game film on Thursday.
“A lot of guys had thoughts on what they felt (Wednesday) night,” he said. “And that allows you to move on and do things better (Friday).”
There is also concern about Michael Porter Jr.’s health. Though he is not on the injury report for Game 3, Porter has been dealing with a left shoulder sprain suffered in the first round and has struggled with his shot at times. He was on the bench in crunch time during Game 1, and Russell Westbrook has seen his minutes increase.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Luke Keaschall powers late rally as Twins dump Mets
Apr 21, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman Luke Keaschall (15) hits a RBI single in the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Luke Keaschall’s second RBI single of the game snapped a ninth-inning tie Tuesday night and helped the visiting Minnesota Twins rally past the slumping New York Mets 5-3.
In losing its 12th straight game, New York coughed up a 3-0 lead as closer Devin Williams melted down during the top of the ninth. Williams (0-1) didn’t retire any of the five hitters he faced, walking three.
That included Matt Wallner, whose free pass with the sacks filled forced Ryan Jeffers home with an insurance run, inspiring angry boos from the listed crowd of 32,798 as Mets manager Carlos Mendoza hooked Williams.
Minnesota’s bullpen retired all 12 hitters it faced. Cole Sands (1-1) pitched the last two innings to earn the win, fanning Tyrone Taylor for the last out.
Needing something good to happen early in the opener of its nine-game homestand, New York got it in the bottom of the third. Mark Vientos led off with a single and was forced at second on Carson Benge’s grounder.
Benge swiped second and Marcus Semien walked. After working a full count, Lindor crushed a 3-2 offering an estimated 410 feet into the second deck in right field. It was his second homer and quadrupled his RBI total from one to four.
Nolan McLean mowed down the first 15 hitters he faced before finding trouble in the sixth. Wallner broke up his perfect game with a leadoff single and trotted home with two outs when Byron Buxton lofted a two-run homer, his fourth of the year, just over the leaping Benge and over the left field wall.
Minnesota equalized an inning later when Kody Clemens lined a double to right and scored on Keaschall’s line-drive single to center. One out later, McLean was gone after fanning 10 in 6 2/3 innings while permitting five hits and three runs.
Keaschall’s hit got Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson off the hook after he pitched five innings, yielding four hits and three runs with three walks and two strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
'We're right there': Ducks hungry to even series with Oilers
Apr 20, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers center Matt Savoie (22) with center Connor McDavid (97) attempt to stop Anaheim Ducks right winger Troy Terry (19) in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images After feeling like they let a win slip from their grasp in the series opener, the Anaheim Ducks will try to regroup for Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.
The Oilers took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series on Monday when they scored twice in the final nine minutes to rally back for a 4-3 win in Edmonton.
Edmonton had blown a 2-0 lead when it surrendered three goals in the second period.
“It’s unfortunate the result of that game, and it’s going to be tough to swallow, but we’ve got to put it behind us,” Ducks forward Troy Terry said. “We kind of got our feet under us, and we’re into this thing now.”
Terry had two goals and an assist in his first playoff game in his ninth year in the NHL. Leo Carlsson contributed a goal and an assist.
Terry, Carlsson and rookie Beckett Sennecke combined to take 21 of Anaheim’s 28 shots on goal in Game 1.
The Ducks could use better performances from their most veteran players, however.
Chris Kreider had a turnover in the neutral zone that led to the second goal by Edmonton; Radko Gudas fell while skating backwards defending a rush, leading to the third goal; and Jacob Trouba lost track of Kasperi Kapanen on the go-ahead goal with 1:54 left.
Alex Killorn also committed the only two penalties by Anaheim.
“I thought, as a group, we proved to ourselves, we’re right there,” Terry said. “These little mental mistakes can sway a series one way or the other.”
The Oilers benefited from secondary scoring in the Game 1 win.
Kapanen, who scored twice, is a second-line wing, and Jason Dickinson, who scored the other two goals, centered the third line.
“Just very important for this team,” Kapanen said of the secondary scoring. “And other guys stepping up and making big defensive plays that you don’t really see on the highlight reel, but that are just as important.”
The Oilers welcomed back forward Leon Draisaitl for Game 1 after he missed the final 14 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury, and he contributed two assists in the win.
Draisaitl had 97 points in 65 games during the regular season.
“I felt OK,” Draisaitl said. “Certainly going to take a couple games to really be myself and really trust myself again, but for a start, I thought it was OK.”
Just as Draisaitl was returning, however, Edmonton forward Adam Henrique left in the first period with a lower-body injury after colliding shin-on-shin with a teammate.
“We will find out (Tuesday) how long he will be out,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We will miss him.”
The Oilers still have Connor McDavid, however, and he’ll be extra hungry after going without a point for just the 15th time in 83 games this season and the first time in a victory.
McDavid, who led the NHL with 138 points during the regular season, has only been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games once this season.
“Connor is going to get his chances and get his looks, and we’re not worried about that,” Kapanen said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LAFC, Rapids have quick turnaround to brush off losses
Apr 19, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Football Club forward Denis Bouanga (99) takes a shot at goal during the match against San Jose Earthquakes at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images After a week of highs and lows, Los Angeles FC are set for another midweek match when they play host to the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday.
LAFC (5-2-1, 16 points) advanced to the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals last Tuesday but will enter off a 4-1 home loss to the upstart San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday. LAFC were steamrolled by a barrage of second-half goals in the defeat.
“I have been here many times praising us but (Sunday) was not good,” LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said. “We have to take the game as a lesson and move forward. If I only talk about tiredness (from Champions Cup), that’s an excuse. It was not good. We have to see why and try to improve on Wednesday.”
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris not only gave up his first goals of the season to end a 593-minute scoreless streak, Heung-Min Son remains without a goal through his first seven league games. Son does have two goals in Champions Cup play.
Denis Bouanga leads the club with four goals and has four assists in MLS play, while Son has seven assists.
The Rapids (4-4-0, 12 points) had their inconsistencies on full display in a 3-2 home loss to Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami on Saturday. Colorado forced the action but Messi scored twice, including the game-winner in the 79th minute.
“I saw a team that performed like a big team with a proper mentality with a huge personality,” Rapids head coach Matt Wells said, while looking at the positives after his team had 15 shots to five for Miami. “… That gives me massive hope that if we keep building and stick on this path, it won’t be long before you’re asking me a question about us being the top team around Vancouver and LAFC.”
Dynamic on offense this season, Colorado’s 21 goals are second most in league play, one behind the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps.
Rafael Navarro leads the Rapids with six goals and four assists, including a goal on Saturday.
Colorado’s loss to Inter Miami came in front of a crowd of 75,824 at the home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, the second-largest to watch a match in MLS history. It came one week after a resounding 6-2 home victory over the Houston Dynamo when Navarro scored twice.
But while the offense has been solid, the Rapids have allowed 15 goals, with only three Western Conference teams allowing more.
–Field Level Media
Luke Keaschall powers late rally as Twins dump Mets
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