Ty France knocked in four runs Monday night and Manny Machado doubled twice and singled before leaving the game as the San Diego Padres rallied for a 9-7 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs.

In winning its ninth straight home game, San Diego reached four Chicago pitchers for 14 hits. Machado scored three runs before departing after his sixth-inning at-bat, possibly due to a left leg injury.

Nick Castellanos gave the Padres a 6-5 lead in the fifth when he stroked a two-run single off reliever Ben Brown (1-1), scoring Machado and France. In the seventh, France bounced a two-run triple into the left field corner that plated Xander Bogaerts and Miguel Andujar.

Randy Vasquez (3-0) got the win despite allowing a season-high five runs on five hits in five innings, walking three and fanning four. Closer Mason Miller finished the game in a non-save situation, allowing two ninth-inning runs that ended his scoreless streak at 34 2/3 innings dating back to last season.

Cubs starter Matthew Boyd lasted just four-plus innings, leaving after Machado doubled to start the fifth. Boyd was charged with five runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four.

Chicago has lost three in a row immediately after a 10-game winning streak. San Diego has won six of its past eight.

San Diego, which entered the night with just three first-inning runs in 27 games, doubled that total as Boyd struggled with his fastball command. In a frame that featured two walks, Jackson Merrill nicked him for an RBI single and France drilled a two-run ground-rule double.

Chicago answered using the long ball. Seiya Suzuki belted a solo shot to start the second, his fifth of the year, all in the past seven games. Then Moises Ballesteros cracked a grand slam with two outs in the third, his fifth of the year, to make it 5-3 Cubs.

The Padres pulled a run back in their half of the third when Andujar’s fielder’s-choice grounder scored Machado, who led off with a double.

San Diego capped its scoring in the eighth when Gavin Sheets, who replaced Machado in the cleanup spot, walloped a solo homer to right, his fourth of the year.

Suzuki and Dansby Swanson each bagged two of the Cubs’ eight hits.

–Field Level Media

Nikola Jokic recorded 27 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds as the host Denver Nuggets stayed alive with a 125-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of a first-round Western Conference playoff series on Monday.

Jamal Murray scored 24 points, Spencer Jones posted a playoff career-high 20 points and Cameron Johnson finished with 18 for third-seeded Denver, which had lost three straight following a Game 1 home victory.

Game 6 in the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in Minneapolis.

Both teams had key players missing Monday night. Anthony Edwards (knee) and Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) were out for the sixth-seeded Timberwolves, and Ayo Dosunmu and Mike Conley started in their absences.

Dosunmu had 18 points after pouring in 43 on Saturday the Timberwolves’ Game 4 victory.

Julius Randle led Minnesota with 27 points and nine rebounds. Bones Hyland and Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 15 apiece. Jaden McDaniels, loudly booed whenever he possessed the ball, added 13 points, and Naz Reid contributed 12 points for the Timberwolves, who committed 25 turnovers.

Jones made his second career playoff start in place of Aaron Gordon (calf).

The Nuggets built a 10-point lead in the first quarter, but Minnesota cut it to 34-33 early in the second. Denver closed the half on a 7-2 run to take a 60-51 lead into intermission, and then quickly expanded the advantage early in the third.

After the score was 63-54, Jones hit a trio of 3-pointers and a running dunk that made it 78-59 midway through the frame. The Timberwolves got within 82-67, but Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. converted three-point plays, Johnson hit from deep and Christian Braun dunked to make it 95-72.

It was 106-84 before Minnesota made a push. Randle hit a hook shot, Dosunmu had a steal and a layup and Hyland made a layup to cut the gap to 13. After Jokic sank two free throws, Randle converted a three-point play and Reid’s jumper got the Timberwolves within 10.

Braun drained a trey, Murray dunked and Jokic had a layup that resulted in a three-point play, making it an 18-point game with 3:33 to go, and Denver closed it out.

–Field Level Media

Shea Theodore scored with 52 seconds remaining in overtime, giving the Vegas Golden Knights a 5-4 win over the Utah Mammoth in Game 4 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Monday in Salt Lake City.

The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, as the Knights rebounded after losing the previous two games and squandering a 3-0 lead on Monday to fall behind 4-3. Game 5 is set for Wednesday in Las Vegas.

As double overtime approached, a broken play in front of the Utah net left goalie Karel Vejmelka without a stick. The puck was quickly moved in front to Theodore, and the defenseman buried the shot for the first playoff OT goal in his 11 NHL seasons.

Brett Howden had two goals and an assist for Vegas, and Jack Eichel had three assists. Noah Hanifin had two assists, and Cole Smith and Pavel Dorofeyev scored the other Vegas goals.

Carter Hart stopped 27 of 31 shots to earn his second win of the playoffs.

Mikhail Sergachev had three assists for the Mammoth, and Nick Schmaltz had a goal and an assist. Clayton Keller, Ian Cole and Michael Carcone contributed Utah’s other goals.

Vejmelka stopped 31 of 36 shots.

Dorfeyev and Howden bookended the first period with their first goals of the playoffs, beginning with Dorfeyev’s tally just 1:12 into the game. During a Mammoth power play at the 18:38 mark, a Mitch Marner takeaway set up Howden for the short-handed goal.

At 3:26 of the second period, Smith slickly redirected Hanifin’s point shot to give Vegas a 3-0 lead.

Just when the Golden Knights seemed to be in full command, the Mammoth responded with two goals in 29 seconds.

Schmaltz started the comeback at the 8:04 mark of the middle frame by converting his own rebound. Cole then added the quick follow-up with a long-range shot that deflected off the post and into the Knights’ net.

Carcone scored the equalizer on a one-timer from the right circle 1:45 into the third period, and Keller gave Utah its first lead on a deflected goal 5:10 into the third frame. It was then the Knights’ turn to equalize on a Howden tip-in at the 10:25 mark.

–Field Level Media