Sports
Karl-Anthony Towns Will Help New York Knicks in Regular Season, Not NBA Playoffs
It’s May 18, 2025. New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa rushes up to the scorers’ table to check in for Karl-Anthony Towns, who just committed his sixth personal foul with 4:37 remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 6 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Achiuwa takes the floor and joins four New York starters who have been playing 35-40 minutes a night for more than a month. They don’t have nearly enough gas left in the tank.
The final buzzer sounds. Milwaukee Bucks 104, Knicks 92. New York fails to reach the Eastern Conference finals for a third straight season. Back to the drawing board it goes.
Of course, May 18, 2025, hasn’t happened yet. For now, these are simply words on a screen. But in just over seven months, this could be reality for the Knicks—or at least close to it.
New York has assembled one of the most daunting starting fives in the league this offseason, trading for Mikal Bridges and Towns, who will be playing alongside Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart.
Bojan Bogdanovic went to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Bridges deal, while acquiring Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves cost the Knicks Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. New York also parted ways with four back-of-the-bench guys and three draft picks to land Towns.
So buckle up, Knicks fans. You’re in for a special, special regular season.
However, no champion earns that title by utilizing a five-man rotation for 48 minutes for a minimum of 16 playoff games. And that’s why New York is going to run into problems come postseason time.
An eight-or nine-man rotation is usually what it takes to get the job done, meaning Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, Cameron Payne and Achiuwa would be the guys most frequently called upon to deliver valuable minutes off the bench.
That group doesn’t really inspire confidence, does it?
A healthy Towns is a clear-cut upgrade over Randle, whose selfishness and poor decision-making often spoiled a lot of promising possessions for the Knicks. But this team is really going to feel the losses of Bogdanovic and DiVincenzo, especially when New York’s core players are gasping for air by mid-April.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is known to play his starters until he can’t anymore, and while you do want your best players on the floor as much as possible, it becomes problematic when they end up either injured or too tired to make any serious noise in the playoffs.
It really becomes a double-edged sword: Rely on a shaky second unit throughout the regular season, risking a top-two seed in the East, or go all in for Games 1-82 and hope for the best when things start to really matter.
We’ve seen one of these scenarios play out before, as New York gave everything it had to secure the No. 2 seed in the East last season, only to fall to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of a semifinal series.
In the 35 games that New York played from March 1-May 19 (regular and postseason), Thibodeau may have legitimately been trying to kill Hart, who appeared in all 35 of those contests while casually playing 40.8 minutes a night.
DiVincenzo was getting 37.4 minutes per game during that stretch, Brunson was averaging 36.0, and, even though he was hobbled by a hamstring injury, Anunoby was logging 34.8 per contest. Like Hart, DiVincenzo saw action in all 35 games, with Brunson getting into 34 and Anunoby playing in 18.
There’s a very real chance that the Knicks win upwards of 60 games this season with such a talented starting five. Problem is, banners don’t get hung for 60-win seasons. Even a 65- or 70-win campaign wouldn’t help fill up the rafters.
Heading into the marathon that is the NBA season, New York is only conditioned for the first 25 miles. That’s great and all, but it takes 26.2 to reach the finish line.
Sports
Carlos Prates Strengthens Title Case After Dominant Showing at UFC Perth
The Fighting Nerds have been one of the most notable and popular things about the world of MMA in the last few years. That team has made its name thanks to the success of a number of its fighters in the UFC.
Of the bunch, perhaps the most successful and notable of the Fighting Nerds team so far is Carlos Prates. And Prates put an exclamation mark on that claim with a major win this weekend at UFC Perth, stopping Jack Della Maddalena.
It was a beating. Prates pressured JDM early, and then landed 41 significant strikes on the former champion. Prates also battered Della Maddalena’s leg with kicks, scoring knockdowns of JDM in the second and third rounds. That second knockdown would lead to Prates landing follow-up shots and scoring the TKO.
This now marks two consecutive bouts where Prates has defeated a former UFC welterweight champion. This past November at UFC 322, he put a beating on Leon Edwards, knocking him out cold in the second round.
But let’s just take a look at the picture of Prates’ overall UFC tenure thus far – and just see how much he’s accomplished.
Prates earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023, finishing a then-undefeated Mitch Ramirez.
Prates then fought four times in 2024, competing against Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke, Li Jingliang, and Neil Magny. Four wins, four finishes (all KO/TKOs), four post-fight bonuses. That is a first-year stretch that practically screams Rookie of the Year.
Prates’ sole blemish in the UFC came at UFC Kansas City in April 2025, when he took on Ian Machado Garry in a title eliminator. Prates did not seem like himself, unable to figure Garry out. Prates put a beating on Garry in the fifth, but he was unable to get a comeback finish in time.
It was a disappointing loss for Prates and the people that follow him. He’d need a big-time rebound performance next time out to ensure he’s still in the title picture.
So what does he do? Land a spinning back elbow on Geoff Neal at UFC 319 – one of the top knockouts of 2025. And now he’s followed that up with wins over a pair of former welterweight champions.
Prates has now won seven UFC bouts since 2024. He’s earned finishes in all of those fights. He’s earned performance bonuses in all of those fights. The win over JDM is the only time a fight he’s won has gone past round two.
And the only guy he’s lost to in the Octagon? That man won another title eliminator against Belal Muhammad this past November. Now, Garry is being targeted to challenge Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title in the main event of UFC 330 this coming August in Philadelphia.
That’s far from a terrible loss.
Prates may not get the next immediate welterweight title shot. But if he takes on another former champion or rising star in the welterweight ranks – for example, respectively, Muhammad or Michael Morales – and he gets another highlight finish (let alone another win) – then Prates can’t be denied a title shot any further.
Sports
Mets' Clay Holmes to make first career start against Angels
Apr 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images National League ERA leader Clay Holmes will make his first career start against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon as the New York Mets try for just their second road series win of the season.
The right-handed Holmes (3-2, 1.75 ERA) hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his six starts. He comes in off an 8-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday that saw him allow three hits and a walk over six innings while striking out six.
“He’s been doing it since last year,” Juan Soto told the New York Post. “No surprise what he’s been doing. He’s a grinder. He’s been putting in the work every day, so I’m really happy to see that.”
Holmes is 0-0 with a 2.35 ERA in nine career relief appearances against the Angels.
New York’s only road series victory came April 2-5 when it took three of four games at San Francisco. The Mets defeated Arizona in their next game to improve to 7-4 but since have lost 18 of their next 22 games.
The Mets won the series opener, 4-3, on Friday on Ronny Mauricio’s go-ahead home run in the seventh inning. They had several excellent scoring chances to win Saturday’s game and the series before losing 4-3 in 10 innings on Oswald Peraza’s walk-off bases-loaded single off reliever Austin Warren.
It was Peraza’s first career walk-off hit and snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Angels.
“It feels amazing,” Peraza said after lining an 0-2 curveball into the gap in left-center to drive in automatic runner Adam Frazier from third. “We needed that win, and thank God. I was looking for a good pitch to hit and see the ball, and I feel so happy for the win.”
It was just the second win in 13 games for the Angels, who — like the Mets — have won only three series this season.
“I guess there was no other way to do it than a walk off,” Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki said. “It hasn’t been easy. So really proud of them. They grinded, they battled.”
Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (2-0, 3.09) gets the start for Los Angeles and will try to give the Angels their first series victory since April 10-12 at Cincinnati. That also was the last time Kochanowicz picked up a victory, allowing two hits and one run over seven innings in a 10-2 win in the series opener.
A big question going into Sunday’s finale is who will be playing shortstop for the Mets?
Mauricio, filling in for Francisco Lindor, who is on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain suffered April 23 that could sideline him up to six weeks, broke his left thumb on a head-first slide into first base, beating out an infield single in the seventh inning of Saturday’s loss.
“He’s got a left thumb fracture, so he’s going on the IL” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s tough obviously. You lose your everyday shortstop and the guy that comes up that is getting the everyday opportunity here now is hurt. Somebody else is going to have an opportunity.”
-Field Level Media
Sports
Guardians' Travis Bazzana strives to heat up in finale vs. A's
Apr 29, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana (37) before the game between the Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana is breathing a sigh of relief after recording his first major league hit in Saturday’s game against the Athletics, snapping an 0-for-12 spell to start his career.
Bazzana will look for more production at the plate on Sunday afternoon when Cleveland vies for a sweep of its three-game series against the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.
The Guardians selected Bazzana with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft after his standout college career at Oregon State. While his first full season in the organization in 2025 was hampered by an oblique injury, it did not delay his fast track to the majors. The 23-year-old from Australia made his debut on Tuesday.
A .407 hitter in his final college season, Bazzana got his first major league hit when he singled off Hogan Harris in the seventh inning of Cleveland’s 14-6 win over the A’s on Saturday. Bazzana even accomplished two goals in one swing — the single also gave him his first two RBIs.
“It was a competitive at-bat, and I was confident he was going to go at me with the fastball right there — I got a good one,” Bazzana said.
With his first hit out of the way, Bazzana hopes to catch the slipstream of his teammate Chase DeLauter, who’s been on a tear at the plate. DeLauter extended his hitting streak to seven games and has reached base in 11 straight after recording a single in the second inning on Saturday.
With 8-5 and 14-6 victories secured on Friday and Saturday, the Guardians already have snapped a stretch of three straight lost series. Now they will turn to left-hander Parker Messick (3-0, 1.73 ERA) to try and complete the series sweep.
The 25-year-old out of Florida State has instantly made a name for himself since debuting in August 2025, allowing two or fewer runs in 10 of his first 13 career starts.
On April 16, Messick took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against Baltimore but was removed after giving up two runs and two hits over eight innings. Sunday will mark his first-ever appearance vs. the Athletics.
Messick will oppose A’s right-hander Aaron Civale (2-1, 3.23 ERA), who spent the first four full seasons of his career in Cleveland before being traded to Tampa Bay in 2023. He then split time between the Rays, Milwaukee and both Chicago teams before joining the Athletics on a one-year deal this past offseason.
Civale, 30, is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in four career starts against the Guardians. He was a late addition to the A’s roster in February but has emerged as one of their most consistent starters.
“Overall, he keeps us in games right now, and that’s a good sign,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said after Civale’s last start on Tuesday.
The A’s lost to Kansas City 4-1 in 10 innings, but Civale threw five shutout innings in a no-decision.
–Field Level Media
Carlos Prates Strengthens Title Case After Dominant Showing at UFC Perth
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