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Liberty ride 23-0 third-quarter surge to victory over Mercury

May 27, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) brings the ball up court while defended by  Phoenix Mercury forward Marta Suarez (77) during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn ImagesMay 27, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) brings the ball up court while defended by Phoenix Mercury forward Marta Suarez (77) during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

Marine Johannes scored a game-high 21 points and her New York Liberty went on a 23-0 run to close the third quarter en route to an 84-74 win over the visiting Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday.

Johannes made a career-high seven 3-pointers, missing just twice from long range. The Liberty also got 17 points and 12 rebounds from Jonquel Jones, while Breanna Stewart contributed 11 points and six boards.

Kahleah Copper led Phoenix with 19 points, but she shot just 6 of 18 from the floor. Natasha Mack added 14 points, and Alyssa Thomas posted nine points, seven rebounds and nine assists.

New York (4-4) broke a three-game losing streak, its worst skid since 2002. Phoenix (2-6) took its fourth loss in a row.

The contest was a rematch of last year’s playoffs, when Phoenix eliminated New York by winning two of three in a first-round series.

Two players made their season debut: New York’s Leonie Fiebich and Phoenix’s Monique Akoa Makani. Fiebich, who was late to the party because she was finishing her Spanish League season, scored nine points in 33 minutes. Akoa Makani, who was finishing her season in France, put up nine points in 19 minutes.

In addition, New York’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton returned after missing three games due to personal reasons. She scored seven points off the bench.

New York was without All-Stars Sabrina Ionescu (sore back) and Satou Sabally (illness). Sabally played for Phoenix last year.

The Liberty led 24-22 after an exciting first quarter that included 12 points and three assists from Johannes. She made 4 of 5 from 3-point range and also had a behind-the-back pass for an assist.

Phoenix took its first lead of the game, 31-29, on a Copper 3-pointer with 7:03 left in the second quarter, capping a 7-0 run. By halftime, Phoenix led, 43-42.

The second quarter featured six Liberty turnovers and none by Phoenix.

Johannes led all first-half scorers with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Copper topped Phoenix with 10 points before the break.

Jones scored 10 points in the decisive third quarter. At one point, New York forced five consecutive turnovers, and the Liberty entered the fourth with a 72-55 lead.

The Mercury never got the margin down to single digits in the final quarter.

For the game, New York shot 14-for-30 (46.7%) on 3-point attempts. Phoenix shot 10-for-30 (33.3%), and the Liberty also had a 26-9 edge in points off turnovers.

–Field Level Media

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Hurricanes finish off Habs in Game 5, will face Vegas in Cup Final

May 29, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes left wing Eric Robinson (50) reacts after scoring an even strength goal against Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) in game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs during the first period during the first period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn ImagesMay 29, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes left wing Eric Robinson (50) reacts after scoring an even strength goal against Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) in game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs during the first period during the first period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Taylor Hall and Logan Stankoven each posted one-goal, two-assist performances to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday in Raleigh, N.C., that sends them to the Stanley Cup Final.

Jackson Blake and Seth Jarvis both scored once and added an assist while Eric Robinson and Shayne Gostisbehere added singles for Carolina, which claimed the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals in five games.

Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen made 23 saves.

The Hurricanes will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final, which begins on Tuesday in Raleigh. Vegas swept the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference finals.

The Golden Knights won the teams’ two meetings this season, both taking place in the opening month.

Cole Caufield tallied for the Canadiens, who won the series opener but became overmatched by the more veteran Hurricanes as the series continued.

Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes stopped 24 shots.

The Hurricanes have lost only one game en route to reaching the finals for the first time since they won the Stanley Cup in 2006. They are the first team to start the playoffs with a 12-1 mark since the 1976 Canadiens.

Just as in Game 4, the hosts used a three-goal first period to springboard to victory.

Hall opened the scoring just before the midway point of the opening frame when he pounced on a rebound opportunity created by Stankoven’s rush to the net.

Stankoven doubled the lead six minutes later when he rifled a top-corner shot from the right faceoff dot for his team-leading ninth tally of the postseason.

Robinson capped the dominant period by converting a breakaway chance at the 16:52 mark for his third goal of the playoffs, all in the Montreal series.

The Hurricanes did not let up after the intermission. Blake made it a four-goal edge at 7:19 of the second period when he buried a rebound after Stankoven was denied on a breakaway chance.

Gostisbehere recorded a power-play goal with 1:58 remaining in the middle frame, sliding home an opportunity from the doorstep to make it a 5-0 affair.

Caufield spoiled Andersen’s bid for a second consecutive shutout when he notched a power-play goal with 9:10 remaining in regulation.

Jarvis rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal.

–Field Level Media

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Brice Turang's sac fly in 10th lifts Brewers past Astros

May 29, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Nick Allen (20) drives in a run with a sacrifice fly during the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesMay 29, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Nick Allen (20) drives in a run with a sacrifice fly during the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Brice Turang produced a sacrifice fly that scored Christian Yelich in the top of the 10th inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers rallied past the Houston Astros 5-4 on Friday in the opener of a three-game interleague series.

Yelich, who opened the 10th at second base, used speed to manufacture the winning run. He made a daring dash to third on a shallow flyout to center fielder Jake Meyers, whose errant throw allowed Yelich to advance. Yelich scored when Turang followed with a flyout to right off Astros reliever Alimber Santa (0-1).

Trevor Megill earned his seventh save with a scoreless 10th. Abner Uribe (3-2) retired pinch-hitter Brice Matthews and Isaac Paredes with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

The Brewers fashioned a rally in the top of the eighth against Astros reliever Bryan Abreu, whose inability to throw strikes greased the skids to his departure after recording only one out.

Abreu threw nine consecutive balls to begin his outing, issuing four-pitch walks to Jackson Chourio and Turang before getting a called strike with a 1-0 fastball to William Contreras, whose flyout to center field placed runners on the corners for Jake Bauers. Abreu departed before Bauers came to the plate, with Astros closer Bryan King entering to preserve the one-run lead.

However, Bauers delivered a run-scoring groundout to the right side of the infield that tied the game at 4-4. King held the line, but the Brewers had new life after erasing a three-run deficit.

The Astros seized that early advantage behind Cam Smith, whose solo homer with one out in the bottom of the second broke a scoreless tie. Smith drilled an 0-1 cutter from Brewers starter Coleman Crow 419 feet to left-center for his sixth homer. Two innings later, Smith struck again.

After Milwaukee pulled even via a leadoff home run from David Hamilton in the third, Smith keyed a three-run uprising in the fourth with an RBI double to right-center that plated Yordan Alvarez and pushed the Astros to a 2-1 lead. Jake Meyers added a run-scoring double that scored Christian Walker before Nick Allen produced a sacrifice fly to drive in Braden Shewmake.

Crow allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks with one strikeout over four innings. But the Brewers removed him from the hook with their rally, which started when Chourio crushed a two-run homer to left-center off Astros starter Kai-Wei Teng in the fifth inning.

–Field Level Media

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Rockies overtake Giants with 2 homers, 5 runs in bottom of ninth

May 29, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb (62) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesMay 29, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb (62) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Hunter Goodman and Ezequiel Tovar homered in a five-run ninth inning, and the Colorado Rockies rallied to stun the San Francisco Giants 8-6 in Denver on Friday.

Willi Castro, Jake McCarthy, Tyler Freeman, Goodman and Tovar had two hits each and Juan Mejia (1-4) got the win for Colorado, which snapped a five-game skid with the dramatic victory.

The Rockies trailed 6-3 when McCarthy and Freeman opened the ninth with singles off Caleb Killian (1-3). TJ Rumfield flied out before Goodman crushed a home run just inside the left field foul pole to tie the game.

Castro’s two-single kept the inning alive, and Tovar ended it with his second homer of the game and fourth of the season.

Jung Hoo Lee had four hits and scored twice while Luis Arraez and Rafael Devers had two hits each for San Francisco, which has dropped four in a row.

San Francisco’s Logan Webb made his first start since May 5 and lasted 4 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out five in his return from right knee bursitis.

Lee, who was activated from the 10-day injured list after recovering from a mid-back strain, contributed two run-saving catches. He made a running catch of Kyle Karros’ liner at the right field wall to end the fourth and then a sliding catch of Troy Johnston’s sinking liner to end the fifth.

The Rockies took a 1-0 lead in the second when Tovar came home on a double steal, with Edouard Julien swiping second.

San Francisco tied it in the third on Willy Adames’ sacrifice fly and then went ahead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Daniel Susac and an RBI single from Harrison Bader.

That was all for Colorado starter Michael Lorenzen, who allowed three runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out two.

The Giants padded the lead in the eighth when Lee led off with a double, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Bryce Eldridge’s sacrifice fly.

Tovar hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth. San Francisco answered with two in the ninth, on Devers’ RBI triple and Matt Chapman’s run-scoring single, to make it 6-3.

–Field Level Media

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