Lionel Messi scored his 12th goal of the season and added his sixth assist as Inter Miami defeated the Portland Timbers 2-0 on Sunday evening to finally secure their first win in their new stadium.

German Berterame added his fifth goal for Miami, which had previously gone 0-3-1 at Nu Stadium, the permanent facility for the Herons that opened its doors in early April.

Dayne St. Clair made four saves to keep him and his club’s third clean sheet of the campaign and first since a 2-0 win at Real Salt Lake on April 22.

Portland lost 2-0 on the road for a fourth time this season, including three of its last five away fixtures. The Timbers were outshot 22-16 overall and 9-4 in efforts on target.

Messi sits tied with Dallas’ Petar Musa and one behind Chicago’s Hugo Cuypers for the MLS scoring lead. The 38-year-old Argentine has now contributed five goals and all six of his assists in his last four games as he prepares to play one last World Cup this summer.

He got started early Sunday, forcing James Pantemis into a save from close range in the fourth minute, and he had his goal 27 minutes later.

Messi began the attack from beyond the penalty arc, playing a pass to Luis Suarez on his left and then making a run into the center of the box.

Suarez fed Telasco Segovia, who played a clever backheel into Messi’s path for a simple finish into the right half of the goal as Pantemis guessed with his lunge in the opposite direction.

Messi’s assist 11 minutes later was of the vintage variety that recalled his best days as an FC Barcelona star and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Rodrigo de Paul’s early cross from the right found Messi, who used his chest to control it, laid it off to Suarez on his left and then quickly reached a return pass.

From there, he weaved into the penalty area on the dribble, slaloming between four defenders before laying it off to Berterame on his left for a first-time finish from about 10 yards out.

–Field Level Media

Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 26 points, Jarrett Allen enjoyed his second consecutive dominant series finale and the Cleveland Cavaliers earned a spot in the Eastern Conference finals with a 125-94 shellacking of the host Detroit Pistons in Game 7 of their semifinal series on Sunday night.

Allen outscored rival big man Jalen Duren 23-7, Sam Merrill matched him with 23 points off the bench and Evan Mobley completed his first double-double of the series with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers will face the New York Knicks in a best-of-seven series that tips off Tuesday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Overpowering the top-seeded Pistons in every possible way, the Cavaliers built as much as a 20-point lead in the first half, extended the margin to as many as 26 in the third period and coasted into their first trip to the Eastern finals since beating the Boston Celtics in seven games in 2018.

Failing to get to the Eastern finals for the 18th consecutive year, the Pistons watched All-Star guard Cade Cunningham miss all seven of his 3-point shots on a 13-point night and Tobias Harris fail to connect on any of his six shots from the field en route to five points.

The Cavaliers outshot the Pistons 50.6% (43 of 85) to 35.3% (30 of 85) overall and outscored them 28-22 at the free-throw line. They also got the better of the rebounds (50-41) and forced 15 Detroit turnovers while committing 13.

Cleveland’s big halftime lead was a gradual build. The Cavaliers led just 22-19 inside the 1:49 mark of the first quarter before scoring nine points in the final 94 seconds of the period to go up 31-22. Mitchell had a pair of 3-pointers in the run, including a 38-foot buzzer-beater.

The margin reached double digits at the 10:04 mark of the second quarter, 15 after a Merrill 3-pointer with 7:30 left in the half and then hit 20 on three occasions, the last time at 64-44 on a driving hoop by Mobley with 31 seconds left before the intermission.

Allen, who had gone for 22 points and 19 rebounds when Cleveland needed a Game 7 to eliminate the Toronto Raptors in Round 1, had 15 of his 23 points in the first half.

Mobley added six assists, two steals and two blocks for the game to his best overall performance of the series, which saw the home team win each of the first four games, then not again. Mitchell collected a game-high eight assists.

Daniss Jenkins was Detroit’s leading scorer with 17 points to go with five assists, while Duncan Robinson had 13 points and Caris LeVert 11. Duren found time for a team-high nine rebounds.

–Field Level Media

Carson Benge drove in the winning run in the 10th inning for the second time in a week as the New York Mets stormed back from a five-run deficit to stun the visiting New York Yankees 7-6 in the deciding game of this season’s first Subway Series on Sunday.

The Mets’ Luis Torrens had a two-run pinch-hit double in the sixth when the team was down 6-1, while Tyrone Taylor forced extra innings with a three-run homer in the ninth off David Bednar. Devin Williams (3-1) forced an inning-ending double play to give the Mets a chance to win it in the 10th.

Freddy Peralta worked around six walks to allow three runs on two hits over five innings for the Mets, while Yankees starter Elmer Rodriguez allowed one run on five hits over 4 1/3 innings.

Tim Hill (0-1) surrendered Benge’s game-winning hit. Anthony Volpe notched three RBIs for the Yankees, while Ben Rice hit his 15th homer of the season. The Yankees finished 2-7 on their nine-game road trip.

White Sox 9, Cubs 8 (10 innings)

Edgar Quero smacked a walkoff two-run homer to lift the host Chicago White Sox to an extra-innings victory in the rubber match against the Chicago Cubs.

Quero and Tristan Peters, who delivered a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth, both went deep for the first time this season. Quero and Andrew Benintendi each had three hits for the White Sox, who finished the homestand with a 7-2 record. Tyler Davis (2-1) allowed one unearned run on three walks in the top of the 10th.

Alex Bregman had two hits and two RBIs for the Cubs. Michael Conforto also had two hits, including a game-tying three-run homer in the ninth. Ryan Rolison (3-1) allowed the walkoff homer.

Braves 8, Red Sox 1

Austin Riley and Mike Yastrzemski each hit home runs to lead Atlanta to a victory over visiting Boston in the series rubber match.

Grant Holmes (3-1) scattered five hits and one walk while striking out four over six innings. Drake Baldwin joined Riley and Yastrzemski in backing up Holmes by driving in two runs apiece. The Braves blew out the Red Sox despite being outhit eight to nine.

Brayan Bello (2-5) allowed seven runs on eight hits over five innings. He struggled right off the bat, throwing 30 pitches in the first frame while giving up a three-run homer to Riley. Nick Sogard brought in Boston’s lone run with a ninth-inning double to break up Atlanta’s shutout bid.

Rays 6, Marlins 3

Taylor Walls’ fourth-inning triple plated three for Tampa Bay, which beat visiting Miami and took two of three in the rivalry weekend series in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Drew Rasmussen (4-1) gave up seven hits and a pair of walks over 5 1/3 innings, but the Rays right-hander yielded just two runs as he won his second consecutive start. Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz homered off Marlins pitcher Eury Perez (2-6), who saw his personal losing streak extended to five starts. Caminero’s solo shot, his team-best 12th home run of the season, came in the first to give the Rays an early lead.

Miami jumped ahead with a two-run third thanks to RBI singles by Xavier Edwards (2-for-5) and Otto Lopez (2-for-4).

Phillies 6, Pirates 0

Zack Wheeler tossed seven shutout innings to outduel Paul Skenes as visiting Philadelphia completed a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh with a shutout victory.

Wheeler (3-0) gave up just three singles and a double with a walk and eight strikeouts while lowering his ERA to 1.99 in five starts. Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott hit home runs for the Phillies to help push their win streak to four games. Philadelphia is now 15-4 since Don Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson as manager late last month.

Skenes (6-3) allowed five earned runs — his most since Opening Day — in five-plus innings while yielding six hits and a walk. He got no help from the Pirates’ offense, however, which recorded just five hits and failed to score for the second straight day.

Blue Jays 4, Tigers 1

Kevin Gausman tossed six shutout innings in a bounce-back performance and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered and scored twice as visiting Toronto defeated slumping Detroit.

Gausman surrendered just four hits and didn’t issue a walk one start after giving up seven runs (six earned) and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings against Tampa Bay on Monday. Daulton Varsho had a double and triple while scoring twice and driving in a run after hitting a game-winning single Saturday.

Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (0-5) was unable to prevent the Tigers from losing their 10th game in 12 tries, as he allowed four runs and five hits in six innings. Jahmai Jones drove in the Tigers’ only run with a pinch-hit groundout.

Orioles 7, Nationals 3

Gunnar Henderson had four hits, including a home run, and Baltimore beat host Washington to avoid the three-game sweep.

Henderson had a solo homer, double and two singles, and Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser also homered for Baltimore, which had lost three of four and scored three runs or less in eight of its past nine games. Anthony Nunez (2-0) worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.

Jacob Young homered for the Nationals, who were looking for their first home series sweep of the season. James Wood had two hits and a walk.

Guardians 10, Reds 3

Cleveland smashed six home runs, two of them from Kyle Manzardo, to run away with the rubber match against in-state foe Cincinnati.

The Guardians scored all of their runs on the longball. Brayan Rocchio, Chase DeLauter, Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez also homered for Cleveland, which got six strong innings from Gavin Williams (6-3), who snapped a two-start losing streak.

Elly De La Cruz hit his team-high 11th homer for the Reds, who saw starter Brady Singer (2-4) tagged for five runs on seven hits (including three homers) in four innings.

Rangers 8, Astros 0

Jake Burger produced a pair of extra-base hits, including a two-run double that ignited a five-run seventh inning, and Nathan Eovaldi twirled seven shutout innings as visiting Texas averted a series sweep with a shutout of Houston.

Burger opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the fifth. Kyle Higashioka followed Burger’s seventh-inning RBI double with a two-run single of his own and closed the scoring with his solo homer in the ninth. Eovaldi (5-4) allowed five hits and two walks with a season-high-tying eight strikeouts.

Astros right-hander Peter Lambert (2-4) matched zeroes with Eovaldi through four innings. He allowed five runs on three hits over six-plus innings. Zach Dezenzo had two of Houston’s five hits.

Giants 10, Athletics 1

Harrison Bader hit a grand slam and Luis Arraez homered for the second time in three games to help San Francisco take its series against the A’s in West Sacramento, Calif.

Bader’s second career slam came during an eight-run eighth-inning as the Giants blew open a close game. Arraez had three hits and went 8-for-12 with five runs in the series, which San Francisco rallied to win after dropping the opener.

San Francisco’s Adrian Houser (2-4) pitched six solid innings and three relievers finished up. Houser allowed one run and four hits. Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs (3-4) took a bad-luck loss, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits over six innings.

Twins 5, Brewers 4

Kody Clemens went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs and Minnesota escaped with a victory over Milwaukee to salvage the finale of a three-game set in Minneapolis.

Garrett Mitchell and Christian Yelich each hit a solo home run for Milwaukee, which lost for only the second time in its past 10 games. Sal Frelick and Jake Bauers drove in one run apiece for the Brewers

Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (5-2) allowed three runs on six hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out one. Brewers right-hander Grant Anderson (1-2) allowed one run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief. He followed starter Robert Gasser, who allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in four innings during his season debut.

Royals 2, Cardinals 0

Stephen Kolek allowed four hits while pitching into the seventh inning, and Salvador Perez drove in both runs, highlighted by a solo homer, as visiting Kansas City snapped its six-game losing streak with a shutout of St. Louis.

Kolek (2-0) walked just one batter and struck out three over 6 1/3 innings. Royals relievers Daniel Lynch IV and Lucas Erceg (11 saves) combined to allow one hit and a walk over the final 2 2/3 innings.

Cardinals starter Andre Pallante (4-4) was also solid while allowing eight hits over 6 2/3 innings. St. Louis, which entered on a three-game winning streak, was limited to five singles and did not bat with a runner in scoring position until the ninth.

Diamondbacks 8, Rockies 6

Corbin Carroll hit two homers and drove in three runs to help Arizona beat Colorado in Denver.

After a 105-minute weather delay to start the series finale, Michael Soroka (6-2) threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, striking out eight and walking two. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered and Gabriel Moreno had three hits for Arizona, which won its first road series since taking two of three from the Baltimore Orioles from April 13-15.

Michael Lorenzen (2-6) took his fourth straight loss for the Rockies, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits across 4 2/3 innings. Willi Castro drove in two runs for Colorado, which dropped its sixth game in eight outings.

Padres 8, Mariners 3

Gavin Sheets hit two home runs and Lucas Giolito combined with two relievers on a one-hitter in his San Diego debut in a win over host Seattle to finish off a sweep of this season’s six-game Vedder Cup series.

Giolito, signed as a free agent by the Padres on April 22, allowed one hit and no runs through the first five innings. He walked the first three batters of the sixth and was removed. Sheets finished with four RBIs, adding an RBI double in the seventh for the Padres, who put the game away with a five-run sixth.

The Mariners’ only hit was Luke Raley’s one-out single to right in the second inning. George Kirby (5-3) allowed six runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings. Seattle’s top prospect Colt Emerson made his major league debut, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a run.

Dodgers 10, Angels 1

Roki Sasaki allowed one run on four hits over seven innings and Kyle Tucker went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a three-game Freeway Series sweep of the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

Sasaki (2-3) didn’t walk a batter for the first time in 16 career regular-season starts and struck out a career-high eight batters. Shohei Ohtani went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, Hyeseong Kim also had two hits, an RBI and two runs scored, and Andy Pages drove in two runs for the Dodgers, who won their fifth straight game.

Nolan Schanuel had two hits and a run scored, Mike Trout had a double and Yoan Moncada had an RBI single for the Angels, who lost their sixth straight game and for the eighth time in nine games. Grayson Rodriguez (0-1) made his Angels debut in first start since July 31, 2024, after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The right-hander allowed seven runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings.

–Field Level Media