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Nuggets finally finish off pesky Pelicans

NBA: New Orleans Pelicans at Denver NuggetsFeb 3, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15) reaches for a loose ball in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 36 points, Nikola Jokic had 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 125-113 on Monday night.

Jamal Murray finished with 20 points and eight assists, Julian Strawther contributed 15 points and Christian Braun had 11 for Denver, which was missing three rotation players: Russell Westbrook (hamstring), Peyton Watson (right knee sprain) and Aaron Gordon (right calf injury management).

Zeke Nnaji started in place of Gordon and finished with 12 points.

Trey Murphy III tied his career high with 41 points and matched a season high with eight 3-pointers. He had 24 points on 8 of 10 shooting in the third quarter.

CJ McCollum had 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Zion Williamson scored 14 and Karlo Matkovic grabbed 11 rebounds for New Orleans, which lost its sixth straight.

Denver went ahead by 20 in the first minute of the third quarter but couldn’t shake the Pelicans behind Murphy’s big period. He hit two 3-pointers and dunked off a lob pass by Williamson, then made another from deep in a 15-5 run that made it 75-65.

The Nuggets responded to lead 91-72 after two free throws by Jokic, but New Orleans hung around. Murphy hit a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play, Jose Alvarado hit from behind the arc and Murphy capped his 24-point quarter with two free throws that drew the Pelicans within 93-85 heading into the fourth.

Strawther and Porter opened the final quarter with 3-pointers, but McCollum answered with a pair from long range to make it 99-91. Denver scored six straight to go back up by double digits, but McCollum got New Orleans within 105-96 with a four-point play.

Jokic completed his 23rd triple-double of the season with assists on four straight possessions that helped the Nuggets close it out.

Denver went on a 12-2 run to end the first quarter with a 10-point lead. New Orleans got within six, but the Nuggets finished the second quarter strong to take a 68-50 lead at halftime.

–Field Level Media

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VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey propel Sixers past Celtics to even series

NBA: Playoffs-Philadelphia 76ers at Boston CelticsApr 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe (77) attempts a three-point basket against the Boston Celtics in the first half of a game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey combined to make 11 3-pointers and score 59 total points as the Philadelphia 76ers bounced back to even their Eastern Conference playoff series with the host Boston Celtics in a 111-97 decision on Tuesday.

Seventh-seeded Philadelphia (1-1) shook off a dismal Game 1 performance, which included making just four 3-pointers in Sunday’s 123-91 loss, with a complete reversal on the offensive end.

The Sixers shot a torrid 19-of-39 from beyond the arc in Game 2, with Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Paul George each adding a pair of made triples to supplement Edgecombe and Maxey.

Edgecombe and Maxey were the catalysts, however. The rookie Edgecombe finished 12-of-20 from the floor, including his 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

“This is who we are. Game 1 isn’t who we are,” Edgecombe said in his postgame interview with Peacock. “We let our offense dictate our defense (on Sunday), and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Philadelphia’s flipping of the script on the offensive end on Tuesday did indeed carry over defensively. The Sixers limited the Celtics (1-1) to 35-of-89 shooting from the floor, locking down each scoring option beyond the primary two of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Brown went for a game-high 36 points, and Tatum finished with 19 points to go with his game-high 14 rebounds. No other Celtic reached double-figures scoring, however, a stark contrast from Game 1 when the entire Boston starting five notched at least 10 points.

And while Brown shot 5-of-12 from long distance, Boston’s other shooters combined to go just 8-for-38.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, got 19 points from George and 12 from Oubre. After foul trouble limited him in Game 1, Andre Drummond came off the bench to provide the Sixers quality minutes on the interior with 10 points and eight rebounds.

–Field Level Media

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Luis Garcia Jr.'s 4-hit effort powers Nationals past Braves

MLB: Atlanta Braves at Washington NationalsApr 21, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) hits a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Luis Garcia Jr. had four hits and drove in three runs, Curtis Mead socked a three-run homer and the host Washington Nationals ended the Atlanta Braves’ six-game winning streak with an 11-4 win on Tuesday.

James Wood hit his eighth homer of the season, walked four times and scored three runs for Washington, which leveled the four-game series at one victory apiece.

Nationals starter Foster Griffin (3-0) allowed three runs on five hits over six solid innings. He walked one and struck out three.

Drake Baldwin and Eli White homered for the Braves, and Mauricio Dubon had two hits.

Atlanta starter Reynaldo Lopez (1-1) allowed four runs in one-plus inning and gave up five hits and three walks while fanning one. Braves pitchers issued 12 walks.

Ronald Acuna Jr. was in the Atlanta lineup and went 1-for-5 one day after being hit by pitch twice, including once on the left hand.

The first six Nationals reached base in a three-run first. Wood walked and Garcia singled him to third, then stole second. Jacob Young lined a single to center, scoring Wood. CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile walked, with Lile getting an RBI. Nasim Nunez singled to score Young with the third run.

Back-to-back two-out doubles by Dubon and Michael Harris II got the Braves within 3-1 in the second.

Wood homered leading off the bottom half, and Lopez was done for the night after Garcia singled.

Baldwin’s solo homer in the third pulled the Braves within 4-2.

White homered in the fifth to make it 4-3, but the Nationals answered in the bottom half when Brady House singled, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Garcia to make it 5-3.

In the seventh, the Nationals loaded the bases with two walks and a single. Garcia followed with a two-run double, and another runner came home on a groundout by Young.

Austin Riley’s RBI groundout pulled the Braves within 8-4 in the eighth, but a pair of walks and Mead’s three-run homer put things out of reach in the bottom half.

The Braves placed closer Raisel Iglesias on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, and they promoted Dylan Dodd from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill the roster spot.

–Field Level Media

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Luke Keaschall powers late rally as Twins dump Mets

MLB: Minnesota Twins at New York MetsApr 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

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