Sports
Remarkable 3-point performance helps Knicks rout 76ers, complete sweep
May 10, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) in the first quarter during game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Miles McBride made 7 of 9 3-pointers for 25 points and Jalen Brunson scored 22 on 6-of-10 shooting from long range as the visiting New York Knicks throttled the Philadelphia 76ers 144-114 in Game 4 on Sunday to sweep their second-round playoff series.
Josh Hart (17 points) and Landry Shamet (12) each made four 3-pointers for New York, which started 11-of-12 from long distance on its way to tying NBA playoff records for most 3-pointers in a quarter (11), half (18) and game (25).
Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 17 points and 10 assists for the third-seeded Knicks, who shot 56.8% from 3-point range (25 of 44) in advancing to their second straight Eastern Conference finals. New York will battle either the top-seeded Detroit Pistons or the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers for a spot in the NBA Finals.
The Knicks’ offensive assault came despite the absence of second-leading scorer OG Anunoby (hamstring), who missed his second straight game.
The seventh-seeded Sixers had oft-injured Joel Embiid for the second straight game, but his 24 points on 8-of-8 shooting didn’t make a dent in the lopsided result. Tyrese Maxey contributed 17 points for Philadelphia, which trailed by double figures for the final 43 minutes.
New York stormed out of the gates with 3-pointers by Brunson and Hart in the first three minutes. Shortly thereafter, McBride went 4-of-4 from 3-point range in less than 90 seconds as the lead quickly ballooned to 20-6.
Even when the Sixers briefly got within 11, Brunson made a pair of 3-pointers to stretch the lead back to 35-18. Shamet then came off the bench and tacked on two more 3-pointers later in the quarter as New York led 43-24 after 12 minutes.
Shamet, Towns and McBride each made a 3-pointer early in the second quarter as the lead grew to 59-32. The Knicks missed their next five from long range, but Brunson and Hart connected on back-to-back triples to get the visitors back in a groove.
In the final minute, McBride’s sixth 3-pointer of the half made it 78-52 and Hart added one more for good measure to help the visitors go into the locker room ahead 81-57.
Midway through the third quarter, McBride’s final 3-pointer stretched the lead to 30 for the first time. New York went on to lead 122-83 after three quarters and cruised to the finish line.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Zack Wheeler rises to occasion as Phillies blank Pirates 6-0
May 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) hits an RBI single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Zack Wheeler tossed seven shutout innings to outduel Paul Skenes as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 6-0 victory Sunday.
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, who are on a four-game winning streak and moved to 24-23 after they were 9-19 when Don Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson as manager late last month.
The Pirates managed only five hits in the game while failing to score a run for the second straight day. Skenes (6-3) allowed five earned runs — his most since Opening Day — in five-plus innings. He yielded six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
Wheeler retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced in the first four innings, allowing only an infield single to rookie Konnor Griffin in the second inning. He gave up a single and a walk in the fifth but benefited from J.T. Realmuto throwing out Griffin attempting to steal second.
Skenes struck out the side in the first inning and was in control until running into trouble in the fifth. The Phillies’ Adolis Garcia opened with a walk and moved to second on a single by Realmuto. Griffin made a diving stop for an out on a grounder to short by Crawford, but Garcia scored on the play to make it 1-0.
Trea Turner followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
In the sixth, the Phillies put three more runs on the board, starting with Harper’s leadoff homer, his 12th of the year.
Bohm singled and Marsh doubled, ending Skenes’ outing. Isaac Mattson came on and hit Garica with a pitch before Stott’s twi-run double extended the lead to 5-0.
The Pirates appeared to score in the sixth inning on a home run from Brandon Lowe, but it was overturned on replay to a double on fan interference.
Stott’s long home run against Dennis Santana in the eighth gave the Phillies a 6-0 advantage.
Jonathan Bowlan and Tanner Banks each logged an inning of relief for the Phillies to complete the shutout.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kevin Gausman's strong outing helps Blue Jays tame Tigers
May 16, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) hits a single in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Kevin Gausman tossed six shutout innings in a bounce-back performance and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered and scored twice as the visiting Toronto Blue Jays defeated the slumping Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Sunday afternoon.
Gausman allowed four hits and didn’t issue a walk while striking out five batters.
Gausman was coming off his worst outing of the season. He surrendered seven runs (six earned) and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings to Tampa Bay on Monday.
Tyler Rogers pitched the ninth to record his first save of the season.
Daulton Varsho had a double and triple while scoring twice and driving in a run. Varsho had given Toronto a 2-1 extra-innings victory on Saturday with a game-winning single.
The Tigers have lost 10 of their last 12 games, including two of three during the weekend series.
Riley Greene went hitless in four at-bats, snapping his 11-game hitting streak and 26-game on-base streak.
Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (0-5) allowed four runs and five hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out four. Flaherty has gone 12 starts without a victory, dating back to last September.
The Blue Jays jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first. Guerrero rifled a Flaherty fastball over the left field wall for just his third homer of the season. Varsho followed with a double off the wall and moved to third on Jesus Sanchez’s single. Varsho scored on a wild pitch.
Toronto extended its lead to 4-0 in the third. Guerrero reached on a one-out single and scored on Varsho’s triple to center. Sanchez brought home Varsho with a sacrifice fly.
Kevin McGonigle just missed getting Detroit on the board in the sixth, sending Varsho to the wall on a long flyout to straightaway center.
Detroit pushed across a run in the eighth, loading the bases with one out. Pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones drove in the run with a fielder’s choice grounder. Greene then grounded out against Joe Mantiply.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Gunnar Henderson helps Orioles knock off Nationals
May 17, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young (30) celebrates with Nationals third base coach Victor Estevez (7) while rounding the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Gunnar Henderson had four hits, including a home run, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Nationals 7-3 in Washington on Sunday 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 for the win.
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.
Henderson, who came in 2-for-20 over his past five games, hit his 10th homer of the season in the first to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.
Samuel Basallo singled leading off the second and Miles Mikolas replaced opener Richard Lovelady one out later. Mayo capped a nine-pitch at-bat against Mikolas with a two-run shot to make it 3-0.
Lovelady (2-2) was charged with two runs on two hits over 1 1/3 innings.
Young homered in the bottom half to pull the Nationals within 3-1.
In the third, Taylor Ward walked, raced to third on a single by Henderson and scored on Pete Alonso’s sacrifice fly.
Leody Taveras doubled to start the fourth and Cowser hit his first homer of the season to push the lead to 6-1.
The Nationals loaded the bases on a single and two walks with no outs in the fourth. Daylen Lile scored on a Keibert Ruiz sacrifice fly and Wood singled to load the bases with two outs. Nunez, usually a late-inning reliever, replaced starter Brandon Young and struck out Luis Garcia Jr. to end the inning.
Washington pulled within 6-3 in the seventh. Wood singled and went to third on a two-out single by Brady House. CJ Abrams smacked a grounder that deflected off Alonso’s glove at first and rolled across the infield as Wood scored.
Henderson singled home Jeremiah Jackson to make it 7-3 in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
