Sports
Spurs stare down 1-0 deficit, confident Timberwolves in Game 2
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) shoots in front of San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) in the second half during game one of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Playoff experience is lived and learned, a concept the Spurs are tired of hearing about.
San Antonio is reaching for the mute button entering Game 2 of the best-of-seven Western Conference playoff semifinal series with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who landed the first punch to take a 1-0 lead on the Spurs’ home floor Monday.
“It’s on me,” Spurs MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama said after a dominant defensive performance in the 104-102 loss.
Minnesota won despite shooting 12 of 21 from the free-throw line because of a lackluster shooting night from the Spurs. Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, the top two scorers for San Antonio during the regular season, combined for 21 points on 10-of-31 shooting. The pair missed all 12 of their 3-point attempts; Wembanyama was 0-for-8. He had 15 rebounds and an NBA playoff single-game record 12 blocked shots but walked off the floor in disbelief as the Spurs lost at home for the second time in six games this postseason.
“I used too much energy (on defense) and things that didn’t really help our team,” he said. “So that’s on me. But first thing I have to start making some shots.”
Wembanyama played only 11 minutes, 41 seconds in the other playoff defeat at home — 106-103 to Portland in Game 2 of their first-round series — because of a concussion.
He wasn’t hurt Monday night, but the Timberwolves did enough to get San Antonio out of a comfort zone. Both teams played plenty of three-quarter court pressure defense and challenged the ball with tight defense for 48 minutes.
Minnesota’s playoff legs held up.
“We know it’s going to be a hard fought series,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said. “That team has success in the playoffs in recent history. They just go through a hard-fought series. They obviously showed the mettle that they have. It’s going to be a fight.”
Anthony Edwards might not be fully healthy for Minnesota. He was a surprise game-time decision and scored 18 points off the bench in Game 1. Edwards is dealing with a knee injury and the Timberwolves were without Ayo Donsumu (calf). Donsumu had games of 25 and 43 points in Minnesota wins over Denver the first round.
The Spurs are shooting for a postseason run for the first time since 2019. As the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, San Antonio entered Game 1 and the series as the prevailing favorite.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch told his team to continue being the aggressors on the day off Tuesday, when he shared the opinion that the team’s film breakdown of Game 1 told a little bit different story about Wembanyama’s big night.
“Historic night. But when we looked at (Wembanyama’s 12 blocks), at least four of them were goaltending,” Finch said. “To me, it’s a little alarming that none of them were called. Here’s a generational shot blocker — 7-foot-6, goes after everything — and there’s no heightened awareness that these blocks could be goaltends? The third possession of the game is a goaltend. A clear, obvious one. So let’s just say there were four (violations), that’s eight points. You know the value of eight points in an NBA game? It’s massive.”
Finch credited his guards, in particular, for getting downhill and not shying away from the swat threat. That plan is unchanged ahead of Game 2 on Wednesday before the series shifts to Minneapolis for Games 3 and 4.
“He gonna have to block it every time, I ain’t gonna stop going downhill. I told him that when he said a little something,” Terrence Shannon Jr. said. “He gonna have to block it every time, man. I know he ain’t gonna block it every single time. I’m gonna dunk on him.”
Shannon and Julius Randle, who scored 21 points with 10 rebounds, proved to be difficult one-on-one matchups for the Spurs.
“Just was kind of just reading the game,” Randle said of Monday’s win. “What’s going on, what’s working at certain points of the game, just just trying to be like, aware, present, reading what’s going on the game earlier.”
San Antonio had the ball, down two, with seven seconds left. Julian Champagnie’s 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded bounced off the front of the rim, allowing Minnesota to steal home court advantage.
“Felt like there were times we got a little in between, whether that was to shoot or not to drive or not to pass or not,” Johnson said. “Just in general, we were indecisive, and that hurt us. In the first half, we picked up the pace a little bit there. In the second half, we missed some good shots.”
Rookie Dylan Harper led the Spurs with 18 points off the bench, with many of his minutes coming with starting point guard Stephon Castle on the sidelines in foul trouble. Castle fouled out with 3:20 to play, marking the second straight game he’s been on the bench for the closing minutes.
“In a game like this, our goal is only to be better moving forward,” Harper said. “Every little thing matters. It’s a series (not just) one game. I mean, we’re gonna bounce back. We’re not gonna let this one dwell with us. Just gotta just tweak some things and limit, limit the mistakes.”
Minnesota has now won three of the four games played between the teams this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pirates All-Star, World Series champion Bob Skinner dies at 94
Jun 4, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A cap shoes and glove belonging to Pittsburgh Pirates third base Ke’Bryan Hayes on the field before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Former Pittsburgh Pirates player and coach Bob Skinner, who also had managerial stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres, has died. He was 94.
Known by the nickname “Sleepy” during his time with the Pirates, the San Diego-area native played nearly nine of his 12 major league seasons in Pittsburgh, earning three All-Star Game nods and winning a World Series with the club in 1960.
“We are saddened to relay the news of the passing of former Pirates outfielder and coach Bob Skinner,” the Pirates said in a statement. “Skinner was a member of the 1960 World Series Championship Pirates and a coach on the 1979 World Series Championship team. He made his Major League debut with the Bucs in 1954 and played nine of his 12 seasons in Pittsburgh.”
Skinner served as a Pittsburgh coach for 10 seasons over two stints (1974-76, 1979-85).
Skinner also won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964 after a midseason trade from the Cincinnati Reds.
After he retired as a player following the 1966 season, Skinner became manager of the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate in San Diego in 1967 then took over as manager in Philadelphia when Gene Mauch was fired 54 games into the 1968 season.
Skinner resigned as Phillies manager in 1969 with the team off to a 44-64 start as he was going through a reported feud with star player Dick Allen.
Skinner returned for a second stint as Pirates batting coach in 1979 as the team won the World Series. He also had coaching stints with the Padres (1970-73, 1977), California Angels (1978) and Atlanta Braves (1986-88).
Skinner also had a one-game stint as an interim manager of the Padres in 1977, and finished 93-123 as a major league skipper.
In 1,381 career games as a player, Skinner batted .277 with 103 home runs and 531 RBIs for the Pirates (1954, 1956-63), Reds (1963-64) and Cardinals (1964-66).
Skinner is the father of former major league catcher Joel Skinner, who played nine seasons with the Chicago White Sox, the then-Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. Joel Skinner was a longtime minor league manager who also was interim manager of Cleveland for 76 games in the 2002 season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Knicks riding streak of big wins entering Game 2 vs. 76ers
May 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the first quarter of game one of the eastern conference semifinal round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images It does not take much for championship-starved Big Apple basketball fans to daydream about what an NBA title run by the New York Knicks might look like.
The Knicks have given their fans even more reason to dream over the last 11 days.
The third-seeded Knicks will look to continue their dominant run and take a commanding lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals Wednesday night, when they host the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series.
Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the first half Monday, when the Knicks rolled to a 137-98 victory.
The win was the fourth straight for the Knicks, who closed out the Atlanta Hawks with three consecutive lopsided victories in their six-game first-round series.
New York, which fell behind Atlanta with consecutive one-point losses in Games 2 and 3, beat the Hawks 114-98 in Game 4 on April 25 before routing them 126-97 in Game 5 on April 28 and 140-89 last Thursday night.
“You hope that at this time, you’re the best version of yourselves,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said.
The best version of the Knicks has been historic. New York is the first NBA team to win three straight playoff games by at least 25 points apiece.
The Knicks are also the second team to end one series and begin another with consecutive victories by at least 30 points. The 1986 Boston Celtics beat the Hawks 132-99 to end an Eastern Conference semifinal series before routing the Milwaukee Bucks 128-96 in the Game 1 of the conference finals.
The Celtics went on to win the NBA title. These Knicks are 11 wins away from that destination — and unlike their fans, not quite ready to entertain such notions under Brunson, their famously tunnel-visioned captain.
“Honestly, you’ve got to take this game with a grain of salt and just kind of move forward,” Brunson said. “I don’t think we’re going to see that team that we saw in Game 1 in Game 2. They’re going to be ready to go.”
The loss wiped away any momentum the 76ers had after they advanced to the conference semifinals by overcoming a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Celtics in the first round — the first such comeback in franchise history.
But the 76ers’ success against the Celtics serves as a reminder a series doesn’t have to be defined by one — or two — blowouts. Philadelphia’s Game 1 and Game 4 losses to Boston were each by 32 points.
The 76ers are hopeful they’ll benefit from a more routine prep for Game 2. The series opener Monday night tipped off fewer than 48 hours after Philadelphia’s 109-100 Game 7 win over the Celtics.
“Emotional rollercoaster — you go from a Game 7 and one day off and you are right back into another matchup,” 76ers forward Paul George said. “I think there was some carryover trying to get up and get prepared for this next matchup. But we should have done a better job.”
The 76ers had no shortage of areas that needed work during Tuesday’s off day. Philadelphia scored fewer than 100 points for just the seventh time in the last 37 games dating back to Feb. 19 while allowing the Knicks to shoot 63.1% from the field, a New York franchise record for a playoff game.
“Yeah, we had breakdowns tonight, but they also shot the (heck) out of the ball,” George said. “It’s a game of adjustments. We’ll make adjustments, see what we need to get better at.
“But again, same as last series. They don’t get any points (in Game 2) for going up big tonight.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves activate closer Raisel Iglesias from injured list
Apr 1, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Raisel Iglesias (26) pitches against the Athletics during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images The Atlanta Braves activated right-hander Raisel Iglesias from the injured list Tuesday and designated right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment.
Iglesias, 36, last pitched on April 19 and has been out with right shoulder inflammation.
In eight relief outings this season, Iglesias has five saves and has not allowed a run over 8 2/3 innings. In 12 career seasons, he is 42-55 with a 2.86 ERA and 258 saves over 608 appearances (21 starts) for the Cincinnati Reds (2015-20), Los Angeles Angels (2021-22) and Braves.
Carrasco, 39, was designated for assignment for the second time by the Braves this season and the third time since August. In two outings (2 1/3 innings) this season he has not allowed a run.
A veteran of 17 major league seasons, Carrasco is 112-105 with a 4.22 ERA in 337 appearances (286 starts) for the Cleveland Indians/Guardians (2009-20, 2024), New York Mets (2021-23), New York Yankees (2025) and Braves.
The Braves also sent left-hander Dylan Dodd (back) on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett, while shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (finger) had his rehab assignment transferred from Double-A Columbus to Triple-A Gwinnett.
–Field Level Media
Pirates All-Star, World Series champion Bob Skinner dies at 94
ElevenLabs lists BlackRock, Jamie Foxx, and Eva Longoria as new investors
