Sports
Thunder bury Lakers in second half to take 3-0 series lead
May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams (6) and center Chet Holmgren (7) fight for a rebound with Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) during the first quarter of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Ajay Mitchell scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the final 24 minutes en route to a convincing 131-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their Western Conference second-round series on Saturday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points and nine assists as the defending champion Thunder took a commanding 3-0 series lead and improved to 7-0 this postseason. Chet Holmgren had 18 points and nine rebounds, Cason Wallace added 16 points off the bench and Mitchell also had 10 assists.
The Thunder trailed by two points at halftime before steamrolling Los Angeles 74-49 in the second half.
Rui Hachimura made five 3-pointers and scored a team-high 21 points, and LeBron James added 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Lakers. Luke Kennard had 18 points off the bench and Austin Reaves had 17 points and nine assists for Los Angeles.
The Thunder can complete the sweep in Monday’s game at Los Angeles. No team in NBA history has come back to win a playoff series from a 3-0 deficit.
The Lakers once again missed NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic. Oklahoma is playing without its second-best player in Jalen Williams. Both players are sidelined with hamstring injuries.
Oklahoma City shot 56.4% from the field, including 17-of-38 from 3-point range. Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points and nine rebounds, Isaiah Joe scored 12 points on four 3-pointers and Luguentz Dort had 10 points. Wallace also made four 3-pointers for the Thunder.
The Lakers made 46.9% of their attempts and were 14-of-30 from beyond the arc. Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton added 10 points apiece for Los Angeles, which committed 17 turnovers leading to 30 Oklahoma City points.
The score was tied at 63 early in the third quarter before Hartenstein and Holmgrem slammed home consecutive dunks to start a 15-2 spurt.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren finished the burst with baskets, helping Oklahoma City end the stretch with 11 straight points to take a 78-65 lead with 5:37 left in the quarter.
The Lakers later scored seven straight points – six by Smart – to move within 84-79 with one minute left in the period. However, Joe drilled two 3-pointers in the final 45.2 seconds as the Thunder took a 90-79 advantage into the final stanza.
The margin was 11 before Mitchell scored nine points during a 14-7 run that lifted the Thunder’s lead to 112-94 with 6:12 remaining. Alex Caruso completed that surge with a thunderous dunk.
Wallace drained a 3-pointer to push Oklahoma City’s lead to 120-97 with 4:01 left, and Oklahoma City led by as many as 27 while finishing off a severe second-half beatdown.
Hachimura was 4-for-4 from 3-point range during a 16-point first half that helped the Lakers lead 59-57 at the break. Gilgeous-Alexander had 14 in the half despite 4-of-14 shooting.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Miguel Vargas, White Sox power way past Mariners
May 9, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Miguel Vargas homered twice and Colson Montgomery also went deep to back five strong innings from Anthony Kay and boost the Chicago White Sox to a 6-1 victory against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
Chicago stopped a three-game losing streak behind its second straight multi-homer game. Relievers Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson and Tyler Schweitzer combined on four shutout innings to finish a combined four-hitter.
Montgomery started the latest White Sox power display early, reaching Seattle starting pitcher Luis Castillo for a two-run blast with two out in the first inning.
Castillo worked around a leadoff single in the second but couldn’t strand a leadoff runner an inning later. Sam Antonacci was hit by a pitch to open the third and scored when Vargas homered to left-center.
Castillo remained winless in eight starts this season. He fell to 0-4 after scattering five hits for four runs in four innings. The right-hander had six strikeouts against zero walks but yielded multiple homers for the second time in his past three outings.
Seattle struggled to mount an attack after scoring 12 runs on 12 hits in the series opener.
Kay (2-1) spaced three hits, all singles, and one run in five innings. He walked two and struck out five, one shy of his season high.
Kay allowed baserunners in every inning but the second but kept the Mariners off the scoreboard apart from a Rob Refsnyder RBI sacrifice fly in the fifth.
The Mariners’ relief corps was sharp in spots but not perfect. Josh Simpson retired the first two batters he faced in the fifth before Vargas connected for a solo shot to push the Chicago lead to 5-1.
It was Vargas’ first multi-homer game since May 16, 2025. Teammate Tristan Peters also had two hits.
Julio Rodriguez singled twice for the Mariners, who stranded seven runners while going 0-for-5 with men in scoring position.
Edgar Quero provided an insurance run for Chicago on a forceout in the eighth.
Montgomery has reached base in 21 consecutive games.
Left fielder Andrew Benintendi (neck stiffness) was a late scratch for Chicago.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Padres end lengthy offense drought, take down Cards
May 9, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) celebrates with right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) after hitting a one run home run during the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images Ty France and Manny Machado homered Saturday, while Fernando Tatis Jr. supplied a tiebreaking hit during a three-run fifth inning that lifted the San Diego Padres to a 4-2 win over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
Starter Randy Vasquez (4-1) scattered six hits over five innings while allowing just one run. Vasquez walked none and fanned six before San Diego’s high-leverage relievers took care of the rest.
St. Louis touched Adrian Morejon for a run in the eighth on Ivan Herrera’s RBI double that scored JJ Wetherholt. Mason Miller came in to get the final out of the eighth on Jordan Walker’s groundout, then pitched the ninth for his 12th save in as many chances.
Dustin May (3-4) pitched well aside from the fifth. He permitted three hits and three runs (two earned) over six innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Cardinals pitching brought a 17-inning scoreless streak against the Padres into the game. May took a no-hit bid into the fifth before France unloaded a 405-foot shot over the wall in center, his fourth of the year.
San Diego pressed the issue further with a walk to Sung-Mun Song and the first of Freddy Fermin’s two singles. A passed ball on Pedro Pages moved both runners up 90 feet before Jackson Merrill fanned. Tatis lofted a two-run single to short right to give the Padres a 3-1 lead.
Machado added insurance in the eighth when he lined a solo homer to left-center, snapping an 0-for-24 skid that dropped his average to .195.
St. Louis used a rare bout of wildness from Miller to construct a threat in the ninth. Walks to Nolan Gorman and Nathan Church put two on with one out and Yohel Pozo reached with two outs when Miller tossed a wild pitch on strike three.
But Miller got Wetherholt to look at a 102 mph fastball for a game-ending strikeout, his fourth of the inning.
Church gave the Cardinals a 1-0 fourth-inning lead with a two-out RBI double.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ernie Clement has 5 of Jays' 20 hits in 14-1 win vs. Angels
May 9, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela (59) hits a three run home run i the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Gerry Angus-Imagn Images Brandon Valenzuela hit a three-run homer to cap a seven-run fifth inning Saturday and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Los Angeles Angels 14-1.
Valenzuela had four hits and Ernie Clement recorded his second career five-hit game, including a solo homer as Toronto rapped out 20 hits to take their second straight in the three-game series.
Jesus Sanchez added a solo homer as Toronto padded statistics against infielder Adam Frazier, who pitched a four-run eighth for the Angels, who have lost four of five to Toronto this season.
Mason Fluharty (2-0) pitched a perfect fifth.
The Angels threatened in the second against starter Trey Yesavage. Jorge Soler led off with a double to the top of the center field wall. He took third on Yoan Moncada’s one-out single to right. The inning ended when Addison Barger threw Soler out of the plate on Vaughn Grissom’s flyout to right.
Barger (sprained ankle) was reinstated from the injured list Saturday with Yohendrick Pinango optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.
Yesavage tossed four scoreless innings, allowing four hits with six strikeouts on 87 pitches.
Toronto scored once in its fourth against Jack Kochanowicz (2-2). Sanchez was hit by a pitch followed by singles from Daulton Varsho and Clement to load the bases with no outs. Andres Gimenez hit a sacrifice fly to the left field corner.
Toronto scored seven more in the fifth against the sloppy Angels. Barger walked and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled. The runners advanced on a wild pitch and Kazuma Okamoto flared an RBI single to left. Sanchez blooped an RBI single that dropped among three fielders down the left field line.
Another run scored when Kochanowicz threw wildly to first on Varsho’s comebacker. Clement grounded an RBI single to left to make it 5-0. Mitch Farris replaced Kochanowicz and allowed Valenzuela’s one-out, three-run homer to left.
Kochanowicz allowed seven runs (six earned), nine hits and two walks with no strikeouts on 84 pitches in four-plus innings.
Clement led off the seventh with a homer to left against Farris. Guerrero added an RBI single.
Pinch hitter Frazier stroked an RBI double to right against Tyler Rogers in the eighth to give the Angels their first run of the series.
Angels pinch hitter Omar Martinez picked up his first major league hit in the ninth with a single against Tommy Nance.
–Field Level Media
Miguel Vargas, White Sox power way past Mariners
Padres end lengthy offense drought, take down Cards
