Sports
Touting their tenacity, Knicks set for another scrap with Hawks
Apr 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) has the ball stolen by Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) in the fourth quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images The Knicks will try to ride a tone-setting first quarter from Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks into Game 5 on Tuesday in New York.
The Knicks responded to consecutive one-point losses by securing a seven-point lead after the end of the first quarter in Game 4. They doubled the advantage by halftime and extended the lead to as many as 24 points en route to a 114-98 victory on Saturday.
The best-of-seven series is tied at two wins apiece.
“You can’t be satisfied with this performance,” Josh Hart said after his team regained home-court advantage in the series. “You can’t go into Game 5 thinking we had a great game, and they’re just going to lay down, ‘cause they’re not.
“They’re going to come out with a sense of urgency, a sense of physicality that they probably haven’t shown yet. We’ve got to be ready to weather that storm and have our own physicality.”
Atlanta head coach Quin Snyder credited New York’s defensive intensity — and the play of Hart — for contributing to his team’s stumble out of the gate.
“More than anything, the start of the game, their physicality bothered us,” Snyder said.
It’s safe to say Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby bothered the Hawks as well.
Towns recorded his first postseason triple-double after finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He is the fourth player in franchise history to record a triple-double in a playoff game, joining Hall of Famers Walt Frazier and Dick McGuire as well as Hart.
“I thought we did a great job coming out with more tenacity. More desperation I think is the proper word,” Towns said.
Anunoby finished with 22 points while making 9 of 16 shots from the floor for the second straight game. He also collected 10 rebounds and All-Star guard Jalen Brunson had 19 points to continue his team’s strong play since the fourth quarter of Game 3.
“The way we’ve been able to (play on both sides of the ball) these past five quarters is how we’ve got to play,” Brunson said.
New York scored 21 points off 19 turnovers in Game 4, much to the chagrin of Atlanta’s CJ McCollum.
“They played better than us. They played harder than us,” said McCollum, who was limited to just 17 points after averaging 27.0 over the first three games.
“We would have liked to go up 3-1, but if you would have told us we’d be 2-2 going back to the Garden, life’s not so bad.”
Jalen Johnson made just 4 of 12 shots to finish with 14 points in Game 4. He averaged 21.3 points over the previous three games.
Like Johnson, the rest of the Hawks struggled to find their range. They shot 41.0% from the floor and 24.4% from 3-point range.
The Hawks, who rely heavily on the transition game, didn’t record a fastbreak point until the fourth quarter in Game 4.
“There’s no transition when you’re turning the ball over and bringing it up out of the net,” Snyder said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Blue Jays' Max Scherzer placed on IR with forearm, ankle issues
Apr 24, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31) touches his head during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images The Toronto Blue Jays placed veteran right-hander Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list with left ankle inflammation and right forearm tendinitis on Monday.
The 41-year-old has been one strikeout shy of a milestone 3,500 for the past nine days but couldn’t hit that mark in losses to the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 18 and the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.
His outing against the Guardians garnered no strikeouts and drove his ERA to 9.64 after giving up seven earned runs on 82 pitches in 2 1/3 innings, though Scherzer said after the game, “I would not characterize this start as the fault of my forearm.”
Scherzer has reportedly been dealing with the forearm tendinitis since early April.
“The doctor said, ‘Hey, take five or seven days, let this all heal, and then ramp back up and you’ll see,” Scherzer said Monday. “‘Your body will tell you how fast you can ramp up.'”
It’s unclear who will fill in for Scherzer’s next scheduled start on Wednesday. Left-hander Eric Lauer had been expected to move to the bullpen when Trey Yesavage is activated for his season debut Tuesday against the visiting Boston Red Sox after starting the season on the IL with a right shoulder impingement. Lauer could be moved back to the starting rotation in light of Scherzer’s injuries.
Reliever Chase Lee was called up to fill the 26-man roster on Monday but another move will need to be made for Yesavage’s return.
Scherzer’s move to the IL is one in a long list for the Blue Jays this season, a group of more than a dozen players that also includes designated hitter George Springer (fractured left big toe); outfielders Addison Barger (sprained left ankle), Anthony Santander (torn labrum in left shoulder) and Nathan Lukes (hamstring strain); catcher Alejandro Kirk (fractured left thumb); starting pitchers Bowden Francis (elbow surgery), Jose Berrios (stress fracture in right elbow), Cody Ponce (torn ACL in right knee) and Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation); and right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia (elbow).
The Blue Jays sit in fourth place in the AL East with a 12-15 record. They open a three-game home series Monday against the Red Sox.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Seven-time Olympic champion Allyson Felix chasing comeback at 40
USA’s Allyson Felix, center, takes the baton from teammate Talitha Diggs for the second leg of the women’s 4×400 meter relay on day nine of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon Saturday July 23, 2022.
Eug 072322 Worlds 12
Allyson Felix, the most decorated Olympic track athlete with 11 medals and seven golds, wants a ticket to the Games in her hometown of Los Angeles in 2028 and has no intention to buy it.
Felix, 40, said Monday she is launching a comeback four years after retirement to prove she remains worthy of representing the United States in the Summer Olympics and wants to do it as a mother of two children.
“Let’s go after the thing. Let’s be vulnerable,” she told Time magazine. “You know, at this age, I should probably be staying home and taking care of my kids, doing all that. And just, why not? Let’s flip it on its head.”
Felix said training is scheduled to begin in earnest in October with her longtime track coach, Bobby Kersee, and the intention would be to compete for a spot on the U.S. track team beginning in 2027.
Felix would be 42 by the time the Los Angeles Olympics begin in 2028.
Her 11 Olympic track medals are more than any woman and the count includes six gold medals in relay events and the 2012 gold in the 200 meters in London.
“I totally get the person who sticks around too long and you’re like, ‘What are they doing?'” Felix told Time. “I know, at 40, I am not at my peak. I have no illusions about that. I’m very clear in what it is and what I want to see. And so I hope it’s seen that way.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Phoenix, Vegas potential options if Whitecaps relocate
Mar 23, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; The Vancouver Whitecaps FC logo displayed before their match against Real Salt Lake at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images Las Vegas and Phoenix are the top contenders to become an MLS city if the Vancouver Whitecaps were to relocate, The Athletic reported on Monday.
MLS declined to comment on the report.
Per the report, a special committee of MLS owners met earlier this month to conduct talks on the future of the Whitecaps, which could include relocation. Indianapolis and Sacramento are also among the markets who have expressed interest in joining the league.
MLS has met with a group interested in bringing a club to Las Vegas, per the report, and a separate group of Las Vegas investors called Starr Vegas unveiled a $10 billion development plan on the Vegas Strip. That plan would include a 50,000-seat soccer stadium, though the group has reportedly not engaged with MLS as of yet.
With their lease at BC Place set to expire at the end of 2026, the Whitecaps are working to find a new stadium in Vancouver.
“Since December 2024, ownership has prioritized finding a buyer committed to keeping the team in Vancouver, and to date, no solution has been found,” the Whitecaps said in a club statement provided to The Athletic.
MLS owners would have to approve any relocation, which would include a purchase price and relocation fee. San Diego FC, which joined MLS last season, paid a $500 million expansion fee, and per the report, the overall package for a group entering the league would exceed that $500 million price tag.
With the city of Vancouver, the Whitecaps entered an exclusive negotiation period last December that extends through 2026 to explore a new stadium and entertainment district at Hastings Park. However, there have been no updates since the club signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the city.
The Whitecaps date back to 1974, when they played their inaugural season in the NASL, and remained in the league until it folded in 1984. The Whitecaps began playing in the Canadian Soccer League in 1986 and were also in the American Professional Soccer League, the United Soccer League and the USSF Division 2 Pro League until joining MLS in 2011.
Winners of the last four Canadian Championships and coming off their first-ever MLS Cup final appearance (a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami CF), Vancouver is off to a strong start in 2026, sitting three points back of the Supporters’ Shield through nine matches, and is 7-1-0 at BC Place.
–Field Level Media
Blue Jays' Max Scherzer placed on IR with forearm, ankle issues
Seven-time Olympic champion Allyson Felix chasing comeback at 40
