Saturday Roundup

SPORTS

NBA Playoffs: 76ers, Suns, Mavericks, Grizzlies Advance As Round of 16 Concludes

The NBA Playoffs' Round of 16 concluded on Friday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Thursday Game:

At  Toronto:

Joel Embiid scored 33 points and grabbed ten rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers smothered the homestanding Toronto Raptors 132-97 in game six to close out their conference quarterfinal series four games to two.

Tyrese Maxey (who dished out eight assists) and James Harden (15 assists) added 25 and 22 points respectively to the Sixers' coffers.

Chris Boucher (off the bench and who grabbed 10 boards) and Pascal Siakam topped the Raptors with 25 and 24 points respectively.

The Sixers will open their conference semifinal series with the Miami Heat down in South Florida on Monday.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Thursday Games:

At New Orleans:

Chris Paul scored 33 points (while dishing out eight assists) while Deandre Ayton added 22 as the Phoenix Suns held off the New Orleans Pelicans 115-109 on the road in game six and won their series four games to two.

Brandon Ingram was one of seven Pelicans to score in double figures, leading New Orleans with 21 points to go with his 11 assists.

At Salt Lake City, Utah:

Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson each scored 24 points (while the former grabbed nine boards and dished out eight assists) as the Dallas Mavericks upended the visiting Utah Jazz 98-96 on the road in game six and won their series four games to two.

Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 23 points while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out eight assists.

The Suns and Mavericks will square off in a conference semifinal series, set to open in Phoenix on Monday.

Friday Game:

At Minneapolis:

Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points as the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a fourth-quarter double-digit deficit and overcame the homestanding Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106 in game six of their conference quarterfinal series, which the Grizzlies won in six games.

Anthony Edwards topped the Wolves with 30 points while Jaden McDaniels came off the bench and added 24.

The Grizzlies will take on the Golden State Warriors in a conference semifinal series, set to open in Memphis on Sunday.

Devils Close Out Another Rough Season With Home Defeat

At Newark, New Jersey:

In the regular-season finale for both clubs, Pius Suter scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the Detroit Red Wings knocked off the hosts New Jersey Devils 5-3.

The Devils will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth straight year and ninth time in ten seasons.  They close out the season with six straight defeats and eight straight at home.

Nats Blow Out Giants To Snap Eight-Game Skid

At Oracle Park, San Francisco:

Juan Soto hit a home run on Friday as the Washington Nationals (7-15) wound up with a season-high 22 hits in their 14-4 fistbeating of the San Francisco Giants (13-7) to snap an eight-game losing streak.

Saturday Soccer Roundup

At Wolverhampton, England:

Alexis MacAllister (PK-42') Leandro Trossard (70'), and Yves Bissouma (86') each scored once on Saturday as Brighton and Hove Albion dominated Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 on the road in English Premier League action.

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Davy Klaassen scored twice (51', 80') as Ajax Amsterdam dominated visiting PEC Zwolle 3-0 in Saturday Dutch Eredivisie action.

Thursday Roundup

 SPORTS

UEFA Champions League:  Reds Blank Yellow Sub In Semifinal Series Opener

At Anfield, Liverpool, England:

In Wednesday's opening contest of UEFA Champions League semifinal series, Pervis Jose Estupinan (OG-53') and Sadio Mane (55') each scored once in a two-minute span of the second half as Liverpool blanked visiting Villarreal 2-0.

CONCACAF Champions League Final:  Sounders Erase Two-Goal Deficit To Gain Series-Opening Road Draw With Pumas

At Olympic University Stadium, Mexico City:

Nicolas Lodeiro converted two penalty kicks (77', 90'+9) on Wednesday as the Seattle Sounders came back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 road draw in the opening contest of the CONCACAF Champions League Final.

Juan Dinenno also scored twice (PK-38', 48') for the hosts.

A's Handcup Giants, End San Fran's Winning Streak

At Oracle Park, San Francisco:

Chad Pinder's leadoff home run on Wednesday, along with Paul Blackburn and five relievers combining to pitch a three-hit shutout, provided the Oakland Athletics (10-9) to handcuff the San Francisco Giants (13-6) 1-0 on the road to snap the Giants' five-game winning streak.

NBA Playoffs:  Bucks, Warriors Advance To Conference Semis

The NBA Playoffs continued with two games on Wednesday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Milwaukee:

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks held off the visiting Chicago Bulls 116-100 in game five and closed out their conference quarterfinal series four games to one.

Pat Connaughton came off the bench to add 20 points to the Bucks' coffers.

Patrick Williams led the Bulls with 23 points while Nikola Vucevic added 19 to go with his 16 rebounds.

The Bucks will take on the Boston Celtics in an Eastern Conference semifinal series which is set to open in Beantown on Sunday.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At San Francisco:

Stephen Curry scored 30 points as the Golden State Warriors held off the Denver Nuggets 102-98 to close out their series four games to one.

Nikola Jokic led a gallant efforts for the Nuggets by scoring 30 points, grabbing 19 points, and dishing out eight assists.

Red Bulls Knocked Off On Road

At Graz, Austria:

Jakob Jantscher scored the game winner in the 72nd minute on Wednesday as second-place Sturm Graz upended visiting, league-leading FC Red Bull Salzburg 2-1 in Championship Round play from the Austrian Bundesliga.

Europa League Semifinals:  Leipzig, Frankfurt Take Series Openers

Two games were contested on Thursday as the semifinal round of the Europa League commenced.

At Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany:

Angelino scored the only goal of the match in the 85th minute as RB Leipzig held off visiting Rangers 1-0 in their series opener.

At London Stadium, London:

Daichi Kamada scored the game winner at 54 minutes as Eintracht Frankfurt knock off homestanding West End United 2-1 in game one.

Europa Conference League Semifinals: Feyenoord Top Marseille; Foxes Gain Home Draw With Roma

The semifinal round of the inaugural Europa Conference League opened its' semifinal round with two games on Thursday.

At King Power Stadium, Leicester, England:

Gianluca Mancini's own goal in the 67th minute enabled Leicester City to gain a series-opening 1-1 home draw with AS Roma.

Lorenzo Pellegrini scored for the Wolves from The Eternal City in the 15th minute.

At De Kuip Stadium, Rotterdam, Netherlands:

Cyriel Dessers scored twice (18', 46') as Feyenoord Rotterdam outgunned visiting Marseille 3-2 in their series opener.

THOUGHTS

This is a bad idea:

Joseph Goebels would be very proud.

Wednesday Roundup

 SPORTS

UEFA Champions League:  Citizens Hold Off Blancos In Semifinal Series Opener

At Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England:

In the opening game of the UEFA Champions League's semifinal round on Tuesday, Kevin De Bruyne (2'), Gabriel Jesus (11'), Philip Foden (53'), and Bernardo Silva (74') each scored once as Manchester City took game one of their series with Real Madrid 4-3 at home.

Karim Benzema scored twice (33', PK-82') and Vinicius Junior once (55') for Los Blancos.

Giants Batter A's To Stretch Winning Streak For Five

At Oracle Field, San Francisco:

Carlos Rodon pitched six solid innings in which he struck out nine batters while Wilmer Flores hit a homer and batted in four runs on Tuesday as the San Francisco Giants (13-5) dominated the visiting Oakland Athletics (9-9) 8-2.

The victory was San Francisco's fifth successive as they move to first place in the National League's Western Division, 1/2 game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

NBA Playoffs:  Heat Finish Off Hawks; Grizzlies, Suns Take 3-2 Series Leads

The NBA Playoffs continued on Tuesday with three games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Miami:

Victor Oladipo scored 23 points while Bam Adebayo added 20 (while grabbing 11 rebounds) as the Miami Heat held off the visiting Atlanta Hawks 97-94 in game five and won their conference quarterfinal series four games to one.

DeAndre Hunter topped the Hawks with 35 points while pulling down 11 boards.

The opening game of the Heat's conference semifinal series with the Philadelphia-Toronto winner is set for Miami on Monday.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Memphis:

Ja Morant scored 30 points (two of them on the game-winning layup with one second remaining), grabbed 13 rebounds, and dished out nine rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a fourth-quarter 11-point deficit and upended the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 111-109 in game five of their conference quarterfinal series.

Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke (who came off the bench to pull down 15 boards) added 25 and 21 points respectively to help the Grizzlies' cause.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 28 points (to go with his 12 rebounds) while Anthony Edwards added 22.

The Grizzlies can advance to the conference semifinals with a game-six triumph in Minneapolis on Friday.

At Phoenix, Arizona:

Mikal Bridges scored 31 while Chris Paul added 22 (to go with his 11 assists) and Deandre Ayton 19 (while pulling down nine rebounds) as the Phoenix Suns held off the visiting New Orleans Pelicans 112-97 in game five.

Brandon Ingram scored 22 points while C.J. McCollum added 21 (to go with his eight boards) top the Pelicans in scoring.

The Suns, now up three games to two, can close out the series with a game-six victory in New Orleans on Thursday.

Broken Record:  Devils Lose Again

At Ottawa:

Drake Batherson scored the game-winning overtime goal (his second of the game) on Wednesday as the Ottawa Senators defeated the visiting New Jersey Devils 5-4.

Tuesday Roundup

SPORTS

NBA Playoffs:  Celitcs Complete Sweep Of Nets; Raptors Stay Alive, Force Game Six With Sixers; Mavs Take 3-2 Series Lead on Jazz

The NBA Playoffs continued on Monday with three games.

EASTERN CONFERECE:

At Brooklyn, New York:

Jayson Tatum scored 29 points while Jaylen Brown added 22 (to go with his eight rebounds) and Marcus Smart 20 (to go with his 11 assists) as the Boston Celtics completed their four-game conference quarterfinal series sweep of the Brooklyn Nets with a 116-112 game-four road victory.

Kevin Durant topped the Nets with 39 points (to go with his seven rebounds and nine assists) while Seth Curry added 23 and Kyrie Irving 20.

At Philadelphia:

Pascal Siakam scored 23 points and grabbed ten rebounds as the Toronto Raptors again avoided elimination by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 103-88 on the road in game five of their series.

Joel Embiid scored 20 points to lead the Sixers while grabbing 11 rebounds.

Philadelphia, still up three games to two, can still wrap up the series with a game-six victory in Toronto on Thursday.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Dallas:

Luka Doncic scored 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks dominated the visiting Utah Jazz 102-77 in game five of their series, which the Mavericks now lead three games to two.

Jalen Brunson added 25 points to the Mavs' coffers.

Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to lead the Jazz with 20 points.

Dallas can close out the series with a game-six victory in Salt Lake City on Thursday.

Giants Top Brewers To Close Out 8-3 Road Trip

At American Family Field, Milwaukee:

Luis Gonzales banged his first Major League Baseball home run, a two-run shot with two outs in the ninth inning on Monday as the San Francisco Giants (12-5) closed out an 8-3 road trip with a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers (10-7).

T2 Pick Up Another Shootout Victory

At Hillsboro Stadium (Hillsboro, Oregon)

After a 1-1 regulation draw, Nathan Fogaca, Julian Bravo, Blake Bodily (who scored at regulation at 55 minutes), and Tega Ikoba all converted their spot kicks as Portland Timbers 2 defeated visiting Real Monarchs 4-2 in the penalty-kick shootout on Sunday.

THOUGHTS

Rough times for the Democrats.

 

Monday Roundup

 SPORTS

Giants Complete Sweep Of Nats In DC

At Nationals Park, Washington:

Joc Pederson homered twice on Sunday as the San Francisco Giants (11-5) completed a three-game road sweep of the Washington Nationals (6-12) with a 12-3 spanking of their hosts.

Breakers Break Bandits In Birmingham

At Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Alabama:

Kyle Sloter threw for two touchdowns on Sunday as the New Orleans Breakers (2-0) destroyed the Tampa Bay Bandits (1-1) 34-3 in USFL action.

NBA PLAYOFFS: Bucks, Heat On Verge Of Advancing To East Semifinals; Nuggets Hold Off Warriors To Stay Alive; Pelicans Square Series With Suns

The NBA Playoffs continued on Sunday with four games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Chicago:

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while Grayson Allen (off the bench) added 27 and Jrue Holiday 26 as the Milwaukee Bucks gored the Chicago Bulls 119-95 on the road in game four of their series which the Bucks now lead three games to one.

Zach Lavine scored 24 points (and dished out 13 assists), Demar DeRozan added 23, and Patrick Williams 20 (to go with 10 boards) to lead the Bulls.

Milwaukee can lock up the series at home with a game-five victory on Wednesday.

At Atlanta:

Jimmy Bulter's 36-point, 10-rebound performance helped the Miami Heat pluck the homestanding Atlanta Hawks' feathers en route to a 110-86 road victory in game five of their conference quarterfinal series.

All five Miami starters scored in double figures.

Deandre Hunter paced the Hawks with 24 points.

The Heat, up three games to one,  can advance with a game-five victory in Miami on Tuesday.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At San Francisco:

Nikola Jokic scored 37 points (to go with eight rebounds) while Monte Morris added 24, and Aaron Gordon 21 as the Denver Nuggets avoided the sweep and held off the visiting Golden State Warriors 126-121 in game four of their series, which the Warriors still lead three games to one.

Stephen Curry came off the bench to top Golden State with 33 points (to go with eight assists) while Klay Thompson added 33 and Andrew Wiggins 20; the Warriors can still wrap up the series with a game-five victory back in San Francisco on Wednesday.

At New Orleans:

Brandon Ingram scored 30 points while Jonas Valanciunas grabbed 15 rebounds while scoring 26 as the New Orleans Pelicans leveled their series with the Memphis Grizzlies at two games apiece following their 118-103 game-four home victory.

Deandre Ayton topped the Griz with 23 points.

Devils Blanked At Home

At Newark, New Jersey:

Oskar Sundqvist and Tyler Bertuzzi each had a goal and an assist on Sunday as the Detroit Red Wings blanked the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on the road in NHL action.

Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic saved all 17 shots for the shutout.

Sunday Roundup

 SPORTS

Timbers Battle To Another Scoreless Draw

At Providence Park, Portland, Oregon:

The Saturday Major League Soccer contest between the Portland Timbers and visiting Real Salt Lake resulted in Portland's second straight 0-0 stalemate.

NBA Playoffs: Raptors Stay Alive; Jazz, Wolves Square Respective Series; Celtics On Cusp Of Knocking Out Nets

The NBA Playoffs continued with four games on Saturday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Toronto:

Pascal Siakam scored 34 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Toronto Raptors avoided the sweep and defeated the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 110-102 in game four of their conference quarterfinal series, which Philly still leads three games to one.

Gary Trent, Jr. added 24 points to the Raptors' coffers.

James Harden and Joel Embiid scored 22 and 21 respectively to lead the Sixers, who can still finish off Toronto with a game-five victory back home in Philadelphia on Monday.

At Boston:

Jayson Tatum scored 39 points and Jaylen Brown added 24 as the Boston Celtics held off the Brooklyn Nets 109-103 in game three of their series.

Bruce Brown topped the Nets with 26 points to go with his eight rebounds.

The Celtics, up three games to none, will go for the four-game sweep back home in Boston on Monday.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Salt Lake City, Utah:

Rudy Gobert, who scored 17 points, scored the go-ahead alley-oop basket with 11 seconds remaining to carry the Utah Jazz to a series-equalizing 100-99 game-four home victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Donovan Mitchell topped the Jazz with 24 points.

Luka Doncic scored 30 points to pace the Mavs with 30 points while grabbing ten rebounds.

At Minneapolis:

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 33 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves upended the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 119-118 in game four of their series, which is now deadlocked at two games apiece. 

Anthony Edwards added 24 points to the Wolves as six players (including all five starters) scored in double figures.

Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks topped the Griz with 34 and 24 points respectively.

More Weekend European Soccer Action

At Motherwell, Scotland:

In Saturday action from the Scottish Premiership's Championship Group, Scott Wright scored the game winner in the 47th minute as Rangers defeated Motherwell 3-1 on the road.

At Belfast, Northern Ireland:

The Saturday Northern Irish Premiership (Championship Group) match between league-leading Linfield and visiting Larne resulted in a 0-0  deadlock.

At Oswestry, England:

Declan McManus scored twice on Saturday (2', 88') as The New Saints held off visiting Caernarfon Town 3-1 in action from the Championship Group of the Welsh Premier League.

At Burnley, England:

Matej Vydra scored the only goal in the 62nd minute on Sunday as Burnley climbed out of the English Premier League's relegation zone by knocking off visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0.

Saturday Roundup

 SPORTS

Giants Smack Nats In DC

At Nationals Park, Washington:

Austin Slater smacked a home run during a seven-run second inning on Friday as the San Francisco Giants (9-5) smothered the homestanding Washington Nationals (6-10).

Shorthanded Goals Help Sink Devils In Newark

At Newark, New Jersey:

Kyle Okposo and Alex Tuch each tallied a shorthanded goal on Thursday as the Buffalo Sabres upended the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on the road in a battle of teams just playing out the string.

NBA Playoffs:  Trae Pulls Through For Hawks As Atlanta Climbs Back In Series With Heat; Bucks, Suns Take 2-1 Series Leads

The NBA Playoffs continued on Friday with three games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Atlanta:

Trae Young, who scored 24 points and dished out eight assists, hit the game-winning bucket with 4.4 seconds remaining to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 111-110 game-three home victory over the Miami Heat and cut the guests' conference quarterfinal series advantage to two games to one.

Jimmy Butler and Max Strus each scored 20 points (with the former grabbing ten rebounds and handing off eight assists) to top the Heat.

At Chicago:

Grayson Allen came off the bench to score 22 points (15 of them on five three-pointers) while Giannis Antetokounmpo (with nine assists) and Bobby Portis (16 rebounds) each added 18 points as the Milwaukee Bucks gored the visiting Chicago Bulls 111-81 in game three of their series, which the Bucks now lead two games to one.

Nikola Vucevic topped the Bulls with 19 points.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At New Orleans:

Deandre Ayton (who grabbed 17 rebounds) and Chris Paul (who dished out 14 assists) each scored 28 points to rally the Phoenix Suns past the hosts New Orleans Pelicans 114-111 in game three of their series, which the Suns now lead two games to one.

Brandon Ingram scored 34 points and C.J. McCollum added 30 to lead the Pelicans.

Chalk Up Another Defeat For Devils, This Time In OT

At Newark, New Jersey:

In Saturday NHL action, Seth Jarvis scored the winning goal at 99 seconds of overtime as the Carolina Hurricanes continue their preparations for the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs by upending the New Jersey Devils (who aren't) 3-2 on the road.

Soccer Nuggets

At Saint-Etienne, France:

Wissam Ben Yeddar (23'), Kevin Volland (25'), Timothee Kolodziejczak (OG-61'), and  Myron Boadu (77') each scored once on Saturday as AS Monaco helped their chances of getting a shot at a UEFA Champions League berth for next season by dominating relegation-threated Saint-Etienne 4-1 on the road in action from France's Ligue 1.

At Nijmegen, Netherlands:

Brian Brobbey scored the only goal of the match in the 88th minute as Ajax Amsterdam tightened their hold on top spot in the Dutch Eredivisie standings after their 1-0 Saturday road win at NEC Nijmegen's expense.

At Munich:

Robert Lewandowski scored the game winner at 34 minutes on Saturday as Bayern Munich moved clinched their tenth successive German Bundesliga championship by defeating visiting Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in a battle of the German top flight's two top clubs.

Giants Top Nats In DC Again

At Nationals Park, Washington

In Saturday Major League Baseball action, the San Francisco Giants (10-5) again knocked off the homestanding Washington Nationals (6-11) 5-2.

Friday Roundup

 SPORTS

NBA Playoffs:  Warriors On Brink To Ousting Nuggets; Grizzlies, Mavs Take 2-1 Series Leads

The NBA Playoffs continued on Thursday with three games, all in the Western Conference:

At Minneapolis:

Desmond Bane scored 26 points while Brandon Clarke added 20 coming off the bench as the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 26-point deficit and knocked off the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-95 in game three of their conference quarterfinal series to take a two-games-to-one lead.

Ja Morant registered a triple double (16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists) to help the Grizzlies' cause.

Dangelo Russell paced the Wolves with 22 points while dishing out eight assists.

At Salt Lake City, Utah:

Jalen Brunson scored 31 points as the Dallas Mavericks seized home-court advantage in their series with the Utah Jazz, which they now lead two games to one, after their 126-118 road win in three games.

Seven Mavericks scored in double figures.

Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points while Bojan Bogdanovic added 24 and Mike Conley 21 to pace the Jazz.

Dallas played again minus the injured Luka Doncic.

At Denver:

Jordan Poole and Stephen Curry (who came off the bench) each scored 27 points while Klay Thompson added 26 points as the Golden State Warriors rallied to overcome the Denver Nuggets 118-113 on the road in game three.

Nikolai Jokic topped the Nuggets with 37 points while grabbing 18 rebounds.

The Warriors can close out the Nuggets with a game-four victory in Denver on Sunday.

Mets Take Three Of Four From Giants After Thursday Victory

At Citi Field, Flushing, New York:

Carols Carrasco pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in three years while Francisco Lindor, Eduardo Escobar each hit a home run as the New York Mets (10-4) held off the visiting San Francisco Giants (8-5) 6-2 on Thursday.

OBIT

Farewell

To A Montreal Canadiens Hall of Fame legend.

THOUGHTS

I've never cared that much for J.K. Rowling

In this case, though, I strongly agree with her.

Thursday Roundup

 SPORTS

Birthday Boy Brandon Belt Helps Lead Giants Past Mets

At Citi Field, Flushing, New York:

On his 34th birthday on Wednesday, Brandon Belt connected on a secord-inning home run as the San Francisco Giants (8-4) defeated the homestanding New York Mets (9-4) 5-2.

NBA Playoffs:  Sixers One Win Away From Closing Out Raptors; Celtics Extend Series Lead Over Nets To 2-0; Bulls Level Series With Bucks At 1-1

The NBA Playoffs continued on Wednesday with three games, all in the Eastern Conference.

At Toronto:

Joel Embiid, who scored 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, converted a three-point shot with 0.8 seconds remaining in overtime as the Philadelphia 76ers upended the Toronto Raptors 104-101 to take a commanding three-games-to-none series advantage.

James Harden (who dished out ten assists) and Tyrese Maxey each scored 19 points to help the 76ers.

Og Anunoby scored 26 points while Gary Trent, Jr. added 24 and Precious Achiuwa (off the bench) 20 to top the Raptors.

The Sixers will get a chance to complete a four-game series sweep in Toronto on Saturday.

No team in NBA Playoff history has ever come back from a three-games-to-none deficit to win a best-of-seven series.

At Boston:

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points as the Boston Celtics, with seven players---including all five starters---scoring in double figures, came back from 17 points down to upend the visiting Brooklyn Nets 114-107 to stretch their conference quarterfinal-round series to two games to none.

Kevin Durant and Bruce Brown topped the Nets with 27 and 23 points respectively.

At Milwaukee:

Demar DeRozan scored 41 points as the Chicago Bulls squared their series with the Milwaukee Bucks at a game apiece following their 114-100 road win in game two.

Nikola Vucevic added 24 points to the Bulls' coffers while grabbing 13 rebounds; Zach Lavine added 20 points for Chicago.

Giannis Antetokounmpo topped the Bucks with 33 points while pulling down 18 boards and dishing out nine rebounds; Brook Lopez added 25 points to the Milwaukee coffers.

DC United Can Coach

Assistant Chad Ashton takes over on an interim basis.

Big Surprises in US Open Cup

Check this out!

Wednesday Soccer Leftover

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Aleksandr Golovin scored the only goal of the match late in the first half (45'+2) as AS Monaco kept their hopes of getting a shot at next season's UEFA Champions League alive after their 1-0 home victory over Nice.

THOUGHTS

Gosh

What a short existence that was.

Wednesday Roundup

 SPORTS

Mets Sweep Doubleheader From Giants

At Citi Field, Flushing Meadows, New York:

The New York Mets swept a Tuesday double header with the San Francisco Giants, taking game one 5-4 in ten innings and the nightcap 3-1.

NBA Playoffs:  Grizzlies, Pelicans Square Respective Series At 1-1; Heat Take 2-0 Lead Over Hawks

The NBA Playoffs continued on Tuesday with three games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Miami:

Jimmy Butler scored 45 points as the Miami Heat held off the visiting Atlanta Hawks 115-105 in game two of their conference quarterfinal series, which they now lead two games to none.

Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to lead the Hawks with 29 points while Trey Young added 25.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Memphis, Tennessee:

Ja Morant led seven players who scored in double figures with 23 points (while dishing out ten assists) as the Memphis Grizzlies leveled their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves at a game apiece after their 124-96 home beatdown in game two.

Anthony Edwards topped the Wolves with 20 points.

At Phoenix, Arizona:

Brandon Ingram scored 37 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out nine assists as he nearly produced a triple-double and helped lifted the New Orleans Pelicans to a series-equalizing 125-114 road victory over the Phoenix Suns.

This conference quarterfinal series is now deadlocked at one game apiece.

C.J. McCollum contributed 23 points to the Pelicans' coffers as he came close to registering a triple double himself (eight rebounds and nine assists).

Devin Booker, before suffering an injury, scored 31 points to top the Suns.

Tuesday Roundup

SPORTS

NBA Playoffs:  Sixers, Warriors Stretch Respective Series Leads To 2-0; Mavericks Even Series With Jazz At 1-1

The NBA Playoffs' Round of 16 continued on Monday with three games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Philadelphia:

Joel Embiid scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers downed the visiting Toronto Raptors 112-97 to take a two-games-to-none conference quarterfinal series lead.

Tyrese Maxey added 23 points to the Sixers' coffers while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out eight assists.

Tobias Harris also helped the Philadelphia cause with 20 points and ten rebounds.

Og Anunoby topped the Raptors with 26 points while Pascal Siakam (who pulled down ten boards) and Fred VanVleet each added 20. 

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Dallas:

Jalen Brunson scored 41 points Maxi Kleber came off the bench to add 25 as the Dallas Mavericks leveled their series with the Utah Jazz at one game apiece after their 110-104 game-two home triumph.

Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 34 and 25 points respectively to top the Jazz while Jordan Clarkson scored an additional 21 off the bench.

At San Francisco:

Stephen Curry came off the bench to score 34 points as the Golden State Warriors now lead their series with the Denver Nuggets two games to none after their 126-106 domination in game two.

Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson added 29 and 21 points respectively to the Warriors' coffers.

Nikola Jokic topped the Nuggets with 26 points while pulling down eleven rebounds.

Each team had five players scoring in double figures.

Devils Deal Potentially Crippling Blow To Knights' Playoff Chances

At Paradise, Nevada:

Nathan Bastian had a goal and an assist on Monday night as the New Jersey Devils dealt a potentially crippling blow to the Vegas Golden Knights' Stanley Cup Playoff chances with a 3-2 road win.

The Knights are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in their five-year history.

Monday Roundup

SPORTS

Giants Take Out Guardians In Cleveland On Saturday And Sunday

At Progressive Field, Cleveland:

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Cleveland Indians-Turned-Guardians on the road on both Saturday and Sunday to complete a three-game series sweep and improve their record to 7-2 (the Guardians fall to 4-5); the Giants won 4-2 on Saturday and 8-1 on Sunday

NBA Playoffs: Heat, Bucks, Celtics, Suns Grab Series Openers

The NBA Playoffs continued on Sunday with four games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Miami:

Duncan Robinson came off the bench to score 27 points as the Miami Heat overpowered the visiting Atlanta Hawks 115-91 in the opening game of their conference quarterfinal series.

Jimmy Butler contributed to the Miami cause with 21 points.

The Hawks' Trae Young was held to eight points.

At Boston:

Jayson Tatum, who scored 31 points and dished out eight assists, converted the game-winning layup at the buzzer to carry the Boston Celtics to a series-opening 115-114 home victory over the Brooklyn Nets.  

The Celtics also got ample scoring from Jaylen Brown (23 points), Al Horford (20 points to go with 15 rebounds), and Marcus Smith (20 points).

The Nets were led by Kyrie Irving (39 points) and Kevin Durant (23 points) as the twosome scored 62 of Brooklyn's 114 points.

At Milwaukee:

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to help lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a series-opening 93-86 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls.

Five Bucks scored in double figures.

Nikola Vucevic topped the Bulls with 24 points while grabbing 17 rebounds.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Phoenix, Arizona:

Chris Paul scored 30 points and dished out ten assists (while pulling down seven rebounds) while Devin Booker added 25 points and Deandre Dayton 21 (plus nine rebounds) as the Phoenix Suns opened their series with the New Orleans Pelicans with a 110-99 home victory.

C.J. McCollum paced the Pelicans with 25 points while pulling down eight boards.

Soccer Leftovers

At Houston:

Marcelo Palomino (28'), Papa Ndoye (43'), Roberto Avila (59'), and D'Alessandro Herrera (88') each scored once on Saturday as Houston Dynamo II dominated visiting Portland Timbers 2 in MLS Next Pro action 4-1.

Breakers Triumphant In USFL Season Opener

At Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama:

In the United States Football League regular-season opener for both clubs on Sunday, linebacker Vontae Davis collected the league's first pick-six of the season while running back Jordan Ellis carried the ball for the game-winning touchdown as the New Orleans Breakers upended the Philadelphia Stars 23-17.

THOUGHTS

Well, here's some good news.