Hi, I'm your host, Austin Knoblauch, filling in for Houston Mitchell. Let's get into action.
By Helene Elliott: The crowd at the Crypto.com Arena rose and screamed as the Lakers entered the final seconds of a season that began with doubt and despair and ended with a revitalized team winning more than anyone could have imagined. figure it out
The Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 128-117 on Sunday afternoon to move to the seventh seed and qualify for Tuesday's game against Minnesota in the fictional but dramatic NBA playoffs. D'Angelo Russell encouraged the cheering noise, throwing his arms at the fans and demanding more applause. They were happy to agree, giving thanks to a team that has struggled to win nine of its last 11 games to surpass four games above .500 (43-39) on the season.
For the Lakers, 17-time NBA champions, built around scorer LeBron James and a strong (and healthy) Anthony Davis, a playoff berth could be seen as a setback. Good reason to celebrate, as they didn't make the top 10 last year and started this season with a 2-10 rudderless before general manager Rob Pelinka reshuffled the roster.
The side, relegated at the start of the season, were given a standing ovation on Sunday and rightly so. In the early months of the season, where rotations and lineups were often brutal, bound together by a poorly constructed lineup, rookie manager Darwin Hamm could finally smile.
"Obviously, you want to secure your position [in the playoffs], but things don't always go your way," Ham said. “But it's not the performance, it's the response and the response we give when we find ourselves in a difficult situation. We managed to get out of it and here we are.
"It's a great opportunity for us and we're very ready for it."
James scored 36 points in his 25th game of 30 or more this season, a perfect performance. "We've put ourselves in a situation where we can move forward," he said. "That's all we wanted to propose."
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It won't be easy: if the Lakers win at home on Tuesday, they'll be in second place in the standings. 7 West and Memphis face off. If they lose on Tuesday, they will have to overcome Oklahoma City's winner Friday against No. 1 New Orleans. 8 seeds to finish.
So you say you have a choice?
"After the training period, I think we played some of the best basketball in the league," guard Austin Reaves said. "We haven't been that healthy. We've had Bron on points, AD and [Russell] on points. So if we're fit and healthy, we like our chances."
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TRANSITIONS
By Andrew Greif: A regular season in which the Clippers didn't do anything easy ended Sunday right, delivering the simplest postseason story in 48 minutes of basketball: the ball.
Phoenix, which is fourth in the Western Conference, rested its best players. The Clippers, who could have taken fifth place in the play-in tournament, which they seriously wanted to avoid, played with a ready-made team at the end of the season. And up until the final 19 seconds, the Clippers were certain they knew their playoff destiny.
The 119-114 win clinched fifth place in the West, and the full Suns will begin their Game 1 rematch Sunday at the Footprint Center.
Starting center Ivica Zubac admits getting there was "stressful".
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DODGER
By Jack Harris: They couldn't stop the running game. They didn't play pure defense. And they haven't managed to rack up enough big hits.
When Sunday's 11-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks snapped a rough four-game losing streak at Chase Field, the Dodgers' list of problems was long and varied.
"They beat us everywhere," manager Dave Roberts said.
However, no area has stood out more than the Dodgers organization's ability to absorb the sudden, surprising, and momentum of not being at its best over the past 10 years.
"It's easy to see the last few days," Roberts said. "We Didn't Do Well"
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THE ANGELS
By Sarah Valenzuela: Sunday's practice could have given the Angels their third straight win to open the season. Instead, they blew a six-run lead against the Toronto Blue Jays, then tried to come from behind to win, but failed to gain extra innings.
The Angels lost to the Blue Jays, 12-11, in 10 innings after Toronto's Javan Biggio scored on Kevin Kiermaier's groundout and George Springer scored for Carlos Esteves in the next inning.
"I only missed twice and that's what happened," said Estevez. "If you make a mistake, you pay at this level."
He put the Blues back on top of the field, Estevez said position was the problem. He pitched two innings, the first due to a hit. But the second was in the field, Kiermaier managed to jump on it.
The Angels rallied in the bottom of the tenth, but Shohei Ohtani hit with the bases loaded to end the game.
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mastery
By Sam Farmer: Almost exactly ten years ago, Jon Rahm cracked open a fortune cookie at Panda Express and delivered this prophecy: "Your talents will be recognized and duly rewarded."
This prompted the 18-year-old golf prodigy to tweet, "I'm going to win the Masters!"
There is nothing wrong with delayed gratification.
Rahm opened the legendary tournament by four shots, beating LIV Golf Series stars Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson to become the first European to win the Masters and the United States on Sunday. Open.
"It's hard to believe I'm first," Rahm said at the league press conference after hearing the news. "If there's anything better than making something like this, it's making history."
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THE DUCKS
From The Associated Press: Nathan MacKinnon scored his second goal of the game on the power play with 44.3 seconds left in overtime and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Ducks 5-4 Sunday night.
Mikko Rantanen had two goals and two assists, and JT Compher also scored to help Colorado take a two-point lead over Dallas in the Central division. The Stars have a potential tie with multiple regulation wins, which makes MacKinnon's meltdown from the left circle into overtime all the more important.
Pavel Francouz made 19 saves in his first start in nearly two months. He hasn't played since February 7 because he hurt his back.
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THIS STORY IN SPORT
1934 – The Chicago Black Hawks beat the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 in overtime to win the Stanley Cup in Game 4 of the best-of-5 series. At 30:05 into overtime, Charlie Gardiner is ejected and Mush March scores the game goal. victory. It was Gardiner's last NHL game, as he died of a brain hemorrhage two months later.
1947 – Jackie Robinson signs a contract with MLB for the twentieth time. He became the first black player of the century.
1949 – Wins Masters, beating Sam Snead, Lloyd Mangrum and Johnny Bull by three strokes.
1953 – NBA Championship Finals, Minneapolis Auditorium, Minnesota, MN: The Minneapolis Lakers beat the NY Knicks 91-84 for a 4-1 series win; The Lakers won their fifth title in the last 6 years.
1955 – Cary Middlecoff beats Ben Hogan by seven strokes to win the Masters.
1955 – 9th NBA Championship: The Syracuse Nats beat the Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 3.
1956 – The Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 in five games to win the Stanley Cup.
1960 – 24th US Masters, Augusta National GC: 1958 champion Arnold Palmer birdies the last 2 holes to beat runner-up Ken Venturi by one stroke.
1961 – South African Gary Player becomes the first foreign player to win the Masters, beating Arnold Palmer and Charlie Coe by one stroke.
1977 – Tom Watson hit Jack Nicklaus with two shots in the last four holes at the Masters.
1983 – Baltimore's Eddie Murray hits 1,000 career hits.
1988 – Scotsman Sandy Lyle birdies the 12-foot 18th hole to win the Masters by one stroke, becoming the first British player to win the tournament.
1990 – Dave Taylor, Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato complete three hat-tricks in one game for the first time in NHL playoff history as the Los Angeles Kings defeat the Calgary Flames 12-4.
1991 – LA King Wayne Gretzky scores an NHL playoff record 93 goals.
1993 – Manon Rheaume, hockey's only professional goaltender, gives the Atlanta Knights six goals in an 8-6 loss to Cincinnati in the First International Hockey League.
1994 – Jose Maria Olazabal wins the Masters with two shots over Tom Lehman. It is the sixth time in seven years that a non-American has won.
1996 – Norm Duke sets a Pro Bowler Association record with three consecutive 300s. After finishing the first round with 300 in a row, Duke opened the second round with his third perfect game of the day.
2005 – Tiger Woods wins the Masters with a spectacular birdie and bogey finish. Woods unexpectedly challenges Chris DiMarco with a 15-foot birdie putt to catch his fourth green jacket on the first extra hole.
2010 – The Boston Bruins clinch a playoff berth after hitting three goals in 64 seconds in a 4-2 shootout win. Daniel Paille, Blake Wheeler and Steve Begin scored in the second half to make it 3-0 for the first time in NHL history.
2011 – 75th US Masters, Augusta National GC: South African Charles Schwartzel scored the last four holes to win his first major title, two shots ahead of Australian duo Adam Scott and Jason Day.
2016 – Danny Willett wins Masters after brilliant upset by Jordan Spieth. As Spieth closes out the 17th hole, Willett shoots a 67 to 5 under 283. Nine holes from another flush win, Spieth circles Amen Corner in an astonishing drop by Nationals of Augusta standards. Spieth had five shots on the 10 and three shots back before the 13.
2016 – Chicago's Patrick Kane wins the Art Ross Trophy as the leading scorer in the NHL. He became the first American-born player in NHL history to snap Ross in 1947-48. Kane is the leading scorer with 106 points, including 46 goals and 60 assists, two career highs.
Compiled by The Associated Press
and finally
No land is safe from Shohei Ohtani. This home game against the Toronto Blue Jays proves it.
Until the next time…
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