Warriors Cruise Past Spurs In Game One
(Oakland, CA) — The defending champion Warriors opened the playoffs with a 113-92 wire-to-wire victory over the Spurs in Oakland. Klay Thompson led the way with 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting for Golden State. Kevin Durant added 24 and Steph Curry sat out with knee injury. Curry is expected to miss the entire first round. The Spurs trailed by a dozen after one quarter and never threatened the Warriors. Rudy Gay scored a team-high 15 points in the loss. Game Two tips off Monday in Oakland.
Raptors Claw Wizards In Game One
(Toronto, Ontario) — Serge Ibaka scored 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as the Raptors opened the playoffs with a 114-106 win over the Wizards at Air Canada Centre. Delon Wright added 18 points off the bench and DeMar DeRozan finished with 17 for the top-seeded Raptors. John Wall tallied 23 points and dished out 15 assists for Washington, which was just 8-of-21 from three compared to 16-of-30 for Toronto. Markieff Morris compiled 22 points, 11 boards and six assists in defeat. The Raptors host Game Two on Tuesday.
76ers Scorch Heat In Series Opener
(Philadelphia, PA) — Ben Simmons nearly tallied a triple-double as the 76ers opened the playoffs with a 130-103 win over the Heat in Philadelphia. Simmons finished with 17 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds in his first career playoff appearance. J.J. Redick paced the Sixers with 28 points, while Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova added 25 and 17 off the bench, respectively. Philly set a playoff franchise-record with 18 three-pointers in the series opener. Kelly Olynyk led the way for the Heat with 26 points. Miami led by four at the break, but was outscored 74-43 in the second half. The Sixers host Game Two on Monday.
Pelicans Hold Off Trail Blazers
(Portland, OR) — Anthony Davis poured in 35 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as the Pelicans opened the playoffs with a 97-95 win over the Trail Blazers in Portland. Rajon Rondo dished out 17 assists for New Orleans, which held off a late fourth-quarter run by the Blazers to steal Game One on the road. Jrue Holiday chipped in with 21 points and made some key defensive stops down the stretch to seal the win for the Pels. C.J. McCollum led the way for Portland with 19 points and Damian Lillard added 18. The Blazers host the Pelicans in Game Two on Tuesday.
Predators Edge Avalanche To Extend Series Lead
(Nashville, TN) — The Predators took the lead for good with a three-goal second period as they edged the Avalanche 5-4 in Nashville. Kevin Fiala scored a power-play goal before Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen padded the lead to 3-1. Austin Watson and Ryan Hartman scored in the third as the Preds kept the Avs at bay for a 2-0 series lead. Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon each tallied a goal and assist for Colorado. Alexander Kerfoot got the Avs within one with 36 seconds left. Game Three is Monday in Denver.
Lightning Take 2-0 Series Lead On Devils
(Tampa, FL) — Alex Killorn scored twice in a four-goal second period as the Lightning beat the Devils 5-3 in Game Two of their first-round playoff series in Tampa. Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov also scored in the second as Tampa Bay tallied four straight goals to open a 5-1 lead. Nico Hischier, Sami Vatanen and Blake Coleman scored for New Jersey, which went 0-for-3 on the power play. The Lightning lead the best-of-seven matchup two-games to none. The series now shifts to Newark where the Devils will host Game Three on Monday.
Bruins Glide Past Maple Leafs
(Boston, MA) — David Pastrnak tallied a hat trick as the Bruins topped the Maple Leafs 7-3 in Game Two of their first-round playoff series at TD Garden. Pastrnak also assisted on three goals for Boston, which jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first period. Jake DeBrusk, Kevan Miller and Rick Nash lit the lamp for the Bruins in the opening period, and David Krejci scored in the second. Boston leads the series two-games-to-none. Mitch Marner, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk scored for Toronto. The series now shifts to Toronto for Game Three on Monday.
Sharks Clip Ducks
(Anaheim, CA) — Logan Couture scored one goal and assisted on another as the Sharks knocked off the Ducks 3-2 in Game Two of their playoff series at Honda Center. Marcus Sorensen and Tomas Hertl also lit the lamp for San Jose. Martin Jones made 28 saves for the Sharks, who lead the best-of-seven series two-games-to-none after winning the first two on the road. Jakob Silfverberg and Hampus Lindholm scored for Anaheim, which got 32 stops in net from John Gibson. The series now shifts to San Jose for Game Three on Monday.
Cardinals Cruise Past Reds Behind Garcia Homers
(Cincinnati, OH) — Greg Garcia went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI as the Cardinals cruised to a 6-1 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Tommy Pham also went 3-for-4 with an RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored for St. Louis, which has won the first three of the four-game series. Miles Mikolas pitched seven innings of four-hit, one-run ball for the win. He allowed just a solo homer to Tucker Barnhart in the fifth. Brandon Finnegan gave up five runs in less than five innings to take the loss in his season debut. The Reds have dropped seven in-a-row.
Scherzer, Nationals Fold Rockies
(Washington, DC) — Max Scherzer tossed seven sharp innings as the Nationals folded the Rockies 6-2 in Washington, D.C. Scherzer stuck out 11 and gave up two runs, one hit and one walk for his third win. Matt Wieters left the yard for Washington and Moises Sierra smacked a two-run double. The Nats ended a three-game slide. Colorado’s offense went dry following Charlie Blackmon’s two-run homer in the first inning. Jon Gray gave up eight hits and five runs over five-and-two-thirds to take the loss for the Rockies. Their three-game win streak is over.
Red Sox Rough Up Orioles, Lose Betts
(Boston, MA) — Hanley Ramirez and J.D. Martinez each launched home runs as the Red Sox roughed up the Orioles 10-3 in Boston. All-Star Mookie Betts left in the first inning after a collision at home plate and is day-to-day. Andrew Benintendi plated three runs as Boston won its third straight game. Hector Velazquez tossed five innings of two-run ball to earn the win. The Sox are 12-and-2. Alex Cobb got tagged for 10 hits and eight runs in three-and-two-thirds innings to take the loss in his Baltimore debut. Pedro Alvarez hit a two-run homer in the fifth for the O’s, who have lost four-of-five.
Cubs Rally Past Braves With Nine-Run Eighth
(Chicago, IL) — The Cubs reeled off nine runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to rally past the Braves 14-10 at chilly Wrigley Field. Javier Baez tied the game with a three-run double before Kyle Schwarber walked with the bases loaded to put Chicago in front. Baez finished with four RBI as the Cubs evened their record at 7-and-7. Jose Quintana got chased in the third, with Justin Wilson earning the win. Jose Ramirez gave up two hits, two walks and five runs in the eighth to take the loss for Atlanta, which led 9-1 in the third. Ozzie Albies fell a triple shy of the cycle and drove in four for the Braves.
Rangers Rally To Top Astros In 10 Innings
(Houston, TX) — The Rangers erased a five-run deficit as they topped the Astros 6-5 in 10 innings in Houston. Joey Gallo hit a two-run homer in the eighth and Ronald Guzman followed with a solo shot to tie the game at five for Texas. Guzman then drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single in the 10th. Keone Kela earned the win and Alex Claudio his first save. Charlie Morton struck out 12 over six innings of two-run ball in a no-decision for Houston. Will Harris took the loss. Yuli Gurriel clubbed a three-run homer for the Astros, who fell to 10-and-5.
Phillies Ride Six-Run Second Past Rays
(St. Petersburg, FL) — Scott Kingery’s RBI double ignited a six-run second inning and the Phillies cruised to a 9-4 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. J.P. Crawford homered for Philadelphia, which stretched its winning streak to five games. Jake Arrieta pitched six-and-two-thirds innings of three-run ball for his first Phillies win. Chris Archer was roughed up for eight hits and seven runs in four frames to suffer his first loss. C.J. Cron plated a pair of runs for Tampa Bay, which fell to 1-and-5 at home and 3-and-11 overall.
Brewers Cool Off Mets Behind Anderson
(Flushing, NY) — Chase Anderson and two relievers combined on a three-hitter as the Brewers cooled off the Mets with a 5-1 win at Citi Field. Anderson struck out five over six and a third innings of two-hit, one-run ball for his first win of the season. Josh Hader fanned five over the final two frames to notch his first save. Jonathan Villar, Jett Bandy and Orlando Arcia all homered as Milwaukee snapped New York’s nine-game winning streak. Matt Harvey gave up four runs in five frames to fall to 0-and-1. Yoenis Cespedes singled home the Mets’ lone run in the sixth.
Pirates Nip Marlins In Ninth
(Miami, FL) — Corey Dickerson’s bunt single in the top of the ninth inning plated the game’s only run as the Pirates shut out the Marlins 1-0 in Miami. Jameson Taillon and three relievers combined on a six-hitter for Pittsburgh, which George Kontos got the win and Felipe Vazquez his fifth save. The Bucs are 10-and-4. Brad Ziegler took the loss in the ninth for the Fish. Starter Trevor Richards gave up just two hits and a walk over seven shutout innings in a no-decision. Starlin Castro and Brian Anderson had two hits each for Miami, which fell to 4-and-10.
Streaking Angels Power Past Royals
(Kansas City, MO) — Mike Trout blasted a two-run homer to help power the Angels to a 5-3 win over the Royals at snowy Kauffman Stadium. Luis Valbuena and Justin Upton also went deep as Los Angeles won its seventh straight game. Garrett Richards allowed just one hit and one run over five innings for his second win. Keynan Middleton nailed it down in the ninth for his fourth save. Jake Junis gave up four runs, including all three homers, in less than five innings to fall to 2-and-1. Mike Moustakas hit his third home run for KC, which is just 1-and-7 at home.
Padres Rally To Knock Off Giants
(San Diego, CA) — Hunter Renfroe’s two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Padres to a 5-4 win over the Giants at Petco Park. Christian Villanueva also homered as San Diego won its second straight. Adam Cimber got the win in relief and Brad Hand struck out all four batters he faced to notch his sixth save. The Padres won their second straight to improve to 6-and-10. Cory Gearrin served up the homer to Renfroe and took the loss. Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen homered for the Giants, who have lost five-of-seven to slip to 6-and-8 overall.
D’backs Drill Dodgers With Four-Homer Attack
(Los Angeles, CA) — A.J. Pollock pelted two of the Diamondbacks’ four home runs in a 9-1 win over the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. Paul Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with his third home run and Alex Avila also reached the seats as Arizona won its third in-a-row. T.J. McFarland got the win with four innings of two-hit relief. Rich Hill was hammered for seven runs in five frames to fall to 1-and-1. Joc Pederson singled in a run in the second inning to stake Los Angeles to the early lead. The Dodgers have dropped three straight and seven of their last nine games.
Mariners Outslug A’s
(Seattle, WA) — Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger each homered and drove in three as the Mariners outslugged the A’s 10-8 at Safeco Field. Kyle Seager and Daniel Vogelbach also homered for Seattle, which notched its fourth straight win. Chasen Bradford picked up the victory in relief of starter Marco Gonzales. Kendall Graveman gave up five runs in four frames to drop to 0-and-3 with the loss. Mark Canha, Khris Davis and Stephen Piscotty all homered for Oakland. The A’s have lost six of their last eight games to slip to 5-and-10 overall.