SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 18 points in his unexpected return from injury and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a huge game by Victor Wembanyama and held on to beat the San Antonio Spurs 104-102 in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals. Wembanyama had 11 points and 15 rebounds and set an NBA postseason record with 12 blocks. He’s the third player to get a triple-double in the playoffs including blocks since the league began tracking blocks in 1973-74. Edwards was expected to miss at least the first two games of the series after suffering a bone bruise and hyperextending his left knee on April 25 during Game 4 of Minnesota’s opening-round series against Denver.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his 35 points in the first half and the New York Knicks emphatically added to a historic postseason roll by overwhelming the Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Knicks became the first team in NBA history to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points, continuing a wave that began midway through the first round against Atlanta by shooting 63% from the field and leading by 40 points. OG Anunoby added 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting. After trailing 2-1 against Atlanta, the Knicks have won four straight games by a total of 135 points.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Taylor Hall slipped the puck past Dan Vladar at 18:54 of overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Monday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their second-round series in the NHL playoffs. Seth Jarvis had the third-period goal that forced overtime for Carolina, while Nikolaj Ehlers also scored. Frederik Andersen finished with 34 saves to help the Hurricanes improve to 6-0 in the postseason. Jamie Drysdale and Sean Couturier scored in a 39-second span of the first period for the Flyers, but Philadelphia couldn’t beat Andersen again. Vladar had 40 saves. Game 3 is Thursday.
DETROIT (AP) — Two-time American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will have surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow after being scratched from Monday’s start against the Boston Red Sox. Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters that the left-hander felt pain in his elbow on Sunday, less than a week after an injury scare against the Atlanta Braves. The 29-year-old — set to become a free agent next offseason — underwent tests that showed the loose bodies. The surgery hadn’t yet been scheduled. There is no immediate timetable for his return.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams have been ruled out of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Both have left hamstring injuries. The teams notified the league on the injury reports they turned in on Monday. Doncic was injured about a month ago in Oklahoma City and hasn't played since. He averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in the regular season. Lakers coach JJ Redick hasn't specified when Doncic might return. Williams missed games 3 and 4 of the first-round series against Phoenix with a left hamstring injury.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Anthony Edwards announced his return to the San Antonio Spurs. The Timberwolves guard surprised fans by playing just 10 days after hyperextending his left knee. He led Minnesota to a 104-102 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Monday night. Edwards scored 18 points, including 11 in the final quarter. San Antonio guard Dylan Harper called him a superstar. Edwards was expected to miss the first two games but expedited his rehabilitation. He was cleared to play 90 minutes before tipoff. Edwards says he wants to be out there with his brothers.
BOSTON (AP) — The woman accusing Stefon Diggs of assault is expected to continue testifying as his trial resumes following a first day marked by sharply conflicting accounts. Jamila “Mila” Adams, a live-in chef who worked for the former New England Patriots receiver, testified Monday that Diggs slapped her and choked her during a dispute, leaving her struggling to breathe. Defense attorney Andrew Kettlewell told jurors the attack never happened, citing a lack of evidence and suggesting Adams had a financial motive. Prosecutors say the case hinges on what occurred on Dec. 2. Diggs has pleaded not guilty. The trial resumes Tuesday.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ivan Barbashev scored off a terrific pass from Pavel Dorofeyev with 4:58 left to put the Golden Knights ahead for good, and Vegas went on to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Monday night in the opener of their second-round series. Game 2 is Wednesday night in Las Vegas. Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said icing should have been called before Barbashev's goal. Vegas’ Brett Howden scored his fifth goal in four games. Mitch Marner assisted on Howden’s goal and added a 162-foot empty-net goal. Carter Hart made 33 stops. Mikael Granlund scored for Anaheim, and Lukas Dostal recorded 19 saves.
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hopes John Sterling's iconic call, “Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theee Yankees win!” becomes a new tradition at Yankee Stadium. Judge shared this after the Yankees defeated Baltimore 12-1, completing a four-game sweep on the day of Sterling's death at age 87. Sterling, who called games from 1989 to 2024, was honored with a pregame tribute — and then his familiar call that punctuated Yankees wins was played over the ballpark's public-address system following the final out. Judge hit his 14th homer in the first inning and added a two-run single in the eighth. Yankees manager Aaron Boone also supports the idea of Sterling's call becoming part of the victory routine.
Jamahl Mosley has been fired as coach of the Orlando Magic, paying the widely expected price after the team blew a 3-1 series lead and got eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs. It was Orlando’s third consecutive first-round playoff exit, and easily the most disappointing. Not only did the eighth-seeded Magic lose all three chances to upset the top-seeded Pistons, but one of those games saw Orlando have a 24-point second-half lead at home and still lose. That loss probably was the one that sealed Mosley’s fate.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final L.A. Dodgers 8 Houston 3
Final Seattle 5 Atlanta 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Boston 5 Detroit 4
Final Tampa Bay 5 Toronto 1
Final Kansas City 6 Cleveland 2
Final N.Y. Yankees 12 Baltimore 1
Final Chicago White Sox 6 L.A. Angels 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Mets 4 Colorado 2
Final Philadelphia 1 Miami 0
Final Chicago Cubs 5 Cincinnati 4
Final St. Louis 6 Milwaukee 3
Final San Francisco 3 San Diego 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final New York 137 Philadelphia 98
Final Minnesota 104 San Antonio 102
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final OT Carolina 3 Philadelphia 2
Final Vegas 3 Anaheim 1