At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Anthony Davis scored 34 points (while grabbing nine rebounds) while LeBron James added 25 (to go with his 13 boards and nine assists) as the Los Angeles Lakers manhandled the Miami Heat 116-98 in Wednesday's opening game of the NBA Finals.
Jimmy Butler paced the Heat with 23 points.
All four series in the American League Playoffs' opening round are set to continue on Wednesday.
At Minneapolis:
Carlos Correa hit a two-out, tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning as the Houston Astros completed a two-game sweep of their series with the Minnesota Twins (who now have lost an MLB-record 18 straight postseason games) by taking game two 3-1.
At Oakland, California:
Marcus Semien and Khris Davis each hit a home run as the Oakland Athletics leveled their series with the Chicago White Sox at a game apiece following their 5-3 game-two victory.
The series will be decided on Thursday (12:10 PM Pacific Time, ESPN).
At St. Petersburg, Florida:
The Tampa Bay Rays, with Hunter Renfroe hitting the franchise's first-ever postseason grand-slam home run, defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 to complete a two-game sweep of their opening-round series.
At Cleveland, Ohio:
D.J. Matthieu hit the tie-breaking single in the ninth inning and the New York Yankees completed their two-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with their 10-9 game-two triumph.
The National League's four opening-round best-of-three playoff series opened on Wednesday as the Major League Baseball Playoffs continued.
As with the American League, the higher-seeded team will host all games.
At Atlanta:
Freddie Freeman delivered the game-winning hit in the 13th inning as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 in the opening game of their series.
At Chicago:
Corey Dickerson produced a seventh-inning three-run homer as the Miami Marlins, playing their first postseason game since 2003, knocked off the Chicago Cubs 5-1 in their series opener.
At San Diego:
Paul Goldscmidt hit a two run homer during a four-run first inning as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the San Diego Padres 7-4 in game one of their series.
At Los Angeles:
Corey Seager produced a home run while Mookie Betts had two hits and a run batted in as the Los Angeles Dodgers opened their series with the Milwaukee Brewers with a 4-2 victory.
The expanded Major League Baseball Playoffs opened on Tuesday with the opening game of each of the American League's opening-round series.
All these series are best-of-three with the higher-seeded clubs hosting all games.
Game #1:
At Minneapolis:
Jose Altuve drew in a walk that forced in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning as the Houston Astros handed the Minnesota Twins their MLB record 17th straight post-season defeat with a 4-1 game-one victory.
Game #2:
At Oakland, California:
Lucas Giolito pitched six perfect innings in his postseason debut while Yasmani Grandal, Jose Abreu, and Adam Engel each smacked a home run as the Chicago White Sox upended the Oakland Athletics 4-1 in their series opener.
Game #3:
At St. Petersburg, Florida:
Blake Snell struck out nine batters in 5 and 2/3 innings while Manuel Margot delivered a two-run homer as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 in game one.
Game #4:
At Cleveland:
Aaron Judge hit two-run home on Shane Bieber's fourth pitch of the game while Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, and Brett Gardner all followed with round-trippers of their own as the New York Yankees ambushed the home-standing Cleveland Indians 12-3 in their series-opening contest.
After the Pac-12's vote last week to play football this fall, the Oregon Ducks returned to the Associated Press college football poll at #14 on Sunday.
No Pac-12 clubs were eligible for inclusion in the USA Today/Amway Coaches poll.
At Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta:
Brayden Point (power play) and Blake Coleman each scored once on Monday while Andrei Vasilevksiy stopped all 22 shots for the shutout as the Tampa Bay Lightning blanked the Dallas Stars 2-0 in game six of the Stanley Cup Final and won the series four games to two as the Lightning won their second Cup title (the other was in 2004).
Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Most Valuable Player.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Bam Adebayo scored 34 points and grabbed 14 rebounds on Sunday as the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 125-113 in game six of the NBA's Eastern Conference and won the series four games to two.
Jimmy Butler added 22 points to the Heat's coffers while dishing out eight assists.
Jaylen Brown scored 26 points (while pulling in eight boards) while Jayson Tatum added 24 (while dishing out eleven assists) and Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart 20 apiece.
Miami will take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, which open at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex on Wednesday (6:00 PM Pacific Time, ABC).
It will be the Heat's first Finals appearance since 2014; they'll be gunning for their first NBA crown since 2013.
At East Rutherford, New Jersey:
Quarterback Nick Mullins (playing in place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo) completed 25 of 36 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown while Jerick McKinnon ran for another score and Robbie Gould kicked three field goals on Sunday as the San Francisco 49ers (2-1) manhandled the New York Giants (0-3) 36-9 on the road.
At Tacoma, Washington:
Ethan Dobbelaere (28') and Azreil Gonzalez (85') each scored once on Sunday as the Tacoma Defiance held off visiting Portland Timbers 2 in USL Championship action by a 2-1 count.
T2 will visit the Sacramento Republic this coming Saturday at 7:30 PM Pacific Time (ESPN+).
At Portland, Oregon:
Felipe Mora scored the only goal of the match in the fifth minute on Sunday as the Portland Timbers upended the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 in Major League Soccer action.
This game, even though it was played in Portland, counted as a Whitecaps home match due to COVID 19-related travel and quarantine restrictions between the United States and Canada.
The Timbers have now won three straight games and four of their five as they now have stretched their unbeaten streak to five games and are still level on points with Seattle atop the Western Conference standings (the Sounders have the goal differential advantage, though).
Portland's next match is at home this coming Saturday night against the Colorado Rapids at 8:00 PM Pacific Time (Timbers TV Network via KPDX-TV, Portland/ESPN+).
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
LeBron James scored 38 points, grabbed 16 points, and dished out 10 rebounds on Saturday as the Los Angeles Lakers closed out the NBA's Western Conference Finals with their 117-107 game-six victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Anthony Davis added 27 points to the Lakers' coffers.
Jerami Grant (who grabbed nine rebounds) and Nikola Jokic each scored 20 points to pace the Nuggets, who have never reached the NBA Finals in their 44 years since coming over from the late American Basketball Association.
The Lakers will play in their first NBA Finals since winning their most recent league crown in 2010. Los Angeles will face the winner of the Boston-Miami Eastern Conference Finals (Miami leads the series three games to two).
At Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta:
Corey Perry scored a pair of goals, one of them being the game winner at 9:23 of the second overtime period, as the Dallas Stars kept the Stanley Cup Final in progress as they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in game five.
The Lightning, still up three games to two, can close out the series with a game-six victory on Monday (5:00 PM Pacific Time, NBC).
At Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta:
Kevin Shattenkirk scored the game-winning goal at 6:34 of overtime on Friday as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 5-4 in game four of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Lightning can wrap up their first Stanley Cup championship since 2004 with a game-five victory on Saturday night (5:00 PM Pacific Time, NBC)
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points (while pulling in ten rebounds) while Jaylen Brown added 30 (to go with his eight boards) as the Boston Celtics overcame the Miami Heat 121-108 in Friday's fifth game of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals.
Six Celtics, including all five starters, scored in double figures.
Miami had six players scoring in double figures as well, led by Goran Dragic's 23 points and Duncan Robinson's 20.
The Heat, up three games to two, can close out the series with a game-six victory on Sunday (4:30 PM Pacific Time, ESPN).
At Portland, Oregon:
Jorge Gonzalez scored twice (12', PK-75') as Portland Timbers 2 knocked off the visiting Tacoma Defiance 3-1 in Thursday USL Championship action.
T2, winners of three of their last four starts, look to knock off the Defiance again at Cheney, Washington on Sunday at 1:30 PM Pacific Time (ESPN+).
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Anthony Davis scored 34 points while LeBron James added 26 (to go with his nine rebounds and eight assists) on Thursday as the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Denver Nuggets 114-108 in game four of the NBA's Western Conference Finals, which the Lakers now lead three games to one.
Jamal Murray scored 32 points to pace the Nuggets.
Los Angeles can advance to the NBA Finals with a game-five victory in this series on Saturday (6:00 PM Pacific Time, TNT).
At Portland, Oregon:
Yimmi Chara scored his third goal in as many games in the 13th minute on Wednesday while Steve Clark made six saves for his second shutout of the season as the Portland Timbers defeated the visiting Seattle Sounders 1-0 in Major League Soccer action.
The Timbers now have won two straight games, three of their last four, and are on a four-match unbeaten run.
The Timbers are tied for first place atop the Western Conference standings with the Sounders, although Seattle has the superior goal differential (+15, compared to Portland's +2).
The Timbers' next match is at Portland's Providence Park against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time (ROOT Sports Northwest/ESPN+); this is technically a Whitecaps home game.
At Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta:
In Wednesday's third game of the Stanley Cup Final, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman (power play), Brayden Point, and Ondrej Palat each scored once as the Tampa Bay Lightning overpowered the Dallas Stars 5-2 to take a two-games-to-one series lead.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Tyler Herro came off the bench on Wednesday to score 37 points as the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 112-109 in game three of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals.
Jimmy Butler added 24 points (to go with his nine rebounds), Goran Dragic 22, and Bam Adebayo 20 (to go with his 12 rebounds) all contributed to the Heat's cause.
Jayson Tatum scored 28 points and Jaylen Brown scored 21 (with each grabbing nine boards) to pace the Celtics while Kemba Walker added 20 of his own.
Miami, now up three games to one, can close out the Celtics and advance to the NBA Finals with a game-five victory on Friday (5:30 PM Pacific Time, ESPN).
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Jamal Murray scored 28 points (while dishing out 12 assists and pulling in eight rebounds) while Jerami Grant added 26 and Nikola Jokic 22 (to go with his ten boards) as the Denver Nuggets held off the Los Angeles Lakers 114-106 in game three of the NBA's Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, cutting the Lakers' series advantage to two games to one.
LeBron James registered a triple double (30 points to lead all scorers, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) while Anthony Davis added 27 points to the Lakers' coffers.
At Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta:
In Monday's second game of the Stanley Cup Final, Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat each scored a power-play goal while Kevin Shattenkirk delivered a tally that topped off a three-goal opening period as the Tampa Bay Lightning squared the series at one game apiece after their 3-2 game-two victory over the Dallas Stars.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Anthony Davis, who scored 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds, hit the game-winning three-point shot as time expired on Sunday as the Los Angeles Lakers upended the Denver Nuggets 105-103 in game two of the NBA's Western Conference Finals.
LeBron James added 26 points and eleven rebounds to the Lakers' coffers.
Los Angeles now leads the series two games to one.
Nikola Jokic scored 30 points (while dishing out nine rebounds) to pace the Nuggets. Jamal Murray added 25 points to Denver's coffers.
At Portland, Oregon:
Christiano Francois scored twice (19', 79') as Reno 1868 snapped Portland Timbers 2's two-match winning streak 5-2 on the road in Sunday USL Championship action.
T2 will look to get back on the winning track when they face the Tacoma Defiance at home on Thursday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time (ESPN+).
At East Rutherford, New Jersey:
Despite losing defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas to potentially serious knee injuries in the first half on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers (1-1) downed the New York Jets (0-2) 31-13 on the road on Sunday. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Raheem Mostert also left the game with injuries.
Jimmy G. completed 14 of 16 passes for two touchdowns before leaving the game at halftime with an ankle injury. As for Mr. Mostert, Raheem ran eighty yards for a touchdown on the game's first play from scrimmage; he ran for 92 yards overall. Jordan Reed caught both of Mr. Garoppolo's touchdown passed.
Jerick McKinnon, who missed the last two seasons due to knee injuries, ran for 77 yards and scored a TD.
At San Jose, California:
Diego Valeri scored twice (PK-25', 57') while Jeremy Ebobisse (27'), Yimmi Chara (70'), Julio Cascante (85'), and Jaroslaw Niezgoda (87') each scored once on Saturday as the Portland Timbers set a single-game franchise (Major League Soccer era) record for most goals as they destroyed the San Jose Earthquakes 6-1 on the road.
Jose Fierro scored the lone goal for the Quakes in the 44th minute.
Goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic made three clutch saves for the Timbers in his MLS debut.
The Timbers will play host to the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time (Timbers TV Network via KPDX-TV, Portland/ESPN+).
At Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta:
In Saturday's opening contest of the Stanley Cup Final, Joel Hanley, Jamie Olesiak, Joel Kiviranta, ande Jason Dickinson (empty net) each scored once while Anton Khudobin saved 35 of 36 shots as the Dallas Stars dominated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Jaylen Brown scored 26 points while Jayson Tatum added 25 (to go with his 14 rebounds and eight assists) as the Boston Celtics downed the Miami Heat 117-106 in Saturday's third game of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals, which Miami still leads two games to one.
Bam Adebayo paced the Heat with 27 points (to go with his 16 boards) while Tyler Herro came off the bench to add 22.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
In Friday's opening game of the NBA's Western Conference Finals, Anthony Davis scored 37 points (while grabbing ten rebounds) as the Los Angeles Lakers overpowered the Denver Nuggets 126-114.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray each scored 21 points to top the Nuggets.
At Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta:
Anthony Cirelli scored the winning goal 13:18 into overtime on Thursday as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Islanders 2-1 in game six of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Eastern Conference Final and won the series four games to two.
Andrei Vasilevskiy saved 26 of 27 shots for the victory.
Semyon Varlamov was the tough luck losing goalie for the Islanders as he saved 46 of 48 Tampa Bay shots.
The Stanley Cup Final between the Lightning and Dallas Stars is set to open on Saturday at Edmonton (4:30 PM Pacific Time, NBC).
This will be Tampa Bay's third appearance (winning in 2004, losing in 2015) and Dallas' fifth (winning in 1999, losing in 1981, 1991, 2000) in the Final.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Goran Dragic scored 25 points on Thursday as the Miami Heat came back from down 17 points to upend the Boston Celtics 106-101 in game two of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals, which Miami now leads two games to none.
Bam Adebayo added 21 points (and ten rebounds) to the Heat's coffers.
Kemba Walker scored 23 points while Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each added 21 to lead the Celtics.
At Herriman, Utah:
Marcus Epps (60') and Jorge Gonzalez (79') each scored once as Portland Timbers 2 stretched their winning streak to two games following their 2-1 Wednesday USL Championship road win over Real Monarchs.
On Sunday, T2 will gun for their third straight victory when they host Reno 1868 FC (6:00 PM Pacific Time, ESPN+).
At San Jose, California:
In Wednesday Major League Soccer action, the Portland Timbers gained a 1-1 road draw with the San Jose Earthquakes.
Yimmi Chara scored for the Timbers in the 34th minute, then, Vako equalized for the Quakes at 76 minutes.
The Timbers will again battle the Earthquakes in San Jose on Saturday at 7:30 PM Pacific Time (Timbers TV Network via KPDX-TV, Portland/ESPN+).
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
The NBA Playoffs continued on Tuesday with two games.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:
Bam Adebayo (who scored 18 points while dishing out nine assists), blocked Jayson Tatum's shot in the final seconds of overtime as the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 117-114 in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Goran Dragic paced the Heat with 29 points while Jae Crowder added 22 and Jimmy Butler 20 (three of them on a critical go-ahead three-pointer with 12 seconds left in OT).
The aforementioned Mr. Tatum paced the Celtics with 30 points (while grabbing 14 rebounds) while Marcus Smart added 26 and Kemba Walker 19.
The Nuggets will open the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday (6:00 PM Pacific Time, TNT).
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS:
In the final game of the Playoffs' quarterfinal round, Jamal Murray scored 40 points while Nikola Jokic added 16 (to go with his 22 rebounds and 13 assists) as the Denver Nuggets completed their comeback from a three-games-to-one deficit to upend the Los Angeles Clippers four games to three in their conference semifinal series with their 104-89 game-seven triumph.
Montrezl Harrell came off the bench to lead the Clippers (still in pursuit of their first conference final appearance after 50 years) with 20 points.
At Edmonton, Alberta:
Jordan Eberle scored the game-winning goal at 12:30 of the second overtime period on Tuesday as the New York Islanders defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in game five of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Eastern Conference Final.
Semyon Varlamov stopped 36 of 37 shots for the victory that kept the Islanders' season alive.
The Lightning, still up three games to two, can close out the series and advance to the Stanley Cup Final with a game-six victory in Edmonton on Thursday (5:00 PM Pacific Time, NBCSN).
At Edmonton, Alberta:
Denis Gurianov scored the game (and series)-winning power-play goal at 3:36 of overtime on Monday as the Dallas Stars overcame a 2-0 third-period deficit to upend the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in game five of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Western Conference Final and won the series four games to one.
The Stars will be playing in their fifth Stanley Cup Final (their first since 2000), gunning for their second title (their one championship took place in 1999); they'll face the winner of the New York Islanders-Tampa Bay Lightning East Final (which Tampa Bay leads three games to one).
At Edmonton, Alberta:
Blake Coleman, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, and Patrick Maroon (empty net) each scored once while Andrei Vasilevskiy saved 26 of 27 shots as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Islanders 4-1 in game four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Eastern Conference Final.
Lightning, now up three games to one, can advance to the Stanley Cup Final with a game-five victory on Tuesday (5:00 PM Pacific Time, NBCSN).
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Nikola Jokic scored 34 points and grabbed 14 rebounds on Sunday as the Denver Nuggets manhandled the Los Angeles Clippers 111-98 to square their NBA Playoffs' Western Conference semifinal series at three games apiece after having trailed three games to one.
Jamal Murray added 21 points to the Nuggets' coffers.
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard (who grabbed eight rebounds) scored 33 and 25 points respectively to pace the Clippers.
The series will be decided on Tuesday at 6:00 PM Pacific Time (ESPN).
At Los Angeles:
In Sunday Major League Soccer action, Mark-Anthony Kaye (37), Diego Rossi (41'), Bradley Wright-Phillips (45'+1), and Danny Musovski (90'+5) each scored once as the Los Angeles Football Club doubled up the visiting Portland Timbers 4-2.
Eryk Williamson (25') and Jeremy Ebobisse (45'+2) provided the Timbers' tallies.
Portland will try to get back on the winning track as they visit the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday at 6:30 PM Pacific Time (Fox Sports One).
At Santa Clara, California:
Quarterback Kyler Murray completed threw for 230 yards and a touchdown and ran 91 yards for another score while newly-acquired DeAndre Hopkins caught 14 passes for 151 yards and Kenyan Drake ran a yard for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Arizona Cardinals knocked off the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers 24-20 in the NFL regular-season opener for both squads, ruining the opening game of the Niners' conference-title defense and the hosts 75th season.
At Edmonton, Alberta:
Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn (power play) each scored once on Saturday while Anton Khudobin saved 32 of 33 shots as the Dallas Stars held off the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 in game four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Western Conference Final.
The Stars, who lead the series three games to one, can advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2000 by beating the Knights again in game five on Monday (5:00 PM Pacific Time, NBCSN).
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
LeBron James scored 29 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out seven assists on Saturday as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 119-96 to win their Western Conference semifinal series in five games.
The Lakers advanced to their first Western Conference Finals since 2010.
James Harden led the Rockets with 30 points.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
The NBA Playoffs continued on Friday with two games.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out seven assists as the Boston Celtics ended the Toronto Raptors' reign as NBA champions by capturing their conference final series four games to three after their 92-87 game-seven victory.
Jaylen Brown added 21 points and eight rebounds to the Celtics' coffers.
Fred VanVleet paced the Raptors with 20 points.
Boston will open the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat on Monday (Time TBD, ESPN).
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Jamal Murray scored 26 points, pulled in eight rebounds, and dished out seven assists as the Denver Nuggets avoided elimination by holding off the Los Angeles Clippers 111-105 in game five of their conference semifinal series.
Nikola Jokic helped the Nuggets' cause by scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 boards.
Kawhi Leonard topped the Clippers with 36 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Paul George added 26 points to the Los Angeles coffers.
The Clippers, who still lead three games to two, can close out the series with a game-six victory on Sunday (10:00 AM Pacific Time, ESPN).
At Edmonton, Alberta:
In game three of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Eastern Conference Final on Friday, Brock Nelson scored what proved to be the game winner in the third period as the New York Islanders outlasted the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 to cut their series deficit to two games to one.
At Portland, Oregon:
Jorge Gonzalez scored twice (18', 25') and Giovanni Calixtro once (PK-21') in a six-minute span in the opening half-hour on Wednesday as Portland Timbers 2 picked up their first USL Championship victory of the season, 3-0 over the visiting Tacoma Defiance.
T2 will host the Defiance again this coming Saturday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time (ESPN+).
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
Anthony Davis scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on Thursday as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 110-100 in game four of their NBA Western Conference semifinal series.
Russell Westbrook scored 25 points while James Harden added 21 (to go with his ten assists) to pace the Rockets.
The Lakers, now up three games to one, can close out the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals with a game-five victory on Saturday (5:00 PM Pacific Time, ESPN).
At Edmonton, Alberta:
Alexander Radulov scored the winning goal 31 seconds into overtime on Thursday as the Dallas Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in game three of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Western Conference Final, which the Stars now lead two games to one.
Anton Khudobin saved 38 of 40 shots for the victory.
At Edmonton, Alberta:
Nikita Kucherov scored the winning goal with nine seconds remaining in regulation on Wednesday as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Islanders 2-1 in game two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Eastern Conference Final, which the Lightning now lead two games to none.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
The NBA Playoffs continued on Wednesday with two games.
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS:
Kyle Lowry scored 33 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Toronto Raptors overcame the Boston Celtics 125-122 in double overtime to square their conference semifinal series at three games apiece after their game-six victory.
Norman Powell (off the bench) and Fred VanVleet scored 23 and 21 points respectively (with the latter pulling in nine boards) to keep the Raptors NBA title defense alive.
Jaylen Brown scored 31 points (while grabbing 16 rebounds), Jayson Tatum added 29 (to go with his 14 boards and nine assists), and Marcus Smart 23 (to go with 11 rebounds and 10 assists) to lead the Celtics.
The series will be decided on Friday at 6:00 PM Pacific Time ono TNT.
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS:
Kawhi Leonard came close to registering a triple double (30 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists) as the Los Angeles Clippers took a three-games-to-one conference semifinal series advantage over the Denver Nuggets with their 96-85 game-four victory.
Nikola Jokic paced the Nuggets with 26 points while grabbing eleven rebounds.
The Clippers can lock up the series and advance to the first conference final in their 50-year, three-city history by beating the Nuggets again on Friday (3:30 PM Pacific Time, TNT).
At Edmonton, Alberta:
Paul Stastny, William Karlsson (power play), and Thomas Nosek each scored a second-half goal on Tuesday as the Vegas Golden Knights leveled their Western Conference Final series at a game apiece after blanking the Dallas Stars 3-0 as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued.
Robin Lehner saved all 24 shots for the shutout.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
The NBA Playoffs continued on Tuesday with two games.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Goran Dragic and Jimmy Butler (who grabbed 10 rebounds) each scored 18 points as the Miami Heat used a balanced offense to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 103-94 in game five of their conference semifinal series and eliminated the top overall seed four games to one.
Khris Middleton lead the Bucks (who played minus the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo) with 23 points.
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
LeBron James scored 36 points while Anthony Davis added 25 (to go with his 15 rebounds) and Rajon Rondo 21 (off the bench while dishing out nine assists) as the Los Angeles Lakers downed the Houston Rockets 112-102 in game three of their conference semifinal series, which Los Angeles now leads two games to one.
James Harden scored 33 points (while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out nine assists) while Russell Westbrook added 30 (to go with his eight rebounds) to top the Rockets.
At Edmonton, Alberta:
In Monday's opening contest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Eastern Conference Final, Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde each scored twice (with each scoring once on the power play) as the Tampa Bay Lightning brass-knuckled the New York Islanders 8-2.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
The NBA Playoffs continued on Monday with two games.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Jaylen Brown scored 27 points while Kemba Walker added 21 as the Boston Celtics dominated the Toronto Raptors 111-89 in game five of their conference semifinal series.
The Celtics, who now lead the series three games to two, can finish off the defending NBA champions with a game-six victory on Wednesday (3:30 PM Pacific Time, ESPN).
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Paul George scored 32 points while Kawhi Leonard added 23 (to go with his 14 rebounds) as the Los Angeles Clippers took a two-games-to-one conference semifinal series lead following their 113-107 game-three victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic paced the Nuggets with 32 points as Denver fell despite having six players (including all five starters) scoring in double figures.
At Edmonton, Alberta:
In Sunday's opening game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Western Conference Final, John Klingberg's first-period goal stood up while Anton Khudobin saved all 25 shots as the Dallas Stars held off the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0.
At Bay Lake, Florida:
Two games were played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Sunday as the NBA Playoffs continued.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Khris Middleton scored 36 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out eight assists as the Milwaukee Bucks kept their season alive after their 118-115 game-four overtime victory over the Miami Heat, who still lead their conference semifinal series three games to one.
Bam Adebayo paced the Heat with 26 points, while he grabbed 12 boards, and dished out eight assists. Duncan Robinson added 20 points to the Miami coffers.
The Heat can still lock up the series with a game-five victory on Tuesday (3:30 PM Pacific Time, TNT).
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Anthony Davis scored 34 points (to go with his ten rebounds) while LeBron James added 28 (to go with his 11 rebounds and nine assits) as the Los Angeles Lakers leveled their conference semifinal series with the Houston Rockets at one game apiece following their 117-109 game-two victory.
James Harden scored 27 points while Eric Gordon added 24 to pace the Rockets.
At Louisville, Kentucky:
Authentic, with jockey John Valazquez aboard, and trained by Bob Baffert, held off Belmont Stakes winner Tis The Law and won Saturday's 146th edition of the Kentucky Derby.
Mr. Big News finished third.
The postponed Preakness Stakes will be run on Saturday, October 3.
At Seattle:
Eryk Williamson (9') and Felipe Mora (83') each scored once on Sunday as the Portland Timbers picked up their first Major League Soccer victory since the MLS Is Back Tournament by knocking off the Seattle Sounders 2-1 on the road.
Kelvin Leerdam scored at 42 minutes for the Sounders.
The Timbers will head to the City of Angels for a match against the Los Angeles Football Club next Sunday at 8:00 PM Pacific Time (ROOT Sports Northwest).
At Reno, Nevada:
Tucker Bone scored twice (2', 11') as Reno 1868 destroyed visiting Portland Timbers 2 in Saturday USL Championship action, 7-1.
Winless T2 will host the Tacoma Defiance this coming Wednesday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time (ESPN+).
At Toronto:
In the lone Saturday Stanley Cup Playoff game, Scott Mayfield, Andy Greene, Brock Nelson, and Anthony Beauvillier (empty net) each scored once while Thomas Greiss saved all 16 shots for the shutout as the New York Islanders dominated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 in game seven of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, winning the series four games to three.
The Islanders open the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday (5:00 PM PDT, NBCSN).
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Bay Lake, Florida:
The NBA Playoffs continued on Saturday with two games.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Pascal Siakam scored 23 points while Kyle Lowry added 22 (with each grabbing 11 rebounds) as the Toronto Raptors leveled their conference semifinal series with the Boston Celtics at two games apiece following their 100-93 game-four victory.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 24 points while pulling in ten boards.
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Jamal Murray scored 27 points while Nikola Jokic added 26 (to go with his 18 rebounds) as the Denver Nuggets tied their conference semifinal series with the Los Angeles Clippers at a game apiece after their 110-101 game-two triumph.
Paul George paced the Clippers with 22 points while grabbing eight rebounds.
