Thompson, Warriors Rally to Force Game 7
The Houston Rockets caught everyone in Oracle Arena and watching at home off guard with their fast start on Saturday night, and for a good chunk of that first half, it looked as if they were actually going to knock out the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately for them, that run lasted for just one half, as the lack of CP3 got the best of them in the end. More specifically, Klay Thompson got the best of the Rockets, going off for 35 points to help the Warriors rally to a 115-86 rout and force a Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals. Thompson shot 13-of-23 from the floor, which included hitting nine three-pointers, as the Warriors rallied from a 17-point first-quarter deficit to stun the Rockets on their home floor. Steph Curry added 29 points and five three-pointers to help overcome Kevin Durant's struggles, which featured him shooting just 6-for-17, but he did finish with 23 points. Golden State overcame their first half struggles by outscoring the Rockets, 55-20, in the second half, and held Houston to just nine points in the final 12 minutes. Chris Paul sat out with hamstring tightness after suffering the injury in Game 5, as his status for Game 7 is still up in the air, according to head coach Mike D'Antoni. James Harden was a major part of their hot start and finished with 32 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in the loss. After a 39-point first quarter, the Rockets did not score more than 22 in a single quarter the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Warriors scored at least 29 points in the final three quarters to jump ahead and stay ahead for good. They will look to advance to their fourth straight NBA Finals when they visit Houston for Game 7 of the series on Monday night.
Trout 's Career Night Downs Yankees
Despite the Los Angeles Angels' recent struggles to knock them off the top of the AL West Division, one man has not slowed down a bit, and that's Mike Trout. The outfielder led his team to victory on Saturday night with a career-best performance, as the Angels pulled away from the Yankees, 11-4. Trout went 5-for-5 with a home run and three doubles to help his team erase an early three-run deficit and take the second game from the Yankees on Baseball Night in America. Trout's big game was his first-career five-hit game, as he also set career highs for doubles and total bases in a single contest. His two-run double in the sixth was part of the huge four-run inning that began the pulling away for his team. He also hit a two-run blast off of starter Sonny Gray in the fourth inning, giving him his major league-tying 17th home run of the year, as he has now gone deep in three straight games. He finished with four RBI and 11 total bases on the day to support Jaime Barria, who earned his third straight win on the mound since returning from the minors. Jose Brinceno also went deep in his major league debut, as Angels manager Mike Scioscia tied Hall of Fame Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda for 20th place on the all-time wins list. Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge, and Austin Romine all went deep in the loss for the Yankees, who drop to two games out of first in the AL East behind the Boston Red Sox, who have taken the first two games of their series with the Atlanta Braves. These two teams will play the rubber game of their series on Sunday afternoon.
Zunino, Mariners Walk-Off in Extras
Two teams that are battling to stay within striking distance from second place in completely different divisions went to battle for a long while on Saturday night. Mike Zunino ended that battle with a solo home run in the 12th inning, giving the Seattle Mariners a 4-3 walk-off win over the Minnesota Twins. Zunino's homer came with two outs in the inning and was the third blast of the game for Seattle, who also got long balls from Nelson Cruz and Jean Segura. The thrilling win at Safeco Field pulls the Mariners within 2.5 games in the AL West, behind the Houston Astros, who fell to the Cleveland Indians, 8-6, on Saturday. Chasen Bradford threw a perfect 12th inning to move to 4-0 on the year out of the Seattle bullpen, which allowed just one run on Saturday, including Juan Nicasio striking out five of the six batters he faced. That came after starter Wade LeBlanc allowed two runs over six innings, as he has now allowed two runs or fewer in each of his five May starts. Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario each connected with RBI doubles in the sixth inning to end his night. Jake Odorizzi also pitched well for the Twins and has given up three earned runs or fewer in each of his last six starts, but has not lasted longer than six innings in any of them. The Twins will look to avoid the sweep against the Mariners in the series finale on Sunday. They currently sit 2.5 games out of first place behind the Indians in the AL Central.
The Houston Rockets caught everyone in Oracle Arena and watching at home off guard with their fast start on Saturday night, and for a good chunk of that first half, it looked as if they were actually going to knock out the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately for them, that run lasted for just one half, as the lack of CP3 got the best of them in the end. More specifically, Klay Thompson got the best of the Rockets, going off for 35 points to help the Warriors rally to a 115-86 rout and force a Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals. Thompson shot 13-of-23 from the floor, which included hitting nine three-pointers, as the Warriors rallied from a 17-point first-quarter deficit to stun the Rockets on their home floor. Steph Curry added 29 points and five three-pointers to help overcome Kevin Durant's struggles, which featured him shooting just 6-for-17, but he did finish with 23 points. Golden State overcame their first half struggles by outscoring the Rockets, 55-20, in the second half, and held Houston to just nine points in the final 12 minutes. Chris Paul sat out with hamstring tightness after suffering the injury in Game 5, as his status for Game 7 is still up in the air, according to head coach Mike D'Antoni. James Harden was a major part of their hot start and finished with 32 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in the loss. After a 39-point first quarter, the Rockets did not score more than 22 in a single quarter the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Warriors scored at least 29 points in the final three quarters to jump ahead and stay ahead for good. They will look to advance to their fourth straight NBA Finals when they visit Houston for Game 7 of the series on Monday night.
Trout 's Career Night Downs Yankees
Despite the Los Angeles Angels' recent struggles to knock them off the top of the AL West Division, one man has not slowed down a bit, and that's Mike Trout. The outfielder led his team to victory on Saturday night with a career-best performance, as the Angels pulled away from the Yankees, 11-4. Trout went 5-for-5 with a home run and three doubles to help his team erase an early three-run deficit and take the second game from the Yankees on Baseball Night in America. Trout's big game was his first-career five-hit game, as he also set career highs for doubles and total bases in a single contest. His two-run double in the sixth was part of the huge four-run inning that began the pulling away for his team. He also hit a two-run blast off of starter Sonny Gray in the fourth inning, giving him his major league-tying 17th home run of the year, as he has now gone deep in three straight games. He finished with four RBI and 11 total bases on the day to support Jaime Barria, who earned his third straight win on the mound since returning from the minors. Jose Brinceno also went deep in his major league debut, as Angels manager Mike Scioscia tied Hall of Fame Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda for 20th place on the all-time wins list. Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge, and Austin Romine all went deep in the loss for the Yankees, who drop to two games out of first in the AL East behind the Boston Red Sox, who have taken the first two games of their series with the Atlanta Braves. These two teams will play the rubber game of their series on Sunday afternoon.
Zunino, Mariners Walk-Off in Extras
Two teams that are battling to stay within striking distance from second place in completely different divisions went to battle for a long while on Saturday night. Mike Zunino ended that battle with a solo home run in the 12th inning, giving the Seattle Mariners a 4-3 walk-off win over the Minnesota Twins. Zunino's homer came with two outs in the inning and was the third blast of the game for Seattle, who also got long balls from Nelson Cruz and Jean Segura. The thrilling win at Safeco Field pulls the Mariners within 2.5 games in the AL West, behind the Houston Astros, who fell to the Cleveland Indians, 8-6, on Saturday. Chasen Bradford threw a perfect 12th inning to move to 4-0 on the year out of the Seattle bullpen, which allowed just one run on Saturday, including Juan Nicasio striking out five of the six batters he faced. That came after starter Wade LeBlanc allowed two runs over six innings, as he has now allowed two runs or fewer in each of his five May starts. Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario each connected with RBI doubles in the sixth inning to end his night. Jake Odorizzi also pitched well for the Twins and has given up three earned runs or fewer in each of his last six starts, but has not lasted longer than six innings in any of them. The Twins will look to avoid the sweep against the Mariners in the series finale on Sunday. They currently sit 2.5 games out of first place behind the Indians in the AL Central.
