Thunder, Spurs, Pelicans Clinch Playoff Spots
The Western Conference playoff matches are far from getting solidified in the NBA, but we at least know three more teams who will be competing. First, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched a playoff spot with a 115-93 win over the Miami Heat. Westbrook finished with his 25th triple-double of the year, while Paul George led the way with 28 points. The reigning NBA MVP had 23 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists for the Thunder, who outscored the Heat, 39-12, in the final 12 minutes to pull away for good. This helped them overcome a slow start, which saw them miss their first 10 shots, as they trailed by as many as 18 in the first half. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs kept pace with OKC by taking out the Sacramento Kings, 98-85, to clinch their 21st consecutive playoff appearance. Rudy Gay had 18 points against his former team, while Manu Ginobili added 17 for the Spurs, who outscored the Kings by 19 in the fourth to overcome a late deficit. They currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference, despite being without Kawhi Leonard for all but nine games. They are still mathematically in contention for a four seed, which would have them hosting a first-round playoff series. And the New Orleans Pelicans have officially overcome the injury to DeMarcus Cousins to clinch their first playoff spot since 2015 with a 113-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Anthony Davis had 28 points, while Nikola Mirotic had a double-double of 24 points and 16 rebounds. Cousins went down on January 28th, with the Pelicans in the fourth spot in the West at the time, but they still found a way to stay competitive in the conference. They have now won four in a row after Monday's win, as they used a strong first half to stay on top. New Orleans shot 51 percent from the floor and 56 percent from three-point range in the first two quarters. The Pelicans, Spurs, and Thunder are all tied with a record of 47-34 in the Western Conference, with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets fighting for the final playoff spot.
Mets Double-Up Marlins for Sixth Straight Win
The New York Mets have been one of those teams that have gotten off to a surprisingly hot start in baseball, and they continued that in Miami on Monday. Noah Syndergaard allowed just one run over six innings in a 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins, giving the Mets their sixth straight win, as well as their best start in franchise history at 8-1. Syndergaard improved to 2-0 on the young season, as the Mets tied the 8-1 starts from the 1985 and 2006 seasons. Jeurys Familia came on for his fifth save of the season by escaping a jam in the ninth, as he already leads the majors in saves. Familia stranded two leadoff runners by striking out Miguel Rojas and Starlin Castro. He combined with three other relievers to shut things down in the final three innings, as the Mets' bullpen has a young ERA of 2.25 this year. Jose Urena suffered his second loss for Miami, as he gave up RBI singles to Adrian Gonzalez and Jay Bruce. Urena allowed three runs over five innings on the night. The Marlins could not capitalize on plenty of opportunities in the loss, going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They are off to an expected slow start with a record of 3-7 on the season, including just 2-5 at Marlins Park. They will continue their first series of the season with the Mets on Tuesday night.
Scherzer, Kluber Pitch Nationals, Indians to Victories
Two aces pitched just like it on Monday night for two teams that have gotten off to surprisingly slow starts to the season. First, Max Scherzer went the distance to help the Washington Nationals snap a five-game losing streak with a 2-0 shutout of the Atlanta Braves. Scherzer struck out 10 and did not walk a batter to help the Nationals return their record to .500, as they were below .500 for the first time since August of 2015. The right-hander even helped out on the base paths, as he stole his first career base in his first career attempt. Howie Kendrick's two-run double in the first inning was enough for the Nats, who handed the Braves their fourth loss of the year. Meanwhile, Corey Kluber didn't go the entire way, but lasted eight innings in the Cleveland Indians' 2-0 shutout of the Detroit Tigers. Kluber struck out 13 while working quickly and allowed just two hits and walked one in his first win of the season. Bradley Zimmer gave him all the support he needed with a two-run home run off of Francisco Liriano in the fifth inning. Kluber needed 103 pitches to get through eight innings, recording his 40th career double-digit strikeout game. Andrew Miller came on for the save for The Tribe, as he got Miguel Cabrera to ground in to a game-ending 6-4-3 double play. Both series will continue with evening showdowns on Tuesday night.
The Western Conference playoff matches are far from getting solidified in the NBA, but we at least know three more teams who will be competing. First, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched a playoff spot with a 115-93 win over the Miami Heat. Westbrook finished with his 25th triple-double of the year, while Paul George led the way with 28 points. The reigning NBA MVP had 23 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists for the Thunder, who outscored the Heat, 39-12, in the final 12 minutes to pull away for good. This helped them overcome a slow start, which saw them miss their first 10 shots, as they trailed by as many as 18 in the first half. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs kept pace with OKC by taking out the Sacramento Kings, 98-85, to clinch their 21st consecutive playoff appearance. Rudy Gay had 18 points against his former team, while Manu Ginobili added 17 for the Spurs, who outscored the Kings by 19 in the fourth to overcome a late deficit. They currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference, despite being without Kawhi Leonard for all but nine games. They are still mathematically in contention for a four seed, which would have them hosting a first-round playoff series. And the New Orleans Pelicans have officially overcome the injury to DeMarcus Cousins to clinch their first playoff spot since 2015 with a 113-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Anthony Davis had 28 points, while Nikola Mirotic had a double-double of 24 points and 16 rebounds. Cousins went down on January 28th, with the Pelicans in the fourth spot in the West at the time, but they still found a way to stay competitive in the conference. They have now won four in a row after Monday's win, as they used a strong first half to stay on top. New Orleans shot 51 percent from the floor and 56 percent from three-point range in the first two quarters. The Pelicans, Spurs, and Thunder are all tied with a record of 47-34 in the Western Conference, with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets fighting for the final playoff spot.
Mets Double-Up Marlins for Sixth Straight Win
The New York Mets have been one of those teams that have gotten off to a surprisingly hot start in baseball, and they continued that in Miami on Monday. Noah Syndergaard allowed just one run over six innings in a 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins, giving the Mets their sixth straight win, as well as their best start in franchise history at 8-1. Syndergaard improved to 2-0 on the young season, as the Mets tied the 8-1 starts from the 1985 and 2006 seasons. Jeurys Familia came on for his fifth save of the season by escaping a jam in the ninth, as he already leads the majors in saves. Familia stranded two leadoff runners by striking out Miguel Rojas and Starlin Castro. He combined with three other relievers to shut things down in the final three innings, as the Mets' bullpen has a young ERA of 2.25 this year. Jose Urena suffered his second loss for Miami, as he gave up RBI singles to Adrian Gonzalez and Jay Bruce. Urena allowed three runs over five innings on the night. The Marlins could not capitalize on plenty of opportunities in the loss, going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They are off to an expected slow start with a record of 3-7 on the season, including just 2-5 at Marlins Park. They will continue their first series of the season with the Mets on Tuesday night.
Scherzer, Kluber Pitch Nationals, Indians to Victories
Two aces pitched just like it on Monday night for two teams that have gotten off to surprisingly slow starts to the season. First, Max Scherzer went the distance to help the Washington Nationals snap a five-game losing streak with a 2-0 shutout of the Atlanta Braves. Scherzer struck out 10 and did not walk a batter to help the Nationals return their record to .500, as they were below .500 for the first time since August of 2015. The right-hander even helped out on the base paths, as he stole his first career base in his first career attempt. Howie Kendrick's two-run double in the first inning was enough for the Nats, who handed the Braves their fourth loss of the year. Meanwhile, Corey Kluber didn't go the entire way, but lasted eight innings in the Cleveland Indians' 2-0 shutout of the Detroit Tigers. Kluber struck out 13 while working quickly and allowed just two hits and walked one in his first win of the season. Bradley Zimmer gave him all the support he needed with a two-run home run off of Francisco Liriano in the fifth inning. Kluber needed 103 pitches to get through eight innings, recording his 40th career double-digit strikeout game. Andrew Miller came on for the save for The Tribe, as he got Miguel Cabrera to ground in to a game-ending 6-4-3 double play. Both series will continue with evening showdowns on Tuesday night.
