Wall, Wizards Force Game 7
The Washington Wizards became the first team to earn a win when facing elimination this postseason and they can thank John Wall for this one. Wall nailed a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to lift the Wizards over the Celtics on their home floor, 92-91, tying the series at three apiece. Wall finished with 26 points, while Bradley Beal led the scoring with 33, as that backcourt combined for 23 of the Wizards' 26 fourth-quarter points. Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley each scored 27 for Boston, who could not take advantage of Washington's early shooting struggles. The Wizards started the night 1-for-15 from beyond the arc, including Wall's 1-for-12 start, before the point guard finished 8-for-13 the rest of the way to lift Washington back up. Despite Beal's 33-point effort, he was just 1-for-8 from three-point range, as the Wizards finished just 20 percent from downtown. In the end, it was one big three-point shot that inched the Wizards that much closer to their first Conference Finals since 1979. The home team has now won all 10 meetings between these two teams this season, which might not bode well for the Wizards, who head to Boston for Game 7 on Monday night.
Predators Strike First in Overtime
The Nashville Predators continued their impressive postseason run on Friday night, as James Neal scored the game-winner in overtime for a 3-2 Game-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks to kick off the Western Conference Finals. Neal found the back of the net 9:24 into the extra period, supporting Pekka Rinne's 27-save effort. Filip Forsberg and Austin Watson scored in regulation, helping Nashville improve to 9-2 this postseason, including three straight series-opening wins on the road. Jakob Silfverberg and Hampus Lidholm scored for the Ducks, who got 43 saves from John Gibson in the loss. The Ducks are participating in their second Conference Finals in three seasons, but are facing a Nashville team that has knocked them out the last two playoff series they have matched up. That includes in the first round last season when Nashville stunned Anaheim in seven games. The Predators look to add to their momentum before heading home in Game 2 on Sunday night.
Giants Outlast Reds in Marathon
For the second time in the past week, Major League Baseball featured a near six-hour marathon game out west, and this one ended with a walk-off blast. While most of America was sleeping, Buster Posey was smacking a walk-off, solo home run in the 17th inning for a 3-2 San Francisco Giants win over the Cincinnati Reds. In a game that lasted five hours, 28 minutes, Posey caught for 269 pitches behind the plate before coming through at the plate. It was the latest game-ending home run in Giants franchise history, beating Willie Mays' 16th inning game-winner in 1963. The Reds had won seven of eight, but were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 16 runners on Friday night. They had also won all four games against San Francisco this season, outscoring them, 34-7, in those contests. Cory Gearrin stranded a combined six runners in two innings for the Giants and earned the win in relief. San Francisco got a total of nine scoreless innings between seven relievers on the night. Denard Span was the other offensive hero in the win with his 12th career leadoff home run and an RBI single in the fifth.
The Washington Wizards became the first team to earn a win when facing elimination this postseason and they can thank John Wall for this one. Wall nailed a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to lift the Wizards over the Celtics on their home floor, 92-91, tying the series at three apiece. Wall finished with 26 points, while Bradley Beal led the scoring with 33, as that backcourt combined for 23 of the Wizards' 26 fourth-quarter points. Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley each scored 27 for Boston, who could not take advantage of Washington's early shooting struggles. The Wizards started the night 1-for-15 from beyond the arc, including Wall's 1-for-12 start, before the point guard finished 8-for-13 the rest of the way to lift Washington back up. Despite Beal's 33-point effort, he was just 1-for-8 from three-point range, as the Wizards finished just 20 percent from downtown. In the end, it was one big three-point shot that inched the Wizards that much closer to their first Conference Finals since 1979. The home team has now won all 10 meetings between these two teams this season, which might not bode well for the Wizards, who head to Boston for Game 7 on Monday night.
Predators Strike First in Overtime
The Nashville Predators continued their impressive postseason run on Friday night, as James Neal scored the game-winner in overtime for a 3-2 Game-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks to kick off the Western Conference Finals. Neal found the back of the net 9:24 into the extra period, supporting Pekka Rinne's 27-save effort. Filip Forsberg and Austin Watson scored in regulation, helping Nashville improve to 9-2 this postseason, including three straight series-opening wins on the road. Jakob Silfverberg and Hampus Lidholm scored for the Ducks, who got 43 saves from John Gibson in the loss. The Ducks are participating in their second Conference Finals in three seasons, but are facing a Nashville team that has knocked them out the last two playoff series they have matched up. That includes in the first round last season when Nashville stunned Anaheim in seven games. The Predators look to add to their momentum before heading home in Game 2 on Sunday night.
Giants Outlast Reds in Marathon
For the second time in the past week, Major League Baseball featured a near six-hour marathon game out west, and this one ended with a walk-off blast. While most of America was sleeping, Buster Posey was smacking a walk-off, solo home run in the 17th inning for a 3-2 San Francisco Giants win over the Cincinnati Reds. In a game that lasted five hours, 28 minutes, Posey caught for 269 pitches behind the plate before coming through at the plate. It was the latest game-ending home run in Giants franchise history, beating Willie Mays' 16th inning game-winner in 1963. The Reds had won seven of eight, but were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 16 runners on Friday night. They had also won all four games against San Francisco this season, outscoring them, 34-7, in those contests. Cory Gearrin stranded a combined six runners in two innings for the Giants and earned the win in relief. San Francisco got a total of nine scoreless innings between seven relievers on the night. Denard Span was the other offensive hero in the win with his 12th career leadoff home run and an RBI single in the fifth.
