Celtics Advance in Game 7 Past Wizards
The Boston Celtics got major production from an unlikely source in Monday's Game 7, as Kelly Olynyk came off the bench to score a playoff career-high 26 points in a 115-105 win over the Washington Wizards. Olynyk scored 14 in the fourth quarter, while Isaiah Thomas finished with 29 points and 12 assists in the Celtics' 22nd Game-7 win in franchise history. Boston's bench in general was the difference, even outside of Olynyk, as they outscored the Wizards' bench, 48-5, which helped them finish at 53 percent shooting from the floor. That included 11 three-pointers, eight of which came on thirteen tries in the second half. The Wizards were involved in their first Game 7 since 1979 and were led by Bradley Beal's 38 points. His 24 points after halftime were not enough to help Washington hang on to a two-point lead at the break. John Wall's production was pretty much non-existent down the stretch, as he failed to the score in the game's final 19 minutes. Boston now moves on to battle the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2012, which begins on Wednesday night at the TD Garden.
Penguins Shut Out Senators to Even Series
In a game that was headlined by the goaltenders, Phil Kessel came through as the hero with the game-winning goal at 13:05 of the third period for a 1-0 Pittsburgh Penguins win over the Ottawa Senators. The win evens the Eastern Conference Finals at one apiece, as Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his second shutout of the playoffs and 10th of his postseason career with 23 saves on the night. His 62nd playoff victory moves him past Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers for most by an active goaltender. The Penguins struggled to get anything past Craig Andersen on the other end, and losing the likes of Bryan Rust and Justin Schultz to injuries in the opening period did not help. Although, the five other defensemen all played at least 20 minutes each, including 24:49 of ice time from 37-year-old Ron Hainsey. Andersen had 28 saves in a losing effort for Ottawa, who will host Game 3 of the series on Wednesday night.
Trout Homers for Fourth Straight Game
On a fairly quiet night in Major League Baseball, one perennial MVP candidate stayed red hot out west. Outfielder Mike Trout went deep for a fourth straight night to lift the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox, 5-3. Trout went back-to-back with Kole Calhoun, who smacked a three-run shot in the fifth inning. Martin Maldonando added a big fly in the seventh inning, as the Angels moved into second place in the AL West at 20-21. After missing five games with a hamstring injury, Trout returned to hit a home run in each of the final three games against the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. He is the first Angel to hit big flies in four straight games since Mark Trumbo did it in 2012, and he was a part of the first back-to-back homers for Los Angeles this season. Jesse Chavez pitched seven-plus innings to earn his third win of the season, while Bud Norris recorded four outs to earn his eighth save of the year. Mike Pelfrey fell to 0-4 on the season for Chicago after allowing four runs in 4.2 innings. Jose Abreu did hit a two-run home run in the loss for White Sox, who continue their series with the Angels on Tuesday night.
The Boston Celtics got major production from an unlikely source in Monday's Game 7, as Kelly Olynyk came off the bench to score a playoff career-high 26 points in a 115-105 win over the Washington Wizards. Olynyk scored 14 in the fourth quarter, while Isaiah Thomas finished with 29 points and 12 assists in the Celtics' 22nd Game-7 win in franchise history. Boston's bench in general was the difference, even outside of Olynyk, as they outscored the Wizards' bench, 48-5, which helped them finish at 53 percent shooting from the floor. That included 11 three-pointers, eight of which came on thirteen tries in the second half. The Wizards were involved in their first Game 7 since 1979 and were led by Bradley Beal's 38 points. His 24 points after halftime were not enough to help Washington hang on to a two-point lead at the break. John Wall's production was pretty much non-existent down the stretch, as he failed to the score in the game's final 19 minutes. Boston now moves on to battle the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2012, which begins on Wednesday night at the TD Garden.
Penguins Shut Out Senators to Even Series
In a game that was headlined by the goaltenders, Phil Kessel came through as the hero with the game-winning goal at 13:05 of the third period for a 1-0 Pittsburgh Penguins win over the Ottawa Senators. The win evens the Eastern Conference Finals at one apiece, as Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his second shutout of the playoffs and 10th of his postseason career with 23 saves on the night. His 62nd playoff victory moves him past Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers for most by an active goaltender. The Penguins struggled to get anything past Craig Andersen on the other end, and losing the likes of Bryan Rust and Justin Schultz to injuries in the opening period did not help. Although, the five other defensemen all played at least 20 minutes each, including 24:49 of ice time from 37-year-old Ron Hainsey. Andersen had 28 saves in a losing effort for Ottawa, who will host Game 3 of the series on Wednesday night.
Trout Homers for Fourth Straight Game
On a fairly quiet night in Major League Baseball, one perennial MVP candidate stayed red hot out west. Outfielder Mike Trout went deep for a fourth straight night to lift the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox, 5-3. Trout went back-to-back with Kole Calhoun, who smacked a three-run shot in the fifth inning. Martin Maldonando added a big fly in the seventh inning, as the Angels moved into second place in the AL West at 20-21. After missing five games with a hamstring injury, Trout returned to hit a home run in each of the final three games against the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. He is the first Angel to hit big flies in four straight games since Mark Trumbo did it in 2012, and he was a part of the first back-to-back homers for Los Angeles this season. Jesse Chavez pitched seven-plus innings to earn his third win of the season, while Bud Norris recorded four outs to earn his eighth save of the year. Mike Pelfrey fell to 0-4 on the season for Chicago after allowing four runs in 4.2 innings. Jose Abreu did hit a two-run home run in the loss for White Sox, who continue their series with the Angels on Tuesday night.
