Warriors Complete Sweep of Jazz
The Golden State Warriors followed suit with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, as they completed the sweep of the Utah Jazz with a 121-95 rout on the road. Steph Curry led the way with 30 points for the Warriors, who shot 51 percent from the floor, and will battle the winner of the Rockets-Spurs series in the Conference Finals. They joined their fellow conference champs at 8-0 this postseason, making another NBA Finals rematch very possible. Klay Thompson scored 21 points in Monday's Game 4, while Draymond Green put up his third career postseason triple-double in the win. Green had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, and helped the quick start that saw Golden State up 22 after one quarter. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 25 points in their final game of the season, as their 3-for-16 start in the first doomed them. The Warriors responded with a 57 percent shooting, 39-point opening quarter, including 6-for-8 shooting from the Splash Brothers. The Spurs-Rockets series is currently evened at two apiece, with Game 5 tonight in San Antonio.
Capitals Cruise to Force Game 7
The Washington Capitals have battled back from a 3-1 series deficit and cruised on the road in Monday's Game 6 for a 5-2 win to force Game 7. Nicklas Backstrom scored his sixth goal of the playoffs, while Andre Burakovsky added two more in the crucial win. This will be the fourth Game 7 between these two teams, as the Penguins have won each of the previous three meetings. Washington is looking to reach their first Conference Finals in 19 years, as they have been known to fall short as top seeds in recent postseasons. They trailed 3-1 in the second round last year against Pittsburgh, before falling in Game 7. The Penguins are looking to repeat history on Wednesday, after getting no help for Marc-Andre Fleury on Monday. Fleury had 21 saves, while Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin added the only goals of the game in the loss. Guentzel now has a league-leading nine goals in the playoffs. Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby took a scary, head-first fall into the boards, but somehow did not miss a shift, despite his recent concussion. He is expected to play on Wednesday in Washington D.C.
Orioles Hold Off Nationals in East-Side Showdown
Two of the top offenses in MLB went at it in an in-state showdown on Monday, as the Baltimore Orioles doubled-up the Washington Nationals in Baltimore, 6-3. Joey Rickard, Mark Trumbo, and Trey Mancini all homered in the first inning to jump-start the O's, who scored four of their six runs in the first. They added two more in the fourth, before letting that six-run lead tighten up down the stretch. Bryce Harper returned to the lineup for the Nats and hit his 10th home run of the year to help Washington rally and make things interesting in the ninth. Former Oriole Matt Wieters hit an RBI double in the ninth, but designated hitter, Adam Lind, was tagged out in a rundown between third and home to end the game in unusual fashion. Kevin Gausman earned the win for Baltimore after throwing seven innings of two-run ball, including retiring the first 10 batters he faced. Caleb Joseph added a career-high tying four hits on the offensive side for the O's, who sit right behind the Yankees for the best record in the majors.
The Golden State Warriors followed suit with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, as they completed the sweep of the Utah Jazz with a 121-95 rout on the road. Steph Curry led the way with 30 points for the Warriors, who shot 51 percent from the floor, and will battle the winner of the Rockets-Spurs series in the Conference Finals. They joined their fellow conference champs at 8-0 this postseason, making another NBA Finals rematch very possible. Klay Thompson scored 21 points in Monday's Game 4, while Draymond Green put up his third career postseason triple-double in the win. Green had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, and helped the quick start that saw Golden State up 22 after one quarter. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 25 points in their final game of the season, as their 3-for-16 start in the first doomed them. The Warriors responded with a 57 percent shooting, 39-point opening quarter, including 6-for-8 shooting from the Splash Brothers. The Spurs-Rockets series is currently evened at two apiece, with Game 5 tonight in San Antonio.
Capitals Cruise to Force Game 7
The Washington Capitals have battled back from a 3-1 series deficit and cruised on the road in Monday's Game 6 for a 5-2 win to force Game 7. Nicklas Backstrom scored his sixth goal of the playoffs, while Andre Burakovsky added two more in the crucial win. This will be the fourth Game 7 between these two teams, as the Penguins have won each of the previous three meetings. Washington is looking to reach their first Conference Finals in 19 years, as they have been known to fall short as top seeds in recent postseasons. They trailed 3-1 in the second round last year against Pittsburgh, before falling in Game 7. The Penguins are looking to repeat history on Wednesday, after getting no help for Marc-Andre Fleury on Monday. Fleury had 21 saves, while Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin added the only goals of the game in the loss. Guentzel now has a league-leading nine goals in the playoffs. Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby took a scary, head-first fall into the boards, but somehow did not miss a shift, despite his recent concussion. He is expected to play on Wednesday in Washington D.C.
Orioles Hold Off Nationals in East-Side Showdown
Two of the top offenses in MLB went at it in an in-state showdown on Monday, as the Baltimore Orioles doubled-up the Washington Nationals in Baltimore, 6-3. Joey Rickard, Mark Trumbo, and Trey Mancini all homered in the first inning to jump-start the O's, who scored four of their six runs in the first. They added two more in the fourth, before letting that six-run lead tighten up down the stretch. Bryce Harper returned to the lineup for the Nats and hit his 10th home run of the year to help Washington rally and make things interesting in the ninth. Former Oriole Matt Wieters hit an RBI double in the ninth, but designated hitter, Adam Lind, was tagged out in a rundown between third and home to end the game in unusual fashion. Kevin Gausman earned the win for Baltimore after throwing seven innings of two-run ball, including retiring the first 10 batters he faced. Caleb Joseph added a career-high tying four hits on the offensive side for the O's, who sit right behind the Yankees for the best record in the majors.
