NBA

• Celtics 126, 76ers 117
  • The Celtics should be awesome this season, but they’ll be virtually unbeatable if Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown explode like they did in this game. The team’s lack of interior size and talent is troublesome, especially with Robert Williams out, but that wasn’t too big of a problem last night.
  • A loss always hurts, but at least James Harden played well for the 76ers. Harden, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris make up an awesome foursome for Philadelphia.
• Warriors 123, Lakers 109
  • The Warriors are loaded, which should not only help them win lots of regular season affairs, but also enable them to have their key guys rested for a playoff run. Also, if Stephen Curry, at age 34, doesn’t decline too much, Golden State may just very well repeat.
  • The Lakers just seem like a mess. There’s not much to this roster outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The team is undersized, loose with the basketball, and lacks shooting. The play-in is probably the most realistic goal for Los Angeles this season.

MLB

• Yankees 5, Guardians 1
  • The Yankees didn’t get as much as they probably expected from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in this series, but both sluggers came up big in this contest. The better team won this series, which is what baseball fans should want, and New York perhaps prevailed due to Aaron Boone opting to go with Nestor Cortes on short rest for Game 5. The Yankees’ series against the Astros should be interesting, and New York shouldn’t be as big of an underdog as they currently are.
  • I mentioned Aaron Boone wisely going with Nestor Cortes on short rest. Terry Francona should’ve done the same with Shane Bieber. Regardless, this was a successful season for Cleveland, but in order to repeat this success, the overachieving club will need to spend this offseason. The Indians brought in Edwin Encarnacion after 2016 — the Guardians should make a similar move this winter.
• Phillies 2, Padres 0
  • Petco Park is a pitcher’s park, so one wouldn’t expect that to favor the Phillies, but Zach Wheeler laid rest to that notion in this game. The Phillies seem determined, and they’ll be tough to eliminate, especially if Bryce Harper continues to slug at the rate he is currently.
  • The Padres are fine, but they’ll need Josh Bell and especially Juan Soto to start producing more at the plate. Unfortunately, San Diego wasted an excellent Yu Darvish outing yesterday.