NBA

• Cavaliers 118, Magic 94
  • Danny Green scored 31 points on 5-9 from three-point range in this game, and I wonder if Cleveland has been keeping him in bubble wrap for potential spot duty in the postseason. Green would certainly have at least an outside chance of impacting a playoff game due to his experience and shooting ability.
  • Jalen Suggs has been getting plentiful opportunity to showcase his ability of late. Suggs scored 22 points last night, a game in which Orlando oddly rested a few key players.
• Heat 129, 76ers 101
  • What a good sign for the Heat. Miami still has work to do to pass Brooklyn for the East’s No. 6 seed, but if that happens, the Heat would be slated to take on the 76ers. A nucleus of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro should make the Heat feel pretty decent about facing the 76ers.
  • The 76ers clearly weren’t all in for this tilt, as Joel Embiid played just 30 minutes and James Harden played 28. Nonetheless, a blowout of this magnitude shouldn’t have Doc Rivers’ club feeling too great about a potential first round matchup with the Heat.
• Spurs 129, Trail Blazers 127
  • This season obviously hasn’t been good for San Antonio in terms of winning games, but the player development box has been checked. Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones, and Zach Collins have all taken steps forward as players for a Spurs club that’s set to add a high draft pick in June’s draft.
  • I’ve seen some rough lineups in my time following the NBA, but last night’s Trail Blazers rotation was a hodge-podge of nothingness. Jeenathan Williams? Justin Minaya? John Butler? None of these guys will be on NBA rosters in 2025.
• Thunder 114, Jazz 98
  • Entering this tilt, Utah wasn’t eliminated from playoff contention, so it was a bit odd that the team trotted out such a poor lineup. As expected, the Jazz lost this game, and while the team overachieved in the win column, Utah will miss out on having great odds in the lottery. Thankfully, the Jazz already has a decent young core to build around.
• Suns 119, Nuggets 115
  • The Suns lack an obvious fifth guy, but Phoenix’s core four is gelling. Chris Paul was marvelous yesterday, scoring 25 points — an abnormally high amount for the 37-year-old these days. Phoenix, to me, is the best team in the Western Conference by the slightest of margins. I’m high on the Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Clippers, as well.
  • Nikola Jokic didn’t play in this game. It’s fair to say that I’m not high on the Nuggets sans their best player.

MLB

• Red Sox 6, Tigers 3
  • It’s incredibly early, but Adam Duvall is easily the AL MVP so far. Duvall smashed his third home run of the season yesterday, and already has 12 RBIs.
• Blue Jays 6, Royals 3
  • Toronto has a deadly lineup. When Kevin Gausman pitches — and pitches to his fully ability, the Jays are practically impossible to beat. Gausman has given up zero runs through 12.0 innings so far.
  • Kansas City’s bats haven’t performed thus far — at all. The team’s six through nine hitters in this game all left the contest with batting averages under .160. Royals fans are surely longing for the mid-2010s.
• Rockies 1, Nationals 0
  • Good for Kris Bryant. Colorado broke the bank for Bryant prior to last season, but Bryant was maligned by injuries in year one in Denver. He’s off to a nice start this season, though, as the 2016 NL MVP holds an OPS of .864.
  • The Nationals are now 1-6. Baseball isn’t short of bad teams this season, as the Nationals, Royals, Athletics, and Reds are all devoid of talent. As the season goes on, even more struggling clubs will surely emerge.
• Braves 7, Padres 6
  • Juan Soto, due to his insane walk rate, has a very high floor, but his time in San Diego hasn’t gone as planned. Soto lacked power as a Padre in 2022, and has been even worse overall in 2023, batting just .160 with two extra-base hits.
• Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 2
  • The Dodgers, in a way, sat out this past winter’s free agency period, but it hasn’t appeared to hurt them as a team. Los Angeles is 5-2 and has a run differential of +28.