NBA

Hornets hire Charles Lee as head coach

Lee has been a hot coaching name in NBA circles for several years now, and his recent work with the Celtics has landed him the Charlotte job. The Hornets are in the midst of a rebuild — a practically perpetual state for the franchise since joining the league via expansion in 2004 — but there are pieces within the organization that can help Lee succeed. A healthy LaMelo Ball is the most important, closely followed by Brandon Miller. The Hornets need to add a few more building blocks to be taken seriously, but Lee is heading into a decent situation for a young first-time head coach.

Grade: B

Suns fire head coach Frank Vogel

Vogel is a really good coach, and he got a raw deal with the Lakers and now gets another one with the Suns. Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia erratically called for a flashy, yet flawed roster, and has chosen Vogel as the fall guy. Mike Budenholzer is the rumored replacement, so that certainly wouldn’t be a downgrade, but the Suns are in some long-term trouble given the club’s cap situation and lack of future assets.

Grade: C

Cavaliers 118, Celtics 94

Dating back to Game 6 of the first round versus the Magic, Donovan Mitchell has more than done his part for the Cavaliers, but his supporting cast had been lacking. That changed last night, as Mitchell received help from Evan Mobley (21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists) and Caris LeVert (21 points and six rebounds). Even at home, the talent surrounding Cleveland’s star probably won’t play as well, but the Cavs are now alive and have a fighting chance in this series. I still wouldn’t expect Jarrett Allen to return from injury against the Celtics, though.

The Celtics simply didn’t have it yesterday and that’s okay. Boston is still the prohibitive favorite to win the East and probably shouldn’t sweat this series unless the Cavaliers win Game 3 or 4. Derrick White was due for some shooting regression and that occurred in this game, as Boston’s guard shot just 3-for-11 and 1-for-8 from three. White will find some level close to normal moving forward, but Jayson Tatum might need to elevate his play or this series could get interesting. Tatum scored 25 points last night, but he hasn’t played great. Boston will probably get back on track and win Game 3, a contest I expect to be close.

Mavericks 119, Thunder 110

This is probably the most evenly matched second round series and it’ll be a back-and-forth battle the rest of the way, much like the first two games have been. Dallas needed at least a standard game from Luka Doncic to win Game 2, and that’s what it got, as the superstar guard posted 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Doncic wasn’t alone in leading the Mavs, though. Dallas stole P.J. Washington at the trade deadline and the forward shined last night, tallying 29 points and 11 rebounds on seven made three pointers. The Mavericks now get to go home, and while they likely won’t shoot 18-for-37 from three again, the team has a solid chance to pull the upset and win this series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was great last night, but Mark Daigneault needs more from guys like Chet Holmgren and Luguentz Dort. Another matter of concern for the Thunder’s coach: lineup decisions regarding Josh Giddey. Giddey played just 11 minutes in this tilt and was a -20, so Oklahoma City might have to roll for the rest of the series with its second half decision of starting Aaron Wiggins.

The Thunder has struggled with rebounding throughout the season and in this series, so it may behoove the club to play Jaylin Williams more. The second-year big saw some time on the floor with Chet Holmgren last night and played well, scoring eight points and making a few winning plays in 14 minutes.

MLB

Diamondbacks 5, Reds 4

Cincinnati has lost eight in a row to fall to 16-21, but a bigger concern for the Reds might be Hunter Greene. The flamethrower is probably fine, but Greene’s fastball velocity was down a tad, especially early in this game. The Reds can ill afford for something to happen to one of their best pitchers.

Twins 11, Mariners 1

It’s not often an offense ambushes Logan Gilbert, but with the way the Twins have been playing lately, I suppose nothing is out of the question. Despite allowing eight earned runs over just four innings, Gilbert still posses a 2.94 ERA. The Mariners are in decent shape at 20-18, but Julio Rodriguez’s struggles are a bit perplexing. The center fielder went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in this game, dipping his OPS to .625.

Rockies 9, Giants 1

Despite playing their home games at Coors Field, the Rockies are still near the bottom of MLB in runs scored, so Colorado really needed this game. I felt Elias Diaz’s 2023 was a fluke, but the catcher has upped his game even more this season and is hitting .311. Diaz had two hits yesterday.

Astros 4, Yankees 3

At 13-24, Houston’s season has been a disaster to this point, but Ronel Blanco has been a major bright spot. Seemingly coming out of nowhere at age 30, Blanco is 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA.

Brewers 7, Cardinals 1

Is this the new normal for the Cardinals — below average with no signs of improvement in sight? St. Louis’ 71-91 record last year felt more like a blip on the radar than a sign of things to come, but 2024 hasn’t brought about much change for the Redbirds, as the team is just 15-22. In fact, it feels like the Brewers have adopted some of the Cardinals’ voodoo magic of the past by consistently overachieving and getting the most out of the roster.

Royals 10, Angels 4

It’s going to be a long summer in Anaheim. Shohei Ohtani is gone, Mike Trout is injured and the Angels are 14-24. Unfortunately, none of those things are the Angels’ biggest problem; it’s owner Arte Moreno. The Angels will continue to be poorly run until Moreno sells the team.