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Good morning to everyone but especially to...
In Game 1, the Lakers proved they had a championship-caliber second star with Anthony Davis dominating. In Game 2, the Warriors, too, proved they can get it done without a monster night from their biggest star.
With Stephen Curry mostly delegated to a distributor role, Klay Thompson erupted for 30 points as Golden State evened the series at 1-1 with a 127-100 thumping of Los Angeles.
- Thompson went 8-11 on 3-pointers, his sixth career playoff game with at least eight threes. No one else has more than four.
- The Warriors made a franchise playoff record-tying 21 threes on 42 attempts.
- Curry had 20 points on just 12 shots and added 12 assists, his most in a playoff game since 2014.
- Draymond Green had a near triple-double -- 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists -- and was essential in limiting Davis' impact on both ends, writes our Colin Ward-Henninger.
- With Kevon Looney ill, JaMychal Green started and delivered 15 points (including three 3-pointers) in just 13 minutes.
For the Lakers, Davis continued his Jekyll-and-Hyde playoff run with just 11 points and nearly as many turnovers (four) as made shots (five). LeBron James bounced back with 23 points on 10-18 shooting, but it wasn't nearly enough.
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The Lakers are never going to keep up with the Warriors from beyond the arc, so they must make up the difference elsewhere. In Game 1, the Lakers outscored the Warriors 54-28 in the paint and 25-5 from the free-throw line. In Game 2, the Warriors won the paint points 48-42 and tied on free throws 10-10. That sort of math simply won't do for the Lakers as the series shifts to Los Angeles.
Honorable mentions
- Thursday's NHL winners: the Panthers (up 2-0 on the Maple Leafs) and the Stars (tied 1-1 with the Kraken).
- The Heat are optimistic Jimmy Butler will return for Game 3.
- Marcus Smart won the NBA Hustle Award again.
- The Rays swept the Pirates and continued their incredible start.
- Masataka Yoshida keeps on hitting.
- Napoli won Serie A, and their fans celebrated appropriately... and then some.
- Our Will Backus laid out where Deion Sanders and Colorado go from here.
And not such a good morning for...
MIKE BUDENHOLZER
Three weeks ago, the Bucks entered the playoffs with the best record in the league. Now, after being on the wrong end of a historic upset, they're not only shockingly out of the playoffs, but shockingly without the head coach that made them champions just two years ago: Milwaukee fired Mike Budenholzer on Thursday.
- In Budenholzer's five seasons in Milwaukee, the Bucks went 271-120 in the regular season -- 23 more wins than any other team -- and made the playoffs every year.
- The postseason brought the highest of highs (the 2021 championship) and the lowest of lows (two earlier-than-expected exits as the No. 1 seed, including losing to the No. 8 seed Heat this year).
- Of the four coaches to win a title since 2019, three have been let go: Nick Nurse (2019 Raptors), Frank Vogel (2020 Lakers) and Budenholzer (2021 Bucks).
Yes, the Bucks collapsed in Game 5 vs. the Heat, blowing a 16-point fourth-quarter lead. Yes, Budenholzer made a shocking mistake late in that game. Yes, Budenholzer didn't adjust enough throughout the series, something Giannis Antetokounmpo openly acknowledged.
Budenholzer was also coaching through his brother dying in a car accident during the series. Budenholzer isn't a perfect coach, and he didn't have a great series. No one on Milwaukee did. But it's important to remember he's a human being who was going through unspeakable tragedy. I'm not saying firing him was the wrong move by the Bucks, but it's important for us as fans to keep things in perspective.
This is a huge offseason for the Bucks. With a bonafide, in-his-prime superstar in Antetokounmpo (28 years old), they must figure out what to do with an aging core of Jrue Holiday (32), Khris Middleton (31) and Brook Lopez (35). Only six players have guaranteed contracts for next year. Now they add finding a new coach to the "to-do" list (they should start here, according to our Sam Quinn).
Not so honorable mentions
- Justin Verlander finally made his Mets debut but gave up back-to-back home runs early as the Tigers swept the Mets.
Previewing the Kentucky Derby with expert picks and more 🏇
Kentucky Derby weekend is here, and from the stars that will be there (hello, Patrick Mahomes) to those who won't (Bob Baffert... again), we have you covered from every angle.
SportsLine's Gene Menez has a terrific primer with detailed information on every single horse. This year's favorite is Forte, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November, the Fountain of Youth Stakes in March and the Florida Derby in April.
But Gene isn't picking Forte. How about our other experts? Here are picks from:
Listen, I can't tell you who is going to win. That's why I gave you expert picks above. But I can tell you one thing: There will be hats. Lots of hats. Our Isabel Gonzalez did a deep dive on how hats became a fixture at Derby day, and it is an absolute joy to read. Check it out!
Hunter Dickinson addition moves Kansas up in latest Top 25 And 1 🏀
At long last, the top player in our men's college basketball transfer portal rankings has found a new home: Former Michigan center Hunter Dickinson is headed to Kansas.
- The 7'1" Dickinson averaged 18.5 points on 56% shooting last season and added 9.0 rebounds per game. He was one of just six players nationwide to average at least 18 and nine.
- Adding bodies to the frontcourt was a clear need for Kansas, which relied heavily on 6'8" Jalen Wilson (now headed to the NBA) and 6'7" KJ Adams Jr. last season.
- Dickinson chose the Jayhawks over Kentucky, Villanova, Maryland and Georgetown, among others.
Kansas has had a lot of terrific big men recently, but none with the offensive chops of Dickinson. The last Kansas player 6'10" or taller to average at least 18 points was Drew Gooden way back in 2001-02 -- two years before Bill Self arrived.
With the addition of Dickinson, Kansas jumped to No. 1 in Gary Parrish's latest Top 25 And 1. Here's the top five:
Alabama baseball coach fired amid betting scandal ⚾
Alabama fired baseball coach Brad Bohannon on Thursday following a report of suspicious gambling activity connected to the team's games.
- Surveillance video indicated a bettor at a sportsbook at the Reds' Great American Ball Park was communicating with Bohannon and placing bets on last Friday's Alabama-LSU game.
- U.S. Integrity, an independent company, tabbed the suspicious activity, and there were reportedly similar instances in Indiana. Several states, including Ohio and Indiana, have stopped accepting bets on Alabama baseball.
- Alabama ace Luke Holman was expected to start the game for the Crimson Tide but was scratched with back tightness. Alabama turned to Hagan Banks, who hadn't started in over a month. LSU won the game, 8-6.
On top of this scandal, Bohannon, then-assistant coach (and current interim head coach) Jason Jackson and team trainer Sean Stryker are being sued by a former player due to alleged mistreatment of a 2019 injury.
What we're watching this weekend 📺
Friday
🏀 Celtics at 76ers, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Devils at Panthers, 8 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Nuggets at Suns, 10 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday
🏀 Knicks at Heat, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏇 Kentucky Derby (info here)
🏒 Oilers at Golden Knights, 7 p.m. on TNT
⚾ Orioles at Braves, 7:15 p.m. on FOX
🏀 Warriors at Lakers, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
🥊 UFC 288 (info here)
Sunday
🏀 Celtics at 76ers, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Maple Leafs at Panthers, 6:30 p.m. on TBS
⚾ Dodgers at Padres, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Nuggets at Suns, 8 p.m. on TNT
🏒 Stars at Kraken, 9:30 p.m. on TBS
