Murray, Nuggets once again end Lakers’ season
The Denver Nuggets eliminated the Lakers in the playoffs for the second straight season, this time in the first round in five games.
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1. Murray, Nuggets once again end Lakers’ season
The Denver Nuggets eliminated the Lakers in the playoffs for the second straight season, this time in the first round in five games, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde.
Jamal Murray did it again.
It felt like a heavyweight slugfest between the champion and challenger. But after a hotly contested back-and-forth fight, the Denver Nuggets came out on top of Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers, 108-106. The Nuggets win the best-of-seven series, 4-1, and have eliminated the Lakers.
As mentioned earlier, it was a tug-of-war between these two teams. Neither team led by double digits and could pull away from the other. But with Denver taking advantage of the Lakers not having any timeouts left in the last three minutes, the Nuggets went to a familiar face to close it out.
2. Inside Jack Nicholson’s return to Lakers playoff games last year
For a few nights last year, a little Showtime rubbed off on LeBron James and the Lakers, giving new life to an old man and a team, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi.
Jack Nicholson walked down the sidelines by the Los Angeles Lakers’ bench and plopped down in his courtside seats, sandwiched between the scorer’s table and the visitors’ bench. It was Friday, April 28, 2023 Game 6 of the Lakers’ first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, a game they would win — by 40 points! — to advance to the Western Conference semis.
Jack was back, and so were the Lakers.
It was the first time the Lakers had clinched a playoff series at home since 2012, but the loudest ovation of the evening came when the spotlight found Nicholson and the scoreboard blared his signature line from The Shining: “Heeeere’s Johnny!”
3. Mistake-prone Knights allow Stars back into series
Jake Oettinger played his best game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to help Dallas even the series with Vegas at 2-2 with a 4-2 road win in Game 4, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp.
Saturday, it was Logan Thompson who was the star. Monday, it was Jake Oettinger’s turn.
The Dallas Stars’ goaltender was rock-solid and borderline sensational in helping his team win Game 4, 4-2, in front of 18,333 at T-Mobile Arena and even the first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series with the Vegas Golden Knights at 2-2.
Game 5 is Wednesday at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Game 6 will be Friday in Las Vegas.
“I think he had his best night,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said of Oettinger, who turned aside 33 of the 35 shots he faced and shut down the Knights in the third period while Dallas was nursing a 3-2 lead. “He locked it down in the third period. He made some key stops.”
The trend of the visiting team emerging triumphant in this series continued and home-ice advantage has not proved to be a key to date. Maybe that changes come Wednesday. But the Knights know they can win on the road and provided they clean up their act in their own end and put better pressure on Oettinger, perhaps they can regain control of a series in which they had led 2-0.
4. Phillies miscues help Angels snap losing streak
The Angels give manager Ron Washington something to celebrate on his birthday with a 6-5 win over the Phillies, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Michael Huntley.
The Angels scored a pair of runs on a wild pitch to beat the Phillies Monday 6-5 and end the team’s four-game losing streak.
Ehire Adrianza and Mike Trout scored on a wild pitch from Seranthony Dominguez in the seventh inning to give the Angels a 6-4 lead.
The seventh inning was the first time the Angels had led in a game since last Tuesday when they beat the Orioles 7-4. The team never had a lead during its four-game losing streak.
“We came out there tonight and actually showed what we can do,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “Now we just have to find the consistency in what we do.”
5. Kentucky Derby jockeys work shift at Raising Cane’s
Kentucky Derby jockeys Tyler Gaffalione, Joel Rosario and Brian Hernandez Jr. served Raising Cane’s to race fans in Louisville, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi.
Tyler Gaffalione was the first one to arrive at the Raising Cane’s about 20 minutes southeast of Churchill Downs. He was soon followed by fellow jockeys Brian Hernandez Jr. and Joel Rosario.
The only thing that was on Gaffalione’s mind, however, was finishing ahead of Hernandez, Rosario and the rest of the field on Saturday during the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby.
This is Gaffalione’s seventh time riding in the Kentucky Derby but it is easily his best chance to win it all. His previous six rides were longshots of at least 14-1 or greater and none finished better than seventh.
He enters Saturday’s Kentucky Derby with Sierra Leones, who sits just behind Fierceness as the current morning line favorite. Sunny Leone is also at the top of the points list and coming off an impressive Blue Grass Stakes victory.
“I love my horse, Sierra Leone, going into the Kentucky Derby,” Gaffalione said. “He’s done nothing wrong this year. He seems to be improving each race so it’s all system go right now.”
6. Kentucky Derby draw complete with less angst than expected
The post positions for the Kentucky Derby were drawn this past Saturday at Churchill Downs, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Louis Rabaut.
We know everyone’s starting spot for the Kentucky Derby and, unlike most draws, there were no audible gasps in the room when the post positions were selected Saturday at Churchill Downs.
“With my speed horses, I want them to see them outside, said trainer Chad Brown, whose trainee, Domestic Product, drew the 15 slot. “Domestic Product has a lot of speed, and that’ll be good for him.
“With my come from behind horse, I don’t want to be caught wide, an inside draw is fine… the 2 may be just a couple spots in, but I’ll tell ya I’d rather be saving ground in that first turn with a closer.”
Brown also trains Sierra Leone (No. 2 position), the likely second betting favorite on Derby day. It was Dornoch (No. 1), trained by Danny Gargan, who drew the now-dreaded inside post.
In 2020, Churchill Downs purchased a 20-horse gate; this replaced a system where an auxiliary gate was attached to the outside of a 14 horse gate. Prior to the purchase of the 20-horse gate, any horse breaking from the first, second, and third post positions were essentially running into the rail, and had to duck to their right to avoid it. These horses were largely tossed as contenders.
7. Video of the Day
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8. Ticket Time
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
6:38 p.m. – Phillies at Angels – Bally Sports West – $9
9. On the Air
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
4:00 p.m. – NFL Draft – ESPN
6:38 p.m. – Phillies at Angels – Bally Sports West
6:40 p.m. – Dodgers at Diamondbacks – SportsNet LA
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. You can also watch every Friday on BLEAV on FuboTV.
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