The NBA league office issued Golden State Warriors defensive anchor Draymond Green with a one-game suspension for his stomp on Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis.
The incident occurred in Game 2 of their first-round series, when Sabonis appeared to grab at Green's leg after falling to the ground.
Green responded by lashing out with a stomp onto Sabonis' ribs, and while Sabonis was issued a technical for his part, Green was ejected with a flagrant two.
The Athletic had reported earlier on Tuesday that sources indicated it would be unlikely Green would be suspended for Game 3, but that turned out to be false.
The NBA's statement read: "Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended one game without pay for stepping on the chest of Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, executive vice president, head of basketball operations.
"The suspension was based in part on Green's history of unsportsmanlike acts.
"Green's actions were in response to Sabonis grabbing and holding Green's right ankle after falling to the floor. Green received a Flagrant Foul Two and was ejected, and Sabonis was assessed a technical foul."
Already facing a 2-0 series deficit, the Warriors will now have to claw their way back without their future Hall of Fame defensive specialist.
The Cincinnati Reds made a long-term commitment to second-year pitcher Hunter Greene on Tuesday, as the sides agreed to a six-year, $53million contract extension.
The contract begins this season and buys out two years of Greene’s free agency. The deal includes a $21m club option for a seventh season, with a $2m buyout.
The 23-year-old Greene is the hardest-throwing starter in baseball, featuring a fastball that sits around 99 mph and has topped out at 102 this season. He also throws a slider that may be his most effective pitch.
Greene struggled at times during his 2022 rookie season but also showed flashes of his potential.
He went 5-13 with a 4.44 ERA in 24 starts, striking out 164 in 125 2/3 innings with 48 walks. Greene became the only major league rookie since 1900 to have at least three appearances in which he threw six or more innings and had eight or more strikeouts.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound right-hander has no decisions in four starts this season, compiling a 4.24 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 17 innings.
"The commitment we made to Hunter reflects his commitment to this organization and to our community," Reds CEO Bob Castellini said in a statement. "He is part of the foundation of young players who will continue to help us build a successful major league team."
Cincinnati is banking on Greene and 25-year-old pitchers Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft to form the core of the team’s rotation for years to come.
Greene’s signing represents a change in philosophy for the Reds, who have one of baseball’s lowest payrolls. More than half of Cinncinnati’s $83m payroll is going to longtime star Joey Votto, who is currently on the injured list, and Mike Moustakas, who was released in January and now plays for the Colorado Rockies.
The Reds lost 100 games last season and haven’t won a playoff series since 1995.
Sacramento Kings All-Star De'Aaron Fox was named the first ever winner of the new Clutch Player of the Year award on Tuesday.
Fox, 25, enjoyed a breakout season as he led the Kings to their first playoff appearance since 2006, snapping what was the longest active postseason drought in any of the United States' top four professional sports.
The former fifth overall pick from the 2017 NBA Draft shot a career-best 51.2 per cent from the field while also making a career-high 1.6 three-pointers per game, averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds in the process.
But while he was excellent all year, Fox went up a level late in close games, leading the NBA with 192 'clutch' points – which means points scored in the last five minutes in a game where the margin is within five points.
In clutch situations, Fox led the league in usage rate, accounting for 42.8 per cent of the Kings' offensive possessions, all while putting up a strong true-shooting percentage of 61.4 per cent.
That 61.4 per cent figure is the eighth-best among all players with a clutch usage rate above 25 per cent, and when his clutch scoring rate is extrapolated out to a per-36 minutes number, his mark of 43.7 points per-36 is nearly five points ahead of second-placed Bradley Beal (38.9).
Fox earned 91 out of 100 possible first-place votes, and 460 out of a possible 500 total points to cruise to the award, which he was seen as the massive favourite to win.
He was followed in the voting by Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler (one first-place vote, 104 total points) and Chicago Bulls wing DeMar DeRozan (80 total points).
Fox is the second recipient of the NBA's annual regular season awards, after Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr was named Defensive Player of the Year on Monday.
Memphis Grizzlies All-Star guard Ja Morant will be a game-time decision for Game 2 of their first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers due to the hand injury he suffered in Game 1.
Morant exited Sunday's 128-112 loss at FedExForum in the fourth quarter after trying to break his fall on a drive with his right hand, with his wrist bending unnaturally. He said afterwards he was "in jeopardy" for Game 2 to be played on Wednesday.
An MRI on Monday revealed a re-aggravation of soft tissue in Morant's hand, having previously picked up an issue against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 7.
"He's dealing with some pain and some soreness," Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters on Tuesday. "Symptoms are slightly improving from the other night.
"He's going to be a game-time decision. He's going to come in, get working in the morning, test it out and see how he's feeling."
Morant joined in Grizzlies' practice on Tuesday albeit on a restricted basis with shooting and dribbling on his right hand, although notably he did not wear any wrap for protection.
"He's progressing," Jenkins said. "He's dribbling and shooting as much as he can. As I said, he's got some pain he's dealing with, so it's kind of a tolerance thing.
"He's got some stiffness in his hand that he's kind of slowly getting through. We'll see how he wakes up."
The Grizzlies have officially listed Morant as questionable for Game 2. Morant averaged 26.2 points and 8.1 assists per game during the regular season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo failed to practice on Tuesday and was listed as doubtful for Game 2 of the Milwaukee Bucks' first round playoffs series against the Miami Heat.
MVP candidate Antetokounmpo suffered a lower back contusion in Sunday's 130-117 Game 1 defeat after falling on the floor awkwardly as Miami's Kevin Love slid in front of him to take a charge in the first quarter.
Antetokounmpo initially tried to play on but was ruled out at half-time, however a subsequent X-ray and MRI scan came back clean.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Monday he was "mostly optimistic" about Antetokounmpo's availability with Milwaukee desperate to square the ledger on their home court.
"There's an optimism," Budenholzer told reporters on Tuesday. "Time is a little bit on our side, but that equation will flip. But yeah, I would say we're optimistic."
It had been anticipated the two-time MVP would require a period of rest in the lead-up to Wednesday's game at Fiserv Forum. Antetokounmpo may still get some practice in given Game 2 is a 9pm local time tipoff.
The Greek forward averaged 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the regular season, sitting in the NBA's top five for both categories.
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is set for surgery on his broken hand on Friday, which will keep him out of action for between four and six weeks.
Herro, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year winner, has averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season in his first campaign as a full-time starter.
He suited up for a career-high 67 regular season games, but suffered a broken hand during the first half of Game 1 in Miami's first round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Heat went on to win Game 1 without Herro, as Milwaukee's two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo also left in the first half following a hard fall onto his back, but while Antetokounmpo could return in Game 2, Herro is set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Herro said he likely will not play again this postseason unless the Heat reach the NBA Finals.
"That's the hope," he said. "Get to the Finals and I can get back for that.
"I watched the video, and I still don't know, like, where I hit my hand. I still don't know.
"I probably shouldn't have dove on it, but I was trying to create some energy. We were on the road, in my hometown. Just trying to play hard.
"Being in the playoffs, you work so hard all year to be in this moment. I feel like I had some things to prove this postseason. It was a tough moment – I still can't believe it."
Game 2 will be played in Milwaukee on Wednesday, before the series heads to Miami for Games 3 and 4.
Paula Badosa believes she can break back into the world's top three after cruising past Daria Kasatkina at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where Emma Raducanu crashed out on Tuesday.
Seventh seed Kasatkina had no answers in Stuttgart as she fell to a 6-1 6-1 defeat against Badosa, who recorded the ninth top-10 victory of her career and first in exactly 12 months.
Badosa has won 29 clay-court matches in the last three seasons – only Ons Jabeur (35) and Iga Swiatek (30) have won more – but the Spaniard had to enter this tournament as a wildcard.
The 25-year-old was as high as second in the world last year but has fallen to 31st, and she outlined her goal to reach the top once more after her first-round win set up an all-Spanish meeting with Cristina Bucsa.
When asked about her ambitions to return to the world's top three, Badosa said: "That's what I'm working on every day. That's one of my goals – I want to be back on the top.
"I like to play big matches, I like to be in the last rounds of the tournaments. I still know I have that level. I still know I was that player. I still believe in myself, and I hope I'm back there very soon."
Jelena Ostapenko eased into the second round with similar dominance after downing Raducanu 6-2 6-1 in just 58 minutes, teeing up a meeting with world number four Ons Jabeur on Wednesday.
Latvian Ostapenko powered 19 forehand winners and went unbroken, acknowledging in her on-court interview that familiar aggression was key to her success in the battle of two one-time grand slam winners.
"I knew against her the main thing was to step in the court," said former French Open winner Ostapenko. "I missed some balls, but I tried to be aggressive all the time when it was possible.
"Just try to take the ball early, don't give her many chances. And finally, I'm back on clay, my favourite surface."
Barbora Krejcikova was another straight-sets winner, scoring a 6-2 6-0 triumph over Liudmila Samsonova, with the reward for the 2021 Roland Garros champion being a tricky clash against second seed and Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka.
There was no such ease for Anastasia Potapova in a battling 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-4) victory over Petra Martic, the Russian's ninth third-set win in 2023 – no WTA Tour player has managed more.
Tatjana Maria overcame Ylena In-Albon 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-4) in another enticing clash, while Beatriz Haddad Maia advanced after Martina Trevisan was forced to retire when trailing 7-5 1-1 due to a right thigh injury.
Roger Schmidt called on Benfica to "prove we belong here" as he targets a comeback in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Benfica face Inter at San Siro on Wednesday, trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Lisbon last week.
The Portuguese giants have already won away to Italian opposition in the Champions League this season, beating Juventus 2-1 during the group stage, though they were winless in six such games prior to that match (D1 L5).
Schmidt's team are also unbeaten in seven Champions League away matches; they have won their last two games on the road and will need to win three in a row for the first time since March 1990 if they are to progress to the final four.
Benfica have been one of the standout performers in this season's tournament, and Schmidt wants his side to prove their credentials.
"We need to score, which we've proved that we can do in important Champions League matches," he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
"We had our chances last week too but didn't make the most of them.
"We need motivation, sharp minds and leave all emotions off the pitch. It is time to prove we belong here, otherwise we'll be out of the Champions League.
"I've seen my team play at their best and there were big margins of improvement from the performance I saw last week.
"I believe in my team and anything is possible in football, even if we are not starting from 50-50 odds. It's not easy, but it is not impossible either."
Benfica's defeat last week was wedged between domestic losses to Porto and Chaves.
Schmidt added: "It is very strange to have lost three games in a row in all competitions, and unexpected.
"The players did fantastic things all season. Even if Inter won 2-0, the statistics show it was a fairly balanced match and we had our chances too.
"It's impossible to be too downbeat after a season like this."
Allen Robinson is on the move again, reportedly being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers from the Los Angeles Rams.
The 29-year-old wide receiver is travelling to Pittsburgh on Tuesday for a physical, according to reports, and the trade will be completed if he passes.
There is no word on what the Rams are getting in return.
Robinson requested a trade out of Los Angeles last month and a move to Pittsburgh would mark a third team in as many seasons for the former Pro Bowler.
Robinson signed a three-year, $46.5million contract with the Rams in March 2022, but he added little to the offense, finishing with 33 catches for 339 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games last season as Los Angeles endured a dismal defence of their Super Bowl title.
He spent the previous four years with the Chicago Bears after playing his first four professional seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft.
A nine-year veteran, Robinson has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons – most recently with the Bears in 2020, when he had a career-high 102 receptions for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns.
In the two seasons since then, however, he’s caught just 71 passes for 749 yards and four TDs in 22 games.
His most receiving yards came during his Pro Bowl season of 2015, when his 1,400 receiving yards ranked sixth in the league.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the third round of the Barcelona Open with a 6-3 6-1 straight sets rout of Nuno Borges.
The world number two thrilled his home crowd with a ruthless performance against his Portuguese opponent to reach the last 16, converting five break points along the way.
Alcaraz will be joined in the next round by third seed Casper Ruud, after the Norweigian overcame American Ben Shelton in a 6-2 7-6 (7-1) victory.
Roberto Bautista Agut will not join them, however, after he suffered a 6-2 6-2 loss to Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
At the BMW Open, Dominic Thiem set up a second-round clash with Marc-Andrea Husler after receiving a walkover against Constant Lestienne.
The 2020 US Open winner had been leading 6-3 when the match was abandoned at 0-0 in the second set, as fifth seed Sebastian Baez slipped to a 6-3 7-5 loss against home favourite Oscar Otte in Munich.
Conor Benn confirmed he is in discussions with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) but claimed he cannot comment amid reports he has been provisionally suspended.
The boxer twice tested positive for the banned substance clomifene last year ahead of a scheduled bout with Chris Eubank Jr in October that was subsequently scrapped.
Benn's reinstatement to the WBC rankings in March appeared to pave the way for a return, but he remains without a licence from the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).
Reports on Tuesday from Boxing News suggested he has been provisionally suspended since March 15, to which Benn responded on social media with defiance while acknowledging he could not say much else on the matter.
"I can't comment on anything to do with UKAD other than to say that I am in touch with them," he wrote on Twitter.
"Someone at the BBBoC or UKAD obviously wanted to create a headline, unlike the [Amir] Khan case where it was kept quiet for 14 months.
"But this is nothing new. I remain free to fight outside the UK. This isn't even about my innocence anymore, it's all politics. You can't keep a good man down."
Benn had been plotting a comeback bout abroad in Abu Dhabi later this year, with multiple options such as Eubank Jr and Manny Pacquiao apparently touted by his promoter Eddie Hearn.
However, any such bout would risk the British licences of all involved regardless of it taking place on foreign soil if Benn is suspended by UKAD.
Damar Hamlin has been fully cleared to resume all football activities.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed on Tuesday that safety Hamlin was working out at their facility after receiving clearance from three doctors.
Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest in the Bills' game with the Cincinnati Bengals in January, collapsing on the field in the first quarter of the Week 17 encounter.
He received CPR and automated external defibrillation on the field, with his heart successfully restarted.
Hamlin has subsequently made a remarkable recovery, and after saying on a visit to the White House to meet US president Joe Biden he planned to play football again, he has now been permitted to do so.
"They're all in agreement [the specialists]. It's not two to one or anything like that; they're all in lockstep of what this was and that he is cleared to resume full activities just like anyone else who was coming back from an injury or whatever, so he's fully cleared," Beane said at his pre-draft press conference.
"He’s here, and he’s in a great headspace to come back and make his return.
"Damar is preparing to play."
Novak Djokovic's right elbow is "not in an ideal condition" just over a month before the French Open gets under way.
The world number one wore strapping at the Monte Carlo Masters last week and suffered a shock 6-4 5-7 4-6 defeat to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.
Djokovic, who had an elbow operation in 2018, will be back in action at the Srpska Open this week, facing Frenchman Luca Van Assche in the first round of the tournament in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As he steps up his preparations to try and win a record 23rd grand slam title at Roland Garros, the 35-year-old revealed he is being hampered by his elbow.
"The elbow is not in an ideal condition, but let's say it’s good enough. I hope it will be fully ready for the first match," he said.
Djokovic expressed his gratitude for the way he has been received in Banja Luka this week.
"The people welcome me wholeheartedly with a great reception and so much love and support," he said.
"So I'm super excited to be here because I think it's one of the best places for us Serbian tennis players and athletes in general to be able to perform where we have so much love and support from local people."
Djokovic has a 16-2 record this year, winning a title in Adelaide before matching Rafael Nadal's haul of major triumphs at the Australian Open.
Ferrari have lost their appeal to the FIA over a time penalty handed to Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix.
Sainz was punished following a collision with Fernando Alonso during the race on April 2.
He was demoted from fourth to 12th place after making contact with Alonso's Aston Martin in a chaotic penultimate-lap standing restart.
There were another two crashes prior to a red flag being waved for a third time in Melbourne, where Red Bull's Max Verstappen triumphed.
Ferrari appealed the decision, but on Tuesday it was confirmed the Italian team had been unsuccessful.
"There is no significant and relevant new element that was unavailable to the parties seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned. The Petition is therefore dismissed," an FIA statement read after a hearing on Tuesday.
"We considered the fact that this collision took place at the first corner on the first lap of the restart, when, by convention, the stewards would typically take a more lenient view of incidents.
"However, we decided that notwithstanding that it was the equivalent of a first lap incident, we considered that there was sufficient gap for SAI to take steps to avoid the collision and failed to do so. We therefore imposed a five-second time penalty."
Ferrari said they were "naturally disappointed" with the decision, adding they felt "that we had provided sufficient significant new elements for the FIA to re-examine the decision especially in the context of the particular conditions and multiple incidents that occurred during the final restart."
Their statement concluded: "We are however respectful of the process and of the FIA decision. We are now looking forward to entering broader discussions with the FIA, Formula One, and all the teams, with the aim of further improving the policing of our sport, in order to ensure the highest level of fairness and consistency that our sport deserves.
Draymond Green pleaded his innocence for the stamping incident that led to his ejection from Monday's 114-106 loss to the Sacramento Kings, calling on referees to help him out.
Green was called for a flagrant-2 foul and subsequently ejected in the fourth quarter of the Game 2 loss in the Golden State Warriors’ playoffs first round loss after an altercation with Kings center Domantas Sabonis.
The Warriors big man stamped on Sabonis’ chest, after the latter fell to the ground and appeared to grab Green's leg as Golden State tried to launch a fast break following Stephen Curry's rebound from Malik Monk's missed two-point attempt.
Lithuanian center Sabonis was on the floor in pain for several minutes. While Green was ejected, Sabonis was called for a technical foul for the grab.
The Warriors All-Star claimed it was the second time in two games that he had been grabbed, citing a similar incident in Game 1 involving Monk and calling for more assistance from the officials.
"My leg got grabbed," Green told reporters. "Second time in two nights. Referees just watch it. I've got to land my foot somewhere.
"I'm not the most flexible person, so I'm not stretching that far. I could only step so far in pulling my leg away. It is what it is."
Green said the referees told him he had been ejected because he "stomped too hard", while he was not surprised Sabonis stayed down injured given the impact.
Sabonis refused to be drawn on the incident, nor whether there was any animosity between him and Green as a result.
"It's playoff basketball," Sabonis told NBA on TNT. "This is it, we're here to fight. Every time we step on the floor, we're going to give everything for our team-mates and the franchise.
"We're both fighting for the rebound. We fell on each other, stuff happens, it's basketball, we've got to move on, next play."
Doc Rivers' "cursing" had the desire effect as the Philadelphia 76ers stepped it up in the second half to take a 2-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference playoff series.
The Nets led Game 2 at Wells Fargo Center on Monday by five points at half-time and Rivers decided just over a minute into the third quarter it was time for him to unleash some verbal volleys.
Sixers head coach Rivers' intervention sparked his side into life and they went on to win 96-84.
Tyrese Maxey top scored with 33 points, including six three-pointers, while Joel Embiid finished with 20 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.
Tobias Harris also weighed in with 20 points and 12 rebounds as Philadelphia took command of the first-round series before travelling to New York for Game 3 on Thursday.
Asked what Rivers said during a huddle early in the third quarter, James Harden said: "Cursing us out. That's it. Just cursing us out.
"The first possession, we didn't run a play that he drew up, for whatever reason. But we got it right."
Rivers felt the Sixers made life difficult for themselves before raising their game to dominate the second half.
"We got guys to the right space," Rivers said. "Joel was patient. James was patient. We moved the ball, we got every shot we wanted.
"That was a hard game, because we got outside of ourselves in the first half. I thought we were forcing it. We were trying, nothing selfish, but we're trying to score all of us, instead of being there giving you the answers with their traps. Trust your stuff, trust your spacing, move the ball and the right guys are going to end up with the ball.
"And if we do it enough, eventually, Joel, you're gonna get one-on-ones, and then you're going to dominate the game. And I thought we did that in the second half."
Cam Johnson led the Nets with 28 points but they were unable to level the series.
The Boston Bruins continued their historic season with a 3-1 Game 1 victory in the first-round series against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden on Monday.
Boston put together the greatest regular season record in NHL history at 65-12-5, beating the previous record held by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings (62-13-7) by three wins.
Kicking off their Eastern Conference playoff campaign, the Bruins jumped ahead in the first period through a David Pastrnak goal, before Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk added one each in the second period either side of Matthew Tkachuk's lone Panthers score.
While the Bruins came out with the win, they finished on the wrong end of the total shot count 32-29, also trailing slightly in hits (44-43).
Head coach Jim Montgomery said the score was not indicative of the general play, but at this time of year they will take whatever they can get.
"Results matter more than the process right now," he said. "When we look at our five-on-five game, we were not very happy with our process.
"So we can get better there, but the result was really good, and I think the result comes from we had some players play really well, especially our goaltender.
"The intensity of the playoffs, it surprised us a little bit, and I think we had a little bit of nerves."
Marchand is no stranger to playoff hockey, winning the Stanley Cup with the Bruins back in 2011, and he made it clear Boston are not happy with just the regular-season record.
"I don't think we've ever been satisfied with any game we've had this year," he said. "It's always good to start the first game with a win, but we haven't accomplished anything yet."
Tkachuk credited the Bruins with the way they improved the longer the game went on.
"There were parts of our game that were good, and I feel like [the Bruins] got a little bit better as it got on," he said. "Especially when you have a two-goal lead, it's easier to play.
"You're playing safer, and they packed it in pretty good on us, but I'm confident in our team, in our game, and seeing a lot of things that I think we could hang with these guys."
Game 2 will also take place in Boston on Wednesday before the series heads to Florida.
Shohei Ohtani helped his Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing streak on Sunday, igniting a 5-4 road win against the Boston Red Sox.
Ohtani started on the mound at Fenway Park, giving up one run while striking out three batters across the opening two innings.
He also collected a base hit in the first frame, and followed it with another single in the second, before rain arrived and forced a weather delay.
With his arm cooling down during the lengthy break, Ohtani was replaced by Tucker Davidson upon resumption, but the five runs the Angels put up in the first two innings proved to be enough.
The catalyst for their bright offensive start was Hunter Renfroe, connecting on a three-run homer with the game's fourth at-bat. Renfroe then added his fourth RBI of the contest an inning later with a ground-out.
Red Sox star Rafael Devers tried to ignite a late comeback in the bottom of the ninth, with his RBI single bridging the gap to 5-4 while runners remained on first and second base with one out, but Rob Refsnyder and Masataka Yoshida could not muster a hit from either of the final two at-bats.
After the win, Angels manager Phil Nevin said the team would discuss moving up Ohtani's next start due to his limited workload this time out.
Rangers pitch combined one-hitter
There was an injury scare for Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom, but it could not sour their terrific 4-0 shutout of the Kansas City Royals.
DeGrom was withdrawn after four innings of work with what the team called a precaution due to wrist soreness, but he held the Royals hit-less during those four innings, and the bullpen only allowed one hit the rest of the way.
Dane Dunning came in and tossed four innings in relief, allowing one hit and one walk in a great showing, while the bulk of the offensive damage was done by a three-run homer from Josh Jung in the first inning.
It was Jung's third home run of the season, and team-mate Marcus Semien joined him with three for the campaign after a solo homer of his own.
Rays keep home run streak alive in loss
The Tampa Bay Rays suffered a disappointing 8-1 road defeat at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds, but not before keeping their historic home run streak alive.
The Rays were down 8-0 in the last inning when Josh Lowe hit a consolation home run, but with it, he marked the 17th consecutive game Tampa have hit a home run in to start the season.
Tampa Bay slipped to a still league-leading 14-3 record with the loss, but they are now just three games with a home run away from tying the 2019 Seattle Mariners for the longest streak to start a season in MLB history.
The Golden State Warriors' title defense is on rocky ground after Monday's 114-106 loss to the Sacramento Kings left them 2-0 down in their playoffs first round series.
To make matters worse for the reigning champions, Draymond Green faces a ban for Game 3 back at Chase Center after being ejected for stomping on Domantas Sabonis with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Kings led 91-87 at the time with the contest wide open until Sacramento pulled away with 12 of the final 17 points. The Warriors were left to rue 20 turnovers, along with making 13-of-40 three-point attempts.
De'Aaron Fox, who finished with 24 points on 10-of-23 shooting with nine assists, made a three-point shot with 2:17 remaining before Sabonis assisted Davion Mitchell's triple for 112-103 with 1:17 left. Sabonis scored 24 points on eight-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds and four assists.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry shot three-of-13 from three-point range, finishing with 28 points and six assists, while Klay Thompson made five-of-10 from beyond the arc in his 21-point haul.
Andrew Wiggins contributed strongly again with 22 points and five rebounds, while Green had four rebounds, five assists and eight points before his ejection.
The Green incident came when Sabonis fell to the ground amid a scrum of players attempting to rebound Malik Monk's failed two-point attempt.
The Kings center appeared to grab Green's leg as the Warriors tried to launch a break, prompting the reaction. Green's right foot landed heavily on Sabonis' chest, with the Lithuanian remaining on the floor in pain as the officials reviewed the play.
The officials called Sabonis for a technical foul for grabbing Green's leg, with the Warriors center given a flagrant-2 foul, prompting his automatic ejection and potential suspension.
The Kings fans at Golden 1 Center yelled at Green during the review, with the four-time All-Star egging them on, waving them on and holding a hand to his ear calling for more.
Maxey stars as 76ers open up 2-0 lead
Tyrese Maxey drained six three-pointers as the Philadelphia 76ers claimed a 2-0 lead in their playoffs first round series with a 96-84 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Maxey scored a game-high 33 points for the 76ers, including a triple from Joel Embiid's pass with 1:54 remaining to open up a 12-point lead. Maxey's total was a playoff career-high.
Embiid pulled down 19 rebounds, with 20 points on six-of-11 shooting and seven assists, while Tobias Harris added 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Philadelphia showcased their depth, with James Harden only having eight points on three-of-13 shooting and seven assists.
The Nets had started strongly, leading by 10 points in the second quarter with Cam Johnson having 22 first-half points but he finished with only 28. Brooklyn only used eight players.
The 76ers turned the game in their favour with a 24-14 third quarter, condemning the Nets to their seventh straight postseason loss, having been swept by the Boston Celtics at this stage last year.
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