The New York Yankees have lost three games in a row for the first time this season after a 6-4 defeat against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
Making the win even more impressive for the Orioles was the fact that Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was on the mound, and superstar Aaron Judge blasted a first-inning home run.
Jose Trevino doubled the Yankees' lead with an RBI single in the second frame, before Cole began to struggle in the third.
Orioles batters Ramon Urias and Robinson Chirinos kicked off the third inning with back-to-back doubles, before Austin Hays drove in two with his base hit and Ryan Mountcastle made it 4-2 with an RBI fielder's choice.
Cole woke up after that, striking out the next five Orioles batters, and when Judge stepped up in the fifth inning and tied the game with his second home run, it appeared the Yankees were going to take over down the stretch.
But the Orioles would not go away, with Urias blasting his own home run off Cole to put his side up 5-4, and they were able to add an extra insurance run in the top of the last inning.
Judge's two home runs take his tally to 17 for the season – five more than any other player.
The Yankees still hold a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers as the best team in baseball, now 29-13.
Dodgers win with small-ball
The Los Angeles Dodgers piled on 10 runs without a home run as they defeated the Washington Nationals 10-1.
Of the Dodgers' 10 runs, one was driven in through a ground-out, four through singles with runners in scoring position, four with doubles, and one via a Christian Taylor triple.
Trea Turner finished with a game-high three RBIs, while Freddie Freeman collected a game-high three hits from five at-bats.
Tyler Anderson was superb on the mound for the Dodgers, pitching eight full innings for eight strikeouts while giving up no runs, no walks and five hits.
Goldschmidt delivers in extra innings
St. Louis Cardinals first-baseman Paul Goldschmidt continued his historic hitting streak in style, capping off his side's 7-3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off grand slam in extra innings.
With the game tied at 3-3 after nine innings, the Cardinals were able to hold the Blue Jays scoreless in the top of the 10th, before two walks loaded the bases for Goldschmidt.
He blasted the fourth pitch of the at-bat 366 feet over the left-field wall to give his side the win, and extend his hitting streak to 15 games.
Since RBIs became an official stat in 1920, no player has ever matched Goldschmidt's numbers of 28 hits, 12 doubles, five home runs and 22 RBIs over a 15-game stretch.
The Boston Celtics smothered the Miami Heat all night on the way to a 102-82 victory in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
With the win, the Celtics evened the series at 2-2, and are still yet to lose back-to-back games this postseason.
It all started on the defensive end for Boston, playing in front of their raucous home fans, as the Heat missed their first 14 field goal attempts.
The Celtics led 29-11 at quarter time – after leading 26-4 at one stage – marking the fewest first-quarter points ever scored by a Heat team in the playoffs. They shot three-for-20 from the field.
Victor Oladipo tried to ignite the Heat off the bench, scoring 18 of their first 28 points, but it was a historically bad showing from Miami's starting line-up, made even worse by the fact Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro was out injured.
With three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Heat trailed 73-42, leading to their starters getting benched for the final frame. Their five starters combined to score 18 points and shoot seven-for-38 (18 per cent) from the field.
For Boston, Jayson Tatum was terrific, scoring 24 of his 31 points in the first half, finishing up with shooting figures of eight-of-16 from the field and 14-of-16 from the free throw line.
The big-man combination of Al Horford and Robert Williams III was also game-changing, as the duo combined for 22 rebounds and six blocks, while Derrick White also shined in his first game since becoming a father.
White missed Game 3 for the birth of his child, and after scoring no more than nine points since Game 4 of the Celtics series against the Milwaukee Bucks, he had 10 points in the first quarter as he started in the place of the injured Marcus Smart.
He went on to finish with 13 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and a blocked shot.
Game 5 will head back to Miami with plenty on the line. Throughout NBA history, when a series has been tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 goes on to win the series 82 per cent of the time – although the Celtics bucked that trend last round.
Novak Djokovic found his footing after the first set to cruise past Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3 6-1 6-0 in Monday's opening round, and said he feels good returning to Roland Garros after winning the French Open in 2021.
It was a relatively close opening set of the tournament for Djokovic, as Nishioka created three break-point opportunities compared to the Serb's two, but Djokovic was able to save all three, while capitalising on one of his own.
Overall for the first set, Djokovic won 55 per cent of the total points, and that number climbed the longer the match went on. He won 63 per cent of the points in the second set, and 67 per cent in the third.
Speaking with the media after his match, Djokovic was excited to be back on clay as he seeks his third French Open crown – the only grand slam he has not won at least three times.
"I have to be pleased with the match," he said. "I struggled to adapt in the first set.
"He is a very quick player. The first set was close, but I cruised through the second and third.
"I always expect the highest for myself, but it was a very good start. I have been feeling well on clay in the past few weeks.
"I am happy to be back. The memories from last year are fresh in my mind."
In the second round, Djokovic will play the winner between Alex Molcan and Federia Coria.
Rafael Nadal declared he must improve every aspect of his game despite dominating Jordan Thompson in the first round of the French Open on Monday.
Nadal arrived at Roland Garros with just five matches under his belt in the clay-court season after recovering from a foot injury, but cruised to a 6-2 6-2 6-2 victory over Thompson on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
That moved him beyond Roger Federer's record number of victories at a single grand slam with 106 from 109 matches, with the Swiss great's 105 coming at Wimbledon.
Nadal, bidding to win the Paris major for a record-extending 14th time and take his overall haul to 22, will face Corentin Moutet in the second round and the fifth seed says there is plenty of room for improvement.
The Spaniard said: "I need to improve in all ways. I think I need to improve my movement, the speed of my forehand, the speed I think could be better and should be better.
"I did things well, for a while was good. The conditions were heavier than usual here, very humid, the court. I don't know, [maybe] having the roof on for a long time.
"I am happy with the performance. It has been a positive start. Then of course, the kind of player that I am, I'm always looking for something else, looking for better things.
"That's what I am going to try to find in my practice tomorrow and then in the next match."
Nadal says there is no point dwelling on the disappointment of not having played on his favourite surface as often as he usually has before the second major of the year.
He added: "I got injured, and that's it. What happened is past, and here we are. We are in Roland Garros. I am here to try my best.
"And how is my level of confidence, how the things would be or if I didn't get injured, I don't know. We will never know.
"I'm not a big fan of think about the things that could happen if – 'if' is a dangerous word. You have to accept the moment to accept the moment, to accept the situation and to have the confidence to put all my effort in every single day, to get better and better. Let's see how far I can keep going."
Novak Djokovic started the defence of his French Open title with an emphatic straight-sets defeat of Yoshihito Nishioka.
The world number one, bidding to win a record-equalling 21st grand slam title, triumphed 6-3 6-1 6-0 in the first night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier a day after turning 35.
Djokovic was unable to play in the Australian Open after being deported from Melbourne, but hit the ground running in his first major match of the year under the lights at Roland Garros on Monday.
The top seed hit 35 winners as Japanese outsider Nishioka was given a lesson and will face Alex Molcan or Federico Coria in the second round.
Djokovic was gifted a first break when his left-handed opponent double-faulted to go 4-2 down and the Serb comfortably served out the set.
Nishioka had no answer to the two-time French Open champion and the crowd did not do the outsider any favours by booing one of the all-time greats, seemingly due to him being so superior to his opponent.
A fired-up Djokovic marched into a 5-0 lead in the second set and, although Nishioka was able to avoid a bagel, he could not take a game off the defending champion in another totally one-sided third set.
This was a statement victory for Djokovic on the back of his record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome.
Data Slam: Relentless Djokovic shows no mercy
This was another exhibition of returning from the favourite to win the title. Djokovic won 45 of 79 receiving points in a relentless display on day two.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 35/32
Nishioka – 17/32
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 9/0
Nishioka – 6/3
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 8/18
Nishioka – 1/6
Tyler Herro will miss Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, but the Miami Heat are hopeful Jimmy Butler will face the Boston Celtics on Monday.
Herro sustained a groin injury during the Heat's 109-103 Game 3 win and will play no part as Miami attempt to take a 3-1 lead at TD Garden.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said: "We just had to be responsible and take the decision out of his hands.
"He really wants to be out there tonight. The trainers and Dr. [Harlan] Selesnick don't think that's the best idea just because of the intensity and everything, but we'll see.
"He's young, we'll treat him day-to-day, and we'll see what happens from here."
Butler has been suffering with inflammation of his left knee, but will warm up with the intention of playing in Game 4.
Spoelstra is also hoping Kyle Lowry (left hamstring strain), Max Strus (right hamstring strain), P.J. Tucker (left knee irritation) and Gabe Vincent (left hamstring strain) will feature.
Celtic trio Jayson Tatum (stinger), Marcus Smart (sprained ankle) and Robert Williams III are listed as probable.
Rafael Nadal has surpassed Roger Federer for match wins at a single grand slam after defeating Jordan Thompson in the first round at the French Open.
Nadal won 6-2 6-2 6-2 against the world number 82 on Monday, as he bids for a record-extending 14th title at Roland Garros.
The 35-year-old, 21-time grand slam champion has recorded 106 victories from 109 matches, excluding walkovers, at the French Open, only losing to Robin Soderling (2008) and Novak Djokovic (2015 and 2021).
Nadal's remarkable form in Paris means that he has now overtaken fellow great Roger Federer when it comes to winning matches at one of the majors.
Federer has tallied up 105 wins at Wimbledon, which the Swiss has won on eight occasions, last doing so in 2017.
Nadal, one of only three players to have previously won the French Open without losing a single set, will face wild card Corentin Moutet in round two, after the Frenchman defeated Stan Wawrinka – the 2015 champion – 2-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-3.
Rafael Nadal cruised through his first-round match against Jordan Thompson to make a strong start to his French Open campaign.
Nadal is in the hunt for a record-extending 14th title at Roland Garros and he turned in a dominant display on Monday, winning 6-2 6-2 6-2 to progress with ease.
It took Nadal a little over two hours to see off his opponent on Court Philippe-Chatrier and claim a 24th win of what is already proving to be a wonderful season.
Nadal, seeded fifth, controlled the match throughout, breaking twice in the first set, which he sealed at the first time of asking.
Thompson, the world number 82, conceded serve again at the start of the second set, and he was left hanging over the net in despair when Nadal turned defence into attack to deny the 28-year-old holding in his next service game.
A deft drop shot saw Thompson recover but Nadal was clinical when chances to break came, and he took all three on offer in the second set, though the Australian also grasped his only chance to do so.
Thompson salvaged the first three break points in set three but Nadal would not be denied, and he nosed into a 3-2 lead before breaking again to serve out for the match.
A stray shot into the net from Thompson wrapped up the win as Nadal – one of only three players to have previously won the French Open without losing a single set – made an emphatic start.
Data Slam: Nadal's incredible Roland Garros record
Nadal is the only player to have won the same grand slam title 10+ times, and of the 109 matches he has now played at Roland Garros (excluding walkovers), the 35-year-old has lost just three – once against Robin Soderling (2008) and twice to Novak Djokovic (2015, 2021).
Thompson, who made 29 unforced errors, seemed frustrated at his own performance, but he was taking on a true great of the game.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Nadal – 27/21
Thompson – 14/29
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Nadal – 1/0
Thompson – 5/1
BREAK POINTS WON
Nadal – 7/11
Thompson – 1/2
Iga Swiatek insists there is no way she will snub Wimbledon due to the lack of rankings points on offer at the grass-court grand slam.
The WTA and ATP last week announced that they had stripped Wimbledon of ranking points after the All England Club decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing.
Wimbledon organisers took that stance in the wake of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which was aided by Belarus.
Naomi Osaka gave a strong suggestion after crashing out of the French Open in the first round on Monday that she may not compete at SW19.
World number one Swiatek will not be opting out of playing in the major in London, which starts on June 27.
Pole Swiatek said after thrashing Lesia Tsurenko at Roland Garros: "I have never really had a situation to play without points, and I don't really know how I'm going to react.
"But I think that when I'm going to step out on court it's going to be normal for me, because I don't mind points. I already have so many points this season that it's really going to be fine for me. I'm okay with playing without points; I'm okay playing with points.
"But for me it's more the political side of things, because Poland is supporting Ukrainians, and the war is right next to my country, so it's harder on me from that perspective.
"I don't really mind about points. For me it's Wimbledon, for sure. It's one of the most important tournaments in the season, but there is war going on. I look at it more from that way than what's going to happen on rankings."
Swiatek was reminded that she had played in the Olympics without points at stake and says she would never view Wimbledon as being "like an exhibition", as Osaka earlier stated in Paris.
She added: "Truth be told, I didn't really think how I'm going to feel going to Wimbledon. The decision has been made few days ago, so I was really focused on Roland Garros.
"But honestly, I think I'm going to be really motivated anyway, because I'm that kind of person who just likes competition. And if I'm going to step out on court, I will want to win.
"I forgot about the Olympics, but you play for medals, so still it's really important. In Wimbledon, you still have that result that is going to be on Wikipedia next to your name.
"I will enjoy the learning experience on the grass, because I still feel like there is a lot of potential I can reach, and I haven't been able to do that in previous years.
"It's all going to be learning as well. I want to use the time on grass."
Oshae Haye and Jodi Munn-Barrow headed into Monday’s final day the leaders of the three-day Jamaica Golf Association's National Amateur Golf Championship being played at the Sandals Golf & Country Club in St. Ann.
Reigning French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova is out of this year's tournament after suffering a first-round defeat to teenage opponent Diane Parry.
The number two seed looked to be cruising on Court Philippe-Chatrier, taking the first set 6-1, before an impressive recovery from Parry saw the 19-year-old take the next two sets 6-2 6-3.
Parry becomes the lowest-ranked woman to beat the second seed at Roland Garros since Arantxa Rus beat Kim Clijsters in 2011.
It looked like Krejcikova was going to follow number one seed Iga Swiatek in easing to a quick win on Monday, winning 15 straight points in the early stages as she ran out to a lead of 6-1 2-0.
However, her determined opponent suddenly found an extra gear and started to trouble the Czech star, actually winning a higher percentage of points on her second serve (67) than her first (64) to win six straight games in the second set.
Krejcikova broke in the first game of the deciding set and looked to have recovered, only for Parry to break back in the fourth game, before breaking again in the eighth, and serving out to claim a famous win.
The French youngster will face Colombian Camila Osorio in the second round.
Lesia Tsurenko has criticised the ATP and WTA for stripping Wimbledon of its ranking points, insisting that Russian and Belarusian players missing one tournament is not a big price to pay for the atrocities committed in Ukraine.
The two tours made the decision in response to Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has sparked worldwide condemnation, was facilitated by neighbouring Belarus.
Russian and Belarusian players have been allowed to compete on the ATP and WTA Tours under neutral flags, but the saga surrounding Wimbledon not permitting them to do so has prompted doubts over how many players will participate with no ranking points on offer.
Naomi Osaka said she was leaning towards not playing at the All England Club, saying it was "more like an exhibition" without points available, following her first-round defeat at the French Open on Monday.
Ukrainian Tsurenko, who lost to Polish world number one Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros, was emphatic in expressing her disapproval of the decision of the ATP and WTA.
"The Wimbledon decision, of course as a Ukrainian, I think that I should show as much support for my country as I can, and I think it was the right decision from Wimbledon just to show some support from the tennis world," Tsurenko said in her post-match media conference.
"Of course, I didn't like the decision about playing with no points. I hope that, I don't know, I just hope that something will change in the tennis world in the mind of the players and in the mind of our association.
"But for now it is the way it is. Unfortunately for me, but what can we do with that?"
Tsurenko said she expressed her opinion to the WTA "many times".
Asked what reply she received, she added: "Nothing that can make me happy. I think my personal opinion is that as we see a lot of sports, they banned Russian, a number of Russian players and in tennis it's only one tournament.
"I honestly think that this is not a very big price for them to pay or to accept. I think it's not too much, it's not much, really, it's just one tournament.
"But, I don't know, for them they feel like they are losing their job. And I also feel many bad things, I feel a lot of terrible things and I think compared to that, losing a chance to play in one tournament is nothing."
Tsurenko also criticised a lack of support from the governing bodies and her fellow players, though she praised Swiatek, who wore a pin in support of Ukraine.
"For me personally it's tough to be here, just because I don't get much words said about the support of my country and this is, yeah, it's just tough to be with people who look like they don't understand," said Tsurenko.
"It's just tough. It's just because it's me, I'm Ukrainian, and there's a war in my country and it's tough. I think five players spoke to me, maybe four or five. Maybe a few more coaches.
"I would like to get more support probably, but what can I do?
"I really appreciate the support that Iga is showing and I know that Poland in general is doing so much for Ukraine and that, I mean, they are amazing in general, the people, the president of Poland, the politics, everyone, just amazing support for Ukrainian people, for Ukrainian refugees and what I see on the TV, the friendship between Ukraine and Poland is amazing.
"I want the whole world to see that Ukraine is a beautiful country with beautiful people. I don't know if I can ask players to care more, but I would like to see that from the players, from the WTA, from ATP, I would like top players just to support more and to show more understanding of what is really going on.
"Because it's just life and life is, as I said before, more than a tennis match."
Naomi Osaka has become the first high-profile player to suggest they might miss Wimbledon after the grand slam was stripped of ranking points.
The WTA and ATP announced last week that they had stripped Wimbledon of ranking points after the All England Club decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing at the season's third major.
That decision came in the wake of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which was aided by Belarus.
Osaka made her return to the French Open on Monday - the former world number one withdrew from last year's tournament at Roland Garros citing mental health issues amid intense media scrutiny and having been fined for skipping press duties.
However, her return was short-lived as she suffered a 7-5 6-4 defeat to Amanda Anisimova in her first-round match.
Three-time grand slam champion Osaka, now ranked at 38 in the world, has ambitions to return to the top of the WTA rankings - and also said her dream match would be at Wimbledon.
But, with other events around Wimbledon offering ranking points, Osaka is considering skipping the tournament.
"I'm not sure why, but I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points, it's more like an exhibition," she told a news conference.
"I know this isn't true, right? But my brain just like feels that way. Whenever I think something is like an exhibition, I just can't go at it 100 per cent.
"I didn't even make my decision yet, but I'm leaning more towards not playing given the current circumstances, but, you know, that might change.
"I do want to rack up more experience on the grass, and I know that the Berlin tournament is giving out points, so that would be a really good opportunity for me.
"Yeah, I think if I don't end up playing on grass this year, I really want to go hard on the hard-court swing, which is my favourite.
"I'm going to have to have some meetings about it."
One-time Australian Open semi-finalist Lucas Pouille became the first player to confirm he would boycott Wimbledon after the points penalty was announced.
Reflecting on her defeat at Roland Garros, Osaka said an ongoing Achilles issue had hindered her performance, though she is happy with how she played compared to the last time she faced Anisimova, in this year's Australian Open.
"I took a painkiller before my match, so I don't know. I still kind of felt it a little, which I'm going to see what happens when it wears off," Osaka said of her injury.
"I kind of prepared myself to feel it, so that wasn't really the wearing part. It was just annoying to me because the last time I played her our serves were really important. And coming into this tournament I didn't serve a lot, because we wanted to wait until the last minute to protect my Achilles.
"So it is a bit disappointing, but I'm happy with how my attitude was, because the last match that we played in Australia I think I was getting a bit more upset with myself, so I think I progressed in that part."
Iga Swiatek cruised into the second round of the French Open with a dominant straight-sets win over Lesia Tsurenko.
World number one Swiatek is looking to regain the title she claimed in 2020 and is the form player on the WTA Tour this season, winning each of her last five tournaments.
Tsurenko was ranked 23 in the world as recently as 2019 but has struggled with injuries and had to come through qualifying at Roland Garros.
And there was an obvious gulf between the two on Court Philippe-Chatrier as Swiatek surged to a 6-2 6-0 victory.
The Pole dropped just two points in the first three games and, though Tsurenko did claim a break back to reduce Swiatek's lead to 5-2, she was then immediately broken to love, going long to surrender to the inevitable.
Swiatek's arsenal of groundstrokes, touch at the net, and impeccable movement proved far too much for Tsurenko in the second set.
A vicious forehand return of a tame second serve wrapped up Swiatek's 29th consecutive win in 54 minutes, an emphatic illustration of her status as the tournament favourite.
Swiatek will face either Alison Riske or another Ukrainian, Dayana Yastremska, in the second round.
Data Slam: Swiatek seals win 38
With wins in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, and Rome, Swiatek has served as the dominant force in the women's game this season. Including Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, she has now won 38 matches in 2022, two more than she did in 2021.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Swiatek – 20/13
Tsurenko – 11/23
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Swiatek – 0/1
Tsurenko – 0/0
BREAK POINTS WON
Swiatek – 6/9
Tsurenko – 1/2
Naomi Osaka's return to the French Open ended in a round-one defeat as Amanda Anisimova had her opponent's number in a grand slam for the second time in 2022.
A year ago, Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros after a first-round win over Patricia Maria Tig, citing mental health issues amid intense media scrutiny and having been fined for skipping press duties.
Speaking prior to her opening-round match on this occasion, Osaka opened up about fearing a negative reaction from the Paris crowd.
While the fans in attendance greeted her with warmth, Osaka fell 7-5 6-4 to Anisimova in a tough battle on Court Suzanne Lenglen, having also lost to her in round three of the Australian Open back in January.
Having initially looked sluggish and dropped each of her opening two service games, Osaka found some rhythm and Anisimova had to serve to stay in the set.
She did just that, though, and in a monster 11th game Osaka double faulted to cede the advantage, with Anisimova serving out to love.
Another double-fault gift at 3-3 in the second gave Anisimova the break, and she recovered from 0-40 down in the next game to consolidate.
Anisimova's quality was not quite at the same level in the second as the first, but she still served out the match at the first available opportunity to dump out the four-time grand slam champion.
DATA SLAM: Gifts aplenty
Osaka's record on the clay is not particularly great. Heading into this one her record read 21-17, and she complained of an Achilles issue in a recent early exit in Madrid. Here, there were glimpses of her excellent move and racquet striking but eight double faults is far too high against an opponent the calibre of Anisimova. Both players gave up 29 unforced errors, but Anisimova fared way better in the winners tally (27-13).
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Osaka – 13/29
Anisimova – 27/29
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Osaka – 4/8
Anisimova – 5/2
BREAK POINTS WON
Osaka – 2/5
Anisimova – 4/10
Luka Doncic said he is "still learning", with his 40-point haul not enough to prevent the Dallas Mavericks from going 3-0 down in the Western Conference Finals series to the Golden State Warriors.
The 109-100 defeat in American Airlines Center means the Mavs have the unlikely task of needing to win the next four games in a row to make the NBA finals.
Doncic top scored in the game, while also making 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks, but felt he did not play well enough in the first half.
Spencer Dinwiddie (26) and Jalen Brunson (20) offered assistance but the hosts just could not keep up with the Warriors, with Stephen Curry coming away with 31 points and 11 assists.
"I'm still learning," Doncic said after the game. "I think the first two quarters, I played very bad. That's on me. But I'm still learning. I think after this season is done, whatever we are, I think we're going to look back and learn a lot of things.
"It's my first time in the Conference Finals in the NBA. I'm 23, man. I'm still learning a lot."
Despite Doncic's concerns about the first two quarters, it was the third where the game got away from Dallas, with the Warriors extending their half-time lead of one point to 10 points by the start of the fourth quarter.
However, the Slovenian praised the Warriors for their form and credited their development as a team over recent years.
"I think the Warriors are playing incredible," he added. "Everybody knows their role. Everybody just stays together.
"They're a long-built team. They've been together for a long time, and I think they're playing good basketball, so that's what I think is going to be really difficult. And these past three games, it's been very difficult."
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd offered similar thoughts, and insisted his team are just at the start of their "journey".
"This is just the beginning of this journey," Kidd said. "I know you guys had us winning the championship before the season started, and that's a joke if you didn't get it. But this is a lot bigger than just this one game or this one series. This is huge for our franchise because none of you guys had us here.
"So it's cool to go through this, and we're going against... you can call them a dynasty. They have three great players who will be hall of famers, and this is a great lesson learned from us.
"This isn't the end. This is just the beginning."
Stephen Curry avoided injury late in the first half of the Golden State Warriors' 109-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday after he tripped over a vendor at court-side.
Curry fell over the unsuspecting man serving drinks in the final seconds before the main interval as he scrambled to close out on a Reggie Bullock three-point attempt.
With his extensive history of ankle injuries, the former unanimous MVP was visibly frustrated with the accident, but went on to score 31 points as the Warriors took a 3-0 series lead over the Mavs.
Curry's frustration was not directed at the vendor however, which he clarified post-game.
"Yeah, man, there's like 30 seconds left before half-time, you're ordering a drink," Curry said after the game. "Just wait until half-time. I don't know why they needed to deliver it right then, but thankfully I was alright.
"He [the vendor] was doing his job, so hopefully he got a big tip."
Curry shot an even 50 per cent on his way to those 31 points, while adding 11 assists and five rebounds in the win.
Rebounds were big for the Warriors, especially on the offensive glass, with Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins combining for 10 while the Mavs grabbed seven as a team.
Looney had only seen over 20 minutes twice over the two series against Denver and Memphis, but following his double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds in Game 2, pitched in with nine points, 12 rebounds and four assists on Sunday.
Curry singled out Looney for praise following the game, highlighting him as a reflection of the team's identity.
"It's a testament to how things change in the playoffs, from series to series and even within that from game to game, where you've got to have everybody stay ready," he said.
"Loon comes in Game 6 [against Memphis] and makes a huge difference, has a career night rebounding the ball. In this series, he's had career nights and had an amazing impact.
"It's how we do things, with everybody being a part or being a factor at some point, but it's how the playoffs go. You just love to see a guy get rewarded for staying ready."
New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant assured his side can match the Carolina Hurricanes for physicality following a post-game scuffle, as the Rangers took a game back in their playoff series on Sunday.
As the buzzer sounded to end Game 3, a 3-1 win for the Rangers, Hurricanes forward Max Domi gave Rangers defenceman Ryan Lindgren a sudden cross-check.
The benches cleared and following the scuffle between the two teams on the ice, Gallant was also seen yelling at Hurricanes defenceman Tony DeAngelo, whose contract was bought out by the Rangers after a string of behavioural indiscretions.
While Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour declined to comment on the issue post-match - citing that he did not see the shot from Domi - a visibly upset Gallant was more forthright, stating the Rangers are well-equipped to provide receipts.
“I wasn’t happy with the bulls..t at the end of the game that they initiated,” Gallant said. “We didn’t do that when the games were close. They put their guys out, that’s fine. They want to play like that, we've got guys who can match that.”
After two losses on the road, the Rangers bounced back with an important win as the series returned to New York.
Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist while Igor Shesterkin stopped 43 shots, for New York's second win in their past 10 against the Canes.
Message-sending is the norm in playoff series but after the post-game scuffle, Gallant made it clear his side will not be pushed around.
“I don’t like it at the end of the game,” he said. “The game’s over. We still got four games with these guys. We got the guy who can handle all their guys if we want to.
"We didn’t do it like that, but Domi took a cheap shot at our defenceman. You've got a long memory. You think about things, like I said, [the shoe] might be on the other foot someday.”
The Golden State Warriors moved a step closer to a sixth NBA Finals appearance since 2015 with a 109-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, taking a 3-0 series lead.
After shooting six-of-10 from beyond the arc in Game 2, Stephen Curry was again in fine shooting touch as the series moved to Dallas, scoring 31 points on 10-of-20 shooting.
The former unanimous MVP tripped over a vendor early in the first half, but went on to overtake Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki for career 30-point playoff games while also shooting an even 50 per cent from the perimeter, adding 11 assists and five rebounds.
The Warriors found the right balance and took care of the basketball while still assertively moving it, with only 10 turnovers and 28 assists off 38 made field goals for the game.
Five Warriors scored in double figures in the Game 3 win while the team finished with a 12-point margin for points in the paint (46-34).
It counteracted their relatively disappointing shooting performance on the night, along with a big rebounding night from the team, doubling the Mavericks in offensive rebounds (14-7) for the game.
Andrew Wiggins was critical in that respect, grabbing six offensive rebounds of his own for 11 total rebounds, along with 27 points and three assists.
The Mavs could not get anything going in the half-court and generate good attempts from the perimeter despite a high volume on home court, going 13-of-44 as a team.
Luka Doncic put up 40 points on 11-of-23 shooting along with 11 rebounds but the Warriors worked to restrict the Mavs' shooters, with Reggie Bullock and Maxi Kleber shooting a combined zero-of-12 from beyond the arc.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
