Volume 26:19

NBA Play-In Tournament Recap

The NBA Playoffs bracket is officially set after an entertaining Play-In tournament. The Portland Trail Blazers faced the Phoenix Suns for the Western Conference 7-seed. Deni Avdija’s 41 points helped fuel an 11-point Blazers comeback win. Portland will take on the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. In the East, V.J. Edgecombe had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the Philadelphia 76ers victory over the Orlando Magic. The 76ers will take on their division rivals the Boston Celtics. The Charlotte Hornets took down the Miami Heat in the nine-versus-ten game in the Eastern Conference.​​ This entertaining match ended in OT, when Lamelo Ball made a late layup and Miles Bridges got a block at the buzzer. Back in the West, the Golden State Warriors came back and beat the Los Angeles Clippers to advance to face Phoenix. Stephen Curry had 35 points in the Warriors win. Again in the East, the Magic dominated the Hornets 121-90 and led by as much as 35 points. Orlando will play Detroit in the playoffs. Returning to the West,  Draymond Green and Devin Booker were ejected in the Suns 111-96 win over the Warriors. Phoenix will face the defending champs the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

MLB Season’s Crazy Start

The Colorado Rockies and the Chicago White Sox both have a better record than the Toronto Blue Jays. Last season the Rockies and White Sox were the worst two teams in the league. The Blue Jays made the World Series.

The Seattle Mariners are 8-13. The Mariners were AL runner up last season.

The Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Pittsburgh Pirates all lead their division. None of them are projected to make the playoffs.

The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets are currently 4th and 5th in the NL East. They were picked as 1st and 2nd in their division

The Milwaukee Brewers are 4th in the NL Central. They had the best regular season record in the MLB last season.

The Chicago Cubs are 5th in the NL Central. They were picked to win the division.

None of the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, or New York Mets have winning records. All of them have realistic playoff hopes.

Only five of the twelve teams that made the playoffs last season are in playoff position. The New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres are those five teams.

WNBA Draft

Azzi Fudd was picked first overall in the WNBA draft and will reunite in Dallas with former UConn teammate and last year’s first overall pick Paige Bueckers. Olivia Miles of TCU was picked 2nd overall. Three UCLA Bruins players were drafted with picks four through six, and two more were drafted in the first round, setting a WNBA record. The Bruins also had another player picked in the second. UCLA set records for most first round picks in one draft, and most players drafted in one draft.

NHL Playoff Picture

The NHL regular season is over and the playoff picture is set. In the West, the Presidents Trophy winning Colorado Avalanche kick off their run to the cup facing the Los Angeles Kings. One of, if not the most exciting matchup of the first round, is the Dallas Stars facing the Minnesota Wild. Both teams are strong cup contenders but only one can advance. The Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific Division and face the Utah Mammoth. The Edmonton Oilers and Anahiem Ducks will face each other in the first round. Out East, the Buffalo Sabres play in their first playoffs in 15 seasons after winning their division. They open versus the Boston Bruins. Nikita Kucherov and the Tampa Bay Lightning will face the Montreal Canadiens. The Eastern Conference favorite Carolina Hurricanes play the Ottawa Senators. The Pittsburgh Penguins are taking on the Philadelphia Flyers in a Keystone State fight. It is shaping up to be an exciting first round in the NHL!