WAMC Sports Report 5/26/23: Celtics thrive with 3s, beat Heat in Game 5 110-97 and extend East Finals
NBA PLAYOFFS
Derrick White had 24 points, including six 3-pointers, to help lead the attack as the Boston Celtics dominated the Miami Heat 110-97 in Game 5 last night to extend the Eastern Conference Finals. Marcus Smart had 23 points and five steals. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finished the game with 21 points each as the Celtics clinched their second straight win and reduced Miami’s lead of the series to 3-2. The win keeps Boston’s hopes of becoming the first team in NBA history to come from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series. Game 6 is Saturday in Miami. Duncan Robinson led the heat with 18 points.
After squandering their second straight chance to take out the Celtics, the Miami Heat are headed home with two more chances to earn a berth in the NBA Finals. But it would be smart if they made it into Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night and avoided a crucial Game 7 in Boston. Miami star Jimmy Butler says the Heat are “everyone smiling” even after the Celtics won Game 5 110-97, cutting the Heat’s lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-2. None of the other 150 teams in NBA history that trailed 3-0 have come back and won a best-of-seven playoff series. But the Celtics won Game 4 in Miami by 17 points and then led by 24 points with a Game 5 win.
NHL PLAYOFFS
Joe Pavelski scored on a power play after 3:18 of overtime and the Dallas Stars denied a win in the Western Conference Finals last night with a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Jason Robertson scored twice in his first multi-goal playoff game of his career for Dallas, who were playing without suspended captain Jamie Benn. Jake Oettinger had 37 saves two nights after being drafted 7-10 in Game 3 after conceding three goals on five shots. Benn was suspended by the NHL for two games Wednesday for landing his stick near Vegas captain Mark Stone’s neck in the first two minutes of Game 3 on Tuesday night. William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault scored for Vegas. Game 5 takes place in Las Vegas on Saturday night at 8pm.
MLB
Pete Alonso hit his 19th major league home run and Carlos Carrasco clinched his first win of the season as the New York Mets defeated the Chicago Cubs 10-1 to prevent a three-game win. Brett Baty struck in New York’s first two heats and the Mets scored 15 on a chilly night at Wrigley Field, ruining Kyle Hendricks’ season debut for the Cubs after returning from a serious shoulder injury. Jeff McNeil had three hits and scored three times. New York hit four straight hits with two outs in a three-run third inning and took a 4-1 lead through Starling Marte’s two-run single. Alonso added a two-run home run in the seventh and Brandon Nimmo laced a two-run triple in the eighth. Dansby Swanson scored for Chicago.
Kyle Gibson allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings, and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Yankees 3-1 to take two of New York’s three games. Anthony Santander had three hits, including an RBI single in the fifth shot against Clarke Schmidt. Austin Hays hit a two-run double, a drive from the top of the right field wall, in game eight against Clay Holmes. Gibson went 1-6 with a 6.75 ERA in 10 games against the Yankees. Mike Baumann and Yennier Cano ended a threesome. New York has lost back-to-back after a five-game winning streak.
Austin Riley hit two monstrous homers and pinch-hitter Travis d’Arnaud prevailed in the eighth inning with a crucial two-run single that gave the Atlanta Braves an 8-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. D’Arnaud was sent up for taking down Michael Harris II with loaded bases and putting a one-out single to Gregory Soto left field. Both teams showed a lot of power. Bryce Harper hit a mammoth home run for the Phillies and Alec Bohm hit with a two-run throw. Marcell Ozuna shot deep for the Braves, who scored three against Aaron Nola. Nick Anderson took the win and Raisel Iglesias saved.
The Red Sox were absent last night, they begin a 3-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight at 9:40 a.m. in Arizona.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ potential move to Las Vegas could potentially take place when the league’s owners meet next month. Manfred noted that it’s “very difficult to put a timeline” on the move “until there’s actually a deal to consider.” MLB owners meetings will be held June 13-15 in New York. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said Wednesday that lawmakers and the athletics had reached a tentative agreement on a $1.5 billion stadium funding plan that would lure the franchise to Las Vegas.
WNBA
Jackie Young scored 30 points on 12 of 18 shots and reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas took control in the third quarter en route to a 94-85 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. Las Vegas was 10 points behind at halftime and was charging back on 12 shots of 16, beating the Sparks 31-17 and going into the fourth quarter 67-63. Aja Wilson scored six straight points before Young had back-to-back layups that gave the Aces a 61-59 lead at 2:34. Wilson finished the game with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Chiney Ogwumike led the Sparks with 19 points.
Diana Taurasi had 23 points and 10 assists and the Phoenix Mercury made 11 first-half 3-pointers en route to a 90-81 win over the Minnesota Lynx. Phoenix managed 5-of-6 from 3-point range – with three-pointers from five different players – and opened a 27-18 lead after a quarter. The Mercury scored 11 of 17 threes in the first half and took a 57-40 lead. The Mercury ended up behind the archway at 13th of 28 and the Lynx at 3rd of 18. Brittney Griner added 19 points for Phoenix. Aerial Powers beat the Lynx by 20 points from the bench (0-3).
NFL
The New England Patriots have been accused of two days of organized team activity for violating NFL rules for off-season practice. The penalties were first reported by ESPN. NBCSports.com reported that the breach involved holding a mandatory meeting that had to be optional. The Patriots were scheduled to hold an OTA on Thursday, but the team told reporters Wednesday it was cancelled. Another day was canceled next week. The team declined to comment.
Detroit Lions receiver Jameson Williams, who was suspended for the first six games of the season, said he was unaware of the NFL gambling policy he violated. Williams told reporters Thursday that the suspension hit him out of the blue. The league suspended former Lions players Quintez Cephus and CJ Moore and Washington’s Shaka Toney for the entire 2023 season in April for betting on NFL games last year, adding they may seek reinstatement. Williams and teammate Stanley Berryhill were benched for six games for betting on non-NFL games at a league facility.
NCAA
Longtime RPI and UAlbany athletic director Lee McElroy has announced he will be retiring on June 30. McElroy has served in his current post as Head of Engineers since 2015, having led UAlbany’s Great Danes for 14 years. During his career, McElroy earned 32 NCAA postseason spots with 63 America East titles and was honored with LifePath’s Third Age Achievement Award in 2022. The award is presented to residents of the Capital Area who make significant contributions to the community after age 60. The Board of Directors of the National Association of College Athletic Directors.
Politics and sports go together like baseball and apple pie. For decades, title-winning teams have visited the White House. But what began as an impartial rite of passage becomes increasingly entangled in politics. It’s a shift some associate with the presidency of Bill Clinton. A professional golfer declined an invitation from the White House and described Clinton in unflattering terms. On Friday, President Joe Biden will welcome the NCAA champion women’s basketball team, LSU, along with the men’s team from UConn. Some were outraged when First Lady Jill Biden suggested inviting the Iowa team, which lost to LSU in the Finals, as well. After considerable resistance, this idea disappeared.
GOLF
So much for the block party at the Colonial. California club pro Michael Block had a dream week at the PGA Championship as he hit a hole-in-one to secure 15th place. He returned to reality at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Block had three double bogeys and an 81 shot in the last four holes, putting him last in the 120-man field. Harry Hall of England scored a 62 to lead Harris English by three strokes. Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Sam Burns opened with 67 seconds. Jordan Spieth shot a 72nd block says he had a day when everything went wrong.
FOOTBALL
Manchester United secured a return to the Champions League with a 4-1 win over Chelsea. Goals from Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford ensured a win that saw Erik ten Hag’s team finish in the top four in the Premier League. United moved up to third place and two points ahead of Newcastle before the last game of the season. United needed a point from their last two games to secure Champions League qualification and took the lead in the sixth minute when Casemiro headed in a Christian Eriksen free-kick. United’s win secures Liverpool fifth place with a Europa League spot.
NASCAR
McLaren Racing missed the 2019 Indianapolis 500 with Fernando Alonso in a humiliating defeat that could have kept the team from a full-time switch to IndyCar. But McLaren entered the series in 2020 and has slowly become a top contender. Arrow McLaren will start the 107th edition of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing on Sunday with all four cars in the top 12. The team believes the chemistry it has built within the organization has helped make it one of the IndyCar elite.
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