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From Jack Harris: It’s too early, the Dodgers say, to sound any alarm bells. Their lineup is too talented, they believe, for the narrative not to eventually turn.
But right now, the team’s biggest problem is not difficult to diagnose.
Their $400-million roster is not hitting, plain and simple.
And in a 4-2 defeat to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, it cost them a third straight series loss in the wake of their roaring 8-0 start to the season.
“I’m not overly concerned right now, given where we’re at on the calendar,” manager Dave Roberts said, reflecting the frustrated — but not panicked — mood of his team.
“I think we just haven’t gotten synced up offensively,” he added. “It’s gonna happen. It’s just in this last nine-, 10-game stretch, it just hasn’t.”
During the Dodgers’ unbeaten barrage to begin this year’s World Series title defense, their star-studded lineup was performing as expected — even if the team felt then it wasn’t quite clicking on all cylinders.
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LAKERS
From Dan Woike: The Lakers sat in their locker room long after their loss to Portland on Sunday afternoon, their eyes glued to the television mounted on the wall.
They’d done what they could, put themselves in a position through 81 games to have given themselves the No. 3 seed in the West playoffs.
And on the 82nd game, they rested.
The Lakers wrapped their regular season Sunday in Portland with not much more to do than sit and wait, and boy, did the Lakers sit and did they wait.
And as the Clippers pulled away in the final moments of their win against the Warriors in Golden State, they finally knew where their road to their championship goal would begin.
In Minnesota.
“Better pack a coat,” Jordan Goodwin said.
How the NBA’s play-in tournament works and when it starts
CLIPPERS
From Broderick Turner: Step by step, the Clippers have inched toward their goal of making the NBA playoffs.
The final step came Sunday and it was against the Golden State Warriors, who were also seeking an automatic postseason spot in the final regular-season game for both.
The teams went toe-to-toe all game, so much so they battled into an extra five minutes of overtime to determine their fates, the outcome finally decided by James Harden’s clutch play and two blown opportunities by the Warriors that allowed the Clippers to escape with a 124-119 win at Chase Center.
The Clippers advanced to the playoffs as the fifth seed in the Western Conference, where they will face the fourth-seeded Nuggets in Denver on Saturday in the first round of the postseason.
“On nights like this, this is really when it means something,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Like I said, you make it to the playoffs, all the hard work you put in throughout the course of the season, it’s huge when it comes down to this point. I’m just proud of our guys, being counted out and staying the course and playing with that chip on your shoulder all year long.”
NBA PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE, RESULTS
All Times Pacific
Play-in round
Tuesday
Atlanta (East 8) at Orlando (East 7), 4:30 p.m., TNT
winner advances as East No. 7 seed
Memphis (West 8) at Golden State (West 7), 7 p.m., TNT
winner advances to playoffs as West No. 7 seed
Wednesday
Miami (East 10) at Chicago (East 9), 4:30 p.m., ESPN
loser is eliminated
Dallas (West 10) at Sacramento (West 9), 7 p.m., ESPN
loser is eliminated
Friday
East 9/10 winner at East 7/8 loser, TBD, TNT
winner advances to playoffs as East No. 8 seed
West 9/10 winner at West 7/8 loser, TBD, ESPN
winner advances to playoffs as West No. 8 seed
First round
Western Conference
No. 3 Lakers vs. No. 6 Minnesota
Saturday at Lakers, 5:30 p.m., ABC
Game 2 at Lakers (TBD)
Game 3 at Timberwolves (TBD)
Game 4 at Timberwolves (TBD)
Game 5 at Lakers (TBD)*
Game 6 at Timberwolves (TBD)*
Game 7 at Lakers (TBD)*
No. 4 Denver vs. No. 5 Clippers
Saturday at Nuggets, 12:30 p.m., ESPN)
Game 2 at Nuggets (TBD)
Game 3 at Clippers (TBD)
Game 4 at Clippers (TBD)
Game 5 at Nuggets (TBD)*
Game 6 at Clippers (TBD)*
Game 7 at Nuggets (TBD)*
* if necessary
ANGELS
Isaac Paredes hit a three-run homer to cap Houston’s five-run second inning, Hayden Wesneski struck out a career-high 10 and the Astros beat the Angels 7-3 on Sunday.
Cam Smith and Mauricio Dubón hit RBI singles off Angels starter Kyle Hendricks (0-1) before Paredes launched his home run into the Crawford Boxes to give the Astros a 5-2 lead. Paredes has homered in three straight games, all to left field.
Jeremy Peña had an RBI groundout in the sixth and Jose Altuve hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
THE MASTERS
From Sam Farmer: Rory McIlroy finished a rollercoaster round Sunday by beating Rose in a sudden-death playoff — the first at the Masters since 2017 — becoming the sixth man in golf history to win a career Grand Slam.
With the two players tied at 11 under after 72 holes, it came down to a playoff on the par-four 18th hole with Rose narrowly missing his longer putt and McIlroy draining a two-footer for birdie, raising his putter to the sky, then tearfully dropping to his knees and lowering his head to the ground.
“It feels incredible,” he said moments later in the Butler Cabin jacket ceremony, his voice trembling with emotion. “This was my 17th time here, and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time. The last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that… I’m just absolutely honored and thrilled, and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
LONG BEACH GRAND PRIX
From Kevin Baxter: It was overcast and humid when the green flag dropped on the Long Beach Grand Prix on Sunday, not exactly ideal conditions for an afternoon drive along the beach. But by the time the sun came out, Kyle Kirkwood had made the race his own, steering his Honda to an easy victory in the 50th running of the iconic IndyCar race.
“This was a flawless weekend for myself, for the team, for the crew, for everyone involved,” Kirkwood said. “And when you have flawless weekends like this, you tend to win.”
It was the second victory in three years at Long Beach for the Andretti Global driver and his third IndyCar win overall. And it wasn’t really close, with Kirkwood leading for 46 of the 90 laps around the Long Beach Convention Center. All three of Kirkwood’s IndyCar Series wins have come on street courses.
“For some reason, I’m really good at street courses,” said Kirkwood, who averaged 100.395 mph over the temporary 177-mile Long Beach circuit. “I wish that translated everywhere else, but it doesn’t. This place suits me, and I couldn’t tell you why. But everyone has their tracks.”
DUCKS
Charlie Coyle had a goal and two assists in Colorado’s four-goal third period, and the Avalanche rallied to beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Sunday night.
Jack Drury had a goal and an assist, and Wyatt Aamodt and Erik Johnson also scored for Colorado, which trailed 2-0 midway through the third. Scott Wedgewood had 18 saves.
The Avalanche, locked into a first-round matchup with Dallas, rested several stars, including Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen, Cale Makar, Jonathan Drouin and Valeri Nichushkin
Mason McTavish and Sam Colangelo scored, and Lukas Dostal finished with 20 saves as the Ducks lost their second straight.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1928 — The New York Rangers beat the Montreal Maroons for the Stanley Cup, 3-games-to-2.
1931 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Black Hawks 2-0 in the fifth game to win the Stanley Cup after trailing 2-games-to-1.
1941 — 45th Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson in 2:30:38; his third victory in the event.
1948 — The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup in four games as they beat the Detroit Red Wings 7-2.
1955 — Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings win back-to-back titles; beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 for a 4-3 series victory.
1960 — The Montreal Canadiens win their fifth straight Stanley Cup with a four-game sweep of the Toronto Maple Leafs, including tonight’s 4-0 victory.
1962 — Elgin Baylor scores a record 61 points to lead the Lakers to a 126-121 triumph over the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals.
1964 — Dodgers’ future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax throws his ninth complete game without allowing a walk.
1968 — Bob Goalby wins the Masters when Roberto de Vincenzo of Argentina is penalized for signing an incorrect scorecard.
1974 — 38th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Gary Player wins the 2nd of his 3 Masters titles.
1985 — Bernhard Langer beats Curtis Strange, Ray Floyd and Seve Ballesteros by two strokes to win the Masters.
1991 — Ian Woosnam of Wales made a par putt to turn back Tom Watson on the last hole and capture the Masters.
1993 — The NHL’s longest winning streak ends at 17 games as the Pittsburgh Penguins settled for a 6-6 tie with the New Jersey Devils on a late goal by Joe Mullen.
1996 — The Detroit Red Wings wrap up the winningest season in NHL history by defeating Dallas 5-1. The Red Wings finished with 62 victories, beating the 60 wins of the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.
1996 — Greg Norman shoots a startling 78 in the greatest collapse in Masters history, giving Nick Faldo his third green jacket and sixth major championship.
2002 — Tiger Woods becomes the third player to win back-to-back Masters titles. He closes with a 1-under 71 to claim a three-stroke victory over Retief Goosen.
2013 — Adam Scott becomes the first Australian to win the Masters, beating Angel Cabrera on the second hole of a playoff on a rainy day at Augusta National.
2016 — Breanna Stewart leads a UConn sweep of the first three picks in the WNBA draft, going first overall to the Seattle Storm. Moriah Jefferson went second to San Antonio and Morgan Tuck third to Connecticut, the first time in draft history that three players from the same school went 1-2-3. It’s a first in any major sport.
2019 — 83rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tiger Woods wins his 5th Masters title by 1 stroke from Xander Schauffele.
2024 — 88th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: World #1 golfer Scottie Scheffler beats Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg by 4 strokes for his second Masters win in 3 years
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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