The Sports Report: Clippers lose Game 2 as Suns even series

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Andrew Greif: For all of Phoenix’s scorching shooting Tuesday, the kind of offense the Suns dreamed about upon acquiring Kevin Durant in February, it had left them ahead by just six points with 3 minutes 13 seconds to play in the second game of this first-round playoff series.

Somehow, the Clippers had not been done in by Phoenix’s offensive brilliance.

Instead, they lost their chance to take control of this series through their own mistakes.

The next five Clippers possessions ended in five missed opportunities. Two consecutive turnovers by Russell Westbrook. A turnover by Eric Gordon. A missed shot by Kawhi Leonard — and 11 seconds later, a Leonard travel.

Here come the Suns, a 123-109 victory that kept the Clippers from claiming what would have been their first 2-0 series lead since 2016.

Suns guard Devin Booker scored 18 of his 38 points in the third quarter, and when he was not making shots on a night Phoenix shot 58% from the field, teammate Kevin Durant was, adding 25 points. Both were responsible for the Suns’ mastery in an area few teams venture into anymore, making 32 of their 50 mid-range shots.

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LAKERS

From Dan Woike: There was this look of familiarity in Anthony Davis on Sunday, watching him play a cat-and-mouse game with All-Star guard Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies as he tried to anchor the Lakers’ defense in the playoff series opener.

When the Lakers made their run to the NBA title in 2020, this version of Davis did everything for his team’s defense, helping smother guards such as Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Jamal Murray, forward Jimmy Butler and center Nikola Jokic.

He made huge shots and dominated in the offensive paint, but Davis’ defense left the biggest imprint on those playoffs.

On Sunday, Davis scored 22 points in the 128-112 upset win, third most for the Lakers. Defensively, he was a superstar. He finished with 12 rebounds. Seven blocked shots. Three steals. He altered shots and stopped drives, picking up just one foul.

“That’s crazy,” Lakers guard Dennis Schroder said as he went through the stat line Tuesday. “It’s insane.”

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NBA PLAYOFFS
Results, schedule
All times Pacific

Western Conference

No. 2 Memphis vs. No. 7 Lakers
Game 1: Lakers 128, at Memphis 112
Today at Memphis, 4:30 p.m., TNT
Saturday at Lakers, 7 p.m., ESPN
Monday at Lakers, TBD
*Wed., April 26 at Memphis, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Lakers, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Memphis, TBD

No. 4 Phoenix vs. No. 5 Clippers
Game 1: Clippers 115, at Phoenix 110
Game 2: at Phoenix 23, Clippers 109
Thursday at Clippers, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV
Saturday at Clippers, 12:30 p.m., TNT
Tuesday at Phoenix, TBD
*Thursday, April 27 at Clippers, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Phoenix, TBD

No. 1 Denver vs. No. 8 Minnesota
Game 1: at Denver 109, Minnesota 80
Tonight at Denver, 7 p.m., TNT
Friday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Sunday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., TNT
*Tuesday at Denver, TBD
*Thursday, April 27 at Minnesota, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Denver, TBD

No. 3 Sacramento vs. No. 6 Golden State
Game 1: at Sacramento 126, Golden State 123
Game 2: at Sacramento 114, Golden State 106
Thursday at Golden State, 7 p.m., TNT
Sunday at Golden State, 12:30 p.m., ABC
*Wed., April 26 at Sacramento, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Golden State, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Sacramento, TBD

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 8 Miami
Game 1: Miami 130, at Milwaukee 117
Tonight at Milwaukee, 6 p.m., NBA TV
Saturday at Miami, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Monday at Miami, TBD
*Wed., April 26 at Milwaukee, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Miami, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Milwaukee, TBD

No. 2 Boston vs. No. 7 Atlanta
Game 1: at Boston 112, Atlanta 99
Game 2: at Boston 119, Atlanta 106
Friday at Atlanta, 4 p.m., ESPN
Sunday at Atlanta, 4 p.m., TNT
*Tuesday at Boston, TBD
*Thursday, April 27 at Atlanta, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Boston, TBD

No. 3 Philadelphia vs. No. 6 Brooklyn
Game 1: at Philadelphia 121, Brooklyn 101
Game 2: at Philadelphia 96, Brooklyn 84
Thursday at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m., TNT
Saturday at Brooklyn, 10 a.m., TNT
*Monday at Philadelphia, TBD
*Thursday, April 27 at Brooklyn, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Philadelphia, TBD

No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 New York
Game 1: New York 101, at Cleveland 97
Game 2: at Cleveland 107, New York 90
Friday at New York, 5:30 p.m., ABC
Sunday at New York, 10 a.m., ABC
Game 5 at Cleveland, TBD
*Game 6 at New York, TBD
*Game 7 at Cleveland, TBD

*-if necessary

KINGS

From Helene Elliott: Despite facing the NHL’s top two scorers and being pelted with 40 shots by the Edmonton Oilers’ explosive offense, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo had a relatively painless night Monday in his postseason debut with the Kings.

After keeping the Kings in a game the Oilers had threatened to break open in the first period, his night was extended by 9 minutes and 19 seconds of sudden-death play before Alex Iafallo’s power-play goal capped an astonishing comeback for a 4-3 victory. For Korpisalo, who played a five-overtime game for Columbus against Tampa Bay in the 2020 playoff bubble and made 85 saves — the most since the NHL began consistently tracking shots in the 1950s — the brief extra session Monday was a piece of Stanley Cup cake.

“Just one overtime,” he said Tuesday. “I’m pretty happy with that.”

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NHL PLAYOFFS
Results, schedule
All times Pacific

Western Conference

Edmonton [P2] vs. Kings [P3]
Game 1: Kings 4, at Edmonton 3 (OT)
Tonight at Edmonton, 7 p.m., ESPN
Friday at Kings, 7 p.m., TNT
Sunday at Kings, 6 p.m., TBS
*Tuesday at Edmonton, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Kings, TBD
*Monday, May 1 at Edmonton TBD

Colorado [C1] vs. Seattle [WC1]
Game 1: at Colorado
Thursday at Colorado, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday at Seattle, 7 p.m., TBS
Monday at Seattle, 7 p.m., TBS
*Wed., April 26 at Colorado, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Seattle, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Colorado, TBD

Dallas [C2] vs. Minnesota [C3]
Game 1: Minnesota 3, at Dallas 2 (2OT)
Tonight at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
Friday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., TBS
Sunday at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m., TBS
*Tuesday at Dallas, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Minnesota, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Dallas, TBD

Vegas [P1] vs. Winnipeg [WC2]
Game 1: at Vegas
Thursday at Vegas, 7 p.m., TBS
Saturday at Winnipeg, 1 p.m., TBS
Monday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday, April 27 Vegas, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Winnipeg, TBD
*Monday, May 1 at Vegas, TBD

Eastern Conference

Boston [A1] vs. Florida [WC2]
Game 1: at Boston 3, Florida 1
Tonight at Boston, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday at Florida, 4:30 p.m., TNT
Sunday at Florida, 12:30 p.m., TNT
*Wed., April 26 at Boston, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at Florida, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Boston, TBD

Toronto [A2] vs. Tampa Bay [A3]
Game 1: Tampa Bay 7, at Toronto 3
Thursday at Toronto, 4 p.m., ESPN
Saturday at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m., TBS
Monday at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m., TBS
*Thursday, April 27 at Toronto, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at Tampa Bay, TBD
*Monday, May 1 at Toronto, TBD

Carolina [M1] vs. NY Islanders [WC1]
Game 1: at Carolina 2, NY Islanders 1
Today at Carolina, 4 p.m., ESPN2
Friday at NY Islanders, 4 p.m., TBS
Sunday at NY Islanders, 10 a.m., TNT
*Tuesday 25 at Carolina, TBD
*Friday, April 28 at NY Islanders, TBD
*Sunday, April 30 at Carolina, TBD

New Jersey [M2] vs. NY Rangers [M3]
Game 1: NY Rangers 5, at New Jersey 1
Thursday at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m., TBS
Saturday at NY Rangers, 5 p.m., ABC, ESPN+
Monday at NY Rangers, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday, April 27 at New Jersey, TBD
*Saturday, April 29 at NY Rangers, TBD
*Monday, May 1 at New Jersey, TBD

*-if necessary

DODGERS

From Jack Harris: Pitcher wins might be a discounted stat in modern baseball culture, an old-school relic considered too unrepresentative for the sport’s modern analytical era.

On Tuesday night, however, Clayton Kershaw offered a resounding counter-argument, deserving every little bit of his landmark 200th career win.

With a scoreless, spectacular, seven-inning gem, Kershaw willed the Dodgers to 5-0 defeat of the New York Mets, eclipsing the latest milestone of his legendary career in historic fashion and dominant style.

Not only did the 35-year-old left-hander become the 117th major league pitcher to reach the 200-victory club, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, but he got there with a higher career winning percentage (.694) than any other member.

Kershaw also became the third pitcher in Dodgers history with 200 wins, joining Don Sutton and Don Drysdale. With nine strikeouts on the night, he moved into 22nd on MLB’s all-time list with 2,833.

Most of all, he delivered on a night the sputtering Dodgers (9-9) badly needed a momentum-building win.

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ANGELS

From Sarah Valenzuela: Logan O’Hoppe will have a number of friends and family at Yankee Stadium watching him play the next few games against the Yankees. The O’Hoppe family contingent has one seat they purchased but intentionally left vacant for Tuesday’s game.

It’s for Logan’s Aunt Dana, who was not a blood relative but a close friend of the O’Hoppes, who died in 2015 from lung cancer. An important person in Logan’s life, Aunt Dana was also one of his biggest supporters and cheerleaders of his pursuit of a career as a baseball player.

“Coming here, it’s different,” O’Hoppe said before the Angels’ 5-2 victory over the Yankees on Tuesday. “You play for Aunt Dana … you play for everybody that you’ve loved and that’s touched you and the people that are still here with us. You play for them too. It’ll be a special time.”

Playing at Yankee Stadium represents a homecoming of sorts for O’Hoppe. The rookie catcher from Sayville, which is on Long Island, grew up a Yankees fan. Thinking about Aunt Dana before Tuesday’s game, he got choked up.

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RAMS

From Gary Klein: The Rams are in the process of finalizing a trade that would send receiver Allen Robinson to the Pittsburgh Steelers, people with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday.

Robinson is scheduled to have a physical with the Steelers on Wednesday. If the Steelers clear him the trade would be completed, said people who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about a transaction that is not official.

Robinson was due to earn $10 million and carry a salary-cap number of just more than $18 million, according to overthecap.com.

According to reports, the teams would swap seventh-round draft picks, and the Steelers would pay only $5 million of Robinson’s remaining compensation.

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SOCCER

From Kevin Baxter: Ten minutes into the Seattle Sounders’ home match with St. Louis City this month, referee Rubiel Vazquez blew his whistle to stop play, made a drinking motion with his hand, then pointed to the Seattle bench.

For Sounders defender Nouhou Tolo, a devout Muslim, that was the signal the sun had set and he could end his Ramadan fast by taking a drink and having a quick snack. The moment also fed his soul.

“I was very emotional,” Tolo remembered. “For MLS to do that for us, it was pretty special.”

This season MLS joined the English Premier League and Germany’s Bundesliga in allowing officials to pause games to permit players to break their daily Ramadan fasts. It’s a gesture the league, one of the most diverse in the world with players from approximately 80 countries, approved before the start of the month-long observation of Ramadan, when Muslims are required to not only pray and reflect, but also fast, forgoing even water from dawn to sunset.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1897 — John J. McDermott wins the first Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 55 minutes, 10 seconds.

1930 — Clarence DeMar wins the Boston Marathon for a record seventh time, in 2:34:48.2.

1944 — 1944 NFL Draft: Angelo Bertelli from University of Notre Dame first pick by Boston Yanks.

1947 — The Toronto Maple Leafs post a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens to take the NHL Stanley Cup in six games.

1948 — Gerard Cote of Canada wins his fourth Boston Marathon with a time of 2:31:02.

1950 — Nineteen-year-old Ham Kee Yong becomes the youngest to win the Boston Marathon with a 2:32:39 clocking.

1965 — The Boston Celtics have five players score 20 or more points in a 129-123 victory over Los Angeles in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. It’s the first time in Finals history there are five 20-point scorers on one team. John Havlicek leads Boston with 24 points, Tom Sanders and Bill Russell each score 23, Tommy Heinsohn adds 22 and Sam Jones finished with 20. Jerry West leads the Lakers with 45.

1986 — Michael Spinks wins a split decision against Larry Holmes to retain the world heavyweight title in Las Vegas.

1991 — Evander Holyfield retains the heavyweight title with a unanimous 12-round decision over 42-year-old challenger George Foreman in Atlantic City, N.J.

1992 — Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls wins his sixth straight NBA scoring title with a 30.1 average.

1992 — PGA Seniors’ Championship Men’s Golf, PGA National GC: Lee Trevino beats Mike Hill by 1 stroke for his 3rd seniors major title.

1997 — NFL Draft: Ohio State offensive tackle Orlando Pace first pick by St. Louis Rams.

1998 — San Antonio beats Denver 96-82 to set an NBA record for the largest single-season turnaround. The Spurs improve by 36 games from 20 wins in 1997.

1998 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan scores 44 points to lead the Bulls over the Knicks, 111-109, in the final game of the regular season, securing his record 10th NBA scoring title with a 28.7-point average.

1998 — PGA Seniors’ Championship Men’s Golf, PGA National GC: Hale Irwin makes it 3 straight titles in the event.

2009 — Rafael Nadal becomes the first player to win five straight Monte Carlo Masters titles by beating Novak Djokovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. The top-ranked Spaniard, however, loses a set at the clay court tournament for the first time since the 2006 final against Roger Federer.

2010 — Kenya’s Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot wins the Boston Marathon, breaking the course record with a time of 2:05:52. Ethiopia’s Teyba Erkesso wins the women’s race in a time of 2:26:11, outsprinting Russia’s Tatyana Pushkareva to win by three seconds.

2017 — James Harden scores 35 points and the Houston Rockets overcome 51 points from Oklahoma’s Russell Westbrook in the highest-scoring triple-double in playoff history. The Rockets win 115-111 to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round Western Conference playoff series. Westbrook sets a franchise playoff scoring record and adds 13 assists and 10 rebounds. It’s the sixth career playoff triple-double for Westbrook, who had an NBA-record 42 in the regular season. But he shoots just 4 for 18 in the fourth quarter as the Rockets clawed back from a double-digit deficit to surge ahead before holding on.

2021 — San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau breaks Gordie Howe’s NHL record for most games played.

—Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally...

Evander Holyfield defeats George Foreman in 1991. Watch and listen here.