🚨 Double BANG!

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?! Grab your nitroglycerin pills because we had an unforgettable night of NBA playoff action! In one of the best postseason doubleheaders you will ever see, the Knicks sent the Garden into oblivion with a roaring final sequence, and then Jamal Murray pierced a dagger through the Lakers’ core with a legendary buzzer-beater to elevate the Denver crowd a mile-high. Holy moly. I’m at a loss for words. But I’m contractually required to tell you that the Cavaliers and Magic also played a game (Lol). In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Islanders are sinking, Connor McDavid morphed into McJesus, and the defending champs delivered a statement. Plus, we had an intoxicating walk-off shot at Busch Stadium, Scottie Scheffler won another jacket, and the Broncos have a new Wilson at quarterback (and some new threads). Did I mention the NFL Draft is only two days away? Let’s go!

WTF Stat: Of the five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, only one (Trevor Lawrence) is still with the team they were drafted by:

• No. 1 overall: Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)

• No. 2 overall: Zach Wilson (Jets → Broncos)

• No. 3 overall: Trey Lance (49ers → Cowboys)

• No. 11 overall: Justin Fields (Bears → Steelers)

• No. 15 overall: Mac Jones (Patriots → Jaguars)

As many as six quarterbacks are projected to be selected in the first round on Thursday.

🏈 Broncos acquired QB Zach Wilson and a 2024 seventh-round draft pick in a trade with the Jets for a 2024 sixth-round draft pick - Wilson has the worst total QBR (34.0), completion percentage (57%), and touchdown/interception ratio (23-25) in the last three seasons among quarterbacks with at least 20 starts

🏈 Broncos also unveiled their re-designed uniforms for the 2024 season, including new alternate white helmets and 1977 throwbacks - according to a new NFL uniform policy, teams going through a re-design process for the 2024 season have been offered a third helmet option, and it will be available for all teams in 2025

🏒 Sabres rehired Lindy Ruff as their head coach after firing Don Granato last week - Ruff, who was fired by the Devils this season, coached Buffalo from 1997-2013 and led the franchise to their most recent playoff appearance in 2011

🏀 Double BANG!

NBA Playoffs - First Round, Game 2s

• West | #2 Denver Nuggets 101, #7 Los Angeles Lakers 99 (DEN leads series 2-0): Oh. My. Goodness! In an extraordinary game, Anthony Davis (32 PTS, 14-19 FG, 11 REB) and D’Angelo Russell’s (23 PTS, 7-11 3PT, 6 AST) hot start helped the Lakers build a 68-48 lead in the 3rd quarter, but Nikola Jokic (27 PTS, 20 REB, 10 AST) and Jamal Murray (20 PTS, 9-24 FG, 5 AST) fueled a behemoth Nuggets run to get within one with two minutes remaining, and although LeBron James (26 PTS, 8 REB, 12 AST) continuously responded to Denver’s late haymakers with some massive buckets, the King rimmed out a potential tiebreaking three with 16 seconds to play, and then Murray splashed a cold-blooded fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to call game, giving Denver a stranglehold on the series with a breathtaking win - Murray scored 14 points in the 4th quarter, and the Nugs have now beaten the Lakers 10 straight times

• East | #2 New York Knicks 104, #7 Philadelphia 76ers 101 (NYK leads series 2-0): “BANG! BANG! The Knicks take a one-point lead!” In an utterly electric finish, Tyrese Maxey (35 PTS, 9 REB, 10 AST) and Joel Embiid (34 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST) sparked a late 19-6 Sixers’ run to take a 101-96 lead in the final minute, but Jalen Brunson (24 PTS, 8-29 FG, 6 AST) made up for an off night with a huge triple with 27 seconds to play and then New York stole the ensuing inbound to set up Donte DiVincenzo’s (19 PTS, 4-8 3PT) earth-shattering, go-ahead three with 13 seconds remaining, which blew the roof off the building before Isaiah Hartenstein (14 PTS, 8 REB) blocked Maxey on the opposite end to stamp an incredible last-second victory at MSG - Embiid missed a potential game-tying three at the buzzer, and a series of no-calls on the Knicks’ late steal has Philly fans uncharacteristically upset

• East | #4 Cleveland Cavaliers 96, #5 Orlando Magic 86 (CLE leads series 2-0): The Magic have not led for a single second this series. Once again, Paolo Banchero (24 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST) was the only Orlando player who could get anything going offensively, and the Magic had no answers for Donovan Mitchell (30 PTS, 11-21 FG, 3 AST) and Jarett Allen (16 PTS, 18 REB), as the Cavs coasted to another wire-to-wire win in Believeland to take a commanding 2-0 series lead

See the full box scores here and the entire NBA playoff bracket here.

Tonight’s Schedule - Game 2s

• West | #6 Phoenix Suns @ #3 Minnesota Timberwolves 7:30pm ET, TNT - MIN leads series 1-0

• East | #6 Indiana Pacers @ #3 Milwaukee Bucks 8:30pm ET, NBA TV - MIL leads series 1-0

• West | #5 Dallas Mavericks @ #4 LA Clippers 10:00pm ET, TNT - LAC lead series 1-0

🏒 Comeback Canes!

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs - First Round

• East, Game 2 | Carolina Hurricanes 5, New York Islanders 3 (CAR leads series 2-0): Oh no, Islanders! In a devastating loss for New York, Anders Lee (1 G) gave them a comfortable 3-0 lead in the 2nd period with a power-play goal, but it quickly turned uncomfortable, as Seth Jarvis (1 G, 2 A), Sebastian Aho (1 G, 1 A) and the Canes netted five unanswered bingos, including four in the 3rd period and three in the final four minutes of the game to stun the Isles in Carolina

• West, Game 1 | Edmonton Oilers 7, Los Angeles Kings 4 (EDM leads series 1-0): In an all-out Oil eruption, Edmonton took a 4-0 lead early in the 2nd period and kept their foot on the gas, as Zach Hyman (3 G, 1 A) finished with a hat trick, Connor McDavid (5 A) dished out a ludicrous five assists, and Evan Bouchard (4 A) added four apples of his own to rout Adrian Kempe (1 G, 1 A) and the Kings in Game 1 above the border

• West, Game 1 | Vegas Golden Knights 4, Dallas Stars 3 (VGK leads series 1-0): In a physical Western Conference bout, the Knights reminded the top-seeded Stars why they’re the reigning champs, as Jack Eichel (2 A) and company jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the 1st period and used Brayden McNabb’s (1 G) 2nd-period goal to ultimately outlast Jason Robertson (1 G) and Dallas in the Lone Star State

• East, Game 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Boston Bruins 2 (Series tied 1-1): After getting blown out in Game 1, the Leafs found themselves trailing 2-1 in the 1st period, but John Tavares (1 G) tied the game shortly after intermission with a power-play goal, and then Auston Matthews (1 G, 2 A) beat Linus Ullmark (30 SV) with a nifty move on a breakaway in the 3rd for the game-winning score, as Toronto rallied past David Pastrnak (1 G) and the B’s at TD Garden to even the series - Ilya Samsonov (27 SV) made some big saves for the Leafs

See the full box scores here and the entire NHL playoff bracket here.

Tonight’s Schedule - Game 2s

• East | (WC2) Washington Capitals @ (M1) New York Rangers 7:00pm ET, ESPN - NYR lead series 1-0

• East | (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning @ (A1) Florida Panthers 7:30pm ET, ESPN - FLA leads series 1-0

• West | (C3) Colorado Avalanche @ (C2) Winnipeg Jets 9:30pm ET, ESPN - WPG leads series 1-0

• West | (WC2) Nashville Predators @ (P1) Vancouver Canucks 10:00pm ET, ESPN2 - VAN leads series 1-0

PGA Tour - RBC Heritage (Harbour Town Golf Links, SC)

• Winner: Scottie Scheffler (-19). It’s official: Scottie Scheffler is now the first player to win four PGA events in five starts since Tiger Woods in 2007-08. Scheffler held a five-stroke lead entering the 16th hole on Sunday when play was suspended due to darkness, and the World No. 1 shot 1-over in his final three holes on Monday to comfortably finish the job, claiming the event’s signature tartan jacket to go along with his second green jacket - Scheffler is the first player since Bernhard Langer in 1985 to follow up a Masters victory with a win the next week, and he also won the Players Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational before finishing tied for second at the Houston Open during this stretch

Final Leaderboard

• 1. Scottie Scheffler (-19)

• 2. Sahith Theegala (-16)

• T3. Patrick Cantlay (-15)

• T3. Wyndham Clark (-15)

• T5. JT Poston (-14)

• T5. Patrick Rodgers (-14)

• T5. Sepp Straka (-14)

• T5. Justin Thomas (-14)

• 9. Collin Morikawa (-13)

• T10. Ludvig Aberg (-12)

• T10. Chris Kirk (-12)

See the entire final leaderboard here.

MLB - Top Games

• St. Louis Cardinals 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 3: 0-for-19? Not anymore! Eugenio Suarez (3-4, 2 RBIs) put the Snakes up 5-0 in the 5th inning with a ground-rule double, but St. Louis tied the game in the 7th, and then Nolan Gorman (1-1, 1 HR, 2 RBIs) snapped a nasty slump with a two-run, walk-off moonshot in the bottom of the 9th to give the Cards an epic dub at Busch Stadium

• Oakland Athletics 2, New York Yankees 0: In a bizarre ejection, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was tossed just five pitches into the game when the home plate umpire mistook a heckling fan for Boone, who was silently standing in the dugout. And the Yanks’ day only got worse from there, as JP Sears (6.0 IP, 3 H, 7 Ks) and the A’s bullpen held them to just three hits and Zack Gelof (1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBIs) clubbed a two-run homer in the top of the 9th to halt Oakland’s eight-game slide

• Atlanta Braves 3, Miami Marlins 0: Bryce Elder (6.2 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 4 Ks) went six strong, Travis d’Arnaud (2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBIs) blasted a two-run shot in the 4th before David Fletcher (1-3, 1 RBI) added an RBI single three batters later, and the Bravos shutout the Fish at home to improve to 15-6 on the season - Atlanta has gone 8-2 in their past 10 games

See the full MLB scoreboard here and the current standings here.

On April 23, 2018, linebacker Shaquem Griffin became the first one-handed player to be selected in the NFL Draft, going 141st overall to the Seattle Seahawks. Griffin was born with both hands but suffered from a rare condition as a toddler that resulted in excruciating pain throughout his left. The pain was so intense that at four years old, he grabbed a kitchen knife in an attempt to cut off his own hand. Luckily, his mother took the knife away before he was able to harm himself, and his parents scheduled an amputation the next day. Despite only having one hand, Griffin excelled at multiple sports as a child, competing in track, baseball, and football alongside his twin brother, Shaquill. The twin brothers elected to play college football at Central Florida (UCF), where Shaqueem was named the 2016 AAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Shaquill was a standout cornerback. At the 2018 NFL Combine, Shaquem made headlines by completing 20 reps in the bench press while wearing a prosthetic hand and then running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, which was then the fastest time for a linebacker in combine history. The Seahawks selected Griffin in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, reuniting him with Shaquill who was drafted by the Seahawks in 2017. Shaquem would play three seasons in the NFL before retiring in 2020 - Shaquill made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and is a current member of the Minnesota Vikings.

NBA Playoffs - First Round, Game 2s

• Phoenix Suns @ Minnesota Timberwolves 7:30pm ET, TNT

• Indiana Pacers @ Milwaukee Bucks 8:30pm ET, NBA TV

• Dallas Mavericks @ LA Clippers 10:00pm ET, TNT

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs - First Round, Game 2s

• Washington Capitals @ New York Rangers 7:00pm ET, ESPN

• Tampa Bay Lightning @ Florida Panthers 7:30pm ET, ESPN

• Winnipeg Jets @ Colorado Avalanche 9:30pm ET, ESPN

• Vancouver Canucks @ Nashville Predators 10:00pm ET, ESPN2

MLB

• Boston Red Sox @ Cleveland Guardians 6:10pm ET, Local

• Houston Astros @ Chicago Cubs 7:40pm ET, TBS

• Baltimore Orioles @ Los Angeles Angels 9:40pm ET, ESPN+

• Full Schedule

English Premier League

• Chelsea @ Arsenal 3:00pm ET, USA Network

Trivia Time Answer

C. 4. Since the common draft era began in 1967, only four kickers have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft: Sebastian Janikowski (Raiders, 2000), Tony Zendejas (Redskins, 1984), and Russell Erxleben (Saints, 1979), Steve Little (Cardinals, 1978). Erxleben was the highest kicker ever selected, at No. 11 overall.

Prime Lock of the Day

Subscribe to Blitz Prime to unlock this betting slip.

Sports rule.