The San Antonio Spurs are collecting the hardware after their strong 2025-26 regular season. On Wednesday, Keldon Johnson was named the Sixth Man of the Year.

This was Johnson’s second full season coming off the bench. He played all 82 games, averaging 23.3 minutes, 13.2 points, and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 51.9% from the field and 36.3% from three. He beat out Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr. to win his first-ever Sixth Man of the Year award.

Johnson was the first-ever Spur to score at least 1,000 points off the bench in a single season. He scored 1,081 points off the bench this year, the second most in the NBA. He is the first Spur to win the award since Manu Ginobili did so in the 2007-08 season. He is the second Spur to win the award.

Johnson became the heart and soul of the team off the bench. He wrote an excellent piece in the Players’ Tribune about coming off the bench before the end of the season. He accepted the role with grace and has now been rewarded for it.

The now-Sixth Man of the Year will be needed more than ever as the Spurs are likely to be without Victor Wembanyama in Game Three against the Portland Trail Blazers, with the series tied 1-1.

The New York Yankees (14-9) take on the Boston Red Sox (9-14). The Yankees shut out the Red Sox 4-0 in the series’ opener on Tuesday. Starting pitchers are Max Fried for the Yankees, with a 2.97 ERA, and Ranger Suarez for the Red Sox, with a 3.22 ERA.

How to watch New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox

• Date: Wednesday, April 22

• Time: 6:45 p.m. ET / 3:45 p.m. PT

• Where: Fenway Park, Boston, MA

• TV Channels: MLB Network, NESN, Amazon Prime Video

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• New York Yankees: 14-9 (No. 1 in AL East)

• Boston Red Sox: 9-14 (No. 5 in AL East)

Odds

• Spread: Boston Red Sox +1.5

• Moneyline: Boston Red Sox +115 (44.4%) / New York Yankees -140 (55.6%)

• Over/Under: 7.5

Starting pitchers

New York Yankees: Max Fried (2-1, ERA: 2.97, K: 23, WHIP: 0.81)
Boston Red Sox: Ranger Suarez (1-1, ERA: 3.22, K: 15, WHIP: 1.07)

Weather: 46°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 37,755 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

Keldon Johnson was the ultimate backup for the San Antonio Spurs this season.

He played in all 82 games, all off the bench, becoming only the second NBA player in the last decade to do that. He became the first Spurs player to score 1,000 points as a reserve in a season. And all year long, San Antonio touted him as the best backup in the league.

Voters agreed — and the Spurs have another award winner.

Johnson was announced Wednesday as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, joining Manu Ginobili in 2008 as the only Spurs to win the award. It’s the first individual NBA award for Johnson, who was part of the U.S. Olympic team that won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

“I started for a long time,” Johnson said on ESPN after he was revealed as the winner. “Now, it’s my time to come off the bench. I just continue to analyze the game, come off the bench, go in there and just do my thing.”

Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat finished second in the voting and Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Denver Nuggets was third. Jaquez led all NBA reserves in scoring and double-digit games, while Hardaway led reserves with 205 3-pointers and was fourth in the league in scoring off the bench.

Hardaway and Jaquez tied for ninth in 2024. Hardaway was also fifth in 2021, 10th in 2017 and tied for 13th as a rookie in 2014.

It was the culmination of a two-year run like few others for Johnson, who has appeared in 159 games over the past two seasons — always coming off the bench. No other player in the NBA has played anywhere near that many games without a start in that span.

“I wanted to be part of something special here in San Antonio,” Johnson said. “I knew that in order for me to really be the best for our team that coming off the bench was probably my best possibility. At first, it was tough. I had to (control) my ego and put the team first. After that, the sky was the limit.”

It was the third award the NBA has handed out this postseason, the second won by the Spurs and the first with any real intrigue about who was going to win.

On Monday, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama became the first unanimous selection as Defensive Player of the Year. And on Tuesday, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City was named the Clutch Player of the Year — getting 96 of the 100 possible first-place votes.

In the Sixth Man balloting, Johnson got 63 first-place votes, while Jaquez got 34. Hardaway was followed by Minnesota’s Naz Reid (the 2024 winner who got one first-place vote this year) in fourth, Oklahoma City’s Ajay Mitchell in fifth, Houston’s Reed Sheppard in sixth, Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart (one first-place vote) in seventh, New York’s Mitchell Robinson (one first-place vote) in eighth, Minnesota’s Ayo Dosunmu in ninth, Toronto’s Sandro Mamukelashvili in 10th, San Antonio’s Dylan Harper in 11th and Toronto’s Jamal Shead in 12th.

“It’s a little emotional,” Johnson said. “It’s a big accomplishment. A lot of hard work goes into an award like this.”

The league’s Sportsmanship Award winner will be announced Thursday, with one player from each division — Miami’s Bam Adebayo (Southeast), San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes (Southwest), Gilgeous-Alexander (Northwest), Golden State’s Al Horford (Pacific), Indiana’s T.J. McConnell (Central) and Boston’s Derrick White (Atlantic) — selected as the finalists. That award is voted on by players, not the media panel that decides most winners.

The Most Improved Player award — either Nickeil Alexander-Walker of Atlanta, Deni Avdija of Portland or Jalen Duren of Detroit — will be revealed Friday.

Other awards that are coming but have not had their announcement dates revealed are Coach of the Year (Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson or Boston’s Joe Mazzulla), Rookie of the Year (Philadelphia’s VJ Edgecombe, Dallas’ Cooper Flagg or Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel) and MVP (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver’s Nikola Jokic).

___

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The Oklahoma City Thunder are not worried about this first-round series. Nor should they be.

Frankly, the Phoenix Suns might not be worried, either. They can see the writing on the wall.

My Suns vs. Thunder predictions and NBA picks expect at least one piece of Phoenix’s rotation to go down swinging, hopefully more figuratively than literally, in Game 2 on Wednesday, April 22.

Tip-off is set for 9:30 p.m. ET from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, with the game airing on ESPN. 

Suns vs Thunder prediction

Who will win Suns vs Thunder Game 2?

Thunder: Oklahoma City is poised to notch its third straight sweep in the first round of the playoffs.

This series may be only 1-0 right now, but anyone who watched Game 1 knows what more to expect: a one-sided rout that loses your attention at halftime if you’re not sweating a player prop.

Suns vs Thunder best bet: Dillon Brooks Over 17.5 points (-110)

Here comes desperation. Not from the Oklahoma City Thunder, of course, but from the Phoenix Suns.

Losing Game 1 by 35 should make the Suns’ plight rather clear. A similar beatdown in Game 2 would create an absolutely deflated atmosphere in Phoenix for Game 3 on Saturday.

No one will embody that desperation more openly than Dillon Brooks. He has never been known for concealing his emotions.

Brooks already chucked plenty in Game 1, partly out of necessity. Phoenix knows it is out-gunned. It needs its backcourt of Brooks, Devin Booker, and Jalen Green to get hot and stay out, and even then, the Suns may not have enough.

Thus, Brooks went 6-for-22 from the field for 18 points. As inefficient as that may be, it is simply what Phoenix needs.

Counting Game 1, Brooks has cleared this modest prop in three of his last five games, averaging 18.2 points. Perhaps more pertinently, he has taken 14.8 shots per game. That latter number should stay elevated in this series, for better or for worse, thus elevating Brooks’s scoring output.

Suns vs Thunder same-game parlay

Oklahoma City knows the only way it loses this series is if Booker goes thermo-nuclear for four games. Getting the ball out of his hands should always be the Thunder’s priority, creating logic to back Brooks while fading Booker.

And if Oklahoma City can dictate those terms, it will stifle Phoenix’s offense to such an extent that this game cannot come near its total.

Suns vs Thunder SGP

• Dillon Brooks Over 17.5 points
• Devin Booker Under 23.5 points
• Under 215

Our “from downtown” SGP: SGA’s Easy Living

Why should Shai Gilgeous-Alexander play extended minutes when Oklahoma City is likely to be up by two dozen points early in the third quarter? The Thunder led by 21 at halftime in Game 1 and by 31 after the third quarter, part of why the presumptive MVP played only 29 minutes and scored only 25 points.

Sure, his postseason free-throw shooting could push his points tallies higher. Gilgeous-Alexander took 18 field goals in Game 1 and 17 free throws. Judge that as you should. But even with that foul-baiting, SGA still came more than a bucket short of this prop, simply because he did not need to pour it on.

Suns vs Thunder SGP

• Thunder 1H -10
• Thunder -17
• Under 215
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 29.5 points

Suns vs Thunder odds for Game 2

• Spread: Suns +17 (-110) | Thunder -17 (-110)
• Moneyline: Suns +1100 | Thunder -2200
• Over/Under: Over 215 (-110) | Under 215 (-110)

Suns vs Thunder betting trend to know

Oklahoma City has gone 4-1 against the spread at home in the first round across the last three postseasons. Find more NBA betting trends for Suns vs. Thunder.

How to watch Suns vs Thunder Game 2

Suns vs Thunder latest injuries

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The San Antonio Spurs picked up another award Wednesday, with Keldon Johnson earning Sixth Man of the Year honors. Johnson beat out the Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and the Denver Nuggets’ Tim Hardaway Jr. for the award.

Johnson played in all 82 games this season, averaging more than 23 minutes per contest off the bench. He averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game within those limited minutes while making a clear impact for the surging Spurs.

Johnson was selected No. 29 overall by the Spurs in 2019, and he was a starter in the 2020-21 season. But with the arrival of 2025 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, Johnson’s starts were limited, so the 26-year-old has since become a key piece of the Spurs’ bench.

This year, Johnson worked primarily behind Castle at shooting guard, but also operated as a backup small forward and power forward in a pinch. Johnson finished the year with 13 games scoring 20-plus points, including a season-high 27 points twice; he also put up five double-doubles in points and rebounds.

Johnson set a franchise record this season with 1,081 points off the bench, which surpassed the mark Manu Ginóbili set in 2007-08 when he won Sixth Man of the Year. They are the only Spurs in history to win the award.

Jaquez came in second in the voting on Wednesday, and Hardaway finished in third.

Johnson becomes the second Spurs player to win an NBA award this week, joining Victor Wembanyama, who was unanimously named Defensive Player of the Year on Monday. Wembanyama is also nominated for NBA MVP, while Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson has been nominated for Coach of the Year in his first full season.

The Spurs are in the midst of their opening-round playoff series with the Portland Trail Blazers. That series sits at 1-1 after two opening games in San Antonio, though the Spurs lost Wembanyama to a concussion on Tuesday night. Game 3 of the series is set for Friday in Portland.

The San Antonio Spurs picked up another award Wednesday, with Keldon Johnson earning Sixth Man of the Year honors. Johnson beat out the Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and the Denver Nuggets’ Tim Hardaway Jr. for the award.

Johnson played in all 82 games this season, averaging more than 23 minutes per contest off the bench. He averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game within those limited minutes while making a clear impact for the surging Spurs.

Johnson was selected No. 29 overall by the Spurs in 2019, and he was a starter in the 2020-21 season. But with the arrival of 2025 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, Johnson’s starts were limited, so the 26-year-old has since become a key piece of the Spurs’ bench.

This year, Johnson worked primarily behind Castle at shooting guard, but also operated as a backup small forward and power forward in a pinch. Johnson finished the year with 13 games scoring 20-plus points, including a season-high 27 points twice; he also put up five double-doubles in points and rebounds.

Johnson set a franchise record this season with 1,081 points off the bench, which surpassed the mark Manu Ginóbili set in 2007-08 when he won Sixth Man of the Year. They are the only Spurs in history to win the award.

Jaquez came in second in the voting on Wednesday, and Hardaway finished in third.

Johnson becomes the second Spurs player to win an NBA award this week, joining Victor Wembanyama, who was unanimously named Defensive Player of the Year on Monday. Wembanyama is also nominated for NBA MVP, while Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson has been nominated for Coach of the Year in his first full season.

The Spurs are in the midst of their opening-round playoff series with the Portland Trail Blazers. That series sits at 1-1 after two opening games in San Antonio, though the Spurs lost Wembanyama to a concussion on Tuesday night. Game 3 of the series is set for Friday in Portland.

Of all the superlatives that one can bestow on the Detroit Pistons this season, one of the most significant is the team’s resilience. The 60-win Pistons have experienced multiple-game losing streaks three times this season. When the team dropped four in a row in early March, you would have thought the roof was caving in on their season.

When a bunch of starters were out at the beginning of the season, the team stepped up. Whenever they would lose, they bounced back. When Cade Cunningham went down with a collapsed lung the team banded together. It’s just what these Pistons do. We shouldn’t expect anything different tonight in what is effectively a must-win game against the Orlando Magic.

Detroit is down 0-1 in the best-of-seven series, and doesn’t want to fly to Orlando facing a giant two-game deficit. We know Cade will step up. He tried to will his team to victory in Game 1, scoring 39 points while the rest of the team seemingly short-circuited. We need Jalen Duren to step up, one game after one of his worst showings of the season. We need JB Bickerstaff to step up and find the lineup combinations and matchups that unlock the offense and slow down Orlando, no offensive juggernaut.

The Pistons are looking to break an 11-game losing streak at home, the longest in the NBA. They have spent the entire season brushing aside old, embarrassing records. Tonight shouldn’t be any different. It can’t be.

Game Vitals

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: ESPN
Odds: Pistons -9.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (0-1)
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Orlando Magic (1-0)
Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.

Logan Gilbert made a wild catch on Wednesday. Just with the wrong tool.

In the first inning against the Athletics, the Seattle Mariners’ right-hander got a 107.8-mph comebacker off the bat of Carlos Cortes. The ball arrived before Gilbert could react and ended up nestled in his jersey.

Much to the confusion of Gilbert.

So that’s a catch, right? Because the ball never hit the ground? Unfortunately, no.

From the official MLB rulebook, here’s the comment that addresses this exact situation:

A CATCH is the act of a fielder in getting secure possession in his hand or glove of a ball in flight and firmly holding it; providing he does not use his cap, protector, pocket or any other part of his uniform in getting possession.

So you can use only your hand or your glove to catch the ball. Therefore, the play was ruled a single for Cortes, which loaded the bases with no outs.

That wound up being costly for Gilbert, who saw two runs score on a sacrifice fly from Tyler Soderstrom and an RBI single from Jeff McNeil that included a fielding error by center fielder Julio Rodríguez.

Gilbert finished his day with 4 innings pitched, 6 hits allowed, 3 runs (all earned), 2 walks and 3 strikeouts on 89 pitches. However, that didn’t stop the Mariners from notching a 5-4 win courtesy of a walk-off single from Josh Naylor.

That was the Mariners’ 24th walk-off win since the start of the 2024 season, the most in MLB. Their record is now 11-14, good for fourth in the AL West.

Juan Soto is officially back. Now we see if it’s already too late for the New York Mets.

The club officially activated its star outfielder from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday, amid a 12-game losing streak that has parked it at the bottom of the MLB standings. He will be batting second and operating as the designated hitter in his first game back against the Minnesota Twins.

Soto drew some attention before the game, however, when he had this exchange while speaking with reporters:

Reporter: “You’ve been talking to guys throughout and trying to gauge where they’re at and try to lift them as we go along here?”

Soto: “No, not at all. They’ve been on the road most of the time, so I haven’t talked to them.”

The video:

That’s, well, pretty blunt.

Even if there’s some context we’re missing here, the highest-paid player on a team with playoff expectations saying he hasn’t tried to encourage his teammates amid a historic losing streak is an odd look at best, especially when that player’s clubhouse leadership has been questioned in some corners since his move to Queens.

However, some unnamed Mets veterans did defend Soto in quotes to The Athletic later Wednesday. A sampling:

“If it’s getting a lot of attention,” one Mets player said, “then that’s wrong and way overblown.”

“They’re going through it, and you’re not there,” another veteran said. “He was here every day and on the top step when we were home. On the road, he’s taking care of business. What’s he going to say in a text message, anyway? What it comes down to is, we’ve needed to do our jobs, and we haven’t.”

While still only 27 years old, Soto is in his ninth MLB season and is playing for the Mets on the most expensive contract in the history of baseball, worth $765 million. His last appearance was on April 3, when he sustained a calf strain while running the bases. The Mets won their next three games without Soto, then began their worst losing streak since 2002, at 12 games and counting.

As Soto notes, they’ve been on the road for some of that streak. The first five losses came at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Athletics, then the team traveled to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs and was swept in both three-game series.

They returned home Tuesday and once again lost, this time to the Minnesota Twins via a meltdown by new closer Devin Williams. Soto was definitely on hand for that game, as he was seen running the bases at Citi Field earlier in the day.

At 7-16, the Mets have the worst record in MLB despite the second-largest payroll (behind the Dodgers). They are 8.5 games back of first place after playing only 23 games. They certainly have talent on their roster and should be better, but the unfortunate news is that no team in MLB history has lost 12 consecutive games in a season and also made the playoffs.