The start of Monday’s Mets-Rockies game has been bumped up due to potential inclement weather. 

First pitch is now scheduled for 5:40 p.m. ET. 

New York will be looking to keep the good times rolling after their series win over the Angels. 

Manager Carlos Mendoza announced following Sunday’s victory that lefty David Peterson will pitch behind an opener.

There had been suggestions that would be Tobias Myers, but his availability is unknown after throwing 2.2 innings during Saturday night’s loss. 

Whoever it is will be countered by right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, who has pitched to a strong 2.84 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over his first six starts this season. 

Colorado has lost four in a row, and are coming off a sweep at the hands of the red-hot Braves. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers need a win to keep their season alive. We’ll see if they can bounce back from an ugly Game 6 loss to defeat the Toronto Raptors in Game 7.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

Go Cavs!

The Boston Celtics blew a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers and lost Game 7 at TD Garden. At home. To a seven seed. For a franchise built on banners, this collapse was a rare low point, especially since they’ve beaten the Sixers in every playoff series since 1982.

Jayson Tatum didn’t play in the season-ending loss because of a knee injury, but this outcome was less about his absence and more about the Celtics not having the roster equipped for a deep postseason run. In fantasy, the Celtics remain one of the better franchises, with five players ranking in the top 100 across points in category leagues. Let’s recap Boston’s season and peek into what’s ahead.

Jaylen Brown was ready

Jaylen Brown rightfully emerged as Boston’s rock, earning All-Star, All-NBA and MVP attention while carrying the team through most of the season without his co-pilot, Tatum. Brown flew past his third-round ADP in High Score, finishing 9th in per-game value, averaging 50 fantasy points per game. In 9-cat, he was dinged for giving the ball away 3.6 times per game, but he would’ve been a top-30 player if punting turnovers. It was a career year for JB after posting 29-7-5 with 48/34/80 shooting splits. He’s well worth a third-round pick next year, too.

Tatum defied the odds and became a league winner

Tatum was the second-most rostered player on the top-500 public Yahoo teams after returning for the final month of the NBA season. Not only did he play over 30 minutes a night, but he was effective in those minutes, averaging 22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists across 16 games. There was considerable rust on his jump shot, as he connected on just 41% of his FG attempts and 33% of his 3s.  Still, the fantasy managers who scooped him up before his return legitimately got a league-winner. Tatum performed at a second-round value in High Score and 9-cat formats.

Though Tatum missed Game 7 with a knee injury, having a full offseason to strengthen his legs and work on his shooting stroke will be great for his long-term outlook. I’d feel comfortable selecting him as a first- or early-second-round pick next season.

Derrick White and Pritchard hold it down

Among role players, Derrick White continued to provide elite steals, blocks and threes, cementing his value as a two-way guard and reliable fantasy starter. Payton Pritchard broke out in a starting role, showcasing shooting and playmaking that should secure him a lucrative extension this summer and keep his fantasy outlook stable. Neemias Queta also grew into a dependable rotation big, finishing 75th in 9-cat leagues, while Nikola Vučević struggled during his tenure with Boston. I doubt Vučević returns, which makes his fantasy value uncertain as the offseason approaches.

Final thoughts

Boston now enters a pivotal offseason. Pritchard’s contract situation will be one to watch, but he’s likely to be retained at a reasonable price and sustain his seventh-round value in fantasy. Queta is also eligible for an extension and should see an uptick in playing time with Vooch gone. Queta went undrafted in 85% of leagues, but with his defense and low-end double-double potential, he’s trending towards a top-80 guy next season. 

The front office has done a great job of moving money around to get under the aprons. However, the bench depth is weak, and it showed in their first-round exit. It might be time to do something bold — like trade Derrick White in order to build out the roster beyond Tatum, Brown and Pritchard. As it stands, we can trust Brown, Tatum, White, Pritchard and Queta will be top 100 fantasy picks heading into 2026-27.

The Lakers understand the daunting challenge they’re about to face against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.

Lakers coach JJ Redick referenced the great Chicago Bulls teams that won back-to-back championships in 1996 and ’97 and the Golden State Warriors teams that won titles in 2015 and ’17 when talking about the Thunder after practice Sunday.

“The Thunder is one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history,” Redick said. “It’s just the reality. They’re that good. I think our guys recognize that and respect that, and we know what kind of task we have in front of us.”

Read more:An early look at how the Lakers and Thunder match up entering their playoff series

The Thunder had the best record in the regular season at 64-18. They were ranked first in defensive field-goal percentage (43.7%), first in defensive rating (106.5), first in net rating (43.7) and second in points given up per game (107).

They have the league’s reigning most valuable player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is the leading candidate to repeat as MVP. He was second in scoring this season (31.1 points per game) and leads the postseason in scoring (33.8).

The Thunder just swept the Phoenix Suns in their first-round series. The Lakers eliminated the Houston Rockets in six games.

This season the Thunder beat the Lakers by an average of 29.2 points per game in sweeping the four-game set. So the Lakers are facing long odds to win this series, but they say they aren’t intimidated heading into Game 1 on Tuesday night.

Read more:Plaschke: Crisis averted, LeBron James to the rescue in Game 6

“You can respect the team but you can’t fear them,” forward Jake LaRavia said. “You can’t come into the game fearing the opponent and then you’re just gonna come in and get punked. So, we respect how good this team is, but our goal is to win — win the games and win the series. So, our mindset stays the same.”

The Thunder have a reputation as a stingy defensive team — they were called for the seventh-fewest fouls per game (19) this season.

“They’re top five in every category that’s disruptive-base: steals, blocks, turnovers forced, all that stuff. And they don’t foul,” Redick said. “They somehow do all of that without fouling, which is one of the most remarkable things, I think, in NBA history.”

Gilgeous-Alexander is famous for drawing fouls. He took nine free throws per game this season, third-most in the league.

“Nobody’s been able to stop him all season,” Redick said. “So, you can hope and pray.”

The Lakers had their own weapon at the free-throw line, but it’s unclear when Luka Doncic might return from injury. The All-Star point guard hasn’t played since sustaining a Grade 2 left hamstring strain against the Thunder on April 2.

Doncic was coming off a magical month, becoming the only player in history other than Michael Jordan to score 600 points in March.

Redick had no update on Doncic’s status — he remains out indefinitely.

But the Lakers got by the Rockets with LeBron James leading the way. He averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 assists and 7.2 rebounds in the six games. And star guard Austin Reaves, who also was injured in the April 2 game against the Thunder, returned to help beat the Rockets.

Read more:‘There’s no quit.’ Lakers’ leadership, resilience shines through in series-clinching win

Still, few think the Lakers, who advanced past the first round for the first time since 2023, can get by the deep and talented Thunder.

“You could say nobody thought we were going to get past Houston, but everybody in this building believed,” Reaves said. “It’s the same mindset going into this. We obviously know the team that we’re about to face and how good they are and the problems that they can create for 48 minutes. So, we’ll have to lock in every single day, film, whatever it could be, to continue to get better and and pay attention to all the little details like they do.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Orlando Magic were competitive early in Sunday’s Game 7 despite playing without Franz Wagner. But the Detroit Pistons turned up the heat in the second quarter to spark a 116-94 win and secure their first playoff series win since advancing to the Eastern Conference finals in 2008.

Tobias Harris scored 17 of his 30 points in the second quarter as the Pistons closed the first half on a 20-6 run. From there, the second half served as a party in Detroit as the Pistons never relinquished control.

With the win, the Pistons advance to the second round of the playoffs and avoid the ignominious history of becoming the seventh NBA team to lose a first-round series as a No. 1 seed to a No. 8 seed. It’s a prospect that looked like a long shot at best after the Magic dazed the Pistons with a 3-1 series lead.

Magic can’t recover from Game 6 collapse

The Magic looked ready to celebrate the series upset on their home court in Game 6 on Friday as they extended a 60-38 halftime lead to 24 points in the third quarter. But Orlando’s offense went stunningly silent from there.

The Magic missed 23 consecutive consecutive second-half field goals and shot 1 of 20 from the field in the fourth quarter. The result was the lowest-scoring half by a team in NBA playoff history as the Magic mustered just 19 points and allowed the Pistons to rally for a 93-79 win.

That win extended the series and allowed the Pistons to return home Sunday, where they closed out the series with relative ease. Cade Cunningham led the way for Detroit with 32 points and 12 assists while shooting 10 of 18 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3. He was also tasked for much of the game with defending Orlando’s No. 1 option, Paolo Banchero.

Harris, Duren step up to support Cunningham

A Pistons team that’s frequently struggled to find shot creation outside of Cunningham got what it needed from Harris with his fifth straight 20-plus point effort in the series. Harris’ second-quarter outburst set the tone for the remainder of the game, and he finished with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals while shooting 11 of 18 from the field and 5 of 7 from 3.

Harris closed the series with 23, 22 and now 30 points as the Pistons faced and survived elimination in three consecutive games. His effort on Sunday led a 16-of-33 effort from 3 that paced Detroit’s offense.

“Nobody can say s*** to me about Tobias,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said postgame. “He’s dependable, reliable, prepared for the moment.”

Jalen Duren was again a presence in the post with 15 points and 15 rebounds. The first-time All-Star who averaged 10.5 rebounds in the regular season cracked double-digits in rebounds for the first time in the series.

The Pistons advance to face the winner of Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors. The Magic, meanwhile, are left to wonder what might have been.

Blown opportunity for Orlando

The Magic had three chances to close out the series and appeared to have it in the bag with their 24-point lead at home in the second half of Game 6. But their historic collapse spoiled their own shot at making history in their favor.

In the end, they didn’t have enough firepower to compete with a Pistons team that finished second in the NBA in defensive rating in the regular season. Wagner missed a third straight game Sunday with a calf injury, leaving the Magic without their No. 2 option who was critical in building a 3-1 series lead.

Banchero kept the Magic afloat with 23 first-half points en route to 38 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Desmond Bane added 16 points while shooting 3 of 5 from 3.

It wasn’t nearly enough for a Magic team that struggled to find offense against a smothering Detroit defense. Orlando shot 41% from the field and countered Detroit’s hot 3-point shooting with a 10-of-30 (33.3%) effort.

The Pistons will host Game 1 of the second round Tuesday against either the Raptors or Cavaliers.

The Minnesota Timberwolves survived and advanced past the Denver Nuggets despite Anthony Edwards missing two-plus games of their first-round playoff series with a bone bruise in his left knee.

Up next is a second-round playoff matchup against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in which the Timberwolves are expected to need Edwards to have a reasonable chance of pulling off an upset. Per a report on Sunday, there’s a chance Edwards could return to the Timberwolves’ lineup when the series shifts back to Minnesota.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on “NBA Tip-Off” that Edwards traveled with the team to San Antonio, where the series will tip off with Game 1 Monday. Edwards has returned to light workouts, but isn’t expected to play in Games 1 or 2, per the report.

Though the Timberwolves did officially list him as questionable for Game 1 on Sunday afternoon. He’s been cleared for on-court activities, too.

But Charania reports Edwards is “hopeful that he could push to be back in the lineup potentially for Game 3 or Game 4 at the earliest.” Game 3 is scheduled for Friday in Minnesota. Game 4 will take place next Sunday.

Charania also noted “Minnesota is going to be conservative” in bringing Edwards back due in part to inflammation in his right knee that sidelined him for the stretch run of the regular season.

But the prospect of Edwards returning in time to impact the series is certainly good news for the Timberwolves, especially considering the initial scare around his injury. Edwards hyperextended his left knee in Game 4, prompting initial fears that he’d sustained a long-term injury.

The bone bruise sidelined him for Games 5 and 6 as the Timberwolves closed out the series, but he avoided more serious ligament damage. And now, with a spot in the Western Conference finals at stake, there’s hope in Minnesota that Edwards could return against the Spurs.

Edwards made his fourth straight All-Star team this season and averaged a career-high 28.8 points, alongside 5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He also posted career highs while shooting 48.9% from the field and 39.9% on 8.4 3-point attempts per game.

Jayson Tatum met with the media Sunday following the Boston Celtics’ Game 7 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in their NBA first-round playoff series and explained why he wasn’t able to play.

In the early afternoon Saturday, Tatum was initially listed as questionable with left knee stiffness. That status changed approximately two hours before tip-off and Tatum was ruled out for the win-or-go-home showdown in Boston.

Tatum confirmed he was feeling tightness in the back of his left knee and was technically still in the “return-to-play protocol,” which requires a progression from light activity (such as an exercise bike or jogging) to non-contact activity, then practice with no restrictions on contact over a 48-hour period.

The athletic training staff and Tatum stuck to that plan and that meant being unavailable Saturday, despite the stakes of a Game 7.

If the Celtics had advanced to the second round, Tatum said his status would have been day-to-day and he would have been available to play at some point against the Knicks.

Tatum added that he felt an injury like this may have been inevitable after returning from his torn Achilles sustained last year. (His knee injury was to the left leg, while the Achilles rupture occurred in his right.)

“I guess a little to be expected,” Tatum said, via CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell. “I was away for 10½ months and then came back, and I was playing every other day. I was playing 36 to 40 minutes. So it’s not unusual that something would come up.”

“It was just kind of tough because rehab was just going so well the entire time,” he added. “I guess it was inevitable at some point that I was gonna have to deal with something, and it just kind of came at the worst possible time.”

Tatum’s availability was in question after he left Thursday’s Game 6 in the third quarter with what was called “left knee stiffness” and did not return. Philadelphia went on to win that game, 106-93, to force a decisive Game 7 at TD Garden.

Following the game, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t seem concerned, saying that Tatum “just got stretched, got some treatment” and appeared to believe that he would play in Game 7. However, neither he nor the medical staff had all of the necessary information to make a considered decision.

The Celtics lost 109-100, and Tatum had averaged 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists during the series’ previous six games. So it’s not unreasonable to speculate that had he been available to play, Boston would have advanced to the second round for a rematch with the New York Knicks.

“All things considered, for me to even be able to come back and play — and play at the level I was playing that, you know, even at 80, 85% — one of my legs is still smaller than the other one,” Tatum said, via WEEI’s Justin Turpin.

“And so now that I get a long offseason to really get back to 110%, I guess that’s the silver lining of it all.”

After returning in early March, Tatum appeared in 16 regular-season games for Boston. He averaged 21.8 points, 10 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 33% on 3-pointers.