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Welcome Back 👋
An epic sports stretch is about to begin. The WNBA season tips off tomorrow before the PGA Championship this weekend. The French Open, Indy 500, and Champions League finale take us from May into June. And then we crown the NBA and NHL champs. We hope everyone enjoyed a fun weekend celebrating Mother's Day. Thanks to all the great sports moms out there. In today's edition: We'll recap the usual playoff highlights before mixing things up this week. The Hawks won the NBA Draft Lottery, Paul Skenes was as good as advertised, and more.
Letter Rip! |
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Photo: David Berding / Getty Images |
Hawks Win the Draft Lottery |
Atlanta Hawks Will Get No. 1 Pick in 2024 NBA Draft Despite 3% Chance in Draft Lotto
Jackpot, Atlanta! Sunday’s NBA Draft Lottery fell to the Hawks in a stunning twist of fate. Atlanta (36-46) finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and participated in the play-in before winning the No. 1 pick with just a three percent chance. The Pistons and Wizards both had a 14-percent chance with the worst records in the NBA. As for the selection, the Hawks have options with their first No. 1 pick since 1975. There will be plenty of chatter surrounding the futures of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray in the backcourt, but two rangy French players (Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher) top the mock boards.
NBA Draft Lottery 1. Hawks 2. Wizards 3. Rockets 4. Spurs 5. Pistons
Rest of NBA Draft Lottery Order: 6. Hornets, 7. Blazers, 8. Spurs, 9. Grizzlies, 10. Jazz, 11. Bulls, 12. Thunder, 13. Kings, 14. Blazers Read More
ESPN: 2024 NBA Draft: Biggest Post-Lottery Questions for the 12 Teams
CBS Sports: NBA Draft Lottery Winners & Losers: Pistons’ Bad Luck Continues, Hawks Overcome Odds for No. 1 Pick |
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Photo: Derek Cain / Getty Images |
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Photo: Justin Berl / Getty Images |
Pirates Rookie Paul Skenes (7 Ks) Tops 100-MPH 17 Times in MLB Debut
Just how it was supposed to happen. Rain clouds disappeared and the sun shined down on Pittsburgh as last year’s No. 1 pick Paul Skenes stepped to the mound for his Pirates debut Saturday against the Cubs. One look at the box score might not drop your jaw (4 IP, 6 Hits, 3 Runs, 7 Ks), but Skenes looked every bit like a batter’s nightmare. His first pitch clocked 101 mph — the fastest pitch in the majors this season. His first pitch! By the end of his four innings, he threw 17 pitches that topped 100 on the gun, including a 102-mph snap. A few of his seven punch-outs were downright filthy. The Pirates held a 6-1 lead after four innings before Skenes began to falter, but they hung on for a 10-9 win. Was it perfect? No. But the Skenes era is here.
Watch: Top Highlights From Paul Skenes’ Pirates Debut |
⚾️ MLB Quick-Hitters
Braves No-No Spoiled: The Braves won 2-of-3 against the Mets this weekend, including a near no-hitter on Saturday that was broken up in the 9th inning by Mets’ DH J.D. Martinez with one out left. On Sunday, Marcell Ozuna made history, becoming the fastest Braves player to 40 RBIs since Hank Aaron.
Cubs Walk-A-Thon 5th: Chicago was on the losing end of that Skenes debut Saturday, but they were the focus of one bizarre inning. The Cubs drew six bases-loaded walks in a wild, seven-run 5th inning after Skenes exited. That’s the most bases-loaded walks in an inning since 1959.
Vintage JV Torches Tigers: At age 41, Justin Verlander isn’t slowing down. The Astros’ veteran ace showed some vintage stuff against his old team in Detroit on Sunday, throwing a scoreless seven-inning, two-hit gem to top the Tigers (9-3). |
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🏀 NBA Playoffs Gm 4: Celtics at Cavaliers (7:00 pm ET, TNT) Gm 4: Thunder at Mavericks (9:30 pm ET, TNT) 🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs Gm 5: Hurricanes at Rangers (7:00 pm ET, ESPN) Gm 4: Stars at Avalanche (9:30 pm ET, ESPN) ⚾️ MLB Phillies at Mets (7:10 pm ET, ESPN+)
Rays at Red Sox (7:10 pm ET, NESN) Cubs at Braves (7:20 pm ET, MLBTV) Dodgers at Giants (9:45 pm ET, MLBTV)
Changing Seasons 🌤️ Stay tuned. The WNBA season tips off tomorrow before PGA Championship week and a big kickstart to Summer soccer, racing, tennis, playoff finales and more. |
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