What: Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles LakersWhen: 7 p. m. MSTWhere: Staples Center Watch: TNTListen: 98. 7 FMThe Spread: Lakers -7 Phoenix Suns Custom Flag. 0Game three is upon us, folks. The Suns are now on the road and will look to regain homecourt advantage with a win in either of these two games in the Staples Center. While most teams dread going on the road during the grueling regular season, Phoenix actually boasted the best road record in the entire NBA at 24-12. The Playoffs are an entirely different animal of course, but it still a positive note to factor in. While it was a disappointing ending in Game 2, the Suns showed their resilience to fight back and make things interesting down the stretch despite trailing most of the game. Cameron Payne was the engine that roared that impressive comeback, and if Paul isn his usual self again (likely) then it vital for Payne to fill that void yet again. The major storyline of this game will be the health status of Chris Paul and how he is used by Phoenix and how he is defended by Los Angeles. The subplot will be how each team tries to slow down Booker and Davis. Injury Report Lakers: LeBron James (ankle) https://www.phoenixfanstoreonline.com/Charles_Barkley_Hoodie-26, Anthony Davis (shoulder) both probable. Suns: Abdel Nader (OUT), Chris Paul (shoulder) probableChris Paul is listed on the injury report with a right shoulder contusion. He's probable for the Suns tomorrow against the Lakers. No other additions for Phoenix. Adjustments It difficult to imagine either team making any dramatic changes given the turnaround from a travel day on their off day with no practice in between games, but that doesn mean minor adjustments won be made by each party. The center of attention will be the health status of Chris Paul and how comfortable he is with that hampered shoulder injury. Will he be used as a decoy again Will he have enough juice to make the open crosscourt pass or shoots threes These are the burning questions we won get an answer to until he steps on the court. Phoenix has to get Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson more involved offensively this game to have a chance, it can just be all Booker and Ayton as great as theye been. Center WatchDario Saric should have a very short leash, and it would not surprise me at all if Monty decided to roll with Frank Kaminsky or Torrey Craig in favor of the struggling Saric. Our own John Voita wrote a piece highlighting why Craig should get minutes over Saric. I in agreement, because at this point even if youe undersized at least Craig will provide the energy and defense that Saric hasn brought to the table thus far. Kaminsky could be a more likely option due to Monty desire to match size with size in the past rather than making teams adjust to them, so we shall see. Overall, the defense Phoenix has played on LeBron (forcing him to take tough jumpers) and Davis (bulk off offense from the charity stripe) has been impressive. It will be interesting to see the adjustments made on both sides and see how Phoenix responds to the first punch of the series from LA. The major key to this game from the jump will be avoiding that choppy, sloppy game flow early on because it clearly took Phoenix out of their rhythm in the 1st quarter of Game 2 https://www.phoenixfanstoreonline.com/Torrey_Craig_Pillow_Cover-127. Let hope the officials actually let them play basketball this game.

Theye playing for first place in the East https://www.brooklynfanstoreonline.com/Kj_Mcdaniels_Face_Mask-118. Tuesday night, without Kevin Durant and James Harden, among others, the Brooklyn Nets will look to retain first place in the East when they head to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers. Brooklyn will be shorthanded; the 76ers, most likely, will be at full strength. So would it even matter of the Nets lost Yeah, of course. It would be nice to be playing from ahead, as opposed to be making up ground in the standings. So, hey, win. OKOnce again, wel be taking to Clubhouse after tonight game to talk Nets vs. 76ers. Should be a great conversation. Game Preview Kyrie Irving Pet Jersey. So what do the Nets do [to stop Joel Embiid] The play might be to double Embiid and let everyone else on the roster beat you. Doc guys are only 26th in three point attempts and 15th in efficiency so that could be something the Nets try to exploit. Nicolas Claxton will have the toughest matchup of his young career tonight. He exceeded all expectations but with Aldridge out, more will be asked of him tonight. DeAndre Jordan returned to the rotation yesterday and looked pretty good for a dude who hasn played in weeks Andre Roberson Pet Jersey. Jordan size will be essential as he does battle with Embiid and Dwight Howard on the boards. Philly is the fourth best rebounding team in the league this year while the Nets are solidly in the middle of the pack. For more on the 76ers, check out Liberty Ballers.

A trend for the Orlando Magic over the last decade or so has been being a pick or two away from getting the player they truly need in the NBA Draft Cole Anthony Hoodie. This year, things have worked out pretty well. The Magic got a much-needed scorer with the 15th pick in Cole Anthony, whose average of 11. 0 points per game is currently fifth best among rookies. That includes a career-high 21 points in a win over the Hornets on Monday, as Anthony went 4-for-5 from three, increasing his efficiency from deep over his last six games to 60. 9% on 3. 8 attempts per. Anthony is being asked to do more than any rookie this season while taking over the starting role for the injured Markelle Fultz, and a quarter of the way into the season has already shown tremendous growth in key areas. One of the few rookies outscoring him this season is Tyrese Haliburton, who the Kings drafted with the 12th pick, three spots ahead of the Magic. Happy as Magic fans should be with Anthony, it understandable if they envision what the shooting-starved Magic would have looked like with Haliburton playing alongside a healthy Fultz Orlando Magic Custom Face Mask. Haliburton, in comparison to Anthony in the early-going this season, has excelled in two key areas: shooting and playmaking. Haliburton, who comes off the bench for the Kings, is averaging 11. 4 points per game with shooting splits of 50. 4/47. 0/81. 8, while also adding 4. 9 assists per game. With 55% of his field goal attempts coming from three, Haliburton has posted a true shooting percentage of 64. 6%, compared to Anthony 46. 7%. Again, Anthony percentage has been on the rise, and the Magic made the right pick of the players who were available to them, so to even think in hypotheticals as I doing now is a silly exercise. But the Magic will get their first look at the rookie on Wednesday when the Kings come to Orlando. Hornets, 19-for-37, 51. 4%Those numbers have been boosted by Nikola Vucevic continuing his torrid pace from three (43. 5% on 6. 4 attempts per) and the return of Evan Fournier, who in the last three games has connected on 50 percent of his attempts from deep (12-for-24) https://www.storeorlando.com/Flags-60. The Magic starters in their win over the Hornets combined to go 15-for-25 from deep (60%). Theyl now face a Kings defense that has been historically bad, allowing opponents to hit a league-worst 39. 9% from three while posting a league-worst defensive rating (by a wide margin) of 118. 7 points per 100 possessions. The Kings, who have allowed over 120 points in 10 games this season (including a recent stretch of eight straight), did have their best defensive performance of the season in a win over the Knicks on Friday, allowing a season-low 94 points, their first time holding an opponent under 100 this season. The Kings, with the 13-best offensive rating at 110. 2 per and the 10th highest pace at 101. 4 possessions per, do have the ability to score in bunches behind Dearon Fox (20. 9 points, 5. 9 assists per), Harrison Barnes (15. 9 points per, but struggled over his last few games before bouncing back against the Knicks with 21 points), Buddy Hield (14. 9 points), and Haliburton. The Kings will also be well rested, with their back-to-back against the Grizzlies that was scheduled for Sunday and Monday having been postponed. The Kings have had four full days off, while the Magic, who have dropped 8 of their last 10 games, will be playing their third game in four nights. That won matter much if the Magic keep hitting shots https://www.storeorlando.com/Dwayne_Bacon_Face_Mask-85, Anthony keeps connecting from deep, Aaron Gordon keeps thriving as point forward, Nikola Vucevic keeps doing what Nikola Vucevic does, and the Kings defense keeps doing what the Kings defense usually does.

After completing a road trip in which they continued to stubbornly refuse to win more than one consecutive game, the Phillies return home. Their opponent: The New York Mets again for some reason. It isn clear why the schedule makers chose to have these teams play three series in the month of April Jose Alvarado T-Shirt. If familiarity breeds contempt, these teams should have a lot of contempt for each other at this point.New York MetsRecord: 9-10 (Somehow tied for first in the National League East)The last time they Met (Get it? I being very clever today)The Phillies struggled when they travelled to Citi Field earlier this month, losing the first three games of the series, and then having the fourth postponed due to rain. (It not good when about 95% of Phillies fans were thankful for the rainout.)Since then?The Mets have gone just 4-7, and in their most recent game, they were dominated by Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta.The Mets making Nick Pivetta look like the pitcher I falsely thought he could be for years Larry Andersen T-Shirt. Wait, did you say Nick Pivetta?I did. He actually off to a really good start to the season, but I don want to talk about him right now. Except to mention that he just out-dueled Jacob deGrom.Is deGrom still the unluckiest pitcher in baseball?It hard to argue against it considering he given up a grand total of two earned runs across his five starts this season, and somehow the Mets are just 2-3 in those games. The Phillies won be facing him this series, and I can tell if that a good thing or a bad thing https://www.philadelphiagearstore.com/Pete_Rose_Flag-399.

The Mets have activated left-handed outfielder Billy McKinney, for whom they traded yesterday, and placed fellow outfielder Johneshwy Fargas on the 10-day injured list with a left AC joint sprain, retroactive to Tuesday. Fargas suffered the injury as he crashed into the center field wall at Citi Field while trying to make a catch. McKinney will make his Mets debut as the team right fielder Patrick Mazeika Face Mask, and he batting fourth in the injury-depleted lineup as the Mets face right-handed pitcher Germn Mrquez Tom Seaver Pet Jersey. On the season, McKinney is hitting with three home runs and a 66 wRC+. And in his major league career, he hit for a bit more power against right-handed pitchers despite not having significant platoon splits overall. After impressing in the initial version of spring training last year https://www.newprostoreonline.com/Thomas_Szapucki_Face_Mask-376, Fargas finally got a shot with the Mets in the big leagues this year as their injuries piled up.

The Minnesota Twins did not appear all too interested in playing baseball on Wednesday night. It was apparent that the life-sucking loss on Tuesday had a lasting impact. After all, leading 3-1 in the ninth and losing 6-3 in 10 innings is about a bad as it gets https://www.minnesotagearshop.com/Ben_Rortvedt_Pillow_Cover-153. But on top of what is now an 11-18 start to the season, May is suddenly beginning to look worryingly like much of the month of April. The Twins scored first again, with Mitch Garver depositing an inside fastball onto the concourse on the terrace level in left field. But a bloop single and a grounder through the hole gave the Texas Rangers runners on the corners in the fourth inning. After Lewis Thorpe struck out Adolis Garcia, a high flip from Jorge Polanco to Andrelton Simmons on a potential inning-ending double-play ball allowed the game-tying run to score. Thorpe got out of the inning without any further damage, and the Twins quickly loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning on a Nelson Cruz walk, a Kyle Garlick automatic double, and a Garvsauce walk. But Polanco compounded his mistake in the top of the inning with a strikeout. After the Rangers replaced the effective starting pitcher, Hyeon-Jong Yang with John King, both Max Kepler and Miguel Sano bounced into force-outs and the inning was over. The Rangers had wrested momentum away from the home team at this point, although Thorpe pitched a one-two-three top of the fifth. The Aussie came back out for the sixth inning and promptly gave up back-to-back singles, giving Texas runners on the corners. Rocco Baldelli turned to Cody Stashak, who spiked a wild pitch into the dirt, allowing the go-ahead run to score. After a walk and a ground-out Justin Morneau T-Shirt, Andy Ibanez knocked a sacrifice fly into deep left-center field, and the Rangers had built a 3-1 lead. Kyle Garlick led off the bottom of the sixth with his second double of the game but was stranded at second base as Garver, Polanco, and Kepler went down with hardly so much as a whimper. The Twins also got leadoff singles in the seventh (Sano) and the eighth (Cruz) and a leadoff walk in the ninth (also Sano), but could not advance a runner into scoring position for the rest of the game. NotesA night after the bullpen was basically solely to blame for a horrific loss, a suddenly anemic and somewhat disinterested offense was the culprits in this one. The Twins scattered eight hits but only once had multiple knocks in an inning. What if Garlick double doesn bounce over the wall in the fourth inning Cruz almost surely scores from first Josh Donaldson T-Shirt, allowing the Twins to answer the Rangers game-tying run by going ahead only two batters later. Does the momentum swing considerably Maybe. Byron Buxton had another double and another fantastic catch in the gap, but the quality of two of his four at-bats wasn quite to the level wee become accustomed to seeing. Then again, he is still awesome and small things seem easy to complain about all of a sudden because this team can string wins together. The bullpen has been severely overworked in the first three games of this series.

Today begins the 2021 Championship Season https://www.milwaukeefanstoreonline.com/Chris_Capuano_Pet_Jersey-164, and according to most projections the Milwaukee Brewers should be in the thick of playoff contention once again throughout the regular season as they look to make a fourth consecutive postseason berth. No one knows yet exactly how the season will shake out, but the Brew Crew Ball staff have made the following bold predictions about this year iteration of the Brewers:Lindsey_Loberg: Keston Hiura has a 30 home run seasonAfter an outstanding debut season in 2019, Keston Hiura slumped dramatically across a shortened 2020, striking out as often as virtually any player in the league and dropping dramatically in terms of advanced metrics like hard contact rate and average exit velocity. Hiura struggled in the beginning of spring training, but settled in during the later half of Cactus League play. Ideally, in 2021. Hiura will settle in at first. Relieved of the defensive pressures of a middle infield position, hel focus on making adjustments and returning to form at the plate. After finishing as the NL MVP in 2018 and runner up in 2019, the 2020 season brought him down https://www.milwaukeefanstoreonline.com/Pablo_Reyes_Flag-295. In the shortened season, he only had a batting line of . 203/. 356/. 430. He did post a wRC+ of 113, so he was still above average, but overall it was a step backward for him. As 2021 begins, the Brewers could use the MVP level Christian Yelich again. A normal season should help him get back there, and the early results are promising. In 14 spring games, he went 11-for-28 with 6 walks and 3 home runs. It not much of a stretch to see Yelich being the Brewers leader on offense again this season. However, a full return to MVP form can make the Brewers one of the top teams in the National League. David Gibson: A PennantI get to use my timeless ticket for Game 4 of the World Series, as Milwaukee shocks the world on their way to a World Series victory. Strong defense and pitching coupled with the offensive resurgence of the positional player group lead the way. A couple of savvy deadline trades put the Brew Crew over the top, and the ball finally bounces our way for once. Jaymes L: Kolten Wong will have an even bigger impact offensively than he will defensively for the BrewersMost of the focus was on Wong defense when the Brewers signed him, and for good reason the team is going from one of the worst defensive second basemen in the league to one of the best. That alone should provide a couple extra wins over the course of a full season. But the fact the Brewers are eplacing Keston Hiura without losing his bat from the lineup is also a plus. Think of it this way the Brewers are effectively replacing the black hole that was Justin Smoak and the other rotating cast of characters at first base last year with Wong still above-average bat. Not only does Wong style of hitting play well at American Family Field, he going from one of the worst hitter parks in the league to one of the best, meaning there a good chance wel see his extra base hits total climb while also adding an on-base machine ahead of Hiura and Christian Yelich in the lineup. Kyle Lesniewski: The return of Ryan BraunWe know that Braun doesn particularly care for playing much in Spring Training, and the cold weather games of the early season in the NL Central probably aren very good for his balky back Travis Shaw Pet Jersey. But once the weather starts to heat up, so too could yan Braun Watch. The former face of the franchise has danced around saying that he officially retired, but has said that if he does return for a final season in 2021, that he would only do it for the Brewers. He 37 hits short of 2,000 for his career and posted a 14th-consecutive season with an OPS+ over 100 in 2020. He deserves a send-off in front of the fans, and one last chance at a playoff run and World Series ring.