Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Monday, May 12.

NBA

Before the two playoff games, we begin this morning with a wild result from the NBA Draft Lottery. Somehow, someway, by the skin of their teeth and a miracle at the buzzer, the Dallas Mavericks were blessed with the first overall pick and the opportunity to select a franchise-changing talent in Cooper Flagg. After months of ridicule, general manager Nico Harrison’s job is secure and his team is set up to compete for the longhaul. That’s a lot of pressure on the young forward from Duke, but Flagg looks like the real deal. It’s a league-altering lottery result, reminiscent of the last time the Lakers acquired a big-name star in a trade. This is two lotteries in a row for the city of Dallas, too, as the Wings just drafted Paige Bueckers in the WNBA. Also of note, the San Antonio Spurs jumped up to pick two and the Philadelphia 76ers landed in the third spot. You can see the entire lottery order and projected picks here. Oh, and shoutout to guest writer Max Krupnick, who made a nice call on this outcome:

Now to the court, where all the stars were out to see the New York Knicks battle the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, this fantastic game four was marred by what appears to be a serious injury. Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum had 42 points when he went down with a non-contact injury late in the fourth quarter. He left the court unable to put any weight on his leg. The Knicks won the day and hold a commanding 3-1 series lead, thanks to another incredible performance by Jalen Brunson. The city of New York is celebrating, as they should be amidst a wonderful playoff run. But our thoughts go to Tatum, and hope for good news from the forthcoming MRI.

Our second game of the evening was a repeat from a few nights ago. The Curry-less Warriors simply don’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up with Anthony Edwards, a resurgent Julius Randle, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota used a dominant 39-17 fourth quarter to pull away from the home team, and a 117-110 victory sees the T-Wolves with a 3-1 series lead.

NHL

The NBA said tonight’s theme was 3-1 leads, and the hockey world followed suit:

• Carolina continues to control their series against the Washington Capitals. Although Alexander Ovechkin finally broke out with a goal late in the third period, the Hurricanes scored minutes later and buried an empty-netter to beat the Caps 5-2. Washington will have two off-days to figure things out as they try to extend their season in game five on Thursday.

• An unlikely hero emerged for Edmonton as Adam Henrique score two goals to lead the Oilers past the Golden Knights in game four. It’s Henrique’s first multi-goal playoff game since his rookie season in 2012. The odds will be stacked against the home team when these two meet in Vegas for game five on Wednesday.

MLB

Maybe not as historic or playoff-altering of an evening in Major League Baseball, but there were still a few games you should know about:

• Make that nine in a row! The Cardinals beat the Phillies 3-2, and their improbable win streak continues for another day…

• Look away Pirates fans… for the fourth time this season, Pittsburgh lost a game where Paul Skenes gave up two runs or less. Pete Alonso hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to win the game for the Mets 4-3.

• The Angels trailed the Padres 5-3 in the ninth inning. Facing one of the league’s top closers, Robert Suarez, it didn’t look good for LA. Well after Suarez walked two batters with the bases loaded, the stage was set for Taylor Ward. You know it’s worth watching when the caption was from Wicked:

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Tampa Bay Rays legend Evan Longoria announced he will sign a one-day contract with the team and retire from baseball on June 7th. One of the best third basemen of his generation, Longoria was the 2008 Rookie of the Year. He also played an instrumental role in arguably one of the greatest days in baseball regular season history, clinching a playoff spot for the Rays in Game 162 back in 2011. Congrats to Longoria on a fantastic career!

Novak Djokovic announced he will split with his coach Andy Murray ahead of the French Open. While the former rivals were successful as a pair at their debut tournament in Australia this January, Djokovic has struggled with both fitness and form since then. Frankly this news isn’t too shocking, although it’s been fun to see Sir Andy at all these events again.

We end today with an exciting business opportunity… the owners of the Connecticut Sun are beginning the process of putting the team on the market, where it’s expected a majority stake will be sold and new owners will have the ability to relocate the franchise. Now’s the time everyone! Let’s buy a WNBA team!

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NBA:

• Pacers @ Cavaliers, 7 PM on TNT/Max

  • Indiana leads 3-1

• Nuggets @ Thunder, 9:30 PM on TNT/Max

  • Series tied 2-2

NHL: Jets @ Stars, 8 PM on ESPN; Dallas leads 2-1

MLB:

• Red Sox @ Tigers, 6:40 PM on TBS/Max

• Cardinals @ Phillies, 6:45 PM

  • Sonny Gray vs Jesus Luzardo

• Yankees @ Mariners, 9:40 PM

  • Max Fried vs Bryan Woo

Enjoy your Tuesday!