Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Tuesday, April 15.

NBA PLAY-IN GAMES

We start in the East, where the Magic beat up on the Hawks so badly that Trae Young got himself ejected. That may be an oversimplification of what happened, but Orlando cruised to a 120-95 win, locking in their first-round matchup against the Boston Celtics.

Over in the West, we had a lot more drama. Golden State and Memphis battled late into the evening in a thrilling back-and-forth game. But when the game was in the balance, the greatest shooter of all-time took over. It may not be a surprise anymore, but that doesn’t make Steph Curry’s heroics any less amazing. Curry hit two clutch threes and four free throws in the final two minutes as the Warriors beat the Grizzlies 121-116. Jimmy Butler added 38 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, setting up a juicy first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets.

NHL

Congratulations to the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues, who each clinched a playoff spot with wins in their final regular season games last night! The playoff picture is just about set, which means the spectacular month we call the Stanley Cup Playoffs is right around the corner…

MLB

Alex Bregman had his first career five-hit game and the Red Sox beat Tampa 7-4. The Cubs learned in a very embarrassing fashion that if you give Padres slugger Manny Machado two extra outs during an at-bat, he will make you pay by hitting a massive home run (although Chicago won the game). But yesterday’s big story in baseball was the annual celebration of Jackie Robinson Day, saluting one of the greatest trailblazers and athletes in our history. These incredible defensive plays from yesterday’s games become a bit extra special when you see Jackie’s iconic 42 diving across the diamond:

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

I hope you’re sitting down for this one… after Denis Shapovalov retired due to illness, 17-year old Diego Dedura-Palomero won his first-career pro tennis match. That’s significant because the young German is now the first human born in the year 2008.. that’s right, I said 2008!… to win a match on tour. But don’t worry about how that makes you feel– he followed up the win with the strangest celebration I’ve seen in a long time.

Star running back Jaydn Ott has transferred to Oklahoma. A last-minute add to the transfer portal this week, Ott leaves Cal as a graduate transfer. He’s officially on my dark horse Heisman list for next season.

Our thoughts go out to San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture, who was forced to retire yesterday after doctors deemed him physically unable to keep playing. A 2007 first-round pick and one of the great goal-scorers of his generation, Couture played his entire career with the Sharks.

The Dolphins are shopping All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. A talented but expensive veteran, it appears Miami will be doing a lot of work over the next few months to reshape their defense.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NHL:

• Hurricanes @ Canadiens, 7 PM on ESPN+

  • If the Canadiens win or at least go to overtime, they’re in the playoffs. Otherwise, the door is open for Columbus to steal their spot…

MLB:

• Mariners @ Reds, 6:40 PM on FS1

• Royals @ Yankees, 7:05 PM on Amazon Prime

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS:

• Arsenal @ Real Madrid, 3 PM on Paramount+

  • Arsenal leads 3-0

• Bayern Munich @ Inter Milan, 3 PM on Paramount+

  • Inter leads 2-1

NBA PLAY-IN GAMES:

• Heat @ Bulls, 7:30 PM on ESPN

  • The winner goes to Atlanta on Friday for a chance to become the eight seed in the East

• Mavericks @ Kings, 10 PM on ESPN

  • The winner goes to Memphis on Friday for a chance to become the eight seed in the West

Today’s quotes are about being true to what you believe in, no matter what the doubters say… alternatively, you could say the theme is “stubbornness.”

“When you look at this trade, we targeted A.D. with our philosophy of defense wins championships. We wanted a two-way player to lead our team, and that was Anthony Davis. Everybody’s going to have their critics. … But we got what we wanted. There’s no regrets on the trade.” –Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison

“It's never playing football again, because I've been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field. I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball, so I really enjoy doing it. I just feel very confident in myself and I got a competitive spirit that I can do whatever I put my mind to…" –top NFL prospect Travis Hunter, when asked his hypothetical response to a professional team asking him to choose offense or defense