Ice hockey: Grubauer and Seattle award first match ball
National ice hockey goaltender Philipp Grubauer and the Seattle Kraken have awarded their first match point for entry into the play-off quarterfinals of the NHL. Seattle lost 4-1 to defending champions Colorado Avalanche, conceding a 3-3 equalizer in the best-of-seven series. Decisive game seven takes place in Denver on Sunday night.
Vince Dunn (16′) put outsiders Seattle ahead before Mikko Rantanen (20′), Erik Johnson (28′) and bracer Artturi Lehkonen (37’/60′) turned the encounter in favor of the Avalanche. Goalie Grubauer, who stood on the ice for Colorado between 2018 and 2021, saved a total of 35 shots on his goal.
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Dallas Stars have already made it into the quarterfinals. Carolina defeated the New York Islanders 2-1 after overtime and won the series 4-2, the Stars also decided their series 4-2 after a 4-1 win at the Minnesota Wild.
Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins, who set an NHL record with 65 wins in the main round of the season, must continue to fight for a place in the quarterfinals. The big title favorite lost game six at the Florida Panthers 5-7, making it 3-3 in the series.
Basketball: Lakers dominate Grizzlies and reach second round in NBA playoffs
NBA record champions Los Angeles Lakers convincingly defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs and are in the semifinals of the Western Conference for the first time since the title three years ago. The team around basketball stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis as well as national team captain Dennis Schröder scored the necessary fourth win in the series on Friday evening (local time) in front of their own fans in Los Angeles with a clear 125:85. The Lakers won the series 4-2.
“To win in the play-offs at 40 against a team I’ve never had in my career,” Schröder told the German Press Agency. “And then against such a strong team. They are very good.”
The Lakers face either defending champions Golden State Warriors or the Sacramento Kings in the next round. A 118-99 win forced the Kings into a seventh game of the series on Sunday. “Of course we will watch the game and play a bit of cards to cultivate team chemistry. Then we’ll see who we play against. But it doesn’t really matter,” said Schröder. The first duel in the semi-finals of the Western Conference is scheduled for the German night on Wednesday.
As the second best main round team in the West, the Grizzlies were placed significantly higher than the Lakers, who had only qualified for the play-offs via the so-called play-in. Two days after the 99-116 loss in Memphis, the Lakers showed an aggressive attitude from the start of game six. Anthony Davis in particular excelled on defense and had a strong 5 blocks as well as 14 rebounds and 16 points. The best pitcher was D’Angelo Russell with 31 points. With a 32-point lead, Lakers coach Darvin Ham put his stars on the bench and brought on the reserves with nine minutes to go.
In addition to two steals, Schröder contributed five assists and has now survived the first round of the play-offs for the first time since 2015. At that time he reached the finals of the Eastern Conference with the Atlanta Hawks. Since then, the 29-year-old from Braunschweig and his teams have either missed the play-offs completely or dropped out in the first round.
Basketball: NBA star Durant receives Nike contract for life
Michael Jordan, LeBron James – and now Kevin Durant. The two-time NBA champion is the third basketball player to receive a lifetime contract from US sporting goods giant Nike. “A true honor to be killed in the game with Nike,” Durant, 34, commented on social media.
The forward, who is in the NBA Quarterfinals with the Phoenix Suns, has been personally sponsored by Nike since his 2007 rookie season. To date, the group has put 15 Durant shoe models on the market. The sporting goods manufacturer honored the three-time Olympic champion as “one of the best basketball players in the world” and “an important part of the Nike family”.
Durant won the NBA title with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, where he was named Finals Most Valuable Player. Regular-season MVP went to 13-time All-Star Durant in 2014.
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