Heat and Panthers go into playoffs armed with slingshots against No. 1 seeds  —  Everyone else on the Miami Heat should pick up Jimmy Butler and Max Strus and carry them into Milwaukee for giving them a chance to re-write the conclusion to this season and, with it, their own personal standing in it.

Mikal Bridges shrugs off 30-point performance in Game 1 loss to 76ers: ‘None of that s—t matters when you lose’  —  PHILADELPHIA — Mikal Bridges scored 30 points and only missed six shots in his first playoff game as Brooklyn's No. 1 scoring option — but it was a 20-point loss in a game the Nets hoped to play better.

Mets call up No. 2 prospect Brett Baty ahead of Dodgers series  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — The Mets have seen all they need to see.  They're calling up third baseman Brett Baty.  —  The club plans to have their No. 2-ranked prospect meet the team in Los Angeles ahead of their series against the Dodgers on Monday.

Mets Notebook: Pitching moves follow Stephen Nogosek being placed on IL  —  OAKLAND — The Mets' pitching staff took another hit Saturday when right-hander Stephen Nogosek was placed on the 15-day injured list with a bone bruise on his right elbow.  However, the club is confident that reinforcements are on the way.

Josh Hart's clutch play saves Knicks in Game 1 win over Donovan Mitchell, Cavs  —  CLEVELAND — Josh Hart came to the rescue.  —  With his team collapsing in the fourth quarter — falling to the might of Donovan Mitchell — Hart, a player certainly not known for his offense, found himself with the ball and the shot clock dwindling.

Rays lose first game after 13-0 start, fall 6-3 to Blue Jays  —  Waiting two weeks to experience their first loss of the season didn't make defeat any easier for the Tampa Bay Rays.  —  The Rays lost their first game following a record-tying 13- start as Colin Poche forced in two runs …

Orioles can't hold late lead in 7-6 walk-off loss to White Sox in 10 innings  —  CHICAGO — The Orioles took four leads Saturday but couldn't hold any of them.  —  After taking a one-run lead in the 10th, the Orioles surrendered two runs in the bottom half of the inning in a 7-6 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Nightengale's Notebook: 2013 Red Sox ‘knew what it meant’ to win World Series after Marathon bombing  —  They will be standing alongside one another at Fenway Park on Sunday, basking in the glory of their triumph on a baseball field, but also fighting back tears and the raw emotions of that horrific afternoon still searing their souls.

KC Royals place Kris Bubic on injured list but have time to make decision on rotation  —  As it turns out, the weather wasn't to blame for the forearm tightness that Royals left-hander Kris Bubic experienced on Saturday.  —  The Royals placed Bubic on the 15-day Injured List …

Canha HR, Nimmo RBI double spark Mets past Athletics 3-2  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Mark Canha homered leading off the seventh inning and Brandon Nimmo followed with an RBI double with two out that scored pinch-runner Tim Locastro as the New York Mets rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics 3-2 on Saturday.

Logan Webb, Giants reach $90M extension through 2028  —  The San Francisco Giants have reached a five-year, $90 million extension with right-handed pitcher Logan Webb through the 2028 season, it was announced Friday.  —  Using a lively sinker/slider/changeup combo, Webb, 26 …