Timberwolves jump to 3-1 lead over Lakers; Shedeur Sanders to Browns; NFL Draft grades, superlatives

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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Anthony Edwards is not here to play second or third fiddle in the star-studded Timberwolves-Lakers series, and a 3-1 series lead proves as much. Edwards exploded for 43 points as host Minnesota rallied for a 116-113 Game 4 win over Los Angeles.

• It’s Edwards’ fifth career 40-point playoff game. Only Luka Dončić (who scored 38 points in this one), has more before turning 24. Edwards is racking those up against an impressive list of opponents, too.
• Edwards was relentless, making five 3s, getting to the free throw line 17 times (he made 14, including two crucial ones with seconds remaining) and adding nine rebounds and six assists.
• The Timberwolves once again got big games from Julius Randle (25 points) and Jaden McDaniels (16 points, 11 rebounds).

Minnesota’s massive advantages in depth, physicality and versatility show up all over the place. I’m super impressed.

Here are other notable weekend winners:

😃 Honorable mentions

🏀 And not such a good morning for …

THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS …

There are a lot of numbers we could get into here: 18 offensive rebounds allowed or a 12-point lead blown or one crucial late call LeBron James disagreed with.

But the number we should really focus on is 0.

That’s how many substitutions Los Angeles made in the second half. Zero. James, Dončić, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith never sat.

The Lakers’ biggest weaknesses are being exposed, Sam Quinn writes.

• Quinn: “Jarred Vanderbilt and Jordan Goodwin, two of the hearts of their regular-season defense, just couldn’t survive offensively in a playoff setting. … If the fact that the Lakers don’t have a usable center anywhere on the roster isn’t evident yet, note that Dončić had only a single assist in Game 1 and two assists in Game 2. That’s two games with two or fewer assists out of four in this series. He only had two such games out of 50 playoff appearances with the Mavericks. … These are solvable problems with an offseason to work with.”

… AND DAMIAN LILLARD AND THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS …

The Bucks were already going to have a question-filled offseason. It just got worse. Much worse. Damian Lillard is feared to have torn his Achilles in Milwaukee’s 129-103 Game 4 loss to the Pacers. Indiana leads the series 3-1.

We can save the “What’s going to happen with Giannis Antetokounmpo?” for a bit later. Right now, this just stinks for Lillard, 34, who has experienced a brutal finish to his prime years, Sam Quinn writes.

… AND THE DETROIT PISTONS

Usually people appreciate when you admit you made a mistake. But you’ll forgive the Pistons if they don’t share that sentiment. Referee David Guthrie admitted there should have been a foul called when Josh Hart bumped into Tim Hardaway Jr. on a last-second shot attempt.

Of course, there was nothing Guthrie nor the Pistons could do at that point, moments after the no-call allowed the Knicks to escape with a 94-93 Game 4 win. Making things all the more painful, it’s the type of play Jalen Brunson draws fouls on all the time, Brad Botkin notes.

New York leads the series 3-1 despite Detroit leading by at least eight points in the second half in three of the four games. It’s been a long road back to the playoffs for the Pistons, and they’re quickly learning the postseason can be unforgiving in the cruelest ways. 

Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Shedeur Sanders endures draft slide, prank call before Browns draft him in fifth round

After 143 picks, a prank call and an unprecedented draft slide, Shedeur Sanders got drafted by the Browns in the fifth round (144th overall) Saturday, a fascinating landing spot on many levels.

• Sanders, regarded as the QB2 by many (including our prospect rankings), was the sixth quarterback taken, and the second taken … by his own team! Cleveland selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round Friday.
• Sanders had a very different Friday, receiving a prank call saying he was drafted. Sunday, it was revealed that Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, made the call after getting Sanders’ phone number off of his father’s unattended, unlocked iPad. Jax Ulbrich and the Falcons apologized.
• Give Sanders credit: He remained hopeful after Day 2 came and went and reacted with joy and gratitude when Cleveland — which traded up to make the pick — drafted him.

Whatever you think of Sanders the player, the pre-draft process was a disaster. That includes not just the last few months — this quarterback-needy team wasn’t impressed by Sanders — but the last few years, Jonathan Jones reports. His dad, Deion Sanders, didn’t help.

Now comes the (hopefully) fun part. Sure, where Sanders was picked doesn’t normally produce stars, but there’s a precedent of late-pick quarterbacks becoming stars, and in a crowded quarterback room, why can’t Sanders be the one who emerges?

Sanders landed in both categories of John Breech’s NFL Draft winners and losers.

• Breech: “In the best-case scenario, Sanders beats everyone out for the starting job. In the worst-case scenario, he starts the season on the bench and gets to learn from a veteran like Flacco. However, the 40-year-old Flacco probably isn’t going to make it through an entire season as the starter, so Sanders should certainly get a chance to play at some point in 2025, but he’ll have to earn it.

Based on play alone, he’s clearly a steal. Based on everything else … well, I can’t wait to see what’s next.

🏈 NFL Draft full results, team grades, pick grades, best picks

All 257 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft are in the books, and the possibilities of where they go from here is endless. Still, who doesn’t love some instant analysis?

Pete Prisco graded every team’s draft class, and three teams received an “A.”

• Jaguars — “The trade to get Travis Hunter was big, and gives them another playmaker, but they added a bunch of good players. I love guard Wyatt Milan in the third and running back Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth.”
• Chiefs — “First-round tackle Josh Simmons is the best offensive lineman in this draft. … Third-round corner Nohl Williams and fourth-round receiver Jalen Royals will be nice additions and I liked seventh-round back Brashard Smith.”
• Buccaneers — “Emeka Egbuka going in the first was a little odd — even if he is a good player — but Jason Licht made up for it the rest of the draft. He got two corners in Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, which they needed.”

I also thought the Cowboys did some nice things, including grabbing a running back who isn’t short on confidence, and count me in as a fan of the Ravens‘ and the Seahawks‘ drafts.

No one made more picks, though, than the 49ers, who landed among Jared Dubin’s list of teams that changed most in the draft. 

• Dubin: “Key picks: EDGE Mykel Williams, DT Alfred Collins, LB Nick Martin, CB Upton Stout, DT CJ West — They have seen an exodus of talent along the defensive line in recent seasons, so they attacked that spot with a ton of draft capital this year. Williams should immediately upgrade the team’s run defense, and he has upside as a pass rusher beyond what he showed at Georgia.”

Here’s more:

⚾ MLB Power Rankings, weekend roundup

Despite being on the wrong end of two walk-offs in three days, the Mets are No. 1 in Matt Snyder’s MLB Power Rankings. Here’s the top five:

1. Mets (previous: 3)
2. Cubs (4)
3. Dodgers (2)
4. Giants (7)
5. Tigers (8)

As for news around the league:

📺 What we’re watching Monday

⚾ Mets at Nationals, 4:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Cardinals at Reds, 6:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏒 Lightning at Panthers (Panthers lead 2-1), 7 p.m. on ESPN 
🏀 Cavaliers at Heat (Cavaliers lead 3-0), 7:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏒 Avalanche at Stars (Series tied 2-2), 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Rockets at Warriors (Warriors lead 2-1), 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV