The Warriors ascend again, plus the Maple Leafs's splashy debut

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Good morning! I made Easter lunch yesterday ( Mississippi roast , honey mustard potato salad and glazed carrots ).

Please clap.

A thought was lost in the flurry of the NBA trade deadline and the seasons ensuing madness: Someone allowed the Warriors to get Jimmy Butler.

On its face, the deal meant an aging star joining a core of other aging stars.

Fun, but not the surest bet, or even the best fit.

Bzzt.

Extremely wrong, as has been proven over and over since Butler arrived at Golden State.

It was never more apparent than last night, as the seventh-seeded Warriors, led by Butler, Steph Curry and Draymond Green, went into Houston and snatched the souls of the No.

2-seeded Rockets in a 95-85 win.

Two quick thoughts: Our friends at BetMGM have Golden State as the fourth-highest favorite.

Sounds about right.

Elsewhere in the NBA playoffs, we had chalk: We have more takeaways from yesterdays action here .

Lets check in on news before getting to hockey: Tomfoolery in Tampa The situation in Tampa, Fla., yesterday was weird to start with: The Rays, without a home ballpark due to Hurricane Milton, hosted the Yankees for a game at the Yankees spring training facility.

Then the game started, wherein New York pitcher Max Fried lost a no-hitter on a changed hit call two innings after it happened, and then Aaron Judge lost a home run due to a controversial foul ball call.

Baseball is so weird.

Read the full dossier here .

Advertisement Thomas ends drought Justin Thomas is one of the most interesting golfers of this era: supremely talented, pleasantly cocky and prone to extreme streaks in play.

He ended an incredible three-year PGA Tour win drought yesterday by claiming victory in a playoff at the RBC Heritage.

He was clearly relieved afterward , which is warranted considering he won 15 tournaments in his first seven years on tour.

Good for JT.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are eternally the NHLs most morbidly fascinating team.

In the last nine years, this team has averaged nearly 100 points a season and made it out of the first round just once so far.

Elite team crashes out every year more at 11.

That could theoretically happen to this group, a 108-point behemoth.

But if yesterday was any indication, things could be looking up: MITCH MARNER, THAT WAS DISGUSTING! #StanleyCup : @espn https://t.co/ybuZDYvoTH : @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/jQ6PwU3Z1V NHL (@NHL) April 20, 2025 It might be a quick series, but I hope we get more than four games with this atmosphere .

Quick check around the rest of the playoff rink: Almost done: NHL: Canadiens at Capitals 7 p.m.

ET on ESPN Did anything interesting happen with the Caps this year? Washington actually hit a skid after Alex Ovechkin became the NHLs all-time leading goal scorer, but as our preview details , this matchup has plenty of oomph behind it.

Im pumped.

NBA: Clippers at Nuggets 10 p.m.

ET on TNT/Max These two played the best game of the NBA postseason thus far and it would be delightful if Game 2 could deliver a similar experience.

Denver is a talented mess, L.A.

is one of the seasons quietest surprises and there are three NBA MVPs in this series.

Its a yes for me.

Get tickets to games like these here .

Its officially NFL Draft Week .

Celebrate by reading Dane Bruglers final ranking of the top 300 players in this years pool.

Well come back to this tomorrow.

Dane also helped with todays Connections: Sports edition ! I very much recommend reading Jen McCaffreys story on Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks , who made his first MLB appearance in 681 days.

Its incredible hes here at all .

Advertisement Things arent so amicable between Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester City , where he is a living legend.

Maybe he should be a part of Citys rebuild after all .

I really enjoyed this story on Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky , a true outsider who is changing what it means to be an NHL GM .

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday : Our story on how UCLA could afford to reel in Nico Iamaleava.

Most-read on the website yesterday : Nick Baumgardners list of the best-drafting NFL teams of the past five years.

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(Top photo: Troy Taormina / Imagn Images).

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