Winners Club: Warriors Tie NBA Finals Again, Leap Celtics as Title Favorites

Plus, the Lightning and Avalanche are set to play in the Stanley Cup Final and more news and notes.

Good morning! The Stanley Cup Final is set, two star-studded golf tournaments crowned champions over the weekend, and there’s a new favorite to win the NBA Finals.

Game 5 of the Finals tips off in San Francisco tonight. The Warriors are favored to win at home and are once again favorites to win the title after evening the series with the Celtics on Friday. And the Lightning’s quest for a three-peat is still alive after they defeated the Rangers in the ECF to advance to play the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final.

Keep reading for more on the Finals and the Stanley Cup Final matchups.

Golden State Draws Even in NBA Finals

The back and forth battle between Boston and Golden State continued over the weekend. The Warriors won Game 4 on the road, 107-97, to even the series at two games behind Steph Curry’s all-time Finals performance. He finished with a game-high 43 points, with 10 rebounds and seven three-pointers.

Boston failed to break 100 points for the second time this series—it lost both times. Jayson Tatum led the way with 23 points, but six turnovers and some errant shooting marred his double-double effort.

Steven Senne/AP

Neither team has won consecutive games in the series, which now shifts to San Francisco for Game 5 and a potential Game 7. Golden State is now a -152 favorite to win the title, whereas Boston is +125. According to SI Sportsbook, the most likely outcome is a 4-3 Warriors win, followed by a 4-2 Celtics win. And Curry, averaging 34.3 ppg and hitting more than six three-pointers per game, is running away with the race for Finals MVP. Curry is a -150 favorite to win the award, and Tatum is next closest at +160.

Monday
9 p.m. ET (ABC): Celtics vs. Warriors (-3.5) | Series tied, 2-2

Stanley Cup Final Matchup Set

The East belongs to the Lightning—again. Tampa Bay emerged from its side of the playoff bracket for the third year in a row, and now the back-to-back reigning champions have the opportunity to win their third consecutive Cup.

The Lightning beat the Rangers, 2-1, in Game 6 at home Saturday night. New York took a 2-0 series lead by winning the first pair of games it hosted at Madison Square Garden, and then Tampa Bay rattled off four straight victories to take the series. Lightning stars Andrei Vasilevskiy and Steven Stamkos were the difference makers in the deciding game. Vasilevskiy defended the goal admirably, and Stamkos netted his team’s goals. They’ll both be tested in the Cup final against Colorado.

Chris O'Meara/AP

When the series begins Wednesday night in Denver, the Avalanche will have been off for more than a week after completing their sweep of the Oilers last Monday. Colorado is favored to win Game 1, as well as for the series. The Avalanche are -188 to win the Cup for the first time since 2011, and the Lightning are +155 to three-peat. Despite Tampa Bay’s recent success, the most likely outcome on SI Sportsbook is a 4-1 Colorado series win (+350).

Wednesday
8 p.m. ET (ABC): Lightning vs. Avalanche (-163) | Game 1

In Other News

Red Bull Dominates Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Max Verstappen crossed the line first in Baku, and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez finished second in a strong showing for the team. See what else happened this past weekend at the City of Winds, including two retirements for Ferrari drivers.

Terry McLaurin Unlikely to Show at Minicamp Amid Negotiations: The Commanders and their star receiver reportedly remain far away on contract extension negotiations ahead of the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. If no deal is reached, McLaurin will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

Rory McIlroy Wins Canadian Open: McIlroy defended his 2019 title on the PGA Tour on the same weekend as the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational. The vocal critic of the LIV Golf series shot 19 under, edging out Tony Finau and Justin Thomas for the win.

LIV Golf Invitational Series London Final Standings: Charl Schwartzel went wire-to-wire in London to win the inaugural event by shooting seven-under. He received a $4 million purse for his victory.

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That’s all for today. Thanks for reading! I’ll be back Wednesday morning ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.