What Happened in Sports: May 23, 2021
May 23rd, 2021 was highlighted by Trae Young’s GW in Madison Square Garden to kick off an exciting Hawks-Knicks series that came down to the wire. The Memphis Grizzlies pulled off a major upset over the Jazz in another close game on the day while the Suns handled the Lakers at home, and the 76ers took down the Wizards in Game 1 of their respective series. A number of MLB walk-offs took place to keep the sports world buzzing.
See last year, headlined by the NBA expressing their desire to resume play, the league surveying GM’s about how to do so, and getting back to full strength. This daily sports article includes real headlines only (no clickbait rumors), all of the best highlights, interesting facts from around the NFL, NBA, & MLB, the main games to watch, top performances of the day, notable birthdays, and a quick recap of significant events on this day in sports history.
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Game 1 in MSG was wild
TRAE. TOO CLUTCH. 
— NBA TV (@NBATV)
WHAT A FINISH at MSG
The and went back-and-forth down the stretch during the first game at Madison Square Garden since 2013!
Game 2 – Wed, 7:30 PM ET, TNT
— NBA (@NBA)
RJ throws down huge jam
RJ BARRETT THROWS IT DOWN
— NBA TV (@NBATV)
Simmons thunderous putback
Simmons got UP for the putback slam 
— NBA TV (@NBATV)
Cubs get the big win on SNB
Javy breaks the scoreless tie in the 10th. 
— MLB (@MLB)
BIG-TIME strikeout to end it. 
— MLB (@MLB)
Carlos Santana walks it off
Carlos Santana for the win!
— MLB (@MLB)
End of the Story
This Story ends with a .
— MLB (@MLB)
Aaron Judge’s 1st MLB walk-off
for ‘s 1st career walk-off 
— New York Yankees (@Yankees)
Another Adolis Garcia walk-off
What a weekend for !
— MLB (@MLB)
Vaughn tied it up in the 9th
Andrew Vaughn ties it in the 9th! 
— MLB (@MLB)
Tatis is back in Slam Diego
. . What more is there to say?
— San Diego Padres (@Padres)
Hardest hit ball in Bosox history
474 ft of destruction.
— Red Sox (@RedSox)
Ice Trae’s electric playoff debut
32 points for Trae Young
13 in the 4th quarter
10 assists
Game-winning floater with 0.9 left
What an debut. x
— NBA (@NBA)
Philly’s top 2 guys took over
37 points for ( career-high).
30 points for (21 in 2nd half).
1-0 series lead for .
Game 2 – Wed, 7pm/et, NBA TV
— NBA (@NBA)
Devin Booker’s a rising superstar
9 points in the 1st.
8 points in the 2nd.
8 points in the 3rd.
9 points in the 4th.
Quarter by quarter, got buckets for in his debut.
PHX up 1-0.. Game 2 
Tuesday, 10:00 PM ET, TNT
— NBA (@NBA)
Devin Booker continues to RISE! 
The 6th-year shooting guard makes his debut as the face the Lakers 3:30 PM ET on ABC.
— NBA (@NBA)
Ayton dominated Game 1
BIG Game 1 for .
21 PTS
16 REB
10-11 FGM seek 2-0 series lead Tuesday at 10pm/et on TNT.
— NBA (@NBA)
King James’ best jams this year
LeBron’s BEST DUNKS from season 18!
: LAKERS/SUNS (0-0)
: Game 1
: 3:30pm/et on ABC
— NBA (@NBA)
Embiid had an MVP-type season
Averaging 28.5 PPG this season, Joel Embiid has extended his scoring ability to inside & out of the paint!
The #1 in the East host #8 WAS for Game 1 TODAY at 1:00 PM ET on TNT.
— NBA (@NBA)
Ice Trae was born 4 the playoffs
Icy under pressure.. added to his clutch resume in his debut. 
Game 2 – Wed, 7:30pm/et, TNT
— NBA (@NBA)
Trae Young balled out in 2021
Shooting, passing, finishing.. had a monster regular season!
25.3 PPG | 9.4 APG
He makes his debut at 7 PM ET as the face NYK on TNT.
— NBA (@NBA)
Randle had an All-NBA season
Julius Randle has had NYC buzzing this season. 
host Hawks (7pm/et on TNT) in the first game at MSG since 2013!
— NBA (@NBA)
Gobert a 2x DPOY for a reason
2.7 blocks per game.
13.5 rebounds per game.
67.5% shooting. is a PROBLEM in the paint!
: UTA/MEM at 9:30pm/et
: on TNT
— NBA (@NBA)
HBD to 3x DPOY Aaron Donald
Aaron Donald has the most DPOY (3) by a DT in NFL history and the t-most of any player
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports)
Aaron Donald recorded the most SK (85.5) by any DT through 7 seasons in NFL history
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports)
Los Angeles DL Aaron Donald has the most SK (85.5), TFL (131), and QB Hits (199) of any NFL player since entering the NFL in 2014
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports)
Aaron Donald will go down as the greatest Defensive Tackle of all-time
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports)
Happy birthday to the greatest defensive player in the NFL 
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports)
All-time MLB performance OTD
May 23, 2002: Los Angeles OF Shawn Green broke Joe Adcock’s MLB record with 19 TB during 1 GP, going 6-6 with 4 HRs, 7 RBI, & 6 runs in a 16-3 demolition of the Milwaukee Brewers fueled by 1 of the greatest individual performances of all-time
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports)
Bill Walton won MVP OTD
May 23, 1978: C Bill Walton (18.9 PPG, 13.2 RPG) was named MVP after leading Portland to a 50-10 record before foot injuries stifled season. His 70.7% of GP is by far the lowest of any MVP in NBA history (2nd lowest was 2001 Allen Iverson – 86.6%)
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports)
Votto magic OTD in 2015
May 23, 2015: Pure wizardry by Joey Votto. 
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds)
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NBA Playoffs
[] #5 HAWKS (-105; $13.67) d. #4 @KNICKS (-115; $18.22) 107-105 (GW-FG) [ATL +1 | u214.5] (ATL 1-0)
[] #8 GRIZZLIES (+323; $12.26) d. #1 @JAZZ (-402; $13.00) 112-109 [MEM +8.5 | o217] (MEM 1-0)
[] #1 @76ERS (-340; $11.26) d. #8 WIZARDS (+273; $11.15) 125-118 [WSH +8 | o228.5] (PHI 1-0)
[] #2 @SUNS (-135; $14.78) d. #7 LAKERS (+115; $9.03) 99-90 [PHX -2.5 | u213] (PHX 1-0)
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NBA Playoffs
[] PG , ATL (W @NYK): 32 PTS (11-23 FG | 1-3 3P), 10 AST, 7 REB, 0 BLK, 0 STL, 2 TO []
[] SG , PHX (W v.LAL): 34 PTS (13-26 FG | 3-7 3P), 8 AST, 7 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 6 TO
[] SF , PHI (W v.WSH): 37 PTS (15-29 FG | 2-5 3P), 2 AST, 6 REB, 0 BLK, 2 STL, 2 TO
[] C , PHX (W v.LAL): 21 PTS (10-11 FG | 0-0 3P), 0 AST, 16 REB, 1 BLK, 0 STL, 1 TO
[] SG , WSH (L @PHI): 33 PTS (13-23 FG | 1-6 3P), 6 AST, 10 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 6 TO
NBA: C , New Orleans Pelicans (turns 21)
NFL: CB , Indianapolis Colts (25)
NFL: OT , Houston Texans (25)
NFL: LB , Baltimore Ravens (26)
NFL: DL , Pittsburgh Steelers (28)
NFL: DL , Los Angeles Rams (30)
MLB: 2B , Cleveland Indians (31)
2018: NFL instituted a National Anthem policy that required players to stand if they are present on the field
2002: Los Angeles Dodgers OF went 6-for-6 with 4 HRs, 7 RBI, 6 runs, and broke Joe Adcock’s MLB record with 19 total bases in a 16-3 demolition of the Milwaukee Brewers fueled by 1 of the greatest individual performances of all-time
1989: Cleveland Indians fell to a record of 21-22 but remained in 1st place of their division by percentage points, marking the latest in a season a sub-.500 team has been in 1st place
1982: After surrendering a 3-1 series lead to the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers went on the road in Game 7 to clinch the Eastern Conference title; during the game’s winding moments, a chant of “Beat LA!” broke out amongst the Boston crowd yet Philly ended up beating Boston and losing to LA in 6 games
1978: Leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 50-10 record before foot injuries stifled his season, C (18.9 PPG, 13.2 RPG) was named league MVP. His 70.7% of team games played in is of any MVP in NBA history (2nd lowest was 2001 with 86.6%)
1976: Behind a 25-point, 21-rebound game from C , the Boston Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns 98-87 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals
1975: In their Game 3 victory over the Washington Bullets, the Golden State Warriors set an NBA Finals record with 17 total steals
1970: Each scoring 14 runs through 9 innings, the San Diego Padres defeated the San Francisco Giants 17-16 in 15 innings after each team scored 2 in the 11th
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