Sighs of relief | Sports Daily Newsletter

OK, Phillies fans. What produced a bigger sigh of relief this weekend?

Was it when Bryce Harper clambered out of the first-base camera well Saturday after a frightening fall and remained in the game?

Or was it when the Phillies, fresh off allowing 21 runs in the first two games of the season, battled past the Atlanta Braves on Sunday?

Either way, take a deep breath and relax. There are 159 more games to go. The Braves loaded up on left-handed pitching for this season, specifically to combat the Phillies. The Phils did enough against Atlanta newcomers Chris Sale and Aaron Bummer on Sunday to salvage the third game against their fiercest NL East rivals.

Harper was not in the lineup for the victory after he flipped into the camera well in pursuit of a foul pop on Saturday. Rob Thomson said Harper was fine, that he sat because the southpaw Sale was pitching for the Braves, although he said the first baseman was a little sore. Harper expects to be back in the lineup tonight.

David Murphy, for one, says it isn’t strange at all to schedule an off day for your most important player on the third day of the season. It is smart. Here’s why.

Next: The Phillies host the Cincinnati Reds tonight at 6:40 (NBCSP+).

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The Sixers soldiered on without Tyrese Maxey (hip) in Toronto but still had plenty to get past the hapless Raptors. Kelly Oubre Jr. poured in 32 points and the Sixers sank a franchise-record 24 three-pointers en route to a 135-120 victory.

Next: The Sixers host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (TNT).

It’s certainly a risk for the Eagles to decide to trade Pro Bowl linebacker Haason Reddick to the New York Jets. That’s a lot of sacks walking out the door. Yes, the Eagles did sign Bryce Huff from the Jets. And yes, salary-cap space is opened up. But they’d better be right on Reddick.

Perhaps the Eagles can now better address their issues in the secondary via free agency, and they could also find options in the draft. On offense, the depth chart is taking shape after Jason Kelce’s retirement, and questions remain. Here’s another: Will they draft Lane Johnson’s eventual replacement?

The season opener in São Paulo, Brazil, is months away, but Mike Sielski looks back at how things have changed for the NFL and Jeffrey Lurie, who once wasn’t so sure about going international for regular-season games.

Seven games. That’s all that’s left on the schedule between the Flyers either heading to their first postseason since 2020 or the golf course. Seven games to right the ship. They are still in line for a playoff spot as the second wild card, but after four straight losses, the Flyers have some things to figure out.

Meanwhile, the team’s assistant general manager, Brent Flahr, is plotting the Flyers’ course for the NHL draft. Flahr concedes that this draft is “not the deepest.”

Next: The Flyers host the New York Islanders tonight at 7 (NBCSP).

The Union posted a 2-0 victory over Minnesota United on Saturday, and the most important aspect of the day was the shutout, and everyone on Philadelphia’s bench knew it. This was just the second clean sheet in nine games overall this year, and the first in the regular season.

“That’s what we’ve built our success on in the past five, six years,” centerback Jack Elliott said. “Getting back to two strong defensive performances in a row, and a clean sheet this week, obviously it’s important for us.”

Next: The Union visit Nashville SC at 8:30 p.m. Saturday (Apple TV).

April 1, 1985: Eighth-seeded Villanova knocked off heavily favored Georgetown, 66-64, to capture the NCAA basketball championship. The Wildcats, led by Dwayne McClain’s 17 points, shot 79% from the field to upset Patrick Ewing and the defending national champs.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, David Murphy, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, Olivia Reiner, EJ Smith, Matt Breen, Devin Jackson, Mike Sielski, and Gabriela Carroll

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That’s all for today, newsletter faithful. See you in Tuesday’s Sports Daily, and thanks for reading. — Jim