Sports
Building momentum, Lakers take aim at banged-up Rockets
Jan 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after scoring three point basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Lakers have won two of their first three games since acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets last Sunday, the latest move from a franchise in desperate search for complementary pieces to plug alongside stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Victories over the Portland Trail Blazers and the Atlanta Hawks this week have been positives for the Lakers, who will face the host Houston Rockets on Sunday in the first of two road games sandwiched between four- and five-game homestands.
Los Angeles discovered a rhythm late in the third quarter against Atlanta on Friday and rode that momentum to a 119-102 win. The Lakers’ performance on both ends of the floor offered a snapshot of what could be if all the pieces in place are performing as expected.
“I’m encouraged by our team in general,” Los Angeles coach JJ Redick said. “The reason why executing a personnel-based scouting report that we’ve talked about is because I don’t want to coach a good team, and I don’t want to be a part of a good team. I want to be a part of a great team, and I believe this team can be a great team. So, it is about the small details. …
“We have to get back on defense. We have to execute on offense. We have to pass, and we have to screen. When we’ve done that, we’ve been a really good basketball team.”
James scored 30 points against Atlanta after putting up 38 in a 114-106 win over Portland on Thursday. Austin Reaves racked up 35 points in a 122-110 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.
Finney-Smith, a defense-first forward, has managed just 13 points since joining the Lakers, while Milton has tallied just 12 points with his new team.
Even with its issues fashioning a consistently efficient offense, Houston has remained near the top of the Western Conference standings throughout the first half of the regular season.
However, injuries are posing a threat to the Rockets’ progress. Houston lost forward Jabari Smith Jr. to a fracture in his non-shooting hand on Friday before a 109-86 home loss to the Boston Celtics. The Rockets also played without reserves Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, with Eason missing an eighth consecutive game due to ongoing leg soreness.
Jalen Green scored 27 points against Boston and leads Houston with 19.6 points per game.
Thompson served the back end of a two-game suspension on Friday for his role in an altercation with the Miami Heat last Sunday. Eason and Thompson have been vital cogs for the Rockets, while Smith provided a critical defensive presence to complement his 11.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Smith needs surgery and will be sidelined between four and eight weeks.
While Thompson will return against the Lakers, the long-term loss of Smith and the uncertainty surrounding Eason has put the Houston rotation in flux. Adapting to attrition is part of the NBA, but the Rockets have encountered an unexpected hardship that could alter their entire season.
“Amen will be back and that will help,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “So he’ll be starting and we’ll go from there with the others. Find some guys who have played, which other guys have, and see what works best with the bench guys with hopefully not a too-depleted lineup.
“Obviously, Jabari is out and we hope to have Tari back, and if you can get those two — Tari and Amen — we can settle in fine.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Joel Embiid, 76ers knock out second-seeded Celtics
May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives on Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28) during the second quarter of game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Joel Embiid had 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 109-100 victory over the host Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Saturday night.
The 76ers won the final three games in the series. It was the first time in franchise history that Philadelphia has overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
Second-seeded Boston trailed 99-98 following two Neemias Queta free throws, but Maxey scored the next eight points to put Philadelphia up 107-98 with 15 seconds left.
Seventh-seeded Philadelphia received 23 points from rookie VJ Edgecombe. Paul George added 13. The 76ers’ bench totaled three points (all by Quentin Grimes.
Boston’s Jayson Tatum was ruled out of the game because of stiffness in his left knee. He left Game 6 with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter with a left leg injury.
Tatum averaged 23.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest in six playoff games this season. The six-time All-Star forward averaged 21.8 points and 10.0 boards in 16 regular-season games after returning March 6 from a devastating ruptured right Achilles tendon last May in the playoffs.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 33 points and added nine rebounds. Derrick White finished with 26 points and Queta had 17 points and a team-high 12 rebounds off the bench. Celtics starters Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. failed to score. Reserves Payton Pritchard added 13 points and Sam Houser 11.
Philadelphia scored the game’s first nine points and led 30-15 following an Embiid jumper with 1:55 left in the opening quarter. The 76ers were up 32-19 after 12 minutes.
Boston scored 18 of the first 22 points in the second quarter and had its first lead, 37-36 after a Pritchard 3-pointer with 6:52 left in the first half. Philadelphia rallied to take a 55-50 halftime advantage.
An 8-0 run gave Philadelphia a 63-52 lead, and the 76ers were up 84-66 after an Edgecombe 3-pointer with 2:24 remaining in the third. It was 88-75 after three quarters.
Boston began the fourth quarter with a 16-4 run to cut its deficit to one point, 92-91, with 7:59 to play. The 76ers led 95-94 with 5:52 left.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Despite injuries, Toronto FC force draw with Quakes
May 2, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; San Jose Earthquakes forward Benjamin Kikanovic (28) heads a ball against Toronto FC forward Daniel Salloi (20) during the second half at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images Injury-plagued Toronto FC saw their depth tested but managed to hand the visiting San Jose Earthquakes their first draw of the season with a 1-1 scoreline on a chilly Saturday afternoon.
Preston Judd equaled his career-high seven goals when he tied the match for the league-leading Earthquakes (9-1-1, 28 points) in the early going. The draw comes a week after Toronto (3-3-5, 14 points) had a nine-match unbeaten run snapped with a loss to Atlanta United.
Daniel Salloi opened the scoring in the 2nd minute. A well-timed overlapping run from Raheem Edwards drew defender Benji Kikanovic away from the streaking Salloi, allowing the Hungarian international to curl it into the corner.
An outstretched Judd scored the equalizer in the 13th minute off a perfectly placed Niko Tsakiris set piece, the result of an Alonso Coello foul just outside the home team’s box. Judd was unmarked as he poked it past a helpless Luka Gavran.
An Emilio Aristizabal attempt in the 55th minute was deflected and cleared away by a sprawling Daniel. A late offside flag chalked off what looked to be a brace for Judd 10 minutes later.
On his back, San Jose center-back Reid Roberts cleared a ball off the line after Salloi chipped the goalkeeper in the 86th minute. Officials took a lengthy look at the replay to ensure the ball had not crossed the line.
Toronto’s miserable injury luck continued, with center-back Lazar Stefanovic being forced off at the half with an apparent lower-body injury. A flood of academy players were forced to fill gaping injury holes on their bench, including defender Micah Chisholm, who made his league debut in Stefanovic’s place.
For the visitors, April MLS Player of the Month Timo Werner was absent after subbing off with a hamstring injury in their Tuesday U.S. Open Cup fixture. Tsakiris came off in the second half with an apparent quad injury.
The match marked the first meeting between the two teams in more than three years. Three of their last four encounters have ended in draws.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lawrence Ennali's late goal lifts Dynamo past Rapids
May 2, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Dynamo forward Lawrence Ennali (11) shoots the ball and scores during the second half against the Colorado Rapids at Shell Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images Lawrence Ennali scored the go-ahead goal in the 72nd minute to lead the Houston Dynamo to a 1-0 win over the visiting Colorado Rapids on Saturday.
Guilherme’s in-swinging corner was cleared from the box where Ennali settled the ball with one touch and had a wide-open shot that he tucked under the crossbar for the match’s lone goal.
Houston (5-5-0, 15 points) goalkeeper Jonathan Bond made a punch save on a Paxten Aaronson shot in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time to secure the clean sheet. Bond had two saves while Rapids goalie Zack Steffen notched four saves.
The Dynamo held a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal even though Colorado (4-6-1, 13 points) held 63.5% of possession.
Early in the game, Guilherme struck a corner to the middle of the box that was deflected to Jack McGlynn, whose left-footed shot made Steffen earn a diving save.
In the 24th minute, Ennali ran onto a long pass, his cross found Mateusz Bogusz, who played it back to Diadie Samassekou. His shot forced Steffen to sprawl to his left to register the save.
Houston kept the pressure on the Colorado goalkeeper in the 34th minute, as Guilherme’s shot on an in-swinging restart was bobbled by Steffen. As the first half wound down, the match turned chippy as Felipe Andrade was issued a yellow card in the 31st minute for a dangerous challenge.
Hamzat Ojediran was shown a yellow card in the 43rd minute for Colorado after getting tangled up with Ezequiel Ponce. Each team received three yellow cards.
Colorado threatened in the 51st minute when Dante Sealy headed a Darren Yapi cross which forced Bond to rise up for the save.
The Rapids pressed in the 88th minute when Jackson Travis’ corner kick connected with Noah Cobb, whose header was headed for the back post before it was turned away.
Houston has won three of its last four MLS matches, while the Rapids are 0-3-1 in their last four league matches.
–Field Level Media
