Sports
Pistons escape 24-point hole vs. Magic, head home for Game 7
May 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots the ball over Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images Cade Cunningham scored 32 points as the Detroit Pistons came back from a 24-point deficit to stun the host Orlando Magic 93-79 on Friday, forcing a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Tobias Harris racked up 22 points and Duncan Robinson had 14 points as Detroit won its second elimination game in a row. Cunningham, Harris and teammate Ausar Thompson each grabbed 10 rebounds.
The top-seeded Pistons began the fourth quarter on an 18-1 run to build an eight-point lead and ended up outscoring Orlando 55-19 in the second half. The eighth-seeded Magic missed 23 consecutive shots from the field during one stretch covering about 15 minutes in the second half.
Game 7 is Sunday in Detroit.
Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero each scored 17 points for Orlando, and Tristan da Silva added 10 points. Banchero, who posted 45 points in Game 5, shot 4-for-20 from the field. The Magic ended up 9-for-36 (25%) on 3-point attempts.
Detroit also was the No. 1 seed in 2003, when the Pistons rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Magic in the first round.
The Magic were held to 12 points over the first 19 minutes of the second half Friday as Detroit pulled ahead at 74-72 on a pair of Harris free throws with more than seven minutes to play.
Cunningham’s 3-pointer and two free throws on the next possession put the Pistons up 85-75 with less than four minutes to play. Robinson’s trey was the next basket as the lead grew.
The Pistons, down 22 at halftime, stormed back into the game by scoring 16 of the first 20 points of the second half. Detroit then went more than 4 1/2 minutes without scoring as Orlando built the margin to 71-54, but the Pistons closed the third quarter with an 8-0 spurt capped by a Robinson layup.
The Magic shot 3-for-17 (17.6%) in the third quarter, when they scored only 11 points.
Orlando appeared to take control in the second quarter and built a 60-38 halftime lead, with Bane hitting his first three 3-point attempts.
The Pistons made only 6 of 25 attempts from the floor (28.6%) in the second quarter.
Detroit shot 10-for-19 (52.6%) from the field in the first quarter to lead 26-25. The Magic began the second quarter on a 13-2 run, which ended with Anthony Black’s three-point play and Bane’s inside hoop.
After a Detroit timeout, the Magic kept pouring it on to build a 17-point lead.
Orlando forward Franz Wagner missed his second game in a row because of a calf injury.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rays outlast Astros in pitcher's duel for ninth straight win
Jul 3, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Ben Williamson (15) tags out Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) during the fourth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Junior Caminero smacked his 10th home run over his last 10 games and Nick Fortes added a pair of run-scoring extra-base hits as the visiting Tampa Bay Rays extended their winning streak to nine games with a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday.
Caminero, the American League Player of the Month in June, snapped a 1-1 deadlock with his 25th home run in the top of the seventh inning, a solo shot off Astros reliever Steven Okert (1-1). Fortes homered in the sixth and added an RBI double with two outs in the eighth.
Three Tampa Bay relievers combined to work 3 2/3 perfect innings. Bryan Baker notched his 23rd save while Kevin Kelly (5-3) earned the victory in relief.
Rays right-hander Nick Martinez and his Houston counterpart, right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, were locked into a duel before Fortes helped the Rays break through in the sixth.
Martinez did not allow a hit until Cam Smith stroked a one-out single to right in the fourth. Martinez hit Isaac Paredes with a pitch in the first inning and Jake Meyers reached on a Caminero fielding error leading off the third, and they represented the lone runners to reach before Christian Walker worked a walk against Martinez ahead of the Smith single.
Smith ran the Astros out of the inning when he attempted to tag from first on a Taylor Trammell fly out to center field. Cedric Mullins threw out Smith as he slid into second to close the frame.
Arrighetti rebounded from a ragged month of June by working six quality innings. He carried a shutout into the sixth before Fortes crushed his second home run out to left-center with two outs in that frame.
Martinez quickly surrendered that lead when Yordan Alvarez bashed a 2-2 sinker into the home bullpen in right-center, a 427-foot blast that knotted the score on his 27th homer of the season.
Martinez departed after surrendering an infield single to Paredes. He allowed one run on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings.
Arrighetti allowed one run on two hits and one walk with four strikeouts. He finished 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA in five starts last month.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees snap their longest skid since 2023 with win over Twins
Jul 3, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice (22) follows through on a two run home run against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Ben Rice hit a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the third inning, and the New York Yankees snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
The Yankees ended their longest losing streak since dropping nine straight from Aug. 12-22, 2023, and won for only the fourth time in their last 15 games.
Following a 53-minute rain delay, Rice lifted a full-count fastball from Minnesota rookie starter Mike Paredes into the right field seats for his 24th homer. Rice went deep after entering the third with two hits in his previous 26 at-bats.
Trent Grisham accounted for three runs after missing 18 games with a strained right hamstring. Grisham, who hit his 11th career leadoff homer, preceded Rice’s homer with a base hit that caromed off first base and lifted a sacrifice fly when the Yankees scored twice in the seventh.
Jose Caballero added an RBI single and scored on a headfirst slide when Grisham flew out.
Gerrit Cole (3-3) allowed two runs on five hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out seven, walked none and improved to 6-0 in his career against the Twins.
Cole was also warming up following the delay when Rice homered.
The game was paused after Cole struck out Brooks Lee to end the third inning. During the delay, the scoreboard in center field displayed Argentina’s 3-2 victory over Cape Verde in the World Cup round of 32.
Kody Clemens homered off Cole’s 1-2 knuckle curve in the first and Victor Caratini lined a two-strike RBI single in the fourth before Ryan Kreidler struck out.
Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn each pitched a perfect inning for the Yankees before Fernando Cruz got Royce Lewis on a forceout with the bases loaded to end the eighth. David Bednar struck out the side in a 1-2-3 ninth to secure his 17th save.
Paredes allowed three runs on four hits in four innings. The right-hander struck out two and walked two.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees snap longest skid since 2023 with win over Twins
Jul 3, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice (22) follows through on a two run home run against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Ben Rice hit a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the third inning and the New York Yankees snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
The Yankees ended their longest losing streak since dropping nine straight from Aug. 12-22, 2023, and won for only the fourth time in their last 15 games.
Following a 53-minute rain delay, Rice lifted a full-count fastball from Minnesota rookie starter Mike Paredes (0-2) into the right-field seats for his 24th homer. Rice went deep after entering the third with two hits in his previous 26 at-bats.
Trent Grisham accounted for two runs and two RBIs after missing 18 games with a strained right hamstring. Grisham, who hit his 11th career leadoff homer, preceded Rice’s homer with a base hit that caromed off first base and lifted a sacrifice fly when the Yankees scored twice in the seventh.
Jose Caballero added an RBI single and scored on a headfirst slide when Grisham flew out.
Gerrit Cole (3-3) allowed two runs on five hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out seven, walked none and improved to 6-0 in his career against the Twins.
Cole was warming up following the delay when Rice homered.
The game was paused after Cole struck out Brooks Lee to end the third inning. During the delay, the scoreboard in center field displayed Argentina’s 3-2 victory over Cape Verde in the World Cup round of 32.
Kody Clemens homered off Cole’s 1-2 knuckle curve in the first and Victor Caratini lined a two-strike RBI single in the fourth before Ryan Kreidler struck out.
Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn each pitched a perfect inning for the Yankees before Fernando Cruz got Royce Lewis on a forceout with the bases loaded to end the eighth. David Bednar struck out the side in a 1-2-3 ninth to secure his 17th save.
Paredes allowed three runs on four hits in four innings. The right-hander struck out two and walked two.
–Field Level Media
Rays outlast Astros in pitcher's duel for ninth straight win
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