Sports
Jalen Brunson, red-hot Knicks blow out Sixers in Game 1
May 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (1) and forward Paul George (8) and guard Quentin Grimes (5) during the second quarter of game one of the eastern conference semifinal round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the first half Monday night for the New York Knicks, who remained red-hot by routing the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night in New York.
The Knicks, who eliminated the Atlanta Hawks with a 140-89 win in Game 6 of a first-round series on Thursday, became just the second team in NBA history to end one series and begin another with consecutive victories by at least 30 points.
In 1986, the Boston Celtics beat the Hawks 132-99 to end an Eastern Conference semifinal series before routing the Milwaukee Bucks 128-96 in Game 1 of the conference finals. The Celtics went on to win the NBA title.
“I can’t deny that our guys are playing pretty good basketball,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “And I’ve got to give them credit, especially where credit’s due. They’re trying to focus on the details, no matter what the score is.”
These Knicks, who won the final three games over the Hawks by a combined 96 points, are the first NBA team to win three straight playoff games by at least 25 points apiece.
New York picked up Monday where it left off on both ends of the floor against Atlanta.
New York shot 63.1% (53-for-84), a franchise record for a playoff game. The Knicks shot 51.4% (19-for-37) from 3-point range, their best mark ever for a playoff game in which they hoisted at least 30 attempts.
The Knicks also allowed fewer than 100 points for the fourth straight game.
“Wasn’t any fun to be a part of, to be honest, and watch,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “But it’s 0-1. Doesn’t really matter if it’s six points or 36 or whatever the hell it was.”
OG Anunoby had 18 points for New York, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges added 17 points each. Starters Towns, Bridges and Josh Hart all exited late in the third quarter while Brunson and Anunoby sat the entire fourth.
Paul George scored 17 points for the 76ers, who advanced to the conference semifinals by overcoming a three-games-to-one deficit against the Celtics — the first such comeback in Philadelphia history.
Joel Embiid had 14 points while Tyrese Maxey scored 13 points. VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. each added 12 points.
The 76ers took a one-possession lead five times in the first quarter, but Brunson hit the go-ahead basket for the Knicks every time, including the 3-pointer with 3:57 left that put New York up for good at 21-19.
The Knicks went ahead by double digits for good at 49-37 on Towns’ 3-pointer with 6:43 left in the second. Brunson ended the half on his own 11-3 run to extend New York’s advantage to 74-51.
The Knicks were up 109-78 at the end of the third and led by as many as 40 in the fourth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Duece Jones-Drew, son of MJD, commits to UCLA
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew (32) runs for 56 yards as he breaks the team’s single season rushing yard record just over 5 minutes into the third quarter against the Indianapolis Colts on January 1, 2012. It was also the final game for the former owners of the Jaguars Wayne Weaver and Delores Barr Weaver. [Kelly Jordan/Florida Times-Union]
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Rising senior Duece Jones-Drew will be following in his father’s footsteps, as the three-star running back announced his commitment to UCLA on Sunday.
Jones-Drew’s father is Maurice Jones-Drew, who was a unanimous All-American at UCLA in the early 2000s before going on to star in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Duece Jones-Drew will be a part of the 2027 class for the Bruins. The De La Salle High School (Concord, Calif.) product is a composite three-star in the 247 rankings and was heavily pursued by Arizona, Cal, SMU and Utah before choosing UCLA.
UCLA’s coaching staff turnover didn’t end up dissuading Jones-Drew, who committed to new head coach Bob Chesney in part thanks to the retention of running backs coach A.J. Steward, who held the same role under DeShaun Foster a season ago.
Chesney took over the Bruins following a playoff appearance as head coach of James Madison in 2025.
The elder Jones-Drew, nicknamed “MJD,” recorded three Pro Bowl seasons with the Jaguars in eight seasons before finishing his career with the Oakland Raiders in 2014. He led the league in rushing with 1,606 yards in 2011, the same year he was named first-team All-Pro.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Veteran-laden Knights, youthful Ducks to clash in second round
Apr 24, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Utah Mammoth during the second period in game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images The Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks have played each other 38 times over the last nine seasons but have never met in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
That changes on Monday night in Las Vegas when the two teams open a best-of-seven Western Conference second-round series.
The Pacific Division champion Golden Knights, who defeated the Utah Mammoth in six games in the first round, will be playing in the second round for the sixth time in nine seasons.
Anaheim, which eliminated Connor McDavid and two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton in six games, will be playing its first second-round series since 2017. The Ducks defeated the Oilers in seven games that year before losing to the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference final.
Vegas is 27-8-3 all-time against the Ducks, including 15-3-1 at home, but division rival Anaheim won all three meetings this season, including two in overtime.
“It’s going to be an exciting matchup,” said defenseman Shea Theodore, a first-round draft pick of the Ducks in 2013 who was traded to Vegas before the 2017-18 season. “They’re a great team. Watching how well they played against Edmonton, and how good Edmonton has been the last couple years, that was a tough matchup. It’s going to be a tough test.”
Third-year defenseman Jackson LaCombe, a member of the U.S. gold medal-winning Olympic team, led the Ducks in the opening round with nine points and a plus-six rating. He also drew praise for his defensive effort against McDavid, who scored just one goal and had five assists in six games.
Left wing Cutter Gauthier, 22, led the team with 41 goals in the regular season and also against the Oilers with four goals. Center Leo Carlsson, the second overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, had 29 goals and 38 assists in 70 games, then the 21-year-old followed that up with three goals and five assists against Edmonton.
The Ducks were particularly lethal on the power play, converting eight of 16 chances (50%).
“They’re a fast team,” said Vegas center Jack Eichel, who led the Golden Knights with nine points against the Mammoth after scoring a team-best 90 points in the regular season. “I think having played Utah, having improved throughout the series in terms of some of our deep defensive responsibilities, we should be able to take from that a bit.”
“They’re a good team. They’re always trying to make plays through you and around you. ” Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin added. “They’re young. They have some experience, too, on the backend especially. Should be a lot of fun.”
This is the first time since 2018 that Anaheim has played in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“Now we’ve got a taste of playoff hockey,” said first-year Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville, who led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles (2010, 2013 and 2015). “And I think we can feel at this moment that it’s so much more fun playing games that have more meaning. And then it seems to grow from this level on.”
Eichel gave Vegas fans a scare at practice Sunday when he departed with trainers with towels held to his face after getting hit in the lip with a puck. However, he returned to finish practice.
Also noteworthy was center William Karlsson, out since suffering a lower-body injury on Nov. 8, returning to practice Sunday. Vegas was tight-lipped about Karlsson’s possible return to the lineup. Karlsson, a two-way star and a key member on power play and penalty kill units, also is a former Duck who was obtained by Vegas from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the expansion draft.
“He hasn’t played in a while. I’ve been through that,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said. “It’s not the easiest thing in the world to come back right into the playoffs. But he’s a tremendous skater and in tremendous shape.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cavs use third-quarter surge to best Raptors in Game 7
May 3, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Toronto Raptors guard Ja’Kobe Walter (14) during the first half of game seven in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Jarrett Allen scored 14 of his career playoff-high-tying 22 points in the third quarter and grabbed 19 rebounds, powering the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 114-102 win over the visiting Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Sunday night.
Fourth-seeded Cleveland, which trailed by double digits in the first and second quarters, will play the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the East semifinals, beginning Tuesday in Detroit. The home team won every game in the Cavaliers-Pistons series.
Donovan Mitchell also had 22 points and James Harden posted 18 points and six rebounds for the Cavaliers, who built a 94-72 lead early in the fourth. Allen had 10 rebounds — five offensive — in the third when Cleveland outscored the Raptors 38-19.
Scottie Barnes collected 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists for fifth-seeded Toronto. RJ Barrett had 23 points on 9-of-25 field goal attempts and Jamal Shead added 14 points and seven assists.
Cleveland is 5-0 all-time at home in Game 7 and has beaten the Raptors all 11 times in the playoffs in its arena. The Cavaliers also have won all four of their postseason series against Toronto.
Evan Mobley, who had 13 points, scored the first basket of the second half to give Cleveland its initial lead at 51-49. It turned into a 20-2 run spanning the second and third quarters when Mitchell made a hoop with 9:28 remaining in the third to make it 58-49.
Cleveland used an 11-2 run to close the opening half, tying the score for the first time at 49-all on a Jaylon Tyson 3-pointer. Shead and Barnes led all players at the half with 14 points apiece, while Harden had 10 points and Sam Merrill added eight off the bench.
The Cavaliers committed 13 turnovers in the first half, which Toronto turned into 14 points. Cleveland had six miscues in the first quarter and seven in the second.
Barnes netted the first five points of the evening after Allen missed a dunk on Cleveland’s opening possession. Shead made a runner to give the Raptors a 22-12 advantage, but Merrill had five points in the final three minutes to cut it to 26-24.
Shead scored seven points in the period and Barnes had five points and four assists, helping Toronto shoot 55% from the floor.
The Raptors were without two starters, small forward Brandon Ingram (right heel soreness) and point guard Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring strain).
–Field Level Media
Duece Jones-Drew, son of MJD, commits to UCLA
Veteran-laden Knights, youthful Ducks to clash in second round
