Sports
Hawks clinch playoff spot while walloping Cavs
Apr 10, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) is defended by Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images CJ McCollum scored 25 of his game-high 29 points in the first half and Dyson Daniels collected 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists as the Atlanta Hawks clinched a playoff spot with a 124-102 rout of the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
Jalen Johnson had 18 points and nine rebounds and Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 18 for the Hawks (46-35), who will finish either fifth or sixth in the Eastern Conference. Southeast Division champion Atlanta missed the playoffs in the last two seasons.
Daniels posted his second career triple-double and McCollum drained 6-of-8 3-point attempts. The Hawks built a 92-59 lead in the third quarter, when Alexander-Walker and Johnson each had 11 points to deliver the knockout blow.
James Harden scored 20 points and dished out five assists, and Tyrese Proctor had 15 points in the final quarter for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers (51-30). Cleveland will have home-court advantage in the first round against either Atlanta or the Toronto Raptors.
The Cavaliers rested All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, starting center Jarrett Allen and small forward Sam Merrill. Power forward Jaylon Tyson had 15 points in his return from a 10-game absence with a bruised big left toe.
Harden became the seventh player to attempt 10,000 career free throws, reaching the milestone in the first when Cleveland briefly went up by five points. Lakers superstar LeBron James is the lone active player with more.
The Hawks, who are 20-8 since the All-Star break, would lose a tiebreaker with Toronto for fifth. Atlanta finishes the regular season at the Miami Heat, while the Raptors host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
In the second, Daniels scored six straight points in an 8-0 run that gave the Hawks the lead for good at 43-35. They ended the first half on a 26-13 surge, fueled by McCollum’s four 3-pointers in the final 3:09, to carry a 61-48 advantage into intermission.
Atlanta eventually went up by 36 points at 105-69 on a Jonathan Kuminga free throw.
The teams completed a home-and-home set that began Wednesday with a 122-116 victory by the Cavaliers. Cleveland and Atlanta split four games with the home team winning every time.
The Cavaliers had their four-game win streak snapped, but are 10-3 since March 17.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Timo Baumgartl scores in 61st minute as St. Louis City tie FC Dallas
Apr 11, 2026; Frisco, Texas, USA; St. Louis CITY SC forward Simon Becher (11) dribbles the ball as FC Dallas defender Osaze Urhoghide (3) defends during the first half at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Timo Baumgartl’s 61st-minute goal negated Louicius Deedson’s opener as visiting St. Louis City SC earned a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas.
The equalizer was the first goal in four matches at Toyota Stadium for St. Louis (1-3-3, 6 points), which has gone 1-0-2 in its last three matches after getting shut out in three straight.
Dallas (3-1-3, 12 points) is now unbeaten (2-0-2) in its last four matches and has outscored St. Louis, 8-1, in those four home matches.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in the opening 45 minutes, despite chances from both sides. St. Louis’ Marcel Hartel had two chances himself early on.
He took the ball down to the end line in the third minute and sent it across the goal mouth, but there was nobody home to tap it in. Then, in the 21st minute, Hartel took the ball down the left side into the box and tried to beat Michael Collodi to the near post, but Dallas’ goalkeeper turned it aside.
In the 30th minute, Conrad Wallem just missed connecting with Sergio Cordova, which would have left the St. Louis attacker alone in the middle.
Dallas’ Kaick, who came on for his injured Brazilian countryman Ramiro in the 36th minute, was high on a header three minutes later off a cross into the box from Deedson.
Petar Musa, who came into the match tied for the MLS lead with seven goals, was quiet for most of the first half, but he came alive late.
He was called offside on an attempt that hit the post in the third minute of extra time, and then, one minute later, he took a pass from Logan Farrington into the box and forced a save from St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Burki, who had two saves.
Musa played a role in Dallas’ goal three minutes into the second half. He intercepted a St. Louis pass and freed up Deedson on the left side, and the Haitian International finished for his first goal of the season.
The assist was Musa’s first of the season, and the goal stood up for 20 minutes. St. Louis’ Daniel Edelman sent a ball to the far post, where two teammates ran onto it. Baumgartl got in first and finished Edelman’s cross with a right-footed shot from close range.
Burki and Collodi, who had four saves, denied late winners off attempts from both attacking sides to preserve the draw.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Team Liquid 1st team to 2-0 at LCS Spring
YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year. Team Liquid moved to the top of the standings with a win over Shopify Rebellion as Week 2 of the regular season of the LCS Spring event began Saturday.
Team Liquid won 2-0 in a battle of 1-0 teams, while LYON beat Dignitas 2-1 in the other match of the day.
Eight teams will compete in best-of-three matches in the round-robin regular season before advancing to the playoffs of the League of Legends event, which will be contested in best-of-five matches in a double-elimination format. The top two teams will qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational.
Liquid completed its sweep with a pair of wins on blue in 25 and 38 minutes. Brandon “Josedeodo” Villegas of Argentina and Ru-han “Morgan” Park of South Korea took home MVP honors in the triumph.
Dignitas won the opener of its match in 33 minutes before LYON roared back with a 36-minute victory on red followed by a 30-minute clincher on blue. American/Indian competitor Niship “Dhokla” Doshi and Jonah “Isles” Rosario of Australia were MVPs for the two LYON victories, and American Lawrence “Exyu” Xu was MVP of Dignitas’ opening victory.
Week 2 concludes Sunday with FlyQuest facing Disguised and Sentinels taking on Cloud9.
Regular season standings (Win-loss total, map differential)
1. Team Liquid, 2-0, 4-1
T2 Cloud9, 1-0, 2-1
T2. Disguised, 1-0, 2-1
T4. Shopify Rebellion, 1-1, 2-2
T4. Lyon, 1-1, 3-3
T6. FlyQuest, 0-1, 1-2
T6. Sentinels, 0-1, 1-2
8. Dignitas, 0-2, 1-4
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rose Lavelle records goal, assist in USWNT's victory over Japan
Apr 11, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; United States midfielder Rose Lavelle (16) reacts after scoring a goal against Japan during the first half at PayPal Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Rose Lavelle celebrated her 100th start with a goal and an assist to help the U.S. women’s national team to a 2-1 win in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday to open a three-match series against Japan.
Lavelle, in her 119th match, scored in the 9th minute off a set piece then set up Lindsey Heaps in the 48th for the 2-0 lead.
Riko Ueki stunned the Americans in the 61st minute to cut the deficit in half on their first goal allowed in nine matches.
The friendlies continue Tuesday in Seattle and Friday in Commerce City, Colo.
The Americans got the early advantage after Sophia Wilson drew a foul. She played her first USWNT match since Oct. 27, 2024, and made her first start since the gold medal match in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Wilson gave birth to a daughter in September 2025.
On the ensuing restart, Trinity Rodman was to the left of the goal when she sent a flighted ball to the middle of the box. Lavelle used her left foot to flick it past goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita for her 28th goal with the national team.
The U.S. failed to double the lead 14 minutes later when an unmarked Alyssa Thompson at the left post couldn’t convert a cross from Wilson.
Alyssa and Gisele Thompson broke the USWNT record for sisters starting in the same match with four. Samantha and Kristie Mewis started in the same match three times.
It didn’t take long after the break to gain some breathing room thanks to the high pressure from Gisele Thompson which created a turnover. She sent Lavelle down the left channel but Lavelle’s service to the box was blocked.
Fortunately for the U.S., the ball deflected to Lavelle and she found Heaps on the run for a left-footed shot and her 40th goal.
The USWNT’s scoreless streak ended at 865 minutes as Ueki, who entered at the start of the second half, took a headed pass from Honoka Hayashi to score with a header from the center of the box.
Ueki almost tied it in the 78th minute with an 8-yard shot that forced a reactionary save by Claudia Dickey, who made four saves; Yamashita had one.
–Field Level Media
