Sports
Julius Randle fires in 31 as Timberwolves take down Mavs
Jan 28, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket as Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) defends at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Julius Randle scored a game-high 31 points and Anthony Edwards added 20 points, six rebounds and six assists to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 118-105 road win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
Naz Reid was a force for the Timberwolves with 23 points off the bench on 9-for-17 shooting. Minnesota earned its second win in a row after a five-game losing streak.
P.J. Washington led the way for the Mavericks with 21 points, all coming in the second half. Naji Marshall finished with 18 points and six rebounds and Brandon Williams added 17 off the bench as Dallas dropped its second consecutive game after winning four straight.
Randle broke the 30-point mark on a layup that gave the Timberwolves a 116-103 lead with 2:39 remaining.
Randle scored 11 points in the third quarter and Edwards added nine, helping Minnesota take a 92-75 lead into the fourth.
Marshall tried to keep the Mavericks in the game, scoring 10 points in the third. Dallas used a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to 80-72 with 3:27 left in the period, but the Timberwolves responded with a 12-3 run to end the quarter, capped by a final-second tip-in from Joan Beringer.
The Timberwolves’ largest lead of the first half was 12 points, as Randle’s layup with 4:42 remaining in the second quarter gave Minnesota a 48-36 advantage.
With the score 50-40, the Mavericks made four consecutive free throws to cut the deficit to six. Edwards, however, responded with four points of his own to give Minnesota a 54-44 lead.
Randle’s two free throws with 2.9 seconds left in the second quarter helped the Timberwolves take a 58-48 lead into the half. Dallas shot 34.9% from the floor in the first half and went 2-for-10 from 3-point range, while Minnesota hit 43.8% of its field-goal attempts and sank 4 of 17 (23.5%) from long distance.
Overall on the night, Minnesota barely outshot Dallas from the floor, 45.7% to 45.2%, but the Timberwolves finished 12 of 34 (35.3%) from beyond the arc while the Mavericks made just 3 of 18 (16.7%).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Raptors' Brandon Ingram downgraded to doubtful for Game 7
Apr 26, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) shoots the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) defends during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram was seen in a walking boot during the team’s shootaround on Sunday morning, several hours before Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the host Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ingram initially was listed as questionable to play due to right heel inflammation. He was downgraded to doubtful when the NBA released its official injury report early in the afternoon.
An All-Star this season for the second time in his career, Ingram was limited to 11 minutes and scored one point in Toronto’s 125-120 setback to Cleveland in Game 5 on Wednesday. He did not play in Toronto’s 112-110 overtime victory in Game 6 on Friday.
During the regular season, the 28-year-old Ingram averaged a team-high 21.5 points over 77 games. He also averaged 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists and drilled 38.2% of his 3-point attempts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros' Christian Walker batting cleanup one day after HBP to head
May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) is helped off the field after being hit by a pitch during the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Less than 24 hours after taking a fastball to the helmet, Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker was penciled into the starting lineup for the Astros’ series finale on Sunday at Boston.
Facing an 0-2 pitch from Red Sox rookie left-hander Tyler Samaniego, Walker was drilled over his left eye by a 93.3 mph fastball on Saturday that broke his helmet and sent the biggest piece flying 10 feet toward the backstop.
With the Astros leading 6-3 in the ninth, they took precautionary measures and removed Walker in favor of pinch runner Brandon Shewmake.
“I feel OK,” Walker told reporters afterward. “I think the helmet took most of it. And turning away from it hopefully made it more of a glancing blow than straight impact.”
Clearly Walker felt good enough to fill the cleanup spot for Sunday’s game against the Red Sox. Walker has appeared in every game this year for the Astros — starting all but one — and the 35-year-old has been producing some career numbers.
His .309 batting average, .386 on-base percentage and .577 slugging percentage all represent career bests. He has delivered eight homers and 26 RBIs through 34 games, which put him on pace for a career-high 38 homers and 124 RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Best NBA Bets Today: Game 7 Picks for Cavs vs Raptors, Magic vs Pistons
Feb 19, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) after the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Two Game 7’s take place on Sunday in the NBA playoffs for the right to advance to the second round.
Both do-or-die contests feature Eastern Conference squads, starting with the top-seeded Detroit Pistons returning home to battle the Orlando Magic.
The night affair showcases the Cleveland Cavaliers, looking to avoid an early exit against the injury-riddled Toronto Raptors. The winners of each of these games face each other in the conference semifinals.
We’ll break down two plays for the Sunday action. Remember to monitor the odds throughout the day, as the sides and totals market is constantly changing.
Here are the free NBA picks for Sunday, May 3. Odds Courtesy of DraftKings.
Best NBA plays today
- Magic/Pistons Over (201.5)
- Cavaliers (-8.5) vs. Raptors
Magic/Pistons Over (201.5) – 3:30 p.m. ET
Orlando’s offense disappeared in the second half of Friday’s 93-79 home loss to Detroit, preventing the Magic from advancing. The Magic led by 22 points at halftime, but were outscored in the second half, 55-19 as Detroit forced a Game 7 back at home.
How bad was Orlando’s offense in the second half of Game 6? The Magic missed 23 consecutive field goal attempts at one point and finished 4-of-37 in the final 24 minutes.
Will things turn around in Game 7 back in the Motor City? The total closed at 209.5 in Game 6 and never threatened the Over. Sunday’s total has dipped to 202.5, as two games in Detroit finished with 213 points (Game 1) and 225 points (Game 5).
The teams combined for 51 points in the first quarter of Game 6 before Orlando outscored Detroit, 35-12 in the second quarter. It’s unlikely the Pistons will have another quarter like that and the Magic certainly won’t put up 19 points in a half again.
As long as these teams avoid a major cold spell, this game can hit the Over on Sunday afternoon.
Our Current Best Offers
Channel debug: betting
Cavaliers (-8.5) vs. Raptors – 7:30 p.m. ET
The Raptors stunned the Cavaliers in the final seconds of overtime in Game 6 on Friday behind R.J. Barrett’s go-ahead 3-pointer. Toronto returns to Cleveland for Game 7 on Sunday night as the home team owns a perfect 6-0 record in the series.
Toronto’s leading scorer Brandon Ingram missed Game 6 with a heel injury and is questionable for Game 7. Barrett has stepped up to be the Raptors’ top scoring option at 24.3 points per game, while posting at least 22 points in each of the three games in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers have not covered in the last four games since cashing in each of the first two wins at home. Cleveland squandered late leads in two of the losses in Toronto with the only bad performance coming in the 22-point Game 3 loss.
Since the 2023 playoffs, nine of the last 11 Game 7 winners have advanced with a victory margin of at least 10 points. Chances are Cleveland won’t win a close game here, so we’ll lay the points with them to grab a blowout and advance to the second round.
Our Current Best Offers
Channel debug: betting
Raptors' Brandon Ingram downgraded to doubtful for Game 7
Astros' Christian Walker batting cleanup one day after HBP to head
