Sports
Knicks chase sweep of 76ers as conference finals beckon
May 8, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots in front of Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe (77) during the second quarter of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Even without their lineup at full strength, the New York Knicks are showing they are on a different level than the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks will try to sweep their best-of-seven second-round playoff series when they visit the Sixers in Game 4 on Sunday.
New York, the No. 3 seed, is looking to reach back-to-back Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1999-2000. The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in last year’s conference finals and are determined to make amends for that setback despite currently playing without one of their top performers.
Versatile New York forward OG Anunoby (hamstring) missed Game 3 and will be a game-time decision for Game 4. Without him, Brunson scored a team-high 33 points and dished out nine assists in Friday’s 108-94 win, while Mikal Bridges pitched in 23 points.
“It was definitely a team effort,” Brunson said. “Obviously, we want everyone back healthy. But it was important for everyone to step up and have the right mindset — to do whatever you gotta do to win.”
Philadelphia, the No. 7 seed, pulled a first-round upset against the Boston Celtics but appears to be running out of gas in this series. The Sixers’ stars are all playing heavy minutes and the team has wilted in the fourth quarter in back-to-back games.
In Game 3, Philadelphia managed only 18 points in the fourth quarter, while shooting 35.0% from the floor in the closing 12 minutes. Two days earlier, the 76ers totaled 12 fourth-quarter points on 21.1% shooting in the period of a 108-102 setback at New York.
Now, the Sixers will try to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.
“You add a game to it,” Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey said of the looming task. “We had to win three in a row (in the first round against Boston) and now we’re going to have to win four in a row. It’s still a great challenge. You’ve got to go do it. Either you don’t play with any pride and you get swept on your home floor in the second round of the playoffs, or you play with some pride and you win one game at a time.”
Philadelphia hopes that Joel Embiid (ankle/hip) will be ready to take the court for Game 4. The Sixers’ center missed Game 2 and returned for Game 3, where he registered 18 points in 35 minutes. However, he only managed six rebounds as Philadelphia was clobbered 49-33 on the boards.
“We know what he’s going through,” said Sixers wing Paul George, who poured in 15 first-quarter points but didn’t score again. “We know how tough it is on his body and the work he’s putting in to get prepared to try to come out and play. We appreciate it. I think the fans appreciate it, Philadelphia appreciates it. It means a lot to see 21 suited up and giving it a go.”
Whether or not Embiid or Anunoby can play, the Knicks will lean into their trademark intensity. That aggressiveness has led them within one win of the conference finals.
“That’s just what our identity is,” said New York forward Josh Hart, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds in Game 3. “We continue to give something game after game and that’s energy. That’s what we strive to have, that energy, that physicality, that attention to detail and focus.
“We try to have that every game. We need to do that game after game after game.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bears signing free agent WR Scotty Miller
Oct 16, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Scotty Miller (13) runs with the ball against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Josh Newton (28) during the second quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images The Chicago Bears are signing free agent wide receiver Scotty Miller, his representatives confirmed Saturday to ESPN.
Financial terms for the 28-year-old veteran were not disclosed by agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey.
Miller caught nine passes for 62 yards and no touchdowns in 13 games (no starts) for Pittsburgh last season.
He has 99 catches for 1,216 yards and six TDs in 93 games (nine starts) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019-22), Atlanta Falcons (2023) and Steelers (2024-25).
The Buccaneers drafted Miller in the sixth round in 2019, and he helped them win a Super Bowl the next season.
The Bears’ wide receiver depth chart includes Rome Odunze and 2026 third-round draft pick Zavion Thomas.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Minnesota United put strong form up against Austin FC
Apr 25, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota United FC forward Kelvin Yeboah (9) dribbles during the first half against Los Angeles Football Club at Allianz Field. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images After losing just once in their previous seven MLS matches, Minnesota United will play host to Austin FC at Saint Paul, Minn., on Sunday.
Minnesota United (6-3-2, 20 points) are in the midst of a 5-1-1 stretch since March 22, with their only blemish a 1-0 loss to Los Angeles FC on April 25. The success has come despite limited involvement from midfielder James Rodriguez.
Colombia’s national team captain is signed with the Loons through June 30, ahead of the upcoming World Cup, and has an option through December. But he has zero goal involvements in just four appearances and 103 minutes.
“We’ve had a couple different unforeseen circumstances that have made him unavailable for selection, and then there’s obviously the team performance,” Minnesota coach Cameron Knowles told SiriusXM on Friday. “It’s difficult to change a winning team, and we’ve been really consistent with the lineup selection and leaned on a smaller group of guys for some heavy minutes.”
Austin FC (3-4-4, 13 points) have won their last two matches following an 0-5-3 stretch across all competitions. The road has not been kind to the Verde, who are 0-3-2 away from home this season.
“I think we’re in a moment where we’ve played good away games, but we haven’t gotten the win yet, and I think we have to have a complete performance against (Minnesota) in order (to) get a good result,” Austin coach Nico Estevez said.
Austin welcomed back striker Brandon Vazquez during last week’s 2-0 win over St. Louis City, marking his first action since an ACL tear on July 8, 2025.
“When a player has been a long time recovering from an injury like Brandon, (given) his personality as a player inside the locker room and how loved he is, it’s always going to create a positive impact,” Estevez said.
Austin will be without Jayden Nelson (inflammation) on Sunday. Robert Taylor (knee) is day-to-day and will be reevaluated ahead of Sunday’s contest after missing Austin’s last three matches.
Kelvin Yeboah scored a brace for Minnesota in a come-from-behind 3-2 road win against the Columbus Crew last weekend, bringing his team-high goal total to seven. Myrto Uzuni leads Austin with four goals.
Austin’s last road win in MLS play came on Sept. 7, 2025 against Sporting Kansas City, although they did earn a 2-1 victory at Minnesota in U.S. Open Cup play 10 days later.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dynamo carry positive momentum into showdown at LAFC
Feb 28, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Dynamo FC forward Guilherme (20) and Los Angeles FC midfielder Stephen Eustaquio (46) battle for the ball during the second half at Shell Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The Houston Dynamo have recovered from a slow start and look to win for the fourth time in five MLS matches when they visit Los Angeles FC on Sunday night.
Houston has recorded three 1-0 victories during the stretch and has allowed two goals during the span, which began after it was walloped 6-2 by the host Colorado Rapids on April 11.
The Dynamo (5-5-0, 15 points) were a vastly different team in the rematch in Houston on May 2, allowing just two shots on target in the one-goal victory as Jonathan Bond recorded his third shutout of the season.
“Last game, I felt that was our best performance,” Dynamo coach Ben Olsen said. “The technical side, the group defense, the tactical side. … I thought it was a step in the right direction to get closer to what we’re going to be.”
Lawrence Ennali scored his third goal of the season in the 72nd minute. He ripped a right-footed blast from well beyond the box into the upper portion of the net.
“Never scored a goal like that before,” Ennali said. “I hope there are many more to come.”
Guilherme, a midfielder, leads Houston with five goals.
Los Angeles FC (6-2-3, 21 points) defeated the Dynamo 2-0 in Houston on Feb. 28 with Mark Delgado scoring in the 56th minute and Stephen Eustaquio tacking on another in the 82nd minute. The Dynamo finished the match with just nine players as Antonio Carlos drew a red card in the second minute of first-half stoppage time and Agustin Bouzat was shown red in the 76th minute.
LAFC was outscored 4-0 by host Toluca FC on Wednesday to fall by a 5-2 aggregate score and be eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.
The match on Wednesday was scoreless until Toluca scored four second-half goals.
“We played eight (Champions Cup) games and we were excellent until the second half,” LAFC coach Marc Dos Santos said. “So in the whole competition we played one bad really half and it was the second half. …
“We can learn a lot from this. We’ve got to be strong because Sunday we play again.”
Los Angeles will be without star forward Denis Bouanga, who was suspended for the match due to yellow-card accumulation. Bouanga leads LAFC with five goals.
LAFC scored two late goals to gain a 2-2 draw with host San Diego FC on May 2. Bouanga scored in the 82nd minute and Ryan Hollingshead scored the equalizer in the 14th and final minute of second-half stoppage time.
–Field Level Media
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 10, 2026
Bears signing free agent WR Scotty Miller
