Sports
Knicks keen to push tempo against resilient Bucks
Feb 24, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) during the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images With both teams battling for position in different spots of the Eastern Conference standings, the visiting New York Knicks take on the suddenly hot Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.
New York finishes a three-game Central Division road trip following a six-point victory over the Chicago Bulls and a 15-point setback against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. The Knicks sit 1 1/2 games behind the Boston Celtics for second in the East and hold a half-game lead over No. 4 Cleveland.
In head coach Mike Brown’s first season, the Knicks have pushed aside the grind-it-out mentality they had under Tom Thibodeau. New York’s 117.1 points per game are the franchise’s most since a 117.3 clip in 1959-60.
However, Brown’s team is coming off one of its worst offensive performances. The Knicks mustered just 94 points — including 11 in the third quarter — against Cleveland, a result Brown ascribed to tempo.
“One of the things we have to do better, especially offensively, is play with pace,” Brown said. “Our pace isn’t good. We have to do a better job of getting to the corners. We have to do a better job of playing with pace in the frontcourt. … It was a tough loss, ugly game overall (on Tuesday). We’ve got to get back and figure out what we need to do to get a win on Friday.”
New York’s leading scorer, Jalen Brunson (26.7 points per game), shot just 31.6% (6 of 19) in the loss.
Fellow All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns adds 20.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, while OG Anunoby chips in 16.0 points.
The Knicks can clinch the three-game season series with Milwaukee following a 10-point loss to the Bucks in October and a nine-point win in November.
At the start of February, Milwaukee’s chances of extending its postseason streak to 10 straight years looked bleak. The Bucks, without injured superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, were 18-29 on Feb. 1.
Milwaukee has since won eight of 10 games, including back-to-back wins over the Miami Heat and Cleveland this week, and sits one game behind the Charlotte Hornets for the final play-in slot.
“When you lose a bunch of games in a row and a game gets tight, you start thinking about losing. It’s human nature,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “But eight out of 10 is phenomenal with this group. With no Giannis, you take that all day.”
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since Jan. 23 with a left calf strain, but the two-time MVP could be nearing a return, according to Rivers.
In the meantime, Milwaukee has relied on a group effort to replace his averages of 28.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Seven Bucks scored in double figures in the 118-116 win over Cleveland on Wednesday.
“That’s how we have to play. We have to keep playing that way,” Rivers said. “If you watch us play the last 10 games, it’s obvious when we stop doing that. It stands out.”
Kevin Porter Jr. averages 18.2 points and a team-high 7.6 assists, while Ryan Rollins has enjoyed a career year with 17.2 points and 5.4 assists.
–Field Level Media
Sports
East-leading Nashville might be without Sam Surridge at Atlanta
Apr 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Fire FC defender Jack Elliott (3), defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi (4) and Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge (9) battle for control of the ball during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images If Nashville SC intend to extend their lead atop the MLS Eastern Conference standings with a win against host Atlanta United on Saturday night, they might have to do it without their leading scorer for a second straight match.
Sam Surridge was sidelined with a hamstring injury on Tuesday when Nashville (5-1-1, 16 points) defeated Liga MX side Club America 1-0 in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal tie and secured passage to the semifinals. The Englishman, tied atop the MLS leaderboard with seven goals, is questionable for Saturday.
“He’s made some good progress … and so, right now, it’s just (him having to) clear a few hurdles with medical and performance to see if we can get him ready for (Atlanta),” Nashville head coach BJ Callaghan said.
Though Atlanta (1-5-1, 4 points) ranks near the bottom of the East, Callaghan does not take the latest chapter in the clubs’ Southeastern derby lightly.
“It doesn’t matter where anybody is on the table. The table doesn’t really matter this early in the season, anyway,” Callaghan said. “They’re going to bring out their best. We’ve had good games in the past (during) the history of both clubs, so the expectation is going to be nothing short of that.”
Atlanta United defeated Chattanooga FC 3-1 on Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32, snapping a three-match losing streak across all competitions (0-2-1).
Atlanta has won just once in MLS play, but it can gain momentum with a positive result against Nashville in front of a home crowd.
“The poor results are something we can resolve before the World Cup break, but it’s also important to confidence and the emotional state of the team,” Atlanta head coach Tata Martino said through an interpreter. “What we also have to work on is not just trying to solve the results, but (improving the) confidence and emotional state of the team.”
The Five Stripes will be without Miguel Almiron (knee irritation) for up to two weeks after he felt leg discomfort during the match against Chattanooga. Steven Alzate (adductor) will be unavailable as well.
Nashville and Atlanta are deadlocked at 4-4-5 in their 13 previous regular-season matches.
–Field Level Media
Sports
FC Cincinnati back home, vying for turnaround vs. streaking Fire
Apr 11, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; FC Cincinnati midfielder Evander (10) chases after a loose ball against Toronto FC during the first half at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images A massive opportunity to right the ship awaits FC Cincinnati Saturday night when they host the Chicago Fire.
Cincinnati (2-4-1, 7 points) has struggled mightily since winning its season opener. It has been plagued by a sluggish offense and a suspect defense, with its minus-6 goal differential tied for third-worst in the Eastern Conference. To be fair, a 6-1 drubbing on March 15 at New England represents most of that goal differential.
“It’s been inconsistent,” head coach Pat Noonan said about his team’s performance. “We just need to be more consistent with our play, home and away. We just need to be better all-around in our play, wherever we’re playing.”
Kevin Denkey will not play for Cincinnati Saturday night. He is suspended after a red card in Cincinnati’s previous match, a 1-1 draw against Toronto on April 11. Denkey leads Cincinnati with two goals, but it feels far removed from when he and Evander combined for 33 MLS goals for Cincinnati in 2025.
FC Cincinnati are 2-1-0 at home in MLS regular-season competition, and this is their first home match since March 22. They will play four home matches in the next five weeks.
Chicago (4-2-1, 13 points), currently sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, is off to a strong start in building on its long-awaited return to the MLS Cup playoffs a year ago.
“Since the beginning of the season, we have always shown that we have something to prove this year,” midfielder Mauricio Pineda said. “That’s what really keeps us driving: approaching every game with the mentality to win.”
The Fire are on a three-match winning streak, and this is their only road match in a six-match span stretching from April 4 through May 9.
Hugo Cuypers leads the Fire with four goals, with Jonathan Bamba next at two goals.
Cincinnati leads the all-time series 7-4-3 and swept the series in 2025. The teams will play their return match on May 2 in Chicago.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Revolution bid to stay perfect at home vs. Crew
Apr 4, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution defender Mamadou Fofana (2) reacts with defender Brayan Ceballos (3) after scoring a goal during the second half against CF Montréal at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images The New England Revolution set out to continue their dominant home form when they host the Columbus Crew on Saturday in Foxborough, Mass.
The home/away splits are as stark as they come for New England (3-3-0, 9 points). The Revolution have been outscored 8-2 while going 0-3-0 on the road, but are 3-0-0 with a 10-1 goal differential on their own field.
New England hasn’t allowed a goal in either of its last two home matches, which defender Mamadou Fofana felt was due to a strong effort from the entire lineup.
“We are a team. So it’s (from) the defense up to the striker … To win the game with a clean sheet, it is perfect,” Fofana said.
The offensive credit has also been spread around, as New England’s 12 goals have come from nine different players. Brayan Ceballos, Peyton Miller and Alhassan Yusuf share the team lead with two goals apiece.
By contrast, five of the Crew’s nine goals this season were scored by striker Wessam Abou Ali, who sustained a season-ending torn ACL in last Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Orlando City.
“When you don’t have Wes … we don’t need to change everything, but of course we need to find other ways to get more out of more players,” Columbus coach Henrik Rydstrom said.
Diego Rossi has three goals for Columbus (1-3-3, 6 points), and Max Arfsten is the only other Crew player to score.
Abou Ali’s injury is an unwelcome obstacle for a team that seemed to be finding its form. The Crew were winless (0-3-2) in their first five matches before recording a 3-1 road win over Atlanta United on April 4 and then overcoming the loss of Abou Ali to salvage the draw with Orlando.
Forward Jamal Thiare left Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup match with an apparent leg injury and is questionable for Saturday.
The Crew are 8-2-6 in their last 16 matches with the Revolution (regular season plus playoffs) and 3-0-2 in their last five trips to Foxborough.
–Field Level Media
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