Sports
Magic can't sulk over Game 6 as Game 7 approaches with Pistons
May 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) dribbles the ball against the Detroit Pistons in th fourth quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images One game remains, and suddenly all the pressure has shifted.
After staring down elimination just days ago, the top-seeded Detroit Pistons forced a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday against the visiting Orlando Magic, putting themselves on the brink of history.
Only 13 teams in NBA history have rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series, a reminder of both the rarity of Detroit’s push and the opportunity still in front of Orlando. The winner will face either Cleveland or Toronto in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Detroit’s 93-79 victory in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Friday flipped the series on its head, erasing what once looked like a commanding Orlando march after the eighth-seeded Magic built and then squandered a 24-point lead.
“It’s going to be a war,” said Detroit’s Duncan Robinson. “It’s pretty much what every game has been so far this series — super physical.
“They got a lot of pride in their locker room too. We expect them to come out swinging on Sunday. We’re super excited to get back and have a game seven on our home floor in front of our fans. So, it’s going to be a great challenge.”
The Pistons were able to force the decisive game by mounting a furious, defensive-ignited comeback in the second half. The Magic missed 23 consecutive shots, including 27 of their final 28 shots, and were outscored 55-19 during that span.
“Hopefully we start the game like we finished the game,” said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “That’s going to be extremely important for us.
“I expect us to do what we do, and that’s keep swinging.”
The Magic are looking to avoid their second 3-1 collapse in franchise history. In 2003, they blew a 3-1 advantage over the top-seeded Pistons in their NBA first-round series. The Pistons haven’t won a playoff series since 2008, while the Magic haven’t since 2010.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley was asked what his team has to do in Game 7 to bounce back from the stunning defeat.
“You got to wash it, you got to learn from it, you got to go get Game 7,” Mosley said. “You got to get it the hard way.
“We’ve been in Game 7 before, and we understand what it looks like on the road, the magnitude of it, what we know we’re capable of doing in this situation.”
Orlando will need to move past its 1-of-20 fourth-quarter shooting performance, including a combined 1-of-15 effort from Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs, while also preparing for the likelihood of being without forward Franz Wagner, who has missed the last two games with a calf injury.
“It’s the playoffs and this series has been a slugfest,” Banchero said. “Series ain’t over. They’ve clawed their way to tie it at 3-3. You don’t have time to hang your head about this. Obviously, it was a bad loss. Got to chalk it up. There’s nothing we can do about it at this point.”
The Magic will also need to figure out how to cool off Detroit’s Cade Cunningham who has scored 77 points over the last two games, including 32 in Game 6.
“He’s their engine,” Banchero said of Cunningham. “He does a lot of their scoring and facilitating and so, yeah, we got to make it hard on him, try to make others beat us, just do whatever we can to win the game.
“It’s one game. It’s all that matters is just one game. So, I think we got to just do whatever it takes.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Austin FC set for upgrade on offense vs. St. Louis City
Apr 18, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Austin FC forward Myrto Uzuni (10) shoots against Toronto FC during the first half at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images Austin FC hopes a bolstered roster and a huge win against a Texas rival builds momentum as they host struggling St. Louis City SC on Sunday evening in a Western Conference match.
Austin FC (2-4-4, 10 points) remain home after a 2-0 win over the rival Houston Dynamo on last Saturday. Myrto Uzuni scored a goal and assisted on a tally by Jayden Nelson in the Copa Tejas series victory.
Austin snapped a seven-match MLS winless swoon dating back to a 1-0 home victory over D.C. United on March 1.
Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver stopped five shots to record his third clean sheet of the year just three days after he allowed five goals on 16 shots in a loss at San Jose.
The Verde is set for an offensive jolt with midfielder Owen Wolff set to return, even if it’s in a reserve role. Wolff, who led Austin FC last season with seven goals and eight assists, has missed the team’s first 10 games while recovering from a sports hernia but is available to return against St. Louis.
“Now that we can have probably the full roster, for the first time in the year, in the next weeks, I think everyone gets excited and everyone says, ‘Now is the moment,'” Austin coach Nico Estevez said. “I want to give a lot of credit to the players. It’s been a really tough time for everyone.”
St. Louis City (1-5-3, 6 points) travels to Austin after 3-2 loss at home against league-leading San Jose on April 25. The club went winless in league play in April, losing twice with a pair of draws, both on the road.
St. Louis City heads to Texas after a 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Chicago Fire in U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 play on Wednesday. St. Louis coach Yoann Damet believes the victory will provide benefits in upcoming MLS play.
“Honestly, I like the grit and the spirit they’re showing. I’ve been speaking a lot about it, and we haven’t been rewarded enough, in my sense,” Damet said. “I think it speaks for the work the guys are putting in every day. Everybody worked really hard together, they made plays. It’s a collective effort, it’s a team, it’s a full group, and that’s what makes me happy.”
St. Louis’s nine goals through nine MLS matches is tied for second fewest in league while its minus-seven goal differential is second worst in the West. Marcel Hartel leads the club with three goals and an assist.
St. Louis City has dominated the all-time series with the Austin FC, with four wins and a draw in six meetings during MLS play.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Big Ten distributes $1.37 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2024-25
Sep 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Dragon seats with the Big Ten conference logo on the Wisconsin Badgers team benches are seen before a game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images After recent expansion and success in the College Football Playoffs following the 2024 season, the Big Ten Conference announced a record $1.37 billion distribution to its 18 league members for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The Big Ten became the second conference to reach the $1 billion plateau. The Southeastern Conference announced that it had divided up $1 billion to its 16 member institutions in February. That figure represented an increase of $200 million from the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The Big Ten’s $1.37 billion largess represents an increase of $487 million from the 2023-24 fiscal year. The two primary factors were the additions of UCLA, Southern California, Oregon and Washington in August of 2024 and the participation of Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State in the 12-team College Football Playoffs in December and January.
Ohio State defeated Notre Dame, 34-23 to win the 2024 national championship in a game played in Atlanta on Jan. 20, 2025. The Buckeyes’ program earned a league-high $91.57 million, while Penn State, a national semifinalist in football, received $88.29 million.
All full-time members received between $76.01 million and $79.87 million, while new members Oregon and Washington took in $48.4 million and $46.7 million respectively. UCLA and USC are considered fully-vested members and earned the higher payout amounts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Celtics star Jayson Tatum (knee) questionable for Game 7 vs. Sixers
Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts to his score against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images The Boston Celtics might have to face the Philadelphia 76ers in a do-or-die Game 7 without star Jayson Tatum, who was listed as questionable for Saturday night’s game with left knee stiffness.
Tatum did not play in the last 15 minutes of Thursday’s Game 6 — a 106-93 loss to the Sixers in Eastern Conference first-round play — and was riding an exercise bike in the hall during the fourth quarter.
Tatum appeared to downplay the issue after the game, telling reporters, “You guys probably saw when I went to the back, saw me on the bike. My leg just was a little stiff when I came out in the third quarter. But just kind of assessing the moment, the game was a little out of reach.”
The sore knee is not related to last May’s devastating ruptured right Achilles tendon, Tatum said. That injury knocked him out in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks and kept him off the court until March 6 of this season.
“It was my other leg, not the one I injured last year,” Tatum said Thursday. “I mean, I wasn’t like overly concerned. … I came out at four minutes, like I was supposed to. Just kind of assessed the game. (Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla) took the starters out fairly early in the fourth quarter.”
Mazzulla told reporters on a conference call Friday afternoon that Tatum would be available for Game 7, and Tatum said at Thursday’s postgame press conference, “I expect to play.”
Tatum has averaged 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game in the series against the Sixers.
In Game 3, Tatum became the fourth player in Celtics history to top 3,000 career postseason points. Tatum (3,005) trails three legends — Kevin McHale (3,182), John Havlicek (3,776) and leader Larry Bird (3,897).
Tatum, 28, is a six-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA first-team selection and a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner for Team USA. Through 601 career NBA games, Tatum is averaging 23.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
For the Sixers, Paul George was listed as probable with an illness for the game on his 36th birthday. Joel Embiid (post appendectomy) also is listed as probable, while Tyrese Maxey (finger) is available.
–Field Level Media
The Most Banned Series In America Is About To Blow Up On Netflix
Austin FC set for upgrade on offense vs. St. Louis City
