Sports
NBA roundup: Magic edge Lakers as LeBron James misses at buzzer
Feb 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) and forward Jonathan Isaac (1) celebrate the victory against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Paolo Banchero scored 36 points with 10 rebounds and Desmond Bane added 22 points as the Orlando Magic finished off a successful road trip against Western Conference foes with a 110-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 20 points and Tristan da Silva added 13 as the Magic went 3-1 on their trip with a victory at Sacramento and two more against a pair of Los Angeles teams in the Clippers and Lakers. They lost at Phoenix in the second game of the trip.
Luka Doncic scored 22 points with 15 assists and nine rebounds while LeBron James and Deandre Ayton each added 21 points for the Lakers, who went 4-4 on an extended homestand that wrapped around both sides of the All-Star break. James had a chance to win it at the buzzer but his fallaway 3-pointer was off target.
Orlando shot 45.7% in the game but finished off the victory by shooting 59.1% in the fourth quarter while scoring 31 points. It was the Magic’s fourth consecutive victory against the Lakers going back to November of 2023.
Cavaliers 109, Knicks 94
Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points and James Harden added 20 as Cleveland ran away from visiting New York to win for the eighth time in its last nine games.
Jarrett Allen collected 19 points on 7-of-8 field-goal attempts and grabbed 10 rebounds for Cleveland, which tied New York for third place in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers are 6-1 with Harden in the lineup and a league-best 13-2 since Jan. 21.
Jalen Brunson scored 20 points and Mikal Bridges had 18, but the starting guards shot a combined 12 of 36 from the field for the Knicks. New York, which only led for 19 seconds and trailed by 20 in the fourth quarter, is 12-4 since Jan. 19.
76ers 135, Pacers 114
Tyrese Maxey collected 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and Joel Embiid added 27 points to fuel Philadelphia to a victory over Indiana in Indianapolis.
Maxey made 10 of 22 shots from the floor and all 10 attempts from the free-throw line for the 76ers, who erupted for 45 points in the second quarter and shot a sizzling 57.6% for the game. Embiid sank 11 of 17 shots from the floor in his return from a five-game absence due to knee and shin issues. Rookie VJ Edgecombe recorded 23 points and seven rebounds and Quentin Grimes added 15 points off the bench.
Micah Potter scored a season-high 23 points and Andrew Nembhard matched that total to lead the Pacers.
Hawks 119, Wizards 98
Jonathan Kuminga scored a season-high 27 points in his Atlanta debut and the Hawks led wire-to-wire, beating visiting Washington for their second straight win.
Kuminga, acquired from Golden State at the trade deadline, was 9 of 12 from the floor and scored 18 points in the third quarter. The good vibrations were tempered by the loss of All-Star Jalen Johnson, who left the game at 6:22 in the first quarter with a left hip flexor injury. The Hawks also got 16 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 12 points from Corey Kispert and 10 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists from Onyeka Okongwu.
The Wizards were led by reserves Will Riley, who scored 18, and Justin Campagnie and Jamir Watkins, who both scored 14. Trae Young, who played the first seven-plus seasons of his career with Atlanta, was on the bench but did not play, still nursing the right knee MCL strain that has kept him out since Dec. 27. The Hawks honored Young by showing a highlight video.
Mavericks 123, Nets 114
Marvin Bagley III scored 22 points off the bench as Dallas went ahead for good in the first quarter and earned held off host Brooklyn to get head coach Jason Kidd his 200th victory as the Mavericks’ head coach.
Bagley made 10 of 13 shots and finished one shy of his season high as the Mavericks won their second straight following a 10-game skid. Bagley’s big night was part of a 61-point showing from Dallas reserves. The Mavericks shot 58.5% and scored 66 points in the paint.
The blizzard in the New York area caused the Mavericks to arrive from Indianapolis earlier Tuesday and the Nets to fly in from Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon. Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 26 points.
Thunder 116, Raptors 107
Isaiah Joe scored 19 of his 22 points in the third quarter and visiting Oklahoma City held on to defeat Toronto.
Cason Wallace added a game-high 27 points with eight rebounds and seven assists for the Thunder, who have won three games in a row and five of six. Alex Caruso added 16 points, Luguentz Dort contributed 15 points and Isaiah Hartenstein scored 11 with nine rebounds.
RJ Barrett scored 21 points for the Raptors, who had won their two previous games. Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram each scored 15 points. Ja’Kobe Walter and Immanuel Quickley scored 17 points apiece and Jamal Shead added 13 points.
Hornets 131, Bulls 99
Brandon Miller scored 23 points and Kon Knueppel added 21 to pace seven players in double figures as visiting Charlotte routed skidding Chicago.
Matas Buzelis had a career-best 32 points for Chicago, which has lost 10 straight games for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Charlotte, which has won 12 of 15, set a franchise record with its eighth consecutive road victory. The team swished 25 3-pointers, falling one short of matching another franchise mark.
Charlotte shot 60.7% in the third while limiting the Bulls to 27.8%. Chicago, which committed nine of its 21 turnovers in the third, trailed by as many as 38 in the second half. Patrick Williams and Guerschon Yabusele scored 11 points each for Chicago, while Collin Sexton chipped in 10.
Bucks 128, Heat 117
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 32 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists to lead Milwaukee to a victory over visiting Miami.
Ryan Rollins added 21 for Milwaukee, which won its seventh game in its last nine tries without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf). Bobby Portis matched Rollins’ 21 off the bench, while Kyle Kuzma added 19.
Norman Powell scored a team-high 26 points for Miami, which saw its three-game winning streak end. Bam Adebayo added 18 points and nine rebounds.
Pelicans 113, Warriors 109
Zion Williamson scored 26 points and host New Orleans led by as many as 14 in the first quarter then held off short-handed Golden State.
Saddiq Bey scored 18 points for the Pelicans, who have won back-to-back games and four of their last six. Former Warrior Jordan Poole scored 12 points to lead a New Orleans bench that outscored its Golden State counterpart 45-26.
De’Anthony Melton posted a game-high 28 points for the Warriors, who were without Stephen Curry (knee), Jimmy Butler (knee), Al Horford (toe) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness), and have lost three of their last four.
Celtics 97, Suns 81
Derrick White scored 22 points, Neemias Queta had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and visiting Boston rolled over short-handed Phoenix to extend its winning streak to four.
Sam Hauser scored 16 points and Bailey Scheierman had 11 points and 11 rebounds in his third career double-double for the Celtics, who have won nine of 10 and are a season-high 19 games over .500.
The Celtics trailed 41-30 at 6:41 of the second quarter before going on an extended 50-11 run to take control with an 80-52 lead on Nikola Vukevic’s basket with 1:39 left in the third. Collin Gillespie scored 15 points, Grayson Allen scored 14 and Jalen Green added 13 for the Suns, who played without leading scorers Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks for the second straight game.
Timberwolves 124, Trail Blazers 121
Anthony Edwards scored 34 points and Jaden McDaniels added 29 points, matched his career best of five blocked shots and had three steals to lead Minnesota past host Portland.
Donte DiVincenzo added 19 points as the Timberwolves won for the fourth time in the past five games and improved to 3-0 against the Blazers this season. Edwards, McDaniels and DiVincenzo each knocked down five 3-pointers as Minnesota made 17 of 35 (48.6%) from long range.
With Portland All-Star Deni Avdija (back) out for the 11th time in the past 19 games, Jrue Holiday scored 22 points, Jerami Grant added 21 points and reserve Scoot Henderson had 19 for the Blazers, who lost for the third time in five games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Strong second period carries Flyers past Penguins for 3-0 edge
Apr 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Travis Konecny (11) checks Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell (67) during the first period in game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Trevor Zegras, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nick Seeler and Noah Cates all scored their first career playoff goals to guide the Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-2 home victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday and a three-games-to-none series lead.
After capturing Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia scored three times in the second period of this one, and Dan Vladar took care of the rest with 28 saves.
Owen Tippett had the other goal for the Flyers. Cates and Zegras each added an assist, and Jamie Drysdale, Sean Couturier and Noah Juulsen logged two assists apiece.
Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson scored for Pittsburgh, which needs to win Saturday in Philadelphia to save its season. Stuart Skinner made 24 saves for the Penguins.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring 4:18 into the contest on a power play. Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust and Malkin connected on a tic-tac-toe passing sequence that ended with Malkin’s tally from the doorstep.
That was the only goal of the first period, but the middle session saw plenty of offense — all from Philadelphia — and a significant amount of physical play.
The second-period scoring began with Zegras’ power-play goal on a one-timer from the right circle at 5:18.
At the time, there were 11 players in the penalty boxes. Following a scrum on the previous shift, all 10 skaters were assessed roughing penalties with Rust getting an extra minor that had to be served by a teammate.
Less than four minutes later, the teams were back at full strength when Ristolainen scored from the right circle after a nice feed from Juulsen. Ristolainen received the puck with space and beat Skinner through the five-hole.
About two minutes later, Seeler’s shot from the blue line got through traffic and found the back of the net.
Pittsburgh pressured in the third period, which turned out to be an eventful stanza for Vladar. He lost a skate blade early in the session and then hurt his right arm on a collision with Rust a couple minutes later.
The injury appeared to affect Vladar, as he promptly allowed a power-play goal when Karlsson’s shot snuck just under his arm with 10:21 remaining.
However, Philadelphia regained the momentum with a power-play goal less than three minutes later when Cates took a pass on the doorstep, reverse-pivoted into the crease and lifted a forehand under the crossbar.
Tippett’s empty-netter with 1:12 left put an exclamation point on the victory.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Shooting woes sink Magic as Pistons even up series in G2
Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) dribbles defended by Detroit Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins (24) in the first half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Cade Cunningham scored 27 points and had 11 assists and Tobias Harris added 16 points and 11 rebounds on Wednesday night as the Detroit Pistons bounced back to even their Eastern Conference playoff series with a 98-83 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic.
Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson each had 11 points for the Pistons, who snapped an 11-game home playoff game losing streak, the longest in NBA history. Duncan Robinson and Isaiah Stewart also scored 10 apiece for Detroit, which last won a home playoff game in 2008.
Jalen Suggs scored 19 points and Paolo Banchero added 18 for the eighth-seeded Magic. Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane also had 12 points for Orlando which connected on only 26 of 80 field goal attempts, including just eight of 32 3-pointers.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Saturday in Orlando.
After a defensive struggle in the first half for both teams, Detroit broke the game open in the third quarter, starting with a 30-3 run. The Pistons, who scored the first 11 points before Bane nailed a 3-pointer, outscored the Magic 38-16 in the quarter. Orlando hit only five shots, committed six turnovers and trailed by as much as 27 points.
The Pistons maintained a comfortable cushion through the final quarter, allowing the Magic to get no closer than 97-83 with less than a minute remaining.
The first quarter was a defensive battle with the Pistons holding on for a 25-21 lead. Detroit, which led by as much as seven points, held Orlando to 26.9 percent shooting from the field while the Magic forced eight Pistons turnovers and briefly went in front 21-20.
The two teams continued the defensive intensity in the second quarter which featured four ties and two lead changes. Detroit took an eight-point lead early in the quarter, but Orlando scored four of the last five points to tie the game at 46 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Red Bulls' struggling defense clashes with woeful D.C. offense
Apr 4, 2026; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; Red Bull New York forward Emil Forsberg (10) tries to gain control of the ball against FC Cincinnati during the second half at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls are struggling at the opposite ends of the pitch.
Over their last four MLS matches, D.C. United have failed to score. Meanwhile, over the Red Bulls’ last four league games, they have surrendered 14 goals.
When the teams meet Wednesday night in Harrison, N.J., they will be seeking answers for their recent woes.
The lack of scoring punch is nothing new for D.C. United (2-4-2, 8 points). Last year, the club scored 30 goals, the fewest in MLS. D.C. also failed to score in four straight league matches from May 10-24, 2025.
It’s been a challenge for the Black and Red to remain positive. In addition to going 0-2-2 during their scoreless MLS run, they fell last week on penalty kicks to One Knoxville SC in a U.S. Open Cup match in which they put up three goals.
“I think we’ve shown we can create. I think it’s just about being very precise in some moments on both sides of the ball,” said D.C. goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who had four saves in a scoreless draw Saturday at the Philadelphia Union.
The offensive struggles of D.C. were evident as it took just six shots against Philadelphia, none of which were on frame. Coach Rene Weiler said he expects a similar challenge against New York (3-3-2, 11 points).
“You have to find ways to score goals,” Weiler said. “First of all, you have to accept the fight and the physical game because most of the teams on our side of the league are very physical.”
The Red Bulls look to rebound from a dispiriting 4-1 loss Saturday at CF Montreal in which their lone tally was an own goal.
Lowly CF Montreal has just two wins this season, both against the Red Bulls, who they have outscored 7-1.
Julian Hall (five goals, two assists) and Emil Forsberg (one goal, two assists) provide firepower for New York, which hopes to rediscover its defense against its longtime MLS rival.
“Games against D.C. United always carry extra weight,” Red Bulls manager Michael Bradley said. “We’re gonna step on the field at home on Wednesday night ready to give everything we have to respond in a really strong way.”
–Field Level Media
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