Sports
Pistons' Isaiah Stewart suspended, fined after flagrant foul
Jan 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (28) is ejected from the game for a flagrant foul on Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images The NBA suspended Detroit Pistons forward-center Isaiah Stewart for one game without pay after he tallied his sixth flagrant foul point of the regular season.
In the second quarter of the Pistons’ 133-119 road loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, Stewart was called for a flagrant foul 2.
Because he entered the game with flour flagrant foul points on his season record, the call on Wednesday triggered an automatic one-game suspension, which he will serve Friday night when the Pistons host the Dallas Mavericks.
Stewart, 23, also was fined $50,000 for making what the NBA called in a news release “inappropriate and objectionable gestures” following his ejection.
The 6-foot-8 Stewart is averaging 5.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and a team-leading 1.3 blocks in 48 games (three starts) this season.
Stewart is in his fifth season with the Pistons and is averaging 20.3 minutes per game, down from a career-high 30.9 minutes last season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Matt Fitzpatrick builds 3-shot lead at Heritage, but Scottie Scheffler lurks
Apr 18, 2026; Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA; Matt Fitzpatrick watches his drive on the third hole during the third round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Matt Fitzpatrick of England turned in a strong stretch on the back nine Saturday to shoot a 3-under-par 68 and keep the lead through three rounds of the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Fitzpatrick moved to 17-under 196 and increased his lead to three shots, but world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will be his closest pursuer going into Sunday’s final round.
Fitzpatrick’s eagle 3 on the 15th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links capped a four-hole stretch that he played at 4 under. He settled down after three bogeys on the front side.
Scheffler shot 64 to climb into second. Brian Harman (63) joined Austria’s Sepp Straka (67) and South Korea’s Si Woo Kim (66) at 13 under.
Fitzpatrick will be aiming for his second victory of the year. He won a month ago at the Valspar Championship, just one week after a runner-up finish at The Players Championship.
Scheffler sizzled at the start Saturday with birdies on five of the first six holes.
Harman became the clubhouse leader before the final groups reached the round’s midway mark. Harman began the day in 27th place, but he posted birdies on the final three holes to be the first to get to 13 under.
The golfers at 12 under are Andrew Novak (65), Gary Woodland (66), Patrick Cantlay (68), Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (68) and South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter (67).
–Field Level Media
Sports
ATP roundup: Ben Shelton seeks second title of year in Munich
Ben Shelton looks up to the crowd after his win over Reilly Opelka during their second-round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Friday, March 6, 2026. Second-seeded Ben Shelton halted the stunning run by unseeded Slovakian qualifier Alex Molcan, 6-3, 6-4, on Saturday to advance to the finals at the BMW Open in Munich, Germany.
Shelton will face fourth-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli, who stunned top-seeded and defending champion Alexander Zverev of Germany, 6-3, 6-3.
Shelton, who lost to Zverev in the 2025 title match, did not produce his usual superior services, but only faced one break point in the match. He managed to break Molcan late in each set to advance to his seventh ATP Tour final.
Cobolli blistered 32 winners on the clay and lost only eight points on his serve against his good friend Zverev. It was the Italian’s first-ever win over a Top-5 opponent. He broke the big-serving German four times, including in the final game of the match.
Shelton leads the all-time series, 3-2, winning all three matchups in 2025.
Barcelona Open
Fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia and ninth-seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils each needed three sets to advance to the finals of the ATP 500 clay-court event.
Rublev rallied to knock off Serbian qualifier Hamad Medjedovic, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, while Fils came from behind to outlast Spain’s Rafael Jodar, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Rublev reached his 29th ATP final by capturing the final four games of the match. He converted 4-of-9 break point chances, while Medjedovic was 1-of-6.
Fils halted Jodar’s eight match winning streak by cracking 28 winners to only 11 for the 19-year old upstart. With the third set knotted at 3-3, Fils staved off four break points, broke Jodar’s serve and turned back two more break chances in the final game to prevail.
They have split two previous on-court matches, with Fils winning on clay, capturing a two-set decision in the 2025 event in Monte-Carlo.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nikola Jokic posts triple-double as Nuggets outlast Timberwolves
Apr 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) is fouled by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) as he handles the ball during the first half in game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored 30 points, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Murray was perfect from the line, hitting a career-high 16 free throws, while Aaron Gordon finished with 17 points and Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun pitched in with 12 points each for Denver.
Game 2 is Monday night in Denver.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 22 points and Rudy Gobert produced 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle scored 16 apiece, Ayo Dosunmu scored 14 and Donte DiVincenzo added 12.
The Timberwolves trailed by 12 after three but rallied to start the fourth. Dosunmu and Edwards hit 3-pointers, Gobert made a driving layup and then a put-back during a 12-4 run that cut the deficit to 97-95.
But Jokic answered with a three-point play and a tip-in to extend the lead to seven with 5:45 left.
Following a Minnesota timeout, Edwards missed a 19-footer and Braun made two free throws. Jokic notched his 22nd playoff triple-double off a Minnesota turnover that made it 106-97.
Edwards missed a long three that would have made it a two-point game with 2:25 remaining. Gordon hit a follow dunk and Gobert’s offensive goaltending miscue kept it at 108-101 with 1:39 left.
The Timberwolves led by as many as 12 in the first half but a strong second quarter by the Nuggets sent it into intermission tied at 62-1ll.
Denver took advantage of a Timberwolves’ scoring drought of 4:22 to open up a big third quarter lead. Gordon scored half of the points in a 14-0 run, capping it with a follow dunk to make it 82-68. McDaniels hit a jumper in the lane to end the run but also picked up a technical foul.
Murray hit the free throw and then a turnaround to make it 85-70. Edwards came back into the game with four points and fed Mike Conley for a corner 3-pointer but Jokic’s floater gave the Nuggets a 91-79 lead heading into the fourth.
The Timberwolves outshot the Nuggets from the floor and beyond the arc, but Denver rode Murray’s free throw prowess to outscore Minnesota, 30-14, from the line. The Nuggets made 30-of-33 free throws (90.9%).
–Field Level Media
