Sports
Pistons look to close out Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers in Game 7
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson (9) during the second half of game three in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Donovan Mitchell and Ausar Thompson will battle for the last word in their individual rivalry when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Detroit Pistons for a win-or-go-on-vacation Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday night.
Each team has prevailed once on the opponent’s court since the clubs each won twice at home to begin the best-of-seven.
Mitchell and the Cavaliers’ 117-113 overtime triumph Wednesday at Detroit gave them a 3-2 lead and put the fourth-seeded club one win away from meeting the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.
But the top-seeded Pistons turned the tables Friday in Cleveland, rolling to a 115-94 victory that has returned the presumed home-court advantage to Detroit.
“It’s going to be a madhouse in there,” Pistons star Cade Cunningham predicted on the eve of the showdown. “The crowd is going to come to play as well. They want to insert themselves in the game.”
The Pistons went 32-9 at home in the regular season, the third-best record in the NBA, before going 3-1 at Little Caesars Arena against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. That included a 116-94 home win in Game 7 to advance.
Cleveland also needed seven games to reach this series. The Cavaliers haven’t lost a Game 7 since LeBron James was 23 years old in 2008 against the Boston Celtics. Before beating the Magic, the Pistons hadn’t been in a seven-game series since, coincidentally, eliminating Cleveland in 2006.
Mitchell, the NBA’s seventh-leading scorer at 27.9 points per game during the regular season, has been held to 23 or fewer in three of the six games of the semifinal series. In Cleveland’s Game 5 win, he scored 21 points, shooting 7-for-18 overall and 1-for-8 on 3-pointers. When the Cavaliers were limited to 94 points in Game 6, he was held to 18 points while being harassed into 6-for-20 shooting overall and 2-for-6 from deep.
Thompson, a finalist for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, has gotten much of the credit for Mitchell’s troubles. The Cavaliers recognize the defensive strategy and believe they are prepared to counter it when it matters most.
“Getting him in the open court more where they can’t get their hands on him,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson responded when asked for a potential solution to Thompson’s aggressive defense. “When it’s in the halfcourt, it’s clutch, grab, hold. We got to get him in space, in the open court — kick-aheads, kick-acrosses, all that.”
Another key matchup in the series has been between starting centers Jarrett Allen and Jalen Duren.
Allen has won the statistical battle three times, totaling 43 points and 19 rebounds to Duren’s 28 points and 11 rebounds in those matchups, and the Cavaliers have won all three of those games. But when Duren has outplayed his rival — outrebounding him 33-18 — the Pistons have gone 3-0.
The team that has won the rebounding battle has taken four of the six games. With Duren contributing his second double-double of the series, the Pistons owned a 43-40 edge on the boards in Game 6.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets place RHP Clay Holmes on IL with fibula fracture
May 15, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The New York Mets placed right-hander Clay Holmes on the 15-day injured list Saturday after he fractured his right fibula when he was hit by a comebacker in Friday’s game against the New York Yankees.
In a corresponding move, right-hander Joey Gerber was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
Holmes was hit by a 111.1-mph line drive from Spencer Jones in the fourth inning but remained in the game and faced seven more hitters. The fracture was revealed in X-rays at the ballpark.
“It’s a huge blow,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s been one of the most consistent guys that we had in that rotation.”
Holmes, 33, is 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts this season and has gone 40-34 with a 3.53 ERA during 353 appearances (44 starts) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2018-21), New York Yankees (2021-24) and Mets.
Gerber, 29, made one relief appearance for the Mets last month and has a career 3.27 ERA in 20 relief appearances with the Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays and Mets going back to 2020.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Blue Jays RHP Jose Berrios scheduled for elbow surgery
Sep 16, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios (17) walks to the dugout after he pitched the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios, who has not pitched in a major league game since last September, will undergo surgery for a stress fracture in his elbow, manager John Schneider said Saturday.
Berrios, 31, did not participate in the Blue Jays’ run to the World Series last season or the World Baseball Classic this spring for his native Puerto Rico with what was first diagnosed as right elbow inflammation last season.
After making four minor league appearances while on a rehab assignment this season, more elbow discomfort led to a diagnosis of a stress fracture.
A timetable for a return will be made after surgery is performed Wednesday with a possibility he could miss the entire 2026 season.
Berrios was 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 31 appearances (30 starts) last season. In 10 major league seasons, the two-time All-Star is 108-82 with a 4.08 ERA in 275 appearances (273 starts) for the Minnesota Twins (2016-21) and Blue Jays.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Elina Svitolina defeats Coco Gauff in 3 sets for Italian Open title
Elina Svitolina hits a return during her match against Elena Rybakina at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., March 13, 2026. Elina Svitolina recovered from a second-set tie-breaker loss and went on to defeat Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 on Saturday to win her third Italian Open championship in Rome.
The 31-year-old Ukrainian became the second woman age 30-plus to take the WTA 1000 title in the Italian capital. Serena Williams won three after she turned 30 in 2013-14 and 2016.
Svitolina, who was seeded seventh in the tournament, won back-to-back Italian Open titles in 2017-18 and her win on Saturday was the 20th in her career.
“It’s very hard to believe that it’s been eight years since I held this trophy,” said Svitolina on-court after the match. “Very, very pleased with the two weeks here. I want to say congrats to Coco for a great tournament and for your team as well. You’re such a great champion. Hopefully we’ll have more battles in the future.”
“I want to thank my team. I had a tough loss in the final in Dubai this year. It was my 19th title and I was aiming for 20. I told my coach it would be nice before I finish my career to have a round number.”
The third-seeded Gauff broke her foe’s serve out of the gates and led, 4-2, before Svitolina rallied to win the next four games to capture the set. She saved 8-of-10 break points, while Gauff conceded all three break points on her shaky service.
The two women held serve for the first ten games of the second set. Then, there were back-to-back breaks, with Gauff failing to hold at 6-5. But she won all five points on serve during the tie-breaker and tallied the final six points to send the match to a decider.
The Floridian had one break point chance at 2-1, but Svitolina responded and captured 17 of the next 24 points of the match to take a 5-2 lead.
Ever the fighter, Gauff dug in, earning three break points and fending off two match points before Svitolina won her first WTA 1000 title since 2018.
She defeated the No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina (quarterfinals) and No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek (semifinals) to reach the big stage in Rome.
Ukrainian women swept the clay court WTA 1000 events in 2026, as Marta Kostyuk captured the 2026 title in Madrid last month.
–Field Level Media
Mets place RHP Clay Holmes on IL with fibula fracture
Blue Jays RHP Jose Berrios scheduled for elbow surgery
