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π Five things to know Friday
- Knicks take largest halftime lead in NBA history en route to roasting, ousting Hawks.Β New York’s 47-point halftime lead pretty much says everything you need to know about this one. Yes,Β Knicks 83, Hawks 36 … at the half. At one point, it seemed like the Hawks were making more turnovers than a Georgia farm stand, and the Knicks made them pay at the other end. A good chunk of the second half was spent just dissecting where Atlanta goes from here. No Knicks team had ever scored as many points in a single playoff game as this team did, and with the final 140-89 drubbing,Β New York gets a chance to rest and wait on the winner of Saturday’s Game 7 between the Celtics and 76ers because the latter defeated the former in Philadelphia last night. And in the West, the Anthony Edwards-less Timberwolves sent Nikola JokiΔ and the Nuggets on their summer vacationΒ to take that series 4-2. And as our internal NBA team has been doing throughout the postseason, here’s our analysis on last night’s winners and losers.
- Kevin Durant will not play in Game 6 versus Lakers.Β The conventional wisdom was that the Rockets wouldn’t stand a chance against the Lakers without their best player, yet here we are, entering a Game 6 after Houston won the last two contests without the superstar. Should Houston manage to pull another W without KD, it would only be the fifth time in NBA history that a team has dropped the first three games of a playoff series only to come back and force a Game 7. For their part, the Lakers appear to be doing their best to make this happen, as our Sam Quinn writes about howΒ their offense has stalled.
- Storm’s Lexie Brown has been getting death threats. Seattle guard Lexie Brown said she has gotten death threats and other statements of harm over rumors involving her and NBA star Klay Thompson following the Mavericks’ breakup with Grammy-winning rap star Megan Thee Stallion. “I was getting threats on my life,” Brown said. “I was getting threats on my health.” Brown said that while she knows Thompson, the rumors are “100% false.”
- Get ready for Saturday’s 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby.Β Ah, the first Saturday in May, and that can only mean one thing: What’s actually in a Mint Julep? I’m kidding, of course. About two minutes after the 6:57 p.m. post time, we’ll find out which horse has a shot at the 2026 Triple Crown. A little further down, we’ll get into who our staff likes in this year’s Run for the Roses.
- It appears to be the end of an era in Pittsburgh.Β With the Penguins’ season crashing to a halt after being upended by the in-state rival Flyers, it certainly feels like a bow was put on one of the greatest runs in that franchise’s history. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang were behind the team’s success at every turn, but the end of this season just feels different, writes Austin Nivison.
π Do not miss this: NFL Draft grades are ridiculous and often wrong. And here’s why they’re still useful
Imagn Images
The NFL Draft has been over for (only) six days, and in that time we’ve seen pronouncements of every shape and size regarding the future of those who were drafted last weekend. Days removed from the fog of all of the instant analysis Ryan Wilson shares a new thought. He suggests — to a degree — that the exercise of assigning a draft day grade to a collegiate player and then connecting that mark to the future worth of that player as a pro might be, as he says, “a little silly.” It’s a nuanced take, to be sure, but one worth discussing.
- Wilson: “Put another way: Draft grades aren’t meaningless, but maybe we’re collectively misusing them. They don’t tell you what will happen; for me, my post-draft grades reflect what I believed should happen based on the information available in that moment.
“At their core, these grades are snapshots, not forecasts.
“Before we get going, and because I think showing my work can be instructive, here are my days-after-draft grades from 2021-2025, which form the basis of this retrospective analysis:Β 2021,Β 2022,Β 2023,Β 2024,Β 2025. If you’re looking for how your team graded out in 2026, you can find myΒ full 2026 draft grades here.”
There’s a lot of great stuff here, and for the hardcore fan, I’d suggest spending some quality time with it as NFL news slows a bit over the coming weeks before camps convene.
π Renegade is still the Kentucky Derby consensus, but he’s not everyone’s favorite
Imagn Images
Before you go betting the farm on Renegade, a 4-1 favorite at Churchill Downs, you may want to consider the advice of Jody Demling,Β someone who nailed a $1,682 Kentucky Derby superfecta last year,Β writes Ross Kelly.Β
- Kelly: “One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Renegade, the morning-line favorite at 4-1. Demling has Renegade finishing off the board altogether, saying he barely finishes inside the top 10 in this 20-horse 2026 Kentucky Derby field. He’s come on strong late in the spring, but recent Kentucky Derby trends have gone against horses breaking from the rail position and against favorites in general.”
Demling has more on Renegade and other horses that he likes, along with other suggestions. Good luck!
ππ The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
247Sports
πΊ What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
βΎ Diamondbacks at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
β½ Burnley at Leeds United, 3 p.m. on TBD
β³ Cadillac Championship, second round, 3 p.m. on Golf Channel
βΎ Reds at Pirates, 6:45 p.m. on Apple TV
π Pistons at Magic, Game 6, 7 p.m. on Prime
π Lightning at Canadiens, Game 6, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
βΎ Orioles at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
βΎ Astros at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. on Peacock
βΎ Giants at Rays, 7:10 p.m. on MLB Network
π Cavaliers at Raptors, Game 6, 7:30 p.m. on Prime
π Sabres at Bruins, Game 6, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
π€Ό WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
β½ Reign at Dash, 8 p.m. on Victory+
π Lakers at Rockets, Game 6, 9:30 p.m. on Prime
βΎ Mets at Angels, 9:38 p.m. on MLB Network
βΎ Royals at Mariners, 9:45 p.m. on Apple TV
π Golden Knights at Mammoth, Game 6, 10 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday
π€Ό UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates, 7 a.m. on Paramount+
β½ UEFA Women’s Champions League, semifinal: Arsenal at OL Lyonnes, 9 a.m. on Paramount+
β½ Brighton & Hove Albion at Newcastle United, 10 a.m. on Peacock
β½ Fulham at Arsenal, 12:30 p.m. on Peacock
β½ Earthquakes at Toronto, 1 p.m. on Apple TV
βΎ Orioles at Yankees, 1:35 p.m. on Peacock
βΎ Diamondbacks at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
β½ Sounders at Kansas City, 2:30 p.m. on Fox
β½ Genoa at Atalanta, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
β³ Cadillac Championship, third round, 3 p.m. on CBS
β½ Spirit at Pride, 4 p.m. on Ion
βΎ Reds at Pirates, 4:05 p.m. on FS1
β½ Timbers at Salt Lake, 4:30 p.m. on Fox
β½ Current at Courage, 6:30 p.m. on Ion
π Kentucky Derby, 6:57 p.m. on NBC
β½ Orlando at Miami, 7 p.m. on FS1
π 76ers at Celtics, Game 7, 7:30 p.m. on NBC/Peacock
βΎ Dodgers at Cardinals orΒ Rangers at Tigers, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
β½ Charlotte at Revolution, 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV
π Flyers at Hurricanes, Game 1, 8 p.m. on ABC
β½ Rapids at Dynamo, 8:30 p.m. on Apple TV
β½ Royals at Angel City, 8:45 p.m. on Ion
β½ LAFC at San Diego, 9:30 p.m. on Apple TV
βΎ Mets at Angels, 9:38 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
βΎ Royals at Mariners, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
β½ Whitecaps at Galaxy, 10:30 p.m. on Apple TV
Sunday
(Note: Sunday’s NBA and NHL schedule will be determined Friday night.)
π Rockets at Lakers, Game 7, if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
π Magic at Pistons, Game 7, if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
π Raptors at Cavaliers, Game 7, if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
π Bruins at Sabres, Game 7, if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
π Canadiens at Lightning, Game 7, if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
π Mammoth at Golden Knights, Game 7, if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
β½ Cagliari at Bologna, 6:30 a.m. on Paramount+
β½ AC Milan at Sassuolo, 9 a.m. on Paramount+
β½ Liverpool at Manchester United, 10:30 a.m. on Peacock
β½ UEFA Women’s Champions Leaguel: Bayern Munich at Barcelona, 10:30 a.m. on Paramount+
βΎ Blue Jays at Twins, 12:45 p.m. on Peacock
β½ Thorns at Stars, 1 p.m. on ESPN2
β½ Parma at Inter Milan, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
β³ Cadillac Championship, final round, 3 p.m. on CBS
β½ DC at NYCFC, 3 p.m. on Apple TV
β½ Summit at Legacy, 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
π NASCAR at Texas, 3:30 p.m. on FS1
βΎ Guardians at Athletics, 4:05 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
βΎ White Sox at Padres, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
βΎ Royals at Mariners, 4:10 p.m. on Peacock
π Preseason: Liberty at Sun, 5 p.m. on Ion
β½ Louisville at Gotham, 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
β½ St. Louis at Austin, 5:30 p.m. on Apple TV
π Preseason: Aces vs. Wings, 7 p.m. on Ion
β½ Bay at Wave, 7 p.m. on Victory+
βΎ Rangers at Tigers, 7:20 p.m. on Peacock
