The Orlando Magic secured the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed by dismantling the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 in Friday’s play-in tournament, setting up a first-round playoff clash with the Detroit Pistons.
Paolo Banchero led the charge with 25 points as the Florida-based franchise built an unassailable 35-point lead before half-time.
The 31-point demolition sets a new NBA record for the largest margin of victory by any team in a play-in game.
Record-breaking dominance
Wendell Carter Jr contributed 10 points to an explosive first-quarter performance that left the visitors trailing 38-16.
Charlotte struggled immensely in the opening period, shooting just five for 20 from the floor while committing six costly turnovers.
Star point guard LaMelo Ball endured a frustrating opening half, going scoreless and heading to the bench with three fouls early in the second quarter.
The dynamic playmaker eventually found his rhythm to score 21 of his 23 points in the third quarter, but the contest was already well beyond reach.
Ending the playoff drought
The comfortable victory means Orlando will immediately travel to Michigan to begin their best-of-seven series against Detroit on Sunday.
They will be desperate to break their recent postseason curse, having suffered first-round exits in each of their past two campaigns.
The franchise is searching for its first playoff series victory since 2010, when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
Meanwhile, the heavy defeat extends a miserable run for the eliminated Hornets, who had won the last three regular-season meetings between the sides but have now failed to reach the playoffs since 2016.
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant is listed as questionable for Saturday’s playoff series opener against the Los Angeles Lakers after sustaining a right knee contusion in practice.
The 37-year-old suffered the injury during a training session earlier this week, though team sources remain optimistic the issue will not severely impact his postseason availability.
Durant enjoyed a highly productive debut campaign in Texas, averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists across the regular season.
Crucially, the veteran played 78 games this year, marking his most durable run of fitness since the 2018-19 campaign.
Lakers face severe injury crisis
While Houston sweat on the availability of their primary scorer, the fourth-seeded Lakers are dealing with a significant injury list of their own.
Los Angeles will begin the first-round series without star guard Luka Doncic and key rotation piece Austin Reaves.
Both players suffered serious injuries during a defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder on 2 April.
Doncic is sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Reaves is recovering from a troublesome oblique issue.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick delivered a bleak assessment of their recovery timeline to the media on Tuesday.
They are out indefinitely, with no update expected this week.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has promised a major summer rebuild at Anfield after a challenging, trophy-less season marred by severe injuries and late goals.
The Dutch coach must convince both the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, and a sceptical fanbase that he can turn their fortunes around.
His side recently crashed out of the Champions League to Paris St-Germain, ensuring they will finish the current campaign without silverware.
The Reds are also battling to secure European qualification for next year during their final six Premier League matches.
Injury crisis and defensive bad luck
Slot believes unprecedented misfortune has heavily impacted their domestic and continental form over the past nine months.
The former Feyenoord boss pointed to a devastating injury list that includes goalkeeper Alisson, Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni and multiple specialist right-backs.
Summer signing Hugo Ekitike offered early promise but has been ruled out until next season with a severe Achilles injury.
Slot also highlighted the sheer volume of goals conceded in extra time as an anomaly that cost his side up to eight crucial league points.
“Will we ever have a season with so many injuries again? You can’t rule it out, but it is not realistic to have so much bad luck.”
Tough cup draws and future departures
The 45-year-old feels domestic cup eliminations were heavily influenced by facing elite opposition at premature stages of the respective tournaments.
The Merseyside outfit were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City before their European exit at the hands of the French champions.
Slot insists the current squad has improved since August, despite taking just 20 points from their last 14 league fixtures.
However, the impending summer transfer window remains critical for sporting director Richard Hughes and chief executive of football Michael Edwards.
With key veterans like Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson seemingly poised to depart, the Anfield hierarchy faces a massive recruitment challenge.
“I think people only start to believe when they are seeing it. That’s what we need to do after the summer, but we are mainly focused here on the upcoming six games.”
Coventry City have secured their return to the Premier League after a 25-year absence by earning a vital 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.
The result mathematically guarantees Frank Lampard’s side a spot in the top flight with three matches still left to play in the Championship season.
The Sky Blues last graced English football’s highest tier in 2001 before enduring a turbulent two-and-a-half decades marked by severe financial strife.
Thomas secures crucial point
The much-anticipated promotion party appeared to be on hold when Ryoya Morishita fired the hosts ahead early in the second half.
However, Bobby Thomas emerged as the hero for the visitors, rising late to head home a decisive free-kick.
That dramatic equaliser delivered the single point required to finally get the Midlands outfit mathematically over the finish line.
A turbulent journey back
The club’s path back to prominence has been notoriously difficult, involving three devastating relegations and stints playing at four different home grounds.
Fifteen different permanent managers, including two separate spells for Mark Robins, have attempted to restore former glories during their extended exile.
The current squad also had to overcome the heartbreak of losing last year’s play-off final before mounting this dominant automatic promotion push.
Lampard’s tactical triumph
Former Chelsea boss Lampard has completely rebuilt his managerial reputation by engineering this successful campaign on his own terms.
Curtis Davies, who previously played under the ex-England international at Derby County, praised the unwavering mentality instilled within the current dressing room.
To continue that after the play-off setback shows the mentality he’s instilled in the group.
The veteran defender noted that the 47-year-old learned valuable lessons from his previous Championship tenure.
He understands that while you have a way you want to play, sometimes you just have to go somewhere and win a game.
By keeping tactical systems flexible and adapting to individual match scenarios, the accomplished manager has fully restored top-flight status to a proud footballing institution.
Brazilian basketball great Oscar Schmidt, the all-time leading scorer in both Olympic and World Cup history, has died aged 68 following a 15-year battle with a brain tumour.
His family confirmed the passing of the Hall of Famer on Friday in a public statement.
“Oscar leaves a legacy that transcends sport and inspires generations of athletes and admirers in Brazil and worldwide.”
An Olympic icon who rejected the NBA
Despite his status as one of the most prolific scorers in basketball history, the South American notably never played in the NBA.
He was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the sixth round in 1984, but famously declined a professional contract to retain his eligibility for the national side.
During that era, NBA athletes were strictly prohibited from competing in international tournaments for their countries.
Instead, the 6ft 8in forward spent the majority of his domestic career in his homeland and Italy, where he became a childhood idol to a young Kobe Bryant.
Record-breaking international career
Nicknamed “Mão Santa”, or the Holy Hand, the 68-year-old was a pioneering three-point shooter long before the strategy became widely embraced by coaches.
He made 326 appearances for Brazil over a 19-year international career, maintaining an astonishing average of 23.6 points per game.
The sharpshooter represented his nation at a record-tying five Olympic Games and four World Cups.
He continues to hold the single-game scoring records for both prestigious tournaments, including a remarkable 55-point performance against Spain at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
He was also the driving force behind a historic 120-115 victory over the United States in the 1987 Pan American Games final, scoring 46 points to hand the Americans their first major international tournament defeat on home soil.
A legacy cemented in history
“The biggest player of Brazilian basketball history bids farewell as an absolute symbol of sport, the holder of a trajectory that redefined the boundaries of what was possible in a court.”
By the time he retired in 2003 at the age of 45, the former international had amassed an incredible 49,737 career points for club and country.
That unofficial global milestone surpassed the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and stood for two decades until it was finally eclipsed by LeBron James in 2024.
His monumental contributions to the game were formally recognised with inductions into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Following his retirement from professional sport, the Brazilian icon transitioned into a highly successful career as a motivational speaker.
The New York Liberty have secured the long-term futures of their championship-winning core after agreeing multi-year contracts with Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones on Friday.
Stewart confirmed she has signed a three-year standard maximum contract worth $1.19m for the upcoming season, equating to 17% of the franchise’s salary cap.
Playmaker Ionescu has reportedly agreed to an identical deal, while standout centre Jones accepted a slightly reduced salary to ensure the team could retain all three cornerstone stars.
Championship core opts for stability
Many WNBA free agents have opted for one-year deals this off-season due to impending collective bargaining agreement negotiations next March.
However, the reigning champions’ elite trio deliberately chose long-term stability to build a basketball dynasty in Brooklyn.
“We need to make sure we’re able to really keep all the best players on the team,” Stewart explained on her podcast.
“That’s why you’ll see a few of us in the millions, and everybody else trying to get as much as they can while also having a great team.”
A historically dominant trio
Since the formation of this formidable partnership ahead of the 2023 campaign, the Eastern Conference heavyweights have set new standards across the league.
The franchise boasts a staggering 70-16 record when the three stars share the court, recording an exceptional +16.8 net rating across more than 1,700 regular-season minutes.
Two-time Finals MVP Stewart averaged 18.3 points last season, closely followed by the sharp-shooting Ionescu with 18.2 points and 5.7 assists per game.
The 2021 league MVP Jones contributed heavily in the paint, averaging 13.6 points and 8.1 rebounds during their title-winning run.
‘Historic moment’ for New York
“This is an incredibly historic moment for the New York Liberty franchise.”
Jonathan Kolb, General Manager
Kolb added that retaining the trio reflects the trust, sacrifice and shared purpose required to redefine the standard of excellence across basketball.
The former Seattle Storm forward arrived via free agency in 2023, the same year the former Connecticut Sun centre was acquired in a blockbuster trade.
Meanwhile, the former first overall pick has spent her entire professional career in New York after being drafted in 2020.
“It was always about staying here in New York, because this is home,” Jones stated.
Real Madrid, Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich are preparing summer bids for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pape Matar Sarr as the London club face the threat of Premier League relegation.
The 23-year-old has been a rare bright spark during a disastrous domestic campaign for the Lilywhites.
Spurs currently sit in the relegation zone with just six games remaining, two points adrift of safety following a dismal run of form that has yielded no victories since late December.
Their precarious league position has alerted Europe’s elite clubs to the potential availability of the highly-rated Senegal international.
European giants monitor £50m valuation
The Tottenham hierarchy publicly insist their prized midfield asset is not for sale under any circumstances.
However, failure to secure top-flight survival would severely weaken their negotiating position and likely force a high-profile departure.
It is understood that an offer in the region of £50m would be enough to tempt the North London club into sanctioning a sale to interested parties.
“Spurs insist Sarr is not for sale, but privately they know that big clubs are going to come calling, and some may already have done so.”
The former Metz player has drawn significant praise for his physical attributes, with heavyweight suitors eager to inject youth and athleticism into their respective squads.
De Zerbi faces summer rebuild
Newly appointed manager Roberto De Zerbi is expected to oversee a significant overhaul of the playing squad ahead of the upcoming campaign.
The dynamic ball-winner’s energetic profile and technical prowess theoretically make him a perfect fit for the Italian tactician’s demanding system.
Yet the financial realities of a potential drop down the divisions, combined with interest from Champions League contenders, may render a lucrative transfer inevitable.
“Sarr’s value is growing and there’s a real possibility of him moving on this summer whether they go down or not.”
With top-tier European football on offer elsewhere, the talented youngster will likely seek to test himself at the highest level should his current employers suffer relegation.
Scotland head coach Melissa Andreatta insists her squad feels no burden from previous failures as they prepare for a crucial Women’s World Cup qualifier against Belgium in Leuven on Saturday.
The national team currently leads Group B4 on goal difference ahead of their weekend opponents following a dramatic 1-1 draw at Easter Road on Tuesday.
Kathleen McGovern secured a vital point for the hosts with a stoppage-time strike in that fixture, maintaining their slender advantage at the top of the standings.
Having missed out on every major tournament since 2019, the current crop of players is desperate to reach next year’s finals in Brazil.
Embracing the qualification challenge
Despite the weight of recent history, the Australian tactician remains adamant that her side has what it takes to progress without any fear of failure.
“No, the burden doesn’t exist within this group,” she told BBC Scotland.
“There’s a respect for what’s happened in the past and I want to learn from it and do everything that we can to avoid that occurring again, but it’s not a burden for us.”
The manager highlighted how a blend of fresh faces and established professionals has generated a renewed sense of belief within the camp.
“We’re excited for the challenge, we’re embracing it and together with some of the new faces and energy that’s within the team, there’s a great mix of that experience and energy that’s created this perfect storm of power, confidence, strength and bravery,” she added.
Focusing on daily processes
While reaching a major tournament remains the ultimate ambition, the head coach revealed that internal discussions are firmly rooted in immediate, controllable actions.
“I think because we’ve owned it and we’ve really set that as our goal now for us on the day-to-day front, it’s all about the processes and what we can do within our control to put ourselves in the best position,” she explained.
A significant part of this evolution since her appointment last year has been redefining the team’s purpose and reconnecting with a distinctly Scottish footballing identity.
“I think we’ve really reconnected to that and you’re seeing it in the way that they play, that they never stop no matter scenarios or situations that they’re faced.”
Squad updates and injury news
Preparations for the vital clash at Den Dreef have been slightly hampered by defensive absentees.
Celtic full-back Emma Lawton has been ruled out of the weekend fixture after suffering an ankle injury during Tuesday’s draw.
Maria McAneny and Leah Eddie had already withdrawn prior to the first game of this crucial double-header.
However, the squad has been boosted by the return of Kirsty Hanson, who is now fully available for selection.