Sports
Rockets slam Lakers to stay alive in NBA playoffs, Spurs widen lead
The Houston Rockets stayed alive in the NBA playoffs with a 115-96 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday, while San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama made a triumphant return to push the Spurs to the brink of advancing.
Amen Thompson scored 23 points to fuel the Rockets, who bounced back from a crushing overtime loss Friday to cut the deficit in their best-of-seven Western Conference series to 3-1.
The Spurs and the Boston Celtics took commanding 3-1 leads in their series, San Antonio rallying from 19 points down to beat the Trail Blazers 114-93 in Portland and Boston thrashing the 76ers 128-96 in Philadelphia.
In Toronto, the Raptors edged the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89 to level their series at two games apiece.
Denied a sweep in Houston, the Lakers can still finish off the Rockets when they host game five Wednesday.
The Rockets, still without star Kevin Durant, harried the Lakers into 24 turnovers, yielding 30 Houston points.
Four-time NBA champion LeBron James made just two of nine attempts from the floor on the way to 10 points. He handed out nine assists but made eight turnovers.
With Los Angeles still missing their top scorers in injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, center DeAndre Ayton led the Lakers with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
But Los Angeles were already down by 19 when he was ejected in the third quarter after catching Rockets center Alperen Sengun in the head with his forearm.
Tari Eason added 20 points and Sengun scored 19 for Houston, who are trying to become the first NBA team to rally from a 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series.
In Portland, Wembanyama returned after missing one game because of a concussion and scored 27 points with 11 rebounds, three assists, four steals and a whopping seven blocked shots.
“I had lots of emotions in me before the game, obviously,” said Wembanyama, named the 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and in the running for Most Valuable Player.
“Excitement, frustration, so I let it all out tonight,” he said.
The 22-year-old Frenchman praised the doctors who oversaw his path through the NBA concussion protocol, but voiced dissatisfaction with the process that requires a gradual return to physical activity under medical supervision.
“The way the situation was handled was very disappointing,” Wembanyama said, declining to elaborate.
Celtics spoil Embiid return
San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 28 points, and the Spurs out-scored the Trail Blazers 73-35 in the second half.
They’ll try to clinch the series when they host game five Tuesday.
The Celtics spoiled the return of 76ers star Joel Embiid, who played his first game since having an emergency appendectomy on April 9.
Payton Pritchard scored 32 points off the bench and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points with seven rebounds and 11 assists for the Celtics, who led by 16 points after one quarter and by double digits the rest of the way.
Embiid led the 76ers with 26 points and 10 rebounds, but Philadelphia couldn’t counter the Celtics’ rain of 24 3-pointers.
In Toronto, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram scored 23 points apiece as the Raptors held off the Cavaliers despite making just four of 30 from 3-point range.
The Raptors trailed by five with 2:10 left to play, but powered to the lead with a 9-0 scoring burst and held on.
Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points to lead the Cavs and James Harden added 19, but Mitchell missed two attempts in the final 30 seconds as Barnes made six free throws down the stretch to seal it.
The UEFA Champions League semifinals kick off with a heavyweight encounter Tuesday, as reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain welcome six-time winners Bayern Munich to the Parc des Princes in Paris.
With both sides currently leading their respective domestic leagues and tied for the most goals in the competition this season (38 each), this first-leg matchup promises to be a high-stakes spectacle.
For Bayern Munich, the narrative centers on Harry Kane, whose “team-first approach” has been instrumental in their pursuit of club football’s biggest prize.
Kane has enjoyed a record-breaking season, netting 53 goals in 45 games across all competitions – the highest tally for an Englishman in any league in nearly a century.
Having already secured back-to-back Bundesliga titles, Kane has made it clear that his ultimate priority is winning the Champions League.
Kane enters this match in peak form, having scored in his last five Champions League outings. To ensure he is fresh for the “big stage,” Bayern boss Vincent Kompany has recently managed Kane’s minutes, starting him in only one of the last seven league matches.
Despite the rest, Kane proved his readiness by coming off the bench to help Bayern overcome a three-goal deficit to beat Mainz 4-3 Saturday.
PSG hit stride
PSG, under coach Luis Enrique, are aiming to become the first French club to win 100 Champions League matches. Despite some “league-phase stutters,” the holders have hit their stride in the knockout rounds, dispatching Chelsea and Liverpool with a four-game winning streak in which they scored 12 goals.
The match will be particularly significant for captain Marquinhos, who is set to equal Roberto Carlos’ record of 120 Champions League appearances by a Brazilian player. On the offensive end, Ousmane Dembele remains a primary threat, fresh off a double against Liverpool in the quarterfinals.
Tactical hurdles
A significant challenge for Bayern will be the absence of manager Vincent Kompany, who is suspended for the opening leg after receiving three yellow cards in the tournament. Assistant coach Aaron Danks will lead from the dugout in his place.
On the injury front, Bayern will be without Serge Gnabry, but they welcome back Joshua Kimmich and Dayot Upamecano, who were rested over the weekend.
PSG has its own fitness concerns. While Desire Doue and Nuno Mendes are expected to be available after injury scares at Anfield, “midfield metronome” Vitinha remains a doubt due to a heel injury. However, Fabian Ruiz has recently returned to action and is expected to start.
Titanic rivalry
History favors the German giants, as Bayern has won five straight matches against PSG in this competition, including a 2-1 victory during the league phase earlier this season.
However, PSG can look to their resilience from last season, where they overcame an early loss to Arsenal to eventually win their semifinal.
Both teams share a philosophy of “perpetual movement, attacking verve, and tactical nous,” suggesting a fast-paced encounter. The winner of this tie will head to the final in Budapest as the favorite to lift the trophy.
Possible Starting Lineups:
• Paris Saint-Germain: Matvei Safonov; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Fabian Ruiz, Warren Zaire-Emery, Joao Neves, Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
• Bayern Munich: Manuel Neuer; Josip Stanisic, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah, Konrad Laimer; Aleksandar Pavlovic, Joshua Kimmich; Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, Luis Diaz; Harry Kane.
Galatasaray seized a major advantage in the Turkish title race Sunday with a commanding 3-0 win over archrivals Fenerbahçe, tightening their hold on what would be a fourth consecutive and 26th overall Süper Lig championship.
The victory in Week 31 moved Galatasaray to 71 points, keeping them atop the Süper Lig and opening a crucial gap over their closest rival. Fenerbahçe remain on 67 points and dropped further off the pace, while Trabzonspor fell nine points back when Galatasaray’s win and game in hand are taken into account. With three matches left, Galatasaray now need just four points to be sure of the title regardless of other results.
Tight 1st half
The opening half of the derby was a tense, physical midfield battle in which chances were scarce for both sides. Fenerbahçe enjoyed more of the ball early and tried to construct attacks patiently, but Galatasaray’s structure and pressing limited their ability to create clear opportunities.
Fenerbahçe squandered a massive chance to take control in the 13th minute when Anderson Talisca missed a penalty, a turning point that allowed Galatasaray to settle and grow into the match. As the half wore on, the hosts began to carry more threat and their pressure finally told.
In the 40th minute, Galatasaray’s in-form Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen delivered once again, scoring the opener that sent RAMS Park into celebration and gave the Lions a precious 1-0 lead at the break. It was another statement moment in a season in which Osimhen has become the team’s key attacking reference.
After the match, Osimhen underlined the intensity of their preparation, noting that what fans saw was the product of an even harder internal standard.
“I think we fought very well in every training session before this match. I can say that we were even more ambitious and determined than in this match,” he said.
“We were actually less tired in this match than in training. As a team, we want to prepare well and continue like this until the end of the season,” he added.
VAR Drama
Galatasaray carried their momentum into the second half and began to generate more effective attacking moves, pinning Fenerbahçe back for long stretches.
In the 56th minute, they thought they had doubled the advantage when Lucas Torreira finished a flowing move, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check.
The disallowed goal did little to disrupt Galatasaray’s rhythm. They continued to push and were rewarded in the 67th minute when Barış Alper Yılmaz converted from the penalty spot, extending the lead to 2-0 and effectively breaking Fenerbahçe’s resistance.
A late third sealed the 3-0 scoreline, capping one of Galatasaray’s most emphatic derby performances in recent years.
Home Fortress
Beyond the score, the result carried symbolic weight. Coach Okan Buruk pointed out that it was only Galatasaray’s second home victory against Fenerbahçe in the last 10 years, underscoring its importance in the context of a rivalry often defined by narrow margins.
“We had one home victory against Fenerbahçe in the last 10 years. This makes it two. We had only managed two wins away against Beşiktaş in the new stadium in the last four years. Derby performances are important,” he said.
The win also extended Galatasaray’s remarkable home run. They are now unbeaten in their last 34 league matches at RAMS Park, with 27 wins and seven draws since their last home defeat – also against Fenerbahçe, on May 19, 2024. That record has been a cornerstone of their title push.
Osimhen’s opener was his 20th goal of the season in all competitions and his 13th in the Süper Lig. Playing his 20th league match of the campaign, the 27-year-old has now scored in 9 of his last 10 league appearances, netting 10 goals in that stretch alone. The only match in which he failed to score during that run was the Week 22 game against Eyüpspor.
In Europe, Osimhen has added seven goals in 10 UEFA Champions League games, underlining his status as one of the side’s most decisive players domestically and continentally. His consistent scoring has been central to Galatasaray’s push for their 26th championship.
Advantage with Galatasaray
Entering the week, Galatasaray led Fenerbahçe by four points and Trabzonspor by six. The derby win extended the gap over Fenerbahçe to seven points and, with a game in hand, pushed the advantage over Trabzonspor to nine.
With three fixtures remaining, the equation is straightforward: four more points will secure the title regardless of what their rivals do.
Coach Okan Buruk has previously emphasized how crucial the derby was “on the road to the championship,” noting that beating their direct rival at such a key moment both widened the gap and secured a head-to-head advantage that “minimized our rival’s chances of winning the championship.”
Galatasaray strengthened their grip on the Süper Lig title race Sunday with a 3-0 home victory over fierce rivals Fenerbahçe – in a tense and turbulent Istanbul derby that swung decisively after a missed penalty and a red card.
Goals from Victor Osimhen, Barış Alper Yılmaz and Lucas Torreira secured the win at RAMS Park, lifting Galatasaray to 74 points and leaving Fenerbahçe seven points adrift in second place with the season approaching its climax.
The match began at high intensity but produced few clear chances early on. Fenerbahçe were handed a golden opportunity in the 11th minute when Cherif was brought down in the box by defender Davinson Sanchez, prompting the referee to point to the spot. But Talisca’s penalty was struck wide, a costly miss that would soon define the contest.
Galatasaray struck first just before halftime. From a long throw-in, Lemina flicked the ball on and Osimhen controlled it sharply before finishing with a composed, improvised effort to make it 1-0.
The second half shifted firmly in the hosts’ favor. Galatasaray had two goals disallowed for offside before winning a penalty of their own after Yunus Akgün was fouled inside the area.
The moment sparked further drama as Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Ederson was shown a second yellow card for dissent, leaving the visitors reduced to 10 men.
Barış Alper Yılmaz converted from the spot in the 67th minute, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to double the lead.
With Fenerbahçe stretched and increasingly frustrated, Galatasaray added a third in the 83rd minute. After a chaotic corner, the ball broke kindly for Torreira, who finished from close range to seal a dominant scoreline.
Fenerbahçe’s night ended in further frustration as they squandered a late chance to pull one back, while Galatasaray controlled the closing stages with relative ease.
The result not only widened the gap at the top but also delivered a psychological blow in the title race, with Galatasaray emerging from one of the season’s most anticipated fixtures with momentum firmly on their side.
Fenerbahçe’s defeat was compounded by Ederson’s suspension after his dismissal, ruling him out of their next league match.
Galatasaray strengthened its grip on the Süper Lig title race on Sunday with a 3-0 home victory over fierce rivals Fenerbahçe in a tense and turbulent Istanbul derby that swung decisively after a missed penalty and a red card.
Goals from Victor Osimhen, Barış Alper Yılmaz and Lucas Torreira secured the win at RAMS Park, lifting Galatasaray to 74 points and leaving Fenerbahçe seven points adrift in second place with the season approaching its climax.
The match began at high intensity but produced few clear chances early on. Fenerbahçe were handed a golden opportunity in the 11th minute when Cherif was brought down in the box by defender Sánchez, prompting the referee to point to the spot. But Talisca’s penalty was struck wide, a costly miss that would soon define the contest.
Galatasaray struck first just before half-time. From a long throw-in, Lemina flicked the ball on and Osimhen controlled it sharply before finishing with a composed, improvised effort to make it 1-0.
The second half shifted firmly in the hosts’ favor. Galatasaray had two goals disallowed for offside before winning a penalty of their own after Yunus Akgün was fouled inside the area. The moment sparked further drama as Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Ederson was shown a second yellow card for dissent, leaving the visitors reduced to 10 men.
Barış Alper Yılmaz converted the penalty in the 67th minute, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to double the lead.
With Fenerbahçe stretched and increasingly frustrated, Galatasaray added a third in the 83rd minute. After a chaotic corner, the ball broke kindly for Torreira, who finished from close range to seal a dominant scoreline.
Fenerbahçe’s night ended in further frustration as they squandered a late chance to pull one back, while Galatasaray controlled the closing stages with relative ease.
The result not only widened the gap at the top but also delivered a psychological blow in the title race, with Galatasaray emerging from one of the season’s most anticipated fixtures with momentum firmly on their side.
Fenerbahçe’s defeat was compounded by Ederson’s suspension after his dismissal, ruling him out of their next league match.
Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu erupted for 43 points off the bench Saturday as Minnesota overcame two injury scares to beat the Denver Nuggets 112-96 and take a 3-1 lead in their playoff series.
All-Star guard Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo both exited in the first half, Edwards suffering a left knee injury when he came down awkwardly after contesting a basket shortly before half-time.
DiVincenzo was hurt less than two minutes into the contest and, according to ESPN, suffered a torn right Achilles tendon.
“This is for them,” said Dosunmu, who made all five of his 3-point attempts and became just the fourth bench player in playoff history to score 40 points in a game.
“Ayo was just out of this world,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Just play after play after play.”
Trailing by four at halftime, Minnesota bore down in the second half to pull away in front of an ecstatic crowd at their Target Center arena in Minneapolis.
Naz Reid added 17 points off the bench to help the Timberwolves withstand a 30-point performance from Jamal Murray and a near triple-double of 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists from Nikola Jokic.
Three-time MVP Jokic and the Nuggets, who have lost three straight games, will be trying to fend off elimination in the best-of-seven Western Conference series when they host game five Monday.
It promises to be tense after a scuffle at the buzzer sparked when Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels scored a basket with the outcome decided and most players heading to the sideline.
An irked Jokic rushed him and players had to be separated.
The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are also on the brink of reaching the Western Conference semifinals after a 121-109 victory over the Suns in Phoenix, fueled by a sensational 42-point performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But Eastern Conference top seeds Detroit fell 2-1 down to the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic, who fended off a late Pistons rally to secure a stirring 113-105 home victory.
The New York Knicks, seeded third in the East, reasserted their authority with a 114-98 victory over the Hawks in Atlanta and will head home for game five on Tuesday with their series tied at 2-2.
Ruthless
Oklahoma’s Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and a finalist for this year’s MVP, connected on 15-of-18 shots from the floor in a ruthlessly efficient shooting display.
“I think we did a really good job tonight of playing to our identity offensively,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It kept their defense as a whole, which is a really good defense, in a bind (as to) what to pick and choose.”
Dillon Brooks scored 33 points for the Suns, who grabbed an early nine-point lead and kept it close in the second quarter but couldn’t find a way to stop Gilgeous-Alexander down the stretch.
Ajay Mitchell scored 15 points and Alex Caruso added 13 off the bench for the Thunder.
They’ll try to polish off a sweep on Monday in Phoenix, where the Suns will be painfully aware that no NBA team has rallied from 0-3 down to win a playoff series.
No fear
In Orlando, Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane scored 25 points each for the Magic, whose 17-point fourth-quarter lead was erased in a powerful late effort from Cade Cunningham, who led all scorers with 27 points.
But having nudged into a single-point lead with three minutes remaining, the Pistons didn’t score again and Orlando closed it out with a 9-0 run.
Banchero added 12 rebounds and nine assists, while Bane matched the Orlando franchise playoff record with seven 3-pointers.
“We know how we stack up, we know what we got in this locker room and so we don’t fear them,” Banchero said.
Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff, whose team comfortably topped the East with 60 wins, said it was now a matter of taking it “one game at a time.
“If we win on Monday, we take home-court advantage back,” Bickerstaff said.
That’s exactly what the Knicks did with their big win in Atlanta after dropping two straight games by just one point each.
Karl-Anthony Towns had his first career playoff triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Ten-man Al-Ahli retained the AFC Champions League Elite title Saturday as Feras al-Brikan struck in extra time to secure a 1-0 win over Japan’s Machida Zelvia at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
Matthias Jaissle’s side became only the second team to retain the trophy in the Asian Champions League era after cross-Jeddah rivals Al-Ittihad in 2005, having seen Zakaria Hawsawi sent off in the 68th minute.
Al-Ahli held out despite being outnumbered to take the match into an additional 30 minutes and substitute al-Brikan struck from close range after a Riyad Mahrez cross to give his team back-to-back titles.
“It’s amazing. We’re so happy. It was difficult for us again. We like to make it difficult for ourselves. Ten against 11 is nearly impossible, I don’t know how we found the strength and the energy, but we’ve done it and we’re happy,” Mahrez said.
“After the red card we stuck together, we fought more, we ran more until we scored.”
The win came in front of the Al-Ahli fans with their Jeddah base hosting the centralized eight-team finals tournament for the second season in a row.
A crowd of almost 59,000 turned out to see Machida keeper Kosei Tani throw himself to his right to keep out Galeno’s 13th-minute effort after Enzo Millot’s pass behind Hotaka Nakamura had split the Machida defense.
Daihachi Okamura’s follow-up clearance prevented Ivan Toney from netting the rebound.
Merih Demiral’s close-range effort clipped the top of the crossbar with three minutes left in the half when Galeno’s in-swinging cross from the right caused concern in the backline, the Turkish defender falling back as he struck the ball.
Machida’s efforts to frustrate the champions paid off with 22 minutes remaining when Hawsawi needlessly reacted in a confrontation with Tete Yengi, headbutting the Australian in full view of referee Ilgiz Tantashev.
With the extra space following Hawsawi’s red card, the Japanese outfit started to take charge.
Edouard Mendy dived to his right to deny Hiroyuki Mae in the 73rd minute and eight minutes later, the former Chelsea man saved a low, curling effort that was bound for the bottom corner from Yuki Soma.
Despite being a man down it was Al-Ahli who found their way through a miserly Machida defence, Mahrez swinging a left-footed cross from the right towards the far post, where Franck Kessie laid the ball off for al-Brikan to score.
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