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🏀 Five things to know Friday
- The Pistons and Thunder rolled to 2-0 series leads. Cade Cunningham is pretty good at basketball, huh? His double-double (25 points, 10 rebounds) led the Pistons to a 107-97 win over the Cavaliers in Game 2. In the nightcap, it was a team effort from the Thunder, but Chet Holmgren really stood out. The big man tallied 22 points while shooting 60% from beyond the arc in a 125-107 victory over the Lakers. Stay up to date on all the latest 2026 NBA Playoffs scores and schedule updates right here. And — as we do every night — here’s our take on the previous night’s winners and losers.
- The Hurricanes are on the verge of a second consecutive sweep. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a grueling gauntlet featuring the best hockey teams in the world, but you wouldn’t know that from watching the Hurricanes. They pulled away from the Flyers on Thursday for a 4-1 win, and they’re now one win away from starting the postseason with two consecutive sweeps. Carolina may be rolling, but the rest of the second round is far more compelling, and you can keep up with all the action here.
- The Vikings have added a weapon for Kyler Murray. Assuming Murray beats out J.J. McCarthy for the starting job in Minnesota, he will have no shortage of targets in the passing game. The Vikings have signed former 49ers WR Jauan Jennings to a one-year contract worth $8 million, adding him to a receiver room that already includes Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The NFC North is once again setting up to be a slugfest.
- Matt McCarty is off to a hot start at the Truist Championship. We know McCarty’s putter is in good working order. He finished the day in first place at 8-under, and he sank 220 feet worth of putts on Thursday with three birdies coming from outside 50 feet. On the other end of the spectrum was Rory McIlroy, who couldn’t find a birdie if his life depended on it. McIlroy rattled off 17 straight pars before finally notching a birdie on No. 18. As motivated as he’s ever been following his second Masters win, McIlroy has some work to do in order to climb the leaderboard.
- Khamzat Chimaev kicked Sean Strickland at the UFC 328 press conference. The fighting has already commenced in Newark, and the combatants have yet to enter the octagon. Things got physical at the press conference on Thursday when Chimaev kicked Strickland during the face-off. That beef wasn’t just for show either. The bad blood between the two UFC 328 headliners is very real.
👀 Do not miss this: WNBA season preview
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We nearly lost the 2026 WNBA season, but a new CBA is in place, and it’s time for tip-off. Our team of experts has a comprehensive preview of what fans can expect this summer, starting with Jack Maloney’s WNBA Player Rankings and the season-opening rosters for all 15 teams.
A’ja Wilson still reigns supreme after winning her fourth MVP, her third championship and her second WNBA Finals MVP. During her rookie campaign, Fever superstar Caitlin Clark looked capable of unseating Wilson one day, but her sophomore season went off the rails. Clark is still in the top five, but she has something to prove this year.
- Maloney: “Last season was a disaster for Clark, who was limited to 13 games due to numerous lower-body injuries, and really struggled when she was on the floor. None of those ailments should have long-term impacts, though, and she’s fully healthy coming into the season, which she proved in March when she was named MVP of the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico with Team USA. Clark was a top-five player in the league as a rookie thanks to her elite playmaking and long-range shooting, and now that she has her legs back under her, she should return to that level this season.”
This weekend will also be the first time we see Angel Reese in a Dream uniform after the Sky dealt her to Atlanta. One of Lindsay Gibbs’ biggest questions entering the 2026 season is how much of an impact Reese will have on her new squad.
Of course, there cannot be a season preview without standings and championship predictions. Two of our experts have the Aces going back-to-back (again), and I’m generous enough to give you a peek at how Isabel Gonzalez thinks the bottom of the league will shake out.
11. Mystics
12. Valkyries
13. Tempo
14. Sun
15. Fire
⛹️♂️ Projecting the 76-team NCAA Tournament
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Ready or not, NCAA Tournament expansion has arrived. The Division I men’s and women’s basketball committees voted on Thursday to expand the field from 68 to 76 teams.
This change will take effect next season, which means our team of experts immediately got to work projecting what the first 76-team field could look like. While you might expect mid-major teams to benefit from the extra tournament spots, that wasn’t the case at all. The five high-major conferences were the real beneficiaries, as our own David Cobb explains.
- Cobb: “College basketball’s five high-major leagues snapped up all eight of the additional at-large bids in our first Bracketology run with the 76-team format. In fact, outside of those five leagues, there was just one more multi-bid league. That was the Atlantic 10 with two. However, our simulation did not account for the inevitable appearance of bid thieves.”
Here’s a breakdown of the six multi-bid leagues in our projection:
- Big Ten — 12
- SEC — 11
- Big 12 — 10
- ACC — 8
- Big East –7
- A-10 — 2
Speaking of tournaments, one early-season tournament is making waves with a stacked field. The Players Era Tournament has expanded to 24 high-profile teams with two brackets and millions in prize money.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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📺 What we’re watching this weekend
⛳ Watch the Truist Championship all weekend. Here’s how to watch.
Friday
🏀 Knicks at 76ers, Game 3, 7 p.m. on Prime Video
🏒 Canadiens at Sabres, Game 2, 7 p.m. on TNT
⚾ Twins at Guardians, 7:15 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 Sun at Liberty, 7:30 p.m. on Ion
⚽ Courage at Pride, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Spurs at Timberwolves, Game 3, 9:30 p.m. on Prime Video
🏒 Golden Knights at Ducks, Game 3, 9:30 p.m. on TNT
⚾ Cardinals at Padres, 9:45 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 Valkyries at Storm, 10 p.m. on Ion
Saturday
⚽ AFC Bournemouth at Fulham, 10 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ Brentford at Manchester City, 12:30 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Wings at Fever, 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Pistons at Cavaliers, Game 3, 3 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Mercury at Aces, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Astros at Reds, 4:10 p.m. on FS1
🏒 Hurricanes at Flyers, Game 4, 6 p.m. on TNT
🤼 WWE Backlash, 7 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Mets at Diamondbacks, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Thunder at Lakers, Game 3, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
👊 UFC 328: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland, 9 p.m. on Paramount+
🏒 Avalanche at Wild, Game 3, 9 p.m. on TNT
⚽ D.C. United at Nashville SC, 9:15 p.m. on FS1
Sunday
⚽ Newcastle at Nottingham Forest, 9 a.m. on USA Network
⚾ Nationals at Marlins, 12:10 p.m. on Peacock
⚽ Stars FC at Current, 12:25 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Knicks at 76ers, Game 4, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Aces at Sparks, 6 p.m. on USA Network
🏒 Sabres at Canadiens, Game 3, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Tigers at Royals, 7:20 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Spurs at Timberwolves, Game 4, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏒 Golden Knights at Ducks, Game 4, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN