After falling behind the Los Angeles Lakers 3-0, the Houston Rockets have now won two games to force a Game 6. Are the Rockets delaying the inevitable? Or is this the start of an epic comeback? The same could be said of the Detroit Pistons, who forced a Game 6 in their series against the Orlando Magic, too.
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Also, F1 arrives this weekend in Miami, where Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, an 19-year-old Italian prodigy, will seek to win his third race in a row. Our Sahil Kapur breaks down all the top storylines to expect.
For more F1 and NBA playoff coverage, be sure to check the NBC News website.
NBA Playoffs
The No. 5-seed Houston Rockets are one step closer to becoming the first NBA team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit after a 99-93 win last night over the No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers, sending the series back to Texas.
The Rockets have responded impressively after an embarrassing defeat in Game 3, in which Houston lost despite having the ball and a six-point lead with roughly 30 seconds to go.
Last night, the Rockets controlled the action, leading for 67% of the game, holding off a late comeback attempt by the Lakers. All five of Houston’s starters scored in double figures, led by Jabari Smith Jr.’s 22.
How has Houston gotten back into the series? Shooting. In games 1-3, the Rockets shot under 30% from deep. In the last two, they’ve shot 37.1%. In that same time, L.A.’s 3-point shooting has gone from over 45% to under 25%.
Houston’s two-game streak is especially notable considering Kevin Durant hasn’t been available since suffering an ankle injury in Game 2. The Lakers, on the other hand, have guard Austin Reaves returning for Game 5 after his injury absence.
For now, Lakers star LeBron James is not panicking. “We don’t have a lot of time to dwell on it,” James said after the loss.
He added: “It’s so hard to close out a team in the postseason, to win a series, and this is our first time doing it as a unit, so we’ll see what we’ve got.”
Earlier, the No. 1 Detroit Pistons avoided elimination with a 116-109 win over the No. 8 Orlando Magic. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Orlando’s Paolo Banchero were both sensational, with each dropping 45 points in a hotly contested battle. The chippy series now heads back to Orlando with the Magic ahead 3-2.
Also, the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers took a 3-2 lead on the No. 5 Toronto Raptors after a 125-120 win. Evan Mobley had his best game of the series for the Cavs, scoring 23 points and hitting three massive 3-pointers in the second half. Brandon Ingram played only 11 minutes for the Raptors, leaving early due to right heel inflammation.
Miami Grand Prix
After winning the past two F1 races, Antonelli became the youngest driver ever to lead the championship. But can he sustain this over the season? Or will he be an early flash in the pan — like Valtteri Bottas in 2019 or Sergio Pérez in 2023 before they flamed out?
That’s one of the big storylines in F1 as it returns to Miami this weekend after an unusual five-week break due to the Iran war canceling two Middle East races. There’s an expanded format: A “sprint” race at noon Saturday and the Grand Prix at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Antonelli’s veteran Mercedes teammate George Russell remains the favorite for the championship. Mercedes has so far proven itself to be the strongest team in this new era of F1 regulations.
McLaren and Ferrari trail them, but both are bringing upgrades to Miami. Can those teams close the gap and prevent the German squad from running away with the title?
There are also rule tweaks starting in Miami to address the biggest criticisms of the new regulations, designed to make qualifying a flat-out dash (rather than a strategic game of energy use and slowing down on straights) and limit dangerous speed swings in races.
It’s been a rough opening three races for reigning world champion Lando Norris of McLaren, who sits 5th in the standings. And four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull is a lowly 9th.
Verstappen, seen by fellow drivers as the best in the world, is so unhappy with the new regulations he has threatened to quit F1. Time will tell if the rule refinements motivate him to stick around.
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What We’re Reading
An Atlanta Hawks executive was sentenced to prison for embezzling millions and using the money to pay for luxury personal items.
Kenya gives a hero’s welcome to marathon record-breaker Sabastian Sawe.
ESPN reports that LIV Golf players have begun to explore returning to the PGA Tour, amid speculation that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will pull LIV’s funding.
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn told The Associated Press that she’s not ready to decide on retirement and that she’s at least a year and a half away from physically returning to competition.
What We’re Watching
The NBA playoffs are kicking into high gear, and we have three big Game 6’s tonight. Can the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks close out their respective series, and meet each other in an epic Round 2 matchup?
In the nightcap, there’s a fascinating matchup. Minnesota leads Denver 3-2 in the series, but the Timberwolves are missing their starting backcourt, Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, due to injury. Does Minnesota have enough firepower to finish off the Nuggets? Or will Nikola Jokić keep Denver’s season alive?
All times are Eastern:
- 7 p.m.: No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks, on ESPN
- 8 p.m.: No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers, on Peacock
- 9:30 p.m.: No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves, on ESPN
That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.
