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Pistons rout Magic to cap comeback | The Express Tribune
LOS ANGELE:
The Detroit Pistons routed the Orlando Magic 116-94 on Sunday to cap a remarkable NBA playoff comeback and book an Eastern Conference semi-final clash with Cleveland.
Cade Cunningham scored 32 points and handed out 12 assists and Tobias Harris added 30 points with nine rebounds as the Pistons, who trailed 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, wrapped up a 4-3 triumph.
In Cleveland, the Cavaliers weathered a hot start from Toronto to beat the Raptors 114-102 and secure a 4-3 win in a series in which the home team won every game.
The Pistons, who locked up the top seed in the East with the third-best record in the league, notched their first playoff series victory since 2008.
“It’s great,” Cunningham said after the Pistons became the 15th team to climb out of a 3-1 hole — one day after the Philadelphia 76ers accomplished the feat against Boston.
“We had a great regular season, we built a lot of momentum going into these playoffs,” Cunningham said. “To lose in the first round would have really stung.
“To come back from 3-1, odds against us, and to come back and win it at home — it feels good.”
Detroit had already fended off elimination with victories in games five and six against the Magic — erasing a 24-point deficit on Friday to force Sunday’s decider.
It’s the second time the Pistons have rallied from 3-1 down to top the Magic, having accomplished the feat in the first round in 2003.
“They really pushed us to the limit,” Cunningham said. “We’ve grown a lot because of this series, because of that team.”
Paolo Banchero scored 38 points with nine rebounds and six assists for Orlando but got precious little scoring support.
Banchero scored the Magic’s first 11 points and Orlando emerged from a tight first quarter with a two-point lead.
The back-and-forth action continued early in the second, Detroit finally creating some separation behind a 17-point second-quarter outburst from Harris.
They led 60-49 at halftime and pushed their lead to as many as 25, taking full advantage of 16 Magic turnovers that led to 19 Pistons points.
“We’re excited for what’s to come,” Cunningham said. “We want to win games, win series and (our) ultimate goal is a championship.”
That quest continues with game one against Cleveland on Tuesday.
Allen masterclass
The Cavs, behind a masterclass from center Jarrett Allen, notched the franchise’s fifth straight game-seven triumph as they vanquished the Raptors for the fourth time in four post-season meetings.
Cleveland erased an early 10-point deficit to go into halftime tied at 49-49 and opened the third quarter on a 9-0 scoring run.
They out-scored the Raptors 38-19 in the third, Allen scoring 14 of his 22 points and pulling down 10 of his 19 rebounds in the period.
“I just wanted to show my teammates that we can win this game,” said Allen, who added two steals and three blocked shots.
His dominance on the boards helped the Cavs win the rebounding battle 60-33.
“Energy and effort, that’s what I believe wins games,” Allen said. “If you do it on the defensive end, everything translates to the offense.
“Every single possession, it means a lot,” he added of the game-seven intensity. “Every single possession means it could be the end of the season.”
Donovan Mitchell added 22 points for Cleveland and emerged unscathed from his own energetic leap for a ball which landed him in the third row of Rocket Arena seats early in the third quarter.
Veteran James Harden chipped in 18 points.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with a game-high 24 points, but Toronto’s ability to respond in the second half took a hit when foul trouble sent him to the bench for extended minutes.
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New York Yankees radio legend John Sterling has died, WFAN Sports Radio in New York announced on Monday. He was 87.
“We are devastated to hear about the passing of John Sterling, a WFAN and Yankees radio icon whose voice was synonymous with an entire generation of Yankee fandom,” the radio station wrote on social media.
John Sterling sits in the broadcast booth before the New York Yankees game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York on Sept. 25, 2009. (Bill Kostroun/AP)
Sterling suffered a heart attack in January and was said to be in good spirits. He retired from broadcasting in April 2024 after 64 years in the industry.
Since 1989, Sterling has been gracing the New York airwaves as the voice of the Yankees, and that has included the multiple World Series titles.
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“It is high, it is far, it is gone!” is something Yankees fans have heard for decades, and Sterling usually followed it up with specific calls for each player, including, “It’s an A-bomb from A-Rod” for Alex Rodriguez and “Here comes the Judge!” for Aaron Judge.
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Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown accused NBA officials of having an “agenda” against him in the team’s playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, which ended in a Game 7 defeat.
Brown touched on 76ers center Joel Embiid getting calls after Boston lost to Philadelphia on Saturday night. He further went after referees in a livestream.
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Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa., on April 30, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
“They keep saying there are push-offs and stuff like that,” he said, via MassLive. “Do you know how many players do that? That’s the common play, a basketball play. Every player does it. So why are you targeting me? They clearly had an agenda. Maybe because I had spoken and was critical of the refs in the regular season. So you know how they responded? You’re going to lead the playoffs in offensive fouls. That was the response from the officiating crew.
“I actually spoke to some refs and there was an agenda going into each game. Anytime Jaylen brings his arm up, just from reputation, just call it. Paul George does the same thing. Jalen Brunson does the same thing. I can go down the list. It’s a basketball play, whether y’all believe it or not. Everybody does that when you drive, especially when you got bodies on you. Philly took advantage of it, and they took advantage of the officiating, and it cost us to some degree.”
Philadelphia won the final game of the series, 109-100. Embiid had 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Embiid made nine of his 11 free-throw attempts.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown compete for a loose ball during the first quarter of game seven in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., on May 2, 2026. (Winslow Townson/Imagn Images)
Brown made critical comments toward Embiid.
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“Embiid put a lot of pressure on us, like on all our bigs and our guards,” he said. “We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things and he just, he’s a big body, and also he was flopping around. He got some extra calls and stuff like that, and they rewarded him for that. That’s the league that we’re in. So, that’s all I got to say.”
Brown averaged 25.7 points per game and shot 45.5% from the floor.
He was the best Celtics’ player all season as the team was without Jayson Tatum for most of the season. He played in 71 games and averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey drives past Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Boston was 56-26 and finished second in the Eastern Conference.
Peshawar Zalmi ended a nine-year wait for Pakistan Super League glory with a composed five-wicket victory over debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen in the PSL 11 final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, sparking jubilant reactions from fans across the cricketing world.
All-rounder Aaron Hardie emerged as the star of the night, delivering a match-winning performance with both ball and bat. His four-wicket haul restricted Kingsmen to a modest total, before he anchored the chase with an unbeaten half-century to guide Zalmi home with 28 balls to spare. Chasing 130, Zalmi approached the target with calm authority, sealing the win for the loss of five wickets.
The triumph marked Zalmi’s second PSL title — their first since 2017 — and a significant personal milestone for captain Babar Azam, who lifted his maiden major T20 trophy as skipper. The victory also denied Hyderabad Kingsmen a dream debut season ending, though their impressive run to the final as first-time entrants drew widespread praise.
Fans flooded social media with celebratory reactions after Peshawar Zalmi’s title win, with supporters enjoying the franchise’s second PSL crown and praising a competitive, entertaining season.
Federal Minister for Information Ataullah Tarar was all praise for the match, lauding the “great game of cricket” and the country’s effort in staging another successful season of the PSL.
Amid the wider celebrations, much of the spotlight turned to Babar’s leadership, with fans lauding his composed captaincy and resilience throughout the tournament, hailing the triumph as a long-overdue milestone in his career.
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