NBA playoffs: Knicks explode against Hawks; 76ers force Game 7 vs. Celtics

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🏀 Five things to know Friday

1. Knicks take largest halftime lead in NBA history en route to roasting, ousting Hawks. New York’s 47-point halftime lead pretty much says everything you need to know about this one. Yes, Knicks 83, Hawks 36 … at the half. At one point, it seemed like the Hawks were making more turnovers than a Georgia farm stand, and the Knicks made them pay at the other end. A good chunk of the second half was spent just dissecting where Atlanta goes from here. No Knicks team had ever scored as many points in a single playoff game as this team did, and with the final 140-89 drubbing, New York gets a chance to rest and wait on the winner of Saturday’s Game 7 between the Celtics and 76ers because the latter defeated the former in Philadelphia last night. And in the West, the Anthony Edwards-less Timberwolves sent Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets on their summer vacation to take that series 4-2. And as our internal NBA team has been doing throughout the postseason, here’s our analysis on last night’s winners and losers.
2. Kevin Durant will not play in Game 6 versus Lakers. The conventional wisdom was that the Rockets wouldn’t stand a chance against the Lakers without their best player, yet here we are, entering a Game 6 after Houston won the last two contests without the superstar. Should Houston manage to pull another W without KD, it would only be the fifth time in NBA history that a team has dropped the first three games of a playoff series only to come back and force a Game 7. For their part, the Lakers appear to be doing their best to make this happen, as our Sam Quinn writes about how their offense has stalled.
3. Storm’s Lexie Brown has been getting death threats. Seattle guard Lexie Brown said she has gotten death threats and other statements of harm over rumors involving her and NBA star Klay Thompson following the Mavericks’ breakup with Grammy-winning rap star Megan Thee Stallion. “I was getting threats on my life,” Brown said. “I was getting threats on my health.” Brown said that while she knows Thompson, the rumors are “100% false.”
4. Get ready for Saturday’s 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby. Ah, the first Saturday in May, and that can only mean one thing: What’s actually in a Mint Julep? I’m kidding, of course. About two minutes after the 6:57 p.m. post timewe’ll find out which horse has a shot at the 2026 Triple Crown. A little further down, we’ll get into who our staff likes in this year’s Run for the Roses.
5. It appears to be the end of an era in Pittsburgh. With the Penguins’ season crashing to a halt after being upended by the in-state rival Flyers, it certainly feels like a bow was put on one of the greatest runs in that franchise’s history. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang were behind the team’s success at every turn, but the end of this season just feels different, writes Austin Nivison.

🏈 Do not miss this: NFL Draft grades are ridiculous and often wrong. And here’s why they’re still useful

The NFL Draft has been over for (only) six days, and in that time we’ve seen pronouncements of every shape and size regarding the future of those who were drafted last weekend. Days removed from the fog of all of the instant analysis Ryan Wilson shares a new thought. He suggests — to a degree — that the exercise of assigning a draft day grade to a collegiate player and then connecting that mark to the future worth of that player as a pro might be, as he says, “a little silly.” It’s a nuanced take, to be sure, but one worth discussing.

• Wilson: “Put another way: Draft grades aren’t meaningless, but maybe we’re collectively misusing them. They don’t tell you what will happen; for me, my post-draft grades reflect what I believed should happen based on the information available in that moment.
  “At their core, these grades are snapshots, not forecasts.
  “Before we get going, and because I think showing my work can be instructive, here are my days-after-draft grades from 2021-2025, which form the basis of this retrospective analysis: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. If you’re looking for how your team graded out in 2026, you can find my full 2026 draft grades here.”

There’s a lot of great stuff here, and for the hardcore fan, I’d suggest spending some quality time with it as NFL news slows a bit over the coming weeks before camps convene.

🏇 Renegade is still the Kentucky Derby consensus, but he’s not everyone’s favorite

Before you go betting the farm on Renegade, a 4-1 favorite at Churchill Downsyou may want to consider the advice of Jody Demling, someone who nailed a $1,682 Kentucky Derby superfecta last year, writes Ross Kelly.

• Kelly: “One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Renegade, the morning-line favorite at 4-1. Demling has Renegade finishing off the board altogether, saying he barely finishes inside the top 10 in this 20-horse 2026 Kentucky Derby field. He’s come on strong late in the spring, but recent Kentucky Derby trends have gone against horses breaking from the rail position and against favorites in general.”

Demling has more on Renegade and other horses that he likes, along with other suggestions. Good luck!

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

⚾ Diamondbacks at Cubs2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Burnley at Leeds United3 p.m. on TBD
⛳ Cadillac Championship, second round3 p.m. on Golf Channel
⚾ Reds at Pirates6:45 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 Pistons at Magic, Game 67 p.m. on Prime
🏒 Lightning at Canadiens, Game 67 p.m. on ESPN2
⚾ Orioles at Yankees7:05 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Astros at Red Sox7:10 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Giants at Rays7:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Cavaliers at Raptors, Game 67:30 p.m. on Prime
🏒 Sabres at Bruins, Game 67:30 p.m. on ESPN
🤼 WWE SmackDown8 p.m. on USA Network
⚽ Reign at Dash8 p.m. on Victory+
🏀 Lakers at Rockets, Game 69:30 p.m. on Prime
⚾ Mets at Angels9:38 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Royals at Mariners9:45 p.m. on Apple TV
🏒 Golden Knights at Mammoth, Game 610 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

🤼 UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates7 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Women’s Champions League, semifinal: Arsenal at OL Lyonnes9 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Brighton & Hove Albion at Newcastle United10 a.m. on Peacock
⚽ Fulham at Arsenal12:30 p.m. on Peacock
⚽ Earthquakes at Toronto1 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Orioles at Yankees1:35 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Diamondbacks at Cubs2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Sounders at Kansas City2:30 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Genoa and Atalanta2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⛳ Cadillac Championship, third round3 p.m. on CBS
⚽ Spirit at Pride4 p.m. on Ion
⚾ Reds at Pirates4:05 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Timbers at Salt Lake4:30 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Current at Courage6:30 p.m. on Ion
🏇 Kentucky Derby6:57 p.m. on NBC
⚽ Orlando at Miami7 p.m. on FS1
🏀 76ers at Celtics, Game 77:30 p.m. on NBC/Peacock
⚾ Dodgers at Cardinals or Rangers at Tigers7:15 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Charlotte at Revolution7:30 p.m. on Apple TV
🏒 Flyers at Hurricanes, Game 18 p.m. on ABC
⚽ Rapids at Dynamo8:30 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ Royals at Angel City8:45 p.m. on Ion
⚽ LAFC at San Diego9:30 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Mets at Angels9:38 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Royals at Mariners9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Whitecaps at Galaxy10:30 p.m. on Apple TV

Sunday

(Note: Sunday’s NBA and NHL schedule will be determined Friday night.)
🏀 Rockets at Lakers, Game 7if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
🏀 Magic at Pistons, Game 7if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
🏀 Raptors at Cavaliers, Game 7if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
🏒 Bruins at Sabres, Game 7if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
🏒 Canadiens at Lightning, Game 7if necessary (Time, channel TBD)
🏒 Mammoth at Golden Knights, Game 7if necessary (Time, channel TBD)

⚽ Cagliari at Bologna6:30 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ AC Milan at Sassuolo9 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Liverpool at Manchester United10:30 a.m. on Peacock
⚽ UEFA Women’s Champions Leaguel: Bayern Munich at Barcelona10:30 a.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Blue Jays at Twins12:45 p.m. on Peacock
⚽ Thorns at Stars1 p.m. on ESPN2
⚽ Parma at Inter Milan2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⛳ Cadillac Championship, final round3 p.m. on CBS
⚽ DC at NYCFC3 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ Summit at Legacy3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏁 NASCAR at Texas3:30 p.m. on FS1
⚾ Guardians at Athletics4:05 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ White Sox at Padres4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Royals at Mariners4:10 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Preseason: Liberty at Sun5 p.m. on Ion
⚽ Louisville at Gotham5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
⚽ St. Louis at Austin5:30 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 Preseason: Aces vs. Wings7 p.m. on Ion
⚽ Bay at Wave7 p.m. on Victory+
⚾ Rangers at Tigers7:20 p.m. on Peacock