Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) dunks over Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) and center Jarrett Allen, right, during the second half in Game 1 of a second-round NBA playoffs basketball series Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

DETROIT — Jalen Duren delivered for the Detroit Pistons when they needed him most, making plays at both ends of the court against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Duren had three dunks, two rebounds and a block in a 67-second stretch to break open a tie game and Detroit went on to beat Cleveland 111-101 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their second-round series.

“I’m not a one-dimensional player,” said Duren, who finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. “I add so many different things to this team. My main job is to protect the rim and dominate the paint.

READ: NBA Playoffs: Pistons defeat Cavaliers in Game 1

DUREN DUNK.DUREN DUNK.DUREN DUNK.

Pistons up 7 with under 2 to play in Game 1! pic.twitter.com/NCrMjAy4z7

— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2026

“I try to do that night in, night out.”

In the first round against Orlando, he came up short of his goals until Game 7.

Duren averaged nearly 20 points and 10-plus rebounds during the regular season as a first-time All-Star, but didn’t score more than 12 points or reach double digits in rebounds until the elimination game.

To close a comeback from a 3-1 deficit, he had 15 points and 15 rebounds to send the Magic home and help the Pistons advance in the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Duren acknowledged he learned a lot in the previous series.

“My value is on the defensive end,” he said. “My value is crashing the glass. It doesn’t always have to be scoring for me.”

READ: NBA Playoffs: Cavaliers-Pistons look to quickly regroup

James Harden’s scoring helped the Cavs rally from an 18-point deficit in the first quarter to pull into a 93-all tie with 5:28 remaining.

Harden had a chance to put Cleveland ahead for the first time since the opening minutes, but his 8-foot floater was blocked by Duren, who corralled the rebound.

He dunked on the next three possessions — each off Cade Cunningham’s assists — and another defensive rebound and the win was sealed with a 12-3 run.

“I thought he was awesome,” Pistons guard Duncan Robinson said. “People obviously want to get caught up in that last line of the box score (points) with him. He does so much for us, and he’s really the anchor of our identity.”

Duren played a part in limiting Cleveland center Jarrett Allen to two points and three rebounds, after he had 22 points and 19 rebounds in Game 7 against Toronto.

“If our frontcourt continues to outplay their frontcourt, we’ll be in a good spot in the series,” Duren said.

Game 2 is Thursday night in Detroit.

American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti recently spoke about the opportunity to create a G6 Playoff.

The move could work, but his suggestions need one major tweak.

On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, Spencer McLaughlin discusses ASU getting a $10 million donation for Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils’ Football program.

There is a lesson in this news for any program in the country.

Washington played the last P4 Spring Game in the country last weekend, following a tumultuous offseason.

What is there to follow for Jedd Fisch’s team besides the Demond Williams saga?

00:00 Tim Pernetti on playoff proposal
05:03 Discussing a group of six playoff
08:17 Discussing soccer promotion structure
12:34 Moving up to Mountain West
15:06 Arizona State coaching stability
17:48 Recruiting Talent for Arizona State
21:46 Improved offensive and defensive lines
26:19 Discussing the off-season situation
27:51 Rasheed Williams’ injury setbacks

/ @lockedoncollegefootball  

Because Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Caleb Banks was theorized as a 2nd-Round pick, but Minnesota selected him in Round 1, many national pundits haven’t been shy about skewering the club’s draft decision-making. Bleacher Report was the latest, calling the Vikings’ draft class “baffling.”

Minnesota bet big on defense, but the 1st-Round value debate is still following the class.

It’s the latest in a string of mediocre and bad reviews.

Banks Remains the Flashpoint in Minnesota’s Draft Debate

Were you wholly baffled by the Vikings’ draft class?

BR: Vikings’ Draft Was Baffling

BR’s Kristopher Knox assigned one word to each team’s rookie class last week, and for the Vikings, that term was “baffling.”

Knox wrote, “Ironically, it’s fair to wonder what the Minnesota Vikings were thinking at the top of the draft while simultaneously knowing exactly what they were thinking. After parting with defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave earlier in the offseason, the Vikings clearly decided that they needed to reload along their defensive front.”

“Still, using the 18th overall pick on Florida’s Caleb Banks was a massive reach. Banks was the 60th-ranked overall prospect on the B/R board, and he’s dealt with alarming foot issues over the past year.”

Banks was a consensus 1st-Rounder before the broken foot bone at the Combine.

Knox added, “He suffered a broken foot in 2025 that limited him to three games, and he broke the same foot again at the scouting combine. While banks has the potential to be a great player, Minnesota’s decision to take him where it did is baffling.”

To Recap: The Haul

As a refresher, this is the Vikings’ full draft class for 2026:

• R1: Caleb Banks (DT) | Pick 18
• R2: Jake Golday (LB) | Pick 51
• R3: Domonique Orange (DT) | Pick 82
• R3: Caleb Tiernan (OT) | Pick 97
• R3: Jakobe Thomas (SAF) | Pick 98
• R5: Max Bredeson (TE) | Pick 159
• R5: Charles Demmings (CB) | Pick 163
• R6: Demond Claiborne (RB) | Pick 198
• R7: Gavin Gerhardt (OL) | Pick 235

The event was remarkably defense-heavy, with head coach Kevin O’Connell and interim general manager Rob Brzezinski saying afterward that’s just how the board fell to them.

Baffling Is Just Fine if the Class Hits

Generally speaking, it does not matter if Knox was baffled by Minnesota’s draft class. It just doesn’t. Everyone’s confusion about the Vikings’ draft arrived on the first night of the event, mainly because the entire NFL viewing audience expected Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman to be the pick. There was no hard evidence linking Thieneman to Minnesota; it’s just that 90% of mock drafts predicted as much because Minnesota might need a safety, and Thieneman kinda-sorta looks like Harrison Smith.

When Thieneman was not the pick, and the Vikings “reached” for Banks, folks were stunned — why would they draft a Round 2 guy in Round 1?

Some reporting suggested afterward that multiple teams had their eyes on Banks in Round 1, so the Vikings taking the plunge wasn’t that weird at all.

Daily Norseman‘s Warren Ludford noted on Banks’s injury last week, “It is easy to understand why NFL teams would be spooked by Banks’ injury history and that would cause him to fall in their draft assessments of him due to injury risk.”

“At the same time, it is also understandable why the Vikings felt that after having their doctors do their due diligence on Banks’ foot injuries that they were not concerned about their impact on his ability to play football. All indications are that he has fully recovered from the more severe Jones fracture and that the subsequent fourth metatarsal injury is a relatively minor one and he is on track to a full recovery by early June.”

For the Most Part, It’s All on Banks

This draft class boils down to one man, and — you guessed it — his name is Caleb Banks. If the Gator morphs into a Pro Bowl or All-Pro performer, nobody will care one iota that Minnesota drafted him in Round 1. The grievance will be an afterthought.

However, if he succumbs to foot problems, a vast faction of draft pundits will say “I told you so,” and the Vikings will need players like Golday, Orange, Tiernan, and Thomas to pan out to make up for the would-be Banks gaffe.

Minnesota, too, could have big plans for Round 6 running back Demond Claiborne. The Vikings haven’t drafted an RB1 since Dalvin Cook, and that was nine years ago.

It’s all up to Banks and his foot to determine if Knox’s baffled reactions mean anything. He’s the Vikings’ big ticket in the aftermath of the 2026 draft.

Brad Rea gave a titanic effort, even flooring his man in the second round, but was ultimately denied a European title triumph over Lyndon Arthur in November.

‘The Sting’ had previously elevated his career by claiming the EBU title, unanimously outpointing Shakan Pitters with an assertive performance last June.

In his light-heavyweight encounter with Arthur, though, Rea was eventually forced to suffer a majority decision defeat, despite producing one of his career-best displays.

Since then, the 28-year-old has come to terms with his second professional blemish, but tells Boxing News that it was far from an easy process.

“It’s always disappointing when a fight doesn’t go your way. For me, the most important thing is winning.

“Every boxer knows the stuff that goes through your head after a loss. Looking back, I’m like, ‘What was I thinking?’ But you do doubt yourself, doubt whether you’re in the right game and doubt whether you’re good enough to get to the level you want to get to.

“I took a risk against Lyndon and it didn’t quite work out, but I’ve shown I can mix it at that level.

“I’d love to get back in there and give it another crack. The way the first fight went, I think the fans would love to see it again – I think Manchester would love to see it again – but there’s so many obstacles in the way; we’ve both got a job to do before we can even think about [a rematch].”

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Perhaps a rematch can be explored down the line but, until then, both Rea and Arthur must remain intensely focused on their respective outings against Liam Cameron and Lewis Edmondson.

Viewing this as an opportunity to showcase his full capabilities, Rea is more than happy with his opponent on May 9.

Having become a father since his narrow defeat to Arthur, there is also an added incentive to get back to winning ways and create more opportunities for himself.

“I think Liam’s up there with the best light-heavyweights in the country. But, for me, it’s the perfect fight to show what I can do.

“I know it’s not going to be an easy night’s work, but they’re the fights I want to be in. I want to be in entertaining fights.”

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In a separate interview with Boxing News, Cameron effectively accused Rea of being too brave for his own good, often neglecting his defence while trading in the pocket.

In response, the Lancashire man has admitted to sometimes being guilty of getting too carried away, while wondering whether Cameron can perform two roles at once when they collide at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, featuring on the undercard of Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois.

“He’s probably right – maybe we could do with having him in the corner, telling me to move my head!

“Sometimes I can get a bit excited and get drawn [into a war], but that’s what the fans want to see at the end of the day.”

Even after becoming a European champion, Rea has no interest in skipping past the domestic scene at 175lbs.

And this is just as well, really, because, at Queensberry Promotions, he is quite simply spoilt for choice when it comes to potential opponents.

Mikel Arteta hailed his “incredible” players for “making history” after Arsenal secured their place in the Champions League final with a 1-0 win against Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium.

Bukayo Saka delivered the decisive goal on the stroke of half-time to fire the Gunners to a 2-1 aggregate semi-final triumph. They will face either Bayern Munich or Paris St Germain in Budapest on May 30.

Following Manchester City’s 3-3 draw at Everton on Monday – which puts the Premier League title race in Arsenal’s hands – and their triumph over Diego Simeone’s side here just 24 hours later, Arteta’s men are now only four matches away from completing a momentous double and securing the greatest campaign in the club’s 140-year history.

Arsenal have never won Europe’s grandest tournament, and Arteta said: “It was an incredible night. We made history again together and I cannot be happier and prouder for everybody that’s involved in this football club.

“The supporters were with us for every ball. They made it special and unique, and I have never felt it like that in this stadium.

“We knew how much it meant to everybody, we put everything on the line, the boys did an incredible job and after 20 years, and the second time in our history, we are back in the Champions League final.”

Arsenal will arrive for the showpiece as the sole unbeaten team in this season’s competition following a remarkable record of 11 wins and three draws. Indeed, their streak of 14 matches without defeat is a new Champions League record for the north London club.

But Arteta’s side will next take on West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday, prior to a home match against Burnley and an away clash at Crystal Palace. Three wins will be enough for Arsenal to secure their first Premier League title in 22 years before they head to Hungary.

And Arteta added: “It’s great. Everybody can feel a shift in energy, in belief, in everything. Let’s use it in the right way and understand that the margins and the difficulty of what we are trying to achieve are huge, but that we have the ability and the conviction to do it.

“I’m really going to enjoy it tonight, everybody’s enjoying this moment now. But tomorrow we have to start to prepare for Sunday. We have an incredible game against West Ham, a really tough one, and we’re going to have four days to do that. Let’s enjoy the moment but tomorrow let’s start to live in the present.”

Atleti head coach Simeone appeared to shove Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta on the touchline in the concluding moments of the game. However, he was magnanimous in defeat.

Simeone said: “If we got knocked out it is because our opponents deserved to get through. I don’t want to make excuses.

“Mikel Arteta has done an incredible job at Arsenal. He has been trying to get to this point for a long time, to win the Premier League and the Champions League.

“They have incredible financial power, and that is linked to what they are doing, but I am pleased for them because they deserve it.”

Everton supporters saw one fan arrested during Monday’s dramatic 3-3 Premier League draw against Manchester City after alleged racist comments aimed at Antoine Semenyo.

According to Merseyside Police, the incident happened during the match at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Officers confirmed that a 71-year-old man from Nottinghamshire was taken into custody after reports from stewards and fans that racist language had been directed at the Ghana international.

Police stated that the suspect was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. Investigations into the matter are still continuing in cooperation with Everton Football Club.

The man has since been released on bail with strict conditions. These include staying at least one mile away from any designated sports stadium from four hours before kick-off until four hours after matches.

Everton strongly condemned the incident in an official statement.

The club said behaviour linked to racism or discrimination would not be accepted under any circumstances.

“Racism and discrimination in all forms are completely unacceptable. They have no place in our stadia, our sport or in society,” the statement read.

The Merseyside club also confirmed they would continue assisting authorities and would take firm action in line with their zero-tolerance policy.

This is the second racist incident involving Semenyo this season. Earlier in the campaign, while still playing for AFC Bournemouth, the 26-year-old reported racist abuse from a supporter during a league defeat to Liverpool FC.

Following that incident, Semenyo called for stronger punishment against racism in football, including possible jail terms for offenders.

Manchester City also praised the quick response from Everton and the police authorities.

The Premier League champions further revealed that England defender Marc Guehi received racist abuse on social media after the game.

“We are incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guehi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night,” City said in a statement.

The club added that they would continue to support both Semenyo and Guehi while maintaining a strong stand against all forms of discrimination in football.

Manchester United hold a favourable position should they attempt to sign one of their reported midfield targets

Manchester United may have taken a step closer to signing top target Alex Scott after securing Champions League football at the weekend. The Bournemouth midfielder is wanted by Old Trafford chiefs with Casemiro on his way out this summer.

And with Andoni Iraola a frontrunner to take over if Michael Carrick does not get the manager’s job permanently, he could be followed by one of his favourite players. Scott has previously explained that he would only leave Bournemouth if a Champions League club came calling – which United will be next season.

Speaking to Transfermarkt in February, Scott said: “At some point, of course, I’d love to be playing Champions League football. Obviously playing non-league just over six years ago, it’s all happened very quickly so I had to grow up very quickly. But that’s definitely helped me.”

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The midfielder, who was brought to Bournemouth by boss Iraola three years ago, added: “Everyone wants to play at the highest level and be one of the best players in the world, in the league and play for their country. They’re definitely dreams of mine. They were dreams from when I was a kid. I’d also love to be playing in the major tournaments for England.”

The financial aspects of qualifying for Europe could play a pivotal role in the club’s transfer plans as football finance expert Kieran Maguire revealed that United could bank at least £70million thanks to the competition.

Maguire explained: “You’ll get a minimum of effectively £30million just for rocking up. Then it works out as €2million per match if you get a victory, €700,000 if you get a draw in terms of prize money. And on top of that, you’ve got gate receipts.

“You’re guaranteed four home fixtures, potentially could be seven to eight home fixtures. For a club the size of United, they should be looking to get £8million per match in gate receipts. So you’ve got a minimum of £30million from gate receipts, another £30million for participation.

“So that’s £60million minimum. They’ll get the Adidas [kit supplier] bonus of £10million, so that’s £70million. And as you progress through the tournament, you can start adding the numbers.

“I think there’s around about €150million for winning it last year. Now that was for a club with a fairly good UEFA coefficient, which United don’t have these days because they’ve not been as good as they have been, but even so, I think you’d be looking at €120million and of course if you win the tournament, you qualify for the next FIFA Club World Cup, which made Chelsea £80million. It really does ratchet up.”

The midfielder’s partnership with Iraola is set to end following this season. The Spaniard announced his decision to leave the club last month following the expiry of his contract. The 43-year-old has yet to make a decision on the next step of his career but has routinely been linked with the Manchester United job.

However, with interim boss Michael Carrick enjoying a stellar stint at his former club, it remains to be seen whether the Englishman may be offered the permanent job come the summer.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

Back in 2008, a Wales Under-20s side went deep into the Junior World Championship and hinted at what was coming. Sam Warburton, Justin Tipuric, Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb, Jonathan Davies and Halfpenny were in that side.

Grand Slams, titles and World Cup semi-finals. For a time, the best team in the world.

One by one, they’ve gone. Halfpenny is the last.

The numbers are strong. Some 101 caps, 801 points – third behind Neil Jenkins and Stephen Jones – but they don’t quite explain him.

He was unassuming, almost bashful, and the last person looking for credit.

Yet the one everyone trusted.

Nobody has a bad word to say about him. In this game, that’s rare.

His former Wales coach Warren Gatland called him the best defensive full-back the game has seen. At his peak, especially with the British & Irish Lions in 2013, he was probably the best full-back. Full stop.