Turn the clocks back to October. Jayson Tatum was recovering from a torn Achilles and expected to miss the season. Half of last year’s rotation was gone. There were corners of the internet that expected the Boston Celtics, like the Indiana Pacers, to take a gap year. From that perspective, making it to Game 7 of a playoff series, any playoff series, could be viewed as an organizational win. This shouldn’t feel like the disappointment it so obviously does.

The Celtics are a victim of their own success. Had they won 46 games instead of 56, no one would care how their season ended. Instead, Jaylen Brown had a career year. Spreading the gospel of Derrick White became the cause célèbre of the basketball nerd community. Tatum made a historic return from that Achilles tear. Boston quickly cemented itself as Eastern Conference favorites and even got to start their playoff run against their frequent postseason punching bag, the Philadelphia 76ers, whom Tatum and Brown had already beaten in three separate playoff series. The 76ers were supposed to be a stepping stone to a far more meaningful rematch with the Knicks, a matchup that felt almost preordained when Boston took a 3-1 series lead.

That was six days ago. After Philadelphia’s Game 7 win on Saturday night, Boston’s season is over. Three straight losses, two of which Tatum took part in, turned a once-promising season into a borderline disaster. Ironically, a gap year would’ve made for a simpler offseason. You can hand-wave away bad losses when you’re not trying to win. But the Celtics spent a whole year convincing the world and probably themselves that they still were very much capable of winning not just in the regular season, but in the playoffs. Losing to a Play-In team, especially this Play-In team, raises serious questions. 

Boston has been kicking Philadelphia’s ass for going on a decade now. If the Celtics are suddenly vulnerable against them, does it mean they’re vulnerable against everyone else? Are these minor, fixable flaws, or do they need to consider something more drastic to address all of this? Let’s try to figure out what went wrong here and what steps are needed to get the Celtics back on track for genuine championship contention.

Boston’s math problem

The Celtics are built to win the math problem. The fundamental principle on which they are built is that if they get to take more shots than their opponent, and if those shots are higher-value shots than the ones their opponent is taking, then they should win far more often than they lose. They attempted 283 more total field goals than their regular-season opponents because they had the NBA‘s third-highest total rebounding rate and third-lowest offensive turnover rate. They had the league’s fourth-highest 3-point attempt rate a year after becoming the first team ever to shoot more 3s than 2s. More shots and better shots tend to lead to more wins. If a playoff series lasted 10,000 games, Boston would almost always win it.

Of course, it doesn’t. The playoffs are a much smaller sample and, therefore, much more prone to variance. The Celtics relearn this almost every spring. Look at their losses against Philadelphia. Boston shot below 30% on 3s in all four of their losses to Philadelphia. That probably sounds familiar. The Celtics shot 25% from deep in Games 1 and 2 of the Knicks series last year, two games in which they blew 20-point leads. In the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against Miami, in which they fell behind 3-0, they shot 30.3%. 

That’s three series the Celtics lost as heavy favorites because the 3s stopped going in. This season as a whole, the Celtics went 44-6 in games in which they made 35% of their 3s, but 15-24 in games that they didn’t, as noted by Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor. Boston doesn’t have another pitch offensively. They scored the fourth-fewest points in the paint in the regular season, and no one had a lower free-throw rate. Meanwhile, their possession advantage tends to shrink in the postseason. Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns killed them on the glass in the Knicks series last year. The 76ers turned the ball over almost as rarely in the regular season as the Celtics do, and did so less in this series. Suddenly, Boston isn’t taking more shots than its opponent and, while the shots they do take are more valuable on paper, they’re not nearly as stable in a playoff setting.

If Joe Mazzulla has a weakness as a coach, it’s how stubbornly he tends to cling to his big-picture vision. If Boston had attempted to minimize variance with its huge leads against the Knicks last season by taking shots that were perhaps less valuable but ultimately easier to make, that series was winnable. Game 2 of this series was lost in part because of how strictly Mazzulla adhered to his deep-drop pick-and-roll defense. When Philadelphia screened for its guards, Boston’s big men hung back near the room. That suited Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe just fine. They made 11 3s, six of which were, according to NBA.com tracking data, wide open. The numbers said those were the shots Boston should want to give up, so they did, and Philadelphia just kept making them.

A quietly depleted roster

This raises another issue: talent. The Celtics spent the last two seasons with one of the deepest rosters in NBA history. You could argue they had six All-Star-caliber players when healthy in Tatum, Brown, White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis and Al Horford. Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet were starting-caliber reserves. They had more schematic flexibility with those eight players than perhaps any team in NBA history. Need to bring your big man up to the level of the screen? There’s no coverage Horford couldn’t run. Want a stationary rim-protector? Porziņģis is a giant with great instincts. Need a great one-on-one defender to throw at an opposing guard? Holiday is going to make the Hall of Fame doing that.

All three of them are gone. So is Kornet. They were victims of the collective bargaining agreement. Boston was in line for a half-billion-dollar roster when last offseason began. They let those four go in order to stay below the second apron, a reasonable choice given the realistic possibility of a gap year, but then, at the trade deadline, they took things a step further. Boston didn’t just duck the aprons; they ducked the luxury tax altogether by turning Anfernee Simons into Nikola Vučević and dumping several minimum contracts. 

This was obviously a financially motivated decision, but it was a strategically sound one. The Celtics were repeat taxpayers right as the repeater tax formula grew significantly more punitive. However, by getting below the tax this year and staying below next year, the Celtics can reset their repeater tax clock entirely, essentially allowing them to spend with impunity for the rest of the decade after the 2026-27 season. With Tatum injured at the time, prioritizing the flexibility to spend during his future was the strategically sound decision. It also left a deceptively limited roster shorthanded in the present.

The Celtics made lemonade all year with talented but flawed players. They have Mazzulla’s coaching to thank for that. Neemias Queta was a rim-protecting force for Boston. The Celtics hesitated to let him defend closer to the level of the screen because that just isn’t his strength. He’s not Al Horford. He’s a minimum-salary player who has vastly outperformed expectations, but he was available for the minimum for a reason. His defensive limitations and his propensity for fouling were big problems against Philadelphia.

Perhaps the Celtics could have supplemented him with a different sort of backup center, but they were limited in terms of what kind of contracts they could bring in. They needed Simons to be the matching money in the deal and they needed to save money to get below the tax line. Without giving up significant draft capital, that left Vučević as their pick. The hope was that his offense, especially his shooting, would contrast well with Queta’s. But he’s been vulnerable defensively for his whole career, and the Celtics found no way of addressing that. Their best bet might have been more minutes with Tatum at center, but that’s precarious in a series against Joel Embiid, and either way, the Celtics may not have wanted to take the beating that comes in a small-ball 5 role. 

Losing Simons deprived Boston of a badly needed source of speed and creation, especially since White struggled so mightily for most of this series. His jumper has felt broken all season, pretty problematic for a point guard who never touches the paint or gets to the line. His inability to meaningfully penetrate the Philadelphia defense cost him a lot of his playmaking in this series, too. 

He’s not quick enough to defend Tyrese Maxey — few players are — but having to take on that matchup somewhat cost him his ability to affect games defensively in the ways he usually does. White isn’t a point-of-attack stopper; he’s a genius help-defender. He averaged 2.5 deflections per game in the regular season, a figure that has basically been cut in half in this series. But he had to guard Maxey because Holiday is no longer on the roster. The only reserve who’s had much success in the matchup is Jordan Walsh, for whom Mazzulla is seemingly hesitant to play for offensive reasons.

Never was the talent drain more evident than it was for Game 7. Mazzulla kept only two of his Game 1 starters: White and Brown. The three others? Baylor Scheierman, who hadn’t played more than 15 minutes in any game this series, Luka Garza, who hadn’t played more than 14, and Ron Harper Jr., who was playing on a two-way contract until early April. Mazzulla just didn’t have the tools that he used to. He was grasping for something, anything, to help him overcome Tatum’s Game 7 absence. After all, Tatum has carried the Celtics through plenty of playoff pickles.

You can overcome a lot when you have a top-five player in the NBA to Superman you through the biggest games as Tatum so often has. Game 6 facing elimination on the road against Milwaukee in 2022? A 46-point explosion. Game 7 against Philadelphia in 2023? How does 51 sound? It’s gotten lost because of the Achilles tear, but Tatum put up 42 at Madison Square Garden in Game 4 of last year’s loss to New York. When the chips are down, the Celtics have been able to Tatum their way out of many difficult situations.

For most of this season, it was Brown wearing the cape. It just didn’t prove sustainable. Brown shot over 71% in the restricted area and nearly 50% on mid-range shots through the end of December. In the rest of the season, that fell to around 67% in the restricted area and 33% on mid-range shots. His effectiveness as a driver in the Philadelphia series was sapped because officials were stricter about policing his use of his off arm to create space. He performed admirably in Tatum’s absence on Saturday, scoring 33 points and nearly carrying the Celtics to a comeback, but he’s never quite reached the highs Tatum did at his peak. The player Brown was early in the season might have flirted with this territory. That’s the only time in his career that was ever really true. If there’s a player on this roster capable of consistently reaching the level of superstardom NBA champions tend to need, it probably has to be Tatum.

Can he still be that guy? His recovery from that torn Achilles was an undeniable success, despite the knee stiffness that kept him out of Game 7. He’s further along than anyone could have imagined. But one of his superpowers was durability, and his absence on Saturday was a reminder that Boston may need to be more cautious with him going forward. Knee stiffness is scarier after Achilles surgery.

Plenty of players, even healthy ones, start to lose a step physically as they hit their late 20s. Tatum isn’t Kevin Durant. He’s not an all-time shooter. He’s more dependent on physicality to create offense, and if he’s even 95% of his old self moving forward instead of the no-brainer First-Team All-NBA player he’s been in the past, that poses real problems for the Celtics. They aren’t historically loaded anymore. If they’re going into battle with the 11th-best player in the league instead of the fourth-best player, they’re not going to be able to paper over these structural vulnerabilities as easily, and without the resources to rebuild one of the greatest teams of all time, they’re not going to be able to overwhelm less-talented opponents as easily anymore either.

What does Boston have to work with going into the offseason?

The Celtics aren’t completely depleted. If they want to tinker on the margins, they can. They’re about $10 million below the tax line right now, but can pretty easily create the full mid-level exception while staying below it by dumping some minimums and perhaps trading out of the first round. That won’t get them a big-ticket free agent, but should yield someone who can help. A reunion with Simons makes plenty of sense or, if they want a defensive-minded big, perhaps they’d bring back Robert Williams III while planning to limit his minutes through the presence of Queta and Luka Garza.

They have more picks to trade than you’d think. Their 2032 first-round pick is frozen because they finished last season above the second apron, and their 2029 pick is owed out through the Holiday trade, but they can deal the No. 27 overall pick this year, their 2027 pick, and then their 2031 and 2033 selections. Their bigger problem, at least where a trade is concerned, is matching salary.

Let’s assume for now that Tatum and Brown are staying put. Boston’s fourth-highest-paid player is Sam Hauser at just below $11 million. Pritchard makes below $8 million and is probably borderline untouchable just on value. No one else is above $3 million. Adding, say, a $20 million player is doable, but probably deprives them of a good chunk of their mid-level flexibility in free agency. They have two workarounds.

The first is the $27.7 million trade exception they got from giving up Simons. They could use that to add a major piece. Doing so would almost certainly mean going above the tax line — at least if they do so without offloading other salary. The Celtics are allowed to do so, but again, after all of the effort they put into getting below the tax this season, it would seem wasteful not to reset the repeater clock. The Celtics are so close to being free to spend for multiple years. They just need one more year of patience. Still, trading Hauser and picks for a player in the $25 million range is doable, and if the right center is out there, it might be worthwhile. I’d keep an eye on Myles Turner — who just barely fits in the exception — considering Boston’s history with shooting big men, though his defense has certainly slipped.

The other option is considering a Derrick White trade. This would have been more lucrative last summer, when the Raptors reportedly dangled the pick that became Collin Murray-Boyles. Other teams might have offered multiple picks. The Celtics passed. They wanted to maximize their present window. Well, after a first-round loss, do they reconsider and perhaps take a slightly longer view? White will make around $30 million next season. He’s not going to net the monster haul he might have had a year ago. This was his age-31 season, and the shot is now a big question mark. But Kenny Atkinson called him a top-five player in the NBA somewhat recently. Plenty of advanced metrics are just as bullish. There would be a lot of interest.

Minnesota makes some sense. The Wolves are thin at guard now that DiVincenzo has a torn Achilles tendon, but their frontcourt is deep and potentially getting deeper with No. 17 overall pick Joan Beringer showing promise as a rookie. Could there be a Rudy Gobert swap here? He’s two years older than White, so Boston would probably want more in the deal, but he’d certainly address any defensive questions the Celtics have. White would be Steve Kerr’s dream backcourt partner for Stephen Curry. Maybe a deal could center around the Golden State’s lottery pick if it doesn’t jump into the top four, though the Warriors likely wouldn’t consider giving up such a huge package for a role player unless they knew they were getting a star in some other way.

I wouldn’t consider a White trade likely, though. He’s probably more valuable to Boston than he is to any other team, considering how much of their style is built on his strengths. Moving him means reimagining some of the fundamental principles on which your team is built. 

And if they’re willing to do that, it’s worth revisiting a question that was beaten into the ground before the 2024 championship: is there anything that could convince the Celtics to split up Tatum and Brown? The answer is mostly no, but perhaps technically yes. You don’t trade Brown for just anyone. You don’t even trade him for a star on the same level. Brown has so much accumulated organizational equity that you’re not going to trade him for, say, Donovan Mitchell. Trading away a lifer, sacrificing a decade of continuity, that’s not something you do for a shakeup. It’s something you do when you’re reconceptualizing your team on a grander scale. If you’re trading Jaylen Brown, it means you’re not only getting someone back who’s better than he is, but probably better than Tatum too. There’s really only one name we expect to be available that fits that bill.

Let’s have the Giannis conversation

In April, The Athletic reported that the Celtics “are known to be interested” in two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. It felt like an odd report at the time. Boston was thriving. Brown had snuck into the fringes of the MVP conversation, and the Celtics had resisted quite a few overtures to move him in the past. But it stood out because, a day earlier, Antetokounmpo went out of his way to praise Mazzulla.

“Like, you saw I talked with coach Joe Mazzulla,” Antetokounmpo told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “I said, ‘You had so many opportunities to make excuses, but you didn’t.’ And he said, ‘Oh, they’re good players.’ I said, no. It’s about the mentality that you instilled in your place.”

Reports have suggested that Antetokounmpo’s goal, if he leaves Milwaukee, would be to pursue a second championship above all else. His preferred destination has seemingly been the New York Knicks, but they have little to trade that would interest the Bucks, and with the Celtics now out of the playoffs, they’re arguably the Eastern Conference favorites. They may not be in a position to trade for Antetokounmpo.

Resetting the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market: Why 18 teams are plausible suitors

Sam Quinn

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You’ve heard other teams like Miami or Golden State. In the past, they might have made sense. It’s what stars tend to do: seek out warm, glamorous markets and let the chips fall where they may. If your goal is a championship, that’s not going to cut it anymore. Those Thunder and Spurs have set the bar too high. Antetokounmpo’s best path to a championship is picking the best possible Eastern Conference team he can find, avoiding OKC and Victor Wembanyama until the Finals, and then beating whoever escapes the seemingly inevitable conference finals series they’ll play in each of the next few springs.

If the Knicks are off the table, that’s probably Boston. We know he respects Mazzulla’s culture. Tatum would be a perfect co-star for him for many of the same reasons Khris Middleton once was: he’s a traditional shot-maker who can take over late in games, but he impacts games in a variety of ways that don’t necessitate enormous overall usage. But more than anything, the two sides are extremely stylistically compatible.

The Celtics keep losing in the playoffs because they can’t pressure the rim. Who pressures the rim more than Antetokounmpo? Giannis needs shooters around him to generate space for his driving. The Celtics obviously emphasize shooting as much as any team in the NBA. There would be minor kinks to work out. Queta isn’t a shooting center, for instance. Boston has Garza and could bring back Vučević, but may need to seek out someone better for that role. The Celtics would also probably prefer to add a point-of-attack defender somehow as well. Brown frequently guards opposing stars, so Boston would probably need a replacement. These are solvable problems.

Antetokounmpo is two years older than Brown. He’s also a much bigger injury risk. This isn’t as simple as pairing two megastars and waltzing to the Finals. It’s a debate between trying to maximize an existing and extremely successful partnership or potentially building a better one that may not be quite as sturdy or enduring. The Celtics know they can win a championship with Tatum and Brown because they’ve done it. That certainty wouldn’t come with Antetokounmpo.

If Boston hadn’t just lost in the manner in which it just did, this would be a pretty easy “pass.” You don’t break up a Finals team on this sort of bet. But this is the sort of loss that triggers existential questions. Perhaps on paper, this Celtics season was a relative success considering what we all expected. In practice, blowing a 3-1 lead to the 76ers would force almost anyone to reexamine their identity. Does Boston’s regular-season formula still translate to the postseason? Do they have the resources to rebuild the monstrous supporting cast they had in 2024? If not, are Brown and Tatum capable of winning a championship with a more typical overall roster?

It’s the highest-stakes floor vs. ceiling debate any NBA team is likely to have in quite some time. The best version of a hypothetical Antetokounmpo-Celtics team would be better than the existing one because Giannis is a more impactful player than Jaylen Brown, and the better your best player is, the less you tend to need elsewhere. Holiday was the fifth-leading scorer on the 2024 Celtics. He was the third-leading scorer on the 2021 Bucks. Boston is paying two 35% max contracts either way. One way to work around the limitations those contracts impose on your ability to spend elsewhere is to maximize what you’re getting out of the big contracts so you don’t need as much out of the smaller ones.

But the worst-case outcomes, especially when you factor in the extra draft picks you might have to put into the trade and any others you’d spend retrofitting the roster around your new star, are significantly drearier. Boston turned down a similar type of trade for Kevin Durant a few years ago, partially to avoid those worst-case outcomes, but also because of how optimistic they were about Brown’s best ones. They felt they were close. They were right. Now they have to decide if that’s still true, and blowing a 3-1 lead to a team they’ve handled for years is the most compelling argument they’ve ever faced that they no longer are.

Ryan Garcia has revealed his toughest opponent in 27 professional outings, rather surprisingly mentioning a fighter he defeated inside the distance.

Most would suspect the American’s “hardest fight” came against Gervonta Davis, who stopped ‘King Ry’ with a sickening seventh-round body shot in their 2023 encounter.

Alternatively, Rolando Romero gave Garcia a tricky night’s work in May 2025, when he scored a second-round knockdown before winning unanimously on the judges’ scorecards.

Devin Haney, too, represented a difficult opponent when they collided in 2024, with Garcia edging a majority decision before testing positive for banned substance ostarine.

As a result, his victory was overturned to a no-contest, following which Garcia completed a year-long suspension before returning to the ring against Romero.

Interestingly enough, though, the reigning WBC world welterweight champion does not consider Davis, Romero or Haney to be his toughest opponent.

Instead, the 27-year-old has told DAZN that his most demanding assignment came against Oscar Duarte, who he eventually stopped with an eighth-round finish in 2023.

“My hardest fight was Oscar Duarte – the one that Richardson Hitchins ducked. I knocked him out, but he was hard.”

Duarte was supposed to face Hitchins in February, only for the then-IBF world super-lightweight champion to pull out of their contest on the morning of fight night.

This was reportedly because Hitchins fell ill during his attempt to keep under 150lbs, as per the IBF’s 10lb rehydration policy.

While not having been given another world title shot, Duarte is now gearing up for his all-Mexican clash with Angel Fierro, which features on the undercard of Gilberto Ramirez vs David Benavidez this Saturday.

David Benavidez moves up in weight to challenge Gilberto Ramirez for the unified cruiserweight titles at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

Benavidez faces the biggest test of his career so far, having established himself as a dominant force at super-middleweight and more recently claiming a world title at light-heavyweight. Known for his relentless pressure and high output, this marks a significant jump as he looks to become a world champion at a third weight and cement his standing among the sport’s elite.

Ramirez enters as the established champion at 200lbs, holding the WBA and WBO belts and bringing size, experience and durability into the contest. The Mexican southpaw will look to use his physical advantages and ring craft to neutralise Benavidez’s aggression.

Can ‘El Monstro’ become the second man to defeat ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez after Dmitry Bivol did so in 2022? Benavidez has made it clear that, following this fight, he wants to drop back down to 175lbs and fight Bivol for undisputed, so a win here would make that match-up all the more intriguing. If Ramirez retains his belts, he will secure big fights to close out his career.

Stay with Boxing News for a live scorecard and full fight result.

Benavidez vs Ramirez live scorecard

This is a Boxing News live scorecard and not the official score from the judges.

Main event result and report

–

The Minnesota Vikings wrapped up the feverish portion of free agency in March and a whole draft in April. Next are organized team activities (OTAs) in May, minicamp in June, and training camp in July. So, let’s peek at the main storylines for the purple team after the draft.

Minnesota’s roster is mostly built, but a few unresolved questions still carry real summer weight.

Ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most important), these are the juiciest subplots to monitor.

Four Post-Draft Questions Still Matter for Minnesota’s Summer Plan

Which storyline catches your attention the most?

The Announcement of the Next General Manager

The Vikings’ owners fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on January 30th, three and a half weeks after the regular season and five days after Sam Darnold punched his ticket to the Super Bowl. In the meantime, Rob Brzezinski has run the show and is expected to be the frontrunner for the big job.

We know two things about the current search:

1. Brzezinski has reportedly expressed interest in staying on board as the main guy in the director’s chair.
2. The Vikings won’t announce general manager candidates. It’s a closed book.

In the next few weeks, the franchise will reveal the new GM’s identity, and that will be that.

Caleb Banks’s Foot

Banks, the Vikings’ 1st-Round pick last week, broke a bone in his foot at the NFL Combine, sinking his stock from a firm 1st-Round pick to a no-brainer 2nd-Rounder because big men on broken feet bones don’t mix well. Minnesota picked Banks in Round 1 any damn way.

Now, we wait.

Banks could be totally ready to go by training camp. He could be one of those situations where the Vikings proceed with the most severe degree of caution you could ever possibly imagine. They do that sometimes.

ESPN’s Valeria Havrylets wrote about Banks in March, “While at the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, the 6’6”, 327-pound lineman ran a 5.04-second 40-yard dash and a 9’6 “broad jump. However, Banks opted out of an on-field workout due to cleat discomfort. The night before his on-field testing, Banks suffered a fractured foot and continued to perform a partial workout, not knowing the extent of the injury.”

“He underwent surgery on Monday to repair the fourth metatarsal bone in his foot. During the 2025 season for Florida, Banks suffered a similar foot injury in training camp, leading to him missing most of his senior season games. Banks returned to play the final two games against Tennessee and Florida State, finishing the season with six tackles and one tackle for loss. After a standout performance at the Panini Senior Bowl practices in February, Banks has been seen as a leading candidate to be the first defensive tackle selected in the NFL Draft in April.”

Christian Darrisaw’s ACL

Darrisaw tore his ACL in late October 2024, and by December 2025, the Vikings shut him down because something just wasn’t right. Optimists have assumed and hoped that the left tackle will be fully healed by training camp, but in the backdrop, Minnesota also drafted Northwestern tackle Caleb Tiernan in Round 3 last weekend.

Ultimately, Darrisaw will probably be fine and dandy for Week 1 of 2026, but it would be nice to know that officially. The true test will be training camp and how Darrisaw looks during those four weeks.

Harrison Smith’s Return or Retirement

The central mystery here revolves around Smith’s uncharacteristic silence. He hasn’t uttered a word to the media since Week 18 (early January), offering no indication of retirement, a return, or any other plans. This stands in stark contrast to previous offseasons, when he typically made his intentions known early, allowing the Vikings to plan their roster accordingly. This year, however, is different.

Despite the uncertainty, the Vikings proceeded with their offseason moves. They drafted Miami safety Jakobe Thomas in Round 3, rather than a highly-touted prospect like Dillon Thieneman in Round 1. This decision suggests the Vikings do not anticipate a rookie immediately stepping into Smith’s role.

The Week 18 game in Green Bay, an emotional and fitting victory over the Packers, strongly conveyed a sense of finality for Smith. Meanwhile, other veterans like Adam Thielen and C.J. Ham made their retirement announcements as expected. Smith remains conspicuously silent.

His prolonged silence has led many to assume he will return for another season, a possibility that remains. Yet, the period of speculation cannot last indefinitely. The Vikings require a definitive answer soon to finalize their plans — one would think.

If not, Minnesota will roll with Josh Metellus, Jay Ward, Theo Jackson, and the newcomer Thomas at safety in 2026. There are worse foursomes. That group might just do the trick.

Match of the Day pundits Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart debate whether all hair pulls are worthy of a red card following another incident where Sunderland’s Dan Ballard was sent off.

READ MORE: Three red cards for hair pulling in 2026 – is it time to change law?

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Arsenal extended their lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday evening

Manchester City fell further behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race thanks to the Gunners’ win over Fulham. Arsenal claimed a 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday night, extending their lead over City to six points.

Viktor Gyokeres netted twice and Bukayo Saka also found the back of the net as Arsenal emerged comfortable winners in north London.

Mikel Arteta’s outfit moved six points ahead of City at the top of the Premier League table, having played two matches more than their title rivals before City’s fixture against Everton on Monday night.

Pep Guardiola and Co. still have five Premier League matches left to play this season, as well as an FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium before the end of the month.

READ MORE: Man City strike first blow in Manchester United academy battleREAD MORE: Man City player that surprised Marc Guehi – ‘Top three for sure’

City have Premier League matches against Everton, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Aston Villa during their run-in

Here, the Manchester Evening News examines City’s remaining fixtures across all competitions compared to Arsenal as the title battle intensifies.

Manchester City’s final fixtures

Everton vs Manchester City – Monday, May 4 at Hill Dickinson Stadium

Manchester City vs Brentford – Saturday, May 9 at the Etihad Stadium

Manchester City vs Crystal Palace – Wednesday, May 13 at the Etihad Stadium

Chelsea vs Manchester City – Saturday, May 16 at Wembley Stadium (FA Cup final)

Bournemouth vs Manchester City – Tuesday, May 19 at the Vitality Stadium

Manchester City vs Aston Villa – Sunday, May 24 at the Etihad Stadium

Arsenal’s final fixtures

Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid – Tuesday, May 5 at the Emirates Stadium (Champions League)

West Ham vs Arsenal – Sunday, May 10 at the London Stadium

Arsenal vs Burnley – Monday, May 18 at the Emirates Stadium

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal – Sunday, May 24 at Selhurst Park

Potential Champions League final – Saturday, May 30 at Puskas Arena (Champions League)

Paris Saint-Germain warmed up for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich by fielding a second-string line-up and throwing away the lead twice in a 2-2 draw with Lorient in Ligue 1 on Saturday. Ibrahim Mbaye’s fortuitous early goal to put PSG in front at the Parc des Princes was cancelled out by Pablo Pagis for mid-table Lorient, but Warren Zaire-Emery gave the hosts the lead for the second time, moments after coming on as a second-half substitute.

However, a mistake by teenage debutant Pierre Mounguengue allowed Aiyegun Tosin to run through and score a second equaliser for Lorient, and PSG could not find a winner — even being awarded a penalty in stoppage time for a non-existent handball which was overturned by VAR.

The result means the outcome of the Ligue 1 title race remains a live issue, with PSG seven points clear of Lens who have four games remaining including at Nice later Saturday.

Lens also still have to host PSG on May 13, and Luis Enrique’s side are focused principally on the defence of their European title as they face Bayern away on Wednesday after winning 5-4 at home in a remarkable first leg.

“We needed the three points. This has opened up the title race a little bit,” admitted Luis Enrique.

“It is very difficult in terms of motivation after playing a Champions League semi-final in an incredible atmosphere, but I expect more from my players,” said the PSG coach, who made nine changes here, with Willian Pacho and Desire Doue the only players retained from midweek.

Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were unused substitutes against Lorient while Vitinha was not in the squad.

Renato Marin, aged 19, made just his second top-team appearance in goal, and fellow teenager Mbaye made a first start in three months.

Mounguengue, an 18-year-old forward, came off the bench in the second half as the Parisians were held to a draw by Lorient for the second time this season.

Marseille misery

PSG went ahead on six minutes when Lorient goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo attempted to clear a Doue cross but instead played the ball off Mbaye before it rebounded into the net.

Pagis converted the first equaliser for Lorient, the club owned by American businessman Bill Foley who also owns Premier League Bournemouth and the Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL.

It was 2-1 to the hosts just after the hour mark. Zaire-Emery had just come on for Fabian Ruiz when he controlled a Doue pass for his first touch, and then fired in with the aid of a deflection.

But Mounguengue cost the home side two points when his loose ball inside was pounced upon by Tosin and the Benin forward went on to score.

PSG, who are chasing a fifth straight Ligue 1 title, hit the post late on through Senny Mayulu as they dropped points for the third time in their last five home Ligue 1 games.

Meanwhile, Marseille’s troubled season continued with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Nantes which is a further blow to their prospects of Champions League qualification but gives their opponents’ renewed hope of avoiding relegation.

Ignatius Ganago, Remy Cabella and Matthis Abline all scored in the space of nine minutes early in the second half as Nantes claimed a first win in nine matches and just a fifth victory all season.

Eight-time champions Nantes remain in the automatic relegation places with two games left but are now just two points behind Auxerre in the play-off spot before their rivals play on Sunday.

Marseille, meanwhile, are on a run of four defeats in their last six outings which leaves them sixth.

They are four points away from a Champions League berth with two games left, and at this rate are running the risk of not qualifying for Europe at all — OM will slip to seventh if Monaco win at relegation certainties Metz later.

“We got what we deserved,” said coach Habib Beye, who insisted he will not walk away.

“When you take on a challenge like this you don’t just give up. I will never quit.” 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Cherie DeVaux became the first woman to train the winner of the Kentucky Derby after Golden Tempo came from the back of the pack and charged down the stretch to get win Saturday’s big race.

DeVaux is just the second female trainer to win any Triple Crown race after Jena Antonucci won with Arcangelo in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. She won the Derby in her first opportunity, eight years since starting her own stable.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz and with a crowd of more than 100,000 watching and roaring at Churchill Downs, Golden Tempo passed favorite Renegade just before the wire to win the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:02.27 at odds of 23-1. Renegade was second, with brother Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, and long shot Ocelli was third.

“I don’t even have any words right now,” DeVaux said. “I just can’t. Just so, so, so happy for Golden Tempo. Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job of getting him there. He was so far out of it.”

During the week, DeVaux shifted from downplaying what it would mean to be the first woman to train a Derby winner to understanding she’s a role model to girls who might want to follow in her footsteps someday. She’s just the 18th woman to saddle a horse in the Kentucky Derby.

“I’m glad I can be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds do,” DeVaux said.

Ortiz showed off the riding prowess that has made him so successful at Churchill Downs in recent days, winning the Derby for the first time in his 11th try. It came a little under 24 hours since he also won the Kentucky Oaks, the top race for 3-year-old fillies.

His parents were there to witness Ortiz’s remarkable ride.

“I get to ride it almost every year, but to get to win it, it’s just special,” Ortiz said. “I just wish my grandpa was here, but I know he’s looking from heaven. Just very happy that I get my goal, my life dream goal achieved.”

The Kentucky Derby went on with just 18 horses. Great White was a late scratch after flipping and throwing his jockey. Track veterinarians made the call to scratch the long shot who got into the field Wednesday when Silent Tactic was ruled out because of a foot injury. The Puma was out, less than 12 hours before post time, because of a swollen leg from a skin infection.

Great White became the fifth horse scratched this week and the second Saturday. Silent Tactic was ruled out Wednesday, Fulleffort on Thursday and Right to Party on Friday, with Great White, Ocelli and Robusta getting in.

Dual state-based trainer Phillip Stokes has captured the South Australian Derby at Morphettville for the second successive year, this time with a rank outsider.

Building on Femminile’s $19 score from last year, Wigmore delivered at $41 on his second run for Stokes in the 2518m three-year-old Classic on Saturday.

The victory gave Teo Nugent his second top-flight win, with Wigmore prevailing by a short head over VRC Oaks victor Strictly Business ($12), and Autumn Mystery ($31) trailing by half a length in third.

After finishing fourth in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie on March 7, Wigmore arrived at Stokes’ stable three weeks ago and bowed in the Chairman’s Stakes (2000m) at Morphettville last Saturday.

The gelding was seventh that day, but Stokes observed considerable strides made by race time, as he had been stationed at the Morphettville yard following Melbourne-based Derby prep.

Stokes revealed OTI manager Terry Henderson wanted 25 per cent of Wigmore sold off, which he managed to clients with prompt success.

This is Stokes’ ninth Group 1 hit, with no short-term Group 1 plans for Wigmore on the horizon.

“We just brought him along slowly. He’s very clean winded and a big thanks to OTI,” Stokes said.

“They’re massive supporters. We’ve won this race twice with them and we’ve had a few Group 1 winners now.

“We’re getting up there, Group 1 winners wise. They’re very important. It’s good for everyone and there’s a lot of good owners in this.

“It’s a great result.”

Stokes downplayed chances of the Queensland Derby (2400m) trip to Brisbane later in the month.

“He’s done an amazing job after being up for so long,” Stokes said.

“We may have a Melbourne Cup horse on our hands.”

With Lachlan Neindorf suspended, Nugent drew the ride, Stokes confirmed.

Neindorf had schooled Wigmore extensively at Pakenham initially and proposed his dad buy into the Derby winner.

Nugent shared his long history with Stokes from age 12, jesting about a past dream of apprenticing under him.

“I went over to Ireland to learn how to ride horses and for whatever reason, it didn’t work out and I went to Ciaron Maher instead,” Nugent said.

“It’s good to team up with Phil and get a Group 1 winner behind us.

“He was always super throughout my apprenticeship, and he would always chuck me on in town.

“Just of late, I’ve been coming over to Adelaide, warming up for the season and to get a Group 1 win, it’s a massive thrill.

“Phil had this horse trained to the minute. This is his first campaign and to be in work for six months, he tipped me off when I got on, he was feeling super well.

“He’s a typical Kiwi mudlover, he got through that track, no worries at all, so it’s onwards and upwards for him, for sure.”

Visit betting sites to find racing odds for the South Australian Derby.

Arvid Lindblad (Image credit: AP)

NEW DELHI: When Arvid Lindblad sat in his Racing Bulls car at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year, there was already buzz about a young driver with Indian roots making his debut alongside stars like Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. But once the chequered flag came down, all eyes were on the 18-year-old, who went on to score points for his team on debut.Lindblad finished eighth and picked up four points for Racing Bulls. Jumping out of his car, celebrating with a roar, and soaking in the moment, his emotions were evident after an impressive debut.Recently, Lindblad took time off to explore India as he tried Mumbai’s street food, visited popular spots, interacted with locals, and even stopped by Mannat. The 18-year-old spoke to TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview about his Formula One journey so far, his connection with India, and much more.Excerpts:You scored points in your very first race. It must have been an emotional moment – can you take us back to that memory?Yeah, it was very special – very emotional. It’s something I’ve dreamed of my whole life, making it to Formula One. To finally have that moment in Australia, with both my parents there, made it even more meaningful. The whole weekend went so smoothly – getting into Q3, scoring points, and even running in the top three at one stage on the opening lap was pretty surreal. I absolutely loved every bit of it. It’s a day I’ll remember forever.What was it like lining up against drivers you grew up watching as icons of the sport? How did it feel racing alongside them?Yeah, it was pretty surreal. Racing alongside guys like Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton – and even Max Verstappen, who really rose through the sport around the time I started following it – was incredibly special. These are drivers I’ve watched for years on TV, so to be out there racing wheel-to-wheel with them is hard to put into words. I’d say Lewis was the one I was probably most starstruck by at the beginning, and even now there are still plenty of ‘pinch me’ moments. Even in Japan, during the drivers’ parade, it felt pretty special just being there alongside him. But once I’m on track, with the helmet on, it’s different – we’re all competitors, and I’m going to take every opportunity I can. Still, it’s amazing. I remember even last year during FP1 sessions, hearing on the radio, ‘Hamilton coming through’ when he was on a push lap – it’s pretty special just to hear that and to share the track with him.

It must have been a special moment for your family as well. What were those conversations like?Yeah, it really was special. This has always been my dream and my journey – something I’ve been working towards for as long as I can remember. But it’s not just mine, it’s something we’ve all sacrificed for as a family. My parents, even my brother – they’ve all played a part in this. So it truly felt like a family moment.That’s why having them there with me in Melbourne made it even more meaningful. It’s hard to describe, but I remember after the race, once I got out of the car and left the media pen, my parents were waiting for me in hospitality. The first thing I did was just hug them. It’s something we’ve dreamed about for years – especially me and my dad.For so long, it felt so far away. We were in the UK, racing on small tracks, waking up at 6 in the morning in the cold and rain. My dad was my mechanic, and we were doing everything ourselves. It didn’t always feel real that we’d get here one day. And then suddenly, it is real. It’s happening. That moment just hit us. We didn’t say much – we just hugged, got a bit emotional. I almost had tears in my eyes after the race. It was a very special feeling.You share a great bond with Max Verstappen. That viral video of him asking for your driving licence caught a lot of attention – what was that moment like?(Laughs) Yeah, it was pretty cool. I’ve known Max Verstappen for a while now, and he’s always been extremely friendly to me. I have a lot of respect for him – not just as a driver, because the level he performs at is incredible, but also as a person.He’s always been very kind, approachable, and willing to offer advice whenever I’ve needed it. What stands out is how humble and grounded he is – he hasn’t let the fame or spotlight change him, which is really great to see. In that sense, he’s definitely someone I look up to. I’ve been fortunate to spend time with him and build a good rapport.That viral moment was from a filming day a few months ago, when it came up that I didn’t have my driving licence yet. It was a funny situation, and something we could both relate to, having entered Formula One at a very young age. I think both of our journeys have been quite similar in that sense – we progressed quickly, came into F1 young, and have been part of the Red Bull setup. So it’s been really nice to share those experiences and moments with him.Three races into your career now – what are the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far?I think it’s been a massive change in Formula One this year with the new regulations – new engines, new cars, new tyres – so there’s been a lot to learn and get up to speed with. For me, the biggest challenge right now is managing everything. I already had a sense of it from last year, through TPC running and FP1 sessions, that in F1 you have a lot more influence over the car.There are many more tools available and a lot more you can adapt compared to other categories. In junior series, it’s pretty much just you and the car – you can’t change much. But in F1, there’s a lot more performance to unlock, and this year even more so, especially on the power unit side. The way you drive – your inputs – can affect how and when you get the power, and how it’s delivered.So there are a lot more variables you can control, and the key is to use them in the right way at the right time. Managing all of that, especially during a race when so much is happening, hasn’t been easy. It’s something all drivers are adapting to because it’s quite different, but as a rookie, I feel there’s even more performance for me to unlock compared to the others.

You’ve often spoken about Oliver Rowland. What role has he played in your journey?Yeah, Oli has been a massive help for me – someone I’ve known for a very long time. I first met him when I was seven, and we actually started karting together. He supported me a lot when I was racing in Europe – coming to races, staying in touch, and guiding me along the way. In Formula 3 and Formula 2, he became even more involved.He attended many races and played a big role in my development. His connection with Red Bull has also been a key factor in helping me progress quickly through the ranks and reach Formula One. It’s actually quite hard to describe his role because it’s a bit of everything. He’s a mentor, but also feels like family given how long we’ve known each other.He helps me across all aspects of being a driver. As you know, the role today isn’t just about driving. He works with me on performance, gives feedback on what I can improve, but also helps with things like preparing for race weekends, handling media, and managing everything that comes with the job. So it’s not just one thing – he’s been there to guide me in every aspect of my journey.If you hadn’t pursued professional racing, what do you think you’d be doing today?I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve always loved sports and I’m quite a driven, competitive person. So I think I would have ended up pursuing some kind of sport. Maybe even cricket, who knows? But honestly, it’s hard to say – I started karting when I was five, so this path began very early for me. I’m pretty sure I would have been involved in sport in some way.”You have a unique heritage and a strong connection to India through your family. Has that influenced your identity or the way you approach your career? And what do you enjoy most about your visits to India?Yeah, I’m very proud of my Indian heritage. It’s been a big part of my upbringing and has really shaped me into the person and driver I am today. From a young age, I’ve been connected to it – celebrating traditions, doing puja with my grandparents, and enjoying my nanny’s Indian food. I still remember when she used to come to the racetrack when I was seven or eight, bringing home-cooked meals – we’d be having rajma chawal, chapatis, and channa at the back of the car.Those are really special memories, and they’ve kept me closely connected to my roots. It’s something I’ve spoken about more recently, but it’s always been important to me. The values – hard work, humility, always giving your best – have had a big influence on who I am today. I always enjoy coming to India. Like you mentioned, the puja we did together in Delhi before the show run, where she kind of wished me luck before my first race in Melbourne, was really special. It’s those little things that mean a lot. We share a very close bond, and I really value that connection.Can you tell us a bit about your journey with Red Bull – from the junior programme to now being on the F1 grid?Yeah, obviously, I’m very grateful to Red Bull for the support they’ve given me. I was signed to the programme when I was 13, at the end of 2020, and since then, things have come a long way – it’s been a really special journey. I still remember how it all started, meeting Helmut Marko (former Austrian F1 driver) in a hotel when he told me he wanted to sign me.I was incredibly excited, especially knowing he had backed drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, who went on to achieve great things. For him to show that kind of belief in me meant a lot. Since then, both Helmut and ‘Rocky’ have played huge roles in my development. Rocky, especially on the technical side, has been someone I’ve leaned on a lot. His experience, including working closely with Sebastian and winning world championships, has helped me learn and improve as a driver.With Helmut, I’ve always had a very honest relationship. We speak openly about what’s going well and what needs improvement, and that’s really helped me progress quickly. It’s thanks to them, and the entire Red Bull Junior Programme, that I’ve been able to rise through the ranks so fast and reach Formula One. I’ll always be extremely grateful for that opportunity – especially to Helmut, who played a big part in me getting this chance. I wouldn’t be here without that support.How was your recent trip to Mumbai?I had a lot of fun visiting Mumbai – going to Mannat, spending time at the beaches, interacting with kids, and playing cricket with them at the maidans where Sachin Tendulkar started his career. It was a really enjoyable experience. It was my second visit to India – we had come in December 2025 as well – but this was my first time in Mumbai, and I absolutely loved it. It was great to learn more about Indian culture and explore the city.We did a mix of touristy things and fun activities. We visited Mannat, went to the Gateway of India, and explored a lot around the city. I even tried vada pav for the first time, which was amazing. Overall, it was a fantastic trip – we did so many things and really got the full experience. I loved every bit of it and I’m really looking forward to coming back later this year.You played cricket at the Mumbai maidans, where Sachin Tendulkar began his journey. What was that experience like?To be honest, I don’t know if I’m at a level where I can say I played proper shots – I was mostly just trying to hit the ball as hard as I could. But it was great fun. The kids were incredibly friendly. When we were playing at the maidans, there were people of all ages – adults in their 20s and 30s, even older, and young kids around six or seven.

Everyone was very welcoming and happy to let me join in. I got a chance to stand in front of the wickets, do some batting, and just enjoy the moment. It was a really fun experience playing with everyone.You also visited Mannat, home to Shah Rukh Khan. How was that visit?I mean, obviously, Shah Rukh Khan is a massive Bollywood star – more like a legend, to be honest. I can’t quite remember the name of the film now, but I do recall a scene we tried to recreate when I was in Delhi a couple of months ago.We did a fun social concept where we were sort of copying that iconic moment when he comes home and meets his mother. I did the walk-up, and then we had that warm embrace and hug. I don’t remember the exact dialogue, but the scene itself is really famous, and it was great fun trying to recreate it.