The Philadelphia 76ers kept their season alive Tuesday night with a gutty road win over the Boston Celtics. On the heels of an ugly Game 4 loss at home, Philadelphia responded with a dominant second half — particularly from Joel Embiid in his second game back after an emergency appendectomy. 

Elsewhere in the East, the New York Knicks took control of their series with the Atlanta Hawks with a commanding 126-97 win over the Atlanta Hawks at home. Now up 3-2, the Knicks have rebounded with back-to-back wins after falling behind 2-1 and can advance with a win in Game 6 in Atlanta on Thursday. 

Later on, the San Antonio Spurs became the second team in the West to advance to Round 2 by taking care of business against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5. 

Here are the biggest winners and losers of Tuesday night’s action.

Loser: Appendicitis (in its showdown vs. Joel Embiid)

Joel Embiid had an appendectomy 19 days ago. That he’s playing basketball is remarkable. That he’s able to cook the Celtics and absolutely take over the second half of a playoff game is incredible.

Embiid was the driving force behind the Sixers’ Game 5 victory. In 39 minutes, he scored 33 points (12-23 FG) and dished out eight assists. Imagine the numbers he could have put up if he hadn’t gotten off to such a rough start!

It was ancient history by the time Philadelphia was cruising to a comfortable win, but Embiid missed six of his first seven shots on Tuesday. Four of those misses were 3s. When those weren’t going in, he decided to change his approach.

“I started going inside and found some luck,” Embiid told ESPN’s Lisa Salters in his walkoff interview.

After halftime, Embiid scored 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting and didn’t take a single 3. I’m normally not a “bigs belong on the block!” guy, but it was exhilarating to watch him bully Nikola Vučević and make the Celtics look stupid for trying to front him. He hit a few vintage pull-ups and turnarounds — you know, the stuff that makes him an impossible matchup — in isolation, too. A truly superb showing.

A couple of weeks ago, it was fair to assume that appendicitis had effectively ended Embiid’s (and Philadelphia’s) season. Considering all of the other things his body has been through, maybe appendicitis never stood a chance. — James Herbert

Winner: Jalen Brunson

This hasn’t been the best series for Jalen Brunson. He hasn’t shot the ball that well. His defensive vulnerabilities — and the Hawks’ ability to aggressively and successfully expose them — have been well chronicled. But he remains a top-shelf scorer and he reminded everyone of that in Game 5 with 39 points and eight assists in the biggest game of New York’s season. 

Brunson scored 22 points in the second half (17 in the fourth quarter) and went on a run of 10 straight, which included this nasty old-fashioned 3-point play:

Followed by this deep pull-up on the ensuing possession:

Brunson came into Game 5 averaging 25.5 points per game in the series; not his best, but good enough. The problem was the efficiency — just 41% from the floor. In Game 5, he finished 15 of 23 overall and 3 of 5 from 3. He committed just one turnover and was in total control throughout. 

OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns were great. Jose Alvarado had his best game of the series in still pretty low minutes. New York’s defense was fantastic. The bench came to play. They dominated the points in the paint and doubled up Atlanta’s free-throw attempts, a credit to their physical advantage throughout the game. These were all factors in New York’s win. 

But all that said, Brunson has to be awesome for this team to legitimately compete with the top contenders. He was all of that and more on Tuesday. — Brad Botkin

Loser: CJ McCollum

McCollum entered Game 5 averaging nearly 25 points per game in this series. He took over Madison Square Garden and was winning the one-on-one matchup with Brunson somewhat decidedly. In Atlanta’s two wins, he went for 55 points. On Tuesday, he scored just six. 

Josh Hart was all over McCollum, but it was also a group effort. New York ramped up its defense in Game 4 and it continued into Game 5. The rotations, the physicality, the urgency. They fought the screens, and every corner McCollum tried to turn was cut off by layers of help.

Towns cut off his penetration and blocked his 3-point attempt on one possession, and stepped up to contest a floater in the lane on another. It was a group effort, and McCollum found the sledding to be far tougher than it had been through the first four games of this series.

For Atlanta to win Game 6 back home, McCollum probably has to have another big game, but it’s a fine line in putting the ball in his hands too much and allowing New York’s defense to narrow its focus. Atlanta probably needs to put McCollum in better positions to create secondarily rather than always as the focal point, but of course, that requires other guys to get it going.

Jonathan Kuminga is my Game 6 X-factor. He’s the ultimate wild card. If he can get it going, he can open a lot up for McCollum with the home crowd behind them. — Brad Botkin

Winner: Grit and Grimes

Shoutout to Quentin Grimes. 

The 3 to put Philadelphia up six was big, but please focus on the grimy one-on-one defense against Jaylen Brown on the possession that followed:

That is exactly the kind of effort that the Sixers needed with their season on the line against the Celtics. 

Grimes was plus-17 in 28 minutes on Tuesday. He finished with 18 points, and it was an awesome time to have a hot shooting night (5-8 FG, 4-7 3PT, 4-4 FT). Plays like the above defensive stand, though, had as much to do with Philly’s victory as its offensive efficiency did. (Grimes rejected Jayson Tatum from behind on a fast break, too.)

When the Sixers trailed by 13 a couple of minutes into the second half, they could have packed it in. Instead, they dug in. Philadelphia responded with a 15-3 run, patiently finding high-quality looks on just about every offensive possession and nudging the Celtics toward their worst habits on the other end. The Sixers then dominated the fourth, holding Boston without a bucket for almost five minutes and earning their gutsiest win of the season. — James Herbert

Winner: Victor Wembanyama

Was it an especially glamorous victory for Victor Wembanyama? No. If you’re looking for one of those, Game 1 of this series more than sufficed. The numbers were subtle by Wemby’s standards — 17 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks. The glory was shared. This was a team victory. Five Spurs scored at least 15 points, but none topped 21.

But Wembanyama is the sort of player for whom any box checked is a memorable one, and he’s checked quite a few of them lately. A unanimous Defensive Player of the Year trophy, for instance, and that Game 1 “first playoff victory.” It was relatively tame, especially since he missed Game 3, but for the rest of his career, this series will always be a trivia question. 

The first series Wembanyama won came against Portland. He overcame a concussion and overwhelmed a lower-seeded opponent as we expect him to do many, many more times in his career. — Sam Quinn

Loser: Donovan Clingan

As one highly drafted center rises, another stumbles. It’s only Year 2 for Donovan Clingan, and he’s playing on a flawed roster. Still, it’s hard not to be a little concerned with what we just watched. Centers shouldn’t ever shoot 14-for-46 from the field in a series. Portland was outscored by 47 points in Clingan’s minutes during the series. He was too slow defensively. He didn’t look ready for the moment.

Again, he’s 22. We don’t need to get carried away. But Portland won Robert Williams III’s minutes in this series, and while Williams is a very effective player in smaller doses, he’s not exactly a superstar. Portland has a lot staked on its young center, and his sophomore season was by and large a success. But this series wasn’t, and that’s part of why Portland’s season is now over. — Sam Quinn

When the Minnesota Vikings entered the 2026 NFL Draft, there were more than a few positions they needed to address. They targeted both sides of the football and did a good job of grabbing talent all across the board. One of the positions they couldn’t afford to ignore any longer was running back.

Kevin O’Connell has grown synonymous with a lack of a running game. He has leaned into Aaron Jones and the running joke that has become Cam Akers (who is, again, available, by the way).

Claiborne Has a Clear Path to Snaps

It would have been fun to see Minnesota-native Emmett Johnson in a Vikings uniform, but they infused youth by choosing Wake Forest product Demond Caliborne.

Playing plenty as a freshman, Demond Claiborne has 44 career games under his belt at the collegiate level. He ran for 1,049 yards as a junior two seasons ago, before bumping his yards per carry average up to 5.1 this past season. Claiborne has 26 career rushing touchdowns, of which 21 came in the past two seasons.

Claiborne is not a one-trick pony either. After hauling in 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns as a junior, he caught 28 passes last season. While Wake Forest is hardly a blue blood, he played against plenty of stout talent in the ACC and was a clear outlier on a program that otherwise struggled.

When dealing with the underwear Olympics, Claiborne balled out as well. He turned in a blazing 4.37 40-yard dash with a 1.59 10-yard split. His broad jump was impressive at 10’2″, and he has often been suggested as a ridiculously twitch talent.

The Minnesota Vikings needed to reset the youth at running back. Ty Chandler didn’t pan out, and neither Mason nor Jones is a long-term answer. Claiborne can cycle in this year while getting some run on special teams, and he could very well be the guy at some point next season.

Ted Schwerzler is a Minneapolis based blogger that covers the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. Sharing thoughts constantly on Twitter, … More about Ted Schwerzler

A definitive decision could be coming to end the Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao rematch drama.

It was announced earlier this year that Mayweather and Pacquiao were due to meet in a professional bout over 10 years on from their first encounter, with the event set to be broadcast live on Netflix and take place at The Sphere in Las Vegas on September 19.

In recent weeks, the match-up has been thrown into doubt, after Mayweather claimed that the contest would instead be an exhibition, while Pacquiao continues to insist it has to be a fully sanctioned fight.

With it currently unknown whether or not it will indeed go ahead, the clearest sign yet has possibly been given that it will no longer happen.

Speaking to FightHype, promoter Eddie Hearn said that he believes Netflix could now put focus on the WBC welterweight title battle between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, essentially replacing the Mayweather-Pacquiao event.

“The whole thing is a mess. I’m surprised that Netflix got involved in the whole circus of it… Netflix are new into boxing but they have got to be a bit more solid in a routine, because you can’t really announce a fight and it just falls by the wayside, it just doesn’t look great.

“No [I don’t believe it will happen], not now. Netflix are only going to do so many fights, and the word is that they’re doing Benn-Garcia now on September 12 or whenever that is going to be, so that’s obviously the fight that is replacing Mayweather-Pacquiao.

“If Mayweather-Pacquiao happened, they’re committed to that fight, but if it doesn’t happen, they’re going to want another fight to slot in there, and by the sounds of that it’s Garcia against Benn.”

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The world title showdown between Garcia and Benn has been heavily discussed this month, and if Hearn is correct, it could spell the end of any hopes of Mayweather and Pacquiao colliding again.

LIV Golf has postponed its event in New Orleans in June amid continued questions over its future.

US officials confirmed on Tuesday the event will be rescheduled after BBC Sport was told the Saudi Arabia-backed series was in talks with local Louisiana authorities about moving the tournament to September or October.

According to sources, officials were keen to avoid peak summer heat and ensure the Bayou Oaks course at City Park is in top championship condition.

LIV bosses are also said to have wanted to avoid a clash with the World Cup.

Louisiana governor Jeff Landry and economic development secretary Susan Bourgeois said in a joint statement the state had already paid $3.2m (£2.36m) under its contract with LIV, of which $2m (£1.47m) has already been invested in upgrading the course.

They added LIV is expected to returning the remaining $1.2m (£880,000) in state incentive funds.

“We appreciate LIV’s good-faith efforts and look forward to maintaining our partnership as we continue conversations around an event later this year,” said Landry and Bourgeois.

It means LIV Golf will not have any tournaments in the USA for a three-month period from 10 May until 6 August when it goes to Trump Bedminster in New Jersey.

However, amid reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is set to end its support for the breakaway tour, this will only intensify speculation.

Earlier this month, LIV Golf chief executive Scott O’Neil told players the 2026 season would continue “as planned and uninterrupted” amid rumours the tour was on the verge of collapse.

Players, coaches and officials of Bendel Insurance FC paid a visit to injured defender Itoro Promise at the Specialist Hospital in Benin on Monday after his successful surgery.

The visit brought joy to the centre-back, who is currently recovering after suffering a fracture on his left leg during Bendel Insurance’s 3-0 victory over St. Andrews FC in the semi-final of the 2026 Edo FA Cup on April 22 at the Crescent Sports Club field.

After medical examinations, the club’s medical team advised that the player should undergo surgery. The operation was successfully carried out on Friday, April 24, at the Benin Specialist Hospital.

The visiting team was led by the club’s General Manager, Charles Ohimekpen, and Technical Manager Kennedy Boboye. Team captain Efe Enabulele and other players also joined the visit.

The team arrived at the hospital with the 2026 Edo FA Cup trophy they won after beating Westgate FC 2-0 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Sunday.

The players celebrated both the FA Cup victory and the successful surgery with their injured teammate.

Coach Boboye wished Itoro a quick recovery, saying: “We thank God and the doctors for the successful surgery and wish you a speedy recovery. It is our hope you return stronger.”

Captain Enabulele also encouraged the defender. He said: “We missed you in the final match and we fought for the trophy, believing it will bring you joy and some relief as you recover from the pains you have been going through. We are happy the surgery went well. Here is the cup we brought for you to feel it with us together. We wish you quick recovery.”

Itoro Promise, who is expected to miss the rest of the current season, thanked the management, players and medical team of Bendel Insurance for supporting him since the injury.

Bendel Insurance defeated Westgate FC 2-0 to successfully defend the Edo FA Cup title, which they have now won every year since 2019.

China’s Zhao Xintong pulls off a shot emmulating the late John Virgo, potting three reds at the same time in his quarter-final match-up against Shaun Murphy at the World Snooker Championship.

FOLLOW LIVE: World Snooker Championship – day 11

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Punjab Kings’ captain Shreyas Iyer (AP Photo)

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer endured a rare off day with the bat as his side slipped to its first defeat of IPL 2026, with Rajasthan Royals pulling off a successful chase of 223 in a high-scoring contest on Tuesday. Coming into the match in strong form, Iyer never quite found his rhythm. He laboured to 30 off 27 deliveries, managing just one boundary and a six, which slowed PBKS during a crucial phase of the innings. While Marcus Stoinis provided the late fireworks with a blistering unbeaten 62 from only 22 balls, taking the total to 222 for 4, it ultimately proved insufficient. Questions have since been raised around Iyer’s approach, especially with aggressive options like Marco Jansen and Nehal Wadhera waiting in the dugout but not getting an opportunity to bat. The situation has sparked debate over whether Iyer could have considered retiring himself out to accelerate the innings. Former South Africa pacer Shaun Pollock, however, felt such a move would have depended heavily on the available batting options. “It depends on who you got to come. So, if Stoinis had played two knocks like he played today, and he is still to come, you could consider. But I don’t think there was anyone down the order who you would think would have been in better form,” Pollock told Cricbuzz. Pollock also pointed to a similar situation from his time in SA20 with Pretoria Capitals. “We had an example in our SA20. We promoted Roston Chase but we had Rutherford who had been in unbelievable form and was striking at over 200. Roston had a bit of a period (of slow batting). We pulled him with two overs to go. Also, we wanted a left-hander at the crease,” he explained. “So, when you have got someone, then strategically if you’re feeling as a captain, yeah, I’m not hitting it today and you want to make a change,” he added, highlighting the tactical nature of such calls. Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle offered a different perspective, suggesting that Iyer’s recent form may have influenced his decision to continue. “If you’re a player in form, you’re always backing yourself. So he is telling himself yeah I know but I’ll probably hit three sixes from here,” Bhogle said. Pollock further noted that retire-out decisions are becoming more frequent in modern T20 cricket. “It’s a brave call, but it is definitely happening more and more,” he said. Despite the loss, Iyer has enjoyed an impressive season so far, ranking among the top six-hitters in the tournament while leading PBKS to the top of the table. Earlier in the match, PBKS posted a formidable total riding on Stoinis’ late assault and a steady 59 from Prabhsimran Singh. However, Rajasthan Royals responded with intent. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed 43 off 16 balls and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 51 off 27, giving the chase early momentum with a 51-run opening stand. The game was eventually sealed by a dominant unbeaten partnership between Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey. Ferreira struck 52 off 26 balls while Dubey chipped in with a rapid 31 off just 12 deliveries, guiding Rajasthan home with four balls to spare.