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Deadspin | Kevin Durant takes spotlight as Rockets try to even series with Lakers Apr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward Kevin Durant (center) watch during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images All eyes will be on the great Kevin Durant when his visiting Houston Rockets seek to square the ledger against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their best-of-seven playoff series Tuesday. Durant was unable to play Saturday’s first-round series opener after accidentally bumping knees with a teammate at practice three days earlier. The 16-time All-Star attempted to warm up a few hours before tipoff, but he ultimately didn’t feel his right knee was good enough to play. Durant led Houston with an average of 26 points per game this season and is No. 5 on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list. In his absence, the fifth-seeded Rockets struggled offensively in a 107-98 loss to the Lakers in Game 1. Houston had 27 more shot attempts but misfired badly, connecting at 37.6% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 68% from the free-throw line. Rockets coach Ime Udoka didn’t hesitate when asked about the qualities that Durant brings to the table, which were sorely lacking Saturday. “Efficiency and consistent scoring,” Udoka said. “On a nightly basis, he (Durant) shoots at a good, high clip. He doesn’t have too many nights like this (Houston in Game 1), struggling-wise. With all the young guys, he kind of calms you down … Regardless, if he’s back or not, if we’re shooting that poorly, it’s going to be tough to win.” Alperen Sengun led the Durant-less Rockets with 19 points. Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard added 17 apiece, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason both had 16. Durant is expected to be fit to take his place as the Rockets endeavor to overcome their 1-0 deficit, but the Lakers showed they are able to adapt whether or not Houston’s main man is on the court. “I don’t think it (Durant not playing Game 1) affected our mentality,” Los Angeles coach JJ Redick said. “This is all we’ve talked about for two months, is our playoff mentality. You can’t worry about who’s in or out of a line-up. It’s our gameplan, it’s our standard, it’s how we play and we’ve built towards that.” That standard saw the Lakers shoot a sizzling 60.6% from the floor, including 52.6% from deep. The star was Luke Kennard, who produced a playoff career-high 27 points and went 5-of-5 from three. Thompson admits the Rockets should have been more dialed in on Kennard, a key reserve and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter, who the Lakers acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in February. “Just respect other players,” Thompson said when asked where his team can improve. “I knew what Kennard could do. But I’ve got to be more locked in for it — locked in for that match-up.” LeBron James posted 19 points and 13 assists, while Deandre Ayton paired 19 points with 11 boards for Los Angeles. The Lakers are without their two leading scorers — Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) — which means greater production is required from more sources. “We don’t have a choice,” said James, who is participating in his 19th postseason. “It has to be that way — it has to be the collective group. When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to pitch in. We all have to do our job, and even do a little bit more.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Kevin #Durant #takes #spotlight #Rockets #series #Lakers

Deadspin | Kevin Durant takes spotlight as Rockets try to even series with Lakers
Deadspin | Kevin Durant takes spotlight as Rockets try to even series with Lakers Apr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward Kevin Durant (center) watch during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images All eyes will be on the great Kevin Durant when his visiting Houston Rockets seek to square the ledger against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their best-of-seven playoff series Tuesday. Durant was unable to play Saturday’s first-round series opener after accidentally bumping knees with a teammate at practice three days earlier. The 16-time All-Star attempted to warm up a few hours before tipoff, but he ultimately didn’t feel his right knee was good enough to play. Durant led Houston with an average of 26 points per game this season and is No. 5 on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list. In his absence, the fifth-seeded Rockets struggled offensively in a 107-98 loss to the Lakers in Game 1. Houston had 27 more shot attempts but misfired badly, connecting at 37.6% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 68% from the free-throw line. Rockets coach Ime Udoka didn’t hesitate when asked about the qualities that Durant brings to the table, which were sorely lacking Saturday. “Efficiency and consistent scoring,” Udoka said. “On a nightly basis, he (Durant) shoots at a good, high clip. He doesn’t have too many nights like this (Houston in Game 1), struggling-wise. With all the young guys, he kind of calms you down … Regardless, if he’s back or not, if we’re shooting that poorly, it’s going to be tough to win.” Alperen Sengun led the Durant-less Rockets with 19 points. Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard added 17 apiece, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason both had 16. Durant is expected to be fit to take his place as the Rockets endeavor to overcome their 1-0 deficit, but the Lakers showed they are able to adapt whether or not Houston’s main man is on the court. “I don’t think it (Durant not playing Game 1) affected our mentality,” Los Angeles coach JJ Redick said. “This is all we’ve talked about for two months, is our playoff mentality. You can’t worry about who’s in or out of a line-up. It’s our gameplan, it’s our standard, it’s how we play and we’ve built towards that.” That standard saw the Lakers shoot a sizzling 60.6% from the floor, including 52.6% from deep. The star was Luke Kennard, who produced a playoff career-high 27 points and went 5-of-5 from three. Thompson admits the Rockets should have been more dialed in on Kennard, a key reserve and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter, who the Lakers acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in February. “Just respect other players,” Thompson said when asked where his team can improve. “I knew what Kennard could do. But I’ve got to be more locked in for it — locked in for that match-up.” LeBron James posted 19 points and 13 assists, while Deandre Ayton paired 19 points with 11 boards for Los Angeles. The Lakers are without their two leading scorers — Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) — which means greater production is required from more sources. “We don’t have a choice,” said James, who is participating in his 19th postseason. “It has to be that way — it has to be the collective group. When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to pitch in. We all have to do our job, and even do a little bit more.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Kevin #Durant #takes #spotlight #Rockets #series #LakersApr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward Kevin Durant (center) watch during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

All eyes will be on the great Kevin Durant when his visiting Houston Rockets seek to square the ledger against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their best-of-seven playoff series Tuesday.

Durant was unable to play Saturday’s first-round series opener after accidentally bumping knees with a teammate at practice three days earlier.

The 16-time All-Star attempted to warm up a few hours before tipoff, but he ultimately didn’t feel his right knee was good enough to play.

Durant led Houston with an average of 26 points per game this season and is No. 5 on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list.

In his absence, the fifth-seeded Rockets struggled offensively in a 107-98 loss to the Lakers in Game 1.

Houston had 27 more shot attempts but misfired badly, connecting at 37.6% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 68% from the free-throw line.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka didn’t hesitate when asked about the qualities that Durant brings to the table, which were sorely lacking Saturday.

“Efficiency and consistent scoring,” Udoka said. “On a nightly basis, he (Durant) shoots at a good, high clip. He doesn’t have too many nights like this (Houston in Game 1), struggling-wise. With all the young guys, he kind of calms you down … Regardless, if he’s back or not, if we’re shooting that poorly, it’s going to be tough to win.”


Alperen Sengun led the Durant-less Rockets with 19 points. Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard added 17 apiece, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason both had 16.

Durant is expected to be fit to take his place as the Rockets endeavor to overcome their 1-0 deficit, but the Lakers showed they are able to adapt whether or not Houston’s main man is on the court.

“I don’t think it (Durant not playing Game 1) affected our mentality,” Los Angeles coach JJ Redick said. “This is all we’ve talked about for two months, is our playoff mentality. You can’t worry about who’s in or out of a line-up. It’s our gameplan, it’s our standard, it’s how we play and we’ve built towards that.”

That standard saw the Lakers shoot a sizzling 60.6% from the floor, including 52.6% from deep. The star was Luke Kennard, who produced a playoff career-high 27 points and went 5-of-5 from three.

Thompson admits the Rockets should have been more dialed in on Kennard, a key reserve and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter, who the Lakers acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in February.

“Just respect other players,” Thompson said when asked where his team can improve. “I knew what Kennard could do. But I’ve got to be more locked in for it — locked in for that match-up.”

LeBron James posted 19 points and 13 assists, while Deandre Ayton paired 19 points with 11 boards for Los Angeles.

The Lakers are without their two leading scorers — Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) — which means greater production is required from more sources.

“We don’t have a choice,” said James, who is participating in his 19th postseason. “It has to be that way — it has to be the collective group. When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to pitch in. We all have to do our job, and even do a little bit more.”


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Kevin #Durant #takes #spotlight #Rockets #series #Lakers

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Apr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward Kevin Durant (center) watch during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

All eyes will be on the great Kevin Durant when his visiting Houston Rockets seek to square the ledger against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their best-of-seven playoff series Tuesday.

Durant was unable to play Saturday’s first-round series opener after accidentally bumping knees with a teammate at practice three days earlier.

The 16-time All-Star attempted to warm up a few hours before tipoff, but he ultimately didn’t feel his right knee was good enough to play.

Durant led Houston with an average of 26 points per game this season and is No. 5 on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list.

In his absence, the fifth-seeded Rockets struggled offensively in a 107-98 loss to the Lakers in Game 1.

Houston had 27 more shot attempts but misfired badly, connecting at 37.6% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 68% from the free-throw line.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka didn’t hesitate when asked about the qualities that Durant brings to the table, which were sorely lacking Saturday.

“Efficiency and consistent scoring,” Udoka said. “On a nightly basis, he (Durant) shoots at a good, high clip. He doesn’t have too many nights like this (Houston in Game 1), struggling-wise. With all the young guys, he kind of calms you down … Regardless, if he’s back or not, if we’re shooting that poorly, it’s going to be tough to win.”

Alperen Sengun led the Durant-less Rockets with 19 points. Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard added 17 apiece, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason both had 16.

Durant is expected to be fit to take his place as the Rockets endeavor to overcome their 1-0 deficit, but the Lakers showed they are able to adapt whether or not Houston’s main man is on the court.

“I don’t think it (Durant not playing Game 1) affected our mentality,” Los Angeles coach JJ Redick said. “This is all we’ve talked about for two months, is our playoff mentality. You can’t worry about who’s in or out of a line-up. It’s our gameplan, it’s our standard, it’s how we play and we’ve built towards that.”

That standard saw the Lakers shoot a sizzling 60.6% from the floor, including 52.6% from deep. The star was Luke Kennard, who produced a playoff career-high 27 points and went 5-of-5 from three.

Thompson admits the Rockets should have been more dialed in on Kennard, a key reserve and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter, who the Lakers acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in February.

“Just respect other players,” Thompson said when asked where his team can improve. “I knew what Kennard could do. But I’ve got to be more locked in for it — locked in for that match-up.”

LeBron James posted 19 points and 13 assists, while Deandre Ayton paired 19 points with 11 boards for Los Angeles.

The Lakers are without their two leading scorers — Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left oblique strain) — which means greater production is required from more sources.

“We don’t have a choice,” said James, who is participating in his 19th postseason. “It has to be that way — it has to be the collective group. When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to pitch in. We all have to do our job, and even do a little bit more.”

–Field Level Media

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How the 2027 QB class is impacting the 2026 NFL Draft <div id=""><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup _1teeyfa8 ls9zuh1">Though there might be only one quarterback drafted in this year’s first round, multiple are expected to be square in the first-round mix in the 2027 NFL draft.</p><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup _1teeyfa8 ls9zuh1">Quarterbacks already on the NFL’s radar for 2027 include Oregon’s Dante Moore, Texas’ Arch Manning, Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, Miami’s Darian Mensah, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, LSU’s Sam Leavitt, UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava and Oklahoma’s John Mateer. Not all of those players will be first-round picks, but there are great expectations for many of them, and it provides a glimpse of the potential.</p><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup _1teeyfa8 ls9zuh1">But some teams aren’t even waiting. At least evaluator acknowledged that, while they were out at pro days scouting the prospects for this year’s draft, they took a long hard look at some of the aforementioned quarterbacks in next year’s class. At least one team put in some extra work with a few of these QBs while it was in those college towns, and chances are, that team was not the only one. The NFL is already thinking about the Class of 2027.</p></div> #class #impacting #NFL #Draft

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ISSF Junior World Cup: Shiva wins gold while Chirag bags bronze 10m air pistol; Panaah wins silver in 10m air rifle <div id="content-body-70888997" itemprop="articleBody"><p>Former mixed team World Champion Shiva Narwal marked his return after a three-year gap to claim gold in the 10m Air Pistol men’s junior event on Day 1 of competitions in the ISSF Junior World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun on Tuesday in Cairo at the Egypt International Olympic City.</p><p>Chirag Sharma accompanied Narwal on the podium by securing bronze, while Panaah Bhugra added a silver in the women’s 10m air rifle.</p><p>Narwal continued his form from the qualification to claim gold with 241.8, finishing 1.8 ahead of Uzbekistan’s Sodikjon Abdullaev, who secured silver. India’s Chirag completed the podium with 218.9, while Abhinav Deshwal, the other Indian in the final, finished seventh with 136.7.</p><p>Earlier in qualification, Shiva qualified in top spot with a score of 576-19x, followed by Abhinav in third place with a score of 576-16x and Chirag who qualified in fourth place, shooting 575-13x. Abhinav Choudhary (570-14x), Himanshu Rana (568-12x) and Abhay Dhama (567-17x) missed out on a spot in the finals.</p><p>In the women’s junior 10m air rifle event, Panaah, who qualified for the finals with a score of 629.4 maintained her place in the medal positions from the first series and showcased consistency to eventually clinch the silver medal with a final score of 250.6. The French duo of Anceline Brackman and Helena Ecale secured gold and bronze with scores of 252.0 and 228.6 respectively.</p><p>Shambhavi Kshirsagar, who finished qualification in top spot with a high score of 634.0, finished outside the medal positions in fourth place with a score of 206.5. The third Indian in the final, Anvii Rathod finished sixth with a score of 164.6.</p><p>Anvii qualified for the finals in sixth place with a score of 628.6, while the other Indians in the competition, Manyata Singh scored 628.3 to finish in eighth place. With the rule of maximum of three athletes per country, the three top ranked after qualification round proceeding to the final, Manyata missed out. Anushka Thokur (627.9) finished in ninth and Aneesha Sharma (627.1) finished in tenth place.</p><p>The 25m pistol men and women precision round along with the first 75 targets of skeet men and women have also commenced at the first event for the juniors. The rapid stage and finals of the 25m Pistol Women and 50 targets and the finals of skeet men and women will be held on Wednesday. The medals of the 25m pistol men and 50m rifle prone for both men and women will also be decided on Wednesday from the qualification round.</p><div class="fact-box"><h5 class="main-title"> Results: </h5><h5 class="sub-title">25m Pistol Women Precision Stage</h5><p> Sejal Kamble – 292-6x </p><p> Parisha Gupta – 288-8x </p><p> Anjali Mahendra Bhagwat – 284-5x </p><p> Shikha Chaudhary – 282-4x </p><p> Manvi Jain – 281-7x </p><p> Agam Grewal – Disqualified by ISSF Rule 6.7.9.1b (Post competition check failure) </p><h5 class="sub-title">25m Pistol Men Precision Stage</h5><p> Abhinav Deshwal – 290-9x </p><p> Raj Chandra – 288-9x </p><p> Yug Pratap Singh Rathore – 287-11x </p><p> Jatin – 283-5x </p><p> Abhinav Choudhary – 281-5x </p><p> Sahil Choudhary – 278-3x </p><h5 class="sub-title">Skeet Women (75 Targets)</h5><p> Risham Kaur Guron – 68 (24,23,21) </p><p> Sanyogita Shekhawat – 66 (21,22,23) </p><p> Agrima Kanwar – 60 (22,18,20) </p><p> Parmeet Kaur – 59 (19,22,18) </p><h5 class="sub-title">Skeet Men (75 Targets)</h5><p> Harviraj Singh – 71 (25,21,25) </p><p> Ishan Singh Libra – 70 (25,23,22) </p><p> Zorawar Singh Bedi – 68 (22,21,25) </p><p> Yashwardhan Singh Rajput – 63 (19,22,22) </p><p> Anjaneya Singh Mandawa – 59 (21,21,17) </p></div><p class="publish-time" id="end-of-article">Published on Apr 21, 2026</p></div> #ISSF #Junior #World #Cup #Shiva #wins #gold #Chirag #bags #bronze #10m #air #pistol #Panaah #wins #silver #10m #air #rifle

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Deadspin | Ryan Blaney wins Atlanta pole, leads Team Penske front-row sweep Jun 14, 2026; Long Pond, Pennsylvania, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) races during The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images HAMPTON, Ga. — Ryan Blaney claimed his second pole position of the season Saturday evening at Atlanta’s fast high-banked EchoPark Speedway — leading a Team Penske Ford front row sweep for Sunday night’s Quaker State 400 (7 p.m. ET, TNT, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford turned in a lap of 179.912 mph around the 1.5-mile track, besting his teammate Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford by a slight .016-second in Busch Light Pole Qualifying. It’s the 32-year old Blaney’s 14th career pole and marks the first front-row Penske sweep this year. All three Penske’s advanced to Saturday’s 10-car second round after dominating the top of the speed charts in round one. Austin Cindric will roll off eighth in the No. 2 Penske Ford. The typically low-key Blaney was thrilled for the result, crediting his team for the hard work. However, the 2023 series champion was quick to remind at a high-speed, drafting track such as Atlanta, he was confident starting up front doesn’t automatically translate into a trip to Victory Lane. Toyota, which is enjoying a dominant season in wins, failed to place a single car into the final round of qualifying. NASCAR Cup Series championship leader Denny Hamlin will roll off 28th in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who trails Hamlin by 44 points in the standings, will start 31st in the No. 45 Toyota. A five-time race winner this year, Reddick won at Atlanta this February. Gibbs drivers Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell will start 23rd and 32nd. And Reddick’s 23XI teammates Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst are 23rd and 29th on the grid. “I feel like we’ve seen that,” Blaney said of the Toyotas qualifying effort. “They don’t really qualify great at these speedways, just the build of their race car. So usually that means they can probably be aggressive in the draft and get in the middle and get to the top and things like that. I’m sure we’re going to see them up there. “If you look at the spring race here and Toyotas were really, really good when it came race time. Hopefully, our balance in the race is good enough to be able to either maintain the lead or if we get shuffled back to be able to go forward. You really don’t know that until the race starts.” The Chevrolets of Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports) and Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ) make up row two. Daniel Suarez will start fifth with the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets of Alex Bowman and defending race winner Chase Elliott, Cindric, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Brad Keselowski owner-driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford, rounding out the top 10. The front row start is especially significant for the three-time series champion Logano, who is enduring one of the most challenging seasons of his Hall of Fame-bound career. He’s still not in the top 16 field that will ultimately settle the title in the 10-race Chase. Logano’s ranked 18th, 16 points behind 16th-place Erik Jones. “The good news is the Hunt Brothers Pizza Mustang is fast and that speed you see in qualifying will usually show up in the race,” said Logano, a two-time Atlanta winner. “I’m proud to see the speed that’s there and the handling seemed fine in qualifying. “I feel like our team can handle these speedways really well and you can remember what happened here last Fall (he wrecked after leading laps and winning the pole position), so there’s no guarantee you see the end of it. “But,” he added with a smile, “The speed’s there and that’s half the battle, so we know we have that.” –By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media #Deadspin #Ryan #Blaney #wins #Atlanta #pole #leads #Team #Penske #frontrow #sweepJun 14, 2026; Long Pond, Pennsylvania, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) races during The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

HAMPTON, Ga. — Ryan Blaney claimed his second pole position of the season Saturday evening at Atlanta’s fast high-banked EchoPark Speedway — leading a Team Penske Ford front row sweep for Sunday night’s Quaker State 400 (7 p.m. ET, TNT, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford turned in a lap of 179.912 mph around the 1.5-mile track, besting his teammate Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford by a slight .016-second in Busch Light Pole Qualifying.

It’s the 32-year old Blaney’s 14th career pole and marks the first front-row Penske sweep this year. All three Penske’s advanced to Saturday’s 10-car second round after dominating the top of the speed charts in round one. Austin Cindric will roll off eighth in the No. 2 Penske Ford.

The typically low-key Blaney was thrilled for the result, crediting his team for the hard work. However, the 2023 series champion was quick to remind at a high-speed, drafting track such as Atlanta, he was confident starting up front doesn’t automatically translate into a trip to Victory Lane.

Toyota, which is enjoying a dominant season in wins, failed to place a single car into the final round of qualifying.

NASCAR Cup Series championship leader Denny Hamlin will roll off 28th in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who trails Hamlin by 44 points in the standings, will start 31st in the No. 45 Toyota. A five-time race winner this year, Reddick won at Atlanta this February.

Gibbs drivers Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell will start 23rd and 32nd. And Reddick’s 23XI teammates Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst are 23rd and 29th on the grid.


“I feel like we’ve seen that,” Blaney said of the Toyotas qualifying effort. “They don’t really qualify great at these speedways, just the build of their race car. So usually that means they can probably be aggressive in the draft and get in the middle and get to the top and things like that. I’m sure we’re going to see them up there.

“If you look at the spring race here and Toyotas were really, really good when it came race time. Hopefully, our balance in the race is good enough to be able to either maintain the lead or if we get shuffled back to be able to go forward. You really don’t know that until the race starts.”

The Chevrolets of Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports) and Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ) make up row two.

Daniel Suarez will start fifth with the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets of Alex Bowman and defending race winner Chase Elliott, Cindric, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Brad Keselowski owner-driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford, rounding out the top 10.

The front row start is especially significant for the three-time series champion Logano, who is enduring one of the most challenging seasons of his Hall of Fame-bound career. He’s still not in the top 16 field that will ultimately settle the title in the 10-race Chase. Logano’s ranked 18th, 16 points behind 16th-place Erik Jones.

“The good news is the Hunt Brothers Pizza Mustang is fast and that speed you see in qualifying will usually show up in the race,” said Logano, a two-time Atlanta winner. “I’m proud to see the speed that’s there and the handling seemed fine in qualifying.

“I feel like our team can handle these speedways really well and you can remember what happened here last Fall (he wrecked after leading laps and winning the pole position), so there’s no guarantee you see the end of it.

“But,” he added with a smile, “The speed’s there and that’s half the battle, so we know we have that.”


–By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Ryan #Blaney #wins #Atlanta #pole #leads #Team #Penske #frontrow #sweep">Deadspin | Ryan Blaney wins Atlanta pole, leads Team Penske front-row sweep Jun 14, 2026; Long Pond, Pennsylvania, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) races during The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images HAMPTON, Ga. — Ryan Blaney claimed his second pole position of the season Saturday evening at Atlanta’s fast high-banked EchoPark Speedway — leading a Team Penske Ford front row sweep for Sunday night’s Quaker State 400 (7 p.m. ET, TNT, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford turned in a lap of 179.912 mph around the 1.5-mile track, besting his teammate Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford by a slight .016-second in Busch Light Pole Qualifying. It’s the 32-year old Blaney’s 14th career pole and marks the first front-row Penske sweep this year. All three Penske’s advanced to Saturday’s 10-car second round after dominating the top of the speed charts in round one. Austin Cindric will roll off eighth in the No. 2 Penske Ford. The typically low-key Blaney was thrilled for the result, crediting his team for the hard work. However, the 2023 series champion was quick to remind at a high-speed, drafting track such as Atlanta, he was confident starting up front doesn’t automatically translate into a trip to Victory Lane. Toyota, which is enjoying a dominant season in wins, failed to place a single car into the final round of qualifying. NASCAR Cup Series championship leader Denny Hamlin will roll off 28th in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who trails Hamlin by 44 points in the standings, will start 31st in the No. 45 Toyota. A five-time race winner this year, Reddick won at Atlanta this February. Gibbs drivers Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell will start 23rd and 32nd. And Reddick’s 23XI teammates Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst are 23rd and 29th on the grid. “I feel like we’ve seen that,” Blaney said of the Toyotas qualifying effort. “They don’t really qualify great at these speedways, just the build of their race car. So usually that means they can probably be aggressive in the draft and get in the middle and get to the top and things like that. I’m sure we’re going to see them up there. “If you look at the spring race here and Toyotas were really, really good when it came race time. Hopefully, our balance in the race is good enough to be able to either maintain the lead or if we get shuffled back to be able to go forward. You really don’t know that until the race starts.” The Chevrolets of Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports) and Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ) make up row two. Daniel Suarez will start fifth with the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets of Alex Bowman and defending race winner Chase Elliott, Cindric, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Brad Keselowski owner-driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford, rounding out the top 10. The front row start is especially significant for the three-time series champion Logano, who is enduring one of the most challenging seasons of his Hall of Fame-bound career. He’s still not in the top 16 field that will ultimately settle the title in the 10-race Chase. Logano’s ranked 18th, 16 points behind 16th-place Erik Jones. “The good news is the Hunt Brothers Pizza Mustang is fast and that speed you see in qualifying will usually show up in the race,” said Logano, a two-time Atlanta winner. “I’m proud to see the speed that’s there and the handling seemed fine in qualifying. “I feel like our team can handle these speedways really well and you can remember what happened here last Fall (he wrecked after leading laps and winning the pole position), so there’s no guarantee you see the end of it. “But,” he added with a smile, “The speed’s there and that’s half the battle, so we know we have that.” –By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media #Deadspin #Ryan #Blaney #wins #Atlanta #pole #leads #Team #Penske #frontrow #sweep

England’s run at the 1986 World Cup came to a dramatic end due to the “Hand of God” goal scored by Diego Maradona.

Could their run at the 2026 World Cup continue due to the “Cable of God?”

Norway took a 1-0 lead late in the first half during Saturday’s Quarterfinal match between the two teams, thanks to a thunderous strike from Andreas Schjelderup.

However, England pulled level moments later, on a lovely left-footed strike from Jude Bellingham:

But should the goal have even counted?

FOX Sports cameras spotted Norway coach Stale Solbakken chatting with referee Clement Turpin after the goal, and Norway striker Erling Haaland was frustrated as well:

Eventually, replay angles showed why. After a goal kick from keeper Orjan Nyland, the ball appeared to strike one of the FIFA skycam cables, falling to the feet of England’s Anthony Gordon:

On the FOX Sports broadcast, former referee Mark Clattenburg noted that under FIFA rules, the play should have stopped, and a dropped-ball resulted.

A review did come later in the match, but that potential go-ahead goal was taken off the board after VAR noted a foul by Haaland before Norway’s corner kick:

The match remains tied at 1-1 deep into the second half, but no matter the result, expect that non-review to be part of the discussion.

Update: Following the match, FIFA shared this on social media:

#Englands #equalizer #Norway #counted">Why England’s equalizer against Norway should not have counted England’s run at the 1986 World Cup came to a dramatic end due to the “Hand of God” goal scored by Diego Maradona.Could their run at the 2026 World Cup continue due to the “Cable of God?”Norway took a 1-0 lead late in the first half during Saturday’s Quarterfinal match between the two teams, thanks to a thunderous strike from Andreas Schjelderup.However, England pulled level moments later, on a lovely left-footed strike from Jude Bellingham:But should the goal have even counted?FOX Sports cameras spotted Norway coach Stale Solbakken chatting with referee Clement Turpin after the goal, and Norway striker Erling Haaland was frustrated as well:Eventually, replay angles showed why. After a goal kick from keeper Orjan Nyland, the ball appeared to strike one of the FIFA skycam cables, falling to the feet of England’s Anthony Gordon:On the FOX Sports broadcast, former referee Mark Clattenburg noted that under FIFA rules, the play should have stopped, and a dropped-ball resulted.A review did come later in the match, but that potential go-ahead goal was taken off the board after VAR noted a foul by Haaland before Norway’s corner kick:The match remains tied at 1-1 deep into the second half, but no matter the result, expect that non-review to be part of the discussion.Update: Following the match, FIFA shared this on social media: #Englands #equalizer #Norway #counted

Argentina vs Switzerland LIVE score, FIFA World Cup 2026: ARG 2-1 SUI; Alvarez scores screamer in extra time Argentina (4-4-2): Emi Martinez (gk), Molina, Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Tagliafico, De Paul, Paredes, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Messi, AlvarezSwitzerland (4-2-3-1): Kobel (gk), Zakaria, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez, Freuler, Xhaka, Ndoye, Sow, Vargas, Embolo #Argentina #Switzerland #LIVE #score #FIFA #World #Cup #ARG #SUI #Alvarez #scores #screamer #extra #time

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