×
Deadspin | NBA roundup: Pistons dominate Knicks to cap season sweep

Deadspin | NBA roundup: Pistons dominate Knicks to cap season sweep

Feb 19, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dunks against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Cade Cunningham totaled 42 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds as the Detroit Pistons pulled away in the second half and completed a season sweep of the host New York Knicks with a 126-111 victory on Thursday.

Detroit won the three meetings by a combined 84 points, improving its regular-season winning streak vs. New York to six games. The Knicks had won the previous 16 matchups between the teams.

Cunningham made 17 of 34 shots and posted his third 40-point game of the season. Paul Reed filled in for Jalen Duren (NBA suspension) and contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as the Pistons won for the ninth time in 11 games.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 33 points and eight assists. Karl Anthony-Towns added 21 points and 11 rebounds as New York lost for the third time in five games.

Hawks 117, 76ers 107

Jalen Johnson recorded 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as Atlanta continued its dominance of host Philadelphia to end a three-game losing streak.

Atlanta won despite 43.2% shooting from the field and a 10-of-32 showing (31.2%) from 3-point range. CJ McCollum chipped in with 23 points off the bench for the Hawks, who improved to 3-0 against the 76ers this season.

Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points on 8-of-23 shooting for the Sixers, while VJ Edgecombe contributed 20 points and nine rebounds. Andre Drummond notched 10 points and 14 rebounds for the hosts, who were without Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (suspension) and lost their third straight.

Cavaliers 112, Nets 84

Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points and James Harden had 16 points and nine assists as host Cleveland dominated Brooklyn, extending its winning streak to six and at one point holding its largest lead of the season.

Jarrett Allen posted 15 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, which led from wire to wire for the second straight game and has won 11 of its last 12. Dennis Schroder made two free throws late in the third quarter to put Cleveland up 102-59, its biggest margin of the season.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 14 points and Ochai Agbaji had 13 points off the bench for Brooklyn, which shot 34.5% from the field. Danny Wolf collected 11 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

Rockets 105, Hornets 101

Kevin Durant poured in 35 points on 14-for-20 shooting as Houston fended off host Charlotte for a victory in the first game after the All-Star break.

Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points and Alperen Sengun and Reed Sheppard both scored 13 points for the Rockets, who benefitted from 16 Charlotte turnovers. Houston has won five consecutive road games.

The Hornets had won 10 of their previous 11 games, but they had too many rough patches that prevented them from sweeping the season series. Grant Williams cranked in 20 points. LaMelo Ball, playing a day after he was involved in an automobile accident, had 11 points in 31 minutes, making one of his six 3-point attempts.

Spurs 121, Suns 94

Stephon Castle scored 20 points as San Antonio dominated short-handed Phoenix in Austin, Texas, to win its seventh straight game.

Victor Wembanyama added 17 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and four assists for the Spurs, who led by 12 at halftime before opening the gap to 29 in the third quarter.

Jalen Green’s 26 points led the Suns, who have dropped two straight. Devin Booker missed the second half due to right hip soreness, and Phoenix was without Grayson Allen (ankle) and Dillon Brooks (league suspension).

Wizards 112, Pacers 105

Bub Carrington, Jaden Hardy, Anthony Gill and Kadary Richmond each scored 13 points as Washington beat visiting Indiana.

The Wizards finished with seven double-figure scorers while snapping a three-game losing streak. Washington forced 23 turnovers to help win the first of back-to-back matchups against the Pacers.

Jarace Walker led Indiana with 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Rookie Taelon Peter had a career-high 16 points as the Pacers’ two-game winning streak ended.

Raptors 110, Bulls 101

Brandon Ingram scored 31 points to fuel visiting Toronto to a victory over Chicago.

Ingram added eight rebounds and six assists to help the Raptors defeat the Bulls for the second time this month. Scottie Barnes logged 14 points and nine rebounds for Toronto, which benefited from 23 turnovers by Chicago to pick up its eighth win in 12 games.

Anfernee Simons scored 20 points and Isaac Okoro added 16 for the Bulls, who saw their losing streak extend to seven. Tre Jones recorded 12 points and six assists and Josh Giddey had five and five in their returns from their left hamstring injuries.

–Field Level Media

Source link
#Deadspin #NBA #roundup #Pistons #dominate #Knicks #cap #season #sweep

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday ​Washington had no objections to Iranian players participating in FIFA World Cup 2026 but he added ​the players will not be allowed to ⁠bring with them people with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“Nothing from the U.S. has told them they can’t ‌come,” Rubio told reporters. President Donald Trump also said his administration “would not want to affect ‌the athletes” in comments he made at the ‌White ⁠House.

The 2026 World Cup is set ⁠to begin on June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Paolo Zampolli, a Trump envoy who has no official connection with ​the World Cup, had ‌earlier suggested that Italy should replace Iran at the tournament.

“The problem with Iran would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other ‌people they would want to bring with them, ​some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to ⁠let them in but not the athletes themselves,” Rubio said.

“They can’t bring a bunch of IRGC terrorists into ‌our country and pretend that they are journalists and athletic trainers,” Rubio added. Washington has designated the IRGC as a “foreign terrorist organisation.”

Currently there is no suggestion Iran will withdraw or be banned from the tournament that Italy missed out on. After the start of ‌the Iran war, Iran requested that FIFA move the team’s ​three group matches from the U.S. to Mexico, which was rejected.

The U.S. and Israel ⁠attacked Iran on February 28.

Iran responded with its ⁠own strikes on Israel and Gulf states with U.S. bases. U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli ‌attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. A fragile ceasefire in the Iran war ​began over two weeks ago.

Published on Apr 24, 2026

#FIFA #World #Cup #doesnt #object #Iran #playing #people #IRGC #ties">FIFA World Cup 2026 — US says it doesn’t object to Iran playing but people with IRGC ties not welcome  U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday ​Washington had no objections to Iranian players participating in FIFA World Cup 2026 but he added ​the players will not be allowed to ⁠bring with them people with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).“Nothing from the U.S. has told them they can’t ‌come,” Rubio told reporters. President Donald Trump also said his administration “would not want to affect ‌the athletes” in comments he made at the ‌White ⁠House.The 2026 World Cup is set ⁠to begin on June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.Paolo Zampolli, a Trump envoy who has no official connection with ​the World Cup, had ‌earlier suggested that Italy should replace Iran at the tournament.“The problem with Iran would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other ‌people they would want to bring with them, ​some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to ⁠let them in but not the athletes themselves,” Rubio said.“They can’t bring a bunch of IRGC terrorists into ‌our country and pretend that they are journalists and athletic trainers,” Rubio added. Washington has designated the IRGC as a “foreign terrorist organisation.”Currently there is no suggestion Iran will withdraw or be banned from the tournament that Italy missed out on. After the start of ‌the Iran war, Iran requested that FIFA move the team’s ​three group matches from the U.S. to Mexico, which was rejected.The U.S. and Israel ⁠attacked Iran on February 28.Iran responded with its ⁠own strikes on Israel and Gulf states with U.S. bases. U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli ‌attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. A fragile ceasefire in the Iran war ​began over two weeks ago.Published on Apr 24, 2026  #FIFA #World #Cup #doesnt #object #Iran #playing #people #IRGC #ties

Deadspin | McLaren boss ‘shocked’ if Christian Horner doesn’t return to F1  Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; McLaren Formula 1 CEO Zak Brown walks through the track entrance before the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images   McLaren boss Zak Brown said he would welcome the return of Formula 1 rival Christian Horner and that he would be “shocked” if it doesn’t happen.  Horner, who was fired by Red Bull last July, is part of a group attempting to purchase investment firm Otro Capital’s 24% stake in Alpine’s F1 team.  “I think Christian was a great personality for the sport,” Brown said at a media session hosted by McLaren this week, per ESPN. “Sport always has great personalities. They come and go. I think it’d be great to have Christian back in the sport.  “He’s a great operator. His track record speaks for itself. I’d rather have 10 weak team principals, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.   “And there’s huge talent that’s coming up, you know, all the time. There’s been a lot of team principal moves here in the last two to three years, but I think it’d be great to have him back in the sport. And I’m sure given his passion for the sport and his age, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t back in the sport, whether it was with Alpine or someone else.”  Brown wasn’t the only F1 executive who had a frosty relationship with Horner in the past.  Mercedes principal Toto Wolff said last month that Horner had left “a lot of broken glass” in the sport during his two decades at Red Bull. Wolff could potentially block Horner’s return path through Alpine, as Wolff also has been exploring the purchase of Otro’s shares.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #McLaren #boss #shocked #Christian #Horner #doesnt #returnOct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; McLaren Formula 1 CEO Zak Brown walks through the track entrance before the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

McLaren boss Zak Brown said he would welcome the return of Formula 1 rival Christian Horner and that he would be “shocked” if it doesn’t happen.

Horner, who was fired by Red Bull last July, is part of a group attempting to purchase investment firm Otro Capital’s 24% stake in Alpine’s F1 team.

“I think Christian was a great personality for the sport,” Brown said at a media session hosted by McLaren this week, per ESPN. “Sport always has great personalities. They come and go. I think it’d be great to have Christian back in the sport.


“He’s a great operator. His track record speaks for itself. I’d rather have 10 weak team principals, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

“And there’s huge talent that’s coming up, you know, all the time. There’s been a lot of team principal moves here in the last two to three years, but I think it’d be great to have him back in the sport. And I’m sure given his passion for the sport and his age, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t back in the sport, whether it was with Alpine or someone else.”

Brown wasn’t the only F1 executive who had a frosty relationship with Horner in the past.

Mercedes principal Toto Wolff said last month that Horner had left “a lot of broken glass” in the sport during his two decades at Red Bull. Wolff could potentially block Horner’s return path through Alpine, as Wolff also has been exploring the purchase of Otro’s shares.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #McLaren #boss #shocked #Christian #Horner #doesnt #return">Deadspin | McLaren boss ‘shocked’ if Christian Horner doesn’t return to F1  Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; McLaren Formula 1 CEO Zak Brown walks through the track entrance before the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images   McLaren boss Zak Brown said he would welcome the return of Formula 1 rival Christian Horner and that he would be “shocked” if it doesn’t happen.  Horner, who was fired by Red Bull last July, is part of a group attempting to purchase investment firm Otro Capital’s 24% stake in Alpine’s F1 team.  “I think Christian was a great personality for the sport,” Brown said at a media session hosted by McLaren this week, per ESPN. “Sport always has great personalities. They come and go. I think it’d be great to have Christian back in the sport.  “He’s a great operator. His track record speaks for itself. I’d rather have 10 weak team principals, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.   “And there’s huge talent that’s coming up, you know, all the time. There’s been a lot of team principal moves here in the last two to three years, but I think it’d be great to have him back in the sport. And I’m sure given his passion for the sport and his age, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t back in the sport, whether it was with Alpine or someone else.”  Brown wasn’t the only F1 executive who had a frosty relationship with Horner in the past.  Mercedes principal Toto Wolff said last month that Horner had left “a lot of broken glass” in the sport during his two decades at Red Bull. Wolff could potentially block Horner’s return path through Alpine, as Wolff also has been exploring the purchase of Otro’s shares.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #McLaren #boss #shocked #Christian #Horner #doesnt #return

Post Comment