Plus, winners and losers from college basketball's transfer portal
By Austin Nivison Apr 23, 2026 at 9:00 am ET • 6 min read 
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🏀 Five things to know Thursday
- The Pistons notched their first home playoff win since 2008. Go nuts, Detroit. The long wait for a playoff win on your home court is over. The Pistons handed the Magic a 98-83 loss in Game 2 to level that series at 1-1 as it shifts to Orlando now. Meanwhile, in Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a 120-107 win over the Suns in Game 1. We've got your breakdown of last night's winners and losers, and get the latest on all the NBA playoff scores with our updated schedule.
- The Flyers are on the verge of sweeping the Penguins. The Battle of Pennsylvania has been more of a bludgeoning to this point. The Flyers notched a 5-2 win to take a 3-0 series lead over their in-state rivals. Elsewhere, the Ducks evened their series with the Oilers after their 6-4 win and Connor McDavid looked to have missed some time with a leg injury. And what became the nightcap, the Stars defeated the Wild 4-3 in double overtime to take a 2-1 series lead. Keep track of all the first-round updates right here.
- Spurs forward Keldon Johnson won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. The best teams in the NBA have deep benches, and there's a reason the Spurs were battling atop the West all season. Johnson made a huge impact coming off the bench -- even breaking Manu Ginóbili's franchise record for bench points in a season with 1,081 -- and he was just named the Sixth Man of the Year. That gives the Spurs at least two major award winners after Victor Wembayama was named unanimous Defensive Player of the Year.
- Alabama signed Kalen DeBoer to a massive seven-year contract extension. His tenure at Alabama hasn't been perfect, but DeBoer just got a big payday. Coming off an 11-4 campaign and a CFP appearance, DeBoer signed a seven-year extension with an annual salary of $12.5 million. Perhaps more importantly, if Alabama fires DeBoer, over the next three years the school will owe him the vast majority of his remaining salary with no duty to mitigate. Talk about job security.
- The Mets have ended their 12-game losing streak. At long last, the Mets have won a baseball game. New York snapped its seemingly interminable skid with a 3-2 win over the Twins. Plus, Juan Soto was in the lineup for the first time since April 7. All good news for the Mets, right? Not quite. Francisco Lindor exited the game in the fourth inning due to calf tightness. Uh oh.
🏈 Do not miss this: NFL Draft preview
Imagn Images The night everyone has been eyeing since Super Bowl LX ended is finally here. The 2026 NFL Draft begins tonight, and it sounds like there's serious potential for some chaos. According to NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, sources are pointing to early fireworks, a volatile top five and maybe even a QB trade-up. So buckle up!
There is one sure thing tonight: The Raiders are taking Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall. Beyond that, everything is up in the air from trades, risers and fallers. Our Matt Zenitz spoke to league sources about the uncertainty surrounding this year's draft, and he found that Miami QB Carson Beck could sneak into the first round.
- Zenitz: "The general consensus among personnel staffers is still that Beck is more likely to be selected in the late second to third round. However, multiple sources -- including a player personnel director, a Southeast area scout and a pass game coach -- said they could see a team taking Beck earlier than expected, potentially even late in the first round or early in the second."
Here's one projected top five that one NFL college scouting director gave Zenitz (read his full draft intel for another one):
1. Raiders -- Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana 2. Jets -- Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio State 3. Cardinals -- David Bailey EDGE, Texas Tech 4. Titans -- Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame 5. Giants -- Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
But what do the oddsmakers in Vegas say about what might happen in Pittsburgh tonight? Here is a first-round mock draft built entirely upon the betting odds for each pick.
Oh, we are far from done. Here is more draft goodness to kick off your Thursday:
- Our NFL insider Jonathan Jones has more intel on potential first-round fireworks.
- The NFL Draft playbook lays out the 10 rules for a successful weekend.
- The 2022 Georgia squad leads our most impressive draft classes since 2000.
- Five win-win trades that could unfold during the first round.
- Every team's ideal first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
- Stay tuned to the latest scuttlebutt with our draft rumors roundup.
🏀 Duke wins big in transfer portal
Getty Images With the college basketball transfer portal window closing on Tuesday night, the action has finally started to wind down. Now that the dust is settling, which teams emerged in good shape for the 2026-27 season?
Isaac Trotter has identified some winners and losers from this portal cycle -- and this may come as a shock to you all -- but Duke did pretty well for itself. Despite losing Nik Khamenia to UConn, the Blue Devils added some blue chips in John Blackwell (Wisconsin) and Drew Scharnowski (Belmont). Combine those pieces with what Jon Scheyer has returning, and this team is very close to being a contender for preseason No. 1.
- Trotter: "Duke is already in a great spot right now after multiple big offseason wins, but the Blue Devils would be a legitimate contender to be the No. 1 team in the country if it hits on a few more additions, namely retaining defensive wizard Dame Sarr and landing coveted Santa Clara transfer Allen Graves."
Duke's successful run on the transfer market propelled it up two spots in the latest edition of the Top 25 And 1. Also, Cameron Salerno recently graded every single major move in the portal.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
Getty Images - Patriots coach Mike Vrabel will seek counseling and will not be with the team for Day 3 of the NFL Draft after pictures of Vrabel holding hands with NFL reporter Dianna Russini were published earlier this month.
- The Cowboys expect WR George Pickens to play on his $27.3 million franchise tag in 2026.
- Lamine Yamal's status for the 2026 World Cup is in doubt due to a hamstring injury.
- Zurich Classic preview: Brooks Koepka is looking for his first PGA Tour win since returning.
- Cam Heyward expects a Steelers QB "battle" between ... Will Howard and Mason Rudolph.
- Caitlin Clark is the self-proclaimed "best transition player" in the WNBA.
- The Padres have bolstered their starting rotation by signing veteran RHP Lucas Giolito.
- The Nuggets have fired back at Jaden McDaniels after he disparaged their defense.
- Yankees RHP Will Warren has added a special trick to his repertoire this season.
- The Royals have announced plans for a new stadium in downtown Kansas City.
- CFP expansion talks are still unresolved as 16-team vs. 24-team debate rages.
- Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert "caught" a 108 mph line drive in his shirt.
- Look out: Kings coach DJ Smith got showered with glass in Game 2 vs. Avs.
- Here's how the Earthquakes became a pleasant MLS surprise.
📺 What we're watching Thursday
⛳ Zurich Classic: First round, 3 p.m. on Golf Channel ⚾ Yankees at Red Sox, 6:10 p.m. on Fox 🏒 Sabres at Bruins: Game 3, 7 p.m. on TNT 🏀 Knicks at Hawks: Game 3, 7 p.m. on Prime Video 🏒 Hurricanes at Senators: Game 3, 7:30 on TBS 🏀 Cavaliers at Raptors: Game 3, 7 p.m. on Prime Video 🏈 NFL Draft: First round, 8 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 Nuggets at Timberwolves: Game 3, 9:30 p.m. on Prime Video 🏒 Avalanche at Kings: Game 3, 10 p.m. on TNT
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