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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE MIAMI HEAT AND THE DALLAS MAVERICKS
One must-win play-in game down, one to go. The Heat and the Mavericks still have a chance at the No. 8 seeds in the East and the West, respectively, after their Play-In Tournament wins.
- The Heat beat the host Bulls, 109-90, behind 38 points from Tyler Herro, who quietly has had an excellent season. Miami will face the Hawks in Atlanta tomorrow night for the No. 8 seed in the East.
- The Mavericks beat the Kings, 120-106, behind 50 combined points from Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson. Dallas will face the Grizzlies in Memphis tomorrow night for the No. 8 seed in the West.
Listen, neither Miami’s nor Dallas’ season has gone to plan. The Heat had an ugly split with Jimmy Butler, and the Mavericks sent Luka Dončić to the Lakers in one of the most lopsided and ridiculed trades in NBA history before losing several key players to injury. That includes Kyrie Irving (torn ACL), though Dallas is optimistic about his return date next season.
Still, a win is better than a loss, we suppose. We’ll see if either (or both) can sneak into the playoffs; no No. 10 seed has never done so.
😆 Honorable mentions
🏀 And not such a good morning for …
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THE CHICAGO BULLS AND THE SACRAMENTO KINGS
Remember when we said yesterday we felt like the Hawks, perpetually play-in participants, were stuck? It’s even worse for the Bulls; at least the Hawks had an Eastern Conference Finals run in there. The Bulls have been in the play-in three straight seasons, and this marks their 10th straight season of not winning a playoff series.
It remains hard to see any semblance of a plan here. Chicago traded away Zach LaVine midseason in a move it wouldn’t have had to make if it simply tanked properly. Instead, the organization insists on mediocrity. Rinse and repeat.
The Kings aren’t all that dissimilar, though this year was more turbulent — they fired Mike Brown and traded De’Aaron Fox — and ultimately another step backwards.
And if it can be believed, the Kings have an even sadder streak than the Bulls: Sacramento’s last playoff series win came in 2004. It’s hard to believe just two years ago they pushed the Warriors to seven games and appeared to have a bright future centered around Brown, Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Immediately after the loss, the Kings fired GM Monte McNair.
As has been the case for two decades, though, every time the Kings have something good going, they get in their own way. The dysfunction has no end in sight, Sam Quinn writes.
😕 Not so honorable mentions
🏈 NFL Draft comps for top-100 prospects
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The first round of the NFL Draft is one week away, and while Cam Ward all but confirmed (in hilarious fashion) he’s headed to the Titans first overall, there’s plenty up in the air — and questions still emerging — such as …
NFL decision makers not only have to sift through tons of data, questions and research of their own, but eventually make a choice, too. And remember, those are the guys getting paid to do it! It’s even tougher for us fans. So we asked our draft experts for NFL comparisons for this year’s top-100 prospects. Here are some of my favorites:
- Travis Hunter as a WR: Justin Jefferson | Travis Hunter as a CB: Champ Bailey
- Cam Ward: Jordan Love
- Tetairoa McMillan: Tee Higgins (I love this one.)
- Ashton Jeanty: Shorter Marshawn Lynch
- Will Johnson: Patrick Surtain II (!!!)
We’re also pumping out mock drafts all the time, so be sure to check those out, too.
⚽ Arsenal, Inter into UEFA Champions League semifinals
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There was no Bernabeu magic this time. Arsenal made sure of it. The Gunners are into the UEFA Champions League semifinals after a 2-1 win Wednesday (and 5-1 win on aggregate) over Real Madrid, the reigning champs.
- Early on, it looked like the hosts could conjure up something when Thibault Courtois saved a poorly taken Bukayo Saka penalty kick, and Real Madrid appeared to win a penalty minutes later. However, that call was overturned after a lengthy review.
- Saka made up for his early miss with a wonderful 66th-minute chip, and even though Vinicius Junior scored a minute later, it was far too little, too late. Gabriel Martinelli added the cherry on top.
It’s Arsenal’s first UCL semifinal since 2009, and while it’s a fantastic achievement, the Gunners are coming for much more, both now and in the future, James Benge writes. They were so good even David Beckham admitted he’s impressed.
In Munich, Inter earned a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich to knock out the Bavarians, 4-3, on aggregate. Even though Inter is fourth of four in Chuck Booth’s Power Rankings, Francesco Porzio says underestimate the Nerazzurri at your own risk.
Inter will face Barcelona in the semifinal, and Roger Gonzalez says a Barca-Arsenal would be a dream final, a rematch 19 years in the making.
- Gonzalez: “Sol Campbell‘s goal in the 37th minute made Arsenal believe, even with Jens Lehmann‘s red card in the 18th minute. But a goal from Samuel Eto’o in the 76th minute and Juliano Belletti four minutes later gave Barca just their second UCL crown and their first since 1992. … There’s no doubt that night has left Arsenal supporters wondering what could have been had it not been for that red card. … Imagine 90 minutes of Saka, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal running down the wings. An end-to-end game between these two would be absolute football heaven.”
(NOTE: The following section contains sensitive and disturbing information.)
Isaiah Bond suing woman who accused him of sexual assault
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Isaiah Bond, a 2025 NFL Draft wide receiver prospect out of Texas, is suing the woman who accused him of sexual assault.
- Bond, 21, turned himself into Frisco, Texas police April 10 on an outstanding warrant for sexual assault. He posted bond and was released from custody.
- “Regarding the accusation made against me, I would appreciate the time and opportunity to defend myself and prove the claims made, patently false,” Bond said as part of a statement the day he turned himself in.
- According to an affidavit from the accuser, she asked Bond to stop, pushed him away and told him she was in pain during a sexual act. She also claims that Bond asked her to sign a non-disclosure agreement after the interaction, which she refused to do, and Bond later messaged her saying he was sorry and offering money.
Bond caught 34 passes for 540 yards and five touchdowns last season at Texas after spending two seasons at Alabama. He is 67th in the CBS Sports prospect rankings.
📺 What we’re watching Tuesday
⚾ Royals at Tigers, 6:40 p.m. on FS1
🏒 Capitals at Penguins, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Flames at Kings, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
