CHARLOTTE, NC – FEBRUARY 9: Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on February 9, 2026 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Are we looking at a first-round playoff preview? Tonight, we could be looking at a matchup between the one seed — the Detroit Pistons — and the eighth seed — the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets, however, are not your typical eighth seed. They are one of the hottest teams in the East, and they have been since late January. They have shooting all over the floor, plenty of ball handlers, and play a quality team defense. The Detroit Pistons are healthy, so they could treat this game as a serious statement of intention against a potential opponent. Or they could treat it as a bit of a laboratory. Coach JB Bickerstaff has talked about using the season’s final two games to get certain lineup combinations experience on the floor. Chief among them is Kevin Huerter and some of the starters, and Daniss Jenkins playing alongside Cade Cunningham with the other three-person units. They will play to win, but they might also forgo the best potential situational lineup to ensure he can test these lineup combos.
Game Vitals
When: 7 p.m. ET Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Odds: Pistons +5
The legendary broadcaster shared on Friday, April 10 on his social media page that he went in for a biopsy on Friday to look into some of the “abnormalities” that were found on a series of routine tests that he had done last week. It’s the second update in as many days from Vitale.
“Just leaving hospital after biopsy/now anesthesia has worn off,” Vitale wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) to go along with a photo of him sitting in a wheelchair outside of a hospital. “Hope & pray for good results as they did study of my lungs where spots showed in Pet Scan & MRI’s!”
Just leaving hospital after Biopsy / now anesthesia has worn off. Hope & pray for good results as they did study of my lungs where spots showed in Pet Scan & MRI’s ! pic.twitter.com/CwllVW1cZ1
In his latest update before Friday, Vitale mentioned that he feels “great physically” and “sharp mentally” and that his doctors recommended some additional testing to determine the next steps of his latest battle. He underwent a PET scan, a CAT scan and two MRIs in his last round of tests, which showed those “abnormalities.”
He also mentioned that “the roadmap” for his recovery would be determined after the biopsy, which he underwent on Friday.
Vitale has had multiple health battles, including with several types of cancer, over the last few years. He was declared cancer-free last year and made his return to broadcasting, which included a pair of broadcasts alongside Charles Barkley this season, one coming in the First Four of March Madness in Dayton, Ohio.
“I’m still doing games,” Vitale told USA TODAY Sports back in March ahead of the First Four. “It’s a miracle. It’s absolutely a miracle. I get emotional about it sometimes.”
CLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 08: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks during the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Arena on April 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 122-116. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Atlanta Hawks again. This time, the Cavs will be down a few rotation players. We’ll see if they still have enough to get a second-straight win.
Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!
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Apr 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) dribbles around Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
Tthe Atlanta Hawks (45-35) try once against to clinch the Southeast Division title and a playoff appearance against the Cleveland Cavaliers (51-29) tonight in the home finale.
Jock Landale (ankle sprain) has been ruled out.
Starting lineup:
G CJ McCollum
G Nickeil Alexander-Walker
F Dyson Daniels
F Jalen Johnson
C Onyeka Okongwu
Please join in the comments below as you follow along.
Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Start Time: 7:00 PM EDT
TV: Atlanta News First (WANF), Peachtree Sports Network (PSN)
Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)
Streaming: Amazon Prime, Fubo (out of market), NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 07: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors dribbling the ball is guarded by Doug McDermott #7 of the Sacramento Kings in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on April 07, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a five-game homestand, the Golden State Warriors will close out the regular season with a two-game California road trip, beginning Friday night against the Sacramento Kings. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM PT in Sacramento and can be watched on NBC Sports Bay Area.
The Warriors dropped what could potentially be their final home game of the season Thursday night, losing 119–103 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Playing without Steph Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, Gui Santos, and several others, the undermanned Warriors kept the game competitive for much of the night. However, the Lakers seized control in the fourth quarter, opening with a 13–2 run in which LeBron James scored or assisted on all 13 of the team’s points. It ended up being a vintage performance for James, who finished with a near triple-double of 26 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds.
Golden State will play Sacramento for the second time this week after beating them on Tuesday, 110-105. While the Kings haven’t played since that day, the Warriors will be on their second night of a back-to-back. They did choose to rest most of their players on the front end of the back-to-back, meaning they are expected to be closer to full strength for this one with Curry and others set to return.
Al Horford will make his return for the Warriors tonight in Sacramento. Missed the last month with a calf strain. Steph Curry and Kristaps Porzingis are both probable. Warriors gearing up their rotation for the play-in next week.
Having said that, these remaining two games hold little significance with the Warriors already locked into the 10th seed. Still, as head coach Steve Kerr noted after Thursday’s loss, the focus remains on building rhythm. And with much of their expected rotation back in the lineup, Friday’s matchup could serve as a final dress rehearsal before the Warriors potentially rest their stars ahead of Wednesday’s Play-In game.
“We’re in a position where we have a chance to get into the playoffs… Tomorrow and Sunday, maybe we get a couple games to develop a little rhythm and get a swing at it. We got some hope.”
The introduction of ABS challenges to MLB have created various firsts throughout the 2026 season. The first challenge? José Caballero. The first successful challenge? Francisco Alvarez. The first walk-off challenge? The Baltimore Orioles.
On Friday, we got the first challenge that was taken back but succeeded anyway.
That arrived in a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, with Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales facing Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar in the seventh inning. With an 0-2 count, Thielbar went with an outside fastball for a called strike three.
Gonzales responded by raising his hand to his helmet as if to challenge the strike call, then walked away, accepting the strikeout. However, home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz accepted the challenge and refused to let Gonzales take it back.
The strike was then overturned, with replay determining the pitch was outside the zone by 1.3 inches.
Nick Gonzales challenged this two-strike pitch and instantly tried to retract it since the Pirates only had one challenge remaining. The umpire insisted that he had to challenge it, and it ended up being successful pic.twitter.com/FpAbRZdSQ1
Much of the friction with the ABS challenge system so far has been players being found to have challenged calls too late, so it’s fun to see the opposite problem develop.
Gonzales went on to work an eight-pitch at-bat, eventually flying out to left field for the second out of the inning. No more runs were scored for the remainder of the game, giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 win.
The victory improves the Pirates’ record to 8-5, keeping pace in a competitive NL Central, while the last-place Cubs fall to 6-7.
The 2025-26 NBA MVP race is coming down to the wire (and, in part, who’s healthy). With multiple top candidates out of the running due to injuries, it’s not entirely clear who will come out on top — except among the NBA players, there’s a clear favorite.
In an anonymous poll, 159 NBA players told The Athletic who they think should win the MVP race. A significant chunk pointed to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, saying the star Oklahoma City Thunder guard should win his second straight league MVP.
The 159-player bloc represents about one-third of the total players in the NBA. Per The Athletic, players’ answers for the poll were collected over the past two months.
Gilgeous-Alexander received 39% (62 votes) of the total vote in the poll. That’s nearly double the next player, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, who ended with 21.4% of the vote.
The Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham and Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Dončić all earned 8.2% (13 votes each) after stepping up big for their teams this season.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, who has openly campaigned for league MVP, said last month that he plans to “make sure there’s no debate” in MVP voting. The players don’t appear to agree, with the 22-year-old finishing sixth with 5% of the vote.
The poll also didn’t take into account the league’s 65-game minimum for postseason award voting. Multiple players on the list — including Cunningham and Dončić — are ineligible for the award after suffering long-term injuries late in the season, though Cunningham has since returned to play. Dončić, out for the regular season due to a hamstring injury, is challenging the rule.
But even with those players out, Gilgeous-Alexander’s dominance has been felt across the league. The 27-year-old guard is second in the NBA in scoring behind Dončić (with two games left to pass the Lakers guard on total points) and has been, in the words of Yahoo Sports’ Dan Devine, “the driving force behind the Thunder’s excellence.”
“He’s the best player on the best team,” one player told The Athletic. “What more do you have to say?”
The 2025-26 NBA MVP race is coming down to the wire (and, in part, who’s healthy). With multiple top candidates out of the running due to injuries, it’s not entirely clear who will come out on top — except among the NBA players, there’s a clear favorite.
In an anonymous poll, 159 NBA players told The Athletic who they think should win the MVP race. A significant chunk pointed to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, saying the star Oklahoma City Thunder guard should win his second straight league MVP.
The 159-player bloc represents about one-third of the total players in the NBA. Per The Athletic, players’ answers for the poll were collected over the past two months.
Gilgeous-Alexander received 39% (62 votes) of the total vote in the poll. That’s nearly double the next player, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, who ended with 21.4% of the vote.
The Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham and Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Dončić all earned 8.2% (13 votes each) after stepping up big for their teams this season.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, who has openly campaigned for league MVP, said last month that he plans to “make sure there’s no debate” in MVP voting. The players don’t appear to agree, with the 22-year-old finishing sixth with 5% of the vote.
The poll also didn’t take into account the league’s 65-game minimum for postseason award voting. Multiple players on the list — including Cunningham and Dončić — are ineligible for the award after suffering long-term injuries late in the season, though Cunningham has since returned to play. Dončić, out for the regular season due to a hamstring injury, is challenging the rule.
But even with those players out, Gilgeous-Alexander’s dominance has been felt across the league. The 27-year-old guard is second in the NBA in scoring behind Dončić (with two games left to pass the Lakers guard on total points) and has been, in the words of Yahoo Sports’ Dan Devine, “the driving force behind the Thunder’s excellence.”
“He’s the best player on the best team,” one player told The Athletic. “What more do you have to say?”
MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 04: Nikola Jović #5 of the Miami Heat drives to the basket against Will Riley #27 and Jamir Watkins #5 of the Washington Wizards during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center on April 04, 2026 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Wizards play the Miami Heat at 7 p.m. tonight. Watch the game on Monumental Sports Network.
