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SPORTS
NBA roundup: Rockets, Pistons stay alive with Game 5 wins
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Apr 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) during the second half in game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 points and Tari Eason added 18 as the Houston Rockets fought off elimination for a second consecutive game and crawled back into their first-round playoff series with a 99-93 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 on Wednesday. Alperen Sengun scored 14 points with nine rebounds and eight assists while Amen Thompson added 15 points for the Rockets, who now trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven Western Conference series after falling into a 3-0 hole. No NBA team has rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. The consecutive Rockets victories have come without star Kevin Durant (ankle), who has only played in Game 2. Austin Reaves scored 22 points off the bench in his return from an oblique injury and LeBron James added 25 points for the Lakers. Deandre Ayton scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for Los Angeles, which will get a third chance to clinch the series on Friday at Houston. The Lakers continue to be without star Luka Doncic (hamstring). Pistons 116, Magic 109 Cade Cunningham poured in a career-playoff-high 45 points as top-seeded Detroit stayed alive with a victory over visiting Orlando in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. Tobias Harris supplied 23 points and eight assists for the Pistons, who trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Ausar Thompson contributed six points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals. The Magic’s Paolo Banchero countered Cunningham with a career-playoff-best 45 points to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists. Anthony Black had 19 points for eighth-seeded Orlando. Franz Wagner sat out due to a calf strain. Cavaliers 125, Raptors 120 Dennis Schroder scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and James Harden finished with 23 points, rallying Cleveland to a 3-2 lead over visiting Toronto in an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. The Cavaliers, who trailed by 12 points on multiple occasions, have won all three of their home games so far. Evan Mobley had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Donovan Mitchell scored 19 for Cleveland. Harden also had nine rebounds, five assists and six turnovers in a series-high 39:45 minutes. RJ Barrett paced the Raptors with 25 points and Ja’Kobe Walter scored a career-playoff-high 20 points and made 6 of 14 3-point attempts. Raptors forward Brandon Ingram injured his right heel in the second quarter and did not return. –Field Level Media



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SPORTS
Kevin Durant To Remain Out For Game 6
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Kevin Durant will remain sidelined for Friday’s game of the Rockets‘ first-round series vs. the Lakers, Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Thursday’s episode of Get Up (Twitter video link).
Durant has already missed four of five games in the first round. He was inactive for Game 1 due to a tendon bruise in his right knee, returned for Game 2, and has been out for the past three games as a result of a left ankle sprain and bone bruise.
“This bone bruise is a two-week minimum injury,” Charania said. “He’s just over one week right now.”
Despite the absence of their leading scorer, the Rockets have managed to hang around in the first round even after dropping the first three games of the series. They won Game 4 in Houston, then came away with a victory in Los Angeles on Wednesday to earn another home game on Friday.
With Durant joining veterans Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams on the injury report, Houston has been rolling with a starting lineup essentially made up entirely of the team’s young core, as Tari Eason joins Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, and Amen Thompson. That five-man group has a +16.7 net rating in 73 playoff minutes so far; no other Rockets lineup has played more than 24 minutes together in the postseason.
Charania’s assertion that Durant is likely facing a recovery period of at least two weeks suggests that the Rockets shouldn’t count on having him available for a potential Game 7, though it’s safe to assume the two-time Finals MVP will do all he can to try to make it back. The Lakers are also playing shorthanded, with their own top scorer, Luka Doncic, not expected to return from a hamstring strain before the end of the first round.



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FOOD
braised leeks and lentils with arugula and yogurt – smitten kitchen
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Heat your oven: To 350°F (175°C).
Prepare your leeks: Leeks are notoriously sandy. First, lop off any parts of each leek that are darker than light green. Trim the root ends. Peel back layers of your leek until you no longer have visible dirt that cannot be rinsed. Thoroughly rinse off any remaining dirt or grit. Wipe down your counter and knife (lots of dirt and grit there), and then slice the white and pale green parts into 1-inch rings.
On the stove: In a large (3 to 4 quarts) ovenproof pan with a lid (I’m using this) — or, if you don’t have one, just use a wide, deep skillet for the stovetop part and transfer it to a baking dish for the braising part — heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add leek slices and season lightly with salt and pepper; cook until browned underneath, about 4 to 5 minutes, then flip each leek and cook until browned underneath on the second side, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle pan with sliced garlic, then dried lentils. Gently pour in broth, using it to “rinse” any lentils off the tops of leeks and into the pan so they cook evenly. Scatter with lemon zest and scallions, and season as needed with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cover pan with a lid. Transfer to the oven.
In the oven: Cook leeks and lentils together for 40 to 45 minutes, or until leeks are soft and lentils are tender. [Different lentil varieties might need more or less time.] There will be a little liquid broth in the pan.
While the leeks and lentils cook: In a small bowl, combine plain yogurt with 1 tablespoon of juice from the lemon, 1 minced or microplaned clove of garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons lemon juice with 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss arugula with dressing; it’s more than it needs and most will land at the bottom of the bowl. Don’t worry, we’ll use it too.
To finish: Take the braised leeks and lentils out of the oven. You can finish the dish right in your pan — dolloping it with the yogurt sauce and scattering the arugula on top. Pour the remaining dressing over the dish to give the leeks and lentils extra zip. Or, you can arrange this on a plate to your taste — shown here with the yogurt swooshed across the plate, a piece of toasted sourdough, and everything else piled on top.
More things you could add/zhuzh this up with: Toasted hazelnuts, thinly sliced fennel, and/or parmesan shaved with a vegetable peeler in the salad. I was tempted to add some cumin to the lentils and yogurt, perhaps some sumac on the salad, but resisted to keep it simple. You could definitely give the lentils some heat with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon mild or regular red pepper flakes with the broth. And this is fantastic with a poached egg on top; it’s been my lunch all week.
Note: This is tagged gluten-free, so of course, if you’re using toast, yours should be too.



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