After falling behind the Los Angeles Lakers 3-0, the Houston Rockets have now won two games to force a Game 6. Are the Rockets delaying the inevitable? Or is this the start of an epic comeback? The same could be said of the Detroit Pistons, who forced a Game 6 in their series against the Orlando Magic, too.<\/p>\n
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Also, F1 arrives this weekend in Miami, where Mercedes\u2019 Kimi Antonelli, an 19-year-old Italian prodigy, will seek to win his third race in a row. Our Sahil Kapur breaks down all the top storylines to expect.<\/p>\n
For more F1 and NBA playoff coverage, be sure to check the NBC News website<\/a>. <\/p>\n NBA Playoffs<\/p>\n The No. 5-seed Houston Rockets are one step closer to becoming the first NBA team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit after a 99-93 win last night over the No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers, sending the series back to Texas. <\/p>\n The Rockets have responded impressively after an embarrassing defeat in Game 3, in which Houston lost despite having the ball and a six-point lead with roughly 30 seconds to go.<\/p>\n Last night, the Rockets controlled the action, leading for 67% of the game, holding off a late comeback attempt by the Lakers. All five of Houston\u2019s starters scored in double figures, led by Jabari Smith Jr.\u2019s 22. <\/p>\n How has Houston gotten back into the series? Shooting. In games 1-3, the Rockets shot under 30% from deep. In the last two, they\u2019ve shot 37.1%. In that same time, L.A.\u2019s 3-point shooting has gone from over 45% to under 25%.<\/p>\n Houston\u2019s two-game streak is especially notable considering Kevin Durant hasn\u2019t been available since suffering an ankle injury in Game 2. The Lakers, on the other hand, have guard Austin Reaves returning for Game 5 after his injury absence. <\/p>\n For now, Lakers star LeBron James is not panicking. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a lot of time to dwell on it,\u201d James said after the loss.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cIt\u2019s so hard to close out a team in the postseason, to win a series, and this is our first time doing it as a unit, so we\u2019ll see what we\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier, the No. 1 Detroit Pistons avoided elimination with a 116-109 win over the No. 8 Orlando Magic. Detroit\u2019s Cade Cunningham and Orlando\u2019s Paolo Banchero were both sensational, with each dropping 45 points in a hotly contested battle. The chippy series now heads back to Orlando with the Magic ahead 3-2.<\/p>\n Also, the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers took a 3-2 lead on the No. 5 Toronto Raptors after a 125-120 win. Evan Mobley had his best game of the series for the Cavs, scoring 23 points and hitting three massive 3-pointers in the second half. Brandon Ingram played only 11 minutes for the Raptors, leaving early due to right heel inflammation. <\/p>\n Miami Grand Prix<\/p>\n After winning the past two F1 races, Antonelli became the youngest driver ever to lead the championship<\/a>. But can he sustain this over the season? Or will he be an early flash in the pan \u2014 like Valtteri Bottas in 2019 or Sergio P\u00e9rez in 2023 before they flamed out?<\/p>\n That\u2019s one of the big storylines in F1 as it returns to Miami this weekend after an unusual five-week break due to the Iran war canceling two Middle East races. There\u2019s an expanded format: A \u201csprint\u201d race at noon Saturday and the Grand Prix at 4 p.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n Antonelli\u2019s veteran Mercedes teammate George Russell remains the favorite for the championship. Mercedes has so far proven itself to be the strongest team in this new era of F1 regulations.<\/p>\n McLaren and Ferrari trail them, but both are bringing upgrades to Miami. Can those teams close the gap and prevent the German squad from running away with the title?<\/p>\n There are also rule tweaks starting in Miami to address the biggest criticisms of the new regulations, designed to make qualifying a flat-out dash (rather than a strategic game of energy use and slowing down on straights) and limit dangerous speed swings in races.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a rough opening three races for reigning world champion<\/a> Lando Norris of McLaren, who sits 5th in the standings. And four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull is a lowly 9th.<\/p>\n Verstappen, seen by fellow drivers as the best in the world, is so unhappy with the new regulations he has threatened to quit F1<\/a>. Time will tell if the rule refinements motivate him to stick around.<\/p>\n Newsletter Feedback<\/p>\n The Sports Desk newsletter has been going for a while now and we want to hear from you, gentle reader. How\u2019re we doing? What do you like about the newsletter? What can we do better? Send your comments to SportsDesk@nbcuni.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n What We’re Reading<\/p>\n An Atlanta Hawks executive was sentenced to prison for embezzling millions<\/a> and using the money to pay for luxury personal items.<\/p>\n Kenya gives a hero\u2019s welcome<\/a> to marathon record-breaker Sabastian Sawe.<\/p>\n ESPN reports that LIV Golf players have begun to explore returning<\/a> to the PGA Tour, amid speculation that Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund will pull LIV\u2019s funding.<\/p>\n![\"Jabari](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/260430-jabari-smith-houston-rockets-mn-1115-0fcb58.jpg\")
Jabari Smith Jr. of the Houston Rockets shoots a three-pointer against the Los Angeles Lakers during game five of the first round playoffs last night. Adam Pantozzi \/ NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Cade](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/260430-cade-cunningham-mn-1145-cf6814.jpg\")
Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket during game five of the first round playoffs against the Orlando Magic last night.Brian Sevald \/ NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Andrea](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/260430-kimi-antonelli-f1-mn-1150-2dadee.jpg\")
Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes celebrates his victory in the Japanese Grand Prix last month.Gongora \/ NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n