ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Orlando Magic found their winning formula. Desperation works.

Works wonders, actually.

Facing elimination and clearly wanting no part of it, the Magic might have put together one of their best performances of the season Friday night. They rolled past the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 in an Eastern Conference play-in game, moving into the playoffs for the third straight season and getting a matchup with top-seeded Detroit as their reward.

“When you play with a sense of desperation and urgency, when you know you’re either going home or extending your season, that’s what it looks like,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “There (are) no second chances.”

Mosley is the first coach to lead the Magic to three consecutive playoff appearances since Stan Van Gundy took Orlando there in five straight years. Van Gundy was at Friday’s game as an analyst for Amazon Prime Video.

“I’ve got to be honest. Charlotte is shrinking from the competition,” Van Gundy said on the broadcast, as the Magic were running away in the second quarter — building what became a 35-point lead shortly before halftime. “They look like they don’t want any part of this.”

That’s exactly how Orlando wanted it. It was bully ball, and it worked.

“We’re going to need more of that in the playoffs,” Magic forward Franz Wagner said.

Added Magic forward Paolo Banchero: “We were just relentless with that tonight. … It was just a complete effort from the whole team.”

Charlotte coach Charles Lee, who has engineered quite a turnaround over his first two seasons with the Hornets, said he hopes his team doesn’t forget the lessons that Orlando taught them in this one.

“I hope that this fuels us this offseason, because we’ve done a ton of really good things and gave ourselves an opportunity,” Lee said. “You’re one step away from being in the playoffs. I don’t want to discredit that. But this has got to hurt a little bit.”

Orlando dealt with injuries all season, and going 2-8 in a 10-game stretch late in the regular season could have absolutely sunk any postseason hopes. But the Magic — even with a loss in Wednesday’s play-in opener at Philadelphia — have now won six of their last eight, heading into a no-pressure matchup against heavily favored Detroit.

“We did what we were supposed to do,” Mosley said. “There’s a reason we can be happy tonight. But at the end of the day, we still have more work to do.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

DENVER (AP) — Play ball! And watch out for snowballs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies were greeted by 3 inches of snow that surprisingly blanketed Coors Field as their four-game series got off to a frigid start Friday.

Dodgers pitcher Emmett Sheehan took advantage of the frosty mid-April day when he came out on the field in shorts to make a snowman about four hours before the game’s scheduled first pitch.

The snow stopped about three hours before the game began and Colorado’s grounds crew, which placed a tarp over the infield to shield it from the snowfall, used a plow to clear snow from the outfield. By the first pitch, it was 36 degrees and sunny — with the only remnants of snow on the pine trees behind the wall in center field.

The bats were back out and the white stuff gave way to green grass after the shovels slugged at the snow, which came one day after the high temperature in Denver was 75 degrees.

The start of the game didn’t mark the end of the teams’ weather-related woes. The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for the Denver area that will be in effect from 8 p.m. locally Friday until 8 a.m. Saturday, with sub-freezing temperatures dropping down into the 18-to-24 degree range overnight.

The projected high is 57 on Saturday, according to the weather service, and 74 on Sunday before reaching 79 on Monday for the series finale.

The Dodgers come in from wrapping up a six-game homestand on Wednesday in Los Angeles, where the high was 73 on Friday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Aliyah Boston and the Indiana Fever agreed to a four-year, $6.3 million extension on Friday, according to ESPN, which is the richest contract in the league’s history.

“I’m super blessed and grateful for this opportunity and to continue my journey here with the Fever. God is good!” Boston said. “I’m excited for the future ahead for both myself and for our team, and I can’t wait to keep building upon everything we have accomplished so far. Go Fever!”

To help the Fever pay other players on the roster, Boston, a 6-foot-5 forward, agreed to earn $1 million in 2026, less than the $1.19 million she was eligible for. Boston is set to earn 20% of the Fever’s cap each year through 2029.

“Entering just her fourth season, Aliyah is already one of the best players in the WNBA. She’s been a foundational piece of the Indiana Fever since she was drafted here in 2023,” Fever general manager Amber Cox said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be able to reward her with this new contract and make history, and most importantly, lock her in as a cornerstone of the Fever for years to come.”

A three-time All-Star, Boston has averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 54.7% for the Fever, who chose Boston with first overall pick in 2023. Boston averaged 15.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 2025, tying for sixth in MVP balloting while landing on the All-WNBA and All-Defensive second teams. The Fever reached the semifinals, losing to Las Vegas, which won its third league championship in four years.

Boston’s extension comes a week after Indiana retained another three-time All-Star by signing Kelsey Mitchell to a one-year, $1.4 million supermax deal.

–Field Level Media

Four weeks after helping Nebraska edge Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament’s second round, power forward Berke Buyuktuncel has decided to switch from the Cornhuskers to the Commodores for his senior year.

According to reports, Buyuktuncel, the 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward who averaged 6.3 points and 5.5 rebounds while starting 61 games the last two years at Nebraska, has become Vanderbilt’s first pickup in the transfer portal since it opened on April 7.

Buyuktuncel clearly made a strong impression when Nebraska defeated Vanderbilt, 74-72, on March 21 to earn its first Sweet 16 appearance. He scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and was regarded as the game’s most effective offensive player per KenPom.com with his 177 Offensive Rating.

While Nebraska loses its fourth starter from its 28-7 squad that earned a No. 4 seed — Buyuktuncel joins graduating seniors Rienk Mast, Sam Hoiberg and Jamarques Lawrence going out the door — Vanderbilt adds a big man with some ability to stretch the floor, protect the rim and pass the ball.

The lefthander averaged 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 block in 24.3 minutes per game last season. He shot just 24.1% from 3-point range as his long-range accuracy continues to drop from his 29.7% showing as a UCLA freshman and his 27.7% as a Nebraska sophomore.

According to reports, Nebraska has beefed up its roster with two players from the transfer portal. Redshirt junior forward Kadyn Betts, who spent three years at Minnesota before averaging 3.1 points in 6.6 minutes per game for Montana last season, gives the Huskers a 6-foot-8 perimeter threat who has hit 12 of 31 3-point attempts (38.7%) in limited minutes.

Nebraska also reportedly has added Utah Valley junior Trevan Leonhardt, a versatile 6-foot-4 guard who earned first-team all-WAC honors after averaging 11.9 points, 6.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds.

–Field Level Media

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild have expected this first-round playoff matchup for months, and the Central Division rivals really set a tone for the series in a physical game just over a week ago in the same building.

“I think it’s exactly what it was,” Stars forward Mikko Rantanen said Friday.

Dallas won 5-4 in that game April 9, when there were 12 roughing penalties — six on each side. Each team won twice in the regular-season series in which both scored 13 goals.

“They got the best of us for sure, but it was a great hockey game for the end of a regular season,” Minnesota forward Matt Boldy said.

Now, the teams that were in second and third place in the Central throughout most of the season behind Presidents’ Trophy winner Colorado play a best-of-seven series. Game 1 is Saturday in Dallas.

The Wild missed a chance that night to match the Stars in the standings. Instead, Dallas pretty much locked up home-ice advantage with the second of five consecutive wins to end the regular season.

“We learned some lessons last time we played them,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. “We know that they’re a really, really good team, and so are we. They have some lethal weapons. We’re just more educated, more experienced going into this series than we were before. We always like our chances. We’re positive.”

Both teams have a pair of 40-goal scorers in the same season for the first time. Kirill Kaprizov (45 goals) and Boldy (42) did it for the Wild. Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, the 22-year-old center already in his fourth postseason, each scored 45 goals for the Stars.

“That’s a legit number,” Stars veteran forward Matt Duchene said.

Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen skated with the team Friday for the first time since a lower-body injury sustained when he was knocked hard into the boards by Ryan Hartman in the last game against the Wild.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Heiskanen, who missed the start of last year’s playoffs, made it through practice with no issues and felt good.

“I would think that as long as everything goes good, he should be in,” Gulutzan said. “He means everything on both sides of the puck for us. Power play, penalty kill, he touches all parts of the game.”

Stars top-line center Roope Hintz, who last played March 6, will miss the start of the playoffs after a setback in his recovery from a lower-body injury.

Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, who has been dealing with an illness since last playing Saturday, traveled to Dallas on his own Friday after not going with the team Thursday.

“With the illness, I think more rest for him and just not having him on the plane,” coach John Hynes said. “The expectation is for him to play.”

Jake Oettinger is going into his 11th playoff series as the starting goalie for the Stars, and second for the Minnesota native against the Wild — he grew up about 30 miles from their arena. His first playoff series win was in six games against the Wild in the first round of the 2023 postseason.

The Wild are going with rookie Jesper Wallstedt over playoff-experienced Filip Gustavsson, though Hynes emphasized that is a decision for Game 1 and not the entire series.

“His overall body work has been really solid. He’s played really well coming down the stretch,” Hynes said of the 23-year-old rookie. “We’re confident in both guys.”

Gustavsson made his playoff debut three years ago with 51 saves in a double-overtime win over the Stars during Game 1. Wallstedt made 33 starts in his NHL debut this season, ranking second in the league with a .916 save percentage while setting franchise rookie records with 18 wins and four shutouts.

While the Stars will be plenty focused on trying to keep Kaprizov and Boldy off the scoresheet, the Wild have a trusty scorer on their third line with plenty of playoff experience in Vladimir Tarasenko. The longtime St. Louis star, who has won the Stanley Cup twice in his 14-year career, has 49 goals in 121 career playoff games. Tarasenko had 23 goals and 24 assists in his first season with Minnesota.

“He’s a big-game player,” Hynes said. “I think that leadership and the way he plays is certainly a playoff-style of game.”

The Stars won both previous postseason series against Minnesota in six games, in 2016 and 2023. … Dallas was the Minnesota North Stars before the franchise moved south in 1993. … The Wild’s 12 postseason appearances in 14 years are the most in the NHL during that span. They have lost nine straight series, since beating St. Louis in the first round in 2015. …. Dallas is in its fifth consecutive postseason, the last three ending in the West final. … Gulutzan, part of 83 playoff games as an Edmonton assistant, including trips to the Stanley Cup Final the last two seasons, is looking for his first postseason win as a head coach. Calgary was swept in the first round by Anaheim with Gulutzan in 2017.

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AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed from St. Paul, Minnesota.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James and Kevin Durant first faced each other in the playoffs way back in 2012, when the Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder to win James’ first NBA championship.

The superstars met again in 2017 and 2018, and Durant’s Golden State Warriors beat James’ Cleveland Cavaliers to win Durant’s two rings.

The two greatest scorers of this generation are matched up once again in the postseason this weekend when Durant and his Houston Rockets visit James’ Los Angeles Lakers. Game 1 is Saturday night in the latest chapter of this friendly rivalry, and the basketball world will be watching.

“It’s prime time,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Two of the best, and still doing it at this stage in their careers. And they have had some battles in the playoffs, but not a ton being in the East and the West a lot. So that part alone has a lot of storylines, a lot of history. I’m sure this will add to their chapters.”

The 41-year-old James is the top scorer in NBA history, and the 37-year-old Durant is fifth. While this fourth engagement might turn out to be their final spring meeting — and maybe even James’ final playoff appearance, who knows? — they’re both thinking mostly about the task before them, not the history behind them.

“It’s always great playing against great players,” Durant said. “You feel their presence on the floor, even if you’re not matched up with them. But it’s just like all basketball players know, it’s much more than just one player. You need a whole group of guys to go out there and win … but yeah, the matchup is definitely fun. Two great players who’ve been in the league for a long time. But everybody who’s involved in this series knows it’s much deeper than that.”

Indeed, their shared playoff history only underlines the importance of a supporting cast, even for players of their stature.

James’ Heatles were too much for a young Thunder group led by Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The Warriors then became arguably the most loaded team in recent NBA history when Durant chose to join Stephen Curry, and it was too much even for James, who moved to the Lakers a few weeks after his Cavs fell to Golden State for the third time in four years.

The importance of a supporting cast is the reason fifth-seeded Houston is the prohibitive favorite in this series, of course.

The Lakers lost NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic and prolific guard Austin Reaves to injuries two weeks ago, and they’re both out indefinitely.

So while James is once again attempting to carry an inferior roster to places it would never otherwise go, the hard-working Rockets are healthier around Durant, who wants his first postseason with Houston to be memorable.

“Obviously, we know that’s the head of the snake,” James said of Durant. “But it’s the Houston Rockets, and they have some damn good players on their team. It’s not just a KD team. It’s the whole group. Like I said, KD is gonna do what KD does. He’s a Hall of Famer. We know that. So we have to prepare not only for him, but for the whole group.”

The Lakers aren’t publicly predicting when their top two scorers will return, if at all. The injuries to Doncic (Grade 2 hamstring strain) and Reaves (Grade 2 oblique strain) typically take several weeks to heal. The first-round schedule has a few extra days off, but that’s no guarantee.

“We’re going try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We don’t know what that is, but that’s just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Hard-working, resourceful Houston would be a tough matchup even under ideal circumstances for the Lakers, but the Rockets know they’re facing a competent opponent playing with extra fire from the widespread perception that this short-handed team can’t hang with them.

The Lakers have home-court advantage because they won 53 games, including two in Houston last month.

“Even though they got injuries, we’re not looking at this team like they’re not a good team,” Durant said. “We have to show the proper respect to them as NBA players and then into the game as well. We’ve got to come out and respect these guys, because they can have that impact if we let them.”

Udoka wouldn’t say this week who will join Durant, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson as his team’s fifth starter in this series. Down the stretch, Udoka started Tari Eason, Josh Okogie and Reed Sheppard, depending on the matchup. Okogie could be the top option in this series for his defense, but he is averaging just 4.5 points a game, making him a less desirable option offensively than Sheppard (13.5 points a game) or Eason (10.5).

Redick is aware of the Rockets’ historic dominance as a rebounding team, so he addressed it from the first day of practice this week by putting the Lakers through fundamental rebounding and boxing-out drills that reminded his players of junior high.

“Taking care of the basketball and boxing out. That’s the series,” Redick said. “Scheme, personnel, obviously important. But if we don’t take care of the basketball and we don’t box out, we’re not going to win the series.”

Houston led the NBA in total rebounds (48.1 per game) and offensive rebounds (15.0), That proficiency powered much of the Rockets’ offensive production, while the Lakers obviously depended on Doncic’s brilliance for a big chunk of their scoring.

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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Illinois standout guard Andrej Stojakovic said Friday he is returning to the Fighting Illini for the 2026-27 season.

Stojakovic posted the news on his Instagram account, asking, “Did I make you nervous?” In an attached video, he lowers a newspaper then lowers his sunglasses and says, “I’m back.”

His return is a crucial one for an Illini squad that reached the Final Four before losing to UConn. Illinois went 28-9 this season and figures to be among the top five ranked teams in next season’s preseason poll, depending how the transfer portal and NBA declarations shake out nationally in upcoming weeks.

The 6-foot-7 Stojakovic averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 34 games despite missing some time with an ankle injury.

It was his first season at Illinois after one-season stints with Stanford (2023-24) and Cal (2024-25). Stojakovic averaged 17.9 points in his one season with the Golden Bears before transferring again.

Stojakovic has career averages of 12.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 95 games (59 starts). He has made 95 3-pointers to go with 53 blocked shots and 49 steals.

–Field Level Media

STUTTGART, Germany, April 17 (Reuters) – French Open champion Coco Gauff and four-times Roland Garros winner Iga Swiatek were knocked out of the Stuttgart Open quarter-finals on Friday, while Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina survived a gruelling three-set battle against Leylah Fernandez to set up a semi-final against Mirra Andreeva.

Gauff’s claycourt season got off to a shaky start as she lost 6-3 5-7 6-3 to Karolina Muchova. World number three Gauff, who had beaten Muchova in all six previous meetings on hard courts, committed 13 unforced errors on her forehand as she dropped a set to her Czech opponent for the first time.

The American twice Grand Slam winner bounced back to win the second set but Muchova was clinical in the third, fending off five break points as she clinched the only break in the set to take a decisive 4-2 lead.

“It’s always very tough against her. She’s a tough player… I think the third set was a battle. It was very physical, as well, and I’m glad I managed the first break and then I was able to keep it going,” world number 12 Muchova told reporters.

Former French Open finalist Muchova will face Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals, after the fourth seed beat Linda Noskova 7-6(2) 7-5.

ANDREEVA KNOCKS OUT SWIATEK

Mirra Andreeva overpowered Swiatek 3-6 6-4 6-3, in their first meeting on clay. The Russian 18-year-old broke serve in the first game before world number four Swiatek fought back with two breaks to clinch the first set.

Swiatek fought back from 2-0 down to make it 4-4 in the second set, but Andreeva held her nerve to force a decider.

“I think my baseline game was fine, and I see a progress there comparing to the last tournaments. But for sure, overall, it wasn’t enough,” Poland’s Swiatek said. 

World number two Rybakina survived a stern test against Canadian Fernandez to secure a  6-7(5) 6-4 7-6(6) win and reach the semis where she will meet world number nine Andreeva.

“I was pretty negative from the beginning of the match, nothing was working, so I was just trying to play point at a time,” the 26-year-old Rybakina said.

(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru and Angelica Medina in Mexico City, editing by Ed Osmond)

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. agreed to a three-year, $150 million contract extension making him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Friday.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced.

The extension includes $134 million in guaranteed money.

The $50 million per year Anderson will earn surpasses the $46.5 million per year defensive end Micah Parsons got when he signed a four-year extension with the Packers after a trade from Dallas last year.

Anderson started each game last season and had 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss — both career highs — to lead a Houston defense that was among the best in the NFL.

The Texans selected Anderson with the third pick in the 2023 draft, trading up to nab the Alabama standout after selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud second in that draft.

In three seasons with the Texans, Anderson has piled up 30 sacks and 136 tackles, including 46 for loss. He also has 64 quarterback hits in his career and has forced four fumbles and recovered three.

The Texans exercised his fifth-year player option earlier this month so this deal will keep him in Houston through the 2030 season.

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The Houston Astros moved left-hander Josh Hader to the 60-day injured list Friday as the closer continues to recover from a biceps injury.

The move gave the Astros 40-man roster space to purchase the contract of right-hander Peter Lambert, while right-hander Christian Roa was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Hader, 32, as an All-Star last season when he went 6-2 with a 2.05 ERA and 28 saves in 48 relief appearances. The six-time All-Star is 34-31 with a 2.64 ERA and 227 saves in nine seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers (2017-22), San Diego Padres (2022-23) and Astros.

Lambert, who turns 29 on Saturday, was set to make his Houston debut in a start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. In 74 career appearances (35 starts) since 2019, all with the Colorado Rockies, Lambert is 8-19 with a 6.28 ERA.

Roa, 27, had a 5.19 ERA in seven relief appearances with the Astros this season.

–Field Level Media