CNN
 — 

The 2025 NBA playoffs have been full of excitement already and Tuesday’s action was no different with a game-winning three-pointer and an upset road victory taking place.

First, the Indiana Pacers took a shock 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers thanks to a dagger shot from Tyrese Haliburton to snatch a 120-119 road victory.

And afterwards, the Golden State Warriors won Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves 99-88, despite losing star point guard Steph Curry to a hamstring injury midway through the second quarter.

Tuesday’s results mean that for the first time in NBA history, the road team has won Game 1 of each of the four conference semifinals series.

Here’s how another intriguing evening of NBA postseason action played out.

Having stunned the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed Cavaliers in Game 1, the Pacers were riding high for the second game of their series.

The Cavs were seeking to rebound from a disappointing opening game, but were dealt a big blow when three key players – Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter – were all ruled out through injury.

But despite those absences, it was the home team that was in the ascendancy for most of the game, building a 20-point lead at one point as it looked to be heading to level the series.

Cleveland’s lead was 11 at halftime, with guard Donovan Mitchell – who finished with 48 points, five rebounds, nine assists and four steals – excelling throughout.

But as the game went on, Indiana slowly but surely chipped away at the lead until it was a three-point game with 27 seconds remaining.

A key turnover forced by Andrew Nembhard gave the Pacers possession with time ticking away, after which Haliburton was fouled to send him to the free-throw line with 12.4 seconds remaining, trailing by three.

What happened next was basketball drama in its purest form.

TY!!!!!!!! WHAT A WIN !!!!!! @Pacers

— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) May 7, 2025

Haliburton made his first free throw then missed his second from the line but managed to soar and claim the rebound. The 25-year-old was able to relocate to the top of the arc where he maneuvered the ball until he was able to launch a three-point attempt over Ty Jerome.

The ball soared through the hoop with just 1.1 seconds remaining and after a heave from Jerome fell short, the Pacers celebrated their second straight surprise road victory over Cleveland.

Haliburton’s shot was his second game-winner of the playoffs already, having done so in Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the previous round. Per ESPN, Haliburton became only the second player since 1997-98 with multiple go-ahead field goals in the final two seconds in a single postseason alongside LeBron James in 2018.

The moment sparked wild celebrations on the court but also on social media from many of Haliburton’s peers, including fellow Indianapolis-based star guard Caitlin Clark who said on X: “TY!!!!!!!! WHAT A WIN !!!!!!”

Haliburton was more understated, praising the rest of his teammates.

“We just have a resilient group, man,” Haliburton, who finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists, said. “We just figure out ways to win. We don’t give up. We’re battle-tested as a group. We’ve basically been together for about two years now and that continuity has been really good for us.”

According to ESPN, there have been only three occasions a team has won after trailing by at least seven points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime in a playoff game out of 1,643 games since the 1997-98 season, and the Pacers account for two of those three this postseason alone.

As the series travels to Indiana for Game 3 and 4, the Pacers hold a two-game lead with the Cavaliers – who had the second-best regular season record in the league – needing a big comeback to salvage anything from this year.

The Warriors know a thing or two about winning NBA titles and they showed the resilience needed to make a deep postseason run with their performance in Game 1 against the Timberwolves.

Coming off a seven-game slugfest against the Houston Rockets, Golden State raced into an early lead against a sluggish-looking Minnesota team which struggled to get to grips with the Warriors’ dynamic ball-movement and shooting.

But Golden State looked to have been dealt a serious blow when two-time NBA MVP Curry was seen clutching his left hamstring in the second quarter before walking gingerly to the locker room. The 37-year-old would not return to the game after scoring 13 points in 13 minutes.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that Curry had a hamstring strain and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday to evaluate the injury but looks unlikely to play in Game 2 on Thursday.

Golden State led 25-20 when Curry left and, in his absence, the rest of the roster stepped up in a tricky environment.

The Warriors led 76-53 midway through the third quarter and although the Wolves clawed their way back, the lead was too big to come back from.

With Curry out of the lineup, it was left to other players to shine. Draymond Green had 18 points – including four triples – to go with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Jimmy Butler nearly had a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Meanwhile, Buddy Hield continued his hot scoring run with 24 points.

While the Warriors showed resiliency, the T-Wolves lacked the urgency which saw them beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.

It was a lackluster performance from their own star guard, Anthony Edwards, who missed his first 10 shots and didn’t get a bucket until four minutes into the second half. He notched 22 of his 23 points in the game’s final 20 minutes, by which time the Warriors already had a large lead.

Afterwards, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch called out his star’s performance.

“It starts with ‘Ant.’ He struggled early, and then you could just kind of see the light go out for a while,” Finch told reporters. “I think it was one of those games where he came out with a predetermined mindset of what he was going to do.”

Finch added: “What is there to talk about? You’re the leader of the team, and you got to come out and set the tone in all ways that that happens, and if your shot’s not going, you still have to carry the energy.”

Washington
CNN
 — 

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that there’s “no tension” between the United States, Mexico and Canada that could hamper preparations for next year’s FIFA World Cup that will be jointly hosted by the three nations.

Trump, who hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House earlier on Tuesday, denied that there are any issues between his administration and the US’ northern and southern neighbors. In recent months since taking office for a second time, Trump has provoked a trade war with much of the world – Canada and Mexico included – and has repeatedly suggested that he’d like to make Canada the 51st American state.

Despite the frequent public spats and panicked negotiations over trade, Trump said there should be no issues when preparing for the World Cup.

“I don’t see any tension here, we get along very well with both,” Trump said in response to a question from CNN Sports. “They just got to pay a little more money. They’re just getting away with things that they shouldn’t be. And they understand.”

He added, “We had a great meeting today, actually, with the new (Canadian) prime minister (Carney), who’s a terrific guy, and we had a very long session with (Vice President) JD (Vance) and (Secretary of State) Marco (Rubio) and everybody, and it went very well. No, we had a very great meeting and no tension. We want to do what’s right for respective peoples, and that’s what’s going to happen. And also with Mexico, I think the relationship is really very good with the president of Mexico.”

The East Room event marked the first meeting of the White House task force on the World Cup, something that had been called for by travel experts who had previously been concerned about the United States’ preparation for the massive tournament.

Trump said he discussed the tournament with Carney during the prime minister’s visit and added that the cooperation between the North American co-hosts is “total.”

The overwhelming message from Tuesday’s meeting was that the Trump administration is ready to do whatever it takes to put on a successful tournament; Trump told FIFA president Gianni Infantino that the aim was to put on a World Cup that goes so well that “you’re going to say how terrible a job you did in the past, because this is so much better.”

That includes providing federal funding for security in World Cup host cities, as Trump argued that the economic benefits of the tournament would far outweigh any federal investment.

The other message that was made loud and clear: The administration wants the world to come to America and then go home.

“I know we’ll have visitors, probably from close to 100 countries,” said Vance. “We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game. But when the time is up, they’ll have to go home. Otherwise, they’ll have to talk to (Homeland Security) Secretary (Kristi) Noem.” Noem’s department includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is responsible for deportations out of the US.

“We want everyone to come to America. We want everyone to spend a lot of money in America,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who touted the idea of encouraging road trips as a part of America’s 250th birthday that will be celebrated in 2026.

“And so, if you’re coming to see some soccer … go on a road trip see America. Don’t overstay your visa. Don’t stay too long. But, when you come, actually see this great country that we’re going to celebrate over the course of the next year.”

Just before the meeting, Trump announced that Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a longtime Trump aide, will serve as the executive director of the Presidential Task Force on the 2026 World Cup. Carlos Cordeiro, a former president of the United States Soccer Federation and currently a senior adviser at FIFA, will serve as Giuliani’s senior adviser.

Giuliani, who was a former gubernatorial candidate in New York, served in Trump’s first administration as a special assistant to the president and was associate director of the Office of Public Liaison. Trump noted that he helped coordinate the reentry of foreign professional athletes who plied their trade in the US during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.

During the first meeting of the task force on Tuesday, Trump praised Giuliani as a competitive person and an accomplished golfer.

“He’s a highly competitive golfer, by which I mean really good,” Trump said. “And he’s also a highly competitive person, and he loves what we’re doing. So, I want to congratulate you and your family and your father, your great father, who’s the greatest mayor in the history of New York. So, I want to congratulate the family.”

He added with a laugh, “It’s a big post, you better do well, Andrew.”

The task force is largely made up of members of Trump’s Cabinet and Vance is serving as vice chairman. Other members of the task force include GOP Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Todd Young, Reps. Darin LaHood and Bryan Steil.

CNN
 — 

There will be no Triple Crown winner in horse racing this year.

Sovereignty, the three-year-old thoroughbred who won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, will not race in the Preakness Stakes – the second leg of the three races that make up the Triple Crown – after it was announced the colt will instead focus on the Belmont Stakes.

“We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness,” Mike Rogers, executive vice president of 1/ST, which operates the Preakness, said in a statement Tuesday.

“We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision.”

The Preakness Stakes is set to run on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.

Sovereignty won the 151st running of the Derby, finishing ahead of 18 other horses on a muddy track at the Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky.

On Sunday, Mott said that Sovereignty had a scrape on his right front pastern, which is above the hoof, but that it wasn’t serious. Mott said it likely was from clipping heels with another horse when exiting the gate.

“I believe we want to do what’s best for the horse,” Mott said to reporters Sunday, as options were continuing to be weighed. “Normally, of course, you always think about a Triple Crown, and that’s not something that we’re not going to think about.”

The last winner of the Triple Crown was Justify in 2018.