Napoleon Solo hustled to first place at the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, coming out on top against 13 other horses in what is the race's biggest field in 15 years.
The colt entered the race with 8-1 morning odds and was tailing the favorite, Taj Mahal, at the beginning of the race before eventually pulling ahead. It was jockey Paco Lopez's second Preakness but his first win.
Trainer Chad Summers also claimed his first win in the Preakness, which has a $2 million purse.
Paco Lopez, atop Napoleon Solo, wins the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland.
AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough
Iron Honor had been the morning line favorite at 9-2, but he was an 8-1 shot by the time the horses entered the starting gate.
Taj Mahal broke to the lead early and covered the first quarter-mile in 22.66 seconds, but trainer Brittany Russell's unbeaten horse couldn't hold on and was passed by Napoleon Solo, 7-1 by race time, near the top of the stretch. Iron Honor was a threat late but came up 1 1/4 lengths short.
Chip Honcho (1-1) was third.
Napoleon Solo won his first two starts last year by impressive margins, prevailing in the Champagne Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths in October. He couldn't maintain that form, however, finishing fifth in both the Fountain of Youth and Wood Memorial this year.
Also in the Wood Memorial, two spots farther back, was Iron Honor. Their rematch was for much higher stakes, and Napoleon Solo again finished ahead.
"All year long, fifth place, fifth place. Everyone said he wasn't as good as he was in the Champagne," Summers said. "This was a win here. People will say it wasn't against the best of the best. We'll find out the rest of the year."
The three horses who did race in both the Derby and Preakness this year - Ocelli (7-1), Incredibolt (5-1) and Robusta (25-1) - finished fourth, fifth and ninth Saturday.
The second jewel of the Triple Crown was held at Laurel Park in Maryland for the first time due to a major renovation project at Pimlico Race Course, which is expected to be completed next year.
Napoleon Solo #10, ridden by jockey Paco Lopez, races in the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026 in Laurel, Maryland.
Heather Diehl / Getty Images
Although the 1 3/16-mile long race was held a smaller venue, the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans was stacked with horses. The last time 14 horses raced in the Preakness was in 2011, when Shackleford beat Derby winner Animal Kingdom by half a length.
Taj Mahal had run all three of his races at Laurel, which likely played a role as bettors made him the slight favorite over Incredibolt. Russell was trying to become the first female trainer to win the Preakness — two weeks after Cherie DeVaux achieved that milestone at the Derby — but Taj Mahal fell back to 10th after leading much of the way.
This year's Triple Crown is another without a contender going to the highly coveted achievement because Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness Stakes. DeVaux said she wanted to give Golden Tempo "a little more time following such a tremendous effort."
The Preakness Stakes, which featured its biggest field in 15 years with 14 horses in the middle jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown, was won by Napoleon Solo, who entered Saturday's race with 8-1 morning odds.
None of the horses in the Maryland race had a chance to sweep the Triple Crown, the series for 3-year-olds consisting of the Derby, Preakness and the Belmont Stakes in New York. Derby winner Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness, marking the third time in five years that the victor in the Run for the Roses isn't competing in the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans.
After history was made earlier this month at the Kentucky Derby, where the winning trainer was a woman for the first time, a different trainer had the chance to accomplish a similar feat at the Preakness, but fell short.
Napoleon Solo, #10, ridden by jockey Paco Lopez, races in the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026, in Laurel, Maryland.
Heather Diehl / Getty Images
2026 Preakness Stakes horses and odds
Iron Honor was picked as the morning-line favorite for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness with 9-2 odds in Monday's post-position draw. The odds for all the horses in the race changed as bettors place their wagers leading up to Saturday's approximate post time of 7:01 p.m. ET.
Here's a list of the horses who raced in the Preakness in order by post position with their morning-line odds:
1. Taj Mahal, 5-1
2. Ocelli, 6-1
3. Crupper, 30-1
4. Robusta, 30-1
5. Talkin, 20-1
6. Chip Honcho, 5-1
7. The Hell We Did, 15-1
8. Bull by the Horns, 30-1
9. Iron Honor, 9-2
10. Napoleon Solo, 8-1
11. Corona de Oro, 30-1
12. Incredibolt, 5-1
13. Great White, 15-1
14. Pretty Boy Miah, 15-1
The last time 14 horses raced in the Preakness was in 2011, when Shackleford beat Derby winner Animal Kingdom by half a length.
One major difference between then and now is the venue. The Preakness was held this year at Maryland's Laurel Park, located between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, which has been the race's home since 1909. The relocation is temporary while Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course is being redeveloped, and the Preakness is expected to be held at the new Pimlico next year.
The Wood Memorial was the most recent race for Napoleon Solo, who got 8-1 odds in the morning line. Before that, the gray colt finished fifth in Florida's Fountain of Youth Stakes in February ahead of fellow Preakness contender Bull by the Horns, who came in seventh. In October, Napoleon Solo won New York's Champagne Stakes, beating Preakness rival Talkin, who came in second and was given 20-1 odds in the morning line for Saturday.
Paco Lopez rode Napoleon Solo in what was his second Preakness. The 40-year-old finished fifth aboard Max Player in 2020. The colt will be trainer Chad Summers' first in the Preakness.
Iron Honor didn't race in the Derby on the first Saturday of May at its home of Churchill Downs in Louisville. The bay colt won the Gotham Stakes at New York City's Aqueduct Racetrack in February. He didn't fare as well in the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct last month, coming in seventh behind fellow Preakness contenders Ocelli and Napoleon Solo, who finished third and fifth, respectively.
Jockey Flavien Prat, who was aboard 10th-place finisher Emerging Market in the Derby, rode Iron Honor in the Preakness. The colt was Prat's fourth mount in the race. The 33-year-old rode Rombauer to victory in 2021 and came in third with Catching Freedom in 2024. Last year, he came in fourth place aboard Goal Oriented.
Iron Honor's trainer, Chad Brown, was chasing his third Preakness victory after seeing Early Voting win in 2022 and Cloud Computing in 2017.
Iron Honor trains for the Preakness Stakes during morning workouts at Laurel Park, May 13, 2026, in Laurel, Maryland.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Three horses were right behind Iron Honor in the morning line with 5-1 odds each: Chip Honcho, Incredibolt and Taj Mahal.
Trainer Brittany Russell had a chance to make history at the Preakness with Taj Mahal two weeks after Cherie DeVaux became the first woman to train a Derby winner with Golden Tempo.
Russell became the 17th woman to saddle a Preakness horse and the first since 2019, when Alwaysmining, trained by Kelly Rubley, came in 11th. The closest a woman has come to training a Preakness winner was in 2002, when the Nancy Alberts-trained Magic Weisner finished in second place, three-quarters of a length behind the winner, War Emblem.
Taj Mahal came into the Preakness undefeated, having won three races at his home track of Laurel Park, including February's Miracle Wood Stakes and the Federico Tesio Stakes last month.
One difference between those races and the Preakness is that the bay colt started from the No. 1 post. While the post is the closest position in the starting gate to the inside of the racetrack, it comes with the risk of horses being boxed in between the rail and the rest of the field early in the race.
"You know it's funny. I said to myself, the only spot I was hoping not to be was the rail," Russell said after the post-position draw, according to a news release. "It's OK. It's all good."
Her husband, Sheldon Russell, rode Taj Mahal in his three victories, and he had mount for the Preakness. It was the 38-year-old's fourth time in the race, with his most recent also being his best finish with Chase the Chaos, who came in fifth in 2023.
Taj Mahal trains for the Preakness Stakes during morning workouts at Laurel Park, May 13, 2026, in Laurel, Maryland.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Chip Honcho skipped the Derby for the Preakness. The decision to bypass the Derby came in late April amid the runup to the Triple Crown opener after the dark bay colt finished fifth in March's Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans.
Chip Honcho had seen some success at Fair Grounds before the Derby, winning the Gun Runner Stakes in December and finishing second at the Risen Star Stakes on Valentine's Day. The colt also came in fourth at the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds in January.
Jose Ortiz, who was aboard Golden Tempo for his Derby victory as well as the winner of the all-filly Kentucky Oaks a day earlier, rode Chip Honcho in the Preakness. This year's race was the seventh for the 32-year-old, who had the mount when Early Voting won in 2022 and when Good Magic came in fourth in 2018.
Chip Honcho was the 18th Preakness contender trained by Steve Asmussen. He was looking for a return to the winner's circle after going there twice, with Rachel Alexandra in 2009 and Curlin in 2007.
Chip Honcho trains for the Preakness Stakes during morning workouts at Laurel Park, May 13, 2026, in Laurel, Maryland.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Incredibolt finished sixth in the Derby, behind the third-place Ocelli but ahead of fellow Preakness contender Robusta, who came in 14th. The dark bay colt won the Virginia Derby in March, beating Ocelli, who finished sixth. Incredibolt also won October's Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs and finished last out of six horses in January's Holy Bull Stakes in Florida.
Jaime Torres, who's ridden Incredibolt throughout the colt's racing career, waas eyeing his second Preakness win. The 27-year-old was aboard Seize the Grey during his wire-to-wire victory at Pimlico in 2024.
Incredibolt was the first Preakness horse saddled by trainer Riley Mott. His father, trainer Bill Mott, has run two horses in the race, most recently Riley Tucker, who finished 12th in 2008.
In addition to his performances in the Derby, the Wood Memorial and the Virginia Derby, Ocelli — who was given 6-1 odds in the morning line — also competed in Florida's Sam F. Davis Stakes in February, coming in sixth.
Tyler Gaffalione was aboard the bay colt for the Preakness. Ocelli was also under the 31-year-old for his third-place Derby finish. Saturday's race was Gaffalione's fourth Preakness, his top result coming in 2024 with Tuscan Gold's fourth-place finish. The race was Whit Beckman's first Preakness as a trainer.
Ocelli trains for the Preakness Stakes during morning workouts at Laurel Park, May 13, 2026, in Laurel, Maryland.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Three horses — Great White, Pretty Boy Miah and The Hell We Did — were given morning-line odds of 15-1.
Four more got 30-1 odds: Bull by the Horns, Corona de Oro, Crupper and Robusta.
The Detroit Tigers fell to the Blue Jays 3-2 on Saturday after Daulton Varsho drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the 10th inning for Toronto.
The Blue Jays' Yohendrick Pinango homered in the seventh inning of the game.
Varsho lined a 1-1 pitch from Tigers reliever Tyler Holton (0-2) into center field, allowing Vladimir Guerrero to score.
Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland (2-1) pitched the final two innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. Toronto used six pitchers who struck out 14.
The Tigers, who were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, had a chance to win it in the ninth inning with Riley Greene on third and two outs, but Varland struck out Colt Keith.
The first five innings turned into a showcase of pitching and defense, with both teams turning in highlight-reel defensive plays. Toronto third baseman Kazuma Okamoto bobbled a catch in foul territory before recovering to snag the ball barehanded for a remarkable out.
Greene later raced toward the line and made a sliding grab on a foul ball, preserving the scoreless duel as neither offense could break through early.
The Tigers threatened in the third when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Spencer Miles struck out Gage Workman.
Detroit got on the board in the sixth when Matt Vierling homered to left field.
Pinango evened the game at 1 in the seventh when he hit his first home run of the season on reliever Kyle Finnegan's first pitch in the game.
Up next
Tigers starter Casey Mize allowed two hits and struck out four over six innings. Mize returned from the injured list Saturday, his first outing since leaving an April 28 game against Atlanta with a right adductor strain.
Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty (0-4, 5.73 ERA) was set to start Sunday against RHP Kevin Gausman (2-3, 3.86).
Game 7. That's a phrase that surely brings back a lot of good memories for fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons.
Of course, only one of those groups will be happy on Sunday night.
For the second consecutive round, the Cavaliers and Pistons are heading to a winner-take-all contest. Detroit plays host to Cleveland on Sunday night in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, with the winner set to face New York in the East finals starting Tuesday.
Detroit is 6-1 in Game 7s since 1990, while Cleveland is 5-0 in Game 7s since 2016 — with two of those wins coming in road games.
"I've seen this movie before," Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. "It's tough. It's hard. And it should be hard. The good thing is we've put ourselves in a position to have a Game 7. But this is what it's about. Playoffs are hard. We've got to close it out in Game 7."
Cleveland's seven-game win in Round 1 this season was over Toronto; Detroit's seven-game win in Round 1 this season was over Orlando. The Cavaliers and Pistons both got to be at home for those games; Cleveland doesn't have that luxury this time around.
The Cavs won Game 5 in Detroit to take command — albeit briefly — of the series, then lost 115-94 with a chance to close out the series at home on Friday. So, back to Detroit they go.
"It's one game on the road. There's no other way to put it," Cavaliers guard James Harden said. "You've got to be detailed, you've got to get off for a really good start, and you've got to maintain and sustain it for an entire game, however long that takes. It really is just one game. Not saying you've got to be perfect, but we've got to do the details that we've been preaching."
The Pistons are now 4-0 this season when facing elimination after Friday's victory. They won four elimination games — total — in the last 20 seasons combined, though in fairness most of those years came and went without Detroit even making the playoffs.
But this team is different. A 14-win laughingstock of a club two seasons ago held the No. 1 seed in the East for almost this entire season, and a sense of poise seems to have grown from that success.
"We stay in the moment," Pistons guard Cade Cunningham said. "We don't get ahead of ourselves. But most importantly, we stick together. When things get ugly or whatever, we come together, we talk, we get back in the moment and then we move forward from there."
Added Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff: "They just don't quit. The resolve that they have, the belief that they have in one another, they just have the ability to bounce back mentally where they don't hang onto things. Quarters don't bother them. Halves don't bother them. They just move on to the next play, stay moment to moment and try to win what's in front of them."
A tough path to the conference finals
Sunday's winner will be the sixth team in this playoff format (the NBA began using best-of-seven series in Round 1 in 2003) to advance to the conference finals after winning Game 7s in both Round 1 and Round 2.
The others:
— Dallas, 2003
The Mavs went 60-22 in the 2002-03 season and were the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. They beat Portland 4-3 in Round 1, Sacramento 4-3 in Round 2, but fell in six games to San Antonio in the West finals.
— Phoenix, 2006
The Suns went 54-28 in the 2005-06 season and were the No. 2 seed in the West. They beat the Lakers 4-3 in Round 1, the Clippers 4-3 in Round 2, but fell in six games to Dallas in the West finals.
— Boston, 2008
The Celtics won the NBA title in 2007-08 the hard — really hard — way. Boston went 66-16 to grab the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, then needed seven games to topple both Atlanta in Round 1 and Cleveland in Round 2. The Celtics beat Detroit in six games to win the East finals, then beat the Lakers in six games in the NBA Finals.
Toronto, 2016
The Raptors went 56-26 in 2015-16 and were the No. 2 seed in the East. They needed seven games to beat Indiana in Round 1 and Miami in Round 2, then lost in six games to Cleveland in the East finals.
Denver, 2020
In the bubble season, the Nuggets finished 46-27 to grab the West's No. 3 seed. They beat Utah 4-3 in Round 1, the Clippers 4-3 in Round 2 — rallying from 3-1 down in both of those series — then lost to the Lakers 4-1 in the West finals.
Cade Cunningham scored 21 points and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons dominated the second half, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-94 on Friday night to force a Game 7 in their Eastern Conference second-round series.
The decisive game is Sunday in Detroit.
Jalen Duren had 15 points and 11 rebounds while Daniss Jenkins also scored 15 for the Pistons, who have won four games this postseason when facing elimination.
They were down 3-1 to Orlando before winning the last three to advance out of the first round.
Cunningham made five 3-pointers as the Pistons went 16 of 36 from beyond the arc. Duncan Robinson, who missed Wednesday's Game 5 with a lower back injury, had four 3-pointers and scored 14 points off the bench.
Paul Reed also had 17 points as Detroit's reserves outscored Cleveland's 48-19.
James Harden scored 23 points for Cleveland, which suffered its first home loss of the postseason. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley scored 18 apiece.
Detroit asserted its will on the offensive boards and took advantage of Cleveland turnovers. The Pistons converted 13 offensive rebounds into 20 points. The Cavaliers had 20 turnovers, which resulted in 28 Detroit points.
The Pistons were up 54-41 at halftime and started the second half with a 12-2 run. The Cavaliers rallied to get within 74-68 before the Pistons put it away with a 13-2 spurt.
Evan Mobley missed a dunk and Marcus Sasser drove the length of the floor for a layup at the buzzer to give Detroit a 84-70 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Spencer Torkelson drove in the winning run with an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning and the Detroit Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak by edging the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Friday night.
Matt Vierling reached on a bloop single with one out and stole second after Gage Workman struck out. Jeff Hoffman (2-3) intentionally walked left-handed hitting Zach McKinstry to face the righty Torkelson, who spoiled that strategy with his opposite-field hit.
Riley Greene had an RBI double to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, the longest active run in the majors. He has also reached base safely in a career-high 25 consecutive games.
Dillon Dingler reached base three times and scored a run. Drew Anderson allowed only one hit in four innings of scoreless relief and Kenley Jansen (1-2) pitched the ninth for the victory.
Starter Trey Yesavage allowed two runs and struck out six in six innings, but had three wild pitches for the defending AL champion Blue Jays, who have lost eight of 11 and are 19-25 this season. Andres Gimenez knocked in both of Toronto's runs with a double.
Detroit right-handed reliever Ty Madden left in the third after being struck on his pitching arm by Yohendrick Pinango's line drive.
The Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead in the second on Gimenez's two-out, two-run double off Brant Hurter.
Kevin McGonigle scored in the third on one of Yesavage's wild pitches. Greene tied it in the sixth on his double.
Detroit RHP Casey Mize (2-2, 2.90 ERA) will be activated from the 15-day injured list and start the middle game of the three-game series Saturday. The Blue Jays hadn't announced a starter, but RHP Spencer Miles (1-0, 3.00) is expected to pitch multiple innings.
Women's hockey pioneer Manon Rhéaume has been named the general manager of the Professional Women's Hockey League's (PWHL) Detroit expansion team.
Rhéaume joins the Detroit franchise after four seasons working in hockey operations for the Los Angeles Kings. Before her time with the Kings, Rhéaume served as the girls' division director of the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club in Michigan.
"Manon is a pioneer whose impact on the game extends far beyond the ice," said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, in a statement. "She brings an unmatched hockey resume, a championship mindset, and a lifelong commitment to growing the women's game. Her experience at every level of hockey, combined with her leadership and vision, makes her the perfect person to lead PWHL Detroit into its inaugural season.
Rhéaume made hockey history when she became the first woman to sign a professional hockey contract and play in an NHL game. A goaltender, Rhéaume played in two preseason games for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1993. Rhéaume later played with several minor league hockey teams.
In addition to her professional playing career, Rhéaume won two gold medals at the IIHF Women's World Championship and a silver medal at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.
"I'm incredibly honored and excited to join the PWHL and help build something special in Detroit," said Rhéaume. "This city has such a deep hockey tradition, and the passion for hockey here is truly special. The growth of women's hockey has been incredible to watch, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to help shape the future of the sport alongside the PWHL. I can't wait to get started and build a team that Detroit fans will be proud of."
In addition to being one of the PWHL's newest markets, Detroit will host the 2026 PWHL Awards Ceremony on June 16 and the 2026 PWHL Draft on June 17. The draft is at the Fox Theatre.
The Lions-Patriots matchup will be Detroit's first international game since 2015.
This year, the Lions will have one Monday Night Football game (Week 16) and two Sunday Night Football games (Week 2 and 15). Week 15 against the Vikings will be the team's first primetime game in Minnesota since the 2000 season.
Additionally, will have back-to-back NFC North games in Week 7 and 8 (Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings).
Detroit is coming off a 9-8 season in 2025, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Now, with staff and player changes, the Lions are looking to turn this upcoming season around and return to the top of the NFC North.
Detroit Lions full 2026 schedule:
Week 1: Sept. 13 at home against New Orleans Saints (FOX)
Week 2: Sept. 17 at Buffalo Bills (PRIME)
Week 3: Sept. 27 at home against New York Jets (FOX)
Week 4: Oct. 4 at Carolina Panthers (NBC)
Week 5: Oct. 11 at Arizona Cardinals (FOX)
Week 6: BYE WEEK
Week 7: Oct. 25 at home against Green Bay Packers (FOX)
Week 8: Nov. 1 at home against Minnesota Vikings (FOX)
Week 9: Nov. 8 at Miami Dolphins (FOX)
Week 10: Nov 15 in Germany against New England Patriots (FOX)
Week 11: Nov. 22 at home against Tampa Bay Buccaneers (CBS)
Week 12: Nov. 26 at home against Chicago Bears (CBS)
Week 13: Dec. 6 at Atlanta Falcons (CBS)
Week 14: Dec. 13 at home against Tennessee Titans (FOX)
Week 15: Dec. 20 at Minnesota Vikings (NBC)
Week 16: Dec. 28 at home against New York Giants (ESPN)
The Detroit Lions will host the defending NFC North champion Chicago Bears in Detroit's annual Thanksgiving Day game, the league announced Thursday.
The game will kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 26 at Ford Field on CBS.
The Lions and Bears have met 20 times on Thanksgiving, and last faced off on Turkey Day in 2024, with Detroit holding on for a 23-20 win.
It marks the fifth time in the past six years that the Lions have hosted an NFC North foe on Thanksgiving. It's also the sixth time in the last 12 seasons that the Bears and Lions will meet on Thanksgiving. The Bears hold a 3-2 edge over that stretch.
Detroit is coming off a 9-8 campaign and a last-place finish in the NFC North, while Chicago went 11-6 and beat the Green Bay Packers in an NFC Wild Card game before falling to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in the Divisional Round.
The Lions went 2-0 against the Bears last year and have won four straight in the series.
Detroit started hosting a Thanksgiving Day game in 1934 and holds a 38-45-2 record on the holiday, while the Bears are 20-16-2 all-time on Thanksgiving.
Earlier this week, the NFL announced a pair of other Lions games for the 2026 season. On Monday, the league announced that the Lions will face the Bills in Buffalo in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football, and on Wednesday, the NFL revealed that the Lions will host the New England Patriots in Munich, Germany, in Week 10.
This is the first Bears game revealed for the upcoming season.
The rest of Detroit's and Chicago's schedules will be released Thursday night.
James Harden scored a playoff-best 30 points and Donovan Mitchell had 21, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers come back from a nine-point deficit late in regulation and beat the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Pistons led by 15 points in the first half and 103-94 with two-plus minutes left. The Cavs rallied and pulled into a 103-all tie on Evan Mobley's free throws with 45.2 seconds left.
Cleveland went on a 13-0 run and held Detroit scoreless for five minutes from late in fourth quarter to midway through overtime. The Cavs went ahead by seven with 2:39 left in OT on Mitchell's 3-pointer.
Cade Cunningham, who had 39 points and nine assists, made a jumper to pull the Pistons within two points with 25 seconds left.
Game 6 is Friday night in Cleveland, where the fourth-seeded Cavs will get the first of two chances to advance to face the New York Knicks in the East finals.
If the top-seeded Pistons win, they will host Game 7 on Sunday.
Cleveland won the first road game of the series — and its first as a visitor this postseason.
The Pistons had won four straight games at home since Orlando put them on the brink of elimination in Game 5 of the first round.
Harden had eight rebounds and six assists. Max Strus made six 3-pointers and scored 20 points for the Cavs, Mobley added 19 points and Jarrett Allen had 16 points and nine rebounds.
Starting in place of the injured Duncan Robinson, Daniss Jenkins scored 19 points for the Pistons. Tobias Harris missed 13 of 19 shots and scored 13 points, and Jalen Duren was limited to nine points and five rebounds.
Mitchell was held to single digits in the first half for the second straight game, and couldn't repeat his performance after halftime in Game 4. He was in pain after turning his right ankle in the first half.
Mitchell tied an NBA playoff record with 39 points in the second half and scored 43 points to help the Cavs rally to win Game 4.
The Pistons started the second quarter shooting 8 of 8 to take a 15-point lead.
Cunningham made a sixth 3-pointer, setting a career playoff high, and Jenkins connected from beyond the arc with 5:25 left in regulation to give Detroit a six-point lead and cap a 10-0 run that wasn't enough the seal the win in regulation.
Rookie Carson Benge delivered his first big league walk-off hit, a 10th-inning single that atoned for a first-inning misplay and lifted the Mets past the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Wednesday night after New York star Juan Soto left the game with an ankle injury.
New York trailed 2-0 in the first after Benge dropped Dillon Dingler's catchable fly ball near the right-field warning track, which fell for a double, and Riley Greene followed with a two-run single off Christian Scott.
Tyrone Taylor had an RBI grounder in the second off Framber Valdez, who made his first start since a five-game suspension for intentionally hitting Boston's Trevor Story with a pitch. Bo Bichette tied the score with a bloop RBI single in the seventh against Kyle Finnegan.
Soto was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh, four innings after he fouled a pitch off the top of his right ankle. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said X-rays were negative.
Benge, who debuted on opening day, hit a sharp one-out single to center off Drew Anderson (1-1) easily scored automatic runner A.J. Ewing, who made his own debut Tuesday. Benge had been thrown own out at the plate by shortstop Zack Short on a delayed double steal for the final out of the seventh as catcher Dillon Dingler applied the tag.
Brooks Raley (1-1) walked Matt Vierling with two outs in the 10th before he retiring Wenceel Pérez on a flyout.
Scott gave two runs and struck out five in 4 2/3 innings. He is winless in 13 major league starts, tying Colorado's Jon Gray in 2015 and '16 for most consecutive starts without a win opening a big league career.
Anticipation is building downtown and for good reason. There's nothing like Detroit basketball in the playoffs, and that's exactly what fans are getting Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena as the Pistons host the Cleveland Cavaliers in a crucial Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
With the series tied 2-2, fans are eager to see their team take control, especially after the Pistons protected home court in both of their wins so far.
"We always show up and show out," one fan said. "When we're the underdog, we always show up."
Fans like Abe Srour are especially confident heading into the matchup. A die-hard Pistons supporter, Srour even traveled to Cleveland earlier in the playoffs to cheer on the team.
"I guess the fans are going to represent, we're going to sell out, and the Pistons are going to win today," Srour said. "Cade is going for 30."
For Srour, this moment is also about pride and history.
"To represent the Bad Boys of the past, this team needs to dominate and kick some butt," he added. "We have to beat the Cavs. They've beaten us the last couple playoff series, so this is the year the Pistons take them down."
Longtime season ticket holder Mindy Ray has watched the team grow over the years and says this moment feels especially rewarding.
"I'm really excited for the Pistons," Ray said. "I'm really happy for them, I really am, for the boys. It's been a long time coming. They've been putting in a lot of really good work."
And the stakes for Game 5 couldn't be higher. Historically, the team that wins Game 5 in a best-of-seven series tied 2-2 goes on to win the series more than 80 percent of the time, making this a potential turning point.
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged there's still work to do, pointing to both performance and officiating as factors.
"You look at the disparity, and that's hard to overcome, and you wonder the reason why," Bickerstaff said. "It's interesting that since Kenny made his comments publicly about us, the whistle has changed in this series."
As tip-off approaches, the focus for Detroit is clear: defend home court and feed off the energy inside Little Caesars Arena.
With the series tied 2-2, fans are eager to see their team take control, especially after the Pistons protected home court in both of their wins so far.
The Detroit Lions will host the defending AFC champion New England Patriots in Germany in Week 10 of the 2026 NFL season, the league announced Wednesday.
The game is set for Sunday, Nov. 15, at 9:30 a.m. ET in Munich at Allianz Arena.
It's Detroit's first International Series game since 2015, when the Lions lost to the Kansas City Chiefs at Wembley Stadium. Detroit has played two international games.
"It has been a dream of mine to play a game in my mother's home country of Germany since coming to the league," said Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown when the game was first announced in February. "I cannot wait to play in front of the incredible fans that I've gotten to know through my visits and football camps in the country. Their support for me and the country's instant connection to the Lions brand is inspiring, and I'm looking forward to our team getting to showcase Detroit football on an international scale."
The Patriots have played five international games, including a game in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2023. New England is 3-2 all-time in international contests.
The Germany game is one of nine games to be played in seven countries and eight stadiums during the 2026 season. Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Melbourne, Madrid and London will all host games this upcoming season.
The Patriots went 14-3 last season en route to their 22nd AFC East championship and 12th Super Bowl appearance, which they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Lions took a step back in 2025, going 9-8, finishing last in the NFC North and missing the postseason.
The international game announcement is the second Lions game announced this week. On Monday, it was revealed that the Lions will face the Bills in Buffalo in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football.
The rest of Detroit's and New England's schedules will be released Thursday night.
Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, who went on to become a pioneer for inclusion and an ambassador for the league, has died, the NBA announced. He was 47.
Collins spent 13 years as a player in the league for six different franchises. He revealed in 2013 that he was gay, an announcement that came toward the end of his playing career.
Collins announced he was diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma in December, which has an extremely low survival rate. In a statement through the NBA, the Collins' family said the former NBA player died "after a valiant fight with glioblastoma."
Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins dribbles the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Feb. 23, 2014, in Los Angeles.
Mark J. Terrill / AP
"Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar," Collins' family said. "We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly."
Just last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too ill to attend and his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins, accepted for him.
"I told my brother this before I came here: He's the bravest, strongest man I've ever known," Jarron Collins said while accepting that award.
Jason Collins averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in his career. He helped the New Jersey Nets reach two NBA Finals and in his best season averaged 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for them in 2004-05. He retired in 2014 after playing with the Brooklyn Nets from February to November 2014.
"Jason Collins' impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador. Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others."
Jason Collins revealed his sexuality in a first-person account for Sports Illustrated in April 2013.
"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm Black and I'm gay," he wrote in the opening of his piece.
He was a free agent at the time, said he wanted to keep playing, and went on to play in 22 games with Brooklyn the following season.
"If I had my way, someone else would have already done this," he wrote at that time. "Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."
His decision was widely lauded, with star players such as Kobe Bryant quickly speaking out in support of Collins. There was even support from the White House and former President Bill Clinton — whose daughter, Chelsea, went to Stanford with Collins. At Stanford, Collins was roommates with someone who was part of another American political dynasty, that being Joe Kennedy III, who spent eight years in Congress representing Massachusetts.
Collins, in the piece for Sports Illustrated, wrote that he realized he needed to go public about his sexuality when Kennedy walked in Boston's gay pride parade in 2012 — but Collins couldn't do the same.
Until then, Collins kept his feelings about gay rights close to the vest. He wore jersey No. 98 for the majority of his final three playing stints with Boston, Washington and Brooklyn — a nod to the year that Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming, was killed. He also wore 46 in one game for the Nets, since it was the only jersey the team had available when he signed.
"In 2013, Jason changed sports forever by becoming the first active male athlete in a major North American team sport to publicly come out," the National Basketball Players Association said in a statement. "His courage shattered barriers, making him a global beacon of hope for the LGBTQ community. He worked relentlessly to foster inclusion in locker rooms, schools, and communities, challenging us all to be more empathetic."
Collins made nearly 61% of his shots in his career at Stanford, which remains a school record. He was an honorable mention selection for The Associated Press' All-America team in 2001, a few months before the Houston Rockets took him with the 18th pick in that year's NBA draft.
"It's a sad day for all of us associated with Stanford basketball when we lose one of the program's greats," former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. "We all have great memories of Jason and the kind of person he was. It's hard to separate Jarron and Jason because they thought so alike, but even though he was an identical twin, Jason was unique in his own way. The impact he had on Stanford was immense, as he could match up against anyone in the country because he was big, smart, strong and skilled, all while being a very bright and nice person."
A.J. Ewing gave the Mets just the offensive jolt they were looking for throughout his impressive major league debut, and Freddy Peralta pitched six effective innings Tuesday night in New York's 10-2 victory over the sloppy Detroit Tigers.
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez doubled in the fourth and scored on Carson Benge's tiebreaking single, but was removed in the sixth after hitting a foul ball. Late in the game, the team announced Alvarez has a right knee injury and will undergo imaging Wednesday.
New York (16-25) is already missing three injured regulars: shortstop Francisco Lindor, first baseman Jorge Polanco and center fielder Luis Robert Jr.
The latter's absence is one reason the 21-year-old Ewing was called up Tuesday after only 12 games at Triple-A Syracuse and 58 games of experience above High-A ball.
The speedy Ewing laced an RBI triple in the seventh for his first career hit, becoming the first Mets player with a triple in his big league debut. He also walked three times, scored twice, drove in two runs, stole a base and flied out to the center-field warning track.
Peralta (3-3) gave up a leadoff homer to Dillon Dingler in the second and a sacrifice fly to Spencer Torkelson later in the inning that gave Detroit a 2-0 lead. But the right-hander worked out of trouble a couple of times and made a critical defensive play, cutting down Colt Keith at home plate to end the fifth after backing up a throw from the outfield that got past third base.
Peralta allowed seven hits in winning his second consecutive start after going 0-3 in the previous six. He struck out seven and walked one.
Jack Flaherty (0-4) threw 97 pitches in 3 2/3 innings for the Tigers, who are a major league-worst 7-17 on the road after losing for the sixth time in seven games overall. He permitted three runs and six hits.
Up next
Tigers LHP Framber Valdez (2-2, 4.57 ERA) starts Wednesday night in his return from a five-game suspension for intentionally hitting Trevor Story of the Boston Red Sox with a pitch during a 10-2 loss in which Valdez allowed a career-high 10 runs.
Mets RHP Christian Scott (0-0, 3.27) makes his 13th major league start, still looking for his first career win.
Millions of people will be tuning in to watch some of the best soccer players compete at the FIFA World Cup in just under a month.
They'll also be seeing years' worth of work and research by members of the Michigan State University Turf Grass Program right under those players' feet. The World Cup turfgrass, developed in collaboration between Michigan State University and the University of Tennessee, is designed to make play as consistent as possible, a challenge when the World Cup stadiums are anything but.
"We have 16 stadiums across three countries, and we want all the grasses to play the same," said MSU Turf Grass Management professor John 'Trey' Rogers III.
That means maintaining their quality amid constant mowing, miles of player foot traffic, and use in stadiums that weren't built for natural grass.
"We're putting a natural turfgrass field in on a temporary basis, and we're doing that for eight of the 16 stadiums," Rogers said.
Rogers says their challenge is eliminating the time it takes for the grass to re-root in its new home. The solution is to grow the grass on plastic.
"When it's harvested, we don't shear the roots. The roots come up just like a piece of pizza. They can travel long distances in a refrigerated truck. Subsequently, when they're laid down, they're ready to play," he said.
Green plastic fibers are woven into the sod once inside the stadium to keep the field durable.
"One World Cup game equals the same amount of traffic as one Super Bowl. So that means the stadium could have nine Super Bowls on it," Rogers said.
Field crews ensure the grass and plastic act as one throughout the tournament through a process called hygiene.
"We need to find a way to make sure those plastic fibers stay upright. All we're doing is scraping through this top layer, and actually removing some of that surface litter so the plastic fibers that are in here can actually remain standing up," said MSU Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences research assistant Ryan Bearss.
The team of researchers says they don't expect anyone to recognize their work; in fact, the ultimate sign that their grass did the job is if no one says anything about it.
Donovan Mitchell tied an NBA playoff record with 39 points in the second half and the Cleveland Cavaliers evened their second-round series against the Detroit Pistons with a 112-103 victory Monday night.
Mitchell matched the mark of Eric "Sleepy" Floyd on a free throw with 27.6 seconds remaining. He had a chance to break the record, set in 1987 against the Los Angeles Lakers, but missed his second foul shot.
Mitchell finished with 43 points, including 15 during Cleveland's 24-0 run that went from the last 12 seconds of the first half to the first six minutes of the third quarter. Cleveland trailed 56-52 at halftime before taking control.
The Cavs were 10 of 12 from the field and made three 3-pointers. They also converted five turnovers by the Pistons into nine points.
The 24-0 run was the longest in an NBA playoff game since since Minnesota also scored 24 straight in Game 6 of its Western Conference semifinal series against Denver in 2024. It was also the longest spurt by Cleveland in a postseason game since play-by-play stats were kept in 1997-98. The previous high was 19 in an Eastern semifinal series contest against Boston.
James Harden had his 40th playoff double-double with 24 points and 11 assists. Evan Mobley had 17 points, five blocked shots and three steals as Cleveland remained unbeaten at home in six playoff games.
Caris LeVert had a season high 24 points for Detroit. Cade Cunningham scored 19, the first time he has been held under 20 in 11 playoff games this season, and Tobias Harris added 16.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in Detroit.
Harden scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers, as the Cavaliers jumped out to a 16-5 lead five minutes into the game. The Pistons countered with a 23-5 run that included 10 points by LeVert. Detroit was 9 of 13 from the field during the eight-minute spurt while Cleveland was 2 of 14 and missed all eight 3-point attempts.
Cleveland's largest lead was 21 points in the fourth quarter.
