Magic and Lakers look to advance, Cavaliers host Raptors in pivotal Game 5

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers were underdogs going into their first-round playoff series. Both teams will be looking to close things out on Wednesday night in their respective Game 5s.

Orlando looks to become the seventh No. 8 seed to advance when it plays at top-seeded Detroit.

The fourth-seeded Lakers, who are without the injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, host the fifth-seeded Rockets, who have missed Kevin Durant for three of the four games.

Cleveland hosts Toronto with that series tied at two games apiece. It's the only first-round series where home court has held up. The Cavaliers won the first two before the Raptors evened things over the weekend.

The Magic — who are looking to win a playoff series for the first time since 2010 — have plenty of momentum after winning both games in Orlando. But they haven't won a Game 5 on the road in the playoffs, going 0-9.

“We’ve put ourselves in a position to try to get four (wins), but right now it means nothing. We’ve got the advantage, and right now we’ve just got to make sure we keep that advantage,” coach Jamahl Mosley said.

Orlando is also looking to be only the second No. 8 seed to win its first-round series after advancing through the play-in tournament. Miami did it in 2023 when it dispatched Milwaukee in five games. The Heat ended up advancing to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Denver.

Detroit hasn't advanced past the first round since 2008. Pistons fans can take some solace that they were the last team to come back from a 3-1 first-round deficit as a top seed. And it was against the Magic in 2003.

“Backs are against the wall. ... What are you going to do? You’re going to fight. You have to fight to the end, so let’s get back to the crib, protect the crib, and take it one game at a time," Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart said. "The series is not over and we are going to keep fighting.”

It’s almost easy to forget the Lakers were widely expected to lose this series handily while playing without their top two scorers, because now they’re unexpectedly facing pressure to close it out at home in Game 5.

“Well, you have to kill them. It’s difficult to kill someone. Survival instinct says, ‘I want to stay alive,’ so you’ve got to be able to kill them,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

Even though Doncic remains out with a left hamstring strain, Reaves could provide a boost. He will be a game-time decision after being sidelined nearly four weeks with a strained oblique.

The Rockets were loose at the end of practice Tuesday before heading to the airport to travel to Los Angeles. The Notorious B.I.G. song “Going Back to Cali” blared on the speakers as players laughed and danced between shots.

They remain confident despite the strong possibility that they’ll be without Durant for the fourth game in this series.

“We’re obviously the better team, I feel like,” Jabari Smith Jr. said. “So just knowing that, being confident, trusting our work.”

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 7 p.m. EDT (Prime Video).

Series: Magic lead 3-1.

Betting line: Pistons by 10 1/2.

What to Know: The Pistons have two All-Stars (Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren) for the first time since 2008, but both have not been at their best in the playoffs. Cunningham, an all-NBA candidate, averaged nearly 24 points, 10 assists and fewer than four turnovers a game in the regular season. He’s scoring nearly 30 points a game in the playoffs, but he’s averaging four more shots with a lower shooting percentage and is turning the ball over nearly seven times a game. Duren averaged almost 20 points and more than 10 rebounds in the regular season and has been held to single digits in both categories, getting outplayed by Wendell Carter Jr. and dunked on by Jamal Cain.

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 7:30 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Tied, 2-2.

Betting line: Cavaliers by 8 1/2.

What to Know: This has been the only first-round series where the home team has won all four games. Toronto's Scottie Barnes scored a game-high 23 points in Sunday's 93-89 win and is the first player in franchise history to have four straight 20-point games to start a series. Cleveland committed 39 turnovers in its two losses at Toronto, which led to 40 Raptors points. James Harden has 24 turnovers in the series, including seven on Sunday. The Cavaliers are last in free-throw percentage during the playoffs, making 71.9%.

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 10 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Lakers lead 3-1.

Betting line: Lakers by 4 1/2.

What to Know: The Lakers need a win not because the Rockets would have all the momentum with two straight victories, but also because the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder have already swept their way into the second round to await the winner. The Rockets’ offensive attack was terrible in the first two games in Los Angeles with or without Durant. Alperen Sengun and his teammates must maintain their improvements after scoring a series-high 115 points in Game 4.

AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham in El Segundo, California, Larry Lage in Detroit, Rob Maaddi in Orlando, Florida, and Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.

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

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, center, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton, left, and forward LeBron James defend during the first half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) tries to move around Toronto Raptors guard Ja'kobe Walter, right, during the first half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series in Toronto, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, immediately signals for a timeout after winning a rebound from Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) during the second half of Game 3 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday April 24, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff directs his players on the court during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Orlando Magic, Monday, April 27, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane, right, celebrates with teammates guard Jett Howard, left, and guard Jase Richardson, center, during the second half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, Monday, April 27, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. special forces soldier pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he used classified information about the mission to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to win more than $400,000 on the prediction market Polymarket.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, entered the plea in Manhattan federal court after he was charged with the unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud and making an unlawful monetary transaction.

He was released on $250,000 bail and his travel was restricted to portions of New York, North Carolina, California and points necessary to travel between.

Prosecutors said evidence in the case will include information resulting from grand jury subpoenas, cryptocurrency exchange records, search warrants and social media accounts.

Defense attorney Zach Intrater told Judge Margaret M. Garnett he doubts there will be many disputes arising from “the actual event,” but suspects the case will rise and fall on motions he will make on behalf of his client.

The judge ordered Van Dyke to return to court on June 8 for a pretrial conference.

The case comes during heavy scrutiny on prediction markets, which allow people to trade or wager on almost anything, as policymakers call for stricter regulation of the platforms amid concerns about insider trading.

The Trump administration has been supportive of the prediction market industry’s expansion. The president’s eldest son is an adviser for both Polymarket and its main competitor, Kalshi, and he is a Polymarket investor. Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, is launching its own prediction market called Truth Predict.

Prosecutors said Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of Maduro's capture and had signed nondisclosure agreements centered on the operations, but he eventually placed a series of bets related to Maduro being out of power by Jan. 31.

According to a criminal complaint, the bets totaling $33,000 were placed over a three-day period and resulted in “more than $404,000 of profits.”

Polymarket, one of the largest prediction markets, flagged the suspicious activity and turned it over to the government, according to CEO Shayne Coplan.

Van Dyke, who is stationed at Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, North Carolina, was granted bond after a court hearing in North Carolina last week and will continue his case in New York. He was represented in court by attorney Zach Intrater.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke walks with his attorneys near a federal court building in New York on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Gannon Ken Van Dyke walks with his attorneys near a federal court building in New York on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a soldier who is charged with using his access to classified information about the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January to win money on Polymarket, walks near a federal court building in New York on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a soldier who is charged with using his access to classified information about the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January to win money on Polymarket, walks near a federal court building in New York on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, right, walks with his attorneys near a federal court building in New York on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A phone displays sports trades on Polymarket on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)