A dunk and goal you have to see, plus another CFB gambling scandal

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.Good morning! Thank you to everyone who wrote in about their Vikings “hope,” which I’ve learned is in short supply for most Minnesota fans. Ope. Coming up:  🥴 No. 1 on the brink 🏒 Another OT thriller 🎰 New gambling scandal About Last Night: A dunk and a goal off the backboardOnce again, we had an extraordinary night of playoff action across basketball and hockey. But I can’t stop thinking about this dunk: "CAUGHT A BODY!" 😱 pic.twitter.com/s1a0MbIaGI — The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 28, 2026That’s Magic guard Jamal Cain with one of the best poster dunks you’ll see. The context of it makes it even better: in the playoffs, with a chance to push your team — the East’s No. 8 seed — to a 3-1 series lead over the conference’s best team. Magic 94, Pistons 88. Detroit is in big trouble. Two other results to share:  Done: Oklahoma City rolled to a sweep of Phoenix via a 131-122 win. The Thunder await the winner of Lakers-Rockets. 👀: Denver narrowed Minnesota’s series lead to 3-2 with a statement 125-113 win. The absence of Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo could haunt the Timberwolves, who were in complete control of this matchup. Now, not so much.  I also cannot stop peering at this goal from last night: KRIS LETANG SNEAKS ONE PAST VLADAR FOR THE LEAD 😳 pic.twitter.com/RwsmAmzdDi — ESPN (@espn) April 28, 2026That’s Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, who banked that in off the glass — watch the puck come in from top left of the image, carom off the glass and Flyers goalie Dan Vladar into the net. It was the difference in a 3-2 win that saved Pittsburgh’s season.  We had just one other hockey game last night, a 5-4 Golden Knights win in overtime to tie the series 2-2. It’s the fourth straight night an NHL playoff game has gone to overtime, and the second straight night it’s happened in the final one on the schedu...