OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder began their title defense with a 119-84 rout of the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Sunday.
The reigning league MVP made just 5 of 18 field goals but went 15 of 17 at the foul line before sitting out the fourth quarter.
Jalen Williams scored 22 points and Chet Holmgren added 16 for the top-seeded Thunder, who will host Game 2 on Wednesday.
Devin Booker scored 23 points and Dillon Brooks scored 18 on 6-of-22 shooting for the Suns, who shot 34.9% from the field.
Phoenix broke out to a 5-0 lead as the Thunder started cold following a week off.
Oklahoma City heated up quickly. Brooks was called for a flagrant-one foul in the first quarter for hitting Holmgren in the face. The Thunder went on a 12-2 surge after that to take a 24-14 lead.
CELTICS 123, 76ERS 91
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in his first playoff game since rupturing his right Achilles tendon last season, and Boston rolled past Philadelphia in Game 1 of the first-round series.
Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Neemias Queta added 13 for the second-seeded Celtics.
Tatum scored 21 points in the first half, playing in just his 17th game this season following surgery last May to repair his Achilles tendon.
Boston never trailed, building a 35-point lead as coach Joe Mazzulla gave minutes to 12 players. The Celtics connected on 16 3-pointers.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Boston.
Tyrese Maxey had 21 points and eight assists for the 76ers, who played without Joel Embiid. The 2023 MVP continues to recover following an appendectomy on April 9. It’s unclear when he will be able to return.
Paul George scored 17 points and V.J. Edgecombe added 13. Philadelphia was 4 of 23 from 3-point range.
Maxey was hounded by a Celtics defense that contested 12 of his 14 shot attempts in the first half and held him to 8 of 20 from the field.
Philadelphia’s 64-46 halftime deficit was its largest in a playoff game against Boston since 1982.
MAGIC. 112, PISTONS 101
DETROIT (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists to lead eighth-seeded Orlando to a win over top-seeded Detroit in Game 1 of their first-round series, extending the longest home playoff losing streak in NBA history.
Detroit has dropped 11 straight home games in the postseason, a drought that dates to 2008.
The Pistons will get another chance against Orlando on Wednesday night in Game 2.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham scored a playoff career-high 39 points and Tobias Harris added 17 for the Pistons, but the rest of their teammates were quiet offensively.
Franz Wagner scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory for the Magic, who never trailed. Orlando’s Desmond Bane and Wendell Carter scored 17 points each and Jalen Suggs had 16.
At long last, the puck dropped on the much-anticipated first-round series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning. While the Bolts captain Victor Hedman skated on Sunday morning, his first time back on the ice, the Lightning had to make do without him for the game, just like the Canadiens were without Noah Dobson, even though he made the trip with the team.
Unsurprisingly, the atmosphere in the building was absolutely electric when the puck dropped, and the intensity level was dialed all the way up. As expected, Jakub Dobes was in the net for the Habs, starting just his fourth playoff game, while Andrei Vasilevskiy, a fixture in the Bolts’ net for years now, was playing the 121st playoff game of his career.
Despite his inexperience, Dobes showed absolutely no sign of nerves. He came out strong, and while the Canadiens were outshot 9-4 in the first frame, they still had a 1-0 lead on the board thanks to some big saves.
The Czech netminder was aggressive at the right time, coming out of his net to cut the angles as a Tampa Bay player had a golden opportunity all alone in the slot. Furthermore, he proved he had nerves of steel when he came out of the net to handle the puck, near the empty net, under pressure; he kept his cool and made the right play.
Josh Anderson always brings a lot of energy to the table in the playoffs. He clearly loves the importance of the moment and the electricity in the air. It’s no surprise, really, that he got the first goal of the game.
For a few minutes in the second frame, it looked like he had a second goal when he tipped a high puck in front of Vasilevskiy, but it was waived off because he touched it too high. Immediately after that, he got a two-minute charging penalty. He came at Charle-Edouard D’Astous like a train while the Bolts’ player was readying himself for contact with Jake Evans on the other side. As a result, D’Astous was hit by two Habs at once and fell to the ice, clearly shaken up. If he hadn’t been bumped by Evans at the same time, there might not have been a call, but there was.
Unfortunately for Anderson, that penalty would result in a big momentum swing. The hosts scored their first goal on the man advantage, then a second 29 seconds later, as the Canadiens looked panicked in their own end, the puck went through Kaiden Guhle’s leg on its way to the front of the net, where Brandon Hagel collected it before flipping it over Dobes’ arm. In those 29 seconds, the game had been turned upside down, and Montreal went from thinking it led 2-0 to trailing 2-1.
At that stage, Martin St-Louis spoke with the referees. Perhaps it was about a call he felt was missed, but it also looked like a way to take a time-out without actually calling for one, giving his team time to settle their nerves. If that was the case, it was an excellent move by the bench boss who was coaching his sixth playoff game.
Slafkovsky’s Strength
If anyone still doubted just how strong Juraj Slafkovsky is, that game should have settled any doubt. In heavy traffic with hits flying left, right, and center, the power forward made his way through the Tampa defense relentlessly. With half the game gone, he was the only member of the first line to have tested Vasilevskiy; he even had two shots.
After the Bolts had taken a 2-1 lead, it was the big Slovak who brought everyone back to square one with a one-timer on the power play with less than a minute to go in the second frame. Then, on another power play, early in the third, it was he again who scored for the Habs with a perfect shot from the bumper.
It used to be that if you contained Cole Caufield, the Canadiens’ power play was neutralized, but not anymore with Demidov on the other side, who can unleash a one-timer or distribute the puck in an elite manner, and Slafkovsky in the bumper ready to fire at will. On his second goal, Vasilevskiy was in close to the post, covering the near side that Caufield likes so much, so when he passed it, the goalie was vulnerable in his push to follow the puck. That’s when the power forward beat him.
With a 3-3 tie in the dying seconds of the third frame, the Canadiens got another power play, but they couldn’t score in regulation. Slafkovsky scored the game-winner, on the power play, in overtime, 4-3, against the Canadiens. Full marks to St. Louis, who didn’t call for a timeout earlier in the game when his young team panicked, but used it in overtime to extend his first unit’s shifts.
Apr 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg (31) and Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen (62) during the second period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
DENVER, CO — Ball Arena was the stage, and playoff hockey was the entertainment, and we were not disappointed in the slightest.
The arena and its patrons started in a frenzy, and as Gangsters Paradise rang out, the frenzy built into downright bedlam as the white pom poms flew.
With three Stanley Cup banners wading in the noise, the Colorado Avalanche began their journey toward hopefully adding to the collection with the LA Kings standing in their way as first-round foe.
Will the Presidents’ winning Colorado Avalanche assert their dominance, or will LA prove pesky early in round one?
The Game
From puck drop, one thing was made very clear: the Avalanche were prepared and ready to get off on the right foot.
The pressure on the Kings’ netminder, Anton Forsberg, built and built; however, the Avalanche couldn’t cash in.
The Kings created a flurry of chances of their own late in the first frame, but a bit of puck luck and mostly stellar play from Wedgewood kept things tied at one.
A no-goal first period is likely exactly what the LA Kings players and staff had in mind, so I’d count that as a win for LA in period one.
The second frame began with much of the same.
Colorado’s second power play of the night led to some great chances, including a doorstep look for Landeskog, but the puck just didn’t go in.
The Avalanche appeared to score a goal, but it was immediately waved off for goaltender interference.
Fans were understandably displeased as it appeared that Drew Doughty’s check on Jack Drury caused the contact in the crease.
Inevitably, Jared Bednar would challenge the play.
Avs score but was ruled goalie interference, they challenged the call and it stood.
The call was upheld, and the Avalanche would have to kill a power play.
I’m of the opinion that, although the contact from Doughty was well away from the net, Drury couldn’t do much more to stay out of the blue paint.
Finally, after all of the attacks Colorado was bringing to the table, it was none other than Artturi Lehkonen who broke the scoreless tie, in typical fashion!
Lehky’s goal looked strikingly similar to his series-clincher back in 2022 against the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final, in that Artturi was there to net a rebound and give his side the 1-0 lead. The Avalanche would hold that lead heading into the third period.
Next up on the goal-scoring train was Logan O’Connor, who, a few short months ago, hadn’t played any NHL hockey this season. His goal would give Colorado a 2-0 lead in the third period.
The Kings would cut the lead to one with a power play goal from Artemi Panarin with just over two minutes to go but Colorado held on to take the first game of the series by a 2-1 score.
Takeaways
There are very few environments in hockey like Ball Arena during the playoffs. The place was rocking, and during a game where the heavy favorites didn’t tally a goal in the first period, they stayed engaged and loud beyond the first wave.
This is why the NHL playoffs are so fascinating. No matter how the 82 games before the playoffs go, it’s still about who can win 4 games first, and the Kings played like a team with nothing to lose.
It was a low-scoring affair, but Colorado did control this one from the onset. Just took time to net one.
Scott Wedgewood with a playoff win to get things started, and I’m not sure the Avalanche could ask for more on that front.
Good for Scott, who more than earned his place as the starting netminder here in Colorado.
Did the Avalanche do a good job of sheltering their tender? Absolutely, but when he was on his own, he stood tall.
Upcoming
Same place, but different time (8:00 p.m. MT) as the Colorado Avalanche and the LA Kings meet for game two at Ball Arena on Tuesday.
Let us know what you thought of this contest in the comments!
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 18: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defends Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena on April 18, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business in Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors. They kept Toronto from getting out in transition, forced them to play in the half-court, and then were able to out-execute them there on both sides of the court.
The Raptors desperately missed Immanuel Quickley in Game 1, who was out with a hamstring injury. His three-point shooting and quickness in the open court were things the team could’ve used. Toronto head coach Darko Rajaković mentioned before Saturday’s game that he was getting better even though he wasn’t able to go on Saturday. Quickly is once again questionable for Game 2.
The Cavs, meanwhile, have a clean injury report for the second game in a row. Thomas Bryant is the only player unavailable. He will be missing the game with a hamstring injury.
We’ll see if the Cavaliers can repeat Saturday’s success in Game 2 and grab a 2-0 series lead.
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It is one of the tightest, best three-way MVP races in recent memory between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama.
Which is why it's no shock that those three were the top three vote-getters and are the finalists for Most Valuable Player, as the NBA released the finalists for all its awards this season.
Here is the full list (players listed in alphabetical order).
Most Valuable Player
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Rookie of the Year
VJ Edgecombe (76ers) Cooper Flagg (Mavericks) Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
Defensive Player of the Year
Chet Holmgren (Thunder) Ausar Thompson (Pistons) Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Coach of the Year
J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons) Mitch Johnson (Spurs) Joe Mazzulla (Celtics)
Tim Hardaway Jr. (Nuggets) Jamie Jaquez Jr. (Heat) Keldon Johnson (Spurs)
Clutch Player Of the Year
Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
Five of the awards will be announced this week:
MON: Defensive Player of the Year (on Peacock) TUE: Clutch Player of the Year (on Peacock) WED: Sixth Man Award THU: NBA Sportsmanship Award FRI: Most Improved Player
Nothing is shocking on these lists. Which means no Lakers fans, Luka Doncic was not snubbed. As fantastic as he was this season, and even if he had played the final handful of games, he was half a step behind the top three in terms of consistency and two-way impact. Fifth in MVP voting will be Cade Cunningham or Jaylen Brown, but expect the Pistons' All-Star to get the nod.
The first weekend of the 2026 NBA playoffs has wrapped up, with each first-round series having one game completed.
And, thus far, all but one of the higher seeds have taken care of home-court advantage, but the playoffs are a long haul and series can change on an instant.
This may be disappointing to the rest of the league, but arguably no team was as impressive as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who dominated in their postseason opener. The top seed in the Eastern Conference cannot say the same.
So what, exactly, can be gleaned from the early games of the playoffs? Plenty.
Here are the winners and losers from the first weekend of the 2026 NBA playoffs:
WINNERS
The unlikely Magic steal one
Let’s be honest: the Pistons probably still win this series. But this is a massive game for Orlando, whose coach, Jamahl Mosley, came into the playoffs facing some pressure about his future. The Magic excelled in the paint, on both ends, despite Detroit leading the NBA this season with 57.9 points in the paint per game. On Sunday, Orlando held the Pistons to just 34 points in the paint and generated a 20-point advantage in the category.
All five Magic starters reached double-figures in scoring, and Orlando – which plays a similar style as Detroit – showed it won’t just roll over.
Jayson Tatum
What he’s doing, 11 months removed from a torn Achilles, is nothing short of spectacular. Tatum shined in his return to the playoffs, posting an all-around efficient game of 25 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. His day would’ve been even better had he not shot 1-of-7 from 3-point range, but Boston looked every part of a legitimate threat in the East in its commanding win Sunday over Sixers.
Knicks defensive versatility
Speaking of contenders in the East, the Knicks sent a message Saturday against an upstart Hawks squad that can generate offense from different sources. New York harassed the Hawks, deploying Josh Hart on Jalen Johnson, which allowed OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to fly around the perimeter and smother other weapons. Even Karl-Anthony Towns made his presence felt with a team-high 3 blocks.
The Nuggets-Timberwolves series
This is, by far, the gem of the round. They’re frequent opponents, having met in three of the last four playoffs. These are fierce, competitive teams that don’t like each other. And these teams are fairly evenly matched. The play was physical, chippy and compelling, and there’s no shortage of star power. The rest of the series should be fascinating.
Donovan Mitchell is on a mission
Although he has put up statistically impressive performances in the postseason, Donovan Mitchell often draws criticism because his teams have never gotten past the second round. Mitchell appears determined to erase that narrative; in Game 1 on Saturday, Mitchell dropped 32 points and 4 assists on the Raptors. He, James Harden and backup guard Max Strus combined to shoot 12-of-20 (60%) from beyond the arc.
So are the Oklahoma City Thunder
The defending champions looked hungry, efficient and cohesive in a 35-point blowout victory over the Suns. The defense, unsurprisingly, was oppressive, holding Phoenix to just 34.9% shooting. That, plus the 17 turnovers Oklahoma City forced, opened the path for easier transition points, with the Thunder taking an 18-2 edge on fastbreak points.
LOSERS
A stunning letdown for the Detroit Pistons
Sunday’s shocking 8 vs. 1 upset exposed some of Detroit’s issues. For one, the Pistons clearly need more shooting. Cade Cunningham posted a monster game with 39 points, five rebounds and assists, but his supporting cast let him down. All-Star center Jalen Duren was mostly a non-factor, and Tobias Harris was the only other player to reach double-figures in scoring.
Credit the Magic for their defense, but the Pistons looked flat, almost like they were the ones who had to roll through the Play-In Tournament. Detroit had the week off and entered as 8.5-point favorites. Instead, the Pistons lost their 11th consecutive home playoff game and now have to search for answers. And, to be frank, it makes it feel like Boston is the team to beat in the East.
Lower seeds
The first round of the playoffs tends to produce expected results, and this year has been no exception. Through the Thunder-Suns game, higher seeds are a combined 6-1, and the games, in many cases, have been lopsided. The combined average margin of victory so far has been 17.4 points.
The Houston Rockets
Yes, Kevin Durant was out. But their opponent, the Lakers, was missing Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique), the highest-scoring duo in the NBA this season. And, yet, the Rockets, a team that tied for fifth in defensive rating (112.1), allowed the Lakers to shoot 60.6% from the field, including 52.6% from 3-point range. Houston let Luke Kennard, a solid, role-playing shooter, hit all five of his 3-pointers for a playoff career-high of 27 points.
Arguably more disappointing was Houston’s lack of offensive cohesion. Often, players appeared to be ball watching and waiting for iso opportunities. The problem, however, was that the Rockets shot just 37.6% from the floor.
The 76ers without Joel Embiid
It’s clear that Philadelphia is going to struggle without its big man. Embiid (appendectomy) finished the regular season strongly, generating 28.6 points per game over his last five games played. The issue, as it has been with Embiid, is that he has been so infrequently available.
Against the impressive defense that the Celtics bring, there’s simply no way the 76ers can compete without Embiid. According to ESPN, Embiid hasn’t even started basketball activities for his return and may miss the entire first round. The Sixers, almost certainly, will be eliminated at that point, anyway.
Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels
Risacher, the 2025 No. 1 overall selection, played just 2:29 on Saturday against the Knicks and missed badly on his three shot attempts, two of which were point blank. Though he played far more, Daniels, similarly, forced difficult shots and couldn’t settle into a rhythm. The pair combined to go 2-of-10 for 4 points, though Daniels did dish out 11 assists and haul in 9 rebounds.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 18: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to making a shot during the first half of Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on April 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With two of the Lakers’ big three out, LeBron James finds himself once again asked to be anything and everything for the purple and gold.
That would normally be a ton of pressure to put on one player in the postseason, but LeBron is not your typical athlete.
In Game 1 against the Rockets, he didn’t throw up a bunch of shots to try to make up for the production Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves typically provide.
Instead, he activated his point guard mode and got everyone involved. LeBron had eight assists in the first quarter, which was the most assists he’s had in any quarter in his playoff career.
As the contest progressed, LeBron began looking for his shot. He dominated inside the paint and shot 9-15 from the field. James also had a pair of steals, a block, eight rebounds and the best plus-minus on the team at +11.
After the victory, LeBron talked about his role on this team and how he can help uplift the shorthanded Lakers.
“Well, for me, I got to do a little bit of everything,” LeBron said. “That’s what the job requires. So it’s being a triple threat, being able to rebound, being able to pass, being able to shoot, also defend, put myself in a position where I can bring value to this ball club, bring value to this team throughout this series.
“It’s going to be a game-to-game situation to see how the game plays out. I don’t predetermine what I’m going to do. The only thing that’s predetermined in my game is how I prepare. I’ll prepare before I get to the game and then once I get out there, it’s all about reading and reacting, understanding situations. I’ve been in every situation you could ever imagined as a basketball player, so there’s nothing that can surprise me.”
As the league’s oldest player and a four-time NBA champion, LeBron is an amazing option as your leader. He’s seen all the highs and lows and isn’t just a vocal leader but also an All-Star player producing on the court.
The Lakers had a nice break between their last regular-season game and their first playoff contest, and James was a big reason why the Lakers looked so sharp after some time off.
“He displayed great leadership throughout,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “We talked all week about being connected offensively and trusting the pass and he led us there in the first half, getting 10 assists and then was able to make some scoring plays down the stretch. Just a fantastic overall game from him and he gave us all he had on the defensive end. He really exerted himself on both ends and that’s what the playoffs are.”
It’s going to be an uphill battle for the Lakers to win this series, but this was as good a start as anyone could ask for. If James can keep this up and his teammates follow, then the Lakers will maximize what they can do this postseason.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 29: Michael Massey #19 of the Kansas City Royals commits a fielding error on a ball hit by Carlos Correa #4 of the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Target Field on April 29, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Royals defeated the Twins 3-2. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The week ended how it began, with a Kansas City loss. That is also how the entire middle went. Kansas City’s losing streak has extended to seven games and they will go home after an 0-6 road trip.
Cole Ragans’ first inning started BB, HR, BB, K, BB, BB and he still managed to get out of there with only 3 runs given up. That should make it seem like the Royals had a chance, but that 3 run lead felt insurmountable and then progressively got worse. Ben Rice, who cannot make outs, hit another home run in the second inning. Trent Grisham added the third homer in the 5th, a 3-run shot. On the day, Ragans walked 8, to set a new career high. He was charged with 7 earned runs and left his last walk on base for Mason Black to deal with. Black did get out of the inning, but by then it was pretty much over.
Ryan Weathers, on the other hand, dominated Royals hitters. Bobby singled in the first and then they waited all the way to 6th for their second hit when Elias Diaz singled to right. He was then thrown out at home on a Bobby Witt double a few batters later. Weathers ended up going 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball with 8 Ks. The team threatened to score again in the 8th to no avail. The Yankee bullpen held on to the shutout.
Mason Black had his first appearance for the Royals and it went well. No runs over 1 2/3 innings. He did allow 3 hits and a walk though, so the underlying metrics were not great. Both he and Diaz debuting with some success, are about the only bright spots on the day if you throw Bobby in there with them. This was not the least interesting baseball game I have ever watched, but it was a slog for sure.
The team will head back to Kauffman tied with the Mets for the worst record in baseball. Baltimore and the Angels will be in Kansas City for the coming week.
The Atlanta Hawks were excellent against the spread down the stretch, and despite getting smoked in the second half of Game 1 vs. the New York Knicks, they will be competitive in this series, particularly in Game 2.
With Nickeil Alexander-Walker coming off an uncharacteristically poor shooting night, we're building an SGP banking on a bounce-back game from the guard en route to cashing the Over.
I picked the Atlanta Hawks to cover the same 5.5-point spread in Game 1, and they lost by 11. But I’m not deterred, as Atlanta has a clear path to making this one more competitive.
The Hawks were a putrid 12 of 19 from the charity stripe, falling well below their season average of 77.4%.
The New York Knicks hit 25 of 30 free throws, and Atlanta can do a better job at limiting opportunities there. The Hawks went 18-8 against the spread between the All-Star break and the end of the season, and I expect them to keep this one close as they look to avoid a 2-0 hole.
The Hawks and Knicks faced off four times this season, finishing with combined game totals of 215, 213, 210, and 253. Game 1 finished just a bucket shy of hitting the Over, and I’m betting on that extra bucket in Game 2.
Atlanta’s shooting was off, as the team hit just 44% of their field-goal attempts, and leading scorer Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with only 17 points on a miserable 6-for-17 shooting. A slightly more efficient offensive attack from the visitors should push this one to hit the Over.
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DENVER, CO - APRIL 19: (L-R) Mickey Moniak #22, Troy Johnston #20 and Brenton Doyle #9 of the Colorado Rockies celebrate after Johnston made a diving catch to end the game and secure the 9-6 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on April 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What losing to the Colorado Rockies does to a team.
The Colorado Rockies earned their eighth win of the season last night with a close and hard fought victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers—a feat they didn’t accomplish until August last season.
The Rockies tied their number of 2025 victories against the Dodgers with a strong win on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, earning at minimum a series split and setting them up for a potential series win tomorrow night. It was also the first time in four years the Rockies have notched back-to-back-victories against the Dodgers.
Making things even worse for Los Angeles? Just a few blocks away at Ball Arena, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings in the first game of their Stanley Cup Playoffs.
A solid bounce back for Lorenzen
Veteran righty Michael Lorenzen has had an up-and-down season so far. His last time out he gave up seven runs—though only two were earned—in just 2.2 innings. The Rockies’ biggest name of the off-season needed a bounce back, but that was a potentially tall order against a strong Dodgers lineup.
But Lorenzen delivered.
While he gave up a decent amount of contact with seven hits, he also pounded the strike zone. He gave up just one walk, the fewest since his Rockies debut back at the start of the season. Lorenzen ultimately gave up three earned runs over five innings of work and struck out three batters to set the stage for an unlikely Rockies victory.
Senzatela leads a mostly solid effort from the bullpen
It took six appearances and 12.2 innings for Antonio Senzatela to give up his first earned run of the season. The former starter’s efforts are a stark contrast to his brutal struggles last season. Three singles in the top of the sixth inning plated a run with two outs, but he was able to secure the final out thanks to a good catch deep in left field by Mickey Moniak. After a breather in between innings, Senzatela set down the side in order in the top of the seventh.
Jimmy Herget also struggled somewhat in his inning of work, though without any damage. Herget gave up two singles in the top of the eighth, but navigated a scoreless frame with a strikeout.
Where things got hairy for the pitching staff was in the top of the ninth. The Rockies had plenty of cushion to work with as Victor Vodnik—who earned the save last night—had started warming up with just a two run lead and entered the game with five.
Vodnik struggled to locate his pitches. He gave up a lead-off double to Shohei Ohtani, who advanced on a wild pitch and eventually scored via a Will Smith single. Another single and a walk had the bases loaded with just one out. Rushing cast a sharp grounder to Willi Castro at second base, but Castro was unable to cleanly come up with the ball for what would have been a game-ending double play—only getting the out at first base—and another run scored.
With runners in scoring position, 28-year-old rookie debutant Ryan Ward made contact and sent the ball to right field. Thankfully, a diving catch by Troy Johnston secured the final out and the Rockies’ victory.
After barely squeaking out a win 4-3 last night, the Rockies hauled in plenty of runs on their lines this afternoon. The Rockies scored nine runs on a whopping 15 hits against Dodgers pitching. They drove starter Roki Sasaki from the game after 4.2 innings, drove relievers Blake Treinen and Edwin Díaz from the game with neither recording a single out, and overall made the Dodgers use six different bullpen arms with a game left to play tomorrow and their next day off not coming until April 30th.
Edouard Julien, the pride of Québec City, broke out of a short slump and went 3-for-5 this afternoon. He scored once himself but more importantly drove in three runs on a bases loaded single in the eighth inning to bust the game wide open and give the Rockies plenty of cushion — cushion the bullpen ended up needing.
Kyle Karros, Moniak, and Johnston all had two hits off of Dodgers pitching. Karros hit his first home run of the season in a 2-for-3 afternoon with a walk. Moniak had an impactful hit in the seventh inning by launching his team-leading sixth home run for two runs to put the Rockies in a lead they would never relinquish. He also drove in an additional insurance run in the eighth inning.
The Dodgers now cannot win their first series against the Rockies. It will be the first series split or loss against a National League team of the season for them. The Rockies can secure a series win with a victory tomorrow night as they aim to send the folks in Dodger Blue home disappointed for the third straight game. It will be a lefty-on-lefty match-up with Justin Wrobleski slated to start for the Dodgers and José Quintana scheduled for the Rockies. First pitch is at 6:40 PM MDT.
DENVER , CO - APRIL 18: Jaden McDaniels (3) of the Minnesota Timberwolves defends Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) | Denver Post via Getty Images
Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets Date: April 20th, 2026 Time: 9:30 PM CDT Location: Ball Arena Television Coverage: NBC, Peacock
Game 1 in Denver was the kind of playoff loss that sticks with you.
Not because the Timberwolves got run off the floor. Not because they looked hopelessly outclassed. In some ways, that would have been easier to process. No, what made Saturday afternoon so maddening was that Minnesota showed us enough to make the loss feel avoidable. They came out looking like the sharper, faster, more urgent team. They built a 12-point lead. Nikola Jokic looked winded. The Denver crowd had that nervous, unsettled murmur that only comes when a favorite realizes the underdog may have actually shown up with a knife.
And then, little by little, possession by possession, whistle by whistle, the game slipped.
You can tell the story of Game 1 in two ways.
The generous version is the one Wolves fans have been angrily rehearsing ever since the final buzzer. It starts with the officiating, which was not just bad, but the kind of bad that makes you start wondering whether the refs were trying to set a record for most momentum-killing whistles in one afternoon. From the jump, it was obvious Minnesota was going to have to play this game while wearing ankle weights. Five team fouls within minutes of the opening quarter. Denver in the bonus before either team had really found an offensive rhythm. Jamal Murray living at the free-throw line like he had purchased a condo there, finishing with 16 attempts by himself, nearly matching Minnesota’s entire team total. The Nuggets shot 33 free throws to the Wolves’ 19, and in a game that was there for the taking late, that is not a side note. That is central to the story.
Then there was the Jaden McDaniels flagrant, which belonged in a museum exhibit titled How to Completely Misread a Basketball Play. Murray leapt forward, clearly initiating the contact, clearly landing inside the three line after starting his shot outside, and somehow the result was a flagrant on McDaniels. It was absurd. Worse than absurd, it was deflating. A well-defended miss converted to three points and the ball for Denver.
And yes, that stuff matters. It matters in the box score, where Denver got a pile of free points despite not shooting especially well. It matters in the defensive intensity, because once Minnesota realized every hard contest might become a foul and every foul might become an escalation, they were forced to defend with one hand tied behind their back. It matters emotionally too. You could feel the frustration building. You could see it in McDaniels shoving Jokic in the back. You could see it in the body language. You could feel a team trying not to boil over and, in the process, losing some of the edge it needed to survive.
Then there is the second part of the generous version: Anthony Edwards’ health.
Wolves fans spent the last couple of weeks convincing themselves that the late-season rest was going to be a blessing, that Ant’s knee would heal, that the version of him we would see in the playoffs would be the fresh, spring-loaded monster this team needs. And to his credit, there were flashes. He had some pop. There were moments where he attacked and you could see flashes of his greatness. But if you watched closely, you also saw the pain. The flinch on landings. The moments where he clearly was not fully himself. And when you are playing Denver, when the other side has Jokic operating at full power and Murray getting every whistle known to mankind, “not fully yourself” is a major problem.
That is the generous version.
It is also incomplete.
Because if Minnesota wants to get back in this series, it has to spend a lot less time talking about what happened to them and a lot more time correcting what they did to themselves.
The officials were awful. Edwards is clearly less than 100 percent. Both things can be true. But neither of those facts explains why the Wolves, after building that early lead, let the game turn into exactly the kind of half-court slog Denver wants. Neither of them explains the stagnant second quarter, when the pace dropped, the ball stopped moving, and the offense began to look like a collection of individual errands instead of a coordinated attack. Neither explains the third quarter, when Minnesota more or less donated the game by allowing a 17-2 run in which the offense shriveled into lazy isolation possessions and the defense cracked just enough for Denver to smell blood.
That stretch decided the game.
Not the first-quarter whistles. Not the Jaden flagrant. Not even Ant’s knee, really.
The Wolves looked like the better team when they were pushing tempo, playing in space, and forcing Denver to sprint. They looked like a team pushing Jokic to his limit, making him run, making him work, making him defend. Then they just… stopped. They let Denver catch its breath. They let the ball stick. They settled for ugly shots. They stopped making the Nuggets move defensively. They essentially invited a more composed, more experienced team back into the exact game environment it wanted.
And Chris Finch, to be honest, did not do much to stop the avalanche. That part matters too.
So now here they are, down 0-1, heading into a Game 2 that has all the emotional subtlety of a car crash. This is the swing game. Lose it, and you are asking this team to beat a very hot Denver squad four times in five games, with the Nuggets riding what would then be a 14-game winning streak. Sure, anything is possible. Kevin Garnett taught us that. But that is not a sentence you want to be clinging to when you are staring down a giant in the first round.
Game 2 is not technically must-win, but emotionally and mathematically, it sure as hell feels like it.
So with that, here are the keys to the game.
1. Push the pace.
This is non-negotiable.
The first quarter told the whole story. When the Wolves were flying, Denver looked vulnerable. Jokic looked human. He was huffing. He was laboring. He was being forced into the kind of game he does not love: one played at a pace where his genius still matters, but his conditioning gets tested and his margin for error narrows.
Minnesota cannot let this become a walking game.
The altitude is real. The temptation to conserve energy is real. But the Wolves are younger, longer, and more athletic than this Denver team, and if they are going to win this series, they have to weaponize that advantage. Every miss has to become a sprint. Every rebound has to turn into an opportunity. They need to run after makes if they can. They need to turn this into a game where Jokic has to log extra miles, not just extra touches. You beat Jokic by making him carry an exhausting burden for 48 minutes and then asking him to do it again two days later.
Minnesota eased off that pressure after the first quarter. It cannot happen again.
2. Move the ball like your season depends on it, because it kind of does
Denver’s defense is not some impenetrable wall. This is not 2004 Detroit. This is a unit that can be manipulated, stretched, and made uncomfortable, but only if you make it work.
The Wolves did not do that consistently in Game 1.
Too much of the offense became stagnant, especially once the initial burst wore off. Too many possessions ended with Ant or Julius Randle dribbling into a crowded floor and trying to solve the problem themselves. Too many possessions died before they really started. And the tragedy of it is that Minnesota has too many capable offensive pieces for that kind of nonsense to be necessary.
Donte DiVincenzo was feeling it, starting 4/4 from beyond the arc. But Minnesota never capitalized on his hot hand because the ball would not move. The Wolves are at their best when the rock is snapping around, when they force the defense to rotate twice instead of once, when the offense feels like five guys participating in the same idea instead of one guy improvising while everyone else watches.
This team cannot afford sticky offense. It needs drive-and-kick, swing-swing, relocate, attack-closeout basketball. It needs to make Denver guard every inch of the floor, every second of the shot clock.
If the Wolves do that, they will get clean looks. If they don’t, they are making life far too easy on a defense that should be under more stress than it was in Game 1.
3. Close out with purpose.
The Nuggets did not torch Minnesota from three in Game 1. In some ways, that’s the scary part.
Because if you rewatch the game, you see all kinds of open or semi-open looks that Denver simply did not cash in at its normal clip. And if you are the Wolves, that should terrify you more than it comforts you. You cannot build your survival plan around the idea that Denver will keep missing makeable shots.
The closeouts were not good enough. The urgency was not sharp enough. The Wolves were so focused on the interior pressure from Jokic that they sometimes lost the thread on the perimeter. That is understandable. It is also deadly.
Denver’s wings and guards need to feel crowded. Jamal Murray cannot be allowed to rise into clean rhythm shots. Cam Johnson cannot be casually stepping into open threes. Bruce Brown cannot be operating like this is a warmup line. If Denver is going to hit shots, fine. Make them hit them over hands, over bodies, over full-speed closeouts that force them to actually earn it.
Soft perimeter defense is how you lose to Denver in five. Contested, miserable, exhausting perimeter defense is how you make them sweat.
4. Get all three bigs involved, not just Rudy
Rudy Gobert was magnificent in Game 1. He was exactly what the Wolves needed, present, physical, engaged, and more than willing to throw his whole body into the problem that is Nikola Jokic. For all the Rudy discourse that inevitably bubbles up around playoff time, this was one of those games where he reminded everyone why he matters so much. Without him, this thing could have gotten ugly fast.
But that is also the problem.
Minnesota cannot waste that kind of Rudy game. It cannot get one-third of the frontcourt equation right and expect that to be enough. Julius Randle has to be better. He has to be more disciplined offensively, more engaged defensively, and more connected to the overall flow of the game. He cannot spend possessions trying to force his way into a contested look when a kick-out or secondary action is there waiting. He needs to keep the bully-ball aggression while stripping out the nonsense. Attack with purpose. Rebound with force. Defend like the game matters.
Naz Reid has to show up too. The bench was too quiet, and Naz is too important for that to happen. This is the exact kind of series where he can swing a quarter, with his scoring, his spacing, his size, his general Big Jelly skills. The Wolves need him aggressive, not passive. They need him hunting offense, not floating around the perimeter waiting for someone else to rescue the possession.
One big monster game from Rudy will not carry this series. Minnesota needs the three-headed monster it built for exactly this kind of matchup.
5. Anthony Edwards has to seize the series, even if he is hurting
This is the hard one, because it is the least fair and the most true.
Yes, Edwards is hurt. Yes, it is obvious. Yes, he deserves credit for playing through it. But the Wolves are not winning this series with the version of Ant they got in Game 1. They just aren’t.
He has to be better. He has to impose himself on the game offensively, and he has to do it in a way that does not devolve into desperate hero ball. He needs to attack. He needs to get downhill. He needs to draw two defenders and create for teammates. He needs to hit enough jumpers to keep Denver honest and enough free throws to keep the scoreboard moving. He needs to defend like a star who understands that this is not just about scoring.
And most of all, he needs to make everyone leave Game 2 thinking he was the best player on the floor.
That is a gigantic ask when Jokic exists. It is still the ask.
Because that is what stars are for in a series like this. Not to keep you respectable. To change what feels possible.
This is where Ant’s postseason reputation gets sharpened or stalled. If he comes out aggressive, explosive, and fully engaged on both ends, Minnesota can absolutely steal this game. If he drifts, if he settles, if the knee prevents him from attacking with conviction, then the entire burden falls on a team that has not shown enough consistency to survive without him at full tilt.
This is his moment whether it feels fair or not.
And now for the big picture.
The Wolves got a rotten whistle in Game 1. That is real. They got a less-than-healthy version of Edwards. That is real too. But none of that changes the central fact: they had opportunities, and they let too many of them slip. That is why they are down 0-1. That is why Game 2 feels like a cliff edge.
You can point at the refs. You can point at the knee. You can point at the variance. At some point, though, every finger has to turn back toward Minnesota. Because this series is still right there, but only if they decide to take hold of it. Only if they play the kind of locked-in, apex Timberwolves basketball they have teased often enough to make all of us crazy.
If they do that, if they clean up the offense, sustain the pace, support Rudy, and get a true Ant game, then they can absolutely walk out of Denver with home-court advantage and turn Target Center into a madhouse for Game 3.
If they don’t, then they have painted themselves into the corner they spent all season pretending they could always escape from later.
It is gut-check time now.
Not in theory. Not in some abstract “eventually this team will need to grow up” way.
Right now.
Monday night. Denver. Season hanging in the balance more than anyone wants to admit.
The Yankees swept the Kansas City Royals with Sunday's 7-0 win at Yankee Stadium.
Takeaways
LHPRyan Weathers arguably delivered his best start of the early season. He scattered five hits in 7.1 scoreless IP, striking out five and walking one. Weathers (1-2, 3.18 ERA) threw 66 strikes on 95 pitches and retired 12 straight at one point, including four consecutive strikeouts. After 22 frames without run support until the first inning of Sunday's game at Yankee Stadium, Weathers showed up once more with his best stuff -- and he was repaid.
RFAaron Judge's ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot to center field, ended the aforementioned run-support drought for Weathers and put the Yankees (13-9) in control as a three-run first inning ensued. (Austin Wells later added a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Cody Bellinger and giving Weathers a 3-0 lead into the second inning.) Judge's three strikeouts dampened the captain's 1-for-5 afternoon, but he ultimately changed the game with an early long ball that Weathers needed to settle in and get his first win as a Yankee.
DHBen Rice, whose leadoff walk set the table for Judge's first-inning homer, did his own damage in the second when he launched a one-out blast to right and extended the Yankees' 4-0 lead. Rice's eight home run of the young season puts him one behind Judge in a three-way tie with the Chicago White Sox's Muntaka Murakami and the St. Louis Cardinals' Jordan Walker among the MLB's HR leaders. (The Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez leads with 10.) With 17 combined home runs between them, Judge and Rice are becoming a top duo in the sport.
CF Trent Grisham's three-run homer in the fifth inning polished off the Yankees' 7-0 final and showed what this lineup is capable of beyond Rice and Judge at the top. Grisham's 2-for-4 day included a first-inning walk and sixth-inning single.
Who's the MVP?
Weathers, whose tone-setting start featured the type of swing-and-miss material that could be a game-changing presence in the Yankees' starting rotation.
The Yankees take Monday off before they have their first rivalry series of 2026 with the Boston Red Sox.
This week's three-game series at Fenway Park begins with Tuesday's 6:45 p.m. opener, in which RHP Luis Gil (0-1, 7.00 ERA) is set to start for New York.
Apr 19, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
All dressed in your Sunday best: Bryan Woo, +.21 WPA
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 19: MacKenzie Gore #1 of the Texas Rangers warms up in the bullpen against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 19, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored two runs but the Seattle Mariners scored five runs.
A dumb weird little road trip for our dumb weird little baseball team in what is shaping up to be a dumb weird little baseball season.
Brandon Nimmo singled for Texas on the game’s first pitch and then the lineup went until the sixth inning before their next base runner of the game. Can’t complain about the lack of hits with RISP when you don’t even get on base, right? *points to temple with self-satisfied grin*
Meanwhile, Seattle leadoff hitter Rob Refsnyder also had a hit on the first pitch offered to the Mariners, only his went over the fence in what would become a trend today as the Mariners hit three home runs off of Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore, two of which were of the two-run variety.
The Rangers did finally spark a rally in the top of the seventh when they loaded the bases against Seattle starter Bryan Woo. After a Josh Jung sac fly scored a run, and a Evan Carter double that scored another, the rally ended with Texas still trailing by the eventual final score.
And so the Rangers lost the game and series to finish this long West Coast trip at 4-6. Texas went 4-2 during the middle portion of the road trip but bookended their days away from home with two losses each to Los Angeles and Seattle as they return to .500 baseball.
Player of the Game: Um, er, well… Tyler Alexander tossed an inning of scoreless relief. That’s pretty cool.
Up Next: The Rangers get a day off to reacclimate to Texas before starting a series at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates beginning on Tuesday.
The first pitch of the series opener from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be broadcast via the Rangers Sports Network.
