The San Antonio Spurs begin their 2026 NBA playoff run on April 19, hosting the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 at Frost Bank Center (9 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock). San Antonio (62-20) is the No. 2 seed and enters the first round as a title contender after a dominant finish to the regular season; Portland (42-40) earned the No. 7 seed via the play‑in tournament. Third‑year star Victor Wembanyama will make his long‑awaited playoff debut, and several Spurs — including Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson — are postseason first‑timers. Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich, rehabbing from a 2024 stroke, addressed the team this week and has been a presence at practices. Portland will be without Damian Lillard (Achilles), while San Antonio listed Jordan McLaughlin and David Jones out (ankles). Matchup keys include offensive rebounding led by Donovan Clingan versus San Antonio’s elite defensive glass anchored by Wembanyama. Caesars and other books opened the Spurs as double‑digit favorites; many analysts project a low‑scoring, defense‑tilting series. The teams split regular‑season meetings, though Wembanyama did not play in those games.

MANCHESTER, April 19 — Erling Haaland ended a mid-season scoring drought to fire Manchester City to a 2-1 win over leaders Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, cutting the gap at the top of the Premier League to three points with a game in hand. Rayan Cherki opened the scoring for City in the 16th minute before Kai Havertz levelled almost immediately after a charged‑down clearance by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Haaland, on his first league goal since mid‑February, swept home Nico O’Reilly’s cross in the 65th minute for his 23rd league strike of the season. The result leaves City on 67 points from 32 matches and Arsenal on 70 from 33; a midweek trip to relegation‑threatened Burnley gives City the chance to overtake the Gunners. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta called it “a new league now” with five games remaining; Pep Guardiola described the victory as giving City “hope.” The weekend also featured late winners for Liverpool and Aston Villa and a Morgan Gibbs‑White hat‑trick that boosted Nottingham Forest’s survival bid, underscoring a frenetic run‑in across the table.

On April 19, 2026, Juraj Slafkovsky scored three power-play goals — including the winner 1:22 into overtime — to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their first-round NHL playoff series in Tampa, Florida. Slafkovsky’s hat trick marked several milestones: he became the first player with three power-play goals in a postseason game (one of them an overtime winner) and, according to ESPN research, the youngest player with a postseason opener hat trick. Rookie goalie Jakub Dobeš made 20 saves for Montreal while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 15 for Tampa Bay. Brandon Hagel scored twice and Darren Raddysh added a goal for the Lightning; Jake Guentzel finished with three assists. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield each contributed multi-assist performances and Josh Anderson scored for Montreal. The Canadiens, coached by Martin St. Louis, seized early series momentum as the teams prepare for Game 2 at Benchmark International Arena on Tuesday.

The NBA on Sunday named finalists for its major regular-season awards, headlined by Most Valuable Player contenders Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City), Nikola Jokic (Denver) and Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio). Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP seeking a repeat, Jokic is a three-time winner vying for a fourth, and Wembanyama is a first-time MVP finalist who is also a favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. The announcement continues an eight-year run of international MVPs. Other finalists include Rookie of the Year candidates V.J. Edgecombe, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel; Defensive Player nominees Chet Holmgren and Ausar Thompson alongside Wembanyama; Clutch Player finalists Anthony Edwards, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray; Sixth Man contenders Tim Hardaway Jr., Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Keldon Johnson; Most Improved players Deni Avdija, Jalen Duren and Nickeil Alexander-Walker; and Coach of the Year finalists J.B. Bickerstaff, Mitch Johnson and Joe Mazzulla. The league will begin announcing winners this week, with Defensive Player of the Year on Monday and other awards scheduled across the week. The process was marked by recent eligibility appeals that affected some ballots.

Manchester City closed to within three points of Premier League leaders Arsenal after a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium on April 19, 2026. Rayan Cherki opened the scoring before Kai Havertz levelled, but Erling Haaland struck a 65th-minute winner. The match was overshadowed by a heated on-pitch confrontation between Haaland and Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhães: the pair tangled several times, Gabriel ripped Haaland’s undershirt and late in the game leaned his head toward Haaland. Referee Anthony Taylor issued yellow cards to both players and VAR reviewed the incident, with the Premier League confirming Gabriel’s action was “not excessively aggressive or violent” and therefore not upgraded to a red. Haaland told Sky Sports he would not “fall on the floor” to seek a sending-off and said Gabriel was lucky to avoid dismissal. Sky Sports later apologised for explicit language used by Haaland during a post-match interview in which he praised teammate Bernardo Silva. City, with a game in hand, travel to Burnley midweek with the title race finely poised.

The New York Mets extended a season-worst losing streak to 11 games with a 2-1 extra-inning defeat to the Chicago Cubs on April 19, completing a three-game sweep in Chicago and dropping the club to 7-15. The skid began after a 7-4 start and has seen the Mets outscored roughly 62-19, with scant offensive production (.145 with runners in scoring position during the stretch). Sunday’s loss featured a blown save by Devin Williams in the ninth, Michael Conforto’s tying RBI double for the Cubs and Nico Hoerner’s 10th-inning sacrifice fly that delivered the decisive run. Francisco Lindor publicly defended manager Carlos Mendoza and said the team must “stick together,” while president of baseball operations David Stearns has offered organizational support for Mendoza. David Peterson provided length in relief and MJ Melendez homered for New York, but the club’s persistent slumping at the plate and mounting errors have intensified scrutiny on coaching and roster construction. Juan Soto’s return from a calf strain is expected during the upcoming homestand but team leaders stress it won’t be a cure-all.