On April 23, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, CJ McCollum sank a 15-foot fadeaway with about 12.5 seconds remaining to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-108 victory over the New York Knicks and a 2-1 edge in their first-round NBA playoff series. McCollum finished with 23 points. Jalen Johnson paced Atlanta with 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while Jonathan Kuminga contributed 21 off the bench and Jonathan Kuminga forced the final turnover that ended New York’s last chance. For the Knicks, OG Anunoby scored 29, Jalen Brunson had 26 and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points with 17 rebounds. The Hawks led most of the game, building an 18-point first-half advantage before New York rallied late. Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday in Atlanta, where the Knicks will try to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole in the best-of-seven series.

The three-day 2026 NFL Draft concluded April 25-26 with a flurry of headline moves, notable trades and heavy roster reshaping by several franchises. Las Vegas opened the draft by taking Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with the No.1 overall pick and later used the No.101 fourth-round slot (acquired via a swap with Buffalo) to select Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy despite concerns about a healed ACL and degenerative knee cartilage. The Raiders also traded former top-10 pick Tyree Wilson to New Orleans to move into the fifth round and drafted safety Dalton Johnson at No.150. The Los Angeles Rams surprised many by using the 13th overall pick on Alabama QB Ty Simpson, a long-term succession play behind veteran Matthew Stafford. The Dallas Cowboys focused on an overhaul of a beleaguered defense, taking Ohio State safety Caleb Downs at No.11 and multiple defensive prospects in later rounds. Arizona signaled a rebuild, selecting running back Jeremiyah Love at No.3 and QB Carson Beck in Round 3. Other signal-callers taken included Drew Allar (Pittsburgh) and Cade Klubnik (New York Jets, after a trade with Cincinnati). The draft saw an abundance of tight ends early, large crowds in Pittsburgh (over 600,000 across first days) and international and unconventional prospects late, including Eagles’ selection Uar Bernard.

Pittsburgh’s NFL draft on April 24-25 produced a wave of roster-defining moves as teams focused on quarterbacks and defensive upgrades. The Las Vegas Raiders used the No. 1 overall pick on Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza and signed veteran Kirk Cousins to provide a short-term option and mentorship. The Los Angeles Rams stunned by taking Alabama QB Ty Simpson at No. 13, a pick framed as Matthew Stafford’s eventual successor; coach Sean McVay and GM Les Snead publicly downplayed any rift. Arizona selected Miami’s Carson Beck with the first pick of Day 2’s third round (65th overall); Beck, a 23-year-old transfer from Georgia, has 11,725 career college passing yards and could compete early after the Cardinals released Kyler Murray. Pittsburgh added Penn State’s Drew Allar at No. 76, marking the fourth quarterback off the board in the first three rounds. The Raiders later bolstered their secondary by selecting Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy in the middle rounds despite knee-injury concerns, while San Francisco used the 33rd pick on Ole Miss receiver De’Zhaun Stribling. The draft featured heavy defensive activity in Round 2 and large fan turnout in Pittsburgh across the opening days.

April 26, 2026 — The Boston Red Sox dismissed manager Alex Cora and five members of his major-league coaching staff on Saturday after a shocking 10-17 start to the season. The club announced that hitting coach Peter Fatse, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, third-base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramón Vázquez and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were also relieved of their duties; game-planning and run-prevention coach Jason Varitek has been reassigned within the organization. Chad Tracy, manager of Triple-A Worcester, was named interim manager. The move came hours after Boston’s 17-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles and follows growing frustration over an underperforming roster that sits in last place in the American League East. Owner John Henry issued a statement thanking Cora for his contributions. Cora, 50, led the Red Sox to a franchise-record 108 wins and the 2018 World Series title in his first season in Boston, was suspended for the 2020 season following MLB’s sign-stealing probe into his time with the Houston Astros, and returned to the Red Sox in 2021. His tenure in Boston produced a regular-season record of about 619-541 and multiple postseason appearances.

Manchester City came from behind to beat Championship side Southampton 2-1 in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium on April 25, 2026. Finn Azaz put the visitors ahead in the 79th minute with a curled strike that threatened a major upset, but Jeremy Doku equalised within three minutes when his effort deflected in off James Bree. Nico González then rifled a 30-yard winner in the 87th minute to seal City’s comeback and send Pep Guardiola’s side into an unprecedented fourth consecutive FA Cup final. City, who have already won the Carabao Cup this season, will face the winner of Chelsea v Leeds in the final on May 16. Guardiola made extensive changes to his starting XI and used substitutes — notably Doku and González — to turn the game, while several regulars, including Erling Haaland, featured only from the bench. The defeat ended Southampton’s 20-game unbeaten run and leaves them focused on the Championship promotion race; City remain heavily involved in the Premier League title battle as they pursue a possible domestic treble.

April 26, 2026 — The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered two significant injuries in a 112-96 Game 4 playoff win over the Denver Nuggets in Minneapolis, though the victory pushed Minnesota to a 3-1 series lead. Reserve guard Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points off the bench to carry the Wolves after starters exited early. Donte DiVincenzo was ruled out late in the first quarter with a right lower-leg injury; ESPN reported a torn right Achilles and he left the arena in a wheelchair. Anthony Edwards, the team’s leading scorer during the regular season, hyperextended his left knee contesting a Cam Johnson drive late in the second quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game; the team said he will undergo an MRI to determine the severity. DiVincenzo had averaged 14.3 points in the first three playoff games; Edwards averaged 28.8 points per game in the regular season. The series shifts to Denver for Game 5 on Monday, where the Nuggets will seek to exploit Minnesota’s depleted backcourt.