Sports
Karl-Anthony Towns powers Knicks to easy win over Blazers
Jan 30, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers guard Rayan Rupert (21) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Karl-Anthony Towns posted another double-double with 14 points and 20 rebounds Friday night for the New York Knicks, who continued surging with a wire-to-wire 127-97 win over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.
It was the second straight 20-rebound game for Towns, who leads the NBA in rebounding at 11.8 rebounds per game. Towns pulled down a season-high 22 rebounds in Wednesday’s 119-92 win over the Toronto Raptors. He has 31 double-doubles this year.
Jalen Brunson scored a team-high 26 points for the Knicks, who ended the month with five straight wins following a 2-9 skid that began Dec. 31. New York has allowed fewer than 100 points in four of the five victories.
Starters OG Anunoby (24 points), Josh Hart (20 points) and Mikal Bridges (10 points) all got into double figures for the Knicks. Tyler Kolek had 13 points off the bench while fellow reserve Mohamed Diawara added 10 points.
Shaedon Sharpe scored 26 points for the Trail Blazers, who concluded a winless three-game east coast road trip as they lost their fourth straight overall following a four-game winning streak. The losing streak ties a season-high for Portland, which also dropped four straight from Nov. 14-19.
Jerami Grant (15 points), Sidy Cissoko (15 points) and Caleb Love (12 points) all got into double figures off the bench for the Trail Blazers while starter Deni Avdija had 11 points. Reserve Robert Williams III had a team-high 11 rebounds.
Diawara’s 3-pointer gave the Knicks their first double-digit lead at 22-10 with 3:41 left in the first. New York led 37-22 at the end of the opening period before scoring the first nine points of the second.
A 23-7 run later in the second pulled the Trail Blazers within 56-48 before the Knicks carried a 59-49 lead into halftime. New York led by double digits throughout the second half and by as many as 33 in the fourth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cincinnati rallies late to force eventful draw vs. Fire
Apr 18, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson (12) (center) heads the ball clear away from Chicago Fire FC midfielder Dje D’avilla (42) during the first half of an MLS match at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images FC Cincinnati scored twice in the final 15 minutes of regulation to earn a 3-3 draw against the visiting Chicago Fire Saturday evening.
Hugo Cuypers found the net twice for Chicago, extending his team lead to six goals on the season. But Cincinnati (2-4-2, 8 points) used goals in the 79th and 86th minutes to end the Fire’s (4-2-2, 14 points) three-match MLS winning streak.
The match was a battle, with 41 total shots, 16 shots on goal, 20 combined fouls and seven combined yellow cards.
After a scoreless 25 minutes to start, both teams heated up offensively, combining for three goals in the next 20 minutes plus stoppage time.
Cuypers got the scoring, connecting on a right-footed shot with assists from Philip Zinckernagel and Jack Elliott to give the Fire a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute.
In the 42nd minute, Cincinnati striker Tom Barlow tied the match when the rebound of Chris Brady’s save of Bryan Ramirez’s shot fell to his feet at the edge of the 6-yard box.
It looked like that 1-1 tie would hold going into halftime, but Cincinnati’s Samuel Gidi picked up a costly foul on Cuypers in the third minute of stoppage time. Zinckernagel took advantage with a right-footed penalty shot that got past Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano and gave the Fire a 2-1 lead.
Things went from bad to worse for Cincinnati three minutes into the second half when Cuypers scored again to increase the Fire’s lead to 3-1.
Just when time was starting to dwindle, Cincinnati roared back. Evander, who scored 18 goals a season ago, notched his first goal of the season in the 79th minute on a penalty kick set up by Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s foul of Gerardo Valenzuela on his run into the box.
Cincinnati then leveled in the 86th minute on an own goal from Chicago’s Dje D’Avilla directly off an Evander free kick.
Despite an extended 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time, neither team could find the net, with Brady making his eighth save to keep the game level.
Celentano finished with three saves.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Charlotte FC score late, edge New York City FC
Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder Maximiliano Moralez (10) fights for the ball against Charlotte FC midfielder Ashley Westwood (8) during the first half at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images Idan Toklomati and Kerwin Vargas scored second-half goals as Charlotte FC slipped past New York City FC 2-1 on Saturday night for their first road win in three tries this season.
Kristijan Kahlina had seven saves for Charlotte (4-2-2, 14 points), which avenged a three-match series loss to NYCFC in the opening round of the MLS playoffs last fall.
Charlotte FC, which has lost just once in their last six league matches, is tied for third place in the Eastern Conference.
Nicolas Fernandez scored in the third minute of stoppage time in the second half for slumping New York City (3-3-2, 11 points) which has not won in its last four games against MLS competition.
Matthew Freese had two saves for NYCFC, which has surrendered eight goals during their four-game skid.
After a scoreless first half, Charlotte struck in the 54th minute as Wilfried Zaha maneuvered through traffic in the middle of the field and created a window to send a pass downfield.
Harry Toffolo passed forward to an open Toklomati, who tapped a right-footed shot past the onrushing Freese.
It was the third goal this season for Toklomati and the third assist for Toffolo as Charlotte scored for just the second time this season in a road match after playing six straight games at home in all competitions.
Zaha was the missing piece for Charlotte on April 11 in a 2-1 loss to first-place Nashville SC as he was serving a red-card suspension.
The second goal for Charlotte came in the 90th minute as Pep Biel crossed to Vargas, who fired a left-footed shot inside the left post for his second goal this season.
New York City answered in stoppage time as Fernandez took a feed across the box from Hannes Wolf and scored with a left-footed blast from just outside the box to the top right corner.
NYCFC dominated the scoreless first half with its pressing defense and the creative, well-timed attacks of Maxi Moralez and Agustin Ojeada. While New York City fired 10 shots in the period, Charlotte took just one.
For the match, NYCFC outshot Charlotte 23-8, which gave 19-year-old forward Rodolfo Akolo his first MLS start.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Chris Sale dominant as Braves keep Phillies in a funk
Apr 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Chris Sale worked seven strong innings and Mauricio Dubon provided a two-run single to lift the visiting Atlanta Braves to a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
Sale (4-1) struck out seven and walked only one, giving up just one run and five hits. Austin Riley, Jonah Heim and Ozzie Albies each had two hits as Atlanta won for the eighth time in 10 games.
The Braves will look to complete a three-game sweep Sunday in the finale with the scuffling Phillies, who have dropped eight of 10. Philadelphia ace Cristopher Sanchez (2-2) gave up three unearned runs in six innings, yielding eight hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.
The game began in exciting fashion, as Ronald Acuna Jr. sent a blast to deep center, only to watch Brandon Marsh leap at the wall to rob a home run.
In the second, Philadelphia’s Felix Reyes launched Sale’s 2-0 fastball over the wall in right field for a home run in his first major league at-bat. However, that was the only offensive highlight for the hosts.
Atlanta promptly bounced back with two runs in the third. Sanchez struck out the first two batters of the frame before the next three hitters reached, including Albies on an error by second baseman Edmundo Sosa.
Riley’s infield hit tied the game, then Dubon’s bloop increased the lead to 3-1.
Sale sat down the Phillies with minimal stress in the third, fourth and fifth innings. He then went through the heart of the Philadelphia order in the sixth, getting Kyle Schwarber on a comebacker to the mound, striking out Bryce Harper and inducing a popup by Adolis Garcia.
Sale struck out two more in the seventh before exiting after 101 pitches.
Dylan Lee took care of the eighth for Atlanta before Robert Suarez logged a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save.
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto exited due to lower back tightness. Rafael Marchan replaced Realmuto in the top of the seventh.
–Field Level Media
