Sports
NBA roundup: Spurs storm past Blazers in Victor Wembanyama's return
Apr 26, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) walks off the court after a game against the Portland Trail Blazers during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images De’Aaron Fox scored 28 points and Victor Wembanyama had 27 in his return from concussion protocol, helping the visiting San Antonio Spurs to a 114-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series on Sunday.
Fox sank 11 of 17 shots from the floor and drained four 3-pointers to aid the Spurs in overcoming a 19-point deficit to seize a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Tuesday in San Antonio. After sitting out Game 3, Wembanyama showed why he was the NBA’s first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year by recording 11 rebounds, seven blocks and four steals.
Stephon Castle collected 16 points and eight assists while dealing with both an injured left hand and foul trouble. Devin Vassell added 11 points for the Spurs, who outscored the Trail Blazers by a 73-35 margin in the second half. Deni Avdija scored 26 points, Jrue Holiday had 20 and Jerami Grant added 17 off the bench for the Trail Blazers.
Tied at 74 entering the fourth quarter, the Spurs opened the period on a 27-7 run. Castle set up Wembanyama for a trio of alley-oop dunks before Fox sank a pair of jumpers and a 3-pointer to give San Antonio an 87-77 lead with 7:47 left. Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson converted from beyond the arc and added a pair of driving buckets to extend San Antonio’s lead to 101-81 with 4:31 remaining.
Rockets 115, Lakers 96
Amen Thompson scored a game-high 23 points, Tari Eason added 20 and Houston averted elimination with a victory over visiting Los Angeles in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series.
All five starters scored in double figures for the Rockets, who played without Kevin Durant (ankle) for the third time in the series. Reed Sheppard chipped in 17 points on 4-for-7 3-point shooting while Alperen Sengun (19 points) and Jabari Smith Jr. (16 points) rounded out the balanced offensive attack.
After dominating Game 3 and co-authoring the Lakers’ overtime victory, LeBron James (10 points, nine assists) and Marcus Smart (nine, five) shot a combined 5 of 17 from the floor. Deandre Ayton finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds but was ejected in the third quarter.
Raptors 93, Cavaliers 89
Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes each scored 23 points and Toronto held off visiting Cleveland to even the best-of-seven first-round playoff series at 2-2.
Barnes added nine rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots to his stat line and scored 10 fourth-quarter points, knocking down all six free throw attempts in the final 34.6 seconds. RJ Barrett added 18 points for the Raptors, and Collin Murray-Boyles scored 15 with 10 rebounds.
Donovan Mitchell scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for Cleveland. James Harden added 19 points but had seven turnovers. Jarrett Allen had three points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while Sam Merrill contributed 14 points.
Celtics 128, 76ers 96
Payton Pritchard scored a career-playoff-high 32 points off the bench and Boston took a 3-1 series lead with a convincing road victory over Philadelphia.
Jayson Tatum made five treys and recorded 30 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 20 points and seven rebounds as the second-seeded Celtics moved one victory away from winning the Eastern Conference first-round series. Game 5 is Tuesday in Boston.
Joel Embiid played for the first time in the series for the seventh-seeded 76ers after undergoing an appendectomy two-plus weeks ago. He scored 26 points on 9-of-21 shooting and collected 10 rebounds and six assists while playing 34 minutes. Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points and Paul George added 16 for the 76ers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Top Remaining Veterans Teams Should Target After NFL Draft
Dec 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks on after the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Dust settled on free agency weeks ago, but the talent pool wasn’t entirely drained.
Dallas found another receiver post-draft, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on Monday, in a sign of life left in veteran free agency. “MVS” had 14 receptions and one touchdown last season. That’s not exactly the kind of production that brings teams knocking on your door in March.
But in Dallas, he was targeted to fill a clearly defined role that might include holdout insurance should negotiations with George Pickens shift from cordial to contentious as owner Jerry Jones’ history with holdouts suggests.
Here are a few other veterans capable of filling a role, big or small, despite their known shortcomings:
QB Aaron Rodgers
Week 1 Age: 42
Last season: 24 TDs, led Steelers to AFC North division title
Rodgers and Mike McCarthy are both wearing the knowing smirk we read as an almost obvious sign of the pending reunion of former Packers in Pittsburgh. Rodgers can still get the job done — he had only seven interceptions with a very modest skill-position group in 2025 — and starred in this system in his physical prime. Who else is bidding? Barring injury, most teams are not likely interest in the Rodgers Rodeo. Father Time can wipe away those facial expressions quickly, and Rodgers’ next IR trip if likely his last.
WR Deebo Samuel
Week 1 Age: 30
Last season: 72 receptions for 727 yards, five TD receptions with Commanders
Samuel’s lone season with the Commanders was a struggle and it’s hard to know how much of it was the revolving door at quarterback, a new offense, friction with jettisoned offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury or the physical toll of playing wide receiver like a running back. He has 406 career catches and could still hold down a role in the right scheme.
DE Joey Bosa
Week 1 Age: 31
Last season: Led NFL with five forced fumbles; had 16 QB hits in 16 games
Jan 30, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; AFC linebacker Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers during the Pro Bowl Skills Challenge at Nicholson Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Bosa had 54 pressures in his only season with the Bills, which is enough for a team to think about taking a flier on the longtime Chargers’ edge rusher. He had 5.0 sacks and would make sense for a handful of contenders, including the San Francisco 49ers, where little brother Nick Bosa wouldn’t mind the help. San Francisco’s abysmal pass rush to end last season was sans Nick Bosa because of a season-ending ACL injury, and didn’t get a lot of attention in the offseason.
RB Najee Harris
Week 1 Age: 28
Last season: 15 carries, 61 yards, season-ending Achilles injury Sept. 21 vs. Broncos
Harris isn’t to the magical downhill decline age for running backs but there’s no denying his mileage is high, making the return from a season-ending injury last September far larger than a footnote to his 2026 status. But the 21st pick in the 2021 draft had four 1,000-yard seasons in a row, 28 rushing TDs and never missed a game in four previous seasons with the Steelers before his wheels gave him issues with the Chargers last season.
WR Stefon Diggs
Week 1 Age: 33
Last season: 85 receptions, 1,013 yards with Patriots
Oct 5, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) protects the ball from Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7) after making a catch in the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images Diggs is dealing with a legal headache and won’t be considered for sainthood as a teammate, which might have something to do with him playing for the Vikings, Bills, Texans and Patriots since 2019. A disappearing act in the playoffs won’t help his cause. Diggs had 14 receptions in four games but averaged 7.9 yards per catch and his inability to consistently separate was a problem. His longest playoff catch of 13 receptions before the contested, acrobatic grab in the Super Bowl was 14 yards.
Sports
Rockies stifle Mets to clinch series in doubleheader opener
Apr 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Troy Johnston (20) hits an RBI single in the fourth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Troy Johnston had an RBI single in the fourth inning and hit into the tie-breaking, run-scoring double play in the sixth Sunday afternoon for the visiting Colorado Rockies, who beat the skidding New York Mets 3-1 in the opener of a doubleheader.
Jose Quintana (1-2) tossed 5 1/3 solid innings for the Rockies, who have won the first two games of the three-game set to lock up their third series win of the season. Colorado finished 43-119 last season and didn’t win its third series until July 18-20, when it took two of three from the Minnesota Twins.
Jake McCarthy added an insurance RBI single in the seventh for Colorado.
Tyrone Taylor homered in the fifth for the Mets, who have lost 14 of 16.
Quintana allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five. The 37-year-old left-hander, who played for the Mets from 2023-24, threw 31 pitches in the first, when he walked Bo Bichette and Luis Robert Jr. and allowed a single to Mark Vientos to load the bases with one out.
But Quintana wriggled out of the jam by striking out Marcus Semien and Brett Baty. That began a stretch of 11 straight batters retired by Quintana, who set down the final four batters he faced after Taylor’s homer.
Juan Mejia retired all five batters he opposed before the Mets threatened in the eighth against Jaden Hill, who gave up one-out singles to Francisco Alvarez and Bichette before walking Juan Soto. But Hill got Robert to pop out to first and struck out Vientos.
Victor Vodnik threw a perfect ninth to close out the four-hitter and earn his fourth save.
McCarthy and Edouard Julien had two hits each for the Rockies.
Nolan McLean (1-2) gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros awaken to salvage finale, end Yankees' 8-game win streak
Apr 26, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) hits a double during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Spencer Arrighetti worked seven strong innings, Christian Walker produced a three-hit game with a home run and the Houston Astros salvaged the finale of their three-game series against the visiting New York Yankees with a 7-4 victory on Sunday.
Arrighetti (3-0) remained unbeaten in three starts after opening the season with Triple-A Sugar Land. He allowed three hits, walked one and posted eight strikeouts on 96 pitches, 64 for strikes.
Walker finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs while Isaac Paredes went 2-for-4 with a homer, three runs and three RBIs. Yordan Alvarez also produced a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs.
Paul Goldschmidt doubled twice and scored for the Yankees, who rallied for three runs with two outs in the ninth but had their eight-game winning streak snapped.
Arrighetti retired the Yankees in order in the top of the first, fourth and fifth innings. He worked around a one-out single from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the second and stranded two runners after issuing a hit-by-pitch and a two-out walk in the third. Arrighetti retired nine consecutive batters before Aaron Judge clubbed a two-out homer in the sixth. Judge hit his 10th home run on his 34th birthday.
The Astros quickly pounced on Yankees right-hander Luis Gil (1-2), with Walker firing the first salvo on a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the first that plated Paredes. Walker, who homered in his final plate appearance in the ninth inning on Saturday, delivered the Astros a 2-0 lead with his seventh homer this season.
Two innings later, Paredes smacked his third home run off the left field foul pole, plating Alvarez and doubling the Houston lead to 4-0. Alvarez rallied from an 0-2 hole against Gil that extended the inning before Paredes capped the two-out rally by driving a 1-0 sinker 364 feet.
Alvarez chased Gil with a double to right that pushed Carlos Correa, who walked leading off the fifth, to third base. Paredes greeted Yankees reliever Paul Blackburn with an RBI single that scored Correa, and Walker followed with a two-run double to left-center for a 7-0 lead.
Gil allowed six runs on five hits and three walks in four-plus innings.
–Field Level Media
Top Remaining Veterans Teams Should Target After NFL Draft
Karl Urban, Gene Simmons, Pink, and More!
