Last Night in Sports: April 18, 2026

Saturday was the real opening of the 2026 postseason. Four NBA first-round series started, three NHL series got underway, and MLB ran a full 15-game slate in between. Home teams dominated. Here's everything from the day.

NBA Playoffs — First Round Opening Night

All four home teams won their Game 1s. The bracket favors the higher seeds after day one.

Cleveland Cavaliers, 126 — Toronto Raptors, 113. Cleveland controlled the East opener from the opening tip, building a lead Toronto could never close. The Cavaliers take a 1-0 series advantage heading into Game 2.

Denver Nuggets, 116 — Minnesota Timberwolves, 105. Denver's championship experience showed. The Nuggets imposed their pace at home and Minnesota will need a different answer before Game 2 if this series is going to be competitive.

New York Knicks, 113 — Atlanta Hawks, 102. Madison Square Garden did its part. New York moved the ball in the second half and put Atlanta away for a 1-0 series lead in what should be one of the East's more entertaining first-round matchups.

Los Angeles Lakers, 107 — Houston Rockets, 98. The ABC primetime closer was the tightest of the four. Houston played the Lakers close for most of the night before Los Angeles pulled away. The Lakers hold the early edge, 1-0.

NHL — Stanley Cup Playoffs open

Three first-round series opened Saturday. Home teams went 2-1, with Minnesota running away in the West's most decisive result.

Carolina Hurricanes, 2 — Ottawa Senators, 0. Carolina's defense was locked in for a full 60 minutes. The Hurricanes earn the shutout and take Game 1 — Ottawa heads back on the road without a goal to show for it.

Minnesota Wild, 6 — Dallas Stars, 1. The most decisive result of playoff opening weekend across either league. Minnesota made a statement with a five-goal margin; Dallas has no quick answer for what the Wild brought Saturday night.

Philadelphia Flyers, 3 — Pittsburgh Penguins, 2. The Battle of Pennsylvania delivered. Philadelphia scored late and held on in Pittsburgh for a one-goal win, taking the early series advantage in one of the East bracket's marquee matchups.

MLB — 15 games Saturday

The full slate produced two extra-inning finishes, a Dodger loss in Denver, and the Yankees putting up 13.

Colorado Rockies, 4 — Los Angeles Dodgers, 3. The upset of the day. Colorado handed the heavily-favored Dodgers a loss at home, and the Dodgers now need Roki Sasaki to answer in Sunday's rematch.

San Francisco Giants, 7 — Washington Nationals, 6 (extras). San Francisco needed the extra innings before finishing off Washington on the road.

Oakland Athletics, 7 — Chicago White Sox, 6 (extras). Another extras finish — Oakland outlasted Chicago in the late game.

Every final from around the league:

• New York Yankees, 13 — Kansas City Royals, 4.
• Cincinnati Reds, 5 — Minnesota Twins, 4.
• Chicago Cubs, 4 — New York Mets, 2.
• Tampa Bay Rays, 8 — Pittsburgh Pirates, 7.
• Detroit Tigers, 4 — Boston Red Sox, 1.
• Milwaukee Brewers, 5 — Miami Marlins, 2.
• Cleveland Guardians, 4 — Baltimore Orioles, 2.
• St. Louis Cardinals, 7 — Houston Astros, 5.
• Atlanta Braves, 3 — Philadelphia Phillies, 1.
• Seattle Mariners, 7 — Texas Rangers, 3.
• Arizona Diamondbacks, 6 — Toronto Blue Jays, 2.
• San Diego Padres, 4 — Los Angeles Angels, 1.

What to watch tonight

Four more NBA Game 1s and four more NHL openers are on the board Sunday.

• NBA: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics, 1:00 PM ET on ABC. The East's marquee rivalry opens the afternoon playoff window.
• NBA: Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder, 3:30 PM ET on ABC. Oklahoma City is one of the West's strongest teams at home this postseason; Phoenix needs a statement win in Game 1.
• NHL: Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche, 3:00 PM ET on TNT. Colorado opens as a heavy favorite (-278) and hosts the Kings in the West's afternoon puck matchup.
• MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies, 3:10 PM ET. Roki Sasaki on the mound for Los Angeles — the Dodgers' answer to Saturday's upset loss in Denver.

See the full Tonight preview for every game on the board.