Last Night in Sports: April 19, 2026

Sunday closed out the first full weekend of the 2026 postseason. Four more NBA first-round Game 1s, four more NHL openers, and a 15-game MLB slate. Home teams went 4-for-4 in the NBA again. The NHL split 2-2 and produced a genuine upset in Tampa.

NBA Playoffs — Game 1 sweep continues

Eight first-round series have now opened. Home teams are 8-0.

Boston Celtics, 123 — Philadelphia 76ers, 91. The Sixers-Celtics opener was never close. Boston controlled the game wire-to-wire and blew out Philadelphia by 32, the largest margin of the day's four games. The Celtics take a commanding 1-0 series lead.

Oklahoma City Thunder, 119 — Phoenix Suns, 84. Oklahoma City made the ABC afternoon slot look one-sided. The Thunder's 35-point margin was the sharpest result of Sunday's NBA action. Phoenix will need a significant adjustment before Game 2.

Orlando Magic, 112 — Detroit Pistons, 101. Orlando handled the East matchup on the road, controlling Detroit from early on to take a 1-0 series edge. The Magic's defense set the pace throughout.

San Antonio Spurs, 111 — Portland Trail Blazers, 98. The closest of the four. San Antonio held off Portland in the NBC/Peacock nightcap to take the early 1-0 series lead heading into Game 2.

NHL — Four more Game 1s

The NHL's first-round opener weekend ended Sunday. Unlike the NBA's clean home sweep, the puck results split 2-2 — with Montreal delivering the clearest surprise.

Colorado Avalanche, 2 — Los Angeles Kings, 1. Colorado entered as heavy favorites at -278 and got the win, though the Kings made them earn it. A one-goal margin that was closer than expected. The Avalanche lead 1-0.

Montreal Canadiens, 4 — Tampa Bay Lightning, 3 (OT). The sharpest result of the NHL's weekend. Montreal went into Tampa Bay and won in overtime, a genuine upset that puts the Canadiens in the driver's seat of a series most expected Tampa to control. The Canadiens lead 1-0.

Buffalo Sabres, 4 — Boston Bruins, 3. The Battle of the Northeast delivered in Buffalo. The Sabres won at home to take Game 1 and hand Boston an early series deficit in the East bracket.

Vegas Golden Knights, 4 — Utah Mammoth, 2. Vegas handled business in their building. The Golden Knights took Game 1 comfortably over Utah to lead the West series.

MLB — 15-game Sunday slate

The full schedule ran from early afternoon through the evening. Two shutouts, a walk-off at Wrigley, and back-to-back Dodger losses in Denver were the main storylines.

Colorado Rockies, 9 — Los Angeles Dodgers, 6. Back-to-back losses for Los Angeles at Coors Field. Colorado scored nine on the Dodgers one day after winning 4-3, and Roki Sasaki took the loss in what was his second start of the season. The Dodgers head into Monday down two games in this Denver road trip and listed as -267 favorites to stop the slide.

Chicago Cubs, 2 — New York Mets, 1 (walk-off). Chicago squeezed out a walk-off win at Wrigley, edging the Mets in one of the tighter afternoon finishes.

New York Yankees, 7 — Kansas City Royals, 0. New York shut out Kansas City.

Washington Nationals, 3 — San Francisco Giants, 0. Washington blanked the Giants.

Every final from around the league:

• Pittsburgh Pirates, 6 — Tampa Bay Rays, 3.
• Cleveland Guardians, 8 — Baltimore Orioles, 4.
• Miami Marlins, 5 — Milwaukee Brewers, 3.
• Cincinnati Reds, 7 — Minnesota Twins, 4.
• St. Louis Cardinals, 7 — Houston Astros, 5.
• Chicago White Sox, 7 — Athletics, 4.
• San Diego Padres, 2 — Los Angeles Angels, 1.
• Seattle Mariners, 5 — Texas Rangers, 2.
• Toronto Blue Jays, 10 — Arizona Diamondbacks, 4.
• Detroit Tigers, 6 — Boston Red Sox, 2.
• Atlanta Braves, 4 — Philadelphia Phillies, 2.

What to watch tonight

Monday shifts to NBA Game 2s for the Cavaliers, Knicks, and Nuggets while the NHL opens three more first-round series and sends the Oilers into their first Game 1.

• NBA: Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:00 PM ET on Peacock. Cleveland defends home court in Game 2, up 1-0.
• NBA: Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks, 8:00 PM ET on NBC/Peacock. The Garden hosts Game 2 with New York looking to go up 2-0.
• NHL: Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers, 10:00 PM ET on ESPN2. The final Game 1 series opener of the first round.
• MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies, 8:40 PM ET. Los Angeles needs a win at Coors Field or this Denver road trip becomes an early-season problem.

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