April 2026

There were 1,682 posts published in April 2026 (this is page 117 of 169).

Joel Embiid and the 76ers can’t catch a break. Is the franchise cursed?

Each week during the 2025-26 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.

Last week: , for the draft rights to Zhaire Smith. Before he ever wore a Sixers uniform, Smith 1) broke his foot and 2) suffered a severe allergic reaction from sesame seeds in a Thai Chicken dish at the team’s practice facility. He was hospitalized, losing 60 pounds in the ordeal, and he was never the same player.

The bizarre backstory of these Sixers does not end there. After all, this is a team that released confetti on its fans, only to lose that playoff game — and the series — to the rival Boston Celtics. It took Kawhi Leonard’s miracle shot to end their best chance at a ring in Game 7 of another second-round set. The Philadelphia 76ers can’t catch a break, man.

Or they catch too many. Damn you, appendicitis.

Determination: Fiction. Of course the 76ers are not cursed. Curses aren’t real … right? Curses did not sign Simmons and Tobias Harris to extensions instead of Jimmy Butler.

How we really know the Sixers aren’t cursed: The pick they secured in return for Fultz became Tyrese Maxey, a No. 21 overall selection who blossomed into an All-NBA guy. And last year’s No. 3 pick, VJ Edgecombe, looks as though he could become an All-NBA partner to Maxey in Philadelphia’s backcourt. They are 20 and 25 years old, respectively.

Now, if only Embiid and Paul George — two of the NBA’s worst contracts going — could stay healthy over the course of an entire playoffs. And if only everyone else on the Sixers can avoid shingles or whatever comes next for the unluckiest franchise in the league.

Broncos ownership group becomes largest minority partner of Rockies, reportedly buys 40 percent stake in MLB club

The Colorado Rockies are 6-7, meaning they’ve already collected more wins than they had by the end of April last year during a forgettable, 119-loss season. Their sweep of the Houston Astros this week is still in the rear-view mirror.

Things are looking up for a club that could really go nowhere but up after a miserable 2025, and now the Rockies are getting a sizable investment from familiar faces in Denver, one that Major League Baseball has formally approved.

Rockies chairman and CEO Dick Monfort and owner/general partner Charlie Monfort announced Friday that Penner Sports Group, which holds Broncos owners Greg and Carrie Walton Penner’s stake in the NFL franchise, has become the largest minority partner of the city’s MLB club.

The Penners are purchasing a 40% share of the Rockies, according tomultiple reports. The Monfort family will remain the club’s majority owner, and the Monforts will maintain their roles in the organization, with Dick continuing to serve as chairman and CEO, Charlie staying put as owner/general partner and Walker — Dick’s son — still holding the title of team president and leading day-to-day operations.

The Penners, meanwhile, will have no day-to-day involvement in running the Rockies, per The Denver Post. Their group’s investment in the Rockies won’t affect its control of the Broncos, according to The Athletic.

“We are excited to expand our commitment to the Denver sports community through a minority partnership with the Colorado Rockies,” the Penners said in a statement, via MLB.com. “This investment from Penner Sports Group reflects our deep appreciation for what the Rockies mean to this region, the passion of their fans and our confidence in the future of the franchise.

“Our family’s had such a positive experience with the Broncos, reinforcing our interest in partnering with another team in this dynamic sports market. We’ve enjoyed getting to know the Monforts and are grateful to join Dick and Charlie in the Rockies’ ownership group along with the other partners.

“While our focus remains firmly on the Broncos, we look forward to being supportive, long-term partners of the Rockies and Major League Baseball. Go Rockies!”

In August 2022, the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group bought the Broncos for a then-record $4.65 billion. That purchase was spearheaded by Rob Walton — son of Walmart founder Sam Walton — his daughter, Carrie, and her husband, Greg Penner, who is now the Broncos’ CEO.

Over the four seasons since that deal, the Broncos have orchestrated a franchise turnaround, returning to the playoffs in 2024 after an eight-year drought and reaching the AFC championship in 2025.

“This investment from Penner Sports Group will support both short and long-term strategic planning for the Rockies,” the club’s statement read on Friday.

“It will allow the club to retire all outstanding debt while providing additional investment in the team as well as a world-class, family-friendly experience at Coors Field.”

The Rockies are currently valued at $1.68 billion, according to Forbes, the 25th-highest valuation of the 30 MLB clubs. Dick and Charlie Monfort took over as the Rockies’ majority owners in 2005.

Where to watch Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Friday, April 10

The Atlanta Hawks can lock down a playoff berth with a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs will be locked into the East’s No. 4 seed if they lose to the Hawks or the New York Knicks beat the Toronto Raptors.

  • Cleveland Cavaliers: 51-29 (No. 2 in Central Division)

  • Atlanta Hawks: 45-35 (No. 1 in Southeast Division)

  • Spread: Atlanta Hawks -8.5

  • Moneyline: Atlanta Hawks -325 (73.4%) / Cleveland Cavaliers +260 (26.6%)

  • Over/Under: 233.5

2026 NBA Awards Ballot: All-NBA, All-Defensive, All-Rookie team selections

For the seventh straight year, the NBA asked me if I’d like to be one the media members with an official ballot for year-end awards. I said yes.

On Thursday, we broke down MVP, Rookie of the Year and individual honors. Let’s finish up with the team selections.

Quick note: I’m writing this before I receive the link to my actual ballot, which won’t come until after the end of the regular season, when the powers that be make their final tabulations on who qualifies under the league’s 65-game threshold for awards consideration. As such, I might need to make a change or two before I click submit.

For the most part, though, here’s what my picks for the 2025-26 NBA regular season will look like:

All-NBA • All Defensive • All-Rookie

First Team

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Nikola Jokić, Nuggets
Luka Dončić, Lakers*
Jaylen Brown, Celtics

Hey, look: it’s my MVP ballot. That’s tidy. (Again: Luka’s here pending the resolution of his challenge, and Cade would be here if he was eligible.)

Second Team

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers
Kevin Durant, Rockets
Tyrese Maxey, 76ers
Chet Holmgren, Thunder

I made the case for Leonard among the MVP candidates and in the aforementioned recent episode of The Big Number. I also discussed Durant there, as Ben Rohrbach did in a recent piece on older players having elite seasons.

It’s frankly unbelievable that, at age 37, now nearly seven years removed from a ruptured Achilles tendon, has played the second-most minutes in the entire NBA. It’s much more believable, to anyone who’s watched KD cook over the years, just how much he’s done with those minutes, averaging nearly 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5 assists per game on characteristically pristine 52/41/88 shooting splits, and keeping the Rockets’ offense at a top-10 level despite the losses of starting point guard Fred VanVleet before the season and offensive rebounding kaiju Steven Adams midway through the campaign.

For all their flaws, the Rockets survived those injuries and rickety offense to win 50 games in the tough-as-hell West, and KD — in or just outside the top 10 in win shares, value over replacement player and estimated plus minutes, among other metrics — has been the biggest reason why. For that, he gets (from me, at least) his 12th All-NBA nod; only LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone and Shaquille O’Neal have more.

Mitchell’s been sensational in Cleveland, averaging just under 28 points, six assists and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting a career-high 58% on 2-pointers, drilling the fifth-most pull-up 3s in the league, posting a career-best free-throw attempt rate, and finishing in the top 10 in a slew of advanced metrics. He’ll likely earn more than a few down-ballot MVP votes for his work in driving Cleveland to a top-seven offense, their second straight 50-win season and home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.

Philadelphia, conversely, enters the final weekend of the season slugging it out in the play-in mix. That the 76ers even made it that far is a testament to the contributions of Maxey, who made it his mission to put the team’s disappointing 2024-25 season behind him and, in the process, made the Sixers his team. The sixth-year guard is averaging career highs in points (28.4, fifth in the NBA), assists (6.7), rebounds (4.1), steals (1.9, tied for third in the league) and minutes per game (38.2, tops in the league) as the ever-revving engine of a Philly offense that scores like a near-top-10 unit in his minutes … which is probably why Nick Nurse never really wants to take him off the floor.

Holmgren rounds out the second five for combining DPOY-finalist-level work as the anchor of by far the NBA’s best defense with super-efficient complementary scoring — 17.1 points per game on 56/36/79 shooting — over 2,000 minutes as Gilgeous-Alexander’s most dependable running buddy on the league’s best team.

Third Team

Jalen Duren, Pistons
Jamal Murray, Nuggets
Jalen Brunson, Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
LaMelo Ball, Hornets

Duren gets the nod not because Detroit demands representation with Cunningham now ineligible, but on his own merits. The only players averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds per game while making 60% of their 2-point shots are Jokić and Duren. Among players who’ve appeared in at least 60 games, Duren’s third in both total win shares and win shares per 48 minutes, sixth in PER, and ninth in EPM and BPM. He’s been incredibly productive even with Cunningham off the floor — more than 27 points and 15 rebounds per 75 possessions with a .652 true shooting percentage without Cade, per Databallr — and has developed into a rock-solid back-line presence for a team that wins largely on the strength of its No. 2-ranked defense.

Like Duren, Murray caps a season that saw him make his first All-Star appearance with his first All-NBA appearance. The just-turned-29-year-old put together the finest season of his 10-year career, averaging a career-best 25.4 points, 7.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game on 48/44/89 shooting, while serving as one of the premier crunch-time scorers in the game.

In years past, fans and commentators have made reference to “Bubble Murray” or “Playoff Murray” — monikers that both describe the best versions of the Canadian that we’ve seen, and underscore the fact that his tendency toward slow starts and regrettable injury luck have led to that version not typically being visible throughout the slog of a regular season. This time around, though, Denver got the best of Murray from opening tip through the finish line — one massive reason why, despite injuries to Jokić, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Cameron Johnson, the Nuggets once again field the NBA’s best offense, once again won 50 games, and once again enter the postseason as a team that nobody in the West will be particularly eager to face.

Brunson and Towns merit spots for their roles in delivering another 50-win season in Manhattan — Brunson, for his now-customary 26 points and seven assists per game with timely fourth-quarter bag work; Towns, for what’s been (to my eyes, at least) a broadly overlooked excellent season that’s seen him play arguably the best defense of his career while still averaging 20 points per game on 50/37/86 shooting despite sacrificing shots and touches. The Knicks can be maddening, but they’re also really good, thanks in no small part to their All-Star inside-out combo.

You know who else is really good — or, at least, has been since about Christmas? The Hornets. And while it’s taken a village to get Charlotte back to the postseason, the prime mover behind this surge has been Ball — long a can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him showman who this year, thanks largely to better health and better teammates, has used that audacity to drive one of the NBA’s best offenses.

Ball’s minutes and usage rate are down, and his individual shooting efficiency will always leave something to be desired, thanks to the sheer volume of extremely deep, heavily contested and unorthodox shots he regularly attempts. But he’s been more productive in (slightly) smaller doses, averaging 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes per game. His penchant for demanding defensive attention and bending coverages, combined with his near-peerless court vision and passing touch, has made him one of the foremost creators of high-quality offense in the sport: The Hornets have scored a scorching 125.7 points-per-100 in his minutes and, according to PBP Stats, have been nearly as dominant when he plays without either Knueppel or Miller (+14.2 points-per-100 in 172 minutes) as when he plays with them (+16.2 points-per-100 in 840 minutes).

Charlotte’s return to NBA relevance has been one of the season’s best stories, and LaMelo’s been the biggest reason for it. I think that deserves recognition.

Also in consideration: Edwards, had he played enough games to qualify; Derrick White, James Harden, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo, Deni Avdija, Jalen Johnson, Scottie Barnes, Stephon Castle, Amen Thompson.

First Team

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Chet Holmgren, Thunder
Ausar Thompson, Pistons
Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves
Derrick White, Celtics

My top three finishers in DPOY voting — Wembanyama, Holmgren and Thompson — make my First Team. So do Gobert, who continues to rank among the league’s premier weighted blankets to deploy in putting an offense to sleep — Minnesota prevents points at a top-two level in his minutes — and White, the skeleton key whose on- and off-ball defense, secondary rim protection and all-around fire-extinguishing unlocks Boston’s fifth-ranked defense.

(Here’s a bats*** stat: According to Second Spectrum, among 86 players who’ve contested at least 200 shots at the rim this season, White ranks 17th in defensive field goal percentage allowed on those up-close looks, holding opponents to 55.6% shooting at the basket when he’s the nearest defender, right between young shot-blocking centers Alex Sarr and Yves Missi. Reminder: White is a 6-foot-4 combo guard.)

Second Team

Scottie Barnes, Raptors
Bam Adebayo, Heat
OG Anunoby, Knicks
Stephon Castle, Spurs
Cason Wallace, Thunder

Barnes, Anunoby and Adebayo can all guard basically anybody: any size, any shape, any quickness or ability level, inside or out. That has made them the linchpins of the NBA’s No. 7, 9 and 11 defenses, respectively — all of which get stops at elite rates in their minutes and fare much, much worse without them on hand to ruin the opposing offense’s day.

Despite standing just 6-6 and weighing a few dozen pounds less than that trio, Castle seems eager to put himself in that “I guard everybody” category, too, not only pulling point-of-attack duty against the opponent’s top perimeter weapon — SGA, Luka, Cade, Brunson, you name it — but also pulling shifts against the likes of KD, Jokić and Alperen Şengün when the situation calls for an application of additional pressure. He’s relentless in working to circumvent screens, and plays with a physicality that ensures Spurs opponents understand that merely staying away from the 7-5 guy in the paint doesn’t mean their misery’s over.

Wallace takes the last spot in recognition of his incredibly disruptive third season: just off the league lead in steals and tied with Thompson in deflections; a full-court-pressing menace who’s equally adept at picking dribblers clean and blowing up a possession off the ball. On any given night, he might only be Oklahoma City’s third-best perimeter stopper, behind Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso; over the course of this full season, though, he’s been just about as good as it gets.

Also in consideration: Dyson Daniels, Amen Thompson, Jaden McDaniels, the Blazers’ duo of Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara, Kris Dunn, Lu Dort.

First Team

Kon Knueppel, Hornets
Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
VJ Edgecombe, 76ers
Dylan Harper, Spurs
Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors

My ROY ballot (Knueppel, Flagg and Edgecombe) is joined by Harper, who already maneuvers around the court like a 10-year vet — 18-5-5 per-36 as a teenage rookie is some rarefied air; he’s going to be lethal — and Murray-Boyles, who, as a 20-year-old small-ball 5, would probably already be the best and most versatile defender on a lot of teams that didn’t employ Scottie Barnes.

Second Team

Cedric Coward, Grizzlies
Ace Bailey, Jazz
Derik Queen, Pelicans
Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Hornets

The four lottery picks all showed flashes of what they might be and reason to hope for brighter days ahead. Coward averaged 14-6-3 on league-average true shooting in the first half before hitting the rookie wall (and before Memphis determinedly went into the tank). Bailey popped for 30 three timesand, arguably more importantly, showed more of a willingness to play complementary, sweat-the-small-stuff basketball than his reputation suggested coming out of Rutgers. Queen turned in two triple-doubles in his first half-season as a pro; Fears showed real growth in his second half-season, averaging more than 13-3-3 off the bench over the final couple of months with that lightning-quick first step.

Kalkbrenner, for his part, came off four straight Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards and … promptly proved to be an immediate high-caliber NBA rim protector. He’s blocked 6.4% of opponents’ 2-point attempts — a rate that would’ve tied for third in the NBA if he’d played enough minutes — and held opponents to 54.9% shooting at the rim, a near-top-10 mark. Oh, and he also averaged four offensive rebounds per-36, made literally 75% of his shots, and paired with Moussa Diabaté to give Charlotte the most surprisingly successful center rotation this side of Neemias Queta and Luka Garza. Not bad for a 23-year-old second-round pick.

Also in consideration: Sion James, Hugo González, Jamir Watkins, Rasheer Fleming, and let’s be honest, you’re probably done reading.

Where to watch Toronto Raptors vs. New York Knicks: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Friday, April 10

The New York Knicks (52-28) can lock down no worse than the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 playoff seed with a win over the Toronto Raptors (43-35). The Raptors can secure the No. 5 seed if they beat the Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks.

  • Toronto Raptors: 45-35 (#3 in Eastern Atlantic)

  • New York Knicks: 52-28 (#2 in Eastern Atlantic)

  • Spread: New York Knicks -6.5

  • Moneyline: New York Knicks -275 (70.4%) / Toronto Raptors +225 (29.6%)

  • Over/Under: 220.5

Where to watch Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Friday, April 10

The Texas Rangers (7-5), ranked first in the AL West, face the Los Angeles Dodgers (9-3), who are first in the NL West. The Dodgers are favored with a -1.5 spread and a -235 moneyline. Starting pitchers are Kumar Rocker for Texas, with a 3.60 ERA, and Tyler Glasnow for Los Angeles, boasting a 3.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts.

  • Date: Friday, April 10

  • Time: 10:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. PT

  • Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

  • TV Channels: SportsNet LA, CW33

  • Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

  • Texas Rangers: 7-5 (first in AL West)

  • Los Angeles Dodgers: 9-3 (first in NL West)

  • Spread: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5

  • Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers -235 / Texas Rangers +190

  • Over/Under: 8.5

Texas Rangers: Kumar Rocker (0-1; ERA: 3.60; K: 3; WHIP: 1.40)

Los Angeles Dodgers: Tyler Glasnow (1-0; ERA: 3.00; K: 15; WHIP: 0.92)

Weather: 64°F at first pitch

Where to watch New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Friday, April 10

The New York Yankees, leading the AL East with an 8-4 record, face the Tampa Bay Rays, tied for third in the division at 5-7, in the first game of a three-game series. Yankees pitcher Luis Gil makes his first start of the season, while Rays pitcher Steven Matz holds a 4.09 ERA and remains undefeated with a 2-0 record. The Yankees are favored with a -140 moneyline.

  • Date: Friday, April 10

  • Time: 7:10 p.m. ET / 4:10 p.m. PT

  • Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

  • TV Channels: Rays.TV, YES

  • Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

  • New York Yankees: 8-4 (first in AL East)

  • Tampa Bay Rays: 5-7 (tied for third in AL East)

  • Spread: New York Yankees -1.5

  • Moneyline: Tampa Bay Rays +115 / New York Yankees -140

  • Over/Under: 8

New York Yankees: Luis Gil (2025 stats: 4-1; ERA: 3.32; K: 41; WHIP: 1.40)

Tampa Bay Rays: Steven Matz (2026 stats: 2-0; ERA: 4.09; K: 10; WHIP: 1.00)

Weather: 80°F at first pitch

Heat waive Terry Rozier with guard still on leave following FBI arrest for alleged illegal gambling

The Miami Heat are parting ways with guard Terry Rozier. The team released Rozier on Friday, hours before the deadline to waive a player on an expiring contract, the team announced.

Rozier, 32, has had a tumultuous 2025-26 NBA season. The guard entered the year under investigation for his actions during a game in 2023, when he left a contest early after massive bets were placed on wagers involving Rozier’s unders.

But things escalated in November, when Rozier was among those arrested by the FBI as part of an alleged illegal gambling investigation.

Rozier, along with Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, was one of the 30-plus individuals arrested by the FBI. Both he and Billups were placed on immediate, unpaid leave by the NBA. Rozier has not appeared in an NBA game with the Heat this season. In February, Rozier won his salary dispute with the league when an arbitrator determined that players can’t be put on leave other than in cases of domestic abuse or child abuse. Rozier was set to make more than $26.6 million this season.

Rozier’s arrest stems from his alleged actions during a 2023 game — when he was still a member of the Charlotte Hornets. Prior to a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, a bettor placed a $14,000 bet on Rozier’s unders to hit. Rozier wound up leaving the game after just nine minutes due to a foot injury, causing that bet to pay out.

The FBI alleged Rozier told one of his friends, Deniro Laster, that Rozier would pull himself from that game early. Laster, who is also a defendant in the case, allegedly sold that information to bettors for roughly $100,000.

Rozier has consistently denied those charges, with his lawyer initially saying Rozier “looks forward to winning this fight.” During a December court appearance, Rozier pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering. He was released on $3 million bond.

Rozier’s release Friday may have nothing to do with his federal case. Friday marks the final day a team can release a player on an expiring contract. The Heat, who will take part in the play-in tournament, will now have until Sunday to add another player to their playoff roster.