The news for Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton wasn’t likely to be good after he left his second start of the season with elbow discomfort. Four days later, the team announced that Horton would need season-ending elbow surgery.

Horton, 24, underwent that procedure Thursday. The work performed on his right elbow will require a recovery timetable of 15-to-16 months, Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters Friday.

The right-hander received a “revision repair” of the ulnar collateral ligament, a repair of the flexor muscle and an internal brace procedure. The surgery was performed by renowned orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister, who is also the head team physician for the Texas Rangers.

“When something like this happens, the only thing you can do is kind of worry about what’s next,” Counsell told reporters. “If you put your head on some big time frame, that’s not very helpful. With Cade, we talked about just worrying about today and make today the best you can, and just keep doing that.”

This is the second major surgery Horton has undergone on his pitching elbow. He had Tommy John surgery during his freshman season at Oklahoma and returned to make 14 appearances for the Sooners in 2022. The Cubs drafted him in the first round (No. 7 overall) that year.

As a rookie, Horton compiled a 2.67 ERA and 11-4 record in 23 appearances (22 starts) last season, striking out 97 in 118 innings. He was particularly impressive in the second half of the season, registering a 1.03 ERA in 12 starts. With that performance, Horton finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

This is the second consecutive season in which the Cubs suffered a season-ending injury to one of their starting pitchers. Last April, Justin Steele required elbow surgery after four starts. Like Horton, he underwent a revision repair to the UCL in his left elbow. He began playing catch in October and was able to face batters during spring training. The Cubs hope Steele will return in late May or June.

The Cubs did get some good pitching news Friday. Top starter Matthew Boyd is expected to be activated Wednesday after making a rehab start for Triple-A Iowa on Thursday. Boyd, 35, went on the injured list April 3 due to a strained left biceps. Last season, he finished with a 3.21 ERA and 14-8 record, walking just 2.1 batters per nine innings in 31 starts. That earned him a berth on the NL All-Star team.

Daniel Palencia latest Cubs reliever to IL

The Cubs’ bullpen also suffered an injury this week, though not a season-ending one. Closer Daniel Palencia was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left oblique strain. He joins relievers Phil Maton (right knee tendinitis), Hunter Harvey (right triceps strain) and Ethan Roberts (lacerated right finger) on the IL. 

Palencia, 26, had not allowed a run in five appearances this season, giving up three hits with five strikeouts and two walks. During the World Baseball Classic, he threw five hitless innings with nine strikeouts for champion Venezuela.

Last season, Palencia seized the Cubs’ closer role with a 2.91 ERA in 54 appearances. He earned 22 saves in 25 opportunities while striking out 61 in 52 2/3 innings. 

The 2026 NBA playoffs will feature legendary matchups, intriguing questions and all kinds of X-factors. But who has the most at stake this postseason, and who will ultimately win it all? Our writers weigh in.

What’s your take on the East? 

Tom Haberstroh: Boston’s magical run will continue to the Finals. In training camp, if Boston envisioned a best-case scenario for the regular season, the actual 2025-26 season would be it. It’s one thing for Jayson Tatum to come back healthy. It’s another thing for him to look like the Jayson Tatum of old. And he has. Bad news for the East.

Ben Rohrbach: The Celtics are the only team in the East capable of contending with the West. The Pistons lack a secondary creator. The Knicks have defensive holes. The Cavaliers rely on James Harden to get them over the hump in the second round. Not to say any of them cannot beat the Celtics. I just think none of them has a shot in the Finals. Only Boston, with a healthy Tatum, can challenge the depth of whoever emerges from a gauntlet in the other conference.

Everything to know for the NBA playoffs: Predictions, series previews, X-factors

Kelly Iko: I’m not saying there’ll be an upset, but I’m not saying there won’t be one. Over the final two months of the regular season, the Spurs and Thunder are first and second in net rating. The next two on the list? Hawks and Hornets. I say this with the assumption that red-hot Charlotte gets past Orlando (this may be a jinx), but even with how the Hornets and Hawks are set up — opposite ends of the pace spectrum — the mandates are clear: spread the floor, move the ball and have different pressure points of attack. Both look like very, very tough outs. 

Dan Devine: I think all of the favorites will make it out of Round 1, but all of them will have to sweat to do it. The Pistons have been the most buttoned-up team in the East all season, and might wind up staring down a perpetual chaos machine out of Charlotte. The Celtics look like a war machine, but there’s nothing fun about having to try to corral Tyrese Maxey for 48 minutes (or more, if Nick Nurse can bend space/time to play him even longer than that). Knicks-Hawks and Cavs-Raptors are both pace-of-play style clashes, and the favorites are going to have to work to maintain control of the wheel. Nothing in the East feels like an obvious walkover, which makes everything more compelling. Styles make fights. Weaknesses force innovation. Perfection is boring; let’s embrace being fractured and have fun getting weird.

Nekias Duncan: There’s a heightened level of the “unknown.” Take Cavs-Raptors; their regular-season matchups happened before Thanksgiving. We are getting a fresh look at these two in a high-stakes setting. We only got one “real” look at Hawks-Knicks back on April 6, and even that lacked positional cross-matching from the Hawks’ side — they didn’t stash a wing on Karl-Anthony Towns with their center (Onyeka Okongwu) roaming off Josh Hart, a popular gambit — which I’m sure we’ll see this time around. Health permitting, you can build a reasonable case to any of these teams winning multiple playoff rounds; that feels rare.

What’s your take on the West?

Rohrbach: The Spurs are every bit as good as the Thunder, and the Nuggets are as good as both of them. Every metric imaginable suggests that San Antonio, with Victor Wembanyama, is on par with OKC, the defending NBA champions. Denver would have exceeded 60 wins, too, if it had been healthy all season. With apologies to the Timberwolves, who could beat the Nuggets in the first round, one of three teams is winning the West — and all might have an equal chance.

Iko: Outside of another Nuggets-Wolves rerun, this might be the most ho-hum first round seen in quite some time. I don’t expect either Oklahoma City or San Antonio to bat an eye at the Warriors/Suns or Blazers, and outside of a few Kevin Durant/LeBron James moments, I’m not losing sleep over Rockets-Lakers. Seems like everyone is just waiting on the Spurs and Thunder to meet once again. 

Duncan: I love the tests the top three teams will get to start their postseason runs. Most would agree the Thunder, Spurs and Nuggets — in whichever order — are the likeliest teams to represent the West in the Finals this year, but they also have to face some demons before we get there. The Thunder will either see the Stephen Curry-Draymond Green combo, or a Suns team with an annoying defense that’s had them in a headlock in different points of their regular-season matchups. The Spurs have to face a Blazers group with defensive personnel that can tap into all sorts of pressure and cross-matching looks. The Nuggets have to face the Timberwolves. Again. Bring me all of it.

Devine: I think the Thunder are going to waltz to the conference finals, and I think that whoever they face coming out of the other side of the bracket will have had to basically go through “The Raid” to greet them there. That doesn’t mean they can’t get got, but they were already the favorites for a reason, and the way the seeding fell seems pretty ideal for them.

Haberstroh: Spurs-Thunder in the West Finals, please and thank you. This is The Next Great NBA Rivalry, and I really hope we see these two behemoths face off against each other. There’s lots of bad blood here between Wemby and OKC, and I pray to my lucky stars everyone stays healthy enough to make it a reality.

What’s the biggest question in these playoffs?

Devine: How are those hammies feeling, Aaron Gordon? The answer could be the difference between Denver climbing back to the top of the mountain or bowing out in Round 1.

Haberstroh: Does playoff experience matter anymore? I argued it doesn’t. Or at least not as much as it used to. More than ever, player health matters way more than playoff pedigree. For Detroit and San Antonio, two 60-win teams whose cores have never made it out of the first round, I really hope they can bust the playoff experience myth.

Rohrbach: I’m with Tom. The Spurs lack the requisiteplayoff scars to compete for a title, at least historically speaking, but will it matter? It didn’t for OKC last season. But a bigger question may be: Can Jayson Tatum be Jayson Tatum? Few players have more playoff scars than Tatum and Jaylen Brown. If Tatum can perform at an All-NBA level, and he has been close, the Celtics could absolutely win the East, and they might even have a chance against the West’s winner.

Iko: Two defensive trends have been on my mind throughout the regular season: pressure rates and putting two on the ball, forcing teams to beat you in 4-on-3 scenarios. What does that look like in the playoffs when everything allegedly slows down, rotations are shorter and every possession is the most important one? Is the NBA truly an individualistic league or is the copycat syndrome here to stay?

Duncan: Like Kelly, my mind also shifts to defense. We’ve seen an uptick in full-court pressure, more audacious cross-matching — KAT will see wings, and I’m sure Stephon Castle will see centers at some point — and a wide variety of zone looks this season. How much of those gambits will carry over, when will they be deployed, and how quickly offenses can find answers to them loom pretty large to me.

Who has the most at stake this postseason?

Iko: Anthony Edwards might be too harsh of an answer, but certainly the Wolves as a whole. After two straight exits at the conference final stage, both defeats coming in just five games, my eyes are glued to Edwards and Minnesota. A difficult matchup with a familiar foe could send them packing early, which would undoubtedly put pressure on the organization. Have they done enough to build a contending roster, having tried various approaches? We all saw the Edwards/Jalen Johnson interaction from All-Star weekend — do those seeds of doubt start to creep in?

Haberstroh: James Harden. He has 17 postseason runs in his NBA career, and yet he’s still looking for his first championship. With Chris Paul retiring, the focus turns to Harden as the no-doubt Hall of Famer who is still trying to bring home the elusive Larry O’B. The Cavs certainly have a shot, but so have all of Harden’s 17 teams.

Duncan: I think it’s the Cavs by default. When you trade away a young star talent in Darius Garland — hampered with a toe injury, but a star talent nonetheless — for a better but much older option in James Harden, you’re signaling two things: 1) what we have isn’t enough to where we want to go, and 2) we need to get this done right now. I wouldn’t rule out a Finals run for the Cavs, but they kinda need to make it there in a way the others, sans New York maybe, don’t. We’re probably having Harden, Evan Mobley and, to a lesser extent, Donovan Mitchell conversations if this team bows out in the second round, and we’re definitely having them if they lose to the Raptors.

Rohrbach: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. What’s at stake for SGA over the next two months? Back-to-back championships, back-to-back regular-season MVPs, back-to-back Finals MVPs. Here’s who has done that before: LeBron James (2012-13) and Michael Jordan (1991-92). Bill Russell would have done it three times from 1961-63 if the Finals MVP existed at the time. (The award is named for him now.) Point is: SGA could be in some GOAT conversations soon.

Devine: Well, the Knicks’ owner — after firing the head coach that brought the franchise to its first conference finals in 25 years — went on the radio and said the team should not only make the NBA Finals, but win it all … and then the Celtics beat them out for the No. 2 seed, got their best player back and seem to be raring to go for a second-round rematch. That seems like a pretty good reason to think that everyone in New York is feeling an immense amount of pressure right about now.

What’s your Finals prediction?

Duncan: Thunder over Celtics. There have been worthy challengers this year, notably the Spurs with their regular-season dominance in their matchups, but nothing has really shaken me off my belief the Thunder are the best team in basketball. Having the Spurs and Nuggets on the other side of the bracket makes their pathway even more favorable. Ultimately, I think SGA is going to cap off one of the greatest seasons of all time with another championship. 

Haberstroh: Spurs over Celtics. I’ve long believed Victor Wembanyama is on the GOAT path, and he has a golden chance to solidify that here. OKC barely got past Denver and Indiana last year, and these Spurs are better than those squads. With a little injury luck breaking San Antonio’s way, I think Wemby and the Spurs win it.

Devine: Thunder over Knicks. I went with that before the season, and I am not a completely spineless coward devoid of morals or self-respect, so I’ll stick with it now.

Iko: Spurs over Cavs. San Antonio has the schemes, personnel and most importantly, the mental edge necessary to delay a dynasty and get past Oklahoma City. And I might be the only person in America who thinks Cleveland has a Finals-ready roster in the Eastern Conference, but if James Harden and Donovan Mitchell can’t make a deep run now, I doubt they ever will. In any case, this would be a fresh switch-up.

Rohrbach: Thunder over Celtics. I picked Nuggets over Cavaliers at the start of the season, and I haven’t seen nearly enough from either team to trust them to win four rounds. OKC, on the other hand, will be favored in every series it plays in these playoffs, even against the Spurs, Nuggets or Celtics, all of whom could beat the Thunder. This is going to be fun.

The San Diego Padres (13-6) open their series with the Los Angeles Angels (10-10). The Padres have won eight in a row and 11 of their past 12. The Angels just split a four-game series with the New York Yankees in which Mike Trout homered in all four games. Starting pitchers are Matt Waldron for San Diego and José Soriano for Los Angeles.

How to watch San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Angels

• Date: Friday, April 17

• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET / 6:38 p.m. PT

• Where: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA

• TV Channels: FanDuel Sports Network West, Padres.TV Presented by UC San Diego Health

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

Team records

• San Diego Padres: 13-6 (No. 2 in NL West)

• Los Angeles Angels: 10-10 (No. 3 in AL West)

Odds

• Spread: Los Angeles Angels -1.5

• Moneyline: Los Angeles Angels -145 (56.6%) / San Diego Padres +120 (43.4%)

• Over/Under: 8.5

Starting pitchers

San Diego Padres: Matt Waldron (0-1, ERA: 7.71, K: 3, WHIP: 2.57)
Los Angeles Angels: José Soriano (4-0, ERA: 0.33, K: 31, WHIP: 0.67)

Weather: 76°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 45,517 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

It has been only three weeks, but Major League Baseball’s ABS challenge system has ushered in a whole new genre of statistics in a sport that was already known for the treasure trove of numbers and data points that help us understand what’s happening on the field. With players now having the option to challenge umpires’ strike-zone judgment — but with just two challenges per game and only successful challenges retained — we have a fascinating, new way to compare teams’ successes, failures and tendencies.

We’re still in the earliest stages of comprehending how the ABS challenge system is best utilized — and so are the teams. Even so, it hasn’t taken long for some intriguing trends to emerge, so here are a few takeaways from what we’ve seen so far.

Which teams have been the best and worst at using the ABS challenge system?

Through three weeks of MLB play, there have been 1,143 challenges issued. Of those, 619 have been successful, meaning players have been right more often than not when challenging an umpire’s ball or strike call, with a 54% overturn rate. But not all teams are succeeding at this clip. Some have been much better, and some have been much worse: Nine clubs have a success rate above 60%, with the Reds comfortably ahead of the pack at a whopping 72%, while three teams — the Braves (39%), Guardians (39%) and Nationals (34%) — fall below 40%.

There’s also a pretty wide range in how often teams are challenging. Cincinnati’s league-best mark comes with only 29 challenges, tied with Washington for third-fewest of any team. Meanwhile, the Twins are tapping their heads all the time, having already challenged 61 calls this season — nine more than the second team, Colorado at 52 — with a 57% overturn rate. This makes basic sense; teams retain challenges if they are correct, and thus can rack up a larger raw total by overturning more calls. On the flip side, it’s been harder for teams such as Washington to challenge more frequently when the Nats have so often been incorrect early in games, thus running out of opportunities to protest calls.

When during games are challenges happening the most?

Before we look at some more team-specific trends, here’s an overview of the game situations in which challenges have been utilized most. Entering the season, it stood to reason that teams would try to save challenges for higher-leverage moments later in games, but so far, that hasn’t really been the case. Here’s a breakdown of challenges by inning:

• 1st inning: 111

• 2nd inning: 101

• 3rd inning: 111

• 4th inning: 103

• 5th inning: 118

• 6th inning: 138

• 7th inning: 159

• 8th inning: 148

• 9th inning: 138

• Extras: 16

Among this sample, there is a slight lean toward the later frames, but so far — whether or not teams are explicitly green-lighting this behavior — players have been happily tapping their heads early in games.

Which hitters have yet to challenge?

So far this season, 252 batters have challenged at least one called strike. But there are some holdouts who haven’t tried MLB’s new toy, for whatever reason. Here are the hitters who have seen the most called strikes without issuing a single challenge:

1. Chase Meidroth: 77 strikes
2. Brice Turang: 68
3. José Ramírez: 63
4. Masyn Winn: 60
5. Mike Yastrzemski: 58
T-6. Matt McLain: 57
T-6. TJ Friedl: 57
T-6. Jung Hoo Lee: 57
9. Will Smith: 56
T-10. Francisco Lindor: 54
T-10. Drake Baldwin: 54

This is not to say these players saw many horrific calls by the umpires that deserved to be protested. And perhaps there have been times when they would’ve liked to challenge, but their teams didn’t have any left. At the same time, it’s not hard to watch some of the called strikes for these hitters and wonder: What are you waiting for?!

Still, we can be patient as hitters around the league settle into the new system. And having two catchers on this leaderboard makes sense; Smith and Baldwin would probably rather save their challenges for when they’re behind the dish. As for the rest of this group, it’ll be interesting to track how long some of these guys go without challenging and whether this is merely early-season hesitation or a conscious choice to neglect their new privilege.

Are teams preferring to challenge more while batting or while pitching?

Of the challenges issued, 611 (53%) have been by the fielding team (with the vast majority of those issued by catchers) and 532 (47%) by the batting team. But certain teams have demonstrated more significant splits. Here’s a breakdown of which teams’ challenges have leaned most heavily toward one side of the ball:

Highest percentage of challenges on defense:

1. Dodgers: 73% (24 of 33 challenges issued while pitching)

2. White Sox: 72% (31 of 43)

3. Marlins: 71% (35 of 49)

4. D-backs: 66% (21 of 32)

5. Brewers: 65% (28 of 43)

Highest percentage of challenges on offense:

1. Tigers: 64% (25 of 39 challenges issued while batting)

2. Yankees: 63% (29 of 46)

3. Orioles: 59% (22 of 37)

4. Guardians: 58% (21 of 36)

5. Blue Jays: 57% (21 of 37)

This is one indicator of teams’ strategic preferences that’ll be worth monitoring as the season unfolds. It stands to reason that if overturn rates continue to heavily favor catchers, as they have at every interval leading up to the challenge system’s introduction, teams would move toward saving their challenges for the purposes of run prevention on the mound, rather than rally preservation at the plate. But there’s also value in being able to keep an inning alive on offense with a well-used challenge late in games, so don’t expect clubs to completely abandon that option anytime soon. There is an ideal balance that all the teams are still searching for. — Shusterman

The Dodgers have the most obvious plan

No team has tapped less often on offense than the two-time defending champs. Entering play Friday, Dodgers hitters had used just nine challenges, two fewer than any other club and 22 behind the league-leading Twins. For a team that does nothing by accident, well, this can’t be an accident.

Los Angeles’ strategy appears to revolve around reserving its challenges for its catchers. Will Smith, the club’s every-day backstop, has issued the fourth-most challenges (21) of any catcher in the league. On a rate basis, Smith has been just OK; his 62% overturn rate is right around average for catchers. But he’s letting it fly, in part because he almost always has a challenge or two in the chamber.

Things get even more interesting when you break down when exactly Dodgers hitters have deployed their challenges. Of their nine taps, seven came in the seventh inning or later (77%). That’s a stark contrast to the rest of the league; which is using just 39.7% of its challenges in those frames. 

The two exceptions to this Dodgers rule? One was an awful, easily overturned, strike-three call on Alex Call in a game Los Angeles was leading by five runs in the third inning. The other was a bizarre, emotionally charged, early-game mistake challenge by Hyeseong Kim. L.A.’s young utility infielder clearly regretted his decision immediately, staring off toward his dugout with a guilty look on his face. Moral of the story: If you’re a hitter and you end up on the Dodgers, probably don’t challenge unless you absolutely have to.

The Red Sox aren’t challenging

Boston is dead-stinkin’-last in MLB in both attempted and successful challenges. That hesitancy has been particularly striking on the defensive side; Red Sox catchers have challenged only nine times. Every other club is in double digits. 

Notably, Boston’s backstop tandem of Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong has gotten more passive over time. They tapped five times in the club’s first four games but have tapped just four times in April thus far. By contrast, White Sox backstop Edgar Quero challenged five times against Tampa Bay on Thursday alone. 

So why are the Red Sox so skittish? It’s tough to say. Their lack of hitter challenges (11, tied for second-last) feels like a small-sample size mirage, something that should even out over the long haul. 

But the hands-off approach behind the dish feels like something bigger. Could it be related to Narvaez’s disciplinary benching on April 1, the day the Sox reduced their challenge rate? Narvaez catches the bulk of Boston’s games, so maybe this is more about him than it is about a grander strategy. Either way, the Red Sox declining to engage with ABS feels like a mistake.

How bad at challenging are the pitchers, really?

Probably bad, but it’s hard to be certain because they’re hardly ever challenging: Thus far, pitchers are 11-for-22.

Minor-league and spring training data told us that pitchers, for a number of reasons, aren’t good at this. The numbers are a bit hazy, but the overturn rate for hurlers was around 41%. That’s because most hurlers end up in a poor physical position to actually see the ball cross the plate. More importantly, they’re emotionally invested in each particular pitch in a way that makes it impossible for them to view the umpire’s call objectively. 

Accordingly, a handful of teams admitted that they would heavily discourage their pitchers from challenging. And that has played out in the data. Thirteen teams have yet to use a single pitcher challenge. Only three teams — Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia — have had multiple pitchers challenge. No single pitcher has challenged twice.

The higher-than-expected 50% success rate for pitchers is likely a product of small-sample size. But it might also be a sign that some pitchers are challenging only blatantly obvious misses.

Walks are up this season — is ABS the reason?

Pitchers are giving away free passes right now like it’s an episode of Oprah. The league-wide walk rate entering play Thursday was 9.9%, nearly a full point higher than it was during March/April 2025. This is notable; the league-wide walk rate hasn’t finished above 9.0% in a full season since 2000.

Is ABS to blame? It’s complicated — more balls are being challenged into strikes than strikes into balls, for instance — but it’s certainly part of the story.

The most telling nugget is that walk rates rose in the minor leagues after ABS was implemented. Something similar is probably happening in the bigs right now. A dive into the data shows that the top of the zone, in particular, has become less fruitful for hurlers. Remember, the new zone is the same horizontally as the old zone (the width of the plate), but it changed vertically (now it’s according to player height).

That generally means a lower top rail, giving pitchers less leeway at the letters. Considering how much emphasis in recent years has been placed on peppering elevated fastballs, this trend of more walks shouldn’t come as a huge shock. Our guess is that MLB wants pitchers to gradually adjust how they pitch; more balls in the zone, fewer high-effort high heaters, more balls in play, more action, etc. What we’re seeing now, in the early going of this new era, are growing pains. We expect that teams and pitchers will react to this shift, understand they now have a smaller box to throw in and adapt accordingly. For now, though, walks are plentiful. — Mintz

The Kansas City Royals (7-12) and New York Yankees (10-9) open a three-game series. The Royals were just swept in three games by the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees just split a four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels.

How to watch Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees

• Date: Friday, April 17

• Time: 7:05 p.m. ET / 4:05 p.m. PT

• Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

• TV Channels: YES, Royals.TV

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

Team records

• Kansas City Royals: 7-12 (No. 4 in AL Central)

• New York Yankees: 10-9 (No. 2 in AL East)

Odds

• Spread: New York Yankees -1.5

• Moneyline: New York Yankees -190 (62.5%) / Kansas City Royals +154 (37.5%)

• Over/Under: 8.5

Starting pitchers

Kansas City Royals: Michael Wacha (2-0, ERA: 0.43, K: 17, WHIP: 0.71)
New York Yankees: Cam Schlittler (2-1, ERA: 2.49, K: 30, WHIP: 0.74)

Weather: 71°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 47,309 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

The Los Angeles Dodgers (14-4) face the Colorado Rockies (7-12) in the opener of a four-game series. The Dodgers are coming off a three-game sweep of the New York Mets while the Rockies just ended a six-game losing streak with a win over the Houston Astros. Starting pitchers are Tyler Glasnow for the Dodgers and Tomoyuki Sugano for the Rockies.

How to watch Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies

• Date: Friday, April 17

• Time: 8:40 p.m. ET / 5:40 p.m. PT

• Where: Coors Field, Denver, CO

• TV Channels: Rockies.TV, SportsNet LA

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

Team records

• Los Angeles Dodgers: 14-4 (No. 1 in NL West)

• Colorado Rockies: 7-12 (No. 4 in NL West)

Odds

• Spread: Colorado Rockies +2.5

• Moneyline: Colorado Rockies +260 (26.6%) / Los Angeles Dodgers -325 (73.4%)

• Over/Under: 9.5

Starting pitchers

Los Angeles Dodgers: Tyler Glasnow (1-0, ERA: 4.00, K: 22, WHIP: 0.94)
Colorado Rockies: Tomoyuki Sugano (1-0, ERA: 2.16, K: 12, WHIP: 0.78)

Weather: 30°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 50,144 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

The 2026 NBA playoffs tip off this weekend with eight games across Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19. You can catch NBA playoff games on ABC, NBC, ESPN, and Amazon Prime Video. Looking to watch the tournament with just one streaming service? We’ve (almost) got you covered. With DIRECTV’s MySports® Genre Pack®, you’ll have everything you need to tune in, apart from Prime Video — but who doesn’t have access to an Amazon account these days, anyway?

Here’s what you need to know so you won’t miss a single game of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. 

How to watch the 2026 NBA playoffs:

Dates: April 18 – June, 2026

TV channels: NBC, ESPN, ABC

Streaming: DIRECTV

When are the 2026 NBA playoffs?

The 2026 NBA playoffs officially get underway on April 18. The Eastern Conference finals are scheduled to begin May 19, and the Western Conference finals are scheduled for May 20. The NBA finals are set to begin on June 3, 2026.

What channels are broadcasting NBA playoff games?

 NBA playoff games will be broadcast across Prime Video, NBC, ABC, and ESPN. 

How to watch the 2026 NBA playoffs without cable:

NBA playoff games that air on NBC, ABC and ESPN are all available to stream with DIRECTV’s MySports® Genre Pack®, which includes access to ESPN (and the ESPN Unlimited streaming tier), local ABC and NBC.

Cancel anytime. Local channels vary by market. Blackout restrictions apply. Select sales channels only.

This will not replace any existing Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, or Disney bundle subscription you may already have. All other accounts must be managed separately. You must remain on an eligible plan to retain your offer.

Note: You’ll still need Amazon Prime access to catch the Prime Video-exclusive NBA playoff games — but who doesn’t have Amazon Prime access these days?

Why we love DIRECTV:

As Senior Yahoo Tech writer Rick Broida puts it, DIRECTV is the “polished and likable” cable alternative that cord-cutters have been searching for. Miss flipping through endless channels on the hunt for a gem to tune into? DIRECTV’s got one of the best channel guides out there. And in terms of content diversity, DIRECTV has you covered there, too, with packages ranging from hyper-specific Genre Packs for sports fans and reality TV zealots to full-coverage options for TV fans who want it all. Sports fans, meanwhile, will appreciate that ESPN Unlimited is included with many DIRECTV plans to boot. And don’t worry about missing your favorite shows, either: In addition to live channels, DIRECTV offers a full range of on-demand programming and unlimited DVR, too. That’s why we called DIRECTV the best cable TV replacement in the streaming world.

2026 NBA playoffs schedule this week:

April 18

• 1 p.m.: Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (Prime Video)

• 3:30 p.m.: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets (Prime Video)

• 6 p.m.: Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks (Prime Video)

• 8:30 p.m.: Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers (ABC)

April 19

• 1 p.m.: Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers (ABC)

• 3:30 p.m.: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. TBD (ABC)

• 6:30 p.m.: Detroit Pistons vs. TBD (NBC/Peacock)

• 9 p.m.: San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers (NBC/Peacock)

2026 NBA playoffs key dates:

• May 4: Conference Semifinals begin (can move up to May 2 or 3)

• May 19: Eastern Conference Finals begin on ESPN/ABC (can move up to May 17)

• May 20: Western Conference Finals begin on NBC/Peacock (can move up to May 18)

• June 3: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 1 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET

• June 5: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 2 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET

• June 8: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 3 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET

• June 10: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 4 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET

• June 13: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 5 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)

• June 16: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 6 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)

• June 19: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 7 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)

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