Álvaro Arbeloa insisted that Real Madrid’s hopes of progressing to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals are still well and truly alive, despite suffering a 1-2 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday.

Luis Diaz and Serge Gnabry netted either side of the break in the Spanish capital, and while Kylian Mbappé was able to halve the deficit late in the second half, los Blancos couldn’t quite draw level ahead of next week’s trip to Germany.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arbeloa admitted that “it is a defeat that perhaps we could have avoided with a little bit more luck in the second half.

“We came up against a great team and we knew that. We made two errors, lost possession twice – and we’d spoken about that before the game and during the break that we had to avoid that. Against this kind of team, if you make mistakes, you pay for them.

“It is clear that we’ve scored a goal that has given us hope, and the unfortunate thing is that we couldn’t put away another of the opportunities we had. It won’t be easy, but if any team can win in Munich, it’s Real Madrid,” the Spaniard continued, emphasising that his side “have showed that we can do them damage”.

Arbeloa, who took charge of Real Madrid in January, assured fans that his side “will learn a lot” from Tuesday’s defeat, and suggested that “anyone who doesn’t believe can stay in Madrid, because we’re going with everything to get the win in Germany” next week.

The second leg gets underway at 20:00 BST on Wednesday 15 April at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.

Last month, it was confirmed that Antoine Griezmann will be leaving Atletico Madrid at the end of the season. The 35-year-old has agreed terms with MLS side Orlando City, whom he will join once the transfer window opens in the summer.

It means that Griezmann only has a handful of matches left in the Rojiblanco of Atleti, with the first of those coming on Wednesday when they face Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. Ahead of it, both he and Diego Simeone were speaking to the media, and the Argentine delivered a poignant speech to the veteran forward, as per MD.

“Thank you for all your work, all your humility. You are an admirable person for today’s boys, and for a society that needs people like you. Thank you for everything you gave us, everything you give us and everything I am going to force you to continue giving us. Thank you for your commitment, for how you always behaved as a professional, as a person, knowing how to differentiate that beautiful relationship we have as a family and not cross that difficult line to take that is that of the coach and the player friend. I consider you a player and then a friend.”

“There will be eight league games, one Copa del Rey game and God willing, we are going to play five more games in the Champions League. I invite you to continue enjoying, I love you very much. If any Atletico Madrid fan were here today, they would say the same words. I feel absolutely identified with them. I am your coach, you know that if you don’t run tomorrow you go out. Nothing more. Sorry. I just wanted to say these words.”

Griezmann will hope to end Atleti spell on a high

The next two months will be very emotional for Griezmann, but he has a job to do. Atleti contest the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad later this month, while they hope to get rid of the demons of 2016 and 2018 by finally getting their hands on the Champions League trophy.

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers, the NBA’s winningest active coach and someone ranking sixth on the league’s all-time victory list, hinted Tuesday that he might consider giving up his role on the sideline when this tumultuous Bucks season ends.

Rivers’ reason: grandkids.

And put simply, he sounds like someone who wants to spent more time with them.

“I won’t answer that, but I have grandkids that I want to see,” Rivers told reporters when asked before the Bucks’ game in Brooklyn about his future. “I’ll put it that way. I’ll let you figure it out from there.”

The 64-year-old Rivers is going into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame this summer. Only Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan and Pat Riley have more coaching wins than Rivers — who won the NBA title as a coach with Boston in 2008.

Milwaukee came into the season with championship aspirations, built again around perennial All-Star and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and further bolstered by the acquisition of Myles Turner in free agency last summer. But injuries doomed Milwaukee; the Bucks started 8-5, then lost seven consecutive games to fall under .500 and that’s where they stayed the rest of the way.

They haven’t been a top-eight team in the Eastern Conference since mid-November, wound up fielding trade offers for Antetokounmpo in February — ultimately deciding to keep him, at least for now — and now are embroiled in a war of words with their best player. He says he wants to play even though the Bucks are out of the playoff picture; the team has kept him out citing injuries.

Antetokounmpo has appeared in 36 games this season, by far the fewest of his 13-year career. The constant speculation about his future in Milwaukee has grated on Rivers for some time, prompting him to say last week that it has been bothersome to incessantly have to deal with questions about the relationship between Antetokounmpo and the franchise.

“The tough part about all this is I’m in the middle when I have nothing to do with it,” Rivers said Friday. “Coaches don’t decide any of this. But, the problem with our league is the coaches are the ones sitting out front and we have to sit here and answer this stuff. And I think there are two sides to this. I will tell you that.”

Antetokounmpo’s future with the team is certain to be a major topic in the offseason. And now, Rivers’ will be as well.

He sounded somewhat reflective last week when formally announced as a Hall inductee.

“Without the players that I’ve coached, without the coaches that I’ve coached with, I wouldn’t be here,” Rivers said when announced as part of this year’s Hall class. “None of us live in isolation. We all live and breathe with other people, and other people help us get to places we are.”

Rivers joined the Bucks midway through the 2023-24 season. He has a number of interests outside of coaching, would likely be a sought-after broadcaster — he’s done TV work before — if he steps down from coaching, and indicated that it’s difficult to not be present around young grandchildren.

“I have seven grandkids now and they’re all 8 years and under,” Rivers said. “And it kills me every time I miss grandparents’ day with each one of them in school. And it’s probably time to go see them more. So, I’ll let you figure out the rest.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

You can’t predict baseball, except for the times that you can. The Yankees are off to another strong start, the Dodgers look as great as ever, and the Brewers, despite middling projections, are once again in first place in the NL Central, all developments that are far from shocking. Some things, it feels you can just set your watch to.

But for every expectation met, there’s been an expectation subverted thus far this year. And so we ask, almost two weeks into the season, which of the Yankees’ AL opponents has most surprised you with their start to the year?

Typically, surprises can come in the pleasant variety, but not so in this poll, as we have four shaky starts to choose from here. One is from an AL West rival, with the Mariners sputtering to a 4-7 on the heels of a division title and an ALCS last year. Seattle’s lineup hasn’t hit yet, but they’re at least only two games back of an Angels squad no one expects to remain in first for long.

On the other side, we have the AL East, with the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Red Sox all off to disappointing starts. Baltimore and Toronto are both on four wins apiece, sitting 3.5 games back of the Yankees. The new(ish)-look O’s have just been somewhat shaky out the gate, while the Jays have to be concerned with the toll injuries are taking on their roster, with Alejandro Kirk, José Berríos, Shane Bieber, Addison Barger, and Trey Yesavage all on the IL.

And then there are the Red Sox, 2-8 in their first 10 games. Their bats have slumped to a .682 OPS, nearly every pitcher on the roster not named Garrett Crochet or Aroldis Chapman has gotten shelled (both have still had toughmoments, too), and Roman Anthony’s defense has become an early-season meme, and not in a good way. Boston entered 2026 with hopes of building on a surprisingly strong 2025, but they’ve quickly found themselves 5.5 games back in the division.

So what do you think? Which start has surprised you the most? Is it that of an AL East foe, or the slumping Mariners?

Between the drama surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo and the most losing the Bucks have suffered in 10 years, it’s been a season to forget in Milwaukee, and it could be the last one before Doc Rivers steps away from coaching.

Ahead of a road game against the Brooklyn Nets, Rivers was asked Tuesday how much longer he wants to coach in the league.

“I won’t answer that,” the 64-year-old head coach said, via NBA insider Michael Scotto.

“But I have grandkids that I want to see. I’ll put it that way. And, so, I’ll let you figure it out from there. I have seven grandkids now, and they’re all 8 years and under. And it kills me every time I miss ‘Grandparents’ Day’ with each one of them in school. It’s probably time to go see them more.”

Rivers reiterated: “I’ll let you figure out the rest.”

Rivers will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August. After playing 13 years in the NBA, the one-time All-Star point guard’s run as a head coach in the league began in 1999 with the Orlando Magic.

He coached the Magic from 1999-2003; the Boston Celtics from 2004-13 — famously leading the trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to an NBA title in 2008 — the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013-20, including during the “Lob City” era; the Philadelphia 76ers from 2020-23; and now he’s finishing up his third season with the Bucks amid a disappointing stint that started with him taking over for Adrian Griffin midway through the 2023-24 campaign.

While Milwaukee made the playoffs last season for the ninth straight year in a row, it got knocked out in the first round for the third consecutive postseason. Rivers hasn’t taken a team to the NBA Finals since 2010, and this year his Bucks won’t even make the play-in tournament.

The euphoria the franchise’s 2021 NBA championship delivered is distant, especially considering that Antetokounmpo’s days in Milwaukee appear numbered. Reports have detailed an organizational disconnect, and longtime NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported that there’s growing anticipation among league coaching circles that this will be Rivers’ final season on the Bucks’ bench.

Rivers’ pregame comments Tuesday don’t seem to suggest otherwise.

This story is being updated.

Between the drama surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo and the most losing the Bucks have suffered in 10 years, it’s been a season to forget in Milwaukee, and it could be the last one before Doc Rivers steps away from coaching.

Ahead of a road game against the Brooklyn Nets, Rivers was asked Tuesday how much longer he wants to coach in the league.

“I won’t answer that,” the 64-year-old head coach said, via NBA insider Michael Scotto.

“But I have grandkids that I want to see. I’ll put it that way. And, so, I’ll let you figure it out from there. I have seven grandkids now, and they’re all 8 years and under. And it kills me every time I miss ‘Grandparents’ Day’ with each one of them in school. It’s probably time to go see them more.”

Rivers reiterated: “I’ll let you figure out the rest.”

Rivers will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August. After playing 13 years in the NBA, the one-time All-Star point guard’s run as a head coach in the league began in 1999 with the Orlando Magic.

He coached the Magic from 1999-2003; the Boston Celtics from 2004-13 — famously leading the trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to an NBA title in 2008 — the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013-20, including during the “Lob City” era; the Philadelphia 76ers from 2020-23; and now he’s finishing up his third season with the Bucks amid a disappointing stint that started with him taking over for Adrian Griffin midway through the 2023-24 campaign.

While Milwaukee made the playoffs last season for the ninth straight year in a row, it got knocked out in the first round for the third consecutive postseason. Rivers hasn’t taken a team to the NBA Finals since 2010, and this year his Bucks won’t even make the play-in tournament.

The euphoria the franchise’s 2021 NBA championship delivered is distant, especially considering that Antetokounmpo’s days in Milwaukee appear numbered. Reports have detailed an organizational disconnect, and longtime NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported that there’s growing anticipation among league coaching circles that this will be Rivers’ final season on the Bucks’ bench.

Rivers’ pregame comments Tuesday don’t seem to suggest otherwise.

This story is being updated.

The Houston Astros (6-5) look to get even in this three game series against the Colorado Rockies (4-6) at Coors Field.

RHP Mike Burrows (1-1, 5.91 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros opposite LHP Kyle Freeland (0-1, 2.89 ERA) and the Rockies.

TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP Mike Burrows is set to make his third start of the season. In his last start on April 1 vs. BOS, he allowed two runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts in five innings to earn his first win as an Astro.

ROAD TRIP: Tonight is the fifth game of a 10-game road trip for the Astros. After this three-game set at COL, the Astros will travel to Seattle for a four-game series at T-Mobile Park (Fri-Mon.).

The Astros are 1-3 so far on this trip. Houston went 41-40 on the road last season.

WALKER AT COORS:1B Christian Walker has batted .348 (65×187) with 12 doubles, 14 HR, 39 RBI and a 1.045 OPS in 48 career games at Coors Field. His 1.045 OPS at Coors Field is the highest among active players, directly ahead of PHI IF Bryce Harper (1.036 OPS).

AGAINST THE ROCKIES: The Astros and Rockies face each other tonight for the second of six scheduled matchups in 2026.

The Astros went 4-2 against the Rockies in the in 2025, includng a 2-1 record at Coors Field. The Astros own a 110-88 all-time record against the Rockies.

The Rockies will travel to Daikin Park for a three-game series from April 14-16.

BROWN INJURY UPDATE:RHP Hunter Brown has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 Right Shoulder Strain. He will refrain from throwing for a few weeks.

More info on that here: https://www.crawfishboxes.com/houston-astros-analysis/73363/astros-hunter-brown-has-grade-2-shoulder-strain

LEAGUE LEADERS: The Astros lead the Majors in runs (77), doubles (34) total bases (190), hits (111), walks (64) and OBP (.394).

Individually, LF Yordan Alvarez leads the Majors in OBP (.540) and walks (13). 2B Jose Altuve leads the Majors in runs (12) and 1B Christian Walker leads the Majors in doubles (6).

HOT START: The Astros have scored 77 runs this season, which is the most in the Majors. The 77 runs are also the most in the first 11 games to begin a season in franchise history, directly ahead of the 2004 season, where the Astros scored 70 runs in the first 11 games of the season.

ON-BASE MACHINE: 2B Jose Altuve has started the season with a 11-game on-base streak, which is tied for the longest active on-base streak in the Majors.

AL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Yesterday, LF Yordan Alvarez was named the American League Player of the Week for the week of March 30-April 5. Alvarez batted .471 (8×17) with two doubles, three home runs, eight RBI, seven walks and a 1.733 OPS for the week. This marked the fourth time that Alvarez has been named the AL Player of the Week.

THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER:RF Cam Smith went 2×4 with a home run, double and two runs scored last night vs. COL.

The home run was launched 462 feet, making it the longest home run by any player in the Majors this season, with the second longest home run this season hit 460 feet by PHI OF Kyle Schwarber.

YORDAN’S UPCOMING MILESTONES: LF Yordan Alvarez recorded his 174th career home run on Sunday at ATH. The home run tied him with franchise icon OF George Springer for seventh on the Astros all-time list.

Next up on the Astros all-time list is 3B Alex Bregman (191 HR).

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Tuesday, April 7, 7:40 p.m. CST

Location: Coors Field, Denver, CO.

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

The Arizona Diamondbacks dropped the series opener to the New York Mets on Tuesday, falling 4-3 in extra innings after squandering a late lead. Leading 3-2 into the eighth, the D-backs watched the game slip away as the bullpen allowed tying and winning runs against Jonathan Loaisiga and Paul Sewald.

This felt like a painfully familiar script for a team built on thin margins: a solid starting pitching effort undermined by an anemic offense and late-inning bullpen trouble. Anyone who has followed this roster closely knows these issues all too well.

The D-backs’ entire offensive output came in the fifth inning. After a successful challenge overturned a third-strike call on Adrian Del Castillo with the bases loaded, he lined the next pitch into right field for a two-run single. Nolan Arenado followed with an RBI double to give Arizona a 3-2 lead. That was it. For the rest of the game — including a brutal extra-inning frame — the offense went silent.

Arizona finished a dismal 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They repeatedly stranded opportunities, leaving runners on base in key spots and failing to capitalize when it mattered most. Two runs simply aren’t enough in most games, no matter how well the pitching performs.

Zac Gallen delivered a quality start, tossing five innings and allowing just one earned run. He navigated a bumpy first inning in which the Mets’ first three batters reached base, escaping with only one run thanks to a timely strikeout and a pair of flyouts. Gallen leaned heavily on his cutter, which generated swings and misses and helped him settle in effectively.

The defense was serviceable but far from sharp, with the cold, inclement weather playing a role in a misplayed flyball by Corbin Carroll. In the eighth, Geraldo Perdomo had a chance to make a difference on a hot-shot grounder off Brett Baty’s bat (clocked at 100 mph). Shaded properly and positioned nearby, Perdomo couldn’t come up with the play. It wasn’t routine by any means, but it was a gettable ball that could have preserved the lead. Arenado had another play in this game where he wasn’t able to come up with the ball, it wasnt an error like the 2 he already has, however it was a play the Arenado of a few years ago makes no problem.

In the 10th inning, the D-backs failed to advance the automatic runner from second base. Nolan Arenado hit a shallow blooper that didn’t move the runner, Illdemaro Vargas lined out, and Tim Tawa struck out — continuing his early-season struggles. With injuries already thinning the lineup, questions about playing time and production loom larger.

Once the visiting team fails to score in the top of the extra inning, the odds shift heavily against them — especially against a fly-ball pitcher like Sewald. Still, the ending stung. Sewald got ahead 0-2 on Ronny Mauricio but grooved a 90 mph fastball right down the heart of the plate (dead middle-middle). Mauricio singled it into right field to score Francisco Lindor with the walk-off run. Sewald’s velocity sat at 89-90 mph all night, noticeably below his usual 91-92, and he relied almost exclusively on fastballs.

While Sewald has converted his first few save chances this season, a pitch like that in a 0-2 count in a high-leverage spot is concerning. It’s one thing to get beat with premium stuff; it’s another to lose on a hittable, poorly located fastball in a must-execute moment.

The lineup simply lacks the depth to overcome these kinds of offensive blackouts. The bullpen, meanwhile, continues to show vulnerability in tight, late-game situations. Wasting a strong outing from Gallen against a Mets team expected to contend all year feels especially costly — games like this could matter in the standings down the stretch.

For the D-backs to have sustained success, the offense must find a way to produce consistently with runners on base. Otherwise, nights like this — where good pitching goes unrewarded — will become far too common. Here’s hoping for a much-needed spark the rest of the series.

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The basketball gods seem angry with the Los Angeles Lakers. Losing two of their three best players for at least a few weeks just as the playoffs near certainly changes every thought Los Angeles has.

Few opponents will pester a new point guard as aggressively as the Oklahoma City Thunder will tonight, but my Thunder vs. Lakers predictions and these NBA picks still see value in new-look L.A. point guard Luke Kennard on Tuesday, April 7.

Thunder vs Lakers prediction

Thunder vs Lakers best bet: Luke Kennard Over 5.5 assists (+105)

Point guard Luke Kennard. That is a reality for the Los Angeles Lakers as the playoffs loom. This was certainly not their plan.

With both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined for the next few weeks, Kennard and LeBron James shared the offensive initiation duties in Sunday’s loss at Dallas, with James playing nearly 39 minutes and dishing out 15 assists while Kennard played more than 41 minutes and handed out 11 assists.

Expect Kennard to also cough up a bounty of turnovers against the Oklahoma City Thunder’s perimeter defenders. That should be obvious.

But the sheer amount of ball-handling now required of Kennard creates unquestionable value in this prop. As long as Los Angeles has hopes of the No. 3 seed in the West — currently effectively tied with the Nuggets, though the Lakers hold the tiebreaker — expect them to lean into this new-fangled look.

This was not the design, but it is now the reality.

Thunder vs Lakers same-game parlay

The value is in Kennard’s assists prop, not as much as in LeBron James’s. Kennard’s ball-handling role is the surprise induced by Los Angeles’s injuries; LeBron already initiated plenty.

The reaction to Sunday’s stats should be amazement at how much Kennard was asked to do. LeBron’s 15 assists were impressive, but also less of an outlier than Kennard’s 11.

Thunder vs Lakers SGP

• Luke Kennard Over 5.5 assists
• LeBron James Under 9.5 assists
• Thunder moneyline

Our “from downtown” SGP: Rest LeBron?

JJ Redick faces a difficult choice this week. As the No. 3 seed slips from Los Angeles’s grasp, how long will he ride LeBron James? Any deficit against the Thunder tonight should quickly feel insurmountable, and getting some rest for the 41-year-old James before the playoffs is certainly a concern on Redick’s mind.

Thunder vs Lakers SGP

• Thunder -17
• LeBron James Under 9.5 assists
• LeBron James Under 23.5 points
• LeBron James Under 6.5 rebounds

Thunder vs Lakers odds

• Spread: Thunder -17 | Lakers +17
• Moneyline: Thunder -2000 | Lakers +1000
• Over/Under: Over 222.5 | Under 222.5

Thunder vs Lakers betting trend to know

The looming threat of the Spurs in the standings has kept the Thunder engaged enough to go 3-1 against the spread in their last four games, all as favorites of at least eight points. Find more NBA betting trends for Thunder vs. Lakers.

How to watch Thunder vs Lakers

Thunder vs Lakers latest injuries

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