Sports Digest.

Timberwolves Drop Game 1 to Nuggets as NBA Playoffs Heat Up

Minnesota Teams

Timberwolves fall in Game 1 vs. Nuggets — The Minnesota Timberwolves lost Game 1 of their NBA playoff series to the Denver Nuggets, and Jamal Murray was the main villain. Murray went to the free throw line 16 times and made all 16, which is basically a cheat code — that kind of dominance from the charity stripe is rare and frustrating for opponents. The Wolves will need to clean up their foul habits before Game 2 if they want to even the series.

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NFL

The 2026 NFL Draft is almost here — and it's already chaotic — The New York Giants just traded star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, which shook up the entire draft order and landed New York two picks in the top 10. The draft (happening in less than a week) already has teams scrambling, with up to 20 players considered viable for the first 10 picks — making it one of the more unpredictable drafts in recent memory. If you're a Giants fan, you suddenly have a lot more reasons to tune in.

One non-football story: The NFL confirmed it won't investigate Patriots coach Mike Vrabel over some photos that surfaced with reporter Dianna Russini — the league looked into it and decided there was nothing worth pursuing.

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NBA

Playoffs are in full swing — and Wembanyama is already dazzling — The first round of the NBA playoffs kicked off this weekend, and San Antonio Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama (the 7-foot-4 phenom everyone's been talking about all year) put on a show in his playoff debut. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks won Game 1 over the Atlanta Hawks 113–102, led by Jalen Brunson's 28 points — 22 of which came in the first half, essentially putting the game away early.

In the West, the Denver Nuggets beat the Timberwolves (see above), and the Los Angeles Lakers also won their Game 1 against the Houston Rockets — even without star forward Kevin Durant, who was out with an injury.

Off the court: Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan — two NBA legends whose friendship famously fell apart after Barkley criticized Jordan's team ownership — are reportedly trying to patch things up. Barkley quipped, "We're not like Prince William and Prince Harry," so at least there's some humor in the reconciliation.

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MLB

Early trade deadline buzz — It's only April, but ESPN is already publishing trade deadline previews for all 30 teams, identifying which players might be on the move by August. It's the kind of story that signals the season is starting to take shape even though we're just a few weeks in.

Weekend games: The Phillies hosted the Braves in Sunday Night Baseball, and the Cubs took on the Mets on Saturday — both marquee matchups as teams jockey for early-season positioning in their divisions.

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NHL

Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway — The NHL postseason is also in its opening round, with four Game 1s played on Sunday. One of the bigger Western Conference storylines: the Edmonton Oilers (perennial contenders led by Connor McDavid, widely considered the best player in the world) are facing the Anaheim Ducks in the first round. ESPN ranked the top 50 players in this year's playoffs, with McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Nikita Kucherov among the headliners to watch.

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College Sports

UConn keeps its hero — Remember Braylon Mullins, the UConn guard who hit that epic three-pointer to beat Duke in the Elite Eight? He's coming back for his sophomore season instead of entering the NBA Draft, even though he was projected as a first-round pick. Good news for UConn fans; a bit of a wait for NBA fans who wanted to see him sooner.

Spring football updates: Ohio State's spring game featured some impressive freshmen, Texas A&M had a scary injury moment (though details are still emerging), and Michigan's defense looked sharp early in the spring practice season.

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Other Sports

Jon Rahm wins in Mexico City — Spanish golfer Jon Rahm took home his second LIV Golf win of the season at the Mexico City event — and in a fun twist, the top three finishers were all Spanish golfers. The tournament had some drama, though: American star Bryson DeChambeau withdrew before the final round due to wrist discomfort.

Premier League drama: Manchester City, powered by Erling Haaland (the unstoppable Norwegian striker), beat Arsenal and now trail them by just three points in the English Premier League standings — with a game in hand, meaning City could actually take the lead. The title race just got very interesting.

Brock Lesnar may have wrestled his last match: The WWE and UFC star lost to Oba Femi at WrestleMania 42 and appeared to symbolically retire by removing his gloves and boots in the ring afterward. No official announcement yet, but the signs were pretty clear.

Sources

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