Top Sports Headlines – April 16, 2026

Deni Avdija scored 41 points to help the Blazers erase an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 114-110 win over the Suns that secured the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

The NBA says 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games across the league's four primary broadcast platforms during the regular season, a number that represents an 86% rise over last season.

ESPN's Zach Kram decides each NBA series in the playoffs through the Finals. Who will square off in June?

Amazon Prime Video's stream of the Miami-Charlotte play-in game went offline for nearly two minutes during the overtime period, causing fans to miss a Hornets possession.

Built to disrupt, the Intuit Dome's most intense section affects games in real time by turning fans into participants -- and opponents into targets.

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The NBA has fined LaMelo Ball $35,000 "for making unnecessary and reckless contact" with Bam Adebayo during Tuesday's play-in game. The Hornets star also was fined $25,000 for using profane language during a TV interview after that game.

A Miami-based event promoter has filed a $7 million lawsuit against Lionel Messi and the Argentine Football Association, alleging fraud and breach of contract after the star sat out an exhibition match last October.

Mel Kiper Jr. predicts 64 picks across the first two rounds of the draft, including two potential trades, a few QB landing spots and plenty of impact additions.

The Major League Baseball Players Association fired two top executives with cause Wednesday following an internal investigation, sources told ESPN.

Amid reports that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund might be on the verge of pulling its funding for the league, LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil told staff in an email Wednesday that its season will go on "as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle."

Coach Álvaro Arbeloa said it was "obvious" that Eduardo Camavinga's red card was crucial in Real Madrid's Champions League quarterfinal elimination by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, while midfielder Jude Bellingham called the decision "a joke."

The NFL has started onboarding potential replacement officials as the expiration of its CBA with the NFL Referees Association approaches.

Shohei Ohtani was not in the starting lineup for his start day Wednesday, the first time in five years that he has pitched but not also hit.

Major League Baseball celebrated the 79th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the sport's color barrier, with every player, coach and umpire wearing his No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day.

Coming off a rather uninspiring regular season, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves said "we're here now" and are ready to take on the Nuggets for the start of the playoffs.

The NBA has fined LaMelo Ball $35,000 "for making unnecessary and reckless contact" with Bam Adebayo during Tuesday's play-in game. The Hornets star also was fined $25,000 for using profane language during a TV interview after that game.

Stephen Curry is one of three Golden State Warriors who will be on a minutes restriction in the team's play-in game against the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Rap megastar J. Cole said Tuesday that his time playing professional basketball in China has come to an end after one game.

The NBA is investigating LaMelo Ball's trip of Bam Adebayo, which resulted in the Miami Heat star's lower back injury during Tuesday's play-in game against the Charlotte Hornets, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.

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On Jackie Robinson Day, we remember one of the game's most legendary players and his lasting impact.

Dodgers teammates say MLB's most singular star has set his sights on another history-making achievement.