Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) goes up for a basket beside Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the runaway winner in the Clutch Player of the Year award balloting, revealed Tuesday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander received 96 of 100 first-place votes in balloting for the Jerry West Trophy. He had 484 total points, well ahead of Denver Nuggets standout Jamal Murray (117) and Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards (116).
Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning league MVP and is favored to win the award again this season.
But he liked receiving the Jerry West Trophy too.
“This award means a lot,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the Clutch Player award on NBC Sports. “To get this award, you have to help your team win games late and what I’m about more than anything is winning games.”
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Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA with 175 points that occurred in clutch time, defined as games that were within five points in the final five minutes of regulation or overtime.
He shot 60.9% from the field (39 of 64) during clutch time and made a league-best 16 go-ahead field goals.
Fourth-place Cade Cunningham (50 points) of the Detroit Pistons received one first-place vote, fifth-place Jalen Brunson (42 points) of the New York Knicks landed two and sixth-place Nikola Jokic (37 points) of Denver received one.
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This was the fourth season in which the award was given out. De’Aaron Fox (then with the Sacramento Kings) won the 2023 award, followed by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in 2024 and Brunson last season. Fox now plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
West was known as “Mr. Clutch” during his stellar career (1960-74) with the Los Angeles Lakers due to his many late-game exploits. He died in 2024.
Blessed Stars FC began their 2025/2026 Nationwide League One campaign on a bright note with a hard-fought 1-0 win over FC ONE Rocket on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at the Eket Stadium.
Blessed Stars showed strong character to claim all three points despite playing most of the second half with ten men. Defensive midfielder Godwin Akpan was sent off in the 52nd minute after denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
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Earlier in the match, FC ONE Rocket had the first real chance when Godswill Ita Ndaeyo broke through on goal but chose to pass instead of shooting with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Blessed Stars responded well and nearly took the lead before the break, but Isaiah Adeoye’s effort was saved by the goalkeeper.
The turning point came in the second half when Blessed Stars, despite being a man down, pushed forward in search of a goal. Their effort paid off in the 70th minute as right-back Victor Umoh rose highest to head home a well-delivered free kick from Victor Benjamin.
FC ONE Rocket increased the pressure in the closing stages as they searched for an equaliser, but Blessed Stars stood firm. The defence, led by Emmanuel Nwoke and Austin Oboho, remained organised, while goalkeeper Emediong Dickson made key saves to protect the lead.
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The victory was witnessed by the club’s major sponsor, Wikiproject by Medally, along with partners Judex Autos, KASTREAM, Kleva’s Couture, ED Signature, Ibom Sports Hub, and Emeka Gadgets.
The match was a repeat of the opening fixture from last season, which ended 1-1 at the Uyo Township Stadium. This time, however, Blessed Stars secured maximum points to go top of the table after the first round of matches.
In other results, Blackpool FA came from behind to hold Krane FC to a 1-1 draw.
Looking ahead, FC ONE Rocket will face KMK Academy on Saturday, April 25, while Blessed Stars will take on Krane FC on Sunday, April 26, both matches scheduled to take place at the Eket Stadium.
The Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel and the Montreal Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky dropped the gloves in Game 2 on Tuesday.
The incident unfolded during the second period when Hagel landed a solid right hand that dropped Slafkovsky to the ice. Hagel then taunted him on the way to the penalty box with a sleeping gesture and chirped toward the Canadiens’ bench.
Watch the video below:
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The Canadiens and the Lightning, meanwhile, are battling hard in overtime after a 2-2 tie in regulation. Brandon Hael and Nikita Kucherov were the scorers for the Bolts. Meanwhile, Lane Hutson and Josh Anderson scored for the Canadiens.
This is a developing story that will be updated later.
A domestic cricket match in the West Indies was abandoned after the pitch was deemed “dangerous” for play. The match, taking place at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium, saw senior West Indies pacer Jayden Seales taking a total of seven wickets before the game was called off. The decision to end the match prematurely came after one of Seales’ deliveries hit a batter on the helmet after producing a sharp bounce off the pitch. The contest under the spotlight was a West Indies Championship match between the Leeward Islands and Trinidad and Tobago.
Bowling to the Leeward Islands’ Jeremiah Louis, a delivery by Seales produced an unexpected bounce, rising sharply to hit the batter’s helmet. The batter immediately fell to the ground, and his helmet also came off. In frustration, Louis kicked his helmet and walked off the field.
Jayden Seales has claimed the first seven wickets to fall in an innings for Trinidad & Tobago against Leeward Islands, but looks set to be denied the chance to take 10 with the game halted due to a dangerous pitch. The last ball before the suspension is not for the faint-hearted pic.twitter.com/o4G5ULiSAh
The Leeward Islands were 140/7 when the incident took place, with all seven wickets being taken by Seales. Louis was taken to the hospital for a concussion check and is said to be stable.
Cricket West Indies Statement
Cricket West Indies (CWI) also issued a statement after the game, saying the match had to be abandoned due to the dangerous pitch conditions at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium.
“Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced that the second match of the Leeward Islands vs Trinidad and Tobago bilateral series in the 2026 West Indies Championship has been abandoned as a draw due to dangerous pitch conditions at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium.
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“Play was halted in the first session of the third day after the pitch began to exhibit unpredictable and uneven behaviour, raising serious concerns for player safety. During this period, Leeward Islands player Jeremiah Louis was struck while batting. He was immediately attended to by medical personnel and subsequently transported to hospital to be evaluated for a possible concussion and is reported to be in stable condition.
“The decision to abandon the match was made in accordance with the official playing conditions governing the competition. Under these conditions, when on-field umpires determine that it is dangerous or unreasonable for play to continue, play must be stopped, and the CWI Match Referee consulted.
“Following discussions with the curator, it was determined that the pitch could not be safely repaired without creating an unfair advantage and was therefore deemed unfit to resume, resulting in the match being abandoned as a draw. Both teams will be awarded points earned up until the abandonment of the contest in accordance with the championship’s playing conditions.
“CWI further advises that no matches are scheduled at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium until the Championship Final, set for 17-20 May, and confirms that all necessary resources and expertise will be deployed to ensure the preparation of a safe and competitive playing surface for that fixture,” it read.
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The final of the tournament is also due to be held at the same venue. CWI has assured that it will take all necessary measures to ensure a safe and competitive pitch is prepared.
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IPL 2026 News | Shami’s Sensation Leads Lucknow to First Win of Season
Coventry City have clinched the Sky Bet Championship title with a resounding 5-1 victory over Portsmouth, featuring a brace from Ephron Mason-Clark.
Haji Wright opened the scoring before Mason-Clark capitalised on a Nicolas Schmid error just 90 seconds after the break. Regan Poole’s own goal compounded Portsmouth’s woes three minutes later.
Adrian Segecic pulled one back for the visitors, but Mason-Clark swiftly added his second, with Kaine Kesler-Hayden completing the rout in added time.
Frank Lampard’s side had already secured promotion following their 1-1 draw at Blackburn on Friday night, but went a step further to claim the title four days later.
This triumph marks the Sky Blues’ return to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years, following their relegation at the end of the 2000-01 season.
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The defeat ended Portsmouth’s run of three straight victories without conceding, including over promotion-chasing Ipswich and Middlesbrough, but Oxford’s loss to Wrexham means John Mousinho’s side have secured their place in the Championship for next season.
The newly-crowned champions were up and running inside 11 minutes when Jack Rudoni’s corner was nodded in by top scorer Wright.
The Coventry players celebrate after securing the title (Mike Egerton/PA)
Pompey goalkeeper Schmid should have done better as he flapped at the corner and allowed Wright to notch his 17th of the season.
It was the 27th goal the Sky Blues had scored from a set-piece this season, and they almost added another before half-time.
Bobby Thomas’ late goal at Ewood Park on Friday had secured Coventry’s promotion, and the defender headed another Rudoni corner onto the top of the crossbar.
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Portsmouth had registered just one shot in the opening 45 minutes and found themselves two goals behind almost immediately after the break.
It was another moment to forget for Schmid, whose heavy touch from Poole’s backpass allowed Mason-Clark to steal in and tap into an empty net.
Things were starting to unravel for Portsmouth as Poole then diverted Milan van Ewijk’s cross into his own net just five minutes into the second half.
Wright should have made it four when he missed a glorious chance on the hour mark.
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Rudoni took aim from distance and rifled his low effort off the post before American Wright lifted the follow-up over the bar with the goal gaping.
Pompey were next to take advantage of a lack of concentration as Segecic latched onto Rudoni’s loose pass and lashed beyond Carl Rushworth from the edge of the box.
But any hopes of an unlikely comeback were dashed almost immediately as Victor Torp’s defence-splitting pass played in Mason-Clark, who made space to fire in his second.
Substitute Kesler-Hayden put the icing on the cake when he slotted in Rudoni’s cross at the back post to notch Coventry’s 90th league goal of the season.
Liverpool could move for Randal Kolo Muani, Kobbie Mainoo verbally agrees to new Manchester United deal and Bernardo Silva is on Arsenal and Barcelona’s radar.
Liverpool have identified France international Randal Kolo Muani, 27, as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah but face competition from Juventus for the Paris St-Germain forward. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external
Barcelona are leading the race for Eduardo Conceicao, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastlealso interested in the 16-year-old Palmeiras forward. Any move to Europe could not happen until he turns 18 next year. (TeamTalk), external
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West Ham are willing to let Greece defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, 28, leave this summer amid interest from the Bundesliga, but will demand a big fee. (Football Insider), external
Caitlin Clark showed off her sharp shooting skills in front of the Indiana Fever advisor and former coach Lin Dunn. On Tuesday, the Fever’s Instagram account shared a video of their star guard sinking a 3-point shot from the corner during practice in Dunn’s presence.
Clark turned around and looked at Dunn after making the shot. She put out her tongue and raised her right hand with her index and middle fingers pointing at the former Fever coach. She placed her left hand on the inside of her elbow to complete the celebration before running in the other direction.
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The celebration reminded a fan of Grizzlies star Ja Morant‘s celebration.
“Why CC is doing a lot of Ja Morant gestures lately? Idk or maybe I’m trippin’,” the fan commented.
“Talk yo s**t CC. I wanna see Iowa CC again,” another fan commented.
“She turned around before that ball even hit. Oh, she’s back. She’s back better than ever👏😍😍😍” another fan said.
Here are more reactions:
“Lin and Caitlin are both amazing people! Love them both!” one fan said.
“I think she’s gonna hit a game-winner this season,” another fan commented.
“😂😂 She’s such a goof,” another fan said.
Fans comment on Caitlin Clark’s 3-point shot in Linn Dunn’s presence.
Clark and the Fever begin the season on May 8 in a game against the Dallas Wings.
Caitlin Clark makes her thoughts on Lin Dunn clear
Lin Dunn has always showered praise on Indiana’s superstar guard. In return, Clark has honored the Fever legend on occasions. On Tuesday, Clark dropped in the comments section of the post featuring a video of her sinking a 3-pointer in front of Dunn to make her thoughts clear on the former Fever coach.
“Lin is my everything,” she wrote.
Caitlin Clark shares her thoughts on Linn Dunn.
Caitlin Clark had a great rookie season. She averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game to win the Rookie of the Year award. The Fever superstar won the award by 66 of 67 votes, one vote short of being a unanimous win. However, for Dunn it was an unanimous win.
“As far as I’m concerned, she’s the unanimous Rookie of the Year,” Dunn told IndyStar in October 2024. “It’s not even close with the accomplishments that she made, how she affected our team, you know, she just had a phenomenal season. And so kudos to her, flowers to her. She deserved this recognition because she absolutely earned it on the court.”
Lin Dunn and Caitlin Clark share a good relationship, which is a positive sign for the Fever fans and the franchise’s growth.
The final component needed has been secured by Getta Good Feeling on her quest for an inaugural Group 1 triumph.
Barrier five is the draw for the Danny O’Brien-trained filly in Saturday’s Australasian Oaks (2000m) conducted at Morphettville.
The card features a maximum of 16 acceptors and four emergencies for this key Group 1 race among Adelaide’s Saturday features.
In the event emergencies don’t start, Getta Good Feeling takes barrier three with Billy Egan aboard again, the rider who guided her to wins at Flemington and Caulfield this time in.
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O’Brien passed on the Anniversary Vase (1600m) at Caulfield April 11, going with a Geelong jump-out last week.
“She trialled really well,” O’Brien said.
“She has come back very well this prep. Both starts she has won, and this was always her target for the autumn.
“We specifically didn’t get ready for Sydney because we wanted to have a crack at this, at 2000 metres, and everything’s gone to plan.”
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While O’Brien contemplated the Caulfield race for Getta Good Feeling, he decided against it to possibly fit in another outing toward the end of the campaign.
“She’s fit and well, and I’m sort of half minded that if she won the Oaks, in Adelaide, that we’d take her up to Brisbane, for the Oaks up there,” O’Brien said.
“I thought I’d rather have another run up my sleeve for later, rather than get another one into her now.
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“She won the Wakeful (Stakes 2000m) and run third in the 1000 Guineas (in the spring), so four of our last five have been very, very good runs, and she’s a very classy filly.
“She got 2200 (metres) in the VRC Oaks (over 2500m) and the Queensland Oaks is 2200 and that is why we thought this as well.
“Plus, it gave us a bit more time to give her a proper break after the spring when we decided that we wouldn’t try and get to Sydney.”
A furious Liam Rosenior accused his Chelsea players of lacking “desire, spirit and courage” and said they put in an “unacceptable and indefensible” performance as defeat to Brighton marked the club’s worst run of form in 114 years.
Rosenior said he felt “numb” and “angry” after Chelsea suffered a fifth defeat in a row in the Premier League without scoring a goal and brilliant Brighton went above them into sixth in the table with a fully deserved 3-0 win on the south coast.
The nature of Rosenior’s post-match comments were a departure from his support of a young, expensively assembled Chelsea squad, while his own future is now also in the spotlight ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds at Wembley.
Rosenior was the subject of X-rated chants from the Chelsea fans at Brighton and he said the defeat, where his side failed to land a shot on target in a toothless performance, was “by far” the worst night of his three-month reign in charge.
“It as unacceptable, in every aspect of the game,” he told Sky Sports. “I keep coming out and defending the players, that was indefensible, that performance tonight. The manner of the goals we conceded, the duels that we lost. Something has to change drastically right here, right now.
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“We need to look in the mirror. I need to look in the mirror. But I can’t keep coming out here and defending some of the things that we’re seeing. Manchester United [on Saturday], genuinely the result wasn’t there but I felt we turned a corner.
“But the general attitude, the spirit was lacking – determination wasn’t there apart from three or four of the starting eleven. That’s nowhere near enough for this club. I can’t come out and lie. I tell the truth. That was an unacceptable performance at every level.
“The performance in terms of professionalism wasn’t there. It was a really, really difficult night, the most difficult night – not even here at this magnificent football club – but in my career. Some of the things I witnessed today, I don’t want to ever see again.
“If you’re playing at this elite football club, or any football club, to be even accused of throwing the towel in is unacceptable. That’s all I’m going to say. I’m hurting, I’m feeling numb. That doesn’t represent me. That doesn’t represent the football club in any way. That has to change.”
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Chelsea could find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League by the time they play their next league fixture, with hopes of a top-five finish and Champions League football all but over. Blues co-owner Behdad Eghbali was also watching on at the Amex Stadium.
The Chelsea players appeared shell-shocked as they went to the away supporters at full-time. Enzo Fernandez, who captained the Blues despite being dropped by Rosenior just two weeks ago, appeared to shrug towards the angry away fans.
(Reuters)
Rosenior, who was without the injured Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and club captain Reece James, hinted at personnel changes for the FA Cup semi-final. Rosenior said before the Brighton game that Palmer and Pedro could be available this weekend.
“I will look at the team, will look at individuals and I will look at a team I can trust to do the basics of football and we should not be talking about the basics of football at this level. It is something we have to adjust very quickly,” Palmer said.
“Tonight was not [about] tactical. This was about desire, spirit, courage and I did not see enough of that tonight. Nowhere near good enough and we have to improve that.”
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