Last Night in Sports: May 20, 2026

Both conference finals had a team seize control on Wednesday. Oklahoma City answered San Antonio's road win in Game 1 by forcing 21 turnovers and evening the Western Conference Finals at 1-1. In the NHL, Vegas opened the Western Conference Final with a 4-2 win in Colorado to take a 1-0 series lead. MLB filled the day with a 15-game Wednesday board built on shutouts and one-run finishes.

NBA Playoffs — Thunder even the West Finals

Oklahoma City Thunder, 122 — San Antonio Spurs, 113. The Thunder answered their Game 1 loss with the kind of game that wins playoff series: 21 forced turnovers and a steady hand down the stretch. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the comeback with 30 points, controlling the tempo as Oklahoma City pulled away in the second half. The Spurs took the opener on the road, but the Thunder protected home court in Game 2. The series is tied 1-1 heading into Game 3.

NHL — Vegas takes the Western Conference Final opener

Vegas Golden Knights, 4 — Colorado Avalanche, 2. Vegas opened the Western Conference Final with a road win, taking Game 1 in Colorado. The top-seeded Avalanche were without star defenseman Cale Makar, sidelined by an upper-body injury, and the gap showed — Colorado struggled to move the puck cleanly without him. Vegas leads the series 1-0 heading into Game 2.

MLB — 15-game Wednesday board

Fifteen games, three shutouts, and six one-run finishes. The Braves posted the night's biggest margin, and the late slate again belonged to the close games.

Atlanta Braves, 9 — Miami Marlins, 1. Atlanta wins by eight in the highest-scoring game of the night.

Pittsburgh Pirates, 7 — St. Louis Cardinals, 0. Pittsburgh wins by seven in a shutout.

Cincinnati Reds, 9 — Philadelphia Phillies, 4. Cincinnati wins by five.

Milwaukee Brewers, 5 — Chicago Cubs, 0. Milwaukee wins by five in a shutout in the NL Central matchup.

Washington Nationals, 8 — New York Mets, 4. Washington wins by four.

Los Angeles Dodgers, 4 — San Diego Padres, 0. Los Angeles wins by four behind Shohei Ohtani, who shut out the Padres and dropped his season ERA to 0.73 while improving to 4-2.

Minnesota Twins, 4 — Houston Astros, 1. Minnesota wins by three.

Arizona Diamondbacks, 6 — San Francisco Giants, 3. Arizona wins by three.

Tampa Bay Rays, 5 — Baltimore Orioles, 3. Tampa Bay wins by two.

Texas Rangers, 5 — Colorado Rockies, 4. Texas wins by one.

Seattle Mariners, 5 — Chicago White Sox, 4. Seattle wins by one.

Cleveland Guardians, 3 — Detroit Tigers, 2. Cleveland wins by one in the AL Central.

Toronto Blue Jays, 2 — New York Yankees, 1. Toronto wins by one in the AL East.

Boston Red Sox, 4 — Kansas City Royals, 3. Boston wins by one.

Oakland Athletics, 6 — Los Angeles Angels, 5. Oakland wins by one.

What to watch tonight

Both conference finals continue tonight. Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is in New York, the NHL's Eastern Conference Final opens in Carolina, and MLB runs a seven-game Thursday. Full details in the Tonight preview.

• NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks, 8:00 PM ET on ESPN. East Finals Game 2, New York leads the series 1-0.
• NHL: Montreal Canadiens at Carolina Hurricanes, 8:00 PM ET on TNT. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.
• MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees, 7:05 PM ET on MLB Network. Carlos Rodon takes the mound in the AL East matchup.