Last Night in Sports: October 21, 2026

Opening night in the NBA belonged to fourth quarters. Washington trailed Milwaukee 93-90 after three and scored 38 in the last period to win 128-116, and Indiana put up 37 in the fourth to take a 123-120 game in New Orleans after trailing through three. Atlanta's 44-point second quarter at Orlando survived a 100-99 Magic lead going into the fourth, and the Hawks won 132-125.

NBA — October 21, 2026 (11 games)

• Atlanta Hawks 132, Orlando Magic 125
• Washington Wizards 128, Milwaukee Bucks 116
• Charlotte Hornets 110, Brooklyn Nets 103
• Minnesota Timberwolves 131, Miami Heat 106
• Toronto Raptors 135, Chicago Bulls 92
• Indiana Pacers 123, New Orleans Pelicans 120
• Memphis Grizzlies 123, Utah Jazz 103
• Houston Rockets 128, Dallas Mavericks 110
• Los Angeles Lakers 127, Golden State Warriors 105
• Portland Trail Blazers 124, Phoenix Suns 83
• Los Angeles Clippers 121, Sacramento Kings 96

Atlanta Hawks 132, Orlando Magic 125. Orlando took the first quarter 33-28, then Atlanta (1-0) scored 44 in the second to lead 72-62 at the half. Orlando (0-1) answered with 38 in the third and went into the fourth up 100-99. The Hawks closed with 33 points in the fourth to the Magic's 25.

Washington Wizards 128, Milwaukee Bucks 116. Milwaukee (0-1) scored 37 in the third quarter and led 93-90 going to the fourth. Washington (1-0) then put up 38 while holding the Bucks to 23. The Wizards had trailed 56-51 at halftime.

Indiana Pacers 123, New Orleans Pelicans 120. Indiana (1-0) opened with 38 points in the first quarter, then managed 18 in the second and trailed 66-56 at the half. New Orleans (0-1) still led 92-86 after three. Indiana scored 37 in the fourth, New Orleans 28.

Quick Hits

• Charlotte Hornets 110, Brooklyn Nets 103. Charlotte (1-0) led at every break, up 27-23 after the first and 86-81 after three, and Brooklyn (0-1) never led at a break.
• Minnesota Timberwolves 131, Miami Heat 106. Minnesota (1-0) scored at least 30 points in all four quarters while Miami (0-1) managed 22 in the third.
• Toronto Raptors 135, Chicago Bulls 92. Toronto (1-0) scored 43 in the first quarter, more than Chicago (0-1) put up in any period, and led 103-71 after three.
• Memphis Grizzlies 123, Utah Jazz 103. Utah (0-1) won the first quarter 31-29, then scored 20 in the second as Memphis (1-0) built a 64-51 halftime lead.
• Houston Rockets 128, Dallas Mavericks 110. Dallas (0-1) scored 12 points in the second quarter and trailed Houston (1-0) 70-38 at the half.
• Los Angeles Lakers 127, Golden State Warriors 105. Golden State (0-1) scored 19 and 16 in the middle quarters and trailed the Lakers (1-0) 102-68 after three before a 37-point fourth.
• Portland Trail Blazers 124, Phoenix Suns 83. Portland (1-0) scored 43 in the first quarter to lead 43-12, and Phoenix (0-1) never scored more than 27 in a period.
• Los Angeles Clippers 121, Sacramento Kings 96. The Clippers (1-0) scored 41 in the first quarter, lost the second 25-20, then outscored Sacramento (0-1) 32-16 in the third to lead 93-70.

NHL — October 21, 2026 (2 games)

• Philadelphia Flyers 3, Buffalo Sabres 1
• Ottawa Senators 5, Florida Panthers 1

What to watch tonight

A 12-game NHL slate carries the night, with two NBA games and one NFL game.

• NHL: Florida Panthers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:00 PM ET. Florida (4-5) is back on the ice a night after losing 5-1 in Ottawa.
• NHL: San Jose Sharks at Ottawa Senators, 7:00 PM ET. Ottawa (7-3) stays home a night after that win.
• NBA: Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 PM ET. The last tip of the night, two and a half hours after Cleveland and Philadelphia start at 7:00 PM ET.
• NFL: New England Patriots at Chicago Bears, 8:15 PM ET. The only football game on the card.

Full details in the Tonight preview.