JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 882

Denver — The Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-107 on Friday, extending an 11-game winning streak as reserves produced notable performances; Jonas Valanciunas had season highs of 23 points and 17 rebounds, Julian Strawther scored 22 and David Roddy added a season-high 21. They rested most starters for Sunday’s regular-season finale in San Antonio, prioritizing rest over seeding.

San Antonio — Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic played the first half of Sunday’s finale to register his 65th game and meet NBA award-eligibility requirements; Denver needed a victory to secure the third seed. The announcement that Denver would rest starters shifted betting lines this week and left the Los Angeles Lakers positioned to overtake Denver in the standings depending on final-game outcomes.

LOS ANGELES — The Atlanta Hawks secured an NBA playoff berth with a 124-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, April 11, 2026, as CJ McCollum led Atlanta with 29 points and Dyson Daniels recorded a triple-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the win.

The Hawks led 61-48 at halftime and surged with a 16-0 run late in the third quarter; Cleveland rested Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen after clinching the fourth seed. Meanwhile the Boston Celtics locked the Eastern Conference second seed with a 144-118 win this week, reshaping first-round seeding and postseason matchups.

Jorge Soler's eighth-inning grand slam capped a five-run frame and helped the Los Angeles Angels beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-2 on Friday night at Great American Ball Park. Zach Neto and Josh Lowe also homered for the Angels, who broke open a close game in the late innings. The Reds' Elly De La Cruz hit a ninth-inning solo homer.

Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (2-0) allowed one run and two hits over seven innings to earn the win, while Cincinnati starter Chase Burns was charged with five earned runs. The Angels' victory snapped a seven-game losing streak at Great American Ball Park and moved the club to at least .500 after 14 games. Sal Stewart went 0-for-3.

Baltimore — On Friday, Landen Roupp pitched six sharp innings and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 as Willy Adames and Jung Hoo Lee homered to support Roupp’s outing, marking the Giants’ season-high third straight victory and including a leaping defensive grab by Taylor Ward in the eighth.

Baltimore responded on Saturday in Baltimore with a 6-2 win, as Jeremiah Jackson nearly hit for the cycle and Gunnar Henderson hit a solo home run; Logan Webb took the loss for San Francisco while Grant Wolfram recorded the win in relief, leaving the Orioles with four wins in five games.

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 144-118 on Friday night, with Sam Hauser scoring 24 points including eight three-pointers and the team tying the franchise and NBA mark by making 29 total 3s. Jaylen Brown contributed 23 points in 29 minutes while Payton Pritchard added 21 points and 10 assists in the win.

The victory clinched the Eastern Conference No. 2 playoff seed and secured the Atlantic Division for Boston, and the Celtics led by as many as 41 points during the game. Neemias Queta hit his first career three and grabbed 10 rebounds; with the clinch, Boston moves into the postseason with home-court advantages and heightened momentum this week.

Washington: On April 8, US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach hosted Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh for an official counterpart visit; Singh received full honours at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and met Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and Wilsbach at the Pentagon to discuss bilateral defence cooperation.

Officials this week said discussions focused on interoperability, training and regional deterrence, with Wilsbach praising India's leadership in multilateral exercises and stressing expanded cooperation. Singh also toured Peterson Space Force Base and Nellis Air Force Base, including a familiarisation flight in an F-15EX; officials characterized the visit as strengthening a free, open, peaceful Indo-Pacific.

San Antonio — Victor Wembanyama scored 40 points and grabbed 13 rebounds Friday as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Dallas Mavericks 139-120 in what was reported as his 65th game, meeting the NBA's minimum games requirement for season awards. He played the required minutes after returning from a recent left rib contusion and helped the Spurs secure a top Western Conference seed.

His appearance and performance make him eligible for Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA and All-Defensive First Team consideration under league rules, and preserve an MVP candidacy this season. The Spurs were cited as clinching the No. 2 seed this week; Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg scored 33 in the loss, highlighting the Mavericks’ depleted rotation during the late regular-season matchup.

Seattle - The Seattle Mariners unveiled a bronze statue of Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki outside T-Mobile Park on Friday, but the statue's bat snapped near the handle during the curtain-pull reveal, causing the barrel to veer to the right and prompting laughter from Suzuki and other attendees. Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez joined Suzuki for the unveiling and the three pulled a tarp off the statue together; Suzuki quipped after the ceremony that New York Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera "got the best of him."

Mariners staff shortly repaired the display, turning the bat upright and reconnecting it at the handle so the ceremony could proceed. Suzuki, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer and became the first Japanese-born player elected with a near-unanimous 99.7 percent of the vote, was also one of three Mariners to have his number retired by the franchise last year, joining Griffey and Martinez. Suzuki said the statue's imperfection, noting he was short one vote for the Hall, felt fitting and served as a reminder to keep striving.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said on Friday that he agreed with First Lady Melania Trump's call for public congressional hearings for Jeffrey Epstein victims and pledged, 'we will have hearings.' Comer told Fox News' America Reports that committee attorneys have been in contact with victims and that some are willing to come forward while others are not.

On Thursday Melania Trump urged victims to testify under oath, and Comer said hearings would follow completion of depositions, noting that additional high-profile witnesses are expected to be involved. Committee officials said outreach to victims is ongoing this week, and the next procedural steps include finishing depositions and scheduling public testimony in the coming weeks.

Rolbert Joachin, 40, was arrested and charged on April 2 in Fort Myers after a woman was fatally bludgeoned with a hammer outside a Chevron gas station. Security camera footage released by authorities shows a man repeatedly striking, then approaching and fatally hitting the woman; police found the victim, later identified as 51-year-old Nilufa Easmin, on the ground with head wounds. Court documents and a GoFundMe organized by local community leaders described Easmin as a devoted mother who worked at the store. Officers located Joachin walking nearby the same day, took him into custody, and police said he has confessed; he was charged with murder and property damage and is due for arraignment on May 4.

President Donald Trump reposted the surveillance video late Thursday on his Truth Social account and described the attacker as an "animal," arguing the footage supported his broader call for mass deportations. Trump said the suspect was from Haiti, while police and court records did not list his nationality but noted he requested a Creole interpreter. Acting ICE and HSI officials said Joachin arrived near Key West on a "water vessel" in August 2022, was granted Temporary Protected Status in 2023, and that status was revoked this week. The administration has highlighted crimes by immigrants, created a public database and held events for "Angel Families"; critics say the president's posts unfairly portray immigrants as criminals, and studies cited in coverage find people living in the U.S. illegally are less likely than native-born Americans to be arrested for many crimes.