Another weekend means another loaded sports slate, with several interesting matchups set to take place across a number of sports. With playoff basketball and a surprisingly decent slate of football headlining the weekend’s action, sports fans should be entertained throughout. Here, we look at the top-three sporting events to salivate over this coming weekend.
Saturday: NBA Playoffs Begin
Of course, the headliner on this weekend’s sports calendar is the start of the NBA Playoffs on Saturday. The NBA Playoffs are a legacy-defining stretch for some of the top players in the NBA today, and the beginning of the first round is sure to bring plenty of intrigue. With multiple series featuring marquee teams and players tipping off on Saturday, this will be a day to remember for basketball fans.
The two most interesting series to start on Saturday may not feature top two seeds in either conference. The Sacramento Kings will host the Golden State Warriors in their series opener on Saturday, as the Kings look to prove they belong against the defending champions. Also, the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers will get things started in one of the more intriguing matchups between a four-seed and five-seed in recent memory.
Saturday & Sunday: Spring Football Galore
This weekend also marks the return of the USFL, which has become the rare spring football league to last more than one season before folding. Last year’s champions, the Birmingham Stallions, will face the second-best team from last year in the New Jersey Generals on opening weekend. But that is just the beginning of the fun for fans of football on this April weekend.
The XFL will also feature four games this weekend, giving football fans a total of eight games to enjoy for the first time since the final day of the NFL regular season. In the XFL, the St. Louis BattleHawks and Seattle Sea Dragons will play to determine who has the inside track to the final playoff spot in the North Division. More importantly, we will simply have more football to choose from than we usually do this time of year.
Sunday: Texas Two-Step On Sunday Night Baseball
Our final entry in our list of the top sporting events for this weekend is Sunday Night Baseball, which features a very exciting game in the American League West. The Texas Rangers will visit the Houston Astros in the final game of the weekend on the diamond. Given where both of these teams stand going into the weekend, this contest could have major implications on this division going forward.
Heading into the weekend, the Rangers sit in first place in the AL West at 7-5, just ahead of the 6-7 Astros. The defending champions will like their chances to win on Sunday night at home, though, as they send their number one starter in Framber Valdez to the mound. Valdez has allowed just four earned runs in 19 innings of work so far this season, and he could help the Astros get back to the top of the AL West standings with another strong performance in this one.