Author: NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

The Lakers aren't the only team beginning the playoffs with an injured star.

The Houston Rockets will be without Kevin Durant in Game 1 against the Lakers on Saturday, Houston coach Ime Udoka said, because of lingering soreness after Durant bumped knees in practice this week.

The fifth-seeded Rockets hope Durant's injury will be a "one-game thing," Udoka said, but the superstar is struggling with soreness and tenderness. Durant was questionable on the injury report because of a bruised right knee and warmed up on the court at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday but "didn't feel good enough," Udoka said.

The Lakers are without their own star power with Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) both out indefinitely. Doncic returned to the United States on Friday after receiving specialized treatment in Spain. Doncic had not yet reunited with his teammates when coach JJ Redick spoke before the game, but the Lakers looked forward to getting him back on the sideline.

"He's in good spirits and we're excited to see him today," Redick said.

Read more:'He knows the most': How LeBron James sets the tone for Lakers entering playoffs

The Rockets expect to start guard Josh Okogie in Durant's place along with Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun. Udoka expects that the pace will pick up without Durant on the court, especially with Sheppard and Thompson leading the offense.

"We do play faster with those guys," Udoka said. "Amen obviously pushes the pace, but Reed's a really good kick-ahead guy, and our wings get out and run, and off ball, obviously less isolation and post-ups for Kevin."

The Lakers finished the regular season with three consecutive wins to hang on to home-court advantage in the first round. The Rockets won nine of their last 10 games.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Rockets star Kevin Durant was sidelined for Game 1 of the Lakers-Rockets first-round playoff series because of a right knee injury. 

Rockets coach Ime Udoka said pregame that Durant suffered the right knee contusion that held him out of Saturday’s matchup in Los Angeles after bumping the knee during Wednesday’s practice in Houston. 

“Hopefully, it’s a one-game thing,” Udoka said. 

Game 2 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.

Durant was the Rockets’ leading scorer for the 2025-26 season, averaging 26 points in 78 games. 

Udoka said Durant’s injury was “nothing major” after his knee was evaluated ahead of Saturday’s game.

“It’s very tender,” Udoka added. “Tough to bend in certain ways. Not a lot of swelling, but in a very awkward spot, I guess, more than anything. Right above the knee, patella tendon area. It’s just very tender. Like I said, pain tolerance is one thing, but actually limited movement is more of the cause.”

The Rockets started Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Josh Okogie, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun for Game 1 in light of Durant’s absence.

“We do go nine- or 10-deep depending on who starts for us,” Udoka said. “And we had a rotating fifth starter all year, so I feel very comfortable playing certain guys. With the guys in and out of lineups at times this year, we’ve gone to a lot of different bodies. So, very comfortable. We don’t want to go eight only. We like to go nine or so, but if need be, we have 10-11 quality players we feel comfortable with. We’ll see what the rotation looks like now with Kevin out.”

The Lakers were without star guards Austin Reaves (strained left oblique muscle) and Luka Doncic (strained left hamstring), the latter of whom returned to the United States on Friday after being in Europe the previous two weeks, getting special treatment in Spain with the hopes of expediting his return to the court.

Doncic arrived at the arena about 40 minutes before tipoff.

“I talked to him yesterday when he landed,” coach JJ Redick said. “He’s in good spirits, and we’re excited to see him.”

Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers

April 18, 2026

Location: crypto.com arena, Los Angeles, CA

TV:ABC

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790 / KLTN 102.9 (en español)

Online: ABC/ESPN?

Time: 7:30 PM CST

Probable Starting Lineups

Rockets: Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Lakers: Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Jake Laravia, Lebron James, Deandre Ayton

The playoffs start tonight for the Rockets, playing the Lakers. As you might have heard the Lakers are without Luka “Whiny Euro Boi” Doncic, and Austin “Headwhip” Reaves. You might not have heard that the Rockets might be without Kevin Durant, who has a bruised knee.

The Rockets really should roll over a Lakers team without Doncic and Reaves, but this is why they play the games.

DENVER — Jamal Murray scored 30 points, going 16 of 16 from the free-throw line, and Nikola Jokic had a triple-double as the Denver Nuggets shook off a sluggish start to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 on Saturday in the opener of their first-round playoff series.

Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and a bloody nose in a physical game between the Northwest Division foes. There were 42 fouls called, along with an unsportsmanlike technical on Jaden McDaniels for pushing Jokic in the back and a technical on Nuggets coach David Adelman. Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon picked up late technical fouls, too.

Denver has won 13 straight since losing on March 18.

Murray, who was 0 for 8 from 3-point range, and the Nuggets trailed by as many as 12 points early, but used a 17-2 run in the third quarter to build a double-digit lead. The Timberwolves, who were held scoreless for more than four minutes at one point in the third, trimmed the deficit to 97-95 with 6:23 left.

Jokic had a five-point stretch to help hold off Minnesota. Murray had one of the biggest shots of the game from halfcourt. With the shot clocking winding down, he heaved it at the hoop and it grazed the rim to reset the clock. It eventually led to a dunk from Gordon that gave Denver a 108-101 lead with 1:50 left. Gordon had 17 points despite early foul trouble.

“Winning a grimy game, it’s good,” Adelman said. “Both teams are experienced and used to winning these games. They know what it means to play in a physical matchup.”

Game 2 is Monday night.

Anthony Edwards scored 22 points while playing on a sore right knee. He also had seven assists to become the franchise’s career postseason assists leader. Donte DiVincenzo had four 3-pointers.

“We’ve got to make smarter, more solid plays,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. ”We’ve got to be more composed.”

These teams are so evenly matched that the Nuggets lead 15-14 in regular-season and playoff matchups since the 2022-23 season. Both have won a playoff series against each other during the stretch.

The first quarter featured two challenges, a technical foul on Adelman and a flagrant on McDaniels for not giving Murray enough room to land on a long jumper. It also saw Gordon pick up three fouls, with his third on an offensive call that led to Adelman’s technical.

UConn guard Braylon Mullins is returning to school for his sophomore season, he announced via Instagram on Saturday, April 18, which happens to also be his birthday.

Mullins, a projected lottery pick in USA TODAY's latest NBA mock draft, averaged 12 points per game for the Huskies as a true freshman in 2025-26, starting 29 games and playing a key role in UConn's run to the national championship game.

REQUIRED READING: Braylon Mullins is more than a big shot. He's been UConn's missing piece

The 6-foot-6 guard etched his name in NCAA Tournament lore after nailing a game-winning 3-pointer to beat top-seeded Duke in the Elite Eight. And with UConn's returning roster plus its transfer portal additions, he'll be looking to win the national title in 2027 after falling to Michigan.

"Unfinished business," he wrote on Instagram.

UConn returns its entire starting backcourt next season, with Mullins pairing with Silas Demary Jr. and Solo Ball to form one of the most experienced groups in the sport. It also replaced four-year starter Alex Karaban and star center Tarris Reed Jr. with a pair of highly sought-after transfer portal recruits in former Duke forward Nikolas Khamenia and former Seton Hall center Najai Hines, both top-50 prospects per USA TODAY's transfer portal rankings.

Mullins' return gives him the opportunity to improve his draft stock ahead of being one of UConn's top scoring options next season. His likely increase in name, image and likeness compensation could also potentially pay him more in college than an NBA contract, and skipping a draft class lauded as one of the best in recent years will likely result in a better draft position in 2027 anyway.

The former five-star recruit will be one of the most-recognizable players in college basketball next season with his return.

Braylon Mullins NBA mock draft projection

Mullins was projected as the No. 14 overall pick to the Charlotte Hornets in USA TODAY's latest mock draft.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Braylon Mullins announces return to UConn for sophomore season

CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, Max Strus had 24 off the bench and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 126-113 on Saturday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

James Harden had 22 points and 10 assists while Evan Mobley had 17 and seven rebounds for fourth-seeded Cleveland, which hosts Game 2 on Monday night.

It was a playoff career high in points for Strus, who missed the first 67 games this season with a broken left foot that occurred during offseason training.

“When you see the work he’s put in all season, it’s for this moment, right? This is a regular occurrence with Max, maybe not 24 (points), but just the energy level and boost he gives us,” said Mitchell, who has scored at least 30 points in an NBA-record nine straight series openers. “You give him credit for his journey, it can be a lot on the mental for him to continue to stick with it.”

RJ Barrett scored 24 points and Scottie Barnes had 21 for the Raptors, who were playing in their first playoff game since 2022. Toronto was missing point guard Immanuel Quickley because of a mild right hamstring strain.

Jamal Shead started in place of Quickley and had 17 points, including five 3-pointers.

Barrett’s 3-pointer pulled the Raptors to within 45-41 before Cleveland broke it open with a 27-9 run over the last 1:11 of the second quarter and first seven minutes of the third.

Strus scored 11 points during the spurt and made all three of his 3-pointers as the Cavaliers went 10 of 16 from the floor, including 5 of 8 beyond the arc.

“We just kept saying in the timeouts (during the first half to) stay with it. We’re going to get separation,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We needed that separation for our confidence. Going into halftime if you are down, it’s a harder conversation with the players to trust what we’re doing.”

Cleveland’s largest lead was 24 points (100-76) on Sam Merrill’s 3-pointer 13 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Toronto came into the game averaging a league-leading 18.9 points per game, but Cleveland held them to a season-low three.

“If we allow our opponent to score 126 points, it’s going to be tough to beat them,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “Unfortunately, we had a very bad start to the third quarter with lack of execution. We were way too stagnant tonight.”

After two brutal injury blows to end the season, the Lakers are on the other end of the pendulum this time.

Prior to Saturday’s Game 1 against the Rockets, Houston head coach Ime Udoka said Kevin Durant would be out for the contest. KD had been listed as questionable with a right knee contusion, an injury he suffered after bumping knees with a teammate in practice on Wednesday.

Kevin Durant is OUT for the Rockets

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 18, 2026

Kevin Durant is out for the Rockets. He bumped knees in practice this week.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 18, 2026

For now, it’s unclear how serious an injury this is for Durant. Considering KD played in 78 games this season, it has to be a pretty serious injury to keep him out for this contest. Udoka said the hope is that he’s only out for a single contest.

Ime Udoka said the hope is Kevin Durant is only out for one game.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 18, 2026

Coach Ime says KD's knee is "very tender and sore"

— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) April 18, 2026

Injury occurred Wednesday. He underwent testing, Udoka says and is just dealing with soreness: https://t.co/B4c7ABu68N

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 18, 2026

In his absence, Reed Sheppard will start for the Rockets. That changes the dynamic of the starting lineups, but also gives the Lakers a clear player to target on the other end, a LeBron James specialty.

Ime Udoka said Reed Sheppard will enter the starting lineup in the absence of Durant, alongside Josh Okogie, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith and Alperen Sengun.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 18, 2026

The Lakers will still have an uphill battle for the Lakers, but the steepness of that hill has come down significantly. Houston was 4-0 without Durant this season, but the wins were against Phoenix, Golden State, Indiana and Memphis.

Without Durant, the Rockets lose the centerpiece of their offense and a lot more pressure and attention shifts to players like Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson. On the season, KD averaged 26 points on 52% shooting from the field and 41.3% from three. His usage rate of 27.1% was highest on the team among rotation players.

LA still has a job to do and still needs to execute at a high level to come away with a win on Saturday. But, again, this allows them more avenues and pathways to success.

If they’re able to grab Game 1 of this series and turn the pressure up on the Rockets, a team seemingly looking for reasons to quit on one another, then things could suddenly change and the vibe of this series might change entirely.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

In the biggest game of the season, Jalen Green gave you the version you dream on, the one that makes all the volatility feel worth riding out.

It has been a ride this year, hasn’t it? He arrived with the Phoenix Suns in the Kevin Durant deal with a reputation that felt equal parts promise and chaos, durable, inconsistent, and explosive. He’s the kind of player who can swing a game in either direction depending on the night. On Friday against the Golden State Warriors, it all tilted in the right direction. 36 points, 14-of-20 from the field, 8-of-14 from deep, in a performance that felt like it kept climbing every time you looked up.

JALEN GREEN CARRIES THE SUNS TO THE PLAYOFFS‼️

• Back-to-back 35+ point games 🔥
• 36 PTS and 8 threes to eliminate the Warriors 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/yy5cY9lDxu

— ESPN (@espn) April 18, 2026

This is the blueprint. Teams load up on Devin Booker, they send bodies at him and crowd his space, and they dare someone else to step into the moment. The Warriors did it. The Portland Trail Blazers did it. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, you can already see it coming. Make Jalen Green beat you.

On Friday night, he looked at that challenge and leaned into it. Four Loko went loco, launching those off-balance, leaning, fading threes that make you wince on release and laugh when they splash. And for the second straight game, they dropped. That is the Jalen Green experience. He is going to take those shots. Every time. Some nights it looks like superstardom unfolding in real time. Other nights it can get sideways quick, with possessions drifting, rhythm disappearing, and frustration creeping in.

Right now, it is the good version. The one you want and the one the Suns needed. His play-in run was absurd, averaging 35.5 points per game on 57/48/83 splits. The question now shifts to what this looks like against the Oklahoma City Thunder, because the airspace he enjoyed in the Play-In is about to disappear.

He was living comfortably against the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers, and the numbers back it up. On 49 shot attempts, 21 came with the nearest defender 4+ feet away. That’s 43% of his shots coming in what feels like a gym workout. That led to rhythm shooting. That is catch, rise, fire, and jog back on defense while the crowd is still reacting.

That geometry is about to change.

Against Oklahoma City, every dribble is crowded, every catch has a body attached to it, and every move is met with length and intent. Devin Booker and Jalen Green are walking into a defense that takes pride in suffocating the point of attack, one that forces you into decisions you do not want to make and then punishes you for making them. You look up and it is Lu Dort, then Cason Wallace, then Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sliding into help, then Alex Caruso lurking like a problem you did not account for. It keeps coming. It does not let up.

Clean looks will be rare. Easy rhythm will be rare. Space will feel like a luxury. If Booker and Green find a way to produce anyway, it is going to say a lot, because not many teams crack that code, especially on the perimeter where Oklahoma City builds its identity.

And yet, the takeaway from the Play-In does not change. Green is ready and willing to take the shot. He does not shrink from the moment; he leans into it, even when it veers into chaos. There are times it can work against him, the shot selection can drift, the balance can disappear, and you are left riding the result possession by possession. But he keeps stepping into it. He keeps asking for it.

Over these last two games, it has been the version you want. Confident. Aggressive. Unbothered by the noise. And it adds something real to the Phoenix Suns’ offense. He brings a layer that nobody else on the roster replicates. It’s a kind of pressure that bends a defense in a different way, into a different rhythm, with a different kind of threat. You saw flashes of it all season through the injuries, through the inconsistency, through the uneven stretches.

This was the full version. A stellar performance, a strong Play-In run, and now a much tougher test waiting on the other side.

BOSTON — This could be Jordan Walsh’s moment, the moment that Brad Stevens envisioned when he drafted a 19-year-old propspet out of Arkansas in 2023. Back then, Walsh was long, athletic defender that the Celtics hoped could eventually mold into someone who could lock down some of the NBA’s best offensive talents.

Walsh never really had a chance to crack the rotation in his the first two years as a Celtic. But, when the Celtics face the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday, he very well could be a critical part of the defensive gameplan, and be given the chance to guard star Tyrese Maxey, one of the league’s most unstoppable scorers.

For the Celtics, the first round of the playoffs marks the beginning of a postseason run they hope will result in a title.

For Walsh, it’s also the first time ever that he’ll be presented with the opportunit to play real postseason minutes, on the heels of the best season of his career.

“I knew he had no prayer on the first team,” Stevens said in Deecember, reflecting on the overflow of talent that the 2023-2024 Celtics title team had. “The team was really good, and last year’s team was basically the first team. And so it was going to be hard to crack that one, too.”

But, the 2025-2026 team was different: Jayson Tatum was sidelined to begin the year, and veteran players like Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis were no longer ont he roster.

What that created was an opportunity — one that all of the younger guys on the roster would go after.

This could be a chance for Jordan Walsh to show what he was capable of, for the very first time.

But, from the jump, it appeared that his season was headed in the wrong direction. Walsh was out of the rotation entirely to begin the year, already behind 19-year-old rookie Hugo Gonzalez and other young wings on the roster.

Still, he continued to work behind the scenes, and broke through in November, ultimately starting 20 straight games for the Celtics.

In that span, Walsh not only showcased that he was an elite defender — earning high praise from opposing team’s stars like Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves — but he also broke through offensively, averaged a career-best 9.5 points on 69.6% shooting in December.

And, that stretch very well may have revived his career. That’s what Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told him, at least.

“I got a comment from Joe one time: ‘Your career, you were dead in the water. And now you’re back alive.’”

At the time, Walsh didn’t know what to make of that: “I just went and asked a bunch of people – what does he mean by this? You don’t know how to take this, but it was kind of funny.”

Joe Mazzulla told Jordan Walsh early this season 'your career, you were dead in the water and now you're back alive.'

"That's heartbreaking, but also cool to hear." 🤣

"I was like dang Joe, the year just started."

Q: @NoaDalzellpic.twitter.com/JsaNIDma1H

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) April 18, 2026

What he did know, is that he was alive. The team went 15-5 with Walsh as a starter, and he earned national acclaim for his defense. The very same player that seemed to be at the bottom of the pecking order was now impacting winning on a nightly basis.

“I proved that I can play at a high level,” Walsh told me months later, reflecting on that November through December run.

But, the on-court success didn’t last forever. In January, Walsh moved back to the bench and began to fall out of the rotation. Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman both earned more minutes at the wing position.

By March, with Jayson Tatum back in the lineup, Walsh began racking up DNPs.

“It’s kind of tough. The thing a lot of people don’t really know about the NBA, or don’t really pay attention to, is navigating those highs and lows,” he said Saturday. “It’s so hard; one day, you have your name going crazy and everywhere, everybody’s talking about it and how good you’re doing, and the next day, it’d be silent and [you] have nothing, and you’re just kind of on the bench.”

But, Jordan Walsh pushed through inconsistent minutes

During his stretch of DNPs, Walsh kept his head up, though he didn’t know if he’d ever re-enter the mix this season. He sought out advice from Jaylen Brown, one of his biggest mentors and closest friends on the team. And, he made sure not to change his work behind the scenes — ensuring he was the last to leave practice, and someone who worked tirelessly to improve his game.

I caught up with Walsh on March 24th, and he emphasized that his approach hadn’t changed despite his on-court opportunities wavering.

“It’s kind of just doing my best in the role that I am in now, and that’s just supporting the guys, showing up to practice, being the last one to leave,” Walsh said. “Like, all that stuff is so cool to me.”

A week later, Walsh re-entered the rotation, and he never looked back. Over his last 10 games, he has averaged 21.4 minutes per night.

Walsh very well could play a pivotal role in the Celtics series against the 76ers, because he, more than any of the Celtics’ slew of defensive specialists, had success guarding Maxey this season. Walsh managed to effectively guard Maxey — who averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists — in Boston’s regular-season match-ups against Philadelphia.

Across two contests, Walsh held Maxey to 1 of 10 shooting in 7 minutes, according to NBA tracking data.

“Just taking away tendencies and then knowing the small things that get under his skin,” Walsh said of his defensive approach. “But I think the biggest thing is, like I’ve been saying all year, not letting the guy do what they want to do. Make them go to their second option, their third option, their second move, stuff like that. Like, if he wants to go right and do a step-back, just don’t let him do that — make him do something else. And then usually we’ll live with the end result.”

Walsh will continue to do everything he can to make Maxey uncomfortable in the match-up; he said he’s been discussing with Jaylen Brown ways to get under Maxey’s skin.

“There’s a couple things that I learned with talking to [Brown],” Walsh said. “He’s kind of taken point in that and showing me the film behind the film that we don’t see.”

It’ll technically be Walsh’s third playoff run, but it’s the first one in which he has a legitimate chance to impact the rotation. It hit him on Friday, when some of the younger players on the roster began discussing their plans for offseason workouts.

“We were just working out , and we were talking about people going to summer lifts and doing scrimmages before games and practices and stuff like that,” Walsh said. “[And it was like] ‘Jordan, that’s not you. You’re not doing that this year.’ I was like, ‘Dang, time’s flying. But it’s cool to see because now, Hugo [Gonzalez] and John [Tonje] and Max [Shulga] are all doing the things that we were doing my rookie year.”

On Sunday afternoon, when the Celtics host the 76ers for Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, Jordan Walsh will get his much-awaited chance.

“It’s cool to see time fly, and see me kind of progress to where it is now,” Walsh said, “to where it’s, like, I got to be prepared to play.”

With the Spurs facing the Portland Trail Blazers for the next week or two, I felt it was time to dust off one of my favorite running series, Fraternizing with the Enemy. So I reached out to Dave Deckard, head honcho of the excellent site Blazers Edge, to catch up and prepare for the upcoming series with some good-natured banter and analysis.

J.R.

My friend! It’s been too long, and I take all of the blame. Not because I’m being magnanimous, but because I know it’s all my fault. But how shall I begin? I guess it would be better to ask how we should recommence? After all, it’s been since January of 2021 that we’ve done one of these. Makes me feel a more than a little bit nostalgic. Perhaps the simplest way forward is to dispense with the pleasantries, but I really do enjoy being pleasant. It’s been one of the hallmarks of our 15 years of conversing with each other.

I saw a stat that in three of the four previous times our two teams have met in the playoffs, the winner went on to The Finals. In 1990, your team won and then went down to the Bad Boy Pistons, and in 1999 and 2014, the Spurs went on to win it all after surviving your team. It makes this series feel consequential, or at least less like a first round matchup.

I’ll admit that when I watch Deni Avdija play, I see shades of my favorite player from the Big Three era, Manu Ginobili: a versatile wing with size who can score as well as create, is impossible to keep out of the paint, and who draw fouls as if by magic. I was watching the play-in game against Phoenix and one of the Suns had the misfortune to graze Avdija’s hair with his hand and Deni shivered his body in a way that communicated “serious contact has occurred” in ref-speak at a speed that was practically preternatural. Highly impressive. 

So, how do you see Avdija attacking San Antonio?

Dave

Well, well! If it isn’t the Spurs Guy! Long time! How was your day? Did you trip over a curb and fall into a pile of gold doubloons? Are you blowing your nose with the winning Powerball ticket? Did you hire a drunk monkey to smash a computer keyboard only to watch him accidentally hack the Bitcoin blockchain? How IS life as a San Antonio fan?

J.R.

I guess if Wemby is doubloons and Castle is a Powerball ticket then Harper is the blockchain hack. It’s not exactly trading a generational superstar in his prime to L.A. and getting the top pick to draft Flagg, but I could see how it could be frustrating to some outside of San Antonio. How is life as a Portland fan?

Dave

Middling. I mean, making the playoffs is nice, but the team is still directionless and waiting to see the priorities of a new owner we know nothing about. We’re at the point where two wins versus the Spurs would be seen as success. That’s better than trolling the lottery (since nobody walks and balks us to third-and-a-half base courtesy of repeated ping pong ball fortunes) but it’s not a great spot in absolute terms.

So here’s the thing. Say what you want about and during the series. Call San Antonio a better team. That’s obvious. I agree wholeheartedly. But I don’t ever want to hear anything about Spurs Exceptionalism again. We are clearly not facing a 60-win, second seeded team because you made better decisions, hired the right coach, or have some mystical culture. When you weren’t getting high picks you struggled just like everyone else.  We are going to get mown under by you because you drafted Wemby and Harper in succession…something I suggested the NBA enact rules against YEARS ago

I don’t mind that you have Wembanyama! Enjoy! But Dylan broke me. Do not expect me to applaud anything that happens to you, including championships, from here on out. This is prefabricated success, right out of a jar. Anything  else is watching a huge thunderstorm roll through, then turning on your sprinkler and claiming YOU watered the lawn. And then saying you’re way better gardeners than those desert dwellers.

Don’t worry, in four years everyone will have forgotten this and calling you brilliant AGAIN. But I’m going to Cassandra of Troy this into the ground. You’re literally an example of one of the ways this league is broken. I don’t begrudge you the celebrations you’ll have because of it. I’d celebrate too! But as an onlooker normally and an opponent for the next two weeks, I have very mixed feelings about this whole thing.

That said, Deni Avdija loves to drive the middle with his right hand. He’s quick as anything and has succeeded all season, scoring and drawing fouls, but everybody knows what he does. Do you suppose the over/under on Wemby blocks in this series is one million or two million?

J.R. 

I would expect you to have to hunt far and wide to be able to find any reasonable Spurs fans who would argue for the inherent rightness of the San Antonio Way after the team has tanked to the extent they tanked for as long as they tanked. In my mind, the good ship Spurs Exceptionalism has not only sailed, it hit a series of icebergs, plummeted to the bottom of the sea and punched a hole through the crust. 

You could make the case, and I know I’ve heard it made pretty convincingly, that up until Leonard forced his way out of town, the Spurs were the one franchise who had done the team building thing the right way all along. The bumper sticker was “Built Not Bought” and I’m pretty sure there are a number of tattoos out there as well. But there’s no argument remaining in that direction now that the team has reloaded the way that they have.

No, there wasn’t anything inspirational about how this Spurs team came together, but that doesn’t mean you won’t hear people getting on their soap boxes to crow about how the team plays. There’s the subject of Ethical Basketball that’s been bandied about and harped upon to call out teams and players who hunt foul calls. So that might end up chafing some people a bit, but I think that kind of thing is more of a spectrum than anything like a binary, black and white kind of deal. Everybody sells contact to some extent. The only question is how much it’s done and whether it’s justified, which is just the kind of subjective topic that exists solely in the eye of the beholder. 

As to Wemby’s blocks, I know Portland likes to take a ton of shots around the basket, and I know that the Spurs defense is at its best when Victor can stay in the paint by switching to “guarding” whichever opponent is the closest to lane. So unless the Blazers can develop an extreme tactic that regularly tempts him away from protecting the rim, Wemby will camp out by the basket as much as he can. Whether that means he’s able to get a bunch of blocks is an open question though, because oftentimes he finds it difficult to swat any shots because guys just decide not to test him.  

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to stretch the Spurs on defense. The postseason is where regular season trends can vanish as fouls become hard to come by. Coaches can bring some serious heat when they see the same team over and over again, and Tiago Splitter lived in the Spurs system long enough to know it inside and out. Where do you see Portland trying to create an advantage against this young San Antonio team?

Dave

Portland will probably shoot a metric ton of threes. That’s in their portfolio already (the attempts, not the makes). Three-pointers are game-benders. The Blazers need these games to be bent because San Antonio wins if they go straight as planned.

Let’s get real. There are no advantages to be created. Everything Portland relies on, the Spurs have a counter for. What the Spurs don’t do well on defense the Blazers aren’t built to take advantage of. There’s literally no edge for Portland. There’s only keep it close, within a couple possessions, and go for the hot ending. The Blazers are usually good at that, unless in the process they have to inbounds the ball in a crucial situation. Then they suck like a giant, rabid squid with a pacifier.

One area of contrast is that the Spurs commit and force few turnovers, the frantic Blazers many. If they can get San Antonio playing messy, that’s to their advantage even if they lose as many TO’s as they force.

Offensive rebounding could be another important battleground stat. The Spurs are very good at it, the Blazers great. Portland can’t let San Antonio take away their offensive boards or even match them rebound for rebound. San Antonio’s great defensive rebounding could be the factor that makes this series easy for them.

What’s your read?

J.R.

If I have a concern, it’s about the lineup Portland hardly used in the regular season because of injuries, but went to at the end of the play-in game in Phoenix: Avdija, Holiday, Sharpe, Grant and Camara. (h/t to Jason Timpf for the heads up.) This lineup is the essence of small sample size theatre because it only logged 96 minutes total during the season, but they absolutely had Phoenix for lunch down the stretch, and they tallied a 149 offensive rating this season. 

It’s a stout, smallball unit (with shades of the Warriors Hamptons five) with lots of physicality and tons of defensive range. When San Antonio has the ball, they’d switch everything and try to turn the Spurs into a iso-only attack, which is what the teams that succeed against San Antonio have been able to do. On offense, they’d spread the floor and try to scheme Wemby into guarding someone like Camara above the break to make it difficult for him to recover to the basket to deny drivers. 

It might be a longshot, and it would require Portland to keep it close for this unit to me in a position to close the game, but these five on the court together have a shot at doing to the Spurs what they did to the Suns and forcing San Antonio to do what they’d prefer not to have to: make Wemby, Fox or Castle to go 1×1 against excellent defenders in order to secure the win. 

We’ll see what it looks like for real on Sunday evening. Can’t wait to watch and then discuss with you afterwards.

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Fresh off a blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Orlando Magic find themselves in a 1 vs. 8 matchup with the Detroit Pistons.

Unfortunately for Orlando, what’s been a breakout year for the Pistons will have Little Caesars Arena rocking on Sunday, and I expect Detroit to defend home court following a lengthy postseason drought.

Here are my Magic vs. Pistons predictions and NBA picks for Game 1 on April 19.

Our best Magic vs Pistons SGP for Game 1

Finishing the regular season with averages of 9.9 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, and 3.1 assists per game, Ausar Thompson is already on pace to hit this combo Over as one of the Detroit Pistons’ key engines.

He’s gone past this number in five of his past eight contests — and, if anything, Thompson's minutes should climb in more meaningful games, with Detroit relying on his grit to combat an Orlando Magic team that can do damage on the glass.

With Thompson making an impact all over the box score, I expect the Pistons to have a clear edge. The Magic’s 19-21 road record doesn’t inspire much confidence in halting Detroit’s four-game home winning streak.

Cade Cunningham has looked steady since returning from a collapsed lung, and a double-double is my favorite Cade prop on the board. He’s had 10+ assists in eight of his last 12 contests, and I’m not worried about his scoring after a season where he averaged 23.9 ppg.

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The Orlando Magic survived the play-in gauntlet, but there are bigger battles ahead as they start their first-round series against the relentless Detroit Pistons tonight.

Orlando is back in action less than 48 hours after clinching the No. 8 seed, and my Magic vs. Pistons predictions and NBA picks favor a fresher Detroit squad, led by Ausar Thompson, who’s built for do-it-all playoff performances.

Magic vs Pistons prediction

Who will win Magic vs Pistons Game 1?

Pistons: When you pair Detroit’s 31-9 home record with Orlando’s draining week of Play-In peril, it’s easy to make the case for Cade Cunningham and Co here. Though the Magic have the personnel for a physical series, they face an uphill task in Game 1, with the Pistons poised for a fast start at Little Caesars Arena.

Magic vs Pistons best bet:  Ausar Thompson Over 17.5 points + rebounds + assists (-105)

Ausar Thompson’s stock went up in the 2025 postseason after a feisty effort guarding Jalen Brunson, and he could hit new heights in these playoffs, especially in an opening matchup that plays to his strengths.

With averages of 9.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 3.1 APG this year, Thompson is already on pace to hit this combo Over as one of the Detroit Pistons’ key engines. He’s gone past this number in five of his past eight contests – and, if anything, his minutes should climb in more meaningful games, with Detroit relying on his grit to combat a Magic team that can do damage on the glass.

Thompson is capable of the occasional scoring outburst — he poured in 39 points across the last two games of last year’s series against the Knicks — and he finished this regular season with 10+ points in three of his final five games.

We’ve also seen more of the third-year wing in a playmaking role lately, and he’s dished 5+ dimes in five of his last eight outings. That could be a secret weapon for the hosts here if the Orlando Magic throw extra defenders at Cade Cunningham on the perimeter.

Thompson posted a 9-11-3 line against Orlando in March, and that feels repeatable in this clash. Don’t be surprised if he has his fingerprints all over Game 1.

Magic vs Pistons same-game parlay

With Thompson making an impact all over the box score, I expect the Pistons to have a clear edge. The Magic’s 19-21 road record doesn’t inspire much confidence that they can halt Detroit’s four-game home winning streak.

Cade Cunningham has looked steady since returning from a collapsed lung, and a double-double is my favorite Cade prop on the board. He’s had 10+ assists in eight of his last 12 contests, and I’m not worried about his scoring after a season where he averaged 23.9 PPG.

Magic vs Pistons SGP

• Ausar Thompson Over 17.5 points + rebounds + assists
• Pistons moneyline
• Cade Cunningham double-double

Our "from downtown" SGP: Rock Fight!

Although this series could be a rock fight at times, that won’t bother defense-first ballplayers like Thompson and Jalen Suggs.

This SGP taps into their contributions at that end of the floor, with Suggs grabbing 17 boards across his last three games and Thompson recording 1+ blocks in six straight contests.

Magic vs Pistons SGP

• Ausar Thompson Over 5.5 rebounds
• Jalen Suggs Over 3.5 rebounds
• Ausar Thompson Over 0.5 blocks
• Pistons -8.5

Magic vs Pistons odds for Game 1

• Spread: Magic +8.5 (-110) | Pistons -8.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Magic +300 | Pistons -380
• Over/Under: Over 219.5 (-110) | Under 219.5 (-110)

Magic vs Pistons betting trend to know

The Magic were 7-14 SU as road underdogs during the regular season. Find more NBA betting trends for Magic vs. Pistons.

How to watch Magic vs Pistons Game 1

Magic vs Pistons latest injuries

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