CLEVELAND (AP) — Dennis Schroder scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Mobley hit a pair of pivotal 3-pointers in the final period and finished with 23 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for a 125-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series.
Cleveland leads the series 3-2. Game 6 is Friday night in Toronto.
James Harden scored 23 points and Donovan Mitchell added 19 for the Cavaliers.
RJ Barrett led Toronto with 25 points while Ja’Kobe Walter added 20 and Jamal Shead had 18 off the bench. All-star forward Brandon Ingram left the game in the second quarter with right heel inflammation.
The Raptors led 74-67 at halftime and scored the first five points of the third quarter. The Cavaliers slowly rallied but trailed 103-100 going into the final 12 minutes.
Cleveland seized control by scoring the first eight points of the fourth quarter. Jaylon Tyson hit a step-back 3-pointer to tie it at 103-all, and a 3 by Mobley gave the Cavaliers a 106-103 lead.
Toronto missed its first 11 shots and was 7 of 28 from the field in the fourth while Cleveland made 7 of its first 11 and was 9 of 19.
DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored a franchise playoff-record 45 points, including a step-back jumper with 32 seconds left, and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons beat the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic 116-109 on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series to stave off elimination.
Orlando leads the series 3-2 and will get a second chance to advance at home on Friday night.
The Magic fell to 0-10 in franchise history on the road in a Game 5.
Detroit never trailed and went ahead by 15 early in the final quarter. The Magic made one more run, pulling within three points on Paolo Banchero’s sixth 3-pointer with 1:09 left. Banchero matched Cunningham with 45 points, also a playoff career-high — and missed 7 of 12 free throws.
CAVALIERS 125, RAPTORS 120
CLEVELAND (AP) — Dennis Schroder scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Mobley hit a pair of pivotal 3-pointers in the final period and finished with 23 points, and Cleveland rallied for a victory over Toronto in Game 5 of their first-round series.
Cleveland leads the series 3-2. Game 6 is Friday night in Toronto.
James Harden scored 23 points and Donovan Mitchell added 19 for the Cavaliers.
RJ Barrett led Toronto with 25 points while Ja’Kobe Walter added 20 and Jamal Shead had 18 off the bench. All-star forward Brandon Ingram left the game in the second quarter with right heel inflammation.
It took five games, but the Detroit Pistons found their offense — just in time to extend their season.
That started, as it has all year long, with Cade Cunningham, who dropped 45 points on 13-of-23 shooting. Except he wasn't alone — Orlando's Paolo Banchero matched him shot-for-shot and scored 45 as well, including six 3-pointers. It was an epic showdown between the back-to-back No. 1 picks.
45 POINTS FOR CADE.
45 POINTS FOR PAOLO.
2nd time EVER two opponents have dropped 45 in a postseason game... Pistons keep their season alive in an ALL-TIME battle between the 2021 and 2022 No. 1 picks pic.twitter.com/BvRX27ZP8S
Cunningham got more help in Game 5 than he has all series — the Pistons played with the desperation of a team trying to stave off elimination. Tobias Harris added 23, but the real key was the Pistons finally shot the ball well as a team — 48.8% overall and 35.7% from beyond the arc. A Detroit team that had an offensive rating below a point per possession through the first four games showed out, posting a 119.6 offensive rating in Game 5.
The result was Detroit never trailing and hanging on at the end for a 116-109 victory at home, forcing a Game 6 in Detroit on Friday night. No. 8 seed Orlando still has a 3-2 series lead and will look to close out the series at home, but there is life in the No. 1-seeded Pistons.
Game 5 was just different than the series up to this point.
Through four games, this series resembled a rock fight classic Eastern Conference playoff basketball, then Game 5 was an offensive explosion. For both teams.
Detroit had the ninth-best offense in the NBA in the regular season, and it looked like it on Friday night, in large part because Cunningham finally got some help. He also put up 27 in the first half, including eight from the free throw line. Jalen Duren looked better than he has this postseason with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Duncan Robinson added a dozen as well.
As good as things were going, the Magic were always within striking distance thanks to Banchero, and despite Franz Wagner being out with a strained calf (his status for Game 6 is unknown).
Anthony Black scored 19 off the bench for the Magic, and Desmond Bane had another strong game with 18 points. As a team, the Magic shot 44.7% from beyond the arc and recorded their best offensive rating of the series at 113.
It just wasn't enough because of Cunningham. Orlando will look to get a few more stops at home on Friday night.
Apr 23, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliersguard Dennis Schroder (8) steals a ball from Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles (12) during the first half of game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers fought back from a double-digit second-half deficit to regain control of the series. Eleven fourth-quarter points from Dennis Schroder and multiple clutch shots from Evan Mobley carried the Cavs to a 125-120 victory to take a 3-2 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson decided to make a change with his starting lineup: Dean Wade was out, Max Strus was in. The idea behind this move was to primarily juice an offense that couldn’t get anything going in either Game 3 or 4.
This move didn’t produce instant results. The Cavs were outscored by nine points in the first five minutes with the starting lineup on the floor. They weren’t physical defensively, and the insertion didn’t provide the offensive boost Atkinson was likely hoping for.
Momentum changed after the initial subs came in. Dean Wade and Sam Merrill provided an immediate spark, but the real story was James Harden playing some of his best basketball since coming to Cleveland.
Harden carried the Cavs through the opening quarter. He poured in 14 points in that frame to help the Cavs secure a narrow 38-34 lead after one.
Cleveland gave that advantage away at the beginning of the second quarter.
Atkinson decided to give Thomas Bryant his first minutes of the series at the start of the second quarter, and it didn’t go well. The Raptors picked on him defensively and neutralized any advantage he would’ve created inside because they could cheat off Mobley.
This allowed the Raptors’ offense to get going. Toronto rattled off 40 points in the second quarter, led by 11 points from Ja’Kobe Walter, and the team went 5-8 (62.5%) from beyond the arc.
Turnovers were once again a problem for the Cavs in the second quarter. After a lights-out first quarter, Harden turned it over four times himself. As a team, Cleveland gave it up six times in the quarter, leading to 14 Toronto points off turnovers.
This all resulted in the Cavs going into the half with a seven-point deficit.
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Brandon Ingram left the game in the second quarter with a heel injury that kept him out the rest of the game. He scored just one point on 0-2 shooting in 11 minutes.
The Raptors pushed their advantage to 12 at the start of the third quarter. The Cavs fought back to keep the game within reach, and then cut the deficit to just three at the end of the quarter, thanks to a three and dunk by Mobley just before the clock expired.
A Jaylon Tyson three-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter tied the game. The Cavs took their first lead since midway through the second quarter with a Mobley triple. Dennis Schroder took over from there.
After being an afterthought for the first four games of the series, Schroder made his presence felt. He ran the offense in the fourth quarter and carried the team over the finish line. He scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter on an efficient 5-8 shooting.
Schroder’s emergence came at the expense of Donovan Mitchell’s minutes. Mitchell was held to just six and a half minutes in the final frame and didn’t re-enter the fourth quarter until under three minutes left in the game.
It was a weird game for Mitchell. There were spurts — particularly in the third quarter — where he was his usual aggressive self. Still, this wasn’t typical playoff form. He finished just four of his 10 shots in the paint. Mitchell had 19 points on 7-17 shooting with three assists.
Harden and Mobley led the Cavs with 23 points apiece. Harden went 7-13 from the field with nine rebounds and five assists. Mobley had six points in the fourth quarter.
RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 25 points on 9-19 shooting with 12 rebounds and five assists. Walter had 20 points on 7-16 shooting. Scottie Barnes had 17 points on 6-16 shooting with 11 assists and eight boards.
It’s been a hard-fought series that hasn’t necessarily been pretty throughout. The same warts that have plagued the Cavs throughout this era of basketball have cropped up at the worst times. Still, they have a chance to close out this first-round series as it shifts back to Canada.
Facing elimination, Cade Cunningham willed the Detroit Pistons to a massive victory in Game 5.
Detroit withstood a late Orlando Magic surge Wednesday, April 29, winning 116-109, to force a Game 6, though Detroit still trails in the series 3-2.
It had been a frustrating round for Cunningham, who committed 24 turnovers over the previous three games prior to Wednesday night. Cunningham’s scoring had been there, but his supporting cast on the Pistons had been struggling to provide enough contributions.
At the risk of being closed out, Cunningham took matters into his own hands, setting a new Pistons franchise record for most points in a single playoff game.
Here’s Cade Cunningham’s full box score from Game 5 of the first round against the Orlando Magic.
LOS ANGELES — An hour before game time, Austin Reaves was out going through his usual warmup. His jumper looked smooth and he moved well (as much as one can tell in a half-speed warmup). He came out of that session feeling good.
It was the final hurdle — Reaves has been cleared and will play in Game 5 for the Lakers as they try to close out the Rockets.
At the same time, Kevin Durant remains out for Houston due to a bone bruise in his sprained ankle.
In a series where the Rockets defense made life difficult for LeBron James in Game 4 — and the Lakers remain without Luka Doncic (hamstring) — Reaves' return is a huge boost to the Lakers offense, both shooting and shot creation.
"Offensively, if he is able to go, we just want Austin to be Austin," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "As the series has gone on, their pressure and physicality have just increased every game and ball handling has been important for us all series, so he will certainly help there."
How do the Rockets defend him?
"Schematically, it doesn't change much," Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. "The plays that they run for [Luke] Kennard are really out of his playbook. So they do a lot of those similar things, but the way he goes about it is different. Obviously, a very talented scorer, draws the fouls, and is a very good one-on-one scorer."
The Lakers lead the first-round series 3-1 and are looking to close out the Rockets on their home court and advance to the second round and a date with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves is set to return to the lineup Wednesday night in Game 5 against the Rockets. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
After missing a month with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, Austin Reaves is available for his postseason series debut Wednesday, but will not be in the starting lineup as the Lakers try to clinch their first-round series against the Houston Rockets.
In Game 5, the Lakers will start the same lineup that helped them build a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series over the fifth-seeded Rockets: :LeBron James Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton.
But it took Reaves only three weeks to get upgraded to questionable on the status report. One day shy of four weeks, he can return just in time to give the Lakers a much-needed boost to close out a tough Rockets team.
Reaves’ return will help stabilize the Lakers’ shorthanded backcourt that is still without Luka Doncic. The Lakers have averaged 20 turnovers a game in this series, including 24 in Game 4 in Houston, where the Lakers missed out on a chance to sweep the series. James has handled the majority of the play-making responsibilities, had eight turnovers in each of the last two games.
“If he is able to go, we just want Austin to be Austin,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game. “That's the biggest thing, I think, as the series has gone on, their pressure and physicality has just increased every game, and ball-handling is been important for us all series.”
One more win against the Rockets will put the Lakers into the Western Conference semifinals against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round.
While the Lakers are getting healthier, the Rockets will be without their star player for the third consecutive game. Kevin Durant was ruled out Tuesday because of a left ankle sprain. He has missed four of the five games this series.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 2: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
You can never doubt Austin Reaves’ heart.
After an initial recovery timeline that would have him out 4-6 weeks, Reaves returned to the court last week and will return to the lineup just under a month after suffering his injury, joining the Lakers for Game 5 against the Rockets on Wednesday.
Lakers star Austin Reaves has been cleared to return for Game 5 against the Houston Rockets, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/T3fNjPEOeF
As has been the case, Reaves was a gametime decision for Game 5. In both Game 3 and Game 4, Reaves went through pregame warm-ups before being ruled out. On Wednesday, he went through pregame warm-ups and was ruled available.
JJ Redick on Austin Reaves for Game 5: “He’s going to go through the same process and we’ll make the decision at game time”
In the days leading up to Game 5, it became more and more clear that Reaves was likely to make his return. The Lakers came into the playoffs not expecting Reaves or Luka Dončić to play in the opening round. While Luka is no closer to returning, they’ve at least gotten back one of their best players in Austin.
It took multiple weeks and the Lakers had to win some playoff games without him, but Austin Reaves will be joining the team for competitive matchups once again.
Now, he is back, giving the Lakers a huge injection of offensive firepower. He averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game this season. His rebounding and scoring totals are career-highs for the five-year guard.
It’s been nearly a month since Reaves has played in a Lakers game. He suffered his injury during a loss against the Thunder. Afterward, his MRI confirmed that he had a Grade 2 oblique strain, and the projected recovery period was 4-6 weeks.
The Lakers have found plenty of playoff success in Reaves’ absence. They’ve been able to survive and extend their season in time for him to come back, which was a goal Lakers head coach JJ Redick established before the postseason began.
Despite the Lakers’ short-term success, long-term wins will only come with Reaves on the floor. Shockingly, that is coming perhaps sooner than expected.
Are the Kentucky Wildcats in danger of losing Malachi Moreno to the NBA Draft?
When Moreno first announced he was testing the NBA waters, many assumed that he’d ultimately withdraw and return to school. While that’s still the likeliest outcome, his NBA stock appears to be higher than anticipated.
The latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft from ESPN’s Jeremy Woo has Moreno going 43rd overall to the Brooklyn Nets, right in the middle of Round 2. While it’s still pretty far from a first-round selection and guaranteed money, it does give Moreno something to think about if he feels confident that he’d be one of the 60 selections in this year’s draft.
Elsewhere, Jayden Quaintance went 15th overall to the Chicago Bulls, while no other Wildcats from this past season were selected, though Ugonna Onyenso, who finished his career at Virginia, went 50th overall to the Toronto Raptors.
I’d still wager on Moreno returning for his sophomore season, especially with the 2027 draft class looking significantly weaker than this one. A sophomore leap could very well put him in the first-round range of next year’s draft.
In other words, it’s far too early to panic about potentially losing Moreno to the NBA, but it will be interesting to watch the pre-draft process unfold for him, especially if he gets invited to the NBA Combine in Chicago on May 10-17.
The Toronto Raptors held their own in their crucial first-round game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road, even taking a lead into the half.
But not only did the Raptors lose Game 5, 125-120, they may have lost one of their key players due to injury.
Star forward Brandon Ingram, who led Toronto in scoring during the regular season, was ruled out for the second half with right heel inflammation, an issue that he has been managing since after the All-Star break.
“Brandon, as you guys know, has been dealing with his heel,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković told reporters after the game. “He reaggravated the heel on one play. We tried to re-tape him. At halftime, he tried to activate it to see if he could be ready for the second half, but he was not able to come and play the second half.
“So tomorrow we will know more when we do more evaluation.”
Ingram played 11:22 in the first half, but was subbed out with 7:32 left to play in the second quarter and immediately went back to the locker room; he did not return to the floor for the rest of the period.
During his time on the court, Ingram was limited to just 1 point on 0-of-2 shooting, with 2 assists, 1 rebound and 1 block.
Ingram has struggled a bit during the postseason and entered the night averaging just 14.8 points per game, which was well below his season average of 21.5.
“It’s something that’s on and off,” Rajaković continued. “He was doing well, and he just reaggravated it on that play.”
The Raptors, at least initially, appeared to be well-equipped to handle Ingram’s absence; at the half, Toronto had five different players reach double-figures in scoring, with guard Ja’Kobe Walter leading the way with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range.
HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 26: Reed Sheppard #15 and Amen Thompson #1 of the Houston Rockets react during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during Round One Game Four of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 26, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
April 29, 2026
Location: CryptoDotComStaplesForum, Los Angeles California
TV: ESPN
Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790 / KLTN 102.9 (en español)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 21: Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors talks with Stephen Curry #30 on the sidelines against the Portland Trail Blazers in the second quarter during an NBA Cup game at Chase Center on November 21, 2025 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s been nearly two weeks since Steve Kerr huddled with Steph Curry and Draymond Green in the waning moments of the Golden State Warriors season-ending loss to the Phoenix Suns. Kerr seemed intent to keep the sentiments that he uttered to his Hall of Fame-bound players a secret, though Curry, Green, and the league’s microphones had other plans.
In the aftermath of that loss, Kerr said that he would take “a week or two” to decide his future, and choose between a hiatus from the sidelines, or a 13th season at the helm of one of the sport’s model franchises.
No one could fully read the tea leaves, but in the first week it sure started to feel like Kerr was going to spend 2026 Opening Night on a coach in his Southern California home, legs kicked up, and a cold one in his hand. A few days after the loss, Green said “it felt like that was it,” when speaking about the moment he shared with Curry and Kerr. Warriors insider Monte Poole said he felt the odds were slim that Kerr would return.
And then, of course, there’s the historical precedent. Usually when someone takes a step back and a few weeks to evaluate their future, it results in a change of direction. The “take a week or two” for a coach is like couples therapy in a relationship: it’s doing due diligence for something that, more often than not, already has a predetermined fate.
But that might not be the case in Kerr’s situation, and it feels like the tide is starting to turn, and the momentum has shifted towards a Kerr return. An article published on Wednesday by ESPN’s Shams Charania, Ramona Shelburne, and Anthony Slater reports that Kerr met with Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr. for a few hours on Monday, and that the trio will meet again next week. That points to something fairly obvious: if Kerr wanted to leave, he would have done so already.
The ESPN report, and others in recent days, paints the picture of a team that is fairly unified in their desire to re-sign Kerr, and a coach who just isn’t sure what he wants to do (ESPN described it as “Kerr will take a previously planned golf trip to close out this week as those around him continue to describe Kerr as torn about his own side of the choice”).
Some of his conflict, admittedly, might stem from those conversations with Lacob and Dunleavy. Reports have suggested that the Warriors not only want Kerr to sign on for multiple years to give the team long-term stability amid roster retooling, but also would like him to modernize his offensive scheme, work more closely with the analytics department, and revamp his coaching staff. Kerr is too much of a company man to force his own employment against anyone’s wishes, so deciding whether or not he wants to coach under those parameters might be the biggest thing for him right now.
For now, we wait. The longer this goes on, the greater the odds of Kerr returning for a few more years, and presumably lining up his retirement with Curry and Green’s. The fact that his decision hasn’t been made, and the fact that he’s meeting with the team a second time, suggests that he does, indeed, still love and enjoy coaching. Ultimately, that seems the factor that’s most likely to win out in the end.
NEW YORK (AP) — New Orleans’ DeAndre Jordan won the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award Wednesday, edging Portland’s Jrue Holiday and Houston’s Jeff Green.
Jordan finished with 1,445 points in voting by 385 current NBA players. Holiday — a three-time winner — finished with 1,437 points and Green had 1,420.
A panel of league executives selected 12 finalists, six from each conference, to be considered for the honor. Jordan adds the award to a list of accolades that includes three All-NBA selections, two All-Defensive Team picks, one All-Star nod, an Olympic gold medal from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and a championship with Denver in 2023.
The award pays tribute to the player deemed the league’s best teammate “based on selfless play, leadership on and off the court as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment to the team.”
It has been presented since 2013 and is named for Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes, teammates on the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals from 1955-58. Stokes suffered a brain injury in the final game of the 1957-58 regular season, fell into a coma days later and was paralyzed. Twyman became Stokes’ legal guardian and advocate, and supported him for the rest of his life.
Other players nominated for the award this season were Toronto's Garrett Temple, Charlotte's Pat Connaughton, New York's Jalen Brunson, Boston's Jayson Tatum, San Antonio's DeAaron Fox, Detroit's Duncan Robinson, Oklahoma City's Jaylin Williams, Orlando's Desmond Bane and the Los Angeles Lakers' Marcus Smart.
The Houston Rockets will try to get their season alive against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the teams’ first-round playoff series. The Rockets avoided elimination with a 115-96 victory in Game 4. The Lakers hold a 3-1 lead in the series. One more victory and they will advance to the second round to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
How to watch Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
