Category: NBA

CLEVELAND — White dress shirt, white sport jacket, white bowtie, white three-quarter-length dress shorts, white socks, and a pair of his own signature basketball shoes. Whether or not they were the same pair James Harden wore 45 minutes earlier during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 126-113 Game 1 win over the Toronto Raptors is unknown.

What we do know is that it takes a certain kind of superstar to have the confidence to make an outfit like this work on an overcast and rainy Cleveland spring day. And Harden is exactly that kind of star. The kind that the Cavs have needed in their last few postseason runs.

Being able to dictate the terms of a series doesn’t mean that you’ll win it. It does, however, force the other team to beat you at your own game.

The Cavs were able to do that in Game 1. They kept the Raptors from running in the open court and forced them to outscore them in the half-court. And you have to be a well oiled machine in the half-court if you’re going to beat a Harden-led team that way. The Raptors are not.

Harden made the difference here.

There are All-Star caliber players, and then there’s ones who’s presence causes the entire defense to shift. Every time Harden had the ball, the defense needed to adjust to account for what he could do. Whether it was sending players his way in the pick-and-roll or simply shading over to hopefully cut off his pathways to the hoop, the Raptors were aware of where he was on the court at all times.

“It’s the thing that makes everything click,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said about Harden. “He gets us clicking. It’s like a quarterback that’s super accurate. He’s just kind of picking them apart with short passes.”

That opened everything up for his teammates. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley didn’t have the gaudiest scoring totals, but they were incredibly efficient. Six of the duo’s 11 combined field goals were assisted by Harden.

The Raptors don’t have an easy way of stopping the Harden pick-and-roll.

Jakob Poeltl is more of a drop big in the pick-and-roll. Like most centers, he doesn’t have the footspeed to be at the level of the screen. Because of this, Cleveland decided to start these actions much higher than the top of the arc, just a few paces inside half court. This forced the defense to guard more space, and that meant there was more room for the offense to attack.

When the defense shifted over to contain the Harden drive, he was able to dump it off to one of the bigs.

And if they gave Harden an alley, he was able to float it in for a basket over the top.

Toronto’s best counter was to send extra help into the paint and force the ball to swing outside. But that invites a whole different problem with the Cavs’ shooters.

The extra attention Harden demands also created driving lanes for Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell’s ability to get downhill is what makes him a star. In the past, we’ve seen teams load up inside to make it difficult for him to finish in the paint. This strategy doesn’t completely stop Mitchell, but it can begin to wear him down, as we saw late in the Game 2 loss to the Indiana Pacers last season.

The Raptors tried to make Mitchell finish through bodies inside, but that task is much more difficult to do when your attention is split elsewhere. Mitchell finished with 32 points, which included going 7-13 on shots in the paint and having seven attempts at the free-throw line. It was the ninth straight time Mitchell has opened a series with 30 or more points in Game 1.

“It’s his job,” Harden said. “That’s what he gets paid the big bucks for.”

Mitchell has changed his offensive philosophy for the regular season. Instead of trying to get to the basket as much as he can, he’s opted instead for floaters in the lane to save his body for the postseason. But getting to the rim like this was always the plan for the playoffs.

“[I’m just trying] to continue to put pressure on teams,” Mitchell said. “That’s where I feel like I thrive, and making the defense have to react to that.”

The pairing between Mitchell and Harden feels comfortable in the playoffs. It was only one game — and not a particularly close one at that — but the duo did a good job of playing off of each other. That’s made possible because of the willingness each has to cede control to the other.

“We understand that,” Harden said when asked about Mitchell’s scoring. “So our job is to just go out there and fulfill the roles and do other things to impact the game. If he got it going, he’s going to give you 40, 50 (points). I think for us it’s just finding other ways.”

Max Strus changed the game with his scoring. He helped cap off a first-quarter run that saw the Cavs turn a five-point deficit into a four-point advantage by scoring five points in the final 25 seconds. He then poured in eight points at the start of the third quarter to help the Cavs turn a seven-point advantage into a 22-point one.

Strus is a streaky shooter. He had it going on Saturday afternoon as he poured in 24 points on 8-10 shooting, which included going 4-6 from three.

As good as the shooting was, Strus brings much more than that. If he makes shots, it’s a “bonus” according to Harden. The leadership that Strus provides and his ability to do the little things that impact winning are what make him invaluable. And it wasn’t always a guarantee that he’d be able to provide it, given the injuries he was dealing with throughout the season.

“One thing I learned is to never doubt that man,” Mitchell said. “He’s put the time and put the work in. … There was no doubt he was going to come back and make an impact.”

The transition defense was excellent.

The Cavs spent the lead-up to the series talking about how they need to match the Raptors’ speed. Toronto came into this game taking the third-most shots in transition in the league. You wouldn’t have known that if you just watched them here.

The Cavs were able to do this by hustling back in transition, stopping the ball in the open court, occasionally attacking the offensive glass, limiting turnovers, and generating clean offense. This all led to Toronto finishing with just three fast-break points. That’s nearly 16 points less than their season-long average.

The Raptors don’t have the firepower or the shot profile to easily hang with the Cavs.

Before the game, Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković talked about wanting to have his team continue to stick to their identity going up against a group that shoots as well as the Cavs. “We cannot be changing, and we don’t want to be changing at this stage.”

That’s fair, and could be the correct game plan, but the Raptors don’t have the offensive weapons to stay in a game the Cavs are taking and making threes like this. That’s true even when the Raptors hit 48.1% of their own threes. The Raptors just aren’t taking enough looks from the outside.

The most efficient places to score on the court are the rim, free-throw line, and from beyond the arc. The Cavs did those things incredibly well. Cleveland took 42% of their shots at the rim (89th percentile) and 36% of their shots from three (36th percentile). Meanwhile, the Raptors split their shots evenly between the rim, midrange, and beyond the arc. That includes taking 13% of their shots between 14 feet and the three-point line (91st percentile).

The Cavs were hitting their threes — and that’s worth acknowledging — but it’s difficult to keep up with your opponent in most circumstances when the shots you’re forced into taking are simply much harder.

The pathway forward for the Raptors is more difficult than simply making more shots. They have to either change where they’re taking them or keep the Cavs from getting to their spots.

Despite how lopsided this game felt, the series isn’t over yet.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Harden said. “Our job is to stay in the moment and take one game at a time. … Things happen fast. Our job is to focus on what we can do better, watch film tomorrow, and then come out in Game 2 and be ready to go.”

Fun fact: Jesse Itzler, who wrote “Go New York Go” is both a Knicks fan and a minority co-owner of the Hawks. Mr. Itzler must have felt some conflicted feelings as he sat down to watch the Knickerbockers host Atlanta in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round. And it must have been a special kind of sting to watch a raucous crowd chanting his most famous song as the home team closed out a 113-102 victory.

An electric Madison Square Garden looked sold-out from the cozy confines of this Binghamton abode. To our delight, Mikal Bridges drew first blood, leading the home team to a 7-4 lead.

From there, Atlanta crept into the lead thanks to buckets by veteran CJ McCollum (26 PTS). It wouldn’t last long. The Brunson Burner was lit from the jump, and Jalen scored 19 in the quarter while shooting 8-of-11 from the field. The captain set the Knicks franchise record for first-quarter points—beating the record that he and Towns set in the last playoffs. He and Bridges combined for New York’s first 22 points.

We knew it would be a game of runs. Answering with a 10-2 stretch, led by a stretch of perfect shooting by Jalen Brunson (28 PTS, 7 AST), New York leapfrogged ahead by six. Quoth LOB14: “We have the better Jalen.” Cap didn’t have a stellar shooting night (9-22 FG), but he made 75% of his longballs, had a 7:2 assist-to-turnover ratio, and set a winning tone from the start. The better Jalen, indeed.

JALEN BRUNSON IN 5 MINS:

12 PTS
5/5 FG
2/2 3PM

PLAYOFF CAP. pic.twitter.com/Q7M7JB3PgY

— BrunsonMuse (@BrunsonMuse) April 18, 2026

Dyson Daniels (4 PTS, 11 AST, 9 RBS, 3 STL) picked Josh Hart’s (10 PTS, 14 RBS, 3 STL) pocket, which turned into a Jalen Johnson (23 PTS, 7 RBS) triple. Johnson scored eight in the quarter, including a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, to keep the Birds competitive. The visitors briefly regained a lead thanks to Onyeka Okongwu (19 PTS, 7 RBS) connecting from deep, but the ‘Bockers were laser-focused. By winning the boards and the paint, going 12-of-20 from the field, and holding their guests to 39% shooting, our heroes survived four turnovers and took a 30-24 advantage into the second quarter.

Whoever represents Blake Griffin deserves Agent of the Year honors. Not a single commercial break passed without at least one appearance by Blake’s narrow-eyed noggin. Good for the big fella, I say—he’s likable enough and deserves a Purple Heart for being groped by Donald Sterling.

To start the second quarter, Mitchell Robinson (3 PTS, 4 RBS, 2 BLK) was a blocking machine. With his team continuing to dominate the glass, they pushed out to an 11-point lead early in the period. When the Peaches played at their pace, though, the Knicks had trouble catching up. Steadily, the bad guys clawed their way back with balanced scoring, getting contributions from multiple guys. When McCollum hit a nine-foot floater with 3:43 on the clock, logging his 15th point of the contest, the score was knotted at 48 apiece.

Mitchell Robinson: rim protector 🚫

The Knicks' center is doing his thing in Game 1! pic.twitter.com/oFcnvHChae

— NBA (@NBA) April 18, 2026

After scoring zilch in the opening quarter (although he did run some nifty pick-and-rolls with J.B.), Karl-Anthony Towns (25 PTS, 8 RBS, 3 BLKS) began to score in the second. The All-Star center committed four turnovers in the first half, but redeemed himself with a block at the rim on Nickeil Alexander-Walker (17 PTS, 6-17 FG). Alexander-Walker was quiet through the first half, logging seven points and a team-worst -11 plus-minus.

KAT and Cap got to the charity stripe, the Knicks crashed the boards, and packed on a small lead again. With the clock running down, Johnson pressured New York’s defense and, at the last second, dished to Okongwu for a buzzer-beating three. Halftime score: Knicks 57, Hawks 55.

Through the first half, New York won the glass (27–18), owned the paint (26–20), and shot a touch more efficiently overall (49% to 45%). Despite Atlanta’s three-point shooting (50% on 16 attempts), our heroes led for 83% of the game thus far. Brunson led all scorers with 22. For the Hawks, McCollum had 17, and Daniels already had three steals.

The broadcast crew said something about Fat Joe performing at halftime. Once again, I was pleased to be watching from home. (No offense to the big guy.)

Hawks resorting to plays like this to stop Brunson pic.twitter.com/VwmIXDdjXP

— KNICKS BEAST (@KnicksBeast) April 19, 2026

Twenty seconds into the third quarter, McCollum travelled while attempting a three-pointer. On the nullified shot, the veteran Hawk kicked his foot into the groin of Brunson, dropping Cap to the floor and earning himself a flagrant-one foul. McCollum and Okongwu comprised the Hawks’ offense for a while, while the Knicks went on a 10-2 run, capped by a Josh Hart pick-six steal.

What would a Knicks game be without anxiety? Around the 7:30 mark, OG Anunoby—who was having a quietly effective evening for the Knicks—turned his ankle on a drive and was relieved of his duties. To our surprise, he checked back into the game after a short break, and the tri-state area breathed a sigh of relief.

OG Anunoby twisted his ankle and asked to come out of the game.

Declined treatment from a trainer, re-tied his left shoe.

Here’s Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado using ancient forgotten healing methods on him: pic.twitter.com/qSLGE50m9Z

— Kris Pursiainen (@krispursiainen) April 18, 2026

As the Knicks built up a 10-point lead, capped by a dunk by Bridges, Atlanta’s skipper Quin Snyder tried to get Johnson into the action to mixed results. The team’s top scorer hit a couple of buckets for eight points in the quarter. Meanwhile, KAT continued to have a confusing game, scoring seven points in the period but also coughing up the ball again—before blocking another shot.

BRUNSON THROWS A TOUCHDOWN TO OG.

KNICKS UP 9 HEADING TO THE 4TH 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4bq3oaWYC7

— Fireside Knicks (@FiresideKnicks) April 19, 2026

Despite getting a scant seven points from their bench through three quarters (Shamet 1-of-5 from deep; McBride 0-3 FG), the Knicks held the Hawks to just 19 points in the third and took an 83-74 lead into the fourth.

Jordan Clarkson added a jolt of electricity to start the final frame, connecting with Robinson for an alley-oop. And Deuce McBride finally hit a shot, swishing a triple to give New York its largest lead of the night at 12 points. The bench crew picked up the pace and gave the Hawks a taste of their own medicine. At the other end, Alexander-Walker connected from deep (just his second of the night), only for McBride to answer with another dinger from beyond the arc.

Bench mobbin pic.twitter.com/5KiOkJTVkE

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 19, 2026

Neither team got many stops, content instead to trade buckets. The 34-year-old McCollum continued to impersonate a spring chicken, and off the bench, Gabe Vincent scored on a drive. For New York, Clarkson answered with a dynamic layup. And so on. When Towns stomped into the lane to score at the cup, though, his efforts goosed New York’s lead to 13 with half a quarter to go. When Clarkson scored on another thrilling contested layup, the lead reached 16. With five minutes left, the young Hawks (those other than McCollum) looked out of sync and rattled.

KAT AND-1.

MSG HYPED inside & outside 🗣️🗣️🗣️

Knicks eyeing 1-0 series lead! pic.twitter.com/zc1WA5bEdr

— NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2026

Out of a timeout, Towns cashed in from 25-feet, crowning a 13-2 run and putting our heroes in a 19-point catbird seat with under four minutes remaining. McCollum missed two free throws at the opposite end as nothing was going right for Snyder’s boys.

But not so fast. After that swish by Towns, the Hawks went on an 11-0 run that included deep balls from Okongwu, Johnson, and Alexander-Walker. With a huge lead slashed to eight in just two minutes, the Birds were knocking on the door with a minute and a half left.

After a timeout, Brunson missed on the next possession, but Hart corralled a defensive board on a Johnson miss. KAT came through with a pounding payup, and N.A.W. cancelled that with one on the other end. With 40 seconds left, Hart made two free throws that essentially sealed the game. Knicks go ahead, 1-0.

Up Next

Game Two will be played at MSG on Monday. Rest up, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

The Knicks stepped up on defense in the second half and held on to beat the Atlanta Hawks, 113-102, in Game 1 of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Jalen Brunson started the game on fire with 15 of New York's first 22 points, making all six shots he took, including three three-pointers. Mikal Bridges also got involved early, scoring the team's other seven points. Although the Knicks defense wasn't on the same level as the offense, and the Hawks kept pace by finding ways to score inside, blocking shots, and creating turnovers to get out in transition. 

OG Anunoby began to heat up toward the end of the first quarter, getting to the foul line and scoring inside. Brunson capped off his big first quarter with a high floater as time expired, giving him 19 points and the Knicks a 30-24 lead after one. 

-- Mitchell Robinson made his impact right away in the second quarter with a block on Nickeil Alexander-Walker, leading to a Jordan Clarkson dunk. Robinson got his second block a few possessions later and Anunoby buried a step-back three to make it a 38-27 game.

Atlanta continued to fight back as Jonathan Kuminga scored on the fastbreak and Alexander-Walker nailed a three-pointer to cut the New York lead down to three. Josh Hart countered with a layup, but C.J. McCollum came right back with a wide-open three to keep it close with five minutes left in the second quarter.

-- Despite a quiet first half, Karl-Anthony Towns made his presence felt at the end of the second quarter. The All-Star big man got his third assist on an Anunoby dunk and then scored on a dunk of his own for his first basket of the game. He made up for his fourth turnover of the game by blocking Alexander-Walker at the rim, but the Knicks couldn't capitalize on the other end.

Towns made two free throws with 8.0 seconds left, but with the clock winding down, Jalen Johnson found Onyeka Okongwu for three at the buzzer and the Hawks trailed by just two, 57-54. Atlanta outscored New York 31-27 in the second quarter and shot 50 percent from three in the half (8-for-16). Brunson finished with 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting, while McCollum had 17 points (7-for-10 from the field) for the Hawks.

--Towns and Anunoby opened the third quarter with back-to-back three pointers, and Hart turned defense into offense with a steal and fastbreak dunk to go up 68-60. Looking for ways to slow down the Knicks, the Hawks turned to the "hack-a-Mitch" play twice -- and it worked as he went 1-for-4 from the foul line and was subbed out by Mike Brown.

With under a minute left in the quarter, Brunson grabbed a rebound and found Anunoby wide open down the court for an easy dunk, going up 83-74 heading into the fourth.

-- Robinson scored on an alley-oop jam and Miles McBride made his first three-pointer of the night in the fourth quarter, giving the Knicks their biggest lead of the night, 88-76. McBride drilled another three-pointer, but Atlanta kept up with the pace and Alexander-Walker hit a three right back. Towns then took over, making a pair of threes and using his size to score inside and extend the lead to 106-87 on a 13-2 run for NY.

-- It wouldn't be a playoff game without the dramatics as the Hawks made it a 106-98 game all of a sudden with about 1:30 left on the clock. The Knicks were able to hold on, icing the game at the foul line. 

All five Knicks starters finished in double figures -- Brunson (28), Towns (25), Anunoby (19), Bridges (11), and Hart (10). The shot 48 percent from the field and from three-point range (12-for-25). They also won the rebound battle, 45-40, with Hart grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds. McCollum finished with just 26 points for the Hawks and Johnson had 23 points.

Game MVP: Karl-Anthony Towns

Towns stepped up in the second half after Brunson's high-scoring first quarter. He scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, to go along with eight rebounds, four assists (five turnovers), three steals, and a block.

Highlights

Jalen Brunson pull-up pop! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/gblKSMbBbL

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2026

Beautiful ball movement and Mikal Bridges drains the triple 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KAiGD3OlLe

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2026

JALEN BRUNSON IS ON FIRE pic.twitter.com/YVPcUlCOFQ

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2026

19 FIRST QUARTER POINTS FOR JALEN BRUNSON! pic.twitter.com/S30KeusZRk

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2026

DENIED BY MITCHELL ROBINSON 🚫 pic.twitter.com/hG2x2IwRDh

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2026

KAT's first bucket of the night 💪 pic.twitter.com/4dNLFuICE3

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2026

KAT 😤 pic.twitter.com/Uc9yYanDYl

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 19, 2026

What's next

The Knicks and Hawks play Game 2 of their first-round playoff matchup on Monday at 8:20 p.m.

DENVER – The last time the Minnesota Timberwolves took the floor at Ball Arena for an NBA Playoff game, it was possibly the greatest game in Timberwolves history.

That night, the Wolves took out the defending champion Denver Nuggets in Game 7, coming back from a 20-point second-half deficit. The win also came with extra significance as it came on Kevin Garnett’s birthday and the 20th anniversary of the franchise’s first trip to the Western Conference Finals.

On Saturday afternoon, the Wolves returned to Mile High for the next chapter in the Timberwolves-Nuggets rivalry that in many ways has defined the last four seasons in the Western Conference.

The game started out promising for Minnesota, as the Wolves jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter. Rudy Gobert locked down the paint while slowing down Nikola Jokić, they forced Denver into six first-quarter turnovers, and the ball movement was absolutely pristine, leading to consistent open looks in the halfcourt.

Ayo Dosunmu corner 3, created by Anthony Edwards + Rudy Gobert + Naz Reid pic.twitter.com/MSJOwWMxHD

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 18, 2026

From there, it almost all fell apart. The Wolves’ defense slipped, especially on the perimeter, where the guards were getting destroyed on screen, leading to a flurry of Denver 3-pointers. When Gobert went to the bench, the Timberwolves had little to no chance of stopping the Nuggets, especially if Jokić was on the floor.

And possibly most concerningly, the ball movement that got Minnesota the early lead completely dried up, which has been a consistent theme with this team all season. The Nuggets outscored the Wolves 68-46 in the second and third quarters combined to flip a double-digit Minnesota lead into a 12-point lead of their own.

The Timberwolves did find a way to claw back into the game, trailing by only two points halfway through the fourth quarter, but their execution down the stretch of the game prevented them from having a meaningful chance of pulling the game late.

There were awful turnovers, missed defensive assignments, and a lack of attention on the defensive glass, which led to numerous second-chance points for Denver. The most striking difference between the two teams was their ability to find quality offense late in the game.

The Nuggets consistently found open shots in the flow of their offense. While many of their shots did not fall as the Nuggets shot 1-17 from beyond the arc in the second half, their ability to generate open looks speaks more meaningfully toward their chances to win this series and more.

The Wolves, on the other hand, had to take tough shots after tough shots. Anthony Edwards was fantastic in the clutch during the regular season, but he was not able to find that gear in this game, as he scored just five fourth-quarter points before the final garbage-time minute of the game.

The Timberwolves lost Game 1 by a final score of 116-105. Edwards finished the game with 22 points on 7-19 shooting. He did contribute well in other areas, putting up nine rebounds and seven assists, but did not seem to have the explosive burst the Wolves will likely need to see from him to win this series.

“Nah, I felt good,” Edwards said after the game. “A little fatigued, I haven’t played in like a month. But that was expected. Other than that, I felt good.”

Chris Finch felt similar about Edwards’ game and his health, “I didn’t see a ton of physical limitations. It looked like just a rusty game back.”

Without fully knowing the extent to which Edwards’ knee is bothering him, Edwards low-scoring output did seem to be more than just rust. While Edwards had a few nice drives to the rim, the volume of those looks was much lower than what would normally be expected. Ant also shot 2-8 on 3-pointers, potentially indicative of someone struggling with knee pain.

Julius Randle similarly struggled. He scored 16 points on 7-16 shooting while dishing out only two assists, both of which came in the fourth quarter.

Gobert had an outstanding performance. He held Jokić to 25 points while forcing him into five turnovers and put up 17 points and ten rebounds while missing just one of his nine shots. The baskets weren’t just easy lob dunks either. On multiple occasions, Gobert caught a tough pass in traffic and made a nice move toward the basket to score the bucket.

“Both ends, he did a good job,” Jaden McDaniels said about Gobert’s Game 1 performance. “He keep doing that, we’re going to win.”

The Wolves in the first quarter showed the ability to “flip the switch” as they so often have these past couple playoff runs; they have shown the ability to increase their level of play to meet the moment, even in adverse situations. That team was there in the first quarter, but in no way could it sustain that level of play.

That variability in how Minnesota plays has been an issue the entire season. They have desperately needed the ability to stack good performances on good performances, but have been unable to do so since the season started all the way back in October.

That level of consistency is not found in the Playoffs; it has to be built during the regular season to embed it into a team’s DNA. The Wolves did not do that. When they were healthy early in the season, they often opined about waiting for the playoffs to begin. Once injures did hit in March and April, they were unable to close the regular season strong like they did last season.

This series is not over, and it is just one game, but the Wolves are going to have to find a level of play they did not find at all during the regular season. The Nuggets have won 13 straight games dating back to the regular season, and they are out for revenge from two years ago.

Rudy put it best when asked if he would be able to repeat his performance tonight, one that will certainly be needed if the Wolves have any chance to win this series.

“I think we shall see.”

---

Up Next

The Timberwolves vs Nuggets series continues with Game 2 back at Ball Arena on Monday. It’s another late-night playoff tip with the game beginning at 9:30 PM CT. Fans can watch the game on NBC and Peacock.

Highlights

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.

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.”