Category: NBA

This is it. 

The last eight years for the Cleveland Cavaliers will come down to the next eight weeks. From LeBron James leaving town that jumpstarted a rebuild featuring Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. To acquiring Donovan Mitchell in 2022 to start their contention window. To multiple playoff failures, including last year’s catastrophe against the Pacers. To Garland being traded for James Harden in February.

This is without a doubt the most crucial, critical, important…you get the point. There is a lot riding on this Cavs playoff run. They have arguably their deepest and most talented roster of the Mitchell era. They have the experience now with a battle-tested group that is adding someone with 174 playoff games of their own in Harden. Now is the time for them to break through, and it starts with the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.

With that comes tough lineup decisions, and it will be on head coach Kenny Atkinson to push the right buttons. This is what his rotation should look like against the Raptors.

Starters: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

This lineup projects to be the most reliable and complete unit that Atkinson will put on the floor against Toronto. The sample size is extremely small with this group, but in the 75 possessions this five has shared the court, the Cavs have a +38.9 net rating.

Not much needs to be said about Harden and Mitchell. They are the orchestrators of the offense and are one of the more lethal backcourts in the league. 

Wade, Mobley, and Allen have been Cleveland’s three best defenders for quite some time now. Their length, size, and switchability make them an extremely tough trio to get past on that end. In the 364 possessions those three have together this season, the Cavs have a 99.4 defensive rating. For a team that struggled on the defensive end at times this year, leaning on your best defenders will help alleviate those concerns.

Bench: Sam Merrill, Max Strus, Keon Ellis, Jaylon Tyson

The bench unit may not have as much size as the starters, but Atkinson will be able to stagger the minutes between the nine he ends up deciding on.

Merrill and Strus bring a lot of shooting, movement, and overall toughness that Cleveland is going to need from their role guys. Strus especially has a lot of playoff experience and has proven a willingness to do the dirty work and make winning plays. 

Ellis has shown that he can be an absolute defensive menace for the Cavs. He is great at putting pressure on the ball, getting deflections and steals, and has enough length to disrupt ball-handlers. His offense has been a pleasant surprise as well, as he is knocking down nearly 36% of his threes and shooting 49% overall from the field. 

The last spot should go to Tyson. When Cleveland was struggling early on in the season, he was one of the lone bright spots. His development into a key role player has been nothing short of amazing for the Cavs. His synergy with Mitchell in the short roll, his ability to knock down threes, and just playing with 110% effort every play is what Cleveland needs.  All of the bench guys I mentioned have the toughness, spacing, and tenacity that make them the essential bench pieces. 

Cutting Dennis Schroder from the initial rotation was a tough decision, but Schroder has struggled for the most part since he arrived in February. He’s shooting only 40% from the field and 29% from three. Atkinson could turn to him in spot minutes, and Schroder has enough defensive activity and veteran experience to be called upon at times, but he should not be a nightly fixture in the playoffs.

The Cavs have the star power and depth to make a run. It will be on Atkinson to push the right buttons against the Raptors and hopefully beyond. But this is how he should start out.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said he's expecting coach Brian Keefe to return next season after Washington finished with the NBA's worst record.

“Yeah, I anticipate Brian Keefe to be here,” Dawkins said Thursday at his end-of-season news conference.

Keefe took over in the middle of the 2023-24 campaign, replacing Wes Unseld Jr. That was Washington’s first season under its new front office led by Michael Winger and Dawkins. The team eventually took off Keefe’s interim tag.

But the Wizards haven’t been built to win right away under Keefe. He went 8-31 in that first season, then 18-64 in 2024-25. This season Washington lost 26 of its last 27 games to go 17-65, ending any danger of the Wizards losing their first-round draft pick if it wasn’t in the top eight. It’s the first time since 1967 — when the franchise was the Baltimore Bullets — that the team finished with the league’s worst record.

“We put him in a situation this season which was a little difficult," Dawkins said. "We led the NBA in starts for players under 21. I think we had 50-plus different starting lineups. So we threw a lot at him.”

But soon, Washington hopes to turn the focus away from collecting picks and lottery odds and improve its performance on the court. There were certainly some steps in that direction this season, when the Wizards traded for both Trae Young and Anthony Davis, although Young played only five games for them and Davis didn’t play any. If both are healthy next season, Washington could be improved.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The matchup for the 2026 NBA Mexico City Game is set.

USA TODAY Sports has learned that the Denver Nuggets will face the Indiana Pacers at Arena CDMX on Nov. 7, 2026, marking the 35th NBA contest played in the city since 1992.

It’s an intriguing matchup that should feature a fully healthy Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers star point guard who missed the entire 2025-26 season as he recovered from the torn Achilles tendonsuffered during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The Pacers are also likely to end up with a top selection in the 2026 NBA Draft after they finished with the second-worst record (19-63) in the league.

The Nuggets, one of the premier teams in the Western Conference, are led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, who averaged a triple-double this season. This will mark the second game in Mexico that the Nuggets play, while the Pacers will be making the trip for the first time.

And, for the third consecutive season, the game will coincide with the Día de los Muertos festivities across the country. To commemorate that, the game will be played on a themed court.

The NBA has continued to expand its reach across Latin America, with Mexico as its most prominent market. In fact, removing the U.S. and Canada, both of which are home to current and former NBA franchises (including the Vancouver Grizzlies), no country has hosted more NBA games than Mexico since 1992, when the first NBA game was played in the country.

That game, an Oct. 27 preseason matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, spawned a relationship that will enter its 34th year when the Pacers and Nuggets square off.

"The NBA Mexico City Game continues to give fans in Mexico a front‑row connection to the league, its teams and its players," Raul Zarraga, NBA Latin America and Canada senior vice president and head of operations, said in a statement. "Hosting our 35th game in the country reflects the depth of the NBA’s relationship with Mexico and the role this event plays in bringing the global game to fans locally, across Latin America and around the world."

The NBA will make the formal announcement with Zignia Live, a live event promoter, about the matchup Thursday, April 16. As is typical with the NBA’s international games, the league will offer social programs and activities in Mexico City to engage with the local community.

The 2026 Mexico City Game will air on ESPN.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA reveals teams for 2026 Mexico City showdown: Exclusive

Look, I’m not here to tell Jordan Ott how to do his job. He’s in the building every day, around the guys, diving into film like no one else. He is a sicko. A junkie. I’ve appreciated the job he’s done this year.

I am merely a spectator, offering observations on what we all saw on Tuesday night. Now that we’ve got that part out of the way, it’s time to dive into a few rotational flaws that I believe cost Phoenix the game on Tuesday night.

The Small-Ball Trap

It’s vital for the Suns not to get caught up in pre-made plans again and to make in-game adjustments or counters as things develop in front of them.

The most glaring issue in the fourth-quarter collapse was the insistence on staying small while Deni Avdija was treating the paint like his own personal playground. Avdija is a 6’8″ matchup nightmare who plays with the strength of a power forward and the vision and speed of a guard as he attacks downhill. When he’s attacking, you can’t meet him with a “switch everything” mentality that leaves a 6’4″ guard as the primary rim protector. Or by throwing a slower Brooks/O’Neale/Oso on him when he’s already hitting full speed. It puts you at a disadvantage from the start.

Credit to Portland for creating those advantages and putting Deni in a spot to succeed.

He called iso and went straight bag work pic.twitter.com/cp18pOEmRn

— Niko (@nikotaughtyou) April 15, 2026

By the time Jordan Goodwin hit that layup to give us the lead with 32 seconds left, the damage was already done. The Suns had spent the previous six minutes getting bullied on the glass. Portland finished with a +4 rebounding edge, but it felt like +20 in the final frame. In a game decided by four points, those extra possessions are the difference between the 7th seed and a do-or-die that we now face against Golden State.

Leaving Size on the Pine

The Suns have length and athleticism on the bench that remained largely untapped when the Blazers turned up the physicality. Against a Portland team that starts length at almost every position, Phoenix opted for lineups that prioritized spacing over survival. Rasheer Fleming has shown he is already one of our best defenders. Rookie or not, he had to be out there. That’s the hill I will die on.

We needed a “hit back” presence. There were stretches where the Suns’ interior defense looked like a revolving door because the help-side rotations were coming from players giving up three or four inches in height. Jordan Ott has been a master of adjustments all season. He’s a major reason we’re even in the Play-In conversation in the first place, but on Tuesday night, the “tactician” got out-muscled. Using the bench’s size to disrupt Avdija’s rhythm or to at least make those 13 free-throw attempts harder to earn would have changed the geometry of the court.

The individual matchups didn’t tell the whole story, because it takes team defense (switching, helping, etc.) to slow down a downhill threat like Deni.

Deni got to the rim basically whenever he wanted. It’s what he does, but they had to make it more challenging. It was way too easy all night.

Devin Booker on why he thinks the Suns lost:

"Letting Deni get downhill…me missing 5 free throws" pic.twitter.com/a6keNThDfu

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 15, 2026

Jalen Green was spectacular, but he looked gassed in the final two minutes. That 18-8 run Phoenix put together to take the lead was fueled by pure adrenaline, but once the Blazers responded, the Suns had nothing left in the tank. Once the game slowed down, Portland’s size took over and won.

The Suns were up 11 halfway through the fourth. They had a 95% win probability. You don’t lose that game because of “officiating” or a few missed free throws, although nine misses at the line certainly didn’t help. You lose that game because you let the opponent dictate the physical terms of the engagement.

Friday is a new season. If Ott and the Suns want to avoid being the first 7th seed to ever miss the dance entirely, they have to stop leaning into the “small and skilled” identity when the game turns into a “long and athletic” street fight.

Things couldn’t be more polar opposite in this next one. The Warriors present an entirely different matchup problem, so it’s time to scrap the Portland plan and focus on doing what’s needed to take down Steph and the Warriors.

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The NBA Conference Finals MVP odds market is one of the simplest bets to understand, and one of the easiest to misprice. In most cases, it comes down to this: the best player on the winning team takes the award.

That’s why the board is typically loaded with short-priced favorites from the top contenders. But that also means value can show up quickly if you’re willing to back a team, and its star, before the market fully catches up.

Instead of laying chalk on established names, we’re targeting two young guns in Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham, both of whom have the usage, narrative, and upside to carry their teams through the Conference Finals.

NBA Conference Finals MVP predictions

Odds as of 4-16. 

Western Conference Finals MVP best bet

Pick: Victor Wembanyama (+320 at bet365)

The San Antonio Spurs are going to be a matchup nightmare for any team that stands in their path to the franchise's first NBA title since 2014.

A very big part of that will be the unique playing style of Victor Wembanyama. He's a walking highlight reel and virtually un-guardable, whether he's doing work in the paint, the mid-range, or stepping out and knocking down threes. 

While the offense will always be there (25 points per game), it's his defensive presence that will impact games more often than not. His ability to protect the rim (11.5 rebounds, 3.1 blocks), alter shots, and disrupt timing is the added edge needed when picking a standout player in the conference finals. 

While the Spurs still need to win two rounds, and then potentially meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, Wemby's odds will not linger around at +320 for very long. 

Act now before you miss out on the best number. 

Long shot play

Pick: Alperen Sengun (+8000 at bet365)

If you're looking for a long shot play, look no further than the engine of the Houston Rockets, Alperen Sengun. 

Sengun has been nothing short of stellar for the Rockets this season, averaging 20.4 points per game and leading the team in rebounds (8.9) and assists (6.2). 

He may not be the sexy name on the Rockets with Kevin Durant still around, but he's still the straw that stirs the drink, and his ability to stuff the stat sheet in more ways than one can only help his case.

Eastern Conference Finals MVP best bet

Pick: Cade Cunningham (+550 at bet365)

The Detroit Pistons go as Cade Cunningham goes, and that’s exactly what you want when betting this market.

Everything runs through him. He’s the primary scorer, the primary playmaker, and the one with the ball in his hands when games tighten up. That kind of usage matters in a series where every possession is magnified.

Cunningham has taken a clear step forward as a scorer while still filling up the box score across the board. Points, assists, rebounds. It’s all there, and it shows up every night.

If the Pistons break through to the Eastern Conference Finals, it won’t be because of depth or balance. It’ll be because Cunningham carried them there.

At +550, you’re getting the best player on his team at a number that won’t last if Detroit makes a run.

Long shot play

Pick: Mikal Bridges (+20000 at bet365)

If you’re swinging for a number, Mikal Bridges checks every box as a long shot.

He’s one of the most reliable two-way players in the league and rarely comes off the floor. That kind of workload adds up over a playoff series.

Bridges doesn’t need high volume to make an impact. He scores efficiently, defends the opposing team’s first or second option, and consistently finds ways to influence the game without forcing it.

If the New York Knicks can put it all together for three rounds, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will play a part, but Bridges' ability to impact the game at both ends in meaningful moments could tip the scales in his favor.  

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

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Damon Jones, the former NBA player and Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach indicted with Terry Rozier and four others in November on federal charges of conspiring to rig NBA outcomes and peddle inside information, has requested a hearing with the Eastern District of New York to change his plea.

Jones pleaded not guilty in November to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and two counts of money laundering, but ESPN reported at the time that he was already in discussions for a plea deal. His plea hearing is scheduled for April 28 in Brooklyn.

Jones’ attorney, Kenneth Montgomery, told ABC News in New York, however, that his client is “not cooperating” with prosecutors against his co-conspirators, who also pleaded not guilty. Jones is the first of the group to request a change of plea.

Jones accused of dealing non-public tidbit

Jones is accused of providing non-public information from his league contacts so that gamblers could make more informed bets on NBA games than the general public. Specifically, he’s accused of providing information that LeBron James would not play in a Feb. 9, 2023, game against Milwaukee. Jones is alleged to have texted to gamblers: “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat.”

James is not named in the charging documents, but he was the only rostered player not to dress against the Bucks, who won, 115-106.

Federal prosecutors will file documents by next week updating which charges will have a change of plea.

Jones is also named as a co-conspirator in the so-called “rigged poker” case in the Eastern District of New York where sports celebrities including then-Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups were allegedly used to lure in high-value players to scam. Jones pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges in that case.

Rozier, who was waived by the Miami Heat last week, has pleaded not guilty and asked for a dismissal.

It’s only natural for most people to not want to fix what they don’t believe is broken. It’s also fairly natural to suspect ulterior motives in any new plan or scheme. While those questions are worth asking, it seems clear to me that if the answer was not to change anything, ever, we’d still be living in caves with dinosaurs.

There is something to be said for novelties, even those with a profit motive of some sort, that succeed. I would argue that the NBA Play In system has succeeded. I understand some people have a need for a certain sort of mental tidiness, or a desire to make accomplishments more meaningful. The NBA’s play in games would seem to go against both things. Is a number seven seed in or out? Why does the 10th ranked team get a shot at a playoff series?

For the mental tidiness people, well, it’s a bit untidy not knowing exactly who the bottom ranked playoff teams will be, but there’s an upside to be gained in giving the teams that were not in the Play In more rest after the regular season. The system itself is also pretty easy to understand, and once you get how it works, it ceases to be untidy, just uncertain. If you are the sort that wants to get rid of all uncertainty in life, well, good luck with that.

There’s also hope for teams that say lose a crucial player for part of the season to be found in the Play In. They might still get into the playoffs, and create a better match up for the top teams, as opposed to ritual execution found in the typical 1v8 match up.

That goes for the sense of accomplishment argument people, too. Don’t want to keep playing games after the regular season, and before the Real Playoffs begin? Win more games. I believe the Play In bracket produces more incentive to win, for good teams, rather than less. A playoff team is guaranteed at least four post season games. A play in team is guaranteed nothing.

There’s something else the Play In offers while we wait for the more successful teams to being their playoffs: fun. These games are the NBA’s way of partaking in the chaotic fun of the NCAA Tournament. It’s one and done for a couple of teams. Their season ends with a loss. We saw some amazing games in that regard, played with real intensity and fire. The Hornets vs Heat game was a true battle, and a ton of fun to watch. It went to overtime, and we saw all kinds of intense things, including potentially dirty play, surprisingly not from Miami. Also, more shockingly, LaMelo Ball coming through in the clutch. Who would have predicted that?

In the end, that’s why most of us are watching basketball, right? To see great competition in a game we love? To see a spectacle?

The Play In, for all it’s gimmickry has worked, if the goal is fun. It’s easy to sneer, because it’s not how things were, but it’s easier to love something that can bring if not joy, then entertainment to the end of the season. There is not some law of the universe that the stricter the playoff system is, the better it is. There might be some logical contradictions, but the goal of sport is not to achieve logical consistency, at least as I see it.

That said, I’d much rather the Rockets be in the playoffs, not the Play In. Too much uncertainty in the Play In.

On another note, I’d say the play in may not have entirely (or sadly, largely) accomplished one of its goals, to curtail tanking, but it has brought fun to the league. Playing for stakes of some sort brings more fire, more interest, to competitions, generally. That’s why tanking is so bad, to me. Sure, it’s rational, but if we’re watching sports for their pure rationality, we might be missing the point. Or one might be better served watching competitive chess. Further, tanking, however you choose to define it, destroys intensity, destroys the idea of stakes in a contest. A tanking team isn’t so much playing basketball, as it is playing lottery ball odds, which might loom over a season, but are not part of the competition in any immediate sense. We’ve seen what immediacy does for a single game, with the play in. Tanking does the opposite, but spread, depressingly, across a season. A teams’ reward for tanking might be heaven, but their actual games are hell, as we well know.

Because winning, keeping a season alive, is possible in the play in, teams go all out. The stakes are real. Tanking is the opposite, it destroys in game stakes, and competition, and that’s why it must be ended, somehow, some way. We can expend a lot of words on what the best way to do that is, and maybe there isn’t a best way, as any system has trade offs built in. The NBA is going to do something in the off season. I’m sure we’ll discuss it when it happens. Anything, though, that is in favor of good basketball, in favor of striving to win, instead of working to lose, has to be better for the game of basketball, and the NBA.

Meanwhile, GO ROCKETS. A genuine playoff team.

The city of Cleveland has fallen in love with Donovan Mitchell. It seems the feeling is mutual, as the seven-time All-Star once again opened up about his time in the land.

“I love Cleveland,” Mitchell told The Athletic. “I’ve said it before: I want to play here for as long as I can.”

Mitchell is on contract until the 2027-28 NBA season, with a player option that he’s likely to exercise in 2027. The Cavs have an incentive to extend him as soon as possible, and he’ll be eligible for another max payday when that time comes.

“The goal is to win — as long as we’re continuing to win at the highest level,” said Mitchell. “But I love it, man. It’s a place that I feel like I can call home, you know what I mean? And I feel good. My fiancée feels good about it.”

It certainly bodes well for the Cavs that Mitchell appears to be happy in Cleveland. He’s proven he can raise their floor significantly in the regular season and potentially gives them a championship-caliber season.

Even with all of the injuries this year, Cleveland finished 4th in the Eastern Conference with 52 wins for just the ninth time in franchise history. Mitchell’s 27.9 points per game made that possible.

The Cavs start their playoff journey on Saturday with a first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. If both Mitchell and the Cavs want to justify another long-term commitment to each other, then success in the upcoming postseason will be a good place to start.

With the Lakers set to begin their playoff run, now is a perfect time as any to unpack a question that’s nearly as old as basketball itself…

What matters more: offense or defense?

There are clichés such as “offense wins games and defense wins championships” that have been used for ages, but what’s the actual answer?

Modern offenses push the pace of play and shoot more threes each year, making it feel like offense is king. This decade, Nikola Jokić has won three MVP Awards because of his offense. There is no defense, no matter how elite, that has figured out a way to stop Steph Curry.

The beauty of basketball.

You know what's coming but still can't stop it.

Decades long dominance of the Steph Dray DHO. https://t.co/oNMWLFYFx1

— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) April 16, 2026

At the highest levels, it’s starting to feel like the best defenses can’t measure up to the best offenses. However, coaches still view them as equally important.

“I think you need both,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “And there’s been three outliers in the last 25 years. I know the Lakers, I think it was ‘01, were a bottom-third defense, but they were number one in the playoffs. Really, Denver in ‘23 was the only team that had an average defense, and then they were average in the playoffs.”

In the regular season, the 2001 Lakers had the seventh-worst defense in the NBA, but improved to first in the playoffs. With a dramatically improved defense and the most dominant offensive force in Shaquille O’Neal, that LA team won it all, losing just one game in the postseason.

During the 2020s, 18 of the 24 teams that have reached the conference finals ranked in the top ten offensively. And three of the champions finished in the top five. The only two exceptions were the 2020 Lakers, who were 11th in offensive rating, and the 2022 Warriors, who were 16th.

However, in the postseason, both teams morphed into elite scoring machines. With an offensive rating of 115.6, no one was better on that end of the floor than LA in the bubble. Golden State was fourth in 2022 at 114.5.

The defensive numbers for title contenders in this era have been high as well. During the 2020s, 14 of the 24 teams that have reached the conference finals were top-10 in defensive rating. But four of the five NBA champions were in the top five. As Redick mentioned, the only outlier was the 2023 Nuggets, who were 15th.

The Lakers will play the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, and head coach Ime Udoka discussed the balance between offense and defense before the Christmas Day matchup against the Lakers earlier this season.

“For us, we try to be balanced and we’re somewhere up in the top five area of both,” Udoka said. “I want to do that and that’s where you have the great balance, great scoring, but you need to have the versatile of pieces to do it.

“I think we have a ton of defenders, naturally. We talked about keeping our identity the last few years of being a high-level defensive team and improving on the offense, and I think we’ve done that.”

Udoka did keep his team near the top five in both categories. During the regular season, Houston had a defensive rating of 112.1, which ranked sixth in the league, and an offensive rating of 117.5, which ranked eighth in the NBA.

The Lakers finished with offensive and defensive ratings of 117.0 (10th) and 115.5 (20th), respectively. While that defensive rating for LA is discouraging and perhaps an indicator that they are not at the level needed to win, they did improve as the season went along.

Post All-Star break, their defensive rating was 113.4, good for 14th in the league. That’s still not ideal as a top-10 defense seems to be the standard for a Conference Finals appearance, but it’s progress.

For the Lakers to have postseason success, they’ll need to figure out how to elevate their play in both categories. And there are subcategories they need to improve on that will help them find success. Redick has mentioned wanting to improve their rebounding and turnovers in their series against Houston.

Based on how the 2020s have gone so far, it seems a top-10 offense is more likely to get you deep in the playoffs, but an elite defense is necessary to win it all.

So, the answer to what matters more between defense and offense is still a combination of both.

“I grew up in San Antonio, believing in and knowing that defense wins championships,” Pelicans head coach James Borrego said. “We always hung our hat on that end of the floor and I still believe that.

“But I think it’s a balance of both, and really leaning into the strength of your roster is where you need to lean. Every roster is built differently. Some’s a little bit more offensive. Some’s a little bit more defensive. To me, the best teams maximize the roster, though. They lean into the strength of their players and how they play together.”

If there is one thing Redick has done well, it is maximizing his team’s potential. He’s had back-to-back 50-win seasons with very different rosters and with major shake-ups midseason.

In the playoffs, with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves out indefinitely, he has to figure out how to balance both and get offensive production without his starting backcourt and come up with a defensive plan to stop Kevin Durant, who is one of the best scorers the league has ever seen.

It won’t be easy, but to have a long postseason run, the Lakers will have to find new solutions offensively and come up with enough defensive stops to make a run.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

Just two days remain until the beginning of the Knicks’ playoff journey against the Atlanta Hawks, and there are a lot of compelling storylines with this series.

While the Knicks are favored, national pundits believe this series will be among the closer ones in the first round of the NBA playoffs, so what do the Knicks need to do to silence the critics and get to Round 2 unscathed?

Controlling the Pace

There are inherent, stylistic differences between the Knicks and Hawks that will be apparent throughout the series.

The Knicks, despite their head coach being hired to increase the pace, remain a half-court-based offense that prefers to take its time to find the best shot. The head of the snake, Jalen Brunson, crosses half court with 16 on the shot clock every possession. 10.7 percent of their shot attempts are with four or fewer seconds on the shot clock, which is fifth in basketball. They’ve found a way to be a top-five offense with this strategy, so they haven’t tried to change it.

Compare that to Atlanta, which is fifth in the NBA in pace and will often try to sprint up the court regardless of how the previous possession ended to get into the frontcourt with 20 on the shot clock. The stylistic difference can be described best with this:

Percent of shot attempts with 4 and 7 or fewer seconds on the shot clock:
Knicks: 10.7%, 21.6%
Hawks: 7.7%, 13.3%

Percent of shots with at least 15 on the shot clock:
Knicks: 32.3%
Hawks: 41.6%

The Knicks take their time, the Hawks want to run. The Hawks are third in fastbreak points with 18.1, while the Knicks are 14th. Whoever is able to play their game will have a massive advantage in this series.

We saw this with the Pacers the last two seasons. The Knicks let them play to their pace and struggled mightily. The Knicks are vulnerable in transition defensively, but are able to sink their teeth in once they get in the halfcourt. The Knicks are the second-most efficient offense when it comes to shooting “grenades”, while the Hawks are middle-of-the-pack. They thrive when they have to make tough shots.

2025-26 Grenade Leaders…

⬆️ Higher eFG%
➡️ More Very Late Shotclock FGA

What stands out? pic.twitter.com/pszsMiPKZJ

— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) April 7, 2026

If the Knicks can hold down the Hawks in transition like they did down the stretch of these teams’ most recent meeting earlier this month, they’ll have a lot of success in this series.

Containing Nickeil Alexander-Walker

The easiest way an underdog can pull off an upset is a breakout performance that puts the league on notice. There aren’t many players capable of doing this on the Hawks, and as good as Jalen Johnson is, he isn’t a threat to average 30 for a series.

Alexander-Walker could be. The cousin of reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he left the shadows of Anthony Edwards in Minnesota and has done his best Jalen Brunson impression in thriving for his new team. He should win Most Improved Player and he showed what he can do when everything is clicking earlier this month against the Knicks:

Nickeil Alexander-Walker 36 PTS, 3 AST, 1 BLK, 12/19 FG, 7/11 3FG, 84.9% TS vs Knicks

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER. pic.twitter.com/lGZd58r59fhttps://t.co/8AJsCFrRYk

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) April 7, 2026

It wasn’t your typical “leave a role player open, and he makes you pay”; he was cooking on some high-difficulty shots. If the Hawks have any chance in this series, he needs to be going shot-for-shot with Brunson and not be sitting in the corner down the stretch, which is part of the reason the Hawks melted down late in the early April matchup.

Dominate the Paint

This one is pretty clear. One team has Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the other has Onyeka Okongwu and Tony Bradley. The Hawks just effectively ruled out Jock Landale for the series, so there’s no reinforcements coming for an overmatched Atlanta center rotation.

Towns has had two efficient and dominant games against the Hawks this season and Okongwu has had absolutely no answer for him. While they could switch a wing onto Towns and put Okongwu on Josh Hart, that won’t work out well for them if Towns is assertive with the ball in his hands. As for Robinson, the Hawks will need to put several bodies on him to keep him off the glass, but that might not even be enough.

If there is one thing that Mitchell Robinson will do, it's grab contested rebounds and make your favorite team's bigs feel small…

One of the best glass eaters of all time. pic.twitter.com/zgY9pHklRT

— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) April 15, 2026

On that note, the Hawks are bigger than the Knicks pretty much everywhere else but center, so the Knicks will need Robinson and Towns to gobble up boards and not let one of Atlanta’s wings pick up loose balls and run out in transition.

The NBA's 65-game rule, forcing players to play in at least 65 regular season games in order to be eligible for end-of-season awards, has received mixed reviews from fans and players.

Several fans believe it incentivizes stars to play in games, creating a better product for people in attendance. Others believe such a rule being implemented while individual players may have clauses in their contracts that offer bonuses for earning end-of-season awards creates a system that hurts players for situations that often are out of their control, such as injuries or family emergencies.

Well, it appears the NBA has heard these complaints and is making an adjustment.

Although neither the Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham nor the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic played in 65 regular season games, both have been reinstated for end-of-season awards.

Just in: The NBA and NBPA have ruled in favor of Lakers' Luka Doncic and Pistons' Cade Cunningham on their Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge for the 65-game award rule, making both eligible for all 2025-26 season honors such as MVP and All-NBA teams, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/gUYdUn1q4k

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 16, 2026

The NBA announced that Cunningham (63 games played) would be exempt "due in part to missing 12 games as a result of a collapsed lung that was diagnosed on March 17." Meanwhile Doncic (64 games played) earned exemption "due in part to missing two games to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia."

Here's what to know.

Will these exemption keep up moving forward?

The decisions to re-implement both Doncic and Cunningham came as part of the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) under the "extraordinary circumstances provision."

However, the league did not reveal what exactly constitutes an extraordinary circumstance, only that both Cunningham and Doncic applied.

That said, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards didn't receive an exemption. Edwards played in 60 games — or 61 when counting the game where he played only three minutes, which the league did not count — and filed "an extraordinary circumstances challenge under the CBA, seeking award eligibility before an independent arbitrator."

Why was Anthony Edwards denied?

Edwards missed 11 of the Timberwolves' final 14 games this season while dealing with a right knee injury. Furthermore, several of those games missed were in an effort to ensure Edwards would be good to go for the playoffs.

Edwards also missed time due to hamstring issues and illnesses earlier in the season.

Despite this, Edwards still played 2,137 minutes on the season, more than other players who are qualified for end-of-season awards like Kawhi Leonard, Victor Wembanyama and LaMelo Ball.

Will Doncic, Cunningham win any awards?

While neither player is likely to win MVP, both players will likely be named to All-NBA teams, which qualify under the 65-game rule. Edwards will not be eligible.

Edwards' ineligibility actually hurts his future. An All-NBA selection for Edwards would have ensured the 24-year-old supermax contract eligibility when he is eligible for a new contract in the 2027 offseason. While Edwards can still earn his third all-NBA bid next season, it puts added pressure on him to succeed. Furthermore, there is also the possibility that another injury forces him out of significant time next season, which could yet again cost him another All-NBA selection.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham eligible for NBA awards after appeal

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Steve Kerr reacts to Steph Curry’s 35-point night in Warriors’ 126-121 Play-In win vs. Clippers: “This is why Steph came back.”
• Kawhi Leonard compliments Draymond Green for his defensive performance against him.
• Sixers secure the 7th seed in the East after beating the Magic, 109-97. 

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr didn’t need many words to convey what Stephen Curry did on Wednesday night.

After the Warriors kept their season alive with a 126-121 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the Play-In Tournament, Kerr’s postgame message said everything about Curry’s performance, and why it mattered so much for the superstar point guard to play again this season.

"This is why Steph came back."

Steve Kerr shared a blunt message to the people who wanted Steph Curry to sit out the rest of the season pic.twitter.com/mdTBjC0BeK

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 16, 2026

For weeks, there was outside noise suggesting Golden State should shut Curry down as he worked his way back from a knee injury that sidelined him for 27 games to close the regular season. Instead, he delivered the exact kind of performance that made that idea look foolish, finishing with a game-high 35 points to lead the Warriors to a comeback win when the team needed him the most.

Warriors INCREDIBLE COMEBACK in the fourth to beat Clippers in Play-In 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/zaUh91xdnJ

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 16, 2026

"These nights make everything worth it." 🙌

Steph Curry reflects on the Warriors win tonight along with their journey this season. pic.twitter.com/BqGC72rXEh

— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 16, 2026

Draymond Green — who had an excellent night himself on the defensive end — echoed Kerr’s sentiment, pointing to Curry’s presence as the key difference in high-pressure moments like this.

"When Steph's on the floor, you always have a chance."

Draymond on Steph's inspiring road to recovery 👏 https://t.co/ArwkSO5BtRpic.twitter.com/GFuPfocpIe

— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2026

That’s what superstars do in win-or-go-home games.

And with the season on the line, Curry reminded everyone exactly why the Warriors were willing to ride this out.

C'MON!

That was fun 🤩 pic.twitter.com/tp51HdGZoJ

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 16, 2026

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, April 16th:

Warriors News:

Warriors rally over Clippers in 4th to advance in play-in | ESPN

Kerr gave a postgame speech to the team in the locker room, stating that it was one of his favorite wins of this Warriors run that has lasted longer than a decade.

Kerr’s coaching future is uncertain. The 37 wins were the second-fewest in his 12-season tenure. The core is aging. Injuries caught up this year. But Kerr felt they’d turned back the clock for a night to remind the world what they were in their prime.

“There’s a reason we have four championships,” Kerr said. “With all the wins we’ve ever had here — a lot of them with a lot more at stake – this is right up there. Just because of where we are and our age and the decline of our performance this year and our injuries. It was just a beautiful display of competitive will.”

Al Horford, Kristaps Porziņģis provide big boost in comeback win over Clippers | The Athletic

“I had flashbacks to Game 1 in the ’22 Finals,” Curry said, referencing when Horford, then a member of the Boston Celtics, racked up 26 points and hit six 3-pointers in a win over Curry and the Warriors. “Because it was just like that, where all of a sudden — he was 0-for-3 at one point from 3, and then he hits the first one. It was just a sign of how confident he was shooting it. There was no hesitation, there was no doubt. There was just ‘I’m open. I’ll shoot it.’”

Kawhi Leonard compliments Draymond Green’s defense: “It was hard to even get shots up”

Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green exchange compliments about one another following an epic @SoFi Play-In 👏 https://t.co/LFqgSBDgLYpic.twitter.com/eUfXCC9d3A

— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2026

NBA News:

Tyrese Maxey scores 31 and Sixers beat Magic 109-97 to advance out of SoFi Play-In Tournament | NBA

Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, V.J. Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers weathered the absence of Joel Embiid to beat the Orlando Magic 109-97 on Wednesday night and secure the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Sixers moved on to a first-round series that begins Sunday at Boston.

Desmond Bane and the Magic aren’t done yet. They will host Charlotte on Friday night in the SoFi Play-In Tournament finale, with the winner earning the No. 8 seed in the East and a first-round matchup with Detroit.

Hornets’ LaMelo Ball fined for tripping Heat’s Bam Adebayo during first round play-in game

The NBA is fining Charlotte's LaMelo Ball $35,000 for his trip of Miami's Bam Adebayo and upgrading the action to a Flagrant, plus fining him $25,000 for cursing postgame, sources tell ESPN.

$60K in fines, Flagrant. No suspension. pic.twitter.com/7oCyuFbxim

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 16, 2026

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Warriors vs. Clippers player grades: Steph Curry and Draymond Green turn back the clock

Porziņģis looked like his All-Star self in this game. He had numerous highlight defensive plays, single-handedly ending multiple Clippers possessions that looked like easy buckets. He was a walking bucket, scoring from all over the court, largely within the system but also taking matters into his own hands when it was needed. And he had some passes that made your eyes pop wide open.

It was a complete — and completely excellent — performance. And it left no doubt as to whether or not the Warriors will make re-signing Porziņģis a priority this coming offseason.

Grade: A+

Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.