OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder began their title defense with a 119-84 rout of the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Sunday.
The reigning league MVP made just 5 of 18 field goals but went 15 of 17 at the foul line before sitting out the fourth quarter.
Jalen Williams scored 22 points and Chet Holmgren added 16 for the top-seeded Thunder, who will host Game 2 on Wednesday.
Devin Booker scored 23 points and Dillon Brooks scored 18 on 6-of-22 shooting for the Suns, who shot 34.9% from the field.
Phoenix broke out to a 5-0 lead as the Thunder started cold following a week off.
Oklahoma City heated up quickly. Brooks was called for a flagrant-one foul in the first quarter for hitting Holmgren in the face. The Thunder went on a 12-2 surge after that to take a 24-14 lead.
CELTICS 123, 76ERS 91
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in his first playoff game since rupturing his right Achilles tendon last season, and Boston rolled past Philadelphia in Game 1 of the first-round series.
Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Neemias Queta added 13 for the second-seeded Celtics.
Tatum scored 21 points in the first half, playing in just his 17th game this season following surgery last May to repair his Achilles tendon.
Boston never trailed, building a 35-point lead as coach Joe Mazzulla gave minutes to 12 players. The Celtics connected on 16 3-pointers.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Boston.
Tyrese Maxey had 21 points and eight assists for the 76ers, who played without Joel Embiid. The 2023 MVP continues to recover following an appendectomy on April 9. It’s unclear when he will be able to return.
Paul George scored 17 points and V.J. Edgecombe added 13. Philadelphia was 4 of 23 from 3-point range.
Maxey was hounded by a Celtics defense that contested 12 of his 14 shot attempts in the first half and held him to 8 of 20 from the field.
Philadelphia’s 64-46 halftime deficit was its largest in a playoff game against Boston since 1982.
MAGIC. 112, PISTONS 101
DETROIT (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists to lead eighth-seeded Orlando to a win over top-seeded Detroit in Game 1 of their first-round series, extending the longest home playoff losing streak in NBA history.
Detroit has dropped 11 straight home games in the postseason, a drought that dates to 2008.
The Pistons will get another chance against Orlando on Wednesday night in Game 2.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham scored a playoff career-high 39 points and Tobias Harris added 17 for the Pistons, but the rest of their teammates were quiet offensively.
Franz Wagner scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory for the Magic, who never trailed. Orlando’s Desmond Bane and Wendell Carter scored 17 points each and Jalen Suggs had 16.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 18: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defends Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena on April 18, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business in Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors. They kept Toronto from getting out in transition, forced them to play in the half-court, and then were able to out-execute them there on both sides of the court.
The Raptors desperately missed Immanuel Quickley in Game 1, who was out with a hamstring injury. His three-point shooting and quickness in the open court were things the team could’ve used. Toronto head coach Darko Rajaković mentioned before Saturday’s game that he was getting better even though he wasn’t able to go on Saturday. Quickly is once again questionable for Game 2.
The Cavs, meanwhile, have a clean injury report for the second game in a row. Thomas Bryant is the only player unavailable. He will be missing the game with a hamstring injury.
We’ll see if the Cavaliers can repeat Saturday’s success in Game 2 and grab a 2-0 series lead.
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It is one of the tightest, best three-way MVP races in recent memory between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama.
Which is why it's no shock that those three were the top three vote-getters and are the finalists for Most Valuable Player, as the NBA released the finalists for all its awards this season.
Here is the full list (players listed in alphabetical order).
Most Valuable Player
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Rookie of the Year
VJ Edgecombe (76ers) Cooper Flagg (Mavericks) Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
Defensive Player of the Year
Chet Holmgren (Thunder) Ausar Thompson (Pistons) Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Coach of the Year
J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons) Mitch Johnson (Spurs) Joe Mazzulla (Celtics)
Tim Hardaway Jr. (Nuggets) Jamie Jaquez Jr. (Heat) Keldon Johnson (Spurs)
Clutch Player Of the Year
Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
Five of the awards will be announced this week:
MON: Defensive Player of the Year (on Peacock) TUE: Clutch Player of the Year (on Peacock) WED: Sixth Man Award THU: NBA Sportsmanship Award FRI: Most Improved Player
Nothing is shocking on these lists. Which means no Lakers fans, Luka Doncic was not snubbed. As fantastic as he was this season, and even if he had played the final handful of games, he was half a step behind the top three in terms of consistency and two-way impact. Fifth in MVP voting will be Cade Cunningham or Jaylen Brown, but expect the Pistons' All-Star to get the nod.
The first weekend of the 2026 NBA playoffs has wrapped up, with each first-round series having one game completed.
And, thus far, all but one of the higher seeds have taken care of home-court advantage, but the playoffs are a long haul and series can change on an instant.
This may be disappointing to the rest of the league, but arguably no team was as impressive as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who dominated in their postseason opener. The top seed in the Eastern Conference cannot say the same.
So what, exactly, can be gleaned from the early games of the playoffs? Plenty.
Here are the winners and losers from the first weekend of the 2026 NBA playoffs:
WINNERS
The unlikely Magic steal one
Let’s be honest: the Pistons probably still win this series. But this is a massive game for Orlando, whose coach, Jamahl Mosley, came into the playoffs facing some pressure about his future. The Magic excelled in the paint, on both ends, despite Detroit leading the NBA this season with 57.9 points in the paint per game. On Sunday, Orlando held the Pistons to just 34 points in the paint and generated a 20-point advantage in the category.
All five Magic starters reached double-figures in scoring, and Orlando – which plays a similar style as Detroit – showed it won’t just roll over.
Jayson Tatum
What he’s doing, 11 months removed from a torn Achilles, is nothing short of spectacular. Tatum shined in his return to the playoffs, posting an all-around efficient game of 25 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. His day would’ve been even better had he not shot 1-of-7 from 3-point range, but Boston looked every part of a legitimate threat in the East in its commanding win Sunday over Sixers.
Knicks defensive versatility
Speaking of contenders in the East, the Knicks sent a message Saturday against an upstart Hawks squad that can generate offense from different sources. New York harassed the Hawks, deploying Josh Hart on Jalen Johnson, which allowed OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to fly around the perimeter and smother other weapons. Even Karl-Anthony Towns made his presence felt with a team-high 3 blocks.
The Nuggets-Timberwolves series
This is, by far, the gem of the round. They’re frequent opponents, having met in three of the last four playoffs. These are fierce, competitive teams that don’t like each other. And these teams are fairly evenly matched. The play was physical, chippy and compelling, and there’s no shortage of star power. The rest of the series should be fascinating.
Donovan Mitchell is on a mission
Although he has put up statistically impressive performances in the postseason, Donovan Mitchell often draws criticism because his teams have never gotten past the second round. Mitchell appears determined to erase that narrative; in Game 1 on Saturday, Mitchell dropped 32 points and 4 assists on the Raptors. He, James Harden and backup guard Max Strus combined to shoot 12-of-20 (60%) from beyond the arc.
So are the Oklahoma City Thunder
The defending champions looked hungry, efficient and cohesive in a 35-point blowout victory over the Suns. The defense, unsurprisingly, was oppressive, holding Phoenix to just 34.9% shooting. That, plus the 17 turnovers Oklahoma City forced, opened the path for easier transition points, with the Thunder taking an 18-2 edge on fastbreak points.
LOSERS
A stunning letdown for the Detroit Pistons
Sunday’s shocking 8 vs. 1 upset exposed some of Detroit’s issues. For one, the Pistons clearly need more shooting. Cade Cunningham posted a monster game with 39 points, five rebounds and assists, but his supporting cast let him down. All-Star center Jalen Duren was mostly a non-factor, and Tobias Harris was the only other player to reach double-figures in scoring.
Credit the Magic for their defense, but the Pistons looked flat, almost like they were the ones who had to roll through the Play-In Tournament. Detroit had the week off and entered as 8.5-point favorites. Instead, the Pistons lost their 11th consecutive home playoff game and now have to search for answers. And, to be frank, it makes it feel like Boston is the team to beat in the East.
Lower seeds
The first round of the playoffs tends to produce expected results, and this year has been no exception. Through the Thunder-Suns game, higher seeds are a combined 6-1, and the games, in many cases, have been lopsided. The combined average margin of victory so far has been 17.4 points.
The Houston Rockets
Yes, Kevin Durant was out. But their opponent, the Lakers, was missing Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique), the highest-scoring duo in the NBA this season. And, yet, the Rockets, a team that tied for fifth in defensive rating (112.1), allowed the Lakers to shoot 60.6% from the field, including 52.6% from 3-point range. Houston let Luke Kennard, a solid, role-playing shooter, hit all five of his 3-pointers for a playoff career-high of 27 points.
Arguably more disappointing was Houston’s lack of offensive cohesion. Often, players appeared to be ball watching and waiting for iso opportunities. The problem, however, was that the Rockets shot just 37.6% from the floor.
The 76ers without Joel Embiid
It’s clear that Philadelphia is going to struggle without its big man. Embiid (appendectomy) finished the regular season strongly, generating 28.6 points per game over his last five games played. The issue, as it has been with Embiid, is that he has been so infrequently available.
Against the impressive defense that the Celtics bring, there’s simply no way the 76ers can compete without Embiid. According to ESPN, Embiid hasn’t even started basketball activities for his return and may miss the entire first round. The Sixers, almost certainly, will be eliminated at that point, anyway.
Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels
Risacher, the 2025 No. 1 overall selection, played just 2:29 on Saturday against the Knicks and missed badly on his three shot attempts, two of which were point blank. Though he played far more, Daniels, similarly, forced difficult shots and couldn’t settle into a rhythm. The pair combined to go 2-of-10 for 4 points, though Daniels did dish out 11 assists and haul in 9 rebounds.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 18: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to making a shot during the first half of Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on April 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With two of the Lakers’ big three out, LeBron James finds himself once again asked to be anything and everything for the purple and gold.
That would normally be a ton of pressure to put on one player in the postseason, but LeBron is not your typical athlete.
In Game 1 against the Rockets, he didn’t throw up a bunch of shots to try to make up for the production Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves typically provide.
Instead, he activated his point guard mode and got everyone involved. LeBron had eight assists in the first quarter, which was the most assists he’s had in any quarter in his playoff career.
As the contest progressed, LeBron began looking for his shot. He dominated inside the paint and shot 9-15 from the field. James also had a pair of steals, a block, eight rebounds and the best plus-minus on the team at +11.
After the victory, LeBron talked about his role on this team and how he can help uplift the shorthanded Lakers.
“Well, for me, I got to do a little bit of everything,” LeBron said. “That’s what the job requires. So it’s being a triple threat, being able to rebound, being able to pass, being able to shoot, also defend, put myself in a position where I can bring value to this ball club, bring value to this team throughout this series.
“It’s going to be a game-to-game situation to see how the game plays out. I don’t predetermine what I’m going to do. The only thing that’s predetermined in my game is how I prepare. I’ll prepare before I get to the game and then once I get out there, it’s all about reading and reacting, understanding situations. I’ve been in every situation you could ever imagined as a basketball player, so there’s nothing that can surprise me.”
As the league’s oldest player and a four-time NBA champion, LeBron is an amazing option as your leader. He’s seen all the highs and lows and isn’t just a vocal leader but also an All-Star player producing on the court.
The Lakers had a nice break between their last regular-season game and their first playoff contest, and James was a big reason why the Lakers looked so sharp after some time off.
“He displayed great leadership throughout,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “We talked all week about being connected offensively and trusting the pass and he led us there in the first half, getting 10 assists and then was able to make some scoring plays down the stretch. Just a fantastic overall game from him and he gave us all he had on the defensive end. He really exerted himself on both ends and that’s what the playoffs are.”
It’s going to be an uphill battle for the Lakers to win this series, but this was as good a start as anyone could ask for. If James can keep this up and his teammates follow, then the Lakers will maximize what they can do this postseason.
The Atlanta Hawks were excellent against the spread down the stretch, and despite getting smoked in the second half of Game 1 vs. the New York Knicks, they will be competitive in this series, particularly in Game 2.
With Nickeil Alexander-Walker coming off an uncharacteristically poor shooting night, we're building an SGP banking on a bounce-back game from the guard en route to cashing the Over.
I picked the Atlanta Hawks to cover the same 5.5-point spread in Game 1, and they lost by 11. But I’m not deterred, as Atlanta has a clear path to making this one more competitive.
The Hawks were a putrid 12 of 19 from the charity stripe, falling well below their season average of 77.4%.
The New York Knicks hit 25 of 30 free throws, and Atlanta can do a better job at limiting opportunities there. The Hawks went 18-8 against the spread between the All-Star break and the end of the season, and I expect them to keep this one close as they look to avoid a 2-0 hole.
The Hawks and Knicks faced off four times this season, finishing with combined game totals of 215, 213, 210, and 253. Game 1 finished just a bucket shy of hitting the Over, and I’m betting on that extra bucket in Game 2.
Atlanta’s shooting was off, as the team hit just 44% of their field-goal attempts, and leading scorer Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with only 17 points on a miserable 6-for-17 shooting. A slightly more efficient offensive attack from the visitors should push this one to hit the Over.
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DENVER , CO - APRIL 18: Jaden McDaniels (3) of the Minnesota Timberwolves defends Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) | Denver Post via Getty Images
Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets Date: April 20th, 2026 Time: 9:30 PM CDT Location: Ball Arena Television Coverage: NBC, Peacock
Game 1 in Denver was the kind of playoff loss that sticks with you.
Not because the Timberwolves got run off the floor. Not because they looked hopelessly outclassed. In some ways, that would have been easier to process. No, what made Saturday afternoon so maddening was that Minnesota showed us enough to make the loss feel avoidable. They came out looking like the sharper, faster, more urgent team. They built a 12-point lead. Nikola Jokic looked winded. The Denver crowd had that nervous, unsettled murmur that only comes when a favorite realizes the underdog may have actually shown up with a knife.
And then, little by little, possession by possession, whistle by whistle, the game slipped.
You can tell the story of Game 1 in two ways.
The generous version is the one Wolves fans have been angrily rehearsing ever since the final buzzer. It starts with the officiating, which was not just bad, but the kind of bad that makes you start wondering whether the refs were trying to set a record for most momentum-killing whistles in one afternoon. From the jump, it was obvious Minnesota was going to have to play this game while wearing ankle weights. Five team fouls within minutes of the opening quarter. Denver in the bonus before either team had really found an offensive rhythm. Jamal Murray living at the free-throw line like he had purchased a condo there, finishing with 16 attempts by himself, nearly matching Minnesota’s entire team total. The Nuggets shot 33 free throws to the Wolves’ 19, and in a game that was there for the taking late, that is not a side note. That is central to the story.
Then there was the Jaden McDaniels flagrant, which belonged in a museum exhibit titled How to Completely Misread a Basketball Play. Murray leapt forward, clearly initiating the contact, clearly landing inside the three line after starting his shot outside, and somehow the result was a flagrant on McDaniels. It was absurd. Worse than absurd, it was deflating. A well-defended miss converted to three points and the ball for Denver.
And yes, that stuff matters. It matters in the box score, where Denver got a pile of free points despite not shooting especially well. It matters in the defensive intensity, because once Minnesota realized every hard contest might become a foul and every foul might become an escalation, they were forced to defend with one hand tied behind their back. It matters emotionally too. You could feel the frustration building. You could see it in McDaniels shoving Jokic in the back. You could see it in the body language. You could feel a team trying not to boil over and, in the process, losing some of the edge it needed to survive.
Then there is the second part of the generous version: Anthony Edwards’ health.
Wolves fans spent the last couple of weeks convincing themselves that the late-season rest was going to be a blessing, that Ant’s knee would heal, that the version of him we would see in the playoffs would be the fresh, spring-loaded monster this team needs. And to his credit, there were flashes. He had some pop. There were moments where he attacked and you could see flashes of his greatness. But if you watched closely, you also saw the pain. The flinch on landings. The moments where he clearly was not fully himself. And when you are playing Denver, when the other side has Jokic operating at full power and Murray getting every whistle known to mankind, “not fully yourself” is a major problem.
That is the generous version.
It is also incomplete.
Because if Minnesota wants to get back in this series, it has to spend a lot less time talking about what happened to them and a lot more time correcting what they did to themselves.
The officials were awful. Edwards is clearly less than 100 percent. Both things can be true. But neither of those facts explains why the Wolves, after building that early lead, let the game turn into exactly the kind of half-court slog Denver wants. Neither of them explains the stagnant second quarter, when the pace dropped, the ball stopped moving, and the offense began to look like a collection of individual errands instead of a coordinated attack. Neither explains the third quarter, when Minnesota more or less donated the game by allowing a 17-2 run in which the offense shriveled into lazy isolation possessions and the defense cracked just enough for Denver to smell blood.
That stretch decided the game.
Not the first-quarter whistles. Not the Jaden flagrant. Not even Ant’s knee, really.
The Wolves looked like the better team when they were pushing tempo, playing in space, and forcing Denver to sprint. They looked like a team pushing Jokic to his limit, making him run, making him work, making him defend. Then they just… stopped. They let Denver catch its breath. They let the ball stick. They settled for ugly shots. They stopped making the Nuggets move defensively. They essentially invited a more composed, more experienced team back into the exact game environment it wanted.
And Chris Finch, to be honest, did not do much to stop the avalanche. That part matters too.
So now here they are, down 0-1, heading into a Game 2 that has all the emotional subtlety of a car crash. This is the swing game. Lose it, and you are asking this team to beat a very hot Denver squad four times in five games, with the Nuggets riding what would then be a 14-game winning streak. Sure, anything is possible. Kevin Garnett taught us that. But that is not a sentence you want to be clinging to when you are staring down a giant in the first round.
Game 2 is not technically must-win, but emotionally and mathematically, it sure as hell feels like it.
So with that, here are the keys to the game.
1. Push the pace.
This is non-negotiable.
The first quarter told the whole story. When the Wolves were flying, Denver looked vulnerable. Jokic looked human. He was huffing. He was laboring. He was being forced into the kind of game he does not love: one played at a pace where his genius still matters, but his conditioning gets tested and his margin for error narrows.
Minnesota cannot let this become a walking game.
The altitude is real. The temptation to conserve energy is real. But the Wolves are younger, longer, and more athletic than this Denver team, and if they are going to win this series, they have to weaponize that advantage. Every miss has to become a sprint. Every rebound has to turn into an opportunity. They need to run after makes if they can. They need to turn this into a game where Jokic has to log extra miles, not just extra touches. You beat Jokic by making him carry an exhausting burden for 48 minutes and then asking him to do it again two days later.
Minnesota eased off that pressure after the first quarter. It cannot happen again.
2. Move the ball like your season depends on it, because it kind of does
Denver’s defense is not some impenetrable wall. This is not 2004 Detroit. This is a unit that can be manipulated, stretched, and made uncomfortable, but only if you make it work.
The Wolves did not do that consistently in Game 1.
Too much of the offense became stagnant, especially once the initial burst wore off. Too many possessions ended with Ant or Julius Randle dribbling into a crowded floor and trying to solve the problem themselves. Too many possessions died before they really started. And the tragedy of it is that Minnesota has too many capable offensive pieces for that kind of nonsense to be necessary.
Donte DiVincenzo was feeling it, starting 4/4 from beyond the arc. But Minnesota never capitalized on his hot hand because the ball would not move. The Wolves are at their best when the rock is snapping around, when they force the defense to rotate twice instead of once, when the offense feels like five guys participating in the same idea instead of one guy improvising while everyone else watches.
This team cannot afford sticky offense. It needs drive-and-kick, swing-swing, relocate, attack-closeout basketball. It needs to make Denver guard every inch of the floor, every second of the shot clock.
If the Wolves do that, they will get clean looks. If they don’t, they are making life far too easy on a defense that should be under more stress than it was in Game 1.
3. Close out with purpose.
The Nuggets did not torch Minnesota from three in Game 1. In some ways, that’s the scary part.
Because if you rewatch the game, you see all kinds of open or semi-open looks that Denver simply did not cash in at its normal clip. And if you are the Wolves, that should terrify you more than it comforts you. You cannot build your survival plan around the idea that Denver will keep missing makeable shots.
The closeouts were not good enough. The urgency was not sharp enough. The Wolves were so focused on the interior pressure from Jokic that they sometimes lost the thread on the perimeter. That is understandable. It is also deadly.
Denver’s wings and guards need to feel crowded. Jamal Murray cannot be allowed to rise into clean rhythm shots. Cam Johnson cannot be casually stepping into open threes. Bruce Brown cannot be operating like this is a warmup line. If Denver is going to hit shots, fine. Make them hit them over hands, over bodies, over full-speed closeouts that force them to actually earn it.
Soft perimeter defense is how you lose to Denver in five. Contested, miserable, exhausting perimeter defense is how you make them sweat.
4. Get all three bigs involved, not just Rudy
Rudy Gobert was magnificent in Game 1. He was exactly what the Wolves needed, present, physical, engaged, and more than willing to throw his whole body into the problem that is Nikola Jokic. For all the Rudy discourse that inevitably bubbles up around playoff time, this was one of those games where he reminded everyone why he matters so much. Without him, this thing could have gotten ugly fast.
But that is also the problem.
Minnesota cannot waste that kind of Rudy game. It cannot get one-third of the frontcourt equation right and expect that to be enough. Julius Randle has to be better. He has to be more disciplined offensively, more engaged defensively, and more connected to the overall flow of the game. He cannot spend possessions trying to force his way into a contested look when a kick-out or secondary action is there waiting. He needs to keep the bully-ball aggression while stripping out the nonsense. Attack with purpose. Rebound with force. Defend like the game matters.
Naz Reid has to show up too. The bench was too quiet, and Naz is too important for that to happen. This is the exact kind of series where he can swing a quarter, with his scoring, his spacing, his size, his general Big Jelly skills. The Wolves need him aggressive, not passive. They need him hunting offense, not floating around the perimeter waiting for someone else to rescue the possession.
One big monster game from Rudy will not carry this series. Minnesota needs the three-headed monster it built for exactly this kind of matchup.
5. Anthony Edwards has to seize the series, even if he is hurting
This is the hard one, because it is the least fair and the most true.
Yes, Edwards is hurt. Yes, it is obvious. Yes, he deserves credit for playing through it. But the Wolves are not winning this series with the version of Ant they got in Game 1. They just aren’t.
He has to be better. He has to impose himself on the game offensively, and he has to do it in a way that does not devolve into desperate hero ball. He needs to attack. He needs to get downhill. He needs to draw two defenders and create for teammates. He needs to hit enough jumpers to keep Denver honest and enough free throws to keep the scoreboard moving. He needs to defend like a star who understands that this is not just about scoring.
And most of all, he needs to make everyone leave Game 2 thinking he was the best player on the floor.
That is a gigantic ask when Jokic exists. It is still the ask.
Because that is what stars are for in a series like this. Not to keep you respectable. To change what feels possible.
This is where Ant’s postseason reputation gets sharpened or stalled. If he comes out aggressive, explosive, and fully engaged on both ends, Minnesota can absolutely steal this game. If he drifts, if he settles, if the knee prevents him from attacking with conviction, then the entire burden falls on a team that has not shown enough consistency to survive without him at full tilt.
This is his moment whether it feels fair or not.
And now for the big picture.
The Wolves got a rotten whistle in Game 1. That is real. They got a less-than-healthy version of Edwards. That is real too. But none of that changes the central fact: they had opportunities, and they let too many of them slip. That is why they are down 0-1. That is why Game 2 feels like a cliff edge.
You can point at the refs. You can point at the knee. You can point at the variance. At some point, though, every finger has to turn back toward Minnesota. Because this series is still right there, but only if they decide to take hold of it. Only if they play the kind of locked-in, apex Timberwolves basketball they have teased often enough to make all of us crazy.
If they do that, if they clean up the offense, sustain the pace, support Rudy, and get a true Ant game, then they can absolutely walk out of Denver with home-court advantage and turn Target Center into a madhouse for Game 3.
If they don’t, then they have painted themselves into the corner they spent all season pretending they could always escape from later.
It is gut-check time now.
Not in theory. Not in some abstract “eventually this team will need to grow up” way.
Right now.
Monday night. Denver. Season hanging in the balance more than anyone wants to admit.
Mar 19, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forwards Keldon Johnson (3) and Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrate in the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
The NBA announced the first batch of finalists for regular-season awards, and two Spurs made the cut. Unsurprisingly, Victor Wembanyama is one of the three finalists for Defensive Player of the Year, while Keldon Johnson is among the finalists for Sixth Man of the Year.
Wembanyama is the prohibitive favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, but will have to beat out the Pistons’ Ausar Thompson and the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren, who were also named finalists. All three of the top defenses in the league are getting one representative. The biggest snub is Rudy Gobert, who kept an inconsistent Timberwolves team in the top 10 in defensive efficiency and has won the award four times in the past.
The 2025-26 Finalists for Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Things are different for Keldon Johnson. He clearly deserved to be named a finalist, but his chances are not as good as Wembanyama’s to claim the award. He’ll be competing with the Nuggets’ Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., who appears to be the favorite to get the hardware. Jaquez’s edge comes in offensive production, while Johnson’s case relies heavily on team success. Either would make a good pick.
The 2025-26 Finalists for Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
Anthony Edwards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Jamal Murray
The finalists for Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Most Valuable Player of the 2025/26 season will be announced at halftime of the Pistons – Magic game. Mitch Johnson and Victor Wembanyama have decent chances of being named finalists in two of the categories, while it’s likely Dylan Harper is going to miss the cut on Rookie of the Year, largely because of his small role on a contending team.
Victor Wembanyama averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, one steal, and a league-leading 3.1 blocks per game in the 2025/26 season.
Keldon Johnson averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 52 percent from the floor and suiting up for all 82 games.
The 2026 NBA MVP will be decided between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic or Victor Wembanyama.
Finalists for all of the league's end-of-season awards were announced on April 19 during NBC's "NBA Showtime" broadcast on April 19. Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Clutch Player of the Year and Most Improved Player were announced before tip-off of Game 1 of the playoff series between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic, while the most prestigious honors — MVP, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year — were revealed at halftime.
In addition to MVP, Wembanyama is also a finalist for DPOY, while Gilgeous-Alexander is in the running for Clutch Player of the Year.
Neither Luka Doncic nor Cade Cunningham made the top three for Most Valuable Player despite each being granted an extraordinary circumstances waiver, though they will likely round out the top five in the final voting.
Here are the finalists announced for the NBA's individual awards:
NBA MVP Finalists
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Rookie of the Year
VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
Coach of the Year
JB Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons
Mitch Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics
Defensive Player of the Year
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Sixth Man of the Year
Tim Hardaway Jr., Denver Nuggets
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
Clutch Player of the Year
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Most Improved Player
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta Hawks
Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers
Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
Who is ineligible for NBA awards this season?
Here are some notable players who were ineligible for end-of-season individual awards and All-NBA teams due to not meeting the league's 65-game requirement:
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (more on him below)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Though Edwards only played in 59 games this season, Clutch Player of the Year does not have a 65-game requirement.
Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham both fell just short of 65 games, but are eligible for awards after being granted an Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge exception.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had a vision when they traded for Ayo Dosunmu in February, but that vision was not realized much in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets.
If Minnesota wants to spring the upset in this series, it needs to run.
Anthony Edwards emphasizes rebounding in the postseason, averaging better than seven boards per game in each of the last two postseasons. Not coincidentally, the Minnesota Timberwolves ran to the Western Conference Finals each of the last two years.
Against the Denver Nuggets, the Timberwolves as a whole need to emphasize transition opportunities.
How many players do the Nuggets really want to play? Jonas Valanciunas saw less than eight minutes in Game 1, while Spencer Jones played nine. Effectively, Denver had a seven-man rotation, led by Nikola Jokic at more than 40 minutes.
Minnesota goes at least eight deep and could stretch to 10 if Kyle Anderson and Bones Hyland are given some runway. Both Anderson and Hyland help the Timberwolves in transition, the former via quick thinking off rebounds and the latter via a general helter-skelter approach.
More Anderson and Hyland will not necessarily come at the expense of Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu. In fact, more transition opportunities will highlight the duo.
The best Minnesota adjustment from Game 1 should create a pathway to cash this same-game parlay that already came home once in this series.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder began their title defense with a 119-84 rout of the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Sunday.
The reigning league MVP made just 5 of 18 field goals but went 15 of 17 at the foul line before sitting out the fourth quarter.
Jalen Williams scored 22 points and Chet Holmgren added 16 for the top-seeded Thunder, who will host Game 2 on Wednesday.
Devin Booker scored 23 points and Dillon Brooks scored 18 on 6-of-22 shooting for the Suns, who shot 34.9% from the field.
Phoenix broke out to a 5-0 lead as the Thunder started cold following a week off.
Oklahoma City heated up quickly. Brooks was called for a flagrant-one foul in the first quarter for hitting Holmgren in the face. The Thunder went on a 12-2 surge after that to take a 24-14 lead.
In the closing seconds of the quarter, Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams threw a pass about three-quarters of the length of the court. Holmgren caught it with his back to the basket, took one dribble to his right, then turned and drained a 3-pointer as time expired to put Oklahoma City up 35-20.
Oklahoma City extended the advantage to 65-44 at halftime. Holmgren had 16 points and Gilgeous-Alexander had 15 at the break.
Gilgeous-Alexander converted a three-point play to push Oklahoma City’s lead to 90-63 late in the third quarter, and the Thunder took a 97-66 edge into the fourth.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 19: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round One Game One of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 19, 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
The Phoenix Suns, after earning their way in through the Play-In, opened their postseason on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It went about how you would expect. The game was never close, as Oklahoma City handled business and rolled to a 119-84 win.
There were issues everywhere you looked. The Thunder dominated the possession battle, outscoring Phoenix 34-2 on points off turnovers. They added 18-2 in fast break points, 52-24 in the paint, and 40-24 in bench scoring. The Suns shot 34.9% from the field and turned it over 17 times, while Oklahoma City had six turnovers.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Dillon Brooks had 18, and Jalen Green added 17. Brooks and Green combined to go 12-of-38 (32%) from the field. Nothing came easy. The Suns could not find it from deep, and when they tried to attack inside, the Thunder were waiting. Oklahoma City finished with seven blocks, controlling the paint on both ends.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 25 points, 15 of those at the line. Jalen Williams added 22 points, seven rebounds, and six assists as Oklahoma City took Game 1.
Phoenix now trails the series 0-1, with Game 2 set for Wednesday, back in Oklahoma City.
Game Flow
First Half
The news came about an hour before tipoff that the Phoenix Suns would once again be without Mark Williams, which meant another start for Oso Ighodaro.
Phoenix opened on a 5-0 run, but the early possessions felt loose. Turnovers crept in right away, the kind that live in the middle of the floor and turn into easy points the other way. The Oklahoma City Thunder cashed in, pushing in transition and flipping those mistakes into quick buckets.
Dillon Brooks brought the expected edge. With 7:04 left in the first quarter, after a turnover, he swiped at the ball and caught Chet Holmgren across the face. The whistle came quick. Flagrant foul, penalty 1.
With 6:47 left in the first quarter, the Thunder were already at the line. Meanwhile, the Suns were still waiting for a whistle to go their way. It fed into a 9-0 run for OKC, and before Phoenix could settle in, they were staring at a double-digit deficit.
The offense went cold in a hurry. Phoenix had 8 straight misses. That opened the door for a 17-2 Thunder run in the middle of the quarter, and the lead kept climbing.
Phoenix finished the quarter with 4 turnovers, and those turned into 8 points for Oklahoma City. Every mistake had a consequence. The Thunder also lived in the paint, piling up 18 points inside. After that early 5- 0 start, the Suns were outscored 35-15 the rest of the way.
Devin Booker had 8 in the quarter. Jalen Green added 6. On the other side, Chet Holmgren poured in 13, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander chipped in 8.
After one, Phoenix trailed 35-20.
The second quarter opened with a flagrant on the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Isaiah Hartenstein caught Royce O’Neale in the face. Two free throws and the ball. And of course, Royce split the pair.
Another run came from the Oklahoma City Thunder, this one an 8-0 burst while Devin Booker sat, and the Phoenix Suns were a -8 in that stretch. Booker checked back in around the nine-minute mark, but the run kept going. It grew to 12-0 before Phoenix could make a shot. The offense never found a rhythm. The Suns went 3-of-20 from the field across the end of the first and into the second, and the Thunder’s lead pushed out to 25.
We did see some Khaman Maluach minutes in the second, although he was part of the Thunder offensive onslaught and was a -6 during his time on the court.
Dillon Brooks gave you that familiar stretch in the second quarter, the one where most of it makes you nod, and a small part makes you pause. He knocked down a three and drew the foul, finished the four-point play, trimmed the deficit to 20, brought a little life back into it. Then the next trip down, he reached in on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and picked up his third. That’s the full Dillon Brooks experience, all packed into two possessions.
There were not many bright spots for the Phoenix Suns in that half, but Oso Ighodaro was fighting on the interior. He grabbed 9 rebounds before the break, 7 of them on the offensive glass, creating second chances that were hard to come by everywhere else.
The Oklahoma City Thunder took the second quarter 30-24 and carried control into halftime. They shot 48.9% from the field, while Phoenix managed 30.4%. The damage showed up inside and from mistakes. Points in the paint were 32-12, and points off turnovers sat at 21-2.
At the half, the Suns trailed 65-44.
Second Half
The second half opened with the kind of update you never want to hear. Jordan Goodwin, who had left earlier and was moving a little gingerly, was ruled out with a calf injury. It is a familiar one. That same calf has bothered him throughout the season, and it cost him time late in the year.
INJURY UPDATE: Jordan Goodwin (left calf soreness) will not return.
Phoenix came out of the half with better intent on offense. The looks were there. The problem stayed the same as the shots did not fall. They opened 3-of-9 from the field and missed all four attempts from deep, every one of them uncontested.
Head coach Jordan Ott went to his second challenge early in the third on a play where it looked like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knocked the ball off Devin Booker. The challenge worked. The funny part, Ott was not even trying to challenge. He was asking for a 30 second timeout. Marc Davis, the lead official, heard something else and triggered it.
For a stretch, the Phoenix Suns held their ground. They traded baskets with the Oklahoma City Thunder through the first part of the quarter, even edging them 19-18. Then it flipped again. Oklahoma City closed the third on a 14-3 run, capped by another buzzer beating three, the second time they hit one to end a quarter.
Booker had 10 in the period, going 3-of-6 from the field. The rest of the group went 5-of-12, and Dillon Brooks was 2-of-7. On the other side, SGA put up 10 points. Only one field goal. He lived at the line, going 8-of-9.
The Thunder took the quarter 32-22. Going into the fourth, it was 97-66.
The gap kept stretching early in the fourth as the Phoenix Suns still could not buy a shot. The deficit climbed to 34, and with about 7 minutes left, the bench was emptied. And then, right on cue, Rasheer Fleming came in and knocked down two corner threes like he had been waiting all night for that exact moment.
The Minnesota Timberwolves opened the playoffs by putting the Denver Nuggets on their heels in Game 1’s first half. Unfortunately for Minnesota, basketball games have two halves.
Rather than hope this series is about to become interesting, my Timberwolves vs. Nuggets predictions and NBA picks lean on an underrated part of Anthony Edwards’ game, one that should shine once again on Monday, April 20.
Timberwolves vs Nuggets prediction
Timberwolves vs Nuggets best bet: Anthony Edwards Over 5.5 rebounds (+102)
To put it plainly: Anthony Edwards did not play particularly well in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets. His shooting was poor as he scored only 22 points, and his defense was inconsistent, at best.
Chalk at least some of that up to Edwards’ rust as he recovers from a knee injury. It is distinctly possible we do not see him at 100% this postseason.
But Edwards still contributed. He filled out the stat sheet with seven assists, nine rebounds, and three blocks. The boards, in particular, fit a consistent postseason trend from Edwards.
As the Timberwolves have made the Western Conference Finals in each of the last two years, their franchise cornerstone has crashed the glass more aggressively in the postseason.In 2023-24, Edwards averaged 5.4 rebounds per game in the regular season. In 2024-25, he averaged 5.7.
In the 2024 playoffs, Edwards grabbed at least six rebounds in 10 of 16 games, averaging seven per game across three series. In the 2025 playoffs, he grabbed at least six rebounds in 12 of 15 games, averaging 7.8.
Snagging nine boards in the Game 1 loss was not a surprise. The only surprise is sportsbooks not ticking this prop upward for Edwards in the postseason.
Timberwolves vs Nuggets same-game parlay
The Timberwolves did not spend enough time in transition in Game 1, one of their possible edges against the Nuggets. Minnesota is both deeper and, at times, faster. It leaned into transition opportunities following the trade deadline acquisition of Ayo Dosunmu. Leaning into those in the postseason is more important than in March.
If a balky knee slows Edwards, then that should mean only more transition opportunities for Jaden McDaniels and Dosunmu.
Timberwolves vs Nuggets SGP
Anthony Edwards Over 5.5 rebounds
Jaden McDaniels Over 15.5 points
Ayo Dosunmu Over 12.5 points
Our "from downtown" SGP: Mid-Range McDaniels
This makes far more sense than it looks at first blush.
McDaniels also missed some of the closing stretch due to a knee worry. In his two games before the postseason, McDaniels went 1-for-8 from deep. For someone who otherwise shot 42.1% from beyond the arc this season, a 1-for-8 stretch stands out.
It is safe to assume McDaniels’s rhythm is a bit off. However, he scored 18 and 16 points in those two games, just as he scored 16 points in Game 1 while going 0-for-4 from deep.
The second-most important piece of the Timberwolves’ rotation still scores even when his 3-point looks are not falling, perhaps the best compliment to give to his ever-developing offensive game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have covered the 1H Spread in 20 of their last 30 away games (+9.65 Units / 28% ROI), including in Game 1. Find more NBA betting trends for Timberwolves vs. Nuggets.
How to watch Timberwolves vs Nuggets Game 2
Location
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Date
Monday, April 20, 2026
Tip-off
10:30 p.m. ET
TV
NBC
Timberwolves vs Nuggets latest injuries
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Los Angeles, CA - April 18: Lakers guard Luke Kennard drives the lane for a layup. Lakers hosting the Rockets in game one of the NBA first round playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
However, their absence creates opportunities for others, and Luke Kennard got the start in Game 1 and brought his NBA-best 3-point shooting percentage to the playoffs.
The LA crowd went berserk for Kennard as he was hotter than fish grease in this opening round game. He went 9-13 from the field, a perfect 5-5 from deep and scored a career playoff-best 27 points.
Kennard not only brought elite offensive play but was also a showman in his moment under the sun in Southern California. In the fourth, he hit back-to-back threes, roaring like a lion on his first and got a patented Mike Breen “bang” call on his second as an unavailable Kevin Durant watched from the bench.
After the win and his best game as a Laker, Kennard talked about what this moment meant to him.
“It’s definitely a special moment,” Kennard said. “I’ve been in the NBA for nine years. I’ve had some big plays, big games, but this is up there for sure. Like it, it means a lot. It builds confidence going into the next game. Like I said, to do it, especially at a place like this playing for the Lakers on the biggest stage in basketball, like it means a lot to me and what I’ve done. Just credit to the work I’ve put in and how I’ve prepared leading up to this. Again, it builds confidence going to the next one and hopefully, we can continue to be on the right path.”
Winning Game 1 and protecting home court was incredibly important for the Lakers and they got it done with all of their starters stepping up. Every Lakers starter was in double figures, and four shot above 50% from the field. The Lakers weren’t able to win the rebounding battle as they’d hoped, but thanks to their 61% shooting, they won this first contest.
Deandre Ayton was on the floor with Kennard for 29 of his 38 minutes on Saturday night and was at a loss of words for how the guard produced.
“He is the number one shooter in the NBA so there’s not much to say, but he’s doing it in the playoffs where it really counts,” Ayton said. “My word is speechless, to be honest. Five for five [from three] in a playoff game as a Laker, yeah, it hits different.”
It was just one game, and the Rockets were certainly surprised when their superstar, KD, was a late scratch, but LA found a way to win and that’s all that matters.
Kennard won’t always be this incredible throughout the series, but he has it in him and brought it out when it was needed most.
