Category: NBA

Just four days after suffering a gruesome injury, Jarred Vanderbilt was available to play again.

Vanderbilt was upgraded from questionable to available for Saturday’s Game 3 against the Thunder.

The 6-foot-8 forward suffered an open dislocation to his right pinky during the second quarter of Tuesday’s Game 1 loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City. 

Medical personnel were able “to put his finger back together,” according to Lakers coach JJ Redick, who added that Vanderbilt’s status was day to day.

Vanderbilt was doubtful before being downgraded to unavailable for Thursday’s Game 2 loss.

“We just had to kind of make sure that the tissue and the stitches were good to go so that the bone wouldn’t pop out again. But, I mean, he’s certainly tough-minded and wants to give it a go,” Redick said.

Redick added on the left-handed Vanderbilt: “Glad he’s never taken a shot right-handed in his life.”

Sources told The California Post on Tuesday that a bone in Vanderbilt’s pinky broke through the skin after he attempted to block an alley-oop for Chet Holmgren during the second quarter of Game 1, with Vanderbilt’s pinky hitting the backboard as he swiped for the ball. 

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The 6-foot-8 forward immediately went to the ground in pain, holding his right hand near the Thunder bench, with Oklahoma City players reacting when they saw Vanderbilt’s hand. 

He immediately went back to the locker room at the 5:51 mark of the second quarter.

The Golden State Warriors appear ready to run it back — at least with one key piece of the puzzle reportedly locked in.

Steve Kerr has agreed to return as head coach of the franchise after both sides agreed to a two-year contract extension, his agents told ESPN. Kerr will remain the highest-paid coach in the NBA on a yearly basis, ESPN reports.

This comes after weeks of speculation that Kerr was considering stepping down. Kerr, whose contract was set to expire, had been engaged in meetings with the Warriors over his future with the team.

“I still love coaching, but I get it,” Kerr told reporters after the Warriors lost in the Play-In Tournament. “These jobs all have an expiration date. There's a run that happens, and when the run ends, sometimes it's time for new blood and new ideas and all that.”

In fact, in the closing seconds of the Warriors' season-ending loss April 18 against the Phoenix Suns, Kerr embraced Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on the sideline.

“I don't know what's going to happen next,” the Amazon Prime Video mics picked up Kerr telling his star players. “But I love you guys. Thank you.”

Steve Kerr returns: what does it mean?

This is a clear indication that the Warriors are looking to run it back once more with Stephen Curry (38 years old), Jimmy Butler (36) and Draymond Green (36) — all of whom will be on expiring contracts in 2026-27, assuming Green exercises his player option.

Green could decline the option and seek a multi-year deal, but the Warriors will need to carefully consider their future beyond the next two seasons.

It’s also an indication that Kerr and the Warriors feel they can win; presumably, Kerr wouldn’t want to be part of a rebuild. And, along a similar thread, if the Warriors were looking to build for the future, they would presumably want a coach earlier in his career than the 60-year-old Kerr.

In any case, the Warriors likely need to add some pieces to stay competitive in the Western Conference.

In January, Butler suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and his status for the start of the 2026-27 season could be in doubt. Either way, it became clear that this Warriors roster was deficient, so Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. could use this closing window to compete to seek out a star.

Prior to the February trading deadline, the Warriors had been linked to Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, and as Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee will be assessed this offseason, Golden State could once again become involved in that pursuit.

In any case, one thing that will benefit the Warriors is if Kerr can get some of their younger players to develop and take steps forward.

Steve Kerr coaching record

Since taking over in 2014, Kerr’s record at Golden State is 604-353 (.631). He’s the second longest-tenured active head coach in the NBA behind only Erik Spoelstra, who has been head coach of the Miami Heat since 2008.

The 2025-26 season marked the first time in Kerr’s 12-year run that the Warriors finished with a losing record (37-45) in an 82-game season. Golden State went 15-50 in 2019-20, but they played only 65 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How many championships has Steve Kerr won?

Not counting his five rings as a player with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, Kerr has won four NBA championships as the head coach of the Warriors.

Kerr took over in 2014-15 for previous head coach Mark Jackson and led Golden State to the Finals in his first season. Eventually, the Warriors knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers, ending a 40-year title drought. The team won a regular-season record 73 games the following year but ultimately lost a Finals rematch against the Cavs in seven games after Golden State blew a 3-1 lead.

That offseason, the Warriors shifted the balance of power in the NBA by signing Kevin Durant and proceeded to win consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018 before losing their bid for a three-peat to the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

The Warriors captured their most recent championship in 2022.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steve Kerr contract with Warriors reached: Coach staying in Bay Area

PHILADELPHIA — It seemed like a throwaway comment at the time, but it’s the perfect encapsulation of how Mike Brown has the Knicks on the front foot. 

When asked how the 76ers might adjust to the Knicks playing without OG Anunoby in Game 3, Nick Nurse said, “I guess I gotta see what happens, which way they go.” 

Throughout these playoffs, it’s been Brown who is dictating things, and opposing coaches who are reacting and trying to keep up. 

Brown used the regular season to experiment — a major departure from his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau — and it is paying major dividends in the postseason.

The Knicks have been nimble in making needed adjustments, whether with the rotation or with scheme. 

The biggest adjustment has been with the offense. Midway through the first round, the Knicks began running their offense through Karl-Anthony Towns at the elbow. It allowed Jalen Brunson to play off the ball and set screens for his teammates. It gave OG Anunoby more freedom as a cutter, rather than having to stand in the corners for kickout 3s. It brought the best out of Towns and his playmaking ability. 

In the first round, Quin Snyder tried to combat the new offense by having Dyson Daniels guard Towns instead of Brunson. It was a complete failure, and he quickly abandoned the plan. 

“I feel like the real change for us came before Game 4 in Atlanta,” Towns said Saturday. “I think that’s when we really changed our offense. It’s been great. It’s been something I’ve talked about for a lot of the season, to feel like we can help our guys more. We made the right moves. [Brown] set the table for us to have this kind of run.” 

And in this second-round series, the Knicks decided to completely target Joel Embiid, when he’s playing and on the floor, in pick-and-rolls to expose his lack of mobility. Nurse and the 76ers have had no answer for it. 

On the defensive end, Brown and his staff — in collaboration with the players — have made huge impacts on the game with their matchup decisions. The move to have Josh Hart guard CJ McCollum completely neutralized McCollum and changed the course of the first round. In Friday’s 108-93 Game 3 win over the 76ers, they at times shifted Mikal Bridges onto Paul George, who torched them for 15 points in the first quarter and then went scoreless and 0-for-9 from the field the rest of the way. 

Nurse and the 76ers had no successful countermove to get George going the final three quarters. 

“It was the perfect time for all of us to really get on the same accord,” Towns said. “There’s no better time to be playing your best basketball than right now. So shout out to Mike and really the whole coaching staff for putting us in the best position to succeed.” 

Even before the Knicks played without Anunoby in Game 3, the rotation looked different than expected. Jose Alvarado, who appeared to be out of the playoff mix when the postseason started, now has regular minutes. It was a tweak Brown felt was needed to have a more natural point guard on the floor rather than having Miles McBride or Landry Shamet handling that responsibility. 

It meant Shamet was buried on the bench, a major departure from the key role he played in the regular season. But, without Anunoby in Game 3, there he was, providing a huge lift with 15 points in 26 minutes Friday. It didn’t matter that he had basically been on ice since early in the first round. He stayed ready. 

“When guys are engaged like that 24/7 throughout the course of the year,” Brown said, “it bodes well for the environment, for the culture and guys are actively trying to keep their mind present because when they get an opportunity, they want to perform well.” 

It’s part of a culture of professionalism Brown has established where there are contributions up and down the roster. Every coach talks about players being ready for when their number is called. For the Knicks — because Brown gave them all a chance in the regular season — it’s actually reality. 

“As a coach, you love to see it,” Brown said. “That’s why you give different guys opportunities at different times. Sometimes, you start Landry. Sometimes, you start Mo. Sometimes, you start this guy. And what hopefully it shows at the end of the day coming from me is that I have confidence in them, and not only that, your number can be called any time, so be ready. And our guys have taken that to heart. We’ve got a lot of good guys that are resilient. They’re fighters. And they’ve done a good job of keeping their mind on staying present in whatever we’re doing, and it’s showing when they go out there and get the opportunity.” 

Whether with schematics or rotation, Brown is pressing the right buttons. 

And it has the Knicks surging at the perfect time. 

Many reasons explain why the Lakers are trailing their best-of-seven second-round playoff series against the Thunder.

The Thunder’s depth has overwhelmed the Lakers, evident by the 82-39 combined margin the Thunder’s reserves outscored the Lakers’ in Game 1 and Game 2.

Or the fact the Thunder outscored the Lakers by 22 points across the 33 minutes that Thunder superstar and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t play in the first two games.

The Lakers have struggled taking care of the ball: The Thunder averaged 23 points off the Lakers’ 19.5 turnovers in the first two games.

The Thunder also averaged 19 second-chance points despite only grabbing nine offensive rebounds per game — highlighting how efficient they were with an extra scoring opportunity.

These are the areas the Lakers were better during the first round, especially toward the end of their series victory over the Rockets.

And were significantly better throughout the regular season.

But the Thunder also exploited an old Lakers’ weakness during the first two games in Oklahoma City: The Lakers struggle against teams that deploy drop coverage defensively. 

The issue is far from new.

It was a talking point from coach JJ Redick after the Lakers’ Feb. 22 home loss to the Celtics, a team that deployed a deep drop coverage to stifle the Lakers’ offense, which mustered 89 points in defeat — their third-lowest scoring total of the season.

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The Lakers became less efficient against drop coverage throughout most of December and January before improving throughout February, March and the end of the regular season, utilizing the proper counters.

That wasn’t the case in the first two games against the Thunder.

The Thunder had their big men in drop for most of Game 1, with the Lakers not creating quality looks against the coverage — in part because of poor shotmaking but also the team and players not using the proper counters.

Too many drag screens that didn’t create quality offense. 

Not enough stack sets. Not enough pull-up 3-pointers. Not enough Gortat screens. 

“Our options out of early offense, specifically, we ran so many just early drags,” Redick responded ahead of Game 2 when asked what stood out from the offensive film of Game 1. “Which has been a great play for AR [Austin Reaves], but was not a great PPP [points per possession] play for us [Tuesday] night. So just trying to be organized with early offense.”

The Lakers struggled against the Thunder’s drop in Game 2, but they also faced it less often because the Thunder decided to hedge/blitz more — specifically when Reaves handled the ball coming off a screen.

The Lakers are very comfortable in this situation.

The counters are more natural for them after seeing these types of coverages more since Luka Doncic joined the franchise in February 2025.

But the Thunder’s decision to go away from what was working masked an issue that it looked like the Lakers had overcome toward the end of the regular season.

If the Lakers don’t consistently tap back into those counters from the late winter/early spring against the Thunder’s drop, their season will likely end this week.

CLEVELAND — After collapsing in the clutch in the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cleveland Cavaliers got timely plays in the final three minutes from James Harden and Max Strus to get back into their series against the Detroit Pistons.

Harden hit three big shots and Strus came up with the steal and go-ahead basket in the Cavaliers’ 116-109 victory on Saturday to cut the Pistons’ lead to 2-1.

“We know how important it is to get this first win to make it a series. So, really a team win where a lot of guys contributed tonight,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said.

The Cavaliers will look to even the series when they host Game 4 on Monday night.

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 35 points and 10 rebounds, while Harden finished with 19 points and Jarrett Allen scored 18.

There were 11 lead changes, with the final one occurring with 2:28 remaining when Strus jumped to snare Cade Cunningham’s inbound pass to Daniss Jenkins near midcourt. Strus then drove past Cunningham and Jenkins to make a layup and give the Cavaliers a 106-104 advantage.

Atkinson called it the winning play of the game.

“That was a game changer right there. It gives us a lead, get a couple stops and a couple buckets and that’s the game,” Harden said.

Strus said it was about 3-4 seconds into the inbound play that he timed his jump and made the play.

“My job is to help win in any form or fashion,” said Strus, who finished with seven points, five rebounds and one steal. “Some nights it’s going to be shooting. Some nights it’s going to be defense. Some nights it’s going to be rebounds. The ball didn’t find me tonight, but I don’t care. As long as our team wins, I just want to make an impact and find a way to win.”

It was also the first of three straight turnovers by Cunningham, who had his second career postseason triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but also committed eight turnovers.

“I don’t want to say they were careless turnovers because I care about it a lot. They were just bad turnovers,” he said.

Harden, who drew plenty of criticism for turnovers in the clutch in the first two games, kept the Cavaliers in front with big shots. The 17-year veteran hit a 16-foot step-back jumper to extend the lead to 108-104. After a driving dunk by Cunningham, Harden made a floating 7-footer to put the lead back up to four.

Cunningham responded with a 3-pointer before Harden provided the decisive blow with 25 seconds remaining on a step-back 3-pointer while being guarded by Harris to make it 113-109.

Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points in his 73rd game, tied for third-fastest among active players and ninth in NBA history. He said Harden’s performance showed why he wasn’t worried after two tough games in Detroit.

“I think the biggest thing is just he’s always consistent. He’s not result based. I think the biggest thing is we’ve seen him thrive and for me and for the group just continue to be like, ‘Hey, we know who you are. Keep being yourself.’ We’ve seen him play at a very high level, so we have no doubt that he’s going to continue to be great,” Mitchell said. “Every game might not be that way for him, for me, for whoever. But it’s just how do you continue to stay even keel and find ways to impact the game.”

Tobias Harris added 21 points for Detroit, which had its five-game playoff win streak snapped.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won a thriller over the Detroit Pistons behind some heroic shot-making from James Harden.

Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

WINNER – The First Quarter

Hey, it turns out the Cavs can start a game ahead every once in a while. Not everything has to be an uphill battle.

The Cavs won the first quarter 32-30. Nothing special. But it felt a whole lot better than falling behind by double digits as they did in the previous two games. Sometimes, just giving yourself a chance is all it takes.

Shooting above 70% from the floor didn’t hurt. Cleveland began the game red-hot. Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen each scored 9 points in the opening quarter, shooting 8-for-11 combined. James Harden also chipped in with 5 points, starting this game significantly better than he did the previous one.

Again, no one wins a game in the first 12 minutes. But you can certainly kneecap yourself early, making the rest of the game a slog. The Cavs finally learned that lesson and started Game 3 with the appropriate energy.

WINNER – Donovan Mitchell

I don’t think it’s an overreaction to say this entire Cavs team is built around the idea of Donovan Mitchell being one of the best playoff performers in the league. If you take that away, the Cavs aren’t a serious contender.

But when he’s playing like the superhero we know and love? This team feels like it has a fighting chance.

Mitchell web-slinged his way to 20 points on 8-12 shooting in the first half. He cooked in isolation, burning Duncan Robinson to a crisp with his step-back jumper. Then, moments after throwing an impressive alley oop to Evan Mobley, he worked his way downhill and dropped a dime to Allen in the dunker spot.

This type of efficient scoring and processing speed as a playmaker is what we’ve been missing from Mitchell. He established himself as a threat and then used that against the defense to create opportunities for others.

Spida finished with 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.

LOSER – Offensive Rebounding

Detroit beat the Cavs 17-5 on the offensive glass.

While that’s a problem, it wasn’t as glaring as it might have seemed.

For further context, the Cavs were only outscored 19-11 on second-chance points. And, they somehow ended the game with more defensive rebounds than Detroit, winning that battle 28-23.

So what happened?

Well, the Pistons finished the game shooting 45% from the floor, and spent most of the day below that number. Meanwhile, the Cavs sat above 60% for a majority of the game and finished just below at 58%. The more shots you miss, the more offensive rebounds you have a chance to grab. The inverse is true, as well.

That doesn’t make it okay. Of course, giving up nearly 20 offensive rebounds is what allowed the Pistons to creep back into this game and take a momentary lead in the fourth quarter. They might have shot 8-18 on those second-chances, which is a credit to the Cavaliers’ defense, but that’s still eight field goals that shouldn’t have gone in, and 18 attempts that should have never had a chance.

WINNER – James Harden

Can I take back everything I’ve ever said?

Not really. The limitations in Harden’s style of play are still worth highlighting when he has games like the previous one in Detroit. But darn it, it looks great when he saves the day.

Harden took full control of Cleveland’s offense in the closing minutes. He picked his poison, working for a mismatch and then dictating the rest of the possession with his on-ball creation. The results? A step-back jumper from the mid-range. Then a crossover into a floater.

Finally, his patented three-point dagger.

“You know who you are, keep being yourself,” said Donovan Mitchell on his trust in Harden after the game. “The outside world can turn on you like that, but if you watch [Harden’s] face or demeanor, you can’t tell if he’s playing well or shooting poorly.”

We can talk about whether or not the Cavaliers’ offense needs to be more inclusive, or if Harden’s got enough gas in the tank to go the distance in a deep playoff run. But not tonight. Save that discussion for another day. Uno came through and put his team in a position to tie this series on Monday.

LOSER – The Starting Small Forward

The Cavs have an impossible decision to make. Worse, it’s a decision they’ve spent multiple years trying to solve. No matter what they try, it always feels like the wrong move.

Max Strus competently filled the starting small forward spot for years. Though he always felt undersized as the Cavs moved deeper into the postseason. Package that with a matchup versus the Toronto Raptors in round one, and it’s no wonder the Cavs pivoted to Dean Wade.

Only, Wade has given diminishing results as the playoffs go on.

Wade looked great in Games 1-2 versus Toronto. He’s had scattered moments since. But the Raptors eventually stopped defending him. The Pistons haven’t even pretended to care about him. That’s cramped Cleveland’s spacing and effectively blunted any defensive impact Wade can offer.

It went poorly the last time the Cavs tried adjusting this by starting Strus versus the Raptors in Game 5. Should that discourage them from trying it again? I’d say no, but I also think one can argue that Strus is better suited to being the sixth man than the starting forward. I think you could have argued that for years now.

Not having a better option isn’t an indictment on Strus or Wade, to be clear. This is a roster construction issue that’s bigger than either of them. Wade is a fine eighth man. Strus can be electric, if not streaky, off the bench. The issue is that both players have been overextended by trying to fill a round hole as square pegs.

Then there’s Jaylon Tyson, who many fans (including myself) have nominated for the job. He theoretically splits the difference between Wade and Strus. Just enough size to compete at the forward position, with just enough offensive skills to avoid being a detriment.

But starting lineups are earned, not given. The Cavs aren’t going to grant Tyson the starting position because of what he can do on paper. This actually has to translate to something tangible. And so far, that hasn’t happened in a strong enough way to take a chance on a sophomore wing in his first playoff run.

Note:I wrote a decent chunk of this before Max Strus stole an inbound pass and went coast-to-coast during a pivotal junction of the fourth quarter. While I do not want to delete everything I wrote before, I would like to formally give Strus my recommendation for the starting job, and perhaps even a key to the city of Cleveland, if I have that authority (I don’t).

Off the heels of an award-winning rookie season, Cooper Flagg has put his feet up on vacation and has seemingly hard-launched a relationship.

New pictures on Instagram showed the Mavericks star and Duke women’s basketball center Arianna Roberson having fun in the sun.

While the two did not share pictures of one another on Instagram, they both posted photos of themselves enjoying the same swings over the ocean at Noah’s Ark in Turks and Caicos on Friday.

Flagg, 19, sat in one of the swings while Roberson posed holding the swing and her sunglasses for her photo op.

The two seemingly met through their Duke connection.

Roberson overlapped with Flagg for a year at the school when they were freshmen in the 2024-25 season.

After Flagg’s impressive lone college season, where he won numerous accolades, including ACC Rookie of the Year, he declared for the NBA draft and was taken as the No. 1 pick by Dallas.

Roberson is no stranger to the game nor the demands of the pros.

Her brother is former NBA guard Andre Roberson, who spent six of his seven years in the league with the Thunder. His last NBA season was in the 2020-21 season with the Nets.

This past year as a redshirt freshman, Roberson averaged 8.0 points per game on 41 percent shooting across 33 games for the Blue Devils.

In his first professional season, Flagg averaged 21 points on 46 percent shooting. He also logged 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals throughout 70 starts.

The season culminated in him winning Rookie of the Year.

Flagg also joined Michael Jordan as the only rookies to lead their respective teams in points, rebounds, assists and steals since the latter was first logged in the 1973-74 season.

Despite Flagg’s early NBA stardom, Dallas missed the playoffs entirely.

It’s the second consecutive year the Mavericks missed the postseason since losing the NBA Finals in 2023-24.

We’ve arrived at the middle of the conference semifinal round, and the better squads out of the remaining eight teams have started to emerge.

There were two Game 3s Saturday, May 9, the first between the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons and No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers. In the nightcap, the No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers took on the defending NBA champions in the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder.

In both cases, the lower seeds played their first games of their respective series at home, and both looked to avoid falling into debilitating 0-3 deficits.

The Cavaliers did their part, fending off a Pistons rally in the second half to win, 116-109, with guard Donovan Mitchell leading the charge with 35 points.

Here are takeaways from Saturday’s Game 3s from the conference semifinal round:

Re-affirming the general vibe in the East, the Knicks remain the team to beat

No team is playing better hoops in the Eastern Conference than the New York Knicks, who are rolling through the 76ers, even as OG Anunoby is battling a hamstring issue that forced him out of Game 3 Friday, May 8.

While New York is excelling on both offense and defense, the Pistons have some vulnerabilities that have been exposed over the postseason. For one, All-Star center Jalen Duren (11 points and 4 rebounds in 29:17 on the floor Saturday) has become a role player, and is simply not a reliable No. 3 option, let alone a No. 2 threat.

In fact, his backup, Paul Reed (11 points and 3 rebounds in 9:46 on the floor) nearly matched Duren’s production in nearly 20 fewer minutes on the court. The Pistons lost 116-109.

The Cavaliers need the James Harden from the final two minutes of Game 3

James Harden did nail a trio of massive buckets inside the final two minutes Saturday — a step-back jumper, a floater in the lane and a step-back 3 to score 7 consecutive points for Cleveland in the clutch — but the Cavaliers cannot simply rely on Donovan Mitchell carrying this team back into the series with 35-pieces every game.

But consider this: prior to the final 1:29 of the game, Harden was sitting on just 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Harden does deserve credit for not forcing shots and letting the game come to him, but a dose of aggression earlier in these games will go a long way to tying the series up.

Coach Kenny Atkinson did show an immense amount of trust in Harden by putting the ball in his hands down the stretch. The Cavs should hope it can carry over into Game 4.

In make-or-miss league, Pistons need to find other outlets of offense

Like many teams, when the shots are dropping for Detroit, it can be tough to beat. Also like many teams, when they’re not falling, the Pistons can be vulnerable.

In the first half, the Pistons shot just 2-of-14 (14.3%) from 3-point range. And while Detroit was fortunate to catch fire and hit 7-of-11 (63.6%) from deep in the second half, a 16-point deficit at the half proved to be too much to overcome.

This has been Detroit’s weakness all season long, so the Pistons need to find ways to generate easier looks in transition to help open up the 3-point shooting.

On Saturday, both teams committed 15 turnovers. Yet, the Cavaliers turned those giveaways into 27 points, while Detroit produced only 19.

The Cavaliers are a perfect 5-0 at home this postseason. They need to do it on the road, too.

Cleveland’s inability this postseason to win away from the Rocket Arena is a significant concern. Granted, the Cavs obviously need to take care of Detroit in Game 4 to make this a series. But the Cavaliers have struggled to find offense outside of Cleveland.

In five home games this playoffs, Cleveland is averaging 119.2 points per game. On the road, that number plummets to just 100.2.

On Saturday, the Cavaliers shot the ball at an absurd 58.1% clip. In order to have any shot to come back and make a run, Cleveland needs to perform on the road.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA scores, takeaways from today's playoff games: James Harden clutch?

The journey home is supposed to feel warm, familiar and forgiving. For Lakers guard Austin Reaves, it felt anything but during the team’s first two playoff games of the Western Conference semifinals.

The Lakers’ second-round matchup with the Thunder was supposed to be a full-circle moment for Reaves. Born and raised in Newark, Ark. — population 1,000 — Reaves played most of his college ball at nearby Norman, where he sharpened his game at the University of Oklahoma, just a 20-minute drive from OKC.

So for Games 1 and 2 of this series, Reaves had a plethora of friends, family and familiar faces make the drive from Arkansas or Norman to watch the kid they used to call “Hillbilly Kobe” back on the playoff stage.

But for Reaves, his homecoming did not get off to a good start. Game 1 was a collapse you could feel happening in real time. Reaves missed shots he normally buries in his sleep. By the end of the night, he scored eight points on 3-of-16 shooting, 0-for-5 from deep. His 18.8 FG% was the lowest in Lakers’ playoff history by a player with at least 15 attempts.

“I had a lot of people here,” Reaves said after the game. “When you don’t play well, it sucks.”

The weight of his historically bad performance lingered into Game 2, but it didn’t break him. Reaves has built a career on something he calls his “delusional confidence.” He’s had it since he was a kid, and it’s allowed him to believe in himself when nobody else does.

In Game 2, he used that delusional confidence to come out firing, dropping a playoff career-high 31 points. But even that bounce-back performance came with a cost. Reaves had five turnovers and several confrontations with officials that spilled into a postgame spat that went viral.

Austin Reaves and the Lakers team talking to the refs after the final buzzer. pic.twitter.com/kTwa88fr6f

— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) May 8, 2026

Austin Reaves full postgame comments after his playoff career-high 31 points in the Lakers loss 125-107 to the OKC Thunder tonight pic.twitter.com/XlCW1PHOUg

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) May 8, 2026

“He turned around and just yelled in my face … I just thought that was disrespectful,” a visibly frustrated Reaves said after the game. “We’re grown men. If I did that first, I would’ve gotten a tech.”

The game itself unraveled in a similar fashion. A five-point Lakers lead midway through the third quarter dissolved into a 22-4 Thunder run that was fueled by whistles and free throws. A historically awful officiating crew called 10 fouls on the Lakers, handing 14 free throws to the Thunder during a particularly bad stretch that saw them miss several obvious calls. Reaves found himself caught in the storm.

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When the dust settled, the first two games for Reaves and the Lakers were back-to-back 18-point losses and a 2-0 series deficit.. And a “homecoming” that never quite felt like home.

“Not really,” Reaves told The California Post when asked if Oklahoma still carries that meaning.

He hasn’t lived there since 2021. Life moved on. He’s been in Los Angeles for five years now, and in the offseason he returns home to Arkansas to stay with family and play golf. So Oklahoma, at this point, means something else to him entirely. Another stop on the NBA’s grueling 82-game schedule. A memory.

Now that the series has shifted to Hollywood, where the noise is different, the faces less familiar, but the expectations just as heavy. The Lakers need production if they want to extend this series.

They need Austin Reaves.

The Cleveland Cavaliers held on for their first win of the series, beating the Detroit Pistons 116-109.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

35 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists

Hello, Donovan.

Mitchell found something in the Game 2 loss. He carried that over to start Game 4 with a bang. Mitchell looked comfortable creating off the dribble and shot the ball well on his way to 20 points in the first half. This, paired with some of his best decisions as a playmaker in the playoffs, led to the type of performance we’ve been expecting from Spida.

Grade: A

James Harden

19 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

Harden put a disastrous Game 2 behind him and helped the Cavs sprint out of the gates today. He was back to raising their floor offensively, making timely plays to keep the Cavs bigs involved throughout the first half.

Then, in closing time, Harden put the team on his back and carried them across the finish line. It was his isolation scoring that staved off Detroit’s comeback and kept the Cavaliers in front to end the game.

Grade: A

Evan Mobley

13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks

The Cavs will always be at their best, or at least better, when Mobley is being decisive. There’s no need for him to dribble or probe more than a few seconds on any given possession. The more straightforward the game gets, the better Mobley looks.

A fourth-quarter possession in which Mobley caught the ball on the wing, took an inverted screen, and went straight up with a two-step layup is an example of this. Mobley shot 4-6 from the floor and earned 10 free throws, but only made half of them.

Grade: B-

Jarrett Allen

18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Allen continues to be a workhorse for the Cavs. He’s putting his head down and getting to the rim, or staying alert from the dunker’s spot for more opportunities to duck in and score. Allen is holding down the fort defensively and converting the majority of his attempts on offense. Can’t ask for much more than that.

Grade: B+

Dean Wade

3 points, 1 rebound

Wade’s time in the starting lineup is getting questionable. Yet, none of the other role players has outright taken the job from him. There’s no way to work around this team’s need for a wing-sized contributor. That doesn’t mean Wade is earning his place in the rotation, but the Cavs currently have no other options.

Grade: D

Max Strus

7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

At this point, we’ve seen how Strus can impact winning without necessarily shooting the ball well. He was electric tonight, hustling for loose balls and giving Cleveland the intensity they sometimes lack in these moments. His third-quarter sequence, which included a backdoor layup, a forced turnover on the inbounds, and then a hockey assist for a Jaylon Tyson three-pointer, was pivotal in keeping things under control during a Detroit surge.

“He’s a maniac competitor,” said Kenny Atkinson. “We needed some wildness tonight, and he provides that.”

Grade:

Jaylon Tyson

3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

For as much as we want Tyson to join the starting lineup, this is a job he has to earn. Tyson was fine in his two games in Detroit, but looked a bit shell-shocked today and wasn’t as willing to shoot or attack as you’d like. An errant inbounds pass that turned into a buzzer-beating layup to end the third quarter was deflating.

Grade: C-

Dennis Schroder

11 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 2 blocks

Schroder helped the Cavs start this game with a lead by knocking down a pair of triples in the first quarter and using his burst to put pressure on the rim. His ball-handling and defensive tenacity have made him necessary to this rotation.

Grade: A-

Sam Merrill

7 points

Merrill returned from a hamstring injury and looked right at home. He buried a heavily contested jumper in his first minutes on the floor and then drew an offensive foul shortly after. He’d draw another one later in the second half, and did much more than the box score suggests.

Grade: B+

Cade Cunningham was having a bad game, the Cleveland Cavaliers were shooting a billion percent from the floor, James Harden was hitting everything and yet, somehow, some way, the Detroit Pistons were up 101-100 with just under five minutes to play. It was their opportunity to go up 3-0 and take full control of the series. Everything seemed to fall apart from then on, mostly because Cade Cunningham made a series of baffling errors that stymied the comeback.

Detroit ended up losing 116-109, but this was an especially tough one to lose with everything that was on the line, battling back from a 17-point deficit, and seemingly having the game there for the taking. The game was tied at 104, but then Cunningham committed three critical turnovers on consecutive possessions.

The first was an exceedingly lazy attempt at an entry pass on a sideline out of bounds that was easily intercepted by the face guarding Max Strus, leading to an easy layup and a Cleveland lead. Then, an ill-advised attempt at an entry pass into Paul Reed was swallowed up by Jarret Allen. Finally, Cade drove the lane and blindly passed it into the corner but Harris was camped out above the breakline. He scrambled to get the ball but couldn’t corrall it without stepping out of bounds. The Cavs then doubled their lead to four after Harden patiently hit a stepback 15-footer. That two-possession lead flipped all the momentum in the game.

Cunningham attempted to make amends with five quick points on a dunk and a ballsy top-of-the-key three, but Harden answered right back with five of his own. And that was effectively ballgame.

Truthfully, I’m not sure the Pistons even deserved to be in it. They never really seemed like they’d put it all together on either of the floor, and a lot of players struggled tonight outside of the up-and-down play of Cunningham.

Daniss Jenkins looked every bit the minus-28 in his 18 minutes of action, and while JB Bickerstaff tried to alleviate that with some Caris LeVert minutes, those weren’t stellar either and meant Cuninningham wasn’t able to steal as much rest as you’d like.

The biggest problem, though, is the Pistons’ big men. Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart continue to struggle throughout these playoffs. Duren was limited to just four rebounds, fumbled several passes, and didn’t rotate quickly enough on defense several times. Isaiah Stewart has no lift or explosion, and his defensive presence is not being felt on the floor.

Bickerstaff dusted off Paul Reed, who helped lead the fourth-quarter comeback that got the Pistons the lead. Despite scoring 11 points in just nine minutes of action, Reed sat with 4:32 remaining and the game tied in favor of Duren. It did not work.

Conversely, it felt like Cleveland had everything working on both ends. Donovan Mitchell was a magician with the ball in his hands, finishing with a game-high 35 points. James Harden was patiently and methodically hitting every jump shot and actually distributing effectively. Evan Mobley had 13 and eight, and his ability to move around the floor and create driving lanes did wonders for the Cavs’ offense.

Cleveland’s three most important players all stepped up with their season on the line. Detroit couldn’t seem to get out of its own way.

The Pistons will look to steal one in Cleveland again, hopefully with a better all-around effort, on Monday. The Cavs will look to even things up and make this a best-of-three series.

CLEVELAND — Stars often decide playoff games. In Games 1 and 2, Cade Cunningham was the best player on the floor and carried his team to victory. In Game 3, it was Donovan Mitchell’s turn to show why he’s a perennial All-NBA player.

Mitchell’s heroics to start and a nine-point fourth quarter from James Harden to close helped the Cleveland Cavaliers climb back into their second-round series against the Detroit Pistons with a 116-109 win in Game 3. Detroit still owns a 2-1 series lead.

Starts to games have been an issue for the Cavs throughout the first two games of the series. They’ve lost the first half by 13 and 11 in the first two games of the series.

That trend turned around in Game 3, or at least it did after the first three minutes.

Detroit got out to a quick seven-point lead after Duncan Robinson and Cunningham hit two tough contested triples right out of the gates.

The Cavs settled in from there. They found a way to get into the paint in the opening frame. Mitchell and Jarrett Allen led the charge, as each delivered nine points in the first quarter, leading to a narrow two-point advantage after one.

Cleveland broke things open in the second quarter with the same formula they had in the first. They got into the teeth of the defense at will, and Detroit didn’t have an answer.

The Cavs went 13-15 on shots in the restricted area in the first half. By comparison, they had just 25 attempts at the rim in the first two games combined.

Mitchell was responsible for this turnaround. After taking just one shot in the restricted area in the first two games combined, he went 4-5 on shots in the restricted area. Once Mitchell gets going inside, the whole game opens up for him.

Spida scored 20 points in the first half, with nine coming in the second quarter. And when he wasn’t scoring for himself, he was finding avenues for his teammates to get going. This included Evan Mobley, who had seven points in the second alone.

On the other end, the Cavs did a good job of locking down the paint. The Pistons weren’t able to get anything easy inside. After making their first two triples of the game, they missed their ensuing 12. This led to Detroit registering just 18 points in the second quarter, allowing the Cavs to take a 14-point lead into the break.

The Pistons flipped the script in the third quarter. Going from playing more of a drop coverage to switching on-ball screens slowed the Cavs downhill attack. And once the downhill attack stalls out, so has everything else about their game.

Detroit’s offense can bog down in the half-court if they’re forced to attack off makes. When they can get downhill with pace off turnovers and defensive rebounds, things open up.

As a result, the Pistons went 8-11 on shots in the restricted area and added five more points at the line. The Cavs went 2-3 and had just one free throw. Throw in five Cleveland turnovers, and the Pistons won the third 33-19 to make it a two-point game heading into the fourth quarter.

Neither team could create any separation in the fourth. It was a tie game with two and a half minutes left, but Cleveland reasserted control.

Turnovers have popped up in clutch time to hurt the road team in the first two games of the series. That happened again as Cunningham gave it away on three straight possessions, leading to four points going the other way.

James Harden, who was quiet all game, took control. He scored on three-straight possessions, including a three-pointer right in Tobias Harris’s eyes with 26 seconds left to give the Cavs a four-point lead and seal the game.

For as bad as Harden was at times in the first two games of the series, he came through with the game on the line in Game 3 to give Cleveland a new lease on life this series.

Mitchell led all scorers with 35 points on 13-24 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and four assists.

Harden scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. He finished with seven assists, two rebounds, and a steal.

Allen added 18 points. Mobley had 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.

Cunningham led Detroit with a 27-point triple-double. Tobias Harris had 21 points and five rebounds.

Cleveland has a chance to tie the series in Game 4 on Monday at 8 PM.

The San Antonio Spurs once again reclaimed home-court advantage by winning their first road game of the Western Conference Semifinals. It was a tightly contested battle that came down to fourth-quarter heroics. Victor Wembanyama had the best playoff game of his young career, putting up 39 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks on the way to a 115-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Wembanyama’s performance felt like his first “legacy game.” With the game on the line, San Antonio’s face of the franchise dominated both ends and willed the Spurs to victory. It was an obvious A+ performance.

Wembanyama leads the player grades for Game Three. As a quick reminder, these grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.

Victor Wembanyama

37 minutes, 39 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5 blocks, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 13-for-18 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, +16

Perhaps what was most impressive about Wembanyama’s Game Three performance was the diversity of his impact. He scored in the post, on lobs, got to the rim for finishes with strength and finesse, and hit threes on flare screens. On defense, he guarded on the perimeter, made sharp rotations, and controlled the paint, even when he played with five fouls in the fourth quarter.

He did all of it while playing through the physicality of a playoff matchup. Minnesota went at Wembanyama all night, holding him, clawing at him, pushing and shoving him (even when he was airborne). Wembanyama took an absolute beating, but fought through adversity to pull out a win. He is rising to the occasion in a way not many young players can.

His dominant play is a big reason why the Spurs are -186 favorites to win Game Four on FanDuel.

Grade: A+

De’Aaron Fox

35 minutes, 17 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 7-for-19 shooting, 1-for-5 threes, -2

It was a tale of two halves for Fox. He got going near the end of the second quarter by attacking the basket and finishing in the paint. He carried that momentum into the second half, scoring at opportune times and giving the team a boost during a wild, back-and-forth third quarter. Fox didn’t get a ton of shots to fall, but he made timely buckets that played a big role in the win.

Interestingly, Fox wasn’t on the court for a lot of crunch time. He finally checked when the Wolves were full-court pressing the Spurs and did a nice job taking care of the ball.

Grade: B

Stephon Castle

40 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-for-11 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, +17

Castle had a double-double with an eye-popping 12 assists. He’s been great all season long at pushing the pace in transition, or getting downhill for physical finishes, or passes to open players when the defense collapses. While Castle had an inefficient shooting night, he made up for it by getting to the free-throw line, where he went 6-8.

Castle was a bit loose with the ball, particularly late in the game. To be fair, he faced a ton of defensive pressure on the perimeter. The Wolves were sending multiple big bodies at him late in the game to force turnovers. He’ll need to clean up some of these turnovers as the series goes on.

Grade: B

Julian Champagnie

29 minutes, 6 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 fouls, 2-for-7 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, +5

Champagnie played a slightly different role in Game Three and thrived nonetheless. He only knocked down two of his six three-pointers, but made up for it with good defense and rebounding. Champagnie grabbed 12 boards, 4 of them offensive. One of his biggest plays of the game was an offensive rebound on the break, leading to a huge three by Keldon Johnson. Champagnie also held his own on the perimeter and picked up two steals in the win.

Grade: B

Devin Vassell

36 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 6-for-14 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, +10

Vassell’s three-point shooting struggles continued in Game Three. He is shooting 30.4% from deep in the playoffs, and he only hit one of his six attempts on Friday. A lot of these shots are pretty open. He just hasn’t found the same rhythm that he’s experiencing on his mid-range jumpers. Thankfully, those mid-range jumpers have been money. His pull-up looks really good right now. He had an awesome step-through finish around Rudy Gobert in the first half.

It was interesting that Mitch Johnson elected to make Vassell the primary defender on Anthony Edwards in Game Three. I’m not sure it was the best decision. Edwards had a series-high 32 points. Vassell is at his best playing in the passing lanes off the ball, rather than acting as a stopper guarding the ball.

Grade: B–

Dylan Harper

20 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 2-for-6 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, -1

Harper had a much harder time getting to the basket in Game Three. The Wolves want him to shoot mid-range jumpers or tough contested three-pointers. Harper was only able to get one of those tough mid-range shots to go. Despite a lackluster offensive game, Harper remained strong defensively. I love the matchup with him on Edwards. He has the strength, length, and lateral quickness to make him work.

Grade: B-

Keldon Johnson

19 minutes, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 foul, 3-for-7 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, -11

The Spurs generally struggled with over-rotating on defense or missing rotations completely in Game Three. Johnson was a primary culprit. He would overhelp on drives, which led to some open threes, even though Wembanyama was in a solid position in the paint.

He made up for those defensive mistakes with his best three-point shooting game of the playoffs. Johnson’s energy, primarily in transition, has made a difference in the Spurs’ two wins this series.

Grade: B-

Luke Kornet

10 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, 3 fouls, 1-for-1 shooting, -9

San Antonio just barely survived the Kornet minutes. He was outclassed by Gobert inside, after playing well against him in Game Two. The bright side was that Wembanyama was so good that he completely negated the point differential when Kornet was in the game.

Grade: C

Harrison Barnes

6 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 steal, +3

Barnes didn’t play much. and didn’t make much of an impact while he was in the game. He did grab a steal in his limited playing time.

Grade: C

Carter Bryant

8 minutes, 6 points, 2 fouls, 2-for-2 shooting, 2-for-2 threes, +7

Bryant hit two huge threes and played some solid defense. Johnson had him guarding Julius Randle, which isn’t the best matchup for him. Bryant is much better at creating havoc on the perimeter with his size, strength, and speed. He’s at a bit of a disadvantage banging with the bigger Randle down low.

Grade: B

Inactives: Harrison Ingram, David Jones-Garcia, Emanuel Miller

The conversations on who the Suns should look to add to this team continue, and so do these articles, as we have another rendition of Suns Trade Verdict for you all to dissect. This has been a fun series I started, and the responses to the recent articles have shown me that you enjoy them too. In recent pieces, we have looked at power forwards and guards, and today that trend continues.

The fans have asked for this player, and there has been some reporting that the Suns could be interested as well.

The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings have interest in trading for Ja Morant, per @ScoopB

(https://t.co/XI3C7G1VW5) pic.twitter.com/1dUuRJgMp4

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 17, 2026

You also add the fact that Ja Morant was seen watching the Phoenix Suns’ Play-In game, and it may look like a connection could be there this offseason.

Ja Morant in a suite at the Suns and Warriors play-in game 👀

(Via @vqkylr, h/t @CGBBURNER) pic.twitter.com/UTxfNlUz9t

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 18, 2026

Now, Morant did see his former teammate, Desmond Bane, in the playoffs with Jaren Jackson Jr., so this could be him supporting his friends since Dillon Brooks was on his former team. However, it could mean more than many expect.

How could this get done?

Well, for Phoenix, they would be trading for Morant’s $87 million remaining split over the next two seasons. He made slightly above $42 million this year, so for the Suns, finding contracts to match that becomes an issue. One-for-one, they can only do this deal: Jalen Green for Ja Morant. This would require Phoenix to take back more salary.

In most articles, you can trade the salaries of Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale to get a deal done, but in this one, the Suns are taking back $4 million that they cannot acquire.

Phoenix can make this deal by adding either O’Neale or Allen with Green to shed salary, something they may consider in this scenario for their impending free agents. They could also add those players or draft capital, even to expand the deal to get something else from Memphis.

Which would make the most sense?

Two of the three options make sense for both parties. The last one does not work as the Suns are giving up too much value for Morant. That then leaves us with either the Suns selling Royce to save money or doing a one-for-one swap.

Personally, I think the deal with O’Neale illustrates the plan, but it is just too much for Morant. If they could somehow get their pick back from Memphis in a deal like this, I’d consider it, but with Memphis tanking and developing players, they will not toss that in.

Therefore, I think the only way this deal gets done as currently constructed is the one-for-one swap: Green for Morant. Even though I think it is the best deal, does it make sense for the Suns to do?

Why does it not get done?

Suns

Sadly, even with all this discussion about wanting Morant, I think the realization sets in about what he can be for Phoenix. Some believe he can be this great playmaker alongside Booker and help alleviate some of those on-ball duties. Morant can also bring the same level of shooting that Green does, shooting mid-range and using his speed and athleticism to attack the basket.

The questions, though, then arise with his three-point shooting. As we know, Phoenix values the three-point ball a bunch, and sometimes lived or died by it this season for Morant, who is a career 31% three-point shooter and is not going to cut it. Now, Green was also not a great three-point shooter, but he did have some success this season. Morant has gotten worse, shooting just 24% this year.

That, added with his injury history, like many other players in this series, also adds a factor. Morant has consistently been injured in his entire career. Just this season, he was out for most of it, playing only 20 games, and even if the Grizzlies wanted to tank, it limited his ability to come back late; it was still an issue. The Grizzlies knew this, and that is why they ended up blowing up their team halfway through; they did not have enough to compete.

Not to mention the off-court issues Morant has had throughout his career. When he was younger, we all know what happened, resulting in suspensions for the young guard. That is something added with his frustrations with two head coaches that really makes you question this move. His reluctance to work with Taylor Jenkins or Tuomas Iisalo suggests he may be difficult to coach, something the Suns might not want to put Jordan Ott through in his second year of coaching.

Grizzlies

For a team in the midst of rebuilding and finding its new identity, Green would be a perfect fit. He would not have the expectations of being on a playoff team, but one where he can grow as a player. Memphis, as well, for how well they can develop young talent, I’m sure, would love to take on this experiment and see where it goes.

Green can be a part of their new young core with Cedric Coward, Cam Spencer, Zach Edey, and whoever the Grizzlies select with their lottery selection this season. This could be a new fun core to look at for the fans after just blowing up their season in the middle of it.

Green’s athleticism would add a layer to this offense that they lacked all year without Morant. Personally, Memphis is one of the best teams for Green to reach his true potential, in my opinion, but I think they want this deal more than Phoenix.

Final Thoughts

Even for someone who believes in second chances for players and not giving up on them early, I think for the Suns, this is the player not to do so. When you look at it, you are adding on money, taking a risk on someone who could cause some waves in the locker room when the chemistry is already good. You also take a risk on his availability. This leaves too many questions with too much baggage for the Suns to actually pursue.

As I stated earlier, if you can expand this deal and add the Suns getting their pick back from Memphis, I’d have to reevaluate it, but to me, the Morant fit would not make sense for the Suns.

What do you think, though? Would you do this deal if you were in the Phoenix Suns front office?