Category: NBA

Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs
Date: May 6th, 2026
Time: 8:30 PM CDT
Location: Frost Bank Center
Television Coverage: ESPN

Game 1 was not pretty. It was not elegant. It was not the kind of series opener that ends with everyone breathlessly talking about offensive genius or some masterclass in modern basketball.

No, this was a rock fight. It steel-cage match with a shot clock. And somehow, the Timberwolves survived it.

They walked into Frost Bank Center, stole home-court advantage, and escaped with a Game 1 win by the skin of their teeth. This was not a comfortable victory. This was the Wolves clinging to a seven-point lead late, watching it shrink to four, then two, then holding their breath as Julian Champagnie’s potential game-winning three clanged off the rim and allowed every Wolves fan to exhale.

From the opening possession, it was obvious this series was not going to look anything like the matchup with Denver. Against the Nuggets, Minnesota discovered that Denver’s rim defense was basically a velvet rope with no bouncer. Attack Jokic, make him move, pressure the paint, force rotations, rinse, repeat. Against San Antonio? Different universe. The game opened with blocks on both ends, which was appropriate because Victor Wembanyama spent the night reminding Minnesota that layups are now a privilege, not a right.

Twelve blocks.

Twelve.

Well, maybe seven or eight blocks and a few missed goaltends and fouls if you believe Chris Finch (and of course we do!). Either way, Wembanyama managed to turn the paint into a restricted military zone. The Wolves had 24 points’ worth of shots sent flying in the opposite direction, and somehow they still found enough offense to win. That alone should tell you two things: this Wolves team has some real playoff scar tissue, and this series is going to be an absolute grinder.

Minnesota did not have anyone who could match Wembanyama’s alien anatomy, because nobody does. But what the Wolves did have was collective defensive toughness. They made San Antonio work. They kept the Spurs to 102 points. They turned the game into a series of ugly possessions, hard contests, forced decisions, and physical collisions. Both teams landed punches. Both teams went on runs. Neither could fully break away.

And then there was Anthony Edwards. His 18 points will not end up on one of those glossy playoff graphics. By Ant standards, it was almost pedestrian. But if you watched the game, you understood how important his presence was. After everything with the knee, after the uncertainty, after wondering whether Minnesota’s superstar would even be available, he came back and gave the Wolves just enough downhill juice and clutch shooting to matter.

He was one of the few players who could look at Wembanyama lurking near the rim and still say, “Yeah, I’m going anyway.” He was willing to stare down that massive wingspan and launch a cold-blooded three right past it.

So many Wolves possessions became a game of cat and mouse. You could see guys driving, seeing Wemby’s shadow stretch across the lane, and suddenly reconsider the plan. Minnesota had multiple shot-clock violations. Other possessions ended in desperation heaves because the Spurs’ defense, powered by the human cell tower in the middle, had swallowed up the first, second, and third option.

So even if Ant was not fully Ant, he gave Minnesota something it desperately needed: pressure. Confidence. A killer instinct.

Julius Randle had his moments too, especially late, when Minnesota needed someone to manufacture offense through brute force. It was not always pretty, but in the fourth quarter, when the Spurs were pushing and the Wolves were trying not to cough up a game they had spent all night wrestling into their possession, Randle used his strength to bully his way into points, draw contact, and keep Minnesota upright.

Mike Conley was enormous. Filling in for the injured Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu, Conley reached into the old-man bag and pulled out four critical threes, the exact kind of stabilizing shot-making Minnesota needed. Every one of those makes mattered.

Naz Reid mattered too. As the third big in Minnesota’s frontcourt rotation, he gave the Wolves a needed offensive counterpunch, attacking the rim when the opportunity was there and spacing the floor when San Antonio’s defense tilted inward. Against Wembanyama, you need bigs who can force decisions. Naz did enough of that to help Minnesota survive.

But surviving Game 1 is not the same thing as solving the Spurs. That’s the danger heading into Game 2. The Wolves stole home court. They proved they can win this kind of game. They sent a little doubt into every talking head who confidently penciled San Antonio into the Western Conference Finals because Wembanyama is the future and the NBA loves a coronation story.

But now comes the real opportunity: Minnesota can leave San Antonio up 2-0.

A Game 2 win changes everything.That puts the young Spurs under the kind of psychological pressure they have not had to deal with yet. That forces Wemby and company to go on the road against a battle-tested Wolves team that has spent the last three postseasons collecting scars, receipts, and road wins in hostile buildings.

Game 1 was the first bite.

Game 2 is where the Wolves decide whether they are satisfied with that, or whether they are ready to really sink their teeth in.

With that, here are the keys.

1. It Begins and Ends With Defense

If Game 1 made anything clear, it is that points are going to be expensive in this series.

Minnesota is not walking into this matchup and dropping 125 unless something truly bizarre happens. Wembanyama’s rim protection is too overwhelming. The Spurs can turn ordinary possessions into escape rooms. That means the Wolves have to win the same way they won Game 1: by making San Antonio just as uncomfortable.

Holding the Spurs to 102 points was a strong start, but it was not perfect. Minnesota still gave up too many easy looks, especially when San Antonio got out in transition. In the half court, the Wolves were able to lock in, communicate, and force the Spurs into tougher possessions. But when San Antonio ran off misses, pushed after makes, or caught Minnesota cross-matched, things got dicey fast.

That cannot be the tradeoff. The Wolves cannot spend 20 seconds defending beautifully only to get burned because they are late getting back the next trip. Transition defense has to be a priority. The Spurs are young, fast, and fearless. If you let them run, they will. If you let them build confidence with easy baskets, suddenly their half-court offense gets lighter too.

Minnesota’s defense has to be connected from possession one. Wall off the paint. Contest without fouling. Get back. Finish possessions with rebounds. Make San Antonio earn everything.

Because the Wolves are not winning this series in a track meet. They are winning it in the mud.

2. Stay Out of Foul Trouble

Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle both finished Game 1 with five fouls. Stephon Castle fouled out for San Antonio. The whistle was tight, and while that spoke to the physicality of the game, it also created a dangerous tightrope for Minnesota.

The Wolves cannot afford to have McDaniels stapled to the bench for long stretches. We saw in the Denver series how quickly things shift when Jaden picks up early fouls. In Game 5 against the Nuggets, he got two quick ones and Minnesota’s defense immediately lost most of its bite. Against San Antonio, his availability is even more important. He is one of the few Wolves with the length, feet, and defensive instincts to bother multiple Spurs actions. He has to be on the floor. He has to be aggressive. But he also has to be smart.

Same goes for Randle. Same goes for Gobert. Same goes for Naz. Against Wembanyama, the Wolves need every big body they have. They cannot afford cheap fouls 30 feet from the basket. They cannot afford frustration fouls. They cannot afford reaching when verticality will do. Every whistle that sends a key Wolf to the bench makes life easier for San Antonio.

The best ability is availability, and in this series, that might be more than a cliché. It might be the difference between a 2-0 lead and a tied series.

3. Keep the Offense Moving, And Find Ways to Remove Wemby From the Play

Game 1 was a warning: if the Wolves let San Antonio’s defense get set, possessions can die slow, painful deaths.

Wembanyama changes everything. He doesn’t just block shots. He changes decisions before they happen. He makes drivers hesitate. He makes cutters pull up short. He makes guys second-guess what used to be automatic. That is how you end up with multiple shot-clock violations and late-clock prayers.

The answer is not to simply “be tougher” and drive into him anyway. That is how you end up as Block No. 13.

The answer is movement.

The ball has to move side to side. The Wolves need to make San Antonio’s defense rotate, make Wemby turn his head, make him guard multiple actions instead of letting him sit in the paint like a final boss waiting for challengers. The more static Minnesota becomes, the more powerful he gets.

One of the most encouraging wrinkles late in Game 1 was the way Randle helped wall off Wembanyama from the play, using his body to seal him and create cleaner driving lanes. That is the kind of stuff Minnesota has to lean into. Screen him. Pin him. Drag him away from the basket. Make him choose between helping and giving up something else.

You are not going to eliminate his impact. But you can make him work harder to apply it.

That means Ant attacking at the right times. Randle using his strength intelligently. Naz spacing and cutting. Conley organizing. The offense has to be active, deliberate, and patient enough not to panic when the first look disappears.

Against Denver, the Wolves could attack the rim as Plan A.

Against San Antonio, Plan A has to be creating the conditions where attacking the rim is even possible.

4. Hit Shots (And For the Love of KG, Hit Your Free Throws)

Minnesota shot 38% from three in Game 1. They needed every bit of it.

Conley’s four threes were massive. Edwards’ late shot mattered. Naz hitting from deep mattered. In a game where the rim was guarded by a skyscraper with timing, the three-point line became the team’s lifeline.

The Wolves do not need to shoot 45% from deep to win this series, but they cannot afford one of those 24% disaster nights. They need mid-30s or better. They need the open looks to go down. They need to punish the Spurs when the defense collapses or when Wembanyama is pulled out of position.

But it is not just about making shots. It is about generating the right ones. No desperation heaves because the possession got stuck. No contested threes early in the clock because someone didn’t want to drive. No wasted chances after beautiful ball movement. If the Wolves create clean looks, they have to cash them in.

And free throws? …Enough.

This has been a season-long issue, and it cannot follow them deeper into the playoffs. The margin in this series is too thin. Every point matters. When the Wolves earn trips to the line, they cannot treat them like extra credit. These are professional basketball players. Good ones. There is no reason for the free-throw percentage to resemble something from a middle school tournament.

5. Stay Physical and Keep Punishing Wembanyama

Wembanyama had a triple-double. He blocked 12 shots. His defensive impact was absurd.

He also scored just 11 points.

That is not an accident.

Minnesota did a strong job making his offensive life uncomfortable. They bodied him. They leaned into him. They denied easy catches. They made him fight for position. They forced him into an 0-for-8 night from three. Now, will that happen again? Probably not. Wemby is too good, too talented, too inevitable to expect another quiet scoring night.

But the approach has to stay the same.

Make him feel the series.

Randle has to keep using his strength. Gobert has to make him work inside. Naz has to be physical. Everyone has to box out. Every drive by San Antonio has to be met with bodies, not open lanes. The Wolves cannot allow the Spurs to live off second-chance points and easy putbacks, which nearly cost them Game 1.

This is where Minnesota’s size and experience need to matter. San Antonio has the alien. Minnesota has the grown men. Use them.

The Wolves are not going to out-finesse the Spurs. They are not going to win a verticality contest with Wembanyama. They have to make this a strength battle. A positioning battle. A will battle.

Make the young team feel the older team’s weight.

The First Bite Wasn’t Enough

The Wolves stole Game 1, but stealing home court only matters if you protect the advantage it gives you. A split in San Antonio is fine. A 2-0 lead heading back to Target Center is something else entirely. That is a statement. That is pressure. That is a young Spurs team suddenly facing the reality that playoff series are not won by highlights, hype, or wingspans alone.

Minnesota has a chance to put real weight on San Antonio’s shoulders. The Spurs are talented. They are hungry. They are not going away because they dropped one close game at home. Wembanyama will adjust. Their coaches will adjust. Their guards will push harder. Their crowd will be louder. Everything about Game 2 will be more difficult.

Let it be.

The opportunity remains the same.

The Wolves have the experience. They have the scars. They have the defensive identity. They have the physicality. They have just enough offensive punch, if they execute, to make this series theirs.

But it will not happen by accident. They need to defend like Game 1 was not good enough. They need to stay out of foul trouble. They need to move the ball with purpose. They need to hit their threes. They need to stop throwing away free points at the line. They need to make Wembanyama feel bodies every single trip down the floor.

The first bite drew blood.

Now comes the next one.

This is where the apex predator does not relax after wounding its prey. It tightens the grip. It gets more physical, more focused, more relentless. It keeps attacking before the opponent has a chance to recover.

Game 1 was the warning.

Game 2 is the chance to make San Antonio truly feel the weight of the hunt.

Before Game 1 against the Minnesota Timbwolves, I chatted with Thilo Widder from our sister site Canis Hoopus about how the Spurs would need to get more creative on offense to counter the Wolves’ size advantage. We saw that play out in a tight, defensive-minded Game 1 loss for the Spurs, so today, we discuss what adjustments they’ll need to make and if the young, inexperienced squad has what it takes to make them, or will the play0ff-hardened Wolves, fresh off two straight Conference Finals appearances, show them how it’s done.

J.R. Wilco

What a game! Of course I would have preferred a different outcome, but this is what Spurs fans have been missing for the last 9 years; a high level of competition, important games, high-stakes, pressure, and … relevancy. 

Here’s what we know about this series after Game 1. It’ll be a shame if this doesn’t go the distance. That might sound weird, so I’ll clarify. As a Spurs fan, of course I want it to end in five games with San Antonio completing the Gentleman’s Sweep and running the table – no matter how unrealistic that is. But as a basketball fan, I’d love little better than to sink my teeth into 336 minutes of these two teams trading haymakers. 

I mean, come on now, Monday night’s first three plays were all blocks by tall French dudes! The game was tighter than the lid on a 10-year-old jar of grandma’s strawberry preserves. Neither team ever got a double-digit lead? Every time I thought the Spurs were going to get some breathing room, someone in a white jersey did something laughably athletic and timely to end San Antonio’s run. 

Example #1: The Spurs like to end quarters on at least a mini-run by setting up a two-for-one such that they take a shot, giving the other team the ball with about 30-ish seconds left on the clock. Well, Minnesota not only knows this, they’re aware that Fox is often the player taking the last shot, and even as he works around the Champagnie screen and gets free for a paint jumper that’s so in his sweet spot it’s in danger of giving him diabetes, Hyland leaves Julian, blocks Fox from behind and Randle gets a dunk at the buzzer. Example #2: End of the 2nd quarter Conley and Clark mess up Vassell and Fox’s pick and roll, and even though De’Aaron ends up getting into the lane with just Randle in front of him, he’s not fully in control and loses the ball. 

In neither quarter of the first half were the Spurs able to even get a shot off in their final possession. And people were criticizing Mitch Johnson for not calling a time out at the end of the 4th. But I think it would have been foolish to allow the Minny defense to get set when they’ve already shown the ability to blow up your usual end-of-quarter offense during the flow of the game. Anyway, that’s the kind of defense that needs to be put under a microscope in order to understand it so that it can be better attacked, and that’s precisely what I believe San Antonio’s coaching staff is doing right now. 

Which brings me to Finch and Co’s job prepping their team, and the expectation of the next game. With the Wolves getting to the Western Conference Finals two years in a row, you’ve been through long postseason runs, what kinds of adjustments are you used to seeing, what do you expect them to do next, and how much fun are you having?

Thilo

That was certainly something. While you guys may have missed that (long postseason runs), I don’t think Wolves fans will ever get used to it. I mean we used to have to sell first round picks for cash considerations so we could fire our coach! We’re that team!! And we just upset a two seed that was only +400 or so to sweep us!

There’s always that element of surprise with these Wolves. I try to be realistic only to have them blow those expectations out of the water, only to let me down the second I start believing. This happened during Game 7 against the Nuggets in 2023-24 and during Game 4 of the Suns series in 2024-25. I can’t wait for it to happen again now that I’m believing.

On the point of adjustments, I will give myself a quick pat on the back for calling that Fox would be the target, the supposed weakest link named by the coaching staff. That has always been the first change Chris Finch and the rest of the bench have done in the playoffs.

Finch understands, as most coaches do, that while regular season games are about how much you can keep your formula intact, the playoffs are all about how well and how quickly you can change while preventing the opposing team from getting what they’re most comfortable doing.

From the outside looking in, the Spurs seem like they want Fox, Harper, and Castle to get to the paint alongside Wembenyama to absolutely bully opposing teams inside the arc offensively while funneling everyone inside towards Wemby.

Well, they certainly did the latter half. The only issue? The Minnesota Timberwolves are a team of psychopaths.

Wemby blocked everything and it didn’t matter. Minnesota still got 50+ shots in the paint. That’s the funny realization that Finch came to. Blocks don’t always end possessions and Wemby can only do so much.

The issue with the Wolves is that they seem to flame out as that third series approaches. Every team gets the crap kicked out of them only for Minnesota to burn themselves out. It’s why I still struggle to fully believe.

As far as what to expect, I assume that nothing will change as far as paint volume goes. The biggest change will be who is taking those shots. Ayo Dosumnu will be coming back and did the same to the Nuggets. I think the biggest difference will come with how Rudy Gobert is deployed. Maybe he isn’t a head-to-head matchup with Wemby (Randle did a better job, truth be told), and is instead used to overwhelm the Wemby-less minutes.

That’s where my first question comes in. Wembanyama was not the biggest let down of the two main stars, but he is far more crucial than Fox. How do you think the approach changes, or do you think it’s just a question of hitting shots instead of missing them? Additionally, do Wemby’s gaudy blocked shot numbers actually hide the fact that his rebounding/defensive play finishing left a lot to be desired? How do you deal with that?

J.R.

First, when you’re talking about comparing one game to the next, it’s never just about one factor, even if it’s hitting shots. Let’s say that you look at the average score of a player and figure that he can be depended on to deliver that. Well, over a season he can, but in a single game there are too many variables. It’s easy to say, “We’ll be fine on Wednesday because those outside shots will drop,” but maybe Minnesota gets to the line more and hits all of their free throws. Or San Antonio doubles their average turnovers and starts hemorrhaging transition points. There are just far too many factors involved in every game to imagine a single category improving and then expect everything else to stay the same. 

As for Wemby’s play, it’s wild to think that in a game when he tallied a dozen blocks and 15 boards, that his defense and rebounding could have been better, but there it is. Wemby still leaves his feet for fakes when he’s around the basket, and I don’t think anything besides time and seasoning will cure it. I don’t know whether this is conventional basketball wisdom, but it’s my firm belief that jumping to challenge midrange or perimeter shots is fundamentally sound. But when it comes to big men around the basket, they should raise their arms to challenge but keep their feet to be available for the rebound. This goes doubly for Wemby because he’s so tall that he affects shots sometimes even when he doesn’t make a move to block. Bottom line, the idea of defense is to get a stop, not to get blocks. I like it when he denies a guy, but I like ending an offensive possession even more. 

The Wolves decided that they’d just keep attacking regardless of how many blocks he got, and you can’t argue with the results. As to how you deal with that, I’m not sure but it’s got to be a team thing. Funneling drivers to Wemby definitely works when Gobert is on the court, begging to be ignored, but when Minnesota goes small you’ve got to find someone better than Shannon for Vic to guard. He’s so fast that the instant Victor gets hung on a screen, it’s over. 

But all is not lost. I don’t expect Fox to have two stinkers in a row, and some regression to the team’s mean for threes can be expected unless the Timberwolves have some magic potion that makes the team they’re playing forget how to shoot open looks from deep. That would sound laughable, but it seemed to happen to Denver, and we know what happened in Game 1. 

How about your take on Game 2: do you think it’ll be as close as Monday, and do you see the Spurs solving some part of what Finch has planned?

Thilo

I actually texted a boss at another gig (who among us does not have too many jobs?) about this today and said “I’m expecting a 20-point win for San Antonio because anything else would set off alarm bells.”

So let’s just say, I think San Antonio will solve something, I just wonder what that will be.

It’s hard to win a game on the road, especially with how intense the Frost Bank Center looked to be during stretches of that fourth quarter. It’s even harder to win two games on the road. It’s impossibly hard to win the first two games in a series on the road in the second round against a higher seed team.

The last time I can remember away teams taking 2-0 leads regularly was during the bubble and this is so vastly different.

I will say though, I harped on about playoff experience during the first episode (?) of this series, and that is something that I think will continue to be relevant. Mitch Johnson is not Gregg Popovich. He has not been here. He likely wouldn’t be here if Pop had the health to stick around.

Yeah, it is hard to win on the road, but it’s probably easier to imagine winning on the road when you have a track record (which the Wolves now shockingly do) than when your rotation has 90% of its career playoff minutes coming from old man Harrison Barnes.

Maybe that’s too short or dismissive of an answer, but I truly think it comes down to that. Experience matters and the Spurs – the dynastic, ever relevant Spurs – lack that right now.

To that point, it’s kind of hard to see who will lead the team in this series. It feels a little premature for Wemby to take that over alongside all his on-court roles, and Fox surely needs to play better for that to happen. Castle and Harper are not good enough to outshow their age in that regard too.

People will laugh at this comparison, but the Pistons have Tobias Harris. The Wolves have Mike Conley. The Thunder needed Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Vets are important, and the Spurs don’t have a ton of them to unite behind. 

Every team needs that. Every single championship team stresses the importance of those guys. Who will be that underappreciated, often unutilized guy to step up? It remains to be seen how the game will turn out, but that’s what I’ll be watching for.

LeBron James and the Lakers pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NBA Playoffs history in the first round, defeating the Houston Rockets despite missing the services of MVP candidate Luka Doncic. But for King James' record 23rd NBA season to continue, he'd have to pull off a miracle by dethroning the reigning champs, the Oklahoma City Thunder. And that's a miracle that probably won't come true if you watched Game 1 on Tuesday night.

Despite a great game by LeBron, the Lakers lost by 18 points, signifying this could be a quick series. But on the bright side for the four-time NBA MVP, he's got something to look forward to when his team gets eliminated.

RELATED: Watch LeBron James' awesome YouTube golf debut

According to J.R. Smith, who appeared on FanDuel's "Run It Back" on Tuesday, the 2016 championship Cleveland Cavaliers squad has a 10-year reunion trip planned. And not just any trip, but a big-time golf trip now that James has caught the golf bug bad.

Smith, one of the best celebrity golfers around, was asked about LeBron's new love of the game. And he revealed the following:

"Scotland, Northern Ireland . . . a golf trip," Smith says in the clip. "These boys want to play 36 holes a day . . . I don't know how many they'll finish."

Nice little jab by J.R. there, but you can tell he's thrilled that LeBron has become a golfer.

"They're locked in," Smith says with a smile. "I'm like, OK, now we talking. Now we talking."

Sounds amazing, J.R. And if you guys need any help planning—or anyone to round out your group, please let us know.

RELATED: A celebrity golfer's tough round & Rory McIlroy's movie(?) cameo

More ‘impact' at the rim? Key takeaways from Brad Stevens' press conference originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Brad Stevens cut right to the chase in his end-of-season press conference at the Boston Celtics’ practice facility Wednesday.

“I’m pissed,” the Celtics president of basketball operations told reporters. “I’d rather be playing New York. We all would.”

The Celtics were one win away from advancing to the second round to face the Knicks, but blew a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers en route to their earliest playoff exit since Stevens’ final year as head coach in 2021.

So, there was Stevens on Wednesday fielding questions from reporters on the team’s play style, how to improve the roster and much more.

Stevens covered plenty of ground in the 33-minute press conference, which you can watch in full below. Here are his most notable answers:

Jaylen’s apparent “frustration” with Celtics

Tracy McGrady raised eyebrows on a recent episode of his podcast with Vince Carter by suggesting Jaylen Brown’s “frustration lies deep within the (Celtics) organization,” adding, “There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing just going on with the Boston organization with JB.”

Stevens was asked directly about Brown’s apparent frustration Tuesday.

“I talked to Jaylen on Monday a little bit just real quickly, and it was nothing but positive,” Stevens replied. “He has not expressed those frustrations to me.

“We’ve been here 10 years together. I love JB and everybody around here loves JB. I’ll be here, and my door is always open.”

More ‘impact’ at the rim?

The Celtics attempted the most 3-pointers in the playoffs by a wide margin (46.1 percent) yet made just 33.7 percent of them (10th among 16 playoff teams) while shooting worse than 30 percent in all four of their losses to Philly.

Stevens was asked several questions about Boston’s affinity for the 3-point shot and whether the team will consider changing either its strategy or its personnel this offseason to be less reliant on the deep shot.

His responses were telling, and arguably the highlight of Tuesday’s press conference.

“My general feeling watching us play in really each of the last two playoffs … was, we had a hard time generating really good looks on that first shot,” Stevens said. “So, we’ve got to figure out a way to do better in that.”

“One of the things that we’ve got to figure out is how to have more of an impact at the rim, and I think we do need to add to our team to do that. Everybody plays a role in that, but at the end of (Game 7), Embiid is standing at the rim on all those possessions or a lot of those possessions.”

That sure sounds like Stevens wants to add more frontcourt depth to complement the current tandem of Neemias Queta and Luka Garza — or at least pursue a player who can create offense inside the 3-point line.

“I think the biggest thing is, can we generate looks at the rim? Yeah, everybody wants to do that, and every one of us would prefer a dunk over a 3. Every single one of us. Those are hard to get, and we struggle to generate them.”

Why Tatum didn’t play in Game 7

The details around Jayson Tatum’s injury are still a bit murky. After sitting out the fourth quarter of Game 6 in Philly due to “left leg stiffness,” the Celtics star wasn’t listed on Boston’s initial injury report last Friday, then popped up as “questionable” with “left knee stiffness” on Saturday afternoon before being ruled out for Game 7 against the Sixers later than night.

According to Stevens, Tatum mostly stayed off the leg on Friday and went through a workout Saturday morning to see how his leg would respond. The answer, apparently, was “not well.”

“I watched (the workout), and clearly (it) didn’t feel right,” Stevens said. “It’s not a long, long-term concern, but it certainly didn’t look right when he was working out and didn’t feel right. So, it made sense to be smart about that.”

Tatum added that players coming back from a serious injury like Tatum’s ruptured Achilles his right leg have “a tendency to overcompensate,” and suggested that may have led to Tatum’s left leg issue.

A vote of confidence in Mazzulla

Stevens gave a measured response when asked for his assessment of head coach Joe Mazzulla, who is a finalist to win NBA Coach of the Year due to the Celtics’ regular-season success but received criticism for some of his decision-making in the postseason.

“First of all, I know how hard that job is, “Stevens said. “I know all that goes into it, and I know he and his staff are putting everything they can into it.

“When I say that we struggle to get by, I think that’s — we need to add to our team. So, I think our coaching staff, like all of us, can continue to improve and get better.

“That said, I think they’re very good, and we need to continue to provide them the resources um to grow and get better and continue to be the best that we can be.”

A strong endorsement of Gonzalez

Stevens was much more effusive in his praise of rookie Hugo Gonzalez, the team’s first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2025 NBA Draft.

“Hugo had a great rookie year and is a critical part of us moving forward, because his athleticism can meet the moment in the big games,” Stevens said. “That’s a real thing. You can see it. You know it.

“His strength is off the charts. He’s one of the strongest guys on our team pound-for-pound right now as a 20- year old. So, he’s got a bright future.”

Gonzalez averaged just 14.7 minutes per game, though, and saw just 19 total minutes of floor time over seven playoff games. Stevens acknowledged that despite Gonzalez’s physical attributes, the Spain native wasn’t able to “separate himself” from those who played instead of him.

One and done for Vucevic?

Stevens took a swing at the NBA trade deadline by dealing Anfernee Simons for Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic. The veteran struggled to find his footing in Boston, suffering a finger injury just one month after joining the Celtics and finding himself on the bench in Game 7 against the Sixers.

Vucevic is set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason, and while Stevens offered some praise for the big man, it wouldn’t be surprising if he lands elsewhere this summer.

“Getting traded here when he did, he had some moments; broke his finger, that probably set him back,” Stevens said. “And then, (the Sixers series) was a hard matchup for all of us.

“I thought that Vooch gave us all that he had and did what we asked. It was a hard matchup, and I have a lot of respect for Vooch as a person and as a pro.

“I thought he was really good in our locker room. I thought he was a really good person to have around.”

Masai Ujiri is a splashy name to fill the Dallas Mavericks’ president of basketball operations (and alternate governor) position, and one sure to spark endless fodder for debate for podcasters and basketball content creators.

Is Ujiri washed? Or is he the dose of stability that this franchise needs as the Mavericks stare down the task of building around Cooper Flagg? His 12 years heading up basketball operations for the Toronto Raptors, which ended one day after the 2025 NBA Draft after three straight years missing the playoffs, offers definitive evidence both ways.

Ujiri was introduced as the Mavericks’ head man in a press conference on Tuesday at American Airlines Center, an affair that offered little to sway members of either camp.

“To come to this storied organization, the Dallas Mavericks, to come back to the NBA, it’s a blessing and I’m honored and humbled to have this very unique opportunity,” Ujiri said.

“There’s no other way to do this than winning,” he added, when asked for the first time about helping the organization move on from the tumult that started with trading Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. “There’s a saying in Africa. When kings go, kings come. The king went, and we have a little prince here that we’re going to turn into a king, and I think we have to start thinking that way here.”

Lost in all the banter about what he learned during his year off, musings about coming up in the world of professional basketball and obligatory responses about the trade of Luka Dončić, which went down a full 15 months ago, while Ujiri was still leading the Raptors’ front office, was any clarity surrounding how decision-making will happen in this Mavericks’ front office.

Of course, he’ll be the final word on roster- and basketball-related decisions. He’s here to fill the role traditionally manned by a “general manager,” terminology that has apparently gone completely out of style in NBA circles these days. But he dodged questions about head coach Jason Kidd’s future with the franchise and mentioned co-interim general managers Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley exactly one time in the 35-minute nothing-burger of a press conference during a time where nothing but questions swirl all around the Mavericks.

To be clear, at both his previous posts as a GM-type guy, Ujiri kept the coach he was handed in place for at least three seasons. He kept George Karl in Denver for three seasons when he came on as general manager and vide president of basketball operations for the Nuggets in 2010. He kept Dwayne Casey in place for five seasons with the Raptors after joining that front office in 2013. His track record says Kidd will be the Mavericks’ coach for the 2026-27 season even if he side-stepped direct questions to that effect twice in Tuesday’s presser.

“I had a conversation with Jason Kidd yesterday,” Ujiri said the first time he was asked point-blank whether Kidd would remain in place next season. “I’m going to meet with Jason Kidd and hear his thoughts on everything. He’s done a great job. We’re going to look at this thing from head to toe and evaluate in every way that we can.”

He’s going to be in a million meetings in the next few days. He’s got to make informed decisions, and that takes time. That means evaluating everything and everyone on the basketball side of the organization. Stakes is high — too high to come in shooting from the hip. We get that.

But what we didn’t get from Tuesday’s introductory press conference was any definitive answer on how any of this is going to work moving forward. Without any clarity, we’re left clueless, without any sense as to whether this guy will effectively correct any of the CVS receipt full of problems the Mavericks face as they rebuild. Confidence lags behind clarity. Without any of the latter there is none of the former to be had.

Is Ujiri up to the task in Dallas? Your guess is as good as mine.

This lack of clarity is at least as much on the media assembled at the AAC as it is on Ujiri. Nobody cares who courted who more, team Governor Patrick Dumont or Ujiri. No one cares about the frank five-hour meeting the two shared. No one cares that it was only scheduled for an hour, but Dumont and Ujiri just genuinely liked staring lovingly into each other’s eyes so much that it turned into an all-day affair.

All of one question was asked about Riccardi and Finley’s future with the organization, and it was asked of Dumont, not Ujiri himself. Dumont’s answer was short and rote, with just a tinge of foreboding.

“I want to thank Matt and Fin for the work that they did across this year,” Dumont said. “They did phenomenal work. As Masai spoke about, he’s going to speak to everyone, and talk about the future of the organization, and we’ll go from there.”

Yeesh — I’d be polishing my resume if I were one of those two fellows after hearing that answer.

The central thesis of the presser was that, boy, we sure are glad we have Cooper Flagg. He sure is fun to watch and good as basketball. The rest is a huge question mark.

“The one difficult thing to find anywhere in sports is a generational player,” Ujiri said. “And we have one here. We’ve planted a flag(g) here. It is our job to continue to build the young players on this team. We have to figure it out and put them in the right situations to perform.”

Usiri and the Mavericks will have two more chances in the first round of the NBA Draft next month to put a couple more building blocks into place. Dumont can go on and on about how excited he is to have Ujiri at the top of his front-office food chain. The fans seem to be shrugging their shoulders, thoroughly unconvinced of anything, really.

The answer to the Lakers’ slumping offense sat hunched in a chair in the corner of the visitors' locker room at Paycom Center. Luka Doncic, dressed in a black T-shirt and pants, scrolled on his phone, cornered off by a wall of reporters who all faced LeBron James looking for reasons behind a postseason dry spell.

“We have a guy that averages 37 [points] a game [out],” James said. “Thirty-three-and-a-half. … There’s the issue right there.”

Since Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in this arena on April 2, the Lakers used heroic performances from James, suddenly hot shooting and stout defense to paper over the absence of their leading scorer. But Tuesday's 108-90 Game 1 loss against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder showed just how much the Lakers miss Doncic.

On a night they limited Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 18 points and a season-high seven turnovers, the Lakers still never got closer than 11 points in the fourth quarter. The reigning most valuable player scored fewer than 20 points in a game for the first time since May 24, 2025.

The Lakers slugged their way through a defensive battle against the Houston Rockets in the first round, but their offense started lagging midway through the series. They’ve scored fewer than 100 points in four consecutive games, three of them losses. The team that shot a league-leading 50.2% during the regular season has dipped to 46.5%. Their 99.6 points per game in the playoffs is the lowest for any team still playing in the conference semifinals.

“When you play against great defense, you have to have guys that can attract multiple defenders on the floor at all times,” said James, who led the Lakers with 27 points on 12-for-17 shooting. “I feel like we had great shots. We got some great shots tonight, we missed them.”

Read more:'Some game-plan breakdowns.' Thunder pull away in second half to defeat Lakers in Game 1

The Lakers shot 10 for 30 from three-point range. In the first round, the Lakers shot better than 40% from three in all four of their wins compared to no better than 25.9% in their two losses.

The Thunder allowed the seventh-most three-pointers per game during the regular season. Hoping to exploit the weakness, the Lakers got up 30 three-pointers, a relative improvement from their first-round series average of 25.5 per game.

But forward Rui Hachimura, who shot three for six from three, said the team can afford to shoot even more.

Luke Kennard, who burst into the postseason with 50 combined points in Games 1 and 2 against the Houston Rockets, shot only one for three from three. Lakers coach JJ Redick lamented that the NBA’s best three-point shooter passed up some good shots.

The Lakers struggled to generate three-pointers in the aftermath of injuries to Doncic and Austin Reaves. Reaves’ return hasn’t fully jump-started the offense as the guard regains his rhythm after a left oblique strain that sidelined him for four weeks.

Reaves was 0 for five from three in his third game back. He is two-for-17 shooting from distance in the playoffs and had just eight points on three-for-16 shooting Tuesday.

“I got to get my spots multiple times and just missed a couple of easy shots,” Reaves said. “But for the most part, you got to limit the turnovers. They pressure the ball really well, just got to give us an opportunity to get a shot on goal every possession.”

The Lakers committed 18 turnovers that led to 20 Oklahoma City points, including 15 in the second half. Redick identified turnovers as the Lakers’ top priority against the most disruptive defense in the league, especially after the Lakers averaged 17.7 turnovers per game during the first round of the playoffs.

The Lakers miss Doncic’s 33.5 points a game, but against such an aggressive defense, they also ache for his ball handling that could ease the pressure on Reaves (four turnovers), Smart (two) and James (two).

“We decided we’re just going to be enough with what we have,” Hachimura said. “But I think those kinds of stuff [Doncic does] — the playmaking, especially against a team like these guys, they pressure the ball — Luka, with his size and his ball handling, everything, he could have been a good playmaker for sure.”

Doncic has increased some of his on-court work recently by incorporating movement into his shooting, but had not progressed to live contact by the time the series began. He posted a photo of himself lifting weights on his Instagram story on Monday, but Redick didn’t give any updates on the star guard’s status.

In the locker room after Tuesday’s game, teammates sat with their feet submerged in buckets of ice and ice packs wrapped around their joints. In his corner between the lockers for James and Reaves, Doncic turned to the side as reporters passed by.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

In Tuesday’s Brotherhood Playoff Action, Detroit beat Cleveland, 111-101, while Oklahoma City knocked off Los Angeles, 108-90.

Tyrese Proctor got another DNP, but it’s the playoffs, and he’s a rookie, so no big surprise.

In the nightcap, Luke Kennard finished with 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist.

For his part, Jared McCain finished with 12 points, including 4-5 on his three-point attempts. He also had 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

On Wednesday, Mason Plumlee and the San Antonio Spurs take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2. The teams played on Monday, but Plumlee didn’t get any time, so we didn’t think it justified a full post.

• Jalen Duren delivers for the Pistons, making plays at both ends of court in key moments against Cavs
• 4 Big Takeaways from Cavaliers’ Disappointing Game 1 Loss to Pistons
• Tyrese Proctor Drops Duke Mt. Rushmore, Leaves Out Natty-Winning Legend
• “We noticed early on Luke had that ability” – LeBron James explains how Luke Kennard became the L.A. Lakers x-factor in the playoffs
• Lakers Notes: Luka Doncic, Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard
• Lakers’ Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard fined by NBA for actions following Game 4 buzzer against Rockets
• Jared Mccain Sparks Thunder With 36-26 Lead In Game 1

Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line

The University of Kentucky is mourning the loss of a true legend. Adrian ‘Odie’ Smith, a cornerstone of Kentucky’s storied history and a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, passed away on April 28. He was 89 years old. The university released a statement Monday announcing the passing.

Smith leaves behind a legacy that stretches from the bluegrass of Lexington to the Olympic podium in Rome, and all the way to the NBA record books. So, if it’s a name you are unfamiliar with, here is everything you need to know.

A champion in Lexington

Smith transferred to Kentucky from Northeast Mississippi Junior College and made a huge impact. Playing under Adolph Rupp during the 1957-58 season, Smith was a beloved member of the iconic ‘Fiddlin’ Five’ that captured the 1958 NCAA National Championship.

He was a steady presence, averaging 10.2 points across 51 total games. When the lights were brightest, Smith delivered, elevating his game to average nearly 14 points per contest during UK’s four-game run to the national title.

UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart released a statement honoring Smith’s profound impact on the university:

“Odie holds a special place in the history, and the treasured heritage, of Kentucky Basketball. His accomplishments on the court – the NCAA championship at UK, two gold medals representing the United States in international competition, and his 11-year pro career – speak for themselves. What I remember most about Odie is that he had such a positive presence. He was a bright light wherever he went, always smiling, always cheerful, and most of all, so incredibly proud that he had played for the Wildcats.”

Military service and Olympic gold

Smith’s path to professional stardom was anything but conventional. After a brief, unsuccessful stint with the Cincinnati Royals, who drafted him in the 15th round, Smith joined the US Army.

While serving his country, he was selected to represent the United States at the Pan American Games in Chicago, winning a gold medal. That earned him a spot on the legendary 1960 U.S. Olympic Team. Playing alongside future icons like Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Jerry Lucas, Smith helped secure a gold medal in Rome.

Following the gold medal game, Smith climbed onto the shoulders of teammate Darrall Imhoff to cut down the net. It is a keepsake that the University said he kept his entire life.

A unique piece of NBA History

Smith eventually found his footing in the NBA, rejoining the Cincinnati Royals in 1961 to form a dynamic backcourt duo with Oscar Robertson, dubbed the “Big O” and the “Little O.”

During the 1965-66 season, Smith averaged a career-high 18.4 points per game, earning him his first and only selection to the NBA All-Star Game. Playing in front of his hometown Cincinnati crowd, Smith stole the show. He scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds, outshining 16 future Hall of Famers to win the All-Star Game MVP award.

To this day, Smith remains the only player in NBA history to win All-Star MVP honors in his lone appearance in the game. He received a Ford Galaxie 500 convertible for the achievement, a car he proudly owned for the remainder of his life.

The only other Kentucky player to win the NBA All-Star MVP is Anthony Davis.

A life well lived

Smith wrapped up his 11-year professional career on the West Coast with the San Francisco Warriors and spent his final season in the ABA with the Virginia Squires, sharing the court with a rookie named Julius Erving. He finished with 8,750 career points.

Following his playing days, Smith transitioned into a highly successful banking career in Cincinnati. His home state of Kentucky never forgot his contributions; he was an inaugural member of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, and his hometown dedicated the Adrian ‘Odie’ Smith Highway in his honor in 2015.

He is survived by his son, Tyler, and his brother, Kenny.

Big Blue Nation has lost a champion, a patriot, and a pioneer of the game. Rest in peace, Odie.

When the Spurs won their fourth game against the Portland Trail Blazers, fans went honking. But the fans weren’t alone. Among the hundreds on the road celebrating, a member of the San Antonio Spurs took part in the festivities.

Spurs sharp shooter Julian Champagnie, who finished the first round of the playoffs shooting over 60% from beyond the arc, joined the fans in cheering the victory.

Between when Portland left and the Minnesota Timberwolves arrived, the Spurs had nearly a week to decompress and prepare for the second round of the playoffs. While out and about shopping, they stopped to take come photos.

Jordan McLaughlin was seen in Karolina’s doing some antique shopping.

Meanwhile, Champagnie shopped at Sephora and stopped to take a photo.

It’s hard not to notice a six-foot-plus guy as he’s passing by, but the Spurs are more recognizable than ever. For some, this is their first experience in the playoffs. All eyes are on them. It’s great to see how they have handled the fame with poise and grace.

Plus, they gotta get that Mother’s Day shopping done before they head to Minneapolis for the weekend.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

The Hawks are still reckoning with a disastrous end to their season, but that ending shouldn’t obscure the progress the organization made in course of the past 12 months.

Despite major in-season roster turnover, the team won 46 games and returned to the playoffs after two seasons of eliminations in the Play-In Tournament. Jalen Johnson earned his first career All-Star nod — and he may yet make an All-NBA team. Nickeil Alexander-Walker was the acquisition of the offseason, going from bench role player to key starter and earning Most Improved Player in the process.

It’s one thing for fans and local media to take note of the team’s accomplishments. But it’s another for the league to take notice.

And two bits of news over the last week have now reinforced the notion that the perception of this front office have changed for the better.

The NBA Executive of the Year award has been handed out every year since 1972-73 in an effort to recognize an outstanding front office decision maker over the course of a season. While Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics President of Operations, was recently named the winner for the 2025-26 season, a familiar name finished second in the voting.

Onsi Saleh, Atlanta Hawks general manager, finished second in Executive of the Year voting in just his first year on the job as the top executive in the front office structure:

Saleh was recognized, in part, for pulling off a big draft asset transaction during the last draft for a lottery superpick, bringing in Alexander-Walker in a sign-and-trade using the mid-level exception, and netting key player CJ McCollum in the Trae Young trade — among other successful moves.

But recognition doesn’t stop at the top of the organizational chart. Bryson Graham stepped into a senior vice president of basketball operations position last offseason after spending 15 years in the New Orleans Pelicans organization.

Now, the Chicago Bulls have tapped Graham to be, presumably, the top signal caller in their program:

Graham was instrumental in the widely lauded superpick acquisition due to his deep knowledge of the Pelicans’ draft assets. Additionally, he’s reportedly had a keen eye for scouting basketball talent, although the Hawks were largely unable to tap into that skill due to his short stint here in Atlanta.

Both of these news tidbits now lend credence toward the notion that the Hawks’ front office is well respected around the league. That hasn’t always been the case, but the new regime has clearly changed views around the NBA for the better.

That’s something to be celebrated — even as the front office loses a key piece in Bryson Graham.

These New York food joints are 86ing the 76ers’ hometown sandwich. 

Restaurants and bars from Manhattan to Long Island were banning “Philly” cheesesteaks from the menu as the Knicks take on the 76ers in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Empire State spots said they were rebranding Philly cheesesteaks as “the Philly SUCKS cheesesteak,” “the Big Apple cheesesteak” and other cheeky names in response to The Post calling around to see if establishments were ready to dunk on the B-rate city.

“Philly needs to understand, New York is the king,” said Louis Cretella, the co-owner of Dario’s Pizza in West Hempstead.

Cretella, who has been a Knicks season ticket holder for more than a decade, personally changed the menu item from Philly cheesesteak to the Philly SUCKS cheesesteak in the restaurant’s computer system.

Hard copy menus have the “Philly” crossed out and “F*** Philly” in black marker written over it.

Dario’s can sell up to 2,500 cheesesteaks and has been featured on “Good Morning America.” 

“If Philly is so good at cheesesteaks, then why did ‘Good Morning America’ reach out to us on Long Island and not the guys in Philly?” Cretella said.

Philly-themed bar Wogies – which has three New York locations – took direct aim at Sixers star Joel Embiid and the appendectomy he had near the end of the regular season last month. 

“We’ll be renaming one of our original cheesesteaks to be The Appendix Burster — a nod to Embiid’s miraculous recovery from appendicitis,” a business rep told The Post in reference to the center returning to the hardwood 17 days after surgery.

Other restaurants were also tweaking their menu names in the beef with Philly during the high-steaks playoff matchup, including:

• Slate in Manhattan is dubbing one of their appetizers the Knicks Knockout Philly cheesesteak empanadas, while sister business Clinton Hall is introducing the Knicks Knockout Philly cheesesteak sliders.
• G’s Cheesesteaks in Manhattan is planning to change its cheesesteak to the New York Knicks steak on Wednesday.
• Birdie Bar in Northport is calling their food item The Big Apple cheesesteak.

“We’re here to not only show you that we’re a better basketball team, but we might make a better cheesesteak than Philly also,” said Birdie owner and devout Knicks fan Louie Selvaggio.

Evan Deitch, part owner of the Chiddy’s Cheesesteaks, which has multiple sites, said at the business’ Farmingdale location Tuesday Philly fans have always been sore losers.

“It’s not Philly, it’s Long Island cheesesteak,” Deitch said. “Ten times better! New Yorkers demand the best.”

The owners of Italian staple Mama’s in Copiague were giving customers the choice between two names instead of mentioning Philly.

“The Convert” because brothers Adam and Ahmy Sala grew up in Philadelphia as Sixers fans, but have since become Knicks fans thanks to watching point guard Jalen Brunson play at Villanova University and “Trust the Cheesesteak, Not the Process,” in a knock on former 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie’s questionable long-term plan of success.

“Philadelphia has been doing cheesesteaks forever. It’s time New York has a bit of an identity with that,” said Ahmy Sala.

The group of restaurants’ defiance comes as 76er fans tried to block Knicks fanatics of buying tickets to road games at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The cheesesteak originated from Philadelphia when two brothers who ran a hot dog stand in the south side of the Pennsylvania city, Pat and Harry Olivieri, were attempting to come up with new sandwiches to offer customers. 

But for now, the Big Apple isn’t ready to serve Philly any props, especially as the Knicks faithful are reveling in Monday’s 137-98 Game 1win ahead of Wednesday’s game at Madison Square Garden. 

Aristotle “Telly” Hatzigeorgiou, the CEO of The Lure Group, which is the majority owner of Clinton Hall and Slate, joked the kitchen staff “exorcised” anything Philly from the griddle.

“We just sat around, and all of a sudden we see the word ‘Philly’ there, and we’re like, ‘ugh!’ Teeth are grinding, and we didn’t want anything Philly that’s weak,” the Queens native said. “We wanted strong NYC grit. Not a weaky Philly cheesesteak.”

The Sixers’ second-round opener against the Knicks was about as tired and lop-sided as it could have been. A sub 48-hour turnaround after beating Boston left the Sixers with minimal time to recover and go against the Knicks at full throttle, and it showed. The Sixers lost 137-98 in Game 1 on Monday, and there’s a whole array of things that need to change if Game 2 is going to play out differently.

First and foremost, the simple stuff: the Sixers need the Knicks’ shooting cools off. New York were red hot from three all night, finishing 19-of-37 (51.4 percent) from deep.

As Paul George said very simply to reporters after the game, “yeah, we had breakdowns tonight. But they also shot the s*** out of the ball.”

“But you know, it’s a game of adjustments,” George added. “We’ll make adjustments; see what we need to get better at.”

George is right of course. There were some breakdowns in communication that led to open looks. There were plays like the below that simply can’t happen at this stage to allow open buckets in the paint, not just from three.

But the Sixers’ defense and switching was far sharper than this for other spells of the first half. Generally speaking, the Knicks were just on fire. They were frequently burying well contested threes like it was nothing, and chances are that doesn’t last all series. Hopefully for the Sixers, that calms down straight away in Game 2.

Offensively, the Sixers simply need far more from Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Apart from shooting a cool 3-of-9 overall in his 26 minutes, Maxey mainly needed to be more aggressive. Both in terms of actively hunting for threes (he only attempted three) and seeking driving lanes to the rim.

While Embiid didn’t score much himself with only 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting (and that needs to change), there were still flashes of how the Sixers could create off his gravity. He was able to generate some open looks from three with kick-out passes from the post and elbows, and found Kelly Oubre Jr. on some neat baseline cuts (Oubre’s cutting has been good in general these playoffs). More of that paired with sharper shooting from Embiid and Maxey would do wonders for turning Game 2 into a competitive one.

Paul George’s play was one of the few positives on Monday. He’s been terrific at both ends of the floor all postseason. He may not have lit up the scoreboard in Game 1, but George yet again brought plenty to the table at both ends. He finished with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting (4-of-6 from three) and three assists, finding success creating off the bounce from range and getting into the lane to either pull up for himself or set up others.

Again, more typical nights from Embiid and/or Maxey with this version of George will allow the Sixers’ offense to really punch back in Game 2. George continuing to operate well as a playmaker also makes it easier for Maxey to spend more time time as an off-ball scorer and movement shooter, which is what he needs a healthy dose of to be his absolute best.

VJ Edgecombe was also a bright spot. He was fairly aggressive with his limited shots and minutes, and didn’t hesitate from three, adding 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting and a pair of triples.

The Sixers’ stars attacking Jalen Brunson more could be one way to find some extra success, which we didn’t see much of in Game 1. Put Brunson to work by running him through more pick-and-rolls as the point-of-attack defender and exploit his lacking size and defense where possible. Getting him mismatched onto bigger players like George, or simply having to guard the more explosive Maxey and Edgecombe flying through the paint, could help.

Meanwhile as a scorer himself, Brunson was fantastic. He led all scorers by a mile with 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including a 3-of-6 mark from three. The Knicks’ created good looks attacking the paint and firing from three through Brunson’s wave of pick-and-rolls.

From drop coverage that gave Brunson pull-up opportunities to more aggressive coverages like the play below, he found ways to score. Take this possession, where Quentin Grimes stays over the screen (before Mitchell Robinson slips) and Embiid shows high before Brunson rejects the pick and drives into a clear lane.

Moving forward, we’ll see tinkering with different looks through the series to try and keep Brunson in check as much as possible. You can never take away everything all the time, but you have to be adaptable.

To the Sixers’ credit, they did force Brunson into a fare share of difficult looks. Some of his threes and pull-up mid-rangers in particular were well guarded even if he made them regardless. Like this play, where Embiid shows high before recovering to Robinson and George pressures at the arc. A defense that’s reset with Brunson held at the arc against the close contest of a 6-foot-8 defender is a solid outcome… Brunson just buries the three anyway.

In Game 2, the Sixers can only keep using players who have guarded Brunson well in the past, like Oubre Jr., and Edgecombe who did a fantastic job on him this regular season, to ideally turn more of those difficult makes into misses. Unfortunately, Embiid’s mobility being weakened right now makes it harder to bring him higher against screens. Philly will need excellent individual on-ball defense on Brunson all series to prevent easy opportunities. Die on too many screens against drop coverage and he’ll have open pull-ups. Execute a blitz poorly and Brunson can slice into the lane himself or pass to an open roll man.

If the Sixers at least use different looks to keep Brunson guessing, stay physical on the ball, and be sharper with help rotations and switches, they could see some improvement. Some smaller lineups using a George-Dominick Barlow frontcourt could also be an option for short spells to give the Sixers the agility on the perimeter to show high against ball screens and up their switching. That is, unless Adem Bona gets another shot and has a drastic turnaround from his Game 1 performance. With three fouls in three minutes, it’s safe to say he didn’t look like a viable option.

It’ll be interesting to see how other defensive matchups play out in Game 2 as well. For instance, Embiid started out on Karl-Anthony Towns before taking on more of a paint-roaming role playing off Josh Hart, which could be effective moving forward if the Knicks have to attack the paint more if/when they stop making endless threes. Also, who fares better with the Brunson assignment moving forward? Both Oubre and Edgecombe spent time on him in Game 1, and despite Brunson’s skill as a tough shot maker, they’ve both proven they have the tools to guard him well.

Another smaller note is if we’ll see much more hack-a-Mitch strategy. The Sixers turned to intentionally fouling Mitchell Robinson early on Monday as they struggled to slow down the Knicks elsewhere. Nick Nurse even brought Justin Edwards in to pick up a few quick fouls, and it worked. Robinson missed four straight free throws at one point and is at 40.8 percent from the line this season, and 29.4 percent in the playoffs. Getting him off the floor forces Towns to spend more time on Embiid which bodes well for how effective Jo has been against him throughout his career. Robinson’s rim protection, while not game-changing for Embiid, can make the big fella work a little harder.

One last positive of the Sixers’ heavy loss at least is that Nurse, who’s smartly used a small six-man rotation this postseason to lean heavily on his best players, moved his starters to the sidelines midway through the third quarter. Hopefully for the Sixers, their key players not emptying the tank on Monday will help them enter Game 2 with a little extra energy.

Clearly a lot needs to change in Game 2 if the Sixers are going to win. But it’s not unthinkable changes. From a more aggressive Maxey and an Embiid closer to what we saw in round one, to less lights-out three-point shooting from New Work and scoring from Brunson.

It’s only been 18 days since we watched the Sixers get demolished by 32 points in Game 1 against Boston before they completed their historic 3-1 comeback. Maybe 30-point defeats is just how this 2026 team starts series as the underdog before making a comeback…

Game Details

When: Wednesday, May 6, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden, NYC
Watch: ESPN, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

Congratulations, Lakers!

You held Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to fewer than 20 points for the first time since Game 3 of the Western Conference finals last May 24. You forced him into a season-high seven turnovers. And — get this, this part is really wild — you afforded the man who basically lives at the charity stripe only three free-throw attempts.

You should be so proud.

You should also know now for sure: It’s not happening.

You’re not knocking off Oklahoma City.

Read more:'Some game-plan breakdowns.' Thunder pull away in second half to defeat Lakers in Game 1

You held SGA, the reigning league MVP, to 18 points and you lost Game 1 of this Western Conference semifinal series by 18 points, 108-90.

And now you know you’re not mounting a monumental upset and dethroning the defending NBA champions.

You can play a bit better in Games 2, 3 and 4, sure. Austin Reaves could shoot better than three for 16. Marcus Smart should shoot better than four for 15. Luke Kennard ought to shoot more than four times.

But unless, by some miracle, Luka Doncic’s ailing hamstring is healed by Game 2 on Thursday, the Thunder are just much too much for these Lakers.

Oklahoma City gave them a rusty, tin-man version of SGA for a game and continued playing without his injured co-star Jalen Williams. And still, the Thunder were too talented, too deep, too well-coached.

They’re also too aggressive, too confident, too experienced, too together, too clever.

Oh, but I’m going on too long, let the Smart take it from here …

“No matter what, they're relentless in their pursuit,” he said. “They're constantly on the move, they're constantly downhill, putting defenses on their heels. So when you got guys like that, that's constantly putting pressure, not only on you just offensively, but defensively, it is tough. And they come in waves, right? And when they get hot and get going, they can really get going. So they're tough in that aspect.

“[And they’re] defending champs. They've been here, they understand it. They grew up together, and they have a different type of chemistry that most teams probably don't have.”

That includes even this get-along gang that is this season’s Lakers.

Read more:Plaschke: Show Austin Reaves the money? Lakers might have second thoughts after Game 1 meltdown

Winning this best-of-seven series against the Thunder was already an impossible dream. Game 1 illustrated that it’s more like a foregone conclusion.

If the NBA issued intentional walks, they’d put Oklahoma City on base and save the Thunder fans’ voices for later in the playoffs.

If it was possible to simulate the rest of the series, video-game style, it would be worth considering.

Not that there isn’t still value in this series for the Lakers. Not so much in the inevitable result, but for the result of the test: Who on this team is built for this?

Who on this roster measures up against the barometer that is Oklahoma City?

Who will best slot in alongside Doncic, the heliocentric star who everyone knows thrives when paired with defenders, shooters and lob threats?

Is Reaves — as delightful a character and player as he’s been in regular-season action — really a reliable second option beside Doncic when the physicality ratchets up in the postseason? Is he durable enough to count on late in a season?

Does anyone on the Lakers besides 41-year-old LeBron James — who had a game-high 27 points on 12-for-17 shooting in Game 1 — have it in them to throw a few scoring punches?

Final grades aren’t in yet, but let’s assume many of the current Lakers would want to hide the report card when it came — even though they tried, they really, really did.

But against Oklahoma City, the Lakers’ lulls became an invitation for the Thunder to strike. A few miscues got compounded exponentially.

Sometimes you have little room for error. And then there’s playing against the Thunder, when there is none: “Once you make a couple mental mistakes,” Reaves said, “it seems like they take advantage of every one of them.”

And they don’t have to be perfect.

SGA doesn’t play to par? So what! They shoot only 12 free throws? Forget about it.

Because Chet Holmgren still goes for 24 points and 12 rebounds. Ajay Mitchell adds 18 points. Jared McCain chips in with 12 off the bench. They shoot 13 for 30 from three-point range. They put the clamps on during the second half, when they held the Lakers to 37 points.

They took care of business, the team that has all the answers — and for whom the Lakers have none.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.