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We're back with NBA player prop projections for Game 3 between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks.

Our computer picks include plays for big-time players like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

For more NBA picks, take a look at our complete Knicks vs. Hawks predictions for Thursday, April 23.

Knicks vs Hawks computer picks for Game 3

Knicks	Hawks
Towns o1.5 threes  +135	Okongwu o2.5 assists  +115
Bridges o12.5 points -105	Daniels o4.5 assists  -130
Brunson u26.5 points -115	Kuminga o12.5 points  -120

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Knicks Game 3 computer picks

Karl-Anthony Towns Over 1.5 threes (+135)

Projection: 1.61 threes

Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the best shooting big men in NBA history, and his ability to stretch the floor will be needed against the Atlanta Hawks.

Our model sees this as a +EV play, and we're getting plus money for a line KAT has hit in both games of this series.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet Towns Now at bet365!/span

Mikal Bridges Over 12.5 points (-105)

Projection: 13.67 points

Mikal Bridges is one of the streakiest shooters in the league, but his volume and play time alone make this bet enticing. Bridges possesses coveted 3-and-D capabilities, which kept him on the floor for 37 minutes in Game 2. 

He'll be asked to play heavy minutes again, and with a volume of eight to 12 shots, he can get Over this number.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet bridges Now at bet365!/span

Jalen Brunson Under 26.5 points (-115)

Projection: 24.58 points

Make no mistake, Jalen Brunson's 29 points in Game 2 were not impressive. It took him 26 shots to get there, and his ill-advised "hero shots" in the fourth quarter hurt the New York Knicks more than they helped them.

Brunson is an excellent facilitator and will need to get the rest of his team involved if he hopes to keep up with Atlanta.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet brunson Now at bet365!/span

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Hawks Game 3 computer picks

Onyeka Okongwu Over 2.5 assists (+115)

Projection: 2.82 assists

Onyeka Okongwu isn't setting the world on fire with his playmaking, but this is an obtainable number. The Hawks are the best offensive rebounding team at home over the last 10 games, and second-chance opportunities will lead to more chances of assists for the Atlanta big man.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet okongwu Now at bet365!/span

Dyson Daniels Over 4.5 assists (-130)

Projection: 5.83 assists

Dyson Daniels has had a hard time scoring, but he's still an excellent facilitator. Before a rough Game 2, Daniels eclipsed this assist total in three straight.

Daniels' inability to shoot will force the Hawks to make him act as the playmaker for his teammates, leading to plenty of dimes.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet daniels Now at bet365!/span

Jonathan Kuminga Over 12.5 points (-120)

Projection: 14.05 points

Jonathan Kuminga was a beast off the bench for Atlanta in Game 3, recording 19 points in 34 minutes of action. He's earned the playing time, and he'll be asked to score the rock early and often when he gets on the floor.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet kuminga Now at bet365!/span

How to watch Knicks vs Hawks Game 3

Location	State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Date	Thursday, April 23, 2026
Tip-off	7:00 p.m. ET
TV	Prime Video

Not intended for use in MA.
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The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks head to Georgia to continue their first-round series, all knotted up at one game apiece.

Our Knicks vs. Hawks predictions and free NBA picks expect the visitors to take back the series lead on April 23.

Who will win Knicks vs Hawks Game 3?

Knicks win probability:52% (-108)
Hawks win probability:49% (+104)

Despite being the home team, the Atlanta Hawks are slight underdogs at 49¢, while the Knicks have a 52% chance of stealing a game on the road.

Our prediction:Knicks to win

New York let Game 2 get away with turnovers and missed free throws, sparking Atlanta’s rally from 12 points down entering the fourth quarter. The Knicks can’t give the Hawks hope. They’ve done a good job checking Atlanta’s top scorers and will clean up their mess in Game 3.

Read more in Jason Logan's full Knicks vs. Hawks predictions.

More Knicks vs Hawks prediction markets

You're certainly not limited to the main game outcome for Knicks vs. Hawks at Kalshi; you also have options to trade on the spread, total, and more, among other NBA odds markets.

You can buy either side of a market — for example, "Yes" on the Knicks -1.5 spread means the Knicks will cover, while "No" means the Hawks will cover — with each side priced based on the implied probability (which can be converted to American, Decimal, or Fraction odds using the Covers odds converter).

Knicks vs Hawks spread and total at prediction markets

Our predictions:Knicks -1.5 — Yes and Over 216.5 points — No

The Knicks will cut down on their mistakes in Game 3 and win by at least a bucket. Both games have gone Under tonight's total, and both teams will do enough on D to stay Under 216.5 points.

Other Knicks vs Hawks prediction markets available

• Jalen Brunson 30+ points (Yes: 36¢)
• Josh Hart 8+ rebounds (Yes: 62¢)
• Karl-Anthony Towns (Yes: 42¢)

What is Kalshi and how does it work?

Kalshi is a federally regulated U.S. exchange where you trade directly on the outcome of real-world future events. Instead of traditional bets, you trade "Event Contracts" which are simple Yes/No questions like "Will the Hawks win tonight?" These events are priced between $0.01 and $0.99, and the prices reflect the market’s estimated probability of that event occurring. For instance, $0.55 equals a 55% chance. If your prediction is correct, the contract pays out exactly $1.00; if not, it settles at $0. Kalshi is essentially a stock market for reality.

How does Kalshi differ from sportsbooks?

In a sportsbook, you bet against the bookmaker, who sets fixed odds and takes a "vig," which is a kind of commission. On Kalshi, you trade against other users. This peer-to-peer model means prices are driven by supply and demand, often resulting in fairer odds. Additionally, because these are financial derivatives, you can exit your position early. If your team takes a 14-point lead, the contract price will rise, allowing you to sell your "Yes" shares for a profit before the final whistle even blows.

Why should I wager on Knicks vs Hawks at Kalshi?

Kalshi offers four unique advantages over traditional sportsbooks:

1. Flexibility: Unlike a "locked-in" bet, you can sell your contract at any time.
   
   
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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Amen Thompson’s third season was one to remember, as it saw Thompson take on a larger offensive role. ESPN revealed earlier this week that the Houston guard/forward collected a few second-place votes for Defensive Player of the Year, with the San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembenyama winning the award unanimously.

Thompson has received mixed reviews for his offensive development, but has made his mark on the defensive side, even though some numbers show he has slipped this year. Elite, 6-foot-7, nearly 7 feet wide, in pursuit of stopping a tough shot at multiple spots. Whether putting down the fast guards or going up against bigger wingers, Thompson’s level of defensive versatility has evolved to a point where he can guard just about anyone on the court.

What makes him different from most is not just the physical tools on display, but the instincts. Thompson has shown a natural gift for timing passing lane disturbances, rotating as a help defender, and contending with shots without fouling. His anticipation is sometimes such that you get a defensive rebound and a transition opportunity, or that the defense turns into offense in a way that sparks the Rockets.

Houston has an impressive defensive depth when Thompson is on the floor, and his ability to guard one through four has also freed up the coaching staff when it comes to playing matchups. Effort plays — loose balls and chases and late-clock stops — have become part of his nightly contributions.

His defensive stats are a little down overall from last season, even if his steals reached a career-high of 1.5 . Blocks were down to his rookie levels of 0.6, his defensive rating of 114 was the worst of his career, as was his defensive box plus-minus of +1.0. However, his defensive stats being down can be attributed to his increased responsibility on the offensive side of the basketball, and the Amen at point guard “experiment”.

Nonetheless, Thompson is still considered a good defender, and his final tally of 8th place in the voting illustrates that even in a “down year”, Thompson can still perform at a top level.

Nothing is set in stone regarding a potential coaching change for the Golden State Warriors. Whether Steve Kerr will stay or go is yet to be determined. For now, he is still the coach.

It may remain that way, it may not.

If this does mark the end of Kerr's tenure, it would be the first time the Warriors were in search of a head coach since May 2014, when they let go of Mark Jackson three days after losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first round of the playoffs. Kerr was hired eight days after Jackson was fired.

Should Kerr and the Warriors decide to not continue into a 13th season together, Golden State's coaching carousel begins ... and there are a number of ideal candidates.

Here are coaches the Warriors could look at if Kerr isn't brought back:

Devin Booker didn’t hold back Wednesday night.

The Suns’ star player fumed after being assessed a third-quarter technical foul that confused everyone, including the broadcasters, in Phoenix’s 120-107 Game 2 loss to the Thunder to fall into a 2-0 series hole.

Booker attempted to save the ball from going out of bounds and appeared to be given a technical foul for hitting Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams with the ball in the process.

Booker claimed that the Thunder’s Alex Caruso influenced the ref into assessing the technical.

“It’s definitely something that has to be looked at. I heard Caruso tell them to call the tech and he ended up doing it,” Booker told reporters after the game. “In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James [Williams] was terrible tonight, through and through. It’s bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport. People are going to start viewing this as the WWE if they’re not held responsible.”

Caruso could be seen yelling something toward the referees, while motioning for a technical foul call.

The ESPN broadcast team was baffled by the decision to assess Booker with a technical foul.

“They’re just calling it on that? Booker was trying to save it, and because of how he saved the ball, it hit Jay Williams. They’re calling a technical foul on that? He’s just trying to save the ball,” Dave Pasch said.

“Why is that a tech?” analyst Doris Burke added.

“I know I haven’t won a championship in this league, but I have been in it for 11 years now, so to get to this point to be treated like that, for me to even be saying something out loud, it’s bad,” Booker said. “It’s my first time in 11 years but it’s needed. Whatever, I get fined for it, everybody can pull the clips and see where the frustration comes from.”

Teammate Dillon Brooks told reporters “they should be interviewing the officials” and not the players, which reporters are not allowed to do aside from a pool reporter in certain situations.

Typically, an assessment of the officiating comes out after each game, though one was not available at the time of writing.

Devin Booker receives a technical foul trying to save the ball from going out of bounds.

(h/t @ridiculouscage)

pic.twitter.com/4xnQpT8qWX

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 23, 2026

Social media has been ablaze with controversy regarding the refereeing in the game.

The Thunder — the No. 1 seed in the West and the defending NBA champs — have shot 48 free throws in the series compared to 40 for the Suns.

One social media post called out Chet Holmgren for getting a favorable whistle as he got a Suns defender to jump in the air on a pump fake, though the whistle was arguably unwarranted due to what the user described as Holmgren’s wildly “unnatural shooting motion,” which would negate the defensive foul.

Holmgren induced the foul call, but Booker was not given the same favor earlier in the game.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has received widespread criticism for “foul-baiting” that some claim are bad for the sport.

Ringer founder Bill Simmons previously said the “ludicrous” tactics are “ruining the NBA product” and “not basketball,” a point Celtics star Jaylen Brown recently echoed.

We’re trying something different on the blog. We’re going to highlight posts on The Feed that we think are worth calling out. Sometimes that will mean that they are well thought out. Sometimes it will just be a topic to discuss (like the one below). This isn’t meant to be a popularity contest, but it does highlight and reward participation on The Feed.

Today’s Feed post of the day focuses on Derrick White.

These, of course, are all valid concerns. If the Celtics’ 3rd most impactful player can’t hit his shots, then defenses are going to start treating him differently, which could gum up the works for the rest of the team in a trickle down sort of way.

In general I trust Derrick White in just about anything. If he never hits another outside shot, he would still be valuable on the court for many reasons. But shooting is a huge part of the modern NBA and this team in particular.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Feel free to respond either on this post or on the original topic. And if you haven’t already, sign up for an account and participate in the conversation!

The Phoenix Suns already have a tall task in trying to knock off the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening round of this year's playoffs.

Star guard Devin Booker says the referees are making it even more difficult.

The normally reserved Booker was hit with a technical foul in the third quarter of the Suns' 120-107 loss in Game 2 of their series on Wednesday, April 22, for complaining about the officiating.

"It's definitely something that has to be looked at," Booker told reporters after the game. "I heard (the Thunder's Alex) Caruso tell them to call the tech and he ended up doing it. In my 11 years, I haven't called a ref out by name, but James (Williams) was terrible tonight."

Full video of Devin Booker criticizing the officiating following Game 2, via @CamCox12.pic.twitter.com/p5vkVmP2fmhttps://t.co/4n1XplHuNe

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 23, 2026

Booker was particularly upset with a sequence in the second quarter in which he was called for an offensive foul on a drive to the basket, then on the next possession, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drew a foul on a Suns defender on an eerily similar play.

"Whatever I get fined for, everybody can pull the clips and see where the frustration comes from," Booker said.

OKC is a great team—they don’t need special treatment.

Also OKC: pic.twitter.com/Hx0UI9cKji

— Ferries Fredt💎 (@Ferries_Fredt) April 23, 2026

Booker is far from the first to raise the issue of officials' calls favoring the Thunder, and reigning league MVP Gilgeous-Alexander in particular.

"He a little frail, and that's what the refs are going to call," said Suns forward Dillon Brooks, who fouled out of Game 2 with 25 seconds remaining.

"Like, I used to watch this back when Michael Jordan was playing or whoever else, when LeBron was younger. This is physical basketball. I don't get why all the dropping and the falling and the flopping and the flailing and all this stuff is allowed when we get to the playoffs."

The Phoenix Suns were looking to bounce back in Game 2 in Oklahoma City, and while a 13-point loss does not scream “bounce back,” it kind of was. The adjustments showed up. The competitiveness showed up. It looked more like a real game.

The first change was obvious. Pace. Phoenix pushed it. That matters against the Oklahoma City Thunder, because living in the half-court against that defense is a tough way to survive. They are too connected, too disruptive, and too quick on closeouts. When the Suns played faster, moving the ball after makes and misses, it created cleaner looks. It worked, especially in the first half.

The third quarter hurt. Oklahoma City came out of the locker room and took control, outscoring Phoenix 35-20. The aggression ramped up, the game tilted, and the lead pushed to 22. It felt like it could get away from them.

Then the fourth happened. For the first time in a while, the Suns dictated something late. Pace. Physicality. Energy. They fought back and cut it to nine. Dillon Brooks set the tone with his aggression, and Devin Booker followed. Jalen Green tried to find it, but could not, going 1-of-6 in the quarter. Khaman Maluach played the entire fourth, and that is something worth circling moving forward.

More than anything, the Suns showed fight again. The kind that defined them early in the season. The kind that had faded in the final two months of the season. It showed up when it mattered most, and it reminded you of what this group can look like when they lean into their identity. Outscoring OKC 30-20 in the fourth was something.

They head back to Phoenix for Game 3 feeling better about where they are. Whether that turns into a win is another question. But for a night, it felt like the Suns again.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

Wow. How bad was Game 1? Rasheer Fleming played 7:34 minutes of garbage time. He went 3-of-3 from the field, scoring 9 points in his postseason debut. And that was enough, with over 200 votes, to easily win the Bright Side Baller of the Game. I think that alone tells you where this fan base is.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 86 (Game 2) against the Thunder. Here are your nominees:

Dillon Brooks
30 points (12-of-23, 5-of-9 3PT), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, -11 +/-

Devin Booker
22 points (7-of-14, 0-of-3 3PT), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 8-of-10 FT, 5 turnovers, -12 +/-

Jalen Green
21 points (8-of-23, 1-of-8 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 7 turnovers, -12 +/-

Royce O’Neale
16 points (4-of-5, 4-of-5 3PT), 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, -4 +/-

Collin Gillespie
7 points (3-of-9, 1-of-5 3PT), 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, -14 +/-

Oso Ighodaro
7 points (3-of-8), 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 block, -23 +/-

Cast your vote.

INDEPENDENCE — The Toronto Raptors made their first major lineup adjustment of the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers when they decided to bench their typical starting center, Jakob Poeltl, for the entire second half in Game 2. Instead, they opted to go small with the 6’7” Collin Murray-Boyles and the 6’9” Sandro Mamukelashvili nominally playing the five.

After Game 2, Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković said that the idea behind going smaller was to provide a different look defensively. “We wanted to be able to switch more in the pick-and-roll.”

That idea made sense, but didn’t work out well for Toronto.

Instead of feasting on Poeltl in the pick-and-roll, the Cavs were able to attack and hunt out mismatches by forcing switches on screens. This was seen most clearly in how James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley all attacked Brandon Ingram whenever matched up against him. And without a center, there wasn’t additional help defense waiting to bail Ingram out.

The numbers highlight this problem. Toronto has had an abysmal 128.1 defensive rating (0th percentile) in the 128 possessions they’ve played without Poeltl. The defense hasn’t been stellar with Poeltl, it’s been considerably better (117.7 defensive rating, 22nd percentile).

Despite Cleveland’s success, Jarrett Allen wasn’t able to take advantage of Toronto’s smaller front line. He registered just four points in the second half and wasn’t included in the team’s closing lineup despite being guarded by a much smaller RJ Barrett.

Despite not making an impact as a scorer, head coach Kenny Atkinson liked what he saw from Allen.

“These are the little sacrifices you have to make,” Atkinson said after practice on Wednesday. “Obviously, we got to reward him if they’re going to go small and get him down on the mismatches, but he sacrificed himself with screening.”

Allen did do a good job as a screener. He had a game-high six screen assists, leading to 16 points.

Atkinson said that he wants to keep Allen in the dunker’s spot against some of these smaller lineups. This would allow him to clean up missed shots and potentially finish lobs if the help defense steps up.

“I give him a 10-out-of-10 in terms of understanding that and then sacrificing for the squad,” Atkinson said. “After I watched the film, [I realized] this guy is way more impactful than even I think. His impact is monumental for the team.”

It’ll be interesting to see if the Cavs can get Allen more involved against these smaller lineups.

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Despite not helping Toronto’s defense, going smaller did jump-start the offense.

“[It] probably increases their transition offensive rate,” Atkinson said. “They’re going to double down on their speed.”

The smaller lineups have, in fact, done so.

Toronto is getting out in transition on 14.8% of their offensive possessions (93rd percentile) this series without Poeltl on the floor. That’s up from the 11.1% of possessions in transition (24th percentile) when he’s playing. This has all resulted in the offense being better in these smaller lineups.

“It makes them space the floor a little more and makes them play faster,” Max Strus said. “It’s a new thing that we’re gonna have to figure out, and I think we did some things to prepare for it today.”

The Cavs came into this series talking about needing to keep the Raptors from running in the open court. They’ve succeeded at that front in the first two games of the series, and will need to do so again if they want to steal a game in Toronto or potentially end the series there.

Going smaller hasn’t produced considerably better results for Toronto. They’re just 0.5 points per 100 possessions better with Poeltl off the court, and have registered a -12.5 net rating. That isn’t going to get it done.

Even though benching Poeltl may be the best move for the Raptors, it isn’t going to close the talent gap that we’ve seen through the first two games, at least not on its own. They need better performances from their best players — mainly Brandon Ingram — and hope that the Cavs’ stars cool off.

Despite how stress-free the first two games have been, the Cavs aren’t taking anything for granted as the series shifts north of the border.

“The series hasn’t even started yet until you go on the road,” Strus said. “So we got to come in with an aggressive mindset, just like we treated games one and two, and play our best basketball.”

Eleven years ago, Eric Martin cringed as he watched LeBron James dismantle the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals with a 37-point triple-double in overtime.

The 42-year-old retired sales executive, who’s a Golden State Warriors fan, fired off a tweet from his couch in his home in Phoenix. 

“Lebron is 30, this f–kery won’t go on for much longer, thank god,” he wrote from his X account, @urkle91. 

That tweet has become a viral sensation, having more than a decade-long shelf life.

Superstars have retweeted it.

It has been repurposed to include players in other sports, such as Shohei Ohtani and Patrick Mahomes. It has been viewed millions of times.

It even reached James himself. 

“I saw that Tweet throughout all of my 30s,” James said on the “New Heights” podcast. “Want to know what’s funny? When I turned 40, the same f–king guy said, ‘LeBron turned 40, this f–kery won’t go on much longer.’

“He’s going to be real upset when I turn 50.”

The man responsible for one of the most infamous tweets in NBA history has understandably had twinges of regret. 

“There are many times I considered deleting the tweet,” Martin said with a laugh. “He was 30. And then 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 — and there was just no regression in sight.”

Now, things have only gotten worse for Martin. 

The 41-year-old James, who’s the only NBA player to reach season 23, is trying to lead a Lakers team without Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) past Kevin Durant and the Rockets in their first-round playoff series.

How’s it going? 

The Lakers have a 2-0 lead and James has been the star of the series.

 In Game 1, James had 19 points, a game-high 13 assists, eight rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot. In Game 2, he had a game-high 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. 

“It’s kinda like pie in my face,” Martin said.

Since turning 30, James has won two championships, made 11 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA Teams and he became the league’s all-time leading scorer. He has had 80 of his 155 playoff games in which he had a 25/5/5 line since turning 30, more such performances than Michael Jordan had his entire postseason career (73). Last season, the 40-year-old was sixth in MVP voting. 

Martin is reminded of James’ stunning longevity everyday. 

“Anytime he has a good game, people retweet the comment,” he said. “Every single game. I look at my mentions, I look at my notifications, and it’s just people clowning the tweet. Every. Single. Game. 

“It’s a shrine for people now.”

Martin’s tweet actually went unnoticed for years. 

Then, during the 2017 NBA Finals, Martin was trash-talking James on X when he pissed off the wrong Cleveland Cavaliers fan, who went digging through his past tweets and unearthed that gem with a retweet.

The tweet was then reposted by the X account “Freezing Cold Takes” which has over 600,000 followers. 

A viral sensation was born. 

Over the years, the flame just kept being fanned. 

By 2018, the tweet was all over the internet. Martin realized the extent of its reach when his son’s and daughter’s friends started seeing it on Instagram and saying, “Isn’t that your dad’s page?”

Things only got worse from there. 

After James had a 47-point, 10-rebound and nine-assist performance on his 38th birthday on Dec. 30, 2022, the Instagram page House of Highlights (which has 51 million followers) posted the tweet alongside a photo of James pointing and laughing. 

James then reposted it on his Instagram (which has 156 million followers), adding a bunch of emojis of a face crying with laughter. 

“It just took off,” Martin said. “It just went to another level. Every six months, I’d see another publication just retweet, retweet, retweet.”

For Martin, things reached a screeching point when James led the Lakers past his Warriors in the second round of the 2023 playoffs. 

“I’ve never seen so many notifications before on my phone,” Martin said. “It damn-near malfunctioned.”

Martin, however, decided to get in on the joke 10 years later, posting on X, “Lebron is 40, this f–kery won’t go on for much longer, thank god,” That tweet has 3.3 million views. 

Martin can laugh at everything now, even though his social media has been accosted by James’ fans. 

He just has one wish going forward. 

He doesn’t want the Lakers to beat the Rockets. 

“If they do beat them, it’s just going to make the noise around LeBron even louder, which I dread,” he said with a laugh. 

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It was hard to watch on Tuesday as Victor Wembanyama collided with Jrue Holiday just minutes into the second quarter. Upon impact, Wemby lost his balance and landed face first onto the hardwood. In the immediate aftermath, it was unclear if Wemby had been knocked unconscious. After a few moments, he turned around appearing to stand up, only to need another moment to regain his composure.

Dusty Garza with Spurs Reporter posted this doctor’s opinion:

As Shams Charania reported, Wemby’s 48 hours began immediately after the diagnosis. He is being re-evaluated and monitored. As of this post, the 2-days ends this evening, Thursday, April 23rd at arounf 8:00 p.m.

Wemby is hoping to travel with the Spurs in the event he is available to play in either game 3 or game 4, but no decision will be available until he’s been fully checked out and given the go ahead.

Dr. Brian Sutterer, who independently analyzes sports injuries for his own YouTube channel, posted this video:

According to NBA protocol, which is less stringent than the NFL, Wemby “theoretically, could come back for game 3,” but the doctor states that he doesn’t think that time should be the only metric used in making the decision.

If past is prologue, the Spurs will not release any information until necessary and will not play Victor Wembanyama until it is believed he is in the right physical and emotional state and that his injury won’t hamper his playing ability or harm him.

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.

In Wednesday’s Brotherhood Playoff Action, Detroit beat Orlando, 98-83, and OKC tamed Phoenix, 120-107.

Detroit didn’t have too much trouble with Orlando in this one, though Paolo Banchero scored 18 points and also had 6 rebounds and 8 assists.

With just three points, Wendell Carter didn’t have a great game, though his rivalry with Jalen Duren livened things up. Carter is dating Angel Reese, while Duren used to as well. Things might get a bit heated, obviously, and they did.

The Thunder took a 2-0 lead on Phoenix, but the Suns are still without Mark Williams and Grayson Allen, both out with injuries.

Khaman Maluach got 19 minutes, scoring 4 points and grabbing 2 boards.

On Thursday, we’ll see Quin Snyder’s Hawks take on the New York Knicks. Tyrese Proctor and the Cleveland Cavaliers will see the Toronto Raptors, featuring RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram. Finally, Tyus Jones and the Denver Nuggets will challenge the Timberwolves.

• Bianchi: Hey, Magic, the Pistons just punched you in the mouth! How are you going to respond?
• Paolo Banchero Scores 18 Points In Loss To Pistons
• Game 2: Paolo Banchero
• Paolo Banchero posterizes Isaiah Stewart
• Banchero ‘a man on a mission’ for Magic
• Wendell Carter Jr.’s Reaction After Steal-and-Dunk Moment Over Jalen Duren Adds Fuel to Ongoing Angel Reese Drama
• Wendell Carter Jr., Jalen Duren’s rivalry continues in Magic-Pistons series

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One of the best value contracts on the Warriors last season was De’Anthony Melton, who averaged 12.3 points and 1.6 steals in 49 games, for just under $3.1M. After proving he’d recovered nicely from his ACL tear early in the 2024-25 season, a Warriors insider suggested that Melton will have teams planning to offer him more than a one-year minimum deal.

Melton signed with the Warriors for $12.8M before the 2024-25 season, but suffered an ACL tear in his sixth game with the team. The team traded him for Dennis Schroder, then flipped Schroder in the trade for Jimmy Butler, while Melton spent the season rehabbing. He came back to Golden State on a make-good minimum contract, eventually debuting on Dec. 4.

He made good. Melton played 49 out of 60 games since his return, mainly due to sitting out one half of their back-to-backs. His outside shooting was pretty bad, going 29.4% from three-point range, but some of his shooting decline was due to having to shoot off the dribble and create his own shot more when the Warriors stars were out. Melton has been an excellent role player for some very good teams, the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers, and last season indicated he could do it again.

At the very least, Melton should be able to get a two-year deal at the taxpayer mid-level exception, which would be roughly twice the years and twice the money of his 2026-27 player option.

Does that mean he’ll leave the Warriors? Honestly, the only player who seems certain to be a member of the 2026-27 Warriors is Wardell Stephen Curry. While the Warriors would probably love to have Melton back, their may be a limit to what they’d love to pay him.

Melton would probably love to get more financial security. The Warriors may no longer be in a position to offer that, nor can they entice veterans with the chance to compete for titles. Or, realistically, the chance to compete for guaranteed playoff seeds. If a quality role player wants to take a discount for a real shot at playing not one, but two play-in tournament games? Then welcome to the Chase Center!

Golden State already has a lot of free-agent decisions to make on players ranging from Kristaps Porzingis to Gui Santos to Gary Payton II. All signs are pointing to Melton joining that uncertain group.

INDEPENDENCE — Brothers Jaylon and Jordyn Tyson have a friendly wager on whether Jordyn will be a top-10 NFL Draft pick. Unfortunately, Jaylon won’t be able to go to the draft or even watch it on TV live to find out who wins the bet. The Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Toronto Raptors at the same time the Draft is set to start.

The Cavs can’t let Jaylon watch the start of the draft, but they are working on a plan to keep him updated on what’s happening.

“We’re going to make sure he gets the news somehow,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said after practice on Wednesday. “I know it’s the playoffs and all, but that’s your family and your brother. So we’re going to get that to him.”

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We’ll see where Jordyn ends up going in the draft. Many see him as the best wide receiver in this year’s draft class. ESPN’s latest mock draft has him landing in the fifth spot with the New York Giants. However, there’s speculation that he may fall down the board due to some injury concerns.

Although Jaylon doesn’t see a fall happening. He’s been steadfast in his belief that Jordyn is going to go high.

“JT has been telling me he’s a top-10 pick, so I’m going with that,” Atkinson said. “That would be awesome.”

Jaylon is expected to have a big role in Game 3 for the Cavs. Atkinson thinks that Tyson has played well in the minutes he’s gotten in the first two games of the opening round series and believes that he will have a breakout game. It’s not a matter of if, just a matter of when.

“I told him today he’s next up,” Atkinson said. “Max had that big game, core four had their big games. [Next] it’s going to be Jaylon Tyson. I can almost guarantee that he’s going to have one of those games.”