Category: NBA

With the Lakers down 1-0 in the Western Conference semifinals, Luka Doncic has not yet ramped up to on-court contact drills while recovering from an injured left hamstring that had an initial eight-week timeline for his return.

Doncic, speaking to reporters for the first time since he hobbled off the court at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center on April 2, said Wednesday he has improved enough to begin running but he has not progressed to on-court contact drills. After suffering a left hamstring injury earlier this season, Doncic said the latest Grade 2 strain to the same area is unlike any he’s experienced because of its severity.

But it has not stopped him from trying to come back as soon as possible.

“I'm just doing everything I can,” Doncic said. “Every day I'm doing stuff I'm supposed to do. Obviously recovery, now I'm working … just going day by day, and I feel better every day.”

Soon after his injury, Doncic went to Spain and received platelet-rich plasma injections with hopes of helping his recovery. He stayed for roughly two weeks because he needed to wait four days between each injection. He received four in total.

Without their leading scorer, the Lakers fought through a six-game, first-round series against the Houston Rockets, playing four of those games without Austin Reaves, who was also injured in the same game as Doncic. The fourth-seeded Lakers lost 108-90 to the defending champion Thunder in Game 1 of the conference semifinals on Tuesday.

Doncic had dutifully cheered from the bench during the playoff games, offering as much advice to his teammates as he can.

“It's very frustrating,” Doncic said of the injury. “I don't think people understand how frustrating it is. All I want to do is play basketball, especially at this time. It's the best time to play basketball. It's very frustrating seeing what my team is doing, I'm very proud of them. It's been very tough just to see and watch them play.”

Doncic’s injury came at “the worst moment,” he said. The Lakers were coming off a magical March during which they went 15-2 and announced themselves as a potential championship contender with a healthy Doncic, Reaves and LeBron James together. Doncic was chosen Western Conference player of the month after he joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to score 600 points during March. 

After Doncic and Reaves were injured, the Lakers shifted their focus to extending their season long enough for the leading scorers to return. It worked for Reaves, who made a miraculous comeback from a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain one day shy of four weeks. But the Lakers aren’t putting pressure on Doncic to come back as quickly. 

“It’s very simple,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of getting Doncic back and protecting him from further injury. “It’s ‘when he’s ready to play, he should play.’ That comes with the athlete having confidence. It’s no different from Austin.” 

Doncic is five weeks into what doctors predicted was an eight-week timeline. Frustrated with missing the most important part of the season, Doncic is also mindful of being cautious about his future. 

“It's a tough one for me because I came back from injuries before too soon, and it wasn't the best result,” said Doncic, who fought through a calf injury last season that lasted for months and predicated his shocking trade to the Lakers. “But like I say, this is the first time I have [this] hamstring injury.

"It's not the same like other injuries. You have to be very careful, and I'm doing everything to come back. All the recovery, the chamber, cold tub, everything I can to come back, but it's obviously very different than other injuries I had.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

A day after the Minnesota Timberwolves upset the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their second-round matchup, I got a follow-up text from JR Wilco at Pounding the Rock — our Spurs sister site — asking if I wanted to have another one of these conversations about what we’re seeing within our own teams and ask about the opposition.

It’s always fun to have some extra insight on what’s going on from the perspective of other beats, and Sun Tzu said “know thy enemy,” so here we are, knowing our enemy.

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 nothing 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, but they’re also 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 timeout 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 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, 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 believe.

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 made 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 Wembanyama to absolutely bully opposing teams inside the arc offensively while funneling everyone inside towards Wemby defensively.

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 itself 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 letdown 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, 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-seeded 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 outdo 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.

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Game 2 has to be closer, right? The New York Knicks will not absolutely blow out the Philadelphia 76ers again, right?

These 76ers vs. Knicks props and NBA picks do not need to ponder that possibility before Game 2 on Wednesday, May 6.

Best 76ers vs Knicks props for Game 2

Player	Pick
Karl-Anthony Towns	3+ threes	+320
VJ Edgecombe	Over 12.5 points	-105
Josh Hart	10+ rebounds	+120

Game 2 Prop #1: Karl-Anthony Towns 3+ threes

+320 at bet365

Karl-Anthony Towns hit three of his five 3-pointers in Game 1 on Monday. More notable than that reality is the New York Knicks center took five 3-pointers in just 20 minutes of action.

If the Philadelphia 76ers can remain competitive, Towns should play 30+ minutes.

In that case, he could easily take seven or eight 3-pointers. Towns shot 36.8% from beyond the arc this regular season and is now at 47.8% this postseason. Either one of those rates would yield a greater likelihood than not that Towns hits at least three 3-pointers if attempting seven of them.

Sure, his Over 1.5 threes is priced at just +100, but when realizing a full game’s workload creates such ample opportunity, how can you turn down this added value?

Game 2 Prop #2: VJ Edgecombe Over 12.5 points

-105 at bet365

If the 76ers intend to be competitive, they should lean further into VJ Edgecombe. The rookie has regularly been their most postseason-ready player. And that was the case in Game 1, even if he scored only 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting.

Of Philadelphia’s genuine rotation, players who saw more than 20 minutes of action in that rout, only Edgecombe had a plus-minus better than -24.

While that can be a finicky stat, Edgecombe’s -15 in 28 minutes stood out for being nine points better than Joel Embiid’s and Quentin Grimes’s respective -24 in 24 minutes each.

More Edgecombe should be the 76ers’ most obvious adjustment in Game 2. Even his 20-point milestone at +575 may warrant some consideration.

Game 2 Prop #3: Josh Hart 10+ Rebounds

+120 at bet365

With no Joel Embiid tonight, the chances of a rout are clearly high, but if the 76ers manage to make this competitive, then Josh Hart should easily snag double-digit rebounds. He had eight in less than 26 minutes of action in Game 1.

Force Hart to play 35 or so minutes, and 10+ rebounds should be assured.

No, there is no guarantee that Game 2 will be competitive, but logic suggests Philadelphia will show some desperation, and while it will likely still lose, that desperation should force Hart to play a fuller game.

Realize, Hart’s rebounding prop is set at 8.5 with the Over juiced to -140. One more rebound is certainly worth 60 cents of value, right?

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You have all seen the stat online; the Cleveland Cavaliers are rewriting the history books. At the time of this post, the Cavs have the most turnovers through eight games of the postseason since 1996, with 141.

Not exactly the type of notoriety one hopes for from their favorite basketball club. However, through eight games, it certainly has felt that the Cavaliers are their own worst enemy. Even in the games that they have persevered in, there have been long stretches of lapses in judgment and ill-advised passes.

With the way the Cavaliers currently run their offense, a lot of those possessions run through their two-star guards, James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. Both of which, to varying degrees, have been the main culprits as to why the turnover count is so high, and the offense looks so inept at times.

Donovan Mitchell, who is looking for another max extension this postseason, has frankly been far below what one would expect from a player who is the franchise’s star. Mitchell, more times than not this postseason, looks like someone forcing the issue. What makes this jarring is that Mitchell, in the regular season, was fantastic, looking like someone who could erase a lot of the team’s offensive woes with his ability to drop 30 points without even blinking.

Now that the defenses are scheming to neutralize him, Mitchell has looked about as mortal as we have seen him. Mitchell is shooting 44% from the field in the postseason, a nearly 5% drop in efficiency from the regular season. It’s not just the stats that show Mitchell is playing worse; it is the simple eye test of game to game. It often appears like Mitchell is trying to figure out his spots in the postseason.

Mitchell is often seen settling for floaters or pull-up threes rather than using his elite athleticism to get to the rim and force the defense to collapse to meet him. This has neutralized part of what made Mitchell so dynamic. We are also seeing this affect him getting to the line. Mitchell is currently averaging two free throw attempts a game, as opposed to the regular season, where he was getting there six times a game.

The best players in the league know, in the postseason, that defenses aim to take away what you are good at — so when they take your fastball, what other pitches are in your arsenal? I think we are seeing that Mitchell, when met with the team’s best defender, believes someone else has a more ideal matchup and attempts to play facilitator. Frankly, Mitchell, at best, is a slightly above-average playmaker when it comes to setting guys up. That’s why Mitchell is averaging nearly three turnovers a game.

Harden is the greater offender in this regard, currently contributing a nauseating 5.4 turnovers a game (43 total). With turnover numbers as high as eight turnovers in Game 3 against Toronto and seven turnovers in Game 1 against the Detroit Pistons, as well as Game 4 in Toronto.

This isn’t a case of being unlucky — this is just sloppy play from one of the league’s premier distributors. Harden admitted as much after Game 1 against the Pistons.

At times with his turnovers, they looked almost so casual that it appeared someone had slipped a Xanax into his Gatorade. The lack of urgency and importance on every turnover was just one kick to the crotch after another to the Cavaliers as they clawed their way back to an almost improbable comeback against the Pistons.

Harden has more positives than negatives in the postseason. While Mitchell has fluctuated in his impact, Harden — despite shooting the team in the foot and making up almost a third of the team’s turnovers in the postseason — has been a stabilizer on offense at his most efficient.

However, the issue with Harden is that when he is on the floor, he needs to be on the ball. Therefore, all of his impact is going to come from those on-ball opportunities, and right now, that comes with the lax nature of his turnovers. Time will tell whether Game 1 against Detroit was the wake-up call Harden needed to see that this team cannot overcome his lapses in judgment or sloppy ball handling.

The fact of the matter is that there is proof that Cleveland is talented enough to overcome their two best players faltering at the highest level. Cleveland is currently in the second round of the postseason with Mitchell and Harden not being at their best — something that would have sunk the prior iterations of the Cavaliers. The other guys are showing up to make up lost ground.

Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have had their moments in the postseason. We are seeing Max Strus, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, and Denis Schroeder having their games as well.

This makes the lack of Mitchell and sometimes Harden all the more torturous. If Cleveland’s star backcourt both showed up in a game, the Cavaliers might look nearly unstoppable. As of now, they look as frustrating as any team remaining in the postseason.

With the condensed schedule of the NBA playoffs and the quick turnaround for the Philadelphia 76ers after their seven-game series with the Boston Celtics, it was frequently wondered if Joel Embiid was going to be able to make it through a series that would play as many as seven games in 15 days.

Well, just two games in, we have the answer to that. The former NBA MVP was just ruled out for Game 2 with lingering ankle and hip soreness, per Shams Charania.

Embiid didn’t look healthy in Game 1, just two days after a dominant performance to lift the Sixers over the Celtics in Game 7. In the blowout Knicks win, he scored just 14 points on 3-for-11 from the field with a turnover while being completely exploited defensively. He was minus-24 in 25 minutes.

He’s dealt with balky knees for the past several years, but has also suffered oblique, foot, and hip injuries this season, as well as an appendectomy that cost him several weeks. He had played five consecutive games since his return in Game 4 against the Celtics, but with the reality that he hadn’t played seven consecutive games since December 2023, this always felt like a possibility. The fact that it’s ankle and hip pain, though, is notable.

The Sixers might’ve been willing to sit Embiid today because of the dynamics of this series. With no extra rest days, the organization might’ve made the decision to risk going down 0-2 heading back to Philadelphia while allowing Embiid to get extra rest, rather than overexert him and risk a disastrous scenario of a hobbled Embiid in the same perilous situation.

With Embiid out, expect a stronger Sixers defense, even if Andre Drummond isn’t the most stout defender. One big advantage that the Knicks will have is that Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns are now significantly less likely to get in early foul trouble, something that felt like a big key entering this series.

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Stopping LeBron James has been a tough task for NBA teams over the past 23 years, and the Oklahoma City Thunder aren’t about to start spitting into the wind when it comes to containing LeBron. 

My Lakers vs. Thunder predictions for Game 2 see OKC giving LBJ the green light, while making sure no one else in Purple and Gold is causing too much havoc. 

Read more in NBA picks for Thursday, May 7.

Lakers vs Thunder Game 2 prediction

Who will win Lakers vs Thunder Game 2?

Thunder: The Lakers put up a sound fight in Game 1, but the Thunder just kept inching further and further away, until they finally finished 18 points ahead.

Oklahoma City was a little rusty after more than a week between series, and even with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting bottled up, the rest of the OKC rotation was too much for the Lakers.

Another big spread says Oklahoma City takes a 2-0 series edge Thursday.

Lakers vs Thunder best bet: LeBron James Over 21.5 points (-115)

LeBron James got whatever he wanted in Game 1, finishing with 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting. 

The bulk of those buckets came at the rim against a seemingly impenetrable Oklahoma City Thunder interior defense. But what if that’s what OKC wants? 

James drew defense from Lu Dort and Alex Caruso, and the Thunder didn’t bother bringing doubles at all. Allowing James to score 27 points isn’t going to put a dent in things if the other Los Angeles Lakers can’t contribute. And they didn’t, with the rest of the team shooting just 34% from the field with 15 turnovers.

Game 2 forecasts call for 21+ points from James.

COVERS INTEL: LeBron James still scored 27 points despite his Game 1 usage plummeting to 22.1%. That’s down from 30.9% in Round 1. He shot just 17 FGAs on Tuesday after putting up 20+ attempts in four of the six games vs. Houston. Expect more activity from James in Game 2.

Lakers vs Thunder Game 2 same-game parlay

The Thunder won with ease in Game 1, and that was after an extended layoff between rounds. Oklahoma City has shaken off the rust and will run the Lakers out of the gym in Game 2, with L.A. lacking the firepower and interior scoring to hang with the champs.

Chet Holmgren is a matchup nightmare for the Lakers. The 7-footer runs the floor in transition, moves well without the ball, and knocks down looks from long range. Holmgren is forecasted for 17+ points on Thursday.

Lakers vs Thunder SGP

• Thunder -15.5
• LeBron James Over 21.5 points
• Chet Holmgren Over 16.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Bet on Chet

Holmgren put up 24 points and 12 rebounds along with two blocks in Game 1, smashing L.A.’s soft interior defense.

The Lakers don’t have a solution for his size, quickness, and range, especially when rolling out Isaiah Hartenstein and forcing Los Angeles to match up small on Chet.

Lakers vs Thunder SGP

• Thunder -15.5
• Chet Holmgren Over 16.5 points
• Chet Holmgren Over 8.5 rebounds
• Chet Holmgren Over 1.5 blocks

Lakers vs Thunder odds for Game 2

• Spread: Lakers +15.5 (-110) | Thunder -15.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Lakers +600 | Thunder -900
• Over/Under: Over 209.5 (-110) | Under 209.5 (-110)

Lakers vs Thunder betting trend to know

Los Angeles has only eclipsed its team total in 16 of its last 40 away games (-11.85 Units / -26% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Thunder.

How to watch Lakers vs Thunder Game 2

Lakers vs Thunder latest injuries

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NEW YORK (AP) — Joel Embiid is ruled out with ankle, hip injuries for the 76ers in Game 2 of their playoff series against the Knicks.

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After pulling off a shocking upset in Game 1, the Minnesota Timberwolves will look to keep the pressure on the San Antonio Spurs. 

To help you with your NBA picks, we're here to provide you with NBA player prop projections for Game 2, taking place on May 6.

If you're looking for deeper analysis, our Timberwolves vs. Spurs predictions have you covered.

Timberwolves vs Spurs computer picks for Game 2

Timberwolves	Spurs
Gobert o7.5 points +102	Fox o17.5 points -115
Ayo Dosunmu o11.5 points -130	Champagnie o8.5 points -120
Randle o4.5 assists +120	Vassell o2.5 assists +140

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Timberwolves Game 2 computer picks

Rudy Gobert Over 8.5 points (+102)

Projection: 10.65 points

This is the first of two five-star plays for tonight.

Rudy Gobert missed this line by a single bucket last time out, but he took more than enough shots to clear it in 29 minutes of action. If he shot closer to his regular 68% field-goal percentage, he would have cleared. Our model expects that to happen tonight.

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Ayo Dosunmu Over 11.5 points (-130)

Projection: 14.03 points

Ayo Dosunmu has unlocked another gear and is our second five-star play of the game.

After dropping 43 in Game 4, Dosunmu put up a reasonable 18 points in Game 5. An injury kept him out until tonight, and our model expects him to pick up where he left off.

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Julius Randle Over 4.5 assists (+120)

Projection: 5.07 assists

Julius Randle is an underrated passer for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He handed out five or more dimes in three outings vs. Denver, and our model sees him doing it again tonight.

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Spurs Game 2 computer picks

De'Aaron Fox Over 17.5 points (-115)

Projection: 19.77 points

De'Aaron Fox had his first truly bad outing of the postseason in Game 1, scoring 10 points on 5-for-14 shooting. Fox is too skilled to have a repeat performance like that, with our prop projections calling for close to 20 points.

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Julian Champagnie Over 8.5 points (-120)

Projection: 10.36 points

Julian Champagnie has become a reliable offensive option for a San Antonio Spurs team in deep trouble against Minnesota. He'll get enough open threes to knock down, pushing by 8.5.

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Devin Vassell Over 2.5 assists (+140)

Projection: 2.74 assists

Devin Vassell gets plenty of run time with the Spurs' starting five, who had an uncharacteristically rough shooting night. With San Antonio set to bounce back, expect more assist opportunities from Vassell.

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How to watch Timberwolves vs Spurs Game 2

Location	Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Date	Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Tip-off	9:30 p.m. ET
TV	ESPN

Not intended for use in MA.
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From the last thing this team needed department, the Sixers will be without Joel Embiid for Game 2 at Madison Square Garden Wednesday.

The star big man has officially been ruled out against the New York Knicks with a right ankle sprain and right hip soreness.

The Sixers were already in a 1-0 series hole after a 137-98 drubbing in Game 1 Monday night. Without Embiid, an uphill battle turns into something much greater.

We’ll see how Nick Nurse looks to use his big man rotation. Adem Bona started at the beginning of the Celtics series with Embiid out, but Andre Drummond played the bulk of the minutes. Drummond has been the primary backup since Embiid’s return.

With New York starting Karl-Anthony Towns, who is more mobile and a threat from three, Bona might be the better option. With that said, Bona was brutal in his brief Game 1 appearance, committing five fouls in less than four minutes. With Jalen Brunson’s propensity to draw fouls, the frontcourt could get thin very quickly. Playing Dominick Barlow at the five is also an option, but that makes the Sixers much smaller.

Any way you slice it, this is unfortunate news for the Sixers. They’re going to need the ultra-aggressive version of Tyrese Maxey to come out early. The All-Star guard took just one field-goal attempt in the first quarter of Game 1. The team could also use meaningful contributions from someone like Quentin Grimes off the bench to help match the Knicks’ firepower.

This also puts doubt on Embiid’s status for the remainder of the series.

Game 2 tips off at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

The Philadelphia 76ers will be without one of their key stars on Wednesday night as they look to turn things around following a 39-point Game 1 loss to the Knicks. 

Joel Embiid has officially been ruled out due to hip and ankle injuries. 

Embiid had been receiving around-the-clock treatment in an effort to play, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, but he was unable to participate in Philly's morning shootaround and will now miss the contest. 

New York did a good job of keeping the seven-time All-Star in check throughout the commanding Game 1 victory, holding him to just 14 points on an ineffective 3-of-11 shooting from the field. 

All but six of those points came from the free-throw line, and he pulled in just four boards. 

The Knicks also did a tremendous job of taking advantage of him in the pick-and-roll all night, finishing with a whopping 46 points in the paint as a team. 

With Embiid sidelined, Philly will have to lean on Andre Drummond and Adem Bona at center. 

Maybe the Minnesota Timberwolves are playing mind games with Victor Wembanyama. Or maybe they're right that the record number of blocks the San Antonio Spurs superstar was credited with during Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals weren't quite what they seemed. Maybe this is simply how the first real playoff obstacle of Wembanyama's career will manifest itself.

It's nonetheless become one of the talking points during the 2026 NBA playoffs, with Game 2 between the Timberwolves and Spurs set for Wednesday, May 6. Wembanyama is coming off a historic triple-double performance in which he set the NBA playoff record with 12 blocks (to go along with 11 points and 15 rebounds) in a losing effort.

But Wembanyama left disappointed by his offensive output and then Minnesota's coach and players added some salt to the wound by clapping back at the legitimacy of some of Wembanyama's blocks. Coach Chris Finch argued in the aftermath of Game 1 that at least four of Wembanyama's swats should have been called goaltending. Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, who is considered Wembanyama's mentor, agreed.

"To me, it's a little alarming they weren't called," Finch told reporters ahead of Game 2.

OKLAHOMA CITY — The last time the Lakers were in Oklahoma City, Luka Doncic’s regular season ended because of a Grade 2 left hamstring strain he suffered in the April 2 loss to the Thunder. 

More than a month later, Doncic reaffirmed his desire to return during the playoffs.  

Doncic told reporters the update on Wednesday during a media availability in between Tuesday’s Game 1 loss to the Thunder and Thursday’s Game 2 of the best-of-seven second-round playoff series. 

“Obviously, this is a different injury than I ever had,” said Doncic, who was sidelined for four games in February because of a mild left hamstring injury. “It’s been [the] second time I [injured the hamstring this season]. So recovery has been a little longer. But I’m feeling good. Working every day, so I’m trying to come back.” 

Originally, the injury was expected to have a recovery timeline of four to six weeks, but Doncic said he was told eight weeks.

Thursday marks five weeks since the injury happened. Eight weeks from Doncic’s injury is May 28 — which is 10 days after a potential Game 7 of a Lakers-Thunder series.

Doncic started running on the injured hamstring, the next step in his return-to-play protocol.

“It’s very frustrating,” Doncic said. “I don’t think people understand how frustrating it is. All I wanna do is play basketball, especially this time. It’s the best time to play basketball. It’s very frustrating seeing what my team is doing. I’m very proud of them. It’s been very tough, too, just to sit and watch them play.”

Right after the injury happened, Doncic traveled to Spain for advanced treatment aimed at accelerating recovery. He received four PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections.

“Everybody knows that Spain, they’re just one of the best countries to do that,” Doncic said. “And obviously, I talked with the Lakers’ doctors, so everybody agreed for me to go there. Obviously, I know and trust lots of people from Spain that I used to work before. But why I was in Spain so long is because I needed four days in between every shot. So I did it four times. So that’s why I stayed longer.”

Luka Doncic: "I went to Spain to do PRP. Everybody knows that Spain, they're just one of the best countries to do that…I know and trust lots of people from Spain. Why I was in Spain so long is because I needed four days in between every shot. So I did it four times. So that's… pic.twitter.com/16xtKAuMhp

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) May 6, 2026

When asked about the PRP injections potentially expediting his recovery, Doncic responded: “I’m just in the process, I’m working every day. I feel better every day. Like I said, in the beginning they say eight weeks. So we just go from there.”

Game 3 and Game 4 of the Lakers-Thunder series are scheduled Saturday and Monday at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic didn’t have a concrete answer when asked if he’d try to ramp things up when the series shifts to Los Angeles.

“I’m just doing everything I can,” he said. “Every day I’m doing stuff I’m supposed to do. Obviously recovery, now I’m working. But like I said, doctor said eight weeks at the beginning of the first MRI. Just going day by day, and I feel better every day.”

Luka Doncic's response when asked whether he'll try to ramp up his return-to-play process for when Lakers-Thunder shifts back to L.A.: "I'm just doing everything I can, like I said, every day I'm doing stuff I'm supposed to do. The doctors said 8 weeks at the beginning of the 1st… pic.twitter.com/ab2kaCQavE

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) May 6, 2026

Doncic had an incredible season before suffering the hamstring strain April 2. He became the second player in NBA history to score 600-plus points in March, alongside Michael Jordan. Over that period, he led the Lakers on a 16-2 run.

“We had an amazing month of March,” Doncic said. “The injury came in the worst moment probably for me. But I think other guys just stepped up really good. But it was very frustrating for me.” 

Yet he wasn’t even an MVP finalist this season despite leading the league in scoring (33.5 points), finishing third in assists (8.3) and sixth in steals (1.6).

It’s a tough break for Doncic, who came into training camp in arguably the best shape of his career. Motivated by the shocking trade that sent him to Hollywood from Dallas, he carried the Lakers to fourth place in the West after playing in 64 games and averaging 35.8 minutes per game.

Without Doncic, the Lakers shocked the Rockets in six games to advance to the Western Conference semifinals against the defending champions.

“Everybody had us out; everybody had us [losing in] five, six games, and we proved it,” Doncic said. “We can play. The way everybody stepped up is truly amazing to see. So hopefully they continue that.”

Despite limiting reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 18 points and getting an incredible game from LeBron James, the Lakers suffered a 108-90 loss in Game 1.

“When you play against the world champions and [miss] having a guy that averages 34 [points] and eight [rebounds] and nine [assists] and is that special, that’s [tough],” James said regarding the Lakers missing Doncic.

With Doncic on his way back, the Lakers could return to full strength with James and Austin Reaves and have a legitimate chance at pulling off one of the biggest postseason upsets of the decade.

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“Obviously, we always want to have Luka out there,” Reaves said Sunday. “He’s one of the best players in the league, if not the best player. It’s definitely a different task. Everyone has to play differently to create and fill the void of the things he does for us.”

Luka Doncic: "This is a different injury than I've ever had…the recovery's been a little bit longer. Working every day, trying to come back."

Mentioned that he hasn't started doing contact work yet. https://t.co/PMFA5n20Qwpic.twitter.com/cbfcVpVLXE

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) May 6, 2026

Against a team as good as the Thunder, there is no margin for error. LeBron James discussed the attention to detail required for LA to have success against OKC before the series even began.

So, when LA played Game 1 and had 18 turnovers, that didn’t exactly put them in a position for success. The result went as expected: the Thunder beat the Lakers fairly easily.

After the loss, Lakers head coach JJ Redick mentioned how the process was good, but the execution was lacking.

“When we made gameplan mistakes, they hurt us,” Redick said. “I thought the Houston Game 5 was the most gameplan mistakes we made in a playoff game so far. We, obviously, lost that game. You’re playing the world champs. Your margin for error is not very high. You can make mistakes. Basketball is a game full of mistakes. There were just too many tonight. We got to clean that up.”

Despite the final score, the Lakers stayed within reach of the Thunder early on. It was an eight-point game at halftime, and midway through the third quarter they cut the lead to four. However, OKC requires 48 minutes of concentration. LA missed their next three shot attempts, Jaxson Hayes had a turnover and the Thunder went on a 6-0 run, bringing the lead back up to double figures.

“I just think we had some gameplan breakdowns,” LeBron said. “What we’ve been preparing, we had some breakdowns. They’re going to test you, obviously. They’re going to see how many times they can make you have gameplan breakdowns. We had a few, almost too many versus a team like this. We know what they’re capable of doing. They can go on a run where it’s like ‘We got them right here, it’s a two-possession game, three-possession game’ and then boom, it’s a double-digit lead. That’s what some of the great teams do. Can’t have compound mistakes.”

Minus LeBron, every other Laker has room for improvement. Jake LaRavia was struggling and gave the team nothing offensively. Austin Reaves had one of his worst games ever. He shot 3-16 from the field and had a team-high four turnovers.

Reaves is supposed to be the franchise guard, and that performance wasn’t even close to good enough.

“Just made a couple mental mistakes…If you watched [OKC] throughout the year, every time you make a couple mistakes in a row, they capitalize on those,” Reaves said.”

The good news is that this series is still very early. OKC did their job and won their home game. The Lakers want to steal one and that’s still on the table with Game 2 set for Thursday. For them to accomplish this, they’ll have to be better in every statistical category, and the last thing they need is self-inflicted errors.

“Those little mistakes are going to hurt,” Hachimura said. “We talked about it after the game. Those little stuff, they hurt us. This is the first game. Of course, we have more games but I think we have to communicate better on those mistakes. Especially after coming out of timeouts, those are going to be important positions for us so we have to lock in.”

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

The Mavericks introduced Masai Ujiri as their new president of basketball operations on Tuesday. He answered questions for about 45 minutes, where he spoke about his background, his time off from basketball, and his hope of turning Cooper Flagg into a king. But it wasn’t Ujiri who inspired the most hope in me on Tuesday. It was team governor Patrick Dumont. The last question he was asked revolved around what he learned about the NBA that would make this job better for Masai and ultimately make the Mavericks a better franchise:

“I think it has to do with communication and collaboration within the organization,” Dumont said. “That having the right leadership is key, but having those leaders work together with a common goal is what sets franchises apart. That, to me, is the big difference.”

His answer here means something. It was just 20 seconds at the end of a long presser, but the emphasis he put on communication and collaboration indicates a level of self-awareness that is important. Not even 15 months ago, he oversaw a deal that exemplified a lack of communication of the highest order. That cannot happen again. He lost a lot of fans the minute Shams tweeted out the trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, and for those of us who have stuck it out, the acknowledgement that Dumont is the one who gave the go-ahead remains in the back of our minds. Even with the poster boy, Nico Harrison, long gone.

And this lingering concern will be a worry going forward. Dumont will still be the man who signs off on every trade, signing, hiring, and firing. The Mavericks have an unprecedented opportunity for redemption with Cooper Flagg, but Dumont is still the guy who called the NBA Finals the “championship games”, in addition to calling in the disastrous trade. So while hearing him say he wants better communication throughout the organization doesn’t release all of my stress, it does give me a smidge of reassurance that maybe things will be different this time around.