DETROIT, MI – cllct, the collectibles and memorabilia infrastructure company, today announced a partnership with the Detroit Pistons launching Pistons Collectibles, a new collectibles and memorabilia platform.
The platform debuts with Motor City Mint, the first program in professional sports history that offers fans a direct pathway to purchase a professionally graded, PSA-authenticated collectible ticket for every home playoff game.
Motor City Mint produces 250 limited-edition collectible tickets per 2026 NBA Playoff home game - printed on premium heavy card stock, individually serialized with official ticketing information, designed with game-specific artwork, capable of being graded and slabbed by PSA.
Every ticket ships to buyers as a finished, authenticated piece in branded packaging. For the first time, a professional sports franchise is treating the ticket itself as a collectible asset class from the moment of creation - and building an entire collectibles infrastructure around it.
This comes as demands from fans and collectors alike to bring back paper tickets has reached a fever pitch.
Pistons Collectibles will expand beyond Motor City Mint to deliver a year-round pipeline of limited-edition drops, game-used memorabilia, player-signed items, milestone releases, and heritage artifacts that celebrate the franchise’s championship history and its dynamic future.
Motor City Mint is the opening statement - a signal that the Pistons are building one of the most forward-thinking collectibles programs in professional sports.
Motor City Mint - Program Details
Motor City Mint offers two tiers for every home playoff game. The Standard Edition (non-graded) features game-specific artwork and individual ticket information, delivered direct-to-customer in a game-ready state. The Premier Edition (graded) includes similar elements with the ticket authenticated and slabbed by PSA.
These limited-edition tickets are available for purchase through PistonsCollectibles.com, announced on a game-to-game basis. Following each home game, premier edition batches will ship overnight to PSA for grading, with slabbed tickets returned to buyers in approximately 28 – 35 business days - fast enough to preserve the emotional immediacy of the moment while delivering a premium authenticated product.
“We recognized early that while we love the ease and benefits of digital ticketing, there is a segment of fans drawn to something more tangible — the nostalgia and collectibility of a printed ticket,” said Dan Lefton, Chief Revenue Officer, Detroit Pistons. “At our core, we are in the memory business, and tickets have always been the ultimate expression of those moments. As we looked at the broader collectibles landscape, we saw an opportunity to engage a new and increasingly global segment of fans. Partnering with Darren, who has long been at the forefront of the sports business and collectibles space, along with PSA, the gold standard in authentication, gives us tremendous confidence in what we’re building. This is more than a program — it’s the foundation of a new category for our franchise.”
“What the Pistons are doing here is exactly the kind of forward-thinking initiative that cllct was built to enable,” said Darren Rovell, Founder, cllct. “We work hand-in-hand with teams, leagues, and brands to help them identify creative pathways to explore their collectibility - and Pistons Collectibles is a perfect example. This is a franchise recognizing that it has authentic collectible IP embedded in its live experience and choosing to activate it at the highest level. PSA grading, premium packaging - every detail signals that this is serious. We expect other franchises to pay very close attention to what Detroit is building here.”
What Fans Can Expect from Pistons Collectibles
Motor City Mint is the debut product, but Pistons Collectibles is being built as a year-round platform. Key elements of the program will include:
Motor City Mint: PSA-graded, limited-edition collectible tickets for all 2025-26 NBA Playoffs home games at Little Caesars Arena
Game-used and player-signed memorabilia: Verified and authenticated items available through curated drops and seasonal releases
Milestone and heritage releases: Collectible products tied to jersey retirements, career landmarks, championship anniversaries, and franchise history
Modern drop formats: Serialized editions, surprise-and-delight releases, and packaging designed for display and sharing
Retail and arena activations: In-venue experiences, community touchpoints, and partner integrations that connect product to real-world moments
Fans can learn more and sign up for updates at: PistonsCollectibles.com
"When I know, you guys will know. I don't know. I have no idea. I just want to live. That's all."
That is all LeBron James has said about his plans for next season, and he uttered those words back during All-Star weekend. They still ring true. The sense in league circles is that LeBron has not made a decision about his future, although there is an expected lean towards playing one more year.
Retirement is legitimately on the table, and the idea that LeBron wants a "farewell tour" season is false, according to reporting from Dan Woike and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Team and league sources granted anonymity to speak openly say James has made no decisions regarding his future; that retirement remains a real possibility. The notion that James would want a farewell tour — long cited as evidence that this season was not his last — is false, those sources said, with several sources even hearing that directly from James himself.
LeBron isn't thinking about any of that heading into this weekend. As it has been for much of his career, his team's postseason hopes fall squarely and fully on his shoulders — with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out, 41-year-old LeBron becomes the Lakers' primary scorer and shot creator, going up against an athletic, long, high-level Houston Rockets defense.
After the Lakers' postseason run ends, the questions about LeBron's future become more real. For LeBron, there are three real options.
Retirement
LeBron missed training camp and the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica, and that memory lingers. No player puts in more hours in training, more hours working on his body to get it right to play in NBA games, but when the legends call it quits — as with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers before — it's because they say they don't have the desire to put in all that work to play the game anymore.
This quote in the must-read Athletic story sums up the idea that LeBron decides to hang up his Nikes.
"There's nothing left to prove," the second Lakers player reasoned. "It's like playing a video game you've already beaten 80 times. You've done it."
Stay with Lakers
Until a month or so ago, this seemed like the least-likely option. There was a real sense that the Lakers wanted to fully pivot to building around Luka Doncic — and that remains true, a shakeup of roster role players is coming this offseason — and that LeBron was not really part of those plans. He seemed good with that.
Then came March, when the Lakers went 15-2 with a top-five net rating, following the formula coach JJ Redick had been espousing — elite offense and solid defense (10th in the league in March). LeBron, Doncic and Austin Reaves were clicking and fans could see the path to the Lakers winning with those three.
Even after the untimely injuries to Doncic and Reaves at the end of the season — likely sidelining the duo for the first round of the playoffs against Houston, leaving the Lakers major underdogs — LeBron played so well leading the team he was the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the final week of the season.
The door is open to a return, The Athletic reports.
According to team and league sources, the Lakers have not closed the door on James returning next season. While it's been the organization's public position that it hopes James retires as a Laker, the run in March was the clearest example of the basketball advantages of pairing him with Dončić and Reaves...
The fact that James agrees with that assessment is crucial, as league sources say he was intrigued and encouraged by what they accomplished during that stretch.
Two things matter most in any scenario where LeBron plays another season: How much of a pay cut is he willing to take, and where does he feel he can win?
With the Lakers, March showed that winning is a possibility in Los Angeles. The Lakers also have LeBron's Bird rights and can theoretically pay him whatever they want to return (the Lakers are in the repeater luxury tax, so how much new owner Mark Walter wants to pay for the roster matters in this calculation). The reality is, LeBron and the Lakers would need to work this out quickly, then he would sit on the sidelines while the Lakers used up to $50 million in cap space plus three picks to trade to reshape the roster (which includes re-signing Reaves). LeBron then would return for whatever money the Lakers could or would offer.
Move to Warriors, Cavaliers
If LeBron decides to play one more season not with the Lakers, the teams that come up most often are the Warriors — who remain interested in reuniting him with this Olympics buddy Stephen Curry, according to this latest report — and Cleveland.
Both teams already have stars in place — Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green with Golden State; Donovan Mitchell and James Harden with Cleveland — and both teams are pushing or past the second apron of the luxury tax already. In both cases, LeBron would have to accept a smaller role on the court and serve as the glue and third man to make it all work — which is exactly what he proved he could do in March with Doncic and Reaves — and take a massive pay cut. Neither team can offer much in terms of salary, although a sign-and-trade is an option.
How well Cleveland does this postseason will have a lot to say about how hard it will pursue LeBron, a deep run may make the Cavaliers less likely to mess with team chemistry.
The story in the Athletic says a LeBron reunion with former coach Tyronn Lue, with LeBron going to the LA Clippers, is not off the table. League sources have told NBC Sports this option is incredibly unlikely.
However, staying with the Clippers would mean not having to move and staying in Los Angeles — at age 41 with his family established in the city and his other businesses there, does he want to relocate everything to Cleveland or the Bay Area for a year?
It's all a lot to consider. But it's something LeBron is not going to think about until this Lakers postseason run is over. He just wants to live. That's all.
The cover of a New York Knicks 1974 World Championship Playoffs Madison Square Garden program. The cover features the Madison Square Garden ceiling and the Walter A. Brown Memorial Trophy. (Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Only one more sleep.
Just a bit over 24 hours for tip-off.
If you feel anxious, crack Trae Young jokes.
Zohran Mamdani on the high cost of Knicks playoff tickets vs Atlanta:
"I would say that I blame Trae Young… and I think it's always important to blame Trae Young" pic.twitter.com/KDYxJNyarG
“You always evolve over the course of the season. But to change as much as we did on both sides of the ball. We made some pretty sizable changes to our offense and defense throughout the course of the year.”
On what he learned about the roster throughout the regular season:
“That they’re resilient. That’s probably the biggest thing. You don’t really get that feel until you’re around them. I say that for a lot of different reasons – some of the wins that we’ve had coming back, especially late in games. We started off the year playing one way on offense and one way on defense, and we made some pretty big changes throughout the course of the year. I don’t know if I’ve ever gone through a season with a team, as a head coach or as an assistant coach, making the changes that we’ve made with a group of guys.”
On leadership and player ownership:
“Part of giving your group hope is to give them ownership of the process. Because when people have ownership of the process, they’re probably more engaged or they want to buy in more. So I’m not gonna come in and say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna play our offense this way. We’re gonna play our defense this way. And you guys are veterans, you adjust and figure it out.’ No, if I think that it could be a little better with hearing what they have to say — now I can’t listen to all 18 guys, but the top guys: if your top guys have input, and they’re saying, ‘Hey, what about this? Or I’m not sure about that?’ Then I’ve gotta listen, and I gotta think about making adjustments. That’s what that’s all about.”
On the need for a full-team partnership:
“This is a partnership. At the end of the day, though, when you have as many people involved with this, I have to make the decision that’s best for everybody, so at the end of the day, I’m gonna make the decision, and I chose to change some things up because I felt it would fit the group better on both sides of the basketball.”
On Atlanta’s length and versatility:
“Those guys [the Hawks], they’re all long, they’re all athletic. So is that a ‘quote unquote’ edge for them, their versatility? I don’t know. I do know I like our bigs. I like KAT’s size. I like his ability to play outside and inside. I like what he brings to the table when you’re comparing him to Mitch.”
On Mitchell Robinson’s impact:
“Mitchell’s size, his athleticism, his ability to be a vertical threat, it gives our opponents different looks offensively, just by substitution. And so, from that standpoint, it’s pretty neat. And then, you know, like I said, defensively [Robinson and Towns] both bring different things to the table.”
On Jalen Johnson and Atlanta’s resurgence:
“Jalen [Johnson] is a really, really good player, a great player. And shoot, he’s [in the running to win] a lot of awards this year. Him and Nickeil [Alexander-Walker] have led the charge in [Atlanta’s] resurgence here at the end of season; so a lot of respect there.”
On defending Johnson as a team:
“In our last game, Josh matched up with him a little bit more than OG. So it’s more of a team thing than anything else. In this league it’s very hard — especially when you’re talking about a great player like Jalen Johnson — it’s very hard to stop anybody one-on-one. And so your team defense has to be on point, and you just have to make guys work. And if you make them work, you hope the basketball gods are in your favor a little bit, and they end up missing some shots, as well.”
On Brunson’s counters and adjustments:
“Jalen, he’s seen it all, and he’s very smart, very cerebral. So he takes it all in, and he’ll have plenty of counters to a lot of different defenses on his own. But in the same breath, we have to, as a staff, make sure we continue moving him around because we don’t want to give them the same dose the entire game. If you give a team the same dose the entire game, then they can sit on the coverage and get more comfortable with it as the game goes along. It’s a combination of us helping him and him helping himself.”
On the need for consistency over 48 minutes:
“So if you can be consistent instead of fluctuate, you have a better chance of being elite. Because you’ve already shown that you’re a great team, but can you do it over 48 [minutes] instead of over 24 or over 12 or whatever it may be? Because usually the elite ones figure out a way to do whatever they do for a longer period of time than everybody else.”
On approaching the series day by day:
“Just one day at a time. More than anything else, it’s my job to make sure we as a group, starting with me, stay present, and, you know, you go through the hypotheticals, but you can’t dwell on them because if you do, you’ll lose focus at what your strengths are.”
"I've done seen it all. This is Year 8 for me…going from not being in the playoffs, bottom of the East, and now, to one of the tops in the East, it's been amazing."
“Yeah, everything matters: box-outs, rebounds, offensive rebounds, just the little details. Everything literally counts, and you’ve got to make the best of it. I’ve been in a couple of playoff series now. So, got a little experience. With that, I use that as motivation and know what to look for.”
On Atlanta’s frontcourt:
“[The Hawks] are a great team. They got some good bigs over there, stuff like that. Come out of this and play hard.”
On the Knicks’ approach to the playoffs:
“We put in the work. Out here grinding, getting gritty and ready to go.”
On his health:
“I’m ready to go and doing everything by the book.”
On using last year’s loss as motivation:
“I used it as motivation coming into this year.”
On facing the Hawks again after they first did it back in 2021:
“Yeah, it’s crazy. Was it five years ago when we played them in the playoffs? I didn’t get to play in that series. Five years later, here we are with a different team for both sides. It’s going to be amazing, going to be fun. [We’re] going to get after it.”
On his journey in New York:
“Yeah, I’ve done seen it all. This is Year 8 for me, going from not being in the playoffs, to the bottom of the East, to now one of the tops in the East. It’s been amazing. Long journey. Trust the process and here we are.”
On how they’re approaching the Hawks matchup and vice versa:
“Preparation is the same. They’re going to know us inside and out. You have to do the same thing. We’ve got to know their tendencies, what they like to do as a team, as individuals, matchups, those kinds of things. So preparation is always the same.”
On the importance of past regular-season matchups against Atlanta:
“None.”
On not caring about those regular-season games:
“The regular season honestly doesn’t really matter when you look at it in terms of a scope like this, because you never know — regular season, there’s a lot of things that you have. I don’t know if they were back-to-backs, you know, who’s in, who’s out, whatever it is. So, you know, you throw those out the window and you just focus on the team and the personnel that they have right now.”
On the Knicks set to be judged by their postseason run:
“I had no expectations [coming in]. We made the playoffs, we had 50 wins, so that was good. You know, we know we’re going to be judged by what we do starting now. So we didn’t really have expectations going into it. Just wanted to make sure we get to the playoffs.”
On the playoff energy at MSG:
“Man, the energy is great in the regular season, but if you’re able to get to a playoff game, the energy is unreal. They show up for us every single game. You have fans outside, [the] weather is good. So everyone’s outside wanting to have fun, wanting to see the Knicks play. So we need them, obviously now more than ever, and we want to show them love.”
On personal growth this season:
“The thing I’m most proud of myself on [this season] is I feel like I’m doing a better job of moving on to the next plays. If I’m not making shots, what else can I do to help this team be successful? How can I bring energy? What kind of plays can I make to help guys get in position to be successful? I’m doing that and being able to turn the page on a bad play, bad quarter, bad half, a little better than I did before. So that’s been good. But the season, it was solid.”
On Brunson’s film study:
“He watches his shots. He sees what kind of angles he can try to use or exploit. For me, I try to screen a little bit differently depending on who’s guarding him, if it’s Dyson Daniels or, I don’t know, Nickeil (Alexander-Walker) or whoever it is. So you, you always try to learn from your opponent and I think that’s something that he tries to do every time he comes to the bench, watch his film, talks to his coaches and stuff like that. So, you know, I think he’s does a good job in the course of the game, of reading the game and letting the game tell them what to do.”
Jalen Brunson
On Dyson Daniels:
“Yeah, he’s a great defender. He’s very smart and he is great. He’s able to use his wingspan and create havoc on and off the ball. He does a lot of great things for their team and he puts them in position to be successful.”
On his confidence:
“It comes from my work ethic and that hasn’t changed since I guess I’ve been dribbling a basketball.”
Earlier today after Hawks practice, I asked HC Quin Snyder about the absence of Jock Landale & what it means for guys like Tony Bradley & Mo Gueye having to step up:
“I think it’s really everybody stepping up. You know, those guys are the most obvious given we don’t have Jock.” pic.twitter.com/BGkjZMJYzM
“We’ve got to approach this collectively. He’s a terrific player that impacts the game in a lot of ways.”
On Robinson’s presence and two-big lineups with KAT:
“He impacts the game on the boards in a really significant way. He does things that are selfless. The rebounds show up, but his presence — whether it’s the screening or rolling, the defending — there’s a lot of things he does. There’s no one guy for us that you can say that’s your job to stop him. So we have to approach it collectively. They play them together, too. So, you look at all those different lineups. So you can chase matchups, or you can stay with what you think works for your team. I think you need to do both.”
Q "Knicks-Pacers Game 1…Tyrese crazy 3…felt like that loss affected Knicks…how important is it to get Game 1 Saturday?"
Tony Bradley (former Pacer) "I think it's very important to hit em in the mouth"
Q "Did you sense Knicks were demoralized after Game 1?"
There’s a whole other article here that’s tempting to write.
Several, even. How about “If the Rockets lose to the Lakers, Ime Udoka should be on the hot seat”? That is a position that could easily be justified. Luka Doncic is out for Game 1, and questionable for Game 2. Austin Reaves is questionable for the entire series. The Lakers are compromised.
The games still have to be played. Many NBA predictions have been wrong. What ought to happen on paper may not play out on the floor. The Rockets need to identify advantages beyond sheer talent, barring early returns from Doncic and Reaves.
Luckily, one jumps off the page.
The Rockets are tougher than the Lakers
There are stats, and then there’s the immeasurable. Let’s knock out the stats first.
Rebounding is as good a measure of toughness as we have. The Rockets’ 54.5% Rebounding Percentage leads the NBA. The Lakers’ 49.9% mark lands 12th.
Defense is linked to toughness, too. The gap there is larger. Houston’s Defensive Rating ranks sixth (112.1). The Lakers’ 115.5 ranked 20th. Granted, that mark came with All-No-Defense first-teamers Doncic and Reaves in the fold. That’s a fair point, but the counterpoint is that replacing them with Marcus “Toughness Personified” Smart and Jake “Don’t Call Me Doncic” LaRavia (a solid player to be fair) is not a net positive.
Almost any measure of toughness favors the Rockets. Loose balls recovered? Houston’s 5.0 per game ranked third, where the Lakers’ 4.2 ranked 15th (which reflects the small margins in this stat above all else). About the only argument for Los Angeles’ toughness is their league-leading 0.74 charges drawn per game. If you think the Lakers can win this one by drawing a charge every other night, I would recommend avoiding sports betting.
Those are the numbers. Now, let’s talk about what we intuitively know:
The Rockets are a lot tougher than the Lakers.
Smart is the exception. Unfortunately for him, he’s 6’3″. The simple solution here is to have Amen Thompson hunt him on offense. Thompson has a similar mentality in a much larger frame: He will win this wrestling match.
Deandre Ayton is an interesting case. He’s a human block of granite, but toughness has not been his forte. He is notably stronger than Alperen Sengun, and moving stronger players has, at times, proven difficult for him. I’d like to say Sengun is tougher (I think he is), but it’s not quantifiable. What can be comfortably said is that he’s more agile, so Sengun should lean into his face-up game and take Ayton off the dribble as often as possible.
Let’s move away from individual matchups. The broader idea is this: Thompson, Tari Eason, and Jabari Smith Jr. need to be bullying LaRavia, Luke Kennard, and Rui Hachimura off the floor. They need to leave a 41-year-old LeBron James physically exhausted. Physicality is the key to this series for the Rockets:
Curry scored 35 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with under a minute left in the game, to lead Golden State to a 126-121 victory to eliminate the Clippers and set up a game against the Phoenix Suns for the No. 8 seed in the West.
He left it all on the floor, putting in 36 minutes of work. The Warriors and their fans are leaning on Curry to repeat that performance against Phoenix on Friday, April 17. It's not a matter of will he do it, but whether his body will allow him.
Will the Warriors have their best player available in the NBA Play-In game against the Suns? Here's what to know:
Will Steph Curry be available vs. Suns in NBA Play-In game?
Curry has battled a nagging knee injury throughout the season, but it seems that he's not feeling any pain, or significant enough pain to keep him from competing for a chance at the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Curry missed 27 regular-season games from Feb. 3 to April 2 with patella-femoral pain syndrome, a bone bruising in his right knee. The persistent pain sidelined Curry until late in the season as he geared up for a postseason run.
Curry returned on April 5 against the Houston Rockets, appearing in three of the Warriors' final five regular-season games. The rest prepared him for a battle with the Clippers in a do-or-die situation.
There was an early scare in the game after Curry went to the locker room in the first quarter. It was unclear as to what happened, but concern crept in as Curry missed time with Golden State during the regular season due to what the team previously told USA TODAY Sports was runners' knee.
Curry returned to the game at the 7:59 mark of the second quarter. It was like nothing happened. He showed up when his team needed him most, connecting on a 3-point shot with 50 seconds left to lead the way to victory.
Curry celebrated by passionately screaming and stomping his feet so hard, it appeared he nearly rolled his ankle, but the grip from his retro Nikes, a pair of Kobe IV Protros, held.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 05: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Fiserv Forum on April 05, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The season might be over (at last), but that doesn’t mean your interest wanes—or the coverage stops. With this in mind, we present to you our end-of-season player pop quizzes. Each quiz focuses on a single Buck, posing three “totals” based questions, two “advanced stats” based questions, and one “obscure” question about their 2025-26 campaign. Six questions, total. For the culture. So, are you truly the Bucks sicko you think you are? Dip your feet in the water with Milwaukee’s all-time best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and find out.
Season in a snippet
Giannis made noise this year, mostly for all the wrong reasons. On the court, he was his typical dominant self. But, for the first time in his career, he was off the court more often than he was on it thanks to a litany of lower limb injuries—groin strains, calf strains turning to soleus strains, ankle injuries, and hyperextensions. The result: a career-low 36 games after playing at least 61 games in each of his previous 12 seasons—and investigations into the Bucks’ decision to “tell [him] to not play.” Unlucky number 13, huh?
The Knicks' playoff run begins on Saturday night when they open the first round against the hot Atlanta Hawks.
Game 1 will be a feel-out process for both teams, but the Knicks will need to take care of the glass and defend the three-point line well to take early control of the series.
New York’s All-Star tandem of Brunson and Towns is a lethal one-two punch. Both are capable of carrying New York’s offense for long stretches on their own. But as we’ve learned, there is power in teamwork.
One of the largest criticisms at times is the lack of synergy they have in playing together. As this season wore on, we saw both players build chemistry and unite. Down the stretch of New York’s wins against the Hawks and the Boston Celtics last week, the Brunson and Towns two-man game hummed.
Towns has a massive physical advantage in this series. The Hawks are guarding him with center Onyeka Okongwu and beyond the 6-10 starter, there’s not many other viable defenders for Atlanta to use. They could go to Jalen Johnson or one of their wings, but Towns and the Knicks should be able to handle any defensive strategy from the Hawks.
After establishing a pick-and-roll offense that works with Brunson and Towns, it would be less than ideal to go backwards now. New York should lean into their two stars more during this run.
Control the boards
The Knicks were seventh in offensive rebound rate this season. They owe that top-10 finish almost entirely to Mitchell Robinson.
In the seven-footer’s 1,175 minutes, the Knicks collected 39.5 percent of their misses, per NBA Stats, a figure that would lead the NBA. In 2,776 minutes with Robinson on the bench, that number dropped to 29.8 percent, a more pedestrian 17th in the league.
Against this smaller Hawks lineup, the Knicks should increase Robinson’s playing time after he averaged just 19.6 minutes in 60 games.
Dec 5, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) grabs a rebound in the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Head coach Mike Brown might need Robinson to crack 25 minutes, a number he reached just seven times all season. That could mean more double big lineups with Robinson and Towns.
In New York’s win last week against Atlanta, the Hawks had 19 offensive caroms. So it’s not a guarantee that the Knicks will automatically outrebound the Hawks. Controlling the glass on both ends will be important to controlling the pace and slowing down Atlanta’s up-tempo offensive attack.
Contain Hawks' three-point shooters
The Knicks did not defend the three-pointer well this season, giving up the fifth-most three-point attempts to opponents per 100 possessions, and allowing teams to shoot 36.2 percent from three, 20th in the NBA.
The Hawks are dangerous on the perimeter, finishing fifth in three-point shooting percentage (37.1 percent) in the NBA this season. They have several players on the roster capable of going off.
Specifically, containing Nickeil Alexander-Walker should be a top priority for the Knicks. The Most Improved Player of the Year candidate erupted for 36 points in New York’s last game against Atlanta, knocking down seven trifectas.
Okongwu has evolved into a stretch-five. He made 37.6 percent of his threes this season. Veteran CJ McCollum is a career 37.5 percent shooter from deep, and Johnson shot a respectable 35.2 percent from behind the arc.
Most of Atlanta’s core rotation can do damage from deep. And if they knock down shots from outside, they all are capable of putting the ball on the floor and driving to the rim. With the Hawks looking to run, they will be searching for transition three-point attempts.
New York’s wing trio of Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart will be relied upon to defend the perimeter better and get out to shooters to secure the win.
Boston, MA - January 26: Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown greet each other before the game. The Boston Celtics played the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden on January 26, 2026. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
BOSTON — Jrue Holiday’s two-year tenure in Boston technically ended in May. After he was traded from the Celtics to the Trail Blazers, Jrue and his wife, Lauren, packed up their family and moved to Portland, where the two-time NBA champion would join a younger, up-and-coming squad hoping to punch their first ticket to the playoffs since 2021 (spoiler alert: on Tuesday, they did just that).
But, though they physically left the city last summer, the Holidays’ off-court impact in Boston hasn’t waned. In fact, their philanthropic collaboration with Jaylen Brown — which started a year and a half ago — is only growing.
How Jrue Holiday impacted Boston in two years
Holiday only spent two years in Boston, but it’s hard to describe his stint as anything other than a massive success. After earning All-Defensive honors and shooting a career-high 42.9% from three in the Celtics’ title year, he served as a pivotal part of the dominant 2024 championship run, responsible for key steals and defensive stops.
But off the court, his impact in the city extended even deeper than his on-court play, though much of his philanthropic involvement flew under the radar. Just a few months after the successful title run, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Lauren Holiday together launched the Boston Creator Accelerator, an incubator aimed at supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Greater Boston Area.
The Accelerator provided 10 creators with monetary grants totaling $1 million — as well as mentorship, resources, and direct access to Brown and the Holidays.
Year 1 of the partnership was an undeniable success. The Boston Creator Accelerator invested in ten startups, including the: Future Master Chess Academy, a chess academy for underserved communities that focuses on lifelong skills; Little Cocoa Bean Company, a cafe that creates culturally diverse and nutritious food for toddlers and kids; PYNRS, a streetwear-inspired performance running apparel company, and Everybody Gotta Eat, a food culture and catering company, among others.
Brown, who launched Boston XChange last season in hopes of supporting entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities, was thrilled to collaborate with the Holidays.
“Sometimes, you’re asking other guys, they’ve been advised not to be involved because of whatever reason, I don’t know,” Brown said last season. “But Jrue and Lauren Holiday are great people. They’ve been doing this everywhere they go.”
It’s true: The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Foundation has operated in five cities since its launch in 2020: Los Angeles (Jrue’s hometown), Indianapolis (Lauren’s hometown), New Orleans (where Jrue played for seven years), Milwaukee (where Jrue won his first NBA title), and, now, in Boston.
In its first four years, the fund awarded grants of $25,000 to $50,000 to more than 150 Black-owned businesses and charities, while providing mentorship and resources that oftentimes far exceeded the financial support. Since launching, the monetary investment and hands-on support have continued to grow.
Though Jrue Holiday now lives in Portland, he’s investing in yet another Boston Accelerator Fund co-hort
For Lawyer Times, a lifelong chess player and instructor who had doubled as a post office worker for more than 40 years, the financial investment allowed him to retire from his day job and go all-in on the Future Masters Chess Academy. Lawyer’s wife, Angela, credits Brown and the Holidays for their unwavering belief in the vision.
“The Holidays have such a giving spirit,” Angela Times said. “They just want to create community and bring people together.”
Since joining the Boston Creator Accelerator, the Academy’s annual revenue increased from $50,000 to $300,000, said Renee King, who helps lead the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Fund.
“They all attribute it to the training the village that was wrapped around them, with the resources from all of the partners,” King said.
The initial cohort’s success has compelled Brown and the Holidays to bring in an additional cohort for Year 2. With the playoffs around the corner, they’re together investing another $1 million into ten businesses, with applications closing on April 21st.
Urina Harrell, the CEO of Vox Pop Branding, has long worked on the marketing side of the JLH Fund.
“This is a true partnership between the JLH Fund and the Boston XChange,” she said.
King said that Jrue and Lauren never considered ending their investment in the Boston community just because he was traded.
“Their ethos has always been any city that we are, that we’ve inducted into the JLH, we’re still locked into those cities, regardless of if they’re there to play,” King said. “They’re just used to the fact of like, this is what they were put here for, right? They come in, they touch lives, and then they go; they get pulled to another place, to do the same. We were still going to be locked in on Boston.”
Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown have influenced lawmakers on Capitol Hill
The Boston Creator Accelerator could have ramifications that extend far beyond the city; the start-up has also helped inform a new piece of legislation that is pending in Congress, the SPARK Act to Supercharge Minority Entrepreneurship Nationwide. The bill, introduced in February, is meant to spur entrepreneurship and increase access to capital and resources for underserved entrepreneurs nationwide.
“Yes, this is a great pilot. But, the work that’s being done here is being used to shape policy, and we know once we shape policy, then that’s the bigger ripple effect, right?” King said. “Like, we can help more people, because that’s the goal. The goal is to have more people coming together to help more businesses that are creating solutions that all of our entire world needs.”
For now, Boston will continue to benefit from the athletes’ private investment. And, King said it’s been a wonderful city to work in, in large part because of how collaborative the partners that Brown and the Holidays have brought in have been. That list includes
“You have so many folks who are just willing to work together, from government, private institutions, the athletes — it was a very good ethos,” King said. “It was a great place for this pilot to launch, to grow it, because you had so many things within that space that you could pull together. And the energy from everyone, the community around pulling it together was really great.”
Applications close on April 21st, and interested entrepreneurs can apply here.
“We’re looking forward to adding more people to the family,” King said.
The Trail Blazers’ playoff run begins on Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs. As the team’s fourth-leading scorer, Holiday will be a crucial part of the team’s upset chances. Across the country, the Celtics begin their playoff run the very same day.
But Jrue Holiday and the city of Boston will forever be linked — even if the Hall of Fame guard never again dons Celtics green.
“Once you’re in the family, you’re always in the family,” King said. “That’s literally the ethos.”
Opening round series can often be duds in the NBA Playoffs. This Round 1 pairing of the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers can be something better.
Game 1 of what should be a very tight series tips off in Cleveland on Saturday, and I’ve got a same-game parlay that draws options from interesting situations and circumstances for both teams.
Here are my best Raptors vs. Cavaliers predictions and NBA picks on April 18.
Our best Raptors vs Cavaliers SGP for Game 1
The Cleveland Cavaliers draw first blood at home against a Toronto Raptors team that has been cursed in the opening contest of the playoff series. The Raptors are 4-12 SU in Game 1 outings since 2014. Cleveland has the inside-out scoring and tightens the bolts on defense when it has to.
Not all fans may be familiar with the Cavaliers’ Dean Wade. However, the 6-foot-9 forward plays an important role in how Cleveland will defend Toronto. He’s expected to jump into the starting lineup and log more minutes than his standard 21 per game.
When Wade gets 25+ minutes of floor time, his rebounding rate soars over five boards per game.
Scottie Barnes will draw plenty of touches for Toronto, especially if point guard Immanuel Quickley is limited (questionable). When he went down in March, Barnes became the Raptors’ primary ball handler, and his assist production spiked.
He’s dished out seven or more dimes in eight of his past dozen outings.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 15: Andre Drummond #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers grabs the rebound during the game against the Orlando Magic during the SoFi Play-In Tournament on April 15, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Before their matchup with Orlando, I had wondered who the unsung hero of the game would be for the Sixers if they pulled this one out. I would’ve not guessed Andre Drummond, who, to be frank, infuriated me throughout the season whenever he was on the court. That wasn’t the case at all on Wednesday.
Joel Embiid was sidelined and Adem Bona got the nod as starting center, but Drummond played 31 minutes, totaling 14 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and three steals. He stuffed the box score! The 32-year-old Drummond brought a level of physicality that the Sixers desperately needed against an opponent like Orlando. The Sixers don’t win that game without him delivering that level of performance.
The two threes he made during the game that made the Sixers faithful erupt at the arena? Those were the highlights of the evening.
Tyrese Maxey debuted his new signature New Balance sneakers in the win
Maxey, donning the Sixers’ black throwback uniforms on Wednesday, had the perfect sneakers to match with his new New Balances:
My wife would kick me out of the house if I bought another pair of sneakers, but these look like perfect summer footwear for bopping around the city.
Per GQ, the sneakers will release later this year for $130.
Paul George needs to hit another gear, but I’m not sure he still has one
Paul George, who would turn 36 the day of a potential Sixers-Celtics Game 7, was 6-of-16 from the field and 1-of-6 from deep on Wednesday. The Play-In was his 11th game since returning from a 25-game anti-drug policy suspension. He needs to be better than that if the Sixers are to have even a puncher’s chance against Boston, particularly with Embiid’s timeline to getting back unknown as he recovers from surgery for appendicitis.
I always thought the “Playoff P” nickname was a bit of a misnomer for a guy, in the middle of his 16th pro season, who’s never reached the NBA Finals, but if he was ever going to live up that billing in its true form, it needs to be now.
‘We want Boston!’
As the Sixers inched closer to victory over Orlando, “We want Boston!” chants broke out at Xfinity Mobile Arena:
Famous last words? I respect the energy from our fan base even though I’m sure people online will clown us in the event that the Celtics make quick work of the Sixers over the next week-plus.
A Sixers-Celtics prediction…
Celtics in five, sadly. Am I a coward for not at least tricking myself into hoping and dreaming of an unprecedented upset given the talent disparity and the specific opponent? Maybe! I’ll still be rooting like hell either way.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 14: Jaden McDaniels #3, Anthony Edwards #5, and Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves look on during the game against the Golden State Warriors during Round 2 Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on May 14, 2025 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After an 82-game grind that at various points felt like a thriller, a slog, a dark comedy, and a group therapy exercise for everyone invested in Minnesota basketball, the Timberwolves have arrived exactly where they finished a year ago: the Western Conference’s sixth seed. On paper, that sounds almost boring. Same slot, same franchise trying to push through the same door for a third straight spring. But anyone who has watched this team closely knows there is nothing copy-and-paste about the situation the Timberwolves are walking into now.
Last year, the sixth seed felt a little like a gift basket. The Wolves drew a Los Angeles Lakers team that was trying to figure itself out, wrestling with new pieces, lacking real depth, and most importantly, vulnerable to the exact kind of physical, frontcourt-heavy pressure Minnesota wanted to apply. This time around, there is no such soft landing. There is no confused opponent trying to assemble the plane while already in the air. Instead, waiting on the other side is Nikola Jokic, the best player on the planet, and a Denver Nuggets team that looks more stable, deeper, and frankly nastier than the version Minnesota regular-season swept a year ago.
This formidable first-round matchup is the fitting punishment for a team that failed to meet the lofty expectations thrust upon them this season. Minnesota flirted with being a top-tier Western Conference team. They briefly put a hand on the three seed. They spent stretches looking like they might finally seize control of their own destiny. And then, like they did far too many times this season, they let go of the rope.
Now, to be fair, the Wolves did not exactly limp into the postseason in disgrace. They had injuries. They had guys rotating in and out. They had Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels miss time. They had all the usual wear and tear that comes when you’ve gone to the Western Conference Finals two years in a row and are trying to keep a veteran-heavy, expectation-heavy team alive through another 82-game marathon. But they also had too many nights where the problem wasn’t health or fatigue or roster construction. The problem was that they just didn’t show up with enough seriousness.
That is the tension hanging over this series.
Because if you are looking for reasons to believe in Minnesota, there are plenty. This team has been to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. It has playoff scar tissue. It has a real star in Edwards. It has size. It has defensive versatility. It has a deeper roster than this franchise has almost ever had. And perhaps most importantly, it has actual lived experience against Denver. They know what Jokić looks like over a seven-game series. They know what the Denver crowd feels like when things start rolling downhill. They know the physical toll, the emotional swings, and the pressure that comes with a series this massive.
They also know they can beat Denver.
That matters.
There are only a handful of teams in the league that can say that with a straight face. Minnesota is one of them. They went toe-to-toe with Denver before. They took them seven and lived to tell the tale. They’ve matched up well historically. Even in a season where the Wolves never quite found the same down-the-stretch cohesion they had a year ago, there remains a real belief that this is not some impossible draw. Difficult? Absolutely. Brutal? Without question. But impossible? No.
Still, belief and reality are not always on speaking terms in April.
The reality is that the Nuggets did not spend the past few months standing still. After taking a step back from their 2023 title peak and bowing out in the semifinal round in consecutive postseasons, Denver responded the way smart, motivated contenders usually do: they got sharper. The front office instability and the Mike Malone firing might have created a little drama, but it also pushed the organization to recalibrate. They brought in Cam Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas. They brought back Bruce Brown. This is not a team waiting to be exposed. This is a team that looks like it spent the year quietly taking notes.
That is why the Wolves cannot treat this like 2024’s sequel.
It is not enough to show up and expect that the old script will still work. This is not a series they can win by playing B-plus basketball and hoping Denver blinks first. Minnesota is going to have to be at or near its best. That phrase gets thrown around too loosely in sports writing, but here it actually applies. If the Wolves are going to move on past the first round for a third straight year, and only the fourth time in franchise history, they are going to need the best possible version of themselves. Not the version that sleepwalks through random regular-season Tuesdays. Not the version that gives away fourth quarters like unwanted coupons. Not the version that thinks it can flip the switch in the final five minutes and survive. The real version. The dangerous version. The one that has spent the last two postseasons convincing everyone this franchise is not just a cute story anymore.
And maybe, if you want to search for a silver lining, there is one.
For all the frustration of the final few weeks, for all the injuries and lineup juggling and weird late-season sputtering, the Wolves should be walking into this series relatively fresh. Edwards, Randle, McDaniels, and Gobert have all effectively been on reduced mileage programs over the past two weeks. They are not entering this series like a team that has been redlining into the finish line. Against Denver, where the series is likely to be a bar fight stretched across two weeks, freshness matters. They need their apex Timberwolves.
That is really what this series comes down to. This team has title aspirations, or at least it has been carrying itself like a team that wants to pretend it does. And title aspirations are not just about surviving the first round. They are about proving that beating Denver is not some one-off act of defiance from two years ago, not some piece of franchise folklore that gets dragged out every April like an old VHS tape. It is about showing that the Wolves can still play with championship pressure on their shoulders and not flinch. It is about getting back to the Western Conference Finals and, for the first time in franchise history, pushing beyond it.
That is the challenge. That is the opportunity. And that is why this series feels so massive.
Because if you strip away the standings drama, the regular-season wobbling, the what-if games they donated over the winter, and the endless debates over seeding, this is where the season was always headed. Toward a real opponent, a real test, and a real answer. Can the Wolves finally take all of that talent, all of that postseason experience, all of that maddeningly inconsistent regular-season potential, and turn it into four wins against the best player in basketball and a team built to maximize him?
And with that in mind, here is what has to happen for the Timberwolves’ core players if Minnesota is going to survive this first-round war and keep the bigger dream alive.
Anthony Edwards: The Series Has to Bend to Him
If the Timberwolves are going to beat Denver, it starts with Anthony Edwards playing like the best player in the series.
That is a huge ask when Nikola Jokic exists. It is also the reality.
Hopefully this week off has done for Ant what it looked like it desperately needed to do, which is get his body right, get his legs back under him, and get him back to looking like the version of himself that can tilt an entire playoff series with force, shot-making, and swagger. But, and this is the key part, it cannot be empty-calorie hero ball.
That is the trap with Ant sometimes, and it is a trap that feels especially tempting in a series like this, where the stakes are high, the opponent is elite, and your star naturally wants to grab the game by the throat. There will absolutely be moments where that is needed. Late clock. Final two minutes. Series swinging in the balance. Of course you want Anthony Edwards taking those shots. He has proven over and over again that he can hit the dagger, that he can rise into a jumper with two defenders draped all over him and somehow make it feel inevitable. Those moments are his. That is part of what makes him special.
But for the other 47 minutes and 30 seconds, this has to be a series where Ant operates within the flow of the offense and uses his gravity like the superpower that it is. Denver is going to load up on him. They are going to try to wall off driving lanes and force him into difficult, high-degree-of-difficulty jumpers. The counter to that is not just to take even harder shots and try to out-alpha the problem. The counter is to weaponize everything, the three ball, the mid-range, and the downhill attacks. But also the playmaking. He needs to be the guy who doesn’t just score 32, but who creates six or seven other baskets because Denver is so terrified of him getting to his spots.
It has been joked about for years now that Anthony Edwards is secretly Michael Jordan’s son. Cute joke. Fun meme. But if there is ever a time to lean fully into the MJ mythology, the killer instinct, the refusal to blink, the sense that the moment belongs to you because you said so, this is it.
The Wolves do not need Ant to impersonate Jordan stylistically. They need him to channel that mentality, that ruthless understanding that great teams do not advance because their best player had a nice statistical series. They advance because their best player imposed his will on everything around him.
That is the bar.
Julius Randle
There may not be a more polarizing player on this roster than Julius Randle, and honestly, that is pretty understandable. When you are the main incoming piece in the trade that shipped out Karl-Anthony Towns, a franchise pillar and beloved player, you are never walking into a neutral room.
The tricky part with Randle is that his game almost invites that emotional volatility. When he is bad, he is loudly bad. The ball sticks. The offense bogs down. He dribbles the air out of the possession, lowers his shoulder into traffic, and suddenly you are staring at a forced miss or a live-ball turnover while everyone else stands around watching. Defensively, he can drift. He can have possessions where he looks fully engaged followed by possessions where he appears to be operating under the assumption that someone else will handle it.
That is the frustrating version. The one that makes you yell at your television and start fantasizing about alternate trade constructions.
But when Julius is right, when he is locked in and forceful and fully engaged, he becomes one of the most valuable players on the team because he gives Minnesota something very few guys on the roster can: self-created offense with real force behind it.
Against Denver, there is real value in having a player who can bully his way into the paint, who can create a decent look out of a broken possession, and who can absorb contact and still finish. The Wolves are going to need that bruising version of Julius. Because this is not a finesse series. This is not a spread-you-out-and-jack-40-threes series. This is a weight-bearing series. A leverage series. A series where size and force have to matter.
Even that is not the full version of what Minnesota needs. Because the best playoff Julius is not just the bully-ball Julius. It is also the facilitator Julius.
It is the version who draws two defenders into the lane, keeps his head up, and sprays the ball out to open shooters instead of forcing some impossible interior contortion act. The Wolves need him reading the floor, finding cutters, kicking out to Ant, Dante, Jaden, and everybody else when the defense loads up. When Randle is doing that, both scoring and orchestrating, the offense takes on a completely different shape.
Minnesota also needs him to be credible from three. When he takes those shots, they need to matter. They need to go in often enough to punish Denver for cheating off him. They need to keep the spacing real. If Randle is bricking wide-open threes and drifting through defensive possessions, this gets ugly. If he is knocking them down efficiently and playing engaged basketball on both ends, this gets a whole lot more manageable.
We have already seen what playoff Julius can look like when everything is aligned. Last year against the Lakers and Warriors, he was a player who didn’t just support the stars but occasionally looked like one himself. That version changed the geometry of the floor.
The Wolves need that guy again.
Rudy Gobert
No player on the Wolves has drawn a more difficult, more essential, or more exhausting first-round assignment than Rudy Gobert.
Rudy is the center of gravity here because Jokic is the center of gravity over there. That is the matchup. That is the series. Everything else branches off from that central problem.
Gobert is the only player on Minnesota’s roster with the size, discipline, and defensive instincts to take the first punch from Jokic and keep getting back up. That does not mean he will stop him. Nobody stops him. Rudy’s purpose is to make every decision harder, every pass a beat slower, every look a little more annoying, every rebound a little more physical.
We saw these two go to war in the 2024 semifinals, and yes, Gobert did not do it alone. He had Karl-Anthony Towns. He had Naz Reid. He had wave after wave of bodies helping wear Jokic down. That will be true again here. This is going to take all three of Minnesota’s bigs, maybe even more if foul trouble becomes a thing. But Rudy is still the center of the strategy.
To do that, Gobert has to be both aggressive and smart. The Wolves cannot afford foul-trouble Rudy. They cannot afford the version that gets baited into cheap whistles or overcommits on a possession and suddenly finds himself on the bench while Jokic takes a breather from the hardest part of his night. Rudy has to pick his spots. He has to stay disciplined.
He also has to dominate the glass.
Denver cannot be allowed to feast on second chances. The Wolves cannot survive a series where they defend for 18 or 20 solid seconds and then let Jokic or Valanciunas or some cutting wing grab the rebound and restart the torture chamber. Gobert has to be there cleaning everything up, ending possessions, denying extra life, and making Minnesota’s defense feel finished rather than unfinished.
Then there is the offensive side, which matters more than people like to admit.
The Wolves need high-efficiency Rudy. They need the version who catches lobs cleanly, who has ready hands in traffic, who puts back misses, who punishes Denver when they rotate too aggressively toward Ant or Randle. Against a team as smart as Denver, wasted easy points become haunting points. Gobert has to make Denver pay when they concede space behind the play.
When Rudy is truly locked in, he is not just a rim deterrent. He is a possession finisher. He keeps the defense anchored and the offense moving. He makes the Wolves feel bigger, meaner, more stable. We saw it in Game 5 against the Lakers last year, when he more or less reached into that series and pulled the Lakers’ soul out through their rib cage. The Wolves need that version of him now more than ever.
Jaden McDaniels
Defensively, McDaniels’ assignment is about as serious as it gets. He’s going to spend long stretches chasing Jamal Murray and trying to disrupt the rhythm of one of the most dangerous playoff guards in basketball. He’ll also have his hands full at times with players like Cam Johnson and Bruce Brown.
But here’s the part that matters just as much: offense.
The Wolves don’t need Corner-Spectator McDaniels. They need the aggressive version, the one who attacks closeouts, gets downhill, and lives in that deadly mid-range/paint area where he’s quietly one of the most efficient players on the roster. When McDaniels is scoring 15–18 points on high-percentage looks, the offense unlocks.
This has to be a two-way series for Jaden. If he brings both ends, the defensive menace and the opportunistic scorer, he becomes the kind of player Denver has to account for on every possession. That’s when things start to tilt.
Donte DiVincenzo
You already know what you’re getting from Donte in terms of effort. That’s not the question. He’s going to dive on the floor, chase loose balls, and generally play like a guy who thinks every possession is a schoolyard brawl. That part is locked in.
What isn’t always locked in, and what will define his impact in this series, is the shooting.
This Wolves team, for better or worse, is still heavily tied to the three-point line. When the shots fall, they look borderline unstoppable. When they don’t, things fall apart…. quickly. Donte sits right in the middle of that equation. He’s one of the purest shooters on the roster, but he’s also prone to the kind of streakiness that can swing a game, or a series, in either direction.
Minnesota doesn’t need him to go nuclear every night, but they do need consistency. If Donte can hit at a high clip, punish rotations, and make Denver pay for helping off him, he becomes the kind of connective piece that keeps the offense humming. If he goes cold for long stretches, it puts even more pressure on Ant and Randle to manufacture everything.
Ayo Dosunmu
The Wolves spent most of the season trying to solve their point guard situation like it was a puzzle missing two or three pieces. Then Tim Connelly swooped in at the deadline and brought in Ayo Dosunmu, giving the team something it had been lacking: juice.
Ayo changes the tempo. He gets the Wolves out of half-court mud and into transition opportunities where things are simpler and cleaner. His ability to speed things up is incredibly valuable.
And then there’s the sneaky part: the shooting. He’s not a volume bomber, but he’s absurdly efficient when he does let it fly. If Ayo is knocking down open threes, he becomes a real problem because now you have to guard him honestly, and once that happens, his driving lanes open up, his playmaking improves, and suddenly he’s dictating possessions instead of just participating in them.
He doesn’t have to be the star of the series. But if he consistently tilts the pace and hits timely shots, he would instantly put his name in the running for the best trade deadline acquisition of the season.
Naz Reid
Naz Reid is the definition of a “what version are we getting tonight?” player, and in a series like this, that unpredictability can either be a problem or a weapon.
At his best, Naz is a nightmare matchup. He stretches the floor. He can score inside and out. He brings energy off the bench that changes the feel of the game. And most importantly, he gives the Wolves a third big body to throw at Jokic, which is absolutely essential over the course of a seven-game series.
At his worst, especially when the shoulder has been bothering him, he can look a step slow, a little out of rhythm, and not quite the same offensive spark.
Minnesota needs the good version. The one who is nailing threes, who’s finishing through contact, and who’s spacing the floor and forcing Denver’s bigs to make decisions.
Bones Hyland
Every playoff series has a moment, or two, or three, where things get weird. Shots aren’t falling. The offense stalls. Nobody can generate anything clean. And that’s when a guy like Bones Hyland becomes incredibly valuable.
He can come in, hit three shots in 90 seconds, and completely flip the energy of a game. He can attack the rim, pull up from deep, and play with the kind of fearless aggression that doesn’t always make sense but sometimes is exactly what you need. He’s not going to be consistent every night. That’s not his role. But if he gives you two or three explosive scoring bursts over the course of this series, that could absolutely swing a game.
In a matchup this tight, one stolen game can change everything.
Mike Conley
Two years ago, Mike Conley was the steady hand guiding this team through one of the most emotional series in franchise history. This time around, his role is going to be much smaller, maybe even sporadic.
That doesn’t mean it’s unimportant.
If Conley sees the floor, it’s because the Wolves need calm. They need organization. They need someone to slow things down and make sure the offense doesn’t spiral into chaos. Even if he doesn’t play much, his presence still matters. Leadership in the playoffs isn’t always about minutes. Sometimes it’s about making sure the guys who are playing don’t lose the plot.
Terrence Shannon Jr.
If there was one guy who used the final week of the regular season to bang on the door and demand attention, it was Terrence Shannon Jr.
Thirty-three against Orlando. Another 20+ against Houston. Suddenly, the flashes we’d been waiting for all season started to look a lot more real. Shannon brings something this team doesn’t have a ton of: straight-line speed, downhill pressure, and a willingness to attack the rim without overthinking it.
Will he have a big role in this series? Maybe not.
But if foul trouble hits, or if the Wolves need a jolt of energy, or if someone simply isn’t bringing it, Shannon has at least put himself in the conversation as a guy who can step in and give you real minutes.
Jaylen Clark
All season long, Jaylen’s role has fluctuated, but what Clark brings is something you can’t really manufacture: instinctive, disruptive, borderline annoying defense. He’s the kind of guy who can come in cold and immediately pick up full court, blow up a dribble handoff, or turn a routine possession into a fast-break in the other direction.
And in a series against a player like Jamal Murray, having a defensive wildcard matters.
Clark may not be part of the primary rotation, but don’t be surprised if there are moments where Murray strings together a few buckets, the Wolves need a different look, and Finch reaches down the bench and says, “Go bother him for a few minutes.” That’s Clark’s lane. He’s not there to score 15. He’s there to disrupt, to inject energy, and to give Minnesota a defensive gear they don’t otherwise have.
Joan Beringer
Every playoff series has that moment where your depth gets tested in a way you didn’t plan for. A couple quick fouls, someone tweaks something mid-game, and suddenly you’re looking down the bench…
That’s where Joan Beringer comes in.
He’s not expected to play meaningful minutes in a perfect-world scenario. But against a team like Denver, where Nikola Jokic has a habit of dragging bigs into foul trouble and physically wearing teams down, having another capable body matters more than you’d think.
Beringer gives you size. He can soak up a few minutes, contest a couple shots, grab a rebound or two, and just… survive a stretch. Think of him as the “break glass in case of emergency” option. You don’t plan around him, but if the moment calls for it, having that extra layer of depth could quietly save you in a game that hangs in the balance.
Chris Finch
Now it’s time for a little Chris Finch discourse.
On one hand, it’s fair to say this team underachieved relative to its talent. You don’t go to back-to-back Western Conference Finals and expect finishing sixth to feel like a clean success. There were too many nights where the effort wasn’t there. Too many games where they played with their food. Too many collapses that turned wins into head-scratching losses.
Some of that is on the players. Some of that is on the coach.
But zoom out for a second. Finch is still, by basically every meaningful measure, the best coach this franchise has ever had. He’s taken them further, more consistently, than anyone before him. That matters.
Now comes the part where he has to level up again.
Playoff coaching is different. It’s about adjustments. It’s about recognizing when things are slipping and calling that timeout before the avalanche hits. It’s about rotations, matchups, counters, and making sure your team doesn’t fall back into the bad habits that haunted them in January and February.
Finch has the pieces. Now he has to put them together in a way that gets the absolute best version of this team onto the floor for as many of these next seven games as possible.
That’s a long list of names. A long list of expectations. And honestly, when you step back and look at it, you can make a pretty strong case that this is the deepest, most versatile roster this franchise has ever rolled into a playoff series with. Top to bottom, in terms of guys who can swing a game on a given night? This might be the one.
And that’s what makes this whole thing so fascinating… and, if we’re being honest, so maddening.
Because we’ve seen it. Over 82 games, we’ve seen the version of this team that looks like a legitimate contender, the one that locks in defensively, moves the ball, hits threes at a respectable clip, and suddenly turns into a serious problem for the team in the opposing jerseys. We’ve also seen the other version. The one that sleepwalks through a Tuesday night, blows a fourth-quarter lead, or spends three possessions in a row dribbling into bad shots like they’re trying to speedrun a collapse.
That’s the push and pull of this entire season. The reason it’s felt like a roller coaster instead of a coronation.
But here’s the thing: none of that matters anymore.
This is the part of the season where reputations get made or rewritten. Where you either prove what you are… or you don’t.
There are no more dress rehearsals. No more “we’ll figure it out.” No more blaming the schedule, or injuries, or chemistry, or whatever excuse you want to reach for. This is it. This is the moment this team has been building toward since they walked off the floor in Oklahoma City last May.
The opponent isn’t exactly a soft landing.
Denver brings the best player on the planet, a team with championship pedigree, and a roster that’s been sharpened specifically for this kind of fight. There’s no easing into this postseason. It’s straight into the deep end.
But here’s the flip side, and it’s the part that should give Wolves fans just enough irrational confidence to talk themselves into this thing: Minnesota knows this team. They’ve been here before. They’ve stood toe-to-toe with this group and survived. They’ve proven that they can beat this opponent in a playoff setting.
So now it comes down to something simple, even if it’s not easy: Can they be the best version of themselves, four times in seven games? Can they string together the defensive intensity, the offensive flow, the composure, the shot-making, all the things we’ve seen in flashes, and actually sustain it when it matters most?
They have to lean into what they are at their peak. They have to become what they’ve teased all season long.
Apex predators.
Not the team that shows up for three quarters. Not the team that waits for someone else to close. Not the team that plays with its food.
The one that hunts. The one that finishes. The one that leaves no doubt.
Because the potential is there. We’ve all seen it.
Players who may have served a minimal support role during the regular season can suddenly become pillars of NBA Playoffs strategy. It can take our Raptors vs. Cavaliers predictions to strange and unknown places, like Cleveland forward Dean Wade.
My NBA picks like Wade to get after it on the glass in Game 1 on Saturday, April 18. This one tips off at 1:00 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Raptors vs Cavaliers Game 1 prediction
Who will win Raptors vs Cavaliers Game 1?
Cavaliers: The Cleveland Cavaliers are sizable home favorites for Game 1 on Saturday. Cleveland has great inside-out scoring and finished the season among the better offenses. Defense has been the biggest blemish for the Cavs. That said, the team seems to find another gear on that end of the floor against top-tier offenses and will be able to lock up a limited Toronto Raptors attack.
Raptors vs Cavaliers best bet: Dean Wade Over 3.5 rebounds (-125)
According to what team analysts believe, Atkinson will go with size as his best option, rolling out 6-foot-9 forward Dean Wade alongside Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. This gives Cleveland a long and interchangeable defense-first lineup, with Wade able to counter Ingram’s perimeter play.
Not only is Wade a great defender, but he’s also counted on to clean the glass. He’s averaged 4.3 rebounds since the All-Star break with 8.6 rebounding chances per contest. He’s collected at least four boards in 15 of his last 24 outings.
Wade averaged around 21 minutes per game but was limited at the end of the year after injuring his ankle. With time to heal and an increased role, his rebound rate will soar on Saturday.
Wade has logged 25 or more minutes in just 24 of his 59 games. But when he draws that floor time, he averages more than five rebounds and has snatched up four or more boards in 18 of those 24 showings.
The rebounding chances will be there, considering the Cavaliers can put this Toronto transition attack in sand and force the Raptors to play a half-court game. Cleveland gives up the sixth-lowest points per play to transition offenses and doesn’t budge for easy looks inside, with the fifth-lowest points in the paint allowed.
Raptors vs Cavaliers Game 1 same-game parlay
The Cavaliers slow down the Raptors' attack and force them into a half-court contest, plugging up the interior with their defensive length. Toronto isn’t a great perimeter team and will struggle to counter the triples from James Harden and Donovan Mitchell.
Scottie Barnes carries the weight for this Toronto team, especially if point guard Immanuel Quickley is limited. He missed time with foot and hamstring ailments, leaving Barnes as the primary ball handler and sparking a surge in his assists. Quickley is questionable, and Barnes will have plenty of touches in Game 1.
Raptors vs Cavaliers SGP
Cleveland moneyline
Dean Wade Over 3.5 rebounds
Scottie Barnes Over 6.5 assists
Our "from downtown" SGP: Deep thoughts
With the Cavs defense pushing Toronto to the perimeter, Ingram is forced to take and make triples to keep pace with Cleveland’s combo of Harden and Mitchell. Both sharpshooters are projected for at least three triples in Game 1.
Raptors vs Cavaliers SGP
Cavaliers -8
Brandon Ingram Over 1.5 made threes
James Harden Over 2.5 made threes
Donovan Mitchell Over 2.5 made threes
Raptors vs Cavaliers odds for Game 1
Spread: Raptors +8 | Cavaliers -8
Moneyline: Raptors +290 | Cavaliers -370
Over/Under: Over 221 | Under 221
Raptors vs Cavaliers betting trend to know
The Raptors are 4-12 SU and ATS in Game 1 of a playoff series going back to the 2014 postseason. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Cavaliers.
How to watch Raptors vs Cavaliers Game 1
Location
Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Date
Saturday, April 18, 2026
Tip-off
1:00 p.m. ET
TV
Prime Video, TSN4
Raptors vs Cavaliers latest injuries
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DENVER, CO - APRIL 4: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets looks to drive against Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter at Ball Arena on April 4, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NBA playoffs are finally upon us, and that means one thing: it’s time to place every team in arbitrary tiers made by yours truly.
First, we need to reiterate one thing. In any given year, only a handful of teams have legitimate shots at the title, as history’s shown that teams need a player good enough to go down as a top-35(ish) all-time great, along with an All-NBA level sidekick. This year, only three squads meet those thresholds: the Thunder, Spurs, and Nuggets.
However, since all of those juggernauts play in the West, we also need to factor in the path to the title for every team. That’s why the East’s best, Boston, are lumped in as a title contender, while the Wolves are in a tier with some lesser teams.
As usual, let’s start at the top.
The favorite: Thunder
OKC was going to be the favorite no matter what, and the only question that remained was who they needed to beat to repeat as champs. Well, after the Spurs’ loss to Denver in the final regular season game, the Thunder officially have a Mickey Mouse path to the Conference Finals, as they’ll only need to go through a poor play-in team and either the Burnergate Rockets or a hobbled Luka-led Lakers.
Given their bye to the semis, I think the title is essentially a coin toss between the Thunder and the entire field. OKC remains the deepest team in the league with arguably the best player too, and they went 64-18 while prioritizing health for 2/3 of the season. All the underlying metrics point to the Thunder being a historically great team, with a +11.9 net rating on the back of a ludicrous 107.3 DRTG, and they could’ve flirted with 70 wins if the regular season was a priority. OKC’s potential flaw is the lack of a second offensive option, as JDub has been injured all year and has not played at the level he did last postseason. I’d bet on the Thunder winning if JDub is at 90% of his usual level, but if that can’t happen, then the title race could be more open than expected.
Legitimate title contenders: Spurs, Nuggets, Celtics
The Spurs could’ve had the same Mickey Mouse path to the Conference Finals that the Thunder do had they taken care of business against Denver last week. Instead, they’re now facing a potential gauntlet with the Nuggets on their side of the bracket and OKC waiting in the third round, if they even make it that far. I was seriously contemplating picking San Antonio to win it all had they beaten Denver’s C-team, and they’re still talented enough to do it, but a more realistic scenario is a competitive loss to the Nuggets or Thunder before heading into next year as one of the favorites — similar to OKC in 2024.
Denver, meanwhile, was my preseason title pick, and their ceiling remains high enough for that to happen. The Nuggets’ 122.5 ORTG is the best ever, and that number exceeds 130 when both Jokic and Murray play. However, their 117.5 DRTG is also 21st in the league, and Peyton Watson is still recovering from a calf strain. Denver’s recipe to the finals is rediscovering their early-season form, especially on defense. The Nuggets were a top 5 defensive team for roughly the first 20 games of the year, and while a lot of that was due to shooting luck, they passed the eye test with flying colors. If they can get back to that level and keep Aaron Gordon healthy, Denver is on par with OKC, but they’ll also need to beat the Spurs first to reach the defending champs.
Boston, meanwhile, isn’t in the same realm as the other teams, but they have a much easier path to the finals. Neither of the Jays are on the level of a Shai, Wemby, or Jokic, and yet, the Celtics’ championship DNA and coaching means that they’ve got a shot at beating any of those teams — especially if the West’s representative is beat up from the wars they’ll wage.
Finals contenders: Knicks, Pistons
Even though Boston is listed in a tier above, I wouldn’t pick them over the entire East field. Both the Knicks and Pistons have the talent to make it to the finals, with the only difference being that neither team seem capable of beating any of the West’s juggernauts. Still, New York and Detroit are two of just six teams with both a top-10 offense and defense, and credit should be given to their respective bigs.
KAT has improved his defense drastically in the last third of the season and shouldn’t be considered a liability if he keeps up his current play. On the other end, Jalen Duren averaged 23/10 when Cade was out with his collapsed lung, giving the Pistons a potential second scoring option good enough to get through the East.
I still expect Boston to get to the finals, but both the Knicks and Pistons can make things very interesting.
The fraud: Cavaliers
If you still believe in the Cavs, I really don’t know what to say. They’ve turned into Clippers East and will inevitably flame out as usual.
Since the Harden trade, Cleveland has the fourth-best offense (121.4) but the 13th-ranked net rating (+4.5) and 18th-ranked defense (116.9). They went 21-9 with an extremely easy schedule and had trouble blowing out tankers due to their defense. If the Cavs don’t get upset by Toronto in the first round, then they’ll be out-toughed by the Pistons in the second. Just look at how their 2023 series against the Knicks went.
I truly wish Cavs fans the best of luck, but don’t be surprised when Mitchell gets banged up, the team gets outrebounded by 100, and Harden goes 2/11 in another elimination game.
As back-to-back Western Finalists, the Wolves deserve a better fate than this. Unfortunately, their path to the finals includes facing the Nuggets in round 1, and potentially the Spurs and Thunder in rounds 2 and 3. Moreover, this is a team that has a negative net rating since February, and Ant and McDaniels are just returning from injury. I would be shocked if they took Denver to a game 7, let alone win.
Atlanta has been one of the five best teams for almost two months now, and they will be a difficult test for the Knicks. Yes, they had a cupcake schedule during their winning streak, but the Hawks continued dominating until the end of the season, finishing the year 16-5 with a +12 net rating, good for third in the league during that span.
The Hornets, meanwhile, still need to beat the “PB no J” Magic, and assuming they do, have a real shot at upsetting Detroit too. This Charlotte team is a 50-win team hiding in plain sight, as they have one of the five best records in the league since the new year (33-16) with the second-best net rating at +11.2 — three points better than Detroit.
Lastly, Toronto’s placement here says as much about the Cavs as it does the Raptors, but they also had a better net rating (+6.0) than Cleveland since the Harden trade, while placing top 10 in both offense and defense during that span. Even if they beat the Cavs, I expect a relatively uncompetitive series against Detroit/Charlotte in round 2.
Thunder fodder: Lakers, Rockets
Do we even need to elaborate? The Lakers virtually have no shot against Houston with Luka still sidelined, and Houston was the team everyone wanted to play due to their anemic offense and shocking chemistry issues with getoffmy KD. Moreover, the winner will face a rested OKC team that’ll likely sweep their first-round matchup with Shai sitting every fourth quarter.
There’s always next year, though! I heard a certain Kalshi ambassador might be available.
Truly the circle of sadness, none of these teams have a shot at winning any first-round series. Still, many of them will be worth watching for the entertainment value. I’d love to see some Steph magic (sorry Phoenix) for perhaps the final time in the playoffs, and Portland could give the Spurs some trouble with their physicality and size against Wemby.
In the East, Philly vs Boston is a classic rivalry, and Embiid hasn’t been ruled out of the series yet. As for Orlando, well, can their season just end already? The Hornets are a much more entertaining team, anyway.
Finals prediction: Thunder over Celtics in 6
Interestingly, I chose this matchup last season too, and only half of that came true. I’m not as confident this year due to the wildcards in the East, and it hinges heavily on how large a load Tatum can handle. In 16 games, The Plagiarizer averaged 21.8/10/5.3 on 41/33/82 splits, looking like 85% of his usual self. More importantly, Tatum ramped his minutes up to 36.2 over five games in April, scoring over 20 points in every contest. It remains to be seen if he’s able to guard opposing bigs again, but regardless, the Celtics have the best combination of toughness, playoff pedigree, and matchup versatility in the East.
OKC’s path has already been laid out. It’ll be shocking if they dropped more than two games in the opening two rounds, and could meet an extremely banged-up Spurs/Nuggets team coming off a 7-game war. With that said, San Antonio has a unique matchup advantage over the Thunder, and if Denver gets past them, it could be a sign that they’ve regained their early-season form. OKC will be challenged and pushed to the brink, but I’m still confident in their ability to be the first back-to-back champs since the dynastic Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors visit the Phoenix Suns tonight at the Mortgage Matchup Center in a winner-take-all NBA Play-In finale to decide the eighth seed in the NBA’s Western Conference. The winner secures a first-round playoff date against the top-seed and defending NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The loser’s season ends tonight.
Golden State enters this matchup riding the momentum of a thrilling 126–121 comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Stephen Curry scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half to lead the Warriors comeback. Draymond Green locked down Kawhi Leonard in the second half and veteran Al Horford buried four, three-pointers in the fourth quarter to seal the win in SoCal. Despite finishing the regular season with a 37–45 record, the Warriors' championship pedigree was on full display as they erased a 13-point final-quarter deficit to keep their postseason hopes alive. There may be a minutes restriction on Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) but they can overcome that if Horford and Green turn back the clock as they did against the Clippers.
Like the Clippers, the Suns also blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead in their initial play-in game. Because they are the seventh seed, however, they get a second opportunity to qualify for the playoffs. Defense has been at the foundation of the Suns’ success this season, but make no mistake, Devin Booker is the key to Phoenix advancing to the playoffs. They have few scoring options outside of the former Kentucky guard. Adding to the challenge is the fact the Suns are expected to be without Grayson Allen (hamstring) and may be without Mark Williams (foot). Their absences would be substantial.
Tonight's game is the fifth meeting between these Pacific Division rivals this year, with the Warriors holding a 3–1 regular-season advantage.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch Live: Warriors vs. Suns
Date: Friday, April 17, 2026
Time: 10PM EST
Site: Mortgage Matchup Center
City: Phoenix, AZ
Network/Streaming: Prime Video
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Game Odds: Warriors vs. Suns
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Golden State Warriors (+130), Phoenix Suns (-155)
Spread: Suns -3.5
Total: 219.5 points
This game opened Suns -3.5 with the Total set at 219.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups: Warriors vs. Suns
Golden State Warriors
G Stephen Curry
G Brandin Podziemski
C Kristaps Porzingis
SF Gui Santos
PF Draymond Green
Phoenix Suns
G Devin Booker
G Jalen Green
G Jordan Goodwin
SF Dillon Brooks
C Mark Williams
Injury Report: Warriors vs. Suns
Golden State Warriors
Jimmy Butler (knee) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
Moses Moody (knee) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
Quinten Post (foot) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Phoenix Suns
Mark Williams (foot) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Grayson Allen (hamstring) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Warriors vs. Suns
The Suns are 25-17 at home this season
The Warriors are 16-26 on the road this season
The Suns are 46-34-3 ATS this season
Golden State is 35-47-1 ATS this season
The OVER has cashed in 50 of the Warriors’ 83 games this season (50-33)
The OVER has cashed in 38 of the Suns’ 83 games this season (38-45)
Not one Warrior pulled down more than 7 rebounds in the win over the Clippers
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Warriors and Suns’ game:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Warriors on the Moneyline
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Warriors +3.5 ATS
Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Total of 219.5
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CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 25: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers helps up James Harden #1 during the first half against the Miami Heat at Rocket Arena on March 25, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers played an uninspired first 43 minutes against a tanking Indiana Pacers team that only had nine available players in early April. The final five minutes were different.
Cleveland was up four with five minutes to play before hitting the accelerator. They scored 11 points over the next three minutes to push their lead to 13 as they cruised to what became a stress-free victory.
Controlling the last few minutes has been a trend over the back half of the season. Since the beginning of February, the Cavs have registered the third-best offensive rating (131) and best net rating (+34.6) in clutch situations (when the game is within five points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime). Before February, Cleveland ranked 23rd in offensive rating and 13th in net rating in that setting.
According to their head coach, there’s one reason for their success: James Harden.
“Give him the ball and get out of the way,” Kenny Atkinson said.
That simple plan has worked. The Cavs had an outrageous 143 offensive rating and a +57.9 net rating in just over 40 clutch minutes Harden has played since the trade. That has resulted in a 13-2 record in clutch-time games during that stretch.
The Cavs have done a good job of incorporating some of Atkinson’s motion-based offense with the traditional, isolation sets that Harden is used to working with. However, at the end of games, they’ve opted to slow the game down and space the floor.
“We do some stuff and some sets, and it’s more him getting the right matchup,” Atkinson said. “We have really worked on our spacing in his iso situations or pick and roll, we have worked on that. But 99% of it is James Harden making the right play.”
The simple and effective plan has worked for the Cavs, but only because the team’s franchise player has been willing to cede control of the offense late.
“A lot of the times I feel like if you want to deny me the ball, go ahead,” Donovan Mitchell said. “This man’s done it for 17 years at the highest level, you know what I mean? And vice versa.”
The two have had conversations about how to best work in the postseason, which shows through in the results. Mitchell pointed to multiple clutch-time plays from earlier this year to prove how those discussions have paid off. The first was from their win over the Golden State Warriors on April 2.
The Warriors were denying Mitchell on the wing, so he allowed Harden to dictate that possession. “James gets to his stuff, hits Evan, Evan hits Max, I cut. That’s one.”
And lastly, Mitchell highlighted the following possession. The defense didn’t blitz Harden, allowing him to take the off-the-dribble three. Sequences like this are possible when you have two elite playmakers. The defense can really only try to take away one.
“Sometimes our best offense is letting him operate and being able to find a way to manipulate the game and trust him that it’s going to be the right play,” Mitchell said.
The spacing is the key to making these three plays work. Harden’s game is built on creating mismatches. Having everyone properly spaced forces the defense to commit to a double or leave individual players on an island. No matter which the defenses chooses the Cavs are betting their talent can win out in the end.
“The spacing is the most important thing,” Harden said, “and once we got the spacing, then everything else should take care of itself, which is very, very key going into the postseason because you’re in late-game situations; you’ve got to make sure you execute.”
“They know he’s got to have the ball,” Atkinson said. “They know where to space. Communicating with them all the time. He’s always communicating with our screeners on what to do. So he’s coaching it too. It’s not just making the plays. He coaches it with the guys out there, which is what the great quarterbacks do.”
Quarterback play often decides tight playoff games in the NFL. While it isn’t a one-to-one comparison here, it’s fair to say that the Cavs didn’t have great quarterback play last postseason. They dropped all three games in the second round against the Pacers that entered a clutch situation. When games got close, the Cavs weren’t able to generate efficient offense. That cost them, especially in Game 2 when they blew a seven-point lead in the final minute and were outscored 36-21 in the fourth quarter.
Harden should help in this equation. Despite his previous playoff shortcomings, he’s at the very least shown he can solve what was previously an issue for the Cavs in the regular season by consistently generating quality looks late in games. That will need to translate over to the playoffs if the Cavs want to reach their goals.
“We’re not going to have our best games [all the time], it’s just natural,” Mitchell said. “No one’s had a perfect playoff run. So when the going gets tough, when you have a guy like him alongside you, you’re very calm. We’re very calm as a group and understand that, hey, we’re going to get the best shot somehow, some way.”
