Category: NBA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) May 8, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They need Austin Reaves.

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

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

Donovan Mitchell

35 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists

Hello, Donovan.

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

Grade: A

James Harden

19 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

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

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

Grade: A

Evan Mobley

13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks

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

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

Grade: B-

Jarrett Allen

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

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

Grade: B+

Dean Wade

3 points, 1 rebound

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

Grade: D

Max Strus

7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

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

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

Grade:

Jaylon Tyson

3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

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

Grade: C-

Dennis Schroder

11 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 2 blocks

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

Grade: A-

Sam Merrill

7 points

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

Grade: B+

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Victor Wembanyama

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

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

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

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

Grade: A+

De’Aaron Fox

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

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

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

Grade: B

Stephon Castle

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

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

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

Grade: B

Julian Champagnie

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

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

Grade: B

Devin Vassell

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

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

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

Grade: B–

Dylan Harper

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

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

Grade: B-

Keldon Johnson

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

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

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

Grade: B-

Luke Kornet

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

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

Grade: C

Harrison Barnes

6 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 steal, +3

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

Grade: C

Carter Bryant

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

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

Grade: B

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

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

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

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

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

How could this get done?

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

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

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

Which would make the most sense?

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

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

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

Why does it not get done?

Suns

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

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

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

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

Grizzlies

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

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

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

Final Thoughts

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

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

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

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The Lakers will try to avoid a 3-0 deficit when its playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder shifts to Los Angeles tonight.

The game was a tightly contested battle through the first half, with the Lakers actually holding a slim 58–57 lead at the break, but Oklahoma City’s offense overwhelmed Los Angeles in the second half.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back, scoring 22 points in the game. Chet Holmgren also put up a 22-point performance, while rookie Ajay Mitchell provided another significant spark with 20 points and 6 assists.

Despite the loss, Austin Reaves delivered a stellar bounce-back performance for the Lakers, finishing with a team-high 31 points and 6 assists to keep Los Angeles within striking distance for most of the third quarter.

Game 4 in the Lakers-Thunder series is scheduled for Monday night.

Lakers vs. Thunder start time:

Toinght’s (May 9) Los Angeles Lakers and OKC Thunder game is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch Lakers vs. Thunder for free:

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Lakers game for free.

DIRECTV is our top pick for watching basketball live for free — its five-day free trial includes ABC (plus most channels you’ll need for the WNBA season). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $44.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.

You can also tune in to today’s game with fubo’s Pro or Sports and News plans. Live TV plans from fubo start at $44.99 and also include a five-day free trial.

Lakers-Thunder second round playoff schedule

• Game 1: Thunder 108, Lakers 90
• Game 2: Thunder 125, Lakers 107
• Game 3: May 9 (8:30 ET, ABC)
• Game 4: May 11 (10:30 ET, Prime Video)
• Game 5: May 13*
• Game 6: May 16*
• Game 7: May 18*

* if necessary

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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.

It hasn’t been Oklahoma City’s superstar burying the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. That’s what’s made this series so vexing for the shorthanded Lakers.

After the Thunder dominated the Lakers in minutes without reigning most valuable player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the court in Game 2, flexing their superior depth, athleticism and pace, Lakers coach JJ Redick said the team had to “look at everything.” The second-year Lakers coach is the latest to face a problem that almost no one in the NBA has solved.

How do you stop the inevitable when it comes to the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Read more:Letters to Sports: Two sides to Lakers crying foul after Game 2

The defending NBA champions rolled to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals despite relatively quiet performances from Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder put the Lakers in danger of getting swept out of the playoffs for just the 10th time in franchise history.

Playing without Luka Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer, the Lakers can only continue to do what they’ve done all year: adapt.

“The thing I love about the playoffs,” Redick said before the Lakers’ second-round series, “is you only can worry about the task at hand.”

The Lakers have already shown their resilience this postseason by winning a first-round playoff series over the Houston Rockets in six games despite being without their superstar guard and only getting second-leading scorer Austin Reaves back for two games.

When the star guards both suffered regular season-ending injuries against the Thunder on April 2, it looked like a sure disaster. The Lakers were just beginning to show their potential as a team.

They grieved through a three-game losing streak. They regrouped. Then they won.

“Going through this series, we could have really folded a little bit and could have had a lot of all type of excuses,” center Deandre Ayton said after the Lakers polished off the first-round series, “but I felt that we came in, JJ didn't give a damn who was out there with him.”

Between shocking trades and major injuries, it’s felt like Redick has coached at least six different teams during his first two seasons. His intense focus can help take the emotion out of any unforeseen circumstance. Whether it’s a blockbuster trade that brought Doncic to L.A. or an untimely injury that sidelines the superstar guard at the most important time of the season, Redick is able to compartmentalize each day’s mission.

“He just stays locked into what he has to do in the moment,” said Stan Van Gundy, who coached Redick in Orlando and is now an analyst for Amazon Prime Video. “He's as focused as anybody you'll run into."

Sometimes Redick’s tasks are simply checking in with certain players. Other times it’s cooking up new plays with the coaches. Redick focuses fully on each one at a time. Learning to prioritize the tasks has kept him more sane during his second season in one of the most high-profile coaching jobs in sports, he said.

“A little more sane,” Redick clarified with a bashful grin.

Reaves isn't buying it.

The Lakers guard still sees Redick combusting on the Lakers' bench after a particularly egregious turnover or a missed assignment. He saved his ire for officials during the Lakers’ Game 2 loss in Oklahoma City during which Redick received a technical foul.

Redick got into heated exchanges with Doncic and Jarred Vanderbilt this season. The video clips went viral, casting doubt on Redick’s relationship with players, especially the moment with Doncic in February. But Redick maintained both were ordinary conversations among competitive people.

Even after Redick's sideline dust-ups, Reaves knows he can still talk it through with the coaching staff.

"It just shows the care factor,” Reaves said. “Like there's no bad intentions with any of it. … It's a healthy relationship. It's not just with myself, it's the whole team. Everybody can talk to one another. It's not just us to coaching staff, it's player to player, coaching staff to coaching staff, we all hold each other accountable and it's a beautiful thing to see."

In his second season at the helm, Redick set out to make a player-led team culture. Redick and his staff intentionally let players discuss between themselves during timeouts before coaches join the huddle.

For as much spotlight head coaches get in the NBA, a team’s culture ultimately comes down to players, Van Gundy said. What coaches do is acquire and elevate the players who have the cultural traits the team needs. For the Lakers this season, it’s been about adaptability.

LeBron James exemplified the mantra when he shape-shifted from the high-usage star he’s been for more than two decades to the most accomplished tertiary option in NBA history. When Reaves and Doncic were hurt, James turned back the clock again to star in the Lakers’ first-round series win.

Read more:Plaschke: Turn out the lights on the Lakers; after second loss to Oklahoma City, it’s over

The high-impact performances have trickled down the roster.

Rui Hachimura shot a career-best 44.3% on threes during the regular season and 58.6% from three in the first round. Long criticized for inconsistent energy, Ayton reemerged as a postseason force in the first round. Marcus Smart resurrected his career as a tenacious defender at 32 years old. Luke Kennard’s emergence as an emergency point guard was a late-season revelation. Jaxson Hayes was out of the postseason rotation last year and is now an important counterpunch behind Ayton.

"[Redick] has found ways to maximize all of these guys, whether it's through motivation, Xs and O's or both,” Van Gundy said. “He's really, really been impressive in what he's done, and it's not an easy thing to do."

Redick, who never coached outside of his sons’ youth teams before taking the Lakers job, became the first coach to lead the Lakers to back-to-back 50-win seasons since Phil Jackson in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Redick held back tears when general manager Rob Pelinka presented him with the game ball in the locker room on March 31 and showed a video of Redick’s sons, Knox and Kai, congratulating their dad.

When asked about joining a list of Lakers coaches that includes Jackson and Pat Riley, Redick demurred. He doesn’t deserve the mention, he said.

“I’ve got a lot left to accomplish, for sure,” Redick said.

He’s focused on the next play.

Read more:Swanson: Blame the Clippers for creating this Thunder monster

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The lead never felt comfortable. It was weird. Ungainly. 7-1. Unsightly. 9-1. The offense was ugly. Stilted. 11-1. We were making more shots than the Wolves, sure, but that felt like a technicality.

14-1.

Keldon hit a three. We still looked off. There were five minutes left in the first quarter and the Wolves had one point. I should’ve been ecstatic but I couldn’t get there. It was like they were building a sandcastle right before the tide was about to come in.

18-3.

It just didn’t feel right. This was a trap. It had to be.

Now, Anthony Edwards ripping off 12 points to close the quarter and bring Minnesota back within one? Yeah, that felt terrible. Punch to the gut. Slap to the face. Pick your metaphor, but it felt bad. It also felt correct. 23-22 was an accurate reflection of whatever that first quarter was.

We’ve seen the Spurs win games in the playoffs with their best stuff. When it clicks, even if only for a half like those games in Portland, they look unbeatable. Everything flows downhill, the defense is impenetrable, and the result feels inevitable.

We’ve also seen this team stall out. They settle for jumpers, they get loose with the passing, and they lose their rhythm. The defensive intensity that is usually their superpower can easily tip over into an over-aggressive, wild, unruly beast that causes as many problems as it solves.

Friday night was an interesting test case for a young team that tends to deal in extremes. What happens when the stakes are high, the crowd is going nuts, and the opponent is just crazy enough to think they can beat you? What do you do when you reach into your bag of tricks, come back empty-handed, and still have three quarters left to play?

The answer, at least for one night, was to weather the storm. A performance that could almost be mistaken for a lack of urgency by some of our more anxious fans (hand up) actually turned out to be something closer to an enviable level of control within a particularly chaotic environment.

Because here’s the thing. The Wolves are good. They’re very good. They’re talented and they play hard and they don’t give a single second’s thought to anyone else’s expectations about the outcome of the game. The Spurs are the higher seed? They’re favored to win? Most people are picking them? The Wolves don’t care. They’re here to compete. They’re going to fight and push and claw their way to the top or die trying.

That said, the Spurs are better than the Wolves. They just are. They have more talent. They’re healthier. They somehow even have an advantage in the (oddly specific but currently trendy) Tall French Guy category. Across the board, the Spurs are just better. I think even most Minnesota fans would give a grim nod to that. But none of that matters once the ball is tipped. The Spurs are a better team and they are also, without a doubt, in real danger of not making it out of this series alive. The Wolves aren’t going to let them skip this step on their way up the mountain. They’re going to hold on tight and drag them back to earth. They’re going to force them to reckon with the questions that a team like the Wolves are capable of asking.

“Are you tough enough?”
“Can you win ugly?”
“What happens when the calls don’t go your way?”
“What are you made of when the game stops being fun?”

All night, I kept thinking something was off with Victor. Like he was pressing too much, trying too hard. Why did he shoot that? What were you thinking on that challenge? Stop dribbling in traffic! I was so focused on the things he wasn’t doing that I sort of lost sight of what was really happening.

Victor Wembanyama got his 5th foul with 6:18 left in the game. Jaden McDaniels sank both free throws and brought the Wolves back within one. The Target Center became a swirling cauldron of noise and excitement.

I wanted to puke.

And all that time, while I’m over here alternating between throwing up in the corner and diagnosing his shot selection, Victor Wembanyama happened to be putting together one of the greatest individual performances in NBA playoff history. 39 points. 15 rebounds. 5 blocks. The fifth player ever to do that in a playoff game, joining Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem, and Shaq. His mastery was so effortless, so nonchalant, that I almost missed it. I was watching a historic performance and my main note was “stop dribbling in traffic.”

Go back and watch the Spurs in that moment, though. No one is panicking. No one looks scared. Mitch Johnson doesn’t for a moment consider taking Vic out. He trusted him to adjust accordingly, and he trusted what he was seeing from his team. This wasn’t a situation where the Wolves had broken contain and were charging away from their handlers. This was a team that had its opponent by the horns and, even though it continued to buck, was going to slowly and methodically wrestle it to the ground.

This was a team in control.

Two days ago, after the Spurs dismantled the Wolves in Game 2, a reporter asked Victor Wembanyama about the experience gap. About all the chatter. About what a performance like that said about their inexperience versus everyone else’s experience.

“It says we don’t care,” he said.

Before Game 3, someone asked Mitch Johnson the same question from a different angle — whether the Spurs’ youth was actually an asset in these playoffs. He responded: “Experience used in its best form is very valuable — so is youth and athleticism. But if you flip those, and people don’t use experience to its full potential, then it becomes kind of a hollow world that may not deliver the return people expect from it.”

Now, I don’t know exactly what all that means. But I know it sounds sexy and mysterious. And I also know that on Friday night in Minneapolis, this young, inexperienced Spurs team answered every question the Wolves had the nerve to ask.

After the game, Wemby said: “I’ve really been waiting since I’ve been in the league to live those moments, those high stakes games. That’s what I love. I’m built for this. I love this more than anything else.”

I was worried the Spurs had built their castle out of sand. I’m starting to think they’re made of sterner stuff.

Takeaways

• This is a happy occasion. We’re floating around on the magical bubbles that appear every time the Spurs win a playoff game. Hooray! Honk honk honk! Go Spurs Go! Because we’re all having a good time and in such a good mood right now, I’m not going to focus on the looming suspicion that a missed free throw is going to absolutely break our backs at some point.
• In that same spirit of togetherness and collective joy, we’re also not going to talk about Mitch Johnson’s challenge problem. You know, the problem where he’s bad at challenges? It’s a problem! We’re not going to talk about it!
• Carter Bryant continues to be a revelation. I’d trust him with my life. He seems up for any assignment, any role, any situation, and Mitch Johnson seems to take particular delight in deploying him specifically to annoy the other team. What I love most is that he keeps shooting. He’s never scared to pull the trigger, but he’s also never forcing it. He’s not taking bad shots, he’s just taking shots. No fear. Carter Bryant. Who knew?
• Beyond Wembanyama levitating around the court all night, the combination of Castle and Fox were the two hands on the steering wheel keeping this thing in line every time it threatened to veer off. Steph bore the brunt of Minnesota’s physicality without turning the ball over and distributed the ball efficiently. He took his time. He found the open man. It was a really mature and measured performance from the young man. He only got in one almost-fight! Proud of him!
• Fox was equally impressive in different ways. It would be easy for him to fall into the trap of trying to force things and, for the most part, he’s managed to avoid that. He grabs the reins when necessary, hunts for pockets of space and, above all else, never lets the defense forget about him. It’s all very potent.
  

WWL Post Game Press Conference

It feels like most members of the Spurs organization are taking some time to get slightly philosophical in their press conferences these days. Is anything on that level speaking to you right now?

Yeah, for sure. I want to talk about how annoying I find Chris Finch.

The Wolves head coach?

Yeah, that guy. I didn’t think a single thought about this man until about five days ago and now, if I saw him on the street tomorrow, I think I’d have no choice but to throw hands.

Why? He seems like a perfectly innocuous character.

He’s wearing Chuck Taylors. And he has these massive beaded bracelets on his left wrist. It’s awful.

Really? That bugs you?

It’s totally out of character for his whole vibe. He’s a 56 year old man with a head full of grey hair. He should be managing an investment portfolio or something. Rocking Chucks and bracelets like he’s trying to be some dimestore Billie Joe Armstrong knockoff out there on an NBA sideline. Coaches used to wear suits. They used to look like Pat Riley. This whole thing makes me sick.

Don’t you wear Chucks? And bracelets?

Yeah, but I pull it off.

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The Los Angeles Lakers couldn't be more relieved to be back home as they look to shift the momentum in their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where our NBA player prop projections have identified several strong value opportunities.

By breaking down the data and comparing it to the latest market lines, we’ve uncovered where the strongest betting edges lie for this pivotal matchup.

These Lakers vs. Thunder predictions are driven by numbers instead of guesswork.

If you’re building your card, here are the model’s top NBA picks for Saturday, May 9.

Thunder vs Lakers computer picks for Game 3

Thunder	Lakers
Gilgeous-Alexander o29.5 points -105	James 22.5 points  -112
Mitchell o3.5 assists -130	Smart o3.5 assists -160
Hartenstein o8.5 rebounds -135	Kennard o1.5 3-pointers  +110

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Thunder Game 3 computer picks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 29.5 points (-105)

Projection: 31.18 points

Thankfully, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn't had to do too much offensively for the Oklahoma City Thunder to remain dominant over the Los Angeles Lakers.

He's cashed in modest 18 and 22 point performances in this series and with the Lakers fighting hard to save their seasons while at home for Game 3, they may push SGA to give more than the usual lately to get him to clear this points prop line.

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Ajay Mitchell Over 3.5 assists (-130)

Projection: 3.73 assists

Ajay Mitchell has elevated his play during OKC’s dominant playoff run, and he’s made this assists line look easy against L.A. with 4 and 6 dimes in Games 1 and 2.

Expect him to keep thriving in his role as a key facilitator and continue stacking assists in Game 3.

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Isaiah Hartenstein Over 8.5 rebounds (-135)

Projection: 9.52 rebounds

Isaiah Hartenstein has been just as impactful on the glass as his teammate Chet Holmgren, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down as the Thunder push toward a potential back-to-back title run.

He’s cleared this rebounds line in four of OKC’s six playoff games, and with a 3-0 series lead within reach, expect Hartenstein to stay active and continue piling up boards.

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---

Lakers Game 3 computer picks

LeBron James Under 22.5 points (-112)

Projection: 21.78 points

Over the last five home games, opposing starting power forwards have averaged just 11.0 points per game against the Thunder — the third-fewest in the league — making this a tough scoring matchup for LeBron James.

While he’s cleared this points line in both Games 1 and 2, it’s reasonable to expect OKC to tighten up defensively as they push for a commanding 3-0 series lead.

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Marcus Smart Over 3.5 assists (-160)

Projection: 3.90 assists

Marcus Smart has been the heart & hustle of the Lakers’ playoff push, and an 0-2 deficit won’t change the energy he brings to the floor. This assists line feels modest given how active he’s been as a facilitator.

He’s recorded 7 and 5 assists through the first two games of the series, and with Game 3 carrying added urgency, expect Smart to elevate his playmaking in an effort to keep the Lakers within reach.

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Luke Kennard Over 1.5 3-pointers (+110)

Projection: 1.99 3-pointers

From beyond the arc, the Lakers have been elite, knocking down 40.5% of their threes over the last 10 games — the second-best mark in the league. Still, they’ll need more from Luke Kennard, who has cooled off over the past five playoff outings.

After going 2-for-3 from deep in Game 2, this could be the spark he needs to regain his rhythm and get back to clearing this prop line.

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How to watch Thunder vs Lakers Game 3

Location	Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Date	Saturday, May 9, 2026
Tip-off	8:30 p.m. ET
TV	ABC

Not intended for use in MA.
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How Steph Curry influenced Steve Kerr's decision to return to Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

For a full year, Steve Kerr told himself that 12 years as head coach of the Warriors might be enough.

For the past few weeks, Kerr wondered if he wanted more but couldn’t shake the thought that 12 years probably would be enough.

Kerr over the past few days decided he wanted more. And on Saturday, after all conditions were satisfied, agreed to two-year contract with the Warriors. The deal was first reported by ESPN and confirmed by NBC Sports Bay Area.

Why would a 60-year-old basketball coach want more after earning roughly $100 million and winning four championship rings with Golden State that guarantees enshrinement in the Hall of Fame?

There are several reasons, including Kerr’s passion for the game, but his decision to return is inextricably linked to his 12-year collaboration with Stephen Curry. If Curry had announced his retirement on Friday, it’s likely that Kerr would have followed him out the door.

“I will never leave Steph Curry,” Kerr told Zena Keita on The Athletic Show last December.

Five months later, while addressing his future with the Warriors after the team’s season-ending loss in the NBA play-in tournament, Kerr cited Curry’s presence as a determining factor.

“It’s part of the equation,” Kerr acknowledged on April 17. “I don’t want to walk away from Steph.”

So, he won’t. Not now. Probably not before Curry walks away from the Warriors.

Parting ways with Curry would amount to a professional divorce that surely could harbor some of the same emotions as a marital divorce after a relatively peaceful and prosperous union. For Kerr, it would mean wonderful memories being relegated to the past. Both parties, after all they built, could feel a sense of abandonment. The process could include second and third guessing. Saying goodbye to yesterday, as the classic song suggests, can be so hard.

An hour after he shared a few words and an embrace with fellow four-ring club members Draymond Green and Curry in the waning seconds of the play-in loss, it was apparent the coach was grappling with those feelings. His sentiment came with a hint of tremble.

“Steph’s still got it,” Kerr said on April 17. “You watched the other night. I mean, he can still do it. But it just gets more difficult as you get older. He plays a different game than a lot of other older players or more experienced players around the league whether it’s Kevin Durant or LeBron. It’s very different. Steph is flying off screens. He travels further distance than anybody in the league year after year. So, obviously, the injury at the end of the season was difficult for him to deal with. He did an amazing job of just getting back to this point. And that game the other night will go down as one of my favorite games we’ve ever played.”

The referenced game the other night was the play-in opener on April 15, featuring Curry scoring 35 points in 36 minutes, draining seven triples and generally twisting the Los Angeles Clippers’ defense into knots – one month after his 38th birthday.

Curry’s status as an enduring impact player is perhaps the primary personnel reason for Kerr’s decision. Now that he’ll return next season alongside the team’s heliocentric component, another significant factor is the rest of Golden State’s roster.

That’s where CEO Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy come in. They sit atop a front office that has final word on roster building. A cursory glance at last season and the current NBA playoffs serve as proof the Warriors, even at their healthiest, would have struggled to finish among the top six teams in the Western Conference. 

Kerr surely knows reaching that level next season will be even more of a challenge if the front office can’t make a couple impact moves. Lacob and Dunleavy will be in the thick of the hunt, according to multiple league and team sources, but they’ve learned that hunting talent is not the same as acquiring it.

As the Warriors wade toward the most consequential offseason since Lacob and his partners bought the team in 2010, they’ll do so with the same coach they hired in May 2014. Kerr. He wasn’t sure, and neither were they. One potential personnel change has been made.

It’s fitting that Curry, the greatest player in franchise history, had significant influence on Kerr wanting to be involved in what’s to come.

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Draymond Green wants to clear the air.

The Warriors veteran and occasional “Inside the NBA” analyst received widespread backlash after taking aim at Charles Barkley’s Rockets tenure earlier this week.

And while many interpreted Green’s remarks as a dig at Barkley’s final years in the NBA, the Golden State forward is claiming he didn’t mean it that way.

“The reason that I would even say that is what Chuck makes fun about in his career is actually the last two years in Houston,” Green said on his podcast.

“Everybody tried to make it like this whole ‘Ahh man Draymond think he better than Chuck.’ I found that interesting because what it shows is how bad y’all want me to do bad.”

Draymond provides clarity Charles Barkley interaction

“The reason that I would even say that is what Chuck makes fun about in his career is actually the last 2 years in Houston… everybody tried to make it like this whole 'Ahh man Draymond think he better than Chuck'… the… pic.twitter.com/lXrTY7Umk9

— The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) May 9, 2026

After Barkley said on ESPN that “sports are for young people” and “it’s over for the Warriors,” Green, 36, fired back at the Hall of Famer.

“I think the goal is just to not look like you in the Houston Rockets uniform,” he said.

While co-analyst Kenny Smith asked Green to clarify his comments while on the air, Green said on his eponymous show that the former guard actually told him in a subsequent phone call that his comment was “hilarious” and that he didn’t hear it correctly live.

“The disrespect ain’t the intent, so if that’s the way it’s viewed as public disrespect, I can gladly [publicly] apologize, disrespect wasn’t my intent,” Green added.

Aside from the fact that this is awful, awkward television, it’s also just ahistorical.

In his 4 years in Houston, Chuck averaged 16-12-4, including averaging 18 & 12 during a run to the Western Conference Finals.

Draymond continues to recreate history. pic.twitter.com/Lr0TD1EcuP

— nick wright (@getnickwright) May 7, 2026

To his point, Barkley previously said on the “Dan Patrick Show” that he “sucked as a player” during his last two years in Houston.

Still, he averaged 16.5 points and 12.2 rebounds over his four years in Houston — marks that would be career highs for Green.

“I never punch down. Draymond’s a good player,” Barkley said on “Bickley & Marotta.”

“We’re not on the same level.”

When Austin Reaves played poorly in Game 1 of the Lakers’ second-round playoff series against the Thunder, he fell under crushing pressure. 

Despite playing All-Star-caliber basketball for much of the season, new narratives were churning out of journalists’ pens and pundits’ mouths threatening to redefine him. 

He can’t meet the moment. He falls apart during the playoffs. He doesn’t deserve a maximum contract extension. 

The playoffs are powerful. Being a Laker makes the spotlight even more intense. Playing alongside LeBron James? Well, that just brings everything to a feverish pitch.

Reaves’ eight-point performance in Game 1 on 3-for-16 shooting, 0-for-5 from deep, hung over his head like a dark cloud.

All eyes were on him heading into Game 2. 

Many players spiral under those circumstances. They get into their own heads. Basketball might appear to be a physical game, but it’s a mental challenge more than anything, especially for shooters. 

So, how did Reaves respond?

With the type of “delusional confidence” he has talked about having all season. Against the league’s top defense, he had a playoff career-high 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting, 3-for-6 from beyond the arc in the Lakers’ 125-107 loss. 

He drove past Cason Wallace’s swarming hands and quick-moving feet, which have thrown his game off so many times this season. He fearlessly entered Chet Holmgren’s and Isaiah Hartenstein’s turf, dancing around the 7-footers’ menacing arm spans. 

Reaves responded with the type of performance that instantly quiets the noise. 

Said James: “Austin being Austin.”

Added Lakers coach JJ Redick: “Just he played a solid game.”

No one around Reaves was surprised. 

Reaves is used to shattering ceilings. He went undrafted in 2021. The Lakers signed him to a two-way contract. 

Now?

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He’s eligible to sign a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar contract extension with the Lakers after he’s expected to turn down his player option for next season and become a free agent. 

He became the Lakers’ second offensive option this season behind Luka Doncic, hopscotching in the pecking order over James, who’s arguably the greatest player of all time. He averaged a career-high 23.3 points on 49% shooting from the field and 36% from the 3-point line.

Reaves is the type of player coaches and players love to have on their team. 

He’s confident. He’s likable. He always gives 100%. 

While the basketball world was questioning whether Reaves was going to step up in Game 2, those closest to him were unfazed.

James jumped to his defense.

“He was out a month,” James said, pointing to the fact that Game 1 was just Reaves’ third game backfrom a strained oblique that he suffered April 2. “We know he’s going to make shots and make plays.”

As for Redick, he called Reaves “his own worst critic,” adding that he was virtually impenetrable to outsiders’ criticism. 

“He’s one of the least sort-of chronically online NBA players there is,” Redick said.

So, Reaves did what all great shooters do. 

He showed up to Game 2 with unyielding belief. He had a short memory. He was completely in the moment instead of dogged by the past. 

Reaves led all scorers. He helped the Lakers stay neck-and-neck with the Thunder for 3 ½ quarters before they lost and fell behind 2-0 in the series. He silenced all of the negativity that was bubbling up around him, ready to spill over. 

After the game, he was asked how he did it. 

How did he refind his rhythm? How did he reset? Did he obsessively study film? 

“No,” he said. “Just played basketball.”

It’s been quite the Spring for Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel. In early April, Fred Katz and Eric Nehm of The Athletic mentioned him in a story meant to highlight the top candidates to be first-time NBA head coaches this offseason. Earlier this week, Sam Amick, also of The Athletic, reported that Hetzel is a finalist for the lead job with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Now, there’s another team after him, perhaps with a stronger lure. In his latest Substack release [subscription required], Jake Fischer linked Hetzel to the Portland Trail Blazer’s head coaching gig. As a bonus, beloved former Net Jared Dudley seems to be in the running as well.

“League sources say Hetzel (as well as Denver assistant Jared Dudley) is expected to draw interest from Portland if he does not get the New Orleans job,” Fischer wrote. “Hetzel spent three seasons with the Blazers before joining the Nets. And two of those seasons overlapped with Damian Lillard, who is very much poised to return to a prominent role with the organization. Sources say Lillard has indeed lobbed in some suggestions for the coaching search.”

As Fischer mentioned, the Blazers were Hetzel’s last stop before he linked up with Jordi Fernández here in Brooklyn. Most expect Portland to soon move on from Tiago Splitter, even after a season where he proved to be a spare key that fit the lock perfectly in Rip City. Splitter, who also spent four years on the Brooklyn bench, led the Blazers to a surprise playoff berth a few weeks ago, putting up a 42-40 record in the ever-competitive West.

Even if you disregard the promotional factor, it’d be hard to fault Hetzel for taking Portland job. They seem to be a few steps ahead the Nets in terms of competing after their successful startup season. Damian Lillard also waits in the wings.