Category: NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder just swept the Phoenix Suns out of the playoffs like crumbs off a kitchen counter, and somewhere in the Bay Area, a Warriors fan quietly exhaled for the first time since April 17th.

Think about what almost happened. The Warriors scraped and clawed through an injury-riddled 37-45 season, limped into the play-in tournament, and lost to these same Suns by 15. Jalen Green dropped 36 breezy points while Steph Curry spent most of the night getting hunting for the flamethrowing touch and never quite seizing it. Phoenix was the executioner. And the executioner just got executed.

By the best team in basketball.

SGA HITS DILLON BROOKS WITH THE POPS MEME 💀💀 pic.twitter.com/stZc68wZVd

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 23, 2026

The Thunder didn’t just beat the Suns in round one. They humiliated them, swept them clean, and did it with the kind of casual dominance that makes other rosters look at their own roster and feel embarrassed. OKC has now won 20 of their last 27 playoff games by plus-261 points, company that includes the dynastic Warriors of 2017-2018, the Showtime Lakers, and LeBron’s Cavs. That’s the conversation Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in right now. That’s the machine the Warriors would have walked into.

And listen, We Believe happened. Baron Davis over Dallas was real, it was documented, and it still lives rent-free in every NBA fan’s memory palace. Eight seeds can win first-round series. The architecture of a seven-game series always leaves room for chaos.

But this Warriors roster in 2026 is not the 2007 crew. Bearded Baron had youth, fury, and an opponent that didn’t see them coming. This version of Golden State had a banged-up Steph, no Moses Moody, no Jimmy Butler, and a collection of players still figuring out who they are when the lights get brighter. Walking into an OKC first round would not have been a miracle waiting to happen. It would have been a closed casket.

The dynasty theology of this franchise has always been about knowing when you’re built to compete and when you’re built to survive. This was a survival season. All those injuries ensured the Warriors were always playing for the offseason, for the roster decisions ahead, for what comes next. Getting bounced in the play-in stings. Getting swept by the Thunder in round one in front of a national playoff audience would have stung differently, the kind of stings that leave a mark on perception heading into a pivotal summer.

SGA changed Dillon Brooks’ jersey to say ‘Cancun on 3’ 💀

“Everybody wants to be villainous until the brooms come out and the dust settles and you realize who the villain is.” pic.twitter.com/njcUn3T04Y

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 28, 2026

Dub Nation doesn’t have to find out what that feels like. The Suns took the hit for them.

Quietly. Mercifully. In four games. THANKS PHOENIX, YOU TOOK ONE FOR THE TEAM!

The New York Knicks made some NBA playoff history on Thursday night.

Holding a 3-2 series lead entering Game 6, the Knicks came out and blitzed the Hawks in Atlanta, taking an 83-36 lead into the half. That marked the largest halftime lead ever held in an NBA playoff game, per ESPN.

Up 47 points at the half, and leading 117-64 after three quarters, the Knicks had a shot at authoring the biggest blowout win in NBA playoff history but ultimately came up just short with the entire second half effectively rendered garbage time. At one point they led by 61 points, a record in a playoff game in the play-by-play era, per ESPN.

The Knicks won 140-89, their 51-point margin of victory still easily good enough for a top 10 spot on the list of biggest playoff blowouts, and advance to the second round, where they will play the winner of the Celtics-Sixers series. The Knicks' 140 points are a franchise record for a playoff game, per ESPN.

Here's a look at the biggest blowouts in NBA playoff history:

Biggest blowouts in NBA playoff history

Via StatMuse:

• 1 (tie). 58 points - Denver Nuggets over New Orleans Pelicans, 121-63, April 27, 2009
• 1 (tie). 58 points - Minneapolis Lakers over St .Louis Hawks, 133-75, March 19, 1956
• 3. 56 points - Los Angeles Lakers over Golden State Warriors, 126-70, April 21, 1973
• 4. 55 points - Cleveland Cavaliers over Miami Heat, 138-83, April 28, 2025
• 5. 54 points - Chicago Bulls over Milwaukee Bucks, 120-66, April 30, 2015
• 6 (tie). 51 points - Oklahoma City Thunder over Memphis Grizzlies, 131-80, April 20, 2025
• 6 (tie). 51 points - New York Knicks over Atlanta Hawks, 140-89, April 30, 2026
• 8. 50 points - Milwaukee Bucks over San Francisco Warriors, 136-86, April 4, 1971
• 9 (tie). 47 points - Orlando Magic over Boston Celtics, 124-77, April 28, 1995
• 9 (tie). 47 points - Los Angeles Lakers over San Antonio Spurs, 135-88, April 17, 1986
• 11. 45 points - Minnesota Timberwolves over Denver Nuggets, 115-70, May 16, 2024

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biggest blowouts in NBA playoffs as Knicks rout Hawks

Mitchell Robinson doesn't back down from a fight during games, and that attitude got the Knicks center ejected during Thursday's Game 6 against the Hawks.

With the Knicks up big in the second quarter, Robinson was on the floor while OG Anunoby was taking a free throw. Dyson Daniels of the Hawks tried to box out Robinson and seemingly gave the Knicks big man a strong elbow to the rib area. Robinson didn't take kindly to the move and got in Daniels' face and held the Hawks forward. Oneyeka Okongwu pulled Robinson off his teammate, but Daniels must have said something that caused Robinson to go after him again. Players, officials and coaches eventually separated the two, but both were eventually ejected.

Robinson, in his 8:35 minutes on the court, scored six points on 3-of-3 shooting while coming down with three rebounds and picking up two blocks. 

"It’s hard. I haven’t seen the film. It’s tough, when you’re up that big, stuff happens," coach Mike Brown said of the alternation after the game. "It’s hard if someone feels something that shouldn’t have happened to them happened, it’s hard to keep your composure in that moment. Our guys did a good job of that the rest of the game."

Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels have both been ejected pic.twitter.com/JiQUu4mQoU

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 1, 2026

The Atlanta Hawks' Dyson Daniels and New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson were ejected as tempers boiled over in a one-sided first half Thursday night.

The ejections occurred with 4:39 remaining in the second quarter of Game 6 with the Knicks leading by 50(!) points. Up 72-22, Robinson was called for a loose-ball foul, and things exploded from there.

Robinson took exception to Daniels' actions when they were trying to box each other out after a free throw and the players latched on to each other. They were pulled apart, with several players and staff ending up on the court in the process, but they repeatedly tried to go after each other.

No punches were thrown and eventually cooler heads prevailed, but both players were ejected from the game after reviews.

CHAOS IN KNICKS-HAWKS 😳

Both Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels were assessed with technical fouls and ejected from the game. pic.twitter.com/sjeATc59Pl

— ESPN (@espn) May 1, 2026

The Knicks lead the series 3-2 and are well on their way to punching their ticket to the second round.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dyson Daniels, Mitchell Robinson ejected from Knicks vs Hawks

The Lakers’ defense, or lack thereof, has been a topic of conversation all season long. The narrative of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves as poor defenders portrays the team as incapable of stopping anyone from scoring.

However, perception isn’t always reality.

In the postseason, the purple and gold has been a respectable defensive team with a defensive rating of 109.4, right at the median for playoff teams.

In Game 5, they held the Rockets under 100 points, a benchmark the winning team has reached every game this series. But it wasn’t enough as the Rockets won and extended this first-round matchup to at least six games.

After the defeat, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said the defense did its job and should’ve been enough to secure the result.

“You got to give [the Rockets] a lot of credit,” Redick said. “They made shots tonight, including some guys who normally don’t make threes. I think our defense, you hope 99 [points for Houston] is enough to win. We just couldn’t make shots. We missed some layups. Certainly had some good looks from 3 that didn’t go down.”

The Rockets shot 14-40 from 3-point range, a below-average performance. Los Angeles also outscored Houston in the paint 44-36. Add in the Lakers winning the rebounding battle 41-34 and Houston only grabbing six offensive boards and the stats certainly signal that a win was on the table for the Lakers.

It’s not just Redick stressing that defense has been good, the players are saying the same thing.

After their Game 4 loss, LeBron James said the defense wasn’t the problem and pointed out that turnovers were a much bigger negative for the team.

The Rockets might have scored enough to squeak out these pair of wins, but that’s more due to timely baskets by Houston and the Lakers’ inability to throw a pea in the ocean.

In this series, LA has held Houston under 100 points in three games. In the regular season, they only had seven times where they held opponents under the century mark.

The defense might’ve been good enough, but there are two sides to the game. And if you can’t reach at least 100 points in a playoff matchup, then losing is what’s going to happen.

“They made shots,” Marcus Smart said. “You tip the hat off to those guys. They made some shots tonight that they weren’t making in Games 1, 2 and 3. But we understood that. We knew that. We gave ourselves a chance, but we just fell short and it’s part of it. We got to put this one in the back of our mind and move on to the next one.”

The return of Austin Reaves should help the offensive side of things for the Lakers. He scored 22 points coming off the bench and will likely play even more in Game 6.

Los Angeles’ defense has been good enough all series long, and it’s why they are ahead 3-2. But if they want to close this out, they’ll need a bit more scoring to occur.

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

The NBA has informed general managers about the new anti-tanking reforms it hopes to implement as soon as the 2027 season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The wideraging meassures are expected to have enough support from owners to pass.

The new plan completely changes how things work with the lottery, in confusing ways. Ricky O’Donnell from SB Nation summarizes them well:

• The three worst teams in the league are in the “relegation zone,” which means they lose ping-pong balls.
• Teams that finish 4th through 10th in the reverse standings get three lottery balls in the drawing.
• Teams in the “relegation zone” get two lottery balls and can’t fall further than the 12th pick
• “The Nos. 9 and 10 play-in seeds in each conference receive two lottery balls each, and the losers of the 7-8 play-in games receive one lottery ball each.”
• The lottery is expanded from 14 to 16 teams.
• Under the current system, lottery balls are only drawn for the top-4 picks. Now, the first 16 spots in the draft will be up for grabs in the drawing.
• Teams can’t land the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years, and they can’t pick in the top-5 three times in a row.

There is a lot to break down there, mostly bad, and O’Donnell does it masterfully here. Give it a read before continuing.

Now, let’s get to what matters to Spurs fans:

How does the proposed lottery reform affect the Spurs?

The simplest answer to that question is, it doesn’t. Not in any meaningful way, anyway.

The Spurs owe the Kings a 2027 unprotected first-round pick from the De’Aaron Fox trade, but unless something truly catastrophic happens, they should still be a playoff team next season after winning 62 games this year. After that, San Antonio is in control of all of its picks, which should still not be in the lottery, considering how good and young their core is. The franchise already did its tanking and set itself up for the future.

What happens with the extra pick and the swaps the Spurs have? Not much, once again. There’s a chance the Hawks, who owe the Silver and Black their unprotected 2027 first-rounder, take a step back next season and land in the play-in, giving San Antonio a chance at the top pick. Considering how successful they were once they traded Trae Young, it doesn’t seem likely, but it’s not completely out of the question.

As for the pick swaps the Spurs have with the Mavericks, Celtics, and Timberwolves in 2030, they might not be affected at all. The league can opt out of this format after the 2029 draft, and who knows what could replace it. Even if they keep the format, 2030 is a long time away. Right now, it would be safer to predict that franchises that have superstars will be successful by then, but it’s impossible to be sure. Maybe one of those swaps becomes more valuable, but we won’t know until 2029.

So, if the reform doesn’t affect every team, why is it getting so much attention?

The changes seem like a massive overreaction

Were tweaks to the anti-tanking rules necessary? The answer is yes. Tanking had gotten to a point where something had to be done. Teams were sitting healthy players or having them suit up, play for a half, and then sit them out to ensure they would not win. Few people would agree that doing things like that is good for the league or the fans. But was such a drastic change needed?

The league had an instrument to use already that could have curbed the most blatant cases: fines. The Utah Jazz got fined half a million dollars for essentially point shaving back in February. It might seem like chump change for an NBA franchise, but getting consistently hit with them would hurt.

If fines felt not hefty enough to deter tanking, there are other ways to disincentivize monetarily in a targeted way. What if the franchises that finish in the bottom three in consecutive years don’t get to participate in revenue sharing? What if their salary floor gets raised to force them to spend more? Sanctions like that would directly punish the tanking teams without completely changing things with little notice and potentially creating a lot of unintended consequences because a few franchises were too blatant about their commitment to bottoming out.

To be fair to the Wizards of the world, this also seems to be a reaction to the success of the Spurs and other teams that built through the draft. San Antonio picked in the top five three years in a row, securing Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. They would not be allowed to do that with the new system. The issue is that while the Spurs made the most of their lottery luck, landing a high pick doesn’t guarantee success. And changing things now makes it harder for the teams that didn’t get to tank like the Spurs without actually punishing the Spurs. It all feels very reactionary.

---

There will be time after the playoffs to discuss the draft and the offseason. For now, the important thing to know is that even though such a deep reform doesn’t seem like a good idea at first glance, it shouldn’t hurt the Spurs in any meaningful way.

Observations after Sixers earn emphatic Game 6 win over Celtics, stave off elimination again  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ hope of storming back to win their first-round playoff series vs. the Celtics remain alive and well.

With a 106-93 victory on Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the Sixers earned the right to play a Game 7. They’ll visit Boston on Saturday and look for a third consecutive win.

Tyrese Maxey had 30 points and five assists in Game 6.

Paul George scored 23 points. Joel Embiid tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Jayson Tatum posted 17 points and 11 rebounds for Boston. Jaylen Brown had 18 points.

Here are observations on the Sixers’ emphatic Game 6 victory:

Celtics tweak defense on Embiid 

Embiid carried over the momentum from his stellar second half in the Sixers’ Game 5 win. He scored the team’s first five points with a mid-range jumper and an off-balance, and-one layup. 

With three-pointers from George and Maxey, the Sixers jumped out to an 11-4 lead. The Celtics started 2 for 9 from the field. 

Boston varied its defensive looks against Embiid and predictably showed him less pure single coverage than in Game 5. 

While the Celtics’ changes weren’t dramatic out of the gate, they were clearly wary of Embiid’s post scoring and preferred to make him a passer. Embiid notched a first-quarter assist from the post after the Celtics double teamed him on the dribble. Kelly Oubre Jr. cut free and Embiid found him for a dunk. 

Embiid got several good early mid-range looks off of his two-man game with Maxey. He was still a tad off as a jump shooter and went 6 for 18 from the floor in the game. 

Brown runs into foul trouble, Sixers capitalize 

Both Brown and VJ Edgecombe were called for their second fouls around the midpoint of the first quarter. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t take any dramatic steps to curb Brown’s first-half minutes, trusting he would avoid a third foul. 

Crucially, Oubre drew Brown’s third at the 5:05 mark of the second quarter. The Sixers got the off-arm push call on Brown they’ve been seeking throughout the series. Brown protested the whistle but had to sit for the remainder of the first half. He was called for his fourth personal just 31 seconds into the third quarter on another offensive foul.

Also significant in the foul department: The Celtics had a poor start at the free throw line. They missed 6 of their first 8 foul shots, all on attempts by Brown and Tatum. That included three straight Brown misses. 

The Sixers’ defensive energy and playmaking were pluses in the second quarter, too. 

Justin Edwards returned to the rotation and worked hard in his possessions against Brown. Oubre picked up a block and a steal. George rotated over sharply and rejected big man Neemias Queta’s layup. Not much came easily for the Celtics, who committed nine first-half turnovers, and the Sixers were rock-solid on the defensive boards. 

Sensational third quarter for Sixers

On the other end, Maxey poured in 21 points over the first two quarters. A Maxey runner with 3.5 second left in the second period gave the Sixers a 58-49 lead. 

Maxey turned to his two-man game with Embiid a ton, including on plenty of side pick-and-rolls. As a pair, Maxey and Embiid struck a nice balance in the first half between probing the defense and attacking without hesitation when the moment was right. 

The Sixers expanded their advantage early in the third quarter. In a crowd-thrilling sequence, Oubre swatted a Brown layup, leading to a fast break that finished with George dishing a behind-the-back pass and Edgecombe jamming the ball home. 

The Celtics asked for timeout. They soon trailed by 17 points with a George pull-up triple. George’s high-quality two-way play and outstanding three-point shooting in this series continued Thursday night. He made five threes in Game 6 and has gone 19 for 35 (54.3 percent) beyond the arc.

Though the Sixers benefited from Boston missing some open jumpers, they maintained strong defensive focus and prevented the Celtics from eating into their lead late in the third quarter. The Sixers thought Andre Drummond beat the third-quarter buzzer with a corner three, but replays showed he didn’t release his shot in time.

Boston still found itself down 23 points early in the fourth quarter after Embiid fed George for a backdoor lay-in. Mazzulla called timeout again and played an all-bench lineup.

That unit fared well. The Sixers’ offense grew cold and sloppy. George was assessed a technical foul for his complaints about a no-call. Ron Harper Jr. drained a corner three. Luka Garza’s dunk cut the Celtics’ deficit to 88-76.

The Sixers eventually restored order and steered clear of a horrendous collapse. They didn’t close the night in especially clean fashion, but the final score is all that matters. The Sixers thoroughly deserved the win and a chance to complete their series comeback on Saturday.

The Knicks face the Hawks tonight at State Farm Arena in Game six of their Eastern Conference first-round series. New York leads the series 3-2, and a win would close out the series, sending them to the second round to battle either the Boston Celtics (boo) or the Philadelphia 76ers (also boo). The Knicks mostly breezed through the last two games against Atlanta and are favored tonight.

Tip-off is 7:00 pm EST on ESPN. This is your game thread. This is Peachtree Hoops. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Make your dead ancestors proud. And go Knickerbockers!

Use this space to chat about tonight’s games!

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers regained momentum in the series after gutting out a 125-120 victory in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead over the Toronto Raptors.

The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass. As a note, the percentiles are in comparison to other playoff games, which influences the sample size.

	Offensive Rating	Effective Field Goal Percentage	Offensive Turnover Percentage	Offensive Rebounding Percentage	Free Throw Rate
Cavs	123.8, 81st percentile	65%, 97th percentile	14.9%, 52nd percentile	19.5%, 8th percentile	26.6, 73rd percentile
Raptors	120, 70th percentile	54.8%, 57th percentile	15%, 49th percentile	38.9%, 89th percentile	18.1, 26th percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

• The Cavs took 39% of their shots at the rim (80th percentile). The offense stalled out in games 3 and 4. They failed to register over 105 points in both losses, largely due to an inability to get to the rim. Cleveland took just 26% of their shots in the restricted area in Game 3 (29th percentile) and 28% in Game 4 (34th percentile).
• Cleveland completed 76.9% of their shots at the rim (74th percentile). The willingness to get to the basket was coupled with the ability to finish there. Relentlessly attacking the basket caused the defense to shift, which opened up the rest of the offense.
• The Cavs knocked down 50% of their threes. That’s up considerably from the 31.1% they hit in Game 3 and the 25% they converted in Game 4. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Cavs are an inside-out team, not the other way around. When they’re getting to the basket and causing the defense to collapse, the ball gets kicked out for open catch-and-shoot threes. When they aren’t, they’re usually settling for stagnant pull-up jumpers. In general, if you’re ever wondering why the Cavs aren’t hitting their threes, it’s probably because they aren’t getting inside enough.
• Toronto destroyed the Cavs in transition, as they were in the 100th percentile in points added in the open court. Cleveland has mostly done a good job of keeping Toronto from getting out on the break. They didn’t in Game 5. Allowing a team to get out and run in transition comes down to many different factors, but the Cavs ineffectiveness on the offensive boards partially led to this. It’s much easier to get out and run off missed shots if you don’t have to crash the boards as hard as the Raptors needed to at times earlier in the series.
• The Cavaliers’ ability to control the paint made up for this, as Toronto converted just 58.6% of their shots at the rim (25th percentile).
• Toronto struggled against a set defense, as they registered a 90.9 half-court offensive rating (43rd percentile). When the Cavs kept the Raptors from running, the defense was good. When they didn’t, things got out of control as they did in the second quarter when the Raptors put up 40 points.
• The Raptors picked up 28 points off turnovers. This was the second-fewest turnovers the Cavs committed in a game this series, but the Raptors were still able to capitalize. This was most evident in the second quarter when Toronto converted six Cleveland miscues into 14 points heading the other way.
• Toronto still won the possession battle with 15 offensive rebounds. This led to 13 second-chance points and allowed the Raptors to take 14 more shots from the field. Head coach Kenny Atkinson has talked about how important the possession battle is in this series. The Cavs lost that handily and were still able to win.
• The Cavs held the Raptors to just 17 points in the fourth quarter. There are several reasons why this happened. Brandon Ingram leaving the game in the first half with a heel injury put more of the playmaking and scoring burden onto Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett. That caught up with both as Barnes had no points on 0-5 shooting while Barrett was held to just three points on 1-7 shooting in the fourth.
• Cleveland committed no turnovers in the fourth. This helped the Cavs’ defense immensely. The lack of turnovers helped limit the Raptors to just four fastbreak points in the quarter. When the Cavs keep possession, good things have happened this series.
• The starters with Max Strus lost the 10 minutes they played by 11 points. On the series, that five-man lineup has been outscored by 24 points in as many minutes. Conversely, the starting unit with Dean Wade has outscored the Raptors by 17 in 38 minutes.
• Dean Wade still leads the Cavs in plus/minus as a +39 for the series. Cleveland has lost the 118 minutes he hasn’t played by 37. If this series has taught us anything, it’s that the Cavs need more Dean Wade, not less.
• The Cavs played their best basketball with Sam Merrill on the court as they won his minutes by 19 points. Merrill’s off-ball gravity as a shooter changes the game. This led to the Cavs posting a 152.1 offensive rating when he was on the court.
• Cleveland lost the minutes Donovan Mitchell played by nine. Being outscored when Mitchell is on the floor was rare for the Cavs this season. Overall, they’ve been seven points better per 100 possessions with him on the court than when he’s off (86th percentile).
• Of the 70 regular season game Mitchell played, the Cavs have only lost his minutes 21 times. They’re 5-16 in those contests, meaning they were 40-9 when the Cavs won Mitchell’s minutes. That trend has continued in the playoffs. This was the third-straight game Cleveland has lost Mitchell’s minutes. They’re now 1-2 in those situations.
• To further that point, this was the first game in this series that the Cavs won when Mitchell had scored fewer than 21 points. The Cavs have gone as Mitchell’s scoring has throughout the regular season. They were 7-11 when he played and failed to score over 20 points.
• Mitchell is still struggling to finish in the paint, as he went 4-10 there in Game 5. This included going 3-6 in the restricted area. This has been a trend all series. Mitchell is converting just 52% of his shots at the rim (18th percentile) after completing 66% of them (60th percentile) during the regular season.
• Dennis Schroder scored 19 points in Game 5, after compiling just 18 points in the first four games combined. To say this performance was unexpected based on recent form would be an understatement. Schroder only scored in double figures four times in the 24 regular-season and playoff games he’s played since the beginning of March, coming into this game. This was only the third time he’s scored 19 or more points since being traded to the Cavs.
• Evan Mobley’s 16 second-half points flipped the momentum of the game. This performance ties the fourth-most points he’s scored in a second half this season.
• Mobley’s three triples are one off his high for the season. This was also the first time he’s made all of his outside shots while taking more than one in a game this year.

The Atlanta Hawks (2-3) need this to stave off elimination and force a Game 7 against the New York Knicks.

Jock Landale (right high ankle sprain) has been ruled out.

Starting lineup:

• G CJ McCollum
• G Nickeil Alexander-Walker
• F Dyson Daniels
• F Jalen Johnson
• C Onyeka Okongwu

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Start Time: 7:00 PM EDT

TV: ESPN

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)

Streaming: Watch ESPN, Fubo, NBA League Pass (out of market)

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Steph Curry raises $1.7 million for his Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation through sneaker free agency auction.
• Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr reportedly met with owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy on Monday, according to ESPN.
• Rockets’ Kevin Durant will miss Game 6 against the Lakers on Friday night due to an ankle injury, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Golden State Warriors fans might hear the words Steph Curry and free agency and immediately think trouble—but in this case, it was all for a good cause.

During the 2025–26 NBA season, Curry, who had famously been partnered with Under Armour for the past 13 years, stepped away from the brand and became a sneaker free agent. This meant that for the first time in over a decade, he was able to take to the court in a variety of different shoes instead of just his own signature line.

Curry’s pregame sneakers quickly became a viral storyline throughout the season. From Kobes to Jimmy Butler’s JB4s and other player tributes, Curry used each appearance as an opportunity to highlight the culture of basketball while showing respect to those still shaping the game today.

Take a look at Steph's shoes during warmups 👀 pic.twitter.com/QPXzdQwun9

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 15, 2025

As it turns out, Curry’s sneaker free agency became much more than a viral fashion statement—it turned into a powerful fundraiser.

After the season, he announced that he would auction off the entire collection of sneakers, with all proceeds benefitting his Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation. The results were massive as Curry’s sneaker free agency run generated $1.7 million for charity.

Stephen Curry’s sneaker free agency auction earned a staggering $1,721,728 😳💰

A total of 81 pairs were available for auction, with the top individual bid for a pair reaching $121,600 🤯

Check the thread to see how much each pair sold for ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/psA2o8fFV1

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) April 29, 2026

For Curry, what started as a new chapter in his sneaker journey turned into something far more meaningful. This time, the impact wasn’t just felt on the court, but in the communities he continues to uplift, serving as yet another reminder that his influence extends well beyond the game.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, April 30th:

Warriors News:

Sources: Warriors’ brass meet with Kerr; will reconvene next week | ESPN

Both sides described the meeting as productive, but there remains no resolution nearly two weeks after the Warriors’ season ended in Phoenix. Kerr, Lacob and Dunleavy plan to reconvene next week to continue discussions, league sources said.

Kerr will take a previously planned golf trip to close out this week as those around him continue to describe Kerr as torn about his own side of the choice.

“It’s April,” one source said. “We don’t need to rush.”

2026 NBA mock draft: UNC’s Caleb Wilson could make this a Big 4 at the top | The Athletic

11. Golden State Warriors

Yaxel Lendeborg | 6-9 big | 23 years old | Michigan

Even though Lendeborg gutted through an ankle injury in the Final Four, he led Michigan to a title and transformed his game. His counting numbers were down from his heights at UAB, but he averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists while playing aggressive defense. He showcased serious switchability, often picking up lead ballhandlers at the point of attack as well as playing against power forwards when Mara or Morez Johnson Jr. would leave the court. He’s also an active help defender with excellent hands.

He drilled 37.4 percent of his 3s for the season, thanks to a hot streak at the end of the year in which he made 48.1 percent over his final 16 games — and that includes a 0-of-5 mark when he was clearly hobbled against UConn in the title game. The Warriors could use another big wing next to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as they near the end of their careers.

Draymond Green Reacts To Steve Kerr’s New Yorker Article, NBA Lottery Changes & NBA Playoffs

NBA News:

4 takeaways: Cade Cunningham, Paolo Banchero engage in duel for the ages in Game 5 | NBA

Cunningham played almost 44 minutes, cut down on his costly turnovers – “Just pass the ball to our team instead of theirs,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff had deadpanned – and found the ideal blend of hero ball and facilitating his teammates in the final quarter.

“There’s a handful of them in the league, right?” Bickerstaff said of Cunningham’s leadership. “They’re unique. They’re special. To put the work in, have the talent, even then [to] understand his responsibility and what he means to this team, he wasn’t going to let us go down tonight.”

Not bad for a guy who suffered a collapsed lung in a game six weeks ago.

Rockets’ Kevin Durant to miss Game 6 vs. Lakers

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: @ShamsCharania reports that Kevin Durant will miss Game 6 in the Rockets-Lakers series ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3DsNOoGfTU

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 30, 2026

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Is the tide shifting towards Steve Kerr returning to the Warriors?

The “take a week or two” for a coach is like couples therapy in a relationship: it’s doing due diligence for something that, more often than not, already has a predetermined fate.

But that might not be the case in Kerr’s situation, and it feels like the tide is starting to turn, and the momentum has shifted towards a Kerr return. An article published on Wednesday by ESPN’s Shams Charania, Ramona Shelburne, and Anthony Slater reports that Kerr met with Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr. for a few hours on Monday, and that the trio will meet again next week. That points to something fairly obvious: if Kerr wanted to leave, he would have done so already.

Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.

One of the most exciting moments for a basketball franchise is if they learn they have won the NBA draft lottery, especially when it's unexpected.

Lottery odds formatting have changed several times since the system began in 1985 when the New York Knicks selected Patrick Ewing. In the future, the format might change again to help prevent tanking from league bottom-dwellers.

The upcoming 2026 NBA Draft Lottery is on May 10 in Chicago and will determine which teams will have a chance to draft top prospects like AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson and Caleb Wilson.

14 teams will have a chance at No. 1 overall and with that in mind, here are all of the lottery winners who received the pick despite less than 10 percent odds.

NBA MOCK DRAFT 11.0: First-round projections after early entry deadline

1. Orlando Magic (1993)

Player: Chris Webber

Record: 41-41

Odds: 1.52% (11th)

This pick was included in a trade to the Golden State Warriors involving Penny Hardaway and future first-round picks.

2. Chicago Bulls (2008)

Player: Derrick Rose

Record: 33-49

Odds: 1.70% (9th)

Rose, who is originally from Chicago, was named 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year and won NBA MVP in 2011.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (2014)

Player: Andrew Wiggins

Record: 33-49

Odds: 1.70% 9th

Before his rookie season, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a deal involving Kevin Love. He was named 2015 NBA Rookie of the Year.

4. Dallas Mavericks (2025)

Player: Cooper Flagg

Record: 39-43

Odds: 1.80% (11th)

This was shortly after Luka Dončić was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers for a trade involving Anthony Davis. Flagg was recently named 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year.

5. Los Angeles Clippers (2011)

Player: Kyrie Irving

Record: 32-50

Odds: 2.80% (8th)

Before the draft, the Clippers traded the rights to this pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving was named 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year and won a championship with the Cavaliers in 2016.

6. Atlanta Hawks (2024)

Player: Zaccharie Risacher

Record: 36-46

Odds: 3.00% (10th)

Risacher was named first-team NBA All-Rookie and is a contributor for the Hawks in the 2026 NBA postseason.

7. New Jersey Nets (2000)

Player: Kenyon Martin

Record: 31-52

Odds: 4.40% (7th)

Martin played four seasons for the Nets, earning an NBA All-Star nod in 2004.

8. Portland Trail Blazers (2007)

Player: Greg Oden

Record: 32-50

Odds: 5.30% (7th)

The big man was selected one pick before Kevin Durant and he played just three seasons in the NBA.

9. New Orleans Pelicans (2019)

Player: Zion Williamson

Record: 33-49

Odds: 6.00% (7th)

This pick was shortly after the Pelicans traded Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers. Williamson is a two-time NBA All-Star who has not yet made the playoffs.

10. Milwaukee Bucks (2005)

Player: Andrew Bogut

Record: 30-52

Odds: 6.30% (6th)

The Australian big man was named first-team NBA All-Rookie and played for the Bucks for seven seasons.

11. Toronto Raptors (2006)

Player: Andrea Bargnani

Record: 27-55

Odds: 8.80% (5th)

The Italian forward was named first-team NBA All-Rookie and played for the Raptors for seven seasons.

12. Houston Rockets (2002)

Player: Yao Ming

Record: 28-54

Odds: 8.90% (5th)

The Chinese big man played eight seasons for the Rockets and made the NBA All-Star team each campaign.

13. Golden State Warriors (1995)

Player: Joe Smith

Record: 26-56

Odds: 9.40% (5th)

Smith made first-team NBA All-Rookie and was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers midway through his third season with the Warriors.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA draft's 13 most unlikely lottery winners

The Cleveland Cavaliers have pushed the Toronto Raptors to the brink of elimination with a 125-120 victory in Game 5. The Raptors have persevered through numerous obstacles already this series, including having to play without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley.

Their road to stealing the series just became more difficult. Toronto could be without its leading scorer from the regular season, Brandon Ingram. He left Game 5 in the first half with right-heel inflammation. This was a previous injury that he was playing through, but aggravated in the second quarter. He’s officially listed as questionable for Game 6.

It’s fair to point out that Ingram has struggled this series. The Cavs have done a good job of keeping him from being a lethal midrange scorer by sticking defensive specialist Dean Wade on him. They’ve also sent a fair amount of double teams his way, especially in late shot clock situations.

This has added up to him averaging an underwhelming 12 points on .324/.444/.769 shooting splits in five playoff games. Scoring just one point in Game 5 brought these averages down. Even so, those numbers are considerably less than the 21.5 points on .477/.382/.820 shooting splits he had during the regular season.

Despite the poor player, not having him on the court would hurt Toronto’s offense. The Raptors are already at a play creation deficiency without Quickley. Losing Ingram just puts more on the plate of Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett, who were both already shouldering a large offensive load.

Ingram’s absence will mean that the Cavs can shift more of their defensive attention and better defenders towards Barnes and Barrett. This could make what was already a difficult task even harder.

On the other end, the Cavs have a clean injury report heading into Friday’s matchup.