With a 3-2 series lead, New York can advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals if they win Game 6 against Atlanta on the road.
Here are three keys to watch...
Star synergy
As the season has progressed, we’ve seen Brunson and Towns build better chemistry on the floor.
On Tuesday night, the tandem put on a show. Brunson had his best stretch of the series, scoring 39 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter. Towns had a quieter scoring night, registering 16 points. However, 14 of those came in the first half, where the big man continued to set the tone for New York’s offense.
Even more important was both stars' willingness to move the ball. Brunson had eight assists, and Towns had six dimes after recording a triple-double during Saturday’s win. They also took care of the ball for the most part, combining for just four turnovers.
The Hawks made the adjustment by placing elite defender Dyson Daniels on Towns instead of Brunson. But in what might be an earth-shattering revelation, Daniels can’t guard both Towns and Brunson at the same time.
New York handled the adjustment well, letting Towns initiate the offense early on and having Brunson operate off the ball. Regardless of what adjustment Atlanta makes in Game 6, the Knicks can count on their two stars to solve it like they did in Game 5.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) takes a shot against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the third quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
Containing CJ McCollum
McCollum has largely been Atlanta’s only consistent source of offense in the playoffs. Through the first four games of the first round, the veteran sage averaged 24.5 points on 51.3 percent from the field while knocking down numerous clutch shots. McCollum was held in check in Game 5, scoring just six points on 3-for-10 shooting.
New York’s defense has adjusted through this series, taking the smaller Brunson off McCollum. New York has also cut back on switches that put Brunson on the Hawks' top scorer. Instead, New York is blitzing the pick-and-roll more often and preventing McCollum from getting to his spots for easy looks.
Other Hawks like Daniels (17 points) played better offensively, but the Knicks will live with that if it takes the ball out of McCollum’s hands and keeps the Hawks under 100 points.
Dominate the paint
With a major size advantage in the frontcourt, New York has controlled the paint for most of this series. The Knicks have outscored the Hawks, 166-126, in the paint in the last three games. In Game 5, the Knicks held a 60-42 advantage in paint points, when Towns and Mitchell Robinson were dominant on the interior.
Towns had a few post-ups throughout the game that generated good looks for him and his teammates. Robinson also had his moments, finishing a couple of lobs and scoring seven points in 16 minutes. Even more surprising was Brunson, who scored 22 points in the paint with a variety of nifty dribble drives.
With a small lineup, the Hawks don’t have much to offer in terms of rim protection. According to NBA Stats, the Hawks are giving up 55 points in the paint per 100 possessions in the postseason -- the second-highest number among all 16 playoff teams.
The aggressive focus is spilling into other categories. New York took 34 free throws on Tuesday, 17 more than the Hawks. They also won the rebounding battle, 48-27.
The Knicks' paint success has stood out in this series and should continue with another strong paint performance in Game 6.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the Boston Celtics on April 28, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
An emergency appendectomy.
Just 10 days before the start of the playoffs.
If you had to guess which player it happened to, you’d say “Joel Embiid” before someone even asked. Just another bizarre and unfortunate moment for a player whose career has been derailed by them.
But for one night, there was no talk of bad luck. No concerns over how the Sixers can integrate such a unique player. No questions about what will happen this offseason.
In one of the guttiest postseason performances in Philly sports history, Embiid kept the Sixers’ season alive with a dominant 33-point effort in a 113-97 win over the Celtics in Boston Tuesday night. With the Game 5 victory, the Sixers have forced Game 6 at Xfinity Mobile Arena Thursday.
Embiid returning to the court at all is nothing short of incredible. He was able to play in Game 4, just 17 days after his surgery. No NBA player has ever come back that early from an appendectomy — let alone returned in the middle of an intense playoff series.
After the Sixers were crushed in Game 4, Embiid revealed more details about his most recent ordeal. He felt stomach pains playing against the San Antonio Spurs back on April 6, something he thought might’ve been a stomach bug or food poisoning. The pain only got more intense when the team arrived in Houston for a big matchup against the Rockets. After pushing through the pain at practice that Thursday, it was becoming more intense.
Embiid was unable to sleep that night. When it got to be 4 or 5 a.m. Friday morning, he knew something wasn’t right. He couldn’t go to the bathroom or even walk on his own. That’s when he was taken to the hospital and the surgery was performed.
It wasn’t smooth sailing post-surgery, either. Embiid said he dealt with complications, though he chose to keep the details of those private. Before appearing in Game 4, Embiid was only able to get up and down the floor in practice one time. He then went out and scored 26 points in 34 minutes, looking like the only Sixer putting forth serious effort.
Game 5 started off a bit rocky. The Sixers’ gameplan coming in was to jack up as many threes as possible — a sound strategy against Boston and one that worked to perfection in Game 2. But Embiid was ice cold from deep, missing all three threes he attempted and his first five shots overall. He was better in quarter No. 2, but missed two more threes.
In the third, he made a concerted effort to get into the post. Joe Mazzulla chose not to send help for his big men, allowing Nikola Vucevic and Neemias Queta to take on Embiid 1-on-1. It made sense for Mazzulla to force Embiid to prove he could operate down low.
And he did.
Repeatedly.
It got to a point where it was almost head-scratching for Mazzulla to continue leaving his bigs on an island. When Boston finally tilted the defense Embiid’s way, the Sixers’ offense really opened up. A 10-point third from Embiid whittled a seven-point halftime deficit down to one.
Embiid even had another scare, briefly exiting the game and heading to the locker room after knocking knees with Jaylen Brown. Luckily, Embiid quickly returned to the bench and the game.
In the fourth, as Embiid continued to see multiple bodies in the post, he made the right plays, finding Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes and the Sixers’ other perimeter players for open looks. Embiid finished the night with eight assists to three turnovers.
After many questioned his defense and his ability to move throughout the regular season, he turned in a terrific performance on that end in the fourth, as the Sixers held the Celtics to a paltry 11 points in the period.
Not bad for a guy who’s barely played basketball over the last month.
Say whatever you want about Embiid, just don’t ever question his toughness and desire to play basketball ever again.
“One thing about me,” Embiid told reporters in Boston, “I’ve dealt with a lot of stuff over my career. I don’t complain. I just want to give as much as I can every single time I step on the floor. I know a lot of people might have takes that I might be lazy or whatever, but every single time I’m on the floor, I want to play as hard as possible. I want to do whatever it takes to win a basketball game. …
“I just want to enjoy these moments just being a part of a basketball team that’s trying to accomplish something.”
Torn meniscus (multiple times).
Sprained LCL.
Torn thumb ligaments.
Gastroenteritis.
Broken face (also multiple times).
Add appendicitis to the list of weird, unlucky ailments Joel Embiid has overcome to cement himself as a legend in this city.
Enjoy him while he’s here and capable of nights like this, Sixers fans.
“I didn’t want to go home and think about all summer what could have been if I was healthy going into the playoffs,” Embiid said. “So, one more day and one more game to go out and try to make it back [to Boston for Game 7]. That’s the mentality. I’m just thankful I’m in a position where I get to play. I don’t know how long I have, [how long] I can do this, so I just want to enjoy it as much as possible.”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 28: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics takes a shot in front of the Philadelphia 76ers bench during the second half of Game Five of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoff at TD Garden on April 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
1. Abysmal 4th Quarter
Going into the fourth quarter of Game 5, the Celtics allowed the 76ers to get back into the game, cutting a 13 point halftime lead to 1 point at 86-85. Boston would then go on to have one of the worst fourth quarters I have ever seen, being out scored 28-11 and Philadelphia was able to take another game in TD Garden, wining 113-97. The negative stats that came out of this abysmal fourth quarter are just something you don’t see every day.
Boston shot 3-22 (14%) fr0m the field, 2-8 (25%) from three, and 3-7 (43%) from the free throw line in the final quarter in this game. After Neemias Queta made an and-1 alley-oop layup at the 7:03 mark, the Celtics would proceed to score ZERO baskets for the rest of the game. Boston missed their last final 14 shots in a row during this time, the most in a playoff game since 2005. The Celtics made three more free throws to finish off their scoring night while the 76ers shot 9-17 (53%) in the fourth quarter. Just an overall, no good, very bad fourth quarter for the Boston Celtics.
2. Forced Embiid to Beat Them
Joel Embiid returned to play in Game 4 in Philadelphia and it looked like he completely threw off the 76ers offense. He finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists on 9-21 shooting and 1-6 from three, essentially shooting Philadelphia out of the game as Boston steamrolled them 128-96. In Game 5, it looked like the Celtics were trying their best to force Embiid to beat them and I would say he did just that. Embiid finished with 33 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds on 12-23 shooting from the field, 0-5 from three, and 9-10 from the free throw line. Boston’s defensive game plan looked to be just leaving him one-on-one and hoping he misses. Whether it was Neemias Queta, Nikola Vucevic, or Luke Gara, nobody could stop Embiid once he made it into the midrange.
This game gave me flashbacks of another big Embiid game that the 76ers won against the Celtics back on December 20th, 2021 when he dropped 41 points on 14-27 shooting. Enes Freedom at the time was the primary defender on him and spent 40 minutes just getting taken to town in the midrange. I never thought I’d see the Celtics run out that same defense scheme against Embiid again, especially in a playoff game, but this game was another example of the one-on-one defense not being a great strategy.
Another reason why the Celtics were so dominant in Game 4 of this series was due to the fact Boston was able to keep the team around Joel Embiid in check. The highest scorer outside of Embiid was Tyrese Maxey who had 22 points, Paul George who had 16 points, and Quentin Grimes who had 12 points. In Game 5, the other guys for the 76ers torched the Celtics with Maxey scoring 25 points, Grimes scoring 18 points, George scoring 16 points, and VJ Edgecombe scoring 10 points.
Grimes was maybe the biggest back breaker out of all of these players for the 76ers in this game for the Celtics, knocking down 5 threes and giving Philadelphia a reliable person to kick the ball out to. Edgecombe was this player in Game 2 when Boston lost at home when he scored 30 points with 6 three pointers. Boston did not to a great job when it came to closing out to shooters with Philadelphia shooting 15-42 (36%) from three. If the Celtics are going to allow Embiid to get what he wants that’s fine, but they have to make sure the rest of the 76ers roster is kept under wraps.
It feels weird to give any type of critique to Derrick White’s game after he has shown for years to be a complete player and an amazing third option on a championship team. However, his three point shooting in this series is really starting to hurt a lot. When White can’t knock down his open threes it can completely send the Celtics offense to a stand still and make it look uncomfortable when there isn’t another third guy like Payton Pritchard carrying the load offensively.
Derrick White is averaging only 8.2 points while shooting 14-47 (30%) from the field and 7-33 (21%) from three point range in this series so far, including Game 5 where he had another bad shooting night, going 2-8 from the field and 0-4 from three. White in this series has missed so many wide open looks from three and when they aren’t wide open, he has taken some head scratching contested ones. His decision making has not looked great so far and despite having his second worst three point shooting season of his career, I still have a hard time not having faith in him to turn it around.
Derrick White through 5 games in the playoffs so far: 8.2 PPG 14-47 FG (30%) 7-33 3PM (21%)
It's been a tough shooting performance so far from him but I still have faith he can turn it around pic.twitter.com/tX03UYUtRh
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both had pretty okay games when looking at the stat sheet. Brown finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 9-23 shooting while Tatum finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals on 8-19 shooting from the field and 4-12 shooting from three. However, the fourth quarter was brutal for everyone on the team but the Jays were a big part of it. They combined to score only 2 points on 0-8 shooting from the field and 0-2 shooting from three with 2 turn0vers.
No other play describes the struggles them and the entire team went through than the shot Brown missed at the 5:32 mark of the fourth quarter. Quentin Grimes to his credit played some really great defense on Brown, poking the ball away and making him go into the back court. Grimes continued to swarm Brown in the backcourt but no one on the Celtics came to help him. Brown was then forced to throw up a shot at the end of the shot clock and missed.
Hold up i’m still hot.
This is the representative play of the game in my eyes. Pretty careless with the ball and then *nobody* thought to flash up and help.
Just a collective *sigh* and “welp!” from everyone in a black jersey.
The 76ers put that kind of pressure on the Jays all night long and it led to some tough shooting nights. I don’t think these were the best games Brown and Tatum could have put out there but they were still doing a great job of carrying the load and finding teammates but with Boston shooting 11-39 (28%) from three, it just won’t show up on the boxscore. They have done so much heavy lifting for this Celtics team in this series that I don’t have any real problems with their play overall. I am just hoping for a bounce back Game 6 in Philadelphia to hopefully close the series.
6. Positive Pritchard Performance
Payton Pritchard built off his incredible 32 point Game 4 performance in Game 5, being one of only two Celtics players to finish with a positive +/-. Pritchard had 12 points and 6 assists on 5-10 shooting from the field and was a +8 overall. He only shot 1-5 from three in this game but he made a lot of great plays when it came to attacking the basket and in the midrange.
Via databallr, the Celtics are a +21.4 net rating when Payton Pritchard is on the court along with a 132.3 offensive rating and a 110.9 defensive rating. In only 26 minutes he was able to help the Celtics offense stay afloat but wasn’t a big part of the fourth quarter collapse, only playing 4 minutes in the middle of the drought. There a chance potentially playing Pritchard more in these kind of situations could help the offense when things are going slow. Either way, it’s nice to see Pritchard continue to be a positive, steady force for Boston in the last few games.
7. Queta Finally Got to Play
Neemias Queta despite playing really well when he is on the floor, has not been able to stay on it for most of this series due to foul trouble. He is averaging 4.0 fouls per game in only 18.3 minutes per game through the first four games of this series. Game 5 saw him once again get into foul trouble with 5, but he was able to stay on the court for a lot more minutes, playing in 26 and finishing with 8 points and 14 rebounds on 4-8 shooting. He did a great job finishing at the basket in this game and just being one of the only inside presences the Celtics had.
Queta showed why he can be such a X-factor for the Celtics in the first quarter when he played 9 minutes, scoring 4 points and grabbing 8 rebounds with any fouls. However, his foul trouble came back to bite him in the second quarter when he picked up 3 fouls in only four minutes. He played only 2 minutes in the third quarter where he picked up another foul but was able to get extended time in the fourth, finishing with 10 minutes played, 2 points, and 4 rebounds. If Queta can just find a way to not get into foul trouble, he will really be able thrive for Boston in these playoffs.
8. Vucevic Offensive Contribution
Although the numbers won’t say it, I think Nikola Vucevic has been a really positive contributor to this Celtics team with his scoring punch off the bench. He was shooting 38% from the field and 29% from three before Game 5 but in this game he was pretty solid, finishing with 8 points on 3-6 shooting and 2-5 from three. We even saw a poster dunk from him on Kelly Oubre Jr in the first quarter that got everyone out of their seat.
The defense was not great, especially on Joel Embiid but everyone knew that when the Celtics traded for him. I think he gets a lot of unnecessary slander from some parts of the fan base but when he is on the court he provides the five-out spacing that can make Boston so effective. If he can provide more positive offensive games like he did in this one, he will continue to be a big resource the Celtics use off of the bench in these playoffs.
9. Walsh Intensity On Display
Jordan Walsh has really opened some eyes in this series and it has come with his defense and intensity that he has played with on the court. He has done a solid job when it comes to guarding Tyrese Maxey off the bench and has knocked down the occasional corner three. In Game 5 he finished with only 1 point on 0-2 shooting in 16 minutes but everything else he did felt bigger with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
The first steal Walsh got is where I think his intensity showed the best. Off a missed three, Walsh and Embiid fought for the rebound. After Embiid fell and lost the ball, Walsh picked up and battled with Paul George until he eventually got fouled. Walsh proceeded to hype up the crowd who erupted, appreciating the hustle he put on display. This is a glimpse of the intensity that I love to see Walsh play with and I believe he is built for a playoff setting.
10. Rally Towel Theory
Now this final takeaway is a theory that I have concocted that has nothing to do with the basketball playing on the court. However, it has been a big indicator of who has won each game in this series so far. I call it, the Rally Towel Theory.
Before Game 1 in TD Garden, the Celtics put out t-shirts for every fan in the arena and Boston won that game in a 32-point blowout. However, ever since Game 1, in both TD Garden and Xfinity Mobile Arena, they have given the fans rally towels. Now theres a chance if they gave t-shirts to every game it could be too expensive and in the Celtics case people won’t wear them anyway, but the home team that has given out a rally towel now has a record of 0-4. Boston lost Game 2 at home, Philadelphia lost Games 3 and 4 at home, and Boston lost again at home in Game 5 all due to a small piece of cloth.
Does this theory have any direct correlation to any of these games whatsoever? Probably not. Is this cope for me as I try to understand how the Celtics lost 2 games at home? Potentially. However, there is an old saying from a song by Yo Gotti back in 2009 that goes, “women lie, men lie, numbers don’t lie,” and in this case the numbers are saying when you give out a rally towel, you are setting yourself up to lose. We will see in Game 6 if the 76ers give out rally towels or t-shirts but it could be the difference between the series being over or forcing a Game 7.
Rally Towel Theory is Undefeated so far in this Celtics vs 76ers series:
Home team record when giving out t-shirts: 1-0 Home team record when giving out rally towels: 0-4
Mar 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) shoots past Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to come to the conclusion that the Dallas Mavericks desperately need guard help. Cooper Flagg was thrusted into the role early, which obviously led to a ton of early struggles. While development was certainly had, playing point is never going to be the way to best optimize the newest rookie of the year.
Because of that, it seems to be most logical that Dallas must use their lottery pick on a guard. However, this draft does offer a couple of interesting scenarios if the Mavericks choose not to do so. There are some very interesting depth pieces in this draft that could be available in the 20 to 25 range. Guys like Christian Anderson (Texas Tech), Bennett Stirtz (Iowa), Ebuka Okorie (Stanford) and Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt) are all mid-to-late first round guards that the Mavericks could very well fall in love with. If that happens, it makes this draft far more intriguing at the top. With that and mind, let’s run through some quick scenarios.
If the Mavericks jump into the top two…
Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Let’s assume the Mavericks stick and pick here, although trading back a couple of spots and recouping some of the draft assets they’ve traded over the years isn’t a bad idea. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson are likely going to be the top two picks, and whichever one the Mavericks would be lucky enough to take will be difference makers. Dybantsa is more of your scoring wing type, while Peterson is an elite combo guard. Regardless of who the selection is here, it doesn’t fill the point guard need for the Mavs. However, there’s simply nobody else you would select here.
If the Mavericks jump to third or fourth…
Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Things get a bit more interesting here, as the two players who are widely expected to go in this range are Duke’s Cam Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson. The talent of those two guys are both overwhelming, but the fit is more murky. Boozer’s athleticism concerns are real, as well as his fit defensively in the NBA. Wilson is an A++ athlete, with the potential to be the best defender in this class. However, his offensive fit would be very clunky, as Wilson will provide very little floor spacing around Flagg, who isn’t a marksman from deep himself.
I could paint a really good argument that Dallas should simply take the guard they like the most at this spot, even though he wouldn’t likely be drafted until fifth at the earliest. If they don’t, the talent is undeniable with Boozer and Wilson that they can easily justify the pick. This spot is a great place to be in, as you’ll either take a fantastic player, or get a nice package to move back from someone who is desperate for their guy.
This scenario is very simple to me. The Mavericks should simply take the best available guard on the board, unless they fall in love with a guy in the twenties. There are five really good guards in this class, with the run likely starting at pick five. At eight, you won’t get your first choice of who you like, but you’ll likely still be picking an elite, five-star prospect.
At nine and ten, the choices get a bit more funky. If they go with a guard, they have to accept that you’re dropping a tier level in talent that would certainly invite forwards into the equation. If you get to that point, I’d be hammering the phone lines to move back in the order. This isn’t a great forward class at the top, but the depth stretches all the way through the lottery and into the teens. If the Mavs choose to go forward early and guard later, getting an extra late lottery or mid-teens pick is a savvy way to go about it.
The verdict
The way I see it, there shouldn’t be a mandate that the Mavericks must take a point guard. Taking the best player available is always a prudent strategy, and if the Mavericks jump or fall to a certain point, taking a guard might not make sense. Because this team isn’t under pressure to win right now, they need to acquire as much top-level talent as possible and try and develop it together. Depending on where that is, it might come from someone other than a guard.
LeBron James and the Lakers take the court tonight at home looking to eliminate the Houston Rockets who will be without Kevin Durant…again.
There is a Game 5 because the Rockets controlled Game 4 start to finish ultimately winning 115-96. Amen Thompson led the way with 23 points and Tari Eason chipped in 20. As a team Houston shot 40% from deep (12-30) and while the Lakers shot 50% (37-74) from the field for the game they were just 5-22 (23%) from downtown. LeBron James was not his usual self, scoring just 10 points and turning the ball over eight times for the Lakers.
Los Angeles may get Austin Reaves back tonight but despite he and Luka Doncic not dressing through the series first four games, the Lakers have controlled most of the series behind LeBron’s playmaking and a defense that has consistently disrupted Houston’s perimeter rhythm. Even at 41 years old, James is averaging 21.5 points per game in the series. He has been the stabilizing force for L.A., highlighted by his late‑game heroics in Game 3. With the exception of Game 4, the Lakers’ supporting cast—particularly Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Deandre Ayton—has stepped up in key moments, giving L.A. enough balance to withstand the absence of two of their top three players.
Houston, meanwhile, enters the night with its season on the line and a roster that has struggled to find consistency. Kevin Durant’s knee and ankle issues have limited the Rockets’ offense, and the team’s inability to generate efficient scoring against the Lakers’ defense has been a defining storyline. Turnovers and cold perimeter shooting have repeatedly stalled Houston’s momentum, though their Game 4 performance—where they finally outshot the Lakers from deep—offers a glimmer of hope. To force a Game 6, the Rockets will need a repeat of Game 4 in which they controlled tempo, shot well from deep, and limited the Lakers from beyond the arc.
The biggest question heading into tonight is whether the Lakers can reassert control after their Game 4 stumble. LeBron’s scoring prop sits at 23.5 points, the lowest it has been in weeks, and analysts expect him to bounce back with a more aggressive approach after a two‑day rest. Houston avoided the sweep once, but history—and the matchup trends—favor Los Angeles. If the Lakers maintain their defensive discipline and get even modest offensive contributions from their role players, they’re well positioned to advance. But if the Rockets can speed up the pace, hit threes, and pressure L.A.’s thin rotation, this series could tighten unexpectedly.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch Live: Lakers vs. Rockets
Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Time: 10PM EST
Site: crypto.com Arena
City: Los Angeles, CA
Network/Streaming: ESPN
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Game Odds: Lakers vs. Rockets
The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Los Angeles Lakers (-180), Houston Rockets (+150)
Spread: Lakers -4.5
Total: 207.5 points
This game opened Lakers -2.5 with the Game Total set at 205.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups: Lakers vs. Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
PG Marcus Smart
SG Luke Kennard
C Deandre Ayton
SF LeBron James
PF Rui Hachimura
Houston Rockets
PG Amen Thompson
SG Reed Shephard
C Alperen Sengun
SF Tari Eason
PF Jabari Smith Jr.
Injury Report: Lakers vs. Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
Austin Reaves (oblique) is questionable for tonight’s game
Luka Doncic (hamstring) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Houston Rockets
Kevin Durant (ankle/knee) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
Steven Adams (ankle) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
Fred VanVleet (knee) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Lakers vs. Rockets
The Rockets are 22-21 on the road this season
The Lakers are 30-13 at home this season
The Rockets are 37-49 ATS this season
LA is 48-37-1 ATS this season
The OVER has cashed in 41 of the Rockets’ 86 games this season (41-45)
The OVER has cashed in 44 of the Lakers’ 86 games this season (44-42)
After going 9-17from 3-point range in the series first 3 games, Luke Kennard was 0-3 in Game 4
Marcus Smart has averaged 3.5 steals per game in this series
Deandre Ayton has averaged 8 rebounds per game in this series with highs of 11 boards in Game 1 and 10 in Game 4
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Lakers and Rockets’ game:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Lakers on the Moneyline
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Lakers -4.5 ATS
Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 207.5
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 27: Nate Ament #10 of the Tennessee Volunteers dribbles against the Iowa State Cyclones in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 27, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Wake Forest’s Juke Harris, who also entered the transfer portal, was another one of those early entrants. Both Ament and Harris saw their name appear in a new NBA Mock Draft from ESPN this week. Felix Okpara also found himself in the projection after a strong senior season.
10. Nate Ament — Milwaukee Bucks
While Ament’s stock has slipped from an early top-five projection, he had productive stretches this season within a tricky team context and has room to help himself in workouts. Although scouts are split on whether he has star upside or projects better as a long-term supporting player, there is still plenty of intrigue around the opportunity to select a prospect of his caliber later in the lottery. As a tall skill player with real shotmaking upside, Ament fits a player archetype that teams often love to swing on. — ESPN
Ament ended up scoring 16.7 points per game, a number that was held back from a slow start during the November and December months. Ament really came on during SEC play as Barnes and the staff leaned on him during the second half of games exclusively. You saw that scoring ability in the paint, along with the touch from deep. Ament will have to get stronger, but a 6-10 frame with shooting and ball-handling skills will be hard to pass on in that 8-12 range.
33. Juke Harris — Brooklyn Nets
Harris declared for the NBA Draft upon announcing his entry into the transfer portal. This one feels like an information-gathering mission for Harris, who could benefit by coming out next year in a more shallow class. There seems to be a lot of momentum towards Harris ending up in Knoxville — stay tuned.
60. Felix Okpara — Washington Wizards
A bit of a surprise here for Okpara, who we haven’t really seen talked about as a draft pick. His 6-11 frame and elite rim protecting do bring some value here as a potential rotational piece down the road. Teams will likely want to see him develop more offensively, however.
Harris and Ament have until May 27th to officially withdraw their names from the NBA Draft, but they’re free to go through the process and gather information. Based on the tone of Ament’s statement on Thursday, it feels like he’s already made his decision. Harris, however, has some things to consider. A borderline first round pick, the 6-7 guard could make significantly more money following a strong season at Tennessee in a weaker class.
The NBA Draft is set for June 23rd and June 24th in Brooklyn. ESPN will have the coverage for both nights. The NBA Draft Lottery, which will finalize picks 1-14.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 24: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball against Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter during game three of the Eastern Conference first round playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 24, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 108-100. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In Tuesday’s Brotherhood Playoff Action, Philadelphia mauled Boston, 113-97, New York hammered Atlanta, 126-97, and San Antonio eliminated Portland, 114-95.
Jayson Tatum finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and three steals for the Celtics. Boston is still up 3-2, but they could have closed the Sixers out. Too bad.
The Knicks are up 3-2 over Atlanta as well. Jalen Johnson finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, but Jalen Johnson had 39 in a brilliant performance for the Knickerbockers.
Meanwhile, the Spurs moved on to the next round, sending Portland back home, 4-1. Mason Plumlee got a DNP.
On Wednesday, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter lead Orlando aginst Detroit. Up 3-1, the Magic have a great opportunity here.
RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram lead Toronto against Tyrese Proctor and Cleveland. That series is tied up 2-2.
Finally, Luke Kennard and Los Angeles hope to eliminate Houston.
PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 27: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round One Game Four of the 2026 NBA on April 27, 2026 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
During the 2024-25 season, I tried something a little ambitious. After reading Liberty Ballers, the SB Nation site for the Philadelphia 76ers, I noticed they let their community vote on a player of the game after every matchup. It felt like something that could work at Bright Side.
I watch every game, and lord knows I always have thoughts. So I leaned in. It meant long nights, sure. After recording the podcast, I then sit down for another 45 minutes to an hour to write, pull the stats, and build the survey. It was a grind, but it was also worth it. It gives the community a perspective that the game recaps don’t, and I’m sure many of you woke up, put on a pot of coffee, and read the Bright Side Baller columns after each game.
Two seasons in, the value shows. It gives a clear picture of who the community believes showed up most often. It’s not a consistency rating, although it does serve somewhat in that capacity. Season-long stats tell part of the story. Bright Side Ballers tells another. It tracks night-to-night impact and who owned the moment when the game ended.
The Bright Side Baller for the 2025-26 season, for the second straight year, is Devin Booker.
The timing is interesting. It comes after a rough postseason and a Play-In that did not go as planned for the 11th-year player. Booker’s stats were down, although based on this, his consistency was up. After all, Booker won it last year as well, doing so by earning the Bright Side Baller a total of 19 times. This year, he did it with 21 despite playing 11 fewer games. That is 33%.
In 67% of his games, someone else earned that nod. There are reasons for that. Turnovers, outcomes, and the way the community views a loss. Booker carries the weight of expectations (and the weight in his wallet), so when the team loses, Booker can become more of a lightning rod for what went wrong rather than an acknowledgment of what he did right. A turnover late in the game can negatively affect your Bright Side Baller vote count, despite the fact that the team wouldn’t be in the game without you. ‘Tis a fickle system, one based on bias and emotion.
The larger point remains. Devin Booker is the best player on the Phoenix Suns. That part is not up for much debate. This exercise reinforces it, while also adding texture to how often he carried that title on a given night.
Appreciate everyone who voted all season. Truly. I am also looking forward to getting a few nights back. Writing until midnight or later, night after night, it adds up. Still, it produced exactly what I hoped for. Clarity.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 26: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles against Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors during Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 26, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs can be an overwhelming time for analysts. With eight series taking place, you can’t possibly keep up with and do thoughtful analysis on all of them. So, you need to narrow down which ones require the most focus.
After the Cleveland Cavaliers took a 2-0 series lead over the Toronto Raptors, I thought I could put this series to bed. The Cavaliers only needed to win two of the final five games, the Raptors have struggled against top ten teams all year (7-22 against those groups, per Cleaning the Glass), and Toronto’s best spacer, Immanuel Quickley, was ruled out for the rest of the round.
Fast forward to today and the series is currently knotted up at two games a piece and the Raptors have completely flipped the script on the Cavaliers. The Cavs might be an 8.5-point favorite as they return home for Game 5 according to FanDuel, but it truly feels like this series is still up for grabs.
The Key Adjustment That Saved The Raptors’ Season
After two games of being demolished by James Harden and Donovan Mitchell in the pick-and-roll, the Raptors said, ‘hey, we were the fifth-best regular season defense and we are not going to stand for this anymore.’
James Harden had a solution for anything the Raptors threw at him in the PNR yesterday:
Punishing drop coverage, burning switches, and hitting the open man whenever he drew multiple defenders pic.twitter.com/duJ6UkmoPX
In Game 1, the Raptors went with some pretty standard matchup assignments. RJ Barrett on Harden, Jamal Shead on Mitchell, Brandon Ingram on Dean Wade, Scottie Barnes on Evan Mobley, and Jakob Poeltl on Jarrett Allen. Juxtapose those matchups with what we saw at the start of Game 4: Barnes on Harden, Ja’Kobe Walter (now starting in place of Shead) on Mitchell, Ingram on Wade, Poeltl on Mobley, and Barrett on Allen.
What this does is take away the pick-and-roll with Allen as the screener, as any time Harden or Mitchell try to initiate this action, the Raptors can nullify it with a simple switch – since Barrett, Barnes, and Walter are all long and athletic enough to handle a multitude of different player types.
So, if Harden and Mitchell want to hunt Poeltl (the weak link defensively in Toronto’s starting five), they have to use Mobley as a screener. This may not seem like a big deal, but look how little separation Mitchell is able to generate on Mobley screens:
The Raptors also did a great job of enhancing their gap help to clog up driving lanes, mitigate passing windows, and force Cleveland’s sketchier shooters to vanquish them (as a team, the Cavaliers shot just 25 perect from downtown in Game 4).
No bucket but a little tweak from Cleveland with how Toronto has wanted to show help vs. James Harden. Keep Sam Merrill one pass away, test if you want to hit or if he can hold two. pic.twitter.com/M3StTLKqYr
Cleveland should still be able to pull this one out. They have home court advantage, superior closers, and a lot of fat they can cut out of their process (they had 18 turnovers in Game 4). But credit goes to Toronto for turning what should have been a clean sweep into an instant classic.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 26: Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket during the game against the Toronto Raptors on April 26, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten away from what’s worked in games 1 and 2. The Toronto Raptors deserve a ton of credit for that. Their physicality with Cleveland’s star backcourt has made it difficult for the Cavs to establish any kind of momentum. At the same time, the Cavs simply need to be better.
Let’s get into what exactly they need to do in Game 5.
1. Reestablish the James Harden pick-and-roll
The pick-and-roll has been a mainstay for the Cavs’ offense since the James Harden trade and was at the start of the series. In Game 1, Harden accumulated four assists out of the pick-and-roll with a big. By contrast, in Game 4, he only had one assist out of that action.
Going smaller and playing less drop coverage has hurt Cleveland’s ability to run the pick-and-roll. Instead of having Jakob Poeltl on Allen, RJ Barrett is the primary defender in the starting lineup. This easily allows the Raptors to switch the action, mitigating any advantage you’re trying to create with the screen.
The Cavs have countered by relying on more guard-on-guard screens. If you’re going to switch everything, you might as well use the guards to create favorable matchups. There’s solid rationale for this. The issue is, guards don’t have gravity going toward the rim. If you cause a momentary mismatch, it doesn’t break the defense because it’s always easier to recover side-to-side than it is to collapse and then try to get back out to shooters.
In short, the guard-to-guard screens don’t generate looks going to the rim. Just somewhat stagnant outside looks.
It’s incredibly difficult to have a good offense if you can’t get anything going inside. Creating clean looks from the outside is predicated entirely on your ability to get to the basket. The Boston Celtics wouldn’t be the three-point shooting juggernaut they are if they didn’t have multiple ball handlers who could beat mismatches and create advantages going to the hoop.
Right now, the Cavs aren’t doing that. They need to get actions going north and south. And they also need to find ways to get Jamal Sheed off Harden. Being able to reestablish the pick-and-roll with the bigs should help with both.
2. Get Jarrett Allen involved in the offense
The Raptors have conceded a mismatch inside by having Barrett guard Allen to start games. They’re okay with Barrett getting beaten inside if it means they can slow down the pick-and-roll and be versatile elsewhere defensively. But right now, they’re getting all the advantages of this strategy without having to worry about any of the consequences.
Cleveland tried to get the ball to Allen on a post-up with Barrett on one of the first possessions in Game 4, but a bad entry pass from Harden resulted in a turnover. For whatever reason, this caused the Cavs to stop looking for Allen altogether as he had just five field-goal attempts in Game 4.
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While we all acknowledge that post-ups aren’t necessarily what you want to construct an offense around, getting Allen involved more when he has Barrett on him would help in a couple of ways.
For starters, Barrett has been Toronto’s second-best offensive player. One of the most effective ways to slow someone down offensively is to make them work on the other end.
Guarding in the post is physically draining. Fighting for position, especially against someone bigger than you, takes a toll. Being intentional about getting Allen the ball is a great way to tire Barrett out.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson has instead opted to keep Allen in the dunker’s spot to use him as a play finisher and a rebounder. In theory, that makes sense. There’s more ways to punish a mismatch than by just posting up, but this more passive role allows Allen to get lost in the shuffle.
Allen’s energy on both ends is tied directly to how involved he is offensively. When he’s getting the ball with regularity, he’s more aggressive in how he fights for position, sets screens, and rolls to the basket. But when he’s only used sparingly, the focus and intensity aren’t there. Instead, he plays like someone who just doesn’t want to get in the way, as opposed to one who’s taking command.
The Cavs need an engaged Allen on both ends of the floor. Their size with their bigs is one of their advantages in this series. But that advantage only matters if they’re doing what they can to maximize it.
3. Win the possession battle
If you wanted to attribute Toronto’s Game 4 victory to one thing, it’d be how they won the possession battle. The Raptors attempted 10 more shots from the field and 13 more free throws. And even though they shot worse than the Cavs, getting more shots up helped overcome that disparity.
Securing defensive rebounds and forcing turnovers led to this.
Offensive rebounds happen for a few reasons, but usually, they can be the result of defensive breakdowns. Every rotation to contest a drive at the rim results in one person who isn’t boxed out. That — combined with the Raptors just playing with more energy — allowed them to control this category.
Turning it over 17 times doesn’t help. The Raptors’ offense in the regular season was predicated on running in the open floor. Giveaways, especially live-ball ones, invite Toronto to do that.
The Raptors have a great defensive team. Their length and switchability allow them to get more deflections than most teams, but Donovan Mitchell and Harden need to be better.
If you go back and look at the guard’s turnovers from Games 3 and 4, you’ll see that a good portion of them were simply from a lack of focus. That can’t happen in games that are this important.
If the Cavs can win the possession game, they’ll easily win Game 5.
4. Donovan Mitchell needs to finish at the basket
The Cavs absolutely do need Mitchell to score. And if he’s going to do that as efficiently as the Cavs need him to, it’ll be because he’s getting to the rim.
Mitchell took 24 shots in Game 4, but only four in the restricted area. He missed all four of them. Overall, he went just 2-10 on shots in the paint.
When he’s not able to beat teams at the rim, he becomes overly reliant on the outside shot. Mitchell is a good pull-up three-point shooter, but that is a much higher-variant shot than what you’d like if it’s going to be someone’s main form of offense.
Mitchell has talked about saving his body for the playoffs. He’s added more elements to his in-between game, particularly with the floater, so that he can be ready for the postseason.
Well, now is the time to show what he’s been saving his body for. The Cavs are two bad performances away from their season being over — and possibly this era of Cleveland basketball as we know it. There’s no reason to leave anything in the tank now.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 28, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
From my seat in press row at TD Garden, you can see the entire arena. The benches, the matchups, the way a possession starts to form before it fully develops. It’s a different way of watching the game, a little more removed than being down by the railing before tip, where everyone is leaning forward trying to catch a glimpse of warmups or an autograph from their favorite player.
My view for Game 5.
Just a few hours earlier, that’s where I was, moving along the baseline and talking to whoever had gotten there early enough to be close to the action. Different groups, different ages, different reasons for being here, but the conversations started to reveal similar themes after a while. Some people were born into loving this team. Some picked it up along the way. Some had a specific player that pulled them in. Others couldn’t really explain it beyond the fact that it stuck.
Now they’re all somewhere in the building, scattered across different sections, watching the same game unfold.
Everyone gets here a different way
About 45 minutes before tip, I had stopped near the sideline and talked to a father and his son, both born and raised in Boston. The father didn’t hesitate when I asked how long he’d been a fan. “I’m 42,” he said. “So we can say 42 years.” His 13-year-old son followed right behind him with the same answer in his own way. “You were born into it,” his dad said, smiling. That part didn’t need much explaining.
The kid was wearing a Tatum jersey, but it didn’t stop there. He lifted it to show the Tatum shirt underneath. Tatum socks. Tatum sneakers (“The new 4s”, he told me, a non-sneakerhead who still wanted him to think I knew and loved them). His dad laughed and said it didn’t matter the time of year or the time of day, he was probably wearing something with Tatum on it.
When I asked what stood out about this team, they answered right away. “We’re so deep,” he said. “Every single person that comes onto the floor can score, they can defend.” His son nodded. Same answer.
Early on, it didn’t look like that depth was going to matter. The Celtics opened cold, missing shots they usually make, the kind of start that brings a low murmur across the building before it builds into something louder. A Jaylen Brown dunk finally broke through and the place responded the way it always does, rising together, a quick reminder of how quickly things can change in here.
That idea of depth came back not long after. The bench started to chip in with Payton Pritchard pushing the pace, making things happen in a way that felt familiar after Game 4. Even when the shots weren’t falling from deep, the Celtics found ways to stay in front. They had more options. More answers.
A little further down the baseline before the game, I had talked to a group of college-aged guys, each with a half-full cup of beer, watching warmups. I learned that two of them were Celtics fans. Two of them weren’t, at least not yet.
“Depth goes crazy,” one of them said when I asked what he loves about the team, without much hesitation. His friends nodded, half agreeing, half laughing, likely about the fact his buddy was getting interviewed by a member of the media.
That depth showed up throughout the first half. It wasn’t one player carrying things. The responsibility and production moved around from possession to possession. One possession it was Brown getting downhill, the next it was Tatum creating space off the dribble, then Pritchard pushing the tempo, then Vooch throwing one down.
The ball didn’t stick. The game didn’t feel heavy. Not yet at least.
Before the game started, I stopped at one point to take a picture of two older-looking gentlemen, who I would learn were brothers. They had grown up in Boston after moving here from Uganda. They didn’t need much time to answer how long they’d been fans.
“Forever,” one of them said.
There wasn’t much elaboration beyond that, but in a way there didn’t need to be. They had been to games before, so they knew what this place felt like, especially during this time of year. That part came through in how casually they talked about it, like the Celtics had always been part of their lives, even though they were born 6,900 miles away.
Sitting up top in press row, it’s easy to forget how many different paths lead people into this building. Sure, you can see the whole arena, but the paths people took to get there aren’t always as clear.
This team is different
Game 5 settled into something tense by the third quarter. The Celtics had a lead, but the Sixers kept chiseling away at it, steadily and methodically. Philadelphia kept finding ways to keep the score close. Joel Embiid looked much improved from Game 4 and more like the former MVP version of himself, which certainly helped.
At one point, with the Celtics trying to create some separation, Jordan Walsh made a play that barely registers in a box score. A hustle steal, a sprint the other way, and a drawn foul.
The reaction from the crowd was immediate — loud in a way that didn’t match the scale of the play, at least not on paper. Walsh turned and embraced it, breaking the fourth wall between fans and players. That was all it took to set the crowd into a frenzy.
That exchange, small as it was, felt like a perfect example of how connected everything was in that moment. The crowd sees it. The player feels it. In TD Garden, the energy can often be a two-way street.
Later in the quarter, Pritchard hit a three right in front of the Sixers bench and held his stare for a beat, like he wanted them to sit with it. Another moment that doesn’t change the outcome on its own, but adds to everything around it.
By the end of the third, the Celtics were still in front, but the margin had narrowed to one point, 86-85. The building felt it. From way up high, I could hear the noise shift from confident to urgent. Still loud, but tighter than before.
Earlier in the night, I had talked to a family that made the drive up from Connecticut. The dad leaned into the conversation as soon as I brought up past teams, talking about Bird like he had been waiting for the chance. The passing, the feel, the way everything seemed a step ahead.
His daughters listened, one in a Tatum jersey, the other in a Brown jersey, exchanging looks that suggested they had heard some version of this before. Classic Dad.
When I asked what stood out about this team, he kept it simple.
“They all trust each other.”
That idea held for most of the night. It showed up in the way the ball moved, in the way players stayed with possessions even after something went wrong. Brown going over to Vučević after a couple missed threes, making sure he wasn’t dissuaded from firing away on the next open one. Tatum and Pritchard talking through something after a defensive breakdown, both of them coming at it from the same place, a shared desire to win.
It felt steady. It felt like the Celtics.
When it all falls down
The fourth quarter didn’t follow that pattern.
Philadelphia hit shots early, getting production from Embiid, Maxey, and even Grimes, who found himself at the line twice after being fouled on three-point attempts. The Celtics had an impossible time answering. A couple open looks missed, then another, and the rhythm that had carried them through the first three quarters started to slip.
At first, it didn’t feel like anything more than a bad stretch. That happens in closeout games like this. As a Celtics fan, you kind of expect it to turn back the other way eventually.
It didn’t.
Early in the fourth, the lead finally flipped in Philly’s favor. The crowd got louder, trying to pull it back and reacting to every defensive possession like it might be the one that starts a run. A Hauser three gave the Garden a jolt. Another miss took it right back out.
From up top, you can feel that shift even if you can’t quite hear individual voices. The noise tightens. Reactions get sharper. Every possession clearly starting to matter a little more than the one before it.
Somewhere in there, I started thinking about the people I had talked to before the game. The kid in the Tatum jersey there with his dad. The family that made the drive in from Connecticut. The brothers who said they’d been fans forever. The young girl who was at her first Celtics game in person.
My first instinct was to feel bad for them. Like this was going to be the part they remembered. But looking down at the floor, then back out into the crowd, that didn’t really line up with what was happening.
I caught myself reacting at one point, as a fan and not the version of me that was there as media. “FOUL!” came out of me before I could stop it after Grimes relentlessly hounded Jaylen Brown in the backcourt with a level of physicality that I clearly felt was inappropriate. I looked around, hoping fellow media members weren’t staring in my direction. Luckily, or maybe not, everyone couldn’t look away from the nightmare that was the fourth quarter of Game 5.
The Celtics couldn’t find a stretch where everything clicked again. Shots that had fallen earlier stayed out, and Philadelphia kept making enough to keep the distance. The Celtics would go on to finish with only 11 total points in the quarter.
Even as the outcome became obvious, people stayed in it.
They stood. Clapped. Waited.
After the game, Joe Mazzulla talked about perspective. He said it wasn’t all bad, that there were stretches they could build from.
Jaylen Brown kept it simple. They weren’t good enough, and they’d have to be better the next time out.
Both things can be true.
Perspective is important
After the final buzzer, I made my way down from the press section and onto the concourse. There were still fans lingering. Some standing in the aisles, some drifting closer to the court now that the game was over, others taking pictures, clearly not ready to let the night end.
Besides a small group chanting “Embiid sucks,” most people actually seemed surprisingly chipper. They were talking, smiling, taking it in before being told to go.
I’ve been to enough of these that my instinct after a loss is to get out quickly. Clear out, complain, then move on to the next one.
A lot of people didn’t seem interested in doing that.
Maybe it was their first game. Maybe it was the trip into the city. Or maybe it was simply something they’d been looking forward to for a long time. Whatever had brought them there, they stayed for as long as they could.
I wondered if the father and son I had talked to earlier were still somewhere in the building, or the family from Connecticut, or the brothers who had grown up here after coming from somewhere else. The college bros had probably already moved on to Tavern in the Square by then.
On my way to the postgame press conference, I caught myself changing my tune.
A few minutes earlier, I had been sitting in press row, frustrated like everyone else, watching Game 5 slip away in a way that was so un-Celtics-like. Now, I was walking into a room where Jaylen Brown was about to answer questions a few feet away, Jayson Tatum not far behind him.
Trying to steady my hand and take a picture while Jaylen looks in my general direction. I mean, come on.
It’s a strange shift. You spend the whole night thinking about the game the way a fan would, then you find yourself in a position you could only dream of from the outside.
I started thinking about the people I had talked to before tip. What they would’ve thought if they were in that room. If they were sitting where I was sitting.
The result still mattered. It always does.
But so did this.
Nights like this happen
Still, the result of Game 5 didn’t give them what they wanted. It didn’t give any of us what we wanted.
Sometimes it goes the way you hope, and sometimes it doesn’t. The people who have been around long enough understand that, and the ones who are new to it will learn. Either way, we all come back just the same.
Before the game, I took another photo of a group of three adults, beaming with excitement to the point where I knew I had to talk to them. After snapping their photo, I realized English wasn’t their first language, so the woman in the group smartly pulled out her phone and began translating my questions in real time.
After some back and forth, I learned that one of them had attended Boston College when he was younger, and fell in love with the Celtics during his time here. He was now here with his two friends, who had never stepped foot inside an NBA arena until that night.
In an effort to keep my questions simple, I looked at the woman, gestured around us, and asked, “What do you think?”
She looked out across the floor, took it in for a second, and gave the same gesture back.
Then she said one word, her first in English during our brief conversation.
“Magic,” she said.
Even after a tough loss, I couldn’t agree with her more.
Apr 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) looks on from the court in the second half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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I typically believe where there is smoke, there is usually fire in these types of situations, but it all remains to be seen. Durant’s reputation precedes him, so it’s an easy leap to make.
Anyway, what would you like the Rockets to do? Do you want them to trade KD? Not what will they do, what do you want the Rockets to do?
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics on April 28, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
BOSTON — Joel Embiid conquered his postseason demons on Tuesday night. He overcame the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in a do-or-die Game 5 to keep the Philadelphia 76ers alive to see another day.
Down 3-1 following back-to-back Boston victories in Philadelphia, Embiid was ruled probable when Sixers coach Nick Nurse took to the podium pregame. It wasn’t until less than an hour before opening tip that Embiid was inserted in Philadelphia’s starting lineup, eager to prove a point. Despite the unfavorable 4-12 playoff record that has historically made the Sixers a punching bag for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to take turns hurling warm-up punches at, Embiid was determined.
“I just wanted to impose myself a little bit more inside, and it worked out,” Embiid said after Philadelphia’s 113-97 win to force a Game 6.
To do that, Embiid needed to make an adjustment. He recognized that searching for offense in the perimeter wasn’t working after going 0-for-5 from 3-point range in the first half. So it was time for a tweak. With 15 points at halftime as the game’s leading scorer, Embiid knew he could elevate his impact by abandoning the perimeter and attacking the interior instead.
He stuck with that plan throughout the second half, going right after Celtics center Neemias Queta.
“I feel pretty good about my chances going one-on-one against anybody in this league, and I don’t think that can be stopped,” Embiid said.
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 28: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Struggling to contain Embiid’s offensive revival, Queta quickly found himself in foul trouble. Two minutes into the second half, Embiid ran a pick-and-roll with V.J. Edgecombe. Queta stayed with Edgecombe as Embiid trailed from behind, and Boston’s defense briefly fell apart, allowing Kelly Oubre Jr. to finish a contested layup with a chance at the free-throw line.
That marked Queta’s fourth personal foul with 9:57 left in the third quarter, and forced coach Joe Mazzulla to make an immediate substitution.
For the first time in this series, the Celtics saw a different, more confident version of Embiid. Over time, that snowballed into a problem that prevented Boston from punching its second-round ticket at home, leaving TD Garden half-empty and dead silent for the closing minutes of regulation. The Celtics held an 86-85 lead to begin the fourth quarter, giving Embiid a clean slate to decide either to fall to Boston again or to turn the tables and make a statement.
Ultimately, he chose the latter.
Embiid finished with 33 points, four rebounds, and eight assists. In the final two frames, he shot 7-of-10 from the field and didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer. Embiid took two trips to the foul line and knocked down all four free throws, logging a plus-21 rating in the second half.
Boston went from a Tyrese Maxey plus Edgecombe problem in Game 2 — without certainty that Embiid would even play this series — to desperately needing to account for another possible Embiid masterclass in Game 6.
“He was dominant. He was dominant, especially in the second half,” Maxey said. “He was extremely dominant, and he did a really good job of inserting himself. I was proud of him tonight, man. That’s the dominance you go into a playoff game with, and he did that.”
Embiid missed only one layup in the second half, which he recovered with an offensive rebound and putback over Nikola Vučević in the third quarter.
“I feel like he had too many easy baskets,” Jaylen Brown said. “Like, we need to make him work. It was just too easy for him. Even though we trust our guys to guard certain matchups, you gotta make it a little bit tougher. Tonight he got a lot of easy baskets, and I feel like that propelled them.”
Five of Embiid’s makes came against Queta, five against Vučević, and the remaining two with Luka Garza defending. And while Embiid tucked the 3-pointer away in his back pocket, he still managed to knock down three fadeaway mid-range jumpers over Boston’s bigs.
Looking back, Jayson Tatum couldn’t refrain from tipping his cap to the 2023 league MVP.
“Give him credit,” Tatum said. “He played well. He put a lot of pressure on us, especially on the defensive end. We’ll go back and watch the film and make some adjustments and be ready for Game 6.”
As the Celtics discovered over six months ago on Opening Night, defending Maxey and Edgecombe is tough enough. On any given night, they can become the hardest to stop backcourt duo in the league — as was the case in Game 2. But now, the Sixers have Embiid added to that mix. He’s not only healthy, but he’s also healed enough, less than three weeks after undergoing emergency appendectomy surgery on April 9, to make an example out of Boston’s interior defense.
“When the pace slows down, he’s hard to cover one-on-one, and we played right into his type of game,” Payton Pritchard said.
In the final five minutes of the third quarter, Embiid even survived an injury scare. After falling for Brown’s pump fake, spin move under the basket, Embiid hobbled and immediately grabbed his left knee. The signs weren’t promising as he hunched over before slowly making his way toward Philadelphia’s bench and into the locker room.
But moments later, for the final two minutes of the third quarter, Embiid returned — and didn’t miss a beat.
“I’m good,” Embiid said with a smile.
Embiid continued, opening up about the narrative he’s battled: “I’ve dealt with a lot of stuff over my career. I don’t complain. I just want to give as much as I can every single time I step on the floor. I know a lot of people might have takes that I might be lazy or whatever, but every single time I’m on the floor I want to play as hard as possible.”
The Celtics have 48 hours to reflect. After finishing tied (with the New York Knicks) for the second-most home wins (30) in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, Boston has dropped two of its first three playoff games at TD Garden. It’s nothing Tatum, Brown, and Mazzulla haven’t seen before, but as Embiid proved in Game 5, history is nothing more than a track record that can turn meaningless on any given night.
Boston has seen this position before. However, Tuesday night made it clear the series has changed. What once looked like a smooth-sailing path to the semifinals has now turned into a puzzle. Embiid delivered his response with a strong performance in Game 5. Now, it’s up to the Celtics to respond and redeem themselves on Thursday night in the City of Brotherly Love.
It appears the Warriors will attempt to reel in another big fish or two this offseason.
Golden State, in an effort to surround superstar Steph Curry with more top-end talent in the final seasons of his NBA career, has pursued trades for star players for years, oftentimes coming up short.
One name the Warriors came up short in pursuit of before the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline this year was LA Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard, who Golden State reportedly targeted and nearly acquired in the wake of their failed Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit.
The Warriors are rumored to be interested in pursuing Leonard again this summer, and ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Zach Kram, in a recent article, proposed a possible trade package that could land Leonard in the Bay Area this offseason.
Warriors get:
Kawhi Leonard
Clippers get:
Jimmy Butler III 2027 first-round pick (lottery-protected) 2032 first-round pick
“The Warriors have been connected more to Leonard than any other team in recent months, and for good reason,” Kram wrote. “After Butler tore his ACL in January, the Warriors need a Plan B if they want to try to reopen their competitive window while 38-year-old Stephen Curry is still playing at an All-Star level.
“Leonard would be a strong fit as a Butler replacement, with even higher upside after the best regular season of his career. The salaries of the two stars match well enough that no other player would need to be included in this deal.”
“Considering Butler is out indefinitely, the Clippers certainly would want the top-14 protection removed from the 2027 first-round pick or amended,” Marks wrote.
“An injured star, a pick that might not convey and a selection six years into the future should be a nonstarter for Frank and LA. From the Warriors’ viewpoint, swapping Butler for a healthy All-Star makes too much sense — even if the 2032 first-round pick ends up in the lottery.”
The 34-year-old Leonard is coming off the best scoring season of his 14-year NBA career, having averaged a career-high 27.9 points with 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game on 50.5-percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent from 3-point range in 65 games for the Clippers.
Butler, who suffered a torn ACL on Jan. 19, likely will be out at least for the first half of the 2026-27 NBA season, and might not make it back to the court until February next year.
His extended absence next season likely will be a big reason why Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy will search high and low this offseason for star talent to pair with Curry next season, either until Butler returns, or in place of him.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 28: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrates during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers during Round One Game Five of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s just after one o’clock a.m. I have been in the Frost Bank Center for seven hours. After an eight hour work day. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. This has been the best year of my life as far as all things Spurs go. I’ve been to more games, sat in on press conferences, and hobnobbed with journalists I admire while the team has elevated to a contender and revealed some of the sports brightest stars.
And now they have advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals.
As I have to get up in four hours for my daytime job, I will share some of what I captured once the Spurs cleared the hurdle of their first series.
Once the Spurs won, they went into the drum call-and-response that Wemby started with the Jackals. As Keldon was honored before the game for his Sixth Man of the Year award, he was the man of the hour when it was time to lead the postgame ritual.
The Spurs will have a couple of days off as they await an opponent. The Denver/Minnesota series is currently heading back to Minneapolis for game 6. Denver is in a must-win situation. With Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo both out, their task is less arduous, but no less critical.
Are you rooting for or against anyone in this series as the victor stands in the way of the Spurs destination of the Western Conference Finals?
That’s all for now, must get some sleep. Just a honk of the horn as I pass through downtown and then straight to bed.
Go Spurs Go!
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