The matchup for the 2026 NBA Mexico City Game is set.
USA TODAY Sports has learned that the Denver Nuggets will face the Indiana Pacers at Arena CDMX on Nov. 7, 2026, marking the 35th NBA contest played in the city since 1992.
It’s an intriguing matchup that should feature a fully healthy Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers star point guard who missed the entire 2025-26 season as he recovered from the torn Achilles tendonsuffered during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The Pacers are also likely to end up with a top selection in the 2026 NBA Draft after they finished with the second-worst record (19-63) in the league.
The Nuggets, one of the premier teams in the Western Conference, are led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, who averaged a triple-double this season. This will mark the second game in Mexico that the Nuggets play, while the Pacers will be making the trip for the first time.
And, for the third consecutive season, the game will coincide with the Día de los Muertos festivities across the country. To commemorate that, the game will be played on a themed court.
The NBA has continued to expand its reach across Latin America, with Mexico as its most prominent market. In fact, removing the U.S. and Canada, both of which are home to current and former NBA franchises (including the Vancouver Grizzlies), no country has hosted more NBA games than Mexico since 1992, when the first NBA game was played in the country.
That game, an Oct. 27 preseason matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, spawned a relationship that will enter its 34th year when the Pacers and Nuggets square off.
"The NBA Mexico City Game continues to give fans in Mexico a front‑row connection to the league, its teams and its players," Raul Zarraga, NBA Latin America and Canada senior vice president and head of operations, said in a statement. "Hosting our 35th game in the country reflects the depth of the NBA’s relationship with Mexico and the role this event plays in bringing the global game to fans locally, across Latin America and around the world."
The NBA will make the formal announcement with Zignia Live, a live event promoter, about the matchup Thursday, April 16. As is typical with the NBA’s international games, the league will offer social programs and activities in Mexico City to engage with the local community.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 16: Luka Doncic #77 and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Phoenix Suns on March 16, 2025 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Unfortunately for the Lakers, there hasn’t been much positive injury news regarding their two biggest stars, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
Both missed the last five games of the regular season and have been ruled out indefinitely. Reaves is dealing with a Grade 2 oblique strain with a timetable of 4-6 weeks, and Dončić is suffering from a hamstring strain.
While Reaves has remained in LA, focused on returning to the court, Dončić went to Spain for “specialized medical treatment” to speed up his recovery.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has already confirmed the duo will be out to start the playoff series against the Rockets, and a recent article by Dave McMenamin of ESPN indicates that the franchise is moving forward assuming neither will play at any point during this series.
And as they prepare for it, sources told ESPN they have no expectation of having either Doncic or Reaves back at any point in the first round. But they also have not completely ruled out the possibility of one or both of them becoming available the longer the series lasts.
It’s a devastating blow for the Lakers if they have to play an entire playoff series without their two best players. Luka was the NBA’s leading scorer and averaged 33.5 points per game. It’s not just Dončić’s scoring that will be missed, he averaged 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game as well.
Reaves is just as important, averaging 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game during the regular season. The only positive here is that the Lakers have been able to prepare with the understanding that they’ll be playing without their starting backcourt.
For now, they just have to focus on figuring out how to outrebound the Rockets, limit turnovers, win Game 1 and ultimately this series.
And if Reaves or Dončić can make an appearance late in the first round against the Rockets, that’d be a great best-case scenario. Until then, though, they will have to try to extend their season without them.
Mar 28, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head Coach Jordan Ott with forward Rasheer Fleming (20) against the Utah Jazz at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Look, I’m not here to tell Jordan Ott how to do his job. He’s in the building every day, around the guys, diving into film like no one else. He is a sicko. A junkie. I’ve appreciated the job he’s done this year.
I am merely a spectator, offering observations on what we all saw on Tuesday night. Now that we’ve got that part out of the way, it’s time to dive into a few rotational flaws that I believe cost Phoenix the game on Tuesday night.
The Small-Ball Trap
It’s vital for the Suns not to get caught up in pre-made plans again and to make in-game adjustments or counters as things develop in front of them.
The most glaring issue in the fourth-quarter collapse was the insistence on staying small while Deni Avdija was treating the paint like his own personal playground. Avdija is a 6’8″ matchup nightmare who plays with the strength of a power forward and the vision and speed of a guard as he attacks downhill. When he’s attacking, you can’t meet him with a “switch everything” mentality that leaves a 6’4″ guard as the primary rim protector. Or by throwing a slower Brooks/O’Neale/Oso on him when he’s already hitting full speed. It puts you at a disadvantage from the start.
Credit to Portland for creating those advantages and putting Deni in a spot to succeed.
By the time Jordan Goodwin hit that layup to give us the lead with 32 seconds left, the damage was already done. The Suns had spent the previous six minutes getting bullied on the glass. Portland finished with a +4 rebounding edge, but it felt like +20 in the final frame. In a game decided by four points, those extra possessions are the difference between the 7th seed and a do-or-die that we now face against Golden State.
Leaving Size on the Pine
The Suns have length and athleticism on the bench that remained largely untapped when the Blazers turned up the physicality. Against a Portland team that starts length at almost every position, Phoenix opted for lineups that prioritized spacing over survival. Rasheer Fleming has shown he is already one of our best defenders. Rookie or not, he had to be out there. That’s the hill I will die on.
We needed a “hit back” presence. There were stretches where the Suns’ interior defense looked like a revolving door because the help-side rotations were coming from players giving up three or four inches in height. Jordan Ott has been a master of adjustments all season. He’s a major reason we’re even in the Play-In conversation in the first place, but on Tuesday night, the “tactician” got out-muscled. Using the bench’s size to disrupt Avdija’s rhythm or to at least make those 13 free-throw attempts harder to earn would have changed the geometry of the court.
The individual matchups didn’t tell the whole story, because it takes team defense (switching, helping, etc.) to slow down a downhill threat like Deni.
Deni got to the rim basically whenever he wanted. It’s what he does, but they had to make it more challenging. It was way too easy all night.
Jalen Green was spectacular, but he looked gassed in the final two minutes. That 18-8 run Phoenix put together to take the lead was fueled by pure adrenaline, but once the Blazers responded, the Suns had nothing left in the tank. Once the game slowed down, Portland’s size took over and won.
The Suns were up 11 halfway through the fourth. They had a 95% win probability. You don’t lose that game because of “officiating” or a few missed free throws, although nine misses at the line certainly didn’t help. You lose that game because you let the opponent dictate the physical terms of the engagement.
Friday is a new season. If Ott and the Suns want to avoid being the first 7th seed to ever miss the dance entirely, they have to stop leaning into the “small and skilled” identity when the game turns into a “long and athletic” street fight.
Things couldn’t be more polar opposite in this next one. The Warriors present an entirely different matchup problem, so it’s time to scrap the Portland plan and focus on doing what’s needed to take down Steph and the Warriors.
The NBA Conference Finals MVP odds market is one of the simplest bets to understand, and one of the easiest to misprice. In most cases, it comes down to this: the best player on the winning team takes the award.
That’s why the board is typically loaded with short-priced favorites from the top contenders. But that also means value can show up quickly if you’re willing to back a team, and its star, before the market fully catches up.
Instead of laying chalk on established names, we’re targeting two young guns in Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham, both of whom have the usage, narrative, and upside to carry their teams through the Conference Finals.
NBA Conference Finals MVP predictions
Player
Victor Wembanyama
+320
Cade Cunningham
+550
Odds as of 4-16.
Western Conference Finals MVP best bet
Pick: Victor Wembanyama (+320 at bet365)
The San Antonio Spurs are going to be a matchup nightmare for any team that stands in their path to the franchise's first NBA title since 2014.
A very big part of that will be the unique playing style of Victor Wembanyama. He's a walking highlight reel and virtually un-guardable, whether he's doing work in the paint, the mid-range, or stepping out and knocking down threes.
While the offense will always be there (25 points per game), it's his defensive presence that will impact games more often than not. His ability to protect the rim (11.5 rebounds, 3.1 blocks), alter shots, and disrupt timing is the added edge needed when picking a standout player in the conference finals.
While the Spurs still need to win two rounds, and then potentially meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, Wemby's odds will not linger around at +320 for very long.
Sengun has been nothing short of stellar for the Rockets this season, averaging 20.4 points per game and leading the team in rebounds (8.9) and assists (6.2).
He may not be the sexy name on the Rockets with Kevin Durant still around, but he's still the straw that stirs the drink, and his ability to stuff the stat sheet in more ways than one can only help his case.
Everything runs through him. He’s the primary scorer, the primary playmaker, and the one with the ball in his hands when games tighten up. That kind of usage matters in a series where every possession is magnified.
Cunningham has taken a clear step forward as a scorer while still filling up the box score across the board. Points, assists, rebounds. It’s all there, and it shows up every night.
If the Pistons break through to the Eastern Conference Finals, it won’t be because of depth or balance. It’ll be because Cunningham carried them there.
At +550, you’re getting the best player on his team at a number that won’t last if Detroit makes a run.
Long shot play
Pick: Mikal Bridges (+20000 at bet365)
If you’re swinging for a number, Mikal Bridges checks every box as a long shot.
He’s one of the most reliable two-way players in the league and rarely comes off the floor. That kind of workload adds up over a playoff series.
Bridges doesn’t need high volume to make an impact. He scores efficiently, defends the opposing team’s first or second option, and consistently finds ways to influence the game without forcing it.
If the New York Knicks can put it all together for three rounds, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will play a part, but Bridges' ability to impact the game at both ends in meaningful moments could tip the scales in his favor.
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 03: A detail view of the Nike basketball shoes of Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks before a game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on April 03, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Former NBA basketball player and assistant coach Damon Jones arrives at Brooklyn federal court, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, in New York.
Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is expected to become the first person to plead guilty in a gambling sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball figures.
A change-of-plea hearing for Jones is scheduled for May 6 in Brooklyn federal court, according to a court filing Thursday.
Jones, 49, had previously pleaded not guilty to separate indictments charging him with profiting from rigged poker games and providing sports bettors with non-public information about injuries to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Former NBA basketball player and assistant coach Damon Jones arrives at Brooklyn federal court, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, in New York. AP
Jones is charged in both cases with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
A message seeking comment was left for his lawyer, Kenneth Montgomery. He told a judge at Jones’ arraignments in November that they “may be engaging in plea negotiations.”
Jones, a onetime teammate of James, was arrested last October along with Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and others, including a sports bettor accused of cashing in on injury information.
Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting schemes. He remains free on bail.
A native of Galveston, Texas, Jones earned more than $20 million playing for 10 teams in 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. He and James played together in Cleveland from 2005 to 2008 and Jones served as an unofficial assistant coach for James’ Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season.
According to prosecutors, Jones sold or attempted to sell non-public information to bettors that James was injured and wouldn’t be playing in a Feb. 9, 2023, game against the Milwaukee Bucks, texting an unnamed co-conspirator: “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out.”
LeBron James, drives away with Damon Jones after a workout at Rhodes Arena on the University of Akron campus, in Akron, Ohio, Wednesday, July 7, 2010. AP
James wasn’t listed on the Lakers’ injury report at the time of the text message, but the NBA’s all-time scoring leader was later ruled out of the game because of a lower body injury, according to prosecutors, and the Lakers lost the game 115-106.
On Jan. 15, 2024, prosecutors said, sports bettor Marves Fairley paid Jones approximately $2,500 for a tip that Davis, the Lakers’ forward and center at the time, would see limited playing time against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of an injury.
Follow The Post’s latest on the gambling scandal rocking the NBA:
Fairley then placed a $100,000 bet on the Thunder to win, prosecutors said, but the tip was wrong. Davis played his usual minutes, scored 27 points and collected 15 rebounds in a 112-105 Lakers win, prompting Fairley to demand a refund of his $2,500 fee, prosecutors said.
In the poker scheme, according to prosecutors, Jones was among former NBA players used to lure unwitting players into poker games that were rigged using altered shuffling machines, hidden cameras, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table.
Former NBA player Damon Jones (pictured, blue shirt) leaves Brooklyn Federal court after his case finished for the day regarding illegal gambling. Gregory P. Mango
According to the indictment, Jones was paid $2,500 for a game in the Hamptons where he was instructed to cheat by paying close attention to others involved in the scheme. His instructor likened those people to James and NBA All-Star Steph Curry, prosecutors said. When in doubt, Jones was told to fold his hand, prosecutors said.
In response, according to prosecutors, Jones texted: “y’all know I know what I’m doing!!”
The poker scheme often made use of illegal poker games run by New York crime families that required them to share a portion of their proceeds with the Gambino, Genovese and Bonnano crime families, according to prosecutors.
Members of those families, in turn, also helped commit violent acts, including assault, extortion and robbery, to ensure repayment of debts and the continued success of the operation, officials said in court documents.
A hot hand from outside the three-point arc, Jones once proclaimed himself in an interview with insidehoops.com as “the best shooter in the world.” He played in every regular season game for three consecutive seasons from 2003 to 2006.
After his playing days, he worked as a “shooting consultant” for the Cavaliers and was an assistant coach when the team, led by James, won the NBA championship in 2016.
Damon Jones, the former NBA player and Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach indicted with Terry Rozier and four others in November on federal charges of conspiring to rig NBA outcomes and peddle inside information, has requested a hearing with the Eastern District of New York to change his plea.
Jones pleaded not guilty in November to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and two counts of money laundering, but ESPN reported at the time that he was already in discussions for a plea deal. His plea hearing is scheduled for April 28 in Brooklyn.
Jones’ attorney, Kenneth Montgomery, told ABC News in New York, however, that his client is “not cooperating” with prosecutors against his co-conspirators, who also pleaded not guilty. Jones is the first of the group to request a change of plea.
Jones accused of dealing non-public tidbit
Jones is accused of providing non-public information from his league contacts so that gamblers could make more informed bets on NBA games than the general public. Specifically, he’s accused of providing information that LeBron James would not play in a Feb. 9, 2023, game against Milwaukee. Jones is alleged to have texted to gamblers: “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat.”
James is not named in the charging documents, but he was the only rostered player not to dress against the Bucks, who won, 115-106.
Federal prosecutors will file documents by next week updating which charges will have a change of plea.
Jones is also named as a co-conspirator in the so-called “rigged poker” case in the Eastern District of New York where sports celebrities including then-Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups were allegedly used to lure in high-value players to scam. Jones pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges in that case.
Rozier, who was waived by the Miami Heat last week, has pleaded not guilty and asked for a dismissal.
Apr 15, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) reacts after a score against the Orlando Magic during the fourth quarter of a play-in round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
It’s only natural for most people to not want to fix what they don’t believe is broken. It’s also fairly natural to suspect ulterior motives in any new plan or scheme. While those questions are worth asking, it seems clear to me that if the answer was not to change anything, ever, we’d still be living in caves with dinosaurs.
There is something to be said for novelties, even those with a profit motive of some sort, that succeed. I would argue that the NBA Play In system has succeeded. I understand some people have a need for a certain sort of mental tidiness, or a desire to make accomplishments more meaningful. The NBA’s play in games would seem to go against both things. Is a number seven seed in or out? Why does the 10th ranked team get a shot at a playoff series?
For the mental tidiness people, well, it’s a bit untidy not knowing exactly who the bottom ranked playoff teams will be, but there’s an upside to be gained in giving the teams that were not in the Play In more rest after the regular season. The system itself is also pretty easy to understand, and once you get how it works, it ceases to be untidy, just uncertain. If you are the sort that wants to get rid of all uncertainty in life, well, good luck with that.
There’s also hope for teams that say lose a crucial player for part of the season to be found in the Play In. They might still get into the playoffs, and create a better match up for the top teams, as opposed to ritual execution found in the typical 1v8 match up.
That goes for the sense of accomplishment argument people, too. Don’t want to keep playing games after the regular season, and before the Real Playoffs begin? Win more games. I believe the Play In bracket produces more incentive to win, for good teams, rather than less. A playoff team is guaranteed at least four post season games. A play in team is guaranteed nothing.
There’s something else the Play In offers while we wait for the more successful teams to being their playoffs: fun. These games are the NBA’s way of partaking in the chaotic fun of the NCAA Tournament. It’s one and done for a couple of teams. Their season ends with a loss. We saw some amazing games in that regard, played with real intensity and fire. The Hornets vs Heat game was a true battle, and a ton of fun to watch. It went to overtime, and we saw all kinds of intense things, including potentially dirty play, surprisingly not from Miami. Also, more shockingly, LaMelo Ball coming through in the clutch. Who would have predicted that?
In the end, that’s why most of us are watching basketball, right? To see great competition in a game we love? To see a spectacle?
The Play In, for all it’s gimmickry has worked, if the goal is fun. It’s easy to sneer, because it’s not how things were, but it’s easier to love something that can bring if not joy, then entertainment to the end of the season. There is not some law of the universe that the stricter the playoff system is, the better it is. There might be some logical contradictions, but the goal of sport is not to achieve logical consistency, at least as I see it.
That said, I’d much rather the Rockets be in the playoffs, not the Play In. Too much uncertainty in the Play In.
On another note, I’d say the play in may not have entirely (or sadly, largely) accomplished one of its goals, to curtail tanking, but it has brought fun to the league. Playing for stakes of some sort brings more fire, more interest, to competitions, generally. That’s why tanking is so bad, to me. Sure, it’s rational, but if we’re watching sports for their pure rationality, we might be missing the point. Or one might be better served watching competitive chess. Further, tanking, however you choose to define it, destroys intensity, destroys the idea of stakes in a contest. A tanking team isn’t so much playing basketball, as it is playing lottery ball odds, which might loom over a season, but are not part of the competition in any immediate sense. We’ve seen what immediacy does for a single game, with the play in. Tanking does the opposite, but spread, depressingly, across a season. A teams’ reward for tanking might be heaven, but their actual games are hell, as we well know.
Because winning, keeping a season alive, is possible in the play in, teams go all out. The stakes are real. Tanking is the opposite, it destroys in game stakes, and competition, and that’s why it must be ended, somehow, some way. We can expend a lot of words on what the best way to do that is, and maybe there isn’t a best way, as any system has trade offs built in. The NBA is going to do something in the off season. I’m sure we’ll discuss it when it happens. Anything, though, that is in favor of good basketball, in favor of striving to win, instead of working to lose, has to be better for the game of basketball, and the NBA.
Damon Jones, the former NBA player and assistant coach arrested as part of two federal illegal gambling probes around the NBA, is expected to change his plea to guilty, according tomultiple reports. He would be the first person to plead guilty in these cases.
At the request of Jones' attorneys, a change-of-plea hearing is scheduled for May 6 in Brooklyn federal court, the Associated Press reports.
These changes are part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, although the details of that deal are not public.
Jones was the one NBA figure tied to both parts of the federal probe that led to more than 30 arrests. Jones had been charged with wire fraud and money laundering in relation to both cases: One, that he provided sports bettors (with mafia ties) non-public information about injuries to key players such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis (Jones, a former teammate of LeBron, was not on the Lakers staff but did work out LeBron pregame); second, that he profited and helped draw players into rigged poker games.
In that same sweep, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested as part of the federal probe for allegedly providing sports bettors with information that he would not meet prop bet numbers in certain games. Former Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was arrested for allegedly being the "face" who helped draw people to the rigged poker games. Both men have pled not guilty.
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 31: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers smiles during the game against the Detroit Pistons on January 31, 2024 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The city of Cleveland has fallen in love with Donovan Mitchell. It seems the feeling is mutual, as the seven-time All-Star once again opened up about his time in the land.
“I love Cleveland,” Mitchell told The Athletic. “I’ve said it before: I want to play here for as long as I can.”
Mitchell is on contract until the 2027-28 NBA season, with a player option that he’s likely to exercise in 2027. The Cavs have an incentive to extend him as soon as possible, and he’ll be eligible for another max payday when that time comes.
“The goal is to win — as long as we’re continuing to win at the highest level,” said Mitchell. “But I love it, man. It’s a place that I feel like I can call home, you know what I mean? And I feel good. My fiancée feels good about it.”
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It certainly bodes well for the Cavs that Mitchell appears to be happy in Cleveland. He’s proven he can raise their floor significantly in the regular season and potentially gives them a championship-caliber season.
Even with all of the injuries this year, Cleveland finished 4th in the Eastern Conference with 52 wins for just the ninth time in franchise history. Mitchell’s 27.9 points per game made that possible.
The Cavs start their playoff journey on Saturday with a first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. If both Mitchell and the Cavs want to justify another long-term commitment to each other, then success in the upcoming postseason will be a good place to start.
Rewatch the Lakers’ pair of wins over the Rockets in Houston from just a month ago and you’ll witness back-to-back brilliant offensive showings from Luka Doncic, in addition to important supporting moments on both ends of the floor from Austin Reaves.
During the regular season, the Lakers had LeBron James and Luka Doncic in the lineup against the Rockets. That won’t be the case at the beginning of the first-round NBA playoff series. NBAE via Getty Images
This is why the regular-season matchups between the Lakers and Rockets, which the Lakers won 2-1, are difficult — but not impossible — to learn from entering the first-round playoff series.
The Lakers saw different versions of the Rockets each time they played:
A fully healthy Houston squad (minus Fred VanVleet, who’s been sidelined the entire season after tearing his right ACL during an offseason workout) on Dec. 25;
The Rockets without Adams and All-Star big man Alperen Sengun on March 16;
And a Houston team without Adams and Jae’Sean Tate on March 18 – which is as close to the version of the Rockets the Lakers are expected to see in Saturday’s Game 1 at Crypto.com Arena.
But each version of the Lakers that the Rockets played against featured Doncic, Reaves and LeBron James in the starting lineup — which won’t be the case Saturday. Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Reaves (left oblique strain) are out “indefinitely” after suffering their regular-season-ending injuries April 2.
So, the ball-screen-heavy offense led by Doncic and Reaves that the Rockets had to battle against in the three regular-season matchups?
It’s been replaced by an offense that’s more reliant on off-ball screens to create advantages.
The combined 47.4 points and 11.7 assists Doncic and Reaves combined to average in the three games against the Rockets, including 52.5 points and 13.5 assists in the games Reaves finished after leaving midway through the Dec. 25 matchup because of a calf injury, have been distributed throughout the roster.
Rockets big man Alperen Sengun (left) didn’t play against the Lakers on March 16. NBAE via Getty Images
“We’re going to lean on everybody; it’s going to be balanced,” Marcus Smart said. “We’re going to lean on [Deandre Ayton] a lot, we’re going to LeBron, myself, Rui [Hachimura], obviously, Luke [Kennard], those guys, and it’s going to take everybody. It’s a different style of play, and I think that’s something that Houston isn’t prepared for, or are going to try to prepare for because they haven’t seen us without those guys. They’ve always played us with them, so they always have a matchup and game plan for them. It’ll be interesting to see how they play us without them.”
Even though the Lakers aren’t as talented without Doncic and Reaves, they’ll also be unfamiliar entering Game 1.
The Rockets only played against the version of the Lakers that featured James averaging just 13.3 field- goal attempts (leading to an efficient 22 points) and four assists as he picked his spots while Doncic led the way with carrying the offensive load. Not the version of James who averaged 17.5 shot attempts (25.5 points) and 11 assists in his final four regular-season games as the No. 1 option with Doncic and Reaves sidelined.
Kennard averaged 6.4 assists in the final five games, in addition to 12.2 points, after having a combined five points and three assists in the two games he played against the Rockets.
The Lakers went from one of the teams making the fewest passes per game (269.7; 27th) to top 10 in passing (296.2; 10th) without Doncic and Reaves.
Their assist percentage (the percentage of field goals that were assisted) spiked from 60.6% in the first 77 games (22nd) to 76.2% in the final five games (second).
Rockets’ Durant dunks the ball as James defends on March 18. AP
The Lakers are worse off without Doncic and Reaves.
But they’re also less familiar. Which, at least for a game or moments within games, can work to their advantage.
“They got guys that can step up and fill some of those roles they were missing,” Kevin Durant told reporters in Houston. “Obviously, missing two of the best players in the league is tough to make up for. But they got guys that can come in and make a huge impact. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
The Lakers will still have to work through issues — some familiar and some not.
A familiar one: How will they manage the defensive glass against a Rockets team that led the league in offensive rebounding?
An unfamiliar one: How will they try to create offensive advantages against a Rockets defense that’s less likely to hedge or blitz ball screens without Doncic and Reaves on the floor?
The regular-season matchups provided some clues, while also making it clear the playoff series will be unfamiliar territory for both teams.
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 1: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes up to block a shot against the LA Clippers on November 1, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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 2023 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
With the Lakers set to begin their playoff run, now is a perfect time as any to unpack a question that’s nearly as old as basketball itself…
What matters more: offense or defense?
There are clichés such as “offense wins games and defense wins championships” that have been used for ages, but what’s the actual answer?
Modern offenses push the pace of play and shoot more threes each year, making it feel like offense is king. This decade, Nikola Jokić has won three MVP Awards because of his offense. There is no defense, no matter how elite, that has figured out a way to stop Steph Curry.
At the highest levels, it’s starting to feel like the best defenses can’t measure up to the best offenses. However, coaches still view them as equally important.
“I think you need both,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “And there’s been three outliers in the last 25 years. I know the Lakers, I think it was ‘01, were a bottom-third defense, but they were number one in the playoffs. Really, Denver in ‘23 was the only team that had an average defense, and then they were average in the playoffs.”
In the regular season, the 2001 Lakers had the seventh-worst defense in the NBA, but improved to first in the playoffs. With a dramatically improved defense and the most dominant offensive force in Shaquille O’Neal, that LA team won it all, losing just one game in the postseason.
During the 2020s, 18 of the 24 teams that have reached the conference finals ranked in the top ten offensively. And three of the champions finished in the top five. The only two exceptions were the 2020 Lakers, who were 11th in offensive rating, and the 2022 Warriors, who were 16th.
However, in the postseason, both teams morphed into elite scoring machines. With an offensive rating of 115.6, no one was better on that end of the floor than LA in the bubble. Golden State was fourth in 2022 at 114.5.
The defensive numbers for title contenders in this era have been high as well. During the 2020s, 14 of the 24 teams that have reached the conference finals were top-10 in defensive rating. But four of the five NBA champions were in the top five. As Redick mentioned, the only outlier was the 2023 Nuggets, who were 15th.
The Lakers will play the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, and head coach Ime Udoka discussed the balance between offense and defense before the Christmas Day matchup against the Lakers earlier this season.
“For us, we try to be balanced and we’re somewhere up in the top five area of both,” Udoka said. “I want to do that and that’s where you have the great balance, great scoring, but you need to have the versatile of pieces to do it.
“I think we have a ton of defenders, naturally. We talked about keeping our identity the last few years of being a high-level defensive team and improving on the offense, and I think we’ve done that.”
Udoka did keep his team near the top five in both categories. During the regular season, Houston had a defensive rating of 112.1, which ranked sixth in the league, and an offensive rating of 117.5, which ranked eighth in the NBA.
The Lakers finished with offensive and defensive ratings of 117.0 (10th) and 115.5 (20th), respectively. While that defensive rating for LA is discouraging and perhaps an indicator that they are not at the level needed to win, they did improve as the season went along.
Post All-Star break, their defensive rating was 113.4, good for 14th in the league. That’s still not ideal as a top-10 defense seems to be the standard for a Conference Finals appearance, but it’s progress.
For the Lakers to have postseason success, they’ll need to figure out how to elevate their play in both categories. And there are subcategories they need to improve on that will help them find success. Redick has mentioned wanting to improve their rebounding and turnovers in their series against Houston.
Based on how the 2020s have gone so far, it seems a top-10 offense is more likely to get you deep in the playoffs, but an elite defense is necessary to win it all.
So, the answer to what matters more between defense and offense is still a combination of both.
“I grew up in San Antonio, believing in and knowing that defense wins championships,” Pelicans head coach James Borrego said. “We always hung our hat on that end of the floor and I still believe that.
“But I think it’s a balance of both, and really leaning into the strength of your roster is where you need to lean. Every roster is built differently. Some’s a little bit more offensive. Some’s a little bit more defensive. To me, the best teams maximize the roster, though. They lean into the strength of their players and how they play together.”
If there is one thing Redick has done well, it is maximizing his team’s potential. He’s had back-to-back 50-win seasons with very different rosters and with major shake-ups midseason.
In the playoffs, with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves out indefinitely, he has to figure out how to balance both and get offensive production without his starting backcourt and come up with a defensive plan to stop Kevin Durant, who is one of the best scorers the league has ever seen.
It won’t be easy, but to have a long postseason run, the Lakers will have to find new solutions offensively and come up with enough defensive stops to make a run.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 06: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks drives against Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena on April 06, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Just two days remain until the beginning of the Knicks’ playoff journey against the Atlanta Hawks, and there are a lot of compelling storylines with this series.
While the Knicks are favored, national pundits believe this series will be among the closer ones in the first round of the NBA playoffs, so what do the Knicks need to do to silence the critics and get to Round 2 unscathed?
Controlling the Pace
There are inherent, stylistic differences between the Knicks and Hawks that will be apparent throughout the series.
The Knicks, despite their head coach being hired to increase the pace, remain a half-court-based offense that prefers to take its time to find the best shot. The head of the snake, Jalen Brunson, crosses half court with 16 on the shot clock every possession. 10.7 percent of their shot attempts are with four or fewer seconds on the shot clock, which is fifth in basketball. They’ve found a way to be a top-five offense with this strategy, so they haven’t tried to change it.
Compare that to Atlanta, which is fifth in the NBA in pace and will often try to sprint up the court regardless of how the previous possession ended to get into the frontcourt with 20 on the shot clock. The stylistic difference can be described best with this:
Percent of shot attempts with 4 and 7 or fewer seconds on the shot clock: Knicks: 10.7%, 21.6% Hawks: 7.7%, 13.3%
Percent of shots with at least 15 on the shot clock: Knicks: 32.3% Hawks: 41.6%
The Knicks take their time, the Hawks want to run. The Hawks are third in fastbreak points with 18.1, while the Knicks are 14th. Whoever is able to play their game will have a massive advantage in this series.
We saw this with the Pacers the last two seasons. The Knicks let them play to their pace and struggled mightily. The Knicks are vulnerable in transition defensively, but are able to sink their teeth in once they get in the halfcourt. The Knicks are the second-most efficient offense when it comes to shooting “grenades”, while the Hawks are middle-of-the-pack. They thrive when they have to make tough shots.
— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) April 7, 2026
If the Knicks can hold down the Hawks in transition like they did down the stretch of these teams’ most recent meeting earlier this month, they’ll have a lot of success in this series.
Containing Nickeil Alexander-Walker
The easiest way an underdog can pull off an upset is a breakout performance that puts the league on notice. There aren’t many players capable of doing this on the Hawks, and as good as Jalen Johnson is, he isn’t a threat to average 30 for a series.
Alexander-Walker could be. The cousin of reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he left the shadows of Anthony Edwards in Minnesota and has done his best Jalen Brunson impression in thriving for his new team. He should win Most Improved Player and he showed what he can do when everything is clicking earlier this month against the Knicks:
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) April 7, 2026
It wasn’t your typical “leave a role player open, and he makes you pay”; he was cooking on some high-difficulty shots. If the Hawks have any chance in this series, he needs to be going shot-for-shot with Brunson and not be sitting in the corner down the stretch, which is part of the reason the Hawks melted down late in the early April matchup.
Dominate the Paint
This one is pretty clear. One team has Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the other has Onyeka Okongwu and Tony Bradley. The Hawks just effectively ruled out Jock Landale for the series, so there’s no reinforcements coming for an overmatched Atlanta center rotation.
Towns has had two efficient and dominant games against the Hawks this season and Okongwu has had absolutely no answer for him. While they could switch a wing onto Towns and put Okongwu on Josh Hart, that won’t work out well for them if Towns is assertive with the ball in his hands. As for Robinson, the Hawks will need to put several bodies on him to keep him off the glass, but that might not even be enough.
If there is one thing that Mitchell Robinson will do, it's grab contested rebounds and make your favorite team's bigs feel small…
On that note, the Hawks are bigger than the Knicks pretty much everywhere else but center, so the Knicks will need Robinson and Towns to gobble up boards and not let one of Atlanta’s wings pick up loose balls and run out in transition.
The NBA's 65-game rule, forcing players to play in at least 65 regular season games in order to be eligible for end-of-season awards, has received mixed reviews from fans and players.
Several fans believe it incentivizes stars to play in games, creating a better product for people in attendance. Others believe such a rule being implemented while individual players may have clauses in their contracts that offer bonuses for earning end-of-season awards creates a system that hurts players for situations that often are out of their control, such as injuries or family emergencies.
Well, it appears the NBA has heard these complaints and is making an adjustment.
Although neither the Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham nor the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic played in 65 regular season games, both have been reinstated for end-of-season awards.
Just in: The NBA and NBPA have ruled in favor of Lakers' Luka Doncic and Pistons' Cade Cunningham on their Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge for the 65-game award rule, making both eligible for all 2025-26 season honors such as MVP and All-NBA teams, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/gUYdUn1q4k
The NBA announced that Cunningham (63 games played) would be exempt "due in part to missing 12 games as a result of a collapsed lung that was diagnosed on March 17." Meanwhile Doncic (64 games played) earned exemption "due in part to missing two games to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia."
Here's what to know.
Will these exemption keep up moving forward?
The decisions to re-implement both Doncic and Cunningham came as part of the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) under the "extraordinary circumstances provision."
However, the league did not reveal what exactly constitutes an extraordinary circumstance, only that both Cunningham and Doncic applied.
That said, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards didn't receive an exemption. Edwards played in 60 games — or 61 when counting the game where he played only three minutes, which the league did not count — and filed "an extraordinary circumstances challenge under the CBA, seeking award eligibility before an independent arbitrator."
Why was Anthony Edwards denied?
Edwards missed 11 of the Timberwolves' final 14 games this season while dealing with a right knee injury. Furthermore, several of those games missed were in an effort to ensure Edwards would be good to go for the playoffs.
Edwards also missed time due to hamstring issues and illnesses earlier in the season.
Despite this, Edwards still played 2,137 minutes on the season, more than other players who are qualified for end-of-season awards like Kawhi Leonard, Victor Wembanyama and LaMelo Ball.
Will Doncic, Cunningham win any awards?
While neither player is likely to win MVP, both players will likely be named to All-NBA teams, which qualify under the 65-game rule. Edwards will not be eligible.
Edwards' ineligibility actually hurts his future. An All-NBA selection for Edwards would have ensured the 24-year-old supermax contract eligibility when he is eligible for a new contract in the 2027 offseason. While Edwards can still earn his third all-NBA bid next season, it puts added pressure on him to succeed. Furthermore, there is also the possibility that another injury forces him out of significant time next season, which could yet again cost him another All-NBA selection.
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 15: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors wears NBA on prime playmaker chain while talking to the media after the game against the LA Clippers on April 15, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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 Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr didn’t need many words to convey what Stephen Curry did on Wednesday night.
After the Warriors kept their season alive with a 126-121 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the Play-In Tournament, Kerr’s postgame message said everything about Curry’s performance, and why it mattered so much for the superstar point guard to play again this season.
"This is why Steph came back."
Steve Kerr shared a blunt message to the people who wanted Steph Curry to sit out the rest of the season pic.twitter.com/mdTBjC0BeK
For weeks, there was outside noise suggesting Golden State should shut Curry down as he worked his way back from a knee injury that sidelined him for 27 games to close the regular season. Instead, he delivered the exact kind of performance that made that idea look foolish, finishing with a game-high 35 points to lead the Warriors to a comeback win when the team needed him the most.
Draymond Green — who had an excellent night himself on the defensive end — echoed Kerr’s sentiment, pointing to Curry’s presence as the key difference in high-pressure moments like this.
"When Steph's on the floor, you always have a chance."
Kerr gave a postgame speech to the team in the locker room, stating that it was one of his favorite wins of this Warriors run that has lasted longer than a decade.
Kerr’s coaching future is uncertain. The 37 wins were the second-fewest in his 12-season tenure. The core is aging. Injuries caught up this year. But Kerr felt they’d turned back the clock for a night to remind the world what they were in their prime.
“There’s a reason we have four championships,” Kerr said. “With all the wins we’ve ever had here — a lot of them with a lot more at stake – this is right up there. Just because of where we are and our age and the decline of our performance this year and our injuries. It was just a beautiful display of competitive will.”
“I had flashbacks to Game 1 in the ’22 Finals,” Curry said, referencing when Horford, then a member of the Boston Celtics, racked up 26 points and hit six 3-pointers in a win over Curry and the Warriors. “Because it was just like that, where all of a sudden — he was 0-for-3 at one point from 3, and then he hits the first one. It was just a sign of how confident he was shooting it. There was no hesitation, there was no doubt. There was just ‘I’m open. I’ll shoot it.’”
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, V.J. Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers weathered the absence of Joel Embiid to beat the Orlando Magic 109-97 on Wednesday night and secure the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Desmond Bane and the Magic aren’t done yet. They will host Charlotte on Friday night in the SoFi Play-In Tournament finale, with the winner earning the No. 8 seed in the East and a first-round matchup with Detroit.
The NBA is fining Charlotte's LaMelo Ball $35,000 for his trip of Miami's Bam Adebayo and upgrading the action to a Flagrant, plus fining him $25,000 for cursing postgame, sources tell ESPN.
Porziņģis looked like his All-Star self in this game. He had numerous highlight defensive plays, single-handedly ending multiple Clippers possessions that looked like easy buckets. He was a walking bucket, scoring from all over the court, largely within the system but also taking matters into his own hands when it was needed. And he had some passes that made your eyes pop wide open.
It was a complete — and completely excellent — performance. And it left no doubt as to whether or not the Warriors will make re-signing Porziņģis a priority this coming offseason.
Grade: A+
Follow@unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
Victor Wembanyama
Cade Cunningham
Alperen Sengun (+8000 at bet365)
Mikal Bridges (+20000 at bet365)
