Category: Basketball

Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.

Fantable Questions of the Week

Q1: What’s your opinion on the performance of this year’s team?

Diamondhacks: I saw a very motivated and impressive-looking collection of individual performances from a decidedly less impressive roster. Six of nine rotational pieces posted career best (or comparable) seasons, which falls somewhere between a positive and astonishing organizational accomplishment. (Even Ryan Dunn, often perceived as stagnant or in Ott’s doghouse, performed measurably better than he did last year.)

The three non-career years were Booker, whose .507 eFG% was his worst in nearly a decade, but he mitigated that by getting to the line more than ever and was still credibly our most valuable player. You’d never project codgers like Royce or Grayson to deliver career years, but both still made significant contributions (5th and 7th in Win Shares) despite injury and even a few exaggerated reports of death.

Ashton: When I was a kid, I devoured any book written by Stephen King. Writing as Richard Bachman, “The Long Walk” is what comes to mind about the Sun’s season in a very dystopian ending.

It is not how you start the marathon but how you end it. And in the case of the protagonist who did win while limping with bloody feet and feeling of despair against a counterpart that would not quit (if you fall below a 4 MPH – you get shot). If you want summer reading, go for it.

The protagonist was limping into the postseason with no real chance of even stealing a game. Had the Suns won against Portland, I think they could have stolen a game or maybe even two while Oso goes home at night, crying in the shower, after getting “Wembied”.

Flowers for the first three months of basketball. The rest of the season was a slog that was hard to watch. And the Thunder is unstoppable.

OldAz: This one is easy. Not only did this year’s team overachieve by making the playoffs, they bettered last season’s record and put on a far more entertaining and competitive basketball. All of these fulfilled the promises Matt Ishbia made before the season and certainly went a long way to justify the front office moves last off season (despite the MSU jokes). I especially like the emphasis on defense and ball movement early in the season becoming the identify of the team.

Rod: In a word, they were phenomenal…especially in respect to the preseason expectations. Yes, the team faded somewhat toward the end of the year, but I really think that was largely due to them starting off the season playing games with a playoff intensity that eventually wore them down. I especially believe that’s what caused Gillespie’s drop off in production late in the season.

With even a lessening of the injuries that they suffered through, I believe they would have wound up an even better team near the end of the season. Not just because of the minutes lost due to injury, but due much to the necessity of having numerous players in and out of the lineups, which stalled the development of on-court chemistry.

I know a lot of fans are hoping for some big changes through trades this summer but I’m presently on the side of wanting to mostly run it back while making some smaller moves to, hopefully, make improvements in specific areas…such as adding more size. But adding size without talent will not solve anything which makes that more difficult than some may think. While it’s true that you can’t teach height, it also doesn’t matter how tall a traffic cone is.

Q2: What’s your opinion on the performance of rookie head coach Jordan Ott?

Diamondhacks: When a mediocre roster led by three overrated and oft-injured “stars” vastly exceeds industry expectations, the coach probably has something to do with it. And when essential parts of this wildly overachieving band of brothers methodically break down, like the 1975 Ford Granada they closely resemble, I don’t reflexively blame the coach.

I know what The Unhappies want. They want a coach who doesn’t play so small, who always has a 7 footer out there – even two at a time if possible. A more traditional coach, with a crustier demeanor who gets teed off and teed up, who plays younger guys like Ryan Dunn or Rasheer Fleming for balance, rebounding, defense, the American Way, and The Wins We Rightly Deserve That Were Stolen From Us By Jordan Ott! So, I know what they want. Just be careful what you ask for. Because his name is “Mike Budenholzer”.

Ashton: Surprisingly good for the first half of the season. I was among his detractors that a first-year rookie head coach could not handle an NBA locker room. Turns out that nobody could handle an NBA locker room that included Booker, Beal, and Durant.

So, he gets a passing grade from me. Let’s see what he does with the returning young talent next season. This is an easy meet and exceeds expectations for the HC.

OldAz: This one is tougher. I constantly have to remind myself to try and filter my comments on art through the lens of him being a rookie head coach. They started the season so well early, and Ott gets almost all of the credit in my book for the focus on defensive effort & energy and ball movement the offensive end. He played deep into his bench with two-way and minimum players and effectively mixed them in to create a solid identity of the team that resulted in a very entertaining brand of basketball. He also gets some credit in my book for his handling of the rookies early in the season and making them earn their playing time and splitting time in the G league to do that.

However, the late season criticism is also fair because a lot of of the elements that made the team successful in the first half of the season seemed to disappear, including the consistent, defensive intensity, the ball movement and the deep bench. Specifically on the last point, Ott told us repeatedly that he was shortening the bench because that’s what you do in the playoffs (why?). He also often said that “everything was on the table” but then made almost no actual adjustments. He was also the one who consistently put out lineups with a center surrounded by 4 undersized players when Brooks got hurt and stuck with that gameplan after a brooks returned. Despite these lineups getting abused by middle of the pack power forward and center combinations, Ott never adjusted back to using a deeper bench where additional bigger players could be found. This is especially true after Maluach and Fleming showed that they were capable of contributing.

Grading on the curve of a rookie coach, I still give Ott a high grade (B or B+ maybe). I would much prefer if the halves of the season were reversed and he struggled early and adjusted to the more effective options in the late half of the year. But overall, I still give credit for changing the culture and effort put forth by the team. These did not wane later in the season. Based on this alone, I am happy with the hire and look forward to seeing if he comes back next season with some introspection and big picture adjustments going into his sophomore season.

Rod: I’ve heard Ott called stubborn (and a lot worse things) often for playing small lineups as well as not giving the rookies more time, but I suspect he more likely subscribes to the belief that you should just play your best players. I think he did that mostly regardless of the size of the lineups. Whether he was right or wrong in some of his decisions is, of course, debatable, but he also wasn’t dealt the best hand in the game from the get-go.

Maybe he wasn’t flexible enough, but he always played talent and players who played hard. For that, he earned my respect and, from everything I’ve heard, that of the players as well. He wasn’t perfect but I think he was a really good fit for this team and I’m more than willing to give him time to grow and hopefully progress as the Suns’ head coach.

Q3: In general, what do you see as the most important things for Brian Gregory and the Suns to attempt to accomplish this offseason?

Diamondhacks: We saw what this group could do with a healthy, athletic and skilled NBA center, and we saw what they did without one. Centers with those attributes aren’t easy to acquire or cultivate, but they can cover up a lot of other roster problems. Which we have – and will likely have for a while.

Ashton: Dang Rod, How many generalist questions do we have here? I will not go essay hunting, yet.

First, send all the players to the Japanese hot springs to heal their wounds (a nod to anime – I have nothing else to watch except the D-Backs). And then replace the medical team and training staff.

Second, nail the 47th pick of the draft. This is a big ask as historic numbers of under classmen are returning for college NIL. And the good bigs in college are going for NIL record numbers. If you only follow NBA and not college, you will see where this is intertwined. NBA needs to raise their salaries for second rounders.

Third. There will be discussions around what Suns tradable assets actually exist. I assume most talks will revolve around RO and GA, or some combination thereof. But for whom? And I think the Suns need to stay below the luxury tax for another season. No need to go into that territory unless the deal is too good to be true.

BG is going have a hard time in front of him without a bunch of assets to work with. The Suns have painted themselves into a corner and I do not expect that to change next season. The chatter has already begun on how to fix an imbalanced and smaller team, but hard decisions will be have to be made with all the UFAs, RFAs, and extensions coming up.

Basically, Brian is not going to Cancun with Brooks anytime soon.

OldAz: The easy answer is that the team needs more length and athleticism. However, we don’t know the full impact of the length and athleticism that Maluach and Fleming can provide. Still, these are items you can never have enough of in the modern NBA so I still think this needs to be the focus for Gregory. If a deal materializes to move Green and his salary for a similar front court player, then I think he needs to explore it (I won’t even go down the road of trading Booker, as that is inconceivable for many reasons). However, such a large move would completely change the this answer depending on that deal.

So barring any big move, I think Gregory needs to explore moving Allen and or O’Neale for actual forwards (size, length, athleticism) that would slot in about the same place in a lineup (capable of starting or significant contributions off the bench). After that, I think it needs to be a priority to resigning the three free agents from this year because of what they bring: Gillespie, Goodwin and Williams.

Rod: First and foremost is the decision on the direction the team takes moving forward financially. They made a conscious effort to get below the luxury tax threshold in 2025-26 but, unless they do it again this coming season, they would still have to pay the repeater taxes again if they go over that threshold this year. I believe Mat Ishbia won’t hesitate to do it IF he’s convinced the team has the potential to be even better this year if he keeps his wallet open. I don’t think it’s a matter of spending like crazy as he did in the past though, just a willingness to pay some taxes again rather than possibly take a step or two backward just to avoid paying luxury taxes.

Re-signing Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Mark Williams without going over the tax threshold won’t likely be possible without some cost cutting measures elsewhere, such as trading away some other players that bring back much less salary in return…and that’s more easily said than done with so many teams now trying to avoid going over the tax aprons like the plague. I won’t say it can’t be done but I do doubt that any such move by the Suns will actually improve the team significantly and might even be a backwards step.

Whether they decide to largely keep this team together for 2026-27 or make some moves to significantly reshape the roster, how they will go about doing either of those things will be greatly influenced by that 1st decision.

As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!

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Quotes of the Week

“I appreciate Coach Ott for giving me that leeway to explore the basketball floor.” – Dillon Brooks

“From the starting five to the bench, every single person comes in and does something special for us.” – Jalen Green

“I think we brought a new life. After not making the playoffs last year, we exceeded everyone else’s expectations, but not ours. We still have some learning to do.” – Devin Booker

“I’m glad that we got that foundation and now it’s time to grow.” – Oso Ighodaro

Losing is never easy, but I feel really good today about our team and am already thinking about where we go from here.” – Mat Ishbia

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Suns Trivia/History

On May 3, 2019, the Suns hired Monty Williams as Head Coach. In his 1st season he would lead the Suns to a much improved regular season record, the now historic 8-0 run in The Bubble, and just missed making it to the NBA’s new playin tournament. In his second season, he would lead the team back to the NBA Finals for just the 3rd time in franchise history.

On May 4, 2006, with time running out and the Suns down by three points, Tim Thomas hit a buzzer beating 3-pointer to send game 6 of the Suns’ first round playoff series with the Lakers into overtime. The Suns out scored the Lakers 21-13 in OT to win the game, tie up the series 3-3 and send it back to Phoenix where the Suns sent the Lakers packing for the season with a 121-90, 31-point blowout win.

Kobe Bryant was literally 10 seconds away from sending the Suns packing.

What happens next still haunts LA fans: a chaotic scramble, a missed three by Steve Nash, a devastating offensive rebound, and then Tim Thomas buries the dagger to save the Suns' season. pic.twitter.com/mq4zuoxhME

— OLDSKOOLBBALL (@oldskoolbballx) April 29, 2026

On May 6, 1968, the Suns acquired their first player during the NBA Expansion Draft, selecting 6-5 guard Dick Van Arsdale from New York. Van Arsdale is still affectionately known as “The Original Sun.”

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Important Future Dates

Mid-June (date TBD) – Teams can begin negotiating with their own free agents (following the Finals)
June 23 – NBA Draft First Round, 8 ET (ABC/ESPN)
June 24 – NBA Draft Second Round, 8 ET (ESPN)
June 30 – Free agency begins
July 6 – Moratorium ends, official free agent contract signings can begin
July 9-19 – NBA 2K Summer League 2026 in Las Vegas

Austin Reaves returned for the Lakers, but even the star guard’s presence didn’t stop the team’s offensive struggles.

Their scoring woes continued during Wednesday’s Game 5 home loss to the Rockets, dropping back-to-back games, after taking a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

And their offensive production and efficiency have regressed in each game, with the Lakers continuing to search for answers on how to turn things around entering a pivotal Game 6 on Friday in Houston.

“I mean, it helps when shots go in,” said Reaves, who scored 22 points in the 99-93 loss Wednesday. “I know [LeBron James] had probably three or four [shots] in the first half that went in and out. I missed two easy layups, I missed two or three good looks from 3, one little midrange. You make shots, you miss shots.”

There’s a lot of truth to what Reaves said.

The Lakers started the series on a heater, making a combined 46.1% of their 3-pointers (35 of 76) in Games 1-3 compared with the Rockets’ 28.7% shooting on 3s (29 of 101).

But the Lakers have cooled off significantly.

They shot a combined 24.5% from beyond the arc (12 of 49) in their losses in Games 4-5, including 25.9% (7 of 27) in Game 5, while the Rockets shot a combined 37.1% on 3s (26 of 70) in those games.

The Lakers went from making wide-open 3s at a better rate than floaters to struggling to knock down even the easy looks.

A fact that encapsulates the Lakers’ current shooting struggles: Rockets wing Amen Thompson, who’s shot 21.9% on 3s for his career in the regular season, made just as many 3s (two) in Game 5 as Reaves, James and Luke Kennard combined in Game 5.

Reaves shot 2 of 8 on 3s, while James went 0 of 6 and Kennard missed both of his 3-point attempts.

Kennard, in particular, has struggled.

After scoring a combined 64 points on 55.3% shooting (52.9% on 3s) in the first three games, he’s scored just eight points (25% shooting, 0 of 5 on 3s) in the last two, including one point in Game 5. 

“We had some opportunities to make some shots we didn’t make,” James said. “Obviously, they were generating good shots. As much as we got to defend, you also got to score in this game, too. I don’t think we did that at a good rate, especially in the second and the third.”

Even though the Lakers’ 15 turnovers in Game 5 tied for a series low, they’re still struggling with their ball security.

They have the worst turnover rate among teams in the playoffs (20.1%) entering Thursday, which is part of the reason they’re averaging 73.4 field-goal attempts and 25 3-point attempts through five games — both of which are the lowest marks among playoff teams. 

“Take care of basketball — we’ve been through this,” the Lakers’ Marcus Smart said. “We understand this team and how they play, and they’re very aggressive, and we got to take care of the basketball. Myself, I had six turnovers, and that’s unacceptable for me, especially with only two assists. Especially against this team. So we definitely got to take care of the ball. We got to do a better job, all of us, and collectively, and that’ll help us for sure.” 

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Whether the Lakers have found the solution to their struggles isn’t clear.

They scored 38 points in the second half of Game 3, needing a miraculous comeback to pull off the overtime victory, before totaling 96 points in Game 4 and a series-low 93 points in Game 5.

Their offensive rating and shooting efficiency have dipped in each game.

They continue to have a pattern of strong offensive starts before fading in each quarter. 

“We know what it is: We just got to make shots,” Smart said. “We got guys doing things, and we’re not giving ourselves a chance by turning the ball over, which we can’t get a shot up on the rim because of that. And that hurts anybody, no matter how good you are offensively, if you can’t get a shot up on the rim, that’s always going to hurt.”

Smart added: “We know what it takes. We got good plays. The game plan is right. The coaching staff [is] doing a good job of putting us into positions. We got to go out there and capitalize on the plays that we are [running] and make the best of them.”

The Lakers better hope that Smart is right, and that the shotmaking turns around in Game 6.

Because if not, they’ll return to Los Angeles for a Game 7 on Sunday, looking to avoid being a part of NBA history for the wrong reason.

When I previewed Ryan Nembhard back in October, the framing was modest by design. Pass-first guard. Two-way deal. Floor general in the margins. Best case: define his lane so clearly that the Mavericks couldn’t justify cycling him out of the roster. Worst case: blend into the background.

Six months later, he set the franchise’s rookie record for assists in a game with 23 against the Bulls in the season finale, breaking a mark his own head coach set in 1995. So we can dispense with the question of whether the season was a success. It was. The harder question, the one that lingers under the highlight reel, is what kind of NBA player he gets to be from here. Let’s walk through what actually happened.

Season Retrospective

Nembhard barely played in October. Two minutes here, ten there, sixteen against San Antonio in the opener. He was the fifth or sixth option in a backcourt rotation that included D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Williams, Dante Exum, and, for the first stretch of games as Jason Kidd performed what he believes was an unlocking maneuver, Cooper Flagg as the starting point guard.

The door cracked open on November 28 in Los Angeles. Nembhard scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 23 minutes against the Lakers. Three nights later in Denver, he became the first undrafted rookie since Stephon Marbury in 1996 to record 25 points and 10 assists with zero turnovers in a game: 28 points, 10 assists, 12-of-14 from the floor, 4-of-5 from deep. It was a coming-out party for the undrafted player.

The next month was the best stretch of his rookie year. Across thirteen December games he averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists on 48 percent shooting. He had 13 assists against Miami, 11 against Utah in an overtime loss, 7 in a one-point win over Denver before Christmas. The Mavericks went from a historically poor offensive team to something resembling functional, and the math wasn’t subtle: when Nembhard ran the show, the ball moved, the spacing made sense, and the finishers Dallas had stockpiled actually got clean looks.

Then the roster’s limits caught up to him.

Dallas was hard-capped at the second apron, which meant the front office couldn’t convert his two-way deal until January 6 at the earliest. Then the calendar started working against them anyway. Two-way players are limited to 50 NBA appearances, and Nembhard was burning through his allotment. By early February, the math was unmistakable: keep playing him and he’d hit the cap; sit him and let the conversion happen on the back end. Dallas chose patience. His last NBA appearance before the conversion was February 5 against the Spurs.

The conversion finally came on February 28. Tyus Jones, acquired in the Anthony Davis trade as point guard depth, was waived to clear the roster spot. Nembhard signed a two-year deal with a team option for 2026-27. The early Brandon Williams parallel from my preseason write-up, undrafted two-way guy plays his way onto a permanent contract, wasn’t aspirational anymore. It happened for Nembhard much the same way.

What happened next was murkier.

March was a rollercoaster. Williams had emerged as a real backup option. Flagg was getting more reps initiating the offense. Nembhard’s minutes contracted. There were four-minute appearances and five-minute appearances and outright DNP-CDs, including one against the Lakers. Facing a roster of Lakers wings none shorter than 6-foot-5, Kidd opted not to put him on the floor at all. The implication wasn’t subtle. Against certain matchups, his size becomes a problem the coaching staff can’t scheme around.

He still flashed: 12 assists with zero turnovers against Atlanta on March 18, 9 dimes against the Clippers on March 21 in overtime. But the role had narrowed, and the eye test started raising questions the December breakout had quieted.

April rebooted the workload. With Dallas closed out of any meaningful seeding race and the rotation fully thinned, Nembhard started every game and averaged 30 minutes. The finale against Chicago was a perfect storm. Flagg out after ten minutes with the ankle, the Bulls offering essentially zero defensive resistance, and Nembhard given the keys for a full 38 minutes against a defense that looked actively allergic to closeouts. He finished with 15 points, 23 assists, and 9 rebounds. Take the perfect storm out of it and the closing kick is still real. In his last three games before the Bulls, he posted 21 assists against just one turnover in 86 minutes.

For the season: 60 games, 27 starts, 6.6 points, 5.3 assists, 2.2 rebounds. Led all NBA rookies in assists per game. 316 total assists against 85 turnovers, a 3.7-to-1 ratio that would be impressive for a veteran and is borderline absurd for an undrafted rookie. He belongs in the league. Kidd said as much in his postgame after the finale, unprompted: “He belongs in this league.”

Outlook

So what is he, going forward?

The honest answer requires distinguishing between three different jobs. Can Ryan Nembhard be the entrenched long-term starting point guard for a team trying to win? Very unlikely. Not because of what he showed this year, but because of what the league has become. There were once a few smaller lead guards starting on serious teams. Now there’s basically one, and Trae Young (6’2) is now on the rebuilt Wizards, looking to contend. Young is carried by an offensive ceiling that Nembhard is unlikely to match. The size question doesn’t go away with development. Elite on-ball defenders look at a 5’11” point guard the way a pitcher looks at a hitter who can’t catch up to a fastball. They’ll keep throwing it until you prove you can.

Can he be a fifteen-minute-a-night contributor on a winning team? Maybe. The passing translates anywhere. The decision-making is real. The shot, 35.6% from three on the year and 44.4% in his starts, is functional enough that defenses can’t just sag off him. In the right ecosystem, with the right teammates around him, that’s a useful nightly piece.

Can he be a third point guard, on a standard contract instead of a two-way, on a team trying to compete? Almost certainly yes. That’s the floor, and it’s a floor most undrafted rookies never reach. Brandon Williams found that floor last year and turned it into a real role. Nembhard’s already cleared that bar.

The question of which version Dallas gets, or whether the answer is “none of them, here,” isn’t really one he controls. The Mavericks are about to hand the keys of the front office to someone new. That person inherits an audition tape. The Marbury game in Denver, the Mavericks rookie assist record, the absurd assist-to-turnover ratio, and also the DNPs against length-heavy lineups, the March stretches where the role evaporated, and the size question that won’t ever fully answer itself. Whoever’s reading that tape will decide whether Nembhard is a piece of what comes next or an asset that helps build it.

That’s just the cruel calculus of an undrafted guard who exceeded every modest expectation set for him and now has to clear a much higher bar to stick where he made his name.

What I’m certain of is this: on a Mavericks roster with very few feel-good stories this season, Ryan Nembhard was one. He showed up on uncertain nights and gave the team something it didn’t have anywhere else. He earned the contract. He earned the record. He earned the conversation.

Whatever the next chapter looks like, and wherever it gets written, the floor he established is real. The ceiling is the league’s to determine. And the guy in the middle of it, the 5’11” undrafted Canadian who led every rookie in the NBA in assists per game and broke his coach’s franchise record on the last night of the season, has earned the right to be evaluated honestly, not generously.

He belongs in the league. Now we find out what the next Mavericks GM does with that.

One of the features of the transfer portal is players from smaller schools and conferences get to prove themselves at the mid-major level and earn an opportunity to step up a level of competition.

Michigan's MVP Yaxel Lendeborg was a mid-major find from UAB. Oscar Cluff went from South Dakota State to Purdue and was a key cog for the Boilermakers. Robert Morris transfer Alvaro Folgueiras was a March star for Iowa.

WHO HAS BEST HAUL? College basketball transfer portal team rankings

LATEST INTEL: College basketball transfer portal 10 best players remaining

You get the idea.

So who is next in line to take their big game to a bigger stage?

Top mid-major players on the move in college basketball transfer portal

Cruz Davis, Texas Tech (Hofstra)

Texas Tech landed its Christian Anderson replacement in former Hofstra guard Cruz Davis, the CAA Player of the Year in 2026. Davis averaged 20.1 points with 4.7 assists last season, and was No. 37 in USA TODAY Sports' transfer portal player rankings before committing.

The Plano, Texas product fared well vs Power conference teams last season, scoring 17 vs. UCF, 36 vs. Pitt and 22 vs. Syracuse, and will be a key piece to Grant McCasland's Red Raiders reload without Anderson gone and JT Toppin coming back from an ACL injury.

Paulius Murauskas, Arizona State (Saint Mary’s)

The 6-8 Lithuanian was ranked No. 7 in USA TODAY Sports' portal player rankings after averaging 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for a 27-win Saint Mary’s team last season. Unsurprisingly, the first-team All-West Coast Conference pick followed former Gaels coach Randy Bennett to Arizona State, where he was hired to replace Bobby Hurley.

Alex Wilkins, Kentucky (Furman)

From a zero-star recruit to Big Blue Nation in the span of a year. Wilkins had a standout freshman season for the Southern Conference champions and led the league in field goals made. The 6-5 guard averaged a team-high 17.8 points and 4.7 assists per game. In the NCAA Tournament, the No. 28 player in USA TODAY Sports’ portal rankings showed he could compete against elite competition, scoring 21 points in a competitive game against eventual national runner-up UConn. With three years of eligibility, he’ll be more than just a quick rental, which will help Mark Pope try to find some much-needed stability in Lexington.

Ryan Sabol, Providence (Buffalo)

If Lundblade was one of the top available shooters in the portal, Sabol quite possibly was the top shooter available in the portal. Sabol's 3.8 made 3s per game were third-most in the nation, and he did so at 39.9% clip.

He averaged 18.8 points per game and had 14 games where he hit at least five 3-pointers. He'll be a good fit for Bryan Hodgson's system in Providence. Hodgson's South Florida team led the American Conference in scoring last season and was second in the league in made 3s.

Tyler Lundblade, Tennessee (Belmont)

The reigning Missouri Valley Conference player of the year was one of the top shooters available in the portal and fills a clear need for the Vols, who need to replace their top six scorers from this past season. The former walk-on made 40.6% of his 3-pointers despite having a high shooting volume, with 8.8 attempts per game from beyond the arc. Tennessee's top returning 3-point shooters (Ethan Burg and Troy Henderson) had 15 makes all season.

Terrence Hill Jr., Tennessee (VCU)

Let's stay on Rocky Top. The sophomore had a breakout season in 2025-26, averaging 15 points a game on 46.6% shooting. He showed he won't be scared by brand names after scoring 34 points against North Carolina in the Rams' first round in the NCAA Tournament.

Hill only started two games for VCU last season, but beginning in January, he routinely played 30-plus minutes, providing a spark off the bench.

Drew Scharnowski, Duke (Belmont)

Duke had a clear need in the post with Cameron Boozer headed for the NBA Draft lottery and Maliq Brown out of eligibility. The 6-9 Scharnowski could slot alongside returning Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II or provide valuable frontcourt depth. A first-team All-MVC pick, Scharnowski was the No. 50 player in USA TODAY’s portal rankings after averaging 10.7 points, six rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a sophomore for a Belmont team that went 26-6. He was a strong presence down low, too, with 1.3 blocks per game. At the start of the portal process, the prevailing thought was Scharnowski would follow former Belmont coach Casey Alexander to Kansas State. The big man set his sights higher and will test himself in the Blue Devils crucible.

Tyrone Riley IV, Oregon (San Francisco)

Riley will get plenty of run as the Ducks return just one player from last season's roster.

The 6-6 junior wing has 65 starts under his belt and averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and one steal a game last season for the Dons. He shot 47.2% from the field and 36.8% from 3 on his way to a second-team All-WCC selection.

In games against Power conference foes Minnesota, Colorado and Mississippi State (OK, maybe not a murderer's row), Riley averaged 14 ppg, and he put up 17 points on Saint Louis and 16 vs. Gonzaga.

Jaquan Johnson, Iowa State (Bradley)

How would Iowa State replace Tamin Lipsey? The Cyclones point guard started all 137 games he played for ISU and left as the school's all-time steals leader and fourth in career assists.

Enter, Johnson. About as seamless of a fit as you could hope for if you're the Cyclones. He took an enormous leap from his freshman to his sophomore season, improving his scoring average from 6.6 to 16.9 points per game to help him earn first-team All-MVC honors, MVC most improved player and all-defensive team honors (thanks to his 2.6 steals per game).

He is only 5-11, which could cause some problems against bigger, more athletic competition in a major conference, but his all-around production is impressive, with 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

Gavin Doty, Syracuse (Siena)

Doty is following Gerry McNamara from Siena to Syracuse and did just about everything he could to try to pull off a stunning 16-over-1 upset over Duke in the NCAA Tournament, scoring a team-high 21 points in a 71-65 first-round loss. The 6-5 sophomore led the Saints in scoring at 18 points per game and was an excellent rebounder for someone his size, pulling down a team-high 6.9 boards per game.

He won't be an unknown to McNamara, and his near-immediate commitment to the Orange says a lot about his coach's belief that Doty can scale up from the MAAC to the ACC.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Next basketball transfer portal stars from mid‑majors primed for breakout

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant has missed most of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers and a similar pattern is expected for Game 6.

Durant missed Game 1 with a right knee contusion, an injury he sustained during practice a day before the game. He scored 23 points in a Game 2 loss, but suffered a left ankle sprain that has kept him sidelined for Games 3, 4 and 5.

The pain in his ankle will likely keep him from competing in the potential elimination Game 6 in Houston. League sources told ESPN's Shams Charania that Durant will not play, as the Rockets trail the Lakers 3-2 in their best-of-seven series. Durant was listed as "doubtful" on the NBA injury report as of 10 p.m. ET, April 30.

The Rockets have won the previous two matchups against the Lakers after falling down 3-0 in the series. A Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday, May 3, if necessary.

Durant's timetable for a return was a minimum of two weeks, sources told Charania. He first suffered the ankle injury on April 21. If the Rockets can force Game 7, it would be just days before the two-week mark given for Durant.

The Rockets have won back-to-back games without Durant, though, led by their young, future core of Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard and Alperen Sengun. Smith led Houston with a team-high 22 points in the Rockets' 99-93 Game 5 win in Los Angeles. Thompson led the Rockets with 23 points in their 115-96 Game 4 win in Houston.

Durant, 37, averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 78 games during the 2025-26 regular season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kevin Durant injury update, status for Lakers-Rockets Game 6

The NBA released the next round of game days as the Spurs move on to the next round of Western Conference Semifinals. Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News posted this on x.com.

Per NBA: The San Antonio vs. DEN-MIN series will be played on May 4, 6, 8, 10, 12*, 15*, 17*.

— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) April 30, 2026

The Spurs will host the first game on Monday, May 4th followed by Game 2 on Wednesday, May 6th. Denver, vanquished on Thursday night leaves the Spurs to face the Timberwolves. They will then head to Minneapolis for Game 3 which takes place on Friday, May 8th with Game 4 on Mother’s Day, May 10th.

If Game 5 is needed, the Spurs will host on Tuesday, May 12th. Game 6 is scheduled for Friday, May 15 back in Minneapolis, before returning to San Antonio for Game 7 on Sunday, May 17, as needed.

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There are a few things that are axiomatic in the NBA. 

Steph Curry is going to make inhuman shots. Nikola Jokic is going to have a statline that looks fake. And LeBron James’ legacy is etched in stone. 

Stunningly, the last sentence could be under examination if things go awry for the Lakers. 

The Lakers’ 3-0 series lead against the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs has been turned on its head after two straight losses. Suddenly the Lakers are only up 3-2 with Game 6 Friday in Houston. 

Teams that have been up 3-0 are 159-0. Only four of them have reached a Game 7. 

Could you imagine if a LeBron James-led team was the first to be on the wrong side of history?

That would be so shocking, so unprecedented, so powerfully bad that it could dent something that was previously considered bulletproof. 

His legacy. 

For James, the narrative has wildly swung.

Initially, the storyline around this series could only bolster his lofty resume. 

If the oldest person in the NBA (age 41) could lead a depleted roster (without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves) past the Rockets, that would be his most stunning achievement. 

He had nothing to lose. 

No one expected the Lakers to win. But then James did what he does and put the team on his shoulders. It was incredible to watch. 

But it was a double-edged sword. 

The Lakers started slipping. A new storyline was born. 

Is arguably the greatest player of all-time going to be part of the most epic playoff collapse ever?

James desperately tried to stomp out that flame in Game 5. 

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After only scoring eight points in the first half, he closed the game with another 17 points. He led the Lakers on an 11-1 run to cut a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to three points. 

But he missed some big shots late in the game, including all three of his 3-point attempts, and he had a key turnover against Reed Sheppard. 

Sure, the Lakers have two more attempts to win a game and avoid being the biggest blight in playoff history. But it’s obvious that this team is losing steam and the Rockets are gaining confidence. 

A storm is brewing. 

This isn’t James’ fault. He has been the best player on the court in every game this series except for his disappearing act in Game 4. He has once again made our jaws drop. 

The only player in NBA history to reach season 23 is still a superstar. 

But if the Lakers lose, James will shoulder all of the blame. 

You can already hear the pundits’ rumblings being seeded and watered. How could he let this happen? Michael Jordan would’ve never permitted this. 

James has two games to stop the bleeding. 

Reaves, who returned in Game 5 after missing a month because of an oblique injury, better quickly find his rhythm to help his teammate or else he’s going to be involuntarily complicit in the James battering. 

Reaves had 22 points and six assists on Thursday, but he was 1-for-8 from the field in the fourth quarter. 

Luke Kennard, who averaged 25 points in the first two games of the series, didn’t make a single field goal. Marcus Smart, who was the best defender on the court in the first three games, was a pole.

James isn’t panicking. 

“Try to flush this one,” James said after the Lakers’ 99-93 loss Thursday.

James has carried 10 teams to the NBA Finals, winning four championships. 

He orchestrated the greatest comeback in NBA history, leading the Cavaliers to claw their way back from a 3-1 series deficit in the 2016 Finals to win their first title over the dynasty Warriors. 

He’s the league’s all-time leading scorer. 

He has continually thrived under a magnifying glass in pressure-filled moments. He has nothing left to prove.

For him, this is nothing. This is the first round of the playoffs. This is a 3-2 series lead. 

But it’s also everything.  

If the Lakers lose, this would forever haunt him. This would eternally enter barbershop chats. This would be a deep stain on his unbelievable career.

It’s shocking that James is in this position at this stage in his career. 

But his legacy is on the line.

It wasn’t a good day for the Brotherhood Thursday in the NBA playoffs.

Jayson Tatum and Boston lost to Philadelphia, 106-93. That series is now tied 3-3. Minnesota eliminated Tyus Jones and the Denver Nuggets with a 110-98 win in Game 6. And New York eliminated Atlanta, also in Game 6, but this was more like a Mafia-style elimination than an NBA game. It was just brutal.

The halftime score was 83-36, and at one point, the Knicks were up by 60. NBA playoff teams are not supposed to be down by 60. Unbelievable.

New York blew the game open with a 39-4 run that was basically flawless. They’ll probably never be in a game like this again. It’s a one-off…but what a one-off it was! When the players on this Knicks team are old men, they’ll have dreams about this game. It was an incredible performance.

Minnesota won despite lacking their starting backcourt, which can’t make the Nuggets very happy.

Jones got in for 12 minutes, scoring 4 points and dishing out 3 assists. Typically, he had no turnovers.

Finally, Jayson Tatum and Boston missed a chance to eliminate Philly, as the Jays (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown) both played less than their best. Brown had 18 points on 7-17/2-6, and got just 1 rebound. Tatum finished with 17 on 6-13/2-6, with 11 rebounds and 3 assists.

Tatum only played 29 minutes, leaving the game with 4:03 In the third quarter after a problem with his left leg. He said after the game that he left to ride the bike, but when he came back out, the game was out of reach, so the starters were rested for Game 7.

On Friday, we’ll get Detroit at Orlando in Game 6, with the Magic up 3-2, Toronto hosting Cleveland with the Cavaliers up 3-2, and Los Angeles at Houston, with the Lakers up 3-2.

• Watch: James Dolan couldn’t believe the Knicks-Hawks score
• HLs: Knicks unleash 39-4 run to eliminate Hawks
• Hawks news: Quin Snyder make 1 thing clear about Dyson Daniels after Knicks scuffle
• Winners and Losers From the Atlanta Hawks Disastrous Game Six Loss to The Knicks
• Quin Snyder points to ‘perfect storm’ that wrecked Hawks in Game 6
• Trae Young trade leaves Quin Snyder extension talks ahead
• Hawks have brutally embarrassed Quin Snyder in a way Jazz never did
• Report: Atlanta is Expected to Bring Back Quin Snyder, CJ McCollum Next Season
• Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum STALL Boston Celtics Offense, Sixers Force Game 7
• Jayson Tatum injury: Celtics star shares update, expects to play in Game 7
• Celtics star Jayson Tatum has left calf discomfort after 76ers force Game 7 with 106-93 win over Boston
• Celtics star Jayson Tatum provides optimistic update ahead of do-or-die Game 7
• Jayson Tatum Breaks Silence on Injury, Sends Clear Game 7 Message
• Celtics’ Jayson Tatum explains concerning in-game leg issue vs. 76ers

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Austin Reaves made his return for the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, April 29, and is expected to be available for Game 6 against the Houston Rockets.

Reaves produced 22 points and six assists off the bench for his first appearance of the postseason. He was sidelined for nine games due to a left oblique muscle strain injury.

After the 99-93 loss to the Rockets in Game 5, Reaves spoke about the frustration he felt about not being able to play and contribute due to the injury.

“As I ran out tonight, for the first time in a long time, I got a really good chills feeling with the atmosphere, the crowd,” Reaves said on Wednesday. “And I think that’s just because when something you love is taken away from you for four weeks with an injury and then you get thrown in the fire in a game like this. I could say I wouldn’t want it any other way, but I kind of do, but it was a lot of fun.”

Reaves checked into the game during the first quarter to a standing ovation from the crowd.

Will Lakers blow 3-0 NBA playoff lead? Pressure's on LA after another loss

What is Austin Reaves’ status for Game 6?

Reaves was not listed on the team’s status report on Thursday, April 30. He is expected to play for the Lakers, but it remains unclear if he will return to the starting lineup for Game 6.

When do Lakers play next?

The Lakers will travel to Houston for Game 6 of the series. The game is set for Friday, May 1, at 6:30 p.m. PT (9:30 p.m. ET). The game will be streamed on Prime.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Austin Reaves injury update: Will Lakers star play Game 6 vs. Rockets

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have a chance to close out the Toronto Raptors in Game 6. For them to do that, they’ll likely need a superstar performance from at least one of their best players.

1. Donovan Mitchell needs to be a more efficient scorer

Stars often decide closeout games. That will likely be the case here.

The Cavs were able to win Game 5 due to strong performances from their role players. Dennis Schroder and Sam Merrill all had good showings off the bench, in addition to Evan Mobley reasserting the dominance he showed offensively in the first two games of the series. Those outings allowed Cleveland to scrape by with another lackluster performance — by his standards — from Mitchell. They likely won’t have that luxury on Friday.

One of the ways to tell if Mitchell is playing up to his capabilities is by tracking how efficiently he’s getting into the paint. In the regular season, Mitchell converted 66% of his shots at the rim (60th percentile) and 55% between the restricted area and free-throw line (95th percentile). In the postseason, he’s completing just 52% at the rim (18th percentile) and 50% in the short midrange (88th percentile).

Mitchell’s outside shot is predicated on how he’s attacking the basket. When he’s getting downhill like he’s capable, the defense can’t play as aggressively, which opens up the outside shot and his entire offensive arsenal.

2. Closing in the fourth quarter

The Cavs had chances to win both games in Toronto in the final frame, but fell apart. In Game 3, the defense collapsed, allowing the Raptors to hang 43 points in the final frame. In Game 4, the offense sputtered out late as they surrendered an eight-point advantage in the final five minutes.

The last four games of the series were tight in the fourth quarter. The team that won that frame went on to take the victory.

This game will likely not be any different.

3. Slowing down Scottie Barnes

Barnes has been the best player in this series on both sides of the ball. He’s been asked to do more than ideal, given the fact that they’ve been without their starting point guard, Immanuel Quickley, all series. More responsibility could be added to his plate if Brandon Ingram isn’t available for Game 6.

Even though Ingram has struggled to find a rhythm, he has occupied a lot of Cleveland’s defensive game plan. They’ve used their best wing defender, Dean Wade, to cover him in addition to sending double teams his way. That allocation of resources would be thrown at Barnes if Ingram is unavailable.

We saw how Ingram’s absence affected Barnes in Game 5. He was unstoppable in the first half, as he put up 14 points on 6-10 shooting. The second half was a different story. He registered just three points in the final two quarters, with none coming in the fourth.

The Raptors need Barnes more than ever, and Cleveland’s defense will be keying in on him more than they have at any point in the series. We’ll see if he can continue to be the best player in the series in Game 6.

4. Winning the possession battle

James Harden was asked after Game 5 what his team needed to do better to close the Raptors out in Game 6. His answer was direct. They need to limit the live-ball turnovers.

The Cavs tied the Raptors in turnovers in Game 5, but Toronto outscored them 28-20 in points off turnovers.

Likewise, the Raptors won the rebounding battle. They grabbed 15 offensive rebounds while Cleveland had just four. Toronto didn’t do much with those extra possessions as they had just 13 second-chance points compared to Cleveland’s 11. But they did have 14 more shots in a game that came down to the last few minutes.

The easiest way to overcome a stagnant offense is to get more attempts than the other team. The Raptors aren’t known for their efficient offense and will likely have a tough time generating clean looks without the services of Barnes.

If their offense is going to put up enough points, it’ll likely be because they’re getting out in transition off of steals and attempting more shots due to their offensive rebounding. Cleveland controlling this area would likely win them the game.

The trade the Brooklyn Nets made to acquire the #22 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which they used to select Drake Powell, was a smart move. In addition to Powell, the Nets received Terance Mann in the deal, or more accurately, they relieved the Atlanta Hawks of his contract.

Mann is owed roughly $32 million over the next two seasons, positioned as a salary-matching trade chip for whatever deal Sean Marks elects to make in the intermediate future to improve the roster. As it stands, Nic Claxton is the only other player on the roster owed between $8-$35 million moving forward. Combine Mann and Claxton and that’s around $38 million in tradable salary for two players whose contracts expire in two seasons. If Marks isn’t keen on making a big splash in this summer’s trade market, there’s always 2027, when Mann/Claxton will be on expiring deals. Also, people seem to really like T-Mann.

Among the many complaints about Brooklyn’s 2025 draft class, redundancy was frequently mentioned. By puttingso many ball-handlers on the same timeline, in the same development context, their individual opportunities for growth will be limited, the thinking went.

I would argue not only that this complaint was slightly overblown, but that Powell doesn’t fit into this conundrum. If regular-season lineups with, say, Nolan Traore, Egor Dëmin, and Drake Powell don’t work, it won’t be because of harmful overlap.

All told, I liked Brooklyn buying the #22 pick for the price of Mann’s contract, which should come in handy soon enough. Separately, Drake Powell had a disappointing rookie season. He played 63 games with Brooklyn and a handful more for the G League’s Long Island Nets — on the NBA side, he averaged 7/2/1 on a commendable 53% shooting from two, a worrisome 28% from deep, and 89.6% from the line.

He took just 77 total free-throws, but the percentage really exemplifies the sell for Powell: a plus-athlete with real touch, skills that make him playable will he expands the rest of his game. Nets fans can attest that it felt like every single middy or floater Powell took before the calendar flipped to 2026 was cash. Alas, he finished this season shooting 39% on non-rim twos.

This kind of exemplifies the Powell experience so far. You’ve probably heard about the historically low usage rate for Powell at UNC, but the 20-year-old posted some serious scoring highlights as a rookie…

Drake Powell freezes Jared McCain with a nice move and scores. pic.twitter.com/T5rS97IAM1

— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) February 21, 2026

Some assists too, though as I note in the tweet, they mostly come in rigid pick-and-roll structure. Still, Powell navigates drop coverage and sees the low-man tagging the roller, then sees the wing defender sinking to the corner, and fires it back toward the top of the key in this play…

mostly comes in rigid PnR structure, but Drake consistently flashes more playmaking/processing ability than his box-scores would indicate: pic.twitter.com/3fEIddyc1i

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 25, 2026

That’s not nothing!! If you’re highlight-scouting and nothing else, Powell had a pretty impressive offensive season.

Alas, there was no consistent production to speak of. Whatever touch he displayed from the free-throw line did not translate to his three-ball, which you might call “unorthodox” when it goes in and “wonky” when it doesn’t; beyond spot-up shooting there was no avenue for Powell to explore consistently, particularly because the Nets rarely got out in transition.

Take a look at this turnover…

He doesn’t always have a clear (or calm) plan-of-attack on offense, exacerbated by a loose handle, a scary combination responsible for that turnover. Whatever the case was at UNC Powell’s lack of usage as a rookie was not a function of coaching, but rather his own shortcomings. Different players, of course, but late-season tank-tests where Malachi Smith and E.J. Liddell were getting their games off while Powell faded into the background are particularly worrisome.

“ I don’t really pay much attention into the stretches. You guys are saying, well, his month has been better, it’s been worse. At the end of the day for me it’s the bigger sample size. I’m not going to get caught in you made a couple shots, you missed a couple shots. I buy into how good they are in the day to day, and then in the long run they’re going to be very good for us. That’s why we, in this case, drafted them. High-character people, very good teammates, and that’s what matters right now. Finish the season, finish strong, see obviously how all his tendencies, numbers, everything has worked out and see how we plan the summer for him.

Given his profile, Powell’s offense was expected to lag behind his defense. It did. His best defensive game of the year was likely an early road contest vs. the Orlando Magic, where he bugged the hell out of Desmond Bane as a pesky point-of-attack defender…

Desmond Bane has his hands full with Drake Powell. The rookie has wrecked multiple Magic possessions in this first half. pic.twitter.com/ulcGmLDb1r

— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) November 15, 2025

That activity, though, infrequently translated to other areas. Like many rookies, Powell was not a hyper-aware off-ball defender, which sapped his impact but also his defensive counting stats…

these plays do well to articulate how I feel about Drake + Nolan's defense this season

Drake's just been a step slow in help/awareness (reflected in his subpar stock/deflection/rebounding numbers) whereas Nolan's had quite a strong defensive season for a rookie guard: pic.twitter.com/xlepvGUGME

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) March 25, 2026

With steal, block, and deflection rates well below league-average, the early returns on Powell’s defense are a bit worrisome too. Those numbers are certainly not the be-all, end-all measure of defense, and given his athletic traits plus some of the flashes he showed guarding the ball, it’s too early to discount the possibility he becomes a positive defender.

But this gets us to the main question with Powell on both ends of the floor: Where is the athleticism going to shine? I’m not taking about the rare play where he gets a runway the size of Manhattan…

OMG DRAKE POWELL!!! 💥🙆‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/6ttARsMMDW

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 10, 2026

He’ll add more muscle over the next couple years, enabling him to play with a bit more force. But the hype around Powell, post-draft, was around his athleticism, a kind the Brooklyn Nets have not rostered in a long while. Outside of the occasional hang-in-the-air finish or dunk, we just didn’t feel it much this season. Why? In my opinion:

• Some ball-handling deficiencies prevented him from turning corners or attacking driving lanes and exploding through contract.
• As the season went on, defenses outright refused to close out on Powell and his 28% mark from deep.
• Defensively, Powell was just a step slow on many rotations and didn’t have a great feel for taking risks in the passing lanes.
• That combined with a lack of muscle/lower body strength really suppressed his rebounding numbers on both ends of the court.

Though Powell may have had a subpar rookie season, he will be just 21 years old in his sophomore campaign, and it’s not likely that the Nets will be contending for a championship. He won’t be an outright positive player next season, but the former Tar Heel should still get plenty of run. Shooting in the low-to-mid 30s from deep while maintaining positive finishing numbers is a reasonable offensive goal, especially if his usage ticks up juuuust a tad. Defensively, marginal improvements to the rebounding and steal rates seem feasible, especially if there’s just a bit more awareness on that end.

Is Drake Powell making all these improvements at once likely? No, but it’s not impossible either. There’s still a chance he becomes a useful rotation player given his athletic tools and moments of offensive dynamism, but the early returns aren’t too inspiring.

“This summer is the most important. If you think about it, [the rookies] had a part of the summer or a very small part of the summer, some of them. Or no summer like Drake, because he was dealing with the patellar tendon, whatever the case was. But right now I’m excited because he’s got the whole summer to work, and work with us. And he knows us and we know him. So it’s very exciting.” — Jordi Fernández

PHILADELPHIA — Jaylen Brown gripped the basketball and tapped it against his forehead in frustration.

Hugo Gonzalez, who typically springs off the Celtics bench at the beginning of every timeout, tried to high-five Brown with his usual, 20-year-old jubilance.

But, as Gonzalez’s hand slapped Brown’s, the Celtics star looked stunned, seemingly still processing a performance that was far below the high standard he set in his All-NBA-caliber season.

In Brown’s 28 minutes on the floor in Game 6, the Celtics were outscored by 24 points. He made just 7 of 17 field goal attempts and turned the ball over five times (two of which came off of offensive fouls).

The result was a 106-93 Celtics loss.

Brown, alongside the rest of the Celtics starters, checked out of the game with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

He then watched a Celtics bench unit — headlined by Payton Pritchard, Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr., and Luka Garza — play at a pace, and with a fervor the Celtics couldn’t muster throughout the first three quarters.

“They just played harder,” Brown said afterwards. “That group came out — they were able to cut into the league because they played harder. The group before that, we didn’t play hard enough.”

The bench mob shed 9 points off the deficit, but it wasn’t enough.

The Celtics’ season will depend on a win-or-go-home Game 7 at TD Garden.

How the Celtics reacted to a Game 6 defeat

When I entered the Celtics’ locker room on Thursday night, I was expecting to see a grieving locker room, one cognizant that they had squandered a 3-1 lead, one that knew that the tides had completely turned.

But, while the visiting locker room was not a jovial place, it also wasn’t defeated.

Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard stood in the corner in towels, discussing what went wrong and how they could fix it in the next 48 hours.

That conversation went on to include Baylor Scheierman.

“Game 7,” Brown said to the trio. “We need every rebound.”

Then, about 20 minutes later, at the podium, Brown was calm.

Multiple times, he acknowledged he hadn’t played well enough. That he’d have to adjust ahead of Game 7.

“There’s definitely some stuff I see that I can improve,” Brown said.

Jaylen Brown is not as down at the podium as I expected:

“Game 7 is a game amongst itself, in a sense — the rest of the series, doesn't matter. It’s gonna be who's gonna show up on that day and be a better performing team.”

“There’s definitely some stuff I see that I can… pic.twitter.com/FWywuTI8ei

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) May 1, 2026

And, he was far more optimistic than I expected him to be after such a squandered opportunity.

“All things considered, we’re in a great spot going home for a Game 7,” Brown said. “I’m expecting a great atmosphere, and expecting a great fight from our group. The last two games wasn’t the best, but you move on. So I’m looking forward to it — and I’m excited for Game 7.”

In the locker room, Pritchard echoed that sentiment. I asked him if there was a way to fight the reality that they were up 3-1 and lost two straight, that Philadelphia had all the momentum.

“It means nothing,” Pritchard said. “It’s one game. It’s like the NCAA Tournament — gotta win one or go home. So, it’s the only thing on our mind.”

The Celtics are going to need to fight the current, the natural flow of momentum Philadelphia is carrying, fight the reality that they were just a good third quarter away from securing the series in five games.

“Whatever happened has happened, and nothing you can do about it,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, we got another game. And, we got to be ready to play. And we got an opportunity to win.”

It may help that they’ve been there before; Jaylen Brown is 6-2 in Game 7s throughout his career, and Jayson Tatum is 5-2.

“A lot of us have been in this situation before, Game 7,” Tatum said. “So, it should be a fun one.”

Celtics-76ers tips off at 7:30pm ET at TD Garden. It’ll serve as one final chance to right the ship.

“We got to respond,” Brown said. “[It] might take a deep breath, look at what we got, watch the film, take accountability, and come out and play with a great fight.”

The Minnesota Timberwolves will face the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semi-finals of the NBA play-offs after eliminating the Denver Nuggets.

The Timberwolves won game six 110-98 to win the best-of-seven series 4-2

In a tight contest, the Timberwolves led 57-50 before Denver's Nikola Jokic scored 14 points in the third quarter to set up a close finish.

Jokic, voted the NBA's Most Valuable Player on three occasions, ended the game with 28 points and 10 assists, but his performance was overshadowed by his involvement in an altercation with Timberwolves' Jaylen Clark.

The pair pushed one another with just under 10 minutes to play, which resulted in a technical foul for both players alongside Timberwolves' Naz Reid, who also became involved in the incident.

This comes after Jokic was ejected for instigating a scuffle at the end of game four. After the defeat, the Serbian said: "I needed to play better. I must play better."

Jaden McDaniels starred for the Timberwolves with a career-high 32 points, and they could be boosted by the return of Anthony Edwards from injury for Monday's opener against the Spurs.

In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks set new records as they thrashedthe Atlanta Hawks 140-89 to win their series 4-2.

The 51-point margin of victory was a franchise record in the play-offs, while their 47-point half-time lead was the biggest in NBA post-season history.

Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while OG Anunoby top-scored with 29 points.

It is the Knicks' fourth consecutive year of reaching the semi-finals and they will face either the Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers.

Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points and Paul George added 23 as the 76ers won game six 106-93 to set up a decisive game seven in Boston on Saturday.

Detroit Pistons (60-22, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (45-37, eighth in the Eastern Conference)

Orlando, Florida; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT

LINE: Pistons -3.5; over/under is 210.5

EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Magic lead series 3-2

BOTTOM LINE: The Orlando Magic look to clinch the Eastern Conference first round over the Detroit Pistons in game six. The Pistons defeated the Magic 116-109 in the last meeting on Wednesday. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 45 points, and Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 45.

The Magic are 26-26 against conference opponents. Orlando is 19-19 in games decided by 10 points or more.

The Pistons are 39-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Detroit averages 117.8 points while outscoring opponents by 8.2 points per game.

The Magic average 11.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 fewer make per game than the Pistons give up (12.7). The Pistons average 11.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.1 fewer made shots on average than the 12.1 per game the Magic give up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Desmond Bane is shooting 48.4% and averaging 20.1 points for the Magic. Banchero is averaging 24.0 points over the last 10 games.

Jalen Duren is averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Pistons. Cunningham is averaging 19.7 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Magic: 7-3, averaging 111.3 points, 45.7 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 10.0 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.9 points per game.

Pistons: 6-4, averaging 111.9 points, 45.9 rebounds, 27.0 assists, 9.5 steals and 8.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.9 points.

INJURIES: Magic: Franz Wagner: day to day (calf), Jonathan Isaac: day to day (knee).

Pistons: Kevin Huerter: day to day (adductor).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.