Category: Basketball

Tyrese Haliburton took another big step in his recovery on Wednesday. 

In a post on X, the Pacers star announced that he had moved onto 5-on-5 work. 

“Played 5 on 5 today for first time since June,” he wrote on the social media platform along with the praying hands emoji. 

Haliburton, 26, has been recovering from a ruptured Achilles that he suffered during Game 7 of the NBA Finals last year. 

While he has been rehabbing, the two-time All-Star has been at Pacers games to help cheer on his team, and away from the court, he’s thrown himself into some different hobbies. 

According to The Athletic, Haliburton has been learning to DJ, working on a sneaker line with Puma and livestreaming with his brother. 

The news on Wednesday had fans excited to see the NBA star inching closer to a return. 

“You’ll back more [strong] than before Hali,” one fan wrote on X.

“LETS GOOOOOOOOO,” another person chimed in. 

“The comeback ab to be something special,” a third wrote on the platform. 

Even ESPN sports talk host Pat McAfee responded with an excited post on social media after Haliburton posted about it. 

pic.twitter.com/nNa2zyyNzL

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 9, 2026

Things have been tough for Indiana with Haliburton out for this season, going from one of the best teams in the NBA to one of the worst. 

The Pacers have an 18-61 record this season, the second-worst in the NBA, as they fight for lottery positioning a year after they went to the Finals. 

Indiana is likely to have its lowest win percentage ever this season; right now it stands at .228. 

Haliburton was diagnosed with shingles in late February and had to be away from the team for several weeks. 

He did return to the Pacers bench on March 25. 

The Pacers are down to their final three games of the season with a trip to Brooklyn on Thursday before playing at home against the 76ers on Friday and the Pistons on Sunday. 

The Spurs turned in a solid performance tonight without Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama. It wasn’t a perfect game, as the team survived despite turning the ball over too much and not exactly playing the most efficient offense, allowing the Blazers to cut the lead to a couple of baskets late in the fourth quarter. Where the Silver and Black won the game was on the defensive end of the court, as they limited the Blazers to 101 points despite 29 points from Deni Avdija and 20 points from Scoot Henderson, who is starting to show the promise that made him the second third overall pick a few years back. De’Aaron Fox led the team with 25 points and Devin Vassell had one of his best games of the season on both ends of the court, making defensive plays and scoring 14 points and 8 rebounds. Carter Bryant had a career game, as Portland left him free at the three point line and he hit 5-6 three pointers. Harper excelled in his starting role tonight as he scored 13 and kept the offense organized. You have to also give credit to Keldon Johnson, who was unstoppable coming off of the bench, as it was a team effort where every player that got onto the court made an impact on the victory over a possible playoff opponent for their 61st victory of the season.

Observations

• Even though Wembanyama was out tonight, his imprint was all over the game. Nobody thought this was a 60 game winning team when the season started, but his competitive spirit drove the team to an amazing win total. He’s really young, but he’s already a leader.
• I was not really impressed with Harrison Ingram at first, but he’s really been working hard on his game in Austin, and he’s improved a lot. He’s going to make a run at joining the regular roster next season, and he has a shot.
• The Blazers started out quick but Fox righted things quickly with a personal 10-0 run to make the score 12-8 Spurs.
• Avdija looks really good out there, and without Wemby on the court to erase defensive mistakes, he had a lot of space to create tonight. Carter Bryant had a turn at defending him, and picked up a quick foul, but seemed to do a good job keeping up with his speed.
• Missed free throws (3) and turnovers (4) hampered the Silver and Black in the first quarter, but somehow led 32-23 after the first quarter on a final three-point shot from Dylan Harper.
• Sidy Cissoko was a player I hated to see leave San Antonio. His game was so raw when he was in San Antonio, but you could see they talent and athletic ability. I’m happy for his success in Portland. Blake Wesley is another former Spur who’s on Portland, and he showed his commitment to the game by going to the floor and wrestling Keldon for a loose ball and winning a jump ball.
• Jordan McLaughlin always contributes whenever he plays. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t leave the bench for five games, he’s going to step up whenever he’s called upon.
• Spurs led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, and led 61-51 at the half with Avdija getting some free throws to end the first half scoring. The biggest negative was 5 more turnovers in the quarter, which is something that could have been more harmful than it was, because the Spurs defense stepped to limit the damage.
• Deni Avdija on offense and Jrue Holiday on defense got the Blazers on a 17-12 start to start the third and cut the lead in half, forcing a Mitch Johnson timeout. The Spurs finished the rest of the quarter on a 15-5 run and led 88-73 with a quarter to play.
• Things got a little dicey early in the fourth as Scoot Henderson turned defense into offense by creating turnovers and putting them into the hoop.
• The Spurs took over the fourth with getting to every loose ball, but it was a uneven effort, as they also made mistakes that led to easy Portland points. It looked at times that the Spurs were going to run away with it, leading by as much as 17, but the Blazers stayed in it with their defense while the Spurs offense stagnated. When they cut the lead to single digits with 4:26 left, Mitch had to call a timeout to settle the team.
• The lead shrunk to 6 after the Spurs botched a jump ball with Keldon letting it go out of bounds thinking it was off of Portland. Luckily, the Spur found their mojo and closed out the game with timely stops and enough offense to win by double digits, 112-101.

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There are only two more games left in the season, and Wemby has to play at least 20 minutes in one of them to qualify for post-season awards. I would guess that he’s going to play Friday against the Mavericks as they will just be funneling the rock to Cooper Flagg as he continues to rake in accolades for his rookie of the year campaign. There have been a lot of great first year players this year, but I don’t see anyone beating Cooper, who has been stellar on a really bad team. Dylan Harper is incredible, but his role on a good team is not going to grab the kind of attention that Flagg gets, and actually deserves.

The Spurs final game will be against the Nuggets, which should be a ho-hum affair, as both teams should have settled their playoff standings by then and will be resting all their starters and top contributors. It’s going to be Harrison Ingram time, and he’s going to make his case for being on the regular roster next year.

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 14 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his 34th triple-double of the season, and Denver beat the Memphis Grizzlies 136-119 on Wednesday night for the Nuggets’ 10th straight win.

Denver increased its hold on the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with its first double-digit winning streak since getting 15 in a row Feb. 23-March 23, 2013. The Nuggets lead the reeling Los Angeles Lakers by 1 1/2 games and finish the regular season with games against the top two teams in the conference.

Jamal Murray scored 26 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points in his 1,000th career game.

The wins during the streak haven’t been easy. Memphis needed to rally from double-digit deficits in the fourth quarter twice, winning both in overtime.

Jokic, who leads the NBA in rebounding and assists, already clinched a triple-double average for the second straight season. His assist on Cameron Johnson’s layup midway through the third gave him the 198th triple-double of his career. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter.

Cedric Coward had 27 points, for the Grizzlies, who have lost six in a row and 18 of 20. Memphis was 19 of 50 from deep two nights after tying an NBA record with 29 made 3-pointers.

MAGIC 132, TIMBERWOLVES 120

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 20 points and eight rebounds, Desmond Bane added 18 points and six assists and Orlando beat Minnesota.

Franz Wagner scored 17 points and Goga Bitadze came off the bench with 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic, who have won four straight.

The win pulled the Magic (44-36) up to seventh place in the tight race for playoff/play-in positions. With two road games remaining (Chicago on Friday and Boston on Sunday), they could finish anywhere between six and ninth in the Eastern Conference.

Terrence Shannon Jr. led the Timberwolves with a career-high 33 points. Jaden McDaniels, back in the lineup after missing six games with a left knee injury, added 18 points in 19 minutes.

The Timberwolves, who have lost five of seven, played without Anthony Edwards (right knee injury) and four players who started Tuesday night’s win at Indiana that clinched their Western Conference playoff spot.

Julius Randle missed his first game of the season and Rudy Gobert missed his fifth.

PISTONS 137, BUCKS 111

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 13 points and 10 assists in his return from injury as Detroit beat Milwaukee in its home finale.

Cunningham hadn’t played since sustaining a collapsed lung in a win against the Washington Wizards on March 17, but appeared comfortable while playing 26 minutes in short stints. He hit six of 11 field goal attempts, including one 3-pointer, and pulled down five rebounds.

Jalen Duren added 21 points and nine rebounds as the Pistons won for the sixth time in eight games. Duncan Robinson scored 20 points on a night where J.B. Bickerstaff kept all five starters under 30 minutes.

Detroit (58-22) can win 60 games for the first time since 2005-06 by winning against the Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers in their final two games.

Jericho Sims had a triple-double — 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists — while Ryan Rollins scored 23 points for Milwaukee, which has lost 10 of its last 13 games.

Cunningham played 13 minutes in the first half, putting up six points and five assists as the Pistons built a 75-57 lead. Duren had 11 points, six rebounds and a plus-20 in his 13 minutes.

CAVALIERS 122, HAWKS 116

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points, Evan Mobley had 22 points and tied a career high with 19 rebounds, and Cleveland defeated Atlanta.

James Harden added 21 points for the Cavaliers, who have won four straight and seven of eight. Cleveland (51-29) can finish no lower than fourth place in the Eastern Conference and is 1/2 game behind New York for the third seed.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 25 points and Jonathan Kuminga had 24 off the bench as Atlanta was unable to clinch a playoff berth with the loss. The Hawks (45-35) have dropped their last two after winning four straight. They are one game ahead of Toronto for the fifth seed but only 1 1/2 in front of Orlando to avoid being in the play-in tournament.

It was Mitchell’s 200th regular-season game with at least 20 points in four years with the Cavaliers. He is the fifth player in franchise history to reach that milestone.

Mitchell had his 14th game this season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

SPURS 112, TRAIL BLAZERS 101

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — De’Aaron Fox had 25 points and San Antonio kept rolling even with Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle sidelined by injuries, defeating Portland.

San Antonio (61-19) is 28-3 since Feb. 1 and has its best record since 2017, its last appearance in the Western Conference finals during a 22-year postseason run that included five NBA championships.

Deni Avdija scored 27 points and Scoot Henderson added 20 for the Trail Blazers, who have lost two straight after a three-game winning streak.

Portland (40-40) remains ninth in the West, just 2 1/2 games ahead of Golden State (37-42) heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

San Antonio had six players in double figures to offset the absence of the NBA’s past two Rookie of the Year winners. Keldon Johnson scored 20 points and rookie forward Carter Bryant added a season-high 17.

SUN 112, MAVERICKS 107

PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 37 points, Dillon Brooks added 28 and Phoenix edged short-handed Dallas.

The Mavericks pulled within 110-107 on John Poulakidas’ 3-pointer with 1:08 left and had a chance to get even closer on their next possession but Oso Ighodaro blocked Moussa Cisse at the rim to stop the rally.

Brooks made a driving layup with 13.7 seconds to finally put the game away. The Suns clinched the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference playoff race, meaning they get two chances at home to win one game in the play-in tournament.

Poulakidas — a 6-foot-5 undrafted rookie who played at Yale — scored a season-high 23 points. Rookie of the Year front-runner Cooper Flagg had a tough game, scoring 11 points on 4 of 19 shooting.

The Mavericks trailed 71-53 early in the third quarter but used an 18-1 run to get back into the game. Dallas took its first lead of the second half when Max Christie hit a 3-pointer for a 95-93 advantage with 8:16 left.

The Suns responded with a 9-0 run and didn’t trail again. Dallas had just 10 available players because of injuries.

THUNDER 128, CLIPPERS 110

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Chet Holmgren had 30 points and 14 rebounds, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points and 11 assists, and Oklahoma City clinched the NBA’s best regular-season record with a victory over Los Angeles.

Jalen Williams scored 18 points for the NBA champion Thunder (64-16), who will have homecourt advantage throughout the postseason in their title defense after holding off San Antonio (61-19), which is on an 18-2 run since February. Oklahoma City has won seven straight and 19 of 20 to earn the West’s No. 1 seed for the third straight season.

Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points and Brook Lopez added 16 for the eighth-place Clippers, who had won seven of nine. Los Angeles is 35-18 since shortly before Christmas, but still must win one of its final two games to extend this once-moribund franchise’s streak to 15 consecutive winning seasons.

The Clippers head to Portland on Friday for a crucial game. The winner almost certainly will finish eighth in the Western Conference, while the losers will slip to ninth, where they’ll need two wins in the play-in tournament to make the playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers are the only team left in the NBA that can sweep the Houston Rockets.

Houston rides into this game on a 7-game winning streak and just one game behind in the race for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Sixers are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference and one back in the loss column from being in fifth place (at the time of writing). They’re also two up in the loss column from 10th place, so there’s quite a range of spots for them to fall into. Obviously, they will be trying hard to win to avoid the play-in.

For Houston, tonight is about continuing to build upon their recent success and execute a decent NBA offense heading into the postseason and offseason. The Rockets have slipped on their “30 assists per game” streak, but a new streak could start tonight.

Tip-off

7pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Sixers

Cameron Payne: OUT

Johni Broome: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

N/A

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Friday night at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves

After the Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings, 110-105, Draymond Green offered his thoughts on the NBA’s tanking issues and the league’s propensity for fining players, instead of tanking teams. He singled out a baffling intentional foul on Seth Curry late in the game. Wednesday, the league opened an investigation.

The NBA is looking into what multiple sources say was a strategy mistake by Kings coach Doug Christie on an intentional foul of Seth Curry while leading the Warriors with over 3 minutes left in Tuesday's game: pic.twitter.com/t83vvfljAA

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 8, 2026

Green wasn’t the only observer who took issue with Kings coach Doug Christie’s decision to foul Seth Curry in the backcourt with 3:15 to go in the game. Doug McDermott reached in to force a stoppage and let Christie use his fifth timeout — one which would have otherwise expired, since teams can only use two in the final three minutes.

Only the Kings didn’t have a foul to give, so the move sent Curry to the foul line, where he split two free throws following the timeout. And the internet went crazy.

Could someone wake up Adam Silver and tell him the bottom half of the league is in shambles? pic.twitter.com/5Z8caYjPzN

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 8, 2026

We have NEVER seen this level of tanking bruh

Doug Christie literally instructed his players on the Kings TO FOUL SETH CURRY ON PURPOSE while up 101-100 in the 4th quarter

INSANE 😭💀 https://t.co/WV0XNKp4LLpic.twitter.com/38cIhRQp3C

— Hater Report (@HaterReport) April 8, 2026

Was it Green’s comments that prompted the NBA to investigate? It’s very possible. Commissioner Adam Silver’s league office generally operates on the principle that embarrassing the NBA is the worst thing a player or team can go. Green complained that one third of the league is tanking, yet only two have been fined, and he’s right. But the ones who did get hit with fines were being blatant. The Utah Jazz benched their starters in every 4th quarter, and the Indiana Pacers sat multiple starters, albeit on a back-to-back.

Did Silver take offense to the Jazz’s strategy, or was it that Stephen A. Smith complained about it on his podcast? Probably both!

The irony is that Christie and the Kings aren’t even tanking! DeMar DeRozan missed only his third game of the season Tuesday. Sacramento went 7-8 in the 15 games before Tuesday’s loss. Christie is trying to save his job for next season. The Kings may be terrible, but after three of their starters suffered season-ending injuries, they’re an ethically terrible team.

After all, immediately after the controversial foul, Christie drew up a play to get McDermott a three-pointer and re-take the lead. He didn’t bench anyone in the final minutes and Sacramento didn’t call up multiple G Leaguers and play them heavy minutes, like the Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies have done in the last month, or sign a marginal player simply because he’s Angel Reese’s brother, like the Washington Wizards.

Of course, for Christie, the argument that he wasn’t tanking, just incompetent isn’t a flattering one. Given Kings owner Vivek Ranadive’s propensity for firing his head coaches, dismissing eight of them in his 13 years as team governor. Don’t be surprised if he looks at a Warriors assistant coach to replace Christie.

Still, it’s weird that Christie would be the scapegoat during a season where so many teams have tanked more egregiously than Sacramento, who has dropped (risen?) out of the bottom four in the past two weeks. Draymond is right that the NBA should fine tanking teams, but we suspect that might have more to do with all the fine money he has surrendered over his career than a strictly moral position.

In news that’s completely unrelated to the NBA’s lack of competitiveness as the season winds down, the Warriors may have eight players out for Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA action is fan-tastic!

Kristaps Porzingis (illness) is out tomorrow vs. the Lakers. His second straight missed game.

Al Horford and Quinten Post also remain out. Steph Curry and Gui Santos are questionable. Will Richard doubtful.

Front end of a back-to-back with GSW @ Sac Friday. 3 games left.

— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) April 8, 2026

The Lakers (50-29) will play their final road game of the regular season on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors (37-42).

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors

When: 7 p.m. PT, Apr 9

Where: Chase Center

Watch: Prime Video

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The tail end of the regular season has been a miserable time for the Lakers. Since the calendar turned to April, it feels as if it’s just been one unfortunate thing after another. With the playoffs around the corner, the overall mood regarding this team has been trending down.

While Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves focus on getting right, the team will have to rely on LeBron James and the rest of the Lakers to try to stack wins while they are out.

The Warriors have less to fight for this late into the season since they’re pretty much locked into the 10th seed. Still, since Steph Curry just returned from injury, there’s a high chance that they’re going to want to play hard in this one to sharpen themselves and build enough reps just in time for the play-in tournament.

Note that the Warriors are coming off a victory against the Sacramento Kings, led by Curry and Brandin Podziemski. These two will likely lead the charge against the Lakers. Expect Golden State to want to put this game to bed early since they’re on the first night of a back-to-back.

As for the Lakers, well, what matters is that they at least try to make this one a competitive affair, just as they did in the first 20 minutes of their last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Lakers head coach JJ Redick was quite critical of Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt, whom he called out postgame. Hopefully, this one is a more pleasing watch no matter the result.

Let’s see if the Lakers can find a way to win their final matchup against the Warriors on Thursday.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, Luka Dončić (left hamstring strain), Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain) and Jaxson Hayes (left foot soreness) are out. Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) is questionable.
• As for the Warriors, Jimmy Butler III (right ACL surgery) is out. Steph Curry (right knee injury management) and Charles Bassey (left ankle sprain) are questionable. LJ Cryer (general illness) is probable.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

The biggest Knicks killer this year is back.

Cade Cunningham, after missing 11 games due to a collapsed left lung, returned for the Pistons in their 137-111 win over the Bucks on Wednesday night in Detroit.

He played 26 minutes and finished with 13 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.

“Everything felt good,” Cunningham told reporters. “I feel like all the training and stuff I’ve been doing had me in a great place where I was comfortable for all of my minutes, so it was good.”

Given the unique nature of the injury, there was a chance it could have had a major impact on the Knicks — both in their chances to catch the Pistons for the No. 1 seed in the East, and if he was out longer, a potentially weakened Pistons team in the postseason.

But Detroit went 8-3 without him, refusing to open the door to the Knicks in the standings and clinching the No. 1 seed in the process. And Cunningham will have three games to get himself back into rhythm ahead of the postseason. If the Knicks finish as the No. 3 seed, he’d have two playoff rounds, too, before the possibility of an Eastern Conference finals showdown between the two teams.

The Pistons bludgeoned the Knicks in all three regular-season matchups this year and Cunningham was in the middle of it. He averaged 29.8 points, 11.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds across the three games on 51.6 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from 3-point range.

“It was different than any injury I’ve ever had,” Cunningham said. “As far as how it progressed initially from whenever I got hit, to how I felt immediately and then to how I started to feel as time went on.”

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The Knicks need just one win across their final three regular-season games to surpass last year’s tally of 51.

Coach Mike Brown claimed ignorance.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

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“On my grandson, I didn’t know how many wins the Knicks had last year,” Brown said after practice Wednesday. “I might’ve seen it or whatever, I know they finished in second or third last year, one of the two. But I don’t know how many wins they had, so it didn’t matter to me, I just wanted to try to get the best seeding we could going into the playoffs. But even more important than that, I wanted to feel like we’re playing a certain way going into the playoffs and that we had a really good feel and direction while having true belief in what we’re doing.”

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Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendinitis), Derrick White (right knee contusion), Sam Hauser (lower back spasm) and Neemias Queta (right toe sprain) are all questionable for the Celtics.

It is the first leg of a back-to-back for them.

Just Tyler Kolek (right oblique strain) is listed on the Knicks injury report. He is questionable.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won a statement game against the Atlanta Hawks.

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

Donovan Mitchell

31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block

This was a team effort, but Mitchell truly stole the show. His isolation scoring is on par with just about anyone in the NBA. I have to imagine it’s a hopeless feeling for the defense whenever Mitchell windmills the ball over their head. He had Corey Kispert begging for mercy — and none of the other Hawks had any better luck.

Grade: A+

James Harden

21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Harden struggled to score early despite generating some clean looks. He also had a grating turnover in closing time, where he handed the ball straight to NAW. Harden finished the game shooting 6-23.

Other than that, Harden provided a huge surge of scoring in the third quarter and was the orchestrator of Cleveland’s late-game offense. He helped them earn multiple trips to the free-throw line, closing the deal with his surgical decision-making.

Grade: B–

Jarrett Allen

16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals

Allen looks like he’s in pain. That hasn’t stopped him from burrowing into the paint and leaving defenders with no choice other than to bear hug him. The Cavs are showing they can work around Allen’s tendinitis — but I hope that other options emerge as the playoffs approach.

Ideally, we want February Allen back in the building.

Grade: B

Evan Mobley

22 points, 19 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks

Talk about dominant.

Mobley showed fans what they’ve been dreaming about. He eviscerated any defender the Hawks put in front of him. And, made it a non-contest any time the ball was up for grabs. This monster double-double is the type of stuff that will get Mobley, and his team, to the next level.

Grade: A+

Keon Ellis

5 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, 1 block

I can see Ellis being a great option to slow down players like CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexandar-Walker, and Gabe Vincent. He has the physical tools to match any of them.

The goal, however, is actually getting him into those matchups. Ellis wasn’t properly utilized in any lineup that featured him alongside Dennis Schroder, Max Strus, and Sam Merrill. The Cavs simply aren’t big enough to get away with stuff like that.

Hopefully, Kenny Atkinson adjusts the rotation and better uses Ellis for his point-of-attack defense.

Grade: C–

Max Strus

8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Strus came off the bench as Cleveland opted for Dean Wade in the starting lineup. That worked great for Wade, and not as well for Strus.

I actually thought Strus played a fine game. But similar to Ellis, I’m not sure if the logjam of backcourt players makes for the most ideal second units. Strus is being stretched thin in some of these lineups.

Grade: C+

Sam Merrill

6 points, 3 assists, 1 steal

You can copy and paste most of what I said for Ellis and Strus here. Merrill isn’t benefiting from being in lineups that only feature one player above 6’5”.

Merrill shot 2-3 from downtown tonight.

Grade: C+

Dean Wade

8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Wade returned to the floor and joined the starters tonight. That dynamic worked to perfection. His size and athleticism made him a versatile defensive weapon to pair with the bigs. He also nailed consecutive three-pointers to start the game and spaced the floor well throughout the night.

Grade: A-

Dennis Schroder

5 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound

Not the best. Schroder is most impacted by some of these small-ball lineups. But, he also isn’t a great fit next to either Mitchell or Harden. He was a staggering minus-22 in 15 minutes. As a reminder, the Cavs won this game by six.

Grade: F

Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points, Evan Mobley had 22 points and 19 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 122-116 in a wild contest that saw both teams carry double-digit leads. The Cavs led by as many as 18 points, but nearly collapsed in the fourth quarter before getting some defensive stops in critical moments. If tonight’s game is an indication of how things would look in a playoff series between these two teams, buckle up. 

Atlanta has been inarguably the hottest team in the NBA over the last month, and they showed it down the stretch. Their two best players, Jalen Johnson (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Dyson Daniels (12 points, six assists), both fouled out late in the fourth quarter, making things slightly easier for the Cavs. Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 25 points, hitting some very tough shots along the way. 

It was a back-and-forth affair from Rocket Arena, with both teams exchanging blows throughout. Atlanta outscored Cleveland by 11 in the second quarter, taking a seven-point lead into the half. The Cavs countered with a haymaker, posting 44 points and giving themselves a 17-point lead going into the fourth. Expectedly, the Hawks mounted an extraordinary comeback in the final frame to nearly complete the effort. 

Mitchell was excellent all night and started his takeover in the third quarter, scoring 13 of his 31 in that frame. James Harden (21 points, five rebounds) also caught a little fire in that period, drilling back-to-back threes midway through the quarter to force an Atlanta timeout. The backcourt led the way in the third and propelled the Cavs to perhaps their best quarter of the season. 

While he has been the recipient of fan ire all season, Mobley played exceptionally tonight. The defending Defensive Player of the Year finished with 22 points, 19 rebounds (tied for a career-high), and three blocks on 8-15 shooting. Cleveland was a +20 in Mobley’s minutes, and that certainly passes the eye test. He had a game-changing effort that the Cavs will need in the postseason if they hope to make some noise. 

It was a trying night for Jarrett Allen, even if his stat line looks respectable. Half of his points came from the free-throw line, and he finished with three turnovers — and it could have been more. He lost several entry passes that simply bounced off his hands, or he allowed defenders to dislodge him too easily. It seems Allen isn’t going to be 100% for the playoffs, but they will need a better effort from him than what we saw tonight. 

Speaking of poor performances, Dennis Schroder continues to be a very uneven player. The Cavs were a -22 in his 15 minutes, and that also passes the eye test. Craig Porter Jr. was not utilized in this game, perhaps an indication of how things would look in a playoff setting. This game certainly had a postseason vibe to it, and the rotations reflected that. The Cavs rolled out their usual starters and Dean Wade, and that generally worked out. But the bench was exceptionally poor aside from Sam Merrill. Keon Ellis, Max Strus, and Schroder were all negatives in plus/minus.

This was a roller coaster of a game from tip-off to final buzzer. The Cavs looked alright in the first quarter, terrible in the second, tremendous in the third, and then nearly lost it in the fourth. In fact, they only scored 18 points in the final quarter, most of which came off free throws. The last field goal they made, an Allen dunk, came at the 7:05 mark. It is a borderline miracle that they won this game, especially given the team’s history of falling apart at the seams when things start to go wrong. 

Tonight, they looked like a team that was able to withstand a little adversity. Now, if only they didn’t put themselves in that position in the first place.

Tomorrow night, the Knicks (51*-28) host the Celtics (54-25) at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks sit third in the Eastern Conference, riding a three-game win streak and going 7-3 in their last 10. New York has been solid on their home court (28-9) and will look to leverage that MSG advantage against a Celtics team that has also been playing well, winning four straight and eight of their last 10. While it’s not impossible for the Knicks to steal the second seed from the Celts, they’d have to win out their final three games (starting tonight), while the Beantown Bums would have to lose to the Knicks, Pelicans, and Magic.

The Knicks lead the season series 2-1. The teams last met on February 8 in Boston, where New York pulled out a 111-89 victory. The Knicks led for most of the game, Jalen Brunson topped the scoresheet with 31 points, and Boston shot an awful 7-of-41 (17%) from the perimeter. Oh, what a glorious day that was.

Beyond shots, what else was Boston missing in that February 8 game? Jayson Tatum. In fact, their star power forward has missed all three games against the Knicks this season, having ruptured his achilles in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semis against New York and only returning to action on March 6, 2026. Tatum’s shooting (a career-low 50% eFG) and scoring (21 PPG) have yet to return to pre-injury form, but he’s still a force to be reckoned with.

The Celtics have been one of the more consistent teams, with elite offensive (2nd of 30) and defensive (4th of 30) metrics. They score around 114.6 points per game (21st in the NBA) while allowing just 106.9, which is best in the league.

Tatum and Jaylen Brown (28.8 PPG, 7 RPG, 5.2 APG) will lead their starters, with Derrick White (16.7 PPG, 5.4 APG), Sam Hauser (9.1 PPG, 39% 3P%), and Neemias Queta (10.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG) rounding out the first five. We’ll see who actually plays. Their injury report lists four players—Queta (toe), Hauser (back), White (knee), and Brown (Achilles)—all as game-time decisions. For the Knicks, Tyler Kolek is a GTD with an oblique issue.

Prediction

ESPN.com gives the home team a 56% chance tomorrow. That makes sense. Coach Joe Mazzulla, coach-of-the-year candidate and general weirdo, could rest his ailing Celtics, since they can wrap up the second-seed in one of the next two outings. But who knows what Joe will hear when he stares into the abyss over his morning cornflakes? The Knicks will be ready for whatever, however. In their last game, they rocked Atlanta, taking everything the red hot team threw at them and giving it straight back. Just in time, the Knickerbockers look ready for the playoffs. More of the same tomorrow, we bet. Knicks by 4.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks (51*-28) vs Boston Celtics (54-25)
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Place: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
TV: Prime Video / MSG
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

* Should be one more, but the NBA Cup wins live in a Fortress of Solitude.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Atlanta Hawks in a potential playoff preview. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

WINNER – Cross-Matching

The Cavs started this game by throwing a wicked curveball at the Hawks. Rather than matching up by position, Cleveland elected to stick James Harden on Atlanta’s center, Onyeka Okongwu.

What does this do?

Well, it allows Jarrett Allen to bump down and defend Dyson Daniels, a non-shooting threat who the Cavs are willing to ignore on the perimeter. That makes it possible for Allen to patrol the paint, while Harden just has to use his bulky, 6’5” frame to avoid being dog food.

Okongwu scored 18 points, but wasn’t able to take advantage of Harden defending him. Harden more than held his own in those individual minutes, and Okongwu isn’t a skilled enough scorer to justify the offense catering to him any more than it did tonight.

We’ve seen other teams implement this same strategy. The New York Knicks love to use Josh Hart in this role. Similarly, the Oklahoma City Thunder do the same with Lu Dort or Alex Caruso. Now… it goes without saying that James Harden is nowhere near as good a defender as any of those guys. But the game plan is implemented all the same.

Playing 5-on-4 defensively is a huge advantage. Allen was able to ignore Daniels and contain nearly all drives to the basket. That led to a ton of short-mid-range shots from Atlanta. That’s the type of stuff Cleveland will be glad to concede in the playoffs. It helped make the difference in closing time when the Hawks settled for tough middies.

All that’s left is to make sure you don’t get burned on the perimeter. Outside of a brutal second quarter, I thought the Cavs did a good job of running Atlanta off the line and funneling them to the bigs.

WINNER – Donovan Mitchell

You can trust Donovan Mitchell to show up on the big stage. This wasn’t a playoff game, but it’s clear that Mitchell understood the possible implications.

Mitchell was on fire from the start. He made quick work of the Hawks’ defense, especially when drawing a favorable matchup, like when CJ McCollum or Corey Kispert had the unfortunate fate of defending him. Mitchell’s on-ball brilliance was on full display, with some ridiculously difficult shots appearing routine for him.

What is wrong with Donovan Mitchell pic.twitter.com/Hz6w4uYXNm

— Steve Jones (@stevejones20) April 9, 2026

We’ve seen heroic performances from Mitchell before. But it’s worth noting that he scored in bunches tonight without ever makign it feel like it was him versus the world. Cleveland still took a balanced approach to their offense, with Mitchell expertly filling in when the time called for it.

By the end of the night, Mitchell had 31 points on 12-19 shooting. That’s elite.

LOSER – One Big Lineups

The Hawks are rolling. And should they draw the Cavs in round one, they’d be a formidable opponent capable of doing serious damage.

Tonight, their biggest advantage came in the second unit.

Atlanta’s bench outscored Cleveland 37-28. Most of that happened in the first half, with the Hawks’ bench shooting 11-13 from the floor while the Cavs shot just 3-10.

Jonathan Kuminga was largely responsible for this disparity. He scored 24 points all on his own, putting the Hawks in front with his huge second quarter. The results were diminishing, as Cleveland’s defensive game plan of leaving non-shooters open and packing the paint eventually won out.

Kuminga is a good barometer for this matchup. The Cavs have tipped their hand and shown that they’ll live with him trying to win games in the mid-range. If he can keep scoring in bunches like he did tonight, then he’ll pose a real problem to Cleveland.

I wouldn’t be overly concerned.

What I would worry about is Cleveland’s defensive integrity when only one big man is on the floor, specifically, when Mobley or Allen are anchoring any lineup that doesn’t also feature Dean Wade. The Cavs’ lack of size was truly exposed in those minutes.

This is where their second unit is most vulnerable. Especially when the Cavs are frequently running lineups of four guards and just one big. I don’t foresee them fixing this issue; rather, it’s a weakness that they simply have to overcome.

WINNER – Double Big Lineups (Plus Dean Wade)

The Cavs bench might be undersized. But let me tell you, the frontcourt featuring Wade, Mobley, and Allen dominated this game.

"Dear 8 pound, 6 ounce newborn infant Jesus…" pic.twitter.com/3F497iDqiF

— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) April 9, 2026

Atlanta has plenty of length on the wing. Much more than Cleveland. However, wings and one undersized center in Okongwu are all the Hawks have in their frontcourt. That should be BBQ chicken for Mobley and Allen. On Wednesday night, it was exactly that.

Mobley was immediately impactful. He bruised the Hawks in the paint all night, finishing with 22 points and 19 rebounds while no one from Atlanta had enough size to bother him. If Mobley plays with this much aggression — you can expect a quick series for the Hawks.

Allen wasn’t as overbearing. He’s still working through some knee discomfort that will likely linger into the postseason. Yet, Allen posed enough of a threat to earn 11 free throw attempts. Atlanta was forced to foul him multiple times after Allen used his size for deep-seals in the paint. The healthier Allen gets, the more of an issue this will be for the Hawks.

To tie this into our previous section, the only concern is what happens when Allen and Mobley are not on the court together. Cleveland only outscored the Hawks 52-50 in the paint. They also barely edged them out 47-43 in the rebounding category. The bulk of that happened when only one big was on the floor. Again, it’s an uphill battle they’ll just have to fight.

The Dallas Mavericks (25-54) stay on the road on Wednesday night, this time playing the Phoenix Suns (43-36). Dallas played Tuesday night against the Clippers and couldn’t rally back after getting down huge early in the contest. The Suns enter the game having lost last night to the Houston Rockets.

Here are the main things you need to know:

• WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns
• WHAT: Second night of a back-to-back
• WHERE: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, Arizona
• WHEN: 9:00 pm CST
• HOW: KFAA Channel 29, MavsTV streaming, NBA League Pass

The injury report for the Mavericks reads like the end of a back trip playing Oregon Trail. Let’s start with who’s on the report but going to play: Moussa Cisse, Cooper Flagg, Tyler Smith, and John Poulakidas. Up next, since it’s so close to game time, we know who all is out: Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, and Brandon Williams. That’s rough.

The Suns will be without Grayson Allen, Haywood Highsmith, and Mark Williams, all due to injury management

While the Suns are fairly locked in to the 7th spot in the West and the top of the play-in tournament bracket, a win tonight would lock them in heading into the final games of the regular season. After getting whupped by the Rockets last night, they might be playing for a bit of pride.

Be sure to chime in with your predictions in the comments!

Consider joining Josh and me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube, we should start LATE. Thanks so much for spending time with us here at Mavs Moneyball. Let’s go Mavs!

The Atlanta Hawks were in Cleveland on Wednesday evening to face the Cavaliers. This is a matchup that has the potential to be a first-round playoff series, as the Cavaliers are more than certain going to be locked into the No.3 or No. 4 seed. As for the Hawks, all they have to do is win one of their remaining games and they’re locked into the top-six, and can finish as either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed.

These teams haven’t seen each other since earlier in the season, and both look completely different. The Cavaliers came into this matchup with everyone available, while the Hawks were still without Jock Landale.

Onyeka Okongwu got the Hawks on the board with a dunk, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker tied the game with a three-pointer.

OO dunking & NAW tripling pic.twitter.com/u6o7dETKdO

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 8, 2026

The offense struggled to start the game, and Dyson Daniels helped them get out of that rut with a three-pointer.

Dyson from the top 🔑 pic.twitter.com/sc3KNQakPE

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 8, 2026

Jalen Johnson got things going on the block with this turnaround middy.

JJ on the block + JJ in transition 🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/BayEbtSQec

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 8, 2026

The Hawks were able to claw back to tie the game, and it was Jonathan Kuminga who was cooking late in the quarter.

JK going to work in the paint 💪 pic.twitter.com/pWUDK3THgF

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 8, 2026

The Cavs kept finding themselves at the free throw line which helped them stay in front, and the Hawks trailed 33-29 going into the second.

Kuminga continued his strong first half, bullying Evan Mobley for this layup.

Kuminga strength 💯 pic.twitter.com/XYI8TaPcLx

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 8, 2026

Everything was falling for Kuminga, even this and-one over Dennis Schroder.

KumingAND-1 pic.twitter.com/CzV7qe1SPX

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 8, 2026

It was a back-and-forth contest between both teams in the second quarter, and there were several lead changes throughout the period. The Hawks were finally the team to break the game open, and they got a few shots to go in, while defending the Cavs well on the other end.

Threes are raininggg ☔️☔️☔️ pic.twitter.com/8rWJH9htW5

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 9, 2026

The Hawks grew a lead as much as 11 points, and they were able to find a rhythm down the stretch of the second. The Cavs did knock down a few shots in the end, but the Hawks still went into halftime with a 67-60 lead.

The Cavs kept their momentum going from the end of the first half, and cut down their deficit early in the third. Okongwu did his best to cut out some of that momentum.

Big O right to the rack! pic.twitter.com/OXjK741ccm

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 9, 2026

It wasn’t enough, as Donovan Mitchell continued to attack, and the Hawks didn’t have much of an answer for him. James Harden started to get going, and the Cavs grabbed back the lead.

The Hawks played from behind most of the quarter, but didn’t let the game get out of hand early. As the quarter progressed, they did start to lose focus, which led to the Cavs extending their lead to double digits. Kuminga tried to keep the Hawks in it with this three-pointer.

JK keeps his good night going with a triple 🎯 pic.twitter.com/tMciLNY8ra

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 9, 2026

The Cavs kept their foot on the gas, and they got their lead to 17 points going into the fourth.

Kuminga kept this strong play going to start the fourth.

Another three from Kuminga to start the 4th! pic.twitter.com/D6dkfG5ktx

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 9, 2026

The Hawks were down by 18 points in the fourth, but they started to find a way to cut down their deficit.

Kuminga cookies and basket 🍪🧺 pic.twitter.com/UZm0a6heqz

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 9, 2026

The Hawks kept it going in the fourth, and continued to cut their deficit.

17-2 run 👀👀👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/lPv2pQ3HCj

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 9, 2026

The Hawks got it down as much as two points after this Kuminga dunk.

Nickeil Steal 🍪

Kuminga HAMMER 🔨 pic.twitter.com/DSgQfgLiMa

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 9, 2026

The Hawks had several chances to tie the game or take the lead, but they were not able to capitalize. Meanwhile, the Cavs kept making their way to the free-throw line, and they were able to seal the deal.

Alexander-Walker finished with 25 points, Kuminga 24 finished with 24 points, and Okongwu with 18 points.

The Hawks will be back in action on Friday against the Cavs.

The Detroit Pistons knew that they would need reinforcements for this one, so a bunch of folks returned from injury to ensure victory agains the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks, 137-111. Jericho Sims notched his first career triple-double while Ryan Rollins scored a team-high 23. Detroit spread the wealth, with Jalen Duren atop their scorers with 21.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

AJ Green started this one on fire, draining three threes in the frame. That earned the Bucks an early lead, but Duren and the Pistons would soon regain it. Sims was his usual menacing self on the boards and in the paint, while Daniss Jenkins dished out about an assist per minute in his limited time for Detroit. Despite some relatively strong play from Ousmane Dieng, Milwaukee finished the quarter down 34-28.

The Pistons extended their lead in the second. AJG was subbed out after two quick fouls brought his total to three, taking out his hot hand. A trend of Detroit racking up points off turnovers continued, with Ron Holland II cashing in twice. The Bucks (and specifically Rollins) would not go quietly into the night though, as they uncorked a 14-2 run to get within four of the home team. But the Pistons quickly regained a double-digit lead. Duncan Robinson then exploded for three threes and then some, as the Bucks ended up down 75-57 at the half.

Detroit came out of intermission on fire, headed by Cade Cunningham hitting shots inside and out. The Bucks were hitting shots; they just weren’t preventing them. Eventually they were able to regain the halftime deficit, highlighted by three threes from Taurean Prince. But Detroit would score the last 10 points on their way to a 112-86 lead after three.

Yet again, it was a strong start to the quarter for the Pistons, headlined by Duren bully ball down low. Things stayed south for the Bucks, but I’ll give a shoutout to Cormac Ryan, who had a nice game and nice eyebrows. I suppose Andre Jackson Jr. was the white flag in this one, coming in midway through the frame. But fret not! Jericho Sims triple-double watch brought garbage time to life… until he got it pretty easily with plenty of time left in the game, lol. Then the real white flags checked in and brought this one to a close.

Stat That Stood Out

The fast-break different was 32-2 (!). The Pistons were moving and grooving in transition, especially in the first half. The Bucks… were not.

A rundown on potential Sixers seeding scenarios with 3 games left  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Almost time for a final answer on where the Sixers will wind up at the end of this regular season.

With three games left, below are the Eastern Conference standings from fifth through 10th. The top six avoid the play-in tournament.

• 5. Hawks 45-35 
• 6. Raptors 44-35
• 7. Magic 44-36
• 8. Sixers 43-36 
• 9. Hornets 43-37
• 10. Heat 41-38 

And here’s a rundown of the Sixers’ potential seeding scenarios: 

If Sixers go 3-0 

To finish at 46-36, the Sixers first need to beat the 50-win Rockets on Thursday night in Houston. Then they must handle business against the Pacers and Bucks, two teams out of the East playoff picture. 

To come out ahead of the Raptors in a two-way tie situation, the Sixers would only need Toronto to lose at least one of its last three games. The Sixers would win a two-way tiebreaker over the Raptors because they have the superior record vs. opponents in the Atlantic division.

In order to rise to fifth in the East, the Sixers would require the following results:

• Hawks go 0-2, losing to the Cavs and Heat 
• Raptors go 2-1 or worse against the Heat, Knicks and Nets

No other team around the Sixers’ region of the standings could catch them. The Magic could reach 46 wins by ending 2-0 against the Bulls and Celtics, but the Sixers won the regular-season series over Orlando.

If Sixers go 2-1 

If they lose in Houston and/or trip up against the Pacers and Bucks, the Sixers would need more factors to break their way to avoid the play-in. 

At 45-37, the Sixers would be guaranteed to finish below Atlanta. Even if the Hawks ended 0-2, they’d be above the Sixers because they swept the regular-season series. 

So, to be sixth at the end of the season, the 45-37 Sixers would at a minimum need:

• Raptors go 1-2 or 0-3 
• Magic go 1-1 or 0-2

The potential tiebreakers with three or four teams at 45-37 get convoluted, to the point that it seemingly might matter which of their three games the Sixers lost (to the Western Conference’s Rockets or East’s Pacers or Bucks). For now, suffice it to say that they’d be scoreboard watching and hoping several dominoes fell in their favor. 

The Hornets could throw themselves into the 45-37 mix by beating the Pistons and Knicks. If only the Sixers and Charlotte are 45-37, the Sixers would have the edge. They earned a comeback win over the Hornets on March 28 to take that season series. 

If Sixers go 1-2 

Two losses in their last three games would obviously leave the Sixers with poor odds of a top-six finish.

At 44-38, here’s the only way that could happen:

• Raptors go 0-3 
• Magic go 0-2 
• Hornets go 1-1 or 0-2 

In that world, the Sixers, Raptors, Magic and Hornets would all be 44-38 (with Charlotte going 1-1). 

To illustrate the tiebreaker complexities that could ensue: The first tiebreaker in these scenarios is an automatic win for a division leader, but none of the teams would meet that criteria. Next up is the best winning percentage in all games among the tied teams. By our count, the Sixers went 6-4 overall against Toronto, Orlando and Charlotte. Both the Raptors and Hornets would be just behind them with a 6-5 record in their games against the other teams. 

Again, this is a very improbable hypothetical on many fronts. The Sixers being a play-in team is by far the most likely outcome with a 1-2 finish. As laid out above, the odds of that also appear quite high with a 2-1 finish.

If Sixers go 0-3

Should the Sixers essentially collapse down the stretch and end at 43-39, they’ll be between eighth and 10th.

To stay at No. 8, they’d need:

• Hornets go 0-2 
• Heat go 1-2 or 0-3. (Miami won the season series over the Sixers.) 

These results would lead to the Sixers being the No. 9 seed at 43-39:

• Hornets go 0-2 and Heat go 2-1 or 3-0
• Hornets go 1-1 or 2-0 and Heat go 1-2 or 0-3 

Here’s how the Sixers could drop to 10th:

• Hornets go 1-1 or 2-0 
• Heat go 2-1 or 3-0