Category: Basketball

While a seven-game series is all about the first to four, not the first to one, there is added pressure on the Lakers to come out victorious in Game 1.

Not only are they trying to protect home court, but they are undermanned, playing without Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić for the immediate future.

Many NBA experts don’t give them a chance to win this series. Game 1 will be a great opportunity not only to prove those critics wrong but also to start the series against Houston up 1-0.

“Tremendously important for us,” Smart said after Tuesday’s practice. “We know we got a team that’s going to come in and try to set the rules, right. Especially first game, you want to set the tone for the whole series, let them know this is how it’s going to be.

“Not only that, it just sets the tone in general so the refs can understand, ‘This is how we’re going to play. This is how we’re going to do it. Let us play.’ It’s very important for us because they are very aggressive and they do a really good job of setting the tone and we’re going to have to do a good job matching that energy if not going above it.”

In the NBA, the team that wins Game 1 wins the series 77.8% of the time. So, yes, winning the first game as the home team would be ideal for Los Angeles. It would not only get them started on the right track, but also give them the confidence that they can win despite the guards they are missing.

“I think it’s important that we have the right spirit and we have a belief,” Redick said. “Certainly winning Game 1 can help with that, but I’m confident. Our group is in this to fight until we win the series.”

During this week of practice, Redick has stressed that the right spirit is rebounding the ball and limiting turnovers. LA has struggled to keep Houston off the glass even in wins this year, and if they can beat them on the boards on Saturday night, the odds of a victory will be good.

After Wednesday’s practice, Rui Hachimura echoed the sentiments of Redick and Smart on how much winning Game 1 matters.

“We got home court advantage and we gotta get the first one,” Hachimura said. I’ve been to a couple of playoffs, and the first game is really important.”

The Lakers seem to all be on the same page regarding the importance of Game 1.

They’ll have a few more days to work on their game plan before attempting to execute it on Saturday. Hopefully, a week of rest and practice gives them the energy and preparedness to accomplish their first task. Because it may be the first to four that wins, but that path begins with earning the first victory.

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

Many NBA fans are calling a foul on Adam Silver over the league’s new postseason schedule.

On Tuesday, the Association revealed the game dates for the first round of the 2026 playoffs, and there were more than a few basketball watchers who accused Silver of favoring the injury-plagued Lakers.

Los Angeles will start its series with the Rockets on Saturday, but then will get a full two days off before Game 2 on April 21. It’ll then get an additional two days off before Game 3 on April 24.

The Lakers will play again on April 26, but Game 5 then isn’t slated to tip off until April 29.

It’s a significant amount of rest days, especially for the Lakers, who are dealing with some injury issues.

Both Austin Reaves (oblique) and Luka Doncic (hamstring) have been sidelined since April 2, and while LA head coach JJ Redick said the pair was out “indefinitely” this week, both were reportedly looking at return timetables of around a month after they initially sustained their ailments.

For those doing the math, Game 5 would almost exactly mark the four-week milestone for both — and some have accused Silver of doing that on purpose.

Full First Round Schedule: Western Conference

For individual West series matchups in the 2026 NBA Playoffs presented by @Googlepic.twitter.com/iqaQLwKcKh

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 15, 2026

“Lmao Adam Silver sneaky mf,” one Lakers fan wrote on Reddit. “we see what you did here and we thank you.”

“Three 2 days off for the Lakers, they really want Luka to play in the 1st round,” another said on X, adding nose and fish emojis.

“totally not RIGGED,” a separate poster wrote.

If Games 6 and 7 are necessary in the series, they would take place on May 1 and May 3 — giving Doncic and Reaves over a month to come back should a winner-take-all game go down in the teams’ opening round.

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The Spurs just finished their fourth-best season in franchise history in terms of win percentage. Is this one of the best San Antonio teams ever, or do we need to wait for the playoffs to claim that?

Marilyn Dubinski: We definitely need to see what’s in store for the playoffs before ranking them.  Spurs teams with lower records have won championships and will therefore always be highly regarded.  Conversely, the best regular season record for the Spurs was 67-15 in 2015-16, but we mainly remember that team for losing in the second round to the Thunder, however controversial it was (Dion Waiters, ugh), not for how great the regular season was.  One thing this squad will always be remembered for is one of the best turnarounds in franchise history, and while their 28-game improvement doesn’t beat the 35 games from 1989-90 or 36 from 1997-98, it may have been an even bigger surprise.   

Mark Barrington: It’s the best turnaround I’ve ever seen, from a team that’s barely competitive to one of the league’s elites, but to be one of the best San Antonio teams ever, they are going to have to excel in the playoffs. Maybe one of the best regular seasons ever, but for a team that has five championships, the bar is higher than the regular season. If this team wins the championship, this will be the second-best year ever, after 1999, when they won their first trophy. I don’t know if this team is ready, but it seems possible. They don’t have much playoff experience, but I don’t think anything intimidates them.

Bill Huan: We need to see what happens in the playoffs. This team needs to go through the crucible of a postseason before we can make proclamations about where they rank in Spurs history, and we’ve seen elite regular-season teams flame out when things get tough before. Now that I’m done being a Debbie Downer, I feel comfortable saying that this has probably been one of the most fun seasons in team history, given the expectations going in and the turnaround they had compared to last year. Now, I wasn’t even alive when the Spurs won their first championship and I’ve been a fan for only a decade, so feel free to “expose” me, as the kids like to say. 

Devon Birdsong: One of the best regular-season teams? Yeah, I think that’s pretty much set in stone at this point. For the latter fourth of the season, I’ve been comparing this year’s squad to the 2014 Spurs, and their Net Rating ended up being almost identical. They even both went 62-20, and if not for the Thunder, they’d have been the #1 seed like the 2014 Spurs were. However, the best overall is always going to be dictated by rings, so the postseason is where they’ll have to earn that accolade. Even if they were to just make the Western Conference Finals, though, that would be enough to make them a top 10 team in franchise history, and that’s no small thing to be able to claim in the history of this franchise. Obviously, we’d all prefer a title. Now *that* would be a fun ranking exercise. 

Jeje Gomez: The potential is there. The record speaks for itself and the net rating is impressive. For most franchises, it would be easy to call them one of their best team ever. Unfortunately for this version of the Spurs, they are measured up against championship teams, so the playoffs have to be considered. If they get to the Conference Finals, they would get a spot among the best San Antonio teams ever, but until they achieve some postseason success, they can’t be regarded as one.

There were a lot of highlights and big moments in the regular season. Which was your favorite?

Dubinski: Just off the top of my head, Victor Wembanyama’s triumphant return in the regular season opener was special after overcoming DVT, and the way he made Cooper Flagg look like a deer in headlights was the cherry on top. (Although news flash: he isn’t anymore. He’s going to be special.) They also actually made me kinda care about the Cup with their wins in Los Angeles and against the Thunder in Vegas. Speaking of which, going 4-1 against the Thunder will always be a fun memory. Lastly, who can forget that entire February and-on stretch?  That kind of run is something only true championship contenders do.

Barrington: For me, it might be the 25-point comeback to beat the Clippers on March 6, where they overcame a blah start and took over the game late, shutting down Kawhi Leonard and turning a bad night into triumph. It’s a measure of how resilient the team can be that they didn’t give up when they were down by 25 points in the third quarter and kept believing. But the whole season has been special, and I wouldn’t have missed any of it.

Huan: It’s gotta be Wemby’s performance in the season opener. I still watch highlights of that game once a week and I genuinely think it’s one of the most insane one-game highlight packages of any athlete, from any sport, ever. Jacob Tobey’s line about Wemby being “a figment of our basketball imagination” is one of my all-time favorite calls, too, and the best part is, the entire season continued to go uphill from there. 

Birdsong: For me, it’s a tie between Wemby’s hyper-efficient 40-point games and Harper and Castle getting white hot from long distance. After struggling with unevenness from beyond the arc, Castle has been shooting 40% for about a month and a half, and Harper has actually been shooting 50% over that same stretch of time. No shock that the Spurs have been a nigh-unsolvable riddle in that time. Meanwhile, Wemby tied the Admiral for most 40-point 10-rebound games in a season (5), and did so while averaging less than 30 minutes a game. There’s just not much like watching him be unstoppable in that way. And several of those games weren’t far from being 40-20 stat lines. The even crazier thing? He scored 38+ points in four other games, coming unbelievably close to almost doubling the number of hyper-efficient 40-point rampages. 

Gomez: Opening night stands out because it was one of the most impressive and unique individual performances the NBA has ever seen. I personally loved the last matchup against the Timberwolves, featuring 55 points from Anthony Edwards, a standout performance by rookie Joan Beringer, a great Wemby game and a wacky ending with missed free throws and offensive rebounds that went the Spurs’ way, the type of weird game that great teams tend to win with some help from the basketball gods. But if I have to pick one moment, I’ll be unoriginal and go with Wembanyama’s game-winner against the Suns. The Spurs were a lock to make the playoffs for the first time in years, but to clinch their spot with such a fantastic bucket from their superstar almost felt scripted.

What was the biggest surprise of the season, other than the record?

Dubinski: For me, it was how much an alleged lack of outside shooting ended up not being a problem. It wasn’t a strength, per se, but they were good enough that it didn’t hold them back.  There was a little stress in that department coming in, considering the Spurs didn’t really sign any new outside shooters and the guard trio of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper didn’t have a reputation as shooters, but all three of them shot well enough to keep defenses honest.  Harrison Barnes also had his super hot start to the season (and started regaining his form in the last month or so), and Julian Champagnie has turned into one of the most reliable shooters in the league. They could still be better, but it wasn’t the glaring weakness we all feared it would be.

Barrington: I think it’s the maturity and emotional resilience of the team. The team is really young, but they don’t play like a young team mentally. Some of it is coaching, and also the veteran leadership of guys like Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, and Jordan McLaughlin, but it’s mostly due to the character of the young players. Victor Wembanyama is an incredible leader, on top of being an insanely talented player. Behind that affable and nerdy exterior lurks an intense competitive nature and steely resolve. Stephon Castle works as hard as any player I’ve seen. Dylan Harper plays with the calmness of a veteran, despite being a rookie. Normally, a team this young would be expected to be bounced early in the playoffs, but they have a chance to make some noise this year if they keep their heads about them, and every indication is that they will.

Huan: Steph Castle, no question. I’ve mentioned countless times that I did not expect this leap from him, and I’m surprised I wasn’t banned from writing, given all the horrendous takes I had about him last season. I thought that he would become a trick-or-treat type player like Marcus Smart but he has developed into a legitimate All-Star calibre guard who’s a borderline elite playmaker and now a decent scorer on league-average efficiency. Oh, and did I mention the defense? I’ve never been this wrong about a player ever, and I’ve never been happier about being wrong, either. 

Birdsong: I had no idea how adding Harper to the bench was going to play out. It was pretty obvious the kid had talent, but it was basically asking him to instantly run the show for a group of savvy vets. I especially wasn’t sure how he and Keldon might combine, with Keldon having accepted a role as 6th man, and Harper almost certain to pass him up eventually. Keldon’s a lovely human, but he has a very specific play style, and all anyone could do was hope that they’d complement each other. But not only was pretty much every bench lineup improved with Harper on the court, lineups with him and Keldon specifically are almost five points better on both offense and defense. A big part of why this team won 60 games (and why Wemby was able to dip out early as needed) was because the bench not only refused to relinquish the lead, but also built on it. The bench finished the year 5th in the league for net rating, and I was just hoping for them to be in the top 10. In San Antonio, that tends to align with banners. 

Gomez: The seamlessness with which everyone slotted perfectly into their ideal roles was a little surprising for such a young team. Mitch Johnson deserves credit for that, as he seems to be a great locker room leader who can get the best out of his personnel, but the players themselves also need to be commended. The young veterans in particular deserve their flowers. Keldon Johnson was aggressive when he needed to save some offensively-challenged bench lineups, especially early in the season, but he didn’t force things. Devin Vassell had big scoring games and nights in which he took only a handful of shots, but always tried to contribute in any other way he could. De’Aaron Fox was the most impressive in terms of just doing what the team needed to win by moving to an off-ball role for long stretches and even entire games to make room for the young guards, something not a lot of players of his stature would have done in their prime. Raw talent is the main force driving the Spurs’ success, but chemistry is a close second.

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Clippers fans ruthlessly troll Warriors' Brandin Podziemski with broccoli signs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Brandin Podziemski was seen smiling as he approached the free-throw line in the first quarter of the Warriors’ NBA play-in tournament game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, and it very quickly became apparent why.

Clippers fans behind the hoop sitting in “The Wall” at Intuit Dome had sprinkled in broccoli signs with their cardboard waves, clearly poking fun at the Golden State guard’s hairstyle of choice.

OH MY GOODNESS KRISTAPS

📺 @NBAonPrimepic.twitter.com/x8cynhRaz5

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 16, 2026

“The Wall” is known for distracting opposing players at the charity stripe, consisting of 4,500 seats and 51 rows, with the first 13 called “The Swell.” Last season, per ESPN, opponents shot 73.4 percent on free throws when facing the rowdy bunch of Clippers fans.

Their antics might have worked, as Podziemski made his first free-throw attempt but missed the second — though Kristaps Porziņģis soared in for a dunk on the rebound.

After a slow start to the win-or-go-home game, the Warriors roared back in the second quarter but still trail the Clippers. So far, Podziemski is 4-of-8 shooting from the field with two 3-pointers and one very good sense of humor.

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INDEPENDENCE — The Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled to stay healthy all season. This has led to them having 41 different starting lineup combinations and just three players participating in 65 or more games. For context, a team like the Boston Celtics had 23 different starting lineup combinations and nine players available for 65 or more gams.

Fortunately for the Cavaliers, things are trending in the right direction heading into the start of the playoffs on Saturday. Head coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed that 14 of the team’s 15 players were full participants in what Atkinson described as a “real practice.” That includes Jarrett Allen (knee), Donovan Mitchell (ankle), and Sam Merrill (hamstring), who were on the injury report late in the regular season.

The one player who wasn’t a full participant was Thomas Bryant. He was still able to do some on-court work. Atkinson noted that he was “surprisingly ahead of schedule” with the calf injury he’s been dealing with.

Being healthy has allowed them to focus on one of the most important aspects of succeeding in the playoffs, and one of the things that let them down last postseason: Conditioning.

Conditioning has been an overarching focus of practice this week. The Cavs want to be prepared to take on a Toronto Raptors team that plays at one of the fastest paces in the league. They’ve done circuit training with the VersaClimber to get ready for playoff intensity. However, that preparation didn’t just start this week. It’s been a focus for this group for almost a year.

“It wasn’t just about yesterday’s [circuit training],” Atkinson said. “It’s about June and July. We’ve done a lot of things in the offseason and in-season to be ready for the intensity and physicality. It’s going to be a big part of this series.”

When the Lakers begin their opening-round playoff series against the Rockets Saturday, they will be without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, both working their way back from injury.

Consequently, DraftKings Sportsbook has the Rockets priced as -600 favorites heading into the first round of the postseason. LeBron James and the Lakers are 90:1 to win the Western Conference and 150:1 to win the NBA Finals as of this writing.

Are the Lakers completely without hope, though? Using FTN’s Stats & Charting, let’s take a look at their roster to see if there is any reason to think they could make some noise during these playoffs.

Can LeBron James turn back the clock?

During the regular season, LeBron James averaged 29.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 10.4 assists per 36 minutes with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves off of the floor. In the past month, James has a +2.6% Field Goal Percentage Over Expectation and has scored +0.7 Points Over Expectation, indicating that he’s still been performing at a high level.

Following the All-Star break, the Lakers were 8.4 points better per 100 possessions with James on the court, compared to when he was on the bench – offering further evidence that he’s still capable of turning back the clock.

What does the supporting cast look like?

In five games following the injury to Luka, the Lakers relied on Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton and Luke Kennard for more contributions on the offensive end of the floor.

The good news for Los Angeles is that those players performed well in an expanded role. Hachimura, who averaged 11.5 points this season, scored 16.6 points per game down the stretch. Notably, he was 7-for-10 from the field against the Thunder and shot 50% from the field against the Suns – two playoff teams. Ayton and Kennard saw similar increases in scoring while maintaining strong efficiency.

During the team’s final 3 regular season contests, Hachimura, James, and Ayton each posted an +8.0% FGOE or better.

Does Houston have a problem?

Houston was 25-15 SU and ranked fourth in the NBA in net rating during their first 40 games this season, but lost Steven Adams to injury Jan. 18. From that point, the Rockets were 27-15 SU, but they ranked only 11th in net rating.

Houston led the NBA in rebound% (55.7%) prior to Adams’ injury, but regressed slightly in that area during the second half of the campaign. They also had the seventh-worst turnover rate in basketball during that span, which diminished the potency of their offense.

The Lakers defensive rating was 1.3 points better with Doncic off of the floor following the All-Star break. It’s not impossible to think that Los Angeles could make life difficult for Houston’s offense in the opening round.

The Takeaway

The Lakers went 10-8 SU in games with Luka Dončić unavailable and 17-14 SU in games with Austin Reaves inactive during the regular season. LeBron James had his workload monitored diligently this year, hoping to keep him fresh for the most important games of the season. The level of difficulty goes up in the playoffs, but his recent production in our Stats & Charting metrics indicate that he has plenty left in the tank. If his supporting cast can continue to knock down some open shots against Houston, there is at least a little bit of hope for Lakers fans – more than the current betting odds suggest.

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The 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament continues today with two more matchups; first up, the Orlando Magic head to Philadelphia to face off with the 76ers.

Both teams finished the season with identical 45-37 records, but Philadelphia finished ahead of Orlando and captured home court advantage in today’s game by winning two out of three meetings against Orlando this season.

The last time the Magic and 76ers shared the court was back in January and ended in a 103-91 Sixers victory.

The winner of tonight’s game will advance directly into the playoff bracket as the No. 7 seed, while the loser will have another shot at the No. 8 seed against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

Magic vs. 76ers start time:

Tonight’s (April 15) Magic vs. 76ers game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET, but pregame coverage on Prime Video will begin at 7 p.m.

How to watch Magic vs. 76ers for free:

The entire NBA Play-In Tournament, including Magic vs. 76ers, is streaming exclusively on Prime Video, so you’ll need an Amazon Prime subscription to watch the game.

If you aren’t a Prime Video subscriber yet, you can get started with a 30-day Amazon Prime free trial, including Prime perks like the Prime Video streaming service, free two-day shipping, exclusive deals, and more. After the free trial, Amazon Prime costs $14.99/month or $139/year.

PRIME VIDEO PRIME FOR YOUNG ADULTS

All 18- to 24-year-olds, regardless of student status, are eligible for a discounted Prime for Young Adults membership as well, with age verification. After a six-month free trial, you’ll pay 50% off the standard Prime monthly price of $14.99/month — just $7.49/month — for up to six yearsand get all the perks.

NBA Playoffs key dates:

• April 14-17: NBA Play-In Tournament
• April 18: NBA Playoffs First Round begins
• June 3: Game 1 of the NBA Finals

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Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.

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The Los Angeles Lakers are set to begin the playoffs on Saturday night against the Houston Rockets, but an early-April injury to Luka Doncic has the superstar point guard expected to miss the entire first round.

I break down the latest Luka Doncic odds and how the injury subsequently affects the Lakers’ NBA odds, which have taken a tumble as a result.

How we got here

Despite the Los Angeles Lakers catching fire following the All-Star break — including a 16-2 run in February and March — things came to a crashing halt on April 2, as Luka Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in the third quarter of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Prior to the injury, Doncic was absolutely stuffing the stat sheet, leading the league with 33.5 points per game while averaging 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per contest.

Treatment plan

Doncic returned from Spain on Tuesday after undergoing regenerative therapy, which reportedly included stem cell injections.

Still, cutting a potential return timeline from 4–6 weeks down to 3–4 weeks would still sideline Doncic for the entire round against Houston, as even if the series went the distance, a potential Game 7 would fall well before that timeframe.

LA, we have a problem

Lakers head coach J.J. Redick addressed the media on Monday, giving the latest update on the injuries to both Doncic and star guard Austin Reaves.

“They’re out indefinitely. I’m not going to have an update for you this week. They’re out indefinitely” - JJ Redick on the injury statuses of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves pic.twitter.com/h9awcSTLcP

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 14, 2026

Despite having home-court advantage for Round 1, the Lakers are listed at +450 to win the series against Houston at bet365, and they have fallen all the way to +15000 to win the NBA Finals.

The Luka-less Lakers are currently listed as 5.5-point underdogs ahead of Saturday's Game 1 against Houston.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The NBA's Play-In Tournament might be underway, but the regular season is not a wrap. The end-of-season awards have yet to be handed out, and still there are major questions surrounding more than a few of them.

Does Victor Wembanyama deserve MVP after leading his team to an unexpected No. 2 seed in the Western Conference while playing some of the greatest defense fans have ever seen? Or should that distinction go to the reigning MVP who put together another incredible performance as one of the league's top scorers and clutch performers? Is Nickeil Alexander-Walker a shoo-in for most improved player, or can dark horses such as Deni Avdija or Jalen Duren make a push? Does Chet Holmgren have any shot at defensive player of the year?

These are the questions fans want answered, and we'll get them soon. For now, though, all we can do is look at the odds to try to figure out what will happen. Here are the odds for each of the NBA's major awards. (All odds via BetMGM.)

NBA MVP odds

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (-5000)
2. Victor Wembanayama, Spurs (+2000)
3. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (+6600)

NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds

1. Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (-10000)
2. Chet Holmgren, Thunder (+1200)

NBA Most Improved Player odds

1. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Hawks (-1250)
2. Jalen Duren, Pistons (+800)
3. Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers (+6600)
4. Jalen Johnson, Hawks (+15000)

NBA Sixth Man of the Year odds

1. Keldon Johnson, Spurs (-833)
2. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Heat (+500)
3. Naz Reid, Timberwolves (+10000)
4. Reed Sheppard, Rockets (+10000)
5. Tim Hardaway Jr., Nuggets (+10000)
6. Ajay Mitchell, Thunder (+10000)
7. Isaiah Stewart, Pistons (+25000)

NBA Coach of the Year odds

1. Joe Mazzulla, Celtics (-150)
2. J.B. Bickerstaff, Pistons (+115)
3. Mitch Johnson, Spurs (+4000)
4. Charles Lee, Hornets (+25000)
5. Quin Snyder, Hawks (+50000)

When will NBA awards be announced?

The official timeline for the NBA's end-of-season awards has yet to be announced but should be coming soon. Last year, the first major award was announced April 21, with sixth man of the year going to Boston's Payton Pritchard. The final major award was announced more than a month later (May 22) when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took home the MVP.

The announcements for this year's awards are likely to follow a similar schedule with multiple awards being announced as the playoffs progress.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA awards odds with the latest MVP and DPOY favorites

New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change.

Mitch Johnson can finally start drawing up game plans.

Following the Portland Trail Blazers’ messy 114-110 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the Play-In, Victor Wembanyama and the No. 2-seeded San Antonio Spurs are now officially set to meet Deni Avdija’s No. 8-ranked club in the Divisional Round of the NBA Playoffs.

Home games at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center are scheduled to take place:

Game OneSunday, April 19
8 p.m.

Game TwoTuesday, April 21
7 p.m.

Game FiveTuesday, April 28TBD

Game SevenSaturday, May 2
TBD

If you’d like to be there to see the Spurs in the postseason for the first time since 2019 during the Greg Popovich era (!), tickets are available for all four hypothetical showdowns in the Lone Star State.

At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on seats for any one Frost Bank Center contest was $114 including fees on StubHub.

Fans hoping to catch a game at Portland’s Moda Center can snag seats for as low as $112 including fees.

Prior to this high-stakes series, the Spurs and Blazers met on April 8 in San Antonio. Although Wemby and Stephon Castle sat due to injuries, De’Aaron Fox led the charge with 25 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Keldon Johnson chipped in 20 on 8-of-15 shooting.

“We did a good job with some responses throughout a game against a very competitive team that really pushed the envelope pressuring on one end and trying to drive you on the other end,” Johnson said in a postgame press conference.

Given their lopsided records — San Antonio finished the year 62-20 to Portland’s 42-20 — and the Spurs’ taking two of three from the Blazers in the season series, oddsmakers list Wemby, Castle and Fox as “massive -2000 favorite(s) to advance, with the Trail Blazers coming in at a very long +1000.”

Still, there’s no reason for fans to rest on their laurels.

The squad can certainly use all the help they can from Spurs Jackals to ensure they advance to the Western Conference Semifinals to take on the winner of the Nuggets-Timberwolves series.

For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about the San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers 2026 Western Conference Divisional Playoff Series below.

San Antonio Spurs playoff home game tickets

A complete calendar including all announced Spurs home game dates at the Frost Bank Center and the best prices on tickets can be found here:

San Antonio Spurs home game dates	Ticket prices start at
Game One Sunday, April 19 8 p.m.	$142(including fees)
Game Two Tuesday, April 21 7 p.m.	$114(including fees)
Game Five Tuesday, April 28TBD	$159(including fees)
Game Seven Saturday, May 2 TBD	$438(including fees)

Portland Trail Blazers playoff home game tickets

All Blazers playoff home game dates at the Moda Center and the cheapest tickets available can be found below.

Portland Trail Blazers home game dates	StubHub prices start at
Game Three Friday, April 24 7:30 p.m.	$116(including fees)
Game Four Sunday, April 26 12:30 p.m.	$112(including fees)
Game Six Thursday, April 30 TBD	$147(including fees)

How to watch the Spurs and Blazers on TV

Fans hoping to catch Johnson’s club on the tube can watch all first-round playoff games on ABC, ESPN, TNT, Prime Video, NBC and NBA TV.

Just make sure to review your local listings before tuning in.

If you don’t have cable, your best bet may be DIRECTV.

About Spurs-Blazers

In 2025-26, the San Antonio Spurs went head-to-head with the Portland Trail Blazers three times.

Their first matchup went down Nov. 26, 2025 as part of the NBA Cup. San Antonio won that showdown 115-102 without Castle and Wemby once again. De’Aaron Fox went off and dropped 37 while Devin Vassell added 23.

A little over a month later, the Blazers squeaked past the Spurs 115-110 on Jan. 3. And, yes, Wemby rode the pine. No, he did not play against Portland once this season. Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan all scored over 20 to secure the win.

With a healthy Wembanyama in tow, Tiago Splitter’s squad will have to find a way to guard the 7’4″ big man. To that, we say good luck Donovan Clingan and Jerami Grant. They’ll need it.

2026 NBA playoff schedule

Been meaning to see where the playoffs are at right now?

Check out the NBA’s 2026 playoff bracket here.

Huge 2026 concerts in San Antonio

Not sure what to do once the final buzzer sounds on the 2025-26 NBA season?

We’ve got you covered.

Here are just five of our favorites headed to San Antonio these next few months.

• Don Toliver (June 14)

• Grupo Frontera (July 19)

• Earth Wind and Fire with Lionel Richie (July 28)

• J. Cole (Sept. 13)

• RUSH (Sept. 23 and 25)

Want to see who else is on the road? Check out our list to find all the biggest artists on tour in 2026 to find the show for you.

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Why you should trust ‘Post Wanted’ by the New York Post

This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.

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Now that the Lakers are set to play the Rockets in the playoffs, LA can focus on just one opponent and game plan for them.

The good news for the Lakers is that they won the regular-season series against Houston 2-1. The obvious bad news is that they’ll have to play without Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić, who are out indefinitely.

This provides the Lakers’ head coach, JJ Redick, with the difficult challenge of trying to win a playoff series without his two best players. After Lakers practice on Tuesday, he established two keys to winning the series: rebounding and turnovers.

“Again, taking care of the basketball and boxing out,” Redick said. “That’s the series. Schemes, personnel, obviously important. But if we don’t take care of the ball, we don’t box out, we’re not going to win the series. They were No. 4 in scoring opportunities, we were No. 23. We don’t have the luxury with Luka and AR out of getting killed in scoring opportunities every single game. We have to box out.

“We’re going to place an emphasis on every drill and practice. We started practice with boxing out today. You got to put it in their mind and that was literally the only thing we said about Houston today. Today was about us and having a practice and getting sharp with our stuff. Tomorrow, we’ll introduce personnel. Thursday, we’ll do our scout like we would. Friday will be a reinforcement of that scout. Saturday, we’ll be good to go. The only thing we did today was box out and take care of the ball.”

Across their three regular-season contests, the Rockets outrebounded the Lakers 130-91. In fact, the Lakers lost the rebounding battle in every single game against Houston.

That didn’t stop them from winning more than they lost, but it’s a clear weakness they’d like to fix. Especially, as Redick has mentioned, now that Dončić and Reaves are out. This makes the Lakers even smaller and takes out two players who average 12.4 rebounds per game combined.

In many ways, rebounding is a team sport. It requires focus and a collective effort to box out, so regardless of who grabs the board, it’s someone on your side. Every Laker will have to be a better rebounder, especially players like Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura, who can fluctuate from having great rebounding games to poor ones.

Beyond the rebounding, turnovers will be a key. The Lakers, being shorthanded, will have to play as close to perfect basketball as possible. LA only lost the turnover battle once in their three games against Houston, so hopefully that continues now that LeBron James and Luke Kennard will be the main ball handlers for LA.

After Tuesday’s practice, Marcus Smart discussed another x-factor that’s hard to quantify, but is still a very real part of each playoff series.

“Willpower,” Marcus Smart said. “We’re competitors. We’ve been doing this for a while. We’ve been doing it at the highest level. They’re going to try to come in and punk us and if you’re willing to allow it, you will be punked. I don’t think we have any guys that’s willing to be punked on this team. We might not be the most athletic or strongest, but we got to have heart.”

They’ll need all that heart and more to come out on top, as the Lakers are clear underdogs in this series.

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

Karl-Anthony Towns had an up-and-down 2025-26 season for the Knicks. While he earned his second All-Star appearance in two years with New York, he also averaged a career-low 31.0 minutes per game, and his 20.1 points per game were the lowest since his rookie season. 

But speaking with reporters on Wednesday ahead of the Knicks’ first round playoff matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, Towns said that he, and the entire team, will be judged on what they do in the postseason. 

“It’s great that we put ourselves in this position, to be in the playoffs in this position, but at the end of the day, the regular season doesn’t mean anything if we don’t capitalize on this opportunity,” he said.

"This is the time. We've got to go out there and we've got to execute and we've gotta capitalize on this opportunity. At the end of the day, we'll be judged on what we do on this run."

Towns’ fit and role in Mike Brown’s system has been a topic of discussion all season, but the versatile big man could be a real matchup problem for the Hawks. Towns had 36 points and 15 rebounds against Atlanta back in December, and he went for 21 points and 12 rebounds against them earlier this month. 

“I’ve got to continue to impact winning and do whatever this team needs me to do or sacrifice for to get us the win, so I’m willing to do that,” he said. 

“Trust my work, that’s where my confidence is built,” he later added. “It’s built when there are no lights, no cameras, no fans. Just me, the basketball and the hoop. Me and the great (assistant coach) Mark Bryant, we get to work and my confidence is built there.”

The Knicks took two out of three head-to-head matchups with the Hawks this season, but Towns knows Atlanta, who finished first in the Southeast Division this year, will provide a challenge.

“I mean, they’re a great team,” Towns said. “They’re young, they’re athletic, and they cause turnovers. So, we expected ourselves needing to be the best. We just have to continue to use those one percents every game in the regular season to be the team we want to be at this time.”

The Sixers have the basketball world right where they want them: limping into the Play-In Tournament while their best player is sidelined due to injury once more. Before they host the Orlando Magic tonight in beautiful South Philadelphia, here are five thoughts I currently have involving the team…

Are the Magic falling apart?

As much as we (rightfully) clown the Sixers, Orlando might be in even worse shape.

The Ringer’s Raheem Palmer reported yesterday that “The Magic are dealing with major turmoil in their locker room with my sources saying that a star player is willing to demand a trade if the head coach Jamahl Mosley isn’t fired at the end of this season.”

This isn’t to say that Nick Nurse’s job security is iron clad in Philly in comparison, but I’ll take any semblance of discontent I can get from the Sixers’ opponent. Let’s hope they collapse in spectacular fashion in front of our eyes!

I’m nervous about the referees in this one…

The crew chief for the officials in the Sixers-Magic game? None other than Tony Brothers himself.

I’m expecting a disaster on that front that could swing the game in either direction come late in the fourth quarter.

The Sixers will go with their black throwback uniforms for all home postseason games

I have mixed feelings here. The uniform move does harken back to the last time the Sixers had concrete postseason success, but it’s a little played out and overdone, no? It’s the lone move the organization can make to give the fan base a little juice, but still!

This is why I’m always a little wary when people want beloved throwback uniforms to become a team’s primary look again. It’s about scarcity and wanting what you can’t have. The Eagles’ Kelly Green throwbacks? They’re perfect a couple times per year. This version of the Sixers’ City Edition uniforms? I give the team credit. I liked the way they incorporated them throughout the season. There can, in fact, be too much of a good thing though. They otherwise lose their pizzazz!

I’m also an old man at heart and miss when home teams almost always wore white uniforms in the NBA…

Who could be the unsung hero against Orlando?

Setting aside the likes of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Paul George, who could be the player who flips this game on its head in the Sixers’ favor?

Give me some gritty energy from Dominick Barlow! I’m going with him.

Is it better for the Sixers to be the 8th seed instead of the 7th seed?

I’ve seen some chatter about this online. I actually think, based solely on the first-round matchup, that is the case. I’d rather the Sixers take their chances against Detroit rather than facing the inevitable with a series against Boston yet again. Rooting for the Sixers to lose to Orlando in the hopes of beating Charlotte on Friday instead, however, screams tempting fate to me on top of it just being anticompetitive. “I’d rather the Sixers be in a win-or-go-home scenario” is not a sound strategy given how this franchise has long operated!