Category: Basketball

Game 1 went down to the wire, the Spurs lost on a missed Champagnie buzzer beater. Afterwards, there was no heads hung, no self deprication, just an urgency to watch film and make the necessary adjustments before heading into Game 2.

Matthew Tynan of Corporate Knowledge reported that Spurs legend Gregg Popovich sat in on the film sessions. Victor Wembanyama referenced Pop in his post game presser, mentioning “you’re never as good as you think when you win and you’re never as bad as you think when you lose.”

Whatever was deciphered from the analysis of Game 1, the Spurs know that had to come out swinging. And that’s exactly what they did.

The Spurs defense stiffled the Timberwolves, limiting them to 17 first quarter points and just 35 at the half, giving the Silver & Black a 24 point advantage.

Two minutes into the second half, the Spurs expanded their lead to 29 points. By then, Wembanyama, Castle, and Fox each had scored 14 points. The balanced distribution shaped the team’s attack as they continued to dominate Minnesota.

Anthony Edwards, coming off the bench for the second game in a row, was limited to 12 points in his twenty-four minutes.

Julian Champagnie, who went scoreless in the first half, hit four three-pointers in the third quarter as the Spurs shut down Minnesota.

Early in the fourth quarter the Spurs lead grew to 40 and both teams emptied their benches. Jordan McLaughlin and Kelly Olynyk played the final 10 minutes of regulation. Lindy Waters III joined them with 8:23 left in the game. Even Bismack Biyombo and Mason Plumlee got in on the action relieving Carter Bryant anfd Harrison Barnes for the final 3:12.

Afterwards, head coach Mitch Johnson praised the team’s defensive “consistency, physicality, and contact” adding that the team was ready for tonight’s game despite losing home court advantage.

The team now heads to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday night. They will need to carry the win without resting on their laurels. As visitors, they’ll have an arena against them. Although they faced the Trail Blazers in Portland, the Minnesota crowd will be even more vocal and uninviting. They now need to prepare for the challenge ahead.

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OKLAHOMA CITY — The Lakers punched first, but the Thunder punched harder in their Game 1 victory on Tuesday to kick off the best-of-seven second-round playoff series.

Now, it’s on the Lakers to respond with a better counterpunch in Thursday’s Game 2 at Paycom Center to avoid falling behind by two games before the series shifts to LA for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday. 

“Obviously, it’s playoffs at the end of the day, so, I mean, even though it’s not necessarily win or go home, it leads to win or going home,” Jaxson Hayes said. “So, I mean, we gotta just come in as the more desperate team and with more urgency and just locked in and just ready to go.”

Here are three adjustments the Lakers need to make for Game 2:

Attack OKC’s defense better

It goes without saying that the Thunder are deploying different defensive strategies with Luka Doncic not available for the Lakers. 

The Lakers are seeing less hedging/aggressive pick-and-roll defenses from the Thunder, who used more drop coverages and switching in Game 1 compared to the regular-season games Doncic played in.

And they have to be better at attacking the Thunder’s strategies. 

They struggled against the Thunder’s drop coverage for most of Game 1 — which has been a season-long Lakers’ weakness regardless of opponent. 

And the things that worked — post-ups and inverted pick and rolls — weren’t used frequently enough as the game progressed. 

The Lakers’ defense wasn’t perfect against the Thunder, but it was good enough to keep the game competitive and potentially win.

Better shotmaking will help. 

But the process needs to be much better, too.  

“Offensively, we’ve got to be a lot better,” coach JJ Redick said. “That obviously falls on me to make sure we’re organized. Some stuff falls on the guys. Like, we had too many possessions without getting our corners filled. That just requires you jogging across the floor. But, we certainly can be more intentional about what we’re trying to do and who we’re trying to involve. A lot of the stuff that we kind of identified prior to Game 1 was there for us. We just got to keep emphasizing those points.”

Alter Austin Reaves’ rotation

Austin Reaves was among the key Lakers players who struggled with their shotmaking in Game 1. 

He shot 3-for-16 from the field, including missing all five of his 3-pointers, for just eight points to go with six assists, five rebounds and four turnovers. 

It goes without saying that the Lakers need Reaves to be better to have a shot against the Thunder.

And he will be. 

“We need Austin to be Austin,” Redick said. “The reality is, ideally when you get to this time of year, your body is kind of in peak shape from a conditioning standpoint, from a fitness standpoint. When you’re out, it doesn’t matter what you do — echo bike, treadmill, running on the court, whatever — nothing can simulate playing in an NBA game, much less an NBA playoff game. So, there’s a little bit of a catch-up there for him, and then as a staff, we got to help … put him in positions to be successful.”

One way the Lakers could help Reaves, who’s just three games back from a monthlong absence because of his left oblique injury, is shortening his playing-time shifts to help preserve his legs instead of having him play the longer stints to start the first and third quarters and close the halves. 

Reaves has shot 2-for-17 on 3-pointers since returning in the Game 5 loss to the Rockets on April 29.

He’s still getting his legs back after a long layoff. 

“We’ve looked at that,” Redick said about shortening Reaves’ shifts. “We’re looking at ways to help him. Being undermanned, it’s hard to. We’re trying our best with the rotation.”

Defensive details

One of the defensive details the Lakers could clean up is being tighter with their rotations after double-teaming or sending help toward NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

And knowing who to close out hard against and who isn’t as much of a priority to leave open. 

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Well, we’re now several days removed from the end of the Boston Celtics season, and I think I’m finally ready to talk about it.

First thoughts: It definitely still stings. I wish I was still watching my guys play basketball.

If we are solely looking at the result of Boston’s series against the Philadelphia 76ers, it’s hard to look at it as anything but a disappointment. Dropping three straight games, including two at home? On top of that, the Celtics have lost to three of their biggest rivals in all three of their playoff exits over the past four years – the Miami Heat in 2023, the New York Knicks in 2025, and Philly here in 2026.

The 2024 championship is doing a lot of heavy lifting for my mental health right about now. Without that ring, these pills would be a lot tougher to swallow. It’s not all bad, though. Let me take you on a journey through my mind, a ride on a rollercoaster of emotions that was the Celtics first round series against the Sixers.

The ride starts before Boston even played their first regular season. (Don’t worry, it speeds up pretty quickly from here.)

Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher, Josh Minott, Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman, Ron Harper Jr., Amari Williams, and Max Shulga. This was the Celtics active roster coming into the season, along with Jayson Tatum, who we weren’t entirely sure would return this year from his Achilles injury.

Looking at that roster, I expected Boston’s ceiling to be a Play-In tournament berth at best. The first six players on that list were certainly experienced, but I did not see the assembly of talent as one that could compete with the other playoff-caliber teams in the East, let alone across the league. Beneath them was three rookies, five players who never held a meaningful role on an NBA roster, and Xavier Tillman, who seemed to be falling behind after knee issues flared up over his last two seasons in the NBA.

Never could I have imagined that this roster would finish with 56 wins and the second-best record in the East. The sheer amount of fight and passion that these guys showed for 82 games was such a pleasure to watch. Walsh, Hugo, Baylor, Luka, Neemi, Ron – heck, even Anfernee and Minott – these guys made me fall in love with Celtics basketball all over again this year.

There were so many moments of pure joy, thinking a scrappy win against a top team was the best win of the season, only to be topped by another one just a couple nights later. Even through his down shooting year, Derrick was making incredible game-winning plays left and right. Pritchard gave us several amazing performances himself, along with a bunch more buzzer beaters. And of course, Jaylen put up an MVP-caliber season through so many career-highs, and silenced so many of the narratives surrounding him.

Now, when you fast forward to the last game of the regular season, everyone is healthy. Jayson Tatum is back to playing high-level basketball, and already looks like an All-Star again. The Celtics bench unit goes up against the healthy Orlando Magic who are fighting for seeding, and they squeak out a gutsy win on a heroic game-winning shot from Luka Garza.

What a high that was. Boston felt unbeatable at that time. I could not have been happier with their regular season, and I was preparing for a deep playoff run from them as well.

Given how I was looking at the team before the season, you would think that I couldn’t be disappointed with any result from here on out. Any playoff success could easily have just been a cherry on top. Well, as much as I shouldn’t be, unfortunately, I am disappointed.

Game 1 was a dream. The Celtics won by 32 points on their home floor, and they looked every bit as dominant as I’d hoped they’d be. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown played like the superstars we know they are. Pritchard had a great game off of the bench too. Tatum and Walsh did a fantastic job containing Tyrese Maxey, which was probably my biggest concern coming into the series. It seemed like smooth sailing from there.

Game 2 rolls around, and Boston got off to another fantastic start. With three minutes left in the first quarter, the Celtics were up by 13. I was getting way too ahead of myself in the CelticsBlog group chat talking about “mercy rules” and “dominating Philly.” Oh, how naive I was.

Philly took a timeout at that point, and when they came back from the break, they immediately went on a 10-0 run to flip the game on its head. Boston was still leading, but they were playing on their heels, and I knew I had spoken too soon. It was a tight back-and-forth battle for the rest of the quarter, but the Sixers closed strong, taking an 8-point lead into the half. The game was still well within reach, but I didn’t have a great feeling about it.

The Celtics ended up losing by 14 points at home. Now, Philly had taken home-court advantage in this series. My first disappointment.

But, not entirely unexpected. In 2024, the Celtics dropped the second home game of their first-round series with the Heat and the second round with the Cavs. In 2025, they dropped two home games against the Knicks. It seems that in recent years, home-court advantage hasn’t felt the same for Boston anyways.

I was definitely concerned. Heading into Philly for game 3, I didn’t want to see Boston drop another game; Then I really would have been panicking. I had confidence that the Celtics would bounce back, but the nerves started creeping in.

But then, Boston took care of business on the road, and that too with Embiid returning in game 4. An 8-point victory in game 3 and a 32-point victory in game 4 sent my nerves packing. Little did I know that they booked round-trip tickets.

I was feeling good at the time. The Celtics had a chance to close things out at home now, and they had dominant victories both with Embiid on and off the court. Again, I got cocky. I was talking about how the Celtics have dominated the Sixers since “The Process” began, and how this year would be no different. I even sent the Embiid “they always kick our ***” quote graphic to my basketball group chat with my friends. I think Boston may have fallen into the same false sense of security that I did.

From the tip of game 5, it felt like the Sixers were simply outworking the Celtics. They were playing great defense, and were having a much easier time creating open looks for themselves. The game was close for a while, and the Celtics even held a 13-point lead early in the third quarter, but things just never felt comfortable. And, like in game 1, Philly managed to turn the tides. After Boston took their 13-point lead, the Sixers responded with a 15-3 run to make it a 1-point game.

The Celtics pushed their lead back up to 8 with around two and a half minutes left in the third, but they allowed another 12-5 run to end the quarter, once again cutting it to a 1-point lead heading into the fourth. At that point I had little faith the Celtics to close the game out. They were not nearly as engaged as they needed to be, and they seemed to be lacking a sense of urgency. On top of that, they just weren’t consistently getting high-quality shots, and weren’t converting enough of the ones that they did manage to generate.

Boston only scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. Philly scored 28. A 13-point third quarter lead turned into a 16-point loss. It was devastating.

The Celtics have done this many times over the past several years. They get comfortable, and when they build up leads, it feels like the focus is on protecting it rather than building on it. They stop going on the attack, and start going on the defensive. It makes for a very frustrating watch, and it allows teams that have their backs on the ropes to get back into a game, or even a series.

The Sixers certainly took advantage. Game 6 was one of the most frustrating games I’ve ever watched as a Celtics fan. I was squirming in my seat on the couch, yelling at the TV, and even debating turning it off altogether, all things which rarely happen when I watch sports. I usually pride myself on being more-or-less composed, if not just a little extra chatty. Game 6 took a lot out of me.

The lead tracker gives a glimpse into the devastation.

A pathetic performance after getting embarrassed on your home court. To make matters worse, Jayson Tatum was in clear discomfort starting in the third quarter, grabbing at his calf in the leg which he did not have surgery on. He was stretching it out, hopping on the bike, trying to play through it, but ultimately never got over it.

After Philly took a 23-point lead early in the fourth, Joe pulled the plug on all the starters. Pritchard and the “Stay Ready” group took the floor, and managed to make two big dents in the Sixers lead. They played the Celtics basketball we had seen all regular season long, and they even got some great looks which they weren’t able to convert, but could otherwise have really made the game competitive again.

Those last 10 minutes were the only time I could find any joy or relief in the game, even though we couldn’t pull out a win. I just love watching guys like Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, Ron Harper Jr., and Luka Garza work their tails off as if they’re fighting for their lives. How could you not?

Still, while they subdued the sour taste in my mouth for a bit, I couldn’t help but come away from the game defeated. I had lost my faith in the Celtics to win the series, another extremely rare feeling for me. I didn’t even feel that way after JT went down in the Knicks series last year.

It just felt like Boston wasn’t ready for the challenge. Our big men could not keep up with Embiid, Derrick was having an abysmal offensive series, and with Mazzulla limiting the bench players’ playing time, it felt like we rarely had guys on the court who were willing to out-fight the Sixers.

The days leading up to game 7 were solemn. I was truly dejected, dreading all of the slander the Celtics would get, the trash that our rivals would be able to talk about us, finally letting Embiid get a win over the Jays, and most of all, the impending early end to an otherwise magical season. I hated all of it.

I can’t entirely explain why, but with maybe an hour left before tip-off something changed for me.

Maybe it had to do with our vets at CelticsBlog, Mike Dynon and Shirley Coshatt. Earlier in the series, Shirley reminded me that the 2008 Celtics went 7 games in the first round as well. We all know how that year went for Boston. Mike also came into the CB group chat talking about “when” the Celtics win, not “if.”

For the first time in the last 48 hours, I no longer had a feeling of dread. Instead, I had a feeling of hope, and excitement. The nerves turned to adrenaline. The Celtics were going to win the game. I let my friends know about my revelation.

Two minutes later, Tatum is ruled out from the game.

And you know what? I doubled down. I will admit that my confidence was shaken, and those feelings of dread peeked their head again, but I stood tall, and I re-committed. The Celtics were going to win the game.

Joe was almost forced to re-insert guys like Hugo, Baylor, and Garza back into the lineup after benching them for much of the series. I felt like we’d finally have some urgency and fight back on the floor. It was a bit of a rock fight to start the game, but the fight was certainly there. Even after falling back 17-6 in the first six minutes, the Celtics stayed in the game.

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White seemed like they were finally ready to take over again. White re-discovered his shot, a sight that could have brought tears to my eyes. JB stumbled a bit, but steadied himself and settled into the game. Even Queta was finally able to stay on the floor for longer than usual, and made a real impact too. The bench guys were hustling up and down the floor, and winning more of the loose balls that fell to the Sixers in previous games.

The score didn’t favor Boston, but my hopes were still well and alive. Every made basket felt electric. The Celtics were finally giving the TD Garden crowd something to cheer about, and were riding their energy too. We were chipping, and chipping, and chipping away at Philly’s will with small plays that had a big impact.

We arrive at the final four minutes of the game. The Sixers hold a 99-98 lead, Boston carrying the momentum. Five straight missed shots between both teams. Several open looks for Boston, and a huge block by JB as well. Two minutes go by, and they weren’t able to break the seal. Maxey decided to take over the game, and gets himself two easy layups to put the Sixers up 5 with just over a minute remaining in the game.

My hopes are on their last legs. It won’t be easy, but a couple of the right plays and Boston can still win this.

Three more missed shots by the Celtics and an intentional foul. Philly goes up 7 with twenty seconds left.

My hopes are dead. Once again, I am devastated.

The dread fills in. Why did we have to lose to Philly? Why couldn’t we take care of business when we were the better team all season long? Why did Tatum have to get hurt and miss game 7? Why didn’t Joe trust the young guys more in the previous 6 games? Why wasn’t Derrick able to get his shot going until the last game? What am I supposed to do with no more Celtics basketball?

My friends rushed to the group chat to throw my words in my face. They almost all hate the Celtics, and were happy to pile on, even when their teams were already eliminated. At least my friends were thinking about me, right?

I think of myself as a pretty positive guy, and I had to try to find it again in that moment. But it was hard. I was happy to see the team go out fighting. I hated seeing the team go out at all. I was happy that we got an amazing regular season. I hated that it didn’t amount to much in the playoffs. I was happy that Tatum returned at all, let alone to a star level. I hated that he couldn’t be out there in the final game.

Even as I’m writing about this today, almost a week removed from the loss, I have so many conflicting feelings in my head and my heart. Maybe some of it is what NBA Twitter would call “cope.” Maybe some of it is having too much free time on my hands while being a chronic over-thinker. Probably a big part of it is seeing all of the rumors, narratives, etc. that fans and sports media alike have rushed to fill my timeline with.

It’s incredibly frustrating when people start to tear apart a team you love like a member of your family, watch over 82 games of, and spend over 200 hours with each season. Outside of the people in my life, I don’t think I have a greater love than basketball. I bleed green. I am a Boston Celtics fan until the day I die.

At this point, I’ve managed to forgive them for the disappointing end, and love them for all the exciting steps along the way. Now I just have to power through an offseason of hot takes, trade ideas, and probably a whole lot of online negativity.

But I’m excited for the future. I still love this roster. As much as I understand that we can’t just run it back and expect to win next year, it’s gonna hurt me to see any of these guys not with us anymore (except for maybe one or two of the late additions.)

There’s going to be a lot of blame going on, and I’m sure Brad Stevens will find ways to hold the team accountable, but as a fan, I’d like to just go back to appreciating all the good moments we had with the team rather than dwelling on the bad ones. Take a deep breath with me, fellow Celtics fans. It will all work out. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Every so often, pro sports seems like something straight out of junior high. Last week, there was the beef between former Duke star Wendell Carter and Detroit Pistons Jalen Duren. Carter is dating Angel Reese, who used to go out with Duren.

This week, we have the entertaining Austin Rivers-Draymond Green beef.

Those guys were in the same high school class, and recently, Green mocked Rivers on his podcast, saying that he peaked in high school, and that playing for his father Doc Rivers got him the biggest bailout in history.

Admittedly, that’s a funny line, but Rivers clearly didn’t appreciate it.

And then Rivers came back with this. He called Green the luckiest player in the world for playing alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, aka the Splash Brothers, and later, also Kevin Durant.

We’ll give Green this: he’s carved out a remarkable career, and it’s largely due to his intelligent approach to the game. When he was drafted, we thought a lot of teams underestimated him, and time has proven that right. A 6-6 guy has thrived in the post in this era? Only a basketball genius could have done that.

But Rivers is right when he ridicules Green for saying Steve Kerr damaged his career. Kerr was a brilliant coach for Green, and found ways to make him incredibly effective. He has never been an offensive focus, though.

Anyway, it’s not exactly Bird vs. Magic, but it is an entertaining beef, and neither guy seems ready to back down, so it’ll probably go on for a while. So pass the popcorn!

Austin Rivers flexed in a Duke Brotherhood tee while absolutely putting Draymond Green in his place. I agree with every point that Austin made. In my opinion Rivers has the basketball knowledge and IQ to be a great head coach if he ever decided to pursue that route pic.twitter.com/gYq3ILYDZb

— Sports King🔥 (@Sports_Kings_) May 6, 2026

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The Rockets’ post-mortem press conference provided some clarity about the team’s direction.

The operative word there is “some”.

From what we can gather, Rafael Stone thinks Reed Sheppard is Steve Nash, and Ime Udoka thinks he’s Steve Kerr. We could settle on Mark Price or Mahmoud Abdul-Raof

It seems like the intention is to “run it back”. It was mere days ago that I wrote a piece suggesting that running it back was the worst possible decision. There’s an adage in this industry:

No take-backsies.

Still, there is some room for optimism. Whatever the Rockets do, their situation is not as disastrous as some would suggest. None of these young guys has emerged as a franchise-caliber talent. That’s the harsh reality:

But, they’re still pretty good!

Seriously. The Rockets (if you’re willing to include Tari Eason, who’s in contract purgatory) roster four players under 25 who are locks to be, at a minimum, long-term starting-caliber players. Then there’s Reed Sheppard, who can’t claim the same secure floor but may have the highest offensive ceiling of the group.

They also have one of the better collections of future first-round draft capital in the NBA. So no, this is not an impending catastrophe. The feeling that it is likely comes from accepting the sad reality that the Rockets are also not in one of the NBA’s premier situations, which many of us thought they were until recently. There’s plenty to salvage here:

Arguably, it starts with the 2027 NBA Draft.

Rockets have a pair of picks in next summer’s draft

Yes, this draft is considered weak. Let’s look at some other drafts that were considered weak.

The 2020 draft was weak. Anthony Edwards preferred football. LaMelo Ball was a bit too silly. James Wiseman was solid, but an unlikely star.

Right. Seems like Edwards digs basketball. Ball is a bit too silly, but so is his talent level. Wiseman’s trajectory was unfortunate, but Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, and Deni Avdija were lying in wait.

How about 2013? Anthony Bennett was picked first. Yikes. The Cavaliers probably should have gone with the 15th overall pick, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Even if they’d settled on the 27th overall, Rudy Gobert, it would be remembered reasonably well. The Magic grabbed Victor Oladipo right after Bennett, who at least has a single number one caliber season under his belt.

Here’s a fun fact: No draft in NBA history has produced 0 All-Stars. The 2000 draft comes pretty close, with only Kenyon Martin and Jamal Magloire, arguably two of the worst All-Stars in All-Star history, making the annual exhibition. Sure, but that’s the literal worst draft ever. The 2027 draft is, just by virtue of probability, unlikely to match it in sheer badness.

There will be gems in this class: It’s just a matter of finding them. Frankly, a good general manager should be salivating over this type of class. It’s fun! It’s a challenge. Although Rafael Stone may not be feeling so fancy free about it:

It could make or break his career.

The Rockets have to nail the 2027 draft

Let’s talk about Stone’s record in the draft.

It’s mixed. In terms of lottery picks, he’s largely been untested. Every general manager in the NBA was taking Jabari Smith Jr. third in 2022. It’s outrageously illogical to suggest that Stone should have gone with Jalen Williams. Of course he should have! “Hey dingus, you should have done the genius thing that no other person in the world was going to do” isn’t a fair bar for evaluating anyone’s job performance.

Amen Thompson was the right pick at four. Reed Sheppard is TBD. The only egregious high lottery error of his tenure is Jalen Green over Evan Mobley. That’s an article in itself. Let’s just punctuate this with another tremendous yikes.

He’s done poorly with picks in the 20s. That’s a reality. It’s fair to point out that most picks in the 20s don’t pan out. That’s true. Still, to have walked away with Josh Christopher, Usman Garuba, TyTy Washington, and Cam Whitmore with four picks in the 20s qualifies as poor.

Were they all bad choices? It depends on who you ask. I was thirstier than a mountain biker in a Sprite commercial for Garuba. I was wrong, and so was Stone. I would have had a voluntary root canal before drafting Christopher, I was entirely indifferent to Washington, and Whitmore was a necessary evil at 20th. This section of the draft is a crapshoot, but it’s reasonable to say that Stone should have walked away with one (just one) decent NBA player.

In the middle of the draft, he’s thrived with Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason. So…yeah. His overall record qualifies as strong, but unexceptional. If he’s careful and thorough in his research, he can change the Rockets’ fortunes in the 2027 draft.

Who’s going to be available?

Rockets will have intriguing options in the 2027 draft

Let’s keep this (relatively) brief. It’s early in the draft cycle, the order is inevitably going to change in a year, and this article is running long.

The presumptive number one at this juncture is Kansas’ Tyran Stokes. Frankly, I don’t see it. He’s a 6’7″, 230-pound wing. Stokes looks like a transition demon who may have limited utility in the halfcourt. I see shades of Miles Bridges, but he’s got a year to prove me wrong.

By contrast, I love Duke’s Cameron Williams. This is your standard Evan Mobley / Alex Sarr model. To my eye, he’s got a bit more offensive upside than either, even if he’s a bit less prodigous on defense than should-be-a-Rocket Mobley.

There are many more guys to cover, but I’ll focus on the ones I’ve taken an interest in. Maryland’s Baba Oladotun has garnered comparisons to Kevin Durant. Obviously, it’s exceedingly unlikely that he’ll be as good as Kevin Durant, but Oladotun is a 6’10” wing with a strong handle, excellent footwork, and smooth shot mechanics. So far, he’s hyperefficient from midrange, but needs to improve his three-point efficiency.

Remember when Luka Doncic was picked third? Nobody would let a 6’7″ Slovenian playmaker slip again, right? We’ll see. Stefan Joksimovic is of that general archetype. He’s a bit more scoring-minded. He’s more athletic, and less brilliant. Joksimovic may be a combo guard, but he is a strong passer, crafty driver, and developing shooter.

Those are lottery options. The Rockets have two picks (via the Suns, and a swap with the Nets), and it’s hard to say where either will land. Florida’s Thomas Haugh is a high-energy combo forward who can hit threes. Michigan’s Moustafa Thiam has the potential to be the elusive 3-and-D big man. There are many other names to consider, and it’s entirely possible that the best player in this class isn’t on anyone’s radar yet.

Rafael Stone had better search for him like his job depends on it.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have played some of their best and ugliest basketball with Dean Wade on the court in the playoffs.

Offensively, the floor has looked far too cramped, as defenders can cheat away from Wade, making it difficult for Cleveland’s backcourt to find driving lanes. Defensively, Wade has been their best player. He’s made it difficult for Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and now Cade Cunningham to get to their spots on the floor. Limiting their offensive impact and the team’s as a whole.

On one hand, the Cavs can’t live without Wade. On the other hand, they can’t live with him.

Wade is limited offensively. He’s a good rebounder and a serviceable outside shooter, but those are the only skills he brings on that end.

Things can fall apart when the outside shot isn’t falling. Once he loses confidence, he becomes far too hesitant to take threes. This allows his defender to cheat off him entirely, disrupting the spacing on an already cramped court when he’s playing alongside two centers in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. This is one of the factors that has led to the high volume of turnovers we’ve seen.

Below is a good example of that. Tobias Harris — his defender — is standing in the paint, even though Wade is on the wing. This gums up Donovan Mitchell’s driving lane and forces an Evan Mobley three. Shots like that are wins for the defense every day of the week.

The issue isn’t necessarily that Wade isn’t a capable shooter. He’s a career 36.7% outside shooter, which is good, even if he’s run into a cold spell in the postseason. The problem is the lack of attempts.

Wade is taking just 5.3 shots per playoff game in 25 minutes of play. This translates to a 9.5 usage rate, which is the lowest for anyone in the playoffs at his position. If you aren’t a threat to beat the opponent with any facet of your offensive game, there’s no point in actually covering you.

The lack of shooting was an issue in the first-round series. This caused head coach Kenny Atkinson to start Max Strus — who’s more than willing to take the outside shot — in Wade’s place. This move helped the offense, as the Cavs have scored 6.2 more points per 100 possessions offensively in the playoffs with Strus on the floor. However, it was still a net negative because of the defensive ramifications.

Wade is the only Cavalier who has the size, strength, and speed to hang with premier wings in the league, which is important considering most contenders have elite wings. He does this extraordinarily well, which makes him the perfect player to guard Cunningham with.

Here’s a great example of what Wade brings as an individual defender. Here, he stays with Cunningham through a screen, remains connected on the drive, and uses his active hands to force a turnover.

You don’t stop a player as skilled as Cunningham with one defender. It takes a team effort, but it’s easier to pull off when you’re strong at the point of attack.

Cleveland made it difficult for Cunningham to catch the ball in Game 1, and once he did, they were funneling him toward the bigs.

Wade executed that game plan well, as seen here. He makes Cunningham work for the ball, momentarily pokes it away, which disrupts the timing enough for Mobley to put a clean contest on the drive.

Plays like this are why the Cavs are much better defensively with Wade on the floor. However, how much better they are points to a much wider issue.

The Cavs have needed Wade to be on the floor in the postseason to be passable. Through eight games, they’ve registered a dreadful 116.2 defensive rating when he’s on the bench (22nd percentile).

Playing Mobley and Allen together doesn’t help those numbers; it actually makes it worse. The Cavs have a 134.1 defensive rating (0th percentile) when Mobley and Allen are playing without Wade in 84 possessions. There’s no situation you can win when the defense is that bad.

The eye test backs this up. When there isn’t someone who can easily stay in front of their opponent’s best wings, the whole defense can get caught in rotation, leading to far too many openings to attack the basket and hit open threes.

In the end, the Cavs are left at the mercy of whether Wade is hitting or even willing to take his outside shots.

The Cavaliers built the most expensive roster in the league, but have done so while allocating surprisingly little capital on the wing. They’re overly reliant on an imperfect role player who has a somewhat limited offensive skillset. And have even more imperfect options to replace him if he doesn’t have his outside shot going.

This isn’t how it should be.

How do you replace 21.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in the middle of a playoff series?

The Knicks may need to find an answer to that question.

Late in their Game 2 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, OG Anunoby suffered a leg injury. He left the court with 2:31 to play and the Knicks up by six.

He did not return. That fact alone tells you that Anunoby was in discomfort. The Knicks would obviously want Anunoby on the floor late in a close game -- even if he was limited by injury.

They closed the game without Anunoby, beating the Sixers to take a 2-0 lead. But after the game, Anunoby was not available to reporters. Knicks head coach Mike Brown had no update when he spoke to reporters after the game. There is no point in speculating about Anunoby’s injury.

But if he is indeed sidelined for Game 3 and beyond, Miles McBride is comfortable taking on a larger role.

“Extremely comfortable. I feel like the coaching staff trusts me, I know my teammates trust me and I trust myself overall. So if that happens, I know I’ll be ready,” McBride said after Game 2.

McBride was on the floor to close the game. If Anunoby has to miss time, it’s fair to assume McBride’s minutes/responsibilities would increase. Maybe Brown inserts Landry Shamet into the rotation?

No matter who takes his place, the Knicks will certainly miss Anunoby (if he has to miss time).

Anunoby wasn’t just putting up great numbers in the playoffs (as referenced above), he was doing so efficiently. He made 60 of his 97 field goal attempts in the playoffs (61.2 percent), including 52.8 percent of his threes (39 attempts).

The Knicks were outscoring opponents by an average of 14.75 points per game with Anunoby on the floor.  

“He’s one of the best two-way players in the league so it’s tough to replace that but you don’t replace him with one guy,” McBride said. “Everyone is going to have to step up.”

BUILDING MORE BRIDGES

Make that three in a row for Mikal Bridges. For the third straight game, Bridges had his fingerprints all over a Knicks win.

In Game 2, he had 18 points, five rebounds and two assists. He hit a step-back jumper from 20 feet to give the Knicks a six-point lead with three minutes to play.

Bridges also helped limit Tyrese Maxey to seven points on nine shots and three turnovers in the second half. Maxey went off in the first half with 19 points and four assists. He said after the game that he suffered a finger injury in the second quarter.

Even if that impacted him in the second half, Bridges and the rest of the Knicks deserve credit for their defense in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia shot 4-for-19 in the final period; Maxey and Paul George combined to shoot 2-for-12 in the fourth.

“You’re not stopping Tyrese Maxey. Tyrese, he had a great game. He had 26 points. But Mikal tried to make him work, especially in the second half, for every point he got,” Brown said after the game. “… You’re gonna have to keep working and give multiple efforts and the team defense behind him is gonna have to be great in order to even think you’re gonna slow him down, because he’s a great player.

“But Mikal did what he could, as well as everybody else behind him. And then on top of that, Mikal hit some big shots for us down the stretch, especially when we looked a little discombobulated offensively. He got to his spot and knocked down some big shots. So great game on both ends of the floor for Mikal.”

Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 90 points in Game 2. Towns (20 points, 10 rebounds) had his 13th playoff game of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. That ranks fourth in Knicks franchise history. Towns also had seven assists. He continues to be a hub for the Knicks on the perimeter.

Victor Wembanyama shone as the San Antonio Spurs drew level in the NBA's Conference semi-finals while the New York Knicks edged into a 2-0 lead.

The Spurs are seeded second in the Western Conference and bounced back from a home loss in game one to thump the Minnesota Timberwolves 133-95 on Wednesday and level the best-of-seven series.

"I'm expecting this kind of response from myself, from my team-mates, so I'm not surprised by any means," said Wembanyama.

The France international added: "There is some ego. They assaulted us in game one, we wanted to assault [them] in game two."

This season's defensive player of the year claimed 19 points and 15 rebounds as the Spurs romped into a 59-35 lead by half-time - Minnesota's lowest-scoring half all season.

It was San Antonio's highest NBA play-off score since 1983 and they have not lost back-to-back games since 11 and 13 January, a stretch of 49 games.

Jalen Brunson led a late charge as the Knicks, third seed in the Eastern Conference, clinched a 108-102 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Philadelphia's Joel Embiid was ruled out hours before tip-off because of right hip soreness and a right ankle sprain.

The game featured 25 lead changes - the most for a play-off game in 11 years.

Brunson scored eight of his 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks pulled clear while Karl-Anthony Towns added 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 26 points for the 76ers, who hope Embiid can recover in time for game three in Philadelphia on Friday.

• Thunder and Pistons make winning start in semi-finals

New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (45-37, seventh in the Eastern Conference)

Philadelphia; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT

LINE: Knicks -1.5; over/under is 213.5

EASTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Knicks lead series 2-0

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks visit the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference second round with a 2-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 108-102 on Wednesday, led by 26 points from Jalen Brunson. Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 26.

The 76ers are 27-25 against Eastern Conference opponents. Philadelphia ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference with 11.8 offensive rebounds per game led by Andre Drummond averaging 3.2.

The Knicks are 14-3 against the rest of their division. New York is seventh in the NBA with 45.6 rebounds per game. Karl-Anthony Towns leads the Knicks with 11.9.

The 76ers are shooting 46.2% from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points higher than the 46.0% the Knicks allow to opponents. The Knicks average 116.5 points per game, 0.4 more than the 116.1 the 76ers give up to opponents.

TOP PERFORMERS: Maxey is averaging 28.3 points, 6.6 assists and 1.9 steals for the 76ers. Paul George is averaging 3.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Brunson is averaging 26 points and 6.8 assists for the Knicks. OG Anunoby is averaging 17.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: 76ers: 5-5, averaging 105.2 points, 40.0 rebounds, 21.5 assists, 6.0 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.7 points per game.

Knicks: 7-3, averaging 116.0 points, 42.7 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 9.3 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 100.7 points.

INJURIES: 76ers: Joel Embiid: out (ankle).

Knicks: Mitchell Robinson: out (illness).

___

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

San Antonio Spurs (62-20, second in the Western Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference)

Minneapolis; Friday, 9:30 p.m. EDT

LINE: Spurs -3.5; over/under is 216.5

WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Series tied 1-1

BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs are in a 1-1 series tie in the Western Conference second round. The Spurs defeated the Timberwolves 133-95 in the last meeting on Thursday. Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 21 points, and Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 12.

The Timberwolves are 31-21 in Western Conference games. Minnesota is eighth in the Western Conference with 50.3 points per game in the paint led by Jaden McDaniels averaging 10.5.

The Spurs are 36-16 in Western Conference play. San Antonio is fifth in the Western Conference scoring 52.1 points per game in the paint led by Victor Wembanyama averaging 11.1.

The Timberwolves make 48.1% of their shots from the field this season, which is 3.0 percentage points higher than the Spurs have allowed to their opponents (45.1%). The Spurs score 5.2 more points per game (119.8) than the Timberwolves give up (114.6).

TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Edwards is averaging 28.8 points and 3.7 assists for the Timberwolves. McDaniels is averaging 15.1 points over the last 10 games.

De'Aaron Fox is scoring 18.6 points per game and averaging 3.8 rebounds for the Spurs. Julian Champagnie is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 7-3, averaging 113.9 points, 44.4 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 6.5 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.8 points per game.

Spurs: 7-3, averaging 116.6 points, 46.2 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 8.1 steals and 7.6 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.8 points.

INJURIES: Timberwolves: Donte DiVincenzo: out for season (leg).

Spurs: David Jones Garcia: out for season (ankle).

___

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

The Spurs lost a close Game 1 on a missed Julian Champagnie buzzer-beater, and it seems it was the wakeup call they needed. San Antonio demolished the Timberwolves in Game 2, outexecuting them and outhustling them en route to a 133-95 win. At halftime, the visitors had only scored 35 points, and the biggest lead reached 47 points before being reduced during extended garbage time.

It was clear from the start that the Timberwolves were content with taking just one game in San Antonio. They were sloppy in the first few possessions and couldn’t really deal with a physical and intense defense that was not conceding many easy looks. With Minnesota turning it over or missing, the Spurs had a much easier time attacking early, but even in the half-court, they were determined to play faster and try to get to the rim. The commitment to being the aggressor led to a couple of small mistakes on switches on defense and some overpenetrating on offense, but it served to set the tone. As the benches checked in, the visitors couldn’t get the scoring boost from Anthony Edwards, and the Silver and Black received solid minutes from Luke Kornet. After an encouraging opening frame, the lead was seven.

The Timberwolves went small to start the second, and the Spurs were ready for it. Wembanyama made them pay on the block, and everyone who had a lane tried to touch the paint. On the defensive end, Wembanyama toggled between different assignments, always trying to be in help position. Minnesota needed to find answers on offense, but Mitch Johnson threw Carter Bryant on Edwards and started trapping the superstar scorer, leading to some serious disarray for the visitors, who couldn’t get quality looks and were too slow to run back, allowing transition buckets off turnovers, misses, and even the rare made baskets. As the minutes passed, the game turned into a poor execution but high-paced battle that benefited the Spurs, which ruthlessly grew their lead to 24 heading into the break.

A comeback seemed unlikely, considering how locked in the Spurs were, but there were a few minutes that probably made some fans of the Silver and Black nervous. After a strong start featuring an aggressive Wembanyama, San Antonio began to play more slowly on offense and with less intensity on defense. Minnesota went on a mini-run, and the fouls for both sides started to pile up, killing the flow of the game. Fortunately, a couple of timely jumpers from De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell helped keep the lead large through that sloppy, sloggy stretch, and a barrage of threes by Julian Champagnie ended any chance of a surprise. The only source of suspense left was whether the Spurs would record their most lopsided playoff win in franchise history, a feat they fell short of by three points.

Game notes

• There’s a strong case to be made for this to be the best game of the Spurs’ season, considering the circumstances and the opponent. It was the perfect bounce-back performance, with Wembanyama and Fox, who struggled to make their mark on offense, leading the way early, and the defense absolutely smothering Minnesota. Whether it’s by one or by 38, wins count the same in the playoffs, but San Antonio made a statement on Wednesday.
• Mitch Johnson deserves credit for making two key adjustments. On defense, the team was ready to keep Edwards, who started cold but was warming up, from making an impact as a scorer by trapping him and forcing him to give up the ball. It took the Wolves a while to adjust to it, and when they did, the lead was already massive. On offense, the Spurs consistently got into the first action much quicker than they did in Game 1, giving themselves more time to execute in the half-court. It took them a game, but San Antonio was prepared in Game 2.
• Wembanyama, Fox, and Castle did most of the damage on offense in the first half, while the third quarter belonged to Julian Champagnie, who made all four of his three-point attempts to really ice the game. The way that the Wolves defend makes it hard to get the shooters involved at times, so it was great to see Champagnie and, later on, Harrison Barnes launching and connecting with confidence. Hopefully, the rhythm they appeared to find will carry over.
• The Spurs won the Luke Kornet minutes, which was massive. Not only did it allow Mitch Johnson to give Wembanyama more rest, but it also gave the guards a different type of screener to work with. There were even some French Vanilla minutes when the win was secured. Huge contribution from Kornet in limited minutes.
• Ayo Dosunmu suffered an injury and was questionable to play in the second half. He wasn’t ruled out and could get better by Game 3, but bf he doesn’t, it could have an impact, as not having him forces Chris Finch to give more minutes to Bones Hyland and Jaylen Clark, a bad defender and questionable shooter, respectively.

Play of the game

After a broken play, Devin Vassell actually had the awareness to jump and get into his shooting motion as he caught the ball on his way up to hit a three. Amazing.

Just like they drew it up 😏

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/SkckLtEeUP

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 7, 2026

Game 3: at Minnesota on Friday

The series moves to Minnesota, and the Timberwolves will surely play with more urgency than they did in Game 2. Hopefully, the Spurs will be able to maintain the superlative level of play they showed on Wednesday.

Jalen Brunson was searching for answers. He was searching for his shot. 

The Knicks superstar was forcing the action, missing his first three shots. Nearly nine minutes passed before he scored his first points.

More than 10 minutes elapsed before he hit his first field goal. When Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals ended, the 76ers were pleased with their defense against the Knicks captain, who had scored at least 35 points in five consecutive playoff games against the 76ers. 

But Brunson still delivered the final daggers in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 108-102 win at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, hitting a series of clutch shots, while scoring eight of the team’s final 15 points.

The Knicks captain finished with a team-high 26 points — hitting 9-for-21, including 1-for-5 on 3-pointers and 7-for-8 from the line — with six assists, three turnovers and a steal. 

“It came down to shot-making,” 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe said. “Brunson made a lot of tough shots towards the end. We missed wide-open ones.” 

It is no coincidence. The team that has never made it past the second round with Joel Embiid repeatedly misfired, while last season’s Clutch Player of the Year ensured the Knicks moved two wins from a second straight trip to the Eastern Conference finals. 

Shortly after Brunson entered with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Tyrese Maxey put the Sixers ahead with a stepback jumper.

Brunson responded 13 seconds later, tying the game at 94 with a jumper in the lane. Then, With just over five minutes left, Brunson hit a stepback jumper to put the Knicks in front for good. 

“They started switching a little bit and he got to his spots and scored,” coach Mike Brown said. “That’s what he’s expected to do for us.” 

With just under four minutes remaining, Brunson captivated the sellout crowd, challenging 6-foot-9 Dominick Barlow with a level of offensive artistry that would be at home at Rucker Park or MoMA. 

Brunson soaked up the spotlight, crossing over the taller defender on multiple occasions, going behind his back and through his legs, before spinning at the foul line and unleashing a fadeaway jumper that hit nothing but net, putting the Knicks up 103-99.

Brunson added two free throws with 1:07 to put the Knicks up seven. 

“Most importantly [was] just staying poised, staying composed, just figuring out one play at a time, one step at a time and not looking too far ahead,” Brunson said. “Just focusing and paying attention to the details and finding a way to make the next play.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and helped New York seize control of a close game after a run of blowouts, leading the Knicks to a 108-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Playing without the injured Joel Embiid, the 76ers put up a far better fight than in the Knicks’ 137-98 romp in Game 1. The game featured 25 lead changes, 14 ties and neither team led by more than seven points.

But those kinds of situations are made for Brunson, who made the tiebreaking basket with 5:06 remaining and added another jumper for a 103-99 advantage with 3:45 to play before Mikal Bridges’ basket made it a six-point game.

OG Anunoby added 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Knicks, whose Game 1 victory made them the first team to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points.

Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points for the 76ers, who face another big climb after falling behind 3-1 against Boston in the first round.

The series moves to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday, where Embiid will find out if gets his wish for the arena to be filled with Sixers fans or if New Yorkers made their way in.

SPURS 133, TIMBERWOLVES 95

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and San Antonio handed Minnesota the worst postseason loss in franchise history, beating the Timberwolves to even their Western Conference semifinal series at one game apiece.

Stephon Castle had 21 points and De’Aaron Fox added 16 points for San Antonio, which shot 50% from the field and 41% on 3-pointers. It was the highest-scoring playoff game for the Spurs since a series-clinching 145-105 win over Denver on May 4, 1983.

Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. each scored 12 points for Minnesota.

Edwards came off the bench again as Minnesota continued to restrict his minutes in his second game back from a hyperextended left knee.

Games 3 and 4 are Friday and Sunday in Minneapolis.

Against the Celtics, Tyrese Maxey was unstoppable.

He owned crunchtime of the winner-take-all Game 7.

That player has yet to show up to the Eastern Conference semifinals – in part due to Mikal Bridges’ lockdown defense.

Bridges was at it again Wednesday night, shutting down Maxey when Game 2 of this Eastern Conference semifinal series was hanging in the balance, limiting him to seven of his 26 points in the second half. And, Bridges also sank a big jumper late in the fourth quarter as the Knicks moved to within two wins of returning to the conference finals with a 108-102 victory at the Garden.

Against the Celtics, Maxey averaged 30 points. Through two games against the Knicks, that number is down to 19.5, on 37.5 percent shooting from the field. The young star guard has also committed 10 turnovers, six coming on Wednesday.

“Honestly, it started with Mikal. He’s just been great for us at the point of attack,” Miles McBride said. “And the team has been locked in. He’s a tough player. And for Mikal, he’s just going to keep going at him. He’s going to step up every time.”

Bridges has been a different player the last three games, after struggling for much of the first-round series against the Hawks. Coach Mike Brown considered bringing him off the bench, but stuck with the veteran wing. Bridges rewarded the coach.

He shined in the clincher and has built on it in this series. In Game 2, he had 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting, five rebounds and tenacious defense.

“You’re gonna have to keep working and give multiple efforts and the team defense behind him is gonna have to be great in order to even think you’re gonna slow [Maxey] down, because he’s a great player,” Brown said. “But Mikal did what he could, as well as everybody else behind him. And then on top of that, Mikal hit some big shots for us down the stretch, especially when we looked a little discombobulated offensively.

“He got to his spot and knocked down some big shots. So great game on both ends of the floor for Mikal.”