Sixers ‘stuck in mud' for Game 1 vs. Knicks, aim to repeat Celtics series script  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK — The Sixers played just as the circumstances suggested Monday night.

They looked like a tired team still feeling the effects of a grueling, exhilarating, seven-game first-round playoff series win over the Celtics and not yet ready to compete against the Knicks. The result was a 39-point Game 1 loss.

“I won’t use that as an excuse, but that was an emotional roller coaster (last series),” Paul George said. “One day off and then right back into another matchup. I think there was some carryover with us trying to get up and get prepared for this matchup. But we should’ve come out and done a better job.”

The Sixers’ situation now closely resembles what they faced after a blowout Game 1 loss in Boston. They must improve in many areas. 

New York’s offense never endured a drought. The Knicks finished the night at 63.1 percent from the floor and 51.4 percent from three-point range. Both Joel Embiid (14 points on 3-for-11 shooting) and Tyrese Maxey (13 points on 3-for-9 shooting) were far less productive than usual. 

“We just were kind of stuck in mud at both ends and they put it on us,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “They had a great shooting night and we didn’t guard well enough. They put it on us.”

Nurse was not at the Sixers’ film session Tuesday morning because he was dealing with a personal matter, a team official said. The Inquirer and The Athletic reported that Nurse was away to attend the funeral services of his brother, Steve Nurse, in Iowa. Of course, such things are bigger than a basketball series. 

Nurse was expected to rejoin the Sixers later Tuesday, according to The Inquirer. Game 2 is Wednesday night and the Sixers don’t sound uncertain about being capable of tying up the series. 

“Confident group,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said Tuesday. “We don’t feel too high or too low. I think that we kind of stay even-keeled. We also know in the back of our heads that we’re always capable of doing better and doing more. We owe it to the city of Philadelphia and to our families to just go out there and put on a better display of basketball.’

While Oubre and the Sixers generally highlighted the problems with their own play in Game 1, Jalen Brunson’s name also popped up plenty.

Brunson torched the Sixers for 35 points, going 12 for 18 from the field and 8 for 8 at the foul line. When Embiid was asked postgame about his own foul drawing in Game 1, he began his response with Brunson. 

“You’ve got to ask Jalen Brunson,” Embiid said. “I don’t think I got to the free throw line as much as I wanted. 

“But that’s not the reason we lost. I think defense was the biggest reason. We just weren’t good enough or physical enough. All their guys were too comfortable. I want to focus on what we could’ve done better on defense.”

And when Oubre fielded a question Tuesday about Brunson being the “head of the snake” for the Knicks’ offense, his reply was … quotable.

“He has a big head,” Oubre said. “It’s definitely tough to guard him with his head doing all that.”

Oubre imitated Brunson bobbing his head around in an effort to draw fouls and create favorable contact.

“He’s a great player,” Oubre continued. “We’ve played against him plenty of times and we have to make the adjustments that we saw on film. Kudos to him. … They did what they had to do at home and it’s up to us to respond.”

None of the Sixers’ opinions on Brunson’s style of play will be relevant Wednesday night.

They’ll need to play sharper defense on him and make a heap of upgrades from Game 1 to keep following the Celtics series script, which included a surprising Game 2 victory in Boston that featured VJ Edgecombe’s 30-point performance.

“They’re a really physical team and they’re good,” Edgecombe said Tuesday. “If we lack physicality and effort, the score’s going to be like that.”

George expects the series to begin in earnest with Game 2.

“Just get settled in,” he said. “Yeah, we had breakdowns tonight, but they also shot the s— out of the ball. … They came out on fire, but it’s a game of adjustments. We’ll make adjustments. 

“It’s the same as last series. They don’t get any extra points (in the series) for going up big tonight.”

Getting it right starts with getting it wrong. It’s true in math, mental health and Madison Square Garden, where last night the New York Knicks took a 1-0 series lead over Philadelphia with a 137-98 shellacking of the 76ers.

Through all the fits and false starts of this season, there were glimpses. Early on the Knicks were an offensive dynamo but struggled to get stops. Then there were periods of defensive dominance. Early in December, they won nine of 10 games; two weeks later, they dropped nine of 11, followed by an eight-game winning streak. All the while, the hares heard the hype. Cleveland got Harden! Look at Boston not even need Tatum! Detroit! Detroit! Detroit!

All the while, the tortoise kept on keeping on. Over the last four games, the tortoise has mutated into the Ninja Turtles. Leonardo, Michaelangelo and Raphael were Games 4-6 versus Atlanta. Last night the Knicks were Donatello: brilliant, focused, and carrying a big stick.

Jalen Brunson reminded everyone with short-term memory loss who’s the best player in the series East. Karl-Anthony Towns continues to look right at home playing point center. Mikal Bridges is playing like he’s worth 10 first-round picks. OG Anunoby is shooting a playoff-record 99% from the field while locking down anyone within reach. Josh Hart is doing 99% of all the things, and doing them well.

What’s different about these Knicks — than any Knick team I’ve seen in my life — is their depth. Miles McBride looks more in-rhythm. Mitchell Robinson looks springy. Ariel Hukporti was terrific backing up KAT and Mitch, who both committed four fouls. Every Knick played and scored besides Jeremy Sochan. Everyone played like they knew their role and it was the role they were born to play.

Contrast that with the opposition. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined to shoot 11-of-30. The Sixers were -24 in the 3-point battle. New York had 34 assists to 15 turnovers; Philadelphia had 15 dimes and 19 oopsies. Their bench was outscored by 12. Their starters were outscored by 27. And those are just what the numbers say.

The eye test wasn’t any better, which doesn’t bode well for the Sixers, who’ve mostly stuck with a six-man rotation to get this far. Quentin Grimes had a pissiness about him that suggests he still hasn’t gotten over the end of his time as a Knick, when he complained, “It feels like if I don’t hit the shot, I’m coming out. Every shot I shoot probably weighs like 100 pounds if I don’t make it.” Grimes missed three of his four looks last night but did get 24 minutes of run, so hopefully he’s happy.

At least Grimes mostly kept his issues internal. In just four minutes of playing time, Adem Bona committed five fouls (I think all offensive) and three turnovers, and “committed” is putting it gently. He played like the Kool-Aid man high on bath salts, running through every Knick he could. The Knicks, similar to Game 6 in Atlanta, didn’t let up, even with the game decided by the third quarter. There’s a difference between aggression and anarchy.

Quoth LadyKnick: “It is really surreal . . . similar to the ‘90s Knicks, but more on [offense].” This team really is something special. I know, I know, they’re just “quirky” enough to where you can see them losing Game 2. But they’re also doing things we haven’t seen from any Knick team in the past, or any team, period. Sometimes a win is just a win, a 1-0 lead, the home team handling its business. Sometimes it’s something more.

In 1969 the Knicks hadn’t won a playoff series in 16 years. They opened their postseason against the league’s best team that year, the Baltimore Bullets. The Bullets had never had any success, but landing Earl Monroe and Wes Unseld in consecutive glowed them up from rags to riches. The Knicks won Game 1 in Baltimore impressively, then went on to sweep them. It was a statement win, the birth of the Golden Age in club history.

In 1992 the Knicks were a year removed from a sub-.500 record and an embarrassing first-round sweep. They faced the Pistons in the opening round, a Pistons team that had owned the East the prior five years, winning 15 of 18 series. The Knicks won Game 1 by 34, then went on to win a dogfight. It was a statement win, the birth of the Silver Age in Knick history.

What does last night mean? Depends on what happens tomorrow. If the Knicks slip, the Sixers will take the split as “mission accomplished,” and the Knicks will face two games in Philly MSG West. If they win? Then the joyride continues, and hopefully the surreal never stops.

FIBA Hall of Famer and Puerto Rican basketball legend José ‘Piculin’ Ortiz has passed away at the age of 62. Ortiz was widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Puerto Rican basketball history. He had been battling colorectal cancer since 2023, according to FIBA.

Throughout his career, Ortiz played college basketball for the Oregon State Beavers, averaging 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. His performance earned him the Pac-10 Player of the Year honors in 1987. That same year, he made history as the first Puerto Rican player ever selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, going 15th overall to the Utah Jazz. Ortiz went on to play two seasons in the NBA, averaging 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds over 64 games.

Following his time in the NBA, Ortiz played professional basketball in Europe, with teams in Spain and Greece, before returning to Puerto Rico to continue his career.

Ortiz was a pillar of the Puerto Rican National Team, representing his country in four Olympic Games (1988, 1992, 1996, and 2004) and competing in numerous FIBA World Championships and international tournaments. On August 30, 2019, Ortiz’s contributions were recognized with his induction into the FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honoring a career spanning two decades.

“Today  Puerto Rico loses more than an athlete, it loses a legend,” Puerto Rico’s Basketball Federation told FIBA. “Thank you for all the joys, for representing our flag with pride and for taking the name of our island to the highest. Rest in peace, José “Piculin” Ortiz Rijos. Your legacy will live on every court, with every fan and with every generation that you inspire.”

More: Magic fire coach Jamahl Mosley after NBA playoffs collapse vs Pistons

The Dallas Mavericks shocked the basketball world on Monday morning by hiring veteran executive Masai Ujiri as their new President of Basketball Operations and Alternate Governor. Ujiri enjoyed largely successful stints as the top decision maker with the Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors throughout the 2010s, winning both an Executive of the Year award and an NBA title during that time. He was let go by the Raptors in June of 2025.

Though Ujiri’s track record through 2019 is virtually bulletproof, the last few years of his Toronto tenure were tumultuous to say the least. After winning the 2019 title, the Raptors became imprisoned in mediocrity from 2020 to 2023 before finally embarking on a long-overdue rebuild. According to reporting around the organization, this was in large part due to a mandate from ownership group Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Chairman Ed Rogers had no interest in a rebuild so soon after winning the title, and Ujiri was prevented from hitting the reset button at an ideal time.

But even factoring in the troublesome Toronto ownership piece, Ujiri’s final six years in Toronto can’t be described as anything less than a failure. Is this guy cooked? Has the game passed him by? OR was Ujiri fed up with Toronto ownership, mentally checked out during the final years of his tenure, and desperate for a break and change of scenery? With these questions in mind, let’s take a hard look at all the major moves Ujiri made after winning the 2019 title. Through the good, the bad, and the neutral, we might be able to discern whether Ujiri can rediscover his fastball and build a winner around Cooper Flagg.

The Good

June 2021- Toronto selects Scottie Barnes fourth overall in the NBA Draft

This is by far the best move of Ujiri’s post-title tenure. Barnes has blossomed into a superstar for the Raptors, a top-15 player worth building a franchise around. And while it may seem like giving Ujiri credit for hitting on the fourth overall pick is a bit generous, Barnes wasn’t the consensus best player available when Toronto made their selection. After Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, and Evan Mobley were off the board, many assumed the Raptors would take Jalen Suggs with their pick. Others argued for guys like Jonathan Kuminga or Franz Wagner. At the time of the draft, The Ringer, The Athletic, and SB Nation had Barnes ranked fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively, on their big boards. This wasn’t a no-brainer pick at fourth overall, and Ujiri nailed it.

August 2021- Toronto signs & trades Kyle Lowry to Miami for Precious Achiuwa and Goran Dragic

You could argue that Toronto should have traded Lowry a year earlier, but Ujiri did well to avoid paying him a three-year mega contract while getting something in a sign-and-trade. Lowry was a franchise legend and had played an instrumental part in delivering their first title, so he had a lot of say in whether he stayed or went. When it became clear that his time as a Raptor was over, Ujiri worked with his preferred destination to facilitate a deal. And though Dragic infamously did not work out, Achiuwa did enough to establish himself as a rotation player in the league. Ujiri dodged a bullet by not paying Lowry, who declined dramatically in Miami. This should have launched the rebuild in earnest, but OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam were too young to trade and too good to bottom out.

June 2024- Toronto acquires Davion Mitchell, Jamal Shead, Sasha Vezenkov, and a 2025 2nd round draft pick from Sacramento for Jalen McDaniels

If you want to fleece someone, call the Sacramento Kings. This return was highway robbery for Jalen McDaniels, a player not to be confused with his much more talented brother. Sacramento made this trade to duck the luxury tax, and Ujiri smartly preyed on their desperation, snagging a good role player in Mitchell and a rookie flyer in Shead. The latter’s defensive prowess should allow him to maintain a rotation role in Toronto for a long time. This was a nice bit of business from Ujiri that went under the radar when it happened.

February 2025- Toronto acquires Brandon Ingram from New Orleans for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, a 2026 1st round draft pick (from Indiana), and a 2031 2nd round draft pick

The last major deal of Ujiri’s Raptors stint was a blockbuster. And though it may be a controversial take, I think this was a good deal from a process and value standpoint. Ingram’s value was depressed at the time, and Ujiri saw an opportunity.

As I’ll detail later, the Raptors have had a tough time attracting free agents, and Ingram represented a chance for them to add an All-Star on the relatively cheap. They essentially gave up one first-round pick and some garbage. And look, here’s where it gets thorny— that pick is currently slotted as second in the 2026 NBA Draft. Now, it looks like Toronto paid a hefty price for Ingram. But a year ago, who could have foreseen Tyrese Haliburton tearing his Achilles in the NBA Finals, triggering a supertank gap year from Indiana, and exponentially inflating the value of their draft pick? I suppose that’s the danger in dealing those assets, but I think this was solid process by Ujiri. Ingram was fantastic for Toronto this season, making the All-Star team and helping them to the fifth seed before injuries ended his season.

The Bad

November 2020- Toronto drafts Malachi Flynn 29th overall over Desmond Bane

Ujiri has mostly nailed the draft throughout his career, and lots of people passed on Bane, but this one hurts. Flynn was a bad basketball player, and he wasn’t even the usual archetype Ujiri goes for. You would have hoped that he would have recognized Bane’s obvious talent instead. Making the wrong pick one slot before Bane went adds insult to injury.

March 2021- Toronto trades Norman Powell to Portland for Rodney Hood and Gary Trent Jr.

This was the first big blunder of Ujiri’s 2020s run. I understand the process here— Ujiri decided he didn’t want to pay Norman Powell entering his age-28 season and flipped him for a guy (Trent Jr.) of a similar archetype who’s nearly six years younger. Trent had a couple of good years in Toronto, but it’s clear that Toronto gave up on Powell too quickly. Paying him the modest $18 million AAV contract he got from the Clippers would have been a solid investment.

February 2022- Toronto trades Goran Dragic and a 2022 1st round draft pick to San Antonio for Thaddeus Young, Drew Eubanks, and a 2022 2nd round draft pick 

While this trade wasn’t that consequential, it was bad process. Toronto was on a hot streak heading into the deadline and looking to bulk up for the playoffs, and Ujiri thought that Thaddeus Young was the guy to put them over the top. They dangled Dragic’s expiring contract and the 20th overall pick (essentially moving down 13 spots) to acquire the veteran forward. Young gave Toronto very little during his tenure, and Ujiri was wrong in believing he had more left in the tank. The pick they gave to San Antonio ended up being Malachi Branham, who stinks. But they missed the opportunity to draft Walker Kessler, Andrew Nembhard, Christian Braun, or Peyton Watson, all of whom would have been great additions for the future.

February 2023- Toronto acquires Jakob Poeltl from San Antonio for Khem Birch, a 2023 2nd round draft pick, a 2024 1st round draft pick, and a 2025 2nd round draft pick

Again, value-wise, this isn’t a bad deal. Poeltl was still a very good player at the time, and Toronto only gave up one significant pick for him. And the 2024 draft was horrible, so the eighth-overall pick they gave up (Rob Dillingham) doesn’t hurt that much. Ultimately, this trade was a failure because of what it represented in a timeline sense. Toronto was clearly staring a rebuild in the face, and trading a lottery pick for Poeltl, a good, not great center, didn’t make any sense. He didn’t make the team any better, and they had to rebuild the next year anyway.

July 2023- Toronto loses Fred VanVleet for nothing in free agency

VanVleet has opened up about his desire to leave Toronto before the 2023 offseason. The Raptors weren’t good that year, but they didn’t trade VanVleet at the deadline because Ujiri wanted to push for the playoffs. Maybe the offers weren’t great, but they likely could have gotten something. Instead, they finished .500, lost in the Play-In, and let a franchise legend walk for nothing.

December 2024- Toronto trades OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn to New York for R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a 2024 2nd round draft pick

There’s no way around it; this was a disastrous trade for Ujiri. He dealt Anunoby when his value was at its lowest in years and failed to get back a single first-round pick. Sure, Barrett has turned into a nice player for them, but the contract Ujiri gave Quickley after the deal basically negates that. After seeing the leap Anunoby took in New York, it’s painful to see just how little Toronto got back for his services.

July 2024- Toronto signs Immanuel Quickley to a 5-year, $162.5 million contract

This was just a crazy overpay by Ujiri. Quickley isn’t a bad player, but he’s a one-way guy who doesn’t guard at 6’2. Giving him $32.5 million per year never made sense because that’s a number you give someone if you anticipate a star leap on the way. Nothing about Quickley’s game made it seem like that was possible. A contract like this on the books for a non-star player (with injury issues) makes team building really difficult.

February 2025- Toronto trades Davion Mitchell to Miami in a five-team deal that nets them PJ Tucker and a second-round pick (Jimmy Butler trade)

2025 PJ Tucker was unquestionably cooked like the Christmas goose. Why did Ujiri feel like he had to force his way into the Jimmy Butler trade so he could give up a good role player for this guy? It was apparently just salary dumping Mitchell and getting a second-rounder in the process. After Ujiri was fired, they flipped that pick to the Warriors for Trayce Jackson-Davis, who stinks. I bet they wish they had Mitchell back, because they didn’t use that cap relief for anything.

The “Whatever”

Most of the transactions Ujiri made in the 2020s fall into this category. Here are some highlights:

Trading a first-rounder for Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji: This is one of the more “sure, why the hell not” deals in league history. Ujiri traded the 29th pick in a bad draft (Isaiah Collier) for two okay role players who played decently in Toronto, and Olynyk helped them get Ingram later. Perfectly adequate.

The Pascal Siakam Trade– Toronto got three picks for Siakam. One was used to acquire Olynyk and Agbaji. One was used on Ja’Kobe Walter in 2024 (19th overall). He’s fine! And one was used to trade for Brandon Ingram (2026). It’s not a great return for a star player, but given how long they waited to do the deal, this wasn’t bad value.

Selecting Gradey Dick 13th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft: Dick had a decent sophomore season before regressing in a big way this year. While he might not be very good, it’s not like the Raptors whiffed on a bunch of other players to take him. Sure, they could have drafted Keyonte George or Jaime Jaquez Jr., but that’s hardly a franchise-ruiner. And Dick is still just 22 years old with plenty of time to figure things out.

Every Single Free Agency Signing: The Raptors free agency history in the 2020s is hilarious. They could not get anyone to come to Canada. Here is a list of some marquee names they added:

• Stanley Johnson
• Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
• Aron Baynes
• Alex Len
• Khem Birch
• Svi Mykhailiuk
• Otto Porter Jr.
• Will Barton
• Jalen McDaniels
• Dennis Schroeder
• Garrett Temple
• Bruno Fernando

Ujiri just wasn’t interested in free agency. None of those guys got big deals, none of them were any good. It’s remarkable. At least we know he won’t be counting on Plan Powder!

Objectively, this is a pretty poor run for any executive. Most of the moves made during this time didn’t work out, and it’s fair to wonder if Ujiri’s philosophy is still congruent with winning basketball in today’s game. However, when you consider the context of the entire post-title Raptors ecosystem, I think it’s easy to take a glass-half-full approach toward Ujiri’s next chapter in Dallas. Here, he has complete control with new organization, one with a generational superstar tailor-made for Ujiri’s sensibilities. If this doesn’t re-energize him, he’s probably got nothing left.

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After having more than a week to rest, the Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the Los Angeles Lakers to town on Tuesday, May 5. 

To help with your NBA picks, we're here to provide NBA player prop projections for tonight's game, including one for LeBron James.

For more intel, read our complete Lakers vs. Thunder predictions. 

Lakers vs Thunder computer picks for Game 1

Lakers	Thunder
Kennard o1.5 threes +145	Mitchell u3.5 rebounds +115
James o19.5 points -145	Dort o6.5 points -112
Ayton o9.5 points -120	Caruso o1.5 assists -145

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Lakers Game 1 computer picks

Luke Kennard Over 1.5 threes (+145)

Projection: 2.02 threes

This is a five-star play according to our model, providing a whopping 26.08% EV edge. Luke Kennard has slowed down since his first few games against Houston, but we all know how good a shooter he is.

Two threes is not asking for much, and it's a great play at this price.

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LeBron James Over 19.5 points (-145)

Projection: 22.63 points

LeBron James refuses to age, averaging 23.2 points per game in the Los Angeles Lakers' series win over the Rockets. Twenty points is a line Bron crossed in four of six games in Round 1, and with still no Luka, the King will need to wear the crown on offense.

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Deandre Ayton Over 9.5 points (-120)

Projection: 11.53 points

Deandre Ayton may not be the guy, but he certainly did his part in helping the Lakers advance. The big man averaged 11.8 ppg on 60% shooting vs. Houston, and he's the best option L.A. has to keep up with the Oklahoma City Thunder's size. 

He might put up the quietest 10 points you'll ever see, but it'll cash all the same.

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Thunder Game 1 computer picks

Ajay Mitchell Under 3.5 rebounds (+115)

Projection: 3.31 rebounds

Our model sees a 20.01% EV edge on this bet. Ajay Mitchell cruised by this line in all three games vs. Phoenix, but the Lakers will provide more of a fight on the glass. There are only so many boards to go around, and OKC might be up so big in the fourth that Mitchell's playing time could be cut.

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Luguentz Dort Over 7.5 points (-112)

Projection: 8.15 points

Lu Dort is an effective 3-and-D option for the Thunder, and he eclipsed this points line in three of four against Phoenix. The Lakers will have their hands full with SGA and Chet, which will leave Dort wide open for makable threes.

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Alex Caruso Over 1.5 assists (-145)

Projection: 2.62 assists

Alex Caruso knows how to create for his teammates, and he'll be asked to do more against L.A. than he was in Round 1. Averaging over 20 minutes per game, Caruso will create enough shots for his teammates to collect two dimes.

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How to watch Lakers vs Thunder Game 1

Location	Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Date	Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Tip-off	8:30 p.m. ET
TV	Peacock/NBC

Not intended for use in MA.
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2026 NBA Draft Lottery odds: Wizards, Pacers, Nets have best chance at No. 1 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

A stacked incoming draft class could change the trajectories for many desperate NBA franchises.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery is coming up, with three teams tied for the best odds at landing the No. 1 overall pick. All three are in the Eastern Conference, a conference that could benefit from an injection of young talent.

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, UNC forward Caleb Wilson, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. are among the top prospects, though the list of possible impact players extends a few more names.

Here’s what to know about the lottery, which should make for an enthralling viewing as the draft board could go in numerous directions:

When is the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery?

The lottery will be held on Sunday, May 10. Coverage will start at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on ABC.

Who will pick first in the 2026 NBA Draft?

The draft lottery odds are sorted with the teams with the worst records leading the way. This year, the three teams tied for the best odds at picking first overall are the Washington Wizards (17-65), Indiana Pacers (19-63) and Brooklyn Nets (20-62).

2026 NBA Draft Lottery odds with ties included

The Wizards, Pacers, Nets, Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings have the best odds at picking first, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

Last year, the Dallas Mavericks made the biggest leap to pick No. 1 in a class that featured Cooper Flagg. Dallas had the 11th-best odds in a year where they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Here’s a look at this year’s odds with ties included, via Tankathon:

2026 NBA Draft Lottery odds without ties included

Here’s how the odds shape up without ties, via Tankathon:

When is the 2026 NBA Draft?

Now split into two days, the first round will be held on Tuesday, June 23. The second round will follow on Wednesday, June 24.

After a pair of frustrating first round exits in recent years, the Lakers exorcised some demons in a cathartic win over the Rockets.

Awaiting them now, though, is the best team in the NBA in the Thunder. To say the Lakers had limited success against OKC in the regular season would be an understatement.

In the two meetings in Oklahoma, LA trailed by 30 before halftime. The only close game between the two sides was when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the likely back-to-back MVP, was out. Even if the Lakers were without Luka Dončić in that contest — a situation they’ll be in for at least the start of this series — it’s going to take a dramatic improvement from the purple and gold to make this a competitive series.

Predictably, when I fielded questions for the mailbag, all of them were about this upcoming series, ranging from how the Lakers close the gap and what the rotations are going to look like.

So, let’s dive in.

Definitely the offense. The biggest takeaway from those two games in Oklahoma City was how much the Lakers’ offense was out of whack.

The Thunder feast off turnovers. At their worst, LA is prone to bad turnovers. We saw it often in the last series against the Rockets. If they commit those unforced errors against the Thunder, it’s curtains.

In multiple games, Houston used those turnovers to get back into the game, particularly in Games 1 and 2. Oklahoma City will use those turnovers to blow the game open.

Concerningly, Austin struggled mightily in those games, turning the ball over. He’s going to have to handle the ball a lot in this series. It’s going to be a huge ask considering it’s only going to be his third game back, but if the Lakers want to have any chance, they’re going to have to replicate their performance in Game 6 against Houston by being smart and taking care of the ball.

Because if you toss a lazy pass into the post, the Thunder are sprinting the other way for a huge dunk.

I actually wonder how much Vando will play in this series. The Thunder do have athletic wings, but the issues, as always, are going to come on the other end. If the Lakers are going to have a center on the floor that isn’t a floor-spacer, then Vando is forced into one of the corners.

Oklahoma City is one of the best help defenses in the league. Adding a player on that end they don’t have to worry about only strengthens their defense.

It will allow them to either hide one of their centers in Isaiah Hartenstein or Chet Holmgren on Vando or it will allow them to have a player like Alex Caruso or Cason Wallace play free safety and ball hawk.

The old adage goes trust eight, play nine. I think the Lakers’ eight are going to be the starters — Austin, Marcus Smart, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton — along with Jaxson Hayes, Jake LaRavia and Luke Kennard. Vando is the ninth guy that’s going to have to earn some trust.

As for the Adou point, he’s still pretty far away. I know he’s a fun intriguing prospect and I’m very excited to see him in Summer League, but it seems unlikely he’s going to see the court. If things are really going haywire with Vando and the Lakers really need a body out there, maybe. But in that case, I still think they’d turn to even Bronny James before Adou.

I think Austin is going to be the lead ballhandler, but I also think LeBron is going to do a lot of playmaking this round, too.

While the Thunder have a bunch of athletic wings, they don’t have many players built to slow down LeBron. The Lakers have unlocked some things with him in the post and I think they can find ways to exploit that against a smaller OKC team.

Austin also isn’t going to have the legs to be as on-ball as he was earlier in the year. Not with so little time back and heading into a playoff series that’s going to be physically demanding.

It’s going to have to be a different dynamic than it was in March, certainly. No one is going to be as ball-dominant as Luka was, but it won’t be quite as egalitarian as it was early in the Rockets series either. Expect a lot lower usage for Marcus and Luke.

One of my favorite traits about the bubble Lakers was their adaptability. Whatever a series called for, they had the solution. It just required them to drop Game 1 to figure things out. But by Game 2, the staff and players knew what needed to be done.

Being concerned about Redick’s adaptability is fair. It’s going to hang over him for a while after playing five players in a second half of a playoff game.

But I think the Rockets series showed that he can adapt. Take Game 6, for example. The Lakers went from doubling Alperen Şengün to playing single coverage against him. It was a bold call and required big performances from Ayton and Hayes. But it was the right call as it stalled out the Rockets’ offense.

JJ is still a second-year coach. In the 2019-20 season, Vogel was in his ninth year as a head coach after eight years as an assistant. That’s a library of knowledge he had that Redick didn’t.

In my book, Redick wiped away a fair amount of concerns about his playoff performance with that Rockets series, where he coached laps around Ime Udoka, even if that’s not hard to do.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The rivalry between the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers stretches back so far that you have to conjure up names like Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, Darko Miličić, and LeBron James (remember that old timer?). It was the Detroit Pistons that delayed James’ ascension to title winner, which compelled his migration to South Beach, it was James who single-handedly killed the Going to Work Pistons with 25 consecutive points in 2007.

Both franchises experienced some low lows (Detroit’s much more extended), and both are among the top of the East thanks to some smart roster building and a pivotal player from the 2021 NBA Draft — Cade Cunningham for the Pistons and Evan Mobley for the Cavs.

Cleveland won 64 games last year, got bounced in the second round, and made a win-now trade for James Harden at the trade deadline. Detroit won 60 games this year and is looking at toppling the Cavs as the next step in its title-contending narrative.

The Cavs, though, don’t seem to think much of the Pistons.

In reviewing the four-game season series, it was hard to glean much from either side thanks to injuries. Each side won two, and every win has an asterisk because of key pieces missing from the starting lineup. The most recent was a 122-119 overtime win for Detroit when the Cavs were missing five rotation players, including its backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Harden.

The Cavs lost, but they had plenty to say after the game … anonymously, of course.

“They aren’t in our class,” said one anonymous player to Cleveland.com after the game.

Chris Fedor, the beat writer for the Cavs for many years, follows that up with, “Another player said he didn’t believe Detroit would even be Cleveland’s toughest matchup in the playoffs.”

I’d call it unshakeable confidence if only the players were brave enough to put a name to their words.

For better and for worse, the Pistons don’t do anything anonymously. They say it with their chest, and they aren’t afraid to get physical.

The key to this series is bringing that physicality without pushing it too far. Harden can get you in foul trouble, Ausar Thompson. Donovan Mitchell can make you regret gambling for that steal, Javonte Green. Sam Merrill will make you regret over-helping, Cade Cunningham. Isaiah Stewart can get you ejected, Isaiah Stewart.

The Pistons have a decided size advantage on the wings, and the double-big matchup between Jalen Duren and Jarrett Allen, and Isaiah Stewart (and Tobias Harris) against Evan Mobley will be the key to the series.

Detroit needs to take care of the ball, Cunningham chief among them, and they need to find a way to impose their will in a way they couldn’t manage to against the Orlando Magic until the final six quarters of the series. The Pistons need to keep building up its postseason narrative while ensuring they make the Cavs play down to theirs.

Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, and the Cavaliers are incredibly talented. But they are the ones who haven’t been able to deliver when it matters. Mitchell averages 27.8 points in the playoffs but has never escaped the conference semifinals. Harden has never missed the postseason but has only made the conference finals twice since leaving Oklahoma City in 2012. Its been four early playoff exits for the Cavs the past four seasons.

The series is there for the taking. The Pistons just need to deliver on the floor and not focus on soundbites.

The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first game of their Western Conference semifinal series. The Lakers beat the Rockets 4-2 in the first round while the Thunder swept the Phoenix Suns. The Thunder are favored with a spread of -15.5 and an over/under of 213.5.

How to watch Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

• Date: Tuesday, May 5

• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT

• Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

• TV Channels: NBC, Peacock

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Odds

• Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder -15.5

• Moneyline: Oklahoma City Thunder -1111 (88.0%) / Los Angeles Lakers +700 (12.0%)

• Over/Under: 213.5

Series schedule

Game 1: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City (Tuesday May 5, 8:30 ET, NBC/Peacock)
Game 2: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City (Thursday May 7, 9:30 ET, Prime Video)
Game 3: Oklahoma City at Los Angeles (Saturday May 9, 8:30 ET, ABC)
Game 4: Oklahoma City at Los Angeles (Monday May 11, 10:30 ET, Prime Video)
Game 5: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City (Wednesday May 13)*
Game 6: Oklahoma City at Los Angeles (Saturday May 16)*
Game 7: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City (Monday May 18)*

*if necessary

The Cleveland Cavaliers meet the Detroit Pistons in the first game of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The Pistons and Cavs each won Game 7s in the first round to advance, beating the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors, respectively. The Pistons are favored in Game 1 by 3.5 points. The over/under for this Eastern Conference matchup is set at 215.5.

How to watch Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons

• Date: Tuesday, May 5

• Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

• Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan

• TV Channels: Peacock, NBCSN

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Odds

• Spread: Detroit Pistons -3.5

• Moneyline: Detroit Pistons -159 (59.1%) / Cleveland Cavaliers +135 (40.9%)

• Over/Under: 215.5

Series schedule

Game 1: Cleveland at Detroit (Tuesday May 5, 7 ET, Peacock/NBCSN)
Game 2: Cleveland at Detroit (Thursday May 7, 7 ET, Prime Video)
Game 3: Detroit at Cleveland (Saturday May 9, 3 ET, NBC/Peacock)
Game 4: Detroit at Cleveland (Monday May 11, 8 ET, NBC/Peacock)
Game 5: Cleveland at Detroit (Wednesday May 13)*
Game 6: Detroit at Cleveland (Friday May 15)*
Game 7: Cleveland at Detroit (Sunday May 17)*

*if necessary

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It’s Cinco de Mayo, and by the looks of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s series odds, they’re going to bust the Los Angeles Lakers open like a piñata.

Oklahoma City is laying more than -15 at home in Game 1 of this Western Conference semifinal after thrashing L.A. in the regular season. Rather than tangle with that pile of chalk, my Lakers vs. Thunder predictions swing my focus to the individual efforts in the series opener.

Here are my best NBA picks and Lakers vs. Thunder props on May 5.

Best Lakers vs Thunder props for Game 1

Player	Pick
Deandre Ayton	Over 0.5 assists	-130
Alex Caruso	Over 7.5 points	-105
Marcus Smart	Over 1.5 threes	-135

Game 1 Prop #1: Deandre Ayton Over 0.5 assists

-130 at bet365

It’s just one little assist. How hard could it be? 

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was huge for L.A. against Houston, but finds himself amongst the trees vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

The Thunder roll out twin 7-footers in Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, and Ayton shrank like he was swimming in cold water over his four matchups with OKC. He averaged 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and barely a blip in the assist column.

He’s not getting easy looks from the post here, which means passing to the perimeter or finding teammates in motion. Ayton will also wrangle a couple of offensive rebounds, likely kicking out to an open shooter. If this massive spread holds true, L.A. will be letting it fly from distance to keep pace.

Ayton did record at least one dime in four of his six Round 1 contests, and while he managed only a single assist in those four meetings with OKC, he registered eight potential dimes.

Player projections all lean toward at least one helper from the Lakers’ big man, with forecasts ranging from 0.9 to 1.2 assists in Game 1.

Game 1 Prop #2: Alex Caruso Over 7.5 points

-105 at bet365

The ghosts of "Purple and Gold" past will hunt the Lakers in Round 2. Former L.A. pest Alex Caruso is playing a key role for Oklahoma City with Jalen Williams sidelined with a hamstring injury. 

The reserve guard is a two-way contributor for OKC, watching his usage jump from 12.1% to 17.5% since Williams went down in Game 2 against Phoenix. 

Caruso opened with efforts of two and seven points on a combined 4-for-10 shooting in the first two playoff contests. His minutes and offensive activity increased, scoring 13 and 14 points in the final two games while firing up a 10-for-16 count from the field.

His scoring props have climbed from 5.5 O/U to 7.5 O/U, and Game 1 projections are pretty much on the fence with his current 7.5-point prop total. I see a higher ceiling. 

Caruso has averaged more than nine points over the past two playoff runs and gets a bump in the offensive pecking order as long as Williams is out. And for what it’s worth, he put up six, 10, and 17 points vs. the Lakers this season.

Game 1 Prop #3: Marcus Smart Over 1.5 Threes

-135 at bet365

If Los Angeles is to keep pace with Oklahoma City’s powerful offense, it needs all hands to hit shots. For veteran guard Marcus Smart, that means making from beyond the arc.

Smart ran hot and cold vs. Houston in Round 1. He did hit two or more triples in four of six games — including a 5-for-7 Game 2 — and shot 44.8% from distance for the series.

Given the beefy spread, the game script says Los Angeles is playing from behind, prompting plenty of 3-point attempts to close the gap. And if OKC has any weakness, it’s protecting the perimeter.

The Thunder allow foes to fire at 36.7% on the season, including 36.3% from Phoenix in Round 1. Oklahoma City's tight interior defense prompts opponents to jack up almost 39 treys per game, while making 14.3 of those long-range looks. That's the third most 3PMs allowed in the NBA.

Smart faced Oklahoma City twice in the regular season, going 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. His Game 1 models range from 1.2 to 2.1 makes from downtown, with most forecasts leaning toward two 3-pointers tonight.

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.

New York so good they can win games in two quarters and change.

Philly so bad they can’t even beat the Knicks’ bench mob in a garbage-time war.

Here’s the latest after Game 1.

Mike Brown

On the team’s Game 1 performance:

“I thought it was a really good game by our guys.”

On his offensive concepts clicking in the playoffs:

“It’s a lot of fun when you have concepts on either end of the floor and guys are trying to embrace those concepts at the highest level. When they do, it doesn’t really matter what you call or initiates the action because guys are trying to play the right way. It can be any team out on the floor. If they’re trying to embrace what you’re throwing out there, sacrificing, all of that other stuff, it can be a lot of fun to watch.”

On Philadelphia’s record with Embiid and Maxey playing together:

“A lot of people when they look at this they see, I think they were seventh [in the East]. They see seven versus three and they automatically assume we’ll win. When that combination was on the floor together, they won I think almost 65% of their games. They were on pace to be almost a 60-win team . . . That’s better than us record-wise. They’re completely healthy. It’s going to be a tough series.”

On the foul trouble in Game 1:

“It was a good game by our guys. We have to be better with our fouling. We can’t expect them to shoot 34 [free throws]. They doubled us in free throw attempts.”

On Mikal Bridges defending Tyrese Maxey:

“He didn’t shut Maxey down. Maxey missed some shots, and our team defense behind him was pretty good. But the one thing that I give Mikal a lot of credit for is his alertness and his ability to have multiple efforts when guarding Maxey because Maxey is similar to [Stephen Curry], where he’s constantly moving, especially when it comes to the two-man game with [Joel] Embiid. You can’t ever relax. And Mikal did as good as he could, trying to stay with him whether he was moving or when he gave up the basketball.”

On Jalen Brunson attacking the drop coverage:

“Our guys did a good job of setting screens for him, and Jalen’s pace and his change of speed, all that stuff with the basketball, was really good. They like to play in the drop, and [Brunson] was able to come off and get a couple of pocket 3s because we had good screens. When he did that, they’d come up the floor a little bit, and he was able to get by them.”

Jalen Brunson

On the improved focus and detail:

“I just feel like our focus has been better. Our attention to detail has been better. Honestly, I think those two are very important for us. We gotta continue to do so. Yes, it’s turned into big wins. But that attention to detail will help us in the close wins as well.”

On Mikal Bridges’ impact:

“He’s a huge factor for us and he’s been playing great. There are times throughout the season when every player has his ups and downs, but he stays mentally strong and he stays mentally focused. He comes into work and does his work and his routine and all that stuff. As long as you keep chipping away, things are going to fall in your favor.”

On not overreacting to Game 1:

“Honestly, you’ve got to take this game with a grain of salt. I don’t think we’re going to see that team that we saw in Game 1 in Game 2. They’re going to be ready to go.”

On resetting after a blowout:

“It’s only one game. We start the next game 0-0.”

On passionate Knicks and Sixers fans:

“One thing I know about Philly fans is they’re very passionate. One thing about Knicks fans is they’re very passionate as well. I think the real fans from both teams are gonna show up and support.”

Josh Hart

On Game 1:

“We played full game of Knicks basketball.”

On getting more catch-and-shoot chances:

“If it’s similar to what it was in the past, I’ll probably have as many catch-and-shoot opportunities as I want. I’ve got to go out there, shoot the ball with confidence. I’m a good shooter, I know I’m a good shooter. I trust my work.”

On the Knicks’ offensive growth through trial and error:

“A lot of trial and error. Seeing what works, seeing what doesn’t. We’re being unselfish. I think that’s the biggest thing. With where we’re at right now, everyone is unselfish. We’re willing to sacrifice individual numbers and stats for the betterment of the team. When we do that, we’re playing our best basketball.”

On how to deal with Philly going forward:

“We want to play a little fast, so being physical, getting stops, pushing the pace, doing those kinds of things is something we’re trying to do, and we’ve got to keep it up. We need to make sure we’re focused on Game 2 and mentally locked in… They’re definitely gonna come out aggressive.”

On the key to the Knicks’ world-beating form:

“Where we’re at right now, everyone is being unselfish. We’re willing to sacrifice individual numbers and stats for the betterment of the team. And when we do that, we’re playing our best basketball. Being unselfish, that’s the biggest thing.”

OG Anunoby

On peaking late in the season:

“You always want to peak later in the season, so this is the process of the year. We’re starting to click, and hopefully getting better and better. We’re a really tough team with threats all over the place. It’s very hard to guard.”

On playing to his standard:

“I think I work on my game very hard, and my teammates are finding me. I think I’m just playing the way I expect to play.”

On continuing to improve:

“There’s still room for improvement on both sides. Never be satisfied. You always want to improve.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the culmination of the never-ending regular-season tinkering:

“I think right now, we’re seeing the culmination of the trials and tribulations that we went through in the regular season.”

On quarterbacking the offense:

“I just love that I get to get my teammates involved and I get a chance to quarterback the offense and put them in positions where I feel they can succeed. They’re trusting me more with the ball right now, and I want to continue to repay their trust with the right plays and make the right decisions.”

On executing Brown’s system:

“I think we’re doing a good job of executing what we want to do and a better understanding of the new system. We’re doing a great job of cutting and bringing energy to our cuts and putting ourselves into positions where we can succeed.”

On the need for three more wins after starting on the right foot:

“We’re playing well, but it doesn’t mean anything if we can’t find a way to get three more wins.”

On hoping this is their best version of the Knicks:

“I would hope so, that’s the hope. You hope that at this time you’re the best version of ourselves. For all the guys who’ve been covering us all year, I’ve always talked about that, getting better one percent every single day. At the end, we need to be proud and happy of the result we bring in the playoffs. I think right now we’re seeing a culmination of the trials and tribulations we went through in the season to be at this point.”

On how the Knicks got here:

“For us to be executing at this level speaks to the unity our team has right now. The sacrifice being made by all of us for the greater good of the team. You see it even in a game like Game 6 in Atlanta, it was just a total team effort. I think tonight as well was a total team effort, everyone came to execute our game plan and I thought we did a great job of executing.”

Nick Nurse

On the truth behind Game 1:

“They were obviously picking us apart.”

On the Knicks’ dominant Game 1:

“They had it going. They were really great tonight. They’re a great team and they were really great tonight.”

On reviewing past matchups before the series:

“You look back, certainly some stuff you can take from it. You try to get as current as you can with what they’re doing in the playoffs. They had their ups and downs, finished on a huge up. You try to take anything from what Atlanta was doing, see what changes they made from game to game.”

On turnovers and playoff physicality overwhelming them in Game 1:

“It was super physical. I think they played really physical. We did get to the line some, but I thought in that same kind of run, I think we had three turnovers, and they were just kind of on-ball.”

On committing costly mistakes on Monday:

“You can’t do that in the playoffs.”

On the blowout loss feeling inevitable:

“It was too easy for them. I didn’t think we handled it great. It wasn’t any fun to be a part of. To sit and watch.”

On pulling Joel Embiid in the third quarter:

“I took him out because there was no sense in getting tireder than we were.”

On the team’s overall performance:

“It was a pretty tough night for everybody. I didn’t think we shot it particularly well, but I don’t think we generated nearly as good of shots.”

Joel Embiid

On not getting as many free throws as he thinks he should have:

“I don’t know. You got to ask Jalen Brunson (about foul baiting). I don’t think I got to the free throw [line] as much as as I wanted, but that’s not, that’s not the reason, you know, why we lost. We just gotta think defense was the biggest reason. We just weren’t connected enough, not physical enough. All the guys were just too comfortable. So, yeah. I’m only focused about what we could have done better on defensive back.”

“It doesn’t matter if we would’ve lost by one or 40 or 50. It doesn’t matter. A loss is a loss. But I think it just starts with playing harder.”

On Mikal Bridges’ ribcage-hit:

“I don’t think that [play] was necessary, (but) it’s playoff basketball. If that’s the reality of it, I guess we’ve got to go out and be physical, too, and do it, too.”

Back in October when the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns traveled to Macao for the NBA China Games, there was a lot of attention paid to the return of the league to China and, for Brooklyn fans, the debut of the Flatbush 5.

Then, near the end of the celebrations, somewhat out of the spotlight, NBA China and Alibaba, the giant e-commerce and AI/Cloud software provider headed by Nets owner Joe Tsai, announced an artificial intelligence/ Cloud deal that could ultimately change the way NBA fans everywhere watch their favorite teams, perhaps the whole fan experience.

The press release was filled with a lot of corporate and tech talk but the bottom line was that China will be a proving ground for Alibaba’s AI/Cloud technology … which, if it works in China, may find its way to screens from Brooklyn to Beijing. (Simple description of AI and Cloud: AI focuses on creating smart systems that can think, learn, and solve problems; Cloud computing lets people store and access data over the internet, offering flexibility, easy scaling, and cost savings.)

NBA China will utilize Alibaba Cloud’s AI and cloud computing services to support a wide range of digital fan engagement initiatives, including the development of a proprietary AI model for NBA China based on Alibaba’s Qwen series of foundational models. The proprietary AI model, fine-tuned with the league’s range of digital assets, will provide NBA App users in China with engaging content including real-time game highlights, historical basketball data, player insights and interactive discussions on trending basketball topics.

Call it “immersive,” sure. But a better description of the Alibaba’s 360 Real Time Replay System might be “hyper-personalized.“ Fans — and players — got a taste of it at the NBA House in Macao, set up by the league and featuring a very specific Nets experience…

There was also a taste of game action on whatever screen they prefer once the NBA games are broadcast in China next season…

Fans might ask isn’t this a bit of old hat? Haven’t we seen this on national TV games or even on YES Network?Things like 360 degree views, etc. have been a staple of sports programming for more than decade. BUT the difference now is that the technology was exclusively the realm of directors sitting in front of banks of monitors in TV studios or high-tech production trucks. Now the average fan will have it all right in front of them. Welcome to the age of hyper-personalized sports viewing, fan as director.

Fans will be able to create alternate endings, rejigger game flows, take events that occur and compare them to the opposite outcome and move on. Player impact and coaching decisions will get new scrutiny What if Nic Claxton nails a put back he had missed on the court? If Egor Demin’s foot was behind the line on a three? If Nolan Traore’s alley oop doesn’t go astray” or if A.J. Dybantsa or Cam Boozer or Kingston Flemings had more experience? Did Jordi Fernandez make the right call? And all of it won’t be in some dry static recitation, but a highly produced video. The technology in general is fast advancing.

That’s why the league’s enthusiasm level for the technology is so high: more fan engagement. In February at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles, Adam Silver spoke about it at his annual press conference. Although the Q and A that day was dominated by tanking questions, the commissioner suggested that the media was missing something about AI and the fan experience. His comments, though not well publicized, were extensive.

“One area in particular that I think is worth addressing is the impact on the fan experience. And one of the things that we’re beginning to see already is how we’re going to be able to, more than personalize, almost hyper-personalize our telecasts, allowing people to experience the game in any way they want.

“Many of you have probably experimented with this already, but in essence, you’ll be able to hear the game in any dialect, any language, you’ll be able to hear a hardcore X’s and O’s commentary, maybe one that’s more comedic if that’s what you’re interested, or somebody for a novice explaining each foul and the rules as it goes along.”

“To me, we’re about to witness probably the most significant change, certainly in my lifetime, in how sports are presented,” Silver proclaimed. “Beyond that, the hyper-personalization, if people want to shop during a game, if they want to be on social media and having an ongoing discussion about some aspect about the game, I think it’s a really exciting moment and transformation.”

So, the NBA China deal with Alibaba has become, as Silver noted, part of an under appreciated movement in the league, one of several innovative programs dealing not just with video but new way to view statistics and game flow. In other deals, the NBA is developing similar AI/Cloud technology that will change other elements of the fan experience. But in the video arena, Alibaba has the most experience, most success … and it’s been driven by Tsai.

For the past four Olympiads, summer and winter, Alibaba’s Qwen technology has been the at the center of Alibaba’s role as the official AI/Cloud provider to the International Olympic Committee, developing new tools along the way that can be used in their NBA experience.

“The Olympics is the greatest sporting stage in the world,” Tsai told NetsDaily recently. “We help the Olympic Broadcasting System build a fan experience never seen before. Whether it’s a skier’s aerial rotation or a basketball player’s contested shot, when you see an instant replay in 3D from 360 view, the fan becomes a participant in the game. 

“We also brought this replay technology to the NBA China Games last October to transform the fan viewing experience, and the NBA loved it.”

“It’s been an amazing enabler,” said Sotiris Salamouris, Chief Technology Officer of the Olympic Broadcasting Services of Alibaba’s technology at the Milan/Cortina Olympics said in February. “We’re so happy to be working with Alibaba because a could provider of that size and sophistication would be able to continue scaling up.

“Cloud is about efficiency, explained Salamouris who noted that Alibaba was able to deal with some unique challenges of the 2026 Winter Games. The Olympic Broadcast System produced nearly 1,000 hours of live sports coverage and another 5,000 of interviews, features. Moreover, the 2026 Games were also the most far flung with many venues in remote locations…

“It is an exciting time at the intersection of sports and technology,” Tsai said in October at the time of the NBA China deal. “AI and cloud technologies are enablers of connection—between player and fan, brand and consumer, global vision and local culture. By collaborating with NBA China and introducing Alibaba’s latest innovations, we are here to excite NBA fans through the enablement of exceptional experiences that they’ve never seen before.”

In addition to the NBA and Olympics, Alibaba has also signed deals with the international federations governing squash and aquatics to improve their offerings. It’s become a corporate priority.

Alibaba also is working its other technologies into the sports mix. One example is the company’s Qwen Glasses, their challenger to Meta’s Ray-Ban model. They’ll be marketed China next year as well. While not specifically designed or marketed for sports, both technologies share an underlying idea: using AI to layer real-time information into a live experience. The 360 replay does this at the broadcast level; the glasses bring that same concept to the individual user.

The NBA has other innovative AI/Cloud deals, particularly with AWS, the “Official Cloud and Cloud AI Partner of the NBA and its affiliate leagues, including the WNBA, NBA G League, Basketball Africa League.” Indeed, the Alibaba contract with the NBA is limited to China but the technology could make its way to NBA screens through AWS.

press release announcing that deal back in 2025 focused more on its “basketball intelligence platform” rather than video. The combination, of course, is ideal According to the NBA, it “turns billions of data points into compelling insights and interactive experiences for fans.”

There will be new AI-powered stats that capture aspects of basketball performance that have not been measured previously – Defensive Box Score, Shot Difficulty and Gravity.

Leverage, the newest metric from NBA, aims to quantify the moments and players that have the highest impact on the game’s outcome. “While the final minutes of a close game are undeniably high-leverage situations, a player’s back-to-back 3-pointers in the early 3rd quarter may have more impact on the game’s outcome than one might think.” the league said in announcing it earlier this year.

How will it filter down to the Net fans? National TV rights holders — like Amazon — will be incorporating more and more of AI/Cloud into their coverage, and over the long-term, it’s easy to imagine fans, particularly younger fans with video game experience, embracing the technology. As Tsai said just this past week, AI/Cloud technology is different, explaining that real time usage of the technology generates new data which in turn feeds back into the model which derives even more usage.

Moreover, the technology will not be limited to fans. It will become part of the coaching, scouting and other NBA front office decisions. The Nets haven’t publicized any AI cooperation with Alibaba … if indeed any exists. When Tsai was asked if AI is a component in the Nets scouting, he brushed it off by saying that the Nets have enough human intelligence.

AI/Cloud technology is, of course, the most controversial technology of this century as worries mount about the effect on unemployment, AI data centers’ need for huge amounts of water and electricity and the possibility that it could someday, somehow challenge human intelligence. For example, AI’s efficiencies have dramatically reduced NBC Sports footprint at the Olympics where so many of the thousands of employees sent to the venues were engaged with satellite technology. That’s now the realm of Al/Cloud technology. There are other geopolitical concerns as well. Alibaba is also a key driver of China’s AI/Cloud push. Will that ultimately become an issue?

But in the meantime, it’s going to be big in NBA fans’ engagement and appreciation of the game and the man who owns the Nets and Liberty is its big advocate.