Category: Sports News

You couldn’t have written up a more dispiriting Game 1 performance from the Detroit Pistons than what they delivered against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. The eighth-seeded Magic, facing a Pistons team that never spent a day below first place in the Eastern Conference all season, never trailed. They had the better game plan, the better players, and the better energy. Even in a game when its star, Cade Cunningham, scored 39 points, it never seemed like Detroit was threatening to take over the game.

For a team and a fan base that dealt with a season of hearing Detroit disrespected as not real contenders, with the likes of the Celtics, Knicks, and Cavs, thrust above them as teams that could win a title, it was a chance to prove the doubters wrong.

Now those same doubters have no reason to do anything other than double down, and many of the believers are in crisis mode.

The Pistons have one game to fix the mess they put themselves in. Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena is a must-win contest, or this series is effectively over.

I have faith in the Pistons, but I also recognize that playoff basketball is not regular-season basketball. There is too much time to game plan and prepare. The Magic were able to effectively close off the paint to call comers, and for a non-shooting team like the Pistons, having zero pathways to the basket completely short-circuited anything they hoped to do on offense. It shouldn’t have been that easy to neutralize Detroit’s attack and take away all their strengths, but here we are.

With zero hyperbole, the Pistons had their worst game scoring inside this season. Their 34 points were a low point. The same team that scored 80 points in the paint against Brooklyn in November, and at least 60 points in the paint 38 times, managed a meager 34.

I have seen some say Jalen Duren was invisible, and, boy, I wish that were the case. Unfortunately, he was extremely noticeable in all the worst ways. Only two players on the Magic roster who played had fewer shot attempts than Duren.

Duren only had one game with a lower usage rate all season than he did on Sunday, and never had a lower percentage of his team’s shot attempts than he did against the Magic. He didn’t make any of this up on defense, where he was constantly letting Magic players have position and getting beaten on back cuts in both man and zone defense.

It was ugly. It is also fixable.

Cade proved he is a playoff performer. He can get his own, but it’s on him and his coaching staff to figure out how to get others involved, chief among them, Duren. They need to embrace Duren’s face-up game and short-roll opportunities instead of only force-feeding entry passes right below the basket.

It’s not that I want Duren suddenly co-running the offense. I just need the Pistons to find opportunities inside to provide any semblance of spacing the floor and creating cracks in Orlando’s defense. Detroit settled on Sunday and made it easy for the Magic defenders. They can’t afford to do that again.

If they do, it is effectively game over on not just the Pistons season, but has to be game over for this version of the franchise’s team-building project. If it’s this easy to shut down how your offense works because you want to put superior defenders on the floor, then you don’t have a winning formula.

Detroit would need to think long and hard about who is part of that title-contending future. It can’t be all three of Duren, Ron Holland, and Ausar Thompson. Not because any of the three can’t get markedly better on offense, but because Detroit has chips they can move around to build an extremely dangerous team that can succeed in both the regular season and the playoffs. Cunningham’s performance is all the proof you need of that fact.

The scheme, the secondary players, the future? Those are all question marks. We are going to get an answer on Wednesday, one way or another.

Observations after Sixers snag gutsy Game 2 win over Celtics, Edgecombe and Maxey star  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

BOSTON — The Sixers emphatically erased the embarrassment of their 32-point Game 1 loss Tuesday night at TD Garden.

They responded by snagging a 111-97 win over the Celtics to even their first-round playoff series at 1-1. 

VJ Edgecombe was simply incredible, posting 30 points and 10 rebounds. Edgecombe scored the most by a Sixers rookie in a playoff game since Andrew Toney against the Celtics in 1981.

Tyrese Maxey had 29 points and nine assists. Paul George scored 19 points. 

Celtics star Jaylen Brown had 36 points. Jayson Tatum tallied 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. 

Joel Embiid (appendectomy recovery) remained out. A Sixers official said Monday that Embiid has started a post-surgery strength and conditioning program in Philadelphia. 

The Sixers will head home and face the Celtics in Game 3 on Friday night. Here are observations on their Game 2 victory: 

Three-point disparity the early story  

The Sixers’ defense did not have a promising start. Boston scored six points on its first two possessions with long-range jumpers by Tatum and Sam Hauser.

Offensively, the Sixers did a nice job in the opening minutes of taking available mid-range looks without hesitation. They began 4 for 4 from the floor. George knocked down a couple of mid-post jumpers. Edgecombe hit a shot from the left elbow to give the Sixers their first lead of the series at 9-8. 

The contest then shifted back to a similar dynamic as Game 1. Boston made a 16-0 run and went up 26-13 on a Nikola Vucevic three-pointer. 

The early long-distance gap between the teams was dramatic. The Celtics scored the night’s first 15 points beyond the arc. A game after going 4 for 23, the Sixers missed their first six three-point tries. 

Ultimately, the Sixers plugged away impressively until their shooting fortunes improved.

“I thought they just made tough shots,” George said. “We played good defense and they were making tough shots, contested shots. … I think the biggest thing is we were locked in. We were moving, we were flying around, we were helping one another.

“We can sustain that over a game. I thought it wore on them a little bit that we were there, we were contesting shots and we weren’t making it easy. But they came out hot. We just didn’t lay down. We stayed with it, put our heads down and hung in there.”

Edgecombe bounces right back up 

Edgecombe exited at the 4:47 mark of the first quarter, limping off to the Sixers’ locker room.

The rookie had fallen hard on his back a few plays prior while pursuing a defensive rebound. Fortunately for Edgecombe and the Sixers, he avoided anything close to a worst-case outcome.  

Edgecombe returned to the Sixers’ sideline about two minutes later and hopped on an exercise bike. He checked in with seven seconds left in the first quarter. 

“I just landed on my back, but I’m good,” Edgecombe said with a smile. “I was able to finish the game, so I’m good.

“That’s all I got for you. Ain’t nothing wrong with me; I’m good.”

Maxey and Brown sat to start the second quarter. The Sixers didn’t experience any sort of downward slide with their star guard resting. George and Quentin Grimes sunk three-pointers early in the second. Grimes also swatted away a Payton Pritchard jumper. 

Andre Drummond added a corner three. The veteran big man’s baseline push shot lifted the Sixers to a 41-39 edge and Maxey soon subbed in.

Grimes’ two-way play in the first half was an important boost for the Sixers after his quiet Game 1. When he’s on, Grimes can help keep the Sixers’ offense afloat with tough shotmaking during stagnant stretches. 

Edgecombe’s health sure didn’t appear to be an issue in the second quarter. He played a truly spectacular period. 

The 20-year-old chased down ultra-athletic offensive rebounds, played active defense and made his first three-pointers of the series — four of them, in fact. Late in the second, Edgecombe sliced through the Celtics’ defense and slammed in a fast-break dunk. He swished a jumper from the left wing to put the Sixers up 62-54. Edgecombe’s 20 points and seven rebounds topped both teams at halftime. 

As he showed in the Sixers’ opening-night win over the Celtics and on many subsequent occasions, Edgecombe believes that he belongs on big stages and has the tools to shine. He did just that in his second career playoff game. 

Sixers find tons of timely buckets

George committed his third foul with 6:57 left in the second quarter and had to watch the rest of the first half from the bench.

He drained a three-pointer on the first shot of the third quarter to raise the Sixers’ lead to double digits. Following that 0-for-6 start from three-point territory, the Sixers made 11 of their next 14 long-range jumpers. Meanwhile, the Celtics cooled off considerably and finished 13 for 50 (26 percent).

Edgecombe came out again with a limp at the 10:08 mark of the third quarter. Just like in the first half, he was back on the Sixers’ bench minutes later and good to go. 

The Celtics ate into the Sixers’ lead during much of the third quarter, but Edgecombe nailed a pull-up three to restore a six-point advantage. He continued to play fearless basketball and amped up his offensive aggression with Maxey on the bench. 

Boston trimmed its deficit to 84-82 on a short Pritchard jumper early in the fourth quarter. The Sixers prevented the Celtics from surging ahead and Justin Edwards played a major part.

Edwards, who logged 22 minutes off the bench, beat the shot clock with a timely three. He also blocked a Brown jumper, scrapped for rebounds, and generally did valuable, high-effort work as the Sixers’ lone bench wing.

“He’s a bigger wing defender,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said of Edwards. “And when Tatum and Brown are both in there, we’ve got to watch who’s in the game. So that led to Justin having a couple of stints there.

“Again, Justin for whatever reason seems to be open. The ball seems to find him and he’s not afraid to shoot ‘em. And he’s a good shooter.”

The Celtics were always bound to push the Sixers. With three-balls from Tatum and Brown, the Sixers’ lead dipped to 91-90.

Tatum missed a go-ahead jumper attempt. Maxey was then rewarded for his persistence through inevitable shooting ups and downs as the Sixers’ lead guard. He canned pull-up threes on the team’s next two possessions.

“He just wanted them,” Nurse said after Maxey’s 12-point fourth quarter. “I think you probably all could see that.

“He kind of looked at me for a play call and I looked at him and called, and he was like, ‘Man, I got it.’ He knew. … One of our emphases coming in was to screen better and I thought we did that tonight. Drummond and (Adem) Bona did a good job of getting him more space tonight.”

The Sixers’ foot stayed on the gas and the Celtics couldn’t create any drama down the stretch. Next on the Sixers’ agenda will be trying to grab an unlikely series lead Friday in Philadelphia.

Duke basketball is reloading, per usual.

The Blue Devils gained a commitment from former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell on Tuesday, April 21, adding one of the top-ranked players in the transfer portal. The 6-foot-4 junior averaged 19.1 points with 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season, earning all-Big Ten third-team honors.

REQUIRED READING: Best fits: 10 college basketball transfers who are perfect for new teams

"It just felt right," Blackwell told The Field of 68. "It felt right for me from the jump. When I talked to Coach (Jon) Scheyer and Coach (Emanuel) Dildy ... we chatted and it just felt like the right situation for me. Then when I got on campus, it just confirmed everything I was looking for."

Blackwell is ranked No. 7 in USA TODAY's transfer portal rankings, and was the No. 2 guard in the portal behind former Wake Forest star Juke Harris, who's still uncommitted.

The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, native started 72 games in three seasons with the Badgers, and averaged double figures on Wisconsin's back-to-back NCAA Tournament teams. He's 1-3 in his career in March Madness, including two first-round exit upsets to No. 12 seeds High Point and James Madison in 2026 and 2024, respectively.

Blackwell will likely start in the backcourt alongside returning guard Cayden Boozer and potentially Isaiah Evans, who's still mulling a 2026 NBA Draft decision. Dame Sarr and Caleb Foster could also return to Duke, with incoming Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski and returning center Patrick Ngongba likely handling frontcourt duties.

Blackwell was huge down the stretch for Wisconsin, scoring 25 points in the Badgers' regular season finale win over Purdue, before dropping 34 against Washington and 31 against Illinois in back-to-back Big Ten tournament games. He also scored 22 points in Wisconsin's NCAA Tournament loss to High Point.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Blackwell commits to Duke basketball via transfer portal

For years, LeBron James and Marcus Smart have shared the court. However, it’s often been on opposing sides.

Smart, a longtime Celtic, faced off against James when he was a Cavalier for countless regular-season games and in the postseason during the 2010s.

Cleveland got the better of Boston during those battles, winning the Eastern Conference four times in the decade.

During the summer, Smart joined the Lakers, and now the two foes have become teammates. They’ve gotten their first taste of playoff glory as members of the purple and gold as they beat the Rockets to win Game 1 of their opening round series.

After the win, Smart spoke about loving playing alongside LeBron James after years on the other side.

“It’s been great,” Smart said. “Being able to see why he’s considered one of the greatest to do it. The way that he prepares for the playoffs, it’s a whole different mentality for him than the regular season. We see it, you guys see it, but as a teammate, to be able to be there watching him get prepared, watching the things he’s doing to get himself ready, I’m glad I’m on his side this time.”

This isn’t the first time Smart has talked about the joys of playing with LeBron. He mentioned his excitement regarding playing with James in the summer after signing with the Lakers.

As a 12-year veteran, Smart knows what a winning mentality looks like. He exudes it every day, in every way possible, through his on-court play, practice regimen and media appearances.

Obviously, he understood that LeBron has this too, but now he is seeing it up close, in a way only a teammate can. With Luka and Austin Reaves out, the duo has become two of the most important leaders on the team.

Considering that LeBron is an All-Star in his own right, and Smart is a defensive initiator, this is a great pairing to have as the playoffs begin.

They’ve already proven they can have success together at this level by winning Game 1. They’ll look to continue stacking up victories during the rest of the NBA playoffs, and this time, they’ll do it together.

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

Getting tapped, and then smacked, in the back of the head – even lightly – in the closing seconds of a playoff game isn’t an ordinary experience.

It’s the kind of moment most players would remember, even a couple of days after the moment.

But for Rui Hachimura, that wasn’t the case. 

“When? When was that?,” Hachimura first responded when asked about the moment. 

Because it was Luka Doncic who was the one playfully hitting Hachimura on the back of the head while Hachimura was in the corner closest to the Lakers’ bench as the clock wound down to zero, securing the Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Rockets on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. 

“Hmm…I don’t remember,” Hachimura said. “He always does that stuff. I probably don’t even think about it. I’m used to it, probably. I don’t remember that.”

Doncic (left hamstring), along with fellow star guard Austin Reaves (left oblique), may continue to be sidelined because of their regular season-ending injuries they suffered on April 2.

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But the group is benefitting from both of them being around as they work their way back to a hopeful return to the court. 

“Obviously, helping out guys on the bench, just watching the game from that view, you can see different things you don’t see when you’re necessarily in the game,” Jaxson Hayes said. “And so they’re able to tell guys that stuff and just help out as much as possible.”

#Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said he does not remember this interaction with Luka Doncic at the end of Game 1 in the first round series between the #Rockets and #LakeShow.

He said it’s probably because Luka does this stuff all the time. He noted it’s fun having him back at… pic.twitter.com/FgZUig4JYg

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) April 20, 2026

Reaves has remained with the team since suffering his injury.

Doncic returned to Southern California on Friday after spending the previous two weeks in Europe while receiving special treatment on his hamstring with the hopes it could expedite his healing process and help him return to the court sooner. 

He arrived at the Lakers’ home arena on Saturday about 40 minutes before tipoff and was at the Lakers’ practice on Monday. 

Doncic and Reaves haven’t spoken with reporters since their injuries. 

“It’s been really nice,” coach JJ Redick said on Monday. “[Doncic] definitely rebounded and passed in some shooting drills. Having the group together two out of the last three days has been really nice.”

Doncic was back at it again on Monday afternoon during the Lakers’ practice ahead of Tuesday’s Game 2 in Los Angeles, this time playing “rock, paper, scissors” with Reaves after Reaves shot free throws with Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia.

Reaves won. 

Hayes shared that Doncic has been calling him his Slovenian brother after Hayes received his Slovenian passport, which makes him eligible to play on national team with Doncic.

“I think people don’t know how much impact Luka has, not only on the court, but off the court,” Hachimura said. “He’s a guy that always wants to be around. We love him just being around, just hanging out, talking. We’re happy that he’s back finally. He’s [always] doing funny things. We missed him for sure.”

The juxtaposition of Doncic’s light-hearted nature with his fiery on-court persona (which can also turn jovial in certain moments) is a characteristic the Lakers have seen more of this season.  

“Just messing around with the coaches and the players and just the normal things you guys see on the camera, probably,” Hachimura said of Doncic’s antics. “It’s just a normal thing for him.”

What’ll feel more normal is if/when Doncic is able to get back on the court for the Lakers.

Redick has stated multiple times that their goal is to extend the season long enough for Doncic and Reaves to play at some point during the playoffs.

“We’re gonna try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point,” Redick said last week. “We don’t know what that is, and that’s just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”

But until that happens, the Lakers are just happy to have Doncic and shenanigans back around the group.