Orlando Magic (45-37, eighth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Detroit Pistons (60-22, first in the Eastern Conference)
Detroit; Sunday, 6:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Pistons -8.5; over/under is 219.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Pistons host first series matchup
BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Pistons host the Orlando Magic in game one of the Eastern Conference first round. Detroit and Orlando tied the regular season series 2-2. The Magic won the last regular season matchup 123-107 on Monday, April 6 led by 31 points from Paolo Banchero, while Daniss Jenkins scored 18 points for the Pistons.
The Pistons are 39-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Detroit is the top team in the Eastern Conference averaging 57.9 points in the paint. Jalen Duren leads the Pistons scoring 14.6.
The Magic are 26-26 in Eastern Conference play. Orlando is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 26.5 assists per game led by Banchero averaging 5.2.
The Pistons average 11.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.1 fewer makes per game than the Magic allow (12.1). The Magic average 11.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 fewer made shot on average than the 12.7 per game the Pistons give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Duren is shooting 65.0% and averaging 19.5 points for the Pistons. Jenkins is averaging 14.5 points over the last 10 games.
Banchero is averaging 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Magic. Desmond Bane is averaging 18.2 points and 3.6 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pistons: 8-2, averaging 119.9 points, 44.8 rebounds, 32.1 assists, 10.2 steals and 7.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.1 points per game.
Magic: 7-3, averaging 116.4 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.3 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.5 points.
INJURIES: Pistons: Jalen Duren: day to day (knee).
Magic: Jonathan Isaac: day to day (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Toronto Raptors (46-36, fifth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30, fourth in the Eastern Conference)
Cleveland; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Cavaliers -8.5; over/under is 223.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Cavaliers lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Cavaliers won the last matchup 126-113 on Saturday, led by 32 points from Donovan Mitchell. RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 24.
The Cavaliers are 33-19 in conference matchups. Cleveland is second in the Eastern Conference scoring 119.5 points while shooting 48.2% from the field.
The Raptors are 33-19 against Eastern Conference opponents. Toronto is third in the league with 29.5 assists per game led by Scottie Barnes averaging 5.9.
The 119.5 points per game the Cavaliers score are 7.7 more points than the Raptors allow (111.8). The Raptors average 114.6 points per game, 0.8 fewer than the 115.4 the Cavaliers give up to opponents.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell is averaging 27.9 points, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals for the Cavaliers. James Harden is averaging 15.7 points and 6.2 assists over the past 10 games.
Brandon Ingram is averaging 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Raptors. Barrett is averaging 19.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 48.6% over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cavaliers: 8-2, averaging 124.1 points, 44.3 rebounds, 28.9 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 51.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.3 points per game.
Raptors: 5-5, averaging 119.2 points, 39.1 rebounds, 31.6 assists, 9.5 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 52.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.6 points.
INJURIES: Cavaliers: Thomas Bryant: day to day (calf).
Raptors: Immanuel Quickley: day to day (hamstring).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 216.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 113-102 on Saturday, led by 28 points from Jalen Brunson. CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 26.
The Knicks are 35-17 in Eastern Conference games. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.
The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference play. Atlanta is third in the league scoring 18.1 fast break points per game. McCollum leads the Hawks averaging 5.0.
The Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field, 1.4% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks' opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 21.3 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 110.4 points, 40.7 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Hawks: 5-5, averaging 117.2 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Tyler Kolek: day to day (oblique), Mitchell Robinson: day to day (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 18: Head coach JJ Redick congratulates Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a three point shot during the second half of Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on April 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Across the regular season, the crowd at Lakers games does not rank among the best in the league.
The lion’s share of the blame falls on ownership for pricing out the common, diehard fans and replacing them with fans who too often view the game as a status symbol rather than a chance to root on a team they’re a fan of. LA is still capable of drawing crowds that generate fervor, especially in the playoffs.
Saturday was a prime example. With the team squarely viewed as an underdog, the fans got behind the underdog Lakers and created a great environment. I would still say they need to put on the damn shirts given out to make the atmosphere even better, but I’ll settle for them creating a real homecourt advantage on Saturday.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
From the opening tip, LeBron was locked in. His eight assists in the first quarter and 10 assists in the first half both were career highs. He wasn’t the highest scorer, but he absolutely controlled this game from start to finish for the Lakers.
This was a bit of an adventurous one for Rui. He had a couple rough moments, including late in the first half. But he also had some very timely buckets, including a three in the third quarter and a contested pull-up midrange jumper early in the fourth quarter.
His 42 minutes probably aren’t a big surprise. Considering how much size the Rockets have and the role LeBron is playing, he’s going to need to play big minutes.
What a fantastic game for Ayton and, hopefully, a real tone-setter for him this series. The Lakers need him to win this series and they got a great game from him on their biggest stage yet.
They need him to do it many more times to win and stringing together strong performances hasn’t always been easy for him, but it really feels like he’s a good space right now.
Boy, what an experience Marcus Smart can be. He certainly had his fingerprints all over this game, both negatively and positively. He led the team in free throw attempts and got to the rim repeatedly. He also had some incredibly bad turnovers.
Multiple times, he rushed the ball upcourt either on a fastbreak where he didn’t have numbers or in early transition. He turned the ball over in both situations.
But he also is one of the most reliable ball handlers the team has right now. They ran plenty of two-man game with him and LeBron and Houston is going to play off of him and force him to make them pay from deep. He did not on Saturday. If he can have a game where he knocks down multiple 3-pointers, it could pay huge dividends in a later game this series.
Coming into the series, the Lakers knew they needed Kennard. The Rockets knew the Lakers needed Kennard. And yet, no one could stop him. It’s hard to overstate just how impressive he was against some top-tier defenders. To have a career night in the context of being a top option offensively after years of being a role player is incredible.
Much as the Lakers need Rui to play big minutes, they’re going to need LaRavia if for no other reason than to be a ballhandler at times. At times, he had Reed Sheppard on him and was able to initiate the team’s offense.
It isn’t always pretty and there were moments he turned the ball over, but the Lakers are down to about their fifth and sixth options for ballhandlers at times in this series, so it’s not going to be pretty.
Vanderbilt could have a decent-sized role in this series because of his defense, but his minutes are going to rely on him being able to do enough offensively to stay on the floor. He hit a corner three in the first quarter that was the exact type of shot the Rockets are going to give him.
When he isn’t spotting up in the corner, he’s a bit lost and was getting in the way. The Lakers either need to find more creative ways to use him or he’s going to need to knock down threes.
Well, this was bad. That first shift from Hayes was straight out of the 2025 playoffs against the Wolves. He was biting on pump fakes from Şengün at the 3-point line and playing really undisciplined. They got away with it because Ayton was great, but he has to be better.
Grade: F
Bronny James
It wasn’t a terrible first shift from Bronny, but it wasn’t great.
JJ Redick
What a game from Redick, who pushed all the right buttons and got lots of little things right.
He had a couple of quick timeouts that stopped the Rockets’ momentum before it started, one coming in the first quarter and one in the fourth after a Tari Eason three. He also got LeBron in the game for the final offensive possession of the first quarter to try to steal a bucket.
Big picture, though, the Lakers were moving all around the court and creating quality, sustainable offense against a great defense.
tip of the cap to the Lakers for their movement and flow. lot of off ball screens, pindowns, LeBron at the Elbow and just working to play out of it. Real balanced and intentional effort offensively.
The Dallas Stars, despite reaching the conference finals the past three seasons, have a poor record in Game 1s.
The effort in their Saturday, April 18 playoff opener was poorer than usual.
The Stars were routed 6-1 at home by the Minnesota Wild and find themselves trailing after the first game of the series for the ninth time in their last 11 openers.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said "to a man," the Wild were better than his team, which didn't happen a lot during the regular season.
"You can't get your game going if you're not going to win battles," he told reporters. "You can take any metric and if you lose skating battles and puck battles, you're always on the receiving end of everything negative."
The Stars, under previous coach Peter DeBoer, overcame a 5-1 loss in their 2025 playoff opener to beat the Colorado Avalanche in seven games, so they are far from in trouble.
"There's room for growth," Gulutzan said.
Here are the winners and losers from the opening night of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs:
WINNERS
Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild
Coach John Hynes chose the rookie over veteran Filip Gustavsson for Game 1. Wallstedt made 27 saves for a victory in his first playoff game. In fact, coaches made the right decisions in net in other games. Carolina veteran Frederik Andersen got the start over Brandon Bussi and had a 22-save shutout. Stuart Skinner kept the Penguins in the game during their loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Porter Martone, Philadelphia Flyers
What a move on his goal, which ended up being the game-winner at Pittsburgh. He skated hard into the zone, stopped, circled back and ripped a shot past Skinner for a 3-1 lead. Martone is 19 and just signed after his Michigan State season ended.
WHAT A SHOT 🎯
PORTER MARTONE RIPS ONE HOME IN HIS FIRST EVER GAME IN THE #STANLEYCUP PLAYOFFS!
The Wild had the third-best power play in the regular season behind Dallas and the Edmonton Oilers. It connected twice in Saturday's game, with both goals by Joel Eriksson Ek.
LOSERS
Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
He was pulled in his last playoff game in 2025 by DeBoer and gave up five goals on Saturday. Gulutzan never considered pulling Oettinger, saying he didn't think goaltending was an issue in the loss.
"I'm going to be a lot better next game," Oettinger said.
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Flyers did what they could to get Crosby off his game. He took two penalties in the game, the first one for pulling off Jamie Drysdale's helmet. He was sent off the ice for a retaliatory slash on Travis Sanheim, who had cross-checked him. That meant Crosby was unavailable as the Penguins were pressing to rally from a 3-1 deficit late in the third period.
"We have to stay out of it a little more and trust that when they try to stir it up that they're going to be penalized for it," Crosby told reporters.
Artem Zub, Ottawa Senators
The Senators defenseman delivered a big hit on Carolina's Seth Jarvis but took the worst of it. He exited the game, leaving Ottawa short-handed on defense in a 2-0 loss. There was no update on his condition after the game.
Mike Brown won 53 games in his first year as Knicks coach. His Knicks finished No. 4 on offense, No. 7 on defense and No. 5 in net rating. Strong numbers, solid results.
But Brown knows his regular season accomplishments don’t mean much.
We all know that these Knicks – and their head coach – will be judged on what happens over the next few weeks.
Under Brown and associate head coach Chris Jent, the Knick offense looked strong early on. Yes, part of it was Jalen Brunson’s brilliance (19 first-quarter points, 8-for-11 shooting). But the Karl-Anthony Towns-Brunson actions also resulted in some great looks. The Knicks shot 60 percent in the first quarter and 49 percent in the half.
But they were having issues on the other end of the floor. Atlanta’s guard-guard screens produced some open threes (Hawks were 5-for-8 on threes in the second quarter). They allowed Atlanta to get out in transition.
The Knicks dominated stretches of the first half but went to the locker room with just a two-point lead.
Brown and his staff seemed to push nearly all the right buttons coming out of halftime.
The Knicks outscored Atlanta in transition, 11-0, in the third quarter.
After facilitating in the first half, Towns started to put the ball in the basket after halftime. He had 14 points in the first 18 minutes of the half, helping the Knicks push their lead to 16 with six minutes to go.
The Knicks also cleaned up their defense on the Hawks perimeter screening. Atlanta missed seven of its nine three-point attempts in the decisive third quarter.
Another good call by Brown? His counterpart, Quin Snyder, started to intentionally foul Mitchell Robinson in the third quarter. They fouled Robinson four times in a 1:03 stretch of the third quarter. Robinson missed three of four free throws; New York’s lead was down to six with 4:51 left in the third.
Brown took Robinson out at that point. But he didn’t keep him on the bench. Brown had Robinson back on the floor to start the fourth quarter. Atlanta wasn’t going to intentionally foul Robinson early in the fourth and get the Knicks in the bonus. With Robinson on the floor, the Knicks extended their lead to 12 with 9:34 to play.
/ Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Brown also went to Jordan Clarkson to start the fourth. Clarkson delivered; his reverse layup with six minutes to play put the Knicks up 16.
Clarkson, you’ll remember, was out of the Knick rotation for several weeks in the middle of the season. Instead of burying him, Brown went back to Clarkson shortly after the All Star break. He gave the Knicks an immediate lift and has remained in Brown’s rotation ever since.
Brown is Clarkson’s sixth coach in 12 NBA seasons. So Clarkson knows good coaching when he sees it. He knows bad coaching when he sees it. What does he think of Brown?
“Intense, smart, challenges us as players. Makes some really good adjustments,” Clarkson said. “His communication throughout the year has been really good with us. From meetings, talking to us, finding out what we see, doing different things (based on player feedback). He’s done an amazing job.”
Brown passed his first Knick playoff test on Saturday. His next exam is Monday night at 8 pm.
TOWNS/BRUNSON PAIRING
The Brunson/Towns actions on offense continue to produce good results.
“The longer we’re obviously on the court together, our chemistry is better. I think we’ve grown as teammates, we’ve grown as friends, and it’s contributing to the way we’re playing,” Brunson said.
SECOND HALF PHYSICALITY
Both Josh Hart and Miles McBride said the Knicks played with a high level of physicality throughout the game. That picked up in the second half; Atlanta missed 15 of its first 23 shots to open the third quarter.
"I feel like they were getting out and they were winning a space battle (in the first half), getting open, getting to their spots and I feel like in the second half, we really cut that off,” McBride said. “We made catches difficult, and we got to loose balls.”
ANUNOBY'S IMPORTANCE
OG Anunoby left the game briefly in the second half due to an ankle injury. With Anunoby on the bench, Clarkson went to work. Just as he did late in the regular season, Clarkson performed some spiritual healing on Anunoby. Robinson and Jose Alvaradojoined as well.
“We need OG out here, so we’re gonna make it happen,” Clarkson joked after the game. “He came over to the bench and asked me if I could do (the spiritual healing) for his ankle; then he sat over there for a second, came back in the game and finished the game.
“Like I said, we need him on the floor so whatever I gotta do to keep it going… sprinkle a little magic on him.”
Apr 18, 2026; Talk, but no answers. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The score of this one might suggest that the Rockets weren’t in fact spanked, by the Lakers. They were. This was a wire to wire win for LA, and at no point did it seem like the Rockets were going to push past LA, take a lead, and keep it. The Lakers held the Rockets to 16pts below their season average for points allowed for this 9 point win. It could have been more. The final four minutes saw something of a Rockets garbage time scoring flurry, and they narrowed the Laker lead, slightly. The Lakers for their part seemed mostly interested in turning the scoreboard over enough that the Rockets never got close enough for discomfort.
The Rockets were, of course, missing Kevin Durant, the expensive painting that mostly covers the hole that is the Rockets offense. The Lakers, of course, were missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and had a 41 year old LeBron James leading the charge of… Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton. That turned out to be plenty for Los Angeles.
There are two ways of looking at this. One is, the Rockets probably won’t shoot this badly, again. LeBron won’t be playing with a week off, again. Kevin Durant is far more likely to play again soon than Doncic or Reaves. So, it’ll be fine. After all, the Rockets shot 93 times to the Lakers 66 and lost by 9. That really shouldn’t happen. A team has to miss a lot of shots for it to happen, and the Rockets certainly did. There’s really not a good offensive line anywhere, except for Tari Eason. Tari didn’t miss at all, and the rest of the team missed a ton. Unfortunately Tari only took 7 shots.
So one view is that the Rockets probably won’t shoot that badly again, and that Kevin Durant might well be back for the next game, and that will help, too.
If that’s where you come down on things, it’s fairly safe to stop reading now.
This is another view. The Rockets had a week to prepare to play a Lakers team without their two best players. The Lakers had the same. One team came out with a fairly clear plan to win this game, despite injury woes. The other came out looking almost exactly the same as the rest of the season.
The Lakers, evidently, made a plan to win this game despite obvious talent limitations. The Rockets seemed flummoxed by everything LA did, while LA seemed to know exactly what the Rockets would do, all the time.
Sometimes it is worthwhile to put yourself in the shoes of your opponent. To think about what you might do in their situation.
If your team is playing the Rockets, you know certain things about them on offense.
They do not run any sort of coherent offense, with plays and actions that reliably work for them, or even ones that don’t. There’s usually a dribble hand off, a perhaps a badly set pick, and then a player trying to find a shot. This sometimes leads to passes out to shooters, but more often leads to difficult, or at least congested, attempts fairly close to the basket. This was confirmed, once again, by outside observers. This time it was Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith saying the Rockets don’t run an offense, they just sort of attack one on one from the same spots. At this point, pretty much every national media former NBA player who has covered a Rockets game has said as much. It certainly matches what I’ve seen, and I think it’s true as well.
Three of the Rockets offensive mainstays require access to the paint to be most effective. These players are: KD, Sengun, Amen.
KD can shoot it from deep, well, but he mostly doesn’t in any volume. Sheppard is a threat from deep who must be covered, the rest of the Rockets can be guarded on 3pt shots largely by run outs on defense from the paint, or near it. Or by the two players who aren’t in the paint (see below) covering half the arc each. The Rockets rarely move, or overload, a side, so that’s straightforward.
So knowing that, what would you do? Pretty much what every intelligent, non tanking, opponent has done, right?
Try to gum up the initial dribble handoff and desultory pick attempt, and have the two defenders up at that action point try to soft trap the ballhandler to prevent a pass out. Such a pass is easy to defend, as the Rockets are largely stationary off ball. After that, play way back on the dribbler/initiator, if it’s anyone but Sheppard, or Durant. We won’t address defending Durant, as he didn’t play.
Will the Rockets patiently work pick and rolls to call up a weak defender, or matchup they want on offense? They will not. Or almost never do. They will attack whomever is guarding them. Would they, say, try to get Luke Kennard, not the swiftest of foot, on Amen Thompson? Nope. They wouldn’t.
So not having a weak defender called up on the pick, which is rarely good enough to peel a defender off the ball handler, or even allowing a switch to a stronger defender, say swapping Kennard for Smart or James, the Rocket will then try to attack the rim, or at least get closer to it.
Two more defenders, ostensibly guarding the corners or wings, collapse into the paint as Sengun, Thompson, or really any other Rocket, gets closer to the basket. These defenders stand on either side of basket, which cuts off both Thompson getting to the rim, and denies Sengun his superior mobility close in, to get easy shots. There’s literally nowhere for either player to go, a defender is standing there. They are forced to take a shot over the center, or another big, or pass out. As this usually happens at the end of the shot clock, because it takes so long to move close to the basket, there’s only one run out on a shooter called for in most cases. There isn’t time for more passes around the perimeter most of the time, and there isn’t anyone cutting, or screening for a shooter anyway.
The Lakers simply did a variant of the standard defense on the Rockets. The Rockets response to this was: nothing.
So the Rockets offense was stymied, and while it dominated the offensive glass, those extra shots often seemed to be just as bad as the initial shot. That’s not everything, the Rockets also missed close in shots, put backs, you name it. They probably won’t miss as many of those. But this is the playoffs, so the defensive intensity isn’t going to slacken. The Rockets have shown little to no ability to adjust on offense. So it could be the bad shooting continues, as well. Still, plugging in Kevin Durant, and his career 29pt playoff scoring average, probably changes some results.
On defense, we saw the Lakers also use some fairly effective approaches. The first is to attack the rim, with almost whomever has the ball, very quickly, from a spread out offense. The Rockets, last season, would trap, send help, double, opponents very quickly, sometimes ahead of the actual play. Not all the time, but frequently enough to be very disruptive. They don’t do that as much this season. I think it’s due to not having Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet both calling defense, adjustments, and anticipating plays. Fred and Dillon were often available to help ahead of the play, or attack an offense, without much “reaction time” needed.
This season it appears the Rockets mostly send help later, after it’s clear that a defender has been beaten. It seems rare, for instance, that a help defender is already in place, ahead of a driver. That could be deliberate, as there’s risk involved there if the helper can’t recover to his man on a pass off. Or it could be the Rockets have no one with the experience to make that happen on defense. In general the Rockets play solid individual defense, but seem to be less aggressive, and less cohesive. Maybe they’re tried to reduce the risk profile from aggressive play, but there are downsides, mostly in losing transition offense, and far less frequent disruption of opponents. It now seems to be saved for desperation, as when the Rockets forced a number of turnovers late in the fourth.
Tonight the Lakers decided to feature a player who is an excellent shooter, in Luke Kennard, and of course, LeBron James. What I noticed was that the Lakers went to great lengths, of movement, passing or screening, to find Kennard space to shoot. Shoot he did, scoring 27 points on an astonishingly efficient 9-13, and 5-5 from three. The Lakers, as a team, shot 61%. That probably isn’t sustainable, but their shots were mostly easy, or open.
You might think the answer would be to double Kennard, but the problem was, James was usually nearby, and so the man doubling Kennard would have to come off James. Which, given his ability to pass, shoot, or drive, creates a problem. He’s not what he was, but he will find an open man. His 13 assists to 2 turnovers are evidence of this.
Overall, the Rockets were simply stymied on offense, and gave up too many easy looks on defense.
The best sign going forward is that a great shooting night still only produced 107 points for the Lakers. Kevin Durant should, individually, if healthy, paper over the inadequacies on offense, enough so that similar defense should produce wins.
The worst sign is that the Rockets had a week to prepare for a specific opponent, one missing by far its two best scorers, and there was no evidence they did so. A short handed Lakers team beat them handily instead.
I still think they’ll win the series, if Durant plays.
BOSTON, MA - MAY 9: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on before the game against the Boston Celtics during Round 2 Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 9, 2024 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
According to Fred Katz, the Cleveland Cavaliers will discuss moving Donovan Mitchell if they aren’t able to get an extension done this summer.
It’s now or never for this version of the Cavaliers.
However Cleveland fares over these next two months will mold its future. Harden has a $42 million player option for next season that he’s likely to decline, a league source said. But a longer-term deal at a lesser number still would not be cheap. With today’s rules, with the way high payrolls chip away at resources and wallets, teams can’t stay so expensive while continuing to lose in the second round. Meanwhile, Mitchell, who can hit free agency in 2027, becomes eligible for an extension this summer.
If he signs it, the Cavs can move forward with him at their core. If he doesn’t, the organization will discuss the possibility of moving him, league sources said.
Now, where have I heard this before? It appears that a lot is riding on these playoffs for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have an upcoming extension eligibility with Donovan Mitchell, and we’ll see if that happens. The Cavaliers have one of the highest payrolls in the NBA and appear very similar to Utah when they had to make tough decisions with Mitchell in the past.
For the Utah Jazz, this is the beginning of something great. Utah owns a pick swap with the Cavaliers in 2028 and a fully unprotected pick in 2029. If Mitchell is traded this summer, it’s hard to see the Cavaliers being good immediately, especially if James Harden leaves as well. According to Katz, Harden is expected to decline his player option this summer, and we’ll see if the Cavs give him a contract or if he’s also potentially gone.
This is something to watch really closely, and I can’t lie, I am rooting hard for the Raptors this round and, if the Cavs advance, the Detroit Pistons after that. There’s a world where Utah could get really lucky with its picks in the years to come, thanks to Donovan Mitchell.
Hack-a-Mitch has become a playoff staple with Knicks opponents given Mitchell Robinson’s well-documented struggles at the free throw line. And it predictably emerged again in the Knicks’ 113-102 Game 1 win over the Hawks on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
Robinson had been impactful on the glass and as a rim protector in the first half. Then, trailing by seven with 5:44 left in the third quarter, the Hawks began fouling Robinson intentionally.
He was 1-for-4 on free throws before the Knicks took Robinson out of the game.
“We’ll see how the game goes, and we’ll leave him in until we think we need to make a sub,” coach Mike Brown said. “And whenever we feel like we need to make a sub, we will. But we’re gonna give him a chance.”
Mitchell Robinson hits a free throw during the third quarter of the Knicks’ 113-102 Game 1 win over the Hawks on April 18, 2026 at the Garden. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostMike Brown reacts on the baseline during the first quarter of the Knicks’ Game 1 win over the Hawks. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Though it took Robinson out of the game, it also meant the Knicks got into the bonus with 3:19 left in the third quarter, giving them plenty of opportunity to get easy points at the line.
And then Brown countered by having Robinson start the fourth quarter, preventing the Hawks from fouling him unless they wanted to play the whole quarter with the Knicks in the bonus.
“If they wanna start fouling, then that would get us closer to the bonus,” Brown said. “So it’s a time for us to go back to him.”
Karl-Anthony Towns’ father, Karl Sr., was in attendance for the first time since undergoing a medical procedure late in March.
“To have someone who I would say is the most important person in my life, it’s really awesome to be able to have him back and Madison Square Garden supporting me,” Towns said. “Any son out there that plays basketball or plays any sport, to see your father there, at your competition, you always have a sense of pride.“You wanna make him proud. It’s awesome that I get to see him on the baseline and be able to have some special moments with him.”
“To have someone who I would say is the most important person in my life, it’s really awesome to be able to have him back and Madison Square Garden supporting me,” Towns said. “Any son out there that plays basketball or plays any sport, to see your father there, at your competition, you always have a sense of pride.
“You wanna make him proud. It’s awesome that I get to see him on the baseline and be able to have some special moments with him.”
The Rockets’ Kevin Durant arrives for Game 1 of the NBA playoff series against the Lakers. NBAE via Getty Images
It meant a team without Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) had a more even fight. It meant a team without its top two scorers had a chance. It meant a team that was dejected started believing in itself again.
The Lakers went on to win, 107-98.
The Rockets have no idea how to play without Durant. He played in 78 games this season. He missed only four contests.
His strength has now become the Rockets’ weakness.
Before tipoff, the Rockets’ locker room was silent.
Guys were looking at their phones. Or the carpet. It felt as though they were steeling themselves for a wake instead of a playoff game.
Durant suffered the injury at a team practice Wednesday after bumping knees with a teammate. He went through a pregame workout Saturday. The knee didn’t respond well.
“Hopefully it’s a one-game thing,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said before the game.
Funny enough, the only superstar on the court Saturday was the only guy in NBA history to reach Season 23.
The Lakers’ LeBron James celebrates against the Rockets on Saturday night. NBAE via Getty Images
LeBron James had 10 assists in the first half, tying his career high for assists in any half of a playoff game. He finished with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
Then there was Luke Kennard, who had a playoff career-high 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including going 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.
But really, the win was by committee. Every Lakers starter scored in double figures. They outshot the Rockets 60.6% to 37.6% from the field and 52.6% to 33.3% from beyond the arc.
“It has to be a collective group,” James said. “When you’re missing so much firepower, like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to pitch in. We all have to do our job. And even do a little bit more. Protect one another offensively and defensively and I think we did that tonight.”
The Lakers were really good. They played together. This might really be happening.
If they can get past the Rockets, they have a good shot at getting Doncic and Reaves back. If that happens, anything could happen. Heck, they were considered championship contenders after going on a 16-2 run before losing their two best players in the same game with five regular-season contests left.
They were crushed. Dejected. Lost.
Now, they’re believers again. But in the end, it all comes down to Durant’s knee. If he’s healthy, the scale will drastically tip again.
Udoka said Durant got imaging on his knee, adding the injury was “nothing major.”
“It’s very tender,” Udoka said. “Tough to bend in certain ways. Not a lot of swelling. But [someone] hit him in a very awkward spot, I guess. … Right above the knee, patellar tendon area, it’s just very tender. Like I said, pain tolerance is one thing. But actually limited movement is more of the cause.”
That doesn’t sound great.
Durant doesn’t miss games because he’s slightly banged up. He plays through bumps and bruises and discomfort. You don’t miss fewer than a handful of games in a season at age 37 otherwise.
If Durant doesn’t return soon, the Lakers could really pull this off.
It’s stunning. It’s shocking.
But for this team, those words have defined their season.
LOS ANGELES — Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalized on Kevin Durant’s injury absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener of their first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Lakers, who pulled off an impressive win without their top two scorers.
Both teams played the opener without their most important player. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been out indefinitely with injuries since April 2, while Durant was a late scratch with a bruised right knee.
Los Angeles thrived by hitting 60.6% of its shots while holding the Rockets to 37.6% shooting with pesky defense. That disparity allowed the Lakers to win despite attempting just 66 shots — the fewest in an NBA game in the past three seasons — and giving up 21 offensive rebounds.
“That’s what it has to be — a collective group,” the 41-year-old James said after beginning his 19th NBA postseason. “When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to do our job and maybe have to do a little bit more, protect one another offensively and defensively, and I think we did that tonight.”
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points and Jabari Smith Jr. had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Rockets. Amen Thompson added 17 points.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
The Lakers acquired Kennard from Atlanta in early February, and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter became a key reserve before he seized a major role over the past two weeks. He hit four 3-pointers in Game 1 while making nine of his first 12 shots.
Durant banged knees with a teammate in practice Wednesday. Reed Sheppard five 3-pointers while scoring 17 points, but the Rockets struggled to score consistently.
“We won a lot of areas, but just shot poorly,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “That’s going to be tough to beat, but there are some things we left on the table, opportunities missed.”
Los Angeles also got a boost from Marcus Smart, who had 15 points and eight assists with four 3-pointers. Smart said before the series that success would come down to “willpower” — and the Lakers clearly had more for starters.
Bronny James began the second quarter playing alongside his famous father in the first significant playoff minutes of the 21-year-old’s career.
NEW YORK — Not only did Jalen Brunson take one below the belt, he also got criticized on top of it.
Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum’s leg kicked out during a jumpshot Saturday, April 18, striking Brunson in the groin, which eventually resulted in a technical foul, upon review. McCollum believes the review happened because Brunson embellished it after the fact.
“I shot a jumper and Jalen thought we were at a Broadway show,” McCollum told reporters after the Knicks’ 113-102 victory Saturday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. “He acted it out until they reviewed it. It's a normal jump shot, nothing there. Unnecessary and I look forward to getting my ($2,000) back.”
Technical fouls in the NBA trigger small fines. McCollum’s comments indicate that he thinks the call will be rescinded, though, given that it was assessed upon a review, he may eventually be disappointed.
The play came early in the second half, 20 seconds into the third quarter. McCollum was trying to evade Brunson, when he hopped backwards to create space for a jumper. Because he lifted his pivot foot, he was called for a travel, but as McCollum shot the ball, he kicked out his lead leg.
Brunson leapt in the air to contest the shot, but McCollum’s foot struck Brunson in the groin, sending him to the court, where he lay for several moments, writhing in apparent pain.
CJ McCollum is hit with a technical foul for striking Jalen Brunson in the groin. Brunson takes a long moment to recover (with replays).
Brunson’s teammates appealed to officials, while Brunson took several moments to collect himself. Eventually, crew chief John Goble reviewed the play for a hostile act, and a technical foul was assessed to McCollum, leading to a free throw.
Because Brunson was still recovering from the play, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns took and made the technical free throw.
When asked after the game for his take on the play, Brunson downplayed it.
“It wasn’t purposeful so we move forward,” Brunson told reporters after the game.
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday, April 20, at Madison Square Garden.
Apr 18, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
What a game that was for the Guardians. Gavin Williams is blossoming into everything we hoped he could be. He was excellent tonight, as he has been all season. 7 innings, 3 hits, one run, and 11 big strikeouts to lower his ERA to 2.12 on the season. Oh, and he also leads all of MLB in strikeouts. He was in full control tonight with the only mistake being a hanging curveball to Leody Taveras in the top of the 4th.
It is also noteworthy that Cade Smith came in and got the save, and he looked like Cade Smith. That was the best we have seen him look all season by far.
As for the offense, we only had three hits, but they sure were big ones. Brayan Rocchio’s three run HR in the bottom of the 5th was personally one of the most exciting moments of the season for me thus far. The development we have seen from him since the all star break last year has been incredible. Bo Naylor finally hit his first HR on the season. He has had some brutal luck this year and it was awesome to see him finally get some good results for his process.
Another Saturday game, another Zac Gallen start, another swirling bit of anxiety in the gullet as we waited to see which Zac we were going to get today. I remember the heyday of Gallen’s good times, when he really was the unquestioned ace of the rotation, rather than simply being the guy who happens to pitch for us on Opening Day. I’ve mostly gotten over the animosity I’ve developed for him over the last couple of seasons, but I still feel kinda queasy when I see that I’ve pulled a Gallen start for a Saturday recap. Today, he was starting opposite grizzled veteran (and old friend for a brief moment at the very start of his career) Max Scherzer, who entered today with an ERA above 9, while Zac was enjoying a 3.60 ERA coming into this start.
It didn’t look great, honestly, in the top of the first. Gallen was being efficient—he got through the first four batters with only seven pitches thrown—but he was very efficiently throwing meatballs in the middle of the strike zone, which meant that three of the first four Blue Jays to come to the plate reached on singles into the outfield. The third single drove in Toronto leadoff hitter Nathan Lukes, putting us in an early hole. Thankfully, however, after that third single Zac actually seemed to buckle down and start to, you know, pitch. The results were much better after that, as he struck out the next two batters to end the frame. 1-0 Toronto
It turned out not to be the end of the world, though, because we got the run right back in the bottom of the first, thanks to a one-out Corbin Carroll walk that he capitalized on by promptly stealing second base on Scherzer’s first pitch to Geraldo Perdomo, and then Perdomo lining a single to center on the next pitch he saw to drive home Corbin. Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., back in the lineup for the first time since September 1 of last year, hung a pretty decent 7-pitch at bat on Scherzer before popping out to first, and Adrian Del Castillo saw another seven pitches before grounding out to first. But things were all tied up again. 1-1 TIE
After that, the game got kinda quite for the next few innings. Gallen pitched around traffic in each inning, giving up singles in the second, third, and fourth, and then a double in the fifth, but despite that he was quite effective, putting up zeroes and wrapping up the fifth with only 66 pitches thrown. Meanwhile, we were doing absolutely nothing against Scherzer, sitting down in order in the second, third, and fourth innings, while only making Shcerzer throw 31 pitches total to get through those three innings. Scherzer’s probably going to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot once he retires, but the dude is old and not all that at this stage of his career, but our hitters were making him look like he was back in his Cy Young heyday. It was disappointing, to say the least.
Thankfully, our young blood got things going again in the bottom of the fifth, as Jose Fernandez lined a single to left to lead off the inning. Nolan Arenado grounded out to short, but Fernandez alertly took second to keep from being doubled off, and Ildemaro Vargas popped out to first for the second out of the inning. Alek Thomas came to the plate, and promptly rolled over on the first pitch he saw, squibbing a grounder just over the first base bag that rolled to the fence about halfway up the first base line and ended up going as an RBI double:
Ketel Marte continued his fruitless night at the plate with a first-pitch pop-out to shallow center, but we had a lead now. 2-1 D-BACKS
Sadly, however, Gallen and what feels like an increasingly frequent Perdomo miscue led to us giving the run right back in the top of the sixth. Toronto DH Eloy Jimenez singled with one out in the sixth, but Gallen immediately induced what appeared to be a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning. But no. Toronto challenged the out call at second, and the call was overturned because Perdomo’s foot came off the base before the ball was in his glove, so after heading back to the dugout he had to come back to the mound. As folks noted in the Gameday Thread, Zac often responds badly when the fielders behind him blow a play, and that was the case here, as he gave up a single that scored Jimenez and earned Gallen the hook. Ryan Thomspon came on and recorded the third out on three pitches, but our short-lived one-run lead was no more. 2-2 TIE
Nothing much happened for a little while after that—Gerry TOONBLANned his way into an out in the bottom of the sixth after singling to right and trying to stretch it to a double. Ryan Thompson and Jose Morillo put up a zero for us in the top of the seventh, we sat down in order against the Blue Jays bullpen in the bottom of the seventh, Morillo pitched around a one-out single in the top of the eighth to put up another zero for the bullpen.
Cue the bottom of the eighth. Jeff Hoffman, who I guess is supposed to be the Blue Jays’ closer—Maybe? Sometimes? He’s had five save opportunities so far this year, and have converted two of them, and he came on for the eighth, so who knows?—gave up a ground ball single to Ildemaro Vargas, then another ground ball single to Alek Thomas, and then he walked Ketel Marte to load the bases with no outs. Corbin Carroll came to the plate, swung at the first pitch he saw, laid off the next three to bring the count to 3-1, and finally got a meatball right down the middle that he did not miss:
Perdomo, Gurriel, and Del Castillo then made three quick outs, but really, who cares? 6-2 D-BACKS
Because it wasn’t a save situation anymore, Torey Lovullo brought Kevin Ginkel out to pitch the top of the ninth, and despite a two-out single surrendered to Nathan Lukes, he did his job and put up the final zero. Yay.
Killer of Birds: Alek Thomas (4 AB, 2 H, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, +21% WPA) Harrassers of Birds: Juan Morillo (+15% WPA), Corbin Carroll (+11% WPA), Ryan Thompson (+10% WPA), Geraldo Perdomo (+10% WPA) The Bird Whisperer: Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. (4 AB, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, -14% WPA)
We had a nice, vibrant, very well-attended Gameday Thread tonight, with 307 comments at time of writing. The leading comment by popular acclaim belonged to chwalter, but it wasn’t game-relevant, sadly, so I’m giving this one to Snacks&DBacks, who posted the following right before Carroll’s big swing (plus an assist from Smurf1000, which I’m including because why not?):
And with that, it’s on to not the rubber match, but our chance to secure our second sweep of the season, as well as our second sweep against an AL team that went deep in the playoffs last year while we and our Diamondbacks were sitting at home watching them on TV from our respective couches. Ryne Nelson takes the mound for us, Kevin Gausman goes for the Jays. Gausman seems to be the sole competent starting pitcher Toronto has going for them so far this year, so it may not be easy to secure the sweep. But bring your brooms anyway, and cheer us on and help keep TheRealRamona company as she gears up for her first guest recap of the 2026 season! First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm AZ time. Hope you can join us!
As always, thanks so much for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!
LOS ANGELES — Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalized on Kevin Durant’s injury absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener of their first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Lakers, who pulled off an impressive win without their top two scorers.
Both teams played the opener without their most important player. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been out indefinitely with injuries since April 2, while Durant was a late scratch with a bruised right knee.
Los Angeles thrived by hitting 60.6% of its shots while holding the Rockets to 37.6% shooting with pesky defense.
Luke Kennard (10) and center Deandre Ayton (5) celebrate during the second half of the Lakers’ 107-98 Game 1 win over the Rockets on April 18, 2026 in Los Angeles. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That disparity allowed the Lakers to win despite attempting just 66 shots — the fewest in an NBA game in the past three seasons — and giving up 21 offensive rebounds.
“That’s what it has to be — a collective group,” the 41-year-old James said after beginning his 19th NBA postseason. “When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to do our job and maybe have to do a little bit more, protect one another offensively and defensively, and I think we did that tonight.”
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points and Jabari Smith Jr. had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Rockets. Amen Thompson added 17 points.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
The Lakers acquired Kennard from Atlanta in early February, and the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter became a key reserve before he seized a major role over the past two weeks. He hit four 3-pointers in Game 1 while making nine of his first 12 shots.
LeBron James, who had 19 points and 13 assists, drives past Josh Okogie during the first half of the Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Rockets Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Durant banged knees with a teammate in practice Wednesday. Reed Sheppard five 3-pointers while scoring 17 points, but the Rockets struggled to score consistently.
“We won a lot of areas, but just shot poorly,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “That’s going to be tough to beat, but there are some things we left on the table, opportunities missed.”
Los Angeles also got a boost from Marcus Smart, who had 15 points and eight assists with four 3-pointers. Smart said before the series that success would come down to “willpower” — and the Lakers clearly had more for starters.
Bronny James began the second quarter playing alongside his famous father in the first significant playoff minutes of the 21-year-old’s career.
