The Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche open their second-round NHL playoff series on Sunday. The Wild beat the Dallas Stars 4-2 in the first round while the Avalanche swept the Los Angeles Kings. The Colorado Avalanche are favored with a -194 moneyline compared to the Minnesota Wild's +161. The over/under for the matchup is set at 5.5 goals.
How to watch Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche
The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning face off in Game 7 to determine the winner of their first-round playoff series. The Lightning forced Game 7 with a 1-0 victory in OT on Friday. The combined score of the previous six games is 14-14 and all of the six games were decided by a single goal. The Lightning are favored with a -161 moneyline compared to the Montreal Canadiens' +135.
How to watch Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Cade Cunningham has played beyond his regular-season numbers in this series, averaging 32.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game on 44.9% shooting.
Cunningham has mostly acted as a primary scorer but has also served as a primary playmaker when he’s needed to, as he’s put up nine or more dimes twice in the series. Overall, Cunningham is putting up 45.3 PRA per game in this series.
And while that might seem unsustainable given his regular season output (39.4 PRA), we have to consider he’s logging serious minutes, being on the court for 40.5 minutes per game in this series compared to 33.9 during the season.
The Detroit Pistons aren’t going away from Cunningham in Game 7.
The 23-year-old forward had an inconsistent season — which led to some discourse about how good he really is — and that has shown up again in this series, where a 45-point explosion in Game 5 was followed by a 4-for-20 shooting performance in Game 6.
One area where Banchero has remained relatively consistent is his ability to get the ball to his teammates. He’s averaging 6.3 assists per game in this series and has dished out six or more assists in four of the past five games.
Whether or not Banchero gets his shooting touch back in Game 7 (and maybe especially if he doesn’t), he should be able to distribute the ball to his teammates the same way he has throughout this series, which makes the Over on his assists total a smart play.
But with the odds available, I’m being drawn to his rebounding total, which is offering plus money at a reasonably low number.
Mitchell has averaged 5.2 rebounds in this series after grabbing 4.5 boards per game in the regular season. In each of the last five games, he’s picked up at least five rebounds.
That continues a trend that started late in the regular season, as he finished strong with 6.3 rebounds per game in April.
Toronto isn’t a particularly effective team on the boards — ranking 16th in the NBA in rebounding rate this year at 49.5% — and Mitchell has had a big edge on the defensive glass when battling with the less physical Ja’Kobe Walter.
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The Orlando Magic will try to rebound from their historic Game 6 collapse when they take on the Detroit Pistons in a Game 7 that will decide the series. The Pistons have won the past two games, including a 93-79 victory on Friday in which they limited the Magic to just 19 points in the second half. The winner of Sunday’s game will advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals to face the winner of the Toronto Raptors-Cleveland Cavaliers series. The Pistons are favored by 8.5 points.
Gretchen Walsh bettered her own 100m butterfly world record for the third time in 12 months as she clocked 54.33 seconds in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the same event where she became the first woman to breach the 55-second mark.
The reigning world champion now owns the 13 fastest times in the event’s history.
The Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers meet in a winner-take-all Game 7 in their first-round playoff series. The winner will face the winner of the Orlando Magic-Detroit Pistons series in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The home team has won all previous six games in the series. Cleveland is favored by 8.5 points.
How to watch Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
With seven goals, Malcolm Rosas Jr propelled Sydney to the top of the ladder in a helter-skelter win over Melbourne
Malcolm Rosas Jr is the grandson of Bill Dempsey, who passed away in March. Dempsey was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2022, and should have been elevated to legend status on the strength of his speech alone. Dempsey was one of the greatest ruckmen to come out of the WAFL. His grandson is a completely different footballer – slighter, slippery around the packs and a superb user of the ball. His seven goals on Sunday propelled his team to the top of the AFL ladder, more than 30% clear of the second placed Fremantle.
In a brief, jam-packed and much-needed vent this week, Luke Beveridge lamented the high scores that the AFL and its broadcasters have contrived. But that sort of football has its place, especially on grounds like the SCG. Sunday’s game was a helter-skelter affair, with both sides blazing through the middle of the ground. At times it resembled one of those mid-1980s games in Sydney. It was a good era to be a forward then, and it was a good day to be a forward on Sunday.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 02: Logan Stankoven #22 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the puck for a goal against Nick Seeler #24 and goalie Dan Vladar #80 of the Philadelphia Flyers in Game One of the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 02, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Cato Cataldo/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Good morning, everyone. With the first round just about completed (there is one game to be played as of this writing), it is time to make an update to our Stanley Cup Playoffs Open Post. You can see the original post here, but let’s dive into the new matchups.
Carolina Hurricanes (M1/1) vs. the Philadelphia Flyers (M3/8)
I could not imagine a more lopsided matchup in the playoffs than the one right here, which should have been a first-round series. Despite the Hurricanes coming off a long rest, the Flyers looked lost against them in Game One, generating only 10 shots at five-on-five with 0.81 expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick. If that is a sign of things to come for the Flyers, they are doomed to lose in four or five games. Of course, there were concerns that Nikolaj Ehlers and Alexander Nikishin would miss some time in the series, but they were ready for Carolina’s 3-0 shutout in Game One.
Philadelphia’s only hope this series is getting the performance of a lifetime out of Dan Vladar. He had a surprisingly good regular season with a .906 save percentage (career high) in 52 games (career high by 22 games). Even with his three-goal loss last night, he still has a .928 save percentage in seven games these Playoffs. But I simply do not believe the lineup optimization to beat Rod Brind’Amour’s Hurricanes. They can thank Stuart Skinner for getting them this far, but they’re facing a machine now.
Buffalo Sabres (A1/2) vs. TBD (Lightning or Canadiens)
The Buffalo Sabres continued their long-awaited resurgence by bouncing the Boston Bruins in the First Round. Head Coach Lindy Ruff has continued to get the best out of Buffalo’s offensive stars, with each of Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson sitting at a point-per-game or better through six games, along with Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs. Alex Lyon has been outstanding in net with a .955 save percentage and 1.14 goals against average in four starts and five games. With Buffalo winning their series over Boston pretty comfortably, Ruff has not even had to change the usual deployment of his players. Rasmus Dahlin leads the team in average ice time at 24:11 per night, which is dead-even with his regular season average. Guys like Thompson and Tuch have only added a minute or two per night, so they should all be pretty fresh for Round Two.
We will see tonight who of the Lightning or Canadiens move on to face them. Either way, it will be tough to beat Buffalo in a Best of Seven.
The Western Conference Matchups
Colorado Avalanche (C1/1) vs. Minnesota Wild (C3/3)
It’s an absolute joke that this is a second round matchup. The Central Division desperately needs to be split up if this is going to keep happening. Send the Avalanche to the Pacific, and give Vegas or Utah to the Central. One of the Vegas Golden Knights or the Anaheim Ducks are destined for the Conference Finals because of this extremely dumb format. In my eyes, this is close to being an informal Western Conference Finals.
The Minnesota Wild are not the deepest team at forward, but they have some excellent wingers in Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Mats Zuccarello. Brock Faber has been excellent on defense, and Quinn Hughes is currently the best defenseman in the league. The big question here is how long they can hold up. Unlike the Buffalo Sabres, these guys basically play the entire game. Faber and Hughes are over 30 minutes per night from Round One. Boldy is at 25:14, Kaprizov at 24:40, and Joel Eriksson Ek at 23:44. Jesper Wallstedt has continued his excellence with a .924 save percentage. As long as none of those guys fall apart this series, they have a chance to upend Colorado, especially if Quinn Hughes has more performances like his Game 7 in Dallas.
The Colorado Avalanche, on the other hand, are one of the deepest teams in the league at forward. They swept the Kings without breaking much of a sweat, and their players should all be very rested. None of their guys have been close to playing as many minutes as the top guys in Minnesota. And why would they? It often feels like anyone on that team can score a big goal. Running Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and Jack Drury down the middle, with Gabriel Landeskog and Nicolas Roy also available to take shifts at center, the Avalanche have two teams’ worth of centers on their roster. Add on a great defense led by Cale Makar, with a Hall of Famer in Brent Burns eating his competition alive on the third pairing, it’s not hard to see how former Devil Scott Wedgewood had a .950 save percentage in four games against a team like Los Angeles. They have to turn it up a bit now, but they have an advantage.
Vegas Golden Knights (P1/4) vs. Anaheim Ducks (P3/6)
The Vegas Golden Knights handled the Utah Mammoth in six games, largely driven by that top line of Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel, and Pavel Dorofeyev and the second line of Mitch Marner, Brett Howden, and Mark Stone. Tomas Hertl, relegated to third-line duty, has not been too impactful so far. But even if Vegas is not as deep as they once were up front, their top scorers and their top two defensive pairings can easily carry them to the Conference Finals. Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin have brought some production through six, though newcomer Rasmus Andersson has not yet found his offensive stride in Vegas. We’ll see if Carter Hart can hold up his end of the bargain.
The Anaheim Ducks certainly caught Edmonton at a good time. They do have a good young core in Jackson LaCombe, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier along with older scorers in Mikael Granlund, Troy Terry, Alex Killorn, and Chris Krieder. They have a decent top end of the roster, but their defense and goaltending has generally been awful. Winning round one with an .876 team save percentage, I have to wonder if Ville Husso starts taking games from Lukas Dostal this series. The Ducks were certainly benefactors of a lot of loser points and overtime wins this regular season, and I think they go the way of the Flyers here by being knocked out by more of a machine in Vegas.
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The two best words in sports are “Game 7.” When the Cleveland Cavaliers went up 2-0 in this series, there was little thought that the Toronto Raptors could rally. After all, both wins came by double digits.
But when the home team wins every game of a series, Game 7 is assured. These Raptors vs. Cavaliers predictions and NBA picks quietly bet on the role players on Sunday, May 3.
Best Raptors vs Cavaliers props for Game 7
Player
Pick
James Harden
Under 20.5 points
-120
Collin Murray-Boyles
Over 12.5 points
-135
Donovan Mitchell
Over 4.5 assists
+125
Game 7 Prop #1: James Harden Under 20.5 points
-120 at bet365
This is not intended as mere fodder, though there is nothing wrong with laughing at James Harden in a Game 7. There is further thought here, mainly that Harden has not shot well enough inside the arc in this series to make up for not getting enough looks from deep.
Harden is 17-for-43 (39.5%) from beyond the arc through these six games, but his attempts have fallen to just 18 in the last three games. Taking six 3-pointers per game, while then presumably making two to three of those, is not a recipe for a scoring outburst.
Thus, Harden has fallen short of this modest points prop in three of the last four games, all three being Cleveland Cavaliers losses.
The Toronto Raptors have emphasized getting the ball out of Harden’s hands, correctly recognizing that doing so lowers the Cavaliers’ offensive ceiling.
Game 7 Prop #2: Collin Murray-Boyles Over 12.5 points
-135 at bet365
The recipe for the Raptors has been simple: When Collin Murray-Boyles plays well, the Raptors win. One might even argue that when Murray-Boyles plays much, the Raptors win.
When the rookie forward has played at least 27 minutes, Toronto is 3-0 in this series. Of course, nothing in life is that simple.
But the fact remains, the Raptors should lean into Murray-Boyles. The Cavaliers have not found an adequate counter to him through six games, so he's cleared this prop five times in six games. Just as pertinently, Murray-Boyles is shooting 66.1% in this series.
He may be a rookie. He may be an afterthought in this rookie class. And he may be behind Jakob Poeltl more often than not. But in this series, Collin Murray-Boyles has been a reliable piece of offense for Toronto.
Game 7 Prop #3: Donovan Mitchell Over 4.5 assists
+125 at bet365
If and when the ball is forced out of James Harden’s hands, it is time for Donovan Mitchell to shoulder more of the playmaking load. That worked to start the series, with Mitchell totaling nine assists in the first two games as the Cavaliers went up 2-0.
In the four games since, Mitchell has not managed more than three assists in a game. But three of those four games were on the road, where role players are always more likely to struggle.
No, Mitchell is not a role player. No no. But his passes are usually to role players. If they make their shots, he notches more assists. At home, there is value in betting on that process.
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Edwards has been diagnosed with a bone bruise and hyperextension in his left knee. As a result, he is expected to miss multiple weeks, leaving a major gap in the Timberwolves' lineup as they look to advance in the playoffs.
Is Anthony Edwards playing Monday night vs. Spurs?
It's highly unlikely. The Timberwolves have listed Anthony Edwards as week-to-week due to his injury. The team will continue to monitor his recovery and is expected to provide further updates on his status as new information becomes available.
However, he was spotted shooting free throws during Saturday's practice session.
A little bit of Anthony Edwards standing still, putting up free throws at the end of Timberwolves practice. Chris Finch said Edwards is still considered “week to week.” pic.twitter.com/10QHxwGshl
We’re in the thick of the playoffs now and without our Jazzmen to root for it has me thinking about our very bright future. Assuming that everyone comes back, we have:
An elite rim protector and walking double double threat in Walker Kessler
Another elite rim protector, versatile defender, and former Defensive Player of the Year in Jaren Jackson Jr.
An under-talked about Ace Bailey who really found his footing in the last 20 games (nearly 19 PPG, 1.2 blocks per game, and shot 36% from deep)
A former All-Star that’s been basically put on ice for the last 3 years in Lauri Markkanen
Really solid role players in Blake Hinson, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, Elijah Harkless, and Cody Williams
Hopefully (fingers crossed) a top 3 pick in this year’s NBA Draft
And of course our pride and joy Keyonte George
There are a lot of reasons to be excited for next season, and while I would love to sit here and pretend like we have everything we need to go on a championship run, I am able to recognize that we must take our baby steps. Our first step? Win more than 35 games. Second step? Allow Keyonte to be the guy he’s destined to be.
You could compare his playstyle and usage to a lot of NBA players throughout the course of history but the one that I always get drawn back to is Tyler Herro, specifically the 2021-2022 season that Herro had. Now the teams were in VERY different situations at the time but Herro and George are a lot more similar than you might imagine.
If you can remember that season for the Miami Heat is was a very similar season to every season Jimmy Butler was in town: Jimmy moseys through the regular season (still managing to get an All-Star selection), Bam Adebayo had an incredible effort defensively and finished 4th in DPOY voting and earning 2nd Team All-Defensive honors, and then Tyler Herro had his breakout year averaging 20.7 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists a game, with 44.7/39.9/86.8 shooting splits and also won the 6th Man of the Year Award.
Overall it was a very solid performance by the Heat trio and it was good enough to get them all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals after securing the #1 Seed in the East. While I’d certainly be okay with having that kind of team success this year, it has been so incredibly difficult for me to not see that version of Tyler Herro in Keyonte George. Not the 6th Man of the Year mind you (although I think if we did ask him to play that role he’d win it by a country mile), but the microwave scoring, volume (but efficient) shooting, very solid facilitator who could give this team the edge that it desperately needs. When you compare Herro’s 2021-2022 season to Keyonte George last year, the stats don’t lie.
When comparing George directly to Herro’s 2021-2022 season you’ll see that he’s a better scorer, he’s more efficient at all three levels, he’s more impactful while he’s on the court, and even though it still isn’t as great as I would like it to be he’s a better defender as well. The only metric that Herro outperformed George in was the rebounding department, and while that is obviously very important in the game of basketball, having Lauri and Walker will more than make up for it.
It’s very difficult to compare eras of basketball even when they’re that close in range. Herro was an on-ball creator 29% of the time which was in the 92nd percentile in the league, while Keyonte was an on-ball creator 36% of the time but it was only in the 78th percentile. Even in four years the game has changed so much but the fact remains the same: Keyonte George has All-Star written all over him.
You can’t sit there and tell me that had we won a couple more games this year that 23.6/3.7/6.1 a night wouldn’t have been enough to sway some votes our way. Unfortunately, the way the All-Star voting is set up currently, we were kind of behind the 8-Ball. As far as the voting is concerned 50% of the vote comes from the fans and 25% of the vote comes from the media. Being a small market doesn’t exactly help us in that case. Most of the NBA fans would be considered causals; someone who doesn’t tune in until the Christmas Day games, only watches the weekly ESPN games, and is really only familiar with the biggest stars of the game. The media, on the other hand, have proven time and time again to be casuals because Stephen A. Smith has a vote and I don’t think he could name more than 4 Jazz players.
There isn’t really anything we can do about being a smaller market, but we can be at the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to the NBA and that’s by taking the leap that we all expect, and that starts with Keyonte and Co. I will maintain until the day I die that Keyonte was good enough to be an All-Star this year, but with a healthy team next year I think that he could be even more impactful and more efficient. Assuming that everyone is at full strength it’s going to be very difficult for the defense to chose between George, Markkanen, and JJJ. George will have more offensive weapons at his disposal so his playmaking numbers will only go up. With that extra offensive firepower on the court he won’t be asked to create everything for the team and he won’t suffer the FG% drop. With the added defensive presence of Jaren Jackson Jr. and the (again hopefully) returning Walker Kessler he won’t be viewed as a traffic cone, for the most part. As long as we win more games and George can capitalize on last season I think that he’ll become undeniable to the NBA fandom at large and we’ll finally have an All-Star again.
Is it lofty? Yes. Is it attainable? Also yes. I’m not a guy who just wishes for things without any real parameters, so here are my official hopes and predictions for Keyonte George and the team next year:
Keyonte averages 26 points and 7 assists a night with a 62%+ TS%
The Jazz win 37-39 games
Jazz compete for a Play-In spot
Steal the 8th seed
Sweep the Thunder in the First Round
Dominate the Timberwolves in the Second Round
Beat the Spurs so bad in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals that they forfeit Games 2-4
Dismantle the Knicks in the 2027 NBA Finals
Hoist the Larry O’Brien for the first time ever
I think I might have gotten carried away at the end there, but what do you think Keyonte can accomplish next year? Do you think that he AND Lauri could be All-Stars? Sound off in the comments!
And after clinching a repeat matchup in the second round, the center had a plea for Sixers ticket-holders.
“I just have a message for our fans,” he began after Philly’s Game 7 win over the Celtics Saturday night.
“Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like [Philadelphia] was Madison Square Garden East. We’re going to need the support. Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.”
Joel Embiid is hoping that Sixers fans do not sell their tickets to Knicks fans AP
The 76ers announced they’re restricting sales of their playoff tickets for the second round to locals, though what happens on the secondary market is out of their hands.
“Sales to this event will be restricted to residents of Greater Philadelphia area,” the 76ers said. “Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside Greater Philadelphia area will be canceled without notice and refunds given.”
Two years ago, swaths of Knicks fans made the short trip down I-95 for Games 3, 4 and 6 in Philly, causing Embiid to say at the time that the situation “kind of pisses me off.”
Owners Josh Harris, David Blitzer and David Adelman even teamed up with Michael Rubin to buy over 2,000 tickets for that year’s Game 6.
Knicks fans packed the Wells Fargo in 2024 when the teams played in the playoffs Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
The Knicks ultimately won that game and the series, but Embiid is hoping for better results and support this time around.
“Knicks fans travel — they buy tickets,” he said on Saturday. “There’s going to be people who will sell the tickets because they need the money.
“Don’t do it, we need you guys. We need the support, and we need them to be extremely loud. If you need money, I’ve got you.”
Embiid’s comments came after the No. 7-seeded Sixers stunned the Celtics 109-100 in Boston to complete a 3-1 series comeback and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
"I just have a message for our fans. Last time we played the Knicks it felt like this was Madison Square Garden East. Knicks fans, they travel, they're going to buy the tickets."
Joel Embiid encourages 76ers fans to combat the high Knick fan presence in Philadelphia: pic.twitter.com/0jNBEngl8B
The center, who missed the first three games of the series following an emergency appendectomy in April, shined in the Game 7 as he scored 34 points, grabbed 12 boards and dished out six assists. He averaged 28 points in the series.
He’ll look to keep things rolling when the Knicks host the Sixers for Game 1 on Monday.
The Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks will take their Pacific Division rivalry to a new level, as they'll meet in the postseason for the first time.
Here's a glance inside the numbers and what the Golden Knights are up against with this series:
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES
Nov. 28: Ducks 4-3 OT in Vegas
Nov. 22: Ducks 4-3 OT in Anaheim
Feb. 1: Ducks 4-3 in Anaheim
ALL-TIME SERIES NUMBERS
RECORD: Golden Knights lead 27-8-3
GOALS: Golden Knights 134, Ducks 87
RECORD (in Vegas): Knights lead 15-3-1
GOALS (in Vegas): Golden Knights 65, Ducks 36
RECORD (in Anaheim): Knights lead 12-5-2
GOALS (in Anaheim): Golden Knights 69, Ducks 51
DUCKS STRENGTHS
Elite young core that has finally matured and established itself to play with cohesiveness. From Trevor Zegras' creativity and assertiveness, Mason McTavish's toughness and scoring prowess, Leo Carlsson's eagerness at center and Jamie Drysdale strength at the blue line. Anaheim becomes a dangerous team when the game opens up. We tend to see execution when the Ducks get quick exits from the defensive zone with a strong rush attack through the neutral zone. Their young legs are fluid, and there is a high IQ among this group that plays well together. They've also done a good job at creating odd-man rush opportunities. Compared to recent seasons, the Ducks look much more confident on offense, with more structured zone entries rather than a dump-and-chase strategy. They're getting better puck movement in the offensive zone with more players willing and able to shoot instead of over-passing. This is a team that rarely feels passive anymore, as they take control of games and play with pace and aggression. And if they're down early, they don’t go quietly in games, knowing they have the personnel that can swing momentum quickly with effort and pressure. When they’re rolling, the Ducks can score in bunches.
DUCKS WEAKNESSES
Even with its young talent emerging, Anaheim's scoring could become volatile against the veteran Knights. The Ducks may experience stretches where they look explosive, but could find themselves in long dry spells where production drops hard. It's the same inconsistency that has plagued this team for years and could rear its ugly head in this series. The question is whether or not the Ducks will get consistency with their secondary scoring, beyond their top forwards. If the top line slows down, the offense might stall. And, on defense, this team has been known to struggle against fast transition teams. Anaheim's defensive-zone coverage can break down under pressure, as opponents have been able to generate high-danger chances during sustained shifts. The penalty kill has also been a problem this season, ranking near the bottom of the league at different points this season. The Ducks' over-aggressive pressure can lead to breakdowns, and opponents tend to generate good looks on the power play.
SCHEDULE (all times pacific)
1. Monday, May 4, 6:30 p.m., Las Vegas, NV
2. Wednesday, May 6, 6:30 p.m., Las Vegas, NV
3. Friday, May 8, 6:30 p.m, Anaheim, CA
4. Sunday, May 10, 6:30 p.m., Anaheim, CA
*5. Tuesday, May 12 TBD, Las Vegas, NV
*6. Thursday, May 14 TBD, Anaheim, CA
*7. Saturday, May 16, Las Vegas, NV
* if necessary
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) controls the puck against Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) during the third period at Honda Center.
The Knicks are playing some of their best basketball at the right time. After a decisive 140-89 win that closed out a first round series win against the Atlanta Hawks, New York is in the second round for the fourth consecutive year. The Knicks’ Semifinals opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers, just completed a stunning comeback from a 3-1 first round series deficit against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.
With the series opener on Monday at Madison Square Garden, let’s dive into keys to the game.
Containing Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid
The 76ers have one of the better tandems in the NBA in Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Both players are more formidable than any of the Atlanta Hawks players New York defended in the first round.
Maxey has continued to grow as an undeniable offensive talent. He was phenomenal in the first round, averaging 26.9 points on 47 percent from the field in seven games. In the closeout game, Maxey knifed into the lane a couple of times late to seal the series for Philadelphia.
Mikal Bridges will likely get the primary assignment on Philadelphia’s All-Star point guard at the beginning of the series. OG Anunoby and Josh Hart should be in the mix as well. Also, expect Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado to see time defending Maxey. Covering the 6-2 guard will be difficult, because of his blur-like quickness both in the halfcourt and in transition. He’s also a quality three-point shooter, knocking down 41.8 percent of his 55 long distance attempts against the Celtics.
Though Embiid missed the start of the playoffs because he was recovering from an emergency appendectomy, he quickly found his groove mid-series. Embiid is a skilled big with a near automatic midrange jumper. One of Embiid’s best skills is his ability to get to the free-throw line.
In his four playoff games against Boston, Embiid attempted 37 freebies in 146 minutes. New York likely will rely on Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson to guard Embiid throughout the series. It will be imperative for both big men to avoid picking up silly fouls. The Knicks need both Towns and Robinson on the floor as much as possible for this series.
Both 76ers stars are hard to stop, but New York proved in the first round that its defense can hit another gear with improved defense from Towns and wings Anunoby, Hart, and Bridges caused chaos with a frantic style of defense.
Dominating the glass
One area that Philadelphia has struggled with over the past few years has been defensive rebounding. This season, the 76ers ranked just 26th in defensive rebound rate (67.8 percent) according to NBA Stats. Over the last three years, the 76ers have never ranked higher than 25th. It was a big factor in New York’s first round series win against Philadelphia two years ago.
New York has been a good offensive rebounding team mainly because of Robinson, who is a force to reckon with on the offensive glass. The Knicks big man is second in offensive rebound rate during the playoffs among players that have been on the floor for at least 60 minutes according to NBA Stats.
However, the 76ers did a solid job in the first round, preventing the Boston Celtics from overwhelming them with extra possessions. The Celtics finished top-five in the category this season but Philadelphia held them to just 12th out of 16 teams during the first round.
Extra possessions will help the Knicks limit transition scoring opportunities, and could exhaust a 76ers team that should be weary after expending significant energy in the opening round.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) takes a shot against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the third quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
Getting Brunson going early
One of the top priorities for the Knicks will be getting Jalen Brunson in a rhythm.
The first round was a tale of two cities for Brunson, who averaged 26.3 points and 6.2 assists. After the Knicks offense bogged down in the first three games, there was a concerted effort to have Brunson play off the ball more, which worked tremendously. Brunson’s average seconds per touch dropped from 6.21 in the first three games to 5.38 from Game 4 to Game 6, according to NBA Stats.
The Knicks need to keep that focus for the second round to keep Philadelphia’s defense on its toes. The 76ers have a variety of defenders to throw at Brunson. Forward Kelly Oubre gave the Knicks point guard problems in the 2024 playoffs. Rookie VJ Edgecombe and former Knick Quentin Grimes also will surely have time defending Brunson.
A good start on Monday night from Brunson will help the Knicks build some early momentum.
May 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard-forward Ausar Thompson (9) dribbles the ball against Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) in the fourth quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images | Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images
It’s do or die time.
Game Vitals
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI When: Sunday, May 3 at 3:30 PM EST Watch: ABC Odds: Pistons (-8.5)
Cade Cunninhgam
Paolo Banchero
Donovan Mitchell
Collin Murray-Boyles
