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BOSTON — With the first quarter clock winding down, Jordan Walsh sprinted as fast as he could down the court. In perfect harmony, Jayson Tatum found him for a transition layup to beat the buzzer, and the Celtics extended their lead over the Philadelphia 76ers to 15 in the opening game of the playoffs. In the grand scheme of things …

LeBron James must be so sick of this. If he wanted to experience being the best player on an otherwise thin team, he could simply remember the Cleveland Cavaliers’ run to the NBA finals in 2007. Or the 2015 NBA finals when his best teammates, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, suffered injuries. Or the 2018 season, which convinced SNL to …

Jalen Brunson and the Knicks took the high road and opted against adding more fuel to the fire. Given a chance to react to CJ McCollum’s accusation that Brunson faked an injury in order to get him a technical foul, Brunson was tight-lipped. Advertisement “I have no reaction,” Brunson said after practice Sunday. “No comment.” During the second quarter of …

If the lights felt brighter in San Antonio on Sunday night, it’s because they were. For the first time since 2019, playoff basketball returned to the Frost Bank Center, and the San Antonio Spurs didn’t just show up. They made a statement. Behind a historic night from Victor Wembanyama and his supporting cast, the Spurs pulled away from the Portland Trail Blazers for a …

In his lone season at the University of Alabama, Noah Clowney shot 28.3% from deep on 7.2 attempts per 100 possessions. Through three NBA seasons (135 appearances), Clowney is shooting 33.2% on 10.7 3-pointers per 100 possessions. In 2025-26, Clowney played more NBA minutes than in his first two seasons combined, shooting 32.9% from deep on just under 11 attempts …

Despite being ruled eligible for the award through the Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge, Luka Dončić was not named a finalist on Sunday for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award. The three finalists for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama. While we’ll get to SGA and Jokić, the most legitimate complaint is Wemby’s inclusion over Luka. While Wemby is a generational …

The most elite defenders of the NBA’s 2025-26 season include San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson, and Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren. Holmgren is coming off an NBA All-Star appearance for the first time in his young career. He’s on the chase for a second-straight NBA championship, becoming the fourth Zag to win an …

Victor Wembanyama starred on his NBA play-off debut as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98. Wembanyama, one of three contenders for the Most Valuable Player award, scored a game-high 35 points, including 21 in the first half, as the Spurs won game one of the best-of-seven series. Advertisement “It’s good to get this one out of …

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — It has proven almost as difficult to rattle Victor Wembanyama as it is to get a shot off against San Antonio’s 7-foot-4 star. Still, if there was ever a time to experience some nerves it was Sunday. Wembanyama was making his playoff debut against Portland for a franchise and city that is longing for postseason success …

Houston Rockets (52-30, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29, fourth in the Western Conference) Los Angeles; Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. EDT LINE: Rockets -4.5; over/under is 205.5 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Lakers lead series 1-0 Advertisement BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Lakers host the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in …

SAN ANTONIO — As Victor Wembanyama ducked under the awning and triumphantly emerged from the tunnel for his pregame warmup ahead of his playoff debut — an entrance that would make Shawn MIchaels proud — the warm embrace of Frost Bank Center became a stage for the arts. At the same time that a sea of proud onlookers whipped out …

After an extended voting window for NBA awards, we are finally getting to the actual announcements. The NBA named finalists for all major awards during Pistons-Magic coverage. Unsurprisingly, the Sixers’ VJ Edgecombe was named a finalist for the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year award, alongside Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel and Dallas’ Cooper Flagg. For most seasons, VJ Edgecombe’s 2025-26 campaign …

Victor Wembanyama has played exactly one playoff game and he is already setting both NBA and San Antonio Spurs records. Wembanyama scored 35 in his first playoff game, passing Tim Duncan for most points ever by a Spur in their playoff debut. He had 12 points in the first quarter and 21 in the half — the most points scored …

That was the Orlando Magic we have been waiting for all season. From the opening tip, the Magic were the more physical team and pushed the No. 1 seed Pistons around, scoring 54 points in the paint (20 more than Detroit). Orlando started the game aggressively on defense and started hot on the other end — 7-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-4 …

Victor Wembanyama’s playoff debut went perfectly on Sunday night. Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a commanding 111-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers to kick off their playoff series. He had 35 points and five rebounds to power the team to the win at the Frost Bank Center, which was packed with Spurs fans in Fiesta-themed playoff …

Victor Wembanyama’s playoff debut went perfectly on Sunday night. Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a commanding 111-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers to kick off their playoff series. He had 35 points and five rebounds to power the team to the win at the Frost Bank Center, which was packed with Spurs fans in striped Fiesta-themed …

The San Antonio Spurs returned to the playoffs with a splash Sunday night, debuting a colorful, well-coordinated set of playoff shirts for their first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers. Rather than opt for one shirt for the whole arena, the Spurs decided to get creative, painting the crowd in brightly colored shirts in alternating sections. The teal-, pink- and …

Jalen Suggs hit a 3-pointer for the opening bucket of Sunday’s playoff game between the top-seeded Detroit Pistons and No. 8 seed Orlando Magic. The Magic never relinquished that lead as they stunned the Pistons for a 112-101 Game 1 win. Advertisement Orlando set the tone with a 35-27 advantage through one quarter. The Pistons would rally to tie the …

It is one of the tightest, best three-way MVP races in recent memory between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama. Which is why it’s no shock that those three were the top three vote-getters and are the finalists for Most Valuable Player, as the NBA released the finalists for all its awards this season. Advertisement Here is the full …

The Oklahoma City Thunder were frequently dominant while posting the NBA’s best record this season. But they flipped a switch on Sunday into playoff mode as they began their quest for a second straight NBA championship in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. Advertisement The Suns managed to keep things close in the opening minutes of …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Atlanta Hawks were excellent against the spread down the stretch, and despite getting smoked in the second half of Game 1 vs. the New York Knicks, they will be competitive in this series, particularly in Game 2. Advertisement With Nickeil Alexander-Walker coming …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Minnesota Timberwolves had a vision when they traded for Ayo Dosunmu in February, but that vision was not realized much in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets. Advertisement If Minnesota wants to spring the upset in this series, it needs to run. …

The NBA announced finalists for end-of-season awards during the “NBA Showtime” pregame show ahead of Game 1 of the playoff series between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic on NBC on April 19. Each in-studio analyst — Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Maria Taylor — read the names of the top three for Defensive Player of the Year, …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Minnesota Timberwolves opened the playoffs by putting the Denver Nuggets on their heels in Game 1’s first half. Unfortunately for Minnesota, basketball games have two halves. Advertisement Rather than hope this series is about to become interesting, my Timberwolves vs. Nuggets predictions …

After Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks’ first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks does not lack playoff intensity. Saturday’s 113-102 New York win saw Knicks captain Jalen Brunson outduel CJ McCollum, who took issue with his technical foul after a kick to Brunson’s midsection during a shot at the third quarter’s 1:40 mark and the Hawks facing a …