The 2026 NBA playoffs started Saturday, and our NBA insiders have you ever lined for each sport within the march to the Finals.
The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves kicked issues off for the Western Convention on Saturday. Jamal Murray, who was a first-time All-Star this season, led all gamers with 30 factors to assist the Nuggets take a 1-0 lead. Nikola Jokic added 25 factors regardless of a sluggish first half. Anthony Edwards stored the Wolves within the sport with 22 factors, nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient.
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 107-98 within the day’s ultimate sport. The Lakers have needed to flip to LeBron James on the finish of the common season after dropping Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves indefinitely to accidents, however the Rockets had been additionally and not using a star. Kevin Durant missed Sport 1 due to a knee contusion, and his availability for Sport 2 is unsure.
On Sunday, the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder blew out the No. 8-seeded Phoenix Suns 119-84 regardless of an off-game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 25 factors however shot simply 5 for 18 in 29 minutes. The San Antonio Spurs additionally opened the playoffs with a powerful efficiency of their 111-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Sport 1: Spurs 111, Trail Blazers 98
Largest takeaway from Sport 1: San Antonio confirmed up at Frost Financial institution Heart outfitted for the event, eschewing its standard informal costume code and choosing all-black fits. The Spurs took a enterprise strategy into their Sport 1 demolition, led by Victor Wembanyama, who enhanced his jaw-dropping bodily ability set by deploying it in an clever and environment friendly method.
Wembanyama, who was making his postseason debut, poured in 21 factors within the first half, the best scoring output in a participant’s first profession playoff opening half within the play-by-play period, based on ESPN Analysis. Earlier than halftime, he scored or assisted on 24 factors and held Portland’s shooters scoreless (0-of-6) because the contesting defender, serving to San Antonio construct a 10-point lead on the break that it will by no means relinquish.
Wembanyama turned the third participant in NBA historical past to have at the least 30 factors and hit 5 3-pointers in his postseason debut, becoming a member of Kyrie Irving (2015) and Jordan Poole (2022), based on ESPN Analysis. — Michael C. Wright
Sport 2: Trail Blazers at Spurs (8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
What to observe in Sport 2: Portland is the underdog, however its possibilities to make a mark on this sequence would improve if the Path Blazers can complement Deni Avdija‘s offensive manufacturing. By the primary three quarters, Portland had simply two scorers in double figures apart from Avdija (Scoot Henderson and Robert Williams III), whereas the Spurs had 5 gamers with at the least 10 factors.
Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan and Jrue Holiday shot a mixed 4-of-23 over the primary three quarters. So, with San Antonio loading as much as decelerate Avdija, his teammates ought to have the ability to capitalize if they will knock down a few of their strong appears.
San Antonio, in the meantime, will look to use extra strain if it beneficial properties a large lead in Sport 2 after almost letting Portland again into this contest. The Spurs constructed a 10-point halftime lead, and the Blazers lower it to 2 factors by scoring the primary eight factors of the second half. — Wright
Sport 1: Thunder 119, Suns 84
Largest takeaway from Sport 1: A series-opening Sunday afternoon tip in Oklahoma Metropolis is not a good struggle for a No. 8 seed that needed to struggle to punch its playoff ticket Friday night time.
For the second straight 12 months, the Thunder had all however sealed the victory by halftime of Sport 1 within the first spherical. Oklahoma Metropolis, which was a 14.5-point favourite, led by 21 on the half, fueled by scoring 21 factors off 10 Phoenix turnovers. It was the biggest halftime lead of any playoff sport this weekend, nevertheless it’s acquainted territory for Oklahoma Metropolis, which led by at the least 20 on the half thrice throughout its title run final postseason.
To their credit score, the Suns had a way more respectable exhibiting than the Memphis Grizzlies did a 12 months in the past, when the Thunder rolled to a 51-point victory in Sport 1. — Tim MacMahon
Sport 2: Suns at Thunder (Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to observe in Sport 2: The Suns must discover a resolution to decelerate Jalen Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander’s sidekick who’s as wholesome as he has been all season after coming off summer time wrist surgical procedure and coping with recurring hamstring points.
Williams completed with 22 factors on 9-of-15 capturing and 6 assists in 29 minutes. It did not assist Phoenix that guard Jordan Goodwin, who took the defensive task on Gilgeous-Alexander to start out the sport, acquired into early foul hassle. That pressured the Suns to modify Dillon Brooks onto Gilgeous-Alexander and use lesser defenders on Williams, whose penetration into the paint created all types of issues.
The sport acquired out of attain throughout Gilgeous-Alexander’s seven-minute relaxation to start out the second quarter, a span by which Williams had 4 factors and 4 assists. — MacMahon
Sport 1: Lakers 107, Rockets 98
Largest takeaway from Sport 1: The Lakers had been dealt a horrible hand when Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves suffered accidents a few weeks earlier than the playoffs started. On Saturday, Los Angeles caught a break when Rockets star Kevin Durant was a late scratch due to a proper knee damage. And the Lakers seized the chance.
Aside from the ultimate 4 minutes of the second quarter, when the Lakers struggled and turned the ball over 5 instances to permit Houston to chop the lead from eight to 2 factors, L.A. performed a superb offensive sport. LeBron James (19 factors, 12 assists, 8 rebounds) ignited the motion with eight assists within the first quarter — essentially the most assists in any quarter of his playoff profession, based on ESPN Analysis — and the ball flowed the remainder of the night time, with all 5 starters scoring in double digits.
Luke Kennard, who scored a career-playoff-high 27 factors on 9-for-13 capturing, was a favourite goal of James, however Deandre Ayton (18 factors on 8-of-10 capturing) and Rui Hachimura (14 factors on 6-of-10 capturing) additionally made essentially the most of their touches. The Lakers stated all week they’d rediscovered their perception after their backcourt went down. That perception will solely develop going into Sport 2. — Dave McMenamin
Sport 2: Rockets at Lakers (Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
What to observe in Sport 2: The plain query for Houston is whether or not Durant shall be out there. With out the fifth-leading scorer in league historical past, the Rockets’ offense was rudderless. Houston shot simply 37.6%, with Alperen Sengun lacking 13 of his 19 photographs, Reed Sheppard lacking 14 of his 20, Amen Thompson lacking 11 of his 18 and Jabari Smith Jr. lacking 9 of his 14.
The Lakers had the ultimate 5 video games of the common season and all week throughout the play-in event to tinker with their sport plan to outlive with out Doncic and Reaves, however the Rockets needed to modify to Durant’s damage on the fly. How Durant heals within the subsequent 48 hours, or how the Rockets sport plan for Tuesday if he is not out there, might nicely resolve the sequence. — McMenamin
Sport 1: Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105
What we realized from Sport 1: Playoff Jamal Murray launched early this 12 months. In years previous, Murray got here up with huge video games or huge photographs when the Nuggets had fallen right into a gap or wanted some heroics. This 12 months, Murray got here out of the gate in peak kind, propelling Denver with 30 factors, seven assists and 5 rebounds on a exceptional 16-for-16 from the free throw line. Denver wanted each a type of factors as Aaron Gordon acquired into early foul hassle and Nikola Jokic began sluggish with simply six factors within the first half. Jokic acquired on monitor within the second half, ending with 25 factors, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his twenty second postseason triple-double, third most in NBA historical past behind Magic Johnson (30) and LeBron James (28).
Denver broke open the sport with a 14-0 run within the third quarter, throughout which Minnesota missed 9 straight subject purpose makes an attempt. Anthony Edwards was on the bench for the tip of that run as Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch tried to get him some relaxation earlier than the fourth quarter. Edwards remains to be managing ache in his proper knee and shall be doing so for so long as the season continues. He completed with a pedestrian-for-him 22 factors in 37 minutes. — Ramona Shelburne
Sport 2: Timberwolves at Nuggets (Monday, 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
What to observe for Sport 2: These two groups have performed extra instances than any two groups within the league the previous three seasons. With the win in Sport 1, the Nuggets now have a 15-14 benefit. That previous is prologue to all the things that occurs on this sequence, and it’s a fascinating chess match to behold.
Minnesota has to make use of its size and athleticism to do a greater job of containing Murray on the perimeter — with out fouling. His 16 free throws is a Denver postseason report (your complete Minnesota workforce shot 19 free throws), which is a mirrored image of his aggressiveness and the way in which the sport was officiated. That dynamic has been a significant level of rivalry all through this rivalry, and it noticeably impacts the outcomes every sport. It will be attention-grabbing to see whether or not that adjustments in Sport 2, as a result of the Timberwolves did nicely in just about all the opposite aspects of the sport by which they often thrive — ending with 54 factors within the paint. — Shelburne
