East playoff takeaways: The biggest concern for top-seeded Pistons

April 25, 2026 No Comments

2026 NBA playoffs: Eastern Conference first-round takeawaysNBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsApr 25, 2026, 04:17 PM ET

The 2026 playoffs are underway, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game in the march to the Finals. Which top seeds are cruising and which could be in danger of a first-round upset? Which stars are shining and which players are breaking through on the playoff stage?

As the Eastern Conference playoffs continue, here’s what matters most and what to watch in all four series.

More coverage:
West takeaways | Schedules and results | Offseason guides

(8) Orlando Magic lead (1) Detroit Pistons 2-1

Game 1: Magic 112, Pistons 101
Game 2: Pistons 98, Magic 83
Game 3: Magic 113, Pistons 105

Biggest takeaway from Game 3: The Magic aren’t going away. In fact, they have been the tougher, more physical team for the majority of this series — especially in the paint. And that is incredibly concerning for Detroit.

But perhaps more troubling is that Desmond Bane’s 3-point shot is finally falling in this series. Bane, who shot just 3-for-15 from 3 across the first two games, buried his first six triples before finishing with 25 points. This is why the Magic sent four first-round picks and went all-in to get Bane; to space the floor and free up the inside for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Banchero did a bit of everything with 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. But it was Wendell Carter Jr. who set an early tone by outplaying both Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, getting under Stewart’s skin and fouling out Duren late in the game. Carter had 14 points and 17 rebounds, eight on the offensive glass. With Duren struggling again, Cade Cunningham, who had been terrific in the first two games, missed 12 of his first 17 shots and had a playoff career-worst eight turnovers in the first three quarters. But he scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth and helped spark a 26-8 run that erased a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit and pushed the Pistons up one with 2:52 remaining. But Wagner scored five straight points and Detroit never recovered.

The Pistons are now in a 2-1 hole to the eighth seed, and the Magic continue to look like a completely different team since demolishing the Charlotte Hornets in the play-in to reach the playoffs. — Ohm Youngmisuk

Game 4: Pistons at Magic (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

What to watch in Game 4: Over the next two days, the Pistons must rediscover the physicality, smothering defense and swagger that made them the top team in the East. Outside of seven blocks in the first quarter of Game 2 and the 30-3 run in the third quarter that won them that game, the 60-win Pistons have largely been absent for much of this series. They had a fourth-quarter run that gave them the brief lead Saturday, but the Magic responded right away.

The Magic are also giving the Pistons a dose of their own medicine with physicality inside the paint, smothering and annoying defense and a grinding effort on offense to get into the paint or to the free throw line to overcome any lack of shooting they might have. And they have a hyped home crowd fueling them.

Duren hasn’t looked like the first-time All-Star he was this season. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff even shook up his rotation early in the third quarter by replacing Duren with Paul Reed after Banchero drove in for a dunk. The Pistons have to find a way to unclog the paint and make more shots to help Cunningham. But as it has been in this series with Orlando, everything starts with defense and physicality. The Pistons just snapped the longest home playoff drought in history at 11 games by winning Game 2. They don’t want to have to return home for Game 5 facing elimination if they fall behind 3-1. — Youngmisuk

(2) Boston Celtics lead (7) Philadelphia 76ers 2-1

Game 1: Celtics 123, 76ers 91
Game 2: 76ers 111, Celtics 97
Game 3: Celtics 108, 76ers 100

Biggest takeaway from Game 3: Boston has, for the better part of a decade, been carried to one playoff win after another by the dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And on Friday in South Philly, that’s what happened again. It was a 10-point run by Brown — beginning with a steal and setting up a Derrick White bucket on a fast break, then scoring eight points in a row himself — that gave Boston separation for a final and decisive time late in the fourth quarter. Tatum hit a pair of massive 3-pointers to slam the door and give Boston back home-court advantage in this best-of-seven affair. — Tim Bontemps

Game 4: Celtics at 76ers (Sunday, 7 p.m., ET, NBC/Peacock)

What to watch in Game 4: The potential return of Joel Embiid? The superstar center got upgraded to doubtful on Thursday and wasn’t fully ruled out until a couple of hours before Friday’s tipoff. With another 48 hours to heal before Game 4, the door is open for Embiid to potentially make his return for the first time since undergoing an emergency appendectomy over two weeks ago. Beyond that, we’ve seen this series be dictated by Boston’s shotmaking, with great shooting games carrying the Celtics in Games 1 and 3 (both wins) and a rough one leading to a Game 2 loss. So which shooting version of the Celtics will show up? — Bontemps

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown come up big in Celtics’ ‘fun’ Game 3 win

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers lead (5) Toronto Raptors 2-1

Game 1: Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113
Game 2: Cavaliers 115, Raptors 105
Game 3: Raptors 126, Cavaliers 104

Biggest takeaway from Game 3: This was a superstar performance from Scottie Barnes on both ends of the floor. He led all scorers with 33 points, adding 11 assists and five rebounds all while hounding both Donovan Mitchell and James Harden defensively. RJ Barrett was a viable co-star, adding 33 points and knocking down six 3’s. They are the third Raptors duo with at least 30 points in a playoff game in franchise history (Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry, 2019, and DeMar DeRozan and Lowry, 2016).

Meanwhile, the Cavs star duo struggled. Mitchell shot 7-for-16 for 15 points and Harden went 5-of-13 for 18 points. Toronto got strong performances from up and down the roster, including 22 points off the bench from Collin Murray-Boyles and four 3’s from Jamison Battle, who didn’t play in the first two games of the series. The two combined (36) to outscore Mitchell and Harden (33). — Jamal Collier

Game 4: Cavaliers at Raptors (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN)

What to watch in Game 4: The Raptors responded to get back in the series and now the pressure shifts back to the Cavs to assert themselves in Game 4 on Sunday in a series they dominated through the first two games. Toronto attacked Cleveland’s weaker defenders more relentlessly in Game 3, hunting mismatches and forcing Harden to work defensively. And the Raptors were aggressive, sending double-teams at the Cavs’ best players Thursday night as Mitchell, Harden and Evan Mobley struggled shooting from the field. The Cavs are facing adversity for the first time during this playoff run. Let’s see how they respond to it. — Collier

(6) Atlanta Hawks lead (3) New York Knicks 2-1

Game 1: Knicks 113, Hawks 102
Game 2: Hawks 107, Knicks 106
Game 3: Hawks 109, Knicks 108

Biggest takeaway from Game 3: The Atlanta Hawks are doing everything they can to make life uncomfortable for the New York Knicks, and they are succeeding. From the onset, they grabbed early leads and had the Knicks fighting from behind all night.

The Knicks were only surviving, first with Jalen Brunson, then OG Anunoby. But it was Atlanta that was the desperate team, especially Jonathan Kuminga, who was opportunistic on offense and repeatedly getting out in the open floor. He and the Hawks sensed an opportunity and seized it. Now the Knicks are at a place they don’t like being: on the ropes. — Vincent Goodwill

Game 4: Knicks at Hawks (Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

What to watch in Game 4: More Miles McBride for the Knicks. It’s clear Mikal Bridges hasn’t found his way in this series, and Mike Brown doesn’t have much patience for him right now. He was a minus-24 in 20 minutes of playing time and was pulled early in the second half, only playing a couple more minutes later. McBride hit critical 3-pointers to pull the Knicks back to within striking distance. — Goodwill