2026 NBA playoffs: Conference semifinals takeawaysplayWhy Charles Barkley says 76ers ‘can’t beat’ Knicks (1:58)Charles Barkley reacts to the 76ers’ Game 2 loss to the Knicks and explains why he believes Philadelphia can’t win the series. (1:58)NBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsMay 9, 2026, 06:02 PM ET
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The second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs is here, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game of the Eastern and Western conference semifinals.
The No. 2-seeded New York Knicks have opened their East series by beating the 7-seed Philadelphia 76ers for a 3-0 series lead. The No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons followed New York, capturing a 2-0 series advantage over the Cleveland Cavaliers, before the Cavs survived a wild Game 3 on Saturday..
In the West, the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, who had Anthony Edwards (left knee injury) back for Game 1, stole a win over the 2-seed San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama on Monday. On Wednesday, the Spurs evened the series with a 38-point blowout victory and seized a 2-1 series edge by winning Friday in Minnesota. The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round, picked up where they left off with wins over the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday and Thursday.
As teams chase the Larry O’Brien Trophy, here’s what matters most in both conferences and what to watch for in all four series.
Jump to a series:
76ers-Knicks | Cavaliers-Pistons
Timberwolves-Spurs | Lakers-Thunder
More coverage:
Schedules and results | Offseason guides
(1) Detroit Pistons lead (4) Cleveland Cavaliers 2-1
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Game 1: Pistons 111, Cavaliers 101
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Game 2: Pistons 107, Cavaliers 97
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Game 3: Cavaliers 116, Pistons 109
Biggest takeaway from Game 3: James Harden finally delivered the clutch performance the Cavs needed.
The Pistons had been the better team in the clutch through the first two games, executing in late games like a team beyond their years, while outplaying the Cavs and their bevy of playoff experience. But with the score tied at 104 with under three minutes remaining Saturday, the Cavs made the plays to win the game down the stretch, including seven points in the final 1:30 from Harden.
Cleveland responded in a must-win Game 3 to keep their hopes of winning this series alive. Donovan Mitchell scored more than 30 points for the second straight game, and Harden bounced back from a miserable Game 2.
Harden and Mitchell combined to outscore the Pistons 10-5 over the final 1:29 of the game. Harden went 3-3 in that sequence.
Both Evan Mobley (13 points) and Jarrett Allen (18) finished in double-digits too.
Despite falling behind 0-2, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson stated he came into Saturday’s game encouraged that they had chances to win both games, despite not playing well in either game in Detroit. And for the first time in the series, the Cavs began playing with a lead. They got off to a good start, shooting 72.2% in the first quarter and outscoring Detroit, 32-18, in the second.
And although the Pistons closed the gap with a 33-19 third quarter and took the lead in the fourth, powered by a Cade Cunningham triple double — 27 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds — the Cavs responded with a strong fourth quarter, led by Harden, to win in the clutch for the first time in this series. — Jamal Collier
Game 4: Pistons at Cavaliers (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
What to watch in Game 4: The Cavs are still undefeated at home in the postseason, and they will need another all-around performance to get this series back to even. Harden and Mitchell were excellent in Game 3, especially in the fourth quarter, and the Cavs will need a repeat performance if they want to hold off a hungry Pistons team.
Detroit has touted the lessons learned from their first-round seven-game battle the Orlando Magic. Coach JB Bickerstaff stated before the game it was “the best thing to ever happen to them” because it taught this young squad the urgency it takes to compete in the playoffs.
And the Pistons almost completed an epic comeback on Saturday, despite trailing by 16 at the half, showing this Pistons team is not going to go out quietly, no matter where the game is played. — Collier
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For the Cavs’ star guards, the time to win is now
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How a G League call-up helped Detroit restore order
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Pistons beat Cavaliers in Game 1
Western Conference
(2) San Antonio Spurs lead (6) Minnesota Timberwolves 2-1
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Game 1: Timberwolves 104, Spurs 102
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Game 2: Spurs 133, Timberwolves 95
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Game 3: Spurs 115, Timberwolves 108
Biggest takeaway from Game 3: San Antonio expected a late Minnesota run in its 115-108 victory in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, but this time the Spurs found a way to hold on for their first win at Target Center since 2022 to take a 2-1 series lead. San Antonio led in the fourth quarter in its past two games in Minnesota — both losses — and entered Friday’s matchup determined to fend off a Timberwolves squad led by Anthony Edwards, who has looked healthier in every game.Editor’s Picks
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The Spurs prevented succumbing down the stretch thanks to a big push from Victor Wembanyama, who scored a game-high 39 points with 15 rebounds. In the upcoming film session reviewing Game 3, expect the Spurs to walk away lamenting missed opportunities, however.
With Wembanyama scoring nine of San Antonio’s first 11 points and Minnesota missing its first 11 attempts from the floor, San Antonio led 18-3 to start but whiffed on a chance to go up bigger. The Timberwolves didn’t make their first field goal until 5:10 left in the opening frame. With 3:48 remaining in the quarter, Minnesota’s only points had come off an Edwards free throw and a Rudy Gobert layup.
Over the final 2:08 of the first quarter, Edwards poured in 12 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer as Minnesota chopped down a 15-point deficit to just one. During the time Wembanyama wasn’t on the court in the first quarter, Minnesota took advantage, shooting 6-of-9 for 15 points, compared to 2-of-14 when the Frenchman was on the floor, according to ESPN Research. — Michael C. Wright
Game 4: Spurs at Timberwolves (Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
What to watch in Game 4: It’s desperation time for the Timberwolves and coach Chris Finch.
In an urgent Game 3, he already gave a hint at where his rotations are heading. Edwards returned to the starting lineup and played 40 minutes, despite his ailing left knee. The training wheels appear all the way off for the rest of the series.
Mike Conley started at point guard but played only four minutes. The Timberwolves were outscored by 10 points in his only stint and failed to make a shot for nearly seven minutes to open the game. Reserve guard Ayo Dosunmu started the second half and closed. Dosunmu and Terrence Shannon Jr. are likely to shoulder almost all the backcourt minutes next to Edwards moving forward in what is shortening into a seven-man rotation. Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels went a combined 8-of-33 shooting.
Finch tried some offense-defense substitutions late with Randle and Rudy Gobert, but everyone struggled against Wembanyama’s length. — Anthony Slater
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Spurs bounce back, beat Timberwolves by 38
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Finch: Wolves ‘got punked’ in blowout loss
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder lead (4) Los Angeles Lakers 2-0
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Game 1: Thunder 108, Lakers 90
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Game 2: Thunder 125, Lakers 107
Biggest takeaway from Game 2: The Thunder appeared to be in serious jeopardy of suffering their first postseason loss when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth foul only 86 seconds into the third quarter, with the Lakers holding a five-point lead. But Oklahoma City dominated the rest of the quarter as Gilgeous-Alexander cheered on the bench, using a 22-4 run to take command.
Oklahoma City’s remarkable depth and dominant defense were on full display. Jared McCain, the 10th man in the rotation, scored eight of his 18 points during the spurt, Ajay Mitchell (20 points, five assists), who wasn’t part of the playoff rotation last season, operated the offense with poise and precision, and the Thunder converted seven turnovers into 11 points, as the Lakers face a 2-0 hole with the series heading to Los Angeles. — Tim MacMahon
Game 3: Thunder at Lakers (Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
What to watch in Game 3: Can the Lakers protect the ball better at home? They had 18 turnovers that fueled 20 points for OKC in Game 1 and 21 that turned into 26 Thunder points in Game 2. Beyond the Thunder’s ball-hawking defense, Paycom Center got so loud during OKC’s runs that the Lakers’ mistakes seemed to compound themselves, as L.A. succumbed to the chaos. Despite being down 2-0, L.A. proved it could hang around for big chunks of both games. It was just a few Thunder blitzes — 11-0 in the first quarter, 22-4 in the third and 14-3 in the fourth — that really sealed the Lakers’ fate.
With Austin Reaves coming off a career-playoff high 31 points Thursday and LeBron James (23 points on 9-of-18 shooting) and Rui Hachimura (16 points on 6-of-10) staying in rhythm, L.A. will have to prove it can put together four full quarters at Crypto.com Arena if it wants any chance of making this a series. — Dave McMenamin
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Jarred Vanderbilt dislocates right pinky finger
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Austin Reaves’ shooting woes persist in Lakers’ Game 1 loss
Eastern Conference
(3) New York Knicks lead (7) Philadelphia 76ers 3-0
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Game 1: Knicks 137, 76ers 98
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Game 2: Knicks 108, 76ers 102
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Game 3: Knicks 108, 76ers 94
Biggest takeaway from Game 3: The Knicks survived everything the 76ers threw at them — except for Tyrese Maxey. They survived Karl-Anthony Towns getting in foul trouble. They survived the “Hack-A-Mitch” on Mitchell Robinson. They survived Paul George’s hot start and perhaps most importantly, they survived the absence of OG Anunoby. It felt like a wire-to-wire win, but it wasn’t always that way.
The Knicks played with a championship-like poise, answering every 76er adjustment with a counter of their own. Jalen Brunson scored 33 points, and they held the 76ers to 29% from 3-point range. Mikal Bridges continued his improved play, adding 23 points in the win. The Knicks look ready for a long break until the Eastern Conference finals. — Vincent Goodwill
Game 4: Knicks at 76ers (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
What to watch in Game 4: Simply put: Can Philly keep its season alive?
Joel Embiid returned in Game 3, but he looked like the version who played in Game 4 here against Boston, when the 76ers got routed on their floor. And, outside of George making a ton of shots in the first quarter, the 76ers had absolutely no answers for the Knicks. Brunson got wherever he wanted, New York looked like the hungrier team and the Sixers had only three bench points — which came on a Quentin Grimes 3-pointer in the fourth quarter — until garbage time.
Perhaps the 76ers can extend this to a fifth game Tuesday but Friday night felt like a funeral in Philly, which is truly remarkable given it was less than a week ago that the 76ers were in Boston celebrating vanquishing the Celtics.
Life comes at you fast in the NBA playoffs. — Tim Bontemps
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Jalen Brunson shuts door on 76ers as Knicks go up 3-0
