2026 NBA playoffs: Western Conference first-round takeawaysNBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsApr 29, 2026, 12:25 AM ET
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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 Western Conference playoffs continue, here’s what matters most and what to watch in all four series.
More coverage:
East takeaways | Schedules and results | Offseason guides
(2) San Antonio Spurs eliminate (7) Portland Trail Blazers 4-1
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Game 1: Spurs 111, Trail Blazers 98
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Game 2: Trail Blazers 106, Spurs 103
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Game 3: Spurs 120, Trail Blazers 108
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Game 4: Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 93
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Game 5: Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 95
Biggest takeaway from Game 5: Spurs forward Devin Vassell discussed at the team’s shootaround Tuesday morning the need to ensure a fast start by “being ultra locked in” from the beginning of Game 5 to close out the Portland Trail Blazers in this best-of-seven series.
San Antonio delivered by starting Game 5 on a 12-2 run that ballooned into a 28-point lead with 1:56 left in the first half after a Stephon Castle free throw made the score 65-37. Credit the hot shooting of Julian Champagnie for San Antonio’s scorching start. Champagnie made 4-of-5 from 3-point range over the first two quarters and 5-of-7 from the field for a team that shot 67% in the first half, which tied for San Antonio’s best shooting half of the season, including the playoffs. Veteran point guard De’Aaron Fox delivered seven assists in the first half with the Spurs shooting 7-of-7 for 16 points off his passes, according to ESPN Research. San Antonio also scored 10 points off four Portland turnovers in building a monstrous lead that proved too much to overcome. — Michael C. Wright
Round 2 opponent: Winner of Timberwolves/Nuggets series (Minnesota leads 3-2)
(6) Minnesota Timberwolves lead (3) Denver Nuggets 3-2
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Game 1: Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105
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Game 2: Timberwolves 119, Nuggets 114
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Game 3: Timberwolves 113, Nuggets 96
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Game 4: Timberwolves 112, Nuggets 96
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Game 5: Nuggets 125, Timberwolves 113
Biggest takeaway from Game 5: The Nuggets’ role players finally showed a pulse. Denver’s depth has looked paper-thin in this series, with Peyton Watson out and Aaron Gordon hobbled. Gordon missed Game 5 and might be done for the series because of a left calf injury, but the Nuggets remained alive because of Spencer Jones, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun. Jones, in particular, provided a boost. The undrafted second-year wing had four 3s and 20 points after hitting only three 3s and scoring 12 total points combined in the first four games of the series. Johnson, Braun and Bruce Brown were all active defensively and aggressive in transition, forcing 25 turnovers that the Nuggets turned into 35 points, and gave Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray the requisite help to extend the series. — Anthony Slater
Game 6: Nuggets at Timberwolves (Thursday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to watch in Game 6: Role players tend to perform better at home in the playoffs. Minnesota, still searching for the right combination with Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo out, needs that lift in its final home game of the series. Chris Finch tried Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark, but the coach didn’t find much luck. Ayo Dosunmu scored 25 and 43 in the two home games in the series. He had 18 in Denver. There was, of course, some inevitable spice between the teams again in Game 5, mostly in regard to Denver’s growing dislike of Jaden McDaniels. That’ll surely play a role Thursday night, but Game 6’s biggest swing factor is more about which team’s role players can perform better. — Slater
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder eliminate (8) Phoenix Suns 4-0
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Game 1: Thunder 119, Suns 84
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Game 2: Thunder 120, Suns 107
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Game 3: Thunder 121, Suns 109
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Game 4: Thunder 131, Suns 122
Biggest takeaway from Game 4: Once again, the first round served as a nice warmup for the top-seeded Thunder. Oklahoma City is 12-0 in first-round games under coach Mark Daigneault, sweeping an 8-seed for the third consecutive postseason.
According to ESPN Research, the Thunder became the fourth defending champion to sweep its first-round series with four double-digit wins. The previous two (2012-13 Miami Heat and 1989-90 Detroit Pistons) repeated as champions. On the other hand, the Suns have lost their past 10 playoff games over a four-year span, matching the Brooklyn Nets for the longest active postseason losing streak in the league. — Tim MacMahon
Round 2 opponent: Winner of Lakers/Rockets series (Los Angeles leads 3-1)
(4) Los Angeles Lakers lead (5) Houston Rockets 3-1
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Game 1: Lakers 107, Rockets 98
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Game 2: Lakers 101, Rockets 94
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Game 3: Lakers 112, Rockets 108 (OT)
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Game 4: Rockets 115, Lakers 96
Biggest takeaway from Game 4: Lost in the aftermath of the Lakers’ magical Game 3 comeback was that L.A. struggled mightily on the offensive end in the second half, scoring just 38 points on 38.2% shooting while committing 10 turnovers. “It feels like our turnovers tend to come in waves against this team,” Lakers coach JJ Redick stated Sunday in the lead-up to Game 4. If Friday’s second half produced a wave of turnovers, what followed in Game 4 was a tsunami. The Lakers registered 21 turnovers through the first three quarters, leading to 26 points for the Rockets. Houston bounced back from its Game 3 collapse — and the disappointing news that a bone bruise in Kevin Durant’s sprained left ankle could sideline him for two to three weeks — with a suffocating defensive performance and a balanced offensive outing that saw each starter score at least 16 points.
Meanwhile, LeBron James had one of the worst playoff games of his career with 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting, nine assists and eight turnovers. And the one L.A. player who was effective, Deandre Ayton, was ejected in the third quarter after picking up a flagrant foul 2 for hitting Alperen Sengun on the side of the head with his forearm. Ayton had tallied 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes before exiting. — Dave McMenamin
Game 5: Rockets at Lakers (Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to watch in Game 5: Houston coach Ime Udoka pointed out Sunday that just last spring, his team fell down 3-1 in the first round to the Golden State Warriors and fought back to force a Game 7. Based on how Sunday’s Game 4 went, with the Rockets controlling the action from start to finish and leading by as many as 28 points, they certainly look like a team that isn’t about to lay down on Wednesday. On the Lakers’ side of things, after Austin Reaves was listed as questionable the past two games, will he be ready to come back from his left oblique strain? And following Ayton’s ejection and some late chippiness in Game 4 — with the teams jawing at one another at the half-court line after the final buzzer — just how physical will Game 5 get? — McMenamin
