Pistons Notes: Bickerstaff, Thompson, Green, Duren, Cunningham
After dropping Game 1 at home to the Magic, the Pistons once again struggled to get their offense going in the first half of Game 2. That turned around when the third quarter started, fueled in part by a passionate halftime outburst from head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, ESPN’s Ohm Yungmisuk writes.
“He really got on us in the locker room,” forward Tobias Harris said. “[His message was] there is no more of ‘my bads.’ It’s like they’re out there hustling, getting offensive boards on us. And there’s too many of them for us [to allow] as a group. We know that’s not our standard.”
Bickerstaff loved how his team responded to the adversity, putting together a 30-3 run on the back of good shooting and tenacious defense.
“That’s us,” said Isaiah Stewart, who had a major impact with 10 points and two blocks. “That’s what we were talking about. If we just be who we are, who we’ve been all season long, we’d be just fine.”
We have more from the Pistons:
- While their names might not show up in the headlines as often as some, Ausar Thompson and Javonte Green were heroes in their own right in Game 2, Marlowe Alter writes for the Detroit Free Press. Thompson struggled with fouls in the first half, but came out in the third quarter and shut down the Magic’s offense, with two big steals that helped the Pistons build their momentum. Green, meanwhile, managed to impact the game without hitting a shot. He had three blocks and five rebounds in 23 minutes, including a huge weakside block on Magic star Paolo Banchero. Green played in every game for the Pistons this season and showed why he had earned Bickerstaff’s trust with his gritty defense.
- Jalen Duren‘s rise has been a major force helping to propel the Pistons’ ascendence from perpetual lottery dweller to bona fide contender, ESPN’s Michael A. Fletcher writes. The 22-year-old sets the physical, imposing tone that the team prides itself on, and has grown considerably as a defender and offensive creator this season. In doing so, he has helped the Pistons get back to their Bad Boy roots.
- Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley only needed two words to describe Cade Cunningham‘s impact in Game 2. “He’s special,” he said, according to Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. The talented guard scored 27 points, along with 11 assists and six rebounds, putting the Magic away through off-the-dribble breakdowns and timely playmaking. “He’s him, and he understands that,” Bickerstaff said. “To have the size, agility, touch, speed, (and) patience that he has. He’s a matchup nightmare for people. It takes multiple bodies to stop him, and then even that, because he can get to his spot and shoot as many, it’s hard to get to him. So, he’s embraced the moment, and he’s leading us the way he needs to.“
Devin Booker Fined $35K For Criticizing Officials
Suns star Devin Booker has been fined $35K for his public criticism of the Game 2 referee crew, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
Following Wednesday’s loss, Booker was not shy in expressing his displeasure about receiving a technical foul, which he claimed was prompted by the Thunder’s Alex Caruso telling the referee to call it. The technical foul was rescinded after the game.
“In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James (Williams) was terrible tonight, through and through,” Booker said. “It’s bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport. People are going to start viewing this as a WWE if they’re not held responsible.”
Suns owner Mat Ishbia backed Booker up following the game, taking to Twitter to say that while the officiating wasn’t the reason they lost, it was still unacceptable.
“If the referees are going to demand respect from the players — as they should — then the players should demand respect from the referees,” Ishbia said. “When a referee is missing calls and clearly disrespecting the players, almost mocking them, they must be held accountable.”
The league said that following video review and inquiries, they “found no basis to any claim of bias or misconduct by game officials.”
Game 3 of the first-round series between the Suns and Thunder will be Saturday.
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Edgecombe, George, 22nd Pick
Joel Embiid has been upgraded to doubtful for the Sixers‘ Game 3 against the Celtics on Friday, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports notes (via Twitter).
As The Athletic’s Tony Jones writes, Embiid partially participated in Philadelphia’s practice on Thursday, though coach Nick Nurse described it as only slightly more than a walkthrough.
“I think we’re going to know a lot more probably by the end of today where he is,” Nurse said, per PHLY Sixers (Twitter video link). “It’s kind of like, the work increases a little bit and then we gotta see how he comes out of that stuff… He wants to play and we want him to play. I don’t know how close we are to that at this point, but I think there’s some progress being made.”
Embiid, who underwent an emergency appendectomy during the last week of the regular season, hasn’t played since April 6. The Sixers and Celtics are tied 1-1 in their first-round series.
We have more Sixers notes:
- VJ Edgecombe made history in the Sixers’ Game 2 win over the Celtics, surpassing Magic Johnson to become the youngest player ever to have a 30-point, 10-rebound playoff game. He was also the first rookie to put up those numbers since Tim Duncan in 1998, notes ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I’m going to be honest, I think we all knew where the shots were going to come from,” Edgecombe said. “… Everyone can make a play on the court, so we kept trusting each other and I was in the spot and they wanted me to shoot the ball. It wouldn’t have been right if I didn’t shoot the ball, so I had to shoot the ball, hit wide-open shots and try to get my teammates assists.” The game was indicative of the mature, composed player Edgecombe has shown himself to be throughout his rookie season, Tony Jones writes for The Athletic.
- When the Sixers signed Paul George, it was to make him the team’s third star. That’s what happened in Game 2, though it wasn’t the pecking order Philadelphia had in mind when they made the deal, Gina Mizell of the Philly Inquirer writes, with Edgecombe starring in place of Embiid. “That’s kind of the role I’ve adjusted to,” George said, “Making sure [if] they go on a run or we need a good basket or a good look, I think I can get my shot off or I can still create and find people and put us at ease. It’s just kind of be the guy that can settle us down a little bit when we need it.”
- The Sixers own the 22nd pick in the 2026 draft, but with team president Daryl Morey at the helm, a trade is never out of the question, Adam Aaronson writes for the Philly Voice. Aaronson looks through some of the potential options at that spot, focusing on frontcourt depth.
Nate Ament Declares for 2026 NBA Draft
Projected lottery pick Nate Ament has declared for the 2026 NBA draft, the freshman forward announced on Instagram.
Ament averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game for Tennessee in 2025/26 and was named to the All-SEC second team. The 6’10” forward struggled with efficiency over the course of the season, shooting 39.9% from the field and 33.3% from three despite being a capable shot-maker.
Ament found his rhythm towards the end of the season, putting together a 10-game stretch from January to mid-February in which he averaged 23.4 PPG and 6.5 RPG while hitting 38.1% of his 4.2 three-point attempts per game.
Ament is ninth on Jeremy Woo’s mock draft for ESPN and comes in at No. 8 on his big board. According to Woo, the 19-year-old likely won’t be able to come in and immediately contribute to winning at the NBA level, but has an interesting mix of fluidity and skill for his size. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has Ament at No. 13 on his mock draft, citing the contrast between his potential as a three-level scorer and concerns about his lack of burst or strength.
Early entrants who won’t be automatically eligible have until the end of the day on Friday to declare for the 2026 NBA draft.
Injury Notes: Gordon, Quickley, Durant, Reaves, Lillard, LaRavia
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will miss Game 3 against the Wolves on Thursday due to a calf injury, as first reported by NBA insider Chris Haynes (via Twitter). With the series tied at one game apiece, Gordon’s absence is significant, especially with breakout reserve forward Peyton Watson still working his way back from a hamstring injury that will cause him to miss Game 3 as well.
Gordon played 37 minutes in Denver’s five-point loss to the Wolves on Monday, and while he posted a modest stat line, his defense on Julius Randle and his offensive versatility are a major part of the Nuggets’ game plan.
The injury is being described as left calf tightness. Gordon had previously been listed as probable before being downgraded to questionable earlier today.
We have more injury news from around the playoffs:
- Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley will remain sidelined for Game 3 of the team’s series vs. Cleveland on Thursday, Josh Lewenberg of TSN notes (via Twitter). Quickley missed each of the first two games of the series due to a hamstring injury that has kept him on the shelf since April 12. Jamal Shead started each of those two games in his place.
- Kevin Durant is being listed as questionable for the Rockets‘ Game 3 against the Lakers due to a left ankle sprain, Jovan Buha notes (via Twitter). This is seemingly unrelated to the knee injury that sidelined the veteran for Game 1. Durant played 41 minutes in Game 2 and struggled against the Lakers’ constant double-teams, amassing nine turnovers to four assists.
- The Lakers could see more reinforcements on the way soon, as Austin Reaves has been upgraded to questionable, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). Reaves was expected to be out for four to six weeks due to his left oblique strain, but if he’s able to play in Game 3, he’d be back at around three weeks.
- After the Trail Blazers posted a video of Damian Lillard getting shots up, there were questions about whether the star guard could return from his ruptured Achilles tendon during this year’s playoffs. Head coach Tiago Splitter didn’t rule out the possibility completely, but he did say it was unlikely, according to Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Twitter link). When asked specifically about the return, Splitter gave a two-word response: “Probably not.”
- Jake LaRavia is day-to-day with a low-grade ankle sprain, according to Lakers coach JJ Redick, via Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). LaRavia went scoreless in 16 minutes in Game 2 against the Rockets after scoring six points in 18 minutes in Game 1. The 6’7″ forward played all 82 regular season games this season for Los Angeles.
Knicks Notes: Brown, Towns, Robinson, Shamet
Much of the discussion following the Knicks‘ loss to the Hawks in Game 2 revolved around coach Mike Brown‘s decisions regarding lineups and timeout usage. Asked ahead of Game 3 whether he’ll stick with his usual substitution patterns, Brown says he’s open to tweaking his rotation, Andrew Crane writes for the New York Post.
“Anything’s open to discussion offensively, defensively,” Brown said. “Maybe changing this defensively. Maybe changing that offensively. I’m comfortable with all of our guys playing, no matter who the five is out there.”
The Knicks’ players themselves say they’re fully confident in Brown’s adjustments, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, noting that it’s up to them to execute the game plan their coach lays out for them. Playing with pace and physicality are two points of emphasis among the coaching staff and the players.
“We [have to] get the ball faster, run on makes and misses,” said Jalen Brunson. “Just be who we are and don’t let things are not that important in this moment — it shouldn’t mean we’re not doing the things that we’re supposed to be doing.”
We have more Knicks notes:
- Karl-Anthony Towns took 12 shots in Game 2 and only two in the fourth quarter as the lead the Knicks had built slipped away. In a feature story for ESPN, Vincent Goodwill outlines how Brown and the coaching staff have struggled all season to maximize the star big man on offense but observes that it hasn’t impacted Towns’ desire to continue being a Knick. “He so badly wants things to work here,” a source close to Towns tells ESPN. “He wants to be a Knick for life.”
- Mitchell Robinson isn’t angry about the Hawks employing intentional fouls as a way to force him off the floor. He views it as a sign of respect, Winfield writes. “I mean, yeah, I feel like they want to get me off the court, so I know I’m threatening they ass and it be like that,” Robinson said. Despite being just 2-for-6 from the line through two games, Robinson believes that the work he puts in to practice his free throws will pay off in the end. “Sometimes, it go in; sometimes, it don’t,” he said. “Confidence still high, so still ready to go.” Brown is trying to figure out how to get the defensive-minded center more minutes, but he says it’s been difficult because the two-big lineups with Towns haven’t been effective so far this series, Ian Begley of SNY notes (via Twitter).
- The Knicks have praised Landry Shamet‘s plug-and-play ability all year, but he hit a rough patch towards the end of the season and hasn’t found a way to break out of it so far in the playoffs, Jared Schwartz writes for the New York Post. Shamet shot just 1-for-7 from the field over the first two games of the series, with six of those seven attempts from beyond the arc. The Knicks have struggled to find a stable ball-handler off the bench, as both Shamet and Miles McBride are more comfortable off the ball and have difficulty breaking down defenses off the dribble. Those two were supposed to be New York’s top guard depth, but neither has been able to get going, forcing Brown to turn to Jose Alvarado instead as a source of energy and ball-handling.
Isaac Bonga, Alpha Diallo Have Drawn NBA Interest
Plenty of players in the EuroLeague get checked in on by NBA teams during the course of the season, but two were particularly close to moving to the United States this season, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews: Isaac Bonga and Alpha Diallo.
Bonga, who plays for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia, had interest in returning to the NBA after multiple teams expressed strong interest, Urbonas notes. Because Bonga’s contract, which runs through 2027, didn’t contain an in-season exit clause, Partizan blocked any such move.
While that put an end to his efforts to get to the NBA during the season, Bonga does have an NBA out clause that he could take advantage of during the offseason.
The 2025 Adriatic League Best Defensive Player averaged 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game this season while hitting 36.5% of his threes. Still just 26 years old, Bonga last played in the NBA during the 2021/22 season, when he appeared in 15 games with the Raptors. He played four years in the league, from 2018-22.
According to Urbonas, Diallo was considered one of the best all-around players in the EuroLeague this season. He was voted the Best Defensive Player by EuroLeague general managers after ranking second in steals.
The 6’7″ forward drew the eye of at least one NBA team, Urbonas reports, and while his contract with AS Monaco runs through 2028, he also has an NBA out that could allow him to explore a move during the offseason.
Diallo went unselected in the 2020 draft after playing four years at Providence.
Bucks To Hire Taylor Jenkins As Head Coach
The Bucks are finalizing a contract agreement with Taylor Jenkins and will hire him as their new head coach, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania and Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link).
Milwaukee had been in the market for a new coach after the franchise parted ways with Doc Rivers at the end of the regular season in a split that Rivers stated was “100%” his decision. According to Charania (Twitter link), Jenkins was viewed as a top candidate on the coaching market this spring, with the Bucks high on his track record of player development, culture-setting, and competitiveness.
Even before Rivers’ exit, Jenkins was being linked to Milwaukee, and reporting from The Athletic earlier this week indicated that the two sides had met since Rivers’ departure. Charania says the first meeting happened last week in Memphis before Jenkins and the Bucks met again this Tuesday to engage in more serious discussions about the job.
A former assistant in Atlanta and Milwaukee under Mike Budenholzer, Jenkins was hired in 2019 as the head coach of the Grizzlies. He led the team to a 250-214 (.539) regular season record across nearly six full seasons before being dismissed with only about two weeks left in the 2024/25 campaign.
Although Jenkins helped guide the Grizzlies, who had registered consecutive sub-.500 seasons prior to his hiring, back to the playoffs, the team was never able to get over the hump during his time in Memphis. The Grizzlies advanced to the second round in 2022 but experienced first-round exits in 2021 and 2023. Under Jenkins’ replacement, Tuomas Iisalo, Memphis was also bounced in the first round in 2025 and now appears headed for a rebuild.
Whether the Bucks are headed for a retooling phase of their own remains to be seen, but it’s probably safe to assume that Jenkins accepted the position without a guarantee that Giannis Antetokounmpo will still be on the roster when the 2026/27 season tips off.
Bucks co-owner Wes Edens suggested last month that the superstar forward figures to be either extended or traded within the next year, and that was before a late-season disagreement between Antetokounmpo and the team about his knee injury created even more tension between the two sides. For what it’s worth, Giannis later expressed that he wasn’t thrilled about Edens’ comments either.
Once the Bucks formally finalize a deal with Jenkins, it will leave the Bulls and Pelicans as the two teams actively seeking a new permanent head coach, though more clubs could join that list as the spring progresses.
Northwest Notes: Dundon, Gordon, Nuggets, Wolves, Jazz
The contrast between the on-court and off-court vibes surrounding the Trail Blazers is stark, according to Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who notes that the timing of new ownership’s cost-cutting efforts couldn’t be worse. Competing in the playoffs for the first time in five years, Portland will be looking to take a 2-1 series lead over San Antonio on Friday, but reports about the cutbacks that new team owner Tom Dundon is instituting throughout the organization continue to make headlines.
Appearing on the Pardon My Take podcast this week (Twitter video link), NBA commissioner Adam Silver defended Dundon, pointing out that he just bought the Blazers at a $4.25 billion valuation, one of the largest sale prices in league history, and contending that it’s not fair to call him “cheap.”
“He knows what he’s doing,” Silver said. “And I think his mindset — and I’m just getting to know him — but I don’t think it has as much to do with the cost of the T-shirts or wherever he’s saving money. It’s a mindset on how to run a business. It’s a scrappy approach to, I think, focusing on details, making people feel everything matters. The idea this guy paid one of the highest prices for a professional sports team in history is being called cheap makes absolutely no sense to me. This guy’s a winner. He’s won in everything he’s ever been involved in, so let’s give him an opportunity.”
Here’s more from out of the Northwest:
- The Nuggets have downgraded forward Aaron Gordon from probable to questionable for Thursday’s Game 3 in Minnesota, tweets Brendan Vogt of DNVR Sports. Gordon is experiencing left calf tightness, an issue he also dealt with during the regular season.
- The Nuggets weren’t bothered by Jaden McDaniels‘ post-game remarks after Minnesota’s Game 2 win, per Bennett Durando and Luca Evans of The Denver Post (subscription required). The Timberwolves wing called out several Nuggets players by name and referred to the entire team as “bad defenders,” prompting Denver coach David Adelman to joke that he “can’t wait” for McDaniels’ podcast. “They’ve just been saying a lot. All season. All series,” said Cameron Johnson, one of the players McDaniels named. “So let them talk. Let them get everything they want off their chest. We’re cool with it.”
- Rival teams across the NBA are very curious about the ripple effect the Nuggets/Timberwolves series will have, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). A first-round exit would be a major disappointment for the Nuggets, who have an expensive roster already and will have to resolve Peyton Watson‘s restricted free agency, or the Timberwolves, who were among the teams pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo prior to the deadline and may consider significant roster changes if they’re eliminated early.
- Previewing the Jazz‘s offseason, Keith Smith of Spotrac writes that re-signing restricted free agent Walker Kessler will be the top priority in Utah and suggests that a four-year, $112MM deal might make sense for both sense. Smith also considers what a rookie scale extension for Keyonte George would look like and explains why he doesn’t anticipate an extension for another 2023 draftee, Brice Sensabaugh.
Jalen Williams Out With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain
2:30 pm: Williams has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain and will be reevaluated on a weekly basis, the Thunder announced today.
While it sounds like Williams may not return during the team’s first-round series vs. Phoenix, the good news is that a Grade 1 strain is the mildest form of the injury — it’s less severe than Grade 2 (a partial tear) or Grade 3 (complete tear) and doesn’t require as lengthy a recovery period.
According to Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes (Twitter link), the average time lost due to a Grade 1 hamstring strain is approximately 12.4 days.
6:48 am: The Thunder beat the Suns on Wednesday by a score of 120-107 to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round series, but a third quarter injury put a damper on the victory. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, star forward Jalen Williams left the game and didn’t return after suffering an apparent left hamstring injury.
Williams seemingly tweaked the hamstring when he landed after attempting a layup on a fast break (Twitter video link via ClutchPoints). According to MacMahon, it appeared that the 25-year-old mouthed the words, “Left hammy” before taking an intentional foul moments later so he could check out of the game. He didn’t return and didn’t speak to reporters after the win, but head coach Mark Daigneault provided a brief update during his post-game media session.
“We think he aggravated his left hamstring,” Daigneault said. “We’ll take a look at it in the next couple of days, and we’ll update you guys appropriately.”
After earning All-NBA and All-Defensive honors in 2024/25, Williams has been plagued by health issues in ’25/26. His season debut was delayed as he recovered from wrist surgery and he had a pair of lengthy absences later in the season due to right hamstring issues. Overall, he was limited to 33 regular season appearances.
The defending champion Thunder are one of the league’s deepest teams and did just fine in Williams’ absence, going 39-10 in the games he missed (they were 25-8 when he played). Still, he was off to a great start in the postseason prior to the injury, scoring 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting on Sunday and then pouring in 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting on Wednesday before going down in the third quarter.
Oklahoma City’s chances of defending its title could take a hit if Williams requires an extended recovery period, but it’s not clear yet how serious the injury is.
“Any assumption about time (missed) is just hypothetical at this point, so I’m not going to comment on that,” Daigneault said, per McMahon. “But I thought he was playing great obviously. He was on the gas. He had great force. He was hitting shots. Got really good shots for his teammates, especially early. So yeah, he was playing an outstanding game.”