Lakers Notes: Doncic, Kennard, Game 2, Hayes
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves remain out for the Lakers‘ Game 2 matchup against the Rockets on Tuesday, The Athletic’s Dan Woike notes (via Twitter). This was expected as the star backcourt continues to work its way back from a left hamstring strain and left oblique muscle strain, respectively.
Despite Doncic’s absence, he has been a valuable presence on the bench, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
“I think people don’t know how much impact Luka has, not only on the court, but off the court,” teammate Rui Hachimura said. “He’s a guy that always wants to be around. … We love him just being around, just hanging out, talking. So, yeah, we’re happy that he’s back finally and he’s doing funny things always. … We missed him for sure.”
Turner writes that Doncic was active on the sideline during Game 1, providing both feedback and encouragement to his teammates. He remains without a firm timeline for return.
We have more from the Lakers:
- Lakers’ coach JJ Redick has loved what he’s seen from Luke Kennard, the hero of Game 1. One of his challenges for the elite shooter was sacrificing some of his efficiency for volume, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin notes (Twitter video link). “One of the things messaging-wise was, ‘You shooting six or seven threes a game at 38% for the series is better than you shooting three a game at 45%,‘” Redick said. “It’s unlikely he’ll go five-for-five every game, but I loved his level of aggression.” Teammate Jaxson Hayes says Kennard’s outburst came as no surprise. “I used to grow up watching him drop 40, 50 a game in high school,” Hayes said, per McMenamin (Twitter video link). “I’ve known he’s been able to do all that. I watched him do it.”
- Redick knows the Rockets will come out with desperation in Game 2, and is determined to have his Lakers match the energy they played with in Game 1, Benjamin Royer writes for the OC Register. “Every day requires something different,” he said. “Yesterday required an elevated recovery day. Today required an elevated focus. It was a longer film session. A decent amount of teach, talk on the court beyond just the practice session. Tomorrow is going to require an elevated sense of desperation on our part because they’re going to come in with that.”
- Hayes has been granted a Slovenian passport, per Michael J. Duarte of The California Post (Twitter video link), allowing him to play with Doncic during international play as the Slovenian team’s designated naturalized player. Hayes says that Doncic has been calling him “my Slovenian brother” since the paperwork came through.
Northwest Notes: Edwards, Blazers Vets, Wolves’ Errors, Nuggets Performance
The Timberwolves‘ hopes for evening up the series with the Nuggets hinge primarily on the health of star shooting guard Anthony Edwards, who is listed as questionable for tonight’s game due to ongoing discomfort from runner’s knee. However, there’s reason for optimism, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“Anthony Edwards is gonna be playing tonight,” Charania reports (Twitter video link). “He’s gonna gut through it.”
While the pronouncement was speculative, Charania’s emphatic declaration is a good sign for Wolves fans.
Edwards’ ailment, which is similar to the one Stephen Curry missed time with, causes swelling and pain in the knee and requires rest to heal fully. It became enough of an issue that a platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, injection was needed towards the end of the season to reduce inflammation.
Edwards played 38 minutes in Game 1, scoring 22 points on 19 shots while adding nine rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- Prior to the Trail Blazers‘ Game 1 on Sunday, Jerami Grant hadn’t played a playoff game since the NBA Bubble season of 2019/20. He’s excited to be playing at the highest levels of competition again, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “I miss the playoffs so much,” Grant said at the end of the regular season. “It’s been a long time. Unbelievable. I can never get accustomed to it.” However, things didn’t go according to plan for the Blazers’ veterans in the loss to the Spurs. Jrue Holiday and Grant combined to shoot 6-of-21 from the field. “I didn’t play great,” Grant said, per Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. “There wasn’t really a lot of opportunity out there, but I didn’t play great. I think we’ve all got to be better, make some shots, figure out where we are going to get our shots and just try to execute the game plan better.”
- The Wolves came away from Game 1’s loss to the Nuggets knowing that they left points on the board, Tyler King writes for the Denver Gazette. “It’s a lot of composure issues,” coach Chris Finch said. “We’ve gotta make smarter, more solid plays. We had two turnovers right in the middle of one run back (into the game). We gotta be more composed. Plays like that really hurt you in the playoffs, especially against an experienced team… A lot of self-inflicted wounds.” Finch went on to note the lack of movement off-ball on offense and the team getting stuck playing around the perimeter, but didn’t seem overly concerned. “Road team losing Game 1 on the road is nothing to really worry about, as long as you come out with the right mindset and approach and are sharp,” he said. “Everything flips when you win Game 2 and on goes the series. I would expect our guys to be confident.”
- The Nuggets’ defensive intensity has waxed and waned all season, but it was on full display in their Game 1 victory, Bennett Durando writes for The Denver Post. “They tried to bully us a little bit in the front. We knew that was gonna happen. That’s how this team tries to get under our skin,” Spencer Jones said. “So for us to match it from beginning to end and never give in, and see them be the ones to kind of complain to the refs more than we were — it shows how focused we were.” Nikola Jokic put the strategy even more succinctly, saying, “Just be annoying the whole game.”
Knicks/Hawks Notes: Robinson, Anunoby, Okongwu, Gueye
The Hawks attempted to take Mitchell Robinson out of the equation for the Knicks in Game 1 by employing Hack-A-Mitch, intentionally fouling him to send him to the free-throw line at the expense of New York getting into its offense. After going 1-for-4 from the line, Robinson was pulled from the game after 15 minutes without having recorded a single offensive rebound.
When it comes to how he will approach Robinson’s minutes in tonight’s Game 2, Knicks coach Mike Brown said that the team wasn’t overreacting to the strategy.
“We’ll probably just use a normal rotation, and at the end of the day, he’s gonna get an opportunity, and we’re confident that he’ll knock ’em down,” Brown said. “If we need to make a change, we feel confident with Josh [Hart] going and playing the center. Especially the way we’re playing, it allows us to switch the pick and roll and all that other stuff, so we’re okay with them fouling Mitch if that’s what they want to do.”
Robinson’s rim protection and ability to generate extra possessions on the offensive glass have been a huge part of the Knicks’ success over the last few years.
Brown adds that in some ways, the strategy can work in New York’s favor.
“If they want to start fouling him, that’ll get us closer to the bonus, and so that’s the time for us to go back to him,” he said, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
The Knicks had 30 free throw attempts against 19 Hawks attempts in Game 1, some of which had to do with Atlanta putting itself into the bonus to send Robinson to the line.
We have more from the Knicks/Hawks series:
- OG Anunoby is available to play for the Knicks tonight, James L. Edwards III notes (via Twitter). The 6’8″ wing, who came in 10th in Defensive Player of the Year voting, was a crucial part of New York’s Game 1 victory, scoring 18 points in 38 minutes despite missing some time in the second half after twisting his ankle.
- Onyeka Okongwu is also available for the Hawks, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (Twitter link), after previously being listed as questionable due to knee inflammation. Okongwu was productive in his minutes in Game 1, scoring 19 points and hitting four of his six threes. His presence is a welcome sight for the Hawks, who are already thin at the center position after the injury to Jock Landale.
- Due to the Hawks‘ aforementioned frontcourt depth, or lack thereof, the team turned to Mouhamed Gueye to be the primary backup center behind Okongwu in Game 1, and he managed to hold his own, Lauren Williams writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While Gueye didn’t put up impressive box score numbers, he didn’t allow Karl-Anthony Towns to bully him down low. Williams writes that with Okongwu dealing with knee inflammation, the Hawks may need Gueye to play more than the 10.5 minutes he saw on Saturday.
Warriors Notes: Kerr, Green, Podziemski, Horford
The Warriors have put the wraps on another season, and now comes a summer of uncertainty. One of the biggest questions surrounding the team is the future of longtime head coach Steve Kerr.
Kerr is not under contract for next season. He signed a two-year extension in 2024, but now faces a team with a much murkier outlook. He recently said that he was unsure of his plans moving forward.
According to Nick Friedell and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, the odds are good that Kerr comes to an agreement with ownership to stay on, though Draymond Green recently expressed his doubts on the matter, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
“I hope he’s our coach next season,” Green said. “You want my opinion? I think not. Just because it feels like that. It felt like that was it.”
Slater writes that Kerr is expected to take the next week or two to make his decision. Friedell also notes (via Twitter) that the sentiment from Golden State’s exit interviews was that the players hope Kerr will be on the sidelines next season.
Slater adds that the team is not interested in a “last dance” with this team and coach, but is looking to come back with a refreshed roster and wants a coach with the energy to match (Twitter video link).
We have more Warriors news:
- Green’s name appeared in trade rumors this season. That is unusual for his tenure in Golden State, but it could also be indicative of questions the Warriors are grappling with. Green has a $27MM player option for next season, and Friedell and Thompson write that the team is waiting to see what the former Defensive Player of the Year decides to do before they entertain the idea of trading him. It has been speculated that he is unlikely to test free agency, but the Warriors are light on tradeable deals, so if they want to change the roster, dealing Green would likely be the easiest way to do so. “I’ve never been so uncertain since earlier in my career in what happens next,” Green said, per Slater. “But I’m truly at a loss now because you don’t know what direction will be next. … I also hope I’m on this team next season. We also don’t know that. Man, if it was, what a run.” Discussing how long he hopes to keep playing on a recent podcast, Green said, “I feel great, and I just want to go until I’m done. I think for me, that’s probably another three years,” per Florito Maniego of NBC Sports.
- Brandin Podziemski is hopeful that he’ll be able to get an extension completed with the Warriors this summer, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports. “I want to be here for the long term,” the 23-year-old guard said. “It’s always special having been the team that drafted you.” Friedell and Thompson indicate that there is a desire from the Warriors’ side to bring Podziemski back, despite a sometimes rocky relationship between the young player and the fanbase.
- After a somewhat disappointing season, Al Horford is going to take some time before deciding if he wants to pick up his player option to stay with the Warriors next season, Friedell reports (via Twitter), adding that the 39-year-old expects to play for at least one more year, but isn’t certain that will be the case. Horford averaged 8.3 points and 4.9 rebounds this season, both career lows.
Victor Wembanyama Named Defensive Player Of The Year
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link). He’s the youngest player in league history to win the award, tweets Shams Charania of ESPN, and is the first player to win it in a unanimous vote, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Wembanyama, who received all 100 first-place votes, led the NBA in total blocked shots (197) and blocks per game (3.1) by a significant margin and ranked second in defensive rebounds per game (11.5) despite playing just 29.2 minutes per night. His 28.5% defensive rebounding percentage was the highest mark in the league among qualified players.
The Spurs star also limited opponents to a 42.0% field goal percentage and anchored the NBA’s third-best defense. San Antonio allowed 103.6 points per 100 possessions when Wembanyama was on the court and gave up 113.7 points per 100 possessions when he sat.
Wembanyama was the favorite to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024/25, but a blood clot prematurely ended his season in February, preventing him playing in the 65 games necessary to qualify for consideration. He missed some time this year due to health issues, but met the 65-game criteria during the final week of the regular season.
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, who previously finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Wembanyama in 2023/24, once again finished as the runner-up to his conference rival for a major award — he earned the second-most votes for Defensive Player of the Year, including 76 second-place votes and 11 for third place. Holmgren ranked second in the NBA in blocks per game (1.9) and was the primary interior presence on a Thunder team that had the league’s No. 1 defensive rating (106.5).
Pistons wing Ausar Thompson was the top Defensive Player of the Year vote-getter among perimeter players, coming in third behind Wembanyama and Holmgren with nine second-place votes and 33 third-place votes. Thompson ranked first in the NBA in steals per game (2.0) despite playing fewer minutes per contest (26.0) than the seven players who ranked right behind him in that category. Detroit was sandwiched between OKC and San Antonio with the league’s second-best defensive rating (108.9).
A total of 13 players showed up on at least one Defensive Player of the Year ballot, with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes rounding out the top five, in that order.
Celtics guard Derrick White, Thunder guard Cason Wallace, Pistons guard Amen Thompson, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Knicks forward OG Anunoby each received multiple votes, while Pistons center Jalen Duren, Warriors forward Draymond Green, and Heat big man Bam Adebayo showed up on one ballot apiece.
The full results can be viewed here (via Twitter).
While Defensive Player of the Year honors can, in some cases, ensure that a player qualifies for a higher maximum salary on his next contract, that won’t be the case for Wembanyama despite the fact that he’ll likely sign a maximum-salary rookie extension with the Spurs during the coming offseason. The Rose Rule criteria will require him to win MVP or DPOY or simply earn an All-NBA spot in 2026/27 in order to qualify for a contract that starts at 30% of the ’27/28 cap (instead of 25%).
Bucks Met With Taylor Jenkins About Coaching Job
The Bucks have met with former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins as they ramp up their search for a new head coach following the departure of Doc Rivers, according to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Jenkins has been considered one of the top targets for Milwaukee since news broke that Rivers would not be returning to the sidelines next season. Jenkins amassed a 250-214 record during his time in Memphis, making the playoffs in four of his six years at the helm. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach for the Bucks after spending five seasons as an assistant in Atlanta.
Amick and Nehm say that no specific contract details were discussed; rather, the meeting’s purpose was to outline the vision for the team’s future. Jenkins is expected to meet with Bucks leadership again in the near future to continue discussing the job.
They add that Jenkins is seen as one of the top candidates on the market this summer, and it’s unclear if he will be patient and explore other options before committing to a team.
One team listed as a potential suitor for his services is the Magic, who have been rumored to be considering parting ways with head coach Jamahl Mosley, though after making the playoffs and winning Game 1 in Detroit, Mosley’s chances of being retained may have improved.
2026 Pre-Lottery NBA Draft Order
The NBA conducted its draft tiebreakers on Monday, further cementing the draft order for 2026. While we’ll have to wait until the May 10 draft lottery to learn the exact order for this year’s event, we now know what most of the 60 selections look like.
Listed below is the pre-lottery 2026 NBA draft order. Each lottery team’s chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick is noted in parentheses. We’ve also included notes for picks whose status remains up in the air depending on the lottery results.
[RELATED: 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Odds]
The second-round draft order for teams with identical regular season records is the inverse of their first-round order. This rule applies even if one club made the playoffs and one didn’t.
We’ll provided an updated list after the May 10 lottery, once the official draft order is set, but here’s the tentative 2026 NBA draft order:
First round
- Washington Wizards (14.0%)
- Indiana Pacers (14.0%)
- The Clippers will receive this pick if it falls out of the top four (47.9%).
- Brooklyn Nets (14.0%)
- Utah Jazz (11.5%)
- Sacramento Kings (11.5%)
- Memphis Grizzlies (9.0%)
- Atlanta Hawks (from Pelicans) (6.8%)
- The Hawks will receive the most favorable of this pick and the Bucks’ pick.
- Dallas Mavericks (6.7%)
- Chicago Bulls (4.5%)
- Milwaukee Bucks (3.0%)
- The Bucks will receive the least favorable of this pick and the Pelicans’ pick.
- Golden State Warriors (2.0%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers) (1.5%)
- Miami Heat (1.0%)
- Charlotte Hornets (0.5%)
- Chicago Bulls (from Trail Blazers)
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Suns)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Sixers)
- Charlotte Hornets (from Magic)
- Toronto Raptors
- San Antonio Spurs (from Hawks)
- Detroit Pistons (from Timberwolves)
- Philadelphia 76ers (from Rockets)
- Atlanta Hawks (from Cavaliers)
- New York Knicks
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Denver Nuggets
- Boston Celtics
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Pistons)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (from Spurs)
- Dallas Mavericks (from Thunder)
Second round
- New York Knicks (from Wizards)
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Pacers)
- Brooklyn Nets
- Sacramento Kings
- This pick would move to No. 35 if the Kings pick higher than the Jazz in the lottery.
- San Antonio Spurs (from Jazz)
- This pick would move to No. 34 if the Kings pick higher than the Jazz in the lottery.
- Los Angeles Clippers (from Grizzlies)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Mavericks)
- This pick would move to No. 38 if the Mavericks pick higher than the Hawks/Bucks (via Pelicans) in the lottery.
- Chicago Bulls (from Pelicans)
- This pick would move to No. 37 if the Mavericks pick higher than the Hawks/Bucks (via Pelicans) in the lottery.
- Houston Rockets (from Bulls)
- Boston Celtics (from Bucks)
- Miami Heat (from Warriors)
- San Antonio Spurs (from Trail Blazers)
- Brooklyn Nets (from Clippers)
- San Antonio Spurs (from Heat)
- Sacramento Kings (from Hornets)
- Orlando Magic
- Phoenix Suns (from Sixers)
- Dallas Mavericks (from Suns)
- Denver Nuggets (from Hawks)
- Toronto Raptors
- Washington Wizards (from Timberwolves)
- Los Angeles Clippers (from Cavaliers)
- Houston Rockets
- Golden State Warriors (from Lakers)
- New York Knicks
- Chicago Bulls (from Nuggets)
- Atlanta Hawks (from Celtics)
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Pistons)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Spurs)
- Washington Wizards (from Thunder)
2026 NBA Draft Lottery Odds
The NBA will be using its current lottery system for the eight – and possibly last – time this year. The format, instituted in 2019, smoothed out the odds for top picks, reducing the league’s worst team’s chance of getting the No. 1 selection from 25.0% to 14.0%.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: NBA Draft Lottery]
The changes had an immediate impact in 2019, when the Pelicans and Grizzlies were tied for the seventh-best lottery odds, but jumped up to No. 1 and 2, respectively, allowing them to land Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. The flattened format has paid off repeatedly for lower lottery teams in recent years, as the Hawks won the No. 1 pick with the 10th-best odds in 2024 and the Mavericks moved up to No. 1 with the 11th-best odds in 2025.
This year’s draft lottery will take place on Sunday, May 10.
With the help of data from Tankathon.com – which is worth checking out for all sorts of draft-related info – the draft lottery odds for 2026 are listed in the chart below.
The numbers in the chart indicate percentages, so the Wizards‘ pick, for instance, has a 14% chance of becoming the No. 1 selection and a 47.9% chance of ending up at No. 5. If a team’s odds are listed as >0, that percentage is below 0.1%. Odds are rounded to the nearest decimal place.
Here’s the full chart:
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 47.9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| IND* | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 27.8 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| BKN | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 14.8 | 26 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| UTA | 11.5 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11 | 7.5 | 27.1 | 17.9 | 2.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| SAC | 11.5 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11 | 2 | 18.2 | 25.5 | 8.5 | 0.6 | – | – | – | – | – |
| MEM | 9 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 9.6 | – | 8.6 | 29.7 | 20.6 | 3.7 | 0.2 | – | – | – | – |
| NOP* | 6.8 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 7.9 | – | – | 19.8 | 35.6 | 13.8 | 1.4 | >0 | – | – | – |
| DAL | 6.7 | 7 | 7.4 | 7.8 | – | – | – | 32.9 | 31.1 | 6.6 | 0.4 | >0 | – | – |
| CHI | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.7 | – | – | – | – | 50.8 | 25.9 | 3 | 0.1 | >0 | – |
| MIL* | 3 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | 65.9 | 19 | 1.2 | >0 | >0 |
| GSW | 2 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 77.6 | 12.6 | 0.4 | >0 |
| LAC* | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 86.1 | 6.7 | 0.1 |
| MIA | 1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 92.9 | 2.3 |
| CHA | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 97.6 |
Notes:
- The Pacers‘ pick will be sent to the Clippers if it lands outside the top four.
- The most favorable of the Pelicans‘ and Bucks‘ picks will be sent to the Hawks.
- The least favorable of the Pelicans‘ or Bucks‘ picks will end up with the Bucks.
- The Clippers‘ pick will be sent to the Thunder.
The full pre-lottery draft order can be viewed here.
2026 NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results
Tiebreakers among teams with identical regular-season records were broken on Monday through random drawings to determine the order for this year’s draft prior to the lottery.
The NBA has posted a video of the tiebreaking procedure (Twitter link). The results are as follows, according to a press release from the league (Twitter link):
- Utah Jazz (No. 4) over Sacramento Kings (No. 5)
- The Jazz’s pick will land in the top eight, meaning their obligation to the Thunder will be extinguished.
- New Orleans Pelicans (No. 7) over Dallas Mavericks (No. 8)
- The Pelicans will get one more lottery ball combination (out of 1,000) than the Mavericks.
- The Pelicans’ pick will be sent to the Hawks (if it’s more favorable than Milwaukee’s) or Bucks (if it’s not).
- Phoenix Suns (No. 16) over Philadelphia 76ers (No. 17) over Orlando Magic (No. 18)
- The Suns’ pick will be sent to the Grizzlies.
- The Sixers’ pick will be sent to the Thunder.
- The Magic’s pick will be sent to the Hornets.
- Toronto Raptors (No. 19) over Atlanta Hawks (No. 20)
- The Hawks’ pick will be sent to the Spurs.
- Houston Rockets (No. 22) over Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 23)
- The Rockets’ pick will be sent to the Sixers.
- The Cavaliers’ pick will be sent to the Hawks.
- New York Knicks (No. 24) over Los Angeles Lakers (No. 25)
While the tiebreaker winner will pick ahead of the loser(s) in the first round, that order will be flipped in the second round.
For instance, the Magic’s second-round pick will be at No. 46, followed by the Sixers’ pick (traded to Phoenix) at No. 47, and the Suns’ second-rounder (traded to the Mavericks) at No. 48 — that’s the opposite of their order in the first round.
For lottery teams that finished with identical records, the second-round order is still to be determined depending on the lottery results.
For example, if the Jazz’s first-round pick stays at No. 4 and the Kings’ first-rounder stays at No. 5, Sacramento’s second-round pick would be at No. 34 and Utah’s (traded to San Antonio) would be at No. 35. But if the Kings win the No. 1 overall pick on lottery night, moving ahead of Utah in the first round, then the Jazz’s second-round pick (to San Antonio) would be No. 34, while Sacramento would move down to No. 35.
We’ll publish the full lottery odds and pre-lottery draft order for 2026 later today.
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Backcourt, Oubre, Game 2 Tweaks
The Sixers were missing Joel Embiid in their Game 1 loss to the Celtics, but he is working to get back on the floor after a bout of appendicitis that required surgery earlier in the month, Adam Aaronson writes for the Philly Voice.
According to the Sixers, Embiid has begun a strength and conditioning program in an effort to return to play, but he remains without a definitive timeline.
While the former MVP dealt with a variety of ailments this year, his presence has been crucial for the Sixers, who went 24-14 with him this season, compared to their 21-23 record without him. Embiid holds career playoff averages of 25.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 15 career playoff games against the Celtics.
Aaronson notes that while Philadelphia still hopes that Embiid will suit up in the first round, it would likely take the team extending the series past four games to make that happen.
We have more news from the Sixers:
- Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have established a close-knit chemistry throughout their first season together, writes Gina Mizell of the Philly Inquirer. They have managed to form a playful bond while simultaneously holding each other accountable and pushing each other to improve. “We’re hard on each other, and then we also understand,” Edgecombe said about their occasional on-court spats. “Every time he has something to say, I know it’s always coming from a place of love.” Maxey called the rookie his “little brother,” while Edgecombe said he hopes the duo will go down in the history books together.
- It took a while for Kelly Oubre Jr. to find his ideal NBA path, but with the Sixers, he has blossomed into a more mature, well-rounded veteran, Mizell writes. Head coach Nick Nurse often praises the athletic wing for his ability to fill whatever role is needed, which Nurse said is crucial, especially given the lineup insecurity the team has faced over the last couple of years.
- After losing Game 1 to Boston by 32 points in a game they never led, the Sixers will need to make some adjustments if they want a chance to steal a game on the road, Aaronson writes. Cutting down on unforced errors, especially communication breakdowns on defense that lead to open looks for Celtics shooters, will be paramount. The team also needs either Edgecombe or Paul George to step up and take the role of secondary scorer behind Maxey. George told Maxey after Game 1 that the Sixers hadn’t made the Celtics feel like it was a playoff game, allowing them to get comfortable early and not doing anything to make them uncomfortable, according to Tony Jones at The Athletic.