Hornets GM Peterson Talks Offseason, White, Mann, Lee
Although the Hornets were blown out by Orlando in last Friday’s do-or-die play-in game, there are plenty of reasons for optimism in Charlotte entering the 2026 offseason. The team finished the season on a 33-15 run, has a promising core of young players, and is in position to continue adding to its roster.
As Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer notes, the Hornets have a favorable cap situation, control two first-round picks in this year’s draft, and have a surplus of additional first- and second-round picks going forward. In other words, the front office is well-positioned to take a big swing on the trade market this summer if the right opportunity arises.
Still, president of basketball operations and general manager Jeff Peterson said in his end-of-season press conference on Monday that he’s wary of trying to take shortcuts to contention.
“We can’t skip steps,” Peterson said. “Again, I’ve seen it too many times and it ends up not going the way that you think it goes, in terms of trying to speed things up. Look, we’ve made a ton of progress this season internally, and I’m excited because I know that’s going to continue to happen. But we’ll continue to be strategic and when the opportunity presents itself, I know we’ll be ready because of the flexibility that we have.”
The Hornets’ own first-round pick will likely end up at No. 14 — there’s just a 2.4% chance it jumps into the top four. They also own the No. 18 pick, giving them a pair of top-20 selections in a draft that’s considered particularly strong.
“I’m very excited about this draft,” Peterson said, per Boone. “It’s if not the deepest, one of the deepest that I’ve ever been a part of. A lot of good players all over the draft, of course. But again, where we are from an asset standpoint, it’s going to allow us to be flexible. So whether that means we bring two players in, consolidate, we’ll have different options that we’ll continue to explore and look at.
“But I’m excited for whoever we bring in because I know that it’s going to be someone who is a Hornet, and about what we’re about and at some point will contribute to what we are building here.”
Peterson also addressed several other Hornets-related topics ahead of an important offseason for the organization. Here are a few more highlights, via Boone:
On the team’s desire to re-sign guard Coby White after acquiring him at the trade deadline:
“Like I said when we traded for Coby, we envisioned him as somebody who’s going to be with the Hornets for a long time. He embodies what we’re about in terms of just of course on the court he’s a really, really good player. But the human being, his approach, his professionalism … I’m just happy for him what he’s been able to accomplish in this short amount of time. I’m excited to see what this offseason looks like. He gets a full off season with us and then going into next season as well.”
On a disappointing year for guard Tre Mann in the first season of his new three-year, $24MM contract:
“He certainly didn’t have the season that he wanted to. I think he’d be the first to admit that. At the same time, I do want to applaud him. I told him just, it’s not easy to come to work every day and be excited, even though you’re winning, because we’re all competitors. He wasn’t individually having the season that he wanted to have. But he was always there for his teammates. He was always cheering them on.
“He would speak up when he needed to speak up, and he continued to work. So, he’s a guy that I know feels like he’s going to have a huge summer. We talked about that. And I don’t have any doubt in my mind that he’s going to do everything in his power to be ready to go next season and contribute.”
On the job Charles Lee has done as the Hornets’ head coach:
“Charles and his entire staff, I think they did a tremendous job. I appreciate a lot about Charles, but the one thing that I would highlight is Charles is the same every day. So when we were 4-14, he’s coming in and preaching the exact same things as when we won our 43rd game. He has a great way about him in terms of being able to coach the guys hard and hold them accountable. And at the same time, love them and invite them over for dinner and go to coffee with them, things like that. It’s important also to realize this is his second year, so he’s developing. I think he did a great job, though, in terms of leading us to where we ultimately got to.”
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.
NBA Announces Finalists For 2025/26 Awards
The NBA has announced the finalists for this season’s major awards, including Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Clutch Player of the Year.
The MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year finalists were announced at halftime of the NBC broadcast of Game 1 between the Pistons and Magic, while the league’s official account tweeted the rest.
Most Valuable Player
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
The leaders of the three top teams in the Western Conference all have strong arguments for MVP. Jokic became the first player to lead the league in rebounds and assists per game while also averaging 27.7 points. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31.1 PPG and led the Thunder to the league’s best record despite the fact that multiple starters missed substantial time this season. Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game while emerging as a lock for Defensive Player of the Year.
Rookie of the Year
- Cooper Flagg (Mavericks)
- Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
- VJ Edgecombe (Sixers)
This race is expected to come down to the former Duke teammates. Knueppel played a key role for a resurgent Hornets squad, becoming the first rookie to lead the league in made three-pointers while averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in 81 appearances. Flagg’s Mavs finished well out of the postseason picture, but he showed massive star upside, averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 4.5 APG while scoring at least 42 points in four separate games. Edgecombe averaged 35.0 minutes per game over 75 contests, posting a well-rounded 16.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 4.2 APG.
Coach of the Year
- Joe Mazzulla (Celtics)
- J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
- Mitch Johnson (Spurs)
Mazzulla and Bickerstaff each led massively overperforming teams that managed to dominate the Eastern Conference despite having players in and out of the lineup all year. Johnson helped navigate a tricky guard rotation and spacing issues as the Spurs posted the second-best record in the league.
Defensive Player of the Year
- Chet Holmgren (Thunder)
- Ausar Thompson (Pistons)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Wembanyama is the overwhelming favorite to win this award, ranking first in total blocks, blocks per game, defensive rating, and defensive rebounding percentage this season. Holmgren was second in blocks per game for the league’s top defense, while Thompson proved himself to be arguably the best perimeter defender in the league with his combination of off-ball defensive play-making and point-of-attack dominance.
Most Improved Player
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Hawks)
- Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers)
- Jalen Duren (Pistons)
Both Avdija and Duren were first-time All-Stars this season, while Alexander-Walker earned a starting spot on his new team and raised his scoring from 9.4 points per game last season to 20.8 PPG this season on .459/.399/.902 shooting splits, all career high percentages.
Sixth Man of the Year
- Tim Hardaway Jr. (Nuggets)
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat)
- Keldon Johnson (Spurs)
Hardaway cracked 40% from three this season for the first time in his career while shooting 6.9 attempts in his 26.6 minutes per game. Most importantly for the injury-plagued Nuggets, he played 80 games, including six starts, and was the team’s fifth-highest scorer. Jaquez had an impressively well-rounded contribution off the bench, posting career-highs of 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Johnson was a crucial scoring hub for the Spurs bench units while adding offensive pop when the starters struggled to score.
Clutch Player of the Year
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Edwards ranked first and second, respectively, in clutch scoring per game, while Murray was second in total clutch points behind the Thunder star and shot the most efficiently from three of the guards.
Brett Siegel of Clutch Points notes (via Twitter) that the awards will be announced in the coming days and weeks, starting with Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, April 20.
Hornets Notes: Lee, Physicality, LaMelo, Knueppel, Offseason
There were several positive developments in 2025/26 for the Hornets, who improved from 19 to 44 wins and had the best net rating in the NBA from the start of January through the end of the regular season.
Still, as Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, the team extended its playoff drought to a league-worst 10 straight years as a result of Friday’s drubbing at Orlando. Head coach Charles Lee said the Hornets need to learn from the loss and use it as motivation for the future.
“You’re one step away from being in the playoffs, so I don’t want to discredit that,” Lee said, “but this has got to hurt a little bit. And you’ve got to think about this offseason. When you’re in the weight room, when you’re on the court. What am I going to do to go that extra mile to get even better, because we had a ton of growth this year.
“I don’t want those guys to lose sight of the positives that they did do. I think that the resilience of the team, the competitiveness, the togetherness continue to grow. And we earned an opportunity to be right there. So, ton of good, but that was not our best effort.”
Lee referred to ’25/26 as a “stepping stone” for the Hornets, Boone adds.
“Let this fuel you,” Lee said. “But also don’t take for granted the fact that you guys earned a ton of respect from everyone throughout the league with how hard you played, how well you played. And I think that they also helped build another stepping stone for this organization.”
Here’s more from Charlotte:
- “Physicality” was a constant theme throughout the team’s exit interviews on Saturday after the Hornets were pushed around by the Magic, according to Boone. Both Lee and LaMelo Ball said getting stronger will be an area of emphasis for the former All-Star point guard. “Being able to handle physicality,” Lee said. “I think that’s just a global theme for our team. I have to figure out how to help them in that regard, but then we also have to figure out how do we have the physical toughness? Which is a lot of weight room. And then I think some of it is also just the mental execution of how to best combat it. What play do we need to run? How fast do we need to play? What are some of the basketball situations? So a lot of that will follow Melo, because he’s one of our primary ball-handlers. But then it gets spread around to the whole team, too.”
- Kon Knueppel played exceptionally well for most of ’25/26 after being selected fourth overall in last year’s draft, but he struggled down the stretch, especially in the team’s two play-in games, Boone observes. The Rookie of the Year candidate didn’t make any excuses for his late-season slump. “Yeah, no excuses,” said Knueppel, who appeared in 83 of Charlotte’s 84 games. “I just didn’t make a lot of shots. I shot really well throughout the year and you just got to the point in the last week of the season, the last two weeks of the season, just didn’t shoot it great. Sometimes that’s how it rolls. Obviously, there are some big games and you want to be able to shoot it well and you want to have your best stuff. I just didn’t have it. So, it’s frustrating. It is a long season. It’s my first time doing it, so some of that I think is a learning experience, just how to keep yourself fresh because these seasons are long. I haven’t had any off time since last college season, and so I’m looking forward to some rest. But it’ll be something I think about for sure, going forward, just one of the best ways to manage that come out ready to go next year.” Lee said he wants to see the former Duke wing become a more vocal leader, and Knueppel agreed that it was “definitely an area of improvement.”
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks previews the Hornets’ offseason, writing that re-signing Coby White and adding another prospect to their young core with their lottery pick will be top priorities. Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges will all be extension-eligible this summer, Marks notes.
Magic, Suns Advance; NBA’s Playoff Field Set
After losing their first play-in games earlier in the week, the Magic and Suns bounced back in impressive fashion on Friday, winning home games against the Hornets and Warriors, respectively, to clinch their spots in the playoffs. Orlando and Phoenix will enter the first round as No. 8 seeds, with the Magic taking on Detroit in round one and the Suns facing Oklahoma City.
The Magic ran out to a 22-point lead by the end of the first quarter in Friday’s early game and expanded that cushion to 31 points by the end of the second quarter. Their defense set the tone early by allowing the Hornets to make just 5-of-20 (25.0%) shots from the floor in the first period and 13-of-41 (31.7%) in the first half. Orlando maintained that significant lead in the second half, winning by a score of 121-90.
“When you play with a sense of desperation and urgency, when you know you’re either going home or extending your season, that’s what it looks like,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “There (are) no second chances.”
Paolo Banchero contributed 25 points and a team-high six assists to lead a balanced offensive attack that saw all five of the Magic’s starters score in double-digits. Franz Wagner added 18 points and matched Banchero’s six assists, while Desmond Bane was a team-best plus-30 in his 35 minutes of action despite scoring just 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
In the late game, the Suns emulated the Magic by building a big lead in the first quarter, though Phoenix gave most of that 18-point edge in the second quarter before putting the win away in the second half by a score of 111-96.
Suns guard Jalen Green, who struggled in his first taste of playoff action with Houston a year ago, was excellent in this week’s play-in games, scoring 35 points in Tuesday’s loss and then pouring in 36 more in Friday’s win over Golden State. Green made 14-of-20 shots, including 8-of-14 from beyond the arc, and also contributed six rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals. His eight three-pointers matched a career high.
The Suns also did an admirable job holding Warriors star Stephen Curry in check after he went off for 35 points in Wednesday’s win over the Clippers. Curry made just 4-of-16 shots from the field in Phoenix and had as many turnovers as assists (four apiece).
The Suns and Thunder will tip off their series in Oklahoma City at 3:30 pm Eastern time on Sunday, with Game 1 of the Magic/Pistons matchup to follow in Detroit at 6:30 pm.
While Phoenix and Orlando will enter the series as massive underdogs, their regular season results against their first-round opponents offer a sliver of hope — the Suns went 2-3 against the Thunder, while the Magic went 2-2 vs. the Pistons.
Injury Notes: Edwards, Diabate, Quickley, Bryant
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is officially listed as questionable for Saturday’s Game 1 at Denver, the team announced (via Twitter). The former No. 1 overall pick’s injury designation is right knee injury maintenance.
While Edwards’ status suggests he may or may not play tomorrow, he was doing on-court work after Friday’s practice, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link). Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic “fully expects” the 24-year-old shooting guard to suit up on Saturday (Twitter link).
Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- Starting center Moussa Diabate (left hip soreness) has been upgraded from questionable to available for Friday’s contest at Orlando, the Hornets announced (Twitter link). As we noted in our poll this morning, the winners of tonight’s play-in games will advance as the No. 8 seeds in their respective conferences, with the losers being eliminated from postseason contention.
- Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley is questionable for Game 1 at Cleveland on Saturday, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Quickley, who was already battling right foot plantar fasciitis, strained his right hamstring in Toronto’s regular season finale vs. Brooklyn on April 12. The 26-year-old said he wasn’t sure if the injuries were related, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). “Just day-to-day. Trying to take care of myself so I can be back on the floor with my teammates,” Quickley said.
- Cavaliers backup center Thomas Bryant, who missed the last four games of the regular season due to a left calf strain, has been ruled out of Saturday’s game vs. Toronto, per the league’s official injury report. The veteran big man, a free agent this summer, averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game across 60 appearances in 2025/26. His shooting slash line was .506/.359/.803.
J.B. Bickerstaff Wins Coaches Association Award
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has won the Michael H. Goldberg award for the 2025/26 season, earning Coach of the Year honors from the National Basketball Coaches Association, according to a press release.
This award, introduced in 2017 and named after longtime NBCA executive director Michael H. Goldberg, is voted on by the NBA’s 30 head coaches, none of whom can vote for himself.
It isn’t the NBA’s official Coach of the Year award, which is voted on by media members and is represented by the Red Auerbach Trophy. The winner of that award will be announced later this spring.
Bickerstaff has guided the Pistons to a remarkable turnaround since taking over as their head coach during the 2024 offseason. Coming off the worst season in franchise history, Detroit improved from 14-68 to 44-38 in Bickerstaff’s first year at the helm, then took another huge step forward in 2025/26, finishing the season with a 60-22 record. It was just the third 60-win season in team history and the first in two decades.
The Pistons had the NBA’s second-best defensive rating (108.9) and tied with the Spurs for the league’s No. 2 overall net rating (+8.4) in 2025/26, despite missing leading scorer Cade Cunningham for 18 games.
The NBCA Coach of the Year award has frequently been a bellwether for the NBA’s Coach of the Year honor, which bodes well for Bickerstaff. In seven of the nine years since the award’s inception, the winner has gone on to be named the NBA’s Coach of the Year, including in 2025 when Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers won both awards.
Still, there’s a crowded field of candidates for Coach of the Year. The NBCA noted within its release that seven different coaches earned votes for its award, “reflecting the depth of coaching excellence in the NBA this season.”
Besides Bickerstaff, Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Mitch Johnson (Spurs), Charles Lee (Hornets), Joe Mazzulla (Celtics), Quin Snyder (Hawks), and Tiago Splitter (Trail Blazers) each received at least one vote from their fellow coaches for this year’s NBCA award.
Poll: Who Will Win Friday’s Play-In Games?
The final two spots in the 2026 NBA playoff field are up for grabs on Friday night, with two teams in the East and two teams in the West vying for the No. 8 seed in their respective conferences.
In Friday’s early game, it’ll be the Hornets, coming off a thrilling overtime victory over Miami, visiting the Magic, who lost on Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Although Orlando has home court advantage, Charlotte has looked like the better team for months. From January 3 through the end of the regular season, the Hornets posted a 33-15 record with a +10.7 net rating, while Orlando went 26-21 with a +0.2 mark. The Magic have struggled to consistently play the kind of basketball they believe they’re capable of, with their once-vaunted defense not doing enough to make up for a mediocre offense.
Given that context, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Hornets are viewed as the safer bet to win on Friday — most sportsbooks are listing them as 3.5-point favorites.
Still, Tuesday’s play-in game vs. Miami, which Charlotte barely eked out despite the Heat missing Bam Adebayo for most of the night, provided a reminder of the team’s Achilles heels.
The Hornets led the NBA in three-pointers made (16.4 per game) during the regular season, but they’re prone to streakiness. After finishing first and second in threes by a comfortable margin during the regular season, Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball made just 2-of-22 shots from beyond the arc on Tuesday, which allowed Miami to stick around without Adebayo. This also isn’t a roster heavy on postseason experience — a late-game turnover from Ball in overtime against the Heat nearly cost the Hornets that game, and it’ll be interesting to see how poised the young Hornets are on the road on Friday.
Friday’s late game with be another showdown between a pair of division rivals, as the Suns host the Warriors in Phoenix.
Unlike Orlando, the Suns overachieved this season relative to outside expectations, but like the Magic, their inconsistent play during the second half of the season has jeopardized their chances of securing a playoff spot. Phoenix’s offense relies heavily on star guard Devin Booker, but he has struggled mightily in fourth quarters since the All-Star break, as John Voita III of Bright Side of The Sun details (via Twitter).
It feels like Golden State has more momentum entering Friday’s game. The Warriors have been revitalized by Stephen Curry‘s return from a knee injury, and he and forward Draymond Green turned in vintage performances in Wednesday’s road win over the Clippers, with Curry providing the offensive heroics (35 points, seven three-pointers), while Green’s smothering defense on Kawhi Leonard helped secure the victory for the Dubs. Golden State also won its season series with the Suns, taking three of four games.
Still, the Warriors will enter Friday night as the underdogs. The Suns are widely listed as three-point favorites, with home court advantage presumably viewed as a potential difference-maker — Phoenix was 25-16 at Mortgage Matchup Center during the regular season, while Golden State’s regular season mark away from home was 15-26.
It’s worth noting that injuries could also be a factor in Friday’s late game. Besides missing two players (Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody) due to longer-term injuries, the Warriors will also be without Quinten Post (right foot injury management) and have listed Kristaps Porzingis as questionable due to right ankle soreness. Grayson Allen (left hamstring strain) and Mark Williams (left foot soreness) are considered questionable to play for the Suns. Even if Porzingis, Allen, and Williams all suit up, they likely won’t be at 100%.
We want to know what you think. Will the Magic and Suns bounce back from losses earlier this week and take care of business at home to advance to the playoffs? Or will the Hornets and Warriors ride their momentum – from a strong second half and Curry’s return, respectively – right into the first round?
Vote in our poll below, then head to the comment section to share your predictions!
Who will win Friday's play-in games?
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Charlotte Hornets and Golden State Warriors 47% (326)
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Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns 24% (164)
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Orlando Magic and Golden State Warriors 18% (126)
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Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns 11% (78)
Total votes: 694
Southeast Notes: Diabate, Magic, Snyder, AD, Wizards
The Hornets could be missing their starting center when they play at Orlando on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Moussa Diabate is questionable to suit up for the elimination game due to left hip soreness, Charlotte announced (via Twitter).
A French big man, Diabate recorded eight points, 14 rebounds and a block in 36 minutes during Tuesday’s play-in victory over Miami. The 24-year-old averaged 7.9 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.0 BPG in 73 appearances this season (26.0 MPG).
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- The Magic are looking to bounce back on Friday after dropping Wednesday’s play-in game at Philadelphia, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando won its October 30 matchup with the Hornets by 16 points, but lost its final three regular season contests against Charlotte by 15, 27, and 19 points. “They’ve kicked our ass this year,” Paolo Banchero said about the Hornets. “So we’ve got to be ready. I’ve got to be ready. And we’ve got to be locked in from the jump. I thought we played hard (Wednesday), but it wasn’t enough. And so it’s going to take even more of an effort, and it’s going to take me playing better, as well, for us to get the win.”
- Head coach Quin Snyder deserves kudos for helping the Hawks turn their season around, according to Ken Segiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). The Hawks made multiple big trades that reshaped their roster after injuries foiled their offseason plans, but they closed out the regular season by going 20-6 after the All-Star break, the third-best mark in the NBA over that span. “He’s done a great job just adjusting to the personnel,” guard CJ McCollum said of Snyder. “We’ve changed and really looked at our team, how we play, how certain guys’ games have evolved over the course of the season, which also happens. We’ve added stuff, we’ve taken stuff out, we’ve kind of evaluated what works, what doesn’t work and what’s going to work for this group.”
- Trae Young and Alex Sarr are among the Wizards who have expressed excitement about playing with Anthony Davis in 2026/27, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. “I’ve never played with a player as talented or as special as A.D. is. We haven’t gotten to play on the court yet, but we’ve talked about a lot of things,” Young said. “We talked about what it would look like when we do get on the court together.”
Sixers Clinch Playoff Spot, Will Face Celtics In First Round
The Sixers got 31 points from Tyrese Maxey on Wednesday as they claimed the seventh seed in the East with a 109-97 win over the Magic. Maxey broke open a tight game by scoring seven straight points late in the fourth quarter to give Philadelphia a victory in front of its home fans. Orlando lost the opportunity to host the play-in matchup by falling to Boston on Sunday in the final game of the regular season.
Sixers players got a pregame surprise as Joel Embiid greeted them in locker room for the first time since undergoing an emergency appendectomy last week in Houston, according to Dan Gelston of The Associated Press. There’s still no timetable for Embiid to return, but he felt well enough to watch Wednesday’s game from the bench.
Adem Bona got the start at center in place of Embiid, but veteran Andre Drummond had the more effective night, according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. Drummond finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals and three blocks in nearly 32 minutes and helped to offset Orlando’s natural advantage on the boards. Drummond also went 2-of-3 from three-point range, and Neubeck observes that he has become more comfortable knocking down corner threes.
Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds in his first postseason appearance and pushed the ball on the fast break several times in an otherwise slow game, Neubeck adds. He noted that Orlando’s vaunted defensive guards had trouble keeping up with Edgecombe when he reached full speed.
“I was tweaking a little bit tonight,” Edgecombe said (Twitter video link). “… I guess that happens when you let a kid play in such a high intensity game. I was out there having fun. If I gotta play wild for us to win, I’ll play wild.”
The Sixers’ victory sets up a first-round series against the Celtics, with Game 1 set for 1:00 pm ET on Sunday. The NBA announced that this will be the 23rd playoff meeting between the two teams, making it the most frequent matchup in the league’s postseason history.
The Magic will host the Hornets at 7:30 pm ET on Friday with the No. 8 seed in the East up for grabs. The winner will face the Pistons in the first round with the opening game set for 6:30 pm ET on Sunday.