Rockets Notes: Late Collapse, Udoka, Durant, Sengun
The Rockets squandered a six-point regulation lead with less than 30 seconds remaining in Game 3 of their series with the Lakers on Friday night. Houston then lost in overtime to fall behind 3-0 in the first-round matchup. Head coach Ime Udoka let loose on his team afterward.
“Horrendous mistakes,” he said, per Kristie Rieken of The Associated Press. “I don’t know if you want to say youth or scared of the moment or whatever the case.”
With Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet, and Steven Adams injured and inactive, the Rockets were relying on several players without a ton of playoff experience. However, Udoka didn’t view that as an excuse after his team committed two turnovers and fouled a three-point shooter down the stretch.
“Grow up,” he said. “You’re not that young anymore.”
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- Durant sat out for the second time in the series. The official reason for his latest absence was a left ankle sprain suffered in Game 2. “Obviously, it’s different when he’s not on the floor. He’s a tremendous scorer. He can draw so much attention to himself when he’s out there,” guard Reed Sheppard said, per Will Guillory of The Athletic. “It sucks not having him out there. But at the end of the day, it’s our job to go out there and fight and compete and win. That’s what we’ve got to do in the next four (games).” Durant’s status for Game 4 is undetermined. “Up in the air,” Udoka said. “I think we made some progress in the last few days, but we’ll see how that [goes] with only one day in between.”
- Alperen Sengun‘s monster performance – 33 points and 16 rebounds – was wasted in Game 3. “It wasn’t enough,” he said, per Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle. “I guess I could do more with some defensive possessions, some missed shots still. I still did a good job, but it wasn’t enough, so I’ve got to come back better Sunday.”
- Durant would like to be a part-owner of an NBA or NBA Europe franchise after he retires, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Sole owner? No. But you can definitely be a part of a group,” Durant said. “I wouldn’t say a player could have full control. (LeBron James), maybe. It has to be one of those types of players. Steph (Curry), ’Bron, myself. It takes players that have been in the league for a while, that have relationships, that are building businesses off the floor. You got to have a lot of capital to buy an NBA team. I’m not banking on it, but I’d love for it to happen.”
Pistons Notes: Defense, Green, Thompson, Jenkins, Sasser
The Pistons’ game plan is generally the same for each game — play suffocating defense and take the starch out of the opposition. That’s what happened in Game 2 of their first-round series against No. 8 seed Orlando. The Pistons are now on the road for a pivotal Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
“It was five guys out there, collectively flying around, playing with effort, making extra efforts, rebounding the basketball, creating turnovers, and that led to our offense,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “It’s who we are and who we’ve been and that’s what our focus is. Again, give Orlando credit, they are a good basketball team. We have to make sure that we’re focused and doing the things that we’ve done and I thought that third quarter was an example of that and our ability to turn defense to offense.”
Their defensive effort has held Desmond Bane, the Magic’s major offseason acquisition, in check. Bane is shooting 29 percent from the floor in the series.
“It’s a lot of guys, and a lot of bodies,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s no one-on-one situations for him, it’s always one-on-fives. Obviously, Ausar (Thompson) has taken on a lot of that responsibility, but a lot of guys have done a great job of executing what we’re trying to do from a game plan standpoint and not giving them anything easy.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Javonte Green appeared in all 82 regular season games and he’s been a key component off the bench in the series. Green has only attempted one shot in each game but he’s been a defensive force. In Game 2, he blocked three shots and made a steal while guarding multiple positions. “(Green)’s been that way all year for us,” Bickerstaff said, per Coty Davis of the Detroit News. “In that game, his effort on the defensive end of the floor, with the plays that he can make, is special. He has the ability to challenge shots and do hard things over and over again. He makes amazing plays with his athleticism, but he’s very thoughtful in the game, too. He is also very thorough and understands where the spots will be for him to make plays.” Green will be a free agent again after the season — he signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal last August.
- Thompson finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year balloting and has put his defensive prowess on display against Bane while contributing in other areas. “You don’t meet many players who can cover ground, and then if there’s a play that needs to be had at the rim, can also be a secondary rim protector for you as well,” assistant coach Jarrett Jack told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “Whether he’s hawking the ball, making it tough for guys, eating up clock coming up the basketball court or if he’s in space, (he’s unique).”
- Not only are Daniss Jenkins and Marcus Sasser the point guard backups to Cade Cunningham, they’re also childhood friends. They grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area but didn’t get a chance to play together until Jenkins joined the Pistons, as Jeff Zillgitt of NBA.com details. “It’s definitely a dream come true because we wanted to go to the same high school, but it did not end up happening,” Sasser said. “And then we wanted to go to the same college. He was going to transfer to Houston, but it couldn’t happen. Now it’s crazy that we were able to finally get it at the highest level where everyone could see it.”
- Jalen Duren finished second in the voting for the league’s Most Improved Player. Get the details here.
Potential Lottery Pick Aday Mara Testing Draft Waters
University of Michigan center Aday Mara has decided to enter his name in this year’s draft but will maintain his college eligibility, Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Mara, a potential lottery pick, played a major role in the Wolverines’ national championship season as their starting big man after transferring from UCLA. Mara came off the bench in two seasons with the Bruins but started 39 of 40 games for Michigan, averaging 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.4 assists in 23.4 minutes per game. Mara ramped up his production in the tournament, averaging 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 blocks.
Mara, a 7’3” native of Spain, shot 66.8 percent from the field but just 56.4 percent from the free throw line. He is ranked No. 14 overall on ESPN’s big board.
Mara joins college teammate Yaxel Lendeborg, a fifth-year senior this past season, as potential lottery selections. Wolverines forward Morez Johnson and point guard Elliot Cadeau have also declared for the draft while maintaining their college eligibility.
The early entry deadline to enter the draft has now expired. All reported early entrants into the draft can be found here. It’s possible that some unreported or unannounced entrants will be added once the NBA releases its official list, which is expected to occur sometime early next week.
Early entrants who are testing the draft waters have until May 27 to withdraw their names if they want to retain the rest of their NCAA eligibility.
Joe Ingles Plans To Join Melbourne United Next Season
Timberwolves wing Joe Ingles is still in the NBA playoffs but he’s already made plans to play in his native Australia in 2026/27. Ingles is expected to finish his career there by signing with Melbourne United for the next National Basketball League (NBL) season, multiple sources told ESPN’s Olgun Uluc.
Ingles is currently playing on a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal with Minnesota, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Uluc reported earlier this month that Ingles was aiming to return to Australia and was drawing interest from both Melbourne-based teams — United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix. The Adelaide 36ers were also among his suitors. Ingles began his professional career in the NBL with the now-defunct South Dragons in 2006.
Ingles has represented his country for many years on the international stage, suiting up for the Australian Boomers in five Olympics, including Paris in 2024.
He will be 39 by the time the 2026/27 NBL season begins but with his NBA experience, elite three-point shooting, positional size, and ability as a creator, he could still have an impact in the Australian league.
Ingles has been at the end of the Timberwolves’ bench for the last two seasons, appearing in 19 games in 2024/25 and 27 in ’25/26. He never played more than nine minutes in his first 25 appearances this season before an April 8 stint against Orlando in which he contributed seven points, four rebounds and four assists. He got a chance to play 32 minutes against New Orleans in the regular season finale and racked up 15 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
Ingles made a cameo in Minnesota’s Game 3 victory over Denver on Thursday that gave the Timberwolves a 2-1 in the first-round series.
In 750 career regular-season contests, Ingles has averaged 7.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 23.5 minutes. He’s a career 40.9 percent three-point shooter who had his best seasons with Utah during his first eight years in the league.
Brayden Burries, Tyler Tanner, Others Testing Draft Process
Arizona shooting guard Brayden Burries has declared for the 2026 NBA draft, he announced via Instagram.
The 6’4″ freshman averaged 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game for the Wildcats this season while shooting 39.1% from deep. He was named to the All-Big 12 First Team.
The talented shooter comes in at No. 10 on ESPN’s big board, with Jeremy Woo noting he has a well-rounded game can can function either on- or off-ball, while Jonathan Wasserman’s mock draft for Bleacher Report has him at No. 9.
Burries is good at attacking off closeouts, and while he’s a solid defensive play-maker, he still needs to clean up some of his defensive fundamentals and improve as a play-maker in order to reach his ceiling.
We have more notes surrounding 2026 draft declarations:
- Vanderbilt point guard Tyler Tanner will test the draft waters, Jeff Goodman writes (via Twitter). The undersized sophomore guard exploded this season, averaging 19.5 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per contest while hitting 36.8% of his threes and being named to both the All-SEC and SEC All-Defense. An explosive athlete and forceful driver, Tanner is 33rd on ESPN’s board. However, Goodman notes that due to the point guard depth in this class and the potential NIL money waiting for him, he’s a strong candidate to return to school.
- Elliot Cadeau, the floor general for Michigan, is declaring for the draft while maintaining his college eligibility, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reports (via Twitter). Cadeau was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player after helping lead Michigan to a national title in 2026. Over his full junior season, he averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 assists to 2.4 turnovers, while converting a career-high 37.6% of his threes. Only 6’1″ and with a history of struggling to score the ball, Cadeau is focused on continuing his growth into next season, Givony writes.
- Billy Richmond, out of Arkansas, is declaring for the draft while maintaining his eligibility, Jon Rothstein of CBS notes (Twitter link). The 6’5″ sophomore wing averaged 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 2025/26, but has struggled with his outside shot at just 23.0% from beyond the arc for his college career.
- Spanish guard Sergio de Larrea has declared for the draft, Givony reports (Twitter link). A point guard with good positional size, De Larrea played for Valencia this season, averaging 9.3 points and 3.6 assists per contest while hitting 42.9% of his threes in Liga ACB games. He is currently in the midst of the EuroLeague playoffs, where Valencia is the No. 2 seed, Givony notes. De Larrea is 48th on ESPN’s big board and 36th in Bleacher Report’s mock draft.
Raptors Notes: Barnes, Barrett, Murray-Boyles, Battle
The Raptors’ Game 3 victory over the Cavaliers was powered by a masterpiece from Scottie Barnes, Eric Koreen writes for The Athletic. Barnes scored 33 points and added 11 assists with only one turnover as Toronto cruised to a 126-104 victory to prevent the Cavs from taking a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.
“What he does is just so special,” said teammate Jamison Battle. “We have to play to that level every single night just because our leader is doing it. That’s what you want from your leader.”
The performance was even more impressive given the absence of Immanuel Quickley, who has since been ruled out for the remainder of the series with a hamstring injury, and the ongoing struggles of Brandon Ingram, who scored just 12 points on Thursday.
We have more on the Raptors:
- Also critical in the Game 3 victory was Canadian native RJ Barrett, who was thrilled to be playing his first playoff game in his home country, Michael Grange writes for Sportsnet. Like Barnes, Barrett had 33 points along with five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and six made threes on eight attempts. “He’s destroying that narrative that people think about him,” Barnes said after the game. “He’s helping our team out so much. He’s unbelievable, doing a great job scoring, playing defense, talking, being a leader on the floor. RJ is amazing.”
- Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles saved one of his best performances of the season for when it was most needed, contributing 22 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench. In doing so, he showed how important he is to the franchise in both the short- and long-term, Josh Lewenberg writes for TSN. The Raptors needed to nail their lottery pick in the 2025 draft, and it increasingly seems that they did just that.
- There were plenty of Game 3 heroes for the Raptors, both likely and unlikely. Battle is an example of the latter after he had played little more than garbage time in Games 1 and 2 heading into the must-win contest, Kai Gammage writes for Sportsnet. Battle finished the night with 14 points on 4-for-4 shooting from three. He put Toronto ahead early in the fourth quarter with a trio of triples that helped create the momentum the team would ride all the way to the victory.
Victor Wembanyama Out For Game 3
Spurs star big man Victor Wembanyama has been ruled out for Game 3 of the team’s series against the Trail Blazers on Friday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (via Twitter).
Wembanyama went through shootaround in the hopes of returning from the concussion that he suffered when he took a hard fall in Game 2, but he has not yet cleared the NBA’s protocol and been given the green light to play.
“Obviously, there’s a lot that goes into that, but he’s doing well and progressing,” head coach Mitch Johnson said, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter video link).
When pressed, Johnson declined to provide more details on his outlook, other than repeating that Wembanyama is making progress.
Backup center Luke Kornet got the start in place of Wembanyama.
Thunder Notes: Williams, Mitchell, Joe, 2007 Trade
The news that Jalen Williams suffered a left hamstring strain and will be evaluated on a weekly basis was a discouraging development for the Thunder forward after he got off to such a strong start in the playoffs. However, head coach Mark Daigneault actually considers the diagnosis a “relatively positive development,” Joe Mussatto writes for The Oklahoman.
Daigneault believes that the injury – described as a Grade 1 (mild) strain) – could’ve been much worse and said that Williams will travel with the team to Phoenix on Friday instead of staying in Oklahoma City and rehabbing.
Williams missed considerable time this season with hamstring injuries in his right leg, but he looked like his old self in the first two games of the first-round series against the Suns, averaging 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in just 26.0 minutes per game.
It remains to be seen if he’ll be available in the second round, assuming Oklahoma City advances.
We have more from the Thunder:
- With Williams out, second-year guard Ajay Mitchell will likely step into a larger role for the Thunder, Mussatto writes. Mitchell had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals in Game 2, and has proven all season that his game is mature beyond its years, especially considering he missed much of his rookie year due to injury. “He was on track to be a rotation player for us last season in the playoffs before the injury,” Daigneault said. “He’s obviously a very talented player, but he’s also a very high-execution player.” While Mitchell is the only player outside of Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Chet Holmgren to average more than 25 minutes per game so far this series, Mussatto expects Cason Wallace to step into the starting lineup while Mitchell plays a significant role off the bench.
- Isaiah Joe is listed as out for Game 3 due to personal reasons, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman notes (Twitter link). Joe had a career-best year for the Thunder this season, averaging 11.1 points per game and hitting 42.3% of his threes, both personal bests. Through two playoff contests, he is averaging 7.5 points in 17.5 minutes per night and has hit 5-of-15 (33.3%) three-point attempts. He has yet to attempt a two-pointer or free throw in the series.
- A trade 19 years ago is still paying dividends for the Thunder as they attempt to repeat as champions, Baxter Holmes writes for ESPN. Holmes details how a 2007 sign-and-trade of Rashard Lewis from the SuperSonics to the Magic created a trade exception that the Thunder used to add Kurt Thomas, along with two first-round picks, one of which became Serge Ibaka. Ibaka was sent out in a deal for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, who were later flipped for Paul George, whose move to the Clippers sent Gilgeous-Alexander and several first-rounders (including one that became Williams) to OKC.
Draft Decisions: Johnson, Daniels, Atamna, Ruzic, Faye, More
Michigan big man Morez Johnson has declared for the 2026 NBA draft while retaining his college eligibility, as Friday’s deadline for early entrants to declare for the 2026 NBA draft fast approaches, CBS’s Jon Rothstein reports (via Twitter).
The 6’9″ sophomore averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game across 40 outings with the Wolverines after transferring from Illinois. He made 62.3% of his shots from the floor and 78.2% of his free throws.
Johnson started every game for Michigan and was a big part of the team’s success, as exemplified by his 12-point, 10-rebound, 2-block performance in the national title victory over Connecticut.
The defensive big man is 27th on Jeremy Woo’s big board for ESPN and is slotted 24th overall in Jonathan Wasserman’s most recent mock draft for Bleacher Report, with Wasserman citing Johnson’s combination of strength, versatile athleticism, and motor as reasons to be excited about him.
We have more draft notes:
- Dash Daniels, Adam Atamna, Michael Ruzic, and Mouhamed Faye have decided against entering the 2026 draft, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reports (via Twitter). Of the four, Daniels and Atamna were the highest-ranked prospects, with Daniels coming in at No. 49 on Woo’s board and No. 42 in Wasserman’s mock draft, while Atamna sits at No. 58 for Woo and No. 40 for Wasserman. The younger brother of Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels, Dash is a good defender but struggled with his offense this season in the NBL, averaging 4.2 PPG and hitting just 37.9% of his free throws. Atamna is a 6’4″ guard out of ASVEL in France who showed potential as a shooter and a play-maker, averaging 8.1 points and 2.1 assists in 15.6 minutes per game. Ruzic, a 6’8″ power forward with Joventut in Spain, is 63rd on ESPN’s big board after showing an improved three-point touch. Faye, a 6’9″ center for Paris, averaged 5.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 14.9 minutes per game. Woo had him 82nd overall, while Wasserman had him at No. 48 in his mock.
- Bassala Bagayoko, a Malian big man out of Bilbao in Spain, has declared for the draft, his agents at Klutch Sports tell Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). The 6’9″ 19-year-old played 13.4 minutes per game this season in Liga ACB, averaging 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds. He’s unranked by both Wasserman and Woo, but Chepkevich notes (via Twitter) that he holds a wingspan of at least 7’1″ and has a strong motor.
- Russian forward Vsevolod Ishchenko has declared for the draft, per Givony (Twitter link). Ishchenko averaged 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 22.8 minutes per game this season for Lokomotiv Kuban. While unranked by ESPN and Bleacher Report, Ishchenko, at 6’8″ with a 7’0″ wingspan, offers an interesting combination of size and versatility at the wing, says Givony.
Cameron Boozer Declares For 2026 NBA Draft
Duke star forward Cameron Boozer has declared for the 2026 NBA draft, according to the school (Twitter link).
Boozer is generally considered a lock to go in the top four of a loaded class after putting together a dominant freshman season in Durham. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on shooting splits of .556/.391/.789.
Boozer was second in the country in total points, third in total rebounds, and tied for first in double-doubles. Despite being a natural power forward, he showed himself to be one of the better passers in the draft class and was often used by Duke as a play-making hub, finding open shooters while facing double teams.
For his efforts, he was named Associated Press Player of the Year and Consensus All-American while winning the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year award as well as the Karl Malone Award, which recognizes the best power forward in the country.
The top of the draft is still considered somewhat open and team-dependent, with BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson also jockeying for the top pick. Caleb Wilson, out of UNC, is generally seen as not far behind the top three options, and could play himself higher with strong pre-draft workouts. Boozer ranks third on ESPN’s big board and was the No. 3 pick in Jonathan Wasserman’s latest mock draft for Bleacher Report.
While Boozer had one of the more impressive statistical freshman seasons in recent memory, he will look to answer questions surrounding his athleticism, defensive fit, and reliance on bully-ball for his offense as he goes through pre-draft workouts with teams.