Jaylen Brown Claims Officials Had “An Agenda” In Series With Sixers
Speaking Sunday on his Twitch stream, Celtics star Jaylen Brown accused officials of having “an agenda” against him during the first-round loss to Philadelphia, ESPN relays. He also called out Sixers center Joel Embiid for flopping, saying it has “ruined our game.”
“Joel Embiid is a great player. One of the best bigs in basketball history. [But he] flops. He know it,” Brown said. “This ain’t breaking news. It is what it is.”
At one point during his comments, Brown showed a video of Philadelphia forward Paul George seeming to push off slightly before making a move. Brown, who was whistled for 10 offensive fouls during the series – twice as many as any other player in the first round – claims he isn’t officiated the same as everyone else.
“If you’re going to call push-offs, call that,” Brown said. “Same move. Same refs. Oh, it’s nothing? It’s play on, right? But you gonna call me? Everybody does it … but if it would have been me, it’d have been an offensive foul.”
The story notes that Brown was called for 40 offensive fouls during the regular season, second only to Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns. However, foul calls were roughly even during the seven-game series, with 136 on the Celtics and 132 on the Sixers.
Brown averaged 25.7 points per game during the series, the best postseason scoring numbers of his career, while shooting 45.5% from the floor and 40.5% from beyond the arc. He was whistled for 3.0 fouls per game.
“Every good basketball player does this. What are y’all talking about? They clearly had an agenda,” Brown added in reference to George’s alleged push-off. “If Jaylen does this move, call the offensive foul and follow him every time. I don’t know if it’s because I p—– the refs off. I’ve been critical about them, and I called them out a bunch of times. So, they were like, ‘You know what, I got you in the playoffs. Watch this.’ [Because] that’s exactly what they did. It’s clearly an agenda. Look at the same move. Some referees that if I had to choose, if I had to, like, say there’s some referees that need to be investigated. We had three of them in the last three games.”
Brown battled with referees several times throughout the season, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. He stated in November that he was unhappy with their calls in general, then specifically called out Curtis Blair after a January 11 loss to San Antonio, saying the crew was “terrible.” Brown also blasted the officiating after being ejected from a March 10 rematch with the Spurs for complaining about a no-call. He was fined $35K for his comments on Blair.
Magic Fire Jamahl Mosley
9:39 am: The Magic have issued a press release formally announcing the move. “We’re grateful to Jamahl for all he’s done for the Orlando Magic,” Weltman said. “We appreciate his leadership and the positive contributions he made as head coach. While this was a difficult decision, we feel it’s time for a new voice and fresh perspective. We wish Jamahl and his family nothing but the best.”
8:55am: The Magic are making a coaching change following their first-round playoff loss to Detroit, dismissing Jamahl Mosley after five seasons, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Rumors that Mosley’s job was in jeopardy followed him all season as the team seemed to underachieve despite a talented roster. The Magic wound up as the eighth seed in the East at 45-37 and were eliminated in the first round for the third straight year. Orlando has been hampered by injuries to its star players over the past two seasons, but that consideration wasn’t enough to save Mosley.
Mosley, 47, took over as head coach in 2021 after spending 15 years as an assistant with Denver, Cleveland and Dallas. The Magic were in the midst of a rebuilding project during his first two seasons, which ended with 22 and 34 wins, but he turned them into a playoff team in 2023/24. However, he was never able to guide Orlando past the first round, losing in seven games to Cleveland in 2024, five games to Boston in 2025 and seven games to Detroit this season after squandering a 3-1 series lead.
There was speculation that Mosley would be dismissed at several points during the regular season, as expectations were high following an offseason trade for Desmond Bane. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman chose to stick with Mosley, but rumors of an eventual change grew after the team slipped to the eighth seed by dropping its season finale to a Boston team that was playing with reserves and G Leaguers.
Those rumors intensified after a play-in loss to Philadelphia that forced the Magic to have to beat Charlotte just to reach the playoffs. They appeared poised for a major surprise after outplaying Detroit early in their series, but couldn’t hold on to a 24-point lead on Friday in a potential closeout game and lost by 22 points in Game 7. It’s not clear if beating the Pistons and reaching the second round would have been enough to save Mosley’s job.
Mosley finishes with a 189-221 regular season record in Orlando and a 7-12 mark in the playoffs.
Charania confirms a report earlier this morning that Weltman received a contract extension during the season and will remain in place to lead the coaching search. Former Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has been identified as a prominent candidate, with Bucks associate head coach Darvin Ham and former Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau being mentioned as well. Michigan head coach Dusty May has also been raised as a possibility, but he’s expected to stay at the school after winning the national championship.
An immediate opportunity could be awaiting Mosley in the wake of his dismissal, with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reporting last month that he has “several admirers” in New Orleans. The Pelicans have begun the interview process, with four frontrunners already identified.
In addition to Orlando and New Orleans, coaching searches are currently ongoing in Chicago and Portland. Milwaukee made the first hiring of the offseason last week, taking Taylor Jenkins off the market.
Magic Won’t Replace Jeff Weltman After First-Round Loss
The Magic are expected to make changes to their roster and coaching staff after losing Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday, but president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman’s job is safe, two sources tell Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Weltman reportedly signed an extension early in the season around the time that the team advanced to the semifinals of the NBA Cup.
Everything else appears to be on the table after another disappointing playoff run that saw Orlando lose in the first round for the third straight year. The Magic seemed to be on the way to upsetting the top-seeded Pistons after winning Game 1 in Detroit and taking a 3-1 series advantage, but they let a 24-point lead slip away in Game 6 and never recovered.
The first expected move is the dismissal of head coach Jamahl Mosley, who has been the target of rumors about his job security since the season began in October. Weltman opted to stick with Mosley even after some puzzling losses that led to a 45-37 record and the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, but the fifth-year coach may not survive this latest playoff ouster.
The Magic were hoping to become one of the East’s top teams after trading for Desmond Bane last summer, and management was very confident that they were headed in that direction with a healthy starting lineup, according to Robbins. The season took an unfortunate turn when Franz Wagner suffered a high-ankle sprain on December 7 that sidelined him for most of the campaign.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs also missed time with injuries, meaning that the team’s preferred starting lineup was only available for 19 games. Robbins notes that Orlando outscored opponents by 11.6 points per 100 possessions when they were all on the court together and posted an elite defensive rating of 105.2 points per 100 possessions.
They were putting up similar numbers in the first round before Wagner suffered a right calf strain in Game 4 that knocked him out for the rest of the series. Robbins states that Wagner is the Magic’s best all-around player, and his absence created a huge hole for the team as it tried to close out Detroit. Mosley was using him as the primary defender on Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who shot just 42.4% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range while averaging 6.8 turnovers in the first four games of the series.
“When one of your best players goes down, it definitely changes a lot, especially a guy like Franz,” Wendell Carter Jr. said. “Franz’s IQ for the game, his will, his determination — he’s the ultimate competitor and one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. So, when he went down, it was tough, for sure. But we still gave ourself a chance even with him being out. I think we just drank the Kool-Aid. We were just right there.”
Robbins observes that Orlando’s defensive identity has come at the expense of outside shooting. Suggs, Banchero, Wagner and Anthony Black are all below-average three-point shooters for their positions, while Jett Howard, who was drafted in the first round in 2023 to help with shooting issues, never progressed enough defensively to earn the trust of the coaching staff.
Finding a traditional point guard to run the offense could be a priority for the summer, Robbins suggests. Wagner and Banchero handle most of the playmaking duties, while Suggs is more of a defensive specialist who has struggled with turnovers and his outside shot. Tyus Jones was signed in free agency last summer, but he was disappointing on both ends of the court and the Magic traded him at the deadline to avoid the tax in a deal that cost them two second-round picks.
Banchero’s maximum extension will kick in next season, making the core of the roster even more expensive. Robbins points to Suggs, who has four years left on his contract, as a potential trade candidate, but notes that his injury history might limit his value.
While a roster shakeup could be necessary along with a coaching change, Robbins cautions that Orlando’s cap situation and reduced stock of draft picks after the Bane trade will limit its ability to make moves this offseason.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Magic, Banchero, Riley
While the Hawks‘ playoff run ended in disappointing fashion, it helped them gain a better understanding of the roster and where it needs to go moving forward, Lauren Williams writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Hawks have two first-round picks and plan on not skipping steps as they work to build the team into a contender. They also have financial flexibility, which could be used to bring in free agents or negotiate new deals with current players. They are unlikely to make a huge swing, but will continue to build piece by piece.
“We’re not a single player away from being what we want to be,” general manager Onsi Saleh said. “When I came here, the biggest thing was, how do we become sustainable?”
CJ McCollum is likely to return, as is Jonathan Kuminga, Williams writes. On the other hand, she considers players like Gabe Vincent, Keaton Wallace, Buddy Hield, and Tony Bradley “a coin toss” to be back.
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Magic failed to end a 16-year run without winning a playoff series, falling in Game 7 to the Pistons after having held a 3-1 series lead. They have to be wondering what would have happened had wing Franz Wagner not missed the final three games of the series, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The series showed that Orlando needs someone who organizes the offense, rather than the point-guard-by-committee approach the team employed this season. Guard Desmond Bane also pointed to rebounding as an area that cost the Magic, as they were out-rebounded in all four losses, notes Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter video link).
- Magic star Paolo Banchero had an up-and-down series, and he issued a warning that the team is not at the level it needs to be after the Game 7 defeat. “Losing in the first round is not acceptable. That should be the attitude,” he said, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter video link). “It shouldn’t be comfortable in the building. It should be everybody on their Ps and Qs feeling pressure to be great. I think that’s the mindset that needs to be there from top to bottom.”
- Much of Pat Riley‘s end-of-season press conference has been widely discussed, but some talking points from the Heat president deserve more attention, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Twice in the presser, Riley seemed to hint that head coach Erik Spoelstra needed to be more willing to allow young players to play through mistakes. “Even if it costs you during the regular season, you got to play it through their bad times, and you got to play it through their ups and downs,” he said. “I’ve read all the criticism of our young players, but nobody ever really… gives them the space to be young and to make mistakes, and not to be who you think they should be in three or four years…. They’re not the top five picks in the draft.” He also seemed to hint at the possibility of putting the Heat’s lottery pick, which projects to be 13th overall, on the table in a potential deal for a star, while adding that he doesn’t want to bring in someone he considers “damaged goods.”
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Bryant, Johnson, Team Chemistry
Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert have a long history together, with Gobert serving as something of a mentor for the Spurs‘ superstar as he was growing up, Tim Reynolds writes for The Associated Press.
“He’s meant a lot as a role model,” Wembanyama said. “There’s lots of (ways) that he inspired me and I think he should inspire more people in terms of taking care of your body. He should be a model for all big men. So, I would say that’s the main thing.”
Gobert was similarly complimentary of his fellow Frenchman, both on and off the court.
“I’m very excited to watch him grow every day, to see his work paying off,” Gobert said. “Outside of the talent, he’s someone that has a very unique soul, a very unique mind and nothing is an accident. It’s not an accident that he’s having the success that he’s having.”
Now the two Defensive Player of the Year winners are set to face off in Round 2 of the NBA playoffs, with Game 1 on Monday, and Wembanyama is excited to go up against a player he has long looked up to.
“It’s even more fun if I’m meant to play against Rudy,” he said, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.
We have more Spurs news:
- Rookie forward Carter Bryant is being listed as questionable for Game 1 on Monday with a right foot sprain after the team had previously stated that everyone was healthy heading into the second round, Tom Orsborn writes for the San Antonio Express-News. Bryant played 9.2 minutes per game in the first round, hitting four of his nine three-point tries.
- Head coach Mitch Johnson wants his team, and himself, to “embrace the mundane” and not get caught up in the ups and downs of a playoff series, Orsborn writes. “I think the one thing that stuck with me at times is as much as you want to do (more) and as far as your mind wanders, you just keep doing the same thing (you did in the regular season) and do it better,” Johnson said. This is the message that Johnson has preached since the season started, and it becomes even more important in the playoffs. Stephon Castle had a simpler way of putting it. “Don’t get lackadaisical, don’t get satisfied, just stick to what is working,” Castle said. “Don’t get bored of doing things the right way.”
- While it’s unclear where the 2025/26 Spurs will rank in team history in terms of greatness, it’s increasingly clear they’re one of the franchise’s most close-knit teams ever, Orsborn writes in a separate piece. “Guys like being around each other,” De’Aaron Fox said. “Guys like hanging out.” The Spurs look to be well-rested heading into the series.
Stein’s Latest: Mosley, Nuggets, Bulls, Mavs, Kerr
The job security of Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley has been one of the bigger points of speculation around the league for some time, and it remains widely expected that he will take the blame for Orlando’s first-round exit, writes Marc Stein in a recent edition of The Stein Line (subscriber link).
As far who would take over should Mosley be let go, Stein notes that there have been rumors since before he left the Bulls about Billy Donovan taking the job, which he was first offered in 2007. Another name of interest for Orlando is Michigan head coach Dusty May, though Stein notes that the expectation is May will remain with Michigan after winning the national championship this year.
As for Mosley, Stein cites a previous report from Jake Fischer about the Pelicans‘ ongoing interest in bringing the Magic head coach into the fold if he becomes a free agent.
We have more league-wide news from Stein:
- The Nuggets will have to look in the mirror and figure out what comes next after losing in Round 1. Stein confirms reports that head coach David Adelman‘s job is expected to be safe, but adds that Denver is rumored to be open to any trade possibilities that would improve the athleticism and defense around star Nikola Jokic.
- The Bulls are close to reaching their decision regarding their head of basketball operations search, and while many people believe the Timberwolves’ Matt Lloyd is the frontrunner, Dennis Lindsey, Bryson Graham, and Dave Lewin remain in the running for the position.
- As the Mavericks look to find their long-term head of operations, owner Patrick Dumont is hoping to hire the splashiest name possible in an attempt to put Nico Harrison‘s tenure firmly in the rear view mirror, Stein reports. It appears unlikely that the Mavs will get to interview their top choice, the Wolves’ Tim Connelly, or their second choice, Bob Myers. Still, Stein muses about how unavailable Connelly truly is and whether his future contract extension talks will come into play. Former owner Mark Cuban has endorsed Detroit’s Lindsey in the past, but the team has yet to seek permission to interview him. Finally, Stein notes that the Mavs could choose one of their co-interim GMs, Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley, for the position. Dumont has stated previously that he intends to fill the position by mid-May.
- A decision is imminent for Steve Kerr and his future with the Warriors. Stein reports that ESPN has been recruiting Golden State’s coach to return to his role as a broadcaster, but the team is expected to meet with him as soon as Monday and has been operating as if he’s likely to return.
Injury Notes: Edwards, Ingram, Dosunmu, Embiid
In a surprising turn of events, Anthony Edwards has been upgraded to questionable for the Timberwolves‘ Game 1 matchup against the Spurs on Monday, the team announced in a press release.
Edwards missed the last two games of the Wolves’ series against the Nuggets after hyperextending his left knee and was initially considered week-to-week with the injury.
A recent report had indicated optimism that he could return for Game 3 or 4 of the series, but Edwards takes pride in his ability to return to form quicker than expected.
“We call him Wolverine,” said Wolves’ vice president of medical operations and performance David Hine, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “Certain things you see other players might not be able to play through, those are injuries that Ant has been able to recover quickly from.”
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama expressed his desire to see the Wolves’ star shooting guard on the court in their series, as well as his sadness about the injuries to Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, who tore his Achilles during the first round.
“Those two are players that I like watching, I like playing against,” he said, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “They go hard.”
We have more injury notes from around the playoffs:
- Raptors wing Brandon Ingram is out for Sunday’s Game 7 matchup against the Cavaliers, The Stein Line’s Marc Stein confirms (via Twitter). Ingram had previously been listed as doubtful with right heel inflammation. “We’ve gotta dig very deep. We’ve gotta find a way,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said of playing without two starters, per TSN’s Josh Lewenberg (Twitter link). “If we lose the game tonight, there’s no practice tomorrow, there is not another game tomorrow. So, we’ve gotta (find) our last energy tonight.” Ingram has struggled in the series, shooting just 32.8% from the field, but Toronto will still miss the threat his shot creation provides.
- Backup guard Ayo Dosunmu is also listed as questionable for Game 1 vs. San Antonio after missing the final game of the Timberwolves‘ first-round series due to right calf soreness, ESPN’s Anthony Slater writes. Dosunmu had two big games for the Wolves, helping them stay on track after the injury to Edwards. Head coach Chris Finch said that Dosunmu was “pretty much involved in all parts of practice” in Sunday’s medium-intensity workout, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune notes (Twitter link).
- Joel Embiid is considered probable for the Sixers‘ Game 1 matchup against the Knicks on Monday, Adam Aaronson writes for the Philly Voice. He is dealing with a right hip contusion and was visibly struggling with the injury during Saturday’s Game 7 victory.
Celtics Notes: Offseason, Tatum, Stevens, Mazzulla
The Celtics‘ unexpected first-round loss to the Sixers, which featured the franchise’s first-ever blown 3-1 lead, made clear that even with a healthy Jayson Tatum back next season, there’s work to be done to turn the roster into a true championship favorite, Brian Robb writes for MassLive.
Boston holds a $27.7MM trade exception from the Anfernee Simons deal that expires at next year’s trade deadline, along with several other smaller trade exceptions, and will also have access to the $15MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception and $5.4MM bi-annual exception. Using some of those tools, the team will need to shore up its frontcourt and make some decisions regarding its plethora of young wings.
They will also have to decide what to do with Neemias Queta, who broke out as the team’s year-long starting center. They could pick up his 2.7MM team option and then extend his contract off that up to four years for $92MM, which would give some level of financial flexibility. They could also decline the option and give him a new contract, which would eat into their salary flexibility, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says in his offseason guide (video link).
We have more from the Celtics:
- After a nearly seamless return from his torn right Achilles, Tatum was sidelined for Game 7 due to left knee stiffness, which left a sour note on what was the feel-good story of the year. “My recovery and comeback were going so well that how it ended, I didn’t think it was going to end that way. It was just unfortunate,” Tatum said, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I worked really, really, really, really hard to come back in the fashion that I did and play at the level I was playing at. So for it to end the way it did was a tough pill to swallow.” Despite the negative outcome, he hopes his recovery and the level he was able to reach with his play this season can serve as an inspiration for other players who suffer similar injuries.
- Brad Stevens had a clear goal at this year’s trade deadline: getting under the tax and avoiding repeater penalties while still improving the roster in the immediate future. One of the moves the Celtics made in service of that goal was trading Simons for Nikola Vucevic. While the financial part worked, the on-court part didn’t, as evidenced by Vucevic being benched in favor of Luka Garza in the pivotal Game 7, Robb writes. Given the foul trouble Queta dealt with throughout the series, Robb calls the lack of a viable backup big man a rare mistake for the Celtics’ president, and one that had a huge impact on the team’s inability to get out of the first round.
- Another mistake came from the Celtics’ coach, Joe Mazzulla, according to Robb. With Tatum out, Mazzulla turned not to rotation regulars Payton Pritchard or Sam Hauser, but rather to Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr., and Garza as his three starters alongside Jaylen Brown and Derrick White — the five-man group had not played a single minute together in the regular season. The trio of new starters finished the must-win game with a combined zero points on seven shots. “I thought it was a couple things we saw tactically we wanted to test out,” Mazzulla said. “Obviously, give the series a little bit of a different feel and take advantage of the roster that we had, and take advantage of the guys that can impact plays and whatnot. So that was great by the guys, and we came up short.”
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Maxey, Edgecombe, More
History was made on Saturday in Boston, as the Sixers became the first No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference to defeat a No. 2 seed since the NBA expanded to a best-of-seven format in the first round in 2003 (Twitter link via the league). Philadelphia also became the 14th team in playoff history to come back from a 3-1 deficit.
As Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, history was also made between the two teams, as the 76ers were 0-18 all time when in a 3-1 series hole, while the Celtics had been 32-0 when up 3-1. It had been 44 years since Philadelphia had beaten its Atlantic Division rival in the postseason, a span of six playoff series, three of which included Joel Embiid, Bontemps notes.
Embiid, who had an emergency appendectomy three-plus weeks ago, changed the complexion of the series when he returned to action in Game 4. Although the Sixers lost that contest in lopsided fashion, they outplayed the Celtics over the final three games, with Embiid recording 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 39 minutes in the decisive Game 7 to help vanquish his longtime foes.
“It feels good to win,” Embiid said. “Obviously, we got a bigger goal in mind. But finally beating these guys feels pretty good.”
The former league MVP had plenty of help on Saturday, as All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey had 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists of his own, making them the first teammates in NBA history to each register 30-10-5 lines in a Game 7, according to Bontemps.
“I just really wanted the ball,” Maxey said of his late-game heroics. “Early in the fourth, we went to Joel, and I just felt like it was time for me to step up and make a play.”
Here’s more on the Sixers, whose second-round matchup with New York begins on Monday:
- Embiid took some time to “bask in the glow” of his first Game 7 victory, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who writes that the 32-year-old center appeared to hyperextend his knee near the end of the fourth quarter, though he jokingly dismissed the limp he played with afterward (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). Injuries were a major concern for the 76ers throughout 2025/26 as they went 45-37 during the regular season, but Maxey said the team never lacked belief. “We’ve had this weird swag about us all year,” he said. “We’ve had this confidence in that we know who we can be. And, we know who we are. We have never wavered. This group has always believed in each other. This group really likes each other, and we want to see each other succeed.”
- The Game 7 victory to complete the comeback was remarkable for several reasons, writes Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. Boston was viewed as one of the favorites — if not the favorite — to come out of the East. Instead, the Celtics were sent home early by the Sixers, with Embiid looking unstoppable at times in the mid-post, both as a scorer and passer, and Maxey delivering haymakers at the end of games. Both the Sixers and Embiid deserve a lot of credit for weathering the storm and persevering in the face of adversity, Bodner adds.
- No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe was another huge factor on Saturday, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. In addition to recording 23 points, six rebounds and four assists, the rookie guard specifically requested to defend Derrick White after the Celtics guard erupted for 19 first-half points. In the third quarter, White was just 1-of-7 from the field and “a lot of that was VJ,” according to head coach Nick Nurse. “Those are the things that make a huge difference in games like this,” Nurse said.
Charania’s Latest: Edwards, Doncic, Adelman, Nuggets
While Anthony Edwards will be sidelined to open the Timberwolves‘ second-round matchup vs. San Antonio, there’s optimism he could return to action as early as Game 3 or 4, league sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (YouTube link; story via ESPN’s Anthony Slater).
Edwards released a video on his YouTube channel about his recovery progress from the left knee injury he suffered in the second quarter of Game 4 against Denver. He hyperextended his knee at the time, causing a bone bruise, and he had already been battling patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) in his opposite leg.
According to Charania, Minnesota will take a cautious approach to Edwards’ bone bruise, but he has historically healed quickly and is working diligently to come back. The four-time All-Star has done light on-court work the past two days, Slater writes.
Timberwolves VP of medical operations and performance David Hines said in the video that Edwards’ return timeline is one-to-two weeks, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link). Game 3 will be played on Friday, with Game 4 scheduled for next Sunday.
Here’s more from Charania:
- Lakers superstar Luka Doncic appears unlikely to be active in the near future with Los Angeles set to face Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals. The Slovenian guard, who is recovering from a left hamstring strain, is considered week-to-week, according to Charania. Although Doncic has been doing more on-court activities in recent days, a source tells Charania he hasn’t done any “full-fledged running or full-contact workouts” to this point.
- Confirming recent reporting from The Denver Post, Charania says Nuggets head coach David Adelman “is going to be back” for a second full season in Denver. “His job is safe,” Charania added.
- Charania reiterates that Nikola Jokic is expected to sign a maximum-salary contract to remain with the Nuggets. However, the rest of Denver’s roster could look much different in 2026/27. “There is going to be real roster changes coming to Denver to identify how they can surround Nikola Jokic with the right pieces to get this team over the top,” Charania reported. “… They’re going to get calls and listen to calls on everyone on the roster besides Nikola Jokic.”