Basketball News · LatestSaturday, Apr 18, 2026

The 2026 NBA Playoffs officially tip off this Saturday, April 18, with a massive Western Conference first-round clash as the Denver Nuggets host the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena. Denver (54-28) enters the postseason as the #3 seed, riding the momentum of a 12-game winning streak. The Timberwolves (49-33) secured the #6 seed and are looking to avenge their regular-season series loss against the reigning powerhouse from the Mile High City. The health of both rotations is the primary hea...

Brandon Miller was optimistic about the Charlotte Hornets’ future ceiling despite their season-ending loss to the Orlando Magic in the play-in tournament on Friday night. Miller completed the third season of his NBA career with the Hornets. He has made his way up the ranks as one of the most promising young stars in the […] The post Why Hornets’ Brandon Miller believes loss to Magic is a ‘good learning experience’ appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The NBA play-in tournament is over, and the postseason field is officially set. The 16 best teams in the NBA will compete for the right to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The championship truly is up for grabs. There has never been more depth and star power in the NBA, and polarity is at an […] The post 2026 NBA playoffs: Predictions for every round of postseason tournament appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Suns knocked out the Warriors 111-96 on Friday night to secure the No. 8 seed and will face the top-seeded Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

PHOENIX — They did it once. They couldn’t do it twice. A second double-digit deficit in as many play-in games proved to be enough to eliminate the Warriors, who scored the opening basket Friday night and never led again in a 111-96 loss to the Suns. In a star-studded showdown for the final playoff berth...

The Warriors' offseason dilemma: chase one more ring around Curry or protect the next era?

Doc Rivers has an NBA Finals win and a Coach of the Year honor on his ledger and is set to join the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

Charles Lee maintained his support for Kon Knueppel despite the star rookie’s struggled throughout the play-in tournament following the Charlotte Hornets’ season-ending loss to the Orlando Magic. Knueppel enjoyed an incredible rookie campaign throughout the regular season, making a case for Rookie of the Year. He will be competing with Cooper Flagg for the honors, […] The post Hornets’ Charles Lee gives Kon Knueppel props despite poor postseason shooting appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Shams Charania reported, quite graphically, the Warriors forward was quite ill Wednesday night

The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the best teams in the NBA in the calendar year of 2026 thus far, and they looked like a world-beating team, as they were almost always blowing out their opponents when they reached victory lane. In the first game of the play-in tournament, it almost looked as though […] The post Hornets fans can’t believe heartbreaking end to Cinderella playoff push appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Behind a clinical all-around performance, the Orlando Magic blew past the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 on Friday night, clinching the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and head coach Jamahl Mosley made it clear that it was the home crowd that made all the difference. Before addressing the media postgame, Mosley credited […] The post Jamahl Mosley gives Magic fans credit for electrifying atmosphere vs. Hornets appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Charlotte Hornets magical season came to an end on Friday night when the team lost their play-in game against the Orlando Magic. LaMelo Ball and Co. defeated the Miami Heat in Tuesday night’s thrilling overtime victory of the 9-10 play-in, advancing to the second play-in game against the loser of the Philadelphia 76ers/Orlando Magic […] The post 4 Hornets most to blame for 31-point Play-In loss to Magic appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Fans were over the moon with Paolo Banchero’s resounding performance in the Orlando Magic’s blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Banchero struggled in the 7-8 matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, garnering serious criticism. He needed to bounce back in this game against Charlotte, which he pulled off in convincing […] The post Fans blast Paolo Banchero haters after leading Magic past Hornets appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Fouling Mitchell Robinson on purpose was deployed regularly in last year’s playoffs, with Detroit’s JB Bickerstaff and Boston’s Joe Mazzulla taking it to higher levels to stall the Knicks’ offense.

The Post's experts give their Knicks-Hawks predications.

The Orlando Magic built a 35-point lead in the first half on the way to a 121-90 rout of the Charlotte Hornets in a play-in tournament game Friday night and advanced to a first-round playoff matchup against the Detroit Pistons.

Miles McBride and Landry Shamet share so much in common.

Here's what to know for the first-round matchup between the Magic and Pistons.

Anthony Edwards has bene listed as questionable by the Minnesota Timberwolves for Game 1 of their first round playoff series agains the Denver Nuggets due to "right knee injury maintenance." Edwards is expected to play in Saturday's game and was a "full go" when the Wolves scrimmaged this week. Edwards missed 11 of the final 14 games of the regular season due to the knee condition. Edwards fell short of the NBA's 65-game minimum for regular season awards. Edwards most recently played last Fri...

Now time for the real thing.

Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Schmidt has passed away at the age of 68 due to a long battle with a brain tumor. Schmidt played in a record-tying five Olympics and four World Cups for Brazil and became the all-time leading scorer in both tournaments. "The biggest player of Brazilian basketball history bids farewell as an absolute symbol of sport, the holder of a trajectory that redefined the boundaries of what was possible in a court," the Brazil Basketball Confederation said in a statement. ...

If the Cavaliers make a run this postseason, Donovan Mitchell will almost be at the forefront. But his long-term future in Cleveland is a certainty.

Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston signed a record-setting, multiyear contract extension through the league's new EPIC provision.

The No. 5-seeded Houston Rockets are set to take on the No. 4-seeded Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, in Game 1 of their first-round contest in the NBA Playoffs. While L.A. is already without Luka Doncic (left hamstring) and Austin Reaves (left oblique), it appears Kevin Durant has popped up in the Rockets’ latest injury […] The post Kevin Durant lands on Rockets’ injury report before Lakers Game 1 appeared first on ClutchPoints.

For Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to come back this year, the Lakers have to win some games without them.

Kevin Durant sustained a right knee contusion during practice this week but the Rockets are optimistic it will not be a significant issue during their first-round playoff series against the Lakers, a source told ESPN.

Since joining the league back in 2009, Stephen Curry has established himself as one of, if not the best point guard in NBA history. The greatest shooter of all time is known not just for his volume scoring, the difficulty of shots he casually tends to make, or his playmaking. His tendency to come good […] The post Warriors’ Stephen Curry gets top-5 praise from Jaylen Brown before Suns clash appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Tracy McGrady sits down with The Post's Steve Serby for some Q&A ahead of the Knicks-Hawks playoff series.

The Indiana Fever and star center Aliyah Boston agreed to a multiyear contract extension, the team announced Friday. Boston inked a four-year, $6.3 million deal, league sources confirmed to The Athletic. She will make $1 million this season, replacing her previous 2026 salary of $574,612, thanks to a provision in the new collective bargaining agreement that the WNBA and WNBPA agreed to last month. Boston will then make 20 percent of Indiana’s salary cap from 2027 to 2029. Boston’s extension is t

The French club is the most delicate case to emerge from the Competitive Balance Standards review L'articolo ASVEL face EuroLeague sanction with next season participation still in doubt proviene da Sportando.