NBA News · LatestSunday, Apr 19, 2026

The post Luke Kennard says Lakers “stayed poised” as short-handed Game 1 win sets tone appeared first on TalkBasket.net.

JJ Redick had high praises for Deandre Ayton following the star center’s performance in the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Houston Rockets in the first round on Saturday night. Ayton took part in his playoff debut as a member of the Lakers. It marked his first time playing in the postseason since […] The post Lakers’ JJ Redick gives props to Deandre Ayton for two-way play vs. Rockets appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Knicks’ star wing injured the ankle in the second-to-last game of the regular season and sat out the finale. It didn’t slow him down in the Knicks playoff opener.

James is rationing his energy and dictating games, trying to keep the Lakers alive long enough for reinforcements to arrive

Two viral content creators dressed as LeBron James and Luka Doncic return courtside for Lakers vs. Rockets Game 1, spending big after a Fan of the Game snub.

The 2026 NBA Playoffs deliver a historic Eastern Conference rivalry this Sunday, April 19, as the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers for Game 1 of the First Round. Boston (56-26) enters as the #2 seed, while Philadelphia (45-37) fought their way in as the #7 seed after defeating the Orlando Magic in the Play-In tournament. Catch the opening tip-off live on Fubo. The series narrative is heavily impacted by the injury report. Philadelphia is officially without superstar center Joel Embi...

Philadelphia is the biggest gambling underdog in the NBA’s first round. Could the Sixers’ centers take advantage of being underdogs?

Game 1 of the first-round NBA Playoffs series between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks was physical. Jalen Brunson had it especially bad.

Bronny James got four minutes in the second quarter of the Lakers' Game 1 win over the Rockets.

It was a messy NBA season for the Bucks. They finished 32-50. There were injuries galore. And let’s not forget the noise around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Oh, they also need a head coach, with Doc Rivers stepping down and hinting he may be done on the sidelines altogether. So naturally, the question becomes who’s next? Not at […] The post NBA Rumors: Bucks, Jon Horst, Taylor Jenkins, Kings, Blazers, Tiago Splitter appeared first on Hoops Wire.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell’s increased role is one of the more intriguing storylines of the defending champion’s 2025-26 season. Ahead of the Thunder’s first title defense in franchise history, Mitchell is now an integral piece of head coach Mark Daigneault’s rotation. From a third-string guard in his rookie season to one of the […] The post Ajay Mitchell surprising take on Thunder title defense before Game 1 appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Lakers, who pulled off an impressive win without their top two scorers.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane…

It’s a Suns/Thunder series with old Sonics history underneath it.

The Knicks are a team built to win in different ways; they can explode on offense, or can grind teams down. They did the latter in Game 1 vs. Hawks.

The Sixers and Celtics saw each other four times this season. Doesn’t mean much now. As Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer noted, three of those games came early. The last one was March 1, just before Jayson Tatum returned from his Achilles injury. Different teams then. Different teams now. And one big absence. Paul […] The post Sixers Notes: Paul George, playoffs, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid appeared first on Hoops Wire.

Injuries prevented Jalen Green from contributing to the Suns for most of the season, but he made up for it with 36 points and eight three-pointers in Friday’s play-in victory over Golden State, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. It was a satisfying performance for Green, who was limited to 32 regular season games, mostly […]

Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalized on Kevin Durant's injury absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 1.

For Celtics star Jayson Tatum, just being here counts as a win. But let’s be honest. That’s not why he came back. Tatum will make his playoff return Sunday, less than a year after tearing his Achilles in the second round, as noted by Jay King of The Athletic. And while he’s thankful for the […] The post Celtics Notes: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jordan Walsh appeared first on Hoops Wire.

Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley made some interesting selections.

Rockets star Kevin Durant was sidelined for Game 1 of the Lakers-Rockets first-round playoff series because of a right knee injury. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said pregame that Durant suffered...

After the Los Angeles Lakers were written off by most of the NBA world due to injuries, they just racked up a huge playoff win against the Houston Rockets.

Jamal Murray scored 30 points, going 16 of 16 from the free-throw line, and Nikola Jokic had a triple-double as the Denver Nuggets shook off a sluggish start to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 on Saturday in the opener of their first-round playoff series. Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and a bloody nose in a physical game between the Northwest Division foes. There were 42 fouls called, along with an unsportsmanlike technical on Jaden McDaniels for pushing Jokic in the ba...

Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, Max Strus had 24 off the bench and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 126-113 on Saturday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off the 2026 NBA Playoffs on Saturday evening, hosting the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their first-round series. Unfortunately, the Lakers went into the postseason without their two leading scorers as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both continue to work their way back from injuries. The playing field was […]

Celebrities pack Lakers vs. Rockets Playoff game from Travis Scott to Timothy Olyphant and more

Mike Brown went viral for his reaction towards a ringing phone during the postgame press conference of the New York Knicks’ Game 1 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. Brown was answering a question about Mitchell Robinson, who missed three of his four free throws as Atlanta attempted the “Hack-a-Mitch” strategy. He was […] The post Knicks’ Mike Brown hates ringing phones more than ‘hack-a-Mitch Robinson’ appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 53 points as they led the New York Knicks to a solid 113-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the first-round series on Saturday night. Going into the game, New York ended the regular season with a 53-29 record. This allowed them to secure the […] The post Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns lead Knicks past Hawks appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Kristaps Porzingis is uncertain of his next step as he heads toward unrestricted free agency after the Warriors‘ season ended Friday with a play-in loss at Phoenix, writes Melissa Rohlin of The California Post. The health problems that have followed Porzingis through most of his career continued after he was traded to Golden State in […]

The New York Knicks handled their business in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs after a win over the Atlanta Hawks.