Tuesday night in the NBA playoffs saw three games played, with two series now level and one starting to tilt in one direction.

The Los Angeles Lakers were the only team to take full control, beating the Houston Rockets 101-94 to go 2-0 up in the series. LeBron James led the way with 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard added 25 and 23 points, respectively. After the game, Kennard spoke about his recent form.

“‘Bron, coaches, they’re just elevating me, telling me to be aggressive… (the basket) looks good right now.”

In Boston, the Philadelphia 76ers responded with a 111-97 win over the Boston Celtics to level their series at 1-1. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe led the way, combining for 59 points. When asked about his approach after the game, VJ Edgecombe said:

“I’m just shooting every shot that’s open, that I think is available.”

The Portland Trail Blazers also bounced back, beating the San Antonio Spurs 106-103 to tie their series 1-1. Scoot Henderson led the scoring with 31 points. For Portland, Scoot Henderson kept the focus on what comes next.

“Basketball’s a game of runs… we’ve got to get this next one, got to get this next two.”

After Tuesday’s games, the Los Angeles Lakers are the only team up 2-0, while the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers have pulled their series back to 1-1.

LOS ANGELES — Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant returned to the lineup in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday after missing the opening game of the series due to a knee injury suffered in practice last week. Durant, after testing his knee during warmups, was not on any minutes restriction but struggled particularly in the second half of the Rockets’ 101-94 loss.

Durant led the Rockets with 23 points, but 20 of them came in the first half. He also committed nine turnovers as he struggled to react to an array of double-teams thrown at him by the Lakers. Houston shot only 40% from the field and went 7 of 29 on 3-point attempts to fall into an 0-2 series hole to a Los Angeles team playing without leading scorers Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique).

Durant, who popped up as questionable on the injury report last week, went through his warmup routine at Crypto.com Arena less than two hours before Game 1 but was ruled out shortly after. The Rockets lost 107-98. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said before Game 1 that Durant, 37, underwent imaging and “nothing major” came up. Durant’s “limited movement” was more the cause of him missing Game 1 than pain tolerance. After the game, Udoka said the team was not surprised that Durant was unable to play in Game 1.

Rockets prepared for Kevin Durant’s surprise scratch but still weren’t ready; will he return in time?

Cameron Salerno

Advertisement

“I don’t think it was a surprise to us,” Udoka said. “We knew he got banged up. We looked at a bunch of different things without him. If he could go, he could go, but it looked doubtful based on how he was moving the last few days. We prepped for different lineups without him, alternative starting lineups if he wasn’t available. Late to everybody publicly, but we knew it might be a good chance he was out.” 

In his first season with Houston, Durant missed just four games total during the regular season. The Rockets went 4-0 in those games in the regular season without Durant in the lineup. Durant entered the playoffs averaging 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists since being traded from the Phoenix Suns last offseason.

During the 2025-26 campaign, Durant logged 2,840 minutes, which was the most he has played in 12 years. Durant finished second in the NBA in minutes played, only behind teammate Amen Thompson.

Only one of the four games Durant missed during the regular season was because of an injury. He missed a game against the Indiana Pacers in early February due to an ankle injury. Durant missed two games due to personal reasons early in the season and was held out alongside the rest of the starters in the regular season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this month.

Game 2 will be the first time Durant has faced LeBron James in the playoffs since Game 4 of the 2018 NBA Finals. That year, the Durant and the Golden State Warriors swept the James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to win their second consecutive NBA Finals. Durant has a 9-5 head-to-head record against James in the playoffs.

After months of rumors and speculation, the 2026 NFL Draft is finally upon us.

With just a few days until the draft officially begins on Thursday, April 23, here is my final 2026 NFL mock draft before the event officially gets underway.

1. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

This is the only “sure thing” of this spring’s draft. Fernando Mendoza is the top quarterback prospect this spring; the Las Vegas Raiders have a need at quarterback even with the signing of Kirk Cousins. Mendoza will be wearing black and silver by the end of Thursday night.

2. New York Jets: LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State

Arvell Reese is an interesting prospect, and that is precisely why Aaron Glenn is going to want to take a chance on him for his defense. The New York Jets just overhauled their defense this past season by trading away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, and now they need to start finding new cornerstones to build around. Reese’s versatility to play both as an edge rusher and as an off-ball linebacker will propel him to second overall. At just 20 years old, there is plenty of time for him to develop either skill.

3. Arizona Cardinals: OLB David Bailey, Texas Tech

David Bailey is a prototypical edge rusher with great size and athletic ability. The Cardinals certainly could be considering offensive tackle here, but Bailey looks like one of the few “sure thing: prospects this spring, making him hard to pass up.

4. Tennessee Titans: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

A decade after the Tennessee Titans landed Derrick Henry in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, they are hoping to find their next franchise running back. Jeremiyah Love is arguably the best player in this draft class, and he will put together plenty of explosive plays for the Titans.

5. New York Giants: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

A true off-ball linebacker hasn’t been selected in the top five since Devin White in 2019, but Sonny Styles has the talent to buck that trend. Styles has tremendous size and instincts at the linebacker position, and he showed off every ounce of his ridiculous athleticism at the combine. John Harbaugh loves getting difference makers at this middle linebacker spot, and he gets one here.

6. Cleveland Browns: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State

The path has been clear for Cleveland for a while: wide receiver and offensive tackle in the first round. They get the first half of that job taken care of here by landing Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, who is the latest in a long line of Buckeye receivers headed to the NFL as first-round prospects.

7. Washington Commanders: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

Wide receiver certainly is a need for Washington, but they also need to figure things out on defense in 2026. They added a few players to their defensive front in free agency, but the cornerback position still has question marks. They land this year’s CB1.

8. New Orleans Saints: OLB Rueben Bain, Miami

Rueben Bain has a couple things working against him heading into this draft. He has very short arms, and his off-the-field issues could cause a pretty big tumble down the draft board. However, the Kansas City Chiefs need to find someone who can consistently play opposite George Karlaftis. Bain didn’t get short arms overnight, and he was consistently productive in college. He should still land somewhere in the top 10.

9. Kansas City Chiefs: OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami

The Chiefs have parted ways with Jawaan Taylor, and for now, their solution has been Jaylon Moore, who is not a proven player. They go ahead and take one of the top offensive tackles in this class to create a long-term solution at that spot.

10. New York Giants (via CIN): S Caleb Downs, Ohio State

This may be a bit more of a tumble than some expect for Caleb Downs, but as a safety, it’s hard to know exactly when NFL teams will feel comfortable taking him despite the talent and upside. New York just acquired the 10th overall pick by trading away Dexter Lawrence, and after grabbing Styles with the fifth overall pick, they are now the winners of the night by also landing Downs.

11. Miami Dolphins: OT Spencer Fano, Utah

The Miami Dolphins desperately need to build up their offensive tackle situation in this draft, especially without there being a QB worth taking at this point, and Spencer Fano is a player who has the versatility to either play tackle or at guard on either side of the line.

12. Dallas Cowboys: S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

Dallas fielded one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season, and they need help all over. Dillon Thieneman can be an anchor on the backend capable of playing free safety while also helping out in run support.

13. Los Angeles Rams (via ATL): WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

Outside of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, a pair of precision route runners, the Rams don’t have a ton of options at wide receiver right now. Jordyn Tyson’s injury history could make some NFL teams wary of picking him early, but the Rams need a true deep threat to open things up in the passing game.

14. Baltimore Ravens: G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

The Ravens just have a knack for landing top talent at a position in the draft. This time, they land the top guard on the board to shore up their interior offensive line and protect Lamar Jackson.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

Jermod McCoy lost his 2025 season to injury, but the tape from 2024 speaks for itself. He is one of the best cornerbacks in this draft class, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers desperately need some help at the position.

16. New York Jets (via IND): WR Makai Lemon, USC

If the Jets are going to have any success with Geno Smith as their new quarterback, they need to figure out the WR2 spot opposite Garrett Wilson. Makai Lemon is an explosive athlete who can take on the role in New York.

17. Detroit Lions: DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

Edge rusher could be high on Detroit’s list, but Dan Campbell is going to get back to his roots this season and find a player that bites kneecaps. Kayden McDonald can be a true nose tackle player at the NFL level, and the Lions need to be much better at defending the run in 2026. McDonald will be a cornerstone for a team that had defensive tackle struggles last year.

18. Minnesota Vikings: DT Caleb Banks, Florida

The Minnesota Vikings spent big at defensive tackle last offseason with signings of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, but neither really panned out. Brian Flores has had success in Minnesota without true difference makers at the position, but if the Vikings are ever going to take the next step toward being a contender, they need to find that difference maker. Caleb Banks put together a ridiculous combine despite performing on a foot injury, and once that heals up, he will be a starter at the NFL level.

19. Carolina Panthers: WR Denzel Boston, Washington

Three straight drafts with wide receiver selections in the first round may seem like a lot for Carolina, but it’s warranted here. The Panthers are in now or never territory with Bryce Young, so they go all in on giving him as much talent at the position as possible.

20. Dallas Cowboys (via GB): CB Colton Hood, Tennessee

Dallas doubles up in the secondary here to help a defense that allowed the most passing yards, second-most passing touchdowns, and tied the second-fewest interceptions in the NFL last year. With Jermod McCoy out last year, Colton Hood stepped up as a true CB1 for Tennessee last season, and that emergence propels him into the first round.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

The Pittsburgh Steelers need as much help at wide receiver as they can get right now, and Omar Cooper is a versatile player who can line up outside or in the slot. That versatility along with his athleticism and large catch radius will make him a favorite target for Aaron Rodgers or whoever is at quarterback this fall.

22. Los Angeles Chargers: G Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M

It may be early for another guard to go off the board, but the Chargers can’t risk there being a run at the position between now and their next pick at No. 55. Chase Bisontis is a bulldog in the middle of the offensive line, and he will open up plenty of running lanes for Omarion Hampton. Jim Harbaugh will love having him on his team.

23. Philadelphia Eagles: OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

The Philadelphia Eagles love planning for the future with their high end picks, and this selection comes at the perfect time with Lane Johnson missing eight games in 2025. Howie Roseman grabs the future Hall of Famer’s successor here in the massive 6’7″, 352-pound frame of Kadyn Proctor.

24. Cleveland Browns (via JAX): OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia

Cleveland’s job comes to completion here with the selection of Monroe Freeling. While he is still a bit raw with only 17 collegiate starts under his belt, Freeling showed up for the Bulldogs in 2025 as a great pass protector. The Browns were not good in that department last season, so hopefully, this can be a solution.

25. Chicago Bears: CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State

After back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons for Jaylon Johnson, he missed a large chunk of the 2025 season because of injury. As of now, the Bears aren’t necessarily in desperate need of a cornerback, but they are an injury away from being in that situation. Chris Johnson is a great security blanket with the talent to blossom into a starter as a boundary CB.

26. Buffalo Bills: OLB Malachi Lawrence, UCF

The Bills have both Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb on the roster, but both players utilize more power than athleticism and explosive ability to get after quarterbacks. Malachi Lawrence can bring that energy to the defensive front while also being a capable run stopper. He’s a player that can be on the field at all times and carve a role out for himself.

27. San Francisco 49ers: OLB Akheem Mesidor, Miami

John Lynch said at the combine that his team would address their pass rush in this year’s draft, and they do exactly that here in the first round with the selection of Akheem Mesidor. He brings relentless effort with multiple moves in his tool bag to get around opposing tackles to run down quarterbacks.

28. Houston Texans: OT Blake Miller, Clemson

The offensive line has been a fickle position group for the Texans They started the rebuilding process with the signings of Braden Smith and Wyatt Teller as well as a new contract for Ed Ingram, but that can’t be the end of their improvements. Blake Miller gives the Texans an answer for their other tackle spot.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (via LAR): TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

Kenyon Sadiq to the Chiefs is too easy of a fit. Travis Kelce very well could be entering his final NFL season, and we have seen some cracks in the armor over the past couple seasons that have contributed to delaying another Lombardi Trophy coming to Kansas City. Sadiq is the successor who could end up taking on the majority of the snaps by the end of the season.

30. Miami Dolphins (via DEN): OLB Keldric Faulk, Auburn

The Dolphins addressed one side of the trenches earlier in this draft, and now they go ahead and grab an athletic pass rushing presence for their pass rush. Keldric Faulk is an explosive player, and he is much more impactful than the two sacks he recorded last season suggest.

31. New England Patriots: OT Caleb Lomu, Utah

A lot of things went wrong for the New England Patriots in last season’s Super Bowl, but the main takeaway was their offensive line needs to be better for the next time they get in that position. Caleb Lomu could play either at tackle or guard at the NFL level, and New England will take either at this point.

32. Seattle Seahawks: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has been a steady riser throughout this draft process, and it culminates with him sneaking into the end of the first round. He is a massive player at 6’3″ and has terrific ball instincts when passes are headed his way. He can step up and contribute as a blitzer as well. It’s not the biggest need in the world for Seattle, but they go ahead and make an already great defense even better here.

Josh Frey is a senior writer at both PurplePTSD.com and VikingsTerritory.com, with a fascination for the NFL Draft. To … More about Josh Frey

Sal Stewart probably isn’t the best player in baseball now. I know, I know, it’s hard to hear that. But it’s true. Probably. 

Since he debuted on Sept. 1 of last season, Stewart ranks 13th among all hitters with a 155 wRC+. He is hitting .275/.353/.601 in that span, and he’s actually been even better to open this season, upping that line to .289/.388/.639 through the first 23 games, and he’s doing it as a 22-year-old in a key lineup spot for a competitive team. And he’s leveled up in the early going despite teams getting a scouting report on him last season.

It’s undeniably impressive. Whether you’re looking at the top-line numbers or the underlying numbers, it all tells pretty much the same story: Stewart looks like an elite hitter right now. In 2025, Stewart’s solid .355 wOBA came along with an even better .398 expected wOBA, and so far in 2026, his .438 wOBA comes paired with a .419 xwOBA. Since 2021, there have only been 13 individual hitter seasons (out of 670 qualifiers) with an xwOBA over .419; use his .411 career mark, and you only add four more seasons. 

Of course, there have almost certainly been many, many more 41-game stretches where hitters have been better than Stewart has been. Just taking one random stretch from last season, from June 11 through July 31, and there were six hitters with an xwOBA of at least .411. Some of them are superstars, like Kyle Schwarber, Corey Seager, and Juan Soto. But that sextet also includes Willy Adames, a good hitter, but not much more than a pretty good hitter; it also includes Nick Kurtz and Kyle Stowers, two hitters for whom the jury is very much out as to exactly how good they are. 

But it would be foolish to write off a hot start as meaningless when it comes to projecting a player forward. And you don’t have to take my word for it. Let’s just look at how the rest-of-season projections for Stewart have changed, using THE BAT X projections from FanGraphs.com:

Projection systems are notoriously conservative, especially for young players, who face a steep learning curve at the MLB level. And yet, even after just 20 or so games, we’ve already seen a substantial increase in the expectations this system (typically the most accurate for Fantasy Baseball) has for Stewart. He’s gone from the 14th-best projected first baseman by wRC+ to the seventh-best already. That’s serious movement, and it’s meaningful. 

I can say this much with confidence: Stewart is almost certainly at least a good hitter. BaseballProspectus has a stat they call “Deserved Stats,” and they’ve got Stewart down for a .264/.342/.495 hitter for his career, with a very similar line so far this season. If that’s all he is, he’s a top-12 first baseman, and would rank even higher when he gains eligibility at either third base (where he needs one more appearance to qualify in CBS Fantasy leagues) or second base (where he needs three more). And, given his excellent home park, it feels fair to say that mid-.800s OPS line is probably close to his floor.

That might not be enough for you. I know. Some of you want us to declare that Stewart is already a top-three third baseman, better than Nick Kurtz even. Memories can be short, and reacting to what you’re seeing in the moment is exciting and fun, and Stewart has the look of an absolute star right now. He probably won’t keep being this good moving forward – he hits the ball hard, but not astronomically so (75th percentile average exit velocity) and his plate discipline metrics suggest he probably deserves something more like average-ish results with his strikeout and walk rates; he has also dipped down to a 15.2% pulled-air rate, making his current elite power production harder to buy into. There will be regression. 

But from a 20-ish game sample, Stewart has moved from a corner infielder we like to someone who will be starting a starting-caliber first baseman in all leagues moving forward. Is he a top-12 first baseman right now? Absolutely. Top-10? I’d lean that way. 

Top-five? Well, I’m not ready to go there yet. The ceiling is certainly that high, especially with his rare out-of-position, 15-steal upside. But we’ll see Stewart slow down, and we’ll see pitchers adjust, and then it’ll be incumbent on him to adjust back. That’s when you really learn how good a player is.

But the ceiling? Well, that’s what we’re seeing right now, and it’s tremendous. And if Stewart ends up as a top-five first baseman in all Fantasy formats by the summer months, I won’t be too surprised.

After a fairly chalky opening weekend in which seven of eight home teams won their Game 1s, the 2026 NBA playoffs are starting to get more competitive. On Monday, both the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves scored road upsets over the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets, respectively, to tie their first-round series at a game apiece.

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia 76ers joined in the fun, tying their series with the Boston Celtics and making it slightly more plausible, if still quite unlikely, that Joel Embiid makes it back before the end of the first round. Meanwhile, the first-round series between the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs took a major turn when Victor Wembanyama left Game 2 with a concussion following a hard second-quarter fall. The night concluded with the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers, still missing Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, taking a stunning 2-0 lead over the Houston Rockets.

The makes five upsets across six games in the last two days. With all three of Tuesday’s games in the books, here are Tuesday’s winners and losers.

Winner: The entire Lakers organization

JJ Redick said it himself the week before the playoffs: “I’m sure everybody wants to play us.” He was right. Teams aren’t supposed to put up a fight when two of their three best players are sidelined. There are many reasons the Lakers have been able to do so, some of which are beyond their control. They’ve benefitted from tremendous shooting variance. They’re playing a Rockets team that’s melting down before their eyes. But on talent alone, they should be preparing to get swept. That they aren’t speaks to a sort of organizational fortitude that the Lakers have built over the course of the season.

It starts with Redick. This was an absolute masterclass from the second-year Lakers coach defensively. It seemed as though the Lakers knew Houston’s offensive playbook better than the Rockets did, consistently shooting into gaps and mixing up coverages to befuddle a more talented opponent. Kevin Durant‘s nine turnovers were no accident. The Lakers won a March regular-season game with very similar tactics, ultimately forcing seven turnovers in that one through an unpredictable variety of double-teams that Durant was ill-equipped to handle.

General manager Rob Pelinka has drawn quite a bit of criticism for his asset management over the years. Well, he got Marcus Smart for roughly $5 million last offseason and Deandre Ayton for around $8 million. Both have been high-level starters in this series. Ayton’s post defense stymied Alperen Sengun all night. Smart’s 23 points and seven assists were one of the few reliable sources of offense for the purple and gold. One of the others? Luke Kennard, who was acquired for a second-round pick at the deadline. It stands in stark contrast to a Houston team absolutely loaded with assets at this year’s deadline deciding to stand pat and then refusing to trust a recent No. 3 overall pick (Reed Sheppard) in games like this one. The Rockets have every infrastructural advantage and haven’t capitalized.

And then there’s LeBron James. A few months ago, it seemed as if this season was a lock to be his last in Los Angeles. He bought in over the course of the second half of the season, found a supporting role he could thrive in, and then, when Dončić and Reaves went down, eagerly reclaimed his mantle as the team’s centerpiece. He’s 41 years old and just won a playoff game with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists playing primarily with castoffs.

Everyone here deserves credit for what’s happening. Everyone is punching above their weight class. That only happens when every element of a team, from the front office to the coaching staff, down to the players, is working in lock step. The Lakers believe they can win this series. They have an underappreciated group of players eager to prove their worth by buying completely into whatever schemes their mad scientist of a coach can concoct. We don’t know when or if Dončić and Reaves will be able to return this postseason, but even if they can’t, and even if the Lakers can’t close the door, they have to leave this series feeling good about what has transpired here thus far. This is a level of organizational connectivity and cohesion that has felt absent for so much of the James era in Los Angeles.

Loser: Rockets coach Ime Udoka

Through two games, it’s still unclear what Houston is trying to accomplish offensively. These Sengun isolations and post-ups aren’t working on Ayton. Durant created plenty of his own offense in the first half but none in the second. There are only three genuinely positive offensive players on this roster, and one of them, Sheppard, played 11 minutes in a game in which the Rockets scored 94 points. What kind of shots do the Rockets want? What are the mismatches they’re trying to exploit? These doubles on Durant are not new. What’s the adjustment to combat them?

Redick’s coaching will receive justified plaudits, but his dissection of Houston’s offense comes with the caveat that Houston is barely even running one. It is giving the ball to its two best players and asking them to generate advantages with no space. There’s not nearly enough ball or player movement to help spark those advantages, and one of the few players on the roster who might help address that, the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft, is seemingly plastered to the bench because his coach doesn’t trust his defense.

Just as these two games are a celebration of everything going right in Los Angeles, they’ve been a thorough condemnation of the team the Rockets are trying to build. You’re not going to garner much sympathy for the absence of Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams when the other team is missing Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. The Rockets have had all year to figure out a VanVleet-less offense and most of it to adjust to life without Adams. If the plan after all of that time is still as simple as “keep getting offensive rebounds until something goes in,” well, then it’s probably time to re-evaluate the plan, and maybe even the person conceiving it.

Winner: The Tyrese Maxey-VJ Edgecombe duo

Embiid’s injury history hangs over every good thing that happens to this 76ers franchise. At times, they seem almost cursed. Appendicitis? Really? To the same guy who scored 50 points in a playoff game with Bell’s Palsy? It felt in that moment as though a once-promising season once again went down the drain for unavoidable medical reasons.

The 76ers still have a long way to go, of course, but they tied this series on the backs of their two new franchise players. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 59 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in their Game 2 111-97 upset win in Boston. Edgecombe made all sorts of history in his playoff coming-out party, most notably passing Magic Johnson as the youngest player ever to score 30 points and pull in 10 rebounds in the postseason. 

Edgecombe’s 16-point second quarter helped Philadelphia regain control after the Celtics nearly ran away with it early, but the fourth quarter belonged to Maxey. The Celtics briefly pulled the score within two, but two pull-up Maxey 3s gave Philadelphia a cushion it would never surrender.

The win itself is, of course, meaningful. Philadelphia stole home-court advantage and tied the series. It bought Embiid a few extra days to potentially return. But in the bigger picture, it’s a reminder that Embiid’s horrid luck doesn’t need to doom this franchise completely. The 76ers have one of the brightest rookie stars in the NBA, and Maxey is going to make an All-NBA Team. The two of them together are enough of a foundation to compete with even seasoned champions like the Celtics. They’ll need help and health to hit their ceiling, of course, but the 76ers are in a deceptively promising position for a team seemingly afflicted with some sort of divine jinx.

Loser: Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla

If Joe Mazzulla has a weakness as a coach, it’s how slowly he makes adjustments during games. Boston playoff losses often feel similar. A lot of dribbling. A lot of good 3s that didn’t go in. A single, iffy strategic decision that an opponent picks persistently until suddenly a winnable game slips through Boston’s fingers. That’s largely how Game 2 played out. If Boston had shot as it normally does, the Celtics probably would have won. If Philadelphia shoots as it normally does, Boston probably wins too.

The former is just variance. The latter? Well, Boston didn’t help matters with its vanilla defensive scheme. The Celtics spent most of the game dropping their big men, Neemias Queta and Nikola Vučević, into the paint in pick-and-roll. That left Boston’s perimeter defenders helpless to contest Philadelphia’s pull-up 3s. That commitment to locking off the paint was technically successful. The 76ers scored just 32 paint points in Game 2, down from 45 in Game 1 and Philadelphia’s season-long average of 50.2, but the exchanges were some of the easiest shots Philadelphia saw all season, especially for Edgecombe. Philadelphia’s two star guards combined to shoot 11-of-22 from deep, and the 76ers as a team nailed 49% of their triples.

It’s an interesting dilemma for Mazzulla, given the roster he’s working with. Having Al Horford at center in previous years gave the Celtics the versatility to play almost any pick-and-roll defense. When Boston finally tinkered with more aggressive coverages late in the game, Maxey had little trouble attacking it. Vučević’s defense has been an issue in the postseason for basically his entire career. Couple that with the absence of Jrue Holiday on the perimeter this season and the Celtics just aren’t as versatile defensively as they used to be. 

Mazzulla still has plenty to work with, but he’ll have to mix things up a bit as the playoffs progress.

Winner: Scoot Henderson

The word “bust” hadn’t quite attached itself to Scoot Henderson‘s name after his first two NBA seasons, but it was certainly circling the former No. 3 overall pick. Portland’s additions of Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard had a chance to be enormously beneficial for Henderson in the locker room, but adding two potential Hall of Famers at your position doesn’t exactly scream confidence from your organization. Shaedon Sharpe got a big contract extension last offseason. Deni Avdija grew into an All-Star this year while Henderson was injured. A few months ago, it just wasn’t quite clear what his long-term place in Portland would be.

Well, we’re starting to get an answer. In two strong playoff performances against the Spurs, he’s staking his claim as a foundational player in Portland. In Tuesday’s 106-103 win, Henderson led all scorers with 31 points on 11 of 17 shooting and 5 of 9 from deep. 

What’s most notable here is the shooting. His long-term upside was always tied to his ability to pair his elite athleticism with a consistent jumper. That’s finally starting to happen. The five 3-pointers he drilled in Game 2 tied a season high. He hit over 40% of his triples in his last 20 regular-season games. If he can keep shooting like this, it’s going to make it that much harder to keep him away from the basket, and his steadily improving craft as a finisher is making him far more dangerous when he gets there.

This is the version of Henderson we waited three years to see. He’s met the moment with absolute fearlessness, and whether it leads to a series upset or not, it bodes very well for both his future and Portland’s.

Loser: San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs made waves for their fiesta-themed uniforms and fan t-shirts in Game 1, but the whole night played out like a party. Victor Wembanyama’s 35-point playoff debut almost superseded the game itself. It felt like a moment in NBA history. The future face of the league was ready to officially start his ascent to the mountaintop. Portland played San Antonio competitively, but victory was never really in doubt. We allowed our minds to drift to what we assumed was coming next.

Well, you know what they say about assuming. A second-quarter concussion for Victor Wembanyama changed everything. The series is now tied at one game apiece, and Wembanyama will have to go through the concussion protocol before he can return to the floor. That likely means missing time, and the next two games in this series will be in Portland. The Spurs have won plenty without Wembanyama this season. They went 12-6 without him in the regular season, including much of their surprising run through the NBA Cup.

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama exits Game 2 vs. Blazers, diagnosed with concussion after hard fall to floor

James Herbert

Advertisement

But a head injury isn’t a simple bruise or sprain. It’s a serious, non-basketball medical concern that the Spurs will treat with an abundance of caution. There’s no telling how it might linger, and even if San Antonio makes it through Portland, Denver is likely looming in the next round as a far more difficult opponent. Throw in whatever happened to Harrison Barnes‘ hand in the fourth quarter and the Spurs suddenly have several medical concerns to contend with in a suddenly precarious first-round matchup.