The 2026 NBA Playoffs have given us banger after banger each and every night so far.
Let’s catch you up on all latest in Playoff hoops!
Today’s Lineup
😳 Not Over Yet!
The 76ers steal game 5 in Boston to extend the series.
🔮 Magic in the Air
The Magic take a 3-1 series lead over the top-seeded Pistons!
🔥 Congrats, Coop!
Cooper Flagg takes home the Rookie of the Year award!
🎉 Happy birthday Jordan Hawkins, David Lee, and God Shammgod! 🎉
Game Recaps
76ers keep their season alive, dominate Celtics late in the 4th in 113-97 game 5 win
The Philadelphia 76ers live to fight another day.
Two weeks ago, Joel Embiid suffered an appendicitis, leaving his playoff status in doubt. Just a few weeks later, he goes for 33 points and dishes out eight assists in a pivotal game 5 on the road. It’s crazy how fast things can change.
Philly had to have this game in order to extend their season, and they played like they had nothing to lose. They played loose, free, and walked out of TD Garden with a W, and a chance to force a game 7 on Thursday night.
Outside of Embiid’s stellar play, the Sixers got a big night from Tyrese Maxey (25 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST) who continues to elevate his game in the playoffs year after year. Paul George contributed a steady 16 points on four made triples, and Quentin Grimes was a major spark-plug off the bench (18 PTS, 5/8 3PT).
With the game hanging in the balance in the fourth quarter, Philly ripped off a 15-2 run that turned a two point lead into a fifteen point lead in the blink of an eye. Jayson Tatum (24 PTS) and the Celtics simply couldn’t keep pace with the tremendous fight of the 76ers.
With game six up next, Boston will have another chance to clinch the series, but that Philly crowd will be doing their best to make sure that doesn’t happen….
🏀 🏀 🏀
Magic take 3-1 series lead over top-seeded Pistons in gritty 94-88 victory
On paper, it wasn’t likely that the Orlando Magic would have a serious chance to win their opening round series vs the 60-win Detroit Pistons. Thankfully for Orlando, the games aren’t played on paper. 😎
After walking out of Detroit with a 1-1 split, the Magic did what the Pistons couldn’t do, they took care of home court. They treated their fans to two entertaining games that went down to the wire, and it was the eight seed that showed more poise and calm down the stretch.
Though this game was entertaining, it wasn’t exactly….pretty. Orlando shot just 33% from the field to the Pistons 38%, and two of the Magic’s key players in Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs shot a combined 5/31 from the floor. However, the Magic did what they do best, they won ugly. And in the Playoffs, it doesn’t matter how you win, the Ws all count the same.
A play that wasn’t ugly (the opposite in fact) was this UNREAL poster slam from Jamal Cain, by far the dunk of the playoffs so far. See for yourself: ⬇️
Orlando has the series in its control, but it’s not over yet. The Pistons are due for a bounce back after some overall underwhelming displays from stars Cade Cunningham (25 PTS, 7/23 shooting, 8 TOs) and Jalen Duren (12 PTS, 8 REB).
Game 5 in Detroit is going to be an absolute MUST-watch!
🏀 🏀 🏀
Elsewhere around the NBA:
Second round Spurs! San Antonio closed out Portland on Tuesday night in a 114-95 game 5 win. After dropping game 2 at home, the Spurs ripped off three straight double-digit victories to quiet any potential doubt about this young squad being upset in the first round. They won by committee in this one, with six players scoring 15 or more points. Wemby (17 PTS, 14 REB) and the Spurs will await the winner of Nuggets/Wolves in round 2!
Less than a week ago, the Knicks were down 2-1 with their backs against the wall. Now, they hold a 3-2 series lead over Atlanta after their blowout 126-97 victory on Tuesday night. The basket for Jalen Brunson was the size of the ocean in this one, as he went for 39 points on a highly efficient 15/23 shooting. The hot shooting carried over for the entire Knicks squad, as they shot 57% from the field as a team. If they repeat this performance in game 6, they should be on their way to the second round!
For the third straight season, OKC wins their first round series in a sweep. 12 games, 12 wins. This level of dominance is to be expected by now from the defending champs, who got another elite performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 PTS, 10/17 FG) and sent the Suns home for the summer in their 131-122 game 4 victory. Even though Phoenix’s season ends in a sweep, this season should still be viewed as a success, as they exceeded expectations going into the year after the KD trade. As for OKC, they’ll face the winner of LAL/HOU in round two!
The shorthanded Timberwolves tried to join OKC in the second round, but couldn’t punch their ticket as the Nuggets dominate game 5 to keep their season alive in their 125-113 win. Nikola Jokić (27 PTS, 12 REB, 16 AST) looked much more in rhythm following a rough start to the series, and a huge shoutout to Spencer Jones for adding 20 huge points while filling in for Aaron Gordon in the starting lineup. Denver is one win away from forcing a game 7 back at home against a Wolves team that will be without Ant and Donte Divincenzo, but they’ll have to win in front of a rocking Target Center crowd on Thursday to extend the series…
🧠 Daily Trivia 🧠
NBA Awards
Cooper Flagg wins Rookie of the Year, beats out Kon Knueppel in extremely tight race
Dallas fans have been through a lot in the past year and a half….but this week, they got to celebrate. 😁
Cooper Flagg was announced the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year on Monday, beating out his former college teammate Kon Knueppel in an extremely close race, with Flagg receiving 412 first place votes to Knueppel’s 386. Nothing like a good brotherly competition!
Flagg had a rookie season for the books, with incredible averages across the board (21.6 PTS, 6.7 REB, 4.5 AST). Only three other players have racked up those averages as a rookie: Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and….Luka Doncić (sorry, Mavs fans). Still, certainly not too bad of company to be in after your rookie season. 😅
Outside of his elite averages, Coop was breaking rookie records on what felt like a nightly basis:
This really only feels like the beginning for Flagg. The thought that this past season is likely the worst he’s going to be for the remainder of his career is a scary thought for the rest of the league…
In a 15 month stretch with that featured quite a few low points for Mavs fans, getting to have front row seats to the Cooper Flagg experience means there will be much brighter days ahead in the years to come.
Congrats, Coop! 🔥
Who was your Rookie of the Year Pick?
Three in the Key
🤔 Change is Coming
How are you feeling about the potential new draft lottery system?
🔥 DPO-Whiteside!
Shoutout Hassan Whiteside for taking home DPOY in the Chinese Basketball League!
🦅 Soaring Hawk
Johnathan Kuminga got UP for this alley-oop finish!
What We’re Enjoying
The 2026 Playoffs have given us a LOT to discuss so far…and who better to get the playoff analysis from than our main man Kenny!
Give the latest Small Ball pod episode a listen to hear Kenny’s detailed thoughts on the first round so far! ⬇️
Signing Off
That’s all for today, Enjoyers! Thanks for making us a part of your day. We hope you’ve been enjoying the playoffs as much as we have been so far. The best part, we’re still only getting started.
See you on Friday!
