Wemby’s alley-oop slam gives Spurs’ lead (0:18)Victor Wembanyama’s alley-oop slam dunk gives the Spurs a fourth quarter lead. (0:18)
NBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsApr 26, 2026, 06:26 PM ET
(2) San Antonio Spurs lead (7) Portland Trail Blazers 3-1
(6) Minnesota Timberwolves lead (3) Denver Nuggets 3-1
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder lead (8) Phoenix Suns 3-0
(4) Los Angeles Lakers lead (5) Houston Rockets 3-0
The 2026 playoffs are underway, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game in the march to the Finals. Which top seeds are cruising and which could be in danger of a first-round upset? Which stars are shining and which players are breaking through on the playoff stage?
As the Western Conference playoffs continue, here’s what matters most and what to watch in all four series.
Biggest takeaway from Game 4: The Spurs are short on postseason experience but continue to overcome adversity with moxie unbecoming of such a young squad. First, the Spurs won Game 3 without their best player, Victor Wembanyama, who missed two games in the series due to a concussion.
The Trail Blazers outscored the visitors 24-1in transition over the first two quarters while shooting 8 of 11. Led by Jerami Grant (11 points), Portland’s bench outscored San Antonio’s 23-5 as Luke Kornet, Dylan Harper and Harrison Barnes finished the opening half scoreless.
Wembanyama showed some rust offensively before finding his flow in the second half. Despite the early struggles on offense, Wembanyama handled business on the defensive end, holding Portland to 2-of-9 shooting with a block as the primary defender to combat the Blazers’ dominating opening half. — Michael C. Wright
What to watch in Game 5: Sunday helped Wembanyama get reacclimated to postseason basketball after he missed Games 2 and 3 in the NBA’s concussion protocol. The Frenchman got off to a slow start offensively in his only outing in Portland, but you can expect him to be sharper in Game 5 in the friendly confines of the Frost Bank Center. Game 5 represents a chance for San Antonio to close out its first postseason series and buy itself a little rest while awaiting its second-round opponent.
Harper and Stephon Castle are banged up with hand injuries but will be counted on to perform in Game 5 to help the Spurs close out their first series since 2017. — Wright
Biggest takeaway from Game 3: A surgical, dominant performance by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put the Suns on the brink of elimination. A few days after being called “frail” by Suns defensive menace Dillon Brooks, Gilgeous-Alexander scorched the Suns for a playoff career-high 42 points on 15-of-18 shooting with eight assists.
It was a masterpiece performance by Gilgeous-Alexander, who is expected to repeat as the MVP, when Oklahoma City didn’t have an effective second offensive creator. With Jalen Williams sidelined by a hamstring strain, Ajay Mitchell struggled in that role (15 points, 5-of-20 shooting). But Gilgeous-Alexander was too good to give the Suns a chance of getting on the board in the series. — Tim MacMahon
Biggest takeaway from Game 3: “The desperate team normally wins in the playoffs,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before Friday’s Game 3. “So, we can’t relax.”
Then, in Wembanyama’s first game back, San Antonio shook off a slow start to rally from 19 points down for the win. Portland annihilated the Spurs in transition and bench scoring early on to take a 17-point lead into intermission. But San Antonio charged back with a 13-0 run in the third quarter, erasing its largest halftime deficit in a postseason outing since 2017 to tie the score at 74 headed into the final frame. De’Aaron Fox and Wembanyama scored 24 and 21 points, respectively to carry the Spurs.
What to watch in Game 4: Can the Thunder sweep their first-round series for the third straight year? Oklahoma City is 11-0 in the first round with coach Mark Daigneault on the sidelines, sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in 2024 and the Memphis Grizzlies last season. That matches the Miami Heat from 2012 to 16 for the fifth-most consecutive first-round wins in NBA history. The defending champion Thunder have looked every bit the part of the title favorite through the first few games of the playoffs. If that continues Monday, Oklahoma City can get some rest before the second round. — MacMahon
What to watch in Game 4: The obvious thing is whether Durant and Austin Reaves will be available. Durant and Reaves were downgraded from questionable to out Friday. Will two more days of rest be enough for Durant’s ankle and Reaves’ left oblique strain? On the Lakers side, how will James’ 41-year-old body respond in 48 hours after playing 45 minutes in Game 3? And what versions of Alperen Sengun and Luke Kennard will show up? Sengun, who shot just 15-for-39 (38.5%) to start the series, was back to his All-Star self with 33 points on 15-for-27 shooting. Kennard, who was 17-for-26 (65.4%), had a drop back to earth, with 14 points on 4-for-12 shooting. –McMenamin
Wemby’s alley-oop slam gives Spurs’ lead (0:18)Victor Wembanyama’s alley-oop slam dunk gives the Spurs a fourth quarter lead. (0:18)
More coverage: East takeaways | Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Game 5: Trail Blazers at Spurs (Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 4: Timberwolves at Nuggets (Monday, 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
Game 4: Thunder at Suns (Monday, 9:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/Peacock)
Game 4: Lakers at Rockets (Sunday, 9:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
Victor Wembanyama’s alley-oop slam dunk gives the Spurs a fourth quarter lead. (0:18)
Lakers storm back late, win in OT for 3-0 series lead vs. Rockets