Victor Wembanyama jams one down early for the Spurs (0:18)Victor Wembanyama jams one down early for the Spurs (0:18)
NBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsApr 29, 2026, 12:25 AM ET
(2) San Antonio Spurs eliminate (7) Portland Trail Blazers 4-1
(6) Minnesota Timberwolves lead (3) Denver Nuggets 3-2
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder eliminate (8) Phoenix Suns 4-0
(4) Los Angeles Lakers lead (5) Houston Rockets 3-1
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 5: Spurs forward Devin Vassell discussed at the team’s shootaround Tuesday morning the need to ensure a fast start by “being ultra locked in” from the beginning of Game 5 to close out the Portland Trail Blazers in this best-of-seven series.
Biggest takeaway from Game 4: Once again, the first round served as a nice warmup for the top-seeded Thunder. Oklahoma City is 12-0 in first-round games under coach Mark Daigneault, sweeping an 8-seed for the third consecutive postseason.
According to ESPN Research, the Thunder became the fourth defending champion to sweep its first-round series with four double-digit wins. The previous two (2012-13 Miami Heat and 1989-90 Detroit Pistons) repeated as champions. On the other hand, the Suns have lost their past 10 playoff games over a four-year span, matching the Brooklyn Nets for the longest active postseason losing streak in the league. — Tim MacMahon
Meanwhile, LeBron James had one of the worst playoff games of his career with 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting, nine assists and eight turnovers. And the one L.A. player who was effective, Deandre Ayton, was ejected in the third quarter after picking up a flagrant foul 2 for hitting Alperen Sengun on the side of the head with his forearm. Ayton had tallied 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes before exiting. — Dave McMenamin
San Antonio delivered by starting Game 5 on a 12-2 run that ballooned into a 28-point lead with 1:56 left in the first half after a Stephon Castle free throw made the score 65-37. Credit the hot shooting of Julian Champagnie for San Antonio’s scorching start. Champagnie made 4-of-5 from 3-point range over the first two quarters and 5-of-7 from the field for a team that shot 67% in the first half, which tied for San Antonio’s best shooting half of the season, including the playoffs. Veteran point guard De’Aaron Fox delivered seven assists in the first half with the Spurs shooting 7-of-7 for 16 points off his passes, according to ESPN Research. San Antonio also scored 10 points off four Portland turnovers in building a monstrous lead that proved too much to overcome. — Michael C. Wright
Biggest takeaway from Game 5: The Nuggets’ role players finally showed a pulse. Denver’s depth has looked paper-thin in this series, with Peyton Watson out and Aaron Gordon hobbled. Gordon missed Game 5 and might be done for the series because of a left calf injury, but the Nuggets remained alive because of Spencer Jones, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun. Jones, in particular, provided a boost. The undrafted second-year wing had four 3s and 20 points after hitting only three 3s and scoring 12 total points combined in the first four games of the series. Johnson, Braun and Bruce Brown were all active defensively and aggressive in transition, forcing 25 turnovers that the Nuggets turned into 35 points, and gave Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray the requisite help to extend the series. — Anthony Slater
Biggest takeaway from Game 4: Lost in the aftermath of the Lakers’ magical Game 3 comeback was that L.A. struggled mightily on the offensive end in the second half, scoring just 38 points on 38.2% shooting while committing 10 turnovers. “It feels like our turnovers tend to come in waves against this team,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said Sunday in the lead-up to Game 4. If Friday’s second half produced a wave of turnovers, what followed in Game 4 was a tsunami. The Lakers registered 21 turnovers through the first three quarters, leading to 26 points for the Rockets. Houston bounced back from its Game 3 collapse — and the disappointing news that a bone bruise in Kevin Durant’s sprained left ankle could sideline him for two to three weeks — with a suffocating defensive performance and a balanced offensive outing that saw each starter score at least 16 points.
Victor Wembanyama jams one down early for the Spurs (0:18)Victor Wembanyama jams one down early for the Spurs (0:18)
More coverage: East takeaways | Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Round 2 opponent: Winner of Timberwolves/Nuggets series (Minnesota leads 3-2)
Game 6: Nuggets at Timberwolves (Thursday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Round 2 opponent: Winner of Lakers/Rockets series (Los Angeles leads 3-1)
Victor Wembanyama jams one down early for the Spurs (0:18)
Game 5: Rockets at Lakers (Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN)