Wemby gets ejected for elbowing Naz Reid above the neck (1:28)Wemby gets ejected for elbowing Naz Reid above the neck (1:28)
NBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsMay 10, 2026, 10:27 PM ET
(2) San Antonio Spurs tied with (6) Minnesota Timberwolves 2-2
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder lead (4) Los Angeles Lakers 3-0
(3) New York Knicks beat (7) Philadelphia 76ers 4-0
(1) Detroit Pistons lead (4) Cleveland Cavaliers 2-1
The second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs is here, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game of the Eastern and Western conference semifinals.
The No. 2-seeded New York Knicks swept the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. The No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons have a 2-1 series lead after losing a wild Game 3 on Saturday to the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the West, the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves stole a win over the 2-seed San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama on Sunday to even their series. The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round, picked up where they left off with wins over the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
As teams chase the Larry O’Brien Trophy, here’s what matters most in both conferences and what to watch for in all four series.
Biggest takeaway from Game 3: The Lakers have kept reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in check for the first three games of the series and have nothing to show for it.
What to watch in Game 4: All three games have followed a similar script. The Lakers’ defense does its job containing Gilgeous-Alexander and their offense does enough to hang around for a half … and then the wheels fall off when L.A.’s turnovers fuel Thunder runs.
The Lakers committed 17 turnovers leading to 30 points for Oklahoma City on Saturday (OKC had just 10, which L.A. scored 11 points off of). That disparity, combined with OKC’s work on the offensive glass, gave the Thunder 13 more shots than L.A. had in Game 3. Will the Lakers be able to string together a full four quarters Monday to avoid the consequence of their season coming to an end if they don’t? — Dave McMenamin
Biggest takeaway from Game 4: The Knicks are playing a cohesive brand of basketball, one they perhaps had been building up to all season long.
But even the most orange-and-blue-eyed optimist couldn’t have foreseen this: the capitalizing on mistakes, the torrid 3-point shooting, bordering on a record pace. The Knicks’ 25 3-pointers in their 30-point Game 4 victory tied for the most in NBA playoff history.
Now, their 0-3 record in Detroit this season doesn’t seem to matter, and nor does their 2-1 mark against Cleveland. Detroit beat them up, heavily motivated from last season’s first-round series, but are the Knicks a much tougher bunch this time around? The Cavs had the Knicks on the ropes on Christmas Day before New York put on a fourth-quarter run that seemed like the past seven playoff games.
Biggest takeaway from Game 3: James Harden finally delivered the clutch performance the Cavs needed.
The Pistons had been the better team in the clutch through the first two games, executing in late games like a veteran team, while outplaying the Cavs, who have a bevy of playoff experience. But with the score tied 104-104 with under three minutes remaining Saturday, the Cavs made the plays to win the game down the stretch, including seven points in the final 1:30 from Harden.
Cleveland responded in a must-win Game 3 to keep its hopes alive of winning this series. Donovan Mitchell scored more than 30 points for the second straight game, and Harden bounced back from a miserable Game 2.
Harden and Mitchell combined to outscore the Pistons 10-5 over the final 1:29 of the game. Harden went 3-for-3 in that sequence.
Despite falling behind 2-0 in the series, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said he came into Saturday’s game encouraged that they had chances to win both games, despite not playing well in either game in Detroit. And for the first time in the series, the Cavs got off to a good start in the first half. They shot 72.2% in the first quarter and outscored Detroit 32-18 in the second.
Detroit has touted the lessons learned from its first-round seven-game battle with the Orlando Magic. Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said before the game it was “the best thing to ever happen to them” because it taught this young squad the urgency it takes to compete in the playoffs.
And the Pistons almost completed an epic comeback Saturday, despite trailing by 16 at the half, showing they will not go out quietly, no matter where the game is played. — Collier
Wemby gets ejected for elbowing Naz Reid above the neck (1:28)Wemby gets ejected for elbowing Naz Reid above the neck (1:28)
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More coverage: Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Game 5: Timberwolves at Spurs (Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, NBA/Peacock)
Jarrett Allen scored 18 points, and Evan Mobley added 13 points in the win.
And although the Pistons closed the gap with a 33-19 third-quarter surge and took the lead in the fourth, powered by Cade Cunningham’s triple-double — 27 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds — the Cavs responded with a strong fourth quarter, led by Harden, to win in the clutch for the first time in this series. — Jamal Collier
Game 4: Pistons at Cavaliers (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
Los Angeles’ strategy of having Marcus Smart hug Gilgeous-Alexander all over the floor when he didn’t have the ball and frequently doubling him when he did succeeded in slowing the superstar, who finished with his series-high 23 points on 7-of-20 shooting, but didn’t work overall. Ajay Mitchell, who is filling in as a starter with Jalen Williams (hamstring) injured, continued his stellar series. Mitchell had game highs of 24 points and 10 assists, scoring nine points and dishing out four dimes as the Thunder put the game out of reach while Gilgeous-Alexander rested during the first half of the fourth quarter. Chet Holmgren, who has arguably been Oklahoma City’s best player in the series, also had another outstanding outing with 18 points and nine rebounds. –Tim MacMahon
Wemby gets ejected for elbowing Naz Reid above the neck (1:28)
Thunder ride Ajay Mitchell’s star turn to 3-0 lead over Lakers
Jalen Brunson shuts door on 76ers as Knicks go up 3-0
James Harden delivers late to save Cavaliers, quiet ‘chatter’
Game 4: Thunder at Lakers (Monday, 10:30 p.m., Prime)