Tag: NBA

Devin Booker will have his hands full trying to slow reigning Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

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This 1-8 first-round showdown was the last opening series to be settled, with Phoenix beating Golden State to regain a playoff berth and earn the toughest task facing any of the qualifying teams: somehow win four times against the defending champions, who are driven to be the first repeat Larry O’Brien winners since the 2017 & 2018 Warriors.  

Series schedule

Here’s how to watch the Thunder vs. Suns series:

All times Eastern Standard Time

• Game 1: Phoenix at Oklahoma City | Sunday April 19 (3:30 ET, ABC)
• Game 2: Phoenix at Oklahoma City | Wednesday April 22 (9:30 ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Oklahoma City at Phoenix | Saturday April 25 (3:30 ET, NBC)
• Game 4: Oklahoma City at Phoenix | Monday April 27
• Game 5: Phoenix at Oklahoma City | Wednesday April 29*
• Game 6: Oklahoma City at Phoenix | Friday May 1*
• Game 7: Phoenix at Oklahoma City | Sunday May 3*

* = If necessary

Regular-season results

Top storyline

Are the Thunder ready for their close-up? By the time we get to Sunday’s series opener at the Paycom Center, it will be going on two weeks since we saw Oklahoma City in its conference-leading configuration. That came in their 128-110 beatdown of the Clippers on April 8. The two final games were left to its backups and deep reserves. That might suggest a rest vs. rhythm trade-off for the Thunder, except their machine hummed along all season despite significant rotation guys’ absences. Chet Holmgren missed 13 games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 14, Alex Caruso 26, Isaiah Hartenstein 35 and Jalen Williams 49, yet there was virtually no slippage. A 3-5 hiccup in January/February took OKC from 37-8 to 40-13, and that was as shaky as things ever got.  

Keep your eyes on 

Slowing SGA. It hasn’t happened a lot in Devin Booker’s career that there’s been a backcourt weapon on the opposing team more dangerous than him. But that’s the situation in which Booker and Phoenix find themselves as they try to cope with Gilgeous-Alexander’s multi-faceted offensive attack. The Suns have Dillon Brooks as a feisty defender and possible irritant, along with Ryan Dunn and Jordan Goodwin. They crafted the NBA’s ninth-most efficient defense this season. But the pressure SGA puts on every opponent, and any individual defender, is relentless, and he has myriad options for spraying the ball. Plus there’s always that path he wears to the foul line.  

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.0 points and 7.3 assists vs. the Suns this season, while shooting a robust 50.9% overall and 50% from the arc. Phoenix does take pride in its 3-point defense (34.7%) but its underbelly was a little soft – opponents shot 55.6% inside the arc, a category in which the Suns ranked 19th. Booker certainly can keep up as a scorer, but he’ll have to do it  against the league’s top defense. And he doesn’t have at his disposal the secondary and tertiary scorers SGA does. 

One more thing to watch for each team 

For Thunder: Even a defense as stingy as theirs can’t take away everything. OKC’s 25th place ranking in 3-point defense is a potential flaw the Suns can exploit. Phoenix took and made the fifth-most 3-pointers in the league, setting a franchise record along the way by knocking down 1,210. The 36.1% accuracy of its long-distance shooters ranked 12th. Still, OKC doesn’t leave many openings elsewhere. Its overall defensive field-goal percentage (43.87%) was the NBA’s best. So were its 20.7 deflections and 22.0 points off turnovers. Forcing turnovers, the Thunder ranked second, same as in steals. That’s chaos on a stick when OKC dials up to playoff intensity.  

For Suns: Finding reliable scorers besides Booker against the Thunders’ physical, disruptive defense was looking like a challenge. Consider: Ten Suns averaged 10+ points against OKC in the season series but only point guard Jamaree Bouyea participated in all five meetings. And only three more played in four. But that was before Jalen Green blew up in Play-In week. He went for 35 in the loss to Portland, then topped that with 36 in eliminating Golden State. Green didn’t face OKC at all this season while playing in an injury-hobbled 32 games. He has long been a streaky but potent 20-point man over four seasons with Houston before his trade to Phoenix. The trick will be getting Green and Booker going at the same time. 

One key number to know

7.4 — The Suns averaged 3.1 more shot opportunities (field-goal attempts or trips to the line) than their opponents in the regular season. That was the league’s third best differential and an improvement of 7.4 per game from last season, when they averaged 4.3 fewer than their opponents. 

In Jordan Ott’s first season as head coach, the Suns saw an incredible improvement in the possession game. They saw the league’s biggest jumps in both offensive rebounding percentage and opponent turnover rate. They made up for sub-par shooting by getting more shots. 

The Thunder saw the league’s fourth biggest drop in shot-opportunity differential, from plus-4.3 per game (second) last season to plus-1.3 (11th) this season. They didn’t force quite as many turnovers as they did a year ago, and they saw the third biggest drop in offensive rebounding percentage. The Suns had the slight edge over the five head-to-head meetings, though the biggest differential in those five games (Phoenix +5) came on the last day of the regular season, when both teams rested their regulars. 

— John Schuhmann 

The pick 

Thunder in five. Phoenix came to camp with 14 new faces, a rookie coach in Ott and a brand new staff. Seven Suns players set career highs in scoring, while the team ranked fourth in steals and held foes to 111.1 points per game, its lowest in four years. But the overachievement stops here. Even with Green’s sizzling week to help his team get here, Phoenix’s offense will face a heightened level of stymying against OKC. Its squadron of defenders such as Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren and more doesn’t just hold teams down – it frustrates, bruises and occasionally bloodies them. At this early stage of the postseason, the Thunder are measuring themselves against, well, themselves. The lengthy timeline of the first round – or the extra off-days if they make quick work of Phoenix – will enable OKC to fashion its rotation to something more reliable than how it patched together the first 82.  

* * *

Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.  

Jalen Green soars in to score two of his game-high 36 points in Friday’s 111-96 victory over the Warriors.

PHOENIX (AP) — Jalen Green scored 36 points, Devin Booker added 20 and the Phoenix Suns locked down Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, winning 111-96 in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament Friday night.

The Suns took the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will face the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in Game 1. The Warriors’ season is over.

Green shot 14-for-20 from the field, including 8-for-14 on 3-pointers. Jordan Goodwin scored 19 points, had nine rebounds and was a menace on defense with six steals.

Booker and Golden State’s Draymond Green were both assessed two technical fouls late in the fourth quarter after exchanging words multiple times and were ejected.

The 38-year-old Curry couldn’t get many clean looks and finished with 17 points on 4-for-16 shooting. Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 23 points.

Phoenix led by five at the break and built a 69-53 advantage with 5:12 left in third after a fast-break layup by Royce O’Neale. It was 85-72 with 10:12 remaining.

There was reason to believe the lead wasn’t safe. Phoenix blew an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead in a loss to Portland on Tuesday night, while Golden State clawed back from a 13-point fourth-quarter hole to beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, which led to the winner-take-all matchup Friday.

The Warriors looked as if they might have another comeback brewing — Curry hit a 3-pointer that cut the margin to 85-78 with 9:30 left — but the Suns responded with the next seven points.

The Suns avoided becoming the first team to lose both Play-In Tournament games on their home floor. The current format was established in 2021.

Golden State’s Kristaps Porzingis played through right ankle soreness, the result of an injury Wednesday against the Clippers. The 7-foot-3 center played just 15 minutes and finished with 11 points.

The Suns built an early 13-2 lead after the Warriors turned the ball over four times. Phoenix pushed the advantage to 33-15 through one quarter after Golden State shot just 30%, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range.

But the Warriors recovered, cutting it to 50-45 by halftime.

Paolo Banchero and the Magic face a tough task in challenging the East’s No. 1 seed in Detroit.

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Before the 2025-26 season began, the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic were thought by many to be on the same tier of the Eastern Conference. If they were to meet in the first round of the playoffs, it would probably be in the 4-5 or 3-6 series.

Instead, its 1 vs. 8. The Pistons surpassed expectations, standing at the top of the Eastern Conference all season. The Magic were a disappointment, needing the final SoFi Play-In Tournament game to claim the 8 seed. But they split their four head-to-head matchups, with each team winning once on the other’s floor.

Neither franchise has won a playoff series in more than 15 years, and one of those droughts is about to end. The Pistons face the pressure of being the top seed, while the Magic face the possibility of major offseason changes should their Play-In victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday prove to be fluky.

Series schedule

Here’s how to watch the Pistons vs. Magic series:

All times Eastern Standard Time

• Game 1: Orlando at Detroit | Sunday April 19 (6:30 ET, NBC/Peacock)
• Game 2: Orlando at Detroit | Wednesday April 22 (7 ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Detroit at Orlando | Saturday April 25 (1 ET, NBC/Peacock)
• Game 4: Detroit at Orlando | Monday April 27
• Game 5: Orlando at Detroit | Wednesday April 29*
• Game 6: Detroit at Orlando | Friday May 1*
• Game 7: Orlando at Detroit | Sunday May 3*

* = If necessary

Regular-season results

Oct. 29: Pistons 135, Magic 116
Nov. 28: Magic 112, Pistons 109
Mar. 1: Pistons 106, Magic 92
Apr. 6: Magic 123, Pistons 107

Top storyline

Ball pressure and ball security. The Magic were the league’s third-most improved offensive team, but they took a big step backward defensively after ranking in the top three on that end of the floor in each of the last two seasons. Much of that regression was about turnovers: They went from second in opponent turnover rate (16.8 per 100 possessions) last season to 14th (14.7) this year; it was the league’s biggest drop.

With their season on the line on Friday, the Magic looked like their old selves, shutting down the Hornets’ fifth-ranked offense. It started with relentless ball pressure, and led to 20 Charlotte turnovers.

The Pistons’ ball security isn’t great. They ranked 23rd in turnover rate (15.1 per 100) in the regular season and had a much worse rate (16.9 per 100) in last year’s first-round loss to the Knicks. So if the Magic’s ball pressure can carry over from the Play-In to the playoffs, they can keep the Pistons from getting clean looks at the basket and enhance their own efficiency with transition opportunities.

Keep your eyes on

Rebounding. These are two of the top nine rebounding teams in the league, with the Pistons ranking third in offensive rebounding percentage and the Magic fifth in defensive rebounding percentage.

Field goal percentage is always lower in the playoffs than it is in the regular season, and with more missed shots, there are more rebounds to be had. So each team’s ability to secure the glass is more important. The Pistons won the rebounding battle in the regular season series, retaining 36.5% of available offensive boards (the second-best mark among all Orlando opponents) over the four games. Ausar Thompson (13) and Jalen Duren (12) accounted for half of Detroit’s 50 offensive boards against the Magic.

1 more thing to watch for each team

For Detroit: The Pistons set 2,260 ball-screens for Cade Cunningham this season, the third-highest total among all ball-handlers and a rate of more than 50 per 100 possessions. The Magic, meanwhile, have generally been a drop-coverage defense, encouraging ball-handlers to shoot off the dribble.

While Cunningham has seen steady improvement with his pull-up game over his five seasons, his effective field goal percentage of 49.3% on pullup jumpers this season ( 27th among the 88 players who attempted at least 200) is a number that favors the defense. Still, we could see Orlando mix up its coverages and force other guys to make plays and make shots.

Duren has been a much-improved roll man, both in regard to passing and creating his own shot. The Pistons will also let Tobias Harris go to work in the post, but Thompson (who made 16 total shots from outside the paint this season) will be ignored on the perimeter, compromising the spacing. This team can win ugly, but the offense will be under the spotlight in this series and going forward.

For Orlando: Paolo Banchero has yet to live up to the expectations that have come with being a former No. 1 pick, and he’s yet to make it really work with teammate Franz Wagner. The Magic’s Banchero-led offense has struggled (104.3 points scored per 100 possessions) in the first round of the playoffs over the last two years.

A series against the league’s second-ranked defense won’t be any easier. But it’s another opportunity for Banchero to prove that he’s an offensive star who can make plays for himself and his teammates. Turnovers were an issue, but he averaged 26.3 points in his three games vs. Detroit this season, with his true shooting percentage (64.8%) being his fifth best mark vs. any opponent.

1 key number to know

13.9 – The Pistons outscored their opponents by 13.9 points per game in the restricted area, the third biggest differential for any team in the last 15 seasons. They’re not going to beat teams from the perimeter (they ranked 29th in 3-point rate), but they can be dominant inside.

On offense, the Pistons led the league in the percentage of their shots (36%) that came in the restricted area. On defense, they ranked second in opponent field goal percentage in the restricted area (62.4%), with opponents having shot just 43.8% at the rim when Isaiah Stewart was there. That was the best rim-protection mark for a player who defended at least 200 shots at the rim in the 12 seasons for which we have tracking data.

The Magic ranked seventh in restricted-area differential (+3.0 points per game), even though they ranked 28th in field goal percentage (63.9%) at the basket. They actually outscored the Pistons by four points in the restricted area over the two early-season meetings in Detroit, but the Pistons were plus-30 there over the two late-season meetings in Orlando, with the difference in the Magic’s April 6 win coming at the free-throw line.

The pick

Pistons in 5. The Magic survived the Play-In and played one of their best games of the season on Friday, but have never consistently looked the part of a team that can win a playoff series, especially against an opponent as tough as the Pistons. Detroit should dominate inside and Orlando, the only playoff team that ranked in the bottom seven in both 3-point percentage and 3-point rate, doesn’t have the shooting to win from the perimeter.

The Magic could keep a game or two competitive, but the Pistons shouldn’t have much trouble advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2008.

* * *

John Schuhmann has covered the NBA for more than 20 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Bluesky.

Paolo Banchero powers the Magic with a game-high 25 points in the victory over Charlotte.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 25 points and the Orlando Magic rolled to a 35-point first-half lead, taking full control on the way to a 121-90 rout of Charlotte Hornets in a SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament elimination game on Friday night.

The Magic earned the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Their reward is a matchup with top-seeded Detroit, a best-of-seven that begins Sunday on the Pistons’ home floor.

The Magic were physical from the outset, and the Hornets were never in the game. Franz Wagner had 18 points for the Magic, along with seven rebounds and six assists.

Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting, while Desmond Bane scored 13 and Jalen Suggs added 12 for the Magic.

Orlando led by 31 at halftime, the biggest midpoint lead in the Play-In Tournament’s seven-year history. It has been utilized in this format — four teams qualifying from each conference, playing to decide the final two playoff spots on each half of the bracket — since 2021.

LaMelo Ball — who the NBA said should have been ejected from Tuesday’s season-extending win over Miami for an uncalled flagrant foul against Bam Adebayo — led the Hornets with 23 points, 21 of them coming in the third quarter.

But the game was long decided at that point. Orlando raced out to a 27-10 lead, stretched it to 68-33 late in the first half, and the Hornets never even got within 20 points the rest of the way.

Miles Bridges, who has played more games than any other active player without a playoff appearance, scored 15 for the Hornets. Brandon Miller scored 14 and Kon Knueppel added 11.

The Hornets, who have now missed the playoffs in 10 straight seasons, were outrebounded 49-34 and shot only 34%. Orlando shot 50%.

The Magic were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two postseasons and have not won a playoff round since 2010. But they went 2-2 against the Pistons this season.

The Hornets, who beat the Magic in their last three regular-season games, have not been in the playoffs since 2016. It’s the longest active drought in the NBA.

The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić became the first player ever to lead the league in rebounds and assists.

A select few players didn’t just dazzle every now and then. They sparkled and shined on a regular basis during the 2025-26 season of NBA Fantasy — Salary Cap Edition.

Now that we’ve reached the end of the road, it’s time to highlight those exemplary individuals who fantasy general managers stuck with through thick and thin.

Here are the award winners from this fantasy season:

Most Valuable Player: Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

With every step, he seems to make history. In every game, he’s likely to do something special. That’s just who Nikola Jokić is on the hardwood. The three-time MVP and eight-time All-Star takes the cake as the best player in fantasy — again.

He became the first player ever to lead the league in rebounds and assists. He’s also one of two alongside Russell Westbrook to average a triple-double in back-to-back seasons. At 31 years old, Jokić led all players with 4,464 total fantasy points and 68.6 fantasy points per game.

What’s perhaps most remarkable is that he accomplished all that despite missing 17 games in 2025-26. He also scored 80 or more fantasy points in 23% of games he did play. For now, and likely in years to come, there is simply no fantasy option quite like Jokić.

Rookie of the Year: Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets

The race for this award was neck-and-neck. Both Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg have been exceptional first-year fantasy options following similarly exceptional seasons at Duke. The edge, though, goes to Knueppel because of one crucial difference.

Flagg racked up 3,015 TFP on a $13.1M salary, but his former teammate had 2,706 TFP at nearly half the price — just $7.4M. Dollars matter in this salary-cap based fantasy game. Since slotting into the starting five at shooting guard, Knueppel has become a terrific bargain.

He averaged just 22.1 FPPG through his first six games with the Hornets. Those numbers nearly doubled in no time at all, as he put up 41 FPPG in the next nine. Knueppel started an impressive 80 games in all for the Hornets, and among his teammates, placed third with 33.4 FPPG.

Most Improved Player of the Year: Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee Bucks

In his first few seasons, Ryan Rollins bounced around from team to team, starting with the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards. But neither of them kept the Toledo product around long enough for him to get comfortable.

He was elevated to starting point guard for Year 3 with the Bucks, and that role took him to new heights. Rollins finished with 2,870 TFP and 38.7 FPPG at a salary of $6.7M, creating enough value for 25.6% of fantasy general managers to roster him.

He began 2025-26 on a roll — 40.3 FPPG across his first six games — and never cooled off from there. Ultimately, he wound up with 24 outings of 45-plus fantasy points, even breaking 60 on a few occasions. As the Bucks find a new coach, it would be wise to keep Rollins around.

Bargain of the Year: Collin Gillespie, Phoenix Suns

No team wanted Collin Gillespie in the 2022 NBA Draft. Every one of them passed on him, and some did so multiple times. So he spent this season — his third in the league — proving to each of them why it was a mistake not to call his name.

The 26-year-old guard had the best year of his young career, ultimately producing 2,426 TFP on a salary of $5.6M for the highest value of any player in the game. He appeared in 80 contests for the Suns while coming off the bench behind Devin Booker and was responsible for 30.3 FPPG.

His reliability proved attractive to fantasy general managers, and every now and then, he performed at an even higher level. Gillespie tallied 16 games with 40 or more fantasy points featuring a stretch of five straight from Dec. 23-31. Teams know his name now.

Referee Ben Taylor left Wednesday’s game between the Clippers and Warriors early due to injury.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Referee Ben Taylor left the play-in tournament game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers with an injury on Wednesday night.

Taylor walked stiffly off the court and went up the tunnel behind one basket at Intuit Dome with 8:51 left in the third quarter. He was replaced by alternate referee Sean Corbin after a brief delay.

The NBA sends a fourth alternate referee to every postseason game for exactly such a situation.

Taylor is an 11-year NBA veteran referee, while Corbin is in his 31st season on the job.

The ninth-seeded Clippers led the 10th-seeded Warriors 61-53 at halftime of the elimination game.

Stephen Curry scores 27 second-half points to lead the Warriors to a comeback win over the Clippers.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half, Al Horford hit four 3-pointers during Golden State’s electrifying fourth-quarter comeback, and the Warriors advanced in the NBA’s play-in tournament with a 126-121 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

Curry’s seventh 3-pointer broke a tie with 50.4 seconds to play for the 10th-seeded Warriors, who erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Golden State finished on a 16-6 run and held Kawhi Leonard scoreless in the fourth until the final 16 seconds.

After this time-defying rally, Curry, Draymond Green and the postseason-tested Warriors are one game from another playoff berth despite going 37-45 in the regular season and losing Jimmy Butler for the season in January.

The Warriors will travel to face Phoenix on Friday, with the winner moving on to face defending champion Oklahoma City in the first round.

Leonard scored 21 points for the Clippers, who missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022 and only the third time during their streak of 15 consecutive winning seasons. Bennedict Mathurin led Los Angeles with 23 points and Darius Garland had 21 points and eight assists while battling foul trouble.

Tyrese Maxey will bear the brunt of Philly’s offense as it hosts Orlando in Wednesday’s Play-In matchup.

The second night of this year’s SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament will determine the No. 7 seed in the East and eliminate a team in the West. Get ready for the action with previews and predictions for Wednesday’s matchups.

East: (8) Orlando Magic at (7) Philadelphia 76ers

7:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video

• The winner: Advances to face the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
• The loser: Plays again Friday (7:30 ET, Prime Video) against the Charlotte Hornets to determine the East’s final playoff qualifier.
• Regular-season results: Magic, 2-1.

Keep your eyes on: Embiid’s understudies

The availability of Sixers center Joel Embiid is one of the league’s longest-running soap operas, and he won’t be on the floor again this week. His emergency appendectomy in Houston last week shifts Embiid’s minutes to Adem Bona and Andre Drummond, big enough bodies but nothing like the multi-dimensional offensive weapon Embiid represents. Bona is more athletic, Drummond is the savvy vet, and whichever one is in the game will be relied upon primarily for defense. Embiid only faced the Magic once this season (scoring 22 points with nine boards), so the Sixers have patched it together before in this matchup.

Key matchup: Orlando’s bigs vs. Philadelphia’s smalls

The Magic have superior length and like to flex it, relying on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to create offense or earn their way to the foul line (Orlando shot and made the most free throws in the NBA this season). They added Desmond Bane this season from Memphis, yet still ranked near the bottom in 3-point categories. The Sixers are almost the complete opposite when Embiid is absent, leaning on their guards and wings to play fast and punish defenses that cannot keep up. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe will test Orlando’s backcourt defenders, wing Paul George has a shot at redeeming an unpleasant season and Quentin Grimes adds another guard to potentially torment the larger Magic lineup.

Prediction: Magic

Both teams had loftier aspirations than the Play-In. But they both should be grateful they’re in a two-and-done predicament rather than just one as Sixers coach Nick Nurse feels his squad benefited from the season that kept going sideways in that whatever-doesn’t-kill-you way. Orlando’s Jamahl Mosley and his players are just desperate to erase the chatter about internal frictions and underachieving. If the Magic win this one, they at least get a chance in a fresh best-of-seven to make up for their embarrassingly unserious Game No. 82 against the Celtics.

West: (10) Golden State Warriors at (9) L.A. Clippers

10 p.m. ET, Prime Video

Will Stephen Curry or Kawhi Leonard drive their team to a win in Wednesday’s win-or-go-home Play-In matchup?

• The winner: Advances to Friday’s game (7:30 ET, Prime Video) against the Phoenix Suns to determine the West’s final playoff qualifier.
• The loser: Eliminated from postseason competition.
• Regular-season results: Clippers, 3-1.

Keep your eyes on: Steph Curry’s on/off minutes

The Warriors’ legendary shooter returned on Easter after a two-month layoff with a leg injury, and some Steph is better than no Steph. But coach Steve Kerr said Curry might be able to play 32 minutes Wednesday, which will make the other 16 minutes important if the Clippers can take advantage when he’s on the side. Curry’s season plus/minus of 89 points was his second-lowest since 2012-13.

Key matchup: Draymond Green vs. Kawhi Leonard

Green has a shot to land his 10th consecutive All-Defensive team selection this spring, but it’s an honor he’ll have to earn as the most important part of Golden State’s game plan against Leonard. The Clippers’ 34-year-old elite scorer has averaged 29 points per game since they started shedding that reptilian 6-16 record, and he has scored at least 20 points 41 times, 30 or more 16 times and 40+ five times.

Obviously, Green isn’t going to put much pressure back on the Clippers with his rudimentary offensive game. But whatever coach Steve Kerr’s troops have done in defending Leonard has largely worked. Leonard has averaged only 21.7 ppg against them (taking 18.7 shots to do so), and is 4-for-18 on 3-pointers as well.

Prediction: Clippers

Frankly, it’s hard to think that either Curry or Leonard will be sent into the offseason on Wednesday night, but that’s where this all stands. This is not your father’s Golden State squad, lugging lowly rankings of 19th in offense, 16th in defense and 20th in net rating. The work the Clippers have done in recovering their season suggests they have a momentum advantage, and if the Warriors (37-45) are ousted, there won’t be any sub-.500 teams left in this postseason. A five-game gap from No. 9 to No. 10 might even make some folks wish there weren’t a Play-In opportunity for a team that far back in the standings.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

Both Coby White and LaMelo Ball come up clutch to help the Hornets stay alive in the SoFi Play-In Tournament.

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CHARLOTTE – The Play-In Tournament’s ability to keep middle-of-the-pack focused on what’s above them in the standings rather than what might await them from below has waned lately. But at least one of its superpowers remains: Injecting instant urgency at the start of the NBA’s postseason, a handful of one-and-done or two-and-done games serving as ideal hors d’oeuvres before everyone settles into those best-of-seven series.

The Charlotte Hornets’ 127-126 overtime victory against Miami Tuesday at Spectrum Center wasn’t just a tasty appetizer – it was bacon-wrapped. A thriller across 53 minutes, what might have been something humdrum between the East’s ninth- and 10th-best teams instead had a little of everything: crazy buckets, timely defense, lead swings (16, with 17 ties), a bit of controversy, and plenty of frayed emotions.

In this case, there was no faint praise in deeming it the greatest Play-In game ever.

The prospect of having eight months of hard work, ups, downs, surprises, setbacks and drama end in the span of a few hours can dial up all levels of desperation and resolve to earn another game. To fend off elimination. Any night except this night, in other words.

“I think both teams didn’t want to go out,” Hornets forward Miles Bridge said. “Us for sure. We’ve had a great year. We started out bad, then we banded together and created a culture. We wanted to win for our fans and for ourselves, and to get a taste of playoff basketball.”

For that last ambition, Charlotte has to hit the road and do this all over again Friday night either in Philadelphia or Orlando, once the 76ers and the Magic determine Wednesday which of those two loses its way into the clash with the Hornets. Miami, as stubborn a Play-In participant as the league has had since creating the format in 2021, heads into the offseason after having to play for nearly three quarters without its best player, Bam Adebayo.

Here are four takeaways from the victory that keeps alive Charlotte’s shot at facing the East’s No. 1 seed, the Detroit Pistons, in the first round for its first official playoff appearance in 10 years:

1. Throwback game for LaMelo Ball

Much has been made of the Charlotte point guard’s improved feel, leadership, efficiency and maturity this season in driving a team that has gone 34-15 since Jan. 3. But he looked Tuesday like old ’Melo, which means young ’Melo, the guy without much direction or accountability after his arrival in 2020.

Only in this game, the Hornets needed that guy. Two of their three main sources of points were underperforming: rookie Kon Knueppel seemingly had big-stage jitters, missing 10 of his 12 shots and all six of his 3-pointers. Brandon Miller played less than 10 minutes in the first half, collecting as many fouls as points.

That left it to Ball to have one of his everything-everywhere-all-at-once performances. He scored 30 points, including Charlotte’s first and last, and took 31 shots.

He sought his own looks first and was not shy about missing 14 of 16 3-pointers. Ball dished 10 assists, committed five fouls, and was plus-15 in 40 minutes in his team’s one-point triumph. He stacked moments both heartbreaking and breathtaking.

2. Bam goes boom, Spo is bummed

Adebayo, the Heat big man who grabbed NBA headlines last month by scoring 83 points in a game, fell 77 short of that when he hit the floor hard in the opening minute of the second quarter.

He injured his lower back and was unable to return. A quick scan of his meager stats and some others – Charlotte’s 17 offensive rebounds and 25 second-chance points, for instance – reveals how much Miami missed him.

Replays showed Ball, who had fallen first, grabbing Adebayo’s right ankle to seemingly trip him. It went uncalled and unreviewed by the game officials but had Heat coach Erik Spoelstra plenty agitated.

“I think it’s a stupid play. It’s a dangerous play,” Spoelstra said. “He should be penalized for that. I don’t think that belongs in the game, tripping guys. Somebody has got to see that [when it happens]. He should have been thrown out of the game for that.”

Crew chief Zach Zarba told a pool reporter that the officials did not see Ball’s grab when it happened. Because play continued downcourt, there was no opportunity to review it for a possible flagrant foul. It is possible that the league will assess a fine or suspension for Ball’s dubious maneuver.

The Hornets point guard denied any dirty motive, however. “I apologize on that one — I got hit in the head, I didn’t know where I was, but I’m going to check on him to see if he’s okay and everything,” Ball said. “I said sorry, and I’m going to check on him.”

3. A perfect pickup: Coby White

Charlotte took advantage of a moribund Bulls season to acquire White, a scoring point guard, in a February 4 trade.

Chicago’s since-fired front office didn’t even pry loose a first-round pick in the deal.

White was at his streaky-scoring best Tuesday with the sort of performance that can win a game or two in a long postseason.

After a slow start, White caught fire in the third quarter. He had a rebound, two steals and scored 14 points, including 11 in a row as the Hornets scrambled from five down to lead by six heading into the fourth. The native North Carolinian, who played one season for the Tar Heels, has brought instant-offense from the Hornets bench. He finished with 19 points and was plus-21 in less than 26 minutes.

4. Rookie regression for Knueppel

Miller pulled out of his fouls funk to score 20 points in the second half but Knueppel never did course-correct. He had shot just 34.7% from the arc in the Hornets’ final 10 games, but this was only his fourth game all season in which Knueppel – who led the NBA in 3-pointers and shattered the rookie record – couldn’t hit a single one.

Charlotte coach Charles Lee used Knueppel for only six minutes in the fourth quarter and not at all in overtime. But thanks to his teammates, the Rookie of the Year contender gets a chance at redemption Friday against the Magic or the Sixers.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.