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 opened their East series Monday by beating the 7-seed Philadelphia 76ers to take a 1-0 series lead. Meanwhile, the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons pulled away for a Game 1 win Tuesday over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the other East series.
In the West, the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, who had Anthony Edwards (left knee injury) back for Game 1, stole a win over the 2-seed San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama on Monday. The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round, picked up where they left off with a win over the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
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.
Jump to a series:
Knicks-76ers | Pistons-Cavaliers
Spurs-Timberwolves | Lakers-Thunder
More coverage:
Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Eastern Conference
Biggest takeaway from Game 1: This series is personal for Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He kept his comments intentionally short before the game when talking about his former squad, acknowledging only that he “spent a lot of time” with many of the Cavaliers core and responding “yes” when asked if that will help him in this series.
His Pistons squad raced out to a 37-21 advantage in the first quarter and put together one of their best offensive performances of the playoffs. All five Detroit starters finished in double figures. Tobias Harris scored 20 points. Duncan Robinson hit five 3-pointers. But the Pistons were again led by Cade Cunningham, who put up 23 points with seven assists, extending his streak of scoring at least 20 points in the first 14 games of his postseason career. Even when the Cavs rallied back to tie the score at 93 with five minutes left in the fourth, Cunningham stayed poised under pressure, finishing three straight possessions with an assist to Jalen Duren that resulted in a dunk.
Game 2: Cavaliers at Detroit (Thursday, 7 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
What to watch in Game 2: The Cavs still haven’t won a game on the road during this postseason and they’re going to have to stop turning the ball over to do so. Cleveland had 19 turnovers in Game 1, including seven by James Harden. The Pistons scored 29 total points off the Cavs’ giveaways. Entering the series, the Cavs said they believed their previous series with Toronto would prepare them for this series against the Pistons, another team that plays with a physical and swarming defense. But the same issues that hindered the Cavs in the first round showed up again Tuesday night and will send them back to the drawing board to avoid falling into a 2-0 hole. — Jamal Collier
Biggest takeaway from Game 1: Perhaps Game 1 was the result of the Philadelphia 76ers coming off an emotional 3-1 series deficit to rally against the Boston Celtics. Or maybe the New York Knicks are rounding into real championship shape, with a fourth straight blowout win in these playoffs and each game essentially over before halftime. The sweat equity these Knicks have built over this season was on display as they stifled Sixers center Joel Embiid (when New York wasn’t shaken by the desperate Hack-A-Mitch strategy against Mitchell Robinson). Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns showed that he’s a matchup nightmare with 17 points (including three 3-pointers), six rebounds and six assists in just 20 minutes, and Jalen Brunson ran wild in the first half. Freed from feeling the Atlanta Hawks draped over him, Brunson scored 27 of his 31 points before halftime. — Vincent Goodwill
Game 2: 76ers at Knicks (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to watch in Game 2: It was Philadelphia’s shooting that doomed the team against the Knicks on Monday. New York was scorching hot. Philly missed just about everything — the Sixers made only 41% of their field goals and 37% of their 3s — and the result was an embarrassing loss. The Sixers will have to do a much better job of defending Brunson and getting Tyrese Maxey going a lot earlier if they want Game 2 to look different Wednesday night. — Tim Bontemps
Western Conference
Biggest takeaway from Game 1: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a subpar performance by his MVP standards, but the Lakers still couldn’t stay within striking distance. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 18 points — his lowest total in any outing since a Game 3 loss in last season’s Western Conference Finals — while attempting only three free throws and committing an uncharacteristic seven turnovers. Chet Holmgren (24 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks) was Oklahoma City’s best player in Game 1.
There’s a lot of pressure on Lakers guard Austin Reaves in this series, especially while Luka Doncic remains sidelined by a hamstring strain. Reaves, who rushed to return from an oblique strain suffered during an April 2 blowout loss in Oklahoma City, was held to only eight points on 3-of-16 shooting. He will have to be much better moving forward to give the Lakers any legitimate hope of making these conference semifinals competitive. — Tim MacMahon
Game 2: Lakers at Thunder (Thursday, 9:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
What to watch in Game 2: During a third-quarter timeout Tuesday, Drake’s “Search and Rescue” flowed out of the speakers in the packed Paycom Center. “I didn’t come this far just to come this far,” an audio dub from Kim Kardashian says in the song.
The lyrics felt like an acutely appropriate way to describe the task the Lakers are undertaking against the defending champs. The timeout by JJ Redick came with 4:35 remaining in the third, after OKC had gone on a 7-0 run in just over two minutes to push what had been a four-point lead into double digits. For everything the Lakers accomplished to get to the second round without Luka Doncic, Game 1 was a reminder that the Kevin Durant-less Houston Rockets are not the same type of opponent as the defending champs and their Canadian star, Gilgeous-Alexander. Thursday will show if the first two and a half quarters of the series opener was an indication of the Lakers figuring some stuff out against an OKC team that dominated them during the regular season, or if it was more of a wasted opportunity against a Thunder team that was only slightly out of sorts to begin the game because it hadn’t played in eight days. — Dave McMenamin
Biggest takeaway from Game 1: The Timberwolves just stole a win in San Antonio despite what should be, in theory, the most limited version of Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards they’ll have in this series. Nine days after hyperextending his left knee and suffering a bone bruise, Edwards powered his way back onto the floor, and coach Chris Finch cautiously brought him off the bench. In a limited 25 minutes, Edwards put up 18 points on 13 shots. He limped and grimaced occasionally, but Edwards generally moved like himself. And his minutes and usage should only rise from here. That’s a scary proposition for the Spurs, who struggled to score against the length and strength of the Timberwolves. San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox went a combined 10-of-31 shooting, missing all 12 of their 3s. — Anthony Slater
Game 2: Timberwolves at Spurs (Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to watch in Game 2: Backpedaling on defense after drilling a 25-foot step-back jumper over Keldon Johnson with 1:27 left in the first quarter, Edwards let the opponent and everybody else in Frost Bank Center know: “I’m back, boy! I’m back!” While there’s only one day off between Games 1 and 2, Minnesota will gladly take it, as Edwards looks to work his way back into full form. Edwards provided meaningful minutes in his first action since Game 4 of the first round. But the four-time All-Star was on a minutes restriction. If Edwards emerges from Game 1 without much residual soreness and swelling, the Timberwolves will enter Game 2 more optimistic about their prospects of stealing another one in San Antonio. As Edwards’ health improves, look for him to be even more dominant as this series progresses.
San Antonio, meanwhile, will likely look to establish Wembanyama in the paint more on offense in Game 2. Sure, the Frenchman set the NBA playoff record for blocks with 11 to highlight a brilliant performance on defense. But offensively, Wembanyama shot 5-of-7, including 0-of-8 from 3-point range. In games Wembanyama thrives, he typically establishes dominance inside early by knocking down easy buckets before taking his game out to the perimeter. San Antonio needs to get Wembanyama more paint touches moving forward, and it’s expected that will be a point of emphasis for Game 2. — Michael C. Wright
