2026 NBA playoffs: Conference semifinals takeaways
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 Knicksswept the seventh-seededPhiladelphia 76ersin the East. The fourth-seededCleveland Cavaliersevened their series with theNo. 1 seedDetroit Pistonsat two games piece ahead of Wednesday's crucial Game 5.
In the West, the sixth-seededMinnesota Timberwolvesstole a win over the 2-seedSan Antonio SpursandVictor Wembanyamaon Sunday to even their series at 2-2 before the Spurs won in a 126-97 rout on Tuesday. The top-seededOklahoma City Thunder, who swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round, picked up where they left off with with another sweep over the No. 4 seedLos Angeles Lakers.
As the chase for the Larry O'Brien Trophy heats up, here's what matters most in both conferences and what to watch for in all four series.
Jump to a series:
76ers-Knicks| Cavaliers-Pistons
Timberwolves-Spurs| Lakers-Thunder
More coverage:
Schedules and results |Offseason guides
Western Conference
(2)San Antonio Spurslead (6)Minnesota Timberwolves3-2
- Game 1:Timberwolves 104, Spurs 102
- Game 2:Spurs 133, Timberwolves 95
- Game 3:Spurs 115, Timberwolves 108
- Game 4: Timberwolves 114, Spurs 109
- Game 5:Spurs 126, Timberwolves 97
Biggest takeaway from Game 5:San Antonio unfurled a massive tifo near the southwest end of Frost Bank Center above the Jackals fan section with the words "Locked In" scrolled across the bottom. The Spurs lived up to the mantra early en route to a 126-97 victory in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead
Victor Wembanyama, who was fresh off his first career ejection, was especially focused. In addition to lighting up Minnesota for 21 points in the first half, which included 16 points in a span of six minutes, Wembanyama limited the Timberwolves to just seven points on 3-of-11 from the field on shots he contested, according to ESPN Research.
When Minnesota called for a timeout with 5:44 left in the first quarter, Wembanyama had singlehandedly outscored the Timberwolves 16-11. The Frenchman also became the first player this postseason to register a 20-point double-double (21 points and 11 rebounds) in any half. He's also the second player to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks over his first nine career playoff games (since postseason blocks were first tracked in 1974), joining Spurs Hall of Famer David Robinson.
At the team's shootaround ahead of Game 5, forward Devin Vassell discussed the need for the Spurs to have Wembanyama's back against the physical Timberwolves. De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castleand Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson accomplished that mission by combining for 56 points as San Antonio nearly doubled Minnesota's output in paint scoring -- the Spurs' 68 points in the paint were their second most in a playoff game since 1998. --Michael C. Wright
Game 6:Spurs at Timberwolves (Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime)
What to watch in Game 6:Desperation. This is the first time in these playoffs the Timberwolves have faced an elimination game, and they'll do so in front of their lit up fanbase on a Friday night. The Timberwolves will have an emotional boost, but Minnesota has problems to solve. Julius Randle is chief among them. He has had a bad offensive series, unable to consistently finish overVictor Wembanyama'slength, power through San Antonio's young athletes or keep them off balance with his jumper. In all, Randle is 26-of-71 shooting with 18 turnovers through five games.
He might need his best game in two weeks on Friday night for the Timberwolves to survive. The extra rest for Anthony Edwards should also help. This is the first time all series there are two off days between games. Edwards, still icing both his knees after workouts, has played 40, 40 and 39 minutes the past three games. He could use the extra 24 hours to refresh before trying to save his season. --Anthony Slater
- Wemby's bounce-back fuels rout as Spurs take 3-2 series lead
- Defiant Edwards says Wolves not worried with season on brink
(1)Oklahoma City Thundereliminate (4)Los Angeles Lakers4-0
- Game 1:Thunder 108, Lakers 90
- Game 2:Thunder 125, Lakers 107
- Game 3:Thunder 131, Lakers 108
- Game 4:Thunder 115, Lakers 110
Biggest takeaway from Game 4:Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checked back into the game with 8:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, more than a couple of minutes earlier than his regular rotation. The goal was to get the MVP some extra rest by closing out the Lakers on Monday night. Mission accomplished, as the Thunder became the first defending champions sinceLeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 to sweep the first two series of the playoffs.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored nine of his series-high 35 points in the fourth quarter to help send the Lakers into a summer of uncertainty. Austin Reaves, who enters free agency, had 27 points, six rebounds and six assists but missed a potential tying 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining. If this was LeBron James' last game in a Lakers uniform -- or even the NBA -- he went down swinging with 24 points and 12 rebounds. -- Tim MacMahon
- Thunder escape late Lakers charge to complete sweep
- Seven days inside the Thunder's basketball utopia
Eastern Conference
(1) Detroit Pistonstied with (4) Cleveland Cavaliers2-2
- Game 1:Pistons 111, Cavaliers 101
- Game 2: Pistons 107, Cavaliers 97
- Game 3: Cavaliers 116, Pistons 109
- Game 4:Cavaliers 112, Detroit 103
Biggest takeaway from Game 4:Through two quarters on Monday, Donovan Mitchell had just four points, marking his lowest-scoring first half in any playoff game while with Cleveland. But he exploded for 21 points in the third -- as many as the entire Pistons team tallied in the quarter -- with many of those buckets coming as part of a 22-0 start to the second half for Cleveland.
The stars showed up for the Cavaliers. In their best holistic performance as a backcourt duo this postseason, Mitchell and James Harden combined for 67 pointsas Cleveland evened up the series at home, andEvan Mobley contributed five blocks, three steals and a plus-30 plus/minus. --Zach Kram
Game 5:Cavaliers at Pistons (Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to watch in Game 5:Detroit's role players largely performed well in Game 4, highlighted by Caris LeVert's team-high 24 points off the bench. But the Pistons' starters didn't uphold their end of the bargain: Cade Cunningham had nearly as many turnovers (five) as assists (six), Jalen Duren continued his lackluster postseason with just eight points and two rebounds, and Ausar Thompson had a ghastly minus-27 plus-minus in 19 minutes. They'll attempt to rebound at home in Game 5 -- and do a better job matching their Cavaliers counterparts, now that Detroit's 2-0 series lead has slid to a 2-2 tie. --Kram
- Mitchell scores 39 in 2nd half as Cavs tie series vs. Pistons
- Bickerstaff calls FT disparity in Game 4 loss 'unacceptable'
(3)New York Knicksbeat (7) Philadelphia 76ers4-0
- Game 1:Knicks 137, 76ers 98
- Game 2:Knicks 108, 76ers 102
- Game 3:Knicks 108, 76ers 94
- Game 4:Knicks 144, 76ers 114
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.
Perhaps it was an omen. --Vincent Goodwill
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