Aside from Murray, Denver's starters combined to shoot 4 of 20 from 3-point range, contributing to the continuous shooting woes for the Nuggets. Star center Victor Wembanyama took just seven shots but had 14 rebounds and 6 blocks. The Spurs outscored the Blazers 61–43 in the second half, which included a 21–7 run in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 1 in the fourth quarter, before being able to pull away with the victory. Devin Vassell, who finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, missed a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining that would have tied the game and sent it to overtime. The San Antonio defense held Portland in check, with the Blazers shooting just 10-for-38 from three-point range while being out-rebounded 45 to 38. Oklahoma City was led by the newly awarded Clutch Player of the Year Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 37 points on much improved efficiency from Game 1. Devin Booker scored 23 points for Phoenix, while Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green both shot the ball poorly, with both scoring 18 and 17 points, respectively. RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 25 points, with Ja'Kobe Walter adding 20 and Jamal Shead scoring 18 off the bench.
"When LeBron left, we just fell flat on our faces because we just weren't rooted in anything," a team source told ESPN. "Not because one guy wants his own team, not because one guy wants out of there, not because one guy wants extra accolades and extra shots. From a basketball team-building strategic standpoint in the 2026 NBA, does that make sense? This is what the Celtics have to analyze." ESPN's Brian Windhorst went on the NBA Weekend radio show to discuss Jaylen Brown's future with the Boston Celtics, including if he'd want to leave and what the Celtics need to do with their backcourt. "Miami would say 'we got Tyler Herro who is a young player and been an All-Star. We got draft picks including the 13th pick in this draft… And Giannis I think wants to be in Miami. There's more check marks on Miami. I'm not sure Boston is ready to trade Jaylen Brown." ESPN's Tim Bontemps went on the "Hoop Collective" podcast and forecast Giannis Antetokounmpo's future, including what teams have the best package for the two-time lmct casino MVP.
With the loss, despite making it to the Conference Finals, the Cavs finished their playoff run with an 8–10 record. The Knicks finished their dominant Eastern Conference playoff run with a 130–93 win over the Cavaliers to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Cleveland built a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter, but New York outscored them 30–8 to finish regulation. After Victor Wembanyama got ejected in the second quarter due to a flagrant foul 2 on Naz Reid, San Antonio took an 8-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but could not help but struggle against the surging Edwards. Behind Anthony Edwards' 36 points (16 in the fourth quarter), the Timberwolves avoided a 3–1 deficit and rallied past the Spurs to tie the series 2–2. After San Antonio took a 7-point lead headed into the fourth quarter, Minnesota made multiple comeback attempts but fell short each time, as the Spurs ended an 8-game losing streak at Target Center and took a 2–1 series lead. In just his second road playoff game, Victor Wembanyama took the spotlight with 39 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks, becoming only the fourth NBA player to achieve this feat in the playoffs.
As LeBron James' free agency pursuit extends into its second week, the Philadelphia 76ers have maintained their pitch to the four-time champion through three of their players, league sources told ESPN. The increase in national viewership was attributed to the elimination of first-round regional broadcasts, as well as over-the-air broadcaster NBC taking over a portion of the coverage that was previously held by cable channel TNT. Under those rights, the two broadcasters were allowed to produce separate Canadian feeds for all games involving the Raptors regardless of round or U.S. broadcaster. In Canada, the home market of the Toronto Raptors, English national broadcast rights were split approximately equally between the Sportsnet and TSN groups of channels. These deals marked the first time that all first-round playoff games in the U.S. were exclusive national games, and regional broadcasters could no longer produce their own local feeds. All-NBA Third Team forward/center Chet Holmgren had just 4 points and only took two shots, making his 4 points the second-lowest scoring output by an All-NBA player in a Game 7 in NBA history. Julian Champagnie got 18 of his 20 off of 3-pointers and Stephon Castle had a 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists (against 6 turnovers).
Ayo Dosunmu fit in well in Minnesota after arriving via midseason trade, and he will presumably replace DiVincenzo in the starting lineup for the remainder of Minnesota's playoff run. He was one of just four players in the NBA to start all 82 games, and he offered a skill set otherwise missing from the players who surround Anthony Edwards in Minnesota's starting lineup. Without Edwards for multiple weeks, the Timberwolves might need to hope that the Portland Trail Blazers upset San Antonio to have a chance to reach the conference finals for the third consecutive season. There's very little shooting and playmaking talent left in Minnesota's lineup, and Julius Randle — who has been only OK against Denver, averaging 17.5 points and 3.5 assists per game on subpar efficiency — will need to step up in Edwards' stead. That might not be a tenable arrangement on offense, unless Dosunmu can continue posting career highs in points going forward.
And the Hornets are ecstatic about Knueppel, the fourth pick in last year's draft who led the league in 3-pointers made as a rookie. But if this week is any indication, the Brown trade will remain a flashpoint in NBA discourse — not just in public and in the media but inside the league itself — for quite some time. More than a week after the stunning deal that sent Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for Paul George and draft picks, the debate over Boston's decision is still raging. The 6-foot-9 forward, who averaged 10.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 56 games for the Brooklyn Nets last season, will give Lakers coach JJ Redick added length and versatility off the bench. The 25-year-old Maxey, a fellow Klutch Sports client who has trained with James in the offseason for the past several years, has referred to the 41-year-old star as a "big brother" in the past.
( New York Knicks Defeat The ( San Antonio Spurs, 4-1
Scottie Barnes proved invaluable in the victory, with 33 points, 11 assists and 11-of-17 shooting from the field, whereas his teammate RJ Barrett also scored 33, with the two players shooting a combined 9 of 13 from 3-point range. Evan Mobley added 17 points and 7 rebounds, center Jarrett Allen scored 10 points with 7 rebounds, and Max Strus scored 24 points off the bench on 8-for-10 shooting (4 of 6 from three). The Raptors were without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley due to a mild hamstring strain that occurred on the last day of the regular season. New York easily dispatched Atlanta and clinched their first-round series win on the road for the third straight postseason. CJ McCollum led Atlanta in scoring with 17 points, whereas the newly named Most Improved Player Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 15.
Jalen Williams returned for Oklahoma City but had just one point in a 10-minute role off the bench. Oklahoma City's bench was still effective, scoring 34 points, but well below their historic 76 points in Game 3. The Spurs, who started 15–0 to begin the game, had De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper activated for the game, but their shot from the field (43 percent) was worse than the Thunder's three-point shot rate (45 percent). 26 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 76 bench points from the Thunder was more than enough for Oklahoma City to take a 2–1 series lead in a 123–108 Game 3 win in San Antonio. This was Oklahoma City's third double-overtime game of the season (including the playoffs), after their first two games against the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers, respectively, both of which ended in a Thunder win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was recently named the NBA MVP for the second straight year, finished with a double-double of 24 points and 12 assists. Victor Wembanyama propelled the Spurs to a thrilling double-overtime victory over the Thunder on the road, posting 41 points and 24 rebounds.
Nba Finals
"Financially it's going to be very difficult for them to keep him. They're going to have exceptions to use. They could participate in a sign-and-trade with Norman Powell this offseason, but the Heat are operating as if he's going to end up in a sign-and-trade or end up elsewhere." "This offseason, there's going to be interest in him, other suitors for him," Charania said. All three had in-person workouts for the Warriors last week, as did Washington big Hannes Steinbach and Alabama guard Labaron Philon, two other potential targets. The latest buzz has them more often tied to Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. and Tennessee wing Nate Ament, but everything with Brooklyn (including the possibility of a trade) is unpredictable, and it's possible Acuff could be off the board in the sixth slot. "There are multiple teams monitoring Kawhi Leonard right now over the next few weeks," Charania said on the NBA Today Draft Special. ESPN's Shams Charania reports multiple teams have interest in the two-time Finals MVP, who has one season left on his contract. After trading LaMelo Ball, the Hornets prioritized signing White, who will now step into a starting role in the backcourt. James is one of several free agents for the Lakers to consider this offseason.
( San Antonio Spurs Eliminate ( Oklahoma City Thunder, 4-3
The 6-foot-4 lefty out of Louisville averaged 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his three games in the California Classic. Davis is eligible for a contract extension that he can sign for up to four years and $275 million starting Aug. 6. All of Washington's key veterans, including Young, Davis and Deandre Ayton, were on hand for Dybantsa's summer league debut, and the team reassembled for a news conference announcing Young's new contract extension Friday morning. He had 27 points and seven rebounds, including one crowd-pleasing two-handed dunk over a Utah Jazz defender at the rim in the Wizards' win. The broad rule of summer league is not to overreact to single-game shooting lines, which are subject to all sorts of small-sample flukiness. The 6-foot-9 forward made just seven total 3-pointers in 24 games at North Carolina last season, and he never attempted more than three in a single game. "When we first traded for Coby, the priority was to always keep him and that was with or without LaMelo," Peterson said. The Hornets also expect Coby White to help fill the void left at point guard by Ball's departure.