A lot has happened in the week since I wrote my last column on the NBA playoffs. As the first series comes to a close, there are four series in particular that you should pay attention to.
(Author’s note: All series standings as of 3 p.m. April 29. Last night’s games were Orlando/Detroit and Lakers/Rockets. Games played on this night were written with an expected outcome.)
Lakers vs. Rockets (LAL 3-1) – The Real Lakers in Five
Game 3 – The Rockets had a chance to at least shift the momentum a little in their favor. They were up by six with less than 30 seconds remaining, on the verge of victory.
Unfortunately for them, LeBron James, who scored 29 points that game, hit a tying 3-pointer with 13 seconds left after Marcus Smart forced a turnover. The Rockets lost in OT to stare down a 3-0 hole.
Head Coach Ime Udoka criticized his team after the loss, stating that they did not “run what was drawn up.”
Udoka specifically was referring to the players in the final 30 seconds who were handling the ball: Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. Gutting the youth excuse, in essence, he’s said that theywere just basketball players who made a bad read.
Outside of Dorian Finney-Smith, no one on that starting five is above the age of 23. Sheppard is 19th, out of the 28 players selected in the first round of his draft class in total minutes played. Excluding Rob Dillingham, he’s played the fewest amount of minutes of a top 10 pick in that draft class in the 2024-25 season.
Bronny James outscored the entire Rockets bench (5 points) in a game the Rockets ended up in. A peek at the box score showed their starters were good. Alperen Sengun had 33 points, Smith Jr. had 24 pointsand Thompson had 26 points.
They won Game 4 and surprisingly, Game 5. There is a lot of room to see how these games go.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves (MIN leads 3-2) – Injury, Defense and Legacy Conversation
With Aaron Gordon — widely seen as Denver’s best defender — sidelined in Game 3, McDaniels looked prophetic: Jokic started 1-of-8 with no threes in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Gobert was throwing down layups he had no business doing. They were clearly having fun.
Game 4 was a different story. Ayo Dosunmu erupted for 40, and Gobert locked Jokic down to 8-of-22, pushing Minnesota to a 3–1 series lead.
Then Game 5 hit differently — both backcourt stars went down. Edwards hyperextended his knee; DiVincenzo ruptured his Achilles, becoming the fourth player to do so wearing No. 0. Denver surged, winning Game 5. A 3–1 comeback is now in play.
No matter who wins this series, they will face the San Antonio Spurs. That’s the highlighted series of the West.
Pistons vs. Magic (ORL leads 3-2) – Top Seeded Fluke?
Detroit’s 60-win regular season feels like a distant memory. The Pistons are one loss away from becoming just the seventh No. 1 seed ever to fall to an 8 — and Orlando has earned every bit of it.
The Magic, led by Desmond Bane and Franz Wagner, have played with pure “nothing to lose” energy. They took both games in Detroit to open the series, and after closing Game 4 94-88, they’ve turned the Pistons into a “Fraud Watch” headliner.
Cade Cunningham is doing his part — 25 points, 8 assists — but it has often looked like 1-on-5. Ausar Thompson’s perimeter defense on Bane has been a rare bright spot.
The biggest culprit? Jalen Duren. The supposed anchor of this defense has been outplayed by Orlando’s frontcourt, lost in pick-and-roll coverage and out-rebounded by smaller guys. In a series Detroit needs to win in the paint, he’s been a no-show.
Knicks vs. Hawks (NYK leads 3-2) – Nowhere but New York!
After a good Game 1, the Knicks lost their closing touch. They lost Game 2 and Game 3 by one point.
Game 3 was the lowest point. Mikal Bridges, the best two-way stabilizer, scored nothing in 21 minutes. He was benched for much of the second half due to his -26 plus-minus score.
Since Game 3’s sorrow, a huge gap has formed. The Knicks triumphed 126-97 at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night after winning Game 4 in Atlanta by 16 points.
At times, Atlanta’s defense looked to have the solution, limiting Jalen Brunson to unproductive performances like his 41% shooting percentage in Game 3. But in Game 5, he was a flamethrower. Brunson blasted 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting, almost establishing a franchise record.
He’s gone from trying to establish his rhythm to becoming the unquestioned best player on the floor. The Clutch Captain is still here, but to seal Game 6, the offense would need to go through Karl-Anthony Towns, who recorded a triple-double in Game 4.
While CJ McCollum was the engine for Atlanta early on, guarding and restricting Brunson. Most Improved Player of the Year Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been a revelation for the Hawks, bringing a spark off the bench (16 pts in Game 5), while Jonathan Kuminga (21 pts in Game 3) was catching the Knicks off-balance with his agility early on. However, New York ultimately adjusted.
The victor of this series is simply waiting for the smoke to clear in the Boston vs. 76ers series (Celtics lead 3-2).