In the second round of the NBA playoffs, both No. 1 seeds won last night. In the East, the Detroit Pistons dispatched the Cleveland Cavaliers, and in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder walloped LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers by 18 points.
Subscribe to read this story ad-free
Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.
The Thunder are now 5-0 in the postseason and winning by an average of 17.4 points per game. Our Rohan Nadkarni thought it’d be a good time to check in on the defending champs, whose superiority?? no one really seems to be discussing, as they march toward the NBA Finals.
Also, Andrew Greif catches you up on the NHL playoffs, as round 2 is underway there, too. For more NBA and NHL coverage, check out the NBC News website.
NBA Playoffs
Amid the drama and chaos of this year’s NBA playoffs — which have already featured multiple 3-1 comebacks, upsets and Game 7s — the Oklahoma City Thunder have been a quiet force. The Thunder remained undefeated in the postseason after beating the Lakers last night, 108-90, in Game 1 of their second-round series.
The Thunder have proven to have an ability to dominate even when their top players aren’t performing their best, or aren’t performing at all. Yesterday, forward Jalen Williams missed his third-straight game due to a hamstring injury he suffered in round 1.
Meanwhile, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had arguably his worst game of the season, failing to score 20 points for the first time since last year’s playoffs while committing seven turnovers, more than any he’s had in a single game from the regular season.
The Thunder rolled anyway, led by Chet Holmgren’s 24 points.
Thunder center Chet Holmgren dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half during game one of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images
“You can’t be greedy with a playoff win that was not a perfect game,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “There’s a lot of playoff games that are not perfect. The other team’s trying their best to squeeze you and make you very uncomfortable. And so we won an imperfect game tonight, and that’s a good thing.”
In the East, the top-seeded Detroit Pistons took a 1-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 111-101 win. The Pistons took the lead in the first quarter and never relinquished it, surviving a second-half charge by the Cavs.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 23 points. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden struggled for Cleveland, combining to shoot only 44% from the field and turn the ball over 10 times.
NHL Playoffs
Playoff hockey can break your heart. Just ask Pittsburgh, whose first-round loss to Philadelphia could spell the end of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang’s 20-year run together, the longest three teammates have overlapped in North American sports history.
In Edmonton, superstar Connor McDavid is still among the best to ever play without winning a Cup. It still feels very much far away, after another playoff exit this year led him to call the Oilers an “average team with high expectations.”
In Buffalo, however, a very different scene is playing out. Two years after Lindy Ruff, the Sabres’ all-time winningest coach, was hired back for a second stint with the franchise, Buffalo is winning on the ice and partying in the streets.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff pumps his fist after their 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins in game six of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden.Winslow Townson / Imagn Images
In its first playoff appearance since 2012, Buffalo beat Boston in the first round. Meanwhile, off the ice, fans dubbing themselves the “Buffalo Blade Gang” have started a unique pregame tradition — donning roller blades and full Sabres uniforms while beating up a mannequin donning the opponent’s sweater outside the arena. It’s working, because, for the first time in years, the Bills aren’t the city’s only hope for a title.
The Sabres open the second round today against Montreal, and it might not even be the best series of the quarterfinals.
In the West, Colorado leads Minnesota 2-0, and the Avalanche have outscored the Wild 14-8 through two games, including 9-6 in the opener Sunday, a game that had more scoring than an AFC North matchup.
Or take Vegas against Anaheim. In the playoffs for the first time in eight years, the Ducks led the entire league in scoring during the first round, but now find themselves down, 1-0. If you haven’t watched hockey since the Winter Olympics in February, it’s time to tune in again.
What We’re Reading
Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka calls for a boycott if players don’t get a bigger cut of Grand Slam revenues.
NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs was found not guilty of assaulting his live-in chef.
Hockey’s hottest accessory is a beer mug shaped like miniskates.
After disappearing for nearly two decades, a short-lived and despised mascot is back.
What We’re Watching
We suggest you turn on soccer right now. As this newsletter hit your inbox, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain kicked off in a Champions League semifinal, with PSG, the reigning Champions League champ, holding a one-goal lead on aggregate entering today’s second leg. The winner will face Arsenal later this month to decide Europe’s best club.
In the NBA playoffs, the New York Knicks demolished the Philadelphia 76ers in the opener of their East semifinal series. Now, ESPN reports that the 76ers will be without Joel Embiid tonight for Game 2, as he deals with ankle and hip injuries.
All times are Eastern:
3 p.m.: Bayern Munich vs. Paris Saint-Germain, on Paramount+7 p.m.: No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers, on ESPN9:30 p.m.: No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves, on ESPN
That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.