{"id":621181,"date":"2026-04-21T10:33:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/621181\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T10:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:33:09","slug":"four-game-2s-headline-nba-playoffs-action-on-disney-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/621181\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Game 2s headline NBA playoffs action on Disney+ Philippines"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NBA<\/a> playoffs are hitting another gear, with intensity rising across the board as four crucial Game 2 matchups take over the next two days — streaming live on Disney+ in the Philippines.<\/p>\n

With momentum swings and early series narratives on the line, fans can catch back-to-back doubleheaders on April 22 and 23 that could shape how these first-round battles unfold.<\/p>\n

Can Tatum continue to adjust with ease in the playoffs? (April 22, 7 a.m. PHT: 76ers vs. Celtics)<\/p>\n

NBA on Disney + In The Philippines<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Disney+ is the new home of the NBA in the Philippines. Watch live on Disney+<\/a><\/p>\n

For Jayson Tatum<\/a>, returning for the Boston Celtics<\/a> ahead of schedule from an Achilles injury was already impressive. But how seamlessly he settled back into the playoff rhythm against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 took it a step further.<\/p>\n

He dictated the tone from the opening tip, pouring in ten first-quarter points to spark a 33-18 start, and finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals on an efficient 63.7 TS%.<\/p>\n

More importantly, it looked like vintage Tatum — hunting mismatches, using his size in two-man actions to force switches, and punishing rotating defenses with decisive drives and spray to his teammates on late-closeout attacks.<\/p>\n

That rhythm didn’t come at the expense of Jaylen Brown<\/a>, who added 26 points on 59.4 TS% as Boston’s offense stayed balanced and difficult to load up against. If that continues, it puts even more pressure on a Philadelphia side that could still be without Joel Embiid<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 76ers will need more from Tyrese Maxey<\/a> beyond his 21 points, along with stronger outings from Paul George<\/a> and VJ Edgecombe<\/a> — especially on the defensive end.<\/p>\n

Because if Boston keeps generating clean looks by shooting 50% from the field and knocking down 16 threes, this quickly turns from a competitive series into one controlled by the Celtics.<\/p>\n

LeBron as an assertive facilitator (April 22, 10:30 a.m. PHT: Rockets vs. Lakers)<\/p>\n

Without Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a> and Austin Reaves<\/a>, the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> leaned heavily on a different version of LeBron James<\/a> in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets<\/a> — with less scoring bursts but more by control, pacing, and playmaking.<\/p>\n

That approach paid off, as James finished with 19 points and 13 assists, steering the Lakers to a win over Houston while setting the tone for their half-court offense.<\/p>\n

Editor’s Picks<\/p>\n

2 Related<\/p>\n

What stood out was how early he dictated the game. James piled up assists immediately, including eight in the first quarter alone, consistently initiating sets and reading the Rockets’ defensive rotations before they fully settled.<\/p>\n

Instead of forcing shots, he functioned as the Lakers’ offensive engine — organizing spacing, finding shooters like Luke Kennard<\/a> who scored 27 points on five triples, and ensuring the offense didn’t collapse under the absence of their primary guards.<\/p>\n

This control will be even more important moving into Game 2, especially against a Rockets team that struggled to sustain defensive stops when forced into long possessions in Game 1.<\/p>\n

Houston’s offense, meanwhile, already looked heavily reliant on isolation scoring and transition bursts. That becomes an even bigger issue with the uncertainty surrounding Kevin Durant<\/a>‘s availability, as his absence or limitation removes a key shot creator and a literal lifeline on the scoring department.<\/p>\n

Will Cunningham get enough help? (April 23, 7 a.m. PHT: Magic vs. Pistons)<\/p>\n

The return of Cade Cunningham<\/a> from a collapsed lung immediately reinforced just how central he is to the Detroit Pistons<\/a> offense. In Game 1 against the Orlando Magic<\/a>, Cunningham delivered a heavy scoring load, finishing with 39 points, but Detroit still fell as it became a one-man show.<\/p>\n

The concern for Detroit wasn’t just Cunningham’s workload, it was the lack of consistent support and interior stability.<\/p>\n

All-Star center Jalen Duren<\/a> was held to just eight points and struggled to impact the game physically, with Orlando repeatedly neutralizing his presence around the rim and limiting Detroit’s second-chance opportunities.<\/p>\n

This aspect matters in this matchup, because the Pistons have built much of their identity around winning through energy and physicality — but Game 1 showed that they can’t simply outmuscle the Magic in the paint. Instead, Detroit’s adjustment likely has to come from the perimeter.<\/p>\n

With Orlando collapsing on drives and crowding Cunningham’s touches, the Pistons need their shooters to be more involved through quicker ball movement and cleaner kick-out opportunities to open the inside game of Duren.<\/p>\n

How will the Suns guard SGA? (April 23, 9:30 a.m. PHT: Suns vs. Thunder)<\/p>\n

The problem for the Phoenix Suns<\/a> against Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> isn’t just stopping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>, it’s stopping him without putting him at the free-throw line.<\/p>\n

In Game 1, Gilgeous-Alexander shot just 5-of-18 from the field, but still finished with 17 made free throws, turning defensive pressure into points even on an inefficient shooting night.<\/p>\n

It’s exactly the core issue Phoenix has to clean up. Every time they forced him into the paint, the whistle followed, allowing the Thunder offense to stay afloat without needing clean shot-making.<\/p>\n

This is also what makes him so difficult to scheme against because even when the jumper isn’t falling, he still controls scoring through contact pressure and rim attacks.<\/p>\n

For the Suns, the adjustment is discipline more than scheme. They can live with contested jumpers or tough midrange attempts, but they can’t afford to keep sending him to the line and giving Oklahoma City free points.<\/p>\n

If that trend continues, it doesn’t matter whether Gilgeous-Alexander shoots well or poorly from the field, the Thunder offense will stay efficient regardless.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NBA playoffs are hitting another gear, with intensity rising across the board as four crucial Game 2…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":621182,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-621181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/621181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=621181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/621181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/621182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=621181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=621181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=621181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}