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.<\/p>\n
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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\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>. <\/p>\n NBA Playoffs<\/p>\n Amid the drama and chaos of this year\u2019s NBA playoffs \u2014 which have already featured multiple 3-1 comebacks, upsets and Game 7s \u2014 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.<\/p>\n The Thunder have proven to have an ability to dominate even when their top players aren\u2019t performing their best, or aren\u2019t performing at all. Yesterday, forward Jalen Williams missed his third-straight game due to a hamstring injury he suffered in round 1.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s playoffs while committing seven turnovers, more than any he\u2019s had in a single game from the regular season.<\/p>\n The Thunder rolled anyway, led by Chet Holmgren\u2019s 24 points.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t be greedy with a playoff win that was not a perfect game,\u201d Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of playoff games that are not perfect. The other team\u2019s trying their best to squeeze you and make you very uncomfortable. And so we won an imperfect game tonight, and that\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n NHL Playoffs<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 20-year run together, the longest three teammates have overlapped in North American sports history.<\/p>\n 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 \u201caverage team with high expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n In Buffalo, however, a very different scene is playing out. Two years after Lindy Ruff, the Sabres\u2019 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. <\/p>\n In its first playoff appearance since 2012, Buffalo beat Boston in the first round. Meanwhile, off the ice, fans dubbing themselves the \u201cBuffalo Blade Gang\u201d have started a unique pregame tradition \u2014 donning roller blades and full Sabres uniforms while beating up a mannequin donning the opponent\u2019s sweater outside the arena. It\u2019s working, because, for the first time in years, the Bills aren\u2019t the city\u2019s only hope for a title.<\/p>\n The Sabres open the second round today against Montreal, and it might not even be the best series of the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t watched hockey since the Winter Olympics in February, it\u2019s time to tune in again.<\/p>\n What We’re Reading<\/p>\n Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka calls for a boycott if players don\u2019t get a bigger cut<\/a> of Grand Slam revenues.<\/p>\n NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs was found not guilty of assaulting<\/a> his live-in chef.<\/p>\n Hockey\u2019s hottest accessory is a beer mug shaped like miniskates<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Chet](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/260506-Chet-Holmgren-CH-1148-3d750c.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"Lindy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/260506-Lindy-Ruff-ch-1059-6a0fd8.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n