Triple Surprise: The Trail Blazers steal Game 2 and find new possibilities without Wemby. The 76ers’ guards, on a good day, are unstoppable even for the Celtics, while the Lakers quickly found their master plan against KD.
Portland evens the series, Philly evens the series, and Los Angeles pulls ahead. The NBA night delivered shocker after shocker. Do the favorites from San Antonio and Boston truly have to tremble now, or were these just minor slip-ups? And how does Houston plan to win the series if even with Kevin Durant, they can’t manage against the Lakers without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves? Three things that stood out.
Spurs vs. Trail Blazers: Suddenly a Completely Different Series
It’s a maximally obvious and banal realization that a basketball game truly changes when its best player can no longer participate – yet this phenomenon has rarely been as visible as it was last night.
Just three minutes into the second quarter, Victor Wembanyama crashed face-first onto the court without slowing down. He remained lying down for a long time, visibly dazed.
«He has a concussion and is now in the protocol,» confirmed Mitch Johnson after the game, delivering the feared diagnosis. He is sidelined for a minimum of 48 hours and can only return afterward. Wemby could potentially be ready for the next game due to the schedule. However, depending on the series’ progression, the DPOY might miss a significant portion of it. On average, NBA players are out for ten days after such a diagnosis. If that’s truly the case, the series could already be decided.
Game 2 immediately tipped over. Not in terms of the score directly, but in the way Portland attacked. On the next possession, Jerami Grant drove to the basket. Instead of the league’s best defender, he was met by his replacement, Luke Kornet.
While Kornet is one of the better backups at the center position and did a decent job, the Trail Blazers showed no mercy against him and smaller lineups, joyfully driving towards the basket from then on. In the crucial fourth quarter, there was no alien rim protector in sight, and five out of six attempts in the restricted area were successful.
Spurs vs. Trail Blazers: Suddenly a Completely New Confidence
Scoot Henderson was also among the successful close-range shooters. The 22-year-old was drafted in 2023, just like Wemby. At the time, there were debates about whether Henderson could have been the No. 1 pick.
But while Wembanyama quickly won over the NBA world, Henderson wasn’t received with quite the same enthusiasm. His shot selection wasn’t good, and consequently, his shooting percentages were as expected. If he didn’t take a quick shot, turnovers were almost guaranteed.
This season also didn’t go smoothly for the guard. After a long injury layoff, he only made his debut in early February and played just 748 minutes in the regular season. His athletic flashes were visible, as were all his problems.
However, he seems to have arrived just in time for the postseason. In the opening loss, he already showed encouraging efficiency (18 PTS, 7/11 FG, 2/4 3FG). Game 2 was even better: 31 points (11/17 FG, 5/9 3FG). When asked afterward when he knew it would be his night, he responded coolly and confidently: «The moment I woke up.»
The entire Blazers team could present themselves with confidence after leveling the series. After all, they had also led when Wemby was still in the game. Furthermore, they came back from a double-digit deficit in the final phase.
However, the Spurs won’t have lost their swagger either. A three-point loss with nearly three quarters played without Wemby and starters shooting only five of 18 three-pointers? That’s something that can be overcome. But they are warned and will have to hope for Wemby’s return.
The series now moves to Portland. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday night.
Lakers vs. Rockets: The Same Problems with KD, The Same Problems for KD
In Game 1, the Rockets grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and took 93 field goal attempts. The Lakers, on the other hand, only managed 66 shots – and still won the game.
However, the assumption was that Houston, with another significant shooting advantage and Kevin Durant’s return, would tie the series. But that’s not what happened. Ime Udoka’s team again earned 17 second-chance opportunities and attempted 89 shots, while the Lakers only took 72.
Houston collected miss after miss, brick after brick. 40 percent of their field goal attempts found the net. From downtown, not even every fourth shot went in (7/29 3FG).
At least KD showed a strong performance in his comeback. At least for now. In the first half, almost every shot was a make (6/7 FG, 1/1 3FG, 7/7 FT). The superstar already had 20 points on his ledger.
However, in the second half, he experienced his own bitter déjà vu. In the second half, he had fewer points (3) than turnovers (5). He had already achieved this «feat» in their March encounter after halftime with only two points and six turnovers.
JJ Redick’s tactic was already well-known. «The opponent did everything to make me uncomfortable,» Durant had complained about a month ago. The Lakers did the same again, sending double-teams his way when he received the ball early and far from the basket.
The Rockets had no solutions for this. KD has weaknesses in such situations, but neither his coach nor his teammates are of any real help to this problem child. And JJ Redick announced regarding KD’s nine total turnovers that evening: «We’re just getting started.»
Lakers vs. Rockets: LeBron James and ‘Greatness’
How it can be done was visible on the other side. LeBron James, at 41, continues to do things that no one should be able to do at 41. The «King» contributed 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists to the box score and delivered a small aerial show in Los Angeles.
«Greatness,» was Marcus Smart’s fitting description for the renewed LeBron spectacle, which almost made people forget that the team is currently missing its first two options in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Then he just does it himself again – or punishes the incoming help with smart passes to give Durant direct visual material on how it could be done.
Of course, it helps when you can rely on Luke Kennard (23 PTS, 8/13 FG, 3/6 3FG) and Marcus Smart (25 PTS, 8/13 FG, 5/7 3FG). The Rockets actually have Reed Sheppard as a role player who can become an (offensive) difference-maker, but he only received ten minutes of trust.
Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday night in Houston. But due to LeBron’s incredible streak, the Rockets, trailing 0-2, technically don’t need to show up anymore.
Celtics vs. Sixers: An Unstoppable Backcourt Duo
The series between the Celtics and the Sixers seemed decided even before it began. After Joel Embiid’s absence, the consensus was that Boston would have no major problems with their rival.
The opener only reinforced this. According to their own coach, the 76ers played «unacceptably,» while the Celtics were completely dominant. The final score was 123:91.
But Philly learned and quickly drew conclusions. They needed more three-pointers and to exploit the matchup advantages at the guard positions. And behold: 39 attempted threes instead of 23. 19 made threes instead of four. The backcourt duo of VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey alone took almost as many triples as the entire 76ers team in Game 1 (22).
Since these two also hit half of their threes, they were responsible for 59 points combined. Edgecombe, in particular, had a hot hand on his record night (30 PTS, 12/20 FG, 6/10 3FG).
Despite the tie, the Celtics remain the favorites and won’t shoot 13/50 from beyond the arc that often, while the 76ers hit almost half of their long-range attempts.
However, Derrick White’s shooting struggles (3/12 FG, 2/10 3FG) are not new. In the regular season, he only shot 32.7 percent from downtown. The last time he shot this poorly was in the 2020/2021 season; last year, it was still 38.4 percent. Philly has found its advantage, which may not completely open up the series but at least makes it more exciting (or exciting-er).
Game 3 will be played on Saturday night in Philadelphia.
NBA Playoffs 2026: Matchups and First Round Standings
| Conference | Matchup | Stand |
|---|---|---|
| Western | Thunder (1) — Suns (8) | 1-0 |
| Western | Lakers (4) — Rockets (5) | 2-0 |
| Western | Nuggets (3) — Timberwolves (6) | 1-1 |
| Western | Spurs (2) — Trail Blazers (7) | 1-1 |
| Eastern | Pistons (1) — Magic (8) | 0-1 |
| Eastern | Cavaliers (4) — Raptors (5) | 2-0 |
| Eastern | Knicks (3) — Hawks (6) | 1-1 |
| Eastern | Celtics (2) — Sixers (7) | 1-1 |