2026 NBA Playoffs: Where Every Series Stands Right Now - Page 2

UPDATE – Monday, May 4, 2026, 4:12 p.m. EST:

We’re officially about two weeks into the 2026 NBA Playoffs, and the first round gave us exactly what people hoped it would: drama, stars acting like stars, wild momentum swings, brutal collapses, injury twists, and a few blowouts that felt downright disrespectful. As of Monday, May 4, 2026, the first round is done and the second-round bracket is set: Detroit vs. Cleveland and New York vs. Philadelphia in the East, with Oklahoma City vs. the Lakers and San Antonio vs. Minnesota in the West.

And honestly, the first round of this year’s NBA Playoffs did a great job of showing who these teams really are. Some contenders handled business and kept it moving. Others got pushed way harder than expected. A few teams showed real toughness by surviving ugly games and hostile crowds, and a couple others let golden opportunities slip through their fingers. With that in mind, here’s where every series stands right now.

EAST (2nd Round – Semifinals)

#1 Detroit Pistons vs. #4 Cleveland Cavaliers

#3 New York Knicks vs. #7 Philadelphia 76ers

WEST (2nd Round – Semifinals)

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #4 Los Angeles Lakers

#2 San Antonio Spurs vs. ##6 Minnesota Timberwolves

EAST (1st Round)

#1 Detroit Pistons vs. #8 Orlando Magic (DET Won 4-3)

This series ended up being one of the best comeback stories of the whole first round for the NBA Playoffs this year. Orlando came out of the play-in looking sharp, stole Game 1 in Detroit, then took Games 3 and 4 at home to grab a 3-1 series lead behind its usual balanced attack, strong defense, and big work from Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, and Wendell Carter Jr. Carter’s matchup with Jalen Duren quietly mattered a lot. For long stretches, it felt like the Magic were just the steadier team. But Detroit never folded. Cade Cunningham kept putting up star-level performances, Tobias Harris kept giving them the reliable support they needed, and the whole series flipped in Game 6 when the Pistons erased a 22-point halftime deficit to win 93-79 after Orlando completely fell apart.

Then Game 7 back in Detroit was the perfect close to the series. Paolo was magnificent with 38 points, nine boards, and six assists, but he just didn’t get nearly enough help to overcome how hot the Pistons were. Detroit shot 51.3 percent from the field and 48.5 percent from three, with Cade finishing the series in style with 32 points and 12 assists, Tobias adding 30 and nine boards, Jalen Duren posting a double-double, and Daniss Jenkins giving them 16 off the bench. The Pistons fought back from 3-1 down to win their first playoff series since 2008. Now they move on to face Cleveland.

#2 Boston Celtics vs. #7 Philadelphia 76ers (PHI Won 4-3)

This series felt like it belonged to Boston when the Celtics took a 3-1 lead, but Philly turned it into one of the biggest first-round collapses in an NBA Playoffs series and one of the biggest comebacks in the whole bracket. Boston looked dominant early, especially when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were both rolling and Payton Pritchard gave them that huge bench explosion in Game 4. But once Joel Embiid got healthier and more comfortable, everything changed. Tyrese Maxey kept attacking, Paul George gave the Sixers another real scorer, rookie VJ Edgecombe had several huge moments, and Philly started winning the kind of possession battles that make a series flip on you fast. A trend showed up pretty clearly, too: when Boston won the three-point battle, they usually looked in control; when they didn’t, the series got shaky in a hurry.

That all came to a head in Game 7. With Tatum out, Jaylen Brown gave Boston 33 points and Derrick White added 26, but the Celtics got a combined zero points from the other three starters and once again couldn’t shoot well enough from deep. Philly, meanwhile, got the exact kind of star-led, balanced effort it needed: Embiid had 34 points and 12 rebounds, Maxey added 30 and 11 boards, and VJ chipped in 23 as the Sixers closed out the final three games of the series to pull off the comeback. Now Philadelphia heads into a second-round showdown with New York.

#3 New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks (NY Won 4-2)

For a minute, this looked like it might turn into a real headache for New York. The Hawks stole Game 2 and 3 by a combined two points, CJ McCollum had the Garden and then Atlanta buzzing, and the Knicks looked a little too shaky late in games for comfort. But once New York settled down, the series changed fast. The Knicks tied it back up in Game 4 behind better defense and stronger three-point shooting, and then Jalen Brunson’s 39-point, eight-assist Game 5 helped them grab control again. OG Anunoby stayed hot, Karl-Anthony Towns put up huge numbers, and even when the offense wasn’t perfect, New York’s veteran composure kept showing up.

Then Game 6 turned into a historic embarrassment for Atlanta. The Knicks won 140-89, posted a playoff-record 47-point halftime lead, and finished off the Hawks with a 51-point final margin. No New York player had to play 30 minutes; all five starters scored at least 12, OG had 29, Mikal Bridges finally looked like himself again with 24, and KAT logged another triple-double. New York shot 58.8 percent from the field, forced a 19-9 turnover differential, and turned what had been a fun series into a total demolition by the end. The Knicks are now on to Philadelphia.

#4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #5 Toronto Raptors (CLE Won 4-2)

This series was a straight-up home court war. Cleveland won the first two, Toronto answered with two of its own, Cleveland took Game 5, Toronto forced Game 7 with RJ Barrett’s dramatic late shot in Game 6, and through all the chaos, one thing held: nobody could win on the road. Scottie Barnes was terrific throughout the series; RJ had huge scoring moments; Ja’Kobe Walter popped; and Colin Murray-Boyles gave the Raptors real bench life. Cleveland kept finding different ways to answer, though. Donovan Mitchell had big stretches, James Harden had his moments, even when the efficiency dipped, and Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen both delivered some massive games at the right time. Brandon Ingram’s injury became a major factor, too, especially late.

Game 7 was tight early, but the Cavs completely took over after halftime. Cleveland outscored Toronto 38-19 in the third quarter, Jarrett Allen put up 22 points and 19 rebounds, and Donovan Mitchell added 22 as the Cavs pulled away. Both teams shot badly from three, but Cleveland made three more, and by the second half, the difference in force and offensive rebounding was obvious. The Raptors fought, but without enough healthy firepower, they just couldn’t sustain it. Cleveland moves on to face Detroit.

WEST (1st Round)

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #8 Phoenix Suns (OKC Won 4-0)

Oklahoma City sent one of the clearest messages of the first round in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The defending champs swept Phoenix 4-0, became the first team to advance, and never really looked rattled, even when the Suns made them work a little harder in the later games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander completely controlled the series, dropping 42 in Game 3, then following that with another 30-plus point outing in the clincher. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein both had huge double-doubles in Game 4, and the Thunder’s depth kept popping up all series long. Even with injury concerns around Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City still had more than enough answers.

Phoenix actually competed harder than a sweep makes it sound. Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green had real scoring punches in Game 3, and four Suns scored 20 or more in Game 4 in what might have been their best effort of the series. But Devin Booker never really got going the way Phoenix needed him to; turnovers kept hurting them, and in many of the biggest moments, OKC’s poise and three-point shooting just made the difference. The Thunder also sent Phoenix home as the only team in the first round not to win a game. Now, OKC gets the Lakers in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

#2 San Antonio Spurs vs. #7 Portland Trail Blazers (SA Won 4-1)

This one had a little drama early on, but San Antonio eventually made it pretty clear who the better team was. Victor Wembanyama dropped 35 in his playoff debut, Portland stole Game 2 with a comeback, and then the series got interesting for a second when Wemby entered concussion protocol. But the Spurs’ young guards stepped up in a huge way in Game 3, with Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper carrying the scoring load, and once Wemby came back in Game 4, the balance of the series tilted hard back toward San Antoni. He looked dominant again immediately, and De’Aaron Fox kept reminding everybody why he’s one of the league’s best closers.

By Game 5, the Spurs were mostly on cruise control. Julian Champagnie gave them a big first quarter, Wemby finished with a double-double and six blocks, Harper scored 17 off the bench, and Fox slammed the door with another big fourth quarter after Portland made a brief push. Deni Avdija was solid for the Blazers and Jrue Holiday had some nice scoring nights in the series, but Portland never really found enough offense around them, and Scoot Henderson cooled off late after some earlier flashes. San Antonio closed the series 4-1 for its first NBA Playoff series win since the 2016-17 season, and now gets Minnesota.

#3 Denver Nuggets vs. #6 Minnesota Timberwolves (MIN Won 4-2)

This series opened as the best matchup of the whole first round, and for a couple of games, it absolutely lived up to that. Denver and Minnesota split the first two in Colorado, but from there, the Wolves just looked deeper, faster, and more disruptive. Ayo Dosunmu exploded off the bench in the middle of the series, including a 43-point masterpiece in Game 4, Jaden McDaniels played some huge two-way basketball, and Rudy Gobert made life difficult enough for Nikola Jokic that Denver’s margin for error got really small. Even when Jokic was still productive, the Wolves kept making everything feel crowded and exhausting.

The most impressive part might’ve been how Minnesota finished it. The Wolves won the series in six despite being seriously shorthanded late (no Edwards, DiVincenzo, or Dosunmu), only playing eight guys in the closeout, and still finding enough offense and defense to get it done. McDaniels led the way, Terrence Shannon Jr. had a breakout performance, and even though Jokic was excellent again, Jamal Murray didn’t give Denver nearly enough. Minnesota now heads into the second round against San Antonio in this year’s NBA Playoffs.

#4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #5 Houston Rockets (LAL Won 4-2)

This series got weird for a second, but the Lakers made sure it never got all the way dangerous. LA jumped out to a 3-0 lead, including Game 3, when Houston somehow blew a six-point lead in the final seconds of regulation and let the Lakers steal it in overtime. The Rockets responded by winning Games 4 and 5, and, to their credit, they showed real growth in doing so. Jabari Smith Jr. had big moments, Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun both gave them life, and Houston’s balance kept the series from ending as quickly as it looked like it would. Kevin Durant’s absence loomed large, though, especially once it became clear he wasn’t coming back in time to save the series.

The Lakers closed it out in Game 6 on the road and did it with a very Lakers kind of formula: LeBron being LeBron, enough timely support, and better defense than Houston could handle. James finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Rui Hachimura added 21, Austin Reaves had 15 in his second game back, and the Lakers held the Rockets to 5-28 from three in the clincher. Sengun had a double-double and Amen scored 18, but Houston just didn’t have enough shot-making. LA avoided a Game 7 and now gets Oklahoma City.

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