The second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs is here, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game of the Eastern and Western conference semifinals.
The No. 2-seeded New York Knicks swept the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the East. The fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers went ahead 3-2 in their series with the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons on Wednesday before the Pistons struck back in Game 6 to force a decisive Game 7.
In the West, the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves were knocked out by the 2-seed San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama in six games on Friday. Meanwhile, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round, picked up where they left off with another sweep over the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Lakers.
As the chase for the Larry O’Brien Trophy heats up, here’s what matters most in both conferences and what to watch for in all four series.
Jump to a series:
76ers-Knicks | Cavaliers-Pistons
Timberwolves-Spurs | Lakers-Thunder
More coverage:
Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Western Conference
Biggest takeaway from Game 6: Minnesota buckled under the quandary posed by the distribution of talent on San Antonio’s roster in the Spurs’ 139-109 win in Game 6 that punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals. It’s now a predicament how the Oklahoma City Thunder will encounter Monday when it hosts San Antonio in Game 1 of the conference finals at Paycom Center.
Naturally, Minnesota loaded up to stop Victor Wembanyama, only for Spurs guards Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox to carve up the Timberwolves early. Castle and Fox scored or assisted on 28 of the team’s 36 points in a sizzling opening quarter. The duo shot a combined 7-of-8 on contested attempts in the first half, as the Spurs combined to shoot 18-of-30 over that span whenever Wembanyama didn’t get a touch.
San Antonio ate heartily off the Frenchman’s gravity, however. Then, it seemed the Spurs had broken Minnesota when they opened the…
