NBA Playoff Bracket 2026 Updated Picture, Schedule After April 25 Results
While there were no elimination scenarios in play, Saturday's action in the 2026 NBA playoffs served as a pivotal moment for teams trying to avoid large series deficits.
The Phoenix Suns dropped their first two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and falling into an 0-3 hole would all but seal their fate.
The New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets are trying to even things up against the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves respectively.
Here's how the day unfolded.
Saturday Results
Orlando Magic 113, Detroit Pistons 105 (ORL leads 2-1)
Oklahoma City Thunder 121, Phoenix Suns 109 (OKC leads 3-0)
New York Knicks 114, Atlanta Hawks 98 (series tied 2-2)
Minnesota Timberwolves 112, Denver Nuggets 96 (Timberwolves lead series 3-1)
Sunday Schedule
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors, 1 p.m. (CLE leads 2-1)
San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 3:30 p.m. (SAS leads 2-1)
Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m. (BOS leads 2-1)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets, 9:30 p.m. (LAL leads 3-0)
Saturday Highlights
Magic 113, Pistons 105
The top seed in the Eastern Conference could be in serious trouble.
The Orlando Magic held on to beat the Detroit Pistons 113-105 and go up 2-1 in the series.
Orlando led by as many as 17 points, only to see Detroit completely erase the deficit and tie things up with with a little over three minutes remaining.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley called a timeout, which allowed his players to get a breather and reset. From there, the Magic rediscovered their offensive groove. Paolo Banchero connected on a long-range jumper inside the final minute to effectively seal the result.
The bounce off the back rim could be something that enters Orlando lore for a long time depending on how the rest of the postseason unfolds.
Banchero nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Teammate Desmond Bane matched his scoring output while knocking down seven three-pointers.
Cade Cunningham will come away frustrated from Game 3 despite dropping 27 points. He shot 8-of-23 from the field and had as many assists as turnovers (nine).
Game 4 is scheduled for Monday night in Orlando. The Pistons can ill afford to fall behind 3-1, and it's incumbent upon Cunningham to lead more by example.
Thunder 121, Suns 109
The Suns are squarely on the brink with Saturday's 121-109 loss to the reigning champion Thunder.
MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might've caught wind of Phoenix wing labeling him a "little frail." SGA went off for 42 points, adding eight assists and four rebounds. He presumably relished getting to the charity stripe 12 times and knocking down all but one of his free throws.
Brooks and the Suns had no answer for Gilgeous-Alexander.
Brooks scored a team-high 33 points, but his five fouls are another example of how much difficulty he had in shadowing SGA.
Jalen Green chipped in with 26 points in a losing effort.
Devin Booker briefly left the game with what appeared to be an ankle injury. That didn't aid in Phoenix's efforts to mount a comeback.
The Suns' long-shot bid to make it out of the first round will also suffer another blow if Booker is at less than 100 percent in Game 4.
Knicks 114, Hawks 98
After suffering two straight defeats, the Knicks might've righted the ship. New York cruised to a 114-98 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
The trio of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby combined for 61 points. Anunoby collected 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Towns did him one better with 10 boards and 10 assists.
This was a particularly big performance for KAT, who's already generating speculation about his long-term future.
New York had its best defensive showing of the series. It held the Hawks to 24.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc and forced 18 turnovers. The Knicks turned that into 21 points at the other end of the floor.
The quartet of Onyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson, CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker all scored in double figures, but none fully excelled. Jonathan Kuminga was also 0-of-6 on threes in his 25 minutes off the bench.
The angst in the Big Apple was tangible after the Knicks fell behind in the series. Coach Mike Brown and his squad may have found the formula they need to knock the underdog Hawks aside.
Timberwolves 112, Nuggets 96
As both teams battled throughout the first half, the Timberwolves were hit hard by injuries to a pair of key players.
Donte DiVincenzo suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in the first quarter before Anthony Edwards exited the game with a left knee injury in the second.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets held a 54-50 lead at halftime.
Denver pushed its advantage to seven points with 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, although the Timberwolves responded with an 11-2 run to jump back in front.
The two squads continued to battle down the stretch of the quarter, with the Timberwolves taking an 82-78 lead heading into the fourth.
Minnesota opened the final period on an 11-4 run to take a double-digit lead and never looked back, as the Nuggets failed to overcome the deficit.
Following an altercation involving several players from both teams just before the final buzzer, the Timberwolves took a 3-1 series lead.
Ayo Dosunmu stepped up for Minnesota in Edwards' absence, scoring a game-high 43 points while grabbing four rebounds. Dosunmu shot 13-of-17 from the field, including a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the arc.
Naz Reid was also a key contributor in the victory, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench.
