The first four playoff games of the 2025-26 NBA season saw the victory of the higher-ranked teams playing at home. Despite Minnesota’s defeat, Rudy Gobert stood out as the most impressive French player.
The NBA 2026 playoffs have begun, and there were no surprises in the first evening of four games. The four franchises with the best regular season records, playing Match 1 at home, all secured wins. In the East, 3rd seed New York beat 4th seed Atlanta 113-102. The Knicks did not face much resistance in the game, despite a brief lead by the Hawks early on. New York pulled away in the last quarter, ending with a 19-point lead. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks to victory. The Hawks, with strong performances from CJ McCollum and Jalen Johnson, fell short. The Match 2 will take place on Monday at Madison Square Garden.
Cleveland hosted Toronto in a closely-fought match between the 4th and 5th seeds. The Cavaliers comfortably won 126-113, led by Donovan Mitchell’s 32 points. Both teams will meet again in Ohio on Monday.
In the Western Conference, 3rd seed Denver defeated 5th seed Minnesota 116-105, with Nikola Jokic delivering a stellar performance. Despite a strong start by Minnesota, the Nuggets pulled ahead in the third quarter and maintained the lead. Jamal Murray also contributed significantly to Denver’s win. The Match 2 will be held on Monday.
The 4th seed Los Angeles Lakers beat the 5th seed Houston Rockets 107-98 in a game that saw Luke Kennard scoring a playoff career-high 27 points. LeBron James had a solid performance with 19 points and 13 assists. The Lakers will face the Rockets again in the second game on Tuesday.
NBA / PLAYOFFS Eastern Conference NEW YORK KNICKS (3) – ATLANTA HAWKS: 1-0 Match 1: New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks: 113-102 Stats of Zaccharie Risacher (ATL): 2 minutes, 0 points, 4 rebounds, 1 foul
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (4) – TORONTO RAPTORS (5): 1-0 Match 1: Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors: 126-113
Western Conference DENVER NUGGETS (3) – MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (4): 1-0 Match 1: Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves: 116-105 Stats of Rudy Gobert (MIN): 17 points, 10 rebounds
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (4) – HOUSTON ROCKETS (5): 1-0 Match 1: Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets: 107-98
