Jayson Tatum Ruled Out For Game 7 Vs. Sixers
Jayson Tatum has been ruled out for the Celtics‘ Game 7 matchup against the Sixers on Saturday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link).
The news comes as a huge blow to Boston, which took a 3-1 series lead in the series before losing two straight games as Philadelphia forced the pivotal Game 7.
Tatum had previously been downgraded to questionable due to knee stiffness after sitting out the final 16 minutes of the Game 6 loss. He previously noted that the pain wasn’t in the leg in which he suffered his Achilles tear and said it wasn’t a big deal. However, the team decided otherwise on Saturday.
“He just came in today with knee discomfort,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said, per MassLive’s Brian Robb (via Twitter). “The medical team and myself decided for him not to play.”
Through six games, Tatum has averaged 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per contest on .475/.365/.781 shooting splits. The Celtics had plenty of success playing without their star wing this season and will have to put all of that experience to the test in Saturday’s do-or-die contest.
NBA Announces Schedule For Second Round Of Playoffs
The NBA has announced the schedule for the second round of the playoffs, which will feature a total of eight teams (four from each conference). Each series’ schedule is subject to change, per the league.
While we know the Western Conference semifinal matchups, the Eastern Conference matchups are still up in the air, with three first-round series going the full seven games. Boston and Philadelphia are playing on Saturday to determine New York’s second-round opponent. The other side of the Eastern bracket features Detroit/Orlando and Cleveland/Toronto, with both deciding games to be played on Sunday.
Below are the tentative schedules for all four series (all Twitter links here). All of the times listed are for the Eastern time zone. Games marked with an asterisk (*) are if necessary, and the times and TV broadcasts for those potential contests are to be determined.
Western Conference
No. 2 Spurs vs. No. 6 Timberwolves:
- Game 1: 5/4 at 9:30 pm on Peacock/NBCSN
- Game 2: 5/6 at 9:30 pm on ESPN
- Game 3: 5/8 at 9:30 pm on Prime
- Game 4: 5/10 at 7:30 pm on NBC/Peacock
- Game 5: 5/12*
- Game 6: 5/15*
- Game 7: 5/17*
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 4 Lakers:
- Game 1: 5/5 at 8:30 pm on NBC/Peacock
- Game 2: 5/7 at 9:30 pm on Prime
- Game 3: 5/9 at 8:30 pm on ABC
- Game 4: 5/11 at 10:30 pm on Prime
- Game 5: 5/13*
- Game 6: 5/16*
- Game 7: 5/18*
Eastern Conference
No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 2 Celtics OR No. 7 Sixers
- Game 1: 5/4 at 8:00 pm on NBC/Peacock
- Game 2: 5/6 at 7:00 pm on ESPN
- Game 3: 5/8 at 7:00 pm on Prime
- Game 4: 5/10 at 3:30 pm on ABC
- Game 5: 5/12*
- Game 6: 5/14*
- Game 7: 5/17*
No. 1 Pistons OR No. 8 Magic vs. No. 4 Cavaliers OR No. 5 Raptors
- Game 1: 5/5 at 7:00 pm on Peacock/NBCSN
- Game 2: 5/7 at 7:00 pm on Prime
- Game 3: 5/9 at 3:00 pm on NBC/Peacock
- Game 4: 5/11 at 8:00 pm on NBC/Peacock
- Game 5: 5/13*
- Game 6: 5/15*
- Game 7: 5/17*
Celtics’ Tatum, Sixers’ George Added To Game 7 Injury Report
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been downgraded from available to questionable ahead of Saturday’s Game 7 matchup against Philadelphia, the team announced (via Twitter).
Tatum, a five-time All-NBA member who made his season debut in March after tearing his right Achilles tendon in last year’s playoffs, is dealing with left knee stiffness. The 28-year-old star downplayed the left leg issue after Boston’s Game 6 loss in Philadelphia, but clearly it’s bothering him more now.
A key member of the Sixers has also been added to Saturday’s injury report, according to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports, who tweets that Paul George is probable due to an illness. That designation suggests the nine-time All-Star forward is considered likely to suit up tonight.
Tatum has averaged 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.2 steals on .475/.365/.781 shooting through six games in the first-round series, while George has averaged 18.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.7 APG and 1.7 SPG on .487/.543/.778 shooting splits.
The Celtics were heavy favorites entering the series and got off to a 3-1 start, but the 76ers have the momentum after outplaying Boston the past two games to even the series. Game 7 will be in Boston, which theoretically should give the Celtics an advantage. However, they’ve dropped two of their three home contests so far in the series.
Injury Notes: Ingram, Tatum, Harris, Huerter, Lakers
After initially listing Brandon Ingram as questionable for Friday’s do-or-die Game 6 due to right heel inflammation, the Raptors are downgrading the veteran forward to doubtful, according to Michal Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
Ingram, who exited Game 5 in the second quarter after aggravating a heel issue that sidelined him for three games during the final few weeks of the regular season, is still experiencing pain in that heel and wasn’t on the court for the portion of Friday’s shootaround that was open to the media, tweets Jamal Collier of ESPN.
Ingram was Toronto’s leading scorer during the regular season but has struggled in the first round of the playoffs vs. Cleveland, making just 19-of-58 shots from the floor (32.8%), including only 14-of-45 two-pointers (31.1%). Still, he demands significant defensive attention when he’s on the floor and his absence figures to hamper the Raptors’ offense as they attempt to extend their season on Friday. With Ingram unavailable in Wednesday’s second half, the club made just 15-of-50 (30.0%) field goal attempts.
The good news for the Raptors is that forward Scottie Barnes, who was hobbled in Game 5 after taking a shot to the quad, isn’t listed on the injury report and will be good to go for Game 6.
We have more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Celtics forward Jayson Tatum didn’t play the last 16 minutes of Thursday’s loss to Philadelphia. Tatum, who returned in March from a torn right Achilles, was battling a left leg issue, he confirmed after the game, but he downplayed the issue and suggested he’ll be fine for Game 7. “It was my other leg,” Tatum said, per Brian Robb of MassLive.com. “So not the one I injured last year. I wasn’t overly concerned. I came out at four minutes (left in the third quarter) like I was supposed to and just kind of assessed the game. And they took the starters out fairly early in the fourth quarter. So yeah, it was not like that big of a deal.”
- Pistons forward Tobias Harris (left ankle sprain) and Kevin Huerter (left adductor strain) are both listed as questionable for Friday’s Game 6 in Orlando, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic (Twitter link). Huerter has played a very limited role in the series, scoring just six points in 42 total minutes, but Harris has started and scored at least 16 points in all five games, so his status will be worth monitoring closely ahead of tonight’s contest.
- Outside of Luka Doncic, who isn’t close to returning from his left hamstring strain, the Lakers have an otherwise clean injury report for Friday’s Game 6 in Houston, tweets Jovan Buha. After winning the first three games of the series, the Lakers will get their third chance to close out the Rockets and avoid a Game 7.
DeAndre Jordan Named 2025/26 Teammate Of The Year
Veteran center DeAndre Jordan appeared in just 12 games as a member of the Pelicans this season, but he has been named the 2025/26 Teammate of the Year, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
The Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award recognizes “the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment to his team,” per the league.
Pelicans players and interim head coach James Borrego spoke repeatedly over the course of the year about the impact that Jordan had on a young roster despite his extremely limited role.
“To see the growth of our young team, DeAndre had a massive impact on that,” Borrego said near the end of the regular season. “He brought professionalism every day. A voice every day. A respect for every drill, every practice and every moment together.”
The Teammate of the Year award isn’t voted on by media members. A panel of league executives select the 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, while current players vote on the winner. Players receive 10 points for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth, and one point for fifth place.
Jordan just narrowly won this season’s vote ahead of Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, who has won the award three times and was the last Pelicans player to claim it back in 2020. Jordan earned 66 first-place votes to Holiday’s 39, but the Blazers veteran nearly made up the difference by accumulating more second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-place votes than the big man.
Here are this season’s full voting results, according to the NBA, with the player’s point total noted in parentheses:
- DeAndre Jordan, Pelicans (1,445)
- Jrue Holiday, Trail Blazers (1,437)
- Jeff Green, Rockets (1,420)
- Garrett Temple, Raptors (1,223)
- Pat Connaughton, Hornets (672)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (659)
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics (651)
- De’Aaron Fox, Spurs (640)
- Duncan Robinson, Pistons (523)
- Jaylin Williams, Thunder (471)
- Desmond Bane, Magic (445)
- Marcus Smart, Lakers (424)
Jordan’s win snaps a seven-year streak of a point guard being named Teammate of the Year. From 2018-25, Holiday won it three times, Mike Conley won twice, and Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry won once apiece.
Celtics’ Brad Stevens Named Executive Of The Year
For the second time in three years, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been named the NBA’s Executive of the Year, the league announced today (Twitter link).
Stevens, who also earned the honor in 2024, is the 12th individual to win multiple Executive of the Year awards, according to the NBA.
The 2025/26 season was widely expected to be a “gap year” for the Celtics, who were determined to shed salary after operating above the second tax apron and lost star forward Jayson Tatum to an Achilles tear during the 2025 playoffs. Stevens made a series of cost-cutting moves last offseason, trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and allowing Luke Kornet and Al Horford to walk in free agency.
However, with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard leading the way and modestly paid contributors such as Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, and Jordan Walsh playing key rotation roles, the Celtics remained competitive both before and after Tatum’s eventual return in March. The team won 56 regular season games despite the fact that Stevens completed another series of financially motivated transactions at the trade deadline to get Boston’s team salary below the luxury tax line.
Unlike most of the NBA’s major end-of-season awards, Executive of the Year is voted on by the league’s general managers rather than by media members.
Stevens received 11 of 28 possible first-place votes from his fellow executives and finished with 69 total points. That was enough to beat out runner-up Onsi Saleh — the Hawks general manager actually showed up on the same number of ballots as Stevens (17), but earned primarily second-place (10) and third-place (6) votes and finished with 41 points.
Trajan Langdon of the Pistons (six first-place votes, 40 points), Jeff Peterson of the Hornets (five first-place votes, 37 points), and Sam Presti of the Thunder (three first-place votes, 25 points) rounded out the top five finishers, while Brian Wright of the Spurs earned the remaining two first-place votes.
Six other executives showed up on at least one ballot. The full voting results can be viewed right here (via Twitter).
Central Notes: Bulls, Lewin, Donovan, Pacers, Mobley
After previously identifying Matt Lloyd, Bryson Graham, and Dennis Lindsey as finalists for the Bulls‘ head of basketball operations job, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line adds another name to that list, reporting (via Twitter) that Celtics assistant general manager Dave Lewin met with Chicago and is advancing to the round of in-person interviews.
A Massachusetts native and a longtime member of Boston’s front office, Lewin joined the Celtics as a scouting coordinator in 2012. He later held the titles of director of scouting, G League general manager, and director of player personnel before being promoted to assistant GM in 2022.
According to Fischer (Twitter link), the Bulls seem “very much on pace” to have a new top basketball executive installed in advance of the start of the draft combine, which officially begins on May 10.
We have more from around the Central:
- Within their latest NBA rumor round-up, Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) provided some additional context on Billy Donovan‘s decision to split with the Bulls just a year after signing a contract extension. According to Fischer and Stein, that new deal that Donovan signed in 2025 included a 2026/27 option clause that allowed Donovan to “walk away at his discretion.” Donovan and several Bulls staffers shared the view that a rebuild is likely in the team’s best interest, sources confirm to The Stein Line, which was a major factor in the veteran coach’s decision to step down.
- Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) considers six questions the Pacers may have to answer this offseason, including who to draft if they keep their top-four protected pick, whether or not to extend Jarace Walker and/or Ben Sheppard, and whether to hang onto reserves like Quenton Jackson and Kam Jones.
- Evan Mobley made just 8-of-24 shots in Games 3 and 4 in Toronto and the Cavaliers were outscored by 33 points when he was on the court. Still, head coach Kenny Atkinson gave the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year a vote of confidence following Sunday’s loss, as Joe Vardon of The Athletic relays. “Evan has been one of our best players in this series,” Atkinson said. “Maybe (Sunday), you could argue he wasn’t, but he has been one of our better players throughout the series.” No Cavalier is under contract for longer than Mobley, who has four years and $222.7MM left on his deal after this season.
Atlantic Notes: Barnes, Pritchard, Stevens, Maxey
The Raptors won Game 4 over the Cavaliers despite missing 26 of 30 three-point attempts and shooting just 32.0% from the field. That’s a feat no team in playoff history has ever accomplished, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.
It was an anomalous victory, which makes sense, because it was led by Toronto’s anomalous star, Scottie Barnes. Barnes shot 6-for-15 from the field and 0-for-3 from three, yet he scored or assisted on 35 of the team’s 93 points and was everywhere defensively.
Barnes had an excellent season for the Raptors, getting his second All-Star nod while averaging 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, and coming in fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Despite his strong showing, he was not widely predicted to be the best player in the series. Yet through four games, he’s been exactly that, writes Michael Grange from Sportsnet.
“He’s just a winning player, man,” said teammate RJ Barrett, who has also had a strong series. “He scores, he moves the ball, he rebounds, he defends, he does everything out there. He has a killer mentality, but I think the biggest thing right now is he is playing with force, he’s really making the defence have to guard him.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Payton Pritchard scored a playoff career-high 32 points in the Celtics‘ big Game 4 win over the Sixers. He credits the work he’s put in studying how the great players in the league maximize their advantages and skill sets. “I feel like obviously there’s genetic freaks,” Pritchard said. “I’m not one of them. But, like, LeBron (James) is a perfect example, too. He takes great care of his body daily. He makes little sacrifices. He’s talked about his sleep habits, his eating and all that. But even guys like Al Horford and Jrue Holiday, they’re able to play so long because of the habits they created.” Pritchard doesn’t drink, limits his bread and sweets, and changed his sleep routine, all in the search for peak performance.
- Brad Stevens had his work cut out for him last summer after losing nearly his entire frontcourt along with Holiday. While the players and coaching staff deserve immense credit for turning what was thought to be a gap year into a 56-win season, the job Stevens did in identifying talent like Neemias Queta to bring into coach Joe Mazzulla‘s system is deserving of an Executive of the Year award, Chris Forsberg writes for NBC Sports Boston. The award will be officially announced on Tuesday at 12:00 pm Central time.
- Despite getting big man Joel Embiid back for Game 4 on Sunday, the Sixers were blown out 128-96 by Boston. Star guard Tyrese Maxey was uncharacteristically quiet in the first half, scoring seven points on just three shots. He chastised himself for his lack of aggression after the game, Brian Robb writes for MassLive. “That absolutely can’t happen,” Maxey said. “That’s just unacceptable by me. It wasn’t meant to happen that way. We can’t win basketball games with that happening, and I take full responsibility on that one.” Maxey finished with 22 points on 14 shots after attempting at least 20 field goals in each of the first three games.
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Oubre, Rebounding, Game 3 Loss
Joel Embiid remains doubtful for the Sixers‘ Game 4 against Boston on Sunday, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes in a subscriber-only story. Embiid hasn’t been able to play since undergoing an emergency appendectomy on April 9, but his status was upgraded to doubtful ahead of Game 3. Coach Nick Nurse told reporters that Embiid was able to go through an individual on-court workout on Saturday.
“He’s working as hard as he can to get back,” Nurse said. “We’re just going to have to see how it goes here today and tomorrow morning, and maybe we’ll know more towards the end of shootaround.”
Embiid participated in a light practice on Thursday, raising hopes that he’ll be able to return at some point in the series. Nurse admitted that “he’s just not ready” before Friday’s Game 3, and Sunday’s contest now carries a lot of importance with Philadelphia trailing 2-1 in the series.
“It [would be] a different ballgame having Joel back in the series,” said Adem Bona, who has replaced Embiid as the starting center. “It’s a huge advantage for us, so I’m just excited to see him back on the floor again.”
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- The Sixers may also be missing Kelly Oubre Jr., who is listed as questionable for Game 4 with right adductor soreness, Mizell adds. Oubre played 40 minutes on Friday, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds.
- Embiid’s absence on the boards was costly Friday night as the Celtics collected 15 offensive rebounds and finished with 22 second-chance points, notes Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice. The most important play of the night was an offensive rebound as Derrick White collected a Nikola Vucevic miss with about 40 seconds remaining and fired the ball to Jayson Tatum for a three-pointer that put the game out of reach. “The second chance points is what got us today,” veteran center Andre Drummond said. “I think other than that, we played a very well-rounded game. It was a very intense game, a fun game for us to play in. We get those second chance points off the board, I think we win the game.”
- The Sixers let an opportunity slip away in Game 3 that might cost them a chance to win the series, states Tony Jones of The Athletic. Philadelphia played well enough in some aspects — forcing 17 turnovers and outscoring Boston 42-26 in the paint — but wasn’t able to secure the victory. “It’s funny, the last game, they made a run and we came back and we made every single play and we won the game,” Tyrese Maxey said. “Tonight, we made the run at them, and they made every single play and they won the game. It’s little stuff like that that decides games. Our attention to detail has to be great, because the margins in these games are really small. These are single-possession games and every possession really matters.”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker Named Most Improved Player
Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been named the NBA’s Most Improved Player for the 2025/26 season, the league announced today (Twitter link). It’s the second consecutive year in which an Atlanta guard has won the award, with Alexander-Walker joining ’24/25 winner Dyson Daniels.
A quality reserve valued for his defense during his time in Minnesota, Alexander-Walker signed with the Hawks in free agency last summer and took on a much larger offensive role with his new team, as his usage rate increased from 16.0% to 23.9%. Despite taking on more offensive responsibilities, the 27-year-old actually increased his shooting efficiency, setting new career highs in field goal percentage (45.9%), three-point percentage (39.9%), and free throw percentage (90.2%).
Alexander-Walker also boosted his scoring average from 9.4 points per game during his final season in Minnesota to 20.8 PPG with the Hawks while contributing 3.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds per night. He started 71 of 78 games and logged a career-high 33.4 minutes per contest.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), among qualified players, Alexander-Walker is just the fifth one in the last 35 seasons to increase his scoring average by 11 or more points from one season to the next. He’s also only the third player to claim a Most Improved Player award in his seven season or later, per the Hawks, joining Julius Randle (2021) and Hedo Turkoglu (2008).
“Nickeil’s dedication, continual work on his craft, and the ensuing results this season make him incredibly deserving of this award,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said in a statement. “He has a tireless work ethic and a focus on improving in every aspect of his game. His game continues to evolve, and his commitment and unselfish attitude as a teammate have also positively impacted the success of the team.”
Alexander-Walker beat out a pair of players who made the leap from quality starter to star in 2025/26 — Pistons center Jalen Duren and Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija finished second and third in Most Improved Player voting, respectively, after earning their first All-Star nods this season.
Duren increased his scoring average from 11.8 PPG to 19.5 PPG and was the second-best player on a Pistons team that won 60 games. Avdija, who went from 16.9 PPG to 24.2 PPG and handed out a career-high 6.7 APG, was the top scorer and play-maker for a Blazers squad that snapped a four-year playoff drought.
Alexander-Walker received 66 first-place votes and 396 total points, with Duren claiming 23 first-place votes and 254 total points and Avdija getting seven first-place votes and 135 points. Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (three) and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (one) earned the other first-place votes, though Celtics big man Neemias Queta was the fourth-place finisher, coming in one spot ahead of Rollins due to his 23 third-place votes.
Rockets guard Reed Sheppard, Suns guard Collin Gillespie, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Mavericks forward Naji Marshall, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, Rockets guard Amen Thompson, and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama also each showed up on at least one ballot.
The full voting results can be found right here (Twitter link).