There are four teams left in the NBA playoffs, with the Cavaliers and Spurs joining the Knicks and Thunder in the Conference Finals. After the Knicks and Thunder swept the Sixers and Lakers last week, the Cavaliers and Spurs needed at least six games to eliminate the Pistons and Timberwolves, respectively.
The Spurs finished the job on Friday night, crushing the Timberwolves on the road to secure their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2017. The Mitch Johnson-coached squad is up against the Thunder next, with whom they’ve built a budding rivalry in the past few months.
On the other hand, the Cavaliers are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018, and they’ll take on the red-hot Knicks. The Kenny Atkinson-coached squad plans to defy the pre-series NBA 2026 odds again.
Learn more about the latest NBA 2026 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Cavaliers dominate the Pistons in Game 7
Donovan Mitchell rued their missed opportunity to close out the top-seeded Pistons in Game 6 at home after going up 3-2 in the series, and the seven-time All-Star made amends with his all-around performance in Game 7 on Sunday night.
Mitchell set the tone for Cleveland in the 125-94 victory, as he produced 26 points (game-high), six rebounds, and eight assists on 10-for-22 shooting from the field. His backcourt mate, James Harden, didn’t have a great night shooting the basketball, notching only nine points on 2-for-10 shooting from the field. However, Mitchell received enough support from fellow starters, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, who combined for 44 points.
Sam Merrill also picked the right time to catch fire from three-point range, as the one-time NBA champion provided a huge spark off the bench. He had 23 points and five three-pointers on 7-for-10 shooting from the field in 25 minutes. Cleveland notably dominated Detroit in the shaded area with a 58-34 edge in points in the paint, and outscored them in all four quarters.
Pistons stars Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren were subpar in Game 7, as the All-Star duo combined for only 20 points. Daniss Jenkins actually led Detroit in scoring with 17 points, three rebounds, and five assists on 4-for-12 shooting from the field.
Castle led the Spurs in Game 6 rout against Timberwolves
A few days ago, the Spurs notched a 139-109 road win against the Timberwolves to book their tickets to the Western Conference Finals, and they did it through a collective effort, as six players scored in double digits.
Stephon Castle led all scorers with 32 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and five three-pointers on 11-for-16 shooting from the field. He’s not really known as a great outside shooter, but he caught fire from three-point land at the right time.
De’Aaron Fox almost had a double-double with 21 points and nine assists, and the two-time All-Star notably played through an ankle knock. Victor Wembanyama, Julian Champagnie, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell added 19, 18, 15, and 11 points.
Anthony Edwards did everything he could for Minnesota, registering 24 points (team-high) and three steals, but only shot 9-for-26 from the field. Terrence Shannon Jr., Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Ayo Dosunmu added 21, 18, 13, and 10 points, while starting center Rudy Gobert had a goose egg, and Julius Randle only had three points and seven rebounds.
During his postgame presser, Edwards admitted that San Antonio was the better team. The Timberwolves star drew flak for coming over to the Spurs bench to congratulate his opponents with eight minutes left in the final period, when the game was out of reach.
Gilgeous-Alexander wins second straight MVP
The league recently announced that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won his second consecutive MVP award, making him the 18th player in history to win at least twice and the 14th to win them in back-to-back seasons.
The Thunder stars won the MVP race decisively, garnering 83 first-place votes, 13 second-place votes, three third-place votes, and one fourth-place vote for a total of 939 points, which is 305 points more than runner-up Nikola Jokic, followed by Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham, and Jaylen Brown.
The win for Gilgeous-Alexander marks the eighth consecutive time that the league MVP was born outside of the United States, with James Harden being the last American to win the prestigious award in 2018. With Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, Oklahoma City is through to the Western Conference Finals with an impressive 8-0 record. This postseason, the Canadian international averages 29.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.1 assists on 51.4-per cent shooting from the field.
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