2025-26 Playoff Bracket
First Round
First Round
Today’s Update
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 32 points and 9 assists and led OKC past SAS 127–114. Gilgeous-Alexander worked the midrange for 8 of 32 points. OKC shot 48.2% from the field vs. 40.2% for SAS. J. McCain closed it out with 9 4th-quarter points. Alex Caruso added 22 points and 3 steals.
32 PTS · 2 REB · 9 AST · 2 STL
OKC pulled away with a 33-14 run starting at 5:51 in the 2nd quarter into the 3rd quarter (9:32 remaining). Key stretch: S. Gilgeous-Alexander 17 pts (1 three), L. Dort 5 pts (1 three). OKC dominated the boards 48–41. Stephon Castle anchored the defense with 3 steals.
The New York Knicks completed a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 with a 130–93 Game 4 win to advance to the NBA Finals. Behind a balanced effort with 6 players in double figures — Karl-Anthony Towns (19, 14 reb), OG Anunoby (17), Landry Shamet (16), Mikal Bridges (15), Jalen Brunson (15) and Miles McBride (11). It is the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, ending a 27-year drought.
NYK 130, CLE 93 · Series 4-0 · 6 in double figures
The Knicks didn’t outscore their way to the Finals — they suffocated. New York is 12-2 through 14 playoff games at 119.9 PPG scored against 100.6 allowed (+19.4 per game). They beat ATL 4-2, swept PHI 4-0, swept CLE 4-0. The defensive story: Cavaliers averaged 119.5 PPG in the regular season and just 99.5 across 4 playoff games against New York — a 20-point throttle. The postseason leap leader is Landry Shamet, who jumped from 59.8% true shooting in the regular season to 78.5% in the playoffs.
Karl-Anthony Towns has been more efficient in the playoffs than at any point during the regular season. Across 14 playoff games, KAT is shooting 57.2% from the field (up from 50.1% in 75 regular-season games) and 48.9% from three (up from 36.8%). His shot diet has tightened. Paint share rose to 63.8% from 63.4%, and he has not attempted a single mid-range jumper in the playoffs. Defensively his blocks have nearly tripled to 1.36 per game (up from 0.53). The Knicks beat Atlanta 4-2 in Round 1 and swept Philadelphia 4-0 in the Conference Semifinals and swept Cleveland 4-0 in the Conference Finals.
Reg Season → Playoffs · FG 50.1% → 57.2% · 3PT 36.8% → 48.9% · Paint FG 58.1% → 62.5%
Victor Wembanyama has authored the most dominant defensive playoff stretch of the 2025-26 postseason. Across 15 playoff games, Wemby is averaging 3.73 blocks per game, up from 3.08 during the regular season, including a 12-block performance in the Conference Semifinals opener against Minnesota on May 4. His paint shooting jumped to 66.4% from 65.3% in the regular season. The trade-off is scoring volume, which dipped from 25.0 PPG in the regular season to 19.0 PPG in the playoffs. San Antonio beat Portland 4-1 in Round 1 and beat Minnesota 4-2 in the Conference Semifinals and trail Oklahoma City 3-2 in the Conference Finals.
Reg Season → Playoffs · 25.0 → 19.0 PPG · BPG 3.08 → 3.73 · Paint FG 65.3% → 66.4%
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has carried his MVP-caliber regular season directly into the playoffs without missing a beat. Across 13 playoff games, SGA is shooting 46.3% from the field, within rounding distance of his 55.3% regular-season line over 68 games. Oklahoma City swept Phoenix 4-0 in Round 1 and swept Los Angeles 4-0 in the Conference Semifinals and lead San Antonio 3-2 in the Conference Finals, going 11-2 in the playoffs. His three-point shot has cooled (38.6% in the regular season vs 32.7% in the playoffs), but his interior efficiency has held: paint FG% is essentially identical (63% vs 55%).
Reg Season → Playoffs · FG 55.3% → 46.3% · 3PT 38.6% → 32.7% · OKC playoff record: 11-2
The New York Knicks have rattled off 11 straight wins. 53-29 in the regular season (12-2 in the playoffs).
During the streak they're outscoring opponents by +5.5 per game (season: +6.3). Over this stretch they rank 4th in defensive efficiency league-wide. They're shooting 50.7% from the field (season: 47.8%). Offensive rebounding has dropped to 11.0 from 12.7.
