NBA Playoffs Scores, Live Updates: Victor Wembanyama Shines in First Half As Spurs Lead Trail Blazers
Welcome to Day 2 of the NBA playoffs. Another four series are set to begin today, beginning with Celtics vs. 76ers, followed by Thunder vs. Suns, Pistons vs. Magic and Spurs vs. Trail Blazers.
Boston kicked off the day with a dominant blowout 123-91 win over Philadelphia. The C’s led from the early going and never looked back, powered by the talents of the two Jays—Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both put up strong numbers in their 2026 playoff debuts. The 76ers have a lot to reflect upon ahead of Tuesday’s Game 2 if this series has any hope of being competitive. Regardless, Boston looks like a true contender. Out West, the Thunder rolled through the Suns in Game 1 of their series, and look as strong as ever.
The evening slate began with a stunning upset. The Pistons took a massive leap after breaking into the playoffs last year, and are the No. 1 seed in the conference, but they could never quite take control against the Magic on Sunday, falling in the first major upset of the playoffs. In the final matchup of the day, we’ll see Victor Wembanyama make his NBA playoff debut against the Trail Blazers as the night cap at 9 p.m. ET.
Check back here all day long for live updates, highlights and insights from all four games from Sports Illustrated’s NBA staff, and scroll down for today’s full schedule, broadcast info and previews of today’s games as well as a quick recap of yesterday’s slate.
Live NBA playoff updates, scores, highlights from Spurs vs. Trail Blazers
Sunday NBA playoffs schedule, game previews
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama makes his playoff debut Sunday against the Trail Blazers. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Celtics 123, 76ers 91 (Game 1)
Well that was ugly. While his three-point shot wasn’t falling, Jayson Tatum continued his stunning comeback with a solid 25-point outing in his first playoff game since last year’s Achilles injury, 21 of which came in the first half. His longtime runningmate Jaylon Brown led all scorers with 26, while the 76ers were held to just 39% shooting from the field and 17% from three.
Thunder 119, Suns 84 (Game 1)
Another game, another blowout. The Thunder outscored the Suns by 15 in the first quarter and never let up, running out to a dominant 35-point victory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 25 points, while Jalen Williams put up 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Devin Booker had a decent game with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting, but Phoenix shot just 35% from the field.
Magic 112, Pistons 101 (Game 1)
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: NBC/Peacock
Orlando entered the season with high hopes, but dealt with injury throughout the season and never quite reached what many expected their potential to be. That continued into the play-in tournament, when the Magic were handled by the 76ers, but they followed it up with an impressive blowout of the Hornets to clinch the No. 8 seed. And on Sunday, just two days after they punched their playoff ticket, they put together an impressive wire-to-wire performance against the Pistons, outscoring the East’s top seed in three of the four quarters to score the first major upset of the playoffs.
Spurs vs. Trail Blazers, Game 1
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: NBC/Peacock
Finally, Wemby is in the playoffs … and San Antonio is gunning for the NBA title right now. The Spurs have been one of the league’s best teams all season, though the intensity will get dialed up in the postseason, and we may need to see even more from Victor Wembanyama, who played less than 30 minutes per game this season, to make the long run to the Finals. The Trail Blazers were impressive in the play-in win over Phoenix, and Deni Avdija is emerging as a real star. This one could be more fun than it looks on paper.
Saturday’s NBA playoff scores
LeBron James played alongside son Bronny James in the Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Rockets on Saturday. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113 (Game 1)
Donovan Mitchell exploded for 32 points, while Max Strus scored 24 off the bench. Cleveland’s offense thoroughly outplayed Toronto’s vaunted defense in Game 1.
Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105 (Game 1)
Anthony Edwards and Minnesota started fast, but ultimately this came down to Jamal Murray early and Nikola Jokić late. Denver’s powerhouse pair combined for 55 points, while Jokić woke up from a quiet start to post a 25/13/11 triple-double.
Knicks 113, Hawks 102 (Game 1)
The pressure is on for New York to compete for a title, and the Knicks passed the first test on Saturday. Jalen Brunson was on fire to start the win over the Hawks, while Karl-Anthony Towns impressed with an efficient 25 points on 13 field goal attempts, adding eight rebounds and three blocks.
Lakers 107, Rockets 98 (Game 1)
Much has been made of Los Angeles’s injuries to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, but Houston, which can be offensively challenged at times, lost Kevin Durant ahead of Game 1. No Rockets player broke 20 points and as a team, they shot 38% from the field and 33% from three. LeBron James kept the Lakers offense humming with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds, but it was Luke Kennard who provided the most firepower, scoring 27 on 9-of-13 shooting (and a perfect 5-for-5 from three). L.A. shot an impressive 61% from the field and 53% from three.
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