The 2026 NBA playoffs quickly became a battle of attrition. The number of significant injuries that loom over the start of the league’s four conference semifinals are proof enough.

It’s not clear yet when NBA star Jalen Williams will return from injury after missing games in the Thunder’s first-round series. Anthony Edwards, meanwhile, hopes to get back on the floor for the Timberwolves sooner rather than later following a hyperextension and bone bruise on his left knee that kept him out of Minnesota’s final two games of their series against the Nuggets.

Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers has yet to play in the postseason due to a hamstring ailment. His teammate, Austin Reaves, only just came back. Same goes for the oft-injured Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The injury intrigue adds to the drama with only eight teams left in pursuit of an NBA championship. Some of the league’s marquee names and role players under the spotlight when the second round of the playoffs begins on Monday, May 4.

Here’s one star player and one role player from each remaining team whose performance (or availability) could swing their team’s fortunes during the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs:

ORLANDO MAGIC: Who will replace coach Jamahl Mosley?

NBA playoffs 2026: Conference semifinals players to watch

USA TODAY Sports tabbed one star player and one role player from each team remaining in the 2026 NBA playoffs whose contributions could swing their respective teams’ conference semifinals series.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers

• Luka Doncic: The availability and effectiveness of the Lakers’ star is likely the key to them being competitive in the series. Doncic hasn’t played in a game since injuring his hamstring in an April 2 game against the Thunder.
• Jalen Williams: The Thunder breezed past the Phoenix Suns in the first round despite a hamstring injury to Williams. His status for the start of this series remains uncertain.
• Marcus Smart: Assuming Austin Reaves regains his 3-point stroke, Smart’s two-way presence looms large. He could be a primary defender on Shai Gilgeious-Alexander and called upon to hit 3-pointers in crunch time.
• Alex Caruso: He’s a defensive weapon off the bench for the Thunder with a history of raising his level of play in the postseason. He can be deployed on Doncic or Reaves depending on the situation.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

• Anthony Edwards: When Edwards returns from the knee injury he suffered during the first round, and how limited he is upon getting back on the court, looms over the entire series.
• Victor Wembanyama: The Spurs only loss in the first round came in Game 3 when Wembanyama sat out due to concussion protocol.
• Rudy Gobert: His defense on Nikola Jokic helped spur the Timberwolves to a first-round upset of the Denver Nuggets. Now Gobert is tasked with making life more difficult on Wembanyama, his countryman from France.
• Dylan Harper: No Spurs player had a better NET rating than Harper during their first-round series against Portland.

New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers

• Joel Embiid: The version of Embiid that played the final four games of the 76ers’ first-round series win over the Celtics, combined with Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, make Philadelphia a serious threat in this matchup. But will Embiid’s body hold up?
• Jalen Brunson: The Knicks series against the Hawks swung in Game 5 when Brunson produced a 39-point gem, and he’s two years removed from averaging 35.5 points and nine assists in a playoff series win.
• Mikal Bridges: He was mostly a non-factor in the first round, but came alive for 24 points in a Game 6 blowout over the Hawks. Bridges should factor heavily in the Knicks’ strategy for slowing down Maxey.
• VJ Edgecombe: The 76ers’ rookie served as a barometer for Philadelphia in the first round. He shot 50% from the field (including 45% from 3-point range) in the team’s four wins. He shot 30.2% (and went 0-for-16 from 3-point range) in three losses to Boston.

Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

• Jalen Duren: The Pistons struggled to get past the Magic in the first round, in part, because Duren hardly resembled the player who blossomed into a dominating big man this season. Maybe a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double in Game 7 was a good sign because the Cavaliers won’t be as forgiving as the Magic if Duren falters again.
• Donovan Mitchell: The Cavaliers needed a Game 7 to beat the Raptors because Mitchell shot 38.8% from the field and less than 28% from 3-point range over the final five games of the series. Cleveland will need his shot-making against Detroit’s rugged defense.
• Daniss Jenkins: Cade Cunningham needs more help on offense than Tobias Harris for the Pistons to win this series, and Jenkins showed in Game 7 by making four of his five 3-pointers against the Magic that he could be the role player to provide it.
• Jarrett Allen: His third-quarter outburst in Game 7 pushed Cleveland past Toronto. The Pistons might not have the firepower inside to combat both Evan Mobley and an inspired Allen.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoffs second round players to watch for every team, series

CINCINNATI (AP) — Adrian “Odie” Smith, whose Hall of Fame basketball career included a college national title with Kentucky, a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics and a 10-year stint in the NBA, has died at age 89.

Smith died on April 28th, the University of Kentucky said in a statement. There was no word on how or where Smith died.

Smith played for the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) from the 1961-62 NBA season until the 1969-70 season, when he was traded to the San Francisco (now Golden State) Warriors.

The 6-foot-1 guard, who was named MVP of the 1966 NBA All-Star game, also played one season in the ABA with the Virginia Squires, finishing his pro career as a teammate of then-rookie Julius “Dr. J” Erving.

Smith grew up in rural Graves County, Kentucky, in a farmhouse without electricity or indoor plumbing. His path to profession basketball began with him tossing a homemade ball through a peach basket nailed to a tree.

His college career began at Northeast Mississippi Junior College, where his coach persuaded a Kentucky assistant to watch him, resulting in a scholarship offer from the Wildcats.

Smith played two seasons for Kentucky, averaging 10.2 points, and was one of the “Fiddlin’ Five” who brought the Wildcats a 1958 national title.

Smith served in the U.S. Army and was selected for the U.S. men’s national team for 1960 Olympic Games. A year later, he began his NBA career alongside Oscar Robertson in Cincinnati.

Smith was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 along with the gold medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team.

Smith is survived by his son, Tyler, and his brother, Kenny.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

There’s a cadence to every postseason. Teams get eliminated, and they move into the space the Phoenix Suns currently occupy. The early exit offseason. As these teams book flights to Cancun, their players become names to ponder, evaluate, and wonder whether they are what your team is missing. It’s the natural order.

The latest name catching the attention of Suns fans? Former University of Arizona Wildcat, Aaron Gordon.

I get it. I understand the appeal. Power forward has been a problem area for a while. The roster has felt undersized, and it shows up at the rim. The Suns consistently finish near the bottom of the league in finishing around the basket as well as defending it. So when a name like Gordon is linked, people start connecting dots and picturing the fit.

The reality is pretty simple. There isn’t much Phoenix can offer the Denver Nuggets that moves the needle outside of sending out young prospects. That’s not a deal that makes sense here, and therefore, this one feels dead on arrival.

What I do find interesting, however, is the verbiage provided by Brett Siegel, which states that the Suns are a “win now” team. 

And that’s where I push back. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it throughout this offseason. The Phoenix Suns are not in “win now” mode. “Win now” mode is what teams like the Denver Nuggets live in. You have an MVP-level player, you have a real path to a title, and every move is about maximizing that window and competing at the top of the Western Conference.

That’s not who the Suns are right now. Good, bad, or indifferent, that’s the reality. It’s not fun to say. It’s not fun to hear. Your team is not positioned to win a championship next season.

You still have to live in reality. And once you accept that reality, you can start building a plan, both short-term and long-term. A path that puts you in a position to become one of those teams down the line. One that can actually operate in “win now” mode when the time comes.

I believe the Phoenix Suns want to run it back, hoping health swings more in their favor. Health never fully cooperates; injuries happen. Still, this team took a hit in 2025-26. Because of that, they never had enough data to truly understand who they are. We can all have our offseason conversations about what they should be and how they can operate better. That’s the fun part. I’m in that group. I don’t want to see three guard lineups. I’d bring Collin Gillespie back as a bench piece. I’d like to see Rasheer Fleming in the starting lineup, sliding Dillon Brooks to the three where he can be a defensive menace. That’s my view. Those are not moves of a team trying to “win now.”

The Suns do have desirable assets, sure. It means you’re going to hear noise from national pundits. It’s going to sound like they’re sellers, and while it would be irresponsible not to pick up the phone and hear offers, it doesn’t mean they’re actively shopping everyone.

The Suns’ priority this offseason should be continuity. Build a foundation and let it grow from a consistent place. You don’t plug in new pieces and expect chemistry to match overnight.

I’m currently watching Untold: Jail Blazers on Netflix, and one of the main takeaways from Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire, and Bonzi Wells is how fragile chemistry can be. That team was 12 minutes away from knocking off the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals. That offseason, a lot of the fringe pieces got swapped out. In came Shawn Kemp, Dale Davis, and Will Perdue. The chemistry slipped, and the team finished as a 7th seed.

That doesn’t mean the Phoenix Suns ignore the fringes. They should absolutely work those margins. But it doesn’t need to be splashy or dramatic like the national conversation wants it to be. That’s the part the fan base has to accept. When names like Aaron Gordon pop up, pay attention to the teams tied to those reports. You’ll see situations where franchises are trying to sell LeBron James on coming back, or a Boston Celtics group that just got bounced in Game 7 and sits closer to a title than Phoenix does right now. Both of those are “win now” teams as they are entering eras in which the window might be closing or is still wide open. That simply isn’t where Phoenix is right now.

Progression for Phoenix next season is clear. They need to win more games, climb the standings, and perhaps get a round, maybe two, in the postseason. That’s a win. That sets up a different conversation a year from now. Right now, this isn’t a team operating in “win now” mode. They’re building culture, leaning into continuity, and doing it in a responsible way.

This is the part of the cycle where patience feels like inaction, even when it’s the smarter play. Phoenix doesn’t need to chase noise to prove intent, it needs to define itself with clarity and consistency. Let the roster breathe, let roles settle, and let progression happen on its own timeline. If that foundation takes hold, the window everyone wants to force open now will come into focus soon enough, and it’ll actually mean something when it does.

The best pitcher on Earth needs surgery.

Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers’ back-to-back AL Cy Young award winner, is headed to the injured list with loose bodies in his left elbow. The team announced the news Monday afternoon mere hours before the 29-year-old hurler was slated to start against the visiting Boston Red Sox. 

Both Skubal and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch spoke to reporters about the injury. Because Skubal has yet to go under the knife, it remains undetermined how long he’ll be sidelined. The typical recovery time for injuries of this sort can vary anywhere from two to five months.

“He needs to get it taken care of,” Hinch said. “Surgery is going to happen. Soon. He’s going through all the details of what that’s going to mean: Who, what, where, when.”

Late in Skubal’s most recent outing — April 29 against the Atlanta Braves — the lefty experienced some discomfort in his elbow. After blowing a 2-1 sinker by slugger Matt Olson in the seventh inning, Skubal immediately shook out his left arm and then waved catcher Dillon Dingler out toward the mound to buy some time. Skubal then removed his glove from his right hand and began massaging the outside of his left elbow. That brought Hinch and assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades out of the dugout.

As the group conferred with one another atop the mound, Skubal continued rubbing out the top of his forearm. He shook it out a few more times before reassuring the concerned parties that he was capable of continuing. Hinch and Rhoades returned to the dugout. Skubal threw the next pitch, a 97 mph fastball, past Olson for a strikeout. He punched out the next two batters, finishing the frame and his evening.

Both Hinch and Skubal downplayed the incident postgame. 

“I don’t really know how to explain it, I just needed a little bit of time,” Skubal told reporters, including MLB.com’s Perla Paredes, following the start. “And then the symptoms that I experienced on the one throw went away, and obviously it felt pretty good after that.” 

“He had a funny feeling on the outside of his arm,” Hinch said that evening. “Then he wanted to throw a pitch, and then he punched out the side. So we felt good about the way he ended but certainly not fun walking out to the mound.”

Well, Hinch is having even less fun now.

It seems that Skubal’s symptoms reappeared over the intervening days, most recently Sunday. That prompted Hinch, Skubal and Co. to have the ace take some scans. Imaging revealed the loose bodies, ultimately pushing Skubal onto the IL.

“Obviously, if you go watch my outings, there’s been some abnormal kind of arm shake stuff,” Skubal said during Monday’s news conference, referring to the issues during his most recent start. “I thought it was progressing and getting better. Yesterday I had something that kind of was different than what I’d been dealing with. Which led to kind of having some conversations with the training staff and A.J. and wasn’t very comfortable pitching today.”

The Tigers will have a better understanding of the timeline once Skubal’s surgery occurs, likely later this week.

Yale Medicine defines loose bodies in the elbow as “small fragments of bone or cartilage that have become detached and are floating within the elbow joint.” Those particles can, but do not always, cause discomfort and lead to issues with range of motion. Pitchers are often throwing through various levels of pain, but not treating the root cause of any symptoms can lead to more significant injuries down the road.

Multiple big-name MLB arms are currently on the injured list with similar diagnoses. 

Reds ace Hunter Greene underwent a procedure during spring training to remove bone spurs in his elbow. He is progressing and is expected back in July, which would put his total recovery time around 15 weeks. Other notable names include star Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz (April 22 surgery, late-season return), young Braves righty Spencer Schwellenbach (Feb. 18 surgery, second-half return) and Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodón (Oct. 16 surgery, currently on minor league rehab assignment). 

Those particular timetables do not bode well for Skubal or the Tigers, currently 18-17 despite having the second-best run differential (+18) in the American League heading into play Monday. The swiftest return from this type of procedure in recent memory came in 2019 when Blake Snell took just 54 days after surgery to return to a big league mound. Considering everything at stake for Skubal and the Tigers, it’s likely he’ll move slower than that.

Skubal, in his final year of team control, is set to hit the open market for the first time this winter. The industry consensus is that the two-time Cy Young will break the record for the biggest contract ever handed to a pitcher: Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 12-year, $325 million deal. This news, obviously, complicates things. When exactly Skubal returns and how he looks upon doing so could be the difference between $250 million and $400 million dollars.

Things are similarly serious for the Tigers, who entered 2026 hoping to contend in what may well be their last season with Skubal. With an extension unlikely, Detroit spent big on lefty starter Framber Valdez to slot in behind the big guy. That addition has proved crucial in the early going as the Tigers currently have six starting pitchers on the injured list: Skubal, Casey Mize, Troy Melton, Jackson Jobe, Reese Olson and Justin Verlander.

Detroit has a very impressive track record of using their bullpen depth to weather starting pitching injuries. Nonetheless, the task ahead of them is daunting: A world without Skubal is a dark world indeed.

The Minnesota Timberwolves face the San Antonio Spurs in the first game of their Western Conference semifinals series. The Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 4-2 in the first round while the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1. Minnesota star guard Anthony Edwards, who missed the last two games of the first round with a knee injury, could return in the opener.

How to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs

• Date: Monday, May 4

• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT

• Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas

• TV Channels: Peacock

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Odds

• Spread: San Antonio Spurs -13.5

• Moneyline: San Antonio Spurs -641 (83.0%) / Minnesota Timberwolves +464 (17.0%)

• Over/Under: 217.5

The Minnesota Timberwolves face the San Antonio Spurs in the first game of their Western Conference semifinals series. The Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 4-2 in the first round while the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1. Minnesota star guard Anthony Edwards, who missed the last two games of the first round with a knee injury, could return in the opener.

How to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs

• Date: Monday, May 4

• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT

• Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas

• TV Channels: Peacock

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Odds

• Spread: San Antonio Spurs -13.5

• Moneyline: San Antonio Spurs -641 (83.0%) / Minnesota Timberwolves +464 (17.0%)

• Over/Under: 217.5

The Philadelphia 76ers meet the New York Knicks in the opening game of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The Sixers eliminated the Boston Celtics in seven games in the first round. The Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 4-2. The Knicks are favored at 7.5 points with an over/under of 212.5.

How to watch Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks

• Date: Monday, May 4

• Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

• Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

• TV Channels: NBC, Peacock

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Odds

• Spread: New York Knicks -7.5

• Moneyline: New York Knicks -294 (71.4%) / Philadelphia 76ers +235 (28.6%)

• Over/Under: 212.5

The Philadelphia 76ers meet the New York Knicks in the opening game of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The Sixers eliminated the Boston Celtics in seven games in the first round. The Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 4-2. The Knicks are favored at 7.5 points with an over/under of 212.5.

How to watch Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks

• Date: Monday, May 4

• Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

• Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

• TV Channels: NBC, Peacock

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Odds

• Spread: New York Knicks -7.5

• Moneyline: New York Knicks -294 (71.4%) / Philadelphia 76ers +235 (28.6%)

• Over/Under: 212.5