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How important was the Spurs’ Game 5 victory over Minnesota last night? San Antonio is 16-2 all-time when leading 3-2 in a playoff series but 1-3 when trailing 3-2. The Timberwolves are 2-0 when leading 3-2 in a playoff series but when trailing 3-2.
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About last night
Wemby’s revenge puts Wolves on the brink
In the blink of an eye last night in San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama set the tone. After being ejected for elbowing Naz Reid in the head in Game 4, Wembanyama had 16 points in the first seven minutes of Game 5. While the Wolves competed for a good chunk of the game and tied the score at 61 in the third quarter, the Spurs’ home cooking was just too much. It took longer than what we saw in its Game 2 blowout, but San Antonio had that same aura of dominance.
Wemby finished with a modest (considering the start) 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the 126-97 victory. The Spurs didn’t bomb away from 3-point range and overwhelm the Wolves with their perimeter attack. There wasn’t some obscene free-throw disparity in their favor. It was just a bullying style of play on the interior — San Antonio outscored Minnesota 68-36 in the paint.
The Wolves now find themselves in a familiar situation. In 2024, against the formidable, defending champion Denver Nuggets, they were down 3-2 heading back to Minneapolis. They blew out the Nuggets in Game 6 and gutted out a tough road victory in Game 7 in Denver.
In that series, the Wolves had to slay Nikola Jokić. He was the best player in the world, and nobody gave them a chance. Wemby is much younger and less accomplished. But he provides a much tougher obstacle to clear. While Jokić is one of the most impossible offensive players we’ve ever seen, Wemby does it at both ends.
What the Spurs lack in experience, they make up for in blocked shots, deflections and pure athleticism. It will take more heroics from Anthony Edwards, but it won’t come without help. Once again, the Wolves have their backs against the wall. History will either repeat itself or Wemby’s coronation will continue.
We’ll find out on Friday.
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The last 24
🏀 He gone. The 76ers have decided six seasons were enough. Daryl Morey is out in Philly.
🏀 Not a priority? The Lakers would love to have LeBron back next season. But it’s not at the top of their list.
🦌 Investigation done. The NBA has concluded its investigation into the Bucks sitting Giannis. No penalties will be given.
🙏 Terrible news. Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke has died. He was 29 years old.
🙏 More awful news. The NBA’s first openly gay player, Jason Collins, lost his battle with cancer. He was 47.
🔊 “NBA Daily.” Watch and listen to a recap of last night’s games. And what’s next for the Sixers?
Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!) and catch out-of-market games on League Pass.
Series of confusion
Duren is as confounding as the Cavs
The longer this Jalen Duren descent on the playoff court continues, the more I question whether he’s cost himself money this summer.
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Duren had such a great 2025-26 season that it’s confounding how poorly he’s played in the postseason. The 22-year-old was an All-Star. He’s expected to be All-NBA. He helped the Detroit Pistons get the No. 1 seed and 60 wins. He was second in Most Improved Player voting. His 19.5 points per game were by far a career best, eclipsing his previous high of 13.8 per game.
And yet … the difference between the Duren we saw in the regular season and the Duren we’ve seen through 11 playoff games is staggering. Let’s break down the regression:
- Regular season: 19.5 points, 10.5 boards, 65.0 percent FG, 6.1 FTA, 74.7 percent FT
- Playoffs: 10.2 points, 8.5 boards, 49.4 percent FG, 3.3 FTA, 72.2 percent FT
- Regular season: 74.9 percent inside of 3 feet, 57.0 percent 3-10 feet
- Playoffs: 60.0 percent inside of 3 feet, 35.5 percent 3-10 feet
- Regular season on the court: 120.0 off. rating | 108.2 def. rating | plus-11.8 net rating
- Playoffs on the court: 113.9 off. rating | 111.1 def. rating | plus-2.8 net rating
What’s the explanation for this massive drop-off in production and impact? Is there a secret back injury we’re not privy to? Did one of the MonStars zap him of his ability? It’s hard to find anything on video that explains his timidness and the lack of consistent impact.
I can’t imagine Duren has actually lost money. The entire picture is worth more than this 11-game snippet. But this may make the difference between the Pistons being comfortable giving him the five-year, $287 million deal if he makes All-NBA (five-year, $239 million if he doesn’t) versus allowing a team to sign him to a four-year, $177 million offer sheet and matching it.
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Watching Playoff Duren is almost like watching the Cavs play on the road versus at home. The Cavs have been brutal away from Rocket Arena in the postseason.
- Home (6-0): 120.4 off. rating | 112.0 def. rating | 51.0/36.7/74.6 shooting splits
- Road (0-5): 104.4 off. rating | 114.6 def. rating | 42.2/28.6/76.7 shooting splits
The difference in how James Harden has played on the road and at home in this series has exemplified the Cavs’ struggles away from home:
- In Detroit: 16.0 points, 5.0 assists, 5.5 turnovers, 32.1/9.1/100 shooting splits
- In Cleveland: 21.5 points, 9.0 assists, 2.5 turnovers, 46.4/50.0/90.0 shooting splits
That’s … almost impossible to believe. So what gives first in this series? Does Duren finally return to form and become the player the Pistons thought he was? Do the Cavs finally figure out how to be a competent team on the road? We may find out in tonight’s Game 5.
Cavs at Pistons, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) | Series tied 2-2
- Adjustment for Cleveland: Make shots on the road. Simple enough, right? The Cavs are shooting 30 percent from deep in Detroit in this series.
- Adjustment for Detroit: Keep attacking the paint. The Pistons lived at the free-throw line during the two games at home. They have to get back to that.
Draft Kangz
Sacramento’s sad history in the lottery
There’s this running joke about Batman on the internet, characterizing the masked vigilante as a bully who will swoop down to beat the tar out of a regular citizen if they happen to litter. That’s what the draft lottery appears to be to Sacramento Kings fans — an ominous figure perched like a gargoyle on a building ledge, waiting to punish them for their crimes. Except the crime is just rooting for the Kings.
On Sunday, Sacramento had a 45.2 percent chance at a top-four pick and an 11.5 percent chance at the No. 1 pick in a loaded 2026 draft. The Kings will pick … seventh.
They had the fourth-worst record in the NBA, tied with the Utah Jazz. They tried to come by their draft positioning honestly. They didn’t totally tank this season. They were trying to be good and just sucked. They had some injuries. But they never bottomed out. Sacramento went 10-15 after the All-Star break, hoping its version of ethical basketball would provide good karma in the final lottery before tanking is allegedly solved and eradicated.
It didn’t. The Jazz went 4-22 after the break and even ended Jusuf Nurkić’s season on Feb. 23 because of … let me check my notes … nose surgery? He missed the final 25 games with nose surgery? Was it removed? Anyway, the Jazz won a coin flip with the Kings before the lottery and ended up with the second pick.
- The Kings have only moved up four times in lottery history. Once, they didn’t have the pick. (More about that in a second.)
- Eleven times, they’ve moved down.
- Fourteen times, they’ve stayed put.
That time the Kings moved up but didn’t have their pick? They had traded the pick away in 2015 with Carl Landry, Nik Stauskas, Jason Thompson and another future first (all unprotected) to clear cap space to sign Monta Ellis in free agency. That pick ended up being Jayson Tatum. Also, they didn’t sign Ellis. He went to Dallas.
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Since their best era of basketball ended in 2006, this is the Kings’ draft history in the lottery:
- They’ve drafted three players who have made All-Star games (six total, three with them).
- They were DeMarcus Cousins, De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton.
- They traded away all three before they turned 28 years old.
- They have drafted four players who have reached 300 games with them.
- Two of them were Ben McLemore (312) and Jason Thompson (541).
- Six lottery picks didn’t even make it to 200 games with the Kings.
Maybe getting stuck at No. 7 saves the Kings from themselves? Or gives their fans less long-term suffering when weighed against the hope of a higher pick? Sacramento can still get a very good player. This draft is loaded. We just have to hope the Kings don’t repeat their draft history over the last two decades.