Victor Wembanyama out-duels Anthony Edwards and more from Friday's action.
Alien behavior. Deep impact.
Wemby capped 39 points with a dagger 3, while owning the paint and putting his Spurs up 2-1.
Read on for more history from Vic and get set for today’s upcoming pair of Game 3s.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
May 9, 2026
Wemby’s Takeover: Vic & Spurs make early statement, close out late for 2-1 lead in Minnesota
First To 3 Ws: Brunson, Knicks put Sixers on the brink with high-energy outing in Philly
Friday’s Theme: A deeper dive into the record-setting Playoff runs of Brunson and Wemby
Today On NBC: From down 3-1 to up 2-0, how J.B. Bickerstaff has helped build Detroit’s comeback culture
Tonight On ABC: A grateful, red-hot Jared McCain shows what OKC does best as Thunder hit L.A.
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Two more Game 3s tip off today…
Saturday’s Game 3s: The Conference Semifinals continue with both No. 1 seeds eyeing 3-0 advantages, as the series shift cities:
- Pistons at Cavaliers (3 ET, NBC & Peacock | Tap To Watch)
- Thunder at Lakers (8:30 ET, ABC | Tap To Watch)
Playoff Hub: Get the latest news, analysis and stories from every series all in one place.
1. WEMBY MAKES STATEMENTS EARLY & LATE TO PUT SPURS UP 2-1
Nine points, five rebounds and two blocks.
That’s what Victor Wembanyama had in the first five minutes of Game 3 Friday.
Fueling the Spurs’ 18-3 start, it felt like Wemby brought out his best right away in Minnesota.
Then came the 4th quarter.
Spurs 115, Wolves 108: Wemby went off for a Playoff career-high 39 points while again matching his best of 15 rebounds and adding five blocks in a duel with Anthony Edwards (32 pts, 14 reb, 6 ast) that ended in a 2-1 series advantage for the Spurs.
Wembanyama powered up for 16 of San Antonio’s 29 points in a crucial 4th quarter, keeping the Spurs ahead despite the Wolves getting within a single possession multiple times. His clutch triple with just over 3 minutes left keyed a 9-5 closeout to win. | Recap
- Instant Fix: Despite missing their first 12 field goal attempts, Minnesota closed the 1st on a 19-5 run, capped by Ant’s deep transition buzzer-beater to pull within one (23-22)
- Leading multiple times in the 2nd, the Wolves again beat the next buzzer, with Jaden McDaniels’ (17 pts, 7 reb) stepback 3 knotting the game 51-all at half
- Gamebreaker: San Antonio broke loose in the 3rd, sinking six triples from six different shooters, setting Wemby up to play closer in the 4th with 7 points – 5 of them clutch – in the final 4 minutes
- “I’m built for this. I love this more than anything else,” Wemby said postgame. “I’ve really been waiting since I’ve been in the league to live those moments, those high-stakes games.”
Those high-stakes showdowns are just beginning between Wemby and Ant, who made history Friday for a pair of opponents under 25 years of age.
- Rare Duel: Game 3 marked the first Playoff game since 1988 with two players under 25 each recording 30+ points and 10+ rebounds against each other
- “They got somebody who’s 7-6 on the floor. He takes up a lot of space,” Ant said of Wemby. “So, just trying to figure out ways to find the open man around him, cause in the paint, he’s just everywhere.”
- HOF Company: Wemby is just the fourth player in NBA history to record 35+ points, 15+ boards and 5+ blocks in a playoff game, joining Shaq (3x), Hakeem Olajuwon (3x) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2x)
- “It’s good to be along with the big fellas,” Wemby said. “I had to resort to some things that Hakeem taught me in this 4th quarter, especially that spin fadeaway” – the shot that started his end-of-game run
Ant’s Wolves can protect homecourt and even the series at 2-2 in Game 4 Sunday (7:30 ET, NBC/Peacock).
2. BRUNSON, KNICKS STORM PHILLY, ONE WIN FROM EAST FINALS RETURN
“OK. Yeah, we might have a chance at this.”
With the Knicks taking Game 3 in Philly, coach Mike Brown considered his team’s ability to contend postgame.
“The one thing we have to continue to do – which our group has done a fantastic job of doing – is take it one game at a time.”
New York’s next game can now decide this East Semis series, after going up 3-0 on the Sixers last night.
Knicks 108, Sixers 94: Jalen Brunson (5 reb, 9 ast) scored a game-high 33 points, with a 9-point finish in the 4th-quarter, as New York took over Xfinity Mobile Arena after weathering the Sixers’ early double-digit rush, to move within one win of the East Finals.
Kelly Oubre Jr.’s Playoff career-high 22 points and eight boards paced the Sixers, who got Joel Embiid back for 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. New York was without OG Anunoby (hamstring) but got a personal Playoff-high 15 points from Landry Shamet. | Recap
- Sixers’ Hot Start: Paul George sank 5 quick points in Philly’s 9-0 start, and all 15 of his Game 3 total in a 31-point 1st-quarter, as the Sixers built an early lead as large as 12 points
- Right Back: But New York closed the 1st on 7-2 run to make it a four point game, and surged into the 2nd with a 13-4 heater before ramping up to a 60-52 halftime lead
- Hanging Around: Embiid’s 8-point 3rd quarter kept Philly close into the 4th, down just 88-84 with under 9 minutes to play. That’s when the Knicks launched a 22-10 closeout
- ‘Nova Knicks: With their 2016 and 2018 Villanova championship banners hanging overhead, Wildcats Josh Hart (12 pts), Mikal Bridges (23 pts) and Brunson ignited a 11-2 spark and combined for 17 in the 22-point sprint to the win
- ”They’re a polished group,” Oubre Jr. noted. “They’ve been playing together. They have a good baseline, foundation, with the ‘Nova boys… They’ve kinda been able to tap into what they need at the opportune times.”
New York has now won 6 straight playoff games, tying one other instance for the longest postseason winning streak in franchise history.
- That one other time? 1999, when New York claimed six straight, spanning Game 5 of the First Round through Game 1 of the Conference Finals, before going on to the Finals
- “This has been a Knick fan celebration tonight in Philadelphia,” Ian Eagle said on Prime’s call of the MSG faithful who made the trip
- “You add a game to it,” Tyrese Maxey (17 pts, 7 ast) said of facing another series deficit. “We had to win three in a row [vs. Boston], now we gotta win four in a row… You play with some pride and you win one game at a time.”
Facing elimination, Philly can extend the series in Game 4 from home on Sunday (3:30 ET, ABC), with New York eyeing a Conference Finals berth.
3. THEME OF THE NIGHT: SUPERSTARS SHINE IN GAME 3 ROAD WINS
Joe Murphy + David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
They clashed amid the high stakes of the Emirates NBA Cup Championship.
Now, they’re leading their squads on the grand stage of the NBA Playoffs.
One, a vet, trying to take the next step to the NBA Finals. The other, showing out under the Playoff spotlight for the first time.
Both getting it done when it matters most with record-setting excellence.
Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama continue to put their stamps on the 2026 postseason.
- Late Leader: Brunson’s 9-point Game 3 closeout reflects what he’s been known for in his time with the Knicks, leading all players in 4th-quarter points in the Playoffs over the last three seasons (317)
- “That’s what great players do,” coach Brown said of Brunson Friday. “They keep you poised, they make the game easier for everybody else, and they help you get through the stretch.”
- Like An MVP: Brunson has piled up 24 30+ point games in his Playoff runs since 2023, tying Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for most Playoff 30-balls in that span
- That’s rocketed Jalen up the Knicks’ record book, passing Walt “Clyde” Frazier Friday for the franchise lead in 30/5/5 games in the Playoffs
Now Brunson has the Knicks a win away from back-to-back East Finals appearances.
David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Wemby is stringing together historic performances while his Spurs start their first Playoff run unbeaten in three road games.
- Vic’s Latest Feat: Wemby joined fellow Spur David Robinson as the only players to log 150+ points, 75+ boards and 25+ blocks in their first seven Playoff games since 1973-74
- Finger Wag Worthy: Wembanyama’s 35 blocks are the 2nd-most through a player’s first seven career Playoff games, trailing only Dikembe Mutombo’s 43
- “Greatness,” De’Aaron Fox said of Wemby. “We see the work and the time that he puts into his game and his body… and he comes out here and he produces.”
- But Wemby’s focus is team results: “We haven’t done anything yet… We showed some strength… some relentlessness. We still gotta prove to ourselves that we can sustain it.”
4. ON NBC: BICKERSTAFF’S COMEBACK CULTURE HAS DETROIT EYEING 3-0 EDGE
Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images
From 14 wins in 2023-24 to 60 wins and the East’s top seed in 2025-26.
From a 3-1 deficit to the No. 8 seed to two wins away from the Conference Finals.
This Pistons team knows how to make a comeback, and as Hunter Patterson writes for The Athletic on NBA.com, that trait starts with their head coach.
Facing the franchise he coached to the East Semis just three seasons ago, J.B. Bickerstaff is leading, and succeeding, with emotional availability.
“‘There were so many different things beyond basketball that I realized at a young age, that it was our responsibility to help guys with. And you have to do that by building relationships.” – Bickerstaff …
That quality — the defining factor in Bickerstaff’s ability to gain the trust and buy-in from Detroit’s locker room — has helped Bickerstaff spearhead the Pistons’ turnaround from 14 to 60 regular-season wins in two seasons. In Detroit alone:
- [Cade] Cunningham has ascended into an All-NBA talent
- Jalen Duren is an All-Star, could qualify for an All-NBA team and was a finalist for the Most Improved Player award
- Ausar Thompson is a Defensive Player of the Year finalist
- Had Isaiah Stewart hit the 65-game threshold, he likely would’ve been in discussion for an All-Defensive team
>> Read More
With Cleveland hosting Detroit in Game 3 today (3 ET, NBC/Peacock), Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson hopes the team can get out to a faster start in their home gym, where they’re 4-0.
- “We tried to be a little more aggressive to get our mojo going,” Atkinson said after Game 2’s 18-point 1st quarter. “Is there a jolt from somewhere?”
- First Impressions: Cleveland has scored 25 points or less in the 1st quarter of four of the five games they’ve dropped this postseason
5. ON ABC: HAPPY IN NEW HOME, OKC’s McCAIN MAKING AN IMPACT
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Feb. 4, 2026: Oklahoma City acquired Jared McCain from Philadelphia.
Three months after the initial shock, with both teams still battling in their Conference Semifinals, McCain is celebrating his new situation.
- “It’s just awesome to feel the love here,” McCain said of OKC after a viral Game 1 moment where fans mimicked his 3-point celebration. “It just reminds me, like, this is where I’m supposed to be.”
- Time, Healing: That wasn’t always the feeling for McCain, who faced being dealt in the aftermath of a knee injury that cut his rookie year short, and preseason hand surgery
- “When I first got traded, it was heartbreaking,” McCain told Prime’s NBA Nightcap. “I didn’t understand what was going on. But, coming here, it’s been nothing but love. It’s a blessing to be here and I’m truly, truly grateful, every single day.”
McCain has hit four of five 3s in back-to-back West Semis games against the Lakers, as OKC runs him through screen actions and L.A. helps off him to pressure SGA.
In an explosive Game 2, McCain burst for eight of a Playoff career-high 18 points during a stretch where Shai was on the bench – a 27-9 stretch that put the Thunder in control for good.
- “He’s a killer. Every time I see him get a touch, I think it’s going in,” Chet Holmgren said after Game 2. “He’s been huge for us. He’s gonna continue to be big for us.”
- “I get to ask questions to the best players in the league… they’ve been here, done that,” McCain said of the Thunder. “I really appreciate them and everything they do for me and my career.”
- Postseason Natural: McCain’s 60.0 3P% is the 4th-best of these Playoffs among players who’ve made three or more triples. In the Semis (15.0 ppg, 61.1 FG%), he’s seeing a near 7-point scoring increase and near 20% boost in shooting from the regular season
- “He’s gonna shoot the next shot, he makes the right plays, plays inside the team,” coach Mark Daigneault said of McCain. “You need that in a Playoff series.”
As the series shifts to L.A. for Game 3 tonight (8:30 ET, ABC), LeBron James’ Lakers, down 0-2, are looking to focus on the small stuff, Jeff Zillgitt writes.
- Despite 25 ppg from LeBron in the series and a Playoff career-high from Austin Reaves in Game 2, L.A. has lost the rebounding and turnover battle
- Find The Touch: L.A. as a whole is shooting 35.6 3P% after two games in OKC, 10+ percentage points down from what the team shot (45.8 3P%) in its four wins over Houston
- “We probably need to go back to the two keys we had against Houston (in the first round) which is take care of the ball and box out,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick
