Winners and Losers From the Second Round of the NBA Playoffs

With just four teams remaining in the NBA championship race, here’s a look back at a memorable conference semifinal round.

LeBron’s 23rd season ended with the Lakers getting swept by Oklahoma City. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The second round of the NBA playoffs is over and done with. And what a round it was. 

Two series were over and done with as soon as possible. The Thunder sent the Lakers home with four relatively close wins despite a shockingly subpar performance from back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Knicks, meanwhile, wiped the floor with the 76ers as their magical, utterly dominant playoff run continues without many bumps out East. 

The other two series were much longer and interesting. The Spurs shook off a surprising Game 1 loss (and Victor Wembanyama’s first ejection) to eliminate the Timberwolves in six games. The Pistons and Cavaliers both seemed on the verge of pulling away in their conference semifinals series at different points but everything was ultimately decided in Game 7, where Cleveland blew out Detroit to earn a spot across from New York in the conference finals. 

As we did for the first round, let’s look back at the second round and identify the biggest and losers of all that occurred. 

Winner: The Thunder’s ridiculous depth 

Mitchell is averaging 18.8 points per game in the playoffs. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In Oklahoma City’s four-game series against Los Angeles, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 24.5 points per game on 51% shooting from the floor. That marks his lowest scoring average in a playoff series since the Thunder’s seven-game loss to the Rockets in the 2020 bubble. He had to scratch and claw for even a sliver of daylight against the Lakers and only really broke free with a 35-point performance in Game 4; otherwise the top-tier scorer was held in check to a degree we haven’t seen since SGA ascended into stardom. 

And it didn’t matter. At all. 

Despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s struggles, and despite Jalen Williams not being there to pick up the slack as he battles another hamstring injury, the Thunder rolled anyway. They swept L.A. with an average margin of victory of 13.5 points per game. Everybody had their moments as a defensive unit while Ajay Mitchell, a former second-round pick with a salary worth less than $3 million this season, compensated for SGA’s scoring struggles; he averaged 22.5 points per night and dropped 28 to finish the Lakers off. Every night the remarkable depth GM Sam Presti assembled was on full display with a different hero every night. 

For most of its existence, the NBA has been a league where the team with the best player on the floor often wins the day. The Thunder have that and a roster so chock-full of talent it’s the envy of 29 other teams. The 10 guys coach Mark Daigneault played in the Lakers’ series, plus Williams, are all legitimate playoff rotation pieces at worst. That roster makes for an embarrassment of riches and the second round served as a front-and-center reminder. 

Loser: The Los Angeles Lakers

Reaves averaged 20 points per game in the 2025-26 postseason. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Lakers getting wiped out in four games at the hands of the defending champs with Luka Dončić is not an inherent disappointment. Far from it, in fact, especially considering L.A. was not expected to survive long enough to play the Thunder. And yet… their series loss to OKC feels like a missed opportunity. 

As noted above, Los Angeles did what many teams have failed to do—limit Gilgeous-Alexander as a scorer. Coach JJ Redick drew up a great plan for doing so and his players executed to perfection, or pretty close to it. But the roster failed to translate that into wins and lost in painful fashion in each of the four games. In Game 1 Austin Reaves went 3-for-16 for eight points in total. The Lakers kept it close in Game 2 and 3 but got blown out of the water in the third quarter of both contests; the Thunder beat them by a combined 27 points in those two frames. Game 4 figured to be the last gasp for L.A. but SGA finally woke up to score 35 and the defense allowed Ajay Mitchell to slice them up, adding 28 points of his own to seal the purple and gold’s fate. 

All that spells out how razor-thin the margin for error is against the Thunder. But the Lakers did the hardest thing in shutting down Gilgeous-Alexander and didn't have enough  left in the tank to capitalize. That will sting no matter the injury context surrounding the series loss. 

Winner: Spurs’ anti-youth movement 

Castle scored 32 points in the Spurs’ Game 6 win that punched their ticket to the Western Conference finals. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Assuming good health for their ginormous superstar and his top teammates, the only real point against these Spurs entering the championship race was a lack of experience. Youth does not automatically lead to losses but the NBA playoffs are a gauntlet unlike anything else in the basketball world; understanding the flow of playoff games in theory and knowing that flow are two different things entirely. It felt safe to assume Victor Wembanyama would adjust well enough to postseason play but nobody, including the man himself, really knew how he or most of his teammates would perform with minutes left in a close game after 30-plus minutes of the most physical basketball they’ll experience at the NBA level. 

That didn’t matter very much in the first round in a five-game elimination of the Trail Blazers. But once San Antonio dropped Game 1 to the Timberwolves to start the next round, it stood out as something that might end up mattering quite a bit given Minnesota exists at the opposite end of the experience spectrum after two straight runs to the Western Conference finals. 

But the Spurs didn’t fold after getting punched in the mouth to start the series. Quite the opposite. They responded (in Wemby’s case, a bit too physically) and won the series in six games. It wasn’t perfect but nobody shrank from the intense lights of postseason play—not even the youngest players on the roster like Dylan Harper or Stephon Castle, the latter of whom put forth his best playoff game ever to close things out. 

“We never talked about what we were going to be or what we were going to do,” coach Mitch Johnson said when asked about the idea San Antonio is ahead of schedule. “We just knew that we had a lot of potential and we were going to try to be the best team we can be. Those guys in that locker room have given themselves to the team and each other.” 

The vibes are tremendous around the Spurs as they make their first WCF experience since 2017. And there’s no youth movement to poke at as a potential weak spot—just a bunch of talented basketball players who are coalescing perfectly at the exact right time. 

Loser: This Timberwolves core

Randle struggled against San Antonio, logging 12.8 points per game while shooting 34.2% from the field. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

It’s not official until someone gets traded, but the Timberwolves’ second-round series loss to the Spurs sure felt like the final run for the core of Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert. 

Edwards was clearly not at 100% and Minnesota deeply missed Donte DiVincenzo after he tore his Achilles in the first round. But Randle and Gobert failed to pick up the slack for their injured teammates. Worse, they were total disasters against San Antonio. Gobert didn’t slow down Wemby enough to justify another disappearing act on the offensive end and Randle was just… a total mess. He’s been playing well below standards since the All-Star break but had a chance to make everyone forget about that with the Wolves’ backs against the wall in Game 6. Instead, Randle came out and shot 1-for-8 from the field in 24 minutes. 

Along with Gobert and Edwards, Randle helped power Minnesota to two previous Western Conference finals appearances. It’s been the greatest stretch of winning basketball in the franchise’s history. But this series defeat to San Antonio proved the trio isn’t championship material. And that isn’t going to change; Edwards is going to continue to get better but Randle and Gobert are both well past their primes at this point. Team president Tim Connelly was already sniffing around the trade market this season and got involved in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, so change is on the way in some capacity. 

Thus, this era of Timberwolves basketball is over. It was fun while it lasted. But it’s time for Edwards to fully embrace a leadership role with plenty of experience under his belt at this point. It’s time for young bucks like Terrence Shannon Jr. and Joan Beringer to take on bigger roles. It’s time for Minnesota to figure out its identity while playing in a West that features two perennial powers in San Antonio and Oklahoma City. 

It’s just time. 

Winner: Dillon Brooks as the NBA’s signature villain (or hater) 

Dillon Brooks and the Suns were already at home after a first-round sweep to the Thunder, but he apparently wasn’t ready to stop getting under LeBron James’s skin this season as he found the perfect spot under the basket for Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena.

Brooks tried to rattle James throughout the regular season, but showing up to a playoff game that he wasn’t even suiting up for took his role as a hater to a completely new level. He was seen laughing behind the basket as James shot free throws in a game where the Lakers suffered the same fate that Phoenix did just last round: A sweep to the defending champs.

pic.twitter.com/VBmxhjgIcq

— Follow: @PurpGoldLakers (@PGMediaaa) May 12, 2026

It’s a hilarious clip that’s a new meme to keep loaded in the archives. It’s rare that we can name a winner that was sent home in the previous round, but Brooks’s hating was so good it deserves the nod.

Loser: Joel Embiid’s redemption arc

Joel Embiid has yet to make it to the Eastern Conference finals over his 10-year career. The 76ers pulled off a massive upset after Philadelphia was in a 3–1 hole in the first round to the No. 2 seed Celtics, a presumed title contender.

The star big man returned for Game 4 in the series with Boston, and he was a huge part of Philly’s eventual series win. Embiid averaged 28.0 points per game over his four appearances in the series, which included a 33-point night in Game 5 while facing elimination and a 34-point performance in Game 7 at TD Garden. Unfortunately for Embiid and the Sixers, they ran into the Knicks in Round 2 who continued to roll at a historic pace. He had to miss Game 2 against New York after hip and ankle soreness surfaced in a morning shootaround, but the Knicks’ defense kept him under control as he struggled to get it going from the floor in Games 1 and 3.

He had a strong game in Game 4 with 24 points on a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, but it was too late at that point in what was yet another blowout win for the Knicks to send the Sixers home. In what’s good news for Embiid and the organization, following the end to the season he said he’d mark the campaign as a win because he felt like both him and the team are in a place where they’ve figured out the nagging knee issues. Health is always the question with Embiid and he appeared in nearly 20 more games this season compared to the last. Still, he missed a majority of the regular season with various injuries. His three-year, $187.9 million contract extension kicks in next season, and he will have to stay available to bring that value back to the team. If not, it could signal the end of the Embiid era in Philly if another team is willing to take on his massive deal.

Winner: Generous NBA owners

Dan Gilbert bought the Cavaliers in 2005. | David Richard-Imagn Images

There’s been much to make about the cost-cutting measures of new Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon. On the flip side, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is a big winner for his generosity toward the fan base and his team. He bussed fans up to Detroit throughout the series, but he turned it up a notch for Game 7 by sending 25 busloads of season-ticket holders, fans and arena workers to the other side of Lake Erie to try to tip the scales for his franchise.

The Cavaliers faithful who made the trip were loud, although before the game started to go their way the Pistons fans drowned out their chants with boos. Gilbert funded everything—food, tickets, travel, a happy hour and even a postgame celebration before the envoy made its way back home in what was certainly a long night. The extraordinary gesture certainly paid dividends. Sports Illustrated spoke to fans and Rocket Arena workers who were lucky enough to make the trip. One fan, affectionately known as Señor Cleveland, said that Gilbert’s generosity and overall treatment toward the fan base sealed the deal for him to renew his seats for years to come.

Even Cavs guard Sam Merrill, who dropped 23 points in Game 7, gushed about Gilbert as an owner after the game. He said that the organization’s culture, facilities and treatment of both players and their families is the best he’s seen over stops with four NBA franchises. That confidence in the ownership group played a big part in his decision to return to Cleveland on a four-year, $38 million contract last summer.

Gilbert’s impact on his franchise has paid off thus far both on the court and in the stands.

Loser: The Pistons’ run of surviving elimination games

The Pistons saw their magical 2025-26 season end with a loss in Game 7 to the Cavs on Sunday night. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Detroit did an incredible job to make it to Game 7 against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The top-seeded Pistons fell into a 3–1 hole against the No. 8 seed Magic in the first round, but found a way to advance and avoid an embarrassing early exit. 

After Game 2 against Cleveland, Detroit won five straight playoff games to take a 2–0 lead on the road. It looked like the young, exciting bunch had figured out how to win in the postseason, especially with their collective back against the wall. What followed was three wins in a row for Cleveland to put Detroit in another elimination scenario. The Pistons dominated the Cavs in Game 6 to hand Cleveland its first loss at home over the postseason.

That brought the series back to Detroit for a decider, but the magic finally ran out for the young Pistons. Tobias Harris was huge for the Pistons’ postseason turnaround as he made up for the lack of production from All-Star big man Jalen Duren. Detroit’s offense and Harris specifically fell flat in Game 7 at home in what was a dominant win for the Cavs to advance and meet the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. Superstar guard Cade Cunningham starred for Detroit over its postseason run, but the Cavs’ defense was able to keep him relatively in check in a win-or-go-home game. 

Now in the offseason, Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon needs to figure out how to put a more effective offense around Cunningham. Because the Pistons start two non-shooters in Duren and Ausar Thompson, the Pistons need to add more shooting in addition to Duncan Robinson and a secondary creator who can bring more room for the face of the franchise to breathe.

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