Patrice Bergeron Questionable With An Illness

Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron is feeling under the weather and might not play in Game 1 against Florida Monday. The veteran is reportedly one of a number of Bruins players dealing with an illness ahead of the start of the playoffs. Being without Bergeron would be a big blow for the team, but Boston […]

Kevin Fiala Still Out For Game 1 On Monday

Los Angeles Kings winger Kevin Fiala (lower body) won't be in the lineup for Monday's Game 1 against Edmonton. The talented sniper has missed the past six games and 13 of the last 16, leaving the Kings without their second-highest scorer. Fiala had a wonderful debut campaign in L.A. with 23 goals and 72 points […]

Gabriel Vilardi Remains Out On Monday

Los Angeles Kings winger Gabriel Vilardi (upper body) won't feature in Monday's playoff opener against the Oilers. He was unavailable for the final nine regular-season games, and Vilardi sadly hasn't managed to recover in time to be in the lineup for Game 1 Monday. The 23-year-old enjoyed red-hot form early in the campaign and eventually […]

Mark Stone To Play In Game 1

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (back) was activated from Injured Reserve on Monday ahead of the start of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with head coach Bruce Cassidy saying that the star forward will play in Game 1 Tuesday against Winnipeg. Stone has been out of action since Jan. 12 and underwent back […]

Karl-Anthony Towns Struggles Badly In Game 1 Against Denver

Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns had a rough playoff opener against Denver on Sunday, finishing a 109-80 blowout loss with only 11 points on 5-for-15 shooting. KAT missed 10 of his first 12 shots and went 1-for-7 with the three-ball. He added 10 rebounds and two assists to his tally while committing four turnovers in […]

Nikola Jokic Quiet By His Standards In Game 1 Against Minnesota

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had a quiet outing in Sunday's Game 1 win over Minnesota, posting 13 points, 14 rebounds and six assists with one steal in 28 minutes. The game turned into a blowout, but Jokic was bizarrely sent back into the game with the Nuggets up by 30 and less than eight […]

Jamal Murray Plays Great In First Playoff Game In Three Years

Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray put up a game-high 24 points and added eight rebounds and eight assists as the top seed in the Western Conference started the playoffs with a blowout victory over Minnesota. Playing in his first postseason game since the 2020 Bubble, Murray missed his first five shots, but he managed […]

Kevin Durant Nearly Has A Triple-Double In Game 1

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant nearly registered his third career playoff triple-double in Sunday's Game 1 versus the Clippers, leading his team with 29 points and collecting nine rebounds with 11 assists. KD was held in check at the start of the game and went scoreless in the opening frame despite logging 10:23 of action, […]

Russell Westbrook Plays Key Role In Win Despite Awful Shooting

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Russell Westbrook kicked off the playoffs with an awful 3-for-19 shooting night against the Suns, but he made a number of key plays down the stretch to help the team to a 115-110 victory. The former MVP collected five of his 11 rebounds in the fourth quarter and also had […]

Jaren Jackson Jr. Leads All Scorers In Game 1 Against Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. put up a game-high 31 points in Sunday's Game 1 loss to the Lakers. He got off to a good start with eight first-quarter points and also had to play a major role on offense at the end of the game after Ja Morant (hand) was forced to exit […]

LeBron James Fills Up The Stat Sheet In Playoff Opener

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James opened his 15th playoff campaign with a great all-around performance, recording 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks in a 128-112 win over Memphis. He finished with 8-for-16 shooting from the field and was 3-for-8 with the three-ball. James looks in top form at the […]

De'Aaron Fox Goes Off For 38 Points In Playoff Debut

Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox went off for a game-high 38 points in his playoff debut against Golden State on Saturday. Domantas Sabonis might have scored the first playoff points in 17 years for the Kings, but it was Fox and Malik Monk who led the offense, combining for 70 points in a 126-123 […]

Stephen Curry Has 30 Points In Game 1 Loss

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was outstanding in Game 1 against Sacramento with 30 points, but the team still needed a bit more from him, as the former MVP couldn't save the defending champions from a 126-123 loss. He finished with 11-for-20 shooting from the field and was 6-for-14 from behind the arc. […]

Donovan Mitchell Sets Cavaliers Record With 38-Point Effort

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell couldn't save the team from Saturday's Game 1 loss against the Knicks, but it was a special outing for him personally, as Mitchell set the Cavaliers playoff debut scoring record with a game-high 38 points on 14-for-30 shooting. Over half of his attempts came from downtown and Mitchell finished 6-for-16 […]

Jalen Brunson Leads Knicks To Victory In Game 1

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson led his squad with 27 points as the team opened the playoffs with a 101-97 road victory against Cleveland. Brunson found himself in foul trouble in the first half a registered just six points before the break, but he managed to play the whole second half without a single […]

Trae Young Struggles In Game 1

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young had a rough outing in Saturday's Game 1 loss to the Celtics, finishing with only 16 points on 5-for-18 shooting. He was 1-for-5 with the three-ball and even had a rough time at the free-throw line, going 5-for-7. Young posted five of the team's 11 turnovers in 35 minutes […]

Jaylen Brown Tallies 29 Points, 12 Rebounds In Game 1

Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown recorded a nice 29-point, 12-rebound double-double as the team kicked off the 2023 playoffs with a dominating win over Atlanta. The Celtics tied their largest-ever postseason halftime lead with a 30-point advantage and eventually won 112-99, with Brown the top scorer in the game. He shot 12-for-23 from the field […]

James Harden Outstanding In Game 1 Victory

Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden opened the 2023 playoffs with a superb performance in Saturday's Game 1 victory over Brooklyn, scoring 23 points and delivering 13 assists. The Beard had five triples in the first half alone and ended up shooting 7-for-13 from behind the arc. Allen Iverson (8) is the only Sixer in history […]

Mikal Bridges Scores Game-High 30 Points In Playoff Opener

Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Mikal Bridges led all scorers with a 30-point effort in Game 1 against Philadelphia. He heated up in a hurry with 11 first-quarter points, although Bridges' efforts weren't enough to keep the Sixers from dominating the contest. Bridges, who has now scored at least 30 points in five of his last 10 […]

Timo Meier Doesn't Practice On Saturday

New Jersey Devils winger Timo Meier missed Saturday's practice due to an illness. His absence will be a slight worry for the team, but there are still a few more games to go until the Devils kick off their first-round series against the Rangers and Meier should feel better by the time Game 1 comes […]

Patrice Bergeron Misses Saturday's Practice For Rest Purposes

Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (upper body) missed Saturday's practice session. He exited the team's final regular-season game against Montreal Thursday for precautionary reasons and it's been reported that he rested for the same reasons on Saturday. The veteran appears to be banged up a bit, but Bergeron famously played through the 2013 Stanley Cup […]

Mikko Rantanen Hands Out Two Assists In Friday's Win

Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen played his part in Friday's 4-3 win over Nashville with two assists. Both of the helpers came on goals scored by Nathan MacKinnon. Rantanen himself had a great goal-scoring campaign as well, netting 55 times, which marks the most goals a player on the team has scored since the franchise […]

Nathan MacKinnon Scores A Hat Trick In Regular-Season Finale

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon capped off the 2022-23 NHL regular season with a huge performance against Nashville, scoring a hat trick and adding an assist in a 4-3 victory. It's his sixth career hat trick and the fifth four-point game of the season. MacKinnon lost 11 games to health issues during the season, but […]

Johnny Gaudreau Pots His 21st Goal In Season Finale

Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Johnny Gaudreau closed out the 2022-23 campaign with his 21st goal of the season. He put the team 1-0 up against Buffalo inside the opening minute, but the Blue Jackets ended up suffering a 5-2 loss. Gaudreau finished the campaign with a three-game point streak and scored in both of […]

Devon Levi Closes Out Season With A Victory

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi stopped 29 of 31 shots in a 5-2 victory in Friday's season finale against the Blue Jackets. He was beaten by Johnny Gaudreau just 34 seconds into the game, but the young goalie recovered superbly from the setback and allowed only one more goal for the rest of the way. […]

Jeff Skinner Leads Buffalo To Victory Friday

Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner produced a game-high three points in Friday's 5-2 win over Columbus. He notched his 35th goal of the season and handed out two assists. Skinner had a huge finish to the season with back-to-back three-point efforts. 2022-23 turned out to be a career year for him, as the 30-year-old […]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Struggles In Play-In Loss

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander couldn't wheel his team into the 2023 NBA playoffs, shooting only 5-for-19 from the field in Friday's 120-95 loss to Minnesota. He still led the squad with 22 points, and Gilgeous-Alexander's all-around work was very impressive, as he finished with seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and three blocks, […]

Karl-Anthony Towns Dominates At Both Ends In Friday's Win

Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns produced a game-high 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting and swatted away three shots as the team grabbed the final playoff ticket in the Western Conference with a 120-95 win over OKC Friday. KAT was also the leading rebounder in the game with 11 boards and handed out three assists in […]

DeMar DeRozan Drops Team-High 26 Points As Chicago's Season Ends

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan led the team with 26 points in Friday's 102-91 loss in the play-in tournament against Miami. He also had nine assists with four rebounds and one steal, but Zach LaVine was limited to only 15 points and the Heat pulled themselves clear in the fourth quarter, winning the frame 35-23. […]

Max Strus Plays Key Role In Play-In Win

Miami Heat guard/forward Max Strus came up big in Friday's decisive play-in game against Chicago, matching his season-high with a 31-point effort. The 27-year-old sniper was hot right out of the gate, hitting four triples in the opening 7:38 of action. He finished with 7-for-12 shooting from downtown and was 8-for-16 overall. Strus added six […]