NBA Player News

Beasley provided a spark in the first half as he came off the bench and made six threes. Five of his threes came in the second quarter, which the Pistons won by 16. Beasley’s biggest shot was a buzzer-beater before the end of the first half, which gave the Pistons as two-point lead. With the Pistons down three at the end of the fourth quarter, Beasley couldn’t corral a pass from Cade Cunningham, resulting in a turnover and sealing the win for the Knicks. The 28-year-old shooting guard is set to hit free agency this offseason, but Beasley has expressed interest in staying with the Pistons and an agreement on a contract that makes sense for both sides wouldn’t be surprising.

Edgecombe’s official playoff debut did not go as smoothly as the rookie would have hoped. While good inside the three-point line, he missed all five of his three-point attempts on the day. Edgecombe played 34 minutes against the Celtics, and that was with the fourth quarter essentially being “garbage time.” Edgecombe and the 76ers will look to put up more resistance in Game 2 on Tuesday.

While George finished Sunday’s defeat with solid percentages, the 76ers will have little chance of competing if he’s only attempting eight shots from the field. By comparison, Kelly Oubre Jr. (10/7/2) shot 5-of-14 from the field, including 0-of-5 from beyond the arc. With Joel Embiid (appendicitis) out indefinitely, George will have to be much closer to Tyrese Maxey’s “1B” than he was on Sunday for the 76ers to have any chance of being competitive in this series.

Maxey led the way offensively for the 76ers in Sunday’s series opener, but the Celtics made him work for everything. The 76ers’ point guard shot 40 percent from the field, including a 1-of-4 day from beyond the arc. During the regular season, Maxey averaged 8.6 three-point attempts per game. If Boston can successfully run Maxey off the line as they did in Game 1, this series may not last very long. Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night.

With six players in double figures and stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combining to score 51 points, the Celtics did not need much scoring from White. Shooting 2-of-7 from three, the veteran guard dished out six assists and committed just one turnover. White’s ability to fill the stat line is what made him so valuable to fantasy managers during the regular season, and it has made him an important piece in Boston since his acquisition during the 2021-22 campaign.

The lone negative for Tatum in Game 1 was his three-point shooting, as he made just one of seven attempts. However, he shot 80 percent from inside the arc, thanks to a combination of efficient mid-range shooting and the ability to get to the basket at will. Add in the other stats, and Tatum finished three assists shy of a triple-double. Boston will look to extend its series lead with a win in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

Due to the nature of Game 1, which the Celtics won 123-91, and early foul trouble, Brown played only 30 minutes. But he was effective while on the floor, finishing with a game-high point total and a final stat line that only lacked a blocked shot. While there’s a lot more basketball to be played in this series, the 76ers could not come up with an answer for Brown or Jayson Tatum in Game 1. If that trend continues, the Celtics may not need to dig too deep to advance to the second round.

Allen is back after a three-game absence, giving the Suns additional depth on the perimeter. His minutes are likely to come at the expense of Collin Gillespie and Haywood Highsmith, with the latter being more likely to fall out of the Suns’ rotation entirely.

Williams will miss a second consecutive game as he continues to deal with a sore left foot. Oso Ighodaro started Friday’s Play-In victory over the Warriors, logging 26 minutes. He’ll take on a similar role for Game 1, while Khaman Maluach may play more than the five minutes that he did the last time out because of Oklahoma City’s interior depth.

Bane is a new addition to the Magic injury report, but the good news is that he’s still considered probable to play. If he can’t go, Anthony Black is the most likely replacement in the starting lineup, with Tristan da Silva’s minutes also receiving a boost.

Smith finished Saturday’s defeat with playoff career-highs in points and rebounds, recording his first postseason double-double. He shot 3-of-9 from beyond the arc in Game 1, with the percentage being a few points lower than his mark during the regular season (36.3 percent). Smith is one of many Rockets who benefit from Kevin Durant’s presence on the floor; the veteran scorer did not play on Saturday due to a right knee contusion. If Durant can return for Tuesday’s Game 2, it would be unsurprising if Smith offered a more efficient stat line.