The Magic visit the Pistons in Detroit for the first half of Sunday Night Basketball’s doubleheader on NBC and Peacock. (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images)

We’re bringing you the best of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, with the NBA.com live blog, featuring all of the meaningful moments, performances, observations, news, notes and highlights from Sunday’s action.

We’ve got a quadruple-header as the rest of our series get underway!

The slate opens with 76ers-Celtics (1 ET) and Suns-Thunder (3:30 ET) on ABC, followed by Magic-Pistons (6:30 ET) and Trail Blazers-Spurs (9 ET) on NBC.

Sunday’s scores

APRIL 19, 2026 / 6:47 ET

Hot start for Orlando

Jalen Suggs (8 pts, 2 3PM) and Paolo Banchero (5 pts, 1 reb) give the Magic a 13-5 lead over the Pistons with 8:27 to go in the opening frame on NBC & Peacock.

APRIL 19, 2026 / 6:35 ET

Finalists for Kia Clutch Player of the Year

APRIL 19, 2026 / 6:34 ET

Finalists for Kia Most Improved Player

APRIL 19, 2026 / 6:33 ET

Finalists for Kia Defensive Player of the Year

APRIL 19, 2026 / 6:32 ET

Finalists for Kia Sixth Man of the Year

APRIL 19, 2026 / 6:27 ET

Buckle up for what is sure to be a physical series between the Magic and Pistons.

Game 1 tips at 6:30 ET on NBC and Peacock!

APRIL 19, 2026 / 6:15 ET

Thunder handle business to take 1-0 lead

Oklahoma City starts the postseason in dominant fashion, taking down the visiting Suns 119-84. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (25 pts, 7 ast, 3 blk), Jalen Williams (18 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and Chet Holmgren (16 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) were sensational in the convincing victory.

The Thunder’s defense was simply too much for Phoenix all afternoon, forcing 19 total turnovers en route to 34 points off for the defending champs. OKC held commanding leads in paint scoring (52-24), fast break points (18-2) and points off TOs (34-2).

Devin Booker (23 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), Jalen Green (17 pts, 5 reb, 1 stl) and Dillon Brooks (18 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast) finished as the only Suns in double figures. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:30 ET on ESPN.

APRIL 19, 2026 / 5:45 ET

Thunder up 31 heading to 4Q

It’s been a dominant showing to open the 2026 NBA Playoffs for the Thunder, as they take a 97-66 lead over the Suns as we head to the fourth quarter. OKC is shooting 46% from the field while limiting Phoenix to just 34% overall.

The star trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (25 pts, 7 ast, 3 blk), Jalen Williams (18 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and Chet Holmgren (16 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) lead the way for OKC.

Devin Booker (23 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast) and Dillon Brooks (16 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast) are the offensive engines for Phoenix, but they have a lot of ground to cover over the final 12 minutes if they want to be the first road squad to earn a victory this postseason.

APRIL 19, 2026 / 3:40 ET

Celtics dominate to take 1-0 lead

This 32-point victory marked Boston’s largest margin of victory to open the playoffs in franchise history. Joe Mazzulla’s squad put together a complete performance to take all the momentum in this series. Boston poured in 16 threes, four times as many as Philadelphia who finished just 17.4% from behind the arc.

APRIL 19, 2026 / 3:10 ET

Seeing green ☘️

Philadelphia was unable to shrink the halftime deficit in the third quarter, as the gap actually widened after another 12 minutes of play.

Paul George added to his decorated resume with a second-half triple. He passed Paul Pierce on the all-time postseason rankings for made three. He now sits behind former Laker Derek Fisher.

Jaylen Brown is continuing his high level of play from the regular season. He has 26 points through 30 minutes of action as his team is up big late.

APRIL 19, 2026 / 2:25 ET

Back like he never left 🔥

Jayson Tatum was remarkable in the first half, ending with 21 point, 8 rebounds and five assists. It’s hard to imagine that he tore his achilles less than one year ago with the way he looks today.

The rest of Tatum’s team is following suit, resulting in an 18-point advantage at halftime. Philadelphia is searching for answers on both ends of the court. The 76ers are shooting 33.3% from the field, and only Tyrese Maxey is in double figures so far with 14 points.

APRIL 19, 2026 / 1:49 ET

Boston grabs double-digit lead

The first bit of separation settled in late in the first quarter as Boston continued to be active on defense and score in transition. The 76ers have seven turnovers, as the second quarter gets going. Meanwhile, the Celtics are turning those extra possessions into high-quality looks.

APRIL 19, 2026 / 1:38 ET

Sixers foul trouble early

Andre Drummond and Adem Bona have two fouls each, and there’s still several minutes to play in the opening quarter. Philadelphia is without Joel Embiid as well, forcing Head Coach Nick Nurse to go small early on.

APRIL 19, 2026 / 1:20 ET

9-1 C’s run, timeout Philly

Boston started clicking on both ends following z Paul George free throw that tied this one at six-apiece. The Celtics embarked on a 9-1 run to follow.

APRIL 19, 2026 / 12:30 ET

VJ Edgecombe and the Philadelphia 76ers face the Boston Celtics to open Sunday’s action on ABC.

Philadelphia:

  • PG Tyrese Maxey (31.2 ppg, 7.2 ast)
  • SG VJ Edgecombe (18.6 ppg, 6.8 reb)
  • SF Kelly Oubre Jr. (15.7 ppg, 5.6 reb)
  • PF Paul George (21.4 ppg, 6.6 reb)
  • C Andre Drummond (9.7 ppg, 12.5 reb)

Boston:

  • PG Derrick White (17.9 ppg, 5.9 ast)
  • SG Jaylen Brown (32.0 ppg, 8.0 reb)
  • SF Sam Hauser (9.2 ppg, 39.3% on 6.5 3PA)
  • PF Jayson Tatum (25.6 ppg, 11.8 reb)
  • C Neemias Queta (11.7 ppg, 9.6 reb)

What we know about Sunday’s games:

  • The Celtics and Sixers are the most familiar opponents in NBA history. They’ve played 116 times across their storied history — Boston’s up 66-50 in the series.
  • NBA teams that win Game 1 in the NBA Playoffs have gone on to win the series 77.8% of the time.

APRIL 19, 2026 / 12:15 ET

Joel Embiid is out, while Tyrese Maxey is available for the 76ers.

Grayson Allen and Mark Williams are questionable for the Suns.

Desmond Bane is probable for the Magic, while Wendell Carter Jr. is available and Jonathan Isaac is questionable.

Jordan McLaughlin is out for the Trail Blazers.