Brent Burns Dishes Out Two Power-Play Assists In Game 1 Win

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns logged two power-play assists as the team kicked off the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 victory over the Islanders. The veteran rearguard capped off the regular season with a three-game goal streak, and he maintained his good offensive form in the playoff opener, becoming the oldest defenseman in […]

Leon Draisaitl Scores Two Goals In Game 1 Against Los Angeles

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl potted two goals in Monday's Game 1 loss to the Kings. He was able to give the team a 3-1 lead, but the Kings showed incredible character to battle back in the third period, giving Edmonton a 4-3 overtime loss. Playing in his 38th career postseason game, Draisaitl became the […]

Adrian Kempe Hits Two Goals In Game 1 Victory

Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe carried his hot goal-scoring form into the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring twice in Monday's 4-3 overtime victory against the Oilers. Edmonton jumped into a 2-0 lead in the game and was also up 3-1, but Kempe's two goals helped the Kings to mount a memorable comeback. The Swedish […]

Anze Kopitar Opens Playoffs With A Four-Point Effort

Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar factored in all of the team's goals in Monday's 4-3 Game 1 victory over Edmonton. The Kings captain pushed the game into overtime with a late power-play goal and tallied three assists during the contest. Kopitar became the eighth player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to factor on both […]

Zion Williamson Was Never Medically Cleared To Play

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (hamstring) was never medically cleared to play, Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin has clarified. Williamson was seen throwing down windmill dunks ahead of last week's play-in game against the Thunder, and when asked about his status, Williamson said that he can "pretty much do everything", but according to […]

Nikola Vucevic Wants To Stay In Chicago But Will Test The Market

Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic has expressed a desire to remain in Chi-Town, but he is set to test the market in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. "The Bulls will have priority," Vucevic said. "I'd like to stay here. But that's on the front office to decide and work with my agent." The […]

Lonzo Ball Remains Without A Timeline

Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (knee) remains without a timeline for his return. Ball missed out on the whole 2022-23 season and his future is up in the air after he had a third knee surgery in March. The versatile guard last appeared in a game in January 2022. There are doubts about whether Ball […]

Domantas Sabonis Looks Much Better In Game 2 Versus Warriors

Sacramento Kings forward/center Domantas Sabonis overcame his Game 1 struggles with a solid performance in Monday's Game 2 against the Warriors, notching 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting and adding nine rebounds and four assists in a 114-106 victory. After finishing with just 12 points in the first meeting, he got eight points at the free-throw […]

Draymond Green Ejected For Stomping

Golden State Warriors forward/center Draymond Green got involved in another controversial playoff moment in Monday's Game 2 against the Kings, stomping on Domantas Sabonis to get ejected from the game. With around seven minutes to go in regulation, Green and Sabonis got tangled up under the Warriors basket. After falling to the floor, Sabonis grabbed […]

Joel Embiid Nearly Has A 20-20 Game Monday

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid racked up 20 points with 19 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and three blocks as the team grabbed a 2-0 series lead against Brooklyn with a 96-84 victory on Monday. He shot 6-for-11 from the field and 8-for-8 at the foul line. Embiid drew a lot of double teams and […]

Tyrese Maxey Shines In Game 2 Victory With 33 Points

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey starred in Game 2 of the first-round series against Brooklyn, leading all scorers with a 33-point effort in a 96-84 win. He shot 13-for-23 in the slow-burning game with a 6-for-13 effort from deep. Maxey showed great composure by posting zero turnovers in 40 minutes and registered three rebounds with […]

Daniel Sprong In Doubt For Tuesday's Game 1

Seattle Kraken winger Daniel Sprong (undisclosed) is in danger of missing Tuesday's Game 1 against Colorado, with the team considering him day-to-day. The 26-year-old, who enjoyed a career year with 21 goals and 46 points in 66 games during the regular season, has missed the last few practice sessions and it's unclear if he will […]

Nikolaj Ehlers On Track To Play In Tuesday's Game 1

Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers (upper body) was a full participant in Monday's practice and is set to play in Tuesday's Game 1 against the Golden Knights. Ehlers missed the final game of the season after suffering an upper-body injury on a bad hit by Minnesota's Ryan Hartman. Health issues ruined a large chunk of […]

Cale Makar Ready To Return For Game 1 Tuesday

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (lower body) will return to the lineup for Game 1 Tuesday against Seattle. He will be back after missing the final seven regular-season games with a lower-body injury. The talented rearguard also lost some time due to a concussion during the season half of the season, but he was spectacular […]

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 […]