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NBA Basketball 24 Hours

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Last updated: April 11, 2026, 2:30 AM ET

Playoff Picture & Star Availability

The race for postseason positioning saw the Boston Celtics clinch the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed Friday night after tying both the franchise and NBA record by sinking 29 three-pointers in a decisive victory over the Pelicans. Conversely, Western Conference playoff intel suggests that many teams still sorting out seeding would prefer facing a hobbled Lakers squad in the first round, according to coach J.J. Redick's assessment. Meanwhile, the league-wide load management headache intensified as a staggering minimum of 168 players rested on Friday, including reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, while the Memphis Grizzlies sat 14 players. On the injury front, Sixers superstar Joel Embiid was discharged from a Houston hospital after recent treatment, though the team offered no timetable for his highly anticipated return to the court.

Rookie Milestones & Roster Moves

San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama continued to achieve key benchmarks, reaching the 65-game threshold necessary for end-of-season awards eligibility following a dominant 40-point, 13-rebound performance in a 139-120 defeat of the Mavericks. In roster transactions, the Miami Heat opted to waive guard Terry Rozier, who has been absent since October amid an ongoing sports gambling probe, creating an immediate opening on the active roster for organizational adjustments. These individual performances and team decisions are setting the stage for the playoff slate, prompting analysts to canvass league buzz regarding critical questions surrounding the Lakers' championship hopes and the true sustainability of the Spurs' recent three-point shooting surge.

Analytical Wrap-Up

As the regular season concludes, ESPN Analytics is distributing end-of-season awards across 15 distinct categories, utilizing the proprietary Net Points metric developed by Dean Oliver to determine the most valuable players in areas ranging from floaters to overall defensive impact.