BBNBA Playoffs: Game 2 upsets made for a thrilling Monday night

The basketball was thrilling on Monday night in the Association. A couple of Game 2 upsets set the stage for what could be long and exciting series.

We’ll start in the Big Apple, where the (3) New York Knicks coughed up a late lead to the (6) Atlanta Hawks in a 107-106 defeat. It was the CJ McCollum show for ATL, as the veteran guard poured in 32 points and had the entire Knicks defense playing on skates in the closing minutes. The Hawks trailed for most of the second half and went into the fourth quarter down double-digits. But McCollum took over in the final two minutes, capped off by a massive jumper with 33 seconds left that effectively put the Knicks to bed.

Karl-Anthony Towns was still productive for New York, although he didn’t see the ball come his way much down the stretch. Towns posted 18 points and eight rebounds on 8-12 shooting (2-5 3PT) in his 33 minutes of action. Jalen Brunson added 29 points for the Knicks. But it wasn’t enough as New York collapsed in front of the home crowd. We now have a 1-1 series with the next two games taking place in Atlanta.

Don’t be surprised if this one ends up going seven games — we need it for our basketball entertainment.

Randle’s Wolves take down Murray’s Nuggets

In the Western Conference, we saw another big rally result in an upset. The (6) Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a 19-point deficit to steal Game 2 off the (3) Denver Nuggets, 119-114. It was eerily similar to last season’s playoff matchup between these two, when Minnesota fought back from down 20 points in Game 7 to beat Denver and make the Western Conference Finals.

Jamal Murray still put together a good performance for Denver, which dropped its first game since March 18. The former ‘Cat went for 30 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds in 42 minutes on 11-25 shooting (6-14 3PT). He even nailed a half-court heave right at the halftime buzzer to tie the game at 64-64, but that came after Denver led 44-25 at one point in the second quarter. Murray and Nikola Jokic (who recorded 24 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists) shot a combined 2-12 in the fourth quarter.

On the winning side, Julius Randle dropped 24 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in 36 minutes for the Timberwolves on 7-14 shooting. Randle drained a pair of clutch free throws in the final minute to extend Minnesota’s lead. With help from Anthony Edwards and his 30-point outing, the Wolves managed to tie this series 1-1 as they head to Minneapolis for the next two games. This one is already living up to the hype.

Other BBNBA notes…

• Immanuel Quickley was ruled out once again for the (5) Toronto Raptors’ first-round series against the (4) Cleveland Cavaliers. Quickley has now missed both games due to a hamstring injury. Toronto sure could use him in the backcourt, too. The Cavaliers won Game 2 in Cleveland, 115-105, to take a 2-0 series lead.
• San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was named the NBA’s first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner, but a couple of former Wildcats received some votes along the way. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace came in seventh place with eight total points, while Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo was tied for 11th with a single third-place vote.

4/20/26 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Jamal Murray (DEN)	119-114 L vs. MIN	30	11-25 (6-14)	7	7	1	0	4	-4	42
Julius Randle (MIN)	119-114 W @ DEN	24	7-14 (2-4)	9	6	0	0	1	6	36
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)	107-106 L vs. ATL	18	8-12 (2-5)	8	2	0	2	3	5	33
Immanuel Quickley (TOR)	115-105 L @ CLE	DNP-CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Olivier Sarr (CLE)	115-105 W vs. TOR	DNP-Inactive	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the BBNBA Playoffs

TIME/TV	MATCHUP	SERIES
7:00 p.m. ET | Peacock/NBCSN	(7) 76ers (Maxey) @ (2) Celtics	East Round 1: BOS leads 1-0
8:00 p.m. ET | Peacock/NBC	(7) Trail Blazers (Sharpe) @ (2) Spurs (Fox, Johnson)	West Round 1: SAS leads 1-0
10:30 p.m. ET | Peacock/NBC	(5) Rockets (Sheppard) @ (4) Lakers (Vanderbilt)	West Round 1: LAL leads 1-0

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