NBA Today: Luka Doncic 'Not Close,' Celtics Exit, 76ers Make History
The first round of the NBA playoffs has been an eventful one, to say the least. From the Oklahoma City Thunder dominating the Phoenix Suns for a sweep, to the Luka Doncic-less Los Angeles Lakers taking down the Houston Rockets after a brief scare, and to three matchups extending all the way to Game 7, the postseason has had plenty of storylines to offer.
On Saturday, a number of developments emerged, adding more intrigue to an already exciting league landscape.
Among the biggest NBA news of the day was Doncic's status update heading into the Lakers' showdown with the Thunder. The second-seeded Boston Celtics also lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the absence of Jayson Tatum.
Here's the latest roundup of the most noteworthy and popular NBA news of the day.
Luka Doncic 'Not Close' to Returning for Lakers
Even before the Lakers closed out their playoff series with the Rockets in Game 6, there were already doubts about Doncic's availability for the team moving forward.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Doncic is in a "slow path" to recovery and that he "will be out to start" the series against the Thunder.
"There's still no clarity on a timeline. He's starting ramp-up a little bit more and more on the court, still isn't progressing to full scrimmages and workouts yet."
On Saturday, Brian Windhorst of ESPN shared more updates about Doncic's injury status, highlighting that the Slovenian guard is "not close" to returning to action at all.
"He's not close," Windhorst stated. "He hasn't played for a month. He's not doing any of that right now. ... Most likely you're not gonna see Luka Doncic at the front end of this series, maybe at least for another week to 10 days on the mionimum. The Lakers are gonna have a reality, they're gonna have to do it without [him]."
"He's not close... He hasn't played for a month... Most likely you're not gonna see Luka Doncic at the front end of this series... The Lakers are gonna have a reality, they're gonna have to do it without [him]."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 2, 2026
Brian Windhorst on Luka's return pic.twitter.com/BbBPv9Rxht
The Thunder swept the Lakers in their four meetings during the regular season, so it will definitely be a difficult task for LeBron James and the Lakers to take down the reigning champions that also boast the best defense in the NBA.
Jayson Tatum-Less Celtics Suffer Shock Loss to the 76ers
In a stunning turn of events, the Celtics, who were considered title contenders, lost their playoff series to the 76ers in seven games.
After jumping to a 3-1 lead, the Celtics lost three straight games to the Sixers in a massive collapse. In Game 7 on Saturday, Boston had to play without Tatum, who was dealing with a left leg injury.
Joel Embiid led the way for Philly's 109-100 victory over Boston in Game 7, recording 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Tyrese Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Sixers.
While Jaylen Brown had 33 points, Boston clearly felt Tatum's absence. The team was down by 13 points after the first quarter and trailed by as many as 18 throughout the contest.
Historic Night for Joel Embiid and Philly
Embiid and the 76ers made plenty of history with their remarkable comeback win against the Celtics.
For one, they became the first No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference to beat a No. 2 seed since the first round of the NBA playoffs expanded to a best-of-seven series.
They are also just the 14th team in NBA playoff history to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series.
The 76ers are the first No. 7 seed in the East to defeat a No. 2 seed since the first round expanded to best-of-seven in 2003.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 3, 2026
They are also the 14th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series. pic.twitter.com/zUImmiPhYP
VJ Edgecombe, who scored 23 points in their closeout of the Celtics, also set a new Sixers record for the most points by a rookie in a Game 7. He surpassed Maurice Cheeks, who had 20 points in Philly's 1979 playoff showdown with the San Antonio Spurs.
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 7:41 PM.