Thunder's repeat bid, Lakers' health and four more NBA playoff questions

The NBA postseason is officially here.

Starting withthe Play-In Tournamentthat beginsTuesday, April 14and then with the official start of the NBA playoffs onSaturday, April 18, 20 teams will have the chance to advance all the way to the NBA Finals.

The path won’t be easy. The NBA postseason tends to span around two months, and multiple seven-game series can take a toll on the bodies and minds of players, almost as if the playoffs were a mini-season.

All of which means there are plenty of storylines and narratives to parse through ahead of the games.

Here are the six biggest questions headed into the 2026 NBA postseason:

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Can the Thunder repeat as champions?

Winning a title changes a team. For one, they know what it takes to get there. For another, it creates internal and external pressures; Oklahoma City may feel like it needs to live up to its promise of championship-level play and other teams will view the Thunder as the established entity that needs to be upended.

The Thunder are indeed built to repeat. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the likely NBA Most Valuable Player, is the most consistent star in the league. Jalen Williams has returned to form from his hamstring injury. Chet Holmgren has been a solid defensive presence. And the Thunder are deep and talented, creating matchup issues all over the floor.

NBA POWER RANKINGS:Who tops list ahead of playoffs?

Championship teams typically get significant contributions from role players. Who might those be?

Think players like Alex Caruso and Luguentz Dort last season for the Thunder, or Sam Hauser for the Celtics the year before. Which players are going to step up this postseason to elevate great teams to championship contention, particularly in the clutch or in high-leverage situations?

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Possible candidates include Keldon Johnson (Spurs), Baylor Scheierman (Celtics), Julian Strawther (Nuggets), Mitchell Robinson (Knicks), Keon Ellis (Cavaliers) and Tari Eason (Rockets)

Will the Lakers linger around long enough to get healthy?

NBA leading scorerLuka Dončić is set to rejoin the Lakerson Friday, April 17 from his trip to Spain for treatment on his grade 2 hamstring injury. Still, it’s uncertain when he’ll be cleared to return to play. Austin Reaves (oblique strain) is expected to be out to around mid-May. That timeline puts Los Angeles squarely in the second round.

The Lakers, however, will have to contend with a very solid Houston Rockets team in the first round, a team that finished the season 9-1 in their last 10 games. Dončić and Reaves were the highest-scoring duo in the NBA this season. Without them, the Lakers will be nowhere near as dangerous. It’s going to be tough for them to topple Houston without Dončić and Reaves.

Will the Knicks finally get over the hump?

Last season, New York reached its first Eastern Conference finals in 25 seasons. The Knicks fired former coach Tom Thibodeau and sent the message that the only acceptable outcome moving forward, with this current roster build, was a title.

That puts an immense amount of pressure on coach Mike Brown and the Knicks players. Of all playoff squads, this is the one with the most continuity among its players, many of whom go back to their college days. That stability and familiarity can go a long way in the playoffs, but the Knicks will need to avoid cold spells and will have to amplify their defensive intensity if they are to win their first NBA Finals since 1973.

Can any under-the-radar team make a deep run?

Mostly because of his struggles to get out of the second round of the playoffs, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers often get overlooked as a viable threat in the East. The Minnesota Timberwolves have made consecutive appearances in the Western Conference finals, but with the strength of the Thunder, Spurs and Nuggets, Minnesota is a modest longshot. The Hawks posted the best winning percentage in the East after the All-Star break (.769) but are a young, untested team. Can any of them get hot at the right time and challenge the balance of power?

Can any Play-In team break through?

In a vacuum, the Clippers appear to be the team in best position to make noise in the playoffs. They can compete with the best teams out West as long as Kawhi Leonard is healthy, and the trade for Bennedict Mathurin was an underrated move that infused scoring off the bench. But if L.A. emerges from the Play-In Tournament, it will face the defending-champion Thunder in the first round, a tall task.

Out East, it might be the surprising Hornets, who posted the best net rating in the East (11.1) after the All-Star break. Charlotte can shoot the ball and plays with pace and offensive ingenuity. The Hornets, though, would get the No. 1 Pistons. Cade Cunningham is still making his way back from his collapsed lung injury, so there is some weakness in Detroit’s case.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NBA playoffs 2026: Six big questions for the postseason

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April 16, 2026

Thunder's repeat bid, Lakers' health and four more NBA playoff questions

The NBA postseason is officially here. Starting withthe Play-In Tournamentthat beginsTuesday, April 14and then with the official ...

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Zelenskyy meets Merz in Berlin as Ukraine seeks more support from Germany against Russia

BERLIN (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose country is one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters, as Kyiv battles to defeatRussia’s all-out invasion, now in its fifth year.

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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was also holding talks with his counterpart, Mykhailo Fedorov, the former Ukrainian digital transformation chief who took up his new post in January and is credited with advancingmilitary drone technology.

U.S.-led effortsto end Russia's war on Ukraine have recently petered out as theIran wargrips the Trump administration’s attention, although Tammy Bruce, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council on Monday that Washington “will continue to push for a negotiated and durable end” to the war.

Western analysts and officials say Ukraine has in recent months recorded battlefield successes against Russia’s bigger army, disrupting aspring offensivestarted by Russia amid improving weather, as fields dry out and new foliage on tree lines offers more cover.

Meanwhile, the long-range drones and missiles that Kyiv designs and produces are repeatedly striking oil facilities and manufacturing plants deep inside Russia.

Ukraine “is in a much better place than it has been at any stage in this horrific war,” Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Monday.

Ukraine “is on top from a military perspective,” Stubb claimed, noting that last month Ukraine fired more drones and missiles at Russia than Russia launched at Ukraine.

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Moscow has also claimed progress on the battlefield. Independent verification of each side’s claims was not possible.

Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine. That includes the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014.

Ukraine is desperately short of cash and needs a promised 90-billion-euro ($106 billion) loan from the European Union. That was beingheld upby Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, but his departure as prime minister after weekend elections could free up the sum.

Kyiv is also heavily reliant on U.S. intelligence for targeting inside Russia and needs more sophisticated American-made air defense systems to stop Russian missile attacks on its power grid. If the Iran war drags on, it could erode vital U.S. support for Kyiv,Zelenskyy fears.

Furthermore, the Ukrainian army is short-handed, facing some 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people, Fedorov, the defense minister, said in January.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine athttps://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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April 16, 2026

Zelenskyy meets Merz in Berlin as Ukraine seeks more support from Germany against Russia

BERLIN (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose country is one...

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Pakistan pushing for Round 2 of "Islamabad Process" after failed Iran talks

A senior Pakistani government official confirmed to CBS News that Islamabad has intensified diplomatic efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table over theIran war.

Despite the lack of a breakthrough in the historic face-to-face round oftalks over the weekend, Pakistani authorities said they remain cautiously optimistic about the prospects for continued engagement between both sides.

Notably, there appears to be an element of rebranding underway, with officials now increasingly referring to the "Islamabad Talks" as the "Islamabad Process," a shift that suggests an effort to frame the engagement as an ongoing diplomatic track rather than a one-off meeting.

The top-level source also said Monday thatPakistanis in active contact with both Washington and Tehran, urging them to resume dialogue at the earliest opportunity. The primary objective is to reach a workable understanding before thecurrent ceasefire— set to expire around April 22 — ends in order to prevent a return to all-out-war. Efforts are now underway to facilitate a second round of talks within this narrow window.

According to the source, these diplomatic initiatives are being pursued under the direct instructions of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Both played a key role in bringing the two sides together, were present at varying times throughout the 21 hours of inconclusive talks, and have been working intensely to move the process forward.

CBS News has been told Pakistan is now waiting for responses from both the U.S. and Iran.On Monday, Qatar's foreign minister told his Iranian counterpart that Iran and the U.S. should engage positively with mediation efforts, warning that maritime routes must not be used as "bargaining tools."Qatari Foreign Minister and Premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani "also emphasised the need to open maritime routes, guarantee freedom of navigation, and refrain from using them as a tool for pressure or bargaining," according to the foreign ministry'sXaccount.

A new global player?

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Pakistan, a nuclear power with a population of 250 million, has been trying to rebrand itself to attract investment and stabilize its crippled economy.

Successfully mediating such peace talks would be a diplomatic coup and go some way toward helping the nation's desire to be seen as a global player.

If the current ceasefire holds, Pakistan may have some wiggle room as it tries to bring the Americans and Iranians back around the table.

But with U.S. threats to blockade theStrait of Hormuz, and Iranian promises to retaliate, officials might be counting the time they have at their disposal in hours, rather than days.

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Pope Leo responds to Trump following his criticism over the Iran war

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April 16, 2026

Pakistan pushing for Round 2 of "Islamabad Process" after failed Iran talks

A senior Pakistani government official confirmed to CBS News that Islamabad has intensified diplomatic efforts to bring Tehran and Wash...

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Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia picks up emotional save on healthcare appreciation night months after his daughter's death

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia took the mound at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night in what — to that point — had been a fantastic game. Thanks to a late RBI single by new addition Kyle Tucker, the Dodgers wereclinging to a 2-1 lead. And with regular close Edwin Diaz sidelined with arm fatigue, it fell to Vesia to close things out in the ninth inning.

He rose to the occasion, turning in a dominant performance to pick up his second save of the season. Vesia struck out the side on just 10 pitches and showed some emotion after securing the final out of the contest.

There was a good reason for that. Tuesday was healthcare appreciation night at Dodger Stadium, and some of the staff of healthcare workers who cared for Vesia and his family last October — whenhis infant daughter Sterling died— were in the stands to support the Dodgers reliever.

Those healthcare workers made their presence felt during the contest, as the Dodgers broadcast cut to them after every one of Vesia’s strikeouts. Each time they were shown on the broadcast, the healthcare workers were animatedly cheering for Vesia.

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After the game, Vesia nearly started crying when asked about the healthcare workers being at the game.

During an on-field, postgame interview, Vesia pointed to the healthcare workers in the suite and called it a “very emotional day.” He added, “Everyone up there played a very, very, very big part. [My wife] Kay and I are just so happy to be able to share today. For me to get a save, it’s unbelievable.”

Vesia missed the 2025 World Series due to his daughter’s death. With the team still in the thick of the playoffs, Vesia stepped away due to a “deeply personal family matter.” Throughout the series, Vesia was shown support by both the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, whopaid tribute to the relieveron the field during the World Series.

A few days after the World Series ended, Vesia announced thedeath of his infant daughter Sterling. In his post, Vesia thanked the Dodgers, their fans and the Blue Jays for their actions as he and his family were dealing with the loss.

Vesia returned to pitch for the team this season, and is off to an excellent start. Through 7 1/3 innings, he’s yet to give up a run. He’s struck out nine hitters and picked up two saves early on and credited Dodgers fans for showing support and hyping him up before each appearance.

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April 16, 2026

Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia picks up emotional save on healthcare appreciation night months after his daughter's death

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia took the mound at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night in what — to that point — had been a fantasti...

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Trump says Iran war "close to over" amid push for new peace talks

Family of influencer who died on trip with fiancé in Zanzibar says "it doesn't make any sense"

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Trump says a new round of talks with Iran could happen soon

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Trump says Iran war "close to over" amid push for new peace talks

Family of influencer who died on trip with fiancé in Zanzibar says "it doesn't make any sense" Advertisement Swalw...

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Trump criticizes Pope Leo’s stance on Iran war, says he’s ‘not a fan’ of Catholic leader

President Donald Trump strongly criticizedPope Leo XIVon Sunday evening, denouncing hisstance on the Iran warand saying he’s “terrible for foreign policy.”

“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon. … He’s a man that doesn’t think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world,” Trump told reporters, adding, “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”

Leo, the first American pope, hasbecome increasingly vocalabout the US and Israel’s war with Iran, last week condemning Trump’s rhetoric and threats against the people of Iran as “truly unacceptable.”

That comment was prompted by Trump’s threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight” in the hours before a two-week ceasefire with Iran was struck.

Both Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth,have invoked Godin public messaging during the conflict, with Hegseth framing the war effort as divinely supported and even using scriptural justification.

Leo has pushed back against this idea.

“Jesus is the king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he said on Palm Sunday. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war but rejects them.”

The president’s remarks about the pope on Sunday night came shortly after he posted a similar lengthy critique of the pontiff onTruth Social.

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote, going on to say he doesn’t want a pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon or who thinks it’s “terrible that America attacked Venezuela.”

After the US operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January,the pope calledfor the “will of the Venezuelan people” to be respected and a return to stability in the country.

“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States,” Trump said.

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The president went on to claim Leo “wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”

Responding to Trump’s comments, Vatican Official Fr Antonio Spadaro, said Trump was taking aim at “a moral voice” because he “cannot contain it.”

“Trump doesn’t debate Leo: he begs him to retreat into a language that he can dominate. But the Pope speaks another language, one that refuses to be reduced to the grammar of force, of security, of national interest,” said Spadaroon X.

“The attack is a declaration of impotence … If Leo were irrelevant, he wouldn’t merit a word. Instead, he is called out, named, fought: a sign that his word cuts deep,” he said.

Pope Leo has previously spoken out against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

“The commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace, founded on justice, fraternity and the common good,” he said last June, as Trump was weighing striking Iran’s nuclear sites.

Trump’s comments Sunday came shortly after CBS News’ “60 Minutes”aired a storyfeaturing senior American cardinals voicing their support for pope’s stance on the war and his previous opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

CNN has reached out to the White House on whether Trump was reacting to the “60 Minutes” report.

Shortly after Trump’s comments, the presidentposted an imageto Truth Social depicting himself as a Christ-like figure healing a sick person with American flags and eagles in the background.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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April 15, 2026

Trump criticizes Pope Leo’s stance on Iran war, says he’s ‘not a fan’ of Catholic leader

President Donald Trump strongly criticizedPope Leo XIVon Sunday evening, denouncing hisstance on the Iran warand saying he’s “terrible ...

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Mike Trout vs. Aaron Judge turns into starry slugfest of 3-time MVPs as Yanks edge Angels 11-10

NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Trout vs. Aaron Judge transformed a baseball game into a heavyweight slugfest.

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Trout's second home run of the game bounced off the back wall behind the Angels bullpen in left-center, giving Los Angeles a two-run, eighth-inning lead on a night when Judge had homered twice to put the New York Yankees ahead.

Only there was more drama after a pair of three-time MVPs both homered twice in the same game for the first time in 70 years.

Trent Grisham hit his second home run of the evening — and season — to tie the score in the ninth inning. José Caballero trotted home on Jordan Romano's game-ending wild pitch that gave the Yankees a pulsating11-10 winMonday and stopped a five-game losing streak.

“It was great. That’s baseball for you,” Trout marveled. "It’s what fans want, and to be able to see something like that, pretty cool.”

Only once before had a pair of players already three-time MVPs each homered twice in game, according to STATS Perform.

After Stan Musial had gone deep twice, Roy Campanella hit a tying, three-run drive in the ninth for his second of the game and Don Zimmer followed with a walk-off single to lead the Brooklyn Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals 9-8 at Ebbets FIeld on June 21, 1956.

And Trout nearly hit a third. He flied out to Cody Bellinger in front of the center-field wall, leaving the bases loaded in the fourth inning after the Angels tied the score 4-all with four unearned runs following Caballero's error on Trout's leadoff grounder to shortstop.

Judge had looked forward to crossing paths with Trout in a Yankee Stadium weight room.

“I was going to talk some smack to him after the one he hit all the way to the warning track,” Judge said, “but I didn’t get a chance to and then he answers right back with two big homers for him. You put that guy in a clutch situation, a big moment and he’s going to show up every single time, so it’s fun going back and forth with a guy like that, especially in New York and the Bronx.”

New York had lost five straight after an 8-2 start and had been 0-6 in one-run games.

There were seven home runs that traveled a total of 2,846 feet — more than half a mile — with the Yankees hitting five. Judge's first went 456 feet deep into the left-field bleachers and left the bat at 116.2 mph, the hardest-hit home run of the season.

Grisham and Trout each had five RBIs, and Judge had three.

Baseball's top four active home run leaders were all in the game. Judge, with 374, moved one ahead of teammate Paul Goldschmidt. New York slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who leads active players with 454, missed by about a foot with a double off the center-field wall in the fifth. Trout has 408 homers.

Trout, 34, won AL MVPs in 2014, '16 and '19 but has struggled with injuries for much of the past five seasons.

“He’s the greatest of all time. It’s been fun to watch his whole career, coming up at such a young age and instantly just putting yourself at the top of the list. It's special," Judge said.

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Judge, who turns 34 on April 26, won AL MVPs in 2022, ‘24 and ’25.

“Those are two of the greats, so it’s really fun to watch,” Yankees starter Will Warren said.

Judge and Caballero each hit a two-run homer off Yusei Kikuchi for a 4-0 second-inning lead on an unseasonably warm 77-degree night. After Caballero’s error led to the unearned runs off Warren, Grisham pinch hit in the fifth and connected for a three-run drive against Shaun Anderson for a 7-4 lead.

Trout countered with a three-run homer in the sixth against Jake Bird, who was demoted to Triple-A after the game.

Judge’s homer off Anderson leading off the bottom half gave him 47 multi-homer games, one more than Mickey Mantle and trailing only Babe Ruth’s 68 among Yankees.

“To be surrounded by some greats like that, it’s special,” Judge said.

Josh Lowe knotted the score at 8 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly, and Trout’s two-run drive in the eighth off Camilo Doval put the Angels ahead 10-8 with his 31st multi-homer game. Judge, watching from right field, shook his head.

“Every time he comes to the Bronx, man, he puts on a show," Judge said. "I hate to see it, but it’s fun competing against a guy like that.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled to start the ninth against Jordan Romano, and Grisham reached down and pulled a slider into the right-field seats as the closer put both hands on his head.

Caballero doubled and stole third without a throw. And after Austin Wells walked, Caballero scored when Romano bounced a full-count slider to Ryan McMahon to the backstop on the ninth pitch of the plate appearance.

New York had not won a game while allowing double-digit runs since beating Minnesota 14-12 on July 23, 2019.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone described his own feelings as “tough ... for the belly.”

Then he switched his thoughts to his players.

“You get a lead, then you get another lead, and then it’s gone,” he said. "For the guys, maybe it was good to have a game like that where it was a little messy."

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/mlb

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April 15, 2026

Mike Trout vs. Aaron Judge turns into starry slugfest of 3-time MVPs as Yanks edge Angels 11-10

NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Trout vs. Aaron Judge transformed a baseball game into a heavyweight slugfest. Angels Yankees Baseball T...

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