Top NBA postseason storylines to watch

👀 NBA viewership is on the rise with the league reporting its best numbers in more than two decades. In fact, a brain-bending 1.3B (yes, billion) hours of live NBA coverage was enjoyed globally this season, a 93% increase from last year.

❌ The Playoffs are always star-studded, but this year’s also about who’s not there — including two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a tumultuous season with the Milwaukee Bucks, and playoff mainstay Kawhi Leonard after his LA Clippers were eliminated in Wednesday’s Play-In game.

• Meanwhile, the jury’s still out on LA Lakers besties Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, both of whom are sidelined indefinitely with injuries — a brutal blow for playoff king LeBron James and the Lakeshow as the duo averages a combined 56.8 points per game.

🐣 The tide is turning, highlighted by a few rebuilding teams back in the spotlight…

• 🦖 The Eastern Conference No. 5 seed Toronto Raptors are back after a three-year playoff absence, powered by last season’s trade acquisition Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and hometown hero R.J. Barrett.

• 👟 The new-look Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Suns in Tuesday’s Play-In game to lock in their first playoff berth since a first-round exit in 2021.

• 🐝 Charlotte could punch their first playoff ticket in a decade tonight, potentially snapping the longest active playoff drought in the league — everyone’s buzzing about these Hornets.

🏆 The end-of-season awards list became a little more crowded after the aforementioned Dončić and Detroit Piston Cade Cunningham were deemed eligible for major awards after filing appeals to mitigate the NBA’s 65-game rule. The math is mathing for once.