PREVIEW: The Detroit Pistons bring their high-octane rim attack, ranked 5th in frequency by ShotQuality metrics, to Madison Square Garden for a playoff showdown against Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. After tripling their win total from last season to secure the sixth seed with a 44-38 record, Detroit enters their first postseason appearance since 2019 having won three of four regular season matchups against New York. The Pistons' success stems from Cade Cunningham's breakout campaign, as he averaged a career-high 26.1 points per game while particularly excelling against the Knicks with 31 points per contest in their matchups. Despite...

PREVIEW: The Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers rekindle their fierce rivalry Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in a rematch of last year's playoff encounter where the underdog Pacers eliminated Milwaukee. This time around, the fourth-seeded Pacers have home-court advantage against the fifth-seeded Bucks, who won three of four regular-season matchups between the teams. Milwaukee enters on an eight-game winning streak despite missing All-Star Damian Lillard, leaning heavily on two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who thrived against Indiana this season averaging 30 points per game while demonstrating why the Bucks rank second in post-up shot frequency and third in rim attacks according to ShotQuality...

PREVIEW: The Lakers-Timberwolves first-round series pits LeBron James and Luka Dončić against last year's Western Conference finalists in what promises to be a thrilling matchup. Minnesota enters the playoffs as one of the league's hottest teams, having won 17 of their last 21 games, while leveraging their high-frequency three-point shooting offense (ranked 6th with 45.5% of attempts coming from deep) and stingy perimeter defense that limits opponent three-point attempts. Anthony Edwards, who led the NBA in three-pointers made this season, will look to overcome a Lakers defense that ranks 5th in defending against quality three-point shots, though Minnesota's eighth-ranked spacing and...