2026 Play-In Chaos Recap

We react to the NBA Play-In results so far, from a one-point Hornets win over Miami to Portland shocking Phoenix and flipping the Western picture. We also look ahead to the 8-seed matchups and give our early NBA playoff predictions while asking what these games reveal about depth, defense, and roster direction. 
• Hornets vs Heat breakdown and how Bam Adebayo’s absence changes Miami’s defense 
• Coby White’s hero moments and Charlotte’s late-game execution 
• Blazers vs Suns reaction and why Deni Avdija’s big night exposes matchup defense 
• What Phoenix’s loss says about health, depth, and closing games 
• 76ers vs Magic recap and the concerns after Orlando loses by 12 without Embiid 
• Magic roster questions and the pressure on Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs 
• Warriors vs Clippers takeaways and the bigger Kawhi Leonard future discussion 
• 8-seed predictions for Suns vs Warriors and Magic vs Hornets 
• Full first-round playoff matchup expectations and upset potential 
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Transcript

Welcome And Play-In Setup

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What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show Get a Bucket. I'm your host, Trey, as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're about to talk about the NBA play-in recap so far. Because we only got one more time to figure out who's gonna make the A C. So I ain't gonna lie to you. My seven seed predictions should have worked out the way that I thought they were going to. Let's talk about them, shall we? We got the Hornets versus the Heat. That one went the distance, everybody was getting some buckets, right? We had 127 favoring the Hornets to 126 for the Heat. I think the Heat would have won this matchup if Bam Alabio doesn't get tripped by LaMelo ball with like what 11 minutes of play in for Bam? Because to be clear, their defense, the Heat's defense, trash when Bam's not on the floor. So again, that defense plus that experience, it led me to believe that Miami would win this. Now, here's my thing. Again, the Hornets, they were getting the bucket. Their big three was producing. Except their big three was not Lamello Ball, Brandon Miller, and Con Canuple. It was actually LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kobe White. Now, don't get me wrong, too, Miles Bridges did perform well. But again, Kobe White gave them some heroic moments that game. And if it won't for him, they might not be playing. Yes, Lamello Ball had the game ceiling layup, right? We hear you. Tyler Hero, you did your thing as well, too, on the for the Miami Heat. We appreciate it. Like Andrew Wiggins was playing well. Like this was a good quality game. The only thing was, again, Bam Atabayo was not playing because he got tripped, and that did affect the game. Also, Norman Powell, All-Star, only getting 19 minutes and shot just nine attempts. That's like I understand like Davion Mitchell played well. I understand Tyler Hero played well. I understand that Andrew Wiggins played well. Still, your all-star has got to get more than 19 minutes and nine field goal attempts. That one's a little questionable for sure, right there. So kudos to the Hornets. They did their thing. I kind of disappointed in Miami, but again, they lost their best player, Bam Matabaio. So it makes sense. But again, I thought the Heat were going to win that one. It's close. Too bad we ain't playing horseshoes. The Blazers versus the Suns, that was for the seventh seed on the Western side. And the Blazers surprised some people, including myself partially. And won 114 to a buck 10. Now, I ain't gonna lie. Denny Abdia played some good basketball. He played some good basketball. I'm not trying to say Denny Abdia is better than Devin Booker. But we may start having to have that question. I mean, Denny Abdia gave 41 points, seven rebounds, 12 assists. The turnovers were a little bit high, but I think he had like five. We can overlook that. Because again, 41 points and 12 assists, I'll take that any day of the week. Here's my thing. I got to look at players like Dylan Brooks. Because Dylan, that's your matchup. Yes, you had a 20-point performance. But Denny had a 41-point performance, and you're supposed to be the wing defender. Like, I that looked a little tough because I don't think we have Denny Abdia as that high of a player. He had an all-star year for sure. But like to be clear though, Denny Obia and Drew Holiday, it's questionable if that should be able to beat Devin Booker, Dylan Brooks, and Jalen Green. I will give you, ladies and gentlemen, the Sun were not healthy. I said that. That was partially my reason why I put the Portland Trailblazers over the Sun. I still saw enough talent for the Sun where I'm like, y'all should have got this job done. Jalen Green, 35 points. Devin Booker, 22 points. Dylan Brooks, 20 points. That should breed AW most nights, especially if JG hitting 35. Two, four point, like I come on now, bro. Like, like they were hooping. And I thought when the Blazers lost that lead, I thought it was over. I even turned off the game, went to sleep, and then woke up and saw the Portland Trailblazers won the game. So kudos to Portland for surprising some people, even myself, even though I projected that they would beat the sun. So that was a good entertaining game to watch, ladies and gentlemen. Go catch some highlights from both games if you haven't. They were good, fun entertainment for sure. Now, the 76ers versus the Magic. I'm not gonna lie. I thought the Magic were gonna actually win that game. And the reason why, because Joel MB was out. But they lost 109 to 97. The loss I can accept. I told you about the magic, I'm not about the Hornets beating the Heat, right? Well, the Magic, if they had lost a closer game, I wouldn't have been as flabbergasted. I wouldn't have felt for, I wouldn't have felt for the team as badly as I do. Or the fan base, I should say. But hear me out. Even with Joel Embiid gone, the 76ers are still a formidable team. Like they got some decent pieces, especially if they're hacking especially if they're hitting. Oh, wow. They're not a bad squad. But even still, losing by 12 points, I wanted to see a closer game. Like within five points. That shows me, okay, you know what? It could have just been the 76ers night. This shows me the 76ers just might be better than the magic. Like, I get it. Paolo Bancaro going 7 of 22 isn't gonna help. I get it. Jalen Suggs going 1 for 9 is not gonna help. Desmond Bain having a 30-point plus game. Franz Wagner gotta do a little bit more. Kind of disappointed in the magic. I'm kind of disappointed in the magic. Now they get an opportunity to show some redemption for that eighth seed matchup. But we do have some question marks, ladies and gentlemen. I was just in the group chat where people were talking about we need to end up trading. No, no, they need a point guard. Meaning either Desmond Bain or Jalen Suggs has to go. But then that also bred the conversation like, well, should we have Franz or Paolo traded? That's the type of conversations we're going to be talking about if the Magic can't get things done, not this season, at least not for me, not this season, but next season. Because it's their first season together. But kudos to the 76ers for getting the seventh matchup. Because again, Tyrese Maxie, Paul George, VJ Edgecomb, y'all boys did y'all things. So kudos. Kelly Ubre, you did your thing. And it's making it tough. Especially if Joel Embiid plays, to have the self to have the Celtics advancing with ease. It really does. But we'll talk about that another time. That's another discussion for another day. Let's move on down to the next game. Warriors versus Clippers. I actually thought, believe it or not, that the Clippers were gonna win this game, ladies and gentlemen, but instead they lost 126 to 121. Now, the Warriors played well. They have a bigger mismatch, meaning KPS7-3. That does help out the Warriors. Steph Curry on the team, he's hooping, he's getting a bucket, right? Kawhi Leonard. This was your game to win. And now I'm asking, is it time for Kawhi to move on? Because with this roster, I can see the Clippers in fact blowing the team up. Don't get me wrong, the Clippers were one of the hotter teams in the second half of the season. I think they're the first team in NBA history to be down 15 games from making the playoffs and then making the playoffs with a 15, with above 15 game record, like that's not bad. But also, when I looked at Chris Dunn and Darius Garland as a backcourt, I wondered, could that be something that they do for the future? Because in this game, they had 18 assists and only three turnovers between the two, along with four steals. And they were able to get a bucket. Chris Dunn obviously is the defense. Garland is obviously the offense, but they both can playmake. So again, ladies and gentlemen, they might be able to do that and have someone like Benedict Matherin insert it into the starting lineup or keep it on the bench. Because it seemed like him and Jordan Miller, shout out GM, you would. But it sounded like him and Jordan Miller, it seemed like him and Jordan Miller were doing some positive things this season. So I can see the Clippers trying to go a different direction, but letting go of Kawhi Leonard, especially if you can get a huge haul for him. I think that would be interested in watching and looking out for. So again, ladies and gentlemen, wild kudos to the Warriors. They played, they played they hear so, all right? Like Steph Curry, 35 points. Hear it. Draymond Green, elite defense. To the point that Kawhi Leonard tips his cap to you because he it was hard for him to score. Is it time for Kawhi to move on, or is it time for the Clippers to move on from Kawhi? I think that's the discussion we're gonna have to have, but that's another discussion for another day. Now let's move on to the AC matchups. Because we're looking at here the Sun versus the Warriors. Now, the Sun, they were down versus the Trailblazers, went up against the Trailblazers, and then lost to the Trailblazers. And keep in mind, I had expectations of the Sun a little bit more so than I do against the Warriors. Now, the Warriors, like I said, they are injured. But end of day, Steph Curry will still be the best player on the floor. And I think Christoph Porzingis is going to be the X factor. Because when we're looking at the Sun, well, who do they have to guard KP? I like Mark Williams, I do. I don't think he's ready yet. Kamen Malawatch, I don't think he's ready yet either. They have limited bigs on that team right now, ladies and gentlemen. Now, D-Book, I expect to have more than 20. 22 to be exact. I expect him to have more. I'm going to be curious what Jalen Green does. Dylan Brooks, you're a 15 to 20 point per game score for me. So both of those three can get a bucket. But if we can see other players like Grayson Allen, let's say if Grayson returns, that's going to speak volumes for them. That's going to help out. They need their depth. But honestly, with Steph Curry being the best player on the floor and with KP, Chris Ospercing as being kind of a mismatch, especially if Draymond Green can play the defense that he was playing against Kawhi Leonard, I have expectations of the Warriors winning. Can the Phoenix Sun win? Yes. Especially if they start getting hot. I think the Sun can demolish these Warriors. But at the same time, the player who has the capability of being the hottest player on the floor is Stephen Curry. And again, we just saw him drop 35. So again, I while I can see both teams winning, I'm leaning the Warriors. But let's see what happens here, though. Because sometimes the Warriors role players don't step up when need be. And the only thing that's beneficial is that you got defenders like Jalen Green and Devin Booker to beat. Which Devin Booker is solid as a defender. I'm not saying Jalen Green is. So from a perimeter standpoint, the Warriors can get the job done. And remember, they're a perimeter-oriented team. So they should be able to win this matchup. But let's see. Now we got to also look at the Magic versus the Hornets. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm just going to biasly say I am pulling for the Hornets. It has nothing to do with this game, though. It has everything to do with the first round between the Pistons and the Hornets. Because remember, they got into a little scuffle during this regular season. So I would love to see Duran versus Musa Diabate. That'd be nice. Because those are the two guys that were really in the thick of things from a fighting perspective. And then Isaiah Stewart and Miles Bridges as well, too. I want to see how that battle goes. But if we're focusing on the Magic versus the Hornet, I actually expect the Magic to have a bounce back game. More specifically, Paolo Bancaro to have a bounce back game. Jalen Suggs to have a bounce back game from a getting a bucket perspective. Because if they do that, they should be able to beat the Hornets. Now, again, the Hornets have been one of the more experienced, not experienced, the more interesting and entertaining teams to watch. They've been one of the more producing or productive teams, especially on the offensive end. Well, to be more specific, second half of the season. First half, they weren't like this. But that experience, I think, is going to catch up to them at some point in time. It took a lot of heroics for them to beat a Heat team that lost their best player. Now, I don't think the Magic have the same level of experience that the Heat do. But I think in terms of talent, well, the Magic still stack up nicely against the Hornet. The Hornet might have the more talented roster, but the experience leans the magic. And the talent gap isn't that far. So while I want the Hornets to win, again, just to see them versus the Pistons, I think that can be a little entertaining. Another rivalry starting to form. I do expect the magic to win. But again, Paolo Banquero, you gotta dominate. Franz Wagner, you gotta dominate. Desmond Bain, you don't have to dominate because you just dropped 30 plus points in the previous game. So as long as you give us 20 something, I'm cool. Maybe even 18. But other players' eyes will be on you for sure. And Wendell Carter, to be clear, you better start doing something a little bit better out there, ladies. Because, ladies and gentlemen, I don't want to hear that Wendell's on the chopping block, but I can understand it. But again, the Hornets have a good team. The Magic, I expect for them to win. Now, to recap, because we already know who the seventh seed is, and we got expectations of the eighth. We're gonna talk about, but I'm just gonna list off the playoff going forward. We should have the Pistons versus the Magic, Celtics versus the 76ers, Knicks versus Hawks, and Cavs versus Raptors. Should be an entertaining one. And again, to be clear, on the Eastern side, I expect the higher seed, that means the lower number between the two, to win those matchups. I expect that. And then for the West, we got Thunder. I'm gonna say versus the Warriors, because I expect him to beat the Sun. Spurs versus Blazers, Nuggets versus Wolves, my Lakers versus the Rockets. I expect the Thunder, the Spurs, and the Nuggets all to advance. And I expect my Lakers to lose in solid fashion. To be clear, if the Rockets don't beat my Lakers in this first round, given how hampered we are. No Luca, no Austin Reeves. That means you just you just lose to Braun and Company, that'll be tough. For Kevin Durant to lose to Braun, I can hear it right now. This will be the first time where a father-son duo wins a playoff round. And for that to be on KD's head, I think you gotta re you gotta reevaluate some things. So I expect the Rockets to win that one. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that does conclude the end of the episode. So again, please make sure to watch the NBA play, and it should be entertaining. But I'm curious who you all expect to win for that eighth seed. And then I'm curious what you all are predicting for the playoffs. But we'll talk more about the playoffs. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, like I said, that does conclude the end of the episode. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Get A Bucket, and I hope you are all having a good one. Take care.