2026 NBA Playoffs Round Two Picks And Power Rankings

I set my 2026 NBA Playoffs second-round power rankings for the eight teams left, then I pick every series with the key matchups I’m watching. I’m high on the Thunder, I think the East has a real chance to go the distance, and I keep coming back to health as the swing factor for everything. 
• Playoff power rankings from Thunder to Lakers based on form and injuries 
• Thunder vs Lakers prediction with SGA pressure points and Marcus Smart’s role 
• Why the Lakers’ regular season results vs OKC matter 
• Spurs vs Wolves prediction built around Anthony Edwards’ return timeline 
• Wembanyama vs Gobert and whether strength can neutralize length 
• Pistons vs Cavs prediction focused on Cade Cunningham and perimeter defense 
• What Detroit can throw at Donovan Mitchell and what Cleveland can throw at Cade 
• 76ers vs Knicks prediction with Embiid health, free throws, and Maxey vs Brunson 
• Wing depth as the X factor and a quick coaching comparison 
Let me know in the comment section below. Who do y’all have for the power rankings for the playoffs? And who do you have winning the series? If you want to throw in something like your X Factors, too, I’m welcome to hear it. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who’s anyone about the show. 

Transcript

Welcome And Release Schedule

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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, I hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Now look, today we're gonna talk about my second round NBA predictions for the 2026 playoffs, right? Now, real quick, because I'm gonna talk about my power rankings, you know, I'm gonna talk about my predictions. But before we do all that, just remember that I do drop my episodes Monday through Friday around 11 o'clock. So make sure you stay tuned. I try to talk about a few things. Sports related, of course, basketball centered if you if you if you peep the title. But that's enough about that. Let's go ahead and get it started off with these here power rankings for the playoffs after the first round, right? So this is prior till round one. Or round two, I'm sorry. So right now, in order, I have the Thunder, the Spurs, the Knicks, the 76ers, the Pistons, the Wolves, the Cavs, and my Lakers. Last. That's tough. So from one through eight, those are the remaining teams. Those are my playoff power rankings. Again, Thunder, that's a no-brainer. The Spurs, even though if you want to discredit the Portland Trailblazers a little bit, their record still showed, hey, they did their thing. They put belt to tail, right? Uh the Knicks, Kat has been pretty, has been pretty dominant. Can't hold you. Like he's been pretty decent. It's not like taking over, but he's he's doing his part in spades as well as Jalen Brunson, despite Jalen Brunson being a cone on defense. 76ers, Joel and B looks healthy finally. The Pistons, listen, we know who Kate is, but Tobias Harris is emerging somewhat despite Jalen Duran not being able to play. The Wolves, I would have them higher, but currently they have no Anthony Edwards. He was injured during the first round against the Nuggets. So we gotta wait to see what happens with that. The Cavs, they have a healthier lineup than my Lakers. So they technically should be last. But again, with my Lakers having no Luka Doncic, we may dip just a smidge. But again, if we're talking about power rankings, y'all hear my power rankings. So with that being said, ladies and gentlemen, let's talk about the remaining games and expectations or remaining series and expectations. Let's start off with my with my Lakers, right? Going up against the Thunder. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm just gonna say this right now. This this kind of pains me. I'm thinking this goes at best 4-1. If it goes 4-2, stellar. But like I think this goes five games, okay? Like I really think this is gonna be BTA. That's that stands for Belt to A. You know what I mean? During the regular season, the Thunder were actually 4-0 versus us. Matter of fact, our closest game was 119 to 110. We still lost. But that was the closest game, right? There was no SGA during that game, and we were actually healthy. Luca, Austin Rees, and Braun played. And that was our closest game. That was the only game where we actually got over 100 points, by the way. So my biggest question is will Marcus Smart slow down SGA, not stop him, because I don't know if there's a player yet that's gonna stop him. But can we slow him down? We gotta wait to see. And then also, then this one kind of sounds crazy. Will Braun really matter this series? I know, again, I'm not the biggest Braun fan, but damn, even that sounds a little weird to me. But again, ladies and gentlemen, you just heard what I've told y'all. The Thunder have been beating our behinds for the last couple seasons now. Matter of fact, we did better against the OKC Thunder with Anthony Davis. We were 8-3. Granted, it was a different OKC team, but still, we did better than we have with Luca. We're one and six over the regular season? That's tough. So again, ladies and gentlemen, I even though the regular season is different than playoffs, it's a little tougher in playoffs, the Thunder are built for tough right now. We're not. So I expect the Thunder to beat us 4-1. But let's move on down. Because who knows? Maybe my Lakers will surprise us, right? But let's talk about the other teams because we're gonna stay with the West right now, but y'all know how I'm thinking about the Thunder and Lakers. Spurs versus Wolves. I'm thinking this goes six games, right? 4-2 favoring the Spurs. And look, he he he he's not healthy, right? They lost Dante DiVincenzo. Ayo DeSumo, like he missed a game during this Nuggets series. I think the last game, actually, if I'm not mistaken. So will they get their three guards back? We already know Dante's gone with what, a Tournachilles? So he's done for the season. Possibly gonna be missing all of next season, too. So we gotta see if Ant can come back, which according to reports, they're thinking he's gonna be back after a week. So maybe game three, game four, maybe. But let's say if the Spurs are up 3-0, right? If he comes back game four and they're down 3-0, Wolves might lose that one. Not gonna hold you. Could the Wolves sneak in two games? Sure. Like their meth, their best method to win this is to extend the series as best as they can. Because they need Anthony Edwards to come back, shake off the rest, and then be able to be his dominant self. If that can happen, then I can see the Wolves winning this. But that time period that Anthony Edwards comes back is gonna be a little tricky. Also, Victor Wimbenyama, can he dominate Rudy Gobert? And hear me out. I know a lot of y'all are saying that's a no-brainer, but if you look at how Gobert defended against Nicola Jokic, Nicola Jokic wasn't as efficient as he has been in recent years. Matter of fact, he did pretty stellar against my Lakers with Anthony Davis. Rudy Gobert did a better job. So maybe Rudy Gobert's not the defensive slouch that people are trying to make him out to be, even though he's a four-time D-point, right? Like Rudy Gobert might be able to stay in front of Wimby or at least make it tougher. He's stronger than Wimby, so that's a valuable effort right there for Wimby. I mean, for Gobert. Being stronger, even though yes, Wimby is more mobile, probably, but you using Gobert's strength, I think that does help out. And on top of that, too, he can contest Rudy, I mean Wimby as well. So can Wimby actually dominate Gobert? That's what we're gonna wait to see. The Spurs youth, will it outshadow their slight experience? Because remember, this is the first time that they've really been into the playoffs in quite some time. I think 2019 was the last time. So again, ladies and gentlemen, we gotta see how this youth does. Okay, they they they lost a game during the Portland Trailblazers, which is what I needed them to do, but they're trying to get experience. So if their experience or lack thereof won't be hyped up, then I expect them to win this series for sure. And also they got a player like Darren Fox, who is a pr who is a two-time All-Star, clutch player of the year award recipient. Like the buddy, buddy can get a bucket, okay? So I gotta see what Fox does. All right, but again, the Wolves they hinge on Anthony Edwards returned. Because yes, we know what Julius Randle is, a quality player. Jaden McDaniels is turning into a quality player. Make me rethink some things, but we need to see how Anthony Edwards does coming back. And if the Spurs are down by the time Anthony Edwards comes back, that's just tough. I don't know what to tell y'all. Like, could it happen? Sure, but I'm not expecting that to happen. But ladies and gentlemen, y'all heard my predictions for the West. Let's move on down to the East, shall we? So we got here the Pistons versus the Cavs. I'm thinking Pistons win that in six. 4-2 favoring the Pistons, right? Who's going to guard Cade Cunningham? Will it be Evan Mobley? I think that might be a problem. I don't know if they're going to have anybody really that can guard Evan Mobley. And on the flip side, right? Who's going to go off or who's going to guard Donovan Mitchell? Well, they actually have some players who can guard Donovan Mitchell respectfully. Asar Thompson, pretty solid defender. So again, and that's just one. Like they have other players to throw at Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs don't have other players to really throw at Cade. They might have somebody 6'7 ⁇ , 6'8. Not really going to do well against Cade. So I'm expecting Cade to have a dominant series. But can Duran actually show up? You got Jared Allen to go up against. You should be able to beat Jared Allen respectfully. Wendell Carter Jr. was more so your size and stature. Jared Allen about 6'9. Nacho stature. A little slimmer. So again, I'm expecting to see Jalen Durin show up for the Pistons. Also, can Evan Mobley outduel someone like a Tobias Harris? Because, well, Toby's been going off in the first round. He went off in the first round. Can he do the same thing versus Evan Mobley? If that happens, Cavs are losing possibly even in five. But again, if if Evan Mobley can be the best player on the Cavs, the Cavs actually have a chance at winning this. Because I don't believe in Donovan Mitchell. I think he's a shaky star. I've been saying that for years now. Matter of fact, one of my friends even said he agrees with me now. So again, if we see that happen, I think we're going to be able to make something shake. But again, I lean the Pistons. Only thing that makes me worry is the Game 7 impact. Because remember, the Pistons did have to fight back against the Magic. They went to Game 7. Will that start to wane on them a little bit? So the the quicker this series goes, I do expect it to favor the Pistons. But again, the Cavs do have the possibility of end up beating the Pistons as well. So we'll we'll wait to see what happens. But again, y'all heard me. I think that goes six. 76ers versus Knicks. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is a big duo coming up against one another for starters. I got 76ers going the distance, beating the Knicks in seven. Yep, that's right. They're going to another game seven. Now, Embiid Maxie versus Kat and Brunson. Who wins that matchup? Like this is their first playoff between Embiid and Kat in the regular season. It favors Joel Embiid 9-5. Now keep in mind though, Kat's teams have not been as good. So maybe that factors in too. Embiid usually gets the free throw advantage. Will that happen still in the playoffs? He gets fouled a decent amount of times. Will he continue to go to the free throw line? But Kat has also been playmaking pretty well. He can stretch the floor out, he can get quality rebounds. Will that hold up versus the 76ers? And will Embiid continue to be healthy? Those are the two storylines for me to follow. But Brunson versus Maxie. Now keep in mind, Brunson has gotten the better of Maxie, even though maybe we can say that Brunson's teams have been better than Maxie's as well, too. But in the playoffs, Brunson did win four to two. So I think there's a chip on Maxie's shoulder. And keep in mind, Maxie did his thing against the 76ers. I mean against the Celtics, four to 76ers. So who wins this? I think we're talking about two potential top five point guards in the NBA. I think Brunson may be four. Maxie could be five or six, or maybe Brunson's four five and Maxie's six. We're going to figure out who's the bet who's the top five guard, because this is going to be that fifth spot for me personally. But I do like Maxie a little bit over Brunson. Again, offensively, Brunson may be a little bit better than Maxie. Maybe. But I'm saying maybe because Maxie's pretty daggone good. But defensively, Maxie can hold his own. Brunson, not as much. So whoever Brunson's going to guard, that they're going to have they need to have a solid series. Like let's say if they're guarding, if he if he ends up guarding Kelly Oubre, Kelly Oubre should dominate. Not dominate like he's going to be the series player of the year. The player of the series, but I need to see Kelly Ubre get like 12 and 8 or something like that. You know what I'm saying? So again, ladies and gentlemen, I need to see whoever's guarded, whoever's being guarded by Jalen Brunson, they need to have a good series. Also, who has the better wings, ladies and gentlemen? Because they're going to be the X Factor. Again, I talked about Kelly Oubre. I talked about Paul George is on the mix. VJ Edgecombe. Y'all gotta play well because on the Knicks side, they got OG and Anobi, right? They got Mikhail Bridges. They have Josh Hart. They have players who are pretty quality. But Paul George should be the best wing on the floor. But OG and Mikhail can play up to PG's level of play, especially with PG being the third option. So whoever is the better, whoever has the better wing teams meaning, those are going to be the X factor. As well as who wins coaching? Nick Nurse or Mike Brown? I'm not the biggest fan of either, but if I had to choose between the two, I might favor Nick because end of the day, I think when his team is down, his team is a little hurt, he's been able to help them out more, be more of a nurse, if you will, for his teams than Brown does. Like, what will Brown do for you? Not that much. I don't think he's gonna do that much. Am I gonna say he's a trash coach? I don't think either of these teams, like I don't think either of these coaches are trash. I just don't think they're overly stellar, to be honest. And then this game seven impact that I mentioned earlier for the 76ers. Look, they just had a game seven against the Celtics. And Joel Embiid looked like he was falling down, took some shots to the knee, had the ependectomy as well. Will the game seven impact the 76ers negatively? I asked the 76ers fan, what did he think? He said he felt like the longer the series, the worse chance they have. I understand where you're coming from. Again, I think this goes the distance. I think this goes seven. Could either team win in six? Yes. But I genuinely believe, in a slight hope, that they go to seven because this should be a phenomenal series to watch. Because honestly, whoever wins that one could very easily win it, come out of it could come out of the East. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that does conclude the end of the episode. So again, we talked about the power rankings. I told you of the order, one through eight, Thunder, Spurs, Knicks, 76ers, Pistons, Wolves, Cavs, Lakers. And then after that, I told y'all about the series. Thunders vs Lakers, 4-1. Spurs versus Wolves, 4-2. 76ers versus Knicks, 4-3. Pistons versus Cavs, 4-2. I've already told y'all who I think is going to win as well, too. So it was the first team that I mentioned, actually. But, ladies and gentlemen, I'm curious your thoughts. Let me know in the comment section below. Who do y'all have for the power rankings for the playoffs? And who do you have winning the series? If you want to throw in something like your X Factors, too, I'm welcome to hear it. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, 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. I hope you are all having a good one. Take care.