Winners (Jayson Tatum) and losers (Rockets) from NBA playoff Game 1s

The first weekend of the 2026 NBA playoffs has wrapped up, with each first-round series having one game completed. And, thus far, every higher seed has taken care of home-court advantage, but the playoffs are a long haul and series can change on an instant. This may be disappointing to the rest of the league, but arguably no team was as impressive as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder , who dominated in their postseason opener.

So what, exactly, can be gleaned from the early games of the playoffs? Plenty. Here are the winners and losers from the first weekend of the 2026 NBA playoffs: WINNERS Jayson Tatum What he’s doing, 11 months removed from a torn Achilles, is nothing short of spectacular.

Tatum shined in his return to the playoffs, posting an all-around efficient game of 25 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. His day would’ve been even better had he not shot 1-of-7 from 3-point range, but Boston looked every part of a legitimate threat in the East in its commanding win Sunday over Sixers . Knicks defensive versatility Speaking of contenders in the East, the Knicks sent a message Saturday against an upstart Hawks squad that can generate offense from different sources.

New York harassed the Hawks , deploying Josh Hart on Jalen Johnson, which allowed OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to fly around the perimeter and smother other weapons. Even Karl-Anthony Towns made his presence felt with a team-high 3 blocks. The Nuggets-Timberwolves series This is, by far, the gem of the round.