Wednesday's NBA matchups: Magic-Pistons, Thunder-Suns are set for Game 2s

DETROIT (AP) — The NBA playoffs become chess matches for coaches.

After wins and losses, they work on adjustments during practices to address problems from the previous game and attempt to predict counter moves opponents will make in the next matchup.

In the Orlando-Detroit series, coaches Jamahl Mosley and J.B. Bickerstaff are close friends who have intentionally spent time together off the court and communicated frequently for a couple decades.

Just not right now.

“We won’t talk for the rest of this series,” Mosley said.

The Mosley-led, eighth-seeded Magic upset the Bickerstaff-led, first-seeded Pistons 112-101 on Sunday night.

“Friends as close as us don’t typically get to these spots, having two of 30 jobs, so it’s special from that standpoint,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s not always the easiest because you know somebody’s got to lose, somebody’s got to win, but it’s competition and you get it.”

Game 2 is Wednesday night in Detroit, where the Magic will shoot for a 2-0 lead before the series shifts to Orlando.

Later on Wednesday night, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder will host eighth-seeded Phoenix. The defending champions will have a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after opening with a 119-84 win against the Suns.

Bickerstaff, in his last year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, eliminated Mosley and the Magic in their last NBA playoff matchup in a Game 7 of a first-round series in 2024.

It's business, not personal.

“We’ll always be friends, through thick and thin,” Mosley said. ”But at the end of the day when we cross the lines, it’s like you’re going into an octagon or a boxing match."

The 47-year-old coaches developed their friendship as up-and-coming assistants in the NBA about 20 years ago. They also shared a connection through Bickerstaff's father, Bernie, when he and Mosley were assistants together in Cleveland during the 2013-14 season.

Bernie Bickerstaff, who won 419 NBA games as a head coach, has joined his son in Detroit this week.

“I couldn't be more fortunate to have someone who has been through all the stuff that he's been through, and will talk with you honestly and purely with no agenda,” J.B. Bickerstaff said Tuesday after his father watched the team's practice. “It's a ton of help, just having him here.”

J.B. Bickerstaff, who previously coached in Houston, Memphis and Cleveland, is in his 10th season as a head coach in the league. Mosley is in his fifth year as an NBA head coach with the Magic.

Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault and Phoenix’s Jordan Ott are both 41, born less than a week apart in 1985.

The similarities seem to end there.

Daigneault, the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2024, has led the Thunder to the top seed in the Western Conference three straight years and guided them to their first NBA title last year.

"He’s just as committed to winning as we are,” Oklahoma City wing Jalen Williams said. “And he’s a basketball mind, so I think that makes everybody on the team respect him. And he’s cool to be around, too.”

Ott is in his first year as an NBA head coach and lost his playoff debut on Sunday. He said the Thunder are tough to prepare for because of their quality depth and ability to change lineups.

“They have guys ready, and they’re able to stay ready," Ott said. "It allows them to go a bunch of different ways.”

When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 7 p.m. EDT (ESPN)

Series: Magic lead, 1-0.

Betting line: Pistons by 9 1/2.

What to Know: Orlando hasn't started a series with two wins since 2010 when it swept Charlotte and Atlanta in the first two rounds and reached the conference finals. Detroit lost an NBA-record 11th straight home playoff game in Game 1 despite Cade Cunningham scoring a playoff career-high 39 points. The Magic did not trail in the opener as their starters scored at least 16 points apiece and allowed just two Pistons to score in double figures. Detroit All-Star center Jalen Duren, a finalist for Most Improved Player, was 3 of 4 and scored only eight points against Wendell Carter. “He kept Duren, basically, out of the game,” Magic guard Anthony Black said Tuesday.

When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 9 p.m. EDT (ESPN)

Series: Thunder lead, 1-0.

Betting line: Thunder by 17 1/2.

What to Know: Oklahoma City scored 119 points in Game 1 despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander making only 5 of 18 field goals. The reigning MVP and finalist to win the award again made 55.3% of his shots this season. Phoenix will attempt to keep him off the line after he made 15 of 17 free throws. Dillon Brooks was 6 of 22 and scored 18 points for the Suns, who may want to get more shots for All-Star Devin Booker after he had 23 points on 17 shots. Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren finished second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year behind Victor Wembanyama. The Suns shot 34.9% in the series opener.

AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, right, argues with referee Kevin Scott (24) during the first half in Game 1 against the Orlando Magic in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gives instructions to his team during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the Phoenix Suns, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott gives instructions during the second half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley shouts at his team during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Detroit Pistons Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) discusses a play with Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, left, during the first half in Game 1 against the Orlando Magic in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Senate Republicans who were berated by President Donald Trump over opposition to his war in Iran held a late-night vote Wednesday to try to appease him, rejecting a war powers resolution a day after a similar measure passed.

Trump harangued GOP senators face-to-face earlier in the day for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran on Tuesday, further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues.

Also, congressional Democrats called for investigations Wednesday into renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the ongoing drama over the president’s problem-plagued, $16 million rehabilitation project continued to roil the capital.

Heres' the latest:

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rose to a new three-year high in May as gas prices peaked, a sign rising costs could pose political problems for President Trump as midterm elections near.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that consumer prices rose 4.1% in May from a year earlier, the largest annual increase since April 2023. On a monthly basis, inflation was 0.4% last month, matching April’s increase and down from 0.7% in March.

The increase was largely driven by more expensive gas, as well as pricier semiconductors and other computer equipment that are in high demand for the AI buildout. Rising prices have caused the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve to keep their key rate unchanged this year, a reversal from January when they had penciled in two cuts. Some economists forecast the central bank could lift rates this year instead.

▶ Read more

Congressional Democrats called for investigations Wednesday into renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the ongoing drama over the president’s problem-plagued, $16 million rehabilitation project continued to roil the capital.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate demanded answers about the saga that’s been highlighted in the news cycle for weeks, even as the White House has repeatedly blamed — without evidence — unidentified vandals for peeling paint and other problems. Six people have been arrested, President Donald Trump said, without providing details, and a local wildlife nonprofit conducted necropsies on dead ducks found near the Reflecting Pool. The president has said the pool may need to be drained once again for additional repairs.

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, challenged the Trump administration over no-bid contracts for work on the Reflecting Pool, saying they were awarded to vendors with previous relationships to Trump.

▶ Read more

Senate Republicans who were berated by President Donald Trump over opposition to his war in Iran held a late-night vote Wednesday to try to appease him, rejecting a war powers resolution a day after a similar measure passed.

Trump harangued GOP senators face-to-face earlier in the day for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran on Tuesday, further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber’s business to a halt. He exchanged particularly harsh words with Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of four Republicans who had voted with Democrats on the measure.

Hours later, though, Cassidy was invited to receive a personal briefing on the war at the White House from Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff. Cassidy then returned to the Capitol to vote against a separate but nearly identical war powers resolution.

▶ Read more

President Donald Trump stands on stage after speaking at the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump waves after speaking at the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)