Donovan Clingan-Stephon Castle First Round Preview
Despite a poor shooting performance (two points on 1-of-6 shooting, including 0-of-3 from three), Clingan was effective in many other ways after grabbing 11 rebounds, dished out three assists, and blocked three shots in 29 minutes of action to help the eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers defeat the seventh-seeded Phoenix Suns 114–110 on the road Tuesday night. With the win, the Blazers have advanced to the first round of the NBA postseason, where they will face Stephon Castle and the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs. Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock in San Antonio.
The Spurs and Blazers have faced each other seven times since Castle and Clingan were selected fourth and seventh overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Clingan has appeared in all seven contests, while Castle has played in only four, including just one this season. Their head-to-head record is tied at 2–2 heading into the opening-round series.
In the lone matchup this season back on January 3rd, Clingan scored a then-career-high 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three, along with 12 rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes. Castle scored 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting and went 6-of-7 from the free-throw line, adding five rebounds and nine assists in 37 minutes. The Blazers won the game in San Antonio, 115–110.
In three games against the Spurs this season, Clingan is 6-of-10 from three and has recorded two double-doubles. It is also worth noting that Victor Wembanyama did not play in any of the three matchups against the Blazers this season.
Here’s the Blazers–Spurs game chedule with tip-off times and TV info for the first four games:
- Game 1 in San Antonio: Sunday April 19th (9pm ET, NBC/Peacock)
- Game 2 in San Antonio: Tuesday April 21st (8pm ET, NBC/Peacock)
- Game 3 in Portland: Friday April 24th (10:30pm ET, Prime Video)
- Game 4 in Portland: Sunday April 26th (3:30pm ET, ESPN)
- Game 5 in Portland: Tuesday April 28th (TBD)**If necessary
- Game 6 in San Antonio: Thursday April 30th (TBD)**If necessary
- Game 7 in San Antonio: Saturday May 2nd (TBD) **If necessary
Andre Drummond/Tyrese Martin
In a game that featured seven combined technical fouls, Drummond recorded his third straight double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds as the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers defeated the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic 109–97 in the Play-In Tournament on Wednesday night. With the win, the 76ers advanced to the first round of the NBA playoffs, where they will face the second-seeded Boston Celtics in a best-of-seven series. Those 14 points included two three pointers along with two assists, three steals and three blocks in 31 minutes off the bench.
It has been a huge joy to watch Drummond’s emergence from the three-point line this season as he shot 35.6% on a career-high 32 made triples. Just look at his reaction, and his teammates’, after he hit the “Philly dagger!”
Two other notes: Tyrese Martin is on the 76ers playoff roster, but did not play in the win due to a coach’s decision. Also, 76ers star Joel Embiid was unavailable after having surgery for appendicitis last week.
Liam McNeeley
Thanks to a game-winning layup by LaMelo Ball, the ninth-seeded Charlotte Hornets defeated the tenth-seeded Miami Heat 127–106 on Tuesday night in Charlotte. McNeeley did not play due to a coach’s decision, but it is worth noting that the rookie is on the Hornets playoff roster.
The Hornets will now go on the road Friday and face the seventh seeded Orlando Magic at 7:30pm ET on Prime Video. The winner of that game will advance to face the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded Detroit Pistons in a best-of-seven series. Game 1 is set for 6:30pm ET on NBC/Peacock.
Tage Thompson
On Monday night, Thompson scored his 39th and 40th goals of the season in the Buffalo Sabres’ 5–1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. It marked the fourth time this season that Thompson recorded at least two goals in a single game. This also marks the second straight season, and the third time in the past four, that the former Husky has scored at least 40 goals in a season. Thompson’s career high came during the 2022–23 season, when he netted 47 goals.
Serah Williams
Williams became the 53rd former Husky drafted into the WNBA on Monday night when the Connecticut Sun selected her with the 33rd overall pick in the third round. However, her time with the Sun did not last long, as she was traded to one of the WNBA’s newest expansion teams, the Portland Fire, in exchange for Taylor Bigby and a future 2027 third-round pick. Williams joins Nika Mühl on the Fire roster, who was also recently acquired by the team in a trade with the Seattle Storm.
After three years with Wisconsin, Williams started 38 of 39 games this past season for the Huskies, averaging 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in her lone season with the team.
Of course, Azzi Fudd was selected first overall by the Dallas Wings and will once again be teammates with Paige Bueckers. For more on that story, check out our article from Monday night.
The Golden State… Huskies?
The Golden State Valkyries signed four former Huskies over the last few days, including Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes to multi-year contracts, as well as Kaitlyn Chen and Caroline Ducharme to training camp deals according to the team. Tiffany Hayes, who is currently a free agent, played for Golden State last season and helped lead the Valkyries to the playoffs in the franchise’s inaugural season. Hayes averaged 11.7 points and 3.0 assists per game while shooting just over 40.0 percent from three.
Gabby Williams spent the previous four seasons with the Seattle Storm and is coming off the best year of her career. She was named a WNBA All-Star for the first time and averaged career highs of 11.6 points and 4.2 assists per game, along with shooting 85.3 percent from the free-throw line, across a career-best 44 games.
After four and a half seasons and three WNBA championships with the Las Vegas Aces, Kiah Stokes is now a Golden State Valkyrie. Stokes averaged a career-low 12.9 minutes per game last season but will provide championship experience and a veteran presence to the Valkyrie’s locker room who will look to build off its first-round exit in last year’s playoffs.
Kaitlyn Chen and Caroline Ducharme will both be competing for roster spots after signing training camp deals with Golden State. Chen averaged 2.0 points in 10.3 minutes across 24 games during her rookie season with the Valkyries last year. Meanwhile, Ducharme, who went undrafted in Monday’s WNBA Draft, will also look to carve out a spot on the Valkyries’ roster. The Milton, Massachusetts native returned to the floor this past February for the Huskies after missing the majority of the previous two seasons due to severe concussion symptoms.
Azura Stevens
Azura Stevens (probably) said, “Let’s run it back!” The former Husky signed a three-year deal with the Chicago Sky per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, where she helped deliver the franchise’s first, and still only, WNBA championship back in 2021. Stevens recorded career highs of 12.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 38.1 percent from three last season with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Kia Nurse
Some things just make sense. So when I saw that Hamilton, Ontario native Kia Nurse signed a deal with the Toronto Tempo, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, it immediately felt right. Nurse has played for the Canadian national team since 2012, when she was on the FIBA Under-17 World Championship team. She has won gold twice and silver once at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup and also won gold at the 2015 Pan American Games. She has also been a three-time member of Team Canada’s Olympic team.
Nurse averaged 7.2 points per game in 44 games and is the first Canadian-born player to sign with the Tempo.
Tempo general manager Monica Wright Rogers said in a statement. "Kia represents everything this franchise stands for. She's a world-class athlete, a proven professional, and someone who has helped grow the game in Canada at every level. Having a Canadian player of her stature join Canada's first WNBA team is incredibly special, and it reinforces our commitment to building a team the entire country can rally behind."
Stefanie Dolson
After reuniting with the Washington Mystics for two seasons, the team that originally drafted her back in 2014, the two-time national champion and three-time All-American has struck a deal with the Seattle Storm per WNBA Reporter Khristina Williams. Dolson averaged a career-low 3.7 points in just 15.2 minutes per game over 43 games last season but should have an opportunity to make a greater impact for the Storm after they lost Gabby Williams in free agency and look to bolster their frontcourt depth.
Aubrey Griffin
After missing the entire 2025 season, Aubrey Griffin has signed her rookie-scale contract with the Minnesota Lynx per the team. Griffin, who was selected 37th overall in the third round of last year’s WNBA Draft, sat out last season while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on her left knee.
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