On April 16 Beijing time, the Professional Basketball Writers Association announced that Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has won the 2025-26 season Rudy Tomjanovich Award. This award honors NBA head coaches who demonstrate excellent on-court coaching while actively cooperating with media and treating fans with kindness. This season, Bickerstaff led the Pistons to a record of 60 wins and 22 losses, securing the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

On April 16 Beijing time, according to ESPN sources, A'ja Wilson, the first player in WNBA history to win four regular-season MVP awards, has signed a three-year, $5 million super-max contract with the Las Vegas Aces, staying with the team. This contract is the largest ever in WNBA history, fully guaranteed, and was negotiated and finalized by agent Jed Lee English of Koch Sports Group.

Here comes Guangdong Team's new foreign player. A well-known domestic basketball platform reports: Guangdong Team has signed Nicholas Rakosevich. This guy was born on December 31, 1997, stands 2.10 meters tall and weighs 103 kilograms, possesses certain shooting ability. Throughout his CBA career so far, he averages 20.7 minutes per game, contributing 14 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1 block, averaging 0.5 three-pointers per game with a 26.1% shooting rate.

Amazing~ In the play-in game, Avdija shot 15 out of 22, scoring 41 points with an impressive ~68% shooting rate, plus 12 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks, leading the Trail Blazers to a 114-110 road victory over the Suns. They will now face the Western Conference's second-seeded Spurs as the seventh seed. In the three regular-season games against the Spurs this season, Avdija averaged 31.7 points, 7.

On April 15 Beijing time, NBA China officially released the latest jersey and team merchandise sales rankings, clearly reflecting the current popularity of NBA stars and teams in China, making star appeal and team market influence evident. On the player jersey sales list, Warriors' Curry topped the chart, becoming the star with the highest jersey sales this season.

On April 15 Beijing time, in the NBA play-in tournament, the Trail Blazers defeated the Suns to become the Western Conference's 7th seed, and their first-round opponent is the Spurs. The NBA official website published a preview of this series, predicting the Spurs will ultimately eliminate the Trail Blazers 4-1 and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

God mode~ Avdija, the newly crowned All-Star, shot 22 for 15, exploding for 41 points and 12 assists in a huge double-double. The Trail Blazers defeated the Suns 114-110 on the road, advancing to the playoffs as the Western Conference's seventh seed, ready to battle the Spurs led by Wenbanyama. Look at my little Yang's joy, full of admiration.

Ball made a layup with 4.7 seconds left for a quasi-game-winner, and Bridges sealed the win with a buzzer-beating block. The Hornets defeated the Heat 127-126 at home and will face the loser between the 7th and 8th seeds in the East in another play-in game to compete for the 8th seed playoff spot.

On April 15 Beijing time, in the NBA playoff play-in game, the Trail Blazers faced the Suns. The first quarter was very tight, with neither team able to pull away significantly. In the second quarter, the Trail Blazers surged ahead to overtake the lead, and by the end of the third quarter, they still held only a one-point advantage. Entering the decisive fourth quarter, the Suns initially built a large lead, but the Trail Blazers responded with a barrage of three-pointers to close the gap. Both sides fought fiercely until the final moments to determine the outcome.

Today, the Lakers have begun training to prepare for the first game of the series against the Rockets. Reaves also returned to the court, but he wore slippers and engaged in simple shooting drills. The team's first playoff preparation training concluded with Reaves hitting a corner three-pointer. Today, the Lakers reached what they call full roster status—meaning Reaves and Doncic are still absent. Redick reiterated that this situation will persist for some time.