Bahamians Set for NBA Playoff Spotlight

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UNITED STATES – The NBA regular season is done and a trio of Bahamians are headed to the playoffs.

Sunday’s finale decided seeding and matchups.

The Hawks locked up the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference at 46-36 despite a 143-117 loss to the Miami Heat on the final day of the regular season.

Buddy Hield provided a major bright spot, scoring a game-high 31 points in just 21 minutes off the bench. He shot 12-18 from the field, 7-11 from three and had season highs across the board.

Atlanta now heads to Madison Square Garden to face the No. 3 New York Knicks Saturday night at 6 p.m. in Game One of their first-round series.

Out West, the Los Angeles Lakers closed the regular season with a 53-29 record to secure the No. 4 seed.

Deandre Ayton finished strong with 22 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in a dominant win over the Utah Jazz.

The Lakers now prepare for a first-round matchup against the No. 5 Houston Rockets.

Game One is Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. in L.A.

Meanwhile, VJ Edgecombe had nine points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in his Philadelphia 76ers’ 126-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the finale.

The 76ers finished 45-37 and will head to the Eastern Conference play-in as the No. 7 seed.

They will host the No. 8 Orlando Magic Wednesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

The winner advances as the seventh seed to face the No. 2 Boston Celtics, while the loser will get one more chance to fight for the final playoff spot.

NCAA Track and Field

The NCAA outdoor season continues and Bahamian athletes are making early season impressions with their respective clubs.

At the Spec Towns Invitational in Athens, Georgia, hosted by the University of Georgia, Keyshawn Strachan produced a clutch moment for the University of Nebraska, winning the men’s javelin on his final throw with a mark of 78.48 meters.

The Nebraska record holder and fifth-place finisher at last year’s NCAA Championships continues to build momentum after a 2025 season where he had multiple throws over 80 meters.

In Tampa, Florida, at the South Florida Invitational, DePaul’s Demetrius Rolle ran to a first-place finish in the men’s 100 meters with a winning time of 10.31 seconds.

Meanwhile, at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational at Cobb Stadium, Calea Jackson finished second with a personal best in the hammer throw at 58.65 meters.

And in Ohio, the Akron Zips dominated the Northeast Ohio Open.

Andrew Styles won the 100m in 10.64 seconds, while Amari Pratt took the women’s 100m in 12.16 seconds.

In the pros, but still competing at her alma mater, Charisma Taylor took first place in the 400m hurdles in 57.89 seconds at the Tennessee Invitational in Knoxville, Tennessee.

WBNA

Jonquel Jones is reportedly re-signing with New York on a new multi-year free-agent deal, keeping the Liberty’s championship-contending core together after last season’s run to the WNBA Finals.

Her return comes as the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association recently reached a new labor agreement, signaling continued growth and stability for the league.

New York has also been aggressive this offseason, highlighted by the addition of All-Star forward Satou Sabally, as the Liberty push to regain the title they won in 2024 when Jones was named Finals MVP.

Jones fought through injury troubles during the 2025 season but still delivered, averaging around 14 points, 9 rebounds and nearly 2 assists per game while remaining one of the league’s most dominant two-way bigs.

The five-time All-Star began her career with the Connecticut Sun in 2016 and was traded to New York in 2023.

The 30th WNBA season tips off May 8.