NEW YORK (AP) — Matvei Michkov had a goal and two assists and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Friday night to move within one point of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Travis Sanheim and Alex Bump had a goal and an assist each and Owen Tippett also scored for Philadelphia. Dan Vladar finished with 20 saves. The Columbus Blue Jackets are also tied with the Flyers with 88 points.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for New York and Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves in his 10th straight appearance, but the Islanders lost their third straight in a tightly contested Eastern Conference playoff race.
Michkov fired a shot from behind the goal line off Sorokin’s pad early in the second period to give the Flyers a 3-0 lead.
Tippett opened the scoring, completing a forehand-backhand move off a pass from Sanheim with less than seven minutes remaining in the first period.
Bump extended the Flyers’ lead to two goals when he caught Sorokin out of position and sent a wrist shot just inside the post.
Pageau scored off a feed from Mathew Barzal with less than five minutes remaining in the second period to pull New York within 3-1.
Sanheim scored midway through the third period to restore Philadelphia’s three-goal lead and put the game out of reach.
BLUES 6, DUCKS 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Holloway scored a pair of power-play goals, Robert Thomas had a goal and two assists, and St. Louis kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a win over Anaheim.
Pius Suter and Colton Parayko each had a goal and an assist for St. Louis and Jonatan Berggren added a goal. Joel Hofer stopped 24 shots for the Blues, who pulled to within three points of the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference with seven games left.
Ryan Poehling had a goal and an assist, and Jeffrey Viel scored for the Ducks, who remain tied with Edmonton for first place in the Pacific Division but have lost four straight games. Lukas Dostal stopped 23 shots.
St. Louis extended a 3-2 first-period lead with two goals in the second. Tyler Tucker corralled a rebound behind the goal line and flicked a pass to Suter, who snapped a shot past Dostal for a 4-2 lead at the 3:08 mark. Parayko’s shot from the right circle beat Dostal glove-side for a 5-2 lead with 3:10 left.
Holloway’s power-play goal in the third made it 6-2.
The teams combined for five goals in the first period.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul George scored 23 points, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. each had 21 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-103 on Friday night.
Joel Embiid had 19 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in his return to the lineup to help the 76ers remain sixth in the Eastern Conference with five games to play.
Julius Randle and Bones Hyland each had 21 points for the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards struggled to eight points. Edwards was back in action after sitting out Thursday night in a 113-108 loss at Detroit due to illness. He missed 12 of 15 shots overall, including all seven 3-point tries.
Embiid, who didn’t play Wednesday night in a 153-131 victory at Washington due to illness, scored 13 points in the third period when the 76ers outscored Minnesota 42-24. The 76ers trailed 70-68 with 2:50 remaining in the period before scoring 15 of the final 16 points of the quarter to enter the fourth ahead 83-71. Maxey had six points during the stretch, and Quentin Grimes finished the spurt with back-to-back fast-break layups.
George’s 3-pointer with 6 1/2 minutes to play put Philadelphia ahead by a game-high 17 points. But Minnesota got as close as within six points in the final 1 1/2 minutes before Oubre put it away with consecutive 3-pointers.
HORNETS 129, PACERS 108
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 22 points, Kon Knueppel added 20 and Charlotte beat Indiana for its eighth victory in 10 games.
Miles Bridges scored 19 points and LaMelo Ball had 18 points and nine assists to help the Hornets improve to 42-26. Charlotte was 24 of 49 from 3-point range.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 30 points. The Pacers (18-59) had won two in a row.
The Hornets entered the night in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings — 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia and Toronto.
They left no doubt about this one.
Behind a flurry of early 3-pointers — including three in the first quarter from reserve Sion James — the Hornets raced to a 31-11 lead. Charlotte shot 14 of 27 from 3-point range in the first half to take a 69-50 lead.
Knueppel, who set the franchise record for 3s in a season Thursday night against Phoenix, finished 3 of 7 from beyond the arc and also showed versatility in his game with a coast-to-coast layup.
HAWKS 141, NETS 107
NEW YORK (AP) — CJ McCollum had 25 points and seven assists and surging Atlanta routed Brooklyn for its fourth straight victory and 18th in 20 games.
Fifth in the Eastern Conference at 45-33, the Hawks remained 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia and moved within 3 1/2 games of fourth-place Cleveland. Atlanta and Cleveland will play a home-and-set next week.
McCollum was 8 of 12 from the field, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Onyeka Okongwu scored 15 points.
Nic Claxton led Brooklyn with 16 points, and Malachi Smith had 15. The Nets lost their second straight to fall to 18-59.
Atlanta scored the first 10 points and led 35-17 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. It was 71-55 at the half, with McCollum scoring 16 points and Johnson 13. McCollum was 4 of 5 from the field in the half, hitting three 3-pointers without a miss.
KNICKS 136, BULLS 96
NEW YORK (AP) — OG Anunoby scored 31 points, Mitchell Robinson had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and New York routed Chicago in a game they led by 47 points.
Anunoby was 9 for 15 from the field, including 7 for 10 from 3-point range, and Robinson made each of his seven shots starting in place of All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, who did not play because of a right elbow impingement.
All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson had 17 points and 10 assists to help the Knicks win their second consecutive game after dropping three in a row.
For New York (50-28), the blowout victory cemented its third consecutive season with at least 50 wins — a feat the club had not accomplished since the 1991-92 to 1993-94 campaigns. The Knicks lost the 1994 NBA Finals to Houston and were able to surpass the 50-win plateau the following season.
Collin Sexton had 19 points for the Bulls. They have lost their last six games and 10 of 12.
CELTICS 133, BUCKS 101
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 26 points, Jayson Tatum added 23, and hot-shooting Boston capitalized on another fast start in a victory over short-handed Milwaukee.
Tatum was an assist shy of his second straight triple-double despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter of a game the Celtics never trailed. He had 11 rebounds and nine assists Friday after collecting 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists Wednesday in a 147-129 triumph over the Miami Heat.
In the Miami game, Boston scored 53 points in the opening period — its highest first-quarter point total in franchise history. The Celtics didn’t quite match that Friday, but they made eight of their first nine 3-point attempts and led 43-26 after the opening period.
That represented the most first-quarter points Milwaukee had allowed all season.
Boston remained 2 1/2 games ahead of the New York Knicks in the competition for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Celtics are four games behind the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.
Neemias Queta had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who shot 56.2% overall and 17 of 37 from 3-point range. Derrick White scored 17, Payton Pritchard 16 and Sam Hauser 13.
Taurean Prince scored 18 points to lead Milwaukee. Pete Nance had 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
ROCKETS 140, JAZZ 106
HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 25 points and Houston won its fifth straight game, beating Utah.
Durant shot 8 of 12 from the field and added five assists. It was the 45th time this season he’s scored 20 or more points while shooting 50% or better. That’s second among NBA players behind Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has done it 47 times.
Amen Thompson had 21 points and Alperen Sengun scored 19 for the Rockets (48-29), who clinched a playoff spot Thursday. They are a game behind Denver for fourth place in the Western Conference.
Cody Williams led the Jazz with 27 points and 11 rebounds, but they shot just 5 of 27 from behind the 3-point line.
Utah (21-57) has lost eight consecutive games and 12 of 13.
RAPTORS 128, GRIZZLIES 96
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 25 points, Brandon Ingram had 17 points and seven rebounds and Toronto built a first-half lead, extended it in the third and coasted to a victory over Memphis.
Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, the ninth overall pick last summer, added 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting to help Toronto snap a two-game skid. Murray-Boyles had a career-high 20 points against Sacramento on Wednesday night.
Trying to avoid the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, Toronto remained seventh in the standings, through it has the same record as sixth-place Philadelphia.
GG Jackson led Memphis with 30 points, and Cedric Coward had 15. The Grizzlies lost for the eighth time in nine games. Jackson was 10 of 16 from the field.
A 13-4 run by Toronto to end the first half gave the Raptors a 59-41 lead at the break. The advantage would stretch to 31 near the five-minute mark of the third, and reach 33 in the fourth quarter.
MAGIC 138, MAVERICKS 127
DALLAS (AP) — Wendell Carter Jr. scored 28 points and Orlando beat Dallas, overcoming a 51-point showing from rookie No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and handing the Mavericks their 14th consecutive loss at home.
Desmond Bane had 27 points as the Magic remained a half-game behind eighth-place Charlotte in the Eastern Conference. Orlando is safely in the play-in tournament with an outside shot at the top six and automatic entry into the East playoffs.
Coach Jason Kidd and Maji Marshall were ejected seconds apart early in the fourth quarter for the lottery-bound Mavericks, who are on their longest home losing streak at 25-year-old American Airlines Center. Dallas lost the first 19 games of the 1993-94 season at since-demolished Reunion Arena.
Flagg was caught up in the disagreement that led to Kidd’s ejection, drawing his own technical foul before Kidd went onto the court apparently to protest the same non-call that drew Flagg’s ire.
The 19-year-old responded with 24 points in the fourth quarter to become the youngest in NBA history with a 50-point game.
The NBA is investigating the Milwaukee Bucks and their handling of its player participation policy as it relates to their best player.
The league is not only looking into possible policy violations, but also the inconsistent statements regarding the health of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The league has already interviewed Antetokounmpo, members of the Bucks and the team’s doctors, a person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.
Antetokounmpo has not played since March 15, and the team has struggled during the absence of its star player.
The Bucks ruled Antetokounmpo out for the game against the Houston Rockets on April 2 with left knee hyperextension and a bone bruise. They were eliminated from playoff contention in late March, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Bucks co-owner and governor Wes Edens told ESPN that the team will likely pursue one of two outcomes regarding Antetokounmpo this offseason: either the team will sign the star to another extension, or he will be traded.
Antetokounmpo is eligible for a contract extension on Oct. 1.
NEW YORK (AP) — CJ McCollum had 25 points and seven assists and the surging Atlanta Hawks routed the Brooklyn Nets 141-107 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory and 18th in 20 games.
Fifth in the Eastern Conference at 45-33, the Hawks remained 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia and seventh-place Toronto and moved within 3 1/2 games of fourth-place Cleveland. Atlanta and Cleveland will play a home-and-set next week.
McCollum was 8 of 12 from the field, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Onyeka Okongwu scored 15 points.
Nic Claxton led Brooklyn with 16 points, and Malachi Smith had 15. The Nets lost their second straight to fall to 18-59.
Atlanta scored the first 10 points and led 35-17 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. It was 71-55 at the half, with McCollum scoring 16 points and Johnson 13. McCollum was 4 of 5 from the field in the half, hitting three 3-pointers without a miss.
There’s renewed hope among the United Kingdom’s Test hopefuls that County Championship success will translate to national selection following the recent Ashes disaster, which served as a wake-up call for the England team hierarchy.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Sandra Abstreiter made 39 saves her first PWHL shutout, Kaitlin Willoughby scored twice and the Montreal Victoire beat the Ottawa Charge 3-0 on Friday night to take the league lead.
Abby Roque also scored for the Victoire (14-4-2-5) in front of a crowd of 17,114 fans at Canadian Tire Centre.
Gwyneth Philips stopped 23 shots for the Charge (6-7-1-11). Ottawa returned home after playing a record six straight road games.
The Victoire have already clinched a playoff spot, while the Charge are fighting to get into the final playoff position.
NEW YORK (AP) — Matvei Michkov had a goal and two assists and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Islanders 3-1 on Friday night to move within one point of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Travis Sanheim and Alex Bump had a goal and an assist each and Owen Tippett also scored for Philadelphia. Dan Vladar finished with 20 saves. The Columbus Blue Jackets are also tied with the Flyers with 88 points.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for New York and Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves in his 10th straight appearance, but the Islanders lost their third straight in a tightly contested Eastern Conference playoff race.
Michkov fired a shot from behind the goal line off Sorokin’s pad early in the second period to give the Flyers a 3-0 lead.
Tippett opened the scoring, completing a forehand-backhand move off a pass from Sanheim with less than seven minutes remaining in the first period.
Bump extended the Flyers’ lead to two goals when he caught Sorokin out of position and sent a wrist shot just inside the post.
Pageau scored off a feed from Mathew Barzal with less than five minutes remaining in the second period to pull New York within 3-1.
Sanheim scored midway through the third period to restore Philadelphia’s three-goal lead and put the game out of reach.
Simon Holmstrom returned to the Islanders’ lineup after missing the previous game against the Buffalo Sabres with an upper-body injury. Anthony Duclair was a healthy scratch.
Up next
Flyers: Host the Boston Bruins on Sunday.
Islanders: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
The Knicks started Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls on a 20-1 run and never looked back in a 136-96 win.
Takeaways
No Karl-Anthony Towns (right elbow impingement), no problem. Mitchell Robinson was fresh off missing Wednesday's 130-119 win at the Memphis Grizzlies and delivered with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double in 22 minutes. Robinson made all seven field goals and four free throws, flirting with his season-high 21 points from New York's Dec. 19 game against the Philadelphia 76ers as he took advantage of an opportunity to start at center.
Another Knick who returned from inactivity, Jalen Brunson, was aggressive and efficient early while taking a step back from the scoring and facilitating more with 10 assists in 29 minutes. Brunson's 17-point double-double included 6-of-13 shooting, looking strong in his return from right ankle soreness and doing what he should have for New York (50-28) against lowly Chicago (29-47).
OG Anunoby continues to trend up. After scoring 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting Wednesday in Memphis, Anunoby dropped a game-high 31 against the Bulls. He did so on 9-of-15 shooting, including a 7-for-10 clip from deep, and made all six of his free throws in 28 minutes. Anunoby's seven made treys are a season-high figure for the wing, who drilled four triples on eight attempts two days ago and is coming alive for the Knicks -- albeit against subpar competition -- down the stretch.
Mike Brown dug deep into New York's bench as he played nine Knicks beyond his starting five, including first-quarter minutes for Jeremy Sochan, among others. Landry Shamet and Tyler Kolek led the Knicks off the bench with eight points apiece. Meanwhile, Miles McBride scored six points on a 2-of-4 mark behind the arc with two steals in 12 minutes off the bench as he works his way back from mid-February surgery and this past week's injury scare. McBride missed Wednesday's game but seemed to bounce back nicely Friday.
Who's the MVP?
Robinson, whose opening layup and 10 first-quarter points set the tone with a physical start for the Knicks in the absence of Towns.
The Knicks, who have now won 50 games in three consecutive regular seasons, get the weekend off before they embark on their final road game of the regular season with Monday's 7 p.m. tipoff at the Atlanta Hawks.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: Nolan Traore #88 of the Brooklyn Nets drives to the basket as Onyeka Okongwu #17 of the Atlanta Hawks defends in the first half at Barclays Center on April 03, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Hawks have had three seasons in one. They started with Trae Young, Kristaps Porziņģis, and as a team so unanimously picked as a “dark horse” in the East, the label eventually stopped fitting. Then, they were lost, going through a 5-13 stretch and reckoned with trading the face of the franchise. A few weeks later, they did it, went 26-12, and got right to where we expected them to be, just for entirely different reasons.
The Nets? They’ve had one stagnant, numbing, gray campaign. It’s almost at an end, and that’s undoubtedly for the better.
Brooklyn started tonight with Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Terance Mann, Noah Clowney, and Nic Claxton. The latter two almost didn’t suit up, tagged with wrist and ankle soreness earlier in the week, but came off the injury report a few hours before the game. Their presence on the floor, however, didn’t offer much of a lift.
Less than a minute into the game, Jordi Fernández was already hoping for a restart. He called a timeout 58 seconds deep after Claxton and Traoré got confused on who needed to cover CJ McCollum in the corner after a simple pick-and-roll set. That only briefly stalled what became a trampling 25-8 run for Atlanta to start the game. Brooklyn also turned it over five times on their first 14 possessions.
“Poor executing on our end,” Fernández said. “Played this team four times. We just were not good enough, starting with the guys that bring the ball up the floor, tried to get us into something organized, it was very poor.”
Once more, the Nets looked to their understudies for a spark, and got it via Malachi Smith. In five minutes spanning the end of the first and start of the second period, the Long Island product went 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from deep to pull Brooklyn to within four early in the second. He could have had even more, had the first period been another half second longer…
Didn't count, but what a play. Josh Minott goes Odell. Malachi Smith puts it in. pic.twitter.com/hLlNpAdK72
“Our coaches say to find windows, because they are so aggressive, trying to steal the ball, play passing lanes,” Smith said. “Sometimes they can’t see who they’re guarding. So just, you know, kind of as a shooter, finding spots where, like they’re not. You know, little windows that are open for me.”
Of the Long Island call-ups, Smith’s been one of the most productive, and that continued tonight.
“I think just the mentality is leave to it all on the floor,” he said. “I’m someone that has been praying for this opportunity and working for this opportunity for years. So, I’m not going to take any minute for granted. I always tell myself I don’t care if I get one in or 10 minutes, I’m going to be able to go to sleep at night knowing I played as hard as I can, and then whatever happens after that, I can know I can live with the results.”
That jolt helped the Nets hang around, down 10, for much of the second. But even as Traoré got back the occasional steal and Terance Mann hit the occasional a jumper, Brooklyn couldn’t get any closer. The turnovers continued to stack and naturally progressed into fast break offense for Atlanta. The Hawks ran for 20 transition points in the first half and had 23 off turnovers. They led 71-55 at the break, posting .558/.526 splits.
Clowney and Claxton started the second half far better on both sides of the floor. Brooklyn wasn’t as over-zealous throwing two at the ball as we’ve seen before, but seemed allergic to stopping entry passes and the shots that followed in the opening two frames. But in the third, they were on time and on task getting vertical, collectively forcing three straight misses inside to begin the period. They also scored Brooklyn’s first eight points in it.
However, right as things were getting started for Clowney, they were over. With 5:37 left in the third, he got wrapped up with Mouhamed Gueye on a loose ball, who kept him pinned on the ground for a handful of seconds after a jump ball had been called. After the “play,” if you can even call it that, Clowney got up and continued jawing at Gueye and the officials. The latter gave him a second technical and ejected him.
So, now swiftly turned away from the prospect of getting production from their veterans, the Nets went back to what originally worked. Smith hit another pair of triples soon after that, making it a 10-point game yet again with just under three remaining in the third.
And again, when the Nets were ready to try and make this one a game, they were turned away. A flurry of threes McCollum, Cory Kispert, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker pumped the lead closer to 20 early in the fourth. All game, Brooklyn waited for Atlanta to cool off, but that moment never came. The Hawks shot 20-40 from three for the night, guiding the Nets to another quiet loss despite a near .50/.40 game.
In place of competitive basketball, we had another tryout from Long Island as our entertainment down the stretch.
Tre Scott, who signed a 10-day earlier this week, came in with 7:42 remaining. It was the first NBA appearance by the 29-year-old since the 2021-22 season. He finished with six points and two rebounds on 2-3 shooting in those minutes.
Tre Scott gets his first two points back up at the NBA level.
Despite sitting in the fourth quarter yet again, Claxton led the Nets with 16 points while shooting 7-10 from the field, grabbing five boards, and dishing two dimes. Smith followed him with 15 points while shooting 5-8 from the field. Traoré grinded his way to a 13/4/2 game. On the bright side, after having three straight games of four or more turnovers, he had just two this evening.
Still, Fernández indicated that the young guard left a little bit out there.
“He has taken advantage of some minutes, but not all of them,” Fernández said. “So, he has to have the mindset of taking advantage of all the minutes in place, especially right now, at this moment, these minutes, they’re very, very viable. Got to continue to coach him…If you remember, up to the All-Star break, he had a pretty impressive stretch of games, and sustaining, it’s not about the points, it was like the energy, how he communicated, everything else that he created. Right now, I haven’t seen it consistently.”
In fairness, the coach has acknowledged before that Traoré is feeling the effects of the “rookie wall.” He hinted at that again tonight. Indeed, perhaps Traoré is just tired. Perhaps we all are.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of games is. The experience, he needs to go through it to be able to come back, work, get stronger, and be able to sustain,” Fernández said. “Mentally, the NBA, it’s very, very, very hard in that regard. You see guys that have done it for many years, so they’re, in that regard, ahead of you, but sometimes with our guys, if I do get frustrated, it’s because I believe they’re very good, and I do believe he’s a high level point guard. We all think, ‘Well, he’s young, he’ll be able to do it.‘ And in my mind, I don’t are about how young he is. I know he can do it right now. So that will always be my fight.”
Five to go.
Final: Atlanta Hawks 141, Brooklyn Nets 107
Milestone Watch
Malachi Smith’s 15 points tonight against Atlanta are his second-most career points (high is 18 vs. SAC, 3/22) and most career 3-pointers made (previous high was three vs. SAC, 3/22)
With Smith’s four 3-pointers tonight, he is tied for the most by an undrafted rookie in a game in Nets history (Chris Childs, 03/18/1995 at NY, Billy Thomas, 02/09/2005 vs LAL, and Tyson Etienne, 04/10/2025 vs ATL).
Egor Speaks on VC and Development
It was Egor Dëmin’s turn to speak with the YES crew during tonight’s game. The rookie, ruled out for the rest of the season as he manages plantar fascia in his left foot, spoke with Sarah Kustok and Noah Eagle during the third quarter. He touched on how he’s worked with Vince Carter, his injury recovery, the development of Brooklyn’s team, and more.
More from Egor on Vince and how he, plus other basketball icons, have given him material to learn from this season. #NETSonYESpic.twitter.com/VNsnJAmmH0
The full interview can be found on gothamsports.com for those with a subscription.
Injury Update
Pregame, Fernández essentially said Michael Porter Jr. and Danny Wolf will not return this season. MPJ hasn’t played since March 10th having suffered a left hamstring strain. Wolf last played on March 22nd, where he rolled his ankle in a loss vs the Kings. The team diagnosed him with a left ankle sprain.
“Based on where we are right now and based on where they’re at with their rehab, and we only have one week left, they’ll be out just from where they are,” Fernández said.
Remarking on their seasons, Fernández praised Wolf’s versatility and shared that he’s looking forward to how he progresses as a sophomore.
“Danny, from shooting the ball to playmaking to rebounding to being that primary ball-handler, playing off the ball, all those things, different lineups, which I’m very happy with him,” Fernández said. “Obviously efficiency is important. We believe he’s a very good shooter. His playmaking efficiency has gotten better from college. And then defensively, I think you guys brought the point that he surprised a lot of people. He didn’t surprise us. We felt like he could do all those things and keep bodies in front, keep guys in front of the ball and guard smaller guys. So he’s been very, very good.”
Fernández also reached back for one final shot at the voters who snubbed Porter Jr. of an all-star bid this year.
“He’s played at an All-Star level. In my opinion, he should have been an All-Star,” Fernández said. “And now I want him to come back here and have a chip on his shoulder, lead the team the way he’s been doing the same way. That was a new thing for him, to lead by example and be the oldest guy. He went from being the youngest guy, or since I was with him, 19 all the way to 27, and now all of a sudden at 27 he’s a vet. So that was an adjustment. He’s done a great job, whether he used his voice or led by example.”
Next Up
The tank – ing Super Bowl takes place on Sunday afternoon at the Barclays Center. The Nets will host the Washington Wizards at 3:00 p.m. ET. Your guess as to who plays is as good as mine, but household names will surely sit out, as will the guys pictured above. If the Nets lose, they’ll tie the Wiz Kids in first place for lottery standings with four games remaining. Have fun!
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’s healthy and wants to play even as the Milwaukee Bucks continue to say the two-time MVP is too injured to take the floor.
Antetokounmpo missed a 10th straight game on Friday night against the Boston Celtics due to what the team has described as a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since landing awkwardly during a March 15 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
“I’m healthy,” Antetokounmpo told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Athletic before Friday’s game. “I hate it when people force me to do things against my nature. I’m a player. I get paid to play.”
For the last couple of weeks, Antetokounmpo has participated in pregame warmups without showing any apparent signs of injury.
Antetokounmpo also noted that the Bucks should have known this about him since the 31-year-old has spent his entire 13-year career in Milwaukee.
Throughout that time, Antetokounmpo has had a reputation for rapid returns from injury, most notably when he hyperextended his knee during Milwaukee’s 2021 playoff run but missed two games before returning to lead the Bucks to their first title in half a century.
“You know who you’re dealing with,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “So, for somebody to come and tell me to not play or to not compete, it’s like a slap in my face.”
Bucks coach Doc Rivers addressed Antetokounmpo's comments after the 133-101 loss to Boston.
“The tough part about all this is that I’m in the middle and I have nothing to do with it,” Rivers said. “Coaches don’t decide any of this. The problem with our league is the coaches are the ones sitting out front. And we have to sit here and answer this stuff. I think there are two sides to this, I will tell you that, but I don’t want to get too involved in it.”
The Bucks still had a remote chance of earning a 10th straight playoff berth at the time of that Indiana game, but they were officially eliminated from contention last week. There’s also the possibility of Antetokounmpo getting hurt again if he returns to action — he has missed a career-high 41 games this season and had two extended absences due to calf strains.
“I understand the circumstances — yes, we’re not going to be in the playoffs,” Antetokounmpo said. “For some people’s eyes, it’s not worth it for me to be out there. But for me, it’s something that goes against my nature.”
Rivers said he has a “great relationship” with Antetokounmpo and that he often talks to the superstar about what to work on and what to add to his game. Rivers added that he didn't like the “he-said, she-said” nature of this dispute and added that “this is a grown man's game, and it should be handled that way by everybody.”
“I just don’t like that this is so public," Rivers said. "This is where grown men get in a room and they talk it out. Whether they agree or disagree, that doesn’t matter. But this should not be public, and I don’t like that.”
Antetokounmpo also wanted the opportunity to play alongside his younger brother, Alex, who made his NBA debut Tuesday. There was a possibility of three Antetokounmpo brothers playing alongside each other in the same game, since Giannis’ older brother, Thanasis, also is on the Bucks.
“When my dad passed away, I pretty much raised (Alex),” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s able to be on the team and suit up and chase an opportunity to be great. You really think I don’t want to suit up and play with my brother? Anybody who thinks that is an idiot.”
Thanasis and Alex both played in the closing minutes Friday night, the first time the two brothers had played together in an NBA game.
“The Player Participation Policy was designed by the league to hold teams accountable and ensure that when an All-Star like Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy and ready to play, he is on the court,” the union said in a statement. “Unfortunately, anti-tanking policies are only as effective as their enforcement; fans, broadcast partners, and the integrity of the game itself will continue to suffer as long as ownership goes unchecked. We look forward to collaborating with the NBA on meaningful new proposals that will directly address and discourage tanking.”
This dispute between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks comes at a time when his future in Milwaukee is uncertain. Antetokounmpo’s name dominated league-wide discussions leading up to the trade deadline, though the Bucks ultimately kept him.
Antetokounmpo becomes eligible to sign a four-year contract extension worth up to $275 million in October. If he doesn’t sign the extension, Antetokounmpo could become a free agent after the 2026-27 season, or the Bucks could decide to trade him beforehand.
Now they find themselves at odds over how to handle the rest of this season.
“I don't think there's a bad person in this group - none of the guys that I'm talking about,” Rivers said. “They're all good people. But we've got to figure out how to put good people on the same page, and it stays inside. I've never been a fan of negotiating in the media. I don't think it's good for anybody.”
Antetokounmpo had his own take on how this could be resolved.
“I don’t know where the relationship goes from there,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’ve got to go to couples therapy.”
NEW YORK (AP) — CJ McCollum had 25 points and seven assists and the surging Atlanta Hawks routed the Brooklyn Nets 141-107 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory and 18th in 20 games.
Fifth in the Eastern Conference at 45-33, the Hawks remained 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia and seventh-place Toronto and moved within 3 1/2 games of fourth-place Cleveland. Atlanta and Cleveland will play a home-and-set next week.
McCollum was 8 of 12 from the field, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Onyeka Okongwu scored 15 points.
Nic Claxton led Brooklyn with 16 points, and Malachi Smith had 15. The Nets lost their second straight to fall to 18-59.
Atlanta scored the first 10 points and led 35-17 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. It was 71-55 at the half, with McCollum scoring 16 points and Johnson 13. McCollum was 4 of 5 from the field in the half, hitting three 3-pointers without a miss.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 3: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves goes to the basket against Joel Embiid #21 and Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 3, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“We realized it was a basketball game, not a football game,” Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori said coming out of the locker room at halftime on the television broadcast on Friday night.
Nori, his usual entertaining self during halftime interviews, was referring to an abominable first quarter in which the Wolves shot just 2-14 from three and traded bricks with the home Philadelphia 76ers.
Donte DiVincenzo was struggling, Ayo Dosunmu was scoreless at halftime, and Anthony Edwards was not himself. Yet with all of those things working against them, the Wolves still found themselves up at the half heading into the locker room on the back of a strong Bones Hyland performance (21 points in the game) and a steady Julius Randle game in all facets (21 points).
Up 10 points and in full control of the game at 10:51 in the third quarter, the 76ers would assemble a 17-4 run over the next four minutes, and end the quarter up 12 points. Both Tyrese Maxey (21 points) and Joel Embiid (19 points) had quiet first halves, but were large parts in spearheading that run. Maxey particularly was relentless in attacking downhill, and exposed a weak interior for the Wolves with Rudy Gobert off the floor.
“We started to play for the foul, and they got loose in transition,” coach Chris Finch said after the game.
Maxey’s downhill mentality and Embiid’s awakening would lead to a 52-40 Philly advantage in the paint, which would ultimately decide the game.
The good news? Dosunmu woke up in the second half. Hyland was his usual energetic self, and Julius Randle looks to be rounding into form at a time of year where his team needs it most.
The bad? The franchise player is still clearly not doing well. Until playoff time, that has to be the number one priority.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 3: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76erson April 3, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Get Well Soon
Frankly, there’s not much more to write about this one. The Wolves got outplayed and Anthony Edwards might have had his worst game of the season. If he makes a few more shots, we’re likely talking about this game being very different.
But it wasn’t the case. Edwards went 3-15 from the field and 0-7 from three, just his third game of the season where he failed to make a three pointer. Sitting out Thursday night due to an illness in addition to his knee soreness he’s been nursing for the last month or so, Edwards gutted it out and made his return on the tail end of a back to back.
Finch said after the game that he clearly lacked juice with some of the ailments that he had heading into the game, but that it wasn’t an excuse for an underwhelming performance. I apologize for the account I’m about to drop below, but they actually put a pretty solid montage together of some of the lowlights, including the missed dunk early in the game.
Not only was Edwards not active on either side of the ball and seemed to be out of it overall, but his jumper mechanics were extremely bad. He didn’t have much elevation or balance on his shot, which historically does show that something might be a little off.
There’s no question that his knee might still be bothering him a little bit, and that he’s still clearly a little under the weather. All likely affected his game this evening. But moving forward, his health must be a priority over everything else. If this version of his jumpshot is what ends up surfacing in a couple weeks, the Wolves will find themselves in trouble.
Up Next
The Wolves will head back to Target Center for an Easter Sunday track meet against the elite offense of the Charlotte Hornets. Fifth in the NBA in offensive rating this season and the likely Rookie of the Year in the fold, Charlotte presents a good test for the Wolves, but an opportunity to get a quality win to find themselves for the home stretch of the season.
Mar 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) reacts against the Boston Celtics in the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images | Mady Mertens-Imagn Images
The Hawks came out hot in Brooklyn — and as they should against a very inexperienced Nets squad. Within five minutes, it was 16-4 good guys, and it didn’t look like the home team could put up any fight.
Atlanta was basically a hot knife to the soft butter of Brooklyn. They diced up the defense with great ball movement like this:
At the halfway point of the first quarter, the lead was now 22-8 and the Hawks didn’t look as though they’d slow down.
And the rain of fire continued throughout the quarter save for a last-minute flurry from the Nets. The team lost their focus, and they let a 35-17 edge dwindle to 35-25 after one quarter.
Spanning the two quarters, the Hawks ceded a 14-0 run, and they had no one but themselves to blame. Poor execution on offense and a handful of ugly turnovers turned a blowout back into a competitive game.
The Hawks eventually got it together and proved they’re the better team in this matchup. Plays like this from Daniels helped stem the tide:
At that point, the Hawk maintained a roughly 10-point lead for a while as the Nets continued to hang in the game with transition points and downhill slashing.
The Hawks opened the game back up with a flurry of turnovers forced from the starting unit. Dyson Daniels, alone, had four steals, and those became fast break points more often than not.
A made three to begin the next quarter made it 15-for-30 shooting from three for the Hawks tonight. And the Hawks basically ended the game at the three-point lead within the first four minutes of the quarters, with Corey Kispert in particular swishing the nets (pun intended) at will:
It was a drama-less end to the game, with the Hawks waiving the white flag with around five minutes left. Asa even Newell saw his first NBA action in almost two months in the blowout.
The Hawks won 141-107 in a game that ended up being fairly close for over three quarters.
CJ McCollum had 25 points on an efficient 8-for-12 shooting. Jalen Johnson added 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
Atlanta returns home to take on the 3-seed New York Knicks on Monday.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 3: Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolveson April 3, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Don’t look now, but the Sixers haven’t just won two games in a row, they’ve won two third quarters in a row.
Philadelphia took down the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-103 Friday night.
They are now 43-34 and will remain in the sixth seed.
Paul George had the only good first half for Philly, leading them with 23 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
Tyrese Maxey came storming out of halftime to lead the Sixers with 21 points and eight assists shooting 7-of-13 from the floor. Joel Embiid was also able to shake off the first half to finish with 19 points and 13 rebounds going 6-of-17 from the floor.
VJ Edgecombe was never able to find much space, finishing with just eight points on nine shots. Bones Hyland and Julius Randle led the Wolves with 21 apiece.
Jaden McDaniels was out for the Wolves with a knee injury while the Sixers were only without Johni Broome (meniscus tear).
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
Despite getting some good looks the Sixers opened the game pretty sloppy. They had two turnovers, throwing the ball way behind its target. Embiid gave up a couple offensive rebounds and missed a couple shots that are normally automatic for him. Edgecombe and George both hit their first jumpers of the game, Maxey and Dominick Barlow were able to get out and run early, and Minnesota missed six of their first seven shots.
The Wolves did look like they had played the night before, but the Sixers defense was stellar to start the night, especially protecting the rim. They blocked several shots in the first — Maxey and Barlow each impressively denying a shot in transition. Embiid hit a jumper coming out of a timeout, but he still couldn’t find a rhythm. He had a three-point shot blocked and undid Maxey’s block by immediately turning it over. He was able to make up for that at least by swatting the following Wolves’ shot.
Barlow really was everywhere, pulling down seven rebounds in the quarter before having to sit with two fouls. George replaced him and broke down his defender off the dribble to nail a jumper on his first touch back before getting to the line the following possession. He tried to take Donte DiVincenzo off the dribble with the quarter winding down, but the ball got booted into the stands, a good summary of the offensive production from both teams so far. DiVincenzo hit a corner three on the other end to pull Minnesota within two.
Second Quarter
More solid stuff from George to start the second as he got himself a pull-up, found a cutting Adem Bona on the baseline, and got to the line again. The first player to get anything going offensively though was Bones Hyland. He ripped off 14 in the quarter, impressively drawing a foul on a floater before heating up from outside.
Kyle Anderson was also becoming a problem, getting a few floaters with that old guy at the YMCA bag. The Sixers’ offense had dried up despite a Maxey and Embiid lineup taking the floor. They went over three minutes without a basket in the half court. To pile on Embiid was grabbing his side after a Julius Randle drive, Maxey was favoring his back after getting tied up on a jump ball with Ayo Dosunmu, and George was bonked on the head by Rudy Gobert incidentally going up for a rebound.
Embiid’s 1-of-10 half would have looked a lot better if a couple shots didn’t rim out, but at the same time he was settling for a lot of jumpers. He only took three shots in the paint and was favoring his side for much of the second quarter, but the recovery he made to block a Dosunmu layup did look pretty good. George continued to be the only Sixer shooting it well though, and silly mistakes followed him as well such as getting T’d up for throwing the ball against the stanchion. After Anthony Edwards made that technical free throw, George hit two more as well to make it a six-point deficit at the break.
Third Quarter
On the first possession of the second half, Embiid made as many field goals as he had all first half, but Maxey came out of the half showing a bit more aggression. After he buried a three, he was able to get all the way to the rim for a layup. Another drive led to a wide open kick to Barlow but he couldn’t hit it. That remained the only flaw of Barlow’s night though as he was everywhere around the rim, swatting Gobert for his third block of the night.
Barlow was rewarded for those efforts immediately as Embiid hit him with a lob in transition. They were able to string a couple solid possessions on offense together and took the lead back after a George steal caused another fast break. That amounted to a 10-0 Sixers run that ironically was halted after the Sixers won a challenge to take possession back.
With the Sixers shooting under 20% from three for most of the night, anytime the Wolves made a couple in a row it looked like the game could get out of hand. Embiid and Maxey kept going back to their two-man game and it finally started to pay off for them. Maxey hitting shots early in the quarter opened up space for whichever one of the two was catching the drop off from the other. Feeling the need for more size, the Sixers played Embiid with Andre Drummond for the last couple minutes of the quarter. They held the Wolves to one point over that stretch, going on a 15-1 run to go up by 12.
Fourth Quarter
The minutes with just Drummond started a bit rockier. He gave up a few offensive rebounds, including one he had secured that Randle was able to turn into a jump ball. He did steal the ball off Edwards though, put back a dunk, and threw a nice hit ahead pass as Quentin Grimes was trying his hardest to push the pace. All in all, Drummond ended up being a +11 in his nine minutes of play.
It helped that the Wolves gave them of plenty of opportunities, but the Sixers constantly being able to get on the fast break is why they were able to pull away. It was the only time Edgecombe found space to do anything. Minnesota kept a lid on him in the half court for much of the night.
Right after he and Maxey checked back in, Embiid fouled Dosunmu on a three-point attempt, the four-point play making it just a 10-point game with still over four minutes to go. An ugly turnover by George allowed them to cut it to seven a few possessions later. Edgecombe was able to get to the basket for a layup, his best look in the half-court since the first possession of the game. Kelly Oubre Jr. did the same and got fouled in the processs, converting the and-1. Oubre answered four more Wolves points with a three in the corner and one more from the top of the key on the following possession to put the game away.
