Magic players defiant amid criticism after KCP's hard foul on Tatum

Magic players defiant amid criticism after KCP's hard foul on Tatum originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It takes a lot to make Al Horford agitated. So, when the Boston Celtics veteran called out Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a hard foul that injured Jayson Tatum’s wrist — “There was something extra,” Horford said of the play — eyebrows were raised.

The Magic, it appears, couldn’t care less.

“That stuff really means nothing to me,” Orlando guard Cole Anthony said Wednesday ahead of Game 2 at TD Garden when asked about Horford’s comments, via Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “At the end of the day, if anything, I look at it like a positive because now we’ve got them complaining.

“We’ve just got to keep our same level of physicality and at the same time know nobody’s trying to take anybody out and hurt anybody. We all play this game the right way.”

The Magic, who ranked 28th in the NBA in points scored this season but first in scoring defense, rely on physicality and defensive effort to win games. And while that physicality has drawn the ire of opponents — Atlanta’s Trae Young recently pointed out that two of his Hawks teammates got injured while playing Orlando — Anthony said his team isn’t changing its approach.

“We’re going to keep mucking it up,” Anthony added. “You’re just giving us good feedback.”

Magic guard Cory Joseph also came to Caldwell-Pope’s defense, insisting there was no truth to Horford’s comments that there KCP delivered “something extra” to Tatum.

“It just seemed like a playoff foul to me,” Joseph told reporters, via Sports Illustrated’s Mason Williams. “He went for the ball, missed the ball, Jayson was pretty high up, got his arm. He didn’t come across his face or anything. I don’t think he did anything extra.”

Joseph then downplayed any notion that Orlando has been more physical than other teams competing in the playoffs.

“I’m watching all the games; I think all the games are pretty physical,” Joseph said. “I don’t think ours was any different last time, and I don’t expect it to be any different.

“Nobody’s out there trying to hurt anybody. Nobody wants anybody to be hurt. We’re all just playing hard, physical basketball.”

Caldwell-Pope offered a similar reaction Wednesday when asked about his foul on Tatum.

“Just a foul. Playoff basketball. That’s all I gotta say on it,” Caldwell-Pope told CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning. “I didn’t hear any comments (from Horford). I’m not worried about any comments. At the end of the day, this is how I play, this is how I’ve been playing in playoff basketball.

“A hard foul is a hard foul. I really don’t care what anybody says. I’m still gonna play how I play, how I’m supposed to play for my team at the end of the day.”

The result of that hard foul was a wrist injury to Tatum that could sideline Boston’s star player for Game 2 on Wednesday night. (The Celtics listed Tatum as doubtful on Tuesday.) And while the Celtics are a far more talented team that should win the series regardless of Tatum’s availability, the bigger concern for Boston against a physical club like Orlando is avoiding injuries to key players.

Based on comments from Anthony and his teammates, the Magic certainly don’t plan to tone down their physicality, which might be their only hope of making this a series. So, the Celtics should be prepared for more of Orlando “mucking it up” going forward.

Tip-off at TD Garden is set for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with NBC Sports Boston’s coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.

2025 NBA Playoffs results, highlights, recap Apr 22 including Luka, Lakers tying series, Bucks are in trouble

While the Lakers answered the questions in front of them before in Game 2 on Tuesday night, the Bucks just have more questions.

LAKERS 94, TIMBERWOLVES 85 (series tied 1-1)

After dropping Game 1 at home, the Lakers came out with the urgency of a desperate team.

Minnesota came out Tuesday night like they already had one in the bag and were comfortable.

The result was a first quarter that flipped the script on Game 1 — the Lakers were the physical, aggressive, defensive team and the Timberwolves were the ones struggling to deal with it. Los Angeles led by 16 after one quarter and hung on from there to get the 94-85 win behind 31 points from Luka Doncic.

Both sides can head into Game 3 thinking this series is theirs to take.

For Minnesota, their defense still has the Lakers stumbling — Los Angeles has averaged 94.5 points a game through the first two games of this series. While Doncic has played well, LeBron James and Austin Reaves have combined to shoot 5-of-24 from 3 and have been held in relative check.

Save for one bad half, the Timberwolves can say they have been the best team in this series, and now they head home where Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and the rest of the Timberwolves bench — as well as their shooters — should feel more comfortable.

For Los Angeles, it has found its urgency and defense, and they still have a couple of other gears on offense. Plus, as this series gets deeper and tighter, they have the proven winners in LeBron and Luka.

The next two games in this series are going to be wild.

PACERS 123, BUCKS 115 (Indiana leads series 2-0)

This was Andrew Nembhard’s night.

Nembhard was given the defensive assignment of Damian Lillard and held the All-Star in check in his return, allowing 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Milwaukee needed Lillard to be an offensive force (and keep all the pressure on Giannis Antetokounmpo) and that did not happen.

Nembhard also scored 17 points, was 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and hit a dagger 3-pointer with 1:11 left to help seal the Pacers' win.

Nembhard had a little help from Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton in the win.

"I think it's just doing your job. Winning at home is just doing your job,” Haliburton said postgame.

The Bucks are up against it and expect Doc Rivers to make a big move in Game 3 — could Brook Lopez (who has struggled this series) be benched in favor of Bobby Portis, who scored 28 in Game 2? Is there another bold move out there?

Rivers needs to do something to change the dynamic, or this series is going to be over quickly.

THUNDER 118, GRIZZLIES 99 (OKC leads series 2-0)

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Screenshot 2025-04-22 at 10.13.00 PM.png

Two stats to emphasize the point:

• OKC has led 92:58 in the two games of this series. Memphis has led 3:02.

• Counting the regular season and playoffs, the Thunder and Grizzlies have played six times this season, and Oklahoma City has won all six by an average of 24.2 points per game.

Plaschke: Lakers found true grit just when they needed it and silenced their critics

L Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt
Jarred Vanderbilt dives for the ball against Timberwolves forward Julius Randle in the fourth quarter. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

There, there. All better.

The Lakers recovered from a knee scrape of a playoff opener Tuesday to leap up and kick the stunned Minnesota Timberwolves in the teeth.

Now, now. That wasn’t so hard, was it?

In turning a dread-filled Crypto.com Arena into a place of joyous healing, the wounded Lakers survived a first cut, tied an opening series and saved an entire season with a 94-85 victory over Minnesota in Game 2 of the first round of the NBA playoffs.

What a difference an elbow makes.

One game after being wadded up and tossed aside like a hot dog wrapper by a Timberwolves team that was just hungrier, the Lakers pushed and shoved and fought their way into personifying a must win.

It involves a must jab. A must hook. A must knockout.

Read more:Lakers win a physically demanding Game 2 to even series with Timberwolves

It’s LeBron James running over people, Austin Reaves bouncing off people, Gabe Vincent slugging through people.

“We were physical,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick, who pleaded for this type of play after the Game 1 beatdown. “The playoffs require a different level.”

It took them two games, but they’ve reached that level, as epitomized Tuesday by Rui Hachimura battling into a face injury that initially required a mask, until he threw the mask aside and kept fighting, no room for a must injury on this mustiest of nights.

Hachimura only made four shots, but his 34 minutes set the tone for a game in which Luka Doncic’s 31 points seemed like an afterthought.

“[Hachimura] played like a warrior tonight, I'm sure that he is probably in the X-ray room right now,” Redick said. “But he did a lot of really good things. … There were a few plays that he made just getting deflections and disrupting plays … some plays at the rim that don't show up in the box score, but he was awesome.”

Only 7% of NBA teams that have fallen behind two-games-to-none have won that seven-game series, and the Lakers played like that stat, battering Minnesota in almost the exact opposite of the nightmare that was three days earlier.

Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo charges into Gabe Vincent.
Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo charges into Gabe Vincent. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

On Saturday the Timberwolves had shockingly won the playoff opener by 22 points. On Tuesday the Lakers outscored them by 22 in the first 16 minutes and were rarely seriously challenged again

On Saturday Minnesota’s Naz Reid had six treys and 23 points. On Tuesday he didn’t make a basket until the fourth quarter and finished with nine points.

On Saturday Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels had 25 points. On Tuesday he had three baskets.

On Saturday it appeared the Timberwolves could win this series, or at least push it deep into six or seven games. On Tuesday, not so much, the Lakers showing their clear dominance in every area backed by a legendarily springtime loud home crowd that annually shakes, rattles and rolls.

The series travels to Minnesota for games Friday and Sunday, at which point the guess here is that the Lakers will be fully in control.

Fans were waving souvenir white towels late Tuesday night, but it was clear that the Timberwolves were the ones in full surrender.

“I thought we looked at what we didn’t do so well, which was a lot of things in Game 1,” James said. “We took that to heart, we hold each other accountable, we make the adjustments and we had a better outing tonight. And now we have to be even better on Friday.”

There was one other notable difference between Game 1 and Game 2, and it involved the color on Redick’s face.

Rui Hachimura wore this mask for only a little while in Game 2.
Rui Hachimura wore this mask for only a little while in Game 2. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

On Saturday the Lakers rookie head coach had been publicly challenged after the opening loss by none other than Magic Johnson, who tweeted, “Coach JJ Redick did a great job all season but he didn’t do a good job for Game 1. The Lakers stood around on offense, played too much one-on-one basketball, and he didn’t make any necessary adjustments.”

On Tuesday, Redick’s mettle was directly tested during the only two times the outcome felt even remotely in doubt.

The first was midway through the third quarter, when the Timberwolves took advantage of the Lakers confusion to pull to within 11. A screaming Redick called a timeout and launched into a profane rant captured by the wonders of national television.

Yeah, he was mad, in a rage that turned his face beet red.

“Yeah, I've done that in a game a handful of times in six preseason games, 82 regular season,” said Redick.”It's not something that I'd want to do. It's not something I'm more than comfortable doing. But I think tonight it was just more about getting that urgency button switched back on.”

The Lakers could have collapsed under the internal pressure. But it turns out, the reddened Redick only made them tougher.

JJ Redick yelled at his team, and it seemed to light a fire under them in Game 2.
JJ Redick yelled at his team, and it seemed to light a fire under them in Game 2. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

After the timeout they ramped up their defense and sharpened their offense. Doncic hit a bank shot, Dorian Finney-Smith hit a three-pointer, James banked in a follow shot and Doncic hit two three throws to quickly push the lead back to 20.

They were briefly challenged again in the fourth quarter when their offense again got sloppy — two straight shot-clock violations — and the Timberwolves pushed to within single digits, leading Redick to call another get-in-their-faces timeout with 6:16 left.

Once again, a big shot for the rookie. And once again, he connected. Redick talked, his team responded, James scoring on a layup off a nifty pass from Reaves, James drawing a charge, Reaves fighting for a layup, James with a steal and a layup, the Lakers leading by 11 in the final minutes, the entire arena standing and screaming, threat thwarted, game over.

Next up, Game 3, featuring the outmanned Timberwolves against an emerging Laker team that is finally realizing its own strength.

“Going into Minnesota is gonna be a war,” Doncic said.

One for which the Lakers are now ready.

Or, in the words of Tuesday’s pregame midcourt cheerleader Ric Flair.

“WOOOO!”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Lakers use defense, physicality to flip script on Timberwolves, even series with win

NBA: Playoffs-Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers

Apr 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) leave a court after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-85 in game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Minnesota knew what was coming after pushing the Lakers around in Game 1 of this series.

“We knew they would come with high intensity, with energy. We knew it was going to be physical,” Julius Randle said.

Knowing the Lakers were going to play with a desperate intensity and dealing well with it are two different things.

“We were stagnant, missed open looks, missed layups,” Randle added.

The Lakers flipped the script in Game 2, going from the team getting pushed around to the aggressors, the more physical team on defense. They played like the team in desperate need of a win (because they were).

The result was the Lakers racing out to a 17-point first-quarter lead — again behind a hot start from Luka Doncic, who had 16 points of his 31 points in the first quarter — and this time holding on for the 94-85 win that evens the series 1-1.

This series shifts to Minnesota on Friday night.

Los Angeles’s energy on defense was evident from the opening tip — the Lakers were pressuring out higher, and they put two on the ball whenever Anthony Edwards got it. It all threw the Timberwolves off their game.

“The way that they’re guarding us, when I catch the ball, they kind of go zone, and when I try to attack a gap, it’s like three people,” Edwards said. “I’ve just got to make my decisions a little quicker, and we’ll be all right.”

Doncic was again the focal point of the offense, they even used him in he post more, but what really changed was just an attention to detail — the Lakers did things like set good screens and made solid contact with the defenders, something they didn’t do in Game 1.

LeBron James had a strong night, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. He also had a key play in the fourth, a steal and a bucket, that gave Los Angeles the momentum back when Minnesota had put together a run to get the lead down to single digits.

While Randle (27 points) and Edwards (25) got theirs, the Timberwolves' bench, which was key in Game 1, was in foul trouble and much quieter in Game 2: Naz Reid had nine points, and Donte DiVincenzo had four.

Minnesota played better in the second half and can walk away from this game feeling positive: They got the split in Los Angeles and will not have another bad offensive half (or night) like they did in Game 2. What matters for Minnesota is that their defense held up, the Lakers still didn’t break 100 (and for all the focus the Lakers had on isolating Rudy Gobert, Doncic was 1-of-4 in those situations).

Both teams have reasons for optimism heading into Friday night and Game 3.

The Timberwolves believe their role players will feel more comfortable and be better at home. That is likely true.

While the Lakers can feel they've found their defense, they still have proven playoff winners in Doncic and LeBron, who tend to improve as a playoff series progresses.

Why Warriors must heed Riley's warning to win series vs. Rockets

Why Warriors must heed Riley's warning to win series vs. Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Once again, it’s Jimmy Butler III vs. Pat Riley. Except in this battle, the Golden State Warriors are in the fight with Butler.

Two generations ago, when Riley was coaching the “Showtime” version of the Los Angeles Lakers, he frequently uttered four words of warning to his teams as they chased NBA championships: “No rebounds, no rings.”

More than 40 years later, Butler and the Warriors are formulating a rebuttal. They’re trying to win in deference to rebounding. They won Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Sunday despite being outrebounded 52-36.

Trying that in Game 2 on Wednesday would invite a Rockets resurgence.

“We will be better on the glass tomorrow, for sure,” coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday, speaking to reporters in Houston. “But it’s definitely something we have to be vigilant about throughout the series.”

Golden State surely would like to narrow that 16-rebound deficit, but there isn’t much to inspire belief. This is no one-game anomaly. It’s an emerging and ominous trend.

The Game 1 totals represent the fourth consecutive game the Warriors have lost the rebounding war, and each game was consequential. They were minus-11 in the play-in tournament game against the Memphis Grizzlies – and won. They were minus-17 in the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers – and lost by five. They were minus-7 in the penultimate regular-season game against the Portland Trail Blazers – and won.

Four significant games, three victories, a .750 winning percentage. Maintaining such a pace in the postseason would ensure the 16 wins Golden State would need for champagne showers in June.

Is it realistic to consistently lose the rebounding battle and still win 75 percent of your postseason games? No. Which is why Riley stressed that facet to his teams as a coach and still does now as the team president of the Miami Heat, where Butler undoubtedly heard or saw his cautionary words.

“We’ve got to be better,” Kevon Looney told reporters after practice in Houston. “We’ve been a pretty great rebounding team all season, so I think they kind of beat us on the 50/50 balls. They’ve got a lot of guys, a lot of big guys. They missed a lot of shots too.”

The Warriors overcame the rebounding deficit in Game 1 because the Rockets shot as if blindfolded, managing only 22 points off 22 offensive rebounds. For context, Golden State scored 12 points off six offensive rebounds. Houston attempted 11 more field goals and made two fewer. Its guards, Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green shot a combined 7 of 34 (20.6 percent) from the field, including 2 of 17 (11.8 percent) from distance.

No matter how well the Warriors defend, and they were terrific in Game 1, they know it’s illogical to expect the Rockets to shoot so woefully in Game 2 and beyond.

“They missed some shots that they’ll probably make tomorrow,” Kerr conceded.

“They got a lot of open looks, which I’m sure they probably felt like they should have made,” Stephen Curry said after the 95-85 victory in Game 1. “A lot of them came off offensive rebounds. Our point-of-attack defense was great, (but) you can’t assume that they’re going to miss open looks if you’re giving them second, third and fourth opportunities.

“That’s going to be a big challenge for us if we want to win again on Wednesday. We expect them to play better, but you got to make it as difficult as possible.”

Riley’s mantra was formed through experience. As a Lakers assistant coach in the 1980 NBA Finals, he saw the team post a 308-223 rebounding advantage to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. Two years later, as head coach, the Lakers again topped Philly in six behind a 284-250 rebounding advantage, 

The following season, with the Sixers adding legendary rebounder Moses Malone, Riley’s Lakers were swept. They were outrebounded 192-171. Malone, who grabbed twice the rebounds of any Laker, earned the Finals MVP award.

Can the Warriors overcome their relative lack of size and athleticism against Houston and, should they advance, any opponents that follow?

It’s going to take all hands, beginning with starting “big men” Draymond Green and Butler, neither of whom is taller than 6-foot-7. They’ll need Looney, a 6-foot-9 rebounding specialist, to be exactly that. Quinten Post, a 7-footer who floats around the perimeter on offense, also must use his frame in the paint. Moses Moody, at 6-foot-5, sometimes is listed at “power forward,” but lives mostly on the perimeter as the primary point-of-attack defender.

Golden State’s leading rebounder in Game 1 was Brandin Podziemski, a 6-foot-4 guard, who snagged eight. Their leading rebounder in the play-in tournament game was Curry, who used his 6-foot-3 frame to grab eight. Podziemski was the leading rebounder, with eight, in the loss to the Clippers, and he tied with Green at seven in the win at Portland.
That speaks to the tenacity and fearlessness of Podziemski and Curry, and it’s something any undersized team must bring to give itself a chance to earn extra possessions.

“We know they’re going to rebound,” Kerr said of the Rockets, who in the regular season led the NBA in that category. “They’re going to get some offensive boards. We’ve got to do a better job in that area. But all in all, it’s about being poised, executing and keeping them from the easy stuff.”

Rebounding alone guarantees nothing, certainly not rings, no matter what Riley says. But winning without them requires appreciable superiority elsewhere, and the Warriors know that won’t be a given for the duration of their postseason.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Lakers win a physically demanding Game 2 to even series with Timberwolves

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 22: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) handles the ball while Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) defends during the first quarter of an NBA playoff game at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
LeBron James tries to get around Timberwolves center Naz Reid in the first quarter. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The only thing that moved slower than the Lakers was the clock.

They had poured their energy into fighting for everything while building a lead that stretched to 22 in the first half and lived at 20 deep into the second half. They had grabbed and clawed and got clawed and got grabbed and it was still there, a big lead, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the clock left to beat to even the series at 1-1 and save a split on their home court.

But Minnesota got stronger, faster and smarter.

And the Lakers, mentally and physically, got slower.

Two big mistakes from Jaxson Hayes led to five fast Minnesota points. Luka Doncic, who had been fully engaged on the defensive side of the ball, was flat-footed as Anthony Edwards rammed into the paint. Wide-open threes rimmed out.

And the kind of two-on-one fast break with Austin Reaves and LeBron James that usually would be an alley-oop became an alley-oops when Reaves threw the ball too high and James missed the layup.

But the clock kept ticking. And the Lakers kept fighting, drawing enough charges, grabbing enough rebounds, scoring enough (barely) to beat Minnesota, 94-85 on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Luka Doncic and Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert battle for a rebound in the second quarter.
Luka Doncic and Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert battle for a rebound in the second quarter. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

There was the timeout in the middle of the third quarter after Minnesota cut the Lakers’ lead to 11, with Lakers coach JJ Redick rage-walking and f-bombing away from and back to his team’s bench.

“It's not something that I'd want to do. It's not something I'm more than comfortable doing,” Redick said. “But I think tonight it was just more about getting that that urgency button switched back on.”

The switch flipped back on and the Lakers scored the next nine points.

Later in the fourth quarter, again, as the Lakers wore down and the Timberwolves chopped at their lead, Redick’s teams did just enough. Reaves scooted past Rudy Gobert for a big lay-in. James stripped Edwards, flipping a Minnesota transition chance into a bucket for the Lakers. Reaves sealed it by stopping another fast break by taking a charge, the Lakers finding ways to win even as they scored just 13 points in the final quarter.

According to StatMuse, the 13 points are the third fewest scored by a team in the fourth quarter of a playoff win since at least 2015.

Game 3 is Friday in Minneapolis.

“We could still be better offensively. I thought at times we were very sharp. But at times, we weren’t,” James said. “I think we could do a better job on the offensive end, but we’re going to continue to get better, continue to watch the film, see ways we can kinda break down the defense and continue to get good looks. I thought we had some great looks tonight. I know a lot of my shots in the fourth quarter were great looks that just didn’t go. If we can continue to get great looks like that, I think we believe in our percentages. But we gotta continue to work the habits.”

If Game 1 showed that the Lakers’ standing as heavy favorites in the series was wrong, Game 2 showed that whatever comes next might leave scars.

After Redick challenged his team to meet Minnesota’s intensity and physicality, the teams ripped and reached and held and hammered while they played like each possession would determine who wins and who loses.

The all-capital, bolded-letter story from the first quarter of the Lakers’ playoff opener Saturday was Luka Doncic showing why he’s one of the NBA’s most gifted difference-makers. He can be a one-man show, too hard for any player to stop, too skilled to be denied.

But it was singular.

The Lakers’ excellence in this series? It needed to be plural.

LeBron James shoots over the outstretched arms of Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in the first quarter.
LeBron James shoots over the outstretched arms of Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in the first quarter. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The playoffs would demand more than Doncic getting buckets. They would require James cutting sharply into the paint to create extra space. The Lakers would need Reaves to fight like hell for every step on the defensive end of the court.

It doesn’t work when it’s just the other way. It didn’t work when it was that way in Game 1.

So Tuesday night, facing the first unofficial “must-win” of the playoffs, the Lakers played in unison early on, even if Doncic was the only one really hitting shots.

“We did the same game plan. We didn't really change much,” Doncic said. “It was just a question of if we were gonna be more physical or not. And I think we showed that. And we were there for 48 minutes. We got up big in the first quarter. We learned from the last game. And we just stuck to it.”

And while Doncic was able to create the kind of mismatch advantages he’ll be able to utilize against anyone, the Lakers suddenly found themselves stifled by Minnesota’s defense.

Doncic finished with 31 points, James had 21 and Reaves scored 16, but the Lakers shot just 20.7% from three-point range. Luckily, Minnesota wasn’t any better, getting 42 combined points from Julius Randle and Edwards but not more than nine from anyone else.

It was the Lakers’ defense, intensity and effort that built their big lead, and ultimately allowed them to beat the clock to hang on to it.

“We were physical,” Redick said. “The playoffs require a different level.”

The Lakers got there — and stayed there long enough.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Siakam, Haliburton's double-doubles lead Pacers past Bucks 123-115 for 2-0 series lead

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 12 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks 123-115 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Indiana has won five of the last six playoff games between the teams and never trailed in this one. The Pacers had lost three of four regular-season games to the Bucks. The teams will meet for the 18th time in the last two seasons on Friday, when Game 3 is played in Milwaukee.

Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists, and All-NBA guard Damain Lillard had 14 points in his first game back from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Lillard was 4 of 13 from the field in 37 minutes, his first game action since March 18 and his first playoff game with Antetokounmpo, who heard a steady diet of countdowns on his free throws.

Bobby Portis Jr. finished with 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and 12 rebounds for the Bucks.

The game had a little bit of everything. There was a scuffle in front of the Pacers bench that led to double technical fouls, words between multiple players in the final minutes, players repeatedly hitting the floor, a little zone defense, a smattering of full-court pressure and, of course, plenty of points.

But, Indiana controlled the entire game after racing to a 31-16 lead in less than 7 1/2 minutes. The Bucks used a late 13-0 run to get within 115-113 with 2:31 to go before Indiana closed it out with an 8-2 run to end the game.

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 27 as the Thunder roll past Grizzlies 118-99 to take 2-0 series lead

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Memphis Grizzlies 118-99 on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Jalen Williams added 24 points and Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City delivered a strong follow-up to its record-setting 131-80 win on Sunday in the series opener. The Thunder have won all six games against the Grizzlies this season by double digits.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 26 points and Ja Morant added 23 for Memphis, which will host Game 3 on Thursday.

Oklahoma City opened with a 9-0 run and held Memphis scoreless for the first 3 1/2 minutes as the Grizzlies missed their first 10 shots.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who had been off for the first five quarters of the series, found his shot in the second quarter. He hit two 3-pointers 55 seconds apart to put Oklahoma City up 55-38.

Oklahoma City led 70-52 at the break after setting a team playoff record with 12 3-pointers in the first half.

Memphis started hot in the third and cut its deficit to single digits, but the Thunder took a 90-79 lead into the fourth.

Oklahoma City's Cason Wallace faked out Zach Edey, then went baseline for a one-handed jam that put the Thunder up 97-79 and brought the crowd to its feet.

The Thunder held Memphis scoreless for nearly four minutes to start the fourth.

Peyton Pritchard wins NBA Sixth Man of Year award, fourth Celtic to earn honor

This was Payton Pritchard's year. Coming off winning a ring, he was asked to step up his role as sixth man and get the Celtics through the long grind of the NBA season. He did that with career highs of 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a game, and Pritchard knocked down a career-high 255 3-pointers, the fifth highest total in the league this season and the second most in a season in Celtics franchise history. Boston was +428 points this season in the minutes Pritchard was on the court.

All that made Pritchard the runaway winner of the 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. He received 82 of the 100 first-place votes from a global panel of media members.

Pritchard becomes the fourth Celtic to win the award and joins some illustrious names to take that honor.

Detroit's Mikal Bridges finished second in the voting with Cleveland's Ty Jerome third. The Cavaliers' De'Andre Hunter and the Timberwolves' Naz Reid rounded out the top five.

Kawhi Leonard's big night was months in the making during grueling rehab

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) drives past Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) in the second half of Game 2 of a first-round NBA playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, driving past Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon for a layup, had 39 points in Game 2 on Monday night in Denver. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

Kawhi Leonard's teammates marvel at how much the Clippers' star forward has dedicated himself to get his body back to peak level.

They have watched how Leonard has stayed the course despite the frequent times his body betrayed him. They have supported Leonard during the trying times with his health issues because they have seen how he refuses to wallow in self-pity.

They know what Leonard has done behind the scenes during rehabilitation when the media is not around and on those days and nights when a lot of teammates are not around.

The culmination of all those days in the lab this season working to get his right knee healthy was Leonard’s dominance in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs against the Nuggets on Monday night in Denver.

He missed only four of 19 shots while pouring in 39 points over 39 minutes to help the Clippers even the series at 1-1 before they returned home for Game 3 on Thursday night and Game 4 on Saturday afternoon at the Intuit Dome.

James Harden was succinct in his praise for Leonard’s willingness to continually work on his body.

Read more:Kawhi Leonard's 39-point effort powers Clippers to thrilling Game 2 win over Nuggets

“Every. Single. Day. Like, it’s the preparation,” Harden said late Monday night after Game 2 in Denver. “It’s the treatment. It’s the strengthening of his body. It’s the correctives. And then it’s like going on court and putting it all together and it’s consistent. Every. Single. Day…

“Luck hasn’t been on his side or whatever the case you might call it. But he loves to hoop. And as you see, when he’s on the court, he’s a killer. Kawhi is just special.”

Leonard missed the first 34 games because of his ailing right knee. Then he played in only 37 games and just one set of back-to-back games.

He missed the last eight regular-season games last season because of right knee inflammation and played in only two of the Clippers’ six playoff games against the Dallas Mavericks because of the knee injury. When Leonard was invited to USA Basketball workouts in Las Vegas last summer, he was sent home to rest the knee and was unable to participate in the Paris Olympics.

None of that stopped Leonard from continuing his work.

Harden was asked if fans and NBA people have an appreciation for what Leonard has endured to get back here.

“Naw,” Harden answered immediately. “Naw, not even a little bit. It’s always negative. It’s always what he’s been through, what he’s not able to do because of something he can’t control. Like, we don’t appreciate how great he is when he’s actually out there and putting on performances like this tonight.

“I feel like that about everybody that’s in the league that goes through something that’s out of their hands and they can’t control. It’s like it’s always the negative, it’s always the hate that people talk about, which is something that we got to live with, I guess, in this world. But as for me being close with him, every single day and seeing the work he puts in, you appreciate him.”

In interviews this season, Leonard has talked about how his “love” for the game keeps bringing him back and how he just grinds and keeps his head down.

Before his difficult end to last season, he played in just two playoff games during the Clippers’ series against the Phoenix Suns in 2023 because of a meniscus tear. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Now he is healthy and wants to be there for his teammates in the playoffs.

“I”m just happy that I’m able to move and I’m coming out the game feeling well and that’s what I’m taking my pride in is just being healthy,” he said. “I sat and watched these playoff games and series the past few years. So, being able to be frontline out there, it just feels good to me no matter which way the game goes. That’s what I’m taking pride in. I just want to be out there and play and be frontline with my team.”

Over six seasons with the Clippers, he has played in 266 out of a possible 492 regular-season games. Injuries have robbed him of so many games yet he keeps coming back.

“Every time someone gives up on him, he comes back,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s dedicated to keeping his body right and sometimes some unfortunate things happen. But you can’t control that. But it’s not a lack of work. It’s not from a lack of wanting to be here and just sometimes some bad luck hits. But he’s going to keep coming back and he’s going to get to this point where he is right now and that’s why I’m so happy for him.”

Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey

Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors have earned a reputation as the NBA’s gold standard — beyond just Golden State’s accomplishments on the court.

In a survey of anoynmous NBA players conducted by The Athletic, the Warriors were voted the league’s best organization, receiving 21.9 percent of the votes.

Golden State edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder (17.5 percent) and Boston Celtics (15.3 percent) to claim the top spot.

“They were first-class,” an anonymous player told the Athletic. “(Warriors coach) Steve (Kerr) came from San Antonio. He knew a lot of the principles. They do a really good job of taking care of the players and the families.”

It all starts at the top, with majority owner Joe Lacob valiantly following through on his promise to deliver Golden State to prominence after taking over a franchise with a three-decade plus championship drought.

Having the embodiment of a perfect superstar in Steph Curry certainly helped, as at all levels of the organization, Golden State carved out an identity that turned the Bay Area into the center of the NBA world for the better part of the last decade.

The Warriors have won four NBA championships since the start of the 2014-15 season, reaching six NBA Finals over that span while stamping their mark on the history books.

Pairing those presitgious accolades with the Warriors’ top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art arena has turned Golden State into a coveted landing spot for players league wide, a reputation that is sure to help the franchise for years to come.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey

Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors have earned a reputation as the NBA’s gold standard — beyond just Golden State’s accomplishments on the court.

In a survey of anoynmous NBA players conducted by The Athletic, the Warriors were voted the league’s best organization, receiving 21.9 percent of the votes.

Golden State edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder (17.5 percent) and Boston Celtics (15.3 percent) to claim the top spot.

“They were first-class,” an anonymous player told the Athletic. “(Warriors coach) Steve (Kerr) came from San Antonio. He knew a lot of the principles. They do a really good job of taking care of the players and the families.”

It all starts at the top, with majority owner Joe Lacob valiantly following through on his promise to deliver Golden State to prominence after taking over a franchise with a three-decade plus championship drought.

Having the embodiment of a perfect superstar in Steph Curry certainly helped, as at all levels of the organization, Golden State carved out an identity that turned the Bay Area into the center of the NBA world for the better part of the last decade.

The Warriors have won four NBA championships since the start of the 2014-15 season, reaching six NBA Finals over that span while stamping their mark on the history books.

Pairing those presitgious accolades with the Warriors’ top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art arena has turned Golden State into a coveted landing spot for players league wide, a reputation that is sure to help the franchise for years to come.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Kawhi Leonard’s masterclass has Nuggets scrambling for answers | The Kevin O'Connor Show

(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)

Kawhi Leonard’s near-flawless Game 2 performance against the Denver Nuggets has the NBA world buzzing. Kevin O’Connor and guest Nate Duncan broke down the wild Nuggets-Clippers playoff matchup on the most recent episode of "The Kevin O’Connor Show."

Leonard finished with 39 points on a devastating 15-of-19 shooting line in L.A.'s Game 2 win Monday night. According to O’Connor, it was the seventh-highest true shooting percentage ever for a 35-plus-point postseason outing.

“He feels like a fictional legend,” O’Connor said. “Most of these guys that have injuries, they fall off. And yet here he is right now, in 2025, looking like he's in peak condition.”

Both O'Connor and Duncan were baffled by Denver’s refusal to blitz and double Leonard late. “I can't believe the Nuggets weren't sending two, blitzing, doubling Kawhi Leonard down the stretch,” O’Connor said. 

O'Connor also wondered if Nikola Jokić was fatigued after grinding through Ivica Zubac’s physical defense, calling out “mental lapses, mental mistakes” in the MVP’s game.  

To hear the full discussion, tune into "The Kevin O'Connor Show" on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.

Mavericks GM Harrison admits he didn’t expect this strong a reaction to Doncic trade

In some college sports management and public relations classes, there will be seminars dedicated to the Mavericks' handling of the Luka Doncic trade — a "what not to do" lesson.

The latest fallout from that trade came this week after the Mavericks’ season came to an early end in the play-in. General Manager Nico Harrison met with the media and uttered this sentence, via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

"I did know that Luka was important to the fan base. I didn't quite know it to that level."

Three thoughts here, all a bad look for Harrison:

1) How are you in Dallas and around the Mavericks for four years and not able to grasp the depth of the fan/Doncic relationship?

2) Harrison rose to prominence with Nike as Kobe Bryant's rep with the company. How do you come out of that situation, see that connection between the home-grown MVP candidate player and the fan base, and then not recognize it in Dallas?

3) The NBA is an entertainment business where the fans are the customers. The media reaction helps shape fan reactions and feelings. To misunderstand — or just not be concerned with their feelings — to this degree is just bad for business.

Here is some of the other fallout this week in Dallas.

• Harrison said that not valuing Anthony Davis and his skill set is why some people don't appreciate the trade.

Davis has caught way too much shrapnel in this fight. Harrison is right that, when healthy, Davis is an All-NBA two-way player who can help a team at the highest levels — he has a ring and a gold medal to prove it.

That does not mean this was a good trade for the Mavericks. First, as good as he can be, Davis is not the defense-bending force, MVP-level candidate Doncic is (as he enters his prime). Davis is six years older than Doncic and is prone to injuries. Also, Harrison not getting both Lakers' first-round picks and Austin Reaves back in this trade his hard to fathom.

• Harrison said his relationship with team owner/governor Patrick Dumont is still strong. It should be.

Harrison wanted this trade, but he is also the guy taking the arrows for ownership, which didn't want to pay Doncic the largest contract in NBA history and helped push for the trade, league sources have told NBC Sports.

• With that, Harrison's job is safe (for now, he ultimately could be scapegoated). And no, the Adelson/Dumont ownership group is not going to sell the team after this experience. The team — and with it a new arena in the coming decade — is part of a much larger real estate deal that is the ultimate motivation here. Those long-term plans are not changing because of this trade.

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon did a deep dive on how the relationship between Doncic and the Mavericks fell apart, with details going back 18 months and looking at the fissures within the organization. It is a brilliant bit of reporting well worth the read.

My primary takeaway: Harrison prizes control over everything else, and is not a fan of dissent. That came across in how unprepared he was for the backlash to this trade, as if it never really dawned on him how this could be received differently than he saw it. He didn't prepare the rest of the franchise or the fans for what was to come.

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison 'didn't quite know' how important Luka Doncic was to Dallas fans

Lakers guard Luka Doncic sits on the bench and holds back tears while watching a Mavericks tribute video honoring him.
Lakers star Luka Doncic sits as the Dallas Mavericks play a tribute video for him April 9 at American Airlines Arena. He had 45 points in his first game in Dallas after being traded from the Mavericks to the Lakers in February. (LM Otero / Associated Press)

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made an interesting admission Monday when talking to reporters about his decision to trade fan favorite Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February.

No, Harrison did not admit that the move was a mistake. On the contrary, he clung tightly to his "defense wins championships" explanation for making the deal that sent Doncic to Los Angeles and brought elite defender Anthony Davis to Dallas.

But after more than two months of Mavericks fans calling for his firing — in a very loud and visible fashion — Harrison did admit that he had underestimated the level of outrage the surprise trade would cause.

“I did know that Luka was important to the fan base," said Harrison, a former longtime Nike executive whose fourth season with the Mavericks ended Friday with a play-in loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. "I didn't quite know it to what level."

Read more:Lakers star Luka Doncic scores 45 in emotional, winning return to Dallas

Doncic, 26, endeared himself to the Dallas fan base during his six-plus seasons with the organization, making the All-Star Game five times and leading the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals. If Harrison didn't realize the level of fans' adoration for the Slovenian superstar before the trade, he certainly does now.

“When you have 20,000 people in the stadium chanting 'Fire Nico,' you really feel it," Harrison said. "I mean it's — I use the word 'awesome,' but not in a positive way. Like, you can really feel how they feel.

"But my job is to make decisions I feel are in the best interest of this organization, and I gotta stand by the decisions, and some of them are going to be unpopular. This was clearly one that's unpopular."

Harrison said he thought — and still thinks — fans would have taken more kindly to trading away such a beloved player if they had been able to see his and the organization's "vision" of a starting five of Davis, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II.

Instead, an onslaught of injuries prevented those five from taking the floor together at all.

"Really the way we looked at it was, if you’re putting a team on the floor that’s Kyrie, Klay, P.J., Anthony Davis and Lively, we feel that’s a championship-caliber team and we would’ve been winning at a high level and that would have quieted some of the outrage. And so unfortunately we weren’t able to do that, so [the outrage] just continued to go on and on.”

Read more:L.A. native upset Luka Doncic is a Laker. He's raising money to protest trade with billboards in Dallas

Harrison added that he expects the core team to be back next season and will "be competing for a championship."

“I believe winning will help repair the relationship with the fans and that’s what we plan to do,” he said.

Harrison was speaking at a news conference that took place six days after he and team CEO Rick Welts held a closed-door roundtable discussion with a small, select group of media members. Those reporters were not allowed to bring cameras and initially were told they could not bring audio recording devices either, although they ended up being allowed to record the meeting for transcription purposes only.

The purpose of the roundtable was to provide closure to the Doncic situation, but Harrison acknowledged Monday that didn't happen.

“The goal was that I answered all the [Doncic] questions, [so] today I could talk about the team as it currently is and then what we do going forward," Harrison said. "But because it fell flat, today I’m basically answering the same questions I answered last week because we didn’t do a good enough job."

Read more:Mavs fans protesting Luka Doncic trade ejected for mouthing off, holding signs and wearing shirts with 'Fire Nico'

During the roundtable event, Harrison repeatedly fell back on the "defense wins championships" mantra as an explanation for trading Doncic. During an interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews that aired Friday, Doncic was asked about Harrison's comments.

"It's just sad the way he's talking right now," Doncic said. "I never say anything bad about him, and I just want to move on. The fans, my ex-teammates, I'll always keep at heart. It's time for me to move on from there."

Told of Doncic's comment, Harrison said: “I feel the same way he does. I've actually never spoken ill of Luka at all, and I'm just ready to move on with this team that we have.”

For Harrison and the Mavericks, the opportunity to move on won't come until next season. Doncic, on the other hand, has the chance to take another step in the process as the Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night with the chance to tie their first-round playoff series at one win apiece.

L.A. fans seem to know how important Doncic is to possibly making that happen.

Read more:Luka Doncic had an epic playoff moment last year. Here's why it could happen again

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.