Category: Basketball

SAN FRANCISCO — Steph Curry swapped out a green-and-gold snapback for a navy blue Red Sox hat, changed from his baggy gray cargo pants into sweats and walked across the Warriors’ locker room to Kristaps Porzingis and dapped up the Latvian big man.

Then, he left the building.

Steph’s newest sidekick has yet to share the floor with him, but those handshakes should soon be taking place on the hardwood. The next time Curry enters Chase Center on gameday, the hope is that his street clothes aren’t the main attraction.

“Even from afar, I was always amazed. It was a nightmare to play him,” Porzingis said. “But he was one of those players, you can’t get mad because you look at it, and it’s like, ‘Wow. What can you do?’ Now, to actually be his teammate? That’s going to be pretty cool.”

Golden State’s 118-111 loss to the Cavaliers on Thursday is expected to be the last of a 27-game absence with a knee injury that has kept Curry sidelined since Jan. 30.

In that time, the Warriors have gone 9-18 and more or less locked themselves into the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. They also acquired Porzingis, the kind of partner with the ideal combination of size and spacing to pair with the all-time 3-point king.

The 7-foot-3 center pulls from 30 feet as casually as Curry and provides a potentially lethal pick-and-roll partner. In two months since being acquired from the Hawks, Porzingis has gotten his own health problems under control, but he’s still only gotten to know Curry off the court.

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Considering the prospect of finally sharing the floor together, Porzingis could hardly contain his excitement in a brief interview at his locker with The California Post, shortly after his exchange with Curry.

“He draws so much attention. And not only does he draw the attention, with the attention already on him, he’s so effective and so good,” Porzingis raved. ”Like, he’s so good. One of the best players, like, ever. It’s unreal, the things he has done on a basketball court.”

Curry, 38, participated in his second 5-on-5 scrimmage in three days before Thursday’s game, and coach Steve Kerr said, “He looks like Steph Curry.” He will be reevaluated this weekend, and the Warriors have not set anything in stone, but word that Curry was targeting Sunday’s home game against the Rockets for his return had clearly made it around the locker room.

“I think everybody’s excited,” Brandin Podziemski said.

But the level of excitement?

“You cannot imagine it, brother,” Gui Santos chuckled ebulliently.

There’s been a noticeable shift in the mood around the team from the doldrums that dominated following the losses of Curry and Jimmy Butler. They can see light on the horizon.

“He brings hope to a tough situation,” Kerr said. “When Steph’s around, the vibe tends to be better, and it’s definitely better right now.”

While the Warriors have five games remaining starting Sunday, Kerr will likely have four at most to determine how best to deploy Curry, Porzingis and potentially Al Horford, too, before attempting to make a playoff run from the bottom seed in the play-in.

In addition to an expected minutes restriction as he returns to game action, Curry will likely sit one half of their last remaining back-to-back, next week against the Lakers and Kings.

“Hopefully we can develop a semblance of a rotation and figure out exactly who we want to play with whom and that sort of thing,” Kerr said Wednesday. “We do have a season full of information that will help us with that, but with Kristaps’ arrival, Steph hasn’t played with him. So we would have to decide, are we starting Kristaps? Are we starting Al? How much can we play Kristaps and Al together? Where does Draymond fit in that group? Which one is he better with? Those are the type of things that we’re thinking about, along with the backcourt rotation.”

Horford, 39, is still recovering from a calf strain that has cost him the past 11 games. Porzingis, for his part, told the Post that he is “getting there, but I still have a good ways to go” in regards to his health and conditioning and has “levels” he hasn’t reached yet.

Health troubles have prevented Curry from sharing the court with another teammate: His brother. Seth Curry is also trending in the right direction after a bout with sciatica. 

“I know that’s one of his motivating factors for getting out there, to get us out there on the court together,” Seth Curry said. “I want to get out there with him at least one time and experience that.”

The only person yearning for Curry’s return more than his teammates is probably Steph himself. Despite no structural damage, the absence has drawn on longer than all but two others in his 17-year career. The “unpredictable” nature of the injury — runner’s knee, which can flare up if not given the proper rest — has resulted in a few false starts.

But his knee reacted positively enough to his return to practice earlier this week that Curry wanted to go public. Fans were treated to his famous pregame warm-up, in full, before the Warriors hosted the Spurs on Wednesday.

Kerr said he believed the decision was “purposeful.”

“Instead of shooting downstairs, I think he wants to feel the crowd. And show the crowd that he wants to come back,” Kerr said. “So that’s the hope.”

Now, to make it the reality.

The Detroit Pistons return to action tonight against a Philadelphia 76ers team that was kind enough to dispatch the Minnesota Timberwolves in their previous game, and with the added benefit of that game being Friday, and thus facing the East’s top team on the second half of a back-to-back. That means the Sixers will be playing without Joel Embiid, who has played pretty well in his four games since a long absence to injury. The Sixers will have both Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, however.

None of those players was available the last time these two teams faced off, a 131-109 Pistons blowout in which the Sixers were so bereft of big men that they trotted out Dominick Barlow as a starting center. Jalen Duren played only 14 minutes in that game but scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Sixers have a bit more size suiting up tonight, including former Piston Andre Drummond, but Duren’s game also seems to have hit another gear lately. We will see what Duren, who played high school ball in Philly and grew up 45 minutes away in New Castle, Delaware, has in store for his return to his “hometown” team.

Game Vitals

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Watch: Detroit TV20, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -3.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (56-21)

Daniss Jenkins, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Philadelphia 76ers (43-34)

Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre, Paul George, Andre Drummond

Well, now what?

The first version of this article lasted all of about 55 minutes before Austin Reaves was ruled out for the regular season and likely the playoffs with a Grade 2 oblique strain. He will join Luka Dončić, who is out for the rest of the regular season and likely the first round of the playoffs with a Grade 2 hamstring strain

Luka’s injury alone was going to cause widespread ripple effects for the Lakers. Add Austin to the mix and everything is disrupted.

Austin is set to miss 4-6 weeks, which covers the whole first round and part of a second round series, if somehow that happens. The typical recovery time for a Grade 2 hamstring strain would rule Luka out for the first round and, similarly, jeopardize his availability for a second round series.

Those timelines feel like a formality now, though. Austin and Luka are out for the first round of the playoffs and, barring a miracle, the Lakers will be, too.

Where does that leave the purple and gold, then, moving forward, both in the short and long term?

Playoff seeding

The Lakers have five games remaining in the regular season and are not locked into a playoff seed yet. While it went under the radar last week, LA did clinch a playoff spot, meaning the play-in is out of the question.

The standings are still tight, however, with LA one game up on Denver and two games up on Houston in the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. Minnesota has taken a nosedive and is four games back of the Lakers in the sixth seed, so there is a floor for LA to fall.

Having the tiebreakers over both Denver and Houston will be huge.

The Lakers also don’t have a particularly daunting schedule, sans another meeting with Oklahoma City on Tuesday. They will play at Dallas on Sunday, the Thunder on Tuesday, at Golden State on Thursday, at home against Phoenix on Friday and at home against Utah to wrap up the season.

Having said all that, making matters worse on Saturday was Denver beating the Spurs at home, pulling them closer to the Lakers. They will still play San Antonio and Oklahoma City one more time each in its final four games.

As for Houston, they play at Golden State and Phoenix before hosting the Sixers, Wolves and Grizzlies to end the season. While they’ve won five games in a row, the only win against a non-tanking team in that span was the Knicks.

It feels likely that the floor for the Lakers will be the fifth seed, though there is a worst-case scenario of LA going winless and Minnesota going undefeated, dropping them all the way to sixth.

Postseason match-up

Remember the 2013 playoffs? I wouldn’t blame you if you memory-holed that series against the Spurs in which the Lakers lost player after player after player.

In the fourth and final game of that matchup, LA started Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock in the backcourt with Earl Clark at small forward. Chris Duhon played 43 minutes off the bench.

The playoffs this year are going to resemble that a little too closely.

LA still has talented players available, but this team is going to be so drastically different from the one in the regular season that it’s going to be hard to win a game. LeBron is going to have to go from third fiddle to carrying the offense again, something he may not even be able to do at 41.

A whole lot of role players who had spent months learning how to play alongside Luka now are going to have drastically different roles. Players who probably shouldn’t be relied upon for offense are going to need to score to even be competitive.

In that sense, it feels irrelevant who they play in the first round now because of how outmatched they’re going to be. Success for this team is going to look more like being competitive and maybe stealing a win, which is a damn shame considering where this team was even at the start of the week.

Offseason plans

The summer is going to be full of decisions for the Lakers and they’re now going to have to make them without seeing the best version of this team in the playoffs.

In fact, with the injuries they dealt with during the season, the sample size of the recent, idealized version of the Lakers is about a dozen games. It was a really good dozen games, but it was also a dozen games that ended in a dismantling by the Thunder.

The playoffs were supposed to serve as the big stress test for the team to learn if this really worked, particularly against the top teams, and where they needed changes. We’re not even going to get a glimpse of that now with so many players likely being slotted into unfamiliar roles in the postseason.

Instead, the front office will have to make decisions this summer with an incomplete data set.

Is it worth bringing LeBron back this summer or is it time to rip off the band-aid? Do they need another center this summer? Two new centers? How do some of the Lakers’ role players set for free agency hold up in the playoffs alongside Luka like Rui Hachimura or Luke Kennard?

These are all questions this front office won’t have fully satisfactory answers on, which is what makes this injury such a gut punch.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The San Antonio Spurs came up short in one of their final tests of the regular season, ending their win streak at 11. The Nuggets are battle-tested, deploying the top offense in the NBA, and they were the better team in the crucible.

Nikola Jokić feasted in the lane, but the Spurs couldn’t be stopped from getting there, either. It also helped that they kept their groove going in most of the non-Victor Wembanyama minutes, and the Nuggets weren’t as strong with Jokić resting. Still, it was a close game that required overtime, and the difference was the Spurs losing control and going cold after Jokić checked in for the last time.

Observations

• This is as good as it gets to a playoff appetizer. Thirteen 3-pointers came in the first quarter as both teams showed high-level horsepower and the level of physicality increased as the game went on. The stakes were high for both teams as the Spurs had a chance of catching the first seed, and the Nuggets are trying to maintain home-court advantage in round one of the playoffs. 
• The Nuggets had the Spurs on the ropes in the third quarter, and they survived thanks to Julian Champagnie, Wembanyama and Stephon Castle putting the offense on their shoulders. The three of them combined for seven baskets in that span, yet the Nuggets went on a big run late in the period with them on the bench, cutting the Spurs’ lead to four going into the fourth quarter. The Spurs took advantage of the non-Jokić minutes, but the script flipped, and they were put in too many scrambles.
• Nikola Jokić is the best player in the world, and making him work on defense is a necessity because he doesn’t want to guard anybody. The Nuggets tried to hide him on the smaller players, but the Spurs did a good job of going at him.
• Wembanyama and Castle each had two fouls in the first quarter, but they didn’t let that affect their aggression and they continued charging into the paint. Wembanyama’s activity generated 11 of his 17 free throw attempts in the first half. On top of that, his presence was a big reason why the Nuggets struggled to score in the lane. Still, Jokić outplayed him in crunch time.
• Christian Braun was the guy the Spurs left open to clog the lane, and he made five 3-pointers. Despite the production, he was the right player for the Spurs to try that against because he’s been awful on open and wide-open attempts this year.
• Jokić took an accidental smack to the face by Wembanyama in the first quarter, and then took a shot to the upper chest by Keldon Johnson late in the second. He usually comes out like a madman after getting battered and bruised, and he finished with 40 points on 52 percent shooting.
• The Spurs have been almost unbeatable when they score at least 70 points in the first half. After this loss, their record drops to 15-3.
• De’Aaron Fox had five baskets in the fourth quarter, but he made a huge mistake, causing a four-point play by lunging at a shooter, which cut the team’s lead to two points late in the game. He also missed some critical shots in overtime.

Michigan basketball has been an indomitable force in the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, marching its way to the Final Four with four victories that were decided by an average of 22.5 points per game.

While their triumphs have been the product of hard, diligent work from players and coaches, one figure has loomed particularly large in the Wolverines’ path to a 35-3 record.

Yaxel Lendeborg has been an overwhelming driver for Michigan in his first season with the program. After averaging a double-double in each of the previous two years at UAB, the 6-foot-9 forward was the prize of last year’s transfer portal haul, choosing Dusty May and the Wolverines over a number of other extremely interested suitors. 

REQUIRED READING: March Madness games today: Final Four schedule and game breakdowns

Lendeborg has more than lived up to the hopes that greeted him in Ann Arbor, earning first-team All-American and Big Ten player of the year honors for a Michigan team that’s two wins away from its first national title since 1989.

Lendeborg’s do-everything success on the floor has made him a figure of intense interest not only for college basketball fans, but NBA front offices who will be vying for his services during the 2026 NBA Draft.

As his team prepares to play fellow No. 1 seed Arizona in the Final Four on Saturday, April 4, here’s a closer look at Lendeborg:

Yaxel Lendeborg age

Lendeborg is one of the older players in this year’s Final Four. The Michigan standout is 23 years old and will turn 24 in September, ahead of what will be his rookie season in the NBA.

Yaxel Lendeborg draft

Lendeborg is widely regarded as a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Here’s a look at where various mock drafts have the Wolverines star going:

• USA TODAY Sports: No. 7 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies
• ESPN: No. 17 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies
• Bleacher Report: No. 13 overall to the Charlotte Hornets 
• CBS Sports: No. 16 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies
• SB Nation: No. 6 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers
• Yahoo Sports: No. 16 overall to the Charlotte Hornets

REQUIRED READING: Arizona vs Michigan predictions: Who will win in Final Four, play for national championship?

Yaxel Lendeborg stats

This season, Lendeborg is averaging 15.2 points, seven rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Since the first round of the NCAA tournament, he’s been even better, averaging 25 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 61.4% overall, including 52.6% from 3-point range in Michigan’s past three games.

Here’s a look at his stats from this season:

• 2023-24 (UAB): 13.8 points per game, 10.6 rebounds per game, 2.1 assists per game, 2.1 blocks per game, 0.7 steals per game, 51.3% on field goals, 33.3% on 3s
• 2024-25 (UAB): 17.7 points per game, 11.4 rebounds per game, 4.2 assists per game, 1.8 blocks per game, 1.7 steals per game, 52.2% on field goals, 35.7% on 3s
• 2025-26 (Michigan): 15.2 points per game, 7 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, 1.3 blocks per game, 1.2 steals per game, 52% on field goals, 37% on 3s

Yaxel Lendeborg height

Lendeborg is listed on Michigan’s official roster at 6-foot-9.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How old is Yaxel Lendeborg? Age, stats, mock drafts for Michigan basketball star

Once again, the Wizards offered little resistance on defense.

A couple nights ago the Philadelphia 76ers scored 153 in regulation over the little defense the Wizards offered. As the game today evolved the only interesting question seemed to be whether the Heat will break that threshold or not. At halftime, the Miami Heat were right on pace: scoring 77 points. If they could match that in the second half, they would arrive at 154!

Alas, the Wizards did not come out of the locker room after half-time with any more determination, as they ceded 45 points in the 3rd quarter alone. But maybe one of those patented “comebacks from behind” in the 4th quarter?

Nah, with 6 minutes left in the 4th, the scoreboard showed 118-140 for the hosts, as they were on pace to break the 153 threshold!

But, at last, the Wizards were able to keep the Heat to only 30 points in that final frame, and as the game ended the scoreboard proclaimed 136-152 in favor the Heat.

Some bright spots for the Wizards were:

Will Riley was the best starter in terms of plus/minus, with only -3. Actually, he played well. Made 12 of his 17 field goals, and scored 31 points in 37 minutes! It’s probably much thanks to him that the loss was only by 16 points.

Also, Sharife Cooper and Jamir Watkins were great in garbage time, with 20 (3-for-5 from deep) and 14 (2-for-4 from deep) points each.

For the Heat, Jaquez Jr. had 32 points in 32 minutes, off the bench! Did we already say candidate for 6th man of the year?

The Wizards now head to Brooklyn for another matinee game, tomorrow.

This week’s Dallas Mavericks centeric poll centered around the NCAA Men’s Final Four. Yes there’s still plenty of NBA basketball on (and perhaps you could and should go make a wager on NBA Rookie of the Year, now that Cooper Flagg has potentially recaptured momentum), but I think most of our fans are thinking ahead to the NBA Draft lottery and the draft itself.

Which means you’re considering prospects. And if the lottery goes chalk, there are a lot of guys playing this weekend that Dallas might consider. The first question asked about guards and who you were going to follow on Saturday and/or Monday.

This is within line of what I expected Keaton Wagler is a late riser and some that’s easy to get excited about when you watch his game. Brayden Burries is probably a safer pick given his skillset, but hes very exciting. I assume we have some UConn fans taking the poll as Braylon Mullens doesn’t do it for me.

The next question was about Final Four Big men. There were others I could’ve chosen, but these three seeemed to be the most well known.

I have to hope Mavs fans are watching Yaxel Lendeborg because he’s on a good team. I would be very upset if Dallas drafted a guy that’s four years and two months older than Cooper Flagg. Koa Peat is an interesting player, I’m not sure what he’s good at. Krivas is a wishlist guy for me, with that second first-round pick or a trade-up.

Then we get to these questions from the national poll, which you can also sign up for.

The first poll centered around the East’s Play-In teams. It seems that fans do not believe in any of them. A reasonable take.

This second question was asked before Luka Doncic got hurt. I think it’s too low. The awards are going to end up with weird ballots that don’t tell the story of the year. It’s silly.

This one’s also weird. Not sure why 6 in 10 fans think the NBA can incentivze differently than what’s already been done. Teams that want to lose will find a way to do so.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves is reportedly out for the remainder of the season.

Reaves has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury and he will miss the Lakers' five remaining regular-season games, according to ESPN. The combo guard is expected to be out for four to six weeks, ESPN's Shams Charania reported.

Reaves has had his best season with the Lakers after joining the team as an undrafted rookie signing in 2021. In his fifth season in Los Angeles, Reaves averaged a career-high 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.1 steals. His shooting splits are 49% on field goals, 36% from three and 87% on free throws.

Reaves appeared in their most recent game, a 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2. Reaves scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shots and 3-for-3 on free throws in 27 minutes in the loss. Los Angeles also lost their star guard, Luka Doncic, when he left the game and was later ruled out with a strained hamstring.

The Lakers' five remaining games of the 2025-26 regular season are against the Dallas Mavericks, Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz.

Los Angeles has a 50-27 record and is currently at the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference standings to determine the playoff matchups. They are a game ahead of the Denver Nuggets. The NBA postseason begins April 14 with the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament.

Reaves is expected to become an unrestricted free agent in July 2026.

Austin Reaves injury timeline

Reaves was having a career season before his injury. It wasn't the first time he was kept out of the action due to bodily limitations.

Reaves missed 19 consecutive games earlier in the season with a Grade 2 left calf strain that he injured on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets. Prior to his calf injury, Reaves was averaging 26.1 points, 6.0 assists and 5.2 rebounds.

That was his second calf injury. Reaves had just returned, having missed three straight games for the Lakers, from Dec. 14-20, due to a calf strain.

Lakers remining schedule 

Here is who the Lakers face in their remaining five games in the 2025-26 regular season.

• Sunday, April 5: Dallas Mavericks
• Tuesday, April 7: Oklahoma City Thunder
• Thursday, April 9: Golden State Warriors
• Friday, April 10: Phoenix Suns
• Sunday, April 12: Utah Jazz

Lakers playoff matchups

If the NBA playoffs began today, the Lakers would be the No. 3-seed going against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who would be the No. 6-seed.

Last year, the Lakers faced Anthony Edwards and the T'Wolves in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Minnesota bounced them winning the series in five games, 4-1. This year would seem to have a similar outcome, especially if Los Angeles is without its stars, Doncic and Reaves.

The Lakers only have a game lead over the Nuggets and a two-game lead over the No. 5-seed Rockets. Los Angeles doesn't have the No. 3-seed locked in just yet. They can still slide down within the next five games.

If they slide down one spot, they could face the Rockets in the first round with home-court advantage. However, if the Rockets climb up and the Lakers move down, it's Houston that would have home-court advantage. Either way, it would set up possibly one last postseason matchup between LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

The Lakers and Nuggets could face each other in the postseason for the fourth time since 2020. It's unlikely the Lakers drop to a No. 6 seed, so this matchup would be in the event Houston bolts to third, while Los Angeles and Denver jockey for home-court advantage at the No. 4- and 5-seed matchup.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Austin Reaves injury update is horrible news for Lakers playoff hopes

The Lakers will be without their starting backcourt for the rest of the regular season — five more games — after Austin Reaves was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique strain on Saturday.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Reaves underwent an MRI exam on his left olbique/rib area.

The team learned earlier this week that Luka Doncic has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be out for the remainder of the regular season — and perhaps beyond. Grade 2 strains often take four to six weeks to heal.

The Lakers are also dealing with an injury to guard Marcus Smart, who has missed the last six games because of a right ankle contusion and will be sidelined for the game Sunday at Dallas.

“It's it's lingering soreness in the ankle,” Redick said.

Even with all of this, Redick said the Lakers’ “mission hasn’t changed.”

Read more:Luka Doncic's hamstring strain will keep him out for remainder of the regular season

“We want to get the third seed and we want to win a first-round series,” Redick said.

The Lakers are the third in the Western Conference, but Denver, Houston and Minnesota are within striking distance. The Lakers hold the tiebreaker over all three.

They'll try to hold on to the No. 3 seed over the final five games of the regular season without Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring (33.5 points per game) and is fourth in assists (8.3), and Reaves, who is averaging 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds.

Each player was injured in the first half of a blowout loss on Thursday to Oklahoma City but returned to play in the second half.

“I know Luka's gonna do everything he can to get back on the court,” Redick said. “We don't know what this recovery timetable looks like."

The Lakers likely will have to lean more on LeBron James, a role the 41-year-old is more than willing to take on. James has been designated the third option behind Doncic and Reaves yet has still averaged 20.6 points per game, 6.9 assists and 6.0 rebounds in his 23rd season.

“It probably is going to look a little bit differently with Luka being out,” James said after practice. “I'll figure that out and then, obviously, the coaches will figure it out as well.”

The Lakers are making the mental adjustment of playing without Doncic. After the Mavericks, they'll have tough games against Oklahoma City, Golden State and Phoenix before finishing against lowly Utah on April 12.

“I mean, it’s a challenge for us,” James said. “It’s always got to be a next-man-up [mentality]. But there’s no way you can replace that type of impact. So, it's going to be a collective group. We all have to figure out a way to do a little bit more. But even now, you got to be even more tightened up on the things that we do. When you lose a special player like that, you can't have as many mistakes. So, we got to figure that out.”

For Redick, speaking for the first time since news of Doncic’s injury, he had to check on the temperature of his team to make sure his group was in the right space.

The practice Saturday on the campus of Southern Methodist helped.

“I think making sure that everybody's in the right frame of mind, first of all, and then you know we worked on just offensive stuff, just cleaning up some stuff and being really explicit with what we want to run,” Redick said. “Did some offensive breakdown. It was definitely more of an offensive day.

"We did work on defense to start the practice, but that's again that's the primary sort of focus. How do we score, how do we score efficiently, and our defense again is, it's we're interchangeable. We've been interchangeable now for two-and-a half-months.”

James controversy

James created a bit of controversy when he said on “Bob Does Sports” YouTube video that Memphis should relocate to Nashville.

“I’m not like the first guy to even talk about it in the NBA. We all like, ‘You guys have to move. Just go over to Nashville," James said.

James, when asked if he wanted to clarify his remarks, then mentioned Milwaukee also as one of his least favorite cities.

“I said Milwaukee as well,” James said. “I’m 41 years old (and) there's two cities I do not like playing in right now — and that's Milwaukee and that's Memphis. What is your problem with it? I don't like going home [to Cleveland,] either. … And I'm from there. People are ridiculous. They also get mad at my son [Bronny James] being on the [Lakers] team, too.

"So, what are we talking about? People need to figure out other ways to put their energy to other things that's important. Like, seriously? I'm not talking about the city, like the people in Memphis. I don't like staying at the Hyatt Centric [hotel]. What's wrong with that? Nothing. What are we talking about? What are we talking about? People need to chill the hell out.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

DALLAS — Lakers star guard Austin Reaves will be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season because of an oblique injury, the team said on Saturday.

Reaves was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury after having an MRI over the weekend. 

He suffered the injury during Thursday’s blowout loss to the Thunder after he “overextended a little bit” for a rebound in the first quarter, Reaves said postgame.

Reaves stayed in the game despite the discomfort, going back to the locker room after subbing out before returning in the second quarter. 

He subbed out for the remainder of the game in the third, with the Lakers down by 38 at the time.

Reaves is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks, joining fellow star guard Luka Doncic as Lakers who are out for the rest of the regular season after Doncic suffered a regular-season-ending Grade 2 left hamstring strain against the Thunder.

"The second [MRI] was today. Again, I don't know where the chain of command lies with Dallas imaging, but uh they scanned the wrong area. Not on our end. We made it explicit what was supposed to be scanned but they scanned the wrong area." JJ Redick on Austin Reaves' MRI https://t.co/JweK8oI1aZpic.twitter.com/SPcM0hvb0v

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) April 4, 2026

With Doncic (33.5 points) and Reaves (23.3) sidelined, the Lakers will be without their top-two scorers for the remainder of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.

Doncic’s injury is expected to sideline him for a few weeks. 

“From a strategic tactical standpoint, we obviously are gonna have to play a little bit differently,” coach JJ Redick said after Saturday’s practice before Reaves’ injury was revealed. “There’s enough that we have in that we can play through LeBron [James], play through Luke [Kennard], play through Rui [Hachimura], play through [Deandre Ayton].”

The Lakers entered Sunday with a 50-27 record for third place in the Western Conference standings, a ½ game ahead of the fourth-place Nuggets (50-28), two games ahead of the fifth-place Rockets (48-29) and four games ahead of the sixth-place Timberwolves (46-31).

“Our mission hasn’t changed,” Redick said. “We want to go get the 3-seed and we want to win a first round series.”

In addition to his career-high scoring average, Reaves will finish the season with averages of 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in a career-low 51 games after missing significant time in December and January because of a calf strain. 

He has a $14.9 million player option for 2026-27 that he’s expected to decline, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

LeBron James, who’s 41 and in his 23rd NBA season, is the Lakers’ lone star player available for the stretch run of the season. 

“You got to flip the mindset a little bit,” James said. “When your role changes, whatever the case may be, or what’s needed out of the team. So the mindset changes a little bit for sure.”

Marcus Smart will also remain sidelined because of a right ankle contusion. He’ll miss his seventh consecutive game because of the injury when the Lakers play the Mavericks on Sunday.

“The ball handling role, we’ll obviously have to ask guys to do more,” Redick said. “Kobe [Bufkin], Nick [Smith Jr.], Dalton [Knecht], those guys will be with us at some point for [on Sunday]. We’ll probably have to play a 10- and 11-man rotation, all hands on deck.”

There was a delay getting the results from Reaves’ MRI.

Saturday was Reaves’ second time getting imaging for his injury in Dallas after the first one didn’t scan the right area. 

“Again, I don’t know where the chain of command lies with Dallas imaging, but they scanned the wrong area,” coach JJ Redick said. “Not on our end. We made it explicit what was supposed to be scanned but they scanned the wrong area.”

BOSTON — Ron Harper Jr. has long awaited this moment. After four two-way contracts, the 25-year-old has finally signed a two-year NBA contract, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Harper Jr. has appeared in 26 games for the Celtics this season, averaging 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game. Of late, he’s had several standout performances for the Celtics; last month, he exploded for 22 points on 8-11 shooting against the San Antonio Spurs. Last week, he had a great first-quarter stint against the Charlotte Hornets — scoring 7 quick points — before he went down with an ankle sprain.

The Boston Celtics are signing two-way wing Ron Harper Jr. to a new two-year deal, agent Drew Gross of WME Basketball tells ESPN. Harper has played a key Celtics rotation role at times this season while spending time starring for their Maine G League affiliate. pic.twitter.com/3g44oay1Ql

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 4, 2026

Harper Jr. had a standout season with the Maine Celtics before primarily joining the parent club in January. He averaged 24.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, while shooting 37.7% from three in the G-League.

And while he hasn’t shot particularly well in very limited minutes in Boston, his shooting has nonetheless impressed his teammates.

“Ron’s one of the best shooters on our team,” Jaylen Brown proclaimed a few weeks ago. Harper Jr. proceeded to shoot 60% from three in March.

While this is his first year actually under contract with the Celtics, Harper Jr. is very familiar with the organization; he spent the 2024 and 2025 NBA training camps with Boston and was also on the Celtics’ Summer League team in 2024.

“I feel like I know the system; the coverages are like the back of my hand,” Harper Jr. said in February. “That was a big part of the process and the decision to be coming back in the summer — I just knew the team, I knew the coaches, I knew the system.”

After his first NBA start, a Celtics win over the Houston Rockets on February 4th, Harper Jr. said he felt he made the right decision to rejoin the Celtics organization.

“I felt like I could excel,” Harper Jr. said then. “I feel like it’s working out pretty good so far.”

Now, he’s officially achieved something he’s long desired: an NBA contract.

The haymakers are coming left and right for the Lakers right now.

Luka Doncic’s hamstring injury took center stage from Thursday’s loss to the Thunder, but Austin Reaves was also injured and it’s much worse than he initially indicated after the game.

The Lakers announced on Saturday that Reaves would be out for the regular season with a Grade 2 oblique strain.

Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury and will be out for the remainder of the regular season, per the Lakers.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 4, 2026

Don’t worry, though. It gets worse.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Reaves is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the injury. That safely rules him out for the first round and likely rules him out for part or most of a second round series, which feels basically impossible to even reach now.

Lakers' Austin Reaves is expected to miss four to six weeks with the Grade 2 oblique injury, sources tell ESPN. Devastating run of injuries to L.A.'s two leading scorers. Reaves and Luka Doncic are expected to be sidelined to begin the NBA playoffs. https://t.co/E2495zVWqH

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 4, 2026

Truly, it’s hard to imagine a worse 24 hours for the Lakers. In that span, both Luka and Austin have all but been ruled for the first round of the playoffs. The Lakers are going to limp into the postseason like it’s 2012 all over again.

After practice on Saturday in Dallas, head coach JJ Redick revealed that Reaves had imaging done on his oblique. In fact, he had an MRI twice for the most hilarious reason possible.

“The second one was today,” Redick said. “I don’t know where the chain of command lies with Dallas imaging, but they scanned the wrong area. Not on our end. We made it explicit where it was supposed to be scanned but they scanned the wrong area.”

Somehow, this is very fitting for how the Lakers’ season has gone.

It’s hard to really have much of a takeaway from this other than it being a brutal way for this season to unofficially end. There will be another week of regular season games and a first round series but it’s all going to feel ceremonial at this point.

We’ll always have the March Lakers. They can’t take that away from us at least.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Michigan coach Dusty May revived the Wolverines in just two seasons, leading the program to the Final Four in 2026 after taking over a team that went 26-40 in the two years prior to his arrival.

May has only been a head coach for eight seasons but already has two Final Four appearances at two schools – Michigan and Florida Atlantic. A national championship is in Michigan's sights this season.

REQUIRED READING: At Michigan, Dusty May's son is the student manager his dad once was

His services are also – obviously – sought after. He has been tied to the North Carolina opening after the school fired Hubert Davis, and he'll likely always be thought of as a dream candidate at Indiana, where he cut his teeth as a student manager before graduating from his hometown school.

Michigan won't let him walk easy, like any other top-tier program in college basketball.

Here's a look at May's current contract at Michigan, which could increase even more if the Wolverines add another raise after is Final Four run:

Dusty May contract

May signed a new contract with Michigan in February 2025, just under a year after he became the Wolverines' next coach. His current deal is through 2030, and offers him an increase of $250,000 each season, according to his contract obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

His base salary this season was $4.6 million and will increase to $4.85 million next season if his current deal doesn't change, which seems unlikely due to the Wolverines' dominance and other schools' interest in May. His yearly salary would peak at $5.6 million in Year 5 of the deal under the current agreement.

He also earns $150,000 on April 30, 2026, as part of his retention bonus. His retention bonus is set at $450,000 for 2027 and 2028, before going back to $150,000 for 2029 and 2030.

Dusty May bonuses

May has already made $250,000 in bonuses this season for leading Michigan to an outright Big Ten championship and at least a Final Four appearance, according to his contract. He's currently earning $200,000 for a Final Four spot, but that bonus can rise to $300,000 for a national championship berth and $400,000 if Michigan wins the title.

Dusty May buyout

May's buyout is currently set at $7 million, if he were to leave Michigan before April 30, 2026. The number decreases each year, and is set at $5 million until April 30, 2027, $3 million until April 30, 2028, $2 million on April 30, 2029, and $1 million on April 30, 2030.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dusty May contract: Michigan coach's bonuses, buyout before Final Four

Nothing is going to loom over the Lakers’ offseason more than LeBron James.

Will he retire? Will he want to remain with the Lakers? At what price? Under what expectations for a role?

For chunks of the season, it’s felt like the swan song for LeBron in Los Angeles. All of the mesaging from the Lakers was about moving into the Luka era and LeBron’s presence felt like a hindrance to that.

Then in March, things changed. LeBron’s role on the court shifted into one he’s never had before as he was a willing third fiddle, eager to capitalize on fastbreak opportunities and work off the ball offensively.

That shift seemed to open the door for a future with LeBron in LA. While President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka has said that the team wants LeBron to retire with the Lakers, that always felt more like saying the right thing in public. When the rubber meets the road, will they hold the same belief?

Those answers won’t come for a number of more months, but some insight indicates that the Lakers could be leading the pack for LeBron’s 2026-27 season. In a recent appearance on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective, Dave McMenamin of ESPN shared his thoughts on LeBron’s future.

It’s a very lengthy quote with the most important parts bolded.

“If you asked me in October or December, I’d probably have put retirement as the No. 1 option here. As of today covering LeBron with the Lakers winning 15 out of 17 games and accepting this role that I didn’t know if I’d ever see him actually accept being willingly this much off the ball, why wouldn’t he stay with the Lakers. It gives him all the off-court things that he values — his business empire, his family, his son’s on the team, his other son is a short flight away in Arizona…and they’re winning.

So, I think the only part of the equation that would be less desirable than other situations would be the money because the Lakers do intend to build this time around Luka Dončić and use their cap space to get younger and get two-way type players and talent. Quite frankly, they don’t have a ton of cap space after they re-sign Austin Reaves and Jaxson Hayes and Luke Kennard and maybe Rui Hachimura. It’s not like they have all this money…If he wants to come back, you’re not talking about a lot of money. That’s the sacrifice he would make. But everything else checks the box. So, the Lakers, I think, are the No. 1 by a wide degree at this point.”

While I’d push back against the “not like they have all this money” part because, well, the Lakers are going to have a lot of money, it doesn’t change that they want to spend that money elsewhere and not on a returning LeBron.

This isn’t the first time this debate has been had this season and even with free agency approaching, it won’t be the last time either. Things clearly change throughout the season and maybe there is one more swing before free agency opens in July.

But McMenamin is right. The Lakers give him everything he wants off the court. If they can also add winning on the court to the table, it’s a compelling case. Is it a strong enough case for him to take less money to return? That might be out of his control as it’s hard to imagine him getting a ton of money from any franchise he wants to go to.

But as things play out, it certainly seems like the Lakers are the frontrunners.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.