Category: Basketball

The score wasn't the only thing that made this the Lakers’ worst loss of the season.

Even more concerning than the Lakers’ 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday was watching superstar guard Luka Doncic hobble off the court with a left hamstring injury in the third quarter.

The 27-year-old guard was held to just 12 points and seven assists, and he committed six turnovers before he pulled up on a drive with 7:39 left in the third quarter. He grabbed at the back of his left leg and limped to the baseline, where he lowered himself to the court, rolled onto his back and covered his face. Concerned teammates surrounded him. Coach JJ Redick offered one hand to pull him to his feet.

Read more:Luka Doncic matches Michael Jordan for the most magical March in NBA history

Doncic will undergo an MRI scan Friday, Redick said, before the Lakers (50-27) play Doncic’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Sunday. In a subdued locker room, the Lakers were left to wrestle with their largest margin of defeat since Nov. 27, 2023 amid the possibility of having to finish the regular season without the NBA’s leading scorer.

“At this juncture of the season, it's the last thing you want to see,” said LeBron James, who had 13 points, six rebounds and two assists. “Especially — anybody on our team — but when you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want to see is somebody go down with a hamstring injury. ... I don't know obviously what the case may be, so pray for the best for sure and a speedy recovery.”

Guard Austin Reaves shook off his own injury scare to finish with 15 points, one assist and four turnovers after grabbing at his left lower back for most of the first quarter. He said he overextended himself chasing a loose ball. He turned the ball over trying to connect with Deandre Ayton on the next possession, reaching immediately for his lower back after the pass went awry.

The Lakers had averaged just 12.6 turnovers per game since the All-Star break — the third-fewest in the NBA during that span — but committed 18 against the aggressive Thunder (61-16), who had 12 steals. The Lakers had eight turnovers in the first quarter, gifting the defending NBA champions 14 easy points and a 23-point first-quarter lead.

“That’s the game right there,” James said.

Doncic had just five points in the first quarter. He was one for six from the field. With 1:06 remaining in the second quarter, Doncic drove into the paint to fire a two-handed overhead pass to Luke Kennard for a corner three. As Kennard’s shot circled the rim and bounced out, Doncic grabbed at his left hamstring.

Doncic and Reaves were examined and treated at halftime and cleared to play, Redick said. Reaves returned with 9:40 remaining in the third quarter and grabbed his back after his first touch, but said after the game he felt “decent.”

With the Lakers (50-27) down 31 points at halftime, Redick said the plan was to give the banged-up stars about six minutes to see if they could cut into the lead.

Doncic was injured 4:21 into the third quarter. The Lakers were down 32.

“We're not going to put a player at risk,” Redick said. “Those things happen.”

Doncic missed four games because of a left hamstring injury in February and played through hamstring soreness against the Brooklyn Nets on March 27 as the Lakers put together a 15-2 record in March.

One of the only teams hotter than the Lakers entering Thursday was the Thunder, who had won 15 of their last 16 games. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominated in the much-anticipated matchup of most valuable player contenders with 28 points on efficient 12-for-25 shooting in less than 30 minutes, with seven assists and seven rebounds.

Doncic recently surged into the MVP conversation after scoring 600 points last month, joining Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to achieve the feat in March. He was named Western Conference player of the month Thursday, adding another line to his MVP application.

But after limping off the court, Doncic is at risk of not being eligible for the coveted award. He played in his 64th game Thursday, needing one more appearance in the Lakers’ final five games, to reach the 65-game eligibility threshold.

Read more:Lamar Odom's past is a 'cesspool of trauma,' he says: 'I don't know what made me relevant now'

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Thursday night at Paycom Center went from bad to worse for the Lakers.

Star guard Luka Doncic left during the third quarter of the blowout road loss to the Thunder because of a left hamstring injury.

https://t.co/oE9BHPPVDHpic.twitter.com/pQDFAuCdkR

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) April 3, 2026

Doncic was hobbling after a drive attempt against Thunder wing Jalen Williams midway through the third, limping to stay off his left leg before laying down underneath the basket by the Thunders’ bench, with coach JJ Redick calling timeout to sub Doncic out of the game.

Redick said Doncic will get an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of the injury.

“At this point, at this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” LeBron James said. “Especially, anybody on our team, but when you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want to see is somebody go down with a hamstring injury. I don’t know how severe it is. I don’t know obviously what the case may be, so pray for the best for sure and a speedy recovery.” 

Doncic was on the injury report because of left hamstring soreness before the March 27 home win over the Nets, but played after being listed as questionable, scoring 41 points in 39 minutes to lead the Lakers to a victory.

He sat out of Monday’s win over the Wizards, serving his one-game suspension because of an accumulation of technical fouls after picking up his 16th of the season against the Nets, before having 42 points in Tuesday’s home win over the Cavaliers.

Doncic sat out of the Lakers’ last four games leading into the All-Star break because of a left hamstring strain.

He appeared to injure the left hamstring ailment that he was dealing with in the first half but tried to play through.

“We checked him out,” Redick said. “He got work done. He was cleared. I mean, again, we’re not going to put a player at risk. Those things happen.”

You can see Luka Doncic grabbing at his left hamstring during this play near the end of the first half: https://t.co/0HV9awG3ONpic.twitter.com/QmtdiXyiUy

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) April 3, 2026

Doncic walked off the court under his own power before going back to the locker room.

“You wish for the best,” Austin Reaves said. “Obviously, you don’t want to see anybody get hurt. But you hold on to some faith for the best news possible. I’ve gotten to know him the last year and a half. He’s a competitor, so he’ll do all he can do to put himself in a position to come back when he can.”

Reaves also was dealing with a lower back/side ailment that he played through after overextending for a rebound earlier in the game.

“I felt something,” he said postgame. “But I feel decent right now, so we’ll see.”

On the heels of his historic month, Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Dončić suffered a hamstring injury that could derail the rest of his regular season.

Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters after Thursday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, an eventual 139-96 Lakers loss, that Dončić would undergo an MRI Friday, April 3, so that the team could diagnose the severity of the injury.

With 7:39 to play in Los Angeles’ April 2 game, Dončić was driving down the left lane when he met an OKC double-team of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Dončić stopped abruptly and immediately clutched at his left hamstring, tossing the ball aside. He started to limp before officials blew the play dead.

Dončić then hobbled over to the baseline, where he went down to the court and lay on his back while trainers rushed over to tend to him.

Those injuries are the scariest.
Sending good thoughts Luka's way 🙏 pic.twitter.com/WeCLJ0YMCp

— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) April 3, 2026

Dončić appeared to be instantly frustrated and spent some time on the floor before he stood up and was able to walk off on his own power. He buried his face in his jersey and went straight to the locker room.

The injury came during the height of a blowout, with the Lakers down by 32. The team officially ruled Dončić out with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter.

“It was discussed at halftime,” a visibly frustrated Redick said of potentially benching Dončić because of the blowout. “Thought we would give (the starters) about 6 minutes (to start the third quarter) and then — if we didn’t cut into the lead — we were going to pull them. Obviously, it was around that time that that happened.”

Luka is absolutely devastated pic.twitter.com/NHIAL4mE0Y

— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) April 3, 2026

Dončić finished the game with 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting, including a sluggish 1-of-7 from 3-point range. He added 7 assists and 4 rebounds.

The left hamstring had apparently been bothering Dončić throughout the game. From the first quarter, Dončić had grabbed at it following plays when he used bursts of acceleration. That continued in the second quarter.

Dončić has been dealing with various lower body injuries throughout this season. Just last week, prior to Friday, March 27’s game against the Nets, the Lakers had listed Dončić as questionable with a hamstring issue.

The timing of the injury comes at a precarious time for Dončić and the Lakers; Los Angeles has played well recently but its grip on the No. 3 seed over the Nuggets in the Western Conference will shrink to just 1 game. And for Dončić, his eligibility for individual awards is suddenly in jeopardy. Thursday night was his 64th game, which leaves him one shy of the 65-game minimum and which means he needs to play in at least one of Los Angeles’ last five games to reach that threshold.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka Doncic injury update, status for Lakers vs Thunder

Collin Gilllespie spent years knocking down three’s within Villanova’s offense and that has translated into the NBA.

On Thursday night, Gillespie knocked down two three-pointers to get to 227 on the year for the Phoenix Suns. This set a new franchise record for three’s made in a single-season, passing the previous mark of 226 set by Quentin Richardson in 2004-25.

Your new franchise leader in single-season three-pointers made: Collin Gillespie 👏 pic.twitter.com/Gf9bxaC7uX

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 2, 2026

Gillespie is shooting 40.7% from three-point range this season. He is now 227-for-557 on the year. Gillespie has played in 75 games, making 56 starts, for the Suns this year. He is having the best year of his young career by far, averaging 13.1 points and 4.8 assists. He is shooting 42.3% from the field and 87.1% from the free throw line.

Gillespie went undrafted in 2022 before signing a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets. He spent time in the Summer League before another two-way deal in 2023. In 2024, Gillespie signed his third deal of the sort with the Phoenix Suns. Last year, Gillespie signed a one-year deal worth $2.3 million and has shown that he belongs.

At Villanova, Gillespie was part of two Final Four teams and a National Championship in 2018. He was the Big East Player of the Year twice and Third Team All-American as a senior.

Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets continues to make his case to be the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Knueppel, who has played a key role in helping the Hornets secure a postseason spot, scored 20 points and went 4-of-9 from the 3-point line in 33 minutes as the Hornets beat the Phoenix Suns 127-107 on April 2.

The rookie also added his name to the Hornets’ history books, setting a new franchise record for the most 3-pointers made in a single season with 261.

Kemba Walker had set the record with 260 during the 2018-19 season. Knueppel’s teammate LaMelo Ball also reached the top five for the franchise, with 243 3-pointers made this season, tying Jason Richardson (2007-08).

KON BROKE KEMBA'S HORNET FRANCHISE 3PT RECORD IN HIS ROOKIE SEASON 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pUA6qGRgFB

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 3, 2026

Hornets coach Charles Lee was among those who celebrated Knueppel's latest accomplishment. Lee was seen pouring water over the rookie's head before his postgame press conference.

#Hornets coach Charles Lee waits out Kon Knueppel to enter his postgame session and douses him with water to celebrate him setting the team’s single-season 3PT record pic.twitter.com/ZTOBPS5E8K

— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) April 3, 2026

Knueppel has been in the conversation for the Rookie of the Year award throughout the season, alongside former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg, who plays for the Dallas Mavericks. Knueppel has averaged 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in 75 games played for the Hornets this season.

He has taken over as the Rookie of the Year favorite at -275 on BetMGM. Flagg is listed at +200, with Philadelphia 76ers rookie V.J. Edgecombe at +25000.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rookie Kon Knueppel breaks Hornets 3-point record

One of the few things that hasn’t gone right for the Lakers during their recent winning run has been Marcus Smart’s injury.

After establishing himself as a valuable role player and starter this season, Smart has missed six straight games due to injury. In the team’s stop in Orlando, Smart injured his ankle after Goga Bitadze fell on him.

After initially being diagnosed as a day-to-day injury, Smart hasn’t played in nearly two weeks, a Lakers special this season. However, prior to Thursday’s game against the Thunder, head coach JJ Redick provided an encouraging update on Smart and a potential return date.

Lakers coach JJ Redick says Marcus Smart, who will miss his sixth straight game tonight, participated in an on-court workout today and could play as soon as Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 3, 2026

It’s certainly easier to take a more cautious approach to bringing a player back from injury when you are winning, which could be what the Lakers have done. At the very least, they haven’t been in a rush to bring Smart back with wins racking up.

After missing nine of the first 23 games, Smart played in all but two games from Dec. 10 through that Orlando game on March 21. Considering he came into his Lakers tenure with plenty of injury concerns from recent seasons, it was a stretch of games that was reassuring.

With the playoffs approaching, though, getting Smart back on the court to ensure the rust is knocked off will be paramount. If he does return on Sunday, that will give him a week’s worth of games, including a contest against the Thunder, before the postseason.

And with how bad things went for the Lakers against the Thunder on Thursday, any bit of good news will be helpful.

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

Anthony Edwards is out of the running for any NBA postseason awards. 

The Timberwolves star was ruled out of Thursday’s 113-108 loss to the Pistons, making it impossible for him to reach the 65-game minimum needed to be eligible for awards. 

Edwards missed the game on Thursday due to a right knee injury and an illness. 

The Timberwolves have six games left in the regular season after Thursday, and Edwards, 24, has played in 59 games However, he played just three minutes in one game, a contest for which he was not given credit. 

Edwards would have needed to play in every game the rest of the season after he returned on Monday from a knee issue that kept him out of Minnesota’s six games before that. 

He was certainly headed for a spot on one of the three All-NBA teams this season before he became ineligible. 

He has been averaging 29.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range and nearly 50 percent from the field. 

Edwards had 17 points in the T-Wolves’ 124-94 win over the Mavericks on Monday night. 

Aside from the impact it has on the chance for an individual award, the loss of Edwards comes at a crucial time for Minnesota as it battles for positioning in the standings.

The Timberwolves entered Thursday’s game in sixth in the Western Conference and were a half-game back of the fifth-seeded Rockets. 

The T-Wolves have a game on Friday against the 76ers, and it’s unclear if Edwards will be available for that one. 

Edwards is now one of several well-known NBA stars who will not be eligible for awards due to the number of games they’ve played in. 

That list includes big names like LeBron James and Steph Curry.

All Times EDT

Friday, April 3

MLB

L.A. Dodgers at Washington, 1:05 p.m.

St. Louis at Detroit, 1:10 p.m.

Miami at N.Y. Yankees, 1:35 p.m.

San Diego at Boston, 2:10 p.m.

Toronto at Chicago White Sox, 2:10 p.m.

Cincinnati at Texas, 4:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Minnesota, 4:10 p.m.

Philadelphia at Colorado, 4:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Cleveland, 4:10 p.m.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 4:12 p.m.

Milwaukee at Kansas City, 7:45 p.m.

Seattle at L.A. Angels, 9:38 p.m.

Houston at Athletics, 9:40 p.m.

Atlanta at Arizona, 9:45 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at San Francisco, 10:15 p.m.

NBA

Indiana at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

Chicago at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Boston at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

Toronto at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Utah at Houston, 8 p.m.

Orlando at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Sacramento, 10 p.m.

NHL

Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

St. Louis at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NCAA Tournament - Final Four at Phoenix

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 1 UConn, 7 p.m.

No. 1 Texas vs, No. 1 UCLA, 9:30 p.m.

NWSL

San Diego at Boston Legacy FC, 7 p.m.

Angel City at Orlando, 8 p.m.

Louisville at Houston, 8:30 p.m.

Chicago at Utah Royals FC, 9 p.m.

PWHL

Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m.

_____

You wouldn’t have thought this was the third game in four nights for Detroit given the energy they played with. Minnesota didn’t have Anthony Edwards for this one, but it was still a back-and-forth game until the Pistons were able to pull away late for the 113-108 victory.

The Timberwolves had the unique start of attempting seven straight three-pointers while Detroit focused on getting the ball down low. Jalen Duren had plenty of action early and was unbothered by Rudy Gobert for a quick eight points in the first five minutes. After Detroit took an 18-12 lead halfway through the first, Minnesota settled in and ended the quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 31-30 lead.

They say basketball is a game of runs, and this game was full of them. Pistons kicked off the quarter with one of their own, but a Tobias Harris drive ended up knocking knees with Gobert early in the second. Harris would be ruled out shortly after due to a left knee contusion. Daniss Jenkins stepped up to carry the offensive load and ended up leading the team in shot attempts and points. He and Duncan Robinson both had 10 points at the half of a 54-54 tie game.

Mike Conley led the way for Minnesota in place of Edwards and a had a game-high 14 points. Duren continued his All-NBA play with 13 points and six rebounds, including another midrange jumper that was nothing but net. The announcers of the Amazon Prime broadcast mentioned that he was 8-for-9 on shots outside of the paint this year. As exciting as it may be to imagine him with a jump shot one day, no team has found an answer for him at the rim yet.

Jenkins was the spark to the Pistons offense early in the third quarter as they got off on another 7-0 run. Detroit looked like they were going to push their lead after back-to-back threes from Kevin Huerter and Javonte Green, but Minnesota always had an answer. Marcus Sasser and Bones Hyland got into some extracurricular activities and received double technical fouls – it would be Detroit’s 54th of the year, most in the NBA.

The Timberwolves held a 80-79 lead heading into the final quarter, but it wasn’t long until Little Caesars Arena would have the loudest moment of the night. Detroit reclaimed the lead with eight minutes left after a Jenkins and-one and a lefty spinning layup by Ausar Thompson.

Thompson got his career-high ninth assist by finding Ron Holland for an impressive drive and slam in the middle of the Minnesota defense. Duncan Robinson followed that up with a transition lob to Ausar who threw down a two-handed flush right on top of Donte DiVincenzo that almost blew the roof off of LCA. You could see Jarrett Jack and Cade Cunningham celebrating together on the bench with a chest bump, just for Jack to quickly apologize to Cunningham due to his injury.

That alley-oop gave Detroit a seven-point lead, but Duncan Robinson put the dagger in the Wolves’ back with a movement three to put Detroit up 103-92. The Pistons would knock down their free throws late and go on to win 113-108.

This was a complete game by Daniss Jenkins to finish with 26 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. He has been fantastic sliding into the starting lineup during Cade’s injury and has been a huge part of Detroit’s success this season. He was a great find by Trajan Langdon and it’ll be interesting to see if he doesn’t make in JB Bickerstaff’s playoff rotation.

Jalen Duren had 22 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and three stocks in 36 minutes. It is all but a forgone conclusion that Duren is going to get paid this summer, and it’s rightfully so. He has most likely earned himself an All-NBA nomination with his play after the All-Star Break. He has taken over as the #1 option during Cade’s injury and has helped keep Detroit as the top team in the East.

Ausar Thompson has the most Ausar Thompson-like stat line ever with seven points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and three blocks in 31 minutes. His athletic gravity is felt no matter where he is on the court and I’m not convinced he isn’t able to fly. Duncan Robinson did Duncan Robinson things and Kevin Huerter does a great job of doing Duncan Robinson things off of the bench.

I’d like to officially enter Naz Reid into the bucket of potential offseason acquisitions for Trajan Langdon. Caris LeVert’s expiring contract is enough to get a deal done this summer and Reid has 3+ years left on his deal at roughly $25 million per year. You could slot him in as the starting PF and ask Tobias Harris to take the sixth-man role off the bench. But, that’s an article for another time.

The Pistons will travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers Saturday night.

Go Stones.

The Minnesota Timberwolves crushed the Dallas Mavericks in Anthony Edwards’ return and behind Ayo Dosunmu’s impressive triple-double. The welcome-back party for Edwards has been short-lived, as he was ruled out for knee injury management and an illness for this Thursday night matchup against the Detroit Pistons. With this missed game, Ant will not be eligible for postseason awards as he will not meet the 65-game requirement. Opposing stars both being dinged by a questionable rule is a bummer for the NBA as a whole.

The Pistons started off the game playing smash-mouth basketball and using their strength and size to dominate the paint. Jalen Duren was flexing his muscles early on and taking it right at Rudy Gobert for 10 points on 5-6 shooting.

The Timberwolves responded with some hot 3-point shooting and forced some Pistons turnovers to get back into the game. A Kyle Anderson circus tip-in ended the response to an early Detroit lead to take a 31-30 lead at the end of the first. Julius Randle’s three was dropping, and he played well in the first with 10 points and two threes.

THIS JU SEQUENCE. 😤 pic.twitter.com/cX3yvK8rUB

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 2, 2026

The second quarter was all over the place in a back-and-forth affair. Detroit started on a 7-0 run that was immediately answered by a Timberwolves 9-2 run. Terrence Shannon Jr. had a great stretch in the second quarter, getting out in transition and finishing at the rim.

The game remained close until Mike Conley caught fire for a few threes to open up a seven-point advantage. The Pistons closed the gap and were able to tie the game 54-54 at halftime. Mike Conley led the team in scoring with 14, while Jalen Duren was right behind him for the Pistons with 13 of his own.

Mike Conley pull-up 3 pic.twitter.com/u6tUTL5KLA

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 3, 2026

The Timberwolves came out a bit looser with the basketball in the third after a very clean first half in that area. Early in the quarter, Julius Randle used bully ball And-1s to keep the Wolves offense afloat. The Pistons responded with a few threes to take a slight lead halfway through the quarter. While Detroit’s defensive intensity kicked up, which got the crowd into it, the Timberwolves kept after it.

Bones Hyland showed a little fight (that was slightly less dramatic than the last altercation between these two teams) while Naz Reid took the offensive baton from Julius down the stretch. Minnesota closed the quarter with a one-point advantage in a back-and-forth affair heading into the fourth.

The game stayed close for the first part of the fourth quarter before the Detroit Pistons imposed their physicality on the game. They forced tough half-court possession after tough half-court possession for the Timberwolves offense. Detroit hit some key shots and took control of the game late, going on an 18-3 run and taking a double-digit lead.

Julius Randle cutting dunk, assisted by Kyle Anderson pic.twitter.com/nWZNpjTSml

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 3, 2026

Detroit Imposing Physicality

The Pistons’ calling card all season has been their physical play style. They grind you down into dust over the course of a 48-minute game. While the Timberwolves did put up a good fight for much of the game, Detroit squeezed just hard enough to get Minnesota to break.

They tightened things up defensively and worked hard to get good shots on the offensive end against a team lacking scoring firepower. The Timberwolves fought in what was. a very good and close game, but could not come out on top.

Half Court Offense Dries Up

With Anthony Edwards (and Jaden McDaniels, for that matter) out, the half-court offense will always be a question mark. The way that Minnesota has juiced its offense in these situations is with fast-break points and points off turnovers.

They were able to muster a good amount of offense using that method, but when the Pistons tightened up defensively, so did the transition offense for the Wolves. Julius Randle played very well in this one, but they struggled to find consistent half-court offense, which spelled their demise in the fourth quarter.

Mike and TJ Out of the Woodwork

Despite the loss, two unlikely players stepped up and played well to keep this game close. Mike Conley scored 14 points and hit four threes in this one and looked closer to the vintage Mike we all know and love. Even with L, it was nice to see a few drop for him from downtown. Terrence Shannon Jr., who has also been having a difficult season, stepped up as well.

Every time he got the ball, he was launched like a rocket the other direction. He had some nice finishes, including a right-handed lay-in, and I loved his attention to pushing the ball up the court.

TJ Shannon transition driving dunk pic.twitter.com/m09L0MTLLt

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 3, 2026

---

Up Next

The Timberwolves are back in action tomorrow night for a road back-to-back. It’s another 6 PM CT start against the Philadelphia 76ers. The game will be on their standard FanDuel Sports North.

Highlights

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.

The Spurs will play their last back-to-back of the season in the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. The eighth place Clippers are really interested in a win tonight, as the Trail Blazers are only half a game behind them, and they could be in danger of falling to ninth, which would require two wins in the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs, instead of one win and you’re in for the seventh and eighth place teams.

The Clippers are healthy and have a rest advantage over the Spurs having had a night off last night after losing to the Blazers by 10 on Tuesday night. The Spurs cruised to a 127-113 win over the Warriors last night over a Golden State team missing nine players and most of their stars. Tonight will be a tougher test, especially since Victor Wembanyama will sit out the game for injury management for a sore ankle. After tonight’s game, the Spurs will have five more games to play in the regular season, and Victor will have to play in at least three of them to be eligible for player awards, which he has said that he really wants.

The good news is that Luke Kornet is back in the lineup after sitting out last night, and he should be fresh tonight after taking a rest in the last game. The Spurs need to keep piling up wins to have a shot at catching the Thunder for the first overall seed, even though that seems to be a bit of a long shot. The Thunder face the Lakers tonight, who have won 13 of their last 14 games, and have a shot at making the Thunder sweat a bit tonight in their home arena, and again on the 7th when they play again in LA. Go Lakers g__ … OW, that hurts.

OK, GO SPURS GO!!! Beat the Clippers!

Game Prediction:

Kawhi Leonard will tell a joke in the pregame interview. No one will get it.

San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers
April 2, 2026 | 9:30 PM CT
Streaming: NBA League Pass
TV: FanDuel Sports Southwest
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) — Lauren Coughlin showed her familiarity with Shadow Creek by opening with a 5-under 67, putting her in a three-way tie for the lead Thursday with Nasa Hataoka and Women's British Open champion Miyu Yamashita in the Aramco Championship.

Coughlin played 127 holes last year at Shadow Creek when the tournament was match play, with every match going at least the distance. She wound up as the runner-up to Madelene Sagstrom.

The Aramco Championship is co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour, which has leaned on Saudi Arabia’s state oil company to sponsor the Aramco series that often attracts LPGA players wherever it plays around the world. The total purse this week is $4 million and the tournament shifted to stroke play.

“I feel like I know this place really well. Been in a lot of the places that you don’t want to be, so I feel like ... I just know the spots that I need to land it to a lot of the pins, where to miss if you have to,” said Coughlin, who didn't drop a shot until her final hole on No. 9.

“Yeah, it was nice to not play seven rounds hopefully in five days like last year,” she said.

Nelly Korda and Hyo Joo Kim are side by side, again, at least on the scoreboard. Korda made eagle on the par-5 18th for a 68, while Kim made bogey on her opening hole and didn't drop another shot the rest of the way for a 68.

Kim has won the last two weeks on the LPGA Tour, both times with Korda as the runner-up. There haven't been players who finished 1-2 in consecutive weeks on the LPGA in 25 years.

Shadow Creek has been part of the LPGA schedule since 2021, but the last five years have been match play. Now it's an Aramco event, and the fabled course attracted every player from the top 20 in the women's world ranking.

“It's great,” Coughlin said of the strong field. “And we have a really great golf course that tests every bit of your game.”

Kim won the Founders Cup at Sharon Heights in northern California, and then last week the Ford Championship in Arizona. The 30-year-old South Korean is trying to win a third straight week. The last player to do that was Korda in 2024 during her streak of winning five straight starts. Her third week in a row winning that year also was at Shadow Creek.

Jin Yang also shot a 68 to trail by one shot. As tough as the course could be if players got out of position, 10 players managed to break 70.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Lars Eller broke a third-period tie and the Ottawa Senators prevented Buffalo from wrapping up a drought-breaking playoff spot Thursday night, beating the Sabres 4-1.

Buffalo will have to wait to end its NHL-record 14-season postseason skid, the second-longest active futility run in North America’s four major sports behind the New York Jets and their 15-season slide.

Eller deflected defenseman Artem Zub's shot from the point past goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 5:55 of the third.

Buffalo defenseman Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring at 8:49 of the second with a long wrist shot. Dylan Cozens tied it with 4:42 left in the second on a tip-in. He has 26 goals this season.

Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto added empty-net goals.

Linus Ullmark made 21 saves for Ottawa. The Senators — in the second wild-card spot in the East — opened a five-game homestand.

Luukkonen stopped 20 shots for Buffalo.

Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven left in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. The team has become increasingly thin on defense, missing Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, Nick Jensen and others.

Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk fought Logan Stanley late in the first period.

Up next

Sabres: At Washington on Saturday night.

Senators: Host Minnesota on Saturday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl