Category: Sports News

After an underwhelming presence in Game 3, Knicks fans turned State Farm Arena into Madison Square Garden South in Game 4.

They were not as raucous or as strong in numbers during the Knicks loss in Game 3. In Game 4, however, it was a different story.

They certainly were loud.

“It’s one of the coolest things that I will always remember when I’m done playing, is how crazy these Knicks fans travel,” Jalen Brunson said. “Whether they live here now or whatever, they know how to attack an away stadium. And it’s a really cool sight to see.”

There were noticeable crowd pops when the Knicks scored and went on runs. You could hear them chanting “de-fense” when the Knicks were on that end of the court. They even booed CJ McCollum, who was playing in what was supposed to be his home arena.

Hawks fans tried to drown them out. But given the one-sided nature of Game 4, that proved difficult.

“Knicks fans travel all around the world,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “It’s even more special — I already knew how special the Knicks fans were from last year, but to be going to Abu Dhabi in preseason and see the stadium packed with Knicks fans is crazy. So, they travel around the world. They bring us so much love and energy and just passion that you can just feel that kind of passion in the building and it helps us feel like every game we play, no matter if it’s away or in Abu Dhabi, around the world, it’s a home game.”

After their Game 4 win, the Knicks had wings from Magic City Strip Club, a staple in Atlanta, in the locker room.

Later, Magic City posted on Instagram: “We don’t wanna take credit for the win…. But …”

Ex-Knick Carmelo Anthony, a studio analyst for NBC, has been critical of Towns this year.

But after his Game 4 triple-double, Anthony gave Towns his flowers.

“We talk about KAT, about what we always want to see from KAT,” Anthony said on the network. “From him today to lead the team by his passing, by his aggressiveness and then took advantage of the defense when he could. He just played a complete game.”

Deandre Ayton has left the building. 

Midway through the third quarter of Game 4 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets inside the Toyota Center, Ayton hit Alperen Sengun flush across the face with a left elbow.

A foul was called and the officials went to check the replay. At first glance, it felt like a sure-fire flagrant one foul. It was hard, and a little reckless. But after a few minutes, the officials determined it did reach the criteria of a flagrant two foul and Ayton was immediately ejected from the game. 

https://t.co/8NoglBpAOYpic.twitter.com/5Iu1wBTelI

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) April 27, 2026

The officials determined that the elbow contact rose to the level of intent, not just careless, but punitive. Ayton and several Lakers players were shocked by the decision, even pleading to the officials that it was not intentional. 

Ayton was escorted off the court and headed back to the Lakers locker room. Rockets’ forward Kevin Durant, who has missed the last two games for Houston, waived goodbye as he left.

KD waving bye to Ayton pic.twitter.com/G5QbweQvij

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 27, 2026

The Lakers were already unraveling in Game 3, trailing by as many as 26 points. Ironically, Ayton was the lone bright spot for the Lakers offense. He had 19 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes before he was ejected. 

Now, instead of building off the momentum of their Game 3 surge, the Lakers look ready to head back home to Los Angeles for a Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night.

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2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer season standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 23.5
VJ Edgecombe – 16
Joel Embiid – 11.5
Paul George – 8
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 5
Justin Edwards – 4
Andre Drummond – 3
Quentin Grimes – 3
Jared McCain :’( – 3
Dominick Barlow – 2
MarJon Beauchamp – 2
Adem Bona – 1
Porter Martone – 1
Cam Payne – 1
Jabari Walker – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1

The Celtics put the Sixers on the brink of elimination with a 128-96 victory on Sunday, claiming a 3-1 series lead as the teams head back to Boston for Game 5.

The Celtics three-point barrage was firing on all cylinders and their defensive gameplan all but suffocated the Sixers in the first half. By the time the Sixers found an offensive rhythm, the Celtics were hitting threes consistently, with most of the damage coming off the bench. Payton Pritchard notched a game-high six threes and 32 points.

There was not much to sort through for Bell Ringer-worthy performances.

Joel Embiid: 26 points, 9-of-21 FG, 1-of-6 3PT, 7-of-9 FT, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

The big fella is the Bell Ringer tonight with a clear case over everyone else. The Celtics came out with a defensive intensity for which most of the Sixers were not ready. It just so happens the man just a little over two weeks removed from an appendectomy was able to withstand Boston’s energy and produce on the offensive end.

He opened the game immediately attacking Neemias Queta and drawing two early fouls to force him to the bench. He notched the team’s first field goal converting a transition dunk following a Paul Goerge steal and continued playing forcefully against Nikola Vucevic tallying the first eight points for the Sixers in his return.

Unfortunately, everywhere Embiid looked for help on offense, he got none. That is, at least for the first half, as Tyrese Maxey did spring to life offensively in the second half after only taking three shots by halftime. Paul George went 2-for-7 from the field in the first half, and VJ Edgecombe continued to struggle from deep. Embiid’s ability to draw fouls and his gravity were the only sources of offense for long stretches. By halftime, the Sixers had only 38 points.

In the third, the Sixers began hitting shots but were unable to get stops on the other end. Embiid found his touch from the midrange and even hit a straight ahead three-pointer. He went 6-for-11 from the field in the second half and theoretically shook off the rust. Despite the poor shooting night from the team, Embiid corralled only two offensive rebounds, and did not provide enough of a barrier to the Celtics’ persistent offensive rebounding.

Given it was his first game back, and that he played 34 minutes, it was a commendable outing for Embiid. However, a more polished performance may be the only thing to keep the Sixers from elimination.

The aftermath of the Nikola Jokic and Jaden McDaniels moment at the end of Game 4 between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets has settled, but it is still worth unpacking. If you missed it, McDaniels broke one of basketball’s quiet codes. When the game is decided and the clock is bleeding out, you do not go hunting for an easy bucket.

That is exactly what he did.

After a dominant showing at the Target Center that pushed Minnesota to a 3-1 series lead, McDaniels finished a late layup to make it 112-96. Nikola Jokic did not appreciate it. He sprinted down the floor and let McDaniels hear about it, and that is when things escalated.

No punches. Nothing out of control. Still, it crossed the line enough for Jokic and Julius Randle to get tossed with 1.2 seconds left. Why did Jokic take exception to this? “Because he scored when everybody stopped playing,” he said in his post-game presser.

Today, the fines came out following the altercation. $50,000 for Jokic, $35,000 for Randle. But no suspensions, despite players coming off of the bench.

So why no suspensions? Why does everyone suit up for Game 5?

You know where this goes. The precedent is there. Go back to the 2007 Western Conference Semifinals when Robert Horry hip checked Steve Nash into the boards late in Game 4. The league suspended Amar’e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. They were not in the altercation. They simply stepped over the white line, which was enough for then-commissioner David Stern to enforce accountability for “leaving the bench” and ensure that this game, which is ever so sacred, was not violated by the abhorrent act of stepping over a line after one of your players gets unnecessarily thrown into the boards at the end of the game.

Here’s the video, which is extremely hard to find on the ‘ole internet despite it being a precedent-defining moment.

That is the history.

But hey, perhaps I’m just a scornful Suns fan. Maybe the national conversation has no appetite for hearing it again after this series with Oklahoma City and the noise around officiating. Maybe every fan base feels this when they are on the wrong end of enforcement. It can start to feel personal.

The rules are the rules. Or at least they are supposed to be. I am not pounding the table, asking for suspensions here. I am filing it away. Noting how some things get applied in one moment and not in another.

Game 5 between the Timberwolves and Nuggets is tomorrow at 7:30pm. Tune in. And watch all the players play.