Category: Sports News

I swear, if Luka Doncic was playing, this second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder would be going differently.

The Lakers wouldn’t be losing …

… second halves by so much.

But if his hamstring allowed their offensive engine to drive, the offense might not be humming. But the Lakers could probably keep it running.

They might not be keeping pace, but with the league’s leading scorer contributing, the gap wouldn’t be a year wide by every game’s end.

The Lakers really miss Doncic. Duh.

Read more:Lakers drop Game 3 to Thunder; now one loss from elimination

But it’s not only because, without him, they’re stuck reliving a recurring nightmare; in all three games, the Lakers have played Oklahoma City tough in the first half, including taking the lead into halftime in Games 2 and 3, only for it to be yanked away.

It’s also because they’re also losing data points on the scoreboard going into a pivotal offseason.

This whole Western Conference semifinal series against these defending champions has been a lose-lose proposition for the Lakers, who are now down 3-0 and staring into the elimination abyss in Game 4 on Monday.

But throw in the 33.5 points per game Doncic averaged this season, and the Lakers don’t get outscored by a combined 54 points after halftime.

Calculate for Doncic’s career 30.9 points per playoff game, and let’s assume their high-water mark would surely eclipse Saturday’s tally in their 131-108 Game 3 loss at Crypto.com Arena.

For whatever that’s worth.

Which is little compared to what else the Lakers miss with Doncic on the bench, nursing the Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered on April 2 in Oklahoma City.

For the Lakers, this end-of-the-road series is most valuable as an evaluation period for next season. It’s a barometer reading: You are here. The Thunder are there.

The goal now is to build a team around Doncic that could conceivably keep pace with Oklahoma City, and so they’re evaluating who will help do that if they come along for the ride next year.

But the Lakers are doing these playoff measurements without Doncic on the court. They’re test-driving the wrong car toward vacation.

Doncic can expect a postcard in the mail: Wish you were there.

So does he, of course.

“It's very frustrating,” Doncic said between Games 1 and 2, standing with his hands in his pockets, pained to report that he wasn’t close to returning, five weeks into his eight-week return-to-work timeline.

“I don't think people understand how frustrating it is. All I wanna do is play basketball, especially this time. It's the best time to play basketball. It's very frustrating seeing what my team is doing. I'm very proud of them. It's been very tough, to, just to sit and watch them play.”

He got to see the Lakers upset the Houston Rockets in a six-game, first-round series without him and, for four games, Austin Reaves — who is averaging 18.7 points and shooting 40% from the floor and 25% from three-point range this series, having become a higher priority of the Thunder’s physical defense without having to deal with Doncic.

On Saturday, Doncic had to watch another lead — and with it, another opportunity to steal a game — disappear as if by a cruel magic trick. As time wore down, Doncic sat on the bench next to Reaves, staring blankly, hands folded in his lap, like so many Lakers fans at the arena.

The Lakers’ latest deflating loss could have used Doncic’s energy,his showmanship, his fire. He’s among the league-leaders in that, too.

“Look, yeah, when you have the league’s leading scorer out there – if he was – it definitely changes the dynamic of a team,” said guard Luke Kennard, who scored 13 of his series-high 18 points in the first half Saturday.

“Obviously, we miss him. And we know he’s working his butt off right now [to return to play] … but yeah, I mean, he would definitely change it for us. But right now, he’s not.”

Kennard is right, of course. Things would be different if Doncic was out there dealing.

Not that different.

But the Lakers at least wouldn’t be running out of gas so far from getting home every game, and they’d also have a better idea of how much farther they have to go.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Happy Mother’s Day!

I realize today is Game 4 and there are options for discussion, but for now, let’s be grateful for those women who enrich our lives. Whether it’s your mother, or the mother of your children, or that nurturing aunt or neighbor, this is a great day to reach out and remind that someone that they made an impact in your life.

Dylan Harper was asked about his mother, who coached him through high school, and he shared this:

The mothers of the San Antonio Spurs are present and accounted for. They support their boys at games, on social media, and in the press.]

Wemby’s mom if often seen on the sidelines.

Carter Bryant’s mom has some wardrobe dedicated to her son’s career with the Spurs. They recently recorded an interview.

Last year, when the members of the Spurs were asked about the most influential people in their lives, “mom” topped the list.

No shortage of love.

How are you spending the day?

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

For those not competing for a NBA championship, it's one of the most important times of the offseason. Draft season.

First in order is the lottery on Mother's Day. The anticipated event is here meaning no more simulations on what the 2026 NBA draft order might be and presumably which prospect will go where. Draft positioning will be determined beginning Sunday, May 10 at 3 p.m. ET.

The Sacramento Kings posted a 22-60 record during the 2025-26 season and are searching for a piece that can be a contributor to their future or even the face of the franchise. They have a pretty good chance at landing one of the top prospects.

Sacramento is in need of a point guard. Kings general manager Scott Perry made it clear during end-of-season interviews with reporters that Sacramento will take a "best player available" approach, as they did in 2025.

Perry was brought in to the Kings brass following the 2024-25 season. His first opportunity to put his vision of building a contender began with the 2025 NBA Draft, where he drafted Nique Clifford (24th), Maxime Raynaud (42nd) and signed Dylan Cardwell as an undrafted free agent.

Fast forward to 2026. The odds for the Kings to land the No. 1 pick are 11.5%. The odds for Sacramento to land a top-4 pick are even greater at 45.1%.

However, their draft range is expected to be between No. 5-8, with the No. 9 pick being worst-case scenario. Experts are saying the most likely outcome is a No. 7 pick, overall. However, in many mock draft lists, the Kings have the No. 5 pick. And there's a consensus that they would take Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas.

Here's who experts are saying the Kings will select in their pre-lottery mock drafts:

The Golden State Warriors are going into the draft with unanswered questions: whether or not Steve Kerr will be the coach and whether he wants to incorporate inexperienced players.

The draft isn't until June, but the draft lottery is Mother's Day. The Warriors will know their position in the 2026 NBA Draft beginning Sunday, May 10 at 3 p.m. ET.

Golden State is coming off of a 37-45 season where they were eliminated in the NBA Play-in Tournament by the Phoenix Suns in a game for the No. 8-seed. That game is where questions about Kerr's future emerged, as the end of the season marked the end of his contract.

As the Warriors answer head coaching questions, they must decide the type of player they want to bring in. The Dubs need a ball-handler, playmaker, scorer and an inside presence, namely someone who can be a spark or a glue guy in non-Stephen Curry minutes.

One of the brighter spots from their 2025 NBA draft selections was Will Richard out of Florida. He was scouted a prototypical 3-and-D player, and that's what the Warriors got in the making. Richard was a 56th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies later traded to the Warriors on draft night. He averaged 6.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 20 minutes per game. His shooting percentages were on 46.8% field goals and 33% 3-point shooting in the 2025-26 season.

The 2026 Warriors are hoping to have similar fortune as the Dallas Mavericks in 2025, who finished 39-43, had a 1.8% to land the No. 1 pick and did, ultimately selecting Cooper Flagg, the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year.

The Bay Area is praying for the same blessing. They have a similar scenario. And, Bleacher Report had them winning the 2026 lottery in an April mock draft.

The Warriors have 2% chance at landing the No. 1 pick. Very slim, but stranger things have happened. Chances at landing a top-4 pick are better, but still small, at 9.4%.

It's expected the Warriors will likely land a pick between No. 11-14, with No. 14 being the worst-case. Golden State cannot land at No. 5 through No. 10 with less than 1.0% chance at No. 13 or No. 14.

The overwhelming consensus from sports experts is that the Warriors will have the No. 11 pick. Here's who experts' are saying the Warriors would select in their pre-lottery mock drafts:

CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell chased Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Duncan Robinson around screens to the baseline corner late in the second quarter. Mitchell beat Robinson to the spot and bumped him straight into his own bench as a punishment for making him work so hard defensively. Isaiah Stewart was a few steps away and gave Mitchell a light shove after seeing what happened. Mitchell looked up and then returned the favor before continuing to chase Robinson around the perimeter.

Before the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 116-109 Game 3 win over the Pistons, head coach Kenny Atkinson said that he wanted his team to adapt to Detroit’s physicality and what the referees are allowing. Plays like that show what he meant.

Basketball games aren’t always won by the more physical team. It’s a contact sport that rewards size and strength, but the outcome is ultimately decided by who puts the ball through the hoop more consistently.

That said, in a series like this, doing so is much easier if you’re able to get into the paint and create from there.

The Cavs couldn’t do that in the first two games of this series. The offense was stagnant, often relying on the guards to create against a set defense. And when the ball did get kicked out to the perimeter for open threes, the shots weren’t falling, as is often the case for an offense that is moving side-to-side instead of north and south.

That changed on Sunday.

The Cavs were the aggressors in Game 3. They completed more of their shots in the restricted area and were able to get to the free-throw line more consistently. Both are things they weren’t able to do throughout the first two games of the series.

This was most true for Mitchell. He went 6-8 on shots at the rim after taking just one there combined in the first two games. A renewed focus on getting downhill woke up what was a dormant Cavs’ offense.

There was a level of decisiveness from Mitchell that wasn’t in the first two games. Instead of trying to probe the defense for openings in an effort to look for a perfect shot, he attacked whenever he had any sliver of daylight. This included pushing his advantage in semi-transition off missed shots and turnovers.

Here’s six baskets that Mitchell was able to get by just simply carrying his momentum from the backcourt into the front court. That accounts for nearly half of his made field goals.

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These aren’t fast-break or transition baskets, but they might as well have been from an efficiency standpoint. Mitchell is one of the most difficult players to stop when he has a head of steam. That allowed him to more easily showcase the skills that make him one of the most dominant scoring guards in the league for years.

Detroit’s defense is tough for a 6’2” guard to crack. We know that Mitchell can be lethal with his jumpshot, even though he’s struggled with that through three games. Getting downhill in semi-transition like this offsets some of those concerns. It’s why he was able to get an efficient 35 points in a game the Cavs desperately needed to win.

Max Strus provided several things the Cavs desperately needed. His energy and effort changed the game defensively. Strus forced several turnovers, including an incredible steal off a Cade Cunningham inbound pass that led to a critical two points the other way to break a 104-104 tie.

Plays like that encapsulate who Strus is as a player, and why he’s so valuable to the team.

“There’s just so many things he does that don’t show up in the box score,” Mitchell said.

One of those things is screen setting. The Pistons turned the momentum around in the second half by switching more ball screens, similar to what the Toronto Raptors did in the first round. This stalled out Cleveland’s offense at the start of the third quarter before it got going again in the fourth.

Strus’s ability to set hard picks helped get the offense going. The Pistons tried to hide their weakest defender, Duncan Robinson, on Strus. Solid screens forced Detroit to switch, allowing James Harden to get one of his several closing baskets against the matchup he wanted.

You can’t see the screen in this video, but this mismatch doesn’t happen without it.

This showed us what the best version of the Mitchell and Harden backcourt could be. Harden said it was a “small dose” of their full potential afterward, and you could see why.

Mitchell had it going throughout, but he deferred to Harden in the high-leverage moments to get the job done. Harden delivered by knocking down clutch baskets on three-straight possessions, including the game-sealing three over Tobias Harris.

Harden brought them over the finish line, scoring nine points in the fourth quarter, but had just 10 points leading up to it. He had 10 fewer shots than Mitchell overall and wans’t the main focus of the offense.

It’s a different role than what we’ve seen from Harden over the past decade, but one he’s completely embraced because he knows what life is like for Mitchell — the guy forced to carry the fate of the team on his shoulders.

“I talked to Don a few times today, and it’s like, “All right, if you ever feel like tired or you need [a break], you know, I’m available,” Harden said. “I understand what that feels like when you’re that age, and you’re used to scoring 30 points and you know you’re the guy. So, you got to pick and choose and find your spots where you want to take them and where you want to just let them go. … Tonight was one of those cases where he looked like he needed a break, and he called on my number.”

Mitchell and Harden are very different players, but have run into similar roadblocks during their careers. Their playing style has led to incredible regular-season success, but neither has achieved the playoff team success their talent would lead you to believe they should.

Few can relate to the internal weight and frustration Mitchell has felt from playoff losses more than Harden. If they’re going to break through together, it will be due to performances like this.

“I am who I am, he is who he is, but that what makes us so dynamic,” Mitchell said. “Having a trust in him and vice versa is why those moments happen.”

The Cavs passed the test in Game 3. They responded with the physicality they needed to make this series competitive again. They know how to and can beat this team. Now, they just need to show that they can meet that physicality consistently, and not just once every couple of games.

“At the end of the day, it’s just 2-1,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got to find a way to win Game 4. … We’ve got another opportunity to play in front of the greatest fans in the league. Hopefully, we get another one.”

They possessed a halftime lead with one of the most accomplished playoff players in NBA history.

They lost by 23.

They possessed the best scorer in NBA history at the controls of a sizzling offense in a loud arena against a team that had every reason to pack it in.

They lost by 23.

To those who witnessed the first three games of these Western Conference semifinals between the Luka Doncic-less Lakers and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, it is no surprise that the Thunder lead three games to none.

What is shocking is that, with a 131-108 win Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, the Thunder steamrolled to victory over the prone body of an NBA legend.

Read more:Lakers drop Game 3 to Thunder; now one loss from elimination

They applied the dagger directly through the heart of LeBron James.

As in both earlier games in this series, the Thunder treated a Lakers lead like a pesky gnat, swatting it away with a casual flick as if it never existed.

As if James never existed.

This time it happened in a third quarter during which the Thunder turned a one-point halftime deficit into a13-point lead that was never again challenged.

This time it happened with James, despite being on the court for nearly 11 of the 12 minutes in the quarter, making all of one shot with no rebounds, one turnover and a minus-13 rating.

“The third quarter, we'll start with that,” James acknowledged afterward. “We didn't have the energy, the effort.”

Indeed, he looked tired. He looked 41. He looked like a guy who, having played in a record 300 playoff games, was having trouble clearing the hurdle of 301.

For the game, he missed 12 of 19 shots, four of six three-point attempts, had zero offensive rebounds and equaled a team-low with a minus-24 in 33 fewer minutes.

Translated: His son Bronny had only six fewer baskets.

“I wouldn't say I'm angry or disappointed,” LeBron said. “I mean, obviously you're disappointed in the simple fact of, like, being down 3-0 obviously. But I mean, you know, we still got life and that's all you can ask for.”

Well, one could ask for James to turn back time, but he’s already done that this spring. Remember, he literally saved the Lakers from epic embarrassment with a Game 6 clinching gem in the first round against the Houston Rockets.

But without the enormously impactful Doncic, his task has proven too tenuous, his responsibilities too unwieldy, his miracle too unworkable.

This time, time has run out.

This time, LeBron James isn’t getting it done.

Not only are the Lakers facing an historical impossibility — you’ll remember that NBA teams leading three-games-to-none are 161-0 — but they’re already bearing the weight of an historical humiliation.

The Thunders’ 74-49 second-half scoring advantage marks the second-worst second half beatdown of the Lakers since they came to Los Angeles 65 years ago.

This series isn’t even close. From the opening tip last week, it has never been in any serious doubt.

“I mean, obviously we gotta [give] everything,” James said. “Everything and more to beat a team like this.”

Ah, but they’ve run out of, “and more” and James knows it.

For the Lakers to have any chance without the league’s leading scorer — isn’t it constantly maddening seeing the hamstring-strained Doncic sitting on the bench in a fancy sweat suit? — they needed superhuman efforts from James and second-leading scorer Austin Reaves.

Reaves, sigh, has clearly been unable to overcome his oblique injury and playoff demons. He was lousy again Saturday with five baskets and five turnovers and a bunch of guff for the officials.

This left the major hauling to James, who’s not officially hurt, but here’s guessing his whole body is hurting. He’s not officially exhausted, but here’s guessing his whole body is tired.

He’s not officially a senior citizen, but in NBA terms he’s definitely a senior citizen and during the most important moments of Saturday’s game, he acted like it.

In a third quarter that featured the beginning of a 21-5 Thunder run, in one damning sequence James missed consecutive layups and was passive on a pass from Reaves that became a turnover, which turned into another Oklahoma City basket.

For the game, for the third straight game, the Lakers made bunches of mistakes that became bunches of baskets, this time 17 blunders that became 30 Oklahoma City points.

Midway through the fourth quarter, there appeared perhaps the worst turnover sequence of all, Reaves having a layup blocked by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Alex Caruso racing downcourt for an uncontested dunk while a clearly weary James walked behind him.

Incidentally, the Thunder have been so good that they’ve endured three mediocre games by reigning MVP SGA and are still probably going to sweep this series.

“The MVP is, you know, 18, 22, seven of 20 tonight, and they've kicked our ass three straight games,” said Laker coach JJ Redick. “They're an incredible basketball team.”

The bench was cleared by Redick with 3:38 remaining, which has to be some sort of record for a losing LeBron James team in the postseason

‘We gotta stay with it,” said Marcus Smart, who has been obliterated by the Thunder’s physical guards. “Gotta be even more desperate than we are.”

Gotta have more LeBron James.

No guarantees you're gonna get it.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

One rebound got away. Another went to the Oklahoma City Thunder on a foul by Deandre Ayton. When a third opportunity glanced past Ayton’s nonchalantly extended arm, JJ Redick had seen enough.

The Lakers coach couldn’t even sub fast enough before Ayton’s two-handed frustration shove of Oklahoma City guard Ajay Mitchell put a disappointing punctuation mark on a disastrous 19-second stretch for the Lakers starting center.

Ayton, a key part of the Lakers’ first-round series win, has been largely absent in the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the Lakers behind 3-0 in the best-of-seven series after Saturday’s 131-108 loss at Crypto.com Arena, Ayton has averaged 7.7 points per game and 9.3 rebounds against the Thunder.

Read more:Lakers drop Game 3 to Thunder; now one loss from elimination

Desperate to avoid the dreaded 3-0 hole, Ayton was limited to 10 points and six rebounds and just one defensive board. He was held to one-of-seven shooting in Game 2 for just three points, although he had 22 rebounds over the first two games.

After an up-and-down regular season, it appeared that the former No. 1 overall pick was ready to live up to the hype. He was a quiet star in the Lakers’ first-round series win against the Houston Rockets, often guarding All-Star Alperen Sengun one-on-one and dominating the paint. He averaged 11 points and 10.8 rebounds against the Rockets.

Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault took note. He called Ayton a “priority” for the Thunder defense in this series. Redick said Ayton raises the Lakers’ ceiling more than any other player.

The Lakers tried to spark their X-factor in the third quarter. They built a two-point halftime lead off the stellar shot-making of Rui Hachimura (21 points) and Luke Kennard (18 points) but funneled the ball toward Ayton after the break.

Hachimura, who made all four of his three-point attempts in the first half, had a chance at a three on the Lakers’ first possession but instead passed to Ayton, who was fouled on the floor. Marcus Smart tried a lob to Ayton, but the center couldn’t corral the pass. The Lakers went back to him on each of the next two offensive possessions and he scored on both.

He scored six of his 10 points during a three-and-a-half-minute stretch of the third quarter.

“DA is a hell of a player,” said Smart, one of Ayton’s closest teammates. “We all know it. We just want to get him the touches and get him the feel early, just to give them a different look. ... All the guards are doing their thing. So we're just trying to get the big fella involved.”

Ayton’s signature soft touch around the basket has suddenly escaped him. After shooting 60.4% from the field during the first round and a career-best 67.1% during the regular season, Ayton is shooting 39.3% (11 for 28) against the Thunder. He made just three of 11 shots in the restricted area during the first two games.

The Lakers needed Ayton to thrive during this series against the double-big lineup of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Some of Ayton’s shooting struggles have depended on where the lanky 7-foot-1 Holmgren has been on the court, Redick said. The Lakers have tried to draw Holmgren out of the paint more to free up Ayton.

Holmgren has still been a force in this series with 21.3 points and 10 rebounds per game. Hartenstein has made 14 of 16 shots from the field in the three games.

Ayton’s backup Jaxson Hayes was also neutralized in Saturday’s blowout, not returning to the game after just eight minutes and 30 seconds of mostly ineffective play. When Redick had seen enough from Ayton in the fourth quarter after he gave up two offensive rebounds and fouled twice in 19 seconds, the coach opted for rookie Adou Thiero.

Thiero, a 22-year-old who tries to make up for his lack of experience with pure motor and athleticism, had a team-high eight rebounds with four points in 13 minutes and 12 seconds.

But the Lakers gave up an offensive rebound off a free throw immediately after Thiero replaced Ayton. Hayes, sitting at the end of the bench with his arms folded across his chest, stared blankly ahead and shook his head slowly.

No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series. Ayton has been quiet in this series, but he doesn’t plan to be silenced much longer with the season on the line.

“We ain’t gonna give up,” Ayton said on his way out of the arena. “We will be back to fight on Monday.”

Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

For all his remarkable gifts, Isiah Thomas came along at a tough time in NBA history – well for him, anyway.

Think about all the Hall of Fame talent during his era: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still playing. The Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rivalry was white-hot. And not long after he entered the league, guys like Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, and Michael Jordan entered the league.

The one thing all those guys have in common? They’re all much bigger than Thomas.

At 6-1, Thomas was one of the great small guards in NBA history. Arguably, his only rivals for being the best are Allen Iverson (6-1) and Calvin Murphy (5-9).

Despite his lack of size, Thomas played inside quite a bit, and held his own. Still, he took a lot of punishment, notably from Utah’s Karl Malone, who gave Thomas 40 stitches in the first quarter of a 1991 game, when he tried to block Thomas’s shot with his elbow.

Thomas, demonstrating his toughness, actually returned to the game later.

Despite his undeniable greatness, Thomas was not well-liked and is still despised by Michael Jordan, who essentially kept him off the Dream Team when he said that he wouldn’t play if Thomas was on the team.

In this video, we see some of Thomas’s astonishing talents. Keep in mind that while he looks small on the court, he’s taller than most of us. If you’ve ever been around an NBA player, even casually, you’ll understand the courage it took for Thomas to go inside against these behemoths.

In a different time, he might have been a great warrior, although there would have always been the chance that one of his soldiers might have killed him in his sleep.

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