Tag: nytimes.com

OKLAHOMA CITY — As the Los Angeles Lakers’ long night of frustration with the officials was finally nearing its end, Austin Reaves decided that there was still more left to say. With the Oklahoma City Thunder taking a 2-0 lead in this Western Conference semifinals series with a 125-107 Game 2 win, the 27-year-old Lakers…

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder continued their undefeated run in the playoffs. Ajay Mitchell finished with 20 points, and the top-seeded Thunder defeated the No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers 125-107 in Game 2 at Paycom Center on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. Advertisement The Thunder have…

The Detroit Pistons are headed to Cleveland with a commanding 2-0 series lead after taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-97 Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena. Cade Cunningham once again set the tone for Detroit, leading the team with a 25-point double-double while dishing 10 assists. Tobias Harris also delivered a huge performance with 21…

New York Knicks wing OG Anunoby suffered a right hamstring strain in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Philadelphia 76ers and is questionable for Game 3, league sources confirmed to The Athletic. Anunoby was injured in New York’s 108-102 win against the 76ers on Wednesday night. With the win, the Knicks…

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knows the label. “Foul merchant” has become one of the NBA’s most common terms in the 2020s. It is used to describe a player who generates a high number of free throws, especially in ways that draw the ire of fans. But getting to the free-throw line has long been the lifeblood of…

The Bounce Newsletter  | This is The Athletic’s daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. On this date in 1989, Michael Jordan caught the inbound pass in Game 5 against Cleveland. He took two hard dribbles to the free-throw line, rose, hung in the air, fired and hit “shot on Ehlo.” This…

SAN ANTONIO — The ball seemed headed for the outstretched hands of Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert. But what appeared to be a defensive rebound wound up on a tee for the alien. Victor Wembanyama hadn’t made it to the offensive side of the court by the time San Antonio Spurs teammate Julian Champagnie pulled…

For those lucky enough to have a Brad Stevens Secret Decoder Ring, it’s possible to take some educated guesses — as well as some wild guesses — as to what the Boston Celtics’ president of basketball operations is saying these days. On the flip side, Stevens is not beating up his players and coaching staff…

The NBA playoffs are in full swing, and we’ve already seen our share of stunning developments. Out West, the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked off the Denver Nuggets despite dealing with the frequent absences of hobbled superstar Anthony Edwards. In the East, the Orlando Magic pushed the top-seeded Detroit Pistons to the brink of elimination, blew that…

SAN ANTONIO — There was a certain tranquility in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ locker room before Game 2 against the San Antonio Spurs. Julius Randle sat in one corner, relaxed and laughing with a few reporters. Mike Conley got dressed with a grin as he spoke about the chemistry of this team being as good as…