NEW YORK — Closeout games are when NBA stars are needed the most. It’s why teams pay them the big bucks and in this case, it’s why the Pacers have Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton as the team’s highest-paid players.

With a shot at clinching an NBA Finals berth in Thursday’s Eastern Conference finals Game 5, they were almost ...Read more

Legendary rocker and Indiana native John Mellencamp apologized Thursday "on behalf of most Hoosiers" for the "poor, poor sportsmanship" displayed during the Pacers' home win over the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals two days earlier.

Although the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer did not call out any specific Indiana sports ...Read more

CHICAGO — Candace Parker will be enshrined at Wintrust Arena this summer.

The Chicago Sky will retire Parker’s No. 3 jersey on Aug. 25 before a game against the Las Vegas Aces. Parker, who grew up in Naperville, is the first former Sky player to have her jersey retired, an honor that reflects her stature in the history of Illinois women’s...Read more

DENVER — Jamal Murray needs a straight shooter.

A coach who’ll tell him to show up in shape. Who’ll remind him to make the NBA, not the UFC, the three letters that matter most from October through June?

A coach who’ll bring up the award snubs. Who’ll do a Google search and show the Blue Arrow just how many writers have lamented the ...Read more

OKLAHOMA CITY – When the Timberwolves are ready for their season to be over, they certainly don’t hide it.

Last season in the NBA Western Conference finals they trailed by as much as 36 before they lost to the Dallas Mavericks at home in Game 5.

This season, it got worse. The Oklahoma City Thunder led by 37 points going into the third ...Read more

Losing is not the relentless curse that so many Minnesota sports fans pretend it is.

You can lose because of luck, or injuries, or an unavoidable confrontation with greatness.

The risk of losing is the very price of admission in high-level sports. Losing with honor can be admirable.

The Timberwolves did not lose with honor Wednesday night in ...Read more

DENVER — On the first day of the rest of his life, David Adelman dressed like David Duchovny and took questions.

The dark coat, white dress shirt and black tie did not seem like a coincidence. Before he thanked all the important people in his life, from family to former high school coaches, Adelman navigated six weeks as the interim, his ...Read more

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — There was a moment Tuesday night when “muscle memory” transcended the colors on the uniforms. Paige Bueckers was at the free throw line, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa instinctively stuck out her hand.

“Force of habit, I guess,” Bueckers said, “… that’s my sister.”

That Bueckers was wearing the green of the ...Read more

NEW YORK — A Pacers fan who was arrested for stabbing a Knicks fan told authorities the victim was bad-mouthing his team during a watch party for the NBA playoffs hosted by an Indiana brewery.

The violence erupted at Danny Boy Beer Works in Carmel during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, which saw the Pacers top the Knicks, 114-109, at...Read more

A WNBA investigation was unable to substantiate a "report of racist fan behavior in the vicinity of the court" during a game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever on May 17 in Indianapolis.

The investigation reportedly was started in response to allegations that a fan had made racist comments toward Sky star Angel Reese. It remains unclear ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — The Knicks have a problem. In fact, they have two. The first is the most pressing: Their two-best players are poor defenders. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are all-world scorers. They are two of the best offensive players at their position the game has ever seen. But they are hunted on defense so frequently — and so ...Read more

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Connecticut Sun call Mohegan Sun home, but former UConn star Paige Bueckers claimed the state as her territory on Tuesday with the best performance of her young WNBA career to lead the Dallas Wings in a 109-87 victory.

Though the Sun’s signature orange was still prominent in the crowd, most of the fans in attendance ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Liberty made sure to exchange pleasantries early.

With Kayla Thornton in town, the franchise welcomed her back with a pregame tribute video and the forward received her 2024 championship ring at half court.

Everything after that was unpleasant.

What followed was a 95-67 blowout victory over the Golden State Valkyries, which ...Read more

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — It took former UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers less than a day of practice to start poking fun at her new veteran teammates after the Dallas Wings selected her No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA draft.

Wings guard DiJonai Carrington knew Bueckers on a casual level before she joined the roster, but when Dallas ...Read more

TACOMA, Wash. — Former Sonics star Shawn Kemp pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in Pierce County Superior Court on Tuesday for shooting at two men inside a Toyota 4Runner outside the Tacoma Mall in March 2023.

Kemp, 55, was initially charged with one count of first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement. Last week, prosecutors ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The crowd at Target Center on Monday night was announced at 19,250, and the ticketholders were allowed to see greatness firsthand. The response for a large majority of those witnesses was to boo that individual loudly at most every turn.

Coach Chris Finch’s Timberwolves were facing that greatness in a Game 4 that either would ...Read more

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — With practice wrapping up, Paige Bueckers was having a little fun, with a purpose. From the wing, she was lofting 3-point shots with an exaggerated arc. None touched the rafters, but most went through the rim.

Was she just having fun, or was there a muscle-memory point to it? Always hard to tell with Bueckers, who is not ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Chet Holmgren won three state championships at Target Center as a student at Minnehaha Academy. His performance on that same court Monday night didn’t clinch a title, but it helped the Oklahoma City Thunder get a better view of that destination.

As homecomings go, this one will be hard to top.

Holmgren hit 3-pointers. He ...Read more