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Despite diminished playoff role, Ron Holland II still valuable part of Pistons' core
DETROIT — All it took for Ron Holland II to have arguably his best highlight of his rookie season was a missed layup by Jamal Cain.
With the Detroit Pistons trailing the New Orleans Pelicans late in the third quarter on March 23, Holland recorded a rebound following Cain's missed attempt and pushed the ball up the court, igniting a fast break...Read more

Timberwolves takeaways from Game 4: Thunder hold on for 128-126 victory
MINNEAPOLIS — The Timberwolves are a team that pride themselves on defense, but it was their defense that ultimately let them down in a 128-126 loss to the Thunder.
Oklahoma City leads the best-of-seven Western Conference finals 3-1.
The Wolves allowed Oklahoma City to crush them on the offensive glass for 24 second-chance points while the ...Read more

Chip Scoggins: Chet Holmgren remains a basketball unicorn, a status forged in Minnesota and on display for Oklahoma City
MINNEAPOLIS — The little daredevil pedaled his bike down the family’s steep driveway, 4 years old and oblivious to the danger. He ended up in the emergency room with a gash on his chin that required stitches.
Upon returning home, the boy raced to his bike. Still dressed in hospital garments, he took his bike back down the driveway, ...Read more

Kristian Winfield: The Knicks finally learned how to use Karl-Anthony Towns
INDIANAPOLIS — It took the New York Knicks 96 games to figure out what the rest of the basketball world could see — that Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the NBA’s most talented and prolific offensive threats at the center position — has been embarrassingly underutilized. That his lack of touches and shot attempts were not indicative of an ...Read more

Knicks erase 20-point deficit, beat Pacers in Game 3 behind Karl-Anthony Towns' fourth-quarter heroics
The New York Knicks have life.
They can thank Karl-Anthony Towns for that.
After suffering fourth-quarter collapses in the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks returned the favor with a 106-100 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Towns’ 20 fourth-quarter points fueled the Knicks’ victory...Read more
Storm deliver statement win, blow out Aces in Jewell Loyd's return
SEATTLE — After one of many highlights, Storm coach Noelle Quinn skipped along the sideline, screamed at no one in particular, clenched her fist and unfurled a furious uppercut — a demonstrative celebration that seemingly unleashed years worth of frustration.
Quinn had plenty to cheer about as her team defensively deconstructed their ...Read more

Kelsey Plum's 28 points helps Sparks end losing streak
LOS ANGELES — Against the Chicago Sky, the Sparks found themselves in a must-win situation, not in the grand scheme of the standings, but for peace of mind. A win to help with confidence and morale.
After a week riddled with injuries and a three-game skid, Sunday’s matchup carried weight beyond the court — it mattered in the locker room. ...Read more
Matt Calkins: How Storm's dominant win over Aces offered look at past, present and future
SEATTLE — A Storm column in three tenses:
— The past: The story heading into Sunday’s matchup between the Storm and the Las Vegas Aces was Jewell Loyd, the former Seattle star who won two championships here before forcing her way out after a tense offseason. That’s what brought out a good chunk of the 10,634 fans at Climate Pledge ...Read more

Patrick Reusse: A closer study of the Timberwolves at their absolute best reveals the value of Julius Randle
MINNEAPOLIS — Long ago, a friend in the sportswriting business in Atlanta had a colleague who would join us in the required postgame saloon stop. He would get himself full of whiskey, tell a tale of a character or a stout performance, and then bellow his personal battle cry:
“And that’s what makes sports great!”
George was his name, ...Read more

Ira Winderman: Riley Rebuild No. 14? A better Heat support system.
MIAMI — Perhaps we’ve been looking at this all wrong since Heat President Pat Riley mentioned at his season-ending media session earlier this month, “I’ve done this 13 times in 29 years … those 13 rebuilds.”
Perhaps we tuned out when Riley concluded with, “You don’t just win it with one guy.”
In that regard, what is going on ...Read more

Timberwolves takeaways from Game 3: The game had barely begun and the Thunder was done
MINNEAPOLIS — Welcome to the Western Conference finals, Timberwolves.
After they appeared overmatched in the first two games of the Western Conference finals in Oklahoma City, the Wolves came back home and thrashed the Thunder 143-101 on Saturday at Target Center. They made a loud statement that this series isn’t over, despite how the first...Read more

Liberty vs. Fever takeaways: Liberty still best when playing through Jonquel Jones
Twenty-four and zero.
That's the New York Liberty‘s regular-season record when Jonquel Jones records a double-double. And the record emphasizes a theme that needed to be reinforced since her arrival to New York: The Liberty are at its best when playing through Jones as the centerpiece of the offense.
The message — again — needed to be ...Read more

Dawn Staley again advocates for the WNBA in Philadelphia, but not to be the head coach: 'I want ownership'
PHILADELPHIA — The question drew a rapturous applause Friday night inside Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church. Some attendees rose from their seats into a standing ovation.
And it initially looked like Dawn Staley would maneuver around whether she had interest in coaching a hypothetical WNBA expansion team in Philadelphia. She appealed to those ...Read more

Kristian Winfield: Knicks lost Game 2 to Pacers because they couldn't stop one play
NEW YORK — T.J. McConnell is bringing the ball up the floor.
It’s a tie game, 81-81, on the first possession of the fourth quarter in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, and the Pacers have begun the flurry of pick-and-roll actions that will decide the game. And the Knicks cannot keep pace.
“I know one time I [messed] up the ...Read more

Troy Renck: Next year's Nuggets could look a lot like this year's. And that's wasting Nikola Jokic's prime
DENVER — Josh Kroenke said all the right things. And his message was completely wrong.
He hears the clock ticking on Nikola Jokic’s prime. But his plan to maximize his brilliance came across as tone deaf.
Kroenke is prepared to run it back. He did not say those words exactly. But make no mistake, next year’s Nuggets could look a lot like...Read more

Pascal Siakam leads Pacers to win in Game 2 of Eastern Conference finals
NEW YORK — Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals spotlighted Aaron Nesmith’s insane three-point outburst and Tyrese Haliburton’s clutch buzzer-beater en route to a shocking win.
In Friday’s Game 2, it was all Pascal Siakam for the Indiana Pacers.
Siakam had his way with the Knicks’ defense all night, recording 39 points, four ...Read more

Knicks fall apart late again in Eastern Conference finals Game 2, trail Pacers 2-0 after 114-109 loss
NEW YORK — The Knicks failed to finish once again.
And now their season is in serious jeopardy.
Two days after they suffered one of the most dramatic collapses in NBA postseason history, the Knicks struggled down the stretch in their 114-109 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Pacers outscored the ...Read more

Lakers star LeBron James chosen to All-NBA second team
LOS ANGELES — Twenty-two seasons ago, LeBron James entered the NBA with almost unbelievable expectations, the fate of a franchise in Cleveland and a league hungry for a new star on his back.
Twenty-two years later, the Lakers' star exceeded even the most outlandish predictions, winning championships in three different cities, scoring more ...Read more

Chip Scoggins: Three observations on the Timberwolves' Game 2 loss in Oklahoma City
MINNEAPOLIS — The Timberwolves have their first back-to-back losses of this postseason. The sobering part is that they have not been particularly close in either game of the Western Conference finals.
The Oklahoma City Thunder followed up an opening game rout with a second blowout Thursday, a 118-103 win, to take a 2-0 lead as the series ...Read more

John Clay: Once again, NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has proven the rankings wrong
LEXINGTON, Ky. — On Wednesday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the first former Kentucky basketball player to win NBA Most Valuable Player honors.
Let’s go back to November of 2016 when the 6-foot-5 guard from Toronto decommitted from Florida and committed to play basketball for John Calipari.
Where do you think Gilgeous-Alexander ranked on...Read more
Popular Stories
- Chip Scoggins: Chet Holmgren remains a basketball unicorn, a status forged in Minnesota and on display for Oklahoma City
- Timberwolves takeaways from Game 4: Thunder hold on for 128-126 victory
- Despite diminished playoff role, Ron Holland II still valuable part of Pistons' core
- Pascal Siakam leads Pacers to win in Game 2 of Eastern Conference finals
- Knicks erase 20-point deficit, beat Pacers in Game 3 behind Karl-Anthony Towns' fourth-quarter heroics