BASKETTBALL

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The San Antonio Spurs punched their ticket to the second round of the NBA playoffs on Tuesday, leading wire to wire in a 114-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Victor Wembanyama scored 17 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked six shots to help the Spurs wrap up a 4-1 win in their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series.

The Spurs, who clawed back from a 19-point deficit to win game four, burst out of the blocks and pushed their lead to as many as 28 before taking a 65-45 lead into half-time.

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Nikola Jokić was ejected late in the game after an on court altercation with Jaden McDaniels as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets to move closer to advancing in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The incident occurred with just 1.3 seconds remaining and Minnesota comfortably ahead by 14 points in Game 4. As the clock wound down, McDaniels drove in for an uncontested layup instead of letting time expire, which appeared to catch the Nuggets off guard as they had expected the Timberwolves to run out the clock.

Jokić reacted strongly to the play, viewing it as unnecessary given the game situation. He sprinted from mid court to confront McDaniels and pushed him, which quickly escalated into a brief confrontation involving players from both teams. The benches became involved as tensions rose in the closing moments.

Officials responded by ejecting Jokić, a three time NBA Most Valuable Player, along with Timberwolves forward Julius Randle for their roles in the altercation. McDaniels, however, was not ejected.

After the game, McDaniels said he was unsure what Jokić said during the confrontation, adding that he simply noticed the Serbian star approaching him. The 25 year old has been a vocal presence throughout the series and previously stirred reactions from Denver after calling their defense weak following Minnesota's Game 2 win.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder swept into the second round of the NBA playoffs on Monday with a 131-122 victory at Phoenix.

The top-seeded Thunder captured the Western Conference best-of-seven series 4-0, completing a third consecutive sweep in the opening round.

"We just came in ready," said Gilgeous-Alexander. "Love to play basketball, a group full of great kids that have fun together.

"We do it for each other. None of us are selfish. We all want the next man to succeed and when you have those three things and put them together you get success."

Oklahoma City will meet either the Los Angeles Lakers or Houston Rockets in a second-round series. The Lakers lead that matchup 3-1.

"Ultimately, we've got to get better in the days between our next opponent," Gilgeous-Alexander said. The Thunder became the first team to reach the second round on the same night the upstart Orlando Magic pushed Eastern Conference top seed Detroit to the brink of elimination with a 94-88 triumph to seize a 3-1 series advantage.

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Taylor Jenkins, who spent six seasons as coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, was set to be hired as coach of the NBA Milwaukee Bucks, according to multiple reports on Thursday.

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Dallas Mavericks standout Cooper Flagg won the 2025-2026 NBA Rookie of the Year Award on Monday.

Flagg, 19, received 56 first-place votes, with Charlotte Hornets' Kon Knueppel receiving 44 as the runner-up.

He became just the third player in Mavericks history to win the award (Jason Kidd - 1994-1995, Luka Doncic - 2018-2019) and is the second youngest to win it (LeBron James - 18). Flagg had a historic rookie season for the Mavericks as the No. 1 overall pick from the 2025 NBA Draft. He became the first rookie in NBA history to score at least 50 points in a game, and the first teenager ever to do so.

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Victor Wembanyama will travel with the San Antonio Spurs to Portland for Friday’s NBA playoff game, coach Mitch Johnson said, but he remains in concussion protocols with an uncertain playing status.

The 22-year-old French superstar was diagnosed with a concussion after taking a hard fall to the court in Tuesday’s 106-103 Portland victory at San Antonio, which evened their best-of-seven first-round series at 1-1.

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Caitlin Clark was eager to step back onto a WNBA court on Saturday, even if the moment came in a preseason setting rather than a regular season matchup.

The game marked her first appearance in nine months after injuries cut short her second season. She played only 13 games in 2025, making her return a significant personal milestone.

Although the matchup did not count in the standings, Clark said the team approached it with seriousness and intent. She wasted no time making an impact, scoring the opening points with a short floater before adding a stepback three pointer shortly after.

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The Los Angeles Sparks have announced a franchise-record 31 nationally televised games for the 2026 season, surpassing the previous high of 23 set in the prior year. Of these matchups, 17 will be shown exclusively on national television, highlighting the growing visibility of the team across major broadcast platforms.

Sparks games will be available live throughout the season on ABC, CBS, ESPN, ION, NBC, Peacock, Prime Video, USA Network, and NBA TV. The team will open its nationally televised slate on Opening Night at home against the reigning WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces, with coverage airing on USA Network.