Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun combined for 65 points and the Houston Rockets rode a scorching second quarter to a 125-111 victory over visiting Oklahoma City on Friday, ending the Thunder's 11-game winning streak.
Green scored 34 points, Sengun added 31 and the Rockets (51-27) won for the 14th time in 16 games. Houston posted a 48-33 rebounding margin to maintain control after building a 23-point lead late in the second quarter.
Houston's Amen Thompson posted 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Jalen Williams paced the Thunder with 33 points on 13-for-21 shooting. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander notched 22 points and eight assists.
Celtics 123, Suns 103
Jaylen Brown tossed in 31 points and Boston broke the NBA record for made 3-pointers in a season during a victory over visiting Phoenix.
The Celtics set the record on their eighth trey of the game, a 26-footer by Payton Pritchard with 8:19 remaining in the second quarter. It gave Boston a 44-26 lead. The 2022-23 Golden State Warriors set the previous record (1,363).
The Celtics made 14 of 39 shots from behind the 3-point arc, and they ended the night with 1,370 treys on the campaign. Boston's Jayson Tatum added 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Devin Booker scored a game-high 37 points for the Suns, who have lost five in a row.
Lakers 124, Pelicans 108
Luka Doncic scored 35 points and Austin Reaves added 30 as Los Angeles helped its prospects for a top-four finish in the Western Conference with a victory over New Orleans.
LeBron James produced 27 points and eight assists and Jaxson Hayes had 12 rebounds with six points as the Lakers won in advance of a back-to-back road set against the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday and Tuesday. The Lakers pulled a half-game ahead of the fourth-place Denver Nuggets.
Jose Alvarado scored 27 points and Karlo Matkovic added 15 for the Pelicans, who have just three wins in the past 11 games. Yves Missi contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Pistons 117, Raptors 105
Jalen Duren had 21 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks and visiting Detroit clinched a playoff berth by completing a four-game season sweep over Toronto.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 points and Malik Beasley scored 21 for the Pistons. Detroit's Cade Cunningham (calf), Tobias Harris (heel) and Isaiah Stewart (suspension) did not play.
Ja'Kobe Walter scored 22 points for the Raptors. Jakob Poeltl had 10 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Kings 125, Hornets 102
Zach LaVine poured in 25 points to go with 10 rebounds and Domantas Sabonis racked up 24 points and 11 rebounds to help Sacramento snap a three-game losing streak with a win at Charlotte.
DeMar DeRozan put up 22 points for the Kings. Ex-Hornets guard Malik Monk had 17 points off the bench as Sacramento won for the second time in nine games.
The Hornets lost for the seventh time in their last eight games despite 22 points from Miles Bridges. Moussa Diabate finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Pacers 140, Jazz 112
Myles Turner scored 26 points and Pascal Siakam added 22 to lead Indiana past Utah in Indianapolis for its third straight win.
The Pacers have won nine of 11 while keeping a solid hold on the No. 4 spot of the Eastern Conference standings. Turner also grabbed seven rebounds and swatted six shots, while Siakam contributed five boards, five assists, four blocks and three steals.
Utah dropped an eighth consecutive game for the third time this season. The Jazz, who have the worst record in the NBA, have lost 18 of their past 19 contests. Collin Sexton led all scorers with 27 points.
Bulls 118, Trail Blazers 113
Coby White and Nikola Vucevic each scored 31 points and Josh Giddey notched his sixth triple-double of the season as Chicago beat visiting Portland.
Giddey racked up 15 points, a career-best 19 rebounds and 12 assists as the Bulls pulled level with the Miami Heat for ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Deni Avdija posted 37 points and 11 rebounds and Dalano Banton contributed 21 points for the Blazers, who finished a 2-3 road trip.
Warriors 118, Nuggets 104
Stephen Curry bombed in a game-high 36 points, Brandin Podziemski and Jimmy Butler III combined for 45 more and Golden State dumped Denver in San Francisco.
The Warriors earned their fifth straight win to climb within a half-game of the fourth-place Nuggets in the Western Conference playoff chase. Podziemski had 26 points to complement Curry's third straight game with 36 or more.
A third straight loss dropped Denver four games behind the second-place Houston Rockets with just four games remaining. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 33 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Cavaliers 114, Spurs 113
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and Evan Mobley added 25 points and 12 rebounds as Cleveland did just enough to beat host San Antonio.
The Cavaliers won their third straight contest and reduced their magic number to clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference to one. Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 24 points. Harrison Barnes added 23.
Cleveland was up by 23 points late in the second quarter and by 17 at halftime before the Spurs cut it to 88-82 in the third. In the fourth, Barnes poured in back-to-back 3-pointers to bring San Antonio within a point with 28.6 seconds to play, but Barnes missed a contested, driving layup at the buzzer.
Clippers 114, Mavericks 91
Kawhi Leonard had 20 points and sparked a key early run as Los Angeles sailed past Dallas in Inglewood, Calif.
The Clippers have won 10 of their past 12 games. Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell each had 14 points for Los Angeles, and Zubac grabbed 13 rebounds. The Mavericks produced their lowest point total of the season.
Dallas played without Anthony Davis, who was a late scratch due to an adductor strain, and Klay Thompson and Jaden Hardy exited because of injuries. Naji Marshall led the Mavericks with 22 points.
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The Lakers probably have not had the impact offseason many fans hoped they'd have, choosing to spend their limited available money on what they hope will be bargain pieces--point guard Marcus Smart and center Deandre Ayton, players who were good enough to be considered stars at one point, but who have fallen off enough that their previous teams saw fit to buy them out. That's far from the wild trade proposals fans and some media members dreamt up over recent months. And it is far from the bubbling rumors of a blockbuster that would send star forward LeBron James elsewhere. It's still possible that the Lakers will find a wild trade to make in the coming weeks, perhaps even one that includes James, no matter how unlikely that looks to be. But those around the league and within the Lakers have long held that L.A. has belief in the current roster, when healthy. And there's a determination to give it a shot. That means not only the additions of Smart and Ayton, but also, finally, getting healthy seasons from Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes, plus improvement from the likes of Bronny James and, of course, more familiarity with Luka Doncic. In the meantime, the Lakers need to fill out the back end of the roster, and for a team that has had some luck with G League and two-way players, that could be important. The Lakers announced on Thursday that they are signing former Cornell star Chris Manon, who struggled and averaged 6.6 points last year after transferring to Vanderbilt, to a two-way contract. Manon played with the Warriors in summer league, and ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers still have a two-way post available. He wrote on Twitter/X: "The Lakers announce the signing of Chris Mañon to a two-way contract. They have one two-way contract available to fill still, with center Christian Koloko signed as their second two-way player." Manon's offensive struggles were obvious when he moved to the SEC, but it was never his scoring that was going to get him to the NBA. As the site No Ceilings wrote of Manon: "Chris Manon is one of the best defensive playmakers in college hoops. Despite carrying a 26.6 usage rate, Manon was still a high-energy, active defender. He posted a 5.5 STL%, 2.8 BLK%, and 4.1 DBPM, which are elite indicators for a guard prospect."
In the spring of 2006, Chris Pronger was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. He then did something no one thought possible: he made the Edmonton Oilers a Stanley Cup contender again. That playoff run was legendary. Pronger logged enormous minutes, quarterbacked the power play, killed penalties, and led the team in scoring. In every zone and every moment, he was the difference-maker. He was the kind of player who gave an entire franchise a sense of direction—and belief. And then, just weeks after that Game 7 heartbreak in Carolina, he was gone. The Impact of the Oilers Losing a True No. 1 Blueliner Pronger’s trade request stunned the city and changed everything. Instead of building around a generational defenseman in his prime, the Oilers entered a prolonged decline. The team wouldn’t return to the playoffs for another decade. But what if he had stayed? It’s not just about Pronger’s elite play. It’s about the ripple effect of having that kind of presence anchoring a lineup. With Pronger in the fold, free agents might have been more willing to come. The team wouldn’t have scrambled to fill the void on the blue line with a carousel of short-term fixes. Young players could have developed under a true leader instead of inheriting pressure without support. The Oilers Championship Window Closed Too Soon The Oilers were close in 2006. It was not a fluke, but it was a team suddenly galvanized by elite goaltending from Dwayne Roloson, role players like Mike Peca, top-six grit like Ryan Smyth and Fernando Pisani, and above all, Pronger’s towering presence. Run it back even one more year, and who knows? A healthy Roloson, a stabilized core, and the confidence of a team that knew how close they came. Perhaps 2007 would be the season that ended differently for the Oilers. Instead, the Oilers lost their best player and wandered through the wilderness for ten years. How bad did the Oilers become? The 2006–07 season was a major disappointment in Edmonton, capped by the emotional deadline trade of fan favorite Smyth to the New York Islanders. That collapse marked the beginning of a long drought, as the team went on to miss the playoffs for 10 straight seasons until finally returning in 2016–17. Hockey Is Filled with What Ifs, the Oilers Are No Exception Hockey is full of what-ifs. But this one lingers. Because Pronger did come to Edmonton, and he did show what was possible. And for one electric spring, it looked like the Oilers had found the player who could lead them back to greatness. We just never got to find out how far that road might have gone. Fortunately, the team’s return to the playoffs in 2016–17 was spearheaded by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. And that’s where the team is today. It’s a new era of success, but it took ten years to get there.
If any team around the league is set to strike a blockbuster deal ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, it's the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the defending champions are expected to make a splash this summer, there's uncertainty as to where LA will look to upgrade the roster. The Dodgers could quite frankly use additions in several areas of the roster, including the bullpen, starting rotation, and lineup. Tanner Scott's ongoing struggles has stirred speculation that the front office will add a reliever this summer. Additionally, Scott and Michael Kopech are both injured, which leaves the bullpen short two high-leverage arms. Beyond the bullpen, the Dodgers are still missing two staples of their rotation in Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki. However, both pitchers appear to be headed for a return to the team down the stretch. Therefore, ESPN insider David Schoenfield believes the Dodgers will look to acquire an outfielder and a leadoff hitter in Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians. "The reasoning here: Michael Conforto just hasn't worked out," Schoenfield writes. "The Dodgers have given him 300 plate appearances and he's hitting under .200, plus he's not a good left fielder. They could also use a leadoff hitter. They just moved Mookie Betts there in front of Shohei Ohtani, looking to get Betts going, but Betts just hasn't been an offensive force in 2025 and shouldn't be hitting at the top of a lineup right now. Kwan would fix both issues and give them a nice OBP guy in front of Ohtani while providing a major defensive upgrade." While the Dodgers have been linked to Kwan, it remains to be seen whether the Guardians are willing to part ways with the Gold Glover. ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel gave just a 20 percent chance that Kwan would be traded. The All-Star outfielder is under team control through 2027, and is due $4.1 million this season. The Dodgers could send a large haul of prospects to Cleveland, as the organization has one of the best farm systems in MLB. However, the Dodgers are reportedly unwilling to move top prospects such as Dalton Rushing and Alex Freeland.
Having been in an on and off relationship for over two years, Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas are quite familiar with each other and their families. It comes as no surprise when the Spanish WTA star appeared to be in agreement with a statement by former player Ivan Ljubicic, where the Croat urged parents of tennis stars to focus less on tennis and more on raising their kids. The high-profile couple made their relationship public in May 2023, and were seen at each other's matches. A year later, they would take to social media to announce they had split ways, only to get back together three weeks later. Known for his volatility on the court, Tsitsipas would engage in a rather heated exchange with his father Apostolos during an opening round loss against Kei Nishikori at the 2024 Canadian Open. The elder Tsitsipas was acting as Stefanos coach at that point, and the Greek star would later take shots at his father in his post-match conference. However, Tsitsipas would later reveal he had apologized to his father soon after the incident. In an interview with SDNA, Tsitsipas stated both men had a long conversation, during which they aired their grievances and the former World No.3 admitted to apologizing to his dad. Badosa co-signs statement by Ljubicic "We discussed it, from my side I had to apologize because it was a big mistake on my part," said Tsitsipas to SDNA. "We have found a new line of communication and a way to talk to each other, so that such things don't happen again and such tensions don't arise again." Ivan Ljubicic, former player who would later coach Roger Federer during the tail end of his career, would chime in on the role of tennis parents, a day after Jannik Sinner dethroned Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. "Following last night, second note to parents: your role is CRUCIAL," said Ljubicic. "Your responsibility is to build independent, responsible, strong human beings. Let the professionals do their job, make sure they have all they need. I promise that this is the best formula." Soon after Tsitsipas' interview with SDNA was published, Badosa would return to Ljubicic's post and express her support. "Soooo good ", wrote the Spanish WTA star on Twitter. Although Badosa did not mention Apostolos specifically, the elder Tsitsipas has received backlash for being overbearing towards Stefanos.