Edwards stayed on the court for a while after sustaining the injury, which happened midway through the second quarter when Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis inadvertently stepped on his left ankle. The Timberwolves called a timeout and eventually Edwards limped slowly toward the locker room.

A short time later, Minnesota deemed Edwards' return as questionable.

Edwards had seven points in 15 minutes when he left injured. He led the Timberwolves in scoring with 27.6 points per game during the regular season.

Minnesota held a 56-39 halftime lead as it looked to even the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series at one win apiece.

Gina Strum, an attorney and executive, filed the suit in New York Supreme Court, with Lasry's Avenue Capital Group and its co-founder, Sonia Gardner (Lasry's sister), also named as defendants.

Strum maintains that "Lasry exploited his position as CEO of Avenue Capital to manipulate, harass, and retaliate against Strum after she refused his advances and reported misconduct."

The countersuit states that "Lasry engaged in a pattern of grooming and predatory behavior, using his authority, personal disclosures, and emotional manipulation to erode professional boundaries and cultivate inappropriate dependence. Strum asserts claims for, among others, sexual harassment, sexual assault, defamation, retaliation, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraud."

In October, Lasry, Avenue Capital and Gardner sued Strum, accusing her of using harassment and blackmail in an attempt to gain $50 million. Strum denied the allegations.

An Avenue Capital spokesperson told Business Insider: "Ms. Strum's allegations are completely false and represent her further attempt to malign the reputations of Mr. Lasry, Ms. Gardner, and Avenue for financial gain."

Richard Roth, Strum's attorney and managing partner of The Roth Law Firm, said Thursday in a statement, "The complaint describes a disturbing pattern of physical and emotional misconduct. It asserts that Mr. Lasry exploited years of personal disclosures about his wife and daughters to foster an inappropriate emotional attachment, blurring professional boundaries and positioning Ms. Strum as an emotional surrogate.

"According to the complaint, this manipulation escalated into unwanted touching and ultimately a quid pro quo sexual harassment dynamic -- where Ms. Strum's professional opportunities and financial future were conditioned on tolerating Lasry's personal demands, misconduct, and predatory behavior. The complaint states that Ms. Strum reasonably believed that accepting his pressure to join Avenue internally would inevitably require her to submit to physical sexual demands."

Lasry, 65, was part of the Bucks' ownership group from 2014-2023. Earlier this week, Sportico reported that Lasry and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan are working to purchase a stake in the New York Giants.

The Thunder's 43-point rout Wednesday night evened the series, which shifts to Denver for the next two games, starting with Game 3 Friday night.

Oklahoma City needs to win one of those road games to take back home-court advantage, which shouldn't be a tough task for a team that went 32-8 away from home during the regular season and won its first two on the road in the playoffs.

To get at least one win, the Thunder need to bring the same energy they had in Game 2 when they led by 24 after the first quarter, scored 87 points in the first half and were up by as much as 49.

"Winning by a hundred or winning by two, it's still 1-1, and I think that's very important," Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Like I said, especially in the series, every game's going to look different. People are going to make adjustments. It's going to be a different crowd, a different feel. You're going to start hot, you're going to start cold, everything's going to look different. It's important to turn the page."

The Thunder will likely stick with their game plan to contain Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. They were physical with the three-time MVP and frustrated him before he fouled out late in the third quarter. He finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six turnovers after putting up 42 points and 22 rebounds in Denver's Game 1 win.

Jokic gave credit to Oklahoma City, saying only one team played the game, while Aaron Gordon came to his teammate's defense.

"They are fouling Joker first. You know Jok is reactionary and they do get the second guy a lot of the times," Gordon said. "But they are fouling him throughout the game -- point blank. Period. And it's a thing you can't call every foul because you would be calling a foul every single play. But they are fouling him. They are a handsy team."

Jokic wasn't the only one who struggled. The Nuggets shot just 37.9 percent from the field, committed 21 turnovers and were outrebounded 44-38 after winning that category by 20 on Monday night.

Denver will lean on its championship experience to respond as it has in the past. The Nuggets were routed in Game 3 of the first round but came back to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4; last year they were down 0-2 to Minnesota before reeling off three straight wins.

Interim coach David Adelman said the players owned their performance after watching the game film on Thursday.

"A lot of guys had thoughts on what they felt (Wednesday) night," he said. "And that allows you to move on and do things better (Friday)."

There is also concern about Michael Porter Jr.'s health. Though he is not on the injury report for Game 3, Porter has been dealing with a left shoulder sprain suffered in the first round and has struggled with his shot at times. He was on the bench in crunch time during Game 1, and Russell Westbrook has seen his minutes increase.

Haliburton also seems determined to change the narrative after being voted by his peers as the NBA's most overrated player in an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic.

The All-Star guard made a driving layup in the waning moments of the Pacers' series-clinching overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Haliburton followed that up by collecting 22 points and 13 assists in the series opener versus top-seeded Cleveland before sinking a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 120-119 victory on Tuesday and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.

The frenzied finish, in which the fourth-seeded Pacers overcame a seven-point deficit in the final minute, was just par for the course in Haliburton's eyes.

"It's the NBA. Crazier things have happened," he said. "... We've had many games where you could take a screenshot at any moment and be like, ‘How did they win this game?'

"We just have a resilient group. We just figure out ways to win. We don't give up and we're battle-tested."

Haliburton certainly is battle-tested. In fact, he has a wrap on his left, non-shooting wrist to show for it.

"I'm fine," Haliburton told the Indianapolis Star following Thursday's practice. "I'll be fine for the game. I'm all good."

The Pacers would be trending to "all good" status with a victory on Friday. That would put them on the brink of securing a second consecutive conference finals appearance.

Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell scored 48 points on 15-for-30 shooting from the floor and 17-of-21 from the free-throw line.

Max Strus had 23 points and Jarrett Allen added 22 to go along with 12 rebounds for the undermanned Cavaliers, who played their fourth straight game without All-Star Darius Garland (left big toe sprain).

Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain) and key reserve De'Andre Hunter (right thumb sprain) missed Game 2 after sustaining their respective injuries in the series opener.

"I'm proud of every individual that put up a fight," Mitchell said. "We've shown how deep we are as a team, how great we are as a unit. But it's tough losing like that. We've got to find a way to get one in Indy."

The Cavaliers listed Garland, Mobley and Hunter as questionable for Game 3 on the NBA injury report late Thursday afternoon. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson earlier noted that the trio participated -- to some extent -- in practice on Thursday.

"It was shootaround basically, so they all touched the ball," Atkinson said. "They all got some reps up, but we didn't do anything live. They kind of participated in the walk-through, and (we're) hoping for the best."

Atkinson also said the team is doing its best to keep its spirits up given the makeshift lineup.

"I think it's frustrating for all of us, and it's no indictment on anybody or the players -- none of that," Atkinson said. "It's just injuries are a tough thing, and you don't really know unless you experience it yourself."

"No, this is new, and from all that I'm learning about how quickly you can get back, there has to be a healing process," Curry told reporters on Thursday of a potential return date. "This is the way the body works and you can't accelerate it more than what it's telling you.

"... After a week, we'll re-evaluate it every day to understand just to think about playing, let alone how much you can push it."

The four-time NBA champion also applied the brakes as it relates to the temptation to rush back into action.

"Eventually there will be conversations like that. But I'm not anywhere close to that," Curry said. "I know how tricky hamstrings can be. They can fool you to think they're healed even if you don't feel anything."

A one-week absence would sideline Curry until Wednesday for Game 5 in Minneapolis, if necessary. Game 6, if necessary, would be played May 18 in San Francisco.

Curry was injured while scoring on a driving mid-range floater during the second quarter of the Warriors' 99-88 win over the Timberwolves in Game 1 on Tuesday in Minneapolis. The two-time NBA MVP and 11-time All-Star promptly reached for his left leg and signaled to the bench that he needed to come out of the game.

Curry had scored 13 points in 13 minutes when he left the game. He shot 5-for-9 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Curry, 37, averaged 24.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists to help the Warriors knock off the Houston Rockets in a seven-game, first-round series.

The Thunder, who set a franchise single-game playoff scoring record, tied the best-of-seven series 1-1 ahead of Game 3 in Denver on Friday.

After losing on a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of Game 1, the Thunder made sure the Nuggets wouldn't have a chance to pull off another late shocker. Oklahoma City poured it on early, scoring 45 first-quarter points and stretching the lead to 24 just more than 10 minutes into the game.

The Thunder tied the NBA playoff record for points in a half with 87, leading by as many as 35 before intermission. The only other team to score 87 points in a half during the postseason was the Milwaukee Bucks in the second half of a second-round game in 1978 against the Nuggets.

Oklahoma City didn't let up in the third quarter, stretching the advantage to 48 points heading into the fourth.

By that time, Denver star Nikola Jokic had fouled out, and the only question was how big the margin would be.

With Denver trailing by 41 points and just more than a minute remaining in the third quarter, Jokic was called for his second offensive foul in less than a minute to end his night.

After his 42-point, 22-rebound performance in Game 1, Jokic had just 17 points and eight rebounds in Game 2. He shot 6 of 16 from the field.

Gilgeous-Alexander had his night end soon after for another reason.

The Most Valuable Player favorite hit two free throws in the last second of the quarter before heading to the bench to watch the Thunder bench handle the fourth.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished 11 of 13 from the floor and hit all 11 of his free throws. He added eight assists and finished plus-51 in plus/minus.

Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams added 17 points and Chet Holmgren, who missed a pair of critical free throws just before Aaron Gordon's Game 1 winner, finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Holmgren was 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.

Russell Westbrook led the Nuggets with 19 points, and Jamal Murray contributed 14. Gordon, who had 22 points and 14 rebounds in the series opener, finished with just 10 points (on 3-of-12 shooting) and five boards.

Boston had a chance to recover in the final seconds, but Mikal Bridges knocked the ball away from Jayson Tatum and New York took possession.

Josh Hart had a game-high 23 points for New York, which trailed by 20 points in the third quarter and by 16 in the fourth. The Knicks received 21 points and 17 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns.

Bridges put up 14 points -- all in the fourth quarter. Brunson finished with 17 points and a game-high seven assists.

Derrick White and Jaylen Brown each scored 20 points for the Celtics.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be played Saturday in New York.

New York took its first lead on a Brunson layup that made it 87-86 with 1:59 to play. Another Brunson layup capped a 21-2 run that stretched New York's lead to three points before two Tatum free throws pulled the Celtics within one point with 44.9 seconds left.

Boston took a 90-89 lead on a Tatum dunk with 18.5 seconds to go, but Brunson knocked down two free throws on the ensuing possession.

Tatum, who averaged 26.8 points per game during the regular season, was held to 13 points, but he grabbed 14 rebounds.

Boston also received eight points off the bench from Kristaps Porzingis, who didn't play in the second half of Game 1 because of an illness. Porzingis played 14 minutes in Game 2.

The Celtics played without Sam Hauser, who sustained an ankle injury in the third quarter of Game 1.

Boston led 24-13 after one quarter on Wednesday and 50-41 at halftime. The Celtics were up by 16 before the Knicks finished the second quarter on an 11-4 run. Tatum was held to two points in the first half.

The Celtics extended their lead to 70-50 on a Porzingis dunk with 4:05 remaining in the third, but New York scored the final eight points in the quarter to cut Boston's lead to 73-61 entering the final frame.

The Warriors face their first full-game test without Curry when they tip off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals series on Thursday in Minneapolis. Golden State has a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series and seeks to steal a second straight victory on the road.

It will not be easy without Curry, who injured his left hamstring in the second quarter of Tuesday's series opener. He scored 13 points in 13 minutes before he sustained the injury, which is expected to keep him out for at least one week.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed confidence that the rest of the team could keep thriving, though Curry hasn't missed a playoff game since Game 1 of the 2018 Western Conference semifinals against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Since Curry was drafted by the Warriors in 2009, the organization owns an 8-3 record in playoff games without him - but 104-51 with him.

"Every year the playoffs are about adapting -- whether it's a game plan, an injury, a lineup, so we just have to adapt," Kerr said. "We've done this before. We're confident we can do this again."

Part of the reason for Kerr's confidence is the presence of Jimmy Butler, who joined the team in February thanks to a trade with the Miami Heat. Butler nearly finished with a triple-double in Game 1 with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. He will take on an even more prominent role in Game 2.

"We're absolutely going to rely on Jimmy like we have when Steph has been off the floor the last couple months," Kerr said. "We ran everything through Jimmy, but we can't just rely on him creating every single shot. We've got to execute offensively."

Minnesota is eager to even the series before both teams head to San Francisco to play Games 3 and 4. The Timberwolves looked rusty after a five-day layoff heading into the series opener, and they will look to be sharper offensively.

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards said he and his teammates could not afford to dwell too much on a disappointing opener. He scored only one point in the first half as Minnesota fell behind by as many as 23 points before pulling back within single digits.

"I just look at (it like) every last one of us has got to play better individually, including myself," Edwards said. "And we'll see how it goes."

Besides Edwards, who shot 9 of 22 and made one 3-pointer in the series opener, the Timberwolves also look for better shooting from backcourt contributors such as Donte DiVincenzo (3 of 11) and Mike Conley (0 of 5).

Julius Randle said he also was motivated to play better. He scored 18 points against the Warriors in the opener but finished with only three rebounds.

"I can't have three rebounds," Randle said. "We've all got to play better. I've got to play better as an individual. I can't come away from this game playing 30 minutes and have three rebounds, so I've got to play better."

For Golden State, Curry's absence could create additional scoring opportunities for distance shooters such as Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski. Hield scored a team-high 24 points in the series opener while Podziemski will try to bounce back from a rough performance in which he missed six of seven shots from the field and four of five shots from 3-point range.

Kerr said his players will be motivated to play well while Curry is sidelined.

"I don't need to give a ‘One For Steph' speech," Kerr said. "Everyone knows. They want to do it for him. Nobody has to say that."

The two sides now have until June 29 to decide whether to exercise the 2025-26 option or perhaps negotiate a longer-term deal, per the report.

VanVleet, 31, has played the past two seasons in Houston following seven seasons in Toronto, where he captured an NBA title in 2018-19 and made the All-Star team in 2021-22.

VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 60 games (all starts) for the Rockets this season. He finished third on the team with 159 3-point buckets as Houston ended a four-year playoff drought.

Undrafted in 2016 out of Wichita State, VanVleet has averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 550 career games (401 starts).

He will receive the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy and a $100,000 donation from the league for his foundation.

Holiday, who won the NBA's Sportsmanship Award for the second time last week, was one of five finalists selected for "pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar's life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically disadvantaged," according to a league statement.

The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund has distributed $5.3 million in grants and delivered more than 400 hours of coaching and support to nearly 200 businesses across the U.S.

"Since entering the league, Jrue Holiday has dedicated himself to helping others in their times of greatest need and pursuing a more just society for all," NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum said. "The selflessness that defines his game is even more evident in the work he and his wife Lauren do off the floor to create more opportunities for a generation of youth who might have otherwise been overlooked."

The JLH Fund was established when Holiday pledged $5 million of his 2020 NBA salary to combat systemic racism and economic injustice.

Holiday, 34, joins previous winners Carmelo Anthony, Reggie Bullock, Stephen Curry and Karl-Anthony Towns.

The other finalists were Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, Harrison Barnes of the San Antonio Spurs, Chris Boucher of the Toronto Raptors and CJ McCollum of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Per the report, Curry's return date will be based on how he responds to rehab with his initial muscle strain.

A week's absence would sideline Curry until next Wednesday for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinal series against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis, if necessary. Game 6, if necessary, would be played May 18 in San Francisco.

Curry was injured while scoring on a driving mid-range floater during the second quarter of the Warriors' 99-88 win over the Timberwolves in Game 1 on Tuesday in Minneapolis. The two-time NBA MVP and 11-time All-Star promptly reached for his left leg and signaled to the bench that he needed to come out of the game.

Curry had scored 13 points in 13 minutes when he left the game. He shot 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Curry, 37, averaged 24.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists to help the Warriors knock off the Houston Rockets in a seven-game, first-round series.

Jimmy Butler notched a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Warriors, who won for the second time in three nights after eliminating the Houston Rockets in a seven-game, first-round series. Draymond Green finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.

Anthony Edwards missed his first 10 shots from the field but finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota, which appeared rusty after a five-day break between games. Naz Reid scored 19 points off the bench and Julius Randle finished with 18 points.

Curry left in the second quarter because of a left hamstring strain and did not return. Curry scored 13 points in 13 minutes on 5-for-9 shooting overall and 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range before his injury.

Curry appeared to sustain the injury after driving for a layup. He favored his left leg after the shot and lifted his arm to signal to the bench that something felt wrong.

Minnesota trailed by as many as 23 points but pulled within single digits in the fourth quarter. A 13-2 run by the Timberwolves cut their deficit to 85-76 with 6:02 remaining.

On the next possession, Hield drilled one of his five 3-pointers from the left quarter to increase the Warriors' lead back to 12 points. Butler followed with a driving jump shot to put Golden State on top 90-76 with 5:19 remaining and the Warriors maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way.

Golden State held a commanding 80-60 advantage at the end of the third quarter.

Hield had two points at halftime but erupted for 16 in the third quarter. He made a 3-pointer as part of a 10-0 run that gave Golden State a 76-53 lead with 2:23 remaining in the quarter.

Golden State led 44-31 at the half as Minnesota scored only 11 points in the second quarter.

Curry sustained the injury in the second quarter of the series-opening game of this Western Conference semifinal in Minneapolis. The contest marked the second game in three nights and in two cities for Curry and the Warriors, who knocked off the Houston Rockets on Sunday in a seven-game, first-round series.

Curry had 13 points in 13 minutes when he left the game. He shot 5 of 9 from the field and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.

The Warriors led 44-31 at halftime.

Curry averaged 24.0 points during the series against Houston.

The Pacers scored the final eight points after Donovan Mitchell made two free throws to push Cleveland's lead to 119-112 with 57 seconds left. Baskets by Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam made it a one-possession game, and Andrew Nembhard stole the subsequent inbounds pass from Max Strus.

Haliburton drew a foul with 12.4 ticks remaining, making his first free throw to make it 119-117, then grabbed his miss on the second. He dribbled beyond the arc before calming then making the 3-pointer to complete Indiana's comeback from 20 points down.

Mitchell amassed 48 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals for the top-seeded Cavaliers, who were without NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain), All-Star point guard Darius Garland (left big toe sprain) and key reserve De'Andre Hunter (right thumb sprain).

Cleveland lost the first two games of a series at home for the first time since 1996, when it was swept by the Knicks in a best-of-three matchup. The Cavaliers have won just 7 of 13 home games during their current three-year playoff streak.

Nesmith and Myles Turner each scored 23 points and Haliburton had 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. Bennedict Mathurin added 19 points and Nembhard collected 13 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds, along with eight turnovers, for fourth-seeded Indiana.

Mitchell, a six-time All-Star, scored 12 points in the first, 15 in the third and 12 in the fourth in an electrifying performance. He made 15 of 30 field goal attempts and was 17-of-21 on free throws, setting career highs in free throws made and attempted.

Strus had 23 points and Jarrett Allen posted 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who led 81-61 midway through the third. Sam Merrill scored 14 off the bench.

Power forward Mobley and Hunter were both injured Sunday in Game 1 on consecutive fourth-quarter possessions that were not deemed fouls. Garland has not played since April 23 against the Heat.

Mobley landed on the foot of Turner, who slid under him on a shot, while Hunter dislocated his thumb while falling after his dunk was blocked by Mathurin.

NBA Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers expressed his displeasure in three-minute responses Monday after practice and before the game, eliciting a response from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.

"Nobody wants to see players get hurt," Carlisle said. "That disturbs the hell out of us."

The game averaged 6.63 million viewers across TNT and truTV, the highest mark for a first-round game on cable since Game 6 between the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics averaged 6.99 million viewers on TNT 16 years ago.

It is worth noting that Nielsen did not start tracking out-of-home viewing in its numbers until 2020.

The Warriors' convincing 103-89 win on Sunday night was also the third-most watched game of the entire first round, topped only by a pair of games broadcast by ABC: Game 4 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timbewolves (7.35 million) and Boston's Game 1 victory over the Orlando Magic on Easter (6.69 million).

The Sunday night game also clearly eclipsed the other Game 7 of the weekend, with the Denver Nuggets' easy victory over the Los Angeles Clippers averaging 4.21 million viewers on TNT and truTV on Saturday night.

The entire first round of the 2025 playoffs averaged 3.27 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. That was up 6 percent over last year, and was helped by the 4.4 million average viewers who tuned into the eight-game opening slate over Easter weekend.

ABC averaged 5.56 million viewers over its six games, up 14 percent from last year, while ESPN platforms including ABC and ESPN averaged 4.46 million across 12 games, also up 14 percent. TNT's 25 first-round playoff games drew an average of 3.3 million viewers, representing a 3 percent increase over 2024.

Indiana opened the second round of the playoffs with a win at Cleveland on Sunday that drew 4.38 million on TNT.

The seventh-seeded Warriors open their second-round series against the sixth-seeded Timberwolves on Tuesday night. While the series pits a pair of lower seeds, it also features Golden State against a Minnesota team led by young superstar Anthony Edwards, who was the most-watched player on NBA social media in the first round, according to Front Office Sports.

All three were listed as questionable for the second of the best-of-seven series. Reserve guard Ty Jerome and forward Dean Wade started for the top-seeded Cavaliers, who dropped Game 1 to fourth-seeded Indiana 121-112 on Sunday.

Garland is missing his fourth straight playoff game due to a left toe injury, while Mobley is sidelined by a sprained left ankle and Hunter by a sprained right thumb. Garland scored 27 and 21 points in the first two games of the playoffs against the Miami Heat before suffering the toe injury.

Mobley has shined for Cleveland all season, becoming the first player in team history to win Defensive Player of the Year. After a 20-point, 10-rebound performance in Game 1, Mobley is averaging 17.0 points and 7.2 boards this postseason.

Hunter, meanwhile, has played a key role off the bench for the Cavs, scoring 12.6 points per game in the playoffs.

Mobley and Hunter were injured during consecutive fourth-quarter possessions on Sunday. After Mobley landed awkwardly following a jumper, Hunter drove to the rim before falling hard to the floor as his shot was blocked by Indiana's Bennedict Mathurin.

Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said Monday that while those plays were not dirty, "I think it passed a line of physicality."

He later added: "But the fact of the matter, that's on the referees. Maybe they weren't missed calls, and maybe I'm misinterpreting the rules, but I have a problem when we got two of our best players doubtful for tomorrow's game. It's hard for me to get my head around that."

The Kings last month hired longtime NBA executive Scott Perry as general manager and on May 1 announced that the interim tag had been removed from head coach Doug Christie.

Amstrong, 57, followed 11 seasons as a point guard in the NBA (1989-2000) with experience in the Bulls' front office and as a scout, an ESPN analyst and two decades as a player agent. He represented former league MVP Derrick Rose.

He has been co-hosting "The Hoop Genius Podcast," with Perry as a guest.

Armstrong won NBA titles as a point guard on the Bulls in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

He averaged 9.8 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 23.8 minutes per game in 747 regular-season games (341 starts) for the Bulls (1989-95, 1999-2000), Golden State Warriors (1995-97), Charlotte Hornets (1997-1999) and Orlando Magic (1999).

Armstrong played in 105 playoff games (39 starts) for the Bulls, Hornets and Magic and averaged 7.9 points, 2.4 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 22.5 minutes per game.

The Thunder dropped back-to-back games just twice in the regular season, and the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs never lost more than two contests consecutively.

And yet Oklahoma City faces the visiting Denver Nuggets on Wednesday in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series needing to rebound after Monday's 121-119 home loss to open the second round.

The Nuggets trailed by nine with less than three minutes remaining before Nikola Jokic helped mount a comeback, and before Denver won on Aaron Gordon's 3-pointer with less than four seconds remaining.

"We know it's about how we respond," Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. "There's nothing we can do about what just happened, so there's no point to have our head down or be sad about it or sulk about it. All we can do is be better for the next game, and that's what we're focused on."

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault didn't expect his team to continue steamrolling opponents after sweeping its first-round series against Memphis.

"We have to embrace the struggle of the playoffs, embrace the adversity of the playoffs," Daigneault said. "The playoffs are a mountain to climb, so it's not gonna be easy for anybody.

"We kind of coasted through the first round. It was challenging in the games, but we had control of the series the whole time. ... No one just walks their way through a series at this point in the season."

Oklahoma City threw all kinds of defensive looks at Jokic and had success frustrating the superstar during stretches. But Jokic finished strong as he delivered 42 points and 22 rebounds.

"The best player in the world," the Nuggets' Russell Westbrook said of Jokic. "Plan and simple."

There was a time, when he played for the Thunder, when that moniker might have belonged to Westbrook.

Westbrook received a large ovation when he checked into Monday's game for the first time, then left Thunder fans in stunned silence when his pass found Gordon for the game-winning bucket.

"They gave me a chance and believed in me when I was a little, young teenager," Westbrook said of the Thunder. "But the reason why they love me is my competitive nature, competitive spirit."

Westbrook, and the Nuggets as a whole, have shown plenty of that recently. They found their bearings after head coach Michael Malone was fired late in the season, then they fought through a seven-game first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers that included Gordon's game-winning dunk at the buzzer in Game 4.

On Monday, they came back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the team with the NBA's best record in the regular season.

Denver will try to keep building momentum with Games 3 and 4 in Colorado later this week.

"We didn't want to miss the moment. We didn't want to miss the opportunity," Gordon said. "I'm glad we showed our grit, but we are not satisfied."

And Oklahoma City will try to regain the momentum it has built throughout the season.

"We didn't expect our whole run to be sunshine and rainbows," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

It is the first honor for Presti, 47, who previously finished second in 2009-10, 2019-20 and 2023-24.

The Thunder led the NBA with a 68-14 record this season, the best in franchise history and tied for sixth-best in league history. Oklahoma City also set an NBA record for scoring differential, outscoring opponents by 12.9 points per game.

Presti has been the Thunder GM since 2007. Before that he spent seven years in the San Antiono Spurs' front office.

Presti received 10 first-place votes and 74 total points in the voting by fellow NBA executives. Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman was second and Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon finished third.

The new naming-rights agreement for the current Wells Fargo Center runs through 2030-31 and was announced Tuesday by Comcast Spectacor and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.

The facility on South Broad Street opened as the CoreStates Center in 1996 and has also been known as the First Union Center (1998-2003) and Wachovia Center (2003-10).

The arena is also home to the National Lacrosse League's Philadelphia Wings and hosts college basketball games, concerts and conventions, drawing 2.5 million guests annually to more than 220 events.

"This arena is an anchor in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex and broader region," said Dan Hilferty, chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor. "As we complete our historic relationship with Wells Fargo, we wanted to ensure that our new partner matched our enthusiasm for delivering world-class service to our fans and guests.

"We are committed to continuing investing in our venue to ensure we're at the forefront of technology, innovation, and cutting-edge fan experiences. We couldn't be more excited that Xfinity Mobile's brand will become the centerpiece for sports and entertainment in Philadelphia."

The facility completed a $400 million overhaul last year.

HBSE and Comcast Spectacor are partnering on a new arena, set to open in the 2031-2032 season. Comcast will own the naming rights to that venue.