The Thunder have risen again

Ascension to the highest throne once looked inevitable, but wasn't. Is this different? Good morning. We have an essay on the Thunder ahead of the final night of the play-in tournament. Let's basketball. The first rise of the Oklahoma City Thunder was simultaneously predictable and sudden.

A new dusk in Sacramento

The thing about the Sacramento Kings' long playoff drought is that they still had stars during that time. Mike Bibby, the prototype Jamal Murray "he's never been an All-Star" lead guard, was around for the first few years of the drought. In those early post-Adelman

The Warriors' play-in curse is *over*

The Warriors, who a few weeks ago looked reborn as legitimate championship contenders, almost let their nightmare finish to the regular season extend into the play-in. After racking up a 20-point lead against a Grizzlies team that looked ready to quit, Golden State slowly bled out until Memphis had caught

It's time for the Bucks to do *something*

Good morning. Milwaukee is tripping through Giannis Antetokounmpo's prime, with just one playoff series win since the 2021 championship. If they can't make a run now, a major overhaul is required. Let's basketball. A championship buys you precious little runway in the NBA. The

All James Harden does is win

Good morning. An incredible game between the Warriors and Clippers ends up with a James Harden triumph in the Bay Area. Golden State heads back to the play-in. Plus: a lot of NBA randos played a lot of minutes on Sunday! Let's basketball. Here's how the

One more day

Good morning. The East playoff and play-in brackets are completely settled. The West is ... not. Plus: Isiah Thomas makes a fool out of himself (again), Giannis hurts his friend's feelings and more. Let's basketball. Scores Hawks 124, Sixers 110 | Box Score | Nine offensive rebounds for Mouhamed

What to make of these Celtics

Good morning. We have a special treat as the regular season wraps up: Paul Flannery, the legend behind the new Hoopology newsletter, has an essay on the reigning champs as they embark on their repeat attempt. Plus, we have an assessment of what changed Thursday night and what's

Luka's storybook revenge moment

Good morning. Luka Doncic posits what it would be like if The Count of Monte Cristo were a fairy tale. Plus: Harrison Barnes screwed the Warriors (complimentary), the Nuggets won a fired coach bounce game and more. Let's basketball. If you were turning the Luka Doncic saga into

Is this some kind of Jok?

The Denver Nuggets, three games from the postseason and two years removed from the franchise's first NBA championship, fired coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth on Tuesday. This comes a little more than a week after another West postseason contender, the Memphis Grizzlies, fired their head

NBA reforms have brought the bottom up. Will they push the top down?

Here in the final week of the NBA regular season, much remains at stake. The West has six teams in a jumble from seed Nos. 3 through 8. Two of those teams will have home court advantage in the first round. Two will be in the play-in tournament. All of

The Rockets will put you in hell

Good morning. The Houston Rockets, already sitting at 52 wins with three games left, just had one of the more incredible weekends of the season, locking up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Stephen Curry in succession. Is Amen Thompson the best perimeter defender in the NBA? Are the Rockets ready ready for

Steph vs. LeBron 4eva

Good morning. You can count on three things these days: death, global financial meltdowns at least once a decade and Steph Curry vs. LeBron James basketball wars. Let's basketball. Scores Bucks 126, Sixers 113 | Box Score | There are nights in which Giannis Antetokounmpo looks like the most unstoppable