Jonathan Soveta

The already depleted New York Knicks will be without forward OG Anunoby for the rest of Game 2 due to hamstring soreness.

Rick Carlisle believes his Indiana Pacers have been victimized by unfair officiating in their series against the New York Knicks.The Pacers coach was ejected from Wednesday's 130-121 Game 2 loss to New York with 33 seconds to play for airing his frustration with officials. The 64-year-old suggested postgame that his club's small-market stature means the Knicks are getting preferential treatment."Small-market teams deserve an equal shot," Carlisle said, according to SNY. "They deserve a fair shot - no matter where they're playing""Games where it felt like the whistles weren't balanced," he added. "We pulled clips, and there's a way to send it to the NBA head office. ... There were 29 plays in Game 1 that we thought were clearly called the wrong way. I decided not to submit them because I just felt like we'd get a more balanced whistle tonight. It didn't feel that way."One instance Carlisle took exception to was at the five-minute mark of the third quarter when Knicks wing Josh Hart appeared to push star Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton from behind without a whistle. Carlisle called it "shocking" and said there were other examples. Rick Carlisle: "Hart comes up and shoves him in the back. It’s all over Twitter right now because a few people have shown it to me. JB DeRosa is looking right at it... He shoves Ty right into the corner and there’s no whistle... That was shocking and there were many others." pic.twitter/HueKW4wqef— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) May 9, 2024 Carlisle added he intends to send in clips of perceived refereeing errors from Wednesday's contest to the NBA's head office prior to Friday's Game 3 in Indiana."I'm always talking to our guys about not making it about the officials, but we deserve a fair shot, you know?" he said, per The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov. "And it's just - there's not a consistent balance, and that's disappointing."Give New York credit for the physicality that they're playing with. But their physicality is rewarded and ours is penalized - just time after time. I'm just really disappointed."Indiana was called for 17 personal fouls in Game 2, leading to 22 free-throw attempts, of which the Knicks made 18. Tom Thibodeau's squad, meanwhile, committed 14 fouls, sending the Pacers to the line 17 times, where they made 10.

Carlisle questions refs in Knicks series: Pacers deserve 'fair shot'

Knicks forward OG Anunoby won't play Friday in Game 3 of New York's series against the Indiana Pacers due to a strained left hamstring.Anunoby sustained the injury in Game 2, missing the entire fourth quarter of New York's 130-121 win.The forward is the latest in a growing list of injury absences for the Knicks, joining Bojan Bogdanovic, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson.Starting guard Jalen Brunson was listed as questionable for Game 3 with foot soreness. The ball-handler also suffered his injury in Game 2 but returned for the third quarter after sitting out the second frame.Through two games against the Pacers, Anunoby is averaging 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and a steal, along with a 50% clip from distance (seven attempts in each contest).

The Cleveland Cavaliers pummeled the Boston Celtics on their own court Thursday, defeating the East's No. 1 seed 118-94 after losing Game 1 by a similar scoreline.

Luka Doncic said he approached a fan standing courtside in the fourth quarter of the Dallas Mavericks' road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder because of comments the spectator made about Doncic's family.

Jamier Jones, a 5-star wing out of Florida, will head to Providence in 2025.

Jamier Jones, a five-star wing out of Florida, will head to Providence in 2025.

The Los Angeles Lakers are slowly honing in on a new head coach.L.A. is considering JJ Redick, James Borrego, and Sam Cassell among its initial group of top targets to succeed Darvin Ham, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania and Jovan Buha.The franchise is reportedly seeking a younger name that can lead the franchise for several seasons, including during a potential post-LeBron James era that will likely center around star big man Anthony Davis.Despite boasting no senior coaching experience, Redick has garnered notable interest recently from clubs hoping to fill in their vacancies. The ESPN analyst and former NBA sharpshooter also reportedly interviewed with the Charlotte Hornets this offseason, and he was a candidate for the Toronto Raptors' opening last year before the Canadian franchise opted for Darko Rajakovic.Redick has plenty of familiarity with the Lakers' two co-stars. Along with facing both James and Davis several times over his playing career, the 39-year-old currently co-hosts a basketball strategy-focused podcast with James, titled "Mind the Game."His candidacy could also be receiving another unlikely boost in his former Duke mentor, Mike Krzyzewski. The retired Hall of Fame coach has been considered a resource for the Lakers amid their ongoing search, sources told Charania and Buha.Borrego, the top assistant on Willie Green's New Orleans Pelicans staff this past season, was the head coach of the Hornets for three seasons from 2019-2022. The first Latino bench boss in NBA history, Borrego was a combined 99-120 in Charlotte but went 43-39 in his final season. That 2021-22 campaign remains the Hornets' only winning season in the last eight years.Cassell has long been a frequent name for top coaching gigs but has yet to be hired to lead a team outright. Now an assistant on Joe Mazzulla's Boston Celtics staff, the former All-Star guard first emerged as a frequent head coaching candidate during his six seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2014-20. The 54-year-old Cassell first took up a role behind the bench with the 2009-2010 Washington Wizards. He spent three seasons prior to this year with the Philadelphia 76ers and then-head coach Doc Rivers.The Lakers fired Ham from his post after a combined 90-74 regular-season record but back-to-back playoff exits at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

With his potential final foray as a free agent on the horizon, DeMar DeRozan would be happy to remain with the Chicago Bulls next season."It's definitely somewhere I'd like to return to," DeRozan told former teammate Lou Williams on the "Run It Back" show. "I think more so than anybody. When the job ain't done with me, Lou, no matter how tough the situation may look, I'm one of those guys that tries to stick it through and try to make something out of nothing."The city is great, I love the city. The organization been great, so it's definitely a place I'd love to return to and take care of unfinished business."DeRozan, 35, can speak with all 30 teams once the league-wide free-agency window opens on June 30. The veteran forward has navigated free agency twice. He was briefly a free agent in the summer of 2016 but almost immediately agreed to a five-year deal to remain with the Toronto Raptors. Following his 2019 trade to the San Antonio Spurs, he again became a free agent in 2021, leading to the Bulls acquiring him on a three-year, $85-million deal via a sign-and-trade.Teams have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents beginning the day after the last game of the NBA Finals, meaning DeRozan could re-sign with the Bulls before hearing from any other franchise.The three-time All-NBA selection has put up 25.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game over three seasons in Chicago. Since DeRozan's arrival in the Windy City, the Bulls have only won one playoff contest: Game 2 of a five-game first-round loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022. They failed to reach that stage in the two seasons that followed as injuries sidelined their core personnel, including Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, and Patrick Williams.