Basketball

Julio Frenk does not appear to be a university administrator content to watch his school’s athletic program from the sidelines.

In his last stop before becoming UCLA’s chancellor, Frenk led an overhaul of the University of Miami’s athletic department, bringing in a new athletic director and football coach after the Hurricanes were criticized for not making football a priority under Frenk’s leadership.

That shakeup resulted in coach Mario Cristobal leading his team to a 10-3 season in 2024 that represented the Hurricanes’ best finish in nearly a decade.

Can UCLA fans expect a similar level of involvement in athletics from their new chancellor?

In a word, yes.

During a recent interview with The Times, Frenk indicated that he would be hands-on with UCLA athletics because of its importance to the university as a whole.

“I am [going to be involved] because I think athletics plays a very central role,” Frenk said. “It is, first, an avenue for recruiting very talented students. Secondly, it benefits the other students. It enriches the student experience of everyone. But let me tell you, when we talk about the contribution to society, part of the reason many universities have a deficit, it’s not because of football. Football actually has a positive cash flow for the university.

“What we do in the United States that no other country that I know of does, is that universities are the place where we train Olympians, Olympic competitors, competitors who go to the Olympic Games. That function — just like the research function — has been delegated to universities and we are investing in having Olympic athletes. In most of the other countries, it’s government-run high-performance centers.

“But here the federal government doesn’t have to worry about that because universities do that and they fund that. And when we have the Olympics every four years, everyone is very proud to see the United States top the medal chart. That work starts in universities and that’s why we also fund that. It’s an intrinsic part of education. It enriches everyone’s experience. It builds community. It also produces the best performing Olympic teams in the world.”

Frenk’s comments would seem to suggest that he is not considering any cuts to UCLA’s Olympic sports even at a time when the school’s athletic department has run up a $219.5-million deficit over the last six fiscal years. That deficit would be even higher had the university not agreed to provide $30 million to its athletic department as part of its most recent fiscal budget.

Frenk also said that federal legislation was needed “to create a much more predictable model” for football and men’s basketball, controlling expenses while propping up the rest of an athletic department.

UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk speaks during his inauguration ceremony at Royce Hall on June 5.

(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)

“I acknowledge this costs money,” Frenk said of allocating resources to the revenue sports, “but the money goes to be able to have all the other disciplines that do not generate money. The most direct way to do that would be to find other sources of funding. Right now, we use the revenue from football and that requires investments to fund the entire athletic operation.

“It is time to have a conversation and create a legal framework that doesn’t leave it to each institution or each state to find their own way in this. We’re part of an ecosystem. I think the move to the Big Ten has been very positive in that respect. And those are the conversations we are having. How do we generate other sources of revenue — mostly to be able not just to maintain the excellence of the sports that are widely followed by the public, but also all the other sports, including, very importantly, the Olympic sports, which are such a source of pride?”

Frenk has shown he will not tolerate failure in high-profile sports — or the perception that he is not doing everything he can to help his teams.

As Miami’s president, he led an upheaval of the school’s athletic department after ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit criticized the Hurricanes during a September 2021 broadcast, mentioning a Miami Herald article stating that football was not a priority for Frenk. Herbstreit went on to say that Miami’s athletic director, football coach and president were not in alignment about team needs like other powerhouse programs.

Five days later, Frenk issued a statement saying that he wanted “to make clear that the board of trustees and I, as president, recognize the essential part of our brand and reputation derived from athletics and we are fully committed to building championship-caliber teams at the U.” Frenk added that he would have his chief of staff and senior advisor engage with the athletic department to enhance his own commitment to sustain winning teams.

With the football team headed for a 7-5 finish that fell far short of preseason expectations, athletic director James Blake was fired before the end of the season and football coach Manny Diaz was dismissed a little more than a week after the final game. The Hurricanes then gave Cristobal a 10-year, $80-million contract, with Frenk attending the introductory news conference and calling his new coach’s selection “a bold vision for the future.”

UCLA football went 5-7 last season under first-year coach DeShaun Foster.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Last month, while making his first public remarks about UCLA athletics at a UC regents meeting, Frenk referenced the role athletics played in the school’s institutional identity, mentioning legendary basketball coach John Wooden and the Bruins’ dominance in Olympic sports with the school set to host the athlete village for the 2028 Olympics.

Frenk also mentioned how UCLA’s recent move to the Big Ten Conference was made with “the goal of stabilizing the program and positioning it for long-term success.” The chancellor referenced the school’s national championship in men’s water polo, a Final Four appearance in women’s basketball and a national runner-up finish in women’s gymnastics as part of a haul that also included six team and four individual conference titles, the most of any Big Ten team.

Ultimately, an athletic department is only as healthy as its highest-profile sports. UCLA’s football team needs to fully capitalize on the recent buzz created by the arrival of transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava after finishing 5-7 in coach DeShaun Foster‘s debut season. The men’s basketball team must maximize the ability of transfer point guard Donovan Dent to make everyone around him better if it hopes to make it to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2023.

Going forward, every UCLA team seems assured of one thing: Their new chancellor will be watching.

There was never a doubt in Tyrese Haliburton’s mind.

The Indiana Pacers star has done it too often – especially in the 2025 playoffs – to not have confidence in the closing seconds.

Haliburton hit a 20-foot pull-up jumper in the final second on Thursday as the Pacers completed a stunning comeback for a 111-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

It was the 25-year-old’s fourth big-time shot in the closing seconds during this year’s playoffs.

The Pacers hadn’t led in Thursday’s finals opener until Halliburton drained his latest clutch hoop with 0.3 seconds remaining.

“Ultimate confidence in himself,” Indiana’s Myles Turner said of Haliburton. “Some players will say they have it, but there are other players that show it … He wants to be the one to hit that shot. He doesn’t shy away from that moment.”

In Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs, Haliburton cut through the lane to hit a driving layup with 1.3 seconds left in overtime, giving the Pacers a win and ending the series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

In Game 2 of the second round, he hit a step-back 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to put Indiana up one and put the Cleveland Cavaliers into a 2-0 hole.

Then in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, Haliburton hit another step-back shot that appeared to be the game-winner initially but was changed to a two that forced overtime against the New York Knicks. Indiana eventually won.

The Thursday shot merely continued the pattern.

Indiana trailed by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter, and though the Pacers cut the deficit to one in the closing seconds, the Thunder had the ball in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands with a chance to put the Pacers away.

However, Andrew Nembhard guarded the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) tenaciously, helping to force a missed fadeaway from Gilgeous-Alexander that opened the door for Haliburton’s heroics.

With 11 seconds left, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle trusted his team and didn’t take a timeout.

Haliburton worked his way down the court against Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace, driving just inside the 3-point arc before pulling up for a shot that briefly rattled around the rim before dropping through.

“I had a pretty good idea,” Haliburton said when asked whether he knew the shot was good.

Indiana won despite turning the ball over 25 times in Game 1.

“It’s not the recipe to win,” Haliburton said. “We can’t turn the ball over that much … (but) come May and June, it doesn’t matter how you get ’em, just get ’em.”

The best-of-seven series resumes with Game 2 on Sunday in Oklahoma City.

Thunder to try level series in Game 2

“The series isn’t first to one, it’s first to four,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “So we have four more games to get. They have three, and that’s just where we are.”

Game 1 was a gut punch for the Thunder, who led from the start and got 38 points from Gilgeous-Alexander.

Oklahoma City managed just 11 points off the Pacers’ giveaways, including just nine off Indiana’s 20 first-half turnovers.

The Pacers trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter before chipping away at the deficit. Nembhard and Myles Turner each scored eight points in the period.

Indiana cut the deficit to one with 48.6 seconds remaining on Pascal Siakam’s putback following a missed 3-point attempt by Nembhard.

Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points and added 10 rebounds. Obi Toppin had 17 points off the bench, Turner scored 15 and Nembhard had 14. Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

For Oklahoma City, Jalen Williams contributed 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting while Chet Holmgren was just 2 of 9 for six points.

The Thunder led 94-79 with 9:42 remaining, but Indiana wasn’t about to go away.

The Pacers ripped off a 15-4 run to stay within striking distance, and then they surged ahead late.

Oklahoma City hit just one field goal in the final four minutes, giving the Pacers the opening to come back.

“We played like we were trying to keep the lead instead of trying to extend it or be aggressive,” Williams said.

Oklahoma City Thunder closed out the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 and advanced to their first NBA Finals since 2012.

Even before the basket went in, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spread his arms wide in celebration.

Cason Wallace left his right arm high in the air, waiting for the ball to drop through the basket.

Soon enough, inevitably, it did.

Wallace’s corner 3-pointer at the buzzer was the exclamation point on a dominant first quarter for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who rode the hot start to a 124-94 home win that ended the Western Conference finals in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Thunder closed out the best-of-seven series.

“I didn’t want to go back to Minnesota travel-wise and I wanted the fans to enjoy the moment with us,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

The Thunder are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 and the fifth time in franchise history. The first three appearances came when the club was based in Seattle.

Oklahoma City will host Game 1 of the finals against either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks on June 5.

“Happy for this moment, but this isn’t our goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “This isn’t the end of our road.”

Wednesday’s outcome was evident early, as the Thunder buried the Timberwolves under the weight of a stifling defence and playmaking by Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

Oklahoma City put the game away quickly, leading by 17 after the first quarter and 33 at halftime.

The Timberwolves saw their season end in the Western Conference finals for the second consecutive year.

“I’m going to work my butt off this summer,” Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards said. “Nobody’s going to work harder than me this summer, I’ll tell you that much.”

Gilgeous-Alexander dished out five of his assists in the opening quarter as he again showed why he was selected as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).

After the Timberwolves scored the game’s first hoop, Gilgeous-Alexander had a hand in all five Oklahoma City baskets during an 11-0 run that started the Thunder’s march towards the blowout.

In that stretch, Gilgeous-Alexander had four assists – three on Holmgren buckets – and drained a finger roll to start the separation.

On Monday, the Timberwolves started Game 4 red hot from the field but ultimately fell 128-126.

On Wednesday, Minnesota struggled on offence from the start, going just 1-for-11 from the field over the first five minutes.

Gilgeous-Alexander outscored Minnesota in the first quarter 12-9 and scored or assisted on 24 of the Thunder’s 26 first-quarter points.

Minnesota had more turnovers in the first half (14) than it did field goals (12). The Timberwolves finished with 21 turnovers.

Holmgren amassed 22 points and seven rebounds while Williams had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

“These guys really make me feel like I’m a kid playing AAU basketball, like I’m 15 years old again,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s just fun. That’s what makes us really good. We have so much fun being out there together.”

Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 24 points while Edwards scored 19 on 7-of-18 shooting.

“They dominated the game from the tip,” Edwards said. “Can’t do nothing but tip my hat to those guys. They came ready.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career playoff-high 40 points to put Oklahoma City Thunder 3-1 up against Minnesota Timberwolves in the series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished 10 assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder escaped with a 128-126 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals in Minneapolis.

Jalen Williams added 34 points on 13-for-24 shooting for Oklahoma City, which seized a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Chet Holmgren finished with 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting.

Gilgeous-Alexander sank 5 of 6 free throw attempts in the final 15 seconds to seal the victory on Monday night.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points off the bench to lead Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels contributed 22 points, and Donte DiVincenzo finished with 21 points off the bench.

The series will shift back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Wednesday night where the Thunder will have the opportunity to close out the series and progress to the NBA Finals.

Both teams battled in the final minutes as the Thunder staved off the Timberwolves’ comeback attempt.

Gilgeous-Alexander displayed his athleticism as he found Williams for a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 116-109 with 3:34 remaining. The 1.98 metre (6ft 6in) guard was falling down on the play, and he slipped a pass between McDaniels’ legs to the open Williams.

The lead went back to seven when Williams hit another 3-pointer to put the Thunder on top 123-116 with 1:21 to go.

The Timberwolves clawed back thanks to McDaniels, who made a driving layup with 1:10 left and followed up with a 3-pointer with 23.1 seconds remaining. The latter hoop sliced the Thunder’s lead to 123-121.

Both teams exchanged free throws in the final seconds.

The Thunder led 128-125 when Anthony Edwards stepped to the free throw line with 3.5 seconds left. Edwards made the first attempt and missed the second attempt on purpose, but Gilgeous-Alexander chased down the rebound and fired a long pass out of bounds to stop the clock with 0.3 seconds to go.

Williams intercepted Julius Randle’s inbounds pass as time expired.

Oklahoma City led 90-85 at the end of the third quarter.

The Timberwolves went on an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to 77-76 with five minutes remaining in the third. DiVincenzo buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to punctuate the run.

The Thunder responded on the next possession when Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down a jump shot to give his team a 79-76 lead with 4:41 left in the quarter.

Minnesota trailed 65-57 at the half. Edwards had only four points before the break, and he finished the game with 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting. He made only 1-of-7 attempts from 3-point range.

A late scoring binge by Karl-Anthony Towns allowed New York Knicks to beat the Indiana Pacers for the first time this playoff series.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and collected a game-high 15 rebounds to help the New York Knicks notch a crucial 106-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals at Indianapolis.

The big fourth quarter marked just the second time a New York player scored 20 points in a quarter in a playoff game, and in the process, it kept the Knicks in the series. Jalen Brunson set the franchise record with 21 in a quarter against the Pacers in Game 1 of last season’s conference semifinals.

“When I got a chance to do what I do in the fourth, I was going to make sure I seized the opportunity,” Towns said on Sunday. “I just wanted to go there to give our team a chance to win. I’m just happy I was able to do that.”

Towns flirted with overheating when he scored 15 points in the first 3:58 of the quarter to give New York an 87-85 lead. But his offensive explosion was the fuel the Knicks needed.

“KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns] is a very gifted scorer,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said of Towns, who played him for fewer than 28 minutes in Game 2’s 114-109 loss. “He can score three levels – he’s comfortable at the 3-point line, he’s comfortable putting it on the floor, and he’s comfortable playing back to the basket. As long as he stays aggressive, it’s a huge plus for us.”

New York will attempt to even the best-of-seven series at 2-2 on Tuesday night at Indianapolis.

“Unpredictable,” Brunson said of the series. “Obviously, no lead is safe. Both teams are going to fight until the buzzer.”

Brunson scored 23 points despite 6-of-18 shooting but made all 10 free throw attempts for New York, which recovered from a 20-point, second-quarter deficit. OG Anunoby had 16 points and Mikal Bridges added 15 for the third-seeded Knicks.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 20 points and Myles Turner had 19 for fourth-seeded Indiana, which opened the series with two road victories. Pascal Siakam had 17 points and TJ McConnell tallied 12 for the Pacers, who had just 42 second-half points.

“We didn’t do a good enough job of continuing to play fast,” Haliburton said. “I felt I did a poor job of keeping pace in the game, especially in the fourth … A 42-point half isn’t us.”

Knicks’ rally late

New York’s comeback was reminiscent of the Eastern Conference semifinals when the Knicks rallied from 20-point deficits in each of the first two games in Boston to earn victories en route to eventually winning the series in six games.

Indiana led most of the game but needed two free throws apiece from Turner and Siakam to tie the game at 98 with 1:37 left. Brunson hit a runner 20 seconds later to put New York back ahead.

Josh Hart made two free throws with 19.6 seconds left for the Knicks before Haliburton answered with two foul shots with 9.7 seconds left to pull Indiana within 102-100.

Brunson hit two free throws to make it a four-point margin with 8.1 seconds left, and Hart wrapped it up with two of his own with 2.6 seconds remaining.

New York trailed by 15 late in the third quarter and by 80-70 entering the fourth quarter, but Towns came racing out of the gates in the fourth quarter.

A three-point play by Towns gave the Knicks the 87-85 advantage at 8:02 of the quarter, the team’s first lead since the first quarter.

Towns raised his final-quarter tally to 20 points when he drained a 30-foot, step-back 3-pointer while double-covered to give the Knicks a 94-90 lead with 5:10 remaining.

The Knicks made 43.6 percent of their shots in the game and were 11 of 32 from behind the arc.

Indiana shot 44.2 percent from the field, including the shaky 5-of-25 from 3-point range. The Pacers were stellar in transition with a 16-2 edge in fast-break points.

But Indiana were outscored 36-20 in the final quarter when they could not slow Towns.

“He made some big plays for them,” Siakam said of Towns. “We couldn’t get stops when we needed them. And offensively, we didn’t have our usual pop. We didn’t have the ball movement that we usually do.”

The Pacers held a 58-45 halftime lead. Indiana ran off 13 consecutive points in the second quarter to land their biggest lead. Haliburton capped the spurt with a 3-pointer and a steal for an easy dunk to make it 55-35 with 3:20 to go in the half.

Anthony Edwards scored 30 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves overwhelmed the Oklahoma City Thunder 143-101 to tighten their NBA playoff series.

Edwards added nine rebounds and six assists while shooting 12-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range as the hosts Timberwolves pulled a game back to be 2-1 behind in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.

“I was super happy about the physicality and energy we brought,” Edwards said on Saturday. “Being down 2-0, it’s all about bringing energy, and we brought high energy.”

Julius Randle added 24 points for Minnesota, which set a club record for points in a playoff game in ripping the NBA regular-season win leaders and NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who managed only 14 points.

“We got punched in the mouth,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “You get punched, it’s about getting back up. It’s about responding. That’s what the next challenge is.”

The Thunder, who won the first two games at home, face Game 4 on Monday at Minneapolis and Game 5 on Wednesday at Oklahoma City.

“I know everyone is happy about this one, but we know OKC is going to come out and bring hella-energy and they are going to be ready to go and going to try to win game four and we’ve got to try and exceed their energy and get a win,” Edwards said.

“We’ll be ready.”

Minnesota’s victory was crucial because no team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series.

“We just didn’t bring it from an energy and focus standpoint,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “We just didn’t have it. They had the sense of urgency, knowing if they go down 3-0, it’s going to be pretty tough.

“They blitzed us pretty early, and we were never able to get back. We’ve got to start coming out with a sense of urgency.”

The Timberwolves set a club record for points in a playoff game and led by as much as 129-84 late in the fourth quarter.

“We do have to look at it and address the things that went awry for us,” said Timberwolves coach Mark Daigneault. “They really took it to us.

“They were just much more physical, much sharper, executed better, more forceful on offence. For the score to be what it was, they needed to outplay us in a lot of areas, and that’s what they did.”

Randle was benched late in game two and unhappy about it, but responded by taking out his frustrations on the Timberwolves.

“He knows not to take nothing too personal,” Edwards said of Randle. “I could see it in his eyes. He wanted his respect back, and he got it.”

Wolves dominate early

Minnesota seized a 72-41 half-time lead, with Edwards shooting 8-of-11 from the floor and producing 20 points and eight rebounds in the first half.

“We just weren’t able to bottle him up the way we had the first couple of games,” Daigneault said. “Credit him for the energy and force that he played with. He was really on it early.”

The Timberwolves led by as much as 68-33 in the first half and set a club record for playoff points in a half with 72. They scored 13 points off 10 forced turnovers in the first half, while the Thunder shot 12-of-40.

“The biggest thing is they came out and played with more force than we did,” Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren said. “Wherever they wanted to go, they got there. They didn’t let us stop them.”

Edwards scored 16 points in the first quarter, outproducing the Thunder as the Timberwolves seized their biggest lead of the series to that point at 34-14.

“Our intensity, from the first minute of the game, we set a tone,” Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert said.

“Everyone came out with the mindset to be physical. We did a good job staying with it consistently through the whole game.”

In the second half, Oklahoma City began with an 11-2 run, but the Timberwolves answered with a 10-0 spurt and went on to grab a 103-61 lead as the Thunder sent their starters to the bench late in the third quarter.

Pascal Siakam scores playoff career-high 39 points as the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks for a 2-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

The Indiana Pacers are halfway to a chance to play for an elusive NBA title as they head home in their Eastern Conference finals, but they might prefer to stay right where they are.

Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 39 points on Friday night, as the Pacers beat the New York Knicks 114-109.

The result means the Pacers lead 2-0 in the playoffs after the first two games of the series at the Knicks’ Madison Square Garden home arena.

Game 3 is on Sunday night in Indiana, which will be rocking all day long with the Indianapolis 500 being run that afternoon. The Pacers can only hope to be as good there as they have been on the road, where they have won six straight games since falling at Milwaukee in Game 3 of the first round.

“We have a long way to go, and it’s only going to get tougher for us,” Siakam said.

Myles Turner added 16 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Pacers, who lost to the Lakers in 2000 in their only NBA Finals appearance.

Siakam finished 15 for 23 from the field on a night nobody else on the high-scoring Pacers had more than five baskets.

“Special game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “In the first half, he was the guy that got us going and got us through some difficult stretches.”

Jalen Brunson had 36 points and 11 assists for the Knicks, who need a quick turnaround or their first appearance in the conference finals in 25 years will be a brief one. They defended much better after their crushing collapse in a 138-135 overtime loss in Game 1, but could not find enough scoring to come back after a bad start to the fourth quarter.

Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Knicks, but Towns played just 28 minutes as coach Tom Thibodeau went longer with backup Mitchell Robinson, a much better defender who grabbed nine rebounds.

No team has lost the first two games at home and come back to win a series in the conference finals.

“Going into the fourth quarter, it’s a tie ballgame. We’ve just got to make better plays, more winning plays,” Thibodeau said.

It was tied at 81 after three, before the Pacers opened the fourth with a 13-4 run to move ahead 94-85 on Siakam’s 3-pointer with 9:17 remaining. They would quickly push the margin back to around there every time the Knicks got any momentum, and it was 110-100 after another basket by Siakam with 2:45 to play.

The Knicks scored nine straight to make it 110-109 on Josh Hart’s basket with 14 seconds to go. Aaron Nesmith made two free throws for the Pacers, Brunson was well off on a 3-point attempt, and Turner finished it out with two free throws.

The 50th playoff meeting between the rivals — the Pacers lead 28-22, all since 1993 — more closely resembled their defensive battles of the 1990s than the shootout of two nights earlier.

Indiana raced to a 19-9 lead, but the Knicks quickly caught them when Robinson and Deuce McBride entered, and the game remained within a single-digit margin for nearly the entire rest of the night.

NBA’s MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads Oklahoma City Thunder to Game 2 win over Minnesota Timberwolves in West finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points and Jalen Williams added 26 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 118-103 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

The Thunder lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 going into Game 3 on Saturday in Minneapolis.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who was selected the NBA Most Valuable Player on Wednesday and presented with the trophy before Thursday’s game, has scored 30 or more points in five consecutive games.

The 38 points tied a career playoff-high, and he added eight assists and three steals with just one turnover.

Chet Holmgren contributed 22 points in the win.

Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards finished with 32 points, shooting 12 of 26 from the floor but just one of nine on three-point attempts. He also contributed nine rebounds and six assists.

Julius Randle, who helped Minnesota build a first-half lead in Game 1 with a string of three-pointers, wound up with just six points in Game 2. He made just two of 11 shots from the floor – missing all three of his three-point tries – and did not play in the fourth quarter.

The Timberwolves got 17 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, plus 10 points and eight rebounds from Naz Reid.

Oklahoma City led by as many as 24 points late in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves clawed within 10 with just more than three minutes remaining.

However, that was as close as Minnesota would get late, as the Thunder repeatedly answered in the closing minutes.

Oklahoma City grabbed control in the third, turning up the pressure on defence once again.

Minnesota didn’t make a field goal for six minutes late in the quarter, missing seven consecutive shots and committing five turnovers as the Thunder stretched their lead to 24 late in the period.

After struggling from the field early in Game 1, Gilgeous-Alexander was much more efficient from the jump in Game 2, not missing a shot until just more than five minutes remained in the first half.

Edwards said he needed to shoot more in Game 2 after attempting just 13 shots on Tuesday in a 114-88 loss. He was aggressive offensively from the start on Thursday, attempting 10 shots in the first quarter (and making four) while adding three assists.

The Timberwolves were within three with just more than two minutes to go in the half before Oklahoma City closed strong.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored all of the Thunder’s points during a 7-2 run to take an eight-point lead into halftime. His spree included drawing a foul on Jaden McDaniels in the closing seconds and sinking a pair of free throws.

The Thunder led 58-50 at the break despite shooting just four of 20 from beyond the arc in the first half.

Tyrese Haliburton’s incredible game-tying shot at the buzzer triggers Indiana Pacers overtime win against New York Knicks in Game 1 of Eastern Conference finals.

Tyrese Haliburton was sure his jumper as regulation ended was going in, then wasn’t certain it had after it bounced high off the rim and hung in the air for what felt like an eternity.

He thought it was a 3-pointer to win the game, then quickly realised it was a 2 to tie. A lot to process, followed by just one thought with overtime looming.

“Then my focus just became winning it,” Haliburton said.

The Pacers did, finishing off their stunning rally by beating the New York Knicks 138-135 in overtime on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Knicks led by 14 points with under three minutes remaining in regulation, but Aaron Nesmith brought the Pacers back with a flurry of 3-pointers.

Haliburton then hoped he had won it with another. With the Pacers down two and time running down, he started to lose control of his dribble, regained it and dribbled back out toward the 3-point line. He fired up his jumper and when it finally fell in, he raced towards the sideline and made a choke signal to the crowd, like Pacers Hall of Famer Reggie Miller did to Spike Lee while leading an Indiana comeback in a playoff game in 1994.

Replays confirmed that Haliburton’s toe was on the line and it was a 2-pointer that tied it at 125. Andrew Nembhard eventually made the go-ahead basket with 26 seconds remaining in overtime.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is on Friday night.

Haliburton had 31 points and 11 assists. Nesmith finished with 30 points, going 8-for-9 from 3-point range.

Knicks stunned by Pacers’ late surge

It was a thrilling start to the ninth playoff matchup between these fierce rivals from the 1990s – but a deflating finish for the Knicks in their first Eastern Conference finals game since 2000.

Jalen Brunson scored 43 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points and 12 rebounds. But the Knicks couldn’t protect the big lead they built while Brunson was on the bench in foul trouble in the fourth quarter and had a collapse unlike any other in the postseason.

Teams leading by at least 14 points in the final 2:45 of the fourth quarter had been 994-0 since detailed play-by-play records began in 1997-98.

“Give them a lot of credit. They closed the game out like they’ve been doing all playoffs,” Brunson said. “Just not really good on our part.”

The Pacers beat the Knicks in Game 7 of the East semifinals at Madison Square Garden last year, routing a team that had been decimated by injuries.

This was an entirely different way to win, with the Pacers looking all but out of the game after the Knicks’ 14-0 run with Brunson on the bench pushed New York’s two-point lead to 108-92.

Even after Nesmith started to get hot, the Knicks seemed safe when Brunson’s 3-pointer made it 119-105 with 2:51 to go.

But Nesmith would later hit consecutive 3s and both free throws when the Knicks fouled him intentionally so he couldn’t try to tie it with another, giving Indiana the chance to tie on Haliburton’s last-second shot.

WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) — President Donald Trump welcomed the University of Florida’s men’s basketball team to the White House on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate its 2025 NCAA championship season, praising the Gators’ teamwork, grit and determination.

Standing alongside head coach Todd Golden, Trump called Florida’s run “one for the history books” and noted the program’s place in history as the only NCAA Division I school to win three national titles in both basketball (2006, 2007, 2025) and football (1996, 2006, 2008).

The Gators finished a dominant 36-4 season with a 65-63 victory over Houston in what Trump described as “one of the most exciting games and championships” he had seen.

“You refused to let up when the odds were against you,” Trump told the team. “Lesser teams would have crumbled.”

Trump highlighted stellar performances throughout the season, including that by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who scored a career-high 34 points in the Final Four against Auburn and became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to score 30 points or more in both the Elite Eight and Final Four.

“He’s unbelievably special,” Trump said. “He’s going to be a very early draft pick if they’re smart.”

University of Florida Interim President Kent Fuchs, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former Florida senator, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who served at Florida attorney general.

Golden thanked Trump for the invitation and drew a comparison between the team’s culture and the country’s ideals.

“Mr. President, I’d like to think of our program similarly to how you think of the United States. We’re a meritocracy,” Golden said. “We work really, really hard. No matter what you look like, where you come from, if you put the team first and win, we’re going to play you.”

He then presented the president with a signed Gators jersey featuring the number 47, referencing Trump’s status as the 47th president.

Trump accepted the gift and invited the team to the Oval Office for commemorative coins and photos alongside members of his administration and several lawmakers.

“Go Gators,” he said. “We love you.”

Sitting in the Birmingham High bleachers wearing headphones before running the 400 meters at the City Section track and field prelims, 17-year-old senior Nathan Santa Cruz looks like a teenager comfortable and confident. Teammates gravitate to him. Maybe it’s his smile. Or maybe they want to be near someone enjoying each and every day.

A traumatic experience changed his outlook on life in the fall of 2022 when he suffered a brain injury in the opening football game for Venice High and underwent emergency surgery to stop bleeding.

“We don’t know if he’s going to make it,” his mother, Crystal Clark, remembers being told at the hospital.

Nathan Santa Cruz, who survived a brain injury in 2022, goes for a City Section title at 400 meters.

(Craig Weston)

Santa Cruz recovered so well that he played two more years of football, but his real love was using his speed in track. Last season he finished second in the City Section 400. This year, he ran a career-best time of 47.74 seconds at the Arcadia Invitational.

On Thursday, he’ll have a rematch against Justin Hart of Granada Hills in the 400 final. They ran one-two last season.

“I think it’s going to be a real competitive race,” Santa Cruz said. “I’m going to try to come out on top.”

If he doesn’t finish first, he’s already won. He has a track scholarship waiting for him at Cal Poly Pomona, where he plans to study business or criminology. And he has grown up fast because of what happened to him. He’s no normal teenager when you listen to what he believes.

“At the end of the day, it’s God giving you another chance to wake up,” he said. “Make sure I’m better than yesterday. That’s what I do.”

Granada Hills’ Justin Hart, the son of former NBA player Jason Hart, is favored in the City 400 and 200.

(Craig Weston)

His competitor, Hart, has his own story to tell. He’s the son of Kentucky basketball assistant coach Jason Hart, who spent 10 years in the NBA. An older brother, Jason II, also played basketball but Justin was different.

Justin played lots of sports, including basketball, but when he was 7, he told his father, “I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want you to waste your money.”

He wanted to run.

“I didn’t want to be in my dad’s shadow. I wanted to create my own identity in my own sport,” he said.

He won the 400 and was second in the 200 at last year’s City final. He’s going for a sweep on Thursday and is just getting started.

“I think the ceiling is really high,” Granada Hills coach Johnny Wiley said.

He’ll welcome his father and mother in the bleachers cheering loudly.

There really won’t be any losers when Hart and Santa Cruz square off. They come from great families and have learned lessons that will help them succeed for years to come.

Santa Cruz makes it clear he runs to make his mother proud because he’ll never forget a memory from his hospital experience.

“Seeing her cry at the hospital, I knew I had to go make an impact in her life, make it so she didn’t have to pay for her kid to go to college,” he said. “Seeing her smile, that’s why I do it.”

And when days don’t go as well as he might like, Santa Cruz said he has learned, “It’s just the way life goes. I think God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.”

Led by 31 points by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder rally in second half to beat Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overcame a slow start to score 31 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 114-88 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

It was Gilgeous-Alexander’s fourth consecutive game with 30 or more points and his eighth in 12 playoff games this season. He also added a game-high nine assists on Tuesday.

With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander iced the game with a spectacular play. The All-Star guard drove towards the basket and began falling, but not before flipping the ball toward the hoop as he went down.

The ball rolled around the rim briefly before dropping through, and Jaden McDaniels was called for the foul.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished off the three-point play to put the Thunder up by 14. He finished 10-of-27 from the floor and 0-of-4 from 3-point range, but he made 11-of-14 from the free-throw line.

Early on, the Timberwolves’ defence gave Gilgeous-Alexander fits, holding him to just 2-of-13 shooting in the first half.

Oklahoma City trailed by nine with a little more than a minute remaining in the first half before the Thunder closed on a 6-1 run to cut the deficit to four.

In the second half, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault moved Gilgeous-Alexander off the ball, and it helped the 1.98 metre (Six feet, six inch) guard find a rhythm.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points in the third quarter as Oklahoma City outscored Minnesota 32-18.

While Gilgeous-Alexander turned up the pressure on offence, it was the Thunder’s defence that played the biggest role in the victory.

Overall, Oklahoma City scored 31 points on 19 Timberwolves’ turnovers. Minnesota managed only 10 points off the Thunder’s 15 giveaways.

Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams produced 19 points and eight rebounds, while Chet Holmgren added 15 points and seven boards.

The Thunder shot 50 percent from the field and 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from beyond the arc while holding Minnesota to just 34.9 percent from the floor and 15-of-51 (29.4 percent) from 3-point range.

Julius Randle led Minnesota with 28 points, scoring 20 in the first half. After going 5-for-6 in the first half on 3-point tries, Randle didn’t attempt a shot from beyond the arc in the second half.

Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards wound up with 18 points and nine rebounds. He attempted just one shot, a miss, while playing seven minutes in the fourth quarter.

New York’s 38-point victory against Boston Celtics in Game 6 was the largest win in Knicks playoff history.

Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each scored 23 points as the New York Knicks reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000 by steamrolling the visiting Boston Celtics 119-81 in Game 6 of their second-round series.

Mikal Bridges had 22 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 12 rebounds for third-seeded New York, which led by as many as 41 points on Friday. The Knicks wrapped up the best-of-seven series with the largest winning playoff margin in franchise history.

“There’s more to go,” Bridges said. “We’re not done. We came out there tonight and played hard and handled business. But our season is not over. We have much more to go.”

New York surpassed a 36-point playoff victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the decisive Game 5 of the 1970 Eastern Division finals.

Josh Hart contributed 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to record New York’s first postseason triple-double since Walt Frazier accomplished the feat in 1972.

“I want to congratulate the Celtics on a terrific season,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Unfortunate injury to Jayson Tatum. They’re a terrific organisation, ownership, front office, Joe Mazzulla is a terrific coach, great players.

“They’re not going to hand you anything. You have to earn it.”

The Knicks will open the conference finals at home against the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Defending NBA champion Boston was led by Jaylen Brown, who had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists before fouling out late in the third quarter. The Celtics were again short-handed after losing Tatum to a ruptured right Achilles during Game 4 on Monday.

“Upset or not, we beat a great team,” Brunson said. “They obviously lost a huge piece (in Tatum). The way they came out in Game 5, they’re still a good team. Regardless of what anyone thinks – upset or not – we’re just happy to come out of the series with a win and now we’ll prepare for another team.”

New York shot 46.2 percent from the field, including 16 of 45 (35.6 percent) from 3-point range. The Knicks held a 55-36 rebounding advantage.

Payton Pritchard scored 11 points and Al Horford added 10 for Boston, which shot 36 percent and was 12 of 40 (30 percent) from 3-point range.

The score was tied at 16 before the Knicks began pulling away.

New York led 26-20 at the end of the first quarter and then opened the second with a 16-4 surge to open up an 18-point lead midway through the period.

After Boston’s Luke Kornet interrupted the burst with a three-point play, the Knicks rattled off 16 of the next 21 points to take a 58-32 lead on a putback dunk by Miles “Deuce” McBride with 1:31 left.

McBride buried a 3-pointer as time expired in the half for a 64-37 lead at the break. That marked New York’s largest halftime advantage at the break since leading the Los Angeles Lakers 69-42 in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals, won by the Knicks.

“You win a championship and you have that target on your back from Day 1,” Celtics guard Derrick White said of falling well short of winning back-to-back NBA titles. “There’s ups and downs through every season. This part sucks and we didn’t complete the goal that we set out to get.”

The contest was effectively over when Brown fouled out with 2:50 left in the third quarter and Boston down by 33. Anunoby poured it on with consecutive 3-pointers to end a 10-0 push as the margin went above 40 at 92-51 with 1:51 remaining in the third.

“They played better than we did,” Mazzulla said. “I’m happy for Thibs [Thibodeau]. He’s been coaching for a long time. That’s the biggest thing. You pay your dues, you put forth everything. That guy is a lifer. He’s what a coach is all about and he deserves it. And they deserve it as a team. You got to take your hat off to them.”

Julius Randle scored 29 points on 13-for-18 shooting, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 121-110 win over the Golden State Warriors to clinch their Western Conference second-round playoff series in Minneapolis.

Anthony Edwards finished with 22 points and 12 assists for Minnesota, which won the best-of-seven series in five games. The Timberwolves advanced to the conference finals, where they will await the winner of the series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets.

“It’s great,” Randle said on Wednesday night. “We’ve had a season full of adversity. Coach (Chris Finch) said at the end of the regular season that we didn’t do anything as far as trades or firing coaches. We just stuck together, and we got through it together.

“I’m super proud of our team, everybody that stepped up in some type of way this year. We got win No. 8 (in the playoffs). We’ve got to keep going.”

Brandin Podziemski scored 28 points on 11-for-19 shooting to lead Golden State. Jonathan Kuminga added 26 points off the bench, and Jimmy Butler III chipped in 17 points and six assists.

“It was a fight,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I’m really proud of our guys. They hung in there and they battled the whole way through.

“(It was) quite a turnaround in our season from where we were a few months ago to giving ourselves a chance and having a swing at the plate for some real chances to go deep. We were right there. Obviously, it didn’t go our way. The Wolves were great, they deserved it. But I’m very proud of our team.”

The Warriors dropped their fourth straight game without Stephen Curry, who watched in street clothes from the bench. Curry injured his left hamstring in the series opener after leading Golden State to a first-round playoff series win over the Houston Rockets.

Kerr said of the challenge of playing without Curry, “Injuries are part of the playoffs. I learned a long time ago that the playoffs are really about health and then just guys stepping up and making some big shots, big plays in key games. That’s what decides every series.

“We’ve been on both ends of that. It’s just part of it. There’s no sense in dwelling on it, and I don’t want to take anything away from what Minnesota just accomplished.”

The Timberwolves led by as many as 25 points late in the third quarter. Randle dribbled the ball from one end of the court to the other and finished with a running layup to give the Timberwolves a 93-68 edge with 1:01 remaining in the third.

The Warriors made a determined push in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to nine. Moses Moody drained a 3-pointer to bring Golden State within 99-90 with 7:11 to play.

Edwards helped Minnesota regain a double-digit advantage moments later. He knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Timberwolves on top 102-90, and Jaden McDaniels increased the lead to 14 points with a steal and a layup with 6:36 remaining.

“The team has come together at the right time and is playing its best basketball,” Finch said.

The Timberwolves led 62-47 at the half.

Golden State trailed 45-42 after Podziemski made a jump shot with 4:11 left in the half.

Minnesota closed the second quarter on a 17-5 run to grab a 15-point lead. Randle finished the first-half scoring with a three-point play after making a layup and drawing a foul.

The Timberwolves shot 62.8 percent (49 of 78) overall and 41.9 percent (13 of 31) from beyond the arc. The Warriors shot 43.3 percent (39 of 90) from the field and 28.2 percent (11 of 39) from 3-point range.

Celtics rebound to win Game 5 without Tatum

In an earlier playoff fixture on Wednesday, Derrick White scored a game-high 34 points and the Boston Celtics extended their season by beating the visiting New York Knicks 127-102 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference second-round series.

The Knicks lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 heading into Friday’s Game 6 in New York.

White shot 7-for-13 from 3-point territory and made nine of his 11 free-throw attempts. Boston sank 22 of its 49 shots from behind the 3-point arc (44.9 percent) and outscored New York 68-43 in the second half.

The Celtics received 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds from Jaylen Brown. Luke Kornet added 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots and Payton Pritchard came off the bench to make five 3-pointers and score 17 points.

“We made winning plays on both ends of the floor,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “They made enough plays to win. Gave us another chance to play.”

It was Boston’s second playoff game without All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, who had surgery on Tuesday to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon.

Josh Hart scored a team-high 24 points for New York, which shot 29-of-81 from the field (35.8 percent). Jalen Brunson collected 22 points and six assists, but he fouled out with 7:19 to play. Brunson was called for his fifth foul with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter.

“That we didn’t play for 48 minutes,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau when asked what stood out on Wednesday. “We didn’t play tough with the lead. Can’t afford to do that.”

New York Knicks take a 3-1 series lead after winning Game 4 against the reigning NBA champions Boston Celtics, who lost Jayson Tatum to injury.

Jalen Brunson scored 26 of his 39 points in the second half, and the New York Knicks became the first home team to win in the series by defeating the Boston Celtics 121-113 to take a 3-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference second-round matchup.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Mikal Bridges also scored 23 for the Knicks, who recovered from a 14-point third-quarter deficit on Monday night. OG Anunoby made some key plays late while contributing 20 points.

“They hit us early, and obviously we got into a hole,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I love the way we fought back, and we showed a lot of toughness and more discipline in the second half and timely plays. Everybody worked together on both ends of the floor.”

Boston star Jayson Tatum sustained a possible serious right ankle injury late in the contest. Tatum had 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. He knocked down seven 3-pointers for the second-seeded Celtics, who squandered 20-point leads while dropping the first two games in the series.

Tatum was helped off the floor with his right foot kept in the air and was later seen being pushed to the locker room while sitting in a rolling chair.

“I got back there, talked to the medical staff, and they told me it’s a lower-body injury for Jayson Tatum and we’ll get an MRI in the morning,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

Derrick White made six 3-pointers and scored 23 points, and Jaylen Brown added 20 points and seven rebounds for Boston. Payton Pritchard added 12 points off the bench.

The Knicks can clinch the best-of-seven series with a win in Game 5 at Boston on Wednesday night.

“It’s not like we planned to be in this situation,” White said. “But we are where we are. We have to find a way to win Game 5.”

Third-quarter explosion lifts Wolves over Warriors

In the other playoff game on Monday, Anthony Edwards poured 11 of his 30 points into a 17-0 third-quarter flurry as the Minnesota Timberwolves moved within one win of a second consecutive berth in the Western Conference finals with a 117-110 road win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 in San Francisco.

Julius Randle led the way with 31 points and Jaden McDaniels contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Timberwolves, who have rallied from a series-opening loss to win three straight from the Stephen Curry-less Warriors.

Minnesota could clinch the best-of-seven series in Game 5 on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

Jonathan Kuminga had a team-high 23 points for seventh-seeded Golden State, which lost Curry to a hamstring injury during its Game 1 win.

The Warriors previously announced that their standout point guard would be re-evaluated before Game 5, with the possibility of Curry returning at that point.

Golden State held a 60-58 halftime lead, and the game was tied 68-all in the fourth minute of the third period before Edwards turned a floater into a three-point play to ignite the decisive run.

Edwards also buried a pair of 3-pointers and a short jumper among his 11 points, while Mike Conley and Donte DiVincenzo drilled shots from deep as part of a burst that lasted more than four minutes.

Edwards finished 6-for-11 on 3-point attempts and Randle 4-for-8, helping the Timberwolves outscore the Warriors 48-24 from beyond the arc. Minnesota shot 16-for-34 (47.1 percent) from beyond the arc, while the Warriors were 8-for-27 (29.6 percent).

“The big third quarter was huge,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “I thought we came out at halftime with the type of focus and intensity and purpose on offence and attention to detail on defence is what we needed from the start. But for the most part, I thought we were lucky to be just down a bucket at halftime.

“[Edwards] was one of the guys that was most vocal at half time and realised what was going on out there and we needed to be better. It started with him, really, and setting the tone.”

Jimmy Butler III took just nine shots and totalled 14 points with a team-high-tying three assists for the Warriors. Draymond Green also had 14 points to go with seven rebounds, while Buddy Hield scored 13 and Brandin Podziemski had 11 to complement four steals.

“[The Timberwolves] played a great game and obviously took it to us, and we’ve got to bounce back,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We’ve got a flight to Minneapolis tomorrow and a chance to extend the series, and that’s the plan.”