BOSTON (AP) John Havlicek's legacy was built over 16 years with the Boston Celtics, eight of them as NBA champions, making him among the best to ever play the game.
One play immortalized him forever.
"Havlicek stole the ball! "Havlicek stole the ball!" Celtics radio announcer Johnny Most screamed, a moment that remains among the famous plays in NBA history.
The Sacramento Kings and the NBA began a joint investigation Thursday into allegations that coach Luke Walton sexually assaulted a woman.
The Kings and the league said they will be looking into the accusations from a lawsuit filed this week in Los Angeles by former sportscaster Kelli Tennant.
The Los Angeles Clippers are hoping to infuse some payback when they return home to take on the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series on Friday night.
The Clippers staved off elimination by winning Game 5 in Oakland on Wednesday night. They were in a similar position last week after winning Game 2 on the road to tie the series at 1-1, but dropped the next two in Los Angeles.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Few teams could match the Utah Jazz in their ability to dominate on defense this season. An inability to generate consistent offense, however, ultimately doomed Utah in the postseason.
After getting knocked out of the first-round of the postseason by the Houston Rockets, change is in the air for the Jazz as the team heads into the offseason. Utah plans to target shooters and playmakers in free agency who can take some of the defensive focus away from leading scorer Donovan Mitchell.
NEW YORK (AP) Though LeBron James didn't make the playoffs in his first season in Los Angeles, his move to the Lakers paid off in jersey sales.
The NBA announced Thursday that James had the most popular individual jersey during the regular season and that the Lakers sold the most team merchandise. They knocked off Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, who had been the most popular player and team for three consecutive seasons.
DETROIT (AP) Blake Griffin had surgery arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, an injury that forced him to miss the first two games of the playoffs.
The Pistons say the procedure Wednesday in Los Angeles was to address the issue that caused soreness in the knee across the last two weeks of the regular season and the postseason.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) After a drama-filled and disappointing season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook remains as defiant as ever.
The All-Star point guard averaged a triple-double for the third straight season and nearly averaged one in the playoffs. But Portland bounced the Thunder in five games, and Westbrook's poor shooting played a significant role in another first-round exit. He shot 36 percent from the floor during the series and made just 11 of 31 field goals in the deciding Game 5 loss.
The biggest play Kyle Lowry made in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs might have been overlooked.
Game 3 in Orlando, time winding down, Toronto clinging to a three-point lead. Kawhi Leonard's jumper was well short, barely grazing the front of the rim. The rebound hits the floor and ricochets between Orlando's Terrence Ross and D.J. Augustin. They lunged for the ball, and they never had a chance.
© 2019 by STATS.