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Minnesota Timberwolves are cooked: Why San Antonio Spurs close out the series and cover in Game 6

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:53:19 -0400

The San Antonio Spurs (3-2) look to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves (2-3) at the Target Center Friday for Game 6.

San Antonio crushed Minnesota in a pivotal Game 5, 126-97, to take control of the series. Victor Wembanyama got revenge for getting tossed in the first half of Game 4 for elbowing T-Wolves big Naz Reid Tuesday. Wembanyama had game-highs in points (27) and rebounds (17) in Game 5.

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Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards has been fantastic while playing through injury in this series. Ant-Man is averaging a team-high 23.6 points in this series on 50.6% shooting and 40.0% from behind the arc. His teammates, on the other hand, not so much.

I’ll get into that below as part of my betting analysis for Spurs-Timberwolves Game 6.

San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves Game 6 betting odds (FanDuel)

Moneyline: San Antonio (-225) | Minnesota (+180)
Spread: SPURS -5.5 (-112) | Timberwolves +5.5 (-108)
Total — 218.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)

There are two reasons why I’m betting San Antonio to wrap this series up Friday and cover the spread. First, Edwards doesn’t have enough help. Second, the only games the Spurs have lost in this series are when either Wemby has played terribly or gotten thrown out of the game.

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This is a horrible matchup for Minnesota’s second-leading scorer during the regular season, PF Julius Randle. When Wembanyama is on the floor, it’s nearly impossible for Randle to attack the basket. Julius is averaging just 14.8 points in this series on 45.4% true shooting (.366/.211/.750).

He can’t create off the dribble either when San Antonio wing Stephon Castle guards him. Castle is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and it’s much easier to play defense when you have Wemby protecting the rim.

Meanwhile, Timberwolves C Rudy Gobert is pretty much useless in this series offensively. He is a bad outside shooter and can’t pull Wembanyama out of the paint. Not that it wouldn’t matter anyway. Wembanyama is clearly in Gobert’s head because he is even smoking layups in this series.

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This brings me back to my second pro-Spurs factor: the best basketball player in the world, Wembanyama. San Antonio lost the series opener 104-102 because Wemby was awful. He scored just 11 points and went 0-for-8 from 3-point range.

Then the Spurs lost Game 4 mostly because Wembanyama got that flagrant two. Otherwise, he has a +25 net rating in this series and Minnesota looks helpless when Wemby is on the floor.

Ultimately, San Antonio and Wembanyama are too big and athletic for the T-Wolves.

Prediction: Spurs 111, Timberwolves 99

_____________________________

Follow me on X @Geoffery-Clark, and check out my OutKick Bets Podcast for more betting content and random rants.

Mavericks star Cooper Flagg and Duke center Arianna Roberson go public with relationship in Turks and Caicos

Fri, 15 May 2026 14:44:04 -0400

Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg's season ended last month, but that hasn’t stopped him from making big plays.

Flagg confirmed his relationship with Duke women’s basketball center Arianna Roberson on Thursday with a post to his Instagram Story. Flagg posted a picture of them kissing while in the Turks and Caicos, and Roberson reposted it to her Instagram Story with two black heart emojis.

Roberson also posted a TikTok of the pair together throughout their vacation, captioning it, "carry on."

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Rumors first began about their relationship when they posted pictures of just themselves to their own accounts at the same resort at the same time, leading fans to believe they were vacationing together. They were also seen together at Cameron Indoor Stadium in February, attending Duke’s 101-64 blowout win over Syracuse.

The couple overlapped for a year at Duke in 2024-25, when they were both freshmen. Flagg declared for the NBA Draft after leading Duke to the Final Four and was eventually selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

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While the Mavericks struggled and missed the playoffs in Flagg’s rookie year, he had a lot of personal success. He edged out former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, a forward for the Charlotte Hornets, to win NBA Rookie of the Year.

In 70 games, Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

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Roberson, in 33 games, averaged 8 points per game on 41.6% shooting with Duke. Her older brother, Andre Roberson, played seven seasons in the NBA, spending the majority of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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NBA tries justifying egregious, game-changing no-call in Pistons-Cavs in final seconds

Thu, 14 May 2026 21:28:09 -0400

The NBA says the officials were correct not to call a foul on the Cavaliers in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter against the Pistons, in a game Cleveland won in overtime.

"[Jarrett] Allen and [Ausar] Thompson legally step to the same spot while pursuing the loose ball [before either player has possession], and both lose their balance from the marginal contact," the league said via its Last Two Minutes Report on Thursday.

Except that is not what happened.

As the video below shows, Allen tripped Thompson and committed a foul. Had the foul been called, Thompson would have gone to the free-throw line with the score tied 103-103 with less than a second to play.

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That's a trip right there," said game analyst Tim Legler on the replay. "There's a couple of tenths left when that happens."

Though Thompson is just a 60% free-throw shooter, the odds would have heavily favored a Detroit win had the officials properly called the foul.

Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff agreed.

"[Allen] fouled Ausar -- clearly," Bickerstaff said after the game. "He tripped him when he was going for a loose ball."

Bickerstaff came into the game already displeased with the officiating in the series, noting the free-throw disparity in Game 4.

"It’s unacceptable, it is," Bickerstaff said, via the Detroit News’ Coty Davis. "We didn’t do enough honestly to help ourselves, and I’ll start there. But ever since we came to Cleveland, the whistle has changed. There’s no way that one guy on their team shoots more free throws than our team."

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For context, the Pistons shot just 12 free-throw attempts in Monday night's loss to the Cavaliers. Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell shot 15 free throws himself.

Still, crew chief Tony Brothers stands by his poor officiating.

"During live play, both players were going for the ball, and there was incidental contact with the legs with no player having possession of the ball," he said about the no call on Wednesday.

"There was incidental contact on the play. The play will be reviewed by the league office tomorrow, and it will be posted in the L2M," he added.

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The Cavs host the Pistons on Friday for Game 6. Detroit would like some makeup calls.

FS1's Nick Wright weighs in on GOAT debate: 'Kobe was never the best player in the world'

Thu, 14 May 2026 15:24:43 -0400

As Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James' NBA future hangs in the balance, the "greatest of all time" debate has continued to rage on across all parts of the internet and beyond.

Some are questioning whether LeBron really is the GOAT, while others (such as myself and a few Basketball Hall of Famers) seem to think the crown has already been transferred to San Antonio Spurs freakshow Victor Wembanyama.

One man who is often at the center of these debates is none other than FS1's Nick Wright.

Wright has been a champion of LeBron's accomplishments for quite some time, declaring James the GOAT over Michael Jordan nearly a decade earlier, after the former's improbable Finals win over the Golden State Warriors.

While the argument has usually been a two-horse race between LeBron and MJ, some fans have opined that former Lakers legend Kobe Bryant deserves a seat at the table, a premise that Wright roundly rejected in a clip from his show, "What's Wright? with Nick Wright."

"From '99-2002, Shaquille O'Neal was the best player in the world. From 2003-2007, Tim Duncan... he was the best player," Wright claims.

He goes on to say that LeBron James became the best player the minute he dropped 48 points in his double overtime win against Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007, and stayed there until 2018, when Giannis Antetokounmpo rounded into form.

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The shocker was who he left off that list of players.

"Kobe's the eighth greatest player and he was never the best player in the world."

Listen, I like Nick Wright and I think he has had a ton of good takes in the past, but I have to push back a little on this narrative I see LeBron fans go with when discussing his GOAT status.

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No, Kobe isn't the GOAT, and I don't think anyone outside of the most hardcore Lakers fans would even make that claim.

He is, essentially, a watered-down version of Michael Jordan.

I don't want that to sound like a pejorative, and he's still one of the best players of all time, but everything he was great at, MJ did before him and better.

With all that being said, this idea that Kobe Bryant was NEVER the best basketball player in the league is dumb.

Even before Shaq was sent packing from Tinseltown, there was an argument that Kobe was starting to become the dominant alpha on the team.

That became even more evident when the Lakers' front office chose Kobe over Shaq in the duo's now infamous split.

Saying that Tim Duncan was the best player in the world from 2003-2007 is insanely clouded by hindsight bias.

Duncan is a legend and probably the best forward of his era (though an argument could easily be made for Kevin Garnett), but Kobe was the guy in the NBA for nearly a decade.

No one was saying Tim Duncan was the best player in the NBA during that time frame, and although he had plenty of accomplishments to his name, including the three championships and two MVPs that Wright mentioned, he didn't even come close to Kobe's impact, star power or individual talents.

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A lot of what Duncan accomplished can be tied to team success.

While the Spurs had a great supporting cast around Duncan, Kobe was left with scraps after Shaq was dealt to Miami.

And if LeBron became the GOAT in 2007 after his 48-point performance against the Pistons (a year in which the Spurs won the title again), why wasn't Kobe considered the best player in the league after winning back-to-back scoring titles in 2005 and 2006 and winning MVP in 2008?

Kobe had 81 points in a game against Toronto, surely that qualifies him for "best in the world" consideration, right?

Is it the personal accolades of LeBron in his early years in Cleveland or the team championship success of Duncan in the mid-2000s?

Because Kobe Bryant had both during the decade.

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I'm not picking on Wright either, because as I alluded to before, he's not the first person that has made this argument.

This weird erasure of Kobe Bryant's time as the best basketball player on the planet is kind of odd.

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Even if you go back and watch broadcasts of Kobe during the playoffs in the mid-to-late 2000s, you'll hear announcers talk about how Kobe is "the best in the game right now."

Players from that era almost unanimously agree, too.

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Is Kobe a threat to LeBron or Jordan as the greatest basketball player who ever lived? No, I don't think so.

But saying he wasn't, at one point, the best player in the NBA just feels like revisionist history.

Charles Barkley admonishes society for being homophobic in virtue-signaling rant about Jason Collins' death

Thu, 14 May 2026 07:49:17 -0400

NBA great Charles Barkley used the tragic death of Jason Collins this week to admonish America for being anti-gay on ESPN's "Inside the NBA" Wednesday night.

Imagine how thrilled the suits in Bristol were during this segment? Not that Chuck needs it, but they'd give him a raise in a SECOND after this rant.

Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, died this week at 47. He passed following an eight-month battle with Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer he had been fighting since last August.

The 7-footer out of Stanford was primarily used in defensive and physical matchups during his career, but became a household name in 2013 when he came out in a first-person essay for Sports Illustrated.

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During Wednesday's "Inside the NBA," Barkley said we "live in a homophobic society," before dropping this bombshell on viewers:

Charles Barkley can mourn without virtue-signaling

"Anybody who thinks that we don't have a bunch of gay players in all sports, they're just stupid," Barkley said. "There is such animosity toward the gay community. That's what's really unfortunate. If you think there's not more gay players in the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA, you're just stupid."

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Well, there you have it. Charles Barkley has spoken. Apparently, he knows a ton of gay athletes across various leagues who are scared to come out because of the "homophobic society" we live in. Barkley later said during this rant that gay people in the "Black community" get "treated awful."

A couple humdingers here from Chuck, who was clearly on one this week after the passing of Collins and Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke. Obviously, tensions are high right now in the NBA world, and rightfully so. Two deaths in the same week is almost unheard of in the sports world. It's a lot. I get it.

That being said, this seems like a bit much from Barkley, who can be ... outspoken ... every once in a while. Breaking news, I know. Charles Barkley says some crazy things. Wild.

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Collins coming out was a huge deal. I remember it well, and I HATE the NBA. Loathe it. But it was all folks talked about for weeks.

Honestly, I'd argue that society was far more anti-gay in 2013 than it is now, for what it's worth. Has Charles been alive for the past six years? It's like we overcorrected, and now if you don't accept every single person — including dudes who pummel women between the hashes — you're the antichrist.

As for the other players around the league(s) who Barkley insists are gay and hiding it ... I can't speak to that. I have no clue if that's true or not. Charles Barkley, to be fair, would probably know better than I do. To my knowledge, there has never been an openly gay player in MLB. Same with the NHL.

There have been a couple in the NFL: Carl Nassib and Michael Sam.

That's it. The list is short. Perhaps Chuck knows something we don't? Again, I don't know.

Frankly, I don't care. Two athletes died this week. We can mourn them without virtue-signaling. That's fair, right?

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Oh well. Chuck did his job, and I'm sure ESPN is thrilled with the end result.

Onwards.

NBA great Charles Barkley rips Pistons star's rebounding woes in Game 4: 'Two more than a dead person'

Thu, 14 May 2026 06:21:05 -0400

Charles Barkley had sharp criticism for Detroit Pistons forward Jalen Duren before the team took on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of their NBA Playoffs series on Wednesday night.

The "Inside the NBA" crew were going over key players for the game and who needed to step up. Barkley put the onus on Duren, who had eight points and two rebounds in Game 4.

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"His whole game is offensive rebounds and lob dunks from Cade (Cunningham). He’s not getting those," Barkley said. "So, that’s really hurting him. Listen, he should never have two rebounds, ever. That’s two more than a dead person.

"You can’t ever have two rebounds. But he’s a young kid. He’s gonna get in the gym, work on the 12–15-foot jumpers or something like that. But he’s too good a player. He’s an All-Star."

The Pistons blew a 15-point lead and allowed the Cavaliers back into Game 5 on Wednesday. Cleveland would outlast Detroit in overtime, 117-113, to take a 3-2 series lead. Cleveland was behind 2-0 in the series before going back home for Games 3 and 4.

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Duren slightly improved from Game 4. He had nine points, five rebounds and four assists. But the scoring wasn’t there from him. He only took five shots during the game.

Only three Pistons starters were in double figures. Cunningham led the team with 39 points. Daniss Jenkins added 19 and Tobias Harris had 13. Paul Reed provided 10 points in 17 minutes off the bench. But that was it from the Pistons.

Cleveland got a serious boost from James Harden. He scored 30 points with eight rebounds and six assists. Donovan Mitchell had 21 points. While starter Dean Wade didn’t score and didn’t attempt a single shot, Max Strus had 20 points, making six 3-pointers and nailing two free throws.

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The Cavaliers could set themselves up with a date in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks should they take Game 6 on Friday.

Kendrick Perkins accidentally exposed the NBA's biggest problem during ESPN's 'First Take'

Wed, 13 May 2026 18:26:51 -0400

Kendrick Perkins said the quiet part out loud during ESPN's First Take on Wednesday.

The NBA analyst was discussing Victor Wembanyama after the San Antonio Spurs star once again reminded everyone that he is not a normal human being (don't call him an alien unless you want Stan Van Gundy to scold you).

The 2023 No. 1 overall pick scored 27 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and added five assists and three blocks to lead the Spurs to a Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, 126-97, on Tuesday night. The victory put San Antonio one win away from a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

Wembanyama is 7-foot-4, handles like a guard, shoots threes, and blocks shots. He already looks like the best two-way player in the league. He's truly unlike anything basketball fans have ever seen, arguably a better Giannis Antetokounmpo than, well, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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That led Perkins, who has had some really terrible opinions in the past, to reach an interesting conclusion.

The NBA belongs to international players.

"I thought American basketball was catching back up," Perkins said. He argued that Antetokounmpo's injury issues and Nikola Jokic's slight decline this season (in Perkins' view) provided an opening for Americans to step back into the spotlight over a pair of foreigners who have dominated the league in recent years.

Then came Wembanyama.

"And then all of a sudden, Wemby comes along in this postseason and last night in particular, and shows us that no, it still belongs to the international players," Perkins said. "The international players have completely taken over our league."

It's not often I find myself agreeing with Perkins, but this is one of those times. However, he didn't go far enough. He accidentally identified one of the NBA’s biggest problems.

Perkins continued by rattling off the recent MVP winners: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Jokic again, Jokic again, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Giannis Antetokounmpo again. An American-born player hasn't won the league's MVP award since 2018 (James Harden). It's not likely to happen this season, either, with SGA the overwhelming favorite to capture the award for the second consecutive season.

The ESPN analyst then added that Wembanyama is going to be the best player on the floor "on both ends" for the next decade and is likely to add his name to the foreign-born MVP list in the near future.

Again, he’s probably right.

And that’s a problem for the NBA in America.

Not because international players are bad. Quite the opposite. They have brought a ton of skill to the league and the game of basketball in general, including college hoops. That’s great for the NBA globally. But it’s not great for the league domestically (although, foreign money pads the bank account just the same, so the league might not even care).

Americans like rooting for Americans. This is not complicated, even though people in sports media love pretending that it is.

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Look at hockey. For decades, hockey struggled to grab the average American sports fan because it never really felt like an American sport. It was dominated by Canadians, Russians, Swedes, Finns and Czechs. Great players. Great sport. But for many casual American fans, it didn’t feel like ours.

Then Team USA beat Canada for Olympic gold, and suddenly the entire conversation changed. Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Hughes, Connor Hellebuyck and the rest of the American stars didn’t just win. They made Americans feel like hockey belonged to them, too.

That matters.

The NHL didn’t fundamentally change overnight. The rules didn’t change. The ice wasn’t any bigger. The puck wasn’t any easier to follow. But once Americans saw American stars beating Canada at its own game, the sport felt different. And TV ratings have shown that the Olympics bump increased American interest in the NHL.

The NBA is dealing with the opposite problem.

For years, the NBA had a very easy domestic marketing formula: sell American greatness.

Magic Johnson. Larry Bird. Michael Jordan. Shaquille O’Neal. Kobe Bryant. LeBron James. Steph Curry. Kevin Durant. Dwyane Wade. Charles Barkley. Allen Iverson.

Yes, the league had international stars mixed in, and some were great players. But the face of the league was almost always American. More specifically, the NBA’s cultural power was built largely through black American superstardom.

That’s why one of the laziest narratives in basketball has always been that the NBA, or NBA media, secretly wants more European stars because some of them are White.

That's patently false and not supported by a shred of evidence.

Do people really think American fans preferred Nikola Jokic because he’s white over LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson or Anthony Edwards? Come on. That's easy to disprove because when Jokic's Nuggets won the NBA Finals in 2023, it was one of the lowest-rated series ever (excluding the years affected by COVID). When Curry's Warriors were dominating the league, NBA Finals games were averaging nearly 20 million viewers.

In addition, some of the best international players in the league aren’t white. Wembanyama is black. Giannis is Black. Embiid is black. Shai is black. This isn’t a "white European" takeover. It’s an international takeover.

Second, American fans have always connected more with American stars, regardless of race. Black American NBA stars (really, all elite black athletes) have been among the most famous, popular and marketable athletes in the history of this country. Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are two of the most recognizable figures in American pop culture.

The issue isn’t race.

The issue is connection.

Wembanyama, Jokic, Luka Doncic and Giannis are incredible athletes.

But they don’t feel like American sports heroes. Because they aren't.

That might make some people uncomfortable. It shouldn’t. It’s just reality.

Sports fandom is tribal. It’s regional. It’s national. It’s emotional. And in the United States, fans still want a reason to feel like the league belongs to them.

Perkins captured that with one phrase: "our league."

He didn’t say "the league." He said "our league."

For many American basketball fans, the NBA increasingly doesn’t feel like "our league" at the very top. It feels like a global league that happens to play most of its games in the United States.

Maybe the NBA is fine with that. Maybe Adam Silver and league executives look at international growth, global merchandise sales and streaming numbers and shrug. Maybe they believe losing a bit of American cultural attachment is worth gaining a larger worldwide footprint.

That’s a business decision.

But don’t act confused when the average American sports fan doesn’t feel the same attachment to a league where the best player conversation is dominated by a Serbian, a Slovenian, a Greek-Nigerian, a Frenchman, a Cameroonian and a Canadian.

As good as they are, they’re not American-born.

And that matters in the United States.

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"There is no hope for us to take over our league," he said. "There is no hope whatsoever, at least for the next 10 years, for us to get our league back."

That’s a wild thing to hear from an ESPN NBA analyst.

It’s also the truth.

Wembanyama isn’t the NBA’s problem. He might be the future of basketball from a gameplay and talent perspective.

But if the future face of the NBA is not an American star, then the league has to accept what comes with that.

Global relevance might go up.

American emotional investment might not.

And for a league built in America, that’s a bigger problem than many are willing to admit.

No need to wait for LeBron James to retire, the next 'great one' is already here and his name is Wemby

Wed, 13 May 2026 18:08:29 -0400

While the NBA Playoffs are still in full swing, the offseason rhetoric is already ramping up regarding whether Lakers superstar LeBron James has played in his last NBA game.

And, with that rhetoric, the question will inevitably rise about who the "next one" is.

When Michael Jordan retired, he relinquished that crown to Kobe Bryant, who, in turn, had it wrestled away from him by LeBron, where it has sat comfortably upon his head for the better part of two decades.

It's a classic "circle of life" type of thing that happens in the NBA whenever that era's "GOAT" hangs up his sneakers, but, much like with the transfer of power from Kobe to LeBron, we don't have to wait for The King to officially call it quits.

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The "next one" is already here, and his name is Victor Wembanyama.

You can accuse me of calling my shot a little prematurely, but I believe the next contender to enter the "greatest of all time" discussion is currently playing basketball in San Antonio, Texas.

I've talked about Wemby at length several times since joining OutKick, and for good reason.

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The 7-foot-4 Frenchman has the rare combination of talent and physical gifts that were previously unheard of before he arrived on the scene.

Similarly to LeBron, Wemby has had the insane hype surrounding him from a very young age.

I remember hearing about this 7-foot-tall 17-year-old in France who could shoot like Dirk and handle like a point guard, and even back then, people were anointing him the next GOAT.

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I thought it was a little early at the time, but they were on to something.

Fast forward to 2026, and Wemby is already a two-time NBA All-Star, a Defensive Player of the Year, and has led the league in blocks three consecutive seasons.

He is also one win away from having the San Antonio Spurs back in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in nearly a decade, thanks to a masterful 27-17-5-3 performance in Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Don't just take my word for it, either.

A couple of Basketball Hall of Famers believe Wemby is already on a GOAT-like trajectory at just 22 years old.

According to Larry Brown Sports, NBA champion and Hall of Fame forward Paul Pierce called Wemby "[the] most complete player in the history of the game," on his podcast "No Fouls Given."

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Shaquille O'Neal, one of, if not the greatest centers in NBA history, called referred to Wemby as "the first perfect big man."

If you're old enough to remember how dominant Shaq was in his prime, that comment carries a ton of weight.

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My point is this: Don't wait to jump on the Wemby hype train, because that bad boy has already pulled out of the station.

If he can guide the Spurs past the Wolves and somehow take down the 64-win Thunder to reach the NBA Finals, San Antonio will assuredly be the heavy favorite to take down the Eastern Conference's representative and raise a Larry O'Brien trophy.

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Should that happen, Wemby would be just 22 years old with a ring, a DPoY and the whole league in the palm of his hand.

If you're looking to buy Wemby stock, it's already too late. The next "GOAT" has already arrived.

NBA Playoffs Game 5 betting pick: Why the Cavs-Pistons over 211.5 looks like the play

Wed, 13 May 2026 17:16:55 -0400

Well, my break from betting the NBA didn't last long as I'm back at it with tonight's Eastern Conference Game 5 between the Cavs and Pistons. It has not been a great second round of the NBA Playoffs for me, so if you want to fade, I don't blame you, but I do feel pretty good about the play.

The Cleveland Cavaliers went back home and did exactly what they needed to do in order to preserve any hopes of them advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

After dropping the first two games in the series, they were able to grab the two home games in Cleveland. Now, they need to do something they have yet to do in the playoffs — win a road game. The team was nine games above .500 on the road in the regular season, so it isn't like they can't win as a visitor.

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The Cavs have beaten the Pistons on the road this year, early in the season, but whatever is causing them issues in the postseason has prevented them from winning. Part of it is that they can't seem to close out games. James Harden and Donovan Mitchell are both really good individual players, but neither seems to want to take over close games in this postseason.

The Detroit Pistons are not too pleased with how they've been officiated. However, there really aren't any teams that I'd say are happy with the way they've had games called this postseason. Unlike what I've said about the Lakers, the Pistons may have a legitimate gripe. In Game 4 alone, the Cavs shot 34 free throws compared to just 12 for Detroit. Mitchell shot more (15) than the entire Pistons roster. It was closer in Game 3, but the Cavs still had 28 attempts compared to the Pistons' 22.

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Again, you can make a case about who is driving the ball more, but it would be hard to see that one team is fouling that much more than the other. Still, even with that disparity in Game 4, it took a historic performance from Mitchell and the free throws to give the Cavs a win. The Pistons still only lost by nine points.

The squeaky wheel seems to get the grease. That seems to be the case for most sports. If a team complains about fouls, and there is reasonable legitimacy, as there is here, I tend to see them get a more favorable whistle the next game.

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We've already seen the struggles of the Cavs on the road, but this series could legitimately be a sweep for either team, or tied (as it is). It is about who is closing the games out best during the stretch. The games have been a bit lower scoring, but I expect the clock to stop more here with more free throws for the Pistons, and still around 20 for the Cavs. This game should go over the 211.5 now that both offenses are comfortable. Mitchell also may have found his groove, which will lead to more scoring as well. Back the over.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024

Jason Collins, NBA's first openly gay player, dead at 47

Tue, 12 May 2026 19:30:12 -0400

Jason Collins, a longtime NBA role player who became widely known in 2013 as the first openly gay active player in a major American sports league, died Tuesday at age 47.

Collins passed away following an eight-month battle with Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer he had been fighting since last August.

FORMER SYRACUSE, INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL PRO TIANA MANGAKAHIA DEAD FOLLOWING CANCER DIAGNOSIS, FAMILY SAYS

The ex-center’s death comes as the NBA is also mourning Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, with the losses unfolding within a short span.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement on Tuesday regarding the loss:

"Jason Collins’ impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations. He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador.

GRIZZLIES FORWARD BRANDON CLARKE DEAD AT 29

"Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others. On behalf of the NBA, I send my heartfelt condolences to Jason’s husband, Brunson, and his family, friends and colleagues across our leagues."

Collins built a long NBA career as a role-playing center. The 7-footer out of Stanford averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds across 13 seasons and was primarily used in defensive and physical matchups.

Collins saw rotational minutes for the New Jersey Nets during their back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.

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In 2013, Collins drew national attention when he came out in a first-person essay for Sports Illustrated, becoming the first active NBA player to do so. He returned to play one final season with the Brooklyn Nets in 2014 before later serving as an NBA Cares Ambassador.

Collins is survived by his husband, film producer Brunson Green, and his twin brother, Jarron, who followed a similar path through Stanford and the NBA.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela

Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke dead at 29

Tue, 12 May 2026 14:21:48 -0400

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke has died, the team announced on Tuesday. He was 29.

"We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke," the team's statement read on X. "Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.

We express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time."

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also released a statement on Clarke’s tragic passing.

"We are devastated to learn of the passing of Brandon Clarke. As one of the longest-tenured members of the Grizzlies, Brandon was a beloved teammate and leader who played the game with enormous passion and grit. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Brandon’s family, friends and the Grizzlies organization."

BUCKS APPEAR WILLING TO HEAR OFFERS FOR GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: REPORT

While Clarke was a first-round pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019, his rights were traded to the Grizzlies in exchange for the rights to Darius Bazley and a future second-round pick.

Clarke quickly made his impact known with the Grizzlies, earning MVP in the 2019 NBA Summer League, where the Vancouver native became the second non-American to ever win the award.

Clarke spent the past seven years with the Grizzlies, where he mainly played a role off the bench.

This past season was a rough one for Clarke, though. He played just two games, initially sitting out due to surgery needed on his right knee before a right calf strain he suffered forced him to miss most games this season.

Memphis announced in March that Clarke was still rehabbing his injury, but recent tests showed he needed more time to heal. As a result, the expectation was he would return next season.

Clarke got into some trouble with the law in April, as he was arrested in Arkansas on charges that included speeding and possession of a controlled substance.

He was booked into Cross County Jail on charges of improper passing, possession of a controlled substance, fleeing and exceeding the speed limit, and trafficking a controlled substance.

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Clarke starred for Gonzaga during his college career before his impact on the Grizzlies. He made the 2019-20 All-Rookie team after averaging 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in his bench role that season.

Clarke averaged 20.8 minutes on the floor across 309 career games, while tallying 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest over his career.

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Magic Johnson faces ridicule for Los Angeles mayoral endorsement

Tue, 12 May 2026 10:20:20 -0400

Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson faced pushback after he endorsed Karen Bass in the race for Los Angeles mayor.

Bass posted a video of Johnson’s endorsement on her social media. Johnson said his 30-year friendship with Bass and her actions on homelessness and lowering the homicide rates were part of the reasons why he endorsed her.

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However, the former Los Angeles Lakers star faced criticism for chiming in on the Los Angeles mayoral race as he lives in Beverly Hills. The town is not one of the 114 neighborhoods that are able to cast votes in the LA mayoral race.

"She’s doing a tremendous job. Mayor Bass has to have a second term, and I’m excited to say that," Johnson said in the video. "Listen, you took on a tough job here, and you’ve done a fabulous job and all of us appreciate your effort and what you’re doing, and we look forward to helping you continue your mission and the things that you have in store – your vision for the city."

Bass welcomed the endorsement.

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"Magic Johnson has been my friend for over 30 years. His belief in how I'm changing Los Angeles means everything to me," Bass wrote on X.

"Magic has poured his heart into this city long before anyone asked him to — through investment, through community, through showing up. I am deeply honored to have his endorsement."

Johnson didn’t mention one of the sticking points that has allowed challenger Spencer Pratt to gain support in the race – Bass' handling of the 2025 wildfires that led to at least a dozen deaths and billions in damage.

Pratt has continued to needle Bass over her response to the wildfires.

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss appeared to show support for Pratt last month when she donated $1,800 to his mayoral campaign, according to FOX 11 in Los Angeles. It’s the maximum donation allowed by law.

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The former "Hills" star was also spotted with Buss at a Lakers playoff game over the weekend.

LeBron James' biggest hater was courtside to potentially witness The King's last NBA game

Tue, 12 May 2026 09:35:55 -0400

I assume everyone here is familiar with the concept of a "hate watch," correct.

If you are even a casual sports fan, you have engaged in hate watching before.

The premise is quite simple. You may have a favorite team, but you also have rival teams you despise more than anything.

These are teams that bring you almost as much joy when they lose as your favorite team does when it wins, and you never miss an opportunity to watch their downfall, live and in high definition.

FLOPPING IS RUINING THE NBA AND LEBRON SHOULD TAKE SOME BLAME FOR THAT

That is hate watching, in a nutshell, and it extends to players as well.

One player who I assume is maybe the single most hate-watched individual in America, and, potentially, the world, is one LeBron Raymone James, and Monday night offered the perfect opportunity for his haters to come out of the woodwork to witness another hate-watching masterpiece.

It’s not often you get to see one of the greatest players of all time get swept in the conference semifinals.

I assume all of you LeBron haters tuned in for a good old-fashioned hate watch (I certainly checked in from time to time), but one man took the concept of hate watching to the next level when he showed up courtside to Game 4, decked out in jewelry and ready to see his biggest nemesis fail.

Look at the evil laugh! Diabolical! He looks like a Bond villain who just told you his master plan.

The man in question is Dillon Brooks, a forward for the Phoenix Suns, and if you’re curious as to why he showed up to watch LeBron James get swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder, let’s just say the two have some history.

LEBRON JAMES DODGES RETIREMENT QUESTIONS AFTER MAKING RECORD 22ND ALL-STAR GAME APPEARANCE

Dating all the way back to 2023, Brooks and James have sparred with each other, though it has been mostly one-sided.

Even as recently as December of this season, the two got into it in a regular-season game between the Suns and Lakers, where Brooks would end up being ejected after a skirmish with LeBron.

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This beef runs deep, and LeBron has been on the winning side of things far too often, so it’s nice to see the underdog get a few in on the favorite.

Brooks is just living out the dream of every LeBron hater on the internet, showing up to what may be The King’s last game in the NBA to laugh right in his face while sucking down an overpriced drink at the venue formerly known as Staples Center.

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My hat’s off to you, Mr. Brooks.

Keep up the hate!

Ric Flair takes another verbal chop at Lakers star over injury absence

Tue, 12 May 2026 08:02:24 -0400

Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair took another shot at Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic ahead of the team’s Game 4 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

Flair was critical of Doncic for missing games with a hamstring injury and doubled down on his remarks in an interview on "Yahoo Sports Daily."

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"I’m not being hard on Luka. I’m having fun, I’m such a Laker fan, and I just honestly believe, of course, I don’t know anything about the extent of injury, but the first time I saw it … I did the same thing to the quarterback of the 49ers a couple of years ago. I said, ‘Get back in the game, man,’" Flair said.

"You know, I’ve taken a cortisone shot, I’ve wrestled with a broken ankle, so, I don’t have much sympathy for the hamstring. But you know, they’re protecting the future and I don’t blame them for that. They got guaranteed money."

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Flair has notably worked through injuries during his professional wrestling career.

He suffered a broken back in three places as he survived a plane crash in North Carolina in 1975. He was told he would never wrestle again before going on to a history-making career. He also suffered an injury while he was working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2011. Flair also revealed in 2016 that he was struck by lightning.

Last week, Flair called on the Lakers to trade Doncic if he wasn’t going to battle through the injury.

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Doncic’s hamstring injury cost him the last five games of the regular season and each of the Lakers’ playoff games.

Bucks appear willing to hear offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo: report

Tue, 12 May 2026 07:38:10 -0400

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s time with the Milwaukee Bucks may be coming to an end.

The Bucks are "open for business" when it comes to listening to trade offers for the two-time MVP, ESPN reported Monday. It’s the latest chapter in the saga of whether the team will actually deal him.

The team is reportedly looking for a "young blue-chip prospect and/or a surplus of draft picks" in a potential deal for Antetokounmpo.

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Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam, who also owns the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, said last week he hoped to get a deal done before the NBA Draft.

"I just think before the draft is a natural time," Haslam said at a news conference introducing new head coach Taylor Jenkins. "Because if Giannis does play somewhere else, we’ve got to have a lot of assets. That’s Jon’s job to do. And if he’s here, then you build the team differently."

Antetokounmpo maintained that he likes playing in Milwaukee but wants to play for a team that’s committed to winning and competing for championships.

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The Bucks initially signaled their intent to do that when they acquired Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers before the 2023-24 season. But an Achilles injury cut his time short in Milwaukee, and he later re-signed with Portland.

Milwaukee finished 32-50 in 2025-26 and missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

"We never had any problem communicating directly with Giannis — at all — and always knew where he stood," Haslam said. "And I think he always knew where we stood. We’ve had those kind of conversations since the season was over. ... So sometime over the next six or seven weeks, we’ll decide whether Giannis is going to sign a max contract and stay with us, or he’s going to play somewhere else. And (GM) Jon (Horst) and Taylor, along with (co-owner) Wes (Edens) and myself will make that call, and we understand the gravity of that call."

The Bucks have the 10th overall pick in the first round and could be set up for the future should a trade go through.

Antetokounmpo was sidelined for the last handful of games. The Bucks said he was injured, but the 10-time All-Star said he was healthy enough to play.

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He finished the year averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 36 games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lakers' Luka Doncic plans to spend time with his kids while locked in custody battle over playing for Slovenia

Tue, 12 May 2026 06:14:26 -0400

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic said he will forgo playing with the Slovenian national team to focus on his daughters as he’s been locked in a custody battle with his former fianceé Anamaria Goltes.

Doncic said in a post on Instagram early Tuesday that he will take the summer to spend time with them.

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"I love my daughters more than anything, and they will always come first in my life," a message posted to his Instagram Stories read. "As I continue working toward joint custody of my daughters, I have been forced to make a difficult decision between traveling and playing for the Slovenian national team and being with my daughters this summer. Unfortunately, it has been made extremely difficult for me to see them over the past eight months.

"I have given everything to representing Slovenia and I am disappointed that I will not be able to play for my country this summer. But right now, my daughters and my responsibilities as a father are my priority."

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Doncic said earlier this year he ended his engagement with Goltes because he was unable to have his daughters with him for the season in the U.S.

They became engaged in July 2023, and their daughters were born in November 2023 and December 2025, when Doncic left the Lakers to travel to Slovenia when his younger daughter was born.

Goltes filed a petition for child support and attorneys’ fees in California, TMZ Sports previously reported.

"I love my daughters more than anything, and I’ve been doing everything I can for them to be with me in the U.S. during the season, but that hasn’t been possible, so I recently made the tough decision to end my engagement," he told ESPN in March.

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"Everything I do is for my daughters’ happiness, and I will always fight to be with them and give them the best life I can."

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

LeBron James admits future in NBA is unclear after Lakers' playoff exit

Tue, 12 May 2026 05:53:48 -0400

LeBron James said Monday night his future in the NBA remains unclear, and he’s yet to decide to return to the floor for what would be his 24th season in the league.

James, 41, talked about his future following the Los Angeles Lakers' playoff exit in a Game 4 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He said he hasn’t ruled out retirement or a return to the Lakers but said nothing about possibly joining a different team for the 2026-27 season.

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"I don’t know what the future holds for me, obviously, as it stands right now tonight," James said. "I’ve got a lot of time now. I think I said it last year after we lost to Minnesota. I’ll go back and recalibrate with my family and talk with them and spend some time with them, and then obviously when the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do."

The Thunder dispatched the Lakers in four games with a 115-110 victory. The team had been without Luka Doncic, a key piece to the team’s solid season. He missed the entire playoffs with a hamstring injury.

James led Los Angeles to a first-round upset over the Houston Rockets before running into the defending NBA champions in the second round.

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"It’s amazing what he’s doing out there at this age," Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's very impressive. It's hard to put it to words. He's not very old in the grand scheme of life, but for the NBA, he's pretty old, and he doesn't seem like it out there. He was a force. He was the top of the scouting report all series. His size gave us issues at times. He was impressive out there. I'm not sure we'll see anything like that again, his longevity and his greatness."

He said he would discuss his future with his family over a few glasses of wine.

"Nobody has any idea what the future holds, and I don’t either," James said. "I’ll take time to recalibrate and look over the season and see what’s best for my future, and when I get to that point, everyone will know."

James, a 22-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion, is the all-time leader in points scored, games played and field goals attempted.

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He averaged 20.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games played this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Draymond Green wants retribution for Timberwolves after Wembanyama dodges NBA punishment

Mon, 11 May 2026 21:24:30 -0400

It’s been a busy 24 hours for Draymond Green.

Instead of watching the NBA Playoffs from his couch, Green has been everywhere, making a cameo at Kevin Hart’s roast, taking a shot at Chelsea Handler as an off-the-court "3," and stirring headlines behind a podcast mic.

Green had plenty to say after Sunday’s heated Game 4 in Minneapolis, where Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama was ejected against the Timberwolves.

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA SETS NBA POSTSEASON BLOCK RECORD IN THE SPURS' LOSS TO THE TIMBERWOLVES

Wemby made his first career ejection count, driving an elbow into Naz Reid’s neck. The play was ruled a Flagrant 2, and San Antonio never recovered without its centerpiece, losing to even the series at 2-2.

On Monday, Green jumped on his podcast and ripped both Wembanyama and the NBA after the league chose not to issue a suspension or fine. The truth is, the NBA was not fully expected to ground one of its biggest stars ahead of a pivotal playoff game.

VICTOR WENBANYAMA AVOIDS SUSPENSION FOR ELBOW ON NAZ REID, WILL PLAY GAME 5

As a longtime enforcer no stranger to throwing elbows, Green argued the punishment did not go far enough and that Minnesota got the short end.

"What if the shoe was on the other foot and Naz was taking out Wemby?" Green asked.

"There would be fines. There would be suspensions. Jaden McDaniels and Jokic just got fined for much less. For there not to be a fine is crazy.

"After watching their coach say ‘well I’m happy he took matters into his own hands and leveled Naz Reid with an elbow,’ I would say to the Timberwolves it’s fair game. There’s no suspension, no fines. Who’s coming out there tomorrow night and doing it to Wemby?"

Early buzz suggested Wembanyama could face a suspension.

Replays showed a violent swing that may not have been precisely targeted but looked deliberate enough to raise eyebrows.

Even Spurs teammate Dylan Harper appeared stunned by the outburst. But after review, the NBA did not see enough to warrant further punishment.

After the loss, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson defended his star.

"Just the amount of physicality that people play with him, at some level, you have to protect yourself," Johnson said.

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"Every single play, people are trying to impose their physicality on you. He’s gotten pushed down in transition, running freely. We do not complain, we just play. But at some stage, he should be protected. If not, he’s going to have to protect himself, and unfortunately, stuff like that happens.

"It’s starting to get disgusting. I’m glad he took matters into his own hands, not in terms of hitting Naz Reid, but he’s going to have to protect himself if they are not. And I think it’s disgusting."

Now the series shifts to a crucial Game 5 on Tuesday with tensions already boiling over.

And whether the league wants to admit it or not, Green’s warning is hanging in the air. If Minnesota feels wronged, all eyes will be on how they respond.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela

2026 NBA Playoffs: Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers best bet, odds, prediction

Mon, 11 May 2026 14:55:09 -0400

Their end is inevitable, but the Los Angeles Lakers (0-3) can stave off elimination when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder for Game 4 of the 2026 Western Conference Semifinals.

At BetMGM, Oklahoma City opened as -500 on the moneyline (Los Angeles at +375) and -10.5 favorites. However, the flood of pro-Thunder money has steamed them up to -11.5 favorites at the time of writing.

THE REFS IN THE OKC-LA SERIES WERE SO BAD, THE LAKERS HAD TO HAVE A POSTGAME MEETING WITH THEM

OKC has won every game this series by 18+ points and has a seven-game winning streak over LA. That’s despite reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not putting up his typical crazy numbers.

Shai is scoring only 21.0 points per game in this series, slightly behind Thunder big man Chet Holmgren’s 21.3 PPG average, which leads the team.

LeBron James Is Trying To Avoid Another Sweep

LeBron James has only been swept three times in his career: the 2007 NBA Finals by the San Antonio Spurs, the 2018 NBA Finals by the Golden State Warriors and the 2023 Western Conference Finals by the Denver Nuggets.

FLOPPING IS RUINING THE NBA AND LEBRON SHOULD TAKE SOME BLAME FOR THAT

Maybe the sweep is a foregone conclusion, like the New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers series, but I’m counting on the Lakers dying on their sword and going out with honor.

Los Angeles held a first-half lead in Games 2 and 3 and still lost by 18 and 23 points, respectively. Granted, perhaps that’s just OKC playing with its food more than anything the Lakers are doing right.

Still, it’s something for L.A. to build on.

Lakers Need Oklahoma City’s Role Players To Cool Off

The Lakers are hitting 39.3% of their 3-pointers in this series. Unfortunately for them, the Thunder are shooting 42.3% from behind the arc.

But Oklahoma City’s role players are doing most of the damage from deep. Thunder guards Jared McCain, Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe, along with big man Jaylin Williams, are a combined 25 for 41 from 3-point range, good for a ridiculous 61.0%.

That’s not sustainable.

If these randoms hit fewer shots in Game 4, the Lakers can cover the spread.

Betting Market Is Overwhelmingly On OKC

Finally, 95% of the money at BetMGM is on Oklahoma City as of Monday morning, according to John Ewing.

While I’m not someone who bows at the altar of betting splits, 95% of people don’t beat the sportsbooks. We all know this.

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I know that’s simple logic, but if you blindly fade teams this popular in the betting market, you’ll probably have a positive return on investment.

Best Bet: Los Angeles Lakers +11.5

_____________________________

Follow me on X @Geoffery-Clark, and check out my OutKick Bets Podcast for more betting content and random rants.

Victor Wembanyama avoids suspension for elbow on Naz Reid, will play in pivotal Game 5

Mon, 11 May 2026 14:48:01 -0400

Victor Wembanyama’s first career ejection will not have a suspension included, as the NBA decided not to dock the San Antonio Spurs big man for the elbow he threw on Minnesota Timberwolves’ Naz Reid in Game 4 of their Western Conference Semifinals series.

Wembanyama will be available for Game 5 of the series, which is set for Tuesday night, per ESPN.

Wembanyama was originally issued an offensive foul after hitting Reid in the face with his elbow while being double-teamed in the corner after securing a rebound. But video review saw the elbow hit Reid square in his jaw and neck, which sent him to the hardwood.

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Officials announced that Wembanyama’s foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 for excessive contact above the neck. As a result, it’s an automatic ejection.

The ejection came with just 8:39 left in the second quarter, which marked the earliest an NBA All-Star had been ejected from a playoff game since 1997-98, per ESPN Research.

SPURS PHENOM VICTOR WEMBANYAMA MAKES NBA HISTORY WITH FIRST CAREER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Wembanyama, an MVP candidate, can’t be replicated on the court for the Spurs, who eventually lost to the Timberwolves, 114-109, to even up the series at two games apiece heading into Game 5.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson used his postgame press conference to defend the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama, specifically the level of physicality Wembanyama gets from opponents during games.

"Just the amount of physicality that people play with him, at some level, you have to protect yourself," he said, via ESPN. "Every single play on every single part of the floor, people are trying to impose their physicality on you. He's gotten pushed down in transition, running freely. We don't complain because we're just going to play. We don't really give a s---. But at some stage, he should be protected. If not, he's going to have to protect himself, and unfortunately, stuff like that happens.

"It's starting to get disgusting in terms of when he tries to fight through things, be professional and mature and deal with some of that stuff. I'm glad he took matters into his own hands. Not in terms of hitting Naz Reid, but he's going to have to protect himself if they're not. And I think it's disgusting."

Johnson added that there was "zero intent" on Wembanyama’s elbow to Reid’s face, believing that a Game 5 suspension "would be ridiculous." But it was always the league’s decision in the end.

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Ultimately, they decided Johnson’s stance was correct, and Wembanyama will be on the court with his teammates in a pivotal Game 5 as the series returns to San Antonio on Tuesday night.

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A player prop and play for the second round series between Oklahoma City and Los Angeles

Mon, 11 May 2026 12:21:17 -0400

I lost the MAX play that I released. The first time I've ever given one out publicly, and I fall flat on my face. I suppose the consolation is that if you followed me all week last week and played that, you also hit eight straight bets. The good and bad of sports betting, I suppose. Tonight, we get Game 4 between the Thunder and Lakers in what has been a disappointing second round of the NBA Playoffs.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to win the NBA Championship, barring any sort of injury. It likely will be them over the Knicks in five or six games. The Thunder are just too deep of a team. They play defense, they have good shooting, they have a go-to scorer, and they've already won a championship, so they know what it takes. With so much talent, why does everyone hate the Thunder so much?

Oklahoma City has a narrative problem. People don't watch the NBA, or sports in general, the same way they used to. Most people make judgments on highlights and random tweets that people put out. The narrative around the Thunder is that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't good; he just looks for fouls. It is also that the Thunder get every call from the refs. Isolated plays make it easy to make broad statements, but I watch all the games I can. The Thunder are a great team, and they are aggressive. Sometimes that's rewarded because they are actually trying on defense as opposed to what most teams do.

The Los Angeles Lakers have no real shot of winning the series, and they probably knew that coming in. Their only hope was to get the referees on their side. Are there legitimate complaints about some calls? Of course. However, the Lakers are complainers to begin with and have always gotten a favorable whistle. They have shot more free throws than their opponent in two of the three games in this series.

FLOPPING IS RUINING THE NBA AND LEBRON SHOULD TAKE SOME BLAME FOR THAT

If there was a gripe to be made, it would need to be something like "We've driven the ball more than the Thunder and are getting fewer free throws." The Lakers have driven the ball 120 times this series. The Thunder have 148 drives. There have been questionable calls made in favor of the Thunder, but there are some in favor of the Lakers as well.

What has been lost in all of this is just how great the Thunder are playing. They are 7-0 in the playoffs and have won every game by nine or more points. Their average margin of victory in this series has been 26 points. In the playoffs overall, the average has been 21 points. The spread in this game is just -10.5 for the Thunder.

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I think the Lakers have given up. They are spending too much time complaining about the referees because they have no other chance to beat the Thunder. Give me Oklahoma City -10.5. I also like Ajay Mitchell over 16.5 points. He has been phenomenal this series, averaging 20.7 points per game and never scoring fewer than 18 in a game. Part of the reason the Thunder are so good is that they hit on picks like Mitchell, a second-round pick.

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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024

NBA legend Magic Johnson breaks from his former Lakers boss to endorse Karen Bass in LA mayoral race

Mon, 11 May 2026 10:42:49 -0400

Magic Johnson broke away from his former Los Angeles Lakers boss on Monday and endorsed Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race.

Bass posted a video of Johnson’s endorsement on her social media. Johnson’s support of Bass came after Jeanie Buss appeared to back Spencer Pratt in the race.

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Johnson said his 30-year friendship with Bass and her actions on homelessness and lowering the homicide rates were part of the reasons why he endorsed her.

"She’s doing a tremendous job. Mayor Bass has to have a second term and I’m excited to say that," Johnson said. "Listen, you took on a tough job here and you’ve done a fabulous job and all of us appreciate your effort and what you’re doing and we look forward to helping you continue your mission and the things that you have in store – your vision for the city."

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Johnson didn’t mention one of the sticking points that has allowed Pratt to gain support in the race – Bass' handling of the 2025 wildfires that led to at least a dozen deaths and billions in damage.

Pratt has continued to needle Bass over her response to the wildfires.

Buss appeared to show support for Pratt last month when she donated $1,800 to his mayoral campaign, according to FOX 11 in Los Angeles. It’s the maximum donation allowed by law.

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The former "Hills" star was also spotted with Buss at a Lakers playoff game over the weekend.

76ers' Tyrese Maxey disappointed with fan turnout for home playoff games vs Knicks

Mon, 11 May 2026 09:48:13 -0400

Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey was downcast after falling to the New York Knicks in Game 4 on Sunday night, leading to an early second-round playoff exit.

Maxey appeared to be more upset with the fan support.

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Knicks fans swarmed the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia for both Games 3 and 4. They got a front-row seat to watch their team sweep their Atlantic Division rival. Knicks fans even went as far as infiltrating local news broadcasts in celebration.

Maxey spoke about the fans in his postgame press conference.

"It absolutely sucks, if I'm being honest. It just sucks," he said, via SNY TV. "That's really all I can say about it, man. It's hard. It's definitely difficult. It's only one way to put a stop to it and it's, we have to go out there and win these games.

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"Just being completely honest, we were better when we played them in the Garden this entire season. I know we lost Game 2 and 1, but Game 2 was better. The regular season was better. I was telling them, it felt louder here for them than it did in the Garden."

He said it was up to the team to drown out the noise.

"We got to put a stop to it as a team," Maxey added. "Winning these games, that's gonna make our fans louder than theirs or whatever. I don't know how to keep them out. I don't know the logistics of it, but it does suck. I can't even lie. It definitely does suck."

New York blew the doors off Philadelphia in Game 4 with a 144-114 win.

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It was the eighth time in the last nine playoff appearances that the 76ers haven’t at least made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Philadelphia hasn’t gotten that far in the postseason since making the 2001 NBA Finals.

WWE legend The Rock roasts Draymond Green, says he has the 'laziest' Black name

Mon, 11 May 2026 07:09:37 -0400

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson tried his hand at comedy on Sunday night when he appeared at Netflix’s "The Roast of Kevin Hart."

The WWE legend made a grand entrance before he got onto the stage. He immediately took aim at polarizing Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, particularly his name.

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"Draymond, that’s your name right? That’s my boy," The Rock began. "I was thinking about this. Of all the cool a-- Black names you could have, that is the laziest f---ing Black name I ever heard because all you did was put a ‘D’ in front of Raymond. This f---er’s r----ded. And on top of all that, your r----ded name, your team got bounced from the playoffs.

"So, I’m just saying, because you’re my boy and I love you, maybe it’s time to retire."

Rocky got a few chuckles from his bit as Green isn’t really the one to get roasted all too often. Green was on stage with Pete Davidson, Jeff Ross and others as the former champ went after him.

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Green had made clear, though, he isn’t retiring from the NBA and hoped to continue his career with the Warriors.

"I hope I've done enough to still be here. Because at the end of the day, if I ain't done enough, I don't want to be here," he said last month, via The Sporting News.

"I don't ever want [the Warriors] to just keep me around because of what I've done before. ... Any by the way, that's not just playing, right? That's leadership, that's helping bring the young guys along, that's helping to move the organization forward. So, hopefully I've done enough to still be here. But if not, we'll see what it looks like. It's been a hell of a run."

Golden State selected Green in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft out of Michigan State. He’s a four-time NBA champion and a four-time All-Star.

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In the 2025-26 season, Green averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 68 games.

Knicks' Josh Hart needles Philadelphia's sports scene after playoff sweep of 76ers

Mon, 11 May 2026 06:23:02 -0400

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart got the last word after the team completed a sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the NBA Playoffs on Sunday night.

The Knicks trounced the 76ers, 144-114, as Miles McBride led the team with 25 points. Jalen Brunson added six assists and four rebounds. Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points, 10 assists and four rebounds.

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Hart contributed with 17 points and nine rebounds. The Villanova alum had sharp words for the Philadelphia sports scene after the game.

"I used to think Philly was a sports town, I don’t know if it is anymore," Hart said.

Recently, Philadelphia has had a tough time with its teams. The Philadelphia Eagles triumphed with a Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs. But trophies have been hard to come by for every other team.

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The Philadelphia Phillies last won a World Series in 2008 and recently fired their manager following a slow start to the 2026 season. The Philadelphia Flyers last won a Stanley Cup title in 1975. The Flyers were swept in the second round of the 2026 playoffs.

The 76ers last won an NBA title in 1983. The team last made the NBA Finals behind Allen Iverson in 2001. Since then, the team has failed to make it out of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

To add insult to injury, Knicks fans traveled to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4 to watch their team topple the 76ers.

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Philly fans will have to wait and see how the Phillies’ season plays out, but they’re probably waiting for September for the start of the Eagles’ 2026 run.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.