Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals saw plenty of tension between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves. It also saw the top ref get into it with Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch.

Crew chief Tony Brothers was seen confronting Finch and needing to be held back during the fourth quarter of the Spurs’ 115-108 win. An NBA official getting this heated on the court is a rare sight.

Finch gave his side of the story after the game, claiming Brothers had ignored an attempt to call timeout and then got incensed when Finch made a comment about it:

"I wanted the timeout and I said I want my 3 seconds back. He clearly heard me. He looked my way and ignored me, went on with the play, almost cost us a turnover. He lost it. Then I went to ask him where the ball was going to be taken in and he was screaming at me for that. So completely unprofessional behavior by him"

Meanwhile, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards shrugged off the incident:

“It’s competition at the highest level. We want to win. Finchy want to win. Tony Brothers is Tony Brothers. We all love him, so it’s all good here.”

Brothers has been an NBA official since the 1994-95 season, with experience that includes 19 NBA Finals games, per the National Basketball Referees Association. Game 3 was the first time he’s worked in this series and only the second time he’s overseen a Timberwolves game this postseason.

With the first pitch of his start against the New York Yankees on Friday, Milwaukee Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski reared back and threw a 102.4 mph fastball for a called strike.

It was the slowest pitch he’d throw that inning.

MLB’s hardest-throwing pitcher lived up to his reputation on Friday and then some, firing 36 pitches measured by Statcast at 100 mph or faster. Ten of them came in the first inning, when he blew away the top of the Yankees order.

Per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, the previous fastest pitch ever record by a starting pitcher was Jordan Hicks with a 103.2 mph fastball on July 12, 2022 (with data going back to 2008). Misiorowski threw seven pitches harder than that on Friday.

The results matched the velocity, as he struck out 11 Yankees in 6 scoreless innings while allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks. That’s a strikeout for every letter in his last name.

For those curious, the overall fastest pitch ever tracked by MLB is 105.8 mph from Aroldis Chapman (Sept. 24, 2010).

The most cruel moment came in the second inning. Friday marked the MLB debut of Yankees prospect Spencer Jones, who has many fans excited about a power-speed combination that saw him post 11 homers and 7 stolen bases at Triple-A before his call-up.

Here is what Misiorowski did to him in his first big-league plate appearance: 103.6 mph up and in for a called strike, 102.3 mph up and in for a swinging strike, 103.6 mph up and in fouled off, 89 mph curveball in the zone for a foul-tip strikeout.

It’s like the Yankees outsourced his rookie hazing.

To Jones’ credit, he did better next time, drawing a walk in the fifth inning.

Misiorowski was already well-known as a flamethrower — Friday just represented his peak (so far) when it comes to velocity. His actual results have been up and down through about a full year in MLB, but he’s been absolutely terrifying for most of 2026. He leads all qualified MLB starters with a 39.5% strikeout rate through Friday, plus a 2.43 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.

Munetaka Murakami knows how to make a first impression.

In the first inning of the Chicago White Sox’s game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, Murakami crushed an opposite-field homer off starting pitcher Emerson Hancock. It’s his 15th homer of the season, tying Aaron Judge for the MLB lead.

The Statcast numbers: 106.2 mph off the bad, 380 feet traveled.

Friday was the series opener between the White Sox and Mariners, which is relevant because MLB notes that Murakami has now homered in eight straight series openers. That’s a new MLB record, breaking a mark previously held by Eddie Murray in 1987.

Granted, it’s a very specific record, but it’s not as though Murakami lucked into it. The streak goes back to April 14 against the Tampa Bay Rays, a stretch of time in which he was hitting .288/.400/.675 entering Friday.

Murakami’s homer continues one of the most surprising MLB performances of the young season. The slugger famously had to settle for a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox after years of hype as the next great Japanese slugger, mostly due to concerns about how an already high swing-and-miss rate would play after the transition from Japan to MLB.

The answer has so far been a ton of strikeouts — Murakami led the American League with 55 entering Friday — but more than enough power and plate discipline to make him an effective hitter. It remains to be seen if he will keep it for an entire season (or MLB career), but it’s certainly been fun to watch.

Let the record show the Oklahoma City Thunder were in a brief bit of trouble in Game 2 on Thursday, before winning 125-107 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

With 10:34 remaining in the third quarter, a single play saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pick up his fourth foul, Alex Caruso pick up a technical foul and Austin Reaves get three free throws. He made all three, giving the Lakers a five-point lead and the ball while Gilgeous-Alexander had to sub out. That qualifies as trouble, by Oklahoma City standards.

And then the Thunder, with their remaining assortment of weapons, won the game.

Despite getting nothing from the reigning MVP and Finals MVP for the remaining 10-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter, the Thunder ripped off a 21-5 run to take the lead for good. They now lead the Western Conference semifinal series 2-0 as it moves to Los Angeles.

The Lakers did recover enough to make it a five-point game in the fourth quarter, but the OKC defense remains a nightmare to come back against. There was palpable frustration for the Lakers throughout the fourth quarter, arguing with the officials on several occasions.

That continued after the final buzzer, when Reaves was seen leading an airing of grievances with the officials.

Limiting Gilgeous-Alexander to 22 points should be a recipe for success against the Lakers. They have held him to 40 total across two games, the first time that’s happened all season (his previous low across two games: 45 points).

And yet, they are now 0-2 to show for it. In Game 2, it was because Chet Holmgren had 22 points on 11 shots, Ajay Mitchell had 20 points on 12 shots and Jared McCain had 18 points on 11 shots. It’s an unreasonable amount of talent, and the Lakers are still looking for a way to punch through after going 0-4 against them in regular season.

With Luka Dončić reportedly unlikely to return during this series, it’s about time for another brainstorming session. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at Crypto.com Arena (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

In the aftermath of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ frustrating Game 1 loss to the Detroit Pistons, All-Star guard James Harden made an admission and a pledge:

"I’ve got to be better and I will be better, not turning the basketball over."

Let’s just say Game 2 was not an encouraging development in that regard.

The Cavaliers lost 107-97 on Thursday to put themselves in a 2-0 hole as the series goes to Cleveland. No player faced more blame than the 36-year-old Harden, whose postseason struggles have become a defining element of his career across multiple playoff teams.

Harden finished the game with 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting (0-of-4 from 3-point range) with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 turnovers. One of those turnovers essentially put the game away for Detroit.

The box score has not been kind to Harden in two games this series. He has more total turnovers (11) than either field goals (nine) or assists (10). He is shooting 32.1% from the field and 9.1% from deep.

And he’s been worse on defense than offense. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor described that effort as “hilariously bad” in the first half. His response to some contact from Ausar Thompson didn’t leave many viewers impressed either.

Any player can be forgiven for a couple of bad games, but most basketball fans know this is well within historical norms for a player who has been a generational offensive talent … during the regular season.

The Cavaliers knew about all of this when they acquired him in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers in February, sending Darius Garland and a second-round pick to the West Coast with the hope they could get a consistent offensive creator alongside Donovan Mitchell. They didn’t need him to be an MVP-level talent again, just a player who could raise their floor offensively.

You could argue some of the criticism is overblown. Harden hasn’t reached an NBA Finals since his Oklahoma City Thunder days, but his Houston Rockets had a 3-2 lead on the Golden State Warriors in 2018 when Chris Paul got hurt in Game 5. He has certainly had good games, including some wins in the Cavaliers’ first-round series against the Toronto Raptors.

And yet, there might not be a single player in the NBA whose legacy would benefit more from a strong playoff run. That is not what’s been happening for Harden so far, and now his team needs a significant comeback just to reach the Eastern Conference finals.

Raja Jackson, the son of UFC great Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, has reportedly cut a deal with prosecutors following his live-streamed attack of a pro wrestler last year.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told the California Post that Jackson pleaded no contest to one felony count of battery with serious bodily injury at a preliminary hearing on Wednesday to close his criminal case. He also reportedly admitted to two special allegations: personal infliction of great bodily injury and engaging in violent conduct.

A sentencing hearing has reportedly been scheduled for late June, with a representative for the DA’s office telling the Post that the “anticipated sentence is 90 days actual county jail; restitution of $81,703.38; and two years formal probation.”

Jackson, who had previously pleaded not guilty, will reportedly be required to pay the restitution before he is sentenced.

The incident in question happened on Aug. 23,2025, when Jackson attended a Knokx Pro Wrestling event in Los Angeles.

During the proceedings, which were being streamed on Kick, Jackson entered the ring and slammed independent wrestler Stuart Smith — who operates under the moniker Syko Stu — down onto the mat. Jackson then mounted the seemingly unconscious wrestler and threw more than 20 punches at his head before getting ripped away by other wrestlers.

The attack left Smith in critical condition with what his Instragram described as a serious head injury, trauma to both the upper and lower jaws, a laceration to his upper lip, and a fracture to the maxilla bone, which resulted in the loss of several teeth.

He was released from the hospital after about a week and raised nearly $225,000 from a GoFundMe.

A misunderstanding led to Raja Jackson’s attack of Syko Stu

The incident appeared to stem from a misunderstanding documented in this video.

With Kick live-streaming the proceedings, Smith approaches Jackson backstage and confronts him in-character, apparently believing Jackson to be a fellow pro wrestler at Knokx. Smith strikes Jackson with a beer can, which leads to a hostile reaction from Jackson. Smith can be heard asking Jackson if he is going to "sell" the move (i.e. make it look real for the wrestling audience).

Another video shows Smith apologizing to Jackson and shaking hands with him, with Jackson saying "I appreciate it" and "I get it now." An agreement is made for Jackson to come out during Smith's match that night and get some retaliation. However, a stream from the front row shows Jackson saying "I'm really going to hit him ... I'm dead serious," due to the beer can incident.

In a video from after the incident, a person tells Jackson he was only supposed to perform a double-leg takedown and throw fake punches.

Jackson has experience as an MMA fighter, with a 4-0 record in amateur bouts before losing his professional debut against Steve Collins at UFL 3 in December 2023 per Tapology.

Raja Jackson appears to be getting the sentence his father hoped for

Condemnation of Jackson was widespread, with even his father criticizing his conduct.

Speaking on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” the elder Jackson affirmed his son was in the wrong, while also criticizing everyone involved:

"I talked to him, I heard his story, some other stuff, then learned a whole lot of stuff about it and everything. Raja's wrong. He went against what I told him to do, and he hid the fact that he got wrote into a pro-wrestling story. Raja's not a pro wrestler. He's a fighter. He had no business in that ring.

“Everybody there was wrong. Yes, my son took it too far. He knows better. He knows he's wrong for getting involved in a pro-wrestling match. He wasn't supposed to do it. I told him he couldn't even go to the gym for two weeks [after suffering a concussion in sparring].”

However, "Rampage" also said Raja "should go to jail, not prison" and suggested community service, an anger management class and therapy as additional possibilities. If the anticipated sentence goes through, it appears he will get his wish.

That must have been a productive film session for the San Antonio Spurs.

After getting stunned in Game 1 despite a historic performance by Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs responded by steamrolling the Minnesota Timberwolves, 133-95. Their Western Conference semifinals series is now tied 1-1.

Game 3 is scheduled for Friday (9:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video) as the series moves to Minnesota.

The best that can be said for the Timberwolves is they still weren’t quite 100%, or at least as close as they can get to 100% in a series where Donte DiVincenzo is guaranteed to be out. Anthony Edwards still came off the bench after a surprise return in Game 1, and Ayo Dosunmu left the game early with heel pain after previously being considered questionable.

Beyond that, well, here’s Wemby.

Anchored by the NBA’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, the Spurs held the Timberwolves to 5-of-21 shooting inside the paint before the start of the fourth quarter, by which time the game was well out of hand at 98-63.

On the perimeter? Minnesota also shot 5-of-21 on 3-pointers in the first three quarters. It lost the turnover battle 19-12. The Spurs got 10 more free throws. The Timberwolves had only three more assists (13) than the Spurs had steals (10).

Wembanyama didn’t post 12 blocks again (many of which Minnesota said were goaltends), but it was pure domination on defense for San Antonio.

The Spurs had far fewer issues on offense as well, with all five starters scoring in double figures before the fourth quarter. The game was truly out of hand toward the end of the second quarter, and the Spurs spent the third quarter pushing it further out of reach.

The moment when it was done was a stretch when Julian Champagnie made four straight 3-pointers.

Both teams emptied their benches early in the fourth quarter.

Stephon Castle led all scorers with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Dylan Harper had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists off the bench.

Edwards played 24 minutes off the bench and might have had more in a competitive game, but he contributed 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting with 0 assists and 4 turnovers. That tied for the Minnesota scoring lead with Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Terrence Shannon Jr.

When you have a 62-win team in one corner against a squad scrambling to tape together a backcourt rotation, you’re probably going to get results like Wednesday’s at some point. The Timberwolves can at least board the plane knowing that a two-point win and a 38-point win count the same in the series (the Wolves still have home-court advantage!), but the scene in Game 2 was a reminder of the task that lies in front of them.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse stepped away from the team on Tuesday to attend the funeral of his brother, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Steve Nurse, 62, reportedly died unexpectedly last Wednesday, the day before the Sixers’ Game 6 against the Boston Celtics in the first round. His brother’s team went on to complete a historic 3-1 comeback to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Nick reportedly traveled from New York to his hometown of Carroll, Iowa, on Monday night, following the Sixers’ Game 1 loss against the New York Knicks. He is expected to rejoin the team later Tuesday.

In Nurse’s absence, the Sixers reportedly held a film session on Tuesday but did not practice. They are scheduled to face the Knicks in Game 2 on Wednesday in New York (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Nurse, who won an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in 2018-19, is in his third season with the Sixers. This is the farthest they have been in the playoffs during his tenure after posting a 45-37 record in the regular season and advancing through the NBA play-in tournament.