Basketball Hall of Famer Dick Barnett, who played guard in both of the New York Knicks’ NBA championship seasons, has died, the team announced Sunday. He was 88.

Barnett died in his sleep overnight at an assisted living facility in Largo, Florida, according to multiple media reports.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024 as a player and as a three-time All-America for Tennessee A&I (now Tennessee State) teams that won three consecutive NAIA championships (1957-59) —the first HBCU program to win a national title in basketball.

‘Throughout his illustrious career, Dick Barnett embodied everything it meant to be a New York Knick, both on and off the court,’ the Knicks said in a statement. ‘He left a positive impact on everyone he encountered and this organization is incredibly fortunate to have him be such an integral part of its history. His jersey will forever hang in the rafters of Madison Square Garden, and his play throughout his career will forever be a part of Knicks fans memories.’

The Knicks won NBA crowns in 1970 and 1973 with large contributions from Barnett, a 6-foot-4 all-around player known for his unique ‘fall back, baby’ shooting style. His legs flew backward when the left-hander shot jumpers.

It worked for the native of Gary, Indiana, who was selected by the Syracuse Nationals with the fifth overall pick of the 1959 NBA draft.

He played for Syracuse for two seasons (1959-61) and one season for the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League (1961-62). He returned to the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers (1962-65) and finished his 14-year career with the Knicks (1965-74).

An All-Star in the 1967-68 season, Barnett averaged 15.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 29.8 minutes in 971 NBA regular-season games. He also averaged 15.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 27.3 minutes in 102 playoff games.

Game 4 of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Los Angeles Lakers series was fantastic.

Especially offensively with Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle and Los Angeles’ Luka Doncic and LeBron James combining for 133 points – 43 from Edwards, 25 from Randle, 38 from Doncic and 27 from James.

The back-and-forth contest ended with the sixth-seeded Timberwolves taking Game 4 116-113 and taking a 3-1 lead against the third-seeded Lakers in their NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Edwards’ two free throws with 10.7 seconds remaining – after Minnesota challenged a call and won, putting Edwards on the line – put the Timberwolves up 116-113, and Lakers guard Austin Reaves missed a 3-pointer to end the game.

Just 13 teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit, and it hasn’t happened since 2020 when Denver did it twice. The Lakers’ attempt to extend the series starts with Game 5 Wednesday in Los Angeles (10 p.m. ET, TNT).

Anthony Edwards’ star continues to rise and shine

For all the talk about the next “face of the NBA,” Edwards meets the requirement. He’s an elite talent. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, U.S. men’s basketball and Golden State coach Steve Kerr said, “As he continues to learn how to use (his talent) and be efficient in his play, he will be unguardable.”

He possesses the charismatic smile, the confidence and the humor. He’s in commercials (and yes, it would be nice if he limited his fines from the league office.)

Edwards put together one of his finest playoff performances, scoring a game-high 43 points on 12-for-23 shooting, including 5-for-10 on 3-pointers and 14-for-17 on free throws, and adding nine rebounds and six assists.

The talent and efficiency that Kerr mentioned was all there in Game 4. Edwards had 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and one block in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves eliminated a 10-point deficit to start the fourth.

“You could see it in his eyes that he was going to bring it home,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch told reporters.

Lakers’ roster flaws exposed

Lakers coach JJ Redick mentioned the lack of rim protection after losing Game 3. Starting center Jaxson Hayes played just four minutes as the Lakers’ lack of versatility was exposed in Game 4.

It was Los Angeles’ best offensive game of the series (40% on 19 made 3-pointers and stellar production from James and Doncic). Yet, it wasn’t enough even though Rui Hachimura scored 23 points and Reaves added 17.

Take away shooting stats from James and Doncic, the Lakers were just 18-for-43 from the field (41.9%). Four Lakers played at least 40 minutes, including 46 minutes, 14 seconds from James and 45 minutes, 49 seconds from Doncic. The Lakers simply can’t go many minutes without either one on the court.

Minnesota’s bench outscored Los Angeles’ 25-6, and Dorian Finney-Smith, who played 41 minutes, was the only Lakers reserve to score.

Saving the coach’s challenge for the right time

Finch could’ve used his coach’s challenge long before 10 seconds remained in the fourth quarter. But he saved it. Saved it for just the right time.

With the Timberwolves leading 114-113 and in possession of the basketball, Edwards drove toward the rim. James swatted at the basketball, and it went out of bounds off of Edwards – Lakers ball, the refs ruled.

However, Finch still had his challenge available, and he used it, knowing that under review, the referees could call a foul on James. That’s what happened, sending Edwards to the free throw line for two foul shots, which he made.

Finch used his coach’s challenge 74 times this season and was successful 46 times (62.2% rate) – in the middle of the pack. A coach gets one challenge, and if they get that correct, they get one more in a game.

Each team has a behind-the-bench assistant coach who helps the head coach determine if a challenge should be made. For the Timberwolves, that’s Jeff Newton who has worked in the NBA for the past 12 seasons and had a stint as a head coach in the G League.

Finch and Newton made it work at the right time.

Jayson Tatum collected game highs of 37 points and 14 rebounds to lead the visiting Boston Celtics to a 107-98 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday in Game 4 of their NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

The second-seeded Celtics made 30 of their 32 free-throw attempts in the victory, which gave Boston a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven series.

Orlando tied the score at 91 on a Wendell Carter Jr. putback with 4:18 to play, but the reigning NBA champions seized control by scoring 10 of the next 11 points.

Four of Boston’s five starters scored at least 18 points. Jaylen Brown had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Kristaps Porzingis tossed in 19 points and Derrick White finished with 18.

Paolo Banchero led seventh-seeded Orlando by scoring 31 points. Franz Wagner added 24 points, six rebounds and seven assists, and Carter finished with nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

Cory Joseph (12) and Anthony Black (10) were the other Magic players who scored in double figures.

Boston’s Jrue Holiday missed his second straight game in the series with a hamstring strain. Boston’s reserves were limited to six points, all from Sam Hauser.

The Celtics were 9 of 31 on 3-point attempts (29 percent). Orlando was 8 of 30 from behind the 3-point arc (26.7 percent).

Boston led 32-29 after one quarter and stretched its lead to nine, 42-33, with 7:46 left in the second. Orlando went in front 48-46 on a Banchero layup with 3:17 remaining in the first half. The Celtics finished the quarter on a 7-0 run and had a 53-48 halftime lead.

Orlando edged Boston 27-26 in the third quarter, which left Boston with a 79-75 advantage entering the final 12 minutes. Brown scored 11 of his 21 points in the third.

The Celtics can advance if they win Game 5 on Tuesday night in Boston.

It couldn’t have gone much worse for the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

After suffering a 129-103 loss to the Pacers in Game 4 at Fiserv Forum, the Bucks will head to Indiana facing elimination in the first round of the NBA playoffs for the third consecutive season.

There isn’t much time for Bucks head coach Doc Rivers to ponder season-saving solutions. Game 5 is at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

The Bucks played without Lillard when he had a blood clot that kept him out a month before returning for Game 2 of this series.

Kevin Porter Jr. provides some hope

If there was any bright spot for the Bucks it was the play of backup guard Kevin Porter Jr.

Lillard left the game with just under six minutes left in the first quarter with a non-contact leg injury. Porter was thrust into a larger role and finished with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo carrying a heavy burden

Giannis Antetokounmpo came into the game averaging 35.7 points and 14 rebounds per game in the series.

He struggled in the first half with eight points on 3-for-10 shooting. But he still finished with 28 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.

The short-handed Bucks couldn’t keep up with the go-go Pacers, who were led by Tyrese Haliburton (17 points and 15 assists) and Myles Turner (23 points).

INGLEWOOD, Calif. − Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon positioned himself to be the villain in the eyes of the Los Angeles Clippers’ home crowd Saturday night.

Gordon secured a 101-99 victory for the Nuggets with a putback dunk with .01 seconds left on the clock. Gordon had an opportunity to collect the rebound before the clock expired after Nikola Jokić’s 3-pointer fell short of the basket.

“Joker shot an airball and we weren’t expecting that,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said. “(Christian) Braun cut to the middle of the floor and James (Harden) and Norman (Powell) were in between trying to check with him and Gordon made a hell of a play. It is what it is.’

Gordon began running toward the tunnel as he celebrated, but was called back by teammates to stay on the court as officials reviewed the play.

The Clippers rallied from a 22-point deficit in the second half and even briefly held a one-point lead in the fourth quarter.

“It was tough, but I’m glad we fought and we didn’t lay down being down 20 in the fourth quarter,” Clippers star Kawhi Leonard said. “We kept fighting and rallied back. That’s the NBA. They made a great play.”

Powell was pivotal to the team’s comeback attempt, scoring nine points in the final period while going 3-for-3 from long range.

The matchup also featured a scuffle that led to six players receiving technical fouls after things got heated in the final seconds of the first half.

Braun and Harden exchanged words before a brief scuffle began. Braun was initially called for a personal foul. The two were seen earlier in the game getting chippy with one another.

Officials assigned techs to Harden, Powell and Kris Dunn of the Clippers after a review. Jokic, Gordon and Braun of Denver also received techs.

‘After the altercation, we went to the video review, and looking at all the angles, we felt everyone involved had an equitable role in the altercation,’ crew chief Zach Zarba said in a pool report after the game. ‘Due to that, they were all given equitable penalties.’

Gordon received consistent boos from Clippers fans throughout the second half when he touched the ball because Gordon’s hand made contact with Powell’s face.

In the moments after the scrum broke out, Gordon’s actions were shown on the Halo board at the Intuit Dome. Fans chanted, ‘Kick him out.’

The officials stated after the review that nobody would be ejected from the game, as nobody was seen on the replay throwing an intentional closed-fisted punch.

“They were aggressive, the way they were supposed to be, being down 2-1 (in the series),” Lue said of the Nuggets’ play in Game 4. “We didn’t meet that intensity until the fourth quarter. That’s just a lesson for us. We just have to stay the course and do what we have to do.”

Nuggets dealing with injuries

The Nuggets had a pair of players who were considered game-time decisions before the start of Game 4.

Michael Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook are dealing with injuries.

Porter came out of the Nuggets’ locker room with the team and participated in the layup line. While he didn’t have a hoodie on like his teammates, he did have his game jersey on. There was a taped pad visible on his left shoulder.

Porter finished with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists in 42 minutes of play.

Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook did not play in Game 4 after he was initially a game-time decision. Westbrook was a limited participant in Game 3 on Thursday after being injured during pregame warmups. 

The former Clipper scored three points, and had a rebound and an assist in nine minutes of play. He shot 1-for-5 from the field (all attempts from the 3-point line).

Second-round opponent set

The winner of this series knows who’s next.

The Oklahoma City Thunder closed out their first-round series Saturday, sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies. The Thunder will meet the winner of the Nuggets-Clippers series in the second round.

Clippers-Nuggets next game

The Clippers will travel to play the Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver for Game 5. The game is scheduled to air on TNT at 10 p.m. ET on April 29.

Understanding he would need to outwork Houston’s athletic defenders, with Jimmy Butler sidelined for the night, Stephen Curry was undeniable.

Curry overcame a two-point first quarter to will the Golden State Warriors past the Rockets, 104-93, to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series against Houston.

No player logged more minutes Saturday night than Curry, 37, whose 40:59 of game time was nearly seven minutes more than the closest Golden State player, Draymond Green.

Curry dropped 36 points on an efficient 12-of-23 (52.2%) day that included a 5-of-13 showing (38.5%) from 3-point range. He also collected seven rebounds and dished out nine assists, willing the undermanned Warriors to the crucial Game 3 victory.

Although Curry is widely known to be one of the most well-conditioned players in the NBA, Golden State’s reliance on him raises the question of sustainability. As it was, before Butler’s injury, the Warriors were heavily dependent on the duo to manufacture their offense. Saturday night showed how precarious the formula can be.

When Curry took his first breather late in the first quarter, the Warriors failed to score a single point and missed all eight of their attempts in that span. Typically, those would be minutes when Butler would be asked to take on more offensive responsibilities. That led to coach Steve Kerr altering his rotation and playing Curry more minutes than he normally would.

Eventually, Curry and Golden State would settle, though it wouldn’t be easy.

Houston harassed Curry throughout the game, holding him and face guarding him, making him fight through contact on screens and making him sprint all over the court just to find tiny spaces from which to operate. It looked exhausting, but Curry’s conditioning and savvy allowed him to carry Golden State’s offense.

It helped that role players stepped up; as Curry drew more and more defensive attention, especially late in the game, Curry entrusted his teammates with open looks. Gary Payton II recorded a postseason career high with 16 points, including a massive stretch in the fourth in which he scored nine consecutive points and 11 in the period. In fact, during that span with the nine consecutive points, it was Curry who assisted three of the four field goals Payton converted.

Buddy Hield added 17 points off the bench and Green’s defense helped seal the game.

Now, attention turns to the rest of the series, and — potentially — beyond.

Butler, who’s nursing a “pelvis and deep gluteal muscle contusion” suffered Wednesday, had been listed as questionable and was a game-time decision. But after going through a pre-game workout, the Warriors opted to rule him out. That he was a game-time decision suggests that his return may be imminent, as soon as the next game.

Golden State, at the risk of burning Curry out, may need Butler back as soon as possible.

Steph Cury highlights vs. Rockets

Saturday night against the Rockets, Stephen Curry was masterful, especially in the fourth quarter. Curry expertly managed the additional defensive attention he drew and operated both as a scorer and distributor in the quarter.

Curry even amped up his defensive effort, swatting away a pair of blocks, one of which led to a Warriors fast-break opportunity.

Curry also moved into 10th on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list, currently with 4,046 points; Jerry West is in ninth, with 4,457.